Owned

Victor came around the chair and held the elegant case right in front of Elena’s eyes, who studied this latest Pandora’s Box in sick fascination. Embossed in its shiny surface she espied the same heraldic badge that now graced her own chest, unceasingly making its presence felt in rather uncomfortable ways. Deeply engrossed, she was taken by surprise when Victor suddenly thrust the box into her hands.

“Open it!”

Elena accepted the case with manifest reluctance, the old adage that subs should ‘beware of dominants bearing gifts’ running through her mind. So, instead of opening it, she looked up and searched Victor’s face for an explanation. What more could he possibly demand of her? What further indignity would she have to accept now? All the numerous holes that had been punched into her body were already occupied by ‘jewellery’ of the permanent and punitive persuasion; her limbs were already encircled by irremovable restraints and although she had consigned herself to become his slave and property, now she dreaded the consequences should his actions no longer be moderated by love and affection. Yet, though it looked like she might have lost the latter, she was nevertheless addicted to his dominance. This then, whatever it turned out to be, was yet another part of the price to pay for her craving. Alas, Victor chose to ignore her silent inquiry, so that after a moment she gave up and focused her attention on the ominous case again.

“Go ahead, open it!” Victor prompted her once more.

Discerning the irritation in his voice, Elena wisely chose not to delay the inevitable any longer and opened the lid to reveal the black velvet-lined interior. Alex had lifted the camera from its tripod and hovered nearby while Lisa and Greg had retreated to the sidelines to watch the drama unfold, as did the rest of their audience. The case’s contents elicited a shocked gasp of awe from Elena. There was what appeared to be more metal jewellery, but this was not what had caused her surprised reaction. Next to those pieces, neatly arranged in pairs of two, a number of diamonds flashed brightly in overhead lights. Elena's gaze flitted back to Victor’s face and found his cool demeanour transformed by a smile of overwhelming warmth and vividness that seemed to shine directly into her soul, instantly dispelling the distress she had felt only seconds before. It was the Victor of old that, for the moment at least, had been returned to her. Despite herself, Elena allowed herself to hope again and smiled back at him shyly.

“They’re very beautiful, Mathter.” Although it was the first time she had called him master, the new form of address rolled very naturally from her tongue.

“Yet they pale in comparison to you, my most precious possession.” Victor replied gallantly, making her blush. “Please, allow me.”

With delicate fingers he picked up one of the diamonds and brought it close to her face. With the stone mounted in a round bezel setting, atop a short metal shaft of hexagonal cross-section, the ensemble reminded Elena more of an interchangeable bit for a multi-head screw driver than any piece of conventional jewellery she had ever seen. The pertinence of her observation was immediately demonstrated when Victor partially slid its shaft into the hex socket of the conical locknut that secured her nose bar's left end. He had barely inserted more than half a millimetre of the shaft's length before a powerful force yanked the “bit” from his fingers and slammed it home with considerable speed, causing Elena to cry out, albeit more in surprise than anything else.

“Careful, these rare earth type magnets are something else!” Alex remarked helpfully.

Victor acknowledged the belated warning with a raised eyebrow.

“So I noticed.” he commented dryly, earning him a few chuckles from the spectators.

Without further delay, the second diamond bit of the pair was emplaced on the other side of the bar transfixing her nose, then the analogous pins that secured her nipple shackles were decked out with their pairs of brilliants.

“Much better!” Victor declared. “Don’t you agree?”

Elena crossed her eyes and peered down along her nose. At both sides, the conical caps that guarded her nose bar against removal were now crowned by diamonds of exquisite brilliance and fire and further down, her metal infused breasts were similarly endowed. The precious stones did little to soften the starkly utilitarian character of her body jewellery, yet in Elena’s perception they changed its connotations quite profoundly. Like a jewelled hilt elevated a knife from interchangeable commodity item to cherished possession, they signified the appreciation and affection she had hungered for.

“Yeth, much bether! Thank you, Mathter!” Elena stated emphatically.

