by Anna Stone
Her stomach rumbled. June had served Lindsey lunch after the tour. She hadn’t eaten since then. She was debating whether to call June and ask, when there was a knock on her door.
Camilla? Lindsey leaped up and opened it. But instead of Camilla, she found June.
“Oh,” Lindsey said. “Hi, June.”
“Would you like to come down for dinner?” June asked. “Or, I can bring something up.”
“I’ll come down.” Lindsey paused. “Is Camilla going to be there?”
“Not tonight.”
“Why not? Is everything okay?”
“She’s… indisposed,” June said.
Lindsey frowned. What did she mean by that?
To Lindsey’s surprise, June gave her a reserved, but sympathetic smile. “She’ll be with you when she can. Now, let me take you to the dining room. Finding your way in this house can be difficult at first.”
“Thanks, June,” Lindsey said.
“No need to thank me. Camilla has instructed me to make you feel as at home as possible.”
That was nice of her. But what Lindsey really wanted was to see Camilla.
Where was she?
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Camilla didn’t appear at breakfast. By the afternoon, Lindsey still hadn’t seen her, but she’d glimpsed June carrying a tray of food into Camilla’s quarters after lunch.
Was this normal? Was this how it was going to be? It seemed unlikely that Camilla would pay Lindsey an outrageous amount of money to come live here if she wasn’t going to spend any time with her.
Once again, Lindsey had spent most of the day exploring the grounds and the gardens. As she walked back inside, she almost ran into June.
The housekeeper was carrying a tray laden with tea, coffee, and pastries. “I was just coming to find you, Lindsey. Camilla wants to see you.”
Finally. Lindsey had been starting to feel rejected.
“She’s putting the finishing touches on your rooms. She wants you to meet her there. I’ll take you to her.”
“Thanks,” Lindsey said.
She followed June upstairs and through the maze of a house. They came to an open door. June stopped before it.
“Your rooms are through there,” June said. “She’s waiting for you.”
Lindsey paused at the doorway. She’d been waiting for this moment ever since she arrived, and her anticipation had only grown. She pulled herself together and entered the room.
It wasn’t a bedroom like she expected. It looked like a kind of sitting room, with several doors coming off it. Camilla was seated on a lounge in the middle of the room. She looked as elegant and put-together as on their first date, although she was dressed more casually. She certainly didn’t look like she’d been ‘indisposed.’
“Lindsey.” Camilla gestured to the seat across from her. “Come. Sit.”
Lindsey sat down. June set the tray of refreshments on the coffee table and began to lay everything out.
“Sorry I wasn’t able to come and greet you yesterday,” Camilla said.
“It’s okay,” Lindsey replied. “Is everything all right? June said you were indisposed.”
“Did she now?” Camilla gave June a sharp look. “I assure you, I’m fine. I have quite a lot to do, but I wanted to take a moment to show you your rooms and talk about our arrangement.” She paused and waited for June to finish setting everything out.
June straightened up and wiped her hands on her apron. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No, that will be all,” Camilla said. “Thank you.”
With a nod, June disappeared.
Camilla waved a hand toward the table. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” Lindsey picked up a pastry.
“Now, I hate to start on such a serious note, but there’s a lot that we need to discuss,” Camilla said. “Firstly, house rules. June tells me she’s already shown you around. You’re free to go wherever you like, except for my rooms. They’re off limits unless you’re with me, understand?”
Lindsey nodded. Camilla’s manner suddenly reminded her of a teacher she’d had in middle school, who could turn from warm and kind to serious and stern at the flick of a switch. And if you did something to disappoint her, she became as cold as ice.
Lindsey had always liked that teacher.
“Everything in the house is at your disposal,” Camilla said. “If you need anything at all, ask June. My only request is that you treat her with respect. She’s not a servant. She’s kept this house running for the last 15 years. And it’s far too hard to find good help these days.”
“Okay,” Lindsey said.
