Continues from chapter twelve
Chapter 13: Down and Out
She is in the dark
and not just from the darkness
she’s out of the loop
“Okay, please start at the beginning and read me into the mission.”
“Duke, there’s certain papers I need to take to him, so I’ll be collecting them while I fill you in.”
Jackson used his keycard and his palm print to open Roy’s safe and locked filing cabinets. Duke helped him sort through what was in each.
“As you know, Roy was sent, by me acting for the council, on a triple acquisition. What you don’t know was that his mission was the start of the operation that we handed to you. The women he was supposed to acquire were related to the CFO of Tangram-Tessera International, or TTI. That company has maliciously interfered with business ventures critical to our operations for years. We’re now striking back in an effort to sap under their corporate fortifications to the heart of their hierarchy.
“Roy was sent to acquire the twin adult daughters of the Chief Financial Officer and his wife, their mother. We would have traded her back as soon as she saw how her daughters fared as bald chattel. At any rate, the bodyguards got wind of the abduction, or just expected it was coming, because they were waiting there with a superior force. Roy was shot in a non-critical area, but because the bullet tore through his protective coveralls, he was exposed to some type of chemical agent they sprayed on our people. One of the other full grooms, Charlie, was shot and has already succumbed to the effects of that aerosol gas. They say Roy is fading, so we have to get to Bethesda ASAP. There are choppers waiting for us at both ends and our company jet will be able to get us there in a couple of hours.”
Jackson had a fistful of thumb-drives in his pocket, and a couple of thick file folders under his arm when they left Roy’s office and exited the quarters. Duke was carrying his pre-packed overnight bag and his iPad. They ran to the waiting chopper and were airborne to the airport just minutes after Jackson had rung the doorbell.
Johan sat at the kitchen table and examined May. He noticed that her bowl of gruel still had several spoonfuls left in it, so without saying a word he fed her the remainder of her meal. Long after Duke and his boss were gone, Johan introduced himself.
“Hello May,” and she jumped from hearing another voice without expecting it.
“My name is Johan, but I suggest you practice the protocol of calling me M’Lord Groom. Duke is gone on a mission and High Lord McMal has placed me as temporary groom for your training, until Duke gets back. I am not comfortable with Duke’s experimental protocol, so I will be working with you on the low protocol training method that your master created. There will be no familiarity, no random chatter, you will talk only when you are specifically asked a question and your answers will be concise and not rambling. You will be given a short period of time after the evening meal to ask questions about your training. Suggestions will be presented in the question form during this time, but there is no guarantee that I will acquiesce to these suggestions. You may not ask personal questions. At this time I will address the questions that I perceive to be on your mind.
“One, something happened to Roy.
“Two, I have no idea what happened to him or any other particulars about what is going on.
“Three, Duke was requested to go on this mission by one the highest members of the council, High Lord McMal and no I do not know what that mission is.
“Four, short of an act of god, Duke will return and continue your training whenever he has accomplished his assignment for High Lord McMal.
“Five, I do not have privileges with you so there will be no coitus, vaginal or anal, nor any oral sex between us.
“Six, low protocol uses short intense periods of pain to teach the importance of improvement. If I see you trying to improve, I will not discipline you. If you slack off because I’m not Duke, or Roy, you will feel the taste of my single-tail.
“Seven, low protocol allows for small breaks in discipline, where high protocol is exactingly and unforgivingly by the book, so if you please my sense of responsibility you will be rewarded.
“Now, what were you and Duke working on?”
“M’Lord Groom, we were working on three things. The first was the lengthening of my gait with the use of the hobble-skirt. The second thing we were working on was the length of time I can maintain certain classic bondage positions. The third was yoga and pilates in the mornings to strengthen my core muscles.”
“Was he using the sound generator from the remote to identify destinations for you to walk to?”
“Yes, M’Lord Groom.”
“Which one?”
“The ping M’Lord Groom.”
“Once for a short gait and twice for the elongated gait?”
“Yes, M’Lord Groom.”
“What bondage positions has he worked on with you?”
“Standing, tied to the pole, and seated in and tied to a chair, M’Lord Groom.”
“No others?”
“Not yet M’Lord Groom.”
“Are you limber?”
“I believe so M’Lord Groom.”
“Good, let’s test that statement.”
