(Shan's POV – Thur. 7 August 2014)

I don't know how I gathered the guts to ask him if I could sleep in his bed, but I did!

After all the things we discussed tonight, I am feeling a bit at a loss. There is so much to absorb, so much I need to think about. Of course, after all I read on the internet and heard from Liam and Mick, I wasn't expecting any less, but it was more general. Things got different here because Mark was speaking more specifically about me and I could totally picture myself in the situation.

After he agrees to share his bed with me, he leads me toward the end of the long corridor. When I walk into the room, I am struck by how huge it is. We pass a little hall that has two doors on the left side and enter a vast bedroom. Two of the walls are almost completely made of sliding windows, some of which open on a terrace balcony. There are two large armchairs sitting beside one of the window walls and there's an extra-king size bed on the opposite side, with night tables. The walls are plain white and the furniture is modern and black.

"Wow, this is almost bigger than my apartment!" I exclaim in amazement.

We move on the wooden floor and I stop at the windows to take in the view over Chicago. It's dark outside and all the city lights make it beautiful. Mark takes me back to one of the doors in the entrance hall and we go into the biggest bathroom I have ever seen. It is all black and white tiled; there's a double sink with ceiling-high mirrors on the left; a large round bath in the corner; and a huge Italian shower on the left behind the wall with no glass windows at all.

"Would you like to try the shower?" I jump at the sound of his voice.

I hadn't noticed he was so close behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist, nesting his face in my neck; I can feel his lips there, burning my skin deliciously, while his right hand slides under my t-shirt.

I know nothing serious is supposed to happen tonight, but I can hardly resist the temptation, so I nod, and both his hands grip the hem of my tee-shirt and pull it over my head. He discards it on the floor and begins to unbuckle my belt, then undoes my jeans. I am so hypnotized that I let him go on undressing me.

Once I am down to my boxer briefs, he turns me around and looks straight into my eyes, his hands now cupping my face. His eyes are so dark with lust and I feel my cock stiffening by the moment. His hands leave my face to get undressed and reveal a nice chiseled chest, but I don't dare to look below his waist, scared to see how big he is.

"I'd like to taste those lips," he murmurs as his hands cup my cheeks again, so I slightly raise my head, encouraging him to do as he pleases.

His warm lips softly cover mine and they slowly move in rhythm. His hands drop to my waist, pulling down my boxer briefs, and all too soon, he breaks our kiss and pushes me backwards until we are in the large shower. The water spilling from the two heads above us quickly gets warm and Mark takes a bottle of shower gel. He pours some in his hands and spreads it all over my chest before he makes me turn around and spreads some more on my back.

My embarrassment about being hard fades away when I feel his own erection rub against the small of my back. He nibbles my earlobe while his hands slowly slide down my chest, soaping my belly, leisurely reaching my now very hard cock. His hands run down my groin to massage my balls for a short moment. A long moan escapes from my mouth as his right hand tightens around my shaft to give it a few strokes.

I hadn't realized I was already this excited, but this is so erotic that I have become a moaning mess after only a couple of minutes; I can feel my release coming, so I moan even louder as I vaguely remember something about asking for his permission before I come.

"Ngh... I need to... I'm gonna...."

"Come for me, Shannon," he whispers in my ear.

I close my eyes, leaning the back of my head against his shoulder. I feel my shaft swell and spurt a load of my seed on the tiled floor of the shower while a powerful orgasm seizes me. My knees feel weak, so I grab his arms and try to hold on to him. Fuck! It was just a hand job, but it felt good!

"Shhh 'ts okay, I got you. Let me rinse you and take you to bed."

Mark removes all the remaining soap from my skin, then grabs a warm towel from the heating rack on the wall and covers me with it. He rubs me dry and carries me back to the bedroom, laying me on his large bed. I don't even see him go back to the bathroom to dry himself, nor do I feel him lie down next to me and cuddle me. I can only guess he did so because I feel warm and safe in my sleep. I don't even have time to dwell on all the things he told me this evening; I just let myself drown into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The following morning, I wake up bundled in a mess of sheets.

