I was feeling very pleased with myself that Saturday morning. Valentine’s Day was just one week away and the shop was much busier than usual. I watched, from my office upstairs, as customers streamed in and out of the shop; singles and couples alike with thoughts of romance and sex. Adult shops like mine had taken a bit of a battering over the last few years. Online shopping had decimated most High Street trade over the last few years but Adult shops were particularly vulnerable because shopping online had the advantage of privacy and anonymity. And of course there was the stigma attached to them. It always made me smile because as human beings we all enjoy sex, in fact it keeps the human race going, yet shops like mine bringing enhancement to people’s sex lives and get pilloried for it.

We opened five years ago after a long struggle with the local council planning department, battling with objections from local church groups and the like. But we got off the ground in the end. At first I stayed in the background leaving Sally and Malcolm to run things. They were not just very good friends that I trusted but Sally was also my submissive slave and I cuckolded Malcolm on a regular basis. I was more than happy to stand back and be a silent partner but when rates and lease costs started to increase and turnover fell I decided to step in and take a more hands on approach with my investment.

I had met a lady called Sonya at a Munch just over a year earlier and we not only hit it off but I discovered that her field of expertise lay in IT and online marketing. She designed a website for me and I also commissioned her to handle our digital advertising. Within six months we saw a complete turnaround, not just from the additional source of income from online sales but also in footfall onto our premises. People popped in and out of the shop just as they popped in and out of a well known up-market clothing and food chain store a few doors down from us. Our shop had become acceptable and part of the High Street establishment.

But there was another reason why I felt particularly good that morning. I had decided to revamp the part of the shop that dealt with our BDSM customers. With Julie, one of my sales assistants, we had decked it out with Valentine’s Day paraphernalia and I had come up with the idea of a large sign saying ‘Spank Your Valentine’. The visitors had become so numerous that we had had to stay late one evening to expand the floor space. Not only that, we actually ran out of handcuffs, paddles and other BDSM products and I had to drive down to London overnight to our suppliers warehouse and collect a van load of stock.

For years I had thought of myself as one of the odd few that enjoyed the fetish of spanking and discipline – how wrong I had been. It seemed as though the whole town had gone spanking mad!

Spending more time in the shop had also given me the opportunity to take a closer look our clientele. There were the usual run of the mill customers who came in for revealing clothing, underwear; massage oils and sex toys et cetera but there were also a growing number interested in uniforms and BDSM equipment. Adults of all ages and occupations; some of whom I had got to know well and others whom I had got to know intimately.

In some cases I would let customers into the shop after hours so they could have a more detailed inspection at their intended purchase. I also wasn’t averse to letting some customers test products or even have them tested on them. One lady in particular has purchased a good number of riding crops from me and most had been tested on her. She had a lover who was also her Master and she bought them for him. Personally, I thought it was just an excuse for her to get a good beating from me but I didn’t complain. I got the opportunity to indulge in my favourite past-time and then afterwards take advantage of her vulnerable situation and give her an equally hard fucking.

That Saturday was also memorable for me because I met Annie for the first time that day. She and her boyfriend, Steven, came in quite early that morning. At first I thought that may have been shoplifters because of their furtive behaviour; looking up every time someone came into the shop and not spending too much time at any particular area, except for the BDSM section, that is. It was there that their demeanour changed. Annie especially was like a kid in a candy store touching every product and making comments to Steven. It quickly became obvious to me that she was submissive and particularly interested in the leather paddles and restraints. As for Steven I was unsure about him. He didn’t come across as dominant and I suspected that he was more on the submissive side. They were quite a young couple. Probably between eighteen and twenty and they were obviously going through that experimental stage all couples go through.

I was sure that they had made their minds up about a purchase when she suddenly looked up at the store window. Passers-by were streaming past the shop and she must have seen someone she recognised and she suddenly nudged Steven and they left. I later found out that she had spotted her mum and dad in the crowd. It would have come as such a shock to them if they had spotted their daughter and her boyfriend in the shop and realised that she was not only sexually active but also had a kinky side as well.

They came back however close to closing time when the high street was getting quieter and once again they went back to the BDSM section. This time I left my office and went downstairs. They were inspecting some leather paddles once again. “We could probably get these cheaper online,” I heard her say as she looked closely at the price tag.

“We have a website and online shop as well,” I told her handing her a business card.

