"I'm so nervous," Olivia confessed to Janet as she reached for the glass of wine that her friend had poured for her.

Janet smiled and shook her head as she replied, "No need to be nervous, Olivia. We're only going to discuss the possibility. You don't have to make a decision tonight, or any time soon for that matter. When you are ready, I'll introduce you to whom you choose."

This would be new territory for Olivia. She had agreed to the possibility of a kink date with one of Janet's experienced play partners. Janet was very active, and well respected, in the kink scene. She had offered to guide Olivia on her quest.Olivia's only stipulation; no intercourse. She wasn't ready for the intimacy of penetration.

Olivia's husband had left her over a year ago. She was devastated by her husband's sudden and shocking proclamation, "I found someone else who makes me happier. I'm sorry," he had coldly stated, and left Olivia after eleven years of marriage.

Janet had nursed and guided Olivia through her darkest hours. She had spent countless days and nights with her. Consoling her, as Olivia tried to cry the unending pain out of her heart. Janet listened as Olivia asked all of the questions that she desperately was searching answers to. Answers, which could not possibly provide the reprieve Olivia was in search of.

Olivia had turned down every invitation extended to her 'to get out and have some fun' for almost one year. When she finally agreed to attend a party at Janet's home, her friend was ecstatic. Slowly, Olivia began to show signs of healing. She began wearing makeup again. She asked Janet if she would accompany her to purchase a new wardrobe. She ventured out on a few dinner dates, but was hesitant to jump in to bed with a man. Hesitant, to trust again, hence, her no penetration stipulation. Olivia had flirted with the idea of being tied to a bed and made to cum with sex toys. When she mentioned her fantasy to her friend, Janet eagerly offered her assistance in finding a suitable play partner.

With the sting and heartbreak of betrayal fading, but still looming over her, Olivia decided to try to get on with her life. At first mention, the thought of meeting a man for a kink session seemed unappealing and wrong to Olivia. The more she thought about it, the more appealing it became to her. She wasn't ready for, or looking for any form of commitment. It had been months since her vibrator had been enough to quiet her sexual needs. So, there she was, drinking wine with Janet, looking through a catalogue of men on Janet's cell phone. While Janet described to Olivia what each man offered in the way of a sexual experience.

"Everyone I will recommend, you don't know," Janet assured Olivia.

Olivia nodded and added, "Nothing too crazy, I don't want to be grossed out or get hurt. An orgasm or two, while I'm tied to a bed. I am not sure I’m ready for," Olivia cleared her throat and chuckled at her hesitation to say the word, “Intercourse.”

Janet smiled reassuringly at Olivia, “I’m sure I can find a man to provide what you’re seeking."

She handed her phone to Olivia. "Swipe through the pictures and I'll give you a run down on what each of them is like. The first one is, Jim. A school teacher, young, hot, and he can fuck all night. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in enthusiasm. He might be your best choice for your first time. He's expressed interest in dominating a woman. I think you two are a perfect fit to venture into kink together for the first time."

Olivia looked at the picture of the naked young man. "He is cute. I would like to meet him first, to be honest."

"Of course. You would meet to discuss what both of your preferences are, and what limits are to be respected. Swipe to the next one," Janet replied with a grin.

"That can't be real!" Olivia laughed out at the picture of a short, chubby man with an incredibly enormous cock.

Janet snickered and replied, "Why does everyone say that? I can assure you it's real. He's Filipino; his cock is thirteen and a half inches of pure delight, and as thick as my wrist. It took many attempts for me to finally take him in my ass. It was absolutely amazing. Oh, and he cums in buckets."

"No way! Too big for anything!" Olivia announced and swiped to the next picture.

Janet smiled, "That's Jean Paul. He's sweet, and knows his way around a woman's body, especially with his tongue. I'm getting wet just thinking of him. He is much too gentle and polite for my tastes. He won't ever be rough or talk dirty to me. He thinks himself a true gentleman, in and out of the bedroom. Bring your toys, and I'm sure he'll satisfy your every need."