My first thought is about how comfortable and good I feel in this bed. Then memories start drifting back and my eyes flick open. I can now remember where and why I am here.

I am facing one of the large windows, on the right side of the bed, but I don't need to turn around to know that the other side is empty. There's not a sound in the apartment, but then again, as far as I remember, Mark's home is quite big. Should he be in the kitchen, I am not sure I would hear him. At least, he is not in the bathroom I think.

As I shift to my other side, I see that the alarm clock on his bedside table indicates 10:58 am. Jeez, if nothing else, I respected the rule of sleep length!

My stomach growls so I decide to get up and see where the sexy beast is, but as I stand up, I realize that I am stark naked. I can't help a blush when I remember what happened in the shower last night. Damn! It wasn't much, but his skilled fingers did wonders with my body. I rarely had such a powerful orgasm before and it was only a hand job!

Then it suddenly hits me... Holy crap!!!

I almost immediately fell asleep after Mark carried me to bed, and I didn't even return the favor!! I felt his erection against the small of my back in the shower and he was clearly horny! Oh myyyy!!! I let him go to sleep with a boner! I am feeling so bad right now. How can I face him after that? I am supposed to bring him pleasure, and all I managed was to get pleasure without giving him any. I feel so shamefull! I need to apologize. Now.

I walk into the bathroom first, looking for my bag and dig in for a clean pair of boxer briefs. Once I have covered my little soldier and my backside, I make my way through the long corridor. Still not a sound or a presence as I walk into the living room, then the dining room but finally, as I enter the kitchen, I notice a piece of paper on the island counter. It's a note from Mark, scribbled in a perfectly regular handwriting.

Hello Beautiful,

I hope you had a good night. I didn't feel like waking you up before I left this morning, you looked so peaceful. I've left you some pancakes, just get what you like in the fridge. Make yourself at ease, I will call you later this morning.

M.

I run back to the bathroom and search for my phone in the pockets of my jeans. Shit!!! Two missed calls from Mark, but no voicemail. I am still considering calling him back when my phone goes off again.

"Hello?" I say hesitantly, wishing I had been the one to call back first.

"Are you finally awake?" he teases, making me sigh with relief. At least he seems to be in a good mood.

"Yes, a few minutes ago. I just found your note and I was just about to return your call. I'm sorry I slept in..."

"That's fine, Shannon, I guess you needed some rest," he replies warmly and I can almost see his grin through the phone. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, very, thank you... How about you?" I ask shyly.

"I slept very well, thanks."

"Did you wake up early?"

"As early as usual so that I have time to work out before I go to work. And I had an appointment at 8:00 this morning," he explains. Now I feel guilty for keeping him up so late last night. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet, Sir. I searched for my phone as soon as I saw your note..."

"Shannon, you can call me Mark, I told you."

"Yes... Mark..." I repeat, and the name feels nice on my tongue. I like this!

"Good! Now go get some breakfast. Send me a text if you need to go out. I've left a spare key of the apartment on the console in the foyer. Other than that, just make yourself at home and search the cupboards and drawers for whatever you need. Do not hesitate to call me if you need any help and leave a message if I can't answer you. I have a few more appointments and might not be available all the time. Alright?"

"All good! Will you come back late?"

Ugh... What is this longing voice of mine? It sounded so needy.

"I don't know yet, but I probably won't be home before 6. In the meantime, I would like you to also think about a potential training."

"Okay, I will."

"I'll bring some coq au vin from the restaurant for dinner, please just make sure the table is set. I have to go now, so I'll see you later tonight!"

"Alright! See you tonight..." I reply before he hangs up.

I walk back to the kitchen and literally pig out on the delicious pancakes, gulp down a glass of pineapple juice, and put my dishes away in the dishwasher. Great! I don't even have to do the dishes, which is one of the chores I hate the most.

