The Collaring of Chloe Ch. 31

The Collaring of Chloe

Chapter 31 -- A Turbulent August

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"How was Canada?" August asked as soon as Chloe was out of the Pontiac, the question obviously aimed only at her, but it was Mittens who answered.

"I discovered Tim Hortons!" She replied jubilantly, moving to the car's trunk to meet Master. "And learned that Canada makes superior doughnuts." She gave a sage-like nod, as though imparting something of deep insight.

August gave a small, forced-sounding, chuckle. "Well, good to know." She focused her attention on Chloe, who had come up to her now. "What about you, Chloe? How did you like...'Canada'?" There was no mistaking the way she asked the final question, as well as the gravity in her eyes, that she already knew that Chloe had not been to Canada.

For a moment, Chloe wasn't fully sure how to respond, knowing that she had some explaining to do. While she had told August about the trip to Canada, she'd not explained that she wouldn't be going along. As Master had predicted, August had called to apologize the day after Mittens' second birthday party, citing that occasion as the only reason she'd not called before then. She had blamed the alcohol for most of her less flattering behavior, referring to herself as a 'mean drunk'.

Chloe had comforted her, accepting the apology graciously and letting her know she didn't see August as 'mean'. In return, she apologized if she'd hurt August's feelings at all during the first birthday party, not really elaborating on how she assumed she'd done that. August had waved away that, claiming that any perceived hurt was just her being drunk. Her voice had been as plastic as the smile she now wore.

Though the phone call had seemingly patched things up, Chloe hadn't seen August in person since she'd left their house the night of the Naughty Molly's party. August had seemed to recognize it best to give Chloe a few days of space, despite things seeming to have been resolved, letting almost a week pass before calling back up to ask if Chloe wanted to get together. However, by then, they were all preparing for the Canada trip, which Chloe had found a welcome excuse to further hold off getting together.

"There's just a lot of chaos here right now with preparations." Chloe had said. "I hope you understand. After the trip, we'll get together, I promise." She'd decided that she needed to really examine things with August and then have a long talk. She'd hoped that her time with Mistress would allow her to really reflect on things, not that she'd thought about August even once in the last week and a half. Which said something all on its own.

"I understand." August had responded, disappointment obvious in her tone. "How long did you say you would be in Canada?"

"The convention is a whole week." Chloe had said evasively. "Added to that a couple days for flying in and back again. I'll just call you once we're all back home again." She had been careful not to ever directly claim that she was going to Canada with them, but something had made her not want to get into the fact that she being left behind. She had rationalized it, then, as needing the time to really work through things and feared that August might try to press meeting up before she had, if she knew Chloe was still in the area.

"Wow. So, it's going to be a pretty long time before I get to see you again." August's voice sounded even more disappointed. "We could at least grab some coffee or something for an hour. Just to see each other before you go?"

"Maybe." Chloe had conceded after a moment's hesitation. "I'll let you know." She's added somewhat lamely. The truth was, she didn't want to have to spend a whole hour trying to dodge around not telling August she wasn't going to be in Canada without directly lying to her. "If not, I promise we'll get together as soon as I get back."

It seemed as though August had wanted to make sure she kept that promise exactly as phrased. Standing now in front of her, Chloe wasn't sure how to finally admit where she'd actually been the last nine days or why she'd not told August about it. She felt guilty, recognizing that, really, she'd lied to her anyway, knowingly letting her think the wrong thing.

"August, I--" She sighed, thinking it best to just rip it off like a band-aid.

"Didn't go to Canada." August finished wryly, her feigned smile tightening. "I know."

Chloe exhaled, faltering, unsure how to reply. August looked past her a moment, to where Master and Mittens were gathering up groceries. When her gaze came back, her taunt expression softened, seeing regret in Chloe's face.

"I'm not mad. Not really." She said in a resigned tone, folding her arms in front of her. "Though I am curious why you didn't tell me. I thought we were okay." Despite her claim not to angry, her posture and the hard set to her eyes suggested that wasn't exactly tru.. She was definitely upset, trying to hide it or not.

