Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Hope is the courage to keep going when the path is unclear,” Juliette offered.
“Ha,” Lia retorted, feeling suddenly contrarian. “Hope is the crutch of the naïve.”
“Hope is the lifeline we hold onto in turbulent waters,” Kinsley piped up.
“Hope is the carrot dangled in front of the donkey of reality,” Lia said with a snort.
Lucia reached out from the adjacent couch and touched Lia’s foot. “All kidding aside, you’re right. I shouldn’t be so negative. Look at Master Anthony and me. He was my late husband’s mentor. He only let me stay on at The Enclave out of charity. Talk about an unlikely pairing.”
“There’s a story here,” Juliette exclaimed. “Tell us everything.”
“Yes, tell us,” Lia urged, though she knew the story well. Despite their ensuing silliness, Lucia’s warnings had unsettled her. She was more than ready for a change of topic.
≈
When Beau woke the next morning, he sat up and pulled away the covers. Lia, still fast asleep, was curled into a fetal ball at his feet. He enjoyed a brief fantasy of waking her with a prod of the toe and commanding her to slide up and suck his cock like her life depended on it.
Before he gave in to the enticing idea, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and strode into the bathroom.
After dinner the night before, he’d allowed Aubrey and her slave, Gene, to involve Lia in a dungeon scene. He’d watched from the sidelines, giving her direction and encouragement as needed. He’d liked the way she continually glanced his way, as if to say she was in the scene with others, but understood she was still his to command.
He’d showered before bed and had made the mistake of allowing Lia to dry him afterward. As she toweled his rapidly lengthening shaft, that knowing half smile subs get when they know the power has shifted to them appeared on her pretty face.
He’d sent her abruptly to bed, remaining in the bathroom to unsatisfactorily jerk himself off. For whatever reason, it was getting harder and harder to keep things professional between them, and it was taking its emotional toll.
He needed to keep things on the straight and narrow until Friday. He would have to remain vigilant, honoring the implied contract between them to keep things from getting too personal. He would keep the focus on giving her a safe place to truly engage in a genuine exchange of power. He was convinced if he could get her there, she would at least be on the right path toward her goal of submissive serenity.
Then he’d thank everyone at The Enclave for the opportunity and return to his real life. He’d still be happy to offer Kinbaku training at The Enclave in whatever capacity worked for them, but this would be his single foray into one-on-one training with someone who was not his lover.
It was just too damn hard.
≈
The days passed quickly as Master Beau put Lia through an increasingly intensive training regime. Each morning, he used the snake whip to paint a single, stinging welt on her ass, which would be faded by evening. She loved the solemn, sexy ritual, and the fire in his green eyes when he pulled her to her feet.
He tested her repeatedly, challenging her to submit with grace to a series of sessions that left her both exhausted and breathless with desire.
But something had changed, and not for the better. So much for hope springing eternal. The intimacy she’d thought had been developing between them during the first part of the week had dissipated, to her increasing frustration.
Each night she was sure he would finally let his trainer mask slip, if only a little. He would pull her from her spot at his feet up into his arms. He would kiss her, gently at first, and then with increasing passion.
“I’ve tried,” he would murmur into her neck as he pulled her close. “I tried to keep my heart under wraps, but it’s just no good. I’ve fallen in love with you, Lia. Will you be mine?”
She’d had to laugh at herself. This constant focus on one Master was turning her into one of those goo-goo-eyed lovestruck idiots, pining after an unattainable man. She knew better than to hope. Hope was just an illusion that made reality all the harder to bear.
Fuck that.
If he was determined to keep things between them at arm’s length, that was just fine with her. After all, she hadn’t entered into this temporary arrangement in order to hook up. She needed to focus on the positives. The training was awesome, all-encompassing, challenging and thrilling. Even better, she’d started experiencing flashes of the kind of serenity she’d so envied in Enclave slaves. Whatever Master Beau was doing, it seemed to be working. She would keep her focus on finding her own submissive groove and put childish fantasies aside.