Graduation Week
It’s Dramatic
When I return to class on Monday, my heart breaks even more when I read Leōn’s evaluation.
Leōn has only praise for my courage and honesty, complimenting the growth he saw in me in the short time we were together. As far as what happened when he shared his preferred kink with me, he takes full blame.
But he could not have known about the circumstances of my father’s death. It is not something I have been open about with him—not even after I recovered from my panic attack on Naxos.
Although I know it wasn’t fair to him, I didn’t want to talk about it and rehash the pain of losing my father.
I mistakenly thought that the peace I felt after composing that song meant that I had gotten past the worst of my grief.
But during my debriefing with the panel after returning from the auction, Headmaster Wallace told me something that stuck with me: “Traumatic experiences, like the one you suffered as a child, often have many layers to them, which takes time to work through, and that is best handled with an experienced therapist.”
Looking back on my weekend with Leōn, I deeply regret that I wasn’t as open with him as he was with me—for his sake and mine.
After going over our evaluations, Mr. Onassis informs us that we will have the opportunity to choose a Dominant as our partner for those of us who are interested in being collared. During graduation night, we will have the opportunity to speak privately with three Dominants of our choice.
I appreciate that we get to choose the Doms and decide who we deem worthy enough to offer our collar to. It falls in line with Mr. Onassis’s assertion that the submissive is the one who ultimately holds the power in the Dom/sub dynamic.
In anticipation of that, we have also been given a set of vows to memorize in preparation for the collaring ceremony.
With Leōn no longer a choice, I’ve been pondering which three Doms I’d like to interview on graduation night.
“Miss Lane, can you give me an example of a Mind Fuck?”
I grimace. “I’m sorry, Mr. Onassis. I wasn’t listening.”
“This final week is as important as the preceding ones. Do not allow distractions to get in the way of your learning.”
I bow my head. “I will pay better attention, Mr. Onassis.”
I diligently take notes as he explains that Mind Fucks are a form of edge play that demonstrates the intense power of suggestion.
The scene usually involves the submissive being told something will happen so they can anticipate it, but then the Dominant changes things up without the submissive’s knowledge.
I lose my concentration once more on thinking how weird it is that Mr. Onassis is related to Leōn. Now that I know, I can see the similarities in their facial features and the timbre of their voices. The unfortunate thing for me is that seeing Mr. Onassis makes me miss Leōn.
I wonder what Mr. Onassis thinks about what happened at the auction.
I’m grateful he hasn’t chosen to treat me any differently, but I hope he’s not upset at Leōn after hearing I had a panic attack. The truth is, I loved everything about our scene together…up until the flames.
“Miss Lane, please repeat what I just said.”
Thankfully, my brain has been on autopilot, and I’m able to successfully rattle off, “Mind Fucks have the potential of being dangerous, and they can seriously impact a submissive’s self-esteem, confidence, and trust if they are not handled with care.”
He nods and continues with the lesson while I quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
I’m going to miss this…
To my surprise, the Training Center has become the center of my life. I can’t imagine not heading to the Luxe Escape after work. How am I ever going to be able to go back to my old routine after this?
While putting my notebook away when class has ended, I get a text from Gwen and sneak a peek.
Do you want to practice your lines with me on Saturday before the big event?
I send her a quick text back.
I thought Helen wasn’t allowing you to take the night off.
Since I can’t be there for the graduation, I’ve decided to help with your “vows”.
I grin as I type back.
That would be great
I’ll get there early, since you’re going to need all the help you can get!
Smirking, I send her a cold face emoji and slip my phone back into my purse.
I smile at Mr. Onassis as I head out the door. But inside, I’m already missing him.
I naively thought I would simply be experimenting with a few kinks I was interested in by taking this course. But through it, I’ve learned so much more. This course has helped me discover hidden desires and reclaim parts of myself I thought were lost forever.
“Come on! Say it like you mean it, Soph,” Gwen insists.
I roll my eyes. I’ve never been good at memorizing lines, and she knows that!
Still…I can’t afford to mess this up. “Let’s start with the line before that.”
“You got it.”
Gwen winks at me as she speaks in a deep, masculine voice, “I will wear this key as a symbol of our commitment.” She then makes the motion of putting it around her neck before announcing, “You now belong to me.”
