Desire's Awakening (23 page)

Corinne’s back straightened and her head rose to give him an icy stare. She placed her hands on her hips.

“It’s because of her, isn’t it? You’re going to give her my place in this house once I’m gone, is that it?”

Anger flared hot at her accusation. He felt it rising up his neck and flushing his face. Damien stood and braced his hands on his desk, leaning toward her. “It’s none of your business what my plans are with her or any other sub, for that matter. All you need to know is what I am doing with
you
. The last time I checked,
I
am still Master of this household and
I
make the decisions. And you had better stand down or you can leave the household right now and I’ll send you a bill for your room and board. Understood?”

She dropped her hands to fold them behind her back.

“Yes Sir.”

“You are dismissed.”

* * * * *

At ten fifteen p.m., Damien paid Kat a visit in her room. He hadn’t seen her all day and was concerned that she was all right. She was lying upon the bed reading a book and set it aside when he arrived. He walked slowly toward her and thought it strange that she did not stand to greet him nor smile at his approach.

“What’s going on? I hear you haven’t been around most of the day and you didn’t go for your usual swim. Are you all right?”

She looked up briefly then lowered her head.

“Sir, I’m fine. I didn’t want to be around anyone today. I’m truly sorry about what happened last night.”

He sat on the bed next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. His heart went out to her. The poor thing must have been more affected by her bad experience than she had let on. He tilted her chin so she would look at him.

“Listen, don’t worry. It wasn’t your fault. Victor was out of line. You did the right thing. Understand?”

“Yes Sir.” The dark lashes fluttered down, concealing her eyes.

“Good. Is there anything you wish to discuss?”

“No Sir.”

“You’re allowed to speak openly, even if you feel it may offend me. I will not punish you for speaking your mind.”

“Thank you, Sir. I have nothing to say.”

Damien felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. Something was not right. Kat was not acting normal.

“Are you injured, in pain?”

“No Sir.”

She was not opening up and that bothered him. He had told her not to worry about what happened last night, yet she didn’t respond the way he had expected. She seemed different somehow. Cool. Distant. He leaned over to kiss her, but she didn’t turn her face to him. Instead, his lips brushed her cheek. Annoyed, he released her. What the heck was going on? Where was her appreciation for what he did for her last night?

“You’re acting very strange. I want to know what is bothering you.”

She shook her foot nervously. “It’s nothing, Sir. Truly. I’m just anxious to get back to reading my book. It’s a very good story.”

Damien studied his favorite sub. Her whole body seemed tense. Where was the alluring young woman who had stolen his heart? Her unresponsiveness was very disconcerting and a big turn-off. He didn’t want to be around her if she was going to act stand-offish.

“I was going to invite you to my room, but apparently you are not interested. This is not proper behavior for a submissive.”

“I’m sorry, Sir. Did you wish to punish me?” Her reply angered him. She didn’t say she wanted to be with him tonight.

“You mock me! I’ve treated you very well and this is your thanks?”

“Sir, no, it’s that…well, I need time to think. I was wondering if I’ll be ready for the auction.” She looked up to meet his gaze.

Her words cut deep and a big lump formed in his throat. The auction was still more than two weeks away. Why was she so anxious to leave him? Had she met someone last night that she really liked? Although he normally would have been pleased to hear that a sub had made a good connection with a prospective client and was ready for auction, he just hadn’t expected to hear it from Kaitlin, especially after what they had shared.

“Yes. You’re close to completing all of the items on your BDSM checklist. And there are a few more things we need to do. I’ll take you to Club Exotica this Friday night to expose you to a real scene and you will attend one more party here. By the time the auction comes, you’ll be ready to play with the big boys.”

“Sir, I just don’t want my training package to be sold to Sir Victor. That wouldn’t happen, would it?”

He took her hand in his and covered it.

“Victor will never get near you again. You have my word on it.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“I saw you speaking with Sir David and several other Doms. You will have an opportunity to speak to others also before the auction.”

