The Birthday Gift Read online

  The Birthday Gift

  By: Emily Sinclaire

  ~ ~ ~

  The Birthday Gift

  By Emily Sinclaire

  This story is Copyright© 2014 by Emily Sinclaire. All rights reserved.

  The Birthday Gift is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Author’s Note: All characters depicted in this work of fiction are at least eighteen years of age or older.

  Smashwords Copyright License Notes:

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Content

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 1: Late Night Viewing

  I sat at the computer, the room around me dark and silent but for the hard beating of my heart and weight of my breath as I bit nervously on my lower lip. The images that filled the screen of my monitor were not my normal fair. I stared at leather and latex clothed men and women kneeling at the feet of their masters and mistresses. I saw pictures of people bent over and tied to everything from a coffee table to intricate benches while those said masters and mistresses punished them with everything from caned and floggers to hands and paddles.

  My entire being shook in a chaotic vortex of emotions. I was trying desperately to see, to understand, what it was my husband of nine years saw in this sort of behavior. Greg was very much into domination and submission and was very open and forthcoming with that at the start of our relationship. And although we haven’t talked about it in some time, I knew he wanted nothing more than for me to accept it and give it at least a try.

  And so here I sat at 2 a.m. at our living room computer while my husband slept soundly up above. I felt shame at looking at such pictures. I felt humiliation not only for them and their abnormal lifestyle, but for myself for viewing such filth. In some small part I felt responsible for furthering their kinky ways. If not for people like me looking at their images and videos, or reading their stories online they wouldn't do such horrible things, right? That's what I told myself as I flipped to page seventeen of images.

  And that's when I saw it. It was an image like all the thousands I've gazed upon over the last few nights, but an advertisement as well. It was an advertisement for a place called Mistress Julie's Dungeon that promised to have a scene for everyone including those who didn't know what they were into. That struck me as somehow interesting. There was an email address and phone number as contact information.

  Without really knowing why, I wrote the email address down and opened up Hotmail. With nothing but the white screen to light the keys under my trembling fingers I wrote a message.

  Hello Mistress Julie,

  My name is Sonja Kellerman and I came across your advertisement while searching the net for images. I am not dominant or even submissive as far as I can tell, but my husband of nine years is. Although he hasn't said anything to me in several years, I know deep down that he desires my submission to him even if it's for a single day.

  I'm trying to understand this lifestyle but images and videos just aren't answering any of the thousands of questions that I have. And don't even get me started on stories. They are so varied and conflicting on what it really means to be submissive or dominant that I can't believe any of them are true.

  I don't know if this is something you do, or are willing to do, but I would like to talk to a professional. I would like to know once and for all if I have a submissive bone in my body. Please, even if you cannot help me, could you point me in the right direction?

  - Sonja Kellerman

  The mouse cursor rested on the send button, my finger hovered shaking above the mouse button. All that was needed was a quick drop of my finger and my inquiry would be on its way. I quietly rolled the office chair back and stood up. I inhaled deeply and let it out in a long, slow nervous sigh. I turned quickly, without further thought and clicked the damn mouse. I watched the screen change and a jolt of excitement charge through me. I don't know why I was excited, but I was. I went up to bed but didn't get a wink of sleep.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  I felt the bed shake as Greg got up. I didn't open my eyes, but I knew it was morning, the golden rays of the sun rising above our back yard bathing me in its warmth. I heard my husband walk softly across the bedroom floor to the adjoining bathroom. He was considerate that way. He did everything he could not to wake me even though I was already halfway there on my own.

  It was the smell of fresh coffee that finally persuaded me to roll my lazy but out of bed. I went to the bathroom and did my morning routine and joined my husband in the kitchen. It didn't matter if I got three hours of sleep or ten, I was a zombie until I had half a pot of coffee in my system.

  "You were up late last night," Greg said as way of small talk. There was nothing accusatory in his voice, but I suddenly felt incredibly guilty.

  "Couldn't sleep," I replied quickly, taking another drink of coffee that burned my lips and tongue.

  "It looks like you could use another eight house," he smiled. "Eggs or French toast?

  "French toast," I grumbled groggily.

  "Sausage or bacon?"

  "Bacon for me." There was no choice there. Although they came from the same animal, bacon was the filet mignon of breakfast meats and you can quote me on that. "Hash browns," I said answering his next question before he could ask. This was our morning routine. Whichever of us made it downstairs first did the cooking for breakfast and the other did dinner. I looked up at the clock. 8:23. "You're going to be late for work aren’t you?"

  "It's Saturday dear. Are you sure you wouldn't rather go back to bed?"

