Shaking my head, I drop my phone to my desk. I’ve already worked out and showered. I’m eagerly awaiting six am for his arrival so we can have breakfast together. And, because he did so well training, we will be signing another contract to move forward. This will give us a six-month safety net. If things don’t work out, and either of us decide to part ways, he can be sure that he will receive payment for that time period. I don’t typically do a contract so long, but I’d like to hang on to him for as long as I can.
Since it’s best to get business out of the way before the fun, I will have him sign the contract before we have breakfast. And my, breakfast will be fun today, but I can’t deny the bit of anxiety fluttering in my chest. Am I doing too much too fast? It doesn’t feel like it, but I want to be cautious. With my slaves, I’ve always taken them one by one, none of them being the same. If someone is ready to move on, we move on. If someone needs more time to acclimate, we take more time. Cassius is eager and doing better than any slave I’ve ever had before. It’s not him that I’m worried about, though…
I check emails while I wait for the time to pass, and before I know it, I get the alert that someone is at the gate. A moment later, there’s a notification that he’s at the door, and the camera shows him entering the pin. Maybe, one day, if this lasts a while and he can be trusted more, I’ll add his thumb print to it too. Right now, I need to be safe about this. Not that it is likely to happen, but it’s still possible someone could cut his thumb off to get into my house to see the inside. Like I said, unlikely, butnot impossible. I’m notthatimportant of a person, but you never know. A headline likeCEO of popular watch brand has slaveswould sell papers like hotcakes. Worth the assault charge for sure.
“Hi,” he says when he steps inside.
“Good evening.” I smile softly. “Before you go to your room, could you come to my office?”
“Oh, uh… yeah. Of course.” He follows me. “Is everything okay?”
“Perfectly fine.”
I already have the contract laid out on my desk, so I gesture for him to sit and I do the same, sliding the papers toward him.
“This is the six-month contract. I was hoping we could sign this today.”
He glances up at me, licking his lips. “Really?”
“Absolutely.”
Cassius looks through it, his eyes scanning the lines. It can’t be long, but it feels as if the time is somehow moving slower than usual as I wait. At the last page, he says, “Is there a pen?”
I chuckle to myself and pull one from my drawer to hand him.
He signs.
I sign.
And now I can breathe easier.
When Cassius leaves, I file the contract in my safe, where they all go. I give Cassius a few minutes to get to his room, change,and make his way to the kitchen. For the first time all week, I’m in the dining room before he is.
When he walks out of the kitchen, he startles but keeps walking.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re not,” I say.
He sets down the tray on the end of the table, then disperses the plate and glasses. With breakfast, I don’t have whiskey. It’s coffee and juice. This morning, there is freshly cut fruit and pancakes—my favorite.
“I, uh… I know I’m missing something, but I couldn’t find it.”
“Oh?” I say, looking up at him with a small smirk.
“Yeah, I didn’t see anything labeled in there, but I’ll go back in and find it for you, if you could tell me where it is.”
I hold his gaze, my smile growing while his nerves do. He shifts on his feet, his fingers rubbing together as he waits for me to tell him where it is.
“Well, you won’t find it in the kitchen,” I say.
“Okay…”
I smile, tilting my head to the side. “You are so much fun to play with, you know that?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t—”
“The special sauce that goes on my pancakes is provided by you, Cassius.”