Robert sat with Matt at a table in the cafeteria. Both had just finished a long shift at the same time and had decided to share dinner before heading home. The meal had started with casual small talk but gradually turned to the subject both of them really wanted to discuss.

"I should never have allowed her in there," Matt began. "She wasn't ready. If I'd done a better job as her master she wouldn't be having so much trouble now. I didn't give her enough structure…"

Robert held up a hand to interrupt. "Don't beat yourself up so much, Matt. You did what you thought was best at the time. Hindsight won't let you change the past. Think about it; did you really cheat her of your time and attention? Did you ignore attempts on her part to tell you what she needed?"

Matt frowned, going back over the relatively short time he and Kelli had been together. "Noo, I don't think so. I'm new at this Bob, but I know better than to assume I'm always right. I listen to what she says. I even try to pick up on subtle clues, but I'm not always sure what to look for. When she asked to be a student it hit me like a sack of bricks falling from the sky."

Robert leaned back and took a sip of his beer. "So why did you let her do it?"

Matt shook his head. "At first I fully intended to say no and stick to it. But she was persuasive. It took all night and part the next day before I got it.

"Kelli told me she wanted to prove to herself she could measure up, that she was a real submissive and a little training would bring her true self out. I didn't buy it for a minute. She doesn't need any training to be submissive; I saw that as soon as we met."

"And the real reason was?" Robert asked.

"Competition. On the outside she didn't have any, as far as I was concerned. She knows I'm the dominant type. I want a certain type of woman, a type increasingly rare these days and difficult to find. Kelli is that type, and she knows it. I'm not going to wander. Her submission to me is her security." Matt paused to take a bite from his plate.

"But in here circumstances changed the equation." Robert picked up on Matt's explanation. "Instead of standing out from the crowd she's just one more among the many."

"Exactly. What she really wants to prove is that she's still someone special to me. Many of the women she met here in the staff area, including your Cathy, went through the school. In Kelli's mind she thinks they have some special skill earned from the experience, so she has to go through the same thing." Matt frowned. "Problem is I don't know if she's right or not. No question the school changes them, and for my own peace of mind I hope for the better."

Robert nodded in agreement. "So you enrolled her despite the misgivings. For what it's worth Matt, I'd do the same thing given similar circumstances."

"Thanks Bob. You've been at this a lot longer than me. I value your opinion. Uhhh, by the way, no hard feelings about the incident with Cathy? You saw the tape? Wasn't anything I could do. The control room kept talking in my ear."

"Don't sweat it Matt, you did right. Cathy can be impatient at times. When I'm not there she loses her temper even though she knows better. A few days of remedial discipline might encourage her to be patient next time. Did I ever tell you about the time she ran away? It earned her the first trip to the school..."