Even though her heart was thumping, she stayed where she was, open and exposed. No doubt this was a test. She vowed not to fail this time.

After a while, she heard him moving around the room. She resisted the temptation to turn her head and peek.

She felt something press against her anus.

"Open up, naughty sub."

She closed her eyes and bore down. He inserted something, probably his finger, and probed her, stretching her hole.

"Have you ever worn a plug?"

"No, Sir."

"And what you mean is, no sir, not until now."

"No, Sir," she repeated. "I have not worn a plug until now."

He didn't tell her what he was doing, and she felt him insert a second finger. She moved just a bit to accommodate him.

"Now I'm going to put a small plug in your ass. It's a starter one, and you could perhaps tolerate something bigger. But I'll expect you to work up to something much, much larger over the next few days."

She'd never experimented much anally, and she wasn't sure how much she wanted to now. But she understood some Doms would want or expect it. For a moment, she thought of Master Alexander fucking her hard up the ass while she screamed in pleasure. Then, remembering her ultimate goal, she replaced the image with one of Master Evan C.

"Please turn your head and look at this."

He crouched next to her. Their faces were mere inches apart, and the intimacy startled her. She'd forgotten how devastatingly good-looking he was. He wore black trousers and a white dress shirt, with the sleeves turned up to his elbows. Judging by the stubble on his jaw, he'd obviously missed his morning shave. That made him appear all the more dangerous.

His deep, rich brown eyes arrested her attention. She might have believed he was being impersonal with her, but his expression said otherwise. A small frown burrowed between his eyebrows, and his gaze was focused on her. For an instant, the connection sizzled with electricity. She blinked first.

"This is the butt plug that is going up your ass on the first try without you carrying on. Are you clear?"

Though the widest part didn't appear much bigger around than the two fingers he'd just inserted inside her, the plug was long, and it had a base that would hold it in place.

"Do you remember your safe word?"

"Yes, Sir." She stared at the piece of moulded silicone. "Parsley, Sir."

"Ask me to put it in place."

She'd convinced herself that he wasn't as beastly as she sometimes remembered, but five minutes together had proved that wasn't true. "Please, Sir, will you put that...nasty thing in me?"

He smiled. "Lucky for you I'm not marking you down for lack of enthusiasm."

"Sorry, Sir," she said, looking at him and trying not to smile herself. "Shall I try again?"

"Do."

"Please, I beg you, Sir. I want you to put that hot thing straight up my ass."

This time he laughed, but he also he smacked her left butt cheek, hard. "If you insist," he responded.

He left her for a moment. She heard the unmistakable sound of lube being squirted onto the length of the plug. His polished wingtips sounded both loud and powerful on the floor as he returned.

"Spread your cheeks farther," he said.

Her Dom placed the unyielding tip against her opening. The thing had appeared flexible, so she hadn't been prepared for its unwelcome feel.

"Bear down...now."

He pushed ahead, and she tried to allow it in.

Chelsea had to fight his momentum and her desire to escape in order to stay in position. Through gritted teeth, she told him, "This is way more difficult than a finger, Sir. Damn it!"

"Almost there. You can do it."

She whimpered. He continued to push.

She swore softly as the widest part pressed against her sphincter. Then she heard a sound like a pop, the plug slid all the way in and she sighed with relief when the pain subsided.

"Very pretty."

Although she didn't argue, she doubted the red thing looked attractive at all.

He twisted it so that the hilt was seated between her buttocks.

She gave an unladylike grunt. "Not a fan of that," she said. "Sir."

"Too bad. Now kneel back. I want to speak with you."

Wildly she wondered if she'd already upset him. But damn, that had hurt more than she'd expected. Frustrated with herself for expressing displeasure, she moved into position and kept her gaze straight ahead.

"You may relax and look at me." He removed his gloves and tossed them in the trash, then he sat on the sofa. "Do you still want to continue?"

She adjusted herself, trying to find a comfortable position with the plug inside her. The slick silicone felt different from his finger. It made her feel full. She was dealing with the intrusion because it pleased her Dom. She couldn't move without being aware of it inside her.

"Chelsea?"

"I'm just trying to think about how to deal with this butt plug, Sir."

"Quit thinking and allow it to be."

That was easy for him to say. He didn't have a long thing stuck up his rear channel. Because she was so aware of it, it dominated her thoughts.

"Lie on your back," he instructed. "You may use the rug."

She knew better than to argue.

The thing moved about as she awkwardly did as he said. Her movements were exaggerated as she tried not to move too much.

