Grace's Mistake
by mrhungry

Part Two - The Reality

Grace was frozen in fear. What had she done?! She felt the link of the chain attached to the collar around her neck with both hands, and tugged on it every way she could thing of. How did it close like that? And why?

One thing was certain; she had to free herself from the girl-rail before Mr. Donelli got home! But how? Returning to the kitchen was impossible now that the catch in the rail had flipped closed. She got down on her hands and knees and looked down into the space around the rail and saw the metal 'gate' that had flipped over, blocking the path in that direction.

Sticking her fingers into the slit in the flooring, Grace felt along the rail for something to trip the gate open, but could feel nothing. The hard metal piece blocking the ball's path was not budging, either. She knew the rail had been designed to control the movements of Mr. Donelli's slave, and just how effectively it worked was suddenly understood.

Standing, the desperate woman looked across the dining room to the door leading out into the hallway. There was another small narrow closet by the front door that housed a chain just like the one by the back door. Maybe there was a key there, or something, that could get her out of this mess. But that meant venturing even further away from her bra, blouse, and shoes.

Well, it wasn't like she was naked or anything, but it still felt odd to be walking barefoot on the cool wooden flooring of the mansion, and she didn't like the idea of straying too far from the safety of her kitchen.

Pulling the chain along with her, Grace followed the girl-rail around the long dining room table and over to the extension of rail that exited the room. As she left the dining room and entered the hallway, she heard the distinctive clang that told her she was not going back into that room.

Looking down the hallway towards the grand foyer, Grace could see the little cabinet set into the wall. It was then that she remembered the long wand that Darios kept in the closet along with the loose end of a chain. He used the stick to unlock the rails! She hadn't quite figured out how it worked, but she suspected it was magnetic. He would touch the floor along the rail and twist it, and then Jenny could pass through, or not pass through; whichever he wished to happen.

Emboldened by thoughts of escape, Grace moved quickly down the plushly carpeted hallway. Here, the girl-rail ran along the floor against the wall. At each room she passed along the way, she heard the click of a gate as the ball at the end of the chain encountered, and traversed, the intersecting rail that would enter that room. She understood that with each passing room, she was closing any means of returning in the direction she had come.

Any hopes of freedom lay ahead of her, though, and she tried to put the sense that she was being herded out of her mind. Still, her mind turned to the games Darios played with Jenny; following after his naked slave, crop or cane in hand, as she tried to stay out of his reach. One such time, Grace had heard a commotion and had looked out of the kitchen door to see Jenny running out of her Master's office. She had turned one way only to find the girl-rail locked, forcing her to go in the other direction. The chef had retreated slightly when Darios had exited the room, but peeked out again to see Jenny giggle when she discovered the only open rail led down the north hallway; the hallway that led to the 'dungeon'.

Grace was coming to that hallway now, and she held her breath as she guided the chain connecting her to the girl-rail and prayed she could continue in the direction she wished to go in. Only when she was safely past the intersecting rail did she exhale. But now, relaxed a little, she stopped to look down the long hallway. There, at the end, was the door to the stairway leading down.

What went on down there between Darios and Jenny, she could only imagine. She understood the lifestyle they lived, and that knowledge fueled the fantasies that had put her in the position she was now in. But to be in His dungeon...it was a thought that, even now, caused her pulse to quicken. What would it be like to be used by the man?

Many times she had seen the markings on Jenny's flesh, and she had asked her once why she let him abuse her like that. Jenny had looked at her like she didn't understand the question.

"It pleases Master to use me," she finally said, reaching for a grape from the bunch that Grace had just rinsed. The pretty redhead popped it in her mouth and smiled. "What do I have that Master would want?" she asked, taking another grape in her delicate fingers. "I would gladly give him anything, and do anything he asked of me."

"I know, dear, but...it must be so painful," she replied, seeing that Jenny's back was still a hot pink from spending the morning with Mr. Donelli.

"Of course!" Jenny giggled, and sucked the grape she held into her mouth with a pop. "There has to be pain to get to the pleasure!" The woman hopped down off the bar stool and grinned. "Thanks for the snack, Miss Grace!"

Grace tore her gaze away from the hallway leading to the dungeon door and pulled the chain with her as she headed towards the front door.

There has to pain to get to the pleasure... How many times had that happily stated phrase wandered through Grace's head? Was the pain worth it? Somehow, deep inside, she knew it had to be. It had to be a pleasure that she couldn't even begin to imagine, and now, as always, she felt the warmth of arousal spreading through her body.

