Cathy, Laura, and two other women had just returned to a cell and were eating dinner when a warden approached the door. The four of them immediately knelt in position, surprised by his visit during dinner.

"Cathy Kincaid? Come to the door," he ordered, his voice carefully neutral to give no hint of what was happening. Cathy stood up and walked slowly to the door, uncertain and apprehensive at being singled out.

"Turn around, hands behind your back," came the usual command. With her back to the door she felt the handcuffs close around her wrists. She was going somewhere, but had no idea why. The door opened behind her and Cathy was pulled out by his grip on her arm. While she stood in the hallway he closed the door, told the rest they could resume eating, and then still holding onto her upper arm he began leading her along the corridor.

Based on both her current and prior experience she knew it was rare to interrupt a meal, which implied that whatever reason demanded her presence wasn't planned. Had she done anything today or in the past few days that required some kind of reprimand? Nothing came to mind, and she knew better than to ask the warden.

A few moments later they arrived at what she came to think of as the wardens' room. The last time she had been there it had been a trip to visit the Director, or as it turned out his assistant. Once more she saw her clothes hanging from a hook on the wall. A sense of dread ran through her as they stopped next to them.

"You will put your clothes on immediately," he told her as he removed the handcuffs. "You are keeping the Director waiting, so I suggest you dress quickly."

His brusque comment confirmed her fears, another trip to the Director. It only took a minute to get her dress and shoes on. Someone had cleaned and pressed the dress, for which she was grateful. Why had he sent for her? She had done her best to keep to their agreement. Laura seemed to be doing well and neither of them had gotten into any trouble recently. What if he has decided to send me to solitary confinement anyway? Her mind ran wild with speculation. Maybe he wasn't satisfied with her own progress. Maybe she had missed some crucial point while helping Laura. Or worst of all, Robert wasn't pleased with her attitude.

"Alright, let's go." The warden's words brought her back to the present. He took hold of her arm and gestured toward the door that she knew led to the staff area. Oddly, he had not handcuffed or blindfolded her, unlike the last time. She puzzled over the significance of that small detail as she stopped at the door, waiting for the warden to open it. Hands at her side, and ironically feeling out of place because they were not restrained behind her back, she watched as he unlocked the solid door and opened it.

The door swung open. The sight in front of her so surprised her that she couldn't even speak. There stood Robert, a smile on his face, arms outstretched. In the next moment she was inside those big strong arms, her arms around his neck as bent over to kiss her in a long embrace. Tears of happiness clouded her eyes and time seemed to slow as he held her. All the long days of loneliness that she had tried to block out came rushing back now that they could be satisfied.

"I missed you, Master," she whispered in his ear. It almost sounded silly, but she was too preoccupied with him to think of anything clever. She laid her head on his shoulder, content to enjoy being held by him while she shut out the rest of the world. Cathy wanted the moment to go on forever but knew it wasn't possible.

"We'll get caught up later, but right now we are keeping the Director waiting." He reached up and took her arms off his neck. "I think we should be going."

The Director's office, I knew this wouldn't be good news , she thought to herself, the sense of dread returning. I'm not going home. And if he called in Robert it was very serious . Her last visit had included an implied threat of being transferred to a remedial disciplinary unit if she didn't perform to expectations. If Robert is here, that has to be it, they are going to punish me. She closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate on staying calm.

Robert started to turn toward the hallway in the staff area, a hand going to her back. They had all but forgotten the warden behind them when he interrupted. "I'm sorry, but as she is still enrolled I must insist on regulations being followed." Robert stopped and looked back over his shoulder. Cathy turned her head and saw the warden holding out a set of handcuffs in one hand.

"Oh yeah, forgot all about that." Robert took the handcuffs and turned back to Cathy. "Hands behind your back," came the familiar order delivered in his familiar crisp, matter-of-fact tone. She had heard it so many times it had become an ingrained habit, an automatic response whenever she heard him say it. The cuffs were already on her wrists before she realized she had obeyed instinctively.

