Continental Life (8 page)

“Please take
out the rule books you were given during your individual interviews. I’ll give you twenty minutes to peruse the first three chapters, if you haven’t already, and then there will be a short quiz,” she heard him say in her glassy-eyed daze. “Please keep in mind that no one set of rules will be the same for every couple. Every relationship is different and this lifestyle can be lived in as many ways as there are people living it. The guidelines within this book are the principles that we adhere to within the walls of the DDTC. These are not policies that are intended to be held fast to once you have completed this program. You can use them to your advantage if you so choose and adapt them into your own life, but please communicate your needs with your significant other,” he continued.

She smiled as she leaned down to reach into her bag. He hadn’t really given her an unfair advantage after all.
He truly was a fair man. The thought made her feel even more respect for him, if that was even possible. She didn’t want any advantages over the others. They were all there for the same reason – to learn to be in a loving union, and knowledgeable and accepting of this thing called Domestic Discipline. No one student was better than the other. This wasn’t a competition like medical school. They were equals. What a wonderful concept.

*

Kicking off her shoes as she entered her suite, Bella’s brain was buzzing with the kind of energy she could only describe as enlivening. She was given this amazing opportunity to transform her life into something new and to learn from people who had been teaching this lifestyle for years and living it for even longer; including her beloved and respected Lord Pettifor. She had been wrong in assuming she wouldn’t feel happiness – very wrong.

How many men and women had he taught and influenced over the years? Hundreds? Thousands? Just as she laid down the neatly wrapped uniform that she had been fitted for, her phone chirped.

XP: You look tired. Shall I send over a masseuse?

Bella looked up at the camera over the fireplace and grinned.

“I only want your hands on me,” she spoke to the black lens.

XP: Good answer. Was it everything you had imagined?

She thought long and hard before responding to the emptiness of her apartment.

“It was more. It was better. Lord Hutchens class was interesting. I had no idea all of the different kinds of alternate lifestyles there are. But…” she hesitated. “Lord Dalberg
seems like a harsh man. I fear what he has planned for us when it comes to learning the various methods of discipline and how to cope with it.”

XP: He may decide on the method, but all punishment exercises will be delivered and overseen by all board members, including myself. No one will be hurt, Princess.

“I know. I just get the very distinct impression that he dislikes me. Also, he discussed
maintenance spanking
tonight…” she brought her hands up in front of her face to give the quote symbol with her fingers. “I can’t imagine receiving punishment even though I’ve been well-behaved and just as a reminder to keep up the good work. It seems wrong and counterproductive.

XP: It has been proven to work effectively, every relationship is different and not everyone uses that method.

XP: He’s simply introducing an array of ways to live this lifestyle.

XP: Please try not to worry. He takes his position as an instructor very serious and would never do anything to harm the school.

Bella sighed with relief and moved closer to the camera.

“I want to hear your voice so why don’t you
call me instead of typing to me.”

XP: I wish I could. I’m still at the school. I’m watching you via mobile access. I’ll be here another few hours.

XP: A
nyway, don’t you have homework to keep you busy or shall I give you more?

“That’s not necessary, Lord Pettifor,” she pouted at the camera. “What about our date at 10:00?”

XP: I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

Not wanting to miss their ten o’clock date, she did the assigned research, wrote her essay on what Domestic Discipline meant to her and what she hoped to gain from the program.

In the bathroom, she found
a note with Xander’s distinct hand-writing and couldn’t help but wonder when he had found the time to slip in and put it there. He must’ve snuck in when she went out to lunch.

Wear the pink thong and cami I put out for you. There’s a song cued on the stereo. Dance for me. I want to dream about you tonight.

With only a few minutes to spare, she showered, imagining her mysterious and demanding lover on the other end of town watching her. Her thoughts also drifted to the things Dalberg had talked about during class: the types of spankings, including the
maintenance spanking
she had mentioned to Xander. She had experienced the
playful spanking
many times and that was her favorite: a passionate swat on the ass in the heat of the moment to not only heat her backside, but her insides.

Xander wasn’t in the habit of utilizing the
delayed spanking
method. She often wished he would give her a moment to try and retract what she had done or said, but Xander was a man of action in all matters – business and personal. If he felt she had acted out and behaved irrationally, he promptly stopped what he was doing and made it happen. He had even gone as far as interrupting a conference once to seek her out and deliver his reprisal when she refused to take his call after a heated exchange when Svetlana had shown up at his office unannounced. Amelie, Xander’s one-time personal-assistant and now assistant and lover to Johansson, a work colleague, had ratted out the bitch and Bella’s jealousy had gotten the best of her.

