“No, but I don’t like smoked paprika,” I admitted. It felt like such a little thing to dislike, but it made me unable to eat dishes sometimes. “And I have the ‘cilantro tastes like soap’ gene.”
“Noted. No smoked paprika or cilantro.” He went to the doorway, then turned back. “Hey, what’s your cat called?”
For some reason I blushed and ducked my head. “Her name is Tonya.”
“That’s a good name.” He tapped his knuckles on the doorframe twice, then left me to my things.
No other adult had ever asked me what her name was. Something soft and fragile fluttered to life under my breastbone.
Master Luke called me for dinner, and we ate some sweet chili noodle dish with chicken he’d put together. It was really nice, and I told him so.
“Thank you,” he said, clearing his throat. “I tend to go with anything that’s fast to make. I don’t order in much or eat out. It’s part of my family background I guess. We didn’t do that stuff much while I was growing up. Doesn’t mean I have many recipes in my arsenal though.”
I nodded and took a sip from my water. “You said something about not being American?” I asked before I could realize what I was doing. Then I ducked my head and tensed.
“Hey, Bear?” Master Luke reached his hand across the table slowly and touched my wrist ever so gently. “What just happened?”
I shook my head.“A good slave doesn’t talk back. Hell, a good slave doesn’ttalkunless asked.”
“Bear, you’re completely safe here. This is a safe place. You can ask me anything you want to know, and if it’s something I’d rather not answer, I’ll always let you know why, okay?”
It seemed too good to be true. So of course, my mouth opened and out spilled, “I can really talk?”
I heard the way Master Luke swallowed hard, then his fingers made slow circles on the inside of my wrist.
“Yes. I would never take a submissive’s words from them, Bear. That’s not the kind of Dominant I am.” Then he let out a chuckle under his breath. “Unless they’re gagged.”
I giggled and slapped my free hand over my mouth, looking at him with wide eyes. He smiled, and incrementally, I started to relax.
He explained me that he was of Finnish heritage and all about his family. Then, naturally, he asked about mine.
“Uh… well I come from this little town in nowhere Pennsylvania. Sort of a religious place, not really a cult or anything, just….” I shrugged and kept my eyes on my food.
We were both about done with eating, so I finished my water and got up, automatically reaching for his plate too when he put his utensils down.
Master Luke almost said something, probably to tell me I wouldn’t have to clean up because that was the kind of man he seemed to be, but then leaned back to show me I could do it anyway.
As I cleared the table and made sure the kitchen was okay, I talked more than I had in two months.
“It was strict, you know. Church real early every Sunday, boys needed to be little men and girls needed to obey anyone male who was older than them. That sort of thing.”
“Sounds a bit culty to me,” Master Luke said in a playful tone.
I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, we still went to regular school and after I graduated I moved to Utah and went to college there.” I dried the plates I’d washed. “We had some family there so my parents allowed me to move there, you know?”
He hummed. “What did you study?”
“I have a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and digital media.” And a shitload of debt to prove it.
“Wow, that’s neat.”
“It’s been an easy way to make some income and I could use it as an excuse to move even further away from my parents.”
“How long have you been in Seattle?”
“Six months, give or take.”
“Have you been into any of the community events and met people other than Carl?”
