Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 82746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
He was angry at himself for letting down his guard, even if he’d been asleep. Though he knew it was irrational, he should have kept a tighter rein on his fucking nightmares. Ellen did not need to witness his lingering PTSD.
He ran his hands through his hair and over his face, as if he could scrub away the nightmares in the process. “It was nothing,” he croaked. He cleared his throat. “Just a bad dream. I’m sorry I woke you. Please, go back to sleep.”
“Are you sure?” She didn’t look at all convinced. “Let me get you some water.”
“I’m fine,” he snapped. He rolled from the bed to his feet.
When he turned back to her, her hurt look reminded him she was only expressing natural concern. He forced himself to speak more gently.
“Really, it’s okay. I have nightmares sometimes, left over from my time in special ops. I’m sorry you were subjected to it.” He managed something he hoped approximated a smile. “Go back to sleep. That’s an order.”
Turning on his heel, he made his escape.
Chapter 17
When Ellen opened her eyes the next morning, she was alone. Had he ever come back to bed? That must have been some nightmare. When she’d finally managed to wake him, the confusion and stark anguish on his face had been heartbreaking. But when she’d tried to comfort him, it had been as if a wall had slammed down between them, shutting her out.
He was such a strange mixture of openness and reserve. He’d been almost playful during their trip to the supermarket. When they’d taken their walk outside, he’d been so easy with her.
While she adored his dominance and total control, that vanilla time together had added something new to their interaction. It had given her hope that something more might be happening between them, something that might last beyond their week-long contract.
Stay in the moment, she reminded herself. They still had four days together. So far, each day had been more intense than the last. She was excited to learn what he had planned for today.
Just as she was about to roll from the bed to find Master Damon, he appeared in the doorway.
“You’re up. Good.”
She wanted to ask why he’d never come back to bed. She wanted to know if he was all right after last night. She held her tongue, however, not sure her questions would be welcome.
She smiled. “Good morning, Sir.”
“Good morning, slave.”
He moved into the room and sat beside her. Reaching for her wrists, he unclipped her sleeping cuffs and set them on the nightstand. He got to his feet and looked down at her.
“I want you to shower and groom before breakfast. When you’re done, you will present yourself to me in the living room for inspection. Then we’re going to discuss the topic of erotic humiliation.”
Without another word, he left the room.
Nervous anticipation coursed through Ellen as she went through her morning bathroom routine. Erotic humiliation. Just the words gave her an edgy thrill.
As she showered, Ellen thought about Lia, who had been one of the trainees who started The Enclave slave training program at the same time as Ellen. Lia had claimed to want to find her inner submissive, but she’d struggled every step of the way. She’d been in trouble a lot and nearly always in some kind of disgrace. Master Lawrence, The Enclave’s primary disciplinarian, had punished her in various ways.
One of the harshest punishments, in Ellen’s estimation, had been when he had forced her to wear a pig nose mask on her face and a butt plug with a curly pig’s tail protruding from it. Master Mason had served spaghetti and meatballs that night. During dinner, Master Lawrence made Lia remain on her hands and knees by his chair. He put a bowl of the sauce-laden pasta on the floor beside her and forced her to eat it without the use of her hands.
After dinner, he made her crawl to the living room, her face and pig mask still covered in spaghetti sauce. There, he forced her to race around the room on all fours, squealing like a pig as he repeatedly swatted her with a rolled-up newspaper.
Surely that sort of thing wasn’t what Master Damon had in mind? There had been nothing erotic in that kind of humiliation, at least not in Ellen’s estimation.
She already had some idea of what to expect, or she hoped she did. She couldn’t deny the dark arousal she’d experienced when Master Damon had called her a dirty little slut and a cunt. Even while a part of her had protested, she’d found it thrilling in an edgy sort of way.
But she was pretty sure whatever he had in mind for her today would go further than just a whisper to her inner dirty girl. A lot further. Would Master Damon help her connect with that part of her erotic hardwiring that had always secretly lurked inside her? Would she be able to handle it if he did?