In a moment, that didn’t matter. She closed her eyes and forgot Adrian watching her. She forgot her humiliation of exposing her most private parts. She forgot all but the pleasure building and building inside her. She was so close! She turned the vibrator, inserting the tip into her eager pussy, panting with excitement at the thought of something, even her vibrator, filling her, satisfying the ache within.
Suddenly, his hand swooped down and took the vibrator away. Startled, her eyes popped open as she reached to grab it back. He held the vibrator, still buzzing and quivering, out of her reach. “One of the things that makes sex even better is control of 43
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your body.” He thumbed the switch and the buzzing stopped. “When you learn that, you earn the pleasure of coming.”
He bent, gathered all the toys, and placed them back in the bag. She lay there astounded and hovering on the edge of climax. Her hand went back to her pussy.
“Don’t even think of making yourself come until I give you permission.”
She stared up at him. From her position on the floor, he loomed tall, dark and severe. Her chest rose and fell with her frustrated breaths. She wanted him, needed him. “Adrian…” she begged.
“Get up. Clean yourself and come into the living room.”
“But…”
“Would you rather the training room?” he asked pleasantly.
She scrambled to her feet. No, not the training room. Still dazed and frustrated, she stumbled into the bathroom and under the shower. What had she let herself in for?
He’d let her, no demanded, she make herself all hot and ready, and then he’d denied her!
Surely Kendra hadn’t suffered this way. She took her time, soaping and rinsing repeatedly as if she could wash away both her frustrated cravings and her humiliation.
At last, though, she turned off the water and dried herself.
He waited at the dining room table for her. There was only one place setting, but it was set beautifully, with an ecru lace placemat, a matching linen napkin, and shining silverware. A crystal goblet held iced water with a slice of lemon, and on the silver-rimmed china, a salad of greens and fresh vegetables made her mouth water. A tiny silver cup held dressing.
He rose and held the chair for her. Surprised by this courtesy, she seated herself and reached for the napkin. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I’ll have my lunch later. You may eat.”
When she picked up the dressing to pour it over her salad, he said, “Only half.”
There wasn’t much in that thimble, but she did as instructed, then picked up her fork and took the first bite. The greens were fresh and tender, the vegetables crisp, the dressing delicious.
“Take small bites,” he ordered. “Chew each one thoroughly. Make each mouthful count.”
She savored every bite under his approving eye, until there were only a few lettuce leaves left on the plate.
“Leave those,” he said.
“But I’m still hungry.”
“Moderation, Norris. Moderation. Control your hunger. Discipline your body.”
Discipline
. She hated that word. Gritting her teeth, she put down her fork.
“Drink your water.”
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She enjoyed every cool drop, deliberately lingering at the table. He’d surprised her with a nice lunch when she’d expected to starve. He surprised her again when he held the chair for her to rise.
He ushered her into the middle of the room. “I’m going to leave you now to think about a few things.”
She nodded, looking forward to stretching out on the lazy couch for a nice nap.
“Assume the position.”
Since she was growing used to doing that whenever he entered or left, she thought nothing of it. She sank into the kneeling position of the soft, deeply padded carpet. This time, however, he had her place her hands behind her back and before she could yank her hands away, had slipped something over her wrists and up her arms.
“These are leather sleeves,” he said in a conversational voice. “They will help you keep this position. Shoulders back,” he instructed and pulled on the sleeves, bringing her wrists close together and securing them so she couldn’t move her arms.
“Now, wait just a moment,” she began, but stopped abruptly when he placed a gag over her mouth. She pushed at it with her tongue, but he fastened it securely. She began to scoot away from him, a useless maneuver when he grabbed her ankles and tied them together, wrapping something about her knees so that she was immobilized.
She raised pleading eyes to him.
“Now, Norris, I’m going to leave you. While I’m gone, I want you to think about your reasons for being here. Think what you want to accomplish. Ask yourself if fighting me every step of the way is worth it. Ask yourself if you have what it takes to learn discipline to achieve your goals.”
