Ultimatum (6 page)

“Answer me, Kayla.” Even in public, he didn’t hesitate to wield his authority over me.
 

“Yes, Mast—” I broke off, remembering that I wasn’t supposed to call him Master in public. “I’m sorry. Yes, I’m “uncomfortable.’” That was one way of putting it.
 

The waiter arrived at our table. He was young, maybe a couple years younger than my twenty-eight years. He flashed a boyish grin at me, and Gage’s expression darkened.
 

“Good evening,” he said, “we have several specials on the menu tonight. Can I interest you in a bottle of wine?” He directed the question at Gage, then took a small step back at the dangerous look in his eyes.
 

“A bottle of Pinot Grigio, please.”
 

The waiter scurried away, and Gage blasted me with his granite expression. “Don’t look at him when he returns. I’ll order for you.”

I lowered my gaze.
Just bite your tongue. The weekend’s almost over, just get through it.
 

The waiter returned a few minutes later, and in my peripheral vision I saw him present a bottle. Gage went through the whole swirl and taste routine, then gave a nod. Wine swished into my glass an instant later. The waiter left after taking our orders.
 

“Are you going to visit Eve tonight?” Gage asked.

“Yes. I’m sure she’s missing me.”
 

An uncomfortable silence settled over us. How odd that he had nothing more to say to me, considering he knew my body inside and out by now. When the food arrived, I kept my eyes on my hands. The meal went by painfully slow, filled with long silences and small talk that was unnatural and awkward. It was as if the two of us didn’t know how to operate together outside of the office or the bedroom.
 

Gage had shaken up my world with a new dynamic: I didn’t know how to act around him anymore. Would things be this tense at the office?
 

I let out a sigh of relief when we returned to his house. At least there I knew where I stood. He’d trained me well over the weekend, had made it clear where my place was: on my knees at his feet.
 

He shut the door, and as soon as I shed my coat, he picked me up and pressed me against the wall. His fingers tore through nylon, shoved aside panties, and his cock slammed into me before I could catch my breath. He pulled the butt plug out, and I heard it drop to the floor.
 

It was, perhaps, our shortest session yet. After climaxing, he zipped up and walked into the living room without a word.
 

“Did I do something wrong, Master?”

“No.” He grabbed a notebook from the coffee table and turned to me. “I want you to remember who you belong to. I don’t take kindly to other men undressing you with their eyes.”
 

He was blowing it out of proportion—the guy had only smiled at me—but I wasn’t about to argue with him.
 

“Before you go, we need to discuss a few things.” He handed me the notebook. “It’s a journal, and on the first page you’ll find a list of rules. Also included are my expectations outlining what you should eat and wear during the week. I want you to write in the journal every night. List what you did during the day, who you saw, what you ate and wore, and I especially want you to list any rules you broke.”
   

I took the notebook from him. Despite his demands a sense of freedom awaited me through that door, even if the next five days would go by too fast. God, how I was going to hate the end of each day, bringing me that much closer to next weekend.

“Can I go now, Master?”

“Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at the office.”
 

I shrugged into my coat, concealing the torn state of my nylons, and opened the door. Gage’s hand shot out and blocked my exit.
 

“Kayla—” He grabbed the back of my head and brought my mouth to his. The kiss went on for what seemed like forever. By the time he broke away, my pulse pounded in my ears. “If you disobey me, I
will
find out. Don’t forget you’re mine.”
 

I averted my eyes, and he jerked my face back to his. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master.” I stepped outside and shivered; I wasn’t entirely certain the chill was from the weather. The next five days promised blessed freedom. Time spent with Eve, maybe even a few forbidden moments at the hospital with Ian. I planned to make every one of them count.
 

ENSLAVED, part two of Kayla’s story, scheduled to be released in January, 2013

Find Gemma James at
http://authorgemmajames.blogspot.com/