by Aya DeAniege
I overheard one sub whisper in a begging fashion to his master, “Can we do that?”
Nathaniel caught my chin and drew my face forward. He leaned close to me, placing his lips near my ear.
“Eyes forward, watching the couple, or on your lap, understand?" He paused as I nodded and looked down. "We don't watch others watching. It's considered rude."
“I understand,” I whispered back.
I did dare to glance up a few times. Otherwise, I kept my eyes on my lap. By sound alone, I knew that they were reaching the end. Jake loved to be vocal at that time in his life.
Nathaniel reached again and brought my face up, whispering as he did so, “Watch.”
Poor Jake looked like he having some trouble. At least that's what I thought it was at that moment. In truth, he was very close to finishing, and Oberon had all but slowed.
“Please,” Jake cried out, the first real word he had said the entire time besides consent.
“Please, what?" Oberon asked.
“Please, Sir, may I come?”
“You may,” Oberon responded huskily.
And they went about finishing the act, but after permission was given it was like Jake lost all control. Even the sound of his voice changed. The event was over moments later, and the two collapsed as everyone around me erupted in clapping. Several stood and hollered out encouragement.
Suddenly I felt horrified.
What is wrong with me, just watching that?
“Do you know why I wanted you to watch that?” Nathaniel asked.
“No,” I said, shaking my head.
“It's an example of orgasm control. Though Jake has to ask permission before he comes and I simply plan on telling you. Maybe one day I can just phone you up while I'm in a meeting and can make it happen with a well-placed word."
“Oh,” I said weakly.
“Mr. Wrightworth is a fan of one-word orgasm triggers," Nathaniel said. "If you've been very good, he'll even give a full sentence leading up to it, so it doesn't hit you like a ton of bricks.”
All I managed in response was an even weaker, “Oh.”
“Oberon was watching Jake's body language,” Mr. Wrightworth explained, drawing my eyes to him. “See, before Jake asks permission, Oberon always slows to a halt. Jake's been trained to ask when Oberon slows. Oberon slowed because he knew Jake couldn't take much more. It was more drawn out this time than usual. I have also seen it where Oberon makes Jake come with a toy, then takes his time tormenting the man until he was ready to come himself.”
“Yes, that one day was a three-for, I'm surprised Jake agreed to do it again.”
“That was discipline, though, for masturbating without permission,” Mr. Wrightworth said.
“True,” Nathaniel said, then stood, offering me a hand. “We're going to go speak to them. Come.”
I took his hand and followed him to the front of the church. Nathaniel stopped by the bed, where Oberon was wearing pants once more, and Jake was draped in a blanket, still mewling as Oberon pet his head.
“You let him off easy,” Nathaniel said to Oberon with a smile.
“Nathaniel,” Oberon said, then grinned at me and nodded.
“You can talk to her.”
“I'm always afraid to talk to new subs,” Oberon said. “Some Doms like to tell them they aren't allowed to talk to strange Doms and then I just feel awkward.”
I nodded and moved closer to Nathaniel, who chuckled and set an arm around my shoulders.
“You let him ask twice?” Nathaniel asked.
“No, no, you know I don't. But Mr. Wrightworth said you might be introducing Darling to control. I wanted to show the effects of it, not end up disciplining him and scare her off before she even began. Start with the good stuff. That's what you always say."
“It is, can you possibly explain to her about it?” Nathaniel asked.
Oberon shrugged. "Jake had problems coming too quickly. Usually, with women, it's the opposite effect. I did it to draw a session out. For the sub, though, orgasm control can drive the force behind the pleasure. Here, Jake. Speak to Darling about it."
“Are you sure?” Nathaniel asked.
“He needs to be disciplined, this will do,” Oberon said. “He'll have to earn the next cloud. Jake?”
Jake had sat up after his name was used the first time. He blinked several times and rubbed at his face as Oberon turned to him. It took him a moment to focus on me.
“What would you like me to explain, Sir?”
