FIFTY SHADES OF THEO JAMES

Chapter 4

Upstairs in my room I rummaged through the outfits that had been purchased for me earlier today, in search of some pajamas I could change into after my bath. Instead my fingers grazed the fabric of my under armour workout clothes.

A session of yoga did sound appealing right now and it would help relieve some stress and tension.

Slipping out of my day clothes I pulled on my compression shorts, sports bra and my tennis shoes before heading downstairs to the gym.

Now that I had more than a few seconds to admire the gym I was in awe. It was the size of my and Grace's one-thousand square foot apartment. It had a lot of what I recognized as cross-fit equipment, some standard gym equipment - like treadmills and a weight set, and to my own surprise it had a yoga mat that was set right in front of a large bay window that overlooked the ocean.

I hurried across the gym floor and got into position before starting with a simple sun salutation to warm up. After-wards I moved into the archer pose and then transitioned into a marichi sage pose. Just as I was adjusting into the king dancer pose I heard the gym door open and then the sound of footprints casually crossing the room before suddenly stopping.

I slowly turned my head to the left and let out a breath as I spotted Theo standing in the middle of the room, watching me.

"Take a picture, it will last longer." I said before turning my head back and focusing.

"That mouth of yours." He said in his British accent as he walked over to stand in front of me. "I think I should start punishing you every time you use that sharp tongue."

A snicker slipped through my lips, causing me to loose my focus and my balance and force me back onto my knees. "What am I five? Should I start calling you daddy, too?" I smarted.

Theo's face darkened as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet before leading me over to the weight bench where he made me sit.

"Respect, Ellie. It is what I expect from you, in public and private. This arrangement will not work without it. Now, if I have to I will resort to domestic discipline."

"What?"

"Domestic discipline. Simply stated, if you are disrespectful, abuse rules, make a mockery of my image, etc. You will be punished according to said offense."

I glanced down at the floor and rolled my eyes. "And how would I be punished?"

Theodore crossed his arms as he looked down his perfectly angular nose at me. "Taking away your privileges, giving you extra work, spanking you." He said nonchalantly. "It's not uncommon for couples to practice DD, so if I have to I will."

"And if I say no?" I challenged.

"Then I say goodbye. My life... there are thousands of onlookers just because of what I do. I cannot have a woman at my side who is disrespectful and insubordinate because it will affect my image. I won't have you tainting my name with such behavior."

I bit my lip. He was right. In his life, image is everything.

I nodded my head as I blushed from the embarrassment of my attitude. "I'm sorry."

Theo knelt down in front of me and placed his hand on my shoulder as he looked me in the eye. "I can't imagine how hard taking all this stuff in is, but I am just as uncomfortable as you. I know during this time we will never be true lovers, but we can grow to be friends. I don't want this, between us, to be miserable so lets try and make it... fun." The corner of his mouth quirked before he stood up.

"Can I ask you something?" I rushed out just as he moved to turn on the stereo in the corner.

"Sure."