Author: longdarkroad

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 16

Better A Single Decision Than A Hundred Choices   

Kendra sat with her coffee in front of her computer, staring at the only two images she had of Brown and Thomas. She would go to Kenora, she would go to their lousy house and she would confront them. What would she say? As she pondered, she realized it was not about what she would say, but about what they would say.

She would take a camera (sweet irony considering how Brown loved his camera) and have them confess to it of what they had done, and then apologise to Lillian and beg forgiveness.

That felt good; just how she would do that still needed to be, emm, worked out.

Hearing noise from the kitchen, Kendra got up and went there to find Jessica cutting a grapefruit. “You got in late last night,” she said.

Jessica, bright eyed despite her past midnight return, smiled at her friend. The memory of the girl she had hooked up with, fresh out of high school, was in her mind. The girl was like a young version of herself; feminine, with long, brunette hair and slim, modest breasts.

Jessica had driven her to an isolated ‘lovers’ spot she knew of and they had climbed into the back seat. The girl, who had ‘done some kissing’ with a couple of girlfriends, got the full treatment from Jessica.

Later, when she was being dropped off in front of her house, the girl had tried to give Jessica her name and info, but Jessica had fended her off. She didn’t want to know even her name, although she had kept her cell number. One never knew.

“Yeah, I was out and about.” Jessica put half the grapefruit in the ‘fridge’ and sat at the table. “What are you up to, computer girl. You spend a lot of time staring at that thing, what’s the attraction, and this is comin’ from an IT girl?” Jessica smirked.

Kendra chuckled; she wasn’t going to tell her housemate more than necessary. “Doing research, Kid. My girl returns in three weeks or so and we got plans, eh?”

“Yeah, what exactly?”

Kendra considered. “Well, we may do some travelling. Actually, I know we’ll do some travelling, just not one hundred percent sure on where.”

“Leaving poor little old us here on our own-sies?” Jessica pouted.

Kendra chuckled again. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Speaking of girls, where’s yours?”

“Tied upstairs on my bed with a couple of vibrating eggs stuffed in her naughty places. This being a slave mistress takes some work, eh?” Jessica dead-panned, and Kendra chuckled.

****

It felt odd to Lillian, after all these months of being watched and controlled, to be out alone. Kendra had been encouraging her, and today had dropped her off to do some exploring. Lillian was out on Victoria Island, right on the Ottawa River, at something called the Aboriginal Experience. She had been afraid that it would be some ‘white folks’ view of Native life, but it was way better than she expected. The site didn’t focus just on the Ottawa area, but had information and displays about how Aboriginal people lived all across North America.

She was right at that moment eating some bannock, something she may have eaten back with her mom on the reserve, but she had no memory of what was a basic food for many native tribes. Checking her schedule, she saw a dance performance was just about to start. After that she would check out the Aboriginal craft activities and maybe even paddle a canoe. She smiled, and actually laughed out loud. This was too good to be true.     ****

Simon Cutter sat with that reptilian smile on his face, and his presence made Dawn nervous. “You don’t have to just sit and stare,” she said.

“Watch your mouth, Bitch.” Cutter replied, the smile remaining.

“Look, make your call if you want to,” Dawn spat. “I told you I wouldn’t interfere with Lauren, but I’m not going to be your fucking puppet. I have some shit on you too, asshole,” she said, staring defiantly. Cutter stood, the smile now gone, but as he rose, Dawn did as well; but she also opened her desk and when she was upright, she held a twenty-two calibre pistol in her hand.

Cutter regarded it and snorted, Really? You expect me to believe…”

“Try me, cock-sucker. I got nothin’ to lose and a good story to tell. This gun is yours, remember, your finger prints are on the shells, so think twice.”

Cutter was a coward at heart, so he wasn’t about to call Dawn’s bluff, not with the look on her face. It was a look of hate, and it took Cutter by surprise. “Fuck you,” he grunted and left; although that gun was a problem that needed solving.

Dawn waited, then sat down, shaking now. Would she have pulled the trigger? She sat in thought. She didn’t know, but she did know she wasn’t finished with ‘that bastard’.

****

“So, how’d it go?” Jessica asked a naked Meg, who was now tied spread-eagle on Jessica’s bed. The vibrating eggs had been removed and Meg had been provided with a lovely orgasm, courtesy of her mistress, who did not explain why. Now she wanted to know about Meg’s rendezvous with Marcy; a nervous and reluctant Marcy, it turned out, but one who never-the-less could not turn down Meg’s offer of a few hours together.

“Well, we went to the place you suggested (a sketchy but amazingly clean motel Jessica herself had used) and actually, um, got on pretty good. We were both horny, after all, like, and it got pretty heavy. We both, um, came, right, and then things got weird,” Meg related in her innocent way.

Jessica regarded her ‘girl’, feeling arousal as the encounter was revealed. Why the idea of her ‘partner’ having a sexual meeting in a scuzzy motel should turn her on, she didn’t know, especially when at the same time she was doing that very thing with someone else. “Weird how, Meggo? Be clear.”

Meg twisted a little on the bed, her bonds having a little give in them. “Uh, well, Marcy got real quiet again, like she was ashamed or something. I don’t know; she wouldn’t say anything, just went and had a shower. A long one, ‘cause you texted and I called out to her that my ride was there and I was leaving and she said okay and that was it.”

“Did she fuck you with the strap-on?” Jessica asked.

“We, um, never got to that, it was all, uh, pussy-eating, hmmmm. And um, fingering, I guess…”

Jessica smiled at her lovely, bound girl, and for a moment thought about sharing what she had been up to last night, but reconsidered. “That’s a good girl,” she said, tweaking Meg’s nipples forcefully.

****

The window in Lia and Holly’s reception office looked out on two corridors. As Lia sat now and watched, she saw across one corridor the door to the interview room open and a teenaged-girl come out, followed by Holly. The girl looked dismayed and Holly had that smug smile on her round face.

Lia was annoyed; actually more than annoyed, she felt a distinct stab of guilt. She might not be taking part anymore, but she was pretty sure of what was going on in that room and she did nothing to stop it. Didn’t that make her part of it still, and just as guilty?

Lia buried her face in her hands and moaned; life shouldn’t be this messed up.

****

Meg put her tuner in her pocket and strummed her guitar; she smiled at Mary, “I’m ready to go.”

“Hey, the place is still full,” Mary remarked, as they were about to begin their second and final set. Some nights the place had already started to lose people by this time, but not tonight. A number of faces in the crowd were familiar; the girls were building a following. “We should do that CD we’ve talked about?” Mary remarked, standing and slinging her strap over her shoulder.

“Download cards, babe. Who has a CD player anymore?”

“Me,” Mary laughed.

“Actually, we have one at the house too,” Meg chuckled. “Drink after the show?” Jessica had instructed Meg to hook up with Mary again tonight if she could; Meg had mixed feelings; on one hand she liked being with Mary; on the other, she couldn’t shake the feelings of foreboding that now crowded in on her, accompanying what her mistress was asking her to do.

Mary paused and regarded her friend, wondering, then replied. “My place?” She said, raising an eyebrow.

Meg just smiled.

****

Kendra brought a glass of wine and her ‘stash’ in to join Jessica, just as Lillian came bounding up the stairs. Without any comment, all three women sat together on the floor, Lillian placing a bag in front of her.

“So, how’d it go, Lil?” Kendra asked.

“How’d what go?” Jessica probed.

“Lillian was down at the Aboriginal place this afternoon.”

“Cool,” Jessica commented, accepting the joint that Kendra passed her.

Lillian then went on in a rush to share what she had

seen and experienced; she was like a little kid. “And look,” she said, opening the bag and removing a pair of moccasins. “Moose-hide, feel.” She instructed and both women felt the objects and ‘ooohed’ at the velvety softness. Lillian stood up and put them on. “They feel so cool,” she enthused, “but they had a hard time finding my size. Seems I have big feet,” she grimaced.

Jessica resisted the urge to say that Lillian had several ‘big’ aspects to her body, not wanting to spoil the mood. She sipped her wine, thinking that tonight she wanted to be naked with this creature. She hadn’t heard from Meg, so she assumed the girl had stayed with Mary.

The three women sat then in a comfortable quiet, making an occasional comment. Kendra got up and put in a Moody Blues CD and no one complained, the music seeming right for their…mood. After a fourth joint had been consumed, Lillian stretched out on the carpet, her new moccasins sitting right next to Kendra, who stroked them.

She looked over at Jessica, “So what’s happening?” she asked.

Jessica looked at the horizontal Lillian, but her wine and the dope had relaxed her. “Happening where, Sister?” she smirked.

“Here, with you. Your life. Your girl. Everything. Be straight with me…Sister.” Kendra now smirked in turn, but she was serious. Something was happening with her friend and she wanted the truth.

Jessica leaned her head back on the edge of one couch. “Fuck if I know. You need to be, like, specific, Queen K.”

Kendra considered. “What’s going on with you and Meg? Where is she tonight?”

“She’s got her gig.”

“Yeah, right, look at the time.”

Jessica smiled and paused, finally sighing, “Love, Sweetie. It’s a bitch.”

“That’s cynical.”

Jessica opened her eyes and sat straight. “No, it’s not. It’s the truth. People run around like crazy for this love thing; but when you got it, it fucks you in the head.”

“Why do you feel that way?”

Jessica closed her eyes and leaned back again on the couch; she was silent, and then tears began falling, slowly, down her cheeks. Kendra moved over beside the woman. “Jessica, what is it? Why are you like this?”

Jessica turned her face into Kendra’s shirt and hugged her. Lillian sat up and watched this, with Jessica murmuring. “I can’t trust it, Kend. I can’t believe it. I have no faith. Maybe some of us aren’t meant to love. Just to put on a mask and pretend.”

Kendra stroked the shaved side of Jessica’s head; it felt…nice, kind of like the moccasins. “We’re all meant to find love, Snooks.”

Lillian moved over and put her long arms around Jessica and pressed against her. “I ain’t lost faith, Jess.” She whispered into the side of Jessica’s face, then kissed her cheek. “If I can believe, anybody can, eh?”

****

“So what happens now?” Mary asked, gently stroking Meg’s face. “I said I’d stay for the music, and it’s been great. I’m really liking what we’re doing, and now we’ve got the gig at the house party on Friday. We work it right, I think we can do some more playing. But now, there’s this. I wasn’t going to do this…again.”

Meg raised her head and kissed Mary’s throat several times, then lay back on the pillow. “But here we are. You think this isn’t nice?”

Mary ran a fingernail down the side of Meg’s face and then traced the plump, soft lips, before kissing them. “Ummmmm, it’s very nice. I’m not stupid,” she chuckled. “But it’s putting all my eggs in one basket, eh? Where’s this going, Meg my sweet? You have someone

lurking in the shadows; what do you want?”

Meg pondered, then answered honestly, as was her nature. “I don’t know, Mare; can’t we just be, like this, playing, being together, making love. I’m not pretending, and, I’m, like, not expecting.”

“Hmmmmm,” Mary murmured, sliding her hand up to Meg’s crotch with its wild growth. “Question.”

“Mmmmm, hmmm,” Meg murmured.

“Why aren’t you shaving?”

****

“Okay, so what’s your timeline?” Cutter asked.

“I should be able to move her out in a couple more days.”

“Alright, I’m taking off soon. That Dawn bitch is acting all weird, so the sooner we move the other little slut the better.”

“You heading back to Cleveland?” Madera asked.

Cutter paused; he didn’t like giving out info but Madera had been valuable, “No, actually, I’ll be  heading to Washington. Probably be there when you arrive.”

This was a surprise to Madera but she kept her voice even. “Very good. Check with you then.”

“Right.”

****

Kendra had her cup of morning coffee and she was standing in the ‘fun room’, just looking. Lillian came quietly up behind her and bent forward to kiss the woman’s neck, making her jump. “God, you’re like a shadow,” she laughed.

“That’s me, Mom, Lilli the shadow,” Lillian smirked, then looked around. “Whatcha doin’?”

Kendra sighed. “Not much, really. Hmmphf, we had big plans for this room,” she sighed again.

“It’s creepy, Mom.”

“What’s with the mom?” Kendra asked, with a chuckle.

“Don’t know, just in my mind. Stuff comes, eh?”

Kendra regarded the young woman, who seemed, amazingly, to be more beautiful once again. “Your hair is incredible, you know; it’s so thick and shiny. You should be a model.”

“Hmmmm,” Lillian remarked, and went to stand in front of the large, upright X-cross, spreading her arms and legs to the shape. “Like me like this?” she asked.

Kendra, to her annoyance, did get a bit of a sexual jolt seeing that gorgeous, full body positioned so, but it passed. She didn’t like it; she really didn’t. “No, I don’t like you like that,” she said, evenly.

“Why?” Lillian asked in her blunt way.

Kendra walked up to the girl and stood facing her, looking up into those dark eyes. “I…love you, Lillian. I can say that, ‘cause I don’t want you, like that. It surprises the Hell out of me, but that’s it. I will never use you and I will always be there for…”

But she didn’t get a chance to finish as Lillian grabbed her in a ferocious bear hug, and squeezed the breath out of her, whispering, “Thank you.”

****

Jessica came down the stairs from her room leading Meg by her leash. For the first time in a while the girl was in full ‘Cindy-Lou’ mode; pink collar, tail plug stuck in her butt, black dog nose on her face, hair teased into ‘ears’ and wearing knee pads. Jessica paraded her pet over to Kendra, who smiled benignly down on the creature.

“Down,” Jessica commanded and Cindy-Lou lay. Jessica then took her through several commands including roll over, beg and play dead, then ending with lick my shoes.

“That last one isn’t really a pet command, hey Boss.” Kendra had smirked at the mistress.

“Well sorry, Miss Picky, I’m sure,” Jessica replied, pulling the butt plug out and shoving it forcefully back in, making ‘Cindy’ jump.

“What’s the occasion?” Kendra asked mildly.

“Cindy-Lou was out all night, Tom-Catting around. There’s a price to pay, eh?” Jessica replied, striking a pompous pose.

“Right,” Kendra agreed. “You know a Tom Cat is a boy cat, right?”

“Whatever…Miss Picky.” Jessica smiled.

****

“I want you to stop what you’re doin’,” Lia said in a quiet but firm voice.

“What?” Holly turned her round face to her partner.

“Stop this stuff with the girls,” Lia continued.

“When the fuck did you get so high and mighty?” Holly asked sarcastically, “You’re like one of those religious freaks, all high on yourself.”

“Use your fucking head for a minute, Holly. You can’t keep rolling the dice like this. The more girls you get with, the more chance someone tells somebody. You’ve got your head in the fuckin’ sand.”

“Well, it’s my fucking head, alright.” Holly stood and headed for the door.

“It’s not just your head, sister, it’s my neck too.”

“Oh don’t be such a drama queen,” Holly sneered as she left.

Lia sat, looking darkly at her computer screen.

****

Lauren stood, shivering, the dim bulb above her illuminating her form and little else. Madera stood against the wall, in the shadow, watching. “Knees,” she barked, and Lauren immediately dropped down, her hands still clasped behind her head.

Madera walked slowly to the kneeling form, taking the gun from her pocket. She pressed the muzzle to Lauren’s temple, and pressed the hammer. Click! Lauren gasped but held her position. Madera chuckled, “Very good, little whore. But that’s how simple it can be. That’s how easy, how quick. No one is here. No one is anywhere nearby. It’s just you and me, and with one click, I can end your worthless life.”

With another gasp, Lauren collapsed to the floor, curling into a fetal position, where she lay as Madera stood and watched.

****

“You need an education, your education.” Kendra said simply, before the spoonful of Fruit Loops went into her mouth. She chewed and watched Lillian, who was standing and waiting for her toast.

Lillian turned, “How’z ‘dat work, Mom?” She asked, and there was no sarcasm in her voice.

Kendra smiled, “You would register as an adult student. There are lots of options, you decide how things go.”

Lillian nodded, “I can’t even remember school, like nuthin’, eh?”

“You were in school until the third grade. Then you went off the grid,” Kendra remarked, remembering Lillian’s file, which she knew almost by heart.

“Yeah,” Lillian said, as her toast popped up.

****

Friday night was a little different, both for the Purple Barista and the duo calling themselves, simply, Meg and Mary. “We’ll come up with something splashier if we get an agency,” Mary had winked.

Back at the coffee shop/lounge, a young roots trio, arranged by Mary, was entertaining and doing a decent job; the girls would be back Saturday so the regulars accepted the change.

Tonight, the girls were playing a house concert, a burgeoning music experience that was happening all across the country and in the U.S.A; people having music concerts right in their living rooms. For this one, there were around forty guests who had paid a ten dollar cover charge and were entertained by a solo guy followed by an hour of ‘Meg and Mary’.

Kevin Greenfield had followed his daughter to the house and surprised Meg by bringing someone with him. “Look!” Meg had poked Mary in the ribs, “My dad has a woman with him.”

“Good for him, and it’s someone of an opposite gender. That’s strange around here,” Mary replied chuckling, and Greenfield actually blushed when Meg caught his eye and winked. Later, during their set, Meg dedicated one of her songs to him and he, while beaming furiously, also looked like he would melt into the wall and away from the eyes that suddenly turned to him.

At the night’s close, as people made contact with the performers and the hosts divided up the cash, Greenfield introduced Sandra and there were smiles and handshakes all around. Greenfield then said to the girls that they should consider putting out a CD or something and he was more than ready to support them.

Later, when they had left and were at Mary’s car, having come to the gig together, Mary grabbed Meg, “Did you hear what your dad said?” She asked, clutching Meg by the shoulders and shaking her back and forth.

“Yeah. Yeah. Easy, Mare, my head’s still attached, eh?” Mary laughed and Meg continued, “I don’t want to take advantage of him.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, Meggo, he wants to help you. He keeps asking to help you. You’re not taking advantage of him. Do you want me to shake you again?”

“No, no,” Meg laughed, “I get it. I’m just cautious; I don’t want this to be something I rely on, you know, his generosity.”

Mary gently shook her head. “You think too much. He’s your dad. He loves you. He wants to finally be involved with your life. Hell’s bells, Kid…”

“Hell’s bells?”

“Whatever, get in the car.” As they started off, Mary turned her face, “My place or yours?” Meg smiled and leaned over to kiss Mary warmly on the cheek before gently biting one ear lobe. “Right,” Mary smirked, and pressed the accelerator.                             ****

“Dude’s gone.”

“What’s that?” Dawn asked, glancing at the clock and realizing it was past midnight.

“I said, your guy has taken off, you know, flown away.”

“Hmmmm,” Dawn murmured, “You wouldn’t actually know where he was off to?”

“Well, the flight was going to Miami with one stop in Washington, you know, D.C.”

“Hmmmm,” Dawn murmured again, “Thanks, L. Dig you later.”

That was interesting. Dawn opened up a file folder on her laptop; one thing about working for Cutter for several years was that she had a lot of information on and about him. She started looking through her files.

Later, as her digital desk clock clicked to two zero, zero, she smiled and exited her files, shutting off her device. She was pretty sure now where he was going. She tapped a pencil on her desk; now she just had to decide her next step.

****

Jessica was just rinsing her mouth after brushing when she sensed a presence near her; turning, she saw the slim figure of Allie standing by the doorway. “May I speak with you, Miss Jessica?” Allie asked with reverence.

“Of course, sweet Allie-Slave. What’s up, duck?”

Allie looked confused, “Isn’t it, Doc?”

Jessica laughed out loud. “Are you a duck or a Doc, Sweets?” she grinned.

Allie shook her head, “I’m confused is what. Um, I wanted to know if I could, uh, stay with you tonight?”

Jessica smiled. It had actually been awhile since she had spent some intimate time with Allie. “Sure, I think me and my pussy would like that.”

Allie smiled and the two proceeded down the hall the few steps to Jessica’s room and then her bed, and soon they were locked in each other’s arms.

An hour later, as Jessica’s even breathing told her the woman was asleep, Allie slipped gently out of the bed and got dressed. Then she moved like a shadow down the stairs, retrieving her coat and the very few personal effects from a cupboard, plus some money she had stashed.

Finally she opened the door soundlessly and slipped out, moving quickly and purposefully down the sidewalk. She had made the decision to leave earlier, but she had wanted one more time with Jessica, who she still cared for, quite a lot.

Allie had sensed tension between Jessica and Meg. Who knew, maybe in time Allie would have had a chance? Likely not, she had told herself.

Sometimes, one needs to cut one’s losses and just let go.

(End of Chapter 16)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 15

I Shall Go To Her, But She Shall Not Return To Me   

Saturday evening’s show was over and Meg and Mary accepted the enthusiastic applause and bowed. They had just done a second encore so they would hold firm and leave their guitars sitting on their stands.

As the crowd realized that was it, the conversations picked up and several members of the audience ventured forward to offer their comments, all positive, and the two young women smiled broadly at their reception.

Meg quickly glanced over at her father, sitting and literally beaming against one wall; she smiled and waved. She had already spoken with him, thanking him for the gift of money and watching him squirm awkwardly in her gratitude. Now she headed toward the bar.

Marcy looked up and smiled as Meg approached her; what a difference having these talented artists had made to their business, yet she was not satisfied. She had felt something deep for Meg, but now felt a growing sense of betrayal. To her, she had been used, played and manipulated, and it had rankled her.

“They love you,” she remarked to Meg, handing her a small pot of green tea and keeping her emotions in check.

Meg smiled and looked around, and then back at Marcy. “And what about you, Marce, how do you feel?”

For some reason, this comment annoyed her, and Marcy looked down at the glass she was drying, then placed it on the counter, before looking into Meg’s face. “I like you, a lot. I told you that. I don’t know what I wanted or what I expected, I just enjoyed being, with you, doing all, uh, you know…” her voice trailed off and she picked up another glass.

Meg looked around; her father had gone, so she reached over and stroked Marcy’s hand. “I wasn’t pretending to like being with you, Marce, believe that. I’m not like that.”

Marcy regarded the lovely, haunting face silently, feeling a stab within her chest. “But that’s just it Meg, I don’t know who you are. Or what…”

****

Kendra looked up as Lillian glided into the room. The girl came and sat beside her, and then snuggled up, which was amusing given the difference in size. Kendra did not mind at all, however, and stretched her arm around Lillian’s broad shoulders.

“How you doing, Kid?” she asked.

“Mmmmm,” Lillian murmured, pressing her face into Kendra’s neck, “I’m doin’ okay, Boss. Why?”

Kendra paused for a moment, but before she could answer, Lia came in, beer in hand, and sat on the opposite couch. This was odd in that Lia had maintained her distance from Lillian steadfastly since the shouting match. With Lia’s entrance, Lillian withdrew her arms and sat back against the couch, crossing them. There was an awkward pause.

Lia sipped her beer, then spoke quietly, “We need to sort some things out, Lillian,” she said, and everyone sat still.

****

Lauren, her hands tied behind her, accepted the spoonful of peas that Madera offered up. After being denied both food and water for a long stretch of time, the woman had begun feeding her this morning. It was humiliating being fed like a baby but Lauren, already naturally submissive, was hungry and thirsty enough to bury her pride and accept this.

“Mmmmm, that’s a good girl. All the peas are gone, now you can have some more chocolate milk,” Madera purred in a compelling way. Her methods were not difficult to grasp; alternating between very harsh and very caring; like finding out that Lauren loved chocolate milk.

Certain personalities responded quickly to the carrot and the stick approach; and even the strong did not relish Madera’s stick.

****

“Really?” Mary said, looking at Meg with an eyebrow raised.

“Please Mary, can’t we just go back to your place, have some wine and chill. I really want to talk to you.”

“Why?” Mary asked, a small smile on her lips.

“Mary…” Meg implored.

****

Lia had been working up to this, finding the courage, finding the words, but now she just froze. Work brain, she yelled in her mind.

“It’s okay, Lia. Everyone makes mistakes. What are you thinking?” Kendra asked, and that got the ball rolling. Kendra could be so diplomatic; Lillian on the other hand had put her mask back on and sat in silence.

Lia sipped some beer and began, not looking at anyone, “I just wanted to say to Lillian that, uh, fuck, this is harder than I thought. Um, damn. Uh, I was wrong, Lillian, with you, and the others. I should’a thought more an’ not just gone along. Holly started stuff but I should’a been stronger; I was weak and I liked it, you know, the power. But now I look at you, Lillian, I see a person. A girl. It was wrong. I can’t take it back, but I can say that I’m sorry, like real fucking sorry, an’ I wish I could take it back. I do, um…”

The room was silent again, with Lia looking intently at her bottle, Kendra smiling and Lillian relaxing a little, her face softening.

A little.

****

Mary brought a glass of wine to Meg and then collapsed on the couch beside her, with Meg sitting on the floor. Mary sighed; where to begin? “So, I think people are good with our stuff, eh?” She commented, looking down onto Meg’s thick, auburn hair, feeling that familiar desire whenever she looked at the girl.

