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Tali

By: litmoir



This is a story that was begun as a self-exploration project when I was quite young (12?), but I've now considered continuing on to see what path Tali and her master will walk. It has gone through very light editing, but if the thoughts seem jumbled, it was because I was very confused about myself before learning about the BDSM community.

Note that there is absolutely NO SEX in the story. I was a huge believer in having the lifestyle without it. That said, I believe there are decent scenes regarding power exchange that could be appreciated by any dom/sub.

Feedback is welcome and could determine future chapters. 

*********

"Girl, come here," she heard as she sat in the small space that was her room. There wasn't much, just a small mat big enough for her to lay on. It wasn't even a real room, more like a converted closet. The girl quickly rose and left to go to her master, lest he become angry for her being lazy. When she turned the corner and saw him in a chair, she dropped to her knees, sat back on her heels, and bowed over until her face was close to the floor, not wasting a single movement.

"Yes, master?" she asked quietly. He didn't respond immediately, but she knew not to press him. He would do as he wished, when he wished it, and she had no say in it. She took a deep breath and let her mind wander while she waited.

Tali. Yes, that was her name. The name she was given, before everything changed. Tali had let herself forget everything about her past life. Forget everything, except her own name. That was the only thing she held onto. She didn't know how much time had passed before he answered her.

"Take this letter to Kien." With that, he folded up a piece of paper and handed it to her. He didn't bother putting it in an envelope -- he knew there would be no problems with secrecy... Tali would never open a letter to even peek at a word, and both of them knew it.

When she opened the door, a gust of wind swept into the room. Afraid of being scolded, the girl stepped outside, and closed the door, quickly, but quietly. As Tali began walking, another gust of wind blew. She only wore a short-sleeved shirt and a thin pair of pants, but it didn't bother her. Her body knew she was cold, but she wouldn't let her mind know it. The only thing on her mind was to deliver the letter, and please her master...

***

The day was as normal as could be. Tali pulled on a cloak with a swirl and stepped outside, smiling at the cool, sunny day. Inside the house it was too noisy, and she just couldn't think. If she sat still, someone asked what was wrong. If she lay in bed, she always fell asleep in minutes. Outside, Tali could walk the streets and let her mind wander as she pondered matters, for just about as long as she wanted.

For some reason that she wasn't sure of, Tali took a path that lead her to an isolated lake. There was never anyone there during the winter. The water was frozen, but too thin to even send a toddler on it. The little bits of snow mixed with dirt couldn't be enjoyable, mixed in from those like herself who just wanted to find time to themselves. These walks around places as close to nature as could be brightened Tali. Here, she was away from all responsibility. Nobody knew where to find her, and if they did they certainly wouldn't go all the way just to ask her to do something. At this thought she smiled. They were too lazy to do the job themselves, but didn't want to make the trip to call upon her either.

As the girl sat on a small boulder, staring at nothing, she was completely unaware of the silent footfalls of another as he stalked up behind, and slipped a knife to her throat. Tali didn't have to freeze, she was already as still as a rock. Instead she cocked her head a little in a question asking what the knife-holder wanted.

"You have two choices... either I can relieve you of your problems... or I leave, never to be seen again," this he said quietly into her left ear.

Silence stretched for an infinite amount of time. The knife to her throat was starting to feel sharp. She thought of her choices... hadn't she always wanted to leave this cursed place? Get away from everything... It seemed like the perfect opportunity. There were so many quarrels at home nobody would miss her. Nobody even noticed her leave the house.

Before she realized what she was doing, her head gave a slight up and down movement. "The first one? Make sure you understand that might be one of the last choices you ever make again." Again she nodded. "Alright then, stand up." It was strange to her. His tone wasn't gentle, yet it wasn't harsh. She didn't feel threatened, yet she knew what was happening.

Suddenly, a strip of cloth was placed over her eyes and she was blindfolded. It wasn't too tight, but wasn't loose either. With slight nudges she was guided a short way to a coach. When he opened the door, she entered without a word, and felt him climb in after her. The man uttered a few words to the driver, and the coach started ahead.

Tali had no clue how long she had been in the coach. Time seemed to drag for her. When they had reached the destination, they didn't take the blindfold off until the next day, or so she assumed by how long she slept, so she couldn't tell by the lighting from the sun either.

When finally someone came to take the blindfold off, it took her a while to become used to the light again. 

***

Tali's body was chilled to the bones, but it didn't appear to bother her at all. She was to reach her destination in a decent amount of time, but not appearing to hurry or draw any attention. Rounding a bend, she saw the house where the letter was supposed to go. 

Controlling her shivering in the wind, Tali reached the door, and knocked in a short pattern: long, short short long, short. She used it to announce who she was to those who were familiar with her.

After a little time, the door opened, and Kien appeared.

"Girl!" he exclaimed in surprise. It wasn't that he was surprised to see her, but she was wearing almost nothing compared to the cold of the weather. "Come inside and warm yourself up."

Tali shook her head. "Please, sir, I can't. Master will want me back as soon as possible." She raised the letter that she carefully held in her shaky hand. "Please, take it."

Kien raised his eyebrows. "Come in. Now. You don't want me to tell him you disobeyed my direct order would you?" He didn't put any venom in his voice, but kept it calm. The effect was just as great.

"No... please sir, I'm sorry, I just didn't want to bother you," whimpered Tali.

Kien smiled, and stated simply, "Good. It's no bother to me, I just didn't want you to freeze to death." He gently took the letter from her hand.

Tali slowly stepped into his house. She knelt by the doorway and let the warmth run through her body. Kien tossed her a blanket. "Warm yourself up. I'll let you leave after you drink some hot tea and stop shivering."

She groaned inwardly as he started making tea. This wasn't going to be a short stop, it would take several minutes to heat the water, then another couple to steep the leaves. She also stared in horror at the blanket, but knew that if she wanted to stop shivering, her best option was to use it.

She wasn't supposed to accept any form of comforts. Nobody should have even offered her any. She was a nobody, what would her master say? However, this man wouldn't let her leave until he was satisfied she was feeling okay. With haste, as Kien finally showed up, she accepted the cup from his hands. He turned away to sit down and read the letter. She gulped down the tea, burning her throat. Practice let her stop herself from choking.

"Thank you, sir. I best be going," Tali said quickly. She rose, opened the door, and went on her way before he could do anything. The blanket lay on the ground inside the house. Tali wished desperately that she could sprint back to her master's house to make up for lost time. He wasn't one to miss small details. She decided it was a consequence that she would have to suffer.

As Tali walked into the house, she noticed her master was still seated in his chair. She walked up to it and knelt next to him again.

"What took you so long?"

"Master... I'm sorry, I was foolish and acted without thinking... I went into his house and had a cup of tea to warm up..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone in."

"So why did you?"

Of course, there was no one to blame but herself. It was improper to fault another person for her own actions, even if they forced her into them.

"I... I don't know, master. Please, help me stop myself from doing it again!"

Just then, someone made a sound from his throat. Kien was standing there, holding two cups of drinks. Tali stared at the job that should have been hers. Kien must have ran from a different route and got there before her. She stood and tried to take one of the cups for her master. To her surprise, Kien moved his arms out of her reach and walked past her, setting the cups down on a table, one in front of her master.

Kien sighed, "I'm afraid she hasn't told you the full story."

"Oh? What did she miss?"

"I made her go into my house and accept the comforts... I threatened her with telling you she disobeyed me." He shivered as he said this.

"Kien, we've had this conversation many times. The end has always been the same."

While the two men talked, Tali had walked back to her master's side and knelt back down.. She put her head down and tried not to listen, but it was hard.

"She's yours to command," her master continued, "but you really shouldn't do anything for her. I have her trained to dislike comforts, and she doesn't seem to mind." He petted Tali on the head as he said it, and she relaxed a little.

In response, Kien growled, "She's a human, a person, just like any-"

"She's my slave! Under my care. I provide for her, and I shelter her. Why acknowledge her as if she's an equal...she's not."

"How can you say that?"

"She gave herself over. She willingly put herself in this position. Girl, two hours," he waved off whatever Kien was going to say in response to that, "to make sure you don't get used to any...comforts." He looked at Kien as he said that, but his friend simply shrugged. "I'll be there when I'm done here."

Tali knew what to do. It wasn't the first time she would be punished for an action that was beyond her control, or not her own fault. At least it's only two hours, she thought to herself. Somehow, though, the punishments never really mattered. They were given to her by her master, and she lived to accept them, though it wasn't pleasant and she never tried to get into them. Nevertheless, she always lived on to fear whatever she was punished for, for it had its effect.

The girl walked into a room. Not her room, but one set up for her. She walked in and stood in the middle of the room, waiting for the inevitable. She wondered... why was Kien so nice? How could he be so nice? The warmth of the tea and blankets was nice -- no, she couldn't think of that. Never that. Not again. Suddenly she heard the front door close, and seconds later her master walked in.

As soon as Tali saw him she collapsed onto her knees, adding a twist as she fell so she ended up with her back to her master. She took a rope from beside her and held it out behind her, where he took it and swiftly tied her wrists together in practiced motion. The next thing Tali knew, she was being lifted by the rope, grimacing in pain as she was hoisted up until her feet were off the ground.

"Perhaps this will teach you to fear me, not Kien..." he said, but Tali barely heard him. From the moment her feet lost contact with the ground the only thing that seemed to exist was pain. She could only take the pain for so long, until a whining noise escaped her... which turned into a screaming that began soon after the door closed behind her.

After a time that she wasn't able to tell, Tali could scream no more. Her screams of pleading and apologizing, gone unheard or ignored. Instead, she hung there, crying in hopelessness until the sound of the door opening caught her attention.

"Please... I'm sorry," she tried to say, but it came out as barely a whisper. When her feet touched the floor she almost wept again in joy. "Th-thank you master." Her wrists were unbound, and the next thing she felt was more pain when her hands swung around again. 

She collapsed and continued crying. He hadn't forgiven her for her transgressions yet. Even as her pain from her arms subsided, the grief of disappointing him welled up inside her. "Master, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, pl..." Surprisingly, he scooped Tali up in his arms and gently lifted her off the ground.

"Shh... it's okay. You've learned. Everything will be alright now... Forget it." And as he said this, he soothed her with his hands, rubbing the soreness out of her arms and combing her hair. However, all Tali could think about was how sorry she was for disappointing him.

"Master... I'm sorry, please forgive me." She squeezed out the words through gasps for air. For a moment when she turned her head slightly to look at him, she saw something strange in his eyes -- something that seemed like sorrow.

"Of course you're forgiven, girl. Forget about it. You've learned, that's all there is to it." He sat down in his chair, and Tali squirmed, trying to get out of his lap and onto the floor. This didn't feel right. She should be on the ground before him.

"Please master, let me go, I -- " 

"Stop struggling. Now," but his command had no force in it. He held her securely, keeping her from moving anywhere. She knew her struggle was pointless, so she collapsed and let his soothing take hold of her, slipping into a sleep she never meant to...

When next Tali awoke, she was on a bed. In a panic she tried to sit up, only to realize that she was bound to it. Her shoulders ached, but that was nothing compared to the fear she had of being found. She took a look around, but realized it was her master's room. Why? All she could do was lay down and eventually doze off again...

"...wake up... girl!" Tali snapped awake and automatically moved to sit up again, only to cry in pain when her arms were snagged back.

Looking at her with a glint in his eyes, he said, "Enjoying the bed, are we?"

After remembering the last time she accepted comforts, Tali shook her head frantically and futilely tried to break loose of the bed. She pulled and tossed, but nothing freed her. All she could do was to weep silently as she looked fearfully at her master and plead hoarsely, "No, master... please..."

"Shh, calm down. I was ... joking," he said quietly, "are you feeling well?" Tali look at him, puzzled. "Well?" he continued, "I asked you a question girl..."

"No! I'm sorry, I mean... yes, master, I'm feeling well, I'm sorry for my delayed response. Please forgive me." She looked away at that moment, afraid again, but all she could do was lie there, with no way to show how sorry she was. Surprisingly, her master only laughed. He walked over and untied her.

"Now that you're rested, I'll send you over to Kien. Behave. Do everything he says, understand?" She nodded. "Good. Now leave me."

As Tali left, her master pondered the shift in behavior himself. Kien had said something that stuck a chord within him. "If she really wants to be here, you'll show her everything she could have, and let her make the choice herself," he had said. It made sense, to some extent. Tali had entered the world of slavery at an early age, never having really experienced life or the world. He would at least educate her in the ways of being someone's equal instead of just a slave.

Before Tali reached Kien's door, it opened. She saw Kien standing there, waiting for her.

"Hurry up, I'm getting cold!" She hurried through the doorway and turned around to shut it, but Kien had already done it. 

"Take a seat," he said, waving towards one of his chairs lined with pillows.

Tali dropped to her knees where she stood and pleaded, "I can't... please sir, I ... master will find out, I can't..."

"What was the last thing he told you? Do you remember? He told you didn't he?"

Then she remembered. Do everything he says, understand? Tali shuddered and nodded, slowly getting up and moving towards the chair. When she sat down, all that ran through her memory was the 2 hours of pain she went through, never again did she think she'd accept comforts again... but she was ordered to accept it. All of a sudden, the tears came again as she cried for fear of her master, what would happen when she went back.

Kien growled and she cut off her tears immediately, but what he said was, "Damn him for making you like this. Damn him for taking away a human's rights from you!" Tali looked down at her feet, avoiding his eyes for she knew all she would find would be anger in them. She said the only thing she knew to say given this situation.

"I'm sorry sir..."

Kien raised his eyebrows at that and asked, "And why are you sorry? There was nothing you did or said, nothing you should feel sorry for at all."

Tali had no response to that. It was how she was taught to respond, something that never did her harm.

"I... I don't know, sir."

"And don't call me sir. It's Kien," but she started to shake her head to that, "Are you trying to defy me again?"

The fear welled up in Tali again, and she slipped off the chair to drop to her knees, whispering, "No, I just... I c-c.. it doesn't seem right," and as she said this, memories of past hours before yesterday's sprang up to fill her mind. Suddenly she started shivering despite herself, and her mind fought with itself between what Kien was saying and what she had lived with for so many years. "Do as you will, sir... I'm sorry."

Kien only shook his head and responded quietly, "Get up, girl, I didn't really mean anything... Sit down again, please," to that Tali looked up and her shivering stopped abruptly. Did she just hear someone say please to her? That was stranger than anything else. She realized she was staring at him, still kneeling.

Shaking her head to herself, Tali got up again and sat back down. Building up all the courage she had left in her, and against all rules she lived by, she asked, "Sir... why are you so nice to me?" And as soon as the words left her mouth she wished she could take them back, but the words were already out in the open.

"Why shouldn't I?" he replied, "You're a person just like everyone else. Shouldn't you be treated the same?" Tali shook her head to that. All she wanted in life was to make someone happy...her master.

"I don't... I don't want to be treated the same. I serve Master, and whoever else he tells me to. I think I live to serve, sir." She wasn't ready for the next question.

"What's your name, girl?"

The one thing she knew that nobody else did. Her only secret, never before asked for. The one thing she wouldn't tell, for it wouldn't do for someone to address her by name, to be an equal.

"I'm sorry sir. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I can't do that." At this point in time, Tali knew that she would be in for it when she returned to her master's house. He told her to behave and do everything Kien said, but already she defied him thrice.

"What if I told you I'd have your master give you hours for not telling me? For defying me against his will?"

"I... please sir, please don't," Tali pleaded. She didn't know how much she could take at once, but she certainly didn't want two so close to each other.

"Will you tell me your name?" he asked, a little sternly, perhaps with a hint of sarcasm in his voice as well.

Tali wasn't about to tell him her name... but at the same time she was afraid to deny him his wish. The tears threatened to come back, and she started shaking again. As much as she tried to stop them, they only started to get stronger as her mind fought itself, side to side, weighing the options. Then it hit her. An option? She hadn't had one for as long as she could remember...


Tali Ch. 02



Thank you for the comments and questions, they may spark some ideas in me in the long haul =) I actually noticed after submitting the first chapter that it's part of the rules if not "non-erotic" that there has to be sex, so I'm glad that putting it in the BDSM category so far has seemed like the right thing to do.

My writing style may have changed since it's been 12 years since I started, and I now actually know what "bdsm" is (i wrote that before i did!) and may be tainted/biased by much more knowledge, but I'll attempt to continue fusing my inner turmoils of youth with each chapter.

Once again, comments appreciated, and sorry for any grammatical/typing mistakes ahead of time... I didn't have 10 years to proofread this time around. 

***************************

"Exactly 300. Good girl," Miro praised softly. He knew the devastation that must be going through the girl's head, and sought to give her some relief.

Tali almost looked up in joy to gaze upon her master at the words, but reminded herself that it was not her place to look at him, and instead slumped even lower towards the ground, relaxing her tense shoulders. Surely if he were completely angry at her, he would not bother to spare her favors.

"Come here next to me," he said, walking back to his chair to sit back down.

Tali lifted her head slightly as she stood, quickly and quietly moving over to him. She noticed that he had been reading some novels and had left them in disarray on the table. When she made it far enough to where she could see her kneeling place, she gave a soft gasp when she saw what was there. A soft, white pillow. 

Thoughts fought for attention in her head. Why would he do that? What should she do? Was this even his idea? Was it Kien? Perhaps it was a test? 

She shook her head, trying to make sense of the situation in the last couple seconds she had before arriving at the spot. As she stood there before the moment of truth, her lips trembled in fear of making the wrong choice. Was there even a right choice? 

Kneeling down slowly, she put her hands next to the pillow, and set her knees down behind them, being as close to her spot as possible without touching what she viewed as an object she should never use.

"Why do you forsake my gift?" 

Screams ran through Tali's head. That wasn't what she meant to do. Did he really think that? She tried to think of what she could say. She thought back to a time of earlier training, before this master.

"Please master, this girl is grateful and thanks you for his gift, but knows that she is not worthy of such kindness." She paused for a moment to regather her thoughts. "This girl seeks forgiveness for her transgressions, her selfishness in accepting kindness, her carelessness in not preparing enough food, her failure from not pleasing her master. She would rather suffer for eternity trying to earn forgiveness than take any pleasure for herself." By the time she finished her scattered thoughts, Tali had started silently crying, the tears falling down her face, dripping off her chin, spattering onto the rug.

Miro groaned at the relapse he had caused. Tali was spiraling out of control and he needed a way to reel her back to reality. He stood up and knelt in front of her, facing her, only to be shocked that twin streams of tears ran down either side of her face. Her body was wracking in sobs that she did very well to suppress, even though he knew that she had the hardest time controlling the despair she felt from failure.

"Tali," he started, but then she wildly started shaking her head.

"No... no master, please! This girl is sorry!" She started wailing, "She is sorry she cannot control her emotions... sorry she remembered her name! Sorry... sorry for ever telling, she will forget... please punish her so she forgets... make her forget so she can never displease master that way again." She knew he was in front of her and tried to sink herself further into the ground, making it so she couldn't see him. She clenched her fists until even her trimmed nails seemed to dig into her palms, trying to keep her raging emotions in check.

"Girl. I'm warning you now, don't try my patience, and don't cut me off again."

She froze. His tone didn't sound threatening, just a reminder. She tried to breathe deeply to settle her stomach.

