Leeanna had good reasons to celebrate. She had just turned twenty-one, her coming of age to full adulthood. She could now drink legally and be a big girl in every way. The go-getter had also just received a promotion at work, giving her greater responsibility with a substantial raise in pay. She had become a salaried manager with opportunities to rise further if she worked hard. As a result, she put a deposit down for a new apartment on the riverbank with a scenic view of the mountains. Things were looking up, and she felt happy about life.
So when her friend Kristy asked her to go clubbing on Saturday night, Leeanna readily agreed to party. They occasionally went out together, although Leeanna did feel that Kristy was immature and lacking in common sense.
"Where are we going?"
"There's a new pub downtown called The Tentacles. I hear it's pretty good. They have a band on the weekends, dancing, lots of cute guys. We gotta check it out!"
"Okay! I'm game!"
The bar was hopping. Word had gotten around quickly that The Tentacles was a hot new place to hang out and have fun. Most of its clientele was under thirty, but it also attracted its share of the older crowd. Leeanna was sitting at the bar by herself for a few as Kristy wandered around. A young guy wearing sky blue pants and a bile green low-cut shirt sat next to her:
"Are you my appendix? I don't know what you do or how you work, but I feel like I should take you out."
Leeanna smiled weakly as the dolt laughed at his own stupidity. He couldn't stop himself from trying again:
"Is it hot in here, or is it just you?" he asked as he looked at Leeanna's chest. The moron repulsed her. He looked her age but came across as an adolescent rube. The annoyed girl was trying to find the right words to semi-politely tell him to fuck off when suddenly she felt a strong presence. Glancing in the bar mirror, she saw a man standing behind her, looking down at her. It gave her the excuse she needed to turn on her stool.
When she slid around to face him, the tall, handsome stranger greeted her: "Hello there!"
As their eyes met, she immediately felt the power in his captivating gaze and charismatic smile. He looked older, more experienced, worldly, and to Leeanna's eyes, gorgeous. She was momentarily stunned before uttering a sheepish: "Hi."
The dark-haired man responded by gradually widening his smile, acknowledging her nervousness with a teasing joy. Leeanna bit into her lower lip while blushing slightly. She was awestruck, and she knew it showed.
He reached out to slide a finger gently across Leeanna's cheek while continuing to look into her eyes. There was a tension building that she found exhilarating. He broke the silence:
"Welcome to The Tentacles, my name is ..."
"Michael, yes indeed, your name is Michael. And I see you've met Leeanna, my friend." Kristy had returned. Michael was a buddy of her oldest brother. "Did she tell you it's her birthday? Yeah, she just turned 21."
"Really?" Michael's face lit up. "Is that right?"
Leeanna nodded.
"Well then, that's cause for a celebration." He motioned for the bartender, who came quickly. "Charlie, bring over two shots of Van Winkle 25."
Within a minute, Charlie returned with two crystal shot glasses and carefully filled them from a bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 25-Year-Old Kentucky Bourbon.
"Hmm ... this must be special stuff."
"Yes, it is. Five a shot."
"Pfft ... what's so special about that, then?"
"$500 a shot, little girl; that's what's so special."
This present was out of Leeanna's league. She could not imagine a bottle worth $500, never mind a shot. And his calling her "little girl" knocked her off balance. But she liked that he did, very much so. It gave her a warm, secure feeling like he was protecting and teaching her. She wanted this guy but was unsure how to play it out.
"That's crazy! You can't spend that kind of money on a shot, even if it is my birthday."
"I'm not spending anything. I own the bottle, I own the bar. I share at my pleasure. And my pleasure is to have a toast with you on your 21st."
His sophistication excited her. She grinned as she continued looking into his eyes. They tapped glasses before tasting the top-shelf whiskey. He stopped halfway, so she did, too.
"What do you think?"
"Uhm ... it's delicious, sir."
He laughed. "That's so refreshing! A connoisseur would never describe fine bourbon as "delicious." One might say, "It has a delightful panache with slight hints of cherry and a whisper of patchouli. Perfectly aged and very well balanced."
"Are all connosieurs poets?"
He laughed hard again. Leeanna was beaming inside as she saw she was scoring points.
"To you, Leeanna! Happy Birthday!" He threw the rest of the shot down in one quick motion, which the birthday girl quickly copied. The two smiled at each other.
