When we finally arrived in Shreveport just after four a.m., Pam met us on the tarmac. I simply nodded to her. I was thankful I still had the collar on. It was so late, or bedtime, actually, and I was so exhausted at that point there was no telling what would have come out of my mouth.

Riding in the back of the SUV, I stared out the window in a drowsy daze while Eric proposed to Pam the two of us stay at her house. Of course she protested. "Eric, you know that's the only place I can get away from you," she huffed.

"It'll only be for a month or so, until we can find an appropriate place," Eric told her. "We can stay at my lair today, though."

"Take away the damned bathroom duty, and you may stay."

Mark that down as another question.

When we made it back to Pam's, Eric didn't even ask me if I needed to be carried back to His place; He must have read it on my face. He picked me up with ease, as I was in half a daze, even though the cool wind blowing on my face was refreshing.

"Sweetheart, scoot over," I heard Him say. My eyes fluttered open, and I found Him kneeling on the mattress in His lair. I rolled over; only then did I feel I was no longer wearing the collar. He lay down beside me and asked, "Do you have any questions before we go to sleep?"

"Um, y'ah, I wanna kn ..." I was asleep before I could finish asking Him.

The next night, as soon as we arrived at Fangtasia for work, Master literally dragged me downstairs to the basement dungeon for my punishment. As He promised, He explained to me why I was to receive it—because I'd moaned while we were in the bathroom and He explicitly told me not to. He practically pushed me against the wall, front first, ass bare. Immediately the sound of the whip behind me was more frightening and painful than the actual crack to my ass. The sting lasted ten seconds, yet the cut healed within minutes. Lesson not learned.

Two weeks later, the transition to my new life as vampire and Eric Northman's slave was very difficult, to say the least. Aside from the bullshit we got from Pam making smart-assed comments about our love life—sex with Him was still incredible and nightly—the work environment was stressful. Having to wear the collar nightly, removing it only when we were home and getting ready to sleep for the day, messed with my head knowing when business was business, and servitude to Eric was servitude to Eric.

The resolution to that was Eric's purchase of Dani's Delites Beauty Salon. It was a wise decision, considering the owner, Dani, was then officially dead. He renamed it Fang Cuts—the slogan being: 'So Good It Sucks.' Because Doug had proven his loyalty to Eric, He gave Doug free rein on running it, while I was the full-time accountant. So technically, I was still Eric's employee. I was happy about that because it would give me the freedom I craved, while knowing when we got home I was still His slave.

Until the sale had officially gone through for Fang Cuts to reopen under new management, I was still working at Fangtasia. With my new-found craving for human blood, Master found it amusing during the two hours beside Him on His throne when I would pick out human males, and females that I would love to taste, providing Him with a number from one to ten. Rarely were there any tens, although Pam gave us her unsolicited opinions constantly.

A few weeks later, out of the blue, Eric decided he wanted to play, and I was all for it. Everything was perfect, more than perfect. The ending, however, was a different story.

Shortly before one a.m., He came into my office and from the expression on His face I knew He had a different set of rules, which I listened to intently. Sitting on my desk, His legs straddling mine, He told me, "You will not remove the collar. Therefore, you are not to speak. You may make any noise that comes to you, and I assure you that I will make you moan. The only word you are allowed to speak is Edge, so that I can monitor your orgasms, and your safe word—asparagus, is it?"

I did not reply, nor acknowledged it. "You may nod or shake your head." I nodded. "Fine. I will be rough with you tonight, little one. I am curious what you can handle now. You may also use green, yellow, or red. Speak green, and I will increase; yellow, I will decrease; and red, I will stop. Your safe word will end the scene altogether, and you will be removed from the apparatus. Do you understand?"

Again, I remained silent and motionless. He leaned in smiling, cupping my neck with His hand. "You please me greatly, slave. Nod if you understand the new rules." I nodded. "Very good. Nod or shake your head if you have any questions." After I thought about it, I shook my head.

