Rosemary and Cornelia Pt. 07

Noticing Cornelia addressing her Rosemary listened as she was given instructions on cleaning up. "Yes Mistress," she replied as she went upstairs. It wasnt hard to find the Master Bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. Here there was finally some sign of being lived in. There were two sinks built into the counter. On the side closest to the door were bottles and jars of makeup for someone with a lighter complexion even that Rosemary. It also held some bold reds and darker colors for eyeliner and lipstick and the like, even a black and dark purple. On the side closest to the shower were different brands with a lot more piled around than on the nearer side, the concealer and foundation for someone with a much darker skin tone, but whereas the one with the pale complexion, she guessed Cornelia had favored the darker colors for her lips and eyes the further one was a veritable rainbow of colors as though someone had thrown up a rave in the containers. This was apparently the ex that had been mentioned. Interesting that all the house seemed to have been stripped of color or reminders but this remained.

Feeling uncomfortable looking at the other woman's makeup, something that Rosemary knew little about in the first place and used even less of herself she stepped over to the sink and washed the dried juices from her hand, in the mirror she could see a towel rack behind her. One set of towels emblazoned with the word "Mistress" the other with the word "slave". Those made her grin as she stepped over to the shower and got in, turning the water on nice and hot she began to shower, the hot water making the whip marks sting for a bit before it turned soothing and she felt her juices begin to sluice off her body.

Cornelia felt sluggish walking around her home, it took her a moment to realize why. She hadn't eaten much for lunch and now skipped dinner, forgetting it in the heat of the moment. She sighed, rubbing her temples as she was reminded how often she managed to forget to take care of herself these days. Based on the timeline, she'd probably done the same to Rosemary, who really needed her stamina if she was to avoid getting sick after a day like this. She sighed, cutting up some sweet potatoes and throwing them in the oven with some chicken. This would be the first thing Rosemary ate that she'd made... and the fact that it was something like this cut at her stomach. She brought the tray out of the oven almost as soon as she'd set it in, deciding she could do better. She smeared the pieces of chicken breast in cream cheese, wrapping them in bacon and painting the outside with a mix of honey and sriracha. She cut up a few other root vegetables and added them with the sweet potatoes, beets, normal potatoes and some celeriac. Dousing them with vegetable oil, salt and assorted herbs she managed to make a meal that she at least wasn't ashamed of. She set a timer, hearing Rosemary exit the shower and going to replace the woman in the bathroom. "Take out the food if the timer rings and I'm not done." She ordered as she moved to pass the woman in the hallway.

Rosemary took a luxuriant shower, letting the hot water cascade down her skin, as she soaped up her body she felt the new welts on her skin, she knew they would fade away within a day or so, except for the one on her stomach that had started to bleed a bit, she didnt think there would be a scar, or much of one from it but she knew it would take longer to heal. As her hands and the water ran down her body it became easier to see smaller scars that pocked her body in places, including the longer, puckered ones one her back, her hands couldnt soap up the whole of her back but every time they touched one of those scars her hands hesitated, halted and a short, almost painful breath was inhaled.

Closing her eyes she tried to shake that time off of her as she hugged herself and leaned against the tile wall, breathing deeply and trying to recover as old memories tried to rise to the surface. She was relieved that the play at the club had not triggered anything, but it further served to prove what she believed, that it was not the BDSM that had been the problem in her last relationship but the way her former Master had carried it out. Shaking herself once more she quickly turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

Reaching over to the towel rack Rosemary was about to take the towels marked slave off when her hand hesitated. She was not Cornelia's slave, she really didnt have a place in this house, besides there was a certain lack of hygiene, at least that she felt from using someone elses towels, plus...thinking about it now, looking at the towels, knowing they were someone elses, made her feel the same way the different makeups on the counter made her feel. She...well honestly she almost felt like an intruder.

Moving her hand over she instead picked up some blank white towels and wrapped her hair up in one and the other around her body as she padded out of the bathroom, the bedroom was still empty, though she noticed for the first time some fairy statues on a nightstand on one side of the bed, they were bright and colorful and cute and didnt seem like Cornelia at all. Shuffling her feet Rosemary quickly left the bedroom and met Cornelia in the hallway. Upon being commanded to watch the oven she quickly responded. "Yes," But the Mistress became caught in her throat. This woman wasnt her Mistress, not yet and...and the small reminders of another woman....Clearing her throat Rosemary said quietly. "Yes Miss Kruger." And hurried down the stairs before anything else could be said.

