“Please, Caleb!” I sobbed loudly. “Don’t do this. Take me and let’s go. Let’s leave!”

He slapped me. Not savagely, but it stung and the heat of my shock crept across my face and down my neck. I placed my hand on my cheek. It was hot to the touch. When the initial moment of shock wore off, I thought it strange I should feel the pain of his slap in my chest, but I did, and it hurt more than I ever thought possible.

Caleb’s eyes held a glimpse of shock I’d never seen in his eyes before. He turned his back on me and walked through one of the doors in the room.

I heard water running.

He walked back out, “Clean yourself up and wait for Celia,” he spat, and walked out of the room.

I cried openly once the door shut, but I did as he asked.

***

An hour and a half later, I sat sobbing on the edge of the tub while Celia gently brushed my hair and tried her best to soothe me.

“I’m sorry, Kitten,” she whispered. I sobbed harder. I nodded meekly to appease her. In all honesty my tears had little to do with her, or the fact she had painfully waxed all the hair on my body with the exception of a small ‘strip’ at the apex of my pu**y. Though, the pain would not easily be forgotten. Mostly, I cried because I could not shake Caleb from my thoughts. He didn’t give a shit about me, and somehow, I had fallen in love with him. He’d never kiss me again – that’s what he’d said – never. I’d trusted him. I’d done everything he’d asked of me in the hopes he’d spare me. His loyalty had never rested with me and I’d been foolish to believe I could win him over.

I couldn’t help but replay the moment over and over in my mind. Even knowing the pain I felt was emotional, I physically hurt all over.

“Celia?” I finally managed to speak through my sobs.

“Sí, mi amor?” she said.

I spoke to her in Spanish. “Why does he treat me so badly? One moment he smiles at me and the next…” A hard lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to swallow, let alone speak.

“Don’t cry, sweet girl,” she said. It reminded me of Felipe, but I didn’t mention it. She set the brush aside and held my head to her chest. I held on to her tightly, flooded with the need to be held. She stroked my hair with her hand and spoke, “I think there are things you don’t know about your master. Perhaps he seems unpredictable, but he is filled with passion for you. My master is always pleasant, even when he punishes me – yet, I know nothing of what he feels.” I could make out the pain in her voice. She was in love with Felipe and believed he didn’t love her back.

I thought about my interaction with him in the dungeon and I had to disagree. Felipe was head over heels for Celia. It seemed ridiculous she didn’t know. However, it wasn’t my place to tell her.

“So many years together,” she said in a soft whisper, “and he has never shown a flicker of interest one way or the other.” She gave a wry smile. “Except of course when he wants to f**k me…or watch someone else f**k me.” Her statement shocked me.

“I’m sorry,” I said in sympathy.

“Oh, don’t fret little one. I don’t mind. I always enjoy it, and when he makes love to me after,” she sighed, “he makes sure I never feel ashamed, or dirty, or any of those other things. He just makes me feel like I’ve made him happy, and it makes me happy.” I looked up at her and saw she had tears in her eyes. She smiled at me and quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

“I’m sorry I was cruel to you Celia…you know…that night.” Her smile grew wider.

“I’m sorry I was so reckless. I didn’t know he meant so much to you. I couldn’t say no to him, but I didn’t have to flaunt my pleasure with such abandon.” I think we both blushed. I gripped her hand and she sat next to me.

“Celia, do you ever…ever think of running?” She didn’t pretend not to understand my meaning, though her eyes filled with a tempered panic and she instinctually looked around the room.

“You must never say such things, Kitten, not even to other girls like us. They’ll turn on you for no other reason than to see you punished. But no, I could never leave Felipe. Perhaps he does not love me, but he cares for me. He gives me everything I desire without my having to ask. I love him. Before him…I don’t remember what I lived for, what I liked to do, none of it matters to me now.” I nodded slightly, though I didn’t really understand what she meant.

The door opened. Celia and I startled guiltily. Caleb paused, his gaze penetrating my skin, even as I looked down into my lap like a scorned dog.

“Celia,” he said after a moment, “go downstairs.”

“Sí, Señor,” she replied shakily and scurried from the room.

