Smoke and Mirrors

SMOKE AND MIRRORS

BY

DOROTHY STRANGELOVE

The day the new seafront attractions opened changed everything for me. I had lived in a little town whose tourist features had long since fallen away with the changing times and for years my home town had been nothing more than a dot on a map. Then the old yawning gap that used to hold the old fairground was built on and the whole place was renovated. Suddenly we had a bar and restraunt, a nightclub and a massive array of seaside attractions that made it look like a new fairground had come, and decided to stay. There was a small partly enclosed area with a ghost train, a helter skelter and some bumper cars. Two brand new arcades had opened and there was a tattoo parlour up above the smaller one. Another, renovated building housed the nightclub. And what used to be the old amusement arcade was now a hall of mirrors on one side, and a freak show next door. In the big empty space that had first been a car park and then the possible site for some controversial flats now stood an outdoor fairground. And the old car park across the road had been revamped and made larger. A lot of work had gone on to bring this town back to life and make it a resort again, a resort that could easily rival larger towns nearby. The day it all opened was a scorching hot summer's day and I hadn't seen it as crowded as this since I was a child. In fact I think it was more crowded. There had been a lot of publicity about the day it all opened and I wasn't going to miss out, because in a town like this, until now, there had been nothing new here for many years, so I guessed it wasn't going to be an ordinary day. What I didn't realise was, after I met him I'd never have a boring, ordinary day again.

I went down to the front with Jackie. She wasn't as impressed as me and said come winter all this would be shut down for months, except for the bar and the nightclub. It wasn't so special. But she did think the half price drinks till 3pm offer in the pub was very special, and dragged me straight in. We had a couple of drinks but the bar was so crowded we could hardly move so we left and went to explore.  We smashed into each other in the bumper cars (so much more fun after alcohol), then we wandered through the hall of mirrors and went into the freak show. The guy on the door looked like a real, ghastly freak, too many tattoos and facial piercings, and Jackie said: "He fancies you."

I smiled back and said to her: "What makes you think I'd take your boyfriend?"

We saw a sword swallower, contortionists and a man who claimed to be able to eat glass. He stuck a shiny nail through his hand and it went out to the other side. No blood, no pain, just what we paid for - a freak show. Then we went over to the fairground. By the time we came out, evening shadows were falling and a slight chill was in the air.

Let's go back to the bar  was Jackie's suggestion and although I thought I'd seen it all and was thinking about going home, the pub was lit up now and looked amazing since it's makeover. It was the first time I had seen the re-opened building in the evening light and it looked inviting, so I went with her.

And that was how I met him.

Well, not exactly. I mean, an hour later, in the club upstairs, on the stage, I saw him for the first time. I'd never seen that kind of act live before and I thought it would be worth seeing. Me and Jackie stood down the front, right by the stage and watched everything. When he came on all dressed in black, I thought, he's a sexy man. He was handsome and by the way he made flowers appear from thin air obviously very clever with his hands. But then I guess all magicians have to be good with their hands...He did a fire trick and some card tricks, assisted by a tiny, slender woman in a red mini dress so short I could see she had white knickers on underneath. The woman had floral tattoos down both arms and long, tumbling dark hair that reached halfway down her back. She was standing in heels so impossiby high I wondered how she managed to walk in them. She moved with little, tottering steps and once I noticed she wobbled and her ankle turned in. But she carried on anyway. He sat on a chair. She stood over him, legs apart and she looked playfully into his eyes as she dangled a pair of handcuffs in front of him. They exchanged a glance and my first thought was, Bet those two have a lot of fun together when the show's over.. She cuffed him. Then he stepped into a large metal box. She wrapped chains around his legs, around his body pinning his arms down. Then he got on his knees and she closed the lid, then picked up an electric drill and began drilling screws into the lid of the box. When she finished she attached the box to hanging chains. Then she pulled the curtain aside and revealed a large tank of water. As the box was lifted up slowly she addressed the audience.

"Ladies and gentleman, tonight and for this night only Mister Felix Hawk the internationally famous magician and escape artist will perform his Escape From the Watery Grave. Felix has to break eleven locks including handcuffs and then get the lid off the reinforced steel box in less than three minutes, if he does this in any time over three minutes the box will be flooded with water and will become his coffin. This is not the first time he has perfomed this challenge but it is not without risk so I have been asked to remind you all in the audience, Do not try this at home. Felix is an experienced professional and understands the risk he is taking."

The box was lowered into the water. As bubbles escaped slowly from it's seal, I realised this was no illusion. That box was really taking in water. Seconds ticked by, running into a minute, then over a minute, and still there was no sign of the man inside. Tension was building in the room, people who had been laughing and chatting and not really taking it all in were now staring at the box in the water tank. Even the girl on the stage was starting to look anxious. She was looking at that box as it filled with water, the colour draining from her face as her eyes seemed to become more intense.  She whispered something under her breath that looked like 'come on' as she watched the water tank.

The room was totally silent. I mean silent as if it was empty, but this place was packed to capacity tonight. Everyone was watching that box inside the tank. Everyone holding their breath. It was getting so tense and it seemed like the three minutes had been up already. The girl on the stage was looking really worried.

And I glanced at Jackie who was stood next to me. She whispered, "Oh shit, I think he's dead.." And then she turned her eyes back to the box. I watched too, thinking this seemed like the longest I'd ever seen someone submerged in water doing a trick like this.

Then the lid to the box came off, he was up and out and hanging onto the rail at the top of the tank. He was a little breathless and I noticed the cuffs still danged from one wrist, and a small trickle of blood was running down his arm.

As he faced the audience, I heard an audible breath of relief from his assistant.  He climbed down the back of the tank and took centre stage to loud applause and calls for more.

And as he looked at the audience, for a brief second or two, our eyes met. He looked at me and smiled. His gaze stayed with me briefly and I felt as if my heart was about to stop. I'll aways say that was the moment I fell in love with him.

Then he took a final bow and left the stage, soaked to the skin and with the cuffs still dangling from his bleeding wrist.

I turned to my friend.

"He's amazing."

"If you want him go for it."She said, "Have a couple of drinks and go and find him."

Then she laughed and brushed a stray lock of my fair hair off my face.

"Ooh Amber, you love the magician...a nutter who locks himself in a box while it floods with water.." She knocked back the rest of her drink and added, "Mind you, if he's like that on stage I bet he's into some weird stuff in bed! I wonder if he takes his handcuffs home with him?"

