The Collaring of Chloe Ch. 41

The Collaring of Chloe

Chapter 41 - The Last Piece in Place

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"Well, it sounds like everything came out far better than you could have hoped or expected, Chloe." Grandfather Clock gave her a knowing smile as he handed her a cleanly washed platter to dry. His look suggested that he'd had every faith that his two best apprentices would find a way to make everything work out.

Taking the large platter from him, Chloe beamed back her joy with that final arrangement a moment before she began toweling the dish off. "It's so funny to think that, a couple years ago, I would have balked at the idea of even just casually dating more than one person at a time. Now, here I am in a deep relationship with three different people and it feels so natural and easy."

Clock's smile turned a little more philosophical as he removed the stopper from the sink to let it drain. "I'm glad you feel that way, Chloe, but don't forget that all relationships take work and effort, monogamous or poly. There will be times when it won't be so easy."

August sprang quickly into her mind. Not just for the drama that had formed at the end, but her own feelings of guilt almost from the very beginning. While Master and Mittens had been supportive of her exploring something with August, Chloe had always felt like she was doing something wrong whenever she fooled around with her. As though she were being unfaithful.

However, she'd not felt any sort of guilt when she'd been with Mistress. She supposed it was because August had only ever felt like a friend that she was physically attracted to. While she didn't have the same emotional connection with Mistress as she did with Master, there was still a strong emotional connection. Knowing that she would get to spend a couple weeks, or more, every year, completely at her command, felt thrilling and completely acceptable.

"It's already hard to fully understand, Sir." Chloe replied thoughtfully. "And I'm sure that there will be plenty of times when things get complicated, but I think it helps that I've gotten very lucky to have found the people I am with. They make it easier. They are all so good at communicating and understanding. I just hope that I can learn to be as good at it."

Grandfather Clock peered at her a moment, speculatively. "I don't get the impression that you have that much of a problem with saying what's on your mind, Chloe. You actually seem pretty open; from what I've seen."

Putting the dried platter away into a cabinet, Chloe frowned, turning to look at him. "I keep thinking that so much worrying and stressing could have been avoided if I had just spoken to Master from the beginning about Mistress's intentions. I was so wrapped up in my determination to not be allowed a choice that I never took the time to really consider that it wasn't just about what I might want."

She stiffened a moment, feeling as if she'd just been struck by some grand epiphany. She mentally back-stepped to consider her words. "Oh wow. Now that I say that, I realize that I've been so selfish this whole time. I thought I was thinking of others by considering if they would understand my decision or not, but I've approached all of this only really thinking about how I wanted things to be." A rising heat began to fill her face, a sense of shame creeping quickly through her.

Grandfather Clock reached out and put a hand on her arm, a gesture of comfort and support. "There ain't no wrong in seeking what you want, Chloe. I think, in this case, you're being too hard on yourself. Selfish people wouldn't have the kind of loving people around them that you do. Selfish people wouldn't have been so worried about how Vic might feel when you decided that what you wanted was to stay with James. I'm sure they feel the same way."

When she didn't immediately respond, he gently turned her to face him. "I've met a lot of people in my very long life. I have a whole education in understanding people and how the mind works. I've seen bad people and I've seen good people. Without question, you are one of the good people. The reason all of this feels so easy to you is because of how much you care and how thoughtful you really are of the people you care about. Don't you ever doubt that."

She looked up at him, a smile breaking through the sense of having done something wrong. "Thank you, Sir."

After a moment, he pulled her into a warm and fatherly hug. It made her feel as though she had just been absolved of any and all possible sins. Gratefully, she returned the hug and let out a little cough of happy tears. "Thank you so much, Sir. I needed that, I think. It's just been kind of an emotional ride the last few weeks."

"If you ever need to talk about things, Chloe, you just call me. I'm happy to listen and happier to help." He gave her one more squeeze before letting her go. Straightening himself up formally, he gave her a smile and a wink. "Now go find your people, I need to get home to mine."