He does that to me every time , she realized, all it takes is hearing his voice and I can't even think straight . In his typical fashion he took hold of her upper arm, firm but not painful or bruising, a not so subtle reminder he was in control. The warden shut the door behind them as Robert led her into the staff area, heading to the Director's office.

This was the first opportunity she had to actually see the nicer part of the so-called school. The corridor was carpeted, painted in a soft shade of blue and decorated with the occasional picture. A far cry from the concrete floor and bare gray walls she had stared at day after day. Most of the doors were made of wood, all were numbered, some with names or titles as well. A few were open, and twice she saw someone inside working at a desk.

Once two women were walking toward them, talking quietly. They both stopped and quietly stood to one side when they saw Robert. Cathy noticed they both wore collars around their throats, but otherwise they were identically dressed in conservatively tailored business suits, white blouse and jacket, knee length skirt, and neither wore restraints. Except for that one discrepancy they could have been in an office building anywhere. One of the women smiled at her as she and Robert walked by. Neither seemed surprised at the sight of her hands locked behind her back.

Robert seemed to know the way as they quickly arrived at a door with the modest title of Director's Office engraved in a small brass plate on the door. He opened the door with one hand and urged her forward with the other. With no choice in the matter, she walked into the reception room. Robert entered and stood behind her, closing the door.

"Mr. And Mrs. Kincaid? The Director is expecting you, one moment." The woman seated at the desk pickup up her phone. Cathy recognized the voice immediately, the same woman who had spoken to her on the last visit. This time she had a person to put with the voice, a petite woman, about Cathy's age, with distinctive Asian features. This was the same one who had threatened to subdue Cathy if she misbehaved on the last visit. Then she saw under the receptionist's desk the short length of chain running from the woman's ankle to a ring embedded in the floor. It had been a bluff, she couldn't leave her chair.

The woman hung up the phone and turned back to them. "The Director will be right out." She noticed Cathy's pointed look and smiled. "Yes, my master likes to know where I am every minute. I get to sound mean but anyone who sees me knows I'm pretending. Lucky you couldn't see."

The inner door opened and a tall burly man came out. The crown of red hair was distinctive. He reached out to Robert as they shook hands, and then he turned to Cathy. "Thank you for coming on short notice. A pleasure to see you again Mrs. Kincaid. Please, come in and sit down. We have much to go over." He led the way back into his office.

Again? But I've never met him before . Cathy ignored the slip, assuming he had confused her with someone else.

Robert helped her sit down in a chair facing the desk. Looking around, she saw his face in several photographs on the wall. Obviously this was the Director. Her eyes narrowed, something about his voice and the way he had used her last name made him seem familiar. But the last time she had been called in it had been his assistant in this office.

"Thanks again Robert, I know a trip all the way out here takes up most of a busy day for you, but I felt the seriousness of this matter could only be handled in a personal meeting. And my apologies Cathy, for interrupting you. I asked your husband here to discuss your progress and what options lie open for the future. He thought it appropriate that you join us."

Yes, it would be nice to know what fate these two men are going to decide for me , Cathy thought. It isn't always so easy though, to let go and blindly trust someone else to choose wisely. Both of them were looking at her, as if expecting her to say something. "Thank you for allowing me to attend, sir." A nice safe noncommittal response, but she had to be very careful here, the Director's point in stressing how important this meeting was dictated she sit back and listen. Too, Robert was here, and she found herself slipping into the old mindset of letting him take charge.

Cathy was overwhelmed by all that had happened. This whole adventure was to be a short visit while she helped Laura adjust, followed by a passionate reunion with her master when he came to take her home. Instead she had made a stupid mistake that had turned into a catastrophe, one that would probably keep her in this place for several more weeks or months. She couldn't see any way to avoid further incarceration either. The handcuffs pinning her arms behind her back were a constant reminder of just how helpless she was.

"Now then," the Director continued, picking up some papers on his desk, "I'd like to start with a review of a recent event here concerning Cathy's conduct."

