The Collaring of Chloe Ch. 29

Chapter 29 -- Broken Eggs

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"I gonna be honest with you, Chloe. I don't think I cans ever properly enjoy an American bagel again. I's a changed kitty. I's gonna have ta import ma bagels an' coffee from Canada!"

Chloe snorted into the phone, which only made her laugh even harder. On the other end, she heard Mittens giggle with her. "And here I thought it would be the syrup." Chloe finally managed.

"Oh, that's great too!" Mittens said enthusiastically. "Especially on the bagels!"

Chloe gave another hearty laugh. "Well, I'm glad it's been such a great experience."

"Yeah, but we's missed you the whole time." Mittens whined. "We's coming back next year and bringing you. Master and me's already done decided. It just hasn't been the same without you."

"I know." Chloe said softly, feeling a tear form in the corner of an eye. "But I'm glad you got to have this time with Master, just you and him. I've missed you both so much too, but I wanted you to have this."

Chloe could almost hear the loving smile through the phone. "Well, I still think it would have been even better with you here. I can't wait to finally be home with you again tomorrow."

"Me either." Chloe said, pulling Mr. Fluffbutt up to her chest to hug as a surrogate for her beloved Mittens. "I expect pictures though!" She added after a moment, with a little chuckle.

"Oh, thems I gots!" Mittens replied. "Though there's no pictures at the event itself, we took lots of great pictures outside of the event and of Canada itself. And I cans show you the new friends we made."

"I'm just glad you're finally coming home." Chloe cooed, stretching out on the bed languidly, the motion producing a little yawn from her. "I've enjoyed serving Mistress Victoria, she's been great, but I keep wishing you two were here with me."

"That's how we've felt." Mittens confirmed. "It's been great, but it would have been better with you."

"I love you both so much." Chloe said softly, feeling more tears welling. "I can't wait to see you both."

"Well, we check out in the morning and our flight should be arriving there around four, so we should be there by five to five-thirty, depending on just how long everything takes with the airport."

Chloe snuggled up to the little stuffed cat, smiling warmly at the idea of seeing her beloved Master and Mittens again. "Well, I should probably go. I'm sure Mistress is waiting on me, probably not patiently. Let me talk to Master again really quick."

"Okie-dokie. Love you, Chloe!"

"Love you, Mittens."

There was a brief moment before Master's voice came back on the line. "I'm guessing you're needing to get back to Victoria?" He asked amusedly.

"Yes, Master." Chloe said. "But I needed to say a proper goodbye to you first."

"I'm glad you've enjoyed your stay with Victoria." He replied softly. "I knew she'd take good care of you and help you feel the way you've been wanting to feel."

"She has Master." Chloe responded. "She's really helped me scratch that need. I'm really grateful for it. I miss your collar and your hands though, Master."

"I've missed my slave very much too." He said, the love in his voice as strong as it was in Mittens'. "We'll see you tomorrow though. You should probably go make sure your current Mistress isn't looking for you though. I'm pretty sure that, by now, I don't have to tell you that she doesn't like to be kept waiting." He gave a little laugh. "I love you, slave."

"She loves her Master." Chloe replied, hearing her voice crack a little with emotion. "Goodbye, Master. I'll see you both tomorrow."

It seemed to take a titanic effort to disconnect the line, as though she were severing some vital connection to life itself. However, she quickly centered herself and cleared her mind to properly serve her Mistress. Setting aside the stuffed animal, she rose from the bed and stretched before turning her attention to what clothes had been lain out for her to put on.

This morning's clothes were fairly understated, a delicate silky white dress that came down to her calves. It was completely opaque, but so supple that it seemed to cling to every curve of her. Though the cut wasn't very revealing, with nothing on beneath it, she still felt her body was subtly on display. Once in the dress and a pair of satin stockings, she took a few moments in the nearby bathroom to groom herself before exiting to go present herself to her Mistress for the day. She'd not been given permission to go upstairs, so she headed down to the first floor to see if Mistress Victoria was down there waiting, probably tapping a boot looking cross.

While Chloe had been given permission to stay on the call for a while, she was pretty sure that she'd been on it much longer than she might should have. It had just been hard to stop hearing the voices of the people she loved so much. If Mistress felt she'd spent too long, she would humbly accept whatever punishment came of it. It would be worth it just to have had that time with them.

