The Gifts of the Masters

by Eva Gill

  Now, having grown so much, she held a degree and owned her own business. Tonight was a welcome reprieve, and she was grateful not to have had to witness the initiation. The gawking young men generally had no concept of how to behave. Alexander understood that her work was emotionally demanding, and gave her the rest she needed. They had a relationship filled with give and take, and he was a Master who loved her just as deeply as she loved him.

  She smiled now as she thought of how he had given her a bedroom of her own, after she had called him asking for his help, how he had refused to be sexually intimate with her until she was twenty-three. He had sent her to therapy and helped her deal with her past issues, and when the time came he no longer refused her. There was no fear. Only love.

  Anya had gone five years without sex, and was no virgin, so she survived the frustration of celibacy with masturbation. She blushed and wished the earth would swallow her the day she found a beautifully wrapped Lelo vibrator on her bed, after school. The ensuing talk had been eye opening to her, and strengthened her love for Alexander even more.

  Anya’s legs ached from sitting for so long; she stretched out, stood, and walked to the kitchen. She put out a mug and placed a chamomile teabag in it.

  The front door opened and Alexander came in. He looked tired, even she could see that. She automatically retrieved a second mug, and when she turned around he stood in the doorway.

  “Hello, oh handsome Master,” she greeted him, stepping into his arms and kissing him.

  “Good evening, little one.” He hugged her tightly. “I missed you tonight, did you get to finish the work you needed to do?” He kissed the top of her head as she placed it on his chest.

  “Most of it, but I needed a break. I’m making tea, and now you are home. We can go and sit down. You can tell me about tonight. Let me finish this, I’ll make you some.”

  Alexander released her so she could make the tea, and walked through to the lounge. He flopped down onto the couch, sinking into the upholstery, and when Anya entered the room he smiled at her. She wore a pair of soft cotton shorts and an oversized pink sweater. Her hair was gathered in a loose, messy bun on top of her head, and when he looked down, he saw pink and grey, candy striped, knee-high socks.

  “You look adorable right now, you know?” he said, pulling her hand to his lips when she placed the tea on the table beside him.

  Anya sank to the floor beside his legs and unlaced his boots. “I was just comfortable. I didn’t think you’d be home so soon…” Her mouth spread into a soft smile when she looked up at him. She removed his shoes, pulled off his black socks and kneeled down to lay her head on his feet.

  Alexander sat forward and stroked her hair, then sat back again. “I like it when you look like this, relaxed and happy.”

  Alexander told her about the initiates, about the flogging with Jonah, and watched her eyes light up when she heard the man’s name.

  “You genuinely like him don’t you?” Alexander asked, and watched her squirm at his feet. “It’s okay baby, I don’t mind. I want you to help me teach him, and that might mean, at times, getting very intimate, which will be easier if you already share chemistry.”

  She blushed, but nodded. “I will do as you wish Master.”

  The memory of the sparks Anya felt at her first contact with Jonah still lingered. It scared her to think of being intimate with someone she felt so strongly attracted to. She cherished her relationship with Alexander, and had no wish to endanger their bond. Though they identified as a polyamorous couple, she had never strayed into that territory. He often played with other submissives, and hadn’t, as yet, had a serious secondary relationship, but for her there had always been only him.

  Alexander had a gift for reading humans, their moods and emotions. He saw the fear in Anya’s eyes, and felt that he could perhaps reaffirm his affection. He reached for her hair, the loosely gathered bun, and pulled her ear to his mouth.

  “Enough talking about other men, though. Show your Master how much you missed him.”

  Anya smiled widely as she unbuttoned his pants and put her mouth to work, sucking his cock. He was already hard under the fabric and, with his hand in her hair, guided her to take all of him into her mouth, down into her throat.

  She gagged and placed her hands on his knees, raising herself to change the angle of her neck, taking his length more easily. Alexander groaned; a few stray tears ran down her cheeks, the strain showing on her forehead. He lifted her off him, and gave her time to catch her breath before resuming the act of pulling her soft lips down onto his cock.

