Missing Picnic Table

Lyla ran her fingers along the girl's hair, gently pulling the hair loose from the ring and clip in back. As the hair fell free, Lyla stroked it, putting it where she wanted it, before whispering, "I told you, you're safe here."

Camille's eyes were wet, and tears ran down her cheeks. "As much time as with, with a man who wore a pink sissy collar, sucked a cock head on a pink gag, and let me, uh, let .. I can't ..."

The short haired girl finished. "Let you fuck him in the ass. And put him into a cage, and all those things guys who need to feel superior want to do to guys when they feel the need to steal a girl and ruin a relationship. Right?"

"Not quite, well, he didn't say all that, but, yes, that's pretty much it. As I told Ryan when he asked, all the pink was Roger's idea. And the ass fuck, the cage, it was all him. I do think some parts were enjoyable, and that's why I kept pushing it. I mean, me teasing and him not able to do anything, that's kind of like the bondage we did before," she looked past Lyla again, "wasn't it, Ryan?"

His anger balloon popped as she hit an obvious truth. He sighed and said, "Yes, some of it was enjoyable."

It was silent for a little while, then Lyla asked, "So what happened?"

"It started the day I left. Ryan, do you remember me offering him a blowjob he would remember, and what he said."

Ryan thought a moment, not happy at remembering that day. "He said YOU would remember it."

Camille lowered her eyes again. "All the signs were there. The way he wanted to humiliate you, how he only let me get two suitcases of my things, and then when we got to his place he left my suitcases in the car and told me to strip, kneel down, and wait for him, he had something to do. He came back and made me keep sucking him until he grabbed my hair and pulled me to a chest of drawers. He grabbed a collar and put it on me, a real high collar, so I couldn't move my head. Then he pulled me by the ring and we went to his basement. There was a glass door and, oh my god, I knew what it was, I just couldn't believe he would do it." She paused to cry and the men looked at each other while Lyla hugged her.

She got herself back together and said, "He put me on some X cross, there were straps, and my arms and legs, but my left leg had an extra strap. I couldn't move it. Not at all. He went out and lifted, it was glowing, he had it in a fire and it was glowing. He brought it in and, he told me to think about the blowjob, and his cum in my mouth and he, my god, I didn't think he would really do it. And he laughed. He fucking laughed while I was screaming." She lost it again and Ryan looked at Lyla and Cliff, confused.

Lyla spoke quietly, over and over. Cliff motioned for Ryan to walk toward him, then pointed. High on Camille's left thigh was a scar from a deep burn. It was a capital R inside a circle. Anger, disgust, and a bit of nausea rose up inside him at the thought that he had branded Camille. She was a person, and she thought she was going to a good life. "Camille," he said softly, "I'm ..."

Her hand waving at him told him to stop. She got herself together and told of how different it was after that. The freedom and shopping trips from before were replaced with nakedness and a shock collar. She learned that the zone was the outer wall of the house when he let her dress and told her to get the mail. He laughed as she crumpled to the floor in pain. She was allowed to dress when he had guests, though she was often told to make a good impression and sent off with one of the male guests. She realized she wasn't pampered, but she was an owned whore.

She explained that recently he had pulled up the pictures and videos of him, reminding her how much she had learned while at his house, taking care of his guests. And then he reminded her of what she had done with that relationship, and he began shredding the files, one at a time, several times a day. Finally he showed her an empty folder and told her that was her, empty, with nothing but his kindness left to her.

This morning he told her she was stale and he had found a new girl to pursue. She was actively humiliating her husband and he had no doubt that when the time came she would help shove his cock into her husband's mouth rather than trying to protect him. He gave Camille the clothes she had arrived in, told her to dress and wait for him. He removed the collar, dropped her at the end of the street, and was gone.

Cliff's eyes lit up. "THAT'S what those suitcases were about. Oh my goodness, I hope they're still there." He went outside and Ryan decided to dress. His sex mood was gone now anyway. Cliff returned with the suitcases and put them down in the dining room. Ryan saw them when he came out of the bedroom and asked what that was about?

The other man looked at him. "Man, she's got nowhere to go. I mean, surely you're going to put a roof over her head, right? This was her last home. Where's she supposed to go? And I think there's a chance you might rebuild."

"Ok, wait, yes, I missed her, but you heard how she gave me up for dreams of nice parties and big shopping trips. I mean, it's broken. She abandoned me in the woods, remember? You saw me there. And she's got his brand on her to always remind me of her choice."

Camille tried to stand up, but Lyla wouldn't let her go. "He's right. I sold him out for stuff. Damn, I cut off my hand to get a pair of boots. Believe me, I've had lots of time to think about this. I just, when he dropped me on the corner, I didn't know where else to go."

Lyla was in charge, as usual. "You came to the right place. Tonight you sleep on the couch. Tomorrow, Ryan, you buy a bed and put it into that room full of her stuff, and then WE, "she looked at Cliff, "are going to help you try to make it work. If it doesn't, ok, but I'm not going to let you two walk away from a second chance. Ryan, you talk about her all the time, you haven't touched her stuff, it's like you've been hoping she would return, and to say that brand, that is also YOUR initial, is the problem is just bullshit."

