The Picture of Submission

by Diane Leyne

  “Yes, I can see that, but what about that whole nonsense about needing strength to submit. The submissive has no power. The Dom has all the control no matter what bill of goods you are trying to sell me.”

  “Have you never read anything about the subject? And I’m not talking Fifty Shades here. There are a lot of good books about the relationship between Doms and their subs. Hell, at minimum you must have read Josh’s book. The Dominant only has whatever power the submissive grants them.”

  “I did read his book. And I read others mentioned in his bibliography. I even tracked down some of the fiction authors he mentioned and checked them out. All the books said the same thing. The Dom is in charge. The sub has no say.”

  “That would be topping from the bottom. By definition, a sub submits.”

  “Then what power would I have?”

  “You set the limits. The Dom cannot violate your hard limits, ever. But once you set the limits, the Dom sets the rules that you must agree to follow.”

  “Follow or be punished?”

  “If that’s part of the rules, then yes.”

  “Then how does the sub have power?”

  “If you have really done any reading, then you know that the sub has their safe word or words. No Dom would ever violate a safe word. That’s an integral part of the lifestyle. The sub willingly submits to her Dom’s will but has the power to stop whatever is happening to her.”

  Maggie wanted to cry. If only his words were true. Were they true? She knew what it was to feel helpless, to have others take control, suffer abuse at their will. She’d read about safe words but deep down believed that they were more of a fiction to make the stories more enticing to the reader. Even when she’d read about them in Joshua’s book, she’d not dared to believe. He was a Dom. It was in his interest to convince gullible women to hand over their power.

  But what if it was all true? She’d read the excerpts from Jillian’s book she’d been given and was dying to read the rest. The sub’s perspective was fascinating and called to something buried deep within her. To have a man or men who were that devoted to understanding and fulfilling her needs was worth a spanking or two. But was it real, or only an illusion created by Doms in order to lure unsuspecting women? Jillian’s book made her think it might be real, and now talking with Chris. He seemed sincere. But could she take the chance?

  * * * *

  Chris could see Maggie thinking hard. He leaned back in his chair and waited. He could see that she was struggling with something, but he didn’t think she wanted his help.

  Finally she spoke.

  “I know I already asked this, but I read Jillian’s book. She talks about her own relationship. She’s a slave to her husband, round the clock not just when they play. You really don’t want a twenty-four-seven slave? You aren’t just saying that so I won’t freak out?”

  Chris had to bite back a laugh. Her mind did tend to jump around. He wondered if he could train her to focus when she was submitting to him. He didn’t want her to get distracted when she was sucking his cock and one of his brothers was playing with her pussy.

  “No, not normally. I am a Dominant in the bedroom. I need to be in absolute charge there. But outside the bedroom, I want an equal. I want someone I can speak to over breakfast and discuss politics with and current events and even sports and the latest reality show results. I want someone with a mind and a life of her own. I have no desire to micromanage someone else, except in short bursts during scenes and vacations at the resort.”

  “Why?”

  “Why is the sky blue? I don’t know. Something in my DNA? Our DNA, really, since both my brothers have the same need. We have always needed to be dominant in the bedroom, just as I’ve always wanted a sub that we could all share. I don’t know why. I struggled against the sharing part, but it is what it is and I’ve accepted that is the only way I will ever be truly happy.”

  “But they let me dictate things on the island.”

  “They wanted to get into your pants, and they knew you were there as a guest of the bride, not as a sub looking for a Dom. They didn’t want to scare you off. But they did spank you and tie you up, right? They gave you a taste of submission, hoping you’d come back for more. Believe me, they were desolate when you left the island and them without a backward glance.”

  Maggie looked more confused than ever and a little desperate.

  “I still don’t understand what the sub gets from it.”

  “Can I give you a short demonstration?”

  “I’m not getting naked.”

  Her tone was so wary that Chris had to laugh, which just made her glare at him.

  “No problem.”

  “And we are not having sex. I’m not actually submitting to you.”

  “Of course not. We’re just doing a short demonstration. And of course we aren’t going to have sex. I already agreed that you are not getting naked.”

  “And I’m not sucking your cock.”

  Her tone was firm and her words clear. It was too bad that it was all ruined by the slight quaver in her voice.

  “Definitely not.”

  * * * *

  What did he mean by “definitely not”? It sounded vaguely insulting, like he had no interest in feeling her lips around his cock. Damn it. If she wanted to suck his cock, she’d give him an experience he’d remember when he was an old man. Definitely not. She’d show him. She glared.

  “Fine, what do you want me to do?”

  “Hey, don’t be offended. It is nothing personal. You already know that I don’t have casual sex.”

  She snorted. “I’ve never met a man yet who would turn down a free blow job.”

  “They aren’t me. Besides, we agreed this is only a demonstration. You are not really my sub. And even if you were my sub, you would have to earn my cock. Sucking it is a privilege to be earned, not a right. I don’t share it freely, regardless of what other men you know do.”

