"Such as?"
"Bondage. Restraints. Complete physical control during intimate moments." I turn back to face him. "That's something else I'll need to learn, isn't it? How to be tied up without panicking? Is that a common thing?"
I watch the muscle in his jaw tick, a tiny betrayal that tells me he’s imagining it too — not the buyers, but me, restrained.
"Possibly,” he says.
"Definitely, I'd say. A man who wants complete lifestyle submission isn't going to be satisfied with vanilla encounters." I move closer to the bed. "When do we cover that particular skill set?"
"When it becomes necessary."
"It's necessary now. The viewing is next week, remember? These men will want to see evidence of my training." I sit on the edge of the bed beside him. "What if they ask for a demonstration?"
He looks at me like a man staring at an open flame — part of him wants to get closer, part of him knows he’ll be burned.
"They won't,” he says.
"How can you be sure? Men spending fifteen million euros on merchandise might have a lot of questions and demands."
The word 'merchandise' makes something flicker in his expression—pain, maybe, or anger. I want him to hate that word as much as I do.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Or we could prepare for it now. Show me what they might expect. How they would restrain me, how I should respond." I gesture toward the bed. "You could use silk scarves, tie me to the bedposts. Teach me how to make it look like I enjoy being helpless."
"You want me to tie you up?"
"I want you to train me properly. Isn't that what this is about?" I meet his eyes directly. "Unless you're not comfortable with that level of instruction. You seem pretty shaken up by today's lesson. Am I getting to you, Renato? Tonight, when you’re tossing and turning, trying to sleep, will you be imagining your hard cock in my mouth. Or will you be jacking off in a cold shower wishing it were my hands stroking your cock?"
He stands abruptly, moving toward the door. "You use strong language for a high society virgin. We'll continue tomorrow."
"Running away so soon, Renato?"
"Taking a break before this gets out of hand."
I actually smile. "Oh, I think that happened a long time ago. We're just teacher and student, right?"
He stops with his hand on the door handle. "That's right."
"Then there's no reason you can't teach me everything I need to know. Including how to submit to bondage." I lie back against the pillows, letting my robe fall open slightly. "In fact, I insist on it. My survival depends on being thoroughly prepared."
"Right now, your survival depends on you not pushing me too far."
"Or what? You'll stop training me? Sell me to them unprepared?" I sit up, letting challenge color my voice. "We both know you won't do that."
"Don't test me, Camilla. I’m warning you."
"I'm not testing you,” I say. “Besides, what happened to all that talk about protecting your assets? Making sure your merchandise is properly conditioned?"
"Stop calling yourself that."
"What? Merchandise? Asset? Property? But that's what I am, isn't it? That's how you see me."
"That's how I have to see you."
"Have to? Or choose to?"
"There's no difference."
