Pip, the stray cat he and Nathaniel had rescued, was curled up on one end of the sofa. The kitten opened one eye, decided he wasn’t worth her time, and went back to sleep.
“Pip looks good,” he said. “I didn’t know she was white.”
“Hard to tell with all that dirt on her. I’d offer you some breakfast, but I don’t cook.” She waved toward the kitchen. “I do have some coffee if you’d like. It’s Kona, my favorite.”
“I’m good, thanks. Never developed a taste for coffee.” As he moved farther into her living room, he was able to look over her small kitchen area. Everything was tidy and neat, right down to the tea service displayed on the countertop. “I’ll take some tea if you have it.”
“Oh, no. I don’t. Sorry.”
He raised an eyebrow. “No tea with such an exquisite service? That’s a travesty.”
“It’s Abby’s. She brought it over so I could practice.”
Her admission made him smile. The tea protocol he’d taught her was so important to her that not only was she practicing, but she’d had a friend bring over the necessary items.
“Have you been practicing, little one?”
“Yes, Sir. Every day.”
“Would you like to serve me tea tomorrow?” He’d actually had something else planned, but if she’d been practicing, he felt he should reward her.
She dipped her head, but not before he saw her cheeks flush. “I’d like that, Sir.”
“Look at me, little one.” He smiled when she lifted her head, and the urge to touch her heated cheek was so strong, he balled his fist. “I’d like that, too.”
He let them both stand for a minute in the anticipation-charged air. Excitement lit her features at the thought of serving him. Likewise, he let her see his desire to see how well she’d learned and remembered what he taught her about tea service.
He finally checked his watch, breaking their trance. “We need to head out if we’re going to be on time.”
She nodded and grabbed her purse and journal. Once they made it outside, he opened the passenger door for her. If he’d been traveling alone he’d have taken his motorcycle, but picked the car since Sasha would be going.
The property was in Southern Pennsylvania, so it took over half an hour to get there. Sasha appeared calm and at ease while they drove. They chatted about nothing in particular.
“I kind of pictured you in a penthouse or something,” she said when they pulled onto a quiet road.
“I did think about it,” he said. “But I like having my privacy, and that’s not always possible in an apartment. I’ve grown fond of jogging around Daniel’s land, as well. A house just made sense.”
He turned onto a driveway. The house in the distance momentarily captured Sasha’s attention.
“I’m not sure house is the right word,” she whispered.
He laughed, but had to admit the home appeared larger than what he’d had in mind. The agent waited near the front entrance and greeted them both warmly.
“Mr. Johnson,” the petite woman said, holding out her hand. “Pleasure to meet you in person.”
Cole shook her hand, noting as he did the glimmer of surprise in her eyes when she saw Sasha.
“Sasha Blake,” she said. “I know you gave Mr. Johnson my name, but I didn’t know you’d be coming today.”
“Yes,” Sasha replied. “It’s a small world sometimes, isn’t it?”
He acted as if he was scratching his chin and instead hid his smile. Sasha was no shrinking violet. He truly admired her for that.
The agent unlocked the front door, but when she started to follow them inside, Cole stopped her.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like for Sasha and me to look around first. We’ll come find you if we need anything.”
Her lips pressed together as if she was keeping herself from saying something, but eventually she nodded. “I’ll be out back on the patio if you need me.”
When she left, he crooked his finger at Sasha. “Come here, little one. Help me check this place out.”
They started downstairs, and Cole was surprised to find he liked both the layout and the design. Looking at the house from outside, he’d feared the interior would be too traditional for his liking. Inside, everything looked modern and contemporary.
“Wow, this is a huge kitchen.” Sasha stood near a freestanding island and spun around slowly. “I wouldn’t know what to do with all this space. My entire kitchen would fit in one of these cabinets. Do you cook?”
He made his way to the island to stand at her side. “Yes, I taught myself. Comes in handy when I’m in a remote part of the world. Do you really not cook?”
“Never. If I can’t nuke it or order it from a take-out menu, it doesn’t make it to my kitchen.” She ran the fingers of one hand down the island’s countertop. He could almost feel the coolness of the stone beneath his fingertips.