To her surprise though, she found no sign of an impatient Domme waiting below. Perhaps Mistress hadn't felt it prudent or polite to impinge on her time with her actual owner, though both she and Master both understood it as part of the role and dynamic of the moment. Still, Victoria wasn't really heartless, as much as she might pretend to be sometimes. Still, now that Chloe was finished with the call, she didn't want to make her wait any more than she had to. Heading down the hallway, she decided to check the kitchenette to see if Mistress was there making breakfast. Or, at least, had left permission to eat breakfast written on the small white-board there.

As she came down the hall to the rear parlor, she could hear someone in the kitchenette cooking and she took a moment to make sure she was in a proper slave posture to best present herself to her Mistress before she entered the nook. However, she found not Mistress Victoria, but someone else fixing a pan of scrambled eggs.

"Oh! Hello, sir." She said politely, bending slightly in reverence to the elder black man standing before her. "Good morning."

"Good morning." He replied kindly in a rich baritone voice. "You must be Chloe. Miss Vic said you'd be down. Her firm called her about one of her cases. Has to straighten a few things out." He gave her an impish grin before adding. "She said you had permission to have breakfast, so I made us some."

"Thank you, sir." Chloe replied with another slight bow to him. "You're Grandfather Clock, right? Is 'sir' okay or would you prefer a different honorific?"

He gave a little chuckle. "How 'bout, right now, you just call me Marty. I'm just here as me, this morning, not as 'Grandfather Clock'."

Chloe blinked a moment, a little surprised. "Um, okay, sir...er, Marty." She gave an awkward smile and drifted over to the small table to sit down, but stopped before she actually sat. "Would you like me to finish cooking that for you, sir?" She asked, feeling even more awkward all of a sudden.

Grandfather Clock was like a legend of the community. Master always spoke of him with deep respect and reverence, as did Mistress. In fact, almost everyone she'd met in the community seemed to regard him that way. She'd seen him in practice herself and understood why. She felt like she was meeting the President of the United States, who'd just invited her to call him by his first name.

"Oh, no." Grandfather Clock replied, waving her to sit. "I love to cook. Just have a seat."

She eased down into the chair, still feeling a little wrong-footed. "Thank you, sir."

"You know, I've been hearing a lot about you." Grandfather Clock said after a moment. "Not just from Miss Vic, but from a lot of people. You're a pretty popular young lady."

Chloe gave a shy little chuckle. "I'd say that's more about Master and Mistress than me, sir. Being both pillars in the community."

"Oh no, I'd say it's very much about you, darling." Grandfather Clock said, flashing that impish grin again. "Apparently, you are a pretty dedicated and well-trained submissive. Which, I guess, is why it's pointless to remind you again to call me 'Marty'?"

Chloe gave him a polite little smile and nod. "Calling you 'sir' feels more respectful."

He shook his head slowly, returning the smile. "Well, I guess I shouldn't argue with politeness. Rare these days to meet someone who really is anymore. Especially in our lifestyle." He began apportioning out scoops of fluffy yellow eggs onto two plates, it smelled delicious.

"It just always felt more right to me to show respect, sir." Chloe replied, inhaling the wonderful scents of breakfast, which were already making her mouth water. "Even before I knew anything about this lifestyle, I think I was already kind of a natural submissive."

Grandfather Clock fixed her with an amused look as he brought the plates over, setting one down in front of her. "Well, as I hear it, you aren't afraid to take a stand when need be." He gave her a sly wink. "Heard about you putting Danny Walker in his place."

Chloe fidgeted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable. "He was... making terrible suggestions about the people I care about." She replied hesitantly. While she honestly had no regrets about what she did, she still felt a little bit embarrassed about the moment. Even in the moment, it had felt wrong to humiliate a Dominant publicly like that, despite the fact that everyone else seems to have applauded her for it.

Well, except for PinWheelSoul, she supposed.

"I know the kind of comments he makes about James." Grandfather Clock said, patting at the air gently to show he held no ill impressions. "I don't really care for his opinion either. James is a good man; honorable. The rest of the community knows it too. Hell, the poise he has dealing with Danny says as much."

