The world comes alive before me. The ceiling is bare white, bright but not blinding. I sit up on the comfortable and gain my bearings. Between the bed, me, and the walls a few strides away, the room is empty. The floor feels cool, but not cold. Standing and stretching towards the ceiling, I don't even come close to reaching it.
"Hello?"
My voice echoes hard against the wall in front of me and then fades into nothingness. I look around and begin to walk to a wall. Reaching out and touching the wall, it's cold and smooth. The smoothness continues all the way to a corner and onto the second wall. I stop in the middle of the wall and look back... and freeze solid. I take a stride back towards that wall, quick and cautious in one fluid movement. There is no more bed. It has been replaced by a single wooden chair.
'Sit.'
The voice is sultry, but firm. Peering around I find no one else in the room, nor do I see any speakers. I move towards the chair, grabbing the back with my hand. The wood is a rich and dark oak with ornate carvings into the back and arms. Looking around a little more my puzzlement grows. There are no doors, no windows, and no vents. I ponder how I even got into the room for a brief second before pushing the thought from my mind.
'Sit down.'
The sultriness in the voice is gone. The alluring tones are replaced by coldness...and it is unsettling. I slowly sit down on the chair. The seat of the chair is hard and cold, sending a shiver up my spine and into my neck. The wall on the other side of the room seems to gain a subtle pattern for a few seconds, a wave of sorts emanating from the center. My eyes blink... and in front of me stands a woman. I feel her piercing emerald eyes inspecting me while I gaze upon her. Long, chocolate brown hair and deeply red lips are the only other touches of color found. Pale skin is met by a strapless black dress at her chest. Black opera gloves cover her hands and forearms, and simple heels meet the floor. The contrast between the background and her is mesmerizing.
"He-"
'Welcome. Be still. You need not be worried.'
Her words are calming. I take a slow, deep breath and exhale...feeling tension leave my muscles. If I didn't know any better, I would say I felt compelled to be calm. I study her a little more. She hasn't moved an inch. Her gaze remains upon me, but detached at the same time.
'Stand up.'
Her gaze follows me up until I am standing. She is just a touch shorter than I, but the difference in height is not enough to do more than point my eyes slightly down. I spy a hint of cleavage at the top of her dress, subtle and teasing. I feel my loins stir, stiffening against the silky fabric against my skin. The click of her heels approaching me draws my eyes back up and into her gaze, now fiery and in no way subtle.
'Wandering eyes must be tamed.'
Her scent is intoxicating. Hints of sweet citrus and floral notes intertwine and she stands in front of me. She points over my shoulder and I turn, instinctively. The chair is no longer there, it has been replaced by a padded wooden bench. I stand perplexed, again, at how things have changed without the means to. I take a step towards the bench and hear the click of a heel right behind me. Another step and I am right in front of the bench, with another click of the heel to remind me of her haunting words.
'Strip and bend over the bench, putting your hands around the metal handles at the base.'
I reach towards my neck and find a simple zipper. Gently I tug the zipper down to my stomach. The silky fabric offers no resistance to gravity as it falls to the floor in a pile about my feet. I step in front of them and approach the bench with an anxious pit in my stomach. I lean over it, resting my spread knees on the lower pads and my torso against the upper part. As I stare intently on the floor in front of me, I become aware... for the first time... that I am extremely exposed and vulnerable. My hands feel clammy as they grip the cold handles.
'Be still. Your taming begins now. Endure it and you have a reward.'
The still in the following seconds was filled with anxious tension. The silence is replaced by the sound of leather swinging through the air at great velocity. The crack of the leather against the center my rear tenses every muscle in my body. I inhale sharply at the strike, but I feel no urge to vocalize the pain just yet. I miss the sound of the second swing, but the leather did not miss me. The strap lands just slightly lower than the last, allowing no time for the nerves to relax. My muscles tense up further than I thought possible as I grit my teeth. The third fall of the strap falls directly over where the previous two had struck. My hands grip the metal handles hard as a gasp betrays my pain.