An Uncommon Bond Ch. 02

He stalked towards me with control and purpose. He came and stood in front of me, his bare feet resting under my head. I could not look all the way up to see his face. The hopelessness of my position made me start to cry.

"Hush, Cleo. You got yourself into this situation. I would not have to punish you if you didn't act out." He said. He sounded disappointed.

My sorrow mixed with anger. 'If I didn't act out? Who the fuck- I acted like any normal, rational individual would if they were groped and chained and dehumanized!'

"My body is my body. Not yours! You don't get to touch me and order me around and humiliate me!" I yelled through the tears. I swear I felt him roll his eyes.

"We have been over this. There is nothing you can do to stop me. I control everything about your life now." He kneeled down so I could look him in the eyes. "I control when you eat, I control when you sleep, I control when you piss. I even control when you breathe." As he said the last part, he covered my mouth with his hand and pinched my nose shut. "I could suffocate you if I wanted to and you can't do anything about it. My word is law here."

I thrashed my head around but he held tight.

"You live because of my grace. Do not forget that." He warned.

I had not taken a particularly large breath before he cut off my air, so I was already feeling a burning in my throat.

"Now let me explain what will happen, and then you can breathe. First, I am going to flog you. I am going to flog that ass until you tell me which rules you broke. Got it?" He asked.

I nodded vigorously, begging him with my eyes to let me breathe.

"Good. Then, for each rule you broke, you will get switched with this bamboo rod then times." He finally let go of my face. I gasped and sucked in air as deep as I could to make the burning stop. Tears flowed freely down my face and I hung loosely over the sawhorse.

I was so enveloped in my misery that I did not hear nor see the first blow of the flog coming. It cracked on my ass and left a burning feeling behind. I howled in pain and yanked at my cuffs. He did it twice more before he spoke.

"I know you were a little preoccupied when I told you the plan, so I'll remind you. I am going to flog you until you tell me which" whip "rules" whip "you" whip "broke!" He punctuated the last few words with sharp cracks in the same place on the side of my left hip. I wailed and begged him to stop.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Master! I don't know them all!" I cried.

WHIP. "They are very simple and intuitive." WHIP. "I know you are just a stupid puppy but I made them simple so even you could understand." WHIP.

I racked my brain. 'What does the poster say? God damnit I can't see it from here!'

WHIP.

"Uh, uh I tried to run away, Master!" I answered.

"Good. See? You can do it." His voice was soft but the hit that followed was anything but. "Next?"

"Please, I need a second to think-" WHIP "Okay, okay um I kicked you and pushed you, Master."

"Correct. Next." WHIP.

I thought as hard as I could but the pain was too distracting. I kept trying to anticipate the next blow but he was all over the place.

"I don't know! I don't know! I can't think! Please, Master, please, help me." I begged.

He flogged me three more times before he answered. "Think like a puppy, what can't puppies do?" He whipped me again.

A puppy? What- um.. Fuck, what can't puppies do? WALK.

"I walked, I ran without permission, Master!" I answered. The blow that followed was light by previous standards.

"Correct. One more, pet. What was the first thing I taught you?" The next hit landed on the back of my right thigh. I felt my leg cave for a second.

"Gah! I'm supposed to obey you all the time, Master!" I yelped. I heard the flogger fall to the ground with a thump. There was a puddle of tears and snot on the ground below me.

His hands caressed my burning ass. I whimpered as he massaged it. "Good puppy. That wasn't so hard. You broke four rules, so that means forty swats."

I cried out. Forty?! I could not handle that after already being flogged.

"You'll be okay. I'll give you a break for a second. I'm gonna get you a drink of water and a tissue to wipe your nose and then we will get the rest of this nasty business out of the way. Okay, baby girl?" He soothed. He walked to the bar and filled up a glass of water. He brought it to me and lifted it to my face. He had put a straw in it so I could drink without being untied. I drank it all, but tried to take my time. I wanted to hold off the inevitable. He cleaned up my face gently. When he lifted my chin up, I kept my eyes down, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

He gave me a few more minutes before he grabbed the gag. He held it up and said, "Open." I did not resist. He settled the metal ring in the grooves of my teeth and fastened the belt behind me.