“I would like that, Sir.”

He sighed. The experience last night had apparently taken its toll on her, physically and emotionally. It hadn’t been an easy couple of days for him either. Perhaps they did need a little time apart.

“Okay, well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll say good night.”

“Good night, Sir.”

He stood and looked down at her. It hurt him to see her spirit so wounded. He decided to give her the space she wanted. He closed the door quietly behind him.

Kaitlin turned off the light and the darkness enveloped her. She buried her face into her pillow and cried deep, soulful tears.

Chapter Sixteen

The next week passed quickly. Kaitlin rarely saw Sir Damien except for training sessions on Monday and Wednesday as he was very busy training the new girls. On days when she didn’t have training appointments, she was instructed to research specific websites and told to read as much as she could about the lifestyle. Her training session on Friday would be the trip to Club Exotica.

On the few occasions when they passed in the hallway, Sir Damien would look briefly at her and smile, then return to his work. He hadn’t invited her back to his bedroom. Though she was relieved, she wondered whether he had found someone else to warm his bed. Despite her resolve to get over him, the thought of him with one of the other girls was too much to bear.

She reflected on the Doms she met at the party. Sir David was very sweet and considerate. He didn’t try to push himself on her like Sir Victor. In fact, she was impressed with what a gentleman he was. He seemed quite intelligent. They spoke a lot about Canada and his temporary job in the states. He was in the United States on a six-month visa. If she had an interest in him, she would have to move to Canada. She had difficulty picturing herself in a place where winters were so cold. She had never experienced snow or temperatures below forty degrees.

Then there was Sir Stefan. At first she was attracted to him because he was extremely good-looking, with a full head of thick hair the color of golden wheat and a wonderful smile. She liked the fact that he loved to dance as much as she did. His only drawback was that he enjoyed being the center of attention—he didn’t dance
with
her as much as he danced
for
her, or actually he danced for the entire crowd in the room. A man as self-centered as that would be hard to please. She wondered if he would even pleasure her or whether the relationship would be all one-sided with him being on the receiving end.

The few others she talked to at the party were a blur. She disregarded them for one reason or another…smoker, too old or too young. She wondered if she was being overly picky. Why was it that the only one she really considered to be her perfect mate was the one man she couldn’t have? Or did the fact that she fell in love with him color her opinion of him?

Her heart felt as if it had been scooped out and tossed into the trash. It hurt so bad that just taking a breath was a chore. Dolly commented on her lack of enthusiasm for the tasks she had been assigned and even remarked about the dark rings and puffiness under Kaitlin’s eyes. Kat couldn’t hide the fact that she wasn’t sleeping well at night. She lost interest in going to the gym or the pool and avoided others wherever possible. Once she even considered asking to be released from her contract, then realized that was exactly what Corinne wanted her to do. No, she had signed up for this program and she was going to finish it. If there was one thing she had discovered in the few weeks she had been in the Trainer’s home, it was that she had found her niche. Despite a few unpleasant encounters, she truly enjoyed being a submissive and this lifestyle was what she wanted from now on. Vanilla partners just wouldn’t satisfy her anymore.

* * * * *

Damien went directly to his office every day after a full day of training. He spent as little time as possible in his bedroom. He couldn’t stand being there for long periods as it held too many memories of the time he spent with Kaitlin. The two training sessions he had with her this week were awkward. Both he and Kat went about the session in a very professional manner and did not speak of anything other than what was being taught.

He had passed her several times in the hallway while leading a new sub to the dungeon. She was always busy doing her chores, but the moment he came close, she raised her head to look at him as if she sensed his presence. There was sadness in those incredible eyes that he could sense. She was so beautiful that his heart wrenched each time he saw her. He smiled politely and looked away for otherwise he might have said something he would regret later.

He had plenty of work to keep him occupied. Without Corinne to assist him, he had to handle all aspects of planning and training. The pressure of the auction date hung over his head also.

