Macie
“I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this,” I whisper, staring at the ship in front of me. Oh, technically it’s not a “cruise ship.” It’s a “mini-cruise ship,” but I’m not convinced there’s much of a difference. It’s still big, and intimidating, and scary.
From the outside, the ship Anchored looks like it’s some sort of fancy restaurant or even a hotel. The parking lot is clearly labeled private, though, and even if someone did decide to wander up to the ship, they wouldn’t be able to get inside without a special key.
The problem is that I know this ship doesn’t house the best seafood in town. I know this place doesn’t have overpriced hotel rooms. I know this isn’t a bed and breakfast. I know, and that knowledge terrifies me.
“It’ll be okay,” Christina says comfortingly.
“Yeah,” Lily agrees. “You don’t have anything to worry about. Trust me: I was totally scared my first time, too, but Christina and Zack really put me at ease.”
“You came with Christina and Zack your first time?”
“Yep.”
“And it wasn’t…you were okay?”
“She was more than okay,” Jaxson Thorn, Lily’s husband and Dom, drapes an arm around her. “She was perfect, and you’re going to be fine, too.” His eyes soften as he looks at me. He lifts my chin with a finger and says, “Hey, we’re all going to be with you. Even if you decide to want to sit at the bar alone for a little while, or you want to talk to someone, we’ll always have eyes on you, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”
“And you won’t be playing tonight,” Zack adds.
“So I don’t have to worry about anyone touching me,” I whisper.
“Well,” Jaxson chuckles. “That’s the least of your concerns.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that once you see what happens at Anchored, little one, you’re going to be wishing someone was touching you. You might even be begging for it, but you can’t play tonight. Newbies don’t get to have fun. I know: it sucks for all of us.”
“Thorn,” Lily slaps him playfully on the chest. “You’re going to freak her out.”
“That’s Master Thorn at the club, baby.”
“Master,” she whispers, and she kisses her husband softly.
“All right,” Christina rolls her eyes at the PDA. “Let’s get inside. It’s already late, and I want to have some fun tonight.”
We head into the club and check in at the front desk. I’m not a member, but I’m on the guest list for the evening. The receptionist helps me put on a special pink bracelet that indicates I can’t have sex tonight. The good news is that since I won’t be playing with anyone, I’ll be able to drink.
And that’s something I’m definitely planning on doing.
We step through the doors to the club, and I have to take a minute to catch my breath. The music is loud, and it washes over me like a wave.
“It’s a lot to take in at first,” Christina says knowingly.
“Yeah,” Lily agrees, but I just nod, and I’m not sure what to look at first. There’s so much happening that I suddenly feel completely overwhelmed. There are people walking around in what I would consider to be “normal” clothes: suits and nice dresses. Then there are a couple of people in costumes. There’s someone dressed like a schoolgirl and one woman is a naughty nurse. Then there are people in full fet-wear.
There’s a little bit of everything.
“Breathe,” Zack reminds me, and I take a deep breath.
“Let’s go to the women’s locker room,” Lily suggests. “And we’ll meet the guys in a few minutes.” The men kiss their women before releasing them, and the three of us head into the locker room.
As soon as we’re in the quiet space, I collapse on a bench. The locker room isn’t soundproof, but it is quieter in here, and I feel like I can think in here.
“Newbie?” A friendly voice says, and I look up into two beautiful brown eyes.
“First time,” I admit, and she smiles.
“I’m Odessa.”
“Macie.”
“You look familiar.”
“Macie does catering for Shining Stars events,” Christina offers helpfully.
“Oh, that makes more sense, then.” Odessa smiles. “I’m another Shining Stars employee.”
“Woah,” I say. “Does the entire daycare staff come here to play?”
The women just laugh.
“There are a lot of us,” Lily admits. “But you’ll find there are plenty of different types of people who come to Anchored.”
“It’s true,” a woman with light blonde hair is sitting at the mirrors, and she turns around and smiles. Then she gives a little wave. “I’m a tech girl myself. Piper.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say. “I’m Macie.”
“Don’t be too scared,” Piper says with a smile. “These guys will boss you around, tie you up, and spank you, but most of them are real sweethearts.”
“So I’ve been told.”
The truth is that I still don’t know if this whole “kink lifestyle” is for me. Of course, it’s only my first time, so I know I have plenty of time to think things over, but there’s so much happening here that I really do feel overwhelmed.
“Piper is right,” Odessa says. “And there’s one thing you need to know. You’re a sub, right? I assume you’re a sub.” Christina and Lily both nod on my behalf. “Well, us subs stick together,” she smiles. “If you ever have any questions, or you’re nervous, or you just need someone to talk to, you can come to us. Any one of us would be happy to help you, okay?”
“Really?” It’s almost too good to be true. The sense of community here is incredible. Lily and Christina have told me this before, but I’m not sure I really understood it until now.
“Of course,” Piper says. “We were all new once upon a time. Coming to a place like this can be terrifying. You’re very brave, you know. Don’t be under this impression that you have to participate in something extreme or daunting in order to be considered brave. You don’t. Just coming here shows that you’re courageous.”
“Absolutely,” Lily agrees. “Trust me,” she says. “When we go out there, you might feel a lot of different emotions, and none of those feelings are wrong. Just take a deep breath and remember that everything is going to be okay. You might hate it, but you might love it, and that’s all right, too.”
Christina touches up my makeup and Lily fusses with my hair a little bit, but then it’s time to go. With a deep breath, I stand up and head out of the locker room and into Anchored.
It’s time to take a chance.