He turned off the light as he left, leaving her in total darkness. She tried to sit back on her heels and couldn’t. She tried to loosen her bonds and couldn’t. She tried to scoot forward and couldn’t.
She could only kneel there where he’d left her, trussed and silent. Crying didn’t help since she couldn’t breathe and cry at the same time.
She didn’t know how long she’d been there, getting increasingly disoriented in the dark. She had nothing to rest against, nothing to ground her. Her shoulders throbbed with the strain of holding them back so far. Her legs cramped. The feeling left her toes.
Eventually, she toppled over and gasped as she hit the floor. The gag loosened a bit, allowing her to breathe easier. She rested there, forcing herself to calm down, and as she did so, Adrian’s instructions came to mind.
She did as he said, thought about her reasons for being there, her goals, and her commitment to losing weight and getting sexy.
Much as she hated to admit she’d been stubborn or even wrong, Norris remembered Kendra doubting that she could control her temper to follow the program.
She didn’t want to prove her right.
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More than anything, she wanted to prove to herself that she could do it. And that meant listening to her inner voice counseling her to follow directions, absorb all the punishment Adrian handed out and show him that she did indeed have what it took.
She’d show him.
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She roused when Adrian slipped off her restraints. He rubbed her arms and legs until circulation was restored. Ignoring her moans and groans, he stretched a large towel on the floor, then rolled her onto it, face down.
The sweet fragrance of oil drifted past the pain and teased her senses. She murmured deep in her throat as he worked out the knots in her shoulders and smoothed his hands away from her spine. This was more like it. Every little nerve ending, in every inch of skin he touched, whimpered in pain, then murmured in pleasure. Relaxation eased along her body, leaving her limp and drowsy.
At last, too soon, he ended the massage and stood. He wiped his hands and capped the bottle of oil. “Have you thought about your goals?”
With an effort, she rolled to her knees. Placing her palms as he liked them, she nodded. “I’m ready to get with the program.”
“That’s good. You’re a stubborn woman, Norris. If you put that to work for you, there’s no reason why you can’t leave here with everything you want.”
“I’d like that.”
“On your feet. It’s time to go back to work.”
She hauled herself to her feet and followed him into the training room. She paused in the doorway, waiting for him to tell her what to do. He gestured to the middle of the floor.
She sank into position and waited quietly while he adjusted the padded weight bench. Strange, her knees didn’t hurt as much as they had before, and even the strained muscles of her arms and calves didn’t ache. The man had magic hands. She wondered how they’d feel if he was using them to make love? Imagining the feel of them on her breasts, stroking her pussy, and cupping her ass sent a warm glow through her. She recognized it as arousal, and was pleased with herself. When Adrian did get around to having sex with her, it wouldn’t be as bad as she’d feared. In fact, she was beginning to look forward to it.
She wondered what he did in his off hours. Did he have a girlfriend, or heavens…
“Are you married?” she blurted.
He looked up from his task. “Did you ask permission to speak?”
She blinked at his severe tone. They’d been talking so freely before she’d forgotten his stricture against talking. “I forgot. I’m sorry.”
He studied her face, as if checking her sincerity. He nodded.
She placed her finger against her mouth as he’d instructed. When he nodded again, giving her permission to speak, she asked, “Well, are you?”
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“No. No more questions.”
Well, thank goodness. It was bizarre enough being naked all the time with a male trainer, but if he was married, arousing her, making her talk about sex and teaching her improved techniques, that would be too weird!
She couldn’t help wonder where he got his own sexual expertise. With his looks, he was sure to have women after him. She thought about his other clients. Maybe he was the reason they came for refresher courses. Maybe they couldn’t get enough of him. Her stomach clenched as she thought of him with other women. She couldn’t be jealous, she reassured herself. She had no reason to be envious of his experiences with other women, but still, the thought of Adrian and other women made her uncomfortable.
