CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

FRIDAY

Steph slammed on the brakes, stopping inches from the bumper of the van in front of her. She hadn't seen his brake lights. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't seen the van. She had been on autopilot all morning. Her brain wasn't foggy. On the contrary, it was laser-focused.

At eight o'clock that evening, she would officially become Ranger's submissive. Her training would begin. She would find out if the unspoken desires and hidden fantasies that invaded her sexual thoughts, were shadows of past-read novels and past-seen movies. Or could they be a desperate attempt to slip into Ranger's private world and make him pay more attention to her? Would she like being in the role of submissive? Would she measure up? To whose standard…hers…his? One thing was for certain. After tonight…nothing would be the same…ever.

At three o'clock, she gave up any pretense that she could function doing her job. She returned to her apartment to begin preparing for her evening. She showered. It felt too normal for such a momentous occasion. So she then took a long hot bath using a copious amount of B&B's Warm Vanilla Sugar bubble bath. As she was shaving her legs, she wondered. 'Just how far up should I go? Does he want me to shave up there? I read that some Doms like everything shaved. He never said.' Deciding on a compromise, she shaved her bikini line only. Compromise! This whole thing is about compromise.

Selecting the right clothes was an agonizing process. Should she be provocative? Should she be innocent? Perhaps, neutral was the way to go. She settled for a combination…black stretch jeans, soft white peasant-style blouse and sexy black-laced lingerie. This could all be for nothing. Maybe he will have one of those leather outfits or tied-up corsets for me to wear. Or maybe he will want me nude. God, I'm going to be sick to my stomach! With that thought, she raced to the bathroom to find that one could not vomit if one had not eaten. When the dry heaves stopped, her stomach ached. Her head ached. And she had to reapply her makeup. It had been an excruciatingly long day and promised to be an anxious night.

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She parked in the RangeMan garage by seven-thirty. The contract specifically stated eight o'clock. She didn't want to break any of the rules before officially beginning her training. She would wait. Steph fobbed the lock to Ranger's apartment at exactly one minute to eight.

There was a note for her on the foyer table. "Go into my study. Remove your clothing, leaving on only your bra and panties. Wait for me there."

The apartment was quiet. She vaguely heard the sound of the clock on the wall. Her hands trembled as she took off her clothes, folded them and placed them on the floor. Hands clasped in front of her, she stood and waited.

She gasped at the sight of him as he entered from his bedroom. His feet were bare. His chest was bare. He was wearing black, loose-fitting Chinese-looking pants that tied with a sash, which draped down his left hip. His dark hair was gathered in the back in a short ponytail. His face showed no emotion. His eyes glowed with coal-black fire. He was magnificent!

"The first thing you must remember, my dear, is to breathe. Our evening will be very short if that is not incorporated into your actions." There was a hint, just barely a hint, of a smile. And then it was gone. Business was at hand.

"Of course, yes," Steph exhaled her breath as she spoke.

"Yes, what?" His voice was stern.

"Yes, sir," she replied meekly and cast her eyes downward towards his remarkable bare feet.

"Good. You must remember to address me that way any time you speak. And you will remember to speak only when given permission. Is that understood?"

Now Steph was torn. Did he give her permission to speak by asking her a question? Should she just nod? Her eyes projected the conflict running amok in her brain.

"Don't overthink things, Stephanie. When I ask you a question, I expect an answer…immediately." Ranger involuntarily shook his head. This is going to be a very long evening. It's going to be interesting and fun…but very, very long. "Come, let me show you what I expect of you at the beginning of our scenes."

Taking her hand in his, he led her to the deep-pile rug in front of the fireplace. Turning her around so that she faced into the room he ordered, "Now kneel. I want to see your submissive pose."

She knelt immediately and put her head down and her hands on her thighs. "That is not going to be very comfortable or sustainable if you have to wait for a long amount of time. Let me show you what I want." Gently, he rocked her back so that she was sitting on her heels. It was a much more comfortable position. Steph became more at ease.

"Good. Now open your knees." He pushed them apart with his hands. "Not too far. There that's just enough. You are never to deny me the ability to look upon what is mine. Do you understand?"

What is his? What is his? I guess I am his…to order and to do with what he pleases. There was a brief moment of panic. but she remembered how much she trusted him. "I will never hurt you." Those were his words and she believed them. She remembered his earlier command. "Yes, Sir," she replied.

"You will be dressed exactly like this and wait in this pose every time we play. Do you understand?" Again, his voice was that of the Dom.

"Yes, sir." This time her voice echoed her newfound confidence. Was she getting more comfortable in her new role? Or was the fact that Ranger was perfect in his role as Dom that obedience was the natural result? Steph could feel her heart racing in anticipation of what was to follow.

