Bloodlines Ch.04

"I, I HATE those things." Mrs. Chang suddenly spat with a vicious oath. "They're FOUL and HORRIBLE!" She seemed to be regaining some measure of control though; her grip had lessened and some semblance of color was returning to her cheeks.

"I apologize for being this abrupt." Steven said silently. "But I felt we needed to grip the bull by the horns, so to speak. Would it help if I moved it farther away from you?" She nodded warily and he did so, pushing it back to the edge of his desk, away from her. Garth stared in amazement at how much that small movement modulated her emotions by itself.

The rest of the session continued in much of the same manner, with Steven manipulating her both by pushing the doll forward and suppressing her Panic, as well as moving it back to give her a brief respite when she became to agitated. Garth could only marvel at the complexity and sheer skill of his manipulations, and filed the combination of emotional and physical modulation away as a neat trick.

The session ended a quarter of an hour later with the doll sitting at the edge of the desk closest to Mrs. Chang. The change was only a scant meter, but it was significant, Garth saw.

"That went rather well, I think." Steven said after she had left and closed the door. "The last time she tipped her chair back and struck her head when I drew the doll out." A grim smile that held no humor flashed across his face. "I had not expected to be able to push her this far to be honest. Not yet, at any rate. Next time we might even get so far as to have her touch it, I hope." Garth nodded, deep in thought as an idea started forming in his head.

"I almost laughed when I saw the doll." Garth confessed. "But I quickly saw how that would have been detrimental," he added at Steven's small frown. "What on earth has made her this afraid of something as simple as a clown?"

"I have yet to find the true, deep significance." Steven began. "She has buried it deep, and I think that is a truth it will take a long time before we can examine and hope to process. She has told me how her father used to work as a circus clown when she was a child, that is a key factor, though the details are unclear. I know he died when she was five, and as of yet, I can only guess at the incident that brought this on. Nothing pleasant, I can assure you though that should be obvious to such an astute young man as yourself." Garth smiled at the small praise.

"What do you think of my, other, work?" Steven asked.

Garth thought for a moment before answering. "I guess awe-inspiring would be as good a place to start as any," he said with a smile. "I have no idea how you are able to control so many emotions at once, let alone combining lowering and raising different ones simultaneously."

"Practice." Steven answered simply. "Years and years of it, in fact. Once you get the trick of pushing and pulling with two strands at once, it's only a matter of adding more. You will get the hang of it in no time, I am sure." Garth realized with a start he had, in fact, done that several times already to Erica.

"I don't want to presume too much," Garth said slowly. "But I had an idea regarding Mr. Summers as I saw how you manipulated Mrs. Chang. I think I know a way to help him. Though I am not sure of course," he added quickly, not wanting to overstep his bounds.

"Please explain," Steven said simply, his eyes bright with interest.

"Well," Garth began. "I noticed how Mrs. Chang's emotions were much more normal, at least to begin. But then, as you started making her remember the incident at the shop, several of her positive emotions diminished, as if she actively suppressed them herself."

"Very good," Steven answered. "I was not sure you noticed that detail." He appeared impressed. "Go on."

"I considered how generally muted Mr. Summers' emotions were, and I wondered if he could be actively suppressing all of them. I am no trained psychiatrist, of course, but it seems to me that would indicate something like a clinical depression." Steven nodded at this, apparently agreeing with him.

"But his emotional spikes are at odds with this, I think." Another nod. "So what if his problem is compounded? A depression coupled with a phobia, so to speak."

"I have not considered that option," Steven said musingly, his eyes focused at something off to the side. "I think you may have a point. What did you want to try?"

"Well, you said he reported feeling worse in the springtime, and that he had grown up around an orchard, at his family farm? Do you know what kind of trees they were growing?"

"No," Steven replied slowly as if trying to remember. "Why do you ask?"

"I noticed a number of fruit trees were blooming around town, could it be he's having some kind of reaction to the flowers? Maybe those remind him of what happened?" Garth watched Dr. Schill with anticipation, wondering what he would think of his ideas.

"Hmm, I think you might be onto something here. I really do. But what do you propose we do about his general lack of emotion, it hardly gives us anything to modulate." Steven arched an eyebrow at Garth.

