“It
is very pretty,” she stammers, “but what is it?”
“It
is a collar. Please, put it on,” he
tells her very directly.
Ayden
just stands there perplexed. Slowly, she
extends her hand to take it, but then withdraws from the glittery gold collar. Her hand flutters up to rest at her
neck. “You mean like a dog collar,” she
hesitates and then adds, “for humans?” her voice rising to a high squeak,
purely out of surprise.
The
old man smiles and nods his head in approval, “Yes, but this one is special.”
“How?”
she asks inquisitively, twisting her head to get a better look at the delicate
scrolls of gold that wind around beautiful pink jewels. She has never seen anything quite like it. It is beautiful and she suddenly longs for it
to be hers.
“You
will have to put it on to see,” he teases.
As
she reaches out to touch it he snatches it out of her reach. Ayden looks up at him, shocked, feeling the
disappointment wash over her, but then she sees the smile spread across his
face as he begins to chuckle. She cannot
help but smile too and eventually starts to laugh along with him. His laugh is pleasant and infectious. When they have both had a good laugh and the
mood has calmed he looks her in the eye and inquires, “Are you now ready to do
as you are asked and put this on?” Ayden
simply nods at him unable to hold back her smile.
When
he motions for her to move closer she takes a step forward and he reaches
behind her and fastens the collar around her neck securing it in place. Her hand instinctively reaches up to touch it
as the cold metal begins to warm against her skin. The gentle old man leans back in his chair,
his arms folded, appraising his handiwork.
“It suits you,” he says simply.
Ayden blushes and cannot hold his gaze; her eyes drop to his feet, but
she can feel him still looking at her.
She peeks up through her lashes to see if he is still watching her just
in time to catch his eyes slide over the curves of her body. Feeling subconscious she tugs at the bottom
of her tee shirt willing it to cover just a little more; to hide herself from
his analytical eyes that are studying her; looking through her to her very
soul; drawing her to him.
“What?”
she finally blurts out, angry at her cheeks that she can feel turning red and
angry at her nipples that are growing hard, and angry at the desire growing
between her legs that she does not even understand.
“Nothing,”
he stops again just watching her, “It is just that you are one of the most
perfect visions of a vessel submissive that I have seen in many years. I want to possess you and it would please me
if you would call me Master; Master Hunter.
Will you do that?”
A
lump forms in Ayden’s throat making it impossible to speak. Here is a man she has just met and he is asking
her to wear a collar and to call him Master.
She thinks to herself, “Did he just call me a vessel sub too?” Her mind swirls and she feels like she is
tumbling under the waves again. The
yearning in her belly wins the battle raging in her and she manages to choke
out, “Yes,” meekly.
“I
am sorry I did not hear that,” he says putting a hand to his ear and leaning
forward again.
Ayden
clears her throat, swallowing hard, and tries again a little louder, “Yes,” she
manages, but it is a meager attempt.
Again
he is shaking his head at her and Ayden bites her lower lip. “No, no,” he says, a little frustration
edging into his voice, “You will address me as Master Hunter every time you
speak to me,” he explains emphasizing, “Master Hunter.”
She
pauses rolling the words around in her mind and smiles sweetly towards him. Finally finding her speech again replies in a
soft voice, “Yes Master Hunter,” feeling amazingly fulfilled at that moment.
“That
is much better. It is late and we will
begin your training in the morning, but for now do you have any questions for
me?” he inquires of her.
“Yes,
a million,” she says. “I just don’t know
what they are yet,” she admits. He just
smiles at her, waiting silently, one eyebrow arching making the wrinkles in his
forehead stand out, until she remembers and corrects herself, “Yes, Master
Hunter, I have a million questions, but do not know where to start,” then
suddenly a question occurs to her. She
asks, “Master Hunter, why do you want me to call you Master Hunter? I thought your name was Laothoe.”
“Why
would you think that?” he asks puzzled.
Turning
and pointing towards the front of the shop she says, “The sign out front. It says Lathe’s Artisan.” She turns back to him as he arches his
eyebrow at her again and she gulps out, “Master Hunter… Sir.”
“Better,”
he says with a smile. “Laothoe was my mother.
She was a wonderful woman who raised four strong sons, but she always
adored delicate precious things, which were not easy to find in a home full of
brawling boys. When I opened my shop I
could think of no other name than one that would honor her, her strength, and
all that she taught me. It is a little
play on words. I was her youngest and
her Artisan,” he explains.
“Oh
that is sweet, Master Hunter,” Ayden coos.
“Oh
don’t you let my soft heart fool you, Girlie.
As a Master I am tough as nails.”
