Desire's Awakening (29 page)

“You’ve disobeyed orders by not answering my direct questions. You disgraced the value of my training by taking off your collar. Give me one good reason why I should not beat you to within an inch of your life?”

“Sir, I…I don’t know, Sir.”

“Look at me!”

She lifted her face and slowly raised glassy eyes coated with tears that spilled over onto her cheeks. The sight moved him.

“I’m sorry, Sir. So very, very sorry.”

“That’s all you have to say to me? You’re sorry? Why should I give you another collar? Why should I trust you ever again?”

“Because I promise never to do it again.”

“Crawl to the cross.”

She did as commanded, head down. When she got there, she stood spread-eagle against it so he could secure her arms and legs with rope. He appreciated not having to tell her what to do. In her own way, she was showing him she still wanted to obey him.

“I am not going to go easy on you tonight, you know that.”

She shook her head.

“Do what you must. I won’t say the safe word.”

He stood back from her, whip poised to strike. He looked up and saw his hand shaking. It had never done that before. God! He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t hurt her. Despite the fact that she deserved discipline, his resolve crumbled. He threw the whip on the floor and left the dungeon, turning off the light as he left.

Mrs. Swenson arrived an hour later and flipped the lights on. Kat had fallen asleep in the dark, resting against the rough wood. Her hands had gone numb from holding up her entire body weight. When Mrs. Swenson untied her legs, Kat felt wobbly and collapsed to the floor.

A blue collar dropped on the floor next to her.

“Sir Damien said to give this to you. Put it on and go to your room. He will get word to you about what will happen next.”

Kat nodded her head in understanding.

“I don’t know what you did to the Trainer, but it’s not good. You don’t have a mark on you. He never would have done this before. You have changed him.”

She heard Mrs. Swenson’s footsteps as they retreated from the room, leaving her all alone. Kat picked up the collar and stared at it for a long time before placing it around her neck. Slowly, she rose to her feet and walked out of the dungeon, head hung low. Luckily, it was past curfew and no one saw her. Or so she thought.

* * * * *

Corinne stood in the shadows of the upstairs hallway watching Kat come out of the dungeon. She winced when she saw the blue collar around the sub’s neck. “Damn! He’s giving her another chance. I thought that was the end of her. Sir Victor is my only hope now.”

Chapter Twenty

Sir Timothy whistled a cheerful tune as he wrapped his hand around the gold knocker on Damien’s front door. He was going to see his favorite sub, Melissa. It was Friday, payday and he had the day off from work. Life couldn’t get any better.

Gabrielle answered the door and invited him in, leading him to the recreation center. She left to get Melissa. He paced the room while he waited, impatient to see her again. Damien arrived first.

“Damien! Good afternoon, Sir.”

“Hello, Timothy.” Damien’s greeting held no enthusiasm.
What’s going on?

Tim extended his hand, and Damien gave it a quick shake. Damien seemed different to him…quiet, pensive and reserved.
Where is the strong, domineering, outgoing man I’m used to seeing? Something must be wrong.

He looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place. The household had its usual noises.

“So, you must be pretty busy. I hear you’ve got a new batch of girls.”

“Yes, it’s been quite hectic lately. I just hired a secretary this morning. She’ll handle the details. Her name’s Theresa. She’s in the office right now waiting for me to give her directions about what needs to be done.”

Tim nodded. “Good. I’m glad to hear that, Sir. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but is everything all right? You don’t seem to be your usual self today.”

Damien walked over to the bar and sat on a stool facing Tim. He shook his head.

“I’m supposed to take Gabrielle and Abigail to the club tonight, but I don’t feel like going. I wish you had more experience so I could ask you to take them for me.”

Timothy pulled back and looked at his mentor. Serious dark circles formed around his eyes. He had foregone shaving this morning and a dusting of dark hair covered his chin and cheeks. From the wrinkles on his clothing, it appeared he had slept in them. Not typical Damien—by a long shot.

“I’d like to help you, Sir. But you’re right. It wouldn’t be fair to the submissives.”

