Chapter 33

The next morning Mae carefully brushed her hair, hyper aware that each movement caused the bells that dangled from her nipples to jingle. She’d wanted to shower, but Master Xavier hadn’t said she could take off the cuffs, and she wasn’t sure if she should get them wet. Luckily her hair still looked good despite yesterday’s dramatic events, and after washing her face and taking a sponge bath, she’d felt more herself.

There were faint circles under her eyes, which she covered up with concealer before putting on subtle makeup, just enough to make her feel prepared to face the day. She hadn’t slept well, her dreams a chaotic mix of nightmares and erotic fantasies. After waking from a nightmare in a cold sweat, she’d crept out of the comfortable bed in the dorm-like room where subs slept when not ensconced in a play or sleeping room. She’d taken out the plug, hoping the relief from the stimulation of that would allow her to calm down. After an hour of dozing in an armchair, her phone alarm had gone off and she’d had to reinsert the plug, which only brought her arousal roaring back to life.

“Mae, your bottom!”

Mae looked over to see Alice, one of the subs she was friends with, staring at her ass.

Alice had only recently made the transition from the sweet, if kinky, role of being a “little” with no pain play to being a BDSM submissive. She was still shocked by some of the less obviously-sexy aspects of the BDSM world.

“Hi, Alice.”

“What happened to you?”

Mae frowned. Alice’s reaction wasn’t totally unexpected, but she found herself irritated that the other sub couldn’t see how pretty her ass, red from the flogger and bearing a few darker splotches that might be bruises, was. Though it hurt to sit, Mae had been admiring it all morning.

“I got a beating.”

“Oh no. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I enjoyed it.”

“You did? But I didn’t think you liked stuff like that.”

Neither did I.

Mae shrugged and finished applying her makeup. “I liked trying something different.” The clock on the wall read eleven-fifteen. Time to go.

“Wait…you said a beating. Does that mean you got the letter B?”

Mae smiled. “Yes, I did. Did you get a letter?”

“No, just a note to show up next weekend.”

“Sounds fun. Be good, Alice.”

“Mae, you didn’t tell me who your partner is.”

Mae tucked her makeup bag into a cubby in the dressing room and checked her reflection—the belled clamps dangled from her breasts and sex, the heavy cuffs made her wrists and ankles look tiny and delicate, and the plain leather collar around her neck made it abundantly clear that she was dressed this way by command. Not that anyone who knew her would think she’d have chosen to present herself like this.

She looked at Alice and smiled. “Master Xavier.”

Alice’s eyes went round as saucers. “The one with the mask?”

Mae laughed and nodded.

A delicious mix of trepidation and anticipation filled her as she exited the Subs’ Garden and headed for the Sub Rosa Court. She’d never had anything but fun in those rooms, and wondered what Master Xavier had in store for them there. It was brunch time and there were plenty of people out, most like her having just woken up. Heads turned as she moved, the bells drawing everyone’s attention.

She knew now why Xavier had wanted her to wear them. The surprised stares and raised brows were a repeat of Alice’s reaction, emphasizing that Xavier had done something to her that wasn’t usual. He’d mastered her in a way no one else ever had. Mae was not particularly modest, especially here, but she rarely was nude in the public spaces, and that added to the sense of otherness she felt.

His possession of her body and control of her submission was like a cloak around her, both highlighting her nakedness and protecting her from the opinion of others.

When she reached the Griff’s Red room she found the door already open slightly. This time Mae didn’t bother to arrange her hair or think about her expression. She slipped into the playspace, nervous excitement causing butterflies in her belly.

The elegant chamber was dominated by a four poster bed. There was a large armchair, the seat wide enough for two, an ottoman perfectly sized to have someone kneeling on it, and an en suite bathroom with a claw footed tub. An antique screen in the corner created a dressing area, an armoire full of toys and linen beside it.

A set of French doors in the exterior wall revealed a wide expanse of lawn, and off to the left, the double row of palm trees that lined the drive and gave the estate its name.

“Mae, it’s a pleasure to see you.” Master James rose from a replica turn-of-the-century armchair, closing the book he’d been reading.

“Master James.” Mae jumped when she saw him, then dipped her head. “My apologies. I must have misheard my instructions for the morning. Please excuse me.” She backed toward the entrance.

“No, Mae. You’re in the right place. Close the door and come here.”

Mae’s heart leapt into her throat. “Master James?”

He took a seat on the extra-wide chair and patted his knee. “Come to me.” It seemed like he expected her. That he’d been waiting for her.

Was this some kind of test? Where was Xavier? Her excitement was morphing to dread.

“Master James, I was supposed to meet Master Xavier.”

“Is that what he told you, or did he tell you to come to this room at 11:30?”

A ball of icy disappointment and shame solidified in her belly. Mae closed her eyes, fighting back tears.

“He told me to come here, Sir.”

“You obeyed him, and now you’ll obey me, won’t you?”

“Master James, I…”

“You can use your safe word, if you feel the need. Otherwise you’re still under Master Xavier’s control, and must obey his orders.”

Mae didn’t move. She couldn’t.

Last night both she and Xavier had acknowledged that they weren’t exactly a good fit, but once they’d started, their chemistry had been amazing, leading to one of the most intense sexual experiences of Mae’s life. But clearly Xavier hadn’t felt the same.

“Do you need to use your safe word? I’ll tell Master Xavier and the overseers, so you don’t have to.”

Mae cleared her throat. “No, Master James. It’s my pleasure to submit.” The words rolled off her tongue with ease—a formulaic response.

She wanted to demand answers, but she bit the inside of her cheek, making her way to Master James, now hating the stupid bells that jingled with each step.

“On my lap.”