Death of a Master Ch. 01

That evening, after letting Sally know she'd be home late, Valerie followed Calvin to his place. Waiting for him just inside the door was Susan, naked and kneeling. Her breasts were covered in welts while her arms were purple and red from deep bruising.

"Welcome home, Master. How may I serve you tonight?"

"Fetch Valerie and myself a drink, then finish dinner. I'll have a martini. Valerie?"

"I'll have a Tom Collins."

"Yes, Master."

Susan rose and went to do as she'd been told, letting Valerie see her back. Susan's ass and upper legs were covered in a criss cross of welts that had been obviously left by a cane. Her back was well bruised by something with a softer strike, one that didn't leave individual markings. Calvin led Val to the living room which served as his entertainment center and play room. While one wall had a large screen TV and associated entertainment systems, a second wall had a St. Andrew's cross mounted on it. A selection of whips, floggers and canes were arranged on shelves to either side. Clearly, Calvin felt no need to hide his fetish in his own home.

It was only 15 minutes after they'd arrived when dinner was finished. Susan served them a meal of stuffed peppers, a rice pilaf and asparagus. Like Valerie did with Sally on many occasions, Calvin made Susan eat from the floor without her hands. The apparent cruelty was belied by the joy apparent on her face. Valerie could sense the love the two had for each other. She knew most of the world wouldn't understand how it was possible to so brutalize someone you loved. It was only Valerie's long association with both that made it possible for her to understand this apparent dichotomy.

After dinner was finished and Susan had been allowed to clean herself, Calvin addressed her in his best dominant tone of voice. "Susan, I'm giving you to Valerie tonight. She can use you in any way she chooses."

"Thank you, Master." Turning to Valerie, she crawled on her knees and kissed Valerie's feet. "How may I serve you, Mistress?"

Valerie could see Susan's pussy visibly moistening as she knelt there. "To the cross, slave!" Valerie commanded.

Susan leapt to her feet and ran to the cross, stretching herself out on the crossbars. She trembled with a mixture of excitement and fear. Valerie walked over and used the straps that were already there to bind Susan firmly to the cross. She pulled the straps tight enough for Susan to wince under their pressure. Once bound, Susan experienced pleasure as Val started to caress every exposed inch of her skin. Val didn't know Susan's body as well as she knew Sally's, but that didn't offer much of an inhibition to Susan's rising arousal.

Soon, Susan's body was covered in a sheen of perspiration and she was moaning uncontrollably; trying to thrust her body to somehow receive more stimulation than Valerie was giving her. Her bindings, however, were tight and total. She could only move her head, fingers and toes. Still, Val caressed and fondled the helpless slave, driving her need and desire even higher without release. When Susan finally broke down and begged, "Mistress, please, let me cum, I need to cum," Val was surprised that it took over 30 minutes to reach that point.

Val's hand lightly caressed Susan's cunt while she answered. "You can cum, but there'll be a price. Will you pay the price to cum?"

"Anything, Mistress, I'll do anything."

"I know you will."

With that, Valerie plunged three fingers deep into Susan's pussy, thrusting with great force while the palm of her hand rubbed roughly against Susan's clit. Val was almost lifting Susan against the bindings of the cross. As Susan started to moan and cry out, Val leaned in and kissed her, capturing Susan's outbursts while raping her mouth with her tongue. Valerie brought her free hand up from behind to grab a handful of Susan's hair and pull it tight, holding the head as immobile as the rest of her body. When she came, Susan strained against the straps, turning the skin beneath white from the pressure. Her mouth opened wide in a scream rendered nearly soundless by Valerie's mouth. Val kept the hand fuck up for almost a minute, until Susan's moans and cries morphed into cries of distress, as her now overly sensitive clit was complaining about the continued stimulation.

As Susan came down from her ecstatic high, Val backed away and took a crop from the wall. She turned to the gasping slave, saying, "It's time for the price."

"Mistress, use me any way you wish. My body is yours right now."

Val brought the crop down and caught Susan's nipple with the end. As Susan screamed in pain, Val struck the other nipple with as much force. Four more times Valerie swung the crop, each swing catching only the nipple. When she stopped, Susan gasped a, "Thank you," out between her sobs. Val replaced the crop and turned to Calvin.

