K's Candy Ch. 028

Part 28 Going, getting, going.

Even though Katherine had said She'd look at some boats, I didn't really think She meant it. I assumed it was one of those tipsy vacation conversations that never translates to reality.

So, I was pleasantly surprised when Mistress had a long conversation with Rick's boat guy, named Dave, and shortly thereafter we were looking at pictures and specifications and options, reading reviews, etc. Mistress was calling out questions for Dave and I was taking everything down on my laptop.

I'm blissfully unaware of money stuff. But I couldn't keep my mind from working as we looked at boats and options...I had a pretty good idea of which boat Katherine was going to settle on, and She seemed favorably disposed towards almost every option.

The boat Katherine was most interested in, and the only one She directly asked my opinion of, was similar to Chet's boat, maybe a couple of feet shorter. It slept four and had small kitchen and bathroom areas.

Mistress stopped talking and before I could ask what She wanted She'd gotten up and grabbed a pad and a pencil. She sat down again and was sketching something. I resisted the urge to lean over and see what She was doing.

Katherine stopped drawing and showed me the pad. "Candy, make a note for Me to ask Dave if it's possible to reconfigure the sleeping area like this."

I looked at the pad; drawing was not necessarily among Mistress' many talents. I was struggling see what She had in mind.

Mistress laughed. "OK, it's not that bad!" I laughed too but it was that bad.

"I was thinking, candy...overnights on the boat will be pretty rare, but instead of having four really small beds, let's have one nice big bed. You and I are the only ones who'll ever be sleeping on the boat."

Now Her drawing made more sense. "That's an awesome idea, Mistress!" I added the question to the notes I'd been accumulating.

Sometimes things pop into my head, and I say them. Since knowing Mistress this happened a lot less than it used to, but there were still times...

"That will probably add a chunk to the cost--" I stopped, instantly wishing I could recall those words. It was no concern of mine what the boat cost or didn't cost.

Katherine looked at me with mock sternness for a second and then Her expression softened. "I appreciate your thinking about that, candy. I'm thinking about it too. But I think it would be a great change and...we'll see what Dave says."

Mistress put the pad down. "It will result in a longer build time too. Not that that is a huge concern; I've gone without a boat for a long time...a couple weeks one way or the other won't matter so much."

"Yes, Mistress," I said, still feeling a bit bad about blurting out my comment about the cost.

Mistress was reading my feelings. She had me put the laptop down and pulled me close.

"As I've said before, candy...we don't live in a vacuum or in some idealized world of theory. We go about our lives, each trying to be H/her best, with love and care for the other. I give you the freedom to not think about money, but that doesn't stop you, and shouldn't stop you, from wanting to be protective of Me in the ways that you can."

It was an impulse that on the surface defied logic -- Mistress could obviously take care of Herself, but I felt a strong protective urge toward Her. But as She had just said, it was another case where theory should give way to reality and human nature. I loved Her with all that I was and would always feel protective of Her...rightfully so, I now realized.

I leaned against Her and closed my eyes. We drifted off into an impromptu random afternoon nap.

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That night we were having drinks on the big deck. I made conversation in an artless attempt to avoid cleaning up after dinner.

"Mistress...if You get a boat, do You think You'd come up here more often? I know You said that part of the reason You never considered owning a boat was the feeling that You wouldn't use it enough..."

Mistress swirled Her glass, watching ice cubes chase each other around in the bourbon a moment before looking up at me.

"I've been thinking about that, candy, and the answer is yes, I would. Not so much to justify the purchase of the boat, but I realize that we just don't get up here often enough. Having the boat is just a bonus."

I listened intently. I wanted to know "getting up here more often" entailed. I had come to expect definitive plans and bold statements from Her. Katherine did not disappoint.

"I was doing some thinking. It takes about two and half hours to get here. There's no reason we can't come here just about every weekend from say, mid-April through October. If we need to do something we can work from here, and in an emergency it's not like we're in another country."

