The 30 Day Sub

by Alaska Angelini

  “Song?” He knew he wasn’t giving her time to ask him back, but he wanted to know everything about her. It was consuming. The fear was downright driving him mad.

  “Would you like to hear it? I have it on my phone. It’s not my overall favorite, but it’s my favorite one to listen to right now.”

  Torrance nodded. “Yes, I’d like that. What’s it called, though, and who’s it by?”

  “It’s called Counting Stars, by OneRepublic.” She laughed. “I’m surprised you don’t know it by memory already. It’s the one I’m always playing when I get ready.” The song started and Torrance listened to every lyric. He was going to remember this song. It was hers. It belonged to Cate in his memory now.

  The music ended and she rolled the window down. Wind whipped through her hair, and Torrance almost couldn’t pay attention to the road. She turned to him and smiled. “There’s nothing better than this feeling … the wind, blowing through your hair. I love it. You know, I think that’s why I go out on the balcony so much. If you lean over the edge, the wind blows up perfectly.”

  “Tell me you are mine. Right now as the wind is blowing through your hair.”

  “You know I’m yours.” Her hand tightened against his.

  “And if you could go anywhere in the world?”

  Cate pressed her lips together and he looked down at their joined hands. He traced his finger down the length.

  “England or Scotland.”

  His eyes glanced at the road and then back at her. The answer to his question made sense. “Your romance novels.” The tightness of his throat almost made swallowing impossible. “I wish we had enough time. I’d have you read me more. I’m interested in why you like them so much.”

  “They’re dreamy,” she said, again staring out the window. “They’re romantic.” A smile came to her face as she looked off into the distance. “Men like the ones written in those books hardly exist anymore.” Her eyes came to him. “You could easily be one, I think. Maybe someone should write a book about you.”

  Torrance laughed. “Now you’re just being ridiculous. The only book someone would write about me would be some kind of BDSM book. There’d be whips and chains, and crops and floggers.”

  “I’d read it,” Cate said, kissing his knuckles.

  All Torrance could do was stare. Which wasn’t safe at all. He really should watch the road more. As they turned onto his street, he fought traffic to get to the parking garage. The moment he hit the elevator, he pinned Cate against the wall. “What’s your idea of the perfect life?”

  Her hands embraced his face. “Why all these questions?” The worry masking her face returned and he stepped back.

  “I want know you. Really know you.”

  They walked out of the elevator. Torrance’s hand was shaking as he unlocked the door. He led her inside and pulled her to the couch. “Tell me, Cate. What’s your perfect life like?”

  “Well.” She looked down at her lap and he brought her face up while she started. “I guess a loving husband, a comfortable house that could really be called a home. Kids.” Something passed over her face and he shook his head.

  “You’re not telling me something.”

  “It’s a dream, remember.”

  Torrance didn’t understand. “It’s an easy enough dream. Very attainable, especially for you. The man who wins your heart will be the luckiest person alive. So why is it just a dream? Because of your ex-husband?”

  Cate stood and walked over, grabbing the scotch. A laugh came from her mouth. “Well, he did a hell of a number on me. That’s for sure. But I guess you already know about that. Doc probably told you everything. It always had been an abusive relationship. But after a week in intensive care. Three broken ribs. Jacked up insides. Left for dead. He finally got taken care of, courtesy of Austin PD, of course. Is that why you’re in this mood? Because my past was getting to you?”

  Torrance swore his blood went cold and his heart nearly stopped altogether at her words. “I didn’t know. Not until you just said. Your ex-husband did that to you?”

  She shrugged. “He’s in jail now. I’m safe. Outta sight, outta mind.”

  Nausea threatened. If he ever saw that man, he was dead. Torrance tried not to let her see how badly it affected him. “So why is it a dream then, if it’s not because of him?”

  The scotch quickly disappeared from the glass. “Because of him, I’ll never have kids. I can adopt, yes. But to actually have one, it’s impossible.”

