He smiled encouragingly. “We’ll work on it together. I’m sure we’ll be able to knock down that wall of submissive resistance.”
“Do you think so, Sir?” she asked hopefully. “Do you think it’s possible?”
“I know it is.” He got to his feet. “Before we get started with that, some time in one of the punishment cages is in order, to give you a chance to think about how you want to conduct yourself going forward.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said quietly. “Thank you, Sir.”
He helped her to her feet and they walked together back into the dungeon.
“Stand at attention, hands behind your head while I get the cage ready,” he directed. He went to the hanging leather strap cage. Reaching up, he lowered the chain until the round base rested on the floor.
Turning back to Abbie, he directed, “Come on over and climb into this thing. You get in by pulling aside the straps, like so.” He demonstrated, pulling them apart so she could maneuver her way onto the small platform.
Once she was standing erect, the only possible option in the tall, narrow cage, Ryan adjusted the straps around her breasts so a crisscross of leather harnessed each perfect globe in a pleasing way, her nipples on offer. He retrieved a step ladder so he could get the leverage necessary to raise the chain again with the added weight of Abbie’s body. He lifted the cage about a foot from the floor and re-looped the chain over the sturdy eyebolt, leaving her to sway gently in the air.
Her weight caused the leather straps to tighten, similar to how a Chinese finger trap worked. The restraining straps twisted around her body as they spiraled upward, coming together at the top where the straps attached to the sturdy leather-wrapped metal ring.
She looked breathtakingly lovely, trapped by leather in the confining cage. Because it was a punishment, Ryan didn’t allow his pleasure at the beautiful sight of his captive slave girl to show. Keeping his expression neutral, he said, “Take this time alone to think about what you really want to get out of this experience. I’ll be right in the next room if you need me, but I trust you can handle this discipline with the grace I know you possess.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said softly.
He regarded her for a long moment. He could see the pain in her eyes and it pierced his heart. A part of him just wanted to take her into his arms and soothe away the hurt with reassurance and kisses.
But the Master in him wouldn’t allow that kind of weakness. It would be a disservice to them both. She hadn’t just made a mistake—she’d made a willful decision to deceive. If they were to move forward in a meaningful way, he owed it to her to nip that behavior in the bud.
Turning on his heel, he left the room.
Chapter 5
The cage’s straps held Abbie in a swaddling embrace, her arms pinned to her sides, her breasts cupped in a halter of leather. She was thirsty and she needed to pee, but she hadn’t dared ask while she was in disgrace.
Though her body was comforted by the confines of the cage, negative emotions swirled in her brain. A hot rush of humiliation moved through her as she relived her disastrous start with the man she wanted to please above all others.
The way he’d looked at her just before leaving the room had struck a deep chord inside her. His intense gaze had made her feel bigger and smaller at the same time. It had allowed her to recognize and accept her mistake, while at the same time filling her with hope that, together, they could fix it.
Calmed by the thought, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Since she’d first discovered yoga in her late teens, mindful breathing had been an essential force in Abbie’s life, both in and out of the BDSM scene. Now she drew in a slow, deep breath through her nostrils as she made a conscious decision to let go of the past and the future. Focused only on the moment inside the breath, she released it slowly through her mouth.
She would serve Master Ryan going forward with every fiber of her being. When he came to release her, they would start fresh, the slate clean.
In… and out… In… and out… The waves lapped the shore, kissing the sand before sliding back into the arms of the ocean. In… and out… In… and out…
“Abbie?” Master Ryan’s deep, sexy voice penetrated Abbie’s altered state.
She opened her eyes. The handsome man stood before her with a bemused smile. “There you are,” he said. “I’ve been watching you for a few minutes now. Were you asleep?
“No, Sir,” she said, smiling back at him. He looked so hot in a black T-shirt that hugged his muscular chest and strained over his broad shoulders. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans that looked soft as butter, his feet bare. “I was meditating,” she explained. As she came back into her body, the fact she was being punished returned to her, and she added, “It helps me to focus. I understand I made a mistake, Sir. I will do better going forward.”