It doesn't take me long to take care of my morning routine, get dressed and tidy up my mess, but it's already noon when I am done. How am I going to spend the rest of the day until Mark comes back home? I first make the bed, then decide to go explore the apartment. He told me to make myself at home, so I guess exploring the place will help.

The living room is huge. There are two large white leather couches, where we sat last night, and a big flat screen TV. The long windows lead to another balcony, much larger than the one adjacent to the master bedroom. This terrace hosts teak garden furniture, a dark brown parasol, three deckchairs and green plants in high pots. I can totally imagine myself taking the sun here in the afternoon!

I step back inside, pass the dining room and enter the kitchen. I open all the cupboards and drawers, which are full of utensils and food of course, but indeed, there's no sign of chips, candies or cookies in there. I guess I will have to get used to healthy food.

Back in the corridor, I decide to try all the doors, and the first one on my right is Mark's study. I'd rather not explore this one though, even if it looks warm with another leather couch - black this time to match the rest of the furniture. An office is private and there might be confidential documents, so I move on to the next door which is another guestroom. This one is a perfect copy of the one he showed me last night, only for its blue and yellow tones.

The shared bathroom is smaller than the one attached to the master bedroom but still three or four times as big as the one I have at home! There is a bathtub on the left, then a sink counter and separate toilets on the left. I open the other door across from me and enter my bedroom. I am still not convinced I will ever use it if Mark lets me share his bed, but he sounded quite sure I might need it at some point. The room is large though, and I like this light blue on the walls. The queen size bed looks comfortable and the ceiling-high closet is empty except for spare sheets, comforters and pillows.

I walk out of the bedroom and back to the beginning of the corridor to try the first door on the left side. This is a laundry room, which also serves to stock household products and cleaning appliances. I wonder if he takes care of the house cleaning himself. He seems to be a rather busy person and seeing how the apartment is spic-and-span, I don't know how he would have the time to, so I guess he has a cleaning person.

The next door opens on the media room. There goes my interest! There are comfortable recliners as well as a large couch to watch movies. I decide to stop my exploration here and spend a long moment trying the game devices, playing on a huge screen. I think this might become my favorite room!

I then go back to my exploration and try the next and last door on this side of the corridor, but it doesn't open. I wonder why this room is kept locked. Maybe there's a safe inside? I will ask Mark later. Or maybe not. After all, this is none of my business.

It's only 3:15 pm when I get back to the kitchen. Weirdly enough, I feel hungry again and decide I should try and cook myself a late lunch. I grab eggs, tomatoes and a slice of ham to prepare an omelet. Once it's ready, I leave the frying pan in the sink for now and take my plate outside on the terrace to enjoy my lunch in one of the deckchairs.

While I savor the delicious omelet, my thoughts stray back to yesterday evening.

If someone had mentioned just one these rules to me a few weeks ago, I would have immediately flipped them off and run for the hills. There's no way I would have accepted to submit to anyone with the risk of losing my personality, and I would have told them I'm the only master of my Self.

Now I'm not so sure anymore, and it's not about losing my personality anyway, just to rein it in a bit. Or a lot. There seem to be a lot of advantages in this submission-thing. Thinking about the past, I realize that I might have missed guidance and authority from my parents indeed, so is this what I am looking for in this relationship with a Dominant? Am I looking for some sort of father-figure? But am I capable of handling this?

There are so many duties and rules! Even if I believe that it's perfectly doable, there are still a few that scare me a bit. I have never been good at obeying orders, so will I be able to comply with Mark's requests and commands at any time? My freaking temper might not help either because I easily get irritated. What if I talk back too often?

You'll be punished until you learn, Shan. It's as simple as that!

The good point is that he promised a lot of sex. Intense sex! I really can't wait to discover more about this, to have him tie me up and fuck me hard on one of these instruments he showed me in his private room at the club! I'm under the impression my life is about to get kinky, which makes me think back to his speech on loyalty. Who would be stupid enough to cheat on such a sex god?

