Brie Learns the Art of Submission: Submissive Training Center (61 page)

She broke the suction on Faelan’s cock and
kissed the tip before standing up. She could see herself becoming
his. He was young, energetic, inquisitive, sexy, with that hint of
danger she found addictive.

As Brie straightened herself for the next
meeting, she prayed desperately that Tono would be waiting for her.
She needed to talk to him, to see where they stood, before she
could make a decision.

The final bell sounded. Brie took Faelan’s
hand and walked him out of the room. She noticed Mary come out the
same time with the tall Spaniard. The Spaniard Dom kissed her hand
gallantly and left.

Faelan nibbled Brie’s ear as his final
goodbye and whispered, “I’ll be waiting, blossom.”

Brie watched him leave and then scanned the
crowd for Tono. She let out a nervous sigh when she didn’t see him
and shifted her gaze to Mary.

Master Coen came up to Mary and she
whispered a name. He nodded and went to fetch the next Dom. Mary
looked in Brie’s direction and gave her a funny smile, shrugging
her shoulders.

“How’s it going?” Brie asked.

Mary didn’t answer. She just disappeared
into the room to wait for her Dom.

It Gets Complicated

Brie didn’t know who else to interview. She
glanced over the gathering, looking for a face that stood out from
the crowd of foreign Dominants. Her jaw dropped when she saw Faelan
walking with Master Coen to Mary’s room.
What the hell,
Mary?

Faelan looked at her apologetically as he
passed by. She understood. He was not allowed to turn down Mary’s
request. It was part of the rules for the evening. The submissives
were allowed to ask whomever they wanted without fear of rejection.
Fuck the damn rules!
Brie wanted to grab Blue Eyes by the
hand and pull him away from the temptress-turned-backstabber.

Instead, she stood mutely by as Faelan
entered Mary’s room and shut the door behind him. Could the evening
get any worse?

Marquis Gray was by her side, asking for her
next Dom. She muttered sadly, “I have no one else.”

“Surely there is someone who has caught your
eye, Miss Bennett. Do not waste even one meeting tonight.”

Brie glanced over at Sir. He looked good in
the expensive Italian tux he wore for the occasion. His face was
relaxed and his smile radiant as he laughed at some joke a group of
admiring submissives had made. Brie thought it cute the way his
hands danced in the air as he talked.

She looked away and answered, “No. There is
no one else…” She glanced at the door Mary and Faelan were behind
and forced herself not to scream.

“You must pick someone,” Marquis Gray
insisted.

“Fine.” She looked up at him. “Then I choose
you.”

He seemed shocked. “You can’t choose me.
Trainers are not allowed.”

Brie pouted. “But I’m not asking you to
collar me, Marquis Gray.”

“What would be the point?” he protested.

“I need you,” she said quietly, turning away
to hide her misery.

He was silent for a moment and then excused
himself. She secretly observed him as he walked over to his
submissive and the two had a short discussion. The woman followed
him back to Brie. “Celestia has agreed to join us, if you have no
objections.”

Brie glanced at the older woman and smiled.
“I have no objections, Marquis Gray.”

“Fine.” Marquis guided both of them into the
room. He left the door open, which Brie found odd but did not
question.

He gestured her to the couch while his
submissive settled down at his feet. Brie couldn’t help feeling
jealous of her.

“What would you like to discuss?”

Brie’s eyes opened wide when she heard
Mary’s passionate scream ring out from the other room, and she shut
her mouth, refusing to speak.

“I know what you need, pearl.” Marquis Gray
whispered something to his partner, and she gracefully stood up and
left the room. “Take off your corset and shoes. Leave everything
else on.”

With shaking hands she removed the few items
he required, trying not to think what was going on with Mary.

Marquis Gray commanded her full attention.
“On your knees, facing away from the door. I want you to look at
me.”

She knelt down on the mat in the middle of
the room and watched as he took off his jacket and shirt, then
tossed them on the couch. She stared up at him, but flinched when
she heard Mary cry out again.