“I think granite is my favorite type of countertop,” he said. “Do you know why?”
“No, Sir.”
He slowly walked around the island. “Let’s say you’re my slave and I told you to serve dinner at exactly six. Now normally, you’re a very obedient slave, but for whatever reason, this time you’re very late and I have to come looking for you.
“You’re here in the kitchen. You look up, glance at the clock, and groan. You know you are so very late. I slide the belt from my trousers and instruct you lean across the island. You follow my command and press your cheek against the granite. How does it feel?”
Her eyes were locked on the countertop as if picturing herself braced against it. “Cool, Sir.”
“Quite a contrast to the heating I’m about to give your backside, wouldn’t you say?”
She nodded.
“When I finish, you ask if you can suck my cock in gratitude. I would normally allow it, but instead I hoist you onto the counter so the cool stone presses against the flaming heat of your arse. But you still have to service my cock, so I hold your legs open and take you. Hard. Driving into you, your body awash in the different sensations: hot and cold, pleasure and pain.”
Sasha’s lips parted slightly and she was breathing a little heavier than before.
“Do you see now why it’s my favorite?” he asked, and she replied with a breathy, “Yes, Sir.”
“Lean across the island, Sasha.”
Chapter Four
His command echoed in her mind. Lean across the island, Sasha. She tried to close down the panic, but it was there, scratching the surface. And she knew this time it would win. Because it wasn’t an unknown person bent over the island and it wasn’t a fantasy. It was her and she was offering her back to a Dominant.
She clenched her fists, squeezed her eyes shut, and choked out a faint, “Yellow.”
“Sasha, look at me.” His voice was calm and steady. She cracked one eye open, fear still heavy in her throat. “Good girl. Can you open the other one?”
She took a deep breath and opened both eyes. Cole stood in front of her, close but not touching, and watched her with concerned eyes.
“You’re safe. You’re with me, and I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you.”
She nodded, but it was an automatic response. He could have said anything.
“Say it,” Cole said. “Who are you with?”
“You.”
“What’s my name?”
“Cole. You’re Cole.”
“And you’re what?”
“Safe.” Safe. Safe. Safe. She looked into his steady blue-green eyes and knew it to be true. “I’m sorry, Sir.”
“No.” His voice was still calm, but there was an underlying edge to it. “Don’t ever apologize for using a safe word. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Tell me what happened. You were aroused before I asked you to lean over the island.”
She took a deep breath, but needed something more to ground her. “Will you hold my hand?”
“Of course, little one. Nothing would please me m
ore.”
He took her hand, and it was warm and comforting and strong enough to chase the fear away.
“Before, when you were talking, it was like it was happening to someone else. Even when you talked like it was me you were with. Because that just made it a fantasy. But when you told me to get into that position, that made it real.”
“I see.”
“I haven’t been in a position like that, presenting my back, since . . . Peter.”
He started rubbing his thumb along the top of her hand. “I understand, and I certainly see why you felt the need to yellow. If you feel up to it, I’d like to talk a bit about what might help you in the future.”
“Yes, please.”
“I was walking you through a scene verbally, and you were aroused. That was my intent, and your response brought me pleasure. Now, at the onset of your training, I told you I’d never do something without telling you. Remember?”
She nodded. “You said you’d never touch me without telling me.”
“And have I acted accordingly?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“And when you earned your first punishment, what did I tell you?”
“That I wasn’t ready and you’d give me a week’s notice when you thought I was.”
“Right. Very good. So when I told you to lean across the island, what two things could you infer about what would happen next?”
He spoke in a low soothing tone, and his accent was a calming cadence that slowly showed her the path she’d been looking for. “That you wouldn’t touch me without telling me and you weren’t going to punish me.”
“Excellent.” His smile warmed the cold places inside her. “Thinking along those lines will help you in the future.”
“Thank you, Sir.” She felt like she had new weapons to battle the fear with.
“As for the position itself, that’s something you’ll have to practice. It’ll take time.”
Standing at the island, with him holding her hand, talking about what happened made her feel strong and brave. “I’d like to try now, Sir.”
There was no change in his expression. “You would? Are you sure?”
“I want to try now, when I feel empowered.”