Jean Paul was a well hung, athletic looking, middle aged black man. His eyes and smile confirmed how Janet had described him, gentle.

“He does look gentle. Do you think any of them will agree to no penetration, Janet? I can’t imagine that any man would agree to what I am asking. Maybe, this is a bad idea. Maybe, I’m being unrealistic,” Olivia suddenly questioned what she was looking for, “Maybe, I don’t know what I want.”

"Your request isn't that common, but, it's not unheard of, Olivia. I'm sure we will find someone for you," Janet assured her friend.

Olivia swiped to the next picture.

"And here we have, Donald, or, Darkness, as he likes to be referred to," Janet snickered. "As you can tell by his leather outfit and whip, he is into hard BDSM. He's got a nice cock. I think he is too hard to start off with, but, that's up to you."

Olivia swiped to the next picture and gasped out in shock and surprise, "That's you, Janet!" Olivia recognized the tattoo on Janet's left breast.

The picture was of Janet's breasts bound tightly with rope. The rope bit into the supple, mounds of flesh, in an intricate, twisted, and woven pattern. The image made Olivia's breasts feel suddenly hot. The heat radiated with a slow burn from her nipples and soon consumed her entire chest, as if she had slowly lowered her breasts into steaming, hot water.

“Mmm, yes, that is me. I love being tied, teased and fucked,” Janet purred.

Olivia swiped to the next picture on her friend's phone. “Oh! Good god! What did he do to your ass?” she asked in shock as she looked on in disbelief at deep, red welts that covered Janet’s ass and the back of her thighs.

In the picture, Janet was naked and tied to a St Andrews Cross. Ropes bound around her ankles, knees, elbows and wrists, holding her firmly in place.

“Mmm, yes. That was my first caning. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone but Him, with my ass.”

“That looks like it hurt like hell,” Olivia added, still in shock.

“It did hurt. Without a doubt, the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I wanted it, needed to experience it. I’m glad I did. I left a puddle on the floor by the time he finished. Zoom in on the floor and you can see how much cum he got out of me.” Janet closed her eyes and sighed, “He’s… dreamy. You'd be amazed at how pain can enhance pleasure. Trust me, you can take and enjoy a lot more pain than you think you can.”

Olivia swiped to the next picture. A gasp caught in her throat and every nerve in her body tingled. She suddenly felt light headed, confused, breathless, as if she was going to pass out. She shut her eyes tight, took a deep breath, and slowly let the air out of her lungs. The spinning in her head began to slow; she inhaled and exhaled one more time, and the spinning disappeared.

The picture was of Janet, blindfolded, bound, and suspended by rope. It appeared as if she was floating in mid-air. Ropes tied to a metal ring in the ceiling were attached to the ropes around her body. She was facing the floor, her head dangled eerily from her shoulders. Her legs were folded at the knee and bound tight. Her arms were tied behind her back; her ass, shins and feet, were covered in red candle wax.

The rope, constricting and biting into Janet’s folded and bent body sent a shiver down Olivia’s spine. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. What she felt at that moment was beyond sexual arousal. She couldn't find a word to describe the feeling that had suddenly, and unexpectedly, consumed her.

Janet noticed the shiver, and the faraway look in Olivia's eyes. “You like that one, Olivia? Same man who caned my ass and made it bleed,” she informed her awe struck friend.

Olivia focused on the photo, swallowed hard and asked, “Do the ropes hurt?”

Janet took her time to reply, teasing Olivia, “It all depends on His mood.”

“Do you have any pictures of him? What’s his name? What is he like? Do you think he'd agree to the same thing to me?” Olivia asked as she tried to imagine how ropes would feel on her body and to be floating in mid-air.

