"The supplication ritual is foundational. It establishes hierarchy from the moment she enters your presence."
"I didn't ask what it does. I asked what the fuck it is."
"When you take the throne, she approaches with her head and shoulders straight, eyes downcast. She's naked, always. If she's not naked when you enter, she strips. She assumes Position Three in front of the throne and repeats her supplication mantra."
"Which is what?"
"Whatever you want it to be. Simple is better. 'I belong. I obey. I live.' That sort of thing."
"And this is standard," I say flatly.
"Of course." Jino crosses to the kneeling mat, positioning himself in front of the throne. "You won't be here during the day. You'll come in late afternoon. Or whenever, actually. I don't care if you wanna watch." He grins at me. "So I'll be training her when you come in—always. She will never be out of our care. If we are to do this together, then she wakes up in my care, and goes to bed with yours. So you'll enter the dungeon without notice. Immediately, she will be yours. The control will transfer without question. She approaches. She kneels. She speaks her mantra. You acknowledge her. Then she assumes whatever position you've established as your preference." He gestures between my legs. "Which in your case would be her head in your lap."
I don't respond immediately. I'm picturing Emmaleen performing this ritual—her face carefully blank, her mindsomewhere far away, separated from her own body by the necessity of survival. A doll going through prescribed motions.
It feels wrong. Not morally—I've never concerned myself with that particular compass. But tactically. Strategically. Emmaleen's submission would be meaningless if it came from a broken automaton.
But I cannot deny that Jino knows what he's doing. That's why I hired him for this game in the first place.
Sheisin danger. I'm in danger.
Dom and Ricky are in danger too.
And now Jino. And Jino, unlike Dom and Ricky, won't give up his life on my whims. No matter how much blood there is between us.
The chance to force Emmaleen to leave is over now. Jino knows I killed Rico, knows Emmaleen Rourke is the loose end. He knows he's got power over me to dictate her future.
It's a small sacrifice, really. Her days, as he put it. Especially when I get her nights. "Just to be clear, we're in agreement about the punishments?"
"Well… sure. Fine. You can punish her. But just so we're also clear, that doesn't preclude me from doling out consequences as well."
This is a bad idea. Not because I think Jino will hurt her. At least, not the way she's been hurt in the past. He's never going to punch a woman. He might whip her though.
"I think we need to agree on punishments. I mean, if you're gonna strap her down and cane her legs?—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jino says, pressing both open palms at me. "Caning is a punishment living in some as yet undetermined future, Giovanni. I'm going to withhold orgasm. I'm going to bite her a bit. Slap her nipples with a crop. I'm not going to lash the girl. At least, not yet. That's a very advanced demeritconsequence. If—when," he amends, "we do cane her. She will love it."
I snort. Which is highly unlike me. "I doubt that."
"You say that now, but this is the point, Giovanni. When she does feel the cane across her ass, she will climax. She will squirt down her leg, that's how much she’ll love it."
I picture it. Her body bent over the bench. Her legs open just enough for me to gauge how wet her pussy gets. Is it wrong that this turns me on? Because it does. Of course it does. I like the subs as much as Jino does. I just never bothered to actually train one. Not properly. Not to… fruition. To slavery. But Jino's right. If Emmaleen can learn to crave this, to find pleasure in submission, that’s a prize indeed.
"In theory, I'm okay with that," I say to Jino, my voice cool, controlled. "But I want to be clear on one thing. I don't want her broken. I want her willing."
Jino smiles, a slow, dangerous curve of his lips. "Broken and willing are the same thing, Giovanni. She won't be broken if she chooses it. And she will choose it. When she learns what pleasure can be found in surrender."
I consider this, the implications swirling in my mind. Jino's approach is brutal, calculated, and effective. But there's always been a fine line between pleasure and pain with my women. Between consent and coercion. I've always walked that line, but with Emmaleen, it feels different. More precarious.
Still, what choice do we have?
Emmaleen's life is at stake. Not because I'll kill her or Jino will kill her. But because if the LaRiccia clan ever finds out she's the reason Rico is dead,theywill kill her.
We're… saving her.
Protecting her.
Her submissionisher salvation.