Page 44 of Slave

“No,” I said quickly. I pressed my lips together as I considered what to say. Finally I decided to stay consistent. “He was nice.”

“He is nice,” she declared adamantly. “He’s wonderful.” She sighed and then went in a totally different direction. “Stephan said you were going to go back to school.”

“Yeah,” I said, sheepishly. I hadn’t been a big talker before, and now . . .

“So tell me, when do you start?”

She sounded so excited, and it was rubbing off on me a little. “This fall. September.”

“Are you excited? The first two years of college for me were kind of boring, but once I got into the classes for my major it was so much fun.”

“Yes, I’m excited.”

Then she sighed. “You can talk to me, you know. I know things are strange for you right now, but you can trust me, and you can trust Stephan.”

When she said Stephan’s name, my entire body reacted with a weird mixture of fear and something else I really couldn’t name.

“I . . .” I didn’t know what to say. There was no way I could tell her what I was feeling and why. She knew my Master. Worked for him, even. No. I couldn’t share those things with her. I trusted her, but I didn’t trust her, if that made sense. And there I was again, in the state that I seemed to constantly live in: confusion.

Finally, I heard her sigh on the other end. “Okay. I won’t push. Stephan would have my head if I did. But will you promise to call me if you want to talk?”

I heard the pleading in her voice and couldn’t say no. “Yes.”

“Good.” She paused. “Okay, well I’d better get back to work. I’ll see you later, Brianna.”

Lily didn’t wait for me to say goodbye; she just ended the call. I was really glad she hadn’t pushed me. I didn’t think I could say no to her indefinitely, but I didn’t want to either lie to her or anger Master.

I spent the rest of my afternoon watching some home improvement shows. They really held no interest for me, but at least it was neat to see the before and after.

Usually I’d start dinner around four or four thirty, depending on what I was cooking, but tonight I just remained where I was. Master would be home soon. At least once he was here I’d have something to do.

At five twenty-five, I took my position on the floor. Less than five minutes later, Master walked through the door. I waited with my head down for him to approach me and took a deep breath when his fingers found my hair.

His hand fell away, and he reached out, helping me to stand. “Good evening, Brianna.”

It was the same greeting every evening, and I answered with the same response. “Good evening, Master.”

He stepped back from me and slipped off his suit jacket. “What would you like on your pizza?”

I knew from experience that giving him a whatever-you-wish-Master was not what he wanted. If he asked me a specific question, he expected a specific answer. “Anything but peppers and onions.”

“Very good.” The smile in his voice was clear, although I was not looking at him. It made me happy that my answer pleased him, and a small smile tugged on my own lips.

He walked away from me then, leaving me standing where I was. I heard his voice behind me ordering our pizza. It was soft and calming tonight; he was in a good mood.

Master didn’t acknowledge me as he hung up the phone, walked across the room and into his bedroom. I stood in my spot, not sure what to do but knowing he wouldn’t leave me here for long, or at least hoping he wouldn’t. I wasn’t too worried, though, given his mood. He’d give me instructions soon. So I relaxed and waited.

Several minutes later, I heard him re-enter the main room. He didn’t come toward me, though. Instead, I heard the sound of him sitting. And somehow I knew what would come next.

“Come here,” he instructed. I went to him.

He opened his arms, and I knew he wanted me to sit in his lap. We did this every night, but usually it was after dinner.

I sat demurely with my head down while he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“How are you today, Brianna?” he asked.

“I’m fine, Master.”

---