I drummed my hands nervously on the steering wheel of the car, blowing out a long breath, staring at the building in front of me. It was a nondescript red brick building with a hideous white plastic porch, the badly varnished steps peeling. It looked like any other rundown 1960’s building, badly built, badly maintained and just plain bad. It was like a ratty old village hall that was screaming for repairs that the community couldn’t provide through lack of funding… and then you noticed the cars this particular community drove and called bullshit on that. Mercedes, BMW’s, Alfa Romeos, hell, there was even a gorgeous Aston Martin tucked in one corner of the carpark.

My beaten up little VW beetle looked wildly out of place amongst these streamlined beauties. I stroked the steering wheel.

“Don’t worry little bug, I still love you,” I told it with a smile, then gave the door a shoulderbarge to force it to open. “Well, better get this over with…”

I walked up the rickety steps and pressed my thumb on the cracked plastic intercom, keeping eye-contact with the camera. Despite all the graffiti and the dings on the door, the camera was remarkably scratch-free, and the door it was next to looked supremely sturdy.

“Alliance Services, how can we help you?”

“Oh, yes, hello,” I grimaced, trying to sound more professional. “Melissa Ryder, I have an appointment?”

“One moment please…” there was a momentary pause, and then the voice returned. “Could you please confirm which perfume you usually wear?”

“Well,” I stared at the intercom, a little surprised by the question. “Today I’m using Jasmine Eau du Toilette from Bodyshop, but I usually wear Rock Muse.”

“Perfect,” The voice was inflected with genuine warmth. “Welcome Ms Ryder, come on down.”

There was a buzz, and the door swung smoothly open. I shrugged to myself and stepped through the door, allowing it to shut behind me. Just beyond there was an uninviting hall, with 3 battered doors leading off it, the floor greying carpet-tile with an obvious damp spot, the walls white-painted breeze-block, peeling slightly, the skirting board scuffed. As the door shut behind me however, part of the floor started to smoothly lift up, revealing a set of pristinely carpeted steps going straight down. I slowly descended the steps, running my hand over the tapestry-like wall paper, deep sea green with swirling golden tentacle designs, the thick paper almost feeling velvety to the touch. At the bottom, lagoon-blue carpet met my white trainers, making them look suddenly very dirty. Too late to worry now…

There was nothing battered about the door at the bottom of the steps. It was made of golden metal, with a frosted glass panel, framed with golden fronds like the most gloriously ornate mirror from a 5 star hotel. Even the doorhandle was gold and beautiful, ergonomically designed so it nestled into your hand as you held it. I pushed open the golden door and stepped into what looked like the most sumptuous cocktail bar I’d ever seen.

The carpet and wallpaper continued here, around a well-stocked bar and wide bar mirror. The furniture was as golden as the door, with an art nouveaux feel, streamlined lines and swirling fronds. Golden stools with emerald green cushions were gathered around the bar, matching the deep plush cushions on the seats of the discreet little booths. The kraken motif was picked up throughout the room, on the glasses, decanters, the front of the barmaid’s waistcoat…

She was really pretty, I thought, delicate and birdlike with fluffy black fly-away hair and huge green eyes, enhanced with well applied winged eyeliner and mascara. She smiled warmly at me.

“Please take a seat Ms Ryder, the hostess will be out to take you on a tour shortly,” She set a glass on a napkin on the bar. “I think that you’ll find this drink to your taste.”

I picked it up cautiously. It was a deep red, full of crushed ice with a metal straw and a strawberry on a silver skewer gracing the cut-glass tumbler.

“Thank you,” I said uncertainly. “What is it?”

“Lady Victoire’s Ambrosia,” She explained. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you the contents, as it’s a closely guarded secret, but it’s fruity with a sweet taste and not too dry, despite having a pleasant warmth.”

“Um, thanks,” I took the drink and wandered over to a booth, taking a seat.

I set the glass down on the table, running my hands along the grain of the dark wooden table, grimacing at my chipped nail-polish. I knew I should have repainted them before I left home…

I jumped as I saw movement to my left. Most of the room was papered in the same kraken-pattered wallpaper as the stairs, but on one side of the room, it had looked black, striped with swirling golden bars. Now, I realised my mistake. One side of the room was taken up by a cage, maybe a metre deep, the bars running from floor to ceiling. The floor beyond was no longer soft carpet, but hard cold flagstones, the wall beyond equally as stony and uninviting.