"Calvin, thank you for dinner and an enjoyable evening. I need to be getting home, though. See you at work, tomorrow?"

"Of course. I enjoyed having you over. We should get together with our slaves and play some tag team mastering."

"That does sound like fun. I'm sure Sally would enjoy it as well. Have a good night, you two."

Valerie drove home and was met at the door by her own slave. Sally was kneeling when she walked in, dressed in a simple tunic that hung a couple of inches below her pussy when she stood. From the kneeling position, Sally's pussy was just barely covered. It pulled against her breasts, highlighting the nipples and their rings.

"Good evening, Mistress. Did you have a good night?"

"Yes, Susan looked lovely in her bruises, though not as lovely as you are, love."

"Thank you, Mistress." Sally rubber her face against Valerie's hand, smelling Susan on it. Smiling, she commented, "I see you got a chance to play with her as well."

"Yes, I worked her up until she was begging and then forced an orgasm from her."

"Ooo, sounds yummy. Did you take your pleasure from her?"

"No, I left her bound with Calvin."

"Would you like me to…?"

"Not tonight. I just want to cuddle."

And that's what the two women did the rest of the evening. With soft music in the background, Val and Sally snuggled together and enjoyed being near each other. Some petting occurred, but there wasn't any urgency created and they retired for the evening in each other's arms.

The next morning came too soon and Valerie dragged herself from bed to prepare for work. Sally, as normal, made breakfast for her Mistress and had everything ready for Valerie as she prepared for the new day. Valerie arrived at the office with the expectation that her day would be another one of routine. Such was not to be.

It happened at 11:13 in the morning. Valerie was just leaving the building's women's room when she heard a cry of pain from down the hall. Rushing down, she saw Calvin Freshin on the ground, holding his side in agony. His secretary, Mary Carstares, was dialing the phone. Val knelt down beside him. He looked feverish and barely conscious.

"Calvin, what's wrong?"

There wasn't a response, merely moaning. Behind her, she heard Mary talking. "He just collapsed, holding his side. Yes, he's breathing. No, I don't see any blood. Yes, 1632 Marietta, suite 23. Please hurry."

"Mary, what happened?"

"I don't know. He's been complaining all week about feeling under the weather and how his side is always a little cramped. He was bringing some papers out for me to go over and he just cried out and collapsed. I don't think I've heard that loud a cry of pain from any submissive at Mephisto's."

Mary, while not into BDSM herself, had a curiosity about all things sexual. She'd gone to Mephisto's to watch and try to understand just what the players in the scene got from it. Val was waiting for when Mary decided that the best way to understand it was to experience it.

"There's good pain and bad pain. Calvin's clearly in the middle of bad pain. Was his cramping worse this morning?"

"I think so, but he wasn't saying much about it. I don't think he wanted to admit how much he was hurting."

"Typical macho bullshit. We've got wonderful health coverage that he should have been using…"

It was then that the emergency crews burst in and moved in on Calvin. Valerie and Mary stood back and watched the professionals do their job. While neither woman could follow most of the jargon passing back and forth, they both gasped at the phrase, "ruptured appendix." Soon, Calvin was adorned with IV lines and a variety of life sign monitors. His stretcher was wheeled out and the staff, which had gathered in the meantime, was left wondering how he would do. It wasn't long before everyone wandered back to their offices. Mary signaled Val that she needed to talk.

"Ms. Burbon, what should I do about his appointments?"

"I suppose you'll need to reschedule them."

"I know, but two of them are time critical. He was going to give final approval or non-approval to a couple of proposed articles for The Pony's Paddock. They're both large, multi-chapter articles. It's a big commitment of page space."

"What'll happen if they both are left holding?"

"We'll have to find smaller spots to fill the page counts. We don't have enough things on file to fill the space."

"Mary, just how familiar are you with the day to day operations of the magazine?"

"I know everything about it, ma'am. Isn't that what a secretary is supposed to do?"

"Yes," Val said with a smile. Valerie had known secretarial personnel who would be horrified at Mary's attitude. "Talk with the people yourself and make the decision you think Calvin would make. You've worked for him for two years now; I'm sure you have a handle on how he thinks."

"Can I do that?"

"Yes. If anyone questions you, send them to me."

"Ms. Burbon, shouldn't someone call Susan and let her know what happened?"