"Tali," he said again firmly, "I bought you this pillow because I want you to have something nice. From me. I am giving you this gift, and I expect you to treat it with as much care as anything I own. You may use this pillow at any time you wish. In fact, to not use it would make me think you did not appreciate the thought I put into it." 

Tali inhaled sharply. She shook her head quickly again to signal that she would never not appreciate his gift, and reached out to snatch the pillow up in her hands, hugging it carefully, but tightly to her chest, rocking back and forth over it.

"Good girl... Now, did you have anything you wanted to say?"

"Master..." she started tentatively, "thank you for your gift. This girl will cherish it forever. She just... just..." she trailed off.

"Out with it. We don't have all night."

She twitched a little at possibly displeasing him again. "This girl knows she has displeased you. She seeks forgiveness, if that pleases you. She also knows she does not deserve a name. Does not deserve anything, except perhaps chances to please you... She wishes to be the best slave she could be." She tensed as she waited for a response, holding her breath, clutching her new pillow.

He shook his head slightly, not enough for her to see. He knew he only perpetuated these feelings in her, but now he wanted her to choose for herself. Kiro was right. She knew nothing of kindness and needed to understand what she was willingly subjecting herself to. He needed to try baby steps.

"Girl... it's alright. You must know that I am not angry at you for remembering your name. You are correct though. You did remember and even share it against my orders at the time. For that, you will be punished," he said, as he reached forward and gently pried the pillow out of her hands. "I will keep this until I think you have redeemed yourself, and you can start by forgetting all that third person nonsense, and start showing me your pretty face again." He lightly whacked her in the shoulder with the pillow as he said that.

She looked up in shock at the sudden contact and requests. "This... I will try my best, master."

He let out a quick laugh, "That's a good start! Now off to bed, you must be exhausted."

"Yes, master," she replied, with a hint of a grin starting to show through her tear-streaked grin. She wiped her arms across her eyes and face, then stood up and waited for her master to exit the room before her.

She was surprised when he motioned her forward to leave before him, which was strange... Normally she tidied up anything that may have been disrupted after he left, but she accepted that some small change was occurring and that she would do best to try to adapt to the situation. To please him.

Realizing now that he was waiting for her, she almost ran out of the room, trying to think of things she could do to earn that pillow back. Of course, she would never be able to judge which tasks would achieve that end goal... only he knew the weight of each action.

As Tali turned turned left and opened the closet door to her room, her master cleared his throat.

"Would you like to sleep in my room tonight?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and she froze mid-step, almost comically with one foot still half bent in the air. She was rarely allowed the honor of sleeping with him. She also realized it was a question.

"Master, I would like to do whatever would please you more."

He wanted her to start thinking about what would please herself instead of just him. "Where would you prefer to sleep?"

Another inward groan. She preferred to sleep in whichever place he would be happier with her sleeping in! This was starting to feel like her day at Kien's place all over again. She turned slowly to face him and sank to her knees, afraid that she wouldn't be able to stay standing.

"Master, please... I don't know what I want besides your pleasure and happiness. I want what you want."

He took silent controlling breaths to instill patience within himself. "Girl, right now, what I want is for you to look deep inside yourself, beyond my pleasure, and find out what -you- would prefer, not me."

What SHE would prefer? One does not just pick up those feelings after throwing them out ten years ago, if she had to take a guess at how long she had been in servitude. That's what her master wanted though... So she started the gears in her head turning as quickly as possible.

Sleeping in the same room as him would imply that she thought she deserved it. Did he think she deserved it? Was this even the right way to go about thinking it? He wanted her to decide for herself, not to decide what he would decide for her... What did she want? Of course she would glow with pleasure at being able to curl up in the corner of his room. But ... but...

"Master... I... I know I haven't done anything to deserve sleeping in your proximity. Please don't be mad at me..." She tried looking up at him to see if she could read a queue from him to change her mind last minute, but his face was passively blank. Half in frustration and the other half in nervousness, she rushed out, "I would love to sleep in your room tonight! If.. if.. master would like that, that is.. " She started stuttering after realizing just what she had said..

He smiled. Of course she would say she didn't deserve it. That girl would never think she deserved anything... well, she never USED to think she deserved anything... hopefully that would change in the near future. At least she was able to speak her thoughts instead of retreating back in her mind.

"Not only am I happy to share my room with you... I'm thrilled that you were able to speak your mind. Now come on, it's getting late and I promised Kien that you would go to his place early in the morning."

"Master... why must I go to Kien's? Can't I just stay here with you? I promise I'll learn. He makes me nervous..."

"Girl, here I can only help you think about things a little differently... There, you can learn to be a real person in this world, not just a dutiful slave that is worth nothing."

By now they had already reached his room, and she was already starting to sit in the corner where she normally slept in the room.

"But master... I don't-"

"Shh... I know you don't think you want to be that person right now, but you'll have to think about it. Now don't forget, tomorrow bright and early."

"Yes master," she responded dutifully, starting to curl up.

"Good girl," he tucked her pillow under her head.

She could have leapt up in joy at having the pillow back. Instead she quickly shifted to her knees, "th-thank you so much master, I know I haven't done anything to earn this."

"You made an honest decision with yourself. I know how hard that must have been, and it would have most likely been impossible without Kien's help yesterday. Don't forget to thank him tomorrow when you see him," he added. He smiled to himself as he wondered how that would go...

"Yes master! Thank you master," she said again, as he climbed under his sheets and closed his eyes. She laid back down to her side again and closed hers as well, curled up hugging her new fluffy pillow with tears newly staining her face, this time in happiness.

***

Tali was kneeling there, left by one of the slave handlers, as she had come to realize that that was what they were. Slaves were being taken in and out of the building, though she didn't know any details beyond that... She was told to be quiet and stay, so that was what she did.

Eventually, a man walked up to her and motioned for her to stand up.

"I will be taking you to your first master. He will be responsible for training you to be fit to serve."

She nodded that she heard his words, but there was still a question whirling through her head. How was this supposed to solve her problems? She hoped her trainer would provide more insight.

The man beckoned for her to follow, and she did so, through one of the doors out of the building. Another man waited and nodded to the first, who went back inside.

"How are you feeling?"

She gasped. She recognized the voice. This was the man who had taken her from the frozen lake!

"Um... okay, I guess, I don't really know what's going on or why I'm here..."

"You're here because I've been watching you mill around every day, tired of life, tired of wanting to deal with people and the burden of responsibility. You see, once you are paired with a master, he is responsible for everything. All you need to do is what you will be trained to do - serve and please."

"That does sound nice..." She admitted that the idea of having one purpose in life, to please someone, sounded incredibly appealing. She always tried doing so with her family but the constant bickering always ruined anything she ever accomplished.

"Here's the first thing you should remember. Always refer to your master as master. It should accompany every thought, at the very least."

She nodded her understanding.

"This next one changes from person to person. However, I prefer verbal responses. I like to hear the voice of my slaves."

"Yes master, I'm sorry master, I didn't know-"

"Ut-" he cut her off, "Never speak more than necessary. Excuses are not necessary. A master will ask if he wants to know more information."

"Yes master."

"Good girl," he praised. This one was quite the catch... He knew she would be good, "you're a natural."

Unknown warmth flooded through her as she realized he was pleased with her. The happiness she felt from his pleasure was compounded by the fact that that was the only goal in her life now, to make him happy. She hoped for more to learn so that she could replicate the process and result.

"Come on now, I'll take you home with me, where you will stay for the duration of your training."

"Yes master."

***

Tali woke with a start. The sun wasn't up yet, but she had plans for what to do for Kien. His place was a mess! She intended to clean it all up before he even woke.

Since she didn't know what sorts of cleaning materials he had, she prepared her own little bag of items - a duster, rag, and some cleaning solution. The sky was starting to show signs of light as she reached his house and let herself in quietly with a spare key.

She got to work furiously, trying to make sure that she didn't wake the sleeping inhabitant. Occasionally she smiled to herself with every bit that got cleaner. Before she knew it, the sunlight was shining through the house, and the only room left was his. She knelt down and knocked softly, to check if he was awake. He never came to open the door, so she leaned back against a wall and patiently waited for him to start his day.



Tali Ch. 03



Thanks for the comments and encouragement!

If you are new to this story, please be sure to read the previous chapters. As a reminder, there is absolutely NO SEX in this story. There are, however, what I perceive to be powerful d/s scenes. If at any point anyone thinks that this no longer belongs in the bdsm section, feel free to let me know.

As always, comments/feedback appreciated. 

***

Tali had been dozing off slightly, but at the sound of movement beyond the door, she became alert again. She listened as Kien went through his morning routine. He made his way over to the bathroom and turned on the faucet. It drowned out everything else so she relaxed her attention again.

Kien started washing his face to wake himself up when he suddenly realized that Tali was going to be coming over today. He began thinking of what he could teach her today, steeling himself for the persistent mindset of that girl.

After he turned off the faucet and dried his face, he made his way towards the door to the hallway. Barely paying attention, he opened it swiftly and kicked his foot out without looking, catching Tali hard in the side and tripping over her. He swore loudly before he caught himself.

"Girl!" he mentally kicked himself over his habit, "I mean, Tali, what are you doing here so early? How long have you been here?"

Tali hadn't counted on him being upset so early... She came here early because her master told her to! That wasn't what she was going to say though... She grimaced in pain from the accidental blow, but got back to a steady form on her knees before answering, "sir, I wanted to thank you for teaching me and helping me learn to think for myself. Master said that you expected me this morning, so I made sure to be here and available for you in case you wanted anything. I've been waiting for you to wake up for about half an hour now, sir."

Kien frowned, "I told him whenever was convenient, not some ungodly hour in the morning... uch, nevermind." He knew everything was going to take time, and go through a process. For both of Miro and Tali.

"Come on, Tali, stand up, why do you insist on kneeling?" He decided he'd try to pick at her way of thinking.

"Sir, I am not your equal, nor would I pretend to be. As my superior, you belong in a higher place... kneeling before you achieves that effect, and shows my willingness to submit."

Kien faced her directly and lowered himself to her level. She gave an expression of shock at this act and quickly lowered her eyes so that she wouldn't make eye contact with him.

"Since -I- think that we're equals, it only makes sense that we be at the same level. We will have a mutually beneficial relationship from now on. What you have with Miro is one-sided."

"But sir! He takes care of me... In return, I try my best to be good for him, and he teaches me the best way to do so. He rewards me for good behavior! I feel fulfilled as long as Master is happy." Tali lowered her head as she continued, "I... I wouldn't know what to do with my life if I didn't have someone to please..."

Just the thought of that made her shudder. Her master gave her purpose, gave her life. How could she live without that? She would be an empty shell. She wished Kien could see that.

Kien reached out and gently tilted her head upwards from her chin. "In a balanced relationship, where you are not master and slave, you would not be rewarded for good behavior... Instead, you would both strive to please and compliment each other. You would give each other everything you have to offer."

Tali shook her head, "I have nothing to give... I don't deserve to have anything," she said, almost like a chant. These new ideas... they were foreign, but if she really had nothing.. what about the pillow her master gave her? Thoughts clashed in her mind as she tried to make sense of all the contradictions.

Kien noticed her eyes glaze over as she became lost in thought. "Tali, look at me."

She hoped this wasn't going where she thought it might go. She looked at him... at his mouth, to avoid having to really see his eyes.

"No, LOOK at me, at my eyes."

Tali whimpered, "p-please sir, I... I can't..." When he didn't move or say anything, she took as deep a breath as she could without her ribs exploding in pain, which wasn't that much breath, and gathered her will. She darted her eyes up to look at his.

Power. Determination. Strength. Her fear. Her eyes slipped away. It was just an instant, but the feelings were overwhelming.

"Look at me, and don't look away."

"I..." Tali was speechless. Her heart-rate quickened and she steeled herself again, but nothing could have prepared her for what she felt. Making eye contact with Kien was many things, and terrifying was one of them. She began shaking with effort. Her eyes kept slipping away to break the spell, but still he sought her gaze. She was glad she wasn't standing, for if she were, she was sure that her knees would have buckled by now.

Finally, she told herself she was doing this for her master, and managed to lock her eyes on his. The power that connection held was unimaginable. She felt like she couldn't move. She started shaking with the tremendous amount of effort it took for her to keep from glancing away. It felt like every muscle in her body was becoming weaker. Eventually, it started becoming too much.

"Please..." she begged.

"Please what?" He wanted her to be able to complete her thoughts out loud.

Tali realized now that she had been holding her breath in effort. She expelled the air to gasp in a new breath.

"Please sir... I... it's too much," her plea came out as a whisper.

"What is?" Kien was being a little harsh, but she needed to learn how to express herself.

She couldn't think. Her body was starting to quiver even more as she tried to concentrate.

"Sir.. the... the connection... your eyes... the feeling is overwhelming." The task of describing what she was feeling was impossible, "It... it's too intense.. I'm scared..." She was desperate to break eye contact, but she was also desperate to be good. Follow orders. What was left if she couldn't even follow one simple direction without buckling under pressure?

Kien was satisfied with the progress so far. He took a breath and looked away off to the side, being the one to break the connection. Looking into Tali's eyes had been a rush for himself as well. He didn't think he could see so many emotions flitter through someone's expression in such a short period of time. He'd have to find a way to look her in the eyes more often.

"You did well, Tali. I'm sorry I'm forcing you to do these things that make you uncomfortable, but hopefully you will become more used to them."

Even as relief from the broken eye contact washed over Tali, terror flooded through her. "Sir... please, don't be sorry." For someone to be sorry to her, it meant that they were somehow wronging her. By definition of her life, that just wasn't possible... couldn't be possible.

"And why shouldn't I be sorry for making you uncomfortable?" Kien inquired.

"I... I'm the one that should be sorry, for being difficult, for not learning better... for wasting your time on me," she started choking up a little as the realization of what she was started dawning on her. A waste of time.

"No. Tali, you are not a waste of time, and you are doing so well in learning. This is something I want to do, and know that I can be sorry for what I force upon you, but still feel that it is necessary."

She just stared blankly ahead, hearing what he said but not really believing it or knowing what to think. It was dangerous to take a praise like that to heart. Doing so could encourage slacking or more lax behavior, so she tried to brush his compliment aside in her mind.

"Now, come on Tali, let's go have some breakfast." Kien realized that he was starving.

Tali shifted and brought one leg up to try to stand, but her ribs protested. A wave of nausea and dizziness hit, and she groaned, dropping back to her knees.

Kien rushed forward to see what was wrong. In all the years he had known her, he never saw her waver in the basic discipline of changing physical positions without expressing any pains or difficulty.

"What's wrong, girl?" He reverted to something he knew she would be comfortable with.

"I'm sorry sir... I... I'm ok..." She clenched her jaw tight and braced herself for the pain. She got her feet under her and stood up, feeling victorious when she was standing for a split second, before another wave of pain from her torso stretching caused her to stagger a little. She wrapped an arm around her chest, trying to steady herself.

"Girl!" Kien took her arm and walked her into his bedroom. It dawned upon him that this was from him running into her earlier, the equivalent of what was a brutal kick to the ribs. As a girl with a tiny build, she might not have fared so well.

He sat her down on the bed and felt her ribs, gently applying pressure across several places. He stopped when she drew in a sharp breath, then coughed in pain from having inhaled too deeply.

Kien groaned, "It looks like you have a broken rib... you will need to be careful for a couple months... Miro's going to kill me."

"Sir... sir.. It's ok, nothing I haven't suffered before," Tali tried to say. She started to stand up to get off the bed. That was still making her uneasy.

"No, stay there." Kien mustered as much authority as he could into his voice. He needed to talk to Miro. "Don't you dare get up, girl. I'll be back soon." He hurried out the door to go fetch his friend.

As much as Tali hated the situation, it was too late to do anything once Kien had left. She knew how much pain she was in. Not unbearable, but requiring a non-trivial amount of effort to deal with. She started to zone out to distance herself from the feeling, slowly leaning back and slipping towards unconsciousness.

***

She gasped in horror as she saw the cup slip from her hand. She didn't know how it happened. Time slowed to a crawl as she saw the inevitable occur. The cup hit the ground and shattered, spilling its contents on the ground.

He came in a fury, his presence demanding that she drop to her knees immediately. She tried to be careful about the ground she knelt on to avoid the shards of glass.

"Do you think you deserve the luxury of dawdling, slave?" He fumed, "Kneel, now."

She dropped the rest of the distance to her knees. It wasn't very far, but she cried out in pain as a shard of glass dug into her flesh.

His cruel laughter that followed chilled her to the bones. "Was that painful to you, slave?" He asked rhetorically. He delivered a swift kick to her prone body. Another cry of pain.

"Please master, this slave is sorry!"

"Of course you're sorry, and you will be sorry." He continued the punishment on her weak body. She knew that something was broken.

"Please... please master, mercy," she had to get him to stop some how, or she would become a useless wreck. That was the worst thing that could happen. She had to be able to serve!

"Good slaves may earn mercy. Slaves who make stupid mistakes deserve pain." He kicked her hard enough from the side this time that she toppled over.

"Assume your position." He didn't even care. He enjoyed seeing her suffer.

Fear. That was the only thing she had left in her mind. She was no longer behaving to please her master, she had retreated to a self-preservation mode. She moaned in pain as she fought her mind, crawling back to her knees. Her thoughts barely made it through to the surface. She couldn't tell how much pain was residual from contact and how much was more than that.

He moved his foot up and applied harsh pressure to her sides. She cried out in pain. He pushed a little harder, daring her to move or defy him. Waiting for her to buckle so that he could place more blame on her.

When she was able to resist, it only infuriated him more, making him lose control. The punishment continued, and there was nothing left she could do. Her vision clouded. It started going black and her senses became muted.

Suddenly something changed. The pain became a constant, no more sharp blows aimed at her. She felt her arms being handled, and more pressure around her chest, causing another cry.

"Come on, I'm getting you out of here." She thought the voice sounded familiar. Whoever had lifted her up was moving her towards the exit of the house.

"Where do you think you're going, Miro? Come back with my slave."

"No. You're out of control, and you're out of chances. There is nothing this slave could have done to deserve what you did. You can come up with no more excuses about bad slaves. You have lost your privileges of owning a slave." While he was talking, he set her down, prepared to deal with the rage of this would-be master.

The fight was over before it began. Miro delivered two swift punches from the rage-induced charge, knocking the wind out of his foe, with the first, then knocking him out with a square hit to the face with the second. He returned to get the slave and took her back to his house.

He found her medical help. They had staff on hand to deal with these situations. Even good masters had issues sometimes. With good care, they were able to prevent much permanent damage, though she could be traumatized for a long time. Eventually, she woke and was able to speak.

"Master?" she was confused. Why was her trainer here? She was supposed to have been given away to a more permanent position.

"Welcome back, girl. You suffered an unfortunate incident with someone who will no longer be a master to any of our slaves."

The memories came rushing back. She tried to curl up to defend herself against the assault on her mind. He reached out to her and she took comfort in his presence. She gathered enough of her wits to continue speaking.

"I... I made a mistake, I displeased him... he punished me for it."

"We do not permanently damage our slaves. No mistake deserves that type of brutality. There is something I must tell you, before we continue further," Miro paused a second to make sure he had her attention, "I understand if you no longer trust that this life is the answer. I will do our best to help you return to a normal life."

Tali wasn't sure -she- understood. Go back to a normal life? No... she needed to please. She had to... just maybe not... not with anyone else.

