The Pleasure House

by Kitty Thomas

Gabe knelt and removed her shoes and socks and then pushed the shorts over her hips and down to the floor. “Step out.”

  She did. She stood waiting in white panties, her arms crossed over her chest as he took a step back and looked at her. He’d seen her naked before. In the dungeon. But she’d had a blindfold on then. She hadn’t been able to watch as he assessed her. She felt unbearably self-conscious. The only thing that kept her from fleeing was the knowledge that he’d take her down to the dungeon.

  “I’m glad to see you’ve put the weight back on. You look healthy.”

  She felt the color rise to her cheeks. “Thank you, Master.”

  He moved closer and moved her arms away from her breasts. “Don’t cover yourself. I get to look at what’s mine whenever I want.” He pressed a hand against her cheek and then allowed it to trail down the side of her throat and then down still further to stroke and cup her breast.

  He bent and dragged his tongue over one nipple and a small gasp escaped her.

  “Can I ask you something?” Julie said.

  “You just did. But I’ll give you a bonus question.”

  “At Dmitri’s house, t-they didn’t like me that much. I… what happens if… if you don’t like me?” She’d be lying if she said all her fears were wrapped up in reliving trauma. One of her biggest fears was that Gabe would finally get what he wanted, decide he didn’t want it after all, and then get rid of her.

  “That won’t happen.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because you’re Julie. And because I’m training you to my absolute and exacting specifications. As long as you can obey simple orders, I’ll like you just fine.”

  He walked her backward until the backs of her knees hit the bed, then he pressed her shoulders down gently until she sat.

  Gabe took a couple of steps back. “Lie back and pull your panties down.”

  Her hands trembled as she did as he demanded. If not for the threat of the dungeon and the growing certainty he would take her there, she would have already crumbled into sobs and begging or tried to flee.

  He sat beside her, his hand resting lightly on her belly. Then he began to stroke the skin there. “I’m happy that you’ve got some healthy weight back, but you will stay at this weight. I want you in the gym every day working out with Brian. I like my girls very fit.”

  Her eyes widened. “But…” How could he ask her to be in the same room with that guy?

  “But nothing. You will go. Brian and I have an understanding. He only did what he did to try to push you into my arms. He won’t interfere with us. I don’t want you to be skulking around the house trying to avoid him. He’s not going to hurt you. And while you don’t want to be in his dungeon, he’s a great personal trainer in the gym. This is your home, and I want you to feel like it is. Spending some time around Brian in a gym environment will be good for you.”

  She was about to argue, but the steely glint in Gabe’s eyes stopped her. “Yes, Master.”

  “Good girl.”

  At least now she could spend all her time worrying about being in the gym with Brian. Maybe it would make her worry less about what Gabe was going to do.

  He took the tube of coconut oil out of his pocket and unscrewed the cap. This time he didn’t order her to do anything, he just positioned her legs the way he wanted them, spread wide so that her feet could reach the edges, then he sat in the open space between them.

  “Close your eyes and relax,” he said.

  Moments later, she felt something cold and soothing between her legs. She was still very tender and red from the waxing. The oil was in a solid form and melted as he massaged it into her skin. Julie was grateful he’d allowed her to close her eyes. She didn’t think she could bear to look at him when he was touching her so blatantly and intimately.

  No man had ever touched her this way before. At Dmitri’s it was blow jobs and standard fucking. Nobody bothered to really look at her—not like this. No one had ever tried to touch her in this almost disturbingly intimate way.

  A desperate little moan left her throat before she could quiet it as her hips arched off the bed, seeking more. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected from Gabe, but it hadn’t been this. She could lie there forever and let him stroke her pussy this way. His fingers dipped inside her and she jerked off the bed toward him. Then he pulled back and caressed her some more on the outside.

  “Please,” she whimpered, a little breathless.

  Gabe chuckled. “Oh, no, sweetheart. You won’t be having an orgasm for a while. You have to surrender completely to me first. And I will know when you have. It will be weeks of training before I can allow it.”

  He pulled his hand away and she had to fight back more begging. Had it been ridiculous to fear and resist him? He said he wasn’t going to let her have an orgasm for a while, and she knew for certain now that she’d never had one because the most she’d ever achieved was the same as the comforting pleasure he’d just delivered. It made her a little afraid, both of how intense it might be and also what if she… couldn’t? Would he be mad? Would he throw her away then?

  “Those men were absolute idiots,” he said, his voice angry. “Of course they didn’t like you. You were inexperienced and none of them ever learned anything more than how to masturbate inside a woman.”

  Julie opened her eyes, horrified he would mention any of that when everything had been so nice for a moment.

  Gabe’s gaze met hers. “I’m sorry. You didn’t need to hear that. It might have been worse for you in some ways if they’d known what they were doing.” He stood and peeled off his T-shirt and jeans.

  She tried not to look at his erection, but she couldn’t help it. To say it was impressive and terrifying was an understatement. She’d unfortunately seen a lot of erections over the past year, but none of them were quite as intimidating as what she found herself faced with now. Instinctively, she closed her legs.