Meg turned and looked up. “Well, first time I went in there, at night, like, there might have been twenty people sittin’ around. Tonight there were seventy-seven paid cover charges. Yow. Everybody’s happy I think. I’m lovin’ the music, Mare.” Meg sipped her wine.

Mary considered for a moment and decided to get down to business. “So, what’s the deal, Meg? Your, um, mistress wants you to do some more research?” Mary chuckled, but her voice held a definite tightness.

Meg got up and moved to sit beside her friend so she could look at her. “I’ve talked with, uh, her, about you and stuff, and that I like you, a lot. She wants me to be with other women; I know that’s weird, but I want to be with you, um, like anyways, eh?” Meg looked at Mary with that totally innocent face she possessed, a face that could melt butter as they say. Mary had remarked this to herself, taking the comparison for her own use.

“So, you’re here ‘cuz you wanna’ be or ‘cuz she…”

“Both,” Meg interjected. “I won’t pretend. She suggested this, but I wanted it. I want to be with you, Mary, um, for me. I feel good when I’m with you. I’m confused, yeah, a little. This is all new to me, eh. All of it. What I’m feeling; what I want, why I want it. What I am. I don’t know; I just know I like being with you.”

Mary sat in thought, then put down her glass and placed a hand under Meg’s jaw; she then leaned in and kissed the full, pink lips, holding the kiss, before Meg opened her mouth and accepted Mary’s tongue. This too was held, until Mary drew back and smiled. “I can’t resist you, Meggo, even though I don’t trust this but…” She reached over and unbuttoned Meg’s blouse, removing it and then the thin bra. The pants, pantyhose and thong followed quickly and soon Meg was sitting naked.

“Do you want me as your mistress?” Mary asked.

Meg shook her head, “Mm-mmmn, I want you just with me as your, um, partner, I guess. I don’t want to be your, like, slave.”

Mary smiled and stood, sliding her jeans down. In a moment she too was naked. She handed Meg’s glass to her and took her hand, leading her into the bedroom.

****

“Well, I think that was the first step, Lia. Now just give her time,” Kendra said. Lillian hadn’t jumped up and hugged Lia, or anything close, but she had acknowledged, in her usual blunt way, that it was a start. She had then retreated to her room, leaving the two women there talking.

“Yeah, I get that. First steps, little steps, you gotta start somewhere, eh?” Lia replied and Kendra nodded. “So, what have you been workin’ on so much on your freakin’ laptop; it’s somethin’ doin’ with the girl, right?”

Kendra nodded again and then gave Lia a Cole’s notes summary of Lillian’s history, focusing on the time with the creeps in Kenora. She had planned to share this anyway, so the talk worked out.

“Fuck, that’s nasty.” Lia paused. “Ok, you know who they are. You know where they are. Wha’ddya goin’ to do?” she asked.

Kendra shook her head. “Not completely sure, but I’m thinking I need to confront them. And I’d need you there with me,” she stated, and Lia did not flinch, looking on and taking this in. In fact, she nodded her head. Kendra heard someone in the kitchen so she paused, then got up to check it out. She didn’t want Lillian knowing anything of her ‘plans’.

But it wasn’t Lillian rooting around, it was Jessica. What had she been doing in her room? Where was Meg? Kendra asked this and then waited as Lia passed through, saying goodnight to them both, before heading upstairs.

Jessica took her bag of chips and went to the living room, taking the spot where Lia had been, with Kendra returning to her place. “Meg’s off with Mary. I wanted her to hook up tonight.”

Kendra studied her housemate. “What’s going on, Jess?”

Jessica looked down, and when she looked up she wiped away a tear with a quick, almost angry swipe. “I don’t know. I’m afraid. There.”

Kendra looked on now with concern. Jessica had a façade, her flippancy covered up who knows what, but underneath there was a vulnerability that she worked hard to keep hidden. Kendra knew this was there, but in their time together had never actually witnessed it. “What are you afraid of, Kid?” She asked gently.

Jessica snorted and looked away. “Okay, you got me Dr. Chand. Jessica Robb is not the confident Bitch Queen she pretends to be.” She wiped away another tear.

Kendra moved over to sit beside her friend, gently stroking her arm. “I never believed you to be a bitch-queen, Jess. But I did see a mask. You’ve talked about it yourself, what we pretend, what is real. So come on, there’s no Dr. Chand here, just your friend. What are you afraid of?”

Jessica looked up now with sadness in her eyes. She snorted again, before saying “Everything. Being alone. Being with someone. Having something. Losing something. I don’t trust, uh, things. People. Shit, everything. It’s all an act, but it’s hard to keep it together, you know?”

Kendra didn’t really know, but she got the idea. “And so what does this have to do with…Meg?”

Jessica produced a tissue from somewhere and dabbed her eyes. “I don’t like to have you see me cry, Kend-o. If you tell anyone I’ll have to kill you, eh?” She chuckled darkly.

Kendra chuckled too, and continued to gently stroke one arm. “Your secrets are safe with me, Kid. Get it out. It’s okay; really. I’m like the in-house Mother Teresa.”

Jessica looked up and smiled a wan smile. “I can’t do it. I can’t keep it up with her. What she wants I can’t be, yet I care for her so much.” She stopped and looked down. Kendra moved in, putting her arm around the slim girl. They sat now quietly, with Jessica finally adding, “And I feel, um, a lot for Lillian, too, Kend. I’m having a hard time keeping her out of my mind. I can’t figure it all out; I’m sorry.”

Kendra did not reply, just stroked Jessica’s hair in a motherly way.

****

“Ummmmm, that’s nice,” Mary murmured. She and Meg were in the shower, had been for twenty minutes, but now Meg was on her knees, sucking gently on Mary’s pussy. Mary shuddered and leaned back against the shower wall, letting the water continue to wash over her along with her pleasure; whatever else she might feel, her doubts etcetera, she had no doubt about this; Meg made her feel good. Very good.

Ten minutes later they were in Mary’s tiny apartment kitchen, with Mary boiling water for tea and Meg sitting at the also tiny, two-person table.

“I would have thought you’d had enough of my vjj yesterday,” Mary remarked over her shoulder.

Hmmmm,” Meg responded. “I like, um, that. Who knew, all those years? Evidently not me.” She took out her cell; she needed to touch base with her mistress.

****

“UHHHHnng!!” Lauren cried out, as the whip left a nasty red welt from her right shoulder to her left hip. There were now three such marks on her back, to go along with the four on her front. Lauren, never the bravest anyway, was sobbing uncontrollably, tears and mucous running down her face, her dirty hair wild and dishevelled. Whatever make-up she once had on was now just dark streaks here and there on her face, like angry decorations.

“Please! Please, stop. Ah, God. Please. I’ll do better. I WILL!” she yelled.

Madera had been training her, giving her commands and then timing responses. The woman had not been satisfied with Lauren’s efforts and the whip now made that point. The tall figure came to tower over the shaking form tied again to the pipes. Lauren seemed somehow to have shrunk; she appeared almost child-like before the dark figure.

“You promise to be better?” Madera said in a quiet, calm voice; remarkably, the southern accent was now gone.

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Pleasssse!” Lauren begged, and Madera untied her bonds and lowered her to the concrete. “Okay, then, let’s try again. Pre-sent!”

At this command, Lauren quickly sat down and spread her legs as wide as possible, with her hands under her thighs. “Use me,” she said in a thick voice.

“Display!” With this, Lauren swiveled around onto her hands and knees and arched her back, reaching behind her to spread her buttocks and anus open. “Please use me,” she cried this time.

“Very good, my girl. Now, Serve!”

With this last command, Lauren knelt tall with her hands behind her back, her eyes closed and her mouth opened in an ‘O’ shape, ready to receive the erection that would be entering, some other time, some other place. “Let me suck your cock, please,” she uttered, her voice breaking, before resuming the shape.

Madera gently caressed Lauren’s face, then took out a large hanky and wiped the face, quite lovingly, until it was dry, if not clean. She then held Lauren like a baby, with Lauren’s soft sobs muffled against Madera’s tailored jacket, as the girl buried herself there.

****

Lia had her uniform on and she was heading for the door, when she paused and looked at Kendra coming down the stairs. “Whatever you plan for those two assholes, I’ve got your back, right?”

Kendra smiled down at her; “Counting on it. You’re my muscle.” She smirked, as Lia made a ‘muscle pose’ and laughed.

They could joke about it now, but both knew that what they were thinking about doing was very dangerous. “I’m doing it,” Kendra said to herself, heading for the kitchen; she needed coffee.

“I’m doing it.”

It would become her slogan.

****

Carol Douglas had made a decision. She was now in her penthouse condo, right on the Pacific Ocean, in Puerto Vallarta. She had come here to sell it, but decided instead that she and her mistress could use a place to come for sunshine and warmth; certainly there would not be so much of that at her English property.

She looked over the document before her; it would allow the luxurious unit to be rented for eight months of the year, leaving four for their pleasure. She signed the document with a smile on her face; she would enjoy introducing her mistress to these, her, their, homes.

****

Meg had her head on Jessica’s shoulder; they were not talking, just sitting, both feeling tension, a sense of unease. Meg pushed it from her mind; Jessica let it swirl around and ebb and flow. At times she was convinced of her plans, at other times totally shaken. To hold on to or to let go; both options caused her worry.

After Meg had arrived home from her time with Mary, Jessica had made her review everything they had done and how Meg had felt. At times it was a challenge, as Meg, while wanting to comply, felt almost a sense of betrayal when sharing her passion; but she couldn’t lie to her mistress. Even little hesitations brought Jessica’s unerring inquisition. In the end, Meg felt she had detailed every kiss and touch between her and Mary, and her mistress seemed strangely satisfied.

Getting up, Jessica now took Meg by the hand and led her downstairs. They paused outside Lillian’s room and then entered, the tall girl stretched out on her bed as usual, a television show with the sound off playing on her set. “Hey, if it’s not the pussy sisters,” Lillian grinned.

“Feel like some company there, beautiful?” Jessica asked, Meg standing obediently and waiting. Lillian simply smiled in response. A few minutes later, Jessica, sitting on the one chair, felt the rising arousal as a naked Meg was fucked by a strap-on wearing Lillian, the accessory a gift from Jessica herself. The dildo that was attached to the harness was possibly six inches and dark brown.

From her vantage point, Jessica stared in fascination as Lillian’s powerful hips thrust the rubber object into Meg’s vagina in a machine-like way, both women grunting. Jessica got up and stood by the bed, then ran her hand up one of Lillian’s legs as her hips rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Jessica moved her hand up farther until she was able to ride Lillian’s hips, before dipping two fingers into the now very wet vagina, even as it pounded Meg beneath her.

Lillian turned her head to look at Jessica before closing her eyes and shouting out, as amazing ecstasy surged within her for what seemed like forever.

Upstairs in her room, Kendra, with Allie and a vibrator busy between her legs, looked up. That was a call she knew; she smiled and shook her head. What was Jessica up to?

****

Dawn entered the dark apartment and switched on a light, expecting to see Lauren in bed, but the bed lay unmade. Feeling a presence, she turned and looked to her right, almost jumping at what she saw. Simon Cutter was there, sitting in the dark, on her couch.

****

Jessica, for the first time in a while, had a job to do, and she was good with that. Grabbing her briefcase, she accepted a kiss from Meg and was out the door. Meg went to the window and watched Jessica get in her car and drive away. The sad lump in her chest would not go away, not with the pleasure she received from Mary or the passion from Lillian; the thought that Jessica was drifting away from her overwhelmed everything else.

She went over to her case and took out her guitar. She sat on the couch and began moving through some chords. She felt the need to write; no doubt it would be a love song. Of sorts.

****

Dawn sat at her desk and moved papers around. She looked at her computer screen, answered a question from one of the associates who appeared at her door, but her mind was elsewhere. The visit the night before from Cutter had jolted her and what he had told her affected her even more.

He had Lauren, that was the bottom line, and Dawn would be unable to assist. She would need to sit and wait. Somehow Cutter had found out about her past, her real past, not the one she had shared with him, the made-up one. Her real past that included skipping bail and changing her name. All Cutter needed to do was make a call and the Sheriffs would be over the border and seizing her, Canada be damned.

“Oh, your little pet is safe,” Cutter had droned, a sick smile on his sinister face.

She had no choice right now but to accept that. And wait.

****

Her work day over, and successful; she was very good with technical support, as today she had designed a website using Word Press for a long-time client; Jessica sat now in The Brown Jug, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon before her, waiting for her guest. She glanced at her watch; it was almost seven, their appointed hour. And, as she expected, coming across the lounge floor was the woman.

“Thank you, Mary, for coming,” Jessica said, standing and extending her hand.

Mary took it, cautiously, saying, “Well, I am interested in what you might have to say.”

Sitting down and awaiting the server, then ordering a glass of house white, Mary now regarded Jessica. “You’ve changed your look; a lot,” she noted, thinking to herself that Jessica was a very attractive woman, and her new cut gave her an edgy vibe.

Jessica chuckled, “Yeah, out with the old I guess. I like your look, Mary. Kinda’ retro but it suits you. But I didn’t ask you here to compare ‘doos’.” She smiled now as Mary’s drink arrived. Then the two women sat, regarding each other.

****

A few blocks away, Meg was seated in the Purple Barista. Her mistress had given her an assignment; make an effort to re-connect with Marcy. Try hard. If nothing comes of it, oh well. So she sat, and waited for a chance to talk with the older woman, who seemed distracted by Meg’s appearance on a day she was not to be in.

The place was not very crowded, and Meg just sat, nursing her tea. Maybe she should have a drink; her mistress had not said anything.

****

Lauren finished urinating and looked up at Madera, then looked away in embarrassment.

“Look at me,” the woman commanded and Lauren looked.

“You are disgusting,” Madera droned and Lauren looked away and then quickly back; Madera still held the riding crop in her right hand. She had used it earlier; four solid strikes on Lauren’s ass that had burned like fire, leaving narrow welts on her buttocks; it had been the most painful device so far.

“I am, dis-um-disgusting,” Lauren agreed, shaking with cold. She was naked, of course, and had been since her capture; and she was dirty.

Madera regarded the pitiful creature in her care. She was broken, no doubt; perhaps it was time to take her out. Apparently her friend had been dealt with.

“Lick my boots, disgusting piece of shit,” Madera commanded in a calm voice.

“Y-yes, um, Mistress,” Lauren stammered, and crawled to the black boots and began to lick them; she knew exactly how it was to be done. She was determined to lick the boots perfectly this time; she did not want any more punishment, and maybe she would earn a drink. Of water.

****

Jessica watched the trim figure of Mary Chapman head back across the floor. She had needed to talk with the woman, even if the woman had not really wanted to talk with her; and was satisfied, for now.

She texted Meg with some instructions, then finished her wine. Glancing around, she noted the early-thirties redhead in the corner booth, who smiled at her for the second time. Should she?

Not tonight.

No, tonight she wanted something with more…bite. She paid her tab and left; the place she was headed to was a popular spot for young women who wanted to hook up with other young women. Tonight, she wanted someone young.

She didn’t know why.

It didn’t matter.

(End of Chapter 15)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 14 None May Harvest What Is Not Sown   

“Cutter’s in town,” Lauren said, sitting and looking out the window of their office building.

“What?” Dawn replied, as she sat in her hotel room, her laptop open to some document; she’d be heading back tomorrow.

“I said Cutter’s here, in Montreal. He confronted me in the parking lot last night.”

“What the Hell,” Dawn lamented, “what is he up to?”

Lauren shook her head, “He gave me some bullshit, but I don’t like it. He’s up to no good.”

“What are you thinking, L?” Dawn stood and began pacing around her room; she didn’t like it, either; Cutter was not an impulsive person; he usually had a plan.

Lauren shook her head. “It’s not thinking, Dawn, it’s feeling. I have a bad feeling about this, about him.”

Dawn made some sort of disgruntled noise, “Watch yourself girl,” she murmured.

****

Carol Douglas and Moira Hennessy happened to be staying in hotels that were quite close and since Hennessy was leaving for Brussels the next day they had arranged to dine together.

They had decided on Liman’s near Chapel Market for lunch, and they sat now waiting as the dessert cart made its way to them. It seemed Hennessy was in …contemplation; Douglas could guess why. Since her disclosure last night Hennessy had said nothing more, but Douglas was certain her mind was in turmoil; hers would be.

“You wish to ask me more about my…decision, Moira, but you’re not sure how to begin?” Douglas said quietly, a smile playing on her lips.

Hennessy returned the smile, “Yes, somewhat, although there is more.” The woman sipped her coffee with thin, red lips. “This is excellent, for being English,” she murmured, putting her cup delicately on its china saucer.

“More?” Douglas asked, her head tilted to one side in  that bird-like way Kendra found attractive.

“Hmmmm, yes. I have heard, not recently you understand, but over the years, of some of your, em, interests, Carol. So, you see, I was not totally surprised by your…disclosure, shall we say, last night.”

Now Douglas was interested, and somewhat in the dark. Surely Moira Hennessy would not have any connection with Douglas’s…other world? But then, there were wealthy and influential people in that world, which was how she herself had been introduced to the first woman who had disciplined her. Could it be? “What…interests of mine might you have heard of, Moira dear?” Douglas asked, still quietly.

Hennessy now regarded her with a knowing look. “Come now, dear, let’s not play games. You enjoy being on your knees and having your fanny paddled; by a woman. You enjoy it so much you have paid for it, handsomely, of course. We are, you and I, used to,” she chuckled, “quality, yes?”

Douglas now regarded in her turn. “This information you refer to, may I ask where it came from?”

“Oh, ask away, please, although I’m sure when you think the answer will come to you. The woman is here, in London of course, where the best sado-sex parties can be found, correct?” Hennessy paused, then smiled and nodded, as she knew that Douglas had the name come to her mind.

“Jillian St. Clair was at a party with me, years ago now, and we were drinking very expensive and potent champagne. I was aware and watched myself; Jillian just knocked back three glasses like they were punch. And then in her tipsy state she entertained me with some very wild tales. You were in a couple of them.”

The two women paused as the tarts and pies arrived, the server ladling out real whipped cream onto the mincemeat and raisins.

After he departed and they had sampled their delights, Hennessy continued. “What was one to think? This woman was a fabricator? I knew her, and believed that most of what she was saying was likely true, but what did I care how Carol Douglas got her jollies? I myself have always fancied young fellows; firm tummies and bulging biceps and of course hard erections. We all have our pleasures, don’t we, my dear, and when one is wealthy, well, what the Hell, I say.”

Hennessy beamed at her last comment and popped half a mincemeat tart, covered with cream, into her mouth.

****

“So, did I miss anything last night, Snooks?” Kendra asked a somewhat sleepy-looking Jessica.

Jessica snorted, remembering the incredible sight of Meg and Lillian. “Oh, not much, Snookeroo, just one of the hottest, fucking grope-fests I’ve ever witnessed.” Kendra sat in silent awe as Jessica described the engagement. “I came hard, Sweetie. Bam! Like a cannon or something, shit.” Jessica added, slumping onto the wooden kitchen chair opposite Kendra, who still had not commented.

“Damn. Serves me right for hitting the hay early. Damn.” She sipped her coffee. “How did Lillian react?”

Jessica regarded her housemate thoughtfully. “Uh, let’s see. Orgasmic bliss. Collapse. Then bewildered contentment. She and Meg finished off with some very tender touches; I woulda’ been jealous if I didn’t have like, faith in my girl, Boss.” 

“Hmmmm,” Kendra murmured, sipping more coffee. “Very interesting. Wished I’d been there. Damn.”

Jessica smirked. “As you, um, said.”

****

Meg padded quietly down the hallway, past the closed door of the ‘fun room’ and paused outside of Lillian’s open door, hesitating. “C’mon in, little bird,” Lillian drawled from within, and Meg entered to see the girl stretched out on her bed, wearing her usual ‘T’ and with only thong panties below. The brief underwear did not even capture all the pubic hair, as dark, curling locks were visible above the band and out the sides; Meg glanced briefly at this, then focused on the face that was regarding her with a mixture of amusement and interest. “A visitor,” Lillian smirked.

“Yeah,” Meg said, and sat on the edge of the bed, running a soft hand up one of Lillian’s legs. “Wanted to see you this morning. Last night, um…”

“Was great?” Lillian prompted, a grin on her face.

Meg laughed, “Uh, duh. What was your first clue?” She smiled at Lillian. “I, um, really don’t know you at all, Lillian, so I just wanted to make sure you were good, with, you know…”

Lillian put down her ever-present book and looked with a calm face at her visitor. “I’ve been with lots of girls, eh; had lots of sex, yeah? It was ‘da usual, two girls do their thing, then take care of the dude. But, you know, I’ve never had the, you know…”

Meg stared at the girl. “Orgasm?” She asked in surprise.

Lillian flushed beneath her brown skin. “Yeah, the big O, the little death, that thing. Never had it. Faked it good; I was real good at faking’ it, babe, even with my BF, eh, but never, you know, had it. Fuck…”

Meg looked on, expecting more, then asked, “So…what do, um did, you think?”

“You’re kiddin’, eh? Fuck. Can’t believe it. I guess that makes you special, eh, Meggo? That makes you my girl?”

Meg chuckled. “It makes us, um, like have a bond, I guess. But I’m Jessica’s girl.”

Lillian stared at Meg, her black eyes hard to confront;

Meg looked away, as Lillian murmured, “I know.”

****

“Hey, I saw your dad give you something last night,” Jessica commented to Meg, who had her face buried between the woman’s thighs, Jessica’s hands gently stroking her head.

Meg looked up, “It’s okay to stop, Mistress?”

Jessica chuckled; she still didn’t have a complete handle on this slave thing, even now. But then, she had never had a relationship carry on; any relationship, like this. “You may pause, Meg-Slave, and answer,” she said in a deep, rough voice. Well, deep and rough for her.

Meg giggled softly and replied, “Yeah, my dad gave me some money.”

Jessica looked down into Meg’s face; that made sense, really. Greenfield had money, he felt guilt, it was only natural that he wanted to give Meg some. “That’s nice, you know.”

“So you think I should keep it?”

“Of course you should keep it. It’s the only thing your dad knows, for now. He’s trying Meg; he wants to be a part of your life; he wants to help. It’s understandable, hey?”

Meg nodded her head. “Marcy was weird, kind’a, last night,” she added.

“How so?” Jessica opened her eyes again and looked down.

“Oh, um, distant I guess. We hugged a little bit at the end, but not much really.”

“Hmmmm,” Jessica muttered, “I guess that sort of makes sense. We laid a lot on her. Just give her a little time and some space. Be friendly and everything, don’t you be, um, weird, but don’t push, for now. Okay?”

“Okay,” Meg smiled and gazed at her mistress.

“Okay, coffee break’s over, back to work,” Jessica

murmured, gently directing Meg’s face back to where she wanted it.

****

“Knock, knock,” Kendra announced from outside Lillian’s door.

“Who’s there?” Lillian sang in a high voice. Well, high for her.

Kendra laughed and entered, “Hey there, Kid,” she said, smiling.

“Hey there, yourself. It must be visitin’ day or somethin’,” Lillian remarked.

“How’s that?”

“Well, sweet Meg comes calling a bit ago and now here you are. Anybody else out there?”

“Nope, just me. What did Meg want?”

Lilian looked at the other woman with a smirk, “You writin’ a book?”

Kendra snorted, “I guess I deserved that, but I did hear about some fun you guys had last night, so I’m guessing Meg was seeing how you felt about…well…”

“Licking her pussy,” Lillian said, the smirk still firmly in place.

“You are blunt, Kid. I’ll give you that. Well, um, yes, but I’m sure there was more than a little pussy smoochin’?”

Lillian stood up and tossed her book on the bed, saying, “Yeah chief, there wuz, but I’m goin’ up for some eats, you comin’?”

And with that, Lillian and her long legs went swiftly down the hallway.

****

It was interesting, Carol Douglas mused, as her leased Rolls took her north out of the city centre, heading for Wood Green. The property she wished to look at was not outside the city as she hoped, but it still seemed

like the sort of place she would be able to…entertain in; at least for the sorts of people she would associate with. People like Jillian St. Clair.

The interesting part was that St. Clair would know Moira Hennessy; Douglas would have never matched them up. Even twenty years ago, the word was out that St. Clair was the one in London to call if one was into any sort of BDSM, especially mild or for beginners; not Hennessy’s (Carol smirked as she thought this) cup of tea.

So, someone knew of her, interests. Did that matter? Not now, surely, perhaps at one time someone might have been able to use it against her. Interesting.

Douglas looked out the window; she had been to London numerous times and had even thought of living here.

What would her…mistress think?

****

Lillian looked up for the third time that day, now just past noon, to see her third visitor as well, Jessica this time, standing in her doorway. “Well, howdy there, Sugar,” she smirked, “come in and join the party.”

