Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
Four o’clock rolled around, and Eliza planted herself in the hallway, her gaze flicking up to check the clock every few seconds while she chatted with her friends. That old familiar excitement, the thrill of doing something naughty, grew inside of her with every tick of the clock.
What would Professor Eaton do when she showed up late? Probably just send her to Mr. Chambers for a paddling or a caning or something. As much as she enjoyed both of those, part of her was hopeful that Professor Eaton might be more creative than that.
It was nearly a quarter after four when her friends waved goodbye and she was left with no other choice but to make her way to his classroom. Skipping their “session” as he’d called it was tempting, but she did really need to do the work. Flunking out of college yet again wasn’t an option.
“Sorry I’m late, Professor. I got dis—oh.” Stopping short in the doorway, she glanced from one imposing man to another, just barely quelling the urge to flee. Derek Hawkins was one of the few Dominants she’d ever come across who could make her feel even slightly inclined to behave. “Master Derek. Am I interrupting?”
“Not at all. We were waiting on you. Have a seat, Eliza.”
Shit. This didn’t bode well at all. Forcing her usual cheerful smile to stay in place, she crossed the room and slid into one of the desks at the front of the class, which put her face to face with both men. While Master Derek was watching her with a stony, unreadable expression, Professor Eaton looked almost excited. Or what she imagined “excited” looked like on a man like him, which amounted to another of those knowing little smirks and a glitter of wicked anticipation in his eyes.
“Eliza,” Master Derek began, pulling her attention back to him. “There have been a handful of instances during my time as owner of the Ranch where I have felt that a submissive could benefit from… shall we say, additional guidance from our staff. After considering your behavior over the past two years, I’ve decided that you are one of those submissives who could benefit from a more hands-on approach.”
“Pretty sure the staff has had their hands on my ass plenty of times. Sir,” she added with a wide grin when he scowled at her.
“Be that as it may, I am exercising my right to assign you a guardian for as long as I see fit. Professor Eaton has graciously accepted the position. From now on, he will be responsible for all of your discipline. He will have full authority over every aspect of your life here at the Ranch. If you are going to miss a class, he will need to approve it. If you misbehave in class, he will punish you. If you want to leave the Ranch for any reason, you will need his permission. Do you have any questions?”
“A couple. Question one, have you lost your fucking mind?” Fury had quickly overtaken her usual amusement during his speech. “You can’t just assign me a Dom! That’s not how this works!”
Derek’s expression turned even harder somehow, and she barely resisted the urge to shrink back from his icy countenance. “Unfortunately for you, that absolutely is how this works, at least for you. You’ve had your fun, and honestly, I’ve been far too lenient with you as it is. So, you can either accept this new arrangement, or you can leave Rawhide.”
“You’d kick me out?” It was the only punishment she’d ever been scared of. She’d deliberately toed the line so he would never have an excuse to send her away. Tears burned in her eyes but were ruthlessly blinked back as she tried to hold on to her anger. “But I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“That is partially true. While your behavior hasn’t ever been truly bad enough to warrant being expelled, allowing you to continue on as you have been would be setting a dangerous precedent for the other submissives. In order for my Ranch to work, in order for the University to work, we have to maintain a standard of conduct. A standard of conduct you have sorely been lacking.” His expression softened ever so slightly. “I don’t want you to leave, Eliza. The Ranch would be so much less bright without you here. But I also can’t allow you to continue on the way you have been. Which leaves you with a choice to make: Samuel as your guardian, or the door?”
If she left the Ranch, she had nowhere to go. Her meager savings would barely be enough for the deposit on an apartment, and her parents had made it clear they weren’t keen on the idea of her moving back home.
And even if she’d had plenty of money, all of her friends were here. She didn’t want to leave the Ranch. Logically, she knew she would have to leave when she graduated, but she wasn’t ready. Not yet .
Which, according to Master Derek, left her with one option,. “Fine.”
“You know I need more than that, Eliza. What are you agreeing to?”
Fighting back another wave of fury, she forced a smile. “I accept Professor Eaton as my guardian and agree to submit to whatever punishments he believes I need.” Pausing, she turned her smile on Samuel and deliberately cranked it up. “Do your worst, Professor.”
“That’s good enough for me. Samuel?”
Professor Eaton’s gaze, which she had felt boring into her during the entire exchange, never faltered. “Agreed.”
“Then I’ll leave you to it.”
Neither of them broke eye contact as Master Derek left, pulling the door shut behind him. The silence between them stretched, and Eliza had to fight the urge to fidget in her seat as her new “guardian” stared her down.
She would not let him see how much he was affecting her.
Because affecting her, he certainly was. As pissed as she was about Derek simply handing her over to some random Dom she’d only just met, there was no denying the physical reaction she was having to him. Just the idea of being punished by him had her pussy clenching with need.
“Stand up please, Eliza.”
Curiosity won out over the desire to rebel. She could fight him later, once she had a handle on what kind of Dom he was and where the line was. Every Dom was different, even at the Ranch. Learning their limits, studying their weaknesses was what made her such an effective brat. “Yes, Sir.”
