Page 27 of Fallen Petal

It could be my imagination, but I’m sure I see a flicker of sadness scurrying across his handsome face. A memory, maybe? Did he—

“I know you love it; I always knew you would.” He cuts off my train of thought. “But we have to be careful with you.”

Careful with me? Why is he teasing me like this, making it so obvious that there’s something behind his words, something deeper, something that may have meaning not only for him but for me, too.

I bite my lower lip to prevent myself from asking questions I know he’s not willing to answer. I don’t want to get on his bad side, not today.

“But I have been good lately, haven’t I?”

My inquiry appears to surprise him. He arches his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side while fixing me with a questioning look.

“I have been obedient, adaptive—pleasing you, just like you want me to.”

He lets go of me and juts his chin forward. “Where are you going with this, Petal?”

“It’s just that...,” I utter, swallowing dryly as I try to think of the right words. “Remember what you told me on my very first day? Down in the basement.”

“I told you a lot of things that day.”

No, you didn’t. You refused to answer any of my questions and listed a bunch of things you expect of me.

I shake my head, casting away the honest words that would only anger him.

“You told me that bad girls get punished,” I say, fighting to stay on track for my purpose. “And good girls get a treat.”

He nods slowly, waiting for me to conclude.

“Well, I have been very good for you, but it’s been a while since I received a treat.”

A sinister chuckle escapes him. “On that, I would disagree, my dear Petal.”

I glare at him, unable to suppress a pouting face, which only makes him laugh at me even more.

“You have been spoiled,” he goes on. “Orgasm after orgasm, elated so high that you must have felt close to the clouds. What more could you possibly ask for, Petal?”

“Fresh air,” I blurt out. “And sunlight. I want to go outside.”

This is not how I planned to go about this. It wasn’t my intention to jump at him like this, to demand a flash of freedom like it was my place to do so. Because I know it isn’t. I can’t just require things of him the way he can of me. But I can earn them—and I think I’ve done more than enough to do so.

Yet, his answer is as short as it is painful. “No.”

“Please! I’m not asking for you to let me go, I just want to be allowed to leave this room!” I clarify, leaning forward to place my hands on his thighs as I close in on him. “Just for a few minutes! You can tie me up, restrain me however you want. But I promise I won’t try to run away. I know there’s no use anyway. I just want to—”

“I told you no!”

He frees himself of my hands, brushing me away before he gets up on his feet, turning his back to me. Terror rises within my chest as I fear he’s about to walk out the door without further ado.

“Tell me what I can do to earn it!” I yell after him, my voice so shrill that I startle myself.

It does the trick. He freezes mid-motion, remaining with his back turned to me. “You’re not in the position to bargain with me.”

A pause. Silence coats us in the most unpleasant way, strained with crushing tension. I know he’s trying to hold the upper hand here, but he lost it the very moment he stopped walking. I may be the one kneeling, but the power is all mine.

He turns around, the look on his face proving that I’m right.

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