"Now, draw your knees to your chest and keep them there."

She closed her eyes, imagining the sight she made, with her pussy and the base of the plug revealed to him. She'd never been shy, even in bed, but this was an entirely new level of exposure. He expected a tremendous amount from her. And she hadn't been here half an hour.

"Stop the struggle."

Chelsea thought he might sit, but he remained standing, close to her. It didn't take long for the position to become uncomfortable. Air whispered from the nearby vent and cooled her hot pussy. She tried to harness her thoughts and relax into the moment.

When she shifted a bit, he moved to the table and returned. He showed her the cane.

"Again, I will never hit you with this without you being prepared, but I will use it to correct you."

She closed her eyes. At home, alone, it was easy to rationalise submission, and she could convince herself it wasn't all that bad and that he never demanded more than she could give. But it became a different thing when she was in the middle of it.

No matter what he said, she didn't want that rattan on her body, so she remained still.

"Good."

She held onto his approval. A simple word from him provided huge encouragement.

He left her there for so long that she stopped thinking about the plug and only about him. Her breathing evened out. She would have said it was impossible to tolerate the plug, but she would have been wrong.

"How is that?"

"Fine, Sir."

"Would you like to continue your training?" he asked eventually.

"Yes. Yes, please, Sir."

"In that case, I'm going to fuck your ass with that plug, and you're going to encourage me to go faster and harder."

She wrapped her hands tighter around her legs.

"Aren't you, Chelsea?"

Her breath was shaky.

"It seems you need time to work through various aspects of submission, that you naturally want to rebel."

"I hate for that to be true, Sir."

He stood close, tapping the cane against his ankle. He loomed over her, large, broad and imposing. Being in this position, looking up at him reinforced their roles.

"Am I wrong?" he asked.

"No." She wanted to drag her hand through her hair or fold her arms across her chest, but he compelled her to remain open. "Are you sure you have the patience for this? For me?"

"Yeah. I do. I consider it all to be part of your training," he said.

For the first time, she understood that this couldn't be easy for him, either. Why would he choose to tolerate a recalcitrant and stubborn woman when he could have his pick of already-perfect submissives?

In so many ways, he was an enigma. She'd learnt a little about him through online searches, but she only knew those things that put him in the press. It appeared he didn't participate in any social networking, and even though they'd been together a couple of times, it occurred to her that she didn't know much about him.

"You're doing fine," he assured her. "We'll work together until you give up the struggle. I appreciate that you're trying, that you're thinking. I've told you before, you will never disappoint me."

"But you tanned my hide last time, Sir."

"You will be punished swiftly and harshly for a bad attitude and for not following rules," he clarified. "But that doesn't mean I'm displeased with you, just an aspect of your behaviour. Again, I'm going to fuck your ass. We can use the plug you already have, or we can use a larger one?"

"No. No, Sir. This one is fine."

"On all fours, if you please."

When she didn't move fast enough, he tapped her with the cane to encourage her.

"Your choice, you can remain as you are or you can put your head on the floor and reach back to hold your buttocks apart."

That wasn't an easy decision. If she stayed as she was, it might be more difficult for him to get the plug in and out. On the other hand, if she moved, it would be easier to lose her balance. In the end, she asked, "Is it acceptable for me to..." Some of their conversations mortified her. "Stick out my bottom a bit?"

"Your decision," he said. "Doms may not always offer you that choice. Be aware."

"Yes, Sir." She pushed out her rear in his direction, waiting with huge impatience.

"It's customary to thank a Dom when he grants you a favour."

"Sorry, Sir," she apologised straightway. "And thank you for your generosity."

"I'll reinforce the lesson later."

Her whole body went rigid. She'd already earned a punishment? Would she ever learn? Posture. Manners. Tone of voice. A million things went into making a good submissive and she despaired of ever remembering them all at the same time.

She felt him grasp the plug.

"The more you relax, the easier this will be."

He pulled out the plug. She barely had time to absorb the shock of being stretched then having it out before he shoved it in again.

He pounded her relentlessly, and she was gasping and shaking, moving forwards and back as he fucked her with it. The dull throb of anguish overwhelmed her, leaving her unable to think.

"How is it?" he asked.

"It's..." Horrible. Awful. Hideous. And unbelievably, as he continued, as she moved with him instead of fighting to remain still, she started to become aroused. She'd never imagined it was possible to get turned on from anal penetration, but she was. "Sir!"

"Yes?"

"I... Oh, my God, I think I might come."

All of a sudden, with the plug out, he stopped.