  Gabe noticed. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’m not doing that today. I told you I would go slow. Come with me.” He held out a hand and helped her out of the bed. He took her to the bathroom and started the shower.

  When the temperature was right, he guided her inside and joined her under the spray.

  “Lather your hands up, and touch me.”

  Julie took the bar of soap off the tray and did as he asked. She was tentative at first, afraid she was about to prove to him why he’d gotten a bad deal. No matter what he said, she couldn’t stop thinking in those terms. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe it was the real reason she had pushed away his advances. Not just the fear of relieving Dmitri’s, but the fear of him finding out how much money he’d wasted. And then what?

  “Harder, sweetheart. I’m tougher than I look.”

  Julie laughed because that seemed impossible to her. And standing in the shower with the water rolling over those hard, tanned muscles, she knew he was playing with her. The fact that he seemed intent on continuing to joke with her, even with the change in their relationship relaxed her a bit.

  She gripped him harder and started to move her hand back and forth.

  “Yes,” he groaned. “Just like that.” He gripped the metal bar attached to the shower wall so hard she thought he might break it off.

  Gaining confidence, she worked faster. Within a couple of minutes, he came. He pressed his hands against the wall on either side of her and took several slow breaths. Then when he seemed to have recovered his senses, his gaze shifted to her. He pulled her flush against him and captured her mouth in a kiss.

  It was so much like the intensity and dominance of his kiss on that first night in her apartment. And though she was trapped in a small space with him with nowhere to run, instead of feeling afraid as she had that first night, she knew she was safe in this moment inside the water with him. He was as overwhelming as ever, and she felt consumed. With each devouring kiss, she felt as if she blinked out of existence for a fraction of a second only to come roaring back brighter and more r
eal than she’d been the moment before.

  He moved to her throat then, leaving bites much like that first night, only this time she knew that when the marks faded, he would still be there. He held her against the wall, his large hand pressed against her ribcage just under her breast. His other hand moved between her legs, and she pressed herself into his hand for more contact.

  She felt almost as if she’d left her body. How could this be happening? She responded to him so easily. She wanted to beg him to fuck her, but he’d just come, and he’d already said he wouldn’t today.

  After a few minutes, she felt as though something was building both between her legs and low in her belly. Gabe seemed to come to himself and pulled back. He shut off the water and stared at her hard.

  “Oh no. I said you weren’t coming for a while and I meant it.”

  Was that what was building? Whatever it was, it felt as though it would grow and grow and then explode into a million warm tiny lights around her.

  He pressed another kiss, this one much softer, against her lips and helped her out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and then one around her. His phone rang in the other room, and he sprinted to get it.

  Julie followed him back into the bedroom as he answered.

  “Yes, this is Gabe. Already? That was fast. I should have stayed and waited. I can be there in fifteen minutes. Yeah, thanks.”

  He disconnected and turned back to her. His smile was dazzling. “Your collar’s ready.”

  She felt blank for a moment, unsure of how she should feel. Should she be repulsed? Excited? Resigned? Could she just not have an opinion at all and take the whole thing as it came?

  Gabe got dressed and turned back to her. “Drop the towel and come here.”

  She let the towel go and crossed the room to him. He guided her back a few feet as if he needed her to be in one very specific spot. Then he crossed to the nightstand and pulled a remote out of the drawer. He aimed it at the ceiling and pushed a button.

  A panel slid back and chains dropped down into the room.

  “On your knees,” he said.

  Julie’s trepidation rose as she dropped to her knees on the spot he indicated.

  “Good girl, now spread your legs.”

  Her heart beat harder as she spread her legs. He raised her arms over her head and fastened her wrists into soft cuffs. Then he went back to the drawer and pulled out another remote-like object with a black button on it. He positioned the remote beside her knee where she could easily roll onto it.

  “That’s a panic button. I want you to stay like this for me until I get back, but if you absolutely can’t handle it or have some sort of emergency, press it, and someone will come release you.”

  He went to a dresser and took a scrap of black silk from the top drawer and blindfolded her. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That’s my good girl. I want you like this when I return, if you can stand it. I will be quick.”

  Gabe was a bundle of electricity. It still felt like a dream. Finally. Finally she was his to train and do whatever he wanted with. Every time the word master fell from her lips it sounded sweeter. Already he could feel her will melting and merging with his own. There was no question that very soon her desire would be only to please him.

  He’d seen the fight within her, but they both knew it was manufactured and artificial, created in Dmitri’s house. Without that unfortunate detour in her life, Gabe imagined she’d already be completely surrendered to him. But this morning was a good start.

  He’d gone with a simple collar. A sold gold band with a few carved flourishes that made it seem to glitter and sparkle when the light hit it. It looked like a very nice wedding band, except much larger. Gabe had wanted something that would make her feel as though this were a marriage. Perhaps she could begin to see things his way if she could frame the relationship that way.

  Perhaps not the average modern marriage, but a much more traditional one from a time very far in the past. After all, wasn’t there a time where a woman didn’t pick her husband? A time where he took what was his and yet provided food and clothing and shelter and protection. And didn’t love often grow and follow from that?

