Tightening the Bonds

She pulled into the driveway and sat a moment in the car. She was tired, but so glad it was the end of her week. She wished she was looking forward to going inside, but she wasn't. Having Brad around was supposed to be a comfort to her, but it hadn't turned out that way. She sighed and climbed out of the car, gathering her work bag and mega-gulp mug to take in until her next shift.

She walked in and set her stuff down. Brad was sitting in the armchair, watching the news. "Hi hon. Was work ok?"

"It was a long night. Is there any coffee?" She sat down in the other chair and leaned back tiredly.

"No, didn't think you'd want any after work." He didn't even look at her, watching the guy chattering away on the TV.

"It's my day off. You know I stay up a bit later on my day off."

"Oh yeah. Hey, how about we go into Reno then and do some stuff? Since it's your day off you can sleep later, right?" He finally looked over at her and smiled hopefully.

"I'm tired, hon, and my feet hurt. Maybe after I sleep, this evening. Or when you get home tomorrow."

"Oh come on, Julie, I know it's a long shift, but you aren't on your feet the whole damn time. We have things we need to get in Reno, and you keep putting it off. Lets just go."

"If you need something, run to the damn store and get it. I'm not up to a trip into Reno just after work." She watched him stand up and begin to pace. He argued and worked himself up to another head of steam. His voice kind of faded into a monotone as she watched him and made the decision she had been thinking about the last few days.

"Enough." She didn't raise her voice, didn't yell, just said it. He didn't really notice that she had said anything, just kept ranting about things he wanted to get done.

She waited for him to take a breath, and said it again. "Enough."

He heard her that time and looked over at her, opening his mouth to continue. She beat him to it. "Kneel."

He slowly went to his knees, resistance in every move. "Oh come on Julie, this isn't the time for this stuff."

She got to her feet, his continued monotone rasped in her ears. "Stay," she told him, and walked down the hall. He still muttered to himself.

She came back with a dog collar looped around her arm, a silk scarf draped over it, and a washcloth rolled into a tight cylinder in her hand. She walked up to him and looked down. "Open." Same low, calm voice. She was not going to argue with him today, was not going to buy into the anger.

"If you think I'm into playing right now, Julie, you got to be kidding..."

She pulled her arm back and slapped him. Hard. She watched his head jerk back as he stared at her, the white hand print stark on his cheek, then flushed red.

"Open." He opened his mouth, still looking a bit stunned. She shoved the washcloth between his teeth and tied it in place with the scarf, then sat back down in her chair. She leaned back with a tired sigh and closed her eyes a moment to gather her thoughts. Then she looked at him.

"This isn't working, and it's my fault." She watched as he started to say something, remembered the gag, and actually started to listen. "You came to me to be my slave. It's what you wanted, it's what I wanted. But it isn't what we're doing. We are both unhappy because of it. I've treated you more as a sub, or even a vanilla boyfriend than a slave, and you've acted the way you have in response. Enough." She took a deep breath, and refused to let any doubts into her mind, or her voice. Either it would work, or it wouldn't.

"Things are changing, as of now. You are my slave, I will treat you as such, and you will act accordingly. Within the next few days you will receive written instructions regarding your behavior and my expectations. They will include a specific time, daily at first, during which we will freely discuss these instructions, and you can suggest changes, bring up problems, and tell me how they make you feel. You will discuss these things in a respectful and courteous manner, at all times. Any actual changes are at my sole discretion.

"In the meantime, if you have a question or suggestion regarding an order or task, you may ask in a respectful manner. You may not argue. That is over. Performing well will be rewarded. Performing badly will be punished. Regardless of reward or punishment, I will do with you as I will, when I will."

She looked at him, trying to read his eyes above the gag. She couldn't tell what she saw there. "You have one choice, now, and one choice only. You can obey. Or you can reach up and remove the gag and walk out the door." She watched him, wanting him to stay. She wanted what they had talked of and dreamed together before he arrived. She wanted him, but not at the cost of both their happiness. Either it would work or it wouldn't.

He didn't move. His eyes were locked on hers, wide, and he didn't move. She sighed and closed her eyes again for a moment. She leaned forward and buckled the dog collar around his neck. "You will wear this in the house for now, to remind us both of the way things are."

Then she got up and walked down the hall, snapping her fingers and telling him, "Heel." She heard him scramble to follow, and looked back to see him crawling after her. She walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. She held one foot up to him. "Take off my shoes and socks. Then you will lay out my towel and start the shower. While I'm in the shower, get out my house clothes, and place orange juice and water on the desk, and start the computer. When I get out of the shower, you will dry me, and dress me. Then you will turn down the bed."

She sighed and curled her toes and flexed her feet as her shoes came off, his hands gentle and sure. She watched him as he moved. She'd always enjoyed watching him move. He put the shoes in the closet and hurried into the bathroom. The water started and she made herself move to strip her scrubs off. She wanted to wash the night from her skin and relax. Maybe this would finally let her relax. She smiled at the thought that at the very least the gag made it quieter.

The hot water sluiced down her skin and some of the stress slid down the drain with it. She had accumulated so much tension lately. Maybe tonight she would soak in the hot tub. A little luxury would be welcome.

She stepped out of the shower and smiled as he went to one knee, towel in hand, and began drying her. It felt good as he ran the big soft towel over her skin. She was amazed at how relaxing she found being served, and realized she had missed it since things had deteriorated between them. His touch was so good on her skin, strong and gentle, confident. He wrapped her hair in the towel and held out her lounging pants for her to step into. She rested a hand on his warm strong shoulder and stepped in, letting him draw them up around her waist. She curled a finger through his hair as he stood, tugged gently as it slid through her fingers.

The rest of the morning left her feeling a glow of satisfaction, as he combed out her hair, then rubbed her feet until she was ready to sleep. She stretched under the sheets and looked up at him, then patted the bed next to her for him to sit. "You will take the gag off while I sleep and you clean the house and do what tasks and errands you need to do. You will return at two o'clock, the gag back in place, nude, with a cup of fresh coffee. You will slip into bed and wake me by stroking my skin gently. You will not touch my face, breasts, or groin unless specifically told to. Do you understand?"

He nodded, eyes soft on hers. She reached up and stroked his face. "Take off the gag," she told him softly. He slowly did, and she saw him smile down at her. "Kiss me goodnight, and have a good day." He kissed her softly and she watched him move to the door. She thought a really nice dinner in Reno with him at her side would be pleasant. Her lips curved as she sank into contented sleep.