California Dreaming

He grinned, "I always did fill out a tux fairly well if I do say so myself. " He paused, then added, "I'm a fan of many of the same things. I have a home here in Palo Alto, mostly because it's expected, though. Unfortunately, image is something lawyers are expected to maintain. But that's as far as it goes. I tend to be a homebody mostly. Zane guilts me into participating in some things like gaming, but mostly, I just sit at home and read or watch a movie."

"Luckily as I'm not a lawyer, I don't have an image to maintain," Juniper giggled, "However, I am familiar with the requirements, my Dad was a lawyer before he retired to spend more time with Mom." She smiled up at him, "Of course, Jade has also been attempting to guilt me into going out, however, I just distract her with pie and I'm good."

"Pie is a very powerful negotiation device," Tanner nodded sagely. "You have much wisdom for one so young." He placed his hands, palms together, in front of him and bowed, a serious smile on his face, though his eyes were twinkling.

She giggled and stepped closer, turning to whisper in his ear, "Particularly peanut butter, chocolate pie with Reese's pieces sprinkled on top. It's a favorite. I made one and brought it tonight, she doesn't know because I had it covered."

He blinked and raised an eyebrow, "Peanut butter, chocolate...," he trailed off. "Oh my. Oh my, my, my..."

She tilted her head curiously, "Annabella also taught me how to make her peanut butter chocolate chip cookies." She grinned up at him, "It seems to be a theme and Master Michael's favorite. I take it you enjoy it too, Master Tanner?"

He looked around, and bent whispering to her, "That stuff is like heroin..."

She giggled softly, "I understand, Master Tanner." She patted his arm gently, then turned, an almost pout on her face as the doorbell rang, "I guess it's time, and I was enjoying my time with you, Master Tanner."

"As was I. Perhaps... we could continue it sometime?" he offered.

"I would like that, Master Tanner. Perhaps after this? Jade's going to want me to stick around and make the character." She smiled sheepishly up at him, her eyes warm, soft, and inviting.

"I would like that as well. And I'm happy to stick around. I have nothing else going on today," he murmured.

She beamed up at him, then turned and moved to answer the door, the dress swirling around her calves. She opened the door with a smile, but Tanner noticed it was different from the ones she had been giving him, this one seemed almost distant and didn't quite meet her eyes. It was a professional smile. "Welcome, please come in, Master Zane and Jade are in the living room."

The guests arrived, she greeted each one with a professional smile and was the consummate host in place of Jade who was currently still being cuddled and nuzzled by Zane. The meal was a success and she quietly conversed with the people, always proper and polite with each of them. Dessert was devoured just as the meal was, and as they migrated to the living room to converse, Juniper moved to clean up the kitchen. A young woman named Leslie who had a long-term Master moved to assist her. "Jade is pregnant," Leslie murmured to her with a giggle, "My Master and I are trying, but...," she trailed off almost sadly.

"It will come when it's time," Juniper offered with a sweet smile, and pressed her hand to comfort her, "I hope you find yourself with child soon. I don't blame you, giving your Master a child is a wonderful thing if that's what you both want."

"What about you? Where is your Master?" Leslie asked curiously.

"I don't have one yet," Juniper said with a sad smile, "I'm not stressed though, I will find him when it's time."

"Oh, that's such a positive attitude. I know you'll find him!" she smiled. "So, I haven't seen you at one of these before. How did you hear about it?"

"I knew Jade in Minnesota and I work for Master Zane," she smiled at Leslie.

"Oh! You're the new hire in his company! Well, welcome to Palo Alto! I'm Leslie Gregor. That over there," she kind of pointed over a couple of heads into a corner, "is my Master and husband Tony. We've known Master Zane for years. In fact, we get together every couple of weeks over here to play games with him, well... now both of them. And Master Tanner."

Juniper laughed softly, "Excellent to meet you," she leaned in, "Jade and Master Tanner convinced me to join your game as well. Jade and I used to play together in college before I had to focus on my doctorate."

She blinked and then grinned, "Oh, WONDERFUL! I was hoping we'd find another player. And another slave to boot... There really aren't enough women who play Dungeons & Dragons, are there, my dear?"

