She followed him down the hall and to the kitchen. He had set the table and had the Italian take-out waiting for them. Katherine looked surprised to see the two place settings in the kitchen.
"It may have gotten a bit cold while we were otherwise occupied. I should have stored it in the warming drawer." He smiled. "I hope you don't mind, but we'll be eating in the kitchen tonight."
"No, Master," she said. "Whatever you want."
Luke usually ate alone in the dining room while she took her meals in the kitchen. Occasionally, on a Saturday night, he would ask her to join him in the dining room for dinner, but he never ate in the kitchen with his subs. Part of the thrill of being a Dominant for him was the status and hierarchy of the situation. He liked being higher and having someone bow to him. Eating with his submissive in the kitchen never really appealed to him. Until now.
"Please sit," he instructed.
She furrowed her brow, and he knew it was because he never asked her to sit before he did.
"It's what I want," he assured her.
She nodded and took her seat.
"Katherine," he said as he sat down next to her, "we're in the kitchen, so you know what that means?"
"I may speak freely as long as I'm respectful."
"You seem confused."
"You never eat in here with me," she said. "I'm just surprised."
"I thought it might be nice to switch things up." He smiled. "You've been with me for over two months now, and I wanted to make sure you were still happy and feeling fulfilled."
"I'm very happy." She smiled and her face lit up the entire kitchen. If he'd just let go, he could allow himself to get lost in her exquisiteness. Luke had never seen such perfection before. He'd seen plenty of women in his time, but Katherine was superb. She looked like she'd stepped out of a painting. She was a classic beauty. "Are you?"
"We were talking about you," he reminded her. "Do you feel like this arrangement is working for you? Are you getting what you need from this agreement?"
"Yes," she whispered, but she seemed apprehensive.
"What is it?"
"Nothing," she quickly responded.
"Don't lie to me." Luke always knew when she was trying to mask her feelings.
"I worry that I'm not enough for you," she blurted out.
"What?" He was surprised. "Have I ever made you feel that way?"
She shook her head.
"Where are those feelings coming from?" He thought he was doing everything he possibly could to make her feel successful and confident in her submissiveness.
"I know how experienced you are," she said. "And I also know that you're being extremely patient with me. And while I'm learning, I don't think you're getting much out of this."
"It's not your job to worry about me," he informed her.
She couldn't be more wrong about how much he was getting out of their relationship. He had no idea how refreshing it would be to go back to the basics. He had been doing this for ten years and for most of that time, he was with experienced subs who didn't need to be trained. He was actually getting off on the teaching part of the whole situation. It was all so new and exciting.
"You said I could speak freely here," she reminded me.
"And you should," he said, curious to see where she was headed.
"I think you're going easy on me."
"What has brought you to that conclusion?" He scratched his head.
"I've been doing the research and studying this way of life as you have instructed me to do," she said. "You've never punished me for mistakes in the playroom."
She was right. He had punished her that weekend after she showed up at his office, but that was for her disrespect. And then there was the time she was late. But she hadn't done anything to warrant a punishment during a scene. That had been on his mind lately too. He hadn't been giving her the opportunity to screw up. And when she did, he may have overlooked a few things. He wasn't being fair to her, and she was calling him on it.
"I know I'm not perfect," she said. "And I know that subs make mistakes. Why haven't you allowed me to?"
"I'm not here to set you up to fail," he informed her. "But I agree, you're right."
"I am?"
He smiled at her innocence. She was adorable.
"I've been taking my time with you," he admitted. "Not giving you more than I thought you could handle. Maybe I've been moving too slowly. Perhaps you're ready for more."
She swallowed hard and looked visibly nervous as she shifted in her seat. "How much more?"
"Oh no, sweet girl," he teased as he pulled on the ends of her hair. "You can't ask for more and then question it. Finish eating and meet me in the playroom in half an hour." He stood up from the table, grabbed her hair, and pulled her face to his. "I just hope you can handle what I have in store for you."
"I know I can, Master." Her confidence pleased him more than she could ever understand.
A half an hour later Luke was standing outside the playroom door. Katherine was already in there, and he could hear her pacing the floor. He knew this room intimidated her because there were so many things in there that he hadn't even begun to introduce her to. But she was right, they had been together for over two months and it was time to step up this game. She was ready for more, and so was he. He had confidence in them both.
Luke turned the handle on the door and was surprised to see that she was already on her knees, waiting for him in nothing but a pair of tiny black panties. He smiled at the sight of her. Normally, he wasn't a fan of panties, but when that was all she had on, he found it did something for him.
"Do you know how it pleases me to witness your submission?" He walked over to her and stroked her hair. "I'm very proud that you had the courage to voice your concerns in the kitchen and tell me you needed more." He dropped to his knees, something he'd never done with her before, so that they were eye level. "Look at me."
She quickly raised her gaze.
"You would not have been able to communicate with me that way a month ago," he told her. "That shows me you've come a long way in this journey already."
"Thank you, Master, for allowing me the opportunity to voice my concerns."
"Always, Katherine. You must never be afraid of me. That's going to be really important for you to remember as we progress."
He stood, pulling her up to meet him. He walked her over to the bed, sitting down and placing her in his lap.
"Touch me," he whispered.
He saw the shock on her face. He'd always initiated the touching and never had allowed her to freely explore him. And he always determined when and how they would kiss. The only time he'd ever really kissed her was when she was sprawled out on his desk the weekend he was punishing her. She was the only sub he maintained such strict physical contact with. In the beginning, it was a way for him to stay in control, but as the weeks progressed, he was afraid her touch would be too much for him to handle. He wanted more with her and knew how wrong that was for him.
"Where?" She swallowed hard.
"Anywhere you want. I'll tell you when to stop."
She tentatively placed her hands on either side of his face, running her thumbs over his lips. He had this uncontrollable urge to kiss her. He hadn't expected her to be so sensual. It sent a shiver down his spine. This was exactly why he'd kept her at arm's length. He briefly closed his eyes and internally battled over what he should do next. His head was screaming one thing, but his heart wanted something different.
"Now kiss me," he whispered because he needed more.
Uncertainty flickered across her face before she slowly leaned in and pressed her lips to his. He could tell by the way she responded to his lips that she'd wanted to do this for a long time. He'd always felt kissing on the mouth for long periods of time was too personal during a scene, but she changed that for him. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth and massaged it against hers, running his fingers through her hair. Her mouth was warm and soft and tasted so sweet. It didn't take long for either one of them to fall into the other. After a few minutes, he had to stop this. It was far too intimate. He was rock hard and losing focus fast. This girl did things to him that no other sub even came close to. A make-out session in the middle of a scene was definitely a first for him and he'd been doing this a long time.