Johan untied her ankles and double pinged the playroom. May got up and preceded him, narrowly making it through the doorway. Johan had her stand there while he tied her ankles together, then her knees, both above and below. May was a little wobbly in those six-inch heels but she managed not to fall over. Johan then re-tied her wrists palm-to-palm. He tied her arms below her elbow and above, and then tied long wraps of rope over her chest to anchor these ties to one another. He helped her kneel and then lowered her onto her stomach. Bending her legs up so that her ankles were close to her wrists he strung a length of rope from her ankles to the ropes around her chest and tied them off so that if she pulled with her legs she wouldn’t tighten up any of the other bonds.
“This is a classic hog-tie May. You certainly are limber enough for this type of bondage, so now, let’s see how long you can maintain this position. I’ll be right back with a gag.”
All too soon May had the large trainer ball gag in her mouth and the many straps going around her head to keep it in there. Laying down she started thinking how different it was to be tied by someone other than Duke. This groom’s hands were swift and sure of themselves, and his bonds were secure without being too tight or too loose, but they didn’t have Duke’s personal caring behind them. Duke always checked each tie as he put them on her. This groom tied her and then checked all the wraps and knots at the end. She couldn’t immediately name all the differences, but she knew it didn’t feel the same. He was far better than the beginner grooms when they’d tied her, but none of them were Duke.
May lay there gnawing on the ball-gag wondering what had happened to her master. She hoped it wasn’t anything bad, because that meant no one would want her and she’d go back to being trained to scrub toilets as one of bald chattel. She hoped and prayed that Duke would want her, but she didn’t think he could have a slave, and after all he didn’t think he could do justice to a slave even if he did petition for one. For her! Oh, she was so sad. She felt desolate. She knew Duke would come back and finish her training, but could he ever come back and rescue her from the drudgery of being bald and unloved? May so desperately wanted to belong to someone. Especially if that someone she belonged to was Duke. She really wanted her Master to come back and make her his again. She wanted Duke to finish training her but if her Master took over the training, she’d be a happy girl too.
Duke got off the chopper, on top of the hospital, with six other full grooms and High Lord McMal. All were now armed with suppressed pistols and the licenses necessary to make them legal anywhere in the U.S. Each was wearing a ballistic trench coat rated to be resistant to small arms fire up to a .44 Magnum or the 7.62x39 rounds that AK-47’s fired. Each was wired to a radio system similar to the one federal agents carried and each carried the same low-light, low profile goggles that Duke had been using with May.
They met several other grooms that they recognized immediately and were introduced to some federal agents that were assisting them. High Lord McMal greeted their liaison agent and each vouchsafed for their personnel. Next, they were escorted to the ICU floor and nurses’ station where they met with Roy’s doctor who was the chief of the special trauma team.
“Mr. McMasterson’s lucid, but we still can’t find anything that will reverse the poison they sprayed into his wound. It appears to be some kind of synthetic combination of snake venoms. We can keep him from deteriorating quickly, like the other young man did, but unless we can find something to neutralize that venom, it looks like he won’t last more than two days. Eventually his organs will start to dissolve from the hemotoxins, and the neurotoxins will start to make him irrational by tomorrow evening at this rate. We’re perplexed, but we have the best doctors and researchers in the field working on this problem so don’t give up on us. We are not giving up on him.”
Duke asked, “Can I see him Doc?”
Jackson McMal told the doctor, “That’s the closest person to Roy next to myself, so we’re going in. They’re like father and son, and Roy has always been like a brother to me. We are the only ‘family’ Roy has.”
“Keep it short. He is weak.”
“Hey old man.”
“Hey boy, you made it. Good. Hi Jackson, how they hanging?”
“Low and heavy old friend,” and the two of them laughed.
“So, tell me the truth, am I dying for real this time?”
“Looks like it. They can’t figure out how to stop the poison. They can slow it, a little, but it’s some kind of synthetic venom and they’re stumped.”
“How long have I got?”
“About another day before your mind starts to go and another day before your body follows.”
“Then let’s get started. Did you bring the papers I asked for?”
“Of course. I even arranged them like we talked about.”
“Okay, boy, you either take it all or you get nothing. And that’s final.”
“What all am I taking Roy?”