"I've known a few, but no, there aren't." Juniper giggled with her, "So, what kind of party makeup are we looking at? Master Tanner offered to help me build something later this evening." Juniper smiled shyly, "I haven't played this edition yet."

"Well... I play a cleric, my Master is a fighter. Master Tanner is playing a wizard, but that's only because his rogue got killed by a flame trap he missed, and Master Zane is playing a barbarian. Jade is running the game. My Master was, but she offered, and we haven't played together in a really long time." Leslie blushed. "It's kind of nice, actually..."

Juniper smiled and bumped shoulders with Leslie lightly, "I feel you, my boyfriend and I played together for a long time and it was nice. He wasn't... Master material and we discovered we made better friends than companions." She shrugged, "Getting to spend time with your love is always a wonderful thing."

Leslie giggled, "So what do you think you'll want to play?"

Juniper shrugged, tapping her teeth with her tongue, "I'm not sure. When I played before, the dice gods made my call." She paused, her nose wrinkling slightly, "I'm probably leaning towards a bard or a rogue."

"Oooh... I haven't played with a bard in a long time. The last person we had that played one was constantly flirting in- and out-of-character and it made it difficult to actually accomplish anything. We had to ask her to leave..."

Juniper giggled, "The last time I played a bard, she was a sweet naive lute player who recently left a monastery. She had no idea what it meant to flirt and was constantly confused by people's behavior." She shrugged, "I wanted to go against the trope," she leaned in and whispered, "Of course before that, I played a Paladin that flirted with everybody, but only while in character."

Leslie and Juniper kept taking care of the kitchen, talking and giggling together and discussing what to play. Leslie suggested that she should maybe do a rogue with an entertainer background and go more spy than an assassin. They giggled as they plotted together causing Tony to peer at them suspiciously, then look up at Tanner, "My slave is plotting with young Juniper."

"It does indeed appear that way, Tony. Though, when was the last time she seemed that excited to meet another slave?" Tanner asked.

At that moment, Juniper and Leslie looked over at Tony and Tanner, then burst into giggling, bubbling laughter. Then meeting each other's eyes and laughing harder. Jade came over to join them, curious, then started giggling with them when they filled her in. The three women held each other up as they giggled, Juniper gesturing with her hands as they filled Jade in on their plan. "Of course, as the great and mighty DM you can, of course, dismiss it, oh great mistress of the dice gods," Juniper teased.

"No, oh no, this is perfect, I love it." Jade laughed, hugging Juniper and Leslie tightly.

The three women continued to chat and giggle for a few more minutes before joining the group again. Juniper found herself sitting and watching, a professional smile on her face as she watched the slaves and their Masters, speaking when spoken to but not really putting herself out there. Tanner could see a faint tinge of sadness in her eyes that was quickly hidden. After a few more hours, the guests congratulated Zane and Jade before trickling out.

After they had left, Tanner rejoined Juniper and asked softly, "Are you OK? You seem... I don't know... a little sad?"

Juniper blinked for a moment, then gave him a soft smile, "Just, wishing...," she trailed off with a shrug, "Maybe someday, yeah? Just have to keep positive and moving forward." She rose to her feet, dusting her dress off, "How are you doing, Master Tanner?"

He looked around, then leaned in, "Honestly? I'm glad it's quiet again. And that I get to spend more time getting to know you."

She smiled up at him with a soft, genuine smile, "Me too. Shall we get started while Jade and Master Zane continue making googly eyes at each other," she giggled softly.

Tanner smiled back, in what he hoped was warmth as well. "That sounds wonderful, Juniper." He reached out and gently touched her forearm. "Let's go back to the game room."

"Lead the way, Master Tanner," she touched his hand lightly, then followed him back to the game room. "Are you enjoying the wizard? Leslie mentioned you were playing one but didn't mention race. I prefer to make characters that are compatible with the party."

"Just a human," he shrugged. "It's OK. I blew it with the rogue, so I figured I'd mix it up a little bit and do something different."

"Makes sense," she murmured, giving him a shy smile, "Leslie, Jade, and I were discussing doing either a Rogue with an entertainer background or a Bard with a thief background, only more spy than assassin." Her nose wrinkled slightly, "Leslie is quite excited to have another woman playing. Evidently, she had issues with a previous player?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. The previous player thought role-playing was equivalent to flirting. I get it... bard... but she was flirting with Leslie's master. All the time. It got... uncomfortable."

