"I think in this place, friends are going to be important. Everyone's under pressure from the city, subject to laws and...influences. I hope that my Dominant is someone I can be friends with. It's part of why I'm beginning to look seriously so soon--I don't want to be stuck scrambling, in the end. I've always been best when I can take the time to be thorough."

Her lips curl in a gentle, wistful smile.

"Where I come from, I work as a housemaid to a brilliant, eccentric man. We're close, but I recognize the difference in our roles. I am his servant, he is my master, even if at the end of a long day we sometimes share a bottle of wine and talk freely together. In public, we put on the proper show, aware of the roles that are ours to play. But he means a lot to me, as more than an employer. I imagine my ideal contract might be similar in structure."

Of course, she's not a typical housemaid in reality, but that part of the story is hardly a first date sort of matter.