Oakwood Ch. 01

"Yes, Mistress Van"

"You can still use your safe word during punishments, but not to just get out of it. Understood?"

"Yes, Mistress Van"

"Good. Now get out and wait for Mistress Grey outside" Harriet stood and excited the room swiftly.

"This is an interesting lesson for you Amanda, to tailor the punishment to suit the submissive. Which submissive would you not give this as a punishment, but rather a reward?" Van asked Grey.

"Savannah, most definitely" Grey replied.

"And why is that?"

"Savannah loves attention, so it would be more of a funishment for her"

"That's right, and she'd especially like to be fed by you" Van laughed. Grey went slightly red. "It's also good for Harriet to learn to be fed, because she'll have to do it for the high protocol dinners" said Van

"Yup, sounds good. I'll see you soon" said Grey, as she left the room.

When Mistress Grey came out of the office she ignored Harriet, pausing only to grab the back of her neck and push her along to the dining room. Breakfast was a more casual appeal, with Benny and Reece eating cereal with a man Harriet didn't recognise, and at the top table Helly was sat with an older man with a salt and pepper beard. Grey led Harriet up to the table, where she knelt to the left of an empty chair. She went and collected her food, returning with two plates and sitting down next to Harriet and the man. They started talking about books, again, and it followed a similar pattern to the last night's dinner, Harriet being annoyed at the pace at which she was fed toast. This time she kept the annoyance to herself, sitting quietly as the toast got cold. She was also getting quite cold, as she still had no clothes on.

"Good girl for sitting so quietly" Mistress Grey said as she fed her the last bit of toast. She got Harriet to collect their plates and take them into the kitchen, before sending her upstairs to get dressed.

"Once you have your clothes on, meet Mistress Helly on the first floor landing. I'll see you down here at one for lunch" Mistress Grey said. Harriet went upstairs and got dressed, redid her hair, brushed her teeth and used the toilet before heading down the stairs.

Mistress Helly was waiting on the landing for her. She had a black dress with long sleeves and dark red lipstick on. Harriet was wary of her after this morning's events, and lowered her eyes to Helly's short black heels.

Helly studied her for a second and then said "Harriet. Follow me" as she unlocked the black door and led her into a hallway. The walls were black and lit with red tinted strip lights. She led her to a black door, and opened it to reveal a room with wooden floors. It was bare apart from a rack at the far end with a variety of canes in it, and a small set of draws near the door. Helly closed the door behind them. There was a large window beside the rack which offered a view of the forest surrounding the house.

"We don't normally train on weekends but we're hosting a high protocol dinner tomorrow night so I've been asked to get you up to standard. During the week the door is unlocked so I get you to wait here for me. When you come in here the first thing is to remove your clothing. Fold them up neatly and put them on the set of draws there. Do that now" Harriet obediently took the dress over her head and folded it, putting in on the chest. She removed her underwear and did the same.

"Good. Now in the top draw there will be some small cushions. Get one and kneel on it" Harriet opened the draw to find three small circular cushions which were black and shiny. She put one on the ground and knelt.

"Head down. Hands behind your back. Feet flat against the floor. Good girl. That's your kneeling position. Ok stand up and we'll try that again" Harriet stood until Helly told her to kneel. She pushed her feet down against the ground and put her hands behind her back, looking up at Mistress Helly, who looked unimpressed. "Put your head down Harriet" who quickly did, looking at the wooden floor. "Better. Whenever you're asked to wait somewhere you'll use this position. Also at mealtimes when you are knelt this will be your position. Any questions?"

"No, Mistress Helly"

They went through the kneeling position a few more times until Harriet could do it without any mistakes.

"Have you been to a high protocol dinner before Harriet?"

"No, Mistress Helly"

"Ok. You have to serve your dominant their dinner and then you'll be knelt for the evening. The rules are strict and you're expected to follow them closely, if you don't, how we run them is any dominant can take you over their knee. Open the second draw and there should be a plate in there...yes, now stand up straight. Left hand behind your back, right hand holding the plate out. Your elbow should be at around 135 degrees. Good. Now practise walking, go to the window and back. Stop slouching!"

As Harriet walked around the room Helly went to the rack and picked up a slender bamboo cane. She walked behind Harriet and tapped her between the shoulders each time they rounded. The taps were firm and gave Harriet the extra motivation to concentrate on her shoulders.