I repeat, “I now belong to you, Master.”
I’m grateful that the Dominant is the one who has longer lines for this ceremony while I listen to Gwen continue, “I accept your request to serve me and will honor your needs and desires. Trust that I will always put your best interests foremost in my dominance over you. Your happiness, health, and well-being are my biggest concern, and I will consciously tend to them because you are a part of me.”
Now for the hard part that I keep messing up. “I will honor and keep you…”
Gwen makes a buzzer sound.
I sigh and try again. “I will honor and love you?”
Gwen nods.
“I will honor and love you to the best of my ability.”
She rolls her eyes and gives me the line. “I will honor and love you as I serve you to the best of my abilities.” She grumbles, “Seriously, Soph, it’s not that hard.”
I groan. “I guess I’m not getting collared! If I can’t get it right now, what chance do I have in getting it right in front of a bunch of people?”
Gwen puts her hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eyes. “You’re going to do fine. When it starts, the words will just flow out.”
I sigh nervously. “You really believe that?”
She nods vigorously, then pulls out her phone. After typing a quick text, she smiles at me. “I’m going with you as your wingman.”
“You can’t do that!”
“Already did. It won’t be hard to find a stand-in for me since Helen took away my only line.” She laughs. “Now, let’s pick out your outfit for tonight while you tell me which Doms you are planning to interview. I can give my stamp of approval.”
I am still debating with her which three Dominants are worthy of my collar when we pull up to the Luxe Escape hours later.
We have to idle behind a long line of vehicles, and for the third time, I find myself running my hands over the bodice of the gown that Gwen lent me from her theater group.
It’s a glamorous, figure-hugging gown in glittery silver with black zebra stripes.
It’s not the kind of flashy dress I would have ever worn six weeks ago, but so much has changed—including me.
“This reminds me of the New Year’s Eve party,” I mutter as we wait.
“Sure does,” Gwen agrees, “Minus the limo, of course.”
I chuckle, shocked to see the impressive number of people streaming into the hotel. “There are a lot more people here tonight than I expected.”
She bumps her shoulder against mine. “Makes me glad I came.”
“Me, too,” I agree, grateful my bestie is here.
After I hand my keys to the valet, the two of us head into the hotel where Mistress Kim is waiting. “Is this your guest, Miss Lane?”
I smile at Gwen and nod. “Yes, this is Gwen Huntington.”
Mistress Kim nods to her. “Miss Huntington, please sign in at the front desk, and an escort will assist you.” She then turns to me and smiles. “You are to wait in the classroom with the others.”
I tremble with nervousness when I give Gwen a hug.
When she finally pulls away, she reminds me, “Next time we meet, you’ll be a graduate!”
I nod and give her another hug before I head to the elevator.
It’s strange to think I wouldn’t be here right now if Gwen hadn’t invited me to the grand opening of the Luxe Escape. I had no idea what I was walking into when I came here.
Michelle glides up beside me as we wait for the elevator together. “Ready for this?” she asks, looking stunning in a form-fitting red dress.
I just nod, not sure how I feel.
“Gotta say, you two clean up nice,” Russo jokes as he steps into the elevator just before the doors are about to close. He’s wearing a black tux and looks quite distinguished.
“You’re looking mighty spiffy,” Michelle says, looking him up and down.
It’s amazing to see how much Michelle has changed in the last six weeks. She came in as a middle-aged lover of romance novels, and her newfound confidence has her looking years younger and irresistibly sexy. I bet her ex is having regrets, but he isn’t worthy of the woman she’s become.
“Do you know who you are going to interview?” she asks on the ride up.
“I have a certain Domme in mind,” Russo says, rubbing his jaw.
When Michelle stares at me expectantly, my nerves ramp up. “Haven’t pinned it down yet. It really depends on who is attending.”
Thankfully, my nerves quiet down somewhat when I walk into class and see Mr. Onassis. He has been a welcome constant in my life for these last six weeks, and I’m really going to miss him. I swipe away a stray tear when Amethyst slides into the chair next to me, dressed in cool shades of purple.
“Have I missed anything?” she jokes.
I nudge her. “I bet you got the top honors in class.”
She rolls her eyes. “Not something I care about.”
The thing is, I honestly don’t think she cares. Amethyst has always been sure of herself.