Janet took a sip of wine and shook her head, “This one won’t allow me to have any pictures of him, sadly. He is ruggedly handsome, and the intensity of his stare can be very frightful when he’s aroused.” She leaned forward and added, “He’s not for you, Olivia. Forget him.” Janet warned her friend. “He’s different. If you allow him, he’ll destroy you. Make you ache and hurt in ways you wouldn’t believe to be possible. Do things to you, and make you do things so obscene, indecent, crude, lewd, vulgar, dirty and so fucking filthy, you won’t recognize yourself. You'll despise him for what he puts you through, and how he makes you feel, and at the same time, you won't be able stop yourself from worshiping him,” Janet continued with her warning. “Oh, and after a few days, when your body stops hurting, you’ll be aching for more,” Janet smiled and winked at Olivia."Start your new journey with someone and something a lot less intense."

“I want him to tie me up and suspend me,” Olivia replied and handed the phone back to Janet. “What’s his name?”

“We have an agreement; I won’t give out any information about him without his approval,” Janet informed Olivia.

“Ask him for me? Can’t hurt to ask,” Olivia replied, determined not to take no as an answer.

“I have a lot more friends for you to choose from. If you’re not ready to fuck, I know many women who would jump at the chance to get you in bed. Feel free to ask me any questions about each and every one of them. Don’t rush this,” Janet added in a very serious tone.

Olivia thought for a moment, trying to ignore the intense heat between her legs, and asked Janet, “If you had to pick only one of the men to continue playing with, who would you pick, Janet?”

Janet chuckled and shook her head before she answered, “My tastes are different than yours, Olivia. Who my preferred gentleman is, won’t assist you in making the right choice for you. As long as you understand that, I will answer your question. Hands down, it would always be Him.”

Olivia smiled and asked, “Will you please ask him for me?”

Janet sighed, “Okay. I’ll ask, but I can’t promise anything from him. The others I can guarantee will agree to meet with you.”

~

That night, Olivia tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't shake the unfamiliar feeling that had manifested inside her the instant she saw the photo of Janet bound and suspended.

"Surreal?" she thought to herself. Hoping that if the feeling had a name, it would stop haunting her.

"Selcouth, that's the word I was looking for. Where do I remember that word from?"

It means, rare, strange, wondrous, unfamiliar, and yet marvelous. Yes, that is how looking at the floating, rope adorned body made her feel. Her mind became calm. Her body tingled. She closed her eyes and allowed the low, thumping sound in her ears to set the tempo to how the new and wondrous sensation flowed effortlessly through her.

Without thinking, she slid her hand in-between her legs and rubbed slow, deliberate circles over her swollen clit. Her moans sounded very far away to her. She turned over on to her belly, and imagined that it was her in the picture. That it was her body tied tight and floating in mid-air. Olivia pressed her breasts hard into the mattress and quickened the flicking of her fingers across her clit. She moaned into her pillow, pressed her hips into the mattress and rode the violent wave of release that crashed and swirled inside her.

Even after an orgasm, the unfamiliar feeling was still deep inside her.

~

I received a text from Janet the next morning, "Can we talk?”

"Call me," I texted back as I grinned.

Janet likes being told what to do.

A few seconds later my cell phone rang. "Hello Janet," I answered the call.

"Gil, how have you been?"

I could picture the lustful look in her green eyes.

"I am well. How are you?"

"Good! No complaints. I have something you might be interested in."

I waited a few seconds to allow Janet to continue, before I asked her, "Something or someone?"

"A newbie. But before you say no, hear me out, please?" Janet rushed the question.

"Go on," I replied.

I trust Janet's judgment.

"She's not a tire kicker; I can assure you of that. She's a little too eager for her own good. She wants to experience being tied and suspended. Would you be interested in introducing her to your rope?” Janet coyly asked.

Janet explained the events that had led up to her phone call. "What do you say, Gil?" she asked when I didn’t reply right away.

"You are right, Janet. She is much too eager for her own good and safety. I suggest she take your advice and start off with something, and someone, a lot less intense than me. Why would you ask me, if you know there is no way I would agree to a session with her? What haven’t you told me yet?"

"Olivia is a very dear friend of mine, Gil. She was devastated when her husband left her. We were all very worried about her, at how distant and distraught she became.

