It feels amazing to be back in Detroit; back in my own apartment; my beautiful king size bed. That trip to Cleveland was definitely the most interesting one I have ever taken. Damn that Max Scherzer! He has a knack for getting me into trouble.

Just as I sit down on my couch to hop on my computer to check my work e-mail, my phone vibrates. I check the I.D. and... speak of the devil!

Hey, can you come over?

I shake my head, smirking. Sure. What do you want this time?

Bring your punisher stuff-especially the paddle.

Ooh, role play; this is a special occassion. I'll be over soon.

I jump up from my couch and head for my bedroom. I change out of my sweats and into black skinny pants, a black V-neck, leather ankle booties, and my classic leather jacket. I walk over to my wardrobe-a beautiful mahogany piece that contains my whips, paddles and other accessories. I pick up my two paddles of two different sizes. My gaze switches back and forth between the two and I decide to go with the bigger one. I grab my black gym bag and fit it with other goodies, including my "costume" for this occasion.

I throw my bag in the passenger seat of my bright blue 1964 Cadillac Eldorado and start the car up. I have the route to Max's house memorized-we have a lot of our meetings there since it's quiet and discrete. I drive there in silence.

"Did you bring it?" Max asks, eager and ready to go, when he opens the door.

"Of course I did. You're the one who's paying me. Outside the bedroom, you're the boss. And inside-" I grab Max's chin, "I am."

Max's eyes widen. I never know which one to look into. But they are a sight to see when he climaxes; bright, piercing blue and deep, calming brown. Hot damn.

"Let's get to it then..." Max gestures for me to lead the way. He follows me through the house and to his bedroom. "You can change in the bathroom..."

I take the bag in my hand by the handles and step over to the en suite. I notice the double sinks, the two shower heads. It makes my heart sink a little. Max may be paying me to beat him but I actually do care about him. I hope that he can find his own woman soon.

I exit the bathroom in full costume-a black push-up bra, a black blazer, a black pencil skirt with a slit that goes all the way up, black stilettos, and, as a finishing touch, thick-framed glasses. There really isn't a specific title for this ensemble, but we just roll with it.

I walk around to the other side of the bed, where Max is standing. He stares at me, drinking in my appearance. I smirk as I notice a twitch in my left hand. He's ready. I grab the paddle from my bag and tap it expectantly against my free hand as I stroll back over to Max.

"On all fours," I bellow. Max flinches at my sudden outburst, but quickly follows orders. "Remove your boxer briefs." He does so. "Any last words?" I smirk and raise the paddle.

"I'm a bad boy..." Max says quietly, excitement rattling his voice, "...and I need to be punished."

Something grows inside me-an overwhelming feeling of power and lust. This is what I live for. I need this to stay sane, even though it seems insane. And in this moment, I flash back to that moment when I was five years old-holding my best friend's hand on her little princess bed as her dad stood before us, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants...

"Elizabeth?" Max whispers, turning his head to look at me.

I snap out of the flashback, blinking a few times. I clear my throat and my mind. "Who's your master?" Whack!

Max winces in pain and shock. "You are!" He yells.

I can still see in his eyes that he's worried about me but I ignore him. "I can't hear you!" Whack! Whack!

"You are! You are my master!" Max's fingertips dig into the carpet.

"Who is nothing?" Whack!

"I am!" At this point, Max grabs ahold of himself and begins to slowly pump his hand on his member.

I continue to hit him with the paddle and he continues to pleasure himself. I try my best to keep the thoughts of my past away but they linger in the back of my head. I don't even realize that Max is begging me to stop.

"Elizabeth! Stop!"

"What?" My arm goes limp and I drop the paddle. I run my hand through my thick black curls, pick up the paddle and walk over to my bag.

"Elizabeth? Are you okay?" Max walks over and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Yes! I'm fine! I'm just having... an off day."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No! Just... get dressed... please." I feel Max leave my side. I zip up my bag and turn, face flushed. "Listen, you don't have to pay me for today... that was really unprofessional."