I don't know what I looked like on the outside, but I was thrilled on the inside. I loved the thought of coming up to the lake almost every weekend, spring summer and fall.

Katherine smiled. "And, since your boss is a friend of Mine, I'm sure I could prevail upon him to let you out a little early on Fridays, now and then." She pulled me to Her and kissed me deeply.

I felt that familiar melting sensation. Every part of me instantly surrendered to every part of Her; I was nothing, other than Hers. But that feeling, instead of limiting me, made me more than I had been. I could never explore this sequence of feelings adequately because they always occurred in the midst of intense passion, which wasn't a state conducive to detailed analysis.

This time was no exception. An hour later, Mistress having fucked my brains out and granting me an explosive climax, I trudged back out to the deck to finally clean up the dinner dishes, body feeling wonderful, mind thoroughly, delightfully muddled.

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The worst and yet best thing about vacation is that it ends. It sucks that vacation's over but as soon as it is over, the process of coming back can begin...longing, daydreaming, and anticipation make a beautiful package. I was grateful for these thoughts, driving to work the first day back.

Then I saw a startling thing. A billboard, advertising Lionne, a new perfume, evidently. This was not startling; A stunning redhead was holding a bottle of Lionne, admiringly, adoringly. This was not startling, either. What was startling was that I instantly recognized the model. Lenka!

Wow. Lenka wasn't starting at the bottom but given her background one could argue that she'd more than paid her dues. I was happy for her, and happier for myself -- this had to be good for Rick's business, which couldn't be bad for me.

Rick wasn't in yet when I got to the office, and before I began to slog through two-plus weeks of e-mails I did some quick digging on Lionne perfume.

Brand-new, expensive, and Lenka was the global face of it. What was fascinating was that Lionne was made by Savanno, the cosmetics mega-corporation controlled by none other than Mistress Astrid. This was either a cool coincidence or further evidence of the number and reach of Rick Travers' friends.

It could be coincidental, of course...every perfume had to be made by some company or other, and Savanno was huge. Lenka was absolutely gorgeous, and a fresh face.

Then again...

I closed the Savanno web page and started going through 718 unread e-mails.

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Rick had come in while I was still going through my e-mail, sounding happy to see me, congratulating me again, asking after Mistress, etc.

"Sounds like Katherine will be joining the ranks of boat owners soon, candy," He said, with a big smile.

"Keeping my fingers crossed!" I said, as He nodded and went through the door to his office.

It was almost lunchtime by the time I caught up, a couple of new problems slowing the catchup effort. Rick's door was open, so I went in to ask Him if He wanted me to bring Him lunch. It was also a convenient excuse for me to ask the question I had guaranteed to Mistress that I would ask Him.

After we'd agreed on Chinese for lunch, I mentioned to Rick that I'd seen the Lenka billboard this morning. He was pleased to hear that.

"Rick, I'm wondering...where did you come up with name Lenka? It seems perfect for her...much better than Camilia Andropu." I smiled politely as I said Lenka's real name, letting Rick know that I knew the backstory and was thus totally cleared for any information He might want to impart. At least that was my idea.

Rick glanced at me, then at one of the monitors on the wall, then back at me again. "I guess of all people, I can certainly tell you. Tell you what. Go get Chinese and I'll tell you that story over lunch."

I smiled happily and got up. "OK, Rick." Chinese food and the inside scoop sounded great.

Twenty minutes later I was working on my chopsticks technique as Rick went into the story of how Lenka got her name.

"After I got Camilia out of Romania, we spent a lot of time together. I found out that Camilia hadn't been just your typical top-shelf call girl; she was a professional switch, acting as Domme or sub as clients wanted. Doing a good job at that earned a lot more money, both in fees and in tips.

"The sub part wasn't a problem, but Topping didn't come naturally to Camilia. Her pimp Marius sent her to Berlin to train under Lady Estelle, a well-known Pro Domme there. Camilia not only learned the ropes, as it were, but discovered that part of her really enjoyed being in control. Thus, it turns out that Camilia was a professional switch and a real switch. She adopted the name Mistress Rayne for Topping and the name kelana for subbing."

