The Gambler

I didn't run the team the next morning, preferring to rest and catch up on a little work. That afternoon, I hitched them up to the drag and ran them at a steady pace for about three miles. Then I stopped to rest by a small pond. I took both girls out of the harness and bridle and allowed them to drink from the pond and cool off in the water while I lay against a tree. After some initial shyness, they started to fool around like kids. I enjoyed watching them play for a while then I stripped off my own clothes and joined them in the water.

They hesitated at first then Ming splashed me a little. I responded by dunking her and the melee was on. We all enjoyed the time and ended up lying together on the grass. Jesse was playful, but reserved. She was obviously still hurt from the rejection of the prior two evenings.

After a while, I rolled Ming to her back and put on her wrist cuffs then I did the same with Jesse. Both girls watched me curiously, but without fear. Then I stood Ming up and positioned her under a horizontal branch belonging to one of the nearby oaks. Attaching the long rein to her wrists, I pulled her arms up until she was on her toes. Jesse sat up on her knees and watched, there was fear in her eyes now, but she didn't say anything.

I fetched the buggy whip from the drag and tossed it at Jesse's feet.

"Whip her until I tell you to stop," I ordered. Jesse looked at me with a confused expression, and then shook her head no. I walked over to Ming and raised her up until she was off the ground.

"You know what this feels like," I said. "Now do as you're told or we can just watch her suffer all afternoon." Ming was beginning to cry out from the pain. She had heard every word.

"Please Jess, Pleaseeeee, my arms..." her breathing was labored even after a few seconds in the air.

Jesse looked at me and said, "Please, Howard, don't make me do this."

I ignored her and sat down on the ground in a comfortable position to watch Ming suffer. After a few second, Jesse picked up the whip and took a position behind her friend. Then she started to softly lash the girl.

"She can stay up there all day if that's what you want. Now lay it into her. I want to see red marks on every inch of her body." I said in a totally serious voice.

"Please, Jess, just do it," Ming screamed in a desperate voice. "You're just making it worse."

Jesse started to apply the whip with moderate force which didn't leave much of a mark. She looked over at me and I shook my head, indicating that it wasn't good enough. She began to whip the girl hard, moving methodically down both sides of her body. I could see that Jesse was shaking after each stroke and each accompanying scream. After a while, Ming grew quiet.

"Stop," I said. Jesse threw the whip to the ground, collapsed and started to cry hysterically. I let Ming down then took her to the pond and gently rubbed cool water over her body.

"I'm sorry," I said. She looked at me with sudden understanding and nodded.

The ride back was slow with Ming straining painfully in her harness. Jesse tried to do most of the work, but the drag was designed to be pulled by a team with an even distribution of work. Ming had to do her share. After a while, I stepped out of the drag and walked alongside. The stable boy looked at me with disapproval when he saw Ming's red-marked body, but he didn't say anything.

I went off to dinner, which was excellent. Surprisingly, I felt little remorse. I guess this is what they mean by a hard heart, I thought.

That evening, I went to the stable and as usual I approached Ming. The boy had applied some soothing lotion to her welts, but it was obvious that she couldn't really be touched that evening. I took her off the wall and gently laid her on the stall's one blanket. She curled up and went immediately to sleep. I untied Jesse, apparently my second choice, and led her off to my room.

Once we were in the room, I strapped Jesse to the horse. She looked magnificent stretched out over the frame. She watched me as I tied her head in place, but I didn't look her in the eyes. Then I closed the lights and went to bed. The only light was from a low fire that I had left burning.

We both lay awake in the darkness. I could hear movement and a gentle crying from the horse.

Softly, I heard her whisper something. It was so soft that I had to strain to hear it. It was as if it was coming from inside her. "Please love me, Master." She was repeating it over and over, like a prayer.

I got up and stood in front of her. I was naked and my penis was at exactly the same level as her mouth. She could lift her head a bit to look up into my face.

"Do you accept me as your Master?" I said in a low voice.

"No," she replied. "I don't need to accept you. You are my Master." It was said simply and it just felt like the truth. I moved my cock closer to her mouth. She stretched her head and was just able to lick the tip. After a few seconds of this, I stepped forward and pushed my cock down her throat. She embraced it as if it were a missing part of her own body. I started to fuck her hard. I could see her moving in rhythm with my thrusts. She came when I came and there were tears in her eyes. I un-strapped her from the horse and we slept in each other's arms until morning when we make sweet love in the bed. I returned her to the stable and went to breakfast.

That day was an easy one for the team and once again we all enjoyed the pond. Both girls were a little nervous that there would be a repeat of yesterday's unprovoked punishment, but that was good. I preferred a little tension mixed in with our fun.

The next morning, Jesse said her tearful goodbyes to Ming and we drove home.

XIII

Our time at Bitter Wells defined our relationship.

Jesse moved into my bedroom, maintaining hers as "private space" which I respected. She has also gone back to school under the guise of being my live-in girlfriend. Not that I'm concerned anymore about making her status as a CELT public. In fact, I still can't believe that that was once my highest priority. Jesse's just more comfortable keeping that part of our lives private.

We have our times of tender love as well as our times of bondage and pain. In between is an easy friendship. It's not the friendship of friends—that is, equals, sharing common experience; it's the friendship of lovers—a kind of constant non-sexual intercourse where one of us is naturally subordinate to the other. Jesse seems to thrive in it. I don't know why exactly; I just know that she does.

Maybe it's what she said; this kind of relationship is a complex soup of emotions. All I know is that it's beyond ordinary love, way beyond. If you can imagine!

Her contract ends in six months. I'm saving my money.

The End