He truly grinned for the first time since we’d met. “Favorite song?” he asked.
I shook my head. “While I’d love to do a favorite ten, I’ll think for a moment and come up with one.” My mind mentally inventoried about fifty contenders until settling. “Work the Room,” I said with conviction.
He hopped up and made his way from the kitchen into the dining room to where the piano sat. To my delight, he then began playing the raucous anthem. “Punk on a piano?” I asked incredulously.
Moosh.
Although I was able to keep myself together outwardly, my body and soul turned into a gooey porridgelike substance and I thought I was going to make a mess all over the floor. Luckily, I remained solid and finished eating while he serenaded me with my favorite song.
When he was done, I applauded with sincerity. “My boy is quite a catch. I’m glad you approached me this past weekend,” I confessed. “I’m really looking forward to more—” I stopped, at a loss for words. “More everything,” I finished.
He smiled shyly, looking at the ground. “Thank you, Mistress.” He got up and cleared my plate. “I truly wish to serve you. Role-play is something I’ve never explored, and between your plans and my original scenes, I’m really looking forward to this.”
“Another art for you to master,” I joked.
“In a way,” he said smiling. He stood up and headed to the sink. “Speaking of art, I’m teaching a pottery class tomorrow at work around six—would you like to come?”
Again with the invitations to do normal things.
“Thanks, but no. Tell me about your niece—you sound very close. Is she in high school? I wonder if I know her.”
He shrugged. “She’s actually older than me. It’s a long story. Anyway, since none of our parents are around, she’s pretty much my only family. We live with a couple of friends in a town house complex by Strawbery Banke.”
“I love that part of town. Really nice for taking a run,” I said, trying to sound athletic. I really didn’t go for runs, but by his body, I bet he did.
“We’ve been there for a few years. I used to live in Philly,” he said, washing out the pots and pans he used. “So, are you substituting until you find a permanent position?”
I shook my head. “Nope. I have my certification, and I’ve been offered plenty of full-time jobs. I just don’t like being tied down to one place,” I said, laughing at my choice of words. He just shook his head, smirking. I continued before I forgot what we were talking about. “Plus, I make my own hours—if I don’t feel like going in, I don’t.”
He nodded, interested.
I sipped at the wine, contemplating my next move. I had just given him two precious things—my encouragement, and more important, myself. A glimpse into who his mistress truly was when she wasn’t wearing her high heels. I pulled back a bit.
I went into my bedroom and pulled out a rubber flogger. From what I’d been told, it stung nicely. “You’re excused for the night, William. Thank you.”
I was worried this harsh move—this cutting off of conversation—would unsettle him. I wanted it to, since he shouldn’t get too close to me just yet.
Instead, as he was wont to do, he surprised me again.
He approached me, and lowered to his knees. He bent lower, and gently kissed each of my bare feet.
He looked up with utter submission and reverence.
“I live only to serve you.”