(Joshua's POV - Tue. 8 October 2013)

"If I could, I would have probably disciplined you with some corner time and a firm spanking, but I couldn't. The only thing I could do to punish you was to ignore you."

My heart thumps in my chest as I pronounce these few words. For a second, I think I have gone completely crazy to say such things to someone who is completely inexperienced and unfamiliar to my lifestyle. But the feeling only lasts for a second. I know that I am on the right way and I am determined to achieve my goal by taking each step of the plan I have schemed... that the guys have helped me to scheme, more precisely. Liam's eyes blink when the meaning of my words seem to finally sink into his mind. I briefly smile when I notice that his pants seem to get tighter below his waist. That's my boy... that only strengthens my conviction that he will belong into this lifestyle. Haaa young man, you should have put your jacket back on before you stepped into my office, just like you often do...

Liam tenses a little after a few seconds. When he uttered his apology two minutes earlier, his pale cheeks turned to a beautiful pink, but they are quickly shading to a deep red now. Is that because of what I said? Or is it rather because of the reaction in his pants? His mouth slightly opens and shuts a couple of times but no words are coming out. My goal is not to make him feel uncomfortable though. I quietly stand up and walk to the door to lock it; I don't want anyone to disturb us right now. I walk back to where he stands and gently lay a hand on his right shoulder before I lead him to the couch so that he can sit down and relax.

"Sit down, Liam," I order. "We need to talk."

He quietly obeys and I also sit down, shifting myself to the side so that I can face him and leaving a comfortable distance between us so that he doesn't feel oppressed. He is fumbling with his tie, trying to hide his evident arousal. I watch him as he takes small breaths. Ignoring him over the last two days has been one of the most difficult things I ever had to do but it was necessary. As I told him, it was the only option I had to "punish" him. If he had been my Sub, I would have surely bent him over any surface and smacked his butt until it turned to a bright red; I would have made sure that he remembered his lesson each time he would have to sit down for a couple days. Though... I probably wouldn't have had to punish him if he had been my Sub because he would have known the rules for one thing and he would certainly not have been allowed to go to the club anyway. But he wasn't my Sub and I couldn't do that; not yet. This is why I just went for the plan I worked out with my friends and plainly ignored him.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, my shoulder aching dully, I tried to set to work. I needed to keep my mind busy like I had on Saturday, but nothing worked really well. All I was able to do was to think about what happened during the night and I scribbled down furiously on the documents he had left me on Friday. That was not completely pointless because within two hours, I completely reworked what he had done and I knew that it would take him much more time to decipher my writing and make the modifications I needed. The ride back to Chicago was painful and long due to my injured shoulder, but I made it and went straight to Aaron's club.

Unsurprisingly, he was not alone and I had to undergo a three-hour questioning from my friends. It upset me a little in the beginning that Aaron had urged them to come, but in the end, it lifted a huge weight from my chest to confide in my friends and it turned out to be very useful when it came to advising me and suggesting a plan. I told them everything that had happened since my call with Aaron on Friday when he suggested me to take the next step. I reluctantly admitted that I had lost part of my self-control in the lift, which earned me three scowls, but argued that Liam had pretty well reacted on the instant and even kissed me back. Aaron growled that when he spoke about the next step, he never meant for me to bluntly kiss the boy and Mark mocked me saying that I had a missed a step which was why I fell. None of us however was able to understand his reaction after he kissed back and even got an erection.

I also had to reveal the existence of my secret chalet when they insisted on knowing where I fled for the week-end. Camden immediately asked if I would let him use the place when I said it was completely isolated. I suspect he already imagined himself playing with a Sub in the middle of the woods with no one to hear the guy's groans. Then came the part on the phone call I received just before I went to sleep and I saw the pride in Aaron's eyes when I sincerely thanked him and praised him on how he dealt with situation. At that moment, I felt better for spilling all the beans to my friends, but it didn't soothe my anger against Liam and it didn't bring any solution to my problem.

