Her Governess Ch. 04

"Here's here now, at the apartment with me. I'm packing. He doesn't think it's safe to stay here tonight so we're going to spend the night at his place. We'll come and get you in an hour or so and go to the station to file a complaint. He's already applied to a judge for a warrant to search Chad's house, but those take a bit of time to come through."

"I'll let Mrs. Janowitz know I have to leave early. Do you need me to do anything else?"

"Just don't leave, and stay where there are other people. I'll see you in about an hour."

"Okay. Hey, I know this isn't important with everything else that's happening, but...could you remember my collar?"

"It was the first thing I packed," Mistress Kara said. "See you soon."

*

"I need a little more information before we execute the warrant," Mr. Sato said. They were in his cramped office at the police station, sitting across his cluttered desk as he typed into a laptop. "With a bit of luck we'll get to him before he sends those emails. If we can get evidence, he'll be charged - distributing 'revenge porn' is illegal. You can also sue him for damages."

"You can bet on that," Mistress Kara said.

He turned his attention to Ashley. "Can you tell me anything else about Chad that will help us? Does he have more than one computer? External drives? Does he store files in the cloud?"

Ashley took a moment to think. Chad was one subject she was an expert on!

"He uses an online storage site called StoreItPro. His user name is 'BadDaddyChad'."

She remembered him showing her on his laptop the long list of dirty movies he'd made and stored away on the site - all with her as the reluctant star of the show. Would the police be watching those videos? Would her Mistress see them? Even the idea of it brought a deep blush to her face.

"Any idea what his password is?"

She shook her head. "I know he keeps all his passwords on a yellow, lined sheet of paper. I used to see him reading off the paper when he was signing into websites to pay his bills."

Mr. Sato was writing notes on his police pad. "That's excellent. Anything else you can think of?"

"Uh..." she glanced sidelong at Mistress Kara, hoping not to upset her too much. "There are...other videos on the storage site. Of me, I mean."

"Intimate videos?" he clarified.

"They're kind of...obscene. He's got me doing things. Really bad things."

"Against your will?"

"Sort of. I mean, I was his slave, so I couldn't really refuse. But I didn't like doing that stuff, especially on camera."

"So...did you provide consent, or not? I'm asking because it affects what charges we might be able to lay."

"He beat her up whenever she expressed her opinion. Even if she verbally consented, it was under duress," Mistress Kara said, cutting in.

He nodded and continued to write notes. "Anything else you can think of, Ashley?"

"Oh - the password to unlock his phone used to be 'Feral1987', with a capital 'F'. He probably didn't change it unless he got a new phone." He'd never shown her the password, but she'd caught glimpses of it every so often and had been able to piece it together over the months and years.

"That's great - really helpful!" Mr. Sato made more notes. "Anything else? Anything at all?"

"I think that's everything."

He smiled briefly, then flipped his pad closed. "I've been in contact with the web administrators for the porn sites that are hosting your video and requested they take it down. Sometimes they comply voluntarily, but sometimes we need a court order."

"Thank you so much, John. I really owe you for this," her Mistress said. She looked pale, tired and upset. She wouldn't make eye contact with Ashley; her owner had to be pretty mad at her for letting the situation with her ex-Master get so badly out of control. The idea of her Mistress being angry with her caused a knot of nausea to tighten in her stomach.

Mr. Sato leaned forward and his tone became sympathetic. "It's not all good news, I'm afraid. We have no way of knowing how many people have seen the video so far, or downloaded it, or shared it. It could pop up on other websites, or image boards - anyplace, really. Once stuff like that gets out into the wild, it's difficult or impossible to fully remove it."

"So...this is the new normal? Ashley and I are...porn stars?" Her owner sounded horrified by the news.

"I think we need to prepare for the possibility that the video may be widely viewed and distributed, yes."

Mistress Kara bent forward and buried her face in her hands. "This is a nightmare."

"Also," Mr. Sato continued in a gentle voice, "You'll want to get new phone numbers to keep the trolls from calling."

Her Mistress nodded but didn't look up or speak. Ashley wondered if she was fighting back tears. The thought of it made her chest hurt.

*

It was almost one in the morning when Ashley and her Mistress arrived at the Sato house.

