Page 7 of Hard Discipline

“Yes,” she says quickly and without a stammer. “Oh God, yes.”

The note of hunger in the words makes my cock harden in response, but again, I ignore it. Controlling my body is second nature to me after so many years. “Next question. Do you trust me?”

For the first time she hesitates. “Trust you? What do you mean?”

“BDSM only works if we trust each other completely.” I don’t normally explain myself to a sub — it’s all part of the mind games I enjoy — but she’s too new for that. “So, do you trust me?”

“I mean, I barely know you enough to?—”

“It’s a simple question, sub,” I cut her off, hard. “You either do or you don’t.”

She’s still got her head bent, her gaze on my shoes, and she probably doesn’t understand the importance of this question, not really, but she will soon enough.

“What happens if I don’t?” she asks breathlessly.

“Nothing except you walking right out that door.”

“But how can I answer when?—”

Gripping her ponytail tightly, I jerk her head back and I don’t bother to be gentle, because I am not gentle. Then I take her sharp chin in my other hand, gripping it so she has no choice but to look straight up at me. Her face is flushed, making her eyes look like quicksilver, and her mouth is a perfect O of surprise. “Yes or no,” I demand. “And don’t fucking lie. I’ll know.”

Her gaze clings to mine and I can see the shock there, and it satisfies me. I love that shock in a sub. When they think theyhave me all figured out and I prove to them how wrong they are. It’s exactly the kind of mind game I like to play and the heat inside me intensifies. I’ve rattled her and she deserves to be rattled, coming in here and thinking she can demand things of me.

I tighten my grip on her, letting her feel my strength. Letting her know who’s in charge. “Well? Answer me, sub.”

“Y-yes,” she stutters in a rush of breath.

Good. There’s some steel in her. I like that.

“Third question,” I say. “Do you consent to me taking charge of you?”

She’s breathing very fast now, reality closing in on her. “I…I…Y-yes.”

I grip her chin tighter. “Then here’s how this is going to work. I’m going to give you a taste of what it feels like to be my sub, but only a taste, Odette. I’m not going to fuck you or do anything else with you, understand?”

Her brow creases and she opens her mouth to say something, but I put my thumb over her lips, silencing her. She blinks, her body tensing, and I say, iron in my voice. “Don’t even think about it. I’m the one in charge now and I’m the one who makes the decisions. Not you.”

Wariness enters her gaze and it’s about fucking time.

“This will not be easy for you,” I go on, so she knows this before we begin. “And you will not like what I’m going to ask you to do. But I don’t care if it’s difficult or you don’t like it. All I care about is that you do it. That’s why trust is important, Odette. Being my sub means total and complete obedience to my will.”

Her wariness has given way to uncertainty as the reality of what she’s asked for slowly penetrates, an awareness of what submission truly means.

“You can pull out.” I keep my thumb where it is, pressed against the softness of her mouth. “It’s not too late. Butunderstand that if you do, this opportunity won’t come again. At least not with me it won’t.”

She blinks, uncertainty and desire warring in her eyes, and I realize that I haven’t seen that look in a sub for a long time. I’d forgotten how much I liked it. When the sub is unsure, caught between her body and her mind. There’s a tension there that’s addictive, erotic, and fun as hell to play with.

“Well?” I demand. “You want to leave?”

Her muscles are tense and there’s doubt in her eyes. She’s still not sure. Yet despite that, she slowly shakes her head.

So, the colorless waif has yet more steel. Intriguing, I can’t deny it. And surprising. I didn’t think she had it in her.

I keep a good grip on her, keep her gaze pinned to mine. “Then here are my rules. You will give me your complete obedience and you will not argue. Your safe word isred.If you use your safe word in attempt to control me, I will stop and you will go home.” I pause, then add. “For example, that little trick you just pulled by going down on your knees and saying please in an attempt to manipulate me is what’s called topping from the bottom and I will not have it. Is that understood?”

Her throat moves as she swallows, the doubt shifting in her eyes. But again, she nods.

I keep holding her for a moment, studying her face. Shit’s getting real for her now as she realizes this is not the fun idea she found out about after a couple of internet searches. But she won’t understand what she’s truly committing herself to, not yet.

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