Her Father, My Master: Enthralled (11 page)

“Do you go to a lot of parties?”
she asked as she casually speared a stalk of asparagus.

“Um, not too many,” I lied.  I
didn't go to any at all.

“Meet any boys?”

“There's this one guy.  His name is
Craig.”  Craig was another invention of my master's.  Something to occupy my
parents.

“Are you... are you staying safe?”
she asked, looking at me with soulful eyes.  It finally dawned on me that
this
was what my parents were concerned about.  They wanted to know whether all the
typical college partying and drinking and sex was going to screw me up and
interfere with my academics.  I nearly laughed, and the nervousness washed away
from me.

I knew laughing wouldn't help,
however.  It would far from help.  Instead, I slipped into a sullen expression,
and scowled.  “Do you mean sex, mom?  I'm being safe.  I'm not even having
sex.”

My mom flushed bright red.  Though
she wasn't practicing, she was a Catholic to the core and the mere mention of
sex usually made her run screaming from the room.

“Okay, I know what you want to
know.  I don't have sex, and I don't drink very much.  I'm taking college very
seriously.  Don't my grades prove that?”  I frowned and stabbed a piece of
chicken.  “Don't you trust me?  I'm not going to run away with some moldy old
guy like Kandace did.”  I was turning out to be quite an actress, but I had a
lot at stake.

My mom balked at that.  “Of course
we trust you dear, it's just that college can be very... very...”  She groped
for a word.

“Stressful,” my dad finally
interjected.

I snorted.  “Well, I'm figuring it
out, and I think I'm doing fine.”

My mom now reached across the table
and patted my hand.  “Of course you are honey.”

I glowered, but inside I was
relieved.  My parents didn't seem to have a clue, and I wanted to keep it that
way.

Kandace had other things in mind,
however.

*****

She and Steven arrived on the 23
^rd
of December.  Their arrival heralded a new level of awkwardness and uncertainty
in the household – even worse than it'd been during Thanksgiving.  My dad was
nonexistent, and my mom was almost painfully cordially.  I decided to follow my
dad's suit and spend as much time locked in my room as possible.

That didn't stop Kandace from
hunting me down and interrogating me, though.

I was on my bed, surfing the net
and idly petting Flicker when I heard the knock on door.

“Come in,” I said, shutting the
laptop.  I didn't want anyone to see what site I was perusing – a popular BDSM
board that I'd taken to frequenting.

Kandace floated into the room, and
sat on my bed, pointedly staring at me.  “So, how are classes going?” she
asked, getting right to business.

I lifted an eyebrow, and merely
said, “Fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”  I was beginning to
get nervous, yet again.  I remembered that Kandace had been suspicious about my
scholarship over the last break.

“That's really interesting, you
know?”  She lifted a hand to brush her golden hair back.  Her skin was smooth
and glowing, flawless as usual.  I, on the other hand, had a minor breakout
going on.  How was it that she was always so perfect?  I felt my annoyance rise
at the same time as my fear.

“I don't think it's particularly
interesting, but okay,” I said sullenly.  I desperately wanted her to go away,
to stop bothering me.  I had a feeling this conversation wasn't going anywhere
good for me.

“Well, it's just really
interesting, because I found out that you aren't even enrolled at UVA, much
less have a scholarship.”

My eyes widened in shock.  “How...
how do you know that?” I stammered in surprise.

She smirked.  “You know how easy it
is to search the undergraduate directory?  You don't even have to be a student
there.  I'm surprised mom and dad haven't done it, yet.”

“You can't tell them, you can't!” I
blurted out as I lurched upright.

“Why not?” she grinned.  I wanted
to punch her.

“Because I'll get in so much
trouble!”

She laughed.  “They think you're
the golden one now, and I've got so much dirt on you, you'll get buried for
years.”

“Kandace!” I said sharply, hoping
she would snap out of her gloating.

That seemed to work, somewhat.  “So
where are you, if you aren't at college?” she asked, still smiling slightly. 
“Obviously you must be going somewhere.”

