2. Mary discovers limits
It had been a week since Mary had began to discover control in her relationship with Dan. That week had led her to learn more about herself and how she might be with him.
The first day had been so intense and for the next few days she could do little else but think about everything that had taken place between them. Curiously, Dan had not raised the subject since. Mary thought he was waiting for her to make the next move. She was grateful for his understanding. Clearly, he wanted her to make an active choice if she was going to submit to him again, and she was glad he appeared to be letting her set the pace, for now at least.
That day had changed her in subtle ways and she could not deny that. She felt herself softening towards him in curious ways. She knew he was aware of these changes, yet he said nothing about it.
Every morning since that day she had dressed with him around. She felt his hungry gaze on her at every stage. He just looked at her intently, saying nothing, but still communicating.
Mary felt a desire to dress for him. The clothes she picked were not slutty, but they were all picked with him in mind. They were more feminine, as if she knew that was what he wished from her. She wanted to give him what he desired, she knew that. She had only worn skirts and dresses since that day. It just seemed the right thing to do. Mary understood that her thinking about their relationship was changing, and with it her own sense of self.
Mary sought out Dan's opinions on matters too, more often than she had done before. She was not doing everything he said, nor was he imposing his will on her. Yet she felt him guiding her. It was not manipulative. She just felt the need for his support and approval. She wanted to give part of herself freely to him and for him to accept it.
She had spent a lot of time thinking over what had taken place between them on that day. She had liked it, no loved it, there was no denying it. She knew that he did too. It was extremely sexual: liberating and intense at the same time; but the sex was just part of her feelings towards the roles they adopted.
From Dan's perspective, he too felt the changes. He felt a protective warmth towards Mary at all times, mixed with lusty thoughts. He still felt moved by her release to him and he craved for more. He felt closer to her than ever. However, he knew that he had to be patient. He had to wait for Mary to be ready. Yes, he would guide; yes, he would suggest; but ultimately, Mary had to choose that way of life. It could not last otherwise.
Today was a work day and, as had become usual, Mary showered and then got dressed in front of Dan. He lay back in their bed watching her silently, his eyes doing all the talking for him. She knew what he wanted, and she realised that morning that she wanted it too. She was not quite ready to vocalise her unconscious thoughts quite yet. She was feeling in a playful mood.
She picked out a tight pencil skirt that stopped just above her knees. She added a white blouse, which she could open just enough to draw the eyes, showing her bra underneath. The effect was on the sexy side of classy. She knew he was watching, so she slowly bent over in front of him to pull on her stockings, the type that could hold up without a suspender belt.
"Do you have a big day at work today?" he asked.
Mary jumped a little, feeling foolish at that. She was so engaged in her performance that she was not expecting him to speak.
"Yes, Dan." she replied, swiftly, without thinking.
She felt a frisson. Did she mean to use the code? The first day she had submitted to him, he told her to use his name at all times, as a mark of respect. She did not think she had reverted to this deliberately, but she had said it none the less. She felt herself breathing a little faster, a blush reaching her cheeks.
He was studying her reaction carefully. Yet his manner did not change.
"What's going to be different today?"
"I don't know, Dan, you tell me." She had used his name twice now. It was no accident. If she had unconsciously done it once, she could not deny the second time.
He nodded. He knew.
"It's only the second time, so I need to hear it from you. Perhaps later we can establish some permanent rules, but not quite yet."
Again, she felt a slight jolt at hearing that, but she instinctively knew what he meant.
"Dan, I want you to control me again. I've thought of little else since the other day, and I want it again. That's why I'm using your name, out of respect."
She was wet again, aching for what she thought was to come. It was a shame she had to go to work today, she thought.
She was feeling playful.
"I'll be a good girl this time," she whispered. "Now I know the rules, I won't make any mistakes."
He smiled. "I'm glad to hear it," he said. Since you'll be at work today, we'll have to introduce a few more directions for you.
"The first is that if I contact you, I'll expect a response within a minute. Proper respect means being ready for me when I want you.
"Of course, you can talk to other people today, you have to do your job. But I'm top of your list. Not your colleagues. Not your boss. Understood?"
She lowered her eyes. "Yes Dan."
He continued. "I've seen what you are wearing. Of course I approve. But I'm still going to need my trophy, like last time."
Her pulse quickened.
"Now, Dan?" she asked.
"You chose that outfit so you could remove your panties easily, didn't you? You knew what you were doing. You knew I would notice and you knew what I would want."
She did not say a word. Instead, she hitched up her skirt, above the top of her stockings, reaching underneath to pull down her panties. She had to wiggle her hips sightly to allow the tiny garment to drop to the floor. She pulled down the skirt to its former position, smoothing it into place.
He held out his hand and she bent over to pick up the discarded panties, handing them immediately to him.
"Thank you," he said. "I'll have to wear a jacket again," he continued with a slight smirk.
She knew what that meant. He would display the panties as an open trophy like a handkerchief in the top pocket.
"That skirt is pretty tight," he remarked, "do you think your colleagues might notice you're not wearing any underwear?"
"I hope not, Dan!" she exclaimed, a flush of embarrassment reaching her face. She had worked hard to gain respect in her career.
"And what would they think if they did notice?"
"Dan, they shouldn't be looking, should they?"
He laughed. "Believe me, they will be looking. If they notice you're not wearing panties, what will they think?"
"Dan, I suppose they'll think I'm a bit slutty."
"So we both know you've removed your panties and given them to me. So what does that make you?"
She looked at him levelly. "That makes me your slut, Dan."
"How does that make you feel?"
She sighed. "Wetter than you can imagine."
He smiled again. "That makes me happy. Perhaps we can use that later."
She smiled playfully. "All I want is for you to be happy, Dan."
Dan began messaging Mary throughout the day, just checking in from time to time. Mary had left her phone close by her on the desk, so it was not a problem to reply quickly when she received his messages. She did notice a few looks from her colleague as she appeared to be using her phone for personal reasons more often than usual. Mary made a quick excuse about an emergency at home that Dan had to deal with, and this seemed to mollify her colleague.
Mary had a team meeting at 2pm. Just as she entered the meeting room, she received another message from Dan.
"Show me what's mine", it read.
Oh crap, she thought. Does he know I'm supposed to be in a meeting right now?