“I know. They’re going to have to wait until next Friday night.”

“I’d be more than happy to do anything else you require, Sir.”

He saw a fleeting smile on Damien’s lips. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”

Timothy felt really bad for his friend. He had never seen him in such a state. Damien needed some serious R and R time. He wondered how to tactfully suggest that Damien slow down by possibly waiting a month or two before taking on any new subs after the current batch was sold off. Though Damien’s expenses were heavy, he knew his friend had some extra cash stashed away for a rainy day. And from the profit made on the girls he was taking to the auction next Saturday, Damien would have the funds needed to tide him over without having to dip into his savings.

Damien patted him on the shoulder, then left the room without saying goodbye.

Melissa arrived a few minutes later. She was dressed in her usual uniform, the French maid’s outfit, which he absolutely adored. It showed off all her best assets from every angle. His favorite asset was her lips and the moment she got close enough to him, he pulled her into his arms and kissed that asset.

Her lips were full and soft and oh so luscious. She tasted like cherries and smelled of vanilla. He couldn’t get enough of her. He had fallen hard for the petite girl with a perky upturned nose and big brown eyes. She could wrap him around her little finger, which she was doing at the moment. He looked down to see her putting her index finger through his belt buckle and pulling him toward the couch.

He allowed her to lead him to the spot he wanted to go so he could savor some more of her assets. She giggled as she looked back to see him following her. The moment their bodies touched the couch, he lay down on top of her, running his fingers through the riotous curls, which she had secured into a ponytail. He set them free and they tumbled down, framing her lovely heart-shaped face. He looked deeply into her eyes, wanting nothing more than to be lost in Melissa’s world.

She reached between their legs and stroked his cock. He felt it straining against his jeans, begging to be released.

“Not here. Can we go somewhere else?” he whispered into her ear.

“Sure. I’ll show you.”

She took his hand and walked to the sliding panel. Pushing the button, she waited until the doors opened, then pointed to a door at the far end of the room.

“Let’s go to the bedroom back there.”

He slapped her playfully on the rear end.

“You little minx! I thought that room is off-limits except for parties.”

She giggled. “It is, but I won’t tell if you don’t.”

They walked into the playroom and she pressed the button to close the sliding wall. Timothy loved her idea. He was in seventh heaven.

* * * * *

Damien walked back into his office, glancing at his new secretary as he entered. She stood near the filing cabinet sorting a stack of papers. At forty-four, she was the oldest of the three women he interviewed for the position. He felt she would be more reliable because her kids were already grown and out of the house. He needed someone he could trust to be there every day because things got backed up so quickly.

Despite the fact that she made sure he knew she was a divorcee in the interview, he had no interest in her or any woman, as they were simply a distraction he couldn’t afford. He needed to concentrate on his work. Perhaps subconsciously that was why he also chose the most homely woman of the three applicants. Theresa wore no makeup and didn’t color the gray streaks in her mousy brown hair. She also had a pear shape, carrying the excess weight in her buttocks. But she had excellent credentials and that was all he needed.

As she bent down to the fourth drawer on the file cabinet, she offered him a view of the crack in her rear end, something he wished he hadn’t seen. She wore a pair of brown spandex pants with a loose-fitting pink, brown and white blouse. He wondered if paisley had come back into fashion or whether that was all she had in her closet. She stood and pushed her wire-rimmed glasses back up on her nose.

“How far back do you want me to keep these files? I can make more room for the new information if I can toss the older files.”

“That’s a good idea. But before you get rid of them, let me review the files to decide if there are any I wish to keep. I appreciate your suggestions. Please feel free to make other ones.”

She smiled, trying to hide the gap between her two top front teeth. He prayed that she would get along with Mrs. Swenson. After all, they would have to work together on party matters and he hoped they wouldn’t clash the way Corinne and Mrs. Swenson often did. It would be nice to have a peaceful household once again.

