know if you’re in real distress, physically or emotionally. Snap your fingers now, so we know you can do it.”
She did nothing. If he wanted to know how she felt, he could damn well take the gag out of her mouth. Then she’d tell him how she felt.
“You’re not even trying,” he observed. “Do you think this is a good time to disobey me?”
She remained silent, fully engaged in what she had decided would be a battle of wills. She would not play pony for Daniel Treville, no matter what he did.
He let out a little sigh, looking down at her with a gaze that was just as determined as hers. If anything, he seemed mildly amused by her resistance.
“You have so little understanding of what even the slightest bit of submission might mean,” he murmured against her ear, drawing his fingertips down over the curve of her rear and back up again. “It’s quite delicious teaching you.”
She squirmed in place, unable to move very far thanks to the leather that already held her so firmly in place, in thrall to the murmur of his voice.
“Do you understand how to communicate with me if you find yourself overwhelmed?” He asked the question again, his lips close to her ear, his body close to hers so she felt his strength as an immutable force.
She let out a low growl, the only noise she could make with the gag keeping her tongue down.
Daniel picked up the crop she’d forgotten about and applied a swift slap to her outer thigh. The sudden sting made her jig on the spot.
“This I’m not playing about,” he insisted. “It’s a matter of safety. Show me that you can tell me when you’ve had enough.”
Ellie lifted both hands, fingers curled down but for the middle ones that remained defiantly extended. That should be enough of a signal for him.
“We’ll go with that,” he chuckled. “You brat.”
She wondered what it would take for him to actually get angry at her. No matter how much she defied him, Daniel always seemed to simply rise above it. At that moment he was busy fastening long leather straps to the sides of her gag. Reins.
He gathered them in one hand and held it behind her head, looking her in the eyes as he gently put the slightest bit of pressure on the reins and therefore the bit.
Ellie let out a yelp of surprise as the bit seesawed between her lips, putting pressure on the roof of her mouth. It was the strangest sensation, one that did not precisely hurt, but certainly could not be ignored.
“Over time, I’ll teach you a series of cues,” Daniel explained. “For the moment, I think you understand that this sensation is a cue to stop what you’re doing and pay attention to me. Now,” he said thoughtfully, musing to himself. “What’s missing here?”
Ellie felt his eyes roaming over every inch of her leather-bound body as he assessed her. A moment later, he spoke again with the manner of a man who is surprised at his obvious oversight.
“Ah, of course. My pony is not complete without her tail.”
Ellie made a muffled sound of despair, which he ignored as he retrieved the familiar tail from a nearby box. There was one thing she had to give Daniel—his ability to be organized no matter what.
“Now, pet,” he said in those soothing but oh-so-dominant tones. “Bend over for me and present your bottom so I can make sure your tail slides in nice and deep.”
Blushing, Ellie balked, but he soon used the reins to urge her down into position, bent forward at the hips, the rounds of her rear exposed for the application of lubricant that always preceded her tail being put in. She supposed it was a small mercy that her hands were bound so he could not make her spread her own cheeks. Instead, he took the task on himself, spreading one buttock wide so her tight little anus had nowhere to hide as he dabbed and massaged several drops of cool lubricant on that hot button.
She made a moan that did not sound human at all thanks to the bit in her mouth and shifted from foot to foot as he slid his