The Auction

Proposals

Amelia's POV:

Atlas lingers closely, not disturbing my reading after he has finish cleaning up after dinner.

My eyes dart over to him as he finally kneels in front of me, holding something in his hand.

My brows furrow, but I don't ask him anything yet, choosing to ignore him for a minute.

We both have the day off tomorrow, so we can sleep in as long as we want if we play tonight.

He likes my attention, but if I make him wait and build his suspense, he'll be much more engaged.

I try to focus on reading, pretend like he doesn't hold every ounce of my attention.

His strong knelt form before me has my attention enraptured though.

"Mistress..." Atlas finally interrupts, making my eyes snap to his.

He fiddles anxiously with the envelope in his hand and I frown, realizing I may have been ignoring him when he had something serious he wanted to talk about.

"Yes, Love. Is everything alright?" I question, removing my glasses and setting them aside with my book.

Is my literature making him nervous again?

This one isn't about punishment at all. Well... it's about maintenance discipline, but that's quite different from punishment.

"Yes, Mistress. I uh... having something for you."

"For me?" I question in surprise.

"Oh well. I suppose I... it's not really from me," he admits after a moment, his brows furrowed.

"Who's it from then?" I ask, holding my hand out expectantly for him to hand me the letter.

He doesn't hesitate, letting me read the address.

Amelia Astor?

"You got the mail, Love?"

"Uh, work gave that to me. It's my paycheck," he finally says and I realize why he had been so awkward about it.

As a submissive although he had worked all the hours, his paycheck legally was mine, addressed to me, written to me, would be endorsed and cashed by me.

"What a good gift you have for me, Love. I know how hard you worked for this," I tell him, knowing how important it is to him that I acknowledge his hard work and all that he put into this.

I pause as I go to break the seal. I'm excited to see how much it is, it's our first paycheck as a couple, it felt like. My residency paid peanuts, but this was a real job.

Despite the address being to me, it doesn't feel right to take away the honor of opening it when I wasn't the Doctor Astor that had put my sweat and tears into it.

"You do it," I tell him, holding it out between us.

"...Really, Mistress?" I nod, watching as he relaxes and finally breaks the seal.

I realize I must have not told him how much his salary was finally settled on as I watch his eyes grow wide at the number at the bottom.

"Well done, Love," I praise, watching his eyes fill with tears. "Does it feel worth it now?" I tease, gently wiping his happy tears away.

He nods, standing to sit beside me on the sofa, still in shock.

"It feels real now," he admits and I laugh, finding him so endearing.

"Congratulations, Love. I'm so proud of you."

He sniffles happily at my words, caressing my cheek tenderly before bringing me into a tight hug.