“You’re welcome! Let’s see how you like the rest of my presents.”

The next piece Victor retrieved from the case was met with much less enthusiasm however. Elena stared doubtfully at the wide, slightly oval ring that he struggled to slide onto her right thumb. Although it was not fully closed, he had a hard time pushing the springy metal band past the knuckle. Thankfully, that problem was significantly simplified when the always-helpful Lisa procured a bottle of baby oil from her stash of medical supplies; then, once Victor had succeeded, he proceeded by gripping the ring between the padded jaws of the pliers Lisa handed him next. He squeezed the handles until the flat locking pin bridging the small gap in the oval’s circumference engaged the internal catch, and it closed with a final-sounding click. From the authoritative way the band clasped around her thumb and the obviously irreversible mode of its mounting, Elena surmised she had just acquired another addition to her growing inventory of permanent trappings. And not a purely decorative one to boot; copying the design of her shackles, small holes through the raised bulges on both sides of the oval provided further fastening points and thus yet more ways Victor could lock her body into any position he dreamed up. Given his penchant for inventive, always stringent and sometimes almost literally back-breaking bondage worthy of an accomplished contortionist, hers was not a particularly comforting realization.

Of course, Elena knew better than to protest. Her eloquent silence communicated her misgivings quite clearly anyway, but Victor cheerfully ignored them, of course, and soon had her other thumb, then both her big toes similarly ringed as well.

There remained one last item in the case. Victor took it up and held it out to her on his flat palm. It was another split-open ring; only this one was narrower than the others and completely plain, curiously missing even the otherwise ubiquitous attachment points. Elena sighed resignedly and prepared for being fit with what she hoped would be her final accoutrement, at least for now. To her surprise, this time she was not the receiver of the ring but was handed the pliers instead. She watched in wonder when Victor slid the band on his own ring finger.

“This ring symbolizes my commitment to you. As you’re bound to me as my slave, I’m bound to you as your master. I made very sure that to become my slave was not a frivolous decision on your part; however, becoming your master is not a responsibility to assume lightly, either. This ring serves to honour your trust and to reassure you I’ll keep my side of the bargain, always.” he declared. In the awed silence that followed his words, he held Elena’s eyes for a long moment before he put forth his hand towards her. “Would you please do the honours?”

Elena acknowledged his request with a silent nod. His gracious gesture meant more to her than she could ever hope to express in words. With tremulous hands, she grabbed his finger and brought the pliers to bear on the band encircling his finger, then looked up into his face. When he nodded, she slowly closed her hand around the handles and a moment later, a subdued click signalled the ring had been rendered permanent as well. Victor brought his hand up and contemplated the dully-gleaming metal band, then smiled at her.

“I shall be a demanding master.” he promised her solemnly.

“And I shall be a difficulth thlave.” she returned with a mischievous smile of her own.

The audience burst into spontaneous laughter and applause. Apparently, the last hour had been an emotional roller coaster ride not for Elena alone, but for everyone who had taken an interest in the drama happening in front of them. Now that a happy ending seemed guaranteed, the collective strain that had held them all in thrall dissolved into general exhilaration. Victor gallantly offered Elena his hand and helped her to her feet. She winced when the movement stretched her fresh brand, then followed him gingerly to the front of the dais where they were joined by the others.

“Dear friends, I should like to take the opportunity to greet you personally and thank you all for having attended Elena’s collaring.” Victor addressed his guests. “It’s been a very special occasion for us and I’m pleased to have been able to share it with all of you. By now, you must have realized how blessed I’ve been to have found this rough diamond of a slave. Due to the exceptional nature of my ambition it has been a long and wearisome search, but one which ultimately paid off beyond my highest hopes.”

He paused and squeezed Elena’s hand before he continued with a wink.

“Alas, this concludes the official part of the ceremony. It’s time for Elena to be properly introduced to her new station in life and installed in her new home, so if you would please excuse us ...”

