Discipline (Scott & Mariana) (3 page)

“I’m glad to hear that,” a slow curl formed on Sanora’s lips. “I’m very glad to hear that.”

A waiter came by with the wine selection, and Sanora made a choice. “You never did tell me why you specifically chose Mariana?” Scott asked.

Sanora could recall the first time she had seen Mariana Harlow. She was sweet yet feisty. She had a soft demeanor, but it was clear she was strong. Many women applied for the position based on the pay rate and bonuses, but Sanora personally hand-picked the ones for Scott to interview. The young woman didn’t realize it at the time, but her interview with Sanora was really an application for being Scott’s girlfriend and submissive.

“What are your weaknesses?” Sanora had asked.

“Hmm…” Mariana thought carefully. “Well, I guess I can get a little too passionate about things. I love a good debate. Sometimes I take things too personally when I really shouldn’t. But these are all things that I’m working on.”

“Very good. What are your strengths?” Sanora asked.

“Whenever I make a decision, I think of the pros and cons before deciding the final choice. I don’t do anything halfway.” Mariana stated proudly.

“Do you consider yourself to be trustworthy?” Sanora asked.

“Oh, very much. I still have secrets I’m keeping from the sixth grade!” Mariana laughed.

Sanora smiled. “How well do you deal with aggressive clientele?”

“I can hold my own,” Mariana confidently smiled.

“What type of music do you listen to?”

“I like a variety, but I love hip-hop and R&B. Is that a problem?”

Hmm….it could be.
Scott was young, but he definitely had an old-soul vibe to him. “No, I’m just wondering for my own interests. Just make sure you wear headphones when you clean.”

“Not a problem!” Mariana smiled.

“Finally, what’s something fun about you?”

“I have stuffed animals and I still sleep with them.” Mariana admitted. “I have a favorite, Sweet Pea.”

The memory faded into the background, and Sanora smiled. “I just knew.”

“When you met her, you knew right away?” Scott wondered.

“Yes,” Sanora nodded. “You seem surprised.”

“I shouldn’t be,” Scott quietly replied.

“She needed guidance, and I felt you were the one to give it to her,” Sanora explained. “Was I right?”

A slow smile formed on Scott’s lips. His Mistress truly knew him better than he knew himself at times. “Always.”

“Scott,” Sanora leaned forward, exposing a bit of her ample breasts, “I tend to do things on my own terms, in my own way. It may not make sense at first but after a while, once the smoke clears and you see your picture-perfect view, you’ll wonder why you ever doubted me.”

Scott warmly smiled. “You really are my kinky godmother.”

“I wear that title with pride,” She sensually smiled.

A waiter came by to talk lunch specials and take their order. He soon left. “I also chose Mariana for a specific reason,” Sanora began, “she reminds me a lot me when I was younger. She has a fire inside her I haven’t seen in a long while. You can help her.”

“That’s what I’m planning to do, Mistress,” Scott replied.

“However, there is something about her you might want to keep in mind,” Sanora took a sip of wine, “she’s not like any other woman you’ve dated before. She’s her own woman.”

“That’s what I love about her.”

“You’re not hearing me, Scott,” Sanora replied, “Mariana is smart enough to know the difference between love and sex. Love is love and sex is sex. But when combined, they are beautiful and in sync with each other.”

“You’re telling me something I already know, Mistress,” Scott countered. “And I’m sure Mariana knows it as well.”

“If you want to own her mind and her body, you need to own her heart as well.” Sanora clarified. “The moment you break her heart, it’ll be a long time before she forgives you.”

“You’re preaching to the choir, Mistress,” Scott reasoned.

“I’m a teacher instructing Her student,” Sanora smiled. “Be careful with Mariana. Just because she opens her legs to you, it doesn’t mean she forgives you. It also doesn’t mean that she loves you. It just means she was horny and you were something to do.”

“Are you predicting the future?” Scott raised an eyebrow.

“I most certainly hope not,” Sanora smiled.

“I need to start training Mariana. I know there’s so much more to her than what’s being presented.” Scott said.  “I just don’t know where to start.”

“Have you started giving her mantras to say?” Sanora suggested.

“I thought about it,” Scott nodded, “I don’t know which ones are appropriate for her.”

“You need to choose some that will build her confidence more. Something that will empower her whenever she says it. She’ll think of you when she says them, of course, but the sole purpose behind the mantras is to make her independent even when you’re not around.”

“I’m also monitoring her spending habits. She’s getting better.
” Scott added.
“
She only had a couple of overdrafts this past month.”

“A couple?” Sanora raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, it’s better than the six she was averaging per month,” Scott added. “Baby steps.”

“What about her eating habits?”

“She still goes to McDonald’s and what-not,
but she
doesn’t do that so much
now that she knows I cook.” Scott took a sip of wine. It was smooth with a little tartness. “I want her to enroll in cooking classes soon, though.”

“I have a friend who does cooking classes at the mall,” Sanora replied. “She can help.”

“Good,” Scott nodded approvingly. “It’s going to take some time to cultivate her into the woman I know she can be. I just have to be patient.”

“With her or with you?”

Scott took another sip of wine. “Both.”

Five

Her body was at work but her mind was with her Master.

Mariana stared blankly at the computer screen before her, looking over a new campaign ad. It had already been approved and sent out to the magazine, but Mariana kept the image on the screen. It made her look busy. It made her look like she was contributing something of value to the agency. It made her look like she had other things to do.

Other things than worry about her boyfriend.

It had been a few days since Halloween. Mariana hadn’t seen Scott, and he only sent her a simple text message:
I’ll talk to you when it’s appropriate.
Mariana translated that simple text to mean Scott would talk to her when the moment was right. Whenever that moment would be, she wished she could predict. Mariana had to keep reminding herself that Scott Reed was on his own time and no one else’s.