This is the first sign she’s demonstrated that she wants to get on with her life. For Olivia to tell me that she wants to experiment and try new things was a relief. If you could have seen Olivia's reaction to your rope work, you would at the very least agree to meet with her. I know you, Gil. I know you would provide her exactly what she wants to experience."

“She isn’t remotely similar to the last newbie you introduced me to, is she?” I laughed into the phone.

I could picture Janet’s face turning bright red. Months back, I had agreed to meet with a young lady that Janet had recommended. The young lady was very eager to be bound and used. We met for coffee, to discuss the possibility of getting together for a session. She suggested that I should read a very popular book on the subject, to familiarize myself with what she was expecting, and at the same time educate myself in the art of the Dom/sub dynamic.

I thanked her for her time and explained that we weren’t a good fit. That she should seek out someone else.

“You are never going to let me live that down, are you, Gil?” Janet asked as she giggled.“I still get a chuckle out of it. What I wouldn’t give to have seen the expression on your face.”

"I trust your judgment, Janet. I will agree to meet Olivia for coffee. I'll provide the location, date and time. I won't promise anything else," I replied.

If Olivia’s reaction to rope was as impassioned as Janet had explained, I wouldn’t hesitate to provide her the experience.

"Thank you, Gil! I'm so excited for her!" Janet squealed into her phone so loud that I had to pull my phone away from my ear.

"Text me a picture of her," I chuckled and ended the call.

Janet stood up from her desk and quickly made her way to Olivia's office. "Put your face on, quick! He wants a picture of you. And, he's agreed to meet and discuss a possible rope session with you."

Olivia felt as if her heart had stopped beating in her chest. Heat rushed to her cheeks, she could feel her face turning red.

"Fuck it!" Janet snickered and snapped a picture of her stunned friend with her cell phone.

"Don't you dare send him that, Janet!" Olivia whispered a stern warning, not wanting anyone that might be walking by her office to hear. “What else did he say?”

"No guarantee for a session. That's all he said," Janet explained. "Take it, Olivia. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

Olivia unbuttoned one more button on her blouse and touched up her lipstick. "Okay, take a picture and send it off," Olivia smiled for the camera.

"Nice touch with the button, very slutty of you," Janet snickered.

Olivia did up the button on her blouse after Janet snapped the picture and said, "I think I’ve gone bat-shit crazy, Janet. This is so unlike me."

Janet huffed and dismissed her friend’s comment with a wave of her hand. “Everyone deserves to be happy, Olivia. You’re single, drop dead gorgeous, and want to experience something new. What’s so bat-shit crazy about that?”

I received a text from Janet, "Name the place and time, she'll be there. Isn't my friend beautiful?"

Her friend was beautiful. She had fair skin, delicate facial features, and big, bluish-grey eyes. Her long, chestnut colored hair, framed her face with the perfect contrast of light and dark. I grinned when I noticed her unbuttoned blouse.

Olivia was fidgeting nervously in her chair; she stood up and took a deep breath as she shook her hands out by her sides.

Janet smiled and reassured her, “Relax, Olivia.”

“I can’t. I can’t believe what is happening. What am I thinking? How…” she stopped mid-sentence when she heard Janet’s phone chime. “Is that him? What did he say? Of fuck!” she panicked.

Janet smiled as she read the text to herself, then handed her phone to Olivia.

“Can she meet me tonight at nine, at the coffee shop across from, High Park? And, yes, she is very beautiful.” Olivia read the text out loud three times, slower each time she read it.

She looked at Janet and asked, “What do I do?”

“You meet Gil for coffee, just like he asked,” Janet chuckled.

“Gil? That’s his name?” Olivia asked as she melodically repeated my name in her head till it became a mantra.

“Yes, Olivia. That’s his name,” Janet grinned. “How do I reply? He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Yes, tell him yes!” Olivia excitedly replied.

~

The coffee shop was busy when I arrived. It's located at a major intersection, and only a few minutes north from two freeways. Most of the patrons took their orders to go and headed back out on the road. I ordered a coffee and sat at small table that seated two.

