Jennifer and Slave Sarah

"What are you doing, Sarah?" I ask.

"Preparing myself for a whipping, Mistress Jennifer," replies Sarah.

"I was just testing your obedience. I'm not going to whip you, Sarah. You'd enjoy it too much. No. I have your punishment here. Cup your hands in front off you."

Sarah does as she is told and I can see the look of disappointment in her eyes. Her reaction when I playfully swatted her with the riding crop last Saturday warned me that she actually likes a moderate amount of pain with her chastisements. But I know the Sarah-Anne of old, and some of her real dislikes. I drop three worms, which I have just unearthed from her garden, into her cupped hands. She really hates worms and making her hold them is something that's going to test her obedience.

"You hold those for two minutes. Drop any of them and we'll add a minute more each time one falls."

"Eeeww! ... Yuck! ... Please ... Get them off me ... Please, Jenny," pleads Sarah.

"What did you just call me, Sarah," I growl.

"Sorry, Mistress ... I didn't mean to call you by your first name, Mistress Jennifer."

"Then you must learn to try harder. An extra minute for showing disrespect to your Mistress."

To Sarah's credit she endures the punishment without further complaint. She bolts into the downstairs bathroom to scrub her hands the second I give her permission to do so. I give a sigh of relief that the punishment seems to have worked. As much as Sarah might have enjoyed a light whipping, there is no way I could bring myself to administer such a punishment. But there is no need for Sarah to know that.

"Get dressed," I order, when she returns from the bathroom. "And next time think carefully before you do anything that deserves a punishment from me."

"Yes, Mistress Jennifer. And thank you. I promise that I'll be good in future."

"I doubt that you will be able to achieve that, Sarah," I reply. "Just remember that I can be very inventive with my punishments."

I would have preferred Pete to be here when Greg arrived, but he doesn't seem to want to get on the wrong side of his brother. Pete leaves us about about twenty minutes before Greg is expected. I'm disappointed by his cowardly action, but there isn't anything I can do about it. Sarah and I have some time before Greg is due to arrive, so Sarah shows me some drawings of the outfit she has designed for me. They are extremely good. While I would have refused to wear anything so blatantly erotic a couple of weeks ago, today I'm feeling a lot more comfortable about doing so.

"Are you going to make it from latex or leather?" I ask.

"The lace ties would stretch and rip latex, Mistress. I can make it from leather if you want, but black vinyl might be a better choice. Do you approve, Mistress?"

"I approve, Sarah. I'm not very experienced with this sort of clothing, so I'll take your advice. Vinyl will be fine."

We return to the living room a few moments before Greg arrives. I've not forgiven him for his behaviour last week, and it takes all my willpower not to lay into him the moment I see him. Sarah introduces the two of us, but it's clear Greg doesn't approve of me being here.

"Are you ready, Sarah," says Greg, ignoring my presence. "Get your coat and we'll go."

"Not without my Mistress," replies Sarah.

"No. You alone. Pete tells me you've refused to sign my contract, so don't push your luck tonight. Don't forget the consequences of disobeying me."

"Sarah isn't going anywhere with you tonight," I say, deciding that we need to have this argument now rather than later. "In fact, it might be better if you disappeared from her life completely."

"And if choose not to do that?" sneers Greg. Despite his arrogance, I can't fail to notice that my refusal to cower before him has thrown him out of his stride.

"You have no hold over either of us," I say as calmly as I can manage. "I've dealt with pond scum like you before. I'm Sarah's mistress, so I decide what she can and can't do. And she's not having anything more to do with you. Sarah; return Greg's dress to him. Now."

Sarah only hesitates a second or two before removing her dress once more. She hands it to me, and I give it to Greg. Despite his fearsome reputation, he simply stands there bemused at my defiance. Fortunately I recall what Danielle told me about Greg, and, as Danielle said, he doesn't have the nerve to stand up to me. He's used to getting his way through blackmail rather than violence, and he recognises that he has no hold over me. Now that I've called his bluff, he doesn't know what to do. He takes the dress and storms out of the house.

"You'll regret this, Sarah," he snarls as he leaves.