Jessica grinned and moved gracefully to sit on the bed, sweeping back her long hair and then looking up into Lillian’s dark eyes, her heart actually skipping the proverbial beat. Fuck! She thought.

She cautiously slid a hand up Lillian’s leg; Lillian parting her legs ever so slightly, a smile on her lips and her eyes never leaving Jessica’s face.

“I, um, really want to touch you, Lillian, but I understand if you just tell me to fuck off,” Jessica murmured quietly, eyes gazing at the dark ‘v’ of Lillian’s thongs.

In response, Lillian raised her hips up slightly and slipped her thong down, then folded her long legs up, spreading them and leaning back, closing her eyes.

****

“Hey there,” Meg texted, Jessica allowing her the use of her cell. “Just seeing how you’re doing?” The message was going to Mary; after Meg pressed send she sat back and waited.

Jessica had gone out a while earlier with instructions for Meg to try and contact Mary and then just hang out. Since she didn’t play again until tomorrow, she was free, or at least at loose ends. It actually felt strange to be just sitting around. Kendra was busy on her lap top, Lia was at work and Allie, after cleaning the bathrooms, was now handcuffed and lying in a dog crate in ‘the room’.

Lillian was, at that moment, passing the open door of this room and she paused, looking in. She saw bare feet showing through the door grate of one enclosure and snickered; she’d never understand it.

What she did understand was the wonderful feeling that Meg and now Jessica had produced in her; the rolling waves of pleasure that had built in her loins and spread out like a warm surge, lifting her hips off the bed and causing her to cry out and then lie in disbelief at the wonderfulness of the whole thing.

Afterwards, Jessica had held and kissed her so tenderly it was beyond description; Lillian just didn’t think on it, she just held the lovely, warm body that pressed against her; no hard cock invading her, just touches and pleasure.

She didn’t need to understand, she considered, as she took the stairs two at a time and came into the living area to find Kendra lost in thought before her computer screen and Meg sitting on a couch holding her cell.

Lillian went to Meg and sat beside her, grinning, “What’s up, sister?” She asked, and Meg just smiled.

Lillian looked absolutely beautiful today.

****

Lauren sat in her car, pondering. She had felt nervous, even in the daylight, as she crossed the parking lot, looking anxiously around her, expecting Cutter to come out from behind some parked car. Shaking her head and telling herself to stop being so silly, she started the engine and backed up, then headed out. With Dawn away, she would just grab some take-out and head home.

From his vantage point, Cutter watched Lauren leave and then made a call. When it was concluded, he pressed end with a smug grin on his unpleasant face.

****

It was almost five when Jessica returned home, and when she entered Lillian was on one couch, Meg on another and Kendra, finally off her computer, was in the kitchen.

“Holy Fuck!” Lillian exclaimed as Jessica came up the four stairs.

“Mistress!” Meg said in amazement.

Hearing this, Kendra came out and just stood staring at her housemate.

“Like it?” Jessica smirked, turning a three-sixty so everyone could see her new haircut. It was similar to what Lillian’s had been; shaved on one side, but the other side was short and combed back in a masculine style. She had very little make-up on, and looked quite stunning, although alarming to her friends.

“Oh. My. God. You’ve gone butch, my sweet muff muncher!” Kendra exclaimed and Jessica snorted.

“Maybe it’s time I was honest with the world,” Jessica announced.

Meg simply continued to stare.

“Holy Fuck,” Lillian exclaimed once again.

****

It was almost midnight, Carol Douglas noted as she finished her drink. The house had been close to perfect, and she had bought it. Now she was feeling a little lonely, here in a bar by herself, and she thought with tenderness and desire of Kendra; how she wished she could be on her knees before her now, in the house she had just bought, with time and only Kendra’s imagination at work.

Douglas took a slip of paper from her purse; she had been as faithful as possible with her mistress, she had no need not to be. Kendra Chand was, remarkably, all she wanted. But right now she had urges she couldn’t fight, so for one night she would stray. And what was the harm, her heart belonged to Kendra; this would be nothing but ‘getting her rocks off’.

****

Lauren made her way up to her unit, holding a bag of Thai food in one hand and her cell in the other. There were only two other units on her floor and she rarely saw anyone from them, and right now her mind was preoccupied with Cutter’s malevolent face.

The blue-overalls of the janitor moving his pail near her did not attract any attention, even as he turned and quickly covered the short distance between himself and the slender woman. The security cameras watched directly outside her door, but not where she was now, so they wouldn’t have recorded the beefy individual in blue overalls lift Lauren off the ground, one of his hands completely covering her mouth.

A woman came silently out of somewhere and grabbed Lauren’s things; her food, phone and keys. Another man joined them as they hauled the struggling but muted victim down the stairs. Stopping before the ground floor, the woman, with the second man holding Lauren’s legs, pulled off the pantyhose and thongs. She forced the thong into Lauren’s mouth and placed a wide strip of duct tape over it and then a blindfold over the eyes, then Lauren was lugged into a waiting van.

The woman took Lauren’s keys, and soon was following the van as it headed to its destination.

****

The dinner conversation had been taken up mostly with a discussion of Jessica’s new look and why she had made ‘the jump’.

With that over, Jessica and Meg had moved to the living room to go over the conversation with Mary. Like Marcy, Mary had been constrained and conflicted.

“I like you, Meg, but I’m not into whatever, your, uh, mistress, had in place. I’m not judging, I’m just being clear with what I want,” Mary had said.

“But I like being with you, Mary.” Meg had countered.

After a pause, Mary had continued. “Well, as I said, let’s keep playing together. I like that, and I like you, so I’m not going to rush off. Let’s see.”

And that was how the conversation had ended.

“Hmmmm,” Jessica had replied, “that complicates things. Why,” she paused here as she considered, “don’t you go back with her to her place tomorrow after your, um, gig?” She offered.

Meg sat quietly, regarding her mistress. “You want me to do that?”

“Yes,” Jessica replied, “I do.”

****

“Uhhh!” Carol Douglas grunted as the paddle came down on her bare ass. She was kneeling naked on the luxurious carpets of the Hotel Café Royal. The young woman, late twenties, who had paddled her, now lifted her head by a handful of her hair, so that Carol’s face was bent up facing hers. The girl was pretty, slim and sophisticated, one arm covered in a tat sleeve, her hair a purplish/blonde colour.

“Are you my little bitch?” The girl asked in a syrupy voice.

“Oh, ummmm, yes, M-mistress, I am your bitch.”

“That’s very good,” the girl murmured, then spat on Douglas’s upturned face.

****

Lauren Douglas was hanging by her wrists. They had been tied with a rope over a pipe and her feet just barely reached the cold concrete of the warehouse floor she had been taken to. Her eyes were still covered as was her mouth.

The woman who had taken her, slim, very dark (almost ebony) skinned, was very tall and wearing a short, tight, black leather skirt. She walked slowly toward the trussed woman. Her name, or the name she went by, was Madera, and she had been employed by Simon Cutter several times in the past. He had flown her in especially for…this.

She took the tape off Lauren’s mouth, but the panties remained wedged there still. The woman, slowly, almost languidly, took a pair of scissors from her bag and began cutting away Lauren’s clothes, as the woman whimpered and shivered in the damp coolness of the room.

When Lauren was completely naked, the woman leaned over and in close to Lauren’s ear and whispered, “Um, fuck, babe, looks like your clothes are all…rags. That’s a bitch, hmmm?” She then stepped back and slapped Lauren hard across the face, saying. “But it’s okay, ‘cause you’re not going to be needing them.”

She laughed, and it was not a pleasant sound.

****

Kendra now had a pretty good handle on the ‘two jerks’, as she called them, in Kenora. She had a picture of their place (no one had taken one specifically of their dilapidated ‘farm house’ and its junky environs; but the house next door provided a couple of shots showing parts of the place, and helpful Google maps had the front.) Kendra had also been able to look over a recent utility bill, so she was convinced the men were still there. Brown had inherited the place from his father, so it was home, as tumble-down as it was. Where would he go?

But now that she had this info, what did she want to do with it? Whatever she decided, she knew it would include Lia.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the newly shorn Jessica wandered into the room, a glass of red wine in hand. “Hey there, Sailor, looking for a date?” Kendra greeted her and Jessica chortled, settling onto the white leather couch. “It is going to take some getting used to,” Kendra commented with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t I know. I’m still surprised when I look in the mirror. Christ.” She sipped some wine.

“Where’s your lovely slave? She doesn’t have a thingy tonight, right?”

Jessica snorted. “She doesn’t have a gig-thingy, if that’s what you mean,” she chuckled. “Actually, I’ve got her down in one of the crates.”

Kendra looked now with some interest. “Really. Hmmm, that’s different. Has she been a bad puppy?”

“She hasn’t been any kind of puppy for a while,” Jessica crooned. “No, I just felt like putting her in there. What’s the point of being an evil dominatrix if you can’t inflict suffering, hmmm?”

“Ha,” Kendra responded. “Fer-shur.”

But something felt off.

****

Cutter stood a few feet from Lauren, a cup of Starbucks dark roast in his delicate hand. He nodded at Madera, who stepped over and took off the blind fold. Lauren blinked, even though the room was dim, as the only bulb was directly above her. In time she found her focus and her face showed anguish as she realized who was there with her. Cutter strolled over and casually reached between Lauren’s thighs, grabbing her labia and twisting them, grinning lewdly into Lauren’s face as she squirmed in pain.

“Ha,” Simon said, quietly, and wandered back to Madera. The two stood talking for a few minutes and then Cutter ambled off. Madera stood in front of her captive. “You an’ me’s gonna get to know each other real good,” she hissed in a voice that contained more than a hint of the south. “But firs’, I gotta go, an’ that’s good, ‘cause you ain’t had nothin’ to drink for a spell, have you, darlin’?”

Lauren uttered her muffled protests, but Madera just laughed as she unzipped her skirt and tugged down her leggings, revealing her shaved vagina with its heavy dark folds and a single thick gold ring piercing one fat lip.

She next lowered Lauren down to the ground with a chain attached to the rope and her wrist cuffs, holding the bound woman’s head firmly and directly below her crotch. She then squatted down and showered Lauren’s face with her yellow liquid, taking care to saturate the panties still lodged in Lauren’s mouth, as the girl tried in vine to shake her head and avoid the bath.

“There, Sweet Cheeks, how’s ‘dat?” Madera leered down at the soaked face below her, Lauren’s tears running down and joining the urine.

(End of Chapter 14)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 13

In Vain Is the Net Baited While the Bird Looks On

As they sat, Kendra could hear the refrigerator humming; a car came up their street and carried on; a siren off in the distance could be heard before it too grew faint and passed. She gently lifted Lillian’s face with a finger under the girl’s chin, “You don’t need to go on if you don’t want to. I didn’t think of, ummmm, what I was asking of you. I didn’t know…”

They sat in the darkness, Lillian grasped Kendra’s hand, “It’s okay, Kend,” Lillian murmured, her voice thick. “Ummmm, it’s okay. I, um, I wanna, like, say stuff. It’s been in me, like bad dope and I need to shake it, eh?”

Kendra nodded her head. “These, uh, men, bought you? And then they took you to Kenora?” She paused, a growing tightness in her guts.

“Ummmmm, nnnn,” Lillian moaned quietly and then curled into a fetal position beside Kendra’s knees, rocking gently on her side, but continuing. “They, the tall one, fucking Richard, Rick the Prick I’d call him in my head, eh, he used to tease me, saying they bought me like, um, l-livestock. He said I was, like, theirs, mmmmm,” Lillian stopped.

But then, over the next thirty minutes or so, she told a story of constant abuse, for months, at the hands of Richard and the second man, Andy.

Richard was clearly the boss and directed things. Lillian was kept naked at all times and was never to be left alone, although she discovered a weakness in the arrangements before too long. For the first month, the two men had sex with her two or three times a day. Or at least Richard did, and Andy tried to. He apparently had performance issues; Lillian remembered thinking how pathetic the little man was.

“Rick the Prick said all my holes were like his, and he made fucking sure I got it. Jesus, the guy, like, loved my ass, eh. He couldn’t get enough, at least for the first while.”

While the men’s house, as Lillian clearly remembered it, was old and shabby, with junky furniture and appliances that “looked like they came from the dump”, there was something in the place that was very important to Richard and which he had spent money on; a camera and a computer.

“He ran that thing on me like every day, every time they had sex with me, half the time when I pissed or, fuck, everything. He’d video and then we’d watch; he’d make me watch, and I’d hafta tell ‘em what was going down, you know. Like say what I was doing, as if they couldn’t see themselves. Shit.” Lillian paused and looked at Kendra, “I didn’t want to, but the other stuff was, like, more than I could do, eh?”

Kendra wasn’t sure she wanted to know about ‘the other stuff’; what she had heard so far was distressing enough, but Lillian wanted to get this out. She had never spoken to anyone about her time with the two men, Teri had asked some questions but Lillian had been evasive, but now it came flowing out.

“There was like a room down in the creepy, cold basement and they’d put me in there, eh. It was real dark, total dark, like a cave and cold an’ there were, like, things in there. Like living fucking things, like rats and fucking spiders and shit. I could feel them touch me, like in the dark and I’d scream.”

Lillian paused again and rocked some more, moaning quietly. Kendra gently stroked the long, black hair. Tears were now running down her face but she ignored them, continuing to stroke Lillian’s hair as the girl rocked and moaned.

Looking up, Kendra was surprised to see a ribbon of light on the horizon. The dawn was breaking. “It’s morning,” she whispered, wiping her nose.            ****

Kendra took the call; it was from Carol Douglas. After a few minutes of information, Kendra replied, “Hey my sweet, I am good with all that. I’ve actually got something I’m working on here, so fly away and do all your business scheming and manipulations and then when you return you can move in.”

Carol chuckled, “Not really a lot of scheming going on, Mistress, but I feel guilty for taking off.”

Kendra assured the woman, “No worries, there, Snooks. We always knew there were two sides to this relationship coin, and when you need to be Mrs. Douglas, omnipotent businesswoman, that’s that. We’ve set September first as your move-in date and I’ll hold you to that. A day late and I’ll be forced to paddle your sweet behind. How’s that?”

Carol laughed out loud, “You’re not sounding all that cruel and dominating, my mistress. And when did I become ‘Snooks’?”

“Hey, everybody is Snooks; that way I don’t need to remember names. Look, on a serious note, do check in with me every few days, just so I know you’re still alive. Where all are you going again?”

Carol chuckled again, then listed five cities in three countries, “I will, oh most dominating of Mistresses. And, ummmm…” There was a pause.

“Yessss?” Kendra prodded.

Carol spoke quietly. “I love you, but I think you know that.”

For some reason the comment produced a lump in Kendra’s throat this morning. She responded with some huskiness, “Hey, no use trying to butter me up there, Slave. I’ll expect you back here on the first of next month or there’ll be trouble. Now get going before I get all mushy.”

Carol chuckled one more time before she hung up. After the call ended, Kendra sat, staring out the window, resolved to her new task, keen even; but at that moment, Jessica lounged into the kitchen, still wearing pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. “Hey, Mama Bear,” she greeted her friend.

“Hey Sweets,” Kendra replied, as Jessica plunked herself down in the chair opposite.

“No Snooks?” Jessica asked with a smirk.

Kendra just shook her head and smiled.

“What’s wrong, girl?” Jessica asked, looking hard at her friend.

“Nothing’s wrong, what’s with the look?” Kendra responded.

Jessica snorted. “Oh give me a break, KC; you’re wearing no mask today, but then that’s not your thing, anyhoo, and you’re so easy to read. What gives? Something’s got you worried.”

Kendra chuckled and grimaced. “You’re like a human bloodhound when it comes to emotions there, Sherlock.”

“I don’t think Sherlock was a blood hound,” Jessica dead-panned.

“Whatever…” Kendra sighed deeply, then looked up. “Lillian gave me her whole story last night; or at least lots of it, and it’s got to me. Bad. Or good; whatever.”

Jessica put aside her usual flippancy, a defense mechanism anyway, and looked gently at her friend. “Anything you can share?”

Kendra gave Jessica a summary and then they sat.

“Wow,” Jessica murmured softly, reaching out to stroke her friend’s arm, ”So, what are you thinking?” Jessica prodded.

“I’m…going to find out who those bastards are,” Kendra said quietly.

Jessica regarded the woman for a moment before asking, “And then what?”

Kendra shook her head. “Don’t know. Haven’t thought that far. Just want to identify the pricks, then I’ll decide.”

“Don’t go all Jack Reacher on us, sister,” Jessica smirked, but inside she felt a stab of alarm.

Kendra smiled, “I’m sure on my father’s side there’s an assassin or two lurking in my DNA. Who knows, maybe I’ll send them an anthrax letter.”

Jessica snorted. “You take care, Kiddo. This girl is in you deep.”

Kendra raised her face, a quizzical look upon it, “Really? What do you mean by that?”

Jessica just smiled and gently shook her head from side to side; why Kendra wasn’t admitting her feelings was a mystery. Well, sort of. Jessica understood clearly why people kept emotions hidden.

****

Kendra rubbed her eyes, then stretched and put her laptop to sleep, realizing she was hungry and it was time to eat.

Considering how many women were connected to the house, most evenings the dinner time was nothing special, as people looked after themselves, at various times and in their own way. Tonight however saw all six inhabitants buzzing around the kitchen/dining area: Kendra, Jessica, Lia, Meg, Lillian and Allie were all having their dinner at the same time. “There’s an awful lot of prime pussy in this room,” Jessica guffawed, as the women swarmed the kitchen.

As usual, Kendra took charge and in the end everyone enjoyed the variety, starting with a roasted chicken Lia had brought from a deli, the fresh bread Jessica had picked up, and then the assorted frozen vegetables that Kendra and her ‘comely assistants’, as Jessica laughingly called them, heated and dished out.

Meg left, alone tonight, for the Purple Thang, as Kendra called it, as others looked to the clearing up. Lia as well had some function to attend to for work and she was soon gone as well. Allie then departed for a shift at a local bar, with Jessica giving her a lift there.

So now, Lillian and Kendra had a little while to talk.

Lillian seemed awkward, almost defensive, after sharing all of her personal information, which was understandable. Kendra gently and persistently reassured and comforted her, to get the last of the details.

“So, how the Hell did you get away?” Kendra asked, after hearing more of the unpleasant and at times horrifying details of what the men had done with and to Lillian, including some infrequent nights when they had brought another girl home and had the two girls perform together; the camera running of course.

* * * *

As Meg began the first song of her set, she was disappointed to not see Mary in attendance. Clearly the events of yesterday would take some getting used to; even the greeting today with Marcy was a little awkward.

Meg did notice her father come in and sit at the back, as was his custom. He smiled at her; Meg thought briefly that he looked a little nervous. Her mind was overactive today, she needed to settle into her music and let everything else go for now.

And as it had for many years, music provided her with comfort and purpose, and soon she was accepting the warm applause from the fairly full room. As always, it gave her a feeling of joy, unlike anything else, besides her mistress.

****

Lillian sipped her ‘Sleepy Time’ tea, and was quiet, forming her thoughts. “Rick the Prick had some kind’a job or somethin’, ‘cuz he would go out once, mebbe’ twice a week. Dumb Andy was left to guard me. Fuck, I was naked and had my hands tied, what was I gonna do, eh?

Anyway, the dumb ass would fall asleep half the time and I would snoop around, looking for anything that could help me. Over the weeks I found a shirt here, some underwear there, and I’d stash them under this loose board in a back room. I would sneak money outta’ this box in a closet an’ stash it and I’d look out the windows and tried’a figger where I was.

Finally, one day when it was hot, so summer I guessed, I made the jump. I cut my ropes with the edge of a crate that I’d found; jeez it was sharp, and then I got a nice, thick log from the firebox, and when Andy woke up an’ came lookin’ for me, I clubbed him back of his head, just like Bam! I had dressed, mostly in stuff from Dumb Andy ‘cuz the Prick was too tall and I even had a jacket.

I left the dumb jerk lying on the floor an’ I took off. The highway was real close, like just a short run away.”

Kendra decided that a question here could help in her ‘investigation’, and Lillian’s answer gave Kendra something definitely to go on. It turned out the men’s house was quite close to the main highway leading to the small airport.

“I got a ride again real quick; it’s like the only thing I’m good at, I guess.” Lillian actually smiled at this and Kendra hugged her.

Over the next few minutes, Lillian described meeting Teri, who was nice to her in many ways, before abandoning her when he got word that the police were closing in on him. But Kendra wasn’t interested in Teri just now; she wanted to get after the scumbags, Richard and Andy.

Lillian went downstairs and Kendra headed back to her computer.

****

Jessica had finally made it to the coffee house and when she was seated she noticed: no Mary, Marcy glanced at her but did not make eye contact and Meg’s father was sitting and nervously tapping an envelope on his small table. She sipped her tea and pondered all this, while also making note that Meg look particularly lovely tonight, her auburn tresses reflecting the modest ‘stage’ lighting.

At the end of the evening Jessica, as usual, slipped without notice out the side door; since Meg had her own rattle-trap tonight she didn’t need to stay. Once in her darkened car, she sat and observed as the place slowly emptied. She saw Kevin Greenfield give Meg a quick hug and the envelope he had been tapping, then practically lurch out the door and head off in a rush, almost as if he were afraid Meg would try to stop him.

When the last patron had exited, Jessica saw Marcy make her way to the front doors as Meg leaned against the bar; but that was all she could witness as Marcy drew down the blinds.

Inside, Meg stood somewhat awkwardly by the row of bar stools. She waited until Marcy approached, but the woman cast her a quick smile and headed to the storage area down the hall. Meg followed, feeling a little uncertain as to what to do next. She was not wearing the earbuds or camera tonight; she was flying solo.

Marcy entered the storage room and began taking out some wine, as Meg leaned against the door and waited. After a few minutes Marcy stopped and stood up, then stood twisting her fingers in her apron and looking at Meg, who decided to approach the woman. When Meg was a couple of steps away, Marcy looked down, her fingers still busy. “What is it?” Meg asked.

Marcy looked up, an odd smile on her face. “I, um, I’m still trying to make sense of yesterday,” she said  quietly.

“I thought you enjoyed our time,” Meg said, also quietly, taking another step and reaching out to stroke the other’s arm. Marcy turned and picked up an armful of bottles and began walking back to the bar, Meg following still unsure of what she should to do.

“Talk to me, Marcy,” Meg said, coming up behind the woman as she re-stocked one wine rack.

Marcy tilted her head down, speaking to the cabinet. “I, did enjoy, our time. But meeting your, um, friend, that was alarming.”

Meg reached out and placed a hand on one of Marcy’s shoulders. “But we still had what we had,” she said, moving close and speaking into Marcy’s neck.

“Hmmmm,” Marcy murmured, closing her eyes, but not moving away. “And what, exactly, did we have, Meg?”

****

Despite the late hour, Lauren Douglas and Dawn Haynes were just heading down in the elevator from their offices. It had taken more work than they had guessed to come to understand the company they were ‘running’, although with each day, they were developing more control. Dawn was flying out to New York on a late flight, so the women had each brought their own cars.

As Lauren approached her vehicle in the mostly empty lot, she noticed movement from the lot’s edge, by the tall, heavy fence that ran between the lot and the neighboring property. Her hand froze by her door handle as the camel-coated figure of Simon Cutter stepped into view, possibly fifteen steps away.

“Hello, Lauren Bitch,” he said, his thin face looking unpleasant in the light of the street lamp. “How are we doing?” He smirked, and began his approach.

****

For the second time that day, Kendra stretched and rubbed her eyes, then closed up her computer. She looked at the clock, noting she’d spent another three hours on the case, piecing things together. Now, as Meg and Marcy were standing in awkward silence, Kendra was looking at her notes: Richard Brown, fifty-six and Andrew Thomas, fifty, were the two men who had kidnapped and tortured Lillian.

Although there was not a lot on these two individuals, both with sparse work histories and no social presence, she did have an address and their fairly recent pictures, as both had minor criminal records; and that was all she needed. For now.

****

Carol Douglas, seated in first class and awaiting her ordered whiskey, looked across the aisle of the seven- thirty-seven at a face she recognized. “Moira Hennessy?” She asked cautiously, and the woman turned to regard her aisle-mate.

“Carol Douglas? Well for heaven’s sakes, it’s been years.” The woman, possibly seven or eight years Douglas’s senior, some grey beginning to color the edges of her short brunette hair, said with enthusiasm.

“Yes, indeed. Let’s see if the flight attendant can switch one of us.” When the woman returned with the drink, she was able to move Hennessy beside Douglas, and once Moira had her refreshment, the two ladies began an animated chat. Both were business women from Ottawa, although with quite different interests, but both had been successful without any male support (or interference, Hennessy had noted) and were women of (some) influence.