Swiftly he moved His hand behind my neck and pulled me to Him, crashing His lips into mine. The tips of His fingers brushed under my hair against my scalp, sending chills down my body. "Go now, undress and lay on the table in the center of the room. I will join your shortly."

As ordered, I immediately went downstairs, removed my clothing and lay on the cold, metal table that was set directly under two suspension bars. I knew what they were. I'd educated myself on dungeon equipment. So the long wait for Eric's arrival built up my expectations. But He didn't show up right away, so I took advantage of peeking at the items in the room. The only thing that caught my attention was a metal cart set near the table with several items underneath, covered with a white towel.

My head turned back to stare at the ceiling when I heard the door open. "It is your Master."

I waited patiently as He slowly and silently descended the stairs, but then I heard another pair of footsteps behind Him. From the click of the heels on the wood planks, I ascertained it was Pam, or at least hoped it was Pam. It was. She stood silently and menacingly by the secretive cart.

Master approached my side, looking up and down my naked, exposed body. "Look at me," He commanded. I did so, and He proceeded to run His huge, cool hand up and down my body, kneading and massaging my flesh slowly. I moaned because it felt so good, and I grunted He grasped my breast and squeezed tight. He looked over at Pam, and a knot instantly grew in my stomach. She placed restraints around each ankle, while I was instructed by Master to keep my hands gripping the edge of the table, not to move. Once both restraints were on, she reached for the hook from one end of the suspension bar, pulling down on it so that she could hook me to it, then released it slowly. My feet went up and up, at about the height of Pam's head; my legs were at an odd angle, the small of my back just barely off the table. Then my legs spread wider, my knees bent slightly, giving Pam an all access pass.

"Ready," she announced.

"Slave, you are to keep your eyes on me. Pam has been a pain my ass about having you, but I wouldn't allow it. She has so many things to apologize to you for, and I strongly believe the pleasures she is about to give you will more than make up for it. How many times have you cum in one session, little one?" I didn't reply, of course. "Well, we shall see, now won't we? Your orgasms are mine, though. You are to cum only when I allow it."

I heard wheels squeaking closer to the foot of the table, but I couldn't see what Pam was doing. Master had my head turned at a certain angle that prevented it. She stepped between my knees and rubbed her hand over my crotch, one finger circling my entrance before sliding up to my hard, sensitive clit. Down and up she went until I was completely soaked. From the corner of my eye, I could see she uncovered the cart but still couldn't see what was on it. She grabbed something then Master said, "Third from right. Slave, close your eyes and keep them closed." I did so, anticipating what was to come. "Give me a minute," Master told Pam.

I sighed when I felt a sharp instrument roll over my erect nipple, down then up again. Moving to the other nipple, He applied the same pressure with the tool before he dove His lips around my other nipple, sucking hard and constantly. I held on to the table harder, trying my best not to struggle with my feet.

I could feel His head tilt towards Pam's direction, then he groaned; the vibration against my nipple was electric. Then I heard a vibrator, and I tensed my body, knowing what was then coming. The tip of the cold metal vibrator outlined my entrance, gathering moisture before it moved up to my clit. I cried out when it rested on my spot—just to the right of my lip. The pulsating from it coursed through my whole crotch, making me gasp. She applied more pressure, and by then I was breathing uncontrollably. Not that I had to. I'd been human longer than I'd been vampire; it came natural to me.

Regretfully, Eric pulled away from my nipple and whispered in my ear, "Look at me." I did, and the look of hunger in His eyes shocked me. I'd never seen that expression on His face before.

Pam began to manipulate the vibrator down to my entrance again, then back to my clit. Without realizing it, I began to gyrate my hips when the tip of it was at the head. I closed my eyes briefly and was immediately smacked on the cheek by Master. "Do that again and we end it," He warned sternly.

Concentrating on keeping my eyes on His, Pam applied more pressure against my clit, and I cried out, "Edge!"

Master nodded to Pam. "Give it to me, slave."

Then she flung the vibrator side to side, and I instantly came hard. Even as the waves of the orgasm surged through me, Pam didn't stop what she was doing. My mouth hung open until the orgasm subsided.

