Ann Mayburn - Sodom and the Phoenix

A memory of Bryan’s body dominating her personal space, overwhelming her with his presence, made her blood heat, and her nipples stiffened into hard points. “So someone like a master, experienced with BDSM, would be safe to be with?”

Michelle laughed and lifted the sleeves of her jacket. Around each of her wrists were silver bracelets with tiny gold padlocks. “I don’t think I would ever consider my master one hundred percent safe to be with, but that’s what I like. My husband of twenty-eight years is also my master. That edge of danger, of knowing he is going to test my limits and give me mind-blowing orgasms.” She dropped her sleeves back and turned her full attention on Tanwen, who fought the urge to squirm beneath the strength of her gaze. “Let’s say that you found an unattached master you were interested in at the resort this week. I’d advise you to seek out the submissives wearing collars that match my bracelets, silver collars with little gold locks. Or if you’re feeling brave, masters or mistresses with either a gold belt buckle or an armband with a key symbol etched into the metal. Only doms and subs running the convention will be wearing them, and they’re always happy to talk to a newbie. Ask them about any potential master or mistress you are thinking about playing with, and they’ll let you know if they’re safe or not.” She chuckled. “Well, as safe as a dom can be.”

Tanwen’s mind reeled with the possibilities. Michelle made the whole BDSM scene seem so accessible, so tempting. She’d probably never be in another situation like this with a hotel full of experienced practitioners who could answer all her questions and possibly more. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Michelle winked at her, then turned her gaze back to the computer. “The simulation’s ready to go. You still want to look like yourself, correct?”

“Yeah. Being someone else would just be too weird.”

Michelle nodded. “And did you want a full VR simulation, or do you want to try another guest as a partner?”

Tanwen fidgeted and took a deep breath. Doing this by herself seemed too much like masturbation, and she’d done that enough over the past twenty years. Heck, if this turned out to be a bust, she had packed her vibrator that looked like a tube of lipstick so she wouldn’t have to worry about the baggage screeners seeing an obvious penis-shaped toy in her bag. Not that they would care, but that was the kind of thing she worried about.

“Tanwen? What are you thinking about? Maybe I can help.”

“I-I’d like to try it with another guest.” Butterflies started to form a conga line of anxiety in her stomach. What if the person she was with recognized her while they were in line at the breakfast buffet? She would die of embarrassment. “Can you change my hair color to red and my eyes to green?”

“Sure.” The keyboard clicked as Michelle typed. A few moments went by, and Michelle grunted. “Seems you and I aren’t the only ones who like the hot cop scenario. We have a match.”

“Who is it?”

“Can’t say, patient confidentiality and all of that.” Michelle stood from her chair and stretched. “I’m sure you read it in the paperwork, but that applies for you and I as well. You are my patient for the duration of your stay, and as your therapist, I’m legally bound to keep our private conversations private.”

“Thank you.” Tanwen startled as the bed hummed to life beneath her with a low-level vibration.

“Go ahead and lie back on the bed. I’m going to hook you up, and then your only job is to relax.”

Tanwen resisted the urge to wipe her sweaty palms on the bed. This was suddenly all too real, and her anxiety built as Michelle attached the electrodes to her forehead. It took all her willpower to keep from blurting out that she wanted to do this alone.

After the last pad was in place, Michelle patted her hand. “There will be a small transition period of darkness between reality and virtual reality. When you wake up in VR, you’ll have knowledge of who you are in the scenario. Your partner will have his own set of memories. What you do and how you react is totally up to you. In the event that you want the fantasy to end for any reason, say the word ‘pizzariffic.’ I know it’s an odd term, but it’s the global word throughout the system to boot you out of the simulation.”

Tanwen giggled but repeated the word three times for Michelle. The clear plastic ceiling of the pod slid closed overhead; then it began to glow with soft blue lights. They shimmered and danced over the transparent surface, and Tanwen found them to be rather beautiful. It reminded her of what she’d always imagined the northern lights would look like.

Michelle’s voice was muffled by the thick plastic as she said, “The simulation lasts for three hours. You can spend that time however you choose. Once you’re sexually satisfied, you and your partner might like to do a little exploring. This fantasy has a world of one hundred square miles, so feel free to wander around.”

Tanwen nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. She didn’t know what kind of mattress this was, but it felt like she was floating on a giant cloud. Michelle took a seat in her chair across the room and began to type on the computer. The soft sound of jazzy trumpets came from speakers behind her head, and Tanwen wiggled her toes along with the melody. A clarinet joined in, and she closed her eyes, letting the music form pictures in her mind. Her last thought before slipping into darkness was one of excited anticipation, like being at the top of the first hill of a roller coaster, about to go over the edge and fly.

Warmth bathed Tanwen’s face, and she squinted against the late-afternoon summer sunlight streaming through the windshield of her turquoise blue 1956 Corvette convertible. As Tanwen gaped at the steering wheel beneath her hands, she thanked her lucky stars that she hadn’t come into VR driving or she would have ended up wrapped around a tree. The song “In the Still of the Night” filled the air with its sweet tune. Tanwen sighed with happiness.

She’d always loved the 1950s, from the fashion to the effortless style that people had exuded, and she sometimes felt like she would have been more comfortable back then than in her own time. Part of it was the innocence of the era—before the days of the sexual revolution—and part of it was the clearly defined roles of men and women. While she couldn’t imagine living without the freedoms she had grown up with, she couldn’t help but think how much easier life would have been if all she had to do was be Donna Reed instead of Supermom. Of course she realized the reality of the 1950s had been nowhere near her fantasies, but that didn’t stop the thrill of absolute delight that ran through her at actually being able to live out her dreams.

A quick glance down showed she wore a white dress with a full skirt edged with embroidered daisies. She looked into the rearview mirror and tilted her head, examining her bold red hair done in careful curls and her mint green eyes. Memories began to fill her head, and she “knew” she was on her way to Lake Tahoe and had pulled off to check her map and make sure she was going the right way.

Sure enough, on the cream leather seat next to her lay a folded map. Everything felt so real. She had to resist the urge to get out of the car and just walk around and marvel at the details. The engine purred beneath the hood, almost begging her to take it for a spin. This had always been her dream car, and even the wonders of the surrounding forest couldn’t compete with the need for speed.

The gravel of the turnoff crunched as she eased onto the paved road. Evidently the car was a little more responsive than her sedate and dignified sedan at home. The scent of pine and cedar seemed to explode as she sped up, and her heart raced with delight.