Mahiro became a professional figure skater for one reason—to be near the object of his lust from the time he was a teenager, Alex Breschi. But he never advanced far enough for Alex to notice him. Now Alex is retired from skating and working as a thriller author, while Mahiro gracefully bowed out of competition years before to become a successful app developer and practicing Dom in New York City.
Reality and fantasy collide at a penthouse play party when Mahiro meets his idol. Alex is researching a book, and he wants to learn more about the lifestyle. In fact, he wants to be trained as a submissive. By Mahiro. -Florentine, by Mazarin Stone
The first question I get whenever I talk about Florentine is “Oh, did you read 50 Shades of Grey? Is that where you got your idea from?
The answer is, of course, yes, but not in the way you’d think.
I read 50 Shades years before it was published, back when it was the Twilight fanfiction “Master of the Universe.” I had read some, but not much, kink fic previously, but even as I read MOU, I kept thinking “No, no, BDSM isn’t supposed to be like this. Right? But what is it supposed to be?”
Fast forward 5 years or so and the launch of my own writing hobby, and through that I met people who were in the kink scene. I’d read more kink, too, and was fascinated by the power dynamics of those relationships. I spent time researching what kink, particularly BDSM, meant, exactly, and tried to understand if truly healthy, consensual BDSM relationships could exist.
They can and do. As I continued to research and read about BDSM, I thought, what could that look like? How could I write about BDSM in a way that was not only real and respectful of the people who practice it, but also clear and insightful, so others can read and understand how it works? And so Florentine was born.
In order to keep things on track as I wrote, two of my beta readers were in the kink scene, and they helped guide me as I created scenes and discussed the lifestyle. Everything that my two main characters, Mahiro and Alex, experience is real, visceral, and as true to an honest BDSM relationship as I could get. Mahiro is an experienced Dom, training Alex, an inexperienced novice, in how to be a submissive. And in doing so, he also talks to my readers about his hopes, his fears, his mistakes, his successes. Alex too – what he wants, what he fears, and what being a submissive means to him.
From Chapter 5 – a breakthrough in their relationship.
“It’s okay, Alex. I’ll understand, whatever it is. I promise.”
Alex turns around on the bench to face Mahiro and tucks his feet up as well. “I didn’t expect to feel quite this way,” he says. “I knew, going in, that the power dynamics of these relationships are delicate. But I didn’t—” He stops and swallows. “I didn’t know I could want it this much,” he says, all in a rush and whispered like a secret. “I didn’t know I’d want to please you like I do, and I’m afraid.” Mahiro watches as a blush dusts the tops of his cheeks, and he looks down again, fiddling with the edge of his shirt.
Mahiro’s hands are instantly at his mouth, because he’s utterly floored by what he’s just heard. Alex wants him, has crossed that line between just dabbling and desiring, and Mahiro wants to scream and punch the air and dance a stupid dance right there in the middle of Central Park with half the tourist population of New York watching him because he’s about to explode with happiness.
But he doesn’t. He just leans forward and presses his forehead to Alex’s, tastes the air he’s breathing.
“You don’t have to be afraid, my beauty. I’m right here with you,” he whispers and wraps him in his arms.
Care to join Mahiro and Alex as they navigate both their relationship as Master and submissive, as well as their new and blossoming love? Find it here:
I plan to release one link/picture a day of various toys/clothes/furniture from Florentine on Twitter after publication day on January 28! Come follow me there, @Mazarin_Stone.