He hesitated and narrowed his gaze at her. "That's not much time."

"Two years is."

He closed his eyes. Was she referring to the two years they'd been together or the two years they'd been apart?

"I have questions I deserve answers to. And I have some limits," Lori added, her voice surprisingly bold.

Jude was taken aback. He ignored her first sentence and honed in on the last. Lori had very few hard limits with him. They'd always been on the same page. "What would those be?"

"I have a job. I'm not going to entertain the idea of giving it up. So don't ask."

He stood still for several moments, pondering her statement. He watched Lori's demeanor closely. She wasn't going to budge on this issue. He couldn't blame her after what he'd done last time.

He wandered into the apartment as he had last time, trying to wrap his mind around the boundaries of this new relationship. He knew it was invasive the way he ogled her personal belongings. "Okay. I want both weekends. So give me ten days."

"Fair enough, Sir."

"And I want you under my roof for the duration. You'll only leave for work and that's the only time you won't be in the role. Understood?" He spun around to watch her.

"Yes, Sir."

"Have you packed some things?"

"Yes." Lori turned toward the hall, but he lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

When he had her attention and her gaze lifted to his, he spoke again. "What? I don't think I heard you correctly."

"Yes, Sir." She winced. In the past she'd rarely made that mistake. She was out of practice.

"Get your things."

Lori left him alone in the room for a moment and returned with a suitcase. She'd packed light. Smart girl.

"You'll follow me. I don't like it, but I a.s.sume you need a car."

"Yes, Sir."

She followed him outside. She turned to lock the door, and then they were off.

The drive was excruciating. Lori stayed on his tail, but he hated the separation. Just a few minutes and she'll be back in your care.

It was impossible to know if Lori was the same person she'd been two years ago. She'd been with a woman for a year. He wondered how that might have changed her.

Until he experimented, he wouldn't know how this would all play out. What he did know was Lori wasn't in charge anymore. She was going to have to revert to her submissive status with an about-face. He wouldn't give an inch. And he believed in his heart she had it in her.

Nevertheless, he cringed. She was going to ask hard questions he couldn't answer. He had no idea how he would field them. And she deserved answers. But, unfortunately, this time what she needed from him wasn't his to give.

When they arrived, Jude took her bag and led her into the house.

He set the suitcase next to the hall and turned to face his charge. "Come in. I'll give you a tour and then we'll go over the rules. You can be at ease for a few minutes."

Lori stepped forward, her head bowed.

"I rented this place. Nothing is mine. The owners are away for six months. Nice, isn't it?"

"Yes, Sir." Lori glanced around the living room.

Jude pointed to the attached kitchen. "I've been shopping. It's fully stocked." He headed down the hall. "I haven't spent much time in the spare bedrooms." He pushed open a door on the right. "Office." He turned to the left after they'd peeked inside. "Master bedroom. There are a few other rooms, but I doubt we'll need them." His point was made on that issue.

Jude nodded toward the front of the house and ushered Lori back to the living room. "Want a drink? Water? Tea?" He left her standing in the center and headed for the refrigerator. "I won't serve alcohol this week. I want you to have your head on straight. I won't drink either."

He returned holding two bottles of water and set them on the coffee table. Let her decide if she was thirsty or not. "Have you had dinner?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay. Sit." He pointed at the couch and Lori stepped around it to settle into the cushion. She kept her gaze downcast.

"Don't get comfortable. You won't be on that couch again for ten days. You won't be on any furniture in this house unless I expressly permit it." He leaned against the mantel and stared at her demure head as she flinched. She was out of practice. She had reservations. He couldn't blame her.

He plowed ahead anyway, needing to ensure she understood he still had rules and she would follow them. "I'll need your work schedule written on my calendar, and any other appointments you have this week. You're expected to leave and return in only the amount of time it takes to get to and from work. You won't need to go anywhere else, see anyone, or shop. It's only ten days. That should be reasonable. If you had stayed a month, I would have been more lenient about other trips out of the house. But since you've given me only a week, I expect full compliance with respect to my time.

"When you're in the house you will remain naked at all times. You will dress five minutes before you leave for work and remove your clothing the moment you arrive inside the door.

"You will be allowed to express any concerns you have with me. I don't expect you to remain silent at all times. Respectful, but not mute.

"You may keep and use your cell phone, but I expect you to have any conversations in my presence. In an ordinary long-term setting, I wouldn't require anything that harsh, but under the circ.u.mstances I want to ensure that all of your attention and concentration is directed at me. Outside contact must be kept to a minimum and only for necessary issues concerning your health or the health and well-being of friends and loved ones. Got it?"

Lori glanced up at him.

"What is it?"

"I need to be able to speak freely with my sister."

"Sister? I never knew you had a sister."

"Yes. I have a half sister. I hadn't seen her since she was a toddler. It's a long story, but she moved back to town and we discovered each other."

"And she knows you're in the lifestyle?"

"Yes, coincidentally, she is too. She lives with two Doms, Sir."

"What's her name?"

"Stephanie, Sir."

"I can't wait to meet her. Who are her Doms? Do I know them?"

Lori shook her head. "No, you wouldn't. Aiden and Dane. They're relatively new to the scene. They just joined Emergence recently."

"Okay. You may speak with her if it becomes necessary. Let's move on."

She nodded. "Could you stop hovering over me and sit down?"

"Lori, you aren't in charge anymore. Leave your experience as a Domme at the door. I watched you the other night. You did a splendid job. I'm impressed with your ability as a Domme. I can tell you have done a marvelous job switching. However, I'm the only Dom in this house, and as entertaining as your dominance is, you're far better suited as a submissive than a Domme."

He watched the subtle flinch she gave at his dig. He hadn't meant to insult her. He was stating the facts. She was glorious in her high heels, traipsing around commanding Margaret to do her bidding, but the demands would come from him now, not her.