"On the contrary, I have an offer for you." My head tilts and my brows furrow. Max walks over to me to the point where our faces are other a few inches apart. "I would like an exclusive deal."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I want to be your only client-"

"-No way! I can't afford that!"

"I'll pay you as much as you're making now. It would only be for the rest of the season."

I think about it for a moment. Max is my favorite client and I would get to travel, as risky as it is. "I'll do it!" I chirp, not really thinking it through.

"Perfect! We can set up a date to draw up a contract next week." Max smiles that stupid, goofy grin of his. My phone buzzes and I pick it up. "Who is it?"

"It's Alex..."

"What does he want?" Max asks, his tone slightly changing.

"He wants to have dinner tonight!" I smile brightly. I haven't been asked out on a real date in what seems like forever.

"Really?" Max's head tilts to the side. "Are you going to go?"

"Of course!" I exclaim, my demeanor immediately changing. "I had a really nice time with him when we went out to dinner in Cleveland!" I look at my phone again to check the time. "Oh! I better get changed and go!" I run to the bathroom and I peel off my sexy punisher costume and change back into my normal outfit. I exit the bathroom and grab the money out of Max's hand. "Thanks for everything, Max." I smile at him.

He smiles back. "You're welcome," he whispers. Max clears his throat and pats me on the arm. "You better go..."

I smile wider and then walk out of the bedroom. On the ride back to my apartment, I try to put together the best outfit I can for this occasion. I burst through my apartment door and run to my bedroom. I don't even bother putting all my tools and costume away-I just get straight to my date. With shaking hands, I get changed into black jeans, a black sleeveless chiffon top with a studded collar, heeled leather booties and a studded leather crossbody bag. Silver hoop earrings, a silver cross necklace and a silver smoky eye complete the look.

Alex texts me an address and then I'm out the door. I plug the address into the GPS on my phone once I get into my car. My heart is pounding so hard that I can hear it in my ears. I am so nervous. My phone announces that I have arrived at my destination-a house. His house? What is going on here..?

"Elizabeth!" Alex exclaims when he opens the door.

"Hey, Alex," I say quietly.

"Come in, come in!" Alex moves out of the way and gestures for me to enter his house. I walk in hesitantly. "You can head to the kitchen. It's right down the hallway on your left."

I smile and continue through the house. Several seconds later, I come to an open concept living room, kitchen and dining area. The kitchen is absolutely beautiful-state-of-the-art appliances, gorgeous stone countertops and then I notice bags of food on the island.

"You okay? You look kind of uneasy there..." Alex says, biting his lip a little bit.

"No, no, it's just... I was expecting us to be eating at a... restaurant." I clear my throat and brush some curls out of my face.

"Oh. I was just thinking that since it's my day off, it would nicer and easier if we stayed away from restaurants." Alex pauses. "But I mean, we could go if you want..."

"No! It's fine! We can eat here. You already got dinner. It's... fine." I smile confidently at him.

"Okay!" Alex returns the smile. "Well, you can sit at the table-"

"-Nope! I want to be of help!" The response comes out quick and awkward. I feel a pit form in my stomach.

"Alright, then you can set the table."

Alex shows me where the plates, glasses, and silverware are located. I set two place settings while Alex prepares the food. He got Greek-one of my favorites. I try my best to eat "like a lady" but I am starving. Work always makes me hungry, oddly enough. Alex and I continue our conversation from dinner the other night-fake work, fake life, fake everything, but real family and real (limited) interests. I feel like things are going really well.

"Oh! I have something for you!" Alex jumps up from his seat and goes down another hallway.

I wait patiently for a few moments until Alex emerges into the room once more. He hands me a DVD and my stomach twists with anxiety. What is this? "What is it?" I ask, getting a little nervous. What if Alex is really some kind of creep?

Alex walks back around to his side of the table and picks up our plates. "Well, you said you didn't like baseball and I thought I'd change that. It's a recording of one of our games. I thought we could watch it and I could teach the rules and aspects of the game. Well... only if you want to."

I try to hide a smile. His nerd is showing. But it's a different kind of nerd-baseball nerd. I think about it a minute. We have been having such a nice time and I'm sure we'll have more dates like this one. "Sure, Alex, I would love to."