“Lie down here.” He gestured at the table he’d set up at his waist level. She climbed up and stretched out as he positioned her, flat on her back with her knees bent. She expected him to hand her some weights and wasn’t sure she could even lift one, not the boneless way she felt, but instead, he took one hand and secured it to the side, then did the same with the other hand.
When she made no protest, he raised an eyebrow. “Very good. You’re learning.”
His words warmed her. In a daze of self-congratulations, she didn’t protest when he placed her feet in stirrups and secured them in place. Ordinarily she hated being in this position at her doctor’s and never hesitated to say so, but now she lay quiescent, only mildly curious about his intentions. She watched him as he scooted the chair closer and sat between her spread feet. Her pussy was fully exposed to him.
“A woman’s body is a mystery to a man,” he murmured. “A man is never sure what a woman is feeling unless she’s in the throes of climax, and even that isn’t a sure thing. Too many women fake it. Do you, Norris?”
“Sometimes.”
“Why?”
She looked down her body at him. He looked interested, as if he really wanted to know. She liked him like this, when he watched her with curiosity and his eyes intent and warm on hers. He half-smiled, encouraging her to be open and honest. Open she already was, but she had to dig into herself for the honesty. It was hard to shrug when she was tied down, but she managed to move her shoulders. “Sometimes because I just want it to be over.”
He nodded. “You’re not enjoying it. Is that because of you or your partner?”
“I don’t know. Could be either one. Something isn’t right.”
“What if you were in control of the situation, and could make sure that you get every bit of pleasure out of sex?”
She had to laugh at that. “Dream on.”
He reached out and flicked her clitoris. She yelped.
“Today we are going to practice simple lessons in self-control, Norris. I am going to show you what a lover should do. You are going to accept everything, tell me what you 48
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like, what turns you on. You are going to learn about your body, experience pleasure, but…” He drew out that word, making her squirm in anticipation.
“But what?” she dared ask.
“I will not allow you to climax.”
“Why not? It just happens!”
“No. You may not have an orgasm until I permit it. That will be your reward for controlling your responses.”
“What if I can’t stop it?”
“Then you will learn the penalty for your lack of control.” He pinned her with his eyes as he said this, making sure she understood the penalty would not be pleasant.
“But…this isn’t how I usually make love.”
“We are not making love, Norris.”
She stared. “But you said… I mean, I thought you and I were going to—”
“Have sex?” he supplied. “No. We are not going to do that.”
“But you promised.” She heard the disappointment in her words and clamped her lips shut.
“I promised to teach you how to make love. How to get the most out of it. How to satisfy yourself and your partner.”
She hesitated, trying to recall his exact words. He’d said something about techniques. Greater pleasure. How could he do that without actually having sex with her? Her brow creased.
He saw her confusion. “Good sex begins in the mind,” he instructed her. “Thinking about it. Being aware of your lover. Anticipating what will happen.” He looked at her, making sure she understood.
“I know that.” She was anticipating right now. Her skin felt hot, her insides opening. Moisture gathered between her legs and her breasts felt fuller. She couldn’t touch them, but she could feel her nipples tightening.
“Good sex is also physical stimulus and response. Some responses are involuntary, like your body preparing itself for sex. Temperature changes, lubricity, nipples swelling, like they are doing now.” He touched one and she shivered.
“Those you can’t control. But some you can. You can control your body’s responses.
Having control over those things increases the experience. Prolonging the experience means a more satisfactory orgasm.”
“You mean mind-blowing sex.”
“Exactly.” He seemed to fight a grin. He firmed his mouth, but the humor touched his eyes and for an instant, the heat from them flowed over her like warm chocolate.
She grinned back, sharing the moment with him.
Grin under control, he gestured at the restraints. “Those will restrict involuntary movement so you can concentrate on learning control.”
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