Lea held up her glass threateningly. “You’d better leave now if you don’t want this drink in your face.”
Mary gathered her purse and stood up, but then she settled back in her chair. She quickly finished off her drink and asked the bartender for another one. “Oh, and get these girls whatever they want…and double it.” She added with a smirk, “Apparently, they need to be drunk to stand me.”
“Are you going to behave?” Brie asked.
“Yes, Miss Bennett.”
Brie relaxed a little and gave Lea a nudge with her shoulder. “You can put your drink down, Lea.” Then she addressed Mary. “So why did you choose to be a pharmacist?”
“If you must know, I became a pharmacist because of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Lea lifted her glass up again and growled, “What? Do you have to make a joke about everything? Brie just asked you a serious question.”
Mary snapped, “I am being serious, damn it. And if you give me a hard time I’m going to punch one of your fake boobs!”
Brie quickly scootched her stool in between the two of them. “Okay, so how did an old Christmas movie make you want to become a pharmacist?”
Mary huffed irritably before answering. “You know the scene where the pharmacist accidently gives the wrong medication that could have killed the child? Well, when I saw that growing up, I knew that’s what I wanted to be because I would never make that mistake. In my mind, a dedicated pharmacist is an unsung hero.”
“I definitely never thought of it that way before,” Lea commented, sipping her drink instead of splashing it over Mary.
“But aren’t you too young to be a pharmacist?” Brie asked, knowing it took years of extra schooling.
“I graduated early.” She shrugged indifferently. “It’s not a big deal if you’re smart and motivated.”
Brie looked at her rival with more respect. “Who would guess an old black and white could inspire someone’s life?” She stared directly into Mary’s eyes, wanting her to know she was being sincere when she added, “I don’t think you should be embarrassed about your reasons for wanting to be a pharmacist. It shows an intriguing side to your character.” Brie clinked her glass against Mary’s and took a sip.
Lea leaned in, instantly changing the subject. “So, what do you guys think of Marquis Gray?”
“It’s easy to see what you think,” Mary said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t think we aren’t aware of all those lusty stares you give the man.”
“Am I that obvious?” Lea asked in concern.
Brie nodded. “The only reason I consented to a flogging was the way you looked at him after he ‘punished’ you.”
Lea blushed a nice shade of pink, all the way down to her overabundant cleavage. “Oh, but he does know how to whip a girl. I’m grateful for any session I get with Marquis.”
Brie shuddered pleasantly, remembering her own experience. “He is quite talented with the flogger.” Then she frowned and added, “Although…his dark eyes scare me. It’s as if they see straight into my soul and discover things even I don’t know about myself. It’s freaky.”
Mary grumbled, “I don’t know what is wrong with that man. He hasn’t shown any interest in teaching me, and I’m obviously the one who wants what he has to offer.”
Brie was afraid to share her thoughts, knowing how sensitive Mary was about her past. She was certain Marquis Gray didn’t want to train Mary until she had worked through the unresolved issues stemming from her violent childhood.
Lea jumped back in and asked, “What about Ms. Clark?”
“She’s a bitch,” Brie answered.
“Hear, hear!” Mary lifted her glass.
Lea looked uncomfortable and took a quick sip of her drink.
Brie’s eyes widened. “No way!”
“No way, what?” Mary snorted.
Brie shook her head in disbelief when she asked, “Lea, you don’t have a crush on Ms. Clark, do you?”
Lea grinned and shrugged. “What if I do? Ms. Clark is hot! I mean, you saw her blonde pussy up close, Brie. Isn’t that the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen? I was so jealous when Sir asked you to join her on stage.”
“Are you kidding me, Lea? Eating her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” When Brie saw her friend’s hurt expression, she quickly added, “But she does have a damn cute pussy.”
“If you’re talking hot then you must be talking about Sir,” Mary purred. “That man… Finest cock I have ever had.”
Brie felt her jealousy rise up like bile. She was about to rain down her feminine fury on Blondie when Lea spoke up. “You may have had Sir’s cock, but it’s easy to see Brie has his heart.”
