Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
One pair of unfamiliar shoes walked around me. He stopped somewhere behind me and I swallowed back the sob rising in my chest. Trust Derek—I had to trust him or I was going to fall apart.
“Oh my, Derek, I see you’ve gone to great extents to discipline this one. If you’re this thorough with all your slaves, I can well-understand your success with them,” the man behind me spoke, and then his fingers grazed across my back, tracing one of the fading wounds.
I couldn’t stop the tears that trickled down my cheek, and I would have lost it if Derek hadn’t chosen that moment to lift my chin, forcing my gaze to meet his. A whole conversation passed through that one look. I didn’t even know a person’s eyes could say so much. “Trust. Obey. And I don’t want this either,” his eyes said.
I would trust him, and I would obey because I could see how much this seemed to be hurting him, too, and if he was doing it anyways, that meant this was important. But still, I couldn’t stop the tears. He nodded for me to lower my head, and they trickled down and dripped onto the nightgown.
“Yes, well, it hardly seemed like enough given the crime, but it appears to have made her understand her place, hasn’t it, Pet?”
“Y-yes, Master,” I forced the words out.
“She still seems rather…emotional, does she not?”
“I think anyone would after ten hours of kneeling in one place. I imagine she’s quite uncomfortable at this point, and with two hours still to go, I don’t think it will be getting better with time.” Derek chuckled. It sounded almost completely natural like it wasn’t an act at all. “But you won’t make a mess on my carpet no matter how badly you need to piss, will you?”
“No, Master.”
“And why not?”
“Because it would displease you, Master,” I replied, hoping I was answering correctly. I’d say whatever he wanted me to if it meant the strange men in the room would leave.
The man behind me chuckled, a dark and sinister sound. “Very…inventive, Derek. I see you have things well under control. I’m tempted to come back for her myself when you’re finished with her. I’ve begun to tire of my own crop. Perhaps it’s time for something new.”
“She’s not quite ready, obviously, but when she is, I’m sure you’d be pleased with her,” Derek replied without missing a beat.
If I hadn’t known better, I would have believed him. And even knowing he was acting, the thought of ever finding myself alone with that man made my heat pound so hard I’d swear it was visible through the nightgown. Every wound on my back flared to life when I thought about what this man would do to me, as if the lashes were brand new and he was standing behind me with a whip in hand. My stomach roiled violently. I was going to be sick. If I didn’t find some way to calm down, I was going to throw up right in front of them. What would Derek be forced to do to me to keep up the act then?
Quiet, deep breaths, as I willed my mind to go blank. To think about nothing but Derek’s black, patent leather Oxford shoes. And four breaths later, the three of them left the room.
The second the door closed, the sob that had been trapped in my chest threatened to escape, but I held it back. I couldn’t make a sound and risk drawing them back here. More deep breaths. With no shoes left to focus on, I turned my attention to the carpet itself.
Moments passed, but I didn’t move from the place Derek told me to stay. I waited for the door to open with bated breath. Would he be alone the next time it opened? Would those men still be with him? I couldn’t think about it, so I focused on the carpet. The deep, navy blue that created a flawless surface—there wasn’t a single strand out of place that I could see.
There was no other carpet in the house, only in this room. Everywhere else, there was hardwood and marble, but this room’s floor was plush and soft. I wondered why. If he liked hardwood and marble so much, why hadn’t he had that installed in his bedroom? Or, if he liked carpet so much, why hadn’t he had it installed elsewhere in the house?
The door flew open, but I didn’t stop looking at the carpet, watching the familiar leather shoes tread across it without leaving a single depression.
“Why is there carpet only in this room, Master?” The ridiculous question tumbled out before I could stop it.
He stopped several steps away. “Look at me, Pet,” he said. His tone was harsh, but I didn’t think he was angry with me.