“Tell her what it's like to come for my pleasure.”
Jake flinched, which made Oberon smile conspiratorially at Nathaniel.
“Coming for Sir isn't like coming for myself. I remember what it's like, and it was just—I mean, it was all right. Got the job done. I would never have complained about it if I hadn't met Sir. He taught me that coming for Sir was better than coming for myself. Rather than the bliss lasting a few minutes to a few hours, it lasts days. Sometimes, if I'm good, he doesn't let it wear off. Or if I do something wrong, he'll let me come but then take the cloud away before I get to enjoy it."
“Thank you for sharing,” I said when Jake fell silent.
“Training a woman is a little different than training a man," Oberon said with his eyes on Nathaniel. "With men, it tends to be about pushing off an orgasm. With women, it tends to be about bringing it closer. I've heard about your skills, but you need to keep that in mind."
“I don't think she has the second problem," Nathaniel muttered. "I actually will need to draw her out. It wasn't until last night that I had a session that I felt was long enough."
I flushed with embarrassment that they were talking about it so openly.
“You're not making her ask?” Oberon asked, glancing at me, then back to Nathaniel.
“Goodness no. Went through that with Nicole. I don't want her to ask to come. I want her to do so on command. We've only just started, though, instilling the idea in her."
“Some will have their sub go off to strange places, like a public washroom, and have them masturbate there. Either to completion or not. I'd have Jake go out and do that, not being given permission. He didn't much like that, but it helped him learn how to draw it out. Have you had any success?”
Nathaniel made a sound of uncertainty and shrugged. "I have to build her self-image back up, without it she's a little too susceptible to suggestion. I've had to watch what I do and say. I don't want to accidentally take the bite out of her. Not quite a brat, though. Doesn't pout or try to get her way. Very eager to please."
“Eager to please can be good or bad.”
“She hasn't given me a reason to discipline her yet, not since the first day really,” Nathaniel sighed out.
“If you're feeling that itch, I'm sure there are a few Doms who'd let you play,” Oberon countered.
Nathaniel lifted his right wrist, revealing the red band. Oberon's eyebrows almost met his hairline as he looked at that band. Again, Oberon glanced at me, then to Nathaniel.
“Is it true, then?” he asked, lowering his voice.
Nathaniel looked around us. I did the same, but no one was near enough to hear what was being said. Most had wandered towards the back of the church, where several displays had been set up.
“You should have seen him,” Nathaniel said to Oberon, barely above a whisper.
“You're kidding,” Oberon whispered back. “Only woman he's ever been keenly interested in was Elaina, and that was mainly to do permanent damage.”
“I don't think this is about permanent damage, though. He smiles at her. Smiles, Oberon. Like she exists and is a real, live, breathing person. Only vanilla women are seen, and then it's only a precursory glance because society expects it."
“And he sat beside you today. I thought you two were giving each other some distance, you know, since the incident?”
Nathaniel sighed and reached under his shirt, producing a ring at the end of the silver chain. It had a white gold band and sparkled from all the d
iamonds. At the centre of the ring was a large purple stone. I wasn't well versed in stones. I knew what a diamond was, but coloured stones were beyond my comprehension. The ring itself was larger, not exactly the dainty thing one expected to see a woman wear. The main stone was almost the size of my fingernail.
Oberon watched as that ring was tucked back where it belonged.
“I see,” he said quietly. “That's definitely something he would pick up on. She knows his number, right?”
“She can even recite it," Nathaniel said, giving me a pat on the shoulder. "Did it for him and me."
Oberon nodded, then turned to Jake suddenly. “Sweetheart, do you know where he is?”
“I'm not his secretary, I just shine the shoes,” Jake said with a shake of his head. “And fetch the paper. Sit like a good boy.”
“I didn't come over to pry into Jake's work life,” Nathaniel said quickly.
“I didn't think you did,” Oberon responded. “It's always worth a shot. Look at us, talking like she isn't here. So, Darling, have you started feeling the effects of orgasm control yet?”