“Ask me a question,” Marquis Gray
insisted.

Brie forced her brain to think, sifting
through the fog of her jealousy. Her first question to Faelan
popped into her head and she asked, “How old are you?”

Marquis smirked. “Thirty-nine. How much
older does that make me?”

She had to concentrate hard to do the simple
math. “That makes you seventeen years older.”

“Very good, pearl. Nice to know your public
education has amounted to something.” It took a few seconds for her
to register he’d made a joke.

Celestia returned with a flogger and lace.
Brie took in a deep breath, grateful he had read her undisclosed
desire.

Marquis Gray took the items and knelt beside
Brie. He tied the black lace over her eyes, murmuring softly,
“Remember our first night, pearl? You were kneeling on that stage,
a bundle of nerves but determined to show the world what a superior
sub you were.” He chuckled warmly. “You have succeeded in
impressing all of the panel, young lady, even those set against
you.”

He stood up and she heard something drag
across the floor. “Lean your torso against the ottoman.”

She did as he asked, anxious for the thud of
the flogger against her skin to drown out the occasional noises
coming from the other room. He swept her hair to the front and
lightly tapped her back with the flat of his hand.

Brie heard Marquis command his sub, “Hold
her hands.”

She felt Celestia lean against the opposite
side of the ottoman and take Brie’s cold hands in her warm ones.
The connection was instantly comforting.

Marquis spoke to Brie in a soothing voice.
“You will listen to the music as you embrace the caress of the
flogger. Let it remind you of your power. Be confident and
know
that circumstances cannot diminish your strength.
Nothing can.”

Brie nodded.

“Are you ready, pearl?”

“Yes, Master.”

Mozart filled the room as he warmed up her
skin with light hits from the flogger. It took several minutes for
her to relax but as soon as she did, he leaned in and asked her
color.

“Green.”

He shifted his stance and brought more
strength to each swing. Brie moaned as the endorphins flowed and
her limbs began to tingle, but she begged him to increase the
strength of his hits.

“I am not your pain addiction,” he
reprimanded. “You take what I give you.”

She felt ashamed, knowing he’d rightly
perceived her desire to escape through pain.

“I will leave no marks for your Master,
pearl. Fully appreciate each contact against your skin and you will
not need it stronger,” he instructed. “I give this to you as
empowerment, not escape.”

Celestia squeezed her hands in
encouragement. Brie took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders
before straightening her back for more. She received the next
stroke with a different mindset. It sent shivers of electricity
through her. She harnessed it.

Each successive stroke increased her
resolve.
I am powerful. I choose my submission… I choose whom I
will serve.

She wanted to protest when he stopped, but
realized their time was running short. The music ended and he
removed the blindfold. “Better?”

Brie nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Master.”

He took her hand and helped her up. He
nodded to Celestia, who moved gracefully to the bed in the corner
of the room and lay down. Marquis Gray guided Brie to it and
commanded her to lie beside his sub. He joined them on the bed,
sandwiching Brie between them. It was comforting on a level she
hadn’t experienced before.

“Remember that I told you not to settle for
the status quo.”

She shivered unwillingly and felt both
bodies press against her. Brie whispered, “I will miss you, Marquis
Gray.”

“You have been an experience, pearl.”

Celestia spoke up, her voice pure, like
spring rain. “I’ve been interested in your progress ever since I
heard about your near-dismissal, Miss Bennett.”

Brie remembered that night clearly. The
panel had suggested Sir step down as headmaster and she had almost
been kicked out of the submissive program altogether.

Marquis’ laugh was low and heartfelt. “I saw
your strength even then. I knew you would survive the taint of
Thane’s interference.”

“Taint?” Brie questioned.

“Admit that you have been influenced by that
one private encounter.”

Brie shook her head. “I was influenced the
day Sir came into the tobacco shop.”

Marquis Gray snorted. “Still, he used his
position to take something that was not his to possess.”

“Marquis Gray, I wanted no other.”

He shook his head angrily. “You were his
student. It was unconscionable.”