"I'm going to teach you something. Something that you will use many times while we play. Something that you will be able to use outside in the other world, too. I'm going to teach you how to breathe. It seems to be an on-going problem with you." His voice was gentle, but contained an ironic undertone.

Breathe? She was pretty sure that she was breathing. It was her heartbeat that was out of control. Before she could answer, Ranger was standing by her side. He reached down and gently placed his palm on the center of her back. "You are going to learn 'Square Breathing.' It is an ancient technique to calm the body and the soul. Now pay close attention to the movement of my finger."

As he spoke, Ranger began to draw a large square on Stephanie's back. The square stretched from shoulder blade to shoulder blade and downward to the ends of her rib cage. As he drew the square again, he gave her instructions. "When I draw up the square you will inhale. As I cross the square, you will hold your breath. On the downward stroke, you will exhale. Again, on the cross, you will hold. And the procedure will be repeated until you are relaxed and calm." He didn't ask her if she had understood him. He just began drawing the square on her back.

The first couple of breaths were difficult. She drew in too much air the first time. She exhaled too quickly on the second try. By the sixth square, all her attention had been placed on his finger movement and not on her air intake. She found herself quieted and almost peaceful. Remarkable! How does he do that? The thought was fleeting and quickly shelved as his voice broke her thought process.

"Good girl! Now we can begin."

Begin? What were we doing for the last half hour? What could possibly be next?

Ranger walked toward his desk and returned with a black cloth in his hand. "I am going to blindfold you now. I don't want you distracted by what you see. I want you to concentrate fully on what you feel." With those words he covered her eyes completely. There was not a hint of light peeking in from anywhere. Steph was totally blind.

After tying the blindfold, Ranger stepped quietly away, leaving her in complete darkness and silence. He leaned against the desk and studied his student intensely. He monitored her breathing and watched her body language. He was pleased to see her practicing the breathing technique. It was the same one he used as a sniper to calm his body before taking "the shot." He waited silently as she morphed through the expected stages…curiosity, impatience, resignation, control, trust and finally a docile calm. He approached her and ordered her to stand.

She was awkward getting to her feet. She realized that those yoga classes were for more than flexibility. They would help her to become more graceful and therefore more sensual. She promised herself not to miss any of those classes again. Being blindfolded didn't help her sense of balance either. Ranger was right. Her sense of hearing was heightened. She could visualize his movements by the slight rustling of his pants. If she concentrated, she could hear the sound of his bare feet on the carpet.

He took her by the shoulders and corrected her posture. "Stand straight with your head up. Put your hands behind your back and lock your fingers together. I want you to keep them there until I tell you otherwise. Do you understand?" Steph nodded and immediately knew that she had made a mistake.

His voice was stern. "Do not nod. I want to hear your reply, every time. Again, do you understand?"

"Yes Sir, I do understand."

"Good girl. Now spread your legs slightly. Your feet should line up with your shoulders. Like this." He used his own feet to slide hers to the required position. "Every time I tell you to stand before me, this is the stance that I will require. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir, I understand." God! Why does he keep asking me that? I'm not an idiot. I can remember simple things!

"Do I sense some impatience or perhaps insolence coming from my sub?" His voice did not sound kind.

"No, Sir. I'm just a little anxious. I just want to do everything correctly, that's all." Is he a friggin mind reader too?

"Good. I wouldn't want to start our first session with an attitude adjustment…and neither would you." The threat, though merely implied, hung heavy in the air for a moment. "Now, I want you to concentrate."

He began to slowly draw something light and fluffy across her chin. It didn't quite tickle, but it still felt very light to the touch…feather light. That was it! It was a long feather. Slowly, he drew it down her neck, across her chest and up the other side of her neck, then softly over her lips. He was repeating the breathing square that he had just taught her.

At some point, the world around her disappeared and only the feather's interaction with her skin existed. It flowed down her arms, dragging goose bumps behind it. It caressed each of her breasts, coaxing her nipples into hard peaks. It floated across her belly, forcing heat to build below. It licked deliciously up and down her parted legs, stopping at their apex. Finally it found the treasure that it was seeking. Its tip tickled her nub. It slid its length back and forth on her still panty-clad lips. It tapped at the opening as if asking for admittance to a secret place.

She came suddenly and uncontrollably. Simultaneously she cried out, began to shiver and her legs gave out. Ranger caught her before she hit the floor. "We will need to work on your control. You must not climax so soon. There is more to do this evening and much of your energy is already spent. Let's have you kneel and restore yourself while I prepare for the rest of your lesson."…

TBC…