Her Governess Ch. 01

"I'm glad for that."

"It's because of you that I ran when he started hitting me. Usually I kind of...take it. But I started thinking of your offer, then just grabbed my phone and ran out of there. I didn't really think, I just ran. I figured, you know, maybe I could do better with you."

Kara turned away from the grill to face Ashley.

"You're welcome to use the guest room for as long as you like, whether or not you want a governess. If all you want is a safe, warm place to sleep, it's a sure thing, okay?"

"Thanks. Really, that's so cool of you," Ashley said with a grateful smile. "But...the 'governess' thing is still on the table, right?"

"Is that what you want?"

"I...think so."

Kara turned back and flipped the toast over. "There's no rush to decide. Take some time and think it over."

There was another silence that seemed to Kara more companionable than uncomfortable.

"Um...I can't pay anything. You know, like rent or anything like that. Master Chad...I mean Chad...didn't want me to have a job, so until I find one..."

"Don't worry about that. You're not costing me anything by using the guest room, and there's plenty of food. Maybe when you get your feet under you again we'll work out something more formal."

"Thanks. I'll pay my share, don't worry. It's just going to take a little time to get myself together, right?"

"I understand. Again, there's no rush."

Kara plated the French toast and retrieved some maple syrup and milk from the fridge.

"You can eat at the counter or the table, whatever you want."

"Smells really good, thanks." Ashley doused the toast in syrup and stuffed an over-sized chunk into her mouth.

Kara leaned on the counter across from her and watched her devour the meal and guzzle the milk. In moments the plate and glass were empty.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Whatever's easy. Tea?"

"Sit on the couch and I'll bring it out. We can talk in the living room."

Ashley nodded and left, and a few minutes later Kara joined her on the couch, setting two mugs of green tea on coasters on the long, oak coffee table that Peter had hand-made.

"How do you feel?" Kara asked.

"Honestly, kind of pathetic. I mean, I'm supposed to be an adult, and instead I'm leeching off you for everything."

"You ARE an adult. You just hit a rough patch, that's all."

"I'm almost twenty-two and all I have is this one set of clothes and a cell phone. And it's not really my phone - it belongs to Mas...I mean, to Chad."

"You've got a safe place to sleep and plenty to eat. That's a good place to start, at least."

Ashley nodded glumly and took a tentative sip from the mug, careful to use the undamaged side of her mouth. A couple of minutes went by quietly.

"So what would I need to do for this 'governess' thing?" Ashley asked.

Kara had spent the day pondering that very question. She'd made some bold promises the previous day and wasn't sure she'd be able to live up to them. She'd learned a lot from the men she'd submitted to before Peter, and even more in the fourteen years she'd worn his collar, but it wasn't clear how much of that would translate into teachable lessons for Ashley. Really, it had been as much about self-discovery as anything those men had taught TO her.

Peter, of course, had been a godsend, creating a space for her that was safe and nurturing; encouraging her to grow and experiment and expand her experiences. But even then, Kara realized, it wasn't like he'd 'trained' her in how to be submissive. He'd just fostered the conditions that allowed her own natural submissiveness to blossom - trust, respect, consistency, patience, firmness and gentleness.

So...could she do that for Ashley? Would that be enough?

In the end, Kara decided that she had only her own experiences and knowledge to draw upon, so those would have to serve as the foundation for her mentorship of Ashley. It probably wasn't the only way - or even the BEST way - but it was the only option that felt authentic to her.

"You'd have to be honest, and open to trying new things. You'd have to accept me as someone with authority in your life. You'd have to follow rules and protocols," Kara said.

"What are protocols?"

"They're like...different sets of standards for behaviour. You know how there's one protocol for eating at a five-star restaurant, and a different one for eating at a Burger Joint, right?"

"Oh, okay. Got it. And I guess there would be...you know...sex and stuff?" Ashley's tone was matter-of-fact, as though sex with a woman she'd only known for a short time was a forgone conclusion.

Kara had spent time considering THAT question as well, while Ashley had been asleep. Ashley was certainly cute - her green eyes were absolutely beautiful - and Kara had enjoyed the few same-sex dalliances she'd had in the past. On their fifth anniversary in Aruba, she and Master Peter had a threesome with a voluptuous German tourist and it remained one of the most erotic and pleasure-filled nights she could remember. She had no reservations about sapphic lust.

