by Tara Sue Me
What?
“Anytime you enter a room I’m in, your head is to be lower than mine.” He stopped briefly and then continued. “I’ll leave it to you to decide how to comply with my request.”
I looked into his eyes and saw a hint of playfulness.
I like you feisty, he’d said last weekend.
Mmm . . . Maybe this would be fun.
As he finished eating, my mind raced. If I left the dining room before he did, how would I clear the table? Would I have to crawl to the kitchen? How would I carry his plate? Maybe I’d have to walk on my knees.
Ugh. That wouldn’t be fun at all.
Fortunately, after eating, he placed his hand on my head one more time, instructed me to eat in the kitchen and to meet him in the playroom afterward. Then he stood and left, letting me clear the table.
Finally.
Half an hour later, he waited for me when I stepped naked into the playroom. Unprepared to find him waiting, I hurried to stand in front of him and knelt down at his feet.
Am I late?
No, I decided. He hadn’t given me a time to meet him.
“Move to your inspection position, Abigail. Let me see if you’re better prepared today.”
I moved into the position he’d shown me the weekend before, and he knelt between my knees.
“Excellent,” he said, stroking my bare flesh. “This is what I expected.” He stood up and instructed me back into my waiting position.
When I had, he spoke again. “You’ve borne your punishment well. Remind me again why you were punished and look into my eyes as you do so.”
I met his gaze. “I was unprepared for you, Master, even though I asked to play. Then I was insolent and argumentative while I wore your collar.”
“And should I allow you to come tonight?”
Yes! Damn it, yes!
But I knew that wasn’t supposed to be my answer. “If it pleases you, Master, and if you think I deserve it.”
“Is that how you really feel?”
The temptation to look down was strong, but I forced my eyes to remain on his. “No, Master,” I said honestly. “I want to come badly, and it’s hard to push aside my wants for yours.”
It shamed me to admit I wasn’t yet where I needed to be in my service to him.
“Your honesty pleases me.” He stroked my cheek. “Don’t feel guilty over your feelings. I know it’s still early in your journey. I know you aren’t yet able to completely put aside your wants. You’ll get there eventually.”
He understands. Relief replaced the guilt immediately. “Thank you, Master,” I said, smiling.
“I know you, my lovely,” he said. “I know your thoughts and your mind. I know every line of your body. And I know the desires you have hidden deep within.” He bent slightly, and his voice dropped. “They echo my own.”
Gah.
Putty. I knew it.
He hadn’t yet told me to drop my eyes, so I watched him as he commanded me again. “Crawl to the padded table, Abigail,” he said.
Crawl?
I’d known it was coming. I’d known he’d want me to try it at least once. To be honest, I’d expected to like it once I tried it, much like the feet kissing. Therefore, I was surprised when I made it to the table and found I hated every second I moved on my hands and knees. I didn’t hate it so much that I’d safe word over it, but I hated it so much I was certain my displeasure showed when he looked at me.
It’s all about him, I told myself. Trusting him. Letting him decide.
And I’d liked the feet kissing. I wouldn’t have known that unless he made me try.
I really hoped he didn’t like the crawling.
I moved carefully onto the table, making sure my head stayed below his. Once on top, I stilled myself and waited.
“On your back,” he said.
His footsteps echoed in the room as he made his way to where I was. I noted he had four ropes in his hand.
He held them up. “I’m going to tie you to my table,” he said. “Before I bind a limb, I’ll press a rope to your lips and you’ll kiss it.”
His expectations really shouldn’t have turned me on the way they did.
A soft rope touched my lips. “This is for your right leg,” he said.
I kissed the rope. “Tie my right leg, Master.”
He pulled my right leg and tied the rope around it. Another rope touched my mouth. “Left leg,” he said.
I pressed my lips against it. “Please bind my left leg, Master.”
Like before, he used the rope to bind my leg. He repeated the action two more times—first with my right arm and then with my left. Each time, he put the rope to my lips for me to kiss. Each time, I asked him to tie me.
When he was finished, I lay spread-eagle on the table.
His hands ran from my shoulders, down my breasts, across my belly, and came to rest between my legs.
A long finger slipped inside. He added a second. I forced my hips to remain still.
“Your body recognizes me,” he said, feeling the evidence of my need. “It knows its master.”
I was nearly panting for him; there was no point in arguing.
Besides, I learned that lesson the hard way.
“Close your eyes, Abigail. We’re going to try something again.”
I had a good idea of what he was going to do.
“No vocalizing until I say,” he said.
I sucked in a breath at the first pass of the Wartenberg wheel. Like before, he used one to start with—running it lightly across my chest, avoiding my nipples entirely. Then he added a second and worked them in unison, running opposite each other. They crossed my body, each a perfect mirror of the other, each coming close to a nipple and then rolling away again. I realized immediately when I’d moaned, and after a week of punishment, I wasn’t about to mess up again. My body shook as the wheels rolled over my nipples, but I remained silent.
“Very good, Abigail. Shall I continue?”