Mary sputtered, “You’re wrong. Sure…he may have had a thing for her…but it’s over and done. Heck, he barely looks at her now.”
Good, Brie thought. At least Mary was clueless about their true feelings. Maybe the trainers were equally oblivious. Well, all of them except Marquis Gray.
Desperate to change the subject, Brie mentioned Master Coen. “Have you ever seen so many muscles before?”
Mary took the bait and commented, “Shit, he looks like Mr. Universe. I just wanted to lick all those muscles when I was on top of him.”
“You know, I don’t think he is all that sexy,” Brie told her. “Sure, I like muscles, but not muscles. It’s too much.”
“Are you nuts?” Lea asked, her jaw hanging open. “Of all three men, he is the best looking. Whenever he takes his shirt off, I almost come.” She wiggled in her seat playfully. “Seriously, every time.”
“To each their own, I guess,” Brie answered, smiling into her glass as she took a sip. She wasn’t sure how either girl could think anyone held a candle to Sir.
Lea seemed to know it was pointless to argue about Sir with Brie, so she asked, “What do you think this week’s classes are going to be about?”
“You got me,” Brie replied. She looked at Mary, who didn’t say a word. The girl downed her drink and signaled the bartender for a new one. Both Brie and Lea could tell she was keeping a secret, and bugged her relentlessly until she spilled what she knew.
“You two are irritating like little Chihuahuas—yip, yip, yip. Fine. Enough already, I’ll tell you. I overheard Ms. Clark talking to Marquis Gray. I think we’re going to have a week of bondage.”
Brie’s heart did a flip. A whole week of bondage? It was a dream come true! Up to this point, she had only experienced light bondage, but the thought of diving deeper made her loins wet. “Are you sure?” she asked, not wanting to be disappointed.
“Clark was speaking about bondage to him after class on Thursday. She said something about not pushing one of us too far. Marquis Gray seemed to disagree. Something tells me one of us is going to have quite a week ahead…and I’m hoping it is me.” Mary signaled again to the bartender, looking impatient. “You guys need another?”
They both declined, but Lea remarked, “I think you could drink both of us under the table.”
“No doubt. You two are pussies.” Mary gave the bartender a flirtatious wink when she finally got his attention, and Brie couldn’t help noticing John’s lustful stare.
“This one’s on the house,” he announced when he handed Mary her new drink.
“Thanks, Hotcheeks,” Mary purred.
John grinned as he walked to the other side of the counter to take care of a regular. Although Brie had often flirted with John and considered him her bartender, it appeared he preferred blondes. Figures…
Lea watched the exchange and then looked at Brie knowingly. She leaned over and asked, “Wanna know what I heard?”
“What?”
She said in a solemn voice, “Continually blowing out the candle your Dom lights during wax play can have negative results.”
Brie cracked a grin. Lea was always good for a joke. “Oh, yeah? Well, I heard that when your Dom drops his whip it’s unwise to sing, ‘Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me.’”
L
ea broke out in genuine laughter and Brie joined in, reveling in their easy friendship. When they’d quieted down, both looked over at Mary, waiting for her to add to the jovial moment. Mary shifted in her seat, looking upwards as she tried to pull something out of her head. “Okay, okay, I’ve got one. I heard that adding Sir or Mistress to ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ may be interpreted as a death wish.”
“Nice,” Lea complimented. “Oh, that’s a definite keeper.”
When it was time to leave, Brie invited both girls to her place to film their thoughts about that past week for her documentary.
“Are you insane?” Mary bristled. “There is no way I would let you record me. Go to hell.” Her response didn’t necessarily surprise Brie—that girl was all kinds of closed doors.
“Suit yourself, Mary,” Lea answered gleefully. “I can’t wait to find out all the juicy details of Brie’s time with Doctor Harris.”
“Oooh, and I can’t wait to find out what having a Domme is like.” Brie turned to Lea and asked, “What was she like, anyway?”