"I just needed a little space." Chloe breathed, feeling an anxious jitter pass through her. She felt terrible now, resenting her decision not to be more honest to begin with. "I really am sorry. I should have..."

"It's done." August said dismissively with a slight shrug. "I am a little hurt, but it's okay. Though I wish you'd at least let me know what it was you were doing."

"Sorry." Chloe responded lowly.

"Again, it's...it's okay."

Behind her, she could hear the sound of Master and Mittens entering the house, could imagine them both stealing glances towards her, making sure she didn't need back-up. In the end, this was something she had to do herself, even if she wanted nothing more than to be going into the house with them.

"So, how did you find out I wasn't in Canada?" Chloe asked, trying to sound casual.

"I called James, wanting to talk to you, and he gave this whole run around. It got me a bit upset that he wouldn't let you call me back, just kept saying he'd have you get a hold of me after the trip." August began, her hands suddenly seeming like awkward things that she didn't know what to do with. After a moment, she shoved them into pockets.

"I may have said a few rude things." She admitted. "It just really felt like he was being...I don't know, unreasonable or overpossessive, maybe? Of course, I realize now that it's because you weren't with him, but after he hung up on me, I was convinced it was because he was trying to keep me from seeing you or something."

She absently walked a pace or two away to the side, seeming like she was trying to restrain any inclination for her anger to rise up. "I went to Papa and Butterfly's shop the next day, I guess just to talk shit about it, really. I was pretty worked up by then, actually. It was Butterfly who told me about you not going with them so that it could be just them." She turned to look back at Chloe.

"I wasn't sure how to feel about it then. On one hand, I felt bad for bawling out James for not putting you on the line, but I was also upset that you'd lied to me and he'd helped cover for that lie." She inhaled audibly through her nose, arms crossing up in front of her guardedly again, and looking off into the garage at nothing. She was struggling to keep her feelings calm, Chloe could tell, probably believing that all this was about her losing her temper over what had happened with Chad.

"I really am sorry about that." Chloe said gently, apologetically. "In my head, I rationalized it as not lying because I never actually said that I was going to Canada. I know it's a lame excuse though. You're right, it still amounted to me lying to you. I just...I..."

"Needed some space." August said. "I remember. I just wish you would've talked to me about whatever was making you need that space instead of running away."

"I planned to." Chloe assured her. "It was just not really a good time before the trip and I wasn't really allowed to contact anybody while I was with Mistress Victoria."

August's gaze flicked back to take in Chloe, brow furrowing a little in surprise. "Wasn't allowed?"

Chloe felt a heavy sensation creep over her, a strange sense of foreboding. She almost decided to change the subject, but felt she owed it to August to be forthright now. "Master temporarily transferred ownership of me to Mistress Victoria to take care of and serve while they were in Canada. She is a much sterner owner and I was given a lot of restrictions to hold to. I was only even allowed to talk to Master once during the whole time."

"He 'transferred ownership' of you?" August asked, sounding a little uncertain she was understanding correctly. "Are you saying he gave you away?" She peered at Chloe with a deeply dubious look.

"More like a kind of loan than giving me away." Chloe corrected her. "However, during the time I officially belonged to her and was bound to whatever rules she decided to set."

For a long moment, August just absorbed this, then asked. "Did she treat you alright?"

"She treated me...the way I wanted to be treated." Chloe replied, her eyes lowering a little, unsure how to explain that what she wanted was to not have been treated kindly. That she had sometimes wished that Mistress had been even less gentle with some things, pushed her even further out of her comfort zones.

August, however, seemed to be tired of evasive answers. "What is that supposed to mean?" She said a bit tartly, though she quickly composed herself and held up a hand to forestall a response from Chloe. "Sorry. I just feel like you're still shutting me out." She moved up to Chloe, taking hold of her hands softly. "I feel like I'm losing you, Chloe."

Chloe stood there for a moment, searching for words, eyes cast down at their hands. "I'm trying to work through some things, August. Not just 'me and you' things, but a lot of things. I really am sorry."