  In the end, except for the kink side of things, her life was not so very different than had once been quite normal. Perhaps the level of comfort and luxury was a bit more.

  Gabe hadn’t wasted time chatting with the collar guy, because he didn’t want to leave her for very long. That kind of bondage could be intense for someone not used to it. The real question was would she still be in the chains when he got back?

  There was some small deterrent in her nudity. The compromising position she found herself in. The vulnerability of the blindfold. She might not want to call any random person into the room to see her that way.

  Either way, whether she was still in the chains or freed, no doubt a strong point about her situation would be driven home.

  When Gabe got to the house, he took the stairs two at a time to get back to her. But at the end of the hallway, he stalled, unsure of what he wanted to find behind the door: perfect submission, or a freed but embarrassed captive. Finally, he opened the door.

  Julie was still exactly as he’d left her, naked on her knees, legs spread, blindfolded, arms stretched and chained above her head. As soon as he saw it, he realized he’d expected to see her quietly waiting on the bed for him, someone having released her. He’d been gone a good thirty minutes. This would be intense for anyone new to this. He hadn’t really expected she’d still be there.

  Tears were streaming down her face, no doubt from pain and perhaps some anxiety.

  “M-master,” she whispered.

  The way her voice quivered when she said it nearly broke him. He couldn’t believe he’d doubted for one second that this was in her.

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  She let out a shuddering breath. Relief. The tension that had strung her body tight from the moment he’d opened the door wasn’t from the chains, but maybe the fear of being discovered by someone else this way.

  Gabe put the box with the collar in it down on the dresser and went to her. He unbuckled the cuffs around her wrists and took the blindfold off. Then he rubbed her hands and arms.

  “How is your circulation?”

  “I-it’s fine. It just hurt.”

  He crossed to the bathroom and started to run a hot bath. He poured soothing bath salts and lavender oil in and then went back to help her up off the ground. Julie didn’t say anything as he guided her back to the bathroom. He shut off the water, tested the temperature, and then helped her into the tub.

  “Relax, I’ll be right back.”

  Gabe went to the other room and brought a chair in and placed it at the end of the tub where Julie’s head rested. All the tension and anxiety drained out of her as he massaged her arms and shoulders.

  “I didn’t expect you to still be there when I got back,” he said.

  “Why not?”

  “I assumed it would be too much for you and you’d push the button. Why didn’t you? Were you too embarrassed?”

  “I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

  Would he have been disappointed? He’d known when he chained her up that this was a lot to ask of a brand new, totally untrained slave. But, yes. Even knowing how unreasonable his demand was, he would have been disappointed. He would have gotten over it, and he certainly wouldn’t have punished her for it, but he would have wished for a different outcome. Though he’d tried to convince himself it wasn’t, it had been a test—one she had exceeded all expectations on.

  “I’m sorry you were in pain, but I’m very pleased with you.”

  She seemed to relax another fraction. Whether it was from his words, the warmth of the bath loosening tight muscles, or his hands kneading out the knots he couldn’t be sure.

  “I-is it going to be like this all the time?” she asked.

  “Like what?”

  “Painful.”

  He chuckled. �
�No. Most of the time it won’t be. Even when I play with you with things that you think should be painful, it won’t be like you think. I promise.”

  They sat in silence for several minutes. The only sound disturbing the silence was Julie’s fingertips trailing back and forth through the water.

  When the water had cooled, Gabe pulled the plug on the drain and helped her out of the tub. He dried her and led her back into the bedroom and guided her to sit on the edge of the bed.

  He crossed to the dresser and retrieved the black velvet box that contained the gold collar and returned to sit beside her. She seemed to barely breathe as she stared at the box. Her hand crept out to stroke the velvet on top, then she looked up at him, unsure.

  “My collar?”

  “Yes. And it never comes off.”

  Gabe opened the box.

  Julie stared at it for a long time, finally running her finger along the smooth parts of the gold. “It looks like a wedding ring for a giant,” she said.

  At least the intent had been clear.

  “In a lot of ways it is. I know this is still scary for you, and you don’t know what’s going to happen next or how you’ll feel about it, but this is a commitment to you. This doesn’t just mark you as being my property. It says I’m taking responsibility for you. Forever. It means more to me than a wedding ring means to most people. I hope you can find a way to understand that. So I don’t want to hear any talk about me getting rid of you. That won’t happen. Once this collar is around your throat, that’s it. Everyone in this house takes a collar like this deadly serious, including me. If you displease me, the answer to that is training, not abandoning or throwing you away, do you understand?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  Gabe took a small black velvet pouch out of his pocket and pulled out a golden key that matched the collar. He removed the collar from it’s cushioning, unlocked it with the key, and put it around Julie’s throat. Then he put the key back in the velvet pouch and went to the far end of the room. There he took a modern art painting of bright geometric shapes off the wall to reveal a small wall safe. He punched in a code and put the pouch with the key inside, then he shut the safe and replaced the picture.