CHAPTER 136: KEEP AN OPEN MIND.

QThe drive to the club would have been extremely silent if Tristan hadn’t put on some music she couldn’t help but bounce her feet to, even though she hadn’t heard it before.

But while her feet bounced, her mind wandered to places that were quite far.

She tried to imagine what the club was going to look like, the kind of people that were going to be present, the kind of things they were going to be doing, and what they were wearing.

She created images in her head, even though she couldn’t help but feel they weren’t going to count because she didn’t have the faintest idea of what to expect.

An involuntary sigh escaped her lips, causing Tristan to glance at her for a moment, studying her face before turning back to the road.

"You don’t like the music?" He asked with an arched eyebrow.

"The music? No! I think I love it. It’s a nice one." She complimented, letting a small smile grace her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes. That alone told Trist that something was definitely up.

"Then what’s wrong? You don’t look like you’re okay." He asked, concern lacing his voice.

"I’m fine. It’s just..." She paused, sighing. "I don’t know what to expect. I know it’s a BDSM club. But I don’t know what a normal club looks like, how am I supposed to know or even picture what this one would look like? I’m just.. I don’t know." She said, her shoulders slouching.

"No, no, no." He muttered, turning into what looked like a private parking lot, as it was sealed off, while the other cars were parked on the other side of the open space.

He killed the engine immediately, turning to her as his steering retracted. "You don’t have to, Princess. I know you do not like going in blind, and we should have briefed you about this whole BDSM stuff, but we aren’t great teachers or educators. We couldn’t even explain ourselves to you properly when we met for the first time, not to mention something this delicate.-"

"-The general idea of BDSM is crazy, not completely wrong, but crazy. I don’t know how to explain what a club looks like, love, but I can promise you that if anything or everything about the place makes you feel even a tad uncomfortable, I’d take you home faster than you imagine, I swear." He promised earnestly, fear and concern dripping from his words.

She mused on his words for a few seconds, while her wolf cursed her out for being demanding. "Okay." She said. "I’m so sorry for panicking. I was just so nervous and worried I wouldn’t fit in." She muttered as she looked down at her fingers that played with each other.

"Fit in?" He asked, giving her a slightly incredulous look.

"Bunny. You can fit in anywhere and everywhere. You’re perfect." He admonished, placing his hand on hers. "And I’m not saying that because I’m your mate, but because I’ve seen you. Many sides of you, and I’m yet to come up with a speck of imperfection." He added.

She couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at his words. "Okay. I understand." She said with a soft voice, peering into his now grinning face, almost laughing out loud at how fast his expression switched from solemn to excited.

"Perfect." He said, kissing her lips lightly. Before she could respond, he pulled away, a smug smile appearing on his lips. "Needy much?" He teased, earning a gasp.

"Needy?!" She asked incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me, because I’m perfectly sure you were the one who leaned in first, douchebag." She spat at her mate, who looked like he was on the verge of bursting into a full-blown fit of laughter.

"Don’t you dare." She warned with a menacing gaze. He chuckled, lifting his hands in surrender as he tried to swallow the pile of cackles that threatened to spill from his throat.

"Better." She muttered, arranging her gown.

"Don’t worry. We could continue later. If you wouldn’t mind." He said, wiggling his eyebrows, earning a playful, disgusted look from her.

"No, thank you." She spat, waving his request away.

"Oh really?" He asked, chuckling, an eyebrow arched.

"Yep." She responded, popping the ’P’.

He let out another chuckle, but it sounded very different from the one he released earlier. It sounded heavy, deep and ominous. "We’ll see about that, Bunny." He cooed with a very deep hoarse voice, sending a wink her way before stepping out of the vehicle.

Her mouth dried up for the second time that evening, as the weight of his voice dawned on her without remorse, pulling her down with it.

Luckily, she was pulled out when they opened her door, causing her to jump in shock.

"What’s startling you, Princess?" He asked, the sly smirk on his face unwavering.

"Nothing." She said, clearing her throat. She took his hand, following his lead as he pulled her gently out of the vehicle.

"Mm. Whatever you say." He said, his lips at the top of her ear, causing her to shiver briefly.

"Thank you." She muttered, taking two steps away from him.

"All yours, Princess. All yours."

_________

"How’s the nervousness coming? Still bad?" He asked after a while of silence in the elevator.

"Not so much." She said, letting out a soft sigh. "I’m already here. It’s useless to be nervous. I’m anxious, though." She chuckled. "Anxious and excited."

She looked up at him with a broad smile, which he returned as relief coursed through him, dampening the sizzling electricity coursing through his overactive nerves.

"I’m glad." He quipped, his eyes still trained on her face.

"Me too." She said. Silence filled up the space between and around them again.

"Soo..." She drawled. "Is there anything I should be expecting? Or anything I should know?" She looked up at him with a very curious gaze.

"Well. Firstly," He cleared his throat. "Nudity is pretty normal here. Men, women. Some would be stark naked, while others would have some pieces of clothing covering strategic parts.-"

"-Secondly, you’d see things you don’t normally see in the bedroom. Chains, knives, cuffs, ropes, whips, and many more. Yes, they are bizarre, but in there is a different world entirely. A different world, with different values.-"

"-You’re not allowed into the club fully dressed. It could make some others feel self-conscious. If you’re going to see them in their nude state, or partly nude, they have to see something of yours as well." He concluded, finally taking in the horrified look on her face.

"Princess-"

"Knives?!" She exclaimed, pure shock, fear and confusion written boldly across her face, causing a huge wave of exhaustion to wash over him.

This was exactly why he said he was a bad educator.

"I don’t see how knives are used for pleasure, Trist." She added.

"Take a deep breath." He instructed, pausing the elevator and placing his palm on her shoulder.

"I’m fine." She argued.

"I know you are. Just take a deep breath for me. Please." He pleaded softly, using his other hand to hold her chin up.

With pouted lips, she shut her eyes, doing as he pleaded.

"Two more times." He instructed tentatively. Surprisingly, she obeyed without glancing at him or saying anything.

When she was done, she looked up at him. Her eyes and demeanor were calm and chill.

"How do you feel?" He asked, his eyes darting across her face, taking note of every movement and every twitch.

"I feel... better." She admitted, looking away as embarrassment crept up her cheeks.

"Hey. " He called softly, turning her head softly to face him, eye to eye.

"There’s absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. Technically, you were fine, but startled. I just didn’t want you to be startled anymore, and luckily that worked. Now I need you to listen closely, Princess. I’m no teacher, so this might not sound...furnished."

He cleared his throat, swallowed a lump and continued. "Pleasure comes in different ways for different people. Some get off on extreme pain, while some are very much in love with vanilla pleasure. Some like to be choked, spanked, grazed with a knife, fucked with a gun, it differs for everyone."

"I’m not telling you all these to lecture you, but to let you know that you cannot go in there with a narrow mind. You have to be open-minded. Expect nothing. Judge no one.-"

"-All you’re going to see in there are people in their most vulnerable states, doing things in a safe space where they trust that no one would judge them, irrespective of their personal preferences. So, if you see anyone doing things you do not usually see anyone do in the normal world, don’t fret and don’t judge." He admonished, letting out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

She mused on his words for a few seconds, her mind at rest as she had finally gotten a little of the briefing she had craved for a while. She didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t briefed her.

"I understand."