"I told you you'd thank me." He laughed.
Chapter 10
Luke's Bedroom …
It had been a long and rigorous Saturday afternoon in the playroom. Kat stayed behind to tidy up per her Master's request. She looked around and cringed when she saw the whipping bench. It reminded her just how intense things could get. Since they had stepped up the play, she'd had the misfortune of bending over that bench two times and was trying her hardest not to gain herself a repeat trip. It was horrible, humiliating, and painful. The only good part about it was the aftercare. Luke always made sure to tend to her sore bottom with a soothing balm and would give her the opportunity to discuss why she had been punished in the first place.
Luke wasn't overly aggressive when it came to punishing her, and he only did it when he felt it was absolutely necessary, but each time it happened she learned a little more about herself and exactly how much she could handle. She was becoming stronger and learning that she was going to make mistakes, but was finding she was making them less often, especially with the presence of that dreadful bench in eyeshot every time she entered this room.
They had been together for four months now and they were growing in this Dominant-submissive journey, but she longed for more. She knew it was wrong because he didn't want to progress, but she wanted to find out more about him. She knew what he liked in the playroom, but wanted to know what he liked outside of this world. The only thing that connected them was the fact that he was her Dom. It was the only link she had to him, and she didn't want to do anything to make him change his mind or dissolve their agreement. She had a strong feeling that if he knew how deeply she felt for him, he would end their contract and never look back.
Katherine finished cleaning up the playroom and then headed back to her room. It was just before eight, but Luke hadn't given her any instructions for the evening. It wasn't unusual that he'd give her the night, or at least a few hours off, especially after playing on Friday night and most of the day on Saturday. She welcomed the few hours of rest, but always felt extremely lonely in the submissive bedroom.
Occasionally, Luke's needs would kick in sometime after saying goodnight and he would come into her room. Sometimes it was for a quickie or oral sex, but other nights he would take her slowly and then hold her for just a few minutes before heading back down the hall. Those nights were the hardest for Katherine, because as much as she liked being in his arms, the emptiness when he left was unbearable. She couldn't ask him why or what he was thinking, but the more nights he did that, the more she wanted him. And not just as her Master.
She took a long relaxing shower, slipped on a pair of flannel pajamas, because he hadn't left anything else for her to wear, and crawled into bed with a book. She didn't have full run of the house, so her only option was to settle in for the night. It was difficult for her not to wonder what he was doing.
About forty-five minutes later, she drifted off with the book still in her hands. A gentle tugging woke her and the book was being taken from her weak hold. She opened her eyes and focused on him, then shot up into a seated position and stared at him. She tried to gain her bearings, but couldn't remember what she was supposed to be doing.
Had he left instructions for her? Did she keep him waiting? She wasn't sure.
"Master? I-I'm sorry! I must have fallen asleep for a few minutes." Her heart was beating out of her chest, but it wasn't because she was afraid he was going to punish her. No, it was far worse than that. She was afraid she had disappointed him.
He ran his fingers through his hair before speaking. "I'm sorry I woke you," he whispered. "You looked so peaceful, but I wanted to pull the covers up over you, so I was moving the book."
"You wanted to tuck me in?" she asked, still not totally getting what was going on.
"Something like that." He laughed. "Go back to sleep." He turned and headed for the door. She wasn't sure what came over her, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her.
"Don't go," she said as softly as she could.
He stared down at their joined hands, and Katherine worried she'd crossed a line by touching him without permission.
"I'm sorry." She quickly let go and looked down.
"Don't apologize." He sighed as he sat down next to her on the bed.
"Do you need me for something?" she asked, hoping he did.
"I wanted to give you some time to yourself because we had a busy afternoon."
"That was very thoughtful of you," but if you're ready to play, I am too."
He shook his head. "I don't want to play."
"Oh," she said, and now she was disappointed.
He smiled, his green eyes sparkling. "Not at the moment," he clarified. "I was going to see if you wanted to have a glass of wine with me and unwind."
That was new, and she wondered what brought it on.
"Umm, yeah," she said. "That sounds nice. Will I serve you in the kitchen or the dining room?" She wasn't sure if he wanted her to unwind and speak freely, or if he wanted to unwind and have her sit at his feet. Either one would work for her, as long as she could be close to him.
"Actually, I was going to ask you to join me in my bedroom," he said, and then she noticed he was wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms. "But if you'd be more comfortable in the kitchen-"
"No!" She cut him off. "I'd love to join you in your bedroom, Master." Katherine sounded eager, but she hadn't been back in his bedroom since the night he'd taken her by the window. He didn't allow his subs to share his bed, so she'd take any invitation she could get.
"Very well," he said as he stood up and extended his hand. She took it and started to follow him, but he stopped and stared at her bedtime attire. He smiled as he looked her over.
"You didn't leave me any instructions." She defended her flannel.
"It's cute." He laughed.
She loved when he laughed. He was always so serious, but when he lost himself, he was adorable. She wanted to pinch his cheeks and tell him how cute he was. She didn't dare.
Once they entered his bedroom, she noticed he had a lap tray set up on the floor by the fireplace. It had two glasses, a bottle of wine, grapes, and cheese. He pulled the throw from his bed and spread it out by the tray, tossing a few pillows on the floor. He sat down and extended his hand for her, so she took it and settled in next to him.
She looked around the room, because the last two times she was there, she was too nervous to take it in. It felt so comfortable and relaxing here. If this were her room, she'd never want to leave it.
He handed her a glass of wine.
"Thank you, Master."
"You're a stunning woman, Katherine. I watched as you slept a few minutes ago, and it took everything I had not to crawl into that bed with you."
She wished he would have.
He took a grape from the tray and brought it to her lips. "Open," he said and then gently placed the fruit in her mouth. "I was very please with you today." He sipped his wine. "Nipple clamps can be extremely uncomfortable, especially for the amount of time I had them on you, but you did really well."
"It wasn't all bad." She smiled, then quickly added, "Master."
"I know we're not usually in here, but I'd like for you to be comfortable tonight." He poured more wine into her glass, but she hadn't even realized she'd almost finished the first glass. "You may treat this room the same way you would the kitchen or family room."
"Thank you." She took another sip before picking up a grape and feeding it to him. He grabbed her wrist and sucked her finger into his mouth, swirling his warm tongue over it a few times before releasing it.
"How has work been?"
"It's good. A little mundane," she admitted. "But I get to observe so much of the fashion industry."
"You studied at NYU for two years," he said. "You put that on your sub application. Why did you stop?"
She drank some more wine and started to feel relaxed and even a little comfortable in his presence. Liquid courage will do that for a person.
"I didn't want to stop," she said. "I really liked it, and I'm going to go back as soon as I can swing it."
"You didn't answer my question." He moved down and propped his head on his hand, using his elbow to support himself.
"My mother was paying my tuition. She took out some loans to help me, but then the economy turned and she lost her job. I have two younger sisters, so she couldn't afford to help me anymore. I tried to apply for aid, but I was denied. So when I saw the ad for my current job, I figured I should take it and when I save enough money, I'll start taking night classes. Now that you've paid my rent, I've got a pretty good nest egg going."