Michael held onto her as Elena tried to explain how she felt. “It was so . . .” She stopped, not knowing what to say, but Michael brushed her wet hair from her face and said “I know.” The pain had made it better for her and for him as well. She knew that without his having to say and though it was scary, she felt treasured at the same time. He held onto her beneath the spray, her head resting on his chest and listening to his heart beating, knowing it was beating for her.
Chapter 4
“We’ve talked about this before, haven’t we Elena?” Michael asked, his voice even but his tone indicating his disappointment. He was still dressed from work and Elena knew he had had a long day. She wasn’t making it any better and she was sorry for that.
“Yes,” Elena said. “Yes, we did.” Elena couldn’t even look at him, knowing that he was right to be disappointed but she hated being the cause. He had talked to her about her temper, particularly when she was working.
“You need to learn self-control,” Michael told her and Elena nodded.
“I know. I lost my temper. I didn’t like the way he was talking to me and the mistake wasn’t even my fault.” Elena explained.
“Then try talking to him calmly,” Michael said. “We’ve been through this before. You can’t just yell when you’re working, Elena. No matter how frustrated you get.” Elena was ashamed at how she had spoken to her boss and was even more humiliated when he fired her. She knew that she should have just held her tongue, but she didn’t and now she was paying the consequences. She knew she would be able to find another job, but she knew Michael had a point. She should not have lost this job – especially the way that she did.
As soon as she told Michael, she could see his disappointment, but he didn’t say anything to her right away. In fact, he was too quiet and that made Elena nervous. Elena knew, though, that he had not forgotten.
He had her sit in the library while he walked out. He didn’t tell Elena where he was going or why, but she knew she should sit and wait for him. Elena looked around, but her mind was on Michael. Having to tell him she had been fired had been hard – especially because she had acted so rashly. She knew she needed to hold her tongue.
Michael returned, but gave no indication where he had been or what he had been doing. “Talking to you about it doesn’t seem to be doing any good,” Michael said. “But by the time I get done with you, you’ll have better control.”
“I’m sorry,” Elena said and Michael did not respond. She trusted him, but she was still worried about having let Michael down. She let herself down as well and she wanted to be able to explain herself to Michael.
Instead of further talk, Michael led her down the hall to his sitting room. She followed him, butterflies in her stomach as he closed the door behind him.
“Get undressed,” he ordered and Elena stripped before him, feeling him watching her. She trembled a bit, wondering what he was thinking about but knowing that he would not tell her until he was ready to do so.
He led her to a chair he had set up specifically for this lesson. Elena’s bare feet left footprints in the plush carpet and as she looked around, she saw that this was a room in which they had not played. Compared to other rooms in his house, this one was sparsely decorated. There were two paintings on the walls, but no clocks. There was a sofa and a table and it was obvious that the chair in which she would be sitting was not part of the set.
“Sit down,” he instructed and Elena did so. The wooden seat was hard against her bare ass and for a moment she thought Michael could have chosen a much more comfortable, leather chair from his collection. Elena knew, though, that her discomfort was not Michael’s concern and she felt selfish for even thinking about it.
Elena sat back as Michael secured her wrists to the arms of the chair. Just the feeling of the rope against her skin made her breathing quicken. Elena watched as he wound loop after loop of the thick rope around her wrists. Michael’s whole demeanor was always an exercise in efficiency so watching him use much more rope than was necessary interested her. She knew by now that everything Michael did had a reason, even if the reason was not evident to her at first.
She didn’t want to think about why he wanted to ensure she didn’t get up. Even if she had asked him, he would not have told her. Elena knew instead he would show her and she moaned aloud, just thinking of the possibilities.
Michael fitted a blindfold over her eyes, adjusting it until she could see nothing. The darkness and the waiting aroused her greatly. Immediately, she began squirming, feeling anticipation and excitement. She felt that way anyway whenever she was around Michael, but now, naked and bound and at his mercy, all those feelings were intensified.