Agreeing to Serve

Author's Note: There have been a couple of comments posted against my stories that I felt a need to respond to. They suggest my works hint at coercion on the part of the dominants, who are abusing their positions and taking advantage of the submissive characters. Firstly, thank you for taking the time to post the comments. I am still new to writing and I find feedback of this kind very helpful as it makes clear the message I'm trying to get across hasn't been received in the way I hoped/intended. Secondly, I do not and would never condone a dominant taking advantage of a submissive in any way.

I write about a unique lifestyle that requires one party to put an inordinate amount of trust in another, often someone they may not have known for very long. My stories are works of fiction, though I try to make them as realistic as I can. In the real world no one, dominant or submissive, should ever embark on a relationship the like of which I describe without being 100% comfortable with their partner. This is particularly true for the submissive. Find out as much as you can about your prospective dom(me) before you start and only commit if you are absolutely sure. Take references, ask how the dominant would react in certain situations, find out why the dominant is attracted to the lifestyle and to you. If there are any doubts raised, walk away.

When it comes to my stories, for those that haven't been with me from the start, Nikki, Ryan and the Mistress first appear in 'The Bisexual Submissive' series. The story then moves to 'The Reluctant Submissive' before winding up here in 'Agreeing to Serve'. Across the three I have written a lot of words and there is a danger I have missed out things I thought I had included. I'm pretty sure there is reference in the Bisexual Submissive to Ryan and the Mistress speaking before the Mistress meets them for the first time. That conversation was the point at which Ryan got comfortable with the Mistress being an experienced Domme. He also made sure he was present for the first meeting between the Mistress and Nikki, which took place at a location of his choosing. This was before he had explored his own submissive tendancies, at the time his only motivation was the welfare of his girlfriend, Nikki. If anything, the risk in that first meeting was greater for the Mistress and I'm sure she would have told her husband where she was going and what she had planned. Where I am guilty of straying into the realms of coercion is in the way Nikki introduces Ryan to his first taste of submission. I did this to save a lot of back story and I accept it was not fair or reasonable on Ryan. Forgive me that lapse.

With hindsight, it was probably a mistake to include the Mistress paying the two submissives. I can see now that suggests the submissives are agreeing to the arrangement for the wrong reasons. It was not intended the Mistress buy their submission, the payments were included to support a story arc that is a long way in the future.

If I overdo the emphasis on consent in what follows, I again ask your forgiveness. What I have tried to reflect is the turmoil in the mind of the submissive, who has the option to walk away but craves the feelings only true submission can provide. But the option to walk away is always there and the submissive must have the strength to do that if they are not entirely comfortable with their relationship. The golden rule of this lifestyle of which I write is that the power rests with the submissive. They alone should decide if, when and how they submit. The dominant must earn that submission, not buy it or impose it. Now, back to the fantasy......

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Chapter 7 -- A day of surprises

Nikki was finally starting to feel as though a sense of normality had returned to her life. The last few weeks had been a maelstrom of change; she had agreed to become a full-time submissive serving Mistress Kay, then moved into the older woman's house before learning that her boyfriend would be serving another dominant, in his case Goddess Carly, splitting his time between Mistress Kay's imposing house on the edge of a village during the week and Goddess Carly's isolated farmhouse at weekends. Then came the introduction to Sally, a young woman who had expressed an interest in being trained as a submissive, together with the news that Nikki would be expected to train her.

Two weeks had passed since that eventful weekend had culminated with the Mistress explaining to Nikki that she would be expected to train Sally in the art of submission while Mistress Kay would be tutoring Dylan to become a dominant. Sally and Dylan had only recently admitted they were attracted to each other, with Sally confessing to the Mistress that she didn't want to live a vanilla life with Dylan while she explored her submissive cravings. Fortunately, Dylan had also mentioned to the Mistress that he would like to see if he had it in him to become a dominant and eventually take Sally as his submissive as well as his girlfriend.

Nikki and the Mistress settled on the sofa for their customary debrief after Sally and Dylan had left. Neither woman thought anything odd of the fact the submissive was naked. After almost a month living in the Mistress's house, the fact Nikki was not allowed clothing now seemed natural to them both. 'Still happy you are getting enough attention, kitten?' the Mistress asked as she started drinking the tea Nikki had just provided. The Mistress had been concerned that Nikki might feel she was being marginalised in the Mistress's life when the idea of training Sally had first been raised and the older woman had gone to great lengths to explain the opposite was the case. She still started each debrief by checking on Nikki's feelings.

Nikki cast her mind back to the conversation that had taken place two weeks previously. Sally and Dylan had still been in the house, the two of them in one of the upstairs bedrooms discussing the arrangement the Mistress had just outlined to them that would shape the rest of their lives. Nikki and the Mistress had been in exactly the same positions they were now and the Mistress had asked Nikki for her thoughts. Already used to only ever giving honest answers to her Mistress, Nikki had confessed to feeling unsure of her own future. Her training not yet complete, she was struggling to understand why the Mistress now wanted her to start training another inexperienced submissive. The Mistress had explained she thought it would be valuable for Nikki to experience submission through the eyes of another as she completed her own journey.

