Next Morning

Alex woke slowly that day. He was cocooned in blankets, lying on the sofa. He was warm and content, and didn't wish to move. At his side, an alarm was going off, though for a moment, he did not know why. Surely, he didn't have to be anywhere? His mind felt sluggish and slow, roused from his dreams of carnality by the light of the sun poking through the window, its rays stabbing into him with merciless ruthlessness.

Slowly, he shook his head, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. There was work to do today, and he would have to get started early if he to bring everything together. By now, the novelty and shock of the situation had faded in his mind, and he was doing his best to make the most of it, for Clara as well as for himself. To that extent, he decided that he was going to use today as a way to prepare for the rest of the week. So far, he'd been winging it, just trying to make it up as he went along, but that wouldn't do forever. He had to be better than that, if this was going to work, and he did want it to work, then he had to find some way to make the most out of it.

This is what he thought, standing in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. His handsome face, clean-shaven, and short cut hair, his own eyes staring back at him. He looked a bit dishevelled from sleeping on the sofa the last few nights, but that hardly mattered right now. He looked at his reflection, wondering just what he was going to do for tomorrow, and the day after that... He knew that he couldn't simply do the same things over and over again, and as fun as it was, he didn't want to just keep things in the house for the whole week. He wanted to do more. He wanted to push limits, both Clara's and his own. He wanted to learn, to explore, together.

"You're getting too into this." He mused to his reflection. "When this started, you didn't even know if you wanted to do it or not. Now, you're going full in without a thought. Just what do you want out of this, Alex? What're you after here?"

He sighed. The obvious answer - sex with the woman he had had a crush on since he was a child, a new girlfriend, and a general improvement to his living condition all popped up in his head. But those were surface, easily summoned to mind, but not the core issues. Those were things he could gain, but what did he truly want? What about this week appealed to him?

_Lilly told me that I would have to find something here to enjoy myself, _he mused. What am I after here? What's my goal? If it's just to have fun, then I can do that, but I need to know for sure before I go any further.

His reflection, of course, had no answer.

Clara looked gorgeous when he entered the bedroom later that morning. Of course, she always did, but she looked particularly nice today. She was sleeping, her face vaguely content, her eyes pressed closed. Her hair was in a mess, and she had angled herself on the bed in an odd manner, the blankets twisting around her body. One of her breasts was exposed, and Alex could trace the curve all the way to the delicate looking nipple. Her skin was pale and soft, and part of him wanted to lean down and touch her. To wake her gently, to kiss her, and to bring her back to the world with a surprise. Another part of him wanted to tell her to throw off the blankets and have his way with her there and then. He shifted slightly, his cock hardening at the thought. He could do that... he knew he could... the temptation was strong, staggering with her lying in front of him, showing him just what he could have right now with only words.

He did not.

He turned away, and rapped on the wall. There was a gurgled ''Mrff'' from the bed as Clara stirred.

"A-Alex?" She said slowly, blinking in the light of the newly awoken. "What time is it?"

"Morning." He said. "About ten, I guess?"

"That's ungodly." She muttered. "I'm going back to sleep..."

"I've seen you up earlier." He pointed out. "And you're not going back to sleep."

"I can sleep if I want to.." She said stubbornly, though he could see she was starting to wake up properly now, the tiredness fading from her eyes. "And all those times I woke up earlier, I wasn't kept on the edge of an orgasm for all of the night before, Alex."

She yawned and stretched, the motion sending the blanket falling to the bed, and revealing her bare chest. The swell of her breasts drew his eyes, she she grinned at him, one of her hands gently going down to cup her right most breast, her fingers tracing it delicately.

"Do you like what you see, master?"

"Yes." He said, honestly, it was all he could say in that moment. She giggled at his awestruck expression, and he snapped out of it, shaking his head ruefully,

"You know..." He said. "You shouldn't be doing that. I thought I was supposed to be the one in charge here?"

"I don't know what you mean, master." Clara sassed him, rising from the opposite side of the bed. He watched as she got up, her back to him, rising slowly, and deliberately stretching again, showing off her slim shape and curves. "I'm just a humble slave. I could never make you do anything you didn't want to do."

"A slave? Maybe." Alex said. "Humble? Never, Clara. You were never very good at that."

"Eh." She shrugged. "Practice makes perfect and all that. I've always found that when people say ''humble'' they mean ''submissive'' as in ''doormat''. They don't like it when other people have an opinion of their own."

"That was never a problem with you, though." Alex said, a smirk on his face. "One thing you always had was an opinion. Even if you didn't always say it."

"I like to think of it as being strong minded."

"I'm sure others think of it as being stubborn." Alex pointed out. "Which of you is right?"

"Both of us?" She laughed. "I think the two are very much the same. It just depends on where you stand."

She turned around, exposing herself to him fully. Alex traced his eyes over her for a moment, even though it was a sight he had enjoyed yesterday, it still inspired a surge of desire in him. Her long legs and pale skin, the trace of her thighs. The gentle rising of her mound. He wanted to touch her and to stroke her, to fondle her, and to tease her. To hear her cry out in delight at his probing.

"So, master." Clara said with a twinkle in her eye. "Just what sort of game do you have for me today? Is today the day we finally actually have sex?"

"Maybe." Alex said. "But one thing you're definitely doing is putting on some clothes. Believe me, I'd love to have you naked for the rest of today too, but I sort of suspect they might object at the movie theatre."

"Movie theatre?" Clara blinked. "Is that the date?"

"I decided early. While you were still asleep. We're going out today. First to the movies, and then we're grabbing something to eat. Your clothes are washed and waiting for you in the living room - though, no panties or bra, I am afraid. You'll have to do without."

"Why would I need underwear when I have this nice new collar?" Clara said, her fingers gently pressing against the fabric which clung to her throat. "It makes up for everything. I couldn't possibly feel naked with this on."

"We'll test that out later." Alex laughed. "For now, just go and get dressed, would you?"

"Oh, all right." She sighed as he failed to rise to the bait. "You're really boring in the mornings, you know?"

"And you're really horny."

"Gee, I wonder why that is!" She called from the other room. "You're a terrible master to have as a sex slave!"

"And you're a terrible slave too, so I suppose we're stuck with each other." He laughed. "We'll see if you still think I'm so terrible by the end of the week."

He smirked, alone in the room now, he turned towards the door. It was true. While Clara had slept, he'd planned, he may not know exactly what he was doing for the rest of the week, but he did have an idea for today, and Clara was going to find it very surprising, he suspected.

Very surprising indeed.