I felt her hand touch my face and turn my head to look at her. “Where are you, Shani?”

“I’m here, Mistress,” I answered. At least I hoped I was.

“Yes, you are, Shani. Right here.” Her hand went up my sides and down my legs. “There’s one thing we haven’t done yet, though. Do you know what it is?”

“No, Mistress,” I said.

“We haven’t let you come. Of course, it’s still a long time away, but we have to work up to it.”

“Yes, Mistress.” I wanted to say, I’m just about there, but I knew she didn’t want to hear that. I heard metal snapping together as she squatted down behind me and attached something around my ankle, then she forced my legs apart and cuffed the other ankle.

“Now that gives me a lot of room to work, doesn't it?” I could feel something lightly tapping against my back. It slowly worked its way down to my ass, then onto my legs. The tapping wasn’t hard yet, but it was getting there. Then she started tapping inside my thighs. Back and forth between them.

Then it stopped. She walked around in front of me. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress Jules. I am.”

“Why?”

That stopped me. “Because ... you’re enjoying it.”

She laughed heartily.

“Do you want to be owned?”

“Yes. Mistress Jules. That’s why I’m here.”

“That’s why you’re here,” she repeated thoughtfully. “Being owned is a big responsibility. Have you ever been owned?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Collared?”

“Yes, I have, Mistress.”

“Hmm. Collared but not owned,” she said, thoughtfully. “But you want to be owned.” Again she paused. “Why?”

That stopped me. I hadn’t thought of it in so many words, so I let whatever came into my mind flow out. “I want to belong somewhere, to be a part of something. I’ve never belonged ... to a club, or fraternity. In college, a lot of my friends were approached by fraternities, but they never asked me. I want a reason to be, I guess. I don’t want to be on the outside looking in anymore.” I don’t know why, but tears started to fall down my cheeks. I wished I could wipe them away. She could see my tears, my frustration. My God, I’d just spewed my whole life out in one breath.

“And you want to belong to me?”

“Yes, Mistress Jules.”

“And Mistress Vivienne? You can’t have just one of us.”

“Oh, yes, she’s gorgeous!” I guess I didn’t have filters anymore.

“You know that we’re married, don’t you?”

“No, I didn’t, ma’am.”

“Does it matter?”

“Only in that you’re together first.”

“First and foremost. What do you think of sex slaves? Are they lesser because someone else is in charge all the time?”

“No! They’re luckier. They have a place where they belong.”

She walked up in front of me and lifted my chin to make me look her in the eyes.

“You’re still on edge, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“And you want me to take care of that?”

“Please, if you wish.”

“Oh, Shani, you are a pearl.”