Part of her still thought those feelings were wrong, even sinful. Yet there was no denying them. As Grace entered the foyer and heard the click of the rail gate behind her, she wondered if she would ever "suffer for her Master", as Jenny would say, to experience that wonderful pleasure.

The little cabinet was about nine feet away when she was suddenly jerked back by the chain attached to the collar.

"What?" she said aloud in surprise, and then turned to look at the ball in its track beneath the polished marble flooring. She had reached an intersection of the circular rail she had been following and a branch that cut across the center of the foyer to the opposite side. She bent down and tried to guide the ball in the direction she wanted to go, but the little gate was visible down in the track, and she knew that route was blocked to her.

Looking across the large foyer, she saw the connecting rail on the other side, and then saw the rail where it transitioned to the bottom of the wall as it ran along the majestic stairway to the upper floor of the mansion.

There was a chance that she could go upstairs, down the length of the mansion to the back stairway, and end up at the kitchen again. Also, there was still the possibility that she could access the foyer cabinet from the other direction.

Moving towards the center of the foyer, Grace heard the click of the gate behind her. Those little clicks were beginning to work on her nerves, as each one signified a further reduction of her freedom and she was beginning to feel quite trapped. As she reached the center of the room she heard another click and the chain she was holding stopped dead in its track.

Grace tried to move forward, and then back the way she came. The ball seemed to be stuck! Dropping down to her hands and knees, the frazzled woman peered into the slit at the rail below and saw the ball was between two gates.

She was going nowhere.

Swinging her legs around and under her, Grace sat in the middle of the foyer and considered her fate. What would Mr. Donelli say when he found her like this? More embarrassing...what would she say when Mr. Donelli found her like this? How was she going to explain this to her employer? Was she going to admit that she had fantasized about being in Jenny's place? Would he lead her to his dungeon, strip her, and use his flogger on her? Or maybe he would just lay her across his lap, lift her skirt, and give her a good spanking.

Stop it!!

It was not the time to be fantasizing and getting her panties all wet! She had a serious problem here, and had to figure out what to do, and quickly.

The problem was, however, that there was nothing she could do except for wait. Well, worry and wait. Okay, worry and wait, and think about getting spanked by her millionaire boss. She figured she may as well enjoy her little fantasy while she could, because her employment at the mansion was probably ticking away, second by second.

A noise outside attracted her attention and she scrambled to her feet. As it grew louder she could hear it was a car in the driveway. Mr. Donelli wasn't supposed to be home yet, but no other visitors were expected either. Leaning as far to the right as she could, Grace managed to see outside.

What see saw lifted her spirits considerably. Parked against the curb just beyond the front steps was Ellie's car. While still embarrassing to be seen by Mr. Donelli's friend, it would be less so than having her boss find her as she was.

Ellie didn't immediately get out of her car, though, causing Grace to wonder what was going on. Did she know that Darios and Jenny weren't home, and was waiting for them? If so, she would be out there for a few hours. She hoped that wasn't the case, and that Ellie would come to the door and knock.

After a few minutes, Grace sat down again, her thoughts turning to the woman outside. A very friendly young woman, her role in the mansion was a complex one. Initially unsure of what her role even was, it became apparent that Darios had taken her in as Jenny's Mistress. This was a bit of a surprise to Grace, because the bond between the Master and his slave was so exclusive. Mr. Donelli kept his slut on a very short leash, and did not share her with anyone, that she knew of.

Ellie's effect on Jenny was clearly visible, though, and she seemed very happy with the new arrangement from the start. Jenny had told her once that she found it very arousing to be dominated by a younger woman. She didn't understand it then, but as her fantasies roamed the memories of events she had witnessed, Grace began to understand it and to get somewhat aroused by the thought, too. She had already begun fantasizing about submitting to Darios, so maybe it was just an extension of those fantasies that led her to think about being submissive to the pretty young Mistress, too.

The complexity arose when Jenny was not in the mansion, and Darios took Ellie to his dungeon. Grace blushed as she thought of the times she had crept down the long hallway and listened at the door leading down to the subterranean chamber. The sounds drifting upwards were very much like what she heard when Jenny was with her Master.  She could only draw one conclusion from that.

