“I replaced the light this morning and made sure it was very steady for you. Couldn’t have it flickering for you to count.”
I looked toward the ceiling before I could stop myself.
Damn it.
She was right. It was perfectly still now. I hadn’t been wrong before, and now my only means of entertainment was gone.
“I knew you’d notice.”
“Congratulations, Natalie.”
“It was beginning to comfort you, wasn’t it? Can’t have you making your punishment into something joyful.”
“Actually,” I lied. “It was annoying. So thank you.”
She laughed and crouched in front of me.
“Annoying, hmm? You were starting to rely on it.”
My jaw tightened because she wasn’t wrong, and that made me hate her even more. A small brass key appeared to flip between her perfectly manicured fingers.
“Your punishment is over, Cry Baby. However, you have work to do. I expect you to clean your filth, and when you’re done, you can clean yourself.”
She slid the key into the collar lock.
Click.
The sound echoed through the room.
One.
The collar loosened. Air finally reached my skin, which hadn’t felt it in days.
I swallowed in anger, trying to keep from head-butting her face and breaking her nose. It was too fast, and Natalie’s eyes caught the movement.
“Still anxious? Hmm, I thought you’d be happy.”
“I’ve been zippered into a leather prison.”
“You’ve also learned patience and not to disobey your master.”
I laughed without humor as my body unstuck little by little from the leather suit. “I’ve learned you enjoy wasting my time.”
A laugh escaped the woman behind her, but Natalie didn’t look back.
“Good.”
Another lock released…then another. Each buckle fell away in identical metallic clicks. I counted every single one.
Can’t stop.
Won’t stop.
By the time the final restraint dropped to the floor, my shoulders screamed as I rolled them backward.
One rotation.
Two.
