Fareeha opened her eyes as a beeping from the car's navigation system woke her from her slumber. Outside her car window was more of the seemingly endless green fields that dominated the landscape in the eastern reaches of Switzerland. Ahead of her the road rose steadily as it climbed up a hill a few kilometers ahead. A grove of trees crowned the hill's peak and she could see what looked like a gravel road leading into them off the motorway.
 
Once her car automatically turned onto the unpaved road Fareeha could see two buildings up ahead among the trees. The smaller of the two appeared to be a storage shed, utilitarian in nature if the lack of paint or any other decoration was any indication. The other building was a two story structure with ample windows and a white coat not yet faded by time. Several large and meticulously kept bushes covered in white flowers and beds of purple lupines surrounded the house and the grass was only just reaching the point where it needed to be cut.
 
As Fareeha pulled up in front of the house a blonde woman stood up and waved in her direction as she hopped over the veranda's rail and approached the vehicle. Fareeha pulled the switch to pop her car's trunk open before getting out, only for Angela to practically jump on her with a hug. “There you are! I was starting to get worried that something had happened to you.” exclaimed the Swiss woman.
 
Fareeha's hands hung in the air for a moment before she stiffly patted her on the back. “Sorry I'm so late. I was taking a nap on the way other here and my car ended up heading north towards Zurich instead of going south like it was supposed to for some reason.” She frowned at the troublesome vehicle as if it had wronged her on purpose. “Anyways, here I am. Do you mind helping me carry my boxes in Doctor Ziegler? I was able to bring some extra stuff since you said you had a spare bed I could use.”
 
“Of course, that's not a problem Fareeha. Just one thing okay?”
 
“What is it?”
 
“Please don't call me Doctor. I don't mean to be rude but I'm not at work, I'm on vacation. Angela is just fine.” Angela looked down at her feet as she went on. “Or if you want to you could just call me slut since that's why we're here...”
 
“Okay Angela it is.” said Fareeha as she pulled a box labeled clothes out of the car's trunk and handed it to Angela. “As for calling you slut, that's a name I only would use during a session and only if you wanted me to do it. Right now we're just carrying stuff inside which is about as far from a scene as you can get.” She gave a smile to try and make it seem like a joke but Angela just blinked at her. Fareeha pulled out a second box, this one with the name Angela scrawled on it, and began heading towards the front door.
 
“Oh just a moment, let me get that for you.” stated Angela as she hurried onto the veranda, setting her box down and opening the door. As Fareeha stepped past her Angela spotted her name on the box. “What's in there?”
 
Fareeha stopped in the doorway as she looked at the box in her arms. “If I remember right this one holds some of the toys I brought with me. It might be the clothes I got for you to wear during some of our sessions but I'm pretty sure they're toys.”
 
“Oh.” Angela was still looking at the box but her expression had changed, a blend of anxiousness and excitement as she bit her lip. “Are there any more boxes with my name on them? I'll show you where to take them.”
 
“There's two more boxes of toys and one of clothes but one of the boxes is kinda heavy so be careful okay?”
 
Once the boxes in question were all inside Angela led Fareeha down into the basement and up to where a heavy concrete door stood open. “I don't know if you're familiar with Swiss law but there's a requirement that all Swiss houses and apartments have access to a fallout shelter in the event of a nuclear attack.”
 
Angela stepped inside, Fareeha joining her a few seconds later. Empty shelves once meant to hold emergency rations stood next to bunks that had never been slept in and there were vents in the ceiling. There was a doorway at the far side of the room but other than that the walls were unbroken slabs of gray concrete. “These walls might be old and ugly but they were built to withstand a twelve megaton explosion.” Angela gestured at her only only contribution to the bomb shelter, a queen sized mattress wearing a white fitted sheet lying in the middle of the room. “I figure if this room is good enough to withstand a nuclear bomb then it's good enough for us to do our... sessions is the word I believe?”
 