"So, you are shutting me out." August half-whispered. "Can you, at least, tell me what I did wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong." Chloe looked up to meet her eyes. "Really. I just think you are wanting something more from us that I do."

Again, August's brows furrowed, this time with concern. "You don't think I'm okay with sharing you? Is that it? I know I've lashed out a little James a couple of times, but I am okay with you wanting to be his submissive. I'm really not happy that I'm only now hearing that he just loaned you to someone I don't know without asking me, admittedly."

This time it was Chloe's turn to look dubiously. "Without asking you? August, he's my owner, he has the right to do whatever he wants with me."

August frowned. "Chloe, I get the whole 'slave-play' thing, but there is a difference between that and not taking a moment to let your girlfriend know that he's pawning you off on dominatrix for a week."

Chloe took a step back abruptly. "Mistress Victoria is NOT a 'dominatrix'. And I'm not your girlfriend, August. That's what I mean by you wanting something more than I do. I...I'm not in love with you, August." She closed her eyes, wincing at her own sharpness. Having her commitment to her role referred to as 'slave-play' had stung more than it should have. This was not how she wanted to do this, not how she wanted to have this talk.

"What am I to you then?" August asked, her voice sounding almost too neutral, almost mechanical.

"I...I don't know." Chloe said exasperatedly. "That's why I needed the space. I don't really know what we are. For a while, I thought we were just friends, playing around. You seemed interested in the lifestyle, or comfortable around it at least, and I was...I was exploring. Ultimately, I am a slave who belongs to her Master and that's what I want to be. An obedient slave is who I want to be."

August turned away stiffly, walking a few steps off. Chloe instinctively reached out a hand, but let her put the physical distance between them. "I wanted to be able to sit down with you, to discuss this more tactfully. Maybe work through it together. August, I...I DO like you. A lot."

"But, just as a friend." August said to the wall. "Just someone you can get the occasional 'vanilla fuck' from, in other words?"

"August..." Chloe began, but couldn't find any other words to say. The truth was, in the beginning, she had been nothing more than just an experiment. Chloe had not expected this to ever go past just that original flirtation, maybe a single date together. It had grown into something far more complicated, mostly because of how easily August seemed to have just slipped into her life. She'd kept expecting August to simply move on, but she hadn't. By the time Chloe understood why, it had become too late and she cared enough for August to not want to hurt her.

"Get on your knees."

The command was spoken evenly and calmly, but firm. August's posture had become suddenly very straight and formal. She turned around to face Chloe, expression imperious, all signs of any softness or plastic amiability gone. "Get on your knees." She repeated, a little more force behind the words, hands slipping behind her back in a distinctly dominant way.

For a long moment, Chloe wasn't sure how to react. Off balance mentally, she did as she was told without really meaning to, her disciplined responses taking over while her mind tried to make out what was happening. "August, what are--"

"You will call me 'Ma'am' while on your knees, slave." August retorted, cutting her off crisply, though still with poise and calm. The presence of dominance that she projected was a little surprising, showing a confidence in the role that often came with far more experience than Chloe knew she actually had.

"Yes, Ma'am." She replied back respectfully. Though she was feeling very uncomfortable with this moment, she hoped that falling back on her obedient nature might help to calm things. Her mind swirled with trying to anticipate what August was trying to achieve here, hoping that she simply needed to feel more in control for bit. Allowing her this might be a way to assuage whatever hurt she'd inflicted on August. Inwardly, she decided to let August play this out, perform whatever act of penance August felt she was owed.

Within reason, at least.

"Is this better, slave?" August asked, looking down at her. "This the only way you can feel connected to someone? By being at their mercy?" She reached down with a hand and combed her fingers into Chloe's copper locks, turning the hand to wrap the hair across her palm and gently pull. Chloe tilted her head with the force, cocking it back and slightly to one side.

"I can treat you...however you want to be treated." August said to her, eyes hard and cold. "You want to be a slave? What if I just claim you, right here and now? I can be your Mistress." She brushed the side of Chloe's cheek with her other hand, ran her thumb across her lips.

