Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
In the following days, their interactions seamlessly fell into a comfortable rhythm. On Monday, Laura dedicated herself to her fitness routine, feeling the exertion as she pushed her body to its limits. Tuesday arrived, and they found themselves side by side, engaged in the mundane yet oddly satisfying task of doing laundry together. As they sorted and folded clothes, their shared presence brought a sense of closeness and domesticity.
Then came Wednesday, a day filled with anticipation and unspoken desires. They shared a meal, the aroma of food mingling with unspoken longing hanging in the air. Laura couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment. The physical intimacy they had experienced before lingered in her memory, and she longed for it to be reignited. The absence of fun times in the bedroom left an unfulfilled longing within her, a subtle ache that echoed in her heart.
On Thursday evening, Laura wiped the sweat off her forehead. Today marked her first attempt at running, and it had been a complete disaster. How could that happen? It had seemed like the easiest way to get her cardio in, so easy even her Dad could do it! He was up to five miles a day, he said, so she decided to start with only two, but within the first half mile, her breathing had been laborious and her heartbeat erratic. She started walking instead of running before she’d gone a mile, and now she was home, disappointment, discouraged, and ready to admit that running just wasn’t her thing and she should stick with the yoga videos she followed on YouTube. Those went smoothly and left her feeling toned and accomplished.
As her first week as James's submissive unfolded, the concept was still unfamiliar to her. She struggled to adjust to this new dynamic. However, the routine of receiving check-in texts had quickly become a comforting and familiar presence in her daily life.
Initially, it appeared a minor detail in the grand scheme of things. Yet, as the days passed, her comfort level grew, evolving into something more profound. Laura realized she liked being noticed and reminded of healthy habits, like getting enough sleep, and she did feel much better and more alert now that she was regularly rested and hydrated. She hadn’t realized how nice it was to have James watch over her, even if he wasn’t in her vicinity. The experience of having someone to answer to, to be accountable to, unexpectedly stirred a deep sense of satisfaction within her.
Laura drank from her bottle of water. What to do?
She took out her cellphone and typed a message: Sir, I screwed up my run. I’m sorry . She hit send and waited anxiously for him to respond.
Immediately her phone rang. “Hi honey, what went wrong? ”
“Oh James, it was terrible. I’m not cut out to be a runner. I couldn’t do it.”
“Whoa, hold on. We’re not talking about what you can’t do. We’re talking about what you did do,” he told her in a calm, reasonable tone that almost magically drained away some of her frustration. First tell me, on a scale of one to ten, where one is minimum effort and ten is your max, what number would you give for your run today?”
“Um, eleven?” she whispered.
“Yeah, I figured,” he said with a smile she could hear. “What was your goal?”
“Two miles.”
He whistled. “So, for your very first run ever, you set out on a two-mile run like a sprinter running the Olympic hundred meters?”
Laura sputtered a protest.
“Okay, honey, even experienced runners have to warm their muscles and start slowly.”
“I did start slow! My dad runs five miles every day!”
“How long has he been running?” James asked mildly.
“Um, I’m not sure. A couple of months at least.”
“Did you ask him what he ran when he was first starting?”
“Um…”
He waited.
“No,” she admitted.
“New runners, their bodies need time to adjust. Gradually, when you build strength and stamina, you can run faster and longer. From my perspective, you can consider this experience one of two ways – either it’s a failure and an excuse not to run again, or you can celebrate this as something you’ve learned and won’t be doing wrong again. What will you do?”
Laura gulped and answered, “I’ll continue running on the schedule you gave me.”
“I’m proud of you.” Warmth spread from her belly to her limbs, as she basked in James's approval, but then his next words scared her. “Your next run is Thursday, how about we go together?”
“I would love to run with you, but I’m really slow and you wouldn’t enjoy?—”
“Stop right there.” James interrupted. “If I run with you, it’s to improve the way you run, it’s not about me. Of course, the benefit for me would be spending extra time with you. Would you like the company and the guidance?”
“Absolutely, Sir.”
