Foreword: for the sake of not taking any longer to post something, I decided to simply post this section instead of including it in the chapter with the full dental exam. That part will come in time, but enjoy the long buildup for now. 💜 (Also, I leaned towards realism which might not the preference around here).

Matt decided to put on a more mellow playlist for the drive back. Though he was pretty sure that James enjoyed himself at the munch, he thought it best to keep things chill in case something had made his friend upset. After he and the rest of the group had gotten pizza, they returned to find James sitting by himself with Erin having just left. A text received not much later confirmed that she had left for an unstated emergency, but that she was fine and enjoyed her time. She would see everyone at the next munch.

James looked fine enough when they returned. He was sometimes hard to read, but the occasional smirk and astute comment suggested that he was, at least, okay.

“So uhhhh…you…had a good time?” Matt tapped his fingers on the steering wheel rhythmically, feeling a little bit awkward as he gauged his friend’s mood.

“Yeah, everyone was really friendly.” James was glued to his phone, scrolling through something Matt couldn’t make out in his peripheral. James’s prescriptions weren’t the best, so he always kept his phone closer to his face when reading it.

“Annnnd…how did your conversation with the big boss lady go? …Erin, I mean.”

James looked up from his phone. He decided earlier that he would try to play it cool around Matt regarding Erin. He wasn’t sure what Matt knew about her, but he also didn’t want Matt to know how flustered he had been by her. “Oh, it was good. We will probably meet up tomorrow casually to see if we’re compatible for play.”

Matt’s general wariness of James’s mood turned to joy as he figured his friend just scored big time. His face beamed, and he shook James’s shoulder to congratulate him. “Wow, dude, that’s awesome! Damn, I had no idea it went that well. Did you just have a conversation and you realized you both had overlapping kinks or what?”

James smiled as his friend jostled him lightly in excitement. “Yeah, something like that…um… obviously, we talked a bit, but can you tell me a bit about Erin? I just want to know what I can about her, to be better equipped for conversation tomorrow, I guess.” Quite frankly, James knew nothing about Erin other than that she was a dentist and made him extremely nervous. He had no idea what she was into nor did he know what she did outside of work and kink. He figured prying Matt could enlighten him a bit to Erin’s nature beyond what he had seen briefly that night.

“Of course! Though I guess I don’t know too much about her actually. She is very private about her life outside of kinky get-togethers, but I assume she is some sort of important business person based on…well, everything about her.” Matt gestured broadly in front of him as if Erin were there and he was pointing out her general aura. James was relieved to learn that Matt didn’t know about her profession. It would require a little more lying to keep it a secret, but James would be a bit too embarrassed if his friend knew that he got off on dentistry. “But, what I can say is that she does not seem to be very “soft” Domme. I don’t think she has had a dynamic going lately, but her last sub posted some wicked bruises online that she gave him when they were still playing together.”

James shuddered. He could assume that Erin wasn’t going to be nice to him, but learning she was that sadistic chilled his bones. Did he want this? James had never truly done any BDSM before, but he knew the idea of being hurt excited him. He just didn’t know if his fantasies matched his actual preferences. He figured he might have to ask Erin to take it slow, but he also wasn’t sure if he wanted her to do that.

“But, yeah man, good for you! I’m not enough of a switch to sub for her, honestly because I think she still scares me a bit haha, but she seems right up your alley. What do you want to explore with her?”

James hadn’t really considered what he was going to tell Matt that they were doing together, so he just spurted out some kinks that came to mind. “Oh, probably pegging, impact, and some cbt.”

“Ooh, nice.” Matt seemed to take that lie as a sufficient answer because he nodded several times as he pulled into James’s apartment complex. “Well, I’m happy for you dude. I hope it goes well.”

“Thank you.” James smiled softly. He was glad to have Matt as a friend.

Matt pulled in next to James’s place and unlocked the car door so he could get out. “Well, man, keep me updated. I’ll see you.”

