The Collaring of Chloe Ch. 03

Chapter 3 -- An Unwanted Clause

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Chloe spun up from her chair with such suddenness that she nearly set herself off balance and fell over. She could hear Mittens giggle at her clumsy attempt to rise, but ignored it, focusing on the man standing in the doorway between the sitting room and the dining room. With all she'd seen so far of the interior of the house, she had begun slowly forming assumptions of what to expect of the man who now owned her body and soul. What she found herself looking at was not any of the images she'd conjured.

He was tallish and broad-shouldered, generally handsome, with soft brown hair and bright eyes of a shade that seemed elusive to pin down. He was clean-shaven and well groomed, his hair thick, but short, parted to one side loosely. He had a clean-cut air about him, wearing a blue-grey pull over shirt, chinos, and a pair of oxblood dress shoes. There was a laid-back feel to him, his posture relaxed and amused, arms crossed in front of his chest casually, leaning against the door frame.

He seemed almost at odds with anything she could have expected. While he had a strange aura of dominance to him, perhaps brought out by an innate confidence that was unmistakable, he looked as unremarkable, if handsome, as the average accountant. Considering the artwork, she'd expected someone more...stereotypical. She'd also expected someone older, if she was honest, though that had been more just a generalized assumption than based on anything she'd seen in the house. This man seemed less than a half dozen years older than herself.

His eyes meaningfully scanned her body and Chloe remembered suddenly that she was standing there completely naked, hair still hanging damply about her head and shoulders. She fought the instinct to cover herself with her hands, reminding herself that he'd requested her to remain naked as she came in and thus had a right, as her new owner and Master, to see her this way. Instead, she straightened her body a little more, swinging her shoulders back a little and trying to give him a good view of all she had to offer and that he now owned, lowering her head a little to show her submission to him.

"Good afternoon, Chloe." He said gently, his voice smooth and baritone. "Welcome to your new home."

He moved away from the doorway, straightening from his lean, and fixed his eyes on Mittens almost quizzically. "Really, Mittens? 'Can I play with your boobs'? I've not even played with them yet." His tone was admonishing, but playful, a pretend frown only barely covering his natural smile.

Mittens gave a little shrug, standing up from the sofa. "I knowed I were already in trouble, Master, so I figureded I'd go all in." She gave a big mischievous smile as she swayed her hips back and forth adorably, falling perfectly into her 'kitty voice'. "I weren't really gonna, I jus' wanted to see her, and your, faces."

"You are in trouble, you know, Mittens." He said almost fatherly. "I expressly told you that you were to stay out of sight until I'd properly and formally met my slave." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You were not even supposed to be downstairs right now."

"I know, Master." Mittens replied in an chastized voice, lowering her head and making a little pouting face, cat-gloved hands slipping behind her back and one plush foot drawing little circles on the rug. "I sorry. I were curious and wanted to see her. I didn't mean to meet her yet, she jus' saws me peeking." She lifted her head, eyes widening a little. "I's a cat you know. We curious."

He peered at her with a narrowed eye, obviously not truly angry, but the look made Mittens seem to shrink a little and took a little of the mischief from her expression. Chloe thought she even heard a little 'gulp'.

"If I may, Sir." Chloe spoke up in a voice that came out much quieter than she'd meant or expected. "I'm really as much to blame."

His eyes turned to Chloe, but the expression softened, turning into a speculative one. "Are you offering to take some of her punishment?"

"I...uh..." Chloe stammered. "I mean...y-yes, Sir."

"Master." He correctly softly. "I am not your 'sir', Chloe. I am your owner and Master. You called me as such just a bit ago. I expect you to call me that when you address me." His words were gently spoken, almost conversational, but there was powerful strength behind them, an undeniable finality and admonishment in them.

Chloe found herself blushing a little in embarrassment. "I apologize, Master." She said, lowering her head a little.

"It's alright, slave." He replied with a smile and a little wave of his hand. "You're still new and not even properly collared yet. There is no foul. Think of it as simply your official notice of your first rule."

"Thank you, Master." Chloe said, feeling suddenly more naked than ever and remembering how cold she was, undressed in this well air-conditioned house. Her nipples were still hard as pebbles on her breasts and she could feel their tightness.

