Desire's Awakening (25 page)

“Girl, look at me. Are you still with me?”

It took a moment for her to focus on him. She licked her parched lips. “Yes Sir.”

“Do you need a sip of water?”

“No. I’ll be fine. It’s hot under these lights, but we’re almost done, right?”

Damien looked at the clock. In less than five minutes, the bong would sound. “Yes, five minutes.”

“Then let’s continue.”

“Do you remember the safe word?”

“Yes Sir. It’s ‘uncle’, but I am not going to need it.”

By the time the bong was sounded indicating the end of this round, they were both drenched in sweat, caused by a combination of the heat from the bright lights upon them plus the exertion of their actions. Damien hooked the whip to his belt and walked up to Kaitlin.

She looked weary. The makeup under her eyes was smudged and her beautiful curls were limp and pressed to her forehead by sweat. He wiped away the moisture from her face and she smiled at him.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“It is I who should be thanking you. You were fantastic,” he said while releasing her bonds. “Come, let’s get you something to quench your thirst.”

“Yes Sir. Now I could use a drink.”

The lights in the room had come back on, indicating an intermission in the show. Many people got up from their seats to stretch their legs, visit the restrooms or refresh their drinks. Damien led Kat back to the table and allowed her to sit in his chair.

“It appears that the ice has watered down your drink. Shall I get you another?”

“I’d prefer a cold glass of water, please, Sir.”

“No problem.”

He noticed that Sir David had returned to the table. Damien acknowledged his presence with a nod. He wished the man would go somewhere else, but he seemed to be most comfortable sitting at their table.

“Tim, watch her.” He didn’t mean to sound so gruff to his apprentice, but his mood had suddenly changed.

“Yes Sir.”

As he walked to the bar, Damien turned back in time to see Sir David reach over and touch Kaitlin’s hand. She smiled back at him. Damien balled his fists. What was it about that man that annoyed him so much?

The bartender looked up from pouring drinks for two other patrons and rushed over to Damien. “What can I get you, Sir?”

“Two glasses of ice cold water. Pronto.”

“Coming right up, Sir.”

The bartender returned with the glasses of water within less than a minute. “You two were wonderful on stage. You had the crowd eating out of your hand. What a great team you make.”

Damien couldn’t help watching the continuing interaction between Sir David and Kaitlin. He distractedly heard the bartender’s comment.

“Huh? Yeah, okay. Thanks.”

He tossed the bartender a five dollar bill, then grabbed the two glasses of water and left.

The room seemed much more crowded since he left the table. Now he had to work his way through the small groups who had gotten up to stretch their legs during intermission. He moved as swiftly as possible to the table. His irritation grew when he was stopped several times by people who wanted to tell him how wonderful they looked on stage.

“Wonderful. Yes, thanks.”

When he finally reached the table, Kaitlin looked up at him with gratitude in her eyes and took the glass offered her. He sat on the chair next to her which he had reserved with his jacket.

“That was a great show. You were amazing,” David said, looking admiringly at Kat.

“Thanks. We work well as a team,” Damien chimed in, mimicking the bartender’s comment.

“Kaitlin was wonderful.” David looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and David grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Damien gritted his teeth.

Wonderful. There’s that damn word again.

“That’s what good training will do.” He couldn’t suppress the annoyance in his voice.

Kat frowned at his tone.
So
w
hat? It’s the truth. I am annoyed and I’ll show it if I want.

Tim cleared his throat. “Well, not to change the topic, but I was wondering if I could see Melissa some day this week. Do I need an appointment, Damien?”

“Hey, that’s a great idea. Yes, I’d like to visit Kaitlin also,” David said, a little too enthusiastically for Damien’s liking.

Damien tossed Tim a look that said he wanted to kill him.
Why did Tim say that?
He knew Damien was irritated by Sir David and shouldn’t have asked permission in front of him. That really set Damien’s blood boiling and he gritted his teeth.

“Call me to make an appointment. I don’t have my scheduler on me right now.” It was a lie. He always carried his scheduler.