The healthy lifestyle might be more of a problem. I must admit I'm quite a lazy person, so working out will be a pain in my ass. Giving up on junk food will be difficult too. Damn! I love McDonald's, pizzas, chips and candies! And next to no alcohol? Well, I'm definitely not addicted to alcohol, but once in a while, I like to lose myself in a few more drinks than I should.

As far as sex is concerned, I don't think there will be any problem. I've always loved sex, and I rarely get enough of it. I'll just have to work on this ask-for-permission-before-coming thing, because I'm not use to containing myself. Sometimes you just don't see it coming.

I chuckle when I think back about the masturbation rule. Well, playing with my little soldier has always been a second resort when I couldn't get laid. What can I say? I'm just a man! However, if I get to have such a sexy beast as a Dominant / boyfriend, why in the hell would I need to masturbate?

At the end of the day, my major concern is this thing about a professional training and a job. I yawn just at the thought of it.

Fuck! How can I be so tired when I slept like ten hours last night? I let my eyes shut though, and relax in the chair. It is warm under the sun, but not too much. I guess I can take a little nap. After all, Mark won't be back home until another two hours.

* * *

Dreams can be weird. I'm in the middle of something very kinky but without knowing what exactly. I feel warm and comfortable, but all of a sudden, a certain discomfort seeps in, making me uneasy as if I was spied or chased by enemies. Waking up is a struggle, and when I open my eyes, I wish I could shut them and open them again on something different, but they meet Mark's dark-green irises, almost black with anger.

Alright, maybe not anger, but annoyance at the very least.

He is standing right in front of me, still in his black suit, arms crossed over his chest. His good mood from earlier this morning has obviously melted and his usually plump lips form a thin line. Holy Moly, I napped for much longer than I should have, meaning I haven't done any of the things he asked me to. Shit! It smells like trouble!

I bolt up, wanting to apologize, and as I do so, my left foot lands in the plate I had dropped beside me on the floor, thinking I would clean everything after my nap.

"Shoot..." I mumble, picking up the plate and not daring to look up into his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I fell asleep and..."

"Stop. I'll hear your explanations later. First, I want you to pick up your plate and go put it in the dishwasher, as well as the frying pan that you left in the sink. Then, you will go shower in your bathroom. Once you're done, you may come back to the kitchen, in only boxer briefs."

With that, he walks back into the living room, still wearing a cold mask on his face.

Way to go, Shannon!! You already managed to fuck up! Damn! I hope he won't send me away already!

Determined to buy myself back, I hurry back inside and into the kitchen to take care of my dirty dishes and tidy up my mess. Mark is nowhere to be seen, so I assume he went to his study or his own bedroom. When I walk into the guestroom I have been assigned, I immediately notice my duffle bag on the bed, which sucks. Seems like I might use this room in the end.

I quickly undress, leaving my clothes on the bed, before I go to the bathroom and step into the bathtub. I slide the splash guard to make sure I won't do any further mess, and try to relax under the mild - almost cold - water. The sun didn't hit hard but I was drenched in sweat and the coolness of the spray helps my body temperature to lower.

Once I am clean and smelling nice, I wipe myself dry and go to put on a pair of black boxer briefs. I inhale a deep breath before I head toward my fate; time to face the devil.

I find Mark in the kitchen, only wearing jeans and apparently heating up our meal, his chiseled back facing me. I can't see his face, but I doubt it is any less cold than a few minutes ago.

"Take a seat on a stool," he orders dryly and I immediately do so.

I don't know what to say, so I keep my mouth shut and my head lowered. What did he say about discipline again yesterday? Am I supposed to apologize first? Wasn't there something about a lecture? Ugh, this is going to be painful! Anyway, I don't think he's ready to hear my apology, so I wait while he prepares two plates and dresses them with food. I still don't dare to look up when he turns around and brings the plates to the island counter.