Cam took me to his private room for a moment and threatened to tie me to his bed and whip me if I didn't let him check on my shoulder. Cam is slightly taller than I am but we are about the same frame and even if his tattoos and piercings look scary to some people, I am absolutely not scared at him and I only let him check on my shoulder because I knew he would be able to sort this out. He groused a little when he realized that it was slightly dislodged, saying I should have gone to a doctor right away, but he took his revenge when he replaced my shoulder and I yelled in pain at the manipulation. However two pills of advil and a few hours later, I could only bless him for being a magician osteopath. Right now, my shoulder is still a bit painful but nothing compared to what it was on Sunday.

Over the evening, we continued our discussion and everyone came up with propositions and suggestions for a plan to make Liam mine. By then I had fully grabbed a hold on myself and was more determined than ever to make him my Sub and maybe more. Of course, I was never - and most probably will never be - ready to abandon my lifestyle and my first intention was to make Liam a Sub. However, deep inside of me, I know that he might become a bit more than a Sub and that still scares me somewhat. I can't really explain this weird feeling, I can only feel it; Liam is different than any other person I have ever met; I certainly don't want to talk about love, but the attraction is much stronger than what I usually feel for my Submissives.

Part of the plan implies to throw him in the lifestyle. This part of me is too important and I know that I won't be able to hide it from him. I can't deal with all this bullshit of romance for a time and only then bring him into the lifestyle. Somehow I know that he is going to fit in this, even if it scares him in the beginning. This is why I have opted for straightness. I need to be honest with him because honesty is one of the most important values in this kind of relationship. I didn't know how things would go on Monday morning, but the one thing I knew was that I needed to somehow punish him and since I couldn't use any of the methods I usually apply to punish my Subs - although isolation also often works - I decided to ignore him for a couple of days. I knew that it would make him uneasy enough and that he would eventually get the guts and talk to me.

When I arrived in the office on Monday morning, late due to the traffic, it required a lot of self-control to behave as I did and I even winced at the pain and sadness I briefly saw in his eyes when I ignored him and locked my door. Staying in my office without speaking to him was not that difficult because I was strongly determined to achieve my goals; it actually was easier than to spend time with him and talk to him; but I often looked at him through the frozen window wall and his own sadness pained me. Today has been much worse though. When I saw him arrive this morning, I immediately noticed his face was completely flushed and for a moment I wondered if he had forgotten to wear some pants or something like this. But more important than his blush was this accrued tension in his body which was clearly showing how stressed he was. His hands were shaking when he brought me my coffee.

Despite my numerous meetings and conference calls today, I kept observing him, more or less conspicuously; he was fully focused on his work but I knew that something bothered him and wondered what was going in this head of his. His punishment was coming to an end and I was just about to go and ask him to join me in my office for a conversation, right after Allan left my office, when I saw him, all determined, reach for my door. When he remained in front of my desk after he dropped the documents, I was well past forgiveness and I encouraged him to speak as kindly as I could. I understood that he finally realized that I had heard his conversation with the other guy and I ignored the hitching in my hand when he admitted his guilt. I remembered that he had already been punished for this and that now was the time for explanations. True to my plan, I decided to go for honesty and explained him why I spent the last two days ignoring him.

"Sir... Sir?" Liam's sweet voice snaps me out of my thoughts. He is still fumbling with his tie but his eyes, still humid from the tears he held back, are directed toward me. "May I go get a bottle of water?"

"I've got it, stay here..." I say as I stand up and head to the fridge in the meeting room to grab a bottle of water. When I walk back into my office, Liam is still there, patiently waiting and he shyly accepts the bottle I have uncapped for him.

"Thank you," he whispers before he begins to drink from the bottle. There is a little drop pearling at the corner of his lip but I refrain myself from licking it. I walk to the window behind my desk with a little sigh and give him a few more seconds to recover. Now is the time for some explanations; I am not too sure about how to start but at least I know where I am headed. The night is slowly falling over Chicago and when I look to the West, I can see the sun disappearing behind the buildings, as the lights start to illuminate the city.

"You should come and see the view from here. It's nice," I say after a minute of silence, folding my arms across my chest, aware of how it straightens the fabric of my shirt in my back. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him slowly rise to his feet and approach the window. He is standing a few feet away from me, his small and thin hands laying on the edge of the low wall beneath the windows. For another minute, I let him look at the illuminations. "Have I scared you, Liam?" I suddenly ask, breaking the silence and adding some tension to his body it seems.