  Maggie sat back in shock as she realized that she really did want to earn his cock. She wanted to take it in her mouth and drive him crazy so that he wanted her again and again. She shook her head to clear the fantasy out of her mind of kneeling at his feet, his face contorted with pleasure as she licked and sucked and nibbled on his hard cock.

  “Kneel.”

  Maggie jumped. She had been lost in her fantasy.

  “Sorry, I must have drifted off for a second.”

  “A good sub is focused only on her Master. Drifting off is cause for punishment. What I said was kneel. A sub kneels for their Master.”

  Chris stood up and walked around his desk. He took a position at the center of the carpet, pointed, and repeated his command. “Kneel.”

  Seeing the bulge in his pants, she knew he was not unaffected by her. Standing, she walked over to him.

  “Fine. No need to point like you are training a dog.”

  “I don’t know about that. I have tried puppy play before and enjoyed it. And if you ever submit to Dalton, you’ll realize that he loves it. He’ll have you on all fours and going for walks on a leash. He’ll even teach you tricks like fetching and rolling over.”

  Maggie’s stomach heaved. The thought of playing the puppy for Chris and his brothers sent a streak of arousal through her that was terrifying. How could she want to do such a thing? He was perverted. They were perverted. She was perverted.

  Maggie looked at Chris and saw that he was waiting not too patiently for her to obey his command. She had read many books, many love stories about BDSM even before she’d visited the island, but she was not going to admit it to Chris. She dropped to her knees and took the position she had read about. She sat back on her heels, placed her hands palm up on her knees and looked down at his feet. Then she waited for his approval. When it wasn’t immediately forthcoming, she looked up and realized he was frowning at her.

  “What did I do wrong?”

  When he didn’t answer, she started to rise, only to be stopped as he lashed her with his voice. “Did
I give you permission to move?”

  She could feel the desire streak through her at his tone. Even his voice sounded deeper as he barked at her. She immediately settled back on her knees, her pussy actually leaking moisture at the thrill of his dominance.

  She settled back onto her knees and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally she could stand it no longer and lifted her eyes and craned her neck to find Chris.

  “Thirty seconds.” He sounded disappointed.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Thirty seconds. That’s how long you obeyed my command before breaking position yet again. If you were my sub, you’d have just earned another punishment.”

  “I’m not your sub.”

  “You are considering becoming my trainee. Same difference. If we go forward with this, you will obey or face the consequences.”

  “But I’m not wearing your collar! I don’t have to obey you.” Her tone was triumphant, but that wasn’t what she was feeling. She realized that she desperately wanted him to deal with all of her objections, sweep them away and back her into a corner so she had no choice but to agree to be trained by him. It was the only way she could do it, and she could finally admit to herself just how much she wanted to.

  She waited for him to reply, and the growing silence was driving her crazy. She desperately needed his approval, she realized suddenly. She wanted him to praise her for her excellent position and her control. Was this part of what it meant to submit?

  Finally, she could hear him moving around the office. She heard the sound of a drawer, and then she felt him come up behind her. He was so close she could feel the heat from his body. He stood with his legs spread wide, straddling her spread legs from behind. She knew that if she leaned back, she could probably feel his hard cock at the back of her head, but she forced herself to stay still. She forced herself to breath slowly and evenly, even though her heart was beating almost out of her chest, her nipples were hard, and the cream was literally dripping from her pussy. Thank goodness she was wearing pants so he would never know.

  She jumped when he placed his hands on her shoulders, and then she forced herself to relax. She felt him kneel behind her, his hands slowly sliding down her arms, his warm breath in her ear as he lifted one hand and showed her what he was holding.

  It was a collar.

  Chapter Seven

  “Will you wear my collar for the rest of this lesson?”

  “Yes.”

  He could hardly hear her. Maggie’s voice was almost a whisper as if she was reluctant to admit her desire.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

  “I said yes.”

  “Yes what?”

  “If you have really been doing your reading then you know that’s not how you address your Dom. Now try it again.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Better. When you are collared, when we are playing, my brothers and I are Sir. Maybe someday you’ll even accept us as your Masters, but until then, we are Sir. And before I place the collar around your neck, there are a few other rules you must agree to. Firstly, you do not speak unless asked a direct question, unless it is one of your safe words. Do you understand, kitten?”

  “Yes, I mean, yes, Sir.” Maggie corrected herself quickly, and Chris was pleased. He raised a hand and caressed her cheek before planting a quick kiss in the same place. He could feel a shiver go through her, and then she subtly shifted position, leaning slightly against him. If he was being nitpicky, he could have reprimanded her for breaking position, but he was too pleased at her show of trust.

  “Until this collar comes off, remember, you may only speak to answer questions.” He placed the collar on her lap and ran his hands lightly up and down her arms before sliding them around her waist. “Unless you have an objection, we’ll use the traditional color-coded safe words for now. If I ask your color or code, say green for fine, yellow if you want me to slow down, and red to stop. If you say yellow, my brothers or I will stop and reassess what we are doing. We may or may not change depending upon how we judge the situation. You say red if you are completely overwhelmed and need the scene to stop. Do you understand?”

