“Don’t beat yourself about something beyond your control, boy.” I offered a placating smile. He was the longest-standing Dom we employed and excelled at his job.
“I should’ve listened to you.”
“Tyrone.” I sighed. “You’re a brilliant Dom who’s never second-guessed himself. Don’t start now. We knew Mikaela was a case of unchartered waters for all of us.”
“Yet you achieved something we can only dream of doing. Mikaela’s glowing, sir. The others, me included, can’t stop looking at her. We’re all in awe of you. How?”
Leaning back in my seat, I smiled, humbled by his admiration. “Remember, she knew me a lot longer than you.” I found it surprising she hadn’t visited me and went straight to class.
“Nonetheless.” He shook his head. “That look of fear on her face scared the bejesus out of me and some others. Then she arrives today with a smile to rival a goddamn Miss Universe. That’s no easy feat.”
I laughed. Admittedly, watching Mikaela resist her fear and give into the sensations created by the flogging left me in awe of her. After that third orgasm which took every ounce of willpower not to say fuck it and slide my painfully hard cock into her sweet pussy, she passed out. The bliss on her face, though, was what beautiful memories were made of and something I’d never forget.
“If you’re not too busy, maybe this would be the ideal time to pop in and give them your usual talk. Show them how it’s done?” Tyrone drew me out of my thoughts, referring to the check-in chats I did for each class either at the beginning or the end of their sessions. “I know it’s only been three days since they began...” he trailed off.
After the incident with Mikaela, he probably needed this class to believe he could teach them. “It was a once-off, Tyrone,” I attempted to calm his self-doubt. He nodded, his expression saying otherwise. Relenting, I looked at my watch. “Fine.” I stood and followed him.
“Class, we’re honored to have the senior Mr. Sinclair pop in today. It’s not a test,” Tyrone reassured the students with a laugh, settling some of the tense shoulders I noticed as we walked in. “If you’re tired of listening to me, Juliette, and Jasper, now is the time to ask the king himself.” He gestured for me to join him in the front of the class.
“Thanks for the entertaining intro, Tyrone.” I grinned. “Class,” I nodded a greeting, receiving plenty of smiles. “I know it’s early days, but are you finding the lessons stimulating thus far?”
“Yes, sir,” a chorused reply.
“Any questions you haven’t dared to ask your teachers?” I looked around the room.
Twenty pairs of eyes watched me intently, yet only one pair dragged my eyes to her face. Seated at the back of the class, Mikaela offered me a coy smile. Despite the flogging scene, her shyness hadn’t evaporated. I had to agree with Tyrone, though. Her light brown skin was radiant, with an almost golden hue that extreme pleasure usually ignited.
A hand went up in front, distracting me. “Yes.” I nodded to a blonde woman who looked older than the others.
“All our teachers say trust is important between a couple, yet none have been able to show me that skill. How can I be sure what they’ve shown me is the right direction for me? I might trust them because they’re my teacher. How can I trust a stranger I want to enter a relationship with?” There was a vague hesitation to her last question. “After all, it's simply sex, is it not?”
As she retook her seat, the front of her top slipped lower, exposing the dark imprints around her neck and what looked like cigarette burns on her chest. I looked at Tyrone. The subtle dip of his head told me what I needed to know. Like others before her, she was in a relationship where consent was lacking, or her Dom took their scenes to an extreme she either didn’t enjoy or didn’t know how to control her need for it. She probably craved the pain at the same time, scared of it.
I offered her a small smile. “Unlike simple sex, the life of a BDSM couple involves several fundamental elements.Consent, care, creativity, and open-mindedness are all important. While it might be argued that the primary part ofthis lifestyle is trust, it does fortify every scene and every relationship. Without it, power play becomes hesitant and fearful.However, the questions you must ask yourself are, is this the lifestyle for me? If I’m questioning my ability to trust, will I be able to trust my partner? More importantly, can I trust myself to know when to say stop?” My offering received a few startled gasps.
A hand went up, and I nodded to her. “Are you saying I’m responsible for how my Dom treats me?”
I shook my head. “Some submissives fear punishment or displeasing their Dom and might not stop them. Before you even consider the relationship, you must discuss desiresandboundaries. Safe words are there for a reason. A Dom can push you. Ultimately, you know your body and mind best. You must guide him. Consent and force are two very different aspects. If he’s forcing or hurting you without your consent, you’re not in a BDSM relationship.”
The woman chewed her bottom lip. “Yesterday, Mikaela suffered a breakdown because she couldn’t trust Tyrone. How do we trust him? Are you her Dom? Is that why she trusted you?”
I glanced at Tyrone. He shrugged with an ‘I told you so’ dismal expression. “No, I’m not her Dom,” I said to the girl, catching movement in my periphery. When I glanced that way, Mikaela left the class, surprising me.
“If you’re not, how are we to believe that wasn’t act yesterday?” one of the other girls asked, drawing my attention back to the class.
Either we had a more rigid class of disbelievers, or Mikaela’s reaction had set them off. Maintaining my usual calm, I smiled. “There’s still three more weeks of classes. I’m sure your teachers will make you understand by the end of it all.”
“Sir.” The blonde woman stood as I turned to walk away. “With all due respect, Tyrone just called you the king. I’m assuming not just of this castle but where dominance rules. Surely, you can give us a small demonstration to ease our minds that what we saw yesterday isn’t likely to repeat itself and that trust is attainable. Perhaps take to the stage with Mikaela?” She verbalized her request with a hopeful smile.
Not about to subject Mikaela to their scrutiny, I chose to ignore it. “These classes come highly recommended, young lady, and our trainers are some of the best in their respective fields. Most of you are here because you’re keen to become a true submissive. Sadly some of you cannot identify if you are true submissives yet.” I earned a few gasps on that. My tone terse, I glanced around the room. “While the intention is not to discourage your learning, your first few classes are designed to deter the uninterested. That means you can choose to leave at any time.”
As I walked away, I heard Tyrone address the class. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what you call a true Alpha. Protective. Gentle. Direct. You can learn a lot from him.”
Smiling, I returned to my office, opened my laptop, and switched screens to the security cameras throughout the castle. I searched for Mikaela, wondering why she’d left the class. When I couldn’t find her on any of the cameras, I left the office for her bedroom. She wasn’t there. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I fished out my phone from my trouser pocket and dialed Ramone.
“Sir?” he answered on the first ring.
“Where’s Mikaela?”
