Yes, obviously

Micheal wasn't quite sure what his actual reply had been. He knew he said yes, obviously he had said yes, but the exact words escaped him. What came right after also remained a blur to him. They ate, talked a little and then left the dinner to head to Emi's place.

All the way, his brain was still trying to catch up to whatever the heck just happened.

They hadn't discussed anything more during dinner. This much he knew. He'd agreed to be his boss's master for a trial period of one week, and then suddenly they were eating and making polite conversation.

He only really came to his senses when he heard her keys slide into the lock of her apartment and saw the door open up. Emi glanced back at him, her face showing the same nervous excitement he felt, before heading inside. He followed on instinct, his heart thundering with each step he took.

Her apartment was just what he had imagined. A cozy hallway, followed by a large open floor plan. A ton of plants and the sort of girly, elegant decor that befitted someone with a degree in design. There was a small kitchen, hidden behind a kitchen isle and a door with a funny print leading to what he suspected was her bedroom.

Still following on automode, he took off his shoes and jacket before joining Emi, who sat down at her wooden kitchen table. He chose the seat opposite hers. Something he immediately regretted as he had to avoid her eyes due to embarrassment. His gaze settled on her unadorned neck. She'd not worn her favorite necklace, a silver chain with a beautiful aquamarine pendant that hugged her throat like a choker.

He'd not noticed before, but now it made him heat up.

This was really happening. Emi, his incredibly friendly, sweet and hot boss, for some reason liked him. He didn't want to question how that was even possible. Whatever was going to come of this, he decided that he needed to take the chance.

"So...", Emi began after a few moments of awkward silence as they both avoided each other's gaze. "I guess I should expand on what I have in mind?"

Micheal swallowed, before forcing himself to focus. "Yes that would be good."

She looked down and nodded, gathering her thoughts. "So, I offered to be your pet girl for a week and you agreed.

To preface this, this doesn't mean that I will just undress for you and get down on all fours.", she looked up and locked eyes with him, trying to catch his reaction. He just calmly nodded. He wasn't a horny teenager anymore and such a sudden development would've just unsettled him anyway.

Seeming satisfied with what she saw, Emi continued.

"The idea is basically for us to date for the week, with the added aspect of trying out a master-pet dynamic in the process.

I've told you, that I've been interested in you for a while and think that I've got a pretty good idea of what you are like as a person. I'm also quite certain of what I would like in a relationship.", she grinned and for a moment the nervousness from before melted away. "I've been a cat girl ever since highschool and I think the look really works for me."

Seeing her cocky grin he couldn't help but smile in agreement.

"That said, I've never been in a proper master-pet relationship and we have never been intimate together. So I want to kill two birds with one stone. We will date, getting to know each other better and figuring out if this could really work long term, and we will slowly immerse more and more into a pet-master relationship. That way we will both know if that will work for us and how far we want to take it.", having finished her explanation she took a deep breath and caught his gaze again.

"Does that work for you?"

For a moment, Micheal finds himself lost in the clear beauty of her eyes. Then his brain caught up, and he thought it through. Finally, he nods.

"Honestly, that sounds perfect for me.", he pauses, debating how openly he wants to talk before shrugging.

"I've not been in a relationship since getting out of school, mainly because of my chosen field.", he smiled a wry smile which is matched by a sympathetic look from Emi. "And while my previous girlfriend liked to play the pet a bit, that's not really the same as the real thing. So, yeah, my experience with all of this is just as limited as yours."

"But in theory, you enjoy the master role?", she asked with a hint of concern. Male dominance in relationships was the societal expectation and many people didn't even consider the possibility of a man not wanting to play a dominant role in relationships. Still, they were both young, progressive and college educated, so she didn't want to assume.

He chuckled at that, a self-deprecating grin curling his lips.

"I do, even though many think that as a web designer, I am a closeted pet. That said-", his expression turned more thoughtful. "I am not sure I would like a traditional full-time pet-master relationship. Call me woke, but I kind of like having an equal partner in life."

A soft smile followed on Emi's lips. "That's perfect, I don't think I would like to only be an obedient pet wife either.

That said, that's why I want to slowly escalate into it. That way we can try out the whole spectrum and settle on what fits best."

A comfortable silence followed.

Emi's suggestion had greatly calmed him down. A slow, gradual evolution of their relationship sounded much more manageable than the sudden jump into deep water that he originally feared. Emi on the other hand, seemed content with his reactions to her proposition.

Thinking about it from her point of view, the fact that he wasn't out to have her a naked, obedient pet on her knees immediately must have cleared, an incredibly sad, but realistic bar.

It did make him wonder, though.

"Why only a week, though?" he asked. She blinked, clearly not having expected the question.

"It's a trial period. If the week goes well, we'll continue our relationship.", Emi explained and he could tell that his question confused her. He shook his head.

"I get all that. But isn't a week a little short for that?". The way she had explained it, they would simultaneously date, try out a pet-master dynamic and go through the whole spectrum of what that entailed. She still seemed confused, but receptive to his words.

"What exactly do you mean?", she asked. He could see the wheels turning behind her eyes.

"Well... if we want to go through the whole spectrum of pet-keeping in a week, that would mean we'd have to escalate every single day. I don't think that will be conducive to us getting to know each other better. It would also honestly put a lot of stress on either of us...", he explained without holding back anything. If they were to try this... unconventional approach, they would need to be honest and open about their thoughts.

"And I don't think a single day is enough time to really experience a lifestyle."

Emi looked thoughtful and a little relieved.

"I kind of figured that you would just jump on it.", she admitted to him with a blush. "Though that might have been due to bias from my previous experiences."

After another moment of pondering, she nodded.

"So you would prefer something like a month?", she asked.

"That would work.", he shrugged. A month, two months. Honestly, he was fine with whatever time frame she preferred.

"And we will take a couple of days, maybe a week per 'level'?", she grinned at the term and he couldn't help but follow. The way she voiced it made it sound like a computer game.

"Yep, you can just tell me when you are ready to move on to the next phase and we can then discuss how we want to continue.", he proposed. "Whether that is after a day, a few days, or a week can be up to you."

She smiled, seeming quite excited about his idea. The smile quickly turned a little mischievous.

"And what if I decide that a month is too long?"

He chuckled.

"You can always end the trial period. No hard feelings either way."

They both sat there for a while, smiling and looking at each other.

"So. How do we start?", Micheal asked after a while. A blush crept on his cheeks as he realized that it might make him sound impatient. Emi laughed at his expression and shrugged.

"It's tradition to first collar your pet.", she stood and moved to get around her chair, but Micheal stopped her.

"I don't have a collar yet.", he said with a wry smile. "And besides, I would prefer if we first discussed the 'first level'. If its fine with you, I will bring a collar tomorrow and we'll officially start our trial period then."

Once again, Emi stared at him with wide eyes, surprised but pleased by his request. He got the impression that she wasn't used to someone wanting to take it slow.

She sat back down and grinned.

"You are a strange one you know?", she asked rethorically. "Though, I guess that's why I chose you.

Most guys just want me to undress as soon as possible."

His wry grin widened. "As you said, I am not most guys. And I am honestly surprised you chose me, if you thought it was the same."

That made Emi grimace guiltily.

"Yeah... that's true."

He rescued her from the awkward topic by pressing forward.

"So, let's set up boundaries. What do you want the first 'pet level' to be?"