It looked like a quiet evening. Cathy glanced over at Mark, sitting on the couch going through the satellite TV channel guide. He must be looking for a movie , she guessed based on the program listings screen display. It didn't look like there was anything worth watching. She decided her book was more interesting and picked it up. A few pages later she heard Mark talking.

"This looks like a good movie, come over here and sit with me. It's about to start."

Cathy looked up at him, then at the channel guide on the TV. She didn't recognize the title and it didn't sound very good. She turned back to her book and answered him with, "I want to finish this chapter first."

A shadow crossed the page, blocking her reading light. She looked up to see Mark standing in front of her, a frown darkening his face. He reached down, took the book out of her hands, carefully replaced the bookmark, and sat it down on the end table. Cathy started to protest but stopped when she saw his expression.

"No, you will not finish the chapter. I told you to come sit with me on the couch. It was not a suggestion. Now stand up and face me." His tone was that quiet yet determined sound of being deadly serious. Cathy realized she had just made a major mistake, one he would not ignore. She slowly stood up and turned to him. Whatever happened next, she knew she had brought it on herself. He might not be angry, but he was definitely irritated, and she was the direct cause. She stood very still, looking up at his face, arms loose at her side.

"We only have a certain amount of time together during the day. I want to spend some of that time with you. What I do not want is to watch you read a book. This will be the last time you ignore me and choose to do something else. Do you understand?"

Cathy couldn't look him in the eye. He was right and she knew it. She had to drop her eyes, looking down at her feet, before she could answer him. "Yes, sir, please forgive me, I didn't think."

He lifted up her chin, forcing her to look at him. "No, you didn't think, and that we will have to correct. I think you need a reminder, something that will ensure you do not forget. Something that will make you remember, and think, the next time." He stopped, obviously considering what would be appropriate. Cathy waited with a growing sense of dread, sure it wasn't going to be pleasant but resigned to the certainty that she would be punished.

He let go of her chin and took a step back. Cathy tensed, he had decided on something and she was about to find out what it was. "Strip, all your clothes, get them off right now. Leave them on the floor, stay right where you are. You are forbidden to speak." She started with her blouse, unbuttoning it as fast as she could. Her skirt followed, then her underwear, all dropped in an unkempt pile in front of her. Finished, she stood facing him once again, doing her best not to tremble. "Look at me." She raised her head to see his face. His eyes seemed to lock onto hers, holding her gaze.

"From this moment on you are forbidden to wear any clothing. Not just tonight either. Until I tell you otherwise you are not allowed to cover yourself in any way. No socks, no shoes, no towel, no robe, nothing. You are not to leave the house. You are forbidden contact with any friends. You will not read your book or anything else, and you will not use the TV, radio, or computer without my permission. Now turn around." Without thinking she did as he ordered, turning her back to him. She heard him pick up her clothes and walk to their bedroom.

How many times had she been cautioned not to forget her place, not to ignore him? Both Anna and Fatima at the school had warned about carelessness. One of the most common blunders made, they had both said. It seemed the common part was right, in spite of all the advice she had committed the very same mistake.

She heard him coming back into the living room. He stopped behind her so she couldn't see from his expression how upset he was. It had been only a few days ago she herself had asked him to be strict with her. Be careful what you wish for , she thought, it might come true .

He took hold of her arm and pulled her toward an empty corner of the living room. "Kneel down. Since you want some time to yourself, you will remain in this corner and meditate on how important it was to finish that chapter in the book. You will remain here, eyes to the wall, until I tell you otherwise." He released her arm and walked away. She heard him sit down and start to watch his movie.

An hour later and Cathy found herself still staring at the wall. She had run the full range of emotional reaction, from anger at being forced into the corner, resentment at how powerless she was, all the way to her current state of depression at how she had failed both him and herself. She could feel the tears running down the cheeks of her face but could not stop. Her legs hurt from kneeling on the rug and she felt cold. The cold was all in her head, the result of having her clothes taken away. She was so preoccupied with her own misery she didn't even notice when Mark turned off the TV and came up behind her. She jumped at the unexpected touch of his hand on her shoulder. He took her arms and helped her stand. Softly he wiped away her tears then held her by the shoulders, facing him.

"Cathy, look at me." She lifted up her eyes, surprised at the concern showing on his face. "I don't enjoy moments like this when discipline is required, but it is a necessary element in my obligations as your master. I want you to understand that I will not overlook the infractions. When I ask you to come sit with me, either you do it or you ask me if I will wait, and then explain why. You do not tell me you are too busy reading a book."