"Now," Master said with a smile, looking again at Mittens. "since you've met already, please go fetch Chloe a blanket, she's shivering, and then excuse yourself so that I can get to know my new slave. We'll discuss punishments this evening." He turned his face to look to Chloe. "All three of us." A devilish little smile crossed his features for a moment that made her flesh goose-pimple even more.

Mittens gave an obedient nod and quickly trotted through the other door of the room to do as instructed. Master waved Chloe towards the sofa, sitting down with her, positioning himself to face towards her partially. "Firstly, how much did Master Heron tell you about me?" He asked once she was settled.

"Little, Master." She replied, folding her hands together and flinching at the feel of something in one of them, realizing that she'd forgotten all about the small lock she'd been holding this whole time. She forced her attention to stay on her new Master. "That was how I wanted it though. I didn't want to know anything until after I had already been taken possession of. I didn't even know what you would look like, Master."

"That is quite a leap of faith." He said, looking mildly impressed. "What if I'm not what you want?"

Chloe gave a small grin. "Well, Master, I trusted Master Heron's judgement, for one thing. More though, I didn't want you to be exactly what I wanted. That is part the fantasy, I suppose. To be what I think of as a real slave. Taken ownership of by a stranger who I know nothing of and without a choice in being here. I see myself as yours, no matter what I want or who you are."

He leaned back a little, gazing at her for several moments. "Well, I have not officially collared you as my slave yet, but you are to think of yourself as my property, starting from the moment you entered my house. However, despite your desire to have no choice in whether you remain mine, I leave you a 'key' of sorts to unlock your metaphorical chains."

He leaned forward again, reaching out and taking her hands gently, pulling them apart like a flower to reveal the tiny lock. "This is the symbol of our contract. It is the only thing that is truly yours anymore. It binds us together as Master and slave, and it is the key to regaining your freedom, should you ever wish it back. Return the lock to me at any time and you are free of your slavery."

Chloe frowned at the tiny object. While she knew that this was a good thing, to have a way out, if she needed one, and was a good sign that this man respected the union they were creating, it felt like a tiny dent in something beautiful. She didn't want a safety net or a key to freedom or anything that might give her choice in her slavery. She wanted to be a true slave, without an escape hatch. She knew that it might seem crazy, that such arrangements as this was part of how a lifestyle like this worked, it was for her own protection. She didn't want a protection though. She'd already made compromises to get what she wanted, having someone she trusted arrange things, making the decision of whether to relocate herself, all to ensure that she was given to someone who would be a good Master. She'd become tired of having to make such compromises and wanted everything forward to fit into her fantasy.

"Please, Master." She said, looking up at him, pleadingly. "I appreciate the gesture, but I don't want a key to anything. I don't want a way out of this. I want to belong to someone completely, regardless of my will or wishes. I want the only person able to end our 'contract' to be you. In my mind, that's part of what it means to be your slave."

She put the tiny lock into his hand. "If that means that you no longer want me as your property, then I apologize for wasting your time, but that will still be your decision, Master." A part of her cringed at her actions, screamed at herself that what she had just done was to undo everything. She recognized that this man was a good man, would be a good Master to her, but she had literally just handed the man back the one thing that was supposed to signal the end of their relationship to return.

For a long moment, he looked at the small lock in his hand, seeming caught up in a long internal monologue. Finally, he closed his hand around it and looked at her. "You would be taking a very big gamble here. What if I am abusive? Or what if you found you simply just didn't like me? You'd be stuck here, against your will."

"I want the gamble, Master." Chloe replied smoothly. "And I already feel certain that you will not be abusive or be someone that I will hate."

"How can you be certain of that?" He asked, an eyebrow raising slightly. "Even abusive people can seem charming at first."

"I honestly don't think an abusive or unlikable man could inspire..." She turned to wave towards where Mittens was standing nearby with a blanket, staring with shock at the exchange that had been going on between her and her Master. "the kind of devotion and love I can see in your pet after just a couple minutes with her."

He looked at his petite, cat-costumed, pet girl. "Her story is a special one, Chloe. You cannot fully base your beliefs on her loyalty."