"Oh my God! I hadn't thought of that. I suppose we will. Let me handle that. Susan may need someone to take her to the hospital."

"Okay. Ms. Burbon, thank you for the confidence. I won't let Mr. Freshin down."

"I know you won't."

Val returned to her office and picked up her work where she left off. When she had a break between appointments, she buzzed June.

"June, can the rest of my appointments be put off?"

"Yes, ma'am, they're all internal meetings."

"Good; call everyone and let them know I'll be out the rest of the day."

"Right away. Is there anything I need to be aware of?"

"No, I just need to check on Calvin's slave, Susan. She has standing orders to not answer the phone, so I'll need to tell her in person about Calvin's collapse."

"I see."

In the two years June had been working for Valerie at Delgrasi, she'd become used to the casual talk of Masters and slaves; as well as a wide variety of other sexual topics. June had that most coveted of skills for secretaries; the ability to ignore the content of the work when it would otherwise get in the way of doing her job. Val considered herself lucky to have gotten June back after the fiasco at Branford and Gashune.

Valerie drove to Calvin's house. The editor and dominant lived in a secluded Victorian house, surrounded on three sides by rows of trees. Valerie wasn't sure where his money came from, but she did know that Calvin was independently wealthy. His work at Delgrasi was the result of being unable to be idle. Just how wealthy he was was a matter of speculation since he didn't flaunt it.

A naked Susan answered the door. Her mouth was gagged with a full coverage gag, a penis variety if Valerie knew Calvin. When Susan saw who was at the door, she knelt and inclined her head, waiting for orders. Susan was a 24/7 slave with no limits, as far as Valerie had been able to determine. She'd seen Susan whipped and caned until blood ran from the wounds and she'd seen Susan given freely to others sexually. Val knew that there were many times Susan accepted things that she clearly had no liking of. Briefly, Val wondered if she'd ever reach that level of submission with Charles. The idea appealed to, and frightened her.

"Stand up, Susan; I'm not here as a Mistress. May I come in?"

Susan stood gracefully, the marks from her earlier whippings rippling against her skin. She led Val to the main living room with its play equipment prominently displayed. Susan brought Valerie a glass of water and inclined her head as if to ask, "Is this what you want>"

"Thank you, Susan. I need to take your gag off; we need to talk."

Susan shook her head violently; trying to get across the knowledge that she was under orders not to remove it.

"Susan, you need to go to Him. He suffered a ruptured appendix and is probably in surgery now. I need to take you to the hospital and they won't understand the gag."

Susan's eyes widened as she took in the news. She rushed to a small desk and pulled a key out of a drawer. She knelt again at Val's feet and held the key up. Val smiled and took the key. When Susan bowed her head forward, Valerie unlocked the small padlock that held the gag in place. When Susan looked up again, there were tears in her eyes.

"Will Master be alright?"

"I hope so. The rupture will cause an infection and he'll have to stay at the hospital for a while, I suspect. Pack up anything you think he might want or need while he convalesces and I'll take you there."

"Yes, Mistress. Thank you, Mistress."

Susan ran off to pack, leaving Valerie sitting by herself. When Susan returned 15 minutes later, Val could only smile. Susan had packed an oversized laptop bag, no doubt with enough equipment to make his hospital room a miniature office; as well as a larger garment bag with far more clothes than the nurses would allow him to wear. Susan herself, however, was still naked.

"Susan, they won't let you in like that."

The slave looked down at herself, only now realizing she was undressed. She blushed over her entire body.

"I suppose not, Mistress. I don't go out much with vanillas. When Master takes me out, he likes me revealed. Would you pick something out for me? I don't feel comfortable any more, picking my own clothes."

"I'd be happy to. Show me what you've got."

Susan led Val to her bedroom. The name was a misnomer since there wasn't a bed in it. In one corner was a futon mattress with a chain hanging from a hook nearby. In another corner was a cage, its walls bolted to the floor. The cage was only a three feet cube, small enough that the five foot, seven inch Susan would be unable to lie or stand in it. Several anchor points were welded to the bars. Valerie tried to imagine being locked in such a cage and shuddered.

