Chapter 01: The Surprise

Rose couldn't help but stare as the tall stranger entered her store. Clean shaven with his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses, he surveyed the interior of the small local gas station while she took in his appearance. The man was dressed in a meticulously tailored black suit with a contrasting charcoal gray dress shirt. His ensemble was complimented by the tasteful black and silver tie knotted around his neck in a perfect Windsor. But above all, she noticed his footwear. Despite the designer silk suit, the stranger was wearing heavy leather boots that echoed on the dull brown tiles as he walked. He was her most delicious fantasy come to life; a wet dream straight from her deepest sexual longings.

She felt a slight flutter in her stomach and clutched the chain padlocked around her soft pale throat. As she pulled slightly on the lock, she was comforted by the thick steel links biting into her flesh. A gift from the man she called Master, the chain was her collar; a symbol of the love that they shared and promises that they had made. Although being calmed by the familiar feel of the warm metal against her skin, the flutters returned when he approached her and made no effort to hide his examination of her form. She felt self-conscious and under dressed in her drab work uniform. Though she could not see his eyes behind the dark lenses, she could feel his gaze trailing over her body as intimate as a lover's hands caressing her curves. She suppressed a tremble and steadied her knees before finding her voice.

"Can I help you, Sir?" The respectful title tumbling from her lips without hesitation, betraying her thoughts about the man standing before her.

The man smiled at her; a slight smirk tainting the otherwise friendly gesture. "Are you certain you want to help me?" His voice was deep and rich; making her tingle all over with suppressed sexual desire. She laughed a bit nervously, smiling to cover her discomfort and appear at ease.

"Well, you know, I think that's what they pay me for around here. I'd hate to think they weren't getting their money's worth."

"That would depend on what sort of help I might require, wouldn't it?" He cocked an eyebrow over the top of his sunglasses, their dark lenses keeping his expression maddeningly hidden from her. She blushed at the connotations of his statement.

"I suppose it would, at that." Rose had to fight hard not to look away and betray herself. Maintaining eye contact is something a submissive is taught early on not to do. Breaking her training was difficult but she managed to keep looking into the dark mirrors of the sunglass lenses.

Gentlemanly enough to not mention the blush tainting her cheeks, he leaned against her counter ever so slightly, bringing himself closer to her. "Oh, I think you might like the idea of helping me. Tell me, does one so lovely have a name?"

She laughed again, a genuine laugh of amusement this time. "Of course! But I never wear my name tag much to the annoyance of everyone else. I've decided that as long as I know my name, I don't need a reminder pinned on. But since you asked, my name is Rose. Do YOU have a name?" She smiled a bit more, relaxing into the harmless banter that they had started.

"I do have a name, and your name fits the lovely blush coloring your pretty face." Perhaps he wasn't such a gentleman after all.

She smirked at that one. "Careful. Just because I'm named after a flower doesn't mean I'm as delicate as one. All roses have thorns, including this one."

"Some call me Master." He said it quietly, right on the heels of her statement about the thorns. It threw her off for a moment and she gasped before she could suppress the sound. She somehow forced herself to stay in place though her first instinct was to take a step back. Rose recovered as quickly as possible and tried to cover the gasp with a laugh.

"What an odd name! Was your mother trying to give you a complex?" He noted the reaction, even as she quickly recovered and fired back a spirited and biting retort. He shook his head slightly, warning her with the small gesture not to attempt to match him in a battle of wits.

"I couldn't help but notice this bulky lock and chain around your delicate neck. It looks so out of place compared to the rest of you." He reached out and touched the lock; his fingertips brushing her soft skin. The touch was electric and she closed her eyes ever so briefly. Before she knew it, the touch was gone and his hand was at his side once more as if he had never even touched her. Only her tingling flesh told her for sure that it was not merely her imagination.

She took a step back, almost reluctantly, putting herself just out of his reach. "I'd thank you not to touch me. Now, if there is nothing that I can help you with, I must get back to work." She turned half away from him as if to retreat to the stockroom, wanting nothing more than to put some distance between her and the intimidating stranger.