For a moment, Chloe warred with herself internally, trying to decide how to react, even simply answer. Had August tried doing something this before, introducing it at some point when they were playing together, Chloe would have had no issue with letting her play with the role. August seemed a pretty natural Domme and it might well have changed a few things. Or just made everything more complicated. In this moment, though, it felt much too wrong, almost dangerous to let go on. Probably more so for August than for Chloe.

Closing her eyes, feeling deeply sorrowful, Chloe said simply. "Sunflower."

It took a moment for the word to fully register on August, but when it did, she instantly let go of Chloe's hair and staggered backwards, looking truly hurt. Tears welled up in her eyes a moment before she turned away and let out a pained sob. Chloe too felt hot tears escaping, running down her face like raindrops. She remained on her knees, head still cocked back, despite the release of pressure. Deep inside, she felt relief that August had not only recognized her safeword, but also respected what it meant.

A large part of her hated herself for using it, the same part that had felt a wicked note of excitement at August trying assert herself and would have enjoyed giving this to her. In the end, she'd used the word not because of her own distress, but because she knew letting August do this would have only made things worse and more confusing for her.

Slowly standing back up, Chloe gave August a moment, listening to her lament cry itself out. This had been the last thing she'd wanted. Had she simply had the courage to take that cup of coffee, try to explain things on her terms, compassionately, maybe they could have found a way forward together. After a minute, she finally made herself speak. "I am so sorry, August."

August gave a sharp cough and seemed to quickly rally a little, turning around. She looked a mess, her make-up running, eyes red, face flushed. What was worse was the distress that was painted all into her features. She took in Chloe with bloodshot eyes that seemed filled more with a sense of betrayal than tears. "I can't believe you can love a man that sees you as nothing but a possession, something that can be 'loaned out', but can't love someone who sees you as an actual human being and just wants to protect you."

Chloe flinched at the distinct note of venom in the words, closed her eyes again, still feeling a steady stream of tears trickling down her own face. "I am his possession, August. I belong to him."

"You are not a slave, Chloe!" August shouted at her. "He doesn't actually own you! It's just role-play!"

"It isn't play, August." Chloe replied slowly. "I want to be a slave and I want to be owned. He bought me and he owns me and...and he has the right to sell me or loan me to anyone he wants to."

"That isn't love, Chloe!" August cried. "If he honestly sees you as just something he can sell or rent out, like some piece of property, then he doesn't love you at all."

"You're wrong."

"My God! You are deluded!" August stepped up to her so fast that Chloe nearly fell over from the instinct to retreat away. "You are God-damned insane. You really believe all this crap about being a slave. You do realize that Mittens isn't actually a fucking cat, right?"

Chloe felt something inside her click into place and a strange, detached composure flooded through her. "I'm sorry, 'Ma'am', but she is more a cat to me than you will ever be my girlfriend or my Mistress."

August slapped her across the face hard enough to make her stagger a step. The sound of the door leading into the garage opening trailed it so immediately after that the two sounds nearly blended together. Chloe turned quickly and held out a hand towards where Mittens was already a half dozen steps along. "I'm okay! It's okay." She said to her beloved.

She glanced back towards August, saw she had stalked away now, composing herself bitterly. While Chloe was grateful to know Mittens cared enough to be keeping watch, in case she needed her, she really didn't need the already tense situation getting tenser. When she saw Master come into the door frame a few moments later, apparently alerted by Mittens' sudden exit into the garage. His expression was wary, obviously protective, but after a moment, he looked to Chloe, eyes softly and silently asking if she needed him. Just as silently, she reassured him that she needed to handle this herself.

"Mittens. Here girl." He said, though his gaze was on August, still wary and concerned. "Leave them their privacy."

The loyal cat-girl obviously wasn't keen on going back inside and aimed an angry feline sound at August that sounded so realistic that it made Chloe's skin crawl. However, she reluctantly obeyed Master, returning inside. Before she disappeared through the door, she gave a quick little hiss.

"You and her are both insane." August sighed, though it sounded like her outrage had played itself out. "And he's a misogynist, if you ask me."