It would seem that Ellie was both a Mistress to Jenny, and a submissive to Darios. As weird as this seemed, Grace came to understand that, too. While her own fantasies revolved around being submissive to Darios, even to the point of experiencing what he doled out in his dungeon, she had to admit that she got equally aroused when put in charge of the British whore - tramp - slut, Jenny. Tossing those demeaning names around in her head caused her pulse to rise once again.

Yanking her thoughts back to Ellie, Grace considered that Ellie helped Mr. Donelli with his projects, too, such as the girl-rail. They had partnered in some financial dealings on the east coast, and had openly discussed business transactions on several occasions while dining or relaxing on the back deck.

But right now, all of those thoughts were just a way of occupying her time as she sat on the floor and waited for either Ellie or Darios - whoever came first.

Meanwhile, in the car parked in the driveway, Ellie looked at the clock on the dashboard and thought about Darios and the purpose for her visit. Usually she arrived at the mansion dressed in leather, and assisted Darios as Jenny's Mistress. That day, however, she had arrived in freshly pressed clothing; a white button up blouse, a short black skirt, control top stockings, and high heels. Nothing else.

This attire was required when she came to be used by 'her Sir', when she wished to suffer for his pleasure, and when she wished to push her own boundaries. She trusted Darios, as did her Master, and had placed herself in his hands many times to do with as he wished. When she had texted her Sir earlier, he had replied that he would shorten his trip and meet her at the mansion in four hours time. It was nearly that now.

Maybe he had come home even earlier, though. He may be inside already, for all she knew. He never came out to greet her, but waited for her to knock on the large white door. She had originally thought that it was a Dom thing, not appearing to be waiting for the sub to arrive. However, she had come to understand there was a much deeper psychological aspect to it, just as her attire was a part of Darios' mind games. It was a way of making her arrival a conscious decision.

Coming to the mansion as a submissive was one thing, but preparing herself to come was another. She couldn't just hop in the car and drive over; there were steps she had to take so that she presented herself in the proper manner.

Darios had initially set only one condition, and that was that she wear a freshly pressed blouse. The first time she had come over she had pressed the blouse, thinking it was sort of an odd condition. After putting it on, she thought it looked nice, but her skirt looked shabby in comparison. So she had pressed it, too. The clothing looked fine, but now her makeup and hair was sub-par and she worked to make the entire look pleasing.

This, she learned, was the purpose of his 'only' condition. Each time she asked to be seen by her Sir, she spent considerable time preparing herself. Preparing herself for Him; to please Him. It made the entire process a very conscious act, and a very arousing one, too. How could she spend that time preparing herself without thinking about what was to come? It was impossible.

Well, if he was home, she had better not keep him waiting! She opened the car door and stepped out, smoothing out her skirt before walking up the granite steps to the imposing front door. Lifting the brass knocker, she brought it down three times, and waited.

She knew how the sound of the knocker echoed through the large house. If Darios didn't hear it, Grace would. Lifting the knocker again, she brought it down three more times. Listening, she thought she heard Grace's voice. Was she calling out to someone? Ellie's pulse quickened. Her Sir must have made it home already!

Still, the door didn't open, but Grace's voice was still calling out. This was not normal, and the young woman stepped to the side to look through the narrow window at the right of the door, peeking into the foyer.

Grace was there, standing in the middle of the foyer. Odd. But much more odd was the chain she held. She was chained to the girl-rail!

Ellie stepped back to the door and began to enter the seventeen-digit security code that Darios had given her for the front door lock. He had insisted she memorize it in case he needed her to come to the mansion to take care of Jenny in his absence.

As she opened the door she heard the desperation in Grace's voice.

"Oh thank God!" the chef cried out. "I'm so glad to see you, Ellie. You've got to help me get this chain off!"

Stepping into the grand foyer, Ellie looked around, and then at Grace. "Is Darios here?" It suddenly occurred to her that maybe her Sir had put Grace on the rail.

"No!" Grace replied quickly. "He mustn't find me like this either. Please, Ellie, get the key!"

"Let me see." Ellie stepped up to the older woman and held the chain near her collarbone so she could see the point where it attached to the collar. "Well that's nice," she said as she pulled down on the chain.

"What's nice?" Grace asked, looking down at her savior. "What do you see? Can you get it off?"

Ellie examined the link that passed through the stud sticking through the leather. A smile crossed her face as she looked at the link. "He's been tinkering with this thing for a couple of weeks. Damn, that looks really good."

