Page 43 of A Master's Destiny
The ill-fated scene replays in my mind as I voice my failure out loud. “I burned her skin with the candle because I failed to buy the right kind.”
Anderson shakes his head. “I don’t believe it. I know you, buddy. You’re anal about that kind of thing.”
I shrug, frustrated and disheartened by the whole evening. “Apparently, I wasn’t careful enough, and that poor girl paid the price for my mistake. I not only destroyed her trust, but I may have ruined her love of wax.”
I bury my head in my hands, ravaged with guilt.
Anderson wraps a brotherly arm around me. “Thane, I’ve made mistakes with the bullwhip. There have been several times when I cut skin when I only meant to cause welts. It happens, buddy.”
“Your mistakes involved skill, Anderson. My mistake was so fundamental that there can be no excuse for it.”
Anderson snorts. “If I remember right, you wanted to take this course to become a better Dominant, right? Well, it’s better to make that mistake under the watchful eyes of experts than to have it happen when you’re alone.”
I groan. “I can’t even imagine what the trainers think of me now. But whatever they think doesn’t compare to what I think of myself.”
Disgusted and embarrassed by my failure, I tell him, “I’m done.”
“Done taking the course?”
“No. All of it.”
Anderson stands up, declaring, “You can’t quit! That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
I look at him, trying to adequately express how I feel. “Honey trusted me. I’ll never gain that trust back because I destroyed it with my incompetence.” I close my eyes. “I will never forget the look of fear and pain on her face.”
Sighing miserably, I mutter, “I caused her harm when all I wanted was to please her…”
He smacks the back of his hand against his palm. “There is a huge difference between breaking someone’s trust on purpose and breaking it by making a mistake. Ahugedifference!”
I shake my head. “In the end, my intentions have no bearing on the situation. The only thing that matters is knowing that a young woman is suffering tonight because of me.”
Anderson starts pacing the small apartment. “You’re not thinking straight right now, buddy.”
Feeling defeated, I stand up and head to my bedroom.
“I’ve got an idea!” he shouts behind me.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I snarl, shutting the door behind me. I strip off my clothes and lie down on the bed, crossing my arms over my eyes.
The day started with such promise and ended in ashes.
My phone rings, and I glance over to see it’s Master Nosh. I have nothing to say to the Head Trainer. I once held such promise, but that ended today.
I’m a disappointment to him—and myself.
Unable to sleep, I toss and turn, reliving the scene over and over again.
Eventually, I hear a woman’s voice outside my room and freeze. Glancing at the digital clock, I see it’s one in the morning. I have no idea what Anderson is up to, but I want no part of it.
Throwing on my sweatpants, I storm out of my bedroom and immediately stop in my tracks.
I stare at her, my jaw slack.
Anderson claps the woman on the back and smiles at me. “Well, look who’s here.”
Compassion
“Hey, Thane.”