"Master," she began slowly. He nodded to her in encouragement, so she continued, "I enjoy pleasing.. I want to continue to serve."

"Are you sure, girl? If you are, we will be sure to place you with someone who dislikes physical discipline, at least for now."

"Master... please..." she gulped as she tried to think of any right way to say what she was about to say, "please let me serve you. Forever." She didn't know why she felt the need, she just did. He made her feel so warm.

Of course, that is what a trainer did. They trained these slaves to know nothing but extreme gratitude from pleasing their masters, and this one was exceptionally well at doing so. He wasn't a full time master though... he was a trainer.

"Girl, I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm not exactly... qualified to be a full time master." Trainers were best at extracting almost any activity out of slaves, and making them feel happy they did it. Masters simply utilized slaves who were accustomed to performing any task they were asked for.

Her spirits fell. She didn't think he would turn her down. "Please, master, I'll do anything for you! Please let me stay with you, I don't want to go back to a normal life." She wanted to continue filling the aching gap in her soul with servitude. She yearned for what he had to give her.

"I'll consider it. Rest for now."

Tali's heart leapt at the change in thought. "Thank you, master." She smiled as he turned away, and she vowed to do all she could to convince him to keep her, if it came to that.

***

She stirred as she heard voices in the back of her mind.

"We should call one of the doctors," that was Kien speaking.

"No... I haven't made contact with them ever since... well, ever since I defied them and left with her." She stirred uncomfortably. She shouldn't be in bed.

"She needs help, Miro."

Her master grumbled, "she's suffered worse and came through just fine." She mentally nodded in agreement. It's true. Broken ribs hurt, but she had suffered far greater pain from other things.

Miro sat down beside her and she reflexively smiled, but then realizing he now knew she was awake, turned it into a frown with a troubled expression.

"Master, please forgive me. I was careless. I can still serve though! Sir made me stay on the bed, but I'm okay... please let me up and allow me to fulfill my purpose."

"There is nothing to forgive, girl," normally he would have given her the forgiveness she asked for, but Kien made a point to say that she was to not accept blame for this, "accidents happen. Are you sure you feel ok?"

Kien stepped in, "we need a doctor to look at you."

"Please, Kien, we can't explain this to a normal hospital, and I don't want to risk losing her... don't you have enough prior training to at least assess this situation and deal with it?"

Kien considered this for a moment, then grudgingly accepted.

"Fine, but you owe me again."

"Of course, we can talk about it later."

Kien did the best tests he could to determine if there was anything they needed to be worried about. Without real equipment they could never be completely sure, and if the situation worsened he would take her herself if he had to. He went to his supply closet and retrieved suitable bandages to compress her chest, minimizing the pain she would experience.

"Give that a try, Tali."

She drew a sharp breath at her name. She didn't know if she would ever get used to that again.

"Good, no coughing," Kien smiled as she realized that he provoked her intentionally. He seemed to know just as well as her master how to draw reactions out of her.

"Thank you, sir."

"I'm cashing in on my favor now, Miro. Have her thank me properly, by name."

Tali's eyes widened as she realized what he wanted her to do. She looked to her master and cringed as he nodded.

"Do it, girl," he commanded, his voice soft but firm.

She looked down at the sheets clutched in her hands.

"Th-th..thank you, K-k..."

Kien cut in, "I expect you to look at me for it to be proper."

Tali couldn't believe what she was about to do. She would have traded several more broken ribs to not have to do this. She raised her eyes slowly, and got as far as his mouth again. In a rush, she did everything at once. Darting her eyes up to meet his, and almost slurring over the words.

"Thank you, Kien!" she nearly shouted in haste. As soon as the words left her mouth, she looked down again, catching her breath.

Kien smiled, "good girl."

That caught Tali off guard. She couldn't believe what she just heard.

She wasn't the only one surprised. Miro raise his eyebrows at the praise.

Kien simply shrugged, "well, I think she definitely did deserve that one."

Tali basked in the glow from having finally succeeded in pleasing Kien. Most days, it seemed impossible.

"Get some more rest, girl," her master suggested, "we'll just be outside in the other room."

She started to protest that she didn't need rest, but she realized that her injury did seem to be taking its toll on her, as well as her emotions. She nodded drowsily and slowly sank back down to drift off for the third time that morning.



Tali Ch. 04



As a reminder to any new readers, please be sure to read the other chapters first. Sorry this one took so long, but I realized that by trying to rush out the chapters, my feelings weren't really being put into the story. Hopefully this one is better than the last, and I will continue to try to improve upon my mistakes.

Disclaimer: There is still no sex in this story, nor do I intend for there to be (thought you can use your imagination). 

***

Tali stirred as she started waking up. She instantly felt discomfort from being in bed, and habit shocked her into full alertness as she tried to figure out what her situation was. She sat up and tossed the covers that were laid over her off to the side. The pain in her chest reminded her of her unfortunate encounter earlier in the morning.

She recalled her master telling her that he and Kien would be out in the other room. She sighed to herself as she got up. She wished that they would just let her do her duty and serve. Sleeping the day away was a waste! She needed to feel useful. She needed to feel that warmth she knew so well from pleasing her master.

Before leaving the room, Tali made the bed and looked around to see if anything else needed to be straightened up. Satisfied that she had done all that she could, she made her way out, where she saw the two men chatting.

They were in the living room. Kien's house was a little more luxurious, as he entertained more guests than her master. Two large sofas were placed perpendicular to each other, with a table in front. Miro and Kien were each in one, lounging comfortably with their legs up.

In the corner formed between the two sofas, Tali noticed that the pillow her master had gifted her was there. She felt elated. That meant she could kneel as she was meant to! She almost rushed in her haste and forgot to do her due diligence at assessing the situation for any needs, but caught herself in time.

She noticed two cups on the table, each at different stages of emptiness. She made a detour to the kitchen to retrieve more of their respective drinks and reappeared at the living room. She noticed that the men did not stop their conversation when she moved to the table and knelt, being careful to not make any jarring motions to her chest.

Always aware of order of importance, she filled her master's cup first, then Kien's.

"Thank you, Tali," Kien stated.

Tali's arms jerked in surprise and her head whipped over to look at him. She wasn't expecting either of them to address her. She was normally ignored as she performed her duties. She saw in that split second that he had a curious expression, as if to see how everything would play out, before returning her attention to the table. She had spilled liquid all over.

"I... I'm sorry master, sorry.. sorry Sir!" It had been so long since she had made such a novice mistake. And in front of other company! She didn't know who to direct her apology more towards, so she bowed at her waist towards her master. What he said caught her off guard.

"Tali, where are your manners? Kien just thanked you. What should you say?"

"M..master?" She had no idea that she was supposed to say anything! "I.. I'm sorry master," the next she shifted on her knees to face Kien, "you're welcome, sir."

"Kien, Tali, please try to remember to use my name."

The thought still made her feel sick. "Y-yes K..K.." she stuttered. She looked down at her hands in shame. She prided herself in being a quick learner, but it seemed like all she was having was trouble lately. Dread washed over her, "I'm.. I'm sorry, sir," she felt like a failure, "please forgive me... please teach me..." she thought of what would really drive the lesson home for her, "please punish me." 

Kien refused to be baited by her behavior. "Girl, all I ask is that you try."

"But... but sir!" He referred to her by girl instead of Tali. He was rewarding her for her failures... that's not what was supposed to happen. If he didn't punish her, she would never learn... If she never learned, she could never be forgiven. If she was never forgiven... she shook her head. She couldn't move on without forgiveness. She needed it. Why couldn't he understand that?

Tali put her hands down on the floor, assuming a more submissive posture. "Sir.. please, help me learn... I want to please you, sir, K... Ki..." she choked again, "please help me," she begged in despair.

Kien glared at Miro, "This. This is what you made her. Are you proud of that?" He made a noise of disgust.

Tali cringed at Kien's anger. Not only was she failing him, she was causing trouble for her master. Why couldn't she just say it? Get past this stupid mental block in her head. She had a fear that could not be described at the thought of it.

Miro knew exactly why she had trouble. He conditioned it out of her so long ago, she couldn't even fathom the possibility. She likely couldn't overcome it without a direct order or reconditioning.

"That's all I know," he said quietly, "that's why she's here, isn't it?" In his mind, he thought he had trained the girl perfectly. In his heart, he felt some tug at something else. The invisible string Kien had been yanking at for so long now. If she chose her way of life now instead of doing only what she was conditioned to, it would mean she was truly willing, and not just doing what she thought would keep her away from punishment.

Miro stood up and knelt in front of Tali. He lifted her chin, "look at me, girl, let me see your eyes."

Tali lifted her eyes, but didn't make eye contact.

"Is Kien more to you than me now? You will do as he says but not me?"

Tali's eyes instantly met his. They were impossibly wide with fear. She put all her effort behind keeping her eyes open and keeping them still.

"Please, master, I'm sorry," she pleaded, "you mean the world to me, master, please believe me!"

Miro looked in her eyes and could see she was begging for something... anything. He decided he would try to help her a little.

"Here, girl, this should make it easier. From now on, you are to call Kien by his-"

"No!" Kien injected, becoming enraged at Miro, "I will not let you taint my lessons. She will learn by choice, not by command."

Miro flinched at the tone, and looked away in embarrassment. He was just trying to help her... give her something, but he had to try to think differently now.

"Girl, remember that when you are here, you follow Kien's rules. I am but a guest," he suppressed a sigh and removed his hand from her chin. He stood up and moved towards the kitchen. Someone had to clean up the mess, though it sure would have been more convenient at home... Tali would have had it done by now. Before he disappeared from view, he called over his shoulder, "just try to learn what Kien has to teach you, girl."

Tali was left there, kneeling in shock at the exchange between her master and Kien. She didn't know what to do, or even what to feel. Her master seemed to be off balance, which was rare. She hoped everything would be alright with him.

Kien crouched down and took Tali's hands gently. She was surprised at how quickly he was able to shift his emotions... how much control he seemed to have over where his feelings were directed.

"Come on, Tali, stand up and come this way," he said softly, soothingly. He lead her over to the corner created by the sofas, "let's give this a try. I know your master gave you your first real personal item, this pillow. I want you to be comfortable enough to learn this lesson."

Tali was so confused, she had no idea where this was going.

Kien continued patiently, "here, you can kneel down on your pillow."

She eyed him warily. Was this yet another trick? She didn't understand him. What game was he trying to play? She did want to so desperately use her pillow though...

She slowly, but still gracefully, knelt down on the pillow, careful to be well centered to keep her balance. She started to lean forward to place her hands on the floor and lower her head, but he stopped her.

"No no, remember, we want to see your pretty face. Is there anything you have to say?"

Tali sat back up, straight. She DID have something she wanted to say. She felt such gratitude from this gift, but ... but she knew what Kien expected from her. Eye contact, mention by name... but it was so hard! She knew he deserved everything she had to give. She should be able to do this more easily. She started to raise her eyes again but continued to struggle.

Kien knew she would struggle... one thing at a time though, "just the name will do," he encouraged her, quietly. Baby steps. He would break through those blasted mental barriers.

Tali almost breathed a sigh of relief, but then cringed. Just his name? No eye contact? He was making it easier... because he didn't think she could do it? Because she was too slow to learn, too weak to handle the lessons? She wanted to please! She wanted to do well... no, she wanted to do the best that she could. She battled down that impenetrable wall in her mind, turning a blind eye to it for as long as she dared.

She raised her eyes and locked onto his eyes. She very deliberately kept her speech even, and said with clarity, "thank you, Kien." When she finished, she held the gaze for several seconds before slowly lowering it, not letting her frightful instincts kick in.

Kien was surprised at first, then smiled and laughed in pleasure. She in turn smiled at his pleasure. Tali was always full of surprises. She always pushed herself beyond what was expected of her, eager to please. She was the perfect slave.

He nearly gasped as the thought crept into his mind. A flash of horror appeared in his expression before he wrestled it away. He got a grip on his thoughts before remembering to give an answer.

"You're welcome, Tali."

Tali sighed as she felt her mind slowly becoming more used to being on the receiving end of polite speech. It didn't feel that terrible after a while.. but was that what she wanted anyway? She didn't need it... but would she be happier? She couldn't know.

Just then, Miro walked back in, a wet rag and dry paper towels to clean up the mess.

"Master! Please, let me take care of that," Tali jumped up immediately, only to groan and hug her chest.

Miro chastised her, "be careful, girl. Don't forget that taking care of yourself as your master's property is just as important as anything else."

"Yes, master, thank you for reminding me," and providing me some familiarity to anchor myself to, she added silently to herself. "Please master, please let me take care of the mess! I am sorry for being so clumsy." Tali didn't think she could stand seeing her master clean up her mess... Everything about that just screamed out at her as being wrong.

Kien cleared his throat, "actually, it was my fault that I startled you. I should be the one to clean it up." He reached his hands out and Miro handed him the items.

Tali's eyes followed the exchange and reached her arms halfway up, "but... but sir, please! I.. I was the one..." she didn't know how to argue. She didn't know how to finish her thought. She lowered her arm and knelt back down. Her sadness at seeing another have to clean up for her mistake caused tears to well up, and she began sniffling a little.

Kien sighed and looked towards Tali, who was just staring down at her hands in helplessness. She couldn't even disobey when she wanted to. Even when she felt it was right. He cleaned up the spill. She would either learn to be more assertive, or learn that others could perform chores for her too. Hopefully both, somehow.

Miro offered to take the dirty towels back to the kitchen after Kien finished cleaning. Tali was reaching her limit, he thought. Once she broke down in tears, she almost never recovered her mental state without the comfort of knowing that her purpose was still being served... that she was still worth something to someone. He caught Kien's attention and waved him over.

Kien told Tali he'd be right back and went to Miro.

"What is it?"

"You're breaking her."

"She's already broken, by your own hands."

"I put her back together. You're breaking her again. I know I said we could do it your way but... she... I don't know why I even feel this way... I hate to see her in distress for so long. She needs relief!" Miro couldn't understand why he was feeling the way he did. He didn't have issues when he was the one who broke her before.

"Well, it's a good sign that you have feelings, at least. I was worried you didn't care for her at all. You're the one who put her back together and made her mindless. She won't learn to think for herself unless something drastic changes. You think I like doing this?" Kien suppressed the thought of earlier... when he had thought of her as a slave himself, "I don't like being a part of this at all, but someone has to do it."

"She's at her mental limit, if not beyond. I haven't pushed her this close in a long time. She isn't used to it anymore. Let her go home with me."

"Hmm..." Kien gave it some it some thought, "soon, then. I have a couple more ideas for today."

Miro shook his head and sighed, "very well, I trust you know what you're doing."

Kien just gave him a smile. He turned and called to Tali, "Tali, are you thirsty?" He knew she would be. She hadn't had anything all day.

At the mention of her name, Tali looked up. "Errm.. well, it's okay, sir."

He walked to the doorway. "I asked if you are thirsty, not if something was okay or not."

"Well, y...yes sir, I am thirsty, but... please, I can get myself a drink," she started to stand up to walk to the kitchen herself.

"No, stay there, I will bring you something. What do you want?"

A command. Stay there. She started to kneel back down. But.. but she couldn't let him serve her a drink... And what did she want? She wanted to get her own drink. She turned towards the kitchen again.

"Sir, I... I can get..." but he told her to stay there! She turned away again. The thoughts warred inside her mind. "Please... please sir, may I get my own drink?" The thought of someone else getting her a drink left a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't let herself be a burden...

Kien growled, causing Tali to freeze and drop to her knees immediately.

"Please sir, I'm sorry! Please don't be mad, I'll... I'll have water please, I'm sorry sir..." Tali knew she pushed him too far and kicked herself mentally. She didn't know what to do... how to do it... 

Kien sighed silently. She still had a very long way to go. He went to get her a glass of water, and reminded himself that next time, he would have her choose something besides water, for better enjoyment.

"Here, Tali," Kien reached the glass out to the kneeling girl.

She took it from his hands, nearly spilling the water given how much she was trembling. She felt so ashamed that he had gotten her the drink, but she knew her duty now that she received it, "thank you, Kien," she murmured. She gulped down the whole glass quickly and set it down.

"You're welcome." He waved Miro back into the room to signal that he was ready to let her go. "As always, it's been a pleasure to have you here."

A pleasure? Why would he say that? Nobody ever told her it was a pleasure... she felt embarrassed and blushed. Had she really brought him pleasure today? She hoped so.

"Come on, girl," her master said, "let's go home. Don't forget your pillow."

Tali looked shock for a moment realizing that she had started to get up to follow him out without it. She rushed over to grab it up from the ground before running to her master, "I... I'm sorry I forgot, master," she feared the disrespect that she showed. Her carelessness.

As they were leaving Kien's place, she closed the door behind them. Miro pondered his options. Berate her or console her?

Now that they were out in public, Tali couldn't show her feelings, but inside she suffered. She wished she could just apologize over and over, but one of the rules to follow was to not speak unless spoken to, especially in public. And... he wasn't speaking to her...

Her master was good at hiding his emotions, but she knew he must be furious with her. She kept her head down as they walked, beating herself up mentally over yet another error. How long could this continue? How many times could she show her incompetence before he threw her out completely? She clenched her jaw as tight as she could to stop the shivering she felt.

They finally made it back, and Tali followed her master in through the doors. As soon as the doors closed she fell to her knees and broke out in sobs, unable to contain the self-inflicted punishment on her mind.

"Please master! I'm sorry... please don't be angry," she pleaded, "I mean, of course I deserve it if you are, but... I... I didn't mean it, I want to try to be better!"

She held out her pillow towards him, "master... I don't deserve this gift. Please teach me to earn it, I don't want to forget again... I don't want to betray your kindness," Tali's mind was in shambles. She just wished over and over that he would give her as many tasks as it took to make it up to him.

Miro got to one knee in front of Tali. He held her hands in his, around the pillow.

"Girl, I won't punish you for this. I know that you are punishing yourself more than enough over your error. I don't need to add on to that... you will do the right thing yourself."

Inside, she wanted to burst out wailing. The kindness her master showed her was uncalled for. Unwarranted. Gratitude began to surface itself in her whirlpool of emotions. He was giving her the chance to make things right.

"Th-thank you master, I... I'm sorry, please let me make it up to you."

"Let me simplify things for you. You are sorry for what you did, yes?"

"Yes, master," hadn't she made that clear?

"You have spent the whole time since the incident in regret, perhaps self-loathing, have you not?"

"Y...yes master."

"And you would give the world to know that I am not displeased with you, correct?"

"Of course, master! I would give my life if that would make you happy!"

"I know you would, girl, that is not what I'm asking for. Here, come on," he prodded, lifting her to her feet and leading her over to his chair. He sat down and leaned back, pulling her up to his lap so he could cradle her against his chest, while she hugged the pillow in her arms.

"I am pleased that you responded so properly to the situation. I'm sure you will not make the same mistake again."

"But... but master, how can you be so sure? I'm afraid still... afraid of screwing up."

"That fear will keep you on your toes," he comforted her, "I trust you to learn this one without having to punish you myself."

There was a brief silence as he stroked her hair, calming her mind.

"Master?" she started tentatively.

"Hm?"

"Do you want me to stay here?" she wiggled around a little, "I... I don't mind being on the ground, I mean... this feels too comfortable... it isn't right for me."

"What do you want?" he inquired.

