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This story contains mature themes

“Makeshift blindfolds are easy and pretty readily available,” the woman uses her other palm to emphasize the leather set she’s holding up before she drops it back onto the table. “Scarf, tie, sleeping mask. Towel, or shirt, depending on position. You can even flip someone’s clothing over their face if they can’t push it back down.”

Claire puts effort into making her face still. Her wrist buzzes with a notification that she ignores, opting her determined stare toward the table at the front of the room.

“You can buy blindfolds, too, of course. The basic premise of any sensory deprivation play is the effect it has on anticipation, feelings surrounding control, and enhancement of the other senses.”

The undergrads in the room are mostly quiet, but laughter dances among the crowd as the woman reaches into a bag and produces a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs. Someone in the back makes a shushing sound.

“It’s all right,” the woman smiles. “You can laugh. They’re silly, right? Various kinds of motion restriction are a mainstay of sensory deprivation play, and almost everyone is familiar with handcuffs.” She pulls out a plain steel pair and ratchets it closed over one wrist, securing the fuzzy pair slightly higher on her arm. “Traditional handcuffs can hurt, and dig into skin causing cuts or bruising. Plus, the fuzzy ones are less threatening. So many people have trouble asking for what they want from sex. The leopard print handcuffs and pink fuzzy blindfolds might seem silly, but in addition to the added cushioning, they can serve as a gentle entry when steel or leather or rope feels too intimidating. But things to think about — we use our arms to brace ourselves when we fall. Once restrained, there’s a much higher risk of injury if someone trips or stumbles. And when it comes to the potential for nerve damage —”

Claire wishes she wasn’t sitting in the middle of the crowd. Packed in to the common room among fifty of her friends and classmates, she feels hot and a little dizzy.

The woman speaks on restraint for a few minutes more, then turns her attention to the subject of lube. Claire lets herself relax, and leans back on her hands to look up at the ceiling. Her thoughts wander, by the time she snaps back the woman has moved on to condoms and dental dams.

She finishes her presentation with a, “It’s okay to want what you want, it’s okay to ask for it, and it’s okay to make sure you’re engaging safely.” Claire idles on the floor a few minutes, then makes her way up to the table to examine the various toy displays. People are filing out of the room — some giggling, some tugging their partners by the hand, some in groups, some studying the backs of the free lube and flavored condom samples.

Claire runs her fingers over the pink blindfold, then the leather one, trying to keep her face neutral. Amy and Matt find her there, tugging her arm and pulling her away before she can get up the courage to ask her question.

“When she pulled the condom over her arm! Too big my ass,” Amy says on the walk back to their dorm. December air feels good on Claire’s hot face. Matt argues back that an arm has bones and his dick doesn’t. Amy scoffs.

“What was your favorite part?” Amy asks Claire, back in their room. Claire lowers the lid of her laptop and shrugs. “I dunno. The fetish stuff was interesting.”

Amy nods. “Yeah. I guess. But honestly, the porn I’ve seen involving restraints and stuff has all been really severe. I don’t think it’s for me.”

“Me, either,” Claire nods. “It was just interesting to learn about it like that. I thought the glow-in-the-dark condoms were cool, too.”

They chat a while more, and Amy goes to shower. Claire lets out a long breath as she pulls up a new tab. How do I ask for what I want? she types, and hits return.