The cage appeared mostly empty, but right at the back, opposite me was a short, slender woman. I sat up slowly, staring, enraptured. She was almost totally naked, leaving nothing to the imagination, and my eyes devoured her; her petite breasts, no more than a handful with dusky nipples, erect in the chill of the room. Her tidy waist was just begging for my arms to slide around, her curving hips, her delicate legs with muscled calves…

A belt was wrapped around her waist, a dark leather stripe against her pale skin, making a heart-shape over her carefully shaved mons-pubis, a thick leather strap extending down between her legs. More dark leather was wrapped around her ankles, a pair of cuffs strapped, and locked, by the look of things, around her ankles, a delicate chain jangling between them as she delicately stepped forwards. She had very small, delicate little feet, I noticed absently.

There were more straps, a vertical one over her sternum, and 2 horizontal ones, above and below her breasts made a kind of harness. From the way the straps extended over her shoulders and were digging in slightly as she moved, I would have bet my bug that it was anchoring her arms in some kind of restraint behind her back.

The masterpiece of the whole ensemble though, was the tight leather hood covering her face. Skin-tight, there was one seam running up the middle of her face, over her nose, another running over where her ears were, and that was the only defining feature of the hood. There were no openings for mouth or eyes, just 2 tiny nostril holes at the bottom of her nose. Due to the tightness of the hood, you could see her puffed up cheeks, and her slightly parted mouth, more of the padding spilling out from inside them to push at the drum-tight leather. It all finished at a neat leather collar at her throat, holding it securely in place.

“Gorgeous,” I murmured.

I don’t know whether she heard me, it seemed unlikely with that thick leather hood, or whether it was sheer luck, but she started moving tentatively towards the bars, struggling against the straps, meaning that she gave a cute little shoulder-shimmy, making her breasts jiggle. I took a sip of my drink, forcing myself to look away as I was clearly gawking, but there was no-one else in the room, and the barmaid was industriously restocking the bar and paying me no attention at all.

The girl kept walking towards me, chains jingling gently as she did, forcing her to shuffle a little with her unnaturally shortened strides. She was almost within reach now, and still moving forwards… I hesitated, and then I noticed the little brass sign near the bars at the end of the table.

Feel free to sample the merchandise - regards, the Management.

Well, it would be rude to disobey…

I slipped my hand between the bars and, after taking a steadying breath, gently ran my fingers over the skin of her hip. The girl froze at my touch, then gave a low guttural moan. She almost threw herself forwards towards the bars, bouncing off the cold metal. Automatically I caught her as she nearly fell, cupping her hip and helping her balance, and she groaned again, pressing herself against the bars, rubbing her hooded head against them, the cold metal bars pressing against her flesh. She squirmed against them, pressing into my hand, and as her chastity belt came into contact with one of the bars, I could hear it give a low hum, the vibrations loud on the metal.

“So that’s why you’re so desperate, huh?” I asked amusedly, sliding towards her on the seat.

She gave a low throaty sound that was almost like a growl as I ran my hands over her skin. She was so soft and smooth, her skin truly like silk. She arched her back with another low groan, grinding her pelvis against the bar again as I groped her butt, kneading it between my fingers. It was a good butt, I thought with a grin, pleasantly firm without being too hard.

“Yes, that one is a bit… wanton,” A voice from behind me made me jump.

I turned quickly, jerking my hands away from the girl. A very well-ordered woman was stood at the table wearing a pin-neat white shirt and black trousers, along with an emerald-coloured velvet blazer with silk lapels, one embroidered with the swirling kraken. Her honey-blonde hair was twirled up into an ornate bun away from her razor-sharp face with cobalt blue eyes, long nose and narrow lipped mouth. Emerald glasses, to match the scheme, perched on her nose as she surveyed me over the top of them. She held out a leather-gloved hand, swapping an emerald-leather riding crop to her left hand as she did.

“Welcome to the Kraken Club, Ms Ryder,” She said politely. “I’m Vanessa, I’ll be your hostess today.”

I shook the hand nervously. Vanessa dropped into the seat opposite me, swapping the crop back into her right hand and dealing a sharp blow to the girl in the cage. I grimaced despite myself as the girl shrieked, flinching back in pain as the tongue of the crop hit one nipple, the strut of the whip hitting the other.

