COMPLETED | Take Me Down The Rabbit Hole (BDSM | 18+)

IV

Aspen took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. 
Spencer opened. 
"Hi," Aspen said softly, trying to come across as casual, but the look on Spencer's face told him it definitely wasn't working. 
"Hey," Spencer returned. "He isn't home yet." 
Oh. "Welp. He did say five pm, though." 
Spencer inhaled, then nodded, and stepped aside. "You fit all the stuff you own into that one bag?" he asked, and Aspen visibly relaxed at the aspect of having been let into the apartment. 
"Uh," he hummed, "this obviously isn't all the stuff I own, but..." 
"I get it. You have a place of your own. Wait, take your shoes off." 
Aspen dropped his bag and unlaced his shoes before stepping out of them and following Spencer through the apartment. "Did he-" Spencer started, "I'm sorry, this is awkward for me, and I'm really trying, but I don't know why I was fine with this." 
Spencer stopped in the doorway to a bedroom. "It's nothing against you, but please don't hate me for being rude, I just-" 
"He told me what he did for you, yes. And he also said we have to divide the chores if that's what you meant to ask." 
"Ha," Spencer breathed out. "Yeah. Anyway, this is yours, make yourself at home."
It was definitely no master bedroom, and there wasn't anything in the bedroom except a king-size bed and a closet that stretched over the entire opposing wall. 
"Thanks," he said softly and set his bag on the bed. He felt like he was too upper-class to be traveling with a beaten up duffel bag instead of one of those sleek looking metal suitcases - but just because he wore suits for a living and had a framed Ph.D. certificate hanging in his apartment, that didn't mean he was a fan of inconvenience. 
Spencer left without another word and closed the door behind himself, leaving Aspen alone with his intrusive thoughts. 
Last night, having discussed this all with Alan had sounded so easy as if it was just another college course or seminar to get better at his job. 
This was going to be his job - he understood now, finally, why Alan was so adamant about having a lawyer on standby for this project - but he felt uneasy at the fact that he wasn't going to just read about it, he was going to participate. 
He didn't know how much time passed until there was a knock on the door. 
"Yes?" 
It opened, and in came Alan. "Am I interrupting something?" he said in greeting. 
"Oh no, by all means, come on in." 
"You look nervous." 
"I am." 
"That's alright, it's normal. But you'll see, you'll lose your inhibitions-" Alan interrupted himself at the sight of Aspen's duffel bag. "You haven't unpacked." 
"I was busy being nervous." 
There was a moment of silence. 
Then, "Get on your knees." 
Aspen froze. 
"Aspen, did you hear me? I said-" 
Aspen nodded, and then awkwardly folded his 6'2" body into a kneeling position next to his bed.
"Good," Alan said, and his voice sounded softer as he spoke. "Next time I tell you something, you say "Yes, Master," so I know you heard me. "No, Master," is also an acceptable answer if I ask a question, but as long as we're in this apartment, I am no longer Alan to you. Is that acceptable to you?" 
"Yes, Master," Aspen mumbled, but the words sounded foreign on his tongue. 
"That's good. You can sit back on your heels, I don't need you to be uncomfortable." 
Aspen shifted, noting the strange feeling that built in his stomach. 
"Now, then," Alan mumbled, and he stepped further into the room, only to sit on the edge of the bed. "Do you remember what my email said?" 
"It said to unpack when I arrive." 
"It did. A very crucial part of this relationship is going to be you doing as I say - not because I want you to, but because it's something you want. Normally, the fact that you didn't unpack and thereby didn't do as I asked would result in discipline, but I understand you are nervous. However, we only just went over the address, and I expect you keep up with that in the future, before I have to take action against that, too." 
"Sorry, Master." 
Suddenly, there was a hand on his cheek. "You'll learn quick, I'm sure. Are you uncomfortable?" 
"No, Master. It just ... it feels weird." 
"That's because you're in the process of handing the control over certain aspects of your life over to me, and that's not a normal thing to do. Neither is our society very accepting of it. However, I am here to make sure you let go of all of that, yeah? The other people in your life have no right to know about what happens between us in this apartment, and you needn't tell them. I'm not here to judge you. The only one judging here is you. And you can choose to be at ease with this process." 
The hand that had rested against his cheek moved to his hair, ruffling through it. 
"What if I do something wrong?" Aspen found himself asking.
"There is no such thing as doing something wrong, Aspen. The discipline isn't for when you've done something wrong, it's just there as enforcement; to remind you that as your dominant, and caregiver, as cheesy as that sounds, I know what you need and what's good for you, and there is no reason to doubt yourself. You'll see, I'll learn to read you like an open book." 
Again, Aspen shifted. "So ... are you saying I can't disappoint you?" 
"No, Aspen. You can only disappoint yourself. But of course, it won't feel that way. it will feel like it's me who's disappointed, but this is a journey of self-discovery, and I'm just here to coax it along while hoping that I'll do a good enough job at showing you what this is all about and why I want a safe space for others to live out these things. Now, I suggest you unpack, before you end up disappointing yourself again. You have 10 minutes, and then it's time for tea." 
"Tea?" Aspen echoed in disbelief. 
"Tea," Alan confirmed. "I'd like to hear about your day." 
He smiled encouragingly at Aspen, got up, and left, the door closing once again.