Chapter 5

Though she did not wantto answer the question that she knew any dominant worth his black leather boots would ask when given such information, she took a breath. She had no idea how to make light of her clumsiness, so she just laid it out for him.

"The club owners were afraid my getting hurt every time I visited was beginning to cause issues with the other members. Especially when they had to call for an ambulance because I broke my ankle during my last visit."

When he did not respond, she admitted softly, "I'm a clumsy klutz who can and has tripped over a blade of grass and cut myself on a piece of paper so badly I needed stitches."

She froze when he barked, "No!"

"Excuse me?"

His expression was fierce when she glanced up at him. For a moment Dolly wondered if she should run far and fast. Was Quincy Nelson really the man she should spend time with?

"You will not speak about yourself in such derogatory terms. Not anymore. That kind of talk just perpetuates you having accidents. No more talk like that, understand?"

She had to lick her lips and swallow before she could whisper, "Yes, Sir."

"Good girl."

His simple words of praise sent a warmth flooding through her that she had never felt before. She wondered if he would consider her too forward if she dragged him to the Dungeon and begged him to tie her up and teach her all about BDSM.

The only problem with that idea was that though she knew the Dungeon was on the lower level, she had no idea how to get down there. Or if they would let her in since she had checked in less than an hour before. Was there not some sort of orientation or BDSM for Beginners class she needed to attend before they let her loose with all the equipment?

"Do you want to explore inside or outside first?" Quincy asked as they entered the lobby.

Her stomach clenched, reminding her that she had skipped breakfast because her nerves had been too jangly to consider eating. Now that she was settled, her stomach wanted food.

Looking around the lobby, she saw two restaurants, but neither looked to be open. Turning, she spied a café near the front doors. Before she could come up with a reason to leave Quincy and get some food, her stomach gave a long, loud rumbling grumble.

"Oh, my. Excuse me," she said, covering her belly with her free hand.

Quincy looked down at her with a concerned expression. "Did you eat breakfast this morning?"

"I was too nervous," she admitted softly as she slowly moved her head side to side.

"Naughty subbie," he admonished gently as he changed directions to head to the café. "You need to eat regularly so you don't pass out or have an accident from being too weak."

He did not speak again until after they had placed their orders, hers for hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin and his just for coffee. When she tried to pay, he pulled her hand holding her key card away from the scanner and replaced it with his own.

She looked at him and he gave her a wink. "I'm a traditionalist. When I'm out with a woman, I pay."

Another shiver raced through her at the deep darkness his voice held as well as the heated attraction she saw in his green eyes.

"Thank you," she forced herself to say instead of arguing.

She would have to find a way to repay his kindness without offending him. But that was for later. For now, she would enjoy her late breakfast and his company.

He waited until they were outside sitting in a matching pair of rockers before he asked, "What are you wanting to learn while you're here?"

"Everything," she answered without hesitation. "My divorce was finalized a few months ago because my ex could not handle anything more exciting than missionary position in the dark every Friday night between ten and five after. When I began reading erotic romance novels and wanting to experiment with other things, it horrified him so much he moved out and filed for divorce."

She wondered if she should share that her experiences would also be included in the stories she was writing but decided that was something she should keep to herself. The last thing she wanted was for word to get out to her readers that she was an imposter when it came to BDSM. What the Dominants she played with did not know would not come back to bite her in the ass.

She hoped.

She took a sip from her mug before checking Quincy's reaction. He was staring out toward the mountains, his expression unreadable. Then he blinked and looked over at her with a slight smile. "Sounds like a man who lacks imagination and passion."

Dolly nodded. "That's him. He'll be working the same job he's been working since high school up until the day he drops dead of a heart attack or retires after fifty years. He'll spend his weekends hunting or fishing on Saturday and working around the house on Sunday after church. His life is one giant routine, and he could not conceive of growing or changing or adding anything to spice it up. His divorcing me was actually a relief. Now I can learn and grow while trying new things and meeting new people. For the next week, I'm planning to expand my kinky horizons."

