by Sherri Hayes
I saw her whisper something to Master. His brow furrowed slightly before going back to the smooth features that I was so used to seeing from him. And then with a quick wave she was gone, leaving me standing in my bedroom staring at my Master with even more questions.
Brianna
He didn’t stare very long before he turned and followed the path of our guests. I stood rooted to my spot until I heard voices again and the door opening. I came out of my room to find Master closing the door. He slowly turned to me, and I dropped my eyes to the floor.
I heard every step he took as he moved closer to where I stood. My mind was racing more with every footfall. If I wasn’t his slave, then what was I? What had she whispered to him at my bedroom door? And what about the way she touched him before? Why did that bother me?
All my questioning came to an abrupt halt as Master stopped right in front of me. My head was bowed, and I could feel his breath fanning my hair. He was so close.
We stood not speaking for several long minutes before he finally broke the silence. “Come,” he said, in a soft controlled voice before turning on his heel and marching to his chair.
I followed. He sat and opened his arms to me. I sat down on his lap and felt his arms surround me. His warmth wrapped around me, and I instantly felt better, calmer.
All was quiet again for several minutes. Usually his hand would gently rub up and down my arm, but tonight both were still. Finally, I felt him shift beneath me and say, “We need to talk about today.” I nodded.
Minutes passed again before he continued, “Before we start, do you remember the number system I gave you earlier?”
I nodded again, but that wasn’t good enough as he commanded me to answer him verbally. “Yes, Master.”
“Repeat back to me what I told you.”
“Whenever you ask, I am to give you the number between one and ten that tells you how uncomfortable I am at that time.”
“Very good,” he nodded. “And what are you to say should you reach the number eight?”
“Yellow,” I answered obediently.
“And the number ten?” he questioned.
“Red.”
He nodded again, and this time he rubbed his hand up and down my arm, letting me know he was pleased with my answers. “I want you to use this system even when I don’t ask you, Brianna.”
There was silence again, and I realized he was waiting for me to speak. The problem was I didn’t understand what he meant.
“I don’t understand,” I said honestly. The last thing I wanted was to mess up because I didn’t know what was required of me.
Master sighed. “It means that I want you to constantly keep that number system in your head and if . . . when you get to an eight, I want you to say the word yellow.” Then he pulled my chin up so that I was looking directly into his eyes. “Even if I don’t ask you.”
He waited, as if letting this information sink in before asking, “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Repeat it.”
I took a deep breath and repeated almost word for word everything he’d said. At the end, he seemed pleased.
“That goes for red as well. If you reach a ten at any time . . .” He paused and gave me a look that left me no doubt as to how seriously he took his next words. “You are to say red immediately.”
I nodded. “I understand, Master.”
“Okay then, let’s get started.”
I tensed up instantly. There was no doubt in my mind that he felt it, too, but Master didn’t comment. Instead, he asked me where I wanted to start. All the questions from before began swirling in my head, but I wanted to think about them more before I brought them up to him. They weren’t what he was asking me about anyway.
In the end, I decided to ask what had been the most pressing question on my mind prior to Lily and Logan’s arrival. “Are you going to take my books away?”
But instead of answering me, he asked, “Do you feel you should have your books taken away?”
“I . . . I guess,” I said, defeated.
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t paying attention,” I whispered.
“Hmm,” he said, as if considering what I had just said. “To me it looked like you were having a panic attack, Brianna. Am I wrong?”
A panic attack? I had never thought of it like that. Was that what it was?
Obviously I was silent for too long. “Tell me what happened after you went back to the dressing room,” he said, softly stroking my hair.
“I took off the clothes,” I said softly. If I weren’t sitting with my face inches from his, he would not have been able to hear me. “Then I heard voices,” I said even lower. “And then . . .” I stopped because after that I really wasn’t sure what happened. One second I’d been in the dressing room changing clothes and then the next minute I’d been kneeling in front of Ian.
“Then . . . ?” he prompted.
“I wasn’t . . .” I gasped. Just remembering was making the panic rise again, and it was then that I knew he was right. I’d had a panic attack.
Through my rising heartbeat and my labored breathing, I heard him tell me to focus, to remember the numbers, to remember I was safe with him in his home. It helped. The fear gripping me slowly ebbed, and I was able to take in my surroundings again.
We sat there in his chair for the next two hours talking about the day, about everything that had happened. He made me tell him about Ian breaking my arm. “Which arm,” he asked. When I’d shown him, his response was to pick up said arm and place a soft kiss directly in the middle. It was an unbelievably sweet thing, but one I had started to expect from him.
When we got to the kiss in my bed, he asked me to tell him how I felt about it. I tried, but my words were weak and feeble. I’d stuttered and stopped several times around words like nice, scared, happy, and confused. Finally, he took hold of my face and said, “I told you the truth today, Brianna.”
