Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 93751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 469(@200wpm)___ 375(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
He ran his hands over his scalp as the events of the last few moments replayed in his mind. What a dick he’d been. Talk about amateur hour. There was no excuse for it. Damn it. This was why he kept his emotions out of the equation when training. He’d become so invested in her success, he’d failed to understand what was really happening.
“She was in distress, and I just passed it off as good, healthy sub fear—something she would get past and grow from. I let her down.”
“You will explain that to her,” Anthony said, as if it were an obvious and simple solution. “Lucia is talking to her now. I’m sure, once she’s had a chance to calm down, she’ll come to you. How you handle that will be very important, Mason. I recommend you don’t punish her for running away. She’s probably feeling as terrible as you are. But this can be a teaching moment. For both of you.”
Mason wasn’t in the mood to focus on teachable moments. “It’s not like I didn’t know better. I saw from the outset that she was just a wannabe, but I convinced myself otherwise. I tried to convince her in the process.”
Damn it. This was why he avoided getting emotionally entangled with the subs he played with. First Ashley, now Hannah. He was too old for this shit. He should have followed his initial gut instinct and steered clear of the newbie from the get-go.
He sighed heavily and sank down on the bed opposite Anthony, who had taken a seat in the desk chair. “I never should have suggested we ramp up her training. I never should have volunteered to be her trainer. What the hell was I even thinking?”
“Let’s give her a little time,” Anthony suggested, no doubt assuming Mason was just venting. “Once you’ve both had a chance to calm down, I’m sure things will look brighter.”
“I’m not,” Mason muttered under his breath.
But Anthony was right about one thing. No matter his personal tribulations, he had to prepare and serve lunch, with or without his MIA slave girl.
≈
Hannah looked down at the slave collar she’d discarded and sighed. The fantasy was over. The thought of seeing Mason again, of being forced to relive her humiliation, made her cringe. Maybe eventually, when she’d calmed down, things would look different. But right now all she wanted to do was get the hell out of Dodge.
Setting down her mug, she squared her shoulders. “It’s time for me to leave The Enclave. Really, it’s for the best.”
For a moment, Lucia looked as if she was going to protest. But then she just nodded, though her eyes remained sad. “Okay. You have to do what’s right for you.” She glanced at the wall clock. “Master Anthony has to go down into town after lunch. He can give you a ride.”
Hannah had completely lost track of time. Was she expected for lunch prep after what had happened?
As if reading her thoughts, Lucia added, ”I’ll handle prep with Master Mason. You can collect your things from his suite. If you don’t feel like joining us for lunch, there are snacks and fresh fruit in the fridge.” She gestured toward the kitchenette.
“Thanks,” Hannah said sincerely, relieved she wouldn’t have to face Mason. “I really appreciate that.”
She reached for Lucia’s hand, taking it between both of hers. “Thank you, Lucia. For everything. You’ve been amazing. I hope we remain friends.”
Lucia smiled, placing her free hand on top of Hannah’s. “Of course we will. I’m sure of it.”
Once she was alone, Hannah leaned back against the couch with a deep sigh. Thank goodness for Lucia. No way did Hannah want to face anyone right then. News of her meltdown had probably already filtered through The Enclave grapevine.
For a while she just sat there, letting her mind drift. Despite the rather ignominious end to her grand experiment, if nothing else, she had several pages of plot ideas jotted down in her laptop. Maybe she could finally get back to writing.
After a while, she got up and returned to the bathroom. She blew her hair dry and applied some of the readily available makeup to her face in an effort to cover the evidence of her crying jag.
She waited until she was sure everyone was seated for lunch before leaving the slave quarters. Happily, the stairs to the second floor weren’t visible from the dining room, and Hannah was able to ascend without being observed. Once in Mason’s room, she grabbed her duffel, which she’d brought up only the day before.
Unzipping the bag, she pulled out some clothing. As she pulled on her panties and put on her bra, she kept glancing toward the door, as if she was doing something illicit. She opted for a blouse and jeans, marveling at how strange it felt to wear clothing after over a week of being kept naked. If nothing else, this time at The Enclave had certainly desensitized her to her own nudity.