He’d been living on his own for a year before he threw the party which would change everything. Born to a small town, Alex Curren had worked hard to excel and be noticed, even with the looming shadow of his more successful older brother. When the job offer had come through, he’d been utterly amazed.

It had called for him to move across the country, taking up residence in the big city for the first time in his life. That alone had not worried him much – Alex was social and charismatic enough when he wanted to be. Making friends would not be a issue.

Leaving the ones he already had, though? That was more difficult? He’d pondered what to do for several days but ultimately there was only one real choice. Alex had hated living in the small town, it was constrictive, one day was the same as the next and there was no sense of progress or growth. It was like he was drowning in time, sinking deeper and deeper into the years until one day he’d wake up to discover that he was fifty and had never amounted to any more than he had now.

No, his very soul recoiled at that wondered and so he became set on finding his own path in the city. He said goodbye to each of his friends in turn, some of them had been bitter like he was abandoning them. Others had been happy for him, or proud of him. A few stood out in his memory more than others.

Lilly, her blond hair flying as she clapped him on the back. For her, it was not goodbye at all. Lilly lived in the city already and visited the old town when the mood hit her. She was boisterous and cheerful and was one of the first to celebrate his good fortune.

“Not bad, Alex!” She said, “Is it what you always wanted?”

“I don’t know,” he said to her. “I’ve not had a chance to go there yet. Is it very different?”

“Very,” She’d said seriously. “Things happen much faster, you’ll find. It’s not as easy as life here. Finding your place can be hard but if you do, you’ll be rewarded. It’ll be hard work.”

“I know that,” he had said, “But I am willing to work hard for it. I really am.”

“I believe you,” Lilly said, shooting him a look. “I think you’ll do just fine.”

After a year of hard work, Alex had his own home. A small one, to be sure, but it was his. He had a job, he had money coming in and better than everything else, he felt like he was going places. Moving up in the world. For a whole year, he’d seen none of his old friends save Lilly, but tonight was gonna change that.

It was the day of his twenty-first birthday and Alex was throwing a party. It was to celebrate his new life, his new existence, all of the things that he had done and the things that he also had yet to do. He’d invited his friends; everyone from the old town. Most of them had turned up for it too. He’d been a bit surprised about that. After so long, he’d expected that most of them wouldn’t care.

That they did filled him with warmth, and he went through that day catching up with old faces and old gossip. Laughing and joking as if the last year of separation had not happened.

He chatted and drank – though never too much – spent time with people he’d known for most of his life. The atmosphere was informal; most everyone had known one another since they were kids and there were few secrets between them. As the day went on, Alex felt himself becoming more and more comfortable. Easing into the spirit of the evening.

But there was one thing that was not quite right. One little niggling issue prevented him from truly enjoying himself.

Her name was Clara, and she was the reason he had been both anticipating and dreading this night ever since he’d decided to host the party. Clara was, by all accounts, his closest friend and had been a big reason he’d hesitated to leave the old town. It had felt like a betrayal, and to some extent it still did. He’d hoped to speak to her today, try to clear the air a bit. Show her that he still appreciated their bond. But as the day had gone on, Alex had come to a depressing conclusion.

She was avoiding him.

At first, he couldn’t believe it, then it stung a little. They’d been close since they were kids, growing up together in a small town didn’t leave a whole lot of playmates, and Clara and Alex had been together for most of their lives. Leaving the town had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done, and he hadn’t done it without a whole lot of guilt. Now her actions were calling that back to the surface.

Did she feel like he’d abandoned her?

Did he feel like he’d abandoned her?

The answer was not a simple one. It twisted in his gut like a knife. The city had represented everything that he had ever wanted, but leaving had never been an easy choice for him. He wanted to talk to her, to try to explain. She was at the party, but every time she saw him, she seemed to slip from the room. It was infuriating. His urge was to follow her, but he didn’t want to force her into a confrontation if she felt she wasn’t ready for one.

But if she wasn’t, why had she come here in the first place?

And if she was, why wasn’t she speaking to him or even staying in the same room?