  “Keep your teeth away from my cock, little one,” he grunted.

  It didn’t take long for him to spill himself deep into her throat, spasms rocking him as the muscles in her throat tightened in her gag reflex. When he released her, she sat back, smiling and wiping the corners of her mouth, where drool had run down her chin.

  “Thank you sir, that was fun.”

  When Anya settled at his feet again, to rest her back against his legs, Alexander pulled her onto the couch beside him. “Don’t ever doubt how much I love you, little one. Anya, I will always be here for you, and I will always look after you, understand? You are the most precious thing in my life.”

  Anya laid her head on his chest and nodded. Shortly after, she was fast asleep. Alexander gathered her into his arms and stood, walking past her study, and her old bedroom, straight to their main bedroom. He tucked her in, went back through the rooms to switch off the lights, stopping to stare into her study for a long while. Then he returned to bed, where he sat down, watching her. She was asleep, and the light wasn’t bothering her, so he sat there next to her reading over the information he had received, regarding each new initiate.

  After that, he breezed through the financial reports of the club, and lay down in bed. As soon as Anya felt him near her, she sidled over to curl up in his arms.

  With a smile Alex fell asleep.

  ***

  On Sunday morning, after sleeping very little the night before, Jonah felt drained, hungover and emotional. He had not had more than one scotch, and a sip of initiation wine, but his stomach felt queasy, and his head ached. Apart from that, his back was bruised, and when he looked in his bathroom mirror after showering, the welts lay thick and evenly spaced across his shoulder blades and down his flanks.

  He thought in horror of how he had responded so instinctively to Alexander; the memory of kissing the other man sent his heart pounding and gooseflesh racing down his arms. It was the first time he had done that, and he felt as though he had done something utterly forbidden and taboo. He heard the bells of the Catholic Church two blocks away ringing, and shook his head, pretty sure at that stage that he had a one way ticket to hell.

  As these thoughts ran through his head, his phone rang, and he put down the rug he was in the process of rolling up to answer.

  “Hi Alex.”

  Alexander was checking on him. “How are you today, Jonah? I just want to make sure last night was not too much of a mindbender for you.”

  Jonah exhaled loudly. “I honestly feel a bit fucked up, man. I feel like I have trespassed on every code of manliness out there.”

  Alex chuckled on the line. “Don’t beat yourself up. It is natural to be curious sometimes, and there is nothing wrong with you. And no, I don’t think you will go to hell. I have my own beliefs, I guess, but I think that if you are a good person, a lot can be forgiven.”

  Jonah frowned to himself. “Why does it feel as though both you and Bartholomew can see inside my head? This is starting, no, not just starting to, it is bugging me.” He waited for an answer.

  “I will discuss that with you when we next meet, but I promise you I am no mind reader. How is your back?”

  They discussed a few more things, and then Alexander wished him well for the upcoming move before hanging up. Jonah wasn’t sure if the call left him feeling better or worse. It did make him take a mental note, though. He resolved to do the same as Alexa
nder had just done and call, or check on, a play partner after play. He didn’t realise that he had just learned one of the most important acts of being a good Dominant.

  He continued packing, and within a few hours had all the small things done. He left his kitchen for now, as he still had a week to live in his own place. He resolved to at least go linen shopping during his lunch breaks over the next few days, as his current sheets would in no way fit the beds at his new home.

  After he had done everything he could, he sat down with the three photo albums he owned, and removed every picture of Olivia he possessed. He wanted a clean start, and vowed that this move was the beginning of a whole new phase in his life. He burned them, watching the old go up in flames, feeling a lightness in his heart and excitement for the new memories he would make.

  Jonah then deleted the pictures off his laptop, and with a happy, contented sigh, went to bed.

