The Collaring of Chloe Ch. 25

The Collaring of Chloe

Chapter 25 -- How to Birthday Bestest

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Chloe had never considered herself to be much of a dancer, beyond the mindless gyration one did while half-drunk at a club or the goofy sway people tried to do when they slow-danced together. She was sure that she didn't have any real grace or beauty of movement, no natural talent for motion that turned the act of dancing into the art of dance. And yet, dancing for Mittens in their living room, seeing the happy look of awe on her sister submissive's face, Chloe felt like a magical swan.

She'd offered up the idea of a dance as a birthday present, a gift that honestly came only from her and did not need to be purchased by Master on her behalf. She'd had little doubt that Mittens would appreciate it, but had been surprised by just how moved the amazing little cat-girl had been by the offer or just how entranced she'd been while watching. It was as though her unskilled body had somehow become a figure of elegance, as light as air; a thing of ephemeral beauty.

And, perhaps, she truly did look elegant and graceful. She'd festooned her otherwise naked body in long rainbow lengths of ribbon, which trailed behind her every movement, seeming to float around her as she turned and swayed. She'd intended it to seem more like a sexy dance, something a bit silly and cheesy. Somewhere along the way, she'd gotten lost in her own motion, her own emotion, shifting from something goofy to something heartfelt. Her love for Mittens giving her wings to fly.

Even Master's rapt attention, leaning in the doorway of the living room, made her feel like her dance had grown far beyond just the meager skill she really had. She could see the look of utter love in his expression, the wonder of watching his adoring slave leap and spin for them. They were both genuinely drawn to watching her, radiating more love for her than she'd ever believed she could feel from another person, much less two. She felt a need to earn their amazement, to attempt something spectacular for them, but she made herself dance just with her heart, making up her steps as she went, recognizing, deep down, that it was her that made the dance beautiful to them and not the other way around.

As the song she'd chosen, a particularly beautiful piece of music she'd found online, came to its end, she made an awkward, over-the-top, bow; her chest heaving from the exertion, body glistening with perspiration. She was instantly rewarded with applause from both members of her audience, Mittens giggling jubilantly and bouncing on the sofa with glee. Glancing over at Master, she was surprised to see him discreetly wipe a tear out of one eye.

Surely, she'd not been that good.

"That was so amazing, Chloe!" Mittens gushed, leaping up from the sofa and pulling her into a firm hug. "Thank you for the awesome present." She kissed her once on the side of the face, then again on the lips. The second one had considerably more passion than the first.

"I'm glad you liked it. It is just something from the heart." Chloe said with a little shrug. "It's hard figuring out what to get someone when you don't own anything anymore." She gave a little chuckle, grinning a special grin at Master. They still hadn't given her Chloe's other gift yet, the one that Master did pay for, but she wanted to wait for that one.

Mittens laughed. "Well, you've been doing a pretty good job of it today."

Chloe chuckled with her, realizing that she had been giving similar gifts already. The three of them had woken up together in a heap in Master's bed that morning. They'd quickly arranged themselves with Mittens being put in a snuggle sandwich, which she wasted little time turning into something far bawdier and more interesting. Chloe, however, had slipped out early on in the escalation, letting it be just those two for a bit, so she could make a breakfast for them.

They'd eventually come down together, Mittens' arms firmly laced behind her back in her special binder and being led by Master on a chain, to a waiting Chloe, dressed in lace stockings and gloves. She played the dutiful slave girl, standing between them, tending to her Master and feeding his pet cat forkfuls of waffles. It hadn't taken long, though, before the food was abandoned and it was decided to take liberal advantage of their willing slave instead.

Chloe loved every moment of it, both serving them initially and being roughly grabbed by Master to hold in place as Mittens plopped into the floor, arms still secured behind her, to enjoy the breakfast she wanted much more than waffles. The feel of his arms holding hers firmly, the scent of him so close, the wonderful feel of Mittens' amazing tongue lapping hungrily at her, it all mixed together in her soul like a perfect melody.

