Page 43 of Collin: Episodes 4-6
“Brief oral report now, and I’ll ask for the written if I think it’s necessary.”
Collin flipped his computer screen around and propped up the tablet, facing his dom, using one of the lines of rope around his thigh to keep the screen from slipping down. He started with the artist mockups.
At some point later, he’d truly lost track of time, Mr. Reevesworth held up his hand to stop his speech. “We’ll scrap the second proposal entirely. I don’t need to know more. Give me a write-up for all the deficiencies on the first proposal. We’ll send it back to them and see if they can take the hint and want to try to produce something more in alignment with our vision.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mr. Reevesworth leaned forward and snagged Collin’s water bottle. “And drink the rest of this. You’re going to be dehydrated.”
Collin flushed. “Yes, sir. Apologies, sir.”
“Don’t go light on the water just because you have to ask for help.”
“I didn’t mean to, sir. I just got wrapped up.”
“Drink, then write the report.”
“Yes, sir.”
At four-thirty, Mr. Reevesworth pushed his chair back and sat down on the floor beside Collin. He tugged him closer and started to unweave the end of the rope.
Collin let the tablet in his hands lower. “Sir?”
“It’s almost time to go home.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tell me, what have you learned?”
“To go to you first before I panic.”
“My instructions aren’t merely for fair-weather days, Collin. They’re for dark days and frightening ones. If you couldn’t reach me for some reason, that would be one thing, but I was just on the other side of that door. You didn’t have to be alone for that walk, thinking of everything that could be wrong. You didn’t need to be out there for someone to snap photos of you without your hat.”
“What if there is a time that I can’t reach you?”
“Then I trust you. You’ve taken care of yourself thus far. Perhaps not always as much as one would hope, but you did the best you could with your resources and your responsibilities at the time.” Mr. Reevesworth stroked Collin’s face with his thumb. “With time, you’ll learn what resources you have now and come, I hope, to value yourself more highly. And then I will rest more easily.”
“And until then, rope, sir?” Collin held up a coil of the blue hemp.
Mr. Reevesworth’s face split into an open smile. “Yes, pretty boy. Until then, rope. And probably even after.”
Collin rubbed the fibers between his thumb and finger. “Do you use this on bare skin?”
“Usually on bare skin. It feels like nothing else. Leather has its place, and I use it often. So do chains and shackles, but rope is more meditative than any other form of bondage, both for the dominant and the submissive.”
“Will you think less of me if I like it?”
Mr. Reevesworth laughed softly, reaching out and tangling his hands with Collin’s in the rope. “A boy who can surrender to his dom and to the rope is a beautiful thing. I would treasure that if you have the inclination.”
It took time for Collin to be able to walk on his leg. Mr. Reevesworth insisted on checking for any abnormal bruising, though there were beautiful marks in the shape of the rope up and down Collin’s leg. He ran his own hands over them several times before replacing his pants.
“Are you going to the gym tonight, sir?”
“Yes. Though I’m taking Damian. Émeric plans to cook dinner. You may join him, if you would like, or take some time to yourself.”
“I’d rather join him. Could I check on Ash before we leave?”
“He’s gone back to his lair.”
