The Neglected

"No, Mistress."

"Your climax would please me," Mistress said. Softly her fingers opened me, probing and widening my sex. I sucked in my breath. I would use this guilt. So much love.

Another set of fingers, my Master's, followed Mistress' trail. Master stopped at my puckered anus. He teased it with his oily finger, poking gently and exciting me in ways I did not expect.

"A climax would please me as well," Master whispered. I heard two lips meet behind me. An engaged couple colluding for their slaves pleasure. Fingers were exploring my nether regions as they expressed their love to each other.

"I will please you both," I breathed. My center was tensing as I selfishly accepted all that they chose to give me. Mistress found my bud and circled it gently. It bordered on ticklish and drove me toward the climax they so desired. My body shivered at the attention.

Mistress was kissing my neck when Master's finger slipped easily into my anus. I gasped at the new pleasure. It was so different and very desirable. His slow movements, the in and out, sent small balls of pleasure coursing to my genitals, joining my Mistress's manipulations. I was in a new world, one where I was pleasured and needed not to think at all.

"Cum for me, my sweet," Mistress whispered, her fingers probed deep though one remained to tease my taut bud.

"Now, Angel," Master commanded. He added another finger to his dark oiled probings. I breathed deep, accepting his intrusion. He nibbled on my shoulder with his proud lips. I melted into the bed, and Mistress' tongue found my ear. I was not loud when I lost control of my body. Fingers kept moving, finding new surfaces to tease as I rode my tender orgasm longer than any other before it. My moan was muffled in the pillow as my sensual tormentors giggled at what they had done. I heard more kissing and relished that I was the cause of it.

"No, my sweet," Mistress said when I tried to rise, "you will stay between us." I sunk back into the pillow.

"Tonight you are safe," Master added tenderly, "no worries and only sweet dreams." Never had I felt so calm. Tomorrow, I would remember that I wasn't worth such consideration, but that night, I let my greed dictate my desires. I slept with more comfort than I deserved.

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A particularly difficult piece of black crud had lodged itself in the corner of the bedroom. My broom wrestled with it, trying to dislodge it from under the baseboard. Master had become more concerned with cleanliness since he had become engaged. Mistress was usually impressed with my dedication and made time to compliment my work. Once in awhile, I would test my Mistress and leave a small pile of dust in the center of the room. I loved the glow in her eyes when she would see it. She had become most skilled with correcting me, showing her love by heating my bottom and ignoring my pleading apologies.

Master would watch my punishment with great happiness. It pleased him to see Mistress take to me. It pleased him to see me try and hide my smile in the tears. Sometimes he would lend his strength when it looked like Mistress was tiring.

After the first time, Mistress had added a leather covering to my paddle. She was concerned with the welts the bare wood left. I was concerned for my attitude. The leather seemed more pillow than punishment. Alas, it was no less painful and protected my skin well. I recovered more quickly which pleased both Master and I. I could be paddled more often.

Mistress also introduced a new punishment. Little bouts of jealousy would still clutter my thoughts, usually when they kissed and laughed at something that did not include me. Sharing Master, even with a strict Mistress, was ever difficult. When I would forget my place and intrude on their intimacy, Mistress would frown and point to the end of the bed. There I would be shackled, standing on my tiptoes, between the two tall posts. My feet spread by fetters on the floor. My nakedness exposed with no control over my modesty. The manacles were well padded, but my arms would ache, and my shame showed so deliciously. They would tease me off and on for an hour, a paddle here, a caress there, always keeping me in need of them. I would be released repentant and very wet.

There would be no pile of dust in the center of the floor tonight. Mistress had become out of sorts as the wedding neared. At first, I thought it was apprehension, but lately, when Master wasn't watching, I saw fear in her eyes. Anger I could dissipate. Fear I didn't understand. I felt it necessary to be perfect in every way. I was her pleasure and right now she needed my perfection.

I heard some arguing in the hall. Mistress was yelling at the housemaid who cleaned all but the bedroom. I quickly gave up on the broom and used my fingernail to pry loose the piece of napkin, black with coffee, that had caught in the corner. I disposed of it and stowed the broom. When mistress entered, I was kneeling in the middle of the perfectly cleaned room, my eyes down as I awaited her pleasure. I was startled when the door slammed, and a frustrated sigh left Mistress' lips.

