She knocks timidly at the door, delicately balancing her Master's breakfast tray. He opens the door, arches his eyebrows and smirks smugly as he stands aside to let her pass. She sets it on the bed, then stands awkwardly, eyes on the ground, taking small furtive glances to meet his eyes.
He looks tired, she decides. She doesn't know he stayed awake planning her training. He hands her a sheet of paper and brusquely says "Be back in my room at noon, and have this memorized" and he holds the door open for her to leave. She takes the sheet of paper and leaves, glancing at the paper with a puzzled expression on her face.
The paper reads:
Rules
No eye contact when you are collared.
Address me as Master when collared.
When I tell you to be somewhere, I mean be in your collaring position at that time. Do NOT be late.
Choose a safe word. It should be a single syllable. Tell me what it is when I see you at noon.
Carefully she folds the paper, and quizzes herself on it throughout the day. Her hands are trembling when she climbs the stairs to his room. She undresses slowly, carefully folding her clothes and setting them on a chair. She delicately arranges herself in the collaring position, stretching her fingers out over her thighs.
She takes deep breaths, trying to calm her pounding heart, but this is futile when she hears the slow methodical thump of his boots as he comes up the stairs. She takes in a deep breath when she hears his hand rattle the door handle before pushing it open. He stops in his track for a moment, his eyes traveling over her body. She looks at him curiously, then throws her eyes to the floor, remembering the first rule.
After a moment he moves forward, shaken from his trance. He walks nearer to her, circling her slowly.
"What is rule two?" he asks, his finger tracing a delicate pattern on her shoulder.
Her mind races, she knows this, but what is it?