I laughed and found a heat spreading across my face at the very thought.

"I hope he does!"

I waited around for half an hour. By now night was falling, Jackie was at the bar and chatting to a couple of blokes and knocking back shots. I walked around the back of the stage and found the exit, it led to a corridor where there was a couple of doorways. The first one was closed. Then I heard voices coming from the second door, and that one was ajar, so I crept up and listened.

"Ohhh.."She moaned softly, "Oh, bit more, oh no...nooo.. don't stop..oh yes, like that, like that, oh, it hurts but it's so nice.."

I peered through the crack in the door. Felix was on his knees in front of his stage assistant, who was still in her red dress with parted legs in front of him.

She gave another whine.

"Do it harder, Felix, really squeeze it.."

She gave a gasp. And I bumped into the door accidentally. It swung open. She looked at me. Felix was still looking at her.

And as I realised I'd got this scenario all wrong, I felt myself go red...Me and my one track mind!

He was on his knees massaging her swollen ankle, that was all.

He stopped rubbing it.

"It's definitely not sprained, I think it's just those shoes, you really should be more careful, put some ice on it tonight and that should sort it out. "

"Thanks, Felix."She said, and got up. As she left the room she smiled at me as she passed. And I thought, she's probably not his girlfriend...

I was still smiling and I knew I was still blushing, I could feel it. Our eyes met for the second time. He had changed out of his wet clothes and was wearing jeans and a t shirt now and he still looked as strikingly handsome as he had on the stage.

"I just wanted to say I really enjoyed the show."

Felix smiled.

"Thanks, but I didn't enjoy doing it as much as I have in the past," And he showed me his wrist. It was bruised and a plaster covered his wound now.

"My cuffs jammed, that's why I was so long coming out. It wasn't meant to happen like that, but they got a good show tonight. I think I scared quite a few people!"

"You scared me, I thought you was dead!"

Felix laughed.

"That's part of a good escape, the audience knows you're an escape artist so they expect you to just get out of the trap, but you have to give them suspense as well so they start to wonder if you really can get out. But I was starting to wonder if I could get out tonight!"

As he spoke he rubbed his wrist.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It's alright." He told me, "I've had worse.  Getting out of a trap can leave you black and blue sometimes, but I'm pretty good at avoiding injuries usually. It was the mechanism on the cuffs, it didn't release the way it was supposed to, but I'm ok now. What's your name?"

"Amber."

"Nice to meet you, Amber."

Our eyes locked. I knew the attraction was mutual. I had never been so sure of anything in my life.

"What makes you do it?" I asked him, " What makes you want to be in a dangeous situation and then get free?"

He stared at me for a moment.

"No one's ever asked me that before, not the way you have!  It would take a long time to explain. It's about challenges. I have to do this to myself every once in a while to prove that I can. It might not make sense but I wasn't aways an escapologist. I used to be an ordinary magician, card tricks, illusions, nothing like what you saw tonight. Then I got into escapology and I found I was good at it. What looks impossible isn't if you know what you're doing, it's as simple as that. I found out I was good at it and I made my own stunts and I earned a living from it. It's taken me all over the world."

"Wow you're amazing."

I'd meant it, but I found myself blushing even more.

"I mean, that's amazing, it's amazing you've had those experiences."

"And the escapes are real." He told me, "I'm not a fake. There's no smoke and mirrors. It's me getting out of chains and cuffs and padlocks. Some of the locks are tricks but not all of them. There is a real element of danger but I try and minimise it where I can, without taking out the challenge of the escape."

"But you haven't told me why you do it."

He hesitated. I saw a flicker of apprehension in his eyes, then it was gone.

"I'd need all night to explain that!"

I made a move. I had to. I was aching deep inside and as I looked at him I felt an ache for him to slam his cock deeply into me, I wished he was on top of me, pinning me down while he gave me a hard fuck and showed me who was in charge. It wasn't just the lust I was feeling, either. My heart was starting to flutter for him and I knew I was falling already. Maybe it was too sudden and too soon but I loved him, I'd loved him from the moment he had looked at me for the first time. This didn't happen to me every day. It was rare for me to want a man so completely. I wanted to love his body, to know his mind, to lie in his arms and talk with him until the sun rose. I wanted to be in sheets that smelled of our sweat and our passion. My arms ached to hold him. So I took a chance.

"I've got all night. We could go somewhere else and spend some time together if you like, I'd like that, Felix."

To my surprise I didn't get a refusal.

He picked up his car keys.

"Alright,"He said, "You can come back to my place if you like."

We left the pub together. I caught a glimpse of the surprised look on my friend's face as she saw us walk out together.  Felix led me over to a sleek, black sports car and opened the door for me. It was deserted out here and I wondered if he would bend me over the seat and slip it up me but no, he just closed my passenger door and then got in the driver's seat. We didn't go far. He turned out of the car park, went about half a mile up the road and turned down a long, winding road and turned off again then stopped outside a large house that overlooked the sea.

It was a nice house. Big, with large glass patio doors that opened onto a balcony to make the most of the view. There was a fountain in the front garden and the drive was gravel and sculpted bushes. Spotlights lit the way to the front door.

"Is this really yours?" I asked him.

Felix laughed.

"I hope so, I paid enough for it!"

"You have a lovely house." I said.

"It will look better when I get round to redecorating, I've only lived here about six months but I've been busy with everything else and I haven't had the time."

He opened the front door and we went inside. The house was perfect as it was, plush carpets and nicely furnished. I wondered what the bedroom was like and hoped he had a four poster bed. I could really picture us making love on a four poster, with soft pillows and white sheets that smelled of fresh laundry.  Not my usual kind of fantasy! Now I knew for sure I was in love with him!

He took me into a large livingroom and I sat down on a big, soft, leather sofa. He offered me a drink and I shook my head, patting the seat right beside me instead.

"Come and sit with me, tell me all about this amazing life you've had."

Felix hesitated, then he said,  "I've got a surprise for you, just sit there and shut your eyes and - "

Open my mouth? No such luck!

"- and I'll show you something a bit special." He said.