He brushed back the hair from her face. "I'm not mad at you, or even disappointed. Overall you have done very well. This was one moment when you needed some guidance. I'm sure it won't happen again. Now go wash your face and then come to bed. You have permission to speak."

Allowed to talk again her words seemed to tumble out uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry, master, please forgive me. I'll never do it again. I can do better, please don't be mad at me. I wasn't thinking. Mark, I…" The tears started again.

"Shush, I'm not mad." He held her close, arms around her, and let her cry on his shoulder. It felt so good the way he held her that she calmed down. She put her hands on his chest and looked up at him.

"Really? You aren't angry? Master, are we okay?"

"Yes, don't worry. Now go wash your face. It's getting late and we both need some sleep."

As he let go of her she turned and headed for the bathroom. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted from her. She still felt bad about being disobedient, but he had dealt with it as he saw fit. She ran the cold water over a washcloth then wiped the tear tracks away. It wasn't until she looked in the mirror and saw her bare breasts that she remembered the rest. He hadn't said anything about her clothes. That meant she still didn't have any.

Staring in the mirror, her eyes fell on the collar around her neck. She reached up to touch it with one hand. For the moment it would be all she wore. She smiled. This was a lesson she would not want to repeat anytime soon.

She hung up the washcloth and turned off the bathroom light. Mark had just finished changing when she came out. He smiled as he saw her, which made her feel warm and self-conscious at the same time. He held out his arms, beckoning her to come to him. In an instant she was in his embrace, reaching up with her arms around his neck as he bent to kiss her. He reached down and literally swept her off her feet, picking her up in his strong arms. He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down, then went around to his side of the bed.

She turned on her side, arms open and reaching for him. In a moment he was there, touching her, kissing her, whispering his love for her. He made love to her in a quiet and gentle way. Afterwards she nestled in his arms as she so loved to do.

"Mark, can I ask a question, about tonight?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"Well, you ordered me not to wear any clothes. Is that order still in effect?" She was positive he had not forgotten, but wanted to be sure.

"Yes Cathy, it is. You are not to leave the house either, or have anyone visit you. No books, no TV, no radio, no computer. I'll tell you when your punishment is over."

"Yes sir, it's just that I wasn't certain. And I won't forget either." Cathy paused, thinking. "Seriously Mark, I want to tell you that even though I got upset, I think you acted as a master should. You stopped me immediately and made sure I corrected my behavior. I was careless and disobedient. I do know better.

"In the class I went to, several times the instructor told us never to forget your time is not your own. I listened, but it didn't sink in. The moment you took that book out of my hands I realized I had goofed. I should have asked permission to finish reading first."

"It's over now, and we won't dwell on it," Mark said. "I'm serious about your punishment though. I meant what I said, no clothes, and no contact with anyone else. I want you to remember this, as a lesson that I will not tolerate disobedience, even if it's minor. We all make mistakes, and when we do we have to accept the consequences. That's how we learn not to do it again."

She snuggled in tightly against his chest. "I know, Mark, and I do understand why you have to do this. I promise I won't ever do it again. And if I do forget, I expect you to stop and remind me just like you did tonight."

Mark fell asleep almost immediately but Cathy lay awake, still preoccupied with what had happened. As always in hindsight it had been so stupid. Just a momentary lapse, but he hadn't missed it. She listened to his quiet, rhythmic breathing, recognizing from the familiar pattern he was fast sleep. He didn't ignore it, that means he really does take this ownership thing seriously , she realized. She reached up and slipped her fingers under the collar, tugging on it. No going back, it's not going to come off. Maybe I better get serious about it too.

The next morning she was still drowsy as Mark got ready for work. He didn't eat breakfast so he let her sleep in till he left. Half asleep she heard him getting ready. As usual he stopped by her side of the bed and knelt down.

"Hey there, wake up. New day starting." He said the same thing every day, but she never got tired of hearing it. His voiced dropped as he turned serious. "Now remember what I told you last night. I trust you to follow my instructions without cheating."

That woke Cathy up. "Yes, sir, I remember. Mark? I really will. Exactly the way you want, until you tell me different."

"Okay then, I'll see you tonight when I get home." He bent over to kiss her goodbye.

She watched as he went out the bedroom door. A moment later she heard the front door open and close. It was tempting to stay in bed a few more minutes, but Cathy knew she was supposed to get up when he left. Throwing back the bed covers she got up and headed for the shower. The hot water felt good and finished the job of waking her up.

