by Anna Adler
“No. You will have an owner, once you’ve been bought. In the meantime, your body belongs to me. Your trainer.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Fuck, yes. She can do whatever she wants with me.
“A pet must let any human touch him, anywhere. Are you paying attention?”
Chase’s heart began to pound in his chest. Is she going to put her hands on me?
So far, the only ones who had touched him had been the restrainer bots. They maneuvered him if he failed to move on his own when Rawley commanded him. He stared at her, incredulous. She moved closer.
“You have to get used to being handled,” she said. “Sometimes, the owner might feel the need to restrain you.”
He blinked. “Okay.”
She touched the tip of her rod to his chest. “Back up.”
Chase took a step back. She kept applying gentle pressure to the tip of the rod, prompting him to keep moving. He took another step back then another. Holly moved forward, staying within an arm’s reach of him. Chase’s back hit the wall.
“The next step might make you uncomfortable. Do you want to try it?”
“Do I have a choice, Mistress?”
“Yes. We’re not moving forward any faster than you can handle. You have the choice to return to your cage anytime. All you have to do is say so.”
No way in hell I’m going back to the cage.
“I hear you, Mistress. I want to stay.”
“Good pet.” Holly touched the rod to his left wrist. “Lift this arm.”
Chase lifted his arm. Holly used the rod to guide him. “Lift it up here. The back of your wrist against the wall.”
Chase did as she instructed. As soon as his wrist met the wall beside his head, a thick metal manacle emerged from the wall and clamped around it.
“Good. Now the other hand.”
Holly pointed at the correct position for his right arm and Chase obeyed. A manacle clamped around his right wrist as well. Chase tested the restraints. They were fucking solid.
I’m trapped.
Next, Holly slid her rod down the side of his left leg. “Put your heel against the wall.”
Chase hesitated then shifted his leg and a manacle snapped around his ankle.
Holly tapped his right knee. “Very good. Now the right leg.”
Chase obeyed and found himself effectively secured against the wall. He was completely vulnerable now and his heart was beating faster, pumping adrenaline into his veins. His instincts screamed a mixture of danger and excitement. Anyone who ever tied him up like this meant to hurt him or kill him, and his flesh memory told him to escape. His pulse hammered in his ears. He stared down at Holly. As much as he was attracted to this woman, he didn’t know her.
She can do whatever the hell she wants with me now. What if this is some evil trap?
“Good pet,” she said soothingly. “I see you’re a little uncomfortable. Just relax. Nothing bad will happen.”
Her soft voice rolled over him like velvet. He wanted to believe her.
“Lights down,” Holly called out to the room.
The bright white lights dimmed. Chase could still see, but the room looked softer now, more intimate.
“Relax, pet, it’s just you and me here,” Holly purred, leaning closer. He felt her warm breath on his chest. “Are you ready for your next lesson?”
Chase swallowed.
“You have to let your owner touch you,” she said, her voice husky. “Are you ready for this lesson?”
Hell yes.
“Yeah,” he said, his throat rough. “I mean…Yes, Mistress.”
“Good pet,” Holly murmured. She slid her hand up his chest and over his shoulder. Chase sucked in a breath.
Holy shit. When did a woman last touch me like this?
Holly ran her fingers over his skin, her touch gentle and loving. She stroked his chest, his shoulder, his arm. It was pure bliss. Chase no longer cared that he was restrained. She touched his hip then his abs. Chase’s breath came faster.
Is she really going to…?
“You have to let me touch you everywhere,” she whispered.
Her hand slid lower. It slipped under the loincloth and next, her fingers wrapped around his hard cock. Chase couldn’t hold back the groan. This beautiful, intoxicating female he had only just met was grabbing his cock as if she owned it. She stared into his eyes as she held it, unflinching. But she didn’t move her hand. Shit. He wanted her to stroke him. He was so hard and turned on, but she only held him.
“You have a great cock, pet.”