I kept my eyes shut. I was leaking juice from between my legs, I was sure it was going all the way through my short summer dress and I'd be sticking to the chair or at least leaving a mark on the upholstery. I had never ached so deeply and so sharply for anyone in my heart and my body like I did for this man! I was hoping the something he was going to show me was special in the way that would make me yell out and open my legs wider while he pounded hard on top of me.

Instead, he placed something heavy in my lap. I opened my eyes.

It was a big book, full of photos and press cuttings.

"Have a look." He said, "All the places I've ever been and every escape I've ever done."

I did look at it. As I turned each page he told me a story from his travels. He showed me pictures and headlines about his act, which often called him 'fearless' and 'death-defying'. He had enjoyed a career of almost twenty years doing dangerous escapes. I listened while he told me about his colourful life. Every so often there was a change of assistant in the picture.

"So that girl you work with, are you and her - "

"Lillian." He said, "Her name's Lillian, and no, she's not my girlfriend, she just works for me. She's been with me on stage for three years."

"So you don't have a girlfriend?"

"No,"He said, "I haven't had anyone in my life for a long time."

"You never went with any of these girls you worked with?"

He laughed.

"No, all professional relationships, I often say I've got through a lot of assistants but I don't mean like that!"

And I smiled.

As I closed the book and set it on the coffee table, he sat closer to me. He put his arm around me. Our eyes met. The closeness of him made my head swim and I leaned forward and we kissed. Our lips touched, gently at first, then our lips parted and his tongue was in my mouth, mine in his, we were kissing deeply with a hunger that made neither of us want to pull away.  I was running my hands over him, my hand strayed between his legs but he took hold of it and placed it back on his shoulder and held it there while he kissed me. I liked that, it said to me that he wanted to be in control of all the moves.

We kissed for a long time. He ran his hands down my waist, over my breasts but never attempted to take off my clothes and he made no attempt to remove his, either. When he gave me one last kiss he pulled back and looked into my eyes.

"Amber,"He said, "I really like you. I think you're special. I haven't met anyone like you for a long time, and I want to get to know you but I'm complicated and it will take time. If you stay around you'll understand, I promise."

I was wondering if he was trying to get rid of me - that would be just my luck, I fall in love for the first time in several years and he doesn't want to know..

"If you don't want me, just say so because I don't want you to break my heart. I really like you too, Felix. I like you big time."

He took a deep breath and looked at me.

"I do like you and I want to get to know you better, don't think I don't want you because I do, it's just that I don't sleep with someone after knowing them five minutes. There's more you need to know about me before we get that far and there are things I find hard to talk about, it takes me a while to explain. Please don't be put off me because of it."

There was absolute sincerity in his eyes. That and a fear that I was about to walk out and turn my back on him.

"It's alright." I promised him, "It's alright and I promise there's nothing that can put me off you."

I hugged him and as I did so he held me tightly as if afraid I would disappear like something out of a magic act. I kissed him gently and he let me go.

"I want to do something for you." I told him, and unbuttoned the front of my dress. My 38DD tits spilled out, tanned from topless sunbathing and my nipples hard with desire. He looked at me and his eyes wandered over my flesh with such intensity I could feel it like a physical touch. He reached out and placed his hands on my tits and squeezed them slowly and gently while he savoured the moment.

"You have a beautiful pair of tits." He said truthfully and leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on each breast. Then he let go.

"Do your buttons up."

That sounded like an order.

"Yes, Master, as you wish." I told him playfully. He was not in a playful mood. If anything, my actions had made him serious and intense.

"I think you like being dominated, am I right?"

I smiled.

"Stand in front of me and turn your back."

I obeyed him.

I stood with my legs apart, hoping he would slide his hand up my dress or even get his cock out and ask me to sit down on it.

He did neither.

"Lift your skirt up."

I raised it.

He slapped me sharply, twice on each cheek making my arse wobble. Then he placed his hand on me gently and rubbed soothingly at the stinging redness. I was soaked through my knickers and I didn't doubt that he could see the stain.

"Turn round and let me look at the front of your knickers."

I turned around, holding my skirt up to my waist, as he put his hands on my hips and drew me closer I was shaking with desire and the outline of my swollen slit was visible through the flimsy material of my underwear. He pressed his lips against the damp material and planted a gentle kiss low down on my pubic mound. It took my breath away and sent a wave of pleasure through me, but he pulled away again.

"I'm going to eat that for you soon." He promised me, "But not tonight.  I know you want me and I want you but there's a few things you need to know first and I'm not ready to tell you about it just yet. But I will make you come, I'll make you come screaming like you've never come before, I swear I will."

As I looked into his eyes my need to be satisfied was calming down, something far more precious was flowing between us. It was a bond that grew from something much higher than lust and animal passion. I had no idea why he was holding back like this but whatever it was, it would make sense when he told me, that much I did understand. He drew me into his arms and we cuddled up.

"Did you like what I did to you tonight?"

I nodded.

He kissed my cheek.

"Good," He told me, "I'm glad I can make you happy."

He drove me home. He kissed me goodnight. He left me at my front door.

That night I went to bed soaked. I dropped my wet  knickers in the laundry basket, got out my seven inch blue multi-function vibrator, hit the rotate button and put it on the third setting, as the soft, angled tip rotated slowly I let it lap at my clit, while I closed my eyes and pictured Felix taking down my knickers and sliding his tongue over my wetness. I imagined his mouth on my pussy, licking and sucking and tasting me like he had promised. Then I turned the vibe switch on and turned it to the only setting that made me come - High. I didn't need lube to slide the toy inside me, I was so wet for him it went in ease and the feeling was sheer bliss. I fucked myself while I thought of him then turned it around so the clit stimulator was pressing on the right spot. I came hard, the orgasm fired by thoughts of him was so powerful I fell asleep with the vibrator still beside me under the covers.

I got questions the next day. Jackie phoned me and asked me, What was he like, then?

Good, I told her, he was good and I liked him and I hoped to see him again. And I said nothing more. I didn't know how to explain that we had talked and touched and yes, there had been something between us, but I couldn't put it into words. He had touched me, kissed me, played around with me. But there had been no sex yet and to me that was different, maybe it was better because he seemed to know what I wanted and did want to please me but in his own unique way. And if that meant waiting to be in his arms properly, I could wait. Obviously he had something he wanted to tell me first and I understood that. 