  Part Two

  Chapter 6

  Anya passed around the table between Jonah and Alex as she refilled their glasses. This entire dinner experience had so far felt strange to him because they hadn’t spent much time together recently. Jonah felt a little removed from the dynamic. Anya was naked tonight, wearing only her brown leather collar and nothing else. She was completely nonplussed by her nudity in front of both him and Alex. Her silky long hair hung in waves down her back, spilling over her shoulders occasionally, and she sat happily at Alex’s feet while they ate.

  “How is the new house going for you?” Alex asked, lifting his wine glass.

  Jonah shrugged and took a deep breath. “I absolutely love it, but I have a lot of work to do. I bought all the décor items and furniture I need, so I am just waiting for a few items to be delivered, then I will get it looking nice and homey. The people who sold to me left most of their things behind, furniture-wise. I was lucky.”

  He could not help the smile which spread across his face when he thought of the big house he had been living in for two months now. The change had helped him take the first few steps in getting back on his feet after Olivia.

  As he sipped the wine he was drawn back to the night of the initiation. “This wine tastes so much like the wine we were given at initiation, but there was something else. too…” He trailed off, looking to Alex.

  Alex sat smiling, as did Anya. “I’ll tell you the secret: on the night of the initiation you drank a few drops of my blood in your wine, just as I did when Bartholomew initiated me. Your chosen slave or submissive will, one day, when you bond.”

  “Why would you do that, make people drink your blood?” Jonah frowned.

  Alex seemed to think for a moment before he answered. “In our organisation, our club, if you want to call it that, the power of the collective group comes from the bond we share. Bartholomew has amazing abilities which passed to those of us he chose when we partook. This might just be a placebo effect, but people believe. His abilities don’t come to us in their full strength, but enhance our own natural abilities, once we find them.”

  Jonah still had so many questions, and for the life of him he could not figure out why the blood thing didn’t freak him out any more. And what was Bartholomew? Nobody had taken the time to explain the mysterious man to him.

  He had been so busy with his move and work over the past few weeks, he had not spent extended periods of time with Alex and Anya. He was reminded of this every time Anya brushed past him, or Alex turned his smile on him.

  For now, he was fixated on the idea of powers. “What abilities, Alex? This is beginning to sound a bit like a fantasy story I haven’t read the prologue or introduction to.”

  Alex chuckled when he answered. “Bartholomew can read minds. I am pretty sure you figured that out at your first meeting. I have a way of seeing people in need of help, something Anya and I share. That is why she does the work she does. If you two would excuse me, I want to check that my dungeon is ready; we are going to do some learning after this.” He stood to leave.

  Jonah glanced at Anya. “What do you do when you are not kneeling to him?” he asked, curiously, narrowing his eyes.

  She brushed hair from her face. “I have my own psychology practice.”

  This caught Jonah off-guard. “You? You own a business, and yet choose to do this?” He gestured to her position and to the collar. “I am sorry. I don’t understand.”

  “Jonah, to me, my submission comes out of great love for Alex. Our story is a complicated and long one, but it’s not just that. I am responsible and in charge of other people all day, and it is tiring. Being Dominant is not the strongest part of my natural personality. I crave the release from making decisions, and that is what Alex gives me. With him I can relax and know that I am taken care of, while knowing he still respects me as an individual.”

  Jonah sat staring at her as though a light bulb had just turned on in his head. “I kind of think I get that, I mean, after the flogging with Alex, that is. Oh man, I can totally see the appeal to submit.”

  Anya smiled from where she sat on the floor. “I know, and I can see you have more questions. Feel free to ask me anything. I can answer you now.”

  Jonah rubbed his face with both hands. “Okay, why is there a symbol of a chalice on everything? And why is everything purple?”