He puts one of them in front of me. What looks like chicken is already cut into small pieces, as are the potatoes and carrots. The other plate goes to sit in front of him, across from me, together with a fork and a knife. After he has placed two glasses of water on the table, he eventually sits down in silence. Should I point out that I also need flatware? I nervously raise my right hand to rest it on the counter but he interrupts me.

"Keep your hands on your thighs," he says, taking his fork and picking a piece of meat in my plate. Is he really expecting to feed me!? "You behaved like an untrustworthy child this afternoon, and you shall be treated as such. I want you to keep quiet while I'm feeding you, and then we'll talk."

I don't know what bothers me the most: to be fed like a baby or the fact that I upset him. I can't help a blush when he brings the food to my mouth because it's nothing sexy like what you see in movies when two lovers share the meal they chose at a restaurant. Here, it just feels like I am a two-year-old being fed by an adult, but what I hate the most are the disappointment on his face and the unpleasant tingles it sends to my chest.

For what seems like long minutes, he picks up food from my plate to put it in my mouth, alternating with his own plate to feed himself. What I feel is quite confusing. Of course, there is shame to be treated like this, but at some point, I can't help feeling aroused by the situation for a reason I can't explain. Perhaps is it because of the attention he provides me with, the sensation to be taken care of?

Soon enough, our plates are empty. The food was deliciously divine, and I enjoyed it despite the tense silence. Now I wonder what's going to happen next. Mark stands up and clears the table. I don't know if I should help but judging from his look, I stay planted on my stool and wait for the next command.

Once he is done cleaning the kitchen, he walks back to the counter and leans down across from me, resting his elbows on the counter and joining his hands.

"Look at me, Shannon," he orders after another minute of silence, so I raise my eyes and plunge them into his dark-green ones. Jeez... did I mess up that bad?? "If you have taken a look around the apartment today, you may have noticed that I am a bit of a cleanliness freak."

No kidding! This place is cleaner than new! I'm still wondering how he manages though.

"Even if I didn't specify it, I thought it was quite obvious that after you use anything, you should put it back into place and clean the mess you may have made. And if you need me to be even more precise, this includes putting your lunch dishes into the dishwasher and cleaning up the kitchen. Doing this as you go along helps keeping the place clean. Also, I had asked you to set the table for dinner, which I believe wasn't much..."

"I'm sorry, I..." I cut him.

"Don't interrupt me just yet!" he growls dryly, making me cower a bit on my stool. "I absolutely don't mind you taking a nap as long as one, you've cleaned your mess, two, you've done what I may have asked you to do, and three, you make sure you are protected and won't get sun-burnt. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sir," I squeal contritely.

"Have you at least thought about ideas for a job, or for a professional training you would like to do?" he asks in a gentler tone. I'm in deep trouble here again.

"Not yet..."

My voice is barely a whisper and I cast my eyes down as I feel the warmth of a blush rise from my neck up to my forehead.

"Okay... Do I need to lecture you any further on today's mistakes?"

"No Sir, I understand what I've done wrong."

"Good. Now I'm going to take care of your punishment. We haven't signed a contract yet, but it should teach you a good lesson. Also, I will keep it light for your first time, but you know you can safeword if necessary, am I clear?"

"Yes, Sir," I reply with determination.

"There's no real point safewording during a punishment, but it's still an option. It's not meant to be pleasant, and you should try and handle this, but if it becomes too much for you at any moment, just use your safewords," he explains firmly. "Follow me now, it's time for your spanking."

Can someone explain why my cock twitches in my briefs at the mention of a spanking? Am I some sort of masochist - even though I don't know yet what I should expect?

Mark leans back up and walks to the living room. I follow him sheepishly until I see him sit down on the white leather couch, his back straight and his body slightly turned to his left.

"Lay down over my lap, face down, your legs on my right side and your chest laying on the couch," he explains. "Now, Shannon!" he almost barks after nearly a minute of inactivity on my side.