"N.. no... I don't think so...," he stutters, still looking outside the window.

"Good. I also owe you an apology. I can't say that I am sorry for what happened in the elevator last Friday, because I would do it again if I could turn back time. However, I am sorry that I let you run away and didn't try to hold you back. I should have called you out and convinced you to stay so that we could talk. Your sudden departure left me a bit confused and it took me a few too many seconds to react, but it was too late and you had left. I'm sorry for that, but I don't regret what I did previously." It all comes out at once, totally sincere and honest. Even if I am still looking straight in front of me, I can see Liam tense a little more as he slightly turns toward me, so I finally turn my head in his direction to look down at him.

"I... I...," he hesitates, biting his lower lip. There is a sudden sparkle in his eyes and a small smile tugs at his lips. "I don't regret it either... I... liked it... Sir..." he finally says, barely audible.

"I know you did," I comment, a bit sarcastically. "But why did you run away then?" His eyes lower down and focus to the floor as a blush brightens his face.

"I... I got scared... I thought I had induced you to do it and... it made me feel guilty... I felt guilty for kissing back my... boss..." So that's why he ran away... interesting... I had my guess on his attraction for me, but I couldn't be sure at the time. As to the guilt, I can understand since I somewhat felt the same for assaulting one of my employees.

"Liam, look at me," I command and wait until his eyes are finally looking up into mine. I shift on my feet to face him - surreptitiously closing the distance between us - and slide my hands in my pockets. His blue orbs, full of guilt and lust at the same time, are such a turn-on that I feel myself getting hard but this is something I can't control. I can control a lot of my emotions but not that. "Other than the fact that you are a beautiful and clever young man, you didn't induce anything. If anything, I did. If I was given to start all over again, I wouldn't change anything. I would do it again and I will do it again." His blush deepens but the corners of his lips also spread a little further into a shy smile.

Without an ounce of hesitation, my hands reach out of my pockets to cup his angel face, my thumbs rubbing his delicate cheekbones while my eyes roam all over his perfect features, before they finally lock on his delicious lips. The tip of my tongue tentatively wets my own lips and I eventually lean down to attach my lips to his. What starts as a very tender kiss gradually turns into something more sensual. As my left hand slides to the back of his head and grabs a handful of his hair to make him tilt his head to the side, the right one falls down to the small of his back to press him against me, his own hands reaching for my shoulder and back. When his mouth finally opens, I dip my tongue inside and I am at last able to taste him again. Our wet muscles waltz for a long moment, his, shy as ever, and the noises of our kiss are only punctuated by those of our moans. I evenly bring our passion to a slower pace until I withdraw my tongue back out of his mouth to only peck his lips a few more times and lean back up, still holding him securely in my arms.

"You're not going to run away again, are you?" I say, smirking at him.

"No..." he whispers, slightly shaking his head very lightly.

"Good; because there are things I need to tell you now; things I didn't mean to tell you on Friday, but that I want to tell you now because I have changed my mind and I don't want to take things slow with you anymore," I say straight out, causing him to frown and me to sigh. I am fully trusting my friends' advice right then and my personal instincts, but I dearly hope this is not going to mess up everything. "Before I involve you further into this, there are things you should know; about me."

I lead him back to the couch and gesture for him to sit. However, before we go into further details, there is something else I need to do. I go back to my laptop, quickly find the file I am looking for in my private folders and print out a copy of the document. I grab a signature book for support and walk back to him, resting the book and document on his lap.

"This is just a non-disclosure agreement that I need you to sign. It simply states that you shall never reveal what I am going to tell you about me to anyone. What I am about to tell you is personal and confidential and I hope that you can understand that I can't take any risk having my private life spread out everywhere. It is not a question of trust and I am quite confident that you wouldn't do anything like this, but this is a document that I should have already gotten you to sign when I asked you to replace Ally, exactly like she did. So this is not only you, but also all the leadership team for example or anyone who works directly for me in general, like Tony or my housekeeper."