She flashed a grin, released his cock and stepped back. Fuck. Now Chase wanted to stroke himself, but he couldn’t do anything. His fingers curled into fists.
“Mistress. Do that again.”
Holly shook her head. She entered a command on her wristband and Chase’s restraints popped open.
“Lights up.”
The lights in the room brightened, breaking the sexy atmosphere.
“Mistress, I want more.”
“Quiet now, pet,” she said. She picked up the end of his leash. “The next lesson is in the next room. Come on.”
“You can’t just get me all worked up and leave me hanging.”
Holly arched an eyebrow at him. “Your tone is not respectful, pet. Follow.”
She tugged his leash and turned to go. Chase’s impatience got the better of him. He wanted more. Now.
“Come here.” He snatched her slender wrist in his fist.
The collar slammed such a jolt through him that his vision turned white and he stumbled backward. He staggered and nearly fell down, clutching at his neck. The sizzling pain slowly dissipated.
Holly had turned to face him, her eyes wide with surprise. Then they narrowed in anger. “You dare?”
She gave her wristband a jab. Next thing he knew, a restrainer bot emerged from the wall and grabbed him from behind. It forced him down on his knees, his arms bent backward, his upper body bent forward. He struggled against its grip, but it was no use. He wouldn’t be able to escape this fucker. His breathing turned labored in the uncomfortable position.
Holly leaned over him and grabbed a fistful of his hair. “Never grab a Silenian like that,” she hissed. “Ever. If you do it in public, you’ll be killed.”
“I’m sorry, Mistress.”
“You better be sorry. This is a matter of life and death.”
“Yes, Mistress. But—”
“I’m doing this to save your life, you understand?”
“Yes.”
She released his hair. “Today’s lesson is over.”
Shit. Now I’ll never find out what else she had in store for me.
“No. Please.”
“Silence.”
“I want more lessons.”
Holly shot him a warning look. “Another word and you’ll spend the rest of the day here on your knees. The bot will keep you company.”
Chase was disappointed, but he knew better than to complain. He bowed his head.
Obey your Mistress.
Holly ordered the bot away. It released him and withdrew. Holly snatched Chase’s leash in her hand and walked him out of the room. Damn. But she took him to a different part of the compound and eventually pointed him to a glass cage. She removed the leash from his collar and pointed with her rod.
“Inside.”
Chase went inside and cast a look around. The cage didn’t look any different from his earlier one, but this was a different place.
“Why here, Mistress?”
“This is closer to my office.”
That pleased him. This female wanted to keep him close. He wanted to be close to her, too. In fact, he wished she would either stay or take him with her, but he didn’t dare to annoy her.
“I will see you again tomorrow,” she said and left him there in the cage.
Later, the lights went out to indicate the beginning of the night cycle in the windowless compound. He had no choice but to settle in and wait for her return. An
d fuck, he would have to take care of his hard-on by himself.
Chapter 4
The next day, back in the training room, Holly watched the way Chase’s muscles strained against his bonds as she tied him up. Warmth spread through her veins, but she willed it away and forced herself to think professionally. This wasn’t about her pleasure. She had to train him to ensure his safety. Her only goal was to ensure he wouldn’t end up terminated.
Chase had been waiting for her as she arrived at work that morning, his golden eyes burning with anticipation. His body was tall and powerful, radiating masculine strength…yet he knelt as she approached, his intense gaze never leaving her face. It made her a little dizzy. He followed her orders without hesitation.
In the training room, she told him to kneel and he obeyed. She bound his wrists behind his back. Then she bound his ankles, connecting the manacles binding his wrists and ankles, securing him in place. She tied his leash to a ring on the floor, so that he was in a slightly crouched position. Chase accepted it all in silence, only observing her movements. But she noticed his eyes were alive with interest and his broad chest was rising and falling with his breathing. Lastly, she held up a blindfold.
Chase shifted uncomfortably, his expression slightly nervous now. He pulled against his restraints, the metal links clinking.