I could see that she was a little embarrassed. “It’s true that products can be a bit cheaper but that’s because they don’t carry as many overhead costs as a shop does,” I agreed. “But when you buy in a shop you know that the product that you are holding in your hand is what you are taking away with you.”

She looked down at the paddle she was holding in her hands.

“Online you just see a photograph but here you can handle it, get the feel of it and assess its quality and fitness for purpose. Sometimes you can be very disappointed when your parcel arrives and it’s not quite what you expected. And that’s apart from the fact that you may have had to wait in all day for delivery.”

She smiled and looked up at her boyfriend.

“In certain cases we do allow customers to test the product on the premises,” I told her.

She laughed. “What, in front of all the customers?” she responded to the horrified look on her boyfriend’s face.

I laughed back. “No,” I answered. “Just like we have fitting rooms for clothing we also have a private room for inspection of some products.”

“I think we’ll pass on that,” she responded as her boyfriend still remained motionless.

“Sorry if I sound to be intruding on your privacy here but I get the impression that you are both new to this?”

They both returned shy smiles.

“If you have any questions or want some private advice then all our staff are product trained including me.”

She eyed me closely and glanced at her boyfriend before clearing her throat. “What would you recommend for someone just starting out in...?”

I led them both closer to the wall where all our range of whips, canes, paddles et cetera were displayed and then I went through my usual routine of explaining which were for mainly for punishment and which were for pleasure.

“Is there a difference?” she asked.

I smiled. “It really depends on the user and the recipient, “I responded. “They all punish and they all give pleasure in varying degrees. It just depends on the individuals. After all, all this is really a form of foreplay. Some prefer a nice kiss and cuddle to get them going and some prefer a good caning... one man’s meat and all that. “

She smiled but her boyfriend remained silent. I looked more closely at her. She was wearing a pair of faded denim blue jeans that tightly hugged her shapely legs and nicely rounded bottom. She also wore a loose fitting jumper. I began to think that it would be a real pleasure taking her into the back of shop and taking her jeans and knickers and down and putting her across my knee. I found her looking back at me with a smile on her face that made me think that she could read my mind.

“So what would you recommend then?”

“Well... er... personally I would suggest starting off slowly,” I answered somewhat nervously. “A paddle perhaps or maybe a flogger then graduate to a cane and perhaps a riding crop. It all depends on what floats your boat.”

She went into thought mode. “Can I be presumptuous again? “ I asked her. “I take it that you are the bottom and your boyfriend the top?”

“Top and bottom?” she asked.

I explained. “Oh,” she responded. “Yes I will be the bottom.”

I glanced at him. The more I saw him the more I doubted if he really had it in him to be a Dom. Suddenly he asked if we had customer toilets. I told him no but I said that he could use the staff toilets and pointed at a door for him to go through. It left me alone with his girlfriend.

“I’m going to be presumptuous again,” I told her. “I don’t think he has the makings of being dominant.”

She thought for a moment. “He likes to spank me,” she responded.

I smiled. “I think that you are looking for something stronger than a spanking though aren’t you?” I said quietly.

She didn’t respond.

“For this sort of thing you need someone who’s experienced and can help you grow.”

She smiled. “I suppose you are putting yourself forward then?”

I laughed. “Well... given the opportunity... but I also know people I could put you in touch with.”

She thought for a moment. “I do love Steven.”

“I’m sure you do,” I responded. “But at this stage in your life I think that you are looking for more than just love, aren’t you?”

She almost nodded.

“You have my business card with all my contact details,” I reminded her. “I am very discrete too.”

She glanced up at me as Steven returned.

“I forgot to mention,” I said to her. “We are expecting a new line in on Monday. We’re going to be giving hairbrushes a trial. You know the old fashioned wooden ones that your granny probably had. They are well used privately and I thought we would give them a try.”

She laughed. “My mum used to use hers on me when I was a little girl and naughty.”

“I can’t imagine you being naughty,” I responded,

She smiled.

“We also have a branding machine to brand some products,” I told them. “Perhaps your own paddle or hairbrush saying ‘For – your name – Bottom’.”

She laughed.

“It’s Annie,” Steven said.

“’For Annie’s Bottom’, then.”

“We’ll see. We’ll see,” she said. “We will come back on Monday and take a look and make our mind up then.”

I was disappointed to see them leave but somehow I knew that they would be back and that there was even a possibility that Annie was interested in benefiting from my experience.