His eyes left me no doubt that he was talking about his declaration that he wanted me but would not take me until I asked. I wondered again why that was important to him. He said he wanted all of me, but he had all of me. I was his slave after all. He owned me. Right?
I sat in his arms pondering what he’d said. He would not have sex with me until I asked. The question that came to my mind however was, would I ever ask?
Stephan
The talk with Brianna had been difficult for both of us. I’d almost lost her twice to panic attacks as she told me about her time with Ian, those experiences were still so real for her.
Dinner was solemn. I could only imagine what was going through her mind as we ate. Mine was focused on what Lily had whispered to me just before she left. Brianna had asked her how long she and I had known each other. I wasn’t sure of the significance of this, but Lily seemed to think it was an important piece of information for me to have.
After dinner we settled back into my chair and just watched some television. I’d never spent so much time with a woman before, and I found myself devoting most of it to watching her more than what was on the screen.
At the end of the night, we followed our normal ritual. With what had happened earlier I wanted to give her control of our kiss tonight. She pressed her lips to mine with more pressure than her usual kisses but nothing compared to this afternoon. I moved my mouth with hers, enjoying the only closeness from her that I was able. My hands itched to find purchase in her hair, but this was her kiss, she had the control.
Slowly she pulled away and raised her eyes to meet mine shyly. But before I could say anything, she rose from my lap. She waited for me to get up and walked just behind me until we reached the section of wall separating our two rooms. “Goodnight, Brianna.”
“Goodnight, Master.”
I waited until she disappeared into her room before walking into mine for my nightly shower.
Monday morning started out fairly normal, for which I was eternally grateful. There had been no Karl
and no Lily waiting for me when I arrived. Jamie brought a bottle of water in for me just before ten, and I gave her instructions to hold my calls from twelve to one.
It had been over two weeks since I’d done more than a speedy workout in the small executive gym down the hall. I’d had one of the old offices that had previously been used for storage converted into a gym almost immediately upon taking my full time position. Fitness had not been a high priority for my father, but it was for me. Given my lifestyle choice, I needed to be in excellent shape.
All of the executives were invited to use the space, although not many of them did besides Lily. Of course, her reasons for staying in shape were the same as my own.
At twelve o’clock I locked down my computer and changed into my workout clothes before heading down to the gym. Jamie smiled and waved to me as I walked past. It was good to feel some normalcy again.
After some basic stretches, I got on the treadmill and began walking. A mile registered on the machine, and I began picking up the pace. Soon I was running and it felt wonderful.
When the timer went off, I was drenched and feeling good. Moving over to the free weights, I began my regular routine of curls and presses. My muscles were feeling the burn when I heard the door open and Jamie’s frantic voice. “He doesn’t wish to be disturbed.”
When I turned, I saw my uncle standing just inside the door, trailed by a rarely flustered Jamie.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Coleman.”
“It’s okay, Jamie.”
She hesitated for a moment, giving my uncle one last look, and then left.
Figuring my workout was pretty much over at this point, I replaced the weights and started stretching. I didn’t address my uncle’s presence. He’d been clear on his position regarding Brianna, and I had no desire to hear more from him.
When he realized I was just going to ignore him, he asked, “Aren’t you curious why I drove across town to see you in the middle of the day?”
“Not really, no, but I’m assuming you’re going to tell me.”
I heard something land on one of the benches. Whatever it was wasn’t heavy. “I brought the results of Brianna’s lab work. Everything came back clean.”
For just a moment my heart softened toward my uncle. He’d driven through traffic on his lunch hour to hand deliver the results.
“Thank-you,” I said with sincerity.
He didn’t respond to my thanks. That put me on alert, and I was not disappointed.
“Stephan, I wish you would reconsider getting her professional help. I have no idea what happened to her, but you have to—”
That was it, the last straw. “I am not discussing this with you,” I said, finality in my tone.
This seemed to silence him for a few minutes. I turned to pick up the towel I’d brought in with me and the envelope he’d thrown down on the bench. My workout was over. I needed to get back to my office and shower.
He followed me out into the hall and down to my office. Jamie was still looking wary as we passed, and I tried to send her a reassuring smile.
Continuing to ignore my uncle, I walked straight to my closet, took the suit I’d hung up less than an hour ago, and headed into my bathroom.
The shower felt good. I wanted to linger underneath the spray, but I knew Richard wasn’t finished and would be waiting for me.
Drying off and dressing quickly, I exited my bathroom to find my uncle sitting in the chair directly across from my desk and looking deep in thought.
Taking a seat behind my desk, I looked directly at him, my gaze hard and unwavering. When his eyes met mine, they didn’t hold the hostility I’d expected. “After last Sunday, your aunt is convinced that I’m the reason you don’t come over anymore.”
I snorted. “You’ve made your feelings regarding my choices quite clear.”
He sighed and shifted nervously in his seat. “Just tell me you’re not having sex with her.”
“Brianna? You think I’m having sex with her?”
