“Tonight, I’ll share with you a conversation I had with an individual who became a part of the BDSM lifestyle long before it became a mainstream curiosity.”

The video cut to a movie clip of an elaborate dungeon, the camera panning to depict red leather benches, walls covered with crops and paddles, all accentuated in sensual lighting. Lizbet’s voice was edited in underneath.

“The movies and books all paint dungeons as very glamorous locations. But do they really exist?

“Absolutely.” The image on screen cut to a silhouette of a woman’s face, though her voice had obviously been altered. Even with the attempts to disguise the woman’s identity, it was obvious she had full lips, and her cute little upturned nose added a uniqueness to her image.

“Most dungeons don’t look like what you read in books. Some in bigger cities do, but most are more functional spaces. Clean and tidy with well enforced rules, to be sure, but not the opulent settings you see in movies.”

“And how do you fit in with this lifestyle?”

“I’m a Dominant. A Pro Domme to be exact.”

“But you’re a woman.”

“I am. But a Dominant role isn’t relegated to only men any more than submissive roles are relegated to females.”

“And a Pro Domme—what does that mean?”

The mystery woman hesitated, but when she spoke anyone watching could have heard the smug pleasure in her voice. “It means those seeking submission pay me to Dominate them. Sometimes in the form of a tribute, but most often for money.”

“Do you have sex with them?”

“Sometimes. If it’s something that’s negotiated.”

The question must have caught Lizbet off guard, because there was a slight hitch before her next question came. But it was a damned good one. “But isn’t that technically prostitution?”

“Yes, which is why I’m very, very careful with those I interact with. But it’s still a need, and one I very much enjoy filling. So, I do it. Often.”

“Do you make a living at it?”

Even without the benefit of seeing the woman’s face, a certain tension crept into the interview. “I didn’t have to for a very long time. Now...it helps.”

The camera feed cut to Lizbet, back live on the streets of New Orleans. “My source went on to share that the BDSM and other less traditional lifestyles are far more prevalent within New Orleans and the United States than many people realize. While she refused to share the actual location of any dungeons within our own city, she did confirm they exist. So, while the stories penned by authors paint far more elaborate pictures, it appears there is fact beneath the fiction.

“Over the next few weeks we’ll explore more myths and legends purported to take place in our beloved city’s shadows. Until then, I’m Lizbet Montlake, reporting live from New Orleans’s Seventh Ward.”

Cassie punched the mute button and tossed the remote on the coffee table. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“What?” Frieda said. “What’s wrong with it?”