want to be able to play on the swings or get a
book from the library and have more fun."
"I'm
sure you'll have a very nice time. You are going to make a precious Little
princess."
His
words made her relax completely. It was as if his reassurance that her desire
to experience life as a Little was exactly what she needed to hear. Smiling,
she realized that just as she had reassured Silver, her boss was now doing the
same for her. "Thank you, Sir. I feel a lot better now."
Flipping
back to the first page, Marshall slipped the papers into a manila folder and
smiled. "I'm glad, Rosa. I appreciate your participating, and want this to
be a wonderful experience for you. Don't worry; I won't let any ogres bid on
you."
"Troll…"
"Excuse
me?"
Rosa's
hand went to her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to stifle a giggle.
"Troll—that's what Silver said. She was afraid some troll might bid
on her, but I told her that you don't allow trolls at the Castle."
"I
certainly don't. Trolls and ogres are never allowed. I'm glad you reassured
your friend."
"Yeah,
me too. Um, I told her I'd meet her tomorrow. She's come all the way from
Australia. We haven't seen each other in years. I-I hope that's okay? I'll just
take my lunch break to meet her and go back to work." She looked up, her
eyes brighter than they had been upon entering his office.
"That's
fine, Rosa," Marshall assured her. "In fact, as of now, you are off
duty. I don't expect you to even think about work until Monday. Since New
Year's Eve is on Wednesday, the official auction period will end when the bus
leaves at ten o'clock on Friday morning, but we've decided to give any
participants who want it the opportunity to play through the weekend or, for
those who work here, they can have the weekend off."
"Wow,
that's great. Thanks for everything, Sir."
Marshall
stood, pulled something from his drawer and walked around the desk.
"You're welcome. I know Don would want the same for you—fully
immerse yourself in the program. Enjoy the adventure. Live life to the fullest
while you can, because we all know it is far too short."
Rosa
heard the pain behind the words, and her heart ached for all of those who had
known Don. Without thinking, she stood up and threw her arms around Marshall,
hugging him hard. "I promise I will. Thank you for everything."
Marshall
returned the hug, then gave her a grin that made her heart skip a beat. Handing
her an envelope that would start her journey, he explained its contents.
"From this moment on, you are Rosie. Make sure you put on the bracelet and
the ribbon when you dress tomorrow. And, let me warn you, young lady, if you
are caught without either, you will find yourself back in my office and the apology
you'll be making will be after I've tended to your bottom. Understand?"
Her
mouth dropped open, her tummy flipping again. She nodded silently for a few
seconds before remembering she was to answer him verbally. God, she'd worked in
the Nursery for a year, and knew what happened to Littles who were
disrespectful. "Yes, Sir, I won't forget. I promise." His grin and
nod made her want to giggle again. Gosh,
who knew that Master Marshall could act just like a daddy? With that, the
giggle did break through as she turned towards the door.
"Rosie,
there's just one thing left before you can enjoy your coffee."
Turning
back, she saw that he now had a paddle in his hand, and her stomach did a few
cartwheels as her hand went behind her to cover her backside. She should have
remembered the steadfast rule of the Castle. Some of the tales she had heard of
what happened behind his closed door were legendary. It seemed she was just
about to find that out herself.
"No
submissive leaves my office without a reminder of what happens when they've
been naughty. Come, bend over and let's get this taken care of, shall we?"
Marshall tapped the paddle against the edge of his desk, his face stern.
"Um,
but I don't really start being submissive until tomorrow," Rosa
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