He called me later that day in the afternoon. He asked me to come up to the bar.  I was instantly aroused thinking of him and spent a frantic twenty minutes deciding what to wear:

Tits. He liked tits. I grabbed a tight top that made the most of my cleavage but it didn't make my bra-less nipples stick out through the fabric. So I took it off. I tried a vest top that barely covered my huge boobs, but that only strapped them down. My red push-up bra certainly pushed them up but it was tight and only fitted with equally tight clothes, making it look like they were bunched up on my chest and about to leap out and escape at any moment. No, none of these. I settled for a light, short yellow summer dress that foated as I walked. The cleavage was low but not extremely so and the sheer fabric made the most of my erect nipples. I slipped on a lace g-string and decided that I finally looked good enough to go and see him.

He told me to meet him outside the bar, so when I got there I sat at a table in the corner that was shaded by a large sun canopy and I waited. And waited and waited. No sign of Felix. Half an hour went by. Then Felix came out of the pub and so did Lillian. This time she was wearing sensible shoes and her ankle looked a lot better.

"Why don't we just do a regular stunt then we won't have this problem." She said, "If you can get away with the water one I don't see why they object so much.."

"I'll sort it out." He promised her.

And he looked at me and smiled. As he came over and sat down Lillian was walking towards the hall of mirrors. She turned around.

"Oi Felix,"She called out, "You could always change it and just saw me in half like a normal bloke!"

And she laughed and so did he.

As she walked away, I asked him, "What was that about?"

"I'm working on a stunt that involves a suspended escape but it's about thirty feet off the ground and the council are objecting."

"Give them money." I suggested, "The council around here do anything for you if you pay them off."

"I've already tried that. They think it's too risky. So it looks like I'll have to think of something else."

"Why don't you do the one you did the other night? People loved it."

"No, I never do the same trick twice like that, first time everyone's amazed, second time they start looking for how it's done. It's going to be a while before I can do it anyway because I have to practise and practise -  that's the difference between a good escape artist and a dead one, never do an escape unless you know you can definitely get out of it, that's the golden rule. I think I can master the locks if I keep to the regular ones I use but I want to have the box drop after a time limit so I need to be sure that I can get out in good time..."

He saw the worried look on my face and laughed.

"You'll get used to these things, it's just part of who I am. I know what I'm doing, trust me!"

"But you still haven't told me why you do it."

"Like I said, it's a long story. I like to know I can get out of anything. No matter how impossible it seems."

He was explaining but at the same time edging away fom the answer I was looking for. He didn't want to talk much about it, I could tell. So I changed the subject.

"I really enjoyed last night."

"So did I." As he spoke his gaze wandered to my cleavage. Then he looked at my face again.

"Tell me what really turns you on."

I wasn't expecting that question.

"Being touched, kissed, you in control of the situation, anything that gives me an orgasm.."

I felt my face flushing. This was a public place and although no one was sitting nearby, I felt a little self conscious.

"I like sex toys." I told him.

He was definitely interested. He leaned a little closer looking at me intently.

"Tell me about your sex toys."

Tell him about my sex toys? I giggled. I had so many!

"I use them because I come easier - on my own, I mean. I use mini vibes and bullets. And I have a vibrator that's shaped like a real bullet as well, that's a very strong one, it makes me come in under five minutes. I have a couple of larger ones as well, one has a rotating head to tease me and -"

He stopped me there.

"Where do you use it to tease you?"

Now my face was really red, but I was growing wetter and the arousal was making me ache as this conversation continued.

"On my clit. Sometimes I put some orgasm gel on my clit first to warm me up and when I start to tingle I use the vibrator. Then I turn the speed up and it makes me come hard."

Most men would be sitting there shifting in their seat because they couldn't take the way this conversation was arousing them. Most men would have dragged me off somewhere and fucked me, ended this conversation before the content got so x-rated that they got so hard the table tipped over. But not Felix. He was still listening, looking at me intently. He was excited, I could see it in his eyes. And he wanted to know more. I had never known a man like him before, someone who could sit there so patiently and go deeper and deeper, touching the place where my desire started - my mind.

"And what did you think about last time you made yourself come?"

"You. I thought about you."

"Doing what?"

I was aching deeply now and sure I'd be staining my dress as I sat here like this.

"Spreading my legs and licking me out..."

My face was fushed and I hesitated. He reached over, put his hand over mine and squeezed it.

"Go on, tell me, Amber."He said softly, "Tell me exactly what you thought about."

So I did.

"I thought about you opening my legs-"

"Are you laying down or sitting up?"

"Laying down. On a bed. And you spread my thighs open and put your hands between my legs and open me right up, really firmly so you can see everything. Then you lick me from my vagina to my clit..."

"Do I put my tongue inside you?"

I could barely close my legs because I was so swollen up. He sensed the need within me was overpoweringly strong and gripped my hand a little tighter.

" Yes, you lick around my vagina and then all the way up, then you lick and suck on my clit really hard until I come. I put the vibrator inside me as well, I thought about you fucking me hard."

"Would you like me to fuck you with your vibrator?"

Of course I did! I couldn't believe how adventurous he was, most men I had known were only interested in taking their pleasure, coming and then turning over and sleeping. Felix was different. He wanted to know what I needed, what made me come. I had never known anyone anyone like him before in my life!

"I would like that very much."

"Then I'll come back to your place with you and we'll do it." He told me.

I was soaking wet by the time we arrived at my place. My hand shook as I turned the key in the lock. I took him straight upstairs and into the bedroom. I opened the drawer where I kept my sex toys and he looked in the drawer and laughed.

"Bloody hell, you do have a big collection!" He said, and took out the blue vibrator. He knew I was laying on the bed with my dress up around my waist and my g-string was on the floor, but he spent a moment playing with the controls. Top one controlled the rotation. Middle one activated the vibration.  Then he switched it off and placed it on the bed, and put his hands on my thighs and pushed my legs open wide.

I was swollen and aching and he could see everything before he had opened me up. My clit was begging for release. He firmly spread me open and buried his tongue in my vagina. I cried out with the intensity of it and begged him to fuck me, but he pinned me down firmly and carried on, licking all the way up till his tongue touched my clit. He licked and sucked, over and over until I was grinding my face against him and begging him to do it harder.

But he stopped. I was right on the brink, and he stopped.