"That should be simple enough, if it's a simple depression. Try administering a mild anti-depressant and see if his emotions go up. Sure, he'd have to use the medicines for a good while, but it clears away one problem and lets us focus on the other." Garth had the impression Steven knew this already but was just testing him. He was an experienced psychiatrist, after all. The nod of approval from Steven more or less confirmed his suspicion.

"I must admit I am impressed, Garth." Steven began. "I am very pleased with your insight and input. I had not thought to let you partake of the session until next week, but I want you to be involved with our next session with Mr. Summers tomorrow. Are you up for it, do you think?" Garth beamed with the praise and nodded. "Very well, speak to Mrs. Griffin about Mr. Summers' file. Go through it and see if you can find out what kind of orchard it was, you should be able to dig that up in no time. I should not have to remind you about client confidentiality, but I must."

"I will go look right away," Garth replied as he rose. "And I'll not speak of it to anyone, of course."

Erica hastened her steps even more, not running but obviously in a hurry to get somewhere. A trickle of sweat ran down between her shoulder blades as she resisted the urge to check her watch one more time. On some level she could not tell why she was in such a hurry, but she just knew Master would be cross with her. Not that she did not have a good reason; one did not ignore a summons from Eric Carson. Not without regretting it, at least. Her debrief with him had gone on a lot longer than expected, and she had not bothered with a note, expecting to be back well before Garth got back. Carson had held her back for a very long time, asking an inordinate amount of questions, at least for what should be routine surveillance of a new neuropath. Erica considered it as she walked briskly, not really seeing any sense in it. Regardless, Master was sure to be irritated. A slight shiver ran down her spine, following the drop of sweat. Maybe he would punish her for tardiness?

She rounded the final corner and saw the house a short way down the quiet street. Finally!

Erica stopped to catch her breath and compose herself at the bottom of the stairs, smoothing her dress and tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. She mounted the stairs slowly, dreading and anticipating the confrontation. The was completely dark, something that seemed odd. Maybe Master had been delayed as well! A mixture of relief and disappointment flooded her. She opened the door slowly, stepped inside and closed it again, leaning against it for a second. Master was nowhere in sight, not that she could see much in the dimness anyway.

"Where have you been?" A disembodied voice broke the silence, an ominous tone to Master's voice.

"I'm sorry Master. I received a summons from The Organization. I had to go, but I was sure it would be done quickly. I didn't think a note would be necessary. Don't be mad, Master. I had no choice! I had to go!" The words tumbled from her in a rush, her heart hammering despite knowing this was an honest mistake and through no fault of hers. Master remained silent for several seconds as she stammered to a halt.

"Be that as it may. I expected to find you here, ready to see to my needs." A light blinked on, a small spotlight illuminating Master, seated on a chair, naked. His glorious cock was rock hard on the middle of the spotlight, almost like a pole dancer's pole, his lap the stage.

"And my need is great." He looked straight at her, even though she was still in the darkness by the door.

"Strip!" His voice rang with command, and her dress lay in a pile around her feet before she had time to consider her actions. She hesitated a moment, did he mean everything?

"All of it." He remained silent as she quickly shed her underwear as well.

"On your knees. Crawl to me." She did.

Her knees hurt, but she gritted her teeth and crawled to Master, looking up and meeting his eyes as he watched her impassively. She stopped before him and sat back on her heels, awaiting his command. He just looked at her, then arched an eyebrow and flicked his stiff cock a little. Erica blushed at her lack of foresight, then reached up to grab his stiff member.

She slowly caressed him, gripped tightly and marveled at the feel of velvet on steel as she drew his foreskin up and down. Her hands were soon slick with his precum and she leaned forward and licked his purple head like a popsicle. A hiss of pleasure escaped his lips as she took him in her mouth, sucking gently to draw his sweet juice out. The tangy, sweet taste sent a jolt straight down between her legs.

