As she drank in the aesthetics, Mark entered the room carrying a large A4 report, which he was leafing through and reading in chunks. He went over to one of the leather chairs and sat down, still reading. Susan felt like she was at a job interview.

He didn't look up. "The reports tell me a fair bit about you. I've talked with Gary and Bernadette among others, about why you're here. You are completely new to this lifestyle choice, but you've been made aware of what is going to be required of you and why. The report is critical in several areas and so we're going to start with correcting them."

He deliberately kept his gaze on the paperwork. This next bit was going to be crucial. "Strip."

"Excuse me?"

Mark kept his cool and maintained a level, non-threatening voice. His eyes remained on the papers. "First, you were told not to speak. Second, I just told you to strip. Do it. Put your clothes on the wooden bench under the window."

"But, what..."

"But what... what? You have been ordered to take your clothes off. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Well, I thought that at least we'd... um..."

"Get a chance to know each other? No."

"But..."

Mark finally looked up from the report and looked Susan straight in the eyes. "Our relationship is based on me say, you do. If we get to know each other before we start, then you'll know my buttons. If you know those then you can undermine me and that won't help us a bit. The goal here is for you to lose control and trust me to guide you. If you can work me from behind the scenes, then what does that do for my authority?"

Susan thought about this for a moment and Mark paused to let her register this in her mind. These starts were usually make or break times. If she was going to change her mind, then it was most likely that she would do it around about now.

Mark watched Susan's face as her eyes darted around the floor, looking for anything they could fix on that might help her make sense of the situation. Her mouth was slightly open and quivering. She was having a tough time with this. Bernadette had trained her in a number of things but obviously hadn't taken her over the line of nudity.

Mark read her body and calculated his timing precisely. In a calm, clear voice, he said, "Now. Strip."