“Bye! I’ll text you about it. Thanks for the ride.”

James didn’t sleep much that night. A good portion of it was actually spent trying in vain to improve the condition of his teeth. He wasn’t one to brush very often, just when he felt he needed his breath smelling fresh for a meeting or something similar. Even then, his brushing routine was quite quick and only addressed the fronts of his teeth and his tongue. Motivated by anticipated humiliation however, James tried to vigorously attend to his mouth for the first time in a while.

After a few minutes of brushing, James spit to reveal that much of the frothy mint toothpaste had mixed with blood from his tender gums, resulting in a Christmasy mix of light green and deep red. Flossing wasn’t much better. He was frequently unable to access the interproximal surfaces of his teeth simply because his hygiene was so bad that a “bridge” of hard calculus had formed to fill the gaps between some of his teeth. When he was able to reach the gumline, sharp aches followed by the leaking of more blood from his swollen gumline assured him that he wouldn’t be able to fix anything in the short time between then and his appointment with Erin.

Now lying, eyes wide open under the covers of his bed, James reflected on the munch and wondered what was to come. He had some work to do tomorrow, but only time would tell if his nerves would allow him to concentrate.

He imagined Erin as he saw her tonight: sharply dressed, tight turtleneck forming to her body, piercing gaze. He loved how her dark attire contrasted with her light, smooth skin. James wondered what her scrubs would look like, hopefully dark and tight. Black or a nice maroon always did wonders for him.

James noticed he was grinding. This time, it wasn’t his teeth. He had gotten hard fantasizing about tomorrow and started subconsciously humping into the mattress. “How pathetic,” he thought. He felt like a dog…but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing in his mind. He just wanted to rid his mind of anything except what felt good.

But he wasn’t sure he deserved to orgasm just yet. So he stopped grinding. He and Erin hadn’t done anything yet, but he already felt her authority encircling him like a blissful haze. James wanted to sink into it and to give in, but that was easier said than done. He’d have to get through the appointment tomorrow first.

James spent most of the day feeling as though he were waiting for something unpleasant and exciting in equal measure.

Anticipation lingered underneath everything else no matter how hard he tried to focus. He attempted to read through a few research articles for school, but every paragraph seemed to dissolve in his mind as soon as he finished it. Eventually he just sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. Erin had completely lodged herself into his head after only one conversation.

He kept replaying small moments from the brewery in his mind: the sound of her voice when she told him to sit, the sensation of her thumb in his chin, even remembering the embarrassment of opening his mouth for her made heat crawl up the back of his neck. It should have mortified him enough to stay away tonight. Rationally, he knew that, but rationality had stopped influencing him as soon as Erin slipped that business card his way.

Around noon, James found himself back in the work bathroom staring at his teeth critically under the fluorescent lighting. He had already brushed twice this morning, but that did little to stop him from inspecting every minute imperfection with increasing dissatisfaction. At one point, he prodded at an area experimentally with his fingertip and immediately regretted it when a sharp tenderness responded in that spot. His stomach twisted. What exactly was Erin going to do tonight?

The question kept changing shape in his mind the longer he sat with it. At first, it had been a question of excitement, but the more he thought about it, the more a feeling of exposure began to overshadow the excitement. The idea of sitting under the overhead light while Erin examined all the evidence of his neglect made his pulse quicken unsettlingly. He had spent years avoiding the dentist partially because of the shame which accompanied every appointment. The hygienists would try to gently conceal disappointment while scraping through tartar that should have been prevented months ago. With Erin, James doubted that there would be any attempt to soften things. That terrified him…but also prompted excitement low in his torso.

By late afternoon, he gave up trying to be productive and went home. There, he cleaned to detract himself until it was time to get ready. He tried multiple outfits before settling on a dark pullover and jeans simply because he could no longer stand looking at himself in the mirror deciding. Before leaving, he brushed his teeth one more time, by now more of an anxious compulsion than a hygienic necessity. His existing calculus sealed his fate and there was nothing he could do about it.

