He cleaned her thoroughly, embarrassingly so, then worked in more soothing oils, spreading her legs out farther, making her whimper at the ripples of response he started. She was so sensitive, as if that climax had permanently awoken nerve endings that responded with jolts of pleasure to his every touch.
Unhooking the tether, he spoke in a quiet rumble against her ear. “Put your arms around me, baby.”
She did, and he lifted her out of the tub, taking her to her knees on a stack of soft towels. He used a couple others to dry her while she leaned against the inside of his right leg. He massaged her head for a long time, almost putting her to sleep. She could barely keep her head up by the time he combed her hair, but he steadied her chin with one hand.
“Didn’t think…you did this.”
When his fingers stilled, she realized she’d spoken aloud. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Didn’t mean to talk.”
“I’ll give you a pass on that one. Tell me what you meant.”
She laid her head on his bare thigh, managed to lever her gaze open enough to see he’d donned a pair of short, clingy boxers. She could see the size of him beneath it, the generous curve of his balls, and she wanted to touch, nip. Squeeze. She took a steadying breath. “I guess…because of how you are, I thought you’d have somebody else handle aftercare.”
“Hand you off like a serving girl who’s met my needs?”
“Something like that. Which is kind of a turn-on, the psych…sic…psychology of it.” She fumbled with her thick tongue. “But I like this even better.”
“I like this too.” He braided her hair into two tails, wrapped them together and used a band to hold them back off her face. Sensing he was gathering his thoughts, she didn’t speak.
“In the not-too-distant future, I will take you to the K&A boardroom and allow the others to pleasure you there. It’s another little tradition we have.”
She knew that, thanks to Dana’s provocative description. Savannah and Cass had both experienced the full sensual onslaught of the five K&A men in their boardroom, before either had committed their hearts to their respective Masters. Dana and Rachel had enjoyed it later. For Dana it had been a special birthday present; for Rachel, her first wedding anniversary.
In the short time Marcie had been working for Ben, she hadn’t had the chance to sneak in and check it out, but from Dana she knew the K&A boardroom had some ingenious engineering, thanks to Jon’s aptitude and the other men’s imaginations. It was the ultimate adult Transformer, the table, screens and cameras able to serve an entirely different purpose when the men desired them to do so.
“I decided not to do that tonight,” Ben continued. He stroked her hair, a more tender touch that drew her eyes up to his serious face. “For a long time,” he said quietly, holding her gaze, “I rejected the possibility of someone belonging to me totally, of serving me the way I wanted. My demands can be extreme, so I learned to behave as if I didn’t want that. But what I really wanted, always wanted, was someone to belong to me fully. Like this. I wanted to prepare her from head to toe, take care of everything, because you’re mine, entirely. To care for, to punish, to pleasure. This first time, I wanted you to experience that in a more personal space. A space that was mine alone.”
Her heart cracked open. “What can your slave do for you now?” she whispered.
“Whatever I demand.” His hands remained gentle, despite the intriguing threat. “But she has a choice to make first.”
Reaching toward a drawer, he opened it, removed a carved wooden box. When he flipped it open, her heart jumped in her throat and stayed there.
It was a collar. Simple, elegant stainless steel, with a key-pin-locking mechanism and matching cuffs. She’d seen a variety of more complex and decorative collars, but in a blink she understood that this meshed with the type of Master Ben was. Something that made it clear in no uncertain terms that this was a collar and cuffs for his property, his submissive. There was an etching on each. Three forget-me-nots. As she tilted the collar toward the light, her eyes stung. Always yours was etched on the inside.
He met her gaze. “Last chance, Marcie. I put these on, you’re mine, irrevocably. You’ve been a student of who and what the K&A men are for a long time. You’re my choice, and that’s forever. You put these on, you take them off only when I give you permission to do so, and that’s probably only going to be for their cleaning and care.”
Remembering her earlier thoughts, she knew she’d been right. This moment meant as much to her as being presented an engagement ring, the commitment the same. Deeper in some ways, because she knew what it meant to him. While he finally understood and accepted what she was offering, it said he was now demanding it from her.
Tears were rolling down her face. Seeing them, his mouth softened. She lifted fingers to his lips, touched.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I want to be yours, Ben. It’s what I’ve always wanted. I’ve only been waiting on you.”
His lips twisted in a wry smile. “Leave it to