Ayden swallows hard, her eyes getting large and just nods. “Now, it is late and I still want to stop off
for a little drink on my way home. You
will stay here tonight. Come with me.”
He
gets off his stool and moves towards the back of the workshop, stepping around
dusty crates that are stacked around large pillars that support the sagging
roof. In the back of the workshop he
stoops and adds some wood to an antique barrel stove. Next to the stove is a large mass that looks
a bit like an old circus tent. It is
covered by an old sooty dust cloth.
Master Hunter disturbs the tarp and a cloud of black dust billows up
over the pile before him. He waves his
hand and waits for the dust to settle before removing the cloth and revealing
an ornate gilded cage. Ayden draws in a
sharp breath as she takes in the rectangular shape. It has gold bars and a top that slowly angles
upward to the center where a gold ring hangs limp in a clasp. Ayden tries but cannot suppress a grin as she
looks at it thinking how much it looks like a giant gold cupcake. On the front is a door with a delicate gold
lock that is etched with intricate scrolls similar to the ones on the collar
that adorns her neck.
Master
Hunter moves to the cage and removes the lock, opening the door, and silently
gestures for her to climb inside. Ayden
considers the cage and then looks up at Master Hunter her eyes wide in fear and
shakes her head slightly, as she feels her stomach double up in knots. He merely points, silently, to the cage again
and as he does his lips pinch into a thin line and the crease between his
eyebrows narrows. Slowly Ayden inches
forward, bending at the waist and pokes her head inside the cage. It is large and there is plenty of room for
her inside. There is a soft floral
colored cushion in the bottom and the heat from the stove warms her skin making
her feel the fatigue of the day more significantly. Sudden there is a sharp sting on the back of
her thighs that she has come to be very familiar with over the course of the
day. This had the effect that Master
Hunter was hoping it would and she quickly scrambles up into the cage and lays
her head on the silky white pillow that is waiting inside.
Once
inside her eyes are already feeling heavy, but she looks up as Master Hunter
smiles down on her. “You will be safe
and warm in here through the night. I
will be back early in the morning,” he explains as he reinserts the lock. On a small hook, on the wall above the cage
hangs a gold key; Master Hunter takes it down, turns it in the lock, and places
it in his pocket, as he turns to leave.
He has not even gotten to the door when her heavy eyes slide shut to the
sounds of the roaring surf.
*
* * * *
The
morning rays have barely begun to filter through the yellowing glass panes of
the old workshop’s windows when Ayden hears Master Hunter milling around his
workbench and whistling a happy tune.
Her eyes are still closed and she relishes the last vestiges of
sleep. Unable to hold back morning any
longer she stretches and yawns, pulling back the curtain of sleep. As she opens her eyes she sees Master Hunter
is busy at work. He has moved the
workbench and most of his equipment to the side of the large room leaving an
open circle in the middle. The opening
has been cleared and swept clean of any debris that may have fallen to the
floor while he worked on his designs. To
one side is a large old wooden chair. It
almost has the appearance of a throne with large finials on either side of the
tall back rest. It is upholstered in a
deep burgundy with shiny gold rivets to hold the sleek material in place. On the floor next to the chair is a dust
cloth similar to the one that covered the gilded cage she slept in last night
and it makes Ayden wonder what else is hidden under the rest of the dust in the
workshop. In the middle of the circle is
a solitary round cream colored cushion that seems out of place among the boxes
and tools. As she is stretching Master Hunter
notices her and comes over with a smile on his face. “Good morning, Sunshine,” he offers
cheerfully; pulling the key out of his pocket.
He quickly unlocks the padlock and removes it, opening the door in a
swift, smooth movement.
“Please
join me out here,” he says gesturing with his hand.
Ayden
spins her legs out in front of her, sliding her feet out of the cage and to the
floor, careful to duck her head as she shimmies past the door and brings
herself into an upright, standing position before Master Hunter. She stands before him while he studies
her. Feeling his eyes traveling over her
makes Ayden nervous and she fidgets slightly shifting from one foot to the
other. As her eyes shyly rise up to meet
his, Master Hunter clears his throat and asks, “Have you anything to say to me
this morning?”
Ayden
blinks, still working the night’s sleep out of her body and looks up into the
kind eyes of the old man standing before her as the memories of the previous
day come flooding back into her mind.
This old man who has asked her to call him Master Hunter is patiently
waiting for her to speak as she frantically searches for words to fill her
suddenly dry mouth. “Good morning, Master Hunter,” she offers at last.
A
broad smile fills his face and he chuckles, “Good morning to you too pretty
little thing,” as he softly pinches her chin.