The drive to Westwood Precision Dentistry felt short despite his constant nervousness gnawing at him. The clinic came into view just as the last beams of sunset disappeared fully into night. During the daytime, James imagined the building looked pretty welcoming in the polished way many modern dental offices did. At night though, it looked sharp, cutting into the darkness.

Large glass windows reflected the parking lot lights while the illuminated interior beyond them felt almost unnaturally pristine against the darkness outside. The white signage stood out starkly against the charcoal exterior facade. Everything about this place communicated control and professionalism; it felt unmistakably hers.

James parked farther away than necessary and sat there with the car off for a minute. There were no other cars nearby except for one sleek, dark coupe parked immediately beside the side entrance which he assumed belonged to Erin.

The realization that they were truly going to be alone tonight finally settled uncomfortably in his mind. What frightened him was the idea of having her attention for an extended period of time. Just him, Erin, and whatever dental instruments she would need to use between them.

James swallowed hard and finally stepped out of the car. Through the glass doors he could see the reception area sitting silent and immaculate: empty chairs, clean countertops. For a brief moment James considered turning around. Then he pictured Erin aware that he had failed to show up. The thought alone made him shudder. So instead, heart hammering, James reached for the door handle and stepped inside.

A distinct quiet hit James as the door shut behind him. The office lived around him in subtle ways, but there were no phones ringing from the reception, no distant chatter between assistants, no overlap of sound from suction and handpiece alike. The clinic seemed reduced to its minimal functions. Just low hums from equipment deeper in the building and whispered air from the vents.

He stood awkwardly near the front door for a bit, unsure if he was supposed to wait there or make himself known. The reception area looked pristine. Every surface gleamed, every pen aligned perfectly, no dust. A subtle scent of disinfectant, mint, and the slightest undertone of rubber underneath filled the air.

James adjusted the cuff of his sweater anxiously and glanced toward the dark hallway leading further into the office. Footsteps approached.

Erin appeared from around the corner, tablet tucked beneath one arm. Her scrubs were black. Sharply fitted, the dark material followed the athletic lines of her frame. The short sleeves exposed forearms lightly dusted with feint veins and subtle muscle definition when she moved. A matte-black surgical cap covered most of her dark hair, only a few coffee colored strands showed in the back. Combined with the clean structure of the scrubs, it transformed her into something even more clinical and focused than he could have imagined.

Her eyes lifted to his without surprise. “You found the place easily,” she observed.

James nodded quickly. “Y-yeah, it wasn’t too hard.”

“Good.” She stopped in front of him then, her gaze moving over him, observant and automatic. “You’re early,” she added after a moment.”

James checked the time on his phone reflexively. “Sorry…I can wait if you’re still busy…”

Erin tilted her head slightly and raised one dark eyebrow just enough to sharpen her expression. “I didn’t say I was busy.”

A familiar redness spread across James’s face. “Right…sorry.” The correction hadn’t been harsh, just frustratingly even such that James felt clumsy. Erin’s eyes lingered on him before she turned and walked back into the hallway.

“Come with me.” James followed without thinking.

The deeper they moved into the clinic, the more unsettled James became. Operatories branched off each side of the hallway, some dark, others softly illuminated by monitor glow or task lighting left on above neatly arranged instrument trays. He caught glimpses as they passed: sleek black dental chairs, mounted screens, rows of instruments sealed in sterile pouches . Everything looked expensive and intentionally placed.

Eventually, she stopped outside one of the farther operatories and stepped inside. “This room will be more comfortable.” Comfortable was not the word James would have chosen.

The operatory was larger than he expected. It was spacious enough that the dental chair sat almost like the focal point of a small stage. One wall displayed cabinetry and long countertop housing equipment James partially recognized. Another held a mounted monitor beside an adjustable arm holding an X-ray machine. It smelled of cleaning wipes and latex.

