What To Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection Part Two (139 page)

“But if you dare get mushy on me, that thing is trash,” Mary warned, pointing to Brie’s movie camera.

“Got it. I promise to treat you like the heartless bitch you are, Mary,” Brie joked.

“Fine. See that you do.”

Lea jumped on the couch and asked, “So, Brie, are you really going to pick a Master on graduation day?”

“Absolutely. My heart has been torn into pieces. For my sanity, I need to give myself to one Dom.” She nudged Lea with her shoulder. “How about you?”

Her best friend’s ample chest turned a deep shade of red, along with her face. Brie knew something was up. “What’s going on?”

Lea fiddled with her corset as she talked. “Ms. Clark kind of suggested I might be a good candidate for their Dom training.”

“What! You, a Dom?”

Lea broke out in giggles. “No, silly. I would help the Doms practice.”

“You have got to be kidding!” Mary shouted.

Brie gave her the evil eye. The last thing she needed was Mr. Nguyen knocking on her door and telling her to keep it down.

Mary frowned at her, but spoke softly to Lea. “You with all those Doms-in-training? In your dreams… They’ll never accept you.”

Lea stuck her chin up. “Shows how much you know. I’ve already been accepted. I start in two weeks.”

“Fuck me!” Mary snapped. “How did you manage that?”

Lea grinned. “It pays to be nice.”

Brie shook her head. “Damn girl, you’re lucky. Wish Ms. Clark liked me…”

Mary huffed angrily. “What some people won’t do to get what they want.”

Brie tugged on a lock of her blonde hair. “You’re just jealous. I can totally see you going down on Ms. Clark if you thought it would get you what you wanted.”

“Yeah, well you tried it, and see how far it got you.” Mary raised her eyebrow. “And just what do you think I want anyway, Miss Know-It-All?”

Brie looked her over carefully. “I think you are more like me than you want to admit. I bet you’re chomping at the bit to be collared by some hunky Dom, but you’re too chicken.”

Mary snorted in disgust. “Ha! Shows how much you know. There is no way I would settle down with one Master. Not when I have a whole world of Dominants yet to be explored.” She waved Brie off dismissively. “I think you’re an idiot.”

“Oh, don’t hold back. Tell me what you really think,” Brie said, laughing.

Mary sat down next to her, suddenly looking serious. “No, you shouldn’t let anyone collar you at the graduation ceremony. You’ve had so little experience. There are way better Doms out there.”

“Are you kidding me? The Submissive Training Center attracts the very best. I’m confident I’ve already met my Master… I just haven’t decided which one.”

“Well, like I said, you are a fool.” Mary got up to mix herself a drink.

Lea put her hand on Brie’s shoulder. “Even though Mary is socially inept, I agree with her, Brie. You should live a little before you settle down.”

“Et tu, Brute?” Brie complained. “I don’t think either of you understand how hard this has been on me. I
need
to serve one Dom. It gets so intense sometimes, I feel like I can’t breathe.”

Lea wrapped her arms around her. “If that’s how you feel, then I’m behind you one hundred percent. Besides, I’m curious about the collaring ceremony. It sounds so damn romantic!”

Mary came back into the room. “It’s not romantic. It’s more like a business transaction.”

Brie rolled her eyes. “You have no idea what you are talking about. I imagine it being as romantic as a wedding, but with a sexy element because of the D/s relationship.” She literally shivered just thinking about handing her collar over to her Master.

“I go back to my original observation. You
are
an idiot.”

Brie shot back, “And I go back to mine. You’re just jealous!”

Lea put her arms around both women. “Girls, girls, no need to bicker. Tell me, what did the naughty sub say to her Master?”

Brie took the bait, knowing Lea was only trying to help. “Okay, what did the naughty sub say to her Master?”

“‘Who died and left you in charge?’”

On that humorous note, the celebration ended. Brie watched her friends walk to their cars and felt a momentary stab of pain.
This is it. Our last week of training…

Lea turned around and yelled, “We’re going to hang after graduation, right?”

