Page 37 of Slave

Girlfriend?

She didn’t know what I was. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn’t a slave to her. I was just a person.

A person she thought was Stephan’s girlfriend. Is that what he’d told her? I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever be able to figure my new Master out.

“Diane, this is Brianna. Brianna, this is my aunt, Diane.”

He’d said to be polite so I was going to say nice to meet you, but before the words could leave my mouth, two arms surrounded me. Her arms were holding onto me like vise grips, and I started to panic.

The next thing I knew, I felt his hand in mine. I didn’t know why, but it calmed me enough to endure the affection I’d received.

Stephan

I’d wondered how Brianna would react to my aunt’s exuberance. She could be a lot to take at times, and it seemed that my concern was warranted. I saw the panic cross Brianna’s face moments after Diane started to hug her. It didn’t matter that my aunt meant her no harm. Brianna was scared, and I needed to give her what comfort I could, so I reached out and took her hand.

It worked. I watched as the tension in her body eased a little and before too long, my aunt was stepping back to look at her as she did me. Fearing the scrutiny would cause her more discomfort, I moved in, closing the small distance between us. My arm slid around Brianna’s waist, and I pulled her against my side.

This action on my part did two things. First, it did accomplish my goal of relaxing Brianna, but it also drew Diane’s attention. A sly smile crossed her face, and I had to suppress rolling my eyes at her. She and Richard could never have children of their own, so when I came to live with them at fourteen, she quickly did everything she could to make me feel as much love as possible.

Diane was as much of a mother to me as my own had been. She’d seen me through my grieving teenage years no matter how much trouble I’d gotten into and supported me through college. I loved her very much, but her eagerness for me to settle down made me uncomfortable. She saw the woman at my side and saw a happy future for me, complete with the white picket fence.

It was useless to try and convinced her otherwise, so instead I went with distraction. “Is Richard around?” Diane’s focus changed from Brianna to me, and I felt the woman under my fingers relax just a little more.

My aunt sighed, but then said, “He’s in his study working on something, as usual. I have a few more things to finish here and then it will be time to eat. Maybe you can go get him for me?”

I noticed my aunt’s eyes shifting to Brianna again and knew what was coming. She wanted to get to know “my girlfriend” and grill her about our relationship. My aunt meant well, I knew, but I would not break my promise to Brianna and leave her alone. So I told her sure and maneuvered us both back down the hallway.

Leaving my aunt like that had been rude, but I didn’t know what else to do. I knew how hard this had to be for Brianna, and I wanted to make it as easy as I could. She was trying and so would I.

Richard must have heard us coming down the hall because his eyes were focused on the door when we entered. “Hello, Stephan. Brianna,” he nodded.

She’d stiffened up again, and I rubbed my fingers along her hip, trying to offer some comfort. It seemed to work as I felt the muscles beneath my fingers give a little more.

Turning, I addressed the man who’d been my father since the day my own passed away. “Richard,” I smiled. “Diane said dinner is almost ready and sent us to get you.”

“Ah,” he said. “Very good.” He rose from his high-backed leather chair and walked over to us. His eyes discreetly roamed Brianna’s body as he made his way over to where we were standing. I knew that look. He was checking to see if she’d suffered any further damage, and I felt the anger bubble up inside me. Did he really think I’d harm her?

His eyes met mine then, and he seemed to notice my shift in demeanor. The look in his eyes turned apologetic, but it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t believe he’d think me capable of such a thing. Turning us both, I lead Brianna toward the dining room.

Halfway there, I felt his firm hand on my arm, which caused me to release my hold on Brianna. She kept walking at the same pace for a few more steps before slowing. I whipped around to face Richard, not waiting for him to speak. “Whatever it is you want to say will have to wait,” I said, keeping my voice low so that only he would be able to hear me. “I promised her I would not leave her alone today, and I will not have her thinking my word means nothing.”

I wrenched my arm away from him and closed the distance between us. She was almost at the door when I reached her, and her posture was once again stiff. I stopped her before we went in, not caring if Richard saw us or not. With one hand once again around her waist, I turned her toward me and placed the other on her face. “You are doing great,” I said and leaned in to give her a soft peck on the lips.

When her eyes came open again, she looked calm, or at least calmer, so I guided us both into the dining room to take our seats. It was getting harder and harder for me not to kiss her every time I felt the impulse. Last night was a perfect example. Just having her on my lap had been a distraction. I hadn’t thought much of it until she was sitting there pressed up against me.

Asking her to kiss me had been purely a last minute decision. I wanted to feel her lips again, and I justified it by telling myself it would give her a little sense of control while also preparing her for her role the following day at dinner. But all my justifications were just lies. Seeing her happy about school had triggered something in me. She had triggered something in me. And even now, sitting beside her, across from my aunt and uncle, the only thing I could think of was when I’d be able to touch her again.

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Stephan

Having dinner with my family was something I used to do often, even after I’d left home. It wasn’t until Tami, my last collared sub, had laid bare my lifestyle on a silver platter for my uncle that I’d made my visits less frequent.

I’m not sure which word best described Richard’s reaction to the information: disappointed, embarrassed, angry, or all of the above. He’d called me at the office one afternoon and asked if I could stop by the house on my way home.

The request he made wasn’t all that unusual, even though it didn’t happen often. When I got there, however, I found Richard in his office with a strange look on his face. He had an exaggerated calm about him that reminded me of the time Logan and I’d snuck out of the house to meet up with two older women we’d met in town earlier that day.

It had taken me the better part of an hour just to calm him down once he’d gotten started, and another two hours after that to try and explain the way I lived. We’d ended the conversation in a stalemate of sorts. I knew he still didn’t like my choices, but there was nothing I could do to change his mind.

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