“Do you like it, boss?” Thomas interrupted my confused thoughts. He was regarding me as a study subject. That realization made it easier for me to come back to my senses. “It's still far from what I have in mind but we’ve got everything necessary to begin your training.”
My forced laughter echoed throughout the cave-like room. I crossed my arms over my chest, causing friction from the silk blouse against my nipples. It was no time to be aroused, but they were swollen and hardened.
“Someone has been watching too much Fifty Shades of Grey.”
Thomas didn't blink at my bitter sarcasm or acknowledge my remark. Instead, he reached out to pick a cane from his kinky wardrobe. His long fingers wrapped around the handle and twirled it in the air in a casual yet careful manner so he wouldn’t hit me by accident.
“You said you've been smoking since your teenage years. I've personally witnessed how many packs a day you’ve been destroying and I can only imagine how much worse things have gotten. This is a deeply rooted habit and it can't be removed with traditional measures, as you said yourself.”
I followed the movement of the stick between his fingers.
“So you think turning me into a masochistic fuck puppet will solve my issues?”
Thomas laughed sincerely, grabbed the cane by both ends and raised it over his head as if stretching his shoulders before an exercise.
“Ah, Lina, you’ve got such a way with words. That has a sweet ring to it.” He winked and leaned forward. “But we're not quite there yet, tigress.”
“Watch your mouth, Thomas. You still work for me.”
“Not while you're in here.” The young man put the cane back in the cupboard and came closer to me. He took a hold of my chin and made me look him straight in the eyes. It was clear his playful mood had evaporated. Thomas caressed my skin with his fingertips as he kept talking. “I'm well aware of what you're going through, Lina. You make up your mind to finally cut the cord with your bad habit, but then life seems harder without the cloud of smoke around you. Over the years, you've learned to associate your bad habit with a sense of peace and quiet. So of course, you long to get back to the state of bliss and so you fail. Each time you fail, it gets harder to resist during the next attempt. Self-denial and pulling yourself together doesn't work.”
“Thanks for the psychoanalysis, Doctor Freud, but you do realize you're not telling me anything new, don’t you?” I breathed in and closed my eyes. Don't let him get in your head.
He released my face from his firm grip, and a sudden wave of frustration rushed over me. His warm fingers had made me feel so protected. Protected from what? From him? You're unraveling. Get out of that nuthouse now before it gets worse!
“How exactly do you plan to help me?” I asked and looked down at one of the large pink vibrators.
“By conditioning your brain.” Thomas walked around me, and for the second time that evening, his warm palms rested on the back of my neck. What was more irritating? That I allowed him to touch me in all sorts of creepy manners or that I loved it too much to tell him to stop? “You will never succeed if you think of cigarettes as your safe harbor. That is why I'll use the carrot and stick method to get you in the right frame of mind. It's crucial that you learn to associate smoking with pain and distress, but I'll need your submission and obedience for it to work.”
Those two words made my pussy get even slicker and made my erect nipples hurt with longing. But why? What game was he playing?
“Forget it, Thomas. If this is some convoluted plan to put me in a humiliating position, you really don't know me well enough.” My anger and disappointment pushed the lust away and gave me some temporary balance. “Are you in this alone? Or there are other pranksters who wanted to see the boss make a fool of herself?”
Thomas didn't tremble at my accusation and moved his lips to my ear.
“That's another problem I noticed. You keep all your tension bottled up instead of finding a healthy outlet. You're obsessed with the thought of being seen as weak and this is your biggest vulnerability. Quite ironic.”
“What else, doctor?” I snapped and turned to face him with determination. “What else do you assholes discuss behind my back? Let me guess. I'm a frigid ice queen in serious need of getting laid? Well, you know what? I’ve got absolutely no problem in the sex department. I lead a healthy and normal intimate life. I actually happen to have a very high sex drive. So, please, keep me out of your locker room talk!” It wasn't entirely true, but he had no business digging into my brain anyway. “You can't spank the smoking out of me. How about we forget this evening ever happened?”