Then, of course, there were the
punishment spankings.
Those were by far the worst. She had received those infrequently but they were usually because of offenses such as sarcasm and drama, breaking the rules, not achieving the goals Xander had set forth for her, or backtracking and dwelling on issues that needed to be let go of.

It was
peculiar to talk in front of others about these topics considering she had never discussed her unconventional relationship with anyone except Amelie, her closest friend for many years now. All matters and methods mentioned seemed to have an appropriate name or official term, something she had never considered.

Time slowed down as she dried herself and dressed, taking her time and concentrating on her movements, making them intentionally sexual.

Walking to the stereo as lightly and gracefully as possible, she hit play and
16 Minutter Over Midnat
by Julie Maria flashed on the screen. A feminine voice fluttered through the speakers as the strange song filled the small space. His eclectic taste in music never ceased to amaze her, just like so many other things about him.

With her eye
s closed, her body swayed back and forth as she found the rhythm of the unfamiliar song. The deep base thumped under her feet and deep in her belly, kindling her desire. Dancing in the darkness of hooded eyes, the moment became magical, but the feeling of being alone overwhelmed her. The woman’s ethereal voice cut through her and though the language she was singing in wasn’t English, it made no difference. Bella made up her own lyrics in her head. In her mind’s eye, the words were about love lost and found, passion, and the flames of lust burning out of control... She imagined Xander mouthing the foreign words to her… teasing her as his tongue caressed each syllable and consonant. If she closed her eyes tight enough, she could see the secret look in his smoldering green eyes as he watched her…even hear his soft, tenor voice whispering her name…
Bella… Princess…

The ache to be with Xander grew with each
strum of the guitar. She wanted,
needed,
his hands on her and not just his eyes. Letting her fingertips roam over her body as the words to the heartfelt song filled her ears, the scent of his cologne plagued her senses. Gliding her fingers over her exposed stomach up to her breasts, she pretended it was Xander touching her and pinching her nipples… that it was her true love fisting her hair and then slipping his fingers past her panties… that it was the beautiful man that was going to marry her, dipping his fingers into her as she gyrated her hips to the soothing music. She could almost feel his dominant presence and heat encircling her, and his cock pressed into her lower back as he ground into her like he had done so many times before when they danced in the privacy of their home…

Just
six more weeks and it would be Xander’s hands on her and not her own…

At the finish of the first week, Bella
had begun to fall into a comfortable routine of lecture, research, and discussions of things to come. Different scenarios had been alluded to but no hard details were made known. It was maddening. Like a typical type A personality, she liked things planned out ahead of time, and she wasn’t adapted to being left out of the loop. Part of that routine also included her alone time with Xander as he watched her from his perch high in the sky, and it was something she looked forward to each and every night.

As she dressed herself, she
continued to wonder about what was up the Lord’s sleeves. Knowing how Xander operated and enjoyed pushing her out of her comfort zone, she could only imagine that things were going to get any easier at the school. Slipping her flats on, her mind drifted to the last thing he said to the group before departing:
You don’t need a crown to be a Princess. You don’t even need a Prince. You just have to believe that you deserve to be treated like one. You have to believe in yourself and exude confidence without conceitedness, and once you do, your Prince will find you.

He had
repeated that time and time again during her years with him, though he had never put it quite so eloquently. She had found her Prince Charming.
No
… he had found her when she was least expecting it. Heck, she wasn’t even looking…

Lords Pettifor, Hutchens and Dalberg had encouraged the five students to meet outside of the school for study sessions and to get to know one another more
personally. Apprehensively she agreed to meet with the others at a small café not far from the suite, but she detested the idea of being deceptive to them, and she voiced that sentiment to Xander the night before. How intimately could they get to know her when she wasn’t allowed to speak of her love for him or their relationship? He had simply advised her to be as honest as possible without stating who she was actually in a relationship with.

As her t
houghts drifted on the subject of truthfulness, her family came to mind. Lately, she had been thinking more and more about being honest with them, and divulging her involvement with the DDTC and the true nature of her relationship with Xander. He had been gently pushing the issue for the last several years, but she had managed to avoid revealing the fine details thus far. Undoubtedly her opinionated parents and siblings were going to react negatively and be judgmental when they heard about their unconventional arrangement. What was the point of telling them anyway? Things were fine just the way they were.

