Loathe to Love Ch. 05 - Sex Stories

Loathe to Love Ch. 05

... refer to me as ma'am, Miss, or Miss Natalia."

I cocked my head to the side. "...Why?"

Natalia blinked. "Because...because that's what you're supposed to call people above you. It signals respect."

"Oh." I wasn't convinced. The terms felt rather stuffy and formal, both of a world we were trying to keep away from. Besides, I'd called plenty of my tutors ma'am and miss, and I certainly hadn't respected any ofthem. I hadn't thought of them as particularly above me, either--at least not in intelligence.

But I'd get used to it, I supposed. "Okay, ma'am."

"Excellent." Her pacing resumed. "Now, rule two: No pleasuring yourself without my permission."

I snorted. "Won't be a problem, ma'am."

Natalia paused. "Really? You've never...?" She waved her free hand in a vague gesture like she'd planned to pantomime something lewd but thought better of it.

I blushed, my eyes darting off to a distant corner of the room. "I have! I just...I don't know. I didn't quite...get it? Uh, ma'am."

"Did you not enjoy it?" Natalia's expression shifted in an instant from detached formality to curious hunger and back again. It was becoming something of a pattern this morning, along with brief detours to sheepishness.

"I liked it, but...I don't get what all the fuss is about, I suppose. Ma'am."

"Hm." I could practically hear Natalia making a mental note. "Regardless, the rule stands."

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am!" Some of the tightness in my chest started to ease more naturally. ...

... I'd expected to be thrown deep in over my head within moments; perhaps my expectations had been overblown.

"And last for today, rule three: You will obey all of my direct commands."

Or perhaps they hadn't been quite so overblown after all.

"What?" I crossed my arms defensively. "I...that's...what does that mean?"

Natalia raised an eyebrow.

I stared at her blankly.

"Rule one, kitten."

I huffed. "What does that mean, ma'am?"

"What it sounds like. When I tell you to do something, you do it."

My arms crossed in front of my chest, the old habit rearing its head. "And if I can't? Or it's not safe? Ma'am."

Natalia frowned, glancing down at her open journal page. "You'll still try. And...and I'm not going to tell you to do anything unsafe, obviously."

I pursed my lips. "How will you know that, though?"

"Because you'll tell me? And because I care about you."

"That'snot a real answer, ma'am." I felt like she was slowly corralling me into a corner.

Natalia pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's...look. If an order is impossible or dangerous, then it doesn't count. That's implied."

I opened my mouth to lash out at her continued ambiguity but paused before I could speak the words.

A distant part of my mind--the destructive girl who'd wreaked vengeful havoc for far less--still raged against the prospect of the rule. This was a blank check for mistreatment through malice, error, or both. If Natalia's intentionsever proved less noble than I'd ...