"But what about his threat to tell my neighbours about my prostitute's license?" worries Sarah once Greg has gone.

"It's an empty threat," I reply. "You have the only paper copy of your license. And the register showing that you are licensed as a prostitute is controlled by the police. They won't allow anyone access to that information without good cause."

I'm thankful that my friend Fiona at university knew enough about this subject to help me identify the flaw in Greg's plan to blackmail Sarah. I omitted names and details during my conversation with Fiona, but what I said was enough for her to point me to the relevant piece of legislation. All I needed to do was find and read a copy of the legislation in the university library. Fiona is also helping me with the issue about a new trustee for Sarah's trust, but I will need to wait until next week for an answer to that question.

Sarah and I now have the evening to ourselves. Pete didn't say when he would be home, but Sarah doesn't expect him until tomorrow morning. Sarah seems content to remain dressed only in her underwear, but I instruct her to put on some clothes. Since the issues with Pete and Greg are seemingly sorted out, Sarah and I can finish our discussions about me becoming Sarah's dom. I'd prefer to do that with us both focused on the subject. We can find time to play later should we be in the mood.

Adam calls round to Sarah's house after he finishes work. By that time she and I have agreed on all the main details of what I will write up into a contract between us. It wouldn't have occurred to me to put our agreement in writing, but Doctor Wells' booklet suggests that Sarah and I should do so. That way there can be no false expectations or misunderstandings. I even find examples of slave contracts on the internet to guide me.

Adam arrives at Sarah's house still wearing his harness and leather briefs under his overcoat. I don't question him why he hasn't changed, as I suspect it was arranged between he and Sarah last Thursday night. I don't mind Adam and Sarah being intimate friends. I have no sexual yearning towards Sarah myself, even though our ongoing relationship will have an unavoidable sexual component. How we balance Sarah's relationship with Adam and her relationship with me is something that's going to need some trial and error to get right. It helps, of course, that Adam is naturally submissive himself, and seems content to have me as Sarah's mistress. I suspect he would allow me to be his dom as well, but I'm not ready to go anywhere near that option. I could simply allow Adam and Sarah to develop their relationship on their own, but Sarah seems happier if I set a few rules. So the 'no sex' rule remains in place, even though I don't really mind if they decide to ignore it. I strongly suspect that Sarah will disobey my rule simply so that I can punish her. She has a strange fetish for punishment which I'm going to have to manage carefully.

Adam is clearly planning on staying the night. Fortunately he's understood my wish not to micro-manage his and Sarah's relationship, so he doesn't ask me for permission. He does, however, give me a ride home about eleven-thirty. I've told Sarah I'll call round to her house on Wednesday evening with a contract for her to sign. She promises to have my outfit ready by then.

Chapter 9: A Slave Contract

By Wednesday my routine for the foreseeable future is organised. I've rescheduled my squash matches and nights out with my university friends so that Wednesday evening and Saturday is to be my time with Sarah. I've decided to accept Pete's advice and deny Sarah access to a mobile phone and to the internet ... at least, for now. She can operate her business easily enough. I've set up an answerphone on her landline to filter any incoming calls, and I can remotely print any orders which arrive by email onto the printer at her house.

Pete moved out this morning. He will still be keeping in touch, but as a casual friend rather than as Sarah's dom. And he says that he will still refer customers to Sarah's clothing business. Pete has seen Greg since our stand-off last Saturday, and at the moment it doesn't look as though we are going to have any further difficulty from Greg. He has plenty of other girls to service his desires without picking a fight with us. Pete has promised to let us know if anything changes.

Sarah has completed the outfit she has designed for me. It's a knee length black vinyl dress with matching panties. The dress is in two vertical halves connected by black nylon cords threaded through metal eyelets. The front is connected by criss-crossing the cords between my cleavage and waist. At the rear the two halves of the outfit can be laced from my shoulders to the back of my knees. However, Sarah only laces it down to my waist. The front of the outfit below my waist is cut away entirely in the shape of an inverted 'U', exposing my panties and inner thighs. High-healed black leather boots complete my outfit. It all makes be feel incredibly sexy and daring, even though I probably only have the courage to wear the dress in the seclusion of Sarah's house. I've a long way to go before I would be confident enough to wear it anywhere in public. Sarah calls it her Domina's outfit and the name sticks with us. Not only do we refer to the outfit as Domina, but we've decided that Sarah should refer to me as her Domina rather than as her Mistress.