“Do you know what is funny, Lina?” Thomas raised his hands in comic defeat but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “You're the one who keeps bringing sex up, naughty girl. I hadn’t mentioned any sexual play yet. Discipline, punishment and rewards can happen entirely without it.” He took a step closer and pressed his lips to my neck. “You should have told me earlier you wanted me, boss.”
“Quit joking around.” His kiss and its intensity weren't a joke at all, though. His lips traced a line down my neck and I had to force myself to think of the least pleasurable things so it wouldn't affect me. I pushed him away and said in a stern, clipped voice, “I hope this isn't some sick revenge against your mother. If I wanted to be punished, I would prefer it to be for my own sins. I've done too much for you to deserve it, though. Did you really hate me all these years?”
“What?” Thomas raised his eyebrows and blinked a few times, completely caught by surprise. “Lina, I never thought I'd hear such a silly assumption from you. My mother doesn’t even look like you. If anything, you're her total opposite. Besides, she and I are trying to patch things up right now. She’s finally realizing her mistakes. Whatever anger I felt for her is gone.” His hands found their way to my shoulders and he gave me his typical mischievous smile. “I'm deeply grateful for all you do for me. I admire you. That’s why I want to help you deal with your problem. It's a shame such a strong woman is a slave to nicotine.”
“There are much worse addictions, Thomas.” The sudden shame confused my emotions even further. The thought that somehow I hadn't lived up to his expectations, that I wasn't a role model, made no sense, but the feeling resurfaced and it hurt.
“That is true.” He kissed my forehead in a chaste manner and placed his palms on my shoulders, applying deep pressure. “But there are much better ones as well. I won't try to persuade you. Do you want my help, Lina?”
“Let me go.” My voice reverted to its trembling, broken state. His warmth, comfort and understanding were too much. There was no way we'd make it out of this situation in one piece. “Please. You promised you wouldn’t force me into anything I was not comfortable with.”
“Of course.” His sigh was soaked with so much sadness it broke my heart. When I raised my eyes to him, he had the key lying on his extended left palm. “Go ahead, run scared. I hope you enjoy going back to the embrace of your comfortable slavery. But please...” His eyes turned into cold shards of glass as he uttered the next words. “Quit repeating your bullshit phrase ‘one should always do what they're afraid of’, because it's a lie.”
I was about to pick the key up and go back to my familiar life – the job, the company, the cigarettes, the next big contract – but his words unleashed my anger. How dare he?
“I'm not scared, Thomas.” My words bubbled with irritation. “Whips and chains aren't new to me. I've tried something like it. I hated it. And I have better things to do with my time.”
“Oh?” He picked up the silver chain and dangled the key once again in front of my eyes. “Really, Lina? Why don't you tell me more about your secret kinkster life?”
“That... is none of your business.”
“That's really cute. A teenage attitude from a woman in her mid-thirties.” He laughed again and extended the key back to me. “You were probably not introduced by the right person. But anyway, don't forget to get your blazer on your way out.�
��
I clutched the small metal plate, my ticket out of this madness, but my feet refused to move from their spot. It would be so easy to ignore this evening, to write it off as a figment of my imagination. My life would continue in a chain of gray smoke, day after day, and the memory would fade away.
“What would you expect of me if I stayed? How does it... work?”
I expected the little brat would show smug satisfaction at my defeat. Instead, he just took the key out of my hand.
“I'd expect you to trust that all my actions are with your best interests in mind. I'd also require you to switch off your overactive mind and do as you're told. My plan includes pushing you beyond your limits. It would require me to get in your head. You’ve got to be honest with me at all times. Your sass is charming but I won't tolerate any disobedience or lies. Do you understand?” The rigid tone of his voice and the determination Thomas showed were slowly negating our age gap. Even if I wanted to, I could no longer think of him as the scared boy from our first meeting.
“What if I hated it? Would you continue?”