“I'm staying with someone.  I'm
taking online courses.  I
am
still in college.  It's just not the one they
think.”

She looked surprised by that.  “Who
are you staying with?”

“An... an older guy,” I said after
some hesitation.  I wasn't sure what Kandace would make of that.  She was with
an older man, herself, but hers was a different relationship than mine.

“Really?  How are you paying for
college?”

“He's paying.  He's rich, or
something.”

“Whoa.  So, are you, you know? 
Doing it?”

I flushed hotly.  I couldn't even
begin to explain the relationship between myself and my master to her.  It was
too strange, the fetish was too weird.  She'd never understand it

I didn't need to answer her,
though.  The flush was more than enough.  She laughed again, toppling over on
the bed.  “This is awesome!”

I sat, stony-faced.  “No it isn't. 
You're going to tell mom and dad, and my life is going to be ruined.”

Kandace sobered up at that
statement, and sat up again.  “No I'm not.  I'm not an idiot.  I know your life
really would be royally screwed if I told them.”  She grinned and took my
hand.  “But you're with an older guy too!  Isn't it awesome?”

I was rigid underneath her touch. 
“My relationship with him isn't like yours with Steven.”

She tilted her head.  “How so?”

“It's just... not,” I concluded
lamely, pulling my hand away now.  “You won't tell mom and dad?  You promise?”

She solemnly traced two lines over
her breast.  “Cross my heart.”

“Good.”

“If you want to talk about it
sometime, you should let me know.  I know about these things.”  She puffed up
slightly as she spoke, and I bit back a harsh response.  Kandace had always
been a bit of a know-it-all, and it grated on me.  And mom and dad, I was
fairly certain.

Instead, I smiled and nodded.  “Of
course I will.”

“Good,” she beamed and patted my
arm.  “We've got to stick together, right?”

I nodded, unsure of what to say.  I
felt like she was drawing me into some sort of contract – in exchange for
keeping my own strange relationship a secret, I would have to publicly approve
of her and Steven.  I didn't care much about them; it was Kandace's life, after
all, not mine, but I knew my mom wouldn't be happy with me, if I defended them
too much.  I'd have to walk a fine line here.

We talked about a few other things
– rather, I listened as she talked about Steven and her relationship with him,
and how amazing he was, and how stupid mom and dad were being.  It seemed like
she needed someone to vent at, and I was willing to provide that vent.  For
one, it gave me a little more dirt on her.  I felt a little slimy, thinking of
it that way, but I didn't doubt that she wouldn't hesitate to use my
relationship against me, and I had to be prepared to do the same.

When she left my room, I felt odd
about everything.  On the one hand, I was so anxious about my secret being
out.  I was certain that Kandace would tell Steven, and who knew what he would
do with that information.  On the other, it was a bit of a relief to have it
out.  It was such a huge burden, keeping this from my family, and I knew I
couldn't keep it from them forever.

I just didn't want to be found
out.  I hoped Kandace would keep her word, and keep her mouth shut.

*****

Christmas day arrived quickly, and
everyone woke up at a leisurely pace and filed down the stairs.  We had
decorated the tree when Kandace arrived, and presents were placed underneath
shortly thereafter.  The days of Santa Claus and the presents magically
appearing overnight were long gone.  The thrill of this particular holiday had
worn off by the time I'd reached middle school.  We knew exactly where
everything came from.

The holiday didn't need magic,
though.  It really was a celebration of family, and everyone seemed relaxed and
happy, for once.  Mom didn't even look sick when she saw Kandace and Steven
cuddling on the loveseat.  I felt a twinge of envy, though.  That was not
something that I got out of my own relationship.  I still missed my master, I
missed him desperately, but I felt something stir within myself.  There was a
deeper craving inside me.  I couldn't say quite what it was, and I could only
hope that it wouldn't be a problem.  I wanted to stay with my master, after
all.