His announcement was met with cheers and the occasional hoot. Elena greeted the news with at best half-hearted relief; on one hand she was glad her involuntary public appearance was coming to an end and she was anxious to finally spend some quality time with Victor in private, on the other his vaguely ominous words filled her with a delightfully teasing dread. Alex returned the camera to its tripod and took up his role as host again.

“I’m confident that I speak on behalf of everyone when I express my gratitude to Victor for the privilege of being part of this experience. We were allowed to witness something extraordinary and wonderful. Victor’s perseverance and Elena’s exemplary bravery and self-giving devotion are an inspiration to all of us.” Alex enthused piously.

The reactions of his listeners were mixed: Dominants looked indeed inspired, while most of the subs seemed to be put off by the notion of emulating Elena’s example. However, quite a few had thoughtful or even eager expressions. Given the competitive pressures that inevitably built up in any social group, Elena considered it entirely possible that Alex would soon find other customers for his exclusive line of permanent restraints. His smug air suggested that he had come to the same conclusion. He smiled benignly when he went on.

“I’m sure today’s ceremony will stay in our minds for a long time and provide ample food for thought. However, man does not live by thought alone, so let me invite you all to join me in the foyer for a culinary conclusion to this momentous day. The buffet and bar have been opened.”

If Victor hoped the lure of the buffet would be enough to secure a clean escape, he had been sadly mistaken. Although a few guests actually departed for the foyer, most hung around to congratulate him on his good fortune, and of course, smartly mixing business with pleasure, they seized the opportunity to ogle Elena from close up.

After shaking countless hands and an apparently interminable exchange of pleasantries, Victor and Elena managed to get away from the well-wishers into an adjacent room, accompanied only by Lisa and Greg while Alex stayed back to keep their more persistent admirers in check. Elena immediately noticed the monitor on the sideboard and the chair in front of it, deducing correctly that this was where Victor had followed proceedings. Then her eyes fell on the mass of glittering chains and locks lying incongruously next to the monitor and her breath caught.

“Phew, I’m glad that circus is over with!” Victor sighed with feeling. “Now ...”

He interrupted himself when Elena melted into his arms and started to cry softly.

“I mithed you tho much! I’ve been tho lotht without you. Nothing made thense any more.”

“Shhh, it’s alright. I missed you too, Pet.” He hugged her close, gently patting her back.

“Don’t ever let go of me again, pleathe!” she wept.

“Won’t happen.” he assured her. “I’ll never let you get away from me again, no matter what.”

Elena sighed contentedly and snuggled closer into his tight embrace while he buried his face in her soft hair. After a moment she calmed and her rebellious nature reasserted itself. She looked up with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“And if I walked out on you again?”

“So not a problem.” Victor chuckled, for the notion seemed to genuinely amuse him

Come to think of it, Elena had to concede, her past choices did indeed limit her future lifestyle options. Still, she felt the need to have him affirm their new relationship once more. When he became serious again, Victor held her at arm’s length and met her bright gaze.

“You don’t have that option any more. Make no mistake, you’re my slave now and I fully intend to keep you as such.” he informed her earnestly. “And after today’s ceremony, I have more than adequate means at my disposal to deal efficiently with your occasional impetuousness.”

The steel in his voice sent a pleasurable shudder down her spine. She recognized that particular tone and remembered its ramifications extremely well.

“I understand, Mathter!” Elena acknowledged meekly, then slowly turned around and crossed her wrists behind her back in silent supplication.

“Ohhh!”

Victor and Elena turned their heads when they heard Lisa’s wistful sigh. She had watched their impassioned intermezzo starry-eyed and now blushed furiously when she found herself unexpectedly at the centre of attention. She smiled apologetically and leant against Greg, who laid his arms around her protectively. Yet even the normally impassive Dr. Lowry seemed affected.

“Would you like us to lend you a hand there?” he asked Victor in a throaty voice.

“Sure. It’s high time we put her manacles to good use.”