Chloe gave him a grateful smile before depositing a forkful of eggs into her mouth. After a moment, her eyes snapped down to the plate of breakfast in amazement. "Wow! These are really good! What is in these?"

The elder Dom gave a hearty laugh. "That's my secret and I'm keeping it." He further foiled any attempts to get the secret out of him by shoveling a load of food into his own mouth.

For a few moments, Chloe just sat, enjoying the fantastic morning meal, relishing each bite after the next. About halfway through her dish, she paused, scrutinizing her companion. "I imagined you being very different in personality."

Grandfather Clock raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, really? Do tell, what had you expected?"

Chloe considered her answer a moment before giving it, realizing that she didn't really know what it was she'd expected, just that it wasn't this. "I don't know, sir." She admitted finally. "It's just that...everyone talks about you as a Dom and a sadist. You are almost like...a celebrity in the community. I watched you in scene myself and... You're amazing. So much control and such a powerful aura of dominance. I guess, I just expected you would be more..."

"Unfriendly?" He fixed her with that impish look again.

She dropped her fork and put her hands up, looking stricken. "Oh, no! No! I don't mean that!"

Grandfather Clock leaned back in his chair laughing and waving at her to calm herself. "Don't worry, I don't take any offense and I know what you're trying to say. I'm really good at projecting that character you see in the dungeon. That's part of the real trick though. That image is where the scene is, not the ropes and toys, but the mindset the submissive gets put into. It's part of what makes the pain into pleasure, that sense of menace disguising an expectation of safety."

Chloe regarded him a moment, picking her fork back up. "So how much of 'Grandfather Clock' is an act, if that's okay to ask, sir?"

"It is okay to ask and, really, in the moment, none of it is and all of it is." He said wistfully. "I enjoy the scenes, enjoy pushing people emotionally and physically. However, believe it or not, most of my life I knew nothing about this lifestyle, nor had any interest to."

Chloe raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? You seem so natural with it. Like someone who has been doing it for...well, their whole life."

"Nope, only the last fifteen or so years." He said, taking another small bite of his eggs and swallowing before going on. "The only reason I even looked into it was because of a patient I had at the time."

Chloe's surprise increased. "You're a doctor?"

Grandfather Clock chuckled. "Well, yeah, but only in that I have a PhD. I'm a psychologist, not a medical doctor. I'd had a number of patients who spoke of BDSM as how they coped with stress or reconciled various things in their life, or just plain because they enjoyed it." He made an absent motion with his fork. "So, I finally decided I should get a better idea of it, to better understand and ensure it was, indeed, something healthy."

"Wow." Chloe whispered, mind soaking that it a moment, before something caught her. "Wait! The night I first saw you in a scene, you were able to recognize that a submissive you were playing with needed to stop, even though she hadn't used a safeword or showed any obvious signs of distress. Is that how you knew? Your training as a psychologist?"

Clock gave a chuckle. "Most certainly doesn't hurt, I'm sure. And, in a lot of ways, yes, my knowledge of psychology has definitely been something I have made use of, but it takes a lot more than just that. A large part of this lifestyle is just keeping yourself open to those you play with, being careful not to forget where the real border lies between the fantasy and the reality."

Chloe looked back to her plate, the words seeming to touch something very personal with her. For her, that border was one she'd been trying to erase lately. After a moment, she made herself look back at him, realizing that, as a psychologist, he was probably unconsciously analyzing her. However, she found him politely with his focus on his breakfast, apparently making an effort not to read her uninvited.

"I guess that's also why Master and Mistress are as good as they are, since they both say you helped mentor them." She put a kind smile her face, determined not to let herself dwell in her inner thoughts at the moment.

Grandfather Clock chuckled. "Well, I did indeed mentor them and teach them a lot of things, but what makes them good as Dominants is themselves, not the things I taught them. Anyone can understand psychology, but not everyone has the respect for others not to abuse whatever advantages they may have over someone else. James and Miss Vic are people who have a lot of honor and integrity. That's what makes them good in their roles. And why you're so good in yours."

Chloe blinked. "Me? I'm just a slave, sir. I do what I'm told."

"Tell Danny Walker that." He said with a laugh.

Chloe blushed, putting her focus back on her eggs. Still, a warm smile quickly grew across her face as she ate, feeling very proud of herself.