Things became a little more awkward
when it came time for the presents to be unwrapped.  We went round-robin style,
each taking the time to individually open and admire a gift before retrieving
another one from the tree, and handing it off to its intended recipient.  It
turned out that Steven had gotten quite a few things for Kandace, and she was
the center of attention for most of the morning, as she unwrapped gift after
gift.  And they weren't cheap gifts, either – she got a new iPhone, a new
laptop, a new e-reader – all the latest and fanciest electronics.  My mom was
starting to glower again.

“He's going to spoil her,” she
muttered at me and dad as Kandace unwrapped yet another hundred dollar gift.

“She's an adult, I think she can
handle it,” I retorted just as quietly.  That seemed to shut her up.

She was also slightly placated by
the gifts Kandace got her.  An assortment of jams, new slippers, a little spa
foot bath, and a new iPod for herself.  It was extravagant, to say the least.

I felt like my gifts were pitiful,
in exchange.  I had limited funds, and I had to order everything on the
Internet, which wasn't a huge problem, but I missed the exciting sensation of
actually going out and shopping for gifts.  There was something special about
going into the mall during the Christmas season.

But my parents liked everything I
got them.  My haul was modest, especially in the face of Kandace's.  I got a
new, smaller iPod, some clothing, and some movies.  It wasn't much, but I
didn't need much.  I inwardly laughed at the clothing in particular.  It was
nice, but useless to me.  I hardly wore any clothes, these days.

Kandace and Steven ended up staying
a few more days, but left before New Years.  Steven apparently had an annual
party with fellow professors that he didn't want to miss.  I was privately
relieved to see the two of them go.  Kandace was gone, and so was the only
other person who knew my secret.  I was safe.  At least, I thought I was.

It still scared me that I was so
easily found out.  I would have to talk to my master about this.  Maybe he
would know what to do.

New Years was quiet for me.  My
parents went to some party with a bunch of old people, and I elected to stay
home and watch old movies.  I was coming to realize that I preferred quiet.  I
could be social, and I enjoyed being around people, but I was learning to
appreciate solitude for what it was as well.  It was peaceful.  It kept me
calm.

By the time the first week of
January ended, I was ready to return to my master.  I was more than ready, I
was eager.  I was eager to have him play with me, to have him inside me again. 
It'd been weeks since I last had sex, and days since I'd brought myself to
orgasm.  It just wasn't the same, when I did it to myself.  It wasn't as fun,
and it took far more effort.  Masturbation felt like something purely
utilitarian, to me.  A means to an end.

I wanted my master.

Chapter
9

It was such a relief to be pulling
back into Mr. Hendricks' driveway, to be back in the safety of his domain.  I
hadn't realized exactly how much the past few weeks had stressed me out until I
got away from that house.  Even with Kandace gone, I still felt tensed and
strained from the secret I was holding.  Practically everything I told my
parents was a lie, and that just didn't sit well with me.  I disliked lying to
them, mostly because I knew how easy it was to catch a person in a lie, no
matter how well thought out, no matter how well formed and planned.  I didn't
think I was doing anything wrong.  My lifestyle was different, but it wasn't
wrong.

But still, I kept it a secret.

I flew into  my master's arms, when
he appeared at the garage door.  I savored his warmth, his physical solidness. 
And I was glad that he allowed me this semblance of closeness.  I had a feeling
that this was what I craved.  I had the physical parts of the relationship, but
none of the emotional parts.

He pulled me into the house, and
commanded me to strip my clothing away.  I obeyed, as I always did.  And then
he led me further into his domain.

I was expecting him to take me up
to my bedroom, but instead, he led me to a little-used area of the house, and
one I'd never really explored before: the basement.  “I want to show you
something,” he commented as we went down the stairs.

My heart raced slightly at this new
prospect.  I was certain that whatever he had to show  me, it was sexual.  I
reminded myself that he hadn't gotten me any sort of Christmas present, though
I hadn't gotten him one either.  He didn't seem much for Christmas at all – there
was only a tree up in his living room, one that I'd decorated.  And one that I
would presumably tear down, when it was on the schedule.

The basement was dark, and smelled
ever so slightly damp.  It was finished, but I found most basements in this
area had that odorous quality, no matter how much everyone tried to avoid it. 
It was also cool, much cooler than the rest of the house.