Cornelia caught a glimpse of the look in the woman's eye. Was she suddenly regretting her decision? It wasn't lost on her that the woman hadn't said Mistress like the rest of the night, but she wasn't sure why. She got an idea why it might be when she entered the bedroom, seeing the fairies still turning the nightstand into a little meeting place around a toadstool. The tall woman hesitated, sitting down on the bed next to the ceramics and examining them for the first time in a while. A thin layer of dust coated each one, reminding her just how long the mystical woman had been gone. She felt her hand shake when it took the handle of the nightstand drawer and opened it. The drawer was mostly empty, a few choice toys that were nice near the bed, a few books, a framed picture placed facedown that Cornelia knew she couldn't look at without bawling and some Kleenex. She was reminded that the woman had the sniffles right before leaving, Cornelia was overwhelmed by a rush of memories of taking care of her submissive when she was sick. Her ex hadn't been cut out for the local weather and never wore enough clothes. A hand found Cornelia's eyes, trying to keep the tears from forming there but failing. Her hand shook, as though her body tried to reject what she was about to do. One at a time, the fairies were placed into the drawer, every clink of fairy against fairy making Cornelia's heart skip a beat as she worried she's knock off one of the ridiculously thin glass wings or fingers the little things possessed. The table was rendered empty save for the alarm clock matching the one on the other side except purple instead of black.

Cornelia allowed any sign of tears be washed away by hot water. Her breathing steadied in the comforting warmth, the mask coming back up and the memories buried. 'I don't want to be your rebound' The words so strongly spoken by the girl echoed in Cornelia's head. She wasn't sure what exactly it meant, 'rebound', she... she wanted to move on but she couldn't. But she wasn't trying to replace her with Rosemary, at least she didn't think she was. She still hoped she could make it work, that somehow she'd find the woman crawling back to her and all would be forgiven. But it seemed increasingly unlikely. She wasn't sure if she was deceiving Rosemary, but she didn't feel great about doing it which was usually a bad sign. She let the steam out of the bathroom to clear the fog from her glasses, taking a moment to look herself over in the mirror. Her lack of makeup since a moment ago was evident but if Rosemary didn't like her like this then she wasn't worth Cornelia's time. There was no evidence of tears, her mask was strong, she just had to stay that way.

Wrapping a towel around her head and going into her soft robe she returned barefoot to her living room in time to take out the food, coat it in lemon juice and serve it up. "I hope you aren't a picky eater." She sat at the table, going to pour herself a glass of wine but deciding water was better. With everything set up at the dark wood table for six, Cornelia in the center on one side. She finally looked at Rosemary straight in the eye, powerful but genuine eyes, welcoming even. "How do you feel?" her words seemed to carry a weight to them, an honest invitation, though a pedestrian answer might make her mad.

Rosemary sat down on the couch in the living room, confident she would be able to hear the timer on the oven go off from here. It was weird that a house this big would feel well...emptier than her apartment. True there was not much in the small apartment but thats because Rosemary's job had called her to different parts of the country at a moments notice, but it still seemed lived in. Her hobbies littered the table, she had a good entertainment system with lots of movies and one room in the two bedroom apartment had been converted into her own library/study. Here...it seemed like Cornelia did everything possible to avoid the place.

Then there was the matter of the mysterious ex. Rosemary couldnt fault Cornelia for having been in a previous relationship, or even for having mementos of something that still was apparently somewhat recent still around the house, but if she was looking for a new sub...well it was discouraging. She began wringing her hands in worry, wondering if this might have been a mistake, she...she couldnt take another disappointment, she wouldnt go into another relationship that left her feeling broken and worthless. She was surprised when she felt tears slide down her cheeks. Why was she crying? Sure she enjoyed Cornelia's company, but she didnt know this woman, not enough for this.