Together they started the elaborate process of turning Elena into a helpless, vulnerable prisoner. First, a short chain was fastened to the back ring of her collar to dangle down her spine. Next, they slowly and carefully forced her hands and arms high up her back between her shoulder blades, rotating them so that her palms faced outward. Then, her forearms were pushed closer and closer together and thereby, her hands and cuffed wrists were moved even further upward, centimetre by centimetre toward the end link of the dangling chain from the back of her collar. Victor relentlessly increased the pressure until Elena gasped audibly and rose on her tiptoes to relieve the strain.

“Now!” Victor commanded tersely and while he maintained the tension, Greg quickly locked her wrist cuffs together and at the same time connected them to the bottom link of the dangling chain. When Victor released her arms at long last, Elena instinctively tested her bonds. It did not take her long to assess her arms’ remaining freedom of movement: there was none. Her fingers clawed helplessly at the air while she tried to cope with the strenuous bondage that taxed even her flexible body. Still, Victor was not entirely satisfied and picked up a small link, then pulled her squirming thumbs close together and joined their rings with it.

“Not too bad ... for a start. A little more training and we’ll end up with an acceptable reverse prayer position.”

Since presumably the answer would only serve to aggravate her, Elena wisely refrained from asking what constituted an “acceptable reverse prayer position” from his point of view and settled for an indignant snort instead. Victor patted her placatingly on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get there. It’s a good thing you’ve kept up your Yoga practice.”

Elena only rolled her eyes at his purposeful misunderstanding and resigned herself to what amounted for all practical purposes to the complete loss of the use of her hands. There was a chance that Victor would quickly tire of the additional workload her utter helplessness was bound to put on him, yet, given the meticulous planning that had obviously gone into all aspects of her enslavement, he probably had a solution for this problem as well.

Anyway, it was too late now for trying to escape her pre-ordained fate. As if to underscore the point, her ankle cuffs were quickly joined by 30 centimetres of chain, turning the idea of running away into a highly unlikely proposition.

The next addition to her growing ensemble of restraints was the most fearsome yet: a limp, dull black, thick-skinned bladder surrounded by a plethora of dangling straps, vividly reminding her of some hapless octopus washed up on dry land by an unkind fate. Nevertheless, her experienced eye immediately recognized it as some fiendishly-complicated and in all likelihood, correspondingly efficient gag. When Victor detached the flaccid balloon from its holding harness and brought the unpalatable mass close to her mouth, she pressed her lips together in refusal. Her master would have none of that though.

“Open your mouth and extend your tongue! Now, please!”

Her pleading look around variously met with unwavering resolve, sardonic amusement or sick fascination; only the sympathetic mercy she had hoped for remained regrettably absent. Since support for her silent plea was not forthcoming, she reluctantly complied with Victor’s order and allowed the distasteful invader to enter her mouth. While its surprising bulk was slowly worked into her oral cavity, Elena’s outstretched tongue slid into an internal sleeve within the gag’s bladder and she felt stiff rubber nubs dragging along her tongue’s sensitive surface until they suddenly engaged the triplet of steel-rimmed holes piercing the muscle. The nubs yielded easily in one direction only ... forward; and when bent the other way, they became rigid as Elena discovered to her chagrin when she unsuccessfully attempted to withdraw her tongue from its entrapment. However, as the gag advanced ever deeper, her tongue began to be pushed farther back as well, making her plan to extricate it moot.

Soon the whole bladder had been bundled into her mouth, then Victor started to coax the gag’s wide inner shields into place between her gums and lips. After some judicious poking, counterpointed by his quiet swearing and Elena’s even quieter grunting, he finally succeeded and allowed himself a moment to study the fruits of his labours. The balloon had vanished completely and now the only visible sign of its presence was a round socket fixture that emerged from between her stretched lips. Pliable flaps filled her oral vestibule on both sides, distending her cheeks and giving her the chipmunk-like aspect Elena professed to hate with a passion. Victor apparently liked it though.

“Looks perfect. Let’s fix her bridle now.”

