Page 11 of Master My Love

Although rather patronizing, his brief praise warmed her on the inside, and the tingling sense of awareness since she met him intensified. Her reaction would alarm her feminist friends who would probably commence reprogramming tactics immediately.

Val smiled, but it faded when she picked up the stack of papers, feeling the weight of the sheets in her hands. There were two sets. The one on top was pages thick with one of those heavy-duty staples in the corner. The other, much thinner, was the limit list he’d mentioned.

Her face flamed hot like a torch when she read the first few activities: anal sex, anal beads, breast sex, butt plugs, camming, cream pies, cunnilingus. Flipping through the pages, she was stunned to see over three hundred items ranging from sex acts to fetishes, from role-play to toys. Beside each term was a rating scale which was pretty straightforward, with options like soft limit, hard limit, and willing to try. Next to it was a column to rank her experience level for each activity, one being little or none, all the way to four for an expert.

As owners, she imagined Eric and T had a lot of fours on their lists.

“Other than missionary, I guess I’m a one for everything. What a bore,” she muttered in disgust.

Trying to keep positive, she started working through the list, expecting there would be some things she’d be willing to try. When she reached the bottom of page one, she only had two things checked, mostly because she had no clue what they meant. It was like being in a foreign country without a translator or a map.

Morbid curiosity had her flipping to the last page.

Several alarming activities jumped off the page: gangbang, vacuum pumps, diaper play. She flinched seeing, gunplay was also an option.

What the hell?

She stacked the incomplete forms neatly and placed them on the clipboard. At a loss, she got up and paced.

Gunplay—how was such a thing real?

She didn’t want to guess what they used body bags and gas masks for.

Once again, she asked herself what she was doing here.

Her gaze swept over Eric’s office. It looked like any other businessman’s place of work and very similar to hers at home: desk, computer, comfortable yet professional furniture, and understated décor. Noticing the large armoire across the room, it drew her in like Pandora and her box. The door was slightly ajar, and she couldn’t resist peeking inside.

When she did, her jaw dropped. If the eerie opening chords ofThe Twilight Zonetheme began playing in the background, she wouldn’t have batted an eye.

The shelves contained sex toys of every color, size, and shape, as well as restraints, police-style handcuffs, and gags. At least, she assumed they were gags but had to wonder at the one shaped like a penis with straps attached. There was a basket full of batteries for the various and sundry vibrators on the lower shelf and a row of small drawers labeled lube, condoms, and clamps. On the inside of both doors were hooks, with a plethora of paddles, whips, and crops hanging from them.

“Everything the well-prepared sadist could possibly need, and then some,” she whispered, only partially tongue in cheek.

She bent to the two large drawers near the floor. The top one contained rope by the yard in a rainbow of colors and an array of stainless-steel hardware in separator cubes. The bottom drawer contained things she didn’t recognize.

Picking up a square plastic packet the size of a condom, she peered at the label. Electrodes!T hadn’t been pulling her leg. Val immediately dropped it, slammed the drawer shut, and closed both upper doors with a thud.

The image of Russell Crowe inA Beautiful Mindflashed before her. In particular, the scene where he got electro-shock therapy, suffering unbearable pain, and going into convulsions.

“Hell no,” she said aloud right before she bolted.

***

ERIC CONCLUDED HISmeeting in record time. He rarely conducted Rossi business at the club, but three of the men were already there, so it seemed practical. He was exiting the conference room when the little blonde came tearing out of his office as if the devil were at her heels. In her mad rush, she slammed into him, her much smaller body bouncing off his. She would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her and pulled her close.

“Where are you going, little subbie? I thought I told you to stay put?”

She glanced at him, alarm flashing in her vivid blue eyes. “I’ve made a mistake. I need to go.”

Before the words left her mouth, she tried to pull away.

“Easy now,” he murmured in a low, soothing tone while holding firm. With a crooked finger under her chin, he nudged her face up and searched her anxious expression. “What spooked you?”

“I can’t do this. I don’t know what half the stuff on your three-page list is, or if I even want to,” she babbled in a panic.

“Let’s sit and talk for a few minutes, and if you still want to go, I’ll see you out to your car.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but that doesn’t make me feel better.”

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