She wanted to do the right thing, but what was the right thing? She knew these were all tests some how... she just couldn't figure out how she was supposed to react. One thing she did know, though, was that she still wanted to make up for her blunder earlier.

"Master, I... I would like to kneel... for you, I mean, I want to be good for you, kneel before you. That is where I belong, master," she tried to convey her feelings, but felt that words were falling short.

Tali let herself slide out of her master's lap, put her pillow on the ground where she should kneel, and in the same practiced motion, knelt and bowed her head down, hands on the carpet before her.

"I want to feel owned by you, master, and feel like I've done all I can, each and every day, to please you and fulfill your wishes." She tried to express her desire to serve through her words. She hoped he would understand, "I know you are trying to have me learn the kindness of the world, and I feel grateful for the opportunity, but even with the option, I still want to spend the rest of my life as your slave."




Tali Ch. 04



In reality, Miro was beyond pleased. Tali was the perfect slave indeed, trying to adapt to every situation thrown at her. He did, however, still need to uphold his promise to Kien, so he tailored his response accordingly.

"We shall see if you still feel that way at the end of all this, girl."

She sighed inwardly, but never let any frustration reach the surface. "As you wish, master."



Tali Ch. 05



Sorry my writing has slowed to a crawl. Real life has been intensely busy for me.

As always, please be sure to read the previous chapters, or this may make completely zero sense. There is still no sex, but instead just a master/slave making a journey.

I'd love to hear comments/feedback to have an idea of how to improve or continue. The ones left so far have been encouraging and are greatly appreciated!

***

Tali and her master spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. She knelt by his side, head resting on the floor, dozing slightly at his encouragement to not worry about anything for a few hours. He read for a while, though his mind wandered constantly to the events of the last few days.

It had been quite a while now since Tali received a real punishment, something to feel truly sorry over. He knew that the lack of such discipline could lead to irrationality, and that she would start to fray more if she couldn't empty out some of those emotions.

"Tali," he broke the silence. She took in a deep breath as she cleared her mind from the haziness of relaxation.

"Yes, master?" she replied, keeping her reluctance of the situation where he had used her name from her voice. She wished she could take it back, make him forget... make herself forget.

"I'm starting to get hungry."

Tali started and became alert at once. Had that much time passed? She always starting dinner without being prompted... 

"I...I'm sorry, master, I lost track of time," she hesitated as she thought of what to say. The last time she made food for him, she failed miserably, assuming he only wanted food for himself, not that she had to make enough for two. 

Still... it felt so wrong! She didn't want anything. She didn't deserve the same food her master ate. Training dictated that she never express desire for anything besides necessity, and even then there was a dangerous line to toe.

"Master..." she began tentatively.

"Yes? Don't you have something you should be doing now?"

She flinched, "yes master! I... I was just wondering if.. perhaps..." she trailed off for a moment, hating her question no matter how cautiously she could try to phrase it, "would it please you if I ... er.. made something for myself to eat, too?"

Miro thought for a moment. She said "something", implying it wouldn't be the same as what she intended to make for him. He sighed.

Tali's fingers extended themselves and spread wide on the ground as she bowed over at her waist, trying to stabilize her swell of self-hatred for thinking this could possibly be what he wanted. She worked to keep her voice free of what she felt for herself, "I... I'm sorry master! I didn't mean it, just... I don't want any food. I don't need any food."

"Make yourself enough of whatever I'm having to feel full."

She couldn't balance out her feelings. Surely she had done nothing to earn the privilege. She wanted to desperately to please him, though, she just had to make sure...

"Will that please you, master?" Tali asked softly. She would do anything that would please him.

"Are you suggesting that you thought of not doing what I said?" Miro asked, half in amazement and wonder. That half never made its message across to her, however.

"No! I mean.. no master..." but it wasn't true, she hadn't wanted to do it, "I... I mean, I want to do the right thing, and... and I don't know what..." her mind spun through what to say next rapidly. What the right thing to do is? What he wants her to do? What she's supposed to do? What... "what will make me the best slave for you, master," she finished.

"Hm... it would please me if we ate the same food today." He avoided responding to what would make her the best slave. That definition seemed to be changing and even he couldn't keep up with it.

She couldn't understand... why would that please him! She wanted to challenge his statement, but her compulsion to obey and please won over. 

"As you wish. Thank you, master, for the food," she preemptively thanked him. She noticed the dodge but didn't pursue the topic further. He would talk about it if he wanted to. She stood up and moved to begin preparing dinner.

She would cook another of his favorites tonight. The thought of eating the same type of food as him was a little disturbing, as she measured out more of everything for herself as well. She didn't need high quality meat! It was a waste of money on her...

When she finished cooking, Tali found her master and knelt before him. She bowed her head, speaking softly, "dinner is ready, master." 

"Good, I'm starting to feel ravenous!"

Miro made his way to the kitchen, with Tali a step behind. As soon as they approached the table, she sped up to pull the chair out for him to sit down. She then went to serve him his food.

She had prepared 3 items for the meal. Salad, steak, and scallops. She served him a healthy portion of the steak and scallops, with a little salad. Tali intended to eat mostly salad herself for dinner.

She silently placed his plate in front of him on the table, bowing respectfully to signal that she hoped he was pleased.

"Thank you," he broke the silence.

"I... err, it's my pleasure, master?" she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say, but also added, "I hope you like it, there's more if you want."

"Where's your plate?"

"I.. I was going to eat what was left, after you had your fill, master."

"Make yourself a plate and sit down with me."

"As you wish, master." Tali had anticipated that he would require this and had prepared herself mentally for exactly this moment. She retrieved a plate for herself and filled it with salad, in case her master wanted more of the meat himself.

After she sat down, she picked up a fork and stared at her plate, pushing around the leaves a little, slowly spearing them in a bunch one at a time. She didn't want to be in the middle of chewing a huge mouthful in case she needed to get him something.

Every so often, she glanced at her master's plate to see if he seemed to be enjoying his food.

"Why aren't you eating? Do you find my company displeasurable?"

"No! Of course not, master!" Butterflies fluttered through her stomach, "I... just want you happy, and... and hope you enjoy the meal," she glanced at his plate and noticed the scallops were gone.

She stood up and started towards the extras being kept warm, "let me get you more, I made plenty of food for us both!"

When she got back to the table and was about to slide them onto his plate, he held up his hand to stop her, "save some for yourself, girl. I can tell these are the last of them." 

Tali grimaced slightly, "I have enough salad to stuff myself silly, master, I made these for you! Please, master, I want you to have them." The guilt she felt over her master paying this much attention was hard to bear. Why did he care anyway? She was nothing.

"I insist, have some for yourself."

In a flare of defiance neither could have predicted, Tali pushed, "I don't want any, it would just get wasted." She looked away to make her point, as if shunning the food.

Silence stretched. All of a sudden, Tali slowly started to look back towards her master, but the closer she got, the more it dawned on her just how she was behaving. She was scared out of her wits with what she would find staring back at her. She forgot to breathe as she was caught in his stony gaze.

"Is that what you think of me?" His tone chilled her to the core. She shook her head in a silent plea but he continued, "I want to give you something and you deny me?"

"Please..." it came out barely a whisper and her throat seized up. The blood pounded in her head and her eyes kept losing focus as her head spun.

He pushed on relentlessly, "do you think I will just sit here and let you disrespect me?"

She started to scoot her chair back so she could get out and kneel.

"Stay where you are!" he spat. He let his anger flare.

Tali started shaking. She wanted to obey him, why didn't she just do what he said? She hated denying him anything... what happened? She didn't know what to do. She put her hands spread, palms down on the table, trying to submit, trying to stabilize the situation. 

"Eat a good portion of everything you made tonight. I will determine after the fact whether what you ate counts as 'good'. Do you understand?"

"Yes master."

"After the meal, you will clean up then meet me in the room."

"Y...yes.. master... may I serve the food for myself?" Tears were running down her face and dripping off her chin, some making it down her neck. This time her punishment would be her own fault.

He almost felt sorry for her, but steeled himself. Comfort would have to come later.

"Yes, of course, how else do you plan to carry out my orders?"

"I..I'm sorry, thank you master," she got up and quickly served herself what looked like more than enough steak and scallops for herself, then put some more salad on his plate. 

The rest of the meal was finished in silence. When he finished his food, she asked, "may I take your plate, master?" Tali wasn't sure what to do... she normally wasn't eating when he finished and was able to clean up as soon as he was done.

"No, you can clean it up altogether after you're done." 

"Yes master, thank you for teaching me," she replied, though the thought of leaving his dirty dish there unattended clawed at her mind. She should have taken care of it immediately! He had told her otherwise though...

As she finished her own meal, Tali began dreading what was going to happen afterwards. Her chewing slowed, then sped back up as she realized she was delaying the inevitable. 

When Tali finished cleaning everything up after the meal, she dried her hands on a towel... then dried them again on her shirt as she walked because they were moist with sweat again. It had been a long time since she approached the room knowing that she had made a real mistake.

He was waiting for her as she approached. Silent... watching. She followed proper protocol as always, this part was the same. She went to the center of the room, grabbed the rope, and fell to her knees so she faced away from her, rope presented for him behind her back.

He tied her arms together, then went to the wall where he began to hoist her up. He drilled her with every long tug of the rope.

"Was I speaking unclearly?"

"No, master," and so it begins, she thought. She felt nervous as her arms started rising behind her.

"Was I unclear with my intent?"

"No, master," she tried to hold in her emotions, being strong for as long as she could. She felt her shoulders tighten as her hands continued to be pulled higher.

"Did you think you would just get away with your behavior?"

Her knees came off the ground. "I... I don't know, master!"

"You don't know?"

"Please..." her arms started supporting almost her full body weight, "please master, I wasn't thinking..."

"You were thinking enough to decide to deny my desires."

The dam holding back her feelings broke. She started sobbing as her feet came off the ground. The pain mingled with her thoughts, making any coherent sentence elusive.

"I didn't... I'm sorry... master.. please..." she wanted to get something across!

He just stood there with his arms crossed. 

As the pain continued to assault her senses, something finally clicked. She was making excuses. She was trying to diminish her punishment. What was she pleading for? It wasn't right... it should be...

"I'm sorry for... for disappointing you, master," she spoke through clenched teeth. As soon as she finished the sentence, her concentration broke and her mind scattered again. She hurt. Not just from her punishment, but from knowing she had done something so impossibly wrong to him. Disrespecting him. Her state of mind fell as she opened herself up to the sensations.

He noticed that slight shift in the way her body held itself. He recognized that from so long ago as the moment her resistance shattered. He considered bringing her down now, but knew that she would think herself weak if he shortened the session. 

Miro left her there for the normal two hours before he returned. He was surprised to find the she was still sobbing as much as when the punishment first started.

As he started to let her down slowly, she noticed and started shaking her head.

"Please, master... please I deserve more," Tali sobbed.

"You deserve what I decide you do." He lowered her and her feet touched the ground.

"No..." she whispered, "disappointed..." she lifted her feet to try to keep herself from touching the ground to relieve her arms. Tears still managed to roll down her face. She deserved to suffer more for her disobedience.

He kept lowering her until even her scrunched up legs touched the ground, knees first. She choked on her sobs. She didn't deserve to be let down.

"Tali."

She kept crying with her head down, her arms still bound behind her.

"Tali, look at me."

Look at him... she wanted to do everything right. She instantly looked up and looked him in the eyes.

He was surprised at the responsiveness to that command. So was she. He held her pillow.

He gave her the warmest smile one could give to someone they were starting to love as a person, not as an object.

"Good girl," he approached her and undid her arms, massaging out the soreness, helping her wrap them around the pillow that he held to her chest.

Tali was speechless. It felt so good.. what he did for her, but... still... the punishment wasn't complete. She stiffened when she felt him draw closer, his arms surrounding her from behind.

He whispered, "I forgive you," and chills sped down her spine. She broke down as always. He was prepared, holding her as she rocked back and forth, apologizing endlessly for what she did, thanking him profusely for teaching her and forgiving her.

Finally, he stood up and helped her stand as well.

"Still feeling rebellious?"

She felt her face redden with embarrassment, "no, master, I'm sorry," she hated to be reminded of her mistakes.

"We're going to buy you some new clothes tomorrow."

"Yes, master."

"And take you to a nice restaurant."

"Yes, master."

Miro stopped for a moment to think. He assumed the punishment helped settle her, but now wasn't the time for assuming.

"How do you feel?" He wasn't used to asking about her, but Kien had made it a point to remind him constantly to figure out what she was thinking.

Tali really hated that question. She was afraid that her master would take her feelings the wrong way.

"I feel... stupid, master, like I wronged you unnecessarily... it just..." she knew he wouldn't like what she had to say next. "Hatred for myself still lingers..." she lowered her eyes and looked at the ground in shame, "I know that forgiveness should dispel those feelings, master, I'm sorry."

Before any real sorrow could set in, Miro jumped in.

"It's just a hate for displeasing me, not a hate for yourself," he said, "isn't that right?"

She paused, then nodded.

"So it's not a bad thing. You just don't want to repeat what you did." He spoke with more confidence than he felt, but it did the trick. Tali nodded again, her mind drinking in his words of encouragement.

He tipped her chin up and gave her another smile. She was starting to feel out of place, being at the receiving end of ... whatever that was, but somehow she felt her devotion grow stronger. She wanted to see it more often!

"Come on, Tali," he helped her stand up, as she was still clutching her pillow to her chest, "I'm sure you're tired and need sleep now."

She nodded in agreement, "yes, master."

"And where would you like to sleep tonight?"

Not this question again!

"I... um.. just to clarify, master, you are asking where I would like to sleep, and not where I deserve to sleep?" Although... really, she wanted to sleep where she deserved, or... what pleased him... that would never change!

He held in a sigh. Those only served to frustrate her and then him in return.

"Yes, without thinking about what you think you deserve, or what you think I think you deserve, where would you like to sleep?"

She almost never slept in bed with him. But... oh how nice it would be, to feel his warmth as she fell asleep... to be in those blankets, in the soft bed - her mind reeled and did a 180, her recent conditioning causing her to shudder at the thought.

"The... the bed.. but.. the comfort... master, please, I don't want the comfort, just... just want to be near you, please believe me master," she hoped he understood what she was trying to convey.

He cursed himself for the thousandth time for having had that be her last punishment before this all started. She would have a hard time letting it go... she was the perfect slave, after all. The old lessons were absorbed like a sponge, and he would have to try to wring some of them out.

"It's ok, girl, I am pleased with your choice. Enjoy the comfort as a bonus." He steered her towards the bedroom.

She smiled at the thought of not having to worry.

"Yes, master, thank you."

As they settled in to bed, Tali started out on the edge of the bed, afraid of assuming he would want her nearby. He fixed that thought by reaching out and pulling her in to him, pillow and all, and tucked the blankets around them both.

"Good night, Tali."

This time, she was in such a happy place, she didn't even care or notice that he used her name.

"Good night, master."



Tali Ch. 06



More apologies for the incredibly long wait... Inspiration has been hard to come by, but I also made sure to actually start on the next chapter before submitting this one so I could guarantee less of a wait this time around.

Warning/reminder to readers that there is no sex here, and to please, please read the previous chapters if this is new to you. The characters don't make sense otherwise.

Like the story? Tell me why! Don't like the story? Also tell me please! Writers love feedback and comments in general, so don't hesitate to point out what I might improve in, besides the absurdly long time it takes me to write!

***

Tali awoke well before her master did. She felt his arm around her, and laid still as she listened to the rhythmic sounds of his breathing. As she lay there, indecision crept into her mind. Should she get up? What if she woke him? What would he want her to do?

She wished she knew. It wasn't particularly every week or month... or even year that she slept with him. There had never been any real protocol for this situation. The rise and fall of his body as he inhaled and exhaled gave her an idea.

Every time he exhaled, she inched a little bit out from under his arm. Every time she thought he might've stirred a little, she stopped until his breathing stayed even for a while. Eventually, she got to the edge of his hand and breathed a sigh of relief as her master's hand touched the bed.

Tali got up and smiled, declaring a small victory for herself in accomplishing that task.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She gasped in shock, spun around to face him and fell to her knees by instinct. Knowing how early it was and how he had just woken up, she kept her voice quiet.

"S..sorry master, I didn't mean to wake you, I wanted to get started on my morning routine, if.. if that would please you, of course."

"Why don't you decide what you want to do this morning?" He was curious to see what she might do.

Tali thought about it for a moment, but she actually feared deviating from her normal routine. When would it get done if she didn't do it now? What else could he want her to do? He must've given her a choice for a reason... but what?

"Master, forgive me please, for... being dense... I don't know what else I could do, if... if you could teach me, please, I want to do what would make you happier."

He shrugged in response. "Your imagination is the limit. I'm still tired, so I'm going back to sleep," she cringed at the reminder of having woken him up, and he noticed. "Don't worry about it, girl, I'm glad you did, so I can see what you come up with." He gave her a smile of encouragement.

Tali was still stumped for the time being, but knew she shouldn't keep her master up any longer than she had.

"Yes master, I'll see you later," she replied, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. Also... I'll see you later? Where did that even come from? Of course she would see him later... 

While she left the room and closed the door behind her, the gears in Tali's mind were churning. What could she possibly do better than what she was trained to do? Wasn't she trained in the best way to please him? She always anticipated his needs or waited for him to tell her what to do...

Sighing to herself, she started doing her normal tasks. Maybe by not thinking about the problem, the answer would come to her. She started off with doing some light dusting around the house, anything that had gathered over night or was missed a previous day. The early sunlight through the windows made it easy to see certain dusty areas that would look clean in the shadows later.

She then started the process of doing laundry, following the way her master taught her to be particular about having each type of clothing or towel washed properly. Next would be to make breakfast.

Checking the clock, Tali estimated that she had about an hour left before her master woke up. She figured it was time to start up breakfast.

While she started up the heat for the pan to scramble eggs, a thought clicked in her mind. She had a faint memory somewhere about breakfast in bed. Maybe she could try to do that! She instantly started to doubt herself.

What if he didn't like it? What if she got the sheets dirty? What if he expected her to do all the normal routines as they normally were done, but do something extra on top of all that?

She had an idea to ease her worries. She would cook his normal breakfast, and also make him something special for breakfast in bed. If he accepted her idea, she would eat the norm for herself. If he didn't, at least he wouldn't find breakfast lacking. 

Smiling to herself in happiness, Tali began cooking up an extravagant breakfast to bring him. She didn't know when she started humming, but as soon as she noticed, she stopped, worried that she shouldn't be.

"Why'd you stop?"

Tali gasped, her body jerking as she moved towards her master's voice. The egg she had been in the middle of cracking hit the bowl awkwardly and she ended up making a mess. She groaned inwardly at the shells she'd be picking out of the eggs later.

"Master!" Fighting between trying to stop the mess from getting worse and kneeling in his presence, Tali made jerky movements and eventually stood like a deer in headlights, wondering what the proper action to take was.

"I... umm.. sorry.. the mess..." her knees twitched again and she finally got to the floor in position, "I didn't know you were awake, please punish me for my inattentiveness." She winced as soon as the words came out. To offer a reason for her failure was to give an excuse, one of the first lessons she learned not to do.

He looked at her with a mildly amused expression, knowing of course the turmoil that flickered constantly through her face. Her normal human instincts were beginning to resurface.