Rick paused, working on His Szechuan Shrimp a bit. I was having Orange Beef, wondering how all this related to how Camilia had become Lenka, when Rick resumed.

"Camilia is irresistible." That was an understatement -- straight women and gay men would change orientations to be with her.

"We ended up in a relationship, and it turns out that Camilia is funny and pretty smart and really nice, in addition to everything else. And..." He paused.

"...and an amazing submissive."

I smiled, listening. I could always feel Mistress' intense pride and pleasure when I had done well -- Rick was obviously feeling much the same about Camilia.

Camilia's Domme presence was also very strong, based on what I felt during our brief encounter at the party.

"Of course, I've never experienced Camilia's Domme side personally, but she's more than competent."

I put my chopsticks down and pushed what remained of the food away a little. Rick was done, also.

"I knew that Camilia had the potential to be a huge success in this business, with the right marketing and support. The first part of marketing was a name. I was struggling with this one night when I thought about Camilia's slave name, kelana. I played around with it in my mind, eventually removing one "a" and coming up with Lenka.

"It was perfect, and I knew it immediately. From there, it's a short ride to a big billboard pitching Lionne perfume."

I smiled. The name was perfect, but I knew it was way more than a "short ride" from that to landing a huge contract as the exclusive spokesperson for a new major product launch by the world's largest cosmetics company.

I asked Rick if Lenka were aware of the name's origin.

"Oh, yes, candy. She is aware of that, and in fact figured it out without my telling her."

I nodded. "How does she feel about the fact that her hopefully world-famous name is her slave name in another guise?"

Rick smiled triumphantly. "I know how I feel about it. It's the perfect name and a good reminder for her of what her true nature and role are."

I smiled, remembering Lenka's picture on the billboard. Some collars are invisible, but no less binding for being so.

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There is a saying that goes: The best two days in the life of a boat owner are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it. Today, we were experiencing one of those two best days. Technically, Mistress was experiencing it, being the buyer, but I felt no less included in the good feelings as we watched the boat being eased down the ramp into the water.

Mistress, along with Dave, the boat salesman, was a short distance away, talking to Ginny Banks.

Ginny Banks was a legend around Copper Beech Lake, over and above her family name. The Banks family had been a powerful force around these parts for generations.

For as long as anyone could remember Ginny ran the boat launch, marina, and the lakeside general store and boat supply, where one could pull up dockside and run in for nightcrawlers, spare parts, cigarettes, and any number of other things.

Ginny was very good at her many jobs, and spectacularly unimpressed with everyone, but particularly so with the numerous rich people whose boats she cared for. The reason for Ginny's feelings about rich people was that she could buy and sell most of them. Despite her simple ways, country directness, and blue-collar manner, Ginny was loaded. Ginny did a land-office business taking care of those rich people's boats, and the store was always busy. And being the only game in town, Ginny could charge more or less what she wanted. Not to mention her share of the family fortune.

I glanced over...it seemed as though Mistress and Ginny were discussing the details of what costs how much, what happens when, and the like. Watching them talk, I got the impression that despite their many differences in looks, style, and manner, the two women were more alike than they were different.

Katherine and Ginny shook hands and parted ways; Ginny was not the hugging type.

Mistress rejoined me and I couldn't tell exactly what Her smile meant. "Woman has a license to print money," She grumbled, and I joined Her in a laugh.

We made our way down to the boat, accompanied by Dave. A cynic would attribute Dave's buoyant mood to having just closed a sizable sale, and certainly that was a factor. But I got the impression that Dave really liked what he did. The money was a bonus. An awesome bonus, admittedly.

We made our way on board and Dave toured us around the boat. This took some time, since Mistress had in fact gone for pretty much every option; there was a lot to show, talk about, and ooh and aah about on this loaded craft.

The custom bedroom had turned out beautifully. For a relatively small boat, the bedroom area was luxurious and inviting. I somehow resisted the urge to flop down on the bed as we looked it over.