We sign the contract we've created to define our dominant-submissive relationship. Now I'm the 'owner' of a slave ... albeit a willing slave who has freely consented to every term and condition in the contract. Sarah has even declined my offer to add a clause which would allow her to withdraw from the contract at any time. It's a strange situation to be in, and not one I feel entirely comfortable living. However, while Sarah cannot unilaterally withdraw from the contract, I can at any time, so I'm willing to give it a try for a while.

I study wording in the contract and wonder whether I've done the right thing. Even the initial wording sounds demeaning towards Sarah, but she insisted on the terminology. I would have been happier with the word 'Submissive' rather than 'Slave' but Sarah insisted on using the word.

"This contract is a binding agreement defining the relationship and interaction between Sarah-Anne Lindström, hereafter termed the Slave, and Jennifer Williams, hereafter termed the Domina. This agreement is legal and binding."

The contract isn't really legally binding, but we've agreed to treat it as though it is. The section which defines Sarah's situation scares me a little.

"The Slave agrees to submit completely to the Domina in all ways. There are no boundaries of place, time, or situation in which the Slave may wilfully refuse to obey the directive of the Domina without risking punishment. The Slave agrees to accept any punishment the Domina decides to inflict, whether earned or not. The Slave also agrees that her body belongs to the Domina, to be used as the Domina sees fit, within the limits defined herein. All of the Slave's possessions likewise belong to the Domina. The Slave agrees to please the Domina to the best of her ability, in that she now exists solely for the pleasure of the said Domina."

As this is a quasi-legal document, I felt more comfortable giving Sarah a limited ability to withdraw from the contract if I don't perform my part of our agreement, or if I break any of the defined limits. Those are contained in an appendix to the contract and they prohibit me from doing any permanent mental or physical harm to Sarah ... not that would ever do that in any case. Nor may I order her to do anything illegal, harmful, or damaging to other people, her property or her business. There are also boundaries on the severity of any punishment I can inflict; no starving her, beating her unconscious or inflicting cruel torture or mutilation ... again, not things I would ever dream of doing to anybody.

As for her giving me all her possessions, then we've cheated by having me appointed as the new trustee of her trust. Her house is already in the name of the trust, so I technically 'own' her house. The money she had in the bank in her own name has been transferred into a bank account in the trust's name, with me and Sarah as joint signatories. The trust deed permits us to draw on the trust money for Sarah's living and work expenses, so it shouldn't make a lot of difference in practise.

I continue reading the contract and consider the section relating to my responsibilities. It gives me great power over Sarah, which is a huge responsibility on my shoulders.

"The Domina accepts the responsibility of the Slave's body and worldly possessions, to do with as the Domina sees fit, subject to the limits defined herein. The Domina agrees to care for the Slave, and to arrange for the safety and well-being of the Slave. The Domina also accepts the commitment to treat the Slave as her slave, to train the Slave, to punish the Slave, to care for the Slave, and use the Slave in whatever way that the Domina sees fit."

Sarah's relationship with Adam is more difficult to accommodate within the contract. Before we signed the contract, I insisted that Adam read and agree to allow Sarah to abide by the terms of the contract. In doing so, I gain some power over Adam as far as his relationship with Sarah is concerned. Fortunately he not only agreed to recognise Sarah's subservience to me, but he requested that my control extend to them both when they are together. Adam helped me to complete the final wording of the relevant section of the contract between Sarah and I.

"The Slave may not seek any form of sexual or submissive relationship with another person without the Domina's prior permission. Any such sexual or submissive relationship, hereafter termed the External Relationship, shall be subject to the terms of this contract. The Domina shall, at her sole discretion, be entitled to set any rule or condition, and administer any punishment (whether deserved or not) in respect of the External Relationship. Such rules, conditions or punishment may be applied to each member of the External Relationship individually or jointly at the sole discretion of the Domina."