"Oh, Tali... you have no idea how much progress you are making. And I snuck in here intentionally avoiding detection. No reason to punish you." Her body relaxed visibly. At least he wasn't blaming her, but she had difficulty letting her thoughts settle. In fact, now that the shock was over, she started to feel a little defeated.

Her intention was to make him breakfast in bed, but she was too slow and he was out of bed... All the work she put into trying to make something special was for naught, and she began to feel a little sad over that fact. She would have nothing to show him.

Miro noticed as Tali's face fell a little after he mentioned that he wouldn't punish her. His first reaction in the past would have been to be angered that she was ungrateful, but he was pleased at what he did instead.

"Girl, what's wrong? I won't punish you for anything related to my presence this morning." Worrying about her and asking for her feelings was becoming easier now.

"M..master..." she was scared. She wasn't sad over anything that pertained to him. She was sad over a selfish reason... that her own time and effort had been wasted. "The.. breakfast, it... it won't be a surprise anymore."

Tali tried to hold in her sobs, to keep her voice from breaking. She regretted what she said, and tried to change the direction of her intent.

"I'm sorry master, it's nothing. May I continue making breakfast please? It should be ready soon." She placed her hands on the ground and bowed her head to ask for permission.

"Wait, what won't be a surprise anymore? What's changed? Girl... why are you crying?"

"Please.. master, I... I shouldn't be crying, please forgive me, I.. I had just planned something for breakfast that won't work now, that's all. I'm sorry for my reaction." She was spilling more than she intended, why couldn't she keep her statements simple and to the point?

Nothing was making sense to Miro. He took a step back in his mind and tried a different approach.

"What would need to be true for your surprise to work?"

Tali rocked back a little in surprise. "Master, it... it's ok, I mean, we'll still have breakfast..."

"Answer my question, girl, I won't ask again."

She cringed at being called out for avoiding his question, she knew she was toeing a line, but she had no idea where it really was. Still, his reminder put her mind back in its place.

"You would need to be in bed, master."

He raised his eyebrows. He didn't want to give it too much thought though. He put one knee down next to Tali and held her for a moment, feeling her relax in his arms.

"I'm feeling a little drowsy, actually. I think I'll go back to bed and rest for a while more," he commented while he started turning towards the bedroom.

"But... Master!" She surprised herself with her outburst. She wanted to shrink into the ground when he stopped to look at her. Terrified of anything else going wrong she took a couple quick breaths and got her mind back on track.

"I'm sorry, master, for speaking out of turn. Please... please punish me," she whimpered, fearing what she almost knew would be the response. He wouldn't punish her, and she would continue to feel horrible for all her wrongdoings of the past few minutes.

Miro looked at her in sadness. The conflict between trying to teach her to live a normal life and her mindset of being a slave was almost impossible.

"Stay there," he commanded. She relaxed and obeyed easily. She didn't know what he had planned, but she felt relief that he gave her a simple command. He walked back shortly with a belt.

"I know you won't be able to forgive yourself without punishment. Face away." He hoped this was a good compromise. He knew he shouldn't necessarily be punishing her for everything she thought she deserved, but he didn't want to take up too much time either. A light punishment to heal her mind then.

"You will take 10 strikes for your outburst. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master," she said into the tiled ground.

The belt fell ten times, and each time, Tali uttered the number of the strike. They weren't very hard, but the simple fact of having disappointed her master made everything feel amplified. At the end, she unbraced herself, sobbing, knowing on the inside he did this for her, so she could proceed with the rest of her day. She turned herself around on the ground towards him, keeping her face close to the ground.

"Thank you, master, for... for taking the time... for punishing me... for reminding me of my place in your life," she inhaled a sob, "for giving me the chance of forgiveness, that I surely don't deserve..."

"Shh... girl, it's okay, of course I forgive you, for you deserve that," and so much more, he thought to himself. He knelt down to comfort her as she let the resolution of the punishment and forgiveness sink in, letting her gather herself.

"Girl, I'm going to go lay back down now, alright?"

"Yes, master, I'm sorry I delayed your rest!"

"I chose to do that for myself, don't you be taking responsibilities for my own actions now," he chided lightly.

She blushed a little. "Yes, master."

As soon as he went out of sight, she got back up to resume her cooking. Luckily, there was nothing in the pan yet, though the fire had been on so she had to be careful. Fishing the shells out of the eggs was a tedious task, but all in all, Tali felt good. She would get to finish her surprise after all! She was lucky to have a master who thought about her as much as he did, for she was sure that was why he gave her a swift punishment on the spot.

When she finished preparing everything, Tali had another round of fears. What if he didn't like it? What if everything they had just gone through was for naught? She didn't know if she could take him being displeased with her so quickly... 

She took a deep breath and steeled her mind as best she could. With her master's breakfast on a tray, she made her way to his bedroom.

Since she had never performed such a service, Tali made everything up as she went. She entered, put the tray on a stand next to his bed, and knelt. Should she wake him up, or wait for him to notice?

Tali decided that breakfast should be eaten warm so she slowly murmered, "master?"

He made a little sound but didn't roll over. She gave it a few more heartbeats, "master?" she queried a little louder.

This time she was rewarded with a louder moan of him waking up, and she knew now within a few minutes he'd be aware.

"What's that smell, girl?" he said through a stretch. He looked towards her and took in the breakfast next to him.

"Master, I thought... for my umm.. well, for what I would do this morning, I wanted to serve you breakfast in bed... and maybe try something a little different... I mean, if that would please you of course, otherwise we could... I could just bring the food back to the kitchen..." she realized she was rambling in nervousness. She was sitting back on her heels with her hands in her lap, looking down, trying to distract herself from being so uneasy.

"Of course I'll have breakfast in bed. That sounds wonderful!"

Tali beamed in happiness.

"May I?" she asked, gesturing that she'd like to rearrange his pillows.

He nodded and between the two of them, got him into a comfortable position. She then moved the tray over to rest in his lap, making sure everything was balanced well and the blankets wouldn't be in the way.

Once he was all set up, Tali knelt back down to wait for him to eat and decide if he liked the special breakfast she made him.

"I hope you're eating with me, Tali," he thought it would be a good idea to use her name when he was trying to teach her that the old ways were not necessarily correct.

"Oh! Um.. yes, master," and she glowed inside at having her plate ready on the other side of the stand where he couldn't see. She ate where she knelt.

He wished they could just be eating together as equals for a moment, but decided that could be done later anyway. She seemed happy where she was.



Tali Ch. 07



A short chapter, but I think it was a good stopping point or you guys might have been waiting for another few months!

If you haven't read the previous chapters, please do so. These chapters are not standalone. Of course, my normal disclaimer... no sex involved.

***

"So what were you humming earlier?" he queried.

Tali blushed, recalling the whole episode earlier where her master had snuck up on her, causing a whole scene to unfold.

"I... I don't know master, I apologize for being careless. I don't know what came over me," she wished she could say that she'd never do it again, but promises like that were hard to keep. "I know you already had to punish me today, master, but... I... umm.." she faltered. She was being greedy, and needy, and high maintenance! But... but she didn't know what else to say... "Please, master, will you punish me to help me remember? I.. I don't want to disappoint you anymore.. please!"

"Help you remember...what, exactly?" He intended the question to be playful. He should have known it wouldn't be received that way.

She realized, now, that her plea was ambiguous. Help her remember the tune, or help her remember not to hum again? She just about hated herself at this moment. She put down the fork she had been using to eat, noticing that she had clenched her fists so hard that the handle had imprinted itself in her hand.

Miro looked down at her and realized he didn't help the situation with his question. He wished he could just move out and hold her, but now his breakfast tray was in the way.

"Girl... I'm sorry, it's okay, come here."

She hated that he was sorry. She wanted to protest but she had just been punished for speaking out earlier, and she refused to make the mistake again so soon. She shifted on her knees and wobbled a little closer to him.

"Higher, come on."

She lifted herself off her heels and leaned in. He put a hand around her shoulder and drew her closer, so her head rested on his shoulder, careful not to disrupt his tray.

Tears leaked out of Tali's eyes. She didn't know what to do. She was out of her element, and he was comforting her. She felt weak.

"There's no reason to punish you. I enjoyed listening to you, and certainly, not everyone knows where the tunes they hum come from."

Even though he said that, she still wracked her brains to try to figure out where she had heard what she had been humming. She wanted to be able to answer everything he ever asked! She simply couldn't remember though.

"Thank you, master," she replied with the only thing she could think to say.

"Now, what do you say we finish breakfast and go buy you some new clothes?"

"Umm..." New clothes?

"You hadn't forgotten that we were going to do that, had you?"

"No, master!" Tali knew he had mentioned this last night... but... she just couldn't imagine having money spent on her for something she didn't even need! She hoped she could keep herself together during the trip. 

"So why the hesitation?"

"I... I just hope I don't do anything to disappoint you, that's all," she said, her voice falling off at the end, knowing that her own tendencies could betray her. She seemed to find a way to screw everything up lately.

"Don't worry about it so much, girl, or you'll just make it inevitable."

"Yes, master."

She went back to her plate, and he back to his. After they were done with breakfast, she washed the dishes, and he took her to a place to buy some clothes.

"Tali, let me know what you like, and I'll make the final decision on what we will purchase in the end, alright?"

"I..." she looked around. She was surrounded by so much variety, she didn't even know how anyone could figure out what to buy. "I'll try, master."

He let her knew the general area where he'd be, and let her roam.

Tali wandered for a while. Maybe she just needed to find a shirt? She browsed around, but every time she found something that looked nice, she checked the price and was floored by how much money everything cost.

It wasn't that the clothing was expensive... it was that she was used to wearing old, ratty clothes... nothing new off the shelves.

Eventually she found some items on sale, a plain looking shirt that would seem to fit her decently caught her eye. Nothing flashy. She picked it out, smiled, and made her way back to her master.

"One shirt?" He sighed, "Tali, we're here to get you a whole new set of clothes, not just one shirt." He flipped the price tag up and had to hold in another sigh. "This is the cheapest thing you could find, wasn't it."

Tali's legs shook. Her knees threatened to buckle. Her eyes watered, and her lips trembled, "please.. m..master," she whispered, eyes darting around to make sure nobody was around to hear. "I.. I'm sorry I've disappointed you," she could hear it in his voice.

He knew he couldn't do anything to dissuade her thoughts here, so he did what he knew they were both familiar with.

"Okay, girl, you will pick out three sets of everything, and the reason for choosing what you do will not be related to the price," he commanded. Miro almost held his breath as he watched her face.

Tali's eyes widened in shock, processing what he just said. Three?! That felt like enough to last her a lifetime! Three brand new sets... and she knew the cost would be more money than she ever handled at once. How could he spend so much money on her? How... She realized, of course, that he just gave her a clear command. Why did any of that matter? She knew she must obey him.

"Yes, master," she whispered.

He let out his breath. Crisis averted.

"Go along then."

"Yes, master," and she went back the way she came, this time with a set goal in mind to reach.

Tali started to let herself be drawn to clothing she instantly liked as she browsed, but she just couldn't get past the prices that she was seeing. Why would anyone pay this much for clothes? How could she let her master pay this much for her? She had to remind herself though... he said that her choices must not be influenced by price.

She let out another breath and sighed. Resolving to succeed and please her master, she stopped looking at price tags altogether. In short order, she was able to go from section to section, picking out the top three things that drew her eyes.

"Umm..." she caught his attention when she found him, trying her best to keep anything from toppling out of her arms.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, and they headed over to a counter to pay. She gaped as the number rose, higher and higher. Why did she have to go with that blue one that was so expensive? She was sure she could have found something cheaper that she liked! She started thinkings of ways to pay him back. And still, the number kept climbing.

"Master..." she whispered, "there were some other things I saw too.. may I go switch some out?" She was sure there were cheaper options that she liked back there.

"No, stop worrying about it."

Tali whimpered a little and nodded, deliberately avoiding any eye contact with anyone about. Just how spoiled would they think she was? Surely nobody ever spent this much just on clothing! Stop worrying... she took a breath and let her mind zone out.

"Tali," he snapped her out of it. He was carrying all the bags and walking away! The shame and embarrassment hit her immediately.

She ran up to him and started to take the bags off his arms. He resisted her attempts.

"Please?" she pleaded, "I'm sorry for not paying attention," she shivered, knowing that was definitely grounds for punishment. She couldn't stand watching him hold everything... and items purchased for her nonetheless!

"No. In the real world, I'll look like a fool for having my girl carry everything."

Normally, she would have dropped it there. Arguing with him was an impossibility. Mindless obedience without questioning was natural... but nothing was natural these days.

"I... I could carry some of it? We.. we could split the bags? Please?" she mentally added "master", but there were others nearby as they were walking towards the exit now. She continued to hold her hands out a little, ready to receive.

He gave a little puff of breath which became a smile. He split the bags in half and handed them to her. Her face broke out with such happiness and gratitude.

"Thank you!" she said, with a little skip added to her step.

"You're welcome, girl," they were alone again. He ruffled her hair a little, watching her expression become one of bliss.



Tali Ch. 08



Another short one for the readers... When I wrote the last few paragraphs I didn't think anything could top the emotion, so I'm delivering this bit earlier (in length) than intended =)

As a reminder, there is no sex. This is not a standalone chapter, please read the whole thing or certain aspects may just not make much sense.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment! Those things (good or bad criticism) hold mystical powers known to provide a boost in confidence to writers =)

* * *

When Tali and her master finished buying her clothes, quite some time had actually passed.

"Well, there's no point in going home now just to have to come back out again to go to dinner. Why don't we head to the restaurant and walk around until the time of our reservation?" Miro asked.

Tali didn't quite flinch, but her head jerked a little in his direction. Was he asking her if that was a good idea? Did he really expect her to answer? Would she make him upset if she didn't? Was... was she supposed to have an opinion? She never gave these things much thought in the past... he usually never phrased his thoughts in a question.

"If you think that is a good idea, master-"

"Tali," he started gently, "I would like to know if -you- think it's a good idea," he confirmed her earlier suspicions.

"Yes, master. I'm sorry... I, um..." she trailed off not really knowing what to apologize for while her brain worked overtime trying to feel out her own thoughts on what he asked. Discovering her own opinion was still hard to achieve. She wasn't used to thinking that way!

Miro was getting impatient as he waited for what he thought was a simple answer. 

"Well?" He prodded.

"I'm sorry, master, I.. I'm still thinking, I apologize," she stated redundantly. She was babbling, feeling on the spot, unable to wade through her thoughts. What was she apologizing about? Did what she just say sound stupid? What was she trying to answer again? She was starting to panic with her inability to reach an answer.

Her master noticed her hands start to rub against each other incessantly. Her facial expression filled with worry. His own impatience drifted away as he realized she needed his support.

"Breathe, girl... take your time. Just think about what makes sense to you. If you were on your own, would you just want to kill some time nearby the restaurant instead of going home and leaving in a rush?"

When he said it like that, she thought the answer seemed obvious.

"Well... there isn't very much point... in being needlessly in a rush?" Tali began hesitantly. She glanced at him, and he gave her a small nod of encouragement to keep going. "So... um..." Did he really need her to finish the thought? He basically already said the alternative himself already!

"Keep going..." He tried to keep the command out of his voice, raising the tone at the end in a more suggestive manner.

"I... I guess walking around is a better use of the time?" She was nervous, unsure of how assertive her statement was or was not.

Miro gave her a smile, saying, "then that's what we shall do!"

Tali blushed. She wished it didn't have to be based off of what she said. She really just wanted to do whatever he preferred. Obviously, he didn't think going home made sense... but why then did he make her say what she said?

Miro knew that at first these exercises would seem ridiculous. They wouldn't seem to work. He knew through experience, however, that repetition, even if forced, would eventually train the mind to actually think that way. 

"Come on, there's a park nearby. I'm sure you haven't had a nature walk in a very long time."

In fact, the last time was at that frozen lake so many years ago.

She bowed her head and murmured, "as you wish, master."

As they walked, Tali fell into old habits. Eyes towards the ground, keeping track of his feet. A step behind and to the side. Hands clasped behind her. Tuning out her surroundings, making sure her attention was on him.

When he abruptly stopped, she stopped a step behind him, not missing a beat.

"Girl," she reflexively did not move, but instead waited for his command, "look at me."

She snapped out of her habitual trance-like state. Their eyes connected almost immediately. Tali saw the instant pride in his eyes. She knew she had pleased him. The warmth that washed over her was almost overwhelming, and she knew in her heart that she succeeded in learning how to make eye contact.

A smile started to creep onto Tali's face to share her master's joy, but suddenly a shiver over took her. She shook her head quickly, all traces of the smile gone. Had she started feeling... pleased with herself? Thinking that she could praise herself instead of her master? The feeling felt so foreign, she suppressed it before it even registered completely. What would he think if he knew?

Miro's face fell as he noticed her change in expression.

"What's wrong, Tali?"

She didn't quite flinch from hearing her name, but her mind still reeled back a little. Already feeling off balance, Tali didn't know how to respond. She was trained not to ever deceive him, but... she never had anything to hide! She knew she could rely on her master to correct her where she erred, but... these feelings... they were supposed to be gone so long ago. How could she admit her regression? Still, Tali knew she could never deceive him... that was engrained so deeply she couldn't compute veering from that truth.

"Master," she whispered. Her throat constricted and her body tensed. She was having trouble maintaining a standing position, her knees wanting to buckle and kneel out of habit. "I... I don't know why, master, but..." she paused, her body shaking with effort, her teeth clenched. She was breathing rapidly through them while gathering the courage for the last few words. "I... I felt pleased... with myself, master, not.. not from you. Not... just because you were pleased."

Her thoughts delivered, if barely, Tali unbraced her body. Giant teardrops started falling and she wished she could just curl up on the ground. She did not make crying sounds, she knew better than that. She looked down, away from his eyes. She hoped he would forgive her for that. The shame she felt ate at her. Feelings of being a waste of time returned. How could she just... undo what her master labored to teach her over the years?

"Girl," he spoke softly. He made certain nothing that could be mistaken for harshness entered his tone. He took the step towards her, took her hands in his own. They were cold. He moved them up to her chest and put his arms around her, warming her hands between them in his embrace.

His voice was so gentle. Tali lost all resistance to her emotions. Her body wracked in quiet sobs, feeling overwhelmed with guilt that he still took care of her when she clearly wasn't worth the effort.

"My sweet little girl," he said, and he gave himself a little shock to find out that he absolutely meant the emotions that came with the term. He did love her and vowed he would give the world and everything it meant back to her... the one he spent the last many years stripping her of.

"My sweet little girl," he repeated for the second time ever, "that makes me so proud of you. You don't have to cry anymore... Feeling pleasure for the good things you do is normal, and I hope to help you feel that much, much more."

Tali's eyes let out a few more tears before stopping in full shock. Her body was so confused, going from feeling cold to having warmth flood straight through to her feet. Did... did he mean what he said? He sounded so sincere... he never lied to her. He never had to. 

"Master?" she asked for permission out of habit.

"Yes?"

"Can.. can I speak freely, master?"

"Of course you can, girl."

"Master... I... I love you," she said before she buried her face into his chest. She was always too afraid to say those words out loud, but she felt she had to now.



Tali Ch. 09



Another short chapter for the readers. If you are new, please realize these are not standalone. This may be a long series to read without sex, but as another reminder - there is none.