She held her breath as she waited once again for Quincy's reaction. When he chuckled, she giggled and took a big bite of her muffin.

"While I should probably be intimidated, I'm feeling more intrigued and challenged. If you agree, I'd like to start you on your kinky horizon expanding."

Maybe she should go check on those classes when she finished eating. But something in Quincy's expression and tone had her pussy clenching and nipples tightening in anticipation at the thought of learning from this man.

"What do you have in mind?"

"The first lesson any submissive needs to learn is trust their Dominant. I'd like to teach you how to trust."

Quincy did not realize he was holding his breath until Dolly nodded and said, "All right. Yes. Please. Teach me about trust."

With that, his breath rushed from his chest and his dancing nerves settled. He could do this. Teaching a subbie was always a fun assignment for him. Introducing this sweet subbie to the fun that BDSM could offer excited him to a point that had his pants pinching.

He could only hope that eventually she would agree to a more complete relationship with him—in the bedroom and out.

"I want you to wait here and finish your muffin," he said as he pushed to his feet, his mind already plotting an easy scene that would begin to build trust between them. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Dolly had just taken a bite of her muffin, so she nodded as she chewed. She looked hesitant, but relaxed as he ran the backs of two fingers down her cheek.

"Good girl."

Before she could say anything further, he walked away. Hurrying inside, he headed for the Ranch store. They should have something he could use for her first lesson.

Instead of wandering around blindly, he stopped at the checkout counter. The woman's nametag identified her as Becky, and he remembered she had been running the shop since his first visit.

"Can you tell me where I can find bandanas?"

She nodded. "Straight down this aisle on the table on your right just when you reach the clothing section."

"Thank you."

Quincy followed her directions and found the stack of multicolored squares right where she said it would be. Quickly flipping through the pile, he grabbed three cloth squares, each a different color, before hurrying back to the front of the store.

He checked out then took a moment to peel the labels off and throw them away before shoving the bandanas in his back pocket. He marched back to the porch and frowned when he saw the rocking chair he had left Dolly sitting in was empty. Had she ghosted him already to go exploring on her own?

Before disappointment settled over him, she stepped around him and slid back into her seat wearing a guilty expression. "Sorry about that. I returned our dishes to the café."

Quincy took a deep breath as the knot in his gut loosened. "Thank you, though I'm sure there is staff who would have collected them."

Holding out a hand, he waited, hoping Dolly would cooperate without arguing. She blinked then laid her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"Good girl. Now, we're going to take a walk and find the perfect tree for our lesson."

"Yes, Sir," she answered softly, following him down the front steps. He turned to the right and headed down the wide path. When they reached a forested area, he angled off the path and into the woods, looking for the perfect tree. It only took a moment before he found what he was looking for.

The oak tree was only a few years old and standing several feet from its neighbors. Branches had been cut away from the bottom six or seven feet of the trunk, proving it to be perfect for what he had planned.

Stopping several feet from the tree, he turned to Dolly, who appeared curious, but still open to whatever he wanted to do to her.

"All right, pet, turn around and close your eyes."

He waited until she complied after only a moment's hesitation. Pulling one of the bandanas from his pocket, he opened it, then folded it in half before folding it into a wide cloth rope. After tying it around her head to blind her, he laid his hands on her shoulders.

"I should have asked this before. Do you have a safeword, or do you want to use the traffic light system?"

"I always wanted to use melon as my safeword."

"Any reason?"

"I hate them and would never willingly ask for one."

Quincy paused for a moment. She hated melon? No one hated melon. "All kinds of melon or just watermelon?"

"All kinds."

"Interesting," he said as he gently massaged her tense shoulders. "Your first lesson in BDSM starts now. If you need to stop for any reason, use your safeword. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good girl," he said before brushing a kiss on the side of her neck.