Speechless - no gag needed [F/M]

[cellofello]

Note: the names of the people involved have been changed for their privacy.

I’m not often speechless (well, except when I’m gagged), but one rather memorable experience left me at least momentarily in that state twice in one weekend.

I’m involved in science fiction conventions. There seems to be a higher-than-average interest in bondage and related subjects among science fiction fans. In fact, back in the days before Canter and Siegel ruined it for everyone (look it up), there was a Usenet group called alt.sex.bondage, or ASB for short. For a few years many conventions had unofficial “ASB parties” where people would rent a couple of adjoining suites and people who were part of the subculture could play.

(For you young whippersnappers and -snappees, Usenet is a kind of mix between a message board and a mailing list, where the messages were distributed to many computers rather a single website, and readers would select the subject areas they wanted to subscribe to. It still exists, but far more activity nowadays takes place on dedicated websites like this one.)

Sometime in the mid-1990’s I was working the registration table at a local convention on Friday afternoon when I spotted my friend Selma across the lobby area. Selma is involved in science fiction publishing herself, as well as part of the bondage community. She was talking with another woman I didn’t recognize. I let my attention wander across the lobby while waiting for the next person to show up to buy a membership.

Suddenly Selma’s conversation partner materialized in front of me at the registration table. She was a brunette about 5’3”, forty-something, attractive though not a knockout, and pleasingly curvy. Her convention name tag read “Vanessa.” The first words out of her mouth, delivered with a lilting southern drawl, were, “Hi! I understand you like to be tied up!”

I’m not secretive about my interest in such matters, but never before had a complete stranger come up to me in a public place to talk about it like this. So there was an empty beat before I got over my surprise and responded, “Yes…?”

“Well, I happen to have some rope. Perhaps later we can do something about this.”

Clearly, Selma had some hand in this – short of telepathy, I couldn’t think how else this woman could have known of my interests – but I was still puzzled as to how all this had come about. We arranged to meet at the ASB party later that night.

At the party, she began by asking about my physical condition, flexibility, and other safety questions. She asked if I could be hogtied; I said that I could. She seemed pleased by this. She had me strip, and placed me in a simple but effective hogtie, just wrists and ankles pulled close though not touching so as to put a lot of strain on the bound limbs. She said that since she didn’t know me yet, she would not use a gag. I was a little disappointed, since I love gags and can take very strict ones for long periods, but she was running the show and I didn’t want to be accused of “topping from the bottom,” as the saying goes.

“Now, we’re going to play a little game. The more noise you make, the longer this will go on.”

I couldn’t see quite what she was doing – though not blindfolded, not only was I face-down on the bed, but I am quite nearsighted – but soon I felt her hand stroking my private parts. They quickly began to get warm. She had put some sort of warming lotion on her hand, something like Ben-Gay ointment or perhaps cinnamon oil.

I don’t know if she intended it to be painful or pleasurable, but to me it was the latter. It was quite a predicament – the implication was that she was challenging me to stay quiet, yet I would have been delighted to have the experience prolonged. I opted to give her what she seemed to want – besides, I wouldn’t want to give her hand cramps – and
after perhaps ten to fifteen minutes she brought the game to a quite pleasurable conclusion. She released me. I thanked her, and we both went on to other things.

The next day a bunch of us went to lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant near my house. Vanessa was seated immediately to my left, and Selma was nearby. I asked the question that had been on my mind since the first time Vanessa had spoken to me. While Selma knew of my interests, I didn’t think she would go out of her way to set me up. I had a significant other who was also into bondage, so she surely knew that I wasn’t desperate for someone to play with. “So what made you come up to me last night?”

Selma and Vanessa exchanged a look and smiled. Selma answered. “When we were in the lobby, she pointed at you and said, ‘He’s cute!’ So I said, ‘He’s submissive. Would you like to meet him?’”

That was flattering, to say the least. I had always thought of myself as OK looking, but not so hot that women would proposition me out of the blue. While waiting for our food, I decided to learn a little more about the woman who had given me such a pleasurable time the night before. “So, what do you do?”

Since she was friends with Selma, I thought she might be someone else involved in science fiction or fantasy in some way. While the fantasy part was not completely wrong, it had nothing to do with writing. “I’m a dominatrix,” she cheerfully replied.

That was the second time she had left me speechless without a gag.

Here was a woman who had men paying her to tie them up, and she had solicited me without any mention of money. Why?

The best professional dominatrices* – the ones that last in the business – are the ones who are genuinely into it, and not doing it solely for financial reasons. But sometimes this leaves them with a problem. While nominally in control, they do also have customers whose desires they need to take into consideration, or else they will find someone else. There are times when a dominatrix wants to indulge her own wants first, without having to worry about a business relationship – she just wants to enjoy herself like anybody else. Vanessa found me attractive, and was looking to take a break from the business to have some fun of her own. (My experience is not unique, by the way. I know a man who has had non-business relationships with three different professionals.) While of course she did not know it when she first approached me, it was an added bonus that I was flexible enough to take a hogtie. It was something she especially liked doing, but few of her clients were flexible enough to endure it for long.

Selma and Vanessa had met at a science fiction convention in the southern US, and hit it off. This was Vanessa’s reciprocal visit to Selma’s home turf. I was the lucky beneficiary.

*Despite the complaints of some spell checkers, this IS the correct plural.

[Deleted User 4496]

Great story and I really appreciate the history lesson it's always cool to learn how some of these games were organized back in the early web days.

[rash357]

Great story! Things definitely have changed a lot - sounds like it was quite an awesome community!

[MaxRoper]

[mention]cellofello[/mention] I was a follower of ASB back in the day but unfortunately never had a similar experience. Sounds like a good time was had by all. Thanks for sharing.

[Canuck100]

Wow, you were quite lucky! I’d have been speechless too!

Thanks for sharing this.

[slackywacky]

Being old enough (and more) to remember the ASB forums, I lived at the time at the wrong side of the pond to be able to join any SciFi conventions and parties. Thanks for sharing.

[Lost_the_keys]

Those surprise encounters are always the best!

[dezz]

Yes, this is a really interesting dating situation. And did it become a sequel?

[cellofello]

Yes, this is a really interesting dating situation. And did it become a sequel?

There was another convention where we planned to do something, but she developed a migraine and had to cancel. We have not run across each other since then.

[dezz]

Sad.
I hope there will be a sequel after the pandemic.

[cellofello]

Sad.
I hope there will be a sequel after the pandemic.

No - this all took place over 20 years ago. I have had absolutely no contact with Vanessa since then, and I don't think she's in the business any longer. Like me, she would be in her 60s now.

[dezz]

Hm... my favourite domina girlfriend is 53... I'm 58.
But the 20 years is a littlebit long time...

[FelixSH]

Found this just now, very interesting read. Thanns for sharing your memory.