"Yes Sir." She replied obediently, though her smile was warm and friendly. "Have a great rest of the weekend, Sir."

"You too. Give my regards to everyone and tell Vic that it was a great party, as usual." He made a gesture, as if tipping an invisible hat to her, before taking his leave of the small kitchenette.

She took one more look around, more to stall a moment to compose herself than for any other reason, making sure that everything was properly cleaned up and put away. Almost everyone had taken their leave of the playhouse by this point, only a few, like Grandfather Clock, remaining to help them clean up a little. She'd volunteered to help him clean up the buffet area and wash dishes so she could give him a report on how things had gone.

Master, Mistress, and Mittens were all going about the various dungeon rooms gathering trash and cleaning off any toys or machines that hadn't been properly disinfected and wiped down by whomever had last used them. She wasn't sure who all else was still about helping with the efforts, if anyone else at all. She'd occasionally heard different voices drifting into the kitchenette, but it had been a while since she'd last heard any voice other than hers and Clock's. She hoped that all that was left was just them and the work was finished, as she was eager to finally retire back upstairs with her circle of lovers and climb into bed together.

The thought of the four of them snuggling up together, even if sleep was all that happened, felt like such a perfect end to this amazing night. She'd spent almost the entire rest of the party firmly trussed up and gagged, enjoying every minute of being paraded about by him or her, being played with, sometimes by one, sometimes by both. She was still feeling a little floaty from it all, a part of her likely not coming down out of subspace for days.

She loved them, all three of them. Loved being a part of their lives. She felt so complete now, as though all the little pieces were falling quickly into place. Even her obsession with feeling like a 'real slave' had seemed to have been resolved. She knew now that what made her 'real' wasn't how perfectly she obeyed, but how completely she gave herself to the people who owned her. And that was fully.

Almost as if summoned by that thought, Master entered the little kitchenette, his sleeves rolled up and a bottle of alcohol spray dangling from his left hand. "You all done in here?" He asked, glancing around at the immaculate area.

"Yes, Master." She said brightly, straightening up for him. "And, Grandfather Clock said to tell you goodbye. You just missed him."

"Actually, I saw him as he was going out the door." He replied with a grin, hooking a thumb over his shoulder. "Did you two have a good talk?"

She blushed a little. "Yes, Master. I wanted to tell him all about how things went. I'm not sure why, but I feel like it's just so easy to talk to him about things."

Master gave an amused chuckle. "I imagine it has something to do with the fact that his whole profession is getting people to open up to him."

Chloe opened her mouth, closed it, then laughed, in spite of herself. She hadn't really thought about it like that, but he had a point. She wondered, jokingly, if she would end up receiving a bill for his time listening to her. The thought made her laugh out loud even more, Master quickly joining in.

After a moment, he stepped up closer to her, his expression becoming softer and more warm. "I love you, Chloe Nicole Ryan. I have loved you from the first time we met. I am so happy you have become a part of my and Mittens' life."

Chloe mirrored his expression, looking deep into his beautiful eyes. "I love you too, Master James Brooksend." She paused a moment to chuckle. "I don't actually know your middle name." She started to say something more, but stopped, another thought bursting into her mind. "Wait. How do you know MY middle name? I'm pretty sure I've never mentioned it before. I don't think even Master Heron knew it. Is he who told you?"

Master grinned a little sheepishly. "No, you did. The first time we met."

Chloe thought a moment, trying to remember that first day, sitting there on his sofa in the solarium, discussing things. She felt certain that her full name had never come up. "I don't remember that. I just remember us talking about my responsibilities and expectations."

Master didn't immediately reply, just looked at her a moment, as if weighing something. "Chloe, I think it's time I told you a story. Let's go sit down out in the lounge." He took her hand and began leading her out towards one of the sofas in the social area. She gave no resistance in being led, but her mind was spinning rapidly in confusion.