“Yes, I’m sorry about this one,” Vanessa drawled, matter-of-factly. “She is very affectionate. But then, I suppose that she would be after a few days with virtually no physical contact and constant stimulation. You’d be amazed at how tractable our products can become.”

I nodded slowly, wincing at the red wheal appearing on the girl’s breasts as she staggered back, hitting the wall and sinking down it, clearly sobbing in pain. I looked back to see Vanessa giving me a knowing look.

“Yes, it did mention in your file that you’re more discipline and restraint orientated than sadistic,” Vanessa remarked. “Apologies if I startled you Ms Ryder, but we have to keep our product in check, I’m sure you understand. We can’t have them throwing themselves at the bars on the off-chance; it might upset some of our patrons.”

“This file,” I said slowly. “You mentioned that you were going to do a background check, but it seems to be a lot more thorough than I anticipated.”

Vanessa nodded.

“Initially it’s just a financial check, to ensure that you could afford to buy and maintain one of our products, which you can, otherwise you wouldn’t have been invited to attend today,” Vanessa explained calmly. “I see that while you are very much a working citizen, you’ve taken great care to save up enough to buy your house, modify it to acceptable standards and have saved up enough over the years to obtain our product. I daresay that little inheritance from your grandfather came in handy though? Especially, when you get his house sold.”

“He’d be horrified to see what I’d be spending it on,” I remarked wryly.

Vanessa leant confidentially over the table towards me with a sly smile.

“I won’t tell him if you don’t,” She winked at me behind her green glasses.

“It’s a deal,” I took a sip from my drink. “I take it you ran a check to make sure I’m not a cop.”

“Indeed,” Vanessa smiled. “You’re squeaky clean, but not police-clean. We traced all of your money back to the sources, and there’s no way you’re on their payroll. I didn’t know that design pays as well as it does, but then, your investments have grown well. A little friendly advice, you might want to move some stock from the Mythmirrin Company, they’re about to go down with a little thump.”

“Thanks for the tip,” I said automatically.

This was all shades of bizarre. Surreal, almost. This woman knew my finances better than I did. She gave me a surprisingly genuine smile, leaning forwards, her professional manner dropping slightly to reveal some genuine enthusiasm.

“I’ll be honest with you Ms Ryder, it’s really a pleasure to meet some-one from the working class who has really had to work for one of our products,” She admitted. “Your kind of person always make the best owners of our product as you really understand the value of what you have and really take pains to maintain it. Anyone as shrewd and careful as you is not likely to make the foolish mistakes a number of our more… affluent clients will.”

I felt a red blush creep across my cheeks and took another sip of my drink to cover it. Vanessa sat back, averting her eyes tactfully.

“So, I see that you’ve already filled out our questionnaire and we’ve filtered down our stock to the ones that we think that you’d enjoy,” She continued. “We also took a glance at your favoured websites, images, just to enhance the experience. We are limited by your budget, but we cater for every-one, and I’m sure that we’ll find something that fits your needs.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “We won’t show you anything that’s over your budget, we’re not that cruel.”

“How thoughtful of you,” I finished my drink. “Okay. So how does this work?”

She smiled.

“I’ll take you into the viewing room in a minute, and you can take a look at everything we have to show. If you like anything, we’ll take you into a private viewing room where you can get more… up-close and personal,” Vanessa explained, standing up smartly. “If you’d care to follow me?”

After another lingering look at the girl in the cage, I got up and followed Vanessa along the length of the clubroom and through a dark green door. I followed Vanessa down the 3 steps into a dark, dimly lit corridor, the walls papered in what looked and felt like black velvet.

“So why is that girl in the cage?” I asked interestedly.

“Oh, that product was a recall,” Vanessa explained, gliding down the corridor and turning right at the end. “Rather unfortunate really. It was a special order for one of our members, meeting all their exacting standards. Unfortunately, when he came in to view the product, it turns out he was actually related to it. We’ve since introduced genetic testing to prevent that occurring again in future, but he hadn’t disclosed it in his personal record and it was a product of a previous relationship and he wasn’t on the birth certificate, so we had no way of knowing this at the time. He flat-out refused to pay for it, and so we got stuck with it.”

I looked at her, horrified.