Amusingly, Mittens found her first present from Master, hidden beneath the dining table, in the middle of their sexual activities, leaving the poor girl suddenly torn between opening it and finishing help Master get Chloe to cum. The sight of Mittens struggling to fish out for the box with one foot, while keeping her mouth at its current task, all while trying not to lose her balance with her arms secured behind her, had made Chloe laugh so hard she'd fallen over, taking all of them with her.

Master had somehow managed to spirit a surprising number of the little gifts everywhere around the house at some point, gifts that Chloe felt certain hadn't been stashed there the night before. Every time Mittens would find a small wrapped surprise somewhere, she would squeal with glee and shred off the wrapping within seconds. Most of the little gifts were silly things, little toys and gag items, but she treated each and every one like they were gifts of the deepest meaning and priceless.

Still, it was obvious that this dance had been her favorite gift and moment of the day, so far. That made Chloe feel warm and happy inside, happier than she'd ever believed she could feel. The look of pride and love in Master's eyes at her accomplishment only made that feeling explode into something so huge and spectacular that she felt she'd burst into pure sunshine.

"So, what should we do now?" Master asked Mittens. "Would you like to go out somewhere? Do anything special?"

Mittens made a big show of thinking, melodramatically puffing out her cheeks and rubbing her chin with a fluffy paw. "I's wanna...watch Breakfast at Tiffany's!" She blurted suddenly, bouncing up and down.

"How did I ever guess that?" Master replied with an amused grin, producing a DVD of the very film from behind his back, as though performing a magic trick. He noticed Chloe's surprised look and winked. "We've watched it every birthday she's celebrated at 'Mittens'."

"It were the first movie we ever watched together as an 'official date'." Mittens added with a toothy grin. "We even had's a huge-mungus tub of popcorn!" She stretched out her paws exaggeratedly to indicate the supposed size of said tub.

"So, kind of a tradition then?" Chloe said with a chuckle. "Then I guess this is my introduction to it."

Mittens' eyes went wide. "You never seen it?!?" She cried, as though this were the greatest injustice anyone had ever suffered.

Chloe laughed out loud, throwing her arms around Mittens' neck and giving her hug. "I'm actually glad I'm getting to see it for the first time with you."

Master put his own arms around the both of them, kissing them each once upon the forehead. "Let's get the popper out and make us another 'huge-mungus' amount of popcorn, then I think you'll be in for a treat, slave. It really is a good movie."

Less than a half hour later, they were all cuddled up on the sofa, Master in the middle and his girls on either side of him. The massive bowl of popcorn, golden with butter, sat on his lap where Chloe spent more time feeding her owner kernels than herself. It seemed like a perfect moment in time, the movie starting to play and the three of them cozy and safe together.

However, as they settled into the film, the excitement of focusing on Mittens began to ebb and Chloe found herself start to slip back to the unwanted thoughts she'd been struggling to keep pushed out of her mind. An unbidden reel of mental pictures began to play, replacing the movie on the screen, in her mind's eye. Instead of Audrey Hepburn, she saw the events of the previous night, replaying themselves in her head. A series of events where the frightening encounter with Chad was only the first act.

She tried to focus on the story of the movie, give the memories one more push back into the rear of her mind, but without the distraction of the people she loved most keeping her engaged, it all came flooding back in. Soon, she wasn't just watching it play out, but once again back in the moment. Once more living out the drama that had ensued after they'd finally left Naughty Molly's.

The whole drive home from the bar, Chloe felt jumpy, as though she expected Chad to come popping out from behind a road sign, out of a bush, or just up from their own back seat. Mittens tried her best to help settle her, talking about the more amusing parts of the evening, laughing at remembered faux pas of their drunk friends. She'd almost managed to get herself completely composed by the time they'd pulled into the drive of the house.

August and Sugar were both leaning against the back of Sugar's car, parked in the driveway, as they pulled in. Their body language suggested the conversation they'd been having hadn't been a light one, but not quite an argument. Still, the tension Chloe saw in August brought up concerns she'd begun to have regarding her earlier. She could almost feel the lingering drama waiting to unfold from that alone.

As Mittens navigated into the garage, the pair followed in behind the car, moving to stand outside of Chloe's door as the garage door descended and Mittens got properly parked. As she exited the car, any hopes of getting some insight into what they may have been saying was lost the second August saw the abrasion on Chloe's cheek and the tear in her now dirty dress.