"Yech," she murmured, "Rule one, no poaching." She shook her head, "I tend to not flirt anymore. There's too much potential for miscommunication. I've played with too many that thought because my character flirted it meant I was interested in them personally."

"Well, somehow I doubt you're the type to go after someone who's already taken, but I'm the single at the table so you wouldn't have to worry about that with me...," he stopped, then blushed a deep red. "I mean... Not that you would want to flirt with me... I...," he trailed off, blushing a deeper red. "Just shut your mouth, Tanner. Quit embarrassing yourself..." he muttered softly, exasperated at his inability to get his foot out of it.

Juniper tilted her head slightly, her eyes softening and warming slightly, "Ahh, but would you want me to flirt with you?" She stepped closer, resting her hand on his forearm, "You've nothing to be embarrassed about."

He stopped, looking at her hand for a moment, then up to her eyes, his expression confused. "What kind of idiot wouldn't want someone as amazing and talented as you flirting with them?" he asked softly.

She smiled shyly, almost sadly for a moment, "Most Masters who find my intelligence intimidating," she shrugged. "And the fact that I'm not willing to dumb myself down to make them feel better. I don't flaunt it, but I'm not going to pretend to be stupid either." She gently squeezed his forearm, "While you don't seem the type to want that, I also don't want to make things awkward or difficult between us."

"You shouldn't have to hide or be ashamed of who you are, Juniper," he said, continuing in the soft voice.

"Yes, Master Tanner," she gave him another shy smile, "I promise not to hide who I am around you."

He nodded and returned to helping her with her character, trying, as she had said, not to make things awkward or difficult between them, while still encouraging her to be who she was. A couple of hours passed, not so much because it took that long to make her character, but because they would periodically chat about different things. Most of them were still gaming-related, but there were snippets of life events there too.

"Now to figure out how to include her in the party," Juniper murmured after they had finished. She looked up at him, a faint impish smirk playing around her lips, "Jade suggested that she would be a gift to your character from your Order."

He chuckled, almost nervously, "Well... we're all firm believers in storytelling. If that's the story you want your character to tell, go for it. Jade will roll with just about anything," he shrugged. "She's really flexible."

She dropped her gaze to her character sheet, "I just don't want to make you uncomfortable or regret inviting me to play." She blushed somewhat, "I know that Jade is trying to matchmake, she's got that gleam in her eyes. I think she's hoping that if I'm calling you Master regularly we'll...," she trailed off, biting her lip.

Tanner thought about that for a moment, then murmured. "It's not about what Jade wants. What do you want? You're a smart, capable woman. Beautiful. And both kind and gentle from what I've seen. What do you want for your life? You should only go along with what Jade suggests if that is what you want to do."

Juniper pondered that for a long silent moment, then looked up at him, "Would you think badly of me if I confessed that I don't know what I want anymore? I've spent my entire life with a plan, an end goal, and now...," she trailed off, a blush on her cheeks, "I feel happier when I'm around you than I have in years, and I want to get to know you better, but... I'm also scared that I'll fuck it up because we're friends and I'm not someone you'd be interested in."

"You know... for you not being someone I'd be interested in, I'm actually extremely interested in you..." he murmured. "I understand if you don't want to see where that goes because we're friends. And I'd never push you to do something you didn't want to do, but... I won't lie and tell you that it wouldn't make me sad at the same time, because what if it's what we've been waiting for?" He stared at the table for a long moment before looking up at her, his expression open and without walls.

She looked into his eyes, studying him for a moment in silence, her eyes warm and hopeful. "I'd like to hug you, Master."

He swallowed, hoping that this would not be something she did and then decided that she didn't want. In as calm of a voice as he could muster, he murmured, "I would be happy to hug you, Juniper." He shifted to face her more fully, then extended his arms and gently guided her into his chest, holding her gently there.

She slid her arms around his waist, then tucked her head into the hollow of his shoulder and neck before melting against him. Her arms tightened slightly and she shifted to press her body against his completely, "Oh...," she breathed in a soft, wondering tone, "Hello, Master."

He sighed softly in pleasure at the feel of her against him. "Hello, Juniper. Is this... what you were expecting. It's not... uncomfortable?" he asked quietly.