Dragging her thoughts back to the present, Nikki responded 'Yes Mistress' to the question she had been asked. There had been a concern her own training would stall with the focus turning to the petite blonde and the athletic young black man, but those concerns had died away over the two weeks that had passed as Nikki saw the clear delineations the Mistress had in place; the weekends were for them to focus on Sally and Dylan but the weekdays were entirely focussed on Nikki and if anything her training had intensified. The presence of the butt plug in Nikki's ass testament to the fact that she was now not even allowed time off when training Sally. The biggest of a set of three, Nikki was only just getting used to the size of the plug inside her body.

'That's good to hear,' the Mistress continued, 'because I think physically we are getting close to the end of your training my dear. And the timing is perfect, as the weekend after next it will be time for your coming out.' As was now customary, the Mistress paused to let her little surprise sink into Nikki's fertile imagination. She watched the shocked look on Nikki's face turn to confusion and then the slightly distant look in her eyes as her imagination began to run scenarios through her consciousness. From years of experience, the Mistress knew submissives frequently imagined more than the reality would ever be and these opportunities to surprise her submissive were becoming rarer as Nikki's training continued.

For Nikki, the overriding emotion was confusion. She thought back to the dinner party the Mistress had organised to confirm Nikki was committed to the idea of submission. It had been the first time Nikki had been naked in front of more than two people at the same time and she was sure the Mistress had referred to that event as her coming out. What did this new reference mean, she wondered. Looking the older woman in the eye, she simply said 'I'm not sure I follow you Mistress.'

'No, my dear, I'm being deliberately opaque. You may remember Tony, who came to the garden party a couple of weeks ago. He owns a BDSM club.' The Mistress paused as Nikki recalled the night, the image of Tony, whom she still thought of as 'surfer dude' due to his long blond hair and the way he had dressed that night, and the moment when Tony had shot his semen all over her face. 'Well, they have a New Subs evening when anyone can introduce subs that haven't been to the club before to the membership.'

Nikki was getting more and more confused. She knew the Mistress was a member of the club but this was the first she had heard about her own involvement. 'I'm sorry Mistress, I still don't understand.'

'Let me backtrack, kitten. The club has three types of members. There are single people, male and female, who pay exorbitant fees to be members. They are almost exclusively dominants who for whatever reason don't have a submissive of their own. So, they have the opportunity to borrow submissives while at the club, assuming the sub's owner agrees of course. Then there are couples. They pay a lower fee as most of them are exhibitionists or swingers where one person in the relationship is more dominant or submissive than the other. Finally, there are the dominants and their submissives. Most of what takes place at the club features the submissives and to ensure all the members get to know new submissives, there is a New Subs night each month when submissives that haven't been to the club before are shown off so that the members can recognise them as submissive.'

Nikki waited until she was sure the Mistress wasn't going to add anything before asking her first question. 'You say unattached dominants can borrow submissives Mistress. What does that mean exactly?'

'The club has a number of playrooms. A dominant may request the use of a submissive and if the sub's owner agrees, control of the submissive passes for an agreed period of time. The owning dominant will make the sub's limits clear and then the unattached dominant is free to do what they want with the sub as long as they don't cross any limits. There are viewing galleries for most of the playrooms so the dominants won't cross any lines as they know they could be seen. It's quite a popular part of club life; it can be quite entertaining watching a submissive as they interact with a new dominant. In fact, they've just launched a new website that has details of the submissives, ownership, limits, experience, that sort of thing. There's a section on the site that allows members to request submissives they like the look of for sessions and for the submissive's owners to say yes or no.'

Nikki was already thinking ahead to being in that situation. 'How long does the dominant get to use the submissive for, Mistress?'

'Well that depends, kitten,' the Mistress replied, 'sometimes they agree on an hour or two, on other occasions it might be until the club closes. Very occasionally it has been known for someone to request permission to take a sub home overnight, or for a weekend but that's normally only when the two dominants know each other well.' Nikki thought back to the contract she had signed when she had moved into the Mistress's house. There had been a clause giving the Mistress the right to loan Nikki out to other dominants. The clause now made sense to her.

'And that is what you want?' Nikki was struggling to understand why the Mistress would want to just hand her over to another dominant. 'For me to be used by random strangers? Please Mistress, I'm not objecting it just seems so different to the lifestyle I have seen so far. You would take pleasure from me being used like this? Even when you're not present to see my submission?'

The Mistress knew this was a big step and had detected the noticeable change in Nikki's attitude. The usual confidence had disappeared and the younger woman seemed unsure of herself for the first time since moving into the house. 'You don't have to say yes to this kitten,' she said, stroking the chestnut-coloured hair of the submissive. 'If you are not comfortable with it, just tell me and I'll let them know at the club that we can't make it. In fact, it's probably a good time to remind you, you are free to walk away from this at any time. That's why I insisted on you not doing anything with your apartment until you are absolutely convinced. You can stop and go back to your old life. If you want to see me occasionally, I'll just get in touch whenever there's an event planned to see if you'd like to join me for an evening or a weekend. It won't be as intense, but you'll still have the opportunity to submit and serve. You are in control here Nikki, never forget that. Remember my dear, your contract had a 30 day trial period in it. That trial period ends this week. I won't think any less of you if you want to end it now.'