Now, before Douglas visited Mexico City, Miami, Dallas, L.A. and Vancouver in her closing-up process, she was making a trip to London. There was something there of interest to her, two things actually, and she hoped her visit and discovery would end as a gift for her mistress, when the two of them were finally together. And it looked now like she would have some pleasant company for her flight.

****

Meg entered the house and mounted the four stairs to find Jessica and Lillian sitting, although on separate couches. “Hey Kid, come and join us,” Jessica offered as a greeting, sounding more like a friend than a mistress. Meg moved to the couch and sat down, smiling across at Lillian before giving Jessica a smooch on one cheek. “Where’s the Queen?” she asked, Kendra being noticeable by her absence.

“She hit the sack early; guess she put in a long day doing a bunch of, uh, research I think,” Jessica replied, casting a quick glance at Lillian, who looked down. Meg looked from one girl to the other; what was up?

Lillian spoke in her husky voice, always surprising given her youth. “I told Kendo a bunch of shit, like about me and stuff and it, like, got to her. She’s doin’ stuff for me, eh?” Lillian looked from one to the other.

“She cares for you, Kid. You know that, right?” Jessica asked quietly, no smirk in evidence

Lillian was very quiet, but her face was soft in the darkened room; only two corner lamps were on and much of Lillian was in shadow. “I know. Um, it scares me sometimes, ‘cuz I don’t want to, um, believe, eh?”

Jessica nodded. “I know what you mean.” She smiled and pulled something from her pocket, “But she did leave us this, hey kids.” Jessica announced with a grin, lighting the joint courtesy of Kendra. Lillian came to kneel in front of the two on the couch as they shared the smoke. It didn’t last long but with a flourish, Jessica produced another (one will never do, Kendra had laughed when she gave Jessica the weed.)

The women took turns and soon the second joint was gone, too. Jessica looked at Meg, “Take your clothes off, Sweets.” She murmured and Meg undressed, dumping her clothes in a pile on the carpet. Jessica looked at Lillian, “Take off your clothes, please Lil; we really want to see you.”

Lillian looked up with her eyes dark, almost black, but quietly undressed, still kneeling. “God, you are so fucking beautiful,” Jessica murmured, directing Meg down to Lillian’s breasts. Meg kissed and squeezed each full breast in turn, nibbling and pulling on the large dark nipples, before reaching up to kiss Lillian’s mouth. The girl, surprisingly, responded with a moan, sucking hard on Meg’s lips, both girls grabbing handfuls of each other’s hair. As they kissed and thrust against each other, Jessica too undressed and began to pleasure herself as she watched the two beautiful creatures before her in their hypnotic dance.

It was only a few minutes later, with Lillian on top in a classic sixty-nine position, her face wedged into Meg’s crotch while Meg’s experienced tongue danced along and inside Lillian’s thick, purple, cord-like labia, that Lillian arched her back and cried out softly, her hips thrusting in spasms, before collapsing with her face mashed into Meg’s curling, reddish pubic hair.

The two young women lay entwined now, as Jessica’s fingers plunged into her own wet sex and her own muted cries of joy issued forth.

****

Lauren froze, her key in mid-air, before she regained her voice. “What are you doing here, Simon?” She asked, her voice shaky.

Simon snorted, he was now just steps away from her. “Oh, needed to see how my little enterprise is doing, my dear, and of course, touch base with my two favourite employees.”

“We aren’t, technically, your employees,” Lauren said with more courage than she felt, but she did remember the words of the contract Cutter had signed. Her mother had made sure the man had no direct control over her for two years and even then, Carol Douglas had voting rights that, with the other shareholders, could out vote Cutter on management issues.

Cutter regarded Lauren with disdain. What would she do, he wondered, if he just slapped her hard right now. Well, he wasn’t ready for the possible fallout from that just yet. The bitch would get what was coming, all in due time.

“Lookit,’ Simon, just come by the office in regular hours and see us. We’re there every day.” Lauren said, as evenly as she could, quickly unlocking her car and getting in.

Cutter watched her with a smirk on his thin face, but when Lauren looked back in her rear view mirror, that face had hardened into an ugly mask of loathing.

Perhaps even hate.

****

Carol had dozed, as had Moira, and when she awoke she saw below them a darkness, stretching forever, that was in fact the Atlantic. As she gazed, Moira’s voice interrupted her reverie, “Always looks so cold, hmmm?” she asked in a quiet voice. The cabin was dark save for a few reading lights, most passengers sleeping.

“Yes, although right now it’s just blackness,” Carol replied.

Moira adjusted herself in her seat, before saying, “I’ve heard rumors there Carol, about you selling off shares and selling companies outright; what’s happening?”

Without giving up too many details, Carol did confess to a ‘change in her life’ and, yes, she’s was ‘down-sizing.’

Moira sat for a moment, “That is interesting. Is it, a man?” She asked, a twinkle in her eye.

The question took Carol by surprise, and she hesitated, then thought, what the Hell?

“No, it’s a woman, actually.”

Moira Hennessy simply sat, staring.

(End of Chapter 13)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 12

Some Reach For The Rose While Others Find But Thorns   

Meg woke with a start; she had not slept well, waking with erotic thoughts. She looked over at her mistress. With the combination of wine and grass, Jessica was still sleeping soundly.

Meg wanted to reach over and caress her, but she knew she must wait and receive permission or instructions. It was a privilege for her to share this bed, and she was respectful of that.

In her house, Marcy was also up early and full of anticipation. She told herself to calm down, get a grip, etcetera, but it didn’t matter. She was impatient to get to her encounter; eager to bury her face between Meg’s lovely thighs.

Dan, who had come in when she was sleeping and unaware of the time, was still in bed; he didn’t work with the cleaning crew today and would be at the coffee shop for one, while Marcy worked the supper to closing time.

In her condo, Mary was also up and ready to head to the photographer’s studio where she worked; her shift ended today at three and she was really looking forward to getting Meg alone. She was up early as she wanted to make a stop at a sex toys shop that she knew opened early; there were a couple of things she wanted for her session. She would take it slow with the lovely Meg, but she was keen on seeing what the girl wanted. Did she really want to be dominated? Mary could not help but smile at the thought.

In his condo, Kevin Greenfield counted the money again; five hundred dollars. He put it carefully into an envelope; he wanted to give the money to Meg but he wasn’t sure how she would react. He sat at the table and rehearsed several opening statements and scenarios.

Nothing was perfect but he was determined to act.

In Montreal, Simon Cutter headed off the plane and down to the front of the airport, where he caught a cab that would deliver him to his rental apartment close to the HeyThere! office building. He wasn’t entirely sure of his next steps, but he wasn’t through with Lauren just yet.

Just after nine, Kendra, a little slow moving this morning, answered a call from Carol. The woman should have things wrapped up today; did her mistress want her tonight?

“You’re kidding right, my bitch,” Kendra purred. “Get that sweet ass of yours here by seven, and I might go easy on you.”

This brought a smile to her face and Carol had to laugh at herself. But desire was what it was, and she had no interest in analyzing this, “Yes Mistress, I will be there, and very eager to make up for my absences. My sweet ass, as you say, will be most deserving of whatever you feel is required. I am, your faithful slave.”

Her heart pounding, Carol ended the call and started to get ready the things she needed for today; she was determined to be at her mistress’s house before the appointed time; she needed this, because soon she would be off travelling, possibly for a few weeks to finalize the closing of her North American businesses.

Sitting on her couch in her robe, Kendra Chand thought again of how crazy this was; but crazy good. She’d have to think of something special for ‘her girl’; but first she needed coffee.

****

Around eleven, Jessica was alert enough to chat. “So, what’s the deal today, Kid?” Kendra asked her sleepy-looking housemate.

Jessica yawned and stretched. “First off, I think my girl is going to make me some bacon and eggs, hmmm?” Jessica said, looking at Meg who was chained naked by her collar to a stair railing. Getting up and releasing her, Jessica slapped Meg’s ass as she headed off to the kitchen to make her mistress’s brunch.

“Okay,” Jessica said, collapsing onto a couch. “Today is like a double-header, you know, like they say in sports. First up is the submissive Marcy, and I’m going to direct Meg-Slave on her, um, session. I’m pushing today, introducing some bondage and discipline, but we’ll take our time, see where it goes.”

“And I’ll be able to watch the action on our wonderful surveillance system,” Kendra smiled. “Our own live porn show, eh?” She added.

“Yeah,” Jessica agreed. “Then at four, Mary shows up to give my Meg a bit of domination. That should be fun. My only question is how best to introduce myself into this, and, like, Meg’s role.”

“Hmmmm,” Kendra murmured, “Sounds like ‘Hump’ day is going to be more like ‘Humping Day’.” Both women laughed out loud.

****

Meg opened the door to a clearly nervous looking Marcy, who none-the-less smiled and entered. At this point, Meg was just following Jessica’s directions, and she led Marcy into the living area. When Marcy went to sit on the couch, Meg stopped her, indicating a spot on the carpet with her foot, “No, I think you should be here, on the floor.”

Marcy smiled and knelt where directed, with Meg taking her purse and jacket and tossing them into the corner. Jessica now had Marcy turn and face away, while Meg came up behind her, kissed her neck and reached around to squeeze her breasts; once again, Marcy was not wearing a bra. “I think you like having someone tell you what to do, hmmmm, Marce?” Meg asked, in as sultry a manner as she could; Jessica smiled.

Marcy swallowed hard, her heart rate increasing and arousal already building.

“Ummm, yeah, I guess. Uh, sometimes.”

“I think you like being on your knees, don’t you?”

“Uh, ummmm, uh, yesss, I guess…”

Meg pushed Marcy forward so her face was on the carpet, “Stay like that until I tell you,” she directed, and Marcy simply moaned in response.

Behind her, Meg stripped, and when she was naked, walked around the kneeling form to stand with her bare feet by the woman’s face. “Lick my feet, Slave,” she ordered in what she wanted to be her ‘dominant’ voice, but not feeling all that dominant; she would rather be the one kneeling, and she glanced up at where the camera was located and smiled.

Jessica reassured her, “You’re doing fine, Meg-slave, just keep your voice even and say just what I tell you. Meg nodded at the camera, then spoke. “That’s good, Bitch, but lick with longer strokes. Get that tongue all along my foot and suck my toes. You’re being allowed to serve me, so show respect.”

“Uhhhh, oh, mmmm, yes, um yes,” Marcy mumbled, sucking several toes into her mouth.

“Miss, M.”

“Mmmmmphff, yes, Miss, um, M.”

“Do you want to lick me…higher?”

“Ohhh, ummm, oh God, yes, M-Miss M.”

Even Meg had to smile at the response. “Well, we’ll see if you can earn that.” Going to a desk, Meg removed a slave collar and a chain leash. She returned and had Marcy kneel, giving her the collar to put on. Marcy had a little trouble with this task because of her arousal, but in a few moments the wide but soft, red, leather collar was on. It had the word ‘Bitch’ in black letters and Meg asked Marcy what her name for the afternoon was.

Marcy looked down, “Ohhhhh, oh, God. Um, it’s uh, Bitch, Miss.”

“Who?”

“Miss, M.”

“Strip completely.”

Once Marcy was naked, Meg tied her wrists together, and then, using a similar strap to the collar, soft, red, leather, Meg tied Marcy’s arms at the elbows, thrusting her chest and modest breasts forward. Meg attached two adjustable nipple clips to the small but erect pink nipples. These were the kind with a screw allowing the dominant to tighten as much as desired. With Marcy moaning in response, Meg tightened the clips almost all the way, flattening the nipples.

Attaching the leash to the collar, Meg led Marcy upstairs and down the hall, then into Jessica’s bedroom, where the king-sized bed was ready for someone to be tied down. Lying on the ottoman were several paddles, dildos and butt plugs. Marcy was in for a complete workout, and as Jessica watched, her fingers pleasured her very wet pussy.

It was good that Kendra had taken Lillian and Allie with her, for more shopping and just a visit out. Jessica had at least another hour to see what Marcy was all about.

****

Mary finished framing the family portrait and looked up at the clock. Two o’clock; damn! The time was just creeping by. “How badly do I want this?” Mary asked herself again; pretty bad, she had to conclude, with a wry smile.

She thought then, again, of the package in her car; the things she had found at the ‘Love Is Extreme’ shop.

That was part of the problem; the more she thought, the more she wanted to use them. Soon, she advised her impatient mind. Looking up, it was two-oh-seven. Damn!

****

Kendra, Allie and Lillian all arrived back about three-forty-five, with Kendra texting Jessica so their timing was on. Marcy, exhausted and happy after two orgasms, left wearing a butt plug and a card with Jessica’s phone number on it. The woman was certainly surprised when Jessica made her appearance, as Marcy was tied down on the bed. Then Jessica explained things and skillfully brought the woman to her second (very) happy ending, one that left her panting and sweating.

When Jessica released her, she gave Marcy the card, saying what happened next depended on what she wanted. They left the butt plug in and sent the woman off to work, her mind a mass of emotion. Meg and Marcy were able to hold and kiss each other good-bye, and Marcy had whispered. “It’s really about you, Meg. I feel…so much for you it scares me.”

“I hope you call, Marce. We can be slave sisters and be together. Today was just a taste,” Meg had purred.

“Do you really want to, um, carry on with me? You have an, um, Mistress after all,” Marcy had whispered into one ear.

Meg had kissed her and replied, “I really want to be close to you. I love kissing you and touching you. It felt so good seeing you come today. I was happy for you. You have to admit it was good.”

Marcy chuckled softly, “Oh, yeah, it was good…Miss M.” She smiled.

“See you tomorrow, Marcy.” Meg had said, watching the woman leave and head down the walk to her car.

****

When Meg looked out the front window at five minutes to four, she saw Mary parked and waiting; she smiled. Three minutes later, the woman was walking up to the front door, carrying a bag.

Lillian was in her room, having been told there would be a ‘guest’ coming and could she just ‘hang out’ there awhile. Allie was led into Kendra’s room and stood waiting as Kendra sat beside Jessica and the two screens that showed, at the moment, the living room and her bedroom. Allie then stripped and was blindfolded; the two mistresses would take turns with her between their legs.

As they watched the screens they saw Meg answer the door and let the pleasant looking woman enter. Meg took her coat and the two walked up the four stairs to the living room, with Mary moving in farther and Meg standing and waiting. Mary turned and smiled; a broad smile. “So, how does this begin?” She asked quietly.

Meg looked down. “First, how would you want me to, um, address you?”

Mary smiled at this, as well, “Let’s go with Mistress this time out.”

“Very good…Mistress,” Meg replied, feeling the heat building and resisting the urge to look at the camera.

There was a pause before Mary instructed, quietly, “Take off all your clothes and get down on your knees.” Meg had worn very little in preparation, and soon was ready on the carpet, on all fours. Mary came over and ran a soft hand down Meg’s back, producing a quiver of response, before sliding the hand down to a buttock and squeezing it, then slapping it hard, producing a grunt and a small cry.

“Lower your face to the floor and get your ass higher; spread your knees, I want to see your cunt open,” Mary instructed, beginning to feel the power and control and her own arousal. Meg lowered and spread herself as told, wanting to be used. Mary rubbed the toe of her shoe between Meg’s legs, noting the beads of moisture already glistening there. “You are a hot little bitch, aren’t you?” Mary crooned, pressing her toe into Meg’s pussy.

“Uuuhhhh, mmmm, yes, M-mistress; I’m a hot little b-bitch who wants to serve you. But, um, my room is ready if you’d like to take me in there.”

Mary had Meg sit and opened the bag of things she had bought. She took out a black collar and fastened it around Meg’s neck, then attached a leash and said. “Stay on your knees and lead me.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Meg moaned and started crawling to the stairs and up. As she was ascending, Mary slapped the round ass before her, thinking how incredible this was.

Soon they were at Jessica’s room and Mary saw that the bed had straps on the corners and there was the array of paddles and clips lined up. She had brought some lube and plugs, a new dildo and her best paddle; well, her only paddle. This was an arousing sight.

Mary had Meg climb on the bed and lie on her stomach, while she tethered her wrists and ankles with the straps. Picking up a gag labelled, ‘cunt’ she strapped it into Meg’s mouth, then decided she would start with her paddle. For the next minute she struck with a firm and steady stroke, and soon Meg’s ass had turned a nice shade of red. Pausing, she lubed up a medium sized plug and slowly forced it into Meg’s anus.

In Kendra’s room, both women, with the help of the eager Allie, were getting off on the show.

As the hour went on, Mary would fuck Meg from behind, and then turn her over for some heavy kissing and fucking with a two-headed dildo, with Mary on top. Finally, the woman turned Meg back face down and used a double-headed-dildo to fuck both Meg’s holes at the same time. Jessica brought herself to an orgasm watching this, before gasping, “Hot, bloody, fucking Hell, damn that was good. Oh. My. God.”

Kendra just laughed softly, before Allie’s tongue produced a mild climax for her as well.

Jessica decided to make her appearance, as Meg, now with her hands tied behind her back, was lying on the bed beside Mary, who was gently stroking and kissing her, satisfied and content. Jessica came in quietly, and the response was interesting. Meg with a look of wonder and concern; Mary with a look of absolute amazement, as if a cat had entered and began speaking.

“Hello, Mary. I’m Jessica Robb. You’ve been enjoying my slave this afternoon but now we need to talk.” Mary had opened and closed her mouth; twice. But no words came out. Jessica simply stood smiling as Meg lay and regarded her, a smile on her gentle face as well.    ****

It was later in the evening and the house was remarkably quiet, almost serene. Kendra sat by herself in the living room, drinking a pleasant Merlot. She had been running through in her mind the day’s sexual events; it had been pretty amazing, seeing the lovely Meg in both roles; submissive and (pretend) dominant. Strange how things work out, she pondered; she certainly hadn’t been looking for a ‘middle-aged’ woman to come into her life, seeking purpose and whatever; and Jessica, while always on the look-out, had certainly not imagined finding someone like Meg. Strange.

As she sat relaxing, Lillian glided silently into the room. She stood looking at Kendra, “The, uh, folks have all like fucked off, eh?” She asked bluntly.

Kendra chuckled at this. “Yup. Thanks for staying out of the way.”

Lillian snickered. “Right. I still could still hear stuff, eh?” She smirked.

“I’m sure, Kid. But by now, you can’t be surprised at what goes on here, hmmmmm?” She paused as they regarded each other, both now wearing smirks. “Would you like some wine?”

“Nope, Kendo, but maybe you got somethin’ in your stash, eh?”

Kendra smiled. She’d discovered her connection to cannabis while still in high school, and it had become part of her routine. She had become a little concerned after law school when doing her articling; were there drug tests; could people smell it? She laid off the weed for over a year then, but now, secure in her work life, she had brought her ‘stash’ back up.

Returning with a couple of joints, Kendra lit one, inhaled deeply, and passed it to Lillian, who did the same. The two worked on the joint and it was gone quickly, so they lit a second.

As Kendra sat and regarded her young roommate, she made a decision; hopefully it wouldn’t shut Lillian down.

“Lillian, I want you to tell me, um, everything.”

Lillian regarded her, her eyes a little dreamy but still wary. “Whad’ya, mean, K?”

“I want your whole story. All of it, from as far back as you can remember. I want to know what happened; what life on the streets was like and even before. I know you’ve had some bad experiences and I really, really want to know…” She paused, uncertain if her speech was effective.

“Why?” Lillian asked, in her direct way.

Kendra sighed, “Oh, because. It’s not hard, really.” She paused and looked at the girl’s dark eyes. “For whatever reason, I’ve come to care about you, not as a companion, but as someone I can, um, benefit, you know, help, I guess. I like you very much, Lillian. That part might be harder to explain…”

“Like a mom?” Lillian smirked.

“No, not really, um, well maybe a little. I don’t want to be your mom; I want to be your friend. Now please, start with what you remember and just go forward. We can sit here and smoke and chill and I can come to know more about you. That’s what I really want. Really.”

“Hmmmmm,” Lillian said, but then she began.

It was a story fairly vague from early on. She could remember tiny bits about Charlie, for example; his smile, and that when she thought of him, it was with a pleasant feeling. She didn’t know what had happened between her mom and Charlie, but then things became sketchy, in her life and in her memory; likely because she and her mom were then on the move.

They lived in Kenora and Thunder Bay, and maybe other places, but eventually ended up back in Winnipeg, where the down slide began. Her mom, in Lillian’s mind and memory, turned away from her heritage and her people. Drinking and involvement with men, non-native men, became her mother’s life. Lillian remembered lots of men, or lots of men’s faces, anyway.

When Lillian turned twelve, the men began to pay more attention to her; it was really only a matter of time. She was able, and again the ideas came back like pieces of a puzzle, to remember staying out of sight and watching for trouble and being always on guard.

One night, just after she turned fourteen, she recalled a conversation; this was something she remembered quite clearly, when her mom’s boyfriend at the time, Big Chris, proposed to her mom that ‘the girl start earning her keep’. He had friends, he said, who would pay good money to spend time with the attractive young woman. Likely she was giving it away anyway; why shouldn’t they benefit, was his argument?

Lillian had felt a chill come through her when her mother began to go along with the idea. Although she was inexperienced sexually at that point and actually still a virgin, Lillian had seen her mother having sex and knew what happened. She didn’t want that to happen to her, so she gathered some things together that night and took money from Chris’s wallet and just left; and her odyssey began.

“I got lucky, that first night, when a woman a, um, business woman, eh, gave me a ride all the way to T’under Bay. She even bought me breakfast,” Lillian remembered.

From there, things became more and more difficult. “’dat first year in TB, I lived off of churches and shelters, and I learned to steal; food, money, whatever. I can’t believe I uh, just, lived; but winter was hard, and finally I hooked up with some people. I was sick of being alone.”

At this point in the narrative, Kendra had produced a third joint and they began sharing that; so far, she had not said anything or asked for explanations; she had just let Lillian ramble.

“I was like fifteen I guess and me and three other girls and two guys drove to T’ranna and lived in a condemned house and shit. The girls started sex stuff and I had to be a part of that or leave. They taught me hand jobs and blow jobs. I still hadn’t had like real sex, eh. It was rough at times, ‘cuz we was just squattin’ an’ there was no power in the building; we’d burn stuff and we had like sleepin’ bags. Everybody drank but me, but I started to smoke. The weed gave me peace, eh.”

Lillian paused here again, the memories rolling back. “One day, two of the girls came home with a dude and he took us back to his place. It was a Friday night. He was a brown guy, but not native, and he had some buddies. They came over ‘to party’ but they just raped us, taking turns. I ‘member how much it hurt, at first.

And ‘dey beat us for the whole weekend. They burned us with hot coat hangers and threatened to cut us. Then on Monday, we were taken to a house where we were given a choice: be beat or start doing body rubs and shit. We all worked and we all just slept together in the basement, eh.

They got pills for us so we wouldn’t have, like, babies.” Lillian paused and leaned her head back, eyes closed. In her memory was a sea of faces; she remembered the whiskers of the men’s faces scratching her; she could remember how some of them smelled.

“After a while, I’m not sure how long, those guys sold me and another girl to a guy who ran a nicer place; it was still sex, but it was better, ‘cause we had real food and clean clothes ‘n stuff, eh.”

Here Lillian paused again, her eyes still closed. Whatever the next memory was, it was not good. She shook her head, like she was shaking away something. “We worked and slept and smoked. It was, like, uh, just time movin’ along, eh. We’d say like another hour, another dick, just make it to the night, you’re a’right. Then that guy sold me, but just by myself, to these two…”

Here, she hesitated, breathing hard and Kendra watched her with concern; Lillian had her face covered by her hands, “uh, fuck. Ummmmmm, Goddamn, these fucking assholes. Just assholes. Fuck.”

When she paused this time, Kendra felt like she should say…something. This was clearly a very nasty time and these two men were obviously horrid. When Lillian began, her voice was choked and small, but she continued. “They, uhhhh, just showed up one night and threw me in the back of their, uh, vehicle eh, and took off. We drove for hours and they would just drag me out to pee on the side of the road and give me water and then off again.”

“We finally ended up back at their shit hole of a place in Kenora. And that’s where they kept me for, um, fuck, six months I think.”

Kendra looked at the lovely, tear-stained face as Lillian opened her eyes, black in the darkened room. The two women regarded each other in silence, Kendra feeling a deep sadness and then an anger rising within her, and not exactly sure why; she reached out and gently stroked one arm.

When Lillian spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “It was the only time I ever t’ought about dyin’, eh.”

(End of Chapter 12)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 11 Love is patient, love is kind; it does not envy, it is not proud  

“So, how do you, you know, know what to do next?” Meg asked as they drove along; today she had been allowed to sit up front. She and Jessica were discussing…the treatment of bound slave victims! Specifically, what sorts of things Jessica liked to do to women who were tied on a bed (or a table, like their room).

