"Mama..." a little voice spoke.
"Mmm..." I rolled over, going back to sleep. Last night was a rough one. I'd wake up in the middle of the night with random aches and pains all over the place. That's what happens when I skate and don't stretch a little first. I could still feel it days later. The screams of my physical therapists can be heard around the world and in every language.
"Mama..." Yurio, I think.
"What?" I growled. As much as I love him, he needs to go back to bed.
"We got practice this morning."
SHIT! I bolted out of bed. I did, too. I totally forgot I had to juggle the boys, too. Alright. We could do this. Yurio was pretty self-sufficient. Yuri, too. And what Yurio couldn't do for himself, Yuri wouldn't hesitate to help him out. Even though, I'd occasionally have to go in behind him and take care of it. Right now, that didn't matter. I made the boys their respective bagels and let them eat breakfast while I got in the shower.
Dammit, Mike. Why'd you have to cut off my caffeine? I was running on autopilot as it is. A little boost of rocket fuel would've been nice. Instead, I popped a couple of aspirin to kill the headache and pulled my ass together. As I pulled my leggings up, I stuck my head out the bathroom door, "Hey, Yuri!"
"Yeah?" I had two voices answer me back. At this point, I didn't care who answered me. Either one would know.
"Do I take you to practice or does Celestino?" I asked, almost falling over.
"You!"
Shit...Well, I had practice, too. But the boys went to the rink before they did dance lessons. And I'm sure Celestino took them to their dance lessons. In fact, I'm sure of it. Except for when Victor had Yuri. Then, Victor took care of everything. But Victor was probably in Malta by now. Come on, Violet. You can do this. You managed while Victor was skating his last season. You can do that all over again. That's all this is. Sure, it's a little overwhelming, but I can do it. I grabbed the boys and dropped them off at the rink. Celestino was waiting for them inside.
"Morning, Violet," he looked me over, "Dio mio, bambina. You look awful. Are you ok?"
"Ish," I shrugged him off, "No. Not really. I'll live, though."
"You do know you can ask for help if you need it," Celestino offered, "I'm only a phone call away. You don't need to overdo it."
"Thanks, Coach," I rested my head on his shoulder, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm fine. I'm just being a baby."
"Are you sure?" he worried.
"Yes," I nodded, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to my dance lesson. I'm late already and Madame's going to have my ass on a silver platter."
"Godspeed," Celestino sent me off.
I kissed my babies and left them in the capable hands of my coach. Now, to face Madame. She's going to kill me. I'm ten minutes late and running on hardly any sleep. She's going to end me. Hey, God? If you could do a girl a solid and let her live through her dance practice and not be strangled at the hands of her dance teacher, that'd be really cool. When I walked in, Madame was already sitting on the stage, twiddling her thumbs, waiting for me.
"I'm so sorry, Madame," I apologized all over myself, "I had to take Yuri and Yurio to Celestino and it's been a day already."
"Violet, relax," Madame settled me, "I don't know about you, but I like to start off with good morning. What's got you so wound up, baby?"
"I've been single mom-ing it these days," I sat on the edge of the stage with her, "I didn't get any sleep last night. Even worse, I've had to cut caffeine out. I'm exhausted."
"Oh, sweetheart," she hugged me tight, "Don't you worry. I got you."
"What do you got?" I wondered as she dug around in her bag.
"Here," Madame handed me a dark bottle, "It's vitamin B-12. If you can't have caffeine, this is going to be your friend. Take one of these and you'll be fine. It'll give you a bit of a boost. Starting right now."
"I love you, Madame," I rested my head on her shoulder, swallowing one of the tablets from the bottle. God bless her for finding the loophole in Mike telling me no caffeine.
"I love you, too," she kissed my forehead, "Now, let's do this, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am," I jumped down from the stage and the two of us got to work. Sure, Madame might have worked my ass to the bone, but it'll totally be worth it when I'm back at the Grand Prix Final again. It'll be worth it. That is, if the asshole press doesn't destroy my reputation beforehand. I still wanted to meet Doyle Wallace from Skate Weekly Magazine and curb stomp his balls until he couldn't see straight. Maybe one day.
Once I was done with Madame, I started heading back to the rink. Either I was going to take Yuri and Yurio to their dance lesson or Celestino would. My money was on Celestino. He had a strange look in his eyes when I dropped the boys off this morning. Pity. I didn't like that. I could take care of my boys. That's no problem. It never has been and it never will be. Nothing I hate more than when people doubt me. ESPECIALLY when it has to do with Yuri and Yurio.
On the plus side, though, that B-12 Madame gave me was finally kicking in and I started feeling a million times better. Really and truly, thank GOD for that loophole. This whole no caffeine thing was making me want to fling myself into traffic. The things we do for Master, I guess.