For most of the day, Alex was able to suppress his concerns and fears. There was chatter, the laughter of friends. Good food and drink. But gradually, as people trickled away, it became more and more obvious that something was bothering him. He tried to hold it inside. He flashed smiles and forced himself to be cheery and happy. Yet those who knew him best could see that he was wounded, and there were already rumours. Everyone knew that he and she had been inseparable before, so why had they not been seen together today, this one day where they were back together again?

Thankfully, no one actually asked. He didn’t know what he would say if they did.

Eventually, the last of the guests trickled away. Many of them were staying in hotels or at friends’ homes. Most were going back home early tomorrow and couldn’t stay for long. Alex waved goodbye and traded final jokes. A few friends embraced him. Lilly gave him a solid nod as she left,

And then he was alone. Alex turned, the living room was a mess, of course. Discarded wrappers, empty drinks, abandoned plates and all of the other detritus of a party. He ran one hand through his short, blond hair. It would be a pain to clean up, but that was fine. He’d taken two weeks off to prepare for this event. The party itself, the cleanup and then some unwinding. He could afford to be slow about it.

Which was good because Alex felt tired. He loved to be with people and enjoyed the time he spent with his friends but it was exhausting to be the centre of attention for too long. Now that everyone had left, he was looking forward to being able to just relax and look to the future in his own particular way.

But just as he settled down on a nearby chair, giving a soft sigh of release, there came a sound from the corridor to the kitchen. He frowned, rising again to his feet. Had someone not left?

It was probably the drink, he decided. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone had taken a bit much of it and he’d had to call a taxi to take them back to their home or hotel. Failing that, they could certainly stay the night. He wasn’t gonna kick someone out if he didn’t think they could take care of themselves.

But as the door swung open, the person who stepped out certainly didn’t seem like someone who had had too much to drink. She was lithe, a tad shorter than the average but with a slender figure and deep dark hair. Her eyes were blue, and her skin was pale. Usually, her face was mischievous, and she often liked nothing better than to play jokes or gently rib someone for something that they had done in the past.

Not this time.

“Clara,” He said softly. “I thought you were already gone.”

“I would have said goodbye to you, wouldn’t I?” She said a bit awkwardly.

“Usually, yes,” He said. “But you seemed to be avoiding me this time. I thought I’d pissed you off.”

“What, you mean like by leaving me all alone for a year?”

“You weren’t alone,” He protested lamely. “There were others…Sarah…David…”

She waved a hand, dismissing that wondered before it could fully form.

“I’m not mad at you, Alex.” She said, “But I have been avoiding you. I just didn’t want to be too near you until I was sure.”

“Sure about what?” He asked, “I don’t know if you mean it to, but this is sounding kind of sinister…”

She looked up at him, her blue eyes flashed not with anger but with annoyance.

“Alex Curen, I am trying to confess my feelings to you! Don’t you dare try to distract me with backtalk!”

He felt as if a physical blow had collided with his chest, at the same time, her own face coloured with the realisation of her words.

“Confess your feelings?” His heart was hammering, and the world which had suddenly seemed all so very stable had started to slip sideways. “You don’t mean like, romantically?”

“Oh, I knew this was going to be awkward,” Clara murmured. “That’s why I’ve been avoiding you all day.”

She took a deep breath.

“Okay, so all that time we spent together before, you didn’t ever wonder what it would be like if we were more than friends?”

Alex felt a storm heaving in his gut. Part of him didn’t know what to say, it was almost as if this whole thing was some wild dream. He shook that feeling off, looking over at his oldest friend.

“Of course I did,” He said. Clara seemed surprised by his frankness. “I just didn’t know if you felt the same way.”

Clara laughed then, and Alex looked on in confusion.

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, no,” She said, “I just expected you to jump around the point a bit more. Maybe try to deflect. I guess that shows me for thinking I can predict you, eh? But if you wanted to be more than just friends, why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Why didn’t you?”

Clara’s face flushed red. She looked to the ground.

“Well, you know… it was kind of expected…Everyone knew we were best friends and you just know that all of the adults in the town were taking bets on how long until we started dating or something…”

“And that annoyed you?”

