Page 175 of Ashes of Sin and Stardust

Chapter 41

Ifloated my way throughthe next few days. The welts and the bruises on my ass, my breasts, and my poor nether regions made it impossible to sit comfortably, or wear much of anything, so I spent the majority of my time in nothing but that wretched chastity belt. Not like Reuben had a problem with that. He smirked every time he saw me in it.

Sunday evening after our scene, we cuddled and watched movies. He let me lay my head on his lap, and he stroked my hair while we spoke quietly. I confessed how much I loved his punishment and the overstimulation. The warning I’d received from Megan was spot on. I’d do almost anything to relive that scene or something like it. I was officially addicted to him. He practically glowed with pride upon hearing my confession.

Looking down at me with so much damn confidence in his eyes, he said, “I told you so. I knew you were right for me.”

I felt like his most prized possession, and I closed my eyes and sighed, melting into a subby pile of goo in his lap.

Monday he asked me to do some laundry for him while he sat in his office and got on conference calls and answered his emails, and he had me do a few other odd and end chores around the house. I was in this weird mental place where I knew I was being super soft and submissive, and even though I wanted to be a brat, I enjoyed the feeling way too much to fight it, so I rode the high. I felt completely at peace with my decision to submit myself to Reuben. If this was the way he was going to deal with my attitude, I was totally okay with it.

Tuesday came around and I was still riding my high of being completely overwhelmed by him. That morning he woke me up with a kiss on my neck, his hands brushing my hair off my forehead as he spoke in my ear.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” His hands slid under the covers and trailed down my body, leaving a stream of goosebumps in their wake. They came to rest on my waist, and he unlocked the belt.

“Hmmmm... what time is it?”

“Far too early for little girls. I need to leave, but I didn’t want you to wake up to an empty house.” He kissed my cheek. “Go back to sleep, but don’t be upset when you wake up and I’m not here. I’ve left a note on the table for you, okay?”

“Mm-hmm. G’nite Sir.” I drifted back to sleep.

I woke up a few hours later, and when I checked my phone, it was almost nine o’clock.Damn, I haven’t slept this late in forever.I felt like my head had finally cleared from the past few days. I already missed subspace, but I also enjoyed the clear-minded, focused feeling I had now.

See, dumbass? You feel like yourself again. This is why we need a Dom. Alex was right the whole time.

I remembered Reuben waking me up to tell me he was leaving, so when I went out into the dining room, I wasn’t surprised to see it empty. Still, it felt a little weird. The past few days he had been there when I woke up, cooking breakfast and making coffee, and speaking to me in his low, quiet, smooth voice.

He always had me bring the coffee to the table while he finished cooking breakfast. It was our little “thing.” I checked the coffee machine; the pot was on warm, keeping what was left nice and hot for me.

I felt my body warm a little at the thought.He’s way too good for me. Leaving me warm coffee. Man, even Augustus never did that for me.Of course that was because I was the one that made the coffee in our relationship, but still. There was something special and thoughtful about it.

I sipped the coffee and ate a croissant he’d left on the counter for me. Then I remembered the note he’d mentioned, and I dragged myself off to find it.

Alice,

Text me when you wake up. I have a project for you. I will explain it here the best I can, but please let me know if you have questions.

My pantry and fridge here and in Cullowhee are highly lacking. Because of my back-and-forth, I never know what I have on hand. I’d like you to brainstorm an idea on how we can keep track of what we have, use the perishable foods before they expire with minimal waste, and track the nonperishables to the best of our ability.

I’d also like you to go through the fridge and throw out anything expired, or suspicious. It’s been a while since I’ve done that, and I feel it’s probably about time.

This does not need to be completed by the end of the day, but I think it would be good for you to start thinking about it. I have a feeling you’ll come up with a more effective system than I have, which currently consists of buying what I need for that night’s dinner, resulting in copious leftovers, moldy vegetables, and half-empty boxes of pasta. (See pantry for more.)

We can discuss more at dinner tonight. Don’t forget, we are dining at Bistro 401 at 6pm. I have a currier bringing your dress sometime today, and a driver picking you up at 5:30. Please be dressed and styled as you deem appropriate for a formal event.

Wear panties.

-Sir.

I laughed at his anecdote about underwear.Man, fuck panties, I thought. They always gave me panty lines, and I didn’t like them. At least he’d taken the damn chastity belt off.

Which reminded me. I was horny as hell.

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