She awoke suddenly, noting automatically he wasn't in bed with her any longer. The shower running in the master bathroom clued her in to his whereabouts and she wandered toward the open door. "Good morning," she called out. The water turned off.
"I'll be out in a moment. Go ahead and get dressed, unless you'd like to join me." Not waiting for a response, he turned the water on again.
When he came out of the bathroom wrapped in his robe she was standing next to the dresser, fully dressed and glaring at him accusingly. "What did I do now? I was only joking!"
"It's not that. You had underwear in there." She put her hands on her hips and he struggled to remain straight faced.
"I know I did. In several sizes. They were all for you though, I swear. I didn't know what size you would be. So I'm in trouble for buying you underwear? They're not even all that sexy."
She stared at him pointedly, as if he should be following her train of thought without effort. "No, you're in trouble for never giving it to me."
He couldn't hold back his laugh in time. "Did you expect me to? It was just one more thing to cut off your body if you forced me to strip you naked. You have open access to it now, and you can wear it whenever you want, okay? I promise I won't even cut it off you, at least without getting permission in advance. Forgiven, please?"
"Not yet." But she, too, was holding back a smile now.
"You brat. You may as well make breakfast while I get dressed." She didn't leave the room as he'd expected.
"What? You want to pick out my underwear? I'll let you," he dared.
She sighed, exasperated with his teasing. "I don't cook. I reheat. Can barely boil water."
He turned away from her, reaching into a drawer to pull out some boxers. "Figures. I pay a quarter million dollars for a slave who can't even cook. Oh well, you can make it up to me later. There's plenty of cold cereal in the pantry."
When he turned around again she was staring at him, stunned. "A quarter million dollars?"
"Yes Hannah, I paid him a quarter million dollars. Just over that, actually. You were worth every penny, even if you can't cook. I actually enjoy cooking, I think we can manage. Bowls are in the top cupboard, next to the sink."
"Where the hell did you get a quarter million dollars?"
"Seriously Hannah? Can we have this discussion over breakfast? I'm dripping on the carpet here."
She spun around and stomped out of the room, leaving him shaking his head in confusion. Every time he thought he was starting to understand her she surprised him. He wondered if letting her call him by name had been a mistake, though he had nearly melted when she did. He yanked a shirt from its hanger and began to dress.
When he came into the kitchen she was seated at the table in his usual seat, naturally. He ignored her subtle defiance, pointedly sitting down in her usual chair and calmly pouring himself a bowl of cereal. "Well?" she demanded expectantly as she handed him the milk.
"If you must know my parents were both only children who came from money, and my dad was a big shot corporate lawyer in a multimillion dollar company on top of that. With Sarah gone I inherited it all. I've made a few wise investments, and I'm living well below my means. A quarter million dollars wasn't petty cash, but it wasn't a hardship either. Like I said, you are worth it Hannah, if you happen to be the type to think an individual's worth can be measured in dollars. I'm not that type. Are you going to hate me because I'm rich?"
"I don't hate you," she said, suitably appeased.
"As pleasant as that is to hear, you probably will again by the end of the day. Will you please eat so we can get started?"
That drew her back into reality, and they both finished their breakfast in silence before moving into the living room, where he sat on the couch and motioned for her to kneel on the floor in front of him. He started off by taking her through her positions again, relieved to find she still knew them all perfectly.
"Good. Time for some rules. Rule number one, when I give you a command you obey the first time, every time, without hesitation. Is that clear?" She nodded, not at all surprised at this expectation.
"This is important Hannah. If you even hesitate in front of them I'll have to punish you then and there, and I really don't want to have to do that."
"I know, I get it. After all, if you spank me in front of them I'll have to kill you later, and I really don't want to do that. What's next?"
He swatted at her. "Cut it out you minx, this is supposed to be serious. When in the presence of others you must always refer to me as Master, and them as Sir. This is an exclusively male run organization with a leader who delights in viewing women as less than men so you won't need to worry about mistresses."
"That's a relief, I suppose. I am decidedly not bisexual. Next rule please, Master?"
"We'll limit it to three rules to keep it as simple as possible. You stay right behind me, slightly to my left, within arms reach at all times for your own safety. Eyes down, ears open, mouth shut. Think you can manage that?"
"Believe it or not I can keep my mouth shut when my life depends on it. That I have practiced. Is that all, Master?" She was trying to keep things lighthearted, but he could tell she recognized how vital the rules were for both of them.
"That's all of them. Now you recite them back to me until you can tell me every one, word for word, in any order."
