Something Sweet

Ellie St. James:

Ellie St. James hated going grocery shopping. Not that she wasn't efficient at it. She cut coupons on the weekly and was always a good judge of the quality of her fruits and veggies. The problem came with time. A simple trip could take a handful of hours while she hunted for good deals and tried her best not to deviate from the master list she brought with her of things they needed back at the apartment. Lyla was terrible about keeping her up to date with her own needs, often leading to last minute texts of extra items. How was she supposed to budget their spending like this?

The dilemma here however wasn't to do with money, it had to do with her self imposed dietary restrictions. She had been staring at a plastic package of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. She had places them in the cart, then removed them several times already. Yet here she still was. She had an itch for something sweet, but all that butter and sodium… there wasn't room for that. No cheat days. She had decided that from the start.

With a crown she turned her back on the treats, gripping the handlebar of her cart tightly and began to roll it off before temptation tugged at her again. Checking down at the list, most of what she needed was here already. It was a big trip today, encompassing food, sanitary items, and even a replacement for a pair of cooking tongs that Lyla accidently dropped and broke just the other day. She just needed a few more things...

Rose spent a fair bit of time in Tokyo’s many fetish themed stores, buying all sorts of exotic instruments of pleasure and pain. Creams, whips, crops and the like were all essential items in her line of work, and she prided herself on keeping up to date with the best selection. But, in her experience, certain stores tended to take advantage of their less-than-knowledgeable clientele by offering them items that were actually mundane and just putting them in a kinky package. For instance, she could buy a five-pack of clothespins from the Tokyo Rose adult store for 16 USD...or she could buy a fifty pack of them from the grocery store for 3. The paddle they had on sale went for 20, but the spatula in the cooking aisle was about the same item, for a quarter of the price. And blindfolds? Rose did love a good, quality blindfold, but she could find quality ones anywhere, for a fair price. A fairer price.

That was why she found herself at the store today, moving through the aisles, stocking up on the little essentials. Oh, and getting some flour. She was of the mind to bake a lemon cake.

Pushing her cart down the aisle, she did her best not to look too assuming, not wanting to be recognized by any AFW fans she might happen upon. She and Thorn had made quite an impression with their debut against Bangarang, and while she appreciated the fans and the match requests that came with it, it could prove to be a problem in public with some of the more rabid watchers. Some of them had trouble understanding that, while she was a dominatrix, she wasn’t going to just start whipping them for free in a public venue like some kind of performance art, and that there was a time and a place for everything.

She’d learned this the hard way when one overzealous fan approached her and Thorn while they were having dinner at a fine restaurant, kneeled before her, and started licking her boots.

Needless to say, but she wasn’t allowed to return to that restaurant, anymore. Quite a shame, she loved the shrimp.

For that reason, she’d come up with a more incognito appearance. She had the Clark Kent touched with her glasses, though she actually was a tad nearsighted and they were prescription. She covered her assets with a loose-fitting Nirvana shirt, black with the Nevermind album cover on it, and a dark grey skirt that went down all the way to her ankles. The most striking thing about her was the red hair she had streaming down her back, and there was little she could do to hide that.

It all made for a normal, unassuming appearance that let her move freely. It allowed her to take her time, and she was making good progress on the list. She’d stopped for a moment to check out a few tongs - useful for both cooking and more interesting pursuits - when she noticed another woman coming her way, likely looking for the same item.

”Ah, excuse me.” She pushed her cart down the aisle and stepped to the side, giving them both room to peruse. She wouldn’t have paid her any more attention than that, until she took notice of the woman’s hair. That rich, silky lavender. Those sweet, innocent eyes. That luscious body.

”Ellie?” A devilish grin crept across her face as she recognized her former plaything, looking as cute as ever. She placed a hand on her hips and a finger on her lips”Ellie St. James, mio caro, we meet again. I was wondering when I’d have the pleasure.”

"Oh, sorry." She responded without even understanding why she was apologising, if just came naturally when someone asked to be excused. Force of habit for unintentionally blocking an aisle. She put her weight into scooting her cart sideways to make sure she wasn't taking up too much room. It wasn't until she heard her name that she turned to regard Rose with a questioning look. Did she know this woman?

She felt a chill run down her spin at that voice, something about how she mentioned it being a pleasure immediately feeling like a double meaning. When things finally clicked she stood there aghast. Rose… the redhead from that pair of… women. The ones who cost Bangarang their debut. Her cheeks were already puffing up defensively as she stared, looking the other woman up and down as in trying to uncover the hidden trick to her modest attire.

"Rose… right?" Ellie shifted behind her cart, shifting the load to subconsciously place it as a buffer between the two women. There was a faint rosey his to her cheeks, betraying she very much remembered who this was.