Stepping out of
the stately brick building that housed numerous executive suites, she texted Xander her whereabouts and plans to gather with the others. He was busy with an acquisition negotiation at his office and as she walked the eight blocks to the coffee shop, she envisioned the heated arguments and discussions taking place in a room full of men and only a few women. She missed the often times hectic nature of being his personal assistant and the adrenaline rush from the chase. She longed for the days when she could sit back and take notes while Xander dominated the room. She craved the smell of masculinity and sweat, and to see the look of fear in men’s eyes when Xander paced the room like a lion in his den. She loved that he demanded nothing less than perfection and only one other thing compared to seeing him in his work environment – submitting to his will.

Looking
up at the light blue sky, Dalberg’s hard, critical eyes flashed in her mind and his most recent lecture and the questions he had given them to ponder on when receiving punishment and things to take into consideration.

Are you in a
part-time or 24/7
T
otal
P
ower
E
xchange relationship? Who’s in charge? Are there and should there be boundaries and/or hard limits? If involved in a TPE relationship – when should you say
no
? What are the differences between a hard no and just resistance? What has caused you to say no? Are you simply unconsciously wrestling for control or trying to top, or is something triggering that response and causing distress? How do you and your partner know the difference? How does your Top perceive your resistance or use of the word no and/or safe word?

As much as a thorn in her side that Dalberg was, he had posed interesting questions. She had never considered her relationship with Xander a TPE, but essentially- it was. She allowed him all the power and he was most definitely the one in charge. And she liked it that way. Su
rprisingly though, they had never actually written out
hard limits.
She had spoken of her fears and the things she didn’t find appealing and, for the most part, Xander had abided by them. But he was also fond of pushing her boundaries and gently easing her out of her comfort zone. As for the word
no
, it wasn’t allowed – in any form. Instead, she was given the option to present her reasons for not wanting something. Xander had taught her that it was a far more efficient way to make her wishes known and she was more likely to get a positive response from him. And, as usual, he was right.

The discussion of
topping
had been brought up before when her efforts to subtly take control in the bedroom were ill-received by Xander. It had only taken him once to make his point that she was the one who submitted in their relationship.

Nothing Xander had ever done triggered any kind of past trauma, fortunately, but she also didn’t have a his
tory of any kind of abuse. However, she could see how that would affect someone’s perception of punishment.

Lost in thought, the sudden loud clang of metal and gust of air moving past her fr
om the street car whizzing by startled her and her thoughts once again focused on Dalberg. It was obvious that he disliked her and it was becoming clear to the others as well. After a short quiz on Thursday on how to appropriately cope with discipline, rules perceived as unfair, and punishment if needed, he berated her for being a
know-it-all
when she apparently gave all the right answers.
She chastised herself the rest of the night, trying to figure out exactly what she did to make him think that. Had she been overconfident or arrogant? She didn’t think so. All she had done was answer the questions honestly. He had stated it was the sort of quiz where there were no right and wrong answers per se. After all, everyone copes with stress differently.

After the quiz
, Christopher had made a remark that maybe Dalberg was fighting an inner battle of attraction for her, but Bella knew that couldn’t be farther from the truth. She wanted to spill the beans and state the real reason, but she held her tongue. She also wasn’t going to go running to Xander about it either. She was no tattletale.

When she arrived, she searched the café unti
l she found a familiar face. Julianna was seated in a far back corner booth, staring pensively out the window with a cup in her hand. Bella had hoped that Clarissa or Lauren would be there first. Ever since the first day she was caught ogling the girl’s scar, things had remained a little uncomfortable with Julianna despite her best efforts to be engaging with the woman. Suppressing her hesitation, she approached the table, half expecting there to be the normal awkward silence between them.

Meeting her gaze, for the first time Bella was able to see the true color of Julianna’s eyes – the most
fascinating shade of the deepest gray.

“It’
s a marvelous day. Summer is almost officially here,” she said softly and offered an unnatural smile. Bella nodded her agreement but said nothing. “I moved here a year ago and never expected to love San Fran so much. How about you,” she continued.

Bella sighed. One of her biggest pet peeves was forced conversation. Xander had taught her that if you didn’t h
ave anything worth speaking about, then to just sit quietly and offer a polite smile, but seeing the uneasy look in Julianna’ eyes made her feel empathic toward her. At least she was making an effort.