Ring, ring.
Hey. Speak of the devil. There's a voice I wouldn't mind hearing. I turned my charm up, "Good morning, Master."
"Good morning, princess," Mike melted, "What are you up to?"
"Currently?" I thought, "On my way to practice. We may have to make this short."
"Out of curiosity," he wondered, "You wouldn't happen to be wearing your warm ups right now, would you?"
"Yeah..." Weird.
"White top, green bottoms?"
"Yeah..." Really weird.
But then, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and a pair of lips on the top of my head. Ok. That makes more sense, "Hi, sweetheart."
"I swear you're stalking me," I teased, hanging up my phone and throwing it back in my bag.
"I'm not stalking you," Mike promised, "You know it's not safe for a young lady like yourself to wander around these streets alone. Traveling sans bodyguard today, are we?"
"It's Gene's day off," I explained, "It's cool. I told him I'd be alright. I could've used his help this morning, but we're good."
"What happened this morning?" he perked up.
"Things got a bit hectic," I settled him, "The boys almost missed their practice time and I almost missed my dance practice. We're fine."
"That's good," Mike took my hand, "You know, I missed you."
"We just saw each other the other day," I giggled.
"I know," he whined, "But I like seeing you regularly. It's been hard these past few days. You said you were on your way to practice, right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you think I could come watch?" Mike asked, "I know your coach says your practices are closed, but I can hide in the back. He won't know I'm there."
"It's fine with me," I allowed, "Just make sure Celestino can't see you."
He stopped me in front of the door, just to look me over, "Huh."
"What?" I started to get a little nervous.
"You're weirdly uppity, Violet," Master took over, "You're not doing something silly like drinking caffeine, are you? Because I remember specifically telling you not to. And you're my good girl, right?"
"I haven't had any, Master," I promised, "It's just a vitamin. I promise."
"Oh." He looked like I just punched him in the stomach. Only I felt the punch.
"What?"
"I don't remember telling you that it was ok to put those kinds of unnecessary chemicals in your body," Master thought, "Other than delirious sex, why else do you think I told you to cut out caffeine?"
"Come on, Mike," I begged, "I'm dying here. The withdrawal headaches are a bitch and I'm having trouble functioning."
"Violet, you're fine," he assured, grabbing the door for me, "Now, go to practice."
"Yes, sir." He's pissed. I could smell it. Mike's pissed. He'll get over it. They're just vitamins. They're good for me. They're not unnecessary if they're helping me get along in my day to day life and keeping me from killing people. When we walked in, Mike found a hiding spot and I went down to the rink. Yuri and Yurio were just coming back in.
"Mama!" Yurio found me first, jumping into my arms.
"Hey, baby," I hugged him tight, "You do good at practice today?"
"Yeah!" The kid was still pretty fired up, I see.
"Hey, Coach," I called out, "Are you taking the boys to their dance lessons or am I?"
"I am," Celestino decided, "You can manage to warm up without me here to nag you, can't you?"
"Of course I can," I scoffed, dropping my bag on the bench and my son on his feet, "I love you. Go on. Make me proud, boys."
"Ok, Mama," Yuri hugged me tight, then Yurio shortly after, and Celestino took them to their respective dance teachers. He did say he wanted me to warm up by myself. I can do that! I threw my phone on shuffle and put my skates on. But then, my music cut out from a beep. Text? Who the hell...?
Locker room. Now.
-M
I saw Mike get up from his hiding spot in the stands and start walking toward the locker room. I knew I was in trouble and I knew Mike wouldn't hesitate to be a voyeur, but I didn't think he'd do anything in this public of a place. Regardless, I was summoned. And who was I to piss master off even more? I've been denying him for a few days. I've been prioritizing someone else over him. I found a loophole to one of his commands. If I don't come out of practice with a bruise on my ass from falling on the ice, it'll be from him.
"Good girl, pet," Master praised as I walked into the locker room, "You know how I love it when you listen."
"So," I wondered innocently, "Why did you ask me in here?"
"Where are you keeping your vitamins, Violet?" Wow. No foreplay.
"In my bag," I gave him a look, "Why?"
"I want you to go get them for me," Master ordered, "Go on, pet. It's like a game of fetch. Get the bottle of vitamins from your bag for me."
"Yes, sir," I ran back to the rink and back to the locker room in no time flat with the bottle in hand, "Did I do good, Master?"
"Yes, you did," he patted my head, "Now, you and I need to have a little talk, my pet."
"What is it?" I cozied up to him, resting my head on his leg, batting my eyelashes. Hopefully, that'll lessen the blow a bit.
"You don't need drugs, Violet," Master dumped the bottle down the sink, running the water over them. My loophole...It's going down the drain, "I'm disappointed you thought you did. I asked you to do one simple thing, pet. Stay off caffeine for a little while. It looks like I overestimated you. Now, I want you to drop to your knees and grab the bench."