“I know you feel trapped,” Holly said, “but you’re safe.”
Chase only grunted.
“I’m proud of you, pet. You’ll get a reward, just you wait.” She tied the blindfold over his eyes. “I’m going to tie you up every day as part of your training,” she explained. “The point of the exercise is to teach you acceptance. Your fate is not in your hands, but in the hands of your owner.”
Chase let out a low chuckle. “Are you sure you’re not chaining me just because you like it?”
Her stomach lurched. She quickly regained her composure and said in an admonishing tone, “Careful, pet.”
“Sorry, Mistress.”
“You have to trust your owner to take care of you at all times. You no longer have to make decisions. Your owner will guide you. As long as you obey, you’ll never be harmed or neglected.”
“So what reward do I get today, Mistress?” he asked, a hint of mischief in his voice.
“Are you comfortable?”
He adjusted his shoulders. “Somewhat.”
Holly tapped her wristband and a square part of the floor in front of Chase rose to form a seat. She fetched a plate from a slot in the wall and returned to Chase. A steaming, neatly diced soy meat steak and grilled vegetables adorned the plate. Holly was certain Chase could smell the delicious aroma of the hot food. She sat on the new-formed seat and set the plate on her knees.
“You weren’t given breakfast this morning, isn’t that right?”
“Yeah.”
She heard his stomach growl, proving that he was hungry.
“That was my order because you’re going to get a special treat.”
Holly knew that ever since his capture, he had only been fed dry protein bread. His food was designed to be nutritional to keep him healthy, but the basic variety of the bread was tasteless. This was one of the most effective training methods. After several days of plain bread, giving the pet tasty food was a fast way to bond. She could get them to do almost anything when the pet associated her with delicious meals.
And given Chase was so eager and attractive, feeding him was going to be a pleasure.
Chase inhaled the juicy aromas. “What’s that?”
“Your reward.” She took a piece of meat in her fingers and brought it under Chase’s nose.
He bit on it so fast he almost nipped her fingers. Holly chuckled. Chase chewed fast, his expression alert despite the blindfold.
“That’s the best piece of food I’ve had in—”
“I’m glad you enjoy it.” She offered him a second piece and he ate it from her fingers. “From now on, you’ll receive all your meals from me.”
She couldn’t help it. Pleasure curled in her belly as she watched her pet, chained and blindfolded, taking food from her hand and licking at her fingers. She fed him gingerly, one piece at a time. This was going to be her favorite thing to do from now on. Admiring his muscular frame, tied up, with him eating from her hand like a good man-pet.
You shouldn’t be enjoying this, her conscience said in a stern voice.
But he’s on Silenia because he wants to be trained and sold, she argued. I’m only giving him what he wants.
Still. It’s horrible that you enjoy treating him like this.
Holly tried to ignore the sting of guilt and erase the conflicting voices inside her. She got distracted and Chase bit on her finger, going for the next piece of steak.
She jumped. “Ouch! Careful.”
“Sorry, Mistress,” Chase said. “Did I hurt you?”
“You bit my finger.”
“Accident. Let me kiss it better.”
She considered him for a second. He didn’t sound particularly remorseful. His voice conveyed dark excitement instead. But heck, it was good that he was enjoying himself. For once, she got to train a pet whose will didn’t have to be broken first.
“Fine. Make it good.” She touched the sore finger to his lips.
He didn’t kiss it. He sucked it into his hot mouth in a shamelessly erotic fashion and caressed it with his rough tongue. Holly gasped and snatched her hand away.
“You were supposed to kiss, not suck.”
“Sorry, Mistress,” he said, amusement in his voice. “Are you going to punish me?”
“I will, if you don’t behave yourself.”
He grinned. “Will the punishment hurt?”
His words made something tick in her mind. “You sound like you’d like to be punished, pet.”
He hesitated, clearly considering how to guide the situation to his favor.