“You'd have a safeword. I usually go with ‘red’ but for our purposes, I want you to think of something you'll always remember, no matter how distressed you are.” Thomas went back to the wardrobe to pick up a pair of handcuffs. “I'd also restrain you a lot. Is that something you'd be comfortable with?”
I shrugged and my eyes slid over the different devices he was planning to use on me. It must have been too long a moment of pondering because Thomas cleared his throat.
“Lina? I need your answer. Make up your mind already. My time is just as precious as yours.” The whipping notes in his voice made me snap out of my catatonic state.
“This must forever remain our secret. No one will ever learn of this night.”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead, then cast his gaze back at me.
“We need to work on your trust issues, beautiful, but, if it's so important to you, I cross my heart and swear no one will ever learn of your submission.” He really insisted on hammering the point.
“I also have no obligation to continue this... arrangement past this night.”
“In time, Lina. All in time.” Thomas put the chain back around his neck. “If you're a good girl you may earn the right to this key. Before we continue, let me know your hard limits and safeword. You're pretty new so... just think of anything you'd absolutely hate to happen.”
I'm crazy. Years of hard work had driven me to absolute insanity.
A few minutes later, I sighed in defeat.
“Blood, permanent scars or anything to do with body fluids.”
“Ah... so you wouldn't want me to fill your pretty mouth with cum?”
Thomas probably expected me to be embarrassed but fuck him. I was neither a blushing maiden nor a prudish nun so he'd see a truly shameless side of me.
“I don't mind that.” My grin got bolder and I raised my chin in defiance. “Just be careful not to embarrass yourself and cum too quickly, brat.”
I never expected he'd be capable of moving so quickly. In less than a few seconds, Thomas had crossed the distance between us. He grabbed a loose tendril of my bun and yanked it back until my back arched. I moaned in pain. His face moved closer to mine and I expected to read anger and irritation in his expression.
“Never, ever speak to me that way again, little one. You're my property while in this room until you earn the key back, so I expect you to treat me with respect. Do you understand?” The unnatural calm in his low voice was more intimidating than the loudest yell of anger.
“Y-yes. Ouch.” I frowned when he pinched my nipples hard. “Don't be so touchy. I was just being playful.”
“This is amusing. It seems like we've finally found out who the real brat is. I knew you'd be a handful. Now, Lina...” Thomas pulled my hair again. “Your safeword.”
I went through every possible word with an intimate meaning for me. It was even harder to think when he was pulling my hair so hard the skin of my scalp was stinging. The power play was driving me wild, as if my entire body had turned into a big erogenous zone. It blurred my ability to form any coherent thoughts.
The word that finally came out of my lips surprised us both.
“Infinity.”
“Stand over there.” Thomas pointed to the center of the room, to the spot under the chains hanging from the ceiling. “Keep your back straight and part your legs. Your thighs shouldn't be touching. Hands on your hips. Don't clench your fists. I want to see your fingers speared. Do you understand?”
Part of me refused to take any of this seriously. Still, I obeyed his quiet commands. There was no way in hell any of this would lead to actual results. On the other hand, it could be a fun sexual experience. The question was whether it would be worth complicating our relationship this way.
As I stole glances at Thomas, it was clear to see he was dead serious about this ‘therapy’. His calm green eyes were studying my body and posture with a cold precision. Anxiety reached out to grab me by the throat with its gooey fingers when I assumed the position. Would he be happy with me? Did I have a submissive bone in my body? Wait. So what if I didn’t? Why did I care?
“That's good,” he said and strolled with a slow, leisurely step, not allowing his eyes to stray from my face and body. “Keep your fingers straight ahead, Lina.” Thomas chuckled as he recognized the betraying twitch of my fingertips. “Don't earn yourself any extra punishments, pet. You're in enough trouble already.”
Pet? What the...