Felix picked up the vibrator and turned on the rotation As the fluted head began to gyrate he kept me held wide open and slowly teased my clit, watching as the angled head circled around and around, toying with my red, swollen clitoris. Every touch was a sweet agony that made me beg for release, but he had me pinned down. I was completely at his mercy. Then he switched the rotation off and turned the vibration on.

"I'm going to make you come while it's inside you," He told me, "You'll need something inside you while you come."

He firmly pushed the large vibrator inside. I gasped with the suddenness of it, and I was suprised at how much of it I could take. I had never pushed the whole length in me before. He moved it in and out, a fraction of a movement, not hurting me, not fucking me, just a slight movement that filled me up and reminded me I was full inside. And he carried on licking me.

I was laying there spead open, crying out with the intensity of it, shaking and desperate to have an orgas, and he was still licking me, harder and harder still, while that large, heavy vibrator buzzed away deeply inside me.

"Please, please..make me come.."

I was so close and he knew it, but he held me back. My thighs were trembling now, I was helpless and begging him over and over.

"I love you, Amber." He whispered, his lips brushing my clit as he spoke. And he sucked hard, licking at the swollen flesh, harder than he had done before.

I screamed as I came. I came so hard, so completely that I screamed the house down. He pushed the vibrator into me a little firmer. He kept it there till my clit had stopped throbbing, then he gently kissed my pubic mound and withdrew the vibrator.

I was still coming down to earth again. That had been the best orgasm I'd ever had in my life.

"I love you too." I told him.

He laid on the bed next to me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you happy?"

I looked into his eyes.

"I will be when I've taken your clothes off and made you come, too."

"Not yet." He said, "I'm in charge, remember? We do what I want. I wanted to lick you out and use a vibrator on you, so I did. And I think you liked being held down."

"I did.."

I fell silent for a moment. Something wasn't right here and I couldn't figure out what it was. He wanted to lick me, but not fuck me. He still didn't want to fuck me, even though I'd just come screaming and soaked my own bed with a gallon of my juice. But, he wanted to be in control and that was fine by me. He was making me wait, that was it, it had to be the answer, he was making me wait for his cock.

"Will you let me suck it for you, Master?" I said playfully.

He held me tighter and kissed my cheek.

"No, I was thinking about taking you up to the office tomorrow and showing you some of my devices, I've got a chair up there that I can lock you in."

And he laughed.

"I can get out of it in under four minutes but I don't think you can. I like the idea of restraining you while I play with you."

"What office?"

"My office. It's upstairs next to the club. That's where I do all the boring stuff, paperwork and answering the phone. This place doesn't run by itself, you know."

"You run the club?"

"I run everything down there. I own it all as well."

I stared at him. And then I laughed.

"You're the person who was mad enough to turn this place into a fairground?"

He smiled.

"I'm afraid so! I have invested everything in this project, and it seems to be working out. And I've found you."

My mind was buzzing with so many questions. It seemed every time I saw him, I found out there was more to know.

"How did you get the money together for all this?"

"Years ago I had some money come from something and I used it wisely, investments, building on my act, I went from being a magician to doing big elaboate escapes and that was very successful, a combination of things really. I always wanted to do something like what I'm doing now, so I decided this town would be a good place to do it. It's my regular job now, I don't chain myself in boxes for a living any more but I like to do it now and then, I need to know I still can."

"But why?"

I was back to that question again, and he wasn't going to answer me.

"I don't want to get into all that now," He told me, "It's getting late and I have to go back to work, come by the office tomorrow and I'll show you that chair. You'll like it, it's got a heavy bondage element to it."

And he kissed me goodnight, and left.

I should have been feeling happy and satisfied, but I wasn't. I had found in him a man who I could fall deeply in love with. He was the kind of man I could love forever. I could never tire of his company, he was warm, kind, kinky and fascinating. But he was holding back from me and it was making me a little uneasy now. He wouldn't give me a straight answer and preferred to play with me rather than make love to me. And there was no reason for the way he held back. When I looked into his eyes I saw love for me and I felt it for him, too. When we talked something deep and amazing flowed between us and all I wanted to do was hold onto it, to cherish everything we shared. But I also wanted to sit down with him and say, What is going on with you? But I couldn't. He wasn't ready to tell me, so I had to be patient, even though it was frustrating.

He called me next morning and said I could come up to the office. He said he wasn't busy that morning and had some plans that he thought I might enjoy. But he wouldn't tell me what his plans were. Yet another mystery, but this time I wasn't complaining. I was remembering how he had made me come and I was aching already. I wore a short black dress and no knickers and I was soaked to the point where my thighs felt damp by the time I got there.  I found my way up to the office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Felix said.

I walked in. The office was quite bright and the window was open and the net was blowing in the sea breeze. The room was pale with a wooden floor and his large desk was oer by the window. There was a comfortable old sofa against the wall and in the corner of the room was something that I could only describe as a bondage chair. It was a big, heavy wooden chair with leather restraints attached to it. I smiled as I looked at it and Felix saw my eyes light up and he laughed.

"It's actually something I use in my act sometimes, I can get out of it quickly, I sometimes use it for practising, but I think I can find another use for it today. Sit down."

I sat in the chair. He placed my arms on the arm rests and strapped me down at the wrists. Then he lifted my skirt up to my waist. He positioned my legs wide apart, sliding me forward a bit so I was totally exposed, then strapped me at the thighs, knees and ankles so I was totally immobilised. The straps felt restrictive but comfortable. I was pinned to the chair with my legs wide open.

"Comfortable?" He asked me playfully.

I nodded. Then he went over to the door and turned the key.

"Nearly forgot to lock it!" He remarked, "I can't have anyone walking in and seeing you like this, can I?"

I giggled at the thought of someone coming in and seeing me tied down like this. He leaned over me and kissed me deeply. I struggled against the bonds that held me, longing to take him in my arms, but the straps held me firmly. I wondered how the hell he ever managed to get out of something like this, to me it seemed impossible.

"Close your eyes." He told me, "And keep them shut."

I obeyed him, giving a gasp as I felt him slowly and carefully spreading my slit wide open. He rubbed my clit gently with his finger, massaging it carefully, enough to make me wet, not enough to make me come. Then he stopped and moved away from me for a moment and came back.

"Keep your eyes closed." He told me, "And try not to be too noisy, I'm going to do something but you mustn't cry out, ok?"