“Still…I do not regret it.”

“Your defense of the act does not negate the
transgression. Coen wanted both of you out. If it hadn’t been for
Gallant’s unwavering belief in you, you would not be here.”

“I never understood Master Coen’s aversion
to me.”

Marquis corrected her. “Coen would do
anything to protect the sanctity of the program. The fact you
eventually earned his respect speaks volumes.”

Brie braved a question she had been wanting
to ask. “Why does Ms. Clark hate me?”

“Hate is a strong word.”

Celestia answered her. “You act as a
whetting stone for Mistress Clark.”

Marquis reached over Brie and stroked his
submissive’s cheek. “True enough, love.”

Brie’s heart warmed at the term of
endearment coming from the fierce trainer’s lips. Their
relationship was exactly what she desired for herself.

“You unbalance our normally controlled
Dominatrix. Although it was entertaining to watch, Coen was right
to be concerned and we set things in place to limit your exposure
to each other. Every trainer comes across a student they cannot
instruct. It happens.”

“Then why was I partnered with her this last
time?”

“Thane did not want you to leave the school
with a negative impression of Dommes. He asked Clark to repair any
damage she had done. You should know she willingly agreed.”

“Well, I was almost convinced her feelings
towards me had changed.”

“Do not dwell on it.”

Brie looked around the room and said
wistfully, “I will really miss this place.”

“The Center is only a stepping stone, pearl.
Your true destiny lies beyond. Don’t look back.”

She frowned when she thought of Faelan next
door and Tono off somewhere, talking to his father.

Marquis grabbed her chin, focusing her
attention back on him. “You seem confused by the unexpected turn of
events tonight, but your decision remains the same.”

She looked into his dark eyes and disagreed.
“That’s not true. I don’t know what to do now.”

He shook his head, but was slow to
elaborate. “You have already decided. I saw it in your eyes
earlier. You simply haven’t accepted it yet.”

He sounded so confident that Brie believed
him. “How is it you understand me better than I do myself? You
always have.”

“Men are driven by sex to understand the
feminine mind. Not by money, career or recognition.”

His words were profound and resonated
through her. She finally understood her attraction to D/s. The
unique sexual relationship was conducive to a deeper connection
between a man and woman. A connection not found elsewhere.

The bell rang with its ten minute warning.
Marquis had her stand as Celestia covered her back in soothing
lotion before placing her corset back on and tying it tightly. Brie
realized he had been gentle in his flogging so that it did not hurt
overly much. He’d thought of everything—he always had.

Celestia brushed out her hair and touched up
her makeup in the few remaining minutes. “I want you to be perfect
for your Master,” she said, smiling like a proud mother.

My Master…

Marquis guided the two of them out of the
room and Brie ran smack into Mary. Faelan was nowhere to be
seen.

“What the hell, Mary?” Brie hissed.

“You’re the one who taught me to follow my
heart,” she answered defensively. “Besides, if I don’t look out for
myself, who will?”

“But
Faelan
?” Brie growled.

“Yes, Faelan.” Mary turned away from her and
whispered something to Master Coen before disappearing back into
the room.

Brie was about to scream the word ‘bitch’
when she noticed Tono out of the corner of her eye. She could
barely control her joy and eagerly motioned him into the room.
Marquis nodded his agreement and gestured for Tono to join Brie.
The smile on his beautiful face chased away all her ugly
thoughts.

“You came back,” she said, trying not to
sound as relieved as she felt.

“Of course, toriko. I would never leave you
for long.”

She blushed at the thrill his words brought.
The instant the door closed, he grabbed her and pulled her into his
arms. He shut his eyes and simply held her. She could sense his
distress and trembled in the embrace.

Tono responded to her fear by pressing her
head against his chest, holding her tighter. She accepted the
constriction and breathed with him, standing in silence as she
soaked in their simple harmony.

Brie eventually pulled away, knowing that
she only had a limited time. “Tono…” She took his hand and tried to
lead him to the couch. Instead, he directed her to the mat.