Page 6 of Master Key Resort

Tiffany startled when he set two glasses of iced tea on the table, one directly in front of her. She hadn’t realized he’d placed the order and returned. She must have zoned out for a moment, and that wasn’t a good thing. Not in a Dom’s presence. Inattentiveness was a sure way to earn a punishment, and she didn’t think she was ready for that yet with a new Dom.

“Thank you, M—Cordell.” When he just eyed her as he took the seat across from her, she added, “I’m sorry—it’s habit Ma—” She huffed loudly, irritated with herself. “It’s a habit Mitch said I needed to break.”

“Okay, we can work on that.” He set a little card with the number fifteen on it into a silver holder on the table, so when their food was ready, a server would know which customers it belonged too. “Would you be more comfortable calling me Sir instead of my given name?”

Relief shot through her, and she gave him a small smile. “Yes, Sir, I would, very much, but ...”

“But what, pet?

Her honesty had clearly pleased him a few minutes ago, so she answered truthfully. “Is there a reason you don’t want me to call you Master, aside from us being in public?”

There was a pause, as if he hadn’t expected the question and was weighing his response. “Yes, there is. I never ask my submissives to refer to me as Master until we both feel I’ve earned the title. You’ll find I’m not like most of the Doms you’ve known before now. I have my own rules I follow in addition to the rules I’ll expect you to follow if we negotiate an agreement and sign a contract. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

The grin on his face gave her the warm fuzzies inside. It also eased the harsh features of his face and the nausea in her stomach. “Good,” he said. “Now, while we’re waiting for our food, I have some questions I want you to answer. I will warn you that a few of them may be uncomfortable for you, but I expect honesty from you. My intent is not to embarrass you, but your answers will help me decide if I think I can help you. Understood?”

She took a deep breath and let it out. This is what she’d expected to do over the phone, which she would’ve found easier. Having his eyes on her made her nervous, but she needed to do this. Bruce had mind-fucked her for too long. She recognized that now, after several conversations with Mitch, Tori, and Mistress Rayanna. It was time to take back her control, but to do that, she needed to willingly give this Dom her submission. If, by the end of their meeting, either of them didn’t think a D/s relationship would work between them, then she’d have to call Mitch and ask him to find another Dom to help her. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good. Let’s start off with an easy question. How long have you been in the lifestyle?”

“Almost three years, Sir.”

“How did you discover it?”

“Through Tori, Sir. She came to visit and accidentally let it slip that she was a submissive. I’d read a lot of fictional books in the lifestyle genre and found it intriguing.”

He frowned. “Those books have their pros and cons. Many submissives finally found the lifestyle does exist, but others who don’t belong in D/s relationships joined clubs because suddenly kink was fashionable. However, after speaking with Mitch, I do believe you fall in the former group. Continue.”

It took a second to remember where she’d left off. “Um ... oh, so Tori and I discussed it, and she advised me to find a munch so I could talk to other subs and some Doms to see if I was truly a submissive. She also gave me some websites and chatrooms to join. After a munch, I started taking sub classes at Indigo.” Although the club was a public one, all play was closely monitored there. The Dungeon Masters had no issues interrupting scenes if they thought a sub was in danger, mentally or physically. They offered classes in various types of play for both Doms and subs. Tiffany had taken every class available for subs and had honestly thought she’d learned enough and had been cautious enough to weed through the wanna-be Doms and sadists. She’d done a good job up until she’d met Bruce and fallen for his magnetism. However, she now knew that’d all been a farce. One that many domestic violence victims fall victim to.

“Indigo is a good club, despite being a public one. How many Doms did you play with before you met this last one?”

“Before Ma—” She shook her head. “Before I met Bruce, I’d played with six or seven Doms, but I only had sex ...” Her voice had dropped to a whisper for that one word, since she didn’t want anyone around them to comprehend what she was talking about. Although, no one seemed to be paying any attention to them. “... with two of them, and I’d known them for a few months before agreeing to that during negotiations.”

Cordell’s lips had twitched when she’d said, “sex” in a hushed tone, but a full smile hadn’t appeared. He did, however, lower his voice a little when he spoke again. “As for Bruce, Mitch said you were with him for two years, is that correct?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“In a Master/slave relationship?”

Tiffany’s gaze dropped to the table as her cheeks heated in embarrassment. Why, oh, why had she let Bruce talk her into being a slave instead of a submissive? As a slave, she’d handed over all aspects of her life for him to control—what she did, what she wore, what she ate, who her friends were, and so much more. Now she found she was lost without someone making those decisions for her, and she hated it. She wanted her freedom, yet she also wanted a Dom to satisfy her submissive nature. Could she find a Dom who could handle both?

“Pet, eyes on me.” When she met his gaze again, he continued. “I asked you a question. Please answer it.”

“Yes, Sir. It was a Master/slave relationship.”

“Is there a reason you agreed to be a slave?”

Shit, she should have known that question was coming. What should she say? She’d been stupid? She’d fallen for his charm? She’d thought he’d loved her? “I-I don’t know, Sir. The only answer I believe I can give you is I was gullible.”

The Dom tilted his head and stared at her, as if contemplating her answer. The silence stretched a moment, and Tiffany was grateful when a male server stopped at their table with a tray. “Fuji apple salad with chicken?”

Cordell pointed at the empty spot on the table in front of Tiffany. “That’s for the lady.”

“Okay, that means you get steak and arugula sandwich, correct?”

“Yes, thank you.”

After the server left them with their meals, Cordell said, “I hope that was a good choice.” He indicated her salad with a jut of his chin.

Tiffany smiled, relieved they were off the difficult questions, at least for the moment. “Yes, it is. I love all their salads, but this is one of my favorites. Thank you.”

She’d expected him to dig right into his sandwich, but he just sat there waiting. After several seconds ticked by, he said, “Tiffany, rule number one about meals. I will not start eating until the woman I’m with takes her first bite.”

Understanding the prompt, she picked up her fork and speared a piece of apple. “May I ask why?”

His lips twitched again. “Because it’s a gentlemanly thing to do. Now, please start eating because I’m quite hungry.”

---