"Have you been behaving, slave?" Mistress Victoria's crisp voice made her nearly jump out of her chair. She floundered a moment, mind blanking on if what she needed to do. Her body made a strange jerk, part of it trying to drop to a kneel and part of it trying to stand up to take a proper submissive pose. If not for Clock reaching over to steady her, she'd have fallen out of the chair.

"Did I startle you, slave?" Mistress asked with a chuckle. "Perhaps you were misbehaving?"

"Yes, Mistress!" Chloe quickly answered, then winced. "I mean, no Mistress! I...I mean, I was startled, but not--"

Victoria laughed heartily. "Calm down, Chloe. Just finish your breakfast." She looked at Grandfather Clock, shaking her head bemusedly. "You always have quite the effect on submissives, Martin. I guess it's my fault for leaving her alone with you."

"Oh, we've both been behaving, Vic." Clock retorted good-naturedly. "Just getting to know one another. Though I have to admit, it might be interesting to do a scene with her sometime."

Chloe looked to him. "Really, sir? I would enjoy that."

"Good." He replied. "I'll ask James the next time I see him about it."

Mistress Victoria drifted into a seat. "Well, until tomorrow, she's still under my hand, Marty. I'd be happy to give my blessing if you'd like to run her through some courses. Considering that I only gave her permission to have breakfast, not openly talk."

Chloe's fork clattered to her plate, as she clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. She'd been so caught up in her phone call with Master and Mittens she'd completely forgotten that she had to get permission to talk as much as she had.

"That's my fault, Vic." Grandfather Clock said, waving his hand. "I asked her a lot of questions, that way I do. Pulled her into a conversation."

Victoria have him a dubious look, though still smiled. "Of course." She answered wryly. "Well, I suppose I can let this one slide, considering it's you."

Chloe nodded her thanks to both of them. Though, there was a small part of her that wanted to pout. While she hadn't done it on purpose, a part of her wanted to be punished for failing to remember her rules.

"Well, I think I'm going to let you two have some time alone." Grandfather Clock said. "Thank you, Miss Vic, for letting me stop in to grab some food." He looked to Chloe. "And it was a pleasure to finally meet you, Chloe. I look forward to talking more." He produced a card from an old battered leather wallet, handing it to her.

Taking it, Chloe realized it was a business card, but the name on it made her do a double take. She looked up and only barely managed to stop herself from speaking. He chuckled, seeming to already know what she was going to ask. "Yep, 'Doctor Martin Clock, PhD'." He recited from the card. "And, I'm actually a grandfather, as of six years ago now. Good to meet you, Chloe." He gave a polite nod to Mistress. "Miss Vic. Thanks again. Do you want me to clean up my mess before I go?" He gestured to the used pan.

"No, I'll have my slave wash up once she'd emptied her own plate." Mistress said, rising and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Tell Naomi I said hello."

"I will." He said back, returning the peck. He gave a finally wave to them both and took his exit.

Sliding back into her own chair, Mistress fixed Chloe with a speculative look. "Did you enjoy your, rather long, call?"

Chloe nodded, wincing a little at the note that she'd spent quite a while talking to them.

Mistress took a moment, really looked at her, as though considering something, then leaned forward, her demeanor softening a little. "I wanted to talk to you about something, Chloe. I've been thinking about it for a while and I think I've come to a decision. You have open permission to respond for the moment."

Noting the change in her posture, sensing this was something serious, Chloe pushed away her plate, which was pretty much empty anyway. "Yes, Mistress?" She prompted after a moment.

"This past week and change, I have really enjoyed playing the role of your Mistress and owner." Victoria began, eyes fixed deeply on Chloe's. "I've never had someone so committed to their place as a slave, someone so disciplined in their protocols and mindset." She smiled gently with a deep warmth. "Someone who excited me so much as both a submissive and as a person."

She moved over to take up the seat that Clock had been in, putting her closer to Chloe. "I'd like to think you have enjoyed being my slave?"

"Very much, Mistress." Chloe said fervently. "You have been really great and you've really made me feel like a true slave. I am so grateful that Master let me have this time with you."

"As am I, slave." Victoria said, her voice full of caring. "I've not just helped make you feel like a real slave, you've helped make me feel like a real Mistress. You've made me very happy."