What To Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection Part Two (141 page)

“It felt so real.”

“The power of suggestion, Miss Bennett, is quite potent. I told you what was about to happen; your mind accepted it and responded accordingly.”

“But I felt the hot iron and heard my skin burning.”

“I switched the heat of the brand with the chill of ice and I sprinkled water into the fire. Effective alternatives to trick the senses.”

Brie lay back down, still feeling dazed. “That’s crazy.”

“This exercise demonstrates the intense power of suggestion.”

She chuckled nervously. “You’re not kidding!”

Brie shuddered; the reality that she hadn’t been branded not quite registering. Master Coen smiled down at her as he undid her bindings. “You were brave, Miss Bennett. Quite impressive.”

She frowned and turned from him. “Not so impressive when nothing happened. I feel like an idiot.”

He picked her up in his large, muscular arms and carried her to a lounge chair in the corner, holding her like a child. “You do not appreciate it yet, but you are a prime candidate for mind play. Your creative nature makes you a charming plaything.”

She looked at him sadly. “That sounds like a bad quality to me.”

“On the contrary, in the hands of a trusted Dom the possibilities are limitless.”

A shuddering sigh escaped her lips, remnants of the emotional experience. Master Coen held her tighter. “We are going to explore erotic hypnosis with you this week. After today’s session, I believe you will be successful and will appreciate the experience.”

She tentatively touched his square jaw with her fingertips. “Master Coen, the idea both excites
and
frightens me.”

“I understand. However, erotic hypnosis is not meant to be a mind-fuck.”

“Mind-fuck?”

“What you just experienced. Being led to believe something for the amusement of the Dominant. Erotic hypnosis is mutually enjoyable and will enhance your ability to explore sexual experiences you could not before.”

Master Coen reached between her legs and began lightly stroking her clit. Brie closed her eyes and relaxed under his attention. “I have seen few submissives with your courage or stubbornness.”

She opened her eyes and gave him a tentative smile. “Thank you?”

He chuckled. “Yes, it was meant as a compliment. Lie still and accept your reward for that gutsy display.”

His fingers began flicking at a quicker pace, causing a slow burn in her pelvis. Brie tilted her head back and moaned. He met her lips with his own. His kiss was gentle, in stark contrast to his burly exterior. It appeared Master Coen had a softer side, one that she was just now beginning to see. It didn’t take long before her hips were bucking against his hand in pleasurable release. It felt so intimate, so sweet to come in his arms like that.

“Thank you, Master,” she whispered.

He kissed her forehead. “I take pleasure in rewarding my subs. Just ask the two I have at home.”

She could just imagine his harem of girls, waiting to service Master Coen’s every need. A threesome might work for some, but Brie wanted exclusive rights to her Dom.

“Tomorrow you will be working with Master Anderson after a short session with Marquis Gray in room forty-two. They will be providing you with lessons based on your interest in becoming a full-time sub. However…” He laughed aloud. “I doubt it’s what you are expecting.”

He refused to elaborate, which made Brie excruciatingly curious. She had never been on that side of the school and couldn’t begin to imagine what was hidden in those rooms.

W
hen Brie pulled up to the school the following night, she was overwhelmed by disappointment. Blue Eyes was still missing. She hadn’t been overly concerned on Monday when he hadn’t been at the door, but two days in a row seemed odd for him. Brie wondered if it was a rule that they couldn’t fraternize after an auction, or if Faelan was training extra hard now that his class was also coming to a close.
Our last week…
The thought depressed her.

She hurried to classroom forty-two, anxious to discover what unusual encounter Marquis had planned for her. Brie swung open the door and stopped cold. It was a kitchen.

Marquis stood beside the counter, along with Mary and Lea. “Running behind, Miss Bennett?”

She glanced up at the clock. Still five minutes early, but that seemed to mean nothing at this school. “Sorry, Marquis Gray.” She dutifully untied her corset, then set it to the side before kneeling in front of him. He ignored her, speaking to the other two girls instead.

“If you wish to be a full-time submissive, it will be expected that you can cook. You have heard the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? Well, in your case, the way to a Dom’s good graces is through pleasing his discerning palate.”

Brie’s jaw dropped.
Cooking?
That was one area she had no talent for or interest in. She desperately wanted to question him on it, but would not be allowed to until he acknowledged her.

“Although we are only going to touch on the basics today, you should be able to produce a few exceptional dishes to please a variety of tastes. I shall start you off. Once you prove you have mastered this basic skill, you will move onto Master Anderson in room forty-eight. He is trained as a gourmet chef and will further your education.”

Marquis Gray walked over to Brie and placed his hand on her head. “Come join us, pearl, but re-dress. I do not want to see burns on those lovely breasts.”

Brie nodded, smiling inside. Marquis knew just how to tweak her ego.

There were five stoves in the large room. He directed her to the one closest to Lea’s. “You three will cook omelets for me.”

Mary raised her hand. “What if I don’t know how?”

“Do your best. I want to see the extent of your cooking knowledge.”

Brie groaned inside. This was not going to be pretty…

There was already a pan on the stove and a bunch of ingredients set in bowls. At least they had made it easy for her. Brie cracked a couple of eggs into the skillet and fished out the shells. She threw in a pat of butter and turned the stove on high. She remembered something about needing to sear the outside. While she waited, she sprinkled a little bacon, lots of cheese, and a touch of parsley for color. When the eggs started bubbling, she grabbed the spatula and attempted to turn it. The omelet would not come off the pan. She scraped the bottom, and noticed it was a little too brown. She took it off the burner and finished scraping the egg from the pan. It was a hot, scrambled mess.

“Please present your omelet attractively on the plate and give it to me,” Marquis instructed.