I nodded, feeling a wave of sexual tension run though me. He spread me open again, held me firmly. He held me open wider still, and whispered:

"Keep quiet, I'm going to do it now."

There was a few seconds where all I felt was his fingers gently brushing against my clit, then I felt something cold touch my flesh. Then it snapped shut and bit down, with a sharp pinch, making my clit throb. I opened my mouth to cry out with the suddenness of the sharp pain, but he put his hand over my mouth.

"Ssh." He said, "Remember the bar's downstairs. It won't hurt for long, give it a minute, the pain will stop."

He let go of my mouth. I drew in a deep breath. I opened my eyes and looked down to see what had hurt so much. There was a small metal clamp covering my clit. The pain was going now, all I could feel was the cold metal squeezing at my flesh and the throbbing in my clitoris was easing off.

"I know you want to come, but I thought I'd clamp you for a while and make you wait for it."

Felix certainly knew how to tease and torment me! He kissed me again, ran his hands over my covered breasts and gently touched my thighs. Every touch made my clit want to swell right up but the clamp stopped it from happening.

Then he went back to his desk and sat down.

"What are you doing?"

Felix was smiling. He knew what he was doing, and he was doing it very, very well.

He sat back in the chair and put his feet up on the desk.

"I got some phone calls to make. I'll see to you in about half an hour." He told me, and got on with his work.

He left me tied there with my legs open and my clitoris clamped while he made phone calls and sorted orders and paperwork. Once in a while he would look at me and his eyes would wander between my legs, then he got on with what he was doing. By now I was past the point of my clit feeling numb, it felt as if it would burst with need for orgasm. It was hurting, but making me wetter at the same time.

Finally, he came over to me and looked deeply into my eyes.

"I'm going to untie you now, "He told me, "But you must not touch yourself or try and remove the clamp. Just go over to the sofa and lay back and I'll do the rest, understand?"

I nodded, watching with impatience as he unfastened each one of the restraints that held me.

Once I was free I laid back on the sofa and opened my legs.

"Please, do it.." I was begging him, "Take it off and make me come.."

Felix snapped the clamp open and lifted it away from my body. It hurt but the pain soon vanished and was replaced with a warm, desperate heat that filled up in my clit and made it swell up again. He slid his hand between my legs and rubbed away the ache, his fingertips moving up and down my clit, kneading it, stroking it, rubbing it back to life, taking it all the way to orgasm. I came hard, sharply, he put his hand over my mouth to stifle my cries of pleasure. Then he kept his hand between my legs, pressing firmly on my throbbing pussy, until it had calmed down completely.

"Did you like that?" He asked me.

"I loved it."

I slid my arms around his neck and drew him close, kissing him softly.

"Make love to me, Felix." I whispered in his ear.

I felt him tense. He drew back a little.

"I think you've had enough for one day."

"No, Felix, I love you. I want you inside me. I want to make you come, I want to hold you and share your orgasm. Please, I love you.."

"I got my pleasure just now watching you come."He said, "And I can't be playing around all day, I have a business to run."

"Then let me suck it. Let me get on my knees and take you in my mouth. I want to swallow your come. I want to swallow it because I want to know I've given you pleasure. I love you, Felix, please, just let me - "

My hands slid down to his waist and I made a move to go lower, but he caught me by the wrists and stopped me.

"I said, No." He told me firmly.

And he meant it.

That hurt, really hurt. It felt like an absolute rejection.

Tears burned my eyes as I stood up and straightened my dress.

"So you don't really want me, then. You're just playing with me. Playing games that don't mean anything to you. You don't love me, do you?"

"Yes, I do. I told you I did and I mean it."

"Then make love to me!"

The phone was ringing.

He let it ring and it stopped, then it started to ring again.

"Look, Amber,"He said, "Work comes first with me and this isn't the time or place to have this discussion. I think you'd better go. I'll call you later, ok?"

And he sat down and answered the phone, turned his back and carried on with the conversation.

I stood there for a moment wondering what I'd done to deserve him rejecting me like that. He was still on the phone. I blinked back tears and left without saying goodbye.

He didn't call. Days passed and still I had no word from him. I called him but there was no answer.

Then one morning I had some flowers turn up on my doorstep. A massive bouquet of pink roses. The note with them said, I'm truly sorry for upsetting you, but you need more than I can give you, and you deserve more than I can give you. And I was telling the truth when I said I loved you, but I can't make you happy, I know it and you need a better man than I can be. Please don't ask me to explain, just know that I'm sincere and I'll never forget you - love, Felix.

I read that note over and over, tears stung my eyes as I wondered what the hell he was talking about. We had been getting along so well, there had been something so wonderful between us and I had never in my life known a man like him. Yet he said he wasn't enough for me. I didn't get it. He was certainly attracted to me. He was imaginative, enjoyed fun and games, told me he loved me, meant it when he said it. So why was he being like this? There was nothing wrong in his life. He was single, he was rich and successful, confident, attractive, he had everything going for him, more so than most men did. And he had no problem telling me he loved me, something most men shyed away from at least initially in a relationship, so why had he dumped me? He said he liked to be in charge, but he was open minded, he wouldn't have hated me for making the first move. It was as if I'd done or said something that had made him close up and I didn't know what it was. I went over and over it, everything we had talked about. Nothing, there was nothing I could put my finger on. It just didn't make sense to me.

A week had passed. I went back to the seafront. The attractions were as alive as ever and it looked like his gamble had paid off, I'd never seen this place so constantly busy. I looked up at the office and saw the window was open. I thought about going up there but I wasn't sure if should, so I wandered over to a bench and sat down.

A couple were laughing by the freak show, their arms wrapped around each other as they kissed deeply and passionately not caring who saw them. He lifted her up in his arms and the breeze lifted her long dark hair, then he set her down again and she hugged him.

It was the guy who ran the freak show, the one with the piercings and the tattoos. I recognised the girl as Lillian. She said something to him, flashed him a playful glance and he went back inside. She looked up and saw me sitting there.

"You okay?"She asked me.

I shook my head and blinked back tears. She came over and sat down with me.

"You and Felix had a row, didn't you? I can tell because he's in a right bad mood. I think he wants you back, you should go up and see him."

"It's not that easy." I told her, "I don't know what I've done, he just pushed me away."

Lillian thought for a moment, then she seemed to realise something.

"Oh...I think I can guess what that was about. Did he sort of push you away and not want to talk to you?"