“So he just left his own daughter in your hands?” I demanded.

“Oh no,” She shook her head. “He tried to rat us out to the police. I don’t suppose I need to tell you how well that went down. His membership was revoked and before long he’d been bought by his business rival.”

I paused, looking at her, my mind putting 2 and 2 together.

“Is that why you gave me the warning about the stock price falling?” I asked suspiciously.

She gave me a wicked grin, opening another door and holding it open for me to go through.

“Invest in IronoCorp, I have a feeling their stock price is going to rise sharply,” She said slyly.

I grinned at her.

“Do you always give clients investment advice Vanessa?”

“Only the cute ones,” She said, apparently seriously, then winked at me. “The red door on the right please Ms Ryder. Once you’re seated, we’ll start the floor-show.”

I looked around the corridor we’d just entered. It was a short corridor with 6 doors on each side, each different colours. I obediently trotted along the corridor and entered what looked like a booth. It was padded in luxurious sea-green silk, and there were steps down into a sinfully soft chair, opposite a long curtain that hung from floor to ceiling. On the tray next to the chair was another on one of Lady Victoire’s Ambrosias. I sampled it with pleasure, luxuriating in the chair.

“Comfortable, Ms Ryder?” Vanessa’s voice rang out from a nearby speaker. “Good. In a moment, the curtain in front of you will open. Beyond is the viewing room. Don’t worry, it’s mirrored glass, they won’t be able to see you, and the glass is toughened, not even a rhino could break through it.”

Good to know, I thought, sipping my cocktail.

“You have a remote. The red button means that you don’t like this product and wish for the next one to be brought in. The green means that you would like to take a closer look at the product, and they will be made available to you in the next room. You can recall a product at any time, please let me know. The yellow button will suspend the session if you have had enough or need to take a comfort break,” Vanessa continued. “Is all that clear?”

“Perfectly,” I assured her, curling up in the seat.

“Are you ready to begin?”

“I am Vanessa, thank you.”

“My pleasure. Okay, item number one.”

The curtain before me whipped open to reveal a black sheet of glass. Some bright spotlights kicked in, and in the centre of a mirrored room was a young black man, nicely toned with huge black eyes. I sat up, tilting my head slightly, taking him in, admiring his muscled butt and back. He blinked in the bright light, holding up a hand to shield his eyes, staggering in the room, bouncing off the walls slightly.

“Item number one is a 24 year old male African American,” Vanessa recited calmly, as if she was describing a Ming Vase or something. “5 foot 11, in very good physical condition. 2 previous owners, some scarring from the most recent of these.”

Now she mentioned it, I could see the dark raised lines across his back.

“It has training in pet-play and pony-play, and while it has had rigorous 1 on 1 training, could not be trusted in gatherings with more than one master or mistress, or use with other slaves. While generally it has been very placid when under our care, it shows distinct signs of claustrophobia, and can become quite aggressive and competitive around other slaves,” Vanessa continued. “Sold to us due to the most recent master wanting to upgrade.”

I gazed at the boy. He was gorgeous, but… I reluctantly stabbed the red button. He was way too fit, and too tall. He could easily overpower me, and I didn’t want to be intimidated by my slave. He was supposed to make me look good, not overshadow me. The curtain swung shut.

“Item number two.”

It reopened to reveal a fat blonde girl. She was definitely chunky with sizeable large love-handles, as well as a noticeable overhang to her stomach. Her skin was patterned with stretchmarks, some silvered and old, others still dull red, showing she’d put on a lot of weight in a short amount of time. Her face was heart-shaped and good meaning with wide, watery blue eyes, and her wavy blonde hair was gorgeous, but… I wrinkled my nose.

“Item number two is a 29 year old Caucasian female. 5 foot 7 inches tall. As you can see, it’s not currently in very good physical condition due to the previous owner being a feeder. Believe it or not, it was actually a tennis coach before her conversion. This product can be a touch overexcitable, and has not had much training prior to this, but is clever and we believe, with a firm hand, could be a very promising product. It was sold to us as morbidly obese after the previous master was no longer interested in her, and we have been able to substantially reduce the weight as you see.”

Red button again. She didn’t pique my interest. Vanessa patiently talked me through each of the available slaves, but none of them were exactly what I was looking for. After a while, I sighed and pressed the yellow button.