“The apartment for one. It’ll cost you $10,000.- a month for the rest of your life, but I think you’ll be able to afford it. Next is my collection of toys and tools, which you have to keep intact and maintained, and you have to add yours to it until you pass the whole lot on to the groom you train to take your place, making him swear to maintain the collection. This is a legacy few will be able to appreciate. Next, you have to swear, sight unseen, that you will fulfill the obligations I’ve promised to others in my life. They’re all written down and double thumb sealed so you’ll know they’re legitimate. Jackson will help you with those because he’s one of those you will owe an obligation to if you take the package. I also expect you to avenge this injustice that has befallen me. I want them to suffer in kind boy, like real wrath of god, eye for an eye stuff. Again, Jackson will help. And finally, there’s May. She’s yours now boy. You’re the old dog now and she’s your bone. Treat her body and mind like the slave that’s in her heart. I did my homework on that one. She’s something special so pull that slave-heart out of her and make her yours. Like I said boy, all or nothing, so decide.”
“I’d be honored to take it all Roy, and I promise to live up to your legacy. Don’t worry about the retribution, because God will lift an eyebrow when he sees what manner of shit-storm I’ll brew up against those assholes. Your promises, debts and obligations are mine now, and I am a man of honor and my word is my bond. As far as May goes, she’s already enamored with me and I see the potential in her, so that will not be a chore. She’s coming along nicely. Do you have any suggestions for her?”
“We’ll get to that boy, but right now, get that doctor and that liaison federal in here for witnesses and let’s make this legal. I ain’t getting any healthier you know.”
Johan had kept her hog-tied until dinner time. Without ceremony he untied her and then pinged the kitchen. Feeding her was routine and afterwards Johan asked for questions.
“M’Lord Groom, what level of improvements would make you look good to M’Lord Groom Duke and Master when they get back?”
“We’ll have to add at least two new bondage positions per day to your repertoire, and you’d have to spend your evenings walking in at least 5½-inch heels getting your gait perfect. I’ll work with you on organizing your wardrobe into something presentable. Roy has provided an extensive closet of clothes and shoes for you to wear. It seems more comes in every day, and according to the groom that delivered today’s boxes there’s more on its way. While you were hog-tied, I spent time hanging up your growing wardrobe in your side closet. Duke must be in heaven with all of this. He’s a cos-play enthusiast. Personally, I like my slaves naked.”
May perked up hearing that her Duke liked to see slaves in costumes, because she liked to dress up for her men, especially if they owned her heart the way he did. And if Roy was ordering all this stuff for her, it must be more of the same, like those expensive shoes sized just to her feet. The clothes seemed special too, but without her sight she couldn’t be sure just how special. May did know that everything fit her perfectly, and it was all some sexy stuff. She wondered what kind of lingerie was in her closet.
“M’Lord Groom, what other tasks must I learn so that I may be a good slave for my Master?”
“You will eventually have to develop some skills in the arts. You will be taught how to sing, maybe play a musical instrument, or learn to sketch or paint. You could learn to make your own cuffs and collars, along with some of the other leather goods you use. You could learn how to be a seamstress. And of course, you’ll have to learn how to be a gourmet chef according to Roy’s tastes. The bald chattels will do the scut-work, but the maintenance of what makes your master happy is your responsibility. One of our High Lords sent his slave to a professional voice coach because he liked her to read to him. I really have no idea as to which direction Duke is planning to train you so that you can please Roy, but it will be interesting to watch. At A-H Estates we have no problems bringing in professional tutors to train our slaves in the specific things that please their masters. But all of that will begin when you’ve been released from darkness discipline.
“You’ll also have to learn how to service your master to thoroughly please his sexual appetites. Once you’re off darkness discipline, an older female slave will come in several times a week and instruct you on some aspect of your sexuality. We have some jaded old harridans here as retired slaves that have forgotten more about human sexuality than many women would ever even believe was possible. At any rate, Q&A time is over for tonight. Let’s get you out of those six-inchers and into something that you can do some mileage in.”
May spent the rest of her evening in five-inch heels, her long-stride hobble-skirt and a blindfold, walking back and forth around the quarters. Johan walked behind her and reminded her of the straights and narrows of the paths with a flip from a single-tail. The first few cracked beside her, but over the course of the evening a few of them lit up her world, like a firecracker going off against her skin. By bedtime, which was on her own cage/bed, chained by her collar to the bed, May had decided that she did not like the single-tail.
About the time she fell asleep, Duke became a very rich man but also a sad man.
Another trains her
because something is amiss
with her Master Roy.
Continues in chapter fourteen