"I understand..." Liam says after a few seconds of silence before he looks down at the document and reads it. It is only a one-paragraph text that certifies he won't talk to anyone about anything that touches my personal and private affairs, and after only a few more seconds, I am glad to see that he looks back up to me with a smile. "Do you have a pen?" he asks shyly. I quickly go back to my desk and hand him my roller pen; I watch him neatly apply his signature at the bottom of the document before he hands everything back to me.

"Thanks. I'll make you a copy later."

As we resume our previous positions on the couch, I notice some tension in him and his eyes have become more questioning than ever. I have rehearsed this moment in my head countless times since Sunday evening; I have considered many possibilities to tell him about me and my lifestyle. I don't even know if he has ever heard about BDSM; he looks so young and innocent. Well young is not really an excuse; some of the Subs at the club are just eighteen and their usual average age is 20 or 21. But his patent innocence is something else; I really wonder how experienced he is in sex in general. I heard him making-out with the other guy over the phone, but Liam didn't sound very confident; the other guy was clearly leading the dance. He is nearly twenty-one and probably not a virgin, but that doesn't mean he ever heard about the lifestyle that is mine; if he did, how much does he know about it? Rather than dwelling on my thoughts, I decide to go straight to the point. After all, honesty is what matters.

"Have you ever heard about BDSM, Liam?" I say, looking straight into his eyes, which open widely. His cheeks turn to a bright pink which indicates me that he at least knows what the letters mean.

"I... hmm... yes... vaguely..."

"That's a good start then. So I guess you know what the letters stand for?" I ask, and he nods in answer. "How much do you know about this?" His eyes darkens a little, but not in a good way.

"Hmm not much Sir... I think it has to do with sadomasochism..." he whispers, his face falling into a disappointed expression. I knew he wouldn't really be aware of what this implies and that if he did, it would only affiliates to the common knowledge and general misinterpretation.

"Not exactly Liam. Sadomasochism is only a part of this lifestyle and absolutely not applicable to all the people who live this way. The letters actually stand for Bondage and Discipline, then Dominance and Submission, and finally Sadism and Masochism. As much as most people in the lifestyle include the four first terms, not everyone assign to the last two words. Well, they do, but in various degrees. There are real sadistic Dominants and real masochistic Submissives who lapse and enjoy themselves in very hardcore things. In my opinion, every Dominant has a slight bit of sadism in them and every Submissive has a tiny part of masochism in them, but at different degrees. Do you understand this?" He nods, relaxing a tad bit. "Anyway, this is not the fundamental principle of the concept. The most important ones, for me, are dominance, submission and discipline. Do you know what these imply?"

"I can guess... Are you telling me that you are a Dominant?" he asks in a very small voice.

"Yes, Liam; I am a Dominant. And I would really like you to be my Submissive." His eyes open widely again and his mouth gapes open.

"You... you... want me as a sex slave?" he stammers, which has me frown and scowl at him. You see? This is why we, people belonging to the BDSM subculture, practice in secrecy; it's only because people see and understand what they want to and don't dig into things before they pass judgment. I can't blame him for this, but I already know that it will be hard to make him stand for his convictions once he is into it. I don't have any doubts that he will relish into my lifestyle - I can feel it - but it will probably take time before he admits to it.

"A Submissive is not a sex slave Liam!" I groan, causing him to look back down at his lap. "Once again, there are various degrees in the practice of BDSM, and there may be some people who live it extremely, but this is not the case of the majority; a large majority. I actually have never met any of these people. To make it short, a Dom/Sub relationship implies a power exchange between two persons in a consensual manner. The Dominant is the one who has control and is the most active participant; the Submissive is obviously the controlled one; he surrenders to his Dominant but all this always remains safe, sane and consensual. This goes far beyond the implication of sex of course. Sex is an important part of the Dom/Sub relationship, but it is not the most important. The Dominant is responsible for his Sub; his duties are to protect and guide him toward a better life; he cares for him and provides him with everything he may need to fulfill the goals the Dom has set for him. There is a lot of respect - on both sides - and honesty. But the Dom's duty is also to discipline and punish his Sub if this one fails or makes mistakes and disobeys the rules."