But Ashley was young and dependent and vulnerable, having just come out of an abusive relationship. Kara wouldn't want her to feel obligated or pressured to have sex, even if she seemed more or less okay with the concept.

"It wouldn't be a sexual relationship, primarily," Kara said, selecting her words with care. "But there might be some sexual or intimate touching at times. I think for this to work, we need to form a powerful bond, and physical touch would probably make that easier. What are your thoughts on that?"

"A slave obeys any command her Master gives her without question or hesitation," Ashley said, as though reciting from a textbook. She gave a shy smile at Kara's raised eyebrow. "Chad had me memorize the Three Cardinal Rules for Slaves. So whatever you said, I would do."

"Wait...the three what?"

"He got them from this website. Three Cardinal Rules."

"I'm afraid to ask about the other two."

"A slave accepts her Master's superiority in all matters," she said. "And...the slave must meet her Master's needs first and foremost and to the exclusion of all else."

Kara was temporarily speechless.

"So...if you wanted sex, I'd have to do it for you, no questions," Ashley said, seeking to fill in the awkward pause.

"It wouldn't be that way. Whatever happened, we'd negotiate beforehand and make sure your limits were understood and respected," Kara said.

"No worries there. Chad had a 'total power exchange' thing going with me, so I've been trained to have no limits. I wouldn't give you any back-talk."

Kara smiled patiently. "Okay, well I guess the important thing is you'd be at least open to physical contact. But mostly it would be about both of us learning and exploring and building trust and understanding. I feel those are the fundamentals you'll need. Did you have any other questions you wanted to ask?"

"Um...what kind of punishments do you use? And what would be an example of a severe punishment if I messed up?"

That was a question Kara hadn't even thought about, and it pained her to consider the awful experiences that might result in a question like that being asked.

"I guess scolding, writing lines and standing in the corner, mostly."

"Yeah, but what about a severe punishment? Would it be like...caning or something?"

"No, nothing like that. And regardless, we'd discuss everything before it happened and make sure you were in a good place with it."

Ashley bit the undamaged side of her bottom lip and furrowed her brow as she considered her next words. The younger woman was surprisingly easy to read - she seemed to be without guile or pretense.

"I'd like to accept your offer. Would you please be my governess?"

"Whoa, that was fast. You can think it over if you like. You don't have to answer right away," Kara said, taken aback by Ashley's sudden and decisive declaration.

Ashley was quiet for a moment, then put her mug down on the coaster and met Kara's eyes.

"Kara, look at me. I'm broke. I'm homeless. I'm cut off from my family. I barely have any friends. I've been marked. I've been pierced. I've been beaten up, starved and humiliated. I've even done gross things on camera. For the last three years, I've done everything Chad told me to do. Do you know why?"

Because you trusted the wrong man. You ignored your instincts and common sense. You confused abuse with dominance and suffering with submission. Kara knew the reasons but couldn't bring herself to judge Ashley harshly. She'd been there herself, once upon a time. Given herself to men like Chad in the desperate, naive hope they could feed and nurture that powerful, submissive part of her psyche that longed for expression and love. She'd been betrayed, hurt and even hospitalized when those efforts failed. She'd seen the world through Ashley's eyes, and walked for a time in her shoes.

Kara shook her head and Ashley continued.

"Because I really, really want to feel the way I did for my first Master. I know I'm stupid for wanting that but I can't let it go. It's part of me. I can't make it go away."

"It's not stupid to want that."

"Right? You get it. You were a submissive, too. You felt those things, right?"

Kara nodded, stirred by the passion in Ashley's voice.

"And now you can help ME feel them. And it's even better because I can trust you. You saved my life twice in just the last week, and if I can't trust THAT, then what can I trust? So, yeah, I'm in. I'm all the way in."

Kara was quiet after Ashley finished talking. The younger woman was earnest and committed, no question. She seemed to understand and accept, at least in a general way, what Kara would be asking of her. And even more important, she would be safe, kept away from the Chads of the world.

Now all Kara had to do was deliver.

"Okay, then. It's a deal. We'll have the ceremony tomorrow at noon, unless you change your mind."