"This will give you something to bite on. You can scream all you want." He patted my head, then walked behind me and picked up the switch.

When he began, I was met with a pain unknown to me before. He hit my right cheek swiftly. I howled and new tears fell. It felt like a knife had just cut me. This pain was far more localized and sharper than the pain from the flogger. 'Oh God, why did I try to run? Why did I disobey?'

He alternated his target for every hit. Not even my calves were spared the agony. "Cleo, this is just to teach you a lesson. What kind of Master would I be if I did not follow through on punishments when a rule is broken? An irresponsible one, that's what." He explained. He continued to hit me as he spoke. I did not know how many hits I had endured.

"Besides, rebellion is not for you. It really is not in your nature, is it?" WHACK. "You didn't even try to really hurt me." WHACK. "You're just a sweet, quiet girl. You're such a natural submissive. I am not forcing you to be something you aren't. I am providing the environment that you need in order to truly be yourself."

I wailed and screamed, only half registering his words. The pain was simply too great. He did not lessen the blows, though.

"I just want what is best for you. The life you had before was not fit for you. You don't see that now. Right now, you probably just think I am a monster that you should hate with all the energy you have. But you will look back on this and know that I was just helping you adjust to this lifestyle, the right lifestyle for you."

We had to be close to the end, right? Right? How long had this been going on? How long had he been talking?

"I know you and I know what you need. I know about the stories you read at night about princesses being taken and used by pirates. I know how you touch yourself to the ideas of being helpless and fucked."

What? Fuck. How did he know about that? Nobody knew about my account on an erotic literature site, not even Hannah. I'd never told anyone about those fantasies.

"I know, puppy, I know about it all. You do not have to fake it here. You can just be you. Sweet, submissive you. I know you want it, even if you don't." He said in a kind voice. Then he swatted me suddenly, five times, across the middle of my ass. Both sides of my butt screamed in agony. I was sure there was blood.

I whimpered and cried and hung limp in my bonds. I heard him drop the switch. His hand rested on my back. I did not flinch. I had no energy.

"I also know that you are positively wet right now, even though you probably hated your punishment." And suddenly, his hand was between my legs, stroking my pussy. My eyes crossed and my hips jolted against his hand. I was wet. Very wet. I could feel it on my thighs. I could not hide at all. I heard him laugh a little. 'God, what kind of slut am I?' I thought.

"See, pet? I know you." With one more stroke, he pulled away and kneeled down. He wiped his wet fingers on my burning ass, making me whimper. He unhooked my feet from the legs and then my hands. I practically fell back into his arms. I curled up into the fetal position in his lap. My ass stung and throbbed. I sobbed as he held me close and unbuckled the gag. It fell out in a drooly mess.

"I'm sorry, Master, I'm so sorry. Please, believe me, I'm so sorry, Master." I cried.

"I know, Cleo. I know. Apology accepted." He said. He picked me up bridal style and went to the door which was still partially open from my failed escape attempt. He took me into the living room and put me on my dog bed by the fireplace. The fire was only embers now. After covering me with a blanket, Daniel put some more logs on the fire. Then he went to the kitchen.

Bear came down the stairs from the bedroom and pawed at the front door. Daniel came over and let him out.

"Bear just reminded me, you said you needed to go to the bathroom. Do you still need to?" He asked. I nodded mutely. He came and picked me up and carried me to the bathroom. He was so obviously strong. He lifted me without strain. I did not even try to tell him that I could crawl; I did not think I could. He stayed with me while I peed and cleaned me up after. I did not protest. He did not say anything about my still wet and warm pussy. Then he carried me back to my dog bed, tucked me in again, and went back to the kitchen.

I looked at the clock by the front door. It read 5:47. The night was still young. I prayed that the worst of it was over by now. Master was putting something in the oven.

'Master? Is that how I am referring to him now? Should I do that now?' I thought. 'He can make me call him Master but he can't make me think of him as Master. Right? Would it be easier to just not call him Daniel? I really do not want a repeat of this afternoon. Ugh, oh God, why was I wet? Why am I wet? Am I just as fucked up as he is? Reading something and enjoying it does not mean I want it, right?'

He cut off my internal musings by bringing me a bowl of water. I silently lapped up my fill. When I was done, he took out the messed up pigtails and brushed my hair gently. How could he be so brutal and also be so tender?