  Torrance closed his eyes and lowered his head. “I’m sorry. So very sorry for everything you’ve been through.”

  She remained quiet as she refilled her glass. “So what about you, Torrance McLaren? What’s in your future? What do you long for the most, deep down in your heart?” The graceful way she walked forward, with her head held high, showed a woman so brave and strong that he almost said, you. But he couldn’t. Not when he wasn’t sure if she even felt anything for him other than sexual pleasure. He knew he had that one in the bag.

  “The same as you. I want a home in the country. A wife. Kids are optional. I don’t think I’d mind a few little toddlers running around. Maybe a dog or two.”

  She smiled and sat down. “It sounds like a great dream. The country is beautiful.” She grew quiet and Torrance took the glass from her and sat it down on the coffee table. He pulled her into his arms and lay down with her on the couch. While he stared into her eyes, he wondered what was going through her mind. How would she feel if she knew she was leaving tomorrow? For minutes neither of them moved.

  Cate’s lids began to lower and she yawned. “I’m kind of tired. Do you mind if we just go to bed, early?” Her finger traced over his lip. “You did mention making love to me. I think I’d like that.”

  “Anything for you.” He scooped her into his arms and lowered her to stand next to the bed. She instantly reached for the button of her blouse, but he stopped her. Slowly, he undid each one, and let it drop to the ground. Torrance didn’t stop undressing her until she was completely nude.

  As he reached for his own shirt, she shook her head. “Allow me.” The action was done with such care. Her delicate fingers worked the buttons through without a stumble in their advance. When his shirt fell to the floor, she reached and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. His cock was hard by the time he stepped out of his jeans.

  “I want your hands all over me, and your eyes never leaving mine, Cate.” He pulled down the blankets and the moment he lay down, he pulled her body to cover his. The need to see her looking at him overpowered everything. She was going to ride his cock and he was going to imprint it into his memory forever.

  Chapter Nine

  The sound of the doorbell echoing through the penthouse had Cate’s eyes blinking open. She turned to Torrance, who’d been woken up by it too. His eyes grew wide and he pulled her body into his. “Promise me you won’t forget me.” The fear on his face threw Cate’s heart into panicked rhythm. This was it. She knew her master was the one at the door. Her eyes scanned over his face. So this was why he’d asked her all those questions. It all made sense now.

  “I’d never forget you, Torrance.” His lips crushed into hers and Cate felt tears come to her eyes. Before she realized it, her arms were locked around his neck. ‘Don’t forget me, either.”

  “Never.”

  The look in his eyes made her believe it. Cate pulled back before the tears could spill over. She climbed from the bed and he followed, sliding his pajama bottoms on. The clock read a little after nine. Damn, they’d only been asleep for four hours.

  With every step, she felt soreness take over her body. Torrance hadn’t lied about making love all night. They’d done it three times, and each time was for well over an hour. She sighed as she put her bra on and slid on a pair of her panties. Torrance walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. Cate slipped on a dress and walked into the restroom to brush her teeth and hair.

  As she washed her face, she couldn’t get the images of he
r night with Tor out of her head. What would he say if she asked to stay? The thought vanished just as fast. He wasn’t interested in keeping her around as his sub. He definitely would have said so if that were the case. Torrance was a man who went after what he wanted. If it were Cate, he’d have said so.

  A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away, furiously. Why was she crying? This was ridiculous. They’d only known each other for a few weeks. It’s not like people could fall in love that fast. An agonizing ache settled in her chest. If they couldn’t, then why did she feel like her heart was breaking?

  Cate threw on some make-up and finished getting ready. She grabbed her things from the restroom and put them in her bags. As she picked them up, she slid on her shoes. Christopher’s big smile was the first thing she saw when she walked out.