  "Nah, you know me. Once I'm up, I'm up. So what are your plans for the day?"

  "Wow babe," he said laughing and shaking his head. "You're really out of it today aren’t you? I'm going over to Randy's for his birthday party, remember? You're still invited, you know."

  "I know. You know how much I like Randy, but I also know how you men get when a keg's involved." Greg's friends were a bad influence on my husband, but I forgave him his little parties now and then. It gave me the chance to go shopping, something I knew he hated. "That reminds me though, your birthday in coming up and I still haven't gotten you anything. What would you like?"

  He looked at me knowingly. It was a look he gave me when we talked about that whole domination submission life he was so much into. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you what I wanted," he replied. His eyes still hopeful that I would one day give him what he wanted.

  "Socks and a tie it is," I giggled. He smiled and flipped the bacon.

  Greg was out of the house by noon and as his car pulled out of the driveway I ran to the computer to see if Mistress Julie replied to my message the night before. It was there among spam emails for penis enlargement pills – Um, I don't think I'll be needing those anytime soon. I opened the email from Mistress Julie and read it.

  Hello Sonja,

  I'm glad you contacted me with your situation. It is sometimes very difficult for anyone to admit they are submissive. To give over control to another is a huge leap of faith that few can honestly g
rasp. The honest truth is, a lot of people are submissive or dominant and do not realize it until they attempt one or the other, sometimes both.

  If you are serious in exploring this avenue I am more than willing and capable of bringing out your submissive nature if it exists. Drop by my dungeon and we can talk further. I will be in on Saturday from noon to midnight.

  - Mistress Julie

  Chapter 2: Mistress Julie's Dungeon

  So there it was, my invitation to Mistress Julie's dungeon to see if I was capable of being submissive. I was suddenly very awake and shaking nervously. This was a huge deal for me. It was something I denied my husband for nine years. Would he be pissed with me if I went behind his back? I decided to risk it and was in my car fifteen minutes later.

  Mistress Julie's dungeon was an innocuous house located in the ritzier part of town. It wasn't quite a mansion, but it was at least four times larger than where Greg and I lived. I knocked on the door and was let in by a lovely woman wearing a tight purple dress. She didn't look like Mistress Julie from the advertisement.

  "Welcome to Mistress Julie's Dungeon" the svelte brunette said. "Do you have an appointment?"

  "Um, no I don't. I'm here to see Mistress Julie. She emailed me and told me to drop by to talk to her."

  "What is your name sweetie?" She was eying me over. It made me nervous. It seemed to be my theme for the day.

  "Sonja Kellerman," I replied. "And yours?"

  "I'm Mistress Lori. Mistress Julie is currently with a client. We can send for her when she's done."

  "Do you know how long that will take?"

  "Hmm, with him, maybe another hour or two. If you would rather not wait we can make an appointment."

  "No," I said quickly "I'll wait. To be honest it took every bit of courage I had to come in and I don't know if I can muster it again."

  "Do you mind if I ask the purpose of your visit?"

  "It's kind of complicated. My husband wants a submissive wife. I honestly don't know if I have it in me to be that way for him so I'm here to talk to Mistress Julie about it. She said she could bring out my submissive side if it exists."

  "Oh, that she can. How long have you been married?"

  "Nine years."

  "Does your husband hound you to be his submissive?"

  "Oh no, not at all. He hasn't mentioned it in years actually. To be honest his birthday is coming up soon and I want to give this to him as a birthday present if it's within me to do so. I just get so guilty thinking about it. And ashamed…humiliated…excited. I don't know what to think anymore."

  "That's ok, dear. This is a very complicated lifestyle we live. It may seem simple on the outside, but there are so many facets that those looking in don't see that defines who and what we are. If you would like, I could show you around and give you a few tests to see if you are submissive or not. We are all taught the same way here so we really don't need to wait for Mistress Julie if you don't want to."

  "OK, I guess that'll be fine. What are these tests?"

  "The first is a written test. It will delve deep into your Id to determine of you are submissive or not. It's not a definitive test, but it will give us a pretty good indicator of where to start."

  "Um, how much is all of this going to cost me?"

  "Not a penny. We don't charge you anything unless you are doing a scene with us. If you are interested in that, the price is $325 per hour."

  "Damn," I gasped "I'm in the wrong line of business."

  "Follow me to the testing room," she said. The testing room looked very much like the classrooms in high school and college. There were rows of student desks with a large oak desk at the front with a blackboard behind the back of the woman sitting at the desk. She was a stern, but good looking woman maybe in her late thirties. Her hair was pulled back in a bun and the glasses she wore only made her that much sterner. I half expected her to whack me across the knuckles with a ruler.