He sat with me, petting me, brushing my hair, cooing soft words of praise to me until the timer went off. I was starting to doze off. The absence of pain (well, immediate pain anyway. My ass and legs still throbbed) and his soft touches were lulling me to sleep. He left to get the food and I almost whimpered when the warmth went away. But I was happy- no not happy. That was not the right word. Relieved? Thankful? Hungry? Content, yes that was right. I was hungry, so when he brought over a bowl of pizza rolls, I was content. Food would feel good. I was not happy at all. That would be a stupid thing to feel.

He scooped me up into his lap and cradled me. Instead of making me eat with my face, he hand fed me. I wanted to protest, or at least, I felt like I should have protested. But I stayed quiet and accepted the food and his care. Partially because I was too exhausted to fight and partially because pizza rolls were my guilty pleasure.

He spoke softly to me, "You did good today. You were genuinely trying to do the positions I asked and you were generally obedient. Even during your punishment, you behaved well. I am proud of you. I know it is your first day and that this is a whole new world to you, but you did well. Better than I expected honestly. I knew I made the right choice." His praise made me so conflicted. Yes, I liked being complimented. And if he was happy, then I was safe from abuse, right? But I felt pride. I was glad that I had exceeded his expectations. 'I should not feel pride. Who would want to please a maniac? God, I'm a mess.' I thought.

There was a scratching at the door that made me flinch a little in his arms.

"Hush, puppy. It's just Bear, wanting to be let back in." He picked me up and put me on the couch. I guess this counted as permission to be on the furniture.

He let Bear in, who promptly joined me. He was so fuzzy and warm; I did not mind him cuddling me at all. I didn't resent him. It wasn't his fault he was owned by a monster. 'A monster? Is that really what he is?' My subconscious asked. I ignored it. Master sat down next to me and put my head in his lap. I sighed.

He turned on the TV and opened Netflix. "Do you have anything you want to watch?"

"Um, I was watching BoJack Horseman before..." Before you took me. I almost said.

"Oh, awesome. I love that show. Which episode and season?" He seemed genuinely pleased.

"Season 4, episode 5, I think, Master." Could I really just sit here and watch TV like nothing was wrong?

He picked the right episode and hit play. We settled into a comfortable silence. Bear was warming my legs and Master had his arm draped over my side. Every once in a while, he would laugh or make a joke. I never responded, but once or twice I had to stop myself from laughing. We only moved when he got up for more water or snacks.

After about two hours of just relaxing and watching Netflix, Master turned off the TV and sat me up. "Let's go upstairs, love."

'Uh, oh. Now what? Was he going to fuck me? Hurt me again? I thought he said we were done with training for the day.'

He did not carry me up the stairs. I crawled behind him. I felt so silly; I used to run up the stairs on all fours as a kid. Who didn't?

He led me to the door of the cage under the bed. I shied away from his hand when he reached out to guide me in. "Please, don't lock me up, Master. I'll be good."

"No, baby. I have some work to do and I can't pay attention to you. This is not a punishment. I put Pinkie and your e-reader in there with lots of pillows and blankets. Give me your paws so I can take the mitts off." He said. I eagerly held out my hands. They were quite sweaty. He unlocked them with a key from around his neck and slid them off me. It felt so good to flex my fingers.

"Now, in. I'll be back in a little while." He grabbed the side of my collar and guided me in. I did not resist. Knowing that he wasn't going to leave me all night and that he had put my things inside made me less reluctant. He shut the metal door behind me and locked it. He went downstairs without another word.

The floor of the cage was plush and soft. There was a bowl of water in the corner by the door. It was only about four feet high so I still had to crawl. The top of the cage was padded so that I would not bonk my head on something hard. I was surprised that he had put that much detail into this cage. At the head of the cage, which I guess was also the head of the bed, lay Pinkie and my reader.

I crawled over and held her tight. I wrapped myself in blankets and opened my book. It took a while, but my mind finally focused on the words and not my situation. As I said before, "The Art of Racing in the Rain" is a very emotional book. The first few pages make me cry. The mid-section of the book makes me cry. It also makes me very angry. Then by the end I am crying again. I needed this. I needed something to provoke my emotions in a way that wasn't directly related to my situation. I could cry about the life of this dog and his owner and express my sorrow in tears.