“Yes! You know I don’t like to do what people expect me to! I didn’t want to think that I was just doing it because it was expected. I mean, we were friends, right? We’ve been friends for years. We were always really close, so it was easy to tell myself that what I was feeling was just a really deep connection of that sort. What about you? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was scared that you would turn me down,” Alex admitted. She looked at him and laughed again, and he felt the heat rushing to his face. “Yes, okay, I know it’s cliche but I was a teenage boy! You were my best friend! If I tried to go further and you turned me down, it would have been awkward as hell and I was worried our friendship wouldn’t survive it.”

“If our friendship was that weak, you would never have had a chance with me anyway,” She said the words with a soft smile, turning it into a joke. Alex found himself chuckling alongside her.

“I know now,” He admitted, “But I wasn’t exactly that experienced with women then.”

“Oh really?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Have you had a ton of girlfriends?”

“Well, no…”

“Do you have one right now?”

“Clara!”

“What? I’m just asking. I mean, I just admitted that I am interested in you, and you also admitted you were interested in me. Seems a fair question.”

“Yes! But still!”

She found great amusement in his fluttered words, but Alex quickly forced himself to calm down.

“I don’t have a girlfriend right at the moment,” He admitted. “Have you had any boyfriends?”

“Now that’s a question you don’t ask a girl,” Clara said.

“How is it any different from what you just asked me?”

“It just is,” She smirked at the look on his face. But it was a playful one, and she reached forward to brush a hand across his hair. Her touch was gentle, there was a hint of colour to her face as if she had not expected to get this far.

Before even he knew what he was doing, Alex reached out and drew her closer. His arms locked around her, and he was embracing her. Clara’s warm body was pressed against his chest. He could smell the perfume she’d put in for the party, feel her against his skin. For a moment, a hunger awakened deep inside of him. A surging need. He wanted to feel her skin against his own, he imagined what she would look like naked. It was not hard. In the year before he’d left the old town when he had been nineteen and she had been eighteen, they’d gone to the beach together a few times. Her swimming wear had left little to the imagination.

Now he realised that had probably been a hint…

Clara pushed him back, breaking the embrace. Confusion blossomed inside of him. Want and desire were strong, but Alex didn’t want to let them ruin a good thing. His comment on the whole night had turned around, and he felt as if a whole new world was opening up to him.

He was more right then than he knew. Clara’s face was flushed, and she was biting her lower lip. She looked like pushing him away took a lot of effort, but not as much as what she said next.

“Alex,” She said softly. “This may seem a bit weird, but a lot of people got you a gift today, right?”

“That’s right,” He said. “It was my birthday after all.”

“I didn’t get you a gift…”

“Clara, just you being here is-“

“Don’t give me that hallmark crap! I didn’t give you a gift because I didn’t know what sort of gift to give you. Your family is basically rich, so…”

“We’re not rich,” Alex said in the tone of someone who’d had this debate a thousand times. “My older brother just makes a ton of money and sends some back now and then.”

“Basically rich,” She repeated. “Anyway, point is I didn’t know what sort of gift to give you. So I figured that I might just give you me.”

“What?” For a moment, her words didn’t register. “Clara, you can’t be serious.”

“I am absolutely one hundred percent series,” She told him. Her face was very red now, and she was moving from one foot to another. But her voice was firm and she plunged on.

“Um, this is going to get hellishly awkward and embarrassing, but in all of the time that we were together as friends, didn’t you ever wonder what made me tick?”

“You mean turned you on?” Alex said. “I tried not to! It felt disrespectful. Even though I thought you were really cute, I was always terrified that you would disapprove of what I was thinking or wanting.”

“You mean you wanted to fuck me?”

“Holy shit, Clara. Could you be less blunt?”

“Probably. But that would take effort.” She laughed again, an edge of nervousness in her voice. “What I am trying to say is that I have certain fantasies, I always wanted to try certain things and I…”

She trailed off, realising that she was getting off the point.

“Alex, I like BDSM, okay? I want you to tie me up and use me.”

Whatever he had been expecting her to say, that most certainly was not it, but Alex had been reacting a lot during this conversation and did his best to take this in stride. He let her words pour through him, the images they conjured sent shivers racing down his spine. Alex had never been into chains and whips, but to hear Clara talking so bluntly about her kinks was arousing in and of itself.