I'd kept my eyes locked on Master's, and He smiled at me. "Good girl. Do not warn me of you cumming. Pam will not stop until you have no more of yourself to give. Keep count. I will ask you later the correct number. You guess correctly, and I reward you. Get it wrong, you will be punished."

Again she made me cum, and again, and again. I had tears building up in my eyes, and I'm sure they rolled in the back of my head every time the orgasms ripped through me. But I kept count, like the dutiful slave that I was. Over and over I came, screaming and crying out, my body convulsed with each release.

But I made a huge mistake: I yelled, "Oh, fuck!"

"Stop!" Master hollered, and my eyes flew open, knowing how much trouble I was in.

The vibrator was immediately removed, and Pam stepped back. "Oh, goody. I've been waiting for this," she said evilly.

"Pam," Master began, "You will leave us." She pouted, and Eric grew angry. "NOW." When she left us alone, He walked around the table, eyeing me like He wanted to kill me. Shaking His head, He said, "How you bring me pleasure in your obedience, only to have it disintegrate with your defiance."

The tears that then fell were from the shame at disappointing Him. I couldn't control myself. Six orgasms in ten minutes were extreme. I could take no more.

He stopped at the cart, keeping His eyes on me. "See that wall over there?" I looked in the direction. "What haven't we used yet?"

Checking out the items hanging on the wall, we hadn't used the cane, the braided flogger, the riding crop ... the riding crop! My eyes grew huge and butterflies erupted in my stomach. No, no, no.

"Ah, I see you have spotted it," He said as He walked over, pulled it off the hook, and came back to me. "You are aware of why this has to happen?" I nodded. "What shall the appropriate punishment be, I wonder? One?" He tapped my shoulder with the small leather square. I winced, though it was only a soft tap. "Two?" He moved it to the outer rim of my breast, smacking harder. "Three?" He traced the pad down my stomach then hit my clit so hard I cried out in pain. I struggled with my feet; my fingers locked up on me as I gripped the table tighter.

Without another word, He slapped the inside of my thighs hard, one after the other, never letting up before He smacked my clit again, forcing another cry and even more tears.

"Why do you make me do this?" He asked when He finally, and thankfully, finished. "Your tears do not work on me," He said, leaning in close to my face. "I want you to remember how it feels. It seems I now have the proper tool for your retributions."

Lesson now learned.

Trying to force myself to calm down, Master lowered the other end of the suspension bar that was directly above my head, strapped restraints around my wrists then hooked me on to it. Stepping back, He cranked a lever until my hands were at the same level as my feet. It was difficult to keep my head up; I no longer had any strength to do so. He grabbed something from the metal cart, snagged it to a hook on the opposite side, and had me rest my head on the cloth. "You know, I should leave your fucking head hanging after you blatantly defied me."

Ouch.

He pushed the table I had been on away, leaving me hanging by my ankles and wrists with my back side about five feet off the ground. My body was in a semi-circle, and after just sixty seconds, I was beginning to hurt. And He then had access to every inch of me.

I didn't dare watch Him as He walked away. I just stared at the dark ceiling above me. When Master returned, He was flinging the straps of a flogger into His hand. While that usually set me off in a good way, then I wasn't looking forward to it. I remembered what He'd told me upstairs: 'I will be rough with you tonight, little one. I am curious what you can handle now.' Yeah, and I was curious whether I'd survive.

"Remember your green, yellow, red and your safe word," He said, swinging the flogger back. "And keep your damned eyes closed!"

After closing them, I braced myself for the pleasure I was about to get. And I didn't have to wait long. He flung the flogger over my shoulders, my breasts, my thighs, but with little force. I took a moment to gauge the impacts, and I needed to find my sub-space, needed it desperately. "Green," I heard myself croak.

Within a second he struck the same spots but harder. I started to squirm a little bit, but He kept it up, over and over, in perfect rhythm. I was feeling my brain become numb, but I still had a long way to go. "Green," I repeated. That time He struck me harder, so hard in fact that I gasped and fisted my hands.