The tour and orientation concluded, we said goodbye to Dave. Mistress walked Dave a couple of steps up the ramp and they exchanged a few words before Mistress came back on board.

Mistress pulled me close and hugged me tightly to Her. I held on, not really wanting to let go.

Eventually the embrace was broken, and Katherine looked around, and then at me. "Worth the wait?" She said with feigned seriousness. It had taken just under eight weeks for the boat to be delivered but the end result was beyond Her expectations (and mine), I could tell.

I nodded eagerly. "Absolutely, Mistress. This is a little floating palace."

She smiled. "Cast off, slut, and we'll get this palace on the way back to its new home." I did as bidden and a moment later we were easing away from the dock.

Mistress put Her phone in a little slot and the navigation system took it from there, verifying that "HOME" was where we wanted to go and starting us on our way. Mistress kept the speed low as She settled in behind the controls. I was sitting to Her left.

The question had been bugging me for so long that I couldn't hold onto it any longer. I worked at letting Mistress give me what information She felt was important when She felt it was important and being disciplined enough to not press questions that only I might be interested in the answers to. But this one was, well, obviously important to the moment. Important to me, anyway.

"Mistress...I have to ask...what are you going to name the boat?"

Katherine looked over at me and smiled, almost helplessly. It was not a look I was accustomed to seeing from Her.

"Honestly, candy, I have no idea. I've been thinking, looking at websites, and...nothing, so far."

"Do we want to talk through it a bit, Mistress?" I asked tentatively. She hadn't mentioned anything to me about it to this point, so I wasn't sure if my input was wanted or needed.

"Please, slut, yes. Any direction at this point is good."

I thought a moment abut where to start. Sometimes the negative approach is helpful. "Mistress...what sort of name do You definitely not want?"

This question elicited a ready flow of answers.

"Nothing corny or hokey. No dumb jokes or wordplay. Nothing with any sexual innuendo or connotation. No name that everyone seems to have."

I was looking at my phone. "Mistress, just for reference/fun, here are the top 10 boat names this year, according to this one website, anyway. We wouldn't use any of these since there are on a Top 10 List, and therefore already too popular, but they might help You focus Your thinking a bit."

"All right. Good idea, candy."

I started reading. "1. Andiamo."

"It's pretty good. Sounds romantic. Foreign names/words I hadn't really considered."

"2. Social Distancing."

"Ugh. Dumb name. In a few years that will be ridiculous."

"3. Grace."

"A good one. Simple, elegant, reflects a desired state."

"4. Shenanigans."

"Barf."

I laughed. "5. Cool Change."

"Don't like. Don't get it."

"6. Island Time."

"Pretty good, but not suited to a lake boat."

"7. Knot On Call."

"Are you kidding Me? Not only did someone come up with that, but enough other people liked it to make it seventh most popular name?"

"8. Mojo."

"Hmmm...it's OK...the concept seems old fashioned/overdone."

"9. Freedom."

"Simple and easy to identify with. Almost sad that it's only the ninth most popular."

"10. Serenity."

"Very good name, although I associate that more with a sailboat."

I considered where we were now. Mistress' reactions had given me some valuable guidance, but I didn't necessarily feel close to coming up with a great name.

I was scrolling another web page when a word popped into my mind.

"Mistress...?"

"Yes, candy?"

"Emergence."

I looked over at Katherine and I could feel the name gaining traction as the silence grew.

Mistress got up and pulled me up into a tight hug. "That's it, candy! That's perfect!"

I was beaming in Her arms. The name really was just right. It represented us...it represented how we were continually emerging, continually discovering new and deeper parts of ourselves and of this whole that was somehow more than the sum of its parts.

Mistress sat down again; I looked to my left and I could see our dock slowly getting bigger in the distance.

"Remind me to call Ginny tomorrow to have the guy put the name on, candy," She said, semi-absently, seemingly mesmerized by the workings of the autopilot.

"Ginny handles that, too, Mistress?"

She laughed heartily. "Ginny handles anything, slut, for the right price."