"I didn't expect to see you here…" Which was very true. She never really thought of what a Mistress would do outside of all of her debauchery, but it certainly wasn't this. Ellie straightened up, sucking in a deep breath through her nose. There was no need for her to be intimidated by the other woman… so what if she was taller, more curvaceous, stronger, and better than her in the ring. She wasn't upset… nope. Not at all. "You look… well."

”Of course you didn’t expect that.” Rose knew exactly what she meant, but it made her chuckle all the same. She was fairly certain most people thought dommes lived in some 24/7 kinky dimension, only venturing to the real world in full leather attire and riding on the backs of slaves. A pretty picture, she would grant it, but not feasible. ”Had you, you wouldn’t be here, I’d imagine. Or would you?”

There was a knowing wink, as Rose stepped from behind buggy. She hadn’t missed the other woman’s body language, moving the cart between them, as if she would leap out at any moment and ravish her in the middle of the aisle. Another lovely, but unrealistic image. She was full of them, today.

”Flatterer. I’m a mess of a casual dresser, be honest.” She brought both hands to her hips now and took a step to the side as she made a slow advance on Ellie. Not in her personal space, not close, but hinting that she might be in a few moments, curious to gauge her reactions. ”You, on the other hand, are positively radiant. Your hair in particular, such a vibrant color. I regret not taking a few strands with me before we parted ways.”

Her smile shifted to a pout, as her brows bunched up and furrowed. ”I do hope you’re recovering well from that match, by the way. No lingering pains?” She was still teasing, even now, though there was some real concern in her voice, too.

Was it so unreasonable to assume Rose was half naked and leather clad almost always? In her mind she rationalized the redhead had a bunch of little slave people to run around and do mundane tasks for her. Not that she thought about Rose or anything outside of their brief encounter and now or anything.

"I…" She was about to disagree with Rose in an attempt to be polite but found it hard to lie to the other woman even if it was for her benefit. She bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. When the other woman continued speaking without her input, it was a welcome relief… though temporary.

Ellie's cheeks reddened as she was complimented, not use to having such high praise from someone she regarded as being an attractive woman. As Rose slowly rounded on her, she became slightly aware from the encroaching closeness of them and inched back, accidently bumping into a rack of kitchen tools and devices and startling herself with their loud rattle.

"I'm fine." She blurted out, far too immediate and a bit louder than required. She brought her hands up from the cart, waving them in front of her. "No lingering…eh, nope. I am… I am totally okay. Bounced back right away... You! How about you? Been busy at all? With... Normal stuff or wrestling things?" She looked like a deer in headlights staring down the barreling truck that was Rose. Maybe if she kept talking she could hold her back by words alone.

The world didn’t stop spinning just because they were having a conversation, and naturally, it wasn’t too long before a third party came their way. Rose stepped aside as a middle-aged woman made her way down the aisle and stopped a few feet away, taking the time to peruse different soup flavors. If Ellie thought having another woman here would dampen Rose’s steamy tongue, however, she was sorely mistaken.

”I’m glad to hear that.” And she was, too. Ellie had such promise, she could see that even in the time they wrestled. While she’d never really had the upperhand against them, it was largely due to their difference in sizes. She was eager to see Bangarang pitted against someone closer to their class - with the determination and intelligence she had, this woman could do great things. She had faith in that.

”Wrestling wise, I’ve been getting along. Thorn is still green in the ring, I’m sure you could see. So we’ve focused on her training. Giving her technique to bolster those muscles.” Rose reached into her cart and took out the spatula, idly rolling it around her fingers. ”The dungeon keeps me busy, too. Membership sees a surge around summer, tourists and all, so I’m making sure we’re stocked. Finding a fresh whip, crop, strap-on, masks, all the essentials.”

The woman nearby might not have spoken fluent English, but she seemed knowledgeable enough to give them a sharp glance at the end, before she thought better and went back to hurriedly making a selection. ”My offer still stands, so we’re clear. The doors of my club will always remain open to you.”

Ellie did catch the other woman making her way by, trying to avoid making direct eye contact. It was easy though as Rose had a rather commanding presence. The young rookie was having trouble not being transfixed. It was a mixture of how she carried herself and the cadence of her voice that made her hard to ignore.

"Sounds scary. Your partner was certainly a terror in the ring. She makes it hard to believe she is new to this. She won't be able to just muscle through everything though. Friction and Tension have some really big women, ones that can really move too." This she could do, talk about wrestling all day without much problem. This was her zone of comfort, things she knew, things she was confident in talking about. Ellie hadn't really thought about the idle twirling of the spatula as Rose picked it up until the woman spoke again and immediately dragged her back into her world leaving her in uncharted territory.

"The dungeon…" She whispered quietly, cringing at the sharp look both women suddenly got. For her part she bosses her head and mumbled an apology to the stranger, secretly wishing she could hop into their cart and be carried off away from this.