She looked up at him as if expecting him to turn away or to begin talking, but Alex simply smiled at her, doing his best to reassure her. She took a deep breath.

“You are the first person I’ve ever told this to,” Clara said. “I’ve always wanted to explore that…that side of things… but I was never brave enough to do it with my boyfriends. It felt like exposing a part of me, you know? Like I was taking a risk. What if they didn’t want to? What if they thought it was weird, or didn’t like me anymore for it? You were the only one I was comfortable enough around to maybe talk about it, but I didn’t want to just conform to what everyone else expected and get together with you. Then, you left and I was alone for a year.”

“Clara, I don’t know what to say. I didn’t mean it to turn out like that. I mean, I always had feelings for you but I didn’t think you were interested in me.”

“It’s fine,” She said. “I’m not going to sit and feel sorry for myself. You’re right. I didn’t make any move on you, so I share fifty percent of the blame. No, it’s just that while you were away, I got the chance to do some real thinking and do you know what I realised, Alex Curren?”

She stepped forward again and kissed him. Her lips met his, and her tongue dipped into his mouth. Alex responded, his body hungry, he deepened the kiss. His hands moved around behind her back, pressing against the bare skin of her shoulders that was exposed by the red dress she wore. The kiss lingered for some moments before Clara finally broke it. She was breathless, and so was he.

“I realised that I’d already given everyone else far too much power over me,” She said. “So let’s do this. You and me here and now. You’ve always wanted to fuck me, right? To see me naked?”

“Yes,” He breathed. “Always.”

“And I’ve wanted to see you naked too,” Clara admitted. “But more than that, I wanted to explore myself. I want to see how far I can go with someone that I trust. And I trust you, Alex. Absolutely. That’s why I decided to give you the best gift I could for your birthday. I am going to give you myself for a whole week.”

“A week?” He said. “Aren’t you going back home tomorrow?”

“No,” Clara smiled. “I told them I am staying with Lilly. She’s happy to cover for me. If I have to, I really will crash at her place but I was hoping that I could stay here.”

“What do you want, Clara?” Alex growled with surprising strength. His heart was beating faster and heat was spreading through his body. She was close, close enough to touch, to embrace, to undress. “I want to be sure. I want you to say it. To make sure you mean it.”

“I understand,” She said. “Alex, I want to be your slave for a week. I want to do whatever you tell me to do. I want you to punish me or reward me, and I want to explore myself through that time. Can you do that? Can you help me?”

Yes! The word screamed through his mind, lust and desire pulsing and growing. But he fought back, struggled not to lose his logical side.

“I can do it,” He said. “If that is what you want. If you really are happy with that kind of thing. And so long as you know you can end it at any time. If you want to play this game, I’ll play with you. But it is a game. It has to be. Understand?”

“Are you scared of what you’d do if it wasn’t?” Clara asked him, but Alex shook his head.

“That’s a stupid question. I am happy to play a game with my best friend and help her to explore herself. But I am not going to have her as a literal slave. You know that.”

“Yes,” She admitted. “It’s why you’re the only one I’m happy to do this with. I agree. From this moment in, for the next seven days, you’re my master. So what do you want me to do first, master? You have a hot, nubile slave girl willing to do everything you command. Do you want me to undress?”

Alex laughed.

“That sounds more like something you want to do.”

“I must admit, after spending the whole day stewing in this thing, I am horny as hell.”

“Then why don’t you strip down?” He was teasing her and they both knew it. Her eyes flashed.

“You know why,” She said. “You have to tell me to. I want it to be your choice. Your…order.”

“In that case,” Alex’s heart was hammering. His blood pumped a thousand miles a minute. He struggled to keep his voice calm as he spoke the words he wondered he would never get a chance to.

“Clara….slave….take your clothes off.”

Clara sighed, she looked as if something was bubbling up inside her at those words. Her answer was almost a purr.

“Yes, master.”

She stepped back, her body swaying, Alex’s eyes followed her hungrily. He could feel his arousal surging, desire roared through him. He could not believe that Clara – his best friend and secret crush – was about to strip for him. Nor that she had just called him master.