I move to his right side and bend over his knees. My semi-hard shaft is stuck between his thighs and my butt is dangerously propped up, exposed for its first spanking in years. Although my backside is covered by the thin fabric of my briefs, I can't help the deep blush on my face and try to hide it between my arms, breathing in the nice smell of the leather of the couch.

"Put your hands along your sides, and turn your head to the left. I want to see your face while I discipline you Shannon," Mark orders.

Ugh... this is getting more and more embarrassing, but I comply and do as he asks. The fingers of his right hand are caressing and gently kneading my buttocks, while his left hand is pushing between my shoulder blades.

"Like I said, this is your first punishment, so I'll keep it light. It'll just be a preview of what you're going to experience next time you misbehave. I am going to spank you fifteen times with my hand. Five for the mess you left, five for not setting the table, and five because you didn't think about your professional future as I had asked you to. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir..."

"I will do the first eight, then I will pull down your briefs for the remaining seven spanks. I'm going to count up for you, but next time, you will have to do this," he explains just before his hand leaves my backside and comes back with force on my right buttock.

Fuck! That stings!

"One!" he counts, caressing where his hand struck. I feel it leave my butt again and come back on my left buttock this time. "Two!"

He goes on like this, alternating between my ass cheeks, until he reaches eight. This is not extremely painful but I can feel my skin getting warmer. Almost as warm as my face as his eyes remain locked with mine. The only moment he breaks eye contact is when he lowers my briefs and exposes my buttocks, which causes my face to reach a deeper shade of red.

The spanking resumes in a similar fashion until he reaches fourteen, the slaps getting louder and stinging more on my bare skin, and the fifteenth one lands across my butt cheeks. Tears are prickling my eyes. Whether they are of pain, shame, or even guilt, I don't know, but I make sure to hold them back.

"Don't put your briefs back on, Shannon. Go and lay face down on your bed now. I'll be there in a minute," Mark says.

I stand back up, trying my best to walk with the back of my briefs still below my stinging ass and go straight to my room as he instructed. I roll back the comforter and lie down on the fresh bed sheets, then wait. Shortly after, I hear footsteps in the room and feel the bed sink as Mark straddles my calves.

"I'm going to apply a soothing lotion. How bad does it hurt?" he asks as he pulls my briefs further down, freeing my shaft at the same time.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt too bad..." I answer honestly.

"Good to know..." he says jokingly and I'm glad to see his mood is getting better. "It's going to feel a bit cold," he warns me as he uncaps a bottle and spreads a cold liquid on my butt.

Oh Gosh! His hands massaging my sensitive buttocks makes me hard again, but the fresh lotion clearly helps the warmth fade away. After a good five minutes, he pulls my underwear back up and asks me to turn around.

"Did you learn the lesson? Have you understood why you have been punished?" he asks, still straddling my thighs, and catching my wrists in his hands.

"Yes, Sir. I'm truly sorry I didn't do what you had asked me to do before I took a nap," I reply remorsefully, peering straight into his eyes. His look is so fucking intense! "Please forgive me..."

"You're forgiven, Shannon," he says with a little smile. "Try not to repeat this mistake."

"I won't, Sir."

At least I'll try my best not to, otherwise my ass won't like it.

"Oh, you probably will, but you'll learn not to," he chuckles.

With that, he leans further over me and presses his lips to mine. I tentatively wrap my hands around his arms and let him deepen the kiss, but it doesn't last long. He slowly moves onto my side, wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his chest.

"Sleep now, Shannon, we can talk more tomorrow," he says as he reaches for the lamp on the bedside table. The room is only lit by the moonlight and I snuggle against his chest to breathe his delicious scent.

My ass doesn't really hurt, the lotion seems to have really helped. When I think about it, I believe that what hurt me the most was the shame to be disciplined so early in our relationship and the guilt I felt when I realized he was disappointed.

And yet... It was pretty arousing. I wonder if it will always be the case, but I don't want to dwell on these contradictory feelings. I let myself fall into a deep sleep, surrounded by safe arms I don't want to leave anymore.

Published on 8 May 2016