Author's note:
This is my first completed novel. While the plot isn't too complex, the goings on in the story are tricky, and with the help and dedication of a friend who reviewed the whole thing, I tweaked the crucial parts of the story to be better.
I wrote this story to explore the main themes that are included in it. I won't spoil anything by going into what the second theme besides BDSM is, but it's always been my intention to write something enjoyable that hopefully makes my reader think about what he or she read afterwards. (While also being nice and hot.)
So please, leave a comment that tells about your thoughts and opinions. I you have some relevant experience that the story reminds you of, by all means, share it with the rest of us.
Voting I leave to your discretion, but I do want to remind you that if you enjoyed the story, giving it a good score will make it more likely that others will find it and enjoy it as well.
CHAPTER THREE
1
Tom sat in his couch, staring off into the distance. Him and Ruth had just had dinner, but he'd been unusually quiet. The sounds of the dishes being done died away and he knew that now was the time to speak up. He called for Ruth. "Ruth, come here please."
"Yes, Sir?"
"No sir for now, I need to talk to you about last week."
Ruth frowned and said, "Are you still worried? I told you I was okay with it."
"I'm not worried I pushed you too far anymore, I'm worried I want to keep pushing."
He grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it, staring down at her small fingers wrapped in his. "Rough fantasies aren't new to me, but I've never felt comfortable enough to act on them. Now I did, I want more of it. It scares me and it excites me. I can't explain it, but I want to act out those fantasies and be rid of them. But how could I put you through that? I don't want to hurt you. That's what this talk is about. Do you still feel okay with the rules I set about promiscuity?"
Tom's last words startled Ruth, and she pulled her hand free. "Are you looking for someone else, Tom?"
He shook his head and leaned back in the couch. "No, you're the woman I love, and I want to stay with you. But I'm ashamed of some of the barbaric things I think up. They would make you uncomfortable around me, and I don't want that. I need to find a way to turn this into something we can enjoy together. But you shouldn't be my guinea pig, I want our time together to be as it has been."
Ruth clasped her hands together in a tight ball. "I thought that clause was meant for things like a threesome."
He looked at her and said, "I'm not that interested in a threesome. Not that I wouldn't try it, but in all honesty one woman at a time is plenty to take care of. I wrote that clause for when one of us feels a need that falls outside the other's boundaries."
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I should've been clearer. It was fine to give you all the time you needed to think things over, but I should've explained every point."
He stood up and went to get a copy of both the Rules and the Contract. "Ruth, for now, please forget what I said. We should go over these first. Together this time."
They discussed every point in both the documents. Tom even ordered food, something he rarely did. The last bite had gone cold for a long time when they finished. Exhausted, they both laid back in the couch, cuddled close together. Despite how tired they were, they were happy about how they'd spent their time. They had reaffirmed and deepened their connection.
They were quiet for some time before Tom said, "I couldn't stand to see our relationship fall apart because I can't handle a part of myself. Ruth, tell me, do you feel up this? It's still so early in our relationship, and I don't want to damage what we have. I need to know what you think."
She looked up at him, her eyes reflected his own fears. "What would I have to do? It couldn't be that much worse than before, could it?"
He leaned in closer to her and whispered one of his fantasies into her ear. Her eyes widened, and she pulled back a little. He noticed, and she could see his expression change in response to her rejection. She couldn't bear seeing it and grabbed one of his hands with both of hers.
"I'll try it. I don't know if I'll like it. Maybe someday, we'll see. I know I don't want you to do it to someone else. It's hard for me to accept the thought of you being with another woman. But if it turns out that I'm not enough..."
She straddled his lap and wrapped herself around him, pressing her little body hard into his. "It hurts to see you unhappy and disturbed. I guess... What I'm trying to say is that when it comes to your happiness, Sir, I'm willing to follow the Rules."
He looped his arms around her and squeezed. "Thank you, little girl.
2
Ruth looked over her shoulder after she'd unlocked the door to her apartment. Was he in the hallway? Tom had said tonight would be the night. Her heart pounded in her chest. Tonight. He hadn't said anything more. He'd offered to tell more, but she'd seen in his eyes he didn't want her to ask. So here she was, trembling. Would she like it? She didn't know. Her back straightened and she took a deep breath before opening the door.
Inside everything was quiet and dark. Without thinking much about it, Ruth reached for the light switch, but her hand hesitated and hovered above the switch. Why was it dark? Her apartment was on the north side of the building, she never closed the drapes. Ruth swallowed and tapped the light switch. The soft click travelled through the room, but there was no flicker of light to accompany it.
