It took a moment for his head to stop spinning, but the thrill of what they had just shared lingered. After what they had done, he felt almost cold without her pressed against him, so he found himself taking her bound hands and pulling her so that she rested against him, her head pressed against his shoulder. He eased the gag from her mouth, leaving the cloth dangling around her neck for later use. Right now, it was as close to a collar as he had for her, but even that makeshift collar made the fact that he possessed her feel a little more real, though by now, that sensation was plenty real in his mind.<br/><br/>"I don't think you are going to have any trouble leaving me excited to return to my chambers and find you every evening," he mused, now that his body had more or less calmed down. He found himself letting his fingers drift absently through her hair, a slightly more intimate gesture than he had intended. He hadn't forgotten that he did indeed desire her loyalty, as much as her obedience. He thought about the way she had been squirming just a minute ago, and couldn't help but enjoy the idea of the hard, skilled captain eagerly awaiting her master's return every day.<br/><br/>"Are you ready for the performance you'll be expected to put on tomorrow?" he asked finally. "The crew will expect you to be commanding around them, but remain submissive to me. You'll be one of the few captains in the fleet to command a ship this size, yet the only one who is known to be a possession of her superior. You probably walk a finer line than anyone else in the empire." Of course, he wouldn't have put her in this position if he didn't think she could handle it, but he still needed to make sure that she hadn't changed her mind about her belief that she could handle it.