Fareeha looked around at the walls, each looking as impenetrable as the next. “I think this will be perfect. There's no chance any of your neighbors will be able to hear us if we're down here so I'll be able to make you shriek as loud as I want without having to worry about someone calling the police.”
 
“Someone calling the police? Has that actually happened?” asked Angela, suddenly looking worried.
 
“It's rare but it's been known to happen if people aren't discreet about what they're doing. Houses typically aren't soundproof and the sound of someone getting whipped or screaming has been known to make neighbors call their emergency number.” explained Fareeha. “But there's no chance of that happening here with these walls.”
 
Angela looked down at her feet as she changed the subject. “So I've been thinking about what you said when we talked in Geneva. You were asking me about how much I knew about bondage and then you were explaining that I had it all wrong. After you left I realized you were right. I don't actually know that much about all of this but I want to learn so... please teach me.”
 
Teach me. Fareeha had been working as a dominatrix for years but none of her clients had ever said anything of the sort to her. Almost all of her clients had either believed themselves knowledgeable of bondage and disinterested or perhaps unwilling to let go of their poorly conceived fantasies. A few of her clients had hired her, knowing full well the reality of their kink versus the veneer that the outside world painted them with but that minority didn't keep her in business. And now finally one of her clients, by far the most intelligent among them, was asking to be taught. Fareeha stepped forward, lifted Angela's chin up so that she was looking back at her. “I'd love to. Our contract doesn't start until tomorrow but I think I can make bit of an exception right now. Bring the boxes with your name on them in here and I'll give you a lesson.”
 
A smile slowly grew on Angela's face until she was practically beaming at Fareeha. “Okay!” She eagerly left the room, her footsteps fading as she practically ran up the steps to the front door. In a few minutes she had set all four boxes with Angela written on them down in the shelter.
 
“Can you go outside for a bit while I unpack these Angela? I'll tell you when to come back in.” Angela gave her a questioning look but Fareeha tilted her head towards the door. “It'll be worth it I promise.” Once Angela had vacated the room Fareeha pulled on the door's handle until it was almost closed, just enough to make sure the doctor couldn't peek and ruin her surprise. She popped the lid off the first box and started unloading its contents. Several minutes later Fareeha pushed the door back open and waved to Angela. “Okay I'm ready.”
 
Angela stepped back into the room before coming up short when she saw what was waiting for her. “Oh! That's... a lot of stuff.”
 
The mattress had only been covered by a sheet when Angela had left the room but now a multitude of items of all shapes and sizes were neatly arranged by type on top of it. The purpose of some items were immediately obvious to Angela but a few of them were alien enough to her that she had no idea. Fareeha waved at them with one hand, feeling more than a little proud at seeing her private collection on display. “So these are the toys I brought with me. There's another one in that box but I'm saving it for later. Let's get started.”
 
Fareeha picked up an item and held it so that Angela could get a closer look. “This is your classic ball gag. Not much to it, just a pair of straps that go around the back of your head like this.” She held the red ball in front of her lips and wrapped the straps around her cheeks as if she was putting it on. “There's a few different kind of gags but they all basically do the same thing: making sure you can't really talk though you might drool a little. I'm not sure how big of a ball is right for you so I brought a few different sizes to be on the safe side.” Fareeha waved at the other gags sitting on the mattress, each with a different sized and colored ball in the middle. “Another thing are these holes in the balls. Some people can have trouble breathing through their nose so these help with that.” She set the gag back down and picked up a tangle of straps. “This one goes over your whole head instead of just around the cheeks but I'd have to remove a ball from one of the others if you decide you want to use it.”
 
She put the harness back down and moved on to the next section, neatly tied rope bundles of various colors, lengths and materials. “What these are used for is obvious but there's still some stuff to talk about when it comes to ropes. The biggest thing is safety. If the ropes are too tight then -”
 
“Ischemia?”
 
Fareeha's mouth opened then shut after Angela interrupted her. “I'm sorry what? In-shem-ah?”
 