  “Cate.” He walked up to her and she automatically lowered to her knees and looked down. “Oh, yes. Torrance, you did well. Rise, pet.” He grabbed her hand and she swallowed hard. Cate looked up at Torrance. The look on his face almost had her rushing to him. Well, at least he appeared a little upset that she was leaving. That made her feel like maybe she’d at least left a tiny piece of herself with him, and that was a good thing.

  “I’ll get your bags. Go tell Torrance, goodbye.”

  Cate fought the tears as she walked forward. “Goodbye, Tor. Thank you for everything.”

  He gave her a stiff nod and glanced at Christopher. His head lowered and he looked into her eyes. “You call me if you need anything.” His voice grew softer. “Anything, Cate.”

  “Come, pet.” Christopher grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. She watched Torrance until they stepped through the door and the barrier hid him from view. The elevator came too quickly and before she knew it, they were in the underground garage. “Torrance said you’d just woken up. We only live a little over an hour away. You can eat when we get home.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good, you remembered how to address me. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to remind you. I’d hate to have to punish you on the first day.” He threw her bags into the back seat of the white Range Rover and opened her door. The moment the door closed, Cate gripped the edge of the seat tightly. This was her new life. She needed to just accept it. Christopher seemed like a good enough guy…things would be all right. They had to be.

  As he climbed in and left the building, he headed for the north side of Austin. “After you eat, we’ll drop your stuff off at the house. Then we’ll hit the gym. I thought you’d have lost more weight by now. You’ve been following the plan I sent, haven’t you?”

  Cate paused. Since she’d been back with Torrance, she did splurge a little too often. She had lost eight pounds since she had started tracking, but apparently that wasn’t enough. “No, Sir. Not like I should have been.” She looked down.

  “I see.” His tone deepened and he got quiet. After a few miles, he cleared his throat. “You’ll put in an extra two hours of training every day for a week. And I have a new plan for you. It won’t be easy, but you’ll do it.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Shit. She should have just kept to her damn diet. Well, she wasn’t going to let him break her that easily. She’d push herself as hard as she could and when she was still going, he’d see just how strong she really was. A smile tried to appear, but she kept it hidden. Her eyes stared off at the countryside as they left the Austin city limits. For over an hour they drove. It wasn’t until they reached a big two-story house in the middle of nowhere that Cate was reminded of Torrance’s dream life. She liked it here. It reminded her of him.

  “You’ll take a shower before anything. I know you’ve been fucking your trainer and I want you as clean as possible. When you’re done, you’ll meet me downstairs. Then we’ll hit the gym.”

  Cate immediately picked up on his personality change. He was mad. The energy she got from him was all too familiar and she couldn’t stop the antsy feeling prickling the back of her neck.

  Christopher grabbed her bags and she followed him inside. They walked up a white, carpeted staircase and into a large bedroom down the hall. “Bathroom’s in there. You have ten minutes to be at the bottom of the stairs. Not a minute later.” He walked out and left her standing there. Cate dove to her bag and dug through, searching for her workout clothes. It felt like an eternity before she found them.

  As she rushed through the shower, fear took over. What would he do if she were late? She didn’t trust men, and for good reason. She’d been down this road before. At the first opportunity if something went wrong, she was calling Tor to come get her. No way was she going through this shit again.

  Cate slipped her tennis shoes on and raced down the stairs. Christopher was standing there with his arms crossed. “You’re three minutes late.” Her mouth opened, and she immediately shut it and lowered her head.

  “I’m sorry, Sir.”

  “Are you? What are you sorry for, Cate? Is it for getting me hot and heavy and never following through? You said you were going to send me pictures and you never did. Maybe you’re sorry for having to leave your pretty boy trainer? Which is it?”

  Cate’s eyes came up, glaring at him. “Torrance doesn’t deserve to have you trash talk him. He didn’t do anything to you.”

  The slap came out of nowhere. Blood filled her mouth and she looked down, shocked.

  “He corrupted my sub is what he did. You will learn to respect me, Cate. If not, fear will do just as good. You’re mine now. Not his. Anything he put into your head had better disappear, and real fast. Now get your ass in the gym.”