Oh no, here it comes, all over again. Cathy spoke up without even thinking. "Sir, I'd like to explain about that. When I slept in it was only to reinforce the cover story, how I was supposed to be here due to a bad attitude. I didn't mean anything I said to the warden. It was all part of an act…" She trailed off as both men started laughing. The Director held up a hand to stop her.

"Sorry Cathy, we shouldn't have laughed. We both know that stunt you pulled was pure acting. Of course no one else knew that, so your punishment was rather harsh considering your intentions. Still, I'm sure you knew what would happen. Not the precise details, but that you would pay a stiff price for talking back and failing to get up on time. Don't concern yourself with it. I'm sure your master will find a way to make up for any hardship you had to endure while quite properly obeying his explicit instructions to you."

Now Cathy was confused. If she hadn't been called into the office over the disobedience, then what was the reason? If her task here was complete then why didn't Robert simply take her home? She should be sitting in the car next to Robert right now, eagerly anticipating the coming evening as they drove home. Why were they still holding her here at the school? She had been on her very best behavior since that one time, a model student by any standards. What was the incident he was bringing up now? What had she done, perhaps unwittingly, to earn even one more day in this place?

"The incident I'd like to talk about happened yesterday. I've already mentioned it briefly to Robert, but you don't know about it yet. This is a printout of an essay your friend Laura Ferren prepared yesterday. She was assigned the task of writing out what she has learned since her arrival, and how it has changed her. I'd like to read a few excerpts to you." The Director turned to the paper he was holding.

Cathy looked over at Robert, then back to the Director. Something was going on here, and she was the only one who didn't know what it was. She was certain Robert and the Director had already gone over all this and made their decisions. This was all a little play being acted out for her benefit. She turned her head to one side and studied Robert. That enigmatic smile, almost a smirk, that flashed across his face before he regained his composure confirmed it. She knew what the expression meant. He was, as he often put it, "messing with her head" and thoroughly enjoying the process. Cathy turned her attention back to the Director as he began. She relaxed and settled back in her chair. Experience had proved that if Robert was having fun she didn't have to worry.

"Mrs. Ferren came to us under less than ideal circumstances. As her husband predicted, this school was quite a shock to her. She describes her pick up and arrival here, then follows it with her interpretation. I quote,

" Everything had been so fast, one moment I was planning a trip to visit a friend, the next moment arrested, handcuffed, and taken away in a police van, all at the instigation of the man I loved. I was so frightened I couldn't even speak. Then they picked up Cathy. I found myself sitting next to a woman who seemed so calm and unconcerned, though she was just as helpless. She acted like we were heading to Sunday School instead of prison. Her attitude was infectious, I couldn't help but slow down even though we weren't allowed to talk.

Without Cathy I could not have made it through that night. She told me what I needed to know and how to act. She helped me through the worst of it. I didn't realize till much later that she had shown me how a truly submissive woman looks at the world. We had been sent by our masters, as I now know my husband, and it was our duty to obey him as best we could. The moments when I would have rebelled, she showed the other path, the one of submission to authority, and how it led to harmony instead of confrontation. In the daily lessons since then I have learned how to look for that other path, to remember my place is at my master's side and not in his face. Now I have a name for what I am, submissive, but I have not changed for in my heart I have always belonged to him, from our first moments together. "

The Director paused for a moment to catch his breath. Robert put a hand on her shoulder to have her lean forward, and then reached behind her and removed the handcuffs. He smiled at her as she sat back up. She was still perplexed as to the reason for this meeting. Her expectation had been an indefinite sentence to the remedial discipline section and unending misery for months to come. But after listening to Laura's moving words there had to be a different purpose to this little get together.

Robert put his arm around her. She leaned into him, her head resting on his shoulder. Whatever the reason for her being here, it wasn't something to worry about now. The warmth expressed in the heartfelt words in Laura's essay, and her master's arm around her, banished any fears. Cathy closed her eyes as the Director continued.