Jaycee met them in the driveway with warm greetings and warmer hugs, gave them a quick tour of the house and got them situated in the guest room. It was almost the size of the guest room in Mistress Kara's apartment, with a double bed, a small closet and a tall dresser with six drawers. Comfortable but simple.

Half an hour later Ashley was in panties and her collar and standing next to the bed, waiting for her owner to return from a shower. She felt exhausted, and sick with the knowledge that the ugliness of her past life may have destroyed what Mistress Kara had worked so hard to build with family and friends.

Her Mistress came in wearing a t-shirt and baggy track pants. When she saw Ashley standing by the bed as required by the rules, she gave a tired smile that didn't last long. Instead of lying down under the sheets, her owner sat on the side of the bed and patted the mattress next to her. Ashley didn't need any more prompting and quickly sat down.

"May I please say something about what happened today?" Ashley said. She'd been thinking of ways to apologize to Mistress Kara for not being able to prevent the disaster from unfolding.

"I want to say something first," her owner said, then took a deep breath and let it out in a miserable sigh. She looked Ashley in the face for what felt like the first time that night. Her eyes were already watery.

"The most basic duty of the Dominant is to ensure a safe scene, and I failed to do that at the workshop. It's because of my stupidity that you're in this situation. I don't know what I was thinking, stripping and restraining you in front of an uncovered window in broad daylight. Or maybe I wasn't thinking at all."

"But...you and Master Peter must have fooled around in the workshop, right?"

Mistress Kara sniffed and exhaled, then swiped a tear away with the back of her hand.

"He always pulled the curtains. Every time. He would never have made such a dumb mistake."

"There's no way you could have guessed Chad would be there."

The other woman shook her head. "It was my job to protect you and I didn't. I've been trying to think of how to apologize to you, but I'm not sure there are words for something like this. Because I didn't do my job, there's a humiliating video of you being passed around, and there's no way to get it back."

"I'm more worried about you! You're in there, too."

"But I'm forty-three and financially secure. It's humiliating, sure, but it can't actually hurt me. But when I think of your future classmates seeing it...or future co-workers...or maybe a husband...or children..."

Mistress Kara sobbed, then wiped watery eyes with the palms of her hands.

"I may have ruined your future...and I don't know how to apologize for that. I don't know what would be enough."

"I'm not angry, really! I mean, Chad has a bunch of dirty videos of me already. His friends do, as well. I always figured they'd get out eventually. This is all Chad's fault, not yours."

Her owner took a few moments to compose herself.

"I have a lot to learn about being a Dominant, and I'm not sure it's fair to make you suffer for all the mistakes I make along the way."

"ONE mistake," Ashley said. "Don't get too carried away. It was just one mistake."

"A BIG mistake. What if it's not the last mistake I make? What if the next one causes you even more pain? You deserve better."

Ashley hesitated, trying to think of the words to restore her Mistress' confidence. Things were going so good and she didn't want to see her owner retreat from the gentle-yet-strict style she was starting to bring to their relationship.

She was an incredible Mistress. Why couldn't she understand that? How could Ashley make her see?

She took Mistress Kara's hand and held it. "You probably wish you'd never taken me in that night, after I called you from Burger Joint. You probably regret offering to be my Governess."

"No. I've never felt that way. I've never regretted that decision, even for a moment," Mistress Kara said, and the certainty in her voice confirmed the words.

"Even though it's MY past that's wrecking your life right now? You might be thinking 'all this trouble isn't worth it'. You had a nice, calm life before I came along, right?"

"You're more than worth any trouble. My life is way better now than it was before I met you."

Ashley nodded. "Before I met you, my life was filled with anxiety, pain and humiliation. I won't tell you all the stuff Chad made me do because you'd probably throw up, or have nightmares. But I kept going back for more. I guess I stopped believing there were any other options."

"I can only imagine what you had to endure."

"And THEN I was rescued by this awesome, gentle, caring, sexy woman. A Mistress who makes me feel wonderful every day, and gives me everything I need to feel safe and submissive and happy."

"I should have remembered the curtains!"