She cupped and fondled his heavy balls as she bobbed her head up and down, working his shaft with the other hand. Her tongue danced across his sensitive head as she brought him quickly to the edge, his breath ragged with tension and lust. Suddenly he stiffened and grunted, his balls contracting in her hand. Warm, slightly salty cum filled her mouth as a massive jet shot up against the roof of her mouth. She swallowed and sat back, slowly working his cock as spurt after spurt arched up his chest and stomach. Finally, it slowed to a trickle, coating her hands and his entire groin i glossy stickiness.

"Clean me," he said simply, looking at her expectantly.

Erica slowly licked him clean, from the balls up, sopping to suck a final dollop of warm cum from him as he slowly softened. Then she licked her way up his muscled front before ending at the nape of his neck. Erica crawled into his lab and lowered her wet nether lips onto his soft cock, grinding slowly back and forth, as she kissed his neck and face, frantically seeking Master's approval. His cock nestled between her lips and grew a little firmer, her lips molding themselves to the shape of him, her juice making the slide almost without resistance.

After a few minutes, his cock almost back to full hardness, he pushed her gently but firmly back.

"Stop. Get back down on your knees." She slid down with a sigh of disappointment, but his tone had not sounded angry or anything, so she hoped she had at least made things a little better.

"I am still disappointed in you, and I will have to punish you." He said with a small smile, taking the edge from his stern words.

"However, we have an assignment to complete first," he continued. "Stand up and wait here for me." He walked off towards the bedroom.

Master came back with a length of hemp rope that he proceeded to tie around her chest and stomach, looping it over her shoulders and tightening the ropes until they dimpled her skin. Erica was surprised to learn Master knew about Shibari, he had never mentioned this before.

Before long, her entire upper body was crisscrossed by a network of tight ropes, pleasingly symmetric as they framed and pushed her pert breasts together and tightened across her chest, though not uncomfortably so. When he was done, he stepped back and eyed her critically, a slightly disapproving frown as he made her turn slowly for him.

"Not quite right," he murmured. "But good enough I suppose." There was still a length of rope that hung down her front though, and Erica was about to ask what it was for when he stepped close and sat down on his knees in front of her.

Garth's eyes came level with Erica's swollen lips as he sat down on his knees. Deciding to treat himself a little, he leaned in and kissed the knub of her clit before slowly licking up her slit, parting her lips like a plow in moist soil. He savored the taste and smell of her, not exactly sweet but close to it. Her knees quivered a little as he licked across her most sensitive spot. He sat back with a small pang of regret before gripping the loose ends of the rope. He drew it down her stomach and measured the distance to her clit, sliding the rope over it a few times as she groaned and swayed with his movement. Then he tied a complex double knot that made something like a small monkey's fist and checked that it would nestle between her lips just below the clit. When he pulled the rope tight backwards between her legs, the knot ground her lips and just made contact with her small rosebud as it hid beneath folds of soft, moist skin. Next, he got behind her and told her to lean forward a little and spread her cheeks. Her puckered opening winked at him as her muscles clenched and unclenched in rapid succession. He drew the rope firmly up between her legs, measuring the distance to her asshole and made another knot, a little smaller and less complex. Then he drew the coarse rope back and forth along her lips, soaking it in her juices as she moaned and shook, almost losing her balance. At his command, she stood back up, and he pulled the end firmly up and tied it to the rope as it crossed her back just below the lowest rib.

"Walk to the end if the room and back," he said, and saw with satisfaction how the knots kept pressure on her sensitive spots as she walked slowly away from him and back again.

"Any problems breathing?" She shook her head.

"Good, let me know if it pinches anywhere, this is the first time I've done it on a person." Her eyes widened in surprise, then widened even more as he tugged on the rope. She moaned and half closed her eyes as he tugged a few times more, the knot grinding up and into her clit.

"Close your eyes, I have a gift for you." He kissed her slowly, their tongues dancing as the kiss drew out. Garth broke it off and stepped towards the table where the bag from Elsa's Boutique lay.

"No peeping, stretch your arms up." She did, and Garth smiled in delight at the way her tits drew together with the motion, nipples hard and pointy. He walked over to her and carefully drew the dress down over her lithe form. It settled on her perfectly, the size just right, the ropes making a faint pattern.

"You can open them now," he said and watched her admiringly.