“I’m not saying a word until we get to your place.” Lea grinned at Mary impishly. “Ta-ta, Mary. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
The two headed to her apartment, leaving Mary behind. On the drive there, Brie reflected that Blondie still had a long way to go before she would truly be one of the team, but tonight had been a decent start. Mary’s line of, “Are you fucking kidding me, Sir?” would play in Brie’s mind from now on whenever she wanted to say no to her Doms.
Even better was Mary’s revelation that this week they would be focusing on bondage lessons. Brie quivered in excitement at the delightful opportunities waiting ahead.
The Call of the Rope
As Brie walked towards the Training Center on Monday, she shook her head. Blue Eyes—her pet name for Todd Wallace—was there at the front door again. He’d been there every day, waiting for her and, just like the times before, he pushed open the door and let her pass with a simple, “Good evening, Miss Bennett.”
She nodded and tried to walk past him, but a crowd of students rushed through the door, propelling her against his chest. She noticed Todd had a manly smell—one that inspired a feeling of intense sexuality. It made her heart flutter. She mumbled a quick apology without looking at him, then headed towards the elevator as quickly as her six-inch heels would allow.
Once the elevator doors had closed, Brie took a couple of deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart. No way was she going to let that boy complicate her life. She had plenty of experienced Doms to tease and please her. A lowly business student didn’t stand a chance against them.
By the time the elevator doors opened, she had regained her composure. Now for the real fun! she thought as she walked into Mr. Gallant’s classroom. She waved at both Lea and Mary as she sat down. It felt a little strange to see Mary’s lips curve upwards in an attempt at a smile. It wasn’t natural; even Mary seemed to think so, and her ‘smile’ quickly disappeared.
Mr. Gallant cleared his throat and started class before the bell, as per the norm. “I was pleased to see your ratings from this last auction. It’s an improvement over last week, and highlights your continued progress. Well done, ladies.”
Mr. Gallant handed Brie her evaluation first. “Another seven. A nice, solid performance, Miss Bennett.” She took the packet but waited to look through it, wanting to hear the other girls’ scores.
“Miss Wilson, Sir Thomas gave you a six. A marked improvement over last week.” He handed out the last one to Lea. “Ms. Taylor, you also received a six from your Domme, Mistress White. Please look over their ratings and learn from them.”
Brie looked through the pages. ‘Beautifully unwilling, but unfailingly obedient. Focused on pleasing her Master.’ ‘Deep-throat skills above expected.’ ‘Found her to be a fascinating individual able to hold an intelligent conversation, as well as my cock in her mouth—lovely.’ Brie searched through it again to find her weaknesses, but only found, ‘Throat was irritated, should rest for a couple of days.’
She was curious as to why she had only received a seven if he’d had no complaints. Her question was soon answered when an assistant walked into the room and handed Mr. Gallant an apple.
Her teacher looked at it curiously, and then walked over to her desk and gave it to Brie. “Apparently, Master Harris wanted you to have this.”
She took the red apple tied with a black bow, noting it had a small card bearing her name attached. She opened the envelope and read the contents.
Miss Bennett, enjoy the apple. It is my little reminder for you NOT to irritate your throat for another twenty-four hours. Doctor’s orders. I personally would have rated you higher, but it is frowned upon at the Center. (We wouldn’t want new subs to get big heads.)
Brie blushed and slipped the card into her coat pocket.
“What did he say?” Mr. Gallant asked.
“He wants me not to deep-throat today because of my irritated throat.”
Mr. Gallant frowned slightly. “Odd… Miss Bennett, do you feel a deeper connection was made between you two?”
Lea gasped softly. Brie looked over in her direction, suddenly aware of her friend’s feelings towards the good doctor. Lea hadn’t mentioned anything, but it was easy to read on her face now.
Brie answered Mr. Gallant truthfully. “No, I’m not into doctors and he knows that.” She could see Lea visibly relax. How adorable that her friend had a crush on Master Harris. She could see the two making a good pair because of their shared sense of humor and similar tastes in kink.