And at the end of the contract is the fateful clause where Sarah and I have committed ourselves to a powerful ongoing relationship.

I have read and fully understand this contract in its entirety. I agree to give everything I own to my Domina, and further accept her claim of ownership over my physical body. I understand that I will be commanded and trained and punished as a slave, and I promise to be true and to fulfil the pleasures and desires of my Domina to the best of my ability. I understand that I cannot withdraw from this contract except under the conditions stated in the appendix to this contract.

Signed: Sarah-Anne Lindstöm

I have read and fully understand this contract in its entirety. I agree to accept this Slave, body and possessions, as my property and to care for her to the best of my ability. I shall provide for her security and well-being and command her, train her, and punish her as a slave. I understand the responsibility implicit in this arrangement, and agree that no harm shall come to the Slave as long as she is mine. I further understand that I can withdraw from this contract at any time.

Signed: Jennifer Williams

I feel a strange mix of emotions as I read the contract again. It is almost as though we've been married. I suppose we are in a way, even though I can withdraw at any time. This single document sets the tone of my relationships with Sarah and Adam, and confirms the sudden and unexpected change in the direction of my life.

I leave Sarah around nine o'clock. She will no doubt be meeting Adam tomorrow night. Next Saturday night will be my first opportunity to test Sarah's obedience to my rules. I've deliberately avoided making any further rules about her relationship with Adam, but there are several other instructions which I've given her to keep her occupied when she's not working. Most are simple things like keeping the house clean and tidy, and washing the dishes after each meal. They're the sort of things most householders do automatically without anybody telling them to do so. A few rules, however, are designed to test Sarah's resolve. She's not allowed to buy ready-made food, so she must prepare her own meals from raw ingredients. She must also exercise daily and get herself fit enough to join me on my Saturday morning runs.

I made Sarah surrender her steel collar and cuffs to Pete. She wasn't happy about it, but they were a symbol of Pete's control as her master. I want to ensure that everything Sarah thinks, sees and feels relating to her submission to me as her Domina is something from me or obtained on my orders. I have promised to provide her with replacement symbols for her steel collar and cuffs on Saturday, although I haven't thought about what they will be yet.

The material in Doctor Well's booklet, and from my own internet research, has guided my actions over the last week. Unfortunately this is as far as general advice can take me. From here on, I'm reliant on my own common sense, and Sarah's reaction to my commands.

Saturday soon arrives and I look forward to my evening with Sarah. Fortunately the small parcel of items I ordered over the internet arrived this morning, so I have the promised replacements for Pete's steel collar and cuffs. One of the advantages of being able to remotely print email clothing orders on Sarah's home printer is that I can also send her other communications as well. Hopefully she understood my list of instructions for tonight.

I arrive at her house and enter the door code which allows me access to her house. So far so good. I instructed Sarah to wait in the living room while I go upstairs to change. I want her first sight of her new Domina to be the person wearing the sexy black outfit Sarah has made for me. It takes me a few minutes to adjust the cords to the right tension, so that the outfit is comfortable to wear while showing just enough of what lies beneath. I pick up the items I intend to give to Sarah.

I'm pleased to see that Sarah has prepared herself as I instructed. She's chosen a short crop top and matching mini-skirt from the options I gave her. I didn't know the full extent of her wardrobe, so I left her some freedom to choose her exact clothing. As instructed, she's kneeling on the rug with her head bowed and hands placed palms up on her thighs. The first stage of our new greeting ritual is about to begin.

"Good evening, Sarah," I say formally as I enter the room and stand before her.

"Good evening, Domina," replies Sarah meekly, without raising her head.

"Are you ready? Do you have any confessions to make?"

My first question is to give Sarah the opportunity to tell me if she is unwell or otherwise unable to continue with our ritual. The second question allows her to admit to any rules she has broken since we last met. She confirms she is ready, and then goes on to list six misdemeanours which technically break the rules we agreed. They aren't serious breaches, so I simply advise her that she must stand facing the corner of the room for five minutes once our ritual is complete.