Ideas, comments, criticism, anything is welcome! Apologies again for being a slow writer.

Hope you enjoy.

***

Miro held Tali in a warm embrace for a while. He waited until no more shudders came with her breaths, and she seemed to breathe evenly. When he was sure she was calm, he slowly let go, drawing her out to arm's length.

"Are you ready to keep going?" He asked with a smile.

She was still looking down, shy about her swollen eyes, but she nodded with a muted "yes master."

Tali waited for him to move forwards so she could follow him, but to her surprised, he didn't budge. Her master let a hand that was on her shoulder slowly drop, sliding his fingers down her arm, until his hand reached hers. He wiggled his fingers around hers until they found the proper gaps to clasp, and held her hand.

She was scared to close her hand around his. She never held someone's hand like this before. Would he feel she was being possessive if she held on tightly? Was he going to let go if she didn't? She didn't want him to let go.

"It's okay, Tali, do what feels natural."

She slowly tightened her grip. He dropped his other hand from her shoulder, turned to continue walking down the path, and looked at her.

This time, Tali looked back, knowing he was waiting. Her eyes told him she was really ready now, to continue with their little nature's walk. She smiled a real, shy, smile.

Now that Miro saw that smile, he thought HIS heart would melt. He was really unlocking her real emotions, and he couldn't wait to see more. He took a step forwards, making sure the message was clear that he wanted to walk with her, not ahead of her.

"Look around you," he said, "you used to like the nature."

She did. She took a deep breath, exhaling with an expression of bliss. Memories of the past fluttered around in her mind. Good memories, though confusing because... that was a time before she met him. Could memories be good if he was not a part of them?

"Thank you, master. This walk is lovely." Her voice was so light and soft, far different from the regular flat tone she would use.

"Maybe we could do this more often, then. Would you like that?"

"I... umm... do you like it too?" She didn't want them to commit to an activity where he didn't actually want to partake himself.

"Don't worry about what I think, Tali, just voice your own feelings."

"It... it's hard not to let what I think about you to affect my feelings, master." She spoke honestly.

"I know, take your time and try."

They continued walking in silence for a while, their feet crunching on dry sticks and leaves. 

"I... I think... I would like to go on walks like this in the future, if I were the only person in the equation? But... I ... I would not want you to have to go too... if you don't like them," she paused, wondering if she should finish her true thought. What did she have to lose? "But then... if you weren't here, master, maybe I wouldn't be enjoying my time as much."

She looked down again, face flushing with embarrassment. She just poured out real thoughts! With real feelings! Did he even care that she enjoyed spending time with him? She braced herself for rejection, waiting to hear that he didn't share her sentiments.

"Tali, I enjoyed this walk -because- you were here. I wouldn't have otherwise. So let's just say we'll commit to doing something like this at least once a week, hm?"

She smiled to the ground, "that sounds lovely, master."

"Done," he stated with finality.

They continued walking until they reached a fork in the path. As if by silent decision, they decided that they should turn around instead of going forward, but stopped for a while.

Tali took the opportunity to really look around, appreciating the moment. Miro let go of her hand. She looked at him in worry at first, but he smiled at her to encourage her to enjoy her surroundings.

She listened to the sounds, listening the wind and the birds, now that their footsteps weren't disturbing the forest.

Miro watched her, remembering what her body language looked like when she was feeling her own happiness and peace.

He walked up to her after a little and held her hand again.

"Come on, my sweet, it's time for dinner."

"Yes, master."

He took note of her lifted voice, and the unconscious smile that crept onto her lips.

They reached the restaurant and were seated promptly. She didn't pick up her menu when one was placed in front of her.

"Pick a meal and a drink," he said, "and I mean a drink that's not water," he amended quickly, remembering the episode with Kien.

"Yes, master," she whispered, conscious now that there were people around them.

Tali was surprised to look at the menu and find that none of the items were listed with prices. She scanned all the footnotes, turned the pages around and around, flipped the sheets over.

Miro grinned at her, "I had a special menu ordered for you. Don't worry about the cost, just pick what you like."

"But master..." she trailed off under his stern look before she could go on about how she wasn't worth the money, "I mean... as you wish, master."

She ended up ordering herself a juice and steak. Miro realized then that she never had tried alcohol... he'd introduce her to wine at some point in time.

On top of what she ordered for herself, Miro also ordered some appetizers and soup.

"What do you think about the day so far?"

Such a simple question, but for Tali, the feelings were so complex. She instantly thought of her master. Even though she felt the day was nice... she worried about his happiness, and what he wanted.

"Master, I... I have enjoyed this day very much, but... I just want to make sure that you are happy too."

"What makes you think I haven't been happy?"

"Well, um... the things we've been doing... and the way I've been acting... they just... they aren't what you taught me to do for your happiness, master. I... I want to please you, still." 

"Tali, don't worry so much. Remember, this evening is for you. From me, okay?"

She found it hard not to worry, but she responded with the requisite "yes master". Inside, the guilt started to seep into her thoughts.

The drinks arrived first. Tali looked at her juice skeptically, looking at her master as well, pondering for a moment if this whole thing was a set-up and she would get in trouble for drinking something that wasn't water. 

He lifted his glass towards, her.

"Cheers."

She witnessed enough social interactions to know what went after that.

Tali lifted her cup, lightly brought it towards her master's for the *clink*, then took a tentative sip.

The flavor was amazing! She hadn't had something like that in... so many years. But the guilt came back. This was too good for her. She put the cup down for now.

The appetizers and soup were set on the table next. The aroma made Tali's mouth water, but she knew she didn't order them. They weren't for her, they were her master's. She was accustomed to having to watch him eat much better than she did, as she was the one who prepared his meals.

"Eat," he said to her surprise, "these are for you to try, I've had them plenty before." He wanted to make sure she had a good dining experience, at least.

"Yes, master, thank you." She didn't even bother trying to push back on the point. Another inevitable situation, regardless of her own feelings for herself.

To Tali's delight, the food was amazing. She tried to remember how everything tasted, so she could try to recreate the dishes for her master.

Miro smiled as he watched her. Her face seemed to light up as she ate. He noticed, however, that after having one serving of each dish she stopped eating.

"Have more, girl, if you like."

"But... but you have not had any yet, master," she felt uncomfortable eating everything herself. He should be the one enjoying the food he would be paying for!

"I got it for you, Tali," he reminded her gently.

Years of training and learning told her that although he tried to hide it, her master was actually losing his patience.

"Yes, master," she said quickly. She speared some more food with her fork to eat. They were all delicious! She knew she'd be full quickly though, and thought to say as much.

"Master, the food is delicious, but I'm afraid if I keep eating, I won't have enough room to fit the main dish," she had thought about how to say that without making him angry. She hoped it worked.

Miro nodded in response. To himself, he thought, "good girl," for she really was learning how to figure out and diffuse situations herself.

When the entrees came, Tali dug into her steak. It was amazing! She wolfed the whole plate down before her stomach's fullness could catch up to her. Lost in the moment, she also finished the juice.

When her master asked for the bill, she was quickly sobered by the reminder of how much this meal must have cost.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes, master," she put on a smile.

On the way back, the two sat in silence, both suffering from food comas. He was enjoying the end of what he considered to be a great day... but he could never know the turmoil tearing his poor girl's mind apart in the darkness beside her.



Tali



"Sir, my... my name is Tali sir, please don't tell Master, I'll do anything, I beg you!"

Kien chuckled and replied, "Girl, you'll already do anything, what more could I want you to do?"

Tali realized the truth of his words and lost hope.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you. Forgive me, sir."

"There is nothing to forgive. The only person I am willing to put blame here is Miro." At this, Tali flinched. That name Kien had never once spoken in front of her, respecting her master's wishes. "The only reason you're acting the way you are is because of him. You have to break out of it girl... Tali."

Tali shook her head again and asked, "Please sir, I'll never be your equal, or high enough to be on a first-name basis with you or anyone else. I'd never even imagine it sir."

The response wasn't one Tali expected or wanted to hear.

"You better get used to it, girl, because from now on I -will- address you as Tali."

"But Master, he'll never forgive me. Please, I told you my name, for you asked. Please don't punish me with it, please," Tali was in a panic. She knew the slip of her name would be a disaster with her master. At times she knew him to be quite merciless.

"He'll deal." At this Tali looked up again, confusing thoughts running through her head. She had no clue what was going on, but it sure was strange. He continued, "I think that's enough for a day. Would you like to go back?"

"I'll do as you command."

"Answer yes or no."

Tali couldn't stand it anymore. She dropped to her knees once again and cried, "Please just tell me what to do sir. Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

Kien stared at Tali for a moment, then said, "Tell me when you want to go back," and he walked away. For a moment Tali just sat there with her mouth open, but when she realized it she quickly closed it. She leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees, just sitting and wondering what to do. Would Kien really make her decide when to go back? Maybe if she stalled long enough he would decide that it was really time for her to go.

When Kien entered the room again, he found Tali sitting on the floor, cross-legged. She looked up at him when he appeared, but shifted her gaze back to the floor in his general direction before their eyes could meet. He didn't say a word, but pulled out a book and began thumbing through the pages.

An hour, or so Tali would have guessed, passed, and Kien glanced up at Tali. Still she sat there, shifting from side to side occasionally. He closed his book and went into the kitchen. Tali became alert when she realized he was making dinner. The next time he walked into the room, he was holding tray.

"Since you seemed to want to stay for dinner, I took the liberty to make you some," Kien said, as he placed the tray in front of Tali on the floor.

Tali jumped up and protested, "Please, Sir, I didn't mean to trouble you for dinner... It was never my intent to stay so long."

"Then why did you?"

"I was waiting for you to... to tell me it was time to go, sir."

"I said for you to tell me when you wanted to go back. Do you want to now?"

No response.

Tali stood there, staring at her feet. The food looked extremely tempting. Delicious food that she hadn't had in months, if not years. She shook her head at those thoughts and took a couple steps back.

"I don't... I don't think I should eat here..."

"Nonsense! I've made you dinner, and you'll eat it. If you want to leave afterwards, I'll give you a ride back to Miro's place. If you want to stay, I'll find a place for you to sleep." Tali let out a groan before she could strangle the involuntary noise. She looked up to see Kien leaving the room. Hopeless, Tali sat down on the floor and ate her dinner. When she finished, she picked up the tray and made her way to the kitchen. There she saw Kien rise from the chair he sat at and walk towards her. He moved to take her tray but she twisted away.

"Please.... Please sir, at least let me wash the dishes I eat from." She looked down into her dirty plate and waited for permission. Instead, Kien tipped her chin up and looked into her eyes. They pleaded for help, for the chance to do something for him in return for his kindness. He decided to spare her this one chore.

"Go ahead," he said, and saw the light dance in Tali's eyes and a grin break out on her face.

"Thank you sir," she said, curtseying while still holding the tray. Tali finally felt like she was doing what was expected. While scrubbing the plate clean, she wondered what would happen afterwards. Somehow, she'd have to find a way to return to her master... but how would she tell Kien?

Wiping her hands off on her shirt, she walked towards where Kien sat, reading again, and asked hesitantly, "Sir... I don't mean to trouble you but... may I return to master's place please?"

"Of course! I'll take you there immediately," he replied without hesitation, smiling at her request.

"That's not necessary sir, I know the way home."

"Nonsense, I have to see you get back safely. Who knows what awaits you in the night?"

Tali thought this was silly, since she'd been sent on errands at night plenty of times before, but realized this was another fight she wouldn't be winning.

The walk back was silent and set at Tali's pace. Kien simply kept in step with her. When they finally reached Miro's house, Tali softly knocked on the door and stepped back to kneel.

As soon as she made the motion to drop to the floor, Kien swept an arm underneath her left, and tugged upwards. She tried to relax and let gravity pull her to the ground, but her weight made that impossible against Kien's hold.

"Please... please let go!"

"You will stand like the human you are and not degrade yourself before another."

"I can't be standing when he opens the door!" Tali shouted, and tried to break loose again. At that instant, the door opened and she froze, looking at her master. His eyes held sorrow the moment he opened the door, but when he saw her they filled with happiness again.

"Girl... you came back," he stated.

Tali wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. Did he think she'd never return? That she'd stay with Kien?

She couldn't think of anything to say, but that he thought she wouldn't return terrified her. "Master..." she muttered, as she stepped away from Kien to fall to her knees before him. She heard Kien's footsteps retreat, as her master pulled her up from the ground. When Tali turned around, she only saw Kien's back, his figure fading into the darkness. He stopped for a second and turned his head.

"Good night, Tali," he said, before disappearing beyond the light's reach.

Tali's master walked into the house, and she followed right after him, closing the door softly behind them.

"Master, I'm sorry I told him my name... and I ate at his house, and I sat on his couch, and..." she was about to confess to everything she did. Her mumblings reduced into tears as she thought about how disappointed he'd be.

"Girl," he said, and she quieted, "It's okay... I'm just glad you came back."

"Master, what do you mean? Of course I'd come back. Why wouldn't I?" Tali was confused now. She didn't know what was going on with her, or her master.

"I've decided that you need to learn what the real world is like. Kien was right... you are a person. It's time... It's time you learned how to behave as one too," he said, with obvious difficulty. He was ready for her to decide to move on with her life instead of serving him.

"Please don't say that, master. I want to stay with you, to serve you," Tali said through her tears, "Are you tired of me, master? Please don't say you are... I'll try harder to please you, I'll take all your punishments, I won't disappoint you again... Please master, I deserve anything you want to do to me from everything I did today, and I'll willingly take it. Please don't send me away from you," Tali babbled, afraid of losing the one thing that held her together for the past few years.

"Tali." Her name again. He used her name. He must've remembered from when Kien used it. She quieted again. "I'm not tired of you, but Kien finally made me realize that you can't live on knowing only servitude. I hardly treat you well here... I'm surprised you didn't stay in his care. You'll have to go back soon, within a few days."

Tali shook her head at this news, hearing her life slip away.

"I don't want him, master! I live to serve you, just as you've taught me. Please don't take that away from me. I'm begging you to let me stay with you... I'll do anything to stay with you. Please, master... please correct me for my errors today."

"And what were your errors?" he inquired. She listed them. From beginning to end, she retold the day, and everything that happened. "Well, from what I can see, your errors were that you disobeyed Kien, when I clearly told you to do everything he said. That deserves two hours."

But when he said it this time, she could hear the resignation in his voice when he gave the verdict. That night, during two long hours, Tali screamed the most she had in a very long time. The screams, however, were not in pain. Instead, they were in anguish, as she thought of being unable to serve her master as she once did anymore.  The next day passed in relative quietness compared to what Tali was used to. Her Master gave her simple chores, which she put all her efforts into doing. She wanted to prove that she was serious about serving him, but every time she finished a task, seeking for approval, it never came. There was to be no speaking out of line, so there came no time to beg for his thoughts.

She served his favorite dish with just enough for him, without hinting that she wanted a bite. Head down, kneeling before him while he ate, she prayed he would finish his meal with satisfaction. She was sorely disappointed when he slid half his meal onto the table, telling her to finish it. She looked at the portion and knew that finishing it would mean that she herself would be full by the end.

"Please... Master, I know you need to eat more to be full," Tali said, pushing the plate back towards him as she spoke, but being careful not to lift her eyes.

"If you had made more to eat, perhaps we could have both been full." Realizing her error, Tali quickly tried to amend the situation.

"I'm sorry, Master, I'll make more! You can finish your meal and I'll make enough for myself when you've no more need of me."

"Are you trying to tell me what I can and can't do now, girl? I told you to finish it, not to make more," said Miro, with a hint of annoyance in his voice. This was going to be harder than he thought... He had been talking with Kien, and they decided that he could still act as her master, but that he had to start thinking more about her and encourage her to do things for herself.

The slightly off-tone was caught by Tali, who took it to heart. She slumped over the plate on the table and began sobbing quietly to herself, yelling at herself in her head for doing something so stupid when all she wanted to do today was keep him pleased.

As Tali began eating between sobs, Miro stood up and walked towards his room. He needed to think of a new approach. Her arrival was unexpected, as was her near demand to be punished... though he supposed that was his own fault. He would need to find some form of balance between being a master which was like an anchor for her, and letting her learn to thrive herself.

When he was almost to the room, he turned around and said, "When you're done, clean up and come to my room," then he continued on to his room and closed his door. 

What Tali heard was another order, so she wolfed down the rest of her meal. Normally cleaning dishes was routine and she did them without a thought, but today she made sure that everything was perfectly clean and dried before heading to her master's room.

When she reached his room, she knelt and knocked lightly. No response. Normally he wasn't too strict about this procedure but today she counted silently to 300 -- 5 minutes. She knocked again, harder. This time she was awarded with the opening of the door a few seconds later.



Talia



A beeping sound infiltrated her dreams, and, as Talia slowly awoke, she turned over and squints at the alarm clock. The time read seven. She yawned, hit her alarm clock, rolled back over, and closed her eyes again. When her alarm demanded attention the second time, she decided it is time to get up. Talia slowly meandered from her bedroom into the bathroom. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she examined her nude frame. 

"Naked," she thought, "Was I nude when I went to bed? I must've just been so tired that I forgot to change into my pajamas...funny, though, 'cause I think I remember putting them on." She shrugged it off, after just having completed midterms at University, plus driving back to her father's home the night before, she was completely exhausted. She cupped her breasts, lazily, weighing them in her hands. One was slightly larger than the other, and although her friends claimed they all had the same problem, it still bothered her. There was no real noticeable difference between the two, however, and it was only because Talia knew her own body so intimately that she noticed the slight imperfection. Both breasts were roughly larger than a handful. Her nipples, which stood erect while the cold morning air softly scampered in through the window, were roughly quarter sized. She giggled as she thought about the time when she had actually pressed the money to her breasts for comparison, and smiled a little proudly when recalling that her friend's were more like dimes. The cool breeze tickled her neck, and a hazy dream image danced in front of her eyes. 

"A man. Hot sweat. That cool touch of air." She couldn't remember anymore. She closed the window. She pondered on why she remembered such physical states in her previous night's dream. But, glancing at the clock in the bathroom, Talia quickly pushed all unnecessary thoughts aside. She had to get going. 

The shower water was lighter, less intense, than the water at her dormitory. But it was alright, she didn't have time to linger under the water's caressing fingers. Although, like she did most mornings, she felt a familiar ache, a familiar want. She rarely denied herself when it came to her desires. Almost daily she found time to bring herself pleasure. She stopped for a moment and contemplated her dilemma. Her fingers, without direction and not wanting to wait for her decision, found their way to her nipples and began to gently tease the little nubs. She circled her nipples, and gave them gentle pinches, the pink flesh becoming alternately crinkly and taught between her digits. However, her first moan startled her and she guiltily realized that she had begun to give into temptation, despite the fact that it would make her late. Talia held her herself in check, with much concentration and willpower, and managed to finish her shower. 

Her friends were waiting for her by the time she had finished her morning routine. It was only 9:15, but they had wanted to get an early start into the city for shopping. They all piled into the car, and headed off on the hour long drive. 

"Rush hour. Damnit. Hell, don't they know its spring break?" Sadie, one of her oldest friends, cursed at the other drivers taking up her precious road, as she drove them all down. 

"Some spring break this is...there is no beach to speak of, and no boys either." Lacey, another girl in the group, commented. 