She looked back at him. "But I can see just how much loyalty you have inspired in her. Enough to request actual body modifications, just to more closely be your 'pet'. And if I add to it how concerned you already are for me, a stranger to you, that says only helps me understand her extreme devotion." She took a deep breath, looking out the glass door to the rear yard where she'd bathed, symbolically washing away everything of her past life. "I doubt you'd be so careful to take my wants into consideration, knowing that I've already agreed to be your slave, if you were really someone terrible."

She returned her focus back to him, trying to show her conviction on this with her expression. "Still, I don't want to be certain of anything, I just want to be owned. I believe that you are someone I am going to be proud to be owned by. Prouder still if you are willing to truly let me be your property without any kind of way out." She looked down and shook her head. "I know it probably sounds crazy."

Coming over quickly, Mittens draped the blanket over Chloe's shoulders. "Please, Master. I want you to keep her. I knows how wonderful you are and I don't think she needs a way out either. I don't think she'd ever want one." She gave a little smile. "I know I don't."

He leaned back again, an almost weary laugh escaping him. "First of all, Mittens, while I appreciate your take on the matter, you shouldn't speak for others like that. Chloe and you are different people. She may find she wants out for reasons that have nothing to do with me."

Mittens looked downwards like a chastised child, despite his words having been spoken very kindly and without any hint of anger. "Yes, Master." She said in a pouty voice.

He looked back towards Chloe, pausing to consider her for a long moment. He leaned forward and reached out to put a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to look at him before speaking again. "If that is your feelings, I demand at least one concession." He said. "You have three days to change your mind in. Starting now." He held up a hand, seeing Chloe about to speak. "No argument. This is an order from your Master. I know you want to have no choice and, if you are still here four days from now, you won't have one anymore. But, for the next three days, if you realize that this isn't what you really want, then you may still walk away. No pomp, no ritual, you just take your leave if you desire to."

For a long moment, Chloe muddled through it. It was another compromise, but not a particularly hard one. She recognized it for what it was, an attempt to make sure she really wanted the life she was begging for. In the meantime, he would obviously test her resolve with a series of tasks and hardships, try his best to make her doubt her desire. However, she was determined to weather through anything he sent at her, if only to prove her determination.

After a moment, she smiled. "Okay, Master." She said with a small nod. Inwardly, she promised herself that she would never make the choice to leave during the three days, no matter what she suffered at his hands. If he wanted her to go, he'd have to send her away himself, or any time after that. She told herself that she could endure whatever he threw at her to try and make her waver in her intentions.

"Very well." Master said, clapping his hands together. "In that case, you will not be officially collared at my 'true slave' until three days from now. However, you will still be treated the same during these three days as you would if you already wore my real collar." He reached into a pocket and drew out a length of black silky ribbon. "Until then, you will wear this around your neck in place of your official collar."

He held up the ribbon to show it to her. It looked like silk or satin, broad and well made. Stitched into the middle of its length sat the words 'Pending Slave' in thin white thread. Chloe blinked at it in surprise. It was like some kind of magic trick. Somehow, he had been prepared for this whole exchange. The ribbon was quite obviously not just some random piece of ribbon he'd been carrying, but something prepared for her. But she couldn't imagine how he could have known to be so prepared for the moment.

"Master Heron may not have told you anything about me, Chloe." He said with a broad grin just as mischievous as his pet cat-girl's. "He told me everything about you though." He reached forward and drew the ribbon across the back of Chloe's neck, pulling the ends together at the front and holding them with one hand while he pulled her hair out from beneath the ribbon with the other. Once snug around her neck, he gently tied the ribbon into an expert bow, grinning at the still stunned look on his slave's face.

"You will find, my beautiful slave, that I am very clever and rarely not a couple steps ahead of you." He gave a little chuckle that Mittens mirrored. "And for the record, I have little doubt that you will still be here in four days either. But, while you are here for a fantasy, I brought you here for something more than that. I brought you hear for a life. And a good life is based on knowing that it is the life you really want. So, hence, you have three days to be sure of that."

Parts of Chloe wanted to argue, wanted to fuss at her Master for tricking her (because obviously, he had...somehow), but somewhere deeper, she realized there was a part of her that was already starting to fall in love with this stranger, this tricky, clever stranger. She felt certain that this was going to be a very interesting three days.