Brie blushed. “Well, maybe not
right
after graduation. But soon, I promise!”

“I’m holding you to that, Stinky Cheese,” Mary shouted.

“You do that, Mary the Mediocre!”

Mary gave her the bird. Brie laughed to herself as she shut the door.
Man, I love my friends!

That Monday, the girls met in the commons and lined up in front of the panel waiting for them. Unfortunately, they were met with frowns.

Sir stood up and chastised them harshly. “Did I not assign you rituals to be performed before each session?” All three girls bowed their heads in shame. Brie had completely forgotten about it over the weekend.

Mary immediately went to bow on the floor, but Sir stopped her. “Too late. You are not allowed the privilege now.” He added, in a severe but quiet tone that pierced Brie’s shamed heart, “Do not forget again.”

He went on to explain the layout of their last week before handing each girl an individual schedule for the night. Brie’s first task would be to write down general questions for the Doms she would interview on graduation day. Sir announced that he would meet with her afterwards so they could go over her questions together. She could barely contain her excitement.

When Brie had finished her long list of questions, she got up and started towards Sir’s office. He met her halfway down the hallway and directed her back to the commons. She wondered why, but dutifully followed behind Sir.

They sat down at a table across from each other. Sir looked deliciously hot in his white button-up shirt, which was rolled up at the sleeves as if he was ready for business. She tried to avoid looking into his intense eyes, as she knew they would render her speechless if she dared to peek.

Although it was a mock interview, Brie felt frightfully nervous, as if she were really interviewing Sir as her potential Dom. He could sense that, or it was written all over her face, because the first thing he said was, “You can calm down now, Miss Bennett. I’m simply going over your questions with you.”

She felt her whole body flush and picked up her paper in self-defense, beginning with her first question. “How old are you, Sir?”

He nodded. “That’s an acceptable question.”

She stared at him. When he didn’t answer, she asked, “So?”

“What? You want me to answer that?”

“Please, Sir. It’ll help me excel when I do the real thing.”

He raised his eyebrow, but acquiesced. “Thirty-three.”

“I see…” She quickly did the math and realized he was eleven years older. She imagined Sir as an eleven-year-old boy, holding her in his arms as a tiny little infant. It was an amusing image, and she snorted.

“Yes?”

Brie bit her lip and looked back down at her paper. “How long have you been a Dominant?”

“A fine question. Gives you an idea of their experience level.”

She rested her chin on her hand while she waited for his reply.

He growled in irritation, but she could tell he was amused. “Miss Bennett, is this really necessary?”

“It is, Sir. I am going to be making an important decision, maybe the most important decision of my life, and I need to feel prepared. Just going over my list of questions isn’t going to make me feel confident about the interviews later this week.”

He stared at her for several seconds before answering. “I’ve taken the lifestyle seriously for eight years now.”

“Thank you.” Brie put the paper up to her face so he couldn’t see her smile. “Hmm… Do you like animals?”

“What?”

She put the paper back down. “I’ve heard that Doms who like animals are more likely to treat their subs well.”

“What, did you google that?”

She looked sideways, blushing at his sarcasm. “Of course.”

“Scratch it off your list. You only have thirty minutes per interview, so keep it simple and to the point.”

Brie crossed out the question and moved to the next. “What made you decide to pursue the Dominant lifestyle?”

“A worthwhile question.” He looked her directly in the eye. Did he know she had trouble concentrating when he did that? “In my twenties I realized I had a natural affinity for discovering a woman’s unspoken desires.” He smiled at her, and Brie stopped breathing due to its sheer radiance. “In case you’re curious, I was not abused growing up, nor do I take pleasure in beating women. I simply enjoy exploring a woman’s sexuality to its fullest.”

Please, Sir, explore mine!

Brie forced herself to breathe. “Are you interested in a twenty-four seven, total power exchange or a casual relationship?”

“Important question to ask. However, I am not interested in a relationship at this time, Miss Bennett.”

