Skylar climbed into the tub and he had her lie back against him, cradled on either side by his legs. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her torso as he dipped his head to murmur in her ear.
“I’m going to submerge you on the count of three,” he said, his pulse quickening with lust and power. “I’ll keep you under until it pleases me to let you up. Your goal during this exercise is to let go. To trust that I will keep you safe and bring you up well before you’re in any actual danger. That said, this is our first time with this, so if you need to use your hand gesture, do it. You won’t be punished for that. I would just caution you again to make sure you’re absolutely at the point where if I didn’t let you up, you’d come to harm. If you’re just scared, draw on your trust and your submission and let go of the fear. Can you do that, Skylar? For me?”
She let out a long, deep sigh. “Yes, Sir. Yes, please, Sir.”
Her words and the underlying desire they evidenced thrilled him in a deep part of his heart that hadn’t been touched for as long as he could remember. Was it possible to fall in love so quickly? Even as the question flitted through his mind, his heart, body and soul already knew the answer.
Letting her go, he said, “Take a deep breath and hold it.” Once she had done so, he lifted his hand to cover her mouth and nose, applying enough pressure to prevent any water from inadvertently getting up her nose. He placed his other hand on the top of her head. “On the count of three. One… two… three.”
He pushed her head gently beneath the water, causing her body to slide forward a little between his legs. He held his own breath, starting at the count of ten to allow for her having held her breath for several seconds before he pushed her under. At twenty-five seconds, her body tensed, her right hand finding and gripping his thigh. He smiled a little—she was nowhere near the danger zone. The average person could hold their breath safely for two minutes. Keeping her down, he kept counting until he reached thirty. Though she continued to grip his thigh, she didn’t raise her hand above the water.
Pleased with her first effort, he let go of her head and face and pulled her up out of the water. She drew in a huge, gasping breath and began to cough.
Gently drawing her back against his chest, he soothed, “You’re fine, Skylar. You did very well your first time under. This next time, I want you to focus on not tensing your body as you did. It’s fine to place your hands on my thighs, but I’ll know you’re accepting and trusting more if you can keep your body and mind relaxed and open. This is about trust, Skylar. It’s a process. I don’t expect you to be perfect. We’ll get there together.”
She had calmed as he spoke, her body relaxing against his. Unable to resist, he cupped her luscious breasts and gave them a gentle squeeze. He rolled the fat nipples between his fingers, nearly forgetting their exercise as his cock throbbed against her lower back.
Recalling himself, he released her breasts and sat up straighter. “Take a deep breath,” he said, and then covered her face, counted to three and pushed her under. They did the exercise several more times, and each time he held her under a few seconds longer, thrilled as she steadily improved, no longer tensing or thrashing, but accepting that he would bring her back up safely.
“That’s enough for today,” he finally told her. “Eventually, I’ll bind you with rope and chain before lowering you into the water. It’s a powerfully intense experience.”
Skylar hugged herself, sucking in a breath. “It sounds amazing, Sir,” she breathed.
“It will be,” he promised. “And you’ll be ready for it sooner than you think.”
They climbed out of the tank and dried themselves off. He picked up the training collar and buckled it around her slender throat. He could already visualize the exact collar he would one day present to his lovely slave girl. It would be soft, supple and beautiful, just like her.
Chapter 13
It was hard to believe she’d made such a huge change in her life. Harder still to believe she’d already been on the island a month. She was pulling her own weight, too, which was important to her. With Skylar’s background in sales and a natural penchant for design, Mistress Ella had enlisted her to work in the business office, updating the website and island brochures. Unlike her old job, the work on the island was challenging and fun, and she had a personal stake in its outcome.