  He could feel her nod so he slapped her ass. “Words when you are asked a direct question, kitten. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Good girl.” He rubbed the spot he’d spanked and he felt her start to relax.

  “Now, will you wear this collar?”

  “Yes, Sir.

  “Good girl. Hold your hair while I fasten it.”

  Eagerly, it seemed to Chris, she reached up and pulled her hair away from her neck so he could fasten the collar, which he did, double-checking the tightness. It seemed fine to him, but he wanted to be sure.

  “How does this feel? Not too tight?”

  “No, Sir.”

  She was getting into it now. He placed his arms back around her waist and pushed her back into his body, making sure she could feel his erection. Then he slid his hands up just far enough that he could cup her breasts through the loose fabric of her top. When she moaned and leaned back into him, he slid his hands down again. When she reached down to stop him, he swatted her hands away.

  “Who’s in charge when you are wearing that collar?”

  “You are.” He didn’t answer, and she quickly corrected herself.

  “You are, Sir.

  “Then why are you trying to control where I put my hands?”

  “Sorry, Sir.”

  “That’s two punishments you’ve earned. Do you want to go for three?”

  “No, Sir.”

  He had to suppress a laugh at her dejected tone. Pressing a kiss to her temple, he decided it was time for some praise. “Don’t worry. You’ll learn.”

  He moved his hands again, sliding them under the edge of her loose knit top and sliding them back up until he was cupping her breasts, squeezing gently. Her bra was still in the way, but he didn’t want to spook her.

  “How does this feel, kitten?”

  “Good, Sir.”

  He could feel her breasts swell in his hands. Moving slowly, he reached up and peeled down the cups of her bra so her full tits spilled out into his hands. His cock twitched again, and he was sure she could feel it even through their layers of clothing as he was pressed against her ass. With a thumb and forefinger, he plucked at her nipples as he let the weight of her breasts rest on his palms. They’d been hard before he even touched them, but now they were like little diamonds. He laughed gently into her ear as he started pinching harder, pulling and twisting them, making her moan and stir in his arms.

  * * * *

  Damn, thought Maggie. His arms are like iron bands. She wanted to writhe, she wanted to push her breasts into his hands, she wanted to demand he throw her down and fuck her, but she steeled herself to try to relax and enjoy what he was doing to her.

  When she closed her eyes and forced her tense muscles to loosen up, she felt him pull her tighter against him and whisper in her ear, “Good girl.”

  She felt absurdly pleased by the praise. Without thinking, she reached up and pressed his hands against her breasts. Immediately, he pulled away, and then he wasn’t behind her anymore. She looked up and saw him standing in front of her, his pants tented by his erection, his expression enigmatic.

  She started to scramble to her feet when he lifted a hand and pointed to the ground. “Did I give you permission to move?”

  She subsided, bereft, suddenly wanting to cry at the thought that she’d disappointed him yet again.

  “No, Sir.”

  He circled her. She could not see him when he walked behind her, and she had to force herself not to turn her head.

  “So, kitten. You’ve had your first lesson and have earned four punishments in less than ten minutes. At this rate, my hand will be pretty darned sore by the end of your first full day.”

  Maggie hung her head. He didn’t want her anymore. She’d failed completely. She could feel the tears gather, and she tried desperately t
o hold them back, but one leaked out.

  “Look up at me, kitten. Maggie, every master is different. I prefer that you look at me. Some Doms may want their subs to look down and avoid eye contact, but I believe the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I want to see into your soul, Maggie. I want to know what you are thinking, what you are feeling. You have very expressive eyes, and only by seeing what you feel can I do a good job as your Dom.”

  “Can I ask you something, Sir?

  “Does this mean you aren’t rejecting me as your trainee?”

  “Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “You said I’d earned a lot of punishments in a short time…”

  “Yes, and I’ll enjoy giving them to you. And like I said earlier, a punishment expunges the bad behavior and lets us both move on.”

  He walked over to the couch and sat down, patting his lap.

  “Normally punishments require a bare ass, but since this is your first time, I won’t make you remove your pants, but don’t think I’ll be so lenient again.”

  Maggie looked at Chris. He looked so dominant, there really was no other appropriate word, as he sat there, waiting for her to voluntarily submit to punishment. She surprised herself when she felt herself rise up and walk over to him. He smiled his encouragement and leaned forward to take her hand and guide her to she laid over his lap, her head leaning down, her hands gripping his left calf, his hard cock pressing against her side.

  Would he fuck her afterward? She realized that she was so aroused by the thought that she was literally shaking with desire.

  She could feel him running his hand over her ass. Suddenly she wished he’d made her remove her pants. She wanted, needed to feel his hand against her bare flesh. He pushed her thighs apart and slid his hand down between her legs and she knew he could feel the heat and the dampness. She knew the crotch of her thin linen pants was wet, and she wanted to press her legs closed but she didn’t. She just waited, and he pressed his hand against her pussy through the layers of clothing. She could feel her clit swell, and he moved his hand between her legs. And then his hand wasn’t there anymore.