Page 75 of Bound By Her

Later that day, Adria stared out of the window of Loretta’s study. She was happy to be out of the house and away from everything. The entire process had turned her once well-manicured life upside down.

“More tea,Adria?”

She looked at Loretta’s new submissive. He had short dark curls and bright blue eyes. Adria raised an eyebrow at her friend.

Loretta smoothed her skirt. “Regan is one of my newest members. He hasn’t quite learned manners yet.”

The young man looked confused. He must be a very new submissive if he didn’t know that addressing a person by name without permission was frowned upon.

“When in doubt, go with ma’am or miss,” Adria said to him conspiratorially.

He gave her a relieved smile, but jumped to Loretta’s side when she snapped her fingers.

Kneeling at her right, Regan was completely naked. Loretta, who was in her early sixties, sat in stark contrast to him, who couldn’t be older than twenty-five.

Adria eyed him. “A real pup for you this time.”

“Barely a foal,” Loretta laughed. “Too young for me,but when he showed up on my doorstep, I couldn’t resist that face.”

Loretta ran her fingers along Regan’s shoulders and down the back of his neck. Adria felt something stir in her when she noticed his posture, his mannerisms. Was he familiar? A memory, a previous submissive of hers, perhaps?

“Quite the specimen to just wash up on your doorstep,” Adria said.

Regan kept his head bowed, eyes downcast in deference, but Adria didn’t miss the flush creeping up his neck.

Loretta pressed her lips together, amusement flickering in her gaze. “A pleasant surprise,” she mused, her fingers encircling the back of his neck in a firm squeeze. “But only if he proves trainable.”

“If anyone can break him, it’s you.”

“Speaking of breaking…” Loretta released Regan, and he pressed his chest to the floor. “How is your little conquest coming along?”

Adria shook her head, unwilling to speak of it in front of him.

Loretta didn’t push. Instead, she rang a delicate silver bell, summoning her understudy. When Francis appeared in the doorway, Loretta barely spared her a glance. “He’s displeased me. Take him to the kitchens. Keep him entertained until I arrive.”

Regan looked up. He looked like he wanted to argue, but one glance from Loretta and he left the room gracefully.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Adria said quietly.

Loretta settled into the chair beside her, studying her with calm patience. “What’s troubling you?”

“I’m manipulating them, deceiving them. But the trust…” Adria shook her head. “It’s not there. It never will be.”

Loretta arched a brow. “And?”

Adria exhaled sharply, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve never trained without it.”

“That’s the guilt talking,” Loretta said. “You know as well as I do that subs are trained every day without any real bond with their owners.”

“And I despise those people—the ones who break others without a thought for their safety or well-being.”

Loretta’s expression softened. “You are not your father.”

Adria looked at her then, at the gray hair framing kind, steady eyes.

“You don’t know that,” she whispered. “Every day, I feel more and more out of control. Jonathan’s texts come like clockwork, reminding me what’s at stake. It’s like a guillotine hanging over my head, waiting to fall.”

Loretta’s voice was gentle but firm. “From what you’ve told me, if you don’t train them, you’re putting them in greater danger. The Triune is forcing them to be sold, not you. They need to be ready.”

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