I pause for a moment. Even if this is only the basic fundamentals of the concept, I know that this is a lot to take in. Liam's eyes are still focused on his lap and he seems to process all the information quite well. He is not really tense but I can see that hundreds of questions are passing through his head.

"The Sub's fundamental role is to trust his Dominant and to obey the rules set in place by him. All these roles, responsibilities and rules are gathered in the form of a contract which also defines the expectations of both parties as well as the limits they should not overpass. Even if everything is written black on white, this is more of a moral contract; it serves as a frame for the relationship. In day-to-day life, as well as in sex, the Sub always has a possibility to say no or to amend the contract if he believes that he needs to change some of the terms." I pause for a few seconds to observe him. He hasn't moved or blinked an eye for a moment. This is a succinct summary of the BDSM concept I think, but it gives him the basics. I wonder what is going through this little head of his. "Are you alright, Liam?" This seems to snap him out of his reverie and he slightly lifts his head up, looking straight in front of him.

"Yes... I'm fine, Sir..." he whispers.

"Are you sure? Is it too much for you all at once?"

"No... it's okay... I just... wasn't expecting this..." he admits, blushing and turning his head to my side.

"You were not expecting what? Me to be a Dominant? Or the whole concept?" I ask, lightly chuckling.

"Hmm the whole concept... I thought it was only about sex and leather... chains and well... you know... that kind of things..."

"Well, there is a bit of that too, but let's take one step at a time. Does it scare you?"

"I'm not really scared... just... a bit confused... this is all still blurry in my mind for now..."

"I can imagine. I know it is a lot to take in. Listen... I can understand that this might sound a lot for you at the moment but I honestly believe that this is a lifestyle that you would fit in. And I'm not saying this to force you to accept anything for now. I just need you to know that this is a whole part of me and not something I want to renounce to. I am definitely attracted to you and I want you to join me in this lifestyle; I promise that we are going to take things easy. I'd understand if you don't trust me yet, but you will have to at some point." He nods at this, so I continue. "It's getting late and the stress from the past two days must have tired you, so would you do me one favor?"

"Sure..."

"Let me and Tony drive you home and if you feel interested and courageous enough, I would like you to check a few websites tonight before you go to sleep. I'll give you a list of websites and blogs that correspond to the idea I have of BDSM. Don't go and read just anything you may find on the web; as I said, there are various degrees of practicing BDSM but these sites that I am going to advise you really correlate to what I believe in. How does that sound?"

"It sounds good. I can do that..." he agrees with a smile. Beneath his apparent shyness and quietness, I can feel something boiling within him.

"Excellent; go pack up and Tony will drive you home."

"That's fine, I can take the..."

"Liam, go pack up and I'll meet you at the lift in five minutes," I insist more firmly.

"Yes, Sir..." he says before he stands up and walks back to his desk.

I am quite satisfied with how things went. He was a bit tense in the beginning, but once the surprise passed and once I told him that BDSM is not what he thought, he reacted pretty well. I quickly pull out an email from Aaron and copy paste the links he sent to me on a blank Word page that I print out for Liam. A few minutes later, I meet him at the lift and press my hand at the small of his back to let him in first as the doors open. As I stand slightly behind him while the cage slowly takes us down, he can't see the warm smile on my face, but I am sure that he can feel all these positive and warm waves emanating from my body and running through my hand which is rested over his shoulder.

Published on 14 Sept 2016

I have read so many BDSM stories that even writing that part when the Dom explains its concept to someone gets annoying LOL So I hope I made it okay for you too! Once again, I am not in that lifestyle, and what my characters say about it is only the way I see it from all the articles and books I read, the websites and blogs I consulted etc... This story is a story, not a documentary, and it is purely fiction, so it might not always reflect the reality of things.

Now that we get to the more serious things, you might start disliking Joshua at some moments. Don't worry, that's normal. And it will be the same until almost the end of the story : )

This chapter is dedicated to a "silent" reader, but I wanted to thank you for all the votes since the first story, AlegnaKat : )