“Did you sleep well last night? Where
you warm enough?”
Sure
that yesterday was only a dream Ayden can only nod her assent remembering all
that has happened.
“You
look hungry, Girlie,” he says. “Are you hungry?”
She
clears her throat and quietly responds, “Yes, very,” as she bobs her head
vigorously.
“Hmm?”
he simply stands before her, appraising her and twirling the end of his beard, as
if waiting for something.
Ayden
drops her head forward, looking at the ground, feeling very rebuked, she
mumbles, “Yes I am very hungry Master Hunter.”
“Well
why don’t you go out front and pick yourself some more fruit while I finish
clearing away all the metal shavings that I have let pile up on this dirty
floor,” he says as he reaches for the broom again.
“Yes,
Master Hunter,” she agrees, “but would you like to me sweep up for you? You have been so kind to me. It is the least that I can do for you,” she
offers.
He
smiles, a twinkle growing in his eye, and replies, “No you go get something to
eat. There will be plenty for you to do
for me today. I am not so old that I do
not remember how to push the end of a broom around my own place.” Ayden smiles at him surprised by his humorous
mood this morning and heads towards the front of the shop after Master Hunter turns
back to the last of the sweeping that needs to be done.
As
Ayden steps out onto the pier she is surprised to see that it is already
bustling with activity. The mist has
only just begun to recede back towards the ocean, but vendors are scurrying to
prepare their shops for the onslaught of tourists that will soon fill the beach,
to enjoy another beautiful summer’s day.
On the sand there are, even at this early hour, several umbrellas set
out claiming the best locations on the sand closest to the shore. Out in the water there are surfers searching
for the perfect wave. She breathes in
the fresh salt air and shading her eyes, rises up on tiptoe trying to see how
far down the beach she can glimpse with the morning light shining against the freshly
washed store fronts. There are cafes,
small markets, and dozens of little shops, but none of them look remotely
familiar to her. Climbing up on the
bench to retrieve some of the low hanging fruit she worries how far she has
wandered from the bungalow she and Meg share.
She manages to snag three of the strange yellow and pink pods from the
tree and sniffs the largest one as she steps back down to the pier. She wonders why she has never seen these
before but shrugs and heads back into the workshop.
Inside,
Master Hunter has put away the broom and is sorting through some items on the
workbench. As she approaches he turns towards
her with a smile. The items on the bench
are concealed behind his back. Ayden
silently holds out one of the pieces of fruit on her palm, as she takes another
juicy bite out of the largest of the three.
He merely smiles, waving his hand to ward her off, “You enjoy them,
Honey. I am not hungry for fruit this
morning, so finish that up quickly, grab the floor cushion, and come join me
over by my chair.” She silently nods to him while dabbing at the juice that has
collected in the corner of her mouth.
Putting her finger in her mouth and playfully sucking the juice away she
smiles up at him and turns to retrieve the cushion from the center of the room. Humored by her sudden revelry he sighs and
watches her saunter over to the cushion, bend at the waist revealing the tiny
bikini below her tee shirt and he enjoys the view of her firm thighs, before he
returns his attention to the workbench where he gathers up the two lovely red
ribbons and a small box that he has laid out for this morning’s labors. The box has a series of small lights, on the
top, that run down the left side and several small buttons that cover the
remaining face.
Master
Hunter strides over to where Ayden is now standing by the chair holding the
cushion, pressed against her breast, looking slightly bewildered. He slides his hand up the back of her thighs
and pinches her just below the line of her bikini and then plops onto the large
chair making himself comfortable. He
motions with his open hand for her to have a seat near him but as she looks around
she does not see a chair and eventually her puzzled gaze returns to him. He smiles at her and quietly directs her,
“Use the cushion to sit on and you will be more comfortable.”
Lowering
her gaze; feeling slightly foolish and unnerved ,Ayden drops the pillow on the
floor at his feet and lowers herself down on it, her feet curled out beside
her. He reaches down and with the crook
of his finger tucked under her chin he raises her eyes up and looks deeply into
them. She looks up at him wondering at
the kindness in his eyes. There is
something she sees there that makes her want to please him. She cannot understand it. She is not physically attracted to the man
standing before her, but with every part of her she wants to make this bearded
old man happy. He speaks to her slowly,
“Do you remember what I told you yesterday?”
Ayden
nods and quickly replies, “Yes Master Hunter,” to his inquiry. As she replies to his inquiry she notices the
items in his hand and he follows her gaze.
A smile spreads over his face as he waits for the curiosity to grow in
her eyes.