“You’re also free to come and go as you like. If you want to go somewhere, ask June to call you a car. I’d prefer it if you let me know if you’re leaving.”
“I will.”
“I ask that you avoid leaving the grounds when we have plans to spend time together.” Camilla folded her hands in her lap. “Which brings me to our schedule. Breakfast is at 8 a.m. After breakfast, I’ll retire to my study to work, and you’ll be free to do whatever you want. Lunch is at midday. After lunch, I like to take an hour or so to relax, during which time you’ll join me. In the afternoon, I’ll return to my study until dinner. And after dinner, the evenings are for us to spend together.”
“Okay.” Lindsey was beginning to understand why Camilla’s exes had called her a control freak.
“Now, about our arrangement,” Camilla said. “If at any point you have a problem with any part of it, tell me. I don’t want you to ever feel pressured or uncomfortable. Dominant/submissive relationships are complicated enough, even without our unusual circumstances. Communication is essential.”
Lindsey nodded.
“Have you chosen your safeword?”
“Yes. Apple.”
“Good,” Camilla said. “Use it whenever you feel you need to. Even if you simply want a time out from our day-to-day routine. It’s not like I’m going to be leading you around the house on a leash, but being a submissive 24/7 can be hard. If it gets exhausting, let me know.”
Lindsey nodded. “I will.”
“Otherwise, if you break any of my rules or the rules of this house, a punishment will be in order.”
Punishments were one of Camilla’s non-negotiable requirements, but she promised she’d never use them without a good reason. Lindsey didn’t mind. And mercifully, Camilla had allowed Lindsey to choose her own from a very long list. Lindsey had picked the punishments which seemed the least severe. Cleaning, writing lines, time-outs. But she didn’t expect that Camilla would go easy on her. It was clear that Camilla was a harsh Mistress. Yes, Camilla was going to spoil her. But she demanded a lot in return.
“I have this schedule and these rules for a reason. I don’t like disruptions to my routine. And I don’t like surprises.”
Lindsey nodded.
“Do you have any objections?” Camilla asked. “Or, is there anything you’d like to negotiate?”
Lindsey shook her head, then remembered herself. “No, Mistress.”
A hint of a smile crossed Camilla’s lips. “Good. I’d love to stay and chat, but unfortunately, I have work to do. However, I want to make it up to you for being absent this past day or two. How would you like to have dinner in the courtyard garden tonight? I have a chef on call who makes the most delectable French cuisine.”
“I would like that, Mistress.”
“Good. Wear something nice. The emerald halter-neck dress is perfect for the occasion.”
“What dress?” Lindsey asked.
“I bought you a few things. Have a look inside the closet in your bedroom once I’m gone.” Camilla stood up. “I’ll see you tonight.”
As soon as Camilla left the room, Lindsey got up and located her bedroom. It was just like the guest room she’d been staying in, only larger, and it had its own balcony with a view of the grounds. After admiring the room, Lindsey walked over to the closet and opened the doors.
<
br /> “Wow.”
Inside was what had to be a whole new wardrobe. Formal dresses, casual wear, and everything in between. She even had workout clothes and swimwear, as well as shoes and all sorts of accessories.
This was more than ‘a few things.’ It was everything she could possibly need.
Lindsey grinned. She was going to like it here.
Later that evening, Lindsey went out into the courtyard garden to join Camilla for dinner. As instructed, she wore the emerald dress she’d found in her closet. She’d paired it with some silver earrings and a necklace she’d found in a jewelry box on her dressing table.
Camilla was already seated on an outdoor lounge nearby, a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table next to her. Like Lindsey, she was dressed in a cocktail dress, but hers was a vibrant blue. She spotted Lindsey and smiled. “That dress looks just as lovely on you as I imagined. It brings out that striking red hair of yours.”
“Thank you, Mistress,” Lindsey replied.
Camilla gestured to the seat next to her. “Sit.”
