"Any particular setup you need, Madison?" This from Logan, all warm and neutral courtesy. "We're here to observe and help you with props. We'll intervene if you go into unhealthy territory, but don't take that as a slap down. I know you don't want to hurt Troy from a misstep."
"Definitely." While all the equipment was rather exciting, what she wanted was fairly simple. "Those old timey wooden chairs you have in the store. The ones for children? Can they take a man's weight?"
"They're built to double as footstools, so yeah. You need one?"
"Two, please."
"All right." He strode from the room, leaving her there with Shale. She needn't have worried about an empty silence.
"What should Troy call you tonight?" the woman asked.
"Miss Fine."
Shale glanced over her outfit, taking in the bag when Madison lifted it for her inspection. She grinned, a conspiratorial gesture that made Madison feel less anxious. Somewhat. "Very appropriate."
"Troy, I'm dropping you off at school." The woman's tone changed. Charged with authority, it made Madison wonder if Shale was a cop, because she had an immediate vision of her asking a tipsy motorist to walk a straight line. "You'll behave for Miss Fine. I don't want to get any more bad reports. Answer me."
"Yes, ma'am." When Troy swallowed, Madison enjoyed a prick of pure anticipation. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her bag.
Slipping her hand off Troy's shoulder, Shale drew Madison a few steps away, dropping her tone to a whisper. "Logan said you know Troy's safe word. He's got a fairly high tolerance for pain, if you warm him up enough first. He strained his right shoulder the other day, helping Logan unload a truck, so if you're going to cuff him, no extreme angles or stress."
Madison nodded. "I really don't want to hurt him," she said. "So please don't hesitate to interrupt if I do anything wrong."
Shale's eyes warmed in approval, even as she gave Madison a look she knew all too well from Logan. "Don't worry. I won't."
The Mistress moved back to her sub. Her fingers slipped over Troy's ear, to his neck, and then down to rest on the right shoulder, testing the tautness there. "Too bad we went ahead and took your cage home," Shale said. "I could have put you in it until Miss Fine was ready to play with you."
Though Troy kept his eyes down, Madison saw his fingers press into his knees, the restless shift of his body. She imagined Shale commanding him to bring his naked body flush up against the bars, push his cock between them so she could grip it, perhaps even bind it there while she tormented it in various ways. Madison took a steadying breath, wondering if Shale might consider sharing webcam footage. Not likely.
She thought of herself in that cage, Logan stroking her body through the bars, sliding her forward and then putting clamps and a connecting chain on her nipples on the outside to hold her there in a similar way. She imagined waiting on him to release her, let her out to play . . .
"Here you go." Logan had returned, holding the two small wooden chairs in his large hands. "Where do you want them?"
"Center of the floor, please. Thank you." Madison looked toward Shale. "Are you okay with us getting started?"
"Yes. No need for excess chitchat before a scene, especially when your mind's already getting into it." Shale glanced toward Logan. "Can we spotlight the chairs, put everything else in shadows, including you and me? It's hard to concentrate the first time, when there are a lot of distractions. I think she'll do better if it feels like it's just the two of them, right?"
Wow. She was really starting to like this woman. Shale had made it clear that Troy was hers with that I won't hesitate remark, but she was facilitating, helping Madison to be more comfortable. Which was sensible because, with fewer distractions, Madison was more likely to focus on doing the right thing, building the rapport with Troy. She wouldn't be as self-conscious and awkward, a less-than-optimal situation for everyone. Veronica's Master had proven that all Doms weren't so professional and intuitive, but Logan wouldn't expose her to someone he didn't trust just as much as himself in such a scenario.
"I think it's time to let Troy have a look at you," Shale said. "To help him center as well. What do you think, Miss Fine?"
"It's only a minute until the bell rings," Madison nodded, warming up to it. "It's time for him to get to class."
Logan had dimmed the lights as Shale suggested, and was in the shadows by the workbench, though Madison felt his attentive gaze. She didn't look toward him, not sure what expression she would see, but feeling it might unsettle her, whatever it was, right before she reached out to interact sexually with another male. As it was, she had to swallow a couple times, take a steadying breath.
Shale stepped behind Troy, loosened the blindfold. "You're now Miss Fine's, Troy. You obey her as you would obey me." With a mischievous twinkle to her eye, blended with a great deal of terrifying Mistress, she brushed her mouth on the back of his neck. "Play nice."
She stepped back to join Logan in the shadows.
Now Madison was in a world of her own creation, with a male waiting to do her bidding. Troy lifted his head.
As he raised his gaze all the way to her face, he covered the terrain starting from her feet. The look in his eyes was different from what she'd seen, even with Logan. It was vibrant, strong. She knew intuitively he wanted to stand up, move toward her, and only a thin veneer of self-restraint held him back. He'd test her, she realized with surprise, make his submission a challenge. Not bratting, not like Logan had described. Troy was just underscoring he was an individual, a male individual, and she'd have to earn his submission.
Anyone who thought a male submissive turned in his man card had never been on the receiving end of such a look. Wow. She suspected this was a taste of what Shale felt every time she met those absorbing cerulean eyes, full of power and strength, life. In turn, she experienced a flood of her own power, fueled by how much he wanted her to meet the challenge, how much he wanted the fantasy she could give him, where he'd be held back by her slightest desire or command. The fact this was definitely Troy's choice, not some sick manipulation like what was between Veronica and her Master, made it even more potent.
"Troy, the bell has rung. Why aren't you in your seat?" She pointed to one of the two chairs Logan had left.
Troy moved to it obediently, even as he gave her a sidelong second look, lingering on the curve of her hips in the tight skirt, the deep plunge the button-down blouse revealed. She could tell he was straining his eyes to see the lace edge of her push-up bra. His gaze also hitched over the wooden ruler she'd withdrawn from her bag and held in one hand. When he took a seat in the small chair, his knees came up to his chest, and he had to balance himself carefully on the seat meant for a six-year-old.