Enthrall Her

by Vanessa Fewings

  I eyed him suspiciously. I wasn’t used to nice Cameron. I’d expected to be taken through my paces this morning. Perhaps even forced to learn to crawl elegantly beside my master, but not this.

  He arched a brow. “Thoughts?”

  “What kind of etiquette?”

  “Samantha Harding will visit twice a week and guide you through skills that will make you feel more comfortable in certain social gatherings.”

  Great, lessons in how not to be common. My confidence took a nose dive. “Thank you, Sir.” I sounded annoyed.

  “Mia, it is not my intention to obliterate your personality but rather to exalt it.”

  The scent of leather mixed with Cameron’s heady cologne, the crackling and sparking in the fireplace, those endless books stacked high—all were a clear reminder of how little I knew.

  “But I’m your submissive?” I muttered.

  “As my submissive, you will attend every party that I attend. Every event. When you are permitted to speak, I can’t have you boring my guests, now can I? You reflect me. They are highly educated socialites and demand intellectual stimulation.”

  Amongst other kinds of stimulation, no doubt. “On one condition,” I said.

  “Go on.”

  I fisted my hands and placed them on my hips defiantly. “I will get the chance to teach you something.” Though what that was right now I had no idea.

  His jaw flexed. “This I have to see.”

  “So it’s a yes?”

  “Apparently.”

  That was surprisingly easy.

  “You get one attempt to enlighten me.” He looked amused. “And I will do my best to endure it.”

  “Does this mean I’ll get my GPA?”

  “In-between me fucking your brains out, yes.”

  I beamed at him, unsure which one I was happier about.

  “Let there be no misunderstanding,” he said sternly. “You are mine for two weeks, to do with what I will. I own you. I say when you eat, what you wear, and when you take your next breath. Do you understand?”

  I gave a quick nod.

  “You’re going to make me late for work, Mia.” His expression caught me off guard. “Because, my sweet sub,” his voice was low, husky, “I can’t keep my hands off you.” He stepped closer and reached around to the back of my head, grabbing a fistful of locks and bringing me towards him, crushing his mouth against mine and kissing furiously. Obsessively.

  I raised myself onto my toes and opened my lips wider, letting him in, offering his tongue whatever it wanted from me, no longer battling but resigning to these gentle sweeps, the deepest affection playing out. Never wanting this to end, I held him to me firmly, gripping his shoulders as though my life depended on it. Captured against his firm chest, his erection digging into my stomach, I relinquished in his arms.

  He pulled away and stared into my eyes, confusion marring his face. An unfamiliar expression. “I really will be late.”

  “Sorry.”

  Cameron’s fingertips caressed his lips.

  Had I disappointed him? He’d closed his eyes. A wave of emotions crossed his face.

  Trying to read him, desperate to do what would please him, I lowered myself to my knees.

  His firm hand rested on my head.

  Stillness. The crackling of embers. My master above me.

  “Thank you for letting me stay,” I said softly.

  “By the time you leave this house,” he said, “you will have learned the true meaning of empowerment.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He headed for the door and turned to face me when he reached it. “I’ll be back around 4PM. You will wait for me in my office. I will expect you to be in this exact same kneeling position by my desk and holding the whip you will find on it. You will be naked.”

  “Did I do something wrong?” I asked nervously.

  “You questioned the clothes chosen for you,” he said sternly. “Defiance will not be tolerated.” Cameron’s hand gripped the handle. “After I’ve finished with you this afternoon, you’ll truly understand the meaning of sorry.”

  He left the room.

  My legs wobbled and gave out from beneath me and I staggered back towards the leather chair and crashed down into it.

  He’d never kissed me like that before.

  CHAPTER 25

  THE DUNGEON LOOKED smaller.

  My chest constricted as I replayed the scenes from the last few days of being locked in here. I’d been holding off for years visiting those twisted memories, and they’d hung like a dark cloud over me, waiting to entrap me in an abyss. I could never have faced the truth on my own.

  Or perhaps ever found it.

  Despite having never been more scared in my entire life during what Cameron had done, I’d come out of the experience feeling surprisingly renewed. I had a new respect for what butterflies went through. Maybe that’s what Cameron had meant when he’d enticed me down here with romantic words of how nature thought. As far as I was concerned, nature always kicked butt and took no prisoners.

  Time had stood still in here. What had come out of it was an understanding of his controversial technique. I imagined there’d be no article in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on keeping young women locked away and using S & M to reveal their deepest darkest secrets. Yet it had worked.

  I missed him terribly. I’d be counting the minutes until he got back.

  Cameron even possessed my thoughts. My mind revolved around our kiss. My lips still tingled from it. He’d just rendered me virtually useless with that heart-stopping embrace in the library before heading out for work. I’d taken advantage of being left alone for a few minutes and had made my way down here in search of my collar. Not least because it was worth a small fortune apparently, and the thought of losing it made me anxious.

  I couldn’t find it anywhere. Not even in the oriental cupboards filled with torture devices of every assortment. The collection of intricate ropes and chains distracted me for a while as I imagined Cameron wrapping me in these.

  I braved the bathroom and was in an out of there in seconds.