A moment later, there was a commotion on the dance floor. A fight had broken out, and there was a danger of it spreading as several people exchanged curses and threats. Michael bolted toward the action. To Leeanna's dismay, she didn't get to speak with Michael again, as owning a bar can make for a busy job on a Saturday night.
=============
Leeanna was a habitual masturbater, a sex addict who awarded Michael the starring role in her fantasies every night for the next week.
He was living in her head. She replayed the act of looking into his eyes repeatedly, but in her visions, the connection went much further. She had a thing for authoritative older men, and he fit the mold perfectly. He was successful and attractive, with a distinct bad-boy edge that intrigued her.
At night, in the dark, she would hump her pillow, grinding her pussy against it, imagining this dreamy man screwing her. And she wondered if he might be discreetly into BDSM. She had spent many an hour viewing S&M videos on X-rated sites. They excited her. She would watch and imagine herself in the place of the girls in the scenes. These cravings never came out in real life as she didn't believe she could ever connect with someone with whom she could share these needs.
But in her dreamy headrushes in the dead of night, she pulled Michael into her masochistic fantasies.
These hidden desires compelled her to seek him out again.
"Krissy, let's go to the Tentacles again on Saturday."
"Hey, yeah, that's a good idea, it's a really cool place. Yeah, I wanna go too. And that guy, Michael, the owner, is pretty hot! I think I may make a play for him."
"You do, and I'll rip your fucking head off!"
"Whoa, girlfriend, relax! I'm just teasing. You're so sensitive sometimes! I know he's on your radar and I'll stay away. Besides, he's too old, Leeanna. He must be pushing 40. That kind of thing ain't for me."
"Well, it might be for me. We'll see."
The Tentacles was rocking again on Saturday night. The dance floor was crowded, and the drinks were flowing. Leeanna found a stool at the bar near where she had met Michael the week before. She looked around, hoping to see him, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, she felt a presence, and again, like the first time, he was standing behind her.
"Hello, Leeanna."
"Hi, Michael."
"It's good to see you again. I was hoping you'd come back."
"Yeah, well, Kristy asked me if I wanted to go again. I had a good time last week, so, yeah, here I am."
"Would you like a drink? It won't be Van Winkle, but I'm sure we can find a good label for you."
"Sure."
"Charlie, ... Charlie, bring us two tumblers on ice of Johnny Walker blue, please."
The barkeep quickly brought over a bottle and started pouring. Leeanna watched as the liquor drowned the crackling ice cubes. Michael raised his glass, making a motion to clink that Leeanna followed up on. The first sip of the whiskey went down smoothly with a silky warmth.
"Is it as delicious as the Van Winkle?"
"Well, it has hints of spicy cinnamon preceded by tones of black pepper. I think it is an exquisite combination of disparate tastes. All in all, not bad."
Michael cracked up laughing. "You're learning quickly!" He touched Leeanna's cheek again. "You're an amazing girl. It's hard to believe you just turned 21. You seem older than your years. More mature."
Leeanna blushed slightly. She felt a charge inside, thinking she was making ground with her prey. "Thank you. I'm just me. I like being young but I like learning from more experienced people too. Can I ask you about the medallion you're wearing? It's really beautiful."
"Yes, it's my favorite piece. It's a Greek tetradrachm from about 450 BC. It's silver. You can see the owl on the front, representing wisdom and experience. On the back is Apollo, the most sensual of the Greek gods."
Leeanna reached out to touch it, carefully examining each side. "It's really beautiful, sir."
"Yes, and it's also symbolic, in modern times anyway, of a Dominant."
"A dominant?"
"Yes, a male Dominant. That's a secret that I don't tell too many people."
"Well, you're secret's safe with me. My lips are sealed."
"I hope not permanently."
Leeanna giggled while blushing again. She was melting inside.
"Since you know a secret about me, you need to tell me one about you."
The young woman was ready with a well-practiced response. She gazed at him with an innocent look bolstered by her big blue eyes looking directly into his: "I'm a virgin."
Michael reached out to stroke her cheek again as he looked deep into the windows of her soul. Leeanna felt the strength of the intimacy. She had him, and she knew it. She smiled a subtle smile that she knew he would interpret as an invitation.
"Hey Mike, we got a problem over here. Some clown charged up $600 in drinks for him and his pals, and his credit card declined. He's making a scene. Can you help out?"
"Okay, Jake, I'll be there in a minute."