The three owned subs were progressing nicely in their training. By the middle of next week, their Masters would take them home. He would miss Dolly the most. She had been very helpful in mentoring the two new girls and Kaitlin during her short time there. She also had given him some advice that touched his heart and made him think. Did he really want to be alone the rest of his life? Wouldn’t it be great if he could be in love again and have one sub by his side instead of a stream of impersonal relationships with women who passed through his life?

As a sub, he knew Dolly would never tell a Dom what to do, but she had cleverly made comments about what she would do with Kaitlin if she were him. Because of her close connection with Kat, she was able to have some serious heart-to-heart talks with her and shared a perspective about Kat that he hadn’t considered.

The community of people who lived the 24/7 lifestyle was limited and most everyone knew everyone else. The Dominants were always very grateful for his assistance and he liked what it did to his bank account. Each time he took his trainees to auction at the Castle Dungeon, he became richer. His subs always brought the highest bids because of their impeccable training, a fact of which he was very proud.

He tried not to think about how hard it was going to be to see Kaitlin on the auction block. Could he watch her walk away, never seeing her beautiful face again? Never hearing her lilting laughter? Never feeling her warm, sensual body against his?

Damien had hoped to keep her around a little longer, dragging out her lessons, pretending that she needed to learn more. There was no hard and fast rule that said that once a submissive had finished training, she automatically had to go to auction. Indeed, other girls had spent an additional week or month in the house in order to meet more potential mates at parties. He tried to be as accommodating as possible so that no one could ever say that they were unprepared for the lifestyle or that they didn’t have enough exposure to all aspects before they went to auction. Everyone who had gone through his training praised him. That’s why it bothered him that Kat had been so affected by her experience at the party. He regretted that there was nothing he could do to take back what happened with Sir Victor. Now every encounter they had seemed strained.

He missed the affection they shared. Perhaps he shouldn’t have gotten so close to her. Yes, that was his mistake—treating her special, breaking his own rules. It was a hard lesson to learn, but in the future, he would be careful to not let down his guard.

* * * * *

Damien stood in front of his mirror Friday night arranging the bow tie on his black tuxedo. He had taken care to make sure he looked exceptionally fine tonight and added a splash of Kaitlin’s favorite aftershave to his face. Clearing his throat, he said to his mirrored self, “All right. Looking good.”

Kaitlin met him at the front door at exactly nine p.m. She wore a long black cape, a black fishnet stocking body suit and stilettos - the required attire for subs going with him to Club Exotica. Her hair was swept up in an attractive hairdo and her heavy makeup was applied correctly. He walked around her, giving her a studied perusal. She wore the cologne he gave her…it brought back bittersweet memories of an intimate night.

“Very good,” he said, grabbing a whip from a post at the front door and attaching it to the clip on his belt. He attached a leash to her collar and led the way to his vehicle.

Damien opened the back door of the black Lincoln Navigator and she climbed into the second seat, eyes trained forward. Without a word, he slid the door shut and climbed into the driver’s seat, tossing the whip onto the passenger seat.

“Do you remember the instructions I gave you for tonight?” he asked, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

“Yes Sir.”

“Good. We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Try to relax. You’ll do fine.”

He popped in a Tim McGraw CD and listened to “I Like It, I Love It” as he drove to get his mind off the beautiful submissive in his backseat. Occasionally while waiting at a red light, he peered into the mirror to look at her. She looked absolutely stunning, with soft tendrils of curls framing her face. Her makeup brought out her best features. He had almost forgotten how full and luscious her lips were, how mesmerizing her eyes were, how delicate and perfect her features were. She would surely draw a lot of attention to them tonight. They made a very handsome couple.

Arriving at the club, Damien grabbed the whip then gave the keys to a valet. Another valet opened Kaitlin’s door and assisted her out of the car. Damien led her into the establishment. The attendant at the front counter greeted them with a big smile as they approached. The man’s dark hair was slicked back from his narrow face in a style reminiscent of the 1920s. His suit even looked old-fashioned.