"Holy shit!" She gasped. "What happened?"

Sugar seemed less alarmed, if no less surprised, by the unexpected sight. "I didn't think you'd had that much to drink, Chloe. I thought it had been Joelle who'd been fall down drunk." He quipped, but his chuckle dried up in his throat as he registered the sober look on her face.

August stepped up to Chloe, inspecting the cut on her cheek with an air of panic. "Are you okay?" She said, her breath still tainted with the lingering odor of alcohol and her movements just a little off-balance.

"I'm okay, really." Chloe said placatingly, moving away from August, feeling a little crowded by her all of a sudden. "We'll tell you about what happened inside. I would prefer to just have to tell it once."

This seemed to alarm August more than anything else. "Did something happen?" She pressed, still trying to get up close to inspect the damage. "Did someone do this to you?" A flare of anger reared up through her concern, seeming like something dangerous and untamed.

The question triggered a response from Sugar as well, making him step up and tense, hands going into fists. "Someone hit you?" He asked, looking only a moment towards Chloe before starting quickly over to Mittens who was now coming around the front of the car. "Are you okay?" He asked her, now scanning her over for signs of injury.

"I's okay." Mittens said quickly, waving him away. "We'll tell you when we get inside and can tell Master at the same time. Right now, I think she just needs some space." She said pointedly towards August, showing disapproval at the way she was making Chloe uncomfortable with her smothering.

Despite further prodding for some kind of details, Mittens lead them into the house from the garage, each step making Chloe more anxious to see Master; to be in his arms and have him tell her that she was safe now. She felt at the edge of a panic attack by the time they reached the living room without him appearing, but rejoiced at the sound of him coming down the stairs to meet them. He entered a moment later, a broad smile on his face, ready to hear all about their adventures.

Chloe nearly ran across the room, leaping into his arms, a blubbering mess before she even reached him. Mittens was only a step behind, though a bit more stable, both girls glomping onto him as though he were a beacon of salvation. The reactions did not go unnoticed by August and Sugar, adding significantly to their already very agitated state. August seemed already livid and just needing a target for her ire.

Without breaking the embrace, Master led the two girls over to the sofa, deftly depositing all three of them down together. He asked nothing, only held them close, recognizing the need for affection and sense of security from him. Sugar and August drifted into nearby chairs, impatiently waiting for the girls to get enough composure again to begin telling their story. August seemed to grow even more irritated by the sight of Chloe, who'd been so stand-offish in the garage, gripping so tightly to Master.

For long minutes, no one spoke, Master just letting Chloe expel her tears and emotional weight. At one point, August started to say something, but he cut her short with a single look and brief shake of his head, which seemed to only further add to her growing impatience. Sugar, however, reached over to put a hand on her arm, a very meaningful look passing between them that seemed to defuse a portion of August's heat.

Finally, Chloe adjusted herself to sit more properly up beside Master, though she stayed firmly snuggled against him, needing the feel of him for support. "Sorry." She said meekly to her two friends.

"It's cool." Sugar said supportively, making a show of smiling at her to show that he understood. August followed suit, though much less convincingly.

"It really was just more startling than anything." Chloe began, taking a deep breath and aiming the words primarily at her Master, telling the story to him. "It was that man. The one from Mister Charles' store? You remember the man?"

There was little question that Master remembered well, the grim look on his face telling not just that he recalled Chad, but how just how much anger he'd felt towards him in that moment. "I remember. He was at the club?"

"Yeah, he was there drinking." Chloe said, eyes dropping down in shame, thinking of her stupidity in agreeing to talk to the man at all and wanting to hide her face at the thought of everything she'd said to him there. "He wasn't very drunk when I first ran into him, up at the bar. He actually tried to apologize for the store. Bought me a drink."

August sat forward, previously unaware not just of the meeting at Molly's, but of the previous incident. "What was the store thing?" She asked.

"The creep kind of cornered Chloe in the grocery store a couple weeks back, all drunk." Mittens supplied. "Master saved her really quickly, but it still shook her up."

