Kimberly wasn't a prude, that much was certain. In fact, she declared herself a pervert with pride, in the right circles. Of course those circles were usually anonymous, or populated exclusively by close friends. Being open about her kinks with strangers - in person! - was something totally different.

"But you love bondage, don't you?" Alison had asked with a pout, twirling her reddish-brown curls with that puppy-dog look. She knew exactly how she could get to Kim's heart.

"Yeah, in theory. I don't know about actually letting anyone work on me." She pointedly put the subtle business card aside.

"Guess I'll just have to go by myself, then." Ally sighed and laid down next to her friend, nudging her to make space on the bed. "And you won't get to see me all tied up~"

Kimberly quickly brushed away the image her mind conjured and pretended to be unmoved, picking up her handheld console again. "Cool. Have fun."

"Aw, come on!" Alison sat back up again and playfully pulled at her arm. "Don't actually make me go alone! I want you to have fun, too!"

Kimberly sighed and picked the card back up again. It was sleek, with no imagery standing out that really betrayed what it was about, though the name of the place was pretty obvious.

Fun and Games - Bondage Club the card read in bold font, followed by address and contact information on the front and legal disclaimers on the back.

"Fridays are ladies only, there'll be only women there. My cousin went and says it's totally safe and super friendly! And you don't have to commit to a membership right away!" Alison bounced on the bed, lightly shaking her friend.

"I don't know, Ally. I don't want to embarrass myself."

Alison scoffed. "How? All you have to do is sit there and look pretty. And you're really good at that!" She gently brushed one of the long black strands out of Kimberly's face and gave her a reassuring smile.

Kim sighed to herself. She just couldn't bear arguing with Ally for long. And so, despite her uncertainty, she found herself in front of the club's door. It was nicely tucked away, on the third floor of a small building, using a space that could have been rented by a law firm or an insurance company just as well. And until you actually made it here, there wasn't any indication as to what kind of business it really was.

Alison was bouncing on her heels and didn't wait long for Kim to steel herself, pushing through the door after just a short pause. Kim followed her, unsure whether her heart was pounding more from anticipation or from climbing the stairs.

The reception was bright and welcoming, with tall windows and walls painted in warm colours. Though now the mask of innocence was dropped in favour of showing off exactly what the club was about. Fetish magazines were sitting on a side table between leather seats, and the pictures on the wall were aesthetic shots of extremely attractive models.

"Hey, what's up?" the blonde girl behind the reception desk said with a bright smile, waving at the both of them.

With the rest of the decorations, Kim might have almost expected her to be all dressed up in fetish gear, but she was wearing a pink sweatshirt, not unlike the comfortable hoodie Kim had elected to wear. The only thing distinctly on-brand was the thick leather collar fastened around the girl's neck with a small heart-shaped charm dangling from it.

Alison practically skipped to the desk, leaning forward on it, her loosely tied hair slipping over one shoulder. "Heya! Me and my friend wanna have a little sneak peek, if we can?" Kim smiled a little awkwardly when the blonde glanced over at her, whose own smile didn't falter.

"Sure, I can get you someone to hang with. Can't let you into group sessions unless you're a full member, though." She grabbed some papers from her desk and pushed two sets of a few pages towards them. "Do you wanna stick together?"

"Yes," Kim said quickly. Her heart was still beating firmly. It was definitely the anticipation. "Sorry. I'm a little nervous."

The girl giggled sweetly as she got up from her chair, revealing the long skirt she was wearing, further matching her comfortable look. "It's cool, almost everybody is the first time. I'll go get someone for you and you can take your time reading the waiver, okay?"

Kim nodded and watched her head down to another door before looking down at the paperwork.

It was short, probably a separate waiver for the one-time visit. Yet it was thorough, insuring safety and respect for boundaries despite the fact that they were temporarily signing away their freedom. Kim signed her name and gave her friend the pen so she could do the same.

She turned as they still waited for the receptionist to come back, looking at the pictures on the walls. She could feel it, the same way she did when she looked at art or watched videos online. That phantom grip, as she imagined what the ropes and cuffs might feel like. And now she was just minutes away from actually feeling the real thing.

She looked up at Ally, who was softly humming to herself. She was clearly excited, but in a way that seemed a lot more casual, like she was looking forward to a night out.

The sound of heels on the linoleum floor made her look over again. The receptionist was coming back with another girl in tow. Her hazelnut hair was braided, resting on one shoulder, over her sleeveless top, which showed off her toned arms. Her pants were tight and she wore buckled boots with thick heels, which surprisingly only put her on even height with Kim, leaving her still a few inches shorter than Ally, despite both of them wearing flats.

She stopped in front of them, one thumb casually in her belt. "Hey, girls. I'm Dana. Ready to get started?"