Behind the shiny black door of a basement flat in Central London, an education awaits the love it! Sex Spy. She thinks she`s going to like it a lot more than geography.
This is the London School of Mistressing, which is run by Mistress Josephine, a lady with nine years` experience as a practising dominatrix.
Dominating clients in her dungeon is still her full-time job, but she also offers classes that teach women how to be a dominatrix - from how to
practise safely to where to advertise their services.
Sex Spy has come for her first lesson, and meeting Josephine at the door, she finds a lady who fulfils all her expectations.
Her hair`s razored into a sleek black bob, her curves are perfectly encased in a tight black corset, and her 6in stilettos look like weapons of torture.
She`s very obviously an expert in her field. Entering her dungeon, Sex Spy takes in an array of interesting furniture, including a spanking bench, an adult-size cage and a black leather bondage swing.
Along one wall hangs a selection of whips, canes, leather hoods and handcuffs, and there are some daunting-looking sex toys on a shelf.
But Sex Spy can`t take her eyes off the immaculate white wooden floor. `How do you keep it so clean?` she marvels.
`One of my slaves cleans it for me - he likes doing it,` Josephine shrugs. `I`ve had the odd female customer and have some couples on my books, but it`s 99 per cent men who book me, and they are aged 18 to 80. `The desire to be dominated is often subconscious and linked to experiences in childhood. For most, it`s a sexual desire.`
She explains that every person`s fantasy is different, and her customers` requests continue to surprise her.
`I`ve had a vegetarian man who wanted to choke on tuna and another who wanted me to shave his head,` she says. `I can`t understand it, but it`s not my job to question it. I`m just here to fulfil the fantasy`.
ANYTHING GOES
Some clients ask Josephine to wear a leather or latex catsuit, or a pair of boots rather than shoes. `Some want to dress up themselves,` she says. `There`s some that like to be treated like a puppy`
She indicates the dog bowl and chew toy inside a cage.
`I`ve even got one guy who likes to dress as a little girl and give a flute recital for me,` she says.
Her most common requests include corporal punishment with a whip or cane, especially from men aged 40-plus.
`I`m sure that`s related to punishments _ received in their school days,` Josephine says. `Shoe and feet worship is also very common.`
Sex Spy wants to know the difference between a dominatrix and an escort. `How far do you go with clients?` she asks.
`If someone wants to be touched by me, I`ll do it with gloves,` Josephine says.
`But I never sleep with clients A true dominatrix should always be unobtainable, and that`s what clients want - their mistress on a pedestal.
The men who seek my services are very respectful. They see women as superior to them.`
For Josephine, being a dominatrix was purely a business decision. She was into the fetish scene, adored its self-expression and creativity, and discovered men would pay big money to be dominated. She currently charges clients £200 an hour.
`I took tips from a friend who was doing it, then just found my own way and set up the dungeon here,` she says. `It w as nerve-racking at first, but you can`t let that show.`
Josephine says it`s a great way to make a good living and has never stopped her from having; relationships.
`Some weeks, I £3,000, on others, more like £300. To keep j customers coming back, you have to be flexible, creative and hard-working. It`s not a job for young mums, or something to dip into at weekends,` she says. `But if you work hard, the perks are great. One of my clients flies me to Dubai.`
Sex Spy is starting to understand, but feels doubtful that she`ll be any good at this.
`Can you teach anyone to do it?` she asks.
`You have to be confident and able to give a convincing performance,` Josephine says. `My dominatrix persona is an act -but one I feel comfortable with. `It`s not a job that suits young girls, or skinny girls. You need life experience and a | body that suggests you could overpower a man. Your look is everything. If you`ve got great boobs or legs, make the most of them. Find a style that suits you.`
She says a clipped English accent is also a great selling point, and that you must enunciate properly The upper-class English dominatrix fantasy is a classic,` Josephine winks.
Sex Spy`s feeling more uncertain now, but Josephine is confident she can raise her inner mistress. `We`ll start with sensual tie and tease,` she says officiously, snapping into mistress mode, and instructing Sex Spy to watch carefully while she restrains her
blindfolded yet willing slave, William, on a cross-shaped rack.
`Use your instinct when restraining - don`t be scared,` she says, buckling William`s arms and legs tightly to the cross. `Use your bod)` to interact with him, lean against him, run your hands all over him. A blindfold increases sensitivity to touch.`
BE ASSERTIVE
William`s chest pimples with goosebumps as Josephine runs her painted nails across his chest `You want to give him pleasure so he gets excited, then suddenly change it up for something a bit painful,` she says, drawing up a leather flogger and whipping it on William`s tender parts! All the while, she`s whispering naughty things to him, then | reprimanding him severely. `You want to I mess with his mind, assert your dominance,` she grins. `I might ask a rhetorical question, then say: "Don`t talk back!" when he answers.` Now it`s time for Sex Spy to get hands-on. Josephine directs William to the spanking bench.
Sex Spy falls \ at the first hurdle — she`s rubbish at restraining him, fastening the buckles too loosely. `You need to do it tighter,` Josephine barks.
Sex Spy tries again.
Next, Josephine demonstrates how to warm up the flesh before using a whip. `Cup your hand and slap each cheek firmly until the skin`s nice and pink. Without warming up, the client`s pain threshold is lower. While some like this, never whip someone cold unless the}` ask,` she says.
Sex Spy lias a go at `warming` and quickly gets the hang of it. However, whipping is another matter. She`s very shy about it.
`Unless they ask for it, never leave marks on a man, especially if he lias a partner,` Josephine says. `Many clients come here secretly because their partner won`t fulfil these desires.
`Causing physical pain to your partner in the context of a loving relationship is something most women find very hard to do.`
Sex Spy can`t do it in this context, either! She strikes William`s bottom too gently. Urged to whip harder, she finally does and bright pink stripes appear across his skin.
"Well done. They`re perfectly placed shots,` Josephine praises.
Sex Spy feels oddly proud. She leaves wondering if maybe she could make it as a mistress, after all. There`s a lot more to learn, but now she knows where to come to graduate!