Afterward she started to open her closet before she realized what she was doing. Not today, maybe not tomorrow , she thought, the closet and dresser are off limits until further notice . At least she could brush and comb her hair. It was a small consolation but it still made her feel better. Sitting in front of the dresser mirror while counting the brush strokes her mind came back again to Mark's punishment. He was right about one thing; she would not forget it any time soon. I'm grounded , she smiled at the memory of high school days when her parents would make her stay in her room on a Friday night after some particularly dumb escapade on her part. Funny, I never thought about sneaking out. Finished with her hair Cathy headed to the kitchen for some breakfast.

The moment she left the bedroom the first problem arose. The curtains were drawn back on all the windows. If she went into the living room she would be exposed to anyone outside on the street. However devious Mark might be, she was sure he didn't intend for her to put on a show for the neighborhood. Lowering herself to the floor Cathy crawled past the window to the far side where the curtain drawstrings were hanging. Reaching up she pulled the curtains closed. That would solve the immediate problem. Now if the doorbell were to ring, she didn't know what she would do.

It wasn't the doorbell but the phone that brought on her next trial. It was Anna, asking if Cathy wanted to come over for breakfast.

"I'm sorry Anna, but Mark put me on restriction. I can't leave the house. I'm not supposed to talk to anyone either." She would have to report her conversation to Mark, but she was sure if it was kept to a minimum he would allow it for the sake of being polite.

"Oh, I understand. Okay, call me when you can. Bye." Mercifully Anna seemed to know the routine and didn't press for details. Cathy hung up the phone and went to the kitchen.

Breakfast was toast and marmalade jam with tea. More British than American in style, but Cathy wasn't hungry. Sitting at the kitchen table sipping the tea she thought about the coming day. No gardening this morning. No laundry either as she couldn't use the clothes line. There were some chores around the house, but not enough to fill the day. Not even enough to make it to lunch , she realized as it dawned on her what the real punishment was going to be. Standing in the corner hadn't been pleasant but it was over in an hour. Taking her clothes away made a point about his power over her. The boredom though, that would be the hardest to take.

Turning around, she could just see her book on the coffee table in the living room. She could pick it up and start reading. Mark would never know. Except he would, because I'd have to tell him . It was tempting but she couldn't do it. I knew this could happen. I went into it eyes wide open. Now I have to keep my promises to him . Cathy sighed, resigned to a very long day.

"So if we change the pipe gauge it should rupture within three months causing massive damage to the pumping station. That sound okay to you?" John pointed to a spot on the blueprints spread out on the table between him and Mark.

"Sure," Mark answered in a distracted tone of voice.

"The fireball should be visible from thirty kilometers away," John finished, positive now Mark wasn't paying any attention to the plans or what he was saying.

"What? Fireball? What do you mean?"

John shook his head. "C'mon, let's go get a cup of coffee. You're in no shape to work on this right now." The two men picked up their cups and headed for the coffee pot before going into John's office.

"Okay, sit down and tell me what's on your mind. You just approved an engineering change that would have blown up a million dollars worth of pumps. Want to tell me about it?" John leaned back in his chair and took a sip from his mug.

"It's about Cathy. I lost my temper last night." Mark went on to tell John the circumstances and what he'd done. "Thing is, I overreacted. I came down on her too hard. Now what do I do?"

John put his mug on the desk. "First, it doesn't sound like you lost it. She did something wrong; you corrected her. That's what you are supposed to do.

"Second, you didn't overreact. The punishment fits the crime. If you aren't willing to do what's necessary she'll lose her faith in you. What was her reaction this morning? When you left was she an emotional wreck, couldn't stop crying?"

Mark frowned. "No, nothing like that. There were a few tears last night but she seemed to accept the consequences. That's not the point though. It was enough that I take away her book and all the rest for today. Taking away her clothes was too much."

"You may think so Mark, but I'd bet she wouldn't agree with you. In the same situation I'd impose at least as much of a penalty as you did, probably a lot more. It was no small matter. Not just that she disobeyed, but you wanted to share some quality time and she selfishly ignored you." John shook his head. "See, you have first claim on her time. That's the point. She expects it, and she knows better than to say no. Considering the circumstances you were lenient."

"Still…' Mark hesitated.

"No still about it," John interrupted. "Your job is to be her master, better or worse. Last night wasn't one of the better moments but there's no excuse if you fail in your responsibilities. You signed a contract, you promised her you would keep your end of the bargain. Do it. Don't mope around and let those doubts eat away at your confidence." John jabbed his finger at Mark. "Get it together, man. She expects discipline and structure in her life. Those have to come from you. You made the call, live with it.

"Now let's go back and see if we can come up with a layout for that pumping station. Preferably one that won't incinerate the neighborhood."