Friday after work, Laura spent some time with her father, but he seemed antsy to get her out of the house, so she left early and went to have dinner with James at his house. Saturday, she spent with her sister and her kids, but on Sunday after church, she again hung out with James. Monday night was spent on fitness, Tuesday night had been busy as usual with a visit to Dan, grocery shopping and laundry. The crush of activity was much nicer now she did it with James. Yesterday they’d had a relaxed dinner together. Today, they would go for a run together at 8:00 pm. Five minutes early, her doorbell rang and she let James into her duplex. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard and long .
After he broke the kiss, Laura chuckled. “How is it going to help running if you steal my breath away?”
James tried to look stern, but he couldn’t hide his smile as he replied, “Do I have a bratty sub on my hands?” He crossed his arms over his chest and mused, “Maybe I should think of a way to punish you.”
Laura’s vagina clenched at his threat, and she squeezed her thighs together.
James chuckled. “Seems to me you like the idea of being punished.” He pulled her head back by her ponytail and attacked her neck with his butter-soft lips. Laura melted on the spot. With one hand firmly in her hair, he pulled his lips away and smacked her ass with the other hand. “Let’s get moving before you end up against this wall with my cock shoved into you.”
Laura needed a moment to steady herself as James let go of her with laughter in his eyes and ordered, “Let’s go!”
Laura closed the door behind them and stuffed her key in a small pocket with a zipper at the back of her running pants. She started off, but James called her back at once with a drawling, “Stretches!”
After a few exercises to loosen up their joints, Laura again set out, and again, James called her name. When she looked back, he was just walking along. Briskly, but walking.
“This is supposed to be a run,” she reminded him, letting him catch up before she grudgingly fell into pace at his side.
“So, tell me how did it feel when you ran the last time?”
“I told you last week. It felt horrible!” she snapped.
“Tone,” he admonished her .
“Sorry, Sir.” Good Lord, she couldn’t even do this right. Her shoulder muscles tensed.
“Apology accepted. I won’t be so lenient with you all the time, though.”
Laura nodded and James continued. “Now, I want you to start nice and easy. The maximum effort you’re allowed to give is a five. We start at a slow pace.” James let Laura set the pace and followed with easy strides.
Within a few blocks, Laura was sweating and panting.
“If you’re not feeling great right now, you have to back off the pace,” James warned.
Laura obeyed and slowed her pace.
“That’s better. But I still see a lot of tension in your posture. Try to relax your hands, don’t make fists. You’re not going into battle.”
Laura had to laugh.
“That’s right.” James’s smile was evident in his voice. “Relax. Enjoy. Go slowly.”
During the run, James kept giving small tips, keeping her from breathing too fast and helping her to stay relaxed as she ran. Laura really started to enjoy herself and was surprised and a little bit disappointed when James told her they were done. As they walked back to her home she asked, “Would you like to come in, or do you need to head home?”
“If you let me shower, I’d like to come inside. Let me grab my bag from the car.”
James followed her inside and they removed their shoes at the front door. Laura took James straight to the kitchen and poured two tall glasses of water. James accepted the glass, stepping closer to her. He swept a lock of hair from her face and smiled down at her. “How do you feel? ”
“I’m feeling great. Instead of exhausted, I’m invigorated. Like I could go for another run,” she answered truthfully.
“There you go. That’s how you run. Well done!”
His compliment warmed her from the inside out as the sweat on her back cooled her skin. “Well done to you, too. Without you, I couldn’t have done it.”
They stared at each other silently for a moment. “Where’s your bathroom, subbie? It’s time we get out of these clothes and into the shower.”
“This way, Sir.” Laura couldn’t wait to get the man naked.
Once in the bathroom, he ordered, “Take off my clothes and then strip.”
Laura was a bit surprised but delighted. She pulled off his shirt and kissed his pecs. He had a body many younger men would envy. All the physical work and healthy eating habits showed in his smooth skin and well-defined muscles. He wasn’t bodybuilder or model material, but in Laura’s opinion, he was perfect.
James chuckled. “Have I lulled you to sleep already?”
Laura startled and her face burned. Goodness gracious, this man kept her blushing like a schoolgirl. She pulled herself together and made fast work of shedding his running shorts, boxers, and socks. As she looked up at him, she was confronted with a healthy erection greeting her from his neatly trimmed loins. She licked her lips involuntarily.
“Well,” James drawled above her. “What shall we do now?”