He looked at Leeanna. "Sorry, little girl, but I gotta take care of business. The Oktoberfest is going on at the Park Strip tomorrow. Can you meet me at the statue of Franklin Pierce at 1 o'clock and maybe we can check out the festival together?"
"Sure. I'd love to do that."
"Okay, I'll see you there."
The young girl was overjoyed. She swallowed the rest of her drink in one quick gulp.
==============
Leeanna spent nearly three hours getting ready on Sunday morning. She knew she had the tools to assert herself and get the prize she wanted: sex with Michael. The good-looking entrepreneur was bold, successful, sexy, and mysterious, and he was a self-described Dominant, a label that fascinated this curious young woman. Maybe this older guy could introduce her to a few things. He had to be interested; otherwise, why would he have told her his "secret"? And she did not doubt that her secret had gotten attention. It always did.
She put on a tight black top with just a hint of cleavage showing. The agnostic put a small silver cross and chain around her neck to add to her innocent look. This subtle touch contrasted with the red skirt with no panties underneath for a sensual feel. After putting on her black leather heels, she was ready to go.
Michael kept her waiting purposefully, although she had no way of knowing that. He was working on a plan, too. The experienced Dom arrived at the statue at 1:25, late enough to raise Leeanna's anxiety level but timely enough to assuage it. The pair walked along the parkway, enjoying each other's company while getting to know each other. They stopped at a tent serving Greek cuisine, tossing down a couple of shots each of ouzo, a liquor new to Leeanna. She got a quick low-level buzz from the potent drink.
The next stop was a leather boutique that specialized in clothing and gear related to horseback riding. They admired several well-made saddles and jackets before Michael came to a rack of riding crops. He pulled a few out, flexing and enthusiastically swinging them through the air to produce a whipping sound. Leeanna stood back a few feet, grinning at the obvious pleasure he was having.
"Which one should I get, Leeanna?"
"I don't know anything about them, so I can't choose. What would you need it for?"
"I own a horse. I keep her at a stable in the country. I need a new crop to keep her in line when I'm riding her."
"Wow! That's cool. I've never ridden a horse. What's her name?"
"Ajax."
"Like the White Tornado?"
"No, little girl, like the Greek warrior."
The allusion was foreign to Leeanna, but again, his addressing her as "little girl" gave her a tingly feeling. It came across authoritatively as though he was correcting her. She liked it.
Before leaving the event, they stopped at one last booth where a couple was selling old coins and other artifacts, many rescued from treasures brought up from the bottom of the sea. They looked around, admiring some interesting items before walking outside into the park.
"Leeanna, stop for a minute and close your eyes."
She did. Michael stood behind her and fastened a leather necklace with a silver O-ring attached around her neck. The girl gasped when she saw it.
"Wow. It's really neat. I like it. What's the story behind it?"
"It's a piece of Celtic coinage, from around the third century BC. The Celts used rings of various sizes and metals as money. They also used them in religious ceremonies so there is a mystical aspect to the ring too; it is not just a materialistic token."
"Thank you, Michael. I like it. You make me feel special."
"You are special. And one other thing, your medallion is like mine in that it too has a hidden symbolism."
"And what might that be?"
"An O-ring worn around the neck represents submission."
Leeanna's heart was pounding, but she didn't want her excitement to show through. She tried to make her reply seem nonchalant: "Well, I guess it matches up with your medallion very nicely."
"Exactly, little girl. Exactly." He looked into Leeanna's eyes as she smiled at him. "Listen, my house is only a few blocks away. Would you like to visit and maybe have a drink?"
"I'd love to."
The relaxed couple sipped cognac on the deck at Michael's house as they watched a colorful sunset against the backdrop of Mount Hood. Each felt their desire for passion rising, and both knew they were heading in that direction.
"Would you like to see the rest of the house?"
"Sure."
Michael led Leeanna through the ten rooms of the upper-class manor before inviting her down a wooden staircase in the back of the house that led into a dimly lit cavernous room with high walls. Michael flipped a switch that turned on fluorescent black lights around the perimeter of the ceiling and an overhead chandelier that emitted red light diffused through ruby crystals. With the illumination, Leeanna could see the extensive collection of leather floggers, whips, paddles, and crops hanging neatly from the east wall, along with metal handcuffs, chains, colored ropes of various thicknesses, and other implements and devices for which Leeanna did not know the purpose.