This conversation had been initiated by Jessica mentioning that Marcy was a submissive, like Meg, maybe even more-so, and it would be fun seeing how far she would go. Jessica’s plan was to use Meg as the instrument of her ‘engagement’, and Meg was of course not confident in carrying out this task.

“Hey,” Jessica smiled, keeping her focus on the road ahead, “it’s not like there’s a, um, play book or anything. You kinda’ make it up as you go along.”

Meg gently shook her head. “You might say that, but to me you always have a path or a guide in your mind of what you want to do to me. That’s why I’m always totally lost in your power; you are making me do what you want. It never seems like you’re just plodding along, seeing what might pop up. No way, Mistress, with all due respect.”

Jessica smiled. “Good thing you added that last part, Meg-slave. I would have needed to stop the car and lay on a good spanking.” Meg slowly turned her face to look at her mistress, and they both burst out laughing.

****

“You can speak with him, you know,” Kendra said. “Your father would like to hear from you. Very much.”

Lillian sat by the window in the kitchen, light streaming in, illuminating her. She had been quiet this morning, although she had hugged Kendra a little longer than usual. Kendra had said nothing until now, after Lillian had eaten her breakfast and was just sitting. She looked up, and her face was again emotionless, and when she spoke there was no anger or even sadness there. “D’you think I should?”

Kendra nodded her head. “Yes. I believe he cares for you. He was happy to hear you were in, um, a saf-er place. He says he’s thought about you often; he was even able to travel to Kenora once in search of you, but your mother had already left, and no one knew where.”

Lillian nodded her head. “Ya’, I think we lived in T’under Bay; not real sure. Got some mem’ries, ya’ know? But they’re, uh, foggy, eh.”

Kendra nodded her head, too.

****

“So level with me, sugar,” Holly said, looking intently into Lia’s face, light brown mono-brow arching, “Are you in on any of this or not?” This, of course, being the abuse of selected girls at the Detention Centre.

Lia sighed. “I’m not judging, Holly. I’ve just decided this isn’t for me, hmmm.”

“And that’s it?” The brow arched even higher.

Lia sighed again, “Whad’ya want me to say? I’m not into it just now. Might change. Who knows? You can still do what you want, doesn’t matter to me.”

“Mmmmmffff,” Holly muttered, sipping some coffee.

****

It being Tuesday, Meg would be playing the coffee shop, …and seeing Marcy, later. But this afternoon she was to deal with another woman, her friend Mary. It was their first face to face in weeks and an awful lot (My God, Meg thought) had happened. Meg wasn’t even sure she could just ‘act normal’, but she did have her mistress along for support, as Meg was wearing the brooch and the ear piece.

The meeting spot was at a Tim Hortons and Jessica was able to park out front and watch them without a camera, but she liked being able to focus on facial expressions as well, if she chose. She was interested in this Mary; she and Meg had fooled around; was she a true rival?

What Jessica saw was a young woman, mid-twenties, her own height, slim build, blonde hair; an attractive, perky look. Not beautiful by any means by certainly ‘decent’. Mary’s clothes and manner, the way she moved, indicated to Jessica that this woman was not submissive. Maybe the woman had seen that trait in Meg?

The two women shared a hug and then sat with their tea in a booth right by the window; Jessica had a front row seat. The first part of the conversation was just getting the news out of the way; Mary’s father had shown some improvement, but there really was no need for her to stay. The doctors felt it was only a matter of time before he had another ‘event’, and that would likely be the end. This was difficult, when the man was only in his fifties.

“What can you do?” Mary asked, looking with sad eyes across the table, and Meg reached out and stroked a hand, before Mary continued. “But wow, your dad shows up out of the proverbial blue. Man.” Meg then spent a few minutes bringing her friend up to speed on her father situation. “I think it’s the right idea, Meg, my girl.” She said, “Life is too short, damn it.”

Meg nodded and then Mary burst out with her question. “So what’s this gig you got?”

Meg filled her in on the Purple Barista. “I’d like to have you join me, sometimes, anyway. I’m sure Marcy wants the music, and I’ve done pretty well. The place just doesn’t make much so I hate to push, but it would be great having you there, maybe once a week?”

“You sure, kid? I don’t want to butt in on your scene.”

They kicked around the pros and cons; Meg didn’t care about the money, although she wasn’t going to tell Mary why; at least not just yet. She liked the thought of the two of them doing some playing together again.

Now silence settled over them and they smiled, almost self-consciously across the table, until Jessica’s prompt had Meg say. “I, um, was sad when you had to go. I, uh, really liked, you know…”

Mary took the hint and smiled, “Our love-making?”

Meg chuckled, “Um, yeah, that. It was my first time, you know, with a, um, woman, and it was great, um, wonderful, really. I…”

Mary smiled a knowing smile, “You…?”

“Wanted to meet again.” They were quiet again, Meg’s head down as she focused her gaze on her cup.

Mary meanwhile was looking intently at the auburn curls and then the attractive frame below the slender neck. She spoke quietly. “I want to hook up with you again, Meg. You see, that wasn’t my first time, but I really enjoyed it, too. So, what’s happening in your life?”

Jessica took control now, and moved Meg into new territory. “Can I ask you something, something personal, Mare?” Meg murmured.

The woman nodded her head, “Yeah, shoot.” She smiled.

“Have you ever, um, spanked anyone?”

There was a pause where Mary’s eyes grew wide, then narrowed, then she laughed, “You playing me, kiddo?”

“No,” Meg said simply, honestly, looking up with her innocent eyes. “I don’t play people; I think you know that. I’m asking straight up.”

Mary smiled again,”Hmmmm, this is interesting, but, yes, I’ve spanked a couple of people; a guy first, and, funny, I didn’t dig that, but then a girl and since then another girl, a woman, actually. I loved it. I, uh, love it.” She paused and looked hard at Meg. “I’d love to spank you, if that’s where this is leading, and I hope it is.”

Meg looked up and smiled.

****

It was another decent crowd at the coffee house tonight, several of them returnees who had already begun making requests, including one of Meg’s originals. Since Dan was also working the shop tonight, Meg and Marcy played it cool, but Meg did manage to make a connection: Marcy would come to the house tomorrow at one for a couple of hours.

On the way home, Jessica was energetic. “This is good stuff, Meg-girl. We have Marce coming at one tomorrow and then Mary at four. Hmmmm, lots of planning, but I love it. Love it, love it, love it.”

Meg had to laugh at her mistress’s enthusiasm. “Do you think my pussy can handle all the attention?” she asked mildly.

“Hooo boy, listen to the shy girl! That coming out of your mouth is different, hey kid? But yeah, I think your pussy will hold up just fine, but we need to plan. Plan. Plan. Plan.”

Meg felt the arousal building and she did nothing to fight it; pleasing her mistress made her happy, why question it? “I’ll do whatever you want,” Meg said quietly, gently touching Jessica’s leg, before quickly withdrawing, and adding, “May I please touch you, Mistress?”

Jessica smiled, struggling to not burst out cheering. This was unbelievable. What had she done to deserve this? “Yes, my girl, please touch me.” She focused on the road as the gentle hand glided up her leg and rested between her thighs; her smile grew.

****

“D’you know how she…died?” Lillian asked.

Kendra had some information; how much to share? “It was a heart attack, but there were, um, complications.”

Lillian looked back with a steady expression. “Drugs?”

“Yeah,” Kendra nodded her head.

“And booze o’course,” Lillian added, looking away and brushing her long black hair back. She was wearing pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, yet the outline of her lovely body remained visible.

“Most likely,” Kendra agreed, glancing at the round swell of breast that showed in partial silhouette. When it came to Lillian’s mom, the end wasn’t pretty, so why pretend, but also why belabor the point?

Lillian looked like she was about to add something when the front door opened and Jessica and Meg came in, chatting. Jessica looked up to the raised living area. “Hey kids, what you up to?”

“Nothing much,” Kendra replied. “Come and join us, tell us about your giggy-jiggy-thingee, or whatever.

“Just gig, although Meg could do a jig if we like,” Jessica laughed, and the two girls joined the conversation.

****

Dan and Marcy had just finished putting everything away and Dan sat for a moment as Marcy got her jacket. She looked at him. “What’s up?”

He shook his shaggy head, but then asked, “I was going to ask you the same question.”

“Why?” She glanced away.

“You seem, um, distracted, or maybe preoccupied is the right word. I know we have an, agreement, but I just like to know when you’re uh, involved with someone. Um,” he paused, as if searching for the right words. “if I didn’t know better, I’d say you had something going with our lovely, young artist.”

Marcy snickered quietly, then replied, “Why would you say that?”

Dan looked at her. “We’ve been together twelve years, Marce, some things you just know about a person. The way you look at her tells me there’s something going on.”

Marcy hadn’t realized her feelings were so obvious, but she didn’t feel like getting in to anything with Dan just now; she was thinking ahead with pleasure at her

Upcoming afternoon get-together. “She’s very nice; very friendly. I like seeing her and talking to her. No need to get your undies in a twist, as they say.”

Dan nodded his head; but he was far from convinced.

****

Lillian had not stayed long after the arrivals, and Meg soon followed suit; tonight she was being allowed to sleep on her mistress’s bed.

“Wine?” Kendra asked.

“Sure,” Jessica agreed, “got any red?”

“Fer-shur, as the kids say.” Kendra announced from the wine rack.

“Where’s your slave these days?” Jessica asked.

Kendra headed to the kitchen for an opener and glasses, while talking. “She’s dealing with properties, consolidating things. She wants to move in here, geez, but she wants to make sure the daughter is settled and not about to suddenly return. She also has a long-time employee she wants to look after.”

“Does her employee enjoy being paddled by any chance?” Jessica smirked, as Kendra handed her a glass and sat down on the carpet in front of her.

“Ha! I would guess, no. She’s in her sixties and sounds pretty straight. Carol-slave certainly hasn’t mentioned anything.”

“And she’d be okay here, without all the luxury she has. I thought you said she had a pool?”

Kendra sipped and looked up, “She does, and a monster estate home, but that’s all part of her change. She’s tired of that. Plus we plan to travel. There’s a lot of the world I haven’t seen, my dear.” She smiled.

“God, this is just fucking nuts, isn’t it? I can’t believe how this year has gone.” Jessica drank some too. “Speaking of move-ins, where’s the Allie-Cat?”

“Lia has her down in the; duh duh de dum; dungeon; they might, or Lia might, join us. We’ll see. Right now it’s just you and me, Snooks.”

Jessica laughed at the term and the two sat in silence and drank their wine.

****
Meanwhile, in the room, Lia twisted the bamboo sticks that held Allie’s pink nipples. They were not overly large nipples, but they were sitting up erect on Allie’s small breasts as Lia twisted the sticks in a circle and Allie, tied to the table/bench, Lia’s panties in her mouth, moaned and struggled against her bonds. Lia looked down at the twelve clothespins she had clipped to Allie’s labia and brushed her hand against them, eliciting more moans and wriggling.

As much as Lia was enjoying this, she could not get out of her mind how much she’d love to have Lillian on this bench right now. The fact the girl would likely be lying on her own bed, just down the hallway, only made it worse.

****

“So, do you ever just sit back and wonder what good shit has come our way, and why?”

Kendra chortled, “Like every day. I’m not kidding. I can’t believe that a lovely and rich, like very rich, woman would come and just up and submit to me. Geez. It’s like a fairy tale.”

“Oh, so now we’re fairies,” Jessica giggled, one glass of wine gone. She climbed to her feet and retrieved the bottle.

“Ha, you’re a riot. I think it was only guys that were called fairies. We’re dykes or butchies. Now lezzies of course.” She snorted, “What about you. We’re not talking gold and silver, but you’ve got a nice treasure.”

Jessica sat back down with her fresh glass and nodded. “I express my profound disbelief each and every day. Any time the lovely Meg looks at me with those submissive eyes of worship, I just about fucking die. So yeah.” She sipped more wine. “Hey, do you ever wonder about…love?”

Kendra finished her glass and stood up. ”What? Love, love? What about it?”

Jessica sat in thought for a moment. “Well,” she began slowly, picking her way through her idea, “I don’t think ‘I love you’ can happen, see. I can desire you, lust you, need you, depend on you, even fucking worship you. I can’t love you…or whoever.”

Kendra filled her glass. “Okay, I get it, you don’t love me, thanks.” They both laughed, and Kendra continued. “I think, I don’t know; where are you going with this?”

“Well, two people can be in love, that works for me. That’s the only way that love exists.”

“How much wine have you had, Snooks?”

But Jessica’s answer was delayed by the arrival of Lia, leading a naked, blindfolded Allie by a leash attached to two clips gripping her tight, shaved outer pussy lips.

“Evening, ladies,” Lia announced, grinning. Kendra and Jessica raised their glasses in salute.

“How we do love a parade; even a small one,” Jessica chortled.

****

Dan stopped the car in front of the modest house he and Marcy were renting; buying a house in Ottawa was a daunting proposition.

“What’s up?” Marcy asked.

Dan looked out the window, saying, “I just feel like a drink. I’ll be home later.”

Marcy paused; she knew this was code for Dan going looking; it was also his response to Meg. “Okay,” she said, and climbed out of the car. Thirty minutes later, as she was lying in bed, gently rubbing her vagina lips, she acted on impulse. Getting out of bed and finding her cell, she sent a text to Meg’s number.

Jessica read it with interest. “Hey Meg. Looking (very) forward to seeing you…today! I’ll be there at one.” This was followed by a row of X’s and ‘Marce’, plus a Happy Face emoticon.

Yes you will, thought Jessica. And we’ll see where this goes. She smiled.

****

Carol Douglas looked over the set of documents before her. It had been a long, busy day, and now as it approached twelve-thirty she began to feel tired. She could leave this until the morning.

One of the papers was for the purchase of another house, much smaller than this one, which Marissa could live in and look after and which Douglas could use as a back-up in case her relationship with…her mistress, fell apart.

Although she wasn’t sure what she would do if that happened; she wanted it to last for a long time; there was so much she wanted to do with her new partner. Was this finally love, after all these years? Was it simply, sexual desire; if sex was ever really simple, she wondered?

She finished her whiskey and rose. Tomorrow would be another busy day, and then she should be able to spend some ‘quality’ time with her mistress; she still had a lot of tension to release.

****

In his condo, Kevin Greenfield was thinking positively about the evening; he had gone to see Meg and was happy when she smiled at him and came over for a brief chat. He had slipped out before her last song because he didn’t want her to feel obligated to talk with him. He was pretty sure he had seen Mary in the crowd, seated near the small stage. And he was pretty sure also that Meg had another friend there, because there was a woman who Meg seemed to glance toward quite frequently, and who always smiled in return.

Hmmmm, there was so much he didn’t know about his daughter, but there seemed to be a chance at redemption. Why had he been such a jerk in the marriage? He didn’t know if he and his wife were ever really in love; their marriage had always seemed to be something that just happened. But when Margaret, now Meg, came along, something should have changed; if only he hadn’t been so consumed with himself.

Well, he had learned, and like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, he would be a new man and a new father to Meg. Maybe in time she would grow to at least like him; if love seemed out of the question.

****

Lillian had heard Lia leave the strange room that was just down the hall from her. The room was kept locked most of the time, but Lillian had found it open a couple of times and gone in to stare in disbelief at what was there. It’s a fuckin torture chamber, she had thought to herself. Shit, these women are nuts.

But in spite of her misgivings, she had wandered around the room, touching the devices. She didn’t get it; possibly because she had been abused and it never made sense to her. She could never understand why the men, and it had always been men, had hurt her.

She could understand them fucking her; all men wanted to fuck. But why humiliate and hurt? And now what was this, this relationship she had with Kendra, who she had come to like? What did the woman really want? Did she really want to have Lillian down here, tied to one of these things? Well, Lillian had teased and Kendra hadn’t bit, so there was that.

****

Lia hadn’t stayed with the ladies, leading her tiny parade up the stairs and down to her room. Allie would sleep in the large dog bed on the floor to the left of Lia’s bed after a little more fun in the bathroom.

Downstairs, Kendra had announced that the discussion had become so deep, she needed this; and she produced a joint from her purse.

“You carry drugs in your purse…shit?” Jessica had scolded.

“Never leaves the house, Kid.” Kendra replied, lighting up the fat smoke.

“So, about love,” Jessica continued, and Kendra chuckled, passing her the joint. ”I don’t, um, trust it.”

“I’m still not following you, Snooks. Is this about Meg, or like, what?”

Jessica sat in thought, and took a second drag from the joint before passing it back. “Yeah, it’s, uh, about Meg in that she said she loved me, and I don’t know what to say. I don’t like this, I love you, I love you too, stuff. That’s too easy. It’s too much like pretend, you know, we want love, so we, like, trick ourselves.”

“You think we deceive our minds when it comes to love, hmmmm? That’s almost cynical, there Jess.”

Jessica smiled and sipped her wine. “You know, I was in grade eight and still figuring what I was. I had never dated a boy, at least anything serious, just friends. You know I’ve never seen a cock up close and personal? I did know I liked girls, but didn’t know how to deal with that. Anyway, there was this girl and I guess I had what would be called a crush on her. I thought about her and got a jolt when I saw her. She was always very nice to me.”

Jessica paused as the joint came back, it was almost finished. “Go on,” Kendra prompted, “this is actually interesting.”

Jessica snickered, “Yeah, well, anyhoo, one day I struck up a conversation and led it to the idea of me and her hooking up, and she just looked at me and said, ‘what’s your name again?’; she didn’t even know my fucking name,” Jessica laughed, pausing in recollection. “and here I thought I was in love with her. Shit, it’s like, you know, you put on this love mask and pretend.” She looked across at her companion. “I think couples do it all the time, ‘cause they don’t want to be alone and stuff. But it’s just acting a role, like in a play.”

Kendra opened her now slightly dreamy eyes. “Hmmmm, definitely cynical,” she paused, “remember Kid, in life there are no guarantees.”

Jessica smirked, “Thanks Queen K for that. But yeah, I get it. But how’s this, since we’re so far out here now, you know with our, um, philosophy or bullshit or whatever. Maybe people wear that, like, mask of love because there is no, um, real desire anymore. Guarantee or not, it should be more, like, dependable.”

She passed the last bit of joint back across.

“Very heavy sister,” Kendra crooned, as she finished the smoke. She was not in a state to make a lot of sense at this point.

Just then, the lanky form of Lillian appeared. “Smells pretty good in here, ladies,” she noted, smiling.

“Hey kid, good to see you. Come and join us; you want some wine?”

Lillian shook her head, “Naw, but I would go for some of that smoke if ya’ got it.”

Kendra smiled. “Of course, Sweets. I’m like the store that’s always open. Jess here is too deep into freakin’ philosophy for me, so another joint is a grrrreat idea.”

And with that, Kendra got to her feet and shuffled off to her stash.

“Hey, how come she’s Sweets but I’m Snooks?” Jessica asked the departing form.

(End of Chapter 11)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 10 Can One See A Light In The Messenger’s Eye ?  

Friday was a moving day; or at least, a day of movement of one kind or another. Allie was moving in her meagre sum of things, while Lauren was headed out, to Montreal with Dawn to find a place to live; a preview of her move the upcoming week.

With Lauren moving and the other changes Carol had made with her management, such as reducing the companies she was directly involved with down to four, she was now as free as she had been to give herself over to her mistress. She arrived early Friday morning eager to be used, and the morning would find her gagged and bound onto the various ‘equipment’ of the ‘dungeon’, as Mistress Kendra let her imagination go free as well; it had been a while since she had used some of the paraphernalia, and she was keen.

During their session, the door to the dungeon was kept closed. Both Kendra and Jessica had found the presence of…Lillian, affected their ‘slave relationships’.

“Not sure what it is,” Jessica had said, “It’s not like Lillian is saying anything or doing anything…”

“No, it’s just that she’s there,” Kendra had offered, feeling the same way. It was like Lillian’s implied disdain broke the role-playing spell necessary for the Mistress / slave relationship to work, from arousal to climax; hence the closed door, even though some sounds did manage to escape.

Jessica, for her part, said she wouldn’t bring out Cindy-Lou if Lillian was there; she was not afraid of criticism, just the feeling of being…foolish; having one’s fantasies wordlessly critiqued.

To fully enjoy the slave scenarios, one needed to be free of doubt or criticism; Lillian seemed to carry both those attitudes with her, without trying to.

“Hey, I’ll take Lillian out later today,” Kendra had

said early in the morning to Jessica, “after I’m finished with my slave-girl, then you and your, pet, can have some time together.” Jessica had smiled at that. Lia would be at work for today and Saturday for the day as well, so maybe Jessica could also really get into the mood.

****

Kendra stood now in Lillian’s room; it was past eleven and Carol had been placed in one of the large dog crates. It had been a productive morning for Mistress K, with two wonderful orgasms; she was feeling good. And now she stood, listening to the sound of the shower running; Lillian certainly enjoyed her showers.

Kendra sat down on the one chair the room offered and waited as she heard the water stop. In a few moments Lillian, draped in a large, fluffy, yellow bath towel, came into her room.

“Hey,” Kendra announced, getting to her feet, “I wanted to just see if you’d like to go out and get some things, um, clothes, maybe a book or two. I noticed you’re, uh, short on some stuff.”

“You don’t haveta’ do that, eh?” Lillian remarked, with no rancor, as she dried her lower legs and then up her thighs, with Kendra not helping to notice the lovely brown skin as it was exposed.

“I know I don’t ‘haveta’, but I ‘wanta’,” Kendra smiled.

“Why?” Lillian asked, dropping the towel and standing completely naked before Kendra.

Taken aback, as Lillian seemed to be able to do to her easily, Kendra stammered a moment, but plowed on. Trying hard not to stare at the thick, black mass of pubic hair that had grown, spreading upwards, now that Lillian wasn’t forced to shave between her legs.

Kendra said, “I want to get you on your feet, so to speak. You’ve been dealt some, um, bad cards and that, well, bugs me. I can do something about that, and so I want to. That’s it, kid”

“Hmmmm, okay.” Lillian stood, a smile slowly coming to her face as she regarded Kendra. “Go ahead and look;” she crooned, “it’s okay.”

****

“Uhhh!” Cindy-Lou cried out, as the paddle connected again on her exposed back-side.

“You’ve been a naughty pet,” Jessica murmured, running one hand over the reddened buttocks, before sliding it under the drooping tail-plug and squeezing the engorged labia, so wonderfully exposed.

The pet was on her knees, face down to the carpet and legs spread. Jessica marvelled at the wonderful, lush growth of reddish hair, now spreading up and over the mons pubis and along the valley to the anus. This growth was also thick on the front as well, and loops of hair also curled from under both armpits. Jessica smiled at these as she reached up and twisted an erect nipple, producing cries of desire from her pet.

Cindy-Lou was certainly becoming furrier, if nothing else.

****

While Kendra and Lillian were making their way through stores, Jessica was taking Meg to meet with her father.

“Just calm down and remember to breathe,” Jessica teased Meg, who was looking anxious. “Man, you’d think with the workout you had this morning you’d be all worn out.” She smirked.

Meg giggled, but it was clear that she was not going to relax. “You’ll be great, Meg-o,” Jessica said, reaching over and patting the girl’s hand.

****

“Wha’dda they call this?” Lillian asked, holding up a black, lacy garment.

“It’s called lingerie, Kid.” Kendra answered, thinking Carol would actually look nice in that.

“Hrummmff,” Lillian snorted, “I just want some, like, panties, right. Thongs are cool.”

“Sure, there’s a bin,” Kendra pointed.

“Thanks, Kemosabe.” Lillian mumbled, heading that way.

Kendra just shook her head. “Kemosabe? How the Hell do you know that?”

****

Jessica was watching from her car, and saw the lanky and pleasant-looking middle-aged man leave the Purple Barista. She waited until he had climbed into his car and drove off, before getting out and walking to the front window of the shop.

Inside she could see Meg now talking with Marcy. Smiling, she turned and headed back to her car. She would get the whole story soon.

****

“Okay, so I’d say that was successful,” Kendra said to Lillian as they drove out of the city center, headed back home.

Lillian, who was studying intently one of the new books they had bought, looked over and said, “Fer-shur.”

“So what books did you end up getting?” Kendra continued; they had looked at a number.

“Ummm, it’s uh, d-Daugh-ters of Mother Earth, and um, O-jibwa, People of Forests and…pr-Prairies. It’s like mad, eh.”

“Sounds, um, cool or mad, or whatever.” Kendra replied, as Lillian smirked, having the woman deal with her words before Kendra laughed and punched her lightly on the shoulder.”

“Ow!” Lillian hooted. “I’ll report you…”

Kendra continued. “As I was saying, remember Kid, if there’s stuff in there that you want to discuss, I’m keen. Okay? I mean it, I’m interested. Not mad.”

