Page 35 of Jackson
“You mean punishment.”
“No, punishment is for when you deliberately disobey me or you do something you know I would not approve of, like your tone of voice at the club last weekend. If we had had a contract in place that night you would have earned yourself at least a spanking. If you’re making mistakes because you don’t remember something, I might have you write lines to help you remember.”
“Lines? Like ‘I will always text my Master before I go to bed?’ That’s like old-style Catholic school.”
“Maybe, but that’s a good example. Lines can be very effective when you’re having trouble remembering to do something.”
“I don’t like the sound of this punishment stuff.”
“Then all you have to do to avoid it is behave yourself and follow the rules. They’re not that difficult. Are they?”
Paula wanted to wipe the smug look off his face at the bland statement, but she held her tongue and drew a deep breath.
“All that’s left is the schedule. Shall we allow forty-five hours a week for work? That should provide enough wiggle room for late days and overtime, don’t you think?”
“Sure.”
“What time do you get up?”
“The alarm goes off at 6 am. If I’m going to run I get up then. If not, I hit the snooze button and turn over for another half hour of sleep.”
“Enough with the snooze button. You’ll get up when the alarm goes off. Running on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, I think. We’ll come up with something else for the other mornings. How about you plan on sleeping over on Monday and Wednesday, and then we can exercise together on Tuesday and Thursday? I do Tai Chi most mornings, and it’s an excellent workout. Good for balance, strength, and defense.”
“Okay, I guess.”
“You sound underwhelmed with excitement, Paula.”
“I don’t know. It’s a lot of togetherness for two people who don’t know each other that well yet. Could we maybe just have dinner during the week for a couple of weeks?”
Jackson steepled his hands together for a moment. “That sounds like a fair compromise. I think we have everything we need to put this together. Let me fire up my laptop, and we’ll have it all in writing.”
When they had the contract ironed out, it was after five, and the snacks were long gone. “The only thing left is to figure out titles. We won’t use ‘slave.’ I understand your feelings about the word. ‘Submissive’ doesn’t adequately indicate the relationship. How about a name that’s just between the two of us?”
For the first time in more than an hour, Paula smiled. “I like that idea. Did you have something in mind?”
“I do. The word is ‘Melda.’ It’s from Elvish, one of the languages fromThe Lord of the Rings. It means ‘dear one’ or ‘beloved.’ What do you think?”
“Melda.” Paula rolled it around on her tongue. “I like it. Do I have to call you ‘Master’?”
“Eventually, I hope you’ll want to. Right now, ‘Sir’ is fine. Shall we sign the contract, Melda?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Great,” Jackson said when they’d signed both copies. “One more thing. I’ll be right back.” He headed for the stairs and was back a few moments later with a small box for her. “Open it.”
“Jewelry, Sir? I don’t think we know each other well enough for that.”
“Not quite. Open it, and I’ll explain.”
Paula opened the box to see a simple gold chain with a small, delicate locket. She pulled it out. “This is beautiful, Sir, but it’s too much.”
“No, it’s your temporary collar. It shows our connection so that only we know. Open the locket. It’s rather special to me.”
She struggled with it for a moment before she found the right crack. Inside was a photo of a young boy. She looked up at him. “Is this you?”
“Yes. I gave it to my grandmother for her birthday when I was maybe ten. My mother helped me get the picture mounted. I saved for months to afford the necklace. She left it to me when she died a few years back.”
Tears gathered at the corners of Paula’s eyes. “I don’t know if I can wear something so personal, Sir. What if something happens to it?”