She opened her eyes slowly, hands stroking the fabric slowly, caressing both her new dress and the body inside.

"Garth! I mean, Master. It's lovely!" Her hand went to her mouth and Garth thought for a second she would cry. Then she threw her arms around him, kissing him fiercely and grinding up against him.

"Go have a look in the mirror." He said with a laugh, delighted at her reaction. She ran into the bedroom and turned the lights on, turning and looking at herself in the mirror.

Garth watched her from the doorway for a few minutes, enjoying her good mood and the way her emotions danced and flickered.

He came up behind her as she stood in front of the mirror, then reached around with one hand and cupped her left breast, pulling her ass into his stiff cock and ground against her.

Garth tugged on her Fear, then brought a pair of pruning shears up next to her ear, closing it with a savage 'Click'.

"There's still the matter of your punishment, however."

"This was not what I had in mind when you said punishment!" Erica said in an intense whisper from the top of the tree. The branch she stood on creaked ominously under her foot, forcing her to shift the other foot to another branch, spreading her legs in the process.

"Your punishment is mine to dole out as I please. And I am pleased at seeing you like this," he said and looked straight up her skirt, even though he could not see anything in the dimness just after sunset.

"That branch just to the left looks good, get that one." Erica stretched towards it and clipped the branch, letting it fall to the ground next to him. The twig was covered in cherry blossoms, and Garth added it to the collection of other fruit tree flowers he already held.

"I think we have all we need, you can come down now." Garth pitched his voice low so as to not wake the owner of the garden where they were pilfering fruit blossoms.

Just as Erica was lowering her foot to the lowest branch, she slipped on a loose bit of bark and fell straight towards him. He dropped the twigs on reflex and caught her just before she hit the ground, a shrill scream escaping her lips. He clamped a hand down on her mouth forcefully and pushed her roughly up against the tree.

"I told you to be quiet," he hissed at her. He held here there as he checked the windows, making sure no one inside came to investigate the sound. Satisfied when no one came, he focused on Erica, pulling on her Fear and Anxiety until her eyes seemed all whites. He gripped the rope leading down to her groin and pulled sharply, seeing a spike of Pain as the knot likely dug into her sensitive clit. He was about to modulate her Pleasure to soften it a little, but she beat him to it on her own. Her lips vibrated with a moan into his hand where he still covered it, her nostrils flaring as she sucked in air.

"If. You. Cannot. Control. Yourself," he began, emphasizing each word with a tug in the rope. "I. Will. Have. To. Punish. You." Her eyes threatened to roll back in her eyes as she neared the edge, his tugging stimulating her constantly. He let go of the rope and stepped back, releasing her.

"Turn around and pull your dress up. Lean forward against the tree. If you make a sound I will make you regret it," he growled. She complied in a rush, her pale golden globes divided by the coarse rope glowing in the faint light of the newly risen moon. Garth reached up and broke off a slender twig, gripping it tightly as he swung and connected with a solid 'Twack'. Erica stiffened, but made no sound except a rush of breath, half muffled by the trunk she gripped.

Garth could see a faint line where the twig had struck and promptly added four more in rapid succession.

"You will need to learn to control yourself better. I will not have you endanger our mission with your lack of control. Understood?"

Erica started to nod, but before she could, the twig connected five more times in rapid succession. A network of faint, red lines crisscrossed her bare ass.

"Yes. Yes Master," she hiccupped into the tree, shoulders shaking a little. Garth saw through the act, though. Pleasure, Desire and Lust permeated her along with the Pain.

He stepped close and dropped the twig.

"As your Master I am responsible for your punishment." He caressed her bare, sore skin softly.

"But also your pleasure." He slid his hand down her crack and forced a finger between the ropes in the middle of the knots, pushing it into her sopping wet folds. He pulled strongly on her Pleasure as he slowly finger-fucked her. She moaned softly and leaned into his hand, forcing the finger deeper into herself.

Garth opened his pants and let his pulsing cock out into the open, grinning at the sound as it slapped against her skin, landing straight at the stripes from his makeshift switch. She shivered a little at the contact, Anticipation rising.