Public display of ownership (E)

Image courtesy of Slaves of the Goddess

Yesterday, my Goddess took the opportunity to display her ownership of me in public in a subtle manner that left me a bit submissively tingly all over, as much over how she did it as the unexpected way in which it came up.

One of the side effects of wearing my Eternity Collar since my Goddess first locked it around my neck over one-and-a-half year ago is that it sets off theft detection devices in many stores. No, don’t worry about seeing me behind bars anytime soon. I set off the detection devices walking into, as well as walking out of, the stores. On the way into stores, it normally elicits a look of surprise on the faces of staff at registers or near entrances, to which I normally respond by raising my hands and shoulders up in the air and providing an expression of “I have no idea why it did that.” On the way out of stores, the alarm going off usually means a trip back to the register for staff to re-swipe some of my purchases, occasionally emptying my pockets, and trying my best to look innocent. Often this is followed by a piece of advice from staff that most likely I’m wearing a piece of clothing that still has its original anti-theft tag.

Yesterday, after a wonderful romantic lunch together, My Goddess and I spent the afternoon doing some shopping in a nearby town. One of our stops was a favorite large bookstore, where we spent about 45 minutes. Yes, I set-off the alarm on the way in. When that happened, I looked in the direction of the young woman at one of the sales registers (she was the only staff in that area), threw up my hands, and we both shared a quizzical look on our faces at a distance of about 7-8 yards. My Goddess, who had gone in a few steps ahead of me, which she always does when we expect I’ll trigger the alarm, looked at me with her usual knowing smile, and we went about our business.

Once we were done with our browsing, and we had finalized our selection, we headed off to pay. The same young woman that we had made eye contact with at the entrance was manning the only sales register available. She was perhaps early to mid-20s in age. She was very pretty, wore glasses, had multiple facial and ear piercings, and had a significant number of tattoos. My Goddess and I exchanged pleasantries with her as she processed the purchases and payment. And then, as we were about to leave, to prepare for the inevitable, I reminded her that I was the one who set-off the alarm on my way in, so I was likely to trigger it again on my way out. I apologized in advance, and told her that I seemed to have that effect on their theft detection device. The young woman said that sometimes such things happened, and provided me with the theory of the still hidden clothing tag that had never been removed. My Goddess chimed in that I did set-off alarms in many stores, and that I was kind of special that way.

After a round of laughs to this last comment, unexpectedly, my Goddess reached under the t-shirt and polo shirt I was wearing, exposed my Eternity Collar to the young woman by holding it about half-way up my neck, and said:

“His collar is probably what’s causing it.”

The young woman paused, looked with fascination at my heavy metal collar, and smiled.

Image courtesy of An Addiction to Submission, with the original source possibly being Femdom Empire

The three of us said goodbye, and my Goddess and I headed for the exit. I triggered the alarm as expected, we both turned to the young woman at the register, all three of us smiled, and my Goddess and I finally left the store.

As we walked away, I teased my Goddess on her boldness. She replied, with a big smile, that she just felt like it. I could tell she enjoyed showing-off. Showing off her possession… her pet… her toy… her control… her power…

While neither one of us could be sure the young woman we exchanged with would recognize the Eternity Collar, or know its significance, this very random moment provided both of us with a bit of an exhibitionist thrill. And who knows… maybe it left the young woman at the bookstore with a lasting, knowing smile too.

In a fortuitous bit of coincidence, this noteworthy event happened yesterday just as this is the first weekend in over a month that I have a few moments for a blog post. The timing could not have been more perfect.

Photo of Mistress Mischelle courtesy of Love Thy Mistress

Public displays of submission (E)

Artwork courtesy of Nanshakh -
www.nanshakh.com/

There's something intensely powerful for me about subtle (and not so subtle) displays of submission to my Goddess in a public setting. Not really a matter of more special or less special than what we do at home, such as the locked leather collar at all times, foot kissing in the morning, or being at my Goddess' beck and call for whatever she desires... just different. Different in the actual actions, different in their shades of emotions and feelings, yet there are a continuation of the dynamics, a continuation of the belonging/ownership, and a continuation of the power exchange.

Our high-profile positions in our professional lives don't allow us to dispense with subtlety, outside of munches where we can be a little more daring, or closed events and private parties. And yet, our power exchange dynamics in public, as slight or as subtle as it may be, can be the source of much excitement, a high-level flow of D/s energy, and a reinforcement of our respectives roles in our relationship.

My Goddess wrote a few posts ago about a recent shopping trip where one of the saleswomen commented on my good behavior waiting on her, being helpful and supportive, and being pleasantly patient. The pride and satisfaction my Goddess felt in receiving those comments excited me to no end.

Out in the mainstream, I'm a no-nonsense kind of guy. Quiet but strong, cynical but polite, flexible but unyielding, my public personality could be seen by many as in opposition to what they would read here. But these traits of character are tempered and curbed by the dynamics of our relationship when I'm in the presence of my Goddess. Not that they disappear... far from it. I think my strength in the real-world makes my Goddess feel even more special about my submission and dedication to her. But my focus on everything "Her" puts me in a different mood, pulls up in me a different kind of behavioral programming.

On shopping trips, I try to be as helpful as I can. Patience is never an issue when serving or on duty to my Goddess. I'll go to get clothes in different sizes for her to try... I'll carry all the bags... I'll wait right outside the changing room to provide feedback. At restaurants, I'll make sure my Goddess' setting is right and ready for her... I'll pull out her cutlery... put her straw in her water or soft drink before I do mine. Of course, I try to maintain good manners in opening doors (including always opening her car door) and pulling up chairs for her, gestures that used to be signs of being well-raised, but now are seen almost as chivalry, and for us, are some of the little things that reinforce again the D/s dynamics. In areas where smoking is permitted, I will light her cigarettes. Lots of little gestures that not only fit into our relationship, but reinforce it, and actions that by their symbolism, maintain a certain level of energy and positive tension.

In more kink-oriented settings, my waiting on her is more obvious in terms of my body language, the way I wait on her and react to her requests, in the way I stand behind her during introductions or conversations, the way we hold or touch each other, or even in our near-continual displays of affection. From a more "vanilla" perspective, we've received many, many comments over time about our displays of affection and love toward each other, from "you look perfect together", "you look perfect for each other" and "we can feel/sense the intense love you have for each other" to occasionally "annoyingly lovely" and "you guys need to get a room".

Sometimes, the public displays of submission are things that nobody else in the world knows about. Although a bit of the excitement is that someone could see or find out... clearly there's also an element of exhibitionism present. But the most important factor is that my Goddess and I know what's going on, and she wants to have me do it, and I want to do it for her. Locked ankle cuffs under my pants through the work day... locked wrist cuffs under a jacket or fleece on cold days (non-work days)... my "mainstream" collar at all times I'm outside the house. And once, on a nature hike, we took a break to enjoy the view from a fairly isolated vantage point, and I spent half an hour with my hands bound.

I know... none of this is over-the-top, certainly in contrast to what we do behind closed doors. I would love to be totally open about the nature of our relationship for the world to see, to display my locked collar as a tribute to my Goddess at all times. But in our society as it is, discretion in such things is certainly the better part of valor, and it allows us to continue unimpeded a beautiful lifestyle that is immensely rewarding and fulfilling to both of us without undue pressure and ostracization. And those subtle moments of public displays of submission are made all the more intense by how delicate and nuanced they are.