“I moved here ten years ago for college. Actually…” she
glanced out the window and at the top of Xander’s building that was just within view. “I moved here to get away from my parents and to be on my own. I wanted personal freedom,” she laughed ironically.

“Why’s that funny?” Julianna quirked her
eyebrows.

Bella shrugged her shoulders and pushe
d the hair away from her eyes. “It’s just funny considering the kind of man I ended up being with – demanding, insatiable and one who has an affinity for making and enforcing rules.”

“I feel your pain,” the muscles around the corners of her eyes tightened with her smile
, making the blemish even more noticeable as it jutted across her cheekbone. “But it’s not really painful, is it?”

Trying to avoid gaping at the flaw yet again, Bella
shook her head and averted her eyes to the menu lying on the table. “No. This lifestyle is more pleasure than pain.”

Julianna cringed and
when Bella looked up, she saw the woman scanning the tabletop nervously.

“Did I say something to offend you?”
she asked, confused by the small woman’s sudden withdrawal.

“
No, it wasn’t offensive, it’s just that…” she sighed and peered up. “I’ve been through some difficult things and for me, this lifestyle has proven to be more pain than pleasure. But I know that will change. I can feel it. My new life is just over the horizon…” she looked out the window again. “Right over there past that picturesque, San Francisco cloudless sky,” she drifted off with tears in her eyes.

“I’m so sorry. I never m
eant to stare at your scar or force you into an admission…”

Julianna put her hand up. “Don’t apologize. It’s part of
who I am. I can honestly say I wouldn’t change a thing. Well…” she smiled weakly. “…maybe a
few
things. It’s taken me a long time to get to this point, but the BDSM community has surrounded me with nothing but love. And now the DDTC… it’s just such an overwhelming experience to be told that we’re each precious and cherished, and to accept nothing less than the best. If only I had been taught that two years ago… but everything happens for a reason, I suppose. This mark on my face tells others that there is hope after devastation and someday, I will tell you and the others how it happened. Just not today, okay?”

Bella nodded and reached her hand out and laid it on Julianna’s.
“In your own time, Julianna.”

“Call me Ju,” she grinned earnestly for the first time, her face lighting up brightly
with the flash of her slightly crooked, sparkling white teeth.

“That smile…”
Bella became awestruck. “
Wow
. If I wasn’t a straight woman, I’d be smitten.”

Ju’s smile widened
further yet. The most gorgeous blush stained her cheeks and a feminine giggle fluttered past her lips. She wore her modesty well and it ranked up there with one of the most beautiful things Bella had ever seen.

*

When all was said and done, Bella was glad to have spent time with her fellow classmates. As always, Clarissa and Christopher took over most of the conversation, but this time she was thankful. The discussion became awkward when they began speaking about the instructors and whom they each had a crush on. Bella did her best to remain guarded, but they prodded her endlessly until she confessed to only one hard crush – Lord Pettifor.

“I’ve seen how you look at him,” Christopher joked. “Those little panties of
yours get all wet when you’re around him, don’t they?”

He waggled his eyebrows lewdly causing everyone
to laugh. Bella swore her face must’ve turned fifty shades of embarrassed because
yes
they did get wet,
quite wet
.

“His building is right over there. He’s this big-time CEO billionaire,” Christopher kept going as he pointed in the direction of Pettifor Industries.

Everyone scanned the building in the distance and so began the revealing and less than professional portion of their get together

“I really shouldn’t, but
I’ll let you all in on something,” Christopher leaned into them, all-too-eager to share his secret. “My Mistress used to be an instructor at the DDTC ten years ago.”

Her
mouth gaped as did the others.
So much for neutrality.

“
But I still had to wait over a year to get into the program, so I guess they really mean it when they say they’re proud of their stance on being unbiased.”

She
looked down at her hands and avoided eye contact. Okay, so maybe they were neutral after all. Except when it came to her, that is.

Christopher continued. “
She also had a hand in getting one of the Lords his position on the board, but she wouldn’t tell me which one and promised that if I ask again, my ass will pay for it. Any guesses?”

Immediately
Dalberg popped into her head. He seemed like the type who would have a scandalous affair.
Maybe it was the Mistress who had scarred him.

“Lord Pettifor,” Clarissa chimed in.
“He seems like he might have a submissive nature hiding somewhere beneath his hard exterior.”