My sense heightened as I reached the door of Daniel's suite. Emotions of many types stirred within me. Giddiness, happiness, contentment, fear.
Fear? What was I to be afraid of? Because even though he's famous, he's still a stranger. You don't know what's going to happen, you don't know that much about him.
Okay, I still had the mace.
But I wasn't afraid that Daniel would commit any sort of crime against me. I was just a woman, and I was being careful. Something else was making it intensify...
What?
Nervously, I knocked on the door. "Daniel? It's Natasha from International Guitar."
"Hold on!" yelled the voice at the other end; barely a second later the door opened. Before it could register, I was looking into a pair of deep blue-green eyes, and a smile so captivating I forgot where I was.
Or who I was. "Natasha. Hello, Natasha, are you there?"
I did forget where I was. Letting out a slight laugh, I said "Oh, Daniel, I'm sorry. I'm here to continue our interview."
"Of course you are. Come in."
I stepped inside the hotel room, still clean despite the lived-in presence. Something, though, didn't feel right. There were lit candles on the dresser and table. The room was dark and smelled of incense. My guard went back up, especially when I didn't see any musical equipment set up anywhere.
"Daniel," I said, turning to him. "Where is the setup? I don't see anything."
He was still standing by the door, which was now closed and locked. "You're right," he began quietly. "It's not here, it's in the studio. I apologize about that. But before you go off screaming and accusing me, there is something I want to show you." I started to talk, but Daniel was walking over. "Don't be afraid, Natasha. I won't harm you in any way, and you're free to leave if you want. Just let me show you what I need to show you."
"What could you possibly need to show me that has nothing to do with the article?"
Daniel didn't answer immediately; he just stood still. Then, to my surprise: "Darren, would you come out please?"
Out of a separate room I hadn't noticed before, came Darren. He was quiet, unusual for him in general, and too spooky for the circumstances. Instead of being chatty and animated, he just stared down at the floor, a serious expression on his face, as if he were a child about to be scolded.
Daniel returned his attention to me. "Do you remember what we were talking about in the bar? About consensual S&M relationships and how different the reality is from the media portrayal?"
"Yes, but---you?"
"Watch and learn." He took my hand and led me to a plush chair in the corner of the room. "Sit down, be comfortable. Perhaps Darren and I could add a bit to your research."
"How--"Daniel put a finger to my lips and walked back to where he was before, turning back to Darren, who stood against the wall.
"Darren, get on your hands and knees." Darren did so wordlessly. "Now crawl to me."
Darren obeyed, crawling to Daniel slowly, eyes downcast. It was then I noticed Daniel was holding an object in his hand--a black leather collar, similar to what a pet would wear.
Daniel turned to me again. "When I put this collar on Darren, he becomes my total submissive, and he must do everything I say. No thinking and no hesitation, or he is punished.
"Does he ever get punished?"
Daniel smiled. "Oh yes. A lot." To Darren, he said, "Kiss this before I put it around your neck." Darren pressed his lips to the leather strip. "Very good. You are now my slave until the collar is removed. You will not speak without permission. You will not do any action on your own free will. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Sir," Darren said quietly. It was the first time I heard him speak since I entered the room.
"I want you to turn around and undress in front of our guest now."
Darren was taken aback, but he did as he was told. Then I was the one taken aback.