“I will begin the class, then. I want to start by asking the same question I did last week. Do you think there is such a thing as the ‘perfect sub’?”
Lea raised her hand and was quickly called on. “Yes, I believe if I work really hard I can become the perfect sub.”
Mr. Gallant turned to Brie. “Do you agree, Miss Bennett?”
Her heart said yes, but she knew better based on the tone of his voice. “No.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And why not?”
Crap! So much for faking it. She stalled for time as she scrambled to produce an intelligent answer. “I believe you can work hard to improve your skills. If you do that, you will succeed in being proficient…” She sneaked a peek at Mr. Gallant. His eyebrow was still raised, as if he knew she was bullshitting. “However, being the perfect sub…” She had to dig deep, but then it came to her. “No, there is no such thing.”
“Why not?”
“Each person is different. Our strengths and weaknesses can’t fit everyone.” She sneaked another peek at him before proceeding. “I am not sure if you would agree, Mr. Gallant, but I think it is possible to be the perfect sub for one person… Maybe even more than one person. However, it’s impossible to be everything to everyone and still be true to yourself.”
He nodded and turned to Mary. “What are your thoughts, Miss Wilson?”
Mary answered immediately. “She pretty much stole what I was going to say.”
Yeah, right!
“Aren’t you striving to become the perfect sub, Miss Wilson?”
She stammered, “Well, I can’t be, so why bother?”
“So, you are not attempting to become the perfect sub?”
“No, wait—I want to be the perfect sub!” she blurted.
“Which is it, Miss Wilson?”
Brie liked how Mr. Gallant wouldn’t let his students off with half-assed answers.
“I want to be better than any other sub here,” she answered defiantly.
“Will that make you the perfect sub?”
She looked down at her lap. “No, I guess it won’t. But at least I will be better than everyone else.”
Mr. Gallant’s next comment seemed offhand, but was scorching. “I wonder if an arrogant sub truly understands the lifestyle.” He didn’t wait for an answer from her and dove right into his topic. “This week we are exploring bondage.”
Brie silently cheered.
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He walked to the front of the class and pulled down a white screen. “There are many different bondage materials that can be used. I will be teaching you about the most common, as well as those that are unsafe and should be avoided.”
Brie got out her paper and pencil, eager to discover all she could about her favorite subject.
Mr. Gallant turned on the projector and pointed to the first object. “Handcuffs seem to be one of the first items the uninformed envision when they think of bondage. These restraint devices are limiting and can cause abrasions if the submissive struggles. However, they do have a pleasant visual and psychological effect, so if they are going to be used I recommend purchasing a professional set with a lock that prevents them from tightening further.”
Brie did not consider the feel of metal cuffs to be a turn-on and wrote beside her notes, Not for me.
“They should never be used for suspension,” he added.
Lea raised her hand and waited for Mr. Gallant to call on her. “What is suspension?”
He smiled. “Good question, Ms. Taylor. It is the act of binding a submissive so that no part of her body touches the floor.”
Brie trembled inside. What would that feel like?
Mr. Gallant continued, “Leather laces are best used for decorative binding, as they are often thin and can cut into the skin. Leather also shrinks when wet.”
Rytsar had used leather on Brie during her fantasy, but he had untied her at different points when he’d known she would struggle. His experience had made it a safer option. Next to leather she wrote, Only with experienced Doms.
“I would highly discourage the use of pantyhose and plastic clothesline rope. You want to use items that will not cut into the skin or be difficult to remove afterwards.” Next to those, she wrote, Nope, nope, nope!
“Nylon rope is a good choice because of its smooth texture and availability, but mountain climbing web is also an excellent choice and provides the Dom with a variety of colors to choose from.”
When he clicked to the next picture, Brie was surprised to see something that looked like duct tape. “One extremely easy material to use is bondage tape. It does not stick to the skin and comes in many colors as well. The number of wraps determines the strength of the bonds. It can be reused but must be cleaned after each use.”