  “There you are.” It was Dominic, and considering I’d gone wandering off he didn’t look annoyed.

  “I’m looking for my collar.”

  “It’s locked away in your master’s safe,” he said, gesturing me out of there.

  “I was hoping for it back.”

  “All in good time.” His eyebrows lifted. “Care for a tour?”

  “Yes, please.” I strolled beside him, thrilled to finally be able to see behind the curtain.

  We started with the other dungeons. Leaving behind the one I’d become intimately acquainted with over the last few days, we entered the first of many playrooms fit for socialites. No expense had been spared with each and every Saint Andrew’s Cross, spanking bench, and even the Louis Vuitton trunks screamed opulence.

  In one of the larger dungeons, Dominic walked me through a private screening room with full length one-way mirrors, should any guest wish to sit in any number of burgundy armchairs and privately watch a session. There was even side tables for their drinks.

  “Champagne is served,” said Dominic, as though casually guiding me through a movie theater.

  I was riveted listening to Dominic’s confidence, proving this was all so normal for him. Like any other day. For me, this felt like a revelation. A private tour of one of the world’s most secret societies.

  The scent of polish and leather did funny things to my head. My panties were now damp from all the possibilities of what could happen if Cameron brought me down here.

  I pointed at the one way mirror. “Do you know you’re being watched?”

  “If you’re in this room, you might suspect it,” he said. “Do you like being watched?”

  I flushed wildly.

  “You signed off on it,” he reminded me.

  That’s right, in my contract. I’d been too hasty and scribbled away my choice in the matter, eager to please Cameron.
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br />   Our tour continued and we moved on to the office and conference room where any mistress or master could conduct business dealings. Subs were banned. So this was going to be my first and last visit inside the swanky office area.

  Chrysalis’s generously decked out gym was tucked away in the far eastern corner, and already several staff were making use of the facility. The spa and salon came as no surprise. This place was five star everything. No expense had been spared to indulge guests. In-between all this decadence were stylish art-filled public spaces that oozed tranquility. The many walled alcoves strewn with handcuffs hanging from within was proof that submissives would be showcased at the will of their master. This was no ordinary hotel.

  The dining room was unadulterated opulence. A halo of soft lighting complemented the all white table clothes, lavish gold settings, and sumptuous burgundy chairs. The aura was warmed by all the dark wooden paneling, offering a luxurious and intimate experience.

  No wonder you had to be rich to play here. The money that had gone into Chrysalis must have been exorbitant. It was all very intimidating, and if you weren’t submissive when you walked through that front door, all this excessive finery would take you the rest of the way. The word compromise probably wasn’t welcome here.

  “There’s also a private dining room,” said Dominic, “should a master wish to entertain his sub alone.”

  “Will I eat with my master?”

  “If it pleases him,” came Dominic’s vague reply.

  I trotted after him, out of the restaurant and up the sweeping foyer stairway.

  “A tour of the bedrooms,” he said.

  We made our way to the top of the central staircase.

  “That way is off limits to staff.” He pointed. “No one will ever disturb you.”

  Recognizing the door to my bedroom, a little way down and beyond that was Cameron’s. The room I’d found him reading in last night, those dreamy round rimmed glasses making him look so fricken intelligent and equally as hot. Cameron really was a sublime combo. I couldn’t wait for him to get back.

  “Dr. Cole rarely stays here,” said Dominic. “Don’t get used to always having him around.”

  The punch to my stomach felt real. Knowing he was just a few doors down had been the only reason I’d gotten any sleep. “Where does he stay?”

  “Beverly Hills,” said Dominic.

  That swanky house I’d trespassed into twice now.

  I tried to give the impression I was fine with this.

  All of the bedrooms were decorated lavishly with big luxurious comforters. As expected, they were decked out with every accoutrement a master and slave might need, from the thick drapes to ensure privacy, to ceiling harnesses and beds strewn with handcuffs and chains. In one room a gothic central brass light fixture hung low, enabling suspension. My heart fluttered as I remembered Cameron’s threat of that being in my future. Just the thought of it turned me on, and with my no touch rule, the only relief I’d be getting was at the hands of my master. He had to know what an order like that did to a girl.

  Dominic was staring at me and I was glad he couldn’t read minds.

  “Cup of tea?” he said.

  I giggled. After all this intensity, a beverage seemed so mundane.

  “What about the ponies?” I said, heading back down the stairs.

  “Off limits for now,” he said. “That environment is carefully managed. We require all our handlers to show maturity.” He gestured down the north hall. “Those rooms are off limits to submissives. You are forbidden from entering that hall without your master’s permission.”

  “What’s down there?”

  “The private quarters of the masters.”

  “Quarters?”

  “Accommodations,” he said. “Where the doms can take their subs and be assured of privacy. You don’t go down there. Ever. Even if you hear screaming.” He gestured farther down. “The auction room is down there too. Again, do not enter that room without your master. These rules are there to protect you.”

  Hoping I’d never be auctioned off like a painting at Sotheby’s, I followed Dominic past the foyer reception.