Brie looked over at Lea, who tilted her pan and let her omelet slip out onto the plate. At a little flick of her wrist before it was completely out, it folded neatly in two. Lea put a sprig of parsley and a thin wedge of twisted orange slice on the side for decoration. It was disgusting how easy she’d made it look!

Brie patted her brown scrambled eggs into the shape of an omelet and handed it to Marquis with her head bowed in shame. She took a quick glance at Mary’s plate and was relieved to see that hers was not much better.

All three girls stood before him as he tasted their work. He started with Lea’s first. “Nice color. Pleasing to the eye.” He cut off just the end and took a bite. After chewing it for a few seconds, he swallowed. “Good consistency; appropriate seasoning; nice ingredient choice. I really cannot help you further, Ms. Taylor. You may proceed to Master Anderson.”

Brie wanted to protest. She had been looking forward to spending time with her best friend. Instead, she had to watch Lea collect her thong at the door, slip it on and bow to Marquis before leaving.

Marquis Gray went for Mary’s next. He had a hard time cutting through it with his fork and did not look anxious to place the bite in his mouth. He chewed it for much longer than he had Lea’s and swallowed hard. “Rubbery. Way too much salt.” He addressed Mary directly. “Did I ask you for an omelet, Miss Wilson?”

“Yes, Marquis Gray.”

“Then why did you give me a fried egg?”

“I… Isn’t it an omelet?”

He pushed the plate away. “No. It is not.”

Brie trembled when he took her plate. He shook his head when he tried to cut it and it just fell apart. He looked hesitant as he put the forkful in his mouth, then spat the egg back onto the plate.

“Horribly burnt, inedible and no seasoning to speak of. What were you thinking, Miss Bennett?”

She burned with humiliation when she admitted, “I can’t cook.”

“Obviously, but have you never been in a kitchen?”

She stared at her feet when she answered, “My mom did all the cooking. I just kind of watched.”

“Did you learn
nothing
?”

It clawed at Brie’s insides to know she was a complete failure. She’d never thought for one second her cooking skills would play into her role as a submissive.

He walked over to the stove Lea had previously occupied. “I will instruct you both on how to make a decent omelet. Pay attention. I will not repeat myself.”

Mary looked over at Brie and shrugged. At least the two of them were in it together.

“First, you should get your pan heating on medium heat. To get a fluffy consistency, I separate the egg whites and whip them.” He was quick and precise as he cracked and separated three eggs. “Add a tablespoon of water and whip until it is incorporated. Then whip the egg yolks in a separate bowl, add a little salt and pepper to taste and fold the egg whites in gently.”

He showed the girls how to scoop from the bottom and fold it over the top of the whites. “Don’t over-fold or you will eliminate the air pockets you just created.” He put it down and put two pats of butter in the pan. “Take it off the heat while the butter melts. Once it is completely melted, you can put it back on. This prevents you burning the butter—a common mistake.”

He put the pan back on and poured the mixture into it. “Add your favorite ingredients. I personally like a touch of green onion and bacon. Wait until it starts to set and then swirl the pan around to cook the run-off, like so.” He swirled the runny eggs so that they met the side of the pan. “When they look almost done, sprinkle with cheese. Aged Gouda and Swiss cheese are my preferences. Once it is melted, you can plate.”

Marquis held up a dish and tilted the pan so the eggs slid out. Just like Lea, he did a little flip of the pan so that the omelet folded into a perfect half-moon. Brie was tempted to clap, it looked so pretty.

“I want you both to taste it. Specifically notice the texture, the seasoning, and the look of the cooked eggs. I expect you to duplicate it.”

Both girls took a fork and cut into his omelet. It was like cutting into a moist piece of cake. Brie took a bite and moaned in pleasure. Man, if she could cook like this her Dom would be kissing her feet…just before he commanded that she kneel and flogged her for a job well done.

“Begin.”

Brie gave Mary a wink. Now that she knew what she was doing, she would be out of here in no time. She followed his example of separating eggs, but went to dig out the shells.

“Throw it out. I will not eat shells,” Marquis snapped.

She poured them out and started again. After several tries, she had a shell-less concoction. She put the butter in and watched it melt. When she saw the butter turn brown, she realized she’d forgotten to take the pan off the heat.

“Start again.”

Brie sighed. Mary was already handing Marquis her second omelet. Brie held her breath while he tasted it. “Still rubber. Try again.”
Looks like we’re cut from the same cloth, Mary.

The two continued through trial and error to replicate Marquis’ fluffy omelet. Brie could not get the hang of the wrist flip at the end and her omelets looked funky, but she was definitely improving—or so she thought.

Ten omelets later, Marquis snorted in disgust when they presented him with their attempts. “No!” He pushed the plate back to Brie. “Look, does that look golden or brown? Don’t even bother serving it. There is nothing more disgusting than burnt eggs.”

Brie went back to start a new one. She sighed at Mary when a shell fell in. She dumped the eggs and started again.

“There. That is close to the original. Do it again so that I know it’s not just a fluke.”

Brie watched in dismay as Mary started on her final omelet. She didn’t want to be the last one in the room.

Nothing about cooking came naturally to Brie. It was a mystery and even with instructions there was still a finesse she lacked, but she wasn’t going to let it stop her. Brie sprinkled the ingredients in and started twirling the pan. Too soon. She put it down and waited for the eggs to start bubbling. She kept glancing over at Mary, who suddenly seemed to know what she was doing.

The distraction caused Brie to brown the eggs and she had to throw the finished omelet away. She started afresh, groaning as Mary handed Marquis Gray her completed dish. He took a large forkful and chewed on it for several seconds. A smile spread across his face. “Acceptable. You may join Ms. Taylor in room forty-eight.”

Mary winked at Brie on the way out.