The gag’s harness was made of some rubberized, lightweight but nearly unbreakable high-tech plastic material and incorporated a rigid cup for her lower face that once fitted, would firmly clasp around her chin and extend high and far back over her cheeks toward her ears, rising to just below her nostrils and fully covering her lower face. But that was not whole extent of its talents, as Elena realized upon spotting the short metal rods that rose from its inner surface, arrayed around the slot that would accommodate the bladder’s external fixture. They were obviously intended to go through the eyeleted holes in her lips and pin them in place between the gag’s outer and inner shield. Elena could not suppress a low moan when she understood how strict her bondage was going to be. As had often been the case since the fateful day she had met Victor, the by-now-familiar, intoxicating mixture of dread and arousal suffused her mind.

Oblivious of her inner turmoil, Victor set about ensnaring her head in the uncompromising web of straps. He carefully centred the face cup, then slowly slid it down over the socket sticking out between her lips until the spikes threatened to graze her lips. One by one, he aligned each metal pin with its matching piercing, making sure the tip would enter the eyeleted hole, before he clasped her head in the crook of his left arm and pressed down hard on the gag’s outer shield with his other hand. The spikes sank into the inner shield’s resilient material and thereby completely immobilized her skewered lips, yet at the same time protected them from being crushed between both shields. The separation maintained by the spikes was a lot less than what Elena would have considered comfortable though, and so she remained acutely aware of the pressure exerted on her sandwiched lips.

This sorry state of affairs was perpetuated for the time being when Victor pulled vigorously at the wide straps that went around her head below her ears and joined them at the nape of her neck. The loud click of an integral lock told Elena that Victor had reserved the privilege to free her from the horrid gag for himself exclusively. He had no intention of doing so for the present of course, but proceeded to fasten the balance of the harness’ straps around her head.

Two sets extended upwards from the chin cup on both sides; the first pair rose on either side of her nose to meet at its bridge between her eyes, and from there, a single strap continued back along her crown, bisecting her brow and hair, before it split again, level with her ears. Each of those straps descended separately over the back of her head on either side with two more integrated locks fastening them to the wide, horizontal band where they encountered it right behind her earlobes.

The second pair went up her temples to unite with the ones that descended from her crown, their union joined by another, headband-like strap that encircled her head horizontally and served to lock all the vertical ones into position. Last but not least, her head harness was anchored to her collar. To her dismay, the short connecting straps Victor locked to its fastening points at the side and back also severely limited her ability to turn or nod her head.

All in all, it was the customary bondage overkill Elena had come to expect as result of Victor’s (in her humble opinion) unfortunate association with Alex. Oddly enough, although all the straps were snug, they did not feel overly tight. This could not have been unwonted leniency on Victor’s part: whereas ordinary gags featured buckles to accommodate a number of different wearers, hers was evidently a custom-made head harness that came with only one, fixed setting. Not that there was any risk whatsoever she might rid herself of her gag without the key for the various locks, but still the incongruence made Elena wonder.

Her puzzlement evaporated when Victor connected a hose to the fixture protruding through the outer shield of her gag and squeezed the attached bulb with vigour. The bladder started to inflate and slowly but surely forced her jaws apart. Instantly, everything became much tighter! As her chin was pushed with increasing force against its enclosing cup, the head-webbing harness took up the pressure and before long its interconnected straps started to dig into her flesh. Elena felt as if her head had been put in a vice that was being inexorably tightened. Inside, the expanding balloon filled every nook and cranny of her oral cavity and squashed her captive tongue to its floor. Elena tried to shake her head wildly in protest, or at any rate jerk it sideways to the minuscule extent permitted by her gag and collar, yet Victor continued pumping until her eyes widened dramatically and her pleading grunts took on a decidedly desperate note.

“Nnnnnghh!”

“Oops! Maybe I got carried away here. What’s your professional opinion, Dr Lowry? Do you think it's too tight?” Victor inquired pensively.

“That’s hard to say, really. Alright, I'll have a look.” Greg acceded grudgingly.