Lindsey sat down and looked around. She’d spent some time in this garden yesterday during the daytime. It looked lovelier at night. At the other end of the courtyard, June was setting a table for the two of them.
Camilla picked up the bottle from the table beside her and held it up. “Wine?”
“Yes, please,” Lindsey said.
Camilla poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Lindsey. “So, how are you finding the house so far?”
“I love it. It’s so beautiful.”
“It’s been in my family for generations. I inherited it after my parents passed.” Camilla turned her gaze toward the manor. “You should have seen it 25 years ago. It was so much livelier. We had horses in the stables, and the orchard was carefully tended. And my parents were always throwing parties. Of course, back then the house had a full-time staff. I downsized when I took over. That’s why the east wing is closed. Keeping the entire house running is almost impossible.”
“I can imagine,” Lindsey said. “This place is so big. I’ve already gotten lost a few times.”
“It can take some getting used to,” Camilla said. “Let me know if there’s anything you need. This is going to be your home for the next three months after all.”
“Thank you, Mistress. You’ve done enough for me already.”
“I take it you found your new things, then?” Camilla said. “It’s all yours, by the way. You can take everything with you when you leave.”
“Seriously?” Lindsey asked. “Thank you! Not that I’m complaining, but you didn’t have to do all that.”
“It’s no trouble. And I did promise to spoil you. You’ll have the best of everything while you’re here. Besides, there’s something immensely satisfying about lavishing an appreciative woman with gifts.”
“I definitely appreciate it,” Lindsey said. “Thank you, Mistress.”
“You’re very welcome,” Camilla replied. “Now, we haven’t had a chance to properly discuss your answers to that questionnaire. Who knew you had such wicked desires hidden away in that innocent head of yours?”
Lindsey’s face began to burn. She wasn’t at all shy about her unusual appetites, but Camilla had a way of getting under her skin.
“I have a question for you,” Camilla said. “Of all the kinky things you like, what is it that you like the most?”
“Well,” Lindsey thought for a moment. “I like being spanked. It’s not that I like that it hurts. I just like the way it makes me feel.”
“And me bringing up how naughty you are makes you feel the same way, doesn’t it?” Camilla lowered her voice. “It hasn’t escaped my notice that every time I do, you turn a delicious shade of red.”
Lindsey’s face grew even hotter, making Camilla chuckle.
“What about you, Mistress?” Lindsey asked. “What do you like the most?”
“Personally, bondage is my tool of choice,” Camilla said. “Handcuffs, ropes, even suspension. There’s something so intoxicating about having a sweet, willing submissive all bound up for me. And based on your answers to the questionnaire, you would enjoy that too.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Just thinking about it gave Lindsey a rush.
“But blindfolds are a soft limit for you, correct?”
Lindsey nodded. She had quite a few hard limits, most of which were activities that most people would consider extreme, but blindfolds were her only limit that was negotiable. “I don’t know why I’m fine with bondage, but not blindfolds. I guess if someone is going to tie me up and flog me I want to see it coming.”
Camilla laughed. “That’s fair.”
“But it’s a soft limit for a reason. I do want to try it sometime. I’d just have to be really comfortable with someone to do it.”
“I understand. It requires a lot of trust. So, no blindfolds. Or anything else that you haven’t explicitly agreed to.”
Sex. Camilla had made it clear that she wasn’t going to cross that line without the go-ahead from Lindsey. But Lindsey was starting to wonder if she should just give in to her curiosity.
“That still leaves us with a lot of options,” Camilla said. “I have a very well stocked playroom.”
“Seriously?” Lindsey said. “You have a playroom in your house?”
“Darling, the manor has its own ballroom. The first thing I did when I inherited this place was to convert one of the rooms into a playroom.”
“Can I see it?”
“That depends,” Camilla said. “I don’t let anyone into my playroom who isn’t prepared to play.”
“I am,” Lindsey said. “I want to. Please, Mistress?”
Camilla’s hazel eyes searched Lindsey’s face.
