Free Of Being Yours[another way 2] by Anna Martin Page B

work this out,” I said, staring at the floor. He hadn’t forced me up to balance on my toes tonight while he worked on getting my other leg right.
    “Sometimes it’s easy,” he said as he adjusted the ropes for what felt like the hundredth time. “If we were just in session together, it wouldn’t be so important to work on the fine details. But when it’s a performance, I want to make it perfect.”
    “Now you’re making me nervous.”
    “Don’t be,” he said. “It’s not you they’re going to be watching.”
    “Oh, that’s a lie!”
    “Okay. Well, it won’t be you they’ll blame if it fucks up. Not that it’s going to fuck up, because I’m going to make damn sure it’s perfect.”
    In the end we had three sessions of Will working on the design for the ropes, the last one more about making it aesthetically pleasing. We had almost matching outfits, something that I’d hated at first, but in the end, the dark-brown leather suited us both and tied me to him in a visible way.
    Ours wasn’t the first demo of the night, so we had a chance to wander around the club for a while before our room became free. Nor was it the only demo that was going on during our time slot, which also eased the pressure a little bit. If people had any issues with our being a gay couple, then they didn’t have to watch. It was clearly marked on the door as being a M/M scene.
    Just before we got started, Will closed the door and had me strip off. We had discussed whether or not I’d be naked, and ultimately it had been my decision to be bare. He had me kneel in the corner facing the wall while he set up, and although the floor was cold, the air was warm, and I slipped easily into my subspace.
    There was a low murmur of voices when people started to arrive, and Master left me in my corner while he addressed our audience.
    “Thanks for joining us tonight,” he said in the low voice I associated with our sessions. “I’ll just reiterate before we begin that this is a male sub, male Dom display and we’ll act accordingly. If you don’t want to watch, you’re welcome to leave with no hard feelings.”
    There was a small pause where no one moved. “Laura McAlder is here serving as our spotter. I’d ask that if there is any reason to stop the session that you please don’t approach the sub.” Hearing him address me as “the sub” was just perfect for me to slip further into my subspace. “Combined, Laura and I have years of experience in working with Jesse, and we are confident that we know his limits. And he too is very aware of his own.
    “Jesse,” he said, addressing me, and I rose to stand by his side. I folded my hands behind my back, grasping each wrist with the opposite hand, spread my legs, and fixed my eyes on the floor. Master ran his fingers gently through my hair and kissed my cheek before leading me to the spot where we’d start the demonstration.
    After the first few nerve-racking moments, I relaxed into the situation. I wasn’t completely comfortable or at ease, something that Master must have noticed due to his constant, gently reassuring touches. I hadn’t needed that kind of reassurance in a session for years, but I appreciated the way he knew me intimately enough to see that I needed them in this unfamiliar situation.
    Our audience was mostly quiet, but Master addressed them at regular intervals. Although it was a demonstration rather than an interactive workshop, his attitude was that everyone should still be able to walk away having learned something.
    When the rigging was complete, Will invited the group to take a closer look at his work on the condition that no one touched me. While I felt people moving around, I decided not to open my eyes, instead concentrating on my deep breathing and staying balanced.
    I felt him at my side, then near my head, and he stroked my hair gently. Since I had room to do it, I dropped my head to his hip and let the warmth and smell of the leather reassure me.
    It