He stopped rubbing her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, then let go. “When you’re ready then.”
“I’d like for you to tell me to do it, please, Sir.”
This time at her request, his expression changed and she saw more than approval, she saw respect. “Lean across the island, Sasha.”
By keeping the image of Cole in her mind and reminding herself she was safe with him, she was able to lean across the island without the panic overtaking her.
“Very nice, little one. Take your shorts down.”
She felt like slapping herself. Of course. He was checking to make sure she didn’t have panties on. She reached behind her and pushed her shorts down, showing him her bare backside.
“You look so damn fuckable, Sasha.” He walked closer to her and stopped right beside her head. He leaned over and whispered, “If we had time and there wasn’t someone waiting outside, I’d make sure you came as hard as you did yesterday.”
He took a step back and from the corner of her eye, she saw him tighten his hand into a fist and release it.
“For being so brave today,” he said, “you may come as often as you want tonight. Without the plug.”
“Thank you for your generosity, Sir,” she said, knowing whose face would take center stage in her fantasies tonight.
“You’re welcome, little one. Straighten your clothes now and help me look at the rest of the house.”
When she was once more presentable, they explored the second floor. She loved the contemporary feel and thought it matched Cole perfectly. There were four bedrooms other than the master, so together they debated which one would make the best office and which the best playroom.
When they finally made their way outside, the agent was on her phone. She held up a finger to indicate she’d only be a minute longer and walked to the far side of the patio.
“I love what they did with this,” Sasha said. “During the summer, I’d live out here.” The backyard had been professionally landscaped and boasted a two-level brick patio.
Cole had his hands in his pockets as he looked over the yard. “I like that it’s secluded with no neighbors nearby. You could do anything you wanted out here and no one would be the wiser.”
She fought back the image of Cole and another woman taking advantage of the solitude to be found outside. She’d had to do the same thing upstairs when he’d picked out which bedroom would make the best playroom.
She pointed to the brick. “Have to watch out for the brick. That would be killer on the knees.”
“Trust me.” His eyes had darkened. “Her knees would be the least of her concerns. But you bring up an interesting point. If you were a slave and your Master brought you out here, would you kneel if he asked?”
She eyed the rough-looking brick. “Can I ask a question before I answer, Sir?”
“Yes.”
“Why would the Master ask his slave to do something that could potentially be painful and uncomfortable?”
“For several reasons. To push her. Because he wants her on her knees. Or maybe to see if she’s willing to be uncomfortable in order to please and serve him. For a slave, her Master’s wants and needs always come before hers.”
There was an intensity in his eyes whenever he spoke of the workings of a Master/slave relationship. What would it be like to be the ongoing focus of that intensity? He would watch his slave with that same stare. Her wants and needs might be second to his, but Sasha knew any slave of Cole’s would be protected and cherished.
“And,” he continued, “if our time outside became a bit rough, I would care for her body so thoroughly afterward, she wouldn’t think twice about doing it again.”
Sasha’s mouth suddenly felt very dry. It didn’t help at all that he moved to stand beside her and seductively whispered in her ear.
“Tell me, Sasha, if I told you to present yourself on the brick, kneeling and naked so I could use you, would you do it?”
She didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl. You would make your Master very happy, and he would reward you appropriately.”
They jumped apart at the sound of the agent’s voice.
“Sorry about that. Child drama.” The agent approached them with a wide smile. “So what do you think?”
Funny how the house seemed almost secondary to everything else that had just happened.
“I like it,” Cole said. “But I’m not sure I’m ready to make an offer just yet.”
“Just so you know, it’s new to the market and priced to sell.”
He waved her comment away as if inconsequential. “I’m not worried, and I won’t be rushed into making a decision.”
“Do you have any questions, or can I show you another property?”
“No, I think Sasha and I will go to lunch and think this one over. I’ll call you by tomorrow afternoon.”
They all three walked back to their cars, the agent chatting about the house’s location and surrounding areas. Cole didn’t ask any questions, just nodded at what she said. He’d probably already researched the area.
Once they got in his car, Cole glanced over to Sasha. “Are you okay to have lunch, or do you need to get back home?”