Safe Word: An Erotic S/M Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

give it,
you know, a story line.
    Yeah, I told myself, as the limo's wheels rolled over smooth
road and sunlight flickered through the tinted windows, that's you all over, Carrie-life's only real when you've made it into
a story. But the more I scolded myself, the more I found that
I wanted to lift my eyes and peek at him. One peek, I told
myself. Just to see what kind of a mouth he had.

    Wide. Determined. The cheeks lined, the jaw squarish.
That was all I allowed myself, through my eyelashes. A little
something to go on, to settle me down for the rest of the ride.
To allow me to imagine what sort of person might have those
hands, that taste and smell. He was very rich, the assistant
had told me. And he liked a bargain.
    The car finally stopped in front of a hotel, and he stepped
out and turned, to allow someone to drape a topcoat around
his shoulders. I caught a glimpse of black cowboy bootsStefan, the assistant from the auction, respectfully murmuring
assent to Mr. Constant's instructions: Get her ready, after she's
fed and bathed and rested. "I'll be back for her at eight," Mr.
Constant concluded, in his mild, accentless voice. "Oh, and
give her two strokes, won't you, to remind her to keep her
eyes where they belong."
    The strokes had been swift and furious, the first making me
gasp, the second wrenching tears and a few gurgled sobs from
me. And neatly placed, I thought now, examining myself in
the mirror while I waited for the large bathtub to fill.
    It was taking a while, even with water pouring full
force out of the taps into the square tub, its deep bottom
sunk below the bathroom floor. Black marble. Ugly, expensive. Black tiles on the walls with a sort of water lily design
etched into them to echo the metallic faux-Monet wallpaper
on the ceiling and upper part of the walls. And too much
light. Too many mirrors, also, in front of me and behind me: I stared curiously at the infinite parade of pale naked girls in
cruel black collars, angry red stripes neatly X'ed across their
infinite parade of asses. It was like seeing the year I'd signed
on for, spread out before me.

    I looked tired, my eyes much more deeply shadowed
than usual. I'd been woken up early that morning, to get me
ready for the auction. And I'd stood for I don't know how long,
chained to my pedestal while the buyers had examined me. I
was glad I'd get some time to rest. I just hoped, as I stepped
carefully into the tub, that I wouldn't fall asleep in there.
    The hot water felt great, the tingly buttermilk bath
salts soothing my ass. But-no need to worry about falling
asleep-the collar felt even tighter that it had on dry land.
I couldn't dangle my head back as I wanted. And the leather
would stiffen, too, as it dried. Get used to it, I told myself, as
I experimented with how to dunk my head under the water
to rinse my hair. Get used to it; you'll be wearing it all year.
    And when the makeup lady woke me later that afternoon, I
wondered if I had fallen asleep in the bathtub after all. But noI remembered then, through an enormous yawn, that after I'd
finished my bath I'd been fed small cubes of cheese, fruit, and
raw vegetables on a heavy white china plate on the floor near
the bed. And given water too, in a big bright yellow plastic dog's
bowl-I remembered feeling grateful that it was the big kind
of bowl, for German shepherds or Akitas, because I'd been so
thirsty. And glad that the pallet, which Stefan had prodded me
down to for my nap, was soft, covered with a sheepskin, and
placed near the floor vent, in the warm air currents.
    I was lying on my side, my hands behind my back. Stefan
had buckled a pair of leather cuffs around my wrists, and attached my hands behind my back-I'd had to dip from the
waist to get to the food and water-and he'd also tethered me
in place at the end of a long chain leash. But I must have slept
well, I thought, because I felt a lot better, and amused to hear
the makeup lady-a