"There is something you can help me with, pet." His voice firm and controlled, stopping her in her retreat. He had put a careful emphasis on the last word, knowing it would not escape her attention. There was something familiar about that word and the way he said it but she couldn't seem to put her finger on it.

"Pet? I'm sorry, Sir, but I've never been a Penthouse girl. She smirked at her own little stab at his poorly chosen words even as she gripped the lock of her collar again to steady herself. She had to hide what his words were doing to her. He leaned toward her over the counter and lowered his voice, making it next to impossible for anyone else to hear him.

"Everything about you shouts 'pet' to me, or may hap even 'slave.' I know what to look for. Are you willing to help me?" He could see in her eyes how his words affected her despite her aloof outer appearance. She really was good at wearing a mask to keep everyone out of her thoughts.

"No, Sir, I'm afraid not. Even if I am a pet or whatever, I am with someone. He's the only one

allowed to touch me." She smirked at the ice in her voice and the verbal slap in the face that she had just delivered. Her Master had always scolded her for not being able to stand up for herself and she was quite pleased to see that she was actually capable of doing it.

He laughed softly at her. He knew as well as she did how difficult it was for her to defend herself. He reached slowly into his pocket, knowing full well what he was about to do would fatally wound her new found courage that she had fought so hard with herself to win. He slid the slip of paper from his pocket across the counter to her.

"Could you tell me where this is, pet?" The question was asked with a hint of sarcasm as if he knew something that she didn't. And there was that word again. The sound of it tugged at her brain trying to dredge up the reason for the feeling of familiarity that it brought to her when he said it. He had a smirk on his face as she looked down at the paper in front of her.

Her own address! This bastard was asking her for directions to her own home. She glanced at him and the expression on the half of his face she could see spoke volumes. He knew exactly what was on that slip of paper and was toying with her. "Hmmm..." She studied the address and then reached for a local map that she always used for directions. It didn't matter. the map didn't reach as far as her street and she knew it. It was all a ruse to cover the pounding of her heart and the butterflies in her stomach. "I have no idea. Is this a residence or a business?"

He chuckled at her again. "Very good. I compliment you on schooling your reaction to nearly nothing. But I can see what you are feeling as clearly as if you had taken out a billboard or put it in neon, My pet." He removed his sunglasses as he spoke. She gasped again. That face. Familiar to her and yet different. He had completely shaved his goatee and mustache, knowing that the complete change would throw her off. "I'm afraid you know exactly where this address is, don't you?" He stared into her eyes, his piercing gaze making her knees go weak as she backed into the counter behind her and leaned against it for support. "I'm also afraid you lied to me as well," his eyes darkened slightly as he spoke. "You will be punished for that, pet."

She stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief. Standing on the opposite side of her counter was her Master. They had spoken at great lengths on-line but neither of them had ever taken the step to meet the other in person. She was too dreadfully shy and afraid of being hurt again and he, respecting her feelings, had agreed not to attempt to find her and break her trust. And yet, here he was; standing in her workplace with her address on a slip of paper. She glanced up at the clock. 3 pm. He knew it was time for her to get off of work, too. He had asked her for her schedule every week for the past month. Looking back, she knew that it was to lull her into a sense of security and routine with asking for the schedule so she wouldn't suspect a thing when he decided to make his move. He also knew that she had the next two days off. It was one of the main factors in deciding when the time was right for his trip.

"Shouldn't you be clocking out and getting your things together to leave now?" He was still looking at her with the same intense expression on his face, made even more powerful by the removal of his sunglasses. She steadied herself and slipped into the back room as the other cashier came up to take her place. She went into the manager's office and shut the door.

"Tina, If I haven't called you at home or on your cellphone by 7pm tomorrow night, I want you to call the police. I'm not really afraid of him doing anything but I know I'll feel safer if I have a safety net in place. It's the only responsible way to go about this." Her manager smiled and nodded. She knew all about the chain around the younger girl's neck and about the man that it came from.

"Have fun, Rose, and be careful."

"I will. Thanks." She hugged the older woman and left the office to clock out and get her coat and purse. When she returned to the front of the store, where he was waiting patiently for her return. She walked up to him and, without a word between them, took his hand and walked out of the store.