"That is satisfactory Harriet. We can stop there. If you slouch tomorrow night someone will notice and you'll end up over their knee. If I don't first."

"Mistress, who will I being going to the dinner with?" Harriet asked as she put her clothes on.

"Mistress Helly, Harriet. We haven't decided yet." Helly replied, tapping her cane thoughtfully against the floor. "What rule did you just break, Harriet?"

"Ah, I didn't use the correct address, Mistress Helly?"

"Correct, but there was another one"

Harriet paused and thought back to the rule book.

"Quickly, else you'll get very familiar with this cane." Helly threatened, gesturing with the thin cane in her hand. Harriet ran through the rules she remembered from her reading last night.

"Oh, Mistress Helly, I spoke without being spoken to" Harriet said quickly

"Correct" Helly said. There was a pause, before she cracked the cane against the backs of Harriet's thighs, making her yelp and jump up.

"Don't do it again with me. Some of the other dominants are more lenient with that rule but I will not stand for it. Put the plate and pillow away now, we're finished."

They left the room and Helly directed Harriet downstairs to the kitchen where help making lunch was required. The marks on Harriet's thighs, despite the original sting, faded quickly. Downstairs, Harriet found the man with the salt and pepper hair in the kitchen cooking bacon, with Benny cutting vegetables.

"Harriet. Nice to meet you, I'm Master Jones. Help Ben cut the vegetables" he said. Harriet went to Benny and started cutting tomatoes. He smiled at her and they fell into a comfortable silence, the sizzling of bacon and snick of knives the only sound. Soon they had cut the tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce into three neat piles. They put the cut vegetables into containers and carried them out into the dining room, with the two loaves of bread and a variety of sauces. Harriet was looking forward to having a nice sandwich, until she remembered that she was spending lunch with Mistress Grey again. At least sandwiches can't go cold, she thought, as they took the bacon and ham out to the dining room.

Soon the rest of the house arrived for lunch and Harriet settled down to another painfully slow meal with Mistress Grey. Mistress Van announced the submissives had the afternoon off, as their usual time off on Sunday would be interrupted by the dinner.

After lunch Harriet found herself in the common room again, with Reece, Savannah and another woman who was introduced as Becks.

"Nice to meet you Harriet, sorry I wasn't there for your collaring yesterday. I was quite literally tied up" Becks laughed.

"What happened to you after Helly found you?" Reece asked, curiously.

"She found me in the downstairs toilets, I sat against the door to try and block her but you know how strong she is. I've never seen her so mad. She dragged me out by my literal hair down to Van's office and Van tied me up and gave a real good whipping"

"Did she tie your arms to the ceiling?" Savannah asked

"Yep, and then left me there over dinner"

Savannah made a sympathetic noise.

"That's not the end of it though. I spent the night in Van's cage and I had to watch her and Benny frolic around. And Jones is using Benny for the demonstration tomorrow night now because of this" Becks said sadly.

"That's a bummer, you were looking forward to that" said Savannah sympathetically.

"Not like you didn't deserve it though" snickered Reece.

"True. Harriet, have you seen outside yet?" Becks laughed.

"Not yet" Harriet replied.

"Well we definitely won't get a chance tomorrow, do you guys want to go for a walk? Show Harriet around"

Reece and Savannah agreed, and the group made their way downstairs. Harriet found her shoes with the others on a rack in the foyer, and they went outside.

It was overcast but warm, and the girls set off around the back of the house. There was a large greenhouse and a vegetable patch, which looked well tended. The back garden was a sweeping emerald green lawn, with large trees dotted around the edge. It was bordered by a forest. They walked around the edge of the lawn, chatting about themselves. Harriet learnt that Reece was only here for another week before she returned home. She'd been with her Sir, Leon, for over five years and they were engaged. He worked as a consultant for technology companies and she was a registered nurse, but was currently taking a break. Savannah had been at the Oakwood Institute as a house submissive for nearly a year. Before that she had been working in retail and going to dungeons in her free time, where she heard about the Institute. Becks was one of the first house submissives, she'd been here for over three years and had helped set it up with Van and Jones.

The girls spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around the grounds. The sun came out later and they lay on the grass, luxuriating in its warmth and eating tart apples from a nearby tree.