That had been several days ago, and Mariana had been anxiously waiting by her phone for Scott to contact her. She slept with her phone on, took it with her in the bathroom…the phone never left her side in case Scott called. He never did. It was then Mariana realized the severity of her mistake. She was struggling to keep patient.

She had disobeyed her Master. She had betrayed the trust of her boyfriend. She needed to prove to him he could trust her again.

“You look troubled,” Scott approached her from behind.

Scott’s sudden appearance startled Mariana. “Hi, Mr. Reed. Good morning,” she addressed him politely.

“Good morning, Ms. Harlow,” he smiled, “do you have a minute?”

“Sure,” Mariana gathered a pen and notepad with her and followed Scott into his office and closed the door behind her.

Scott dropped his briefcase on a nearby chair and took off his blazer. He walked over to the front of his desk and motioned for Mariana to sit before him. “I wanted to talk to you about the other night. I wanted to get your feelings on what happened.”

“I disobeyed you and I was properly punished,” Mariana nodded.

“Do you think you were punished or do you think it was discipline?”

Mariana thought hard for a moment. She truly thought discipline and punishment were interchangeable. “I thought they were one and the same, Master.”

“Not quite,” Scott leaned against the desk and casually folded his arms across his chest. “Discipline is to keep you in check, on the straight and narrow. For example, when I want to see your bank statements, I’m making sure you’re not spending too much money since you said you had a spending problem. I want you to understand that when I discipline you, I’m training you to become a better person.

“Punishment is usually when something really bad has taken place. For example, you know you’re not supposed to go into that top drawer, and you did anyway,” Scott clarified. “You disobeyed me yet again. I had to punish you.
I didn’t talk to you for a few days so you could understand the magnitude of what happened.”

Mariana nodded as she understood. Scott avoiding her was punishment in and of itself, and she hated not hearing from him. “I’m sorry, Master,” she bent her head down.

“Forgiven. You already accepted the punishment,” Scott added. He lifted Mariana’s chin to his gaze and held it. “But I’m willing to put this all behind us as long as you know you are not to disrespect me again.”

Mariana nodded. “I won’t disrespect you again, Master.”

“Very good,” Scott held out his hand and Mariana grabbed it. He gently pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her back. “I only want the best for you, My pet,” He whispered in her ear. “I only want the best for you.”

Mariana closed her eyes. She loved the way He smelled—like earth, musk, and wood. She loved the way He felt as their bodies pressed against each other. It had been several days—several long days—since she had seen her Master. She missed His strong arms wrapped around her back. She craved His experienced lips kissing her lips, her breasts, her stomach, her core, her entire being. She missed hearing His moans in her ear as He was on top of her, thrusting inside, bringing her to new heights each and every time.

No man had ever made her feel that way. “I understand, Master.”

Scott pulled away from Mariana and caressed her face. “I want you to come back over for dinner tonight. Pack an overnight bag for a few days.”

“A few days?” Mariana barely contained the bounce in her legs. It would be the longest she and Scott had ever spent together. “What are we doing, Master?”

Scott wanted to tell Mariana the true reason why he wanted her over at his home for an extended period—he wanted to test the waters of them living together. Instead, he just said the only word that was on his mind. “Practice.”

****

Mariana sat in the waiting room at the Mercedes-Benz dealership pretending to be entertained by her phone. She didn’t know what all entailed getting maintenance, but she did know she was bored out of her wits. She had only been there for a few minutes and could think of things she rather be doing instead.

While Scott was talking business with the mechanics, Mariana decided to venture out into the lot and check out the new rides. She knew just by looking at the cars that there was no way she would be able to afford any of the ones there.

“See anything you like?” A salesperson approached her.

“I see everything I like,” Mariana laughed. “Just looking, really. I’m waiting for my boyfriend inside.” She glanced over to Scott, who waved at her.

“Ah,” the salesperson nodded, “maybe you could convince him to get you a car for your birthday? Or better yet, Christmas, since it’s coming up!”

“I doubt it,” Mariana casually strolled over to another area where she saw a beautiful white Mercedes sedan, “but it doesn’t hurt to dream, though.”

Back inside, Scott was finishing up the paperwork for his car. “So here are the keys to the courtesy vehicle for today,” a mechanic was saying to Scott. “We’ll give you a call when it’s ready, Mr. Reed.”

“Not a problem,” Scott looked back over to Mariana. She was sitting inside the same white Mercedes she was looking at with the salesperson talking to her. “How much is that car?”

The mechanic looked over Scott’s shoulder. “That one is about fifty thousand, give or take.”

“I see. And if I want it customized with some added features?”

“Depends on what you want, Mr. Reed. It could cost upwards to sixty or seventy thousand.”

“How long would the customization take?”

“About a couple of months.”

A slow smile spread on Scott’s lips. He had just found Mariana’s Christmas gift. “Perfect.”

****

“I’m not sure how to light this,” Mariana looked at the fireplace.

Scott stopped stirring the soup he was preparing and walked over to Mariana in the living room. “It’s real easy.” He grabbed a log of wood and tossed it into the fireplace. He turned on a knob and a small flame appeared. “It takes some practice, but you’ll get it down.”

“You make it sound like I’m going to be here more often,” Mariana suggested.

Scott tightened his lips. He wanted her around more, but he didn’t want to jump the gun. Mariana living with him would lead to an engagement. The idea kept popping up in his mind. His last engagement was a not-so distant and painful memory. “Maybe,” he kissed her cheek and headed back into the kitchen.