"There's a ceremony?"

"Of course," Kara said. She hoped Ashley wouldn't ask for details because Kara hadn't come up with any yet.

"Why?"

"A ceremony lends weight and importance to the beginning of our agreement. All important beginnings have ceremonies, right? Baby showers, christenings, weddings, New Year's eve. You remember your high school graduation? The beginning of 'real life'?"

"Uh...I never made it to the end of high school," Ashley said, blushing a little at the admission.

Kara made a mental note to revisit that in the future.

"Okay...you've heard of collaring ceremonies, right?"

"Yeah. I even went to one."

"When something's important, it gets a ceremony. And you, Ashley, are very, VERY important. So you get a ceremony."

Her eyes widened a bit and she grinned at Kara's words.

"Wow...that's really cool, thanks! Okay, I'm excited for tomorrow, then."

Kara knew she'd share in that excitement, as soon as she mapped out the ceremony in her mind.

*

The next morning, for the first time in more than six weeks, Kara removed her collar.

There was a moment where lock wouldn't open and she was scared the mechanism had rusted shut, but some gentle coaxing had sprung it loose.

Taking it off brought a cascade of emotion - anguish, followed by intense grief, then a strange vulnerability. All things being equal, she'd have preferred to keep it around her neck.

But she was a 'governess' now. An authority figure. And 'authority' didn't wear a slave collar, no matter how much she might want one. Appearances were important. Symbols gained out-sized importance in dominant-submissive relationships. Roles needed to be defined, and expectations clearly known.

Before heading out to do some shopping, she left a neatly folded pile of her old clothing on a desk in the guest room for Ashley to try on. Hopefully there would be at least a few outfits in there that didn't look ridiculous on the petite woman. Kara would have to take her to the mall for clothes soon, or else force a confrontation with Chad to get her old stuff back. But that was a problem for another day.

The shopping served a couple of purposes. She bought ice cream cake and Irish Cream Liqueur, to begin with.

More than that, it gave her some time to try to put herself into the 'dominant' mindset.

Her nature had always been submissive, but she'd witnessed and experienced plenty of examples of 'Dominant' behaviour - some good, most not so good. She knew the good and bad when she saw it, and that was as much thought as she'd devoted to dominance up until now.

But with Ashley, she'd adopted that role and was expected to model it well, so Kara spent a lot of time remembering and analyzing the Doms and Masters from her past. Her memories of Peter were the most accessible to her and the most pleasant to recall, even if they left a terrible ache inside her afterward.

She thought about how he moved, how he positioned himself. How he spoke to her - his tone, his words, the volume of his voice. How he caressed her. How he inflicted a strangely welcome sort of pain and how he held her when it was over. She remembered his rules and protocols and tried to probe the reasons behind them. Why had he been strict with some rules and lenient with others? How had he signaled his displeasure when she'd transgressed them? How had he dealt with her when she'd been rebellious? Petulant? Angry? How had he shared in her joys and celebrated her achievements? What steps had he taken to keep their passion fresh as they moved slowly through adulthood and into middle age? How had he kept her empowered even as his emotional hold on her grew deeper and more certain?

So many questions! So many chances for error!

And the stakes were high. Ashley wasn't stupid, and if Kara couldn't deliver on a satisfying experience then Ashley would seek out other dominants. Kara knew from personal experience the nightmarish pitfalls that lay along that road, especially for someone with Ashley's misconceptions, lack of personal support, financial dependence and damaged self-esteem. There were plenty of Chads out there, and worse.

Kara hoped to borrow from her late husband's bag of tricks without it appearing forced or fake. She knew how Peter had acted and remembered how she'd responded. Surely she could synthesize an authentic dominant persona from those ingredients.

And maybe, in some way, the experience would bring her closer to the man she'd loved. Maybe becoming a Dominant would - belatedly - bring her a greater understanding and appreciation for all he'd done. The idea of it was an appealing one.

*

"I want to talk about expectations, protocols and rules," Kara said in a voice she hoped was both no-nonsense and gentle. She held Ashley's beautiful green eyes in her own.