  Mistress Lori led me between rows of student desks to the teacher's desk and introduced me. I looked around. There were seven others here, all men. I felt incredibly humiliated all of the sudden for being the only woman being tested. "This is Sonja Kellerman," she said. "She is unsure of her submissive nature so she is here to take the submissive test. Sonja, this is Mistress Terri. She's our resident examiner. If you have any questions you may ask her anything. She will bring you back to me downstairs when you are done."

  Mistress Terri handed me a pen and several sheets of paper stapled together. "You may take a seat anywhere. Take your time in answering, there is no time limit. Please respect the other test takers by not talking."

  "Yes Mistress," I replied. I didn't know why other than it seemed the polite thing to do. I saw a brief smile form at the corners of her full lips and it was gone just as fast. I took a seat at the back corner away from everyone else. I had no intentions of talking to anyone here even if she didn't give me the warning.

  I flipped through the ink filled pages. There were 100 questions ranging from 'Do you make suggestions to your sex partner during sex' to 'Do you consider your life organized?' I read each question slowly and carefully and then filled in the little circle next to the multiple choice answer I chose. Some of the questions asked about specific fantasies and once again the humiliation was in overdrive as I answered them honestly.

  Three of the men were done and gone before I finished. The others handed in their test and waited for the results. I walked to the front of the room and placed my test on the desk and returned quietly to me seat. I never lifted my head.

  With all of the men gone I was the only one left. I sat there watching Mistress Terri wave her pen over the paper and make marks here and there. She was really a pretty woman, even more so if she'd let her hair down. She was wearing a black skirt suit and although I could only see her top half, she had an attractive body as well. Now, I am not bisexual or anything like that, but I am confident enough in my sexuality that I can appreciate the beauty of a woman's body.

  "You may come up now, Sonja," Mistress Terri said to me. "I have your test results."

  I got up and walked towards her as if I was heading to the gallows. I desperately wanted to know the answer, but was scared to death to find out. "Am I a submissive, Mistress Terri?"

  "You have a score of 87%. Based on the answers you gave, assuming they were all honest, I would say you are indeed a submissive."

  "All of the answers I gave were honest," I replied. "I saw no need to lie."

  "That's very good. So how does it make you feel to be called a submissive and have the test results to back that up?"

  "I honestly don't know. A part of me is relieved, I think. And another part confused. I don't know anything about this lifestyle other than what little I've read online. I don't know how to be submissive.

  She opened the center desk drawer and pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to me. "Take that and read it. Understand it and you'll understand what it is to be submissive."

  I took the paper and read it over.

  The Submissive's Prayer

  Allow me the strength to answer questions I can't fathom.

  Allow me the spirit to know His needs.

  Allow me the kindness to choke back retorts.

  Allow me the serenity to serve Him in peace.

  Allow me the love to show Him myself.

  Allow me the tenderness to comfort Him.

  Allow me the light to show us the way.

  Allow me the wisdom to be an asset to Him.

  Let me be able to show Him each day my love of my service to Him.

  Let me open myself up to completely belong to Him.

  Let my eyes show Him the same respect, rather I sit at His side, or kneel at His feet.

  Let me accept my punishment with the grace.

  Let me learn to please Him, beyond myself.

  Grant me the power to give myself to Him completely.

  Grant me the strength to please U/us both.

  Permit me to love myself in
loving Him.

  Allow me the peace of serving Him.

  For it is my greatest wish,

  my highest power to make His life complete,

  as He makes mine.

  "That was…beautiful," I said with a tear nearly formed in my eye.

  "Can I ask you a question, Sonja?"

  "Of course, Mistress."

  Chapter 3: The Visual Test

  "Ok, let me make that two questions. First, why did you call me mistress right there and when Mistress Lori introduced you to me?"

  "I don't know. I guess it just sounded like the polite, respectful thing to do."

  "And it is," She smiled at me. It was a pleasing smile, one that I may have planted a kiss upon if I were into that sort of behavior. "It is also something that most non-submissives don't bother with. In all honesty, it would be acceptable for you to call me Terri. But you may continue calling me Mistress if that is what you prefer. And for my second question, why is it so important for you to know if you are submissive or not?"

  "It's for my husband," I replied. "He is dominant, has been since before we met, but he was willing to put that part of his life on hold for me. It was a huge sacrifice for him to make that I never really appreciated until recently. I know he wants a submissive wife. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at me. But he's patient, never forceful. In fact he hasn't mentioned it in years. His birthday is coming up and I want to give him his greatest desire. But I don't want it to be for one day. If I give myself to him in that way I want it to be for life. And I need to know that I have it in me to do so."