  He wanted to carry on, but she held up a hand to silence him. “One thing at a time, honey. The chalice is in part representative of the Realm’s version of a Holy Grail, you could say; the blood we share when we join The Forgotten Realm. It is also literal, The Realm owns a relic, an ancient silver chalice from the time of the Crusades which Bartholomew apparently brought to the very first meeting. It has not been changed or replaced, ever. It is shared, and it joins us together. Each Master has his own replica made of pure silver. The original remains on display at the club. As to the purple, it is a colour of royalty and symbolises the hierarchy and respect we hold for the Masters, The Realm and for each other.”

  Alexander re-entered the room, taking his seat. “Everything is ready.” He looked from Anya to Jonah. “You guys having a Q and A?”

  They nodded simultaneously, and Jonah spoke. “Why the robes? It seems a little medieval, doesn’t it?” He felt as though a million questions were popping to the surface now, and he could finally get answers for them.

  Alex took this one, and as he sat running his fingers through Anya’s hair, her eyes closed with the pleasure of the sensation. “The robes distinguish the initiated from the uninitiated. The slaves garb is flattering to the women who are such, plus, it adds a touch of drama. Who doesn’t enjoy the act of dressing up and looking different for a night? It affects ones mood. The robes basically add a bit of the theatrical.” He spread his arms like a master of ceremonies. “It all makes us feel unique in the continuous daily waves of dull and mundane humanity. Shall we go and play with some ropes, among other things?” He stood suddenly, casting a glance at Anya. “All this talk of robes and moods and drama…”

  Jonah watched as Alex stretched, the edge of his shirt lifting to show toned abs. Anya stood gracefully, and both she and Jonah followed Alex toward the dungeon.

  As they entered what Alex referred to as a ‘dungeon’, Jonah wiped his eyes to look again, then stood surveying the room. He had not expected what was in front of him. He stood in a brightly lit room with gleaming white walls, shining and sterile-clean. A set of chains swung from the ceiling in the centre of the room, and against the far wall a white leather sofa looked very comfortable. He remembered the chains in his own dungeon and smiled; they seemed to be a common accessory.

  The set of stocks off to one side were painted black, and contrasted with the general light of the room. Alex laughed when he saw Jonah’s face, and leaned against the white-upholstered cross fixed to the wall nearest him.

  “Surprised it’s not medieval, dark, dank and scary?” he asked.

  Jonah exhaled loudly. “I thought you couldn’t read minds? It might not be dark, but this brightness and all the white is unnerving. You’ve opened
a whole new level of scary. It makes me think of insane asylum themed horror movies.”

  Anya giggled and Jonah turned to look at her, standing so comfortably in this environment. Alex approached her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Jonah’s heart melted a little at the tender interaction, Anya’s eyes closing to let soft lashes fluttering. Jonah couldn’t help but think again how beautiful she was, whether dressed up or naked and without any makeup, as she was tonight.

  Alex walked to a built in cupboard and swung the doors wide, picked out a rope, a set of wrist cuffs and a gift bag that sat on one of the shelves. He placed the ropes and cuffs on the floor near the chains. The gift bag he handed to Jonah.

  “I loved your response to the flogging so much, both watching it as well as being flogged yourself, that I had to get you this…”

  Jonah gingerly opened the bag and lifted out the item in it. “Oh my God, Alex, this is beautiful,” he exclaimed, holding the flogger he’d lifted from the bag.

  The handle was elaborately carved oak, and the actual whip was made of heavy, deep purple suede. Jonah let the strands fall to the ground, and shivered at the sound of them hitting the floor. The memory of being flogged by Alex, and that which followed the encounter, would not soon fade from his memory. Jonah looked down to see the whip strands brush the floor, and smiled at the sight of the dark purple against the black of the interlocking rubber floor tiles.

  “Thank you so much. I love it.”

  Alex moved Anya, his hand in the small of her back, and positioned her under the dangling chains. “Let’s show you how to use it, then.”

  Alex picked up the set of cuffs and fastened them around Anya’s wrists as she held them out in front of her, one at a time. He then lifted them and linked the cuffs to the chains overhead. Then he stepped back, away from her stretched out body.