Harriet was starting to doze off, when Savannah let out an exclamation. "Shit! It's almost 5:30. Quick!" Reece and Becks leapt up and starting running back to the house. "Come on Harriet, we can't be late to dinner" Savannah said, pulling her up onto her feet and started running after Reece and Becks. Harriet followed and they arrived as a group at the house, out of breath. They quickly pulled their shoes off and walked quickly down the hallway to the entrance to the dining hall. It was still closed, and Benny was waiting outside which Harriet presumed meant dinner hadn't started yet.

"Fuck that was close" Reece swore.

"Watch that dirty little mouth" Van's voice came from behind them, and Harriet turned to see Van stood with Floyd and Jones. They were all smirking as Van gave Reece a hard swat on her bottom, making her shriek and jump, clutching her arse.

"It's a pity you're actually not late, I wanted to see the new girl scream" Floyd said, winking at Harriet. She blushed and looked at the floor as Van and Jones chuckled. The dominants headed into the hall, as Helly and Grey arrived, following them in.

The submissives waited in silence, leaning against the walls. Savannah leant over and whispered to Harriet "Sometimes they'll make us wait. Never for very long though"

"Why?" asked Harriet.

"Because they can I guess. Reminds us who's in control" Savannah replied.

Soon after, Floyd opened the doors. The girls and Benny quietly walked in. As Harriet walked through the door Floyd grabbed her collar, making her wince and stumble back.

"Forgot did we? You're with me tonight"

"Yes Master Floyd" Harriet said as he released her and walked up to the table. She quickly followed him, kneeling on the cushion beside him he indicated to, and assuming the position she had learnt with Helly earlier in the day.

After dinner, when the submissives had retired upstairs, the five dominants gathered in the small conference room for coffee.

"So. The dinner tomorrow, I'll take Benny as mine, and I'm assuming Jones you want Becky?" Van asked the group.

"Mhm. We can swap during the demonstration" replied Jones.

"I'd like to take Savannah" Grey piped up.

"Oh good, you two have been eyeing each other up for far too long" chuckled Floyd "If Helly has invited Nat like she said she was then I guess I'm taking Harriet"

"I have, and watch your mouth, little boy" Helly mocked

"Harriet. What do we think so far?" Van asked, leaning back and sipping her coffee

"She's been a little disobedient but overall I like her" said Helly

"Nothing a good spank won't solve" grinned Jones

"Its just the little rules she seems to forget and disregard. I agree, a nice hard punishment will probably sort it out. She didn't enjoying dining with me and Grey today so I don't think she'll forget to remove her clothes again but it's more about showing her that we're not to be disobeyed" said Floyd.

"Yeah, like she was mostly obedient when I worked with her today but didn't put much effort into the smaller commands, like to stop slouching, and she forgot some of the protocol rules" observed Helly.

"Ok the next time she has a small infringement after being told once give her a physical punishment. We need to do it anyway to gauge her reaction" said Van "We'll start assessing how she responds to different things on Monday, Grey you can help me with that"

The dominants continued discussing the details for the next day while upstairs, the submissives were discussing the dominants.

"Helly seems like the strictest one" said Becks "but she doesn't get much worse. It's Van and Floyd who you really have to watch out for. They're both sadistic and are really good at giving horrible punishments"

"Van didn't seem too bad" said Harriet

"She was going easy on you this morning" said Benny

"Yeah she definitely was" laughed Savannah

The submissives retired to bed early, as the next night would be a long one. Harriet read in her room for a while before getting into bed, making sure she was naked. She feel asleep quickly, waking to her door opening sometime later, and a shadow falling over her bed.

"Up", Van's cool authoritarian voice said. Harriet scrambled quickly out of bed, and stood in front of Van. She was suddenly very glad that she wasn't wearing any shorts. Van's face was a blank shape against the hallway lights. She put her hand on Harriet's head and ran it down her neck, stepping closer as it went down her back and smoothly over her arse. Harriet stood stock still, simultaneously scared and loving the attention.

"Good girl, taking this morning's lesson onboard" she whispered into Harriet's ear, the soft breath brushing past her ear and onto her neck making Harriet quiver slightly, which turned into a moan as Van reached down and rubbed Harriet's left nipple. She arched her back into the palm of Van's hand, and then tried to double over as Van twisted it sharply, digging her fingernails in. It hurt but when she stopped Harriet felt herself leaning in, wanting more. Instead, Van left the room, closing the door softly but not before reminding Harriet in the same sensual whisper that she was not, under any circumstances, allowed to touch herself. Harriet returned to her bed, wanting more but she followed Van's orders and went back to sleep.