Suddenly the room felt too crowded, the air too thick with smoke, the music too loud. Damien shifted in his chair, unable to get comfortable. There was only one thing to do—leave before he said something he’d regret in the morning.

“You know, we’re both pretty tired and sweaty. I think we’ll call it a night. Kat, go put your clothing on.”

She seemed surprised that he would want to leave so soon after their performance. On one hand, he understood that she probably expected to stay until the shows were over, and under normal circumstances, he usually did. But he was the Dominant and the decision maker, not her. And his decision was final. He needed to get away now!

She stood and walked to the ladies’ room. While he waited for Kat’s return, the lights flickered, indicating that a new show was about to begin. Damien feigned interest in the players and turned his chair around to face the stage. He knew Tim would get the message that he didn’t want to talk anymore. His friend had known Damien long enough to know when he was irritated. And David apparently didn’t know what else to say. For that, Damien was grateful.

When Kat returned fully dressed, he stood and nodded to his table companions.

“Good night.”

Both men stood to acknowledge their leaving.

“Good evening. Have a wonderful night,” David said before kissing Kat’s hand.

Damien took a deep breath of fresh air once they were outside. The wait for the valet to bring his car around seemed to take forever. He shook off the feeling of being cornered, something he had never felt before at the club. He didn’t like being put on the spot and yet his apprentice—of all people—did it to him! Damien wondered if he would have felt the same had he been accompanied by another submissive. He doubted it. He looked over at Kat, who kept her head lowered. It wasn’t her fault.

“You may speak, if you wish.”

“I have nothing to say, Sir.”

He nodded. Well, they were back to the awkward, strained atmosphere again.
Yeah, everything’s just fucking wonderful!

Chapter Seventeen

Kaitlin remained quiet during the entire ride home while she ran through the night’s events in her head. She had done everything as instructed and should have been pleased with her performance. Instead, she was frustrated. She didn’t like the way Damien talked about her to others. Sure, she knew she was to be auctioned and he wanted to show her off. But she had imagined it would be different somehow. And why did they have to leave so soon? Granted, they were both sweaty, but the room was air conditioned and they would have cooled down. She wanted to see more of what went on at the club.

Her breasts, mound and thighs still stung from the repeated whipping she had just received. A night’s rest would surely cure that. The marks would disappear in a day or two, as they did after Wednesday’s practice session. The Trainer hadn’t hurt her. That wasn’t the object of the scene. It was simply to put on a good show, which they did.

Kaitlin looked at the back of Damien’s head. Not a hair was out of place, even though he had just had a good work-out. He must have used hair spray to keep it perfect. In fact, everything about him was perfect. No one would suspect what he had been doing at the club because once he put his jacket on, it covered the wrinkles and sweat marks on his shirt. The way he looked tonight made her heart ache. He cleaned up so well. She heard someone say they made a beautiful couple and she couldn’t agree more. If only he felt the same way.

She recalled him saying “this one’s going to auction next week”. If she were special to him, he couldn’t do that. He would have asked her to stay. But those words never crossed his lips. She accepted her fate reluctantly. Yes, the man was perfect…perfectly unavailable.

They pulled into the driveway at midnight. Damien opened Kat’s door and led her to the front door. He stood under the illuminated overhang on the front porch with keys in hand for several moments, looking at the door, then her, then back at the door. It seemed that he wanted to say something, but didn’t. Finally, he turned the key in the lock and opened the door. She followed him inside and waited patiently while he unsnapped the leash.

“Good night,” he said.

She watched him walk toward the stairwell. A pang of disappointment clenched her heart. Had he asked her to join him in his room, she might have succumbed to her weakness and gone to bed with him. But he didn’t, so apparently that wasn’t what was on his mind at the front door.

Kat took off the cape and hung it in the front closet. She would not need it again. On his next trip to the club, he would take one of the other girls. They all got only one opportunity to go to the club with him.

* * * * *

Saturday turned out to be one of the hardest days yet for Kaitlin. It was Dolly’s last day. She had grown very close to her mentor during the short time they had spent together.

Kat walked into Dolly’s room and sat on the bed next to Dolly’s suitcase. She watched Dolly fold her stockings and tuck them into a plastic bag before packing them into her suitcase. She sniffed back a tear.