Susan opened the walk in closet and waved Valerie in. Clearly, Calvin liked to dress his slave up in a wide variety of outfits. It was just that most of them wouldn't pass legal muster out on the streets, and many of those that would were designed to make Susan the center of everyone's attention. When she made her choice, Valerie thought it ironic that the least attention calling garment was also the most clearly slave-like.

A simple, cotton pullover covered Susan's torso and midriff. The hem came down halfway between Susan's hips and knees. A simple cotton belt tightened the piece so that Susan's curves and breasts were accentuated. Valerie insisted on a brief pair of panties, almost a thong, to prevent any unintended flashing of pussy. Valerie added a pair of sandals to complete the outfit. As Susan stood there, hands clasped in front and head down, her collar very visible, she was the dictionary picture of a John Norman Gorian© slave girl. Valerie smiled at a thought of how Sally would react to such a choice. Sally hated Norman's Gor© series and couldn't understand how anyone would choose to emulate the Masters and slaves from that fictional universe.

"Susan, you look lovely in that. Do you think anyone will recognize the literary reference?"

"I wouldn't want to speculate, Mistress."

"I didn't think so. Come along, slave. Your Master awaits you."

As they drove, Valerie tried to prepare Susan for what was to come. "Susan, you know Calvin set you up with his power of attorney, right?"

"Yes, Mistress. I just never thought I'd have to use it."

"Are you up to this? You'll have to be the one telling others what to do for Him."

"I think so. After nearly falling apart as his secretary that one time, he's made it clear that he expects me to be forceful about seeing to his wants and needs." She paused for a moment. "It's so hard, Mistress."

"I know, trust me, I know. Just remember that you're passing on his wishes."

"I'll try, Mistress. Can you stay with me?"

"Not for long. I have my own slave obligations to attend to."

"How do you do it, Mistress? How do you dominate and be submissive at the same time?"

"The key is that I don't. I'm not dominating anyone when I submit to Master. I only dominate Sally. I can do that because I love her so much. I doubt I could dominate anyone else; certainly not to the extent I do her. In some ways, I'm submitting to Sally's need for a total Mistress instead of just dominating her."

The rest of the trip was made in silence. Val parked in the hospital's garage, putting the ticket in her purse. Susan walked just behind her as they threaded their way to the main building of the medical complex. When they reached the emergency room, it was a bustle of activity. Several people, both behind curtains and in the waiting seats, were moaning in discomfort. A police officer was standing next to one of the closed curtains. When they reached the main desk, the man behind it looked up.

"What's the nature of your emergency?"

"Calvin Freshin was brought in earlier today. Could you tell us where he's been taken?"

"I don't have that…" Paramedics wheeled a stretcher in and the man turned away from them. "Take her to bed six; Doctor Morton." Turning back to Valerie, he added, "You want main reception. If he's in the system, they'll know where he is."

Knowing they wouldn't get any more here, Valerie and Susan moved away and navigated the labyrinthine corridors until they found the main entrance. Ironically, they'd passed the front entrance on their way to the emergency room. At the main desk, they encountered a matronly woman with a pleasant smile.

"Good afternoon. What can I do for you?"

"Calvin Freshin was brought in today with a ruptured appendix. Can you tell us where we can find him?"

"Are you family?" she asked while typing away on her computer.

Val looked at Susan who swallowed once and stepped forward. "I'm his sla…girlfriend."

"I'm sorry, dear. You have to be actually related to him for me to release any information."

"But, I have his things. He'll need them. He'll want to see me."

"Once he's in a regular room, you'll be able to visit him during visiting hours. Until then, I can't violate his privacy."

"What if Susan had a power of attorney?" Val asked.

"That would be different, of course." She turned to Susan. "Do you have such a thing?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's right here."

Susan reached into one of the pockets of the laptop case and pulled a document out. A notary seal was prominently visible on the lower corner. Susan handed it to the receptionist. She looked it over with a practiced eye.

"It seems to be in order. Well, he's in surgery right now. He's scheduled to be taken to the ICU afterwards. Apparently he has a serious infection. Nothing's been planned beyond that. Do you have a preference on rooms?"

"Private, please, with a second bed. I'll be spending most days and nights with him."

"They won't let you into ICU; it's a sterile environment. I'll book the room now so you'll have someplace to stay yourself. Do you have his insurance information? He wasn't in any condition to give it himself."

"Yes, right here."