Buy One, Get Two and Three... - 19. Chapter 19

Daniel

Anna waited until the door had closed. “I know I said you could choose who attended your appointments with you, but, you were unconscious.” Her tone was calm, but held the undercurrent of displeasure in it.

Daniel hung his head and winced, he’d forgotten his training. “Sorry ma’am. I’ve had a lot of people trying to coddle me recently and I reacted without thinking.”

Anna lifted his head with a finger under his chin and he tried to meet her gaze. “However, it was wonderful to hear you standing up for yourself. I’ve noticed you speaking up more over the last few sessions. I take it I have Carlos to thank for that?”

Daniel felt his face warm and knew he must be going red with the embarrassment he was feeling.

“Why do you have to do things the hard way?" She shook her head with a sigh. “You told me you’ve been helping behind the bar at the club. What else has Carlos been teaching you?”

Daniel snapped his gaze to Anna’s and wanted the ground to swallow him up as she laughed.

“I didn’t mean those sort of things.” Then she frowned as Daniel hunched in on himself and glared at her. “Daniel?”

A hand on his shoulder made him shrug. “You know I don’t do anything like…that.” He waved a hand vaguely in the air not wanting to say that word. But, he couldn’t help thinking it. Sex. He hadn’t had sex in…oh…over a year and a half, maybe even closer to two years now. Not that Anna liked him referring to the acts in that period of his life as sex. She insisted they were abuse and rape. But, he still wasn’t convinced. He hadn’t said no—at least not to Harold. Xavier…Daniel had begged him to stop. But, it just made it worse. The begging excited Xavier, made him rougher. Why? Why had it happened to him and Silas? They were geniuses. They should have seen it all before it started. What use were brains if they didn’t help you protect yourself. What use were…

“Daniel!” Anna shouted, finally pulling him out of his thoughts. She handed him a tissue and he realized he was crying. God, I’m such a baby, he thought as he mopped his face.

“I have a good idea what you were thinking about but why don’t you tell me anyway.” She sounded so reasonable. Just reveal his inner most thoughts to her so she could pick them apart for him. Easy as pie. Like fuck it was!

Sighing he dutifully described what he’d been thinking. He even included what he thought she would say about the thoughts and this made her smile.

“You know me well. But then, that’s one of your gifts isn’t it?” she pinned him with a shrewd look. “Your artist’s eyes see everything, and your amazing memory files it away for future use. How do I have my coffee?”

The question caught Daniel by surprise and he answered automatically. “Black, half hot water and half cold, so you can drink it straight away. Of course if you’re out at a coffee shop, or pass one on your way to work, you sometimes have a Mocha Latte, or just a straight hot chocolate.”

Anna was nodding. “See, not one of my other patients take any notice of what I drink or how I drink it. They are only here to see what I can do for them and nothing else matters. You take notice of everything and use it to help where you can. You are the perfect service sub. But, under the wrong Dom or Master your need to please will be used against you.”

Daniel thought over what she’d said. She had said similar things back when he’d started with her. She’d been the one to recommend the club to him—and he had told Silas about it. She said the club would be a safe place to go so he could be himself and serve people without having to worry about someone taking advantage. Tara had been given a brief outline of his past and together they’d set his limits. Now, he wondered why they hadn’t thought of him serving behind the bar sooner. They’d been attending the club for six months and the idea never occurred to him.

“I think I may be starting to understand. But, I think I need to think it over alone a bit more first, please. I know we haven’t talked a lot, but…” He liked to let ideas roll around his head for a while to get used to them. Maybe he really could start to put the past where it belonged. It wouldn’t happen tomorrow, but, maybe someday…soon…

“Okay, we can finish there for now. It may not seem like we’ve covered a lot but I think things are sinking in a bit more now. I suppose I have to thank Carlos for that too, I don’t know what he’s done but it’s obviously working.”

“He’s nice to me,” Daniel told her quietly. “He’s nice and he likes to just sit, with me on his lap, and talk. He doesn’t get bored or tell me what I tell him is stupid. He doesn’t get mad if I’m tired and fall asleep. He actually sat just cuddling me the first night of him being my master at the club. I fell asleep for a while but then Silas had a panic attack and someone came to get me to help…” he realized what he’d said and looked at Anna in consternation.

“Don’t worry; I’ll talk to Silas at his next session. He’ll talk to me; you know that. Let’s return you to your master and you can go home to think over everything.”

He rose with her, his mind still churning with thoughts he just couldn’t pin down.