Chapter Text
Xie Lian hadn't set out to get into the whole professional dominance thing, but he'd been hired as a temp receptionist a year ago and somehow ended up strapped into white leather, whip in hand as he murmured soft directions to man who knelt on the floor for him.
He was sort of perfect for the role. Not everyone wanted someone cruel, but they still needed someone firm, strong. His style didn't rely on him being over-the-top, but he knew how to direct, control, with little tolerance for acting up. He also conveniently didn't respond to clients in any sort of substantive way, alleviating the chance he would get himself in a sticky situation.
There were many rules, but no sex with clients was the most important. He'd seen more than one dom get fired for testing that boundary.
He got through the rest of the scene, mind quiet, leather digging lightly into his skin as he sat down, carding his hand through the man's light brown hair. He was easy to manage, obeyed quickly, almost like the moment he got into position he was in a meditative state. Xie Lian was glad to end his day with him.
He cleaned the room up, placing his various toys and supplies in the proper places after sanitizing them. The cleaners would do a more thorough job after he'd left. He was tired, not because anything that taxing had happened that day, but he'd slept poorly, old aches clinging to his limbs from the lack of any real rest.
He hoped the train was running on time and he had time to do some stretching to work out the knot in his neck.
He was happy he didn't have a late appointment.
Or at least he thought he didn't but as he walked down the hall towards the locker room for employees, one of the receptionists stopped him.
"You're leaving?" Her face was slightly pinched from stress.
"Is everything alright?" Security and the general expectations they upheld limited the amount of people that tried to cause trouble, but even so, some like to behave poorly. He wondered if someone was giving the woman a hard time. It happened occasionally when someone was getting too attached to their dom and they weren't able to see them. Often it resulted in tantrums or threats no one wanted to humor.
"We have a new client, he doesn't look so good. He didn't want to meet with a woman. You're the only one with an open schedule. Do you think you could fit in a short session? I told him it'd have to be quick, probably nothing intense since it'd be the first introduction." She was doing a good job holding back how desperate she was to get him paired with someone, but Xie Lian could tell she was genuinely screwed if he said no.
They did well mainly because they offered discrete services and tried to fit in clients whenever they needed, even if it was at times, inconvenient for them. They didn't stray from their standards to accommodate anything too ridiculous, but being in the big city there were multiple places that offered the same sort of thing. The place Xie Lian worked at was always competing to keep clients, given how what they provided was in a sense niche and there wasn't that big of a pool to work with. Hence, the pressure to meet with the stranger that had showed up before he potentially went to another one of the businesses.
He sighed quietly. He was looking forward to getting his outfit off and showering but an extra half-hour wouldn't kill him. His long-term client he saw most often had moved across the country last week and honestly without him, Xie Lian was in need of a new client or two if he wanted to make rent.
"Yeah, give me a few minutes, have him fill out the paperwork if he hasn't. Please tell him that we won't be doing a scene today. We'll just cover the basics and meet each other." He said, before moving to the locker room. He tried to fix his hair and freshen up. He smelled a little like sweat from earlier when he'd really gone at it with a heavy flogger with his client that had a ridiculous pain tolerance. He cleaned himself up as best he could since he couldn't shower yet and headed back to his room. He shared it with another dom on the days he wasn't in, but today it was all his thankfully. He set up the room on autopilot, obviously knowing where he'd left everything a few minutes prior.
He returned to the waiting room when he was all set and paused in the doorway, not prepared to be met with a exhausted looking but ethereal man. He was the only one there and therefor the only one Xie Lian could be meeting with.
He grabbed the complete forms from the receptionist with a quiet thank you, skimming them over quickly, "Hua Cheng?"
The man's eye flickered up to meet his gaze. He looked sort of out it, like he needed to sleep for a few days straight.
"If you'd follow me, please." He said, carefully laying a land on his lower back after reading in the form that the man appreciated a grounding touch.
His footsteps were accompanied by the soft clink of metal from his necklace. His jewelry was tasteful and only added to the other-worldly quality he had.
He shut the door and moved to the couch. "You can sit beside me. We won't start anything more serious until we've had a chance to get to know one another more. My name is Dianxia." He gave him his formal title. He never told clients his real name. "You may call me that for now. If we agree it's a good fit, we'll discuss other titles in the future."
The man was graceful even with lines of fatigue running through his lean limbs.
"You seem tired."
"I slept poorly, I do most of the time. I apologize for not being a better conversational partner. Please call me San Lang. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Xie Lian liked that the last sentence was said sincerely, not with the flirtatious tone client's liked to use sometimes. Flirting with him was fine, but only after they'd started a formal scene, before or after that and it made him uncomfortable, like they weren't interested in respecting that this was ultimately a transitional relationship devoid of romantic connection.
