Protege(82)
When he finally approached, he pressed the end button on her machine and her legs slowed.
“Time’s up.”
She swallowed.
“I want you to return to the house. Rather than showering here, you will soak in the tub for exactly thirty minutes. After that, you will go to my room and stand at the foot of my bed until I come to collect you. Go now.”
His intentions were clear: First he would make sure her body was completely tended to and then he would decide the penalty of her choices. The physical result of her actions was punishment enough for what she’d done to her body, but for undermining him . . . He would be sure to demonstrate, in a way she wouldn’t forget, that he was in charge.
“Yes, Sir.”
Chapter Twelve
He circled her for several seconds, letting the anticipation meld with trepidation. When he finally spoke his voice was quiet yet severe. “What is the one thing I have taught you a sub must give a Dom in order for the D/s dynamic to function?”
“Trust.”
“Correct. And that trust, Collette, goes beyond the good faith that I will keep you safe and not abandon you. That trust extends your confidence that my judgments are fair and wise and always in your best interest. Today, your actions displayed an imbalance in that trust.”
He stopped as he stepped behind her and waited, giving his words a moment to sink in.
“Then there’s the issue of me neglecting to notice the damage you were causing yourself. That upsets me very much. I’m not only disappointed with your decision to apply penance I didn’t dictate; I’m disappointed in my shortsightedness. I expect you to trust me, and I trust you to do as I say and not cause yourself physical or emotional harm. Your behavior has led me to question myself.”
“I’m sorry, Sir.”
“Do not speak until I give you permission.”
Keeping his body relaxed he continued. “It’s my duty to guide you, Collette, so that you can experience a sense of freedom found only within the D/s dynamic. I cannot do this if you question my ability to lead you. It’s my ruling you must trust, no one else’s. I’m here to unburden you of such concerns, but the moment you take that burden back it’s out of my hands and this dance is then without music, do you understand?”
She nodded.
“If I choose to tease or titillate you, I’ll do so and you will not question me. I expect you to know well enough by now that I don’t relish causing you pain. I’m not that type of Dom. Every failure in this relationship is a reflection of my own—to lead properly—and I take that very seriously, as I only want the best for you. It’s my duty to guide you, and I will.”
His finger traced down her spine and her breasts lifted, drawing his attention briefly, but he stayed the course.
“The proper way to entice a desired behavior is to reinforce it. There are four types of reinforcement: positive, negative, punishment, and extinction. Positive is as it sounds. You show a desired behavior and I reward you positively with praise or perhaps a caress, or an orgasm.”
His thumb brushed over her nipple and her body twitched. “Negative reinforcement is the removal of something unpleasant when a desired behavior occurs. For instance, I could insert an anal plug into your ass every day until you master a certain behavior. I would only remove the device as a form of reward when the desired result is achieved.”
His finger went to her back entrance and paused, applying the slightest pressure in order to emphasize how uncomfortable such a thing could be over the duration of a day.
“Punishment is to inflict something unpleasant. You’re familiar with that.” He smacked her ass. Hard.
She gasped and quickly steadied herself. His hand rubbed over the mark, her heated flesh tingling at the slight friction.
“Such wonderful coloration. I love how quickly your skin blushes under my touch.” He pinched her ass and she gasped again. “And then there’s extinction, the removal of something pleasant, such as the privilege of sharing each other’s bed.” This time when she gasped he understood which reinforcement held the most weight.
Coming to stand in front of her, he said, “Because both of us have done something wrong, we will not sleep in the same bed for two nights, one night for me neglecting to pay proper attention to you, and one night for the careless abuse you enacted on your body today.
“Now, I want to be clear, different people prefer different means of reinforcement. I’m not particularly fond of punishment, but it’s a necessary evil. I’d much rather exist in a relationship based on positive reinforcement alone, where I can tell you how beautiful you are and how much your unconditional surrender pleases me. But that isn’t always possible, certainly not when you insist on inflicting harm to your body beyond anything I see fit.”
Her eyes closed in a show of shame.
“Collette, you are not to harm yourself in any way. Your body is mine to protect, and violating that is a direct affront to me, your Dom. This urge to inflict punishment on yourself tells me I’m not meeting your needs.” Her face tightened as he went on. “Do you need me to spank you? You may answer now.”
“Please, Sir.”
They were at a crossroad. While Jude had delivered uncountable spankings and floggings in his life, he was not a sadist. Nor was he interested in a strictly SM relationship. There were those out there who would be perfectly suited for such a task, eager for the job, but not him.