Brie prodded him, “Fine, but if you
were
…”

“A full-time relationship.”

She was happy to hear it. “If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?”

“Scratch that.”

Brie dutifully crossed it out without an argument. “Classical or rock?”

“Irrelevant. Scratch it off your list as well.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“Necessary question. I am an administrative consultant.”

“Does it pay well?”

Sir cleared his throat. “I have no complaints.”

Brie looked at her list and realized he wasn’t going to like most of her questions, so she skipped over a majority of them. “What kind of relationship do you have with your mother?”

“Brie.”

“What?”

“Simple, to the point. I haven’t heard a question about your film career.”

“Wait, I have one.” She skimmed down the page. “Here it is. How do you feel about your sub working outside the relationship?”

“Ask instead, ‘Would you support my career as a film director?’”

“Oh, that’s much more direct.” She quickly wrote the question down and then waited for his answer.

He gave her an exasperated look, but responded, “I would support such a career choice…not that it matters.” He glanced at his watch. “We need to end this session. Go over your questions tonight, make sure they are specific and give you the answers you require. Also, leave room for an intimate encounter with each Dom. Being able to compare three applicants side by side is an unparalleled experience. There have been several past submissives who were able to make a definitive decision after such a comparison.”

“Do we have time for that, Sir? For practice purposes, naturally,” Brie added with a playful grin.

His eyes suddenly became distant, his voice cold. “I expect you to go over your list tonight and weed out the waste.” He handed her a piece of paper. “Here are the vows spoken at a collaring ceremony. I suggest you memorize them.” He glanced at his watch again, stating, “It is time you meet with Mr. Gallant. Leave now.”

Brie was shaken by the sudden change in him. She nodded meekly as she got up and left the table. The man was an enigma.

B
rie stopped at the entrance to Mr. Gallant’s classroom. She hesitated for a second before dutifully untying her corset, but he stopped her. “Miss Bennett, that is unnecessary. I am your teacher. The ritual is only meant for your trainers.”

She quickly retied it, feeling embarrassed by her mistake, but that changed as soon as he gestured her to a chair with a smile. She sat down directly in front of his desk. It was strange being the only student in class, and she had to shake off the loneliness.

Mr. Gallant began, “Normally, I would hand you an evaluation by your Dom from the previous Auction Day. However, our time tonight is extremely short. In a nutshell, Mr. Wallace noticed that you struggled with his authority early on, but stated the problem resolved itself. He rated you a ten overall.”

Brie hid her smile.
A ten, huh?

Her tiny but commanding teacher then got up from his desk and handed Brie a different packet. “You will be filling out the same questionnaire you completed when you enrolled in the course. Take time to answer the questions thoroughly. It will help us to structure this last week more effectively.”

Brie took the packet, feeling discouraged. It would take forever to fill out. Mr. Gallant then went back to his desk and opened a drawer, then pulled out Brie’s fantasy journal. A smile spread across her face when he placed it on the edge of her desk.

“After you are done with the questionnaire, I would like you to write down your last fantasy for us. Something a little more edgy, this time.”

Brie’s eyes widened at the prospect. Writing in her fantasy journal was always a treat, but the way Mr. Gallant had made it sound, the journal entry for this week was going to be used in a scene. She went to open the journal up, but he stopped her. “No journaling until the packet is complete.”

Ah, the carrot…

She dutifully opened to the first page of the packet and began filling out the numerous questions. Instead of being a chore, it was fascinating. She had changed a lot as a person in a short amount of time. Brie giggled when she came across the part where she had to rate different BSDM activities. She remembered marking anal sex and caning as two things she had not wanted to try. This time around, she marked both ‘Like’. Less than six weeks ago, she had been scared of African American men, due to her traumatic experiences as a child in public school, but Baron had managed to change that. Fear of the unknown also had no power over her. She now embraced and
wanted
to experience the unknown. Four years in college hadn’t produced the kind of results her six-week course had.