I nodded.

"I think I know why." She said, "He's a clever man but he can really be stupid sometimes. He should have told you."

"Told me what?"

"He doesn't want to shut you out, Amber, it's just that he's got a bit of an attitude about certain things, he should have talked to you about it right at the start, I've known him three years and the conversations we've had you wouldn't believe, but he takes his time to open up. I'm only a friend, I've never been involved with him like you have but I can see what's happened. It's nothing you've done."

She stopped, took a deep breath.

"This is a bit difficult." She said, "I could tell you but it's better if it comes from Felix. It's too personal for me to say behind his back. He needs to explain something to you. He should have told you right at the start if he knew he loved you. It's not fair to treat you like this."

"So it's not me?"

She smiled and shook her head.

"Believe me, it's not down to you. Just go and see him and tell him you know there's something he needs to explain. Just come out with it and say it."

I got up.

"Thanks."

"You shouldn't have to be thanking me," She said, "He never should have kept it from you. Just go and see him. Talk to him."

I went through the bar, up the stairs and straight to his office. I didn't knock, I just walked in. Felix was standing up by the window pulling the net back and when he heard me come in he turned around and stared at me. I was the last person he was expecting to see.

"Amber," He said, "I'm sorry I haven't called you I've been busy - "

I stopped him right there.

"Lillian won't tell me what the problem is but she seems to think that we should talk. About why you've really been avoiding me.  What's the matter, Felix? I love you, you love me too, what is the problem?"

He fell silent for a moment. Then he told me to sit down, and I sat beside him on the sofa.

He looked down at the floor. He was deep in thought.

I reached over and squeezed his hand. He met my gaze. And he was scared. I mean, really scared. At that moment I realised what ever he was about to say was very heavy stuff and all I wanted to do was hold him tight. But instead I sat there, my hand over his, and let him talk.

"It's not you," He said, "it's me.  I'm not trying to make an excuse, it really is me that's to blame for this.  I've made this mistake before, I've gone into relationships and I've not been honest and open enough and then it's gone wrong because I find it hard to explain."

Now I was listening. Things were falling into place, not making a picture yet, but sliding into place in a way that was making sense. Now he really was opening up to me.

"You asked me something when we first met, about why I feel the need to put myself in situations and then escape, I didn't know how to explain at the time, but I'll tell you now."

I listened. What he said left me stunned.

"Years ago I was just an ordinary magic act. Card tricks, illusions, nothing special. I was making a living from it, not earning enough but I was getting by. Then something happened."

He paused, the silence between us was a painful one and I knew that whatever he said next would be terrible, and I was right.

"Do you remember hearing on the news about the motorway bridge disaster where part of the bridge collapsed onto the road below?"

It had been years ago. But I remembered it. I nodded.

"Twenty people were killed and another thirty were injured. Eleven people were buried alive under the rubble. I was one of the people who got buried. I was trapped. I remember looking up and all I could see was a wall of concrete. It was about five inches from my face, this wall of concrete... I could see one tiny crack of light and I kept looking at that light and thinking, there's a way out if I can see it, there's a way to the outside. But I was trapped in there for two days."

"So you learned how to escape because of that?"

"Yes, I did. I need to know I can get out of anything. I don't have to do it for a living any more but I need to, just to reassure myself. I got a lot of compensation for what happened and I used some of it to reinvent my act, and it was very successful.  But I still need to prove to myself that I can escape."

"So that's why you didn't want to sleep with me? Because you have nightmares or something?"

He gave a heavy sigh.

"No, that's not why, Amber. I don't get nightmares. I go to sleep thinking about work, or locks and chains, I don't get bad dreams."

I said nothing. I waited. He wanted to tell me more and it was hurting him to say it, and I felt his pain. I wished he didn't have to sit here and explain like this, but I'd never know if I didn't listen.

"I'm sorry I pushed you away, but we had such a good time and you was so excited and wanting more and I didn't know how to tell you.  I broke my back in that accident. It wasn't the kind of break that paralysed me and I healed up alright, but I can't get an erection any more. I'll never be able to get hard and give it to you the way you need it. I'll never be able to have sex again."

Now it all made sense. I didn't want to be hearing this, but it was the truth and at least I knew.

"What about medication? Can't you just take a pill and - "

"No,"He said, "It works like that for a lot of men, but not for me. There's nothing I can do about it. You have to accept that if you want to be with me. I know it's not fair on you and that's why I thought it best if I finished it."

No, he was wrong there. He had no idea how wrong he was.

"Felix, I love you." I told him, "And I don't care if we never have sex. I've never come through a cock inside me and I never will. For me it's about you playing with my clit. That's what satisfies me. I don't need you to penetrate me. But I do need to hold you and touch you and caress you. I love you so much I can't go through life never holding you in my arms and kissing every inch of you. That's what I need to do, and it doesn't matter about the rest because as long as we can love each other that's what matters."

Felix blinked back tears.

"It's been years since I've tried to make love." He said, "I just accepted I never would again, I've never met anyone who even came close to understanding till I met you."

"I think you can have more pleasure than you realise," I told him, "A few years ago I was seeing this guy who actually preferred other kinds of sex. He could do it the usual way if he wanted to, but he liked other ways. And so did I. And I think there's a lot of pleasure I can give you if you let me try."

He looked into my eyes.

"I'll do it, I'll try it." He said, "I just hope it's as good for me as it will be for you."

I kissed him.

"I promise you won't regret this."

He locked up the office and we left together to go back to his place, stopping at mine along the way. I told him to wait in the car and I hurried upstairs, selected a few toys and threw them in a bag and came back out again. As we drove away, he said:

"What's in the bag?"

"It's a surprise." I told him.

"Something to give me this orgasm you reckon I can have?" He guessed.

"Maybe, wait and see!"

"I don't see how I can have an orgasm anyway."

"You can have more than one kind of orgasm. Same as me. I can come with my clit or with my g-spot."

"I haven't got a g-spot."

"Yes you have, it's up your arse!"

"It's up my what?"

We were both laughing now, Felix had changed so much since he had told me everything. He was happy, playful and open to my suggestions.

"Won't that hurt?"

"No, I'll relax you first."

"How will you do that?"

"Not while you're driving! I'll tell you when we get inside."

We got back to his place and went inside.