  Cate knew she could do one of two things. Rebel and try to leave or call for help, or she could listen and follow his orders and leave at the first opportunity. She’d tried calling for help before. She knew exactly where that had gotten her. “Yes, Sir.” The raw taste of her busted lip drove Cate to walk faster. Let him load a bullshit amount of work on her. She’d do it till she couldn’t move. No way was she going to get pushed around again. She was no man’s punching bag.

  The gym was in the back room and it looked like a professional place. There were multiple machines of each kind spread out over the large space. Mirrors were completely surrounding her on all walls. At the loud music that burst through the overhead speakers, she jumped.

  “Treadmill, set it at four with an incline of one. Twenty minutes. Go.”

  Cate hadn’t run with the incline yet. Regardless, she held her head up high as she started running at the steady speed. The reflection in the mirror reminded her of when she was putting on her make-up the night she and Torrance were planning on going to the club, and instead made up and moved her back into his room. While the minutes ticked away, Cate let herself get lost in his eyes. His touch. She could swear she could even smell his cologne.

  Before she knew it, the time on the treadmill was done. Christopher was running full speed a few treadmills over. “Elliptical, set the resistance where you can feel it. Thirty minutes.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Sweat was pouring from her already. Cate had never been much of a runner. Even after her weeks in Tor’s gym, the speed Christopher had her at surpassed what she’d built up to. Now he wanted her on an elliptical for thirty minutes. Fucking dick. He was making it impossible on purpose.

  Cate looked back at the mirror and let Tor help her through it. After nineteen minutes of memories, she could feel her legs giving out. The only reason she was still standing was because of what she was holding onto. “Eleven more minutes,” she whispered.

  The time dragged out and the moment her time was up, Cate collapsed to the ground. Her legs were numb and felt like JELL-O. She swore they weighed over a hundred pounds apiece.

  “Up, pet! You have the stair stepper now for forty minutes.”

  The horror must have shown on her face because he laughed. Cate tried to stand and got two steps before her legs gave out.

  “Stair stepper or punishment? Your pick.”

  Cate went over her options. Her legs were not going to be able
to take the exercise. But could her body take the punishment? Would he be brutal? She let the fact that he was Dr. Henry’s friend come into mind. Surely, he knew not to hurt her too much. If word got out, then too many people would know. Well, it was time to see what her master was all about. If he pushed the bounds, she’d call Tor the moment he went to bed. If nothing else happened, she’d give it a few days and see if his slip-up was a one-time thing.

  “Punishment.”

  A smile came to his face, but it wasn’t like Tor’s. Torrance’s was all dark, sexual energy. Christopher’s was all about the pain. There was nothing sexual about it whatsoever.

  He jumped down from the treadmill and wiped his face off with a towel. A sense of dread went through her as he pulled off his shirt and pointed to the door at the back of the gym. Cate tried her best to walk toward it. He grabbed her arm and pulled her along. The moment they crossed the threshold, she wasn’t so sure this was a sex room at all. The only thing in it appeared to be a pair of restraints hanging from the ceiling by a thick chain.

  The drain in the middle of the cement floor caught her attention and she looked up at Christopher. “What is this place?” He kept quiet and pulled her shirt off. The moment he had her completely nude, he lifted her hands up and restrained them.

  Cate watched as he circled around her.

  “Did your Torrance cane you?”

  “Cane? No.”

  Christopher nodded. “Pity. It would have been nice to have you thick-skinned already. Well, we all gotta start somewhere.” He walked behind her and she tried to turn and look at what he was doing. The sound of a door opened and she looked around nervously. Maybe she was overreacting. People did this for a lifestyle every day. There was pain involved. She knew that. As long as he didn’t go past the bounds of her threshold, she knew she’d be okay.

  Cate tried to turn around. “You didn’t tell me the safe word.” She knew she was pushing it by telling him, but she wasn’t about to go into this without one.