Darios had explained to her the basic mechanics of the 'link-lock', as he referred to it. Built into the lower section of the C was a spring-loaded piston. The link itself was made out of Titanium, but the inner core was made out of some softer material she couldn't remember the name of. The piston assembly was imbedded in this softer core, and when the tension on the link passed a certain force it would trigger the piston and it would shoot out of it's sheath and lock itself in the upper part of the C, thus closing the link.

It was the calibration of the trigger system that had been giving Darios problems. How many grams of force needed to be exerted before the piston shot out and locked the link? Ten grams? Twenty? He wanted the person attached to the link to be able to move about without triggering it, while also making it sensitive enough to trigger with only a slight tug.

Ellie felt along the surface of the link-lock and could barely feel the two separate sections of the link. It almost felt like it was a solid piece.

Grace was getting more agitated by the second. "Ellie, please! Is there a key or not?!"

Letting go of the chain, Ellie stepped back. "Well, yes and no. It's not a key like you've ever seen, it's an extremely thin rod that is inserted in a tiny hole at the top of the link.

Grace's hand went to the link to try and feel the hole.

Ellie laughed, "It's so small you won't even feel it, Grace. Believe me I've tried and have never felt it. But it's there."

"Can you get this rod thing?"

Thinking for a moment, Ellie shook her head. "What would you have me do, Grace, search Mr. Donelli's house while he's gone? Rummage through his things?" She waited to let her words sink in, while watching Grace's face. There was a desperation there that was beginning to make her quite aroused. She knew well enough the feeling of utter helplessness being locked to the girl-rail evoked.

"I wouldn't do that to anyone, but especially not to Darios."

"Maybe there's something in the kitchen you could use?" Grace suggested, a little hope creeping into her voice.

Ellie shook her head, "Sorry," she said. "Believe it or not, the rod is made of a special alloy that completes a circuit inside the link. Even if we found something thin enough to fit into that hole, it wouldn't do us any good."

"What am I going to do?" the desperation thick again.

"Nothing you can do, I'm afraid, except for wait." A sound outside attracted her attention and she stepped over to the window to look out. "And it looks as if your wait will be a short one."

"What?!" the woman cried out, almost in tears. "He didn't tell me he was coming home this early!"

Ellie turned on Grace and said, "Is he required to update you on changes to his travel plans?"

The words came out of her mouth before she realized her voice had taken a decidedly dominant tone. She would never speak to Grace in this manner, but having the woman locked to the rail, and the statement she had just made, had triggered her response. She had suddenly become the Domme in this bizarre scenario.

"No...I only meant...oh, Ellie!" Grace cried as she tugged at the chain. "Why did I do this?! I'm going to get fired for sure!"

Ellie placed her hand on the chef's shoulder, "Shhh, don't worry, he's not going to fire you."

Grace looked at the young woman, "You don't think so?"

"Of course not! He values you too much. You need to trust him, Grace. Everything will be fine, okay?"

Grace tried to smile, but it just wouldn't come. She was still worried, and extremely embarrassed. Bare footed, half dressed, collared, and locked to the damn girl-rail; her private fantasy was about to be much more public than it already was.

Ellie heard the sound of a door opening and knew that Darios was bringing Jenny in through the door at the far end of the north hallway, and taking her straight down to the dungeon.

Turning to Grace, she asked, "Are you wearing panties?"

Grace's face flushed red. "Of course! Why would you ask?"

Ellie put out her hand, "Unless you want them to end up in your mouth, you'd better give them to me."

"What?!" Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"You're on the rail, Grace, and there are rules. I believe they apply to everyone. Hurry!"

Hearing more doors closing down the nearby hallway, Grace lifted her skirt and shimmied her panties down her legs, stepped out of them, and handed them to Ellie.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Ellie said. "Don't go anywhere!" The smile on her face widened. She always wanted to say that!

Leaving the frightened woman behind, Ellie's smile faded as she considered how she was going to approach her Sir with this news. He had altered his plans for her, and now she was in his house without permission, about to tell him his chef was locked to his girl-rail.

As she rounded the corner into the north hallway, the door to the dungeon stairwell opened and Darios appeared. He kicked a rubber doorstop under the door and forced it with the toe of his shoe to make sure the door remained open. This action alerted Ellie that he was leaving his slave bound in some manner in the chamber below.

With the door secured, he turned and began walking towards her, and he did not appear to be happy.