Once they were seated together, still holding her hands in his, he met her gaze. "The day you first came to my house, came to me as a willing slave, wasn't the first time we'd met. I wasn't sure if you would remember, which you obviously don't, given everything else that was going on at the time. I decided not to mention it due to not wanting to pop the illusion of having been sold to a complete stranger. I suppose, I still was mostly a stranger, even if you had remembered, but I thought you might prefer the fantasy more if I decided not to remind you."

Chloe boggled at what he was saying, shocked at the idea that they had somehow, somewhere, met previous to walking into his house for the first time. She wracked her brain for some scrap of a memory of this supposed first meeting, but could not come up with anything.

"I think you're ready to hear it now though." He said softly, giving her hands a squeeze. "You seem to have settled more into your role and don't need it to be a perfect fantasy anymore. And, I think you should know why it is that I chose to take possession of you and why I instantly refused to give you up to Victoria."

Chloe found herself drawing closer to him, drawn by the flame of mystery and curiosity. She found that she agreed that she might have felt a touch disappointed to learn that he'd not been a complete stranger to her, though she wanted to believe it wouldn't have changed much at all. Now though, the idea that her surprising Master hadn't just chosen her at random, had already known who it was that he was purchasing, seemed to make her feel all the more tied to him, feel even more happy that she belonged to him.

It meant that he'd chosen her knowingly and with intent. It meant that he'd already wanted her to be his before she'd ever realized how much she wanted it too.

"Last year, Papabear and Butterfly had invited Mittens to accompany them to a comic book convention they were attending as vendors. With her gone for a full weekend, I decided to take a trip of my own. I had recently received an offer to purchase some property outside of this area, the previous owner being someone I had met through my dealings here." His eyes unfocused slightly as he began to recall these details, as though sorting through old mental notes.

"I flew out to see him and the property he was looking to sell, as much for something to do as for my own desire to expand into some other area. In the end, I actually did purchase one of the properties he was liquidating, a small factory space that needed some renovating before it could be rented out. I managed to close the deal pretty quickly, leaving me a little time before I left back for home. I had checked around before leaving on what the kink community was like in that region and learned about a local fetish club there that was having a special event.

"The event was being put on as a kind of masquerade ball, so I's bought a face mask and cape that went with a vintage suit I owned. I think that, as much anything, drew me to it, getting to be generally anonymous, both with the mask and being new to that area. It turned out to be a pretty amazing event, bigger than I expected, and it was there that I first met an energetic submissive who was bouncing around from demo to demo, thrilling at every new fetish she was learning about." His eyes refocused back on her.

"You were at the Thorn Marks party in Dunston!" Chloe exclaimed, realization blooming into her mind like a radiant flower. "It was you! You were the Phantom of the Opera guy!"

He chuckled. "It hadn't really been the idea, I had just been shooting for looking mysterious, but when you first mentioned the impression it gave, I found myself getting a bit into it. The masked stranger showing the young and beautiful 'Christine' the delights of the forbidden. I think it added even more sauce for the goose. We walked around the party together for almost two hours, though your attention was much more on the wonders around us than on me." He gave her an amused grin.

"As we went, you did most of the talking, telling me about your own journey into the lifestyle and what all you had already done and seen. I'm not sure if you even noticed how little I was saying or was just happy to have someone who was so obviously listening to what you had to say. In the end, I'm sure you we weren't aware of just how much about yourself you'd told me, including your middle name." He gave her a wink.

"In those hours, listening to you tell me all about your life and your dreams, I fell in love with you." His expression drifted into one of deepest emotion, the love in his eyes so obvious that she could practically feel the beating of his heart through it. "I found myself struggling with so many thoughts and emotions, weighing what I should and should not do. I was far from home and leaving the next day, so there didn't seem much point in pursuing things beyond basic flirtation. However, I knew even then that I wanted you to come be a part of my life with Mittens."

He gently squeezed her hands again. "And so, I told you about my already owning someone, wanting to see how you might react to that news. My hope was that you might be intrigued by the idea, but was also preparing myself for you being repelled by it. However, you seemed far more than simply intrigued."