"Yes, sir," I did as I was told. this wasn't going to be pretty. I took one long, deep breath in anticipation.
"I want you to count these out, Violet," he pulled my leggings down my thighs, stopping at my knees. My ass wasn't completely out, but damn near, "Do you understand why I'm doing this, pet?"
"Because I started taking vitamins without your permission?" I assumed.
"That's my smart pet," Master praised, "And because you were finding a workaround for a direct order from me. Do you not trust that Master knows what's best for you? Do you think Master can't take care of you?"
"Of course not," my grip around the bench tightened, along with a knot in my stomach. I couldn't believe how guilty he could make me feel for taking one little vitamin. It's soul crushing. I deserve what's coming to me.
"Are you sure?" his hand twitched behind me, "Are you sure you aren't having second thoughts?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you still want me to be your master, Violet?"
"Yes, sir."
I caught Master smiling in the mirror, "I'm glad to hear you say that. Because I don't want you to go. I can't say that I enjoy punishing you, sweetheart, but this can't be overlooked. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," I bit the inside of my cheek.
"We're going to do this three times," Master decided, "Are you ready? Nod."
I nodded once, bracing myself for the first one. It always stung the worst. I never could expect when it's coming. Come on, Violet. Happy place. Think back to the first time you went back to Cosmos by yourself. You got drunk and got back in the cage. That was a fun night. I had my first night with Mike that night.
"ONE!" A sudden sting on my ass snapped me out of my headspace.
"Very good," he rubbed a little of the pain away, "A little quieter, though, Violet. We wouldn't want the staff to get involved, would we? I mean, there's a time and a place for an orgy, but a skating rink locker room isn't one of them."
Whipppp!
"Two…" I whimpered, doing my best to stay strong. My legs were about to give out from under me. Master's hand has gotten a lot heavier since the last time we did this. It hasn't been that long, has it?
"You can let go." What the hell? That was unexpected, "You took the last one pretty well, Vi. I know you can probably hold out for one more, but I'm not going to do that. I think I've made my point. Come here, sweetheart."
Master sat on the floor with me, allowing me into his lap. I bundled up between his legs and laid my head in his chest. I still had a full practice to do today, so the omission of number three was greatly appreciated, "Thank you, Master."
"Even though I've granted you mercy this one time," he assured, holding me a little tighter, "Don't think it's going to happen every time. And I really can't wait for us to be back together again. How long until that happens?"
"They're supposed to be back on Thursday," I did a quick check of my mental calendar.
"Just a few more days then," Master kissed the top of my head, "I have to get back to the office, but I want you to be a good girl while I'm gone. Don't think that just because I'm not here doesn't mean I won't find things out. Are you going to be good for me?"
"Yes, Master," I cuddled into him, not wanting him to leave.
"Good," he gave me one last kiss, "Now, go to practice. Make me proud. You're an amazing skater, Violet. I'd hate to see that go to waste."
Mike helped me off the floor and sent me back out to the rink. My ass was still killing me, though. I could get through it. Go practice, get the boys, go home. Simple as that. Then, I'll turn on the hot tub and kill the afternoon right there. Yuri and Yurio knew what they could and couldn't get into. They knew where everything was. They knew where I'd be.
"Violet," Celestino looked pretty frantic, "Where the hell were you? I thought you just left."
"No," I settled him, "I was in the bathroom."
"Alright." I could see all over his face. He knew I wasn't telling him everything. I wonder if I had the same look on my face as he did whenever I'd catch him coming out of a cathouse at two in the morning, "Hey, Violet."
"What?" I stretched again, doing anything to distract myself from the tingling on my ass.
"Are you alright?" Celestino wondered, "Really?"
"Yeah," I brushed him off, "Why?"
"You look exhausted," he pointed out, taking my hand, "And you were only warming up."
"So, I went a little too hard," I shrugged.
"But your stamina's better than that…"
"I said I'm fine!" I snapped, taking my blade guards off, "Can I get back to skating, please?"
"Yeah," I caught Celestino off guard. He wasn't anticipating me getting so pissed. But I'm sick of people asking me the same damn question all the time. I can do this. Quit doubting me.
A/N: It seems Violet's going through a bit of a roller coaster right now. Fear not, friends, she'll be alright. At least I hope so. She might be next week. Hold on. Let me check the outline…OOH! I forgot about that part! I can't wait for next week now! Because next week is going to be a wonderful update. I pinky promise. And for those of you who are going to be naysayers and say, "Lumi, you didn't check the outline. You probably haven't even started it." Homeboy, I got the next four chapters already outlined. Don't even with me. See you next chapter! xx