Such An Emotional Little Kitten

Asher had been harsh on Jezebel, but that was because he had known she needed the harshness in her punishment. Anything less, and Asher would have been another dom who couldn't bring her to heel, another one that didn't have enough self-control to handle her.

But it did make Asher's collar offer to Jezebel, one of very bad timing. She had known nothing but his structured, most exacting discipline and punishment. A girl like Jezebel couldn't just be shown that and be expected to take it well when he offered her a collar.

Asher's fault. For sure, his fault. But Jezebel was quite well behaved for her punishments after he reassured her. She whimpered through the belt, but she showed up at the door. Even though she knew there would be pain, she had been brave for him, and obedience like that certainly deserved a reward.

Jezebel was a baby player, and Asher was taking her into a deep concept. Sometimes, it felt too deep, and he would pace after she left, thinking through his lessons to her.

The depth Asher felt with her was a dangerous thing because he knew she returned that depth. He knew that it could possibly cause her terror if he took her too deep when she wasn't used to it, worried about it actually, especially when she didn't take him up on his offer to give her time.

Asher was glad she had remained so brave through it at the end, though. It gave him an opportunity to show her a lighter side without such dark sex, a playful side in the daytime and outside of his office.

Jezebel held herself fearfully when she met Asher at the coffee shop that he wanted to show her. It was a bookstore too and he was interested in her mind.

Asher knew it went incredibly fast and tortured her all the time, also knew she was full of references. But he wanted to know more. Asher had a feeling she would like books, or at least some form of media that stemmed from books.

For instance, someone didn't have to like reading to have enjoyed the Lord of the Rings.

"Hello, Pet. I was thinking that we've learned a fair bit about each other intimately, but there are other ways to get to know each other."

"Oh." Jezebel chewed her lip, and that icy place solidified in Asher's mind, gave him that clarity.

Something was wrong. His pet was troubled by something, and she wanted to come to him for help with it. But she was so afraid. When he had her slavery, she would learn to never be afraid of asking him for help with anything.

That thought was an interesting one because Asher realized it was true. He cared for her weird little depth. Discipline is something you have. How dare she make him feel so much affection. It was amazing.

God, Jezebel was amazing. She was every color of the rainbow, and Asher's world was black and white. He wanted to always help her and had so much interest in her that it made him pause.

But that was something to contemplate another time. His attention was on her at the moment, and whatever plight she was having.

"Have you ever been here?" Asher asked it gently, on his best behavior.

Jezebel shook her head. "No. What kind of books do they have?"

Bingo. Asher grinned. "What kind do you like?"

It was peaceful when he walked inside with her, with a water fountain on the bottom floor, and there were two floors of nothing but books.

Jezebel eyes went wide. "Woah. Um. I always ordered online, but I love all kinds. Neal Stephenson is my favorite... at the moment."

"Poor impulse control."

Jezebel's eyes lit up at Asher's 'Snow Crash' reference, and she turned, clasping her hands to her mouth and grinning. "YT was my favorite character for the longest time. I also love the philosophers. I never agree with any of them, except maybe Nietzche most of the time. And I like puzzle books. I have lots of those. I like grid logic puzzles the most."

"Ah. You'll have to explain what that is for me."

So Asher had been right. Jezebel's mind ran insanely fast, and she turned bored easily. But when she spoke of puzzles, that boredom was far away. She pulled up her phone to show him what she meant.

"They're those things that everyone usually hates, the ones that say 'Rachel had the blue flowers but not the red notebook and Sarah had the dachshund but not the gold collar'. You're supposed to set up a grid and work them, but I don't like to write anything down. I like to try to untangle it in my head and make myself visualize a string. I'm not perfect yet. I have to write down my end results to test them still."

Asher wrapped an arm around Jezebel's shoulder, and that's when his good intentioned day went awry.

She flinched.

It was such a small motion, but Asher's eyes snapped to it, and he slid into the icy clarity as easy as breathing.

Asher looked her over, noticing everything. Jezebel was relaxed, her breathing even, so she wasn't afraid of that touch. No, her breath had suddenly jumped, not that fearful jump, but one of... pain? Asher studied her long sleeved shirt and the way she clung to the sleeves.

"Interesting. I didn't tag you as a self mutilation type, but I've been wrong before." He lifted a sleeve and then inhaled, stopping. "Ah."

Not self mutilation. No, Jezebel was cut up and bruised and battered, but it wasn't done to herself. The angle of the cuts wasn't correct for a tug on her own wrists.

No, these were on the outsides of her arms and directed the wrong way. "Hm. This is interesting. I'm not even sure what some of these marks are from. Was that a razor?"

"I can't remember," Jezebel whispered, and she wouldn't look at his eyes. "I wasn't paying attention, but I didn't take drugs. He... he did, but..."

"Let's see. I'm going to guess it wasn't a fetish player at all, but someone who hid their abusive nonsense under the label?"

Asher's words were calm and controlled. Every mannerism Jezebel gave off said that she needed it. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Y-yes. What are you going to do to me?"

Asher didn't initially answer, instead tilting his head thoughtfully. "Pet, why did you agree to meet me today? Why not run?"

Jezebel's tears poured over, and Asher slowly guided her out of the bookstore, taking her to an empty stairwell where she could have her moment. "I don't know!"

Her voice was a quiet cry of misery. "I assumed you would rip up my card or do something mean or both or be disappointed or angry, and I don't know why I couldn't run! I don't know why I even let it happen. I just cried in the bathroom and still couldn't think of an answer and I'm sorry and I was so scared and I'm still so scared and I just knew that I needed someone or something that wasn't controlled because your control is too much of a temptation and I like it but I'm scared of it because I don't want to be your Pet or have your collar or-!"

Asher cut off her ridiculous run-on sentence with a gentle hand to her mouth, hugging her. "Kotyonok... Such an emotional little kotik. Breathe. Take a deep breath and then take another for me."

Jezebel sniffled in his arms, and he smiled at the sound. It was so much like a frightened kitten. Such emotion. Such heightened feelings. God, she would make a wonderful slave.

Jezebel let her tears fall freely onto Asher's shirt, and he stroked her, calmed her. "Well, this is certainly not how I planned for today to go. It's true you've postponed your chance at your card, but I would say I had some hand in your fear and running. You don't have to try to solve life all alone, Pet. Come on. Let's get you to Sulfur's where I can do some work."

"W-work?" Jezebel let Asher lead her after her emotional outburst, he noticed. But then her emotions seemed to exhaust her after they happened. They were short-lived and intense, from what he noticed. "What kind of work?"

Asher stroked his thumb over her hand. "I need to see what I can do to prevent some scarring and to heal you. Let's see if any of those razor wounds need stitches."

"Are you going to kick me out forever?"

Asher smiled back at Jezebel, guiding her to his car.

"No. I think we've been making some progress, Pet. This is a setback, and we'll address it."

Jezebel's head bowed, and she whispered, "Yes, sir."

"Did you drive, Pet?"

She looked at him like he was crazy. "I hate the idea of owning a car. It's a responsibility that has your name on a title. That's why I live here, where I don't have to drive."

"I see." But of course. And yet, it struck Asher that Jezebel didn't necessarily seem like a wanderer type either, not completely. Strange. She got his curiosity with every passing conversation.

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*Author's note*

*Kotik, kotyonok, and koshka, essentially, all can be translated as 'kitten' in some form.*

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