Author's Note: A
Literotica 2021 Winter Holidays Story Contest
entry. Comments and ratings are always welcome.
Alone at that bar on my thirty-fifth birthday, I had to disagree with those women's magazines that claimed this was my sexual peak. Having a drink while I waited for the tow truck, about the last thing I expected to hear was someone offering to buy me another--but someone did. I didn't need to turn to know he was drunk and desperate. The former was confirmed by the sound of the voice; the latter, by my appearance: the bulky sweater that masked my out-of-shape body, the knit cap that tried to hide my winter hair, and my surly demeanor caused by the car trouble that drove me from the miserable weather into the dimly lit bar.
As I turned to snarl at the misbegotten masher, I saw a thousand reasons to reject him, the most significant being that he was my ex-husband.
"You're drunk, George," I sneered.
He tried to work out how I knew his name, then his face went through recognition, shock, and fear before settling on smarmy.
"Hey, Carol, nice to see you. You're looking good," he lied.
"Where's Sherry?" I asked, more taunting than curious. "Or should I say, 'Mistress Cherie'?" That was the name she used in their femdom sessions.
When George cheated on me with her, which led to our divorce five years ago after a decade of marriage, he said it was because I wouldn't play those games with him. I was so in love with him, I tried many times. It never did anything for me and he was never satisfied with my efforts.
I discovered the affair when he couldn't hide the amounts he spent on her. After paying the lawyers, I couldn't afford to keep the house, so he got it and she moved in with him. The small settlement I received didn't last long, so I was still driving the same car, which was right now dead in the street.
It was pure coincidence that I was in our old neighborhood when it stopped running and wouldn't start again and that he was in this bar.
"She left me last year," he glumly looked at his shoes. "I wasn't good enough for her. I couldn't give her what she deserved." I was pretty sure there was a dollar figure involved, and she probably took whatever she could get for as long as he gave it.
The door opened to let in a blast of cold air. "Carol?" a deep voice rang out, "I'm Mack." It was the tow truck guy.
"That's me," I called, walking away from my ex. After a few minutes outside in the cold with the hood raised, Mack said there wasn't a quick fix. Taking my information and hooking the car to his truck, he promised to call me the next day with a diagnosis.
My apartment was on the other side of town, and I couldn't expect him to take me all that way. The bad weather left no easy transportation options, so I returned to the bar. My former husband sat drinking alone.
"George, I'm sorry I was abrupt before," I said, swallowing my pride. "My car died, and now I'm stuck." I took a deep breath. "I need a favor." Every fiber of my being ached at having to ask. "Can I borrow your car? I'll drive you home and bring it back in the morning."
"I guess that's okay," he said. Although it was Friday night, the weather had made any potential companions stay home so he might as well call it a night.
I drove the car into his garage so he wouldn't have to trudge through the unshoveled walkway to the front door.
"Why don't you come in? I'll make you a cafΓ© mocha," he suggested. It wasn't a bad idea
per se
--it would be good to warm up and wake up before facing the drive home through the swirling snow. I was morbidly curious about how things were in the house--our house!--now that Sherry was gone.
The espresso maker seemed to be one of the few expensive items Sherry hadn't taken. The house was in disarray. I moved random items from the couch and coffee table to other piles as he made the drinks.
"No booze in mine!" I called when I saw him get a bottle.
The combination of coffee and chocolate did perk me up. He told me a little about his past couple of years, all of which would fit into the category of "I told you so."
"Hey, do you remember how you wanted me to finish the basement so we could use it when we were stuck inside during the winter? Well, I did it!" he said, sounding glad to find something I might care about.
"Want to see it?" he asked. I finished my coffee and figured it would be a way to get me moving to leave, so I agreed.
"I want to wait to turn on the light, so stop when you get to the bottom of the stairs," he said. The light through the door from the kitchen was enough to see the stairs, so I carefully descended into the dark basement.
When the lights came on, I could not believe what I saw. The floor, walls, and ceiling were finished and well lit, but the style could only be called "bordello". In addition to some apparent BDSM equipment, the scarlet and black walls held an array of implements ready to be used.
"We had such fun here," he said wistfully. "I mean, Sherry and me." I was ready to leave. "It could have been you and me," he interrupted, "if you had been willing."
"Fuck you!" I screamed. "You know I tried. I worshipped you so much, I did whatever you wanted. But I couldn't be mean enough to get you off." I was fuming. "After all you put me through with the divorce and 'Mistress Cherie', you have a lot of nerve bringing me down here and showing me this."
As I turned towards the stairs, I heard my voice mumble, "I bet I could whip you hard enough now!" I don't know where the thought came from. All I wanted was to get out of there and go home.
"Would you?" he entreated. Ignoring him, I started up the stairs. "I know I don't deserve it," he begged, "but I
am
lending you my car."
I resented that he would hold that over my head, but I had no idea how I would get home at that point without the car so I stopped.
"It's been so long," he whined. "I miss it so much. I need it. Look at how I live with no discipline." I couldn't hide the pity and disgust I felt. "Just fifty strokes," he pleaded.
"Oh, alright," I sighed, going back down the stairs, thinking it would be faster than arguing about it. "Get your pants off," I said, looking at the options on the wall.
"Does Mistress Carol want me to be in chastity?" he asked eagerly.
More delay, I thought. "Whatever, but hurry up about it," I barked. He scurried about, quickly removing all his clothes, folding or hanging them up. Fetching a contraption of metal rings, he managed to force his half-erect penis into it and locked it. He draped the chain with the key on it over my head before I had a chance to stop him.