Page 26 of Slave

He didn’t say anything but instead went to the phone. His voice was calm as he spoke to the person on the other end of the line. It was good to hear him calm again, even though I doubted it would last.

Ian had always been good at putting on a show for others outside his group. If you were to meet him on the street, you would have no idea what he liked to do in what he called his “playroom.” I hated it in there, more than the dungeon even. At least in the dungeon, I would be alone. I was never alone in the playroom. He was always there, too.

My Master’s voice pulled me back from my memory, and for that I was grateful. “The food will be here shortly. Would you like to watch a movie while we eat?”

A movie? Really? He wanted to watch a movie with me?

I couldn’t help the excitement that flowed through me at the thought. I hadn’t seen a movie in so long. When I’d lived with my father, John, the nearest theater was over an hour away; and even though my friends would make the drive every once and a while, I was never allowed to go. The last time I’d seen a movie was in Dallas.

“Yes, Master,” I answered softly, still careful not to push things. He seemed to be back to normal now, but I knew better than to be complacent.

“There are movies in the cabinet beside the television. Pick what you’d like to watch,” he said and then walked back into the kitchen and began opening drawers.

Slowly I walked over beside the television. I couldn’t believe this was happening, that I was getting to pick out a movie for us. And what made this even better was that I knew he was really letting me choose. I was going to take advantage of it until he took it away. Which I knew he would, eventually.

When I opened the cabinet doors I was in awe; the number of movies to choose from was staggering. The DVDs went from floor to ceiling and were arranged in alphabetical order.

As my eyes ran over the titles, I realized there was a little bit of everything here. The movies ranged from action/adventure to girly romantic comedies. Of course, there were way more of the former than the latter, but I was still surprised to find them at all.

I used to like those types of girly movies. Before.

Now, I didn’t know if I could stand seeing the quirky girl and the gorgeous guy fall madly in love and live happily ever after. That girl wasn’t me. Could never be me. Not anymore.

So moving on, I concentrated on the more masculine titles. That was when I found it, No Country for Old Men. It was based on a book I’d wanted to read, before, but hadn’t gotten a chance. The movie had won an Oscar for Best Picture so it had to be good, right?

Deciding it didn’t matter whether it was good or not, at least it wouldn’t be all mushy and romantic, I took it down from the shelf and turned, coming face to face with my Master’s chest.

Not sure if I should look up or not, I decided to keep my head down. Better to be safe than sorry. “Did you make a selection?” he asked.

“Yes, Master.”

He took the movie from my hands. “No Country for Old Men,” he said, stepping around me and inserting it into the DVD player. I remained where I was. “I’ve been meaning to watch this but haven’t had the time.”

My Master was talking to me. Really talking to me. Again, I was left feeling utterly confused.

Confusion seemed to be a constant for me for the rest of the night. He’d asked me to join him on the couch, which in and of itself wasn’t overly odd, but then he really did sit there and watch the movie with me while we ate the food that arrived about twenty minutes into the film.

My Master didn’t try to touch me at all.

And when the movie ended, things got even weirder. He’d asked me what I thought about the movie. My mind immediately screamed TEST, but then I calmed myself down and remembered this was my new Master, not my old one, and I answered him.

He sat and listened while I told him it hadn’t been what I expected, but that I’d liked the twists and turns in the storyline. To my amazement, he’d agreed with me about the twists and turns and said it was very much like the book. And at the mention of the book, my mouth opened before I could stop it. “You’ve read the book?”

As soon as I’d realized what I’d done, my hand flew to cover my mouth in horror. How stupid could I be? It wasn’t my place to ask questions!

But instead of yelling or backhanding me for my slip, he was silent. When he did speak he answered my question and then added one of his own. “Yes. I own it. Would you like to read it?”

What do I say? How do I answer him? The truth, a little voice said. And so I told him the truth. “Yes, Master.”

He got up and walked into his bedroom, leaving me where I was. When he returned, he was holding a book that looked as if it had been read and handed it to me.

Flipping it over, I could see the faces of some of the actors staring back at me.

Apparently, this was printed after the movie was released. Without thinking, I opened the book and began skimming the first few pages. For the first time in so long, I felt that growing excitement I always felt when starting a new book. I was so lost in the sensation flowing through my body that I almost missed his words. “You like to read, Brianna?”

My head came up before I knew what I was doing. But as soon as my eyes met his, I remembered my place and lowered them again. “Yes, Master.”

“What do you like to read?”

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