Page 76 of Salvage Him

"Is your Dom into Daddy play or is it a Master/slave thing?" sheasked.

I narrowedmyeyes.

"I don't mean to be nosy, but I heard it’s pretty prevalent in Dallas BDSM." She tapped on the glasscounter.

"No." I shook my head. "I haven't seen much of that, but I'm pretty new in the community down there." I clutched my neck. The room felt stuffy. "Why doyouask?"

"Well, conservative town. Their idea of kinky sex is fucking someone their opposite. Old guys with young girls, playing out their Daddy fantasies or white guys with . . ." She caressed my arm. "With beautiful African American women playing out some Master/slave thing." Her Texas accent came out on the word thing. "It's not the most diverse part of the world. Keep in mind, that this was ten years ago. I'm sure it's changedalot."

"Well, if you ever come back to visit, you might be surprised,"Isaid.

She nodded and bowedherhead.

We walked around the shop for a while. I understood the Daddy play, but the Master/slave idea had never crossed my mind. The two times I went to Crush, I was the only African-America woman in the place. I pushed the thought out ofmyhead.

I picked up a blue leather collar. It reminded me of Harrison's eyes, and I was tempted tobuyit.

Abbie purchased the butt plugs and a vibrator with some lube, a weekly purchase for her. Every time the bell on the front door rang, a confused panic course through me. In New York, you didn't worry about social norms. We didn't stray too far away from our community, and when we did, we didn't stand out. Strange people were all over New York. It was normal. I never felt ashamed of myself or myfriends.

In Dallas, the community was a carefully constructed secret. It would be a new dynamic to navigate. Like returning to being a submissive wasn't complicatedenough.

Abbie knew everyone, and she introduced me like I was her long-lost cousin returning tothefold.

Outside the store, I stopped and huggedAbbie.

"What was that for?" sheasked.

"For being the perfect you." I hugged heragain.

She smiled and huggedmeback.

We walked hand and hand through The Village. I lovedNewYork.

I enjoyed visiting my hometown, but my heart was inTexas.