"Everything happens in that room. You have to mentally go to a different place than when you normally have sex."
My gut flips. "Okay."
"You cannot show any sign of defiance. Not when Malin orders you to do something during a normal conversation or any intimate acts. This includes your orgasms. The things you will feel in the room will surprise you. You must understand how to deal with it."
My nervous flutters oscillate in my stomach. "Will it hurt?"
"If Malin chooses to bring you pain before pleasure, then yes. If the Global Leaders order it, then yes."
I fidget with my fingers.
"Emilia, have you experienced that before? Pain before pleasure?"
Heat rises in my cheeks. "No."
"I see. Can I be honest?"
"Please."
"It's best if you do not experience it before the room. If it is meant to happen, your natural reaction will be real. If you know it's coming, you will expect certain things. You will deal with it differently. Your eyes will tell the world. It would cause suspicion."
Be brave. "Okay. You will teach me the things I need to be perfect at?"
"Yes."
"Who taught you?"
Darkness floods her eyes. "No one at first. Gustave and I had to figure it out. We were already married. I didn't understand what submissive meant or how to control things. It almost got him killed, but a man who is no longer alive enjoyed watching me. He would stand near the stage with the woman he bought years ago. She would give him a blowjob while he fixated on whoever was on display."
I shudder, trying to imagine someone close to me and staring while Malin and I have sex.
"He demanded Gustave and I have a redo. It's never happened before, but he held great power within the Global Leaders. The woman he bought spent several nights training me. Gustave and I had to do everything all over again. If we didn't pass, neither of us would be sitting here right now."
If I mess up, Malin could die.
"But now, you can go into the room without worrying?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "You will always have some fear. It's why you need to lose yourself when you're in there. The men are dangerous. Do not ever forget it. Gustave never lets me leave his side. Malin will not allow you to, either. Trust no one. But fully giving in to your role is as important as Malin having all control. And you will need to submit to the Global Leaders at all times."
My heart races. "I thought only Malin could touch me?"
"Yes. But you are expected to address them in a certain manner."
Be brave. Be brave. Be brave.
I stick my chin out. "It is final then. I will do it. Please train me."
She picks up a bottle of water, opens it, then takes a long sip. "When we get to D.C., you will come with me. You will not see Malin until the night of the embassy party."
My chest tightens. "No. I need to be with him."
"You cannot. There needs to be some separation. Gustave will train him. We will be in an apartment. You will be locked in a bedroom suite and not leave until the night of the party. He will be there with Gustave to protect us, but he will not step foot in your room. Only I will see you."
I shake my head. "Why? I don't understand."
"Parts of you must break before you see him again. He needs to dig into his need for you."
"That won't be necessary. We are connected."
"Yes. I see that. The connection needs time to cool. You must trust me."
I focus on my fingers, twisting them in my lap. Two weeks without Malin will feel like a lifetime. "But he will be in the apartment?"
"Yes. At all times, he will protect you, but you cannot see him."
I close my eyes and breathe through my anxiety. "When would this start?"
"As soon as we get to the embassy." She glances at her watch. "We should be there in under an hour. And he will need to carry you in as if he drugged you. You will act passed out."
"Why?"
"Eyes are always watching at the embassy. They must report you are not here of your free will. If the President of the United States catches wind—"
"What does he have to do with this?"
Her face hardens. "Everything. Louis was going to have you delivered to the Belizean government. They wanted to gift you to him for his birthday, but