He
watches her carefully as she scrutinizes each of the items he holds before he
slowly explains, “This morning we will begin your training and to do that I want
you to remove your tunic and tie your hair up into pigtails with these
ribbons.” Rather than ask questions, as
he is waiting for her to do, Ayden simply crosses her arms in front of her,
grabs the hem of her shirt, and lifts the tee shirt over her head, laying it on
the floor beside her. Her cheeks feel
flush as the cool morning air tickles her bare skin and she looks up at him
through her lashes. She shallows hard,
trying to hide her embarrassment at being so exposed before him, as she reaches
up for the red ribbons dangling from his fingertips. Her fingers touch his as she gathers up the
ribbons and she feels a current of electricity surge through her body, deep in
her belly. She presses her thighs
together to squelch the growing dampness there and reaches up to pull the
ponytail from her hair.
Looking
up at this lovely old man Ayden bites her lower lip as she runs her fingers
through her hair trying to pull some of the tangles free. She clears her throat trying to find her
voice. In a soft whisper she explains,
“Master Hunter, I am grateful for all that you are doing for me, but later
today would you please help me find the house where I am staying this
summer?” Her eyes lock on his pleading
for his help and her hands still momentarily.
He
smiles at her, placing his hand gently on her cheek and simply says, “The place
you came from does not exist here. When
you washed up on our shore you left that life behind.” He takes in a deep breath letting her mind
adjust to what he is telling her.
Slowly, he begins again, but her mind is screaming in panic and she is
not sure she is hearing him correctly as he continues, “This is what I tried to
explain to you yesterday. I do not know
how it happens, but I have seen many lost girls wander up from the shore over
the years. You can never return to that
world.”
Suddenly,
silent tears of fear well in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. Master Hunter leans in and gently kisses her
tears away. Taking the ribbons out of
her hands that now lay limp in her lap he quickly pulls her hair up high on her
head in two expertly styled pig tails.
He leans back in his chair to admire his handiwork and she is vaguely
aware of his presence as his words play over in her mind. “The place you came from does not exist
here.”
Time
passes between them in silence as Ayden tries desperately to comprehend what
she is hearing. She is aware of his
hands on her face and his thumbs brush away the last of the tears. He whispers in her ear, “I know it is a shock
but you like it here. Right?”
Ayden
nods reflexively, her face still blank, with shock, until his eyes meet hers
and he smiles at her. She meekly smiles
back at him and whispers, “Right,” almost in resignation.
“You
look beautiful. Do you know how
beautiful you are?” Master Hunter’s voice is in her ears pushing the panic
away. She clutches at them, pulling
herself back from the shock of what she has just learned to the safety of
Master Hunter’s workshop. She looks up
at him resolutely and nods trying to offer up a smile in gratitude.
“Good,”
Master Hunter’s voice reverberates through the workshop. “We will start with the most basic tasks you
will perform. When you are with me you
will kneel unless told to do otherwise.
Do you accept this task?”
Ayden
quickly brings her knees up under her body and lifts up so that she is kneeling
like she had as a small child, next to her bed, for her nightly prayers. This evokes an amused smile back to Master
Hunter’s face. Ayden listens intently
and follows his directions as he explains that she will kneel with her knees
spread wide before him so that her body will always be open to him. He instructs her to place her hands on her
knees with the palms facing up so that they can be ready to serve him. As she does what he asks of her it all seems
so strange and foreign but something deep inside her begins to feel safe under
his careful direction. He directs her to
keep her eyes lowered at all times. He
explains that she should never look him in the eyes unless expressly requested
by him.
Ayden
does not fully understand why, but she wants to please this man that she just
met yesterday. She fights the battle in
her own mind, part of her wanting to stand up and walk away from him and all of
his rules, but there is another part of her that keeps her locked to the floor
wanting to do anything that will make Master Hunter happy. While she is trying to understand these
conflicting feelings in her mind she notices his gaze shifts. His careful watch has shifted from her to
something outside the workshop. Ayden
follows the path of his eyes until they are both looking at the fruit tree out
front. There is a still hush that falls
between them and Ayden holds her breath.
Master Hunter finally directs his comments to her but never takes his
eyes off of the fruit tree, “You will at no time allow your head to rise above
mine. Do you accept these tasks as I
have explained them to you?”
