Page 47 of Reclaimed

“I’m glad you did; you needed more rest. You must have been very… relaxed.” He was smirking. I couldn’t meet his eyes. It was bad enough that I’d nearly given in to him after only one day and that I’d obeyed his command to touch myself, I couldn’t bear for anyone to know the thoughts I’d used to make myself cum.

I hastily made Mark ’s lunch before slinking away to work on the garden. It was a soothing distraction from missing Ray. I wanted it to be perfect for when he got back.

*

I didn’t realise how long I’d been out there until Mark came to find me later that evening, beer in hand.

“You been working here all this time?”

“Yes, sir. Sorry – is it dinnertime?”

“Forget dinner for now. Come and have a drink with me.”

“Um, okay.”

“Make yourself whatever you want and bring it out.”

It was late summer, and the evenings were getting darker, but at this time, the sun was still just high enough in the sky to shine on the patio, and there was still warmth left in it. I scrubbed myself clean as best I could at the kitchen sink before pouring myself a drink and going to join Mark. We said nothing at first, and though Mark seemed perfectly at ease with the silence, I kept returning nervously to my drink. When I glanced over, he was watching me toy with my necklace. I hadn’t even realised I was doing it.

“You miss your Master, don’t you?”

“Yes.” I admitted it freely; I couldn’t deny the truth. Ray meant so much to me – he always had – and although our interactions were sometimes turbulent, we were gradually managing to form a more harmonious relationship together, or at least as harmonious as could be expected in our situation. Mark wasn’t unkind to me, but I was already missing Ray’s attention, his praise, his warmth towards me. The haze of pleasure we’d been living in seemed broken now, and I wasn’t sure we’d be able to recreate it when he came back.

“He’ll be back soon.”

“Is he in contact with you?” I felt a sharp pang of jealousy from thinking that Ray might have contacted Mark. Of course, there was no way for him to contact me – I wasn’t allowed a phone, but I’d have given anything for even just a text from him.

“No.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“Yes.”

Mark being even more taciturn than usual worried me. I couldn’t imagine where Ray would have gone that had to be such a secret. If it was work-related, as I had previously assumed, then surely, he would have just told me? And why would Mark have told him to be careful?

“Enough questions now, pet, he’ll be back in no time. Why don’t you go and get started on that dinner now? And you can pour yourself another drink if you want one.”

“Okay, sir, thank you.”

19

It might have been my imagination, but Mark seemed to be avoiding me the following day. I took him his meals, but other than that, I hardly saw him. I tried to keep busy, but the longer Ray was away the more anxious I became. I hadn’t been without him this long the whole time I’d been there. He’d said he’d be away for two nights, but I hadn’t asked what time of day he expected to be back. I stayed alert for the sound of his car, or the front door, but he still wasn’t back at dinnertime.

As I entered the living room to give Mark his dinner, I saw him sigh and slip his phone back into his pocket. I settled on the sofa with my book, pretending I hadn’t seen.

“Have you heard from Ray yet?” I asked after a few minutes.

“Not yet.”

“Where did he go?”

Mark looked at me sharply. “If your Master didn’t tell you, then he obviously doesn’t want you to know.”

“Is he in danger?”

“No, pet, he’s not in danger.”

“But when he left, you told him to be careful: why?”

---