It's hard to explain. I have always liked books and movies that make me cry. I can feel and express dread and sorrow and anger in a more full way because the cause of these feelings is not my own life. It's healthy. It's good to cry heavy, fat tears and feel your stomach ache with sadness for something that isn't real. Sometimes, when I haven't cried for a while and I feel like I have too many emotions, I read something or watch something that I know will make me cry. Because sometimes, I cannot force myself to cry about my own life, even when I wanted to, even when I needed to. And I needed this expression more at that time than ever before. I cried not only for Enzo the dog, but also for Cleo the captive.

I was left on my own long enough to actually finish the book. The clock on the nook said it was 9:06. I sat for a while, just hugging Pinkie and staring at the ceiling of the cage. I normally do this when I finish books. I have to take myself out of the other universe and come back down before I process any new information from my life or another book. But after a while, I stopped crying.

I had plenty of books downloaded, so I figured if Master was not going to be back for a while, I might as well start another. I hit the home button which took me to my main library. I already knew what I wanted to read next. It is called "In the Kingdom of Ice." It is about the voyage of a crew who sailed into the arctic circle which was uncharted at the time. They genuinely had no idea what was up there. Of course, the voyage goes horribly wrong and terror ensues. The feats that the men had to accomplish were utterly ridiculous. It is a true story. It is based on the journal entries of the captain of the ship. I love true stories when humans have to go to extremes to survive. I do not know why. They just fascinate me.

Anyway, I was planning on just clicking on that book right away. It was supposed to be the next thing in my reading queue. But I was surprised to find my shelf full of books I had never purchased or downloaded.

"BDSM Basics for Beginners."

"The Role of the Submissive."

"The Art of Shibari."

"BDSM and Pet Play."

"True Devotion."

Master must have put them on here. I was angry. If I had had a real book, I would have slammed it shut and thrown it out of the cage. But I did not want to break my reader. It still had lots of books I had not read yet.

And it also had internet, I suddenly remembered. Of course! It said it wasn't connected but I hoped that I could guess that password. I went to settings and started guessing passwords.

12345678. Nope. Password. Nope.

Hm. I tried to think how Master would think.

MasterDaniel. Nope. BDSMMaster. Nope.

I tried lots of variations of words with numbers and characters but nothing worked. I was about to give up when suddenly Master's voice came on a speaker from within the cage. I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Cleo, stop trying to guess the wifi password. I'll give it to you when I have time to set up restrictions for your access. Just read another book if you're bored. I'll be up in a bit." He sounded amused.

"Wha- Can you see me?" I asked, my eyes searching for the speaker or a camera. "I mean, can you see me, Master?"

"Well, yes. And I can obviously hear you. But actually I got an alert saying someone kept trying to use my wifi so... it doesn't take a genius to figure that out." He chuckled.

"Oh." I said. Why did I think he would leave me unsupervised?

"Take a drink and read some more. Maybe read the books I put on there. They might answer some questions and give you time to digest things." He suggested.

"Do I have to read them now, Master?" I felt my cheeks redden.

"No, I won't make you tonight. You will read them however." He said.

"Okay, Master." I sighed. He did not respond. I was thirsty so I went over to the bowl and picked it up since my hands were free. But before I put it to my lips, the speaker came on again.

"No paws, puppy. Don't make me leave the mittens on when I put you in there." He said. He did not sound angry, thankfully.

"Yes, Master." I said begrudgingly. I drank like the dog he wanted me to be. I emptied half the bowl before I went back to my little cocoon. I picked up my book and looked at the library. I was torn. I wanted to read my book but I knew I would be too distracted. And part of me wanted to be proactive on reading his books.

'If I choose to read them, then it's me acting on my own will. Not his. I want to read them so I can know how to survive better, not because I want to make him happy,' I thought. So I opened the first one on BDSM basics.

It started with a break down of the acronym "BDSM." I knew vaguely what it was before this but this gave a thorough description of the parts. B stands for Bondage. D stands for Dominance and Discipline. S stands for submission and sadism (that did not sound fun). And M stands for Masochism.