Page 85 of Silver

I chuckle. “Always.” We’re both naked.

Grinning, she crawls under the covers. But her smile fades when I lift her arm above her head and clasp the shackle onto her wrist. The one she used on me earlier.

“Master…”

I turn off the bedside lamp and climb on top of her. Without responding to her one-word argument, I nestle between her legs and kiss her. Really kiss her. A deep joining of lips that makes me feel almost normal. I think it does her, too. I’ve kissed her dozens of times, but not like this, not like I could devour her and never stop.

We’re both breathless when I release her lips. I immediately rise, roll her to her side, and spank her bottom hard three times.

She doesn’t try to get away from me, but she does whine.

I drop behind her and pull her back against my chest. “You will not question me, Daphne. I’ll spank you every time until you learn to hold your tongue. The shackle stays. Every night. You will not sleep with me or without me until I’ve restrained you. Eventually, you’ll feel lost without it.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“You’re my slave, Daphne. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“I’ll be a kind Master who doles out pleasure when you earn it, but I will punish you harshly when you’re disobedient.”

“Yes, Sir.”

I brush the hair from her cheek. “Sleep, little slut. Before the sun comes up, my cock will be buried in you again.”

“Yes, Sir.”

I smile triumphantly behind her.

I’m the fucking luckiest man in the world.

Twenty-Nine

Daphne

* * *

It’s been two weeks since I moved into Brimstone House. One week since Master and I had our massive argument and reckoning. We’ve settled into a routine. A new one. Most things have not changed, but there have been some additions.

Silver kisses me. All the time. Not just when he drops me off at class or while we’re walking across campus for the sake of convincing everyone we’re lovers. He kisses me at home. He comes to me as soon as he returns from teaching his own classes, pulls me into his arms, and kisses me senseless.

I’m his girlfriend in many ways. We have sex. Every night and every morning. Sometimes, he also fucks me in the middle of the day. But I’m also his slave. He’s made that clear. It’s not negotiable. I make no decisions. I have no options. I do as I’m told, and he’s right. This is the way I like it.

He has very high standards and expectations. When I get something wrong on homework, I spend a lot of time finding the mistake and fixing it. When I miss a question on a test or quiz, there is no discussion. I take a stripe from his cane across my ass. This week, it’s happened twice. Next week, I’ll try harder in class.

He’s right about a lot of things, but one of them is that I’m going to graduate with honors. He’ll make sure of it.

Eating from a bowl like a dog in the mornings is still humiliating. Having my ass trained is mortifying. I complain about neither, nor do I say a word when it’s time to sit in the kennel. It centers me. I don’t like to admit that, but there’s nothing to do in that kennel but go into my head and think. I’ve come to realize he leaves me there until I’m relaxed and no longer fighting him.

Every few days, he adds some new sadistic component to our lives. This week, he’s decided to focus on my breasts. He likes to restrain me to the pegboard and flog my tits until they’re red and angry. Bringing me to tears is his aim, and it’s not difficult. He makes me cry nearly every day.

I’ve only really known him well for two weeks, yet it seems like it’s been a year. I’m in love with him. He’s in love with me, too, but neither of us has said it. It’s a scary admission to proclaim my love to a man who regularly chains me to an eyehook in the corner of the room. It’s fucked up.

I’m fucked up.

We both are. It’s what makes us a pair.

It’s Friday night. A week after our big fight. The one where I screamed so loud that everyone in the house heard, and no one came to help me. I get it. They’re all dysfunctional in one way or another. They have an understanding with each other. They don’t question each other’s motives. Nor do they interfere. Some sort of bro code.