“None of these are exactly what I wanted Vanessa,” I admitted. “Sorry for being picky, but I’m not feeling it.”

“Bear with me one second,” Vanessa said.

There was a crackle of static from the speaker, then a short pause and the door at the back of the booth opened. Vanessa entered, descending the stairs calmly to perch on the arm of my chair. She looked concerned.

“I’m really sorry that we’re having issues today,” She said, with sincere apology in her voice. “You understand that this isn’t our best product, we’re having to cater to…”

“My limited budget, I’m aware,” I smiled humourlessly. “Thank you for trying. I guess I’m just going to have to save a little more.”

“Not at all,” Vanessa put a hand on my arm consolingly. “The stock we have has a very quick turnover, it could be that today is just a bad day. If you come back soon, you might find 10 products all to your liking.”

I ran a finger over the rim of my drink.

“Maybe,” I said uncertainly.

Vanessa patted my arm.

“Don’t be disheartened, it’s how it goes sometimes,” She assured me. “We had one gentleman come back every day for a month, not seeing anything he wanted. Comes back next day to terminate his membership and instantly sees something he wanted in our clubhouse cage.”

I shrugged, fidgeting with the glass, then paused, frowning, thinking about the clubhouse cage, and the girl in it. I bit my lip, thinking about her and her eagerness... With a small sardonic smile and a raised eyebrow, I looked up at Vanessa, sure I already knew the answer.

“Let’s guess, the girl in the cage at the moment is out of my price range?” I asked dryly.

Vanessa paused, thinking about it, the frowned. She pulled a tablet from the inside of her velvet blazer and unlocked it with her fingerprint. I saw slaves appear on the screen as she rapidly swiped through them.

“Lot 43587…” She murmured, stopping on a picture of the girl. “No, that product is actually under your budget, but… ah, that’s why I didn’t show it to you, it is listed as reserved. Someone didn’t update the system,” Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Technology, gotta love it.”

She tucked it away in the inside of her jacket again.

“Tell you what, I’ll show you into the fitting room, and I’ll go and chase the tech people to get this unbugged, and then I’ll bring it along for you.” She said briskly.

“How do you get it unbugged?” I asked with a smile. “Kick butts, take names?”

Vanessa swished her riding crop.

“Something like that. If you’ll follow me, Ms Ryder?”

“You can call me Mel if you want,” I suggested, following her back up the stairs and into the corridor again. “Ms Ryder sounds like you’re talking to my mother.”

Vanessa smiled.

“Sorry, it’s company policy,” she shrugged. “Keeping professional distance and all that.”

She lead me back into the black velvet corridor, and from there up a short flight of stairs.

“This is a real rabbit-warren,” I protested.

Vanessa grinned.

“That’s part of the point, just in case, god forbid, we ever had our product escape,” she smiled. “It’s not happened in the 10 years I’ve worked here though.”

She held open the third door on the left, which opened into another corridor.

“Green door on the left,” She said with a smile. “Make yourself at home.”

I smiled at her, and slipped past her into the corridor and then through the green door.

It was like the most sumptuous hotel room you can imagine. Rich dark green hangings, carpet so thick you physically sunk into it, and a queen-sized bed with plump pillows and an almost orgasmically soft fluffy thrown over the crisp green duvet cover. There was a quilted chaise longue to one side and I took a seat in it, stretching lazily out. On the tray next to the table was a selection of little biscuits and things, along with… another cocktail.

I could get used to this kind of service. Although, I did need to take a ‘comfort break’ as Vanessa had called it. I glanced around, and saw a door leading off into a well-fitted ensuite. After taking advantage of the facilities, I returned, pausing to admire probably the weirdest piece of furniture in the room.

About a foot from the bottom of the bed, and nearly in the centre of the room was a tall, slender obelisk shaped cage, with fine, but certainly sturdy bars. It was just big enough to fit a person in, with just enough of a gap to get an arm through, without the person being able to get out, or away, I thought shrewdly. The person would be easily accessible from all sides…

I started back in surprise as the floor started to shake slightly. A trapdoor at the bottom of the cage slid away, and out of the floor rose the girl from the cage earlier. There was a polite knock at the door, then Vanessa entered, looking very satisfied with herself.

“Did you beat them satisfactorily?” I asked with a grin.

