A second red flag.
Stop this now, Xavier.
I moved to get up, the chair squeaking my intention. Several eyes turned my way, Tyrone’s included. My stopping him would go against all his teachings to several pairs of eyes watching him, given Mikaela had consented. With a quick nod to him, I sat back down and shifted my gaze to Juliette. Her expression demanded I stop this. Steeling myself, I endured it a moment longer to gauge Mikaela’s level of trust.
Circling her, Tyrone dragged the tongue of the riding crop over her body in a slow dance. She shivered, and her hands clenched into tight fists on her lap. She was resisting her fear. That was a good sign.
At her rear, he snapped the whip against her right arse cheek. She shuddered. He quickly followed it up with a smack to her left cheek, the crack of the whip echoing through the classroom. Still, she remained in her position and didn’t make a sound. Perhaps the dress protected her skin from feeling the full weight of the slap.
He moved to her front and ran the crop over her breasts before slapping her left nipple. This time she whimpered. “Do you like that, pet?” She nodded. He hit the right nipple, and she jerked, another cry rolling out her lips. The erotic sound sailing through the air had a few girls shifting in their seats, their expressions filled with either excitement or arousal.
“Hold out your palms,” Tyrone ordered. Mikaela complied.
He smacked first one hand and then the other with the crop. Although she flinched, her hands stayed upright. With a gradual increase in intensity, he began a series of smacks to each hand. He was using the most resilient part of her body not to scare her. I mentally thanked his consideration.
She shuddered with each hit, yet her hands stayed out. Dragging the crop the length of her arms, Tyrone lightly tapped her skin until he reached her back. There, he knelt behind her and began softly tapping her upper back and shoulders, his free hand sliding over her shoulder to close around her neck while the intensity of his smacks increased. Slow yet sure.
He glanced my way and I wondered what on my face prompted him to stop. “Number?” he asked Mikaela, having agreed to a safety sequence with her.
“One.” She was still good.
“What a perfect kitten,” he praised.
From where I sat, I saw her body tense before her eyes flew open. In a microsecond, she tore her neck out of his hold, dragging herself away on her hands and knees, her face scrunched in terror. Wedging against a corner, she pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around them, and rocked her body. She didn’t look at me, her fear aimed at Tyrone until she closed her eyes and shook her head repeatedly, the word “no,” spilling out of her mouth like a broken record.
In the mere second that all this happened, I flew out of my seat, landing on the stage in one quick leap. “Ella.” Kneeling in front of her, I reached for her hand. Thankfully, she didn’t pull back as I placed it on my chest. “Breathe, love. You’re safe.”
Immediately, she uncurled her body and threw herself into my arms, wrapping her hands around my waist and burying her cheek in my chest. “Only you,” she whispered over and over.
I knew what she was asking. Behind me, I could hear the murmurs and Tyrone’s soft curses. I glanced over my shoulder. “Everyone out,” I ordered, giving Tyrone a subtle nod that he wasn’t to blame. He reacted with a dip of his head.
Quickly, the students stood and shuffled out with their trainers. At the door, Juliette stopped and looked back. Her silent question received a quick nod from me. Smiling, she walked out, closing the door behind her. It’d been a while since they’d seen me take the stage. Now, I was about to do it, to calm this inexperienced girl who’d only known fear her entire life.
“Ella,” I said softly against the top of her head.
She leaned back, those beautiful irises shimmering. “I’m sorry. I thought I could...” she hiccupped, tears glistening on her cheeks.
“There’s nothing to apologize for. You’re brave for coming up here. I don’t think you’re ready for this...” I trailed off at the fresh set of tears, followed by disappointment. “Ella,” I sighed, stroking her hair. “Learning to be submissive is about giving over your control. Allowing your Dom to not only take care of you but to know you so well they will eventually know what you desire even more than you do. He may push your limits to help you grow, but he will never harm you.”
She dropped her head, shielding her eyes from me. “I want to try,” she murmured, her voice thick with sadness. “Those words, though. Perfect kitten... Master,” she choked.
I understood. “That’s what he called you?” She nodded. I slid a finger under her chin and lifted it until she looked at me again. “Fear can be weakening as much as thrilling.”
“How?”
“The anticipation of the unknown brings your senses alive, with both panic and desire. But you will need to latch onto something inside you for it to lean toward what lifts you, not what brings you down. You will have to trust your Dom, trust Ty—”
“I trust you,” she whispered, her lids drifting downward again.
I watched her for a moment. Her caramel skin flushed with tears, her pink lips swollen from their grasp between her teeth, her breaths soft, even. I’d lain so many nights, overcome with an emotion I hadn’t felt before. Each time she slipped into my bed, seeking my comfort, that feeling overtook everything right, begging me to give in. To show her there was love in the world, to teach her the art of submission, not slavery, and to ultimately make her mine.
Until that night.
I tried to walk away because fear remained our biggest obstacle. She was afraid of being hurt again and me. I was fearful I’d hurt her if I yielded to the dark lust I usually craved. Yet I dreaded the submission of my heart more, for it was now my biggest enemy where feelings for Mikaela were concerned.
I held out a hand. “Take my hand, love, and I’ll teach you how to succumb without surrender.”
Her eyes on me, she slid her hand into mine and stood. With a defined grace she was oblivious to, she slipped off her dress, removed her underwear, and moved to the pillow. Kneeling on it, she dropped her hands to her sides, arched her back in a perfect curve, pushing out her pert breasts before she bowed her head and waited. The sudden appearance of goosebumps on her arms, slowly spreading down her back and thighs, signaled she was aware of my eyes on her, anticipating what would come.