“Ischemia. It means there's a restriction in blood supply which causes a shortage of the oxygen and glucose required for cellular metabolism. I suppose there's also risks of nerve damage if the ropes are in the wrong areas and now that I think about it asphyxiation is possible if...” Angela's voice trailed off when she noticed the deer in the headlights look on Fareeha's face. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you.”
 
“No it's my fault.” Fareeha responded, her lips twisting in amusement. “I'm used to having to explain health risks to politicians or bankers, not doctors who know more about the human body than I ever will. But just to be on the safe side, if you feel any numbness, pain, tingling then let me know and I'll use my scissors to cut you loose.” She pointed at a pair of scissors sitting next to the bundle of ropes.
 
“Those look like the scissors that... what's the English word for it? Ambulance workers who respond to emergencies.”
 
“Paramedics.” answered Fareeha. “That's exactly what those are. Safety isn't something you can cut corners on. Anyways last thing to know about these is the different types of materials the ropes are made from. This brown one here is hemp, it's pretty great for hitches but it's not good for knots and it can be scratchy at times. Typically people use it for Shibari, that's a Japanese style of rope-work.” Fareeha pointed at a blue bundle. “That's jute rope. It's a natural fiber like hemp but it's much firmer than hemp is and it holds knots a lot better but it doesn't stay in place as well. Now this red one over here is nylon. Nylon is great for dying and it's pretty much perfect for knots but it doesn't have as much grip as jute or hemp which makes it harder to work with.”
 
Fareeha moved to the other side of the mattress as she switched to the next section. “So here's all the impact toys.” She picked the topmost item up, a heavy wooden hairbrush, and showed both sides to Angela. “I wouldn't use this cheap piece of junk to brush my hair but it works great as a paddle. Dull, thumpy and only for the thighs and butt. You want to avoid hitting the kidneys or other organs with something like this.” Fareeha set the brush down and picked up a slender wooden rod. “This one not so much. It'll sting a lot more and you have to worry about breaking the skin. The plus side is that you can hit a lot more of the body with a cane so long as you keep it light. The same is true for this flogger here, I like using it because all these tails hit a bunch of different spots. That one there is a riding crop and I think you're already familiar with this one.”
 
Fareeha put the cane back in its place and she tapped on the belt she had used on Angela during their first session with a playful smile. Angela's face turned beet red at the memory and she pointed at the next section. “So how about these?”
 
“Dildos are pretty easy to understand but there's a few things to talk about here. All of them are made from silicone which is non porous and I clean them after they get used and occasionally I boil them just to be on the safe side so you don't have to worry about bacteria or anything else.” The first one Fareeha picked up was silver and shaped like a large caliber bullet. “This is the most rigid one I brought with me. The others are more flexible so you'll have to try them out to see which one you like the most.” She tossed the silver dildo to Angela before pointing at an over-sized silicone penis, balls and all. “This one is different than the others though. Take a look at the bottom here, suction cups. You can stick this one wherever you want and it'll stay in place. Wall, floor, in the shower or anywhere else you feel like putting it.”
 
As Angela put the silver dildo back in its place after examining it Fareeha moved on yet again. “Over here are all the restraints. Handcuffs, leather cuffs, these straps here go underneath a mattress in case you don't have posts you can use, some belts, and a spreader bar.”
 
“You know, I expected this stuff to be more complicated. These all seem pretty basic to me.” commented Angela, looking almost disappointed.
 
“My stuff is fairly simple sure but it's enough to get the job done and being more complicated doesn't mean it's better. There's some very unusual stuff out there if you go looking for it, things I wouldn't recommend to someone new to bondage. It's better to start out small and work your way up to more intricate setups until you figure out what you're comfortable with and what you're not.”
 
“That makes sense. What you're saying kinda sounds like residency in a way.” Angela turned to the last section and selected what looked like an uneven horseshoe with bulbous ends. “What is this? I've been trying to figure it out since I came back into the room but I still don't have a clue.”
 