“I didn’t need to, they’re already terrified of me,” Vanessa pouted, then snapped back to business.

She gestured to the girl in the cage and I turned my attention back to her. She was still wearing the straps around her chest, which I could now see were attached to an armbag behind her, keeping her arms in a box-tie, and she was still wearing the chastity device around her waist. From the way that she was fidgeting, it was pretty clear that there was something inside it that was bothering her, but not at such a high level as before. Vanessa strode towards her.

“Right, lot 43587, Caucasian, but we think there’s some Chinese on the mother’s side. Standing at 4 foot 10, very petite. We did some basic training as per prior requests, so the product is lead trained. Even when not sexually frustrated, it is incredibly affectionate, and is a natural submissive, it shows signs of arousal when it so much as sees the restraints, let alone before they’re put on. No prior owners, and as we haven’t had it long, we don’t know what it’s like with other slaves or other dominants,” Vanessa reeled off the spiel easily, then reached into the cage and smoothly untied the laces at the back of the hood. “We’ve been keeping it in sensory deprivation…”

“Why?”

Vanessa shrugged.

“Office perks?” She suggested, then continued. “But you’ll want to inspect your potential purchase fully, won’t you?”

Vanessa unbuckled the collar and pulled the hood away, giving me my first look at the girl’s face. I started back in shock, staring, horrified, at her blank green eyes and Vanessa winced.

“Sorry, forgot to warn you,” She explained matter-of-factly. “It’s got opaque contacts in. We’ve had issues in the past where slaves have identified other members of the club, and it’s been the cause of some unpleasantness. Just like it’s currently got some industrial strength earplugs in.” Vanessa caught the girl by the jaw and twisted her head so that I could see the green earbuds sealed tightly into her ears. “That way it can’t hear any sensitive conversations.”

Vanessa released the girl and stepped towards me, giving me a keyfob with a green button.

“I’ll just be outside,” Vanessa said calmly. “There’s toys in the chest at the bottom of the bed, and the cage opens outwards, press the fob to the metal plate and it’ll automatically unlock. As long as you don’t damage the product, or remove the earbuds or contacts, you’re welcome to sample in any way you deem fit. If you need me at any point, please press the green button. If you’re in any danger, like she breaks away from you or tries to attack you, press and hold and the cavalry will come storming in.” she patted my shoulder, giving me a saucy wink. “Have fun.”

I watched her leave with a faint smile, then turned my attention back to the girl. She was struggling slightly, carefully rocking her body this way and that, pressing against the bars, trying to work out how much room she had. Clever… I slowly circled her, examining her closely, and felt my heart-rate pick up. She was perfect. I reached into the cage, gently placing my hand on the small of her back, making her jump slightly. She moaned softly, tilting her head back, allowing her long hair to cascade over her shoulders. It was night-black and so silky… I ran my hands through it, and she almost purred. Even after being crammed into the hood, it was almost knot-free and so soft…

I stopped again, standing in front of her, scrutinising her face in minute detail. Her face was like a dolls’ big eyes with impossibly long lashes, and smooth arching eyebrows. There was a mole on her upper lip, and a slight birthmark-like blemish on her cheekbone, but otherwise her skin was like porcelain. I pressed the fob to the metal plate of the cage, and it obligingly swung open. She froze, skittish, like a deer, knowing something in the environment had changed.

I reached in and put both hands on her waist, waiting a moment for her to get used to me being there, then gently pulling her forwards, out of the cage. She stumbled forwards, then her feet sank into the thick carpet and she moaned softly, wriggling her toes in the fluffy surface. I wrapped my arms around her waist, stepping in close, gazing down at her. She paused, taking a deep breath, then almost seemed to relax into me, leaning forwards, putting her cheek on my shoulder, pressing her naked form against me.

I gently pushed her back, hooking her chin with my finger so I could gently tease the tape away from her mouth, revealing her big soft lips. She turned her head away, trying to push the packing in her mouth out, but I caught her head, pressing my lips firmly against hers. Her lips were as soft as they looked and I had to tighten my grip around her waist as she almost seemed to melt against me.

Affectionate, Vanessa had said. No kidding.

