“Very nice, little one. I expect no improper word usage tonight, but you should know that this time, I won’t have you recite dirty sentences.” She didn’t have time to be relieved before he added, “I’ll be the one coming up with the sentences, and you’ll have to act them out.”
And his sentences would be evil and wicked. While she thoroughly enjoyed that side of him, she had a feeling she probably shouldn’t goad him. “I understand, Sir.”
His hand left her head and she assumed he went back to work. Why then had he requested her to come to the office if he wasn’t going to say or do anything? She thought about all the other things she could be doing, but then stopped short. Here at Cole’s house, there wasn’t much for her to do.
She reminded herself, once again, that she was getting a taste of what it was like to be a slave. She should be thinking about how to please her Master—something she’d messed up on minutes before.
Maybe if she thought through what she was going to write on crawling, it wouldn’t take her that long to complete and they could still spend the evening together. Although, he might be working. He certainly seemed engrossed at the moment.
The room had grown noticeably darker before he pushed back in his chair. “Sometimes the simple presence of another person makes all the difference. I enjoyed having you in the room with me as I caught up on a few items, little one. So much so, I think we’ll make this a regular occurrence.”
She tried to cover her shock at his revelation and felt a little prideful that she’d made a difference. “Of course, Sir.”
“Come sit in my lap.”
He held out a hand and helped her to straddle his lap, facing him. He ran a finger down her cheek. “You look beautiful in black lace, but I think tomorrow I want you naked all day.”
She swallowed. She’d expected to spend time naked, but hadn’t planned on spending the entire day naked. Not on the second day.
“Yes,” he mused. “I think I’ll display you like a fine piece of art. Perhaps on a table. I can appreciate your beauty as I work, all the while imagining all the sordid things I want to do to your body. And then, when I finish for the day, I’ll write them all down and have you pick one.”
She was going to sit on a table? All day?
“Is that a frown?” he asked.
“Just trying to understand how it’ll work, Sir, with me being on a table.”
“It will work how I say it will work. It’s not your place to understand. The only thing you need to understand is that I have everything under control.”
“My brain has a hard time shutting off, Sir.”
“Yes, I know. Do you see now why it’s best you not work at the shop for these two weeks?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I know it’s a difficult state of mind to get to, but once you do, you’ll stop analyzing everything so much.”
“Thank you for understanding my struggles, Sir.”
He traced her lips with his finger. “I think I have something that might help.”
“It’s not an anal plug, is it?” Please don’t let it be an anal plug.
He snorted in surprise, took a deep breath, and shook his head. “No, nothing quite as awful as a plug. In fact, I think you’ll like this. Go kneel in the middle of the room.”
As she moved off his lap, her mind raced trying to imagine what it could be, but she came up with nothing. The sound of a drawer opening led her to believe he had it stored in his office, and that just confused her more. The only thing she would think he’d have in desk drawers were office supplies.
“Look at me, Sasha,” he said from a few feet before her.
His voice sounded a bit hoarse, which made no sense. He’d been talking all day and even up to a few minutes ago sounded normal. She lifted her head and her breath caught.
He was holding a collar.
Excitement surged through her veins and her heart pounded like she’d just finished a five-mile run. She blinked to make certain she looked at it right.
“It’s a training collar,” he explained. “Just for these two weeks.”
She kept her eyes on the collar as he stepped closer. It looked like a thin band of black leather.
“If I were collaring a slave, the collar would be locked around her neck and I alone would hold the key. This collar has a clasp, making it easily removable. Though we agreed on two weeks, there is nothing stopping you from walking out my door.”
Even as shocked and happy as she was to be offered a simple training collar from Cole, she didn’t miss the trace of emotion he’d been unable to hide while speaking. Having his collar locked around her neck hadn’t stopped Kate from walking out of his door.
“I know you’re aware of the meaning behind a collar,” he said. “And though this one is only temporary, I think wearing it for these two weeks will be beneficial.”
He probably had a point. With a reminder of who she belonged to for this time, always there around her neck, she imagined it would be easier not to let her mind lead her into hesitation.
He reached down and cupped her cheek, so gently his thumb stroked her skin. “Will you wear my training collar, little one?”
Tears prickled her eyes over a training collar. She mentally scolded herself. It wasn’t even a real collar; it was temporary. But she’d never been collared before, even in a training sense, and she couldn’t keep the fears tamped down that this might be the only time anyone would ever offer her his collar.
“Yes, Sir. I will gladly wear your training collar,” she said, surprised by how husky her voice sounded.
He reached behind her and buckled the collar into place, dragging his fingertips along the leather’s edge and making her skin rise in goose bumps. She closed her eyes. Cole had just collared her and for that moment in time, she pretended it wasn’t only for two weeks.
“Your neck was made to display a Master’s collar,” he whispered. “Just as your body was made for his dominance. My collar looks good on you, slave.”
My collar. It felt good, too. “Thank you, Sir.”
“I want you to stay in here in that position. Meditate on how wearing my training collar will help keep you in the proper mind-set. When you’re finished, you may put your clothes on for an hour of free time before dinner. I’ll allow you clothes at dinner tonight, too.”
“One question, Sir.”
“Yes?”
“May I start on my writing assignment during my free time?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You may, but your free time is limited and it’ll probably be tomorrow night before you get more time to yourself.”
“I know. It’s just—” She paused for a second, then told herself to be bold. “I’d like to spend the evening with you instead of writing.”
“I’d much rather you spend the evening with me, too. So if you finish your assignment and I have a chance to look over it, maybe there’ll be some time to be together.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
• • •
The woman who joined him at the dinner table a few hours later appeared calm and content and nothing at all like the wounded submissive he’d first taken notice of. Sasha was strong now, physically and mentally, yes, but even more so because she believed in herself. While he was pleased with the transformation, he knew at the end of her training he’d need to let her go. She needed to see that she could be strong and confident with other Dominants, not just him.
She sat across from him with a smile. Fuck, she looked so good
wearing a collar.
But not just any collar. His collar. Even if it was only for training.
She’d handed him her journal while he waited for dinner to be ready. Though he hadn’t had a chance to look over it, he had the feeling there would be no errors or grammatical mistakes tonight. So far Sasha didn’t seem to be one who had to be taught something more than once.
He’d selected a shirt with a plunging neckline for her to wear