Authors: Vonna Harper
He brushed his knuckles over the side of her neck. “Do you want me to do that? Maybe it’d be easier if responsibility for your body is out of your control. You wouldn’t have to do anything except endure. No being forced to exhibit self-restraint.”
Master loved giving her choices, not that they really were. Regardless of what she said, the outcome would be the same. Pain. Maybe answering him didn’t matter. Today was nothing more than something to get through. But once she’d been a woman who made decisions and was in charge of her life. Despite everything he’d subjected her though, the core of that woman still existed.
She no longer had the pride that went with being able to clothe herself but facing herself was easier if she believed she wasn’t completely broken.
Yet.
“
I’ll stand here, Master. Not—not try to get away.”
“
Of course you will, my pet. I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with you otherwise.”
He’d continued stroking her neck during their short exchange, but she’d known better than to be lulled into believing he’d taken pity on her. Pity wasn’t part of his makeup. Still fighting the dread that had become a constant, she stood straight. At his slight frown, she arched her spine and presented her breasts fully to him. She tried not to beg with her eyes but wasn’t sure how well she succeeded. Besides, he knew what she was thinking, what she was praying for.
He knew everything about her.
“
You have incredible breasts, slave.” He positioned the clamp over her unencumbered nipple. “I take great pride in them.”
How could he say that? Her breasts belonged to her, not him. Or at least they had until he’d captured her. Anymore she wasn’t sure whether there was still a place where he let off and she began.
Biting, clawing agony this time! No half instant in which to ready herself! A sharp whine escaped from behind her clenched teeth but she managed to remain in place while shaking from the hot, hard discomfort.
“
Look down at yourself. See what I’ve done to you.”
Her legs burned and her knees felt so weak she wasn’t certain they’d continue supporting her. In her mind’s eye she saw herself collapse before him. She wouldn’t try to remove the nipple clamps because he’d beat her if she did, but she would wrap her arms around his legs and beg him to free her. She’d become a whipped dog.
“
A work of art, slave. A magnificent example of what I’ve turned you into. Look. See if you don’t agree.”
Although she was afraid to take her gaze off him—he’d proven his capacity for sudden cruelty enough times—she did as Master commanded. Because the oversized clamps covered them, she could no longer see her nipples. Unnatural weight pulled her breasts down. The exquisite—yes it was that—chain hung between her breasts, swaying in and out and tugging anew with every move. She couldn’t help but admire the contrast between soft female flesh and a well-made instrument of torture.
Harsh restraint. Helplessness. What he wanted her to be. Maybe worthy of reward.
“
Turn around.”
He knew she didn’t want to move which was exactly why he’d said what he had. Even as she sent the command to her legs, she wondered if he’d ever attached clamps to his own nipples. Did he know what it felt like or did his knowledge come from watching her? Her and other captives who’d come before her.
She tried to rotate away from him while keeping her upper body as motionless as possible so the chain wouldn’t swing any more than it already was, but fear made her clumsy. Her feet tangled, causing her to stumble. She shrieked.
“
Ah, sorry,” he said from behind her as she tried to blink away hot tears. “It wasn’t my intention to have that happen.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “However, there’s no one you can blame except yourself.”
Her breasts burned so she could barely concentrate. Much as she wanted to scream at him that every bit of discomfort she’d experienced since he’d taken over her world was his doing, she knew better. His fingers ground into her shoulder blades, preventing her from moving.
“
I don’t want a clumsy slave. Until or unless you’ve become graceful I have no choice but to keep you to myself. Your every move and every inch of your body reflects on me, your master. I’m a hard man to please. If you are unable to live up to my standards, I’ll have no choice but to sell you.”
This was hardly the first time he’d brought up selling her. Part of her embraced anything that would take her from him but would another master be any better? At least he spoke to her. Someone else might consider her little more than an animal.
More to the point, Master understood that a slave remained a sexual being. He granted her pleasure.
Sometimes.
“
I’m sorry.” She couldn’t keep a whimper out of her voice. “Master.”
He let go of her with his right hand. A heartbeat later he slapped her buttocks. “Almost forgot to call me Master, didn’t you?
His blow had been hard enough to knock her forward, as she was sure he intended. Agony streamed through her. She couldn’t take her attention off the wildly swaying chain. Suddenly her own fingers were on it. Whimpering, she tried to stop the instrument of torture from moving.
“
What are you doing, slave?” His fingers viced her left shoulder as he spun her toward him. He glared at her trembling hand on the metal links. “How dare you—“
An apology was on the tip of her tongue but before she could begin to beg for forgiveness, anger overtook her. She’d been through so much! Master had condemned her to a life barely worth living.
“
You don’t own me!” she screamed. Because she couldn’t think how to release the pressure without injuring herself, she continued to grip the nipple clamps. “You can’t do this!” She indicated her abused breasts. “You have no—“
Growling, he closed a large hand around her throat and propelled her backward until her back slammed into a wall. Terror threatened to overtake her anger while every fiber of her being insisted she fight the big, imposing man, but he’d kill her if she so much as scratched him. His hold on her neck tightened.
“
Hands over your head, slave.”
No! No, please! Her entire body now shook and she could barely see for the tears. Choices? She didn’t have any. Not if she wanted to breathe again.
Helpless, she did as he commanded. Instead of letting go, he continued to squeeze her neck until consciousness faded.
“
I understand your actions, slave. You’re an animal and animals are ruled by survival instinct. However, you must find your way past selfishness to total obedience. Otherwise your existence will be a miserable one. Wouldn’t you prefer to be treated like a woman instead of a beast? To experience incredible climaxes in exchange for putting your master’s needs before your own?”