I waited, but Mistress never approached. It was her sob that made me raise my eyes. Her hand covered her mouth, and deeply red eyes were tearing. I dropped prone, total supplication. I feared what I saw in her eyes. The way they looked at me. I was somehow the cause of her misery.

"Please, Mistress," I pleaded as her distress filled me, "I am not worthy of tears. I will be better. You can make me better." I prayed silently that the paddle would fix us.

In the middle of the sobs, I heard "Rumpelstiltskin." Mistress had never said the word. Master hadn't used it since the night they played Jackolink. "Rumpelstiltskin," she said clearer. I was shaking when I rose from the floor. Lucinda was in my arms before my head was up. I was horrified.

"I should never have said yes," Lucinda cried. She buried her head in my naked shoulder as I stiffly held her. I was a slave, not a friend. I didn't know how to be a friend.

"I don't know what to do," I admitted quietly. Lucinda held me tighter. I did the same, hating the confusion that clouded my thoughts.

"He will not love me," Lucinda sobbed. I could feel her whole body shaking. I gripped her harder, desperately looking for words to soothe her.

"He will love you," I said with no confidence. Reginald loved Lucinda. If he did not, he would not have shared me with her. She pushed away and turned her back to me.

"I cannot be like you," Lucinda said. Her head dropped to the floor. "I cannot submit; I must be loved."

"I am loved!" I yelled, defending myself, my life, everything. I wanted to be on my knees. I wanted to stop thinking. Lucinda turned back with the pain in her eyes.

"I didn't...that's not what I meant," Lucinda said. She reached out her hands. I refused to take them. I hated everything about the conversation. "Please, Angel. I didn't mean you weren't loved. It is the way you are loved that I cannot do."

"Love is love," I said, softly this time. Lucinda was making everything complicated. She moved closer to me and put her hand on the side of my face. I leaned into it, a moment of release from the turmoil.

"You are loved dearly," Lucinda said, "It is I who will not measure up." I grabbed her hand and kept it to my face. I felt safer that way. I wanted her to tell me what she wanted.

"I don't understand," I said, looking into her sore eyes.

"He uses you," Lucinda said clearly, "I have used you," she added softly.

"Yes," I smiled. She pulled her hand back quickly. More confusion.

"I can not be used by Reginald," Lucinda said, "I would hate it and resent him. He will hate that I won't submit." My eyes widened. I had not thought about Reginald's desires with Lucinda. I was their pleasure. I didn't want to be responsible for them enjoying each other.

"He enjoys taking you," Lucinda continued, "the more force, the greater his smile. I cannot, I will not allow myself to pummeled. I long for tenderness."

"Why would he not do this?" I asked. He had me for his pleasure. Would he not treat his wife as she wished?

"He is a man," Lucinda said, "you have shown him his rutting desires. It makes him a king, and I wish him to be a loving boy. I will not excite him. My virginal flower will pale and wilt in his eyes. Your face, your yielding, will ever be in his mind."

"I can teach you," I said, not understanding. To this, she laughed. I hated not being a slave. I stepped back in fear. I was losing my Mistress. I wondered if my Master would follow her. She has royal loins. Breeding that far outweighed anything I could offer. I bit my lip and dropped away, down to my knees. I wanted her to stop. My eyes found the floor, and I tried to forget.

"Angel!" Mistress said. I raised my eyes in obedience. Her face held more fear than mine. She dropped to her knees in front of me. I stilled myself as she cradled my face in her hands. "Don't go away, not yet," she pleaded.

"I can't think, Mistress," I said, trying to cover my distress. I wanted to get the paddle. I wanted to be strapped to the bed. I wanted the confusion to go away. Mistress smiled. It warmed me.

"I have gone too far," Mistress soothed. The paddle would be better. She leaned forward and tenderly kissed my left eyelid. She repeated on the right. It was so soft; I almost thought her disinterested. A kiss found my nose, then softly on both cheeks. When she lightly graced my lips with hers, a shiver ran through my body.

"Kiss me," Mistress said, "softly, very softly."