I couldn't get my mouth to work. I didn't think it was this man's business to know what I thought of the things that Nathaniel did to me. Nathaniel, whose arm was once more around me, drew me a little closer.
“Go on, answer him,” Nathaniel said.
I shook my head and lowered my eyes.
“Oh, shy,” Oberon said. “That's just adorable.”
“I'm sorry, Oberon, she's obviously not fully trained yet.”
“No, no, that's perfectly all right. You know I'm always glad to help, right Nathaniel?”
“Yes, Oberon, I am.”
“Just because I hold a seat, doesn't mean that I can't be on a plane to come rescue the princess, if necessary. Since, you know, it's him or me."
Yes, Oberon was our link to the government. He held a seat in parliament and was the main push behind the laws which we needed to come out. He had opened a dungeon in the capital, specially selected some professional Dommes, and then introduced others in parliament to the dungeon. It was his hard work that brought about law changes.
Those changes supposedly unbalanced our careful society. But only for an hour or so, and then the rich folk realized that they were outnumbered by poor people and they couldn't pay just anyone enough to make them want to be hurt.
And no, I'm still not going to reveal his name. He purchased the dungeon through someone else, then gifted it to the Dommes. He never accepted kickbacks from them; he may have even been on their client list.
None of us will ever give up his name. We will continue to withhold it and protest those who dare to call him a traitor because he brought about a law that affected thousands of people. It just so happened that he was one of those people, but he didn't bribe anyone, he wasn't underhanded about anything. He simply saw a desire to submit in his fellows and then showed them how they could submit without becoming a submissive.
Oh, and obviously Oberon isn't his actual name.
And Jake was not his submissive's name either.
“I trust him,” Nathaniel said.
“Of course, you do, but would you trust him with her?” I glanced up as Oberon motioned to me. “I can take her to the capital and teach her about politics, take her to the dungeon and teach her to dominate others, put a backbone back into her while you sort things out.”
“No, but thank you for the offer, Oberon,” Nathaniel said. “You obviously missed the part where she does have a backbone.”
“It's a defense mechanism, not actual courage," Oberon said. "Sort of like the predator we know. If she had a backbone, she wouldn't have that," he motioned to my arm, "along with that jaded look in her eyes."
I looked down at the red band on my left wrist and wondered why that made me weak.
It was only then that I recalled the scars on my arms from my suicide attempt. Nathaniel hadn't ever mentioned them. He said nothing about them. All of the dresses he provided were sleeveless or short sleeved. Nothing came below the middle part of my upper arm. I simply had forgotten they were there. Nathaniel had made me feel comfortable in my own skin, comfortable enough that I didn't even think about before I signed the contract.
Suddenly cold, I hugged myself and shivered.
Oberon met Nathaniel's eyes and quirked an eyebrow slightly. Nathaniel made a bit of a growling sound.
“As I said, I have a bit of rebuilding to do.”
“I'd call that more than a bit,” Oberon said, almost sounding disgusted. “I don't get you two.”
“When you found Jake, he was a whimpering pile of stupid afraid of his own shadow,” Nathaniel commented smoothly.
“Jake is a long term partner, maybe the partner for me,” Oberon said. “You are far too young to be settling down and not quick enough to compete with him, who shouldn't be looking at women as it is. He should be trying to poach Michie for all the sounds that man made under your ministrations.”
“Talking about me?” Mr. Wrightworth purred as he stepped up to my other side. The man's eyes roved over me, then Nathaniel. He smiled ever so slowly. “Do you need help with that?”
“No, but thank you for offering," Nathaniel murmured, turning stiffly to Mr. Wrightworth. "We meant no offense."
“I don't doubt it, and I don't doubt that you were talking about my reaction to Darling screaming. It seems to be all anyone wants to talk about the past two meetings. I haven't suddenly decided to jump ship. I want to play with her, not have her. We do want to encourage play without sex, after all. Should we not lead that as we have all the other changes?”