"Oh, suck it up. Boys aren't everything...there are girls, too, you know." Sadie flashed a smile at Lacey, and winked. 

"Oh, gross! Stop with that lesbian crap or I'm gonna leave as soon as we reach the city." Lacey shuddered. "I mean, seriously, I don't care what you do, but don't drag me into it. I'm as straight as...umm..."

"A crooked line?" Sadie giggled.

"No, that's you." Lacey shot back.

She smiled at her friends. It was nice to be back with them, even if it was just to laugh at all their juvenile humor. Sadie adored making everyone uncomfortable, especially when it came to her sexuality. Sadie was open to, in her own words, "everything and anything." She was sure that Sadie must be enjoying the freeing lifestyle of college, and although Sadie had had many boyfriends in high school, Talia guessed that Sadie's exploits were even more numerous now. Sadie was taller than average and thinner than many girls as well. Her figure was somewhat boyish, and although she lacked strongly pronounced womanly curves, she was still considered very attractive. Her black hair with positively glowing green eyes made her seem mysterious at first glance, however her friendly and open personality made her far from aloof. 

Lacey, on the other hand, was slightly quieter. Although she could easily be the center of attention, certainly knew how to drink, and was often considered a ditzy blond, her personality was generally conservative and way less out there then Sadie. Lacey was your typical beauty, and her large breasts drew admiring, or envying, looks from almost everyone. It was Lacey's hourglass figure and obvious desirability that made Sadie tease Lacey, however, Talia did occasionally wonder if there was an underlying desire...

The three friends spent a relatively uneventful day shopping and returned home late that night. Talia went straight up to bed and fell asleep.

When Talia awoke the next morning, she realized that she had had that dream again. And this time, between her legs actually ached with need. And, as she lazily slipped her fingers down between her thighs, she discovered wetness. "Wow," Talia thought, "that must've been one hell of a dream. Too bad I can't really remember it...that man was so powerful, though, I remember that. Nothing like any boyfriend I've ever had before..." Her pussy ached with need. "Why didn't I let Phil buy me a vibrator when he offered? Phil..." She thought of her most recent boyfriend with mixed emotions. He had been the best lover she every had, but compared to this dream man, whom she could only recall in fleeting images, he was nothing but a boy. "A man," she sighed, "that's what I really need. A strong man to take me, have his way with me, and make me his..." Her own thoughts had sent a rush of warm blood to her vaginal area and increased the heat she was feeling. Her fingers had begun sliding up and down the length of her pussy. Her own wetness provided more than enough lubrication for her fingers to begin to slip inside of her tight opening. First one...then two...she moaned and shuddered as her hips began to thrust upwards in order to meet her fingers. "God," she thought, "if only that man was real. Oh god. I remember how he held me down..." Her moans increased, and she quickly bit her lip to stifle them. She wanted to make sure no one in the house heard her. 

What she hadn't realized, however, was that someone in that house was incredibly familiar with those intimate sexual noises that were escaping her mouth just then...

******

Talia's father, Eric, lay in the room across the hall. His thoughts also dwelled on similar topics. Mostly, as he lay there, barely awake, he thought about Sadie. "That hot little vixen," he thought, "Barely 19 when she seduced me...God, I am so glad she is back on break. I don't think I've been with anyone hotter...well, perhaps Talia's mother, but that was so long ago..." He went a little soft as his thoughts drifted back to Talia's mother, but quickly he pushed all sadness and regret out of his mind and focused on Sadie. Her flowing black hair, her green eyes, her tight little body..."Oh god...and the best thing about her...she promised to help me seduce Talia." Eric erupted with that thought.

That was the one thing Sadie and Eric had most in common; their desire for Talia. It was Sadie who helped convince him that Talia was a heavy enough sleeper that, in the middle of the night, she wouldn't notice light caresses. Eric loved those past two nights that he spent undressing and touching her, but he wanted Talia to want him, he didn't want to force himself on her. Sadie had spent so many a night whispering fantasies about his daughter in his ear that he didn't feel like he could stop himself from touching his daughter's beautiful body, once the suggestion had been made. He knew that Talia at least must've liked the caresses on some level, because he found that even though she was asleep, she was quite vocal. Remembering her moans and whimpers caused his flaccid penis to, once again, become erect. But he wanted more than not consensual fondling, more than stories Sadie told him; he wanted the real thing.

Eric knew that he was her father, but had long ago put aside being concerned about that taboo. Sadie had told him of her own exploits with older men, and how she loved to call them daddy, and so, now, it almost seemed second nature to him. No longer as depraved, now that he knew of a subculture of young women and older men. It made Sadie hotter than ever whenever they talked about it, especially when they spoke about seducing Talia together. "But Talia..." That was a whole different matter, Eric thought. "What if she doesn't want me? Thinks it is all so disgusting? What if she rejects me altogether...?" Sadie had assured him that she wouldn't. But, what did Sadie know? He glanced over at the sleeping beauty next to him. Normally, Sadie didn't spend the night, they both were very careful about making sure Talia didn't catch them. But last night, after he had come so close to using his sleeping daughter, he called Sadie. Desperate, he described what had happened, and Sadie was more than willing to provide relief. And, after their midnight marathon lovemaking Sadie had just fallen asleep, and he couldn't bring himself to force the girl out of his bed. 

"God," Eric thought, "do I love her?" He looked over at Sadie, again. Her small breasts rose and fell with each breath. "Not like I love Talia..." He thought to himself, and then whispered aloud, "my beautiful Talia..." He did have feelings for Sadie, he knew that, but he also knew that he shouldn't get attached. He knew that he was just a game for her. He knew that he was just one of many guys in Sadie's life. But, he wouldn't ever call her a whore. She was just experimenting, learning, growing, and he was happy that he got to be one of her projects. He relaxed when he realized that he wasn't, in fact, in love with Sadie. But, he did love Sadie for the opportunity that she promised him. And, today, he thought, might be that day. 

******

Sadie lazily blinked. She yawned and looked up at Eric, and then looked out the window. "I slept here all night? Shit. Now, I have to sneak out..." Sadie thought to herself. Eric kissed her forehead. It felt fatherly, comforting, and her worried thoughts fled from her mind. If she was older and she wanted to settle down, Eric would be a perfect choice. But, right now, she just appreciated his developed masculine talents. He was a refreshing breath of fresh air from the quick college boys, although not quite as gentle as the college girls. He had made her feel good last night; in fact, she could still feel wetness crawling down her thighs. Her eyes closed as she recalled him pounding into her. His strong arms held her hands above her head, and her legs were wrapped tightly around him. Her orgasm had been explosive. She shivered a little. He always liked the window open a little when they had sex, and last night they must've fallen asleep with the window open. 

"Shut the window, Eric, I'm freezing my ass off."

"Sadie, not so loud..." Eric paused, considering something, and Sadie looked at him, questioning him with her eyes. "Sadie..." Eric paused again. "Do you think today is the day."

"The day? Oh shit. Does he think Talia's really going to go for it? I mean, I hoped she would, for his sake, but that's a hell of a lot to risk. Still, if he's going to get a piece of her, I want to, too." Sadie thought to herself, then said aloud: "It's your call."

******

Lacey woke up with small beads of perspiration on her forehead. She had had that dream about Sadie, again. She reached over, and opened the drawer in her bedside table and pulled out her vibrator. She blushed, remembering how Sadie teased her the other day. If only Sadie knew how much she really wanted her...

The soft humming of the vibrator was a familiar sound, and she began to quiver even before the instrument reached her clit. It slowly vibrated against her and she began to gyrate against it.

"Sadie," she moaned, "that's it...right there...oh yes, oh yes, baby...right there." Lacey was quite vocal in bed, yet she was the only one who knew. Lacey was still a virgin, in the most important way. She had long ago developed the skill of giving blow jobs to appease frustrated men who desperately wanted to be inside her, but she didn't want to give her entire self to just anyone. She wanted to give it to Sadie. She knew that was crazy, that Sadie was another woman. Lacey knew she shouldn't want her the way she did...but she couldn't help herself. That attraction that had lured so many to Sadie lured Lacey as well. It was something so overpowering and so magnetic. Lacey was drawn to her. She pressed her vibrator into herself quickly. She knew she no longer had a hymen, but she was still a virgin, technically. Her moans became louder and more intense. Her hips bucked. 

"Oh god, Sadie, oh, that's right...oh Sadie, make me yours...god, Sadie, I'm all yours...fuck me, Sadie..." She squirmed and continued to moan. One hand pumped the vibrator in and out of her while the other was flying over her clit. Both hands became a blur as they worked their magic. She could feel her orgasm fast approaching as all the muscles in her body tensed. 

"Yes, Sadie. Yes! Oh god yes! Oh god, Sadie! Oh god! Oh god! Oh, please! More, keep going! Please!" Her monologue increased its rapidness, and her moans became faster as well. She reached her fevered peak, her body tensed to the point where every muscle was straining, and then she felt a sudden release. She sighed and whimpered slightly. She always felt so guilty after having, what she called "Sadie orgasms." They were powerful, they were intense, they were had when she thought about Sadie...but, they were wrong. And, plus, she felt like she could never really have her, never really be with her...But, maybe she was wrong.



Talia



My name is Nancy and my husband is Bob, a vice-president at a mid-sized tech company in Little Rock. Although we are both sneaking up on middle-age, you have to look close to tell it. Bob, an avid golfer, keeps himself in tip-top shape. He's lean and tan with a flat belly and a tight butt.

Using a combination of aerobics and weight training I do my best to make time stand still. My waist is hard and narrow in the shadow of my big boobs. Even though gravity does her best on them, the underlying muscle tone keeps the girls looking up. I have a sweet young man named Frank in Hillcrest who, for a small fortune every week, makes sure my hair is blond and stylish with not a gray strand or dark root in sight. His boyfriend Tony does my nails and waxes my legs.

Bob is very successful at work and, though we are not quite wealthy, we have more than enough to live comfortably. Between his job and golf we don't spend as much time together as we used to, but that's okay. I keep busy at the club or with a variety of civic activities. Our sex life is satisfying but not spectacular. When we were younger we were passionate and experimental, but with age we're down to an average of one or two times a week, almost always missionary. Not boring exactly, but no one is going to make a porno flick in our bedroom.

Neither one of us have ever been unfaithful. Oh, we've had offers and we've both been tempted, but it just never happened. We're content with the lives we have.

Then along came Talia. 

Periodically Bob gets an intern to work with him, usually an MBA student at the U. of A. When he told me about Talia I thought she sounded interesting. He said she was a little older than most interns, from some Eastern European country. Her native language was Russian but he said she spoke English extremely well. He also told me she was the brightest, most talented intern he'd ever had. Every time he talked about her it was in increasingly glowing terms until I was certain she could both walk on water and leap tall buildings. I didn't feel jealous exactly, just uncertain about this girl who seemed to be too good to be true.

When Bob told me we'd be going to a company party and I'd finally get to meet Talia I was pretty excited. Usually I hated those parties, but this one I was looking forward to. I'd finally get to meet the woman who had made such an impression on my husband.

I took special effort getting ready, including an extra session with Frank and Tony. I applied make-up lightly to highlight what I have been told are my best features. I bought a new, expensive, dress cut low enough to be interesting but not so low as to be a distraction. Pearl ear rings and necklace set off the ensemble. I was stunning, if I do say so myself. Bob put on his usual tux, although I noticed he had some sexy cologne I'd never noticed before. Together we were one great looking couple.

We got to the party fashionably late. I casually looked around the room for the fabled Talia. When I didn't see anyone I didn't know, we started mingling, working the room like a good executive couple. Finally Bob took my elbow and nodded to the side of the room. "Honey, there's Talia now. Come on, I want you to meet her." Looking where he was nodding I saw a stocky young woman with stringy brown hair and thick glasses wearing a dowdy, mid-length dress that her mother must have made.

"Oh yes," I said, hoping the relief didn't show in my voice. "I've been wanting to meet her. You didn't tell me she was nearly blind. Those glasses are really something."

"Not her. That's Len's intern, Fay. Talia's standing behind her." My heart skipped a beat as he pointed at the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Lustrous dark hair falling over her bare shoulders. High cheekbones and a strong chin. Dimples. The girl had fucking dimples! Her stylish dress swept the floor and exposed enough cleavage to lose your inhibitions in. No waist to speak of, but hips to die for. Probably had dimples on her ass, too. To make matters worse when she looked up and spotted us - spotted Bob - she broke out in a smile like she'd won the lottery. Maybe she had.

This vision rushed over to us and extended a hand to me. "You must be Nancy. Bob has told me so much about you. He talks about you all the time." Not content with shaking my hand, Talia gave me a hug that had my boobs rubbing against her chest in a way that scared and fascinated me. "I am so glad to finally meet you," she said, looking at me with the deepest blue eyes I'd ever imagined. A person could drown in those pools.

Her voice was a half-octave deeper than most women, which wasn't surprising considering the size of her lungs. Her Slavic accent was both sultry and cute. Bob was right about her being older than most students. She looked to be about thirty going on puberty. 

We exchanged pleasantries a while. At least she was pleasant while I tried to be, what with turning green and all. Finally she drifted off to enchant other executives. As she walked away the world seemed a little dimmer. I had to admit she lit up the room with her charm, not to mention her cleavage. It had taken a lot of willpower not to sneak too many peaks into that valley. Turning to my husband I said, "You didn't tell me how beautiful Talia is."

"Yes," my darling asshole husband answered. "She is pretty isn't she. But she's so damn smart. I am lucky to have her." I bit my tongue to avoid saying what I wanted to that remark.

We didn't get much chance to talk to Talia the rest of the evening, but every time I spotted her she seemed to be looking at my husband, despite the fact I kept close to him the whole time. And every time I saw her she was prettier and sexier. If I hadn't hated her I would have been in love, or at least in lust. She was the only female I'd ever met who was as attractive to other women as she was to men. Well, at least as attractive to me.

The following Monday Bob told me Talia claimed to have been so glad we'd met and how much she liked me. He must have sensed the air of competition because he rarely mentioned her all week. Then on Friday morning Bob called me from work. "Talia and I are having lunch at the Afterthought and she suggested we have you to join us. She knows I'm going to be at the golf tournament this weekend and thought we ought to spend some time together today." 

"How thoughtful," I said. Not thoughtful enough to let us have lunch alone, but at least she remembered he was married. We arranged to meet at 12:30, which would give me enough time to get as primped and pretty as I could.

I had a brief fear that they were inviting me to break the news they were running off together for a weekend of carnal sin. But then I remembered the tournament he was playing in. Bob loves golf a lot more than pussy. No way he would miss a tournament just for sex, even with someone as desirable as Talia. I knew my marriage was safe at least until Monday. 

I got to the restaurant before they did and waited at the bar trying to boost my courage with a tall glass of sweet tea. As I sat there I got to wondering, hoping, that perhaps, like many European women, Talia did not shave her legs. I thought it would be fitting if the vision of loveliness would be marred by long, dark hairs on her calves. That thought was enough for me to order another sweet tea. I knew it was a vain hope because the dress she wore at the party made it clear she shaved her underarms. And sure enough, as she and Bob came into the restaurant her modestly short skirt exposed a pair of smooth, shapely legs. Naturally that led me to question what else did she shave. Was her pubic area as smooth as her legs? I thought about asking Bob about it. Of course if he knew that much about her pussy I'd have to kill him.

"Oh Nancy," Talia said coming up to me and giving me a big hug. "I'm so glad you could make it. I hope we can get to know each other better." 

"I hope so too," I said, "But as much as Bob talks about you I feel as if I know you already." Talia took my arm as we followed Bob to the table he had reserved.

"Your hair looks so nice, you have to tell me who does it," Talia gushed.

"A young man named Tony," I replied. "His shop is just down the street. Maybe we can pop in later and I'll introduce you. He's expensive, but he does a marvelous job."

"I probably can't afford him very often, but I'd love it if he could make my hair look as good as yours." Who was she kidding. Changing a single strand of her perfect hair would be like painting over the Sistine Chapel. But I did appreciate the compliment, and I knew Tony would also. At least I wasn't worried about him running off with her.

As we ate, Bob started talking about his golf game. "I'm thinking abut using my new driver. I can hit the ball a lot straighter, but not always as far. I've never used it in an important game. Should I try it out at the tournament?" Talia and I both knew he didn't really want an answer from us, so we kept quiet and let him run on. When Bob starts on golf, nothing else exists. After about five minutes Talia and I both still had smiles on our faces, but the glazed look in her eyes told me she was as interested as I was.

When he finally stopped for a sip of tea, Talia jumped in. "So Nancy. Do you have big plans this weekend while Bob is off playing with his balls?" With her accent one might think the pun was inadvertent, but the slight rise in the corners of her lips let me know it was intentional. The faithful intern was very subtly making fun of her boss. I was starting to like her even more.

"No, not really," I responded, also hinting at a smile to let her know I understood her meaning. "I'll probably hang out at home. Maybe go shopping. No real plans. How 'bout you? I bet you've got a busy weekend coming up with your friends."

"Actually not. I am house sitting for the Moores and I will just hang around the pool there. I am taking care of their animals and turning lights on and off to let burglars know someone's home."

Len Moore is another vice-president at Bob's firm. They have a beautiful home on a bluff overlooking the Arkansas River. I'd been there several times to dinner and an occasional company party. Their backyard contains an olympic-sized pool and is surrounded on two sides by a high fence, completely private. The back of their lot looks out at about a hundred miles of the Ozark foothills. 

Len is rumored to be a ladies man. They tell me his conquests are numerous but he's very discrete about them. His wife Mona has a similar reputation. From what I've heard she has had her own conquests, not all of them men. Their master bedroom has a second-floor balcony with a hot tub and a spectacular view. I've never seen it but both Len and Mona have offered to show it to me. If I suddenly become a widow - for instance if Bob should know the answer to the Talia pubic hair question - I wouldn't mind taking Len up on his offer. I might even consider Mona's.

Before Bob could get started on what he intended to do with his balls the next day, Talia jumped back in. "I've got an idea. Why don't you come over and spend the day with me, Nancy. I would love to have the company. It will be fun. We can even try out the hot tub. You have to see the view from there."

"Oh, I couldn't," I started to say.

"Honey, I think that's a great idea," Bob said, finally diverted from the golf course. "It would be great if you two could become better friends. I'm glad you thought of it, Talia."

"Well, okay," I said. "I'd love to." I was confused. I'd been worried about my husband getting involved with this woman, and now they were both trying to turn us into bosom buddies. Considering the combined size of our bosoms, that would be quite a sight.

Saturday morning Bob was up and out of the house by a quarter 'til dawn. We had made arrangements for me to get to the Moores about nine. I skipped putting on make-up as I knew we'd probably be in the pool. I put a swim suit and towel in my beach bag, choosing my sexiest bikini so I could show Talia what the competition had in her arsenal. I wore a short skirt and a blouse a little too small for me, not that I was showing off. I had to leave the top three buttons open to make it fit right. When I got there I found Talia wearing a house dress with buttons all the way down the front. Like me, she had left the top buttons open. Unlike me, she was not wearing a bra. Those of us blessed with big boobs don't have any secrets in the brassiere department.

Again she hugged me and pulled me inside, her girls flopping against my arm. "Come sit down," she said. "I'm just getting ready to have a cup of chai tea. Let me pour you some." I sat on the sofa, a tray with a tea service on the coffee table in front of me. Talia sat in a chair across from me and poured us each a cup. 

