“Please, Max. I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t be in here.” Her eyes flared wide, and she snapped her head back defensively. “Please don’t spank me. I promise not to do it again. But it’s partly your fault, too. If you don’t want anyone to come in, then you should keep it locked.”
“It’s never locked.” He raised his brow, wondering how much she really knew about a D/s relationship. He guessed she had a lot to learn. It seemed to him that Ella wanted to blame everyone except herself for her bad behavior. “So, are you saying it’s my fault that you entered without permission?”
Her lips pouted. Gaining in confidence, she replied, “In a way, yes.” She looked around. “Besides, I don’t see anything special about this place. It’s just an empty room with an old chest in the corner. I don’t see why you’re so bothered that I’m in here.”
To keep calm he spoke very slowly. “I see.” Max scanned the playroom intently, as though seeing it for the first time. Behind the large panes of mirrored glass lay his favorite toys. Large pieces of bondage furniture could be maneuvered into position at a moment’s notice. Each time he played in here he set the scene to his own personal desires. With the aid of mood lighting and the right buildup he could create an atmosphere of dominance and surprise for his sub. At the moment it looked very barren and clinical. “Hmm, do I detect disappointment, Ella?”
“Max, I was curious, that’s all. I wanted to know what to expect.”
“Then I take it that you want to continue with our relationship?”
Ella nodded. “Yes, Max. I feel safe here. I haven’t felt this calm for a long time. And you make me feel…”
She shrugged her shoulders and he encouraged. “Go on. We shouldn’t have any secrets from each other.”
A pretty pink color stained her cheeks. “You make me feel incredibly sexy.”
He smiled, pleased by her frankness. “You do know I should punish you for coming in here?”
“Will you?”
Max brushed the beautiful, silky black hair from her huge eyes, and stroked his hand down her cheek. Her feminine presence intoxicated him. He didn’t need to look down to know he had a raging hard-on again. This feeling of power was what he loved the most. He rubbed his thumb over her lips, and then leaned in and kissed her. “Not this time, but be warned. Next time, I won’t be so lenient.” He took hold of her hand and began leading her from the playroom. “Come back to bed, and we’ll discuss this further. There are rules you need to follow without question.”
When they were both settled in the huge bed, and propped comfortably by the pillows, Max spoke. “Tell me what you hope to gain from this relationship, Ella, and then, I’ll tell you what I expect from you.”
“I expect to give myself into your care. So long as I don’t use my safeword, you get to do what you want. I need you to be in charge, Max.”
He chuckled at her na?veté. “Ella, in a way you’re partly right, but this is your sexual journey, not mine. I’m just the facilitator for your fantasies.”
Her jaw dropped open as she stared at him. “You are joking, right? How can that be, when you’re the one with all the power and control?”
“Yes, but I’m confined by your limits and preferences.” Max leaned over and opened a drawer in his bedside cabinet. He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her. “This is my list of what the unenlightened would call deviant practices. Personally, I prefer to think of them as spiritual stepping stones to finding one’s true self. I want you to go through this list and put a cross against the ones, which you do not wish to indulge in. You can grade them if you wish. If it’s something you’d really enjoy rate it a five. By the same token, if it’s something you find wholly unacceptable, then rate it a one. I’m sure you get the picture.” Max had already whittled down the list. There were some things in the BDSM world that were not for him.
“So if I put a cross against this one or rated it a one”—Ella pointed to wax play on the list—“you wouldn’t make me do it?”
“Precisely.” He smiled. “And now to my requirements. What I need from you is your complete trust and obedience. If I command you to do something, then you must do it, or face the consequences.”
“You mean you’ll discipline me if I disobey?”
“Yes, I will mete out punishment however I see fit.”
“What if I use my safeword?”
“Then it won’t happen, but if you insist on using your safeword all the time, there wouldn’t be any point to our having a D/s relationship in the first place. What I teach you will broaden your mind. I’ll be unable to do that if you keep using your safeword for every little thing.” Max put his arm around her and she snuggled closer into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. He stroked a hand through her hair, teasing the silky strands with his fingers. “Now the rules. Out of respect for your Master, and while you’re in training, I expect you to wear my mark.”