He took me upstairs to the bedroom. I'd guessed he would be more relaxed in here. He didn't have a four poster bed, but his bed was a big, soft double with cool linen sheets and all I wanted to do was take him in my arms.

He sat down on the bed and looked at me.

"Alright then," He said, "Let's do it. I really want to try this."

I took him in my arms and kissed him. As he held me I felt him tremble slightly. He was nervous, desperately hoping it would go right but equally scared it would go wrong.

"It's okay." I said softly, "I love you, remember that, remember you're with someone who loves you and wants to make you feel wonderful."

He laid back on the bed. I unbuttoned his shirt all the way down and slid it off him. I unbuckled his jeans and he took them off. Then he took off his underwear. He looked beautiful naked and I told him so. Then I softly kissed his face, his neck, down his chest, I took one nipple in my mouth and sucked on it while I used my hand to play with the other one. He caught his breath and tensed, then his hand slid to the back of my head and he tangled his fingers in my hair.

"Oh, Amber....that's so good.."

I carried on playing with him like that, sucking on his nipples, stroking them, gently toying with them and as I did so it sent him to the heights of arousal. He was breathless and enjoying it the same way I had enjoyed him rubbing my clit. I whispered in his ear:

"I am going spread your legs and kiss everything in a minute. And I mean, Everything. And I don't care if your cock is hard or soft, it's going in my mouth and I'm going to get you so hot that you will come and I will swallow it. I don't care if it takes five minutes or five hours, I'm staying down there as long as it takes.."

And I took out a long, slender vibrator from my bag. It was made of soft orange jelly and had a long, slender, tapered, flexible tip. It contained a tiny, tiny bullet that made the tip fill with gentle yet intense vibrations. The tip was so small the toy was virtually silent.

"This is for you." I told him, "But not yet. Open your legs, my darling."

He opened his legs and I traced a path of kisses down his body, lingering at his hips and then kissing down into his pubic hair. I took him in my mouth and sucked on his cock. He was slightly hard, but seeing my mouth around it made him push it deeper in my mouth, I sucked him for a long time like that, then slid it out and sucked gently on his balls. Now he was trembling because of pleasure and begging me not to stop. But I did stop for a moment.

"I want to play with your g-spot now, if you're ready for it. I'll give you oral sex down there first to relax you."

"You want to lick my arse?"

Felix hesitated.

"I need to think about this."

A split second later he laughed softly and said, "No, I don't need to think about it, do it!"

I kissed him down there. I kissed him again and let my tongue flicker lightly around his arse. He got very, very excited, so I switched on the vibrator and while it teased his nipples I licked him harder, deeper, my tongue inching inside him just a fraction. I knew he was ready, so I slid the vibrator down his body and turned the setting to high so the vibrations were more pronounced.

"Turn on your side." I told him, and as he did so I made sure his cock was right in my face so that if he ejecuated I could swallow his come.

"You might have an orgasm,"I said, "You might shoot come or you might not. But you will enjoy this."

"I hope so." He said breathlessly.

"I love you," I whispered, and slid the tip of the tiny tapered end of the vibrator inside him. I eased it in a little deeper, no more than a couple of inches.

And Felix went wild with excitement.

"Oh yes, I'm coming!" He shouted "I'm coming.."

I gently moved the tiny tip in and out of him ever so slowly and ever so slighty, and took his cock in my mouth at the same time. Just as I did, he came fast, crying out as his body shook and he shot come into my mouth. It wasn't a powerful ejeculation, but it was enough for both of us. I gently withdrew the vibrator and switched it off.

He was breathless and perspiring, he reached for me with shaking hands and drew me into his arms.

"That was amazing." He said, "I never thought I'd ever have feelings like that again."

Then his eyes filled with tears and he held me even tighter.

"I love you so much."

I wiped the tears from his face and kissed him gently.

Felix had been overwhelmed at first, but he soon got over the intensity of it all.

It changed him a lot. It opened him up to the possibilities that showed him he could still make love and have a sex life.  I stayed wrapped in his arms that night, and in the morning he woke me with kisses, put his cock inside me and it stayed there while I sucked on his nipples and it took a while, but he shot some more come, this time inside me.

He never sent me away again. Our love grew and grew and we found more ways to please and excite each other. He told me he had a fetish for boots, so I went out and got a pair of thigh-high pvc boots with six inch heels, wore them with a tiny mini dress and no underwear, threw on a long coat and went up to the office while he was working.

I walked in and let the coat fall to the floor. I stood with my legs apart and said,

"This cunt is all yours."

Felix pushed me onto the desk and ate my pussy so hard I was red and swollen by the time I'd come. And while I played with his nipples he held his cock inside me and shot his load.

Later that day when he came home from work he told me he had something to show me.

"Don't touch yet because it's bloody sore."He said, and took off his shirt.

He had got both his nipples pierced. He hadn't told me he was going to do it (because he said he wasn't sure if he could go through with it), but after realising what sensations he could get from nipple play he had decided to heighten it by getting small gold rings.

He healed quickly and as it turned out he was right, it did turn him on even more because before he had enjoyed me licking and sucking, now I could toy with his piercings as well, and it it even seemed to make his cock slightly harder, which he was very pleased about. He liked the g-spot massage but most of all, he found his buttons got pushed easier if I concentrated on his nipples, so that was the main area I played with when we made love. It was the magic formula for putting back the sensation where he had lost it further down his body.

Later in the summer he finally got permission to perform the suspended box escape. He did it with no problems, the crowd loved it and he got out of the cuffs okay this time. And no one was more proud of him than me when he got all that applause.

And he's even taught me a trick. I can now get out of handcuffs without a key (although I did say, why would I want to get out of them?). One night I was sitting beside him and he told me:

"You're the best thing that's ever happened in my life. I want to be with you forever."

"You've got me forever." I told him, and he took me in his arms.

I was right about the day I met him, it was love at first sight and after that day, nothing in my life was ever ordinary again. In fact since that day, every day has been wonderful. And I put that down not only to how much we love each other, but to the amazing sex we have. Because although Felix is a clever man who knows every magic trick in the book, until he met me, he didn't know what sensory amplification was. And I showed him that. And when he said one night after we made love that he thought I was the real magician around here, I had to laugh and agree with him, because I did show him magic and I still do, I love him with all my heart, there's no smoke and mirrors there - real love does make true magic happen.

The End