"I'm sorry, Mr. Cain," Olivia said. "She pushed right past me."
Luke glared at Katherine, but she didn't even flinch. He'd have to find away to change that.
"It's okay, Olivia," he said. "I'll handle this. Please take an early lunch."
"Yes, sir," she said as she walked out of the office, probably fearing for her job.
He closed the door and stared at Katherine for a second before grabbing her arm and walking her over to the couch. He stood completely straight, staring her down, hoping that his playroom posturing would help her come to her senses.
"You better have a damn good reason for showing up here and-"
"I better have a good reason? You're the one interfering in my life and treating me like a whore," she yelled.
She fucking cut him off when he was speaking! He was more than enraged now. No one treated him this way, especially not his sub.
"Kneel," he calmly stated.
"No!" She stood her ground with a resolve in her eyes he'd never seen before. He wondered if she'd gone stark raving mad.
"Have you lost your mind?" He paced the office, trying to keep calm. "You must have."
"You paid my rent," she said. "For a year. Why would you do that?"
"This is about your rent?" he asked, incredulously. "You'd risked my wrath over your rent?"
"You didn't think I'd find out you paid my landlord?" She was like a little kitten trying to be a cougar. If he wasn't so mad, it'd be amusing.
"Of course I did," he said. "I was going to tell you tomorrow night when I called you. We don't usually communicate with one another until Wednesday."
When Katherine told him about her roommate leaving, Luke realized he'd have to find a way to fix her housing dilemma before it interfered in their agreement. To his surprise, things were progressing much better than he'd ever anticipated and he wasn't about to let her living arrangements put a stop to it.
"You had no right."
"I had every right," he countered. "When you entered into this agreement, you consented to becoming my responsibility."
"No, I didn't," she argued. "I don't want to be paid for sex."
"I'm not paying you for sex," he defended. "It's my job to take care of you. And if you can't pay your rent and that concerns you, then eventually it'll interfere with our time in the playroom. You're not to have any worries while you're under my care. I'm supposed to be your only concern."
"But why couldn't you have discussed it with me first? Given me a chance to voice my thoughts?"
"Because this isn't a partnership, and I thought you understood your role, but clearly after your behavior today, you have a lot to learn." He continued to pace, because he was afraid if he stopped, he might pull her over his knee.
"It makes me feel cheap to take money from you," she said. "That's not what I signed up for."
"Well, then you need to take another look at our contract because it states that I will take care of your well-being as I see fit, and providing a roof over your head falls under that category."
"I thought that meant my safety and well-being in the playroom, as your sub," she said in a softer voice. "Not outside of that."
"What kind of man would I be if I didn't take care of you after you serve me all weekend? Our relationship isn't just about sex." Luke didn't understand why she didn't get that he wanted to take care of her. She was his. He just wanted her to be happy and secure.
"I-I know," she stuttered. "I didn't mean to … " She dropped to her knees at his feet and looked down at the floor.
He took a steadying breath before he continued. He was pleased she was coming to her senses. "Perhaps I should have told you when I contacted your landlord, but I didn't think it was necessary. I was going to tell you tomorrow you no longer had to find another place to stay. I knew you liked your loft, I could see it in your face when I was there, and so I made sure it was yours. I was trying to do something nice for you."
She didn't say anything, and he could tell from the blush on her cheeks she was embarrassed. He may have gone about it the wrong way, but he was trying to help her.
"What happened here today was unacceptable," he said. "You may voice your concerns, but I expect you to treat me with the same respect I treat you. You are not to bring our problems to my place of business. And you are never to speak to me the way you did today. Are we clear?"
"Yes, Master," she whispered. "I'm sorry I disrespected you."
"Stand up."
She did as he told her to, but refused to look in his eyes. Luke had to get her to leave, because he was afraid his temper was going to flare at any second. He had to put some distance between the two of them before he lost his mind. The more time they spent together, the more he wanted. He was doing everything he could to stop these inappropriate feelings. She was his sub, nothing more. He'd never felt this passionately about anyone before.
"I'll text you on Thursday with your instructions," he informed her, indicating that he would not be calling her tomorrow evening. He needed a cooling down period. He had to figure out how he was going to handle such rebelliousness.
"Yes, Master," she said, and then she headed for the door.
"And Katherine … " He sat back down at his desk. "Don't think for a second that this outburst will go unpunished."
She nodded before leaving.
Luke put his head in his hands and tried to make sense of what had just happened. He would have never tolerated that type of conduct from any of his previous subs. He would have pulled that collar from her so fast she wouldn't have known what hit her. The relationship would have been dissolved and he wouldn't have looked back.
Unacceptable! Completely unacceptable, he thought.
He closed his eyes and shook his head. No matter how fierce a Dom he was, he wasn't willing to let Katherine go even after such defiance. He smiled because his girl had some spunk. But he was going to have to teach her how and when to use it. Sadly, it wouldn't be this weekend.
* * * *
Per his instructions, Katherine arrived at his home at precisely 8:00 PM, two hours later than usual. Luke stood in the foyer and waited for her to enter. He usually didn't greet her, but tonight wasn't about routines. There was nothing regular about what he had planned for this weekend.
She opened the door and quietly entered, slipping off her jacket and shoes and placing them in the closet before she turned and realized he was watching her.
"Master!" She jumped, clearly startled by his presence. Once she composed herself, she dropped to her knees.
Perfect, he thought. At least she hadn't forgotten her place in his house.
"Katherine, I'm rather surprised you showed up. I expected you to back out, especially since you know I'm not pleased with you"
Her breathing picked up and now her tiny frame was trembling beneath him.
"I'll offer you an opportunity to defend your actions in my office on Tuesday," he said. "You may speak."
"I'm sorry, Master, for the lack of respect I showed you and for my disobedience," she said. "I realize what a huge mistake I made. You were trying to help me and I was ungrateful."
"That you were," he agreed. "Never in my Dominant experience have I ever had a sub who insulted me the way you did. I'm extremely disappointed to say the least. I expected better of you."
She gasped at his words.
"I never want to disappoint you again, Master. Please tell me what I can do to make this right."
"I respect that you're an independent woman who wants to pay her own way, and I can appreciate that, but you are my submissive and with that role, you are expected to make certain concessions. Letting me take care of you is one of them, but I won't discount your feelings. You'll always have the opportunity to voice your concerns, but never the way you did in my office. That cannot ever happen again if you expect to continue serving me. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Master."
"I'm not a forgiving man," he continued. "And I rarely grant second chances."
She squirmed and then looked into his eyes. "Please," she said. "I need to submit to you."
"I'm assuming since you showed up here tonight, wearing my collar, you still want to continue on this journey with me."
She nodded.
"Very well," he said. "This will not be like a normal weekend. You have to pay for your actions. You clearly need to learn your place."