Ashley leaned over and kissed her cheek, salty with tears. "It was a tiny mistake. It doesn't even register. You could make a thousand mistakes like that and you'd still be the most amazing Mistress I could ever dream of. I love you. I trust you. I trust your heart. I trust that you would never put me in danger. And like you said: my life is a billion times better than it was before I met you."

Her owner turned and wrapped her up in a tight hug and Ashley gave as good as she got. The quiet embrace lasted a minute or so.

"I never said a 'billion times' better," Mistress Kara said, and Ashley smiled at the faint tease in her voice.

"But that's what you meant, right?"

Her owner laughed and squeezed her tighter, then was serious again. "Sorry, for all this," she said.

"I accept your apology, Mistress."

They hugged again. Mistress Kara leaned over and switched off the lamp on the nightstand, then lay down on the bed, pulling Ashley down alongside her. Ashley resisted just long enough to unbuckle her collar and toss it next to the lamp.

She lay on her side and her owner spooned her from behind and pulled Ashley tight against her warm body. Ashley wished her Mistress had come to bed naked - nothing was better than cuddling up skin-on-skin. After everything that had happened that day, it was reassuring to end up in her owner's secure embrace, even in a strange bed.

"It's been an emotional few hours," her owner said, her voice a murmur next to Ashley's ear.

"You called your sister and parents? Told them about the video and about...me?"

"Yes. I called Peter's younger brother and sister as well. I couldn't call everyone on Chad's list, but I wanted to break the news to family, at least. If they're going to find out, I'd rather tell them myself."

"What did your mom and dad say?"

Mistress Kara was quiet for a moment. "They were worried. Mom thought the pain of losing Peter had caused an emotional breakdown, and that my feelings for you are a delusion of some kind. She thought I should get counseling."

"Wow...that's kind of harsh."

Her Mistress gave her a brief squeeze. "It's okay. She never understood what I saw in Peter, either. We have different tastes. She's a little more...traditional."

"And your dad?"

"He was more worried for my safety. He thought I should move back in with them until everything blows over. I shouldn't be living all by myself in the big, scary city."

"Heh heh. Still daddy's little girl?"

"Something like that. The call with my sister went better. She said she'd be aggressive about policing her sons' email accounts for the next little while. And...she wants to meet you."

"Really?"

"I told her we'd set something up so you could meet. Not right away - we've got our hands full with all this Chad stuff. But after that..."

"Collar, or no collar?" Ashley asked, half-teasing and half-hoping.

Mistress Kara was quiet for a bit as she started to rub Ashley's bare belly. "Given the content of the video, I wanted to try to prepare everyone for why I was hitting you with a paddle. Even if they don't open Chad's email, it's not impossible someone else would find the video online and show it to them."

"I guess that's true."

"With mom and dad, I was vague about it - I just said it was a 'sex game' and that you were a willing participant."

"You said that? To your mom?"

Her owner groaned at the memory. "It was exactly as awkward and embarrassing as you think. Probably more for mom than me."

"What did you tell your sister?"

"I texted her a 'BDSM' Wikipedia link, told her I was the 'dominant', and said I'd be happy to answer any questions she had."

Ashley laughed. "No way!"

"Oh, yes. Someone went to the trouble of writing a whole article, so why should I have to stumble around looking for the right words?"

"So...does this mean you're 'out' now? As a Mistress, I mean?"

There was another extended pause. Ashley enjoyed her owner's warmth and the soothing belly rub.

"I've always preferred to keep my kink and vanilla lives separate. On the kink side I had Peter and the MAMMs and the sex furniture business, and on the vanilla side I had my family and a bunch of wonderful, non-kink friends. I wasn't ashamed of my kink side, exactly, but it wasn't the face I was comfortable showing most people."

"That's normal, I suppose."

"Perhaps. I've met people that wear their dominance or submission on the outside, like a badge of honour, and I always envied them. It seems...braver...to live that way. More authentic, somehow. I always wanted to be that kind of person - confident enough to embrace who I really am and to freely live in the way that suits my nature."

"I know what you mean. I'd wear my collar everyplace, if you'd allow it. I want everyone to know you're my owner."

"I've been thinking about that, too. Maybe it's wrong of me to stifle your self-expression. In the beginning, I wanted to teach you about 'true' submission, but maybe, in some ways, I should be learning from you instead."

