The Mistress Files. Tiffany Reisz

basics?”

      The Mistress held up both hands and wiggled her fingers. Sheridan blushed.

      “The basics. I get it.”

      “Good girl. Now you say the guys you’ve been with since Rex tried everything. I assume you mean oral sex, digital stimulation, vaginal intercourse...”

      Sheridan nodded, her face still a becoming shade of pale red.

      “Did they try vibrators?”

      “One did. But I couldn’t relax enough.”

      “Can you have them on your own?”

      “Sometimes, but only if I’m fantasizing about Rex and stuff we did. It’s just...depressing. I don’t even miss him. I just miss...it. Whatever it was.”

      The Mistress sat back, threw her legs onto the settee and crossed her feet, clad in black and white Oxfords, at the ankles.

      “I’m depressed just hearing about it. We’ve got to get you back in business. Take your clothes off.”

      Sheridan froze.

      The Mistress grinned.

      “I love that reaction. The ‘now the shit gets real’ reaction. I think it’s my favorite part of the job. That and the money. And the clothes. And all the rich and famous people who are afraid of me because I know their kinks. Okay, I have a lot of favorite parts of this job. Anyway, I just noticed that you still have your clothes on, and I’m fairly certain I gave you an order.”

      The Mistress paused and tapped her temple.

      “Yes, I’ve reviewed the tapes. It was an order.”

      Still Sheridan didn’t move to obey. The Mistress narrowed her eyes at the girl.

      “What did you like so much about what Rex did to you?” The Mistress asked. “Tell me in one sentence.”

      “He...” Sheridan began. “He was older and in charge and made me feel like I was the center of the universe.”

      “Look up.” The Mistress pointed at the roof and Sheridan turned her face to the glass roof. “The night is watching us. Sheridan. You are the center of the universe. And if the center of the universe doesn’t take her clothes off in the next ten seconds, the center of the universe is going to get turned over my knee and spanked like the stubborn, recalcitrant child she is.”

      That did it. Sheridan stood up and unzipped the back of her dress and shimmied out of it. It landed like a pool of quicksilver at her feet. She had come prepared, The Mistress noted with pleasure—no panties on and no bra. Only her strappy shoes remained on her feet. She bent to remove them.

      “No. Leave the shoes on. Stand there for one hot minute. I’m taking a mental picture.”

      Sheridan froze in a perfect pose of modest beauty. With her head turned slightly to the side and her hands lightly clasped in front of her and her face a mask of elegant composure, the thin girl with small breasts transformed into an ancient Greek statue of Aphrodite turned to flesh. The Mistress smiled at her statue. All she’d had to do was order the girl to pose for a photograph and Sheridan turned into the professional actress who commanded six figures per episode.

      “You’re stunning. You know that, don’t you?” The Mistress asked.

      Sheridan merely shrugged her shoulders.

      “I suppose you hear it all the time from fans and casting agents. But I’m not a fan. I’m not a director. I don’t have to suck up to you to get you to spread for me. You’re paying me for the privilege of spreading for me. You paid up front. I have no reason to lie. Say ‘thank you for telling me I’m stunning, Mistress.’”

      “Thank you for telling me I’m stunning, Mistress.”

      “Good. There’s hope for you yet. Now sit.” The Mistress moved her legs from the settee to the floor and pointed to the crimson cushions. Sheridan sat back down as she kept her legs tightly pressed together. “Stay there.”

      The Mistress pulled out her tie and unknotted it.

      “I’m going to blindfold you. It’ll help you relax and focus on what you’re feeling. Do you have a safe word?”

      “Kingsley told me I should pick one. It’s ‘McCarthy’s.’”

      “Like the single malt whiskey?”

      Sheridan smiled. “You know your alcohol.”

      “Of course I do. I’m Catholic. You like whiskey?”

      “Hate it. But Rex liked it. Straight.”

      “He sounds Catholic.”

      The smile on Sheridan’s face broadened and The Mistress nearly blinked at the brightness. The Mistress could only imagine how this girl could light up a stage.

      “I can still remember what his mouth tasted like. I never wanted to drink the stuff. I was happy tasting it on him.”

      “McCarthy’s it is then. I want you to be able to tell me yes, no, stop, go while we’re playing. You’ll say ‘McCarthy’s’ if and—only if—you want to stop completely, take off the blindfold and end the scene. I’ll be touching your body and every woman is different. You can give me directions if I’m doing something that doesn’t work for me. You can give me encouragement if I’m doing something that does. Understand?”

      “I understand.”

      The Mistress glared at the girl so hard she winced.

      “I mean, yes, Mistress.”

      “Better. Hold still.” The Mistress yanked her silk tie off and pulled it taut. Careful of Sheridan’s perfectly coiffed hair, The Mistress brought the tie over her head, placed it on Sheridan’s blinking eyes and knotted it at the nape of her neck. “Too tight?”

      “No...it’s fine. Thank you, Mistress.”

      “You’re welcome.”

      “I didn’t expect...” Sheridan began and paused.

      “What didn’t you expect?”

      “I didn’t think you’d be nice. I don’t think nice when I hear the word Dominatrix.”

      “I’m nice to all my clients even when I’m beating the shit out of them. Nice means treating someone how they want to be treated. Tonight you want to be treated with gentleness. Next time maybe you want to be treated with pain. Sounds nice, right?”

      Sheridan smiled. “I might not say no.”

      “Good. Now lie down on your back and breathe. Breathe slowly and deeply. I’m going to put my hands on your legs, but that’s it. I won’t touch any other part of you without warning you first.”

      Sheridan obeyed but not without tentativeness. Every line of her body vibrated with fear as she rolled onto her back and slowly stretched out her legs. The Mistress decided to let the fear work in her favor. Adrenaline rushes made for beautiful orgasms. Adrenaline... The Mistress had a thought.

      “Sheridan...” The Mistress placed her hands on Sheridan’s thighs right above her knees. “Were you scared when you were with Rex?”

      “No. Yes.” She laughed as The Mistress began to rub her thighs. “Scared isn’t the right word. But he was older than me. I was...intimidated maybe. Rex was definitely intimidating. Strong, silent type. Sexy. Smart. I could never quite believe it was happening even when he was inside me.”

      “With your most recent boyfriend, did you ever feel scared or intimidated?”

      Sheridan shook her head as The Mistress made slow, easy strokes with her hand up and down the girl’s thin legs.

      “Not a bit. Brett was so nice, goofy, a very sweet guy. Like a big kid.”

      “And