As she rubbed the tears from her eyes she thought about it, coming to the conclusion it had less to do with Cornelia and more to do with herself and how she felt about herself, she had lived so long thinking things had been her fault, not venturing out or doing anything, torturing herself with what ifs and it had taken a long time to come to the realization that it had been Don's fault, not hers, she didnt want to go through that again.

She heard Cornelia come down the stairs and at the same time the oven went off, she stood to go take care of it but Cornelia was already heading toward the kitchen. She moved to the dining room and watched from the doorway as Cornelia finished with the dinner, it looked absolutely amazing. "Im...Im not picky but I do have allergies to tomatoes and coconut, and I have Celiac Disease. I cant eat gluten." She followed Cornelia over to the table, not knowing if she should offer to help, after all she didnt know where anything was, but Cornelia seemed to have everything under control and soon they were sitting across from each other, a good portion of food on each plate. Rosemary began to pick at it when Cornelia asked how she felt. "I...I dont know, to be honest." She said after some thought. "I dont know where I fit into this. I'm willing to find out but..." She rotated her shoulders, pressing her back to the chair as her scars began to itch. "I..." she put down her fork, struggling to find the words, biting her lower lip.

"You're scared." She finished her sentence, looking for confirmation in the woman's eyes. "It's alright. Me too." Her thumbs slid over the rest of her fingernails, "I'm not asking you to take a huge plunge with me, just to give me a chance and I'll do the same with you in turn. It doesn't have to be all or nothing." The Domme rose from her chair and circled the table to stand behind Rosemary, her arms coming around the woman's shoulders in a soft hug. "Fay was an important part of my life for a long time. I wasn't ready for it to be over." She admitted, her mouth drawing into a thing line, "But... I am now. I know it's over, and I'm moving on. I won't pretend I don't struggle at times with that." She sighed, leaning down over Rosemary, "But I'm ready to take a chance with someone new. And I haven't felt an instant connection with someone before the way I did with you. I want to see where it goes if you do." She felt her hands shaking, feeling overextended, sappy. Regret started welling up in a sense of panic as she realized how... much, of herself she'd just spilled out.

The young woman nodded her head in agreement when Cornelia said the word scared. She was scared, she was terrified. As she picked her fork back up again she could see it shaking in her hand. She tensed as Cornelia got up and circled around her, in the heat and sexual energy of the club she had not thought about it, about Cornelia being behind her but as the Domme went behind her and wrapped her arms around Rosemary the young woman tensed up and almost tried jerking away but she stopped herself, she was safe. She had felt safe with Cornelia all night, despite the emotional turmoil right now she had not felt once that Cornelia would hurt her. Still with no sexual desperation clouding her mind now it was a struggle not to break away with the older woman behind her. Taking a deep shaking breath she said. "I understand what its like to lose someone you care about, I understand that moving on can be hard and I dont want you to feel rushed but...I need to know...if this turns into something...I need to know I matter to you." She closed her eyes. "I want to try too, I felt something with you, tonight that I havent felt in a long time either, I felt that same connection you're describing, it felt so good and Im scared of losing it. But I want to see where this goes too."

Cornelia felt the air pressing at her lungs, Rosemary's words allowing her to breathe again. She hated being this vulnerable with a relative stranger, if the woman had bitten back she might have gotten wounded. "I'm glad. So... lets agree to try and see where this goes. We aren't dating, you aren't my sub, but... if we keep liking where this goes, that would be the next step. Before then... if we're both a little hesitant, that's normal. But... I promise, once I place a collar on you." Her hands brushed against the woman's neck teasingly, "You will be someone truly special to me. I take those things seriously." She promised.

The black-haired Domme felt a ridge on the back of the woman's neck, a scar running down towards her back. "Speaking of exes," She wanted desperately to change the subject, but she was also curious, "yours seems to have been rough with you." She said contemplatively as she ran her fingers under the woman's clothes, feeling the scars properly that she'd caught a glimpse at earlier. "I don't need your life's story if you don't want to share it. But I'd like to know your experience level, your experiences, good and bad with this. I once brought someone into a panic attack because she hadn't told me her real list of no's, because she thought that would make her more desirable, because she thought she could handle it. But I'd rather know and work with it than not know and find out mid-scene."