“Aren’t you?” he asked, but I heard the uncertainty in his voice this time. When I didn’t say anything more, he added, “I mean she’s living with you and, well . . . with your . . . I mean . . .”
“You can say it, Richard. With my being a Dominant.”
“I didn’t mean . . .”
“Yes, you did.” I pressed my thumb and forefinger to my temple in frustration. This was getting us nowhere fast.
I took a deep breath and cleared my head of everything other than the task at hand. “First, she may be living in my house, but she is staying in the guest room. Second, I have not had sex with her. Of any kind,” I clarified. “She is in no mental condition to be making such decisions.”
“But at the house you kissed her,” he stated as if trying to give evidence to his case, but there was no venom behind it.
I sighed. “Yes, we’ve kissed. Kissing is all we’ve done,” I said pointedly. “No matter what you think of me, I wouldn’t take advantage of her like that.”
Silence floated heavy in the air for several minutes before he said, “I’m sorry. I’ve not been fair to you.”
“No, you haven’t,” I answered calmly and without the sting I still felt at his lack of faith.
“Will you come to dinner Sunday? You and Brianna?” he asked. The look on my face must not have been promising when he added, “Diane misses you. Please don’t let me be the reason you are staying away.”
I sighed and nodded.
He smiled at me and then got up to leave. “I’ll tell Diane to expect you around one, then.” When he reached the door he paused, looked back at me, and said, “Take care of her, Stephan.” Then he was gone.
My plan had been to leave work at three so that I could go shopping with Brianna. Originally I’d hoped she would be able to attempt it on her own, however after what happened yesterday I didn’t want to chance it just yet.
But at three, I was only halfway through a report that needed to be finished today, so I picked up the phone and dialed Brianna. She picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hello, Brianna.”
“Hello, Master.”
The smile in her voice came through the phone. I remembered the first few times I’d called her from work. Her voice had been full of fear. It was nice to know things were getting better for her.
“I’m going to be later getting home than I planned. Don’t worry about dinner tonight. We’ll get something out and then go to the store.”
“Okay,” she said, still sounding relaxed and happy.
“I’ll call you when I leave so you can be ready.”
“Yes, Master.”
Our called disconnected a few seconds later, and I pushed my way through the rest of my work. It was after four by the time I was finished, and as promised I called her when I reached my car to let her know I was on my way.
When I arrived home, she was waiting for me as always just inside the door. Reaching out to her, I did what I’d been longing to do all day and ran my fingers through her hair. A breathy sigh escaped her lips as she leaned into my hand.
“Good evening, Brianna.”
“Good evening, Master.”
I took a step back and reached out a hand to help her stand. She took it and stood before me with her eyes cast down. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” she answered. Taking her by the hand, we got back into the elevator and headed to my car.
I took her to one of my favorite restaurants and asked for a booth in the back. This was going to be another first for her, and I didn’t want an audience should something go wrong.
We got a few curious looks from the hostess as she waited for us to take our seats. Brianna was doing well so far. While she had stuck close to me ever since we exited my car, I had not felt her stiffen as she had this weekend. I did have to acknowledge, however, that neither the sidewalk nor the restaurant were as filled with people as the mall had been.
The hostess handed us our menus and left us, sa
ying our waiter would be with us shortly. It didn’t take me long to decide on what I wanted as I’d been here many times before. When I set my menu down I noticed that Brianna had not even looked at hers. “Do you know what you want?” I asked her.
Brianna’s eyes widened slightly at my question, but I just continued to wait. She knew I expected an answer.
First she looked down at her menu and then back up at me. “Am I allowed to choose?” she asked quietly.
“Of course,” I said trying to keep the surprise out of my voice.
A small smile tugged at her lips before she picked up her menu and began reading in earnest. I watched every movement she made. The smallest things gave her joy, and I was pleased to be part of giving her that.
I was still watching her when our waiter approached. There was no doubt as to when Brianna noticed him because every muscle in her body went rigid. Reaching for her hand, I linked our fingers and turned my attention to our server.
Roger, our waiter for the evening, set two glasses of water in front of us while introducing himself. After a few pleasantries, I ordered an appetizer and asked for a few more minutes. With a small bow he left us alone once again.
As soon as he was out of sight, I turned to Brianna, moved our linked hands down under the table, and brought my other hand up to turn her face toward me. “Number, Brianna.”
“Four,” she whispered.
I nodded. Truthfully I had been expecting her to say something higher. However, looking at her closely I could see that her breathing was still fairly steady and her color was good.
I rubbed her cheek gently with my thumb. “He won’t hurt you,” I said with conviction.
It took her a moment to respond, but when she did I saw her square her shoulders and nod. Her strength constantly amazed me.
I kept my hand in hers as I asked her if she’d made a selection. “The chicken parmesan,” she said, but it came out as more of a question.
I gave her a reassuring smile as I squeezed her hand. “That is an excellent choice.”
