Forged and Polished: Chapter Five

To no one's surprise, Alex is featured prominently in my dreams. I’m really going to need him to help me act on some of these soon; at least the stress didn’t cause nightmares. That would have been infinitely worse. I guess I can manage the effects of the fun dreams for a bit longer. He just needs to live up to that snarky comment he made yesterday.

I need to find someway to relax today. Saturday mornings are for rage cleaning, so maybe that will do. I start a load of laundry and vacuum before I realize I need coffee and haven’t checked my messages since I woke up.

Good morning Liz. I will pick you up at six. Nothing fancy. I promise. Just wear something comfy. Also……. Try to relax.

HA. Good one. Relax. Like that’s a fucking possibility. I am about to go on a date with a man who is sort of my boss at work, and he’s like double my age. For fuck sakes, this is completely fucked up.

I have to get out of my house. I am going to climb the walls out of anxiety if I don’t. Maybe Charlie can help with this, so I throw the stinker in her bubble backpack and set out for a walk. She loves the fresh air and all of the attention she gets.

We swing by a coffee shop and then head to the water. It’s going to be a gorgeous day, but there’s something special about the water at 9 am. So few people are out and about. I throw on Charlie’s harness and let her roam in the sand. She will need a bath after, but she loves the sand. I guess I will risk the bites and scratches this will cause.

She’s sniffing and digging around when I remember I never responded to Alex, so I send him a picture of Charlie with her head in the sand and a quick good morning message. This is my happy place anyways. I can already feel my anxiety calming down. While Charlie is on her 20 foot leash and there are no dogs around, I walk on the sand right at the water’s edge just to feel the ground and the waves. The water drowns out the rest of humanity, and for once, my brain is a bit quieter. The water is an unforgiving power that bows to no one. She stretches all over the planet, and I get to touch a small part of it. Charlie avoids her, but with the long lead, I can keep my feet connected.

It’s a small stretch of water, just a small stretch of lake front actually, so I don’t have far to walk to cover it all. The water is so healing this morning. After half an hour, Charlie is annoyed and wants to head home, so I grab her, wipe some sand off of her nose, and put her back in her backpack. On the walk home, I focus on my breathing and soaking up the sun. Even on the most stressful of days, the sun helps. Nature itself is so grounding.

When I get back to the apartment, I quickly throw Charlie in the bathtub. She tries to rip my face off before I can get all of the dirt and sand off of her though. She draws blood from my left arm, but then she’s clean, and I can shower myself. I take an everything shower. Shaving everything, washing my hair, and a deep conditioning mask. I need to feel brand new right now.

My entire closet throws up before I decide on a flowy black dress with a floral print. It is comfy, can be dressy or not, and frankly, makes my tits look 10/10, so it’s perfect for a date.

The rest of the day passes with more cleaning and some reading. I need an escape, and this is the best I've got. Six starts to come around, and I've decided on comfy sandals and a leather jacket to finish the outfit. I gotta admit that it's a cute one.

Alex is right on time as I expected. He's never not punctual at work, so why would now be any different. I grab my water bottle and purse before heading out the door. I'm not doing this without an emotional support water bottle. Stupid? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.

I open the door to probably the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. I'm probably matching his smile. My stomach is turning but also so happy.

"Hey... thanks for driving."

"Of course. Wow, you look... wow. I'm so lucky."

Now, he has me blushing. "You've seen me wear dresses before Alex. I think I've even worn this to work."

He just continues to beam at me as we pull off and laugh, "probably, but I haven't been allowed to look and appreciate before."

"Okay now I know that's only a partial truth. You've definitely looked. Remember the black skull partnered shirt, red skinny jeans, and 4 inch combat boots? I seem to remember you stopping yourself after half a sentence of 'oh you look ama...'. So maybe be honest." A sideways glance shows a slight blush on his face.

"Well fuck, you do have a great memory."

"I know I do."

The rest of the fifteen or twenty minute ride is passed in comfortable chatter. We already have such a background that it's simple and easy. We've known each other for five years. That's a lot of history even if it's only at work.

We pull up to a cute little restaurant that I don't recognize. We are in one of the wealthier neighborhoods that I certainly have never belonged in. The sign at the entrance tells me it's called Blue Waves. I've definitely never heard of this.

Walking in, the lights are low, the chatter is quiet, and everyone working looks happy. Why am I noticing that? Why is my brain running at 100 miles per hour? Okay, I know the answer to that one. I'm nervous as fuck.

We make our way to a table towards the back. The candlelight and soft music really sets the tone. I feel like this maybe doesn't count as casual as I was promised.

"Okay, well this is nice."

"It's one of my favorite hidden spots. I figured it would be a good place for a first day." And there's that smile again. I could get used to seeing him beam this much.

"I think so." Awkward. I'm being awkward. Where the fuck do I even start?

"Liz, take a deep breath. It's okay."

Apparently my face shows how terrified I am right now, so I listen to him and close my eyes to breathe. One breath, two breaths. Okay, I can do this.

"Better?" I nod my head. I'm doing this. I've wanted this for a while.

"Liz, it's just a conversation. We've had hundreds before. If this will make it easier, I'll start. Tell me something I don't know about you. Tell me something you couldn't tell me at work."

"Uhm, well, how intense of a thing do you want to know..."

That gets his attention. His eyebrows shoot to the sky, and I see the curiosity behind his eyes. Maybe I should just jump in and tell him.

"Okay, I see that reaction. Well I'll tell you the big thing, so we get it out of the way. I have previously worked as a professional Domme as well as have been active in the scene around here. Still sort of am."

