Chapter 4

"I think you are making a wise choice," Marshall told Anita. "I think we will both prefer the outcomes of us addressing this transgression personally, just between ourselves, without getting anybody else involved, don't you think?"

"Yes, Sir."

Marshall took another step closer to Anita. Despite her three-inch heels, he was still tall enough to look over her head. He put a hand on either of her cheeks, and brushed back a few stray hairs that the breeze up on the rooftop had blown into her face. "I am about to spend a good amount of time being neither kind nor gentle with you. You are being punished. You understand this, yes?"

"I do, Sir."

"However, I would like to offer you one thing first. Would you like me to kiss you tenderly before we start?"

He watched Anita's face as she weighed her options. She didn't look up at him as she did it, which felt to him like she was considering what she wanted, not trying to guess what he wanted. He liked that. It showed that she was choosing the terms under which she was Submitting to him. In his experience, women who knew what they wanted were the most fun. It wasn't just that a self-assured woman was more confident, more likely to enjoy herself and thus magnify his own enjoyment. But if the woman knew what she wanted, he knew what not to give her until it suited his own desires.

"I would like to earn that kiss, Sir."

"Very well," he said, running his right hand around to the back of her head. She had it pulled back and clipped in a barrette, with a nice, thick tail hanging below. He closed his fist around that tail and pulled her head back a little bit. He looked around quick. He'd reserved the entirety of the rooftop for his private use, so there was nobody else up there. But the exterior was considered a common area to the building's owners, so he was unable to have those cameras turned off. He was sure that it was no secret to the security staff that he took women to The Retreat, but there was no need for them to know the exact nature of what he did with them. Hauling her across the roof by her hair was not something that needed to be caught on the feed.

"Walk with me," he said, using just a little bit of muscle guide her to the nondescript door of The Retreat. With his free hand, he touched the doorknob. The electronic lock picked up the contact and detected his phone and almost silently rolled the deadbolt back. He used a little more physical persuasion to lead her through the doorway and shut it behind them. As with his condo, The Retreat's lock was set to take two taps as a signal that all was well. The door locked behind him and the security cameras inside shut off.

Marshall lifted his right hand, requiring Anita to get up onto her toes, even farther that her high-heels lifted her, to take the pressure off her scalp. He had to mentally give her credit for walking across the roof as if everything was natural, and for making no sound at all as he increased the discomfort he was causing her. He walked her over to The Retreat's kitchen, driving her in front of him, and when her hips met the island, he kept pushing her forward, bending her over it. He put a bit of his weight behind his hand, and flattened her torso out on the counter, her face against it, an elbow in the middle of her back.

"This is just the start, Anita. I only get rougher from here, until I feel you've adequately atoned for your actions. Are you sure you'd like to do this instead of having me call security?"

"I am, Sir."

"Good," he said, releasing her and stepping back from her. "Stand up, face me. Look me in the eye."

Anita complied with his instruction.

"You appear to understand what I meant when I asked you to Submit to punishment."

"I understand, Sir."

"You speak properly. Have you been previously trained?"

"No, Sir. I've played on the edges of this before, but have no formal training."

"An old boyfriend that liked to tie you up and spank you here and there?"

"A little more than that, but essentially, yes, Sir. May I elaborate?"

"No. The finer details of what you've done with others before me are irrelevant right now. I may care later, but for now, we are blank slates to each other. Your past and my past do not enter into this transaction. Understood?"

"I understand, Sir."

"Good. Go to the living room, the bench by the window on the right. There is a pad in it. Place it in the center of the living room and kneel down on it. Down - ass on your heels."

He watched as Anita put more hip into her walk than she needed, without overdoing it to the point where it became a parody of sexiness. She did, however, bend at the waist to open the bench by the window and pull the kneeling pad out. As instructed, she placed it in the middle of the living room floor, and knelt facing him, eyes to the floor.

"Good," he said, as he walked over to her. "Remember these two position names. You are kneeling down now. This is a position of waiting for me, of being prepared for instruction, of me allowing you to rest." He grabbed her hair again and lifted her to where her knees were still on the ground, but her thighs were upright. He stood square in front of her, and pulled her face a little bit forward, to where her nose touched him just below the belt. "This is kneeling tall. I suspect you can tell one of the purposes for this position?"

"I can, Sir."

"Good. This is a position of active servitude. If I have you in this position, you will be servicing me, or I will be making some use of you, or testing your resolve and endurance."

"I understand, Sir."

"Good. If I tell you to kneel, but do not specify down or tall, kneel down. When kneeling down, you may fold your hands and put them in your lap, on your knees, at your side. Whatever you would like. When kneeling tall, they will be straight at your sides unless I tell you otherwise. Understood?"

Anita, who had been holding her hands clasped in front of her, immediately dropped them to her sides. "I understand, Sir."

"Good. Kneel down. Rest for a moment while I establish the rest of the rules." He let go of her hair and turned to walk a few steps away.

"Thank you, Sir."

At that, Marshall spun on his heel, and looked at her sternly. "Do not ever thank me while you are in Submission to me. None of this is a kindness to you, none of this is a gift to you. None of this is for you. It is all for me."

"Yes, Sir," Anita said, bowing her head.

"Have you ever used safe signals before, Miss Rhodes?"

"No, Sir, but I understand what they are."