I cut off the kiss, pulling the stuffing, green, of course, out of her mouth, then yanked her back in close for another kiss, pressing her in tight to me, lips hard on hers, and was stunned as she responded almost as passionately, her struggles to escape the bag her arms were trapped in only redoubling. I caught her around the waist, marvelling at how light she was and almost threw her onto the bed, clambering ontop of her, straddling her. Her breath caught as I ran my hands over her, kissing her throat, between her breasts, combing my fingers through her hair. She responded to every touch, squirming beneath me, back arching, pressing into my hands…

“Don’t stop,” she whispered huskily as I sat back. “Please don’t stop.”

I grinned, then tapped her warningly on the side. It wasn’t for her to tell me what to do with her, she wasn’t the owner in this relationship. I clambered off her and she gave a low moan of disappointment that made me grin despite myself.

The chest Vanessa had mentioned was against one wall. I opened it… and my jaw dropped. It was an absolute treasure chest for all things kink. Gags hung from the lid, restraints hung against the back wall, whips and crops neatly filed within, and a whole array of butt plugs and dildos. I pulled out a ball gag and a slim vibrator, then headed back towards my captive. She’d sat up, struggling against her bonds, and she gave a small ‘eeep’ of surprise as I pushed her back down against the bed.

I put the ballgag up against her lips, and after a moment’s hesitation, they parted, allowing the gag in and lifting her head up so that I could buckle it behind her head. I allowed my hands to roam all over her again, then allowed them to stop at the buckle holding the strap of the chastity in place. I almost laughed aloud as she bucked her hips, pressing the strap against my hand.

“I can take a hint,” I remarked, gently unbuckling the strap and letting it fall away.

Well. No wonder she was on edge. A vibrating dildo had been tucked inside her, set at the lowest possible setting. A bullet-vibe was also tucked between her labia, nestled right against her clit, again giving spasmodic vibrations. I ran my fingers inside her, grazing the sides of her labia and felt her rock against me as I gently removed the bullet vibe and started to gentle stimulate her clitoris. It showed how desperate she had been that it only took a few minutes gentle teasing before she almost exploded, her whole body shaking with the impact. I turned the dildo off, buckling the chastity back into place before pulling her back into a hug, wrapping my arms around her, savouring how she felt nestled into my arms. I could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her gasping for breath, and then I felt her bury her head in my shoulder. I kissed her long neck gently.

Yep. This was the one I wanted.

I reluctantly reached for the keyfob and pressed the green button. The door opened almost instantly and Vanessa re-entered, looking cautiously hopeful.

“Well?” She asked with a sly smile.

“She’s the one,” I said firmly.

“Excellent,” Vanessa said, withdrawing her tablet and tapping away. “I’ve reserved her for you. There’s a couple of admin things we need to do, get her properly chipped, that kind of thing, but we should have her ready for you by the end of the week. One of the office will be in contact with you to arrange a delivery at your convenience.”

“Can’t I just take her now?” I asked with a small smile.

“Sadly not,” Vanessa said. “But I’m glad we could get you what you wanted. As there was a delay in getting her sorted for you, I’ll even throw in a deluxe accessories kit, all to her specifications.”

I grinned, stroking my new slave gently.

“Sounds wonderful,” I looked at Vanessa. “Hey, what was her name? Before she was Lot whatever.”

Vanessa checked her tablet.

“Sorry, I’m afraid we don’t keep that information on their profile,” She admitted. “I’ll have a look in the files for you though.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

I hesitated, then got reluctantly up off my slave. She tried to cling to me, best she could, but Vanessa swept forwards, giving her a warning tap with her crop. Gently, but firmly, Vanessa escorted her back into the obelisk cage and shut the door. My heart sinking slightly, I watched her vanish back into the floor, and stood there staring at the trapdoor even after it had slid shut.

“Well then, if you’d like to come back to the clubhouse, we’ll get the paperwork all sorted,” Vanessa said briskly.

“Yeah…” I turned towards the door. “Thanks Vanessa.”



“Mel!” A voice squealed. “I haven’t seen you in ages! When did you get back?”

I jumped a mile as the door of the flat down the hall opened and my next door neighbour backed out, struggling with her pushchair, baby in one hand.

“Just now actually… do you need a hand Clarissa?” I asked, stuffing my keys away and hurrying over.

“Thank you,” Clarissa said. “The damn thing’s stuck again.”

I expertly kicked the folding pushchair into a more obliging position.