James tried not to stare very long at the chair itself. Erin set the tablet down on the counter and turned toward him. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then her eyes drifted towards his hands. “You’re fidgeting.”

James immediately stopped rubbing at the cuff of his sweater. “…I didn’t realize I was doing that.”

“Hm.”

Erin stepped closer slightly. Up close the black scrubs somehow made her pale complexion appear even more luminescent and celestial. He also noticed the dark apple watch around her wrist which he had seen yesterday.

“You’re nervous.” It wasn’t phrased like a question.

James hesitated before nodding. “A little.”

“A little?” Erin tested the honesty of his answer. “You’re holding tension in your shoulders bad enough I noticed it from several feet away.

James swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”

That earned him another slight look from her. “You apologize reflexively. Quite interesting.”

James’s stomach twisted. Erin was simply making observations, but they caried an untold weight that made him feel like he was being studied.

“You can relax somewhat. I’m not planning to throw you into the chair without speaking to you first.” She gestured toward the chair positioned near the operatory counter rather than the dental chair itself. “Sit there.” James obeyed.

The ordinary chair grounded him slightly; it felt more conversational and less vulnerable. Erin remained standing for a moment, tapping once or twice across the screen of her tablet before finally pulling over a saddle stool for herself. James couldn’t help but glance as she straddled the seat, legs wide for posture but with the unintended effect of making James’s face more red than it had been.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. James became painfully aware of the ambient hum of the room and the fact that they were alone in it. Then Erin crossed one arm neatly over the other and looked directly at him. “Before I start any examination, I want a clearer understanding of your history and your habits. Not just clinically. Behaviorally.”

James straightened himself without meaning to. Erin noticed, of course.

“You said last night that this fixation has existed for a long time. People don’t usually develop interests like that in isolation. So I’d like to understand where it intersects with your lived experiences receiving care.” The phrasing immediately made James blush. Erin remained composed. “When was your last dental appointment?”

“Um…l…” He cleared his throat. “Probably four years ago…maybe a little longer.”

Erin’s expression did not change, but her posture subtly sharpened even more. “And before that? Were you consistent when you were younger?”

“Not really.” James looked down briefly towards his hands. “My parents made appointments when I was a kid, but once I moved out and started college I kind of just…stopped going.”

“Mm.” Erin typed something on the tablet. “Any major treatment history? Extractions, orthodontics, root canals?”

James shook his head. “No braces. No root canals either. I had a couple fillings when I was younger, but that’s it.”

“No braces,” Erin repeated.

James immediately became self-conscious of his teeth again. He resisted the urge to press his lips together. “They’re crooked, I know.”

“I didn’t say that.” The corrective response came smoothly. Erin adjusted her scrub pants, the black fabric pulling neatly across her thigh as she settled back slightly in the stool. “But yes, you have visible crowding from what I observed last night. Enough that hygiene becomes more difficult even if your habits were better than they currently are.”

James swallowed at the phrase: “what I observed last night.” Something about her referring so clinically to the vulnerable moment at the brewery made red creep into his face again.

Erin continued as though she didn’t notice his blush. “How often are you brushing currently?”

“Once a day usually if I have class or meetings.”

“And flossing?”

James hesitated too long. Erin’s eyes lifted from the tablet back to his face. “That infrequently,” she concluded.

“…y-yeah.”

Another note was added to the tablet. “What about sensitivity? Cold, sweets, pressure?”

“My gums have been bleeding a lot lately, especially if I brush too hard.

Erin’s tone remained level. “That is not sensitivity. That is inflammation. Anything else?”

James thought for a second. “One of my back teeth hurts sometimes when I bite down on things…but not constantly.”

“Upper or lower?”

“Lower left side.”

Erin nodded once. “And you ignored it.”

James gave a small, embarrassed nod. For a moment, Erin simply watched him quietly. Not with cruelty, but the stillness of her face made it worse because there was no visual emotional reaction for him to consider.