"Then you understand that everything that will happen while you are in Submission to me is at my pleasure, but at your consent. You are not allowed to have preferences or desires or requests at this time, but you are allowed to have limits and boundaries. I will respect those. Will you respect your own limits and boundaries as well?"

"Yes, Sir."

"I will challenge them, but I will still respect them if you tell me to not cross them. My goal is to use you hard, but cause no true harm. In order to do that, I need to trust you will always be aware of yourself and signal me if I am at risk of harming you. Can I trust you to hold up your end of this equation?"

Anita hesitated before answering. "You can, Sir."

"Good. I will hold you to that. Now, I like to use a specific set of words, and you should only use them as safe words, not for any other purpose. If you tell me 'Warning', that is a signal for me to check in with you. Use that if I am approaching a boundary that you need me to be cautious of. Use it if you feel like I may cause you physical or emotional harm. Use it if I am at the limits of your endurance and it does not seem like I am easing off on my own. 'Warning' means slow down and take a moment to communicate somehow. Understood?"

"I understand, Sir."

"'Danger' is a full stop. It means something is seriously wrong and we need to immediately stop, remove any form of restraint, and I need to be prepared to render immediate physical or emotional aid. Use this if you did not realize you were at a 'Warning' point until it was too late, if there is some sort of accident, or if for any other reason you need me to stop immediately. I would by far prefer it if both of us are always aware enough of ourselves and others to never need 'Danger', but this thing that we do has risks. The risks are what makes it as powerful as it is, and those risks mean that 'Danger' is always a possibility. Understood?"

"I understand, Sir."

"Good. If for any reason, you are not able to speak 'Warning' or 'Danger', but still need to signal me, do anything at all three times in rapid succession. Grunt, snap your fingers, tap your foot, blink. If necessary, hit me. If you cannot speak and you need to signal either 'Warning' or 'Danger', do anything three times in rapid succession and I will treat it as a 'Danger', stop what I'm doing, and do whatever is necessary to allow you to speak. Understood?"

"I understand, Sir."

"There is another signal. 'Alter' means that you are doing well with the level of intensity we are on, but you need a change of some sort to keep going. This is the only request you are allowed to make at this time. If I'm doing something to your back, and you've reached your limit there, and just need me to focus on some other part of your body, use 'Alter'. If I'm using an implement that stings on you, and you have reached your limit for that sensation, and need me to use something that gives a deeper thud, 'Alter' tells me to switch toys and I can keep working you over instead of having you call 'Warning'. Understood?"

"I understand, Sir."

"Finally, my favorite word of all, 'Heighten'. 'Heighten' means I can go harder. I may take that as a very serious challenge, so be sure you really mean it. Understood?"

Anita dared a glance up at Marshall, a little sly smile, as she said, "I understand, Sir."

"Try me some time. See if you're still smiling afterwards."

Anita lowered her eyes back to the floor.

"I would like to keep you in Submission until Sunday afternoon, Miss Rhodes, assuming you are available..."

"I am, Sir."

"Good. Let me remind you that you are here to be punished. I am going to do unpleasant things to you. Some of them may even be considered cruel. I reiterate my promise to respect your boundaries and limits and consent, but will push against them as far as you will let me. I am going to toy with your body, and I am going to toy with your mind and your emotions. I expect you to endure my attentions as long as you can. I will give you breaks to recover, but only to allow me to stretch this out for the next," he looked at his watch, "fifty-four hours or so. You understand what I intend to do to you inside of this space?"

"I do, Sir."

"You are doing well so far at being complaint and subservient. I expect this to continue until I release you from your Submission. Sometimes, it is fun to play with a brat who needs taming, or to break someone who's being too high-spirited. This is not what I want out of this weekend. You are here to serve me. You will obey me. You are allowed to want one single thing, and that is to please me. You are my property. If you fight me or taunt me, if you resist me, everything stops. I will give you two minutes to dress, and if necessary, I will bodily throw you out that door. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Do you consent to giving me full access to every part of your body?"

Anita paused, and Marshall saw her jaw tense. "I do, Sir," she finally said.

"Good. Unless you have any questions, I think we are done talking."

"I have no questions, Sir."

"Very well. Eyes on me."

Anita looked up. Marshall walked to the kitchen. He took his phone out of his pocket and held it up so she could see the screen while he powered it off. He opened a drawer, set his phone into it, and took out a key. He held that up as well so she could see it. "The electronic locks only work if my phone is on and within a couple feet. However, this key will also open the deadbolt. I would really like you to stay until I release you, but if at any point you wish to stop and leave, the key is here. You are free to go at any time. Your Submission is useless to me unless it is freely given."

"I understand, Sir."

"We'll see how well you understand what it means to Submit to me when I'm pushing you."'

"I hope to serve you well, Sir."

"I hope so, too, Miss Rhodes. What I need you to do now is turn around, facing the windows. Kneel tall, eyes closed."

"Yes, Sir," Anita said, doing as instructed.

"I'm setting an alarm for ten minutes. I want you to spend that time truly considering my offer, not just agreeing with me. Please take the entire ten minutes. If, at the end of that time, you are truly committed to Submitting to me, meet me in a room I call The Playground, completely unclothed. If, instead, you are not fully committed, take the key, unlock the door, and leave. I will consider the debt for your deception and trespass forgiven. Are your eyes closed?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Ten minutes, Miss Rhodes."