  We stepped into an elevator east of the foyer. The carpet was green velvet. The full length mirrors reminded me of Enthrall. Same designer, I mused, my mind trying to grasp why there were four buttons and not three. There were only three floors. The bedrooms, the foyer ground level, and the dungeons.

  “There’s four buttons,” I said.

  “Are there?” said Dominic.

  My curiosity spiked and I made a mental note to investigate this mystery next time I was alone.

  Within minutes we were in the state of the art kitchen with chrome everything and a large table at its center. The place was empty, but I imagined when guests were here the kitchen would be thriving. Chrysalis really did remind me of a luxurious resort.

  Dominic set about making us tea.

  It was no surprise when he placed the cup of Earl Grey before me. My master’s favorite, and with the Cole emblem on the teabag tag, I knew it was one of his family’s. After rummaging in the fridge, Dominic brought out two small cakes.

  He placed them on china plates and handed me one. “Cream slice?”

  “Yes, please,” I said, accepting the silver spoon from him.

  Taking a bite, I rolled my eyes in ecstasy.

  “Best pastry chef in L.A.” said Dominic, taking a bite and smiling broadly.

  “So everyone will be arriving tonight?”

  He glanced at his watch. “Staff arrive around noon and guests arrive around 7PM.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “Palos Verdes.”

  “Do you have a view of the ocean?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you married?” I said. “I mean, do you have a boyfriend?”

  He smiled at that. “Two naughty children.” He reached into his inside pocket and showed me a photo of two cute Pomeranians.

  “What are their names?”

  “He’s Gladstone.” He pointed to the one of the left. “That’s Harriet. They’re brother and sister.”

  Despite devouring my cream slice at an alarming rate, Dominic was polite enough not to react. “Have you worked for Cam…Sir, long?” I said.

  “Fifteen years. I was a burned out attorney with a penchant for twinks.” On my confused stare, he added, “Pretty young men.”

  “So he helped you with a double whammy,” I said. “A new job where you weren’t as stressed and—”

  “Pretty much.”

  “My master has been very kind to me too,” I said. “He’s a bit scary at times, but I know he has my best interests at heart.”

  “He’s a very special young man,” said Dominic. “You’re a very lucky sub.” He leaned forward as though about to let me in on a secret. “There’s a long line of submissives who wished they were you. Some of them will be here later tonight. Don’t let your guard down.”

  I paused mid-bite.

  “Chrysalis’s party is next Saturday. You’ll be showcased by your master. That should squish any saboteurs.”

  “Saboteurs?”

  “Girls who want you gone so that they can get their crack at the whip, as it were.” He gave a knowing look.

  Nudging my plate away, my appetite now gone, I was full of regret for eating half a cream slice that sat on my stomach like a rock. I’d hoped for a sisterhood, not jealously.

  “Your first lesson will begin this afternoon,” he said, moving on as though his last statement hadn’t thrown me. He gestured to the way I was holding my spoon. “Etiquette.”

  Despite his kind smile to lessen the blow, I still felt dejected. I was probably doing all sorts of things wrong and had no way of knowing. You don’t know what you don’t know, as Richard always reminded me. Perhaps I was one big mess and the only reason Cameron had taken me on was he couldn’t bear to have a lost cause amongst his circle of friends.

  Just what was I to Cameron? Friend? Submissive? Current w
ork in progress? For some reason, I really needed to define us.

  “Everything all right?” asked Dominic.

  I beamed at him. “Just dandy.”

  “Fancy a game of tennis?”

  “I’ve never played, I’m afraid.”

  “Well then, best get you changed into some clothes and get you on the court.”

  “Chrysalis has a tennis court?”

  “No, we’ll be playing in the pool,” he said dryly.

  “Like water Polo,” I quipped. “Only with rackets.”

  “Look at you, Ms. Comedy.”

  “Can I go for a swim later, too?”

  “Sure.”

  I rose to my feet. “I’ll wash up.”

  “No need. We have staff for that.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “Mia, you will be spoiled while you’re here. Best get used to it.”

  Dominic was my new bestie, and despite us being opposites he was all I had right now in the way of company. The idea of learning to play tennis filled me with excitement. Never in a million years would I ever have believed I’d be doing that here.

  The day was starting to look up. Passing the time like this would make waiting for Cameron to come back from work a whole lot easier.

  “Just bitch-slap those mean subs.” Dominic winked at me. “That should put them in their place.”

  Yes, I was really going to enjoy spending time with Dominic.

  CHAPTER 26

  I’D NOT EXPECTED this.

  My tennis instructor was not Dominic. My first clue to this was when Dominic met me outside my bedroom and was still dressed in his snappy pinstriped suit. Though he insisted on me putting on a short, white skirt, T-shirt, and expensive Nike’s, making me look like I should have some idea on how to hold a racket. Dominic led me down the pathway behind Chrysalis and onto the sprawling tennis courts, where he introduced me to Cage Everson, a buff and tanned thirty-something with an accent I couldn’t place. German maybe? That sweatband around his forehead threatened this may not be quite as enjoyable as I’d first anticipated.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” whispered Dominic. “He’s mine.”

  “Don’t worry, after he sees I can’t hit a ball he’ll lose all respect for me.”