Celine walked in, took off her jacket and looked over to John sitting on the couch watching baseball. He was eating fried rice rather messily, and had not even given her a second look when she walked in. She was so tired. For hours she had just wanted to go home from work and see her man, but this is not what she hoped to see walking through the door. It hurt her that John did not even say "hi", "how are you?", "I love you." He just sat stony gaze lost in the television.
"Did you mail the power bill today?" She cut in.
John looked over with a blank look and answered dispassionately "Oh I forgot, damn. I'll mail it tomorrow, ok?"
"You said that yesterday."
"I'm sorry, hon—really tomorrow, in the mail."
"Yeah." The anger thick in her voice. But John didn't even blink, just sort of twisted his face up for a second and then began watching baseball again.
For two hours Celine had fought to keep a 14 year old boy alive. It was nerve shattering work. When she was done she was overcome with exhaustion but had to drag herself through three more hours. In her heart, all she wanted was for was John to just ask her how she was, to tell him how excruciating her shift was, how she had saved a young man's life.
The entire drive home she worked out the story adding little moments of drama. Ordering the crazed struggle that her and her coworkers were embroiled in. She wanted him to know the profound satisfaction it had brought her and be proud of her. She needed him to spoil her a little, reward her without asking, give her what only he could.
But John just sat, spilling little pieces of Broccoli on the couch with each forkful. Her fatigue was lifted, converted to rage.
"John, go to our room." The words were delivered with low, forceful tones. John peered over his fork with a skeptical look.
"Hon, it's the ninth inning."
Celine narrowed her eyes and straightened her lips. She was not going to repeat herself.
"Ok, ok, ok." John spoke with a nonchalance that made it seem as if he were doing her a favor. He put his bowl down and strolled to their bedroom, not turning the television off. Celine turned the TV off and followed behind.
Celine entered and closed the door behind her. John looked up at her as content as a cow and now—she couldn't believe it—looking a bit annoyed.
"Strip, all of it."
"But ho—"
"Now."
John slid his clothes off and through them into a crumpled little pile at the foot of the bed.
"You didn't ask me about my day."
"I—" Celine slapped the excuse right out of his mouth. She didn't even think before doing it and felt guilty for an instant. But now, seeing John's eyes cast down, something else entirely began to fill her: satisfaction.
"You didn't mail the power bill." John looked up at her from underneath heavy eyelids, opened his mouth, but caught himself before words exited.
"You're a slob and a pig. Did you see the shit you were spilling all over the floor?"
John didn't answer.
"Well did you?"
"I-I'm sorry, dear, I won't..."
"Just shut up. I'm fed up with bullshit. You think you can just talk your way out of everything. You say you want me to be your Dom, but you show me no respect—really, I blame myself. I've let you become this. I've indulged you."
Satisfaction. Strength. Lust.
"Lie on your back." John rolled to his side of the bed and laid stiffly on his back.
"Move to the center of the bed, and close your damn eyes."
He wriggled over, clearly still not taking her seriously.
"Your eyes, close your eyes!" John's vision left him just before the burn of another slap ignited his cheek.
John's eyes closed, Celine relaxed, sunk her shoulders, slouched; she looked down on John's naked body rigidly laying at the center of their bed. She loved him so much. He looked so helpless, she thought for a second of letting him off the hook. Kissing his eyelids and caressing his downy chest. Her passion and love grew for him every day. But something she has never felt before was growing in her and it wasn't soon to be stopped.
Slapping him felt good. Right. The moment after her first blow had landed on him, the second his eyes were cast down and she still was a little unsure of her action, she saw an expression on John's face she couldn't quite describe but struck her as unusual and beautiful. It wasn't respect but, maybe, fear.
Celine peeled her sweaty work clothes off her body and threw on a robe.
"Open your eyes."
John looked sheepishly at Celine. She walked over to the closet and pulled from it four lengths of rope that had been buried by disuse. She circled the edges of the bed and tied John's hands to each bedpost. She then walked back to the closet and removed a blindfold, which she tied snugly around John's head.
Celine picked out a black leather corset that she rarely wore from the closet, very high heeled boots she usually detested and a pair of fishnet stockings. She then left the room silently.
Walking to the bathroom Celine hung her robe on a hook and placed the clothes on the towel dresser then walked into the shower. Bending down to crank the hot she noticed for the first time that her vulva was dripping wet. Had punishing John really been so exciting for her?
Exiting the shower Celine toweled off her body. She had shaved her legs and thinking how it bothered her that John had asked for her to grow out her pubic hair, had shaved that clean to. It was her goddamn body.
Dry, she slid her clothes on, stepped into the heels and sprayed a little of her favorite perfume over her neck and thighs. Looking up from her boots she caught herself in the mirror, and thought 'goddamn, I'm hot.'
John lay bound, in silent confusion. He heard Celine enter the room.
"So you want to be my slave, huh honey? You want to be my slave on your terms. Isn't that right? Well honey, since you want to be my slave, tonight I'm going to break you. I'm going to break you like every mistress must break the pathetic sense of free-will you little men have. I'm going to shatter and put you back together. You want to know submission? Well, John, allow me to show you."
Rounding the bed Celine untied the ropes from the bedposts.
"Get on your hands and knees."