Lillian smiled and nodded. “Sure, Kend. I’ll share.” She paused with a little smirk on her face. “I s’pose you wanna see how my new t-tongs look too, huh?”

Kendra snorted. “You are a tease, Lillian, you know that, right?”

To herself, though, Kendra admitted that, yes, she would like to see the girl in her thongs.

****

Jessica and Meg had gone a few blocks to a little park and sat now on a bench. “So, it went well.” Jessica pressed.

Meg nodded her head and looked up smiling. “Yeah, he seems decent. I think he’s nice. I know it’s only one half hour visit, but you get a feel, right?”

Now Jessica nodded her head, “Yep, you do.” They sat in silence for a few moments, before Jessica continued. “So, any plans to meet again.”

“Hmmm, yeah, we said we should, but nothing firm. I wanted to, uh, talk with you, right?”

“Right.”

****

Saturday morning, with Lia working, Kendra and Jessica were looking after getting Allie sorted out. She would sleep in Lia’s room; right now it would be on the floor in a large, soft dog bed. Her limited supply of clothes were stuffed into one end of Lia’s wardrobe. The plan was that Allie could possibly work some shifts at the bar, but mainly she would be their house slave/servant; cleaning, etc., when she wasn’t providing…fun.

Unexpectedly, Marcy had called early on Saturday morning to ask Meg if she could come in that night, and sorry about the short notice. Meg, with a nod from Jessica, said “absolutely.” After she agreed, and with Jessica sitting beside her and prompting her, Meg asked the older woman if she was okay with how things ended on Thursday.

There was a pause. “Um, do you mean the, uh, kiss, um kissing?” Marcy said quietly.

“Mmmm-hummmm,” Meg responded as Jessica nodded, a grin on her face. “Yeah. I hoped I hadn’t been too, um, forward, I guess. I don’t want to mess things up. I, uh, did like kissing you, eh.”

There was a longer pause this time and Meg could hear Marcy’s breathing, and then she returned. “Oh, um, please don’t worry about anything like that, M-Meg. You are a, mmmm, sweet girl and I like you. Um, jeez, you know, a lot really. I’ve surprised myself, I’m usually pretty shy. But I, um, liked, uh, doing…that. Mmm, yeah,” she chuckled self-consciously.

More silence and breathing had followed until Meg closed off with, “That’s good, Marcy. I hope we can, um, spend a little time together…tonight.”

Meg could hear the sharp intake of breath from the other end, and then, “Oh, jeez, um yeah. You really want to, um, hang around after your set?”

“Yes,” Meg had replied, “I do.” After the call, Jessica sat with a smile on her face, while Meg giggled.

“I told you she likes you,” Jessica smirked.

****

The Saturday night crowd was louder and larger than Thursday (or Tuesday) and in the end, just as enthusiastic. Jessica watched with excitement as the clapping throng brought ‘her girl’ back for an encore.  Jessica then sat and finished her wine before making her way to her car, throwing a look at her ‘girl’.

Meg was already wearing the camera/brooch, and now quickly pushed the receiver plug into one ear as she was putting her guitar in her case. Dan was cleaning again tonight, and Marcy’s other helper, Cerise, had left a half hour ago.

Meg went to the bar and began sipping the tea waiting for her, as the shop gradually emptied. After Marcy had shown the last couple to the door, she locked it and turned the sign around, then shut down the lights at the front.

Coming and standing behind the bar, she looked nervously at Meg, who smiled and slipped off her stool to come around and stand beside the slightly taller woman. “Is there some place a little more…private?” Meg asked, quietly.

With a nervous lick of her lips, Marcy nodded and led the way to a small office down the hall past the washrooms. As they entered, and following Jessica’s instructions, Meg came up behind Marcy and put her arms around her, gently kissing the woman’s neck. Marcy closed her eyes, moaned, and leaned her frame back into Meg. Meg moved her hands up to Marcy’s breasts and gently squeezed them; the woman wasn’t wearing a bra.

Quickly, Meg unbuttoned the blouse and then unfastened the clasps of the long skirt, letting the garment fall to the ground. Giving Marcy no time to react, Meg tugged the old-style white cotton briefs down to the floor and quickly knelt behind Marcy, who was trembling and moaning softly, her eyes still closed.

Bending the woman forward at the waist so she rested on a desk, Meg spread the modest but firm buttocks apart and buried her tongue first in the dark hole, before sliding it down and sucking furiously on the dark, thick, hairy pussy lips that hung invitingly between Marcy’s thighs, while all-the while inhaling the rich, heavy scent of the woman.

Meg was still clothed, and with the brooch in place she knew her mistress had a perfect view of Marcy’s ass and sex. Meg stretched the buttocks open wide, just to make sure, before resuming her sucking, with Marcy moaning and crying and moving her hips like she was already being fucked.

****

“Gaawd! Where does the time go?” Kendra complained, changing the calendar. It was August first; pleasant, clear, not too hot, although the humidity was a bother as usual; Kendra was very pleased when Carol had insisted on installing an air conditioning unit in the house.

“I prefer to be punished in comfort,” she had laughed.

Lillian suddenly appeared, amazingly quiet for a large girl, and as had become her recent custom, she moved over and hugged Kendra, the two women standing and holding; there was nothing sexual, it was just companionship. “Ummmm, geez you smell good,” Kendra murmured into Lillian’s thick, black hair.”

“It’s d’shampoo, Kend-O; apple smelling…”

“Scent…”

“Ya’, fer-shur, Miss K, whatever…” They both giggled and separated, Lillian heading for the a cupboard. In the last few weeks they had become closer; Lillian had really gotten into her books, reading and discussing them with Kendra, sometimes until the wee hours of the morning. Kendra had helped with both the words and the ideas and they had gone out and gotten several more books. Then Kendra had brought in a bookcase, which now held nine.

The moment that Lillian had stood naked before her had been a kind of crossroads; Kendra had smiled at the loveliness and had just left, which had seemed to reassure Lillian.

As well, through the last of July even with Lillian turning eighteen, Lia had kept her distance, having literally nothing to do with the youngest housemate; but ‘using’ newest arrival Allie; a lot.

The relationship between Meg and Marcy, with Jessica’s able assistance, had developed as well; the previous Friday night Marcy had actually come back to the house with Meg for the first time, and they had spent an enthusiastic hour in Jessica’s bed; watched over by the young woman herself of course, and later Kendra as well, as a number of cameras had been installed in several rooms and were proving their value.

“That’s some hot action, sister,” Kendra had murmured, after watching the Friday session.

“Yeah, but the only problem,” Jessica had pointed out to Kendra, “is that Marcy is probably more submissive than Meg. If I wasn’t directing things, they might still be at the hand-holding stage.”

Kendra had chortled. “Yeah, you’re probably right; maybe it’s time you took over and added another pet to your pack?”

“Hmmmm, Jessica’s pack of pets, eh; but my pets are, um, pussies, so how many pussies is too many; and can you have pussies in a pack?” Jessica had giggled.

“Never too many pussies, kiddo, but I’m thinking it’s probably a posse of pussies,” Kendra had dead-panned and they both had laughed out loud.

Meg’s new relationship with her father, and she still felt strange with that word, had progressed, too; they had met twice more in July, the second time Meg had worn the brooch and Jessica had watched and listened from her car, advising Meg during the conversation. One particular exchange had caught her attention. “You know, and don’t take this wrong,” Kevin Greenfield had said, “but, I’m there if you need any help, um, financially, like. I mean that. I missed so much of your growing up.”

“You did send money for presents and stuff. Mom always let me know,” Meg had added.

“Yeah, sure, but that’s not the same. You took a business course on your own for example, I, um, found that out; I’m sure your mom didn’t help much with the costs, and I’m not blaming, just saying. I should have been there; a father should provide for his daughter better than I did. It was always about my business with me. But I’m very successful now and well off, really, and I want to help you out. I do.”

“Feeling a little guilty, Dad?” Meg had asked, courtesy of a very interested Jessica.

“Um, yes, yes I am Meg,” Greenfield had replied, seriously. “And I couldn’t help but notice the beater you’re driving (they had each taken their own car today, as they didn’t want to get into Jessica’s …existence, just yet) and, well, I could help there.”

“It’s ok, Dad, really. I get by.”

“Hmmmm. Maybe, sweetie, but I do feel, as you say, guilty. Money can’t buy happiness, maybe, but it can sure take care of some things.”

Meg had smiled across the table at him. Later, she was happy to agree with Jessica’s comments, “I think he’s a nice guy, Meg. I do. And I think it’s good for you. I wish, sometimes, that I had a relationship with my father.” A better relationship than her memories, certainly.

****

In Montreal, Dawn and Lauren had decided to get a place together. It was a weird arrangement regarding their relationship and the HeyThere! business, so being able to communicate and be together away from the business made sense to them. The arrangement actually worked, as the efficient Haynes was able to give structure to Lauren, who functioned well with some guidance or support.

Their actual roles in the company were still being sorted out as they got to know the (young) staff, but things felt positive. Companies get sold all the time and employees need to adjust; that’s life.

Meanwhile in Cleveland, Simon Cutter had not moved on as well as he expected. While he now had controlling interest in a company he had desired, the whole affair had left a bad taste in his thin-lipped mouth. He was still annoyed at being manipulated by Carol Douglas. And when it came to Lauren, fuck! That was not only unbelievable but unacceptable. To have a toady little cocksucker now earning management money in his company, well, fuck! was essentially his feeling.

He realized that he could not live with this arrangement and Lauren would need to be put back in her place; it was just a question of how and when.

****  

Holly Dunham poked her head into the small front office she and Lia shared. A stocky, ‘butch-like’ woman in her late thirties, she had been Lia’s partner now for two years, yet the two of them knew very little of each other and never associated outside of work.

But they did share this one important, nasty secret; “You want some of this sweet bitch before I put her in a cell?” she asked in her blunt way, casting an eye back at the trembling teenager standing outside of the interrogation room.

Lia looked up from the desk. How could she explain that things had changed with her? She couldn’t really explain it herself. Maybe it didn’t matter. “Naw, thanks, I’m good,” she murmured and looked down at the sheet she had been reading. Holly moved her square-ish frame, just a tad shorter than Lia’s but imposing to the girls none the less, to stand beside her partner.

“What the fucks up with you, anyway?” She grumbled.

Lia looked up, her face expressionless. “Nothing’s up, Holly. I’m just not interested right now. I live with a lawyer, ya’know, and she’s got me thinkin’”

Holly snorted and turned away, “Don’t do too much thinkin’, there girl. It’ll damage your brain.” And with that she shuffled out.

****

Meg was squished up against Jessica as they sat on one of the couches in the ‘dungeon’; she was wearing a black, leather, two-inch wide collar, freshly embossed with the word ‘Slave’ on it. The collar fastened together in the front with a snap and then a small, silver padlock. The collar was snug but not tight, and the only way to open it was with the key to the padlock, a key that Mistress Jessica kept with her.

Meg had stopped a while back trying to figure out why certain things excited her, sometimes overwhelmingly; it didn’t matter. But knowing that her mistress held the key that bound her was one of those things. Her hand instinctively wanted to reach down to her labia whenever she thought of the collar and the key. For now, because she could never touch herself without permission, she just snuggled into Jessica.

“Ummm, I think you’re as close as you can be there, Sweet Slave,” Jessica murmured, chuckling.

“Mmmmmm, I wish you could just absorb me right inside you. Maybe then I’d be…content,” Meg murmured back, with Jessica chuckling at that as well.

“Mistress?”

“Hmmmm?”

“What, um, happens next, uh, what’s the next step with me and, em, belonging to you, likr?” Meg asked quietly.

Jessica sat thinking. She wasn’t really sure, to be blunt, so she was cautious with what she said. What did Meg want? How far could a…mistress, go? A document like the one Carol-slave signed? Did that make any difference? “Mmmm, that’s a good question, my girl. What, uh, do you want to happen?”

There was a long pause. Jessica could feel Meg’s heart pounding against her. Finally she said. “I want to belong to you, whatever that means. I want to be yours. I want it, uh, clear to people, that I’m yours, your…property, like.”

Jessica turned the lovely face up toward her and kissed the mouth softly, tenderly. It was such a sweet mouth. “I love that, my Meg. I do. We’ll talk some more later on, okay?”

In response, Meg squished herself against her mistress until Jessica told her to ease up, and then they both laughed.

****

Kendra tapped lightly on Lillian’s open door and entered to find the girl lying on her bed, completely naked, the thick, black bush of pubic hair curling in profusion up the girl’s flat, smooth belly. She was reading a book and looked up and smiled at her visitor. “Hey, Kend, c’mon in, ‘ho.”

“Uh, thanks, Kid. Not so sure of the ‘ho part.” Kendra sat again on the lone chair and looked with subdued wonder at the beautiful creature before her. “I see you’ve become much more, um, comfortable with your…situation.”

Lillian smiled that knowing smile and murmured, “You like seeing me like this, don’t ya’ Kend.”

Kendra snorted, “Hey, sweet thang, you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, end of story. I don’t think you really grasp just what you are. But, um, lying around naked in a house full of lesbians, well, that’s dangerous, Kid.” She smiled.

In response, Lillian opened her legs slightly and looked directly into Kendra’s face. “You can go down on me if you want to,” she said quietly.

Kendra sighed; it seemed Lillian needed to test. But happily and remarkably, as much as she enjoyed the sight of this stunning young woman, the thought of being sexually involved with her didn’t work; and strangely, she was happy for that. “That’s just it, Lillian. I don’t want to. I don’t want to do anything to you. You need to understand that,” Kendra said quietly.

Lillian looked back with eyes the proverbial deep and dark pools. “But what if I have, like…needs?”

Kendra wasn’t sure if she was being played; she likely was, but she was in no hurry to dismiss Lillian’s comments. “If you are serious about some, um, action, I know a couple of gals that would be more than happy to oblige.”

Lillian snorted, “Ya’, but I want you, Kend.”

“No, you don’t. But Jessica wants you, and that’s for sure.”

Lillian smiled and moved her legs together. “Jess has a gal, eh.”

“Not a problem. And I hear she has a great technique. If you’re looking for a release, she’s the one.”

Lillian smiled again and once again, looked like a girl, despite her physical attributes. “So, what’s it you want, what’s with the, uh, visit. Just a yak?”

Kendra paused for a moment; her visit did have a purpose. “I spoke with your father today,” she said, her voice staying calm and quiet, but still the mask went up again; Lillian’s face hardened into an expressionless façade.

“He still lives in Winnipeg; he never left. He says your mom took you and went off and he was not happy with that. He had tried to be, uh, firm with her and her drinking and she didn’t like that. Or that’s what he says. He has been employed steadily for the last twelve years; he’s a bus driver.” Kendra sat, pondering for a moment; Lillian lay looking steadily at the cover of her closed book. “He says it’s too bad your mom didn’t hang in there, because he was able to buy a little house and, stuff.”

Lillian looked up now, struggling with emotions. “Did he, say anything ‘bout, her. ‘Bout my mom?”

Kendra hesitated, then said quietly, “Your mom passed away, almost a year ago, Lil. I’m sorry.”

The mask wavered for a moment, then Lillian looked away, staring at the wall. The room was silent, and the two women sat and shared the silence.

(End of Chapter 10)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 09 This My Joy Therefore Is Fulfilled   

Lia looked up at the clock. “Guess I’d better get going.”

Kendra regarded her; they had just spent almost an hour in conversation, the longest talk they had ever had, but it seemed to clear the air. “Yeah, some of us, meaning you, have to work.” She smiled. “So we’re good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” Lia left to change into her uniform. When she returned, she paused by the table where Kendra still sat and placed a square document on it. Kendra glanced at it and realized it was Lillian’s birth certificate; or at least, a copy of it.

“Where’d you get this?” She asked with wonder.

“Pulled some strings, called in some favors, twisted some arms. The usual.” Lia dead-panned. “Dig ya’ later.”

“Fer-shur,” Kendra drawled as Lia closed the door.

****

Mary Chapman paused in her packing to look at her buzzing cell phone; having made the decision to return to Ottawa, she was now in to it, packing with energy, the idea being to be back there by the weekend. She looked at the cell and jumped; the name was Greenfield.

“Hello? Meg?” She asked cautiously, because this wasn’t Meg’s number.

There was a pause before a man’s voice replied, “I’m sorry, no. This isn’t Meg. My name is Kevin Greenfield. I’m Meg’s father.”

****

“Thanks, that’s great. Back at you soon, JD.” Kendra hung up and smiled; things were progressing. Her call had been to a firm in Winnipeg she had hired to see what they could find out about Lillian’s mother, Kadie, but with the brief info she’d had, Kendra wasn’t holding her breath. However, with Lia’s contribution of Lillian’s birth certificate this morning, things were, as she put it, progressing.

Kendra looked up as Jessica and Meg, naked and wearing a black, leather ‘Slave’ collar, entered. The pink collar was now only used when ‘Cindy-Lou’ appeared; it seemed that Jessica had come up with a new persona; simply ‘Meg the slave’, a companion to ‘Meg her girl’.

“Hey kids. What’s cookin’?” Kendra asked; the two women looked excited.

“Meg-babe is performing again tomorrow, Queen K. We’re just looking forward to it, is all. I’m more interested than I thought I would be.”

“I should come down and catch your ‘girl’,” Kendra offered, with a wink at Meg, who smiled.

“Yeah,” Jessica replied. “I think the owner likes my girl, if you know what I mean, and this could maybe become a ‘thang’, as you’d say…”

“If Lia wasn’t around.”

“Right-o. And in more ways than one.” Jessica agreed, chuckling, and then looked down as Meg’s cell, which she kept with her own, actually rang…or chimed would be more accurate. The name came up as ‘Chapman’, and Jessica recognized the number, but the girl, Mary, usually just texted. With a nod, Jessica handed the phone to a curious-looking Meg.

“Hey there!” Meg spoke, and then sat in silence, as her friend Mary clearly had something to say.

****

Kevin Greenfield sat and waited as the server topped up his coffee, giving the pleasant looking man a smile. Never being what one would call a ladies-man, Greenfield at fifty still had a decent head of dark brown hair greying at the temples in a distinguished sort of way; Meg’s auburn locks were from her mother’s side of the family.

Taller than average, he had always been lean and had only in the last couple of years began to develop a bit of a ‘paunch’, which he was combatting by jogging. He wasn’t a bad-looking fellow, and had a friendly manner to him that he wasn’t aware of but that others, like this mid-thirties server, noticed.

Lost in his thoughts, he sat now and considered the recent chat with a surprised and cautious Mary Chapman. While she hadn’t given up much, she did promise to reach out to Meg with Kevin’s cell number. He had made it clear to Mary that Meg was free to decide; if she didn’t contact him, he would be very disappointed but he would understand and leave it alone. He would not bother her further.

So now the torment began; the waiting. Could he live with nothing from her? He didn’t know. He looked up to see the server by his elbow again; she was smiling, his coffee cup was empty.

He hadn’t noticed.

****

“Thanks, Mom.” Carol Douglas looked up from her desk to see Lauren standing just inside the door.

“Hey, no worries as they say, Lauren. It wasn’t all that much, really.”

“But it’s a chance,” Lauren responded.

“Well, there you are. That’s not much for a mother and a CEO, is it?”

The two women smiled at one another, each with their own thoughts as to what that meant.

****

“You were actually born in Winnipeg, not just living there,” Kendra said quietly, and Lillian looked up from the opposite couch, her dark eyes compelling in her lovely face. Now that she’d had a few days to relax, shampoo her hair, bathe, wear some new clothes, it was as if she were beginning to open as the pressure was released, like a wadded ball of paper, into its proper shape,

She was a remarkably good-looking young woman, Kendra noted again. She had a model’s figure, albeit the breasts were probably a touch too full for some.

“Ummm,” was all she responded.

“Your mother, though, was born on a reserve, near Kenora. Apparently, you yourself went back there with her and lived for a few months when you were an infant, but you returned to Winnipeg, and lived with your mother and father.”

“How do you know all this?” Lillian asked, light now in her eyes. “You have been here, all the time.” Kendra smiled, Lillian tilted her head. “Your computer? You find this all there, eh?”

Kendra shook her head. “No, no. I have some investigators working right in Winnipeg. They’ve found all this. Your mother’s name was Kishkedee Watan. She used Kadie, however. Your father was Charlie Clark. He was Métis; Cree and Scottish.”

Lillian looked away; she was moved by this and instinctively the mask came up for protection. Looking at the wall, and a landscape by Pelletier, who Kendra liked a lot, Lillian spoke quietly. “But I’m Ojibwa?”

“Ojibwa, Ojibway, Ojibwe, it comes up several ways, sometimes even Ojibwa-Cree. But they are your mother’s people, so they are yours.” Kendra said, as matter-of-factly as she could; her heart was also beating more loudly than she expected.

“My people,” Lillian said in a whisper. “They are…my people.”

****

“Your father, shit. That’s heavy. When’s the last time you saw him?” Jessica asked, looking at Meg, who was clearly shaken by the news from Mary. Since Jessica had been allowing Meg to infrequently correspond with Mary, her part in this didn’t need explaining and they were able to get on with the main news.

Meg rubbed her face, thinking back. “I was still in grade school when my parents split. I hadn’t seen a lot of my father back then, anyway; it seemed he was always working. I’m thinking it was grade five, and he had come to a Christmas play, or something. Then in grade six we moved here. I’ve not seen, or even spoken to him, since then.”

She sat in thought, as did Jessica. What would a father coming on the scene do for their…relationship, she wondered? Probably nothing good. “Do you want to see him?” Jessica asked, in a casual manner, which she didn’t feel.

Meg made a face. “Yes, and no. Um, Mary made it clear that he wasn’t demanding at all, just asking. I, um, think it is good to have some sort of, relationship, with your parents. Since my mother remarried and moved to the states, I’ve not had much to do with her, either. Hmmmm, I don’t know. It’s also scary, not knowing what could happen, right?”

Jessica nodded her head. “Right,” she murmured.

****

Kendra glanced at her watch; it was approaching ten. She and Carol had been drinking and talking in this pleasant lounge for over an hour, but now it was time to get going. She looked at Carol; wondering again about this strange bond they had; how they could sit and talk like this in public and then, transform in private to a very intense mistress/slave relationship. Strange. “So, this really is what you want?” It was not the first time Kendra had asked this question, still unable to fully grasp the commitment Carol Douglas wished to make to her.

Carol smiled and looked up with her soft, grey/blue eyes. “I know you have trouble believing this, but, yes. Yes. This is what I want.” She chuckled, “Believe me, I know how, em, bizarre, this appears, when you stand back and look with reason. But that’s just it; reason has nothing to do with this. I’ve lived a reason-based life. I’ve made business-decisions. I’ve added up the columns and checked the bottom line, and been successful. But I’m empty, Ms. Chand. Mistress.” Carol looked down as she uttered this word.

Kendra reached across the small lounge table and stroked the other’s hand, as Carol continued. “I want more, inside; I have everything for the outside. The home, the cars, the travel, the jewels, the paintings, the, well, the everything. But what does it matter if you have nothing to look forward to? I can’t explain what I feel with you, for you. Maybe that is why we call it…love.” She looked up again.

Kendra took a deep breath. “You love me?” She asked quietly, having never thought of their relationship framed by that word. 

Carol’s face softened; she looked like she might cry, but then, she never cried. “I heard someone say one time that love was a mask we put on to hide the truth. For me, it’s the opposite; everything else I do, have done, is to hide what I am. What I want. You are that …connection. I don’t know of any other word that fits. Devotion? Desire? I don’t know. All I know is, I want to be with you. There. That’s it. I don’t know about next year, or even next month, but I have made a three-year financial commitment to you, so that you don’t need to worry about making a living. You can just focus on…um, using me, and being my, well, purpose.”

Carol reached into her handbag and took out two sheets of paper folded together in thirds. She opened them out on the small, dark table. It was an official-looking document with a gold seal and signatures, including Carol herself and her maid, Marissa. In it Carol agreed to become the personal slave and property of Kendra Smith Chand, to do with as she saw fit.

“It’s not…legal, as you would know, at least in the sense that a court of law would not recognize it,“ Carol said quietly, “but, it is as much as I can do to show you my commitment, my devotion. My…love.”

Kendra nodded her head, ever so slightly. She was actually feeling faint.

They sat now in silence, the soft drone of voices enclosing them.

****

It was midnight, and Kendra, Jessica and Lillian sat on the carpet of the living room. Kendra took a long, deep drag from the fat joint she had rolled, choosing Indica for this, tonight. She wanted today to end with a little celebration, for Lillian. What Carol had done earlier meant that the celebration could also now be about…her.

Kendra passed the joint to Lillian, who regarded it for a moment, licked her lips, and sucked in the smoke, holding it as long as she could, before letting go and laughing softly.