"Do you have any questions?"

Chapter Eight.

Lori worked hard to keep still. Her body nearly thrummed listening to Judes voice. It didn't matter what he said. His tone teased her into jelly. She'd loved that aspect years ago, the way he could make her move with just a word. Now she felt more uneasy. He still had that effect on her, but she'd evolved. It unsettled her.

She was used to being in charge, running things her way. To switch sides so abruptly was going to be a challenge. One she might not be able to live up to.

And boy did she ever have questions. Without answers, she didn't think she could possibly move forward with the speed he seemed to expect.

"Will you be working during the day also, Sir?"

"No. I'm available the entire week."

Hmm. He was vague again. Was he still employed by the government?

Lori took a deep breath and asked the big question. "Are you going to tell me where you've been for two years and why?"

"No." He stepped closer and leaned in. "You're going to have to live with that hole. I'm not at liberty to disclose anything about my whereabouts. Take it or leave it."

"Are you sick or dying?"

"No." He stood taller. "And I'll remind you once again to address me appropriately."

Lori bit her lip. s.h.i.t. She was out of the habit. That was going to be difficult.

"Shall we get started then?" He stepped around the couch. "Go to the bedroom. Remove everything. Fold your belongings up neatly in your suitcase. Return to the living room."

Lori stood and padded down the hall. Her heart rate increased. This was like a dream...or a nightmare. She wasn't sure which yet. She entered the bedroom and stood rooted to the rug in the middle of the floor. What the h.e.l.l was she consenting to? Jude had given her nothing yet. He'd answered none of the questions running through her mind. In fact, he'd very blatantly told her she would get nothing further from him.

She chewed on her lower lip and closed her eyes. This was crazy. She hadn't intended things to go this way when she'd agreed to come home with Jude. She wanted answers.

And now? Now she was in his home, under his thumb. She couldn't bring herself to deny him. She craved his dominance as though no time had pa.s.sed. What the f.u.c.k did he mean that he wasn't at liberty to f.u.c.king disclose his f.u.c.king whereabouts?

She shivered. Maybe wherever he'd been had been more serious than she'd considered. Something government related? s.h.i.t. Maybe she should trust him on this issue. Perhaps whatever he'd done for the last two years had been completely out of his control.

With shaky fingers, she undressed and folded her clothes on the end of the bed. Her entire body came to life with that action alone. She needed Jude like a drug. Even though rationally she knew her decision wasn't sound, she would go back out there and give him a shot. She had no other choice. But she wasn't unaware that her heart was on the line. If he f.u.c.ked this up, she might not survive a second time.

Lori padded silently back to the living room.

"Kneel." Jude now sat on the couch. He'd moved the coffee table to the corner of the room and placed a pillow on the rug in front of him. There was no doubt where she was to kneel.

Lori tried to control her breathing as she kneeled before the man who'd held her heart in his hands for so very long. She'd done this so many times in the past, there was no way to enumerate them. He loved a woman at his feet. And she'd lived to serve him in this way.

If anyone ever asked her why she enjoyed submitting to someone as stern as Jude, she'd have easily told them she'd never felt more alive than when she did his bidding.

And the rewards for obeying his orders were unmentionable in public. He made her feel, as though her nerves were opened and raw to his gaze.

Now that she was naked, the sensation increased tenfold. She spread her knees the distance he preferred and clasped her hands behind her back, keeping her body long and her posture perfect. She angled her face toward the floor and kept her gaze on her Master's shoes-just as he'd always expected years ago.

"Excellent." He stood and ruffled the top of Lori's head. He loved her curls. He'd said so often. And her just-f.u.c.ked look was his all-time favorite. Any opportunity he had to bring that out, f.u.c.ked or not, he took it.

"Knees farther apart, please." His words were gentle, taken out of context, but his tone was commanding. When he topped, his voice lowered several pitches. It soothed, while holding anyone in the vicinity hostage.

Lori spread her legs a few more inches, her knees barely on the edges of the pillow.

"Good. As a guide, I've chosen this pillow specifically. Your knees should be wide enough that I can't see the edges." He leaned over Lori, and his breath wafted across her shoulder. When it hit her nipples, they pebbled. "Ah, baby, I've missed seeing you like this." He stepped in front of her and lifted both b.r.e.a.s.t.s in his hands.

He weighed them, jiggling them in the air as though checking to see if they were as he remembered. "You've filled out."

She flushed, a warmth that spread down her body from head to toe.

"I like it. You were too skinny."

She exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she held.

"Relax." He stroked a finger down her chest between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, making them rise higher as she straightened her back under his touch. Suddenly he pinched her nipples.

Lori flinched. Her flush deepened. It had been so long since someone had successfully topped her. Two years if she were to be honest.

She thought of Margaret. Normally right now she would be with her own sub, commanding her body into submission. It was Friday night. They would be at the club now. In just two weeks Lori's world had made an abrupt about-face. She wondered at her ability to switch sides so easily. "I have another rule. There will be no pleasuring yourself except under my direction. No o.r.g.a.s.ms are permitted until I say so. No masturbating without my guidance. In effect, keep your hands to yourself at all times."

Lori shivered. She'd known he would demand that, but it still nailed home when he verbalized it.

Jude turned to leave the room. "Let's move to the bedroom. It'll be more comfortable. I want to reacquaint myself with your body."

She stood, carefully lifting first one knee and then the other to plant her feet gracefully without separating her hands. Nerves made her clinch her teeth together. He wasn't wasting a single moment to reestablish his dominance. She followed him, reentered the bedroom and waited for instructions.

Jude pulled the comforter off the bed. "Please sit in the center at the head of the bed."

Lori climbed up and situated herself at the headboard.

"Are you comfortable?"