Part 1 of 2. Both parts were written collaboratively.
--
She'd seen the implement, and she had said it would be okay. She wasn't sure in herself whether it really would be, but she had said so and so it would happen whether she changed her mind or not. She lay in the middle of the bed, arms stretched ahead of her, head down, eyes closed. Her mind was taut. She willed her body to not be so, lest she exhaust herself before they even began.
"I am going to go for a walk," he had said carefully and clearly. "Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes. When I come back, you are to be undressed and on the bed, bare, prone, and waiting. Do not look, and do not speak until I say you can. Do you understand?" She'd nodded and said something affirmative. He'd walked out of the suite without looking back.
It was a gilded cage. The suite was beautiful, understated in a way that only vast resources can provide. She knew that technically she could leave, though where would she go and what would she do? She was here at his pleasure, and she needed to make sure she kept any part of her that was not pleasant hidden from view. She stripped, hastily found a corner to set her effects, and stretched onto the pristine white sheets. She had chosen to be here. That was important. She couldn't stop herself from being scared, but she could keep the fear from becoming obstructive.
The door opened. Her arms stretched forward and she laced her fingers together. She listened. He walked in, paused near the foot of the bed, and simply said, "Good." She heard him open the bag that she knew contained the implements, and willed herself to breathe slowly.
She knew he would keep control of himself, and she knew he would watch her closely. Even though her face was buried, her body carried messages he understood a little already and would learn quickly.