Dana led them into a separate room, closing the door once they were inside. There were three slim armchairs in one corner, a more sturdy wooden chair in another, some low side tables, though mostly the room was furnished with shelves, two of them holding clearly marked drawers, from long ones on the bottom to smaller ones on eye level. The third was more of a tool rack than a shelf, holding coils of rope and leather straps.

Despite the fetish gear so plainly on display, it was still a comfortable looking room. Most of the floor was dominated by a fuzzy carpet and everything was held in warm and bright colours. The windows were tall but covered by thin red shades, tinting the sunlight and hiding what might be going on inside from the building across the street.

"Take a seat." Dana gestured at the armchairs. Kim followed the invitation, putting her bag next to the chair as she sunk into the cushions. Alison did the same, though she was sitting straight, practically sparkling with anticipation. Dana sat down in the third, diagonally across from them and crossed her legs.

"This is one of our playrooms. They're not all furnished the same, but we have pretty much anything here we might need, unless you have very specific preferences. We have some specialised layouts, too, but I'm afraid those are for paying members." She winked with a slight smirk. "Any questions off the bat?"

"Um, yes." Kim straightened her back. "You work here, right? You're not just a club member?"

"That's right. Members can play together, of course, if you vibe with someone. Mostly we just provide the space and the toys. But there's always someone around to service, or just to supervise, if you feel safer that way."

Kim felt herself relaxing more and more. The atmosphere was welcoming and friendly, there was clearly a lot of consideration paid towards everyone's comfort, and Dana's confidence was reassuring as well. And with all her initial doubts quieting down, the excitement grew more prominent, feeling her heart beating and her chest tingling.

"I'm guessing you're not just here to chat, though. Of course, it's cool if you are, but..." Dana casually gestured towards the wall of ropes and other restraints.

Alison locked eyes with Kim and her grin was so wide Kim couldn't help but laugh briefly. "You go first," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Yes!" Alison jumped out of the seat. "I've been waiting for this! Don't hold back on me!"

Dana scoffed as she got up as well, walking over to her tools. "How about we get started first and we'll see how you feel then." She waved her over closer to the middle of the room while she took a length of rope from the wall, then made a twirling motion with her finger, telling her to turn around.

Alison obediently turned her back to Dana and held her arms behind her. Dana got started quickly, putting her forearms together horizontally and winding rope around them in quick, practiced movements.

Kim slowly got up and stepped around to have a better look. Dana quickly cinched the rope and pulled it tight, repeating similar knots two more times before grabbing a second rope.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't even get your names yet," Dana noted casually as she reached around Alison's torso to wind the rope around her underneath her chest.

"Ally!"

"Kim."

"Sweet. Nothing too tight, Ally?"

"You can go tighter if you want," Ally said while looking at her over her shoulder.

"Oh, you're one of the really eager ones, huh?" Dana looped the rope around itself between Ally's arms and torso, then put a hand against her back and yanked at the rope to tighten it. "I like the eager ones."

Dana lightly tapped her arms after tying off the ropes. Kim watched Alison squirm and twist with an excited chuckle. She folded her arms and nervously played with a strand of her hair while biting her lip, already feeling awkward again for just watching.

"Wow, holy crap," Alison giggled as she tensed her arms to no avail.

"You stew in that a while, get used to how it feels," Dana suggested, testing the rope in a few placed before turning to the spectator. "What about you, Kimmy? I don't want you feeling left out."

Kim's posture tightened a little, almost feeling caught. She'd never been one for the centre of attention, so used to fading into the background in most places, she nearly forgot she was actually involved. "Um, yeah... maybe start me easy?" she asked quietly.

Dana nodded and turned back to the shelves, pulling out a drawer and retrieving what Kim easily recognised as a pair of leather cuffs. "We can get these off pretty quickly. Do you want to try something like that?"

Kim nodded eagerly and stepped closer, her heart in her throat. She watched as Dana put one of the cuffs around her wrist and closed the strap, pulling it snug against her skin. The tight grasp was exactly like she had envisioned, firm but not painful. She stared at the first while Dana secured the second in the same way.

Even just wearing the cuffs by themselves felt exhilarating in a small way. Not just the feeling on her skin, even just seeing them contrasted against her hoodie. When she looked up again, Dana was holding up a simple snap hook with a patient expression.

Wordlessly, Kim turned around and held her hands behind her back. She locked eyes again with Alison, who had sat back down, sitting in her seat while still tugging playfully against the ropes. She felt a tug on one wrist, then on the other, then heard the metal snap shut.

"That feel alright?"

Kim tugged, then twisted her hands, pulling carefully every which way. And immediately, a smile broke out on her face at the small rush. "Yeah, that's good. Thanks."

"Cool. Chill for a moment, then let me know if you want more." Dana gave her a short squeeze on her arm. Kim hesitated for a moment, then decided to also sit down again.

It was more than the restriction of movement, she concluded. With her wrists held back, she was exposed more, unable to cover herself if she wanted to. Not that she needed to, her hoodie was pretty wide and her jeans not exactly tight either.

Not like Alison, who was already in the habit of wearing breezy tops and open shirts. And right now, the rope around her torso had snugly squeezed the fabric against her body, particularly underneath her generous bust, emphasising it a little more. And despite looking like she wasn't bothered much, she'd gotten visibly flushed in the last minute.

"Hey, so, what else do you do here?" Ally spoke up, seemingly just making conversation. "I mean, it can't all be just like this."

Dana sat down again as well, crossing her legs and leaning back. "We can do a lot. Some people just want to spend some time in ropes. For the experience, or to de-stress. There's couples who want to go all the way but don't have the right tools at home. And there's some who just want to challenge themselves and try some games."

"What kind of games?" Kim asked right away, her mind bringing up plenty of scenarios she had read or written herself in the past.

"Escape challenges, friendly contests, depends how intimate you wanna go." Dana raised her hands. "No pressure, obviously. If all you want is to soak up the feeling for a bit, you're just as welcome here as anyone else."

"Do members ever mingle?" Kim continued, surprised with how easily she found chatting about it all of a sudden.

"We have group sessions, if that's your thing. Strict privacy policy, of course. And those are usually tame. The really heavy stuff is mostly a one-on-one thing."

Ally nudged Kim's leg with her own. "Bet you I can escape better than you."

"You sure about that?" She raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Your arms seem pretty trapped."

"I just need some practice, that's all." She stuck her tongue out at Kim, before both broke into short giggles.

Dana just watched for a moment before standing up again. "So, while we still have time, you see anything else you want to try on?"

They ran out the full hour, both girls trying a few things, Ally ever eager and Kim getting a bit braver, though it didn't escape Dana's notice how familiar she seemed to already be with whatever toys she showed her.

Dana saw them out once everything was put away again and gladly accepted the hug Ally offered, before she watched them head out.

"They'll be back," she said confidently, leaning on the reception desk, before turning to face the girl sitting behind it. "So, Jess, you doing anything after your shift?"

"Mmh, nope," the blonde replied with a smile, looking down at her phone.

"Well, you are now." Dana slipped a finger under Jess' collar and tucked her a little closer to place a kiss on her forehead. "Those two really got me in the mood."