"Well… I hope you are finding everything you need. I sure have." Ellie gave a small nervous chuckle, gesturing to her own mostly filled cart. Her poor attempt to veer the conversation back to the mundane which was quickly derailed at Rose's reminder of the offer on the table. At the end of their match the domme had made it and Ellie would have been lying if she said her interest hadn't been piqued. It wasn't that she was some sort of horrible sexual deviant or something, she just… had a curious interest in Rose. An odd sort of magnetism. Her face had grown beet red again.

"Yes… very kind of you." She cleared her throat loudly, leaning up against her cart slightly closer. This wasn't going well. She was standing here embarrassing herself alongside one of her co-workers. She needed something to change the subject… so she blurted out. "How about a rematch?"

God, Ellie was so adorable and sexy all at once, it was hard for Rose to believe it wasn’t intentional. She knew women, sex workers, who spent hours praticing the things that came naturally to this woman. The blushing, the shy looks, that meek voice, the subtle way she moved away, those delicious, pouty lips, and that accent, oh, that accent. As a submissive, she would be popular, and if she could ever muster the spirit for domination? Women like Rose weren’t too hard to come by on the scene, but the cute, sweet smaller ones were a precious rarity.

Wasted potential. It almost brought a tear to Rose’s eyes.

”You’ve wise words there, and I’ve told her as much myself.” She placed an elbow in her palm and waved the spatula like a teacher’s pointer as they talked shop, not minding the little shift. ”Thorn is a natural fighter, but she lacks nuance. We’re slated for Tension. Men. Beowulf? Dasher Inoba? She won’t overpower them so easily, and they’re not so easily swayed by a little sex appeal.” She sighed as the elder woman finally made her selection and started to scoot away, quick to put distance between her and this conversation.

As amusing as this all was, she couldn’t forget the reason she’d come down here in the first place, and Ellie gave her a helpful reminder. ”Now that you mention it…”

Rose took a step forward and reached for Ellie as the woman spoke, having no qualms about getting into her personal space, a hungry gaze on her face - but she wasn’t reaching for her former opponent. Instead, she was going for the tongs that were right beside her, hanging off a rack near her head, just by happenstance.

She came to a sudden pause, however, when Ellie asked for the last thing she would’ve expected out of her. ”A rematch?” Her face filled with amused skepticism as she stepped back, looking the Briton over. ”Another tag match? Or do you crave something more personal?”

"Yeah, I figured since it was technically a cross branded match. We're signed with Friction. I don't think I could compete with a lot of the men over there… you and your partner are a bit more fit for the role." She left it simple and polite. While she mostly meant due to their strength, it wasn't a secret that domineering women tended to do well in Tension. They had all heard the rumors and been pitched stardom at the cost of a bit of skin. She was fine without that. "It's wild. I remember watching both of them when I was a child."

Ellie's lips parted as Rose neared, it was clear she was holding a breath and unsure of what to do. Her imagination had clearly taken hold, leaving her fallen into Rose's amusing little trap of assuming she was about to try something only to have her expectations shattered by the mundane leaving her embarrassed and flustered yet again.

Ellie peered sidelong at Rose rather sheepishly at the other woman lingering and asked about the rematch. It gave the rookie second thoughts now that it was hanging out there for the world. Maybe it was something about the look she gave her, she wasn't sure if she was being mischievous about this or perhaps was worried about facing down with the rookie a second time.

"Yes… A rematch. One on one, between just you and me." Ellie pouted slightly at Rose's wording, clearing assuming she meant personal in a different light. She was resolute however in her want to try and prove herself and knew in her heart of hearts that Bangarang could have taken the domme duo if they had had ample time to prepare. She wasn't certain however that Lyla could be trusted with these two… her partner was the prime target for women like this. "An actual match."

It was rare for Rose to be the surprised and the surpriser, but this certainly qualified. She had wanted a rematch with Ellie, yes, and if this conversation had followed its expected conclusion, she would have proposed it...and failed. While she was willing to keep at the effort and expected to succeed eventually, she didn’t think it would be so simple as the first meeting, and she never dreamed that Ellie would make the challenge herself.

”Ellie St. James.” She tented her fingers and stepped away, chewing her lip for a moment. ”You are a puzzle of a woman. I adore that.”

Rose took a moment to read her features, trying to process what she was thinking. Pride? Perhaps. She recalled how much it had taken to get submission out of her in the ring, all the whipping she’d endured before letting an apology fly. But there was more than that, maybe even more than Ellie realized herself. An itch that needed scratching, if she had to guess.

”Cara. My dear. We did have an actual match. I never saw you as a sore loser. Please, don’t prove me wrong.” She tossed the tongs into the cart along with spatula, then wrapped some of her hair around her finger while considered. Or pretended to consider it. She made up her mind on the subject the instant Ellie suggested it.

Rose leaned forward with a small bow. ”Accepted. A rematch it is, between the two of us, and only the two. We meet in a private venue, sanctioned but alone, abiding by our honor.” She ran her hands together and stepped back to her cart, once again taking position behind it. ”My club has a ring for such purposes, it should prove sufficient. Objections?”