He actually chokes. Like romcom level chokes and starts coughing. I guess he wasn't expecting that one.

"On the less intense side, I love baking. I stress bake, and I happy bake, so if you're going to spend time around me, you need to be okay with eating baked goods and being a guinea pig. I will attempt every technical challenge on Bake Off, you will have to taste test.

Well, he still isn't recovering from the first bit of information. I can't tell what his reaction even is. He gets a reprieve when the waitress asks for our drink orders. This requires alcohol now.

"Well that's news to me. Holy shit. I'm not sure I even understand the scale of what that means." Even his voice seems a little shaky and unsure.

Now it's my turn to laugh. I didn't expect him to be versed in this world, but it's still fun being the more experienced one. I can torture him a little bit.

"Yeah, I didn't think you would. I obviously couldn't bring that up any sooner. I assume you have questions? Or would you like to come back to that topic later? I'm aware that it may be a lot."

"I mean, I'm certainly very curious what that means. I wasn't expecting to jump right into that. Not without alcohol." His saving grace arrives when the waitress brings our drinks. Three gulps of a delightful mule down and I'm ready to share more. She quickly takes our orders which gives Alex a minute or two to breathe. Most people who don't meet me in the scene react like this.

He takes a long sip of his drink before he responds again. "Okay tell me. I mean the baking is nice, but I'm much more curious about this."

"Okay... tell me if it's too much. I'll answer any question you have. Especially since this is such a big part of my life outside of chemistry.

Big breath.

"So I got into the scene way too young. Literally at eighteen. I started playing around with people who didn't have my best interests at heart. That was also when I thought I was only a submissive. I started doing simple submission scenes. The first guy I played with full on used me. He would cross hard limits, he would ignore my protection rules, and the fucker couldn't even tell when I faked it.

"I spent a few more years in that side of the scene, but then I had a partner that sort of awakened my domme. Now... well now, I switch between the two. I haven't worked professionally as a domme in about six months, but I still fully enjoy it. I love the power and complexity that comes with it. I love bringing a man to his knees and treating him to his every desire. I love watching a man fight his first instinct to be in charge and then realize how delicious it is to submit. I was very good at helping men learn submission and explore their darker desires. I specialized in degradation, humiliation, denial, and pain, but that comes later, after we've established submission and trust. I've worked with individuals and couples, but really specialized in teaching men submission."

Well that all just came spilling out. He maybe didn't need to hear all of that. I can see his mind spinning. I don't think he was lying when he said he didn't know anything about this world.

"That's a lot to take in. We might have to come back to that in the future. I have no experience in that way."

"Yeah that's fair. Sorry if that was overwhelming, but you asked."

Now his smile's back. "I suppose I did."

"Outside of that, I bake a lot. I'm currently learning to master macaroons! They are the devil though."

"Wait aren't those the French cookies most bakers avoid?"

"Yep! I never claimed to be sane Alex. Actually, I do have a question! Why is your cat named Clyde? That's such a weird name."

"Oh yeah... he just looked like a Clyde. I can't explain it. He was a cute little fluffy kitten, and he just screamed Clyde to me."

Now it's my turn to laugh. That is the weirdest explanation for such a big name. Maybe it's not too weird? I do have a Chester.

The rest of the meal is spent with easy conversation. We talked about everything: favorite travel destinations, favorite movies, biggest embarrassment, favorite music, favorite meals, everything. It just all came so easily. It took us two hours to even eat the food.

At the end, we walked out hand in hand to his car. Everything just feels easy and safe right now.

"That was incredible. Thank you for everything."

"Of course Liz. That was a wonderful meal."

"So, maybe this is stupid, but how am I supposed  to go back to work on Monday and act like nothing has changed? When it feels like everything has changed?"

"If I figure that out in the next day, I will be sure to tell you hun." Another pet name... maybe I can get used to it.

Pulling into the building driveway, my heart sinks. I really don't want this to end. I've never been so content after a first date. I mean sure, some of the beginning was awkward, but we settled in so easily. I just want to curl up with him and talk the night away.

I linger once we've parked. Turning to him, I'm going to make him make the move. Let's see if I can get him to set the tone. I do want another kiss especially since even the first one was good.

He seems to understand exactly what I'm waiting for because I don't have to wait long. He leans over and kisses me, but this time he isn't holding back. He's gentle at first, seeing how I respond. I push back on him until he's meeting me with every motion.

I feel his hand snake up to sit at the base of my neck. I can finally wrap my hands around his neck and pull him ever closer. A careful and curious tongue starts to tease, and I let him explore. He tastes so good. He feels so good as we fight to reach ever more of each other. I can't describe the sensations. I can't quite explain it, but every touch and taste is ecstatic.

I can't keep up after a moment and have to pull apart for air, but instead of fully separating, I just rest my forehead on his. I see him trying to catch his breath too. So it wasn't just me.

"Fuck Alex, I so badly want to bring you upstairs right now."

"The feeling is mutual, but we can't until you're no longer my coworker."

"Fuck. I know. But fuck. Just fuck. " I pull away from him just to recenter and bring myself back to earth.

"Beautiful girl, how about you go upstairs and get some sleep. We have plenty of time to continue this. It's only one week."

I open the door and try to hide the rosy color spreading across my face. "It's going to be the longest week ever."

"Yes, but we can do it. Probably."

He laughs at me as I reach the door. I'm starting to feel the exhaustion of the stress crash, so I know I do need to actually go to bed.

"Thank you for making me feel special and heard tonight. Goodnight."

"You are special Elizabeth. Goodnight."

<3

Chapter Six