I did as Mistress bid. I was glad she had decided to take her pleasure and leave me out of the maelstrom of her thoughts. Our lips softly caressed together. It was a different pleasure than I desired, but it wasn't unwelcome. She teased me with her tongue, soft passionate licks that held no power. They tickled, and I sensed her joy in our play. I mirrored her teasing licks as her fingers softly combed into my hair.

"Do you see?" Mistress sighed. I was about to tell her that if it pleased her, it pleased me. Then longing hit. The desire for the softness to continue. She had shared herself. Her fears were real.

"Master moves faster," I said, nodding my head. I leaned closer, and Mistress giggled when I kissed her with the same sharing she had taught me. It was not the driving thing that soaked my desires. It was slow and held meaning beyond pleasure.

Laughing, Lucinda rose, lifting me by my willing hands. We stood and shared for another brief moment. It made things less confusing though solutions were not ready at hand.

"Why would he not like that?" I asked.

"Reginald only knows you," Lucinda said, "you are a temptress of unequaled skill." I smiled at her words. I could always build desire in Reginald, even when he only wanted sleep. I was his pleasure.

"I have seen him kissing you," I observed, "it is tender and without need." I let the jealousy I felt fade. It was not the time.

"I fear his need when I am no longer bound by chasity," Lucinda said, "once I wear the ring, I am bound to him. He will see no more need to woo me."

"You think I have ruined him," I said, feeling my eyes swell. I was always the Prince's pleasure. I never thought I did any harm. If anything, I made him stronger.

"No, my Angel," Lucinda said softly, "it is I who is the problem, not you. I will be dull to him after his time with you." She turned away from me, and I saw her head drop. "I fear the pain. He will use me thinking it is what I need, what is expected. I don't want to conceive my children in tears." She turned back and I could see her eyes filling again. "I heard him a week past. He was drinking with the men and boasting of how he will take me. He did not know my ears were near." She shook her head. "The words he used...and how they all cheered him on." Her hands covered her face as her sobs returned.

For the second time since I had taken the knee for my Master, I thought less of him. It was a horrible thought. I did not know why Mistress didn't like to be driven, the helplessness was what made it exciting. That Master didn't see it, that Master talked to others about how it will be, angered me. Then worse thoughts came. Mistress would leave, Master would blame me. My King and Queen will force my Prince to send me away. My Prince may desire to send me away. A pain in my temples formed and pierced deep into my head. I dropped to my knees and tried to rub it away with my palms.

"Angel, my sweet," Mistress cooed and dropped to her knees as well, "this will not be on you. I needed to tell someone, and only you could understand. Reginald will need you if I fail him." The headache increased and I erupted.

"He will throw me out!" I screamed, "I serve at his pleasure, and that of the King and Queen. You think I am some kind of fool." The pain increased, and my vision clouded. "I know my value, and it is nothing if it damages the crown." The hammer that bounced in my head was too much. I grabbed my hair and tried to bang it away on the floor.

Mistress grabbed me and pulled me to her breast, her tears matching mine. She pulled me up and brought me to the bed. How she cried when she took the paddle. Each blessed strike knocked the disturbed thoughts from my mind. I moved to meet the paddle faster, timing my movements to increase the effectiveness. Through it all, Mistress was in tears. In time, she collapsed next to me.

My mind had calmed, back to where it should be. Mistress had corrected the thoughts and punished me for my outburst. Everything was right again.

Mistress buried her face in the pillow. I went to my knees, pushing my sore behind into my heels. The burning surged through me, clearing my mind of useless thoughts. A decision, the type I rarely make, became known to me. I asked for nothing, indeed wanted nothing but to be of service. Tonight, it would be my way. I would be bad.

"Mistress, you must not be here tonight," I said as the calmness fully settled. The floor became most interesting to my eyes. I saw a speck, dust from Mistress' shoes most like. I had the desire to point it out, detail my failing and accept my chastisement. I let the feeling pass.

"You must not tell Reginald," Mistress said. Her eyes were wide with fear. I found it strange that she would fear his knowledge and chose to suffer instead. No matter, tonight I would disobey. My eyes found the French doors that lead to the balcony. I smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The room was perfection. I had made it so with my nervous energy. There was nothing out of place. I had washed and perfumed myself to perfection as well. I painted my lips and added oil to make them more desirable. I spread rouge around my nipples, making them stand out proudly. I combed my hair fastidiously until it was soft as silk and each strand lay where desired. I stole, from my Mistress, a light blue powder to decorate my eyes. The slave in the mirror looked womanly, freer, more independent. I would suffer with it tonight.

Master found me kneeling in the center of the room. I could feel his eyes studying me, trying to discern the changes. I could see his shoes, moving this way and that, almost stuttering in their own way.

"Where is Lucinda?" Master asked.

"She will not be here tonight, Master," I said. My eyes still down.

"You seem...changed."

I almost smiled at how Master said the words. So much confusion in the statement. I took a deep breath and stood without it being requested. My eyes, emboldened, found his. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion and anger.

"Angel!"

"I ask a boon," I said, then gritted my teeth, "no, I demand a boon. One, my Prince, for now and forever, just one." I straightened my shoulders and forced my eyes to remain strong. My heart was speeding greatly.

Master moved forward in anger. I matched his steps, moving backward toward the balcony. The doors were open to the fresh night sky. He slowed in confusion, and I slowed as well.

"Angel!" Master said, pointing to the floor. I ignored the command. Sometimes I would be slow so that I could be corrected, but this time, I stood firm. He took a step closer. I took another that brought me to the threshold of the balcony. He stopped, and worry entered his eyes.

"One boon, Master," I repeated. He reached out, and I retreated to the railing. He gasped and took a step backward. I stayed where I was. I heard a guard call out. A naked woman leaning on the railing was not something one saw in the Prince's quarters.

"Come away from there," Master demanded.

"A boon," I demanded in return. I leaned back further. I wondered if I would feel the stone steps three stories below. If I landed right, the pain would not precede my death. Master showed fear as he took another step backward.

"What...what do you wish?" Master stammered. I closed my eyes and fought the revulsion at seeing him weakened.

"One hour, Master," I said as I had practiced, "I want you to submit for one hour."

"You would take a paddle to the Prince?" Master returned angrily. He moved forward as his strength returned. I almost fell as my leaning increased. He stopped and sucked in his breath.

"The paddle was not my intent," I said, "but for one hour, if I demand it, you would take it." The confusion in his face was apparent. I knew his mind, and he was trying to find an advantage. Somehow turn this around.

"And if I don't?"

"You will lose me," I said. My ultimatum were the scariest words I have ever uttered. For all I knew, he thought me replaceable. Maybe he had already been contemplating my leaving. The wedding would be the excuse he needed. Plunging over the balcony would be nothing compared to his finding me useless.

"You would leave me?"

"I will leave you this moment," I said, casting my eyes to the ground so far below. It made me dizzy to look down so far. When I looked back, I saw something I did not expect. My Master on his knees. His eyes were not down, but his knees were on the ground. A prince was kneeling to me. My heart jumped with the love he showed.

"I do not wish you dead," Reginald whispered, "I do not wish you gone. I give you your hour, and I will take it out on you later." His head bowed, his eyes finding the floor. I smiled and moved back into the room. I closed the doors, half expecting him to leap up and take me when my back was turned. His words were true and he would honor them. My sex heated thinking of the punishments that would be owed to me.

I left him there on the floor as I dressed. I couldn't remember the last time I dressed. I donned a robe now and again when modesty was needed for the household staff. A blouse and a skirt, minus petticoats, were all I put on this time. I only had an hour and underclothes would cost too much.

"Rise, my Prince," I said softly. It didn't feel right to order Reginald. He stood slowly, the way I did when I wanted the paddle. I ignored his slowness when I saw the anger brewing in him. He towered above me, but it was easy enough to tilt my head.

"Kiss me," I ordered. He did, grabbing my hair and pulling me in hard.

"No!" I chastised. Reginald let go, surprise in his eyes. "Softly," I said, pulling his head back down, kissing his eyelids like Lucinda had done to mine. "No hair," I continued when his hands returned. He curled his fingers around my neck, caressing, and slowly moved his lips to my eyelids. I fought the desire to expose myself and throw my sheath on his sword. I wasn't sure how Lucinda could be so patient.

I returned the kiss and calmly caressed his cheek with my hand. I could feel his hunger and had to correct him twice when his hands traveled too quickly, desiring to skip many steps.