Ayden
sits there, on the floor, before him letting all he is asking of her tumble
around in her mind. Everything she has
ever known tells her to scream out, “No!” but when she opens her mouth she
hears, “Yes, Master Hunter,” gleefully skip off of her tongue and the words
taste sweet as they fall from her lips. “Yes, Master Hunter I will do all you
ask of me,” she repeats almost for herself and as she says it she realizes how
much she means it. She sits there
stunned, staring at his leather boots, and she realizes how much she needs to
please this old man. As she is
momentarily caught up in her own thoughts she does not notice that Master
Hunter has lifted one boot up slightly so that his toes are raised and his foot
is resting on the heel of his boot. She
hears his voice break through her thoughts, “Kiss it,” he directs. Instinctively she looks up at him to be sure
she heard Master Hunter correctly but stops herself when she remembers that she
is not allowed to look at his face, and as she stops herself from looking up her
gaze has traveled as high as his groin.
There is a large bulge showing through the cloth of his pants and she
longs to reach out and stroke it. Ayden
suddenly understands why he is asking her to do these tasks for him. She sees that by doing them she pleases
Master Hunter. She beams with
satisfaction as she slowly tips her body forward, bending at the waist laying
her lips gently on the toe of Master Hunter’s boot. She inhales deeply and the smell of aged
leather fills her nose. Her lips pause
on the toe of the boot; she hears Master Hunter’s breath slow and deepen as she
slowly withdraws her mouth and sits back up, this time pulling her shoulders
back and sitting up very straight.
Her
eyes stay on the toe of the boot where she has left behind a perfect wet imprint
of her lips. The boot slowly snakes over
to her knee and Master Hunter gently slides her knees further apart, “I said
open wide, Girlie.” Her stomach tightens
at his touch and she swings her hips forward in a vain attempt to slow the
wetness growing between her legs. Ayden
shifts her weight and spreads her legs as far as she can. With her desire mounting Ayden licks her lips
watching the boot inch slowly up her leg towards the wetness that cries out for
release. When the toe of Master Hunter’s
boot reaches the top of her thigh Ayden’s entire body is alight with her own
desire, but she hears his voice break through her carnal yearnings warning her,
“I do not want you to move.”
Ayden
sucks the inside of her lower lip between her teeth and bites down hard
fighting back her own desire for release and sits perfectly still as the tip of
the stitching on the boot grazes against the edge of her bikini. She holds her breath as the front edge of the
sole brushes under her, pressing the wetness between the delicate folds of skin
into the fabric of her bikini. Master
Hunter gently grinds the top of the leather covering against her sex and Ayden
cannot help letting out a low aching moan.
She longs to press harder and find release for the fire burning up
inside of her. Just as Ayden is sure she
could not hold out any longer and will surely give in, to the hunger welling up
in her body, the boot is gone. Master
Hunter withdraws his foot and is leaning back in his chair with one heel
propped on the toe of the other boot.
Ayden can still see the imprint of her kiss now joined by moisture
gathered from her bikini, leaving behind a dark coloring on his toe as tangible
proof of her desires.
“Now, I want you to clean it,” comes the clear
directive from Master Hunter. Ayden is
perplexed. She looks down at her hands
wondering what she can use to buff his boots, but as she hesitates she
remembers the discarded tee shirt at her side.
She turns and reaches for the shirt, “…with your tongue,” then rings in
her ears. She simply nods and lays the
shirt back on the floor.
She
turns to the boot before her and squares her shoulders gathering her
thoughts. Her mind is racing. “How can I do this?” she asks in her
mind. Then she corrects herself and
silently asks, “How can I do this right?”
Confidence inspiring her Ayden deliberately and seductively wets her
lips with the tip of her tongue, letting her lips part slightly she leans down
and lays another kiss on the tip of the boot.
She cautiously runs her tongue over the surface of the toe. She can detect a faint, sweet, delicious odor
that must be her own. At first, her
solitary focus is cleaning the boot and her eyes do not leave it. She uses her tongue to run circles over the
toe, the taste of leather filling her cheeks.
Ayden slowly wraps her hand around the boot drawing herself closer to
Master Hunter’s leg, enjoying the feelings growing in her. She leans in and with her lips parted she
lays her mouth over the mound, that is the toe of the boot, and twirls her
tongue in circles while stealing a peek up at Master Hunter. He is leaning back in the chair, with his
eyes closed and his arms crossed.
Master Hunter lets out a low moan that makes Ayden smile inside.
Abruptly, as Ayden lowers her eyes, Master Hunter, coughs and suddenly sits
upright in his chair pulling his boot from her mouth. It catches Ayden by surprise and nearly
topples her onto her face at his feet as the leg she is holding is pulled away
from her, but she is able to maintain her balance and quickly sits upright
fearing she has done something wrong.
Clearing
his throat Master Hunter nods to Ayden and firmly says, “Very well done,
Girlie. Maybe too well done.”
____________Incomplete... more to come...
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