'I understand Mistress,' Nikki replied. 'I adore being here with you Mistress, serving you, being the best submissive I can be. And I enjoy being used by your friends, trying to please them in the same way I think I please you. I don't want that to end. It's just this.....' Nikki's words trailed off, the younger woman unsure what to say next. Eventually she composed herself and continued. 'It's the thought of being used by random strangers, I'm not sure I could just give myself to them in the same way I do with you and your friends Mistress. And it's not clear to me why you would enjoy that happening.'

'Nikki, if you are to submit completely you have to accept that I have the right to give you to others. This isn't a group of random strangers, Tony has vetted them all, he knows where they live and what they all do for a living. He could release information on them that they would much rather be kept private. Me included. But like me, these people all abide by the rules because they get a buzz out of what goes on there and don't want to jeopardise it. The membership isn't huge, I know most people that go the club, some better than others. No one there is going to want to abuse you or take advantage of the situation. But I understand, for you, it will be a frightening experience as it will be the first time you will be submissive without me being in control of events. I have earned your trust and now you will be putting that trust in the hands of someone you may not know. It's meant to be scary. A step into the unknown, that's why it's the final part of your training. This will be the ultimate test of whether you are now a submissive or just my submissive.'

The young submissive allowed the words to sink in. She could see the logic of what the Mistress explained, but she was struggling with the concept of suddenly being dominated by someone she didn't know. The Mistress again sensed the hesitation. 'If this is too much kitten, I understand. Cancel the contract and we can just meet up when we both agree. I'll even continue to pay your retainer for 12 months to give you chance to build your old job back up again. No strings attached. I know it's a big step. In fact, we don't need to decide now. I'll let you tell me this next weekend whether you want to cancel.'

'Alternatively, we can carry on as we are and not go to the club. You would be my submissive that has found the limits of her submission. Not submitting to anyone, just me and some friends of mine. If that's where you want to draw the line Nikki, I will have no complaints. You already know how highly I think of you. But I committed to train you and this is the last part of your training. If you can bring yourself to submit to any dominant, then you will have become the complete submissive, capable of serving anyone you choose to give yourself to. At that point your training will be complete and you will be free to choose your dominant. Of course I hope you would want to stay here with me, but it would be your choice. You may prefer to serve someone else, or you may prefer to return to your old life and just submit at times of your choosing, with partners of your choosing. You have all the control here, my dear. Think about what you really want. Oh, and you should discuss it with Ryan when you have the chance as he has a role to play in whatever life you choose.'

Nikki realised they had reached a critical point in their relationship. When she had signed the contract she had not considered for one moment that she would invoke the get out clause the Mistress had insisted be included. But now she wasn't completely sure. In the end all she could do was repeat her earlier question. 'Would you really take pleasure from me being used by a stranger Mistress?'

'Yes kitten. It would give me great pleasure.' Nikki's stomach lurched. To commit completely, she would have to go through with this. But the Mistress was offering an alternative that would allow her to submit on occasions, presumably with the Mistress always present. Perhaps that was the better solution. As she pondered, the Mistress continued. 'You see, almost all my circle of friends are members of the club. It's just that I choose them as friends because I enjoy their company and as a result we meet away from the club as well. But attending the club provides a very different buzz for me. It's an opportunity for me to let my hair down a little, to relax. You will learn this over time my dear if you do become a switch, but it can be very tiring being a dominant. Your sub trusts you to be in control and whilst it is that feeling of control that appeals, it can also be a challenge. The club gives me the chance to step away from that constant pressure. I can go on my own occasionally, borrow a submissive and just enjoy them, knowing their dominant is there and ultimately it is their dominant that has to worry about the control aspect of what we get up to. Plus, it has been a godsend when I have been between submissives and that is why I will be taking you, kitten. There will be other dominants I know who will be between submissives themselves, not now but at some point in the future, and you will provide them with a chance to experience an hour or two of domination.'

Nikki was beginning to understand the function of the club but she was more intrigued by the admission that the Mistress found the role of dominant tiring. 'Mistress, if I may be permitted to ask, why do you continue to be a dominant if you find it challenging? Surely you could just stop for a while?'

'It's not that easy anymore, kitten. I've been doing this too long to step away from it now. And besides, 95% of the time the pleasure far outweighs the burden I just described. Being truthful, that's also one of the reasons I find you so intriguing. I don't feel that same pressure with you. It's as though you were born to be a submissive, you instinctively know the right thing to do. The pressure on me to always make the right decision for fear of jeopardising the relationship just isn't there because I get the impression you would still want to serve me even if I made a bad decision.' The Mistress paