Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

The last two weeks had passed quickly, Brianna thought as she closed her classroom door on a Thursday afternoon. Between teaching and spending time with Rafe, she barely had any time to herself, and she didn’t mind at all. She was falling for Rafe. There was no stopping it. Over these past weeks, he’d shown her pleasure she had never known, both inside and outside the club.

She explored her wants and needs with him and enjoyed herself. Even though tonight was Thursday, they were going to the club. Not to play but so Rafe could demonstrate fire cupping. They’d had a long talk about it this past weekend.

He’d wanted her to understand while he would be touching other people, it wasn’t for sensuality’s sake. It was so the fire cupping was enjoyable for them. She was fine with that. Right now, she wasn’t comfortable enough to try it, but she wouldn’t begrudge other people wanting to.

Once inside her car, she drove home. She really only spent time at her apartment during the week when Rafe was at work. They usually spent Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays together. During the week, it was easier for Rafe to be home alone, what with his work hours, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have dinner together.

Not that Brianna minded. It wasn’t like they didn’t talk or text each other during the days they weren’t together. Some might think the schedule wasn’t a good one for a relationship, but for them, it worked.

Once home, she grabbed her mail, took a quick shower, and changed. In a way, she was excited to see the fire cupping demo. Last Sunday, Rafe had taken her on a walk-through of the room Max had built at the club, and shown her his equipment. Nothing looked that dangerous.

He’d also shown her all the precautions he’d put in place to make sure everyone would be safe, not only those watching, but those experiencing fire play. Brianna was proud of herself for listening to Rafe and not panicking.

Maybe because Rafe took the time to understand her fears and not belittle her for them as her family had. She’d just finished putting her purse and cell inside her bag for the club when the buzzer to the apartment building rang.

She glanced at the clock. Rafe was early, but he had taken the afternoon off so he could be prepared for tonight, and they were going to dinner before the club.

“Hello.”

“Hey, sweetheart.” Rafe’s voice was husky.

“Come on up.” She pressed the buzzer and then opened her apartment door. Maybe it was time to talk about getting him keys to her place. This way he wouldn’t have to buzz her every time he wanted to visit.

The elevator door opened, and Rafe sauntered down the hall with a big grin on his face. Once he reached her, he drew her into his arms, and they kissed. She enjoyed being greeted this way. Funny how quickly she’d become accustomed to Rafe’s kisses and his touch.

“Are you ready for tonight?” he asked after breaking the kiss.

“Yes.” She grabbed her bag, and they were off.

The club was buzzing when they arrived at seven-thirty. They parted ways to change, and Rafe told her to meet him in the club when ready.

“You’re here,” Sierra exclaimed when she saw Brianna.

“Yes, I wouldn’t miss this.” Brianna stripped off her street clothes and put them in her bag and then put the bag into a locker. She looked at Sierra. “I have a favor to ask.” She’d been thinking about this for a while.

“Sure. Shoot.”

“Would you help me shop for new club clothes?” Brianna had noticed how Sierra, Crystal, and a lot of the other subs dressed or didn’t dress. She wanted to spice things up for Rafe.

“I’d love to. Does this mean you and Rafe are official?”

Brianna laughed. “I guess so. We’ve been together…” She counted the weeks in her head. “It’s only been seven weeks.”

“It doesn’t take long with these men.” Sierra smiled. “When are you available?”

“Not until after four on weekdays.”

“I can work with that. Since we have each other’s phone numbers, why don’t I call you next week and set something up.”

“That works.” Brianna had been thinking about her clothing. She was getting comfortable in the club and, several times, had allowed Rafe to remove her bra while they scened. While she wasn’t ready to be nude in the club, she was thinking about wearing a little more revealing clothing. Rafe would love it.

Brianna and Sierra walked into the club and over to the room where the fire play would happen. Rafe was already pulling things out of the cabinet, and there was a good crowd.

“Ladies,” Max said, coming up to them. “Brianna, Rafe asked me to look after you tonight.”

“Oh.” She glanced at Rafe, who winked at her. “And who is going to look after Sierra, Sir?”

“I’m Rafe’s demo sub tonight.”

No wonder Sierra was practically bouncing out of her skin.

“Rafe assured me that you were okay with it.” Max frowned.

“It’s fine, Sir. He didn’t mention to me that Sierra was his demo partner tonight, but we talked about it.”

“All right, Sierra, my love.” Max drew her into his arms. “Enjoy yourself and listen to Rafe.”

“I will, my love, my Sir.” Sierra went up on her toes and kissed Max before moving into the scene space with Rafe.

Max led Brianna to an area close to the front. “Rafe told me he’ll explain everything he’s doing.”

Brianna’s heart warmed. Rafe had gone over this demo with her several times. Now, he had Max with her to make sure she would be okay. Rafe thought of everything.

At eight, Rafe raised his hands, and the room quieted down. “Evening, everyone. Tonight, I’m going to demo fire cupping. Let me start off by saying that you need to learn and understand how this works before trying to do it yourself. I’ve studied with a fire play master for the last eight years.”

“Will you be giving classes?” someone called out.

“I haven’t thought about it.” Rafe waved his hand. “For now, it will just be demos. Sierra has graciously volunteered to be my demo sub for tonight.”

“That’s a good word for it,” Crystal yelled.

“Bite me, bitch,” Sierra grinned at her friend.

Brianna loved the camaraderie of the group. They might call each other names, but it was all in good fun.

“While Sierra gets ready, let me explain that fire cupping is used in a lot of sports medicine and has medicinal uses. Tonight, that’s what this is about.”

Sierra walked up to Rafe, topless and in boy shorts. He helped her onto the table.

“This is something you want to do outside on concrete. If you’re inside, do this on tile.” He tapped his foot. “Max graciously built this room. Everything is fire resistant or fireproof.”

Brianna kept her gaze on Rafe and what he was doing. “On my side table here, I have everything I need for fire cupping. I keep all my fire supplies on one side and the fire dousing supplies on the other.”

She shifted from one foot to the other. Fire dousing supplies sounded serious.

“Basically, I have a bottle of water, cotton towels to smother the fire, a bucket of water, and of course, a fire extinguisher, if needed. Fire supplies include my wands, the fire cups, oil, and alcohol.”

That didn’t sound too bad.

“What kind of alcohol are you using?” someone asked.

“I use isopropyl alcohol at seventy percent. That is the best and least likely to burn the skin.” He picked up the bottle of oil. “Now, I’m going to generously spread this over Sierra’s back.” Rafe poured it onto Sierra’s back and began rubbing it in. “This will allow the cups to get suction but also allow me to move the cups as needed.”

Sierra let out a little moan as he massaged the oil into her skin.

“Tops, this can be very sensual for your bottom. Giving them a massage will help them relax.” Rafe lifted his hands and dried them on a towel. “Since this is Sierra’s first time, I’m going to start with smaller cups, and as she gets used to the sensations, after a few sessions, we can move up to bigger ones.”

Brianna watched as Rafe picked up one of the wands. “Basically, the wand is made of cotton balls and cheese cloth. I’ve sprayed it down well with alcohol.” He picked up a lighter and flicked it on.

Brianna jumped as the cotton caught fire. “Now, I’ll run the wand inside the cup and place it on her body.” Brianna’s gaze was steady on Rafe as he ran the wand fairly quickly around the rim of the cup, and he placed it on Sierra’s back. He did two more before dousing the fire in the water bucket. Brianna’s eyes stayed on the bucket until she was sure the fire was out.

“As you can see, the skin is rising in the cup. How are you doing, Sierra?”

“Fine, it feels so different.”

“Many use fire cupping for sore muscles, which is good. In this case, we’re doing it more to promote better circulation and sensations.” Rafe slid one cup down Sierra’s back, then moved another one.

“While there is heat trapped inside the cup, it is warm, but not hot. The last thing you want to do is burn the skin, and it can happen. Not so much with fire cupping but with other types of fire play.”

Rafe moved the cups around before taking them off. There were red circles on Sierra’s back. “Because this is new to Sierra, the cups are left on for three minutes. After several sessions, I can increase the time. These circles will disappear within ten days and should not be painful.” Rafe took a towel and wiped it over Sierra’s back, removing any residual oil from her skin. “And that is fire cupping.”

Everyone clapped, and Rafe helped Sierra off the table. She was grinning ear to ear as she walked over to Max, her breasts bouncing. Max glanced over at Brianna as he pulled Sierra into his arms.

“I’m fine, Sir,” Brianna said.

Max nodded and guided Sierra over to the aftercare area. Brianna watched Rafe as he cleaned up the area while answering questions from club members. She’d been a bit nervous when he lit the fire, but she watched how he handled everything and how careful he was.

She shook her head. Of course, he was careful. Rafe knew as well as she did how destructive fire could be. Brianna glanced up and found Rafe staring at her. She smiled at him, and he winked at her, which warmed her more than anything.

It was almost another full hour before everyone’s questions were answered, and Rafe joined her. “What did you think?” he asked.

“Very interesting, Sir. Sierra looked dreamy when she finished.”

“It can have that effect on some people. Most feel very relaxed.”

“I enjoyed watching it, Sir.”

“I’m glad. Let’s say good bye to everyone, so I can get you home. You have to teach tomorrow.”

Brianna nodded. Rafe was so considerate of her time and making sure she got enough rest. It was nice to let go, to have someone look after her for a change.

She could definitely get used to this.