“The truth, pet,” Holly demanded. “Would you enjoy being punished?”
“Yeah, Mistress. I would.”
For a heartbeat, her mind filled with delicious, dark visions of punishing him for pleasure. Giving him everything he wanted and more. The rational part of her rushed forward and shoved the visions to the farthest corner of her mind where they belonged. She pulled herself together and applied logic to what he just said. Him enjoying pain was not a good thing. Desire to be punished would encourage him to disobey, and his obedience was key. She would have to think of a way to guide his desires elsewhere.
“How do you like being punished?” she asked.
“Hmm.” He didn’t seem to be entirely sure about this himself. “I like that rod of yours, Mistress,” he finally said.
“You would like me to hit you with it?”
“Yeah. You carry it for a reason, don’t you?”
“A trainer’s rod is not for hitting,” she explained firmly. “It’s for giving directions. I would never strike you with the rod.”
“Not even if I asked for it, Mistress? If I behaved very badly?”
Oh yes. Yes.
Holly frowned. “You will not behave badly on purpose, do you understand me? I will not play that game. Your punishment will always be isolation if you annoy me.”
Chase chewed on this, looking discontent.
“However, we can discuss whipping as a reward. Take your training seriously, and…perhaps I will discipline you.”
His mood appeared to shift back to interested. “I like that thought, Mistress.”
Holly made a mental note to include in Chase’s file that his future owner would have to have certain tendencies.
My tendencies. No. Not mine.
Of course, pets existed to serve their owner’s pleasure, not the other way around, but the better matched the owner and the pet, the happier for everyone. Holly had perfected the art of analyzing pets and guiding the right type of customers to buy them.
“Good,” she said.
“I can take a lot of hurt,” he said. “I’m big and strong. You won’t have to hold
back.”
Holly pulled herself together. “I think you’re enjoying yourself a little too much now. Eat your meal.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“And don’t you dare bite my fingers.”
Chase bowed his head in submission, but she could still see the grin on his lips.
Arrogant pet.
His attitude fed a dancing flame inside her and she couldn’t help but think what fun it would be to own him. She could deal punishments and rewards at will, without the constraints of the stupid training program.
Lose those thoughts, Holly. Wrong in too many ways.
She struggled with guilt then decided it wasn’t wrong to enjoy the here and now. She simply had to keep her rampant imagination in check. After she had fed him several pieces of vegetables, Chase shifted impatiently.
“Don’t you have more steak?”
Holly grinned. Typical male. She indulged him, and he chewed on the pieces of soy meat, looking satisfied. Once Chase had emptied his plate, she went to wash her hands and brought a glass of water. She lifted it to his lips and watched how his throat worked as he drank every drop.
“Good pet.”
Chase licked the moisture from his lips. Holly put down the glass. She was supposed to release him now, but she lingered over the handsome picture he presented, kneeling before her, his hard muscles bulging against the restraints. Blindfolded, he couldn’t see where her gaze roamed, so she could admire him at her leisure.
She touched her fingertips to his chin. He had such a well-shaped, masculine jaw. He hadn’t been shaved since his arrival. She should take care of it, now that she was his trainer, but she rather enjoyed his rugged appearance.
“Would you like me to shave you?” she asked.
“Mm. If you like,” he said. “Whatever you want.”
She touched his cheek to feel his stubble against her palm. She ran her thumb softly over his lips and noticed him tensing. His chest rose and fell as he strained to lean forward.
“Come closer, Mistress,” he rumbled.
“You like me touching you?”
“Yeah.”
Holly’s heart throbbed with pleasure. Despite his bonds, Chase didn’t appear weak. He seemed relaxed and enjoying himself, and his attitude tickled her. She had never enjoyed being a trainer the way she was enjoying it this very moment. A trainer’s task was to manipulate the aliens and turn them into quiet and unquestioning pets, against their will. She hated it. She only did it in order to save them from a worse fate. Chase was different. The woman who ended up buying him would be so lucky.