His Slave

47. A Little Tied Up

We've done that a lot.

Right now, I'm laying on the floor of the library, reading and snacking on cookies while James is taking a phone call.

I'm so engrossed in the book that I don't even notice him standing there until he promptly reaches down grabbing the plate of cookies I stole from the kitchen before taking the cookie right out of my mouth.

"Hey!" I cry indignantly, sitting up though I stay on my knees.

James shakes his head. "Erin Ricoletti," he chides, setting the cookies on a near by table before coming back over to me. He folds his arms over his chest, staring down at me with disapproval painted across his features. "We just talked about self control this morning."

I try to fight the guilty smile cracking across my lips.

"This is the third time I've caught you with excessive amounts of sweets since I got back from Portenville," he remarks, a hint of anger lacing his words.

A bit of guilt wells up in my chest. "I'm sorry," I reply but James just shakes his head.

"Sorry or not, something has to be done about your sugar addiction, so from now on you will be allowed to have one sweet thing a day, not including coffee. Anything after that, you'll have to get my permission. Do you understand?" He asks me.

"But-," I try to protest, but he cuts me off, shaking his head.

"No, I think that's fair. I'm not completely taking sweets away, but somebody needs to keep your sugar addiction in check," he replies. "I'm doing this because I love you, Erin, and I don't want your love for sugar to lead to you getting sick," James replies.

I sigh, knowing deep down that he's right. "Yes, Master," I reply, my words drenched with defeat.

"If you break this rule, I'll completely take sweets away for a week. Three days if you confess before I find out on my own. And if you break this rule multiple times in a short period, there will be worse consequences. Do you understand?" He asks me sternly.

I nod. "Yes, Master," I agree dejectedly.

James reaches down and strokes my hair.

"What was your phone call about?" I ask him curiously.

He sneers. "Charles Underly called again. I told him to fuck off and I blocked his number this time," he tells me.

I laugh. "The government really doesn't know what to do without the Harrington family," I remark.

"Well, they better figure it out quickly because I'm not going to put up with their groveling any longer," he replies, holding his hand out to me. "Come on, Erin."

I place my hand in his, letting him pull me up. "Where are we going?" I ask as he begins to lead me out of the library. I glance at the plate of cookies longingly as we pass by, wishing I could manage to sneak just one more.

James catches me eying them and tsks in disapproval. "This is exactly why I'm implementing this new rule," he says with a sigh.

"I know," I reply quietly. "And I'm going to try my best to follow it. But you didn't answer my question," I add, narrowing my gaze at him.

James glances at me sidelong. "Upstairs," he replies vaguely, giving me that devious smirk. "The rain still isn't showing any signs of stopping, so I figured we'd have some fun."

Oh shit.

"Uh... Master," I stammer, wondering what demented thing he's planning on doing to me today. The thought terrifies me and arouses me at the same time. "Are you sure? M-maybe we should do... s-something else?" I stutter in response, fear spiking in my chest.