"Mmm, this is good," I told her after a sip. "It's not like any chai tea I've ever had before."

"It's made with rose petals and a hint of lavender," she said. "It's rumored to be an aphrodisiac."

"It's good, but I'd think you'd have trouble getting most men to drink it."

"Oh, it does not work on men. It is specifically for women." Of course. Talia's looks would be aphrodisiac enough for any man. "I don't know if that's true," she went on. "I just like it. I hope you do too."

We sipped our tea while we exchanged our life stories. Talia was from Ukraine and had been studying in the country for five years. She had a BA from a small college in Iowa and was working on her MBA. She never mentioned a boyfriend, and I didn't ask.

After nearly three cups of tea I was feeling warm and companionable. I was coming to find that Talia was witty and charming, in addition to being beautiful. She seemed truly interested in my mundane childhood in south Arkansas. Maybe it seemed exotic to a girl who vacationed on the Black Sea.

When we each drained our cups we discovered the pot was empty. "Let me get rid of this stuff," she said. "I'll be right back." Talia picked up the tray and disappeared into the kitchen. When she returned she sat on the sofa, turned to face me.

"There are some things we need to talk about," she said seriously.

"Uh, yes," I answered, wondering what was coming.

"Your husband, Bob, is a wonderful boss. Actually, he's been more of a mentor to me. I have learned so much from him, and hope to learn more."

"Yes," I said, getting worried.

"But that's all he is," she said. "I don't want you to be jealous of me. I'm not interested in Bob in any way but as a boss and a mentor. Certainly not in any, uh, personal way. In fact, I'm not interested in any man in that way."

"Of course not, dear," I managed to say. I was relieved that she was the one to bring it up, and only hoped she was telling the truth. By that time I was feeling relaxed and more than ready to accept anything she had to say. "I appreciate you telling me."

"But there's something else we need to talk about. When we met at the party I saw you looking me over. That is to be expected. Every woman, every wife, checks out the woman her husband has been working with. But you did not stop. You kept watching me, and frankly I found it both flattering and exciting."

"Uh, yes," I said, not knowing where this was going. "But every time I saw you, you seemed to be looking at Bob. And it didn't appear like you were seeking a mentor," I said honestly.

Talia hesitated a moment, then reached out and touched my cheek with her fingertips. "I wasn't looking at Bob." Neither one of us breathed for a moment, then she went on, "I was looking at the most desirable woman in the room. I was looking at you, Nancy." I think my heart stopped for an instant.

"Talia, any time you enter a room you will always be the most desirable woman there." She actually blushed, but then I did too. What the hell had I said?

"Nancy, I'm not interested in your husband. I'm interested in you." 

Maybe it was the tea doing it's thing. Maybe it was the situation. Mostly I think it was the wonderful, beautiful and completely sincere woman in front of me. Whatever it was I held my breath and murmured, "Me too. I couldn't take my eyes off of you, couldn't get enough of you."

We both sat looking into each others' eyes for what seemed like an hour, Talia with her hand on my cheek, my hands folded in my lap. We were both leaning forward toward each other, but both afraid to move. Then her hand slid down my cheek until it was on my blouse. "You have beautiful breasts. May I see them? Touch them?"

"Of course not! Are you crazy? I don't want another woman to feel me up!" That's what I meant to say. Instead I just nodded.

I sat motionless as she opened the buttons on my blouse, then I held my arms out and let her slide it off me. Suddenly I was glad that I'd worn one of my best bras. It was pink silk trimmed with lace at the tops of the cups. Talia dipped her fingers into those cups, brushing my nipples with the backs of her fingers. I bit my lip, trying not to mew in pleasure. I could feel my nipples filling with blood, pressing against the soft cloth - and against her fingers. We didn't either one speak as she lightly touched and stimulated my breasts. Then she noticed that the bra opened in the front. Quickly she unhooked it and I let her slide if off my arms. 

Dropping the garment on the floor, her hands went back to my tits. She leaned over and sucked my right nipple into her mouth. I have never felt anything as tender or as exciting as the gentle suction from her lips. Then she switched and sucked just as softly on the other.

Releasing me she pulled back slightly and looked me in the eye. "Thank you, Nancy. I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you." She held her arms out and said, "Would you like to see mine?" Again I could only nod as I opened the buttons on her dress down to her navel. She let me pull it off her arms, her beautiful mounds shimmering just in front of my own. Then I did as she had, sucking first one of her nipples and then the other between my lips. I had never touched a woman like that before and was surprised at how good it felt. I could have happily sucked those tits for hours, but like her I pulled back, waiting to see what else would happen. I was sure that I was going to get the answer to the question I'd had the day before.

We looked each other in the eyes, still touching the sides of the other's breasts. "Are you wet?" she asked quietly. 

I didn't need to answer as her hand was already under my skirt. I bit my lip, trying not to cry out as her fingers ran up the silk between my legs. "Oh yes, you are so warm and damp." As she said it her fingers slipped under my panties. "May I?" she asked. She didn't have to be more specific. I knew she was asking if she could stick her fingers in my pussy. Once more I could only nod - then gasp as I felt her touching my insides. She leaned closer, our nipples brushing, as her fingers went deeper into my most private depths. 

I should have been protesting. Letting another woman touch me, poke at me like a high school stud on a second date. Instead I moaned. "That feels so good, Talia." She smiled and continued exploring my snatch.

I realized my hand was on her knee. I slid it up her thigh, under her skirt, where I discovered her completely bare pussy. No panties. No pubic hair. Just a smooth, damp slit that seemed to suck my fingers into it. It was her turn to gasp, and she did so, emitting a soft moan of pleasure. We sat like that for a couple of hours - or maybe a couple of minutes, as I tried to calm down. My head was reeling from what we were doing. I had never believed that I would be touching, or being touched by, another woman that way. I loved it. Loved the feel of her hand on me, and the feel of her vagina biting at my fingers.

Then Talia spoke quietly, "Let's go get in the hot tub. We can play with each other a little, then we will get out and get on the bed so I can make love to you."




Talia



"No, no, no!" I thought. "This can't be happening." But instead of objecting I leaned forward and touched her lips with mine. Our tits pressed together as we kissed. Somehow my tongue was in her mouth and hers in mine. I was experiencing a passion I had not felt for my husband in along time. My head was reeling in anticipation of playing with her beautiful body, not to mention having her make love to me. I wanted her, and nothing else mattered.

We broke the kiss and stood, Talia's dress falling in a heap at her feet leaving her naked. We kissed again as she pulled my skirt down, letting it fall also. Then she dropped to her knees, her face directly in front of my silk covered crotch. She kissed the wet triangle of cloth covering my pussy, then looked up. "You taste so good, so womanly. There is nothing like the taste of female desire." Then she pulled my panties down and kissed me again, this time directly on my labia, her tongue penetrating my nether lips. When she finally stood she took my hand and led me toward the stairs. I followed her in a daze, leaving my clothes lying on the living room floor.

The bedroom was as large and beautiful as it had been described to me. One whole wall was mirrored and in it I spotted two of the most attractive women I'd ever seen - standing close together - naked. The king-sized bed had been carefully turned down, subtly letting me know Talia had planned my seduction. I would have been angry if I hadn't been so excited at the prospect of what we would be doing. She led me out on the deck where the hot tub was already bubbling. "Look," she said, waving her hand toward the railing. Looking out we could see the gentle undulations of the Ozark mountains still bathed in the morning mist. I had never noticed how sensual those mountains could be until I stood there gazing at them with my arm around the waist of a beautiful woman. 

My body was burning with desire, but my mind was whirling. I had been fighting feelings of jealousy towards Talia for weeks, but it was Bob, not I, who should have been concerned. Turning to look my seductress in the eyes I said, "Talia. I want what is going to happen as much as I've ever wanted anything. But you must know. I love my husband. I want you, but he is the one I have a life with."

"I understand," she said gently. "Just as I love my fiancee. What we are sharing is only for today. Only for the two of us. When you leave here you will go back to Bob and I will return to Olivia. But if this is to be our only time with each other, let's make the most of it." 

"Fiancee? Olivia?" I thought. So that's what Talia had meant when she said she wasn't interested in any man.

"Olivia is studying in Denmark. We have agreed that celibacy is not for us. We are each free to take lovers while we are separated." She didn't say anything for a moment, perhaps seeing the question on my face. Was I just one in a long line of conquests for this young woman. "You are my first," she went on. "You are the first woman I've met in this country that I have been attracted to."

"I've never . . . uh . . . been with a woman this way before," I managed to say. 

"I can tell," she said. "And I want it to be special. To be something you will always remember." As if I could forget being seduced by a woman. Then she leaned forward and kissed me. I put my arms around her and pulled her against me. Despite all the jealousy I had felt toward this woman and my husband, it had never occurred to me that it was me, not him, who was about to be unfaithful. The feel of Talia's body against mine: my big tits pushing into her bigger ones; the heat of her loins pressed to my own sex; and most of all her tongue in my mouth and mine in hers. Husband? Who the fuck needed one? "Let's get in the hot tub," Talia whispered in my ear.

Stepping over to the pool, Talia took my hand as I walked down into the warm water then she followed, sitting next to me on the bench. The tub was big enough for at least six people but we only used one small spot as we clung together. The bubbler was on and even though it was impossible to see under the water I managed to find her leg and was working my way up to her pussy as we started kissing again. The churning water kept getting in our mouths. "I'll turn that off," she said, sliding across to the controls. 

Once she'd turned the jets off she paddled back toward me, her boobs floating in front of her. I moved toward her, my own tits peaking out of the water, until our nipples teased each other. We both shook our chests and giggled like teen-aged girls. "I think yours are bigger," she said.

"No dear, yours are," I answered. "Stand up, I'll show you." We both stood and I took her hand and put it under her right tit. "Feel this one," I told her. With mock seriousness she hefted her own boob as if estimating its weight. Then I took her other hand and had her hold my right one. "Now this." As she pretended to judge the jugs by their weight, I did the same with our two left tits. "Definitely, yours are bigger," I said.

"But yours are awfully nice. And fun to squeeze," she added, pinching me in a nice way.

"Maybe you'd like to suck on it a little bit," I said.

"What a good idea," she gushed as she leaned down and took my nipple between her lips."

"Hard, Talia. Suck my tit ha . . . oooh yes. Feels so good." 

As she feasted on my mammary my hand slid down her back and over her wet butt. I moved my hand down between her cheeks until I was touching her snatch again. It was so smooth and soft. Tearing her mouth away from my boob, she asked, "Do you like my pussy, Nancy? I shaved it just for you last night." She smiled at me as I nodded.

"I love it. It's so sexy, so fucking sexy."

"After I did it I . . . uh . . . I made myself cum while I thought about you."

"I wish I'd been there," I told her honestly.

"You will be there the next time I cum. I want you to make me cum, Nancy. I would like that a lot."

"So would I." Part of my mind was thinking, "What the hell am I saying." I had maybe fantasized a little about other women before, but had never really expected to make love to one. Nice, faithful wives didn't do that. But I really meant what I said. I really wanted to be there when she orgasmed. And I wanted to be the one to make it happen.

"Would you like to see it closer? My pussy I mean. Let me sit down and show it to you." She sat on the edge of the tub and opened her legs. I felt as if I had been hypnotized. I couldn't help myself as I sank to my knees in the water between her thighs, watching as Talia ran her fingers over her labia. "I wanted to make it extra pretty for you, Nancy. Do you like it?" I nodded as I put my fingers next to hers.

"It's beautiful," I murmured. "So very beautiful." And it was. I'd never seen another woman's vagina that close before, not to mention one that had been shaved bare. I couldn't resist it. 

I ran my fingers over the silky skin on her pubic mound. It felt so sexy. It also was so sweet that she had done it, shaved herself, just for me. With my fingers on the inside of her thigh, I used my thumb to pull her lips apart until I could see the pink insides - and moisture seeping out of her. Slowly I eased two fingers into her, curling them upward. Glancing up I could see Talia biting her lip, a look of sexual need on her face. I worked my fingers around inside her. The muscles in her thighs were tightening, as were her pussy lips. She slid her hips forward slightly, forcing me to probe deeper into her. She cried out as I found the hard knot where her nerves all came together - her G-spot. I rubbing my fingertips over it as she made inarticulate noises in her throat. More moisture, her pussy juices, were oozing out around my fingers. The aroma of her desire was intoxicating. 

"Ohgodohgodohgod," Talia was murmuring. I could see her eyes were closed. She grasped the sides of my head and said, "Kiss me, Nancy. Oh god please kiss me, kiss my pussy." As soon as she'd said it she pulled my face against her crotch. She ground her cunt against my face, her juices flowing onto my lips. "Oh fuck oh fuck don't stop," she screamed, cumming hard against my open mouth. 

I continued sucking on her clit and working my fingers deeper into her as she covered my face with her emissions. My mind was racing. "My first pussy," I thought. "What am I doing, and why did I wait so long to do it?" 

Finally she pulled my face away from her sex. "Oh darling," she said as she caught her breath, "I was going to make love to you, yet you made love to me first. That was so good, so wonderful. Thank you Nancy darling. Thank you for that wonderful cum." All I could do was smile with pride that I had given this gorgeous woman an orgasm. "Now it's your turn, my dear lover. Let's go get on the bed. I want to eat your sweet pussy until you can't stand it." Sounded like a good idea to me. I was so fucking turned on I was about to melt.

Talia and I both stood up. She took my hand and led me up out of the water. I stood perfectly still as she took a towel and began drying me off. She gently rubbed my shoulders and back, then began rubbing the towel over my tits, carefully drying each one. When she had most of the water off them she dropped the towel and kissed each of my nipples, biting them lightly with her teeth. I'd never felt anything more sensual than this woman teasing me with her mouth. I wanted more, and knew I was going to get what I wanted.

Finally leaving my boobs alone, Talia got on her knees and picked up the towel. Starting at my ankle, she ran the towel up my right leg until it was on my thigh. I could feel the cloth just below my pussy and I looked down at her expectantly, wanting her to move up, to rub my pussy dry. She gave me a sly grin and ran the towel back down my leg, then moved to my left ankle. Slowly - oh so slowly - she moved the cloth up my other leg until once again she was at my thigh. "Please," I whispered. She knew what I meant. I needed to be touched. To be caressed. To be physically loved. 

With a smile she began rubbing my pubic area with the towel. At first she touched me lightly, then she started pressing harder on my most sensitive spot. "Oh yes," I sighed.

Dropping the towel, she ran her fingers through my pubic hair. "Oh dear," she said with mock seriousness. "I don't think I'll ever get this dry. The more I rub it the wetter it seems to get. Maybe I should kiss it a little."

"Oh hell yes," I gasped. "Please kiss me. Kiss my fucking pussy, Talia." I wasn't a little anxious. Not much.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," she said before covering my pubes with her open mouth. Now, I don't want anyone to think I'd never had someone go down on me before. Bob used to do it regularly, not to mention a couple of guys I dated before I got married. But I'd never felt anything as sexy and exciting as having a beautiful woman kissing my pussy. She knew just how and where to bring me the most pleasure. She teased me a few moments before moving back and standing up. "Come, lover. Let's go where we will both be more comfortable." I docilely let her lead me in to the bed.

I laid on my back with my head propped by pillows. I wanted to watch as well as experience Talia's lovemaking. She got on her knees next to me on the side opposite the mirrored wall. I was going to be able to see everything. Talia leaned over and gently sucked one of my nipples while she pinched to other one with her fingers. Soon both the sucking and pinching got harder. "Mmm, nice," I murmured, watching in the mirror a the woman worshiping at my tits.

After a few moments, Talia looked up and said, "I want your pussy." Sounded good to me. As she positioned herself between my legs I reached down and held my lips open for her. "So pretty," Talia said. She slid one finger into me, moved it around, then pulled it out. "Wet and hot. Just like I dreamed it would be," she said, holding her damp finger up for me to see. Then she stuck it in her mouth, making a show of sucking it. "Mmm, I like," she said. She eased two more fingers into me, then pressed her mouth over my labia.

"OHGOD!" I cried out as I felt the rough texture of her tongue against my clit. "OHFUCK! FEELSGOOD!" I could feel her grinning as she sucked on the Little Man while she worked her fingers around inside me. I grabbed my own tits and squeezed them hard as Talia licked and teased my pussy. "Oh god, baby," I moaned. "Make me cum. Please make me cum." Suddenly It was as if my body was melting. The inferno between my legs engulfed me entirely. I was aware that I was screaming, crying out in passion and release, but I was entirely consumed by what she was doing at the center of my womanhood.

Later we lay together, cuddling and kissing. The smell of woman-sex permeated the room. The taste of my own cum on her lips was the sweetest thing I'd ever known. As much as I had shared with my husband I'd never known passion as strong as I felt with this beautiful young woman. And the thought that she wanted me as much as I did her made me blush with pride. Looking in the mirror we could see two beautiful women cuddling naked together, our skin flushed from our shared passion. We made love again more slowly, enjoying sight and feel and smell of each other's bodies.

Eventually we left the bed. "Let's go get in the swimming pool," Talia said. "Mona told me that it is so private she and Len always swim naked. In the backyard the two of us leisurely swam across the pool. We were standing together in the shallow end of when I asked her, "I'm surprised that Len, or even Mona, hasn't tried to get you in bed. You are so good looking and sexy."

Actually Len did, but of course I turned him down. He is a nice man, but I have no interest in men. And yes, Mona also wanted to make love with me."

"And why didn't you? She is a very attractive woman."

"Because I had already met you, Nancy," Talia said softly. "I only wanted the best. I only wanted you." The perfect response. I put my arms around my lover and we embraced, kissing as we rubbed our bodies together. 

Breaking the embrace, Talia said, "I'll race you to the other end."

"You're on," I answered and we both headed for the far end of the pool. When we got there I stopped and watched as Talia made a perfect flip turn and started another lap. I got out and sat on the edge, enjoying the sight of my lover's naked body slicing through the water. Her lap completed, Talia swam up to where I was sitting. I opened my legs as she treaded water in front of me. Grasping my knees, Talia pulled herself forward until her head was between my thighs. "I think someone wants something," she said with a smile.

"Yes, I believe someone does," I answered.

"And what would that be?"

"Someone wants someone else - like some young Ukrainian beauty - to eat her pussy," I replied.

"Well, someone else thinks that is a wonderful idea," she said right before she covered my mound with her mouth. I leaned back slightly, savoring the feel of her tongue probing my womanly depths. She gently sucked on my clit while she worked several fingers into my womb. Looking up, Talia said, "Want to go back to the bed?"

"Too late," I gasped, putting my hands on the sides of her head and pulling her mouth back to my snatch. "I need to cum now! Ohgodohgodohgod," I moaned, another orgasm pulsing through me as Talia licked at the juices flowing from my cunt. 

We made love off and on all afternoon, never bothering to get dressed. When it was finally time for me to go home it was hard to hold back the tears. As I stood at the door, hesitating to open it and leave, Talia kissed me tenderly. "My darling Nancy. Thank you for being the best lover I've ever had."

"Will we ever do this again?" I asked, knowing what the answer must be.

"I think not, my darling," she responded as I expected. "Today was wonderful, however we are both of us committed to others. This is all we dare share without risking the happiness of not only ourselves but of those we love."

She was right of course. I would never have a lover like her again, but I would never forget what we had done together.