Red Handed(26)

Before she had the chance to move, Cassandra dropped from her seat to her knees and bowed her head. “Danielle really shouldn’t miss her first day of classes. Whatever you require, I’d be happy—”

Cole folded his arms over his broad chest, causing his biceps to bulge. “Cassandra, is it your place to tell me how to manage my trainees? Think carefully before you answer.”

A long silence was broken when Cassandra answered, “No, Master Cole.”

It was like a train wreck. Painful to watch, but she couldn’t look away. The other trainees smirked, obviously enjoying the show. There was no question Cassandra was a bitch, but Danielle’s stomach twisted into pretzels over the woman’s humiliation.

Of course, after her reading this morning and learning the rules from Master Michael, Danielle now understood the safety concerns that could come from distracting someone in a scene.

“Master Michael, please discipline Cassandra for me,” Cole said. “Five minutes on the fucking machine without an orgasm and serving lunch to the other trainees should do the trick.”

Cassandra snapped up her head. Her eyes blazed with fury before they softened and tears began to fall. Danielle recognized a manipulation when she saw one.

“Cassandra, who do you serve?” Cole asked.

“You, Master.”

“We’ll have a chat later today about whether you’re serious enough to finish the trainee program.”

“But—” Her jaw grew rigid, and she shot Danielle a murderous scowl, then quickly returned her attention back to Cole. “Yes, Master.”

Cole beckoned Danielle with two of his fingers, his expression unreadable. “Danielle? Please come with me.”

The other trainees shifted in their seats as Mistress Casey picked up where she’d left off. More excited about the photo shoot than learning the benefit of lubrication, Danielle hurried out of her seat, collecting her purse before following a stony Cole out the door. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was about to have her clean the bathrooms again, rather than pose nude for his photographs.

“I’m confused,” she said once the door to the classroom shut. “We’re here to serve you, correct?”

“As part of your training, yes.” He splayed his hand on her lower back and led her down the hall, the heat of him seeping through her sheer black blouse. She swallowed hard and fisted her hands to keep from biting her nails. How could he remain so detached when only an innocent touch from him ignited a firestorm of need within her?

“Then why was Cassandra’s offer to serve you punishable? Isn’t that part of her job description?”

Holding a set of jangling keys in his hand, he unlocked a door. “While on the surface, it may sound as though Cassandra was offering to do something for me, in fact, her motives were quite selfish. First, she wanted to block you from spending time with me, and two, she wanted the perceived advantage in serving me. Not to mention, her offer was an attempt to maneuver into a position of power. It’s what is commonly referred to as topping from the bottom, and it’s a punishable offense, especially in light of the fact that Cassandra does it often.”

Danielle had never considered a person’s motives behind the good deeds. To her, it was irrelevant because in the real world, all that mattered was the end result. Before Tasha, Danielle’s father had never placed value on receiving praise for his charity. He’d simply cut a substantial check and asked that his donation remain anonymous. But after he remarried, he spent nearly every weekend dressed in a tuxedo, leaving a teenaged Danielle home with Roman as he and Tasha mingled with Scottsdale’s elite at one-thousand-dollar-a-plate dinners that Tasha insisted would bring him new accounts for his business.

“You call us slave trainees, but the difference between a slave and submissive wasn’t very clear in the books.”

He shrugged. “That’s because there really is no clear answer.”

“What do you believe?”

He leaned against the door. “For the ease of my training program, I use the term ‘slave trainee,’ but how you choose to perceive your role here is your own personal choice, and you may adapt what you learn here in any power-exchange relationship, no matter what you define yourself to be in the future. Many of those I’ve trained have entered relationships in the Dominant role.”

“How did you wind up turning your family home into a sex club?”

“Believe it or not, the state has several laws on its books regulating sex. Even sodomy is still illegal in Michigan. About fifteen years ago, there was a crackdown on the local adult entertainment industry, and several of the clubs that catered to alternative lifestyles were closed for legal violations, including the BDSM club I’d belonged to. When my parents moved down to Florida, they deeded this house to me. I’d already been toying with the idea of investing in a new club, but instead, I decided to use my home. It’s private property, making it much more difficult for the government to shut it down.”