“All right,” she said. “We’ll have dessert in the playroom. Would you like that?”
Lindsey smiled. “I would, Mistress.”
“Then it’s settled.” Camilla got up and offered her hand to Lindsey. “But first, dinner.”
Chapter Eight
Lindsey followed Camilla down the winding halls of the manor and through the white doors that separated Camilla’s rooms from the rest of the house. It was the first time she’d been in this forbidden part of the mansion. It was large enough to make up a house all by itself.
Camilla led Lindsey to a nondescript door and opened it wide. The two of them entered the room. It looked like nothing more than another of the manor’s luxurious bedrooms. Unlike the rest of the house, the room was all dark tones, mostly purples and blues, but the lushness of the decor made it feel cozy and warm. There was a huge four-poster bed in the middle, complete with a canopy and curtains made from dark voile. The sheer drapes were tied to the bedposts with velvet ties.
“This is the playroom?” Lindsey asked.
“What were you expecting?” Camilla said. “Some kind of dungeon with chains and shackles?”
“Well, yeah. And where are all the toys?”
“I like to keep everything hidden away so that there are no distractions. I prefer my submissive to be relaxed and focused on me.”
Lindsey looked around. There was more storage in the room than a usual bedroom. Cupboards, closets, chests. What secret treasures did they contain?
There was a knock on the playroom door.
“That must be June with dessert.” Camilla gestured toward a small table at the side of the room. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
Lindsey walked over to the table and sat down. Camilla slipped out into the hall, shutting the door behind her. Moments later, she returned, balancing a tray covered with a silver lid in her hands. She placed it in the center of the table.
Lindsey watched her eagerly. It was clear that Camilla planned for them to do more than just eat dessert. Sure enough, Camilla walked over to a cabinet and opened the door. Inside were a variety of restraints. Ropes, leather cuffs lined with fur, heavy-duty handcuffs, belts. Lindsey was sure she spotted a spreader bar too.
Camilla picked u
p a coil of thick black rope. She ran it through her hands from end to end, straightening out the kinks, and brought the rope over to Lindsey. “Cross your wrists at the back of the chair.”
Lindsey obeyed. Camilla crouched behind her and wound the rope around Lindsey’s wrists, tying them with a series of knots. When she was done, Lindsey tested her bonds. They were unyielding.
Camilla sat down across from Lindsey and removed the cover from the tray. What was underneath almost made Lindsey drool. It was a spread of sweet treats. Fruit, chocolate fondue, and all kinds of tiny confections.
“Doesn’t this look marvelous?” Camilla said.
“Yes, Mistress.” Lindsey wanted to try everything.
Then she remembered her hands were tied behind her back.
Camilla picked up a plump blood-red grape and dipped it in chocolate. She slipped it between her lips and closed her eyes, chewing slowly.
“Mm, this tastes wonderful.” Camilla selected a bright red strawberry, the same color as her lips, and slid it into her mouth. “This is my one weakness. I love all things sweet.” She reached across the table and drew a finger down Lindsey’s cheek, leaving behind a streak of chocolate.
Suddenly, Lindsey found herself with a craving that had little to do with dessert.
Camilla took another strawberry and dipped it into the chocolate. She held it up before Lindsey. “Would you like to try one?”
“Yes please,” Lindsey said.
Camilla slipped the strawberry into Lindsey’s waiting mouth.
Lindsey let out an involuntary moan. “This is incredible.”
“The strawberries were picked fresh this morning. The chocolate is made from the finest Ghanaian cocoa beans. Here.” Camilla picked up a small square of dark chocolate. “Try some by itself.”
Lindsey leaned forward, accepting Camilla’s offering. It was bitter and rich in Lindsey’s mouth. Camilla went through the tray, sampling everything before feeding a portion to Lindsey. There was something alluring about watching her Mistress eat. Was it the way her lips would purse around each tiny morsel? The blissful sounds she made? The tantalizing looks she gave Lindsey every time she picked out a sweet treat?