"It enchanted me." Chloe said for him, feeling suddenly lightheaded and breathless. "The idea of belonging to someone so completely that you were literally owned by them, body and soul, seemed magical and beautiful. After that night, I could think of nothing else for my own future. I became obsessed with the idea."

"Which would have been much more exciting for me, had it appeared that you seemed as interested in me being the one who owned you." Master's eyes gave a little twinkle of amusement. "However, I think I became little more than background once the notion took its hold on you. I convinced myself that it was for the better, given the distance between where we lived. And so, when your friends came to find you, I took my leave."

Chloe eyed him with a wry expression. "More like you vanished into thin air. I remember turning to introduce you to Master Heron and Ellie, but you were just gone without a trace. Ellie spent about a week making jokes about me having made an imaginary friend." She gave a little giggle, the memory returning to her so vividly now that it amazed her that she'd forgotten it all.

It was as if he'd managed to activate some kind of full playback of the whole evening in her head, bringing back the crisp image of the man she'd met in her mind's eye and the enjoyable evening they'd shared. She really had spent their whole time together jabbering on about herself, though not as absently as he seemed to have believed. She had been nervously chattering, as though she had been a jittery teenager trying to talk to her crush.

She'd intended to get some kind of contact information from him before they'd parted, wanting to keep in touch, at the very least, but his sudden disappearing act had squashed that. Only afterwards did she even realize that she'd never gotten so much as his name, mostly due to her having been doing almost all of the talking. Perhaps, that was why she'd all but forgotten about him and his connection to her desire to become a slave.

"I suppose I just figured it would be less awkward." Master said, a suggestion of regret in his voice. "As it was, I actually took my leave of the whole event after that. When I got back home, I talked to Mittens about the experience. Told her about how strong of an impression I'd gotten from you and that you'd made me think about the idea of us becoming a triad. It surprised me just how much she liked the idea."

He grinned inwardly. "Though, Mittens has always been pretty surprising."

Chloe smiled her agreement with that. "I know I've never met anyone like her."

"Nor had I ever met anyone like you either." Master replied, his focus returning back to her. "While Mittens supported the idea of becoming a trio, it was always you that I had wanted to fill that place in our lives. I repeatedly kicked myself for not being more obvious with you about that when I had the chance. For never even trying to get some way to find you again before I 'disappeared into thin air'."

A mischievous smile formed on his face. "And then I saw the name 'Master Heron' pop up on a fetish message board online. I remembered you talking about him as your mentor and I initially checked the post he'd written with the intent of trying to contact you. However, when I saw what his post was about, it felt like kismet stepping in."

Chloe felt like her whole body was vibrating now, chills of absolute joy running up and down her spine. The more she turned it over, the more strongly she felt an immense feeling of wonder and love. Somehow, Master had managed to give her the stranger she'd fantasied about taking possession of her, but also keeping it from being anything but a random connection. He'd already known deeply and well, had already been in love with her, and had already wanted her to belong to him from the first moment of her enslavement to him.

He'd given her the fantasy she craved, all while secretly having the developed connection that normally was expected for their lifestyle dynamic. It was as if he'd always had an invisible net beneath her, ready to catch her, should she fall. All of a sudden, she felt herself fall in love with him all over again and all the more deeply.

"And so you contacted him, without ever telling him that you'd already met me." She said wonderingly. "Confident that you were getting someone that you would want to have and keep."

Master reached up with one of his hands, brushing the back of it along Chloe's cheek. "Confident, but still not really knowing you enough to be certain, admittedly. In some ways, I felt it good for us both to treat the arrangement as two strangers only just meeting. When you obviously didn't recognize me by voice or mannerism, I opted to wait a while before I revealed this last little secret. In a lot of ways, you had honestly changed a lot from the girl I'd originally met, so it wasn't hard to treat you as someone I was just meeting for the first time."