“Come here,” he said to me.

Instinctively, I went to stand.

“In here, you are always on your knees unless told otherwise,” he said.

Shaking, I went down on my knees and followed him as he walked into the bedroom. My heart pounded wildly in my chest and between my thighs, my newly bared flesh made me all too aware of my nakedness. My curiosity over what he would do next turned my stomach in knots, yet I followed him almost eagerly in the hopes he would be kinder than he had been.

He led me to a small ‘bed’, consisting of a few thick, silken, comforters set on the floor near his bed. “Stand near the bed. Leave your arms at your side,” he ordered dispassionately.

Reluctantly, I did as I was told. On the bed in front of me lay some articles of clothing, some of them I was familiar with, others I was not. Devoid of any emotion, he lifted a pair of black translucent panties from the bed and motioned for me to step into them. I did so without comment, but when I lifted my leg to step in I lost my balance and put my hands on his shoulders to steady myself. He tensed under my hands and I withdrew them. The black stockings didn’t go on any steadier, but I let my arms go out for balance.

He stood and eyed the panties and stockings as my skin warmed under his scrutiny. I dared not look directly at his face to see if he appreciated what he saw. Perhaps, not surprisingly, the panties caused a strange and overwhelming surge of desire. The newly exposed skin of my pu**y sprang to life at the feel of the smooth and silky material. Suddenly, I’d never been more grateful to be a woman. Our desires could be hidden, when a man’s could not. Still, it was with some difficulty I didn’t press my thighs together.

I’d never worn a corset before, so I was ill prepared for the snugness. Made of smooth black leather it sat below the soft weight of my br**sts and encased my entire abdomen. I let out a loud grunt when he cinched the back in one swift and devastating pull. He stilled a moment, and I regained my wits, and my oxygen.

“Can you breathe?”

I gave a jerky nod. “Yes, Master.”

“Good. If your ribs start to hurt, tell me immediately.”

Another nod, “Yes, Master.”

There were strange pieces of leather attached to the front of the corset. I quickly learned they were for my wrists. With my wrists securely fastened, I could not lift my arms.

“That should keep your hands where they belong,” he said with a mild touch of anger. I flushed at the memory of my bold kiss and winced at the memory of what had come of it. I heard rustling behind me, but resisted the urge to look.

“Bend over the bed, and spread your legs,” he said.

I turned and saw he held something in his hand, but I couldn’t quite make it out.

“Do as I said!”

I struggled to obey, hoping I wouldn’t feel his belt across my sensitive behind. As scared as I was, my heart twisted when I recognized his smell on the bedding. Tears stung the backs of my eyes. I almost whispered his name, but I knew only horrible things could come of it. I wished I had never told him I loved him. I wished I had handled his revelations differently.

“I don’t want revenge, Caleb. I don’t want to end up like you, letting some f**king vendetta run my life. I just want my freedom. I want to be free, Caleb. Not someone’s whore…not even yours.”

My heartache turned to panic when Caleb’s fingers pried my bu**ocks apart. I stilled, willing the intrusion to go away. One of his fingers pressed upon the bud of my anus, while the others kept my panties to the side. There was no stopping him.

“Relax,” he said. He slid an obviously lubed digit inside me slowly.

I couldn’t make a sound, but inside, I screamed in shock. In…and out…in…and out, he slowly thrust. Despite the fear and apprehension inside me, the sensation brought about the now familiar pull of desire low in my belly. My panties, already wet, clung to my naked flesh, willing me to undulate against the fingers. They were so close to my clit, so close.

“Feel good, Pet?” he whispered huskily. I tensed and I was sure he felt it around his finger. He pushed his finger deeper inside me until my stomach pinched, and a moan escaped my lips.

He held me, suspended on his finger, wrenching both tears of humiliation and lustful moans from me. “Yes. Yes, Master.” I sobbed.

He withdrew slowly. I eased my hips back down, and again his smell saturated my senses. I wondered for the millionth time why I wanted him so badly when he was such a calculating bastard. While I panted for breath, Caleb prepared his second assault by reinserting his finger with even more lubricant. He tried to push something inside me, something foreign.