“Calm down, Charlotte. I promise I am not going to hurt you.” Putting down the glass, he takes me in his arms, holding me like a little girl and kisses the top of my head. “I won’t hurt you,” he repeats. “Have your bath. Afterwards, try the dresses for size. They should fit. Your measurements were listed in the auction ad. I think the black one would suit you well, but you choose.” He retrieves the glass and pushes it into my hand. “Please drink that. I want you to enjoy yourself.” He grins, wickedly. “Think of this as…‘the adventure of a lifetime’.”

He is right. I have committed myself. His grin is infectious, and I start to smile as I gulp down the champagne. “You know,” he says, “it really isn’t meant to be drunk like that. Champagne should be savoured. Come and have some more.”

Later that evening, I feel great. My nerves have gone. I am having an adventure. I am here for the ride.

At the restaurant, my Master is good company: full of interesting talk and anecdotes. “I don’t want to embarrass you Charlotte. Here in public, you can call me ‘James’. In private, I am ‘Master’.”

Full of excellent food, and with perhaps just a little more wine inside than is quite good for me, we return to the hotel. My Master is all courtesy, holding out a hand to invite me to enter the apartment first, standing behind me to slip the coat from my shoulders, hanging it carefully.

Eyes meeting mine, he takes me by the hand, leading me through to the bedroom.

It is dimly lit, with only a flickering glow from candles scattered here and there.

Standing before me, he strokes my face. “I’ll tell you what’s going to happen now Charlotte. Because this is your first time, you don’t know what to expect. No matter what you have seen in movies or read in books, you just don’t.”

I am trembling with a mixture of excitement, nerves and anticipation. I am confident that my Master will not hurt me more than necessary, but…

He continues. “I am going to undress you, quite slowly, because I am going to enjoy that. I saw you naked at the auction, but I didn’t like it, seeing you treated like goods. This time I want to undress you carefully, to enjoy your body and for you to enjoy it too. If you would like to undress me too, partially or completely, that’s fine, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to. Are you with me so far?” He takes my chin in one hand, tilting my face to his so that I must look him in the eye. I nod, gulping and sucking my dry lips.copy right hot novel pub