Chapter 68

Her eyes popped open and her lips parted, as if she would protest. He waited, trying to hide his smile.

She bared her teeth at him and he laughed.

“I’m hungry. We didn’t eat dinner. Go get food.”

“Yes, Master. What do you like to eat?”

“Meat.”

“Turkey bacon?”

“What? No! Real bacon. Sausage.”

Her eyebrows climbed as she looked at him, as if trying to figure out how he got away with eating that.

The damned woman was making him feel defensive. “I run.”

“Ah. That explains the tan.”

“What?”

“Your arms are darker than your chest.”

Was it that noticeable? “Er, yes.”

Beth turned to leave, closing the robe and belting it in place.

“Beth.”

She stopped and turned back.

“You can wear the robe closed on the way to the dining room, but when you get there, untie it. Make sure everyone can see your clamps.”

Her eyes lowered and he could almost see her submission falling over her. There were some women who needed a constant level of domination and couldn’t handle shifting dynamics. Clearly Beth could, which James was glad of. He didn’t want to spend unnecessary energy making sure he was always in “Dom mode.”

Beth returned ten minutes later, the robe open, exposing her naked body. Part of him wished he’d gone with her, wished he could have seen the admiring gazes she’d no doubt gotten. The tassels on her pussy clattered together cheerfully as she brought over a tray, placing it on the bed.

“Join me.”

She sat cross-legged, the tray between them. Her plate held an egg white veggie omelet and fruit. His had a California omelet, three strips of bacon, sausage, and one strawberry.

“Is this your attempt to make sure I get some fruit?” He held up the berry.

“There’s vegetables in the omelet, too.”

“Ugh. Vegetables.”

“I hope you’re joking.” She frowned at him.

“I am. I’ll even eat this strawberry.” He bit the tip off, then reached over and rubbed it against her nipples, smearing them and the clamps with the pink juice.

Beth’s head dropped back. “If this is what it takes, I’m willing to sacrifice myself to make sure you eat healthily.”

James roared with laughter. The rest of breakfast was punctuated by laughter as they teased each other about their eating habits, sexual play as he licked her nipples clean, then pretended to get his fork tangled in the nipple clamp chains, tugging them until she was panting.

When their plates were finally empty, James realized they’d been sitting there enjoying one another’s company for nearly two hours. With a start he realized this felt more like a lazy Sunday morning with a girlfriend than the precursor to a day of D/s play.

“Get rid of the tray.” The command came out harsher than he’d meant it to and she recoiled slightly, eyes wide. James softened his tone, but turned away from her, getting off the bed. “If I’m not here when you get back, take off the clamps and clean them, then put them away.”

“Yes, Master.”

Without another word he left, ignoring the voice in his head that said he should just stay in bed with her, talking and fucking. They had a list, and it was time for the next item.

* * *

Beth had a fairly good idea what was going to happen next. She’d returned to the playroom to find Master James gone. Assuming a kneeling position near the cold fireplace, she looked up when the door opened, only to see a woman entering. The sub bustled over, holding out a cloth tape. Once she’d taken Beth’s torso measurements, she left.

Another half hour passed before the door opened. This time it was Master James, and she was not surprised to see the corset he held under one arm, though the plastic bucket he carried was a bit more puzzling.

Once he spotted her, he detoured to the seating area by the fireplace, easing into one of the wide wingback leather chairs.

“Are you ready for our next scene?”

“Of course, Master.”

“Stand up.”

Beth rose, stepping up beside his chair. When he sat forward and shook out the corset, she raised her arms.

The corset was heavy reinforced satin, the black fabric seeming to glow with a muted shine. There were hook closures down the front and white satin ribbon lacing up the back. Smooth, cool fabric slid against her skin as Master James placed the corset around her back. Hook by hook he closed the corset down the front. The laces were loose enough that it wasn’t difficult. Once it was in place Master James rose and moved behind her.

Beth gasped as he started to adjust the laces at the back, pulling the surprisingly stiff corset tight to her skin, then tighter still, constricting her waist and chest.

“Hold on to the chair.”

Beth clung to the back of the chair as he tugged. She could no longer take a really deep breath, and the pressure against her nipples was sweet torment.

“There’s something very satisfying about putting a woman into a corset.” Master James’s voice was a low grumble, deeper and with a note of menace that hadn’t been there when they teased each other over breakfast.

“I’ve never worn one like this before.”

“What kind have you worn?”

“A waist cincher.”

“The ones that don’t cover the breasts?”

“Yes, Master.”

“For this particular scene I wanted to see you in a full corset.” A final tug, and he stepped away.

“There’s a mirror over there.”

Curious, Beth moved until she could see herself. Her breasts were two plump mounds above the sweetheart top, her waist almost impossibly tiny. Her sex seemed very naked compared to the stiff black fabric.

Master James stepped up behind her, seeming to loom over her, his hands settling on her cinched waist. Keeping his gaze locked on hers in the mirror, he dipped his head to nip her shoulder, then cupped one hand over her sex and lifted, forcing her onto her toes.

She was panting—the only kind of breathing she could really do—when he stepped back.

“You have your corset now, but we’re going to kill two birds with one stone and take care of another checklist item at the same time.”

He pulled something from the bucket and brought it over to her. The short black apron was trimmed with white lace. He settled it around her hips and tied it in place. It barely covered her sex, and from side to side was only wide enough to reach her hips, leaving her ass completely bare.

“You make a lovely maid.”

“Maid?” Beth twisted, looking at her ass, which seemed rather large compared to her waist. The tails of the apron strings dangled along the crease of her buttocks.

“Chores are one of our checklist items.” Master James brought her the bucket.

It was a simple blue plastic bucket. There were a few spray bottles, cleaning cloths, and a short feather duster inside.

“Chores,” Beth repeated. She was turned on by the way he’d laced her in so tightly, but disappointed that now she was expected to clean. It was far better than being a footstool, and cleaning in a corset would at least be more interesting than the times she’d been ordered to help clean or set up playrooms while naked.

Master James returned to his chair, turning it so he could see the whole room. He placed one ankle on the opposite knee, resting his chin on his fist.

Beth placed the bucket on a side table and pulled out all the spray bottles, lining them up. Taking the first one, she started to read the directions for use on the back. When she was confident she understood that one, she set it down and picked up the second.

“Beth, what are you doing?”

“Reading the instructions.”

“It’s just cleaning.”

“I’m not familiar with cleaning products.” She kept her tone neutral.

“You don’t know how to clean?”

“I pay someone to do this.” This time her exasperation was clear. “I don’t want to damage the finish on anything.”

“Beth.” His exasperation was a mate to hers. “I don’t want you to actually clean anything.”

“Then why did you give me a bucket of stuff?”

“I grabbed it out of some closet as a prop. Pretend to dust.”

“Pretending to dust isn’t ‘chores’.”

He thunked his head against the back of the chair. “No. But it means I get to watch you bend over in the corset and then punish you for being a naughty maid.”

Beth’s eyes widened in horror. “This is…this is role play?”