Page 108 of Blush
“We do. Come with me. I’ll get you a brochure.”
“I already have your brochure,” I say. “I’d like to…enroll.”
“Oh, awesome. Follow me, then.”
I follow Eileen back to what I think is the dressing rooms, but then she takes me to an office.
“What kind of classes are you interested in?”
“The submission, I think. I’m pretty new at this.”
“I understand. Let’s see…” She types a few things into her computer. “We have a beginner class starting tonight, and I have room. I can put you down.”
“That would be great. And Mary told me that since I spent over four hundred dollars…”
“Yes, you get the beginner class for free. Do you have your receipt?”
I pull it out of my purse and hand it to her.
“Perfect. All right, you’re all signed up, Amanda.”
“Mandy.”
“Mandy…and you can call me Lena.”
“Who will be teaching this class?”
“This one is…Mary, actually. So that works well. You already know her.”
I bite my lip. “Mary. Okay.”
“Is that a problem?”
Only that she’s been intimate with the man I love. “No. Not at all.” I use my best empowered voice. “Is Mary…submissive?”
“Mary is a submissive, yes.”
“And…you…”
She smiles. “Me? I’m not in the lifestyle. I just like the clothes.”
…
I haven’t heard from Jackson all day, and I haven’t reached out to him, either.
After checking in with Frankie and making sure she’s all settled in at home and that Penn is looking after her, I finish up my work for the day, make myself a light supper, and then head to Treasure’s Chest for my class.
It’s after eight o’clock, so the shop is closed. I have to text them to let them know I’m here.
Mary answers the door, welcomes me, and leads me back toward the dressing rooms once more, to a room beside the office that turns out to be a large classroom.
And by large, I mean larger than the office but not really large at all.
“We’re all here now,” Mary says, “so we can begin.”
Four others—three women and one man—sit in chairs. I say a quick prayer of thanks that I don’t recognize any of them. Not that there’s any probability that I might have. Working at home and being an introvert doesn’t allow for meeting a lot of people, even in a huge place like New York City.
“I thought we would all introduce ourselves,” Mary says. “Say a few sentences about yourself, first names only please, and why you’re interested in this class on submission.” She eyes me. “Would you like to start, Mandy?”