I caught myself seconds before I answered. He gave a short laugh. “I do believe one time is all it will ever take for you. Be still.”
The wheels rolled down my body lightly. The sensation was odd—when he ran them both in parallel, it almost felt as if I were being unzipped. Then they separated and ran over my pelvic bones, and I caught my breath and held completely still. The spiked wheels came right to my sensitive flesh before rolling away.
I was going to go mad while tied to his table, and I hoped he didn’t touch me there at all. My senses were so heightened, so on edge, a mere touch would send me into an earth-shattering release.
I panicked for a second. What if he wanted me to climax without permission? What if he decided to test me to see how long I could hold out? I couldn’t do it, not after almost six days of denial.
Oh, fuck. I am going to fail. Again.
Should I use my yellow safe word?
He must have sensed my worry because the wheels stopped. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, Master, I think so.”
“You think so? Think so isn’t good enough. Open your eyes. What’s wrong?”
His hands were at my feet and ankles, checking the ropes.
“It’s not the ropes,” I said. “It’s me.”
“Are you in pain?” he asked, worry clouding his expression as his hands reached my arms.
“No, Master. I’m just afraid.”
He quickly untied the ropes binding me to the table, and I felt silly for causing him undue alarm.
“It’s nothing, really,” I said.
“Sit up. Tell me.”
I sighed and pulled myself up, swung my legs over the edge of the table. “I thought for a moment I was going to orgasm, and while I was working on holding it back, I thought maybe you wanted me to fail. Wanted me to come without permission.”
“And you panicked?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t want you to fail,” he said slowly. “I wanted to show you how much you’d gro
wn from the last time we tried something similar. I know you’re on edge. I feel that.” He stroked my cheek. “I told you. I know your body.”
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“Don’t ever apologize for being honest.”
He stood for a minute, thinking. Both his hands were on either side of my legs as he stared at the wall behind me. What I wouldn’t give to live inside his brain for a second.
Finally he looked up, his expression intense. “Your punishment has ended. Come when you wish.”
With that, he pulled himself up on the table, took my face in his hands, and kissed me. Pushing me back down, he came up over my body, pressing his weight on me.
Yes. Yes.
Relief swept over me, and I felt almost giddy. Then his hands were on me and the giddiness left as quickly as it came. Longing, desire, and need took over, and it didn’t take long for me to get right back to the spot I’d been seconds before. I imagined he felt the same—his erection was hard against my belly.
He pulled back, and I saw my answer in his dark eyes. He pushed my knees up and out so I was spread before him. Then he lifted my legs and put them around his waist, drawing me closer to him.
Neither of us moved. His cock barely brushed my entrance, and I resisted the urge to raise my hips to him. Instead, I enjoyed the delicious anticipation of almost having him inside me and knowing he soon would be.
Almost.
Almost.
He moved a fraction of an inch, pushing the head of his cock slightly into me.
Ah, yes.
The feel of him taking me was one I never grew tired of—how he stretched me and possessed me.
With one hard thrust, he pushed the rest of the way inside, and just like that, I came undone, climaxing around him.
He smiled wickedly. “All better now?”
“Oh, God,” I said, still awash in sensation. “Yes, Master.”
It was all he needed. He started a hard rhythm, thrusting into me repeatedly. Driving himself toward his own release. I’d been right—the week had been just as long for him—because it didn’t take long before he was twitching inside me, nearing orgasm.
His hand came between our bodies, and he ran a thumb around my clit. “Can you come again?” he asked, breathing heavily. “For me?”
He had been right earlier; my body knew its master. This time was no different. My swollen flesh responded at once, sending a new wave of pleasure through my body.
He groaned and released inside me.
We lay on the table for a few minutes, and I rejoiced once more in how it felt to have his pleasure-spent body on top of me. How my own release left me weak and rubbery. He trailed kisses up my body, coming to rest fully on me. When he made it to my mouth, he kissed me long and passionately.
“You need to go on to bed,” he finally said, and kissed me again briefly.
It was an odd request. I knew it couldn’t be after nine. Why did he want me to go to bed so early?
Maybe he planned on waking me in the middle of the night. After five days of no sex at all, it wouldn’t surprise me. Or maybe he had plans for a really long and intense day tomorrow.
Maybe both?
However, it wasn’t my place to guess, and whatever he had planned, I wanted to be ready.
“Good night, Master,” I said, slipping from the table and making my way to the door so I could go to my room.
“Good night, my lovely.”
Chapter Seventeen
—ABBY—
He didn’t wake me up.
I had thought he would—expected it, even. I lay awake for some time, listening for either the piano or his footfalls outside my door. Even when I finally closed my eyes, I told myself it was just for a brief rest. Surely he would take me at some point during the night.
I certainly hoped he would.
Instead, the alarm clock woke me up at six o’clock. Unless I was told differently, I needed to have breakfast ready and in the dining room at eight every Saturday and Sunday morning. Since I wanted to work out before cooking, I had set my alarm for six.
I dressed in my workout clothes and walked to his gym.
Our gym, I corrected myself. This was my house now, too.