“You avoid maintenance until discomfort forces your attention onto it. Then you attempt to compensate quickly instead of maintaining consistency.”

James blinked slightly; the statement landed with uncomfortable accuracy. “I-I guess that’s true.”

“It usually is for people who let things deteriorate this far.” Erin rested the tablet against her leg. “Neglect rarely comes from ignorance alone. Most people understand basic hygiene; the issue is behavioral.”

James shifted faintly in his seat. There was something exposing about the way she spoke about him, like she was examining his inner code which he himself didn’t understand.

Erin continued. “You also apologize constantly.”

“Sor-…” James stopped himself mid-word.

A flicker crossed Erin’s expression, close enough to amusement that James’s stomach tightened. “There. Automatic.”

James groaned softly and rubbed his forehead with his palm. “I know. I just…I don’t know…it’s a habit.”

“It’s a submissive reflex,” Erin corrected. “Not necessarily in a sexual sense, though likely there as well.” Her gaze remained steady on him. “It is easy to diffuse tension preemptively by making yourself smaller inside interactions.

James felt his pulse throb sharply in his chest. Nobody had ever described him that directly before

Erin leaned forward in the stool slightly, studying him with composed focus. “You are nervous around authority figures, but you also seem drawn toward them.”

James tried to answer immediately, but nothing coherent came out. Erin waited. She was very comfortable with silence in a way that most people weren’t. Eventually James managed quietly, “I think…I-I like to feel guided.” The admission settled heavily within the room.

Erin narrowed her attention slightly. “Guided,” she repeated.

James nodded weakly. “I get overwhelmed pretty easily when I’m left completely on my own with things. Routines especially.” He looked down at his hands again and fiddled with them. “I know I’m intelligent. I know how stupid it sounds that I can’t even keep up with brushing consistently, but…”

“But structure imposed externally is easier for you to follow than structure you create for yourself.”

“…yeah.

Another long pause.

Then Erin rested her forearms lightly on her thighs and spoke in a slightly lower voice than before. “And in a dynamic? What are you looking for?”

Heat ran up James’s neck. The shift from clinical behavioral analysis to explicit BDSM terminology came very comfortably to her, but it still jarred him. “I…I don’t know exactly.”

“Hm.”

“I mean…I know I’m submissive. I like authority. I like being told what to do. I like…being controlled, I guess.” His face warmed further and his voice wavered slightly. “Especially when someone is strict.”

Erin watched him steadily. “And humiliation?”

James hesitated. “A little, but only if it feels deserved.”

This seemed to interest her as her eyes widened subtly. “Deserved. So accountability matters for you.”

James nodded. “I think random cruelty would just make me upset, but if someone is correcting me because I actually failed at something…” He swallowed. “That feels different.”

Erin was silent for a couple seconds after that. Then she spoke again. “You respond well to competence. Not just dominance. You became visibly more reactive the moment you realized I was a dentist. Not because of the title itself, but because authority tied to expertise feels more legitimate to you.”

James felt his heart skip a beat because she was entirely correct. The room suddenly felt very warm. James shifted again in the chair, trying unsuccessfully to ease the nervous tension in his body.

“You’re squirming.”

“S-sorry.”

“There it is again.”

James shut his eyes in embarrassment and a silence lingered. James felt himself being assessed.

Finally Erin spoke again. “If we continued interacting beyond tonight, I would not be interested in something casual or purely performative.”

James looked up immediately.

“I don’t enjoy inefficiency. And I have no patience for people who romanticize submission while resisting accountability.” Her gaze remained steady on his. “A dynamic, if I choose to participate in one, should improve functionality of the sub. Discipline. Consistency. Otherwise it becomes indulgent in a very boring way.” James listened intently. “You struggle with maintenance, self care, routine, follow through. The issues are present both dentally and behaviorally.” A slight pause. “Which means correction in one area would inevitably overlap with the other.”

James’s breath caught faintly and his chest was light. This was not roleplay; it was correction.

To be continued…