"I'll skip down to a section near the end, as it has special relevance. I quote,

" I have learned much from our lessons, but it doesn't compare to what my friend Cathy has taught me. At first I envied her. She always knew exactly what to say or do, while I was so clumsy. She was perfection, I was the poor excuse. And then one morning she proved just as human as me. All those times she had told me, over and over, how important it was to never ever disobey a warden or break a rule, then she refuses to get up one morning, and even talked back! I was so scared, not so much that the rest of us might get in trouble, but for what would happen to my friend. I wanted to yell at her to get up, but when I saw the warden I was frozen. I don't even remember what he ordered the rest of us to do, but I guess I obeyed well enough. I remember walking away with Cathy still under her blanket, and wondering if I would ever see her again.

Of course I did see her again. At the end of the day they brought us back. The three of us, the ones who had been in the room with her that morning, were kept together. A warden took us to see Cathy. I couldn't believe what they had done to her. She was locked in stocks, unable to move, and a large gag prevented her from speaking. The warden left us there. Cathy was obviously in pain but there was nothing we could do to help.

Eventually another warden came back and released her. She was so sore she couldn't even stand, we had to help her out of the stocks. I was outraged at what they had done to her! I wanted to yell, fight, make someone pay for it. But Cathy's quiet words, whispered because her mouth was still dry and sore from the gag, brought me back to the core of who we are. No anger, she said, understand the why , not the what . I didn't see her point at first, but as she explained it was as if a door had opened for me.

The what , that she had been punished, wasn't so important. It was only a means to accomplish an end. It was the why that mattered. Why she needed to be corrected. Whether it was a warden or her master, she told us how she absolutely had to know that they cared. If her disobedience had been ignored, then everything she valued in herself would be made instantly worthless. When I heard those words I had to stop and think, for what she described was the key to unlock my own inner struggle.

I love my husband. From the first day I met him, to the wedding, even now after what has happened. That night he sent me here I thought it was over. He was getting rid of me, he didn't want me anymore, I was a failure and a mistake he was sweeping under the carpet. Cathy proved to me how wrong I was. He acted to save our marriage. I was slipping away and needed him to bring me back. Far from discarding me, I now know his love is so strong he will risk everything for me. That first night I could only see the what, that he had sent me away, but more than anyone else it was Cathy who made me look at the why, why I was here, why I had to learn the lessons, why I was one of the most fortunate women on earth, for I have a master who will never let go."

The Director laid the printout on his desk and looked up. "I thought, Cathy, you would like to know that Laura will be going home in a few more days. Her stay has been shortened in no small part because of your effort. You have the ability to sense exactly what needs to be said, and a way of making what you say real and immediate."

Cathy wrapped her hands around Robert's arm as he patted her knee and smiled down at her. Robert spoke up. "She has always been good at empathy, understanding emotional need. She is very talented at reading my mind. That's what made me think she would do well here." Cathy looked up at him with a puzzled expression when she heard that last sentence.

What does he mean, do well here? I hate this place, and look how I screwed up . "Sir? I don't understand what's going on here. I'm very happy for Laura, and glad I was able to be of some help to her. But I haven't done nearly as well as she has." Now it was Cathy's turn to envy Laura, for she would be going home. Somehow Cathy sensed she would not be leaving so soon.

"Sorry Cathy, but you are wrong on that one point." The Director picked up on her comment and continued. "You have exceeded our expectations, both your master's and my own. What you do not know is the real reason your master required your attendance here. You were told it was to help Laura, and while that was true, it wasn't the primary cause of your return to the school. Robert?"

She turned to look at her husband as he spoke. "Cathy, as you know any school, even this one, depends on the people who run it. The Director contacted me several months ago, to ask about the possibility of you becoming an instructor. I wasn't too keen on the idea of sending you off again, but the Director can be very persuasive as well as accommodating. We eventually reached mutually agreeable terms, but one question remained.

"Teaching, especially in this environment, can be a very stressful experience. It is essential for everyone on the staff here to remember the ultimate goal, to draw out what exists within every student, to help them see what they need, even if it is emotionally or physically painful. It's easy to lose sight when someone is in distress. That's the test the Director set for you, Cathy. To throw the worst at you and see how you coped."