To Elena’s regret, he chose to disregard her enthusiastically affirmative squeals in his diagnosis. Instead, he took his sweet time to examine her gag, plucking idly at the taut straps, poking his index finger at her distended cheeks, or trying in vain to force his pinkie under the chin cup.

“Hard to say.” Greg summarized his findings at long last, then retreated a step when an enraged Elena nearly managed to knee him in the groin, only to be confounded by her hobble at the last centimetre. Her narrow failure only served to fuel her fury and in a veritable temper tantrum she started a mad dancing struggle to free herself from her bondage; her muffled screams nearly drowned out by the incessant rattling of the chains that held her captive.

“Whoa, take it easy!” Victor admonished her nonchalantly, while he and a mesmerized Greg watched her antics from a safe distance. Her enthusiastic, nevertheless ineffectual writhing and shaking of her naked body against its adamant bonds made for a fascinating and highly entertaining display of eroticism.

“Oh, come on. Let’s help her already.” Lisa interjected.

Victor and Greg exchanged an unrepentant grin, then turned their attention back to Elena.

“She’s probably hurting.” Lisa tried again, this time with even less success. Victor shrugged, while Greg did not react at all.

“She might damage her new brand!” Lisa pointed out in exasperation.

This time she got their attention. Both sobered up immediately.

“I’d say the gag and her other restraints work as intended. Mission accomplished.” Greg noted.

“You're right.” Victor agreed.

With an agility that belied his usually composed manner, he captured the still writhing Elena in his strong arms.

“Stop that! I’m trying to help you.”

Elena kept fighting him for another second before reason overcame rage and her struggles subsided. Panting heavily through impaled nostrils, she limited herself to alternately glaring at Victor and Greg, interspersed with the occasional thankful glance at Lisa. Unfazed, Victor grabbed the bulb that dangled from her gag and opened the valve slightly, then observed Elena carefully while he allowed a trickle of air to escape from the bladder wedged into her mouth, taking off the edge of her pain. All too soon, just when the strain on her jaws had been reduced from agonizing to merely aggravating, he closed the valve and detached the hose from the front of her chin cup.

“You’re lucky Lisa intervened on your behalf. Mark my words, slave, I won’t tolerate such behaviour in the future! Behave, or ...” Victor brandished the bulb before her eyes.

Elena shuddered, then averted her eyes and took a number of deep breaths. As her pain and anger gradually drained away, the throbbing of her sealed clitoris gained pre-eminence and she once again wondered why her libido thrived on this kind of abuse. It had taken her years to accept her masochism as the cornerstone of her personality, yet even now she struggled with the sometimes unintended consequences of succumbing to its demands. Nonetheless, when she looked up at Victor again, her eyes smiled and she managed a surprisingly graceful nod.

“I can see now why you choose to have her pierced and outfitted so extensively. She’s got quite the temper.” Greg chuckled gleefully.

“Yes, my Elena can be a wildcat at times. But afterwards, she invariably rubs up against your legs and purrs, if you know what I mean. That’s part of why I love my pet so much.” Victor patted Elena affectionately on the head, taxing her hard-won equanimity, before he continued. “Incidentally, it’s also the reason I’d like to wrap this up and get going.”

Elena watched stoically when he fetched another, lighter but sturdy chain from the dwindling supply, this one with a black leather loop at one end and a snap hook at the other.

“And now for the piece de resistance.”

Although no self-respecting cat would willingly suffer such abuse, Elena had resigned herself to the indignity of being leashed like a dog, when to her horror Victor did not snap the chain’s hook to her collar, but to her nose shackle! With her mouth packed full and her arms wrenched up between her shoulder blades, her protests against his bovine treatment of her were reduced to angry squeals and ineffectual, small head shakes. Even those were soon brought to an end when he experimentally pulled upwards on her leash, forcing her to follow its irresistible command until she was balancing on her tiptoes.