She was again woken by a firm knocking on her door. Grey stuck her head in and seeing she was awake, moved onto Savannah's room. Harriet yawned and stretched, and checking the time she was surprised to see it was already seven thirty. She quickly pulled on fresh underwear and a clean dress from the wardrobe, and quickly braided her hair. Savannah was in the hallway when she left her room.

"Did you sleep well?" Savannah asked cheerfully.

"Van woke me up last night, but apart from that. Do we get woken up later on Sundays or something?" Harriet replied as they walked down the hall.

"Normally they won't wake us up, but it's the high protocol dinner tonight so we'll spend the day getting ready"

They walked into the dining hall as Harriet stifled a yawn. Van and Jones were already sat at their table, reading the newspaper in the sunlight streaming in from the windows. Van looked up, a piece of toast in her hand.

"Good morning girls, sleep well?" she said cheerfully.

"Yes Mistress Van" said Savannah clearly, and Harriet echoed her quietly.

Van shared a look with Jones, and said "Harriet come up here for a second. Savannah go get your breakfast".

Harriet nervously made her way up to the raised platform where the dominant's table was. Van smiled at her, and turned her chair around so she was facing Harriet.

"Sit down facing away from me" Van said, gesturing to the floor beside her feet. Harriet was confused but did as she was told, settling in a cross legged position. "You're looking a bit worse for wear" said Van, as she undid the hair tie holding Harriet's braid in. Harriet was silent, as her braid was softly undid. "You can speak freely, little one" Van said softly.

"I think I'm just tired Mistress Van" Harriet said quietly.

"Mistress is fine for now Harriet. Did you not have a good sleep?" Van asked as she brushed the hair back from Harriet's face with her fingers.

"No, I did Mistress" Harriet answered, beginning to relax as Van started to deftly re-plait her hair.

"Before you came here, you just had casual partners, nothing 24/7, right?"

"Yes, Mistress"

"You're probably just a little overwhelmed then. It is a big adjustment after all."

Harriet was silent as Van finished her braid. It was a lot tighter than Harriet had done and she didn't have flyway hairs in her face.

"Thank you Mistress" Harriet said as Van motioned for her to stand up.

"That's quite alright Harriet. I realise it's a lot to take on and you're doing very well. Today, before the dinner, will be relaxed so I hope that will give you a chance to recuperate. Go and get your breakfast now" Van smiled at her and patted her shoulder, and seeing Harriet smile back, sat down and resumed eating her toast.

Harriet went into the kitchen and got a bowl of muesli before joining Savannah and Becks at the table. Reece soon joined them with toast slathered in peanut butter. It was the first time Harriet had eaten with them and she enjoyed the quiet conversation. Benny, Grey, Helly and Floyd arrived not long after. Harriet and Savannah finished quickly, and went to put their dishes away.

It wasn't long before everyone had finished their breakfast. The dominants, Van, Helly, Jones, Floyd and Grey joined the submissives, Savannah, Becks, Reece, Harriet and Benny at the lower table.

"Right", Van said, "We've got a lot to get through before tonight. Firstly who's going with who, obviously I'm taking Benny, Jones is going with Becks, Savannah you're going with Grey, and Harriet with Floyd. Um, Reece, Leon's on his way from the airport and he's apparently taking you out for the day. Lucky girl". Van paused as she flipped the page over.

"Jones'll be in the kitchen with Savannah helping, Grey, Helly, Benny and Becks, you'll be cleaning the dining room and play room, Floyd, you need to check the medical kits and then I think Jones needs some supplies so you might need to run into town. Harriet can help you. Any questions and I'm in my office, otherwise I'll see you all at lunchtime." Everyone moved into their groups, but Harriet felt lost. She hadn't really paid attention to what Van had said, distracted by Floyd next to her with his slightly tousled blonde hair and his undeniable manly musk.

"Harriet" a voice jolted her out of her reprieve. It was Floyd, trying to contain a smirk. "You're with me, remember?"

Harriet jumped up, "Yes, Master Floyd, sorry", and followed him out of the hall.