She couldn’t think let alone answer. Her arms started to slide down. Terrified of how he’d react to her disobedience, she tried to lift them, but she was so weak. Her knees threatened to buckle.
Chuckling, he released the pressure on her throat so she could suck in a blessed breath. He let her breathe several more times before again cutting off her air supply. This time she lasted only a few seconds before the world greyed and her arms sagged.
“
Put them back over your head, slave. That’s the only thing you have to do.”
She could! She had to! Otherwise he might kill her.
The grey darkened. Her head felt as if it was going to explode. She’d beg now, crawl to him on her belly and kiss his feet, anything to please him.
Once more he granted her the precious gift of air. As she filled her lungs and stretched her arms as high overhead as possible, she waited for the torture to begin again.
“
I wasn’t certain this would turn into another training moment,” he said. “I’m pleased it has. And for the record, I’m relatively satisfied with your self-control. Do you believe you can stay where I put you, slave? If I let you go, you’ll remain where I want my property to be?”
Property. Flesh and blood belonging to another human being. She nodded as best she could.
“
Wise choice, slut.”
He gave her throat a squeeze then reached over her head and pulled the length of chain he’d gotten down to her wrist. Because he’d restrained her here and this way before, she knew the chain was attached to a wheel. He hooked the chain to her cuff and then did the same to her other arm. There was enough slack in the chains that she could stand flat footed with her elbows slightly bent. Hot pain raged through her still-imprisoned breasts.
Master stepped back and studied her.
“
All those years of watching your weight and taking care of yourself and what did you get for it? A master whose present goal is to mold you to his needs and desires.” He came closer. “I’ve decided your momentary rebellion is the best thing that could have happened today. It brought our relationship into sharp relief. You tried to modify the discomfort I imposed on you. It didn’t work. Now I’ll teach you the consequences in ways that wouldn’t have been possible if you’d complied with every order.”
Another step. He extended a hand, hooked his forefinger around the chain, drew it toward him.
“
I’m sorry, Master,” she babbled. “I didn’t mean—I won’t—please—it won’t happen again.”
“
You can’t promise me that any more than I’d promise not to punish you.” He tugged sharply.
“
Oh, Master, Master please!” Her feet danced and she couldn’t stop her head from thrashing.
“
I have no interest in a slave’s pleas. You should know that by now.”
He drew down on the chain forcing her to lean over as far as she could. She prayed the clamps would slide off. Instead, they continued to grip. To punish. She was crying openly and promising things that made her hate herself when he let go. Relief poured through her but it was short-lived because he started the rope swinging again. He left her to suffer through the jerking motions. She realized he’d engaged the wheels on the overhead chains so her arms were being pulled straight. He didn’t stop until she was on her toes.
Again he backed away. This time he folded his arms over his chest as if contemplating something he’d created.
“
I wish I was an artist,” he said. “I’d like to paint you looking like this. At least I have a camera, don’t I?”
Did he expect an answer? Maybe she should say something about all the pictures of her in various restrained poses that covered the walls outside her cage. She hated seeing them and the memories that went with them but there was so little else to look at.
He went to the cupboard stocked with things she loathed and feared and took out a digital camera.
“
I’d tell you to smile but something tells me you aren’t in the mood.” He positioned himself to her right and maybe ten feet away then started taking pictures. “Besides, a smile would bely what you’re feeling. Hold still. We don’t want a blurry image, do we?”
Her breasts ached and burned. Her leg muscles had started protesting, and her arms felt as if they might dislocate. When he’d first take her, she’d begged him not to hurt her, but now she knew better than to say a word. He wanted her to suffer. And she would.
Whistling, he slowly moved around her immobilized body. The camera made countless clicking sounds as she resigned herself to being immortalized like this for his perverse pleasure.
That was it. She existed to feed his sadistic nature. Would it ever end and if it did, would she recognize what she’d become?
“
What a sweet, compliant slave. A sexy, sexy woman. Do you miss having clothes? Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that surely someday I’ll give you something to wear so you won’t feel quite so vulnerable. If you have, I strongly suggest you stop those thoughts. A slave is naked. End of discussion.”
She’d once longed for any scrap of clothing but next to the need to be able to lower her arms and an end to the throbbing in her breasts, that didn’t matter.
“
What do you want, Master? Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Take you in my ass, eat you, fuck with you—“
“
I don’t need your permission for those things to happen, slave. Surely you know that.” He returned the digital to the cupboard and took out something she couldn’t see. It could be a whip , a switch, even a cat-o’-nine-tails. Why hadn’t she tried to overcome him when she had the chance?
Because his strength far outstripped hers. Because he might kill her if she—
“
When I introduced the nipple clamps,” he said, his voice hypnotic, “my intention was simply to demonstrate my control without destroying you. It was a delicate balance calling for the upmost concentration on my part. You wouldn’t know what was happening or why which was the point. If you thought about it too much or felt your situation was hopeless, I ran the risk of losing you as a functioning human being. Fortunately for both of us, I’m able to walk that thin line. You might believe I’m dissatisfied with you today, but I’m not.”
He’d slowly ended the space between them during his monologue and was now so close she could feel his body heat.
“
What you probably interpret as disobedience on your part is simply proof that your instincts are intact. A totally obedient slave, one who doesn’t have the will to try to protect herself, is a broken creature. I want you on the edge, to have to constantly battle your instinct for survival.”
Was that a compliment? Hard as she tried, she couldn’t think for her dread and pain.
“
Many masters, probably the majority of them, would disagree with me. To them it’s all about control and subservience. If their slave blindly obeys their every command and anticipates their every need, they believe they’ve done their job.”
Once again his knuckles pressed against the side of her neck. Once more she willed herself not to move.
“
I want more than a pussy. I want a mind as well. At least part of one.”