Kaitlin needed to do something before she jumped out of her skin. Spending an entire day in her room was almost as much torture as spending an hour hanging from a cross in a dark dungeon. No fun! She still had two hours before curfew and she intended on making the most of it.

The pool beckoned as she passed it on the way to the recreation center. She hadn’t gone for a swim for some time and couldn’t resist the temptation to slip into the refreshing water. Canceling her plan to watch a movie, she opened the slider and walked out onto the patio.

The cool Chattahoochee stone felt good under her feet. In the distance, she heard the sound of an alligator’s mating call. She sighed. At least someone was going to get some tonight, even if it was just two alligators.

She dropped her corset at the edge of the pool, then dove into the deep end and swam to the waterfall. Standing beneath it, she lowered her head and let the waters pound her shoulders and back
. Ah, heavenly! Nothing like a good water massage to ease the tension.

She let her mind drift back to the first few days at the house. Life seemed uncomplicated back then, when she didn’t know any better. But that was before she got involved with Sir Damien, before she incurred the wrath of her mentor and before she left her collar in Sir David’s car. She missed Dolly’s smile and her cheerful, upbeat outlook on life. What would she tell her now? Take heart. Things will get better. Perhaps. But how? With only a week until the auction, time was running out. She didn’t want to leave on bad terms with Sir Damien. If only there was an answer…

* * * * *

Damien walked out onto his balcony to enjoy the cool night breeze and to gaze at the moon. He glanced down at the pool and was surprised to see Kaitlin basking in the waterfall. He froze. Every cell in his body felt as though it was on fire. Damn! He didn’t go to the club tonight because he didn’t want to be reminded of the time he spent there with Kaitlin. Yet he didn’t escape her after all. Her presence in the pool was unexpected. She hadn’t been there in quite some time.

She looked at him with such longing and sadness in her expression that it cut him to the quick. Ugh! That was the last thing he needed to see after last night’s frustrating scene in the dungeon. Every time he laid eyes on her, his emotions became jumbled. Memories of the night when they made love in the pool came rushing back to him. Tears stung his eyes and he blinked them away. It was too much to deal with. He turned his back on her and walked into his room, needing to sort out his feelings and decide what he was going to do with Kaitlin.

Chapter Twenty-One

They had only arrived within the last two days, but already the new girls added a different atmosphere to the house. Latin music played all day long while the new girls did their chores. Kat saw them moving their bodies sensuously as they dusted, vacuumed and scrubbed sinks. More than once, she noticed Sir Damien stop and watch the girls. She tamped down a tinge of jealousy. She would not react the same way Corinne did toward her.

Standing before the bathroom mirror Saturday night, Kaitlin shrugged. She had applied her makeup as instructed and was satisfied that she had achieved the proper sultry look. It wasn’t that she didn’t care whether she looked presentable for the Doms and Dommes who would be attending the party tonight. Of course she did. One of them might be her potential Dominant. Her shrug was more of an acknowledgement that she had lost. Lost in her attempt to convince Sir Damien that she was sorry and would make a good sub. Here, in her final week counting down to the auction, she decided to accept her fate. She would not be bitter. She would be grateful for everything that she had learned in the past few weeks.

She walked to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Sliding the closet door open, she took out the outfit Sir Damien had bought her. Putting on the vest, she remembered Sir Victor’s comment at the last party and an involuntary shiver went up her spine. Though she was quite sure he would not be present to spoil tonight’s party, she couldn’t help reliving memories of the last disaster. It would be different tonight, she told herself.

Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile and left to join the party.

“Kaitlin!” Dr. Fischer met her at the recreation center entrance. “How good to see you again. Come on, I have someone I want you to meet.”

She slipped her arm through Kat’s and led her across the room. Seated at the bar was a dark-haired, well-built man dressed in a pair of jeans and a tan pullover. Doc walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned to face them, Kat was surprised at his close resemblance to Tom Cruise.

“Chris, I’d like you to meet Kaitlin. Kat, this is Dr. Segal, a colleague of mine. I told him all about you and he really wanted to meet you.”