Elena did not need to be told that any resistance would amount to nothing but a painful exercise in futility. At the other end of her nose leash, even a child could take absolute control of her and make her do its bidding. Like nothing else, this realization drove home the fact that she had allowed herself to be turned into a perfectly helpless, permanently-ringed and shackled slave, subject to her master's every whim. The nose leash was another, long suppressed fantasy come true, yet its stark reality proved to be far grimmer than she had believed possible. However, it was too late now for her to reconsider and besides, she trusted Victor implicitly, although he could be a real bastard at times. Elena vented a weary sigh of relief when he finally relented and eased the tension on her leash, allowing her to lower her head again.

“If looks could kill, I'd fear for you.” Greg remarked idly.

“She'll come around to it eventually, I suppose.” Victor said unconcerned. “Just like she'll get used to the other stuff I've got planned for her.”

He checked his wristwatch.

“We really need to be on our way. Thanks a lot for all you did for us. Your support has been truly invaluable.”

“You're welcome. Elena's been a pleasure to work with. I must say you two have set a truly inspiring example.” Greg turned to Lisa. “Don't you agree, my dear?”

Lisa had to swallow before she could answer.

“Yes, helping you both realize your dream has been a most enlightening experience.”

“I’m glad you feel that way.” Victor said. “Please extend my compliments to Alex as well and tell him I'll soon get in touch concerning Elena’s head post.”

“OK, I’ll pass it on to him. I can schedule the procedure for next month if he has everything ready by then.” Greg assured him. “Meanwhile, I can practice my trade on Lisa here.”

Lisa blanched but did not protest. If Elena was not mistaken, she would have a friend sharing her plight soon. She was not sure whether she should offer Lisa her condolences or congratulations, but thanks to her gag, Elena did not need to make up her mind right now anyway. At any rate, she would not be alone in her peculiar form of slavery any more. The comforting thought helped her forget about the further modifications Victor apparently planned to impose on her body.

Greg shook hands with Victor while Lisa embraced Elena in parting, tears in her eyes.

“I'll pay you a visit, maybe we can talk then. That is, if your master permits it.” Lisa said with a sideways glance to Victor.

“By all means, only not too soon, please. Give me some time to get her settled in first. Now, you two enjoy yourselves at the party while Elena and I take our leave.”

“Thanks! I know I will.” Greg promised with a malicious smile.

On that note, Victor grabbed Elena’s freely swinging nose leash and led the way towards the room’s second door while she scurried along behind him; anxious not to expose her delicate nose to further abuse, yet forced to take tiny steps by the too short ankle chain. From the corner of her eye, she just glimpsed Greg pick up another leash plus some locks and beckon to Lisa, then the door jamb blocked her view and she found herself in the adjoining hallway.

Greg set a deliberately stiff pace, pulling his slave along the deserted corridor to the building’s back side. Hampered both by her hobble chain and the loss of her arms, Elena had a tough time keeping up and more than once felt the horrible pinch of her leash compelling her to increase her efforts. The muted sounds of a party in full swing were nearly drowned out by the frenzied clinking of her hobble chain; nonetheless they served as a bittersweet reminder of a life she was literally leaving behind.

Finally, they arrived at the large, metal double door at the corridor’s end and passed through to the loading dock beyond. Since it was Sunday, the generous back parking area’s sole occupant was a large, black SUV with tinted windows which Victor evidently considered better suited to transport a prisoner than his beloved SL-300 vintage sports car. The late afternoon sun blinded Elena when she gave in to the incessant pull of her leash and stepped onto the hot tarmac, letting out a muffled yelp when its heat seared her naked feet. She quickened her steps to the limit imposed by her hobbled stride, keeping on tip toe, practically skipping across the parking lot to arrive at the big car alongside Victor, delighted to find cooler footing in the vehicle’s shadow.

“I suppose someone’s eager to get going. Please allow me to assist you with your little, ah, handicap.” Victor said with a nod towards her ankle chain, which, together with her useless arms, would prevent her from climbing into the car unaided.