“So, this is goodbye. You’re going back to your Master today. I’m going to miss you.”

Dolly smiled. “I know. I had a great time while I was here, but I’ve been missing Master something terrible. It will be good to be back in his arms.”

“Did Sir Damien teach you everything you needed to learn?”

“Oh yes. He was very considerate. He took his time and taught me not to be scared of trying new things. I think that was the hardest thing for me to overcome. I have this fear of the unknown.”

“You must love your Master a great deal to do what he asked even though it was against your better judgment. How do you know when to trust them?”

Dolly tilted her head to the side and put her hands on her hips.

“Oh darling, you just know. It’s more of a gut feeling because the longer you’re together, the easier it should become. After all, trust is the foundation of all relationships.”

Kat considered Dolly’s words. She realized that although she had issues with Sir Damien, she really did trust him. If she didn’t, she surely would have been worried about the whipping he gave her at the club. Sir Damien had been very considerate and explained everything that would happen to her at the club in the session she attended on Wednesday. They did a practice session and he learned from her reaction how much she could take. By the time they did the actual scene, she was confident in his ability to treat her well.

“So how was your adventure at the club last night?”

“It was all right, I guess.”

Dolly frowned at her.

“Just ‘all right’? Does that mean you were turned off by the lifestyle in the real world?”

Kat shook her head. She watched Dolly lock her luggage and place it on the floor, then sit down next to her on the bed.

“No, it wasn’t that. It was Sir Damien. He acted weird every time Sir David came around. In fact, I think we left early because of that.”

Dolly raised an eyebrow. “Hmmm. Interesting.”

“Tell me, what’s it like in the ‘real world’? Do subs ever get out of the house or are they locked in all the time?”

Dolly laughed and put her hand on Kat’s shoulder.

“Goodness, dear, no! Once that trust is built, you’d be amazed what happens. Our relationships are usually just like everyone else’s. You’ll have your chores to do and he’ll do some of his own. He pays all the bills. You just have a much more unique, shall I say, bedroom relationship. Also, you’ll spend a lot more time socializing with people in the lifestyle, going to places where you can act out your fantasies or to home parties. It’s actually a lot more fun than being with a vanilla man.”

“What if I don’t like the relationship that I’ve gotten into or the Dom who purchased my training package? What do I do if he won’t release me?”

“Darling, the Dom has to let you go. It’s an unspoken rule. However, you will have to make arrangements with him to pay off the price he paid at the auction, plus perhaps anything he bought you. But you don’t need to stay with him while you’re doing that. If you have any problems, contact Sir Damien. Even though your contract has been fulfilled, he will help you. Don’t ever be afraid that you are stuck in a relationship and can’t get out. You always have the option to leave.”

The doorbell rang and Dolly jumped off the bed. She ran over to the mirror and checked her makeup, then smoothed her pretty yellow sundress over her curvaceous figure.

“Oh that must be Master now! How do I look?”

“Fabulous.”

Kaitlin stood and gave Dolly a big hug. Kat couldn’t stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

“What am I going to do without you? This place just isn’t going to be the same without your laugh.”

Dolly opened her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and pen. She quickly scribbled a note and handed it to Kat.

“Here’s my phone number. I want you to call me after you get settled into your new life. We’ll talk and maybe we can even get together. I know everything will turn out all right for you in the end. Just have faith.”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll call you. I promise!” She hugged her mentor and when Dolly stepped back, Kat noticed a tear trickle down her cheek.

Kat watched Dolly walk down the hallway with her luggage in hand. A tall, blond- haired, well-built Dom met her in the living room. He gave her a big hug and a tender kiss that brought tears to Kat’s eyes. Sir Damien joined them. Kat watched the two Doms shake hands, then Dolly gave Sir Damien a hug, which put a big smile on Damien’s face. As Dolly and her Master turned to leave, she waved goodbye to Kat. Kat returned the wave and saw Damien staring at her with a very odd look on his face. Was that sadness or longing? She couldn’t tell. She turned and went to her room.