“Where have you been?” Clarissa demanded. “Somewhere nice I hope.”

“Oh, just the hotel down the road,” I said sheepishly. “I’ve had some fitted furniture installed and I thought I’d clear out for a few days to leave the workmen to it – I hate seeing my place in a mess.”

“That does explain the workmen that have been coming and going from your flat,” Clarissa nodded gravely. “Seemed like a lot of work.”

“Thanks for keeping an eye on them, it’s really nice to know you’re looking out for me,” I swiftly changed the subject. “Dear god, baby Beth has grown, eh?”

The terrifying lolling human slug blew spit bubbles at me. The squirmy pink thing with the massive head and huge eyes would probably have seemed cute to any normal human, but I’ve never been even slightly maternal.

“Oh yes,” Clarissa said brightly, tucking her into the pushchair. “She smiled at me the other day. Luke said it was just gas, but I know that Mummy’s little angel smiled, didn’t you Bethy-boo?”

Desperately fighting the urge to retch violently, I smiled at Clarissa as she continued clipping the baby into the pushchair.

“Well, Luke’s away on business for a few days,” She said. “You’d be welcome to come over and we can have that takeaway we said we’d have months ago.”

I hesitated.

“Thanks Clarissa,” I said. “But I’m going to have to postpone again. I’ve got a lot to catch up on – the hotel wi-fi was dire and my boss will have my butt if I don’t have my work ready by Monday.”

Clarissa sighed.

“That’s a shame. Soon though?”

“Definitely.”

I blew a small sigh of relief as Clarissa vanished into the lift and quickly bolted into my flat. I had been hoping to savour the moment, thinking of all the possible changes that could have been made to make my flat into a secure slave containment area, but now I just wanted to get in before any-one else could come along. It was part of the Kraken Club’s Ownership Deal – they supply the slave and the security system, leaving you free to enjoy your purchase. You did, however, have to clear out your abode so they could fit it. I could still smell the hotel suite that I’d been staying in for the last few days on my clothes, but it would be worth it. I hadn’t been able to afford the soundproofing, but that was nothing a good gag couldn’t cure.

The first thing I notice was the alarm box discretely flashing on the hall wall, a tiny Kraken pattern embossed in the front. I set my overnight bag on the floor next to the door and hung my coat up on the hook in the wall. They’ve even hoovered, I thought, noticing the wheel prints in the carpet, erasing any trace of the ‘workmen’. A manual sat in the middle of the hall table, proudly declaring “A Guide To Your New Alarm System”. I picked it up, tucking it under one arm, and started to slowly scope around the rest of the apartment.

The kitchen and bathroom seemed untouched, but in the bedroom was my new fitted “wardrobe”. I grinned at it, and the “trunk” at the bottom of my bed. In the centre of the living room though was a huge crate, a padlock gleaming on the side. I lifted the padlock, frowning at the lack of lock or dials to open it. There was a square of matte plastic in the centre, and as I pressed my thumb to it, the lock popped open. There, on a bed of deepest teal velvet was my beautiful slave, wrapped in a tight white latex catsuit, tight latex straight jacket, and white heeled boots. Her face was enclosed with a white hood, giving her a smooth, doll-like face, the surface totally unbroken save for a short tube jutting from her mouth.

The whole ensemble, despite being white had a glorious nacre shimmer to it, subtly glittering silver and gold with a faint rainbow shimmer, making her look, for all the world like a beautiful pearl in an ornate jewellery box. Mine. My pearl. I stood and stared for a moment, then frowned at a coloured square on her stomach, breaking the white theme. I pulled off the green sticky-note; written on it, in clear, concise handwriting was;

Her name was Beatrice, shortened to Bea. If you ever need any more ‘financial advice’ call me. V.

I blinked in surprise at the mobile number printed with equal precision beneath it, and then grinned. I lowered the lid on the box and walked into the kitchen, putting the kettle on. I tacked the post-it to my message board, smoothing it carefully with my thumb.

The good things in life were always worth waiting for, and I wasn’t going to ruin the moment I’d waited so long on by some kind of clumsy fumbling. I was going to sit down on my sofa, put my feet up on the crate and read the manual from cover to cover. I’d waited this long after all, might as well savour it before I fully unwrapped my pearl and settled her into her new home.

And then… I just might call Vanessa, and see what… tips she might have.