I can’t do this. Not anymore.
I’m done.
The unfolding horror on the computer screen was like a shove against her bare back, and she found herself tumbling into the abyss, her mind folding in upon itself. She heard a low, anguished cry and realized it was her own voice she was hearing. She felt the sobs surge up through her body, deep, wracking sobs that shook her frame and forced her mouth into an open howl.
Strong arms enfolded her, wrapping her in a tight, warm embrace. “That’s it, sweetheart,” James crooned softly in her ear. “Let it all out. With your tears, you’re releasing all the evil, willful toxins that keep you from truly submitting. Cry, baby. Cry it all out. Give yourself over to the tears.”
She let go of the last vestige of control, releasing a rush of tears, a torrent of sorrow, a flood of surrender. She cried until her throat was raw, her mind empty, her body spent. She cried until her heart melted beneath the barrage of tears. She cried until there was nothing left.
The darkness that moved over her soul was a kind of welcome oblivion, a sort of exhausted peace. As she lay drifting, she felt herself being rocked and the steady, rhythmic movement was soothing. She was cocooned and warm in strong, supportive arms.
“Sleep, darling. You’re safe now.”
She was safe. Safe in his arms. Why had she resisted for so long? She had moved through fire and darkness, and emerged at last in a peaceful place, as vast as the ocean. It was such a relief to let go at last and she felt herself sink like a stone into the silence.
~*~
Earl: Hey there, James. Got another video for me?
James: Actually, I wanted to get your advice.
Earl: Sure, what’s up?
James: Is it possible to go too far with obedience training?
Earl: How do you mean?
James: Well, I know the video was well-received, but when I had my wife watch it, she got kind of weird. I mean, it was almost like she went into a kind of shock. It’s been nearly a week and she still doesn’t seem to have really recovered from it.
Earl: You’re probably overreacting. Is she still behaving?
James: Yes.
Earl: Then I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
James: I don’t know. I’m wondering if maybe I was too hard on her.
Earl: Don’t be ridiculous. That video was gold. The hits on the site have gone through the roof since you posted it. Several very lucrative monetizing opportunities are coming my way as a result. And I have you to thank, James. In fact, I was thinking of approaching you about a weekly, or even a daily video. Your wife was made for the camera.
James: I’m confused. I thought this was a member’s only site for people committed to the lifestyle?
Earl: Sure, sure, it is, of course. But it doesn’t run itself, you know. You don’t begrudge me trying to make some money to keep the site going, do you? We all do our part in the community, after all. I’m thinking you could record your daily training sessions, and we could follow your wife’s development as she blossoms into a fully submissive obedient wife. You could take us deeper—show us all aspects of training and service, including the sexual, if you get my drift. Depending on your comfort level, of course. I mean, no pressure or anything, but we might be talking some serious cash here, my friend. I’m willing to do a fifty-fifty split.
James frowned at the screen. What the fuck was Earl going on about? Here he’d come to trust the man as a kind of mentor and advisor in the lifestyle, and he was coming across as some kind of opportunistic creep looking for amateur porn. What the hell?
James: I’ll get back to you on that. Gotta go. TTYL.
He logged off the site, angry with both Earl and himself. That’s what came of opening up to others. He should have known better. He did know better. He didn’t need Earl’s advice or permission. He’d learned all he needed from others. He and Kelsey were happiest when it was just the two of them. They didn’t need anyone else.
If he’d gone too far with Kelsey, it had been for her own good. He’d had to break her down in order to rebuild her into an obedient wife. It was the price they both had to pay.
He closed the laptop with resolve and strode from the bedroom. He found Kelsey in the kitchen on her hands and knees, scrub brush in hand. He watched her from the doorway as she washed the floor. He liked her to do it that way, instead of using a mop. He especially liked to stand behind her while she was doing it, so he could watch her ass sway as she worked. It always got him hard, and this time was no exception.