Ryan looked at Cliff, who shrugged. He wasn't going to argue with his wife. Ryan looked at Lyla, who looked back with those 'I've made up your mind' eyes. Last he looked at Camille, who would only return his gaze when Lyla moved her chin.

It was uncomfortably quiet for a while until Lyla said, "Say it."

Camille looked at her. "I, I don't, what can I say? I fucked up big time, I mean, so big. There is no I'm sorry to cover this. I sold him out, I cheated on him before I sold him out, and now I'm going to say I'm sorry and we go back to before?"

Lyla looked at her. "Step one, girl, you need to say it."

This time she held eye contact and it was Ryan who looked away, but a hug from Lyla gave her what she needed. "Ryan, you might think it's just because I got tossed on my ass, but I thought about this for six months. I defended you and I paid for that. I think the brand is the price, but maybe I would have gotten it anyway. I don't know, but I did defend you. Even at the worst, I still cared. I'd like to try to build on that and, and maybe we can at least be friends again."

Cliff now chimed in. "And we'll be here to help you. I guess you're stuck with us now, buddy. And, uh, Camille."

Camille looked at him, then at Lyla. "And how did you guys meet?"

Ryan answered. "You left me chained there and a group was planning a party. I'm guessing Roger knew about that, but anyway, I'd gotten some attention I didn't care for so much, and after a while Lyla came over and sat down to talk with me. The group decided to let me go and not turn me into their sex toy. I'm sure HE would have been disappointed. Lyla grabbed the keys. Before I left she passed me her phone number and said to call, making sure I understood she was going to tell Cliff everything."

"So, you really do a three now and then?" She'd had enough of group sex.

Now Lyla answered. "No, no threesomes. Not exactly. Cliff and I might make love while Ryan is tied up and forced to watch, and I might jerk him afterwards to get him relief. If I have sex with Ryan, Cliff watches to make sure there's a condom and as a reminder that I'm always going home with him. Oh, sorry. That sounded a little arrogant after all you've said."

For the first time, Camille really smiled. "No, it's ok. I guess I need to learn to live with that in the real world. It's easy to beat myself up as a personal slave, but I might need reminders out here."

"Good, it's settled. Now, Ryan, do you think you could bring out two more beers so the girls can have a drink?"

Ryan headed toward the kitchen, then turned and looked at Cliff. "If that's a girl in her belly, I wish you luck, buddy." The women laughed and Cliff mumbled, "Oh shit."

=======

Ryan thought back on the pain of the last 20 months as he tried for the third time to get his tie right. Lyla and Cliff had truly been there every step of the way, and not every step went forward. There were some problems and more than once they had almost given up trying. The brand, as he expected, was a constant reminder, but after seven months he felt she was sincere about trying to get back what she had given up and he let her move back into his bed.

It was another two months before he had sex with her, and two more months before they played any of the old games. Again, Lyla and Cliff were there to help him with his frustrations and slowly Camille was letting them help her as well. It was really strange when Cliff got on top of her, both completely naked, and entered her while Lyla was holding her hand. They really were always together when there was sex.

The baby was a girl and Camille and Ryan became aunt and uncle, though it would be years before the child would understand that. The couples drew close and when Ryan and Camille decided they really would get married the obvious choices for best man and maid of honor were their closest friends. The ceremony was planned for outdoors in the afternoon, and the dress for Lyla was designed to compliment the papoose she would be wearing with a, hopefully, sleeping baby.

Ryan and Camille had some late nights the week of the wedding, working out final details. He had a crazy thought and it took some convincing to get her to agree, but when they shared it with their friends Lyla gave her approval and the decision was made. It required some strategizing and extra planning, but they deemed it appropriate.

They drove together to the park where their misadventure began, partly to heal, and partly to remember the sexual intimacy they felt on that day. They walked to the open area with the missing picnic table. Of course, the chain was still there, and now it was a chain with meaning not just for Ryan and Camille, but also for Lyla and Cliff since that was where they met Ryan.

Camille turned to Ryan as guests began arriving. "Are you sure?" He nodded. There was a glint of fear in his eyes though. "Baby, if you can't, that's ok, but I'm with you all the way if you want to go ahead." He gave a forced smile and nodded again.

The ceremony began and he and Cliff took their places by the official. Music played from a portable player and Lyla came up, Camille following seconds later. Cliff and Lyla looked at their friends, got a slight nod of approval and put the plan into action. Cliff bent down to lift the chain and Lyla produced two locks. As gasp came from the guests as sleeves were rolled up to reveal leather cuffs and Lyla clicked the locks shut, connecting the wedding couple at the wrist to the chain that held so many memories for them.

The official, who had not been warned, simply smiled and turned to the crowd. "We are gathered here ..."