Under His command

Part 3

The leg of his suit pant brushes by my cheek. He exudes a quiet authority and power undeniable to anyone who meets him. It both soothes me and abrades me. The outside word misses the harshness I now enter. A world only reserved for someone he owns. Expectations are demanding. The rewards are more than one could ever hope. For the last six weeks I buffeted against this world out of fear. My order turned to chaos, and I let myself slip into the conformation of the outside world. A place where slave and weakness are equated, in a time where I could not afford to be weak.

My form shivers lightly, curled on the floor in front of him. His well-polished wingtip shoe pushes in front of my face. My next decision will determine the path and everyone after it will determine my fate. It is a choice to step back into our world or accept the harsh words of society. Above me he does not move. His even breaths fill the space. From here it would not matter to him which path I chose but these situations cannot work if I believed it to be so. He needs my surrender as much as I need to surrender. The only question is am I ready to do it this time? Can I step so fully into it and never turn back?

"Do you see yourself, pet? Your reflection at my feet?"

My rapid pants mar the finish. A light haze of breath briefly covering the high shine I know will always be there. Steadily I lower my lips. They hover just an inch above the polished surface. With a deep inhale, I close my eyes and close the small gap. My lips press lightly against the toe. There's enough pressure to acknowledge the action but not enough to mar the surface. When my head lifts, I bow it against my chest.

"Prostrate yourself before me. To rise to new heights you must come from the lowest levels. Face your own personal hell, prove to yourself I am the Master in your realm and rise from it all reborn, reset and renewed."

I shudder at his words. Fear and doubt at my decisions race through me. To turn back now is to admit he has failed me. In that admission I must also admit I failed myself and him. I push my legs out from under my curled body and flatten to the floor. My hands reach out above my head as my fingers brush against his ankles. He steps back out of my reach. I want to wrap my arms around him. Beg his forgiveness and roar against my actions. Frustration and conflict flame through my emotions.

My head turns to the side. His foot rests across my neck. Steadily the pressure increases.

"I cherish and adore the things I own. When, for whatever reason, they are in need of repair it is my duty and responsibility to see such repairs are thoroughly and swiftly completed. Our situation is broken. I know it is in my hands to accept the accountability for not correcting things when I first noticed. The onus is also on me for not challenging you to stay in your place even when the personal storms howled around you. You panicked. Believe I would not see you through them. The results of our collective actions have led us here."

His foot lifts and he steps back.

"Roll over. Face up."

Without thought, I follow his command. There is a peace in the movement but it is fleeting.

Beside me he squats down next to my head. His starched white button up dress shirt doesn't even defy him with a wrinkle. His broad hand, encompassed by cufflinks French cuff, reaches forward toward my throat. Fingers settle across it with new pressure.

"Your life is in my hands." His stormy grey eyes stare into mine. There is a hardness behind them. The tone of his voice is smooth and steady. Under his hand I swallow. My breath coming in shallow gasps.

"It would only take the slightest of pressures to remove your life from this Earth. Yet here you lie, torn between fear and trust. Why is it so easy for you now, pet? Do you defy the essence of life and death in your own thoughts, believing you are bigger than your last gasp? Does the line of trust lie here? In the corporally tangible world but not in the unseen? Shall we make the unseen seen then?"

He punctuates his last words with the pressure of his fingers. My breath is hard to maintain. The edges close in as darkness clouds my vision. The world spins before it fades.