"No," Chris had said. "No. Absolutely not."

"Have I ever steered you wrong?"

"There's a first time for everything."

"You'll love him," Ken said, "he's perfect, needs only the slightest polish."

"...Like knowing that he's gay. And sexually submissive." Chris sighed. "This is training, not therapy, Ken."

Ken ticked points off on her fingers. "He's beautiful. Strong, muscular. You won't have to train any bad habits out of him..."

"Because he doesn't have any habits, Ken," Chris said. "Because he doesn't know he's a submissive."

"He's so eager to please. He'll do anything you ask for and beg for more. He punishes himself when you don't punish him. He has almost the most thirst for obedience I've ever seen," Ken said. "The most since Robin."

There was silence for a moment. 

"That's not fair," Chris said. 

"Yep."

"That's really, really not fair."

"Yep."

"I'll clear my schedule."

Which is how Chris found himself sitting in his living room waiting for Marlo to appear. 

He isn't really sure what he's walking into; he'd known it wasn't going to be like basic, but he was still kind of expecting to be like basic. 

Chris Parker's living room, in short, is not in fact like basic. He's still holding himself like he would in front of an officer, back straight and head up and shoulders back; he doesn't try to hide the way he walks. 

"Kneel. Gracefully, please."

The doctor cleared him four months ago. He doesn't manage gracefully but he can kneel. 

"Hm. Up."

He stands. 

"I don't normally work with ex-military." Or people suffering from enormous quantities of sexual repression. "Ken begged me to take a chance on you. Do you think you'll make me regret it?"

"No, sir." 

"Good. Do you have personal affairs that I need to set aside time for you to resolve?"

"No, sir." 

He drops the folder onto his desk. It makes a sudden, loud sound. 

"For the next eight weeks, you will be required to maintain absolute obedience and respect. You do not have rights. You will not have privacy, free speech, pleasure, or choices in anything, unless I allow it. You will not be permitted to ask questions, unless I allow it. You will not be permitted to touch yourself or other people, unless I allow it. You will obey me immediately, completely, and without question. I will correct your behavior as I deem appropriate. 

"You will refer to me as 'Chris.' I am your trainer. I am not your master and I will not be addressed as such. 

"You will answer any question I ask you completely and honestly, to the best of your ability.  

"If you are experiencing a physical problem, you will notify me immediately. I cannot sell broken property. Otherwise, you have no way of changing what is going on if it is difficult or boring or uncomfortable or it hurts or you don't like it. If you want something to stop, the door is unlocked. You can leave and never see me again. Otherwise, you shall do as I say. 

"I do not care who you were before you walked in that door. I do not care where you lived, what you did, or what you want to be when you leave. You are raw material and I will shape you as I please.

"Do you understand?"

His face changes slightly at the word master. 

"Yes, Chris." He says Chris almost exactly the way he'd previously said sir. 

Good instincts. 

"You may ask questions. I suggest you take advantage of the opportunity, it will not come often."

"Are you aware of my medical history?" 

"Ken Mandarin has sent me your file. But summarize it to make sure there was not a miscommunication."

"Partial knee replacement surgery sixteen months ago. Post traumatic stress diagnosis." Those aren't the only thing in his file but they're the only things that are still relevant. 

"That's what your file said. Further questions?"

He really should take the opportunity, but he doesn't actually have anything else he needs to know the answer to. "No, Chris." 

Very trusting or very stupid. Possibly both. 

"That's a mistake."

"Your state of information is the only thing my asking would have any impact on."  

Trusting, then. But such good instincts. It is obvious what Ken sees in him. 

Chris stands, leaves the room, and returns with a binder. "Take your bags to the first room on the left. You will find a chest; the chest is for your things. Unpack and organize your belongings in some reasonable way. Return to the table and memorize the contents of this binder. Take particular note of any positions you think you will be unable to do with your knee. I will see you at dinner."

"Yes, Chris." 

He goes to the first room on his left. He unpacks; clothes on this side of the chest, everything else on that side, organized more for space efficiency than in any particular order. He returns to the table and looks over the contents of the binder. 

It is actually not possible to memorize this in one afternoon. 

Chris can't possibly be unaware of that. 

He looks at the section divides and get started on reading over the first section. He can't have the entire thing memorized by dinner; if he tries he'll forget nearly everything he's read within an hour. But he can start. 

The contents say:

Section I. Virtues of a Submissive

Section II. Protocol.

1. Physical preparation.
2. Body control.
3. Forms of address.
4. Positions.
5. Voice commands.
6. Voice training.
7. Basic service.
8. Personal attendance.
9. Public attendance.
10. Escorting.
11. Lending out.
12. Mindfulness.
13. Awareness of others.
14. Self-discipline. 
15. Personal care and fitness. 

Section II. Service. 

1. Fundamental skills.
2. Housework.
3. Home maintenance.
4. Yardwork.
5. Laundry.
6. Cooking.
7. Shopping and errands.
8. Automotive. 
9. Travel.
10. Secretarial.
11. Computer/electronic.
12. Financial. 
13. Health care.
14. Child care.
15. Animal care.
16. Art.
17. Companionship.
18. Personal grooming and body service.

Alright. He reads section I and section II.4, making mental notes of any position he can't do with his knee and at least considering how it might be altered so he could do it, and if he has time he reads sections II.1-II.3. 

Section I informs him of the importance of honor, integrity, truthfulness, humility, courtesy, loyalty, self-denial, and achievement. 

Section II.4 is devoted to extremely detailed and precise descriptions of how to enter a room, kneel, carry things, follow your master around the room, and so forth. There is a reference to a position called "open" that is not present in the text. II.1 is devoted to grooming; II.2 to the fact that he is not supposed to fidget, bite his nails, or in general make any movements that are not calculated, deliberate, and graceful; II.3 to the appropriate forms of politeness when addressing a superior in various circumstances. (They are very complicated.)