Review: Yes, Master, Yes!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 17, 2012
Several years ago, I was having a nice quiet dinner with a mutual friend at a local restaurant. The place was about half-full; the ambiance was casual; and there was nothing in the general vicinity to indicate that anything unusual or out of place was apparent.Eventually, I became aware of a couple dining about twenty feet away from us. He was in his mid- to late-thirites, dark-haired, clean-shaven. She was roughly the same age, ash-blonde hair, apparently quiet and introverted.  While their low-key conversation was loud enough to hear the tone of their voices, the entire dialogue was obscured by the surrounding din made by the nearby patrons.Nevertheless, what caught my attention was the manner in which they spoke to one another. They sat in close proximity to one another, and he was initiating most of the eye contact and conversation, whereas she would seemingly respond when he wanted her to do so. Yet he was never brusque or overtly obnoxious; rather, he was almost soothing in his manner to the point of being patronizing. I also observed her responding with many "yessir"s and "nosir"s. When I happened to hear her say to him, "Whatever pleases you, master," I almost spat out my fish fry in response.Holy cripes, I immediately thought: a master-and-slave relationship! (For the record, my dinner partner was rather blase about the entire incident.)Such paraphilia between partners apparently is nothing unique or unusual. In Sandra Ross's "Come With Me," the master-slave angle within an intimate relationship is explored to the fullest between Dalton Sands and Rose Addison. Dalton is the dominant one; he is wealthy beyond measure and is not wanting for anything in life---except in the area of sex and the need to be in control of another person in this regard. This is revealed when Ross writes that "Dalton was a man that liked to be in control and he had a feeling that Rose was in need of a man to 'guide' her" (ch. 1).What was interesting about the opening chapter in "Come With Me" was how Ross describes Dalton's persona to the reader. He comes across as someone who seems to lack the ability to emotionally connect with another person on an intimate level. As more of Dalton's character emerges to the reader, his socio-economic position in society is indicative of someone who deals with the inevitable pressures and vicissitudes of life by impulsively following his instinct to self-preserve. Dalton is a guy who needs to not just survive, but thrive---regardless of the situation.Rose, on the other hand, is the quintessential "submissive"---she is willing to do whatever she is told to do, almost to the point of being obsequious and fawning. Yet the author does not ultimately portray her as helpless or floundering: once her relationship with Dalton begins and develops, she almost relishes her status within the relationship; she willingly chooses to submit to Dalton's every whim and desire.For those who are familiar with Ross's writings, she covers many aspects of sexual relationships; nevertheless, the entire concept of dominance/submission might seem a bit jarring, especially for those who prefer the familiar intimacy of mutual give-and-take with their partner. As off-putting as it may seem to some, any sense of abuse or mistreatment between Dalton and Rose is non-existent. Instead, both partners seem to enjoy and revel in the arrangement. They take great satisfaction in playing out their assigned roles; they like pleasing the other in this regard."Come With Me" is indicative of another Sandra Ross guilty pleasure, and is worth a read.