“But–”
“Silence.” He stood in front of me and supported his chin with a clenched first. “You’ve got so many bad habits, Miss Riley. Smoking doesn't even begin to cover them. When you're here, I forbid you to close your hands or dig your nails into your palms, let alone hurt yourself. No one else is allowed to leave marks on your beautiful skin.”
No one else but him? He was depriving me of any chance to get relief.
Thomas smiled and walked behind me. He pulled out several of the pins keeping my bun in place and let it cascade down my shoulders. His fingers moved through my hair and gently straightened it. Soon, my long hair was unrestrained and flowing down to my shoulder blades.
“Much better,” he whispered. The basement had great acoustics. Thomas hadn't raised his voice once, but every word he uttered reverberated across the space and affected my entire body like a direct touch. His lips moved to the side of my neck and he placed a few warm, wet kisses there. I bit my tongue to keep the moans inside. There was no way I'd give him the satisfaction of knowing how his slow teasing increased the heat between my legs. The warmth emanating from his lean body made me long for him to press it against my back. His subtle strength drew me to him like a magnet in the darkness.
We hadn't even started, and my lust level was getting dangerously high.
“From now on...” Thomas caressed my back and smoothed my hair some more. Then, he walked away and kept circling around me in the pin drop silence. My fingers twitched again as I waited for him to reappear before my eyes. How could he tread so lightly? “You will have your hair down whenever you come back here unless I say otherwise.”
“Who says there will be a next time?” I raised my eyebrow.
He ignored my question and just smiled knowingly while his gaze took in my body with desire.
“You're overdressed for tonight, boss.” Never had I heard such mockery in his voice as he pronounced boss. “I always wondered what you hid under those fancy outfits. Strip down to your bra and panties. Once you're done, go back to the initial position.”
“How will it help me in any way if you're perving on me?” As if the fact he was making me stupidly horny just by kissing my neck wasn't enough. I also had to be naked?
“I've no intention of explaining my every command to you, pet.” His tone of voice switched from seductive to harsh. He yanked my hair back again and whispered. “As a matter of fact, quit asking questions and do as you're told. Take yo
ur clothes off. Now.”
I'd agreed to play his sick game and I wasn't about to back out now. I would show him I was anything but a frigid ice princess. Why was he calling me pet?
“It would be more comfortable if you had some heat in here. It’s freezing.” Even without seeing my face, the pout was obvious in my voice as I slowly unbuttoned my blouse. My skin prickled from the chill. Thomas snickered and put his palms in the pockets of his jeans.
“Oh, don't worry, brat.” If only there was a way to wipe the smug grin off his face. “Soon you may even suffer from overheating.”
If I took my sweet time with the striptease, it might help me to calm down. With a bit of luck, it might get him hot and bothered so the playing field could be more even. The cool air of the basement and Thomas's look of intense admiration were like catnip to me. When I removed my red blouse, I was left in my favorite push up bra with a front closure. It was a masterpiece of black silk, trimmed with delicate burgundy lace stretching across the firm cups. He could easily reach out, disentangle the corset-like clasp and reveal my full, luscious breasts with throbbing, erect nipples. Thomas would be free to play and fondle my tits as they filled his palms, slowly turning my pale skin crimson, pulling and tugging my nipples between his fingers.
I looked around for a chair or some other furniture where I could leave my clothes but there was nothing. The heat of his commands was slowly melting my defenses but it didn’t help me feel any less skittish.
“Drop it on the floor.” Thomas, get out of my head. Oh, well, perhaps the fact I was looking around like a scared doe tipped him off about my thoughts.
“But...”
“Lina.” His heavy gaze had a strange, centering effect on me, pushing my hesitancy back. “Do it.”
It was difficult for a control freak like me to just drop her clothes in a disarray, without folding them and making sure they wouldn't be trampled. I bit my tongue until I felt the warm, metal taste of blood. I released my fingers and let the beautiful creation of a thousand silk threads fall to the dirty floor. My soul was weeping.
[Unorthodox 01.0] Unorthodox Therapy Page 7