The sound coming from the other side of the door stopped me from entering. Nathaniel was running on the treadmill. My hand hovered above the doorknob. I had to keep my head below his. If I started running and he did sit-ups or something, how would that work? Would I have to stop what I was doing and get into a position lower than his?
I looked outside. It was raining.
Damn. Can’t run outside, either.
As much as he said he liked me feisty, it was too early for me to deal with the mechanics of keeping my head below his in the gym. I’d work out later.
Since I had plenty of time, I went back upstairs, took a shower, and dressed. Then I went back downstairs and decided to cook eggs Benedict.
He wasn’t in the dining room when I entered with his plate, so I set his breakfast down, the table complete with coffee carafe and pitcher of orange juice, and waited. When he came in and sat down, I knelt at his side.
“Good morning, Abigail,” he said. His hair was still damp and he smelled like soap.
“Good morning, Master,” I said. If everything went according to plan and I didn’t mess up this weekend, maybe we could shower together next week before work. I loved showering with him.
“Eggs Benedict,” he said, picking up his utensils. “This looks delicious.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Why don’t you fix yourself a plate and join me.”
He remained in his chair, so I moved on my knees to the doorway and stood up when I made it to the hall. I didn’t like the crawling thing at all and would most certainly bring it up when he asked, or whenever we were in the library next.
I carried my breakfast into the dining room, crawling once again, and sat across from him.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Very good, Master. You?” Dining room protocol was still a gray area for me. I knew I wasn’t to speak as freely as I could while eating in the kitchen, but certainly I was allowed to ask him how he slept.
“It felt odd having the entire bed to myself,” he said. “But other than that, I slept well.”
I nodded, understanding what he was saying.
I noted his orange juice was nearly gone, so I lifted the pitcher to pour him more.
“No, thank you,” he said. “I don’t care for more. I’m almost finished.”
We ate for a few more minutes in silence. The only sound in the room was the clicking of our utensils against our plates.
“Would you like to work out this morning, Abigail?” he asked when his plate was empty and he sat drinking the last of his coffee.
“Yes, Master,” I said, not even surprised he would know what I wanted. After a time, one got a bit acclimated to it. “I would.”
He nodded. “After you finish eating and clean up the table and kitchen, you’re free to use the gym.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Be in the playroom at ten thirty.” He stood up. “And be sure to stretch really well.”
My heart pounded just thinking about what that could mean.
I was waiting for him in the playroom, naked, at 10:25. A pillow sat under the chains in the middle of the room, so I knelt on it in my waiting position. He entered the room shortly after I did and walked to me.
“I trust you had a good workout?” he asked.
“Yes, Master,” I said.
“And since I told you to do so, can I also assume you stretched like I asked?”
I still felt the post-workout endorphin high running through my body, though now it was paired with the unmistakable tinge of lust and need. “Yes, Master.”
“Very good. Stand up for me.”
I stood, but kept my head down. He took one arm and then the other, securing me by the wrists so my hands were above my head. Secured,
but with enough slack to allow for limited movement.
“Look at me,” he said.
When I did, I noticed he wore black jeans with a short-sleeved T-shirt tucked into them. He’d never worn a shirt in the playroom before that I could recall. I wondered what that could possibly mean—maybe he meant to have me undress him later?
“Abigail,” he commanded, obviously not unaware of my wandering thoughts.
I focused my eyes on his, instead of the hard muscle under his shirt.
“You will not come until I give you permission,” he said. He leaned close and nipped my ear, causing a jolt of need to shoot through me. “You will not fail.”
When he said it, I believed him.
“You will not fail me,” he said. “Repeat it to yourself if you have to. I want you to understand and agree. Say it for me.”
“I will not fail,” I repeated back.
His hand cupped my chin. “You won’t, my lovely. Trust me.”
I nodded.
“Say it or I won’t tell you what I have planned for you today.”
“I trust you.”
He dropped my chin and moved behind me, hands skirting down my back. He delivered a playful slap to my backside. “I think this ass needs a sound spanking for neglecting to call me Master. What do you think?”
Gah. Yes, please.
“Whatever would please you, Master.”
“Mmm,” he said, trailing kisses up my back. “It pleases me for you to trust me. It pleases me for your skin to turn a delicious shade of pink under my hand and to hear your moans of delight as I take you to new heights.” His hands rubbed my shoulders as he whispered again. “Remember the feeling you experienced last weekend?”
I remembered how he flogged me, the sweetness of surrender when I let go and let myself feel. “Yes, Master,” I said in a whisper.
“I’m going to do it again.”
I shivered at his words.
“Beautiful,” he said. “How your body responds to my voice.” His lips traced my shoulder blades, his voice a low murmur against my skin as he spoke in quiet tones I couldn’t make out.
I wasn’t aware of him having a flogger in his hand, but when he pulled back, the soft tails of rabbit fur brushed my back softly. He slowly worked the flogger up and down. Grazing. Stroking. Caressing. My body ached for his touch and wanted it, either gentle or firm.