The sound of Lillian’s laughter made Kendra feel good; that and the Indica of course. Lillian passed the joint to Jessica, as Kendra lit up another. They sat in the circle and smoked the two joints. Before finishing the second one, Kendra paused and spoke solemnly. “To the circle that encloses us, and that we live within.”

“That’s too deep for me, sister.” Jessica murmured, as Kendra clasped her hand, and then the three women joined hands without speaking, making the circle complete.

****

“What’s with you two?” Lillian asked, without any specific tone or feeling; it was just a question. She was standing waiting for her toast and Jessica was at the table with her laptop, having just returned from dropping Meg off at the bookstore, where she would do a half day shift today. Tonight, they would return to the Purple Barista (why Purple? Jessica had asked; Meg didn’t know, but would find out) for her second performance. And at some point they would talk.

Jessica looked up as Lillian turned her lovely but unemotional face to her. “What’s up with, what two?” Jessica replied; clearly, the house had several permutations for relationships. In fact, they would be adding to it tomorrow, as Allie would be moving in.

Lillian began to butter her toast. “You an’ Meg. Or Cindy-Lou; or whatever the Hell you call her. Is she like your girlfriend or your bitch or, like, what?”

Jessica smiled; it was only a matter of time before the question would be asked; she knew Carol had already asked it of Kendra. “Hmmm, what do you think?”

Lillian looked up and there was, finally, an emotion showing; a disdainful twisting of the mouth, “Oh duh! with the Jedi mind tricks. Shit. No way, sister. Just tell me straight out; you tight, you cray, you sick, you totally lezzies or jus’ hangin’? I take you for a lipstick lez, yeah? Like weird, bitch.” After this oral shotgun blast, Lillian returned to her toast.

Jessica sat, smiling. This was the most Lillian had ever said to her at one time, and she was processing it. “You think, I’m, uhhmm, a lipstick lesbian?”

Lillian looked at her, judging, like one might study a painting. “Yep, fer-shur, sister. Totally. You got all that fem shit happening, but you’re into pussy, so it’s, you know, like, ya’.”

Jessica pondered a moment longer and then said quietly. “Meg is my…pet.”

Lillian looked at her, smirked. “’Splains the tail.” She put the toast in her mouth, and with one hand carrying her book and the other holding a glass of juice, she headed back down to her room, leaving Jessica smiling at her departure.

****

The waiting was definitely the hard part. Kevin Greenfield was out the door before nine to have breakfast, just so he could be out and about and not sitting and wondering and brooding and…waiting.

****

Lillian looked up at the gentle knock on her open door. “K’min,” she drawled, and Kendra entered.

“You don’t like your door closed?” She asked, looking at Lillian who was sprawled on her bed, her long frame taking up the mattress length.

Lillian glanced over her shoulder. “Nope. B’in behind too many closed doors, you know,” she said, quietly, then put her book down. Swinging her long legs around and sitting on the edge of the bed, she looked at Kendra with a face that now seemed…softer. Lillian looked down and spoke quietly, as if she were in a library. “Hey, I’m, like sorry, eh, you know…”

Kendra shook her head. “No, I don’t know, really. Why are you sorry?”

Lillian looked up and then hard into the other’s eyes, her brown ones seeming almost black. “Sorry for, you know, how I’ve b’in with you. Mean-like, eh?” She said, in the same quiet voice.

For the first time since she’d met her, Lillian looked more like a girl than a woman to Kendra, the mask was lifted, for now, and the face was open. Kendra smiled, feeling something; not desire; happiness? Maybe it was just that. “I’m glad Lillian. I…am.”

They sat in silence, before Lillian said, “You wanna’ do me, don’t you?” Her voice held no anger or bitterness; it was as if she was asking if someone wanted a coffee. It was just a question.

Kendra blushed slightly, the question, and the directness, taking her by surprise. “Well, I’m, hmmmm,” she chuckled self-consciously. “That’s a…weird question,” she stalled.

“Not really,” Lillian continued. “It’s kinda easy, like. People use people, ya’? ‘Dat’s life. People like doin’ stuff to me, always have. I seen it in your eyes, eh.” She paused.

Kendra considered, and then decided that with this girl, the direct approach worked best; no subtleties. “Uh, ok, yes, I find you very attractive; I’m sure most people would. You are sexy as Hell, so yeah, I’d like to, um, do you; but it’s not going to happen, right. I’m not going there.”

Lillian considered this, her face back to a blank slate. “Why?” she asked, simply, looking up.

Kendra hesitated, considering for a moment that this girl would make a great prosecuting lawyer; her direct approach was unnerving. “Why, um, won’t I abuse you. Well, that’s why. I’m not going to do anything to someone who doesn’t want, um, it, ok? All of us have desires, we can’t just act on them. That’s self-control.”

She paused as Lillian gently nodded her head, then continued, softly “Um, apparently, others have been free to…use you, hmmmm?”

When Lillian looked up there was a fleeting moment of sadness in her dark eyes, then it was gone as she spoke. “Ya’, fer-shur, started when I was young with my mom’s, uh, boyfriends, eh. Once I was on the street, it was, like, just the way. Ya’ gotta survive, right?”

Kendra sighed, “Right.”

****

Meg accepted the cell phone that Jessica passed to her and looked at it cautiously, as if it might suddenly come to life. “So, you think I should?” she asked, looking at Jessica, who was smiling from across the table. They had decided to just eat downtown and then head straight to the coffee shop; Jessica had brought Meg’s guitar and a change of clothes.  

“Yes, you should. You would always regret not making contact. It’s a text message, babe; what could be safer?”

“What do you think I should say?”

“Maaaayy-ggg;” Jessica emphasized. “Stop being a dummy. Just say something, like hi, Dad, this is a surprise, like huge, and yes, I would like to get together, like for a coffee. Something like that…”

“You’re sure?”

“MaaayyyGG!”

Kevin Greenfield was just contemplating pouring another scotch, except that he didn’t want to be that guy; the guy sitting alone in his condo drinking whisky at seven o’clock, when his cell phone did come to life. He looked at it and his heart literally skipped; the caller’s ID was Greenfield.

****

As they drove to the coffee shop, Jessica stated, “There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Meg snorted and agreed. Although stressful, the brief text exchange with her father had made her feel good. They were to meet tomorrow afternoon, right at the Purple Barista; Jessica would be waiting outside. They drove in silence for a bit before Jessica murmured. “You know Marcy likes you.”

Meg snorted again, “Please, Mistress, stop teasing me.”

“I’m not teasing you, Meg-pie; she likes you and I want you to be nice to her tonight, especially after the show.”

Meg pondered this. “I, um, I’m always nice to people. I was nice to her last time. Um, so…?”

“I want you to be nicer, get close to her. We’ll talk later, for now just focus on your, um jig…”

“Gig.”

“…or whatever, and keep things simple.”

“Stupid,” Meg chuckled.

“I didn’t say that.” Both women laughed.

****

It was past ten when Lillian wandered into the living room to find Kendra sitting and looking at some papers; Carol had left a few minutes earlier.

“You’re, uh, gal-pal has split?” Lillian asked with a bit of a smirk.

“Yes, Carol’s her name, btw…”

“Ya’ I know,” Lillian interjected, slouching on a couch. “You two lovers?”

Kendra had to smile again. She looked up to see Lillian’s gaze fixed directly on her; the girl was so damn unnerving. “Um, yes, kind of. I work for her, actually.”

“Ya, an’ she works for you, mostly on her knees,” Lillian was actually smiling now.

Wanting to change the subject and not sure why, Kendra said, “Yeah, whatever. Hey, I see you’re, um, a-ways into your book.”

Lillian laughed out loud. “Nice switch-up there, Chief. But ya’, I’m into it. It’s like sick.”

Kendra studied the other’s face for a moment, then continued, “I have no idea what it’s about; give me a clue, kid.”

Lillian snorted at that. “It’s a bunch of stories about people in, like, bad uh, sit-uations; it’s not a, like, happy book, eh? It’s got like, um, broken dreams, I guess. But it shows that, you know, you can change, um, and like, learn…from your mistakes, eh.”

“That you can grow?” Kendra asked, interested.

Lillian nodded her head. “Ya-but there’s more. It’s also about, let’s see, she says kinda’, our wild selves. My people believe in spirits, eh, and you can find your spirit in the wild. I’d like to be in the wild. Fuuuuck.”

Kendra considered this, “By wild, you mean, away from the city?”

“Ya’, more even. Like in the woods, away from all people shit.”

“You’d like that?”

“I’d like that.”

****

Meg’s set had been over for more than thirty minutes, and the crowd, a good one once again, had started to thin out. Jessica motioned for Meg to follow her into the washroom, where they went into a stall together. Jessica took out what looked like a rose brooch, which she pinned on Meg’s shirt. She then placed a small ear plug into one of Meg’s ears. “Ok, this is a camera. It doesn’t have much range, but I’m going to be just outside.”

“Where’d you get this?” Meg asked in amazement.

“Oh, Kendra. She has all kinds of neat shit, for when she wants to record somebody or observe somebody. Anyway, doesn’t matter. I’ll be able to watch you on my laptop and the thing in your ear is a receiver, so I can talk to you.” Jessica stopped with a huge smile on her face, as if she had just announced ice cream for everyone.

Meg however stood with a puzzled expression on hers, so Jessica continued. “I want you to get friendly with Marcy, check? Real friendly. She couldn’t take her eyes off you tonight, Meg-o, and the camera will let me see what’s going on with you and I can direct you.”

Meg looked uncertain, so Jessica pressed home the point. “Hey, this isn’t an option, kid. I’m excited about this. I like the idea of using you sexually, you know that. I intend to have you have sex with lots of women, and you’ll get better at it, but for now, I’ll be there to guide you. Now, just give me five minutes to get set up and then you go and have a chat with Marcy-babe. Keep it simple, sister.”

Meg grimaced.

A few minutes later, her head spinning and unsure of herself, Meg placed her guitar against the wall and walked up to Marcy, who was counting money behind the bar; the ‘Purple’ in the now empty Purple Barista, Meg had learned, standing for wine as the coffee shop, still licensed, had started as a wine bar.

“Here you go.” Marcy announced with a smile, handing Meg sixty-five dollars. “Better than Tuesday.”

Meg relaxed, as Jessica’s voice in her ear said, “Be natural”, and then accepted the money. “You’re happy, with, um things?” Meg asked. After Marcy had exuberantly replied, repeating how delighted she was, Meg continued, prompted by Jessica. “So, where’s Dan tonight?”

Marcy explained that Dan had another job, the coffee shop could be unpredictable financially, and he did cleaning several nights a week. With Jessica directing from her car, Meg now reached out and gently stroked Marcy’s face. “Thank you for giving me this, um, chance, Marcy,” Meg said softly, and Marcy’s face twitched with a multitude of emotions.

As she was babbling a response, Meg leaned in and kissed her, holding the kiss for several seconds. When they broke apart, Meg smiled and said, “Would you like me to come back next week?”

Marcy simply stood, her mouth opening and closing, her small breasts rising and falling, before she smiled and said, “Oh God, yes.”

(End of Chapter 9)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 08

Be Not Afraid Of Going Slowly, But Of Standing Still   

“So what’s changed, Kend-O?” Jessica asked as they sat, both drinking tea this time. Lillian was in the shower and had been for a while, it being the first shower she had taken, alone, in weeks.

“Whaddya mean, Snooks?” Kendra replied.

“Snooks?”

“Term of endearment.”

“How sweet,” Jessica smiled demurely and stroked Kendra’s arm, both laughing. “Um, what I mean is, a few weeks back it seemed like you couldn’t wait to get the ol’ mitts on that fine, native ass. And now you’re all Mother Teresa or whatever. You have some kinda’ Epiphany or somethin’?” Jessica was wearing her usual smirk, but she was genuinely curious.

Kendra gazed upon her cup like it held the answer, then looked up and sighed. “I dunno. I don’t. It’s just when I saw her again, something clicked. It’s not right, what is happening to her. Carol-Slave and Allie-Slave and Meg-puppy are all women making a choice. We’re doing stuff to them, right on, babe. They can get up and leave. Not so with Lillian. Now that she’s actually here and Lia is looking at her like a coyote with a pork chop, I’m concerned. This is Goddamn kidnapping, Jess. This is serious shit, like go to jail for a long, long time shit. It’s wrong on so many levels.”

Jessica considered this; you didn’t have to be an officer of the court like Kendra to know that what they were doing was wrong and could mess with their lives. They had both been concerned with what Lia did at her job, and now she had brought that home. “So whadda we do? You keen to take on Lia?”

Kendra put down her cup and looked Jessica in the eyes. She said simply, “Yes.”

****

Kevin Greenfield sat at the table in his rented condo. It was a second floor unit in a low-rise complex not far from the city centre, or Centre Ville, as now Kevin needed to deal with a certain amount of bilingualism.

He was excited and nervous and experiencing doubt. When it came to business, he had always been clear-headed and decisive, which was one reason he was successful. But with personal or emotional matters, it was a different story. The thought of being face-to-face with Margaret, or Meg as she called herself, was frightening.

He looked at his notes. First stop would be at the bar he had seen her playing at; there were no other notices of her on any local entertainment websites. It would be helpful if he had Facebook info or the like, but he didn’t. He would just need to show up and start searching.

****

“Ok, so let’s put aside the mistress and slave thing for a moment, are you really serious about doing this, Carol? I’m talking to you now as your lawyer, you see.” Kendra spoke calmly, although her heart was racing.

Carol chuckled softly on the other end. “The fact you’re discussing this at all, and not rushing to make me sign a deal, tells me about your integrity, my dear. I have thought long and hard on this, from several angles, Ms. Chand, (chuckle) and it’s what I want. Let’s go for a three-year deal. I’m prepared to commit to that, aren’t you?”

At the other end of the call, Kendra Chand simply shook her head in disbelief and murmured, “Oh my God.”

****

After Carol had finished her call to Kendra, she got busy with some paperwork and in an hour had scanned and sent off several documents to Kendra’s law firm, and several of her companies, as well as an ‘update’ text to the office manager of HeyThere! seeking some information. She was just considering having Marissa make some coffee when a gentle rap came to her door and Lauren entered, looking serious.

“Hi, Lauren, what is it? Oh, I just sent off a request for some more info on that company you’re interested in, you know, the one in Montreal?” She smiled at her daughter; she felt good today and generous towards all.

“Thanks, mom. That’s actually what I want to talk with you about. Gotta minute?”

“Of course, Dear. Of course. How can I help?”

Lauren smiled. Where to begin?

****

“So. You’re good with this, um…Mistress?” Meg asked, from her kneeling positon on the floor. She was not Cindy-Lou at the moment, or ‘The Maid’, or Sapphire; just a naked Meg Greenfield kneeling before Jessica Robb; yet the relationship held. Jessica was the mistress, and Meg belonged to her.

Jessica smiled down; she was good with this; this being Meg going out tonight to perform, for the first time in a while. It was only a little coffee shop and she would only be doing an hour-long set with likely little cash reimbursement, but Meg was excited.

On her side of it, Jessica was actually feeling nervous, as it would be the first time she saw, ‘her girl’ perform in public. Well, perform music that is. Just as she finished reassuring her submissive, Kendra entered the room and stood with a huge grin on her face.

“What the Hell?” Jessica asked, looking at her housemate. “You can’t be going house crazy, you’ve only been home a day.” She smirked, and Kendra motioned for her friend to follow. They went into the kitchen and Kendra leaned against the counter and beckoned Jessica closer. Jessica asked, “What is up with you, sister? You’ve been into the good sherry again, haven’t you?”

Kendra laughed and shook her head, then spoke in a whisper.

“Why are you whispering, crazy K?” Jessica asked.

“I want to share this with just you, so stop yapping and listen,” Kendra admonished.

“Okay.” Jessica replied, moving in and looking with anticipation at her friend.

“Looks like I’ll be working from home a lot over the next while,” Kendra announced.

“You’ve been laid off!” Jessica exclaimed and Kendra laughed out loud.

“No, no you silly mistress. I’ve been designated to look after the affairs of one, and only one, special client.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Mommy-Slave, right? What the Hell…?”

Kendra laughed and then explained. “She’s paying my firm one hundred and ninety k, yearly, and I’ll get one-twenty out of that, but I’ll only look after her stuff. How’s that for finding the right submissive, eh?”

Jessica simply stood, a look of bewildered astonishment on her pretty face.

****

Dawn and Cutter both looked up as the intercom buzzed.

“That’ll be Douglas, let her in, hey.” Cutter stated, not bothering to rise from his laptop. Lauren was to be coming with details of his target company, although why she couldn’t just discuss it over the phone, Cutter didn’t know. At this stage he would have gone to meet her, for Christ’s sakes, if it meant being able to wrap up this business.

The elevator’s arrival was heard and felt and then there was a gentle knock on the door. Dawn opened it, but before she could say something rude to the young woman she expected, she was stopped by the sight of Carol Douglas and two large men standing behind her.

“Uh, Mr. Cutter, you need to come here,” Dawn exclaimed.

“No worries, my dear,” Carol said mildly as she marched past the startled assistant. “I’ll just come in.”

****

Kendra was sitting with Lillian; she on the couch, the girl on a large cushion on the floor. Kendra had tried to make some small talk but so far, Lillian wasn’t biting.

“Okay, tell me, what can I do to convince you I’m on your side and mean you no harm.” Kendra offered.

The mask Lillian was wearing wavered slightly; one could see there was a struggle beneath it. She was determined to give her captors nothing, but she appeared to have something to say; that angel won out. “Find my mom.”

Kendra looked startled, as had been the case whenever that dark, rich voice emanated from the young, beautiful face. “Uh, sure, but, um, did she run off? What do you think of, you know, what do you mean, when you say ‘find her’?”

Lillian looked up and her face held no resentment, for the moment. “We lived in ‘Winter-peg,” she said, calmly. “That’s the last place I saw her. When I called last um, time, a few months back, like, the number wasn’t working, eh.”

Kendra paused and considered. “Ok, so I’ll try to track her down; um, do you have any, like, I.D.?”

Lillian shook her head, and Kendra registered amazement. How does one function in this world without identification, but all she said was, “Anything else?”

Lillian slyly took the little slip of paper from her jean’s pocket. “Yeah, buy this book.” She looked calmly at Kendra, who read the note and looked back, calmly as well. This was progress.

“Okay,” she said, and smiled. “What’s your mom’s first name?”

“Kadie,” Lillian replied, with no emotion.

“Ok, good,” Kendra paused. “Have you had lunch?”

****

Lauren had decided to ‘come clean’ as it were. She and her mother may not have had a great relationship growing up, but you only have one mother, and Carol Douglas was not a bad person. Simon Cutter, on the other hand, was unpleasant, questionable, arrogant and unpredictable. He didn’t really have a true hold on Lauren; it was mostly her lack of confidence, state of mind and his dominance.

In the end, when Lauren thought things through practically, the decision to turn to her mother was not hard.

Once Carol Douglas had the information, she planned in her usual direct, organized way. She confronted Cutter to take stock of the man, then made him an offer. She had no personal attachment to the company he desired; it may have weakened his position, her knowing of his strong interest, but she was in the process of selling stuff off anyway, so reaching an agreement wasn’t overly difficult.

She did want Cutter’s hold on her daughter released, though, which was why she had brought along a couple of ‘assistants’. Carol Douglas was not some sweet, middle-aged matron. She had succeeded in a man’s world by being tough and, at times, ruthless, if need be.

By the time she left Cutter’s condo, things were settled to Douglas’s satisfaction; and she would be able, in good conscience, to send her daughter off to something she could make an effort to succeed at. Her daughter now had an opportunity, and Carol was then free to give herself over to her desires. She had found a new purpose; it was personal and rewarding, and on her mind constantly.

Cutter on the other hand reached for the Jack Daniels when the group had left. He needed a drink; to celebrate, sort of. And just because he needed a drink; he had gotten what he wanted, but not in his way. He was, a little, pissed

****

Kendra put the package down and looked up at the clock; her little trip to a local Chapters had been successful but now it was almost five. She headed downstairs and found Lillian sitting on her bed listening to the device Kendra had given to her; it could play tunes and games. As well, Kendra had hauled a television into this room and the cable guy would be coming Thursday to hook it up. For now Lillian would need to make due with her device; looking at her, one never knew if she was happy about anything or not, her expression gave nothing away. Great at poker, Kendra thought.  

“Here,” she said, handing the girl the package. Lillian pulled the book she had ‘requested’ out of the bag and regarded it; then looked up, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her lips. “It looks interesting; I’d like you to tell me what it’s all about, after you get into it,” Kendra remarked.

Lillian nodded her head, and opened the book; reading wasn’t easy for her but she was now motivated and determined.

After letting the girl browse for a moment and thinking of the time, Kendra asked, “What kind of pizza do you like?” Kendra asked.

“Um, whatever. No anchovies, eh.” Another small smile?

“Right. Give you a shout when it’s here.” Kendra turned to head off, when that compelling voice stopped here.

“Um, Kend-ra.” The woman turned to face Lillian, still sitting on her bed. Was this the first time she’d said her name? There was a pause, then Lillian murmured, “Uh, thank you.”

Kendra smiled and felt good. So simple, so easy. “No worries,” she said, and headed back upstairs to call for dinner. It would be the three of them, as Jessica and ‘her girl’ had gone out. Lia would be home for dinner soon; Kendra wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation that she knew had to happen. But that was just the way it was.

****

Kevin Greenfield left the bar disappointed; Meg had not been back there and the bartender didn’t have any info on anyone; the owner would be back later, but not ‘til nine. Greenfield decided he would just grab some dinner and return. He had no other leads.

****

It was almost six-thirty before Lia arrived home. Kendra had ordered two medium pizzas, both half-and-halfs, so that Lia had her pepperoni and fresh tomatoes; not Kendra’s favorite.

“Thanks,” Lia said, grabbing a beer from the ‘fridge. “Where’s Lillian?” she asked, as one pizza slice disappeared into her mouth.

“She’s just in the room downstairs. Have your pizza and then let’s talk.” Lia drank some beer and then started on a second slice. “Don’t you think we’ve talked enough already?” Lia asked, and there was a tone in her voice that Kendra noted. Clearly the whole thing with Lillian was bothering her; a lot, and she was running out of patience.

Kendra poured a coffee and bought herself some time as Lia finished off slice number two, washing it down with half of the can of Molson Canadian. Lia belched and looked over at Kendra as she began her third slice. “I didn’t hear an answer, Kendra.”

Kendra deliberately brought her coffee and sat down opposite her larger housemate, then looked at her directly and meaningfully. She waited until Lia had consumed the third slice before she spoke. “What you have planned for Lillian isn’t going to work,” She said simply and directly.

Lia’s brown skin seemed to darken; she focused on the can of beer as she replied. “How do you figure that? I don’t recall discussing my plans with you.” She looked up and her eyes were dark and her demeanor menacing.

Kendra swallowed and continued. “It doesn’t matter what your plans are, whatever they are, it’s not going to happen. We’re not keeping Lillian a prisoner here; this is not up for negotiation, Lia.”

“And who the fuck decided that, you? The queen?” Lia asked, her voice choked.

The two sat in silence, anger oozing from both, but it was Kendra suddenly exploding out of her chair to fling her cup against the wall, smashing it and sending coffee flying. “You’re Goddamn right I decided that, for Christ’s sakes.” She spit out, saliva flying along with words. “If you think you’re going to risk my career, my home, everything I’ve worked for just so you can have a taste of something that doesn’t belong to you, think again Lia.”

Momentarily taken aback, Lia recovered and stood, crushing her beer can in one hand as she grabbed Kendra by the throat with the other and slammed her against the wall. “Do it Lia. Do it, if you want. Go’wan, screw your life up completely. Is it worth that much to you? Is it?” Kendra spoke as loudly as she could, Lia tightening her grip on her throat. Lia began to squeeze harder, her eyes bulging with anger.

“Let ‘er go!” A voice from the doorway shouted, and both heads turned to see Lillian standing, fists clenched, eyes blazing, face darkening almost to purple. “Let her go, you bitch!” Lillian shouted again, and it was as if Lia was a balloon and the words were a pin. She released her hold on Kendra and stood back, seeming to shrink slightly before Lillian’s fury.

Without another word, Lia grabbed her keys and stormed out the back, letting the screen door slam.

****

The coffee house, and it actually was a house, a converted two-storey with offices on the upper floor and a business and the coffee shop on the lower, was located in central Ottawa not far from Carleton University.

Meg was to go on at nine, and she and Jessica arrived just after eight to get ‘loaded in’. This was not difficult as all Meg had was her guitar; the place had its own little sound system and a little stage in one corner of a room that sat possibly seventy.

The original owners of the Purple Barista had been big live music fans and had always offered as much music as they could, even if the money wasn’t much. The new owners, Dan and Marcy, a couple in their early thirties, greeted their young artist with enthusiasm and got her all set up. The biggest question was who was more nervous: Meg, who hadn’t performed in a while, the couple, who had never seen this act or Jessica, who felt like a mom watching her child at a school presentation?