The young woman nodded up at her attentively. She was kneeling on the floor on Kara's pillow, with Kara sitting in front of her and above her on the couch. Ashley had found some yoga pants that were too big on her, as well as a pink t-shirt that billowed around her. Not fashionable, but comfortable, at least.

It was noon. The ceremony had begun.

"First, you need to accept that I do things differently than Master Chad. You're going to have to learn a new way. Are you willing to try that?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ashley said, nodding again solemnly. The "ma'am" had come unprompted - apparently Ashley recognized the weighty tone Kara was using and instinctively responded in a more respectful way. A good sign?

"I want you to forget about the Three Cardinal Rules you recited yesterday. I don't believe in them and won't be enforcing them. Clear?"

Another nod.

"Instead, there are five principles I want you to keep in mind as we begin this journey together. Five principles that will guide your behaviour in this relationship. Those are openness, honesty, diligence, obedience and submission." Kara counted them off on her fingers slowly.

"Yes ma'am."

"Please repeat them for me."

"Obedience, submission, honesty...um...diligence and..."

"Openness. I want you to be open to learning and experimenting."

Ashley looked chagrined at not being able to remember all five, but recovered and tried again. "Yes ma'am. Obedience, submission, honestly, diligence and openness."

Kara smiled down at her and Ashley returned it.

"Make sure you remember those. I want you to be able to repeat the Five Principles on demand. Clear?"

"Clear."

"Do you have any questions so far?"

"No ma'am."

"Okay. I will be your governess. A governess is a teacher, mentor and authority figure. My role will be to guide you, protect you and ensure you're keeping the Five Principles close to your heart. Does that meet your expectations?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Is there anything else you expect of me? I want to know if you have needs or wants other than what I've just talked about."

Ashley frowned and bit her bottom lip. Finally she shook her head.

Kara smiled, then reached down and stroked the young woman's cheek. The caress brought an immediate grin. The younger woman was already receptive to intimate touching.

"You'll be my ward. Your role is to watch, listen, learn, ask questions and explore your own preferences and desires, as well as to be faithful to the Five Principles. Do you find any of that unreasonable, or think it's too much to ask of you?"

She shook her head emphatically.

"Okay, that's good. Let's talk about protocols. We're going to have two protocols: low and high. Low protocol means the rules are relaxed and we can be more informal. We'll call each other by our first names, we can tease and joke around and be fun and friendly. The way we've been acting together so far would qualify as low protocol. Does that make sense?"

"Yes ma'am."

"High protocol means the rules will be strictly enforced and I'll expect proper address and submission from you. Things will still be friendly and positive between us, but in a much more formal way. Okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Ashley said. "Low protocol is Burger Joint, high protocol is a five-star restaurant."

"Well said," Kara said with a wink, "You can assume you're on low protocol unless I tell you differently."

"Okay."

Kara's expression became serious. "Whatever protocol you're under, you still have a voice. You can express your feelings. You can say 'stop' if you're uncomfortable. You can ask questions if something is unclear. Got it?"

Ashley nodded.

"Repeat what I just said."

"That it doesn't matter if it's high or low protocol, I can still tell you my feelings and opinions and ask questions."

"Very nice."

Ashley smiled brightly.

"I'll be writing down some rules for you, but I don't expect it's going to be a long list. Maybe four or five. You're not a child and I don't think I have to spell out every little thing, right?"

"Right."

"And if you're not clear on what a rule means, what will you do?"

"Um...can I ask you about it?"

"Of course! Please do that. And what happens if I make a rule and you hate it? What will you do?"

Ashley's expression turned thoughtful again. The silence stretched on for several seconds.

"I mean, I wouldn't disobey one of your rules..." she said, "And I know better than to complain. I guess I would trust that you knew what was best, and try my hardest to follow the rule."

"What about expressing your opinion? You're supposed to do that, right?"

She frowned, and Kara could tell she was having a hard time getting her mind around the concept.

"Well...maybe I'd try to think of a way to tell you my opinion, but without complaining."

Kara gave her a patient smile. "I'll tell you what; how about we allow complaining, at least until we know each other better? If you hate something, you can tell me directly and I'll be fine with that."

Ashley nodded slowly. "Yeah...I guess at first that would be okay."

"Perfect! Is there anything else you want to say before I continue the ceremony? Anything at all?"