"We'll review the paperwork, there's no plan to do anything more today except platonic, nonsexual touch." He said, easily adding structure to the meeting.
Hua Cheng nodded, not arguing with him or pushing for more. It was already a good sign.
"If you'd like to get more comfortable, do so, there are pillows and blankets in that cabinet you may use if you'd like."
Hua Cheng didn't opt for them but he did tuck his leg underneath him, finally letting some of the tension in his body go, shifting so his body was facing Xie Lian.
"I'll ask you some questions and run through what you've filled out. Feel free to elaborate or ask me questions as well."
Hua Cheng nodded, his eye lingering on Xie Lian's lips. His other eye was covered by an eyepatch, hidden mostly by his long hair. He could easily be a model, even with the haunted look his dark circle gave him.
"You've never been with a professional dom, yes? Have you ever engaged in kink or BDSM?"
"No, to both."
"What's drawing you to it now?"
Hua Cheng looked off to the side, not answering right away. Xie Lian couldn't read him well enough yet to know if he was feeling ashamed, shy, or something else.
"I need to let go, somehow, it's too much."
The answer was vague, but Xie Lian knew he had time to find out more. It wasn't altogether an abnormal sentiment either. Most people came here to be forced, consensually, to submit in some sort of way. The pressures of life getting under their skin to the point they needed someone to help them release it.
"Are you confident you'd like to sub?"
Some clients came in with notions about what they wanted and left enlightened that kneeling was very much not their preference.
"Yes. Completely." His short answers were brief but his tone was almost a confession, his shoulders dropping as he voiced them to someone, as if the act itself was calming.
"You've listed a few things as hard boundaries. We mention this to all new clients. These will never be introduced without your consent. Additionally, a conversation outside of a scene needs to be had before we opt to include them. We understand preferences can change, but spontaneous integration of anything on the 'hard no' list is out of the question. We use a stoplight and safe word or gesture. Stopping when either of us is uncomfortable is necessary and nonnegotiable. You don't respect that aspect and you're permanently banned."
He moved through the rest of the forms, used to the questions.
"Can I touch you?" He asked after a few minutes, wanting to see how he would respond.
Hua Cheng nodded.
"I'd like you to respond to my questions verbally. When I can gauge your reactions better there may be an opportunity for non-verbal consent. Do you understand?" His tone was kind but firm, easily dropping into the persona. He wouldn't overdo it so early but he wasn't one to shy away from his expectations for his subs, believing it was best to be upfront about them as early as possible.
"Yes, Dianxia."
"Very good." He said warmly. He noted the soft flush that covered Hua Cheng's strong cheekbones at the barest amount of praise, mentally cataloguing the response as his hand ran through his hair, lightly combing over his scalp. He was delighted to see Hua Cheng cave into the touch instantly, pushing his head more firmly into his hand. He finished up the rest of the questions and signed the paperwork clearing him to return for another meeting with him.
"I'll give this to the receptionist. You're welcome to schedule another session with me if you'd like. If you opt to come back, we'll spend some time figuring out where to start and we'll move into a scene, if that's appropriate."
Hua Cheng looked like he could fall asleep on the couch. Xie Lian wanted to pick him up and carry him to the much plusher couch the break room had. He'd fallen asleep on that one multiple times and could attest to how comfortable it was, compared to the one they were currently on, which was designed to be aesthetically harsh and easily cleaned, to fit the vibe of the room better.
"Will you be able to get home safely?" He asked, moving his thumb over his temple. He'd spend some time later thinking about why it was so easy to engage in more intimate, softer touches with the stranger. Normally, it took months to feel okay with this sort of dynamic and even then it was reserved exclusively for aftercare.
Maybe it was that he was stunning, his voice a deep lull, his entire being making Xie Lian unable to look away.
"Yes, I'll be fine."
Xie Lian didn't offer to drive him home, one, because he didn't own a car, not needing one in the city and not wanting the cost of it, and secondly, and more importantly, he wasn't meant to interact with clients outside of this building, no matter how much he wanted to make sure he got home safe.
"Alright, you'd better head home and try to rest. We'll talk more about why you look dead on your feet next time." He murmured as they both rose and headed back to the lobby.
"Thank you." Hua Cheng said while he bowed.
Xie Lian nodded and bowed in turn, eyes watching Hua Cheng move to the front desk, hoping he was making an appointment with him. He didn't linger, not wanting to loom. He'd look at his schedule tomorrow and he'd see if he was listed there.
He moved to the locker room, stripping off his outfit, rubbing over his indented skin, and threw on an old pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to walk home.