Chloe nodded, looking at Sugar and August, trying to show them a face that said she'd recovered from that episode already, had already mentally brushed it off. It wasn't as true as she wanted it to be, but she'd not even realized how much it had still been with her until she'd seen Chad again. "He admitted he'd been drunk that night and acted like an asshole. Wanted to say he was sorry by paying for a drink."

"Obviously, you didn't let him." August supplied, her teeth practically grinding with the words. "Right?"

"I did, actually." Chloe admitted solemnly, lowering her head guiltily. She heard August chuff in exasperation.

"And that's okay." Master said softly, caressing her cheek. "It makes you the bigger person to allow him to apologize. I'm sure you were just trying to avoid a scene."

She looked at him gratefully, glad for his understanding. "Yes, Master, I was. I just thought it would be easier to let him say his peace, buy me the drink and let it go."

"I'm proud of you." He said, running his thumb along her chin affectionately. "That took courage and poise."

"You should have thrown the fucking drink in his face!" August blurted, half-shouting. "Obviously it DIDN'T avoid SHIT!" She was suddenly standing. "Is he who hit you?!"

Master regarded the abrasion on Chloe's face, inspecting it a moment. For a moment, she was afraid he'd suddenly jump into a rage too, but she saw something in his eyes, like an understanding. He seemed to recognize that the injury wasn't from being hit, but something else. "Are you okay? Is this cut from him?" He asked after a moment, his eyes finding hers.

"Um..." Chloe stammered, trying to answer carefully, so as not to cause August to leap to any conclusions. "He didn't hit me." She managed to conjure, looking a moment towards August, but back to Master before adding. "But he was out in the parking lot when we went to leave. He grabbed me. He was a lot more drunk by that point."

"He attacked you?" August persisted, closing a little. Chloe noticed that even Sugar seemed incensed by this news. "That fucking bastard!"

"He...I...it wasn't...I..." Chloe struggled to explain, trying to find words that wouldn't further enrage August.

"He just, sorta, popped out from behind a van as we were walking." Mittens picked up for her, keeping her voice calm. "He grabbed Chloe by the arm and started yelling at her. I tried to make him let go, but..."

"But what?" Sugar prompted, rising himself now. "I thought you said you weren't hurt." He added accusingly.

"I'm not." Mittens retorted quickly. Chloe wasn't sure if she was lying or not. She'd heard how hard Chad had slammed her into the side of the van, had expected Mittens to be injured. So far, though, Mittens hadn't shown any signs of being hurt or mentioned being in any sort of pain. "I just wasn't strong enough to do much to him. HOWEVER, Shawn showed up around that point!"

She looked directly at Master. "He rescued us. He was there seconds after it started."

"Obviously he did more than grab her!" August crowed, waving towards Chloe's dusty dress, torn at one shoulder, and her face.

"When Mittens tried to stop him, I fell." Chloe answered, wanting the two of them to just sit back down. She was starting to get worried by how agitated they were. "Really, that's it. I fell in the gravel and Shawn was there a moment later." She started to say something more, to assure them that Shawn had made Chad regret it, but August was already stalking briskly out of the room, heading for the front door.

"Wait! August!" She cried after her, jumping up to try and cut her off. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go down there and cut this fucking creep's ball off!" August barked, slowing her progress only enough to rotate around to face them for a second before completing the circle to continue forward.

"August. Stop!" Master said firmly, using that Dominant tone that, to Chloe, could make a Rhino halt mid-charge. It didn't really have much effect on August though.

"You don't own ME, James!" August called out as she exited the room.

She was to her car before they all managed to catch her, trying to find her keys in her pockets. Sugar reached her before anyone did, grabbing her by the arm, which she immediately ripped out of his grasp. For a second, Chloe was certain that August was about to punch Sugar.

"I have your keys still, dumb-ass." He said softly, shaking a pocket to make it jingle. "You gave them to me, remember?"

"Then give them back." August demanded, stiffly holding out a hand. "I'm going to show this guy that you don't attack women. Tell me you're not thinking the same thought."

When Sugar didn't immediately answer, seemed almost swayed by the point, Chloe began to feel real panic that he might just join her in this foolish idea. "August, please, just listen a minute." She pleaded, tears starting to well up.