"I...I can agree to that," Rosemary finally said as she let out a slow breath, a little more relaxed. It wasnt much of a place but it didnt have to be, it was a start and that was all she needed, she would be willing to give Cornelia a chance, after all the older woman was giving her one and at least she had been honest with her feelings on her ex...on...Fay. The jealousy she felt for the other woman was a bit harder to rationalize, she certainly had no reason to be jealous but she was, call it pettiness but she couldnt help but feel it at least a little bit. Hopefully with time and a bit more certainty those feelings would fade as well.

Rosemary stiffened and almost shot out of her chair when Cornelia touched the scars on her back and old memories flooded to the surface. She dropped the fork and gripped the edge of the table her breath almost going into hyperventilation levels. Her back jerked at the probing touch of the fingers along her scars. Trying to calm herself to not break down Rosemary opened her mouth to speak and closed it again. Her body jerked again and she felt Cornelia slide her hands out from under her shirt and place themselves gently on her shoulders in a comforting way.

Finally she spoke, the pain and anxiety clear in her voice. "I have plenty of experience, my boyfriend and I started exploring BDSM right out of high school. At first it was fun, we learned a lot together and were enjoying it...but he fell in with the wrong people. People who conflate BDSM with abuse and torture. He...he did that to me...and other things, I was an idiot and didnt know enough at the time to stop him or ask for help. But I had a friend who...he knew what was going on and he got me out of the relationship and out of my hometown to here." She explained it all in a rush. "My limits are what I told you, not scat, no men...I just cant anymore. I am a bit of a masochist so Im good with some pain but I do know where the line between play and abuse is and I will not hesitate to call it out."

Cornelia leaned further forward and embraced Rosemary from behind properly. "Shh, pet. It's alright." She placed a palm against the woman's sternum, "Breathe, in on 3, out on 7, counting to eight." She said calmly, waiting for the woman to become calm in her arms. "It's okay." She assured her, "I promise I won't hurt you like that. I like leaving my mark but I prefer to not leave scars. More so, I don't enjoy hurting people." She hugged her tighter, "I know that sounds a bit false, but it's true. I like the way you react because, like you said, you're a masochist. If my pet wasn't, I wouldn't dominate them in that way." She explained. "I want you to desire nothing more than to give me control, to worship me. I don't want to demand it, I want you to give it freely, every day, every scene. I don't want 24/7, I want us to be closer to equals when we're like this." Her tone was a little hesitant, she was putting words to thoughts that she'd never spoken cohesively before, only felt. "I want you to feel you can talk to me, trust me. And the last thing I want, is for you to ever feel afraid of me." She held her hand on the woman's chest, reminding her to breathe.

Rosemary tried to hold in her emotions as she breathed, feeling Cornelia's hand on her chest as it rose and lowered but she couldnt the emotions of that time, from back with him. It started as just a small sob that pushed through her lips. But as Cornelia spoke, detailing what she wanted, what she was like as a Domme it hurt Rosemary. It hurt her that she had not found someone like this before now. It hurt to think of the betrayal and pain she had gone through all because her ex had decided that her say, her opinion had no place with them, he had hurt her physically, mentally with such abandon and had made her to feel as if she were the one who was at fault. She broke, the tears splattered onto the table as she sobbed, trying to hide her face in her hands, not wanting to show Cornelia how weak and broken she really was.

Cornelia waited patiently, feeling the shaking shoulders, the quivering woman between her arms. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, pet." She whispered, "We all have shit in the past. Some in our present. I hope you'll never have to deal with mine." She chuffed. She stayed with her, hugging her for as long as she needed.

Rosemary continued to sob, she wasnt sure how long it went on for, only that she had needed to do it for a long time, she had needed someone who she could cry with, feeling Cornelia's arms around her comforting her, holding her. It made her feel like she wasnt alone, that there was someone there who cared and wanted her to be happy and who would be willing to help her find that happiness. "Im sorry," she finally sniffled. "I thought I had put it all behind me, but..." She didnt understand what had happened with Don, she had known Don had started hanging out with the wrong crowd but she had never thought he would be weak willed enough to let them manipulate him and push him like that, or had the cruelty always been there and she had just never seen it?