"It sounds like you're thinking of coming out as a Mistress, then."

"If Chad's email gets sent, then I'm pretty much 'out', whether I choose it or not."

"So...maybe you should jump before you're pushed?"

"Maybe. It's scary to think about making a change like that at my age."

"If not now, when?"

"Good point. I'll give it lots more thought. But for now, let's keep things as they are. You showing up to court in a collar might not be the best look for our side."

Ashley chuckled at that, then there was a long silence. Mistress Kara continued to rub, so she definitely wasn't asleep.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Mistress?"

"How do you see your future? What do you want to be doing when you're my age?"

She only needed a moment to think it over.

"I see me kneeling naked in front of a sexy, beautiful, sixty year-old Mistress, massaging her feet and looking up into her kind, brown eyes as she reads her book and enjoys a cup of tea. I see me serving her body with my hands and mouth and anything else she wants. I see me giving her all my love and submission, and knowing that she'll care for me and give me what I need to be happy."

Mistress Kara was quiet then, and pressed a tender kiss to the back of Ashley's neck. The younger woman sighed and tried to settle deeper into her owner's arms.

In moments, they were asleep.

*

"It's so peaceful here," Ashley said.

Mistress Kara, paused and looked around, then breathed a satisfied sigh. "It's perfect. Exactly what I needed."

Veteran's Provincial Park was a wooded nature preserve about thirty minutes outside the city, on the shore of Pine Lake. Wide, winding, gravel-covered hiking trails snaked through the tall trees, sometimes following the shoreline, sometimes branching out into the deeper reaches of the forest, and sometimes running alongside the farmers' fields that bounded the northern side of the park.

Ashley had been there once before, on a grade-school field trip, years and years ago. But being here with her Mistress was way better, especially since they had the place almost to themselves. Other than an occasional, fanatical jogger or lone dog-walker, few people were willing to come out on a chilly, drizzly Tuesday morning in late March.

Neither of them were really dressed for the weather, but the end of March was a tricky time of the year to gauge, clothing-wise.

Mistress Kara was still in winter clothes; snow boots and a thick, down-filled parka over jeans and a sweater. She wore gloves and carried an umbrella, even though the rain was light and almost misty - it drifted through the air rather than falling straight down.

Ashley was in boots, jeans and a sweater, too, but wore a lighter spring jacket that felt a little TOO light now that the cool dampness of the morning had started to settle into her bones. She had a wool toque and a pair of gloves in her pocket if she got really cold. Best of all, she could feel the snug presence of her leather collar around her neck. She appreciated its comforting embrace now more than ever.

The snow had recently melted, and with the amount of rain they'd been getting there were parts of the trail that were too muddy or wet to walk on. But the main path that ran next to the shoreline was in good shape, with only occasional puddles or mucky patches.

Mistress Kara was leading the way; she seemed to have a destination in mind, though her slow pace made it clear she was in no hurry to get there.

After the week they'd just had, Ashley, too, was happy to slow down and soak up the peaceful scenery.

It had been one week ago that Chad had approached her in the bakery, then uploaded the video of her and Mistress Kara. Since that day their lives had been a hectic and exhausting series of challenges. Endless interviews with police and lawyers. A blizzard of paperwork. Stress. Frustration. Humiliation. Guilt.

The police had searched Chad's apartment, found the list of passwords Ashley had told them about, and accessed the online file storage with the intimate workshop video and the other - even dirtier - videos made during Ashley's enslavement to Chad. Knowing that a bunch of police and lawyers might be watching those videos embarrassed her; made her feel like she'd been stripped naked and forced to parade around in front of strangers.

Her former Master was arrested and charged with a bunch of serious-sounding things, and the lawyers expected that he'd eventually accept a plea bargain in return for dropping or reducing some of the more serious charges. Still prison time, though, which was a relief. Her world was a safer place without Chad prowling around in it.

Ashley would have been content to leave it at that, just to have the whole thing behind her. But her Mistress was out for blood, or at the very least, money. She'd hired a lawyer, and was in the process of suing him.

They'd bought new phones and her owner was looking at moving them into a new building. It had been a week of constant change and confusion, and the next couple of weeks were sure to be just as bad.