Cathy's eyes widened in sudden realization. It all made sense, how she could do no right, yet she always seemed to have the time and opportunity to talk to Laura.

"And you passed that test Cathy," the director told her. "Better than we had hoped, in fact. Not only did you keep to your ostensible assignment, helping Laura, but you also endured what appeared to be a mean and spiteful punishment far in excess of your transgression. You set an example not only for Laura but everyone else. I don't think you comprehend how many of the others were influenced by your role model.

"That's why I would like to formally offer you a position on the staff as a Teacher, effective immediately or whenever your master makes you available to us. You should also be aware that Robert has graciously volunteered to serve as a warden here on a temporary basis to help us with a manpower shortage. We would be grateful, and honored, if you would accept."

Cathy stared at the Director, not believing what she heard. Could she stand in front of a class, with all those eyes on her, and lecture them? Apparently both men thought so. They were looking at her, waiting for an answer. She could do it, but she could not answer them. That wasn't her place. She looked to Robert.

"Master? Should I do this?" There was one distinct advantage to being the submissive partner, Cathy told herself, and that's the privilege of passing on the difficult choices. If she asked, it became his problem to solve. She waited patiently for him to decide her future.

It only took a moment. Robert took her hands in his, looked her in the eye, and answered with that tone of absolute certainty she found so attractive. "Yes you should. You have the talent, and the inclination to do it right. I have no doubt at all this is the best course for you." He let go of her hands and folded his arms, leaning back. "I knew you'd ask me too, which is why I told the Director you would accept. All the arrangements have been made.

"I came for you Cathy, but not to take you home. For the next few months, this is our new home." Once more he took her hand as he stood up. She followed, standing beside him. His arm slipped around her waist.

The same old Robert as always, she thought. He set this all up knowing exactly what she would do. He was in control of her all this time, and she didn't even realize it. He's a manipulative control freak, and oh how I love it.

The Director stood up and offered Robert his hand. "Welcome aboard, I think you'll both find this a memorable experience, and a rewarding one as well. Now, I must apologize for ending the meeting so abruptly but duty calls. Your apartment in the living quarters is ready, and I believe Robert knows the way. Once again, I want to add my personal welcome to you both."

"Thank you sir," Cathy answered. "One thing, your assistant, has he been informed, about how I was disobedient purely to keep in character? At our last meeting he seemed quite upset with me."

Robert and the Director started laughing. "Don't worry about that, Mrs. Kincaid. You see, I have no assistant. You were not the only one acting that day." The Director smiled. "Wheels within wheels, as the saying goes. You knew I, as the Director, was aware of the reason for your presence so I had to be someone else. Someone who could send you to that entirely imaginary disciplinary section. I deliberately dangled the sword over your head, all part of the test."

"But…" her voice trailed off. Then she understood. No wonder his voice had sounded familiar when he used her last name. Dominants , she shrugged, they always had to be one step ahead .

The Director saw them to the hallway door of the outer office. Robert took a moment to orient himself before they started down the corridor. His hand slid across her hip and pulled her close as they walked. His hand resting on the belt under her dress reminded her that she still had that infernal chastity belt locked around her waist. And with that reminder came a surge of lust that almost overpowered her. Suddenly her only concern was to get it off by any means at hand.

It took only a few minutes to reach the door to their apartment, but to Cathy, burning with pent up desire, it seemed an eternity. No sooner had Robert closed the door behind them than she had her arms around him, pressing herself against him. But how could she ask?

He took hold of her upper arms and held her back. One hand lifted up her chin till he could see her face. "Is there something you want? Something you need to tell me?" The serious look on his face almost made her laugh. He couldn't be that dense. But she had to be careful how she phrased her request. He had a long standing order that she was not permitted to ask this particularly delicate question directly.

"I'm sorry master, and I know I shouldn't mention it, but I still have on the chastity belt."

His brow furrowed in mock concentration. "Hmm, you want me to take it off?" His hands slid around to her back as he pulled her close. She felt one hand going to the zipper on the back of her dress, slowly pulling it down. Cathy knew exactly what he was going to say next. "Convince me."

She did.