Olivia entered the coffee shop at five minutes to nine. She walked past the long line up at the counter, perusing the men in the line. She was hoping to recognize me by feel. When she reached the end of the line, she turned her focus to the seated patrons. When she caught sight of me sitting alone at the table, she was convinced she had found me. And she was determined not to show how nervous, anxious, afraid, and aroused she was.

She walked up to me and asked in the steadiest voice she could manage, while doing her best to hold the butterflies in her stomach at bay, "Gil?"

I stood up and smiled, "Yes. How did you know?"

I towered over her. My six foot, solid, two hundred and twenty five pound frame made Olivia feel tiny. She stood a slender, five foot, five inches, tall. Her eyes were much bluer than in the photo Janet had sent me.

Olivia let out a short, nervous laugh, and replied, "Woman's intuition, I guess."

I waited till she was seated before I sat back down in my chair. "You don't want a coffee or tea?" I asked.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she smiled.

"I won't take up too much of your time, Olivia. I have a few questions I want to ask you. And, I'll answer any questions you have."

Olivia nodded.

"Why?" I asked her.

She shifted in her chair, placed her hands on her lap and replied, "This might sound crazy to you; I knew I had to experience what I saw in the picture. Even before my mind fully processed what I was looking at," she replied in reference to the photo of Janet bound and suspended. "It was as if a hunger was inside me, dormant, waiting to be awoken. The picture shocked it out of its slumber. I probably sound like a crazy woman to you, but that is the reason why."

"You don't sound crazy at all, Olivia. I experienced something very similar to what you just described. Only, I knew I had to do the tying."

Olivia lifted her hands off her lap, placed them on the table, leaned a bit closer to me and asked. "You understand what I experienced? You don't think I'm crazy?"

"I do understand, and I do not think that you are the least bit crazy. Next question, Olivia. What do you have no interest in experiencing?"

Olivia looked down at her hands and placed them flat on the table, "I have been struggling to answer that question. I have no experience with any of the things Janet has explained to me. Everything happened so fast. Janet was right, I should have taken more time to learn and ask more questions." She lifted her head, looked at me and added, "All I am sure of is that I want to experience being bound and suspended, and that I don't want the pain to outweigh the pleasure. I cannot answer any more honest than that."

I chuckled and stroked my goatee. "You would be in control of the pain to pleasure ratio, Olivia. Also, I highly doubt that more time to think about what you are seeking to experience would make answering the question any easier. Ultimately, you’re quest is the experience itself. If I agree to introduce you to rope, I will decide how you are tied, and for how long you remain suspended. You may ask to stop and end the session at any time," I grinned.

She leaned in a bit closer to me. "I don't understand. How can I possibly be in control of the pain to pleasure ratio, or anything else for that matter? If I'm bound and suspended, I am at your mercy. Janet said that you gave her the most painful experience of her life. I saw the pictures, the aftermath of what you... I mean, what the cane did to her," Olivia blushed as she replied.

"That was at Janet’s request, Olivia. She willingly gave me the control to provide what she wanted. She was never at my mercy. I do not take control; I accept it, if it is offered to me. Also, it was me that marked Janet, the cane was merely the instrument I used. You need to get that clear in your mind. Similar to anyone I meet with, you would be in control of what you want, and don’t want to experience.”

"Trust," Olivia said out loud as the word popped into her mind. "Janet told me that she wouldn't have trusted anyone else but you with her... you know."

I chuckled and nodded my head. "If she didn't trust me, she would never have asked me to... you know."

Olivia processed what I had just explained to her for a moment, then asked, "May I ask you a question, Gil? I hope you don't think it inappropriate of me."

"You may, that is why we are here," I smiled.

"Is inflicting pain the only thing that arouses you?" Olivia asked.

"I am a bit of a sadist," I grinned. "Many things arouse me, Olivia. Over the years, I have learned that I have very few hard limits. As to inflicting pain, and the effect it has on me, there is much more to it than just providing the physical sensation. Knowing that a woman is willing to suffer for me is much more arousing than inflicting the suffering. In her dark desire, I sense a delicate and fragile beauty that exists in her willingness to endure pain for me."