With a mock bow, he opened the rear driver-side door, then, without further ado, swept Elena into his arms and placed her on the seat, heedless of the stains her sweat-slick, naked body might leave on the expensive leather. Bending over her, he fastened the safety belts and tightened them until she was firmly pressed against the seat, her bound arms wedged awkwardly between its backrest and her shoulder blades. Immediately afterwards, he did something to the tensioning mechanism of the belts and suddenly, they would not budge any more, effectively pinning her in her current position. To complete her immobilization, he locked her hobble chain to a sturdy metal loop conveniently located in the foot well that certainly had not been part of the car’s original features.

“Almost done!” Victor assured her before he went around the car and began to rummage through the glove compartment.

Meanwhile, Elena squirmed in her bonds in the vague hope to find a more comfortable posture, but with her arms held in a strict reverse prayer, her efforts were doomed from the start. At least, the safety belt went over her left shoulder and thus did not rub on her still smarting brand. She gently bent her knees and tugged her legs against her anchored hobble chain so that the implacable clasp of her ankle cuffs made itself even more definitively felt, reassuring herself that she was indeed a prisoner.

‘It could be worse.’ She had barely finished the thought when Victor was back, triumphantly dangling a wide, black rubber blindfold before her eyes.

“Nnnnnghh!” Elena screamed into her gag and tried to shake her head from side to side in negation, yet it never strayed beyond the small arc prescribed by the straps that ensnared her skull so effectively. A sharp tug on her swinging nose leash was all it took to end her little rebellion. Her silenced sobs failed to impress Victor as well and unfazed, he fastened the blindfold to waiting fittings on her head harness, plunging her into absolute darkness.

Utterly defeated, Elena gave up her futile resistance and allowed herself to rest. As if to compensate for the loss of sight, her other senses sharpened and she became almost physically aware of his gaze lingering on her naked body, caressing her breasts, gliding lower over her flat belly down to the gentle swell of her hips. The scent of his aftershave rekindled half-forgotten memories of shared intimacy in her. Feeling his breath on her shoulders sufficed to send shivers down her spine, and when his hands touched her exposed, metal-caged and imprisoned breasts, her nipples hardened and she gasped, overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of her arousal. With exquisite tenderness, he began to fondle the soft flesh surrounded and held captive by hard steel. Soon, one hand was replaced by his mouth and he gently sucked and bit at her metal infused nipple, while between her thighs, his probing fingers tugged softly at the locks that her secured her sex and at the cap that armoured her straining, vibrating, demanding clitoris. In spite of her previous misgivings, she surged against her restraints, desperate for release.

“You’re so damned beautiful!” Victor let go of her breast and gently stroked her hair. Then, to her intense frustration, he straightened and left her moaning with unfulfilled need.

“Later.” he promised. Whether his words were for her benefit or his own she could not tell. “Enjoy the ride!”

Victor closed the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. As soon as he started the motor, loud music began to play and she immediately recognized Beethoven’s ninth symphony. Apparently Victor had been in a celebratory mood when he drove here. Then the heavy car started to accelerate smoothly, the deep purr of its engine more felt than heard above the jubilant voices of the vocalists.

Elena twisted in her bonds, assuring herself once again that she was indeed securely held. As the pent-up anxiety of the last months slowly drained from her body, a new, rather surprising but highly welcome feeling surfaced: she finally began to feel the deep calm and security that had eluded her most of her life. Evidently, it was the fulfilment of her long-held fantasies of bondage and slavery at the hands of a strict, nonetheless loving master that had brought this miracle about.

Granted, Victor had expertly manipulated her into her current circumstances, yet ultimately he had only helped her to become what she always had been. She could admit and accept that now. She had become a slave of her own accord, and not as a result of Victor's scheming. By making her recognize and embrace her hitherto suppressed, true essence, he had relieved her from a subconscious burden that had crushed her spirit for as long as she remembered. Now, it soared free. In the course of her remarkable quest she had found a well of strength within herself that would allow her to carry on, no matter what fate and Victor might have in store for her in the future.

As the car sped to an unknown destination, she realized that her journey had only just begun.