"No Master," she murmured, "It's wonderful, feels like... home," she breathed. "Rapidly become very addictive, Master."

He swallowed again, then asked, tentatively, "And... is that a bad thing?"

"Only if you're going to take it away, Master." She tilted her head back, looking up at him, "Then I'd be very sad. I really like this, Master."

"The only way this... goes away... is if you walk away. And while I might survive such an event, that's all it would be. Survival," he murmured.

She shook her head slightly, tucking back into his chest, "Don't want to. The only way I'll walk away is if you tell me that you want me gone." She squeezed slightly tighter, a soft whimper escaping, "Want this, want you, Master."

"I can't see the future, but I can't imagine a situation where I'd say that to someone as amazing as you, either. If this is what you want... then we walk down this road together and see where it goes," he said softly.

"Yes, Master," she murmured, her voice filled with soft joy and happiness. Her arms tightened slightly, and one hand slowly began stroking up and down his back with a gentle massage. "I think that I like the idea of my character being a gift to yours." She looked up at him, her eyes warm and gentle, "Yours, Master."

Feeling a little daring, he bent his head slightly and brushed his lips across her forehead, then rested his cheek there as he held her. "That sounds so incredible coming from your lips, Juniper..."

"Mmm, good, Master," Juniper murmured, then lifted her head slightly and brushed her lips across his cheek daringly close to his mouth. "Yours, Master," she repeated softly, her mouth centimeters from his lips, her hot breath caressing them.

"Yeah?" he asked softly, barely a breath, before brushing his lips over hers. Looking deep into her eyes, he murmured, "You're offering a lot rather quickly. And I want... but I don't want you to second guess or feel like you're being pressured to move faster than you're comfortable..."

"I understand, Master," she smiled softly up at him, "I don't feel like I'm being pressured and I feel comfortable." Her eyes were warm and soft, "It's not like we're going to leap into bed together, or you've got a collar to put on my neck right now. I just...," she trailed off, biting her lip then finished softly, "I want to be yours, I want to move forward with that being the goal. Us, together." She tilted her head, "Jade and Zane were together within a day, we've known each other over four months."

He nodded, "Then that's the goal. Us." He paused, then added, "And for the record, I think my wizard would regard you as the most precious thing he had ever received."

"Yours, Master," she stated again, then lifted up and pressed her lips to his gently, licking his lips teasingly as she kissed him.

He groaned softly as she licked his lips, parting them slightly and flicking his tongue out to tease hers before retreating back inside his mouth. His arms tightened around her, almost possessively as his whole body wrapped more around hers, surrounding her with his warmth and strength.

Her tongue chased his back into his mouth with a soft whimper of pleasure and pure need. Her tongue dipped into his mouth to explore and taste him for several minutes before slowly pulling back. Her eyes opened as their lips parted to breathe, "Oh,... Master. Yours, Master."

"That... was magic," he breathed. "I've never felt anything like that..."

"Neither have I," she murmured, tucking her head into his shoulder again, "How fast do you want to move, Master?" Her hand moved up and down his back, gently massaging and touching, "If I recall correctly, Jade wanted to play tomorrow afternoon?"

He pondered that for long moments, "I don't really know the answer to that. I didn't expect something like this to happen today," he smiled sheepishly. "I guess... You mentioned we weren't going to leap into bed, or into a collar. So maybe... I take you out a few times? Somewhere where the focus isn't on the physical? And then...?" he trailed off, blushing slightly.

"I'd enjoy spending time with you," she stated, snuggling into him tighter, then tilted her head to look up at him, "I just... I don't want you to think I only want you for ravishing...," she blushed, biting her lower lip, "I mean, I do, but I don't want just that... does that make sense? I want to experience all the things with you."

He chuckled awkwardly, "I was thinking the same thing. You're beautiful, Juniper. And I want to rip those clothes off of you and sate myself with your body... but I don't JUST want that. I want it all. I want your mind, your heart, your soul, as well as your body."

A soft needy whimper escaped her chest and she shuddered against him. Her eyes closed as she tucked herself into him tighter, her hands clutching tighter at his back, "Not in Jade and Master Zane's game room," she murmured to herself trying to regain her control. "What are your plans after this, Master?"