The correspondent I mentioned previously found me via one of the sexuality-specific matchmaking sites I've mentioned, and emailed me on June 4 through the double-blind system such sites normally provide. (A sound precaution, by the way.) Here's what she wrote:

Dear Sir:
Found your profile at this site, and decided to write, after hesitating for a bit. Don't know how to address you — I'm new at this — so I thought the formality of Dear Sir would do for now.

I've been browsing the essays you've posted in Plunce.com, your web journal. You certainly spend a lot of time thinking about sex . . . and give me lots to think about. Do you have many readers?

I'm registered here too, so you can check out my own profile. I'll tell you more if you're interested.

From my end, I'm intrigued. From your profile you sound smart and witty. Also generous, and kind, and easygoing. Not to mention loving. I guess I don't quite understand where the dominance and submission come in, how those things tie in with the rest. At the same time, I have to say that this idea of role-playing, surrendering to a man's control, obediently doing what I'm told, gets me feeling all . . . funny . . . inside. Scared, but also thrilled. (Did I mention wet?)

One of the writers you mention in your profile I've read — Anne Rice, her "Beauty" trilogy. Also The Story of O, and some other erotica. Very, very hot. From the profiles at this site, including yours, I can see that real people actually live that way, not just fictional characters. That's amazing. Also refreshing.

Don't have any personal experience with any of that yet. My sex life has been entirely "vanilla" so far, and not much of that for too long a time. So you'd have to be open to taking on a "newbie." But I have all sorts of fantasies. Definitely willing to experiment, and learn. I'm a good student. You sound like you'd be a great teacher.

Please write back if you think I'm worth the trouble. Even if you don't think I'm right for you, I'd enjoy having someone to talk with about all this — like a mentor, or advisor. I don't know if you ever do that, but if you have the time I'd appreciate it.

Sincerely,
A Girl

My reply:

Dear Girl:

Calling me Sir will do just fine for starters.

I read your email, and your profile at this site, with great interest, and appreciate the candor and complexity of both.

I think it's very brave of you to have registered here. Not easy to speak forthrightly about one's sexuality, even under a nom de plume, as I know from experience. Took courage too for you to initiate this correspondence. Regardless of how things work out between us, I want you to hear that from me.

With luck, your daring will get rewarded, and we'll both reap the benefits. I think we may have much to offer each other. As you know from my profile, and the Plunce writings, I have many years' experience in the various activities that you say intrigue you. Presently I'm seeking a new sub to train to my particular requirements, one with the potential of becoming a true, permanent life partner. Something about your description of yourself and what you're looking for makes me think you could be the one.

I have introduced other women to my personal version of the bdsm lifestyle, and prefer to do so gradually, enabling the new sub to feel her way into her role(s) at a pace she can manage. (Obviously, there's a delicate balance to strike between security and anxiety; that's part of the duet composed between any dom and sub.) It's a psychologically rich, intricate experience, and it needs savoring.

I'll be glad to answer any questions you have about me, about bdsm, about any of the subjects I've discussed in Plunce, etc. Feel free to ask. As for mentoring you regardless of whether we decide to pursue things between us, sure. (Presently I'm advising two other subs who read my profile and decided that they'd profit from online instruction. One's a collared slave with a Master; the other's a babysub seeking a Daddy. I told them I'd be happy to help.)

You now have permission to contact me for the purpose of pursuing this further. I'll expect further details about your specific needs and fantasies, as your profile is skimpy in that regard.

Best wishes,
Sir

P.S. You ask about the readership for Plunce. The publisher of the website where it appears tells me that we do get a fair amount of traffic, thousands of hits a week. However, I haven't yet heard directly from any readers. (By the way, even my closest friends don't know that I publish this.) Perhaps if it we used blogware for it — so readers would get to see their emails posted immediately — I'd get more feedback. However, I find most of that response so poorly written at the few blogs I visit regularly that I prefer things this way.

And they're off!

More to come . . .