Pushing to her feet, she stood and waited for him to approach. He did, slowly, and she nearly rolled her eyes at the drama of it all .
“Before we address your rudeness and your language, would you like to add anything to your hard limits list? I reviewed it earlier and it was rather… sparse.”
“No, Sir.” Her limits were sparse because she wanted them that way. “I can handle anything you throw at me.” That was pride, and she knew it, but she had no intention of backing down from it.
If her new guardian was put off by her response, it didn’t show. “We’ll see about that. Jeans and panties off.”
“Off, Sir?” Normally the Rawhide staff, both at the University and the Ranch as a whole, just made her pull them down to her knees.
“Off. You won’t be needing them the rest of the day.”
The idea of wandering the halls of the University half naked wasn’t particularly appealing, but it wasn’t even close to the worst punishment she’d received in these hallowed halls. He was going to have to try a hell of a lot harder than that to break her. With a deliberately nonchalant shrug, she peeled her jeans off and tossed them over the desk beside her, followed by her panties.
Disappointment pricked at her when he ignored the mess and simply continued to stare her down. But at his next words, she forgot all about being disappointed. “Are you aroused, Ms. Bennett?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Answer me, please.”
Punishments at Rawhide had always been very professional, almost clinical. And, she was realizing now, she’d gotten used to having that distance with her disciplinarians. The thought of having it removed, of being forced into a more intimate arrangement was far more intimidating than she’d expected it to be.
Not that she could let him know that, of course. So she smiled, deliberately making it a little cocky, a little smug. “ I’m a masochist at a BDSM Ranch. I’m always aroused, Professor.” More so than usual thanks to his bossy ways, but again, those were “just for Eliza” thoughts.
“I see. Well, we can’t have you distracted during your discipline. Do you require the assistance of a vibrator, or can you manage on your own?”
Years of practice at hiding her true reactions kept her jaw from dropping to the floor. Was he actually asking her to get herself off?
Either he was looking for a show, or he was hoping to embarrass her. She was more than happy to give him the former, but it would be a cold day in hell before she gave him the satisfaction of the latter. “I wouldn’t say no to some help.”
“Very well.”
Returning to the front of the room, he pulled open a drawer in his desk, and retrieved a plain pink vibrator still wrapped in its casing. The sleek column wasn’t anything to write home about, but it would get the job done.
His expression didn’t give anything away as he opened the casing and popped in the required batteries before handing over the vibrator. Not even a flicker of interest shone in his eyes, which bothered her more than she cared to admit. Putting on a show for a man who found her desirable was sexy and fun. Getting herself off in front of a man who looked almost bored by her presence was considerably less of both those things.
But she took the vibrator from him and flipped the switch, all while keeping her gaze locked on his. Letting a sexy smile curve her lips, she pressed the buzzing column against her clit.
It wasn’t all for show when she let out a low moan. Regardless of the circumstances, the vibrations felt amazing, and at this rate it wouldn’t be long before she came .
Letting her head fall back, she planted her feet more firmly on the floor and arched up, one hand moving behind her to grip the edge of the desk. She started to moan, then caught her bottom lip between her teeth, allowing herself only a small whimper instead.
In her experience, Doms were total suckers for whimpers.
“Oh, professor,” she moaned, rolling her hips as the vibrator worked her toward her release. “I’m so close.”
“Good. We may still get some studying done if this doesn’t take much longer.”
Hurt stabbed at her chest. He could at least pretend to be enjoying the show. Asshole.
When the orgasm came, it was quite possibly the least satisfying one she’d ever had. While it did the job of relieving her arousal, she didn’t feel that same rush of euphoria she normally did after a self-love session.
Switching the vibe off, she handed it back to him, unable to stop herself from blushing a bit when he made a show of thoroughly cleaning it before returning it to the desk drawer.
“Now that we’ve removed that particular distraction, let’s discuss your behavior this afternoon. Not only did you swear in my classroom after I made it clear I would not tolerate such behavior, you directed your crass language at the owner of Rawhide Ranch. Do you have anything to say for yourself, little girl?”
“Nope.” That wasn’t entirely true. She did feel a little bad about swearing at Master Derek. He’d always treated her well, even when she knew she’d been driving him absolutely batty. But he’d also kind of deserved it after dropping that “guardian” bombshell on her with zero warning. So as far as she was concerned, they were even.
She had a feeling her new guardian did not agree .
“Very well.”
When he stepped away, she turned and braced her forearms on the desk behind her, presenting her bottom for whatever implement he had in mind.
“Ms. Bennett, what are you doing?”
Pushing up slightly, she peered at him over her shoulder. “Getting into position.”
“For?”
She’d never met a Dom who asked so many fucking questions. “To buy low and sell high on the stock market. What does it look like I’m in position for?”
“Your sass is not helping matters, Ms. Bennett. Did I ask you to position yourself in this manner?”
“Well, no. I just figured…”
“You figured wrong. Stand up, please.”
Okay, so it was a little embarrassing that she’d apparently misjudged his intentions. Straightening, she turned and found him sitting in a chair at the front of the classroom, no implement in sight. And she couldn’t help it.
She laughed.