“That's a vibrator specially designed for women. You're holding it wrong, turn it so that – yes like that. It's made so that it stimulates all the key spots at once. This longer bit here goes inside you and that part there goes on the clit.” Fareeha picked a second vibrator up, this one shaped almost like an old fashioned computer mouse but with a notch in the middle on one side. “Now this is my second favorite vibrator though the one you're holding is a close third since it does everything at once. This notch here lets you do a lot more with your parts than other vibes do. You can trap your folds or clit in the middle and leave it there or you could slide the vibe up and down, whatever you feel like it.” She set the purple vibrator down and pointed at another, a pink stem that ended in a thick lump. “I haven't had the chance to use this one yet but it's operated by remote control so when we use that one I'll be controlling the settings from my phone, should be fun. However when it comes to vibrators this device here is king.”
 
Fareeha tapped the last and largest of them for emphasis, a white wand with a thick rounded bulb on the end. “The hitachi is your best friend even if you don't know it yet. It's kinda noisy but no other vibrator comes close to being as good. But I'm a jealous woman and I don't think I want to share. You can change my mind but you'll have to come up with something very convincing to take a ride on it.”
 
“Uhm okay, I'll have to think of something I guess. So you said something about having clothes for me? I'm guessing they're in one of these other boxes here.” Angela pointed at the two boxes that hadn't been opened yet.
 
“I did but there's gotta be some mystery here. It'd be boring if I let you see everything right now and you wouldn't have as much to look forward to.” Fareeha moved closer to Angela, taking the misshapen vibrator she was holding away and putting it back on the mattress. “How about for now you give me a tour of the house and we can unload the rest of my stuff?”
 
“Oh sure, follow me.” Angela headed out of the shelter and aimlessly waved at nothing in particular. “So this is the basement, nothing down here really though I've been thinking of installing a wine rack.” She headed up the stairs back to the house's foyer. Angela stopped there. “Let's go bring your boxes in before going inside, I have a no shoes in the house rule.”
 
Afterwards Angela led her through the door that separated the foyer from the house itself and into the living room. A flat television hung on the wall and a number of couches and armchairs sat draped in plastic. “Sorry about this.” Angela apologized as she started pulling the covers off. “I should have taken care of these before you got here. The TV is hooked up to the internet and I'm subscribed to a number of streaming sites so you can check those out whenever you feel like it.” She pulled open a closet door and shoved the covers inside. “Anyways, the kitchen's at the end of this hallway.”
 
Pots and pans dangled from a rack mounted to the ceiling and there was an island in the middle of the kitchen. Angela pointed at each appliance in turn as she named them off. “So dishwasher there, microwave, oven, fridge doesn't have much in it so we'll have to go shopping tomorrow.”
 
Fareeha turned one of the pans so she could look at its bottom then gave a quick look at the stove-top. “Induction? I haven't used one of those before. That'll be interesting for me to try. What's next?”
 
“The laundry room is through there, first door on the right.” Angela pointed back at the hall they had just come from. “Downstairs water closet is second on the right and the stairs are over there obviously.”
 
Up the stairs were a trio of bedrooms. “So I know the term usually used for women is mistress but it seems fitting to put you in the master bedroom.” said Angela as she pointed to the room in question.
 
“What? No. This is your house Angela. I might be here on business so to speak but I'm still your guest. You should take that room, not me.” Angela opened her mouth, looking as if she wanted to press the matter but Fareeha shook her head. “I insist. A guest room is fine for me.”
 
“Okay okay you win. So pick a room and I'll help you with the other boxes then I'm going to call it a night. I spent all day on the phone getting all the utilities turned back on.” Angela said with a roll of her eyes. “I hate the music they play when you're on hold.”
 
Fareeha set the last box down on the floor of her chosen room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Thank you for helping me carry these Angela, you really didn't have to you know.”
 
“It's the least I could do and I'm the one who should be thanking you for agreeing to do all of this. I'll see you tomorrow okay?”
 
“Good night Angela.” Fareeha fell backwards onto the bed and she stared at the ceiling's white plaster. One month, beginning tomorrow.