Page 39 of James

“Sounds to me like you need some encouragement and maybe some discipline. You’ve set your goal; you know why you want it. Those are important steps. Let’s try something for, say, the next month.” James stroked his chin. “For the next month, I will give you a schedule to do your exercises. We could do some of them together if you’d like. You’ll be held accountable for keeping your schedule and get rewarded or punished according to how well you keep it. Also, I want you to check in with me on a daily basis. In the morning when you wake up and at night when you get ready for bed. Sometimes I’ll give you extra tasks, but this is mostly to check in and for me to be sure you get enough sleep. After a month, we’ll evaluate our arrangement.”

“What kind of tasks and punishment?” Laura wanted to know.

“First of all, the tasks will be fun, because I think and hope you want to please me. They will also serve a purpose. For instance, if you find it difficult to ask people for help, the task might be to go on an errand and ask assistance from someone. It’s role play, meant to make you stronger, a better version of yourself. Punishments are different, of course. They serve to motivate you to keep your promises.” He took her hand in his and ran his thumb over the back of it. “Although your nature is to please, some tasks will be difficult to fulfill. I’ll be pushing your boundaries.”

Laura followed the movement of his thumb with hereyes before lifting them. “Could you give an example of what I could expect? I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself in front of my family and friends.”

“Of course you don’t, and I wouldn’t ask you to do something that would compromise your vanilla life. It’s hard to come up with something off the top of my head, because the punishment and the infraction have to be balanced.” He paused and his eyebrows narrowed. He stroked a finger over her make-up-free face before tapping on one of her neatly trimmed but unpainted nails. “For example, if I asked you to wear nail polish for me, I suspect you wouldn’t want to do it.”

Laura grinned at that. He was right, she wouldn’t.

James continued, “For punishment, I might ask you to talk to at least two women about how cosmetics make them feel and write a report about the benefits and downsides of it.”

She poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue. “Sounds like something I can do. What about work and family?”

“We’ll arrange allotted time for you that’s off-limits to me,” he replied. “Don’t forget you can always use your safeword. Yellow if we need to discuss something and red if you’re not able to keep the agreement or perform the task. “

Okay, she did like the sound of that and yet didn’t. “How would that work and how would you know I wasn’t using my safeword as an excuse?”

“Laura!” He grew stern. “Either you want my guidance and dominance, or you don’t. All I ask from you is for you to be honest and open. Don’t overthink it, experience it.”

“Yes, Sir.” She felt the telltale tingle and heat in her face at his admonishment.

“Submission isn’t forced, Laura. It is freely given.”

She nodded. “I know.”

“As with scenes, we discuss boundaries and limits. I’ll give you a limit list. It will give us both a general idea of the things you like, would like to try, or want to avoid. We’ll do something similar with exercising. For instance, do you want to do only physical exercise or mental as well?”

Laura blinked. “What do you mean by mental exercise?”

“After our college graduation, Chris and I went on an extended backpacking trip in Asia. We spent a month in a Buddhist Temple in Thailand and stayed in India with a Hindu family. It was an amazing experience. I’m not a Buddhist or a Hindu, but I’ve adopted some of their customs. One of them is meditation or mindfulness, which I learned from the monks. It helps me relax and focus. I would like you to practice it, too.”

“Okay. I haven’t done meditation, but if you’re willing to teach me, I’m open to trying. Did you adopt more ideas?”

“Yes, I did.” James smiled. “I’m not a strict vegetarian, but I follow the Hindu custom and don’t eat fish or meat on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday.”

They talked a bit more and decided about the lists they wanted to fill out and the exercises. They also agreed on getting blood tests done. Since Laura had stayed on the pill to regulate her period, they were protected from pregnancy. If their blood tests turned out negative, they could drop the condoms.

All too soon, Laura needed to go, since she had to work the next day.

James drove her home, his protective nature shining through as he insisted on accompanying her to the entrance of her duplex. Side by side, their footsteps created a harmonious rhythm and matched the beat of her racing heart. When they reached the door, James pulled her into his arms with a gentle yet unwavering hold.

Their bodies melted together in a dance of desire. The world around them faded into the background as their lips met, igniting an inferno of passion that consumed them both.

The intensity of their kiss sent waves of pleasure cascading through her, making her toes curl in response. Her head spun with the heady mix of desire and surrender, only James and the intoxicating connection they shared could evoke from her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

In the following days, their interactions seamlessly fell into a comfortable rhythm. On Monday, Laura dedicated herself to her fitness routine, feeling the exertion as she pushed her body to its limits. Tuesday arrived, and they found themselves side by side, engaged in the mundane yet oddly satisfying task of doing laundry together. As they sorted and folded clothes, their shared presence brought a sense of closeness and domesticity.

Then came Wednesday, a day filled with anticipation and unspoken desires. They shared a meal, the aroma of food mingling with unspoken longing hanging in the air. Laura couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment. The physical intimacy they had experienced before lingered in her memory, and she longed for it to be reignited. The absence of fun times in the bedroom left an unfulfilled longing within her, a subtle ache that echoed in her heart.

On Thursday evening, Laura wiped the sweat off her forehead. Today marked her first attempt at running, and it had been a complete disaster. How could that happen?It had seemed like the easiest way to get her cardio in, so easy even her Dad could do it! He was up to five miles a day, he said, so she decided to start with only two, but within the first half mile, her breathing had been laborious and her heartbeat erratic. She started walking instead of running before she’d gone a mile, and now she was home, disappointment, discouraged, and ready to admit that running just wasn’t her thing and she should stick with the yoga videos she followed on YouTube. Those went smoothly and left her feeling toned and accomplished.

As her first week as James's submissive unfolded, the concept was still unfamiliar to her. She struggled to adjust to this new dynamic. However, the routine of receiving check-in texts had quickly become a comforting and familiar presence in her daily life.

Initially, it appeared a minor detail in the grand scheme of things. Yet, as the days passed, her comfort level grew, evolving into something more profound. Laura realized she liked being noticed and reminded of healthy habits, like getting enough sleep, and she did feel much better and more alert now that she was regularly rested and hydrated. She hadn’t realized how nice it was to have James watch over her, even if he wasn’t in her vicinity. The experience of having someone to answer to, to be accountable to, unexpectedly stirred a deep sense of satisfaction within her.

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