“I more of think the topic is that she's got breasts instead of balls,” Oberon said, grinning at Mr. Wrightworth. “I don't see how a woman screaming could put that sort of a mood into you.”
“Perhaps you need to see it in action,” Mr. Wrightworth said quietly. “I don't suppose Nathaniel would be so kind? No, I don't suppose you would. You've got the right of it but,”—Mr. Wrightworth made a small, appreciative sound—“how I would enjoy hearing that again.”
“Suppose there's plenty of time for that,” Oberon murmured.
“I suppose indeed,” Mr. Wrightworth said. “Jake, have you had to shine the Oxfords recently?”
“Supposed to do that when I get home from church,” Jake muttered.
Mr. Wrightworth made a sound at the back of his throat and looked to Nathaniel.
“We should probably get going,” Nathaniel said suddenly. “I should make certain there's nothing incriminating left where he has access to.”
Chapter Nineteen
Nathaniel took me home and directly to his room. No brunch, like I had been promised beforehand.
There, I had a moment of confusion because I thought he had previously said that Sundays I could do as I pleased. It was supposed to be a rest day of sorts.
So why was I there?
He opened the ottoman at the end of his bed and pulled an item out, bringing it to me.
It was a ball gag. I stared at it, then met his eyes as fear bloomed.
“Go to your room and write about this morning in your journal. Then come back here.”
“Yes, Sir,” I said with a tremble.
Off I went. I did the writing, then returned to Nathaniel's rooms.
In his rooms, there was suddenly furniture where the odd ottoman had been. Everything looked like a well-planned room except the ottoman at the end of the bed. Which he had pulled away from the bed far enough that he could walk around it.
He still held the ball gag.
Gags were a no. He had sworn he wouldn't use it on me. I trembled all over as I approached him, fear curling in the pit of my stomach. The feeling always seemed to make my hands go a little numb. I had to rub them against my skirt to be certain my hands were still attached to my arms.
“You said they use these on oath breakers,” Nathaniel said, sitting on the end of his bed. “What do you suppose it is, when you give me your word that you will ob
ey, and then you disobey?”
“What did I do?” I asked.
“Verbal control, I commanded you to say something, and you chose to say nothing. I didn't even command you what to say, only that you had to speak."
“I'm sorry, it won't happen again.”
“No, it won't,” Nathaniel said with a shake of his head. He lifted the gag. “I'm going to make certain you never forget again.”
When it comes to matters of discipline, the community is still at odds. Some say hard limits don't matter at all. Some say a safe word can be used during discipline, others that it cannot. Nathaniel, like Mr. Wrightworth, believed that hard limits could be bent depending on the discipline needed. They both believed that the punishment should fit the crime.
For instance, coming without permission would mean being tied down and brought to that point again and again, but not allowed release.
Speaking out of turn, or not speaking, would mean the ball gag was brought out.
I fucking hate those things.
Nathaniel walked around the ottoman and held the gag out tome. “Put it in your mouth.”
“Please, no.”
“I'm giving you a command, Darling. You were disobedient. You will now be punished. Put it in your mouth."
I took the ball gag with shaking hands and put the bright red ball in my mouth. Nathaniel walked around me and pulled my hair out of the way before he tightened the gag so that I couldn't spit it out.
“Pity you don't like these," he murmured, caressing my neck. "Though it did make planning this punishment easy for me. You will wear this for an hour. During that time you will bend over the ottoman here, and I will beat you at my leisure. Oh. Where did I put it?"
He went searching around the room as I stood there, trying not to cry. He had told me what would happen, perhaps I thought it was a jest, or that he wouldn't actually do it. Perhaps I was just young and foolish.
I've since seen men and women who have come in and played at being subs. The real difference between them and real subs was when punishment was doled out. Those who dabbled blanched at the idea of being really hurt, that was where they drew the line. They only truly participated for them, not respecting the give and take that happens in a real Dom/sub relationship.