openwide I hope you persevere (slowly)! You have had really good advice in this thread so far, and thanks for updating us with the progress! I was in a vanilla relationship with my boyfriend (now husband) for years before I was brave enough to reveal my submissive side. At first we just did mild things like being blindfolded, having my wrists held tightly and mild spanking but I was still too scared to admit (perhaps even to myself) how much I liked it and wanted more.
Strangely enough we came to explore deeper through pretty much the same method that DowntownAmber described; he asked me to pick an erotic story that I enjoyed, so I did, and it had elements of (mild) BDSM in it. And like Amber, within days I was also bound on the loungeroom floor, and we have been happily exploring since. I wish you all the best in your journey!