Whatever, it looked like a decent crowd, as people were arriving in two’s, threes and more.

“This is the hard part,” Meg whispered to Jessica. “Waiting.”

****

Cutter looked over the top of his glass at Lauren, who was sitting across from him. She still seemed nervous, despite what had happened earlier. Of course, one’s personality is not something that can be turned off and on like a light. Where Carol Douglas was confident and forthright, Lauren was hesitant and doubtful.

Still, the way the negotiations had gone, Lauren’s role was now established and she would not need to deal with Cutter, who had actually already decided to return to Cleveland and send Dawn to Montreal as his manager. He had new projects already in mind.

“So, you played me quite well, for a little mouse,” Cutter murmured.

Lauren did not look up, but she did reply, “I didn’t play you. I did what you asked, and then at the last minute there was a change of plan. What does it matter?” She looked up now, into Simon’s thin, cunning face, “You got what you wanted.” She looked at him hard, her breasts rising and falling.

Cutter smiled, looking a little like a cobra. “Yes, but not how I wanted.” They sat in silence for a moment. “Take off your clothes, Lauren, I think you owe me something.”

Lauren looked up, then stood up and walked to the door. “My debt with you is paid, Simon.” She said as she opened the door and left. In the hallway she smiled; that had felt good.

****

Kevin left the same bar for the second time that day and without a lot more information, but he did at least have a cell number, for a ‘Mary’. Kevin remembered her as the girl who was singing with his daughter. Well, this was a start, even if it would be awkward to reach out. Still, he needed to start somewhere.

****

Meg finished her last song, the Brandi Carlisle-like version of ‘Country Roads’, to warm and appreciative applause from the more than fifty people in the coffee shop. Jessica was grinning like a proud mama; she had no idea ‘her girl’ was so talented. Meg had a lovely, warm, alto voice and a pleasant and engaging stage manner. She played mostly song covers, but the three originals Meg did were great; or at least Jessica thought they were great, and the applause was encouraging for her entire hour.

Throughout the performance, Jessica had noted with interest that Marcy the owner was watching her ‘artist’ keenly. Jessica smiled; this could be fun, to see if there was real interest there. She felt no jealousy at all at this; Meg’s feelings for her were so obvious and strong that Jessica knew she could dangle her girl out there to see if any interesting prospects were waiting. The thought made Jessica smile.

As Meg put away her guitar and accepted compliments from several patrons, Jessica kept a casual eye on Marcy; a woman of possibly thirty-five, definitely older than Kendra, a touch taller than Meg, maybe five-seven; long light brown hair parted in the middle, hippy-style, Jessica called it, with slim, modest breasts and hips.

She had a mild, attractive face, not the kind to start bands playing but gentle and, hmmm, Jessica pondered…soft. Yes, this was a soft woman, with her small, pert nose, and decent, definitely kissable lips.

Marcy wore a long skirt and a loose ‘peasant’ blouse with a wool vest, perhaps knitted herself. Jessica smiled as Marcy hurried over once Meg was free and spoke in an animated manner with her artist. Whatever she was saying made Meg smile as well. Meg cast several glances in Jessica’s direction during the conversation, with Jessica smiling in return.

In time Meg made her way to Jessica and they enthusiastically shared positives, including the fact that Marcy had just asked Meg to play on Thursday; then Meg showed the fifty dollars she had earned, with a huge grin on her face.

“Did you tell her you could play?” Jessica asked.

“I just said I’d check, which means I’m asking you. May I, Mistress?”

“Yes, my girl, you may. This is cool.” Meg grinned again and hurried to give the news to Marcy.

****

It was almost midnight when Lia opened the door as quietly as she could, fumbling a little with her intoxication. She wasn’t completely ‘lit’ but she had had enough beer to make her muddled. She was still aware enough, though, to come in the back way, but it didn’t matter; Kendra was waiting for her, in the darkened kitchen, in her robe, leaning against the counter.

The two women eyed each other silently, before Kendra turned and walked off to the living room. Jessica and Meg had come in about an hour earlier, clearly pumped from the evening. Kendra dampened the mood a little with her summation of the altercation with Lia. They had sat and talked until they heard Lia’s truck pull up and then the two had left. “You’re sure you’re good, Kend?” Jessica had asked with concern.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. It’s better if Lia just deals with me. Don’t worry, really. You two go celebrate in your special way.” Both Jessica and Kendra smirked, then Kendra had readied herself. She wasn’t quite as confident as she let on.

So now she sat, heart beating, unsure of what Lia would do next. The large woman shuffled into the living room and slouched down into an armchair, rubbing a meaty hand over her face. Without making eye contact she mumbled, with a bit of a slur. “I’m sorry, Kend.”

“You’re drunk,” Kendra noted, quietly.

Lia sat up and looked across the space. “Mebbe, but I’m still (she hiccupped) sorry. Fucking sorry, babe, mean that; really. Fuck.” She slouched back and sat, breathing heavily; Kendra just waited. Lia continued. “You’re right, Kend. You’re always fucking right. Fuck.”

Kendra allowed a small smile, but remained quiet for a moment before adding. “Not always, Kid.”

Slowly, like a dormant volcano coming to life, Lia’s chest began to heave as she fought to maintain control. In a moment, large, fat tears were rolling down her face, and her breath was coming in ragged sobs. Kendra moved over and knelt beside the chair, placing her delicate hand over the larger one of her friend. “Fuck,” Lia said again.

“Hey, it’s alright, Kid. I mean that. Let’s put it behind us.” She pressed a tissue into the brown hand. Lia blew her nose noisily and then leaned back, her sobs gradually subsiding.

“I shoun’t ‘ov grabbed ya’. I was wrong, Christ. Ummmmm, I was, ummmmm, wrong ‘bout ev’rything. Shit.”

She wiped her nose again. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

“Hey, like Scarlet said, tomorrow’s another day.”

Lia looked at her. “Who?”

Kendra chuckled. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. You’d better get to bed.”

Kendra helped Lia to her feet and the woman wavered slightly before gaining control. “Afternoon shift,” She mumbled, and started toward the stairs.

“Okay, we can talk some more tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

“Night, Kends.”

“Good night, Snooks.”

Lia paused and looked back. “Snooks?”

Kendra chuckled again. “It’s a term of endearment.”

Lia waved and started slowly up the stairs.

(End of Chapter 8)

A Mask of Love

By LongDarkRoad

Chapter 07 Let Go of That Which Cannot Be Mended   

“So here you go, Dear.” Carol Douglas announced, placing a sheet of paper on the coffee table beside the couch Lauren was lying on. Carol was dressed smartly in one of her expensive suits, as she was off to a board meeting, continuing the process of discarding and wrapping up much of her business.

She still wasn’t totally comfortable with what her daughter was up to; however, including why she had returned at all, but she was willing to at least work with her, the young woman’s comments hitting home.

Lauren had asked for an opportunity to work in one of the many companies that Carol owned or controlled; was there a chance for a fresh start for her?

Was there? Carol thought. What harm was there in at least trying?

“Thanks, Mom. See you later?” Lauren commented, glancing at the paper and then up to her mother.

Carol pondered; her mistress would expect her tonight, but maybe that could be after dinner? “I’ll call you. I would like to have dinner with you; how would that be?”

“Sure. See ya’.”

****

In her office, Kendra Chand was having trouble wading through the dry and complicated deed transfer documents before her. Not only was it a boring task, but her mind kept running back to the weekend and all that had happened; a.k.a., the opposite of boring.

It had occurred to her, as they were ‘welcoming’ the newest arrival Meg and her modest collection of boxes yesterday, that it was a good thing she had decided on buying a larger house. At the time it had meant the need for her to find housemates, and ones that actually became financial partners (and friends), but now the extra room, and rooms were becoming necessary.

Meg would not have her own room; she would sleep in Jessica’s room or the ‘Dungeon’ as her mistress decided, but she still had boxes to stash. And then there was the guitar. Meg’s guitar, and what it stood for, was something that raised questions.

Meg was a singer; a performer. In talks with Jessica it was clear that that part of her life was not something she wished to just give up. Meg’s modest income from her part-time job was inconsequential, but she identified as a performer, an artist. Her guitar was symbolic of that. Could Jessica take that away?

The discussion was left as ’to be continued’, and the guitar was placed in the storage area of the basement; but it would not rest easy.

****

Lauren looked over the list prepared by her mother; it was typical Carol Douglas, organized and efficient, the seventeen company names listed alphabetically. Included were businesses in Toronto and its adjacent smaller cities, plus Ottawa and Montreal. Sitting in place at number seven was HeyThere! V-Streams, the company that Simon wished to pursue.

“Hi,” Lauren said as Dawn answered, “I have info, put the man on, D”

“Hey Bitch, dat’s cool; here he is. Oh, btw, happy Fourth. Your holiday sucks,” she chuckled.

In a moment, Cutter’s clipped and precise voice came on. He was, even if he didn’t show it, very pleased and a little excited by Lauren’s progress, but he had only given her a little bit to start with, not trusting her by loading too much on her plate. It was encouraging that she had called before stumbling forward on her own, and Cutter now spent several minutes outlining clearly her next steps; then having her recite back what she was expected to do. When he was satisfied that she was good to go, he ended the call.

Lauren now sat in thought; how far could she trust

Simon Cutter? Was this a betrayal of her mother? Did that matter?

Her life had become more complicated in the last twenty-four hours.

****

Lia Robinson also sat in thought, at work. Her partner had taken a new arrival down for interrogation but Lia had begged off, “Paper work”, she had lied. She really wasn’t into the thing they did, not tonight. The weekend had given her lots of sexual release, but it wasn’t just that.

Her mind was on Lillian Clark, and the fact that in just over a week she would turn eighteen. But do I really need to wait ‘til then to bring her home? She wondered, and was lost again in thought.

****

Her business concluded, Carol was seated in the back of her Cadillac as her driver wound her way through modest Monday traffic, heading back home. Carol took a chance and texted Kendra and was delighted when her cell rang a minute or two later.

“Mistress,” Carol murmured warmly.

Kendra chuckled softly before replying, “Well, my wee muff muncher, meetings concluded?”

“Yes, Mistress, and I was hoping you had plans for your obedient girl. I would like to have dinner with Lauren but I will do as told.” Carol could not help but smile at the words coming from her mouth and the arousal they gave her. What a Slut-slave I am, she pondered; her mistress was right.

Kendra smiled as well; when you are naturally dominant, submissive actions, even words, make you smile. “You have my permission to have dinner with your daughter, but be at my house by eight. Dress casual in slacks and a top and wear nothing underneath. Oh, and make sure you have one of the new butt plugs I gave you in. Got all that?”

Carol began to feel the heat starting between her legs; it was amazing, really. A simple conversation with another human being and yet it produced this arousal. She shook her head in wonder and replied. “I understand, my mistress, and will show my…gratitude, completely.”

After the call ended, Carol permitted herself a little giggle. She already had a butt plug in.

****

Jessica and Meg sat at the table in their kitchen. Oddly, Meg was wearing clothes, as Jessica wanted to talk with her as…Meg the regular woman. “So, how do you, um, feel about, hmmmm, things?” Jessica asked, a little cautiously, and sipped some black tea.

Meg brushed an auburn curl from her face and looked up at her…mistress. Saying the word in her mind made her smile. “Well,” she smiled again, this time self-consciously; it was so much easier to sit on the stage and sing to an audience of strangers, something that would rattle many people, than do this. To talk seriously about feelings to someone one cared for, deeply.

More than deeply, really. What she felt for Jessica was new, she had truly never felt this degree of…love? Devotion? Desire? Whatever word came out, it meant something serious, and she found it difficult to discuss.

“Welllll, as far as things go, I want to be with you. I, um, want to, fuck this is hard.” She smiled and looked down, took a deep breath and continued. “I want to be yours, to belong to, um, you. I have never thought of, you know, the slave, um, thing. But, yeah, I want to be your slave, I guess. Not a slave, see, but your slave.” When she looked up, it was directly into Jessica’s eyes, her own eyes shining.

Jessica reached out and stroked Meg’s lovely face, her soft, perfect skin. “And, the deal, the, um roles we explained, you can do that?”

Meg giggled softly at the thought. “Yes, here, in this place, your place, I will be who, and um, what, you want and I’ll do what you want. Because it’s for you, right?”

“Ok, so tell me the plan.” Jessica looked at Meg with a small smile playing on her lips. This was exciting, and a little stressful. In the back of Jessica’s mind was the thought that at any moment Meg would ‘wake up’ and yell, “What the Hell is going on?”

But she didn’t; she spoke quietly, evenly, controlling the obvious emotion. “In your house, I will be your pet, Cindy-Lou, or the House Maid. Or sexy Sapphire, a hot, insatiable bitch.” She smiled at this.

The two women sat in silence, their breasts rising and falling together on either side of the table. Jessica spoke quietly, “And if you are obedient, your mistress will allow you out, in the world, to be, um, Meg, and that includes…Meg the performer.”

There was silence again, both women focusing on the white tablecloth that covered the table between them.

****

As his daughter was discussing her relationship, four hours away in Toronto her father Kevin was wrapping things up. He would be leaving direct communications in the hands of his capable assistant ‘Sunday’ (my girl ‘Friday’ he always joked, ‘is named Sunday.’ Kevin generally laughed louder at the joke than Sunday, who only smiled. She liked her boss, but he could be something of a nerd).

“So, you really don’t know when you’re coming back?” Sunday looked up through her round spectacles, concern showing clearly on her face.

“Don’t worry, kid. You’ll be great. I’ve concluded all my deals, there really shouldn’t be anything for you to do but relay info to me. And computers make the world small, right?” Kevin assured her, although she still looked doubtful.

“Yeah sure, Mr. G. But I hope you’re right.”

“I’m right, Sunday, trust me.”

Kevin Greenfield sounded more confident than he felt, but at least he was finally doing something. He didn’t know how Meg would react, but he had waited years for this, and he couldn’t wait any longer.

****

Unless one was watching very carefully, one would not have noticed ‘Sphinx’, a short, Asian girl, slip something into Lillian Clark’s hand as, during a ‘shift change’, the two girls passed each other. Since both girls were only wearing bras and panties, as one was leaving the drug packaging room and the other was entering, Lillian needed to be crafty in what she did with the note. All the girls under Loess’s roof knew the rules: no talking of any kind with each other. None, and the rules were enforced.

As humans do, however, the girls had found ways, brief and dangerous as they were, to communicate. What Sphinx had given Lillian was the title of a book (Bad Endings by Carleigh Baker) the older girl believed the younger, indigenous girl should read. Lillian, even with her difficulties with reading, was determined to have a look at this book. It was about her people; her heritage; her ancestry. Things her own mother had denied her by not living with other native peoples. Living instead on the fringe of ‘white’ society.

Something in Lillian was needing information, and hopefully understanding. She was tired of drifting.

As Lillian was surreptitiously tucking the tiny paper roll just under her panty band, the front door opened, and Lia Robinson’s imposing bulk filled the doorway.

****

Jessica sat on one couch, drinking tea. Kendra sat on the opposite one, drinking wine. On the carpet between them, the coffee table moved off to one side, Carol Douglas lay, naked of course. Above her face, in a classic sixty-nine, was the trimmed bush and enticing labia of Sapphire, wearing dark nylons and nothing else, although her face was different. The Mistresses had added dark eye shadow and bright red lipstick and back-combed her thick, auburn tresses into a wild, mane. ‘A sexy beast’, Kendra had remarked.

“I think Carol-Slave is enjoying this too much,” Kendra commented to her housemate with a smirk, noting the attentiveness with which the older woman’s tongue was caressing the younger woman’s fleshy folds.

“Yeah, we’re not much when it comes to punishment Mistress K. Our slaves have too much fun, period. We need to go to dungeon school or something,” Jessica replied, chuckling at her own joke. “But it is nice to watch, eh? Better than most of what’s on cable, right?”

Kendra sipped some wine and smiled; she agreed. She looked up as the door opened and Lia entered, followed by the tall, attractive Lillian Clark. Kendra looked with surprise and interest. She had forgotten just how beautiful the girl was.

****

Carol Douglas sat at the ancient, oak desk in her home office; the desk had been her father’s and she felt comfortable with its solid presence. She was finishing paperwork associated with today’s meetings, but her mind kept straying. Visions of vaginas kept coming to her; it should be the name of a new sitcom, she mused with a smile, The Vagina Visions. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by a gentle knock on her door, followed by the entry of Lauren.

After the usual greetings, Lauren lay the paper which Carol had given her in the morning down on the desk; four companies were highlighted, two in Ottawa, one in Toronto (Markham, actually) and one in…Montreal.

Carol smiled up at her daughter, “And…?”

Lauren fidgeted for a moment; she didn’t want to mess up Cutter’s instructions. “Well, um, those ones interest me. Um, can I ask you a coupl’a questions, or are you busy with something?”

Carol put down her pen. “No, this is fine. Ask your questions, please Dear.”

For the next minute or two, Lauren asked three, simple prepared questions about the three companies that were just decoys, and then she went to where she was to go. ”So this company, I’ve actually heard of it. TBH, I’m surprised you are involved…”

“Why?” Carol asked, although she had a feeling; it was a newish company, one suggested by a young assistant. Carol herself knew little of it, yet her accountants told her it had been a smart investment. Sometimes you’re lucky. She smiled at that, also that she knew what TBH meant.

“Well, it’s just that…”

“It’s just not the sort of company a middle-aged woman would own?” Carol finished with her eyebrows raised and a little smirk on her face.

Lauren chuckled, “Um, yeah. On point, Mom, that’s it. It, sort’a stood out for me and I’m like, what’s my mom doing with this?” They both chuckled. “Is it something I should check out? Do you, like, plan to keep it long? Whaddya’ think?”

Carol pondered. There was so much she could tell her daughter, but that would likely not be wise. She could tell her, a little.

“This one, I’m not sure. I’m sort of cutting down on my holdings; I have more things on the go than I need. But no matter what happens with this, if it interests you I would support you. It is based in Montreal, you know. You’d need to speak French.”

Lauren stood silently for a moment, then picked up the paper. “Thanks, Mom, that’s great, for now. I’ll talk with you again tomorrow, ok?”

“Sure, Dear.” Carol murmured as Lauren, surprisingly, kissed the top of her head and left, softly closing the door.

****

Kevin Greenfield set his cell alarm. He wanted to head for Ottawa early enough to arrive mid-morning and avoid the heaviest traffic. He had his condo rented and furnished. He was ready to go. For now he just needed to sleep, but that wasn’t happening.

He lay looking at the ceiling, his mind going like crazy.

****

Kendra unlocked the door. It was midnight, but she wanted to speak, privately, with their newest arrival. They had placed Lillian in a downstairs room that could be used as a bedroom; it had no windows but did have a small, two-piece bath right in it. This was one of Kendra’s renovations; having a self-contained space was likely a good idea, she had considered at the time the workmen were putting in the ‘fun room’, so she had added this renovation to the list.

A good idea it was, and Kendra entered the room quietly, to find Lillian sitting on the bed, still fully clothed, although some night clothes had been given to her. They sat beside her on the bedspread.

The two women eyed each other silently for a moment, Kendra searching the light brown face for…anything. Lillian sat with her mask of acceptance, her dark eyes giving nothing away.

“We don’t intend to lock you in, um, for ever, Lillian.” Kendra said quietly, clasping her hands together in front and standing awkwardly; the girl’s silence was daunting.

Lillian gave a slight shrug with her shoulders, barely a twitch, but it was enough to shake her lovely, full breasts. Clearly she was not wearing a bra. She continued to regard Kendra in silence, her face was not defiant, simply unmoving. Kendra struggled for a moment with conflicting emotions; she wanted to reach out and cup one of those breasts; she also wanted to slip an arm around the athletic shoulders of this young woman and tell her it was going to be okay. She did, neither, just stood.

“But you did. Whatever.” Lillian finally spoke, quietly.

The rich voice startled Kendra for a moment; it was deeper than she anticipated, more womanly than she expected, more enticing than the innocent face that stared impassively behind it. “Have what?” Kendra asked, unsure.

“Locked me in.”

****

Lauren Douglas was on her cell phone much earlier than usual, for her; it was eight-fifteen. In the morning. But she knew Simon Cutter was an early riser and she wanted to get her info to him.

Simon listened to Lauren’s rushed flow, thinking again that she was like a twelve-year-old and he would cut ties with her as soon as she had served him. After she finally stopped, he began. “So what I think you’re saying is that this company is likely available, but you’ve, em, presented it as a potential job for you. So, listen carefully my dear, you need to let Mommie-dear know that you have a, em, friend, a business-guy, who is very, no, just say, interested, in this particular company.”

Lauren sat, considering, “But my mom will want to know more about you.”

Cutter felt his usual annoyance rising rapidly; he had a short fuse and many things; noise, smells, people, could light the fuse. He worked to calm his breathing. He had spent longer on this, and more money than he intended, and he just needed this fucking little girl to follow directions. Why was there always questions?

“Lauren, forget that, forget questions. Just give your mother my number.”

Lauren paused again, until Cutter’s agitated voice prompted her, “What if she just, like, ignores that. She’s busy…”

“Look it, kid, I’m running out of time and patience. My condo lease expires this month, and I intend to be done and out before then. Just get the info to her and try not to fuck anything up, right? Okay?”

Lauren paused again, aware of not annoying the man any more, but wanting to be clear. “What, um, what happens to me, like, when this is all over?”

Now Cutter sat in silence. He wanted to say, no, he actually wanted to yell, that it didn’t matter, or that he hadn’t given that idea a moment’s thought, which he hadn’t, but he simply sighed and said, “We’ll talk, okay. Now get on with it.”

The call ended.

****

Kendra was able to work from home today and that was a good thing; she had a lot to deal with and little had to do with any of the cases she was working on. Right now she was sitting in the living room with Jessica and Lillian. Lia had, with a lot of grumbling, headed off to the Detention Centre, with day shift all this week. Earlier Meg had been taken to the bookstore by her mistress and would be coming home by transit. Carol Douglas was at her home but had already had two conversations with her mistress.

“Ok, Lillian, I wanted you here to listen to what Jessica and I are going to say, so that you know where we’re at involving, um, you, and this…situation, and, um, what options, you know, there are?” Lillian gazed back with mild, emotionless eyes. She had not spoken today at all, but had accepted some toast and juice.

Jessica was regarding her with interest and a certain, reverence, like one might a large, wild, exotic bird. Lillian simply tilted her head at Kendra’s words.

Kendra sighed and began. “This is a problem, Jess.”

Jessica was aware of Kendra’s feelings of discomfort when it came to the young woman sitting two feet from her on the couch, but being as far away emotionally as possible. She did not know, however, just what Kendra’s concerns were or what plans, if any, might be roaming around in that fertile imagination. “How so, Queen K?” Jessica smiled, and Lillian actually glanced at her, but did not speak.

“Well, and I’m not feeling good with discussing this without Lia, but I think you and I need to lay out our cards, so to speak. At least that is what I’m hoping for, because I do intend to talk to, well, confront actually, Lia on this. That’s what I want Lillian to hear, that this, whatever is happening with her and this house, is not some shared plan. I do not think Lia and I see eye to eye on Lillian.

But before Jessica could reply, Lillian spoke in that surprising, dark voice. “But here you’ve got me, and talk like I’m not here.” She said evenly, with a slight shrug of her shoulders, her face expressionless.

Kendra looked at her and leaned forward. “But that’s why you’re sitting here with us. I want to hear you; I want you to hear us. I want you to speak out.”

“And so I speak out and say I wish to go, then what? You’ll let me walk out the f’n door?”

“No, I won’t,” Kendra said mildly as Lillian snorted and Jessica snickered. “But hear me out. Where would you go? You have no money. You have no identification. You have been arrested but not processed. You have a drug-dealing boyfriend out there who knows you could rat him out. I’m not going to just let you walk out the door, at least not today. But I want, look at me Lillian please, I want to say this to you directly.” When Lillian raised her beautiful face to her, Kendra continued in an earnest voice, “I want you to be able to leave if you wish, someday soon, when you have something to leave for.”

The room was silent; Jessica was madly imagining Lia’s reaction to this, but yet she could see Kendra’s point.

Kendra continued. “You know the problem, Jess. And it’s not Lillian’s age. She turns eighteen very soon.”

Jessica looked from one woman to the other. When she spoke there was no snicker or sarcasm in her tone; she was being as genuine as she could be. “The problem is that Lillian is not here on her own, um, accord, I guess it would be. She’s a prisoner, of sorts. And that is not what we wanted.”

Kendra nodded her head sagely, and Jessica continued, “But our friend wants her.”

Kendra nodded again; that was the problem in the proverbial nutshell.

(End of Chapter 07)