He worked me again until He stopped briefly, and I felt a breeze as He rushed away from me. I heard the impact on my crotch before I even felt it and moaned because a few strips hit my clit. Then He flogged me in a rhythm I recognized as the figure-eight, and again He had me groaning and squirming. Stepping back, He worked my inner thighs before He moved to my side and began to flog me underneath my body—my shoulder blades, my back, my ass cheeks. Ah, that's the spot.

A few minutes passed, and I felt myself drift off, letting my body speak and feel for me. The next thing my body experienced was His cool, wet lips enveloping the tip of a breast, while He brushed the flogger straps against my pussy. "Edge!" I cried out in ecstasy a moment later, the orgasm building and building within me.

As my mind faded away, I heard myself whimpering softly and constantly, the sound slowly drifting farther and farther from my ears. Then my body no longer responded to any contact at all. I lost track of time; I lost track of what my Master was doing to my body.

Then a hard pressure slapped against my stomach then sharp, painful, intense rips tore through my lower belly. That snapped me around real quick. I waited a moment to see if the pain would subside while He kept flogging me. It didn't.

"ASPARAGUS!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The pain was killing me, literally, which is saying a lot for a vampire.

"Slave, Connee, talk to me!" I heard Eric say, but He sounded distant. His voice was scared, which scared me. "Come back to me," He crooned urgently in my ear. A flat palm smoothed the short bangs of hair from my forehead, still speaking to me, though most of the words were incomprehensible. His leg wrapped tighter around both of mine, and I could tell I was lying on my side facing Him, my face buried in His neck. "Speak to me! Your collar is off. Connee?"

"Er'c," I cried, feeling the tears pour from my eyes. My body convulsed, and I was gripping my stomach. "Oh, God, it hurts!"

"What? Your stomach is fine. It's red, but—"

"No, no. Inside. Wha'd you do?" I wasn't blasting Him. I wanted to know what the hell He hit me with.

"It was the flogger, only the flogger," He stuttered, His voice shaking. "Oh, Connee, I am so sorry. Shit! Why did you let me continue if you hurt that badly?"

"I waited to see if it would stop."

"That was stupid. Is it better now?"

"Only a little."

He started to coo into my ear and shh'ing me before He pushed my arms away and started to rub my tummy. I rolled over on my back because although the action didn't help the pain, His actual touch did. "Let go of the pain, sweetheart." He began to hum softly, and I felt myself drift away again. "Never again, I promise you. Let's get you home."

"No, no, please, Master. Not yet. I'm not ready to move yet."

"Okay, whatever you want. You should have warned me sooner," He told me, placing soft, gentle kisses on my cheek. "Why aren't you healing?" I could only shake my head. He sat up and pulled me on top of Him. I placed my hands on His shoulders, burying my face in His collarbone. "Drink from me."

"I' ... so weak."

"Do it anyway," He said, but not demanding.

I parted my lips and dug my fangs into His neck. I had so little strength that He lifted His head and pushed my head harder into His, forcing my fangs in deeper to allow a faster blood flow. As His blood filled my mouth and slicked down my throat, the pain immediately became less sharp.

Eric groaned then said, "That's enough."

He held me for I don't know how long until I rolled off Him, holding His hand. "It's better."

"Good, good. Have you ever felt anything like that before?"

"No, not while I was human, Sir. I didn't mean to scare you."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Connee. I should have known."

Lifting my head, I kissed Him as hard as I could. Breaking away, I said, "Hon, we're both working on a new learning curve. We'll take it slower next time."

"You'll let me know?"

"Yes, of course. You can still make love to me," I said as seriously as I could, although I was teasing.

His eyebrow rose, and a crack broke from His lips. "Now?"

I chuckled then moaned a little. "Um, no, but you can wake me up tonight before you go to work."

"Sweet!"

"Oh, hush and take me home."

AN: This might be a bit harsh with the punishment, but that's D/s for you! If a sub misbehaves, she is punished. Some subs prefer harder punishments, like a whip til they bleed. And Eric might have been a bit … stern, but again he has to keep his dominance of her in check at all times.