No wave of relaxation a the familiar sight of her couch with her lazy clothes draped across it. No feeling of coming home. Instead she stood in the doorway to a strange place. Did she go further inside? Maybe it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. Maybe there was nothing different. And maybe not.
She shook her head. Ruth, don't be a baby. With a firm stride she stepped into her apartment and closed the door behind. The door blocked the light from the hallway and the room darkened even further. Don't pay attention to it. How many times have you slalomed your way through this place at night? No problems then, so no problems now. Or so she thought. She hadn't walked more than a few steps when she bumped into something big.
Ruth put out her hands and patted the thing. Her couch! Why was it here? Just as she wanted to turn around, a strong arm pushed her. She toppled across the couch's armrest and before she could recover, two hands grabbed her shoulders and pinned her down. In a quiet struggle, she tried to free her arms, but the strong hands slid down her arms until her wrist were forced together. An iron grip locked her wrists in place and not too long after the sharp zip of a luggage strap clenched her fate. The pressure on her shoulders lessened and she lifted her head off the couch to scream, but to no avail. Her assailant had only shifted positions. In a matter of minutes he had her gagged and secured to a chair he'd set up.
Ruth trembled as she sat trapped and powerless to stop anything from happening. She heard footsteps behind her. He dragged a chair across the floor. His heavy shoe made a dull sound as he stood on the chair. She could hardly see and every sound in the room became so much more intense, so much more important. It was all she had to go on. The screech of the lamp in its socket told her how well prepared this whole thing was. His hop off the chair and on the floor told her where he was. How close. How very close. What would he do? She didn't want to know.
The light switched on and Tom put his chair right in front of hers. He studied her face and the tears in her eyes, the drool running down her chin. When he reached his hand out to touch her cheek, Ruth cringed and struggled against her ties. Tom nodded to himself and pulled down Ruth's gag. The look on his face changed to a sad but tender one. He cupped her cheek and spoke to her in a soft tone. "Sorry I scared you so much, little girl."
He pressed his finger against her lips when tried to speak. "Shh, don't say anything just yet. Wait."
He walked around her chair an untied her. Ruth immediately pulled her hands free and sat rubbing her wrists. Tom picked her up off the chair and carried her to the couch. He sat down with her on his lap, but he didn't wrap his arms around her. If she didn't want to be near him right now, she could leave at any moment. She didn't though. Ruth clung to his chest and Tom responded in kind. He put his chin on her head and in a quiet voice, he said "I'm really sorry I scared you so much. I should've explained what I wanted more. I didn't because I was selfish, because I wanted this to feel real. But it's okay now. It's over. We won't do this ever again. You'll never be scared again."
Ruth shook her head against his chest and he could just make out her voice as she said, "I'm sorry."
He squeezed her and said, "Don't be. There's nothing for you to be sorry about. Some things you just don't want and there's nothing to be done about that."
Ruth pushed against his chest and Tom let her come up so she could look at him. "I want to do this for you, Sir."
Tom smiled a sad smile and shook his head. "I don't want you to, Ruth. Not after what I've seen. Do you honestly think you could've turned your fear into anything else but more of the same? I don't want to scar you, little girl. So no, you can't do this for me."
A complicated mix of relief and worry ran through her. Relief at being spared the rest of his plans for tonight and worry at falling short of her master's desires. What if she failed again, further down the line? What would he think? She clenched her little hands in his shirt and said, "Maybe we can try something else. Maybe less scary?"
The uncertainty in her voice stabbed at Tom and he pulled her close again. "We can and we will, little girl. Just nothing like tonight. No surprises, no scariness, no nothing. I want you to enjoy our time together. You're my little girl, I want to see you smile when you sit in my lap. The day you fall asleep from sheer exhaustion is a good day for me. And when you cry, I want those tears to be tears of happiness that come out because you just can't contain what's inside you. That's what I want."
He made his embrace less tight and rested his chin on her head again. He sighed and said, "I feel terrible thinking about what you'd be like if I'd done what I'd planned to do." He shook his head and sighed again. "No use thinking about it now."
They sat in silence for a while until Tom pressed a kiss on Ruth's head and said, "Do you want to go bed and sleep, little girl?"
Ruth shook her head but didn't look up.
"No? You want to stay here for a bit longer then?"
She shook her head again.