Olivia processed what I had said to her and replied, “I sense a delicate and fragile beauty within a dark desire. I like the sound of that, Gil."

"It is food for thought. But make no mistake, Olivia, the pain is real. I enjoy hurting beautiful things," I grinned.

Olivia shifted in her seat as a shiver ran up her back and replied, "I believe you. To be honest, you scare the shit out of me. I don't want the kind of pain that Janet wanted. I'm good with letting you decide how I am tied, and for how long I remain suspended."

"Any more questions, Olivia?" I chuckled.

Olivia took a deep breath and turned her eyes away from me for a moment. She met my gaze again and nervously asked, “If you decide to grant my request, do you expect,” she stopped speaking to exhale hard and continued, “Intercourse? I will agree to it, if it's the only way to experience being tied and suspended. But, I don’t think I am ready for it. It’s been well over a year since the last time… ” she didn’t complete the sentence.

I laughed out loud, “Do I look that desperate, Olivia? That I have to tie women up, so they can’t run away screaming from me, just so I can get laid? No, Olivia. You don’t have to agree to anything you don't want to experience, or perform. All I ask is that you are open and honest with me at all times, for your pleasure, and more importantly, your safety. I was intrigued by your reaction to rope. If I decide to meet with you, it will be an introduction to rope," I paused and grinned at Olivia. "And, the one or two orgasms you asked for, of course. Any more questions?”

Olivia blushed and laughed, "I am so sorry, Gil. I didn't mean it like that. I had a million and one questions for you. I thought about how I should ask them, the tone I should use, which body movements should accompany which questions. But, here I am, with no other questions to ask. It’s as if meeting you in person has put my mind more at ease."

“I’ll let Janet know my decision shortly,” I informed her.

I accompanied Olivia to her vehicle and bid her good night.

"You don't," Olivia called out to me as I was walking away from her car.

"What?" I asked as I turned around to look at her.

"You don't look desperate at all. Not in the least," Olivia smiled.

I watched her drive off as I lit up a cigarette. I would introduce her to rope. I had made my decision the instant she answered why she wanted the experience.

~

Friday morning, I texted Janet. "This Saturday. My condo, eight pm. Tell Olivia."

"Yes, Sir!" Janet texted back and quickly made her way to Olivia's office.

Janet entered Olivia's office and slowly closed the door behind her. "Hey, how's it going, Olivia?" she casually asked her friend.

"Hi. Can't complain. Usual crappy day at the office," Olivia chuckled.

"Oh, I have some news," Janet blandly stated as she extended her arm and looked at her nails.

Olivia waited a moment for her friend to tell her the news she mentioned, and asked, "Well, are you going to tell me this news you have?"

Janet rubbed the pad of her thumb over one of her nails and replied, "Nothing major really. You have a date with Gil, tomorrow night, at eight. That's all, no biggie."

It took Olivia a few seconds to grasp what her friend had announced.

"What?" Olivia asked as she closed her eyes to stop the room from spinning.

Janet chuckled, "Earth to Olivia. Gil has agreed. You are going to get your wish."

Olivia slowly opened her eyes and whispered, "Oh fuck. I might have just had an orgasm."

Janet laughed "Plenty more where that one came from, Olivia. I'll text you Gil's address. Enjoy!"

Olivia took a deep breath and asked, “Am I being selfish, Janet. I mean, not allowing Gil to, you know? And why is he agreeing to this, can I trust him?”

“Hmmph. Are you getting cold feet, Olivia?” Janet pouted. “One. You are not being selfish. Two. If not being able to fuck you was a deal breaker, trust me, Gil would have mentioned it. Three. You can trust Gil, unconditionally. I believe everything he does, no matter how vile, have an element of art buried in it. Although, he’ll never admit that to anyone. You are the perfect, virginal canvas in his eyes. I would never put you in harms ways, Olivia. Now, be a good little girl, go get tied up, and have so many orgasms that you lose count of them,” Janet winked at Olivia and left her office as grinned. She was very happy for her friend.

Continued in part two...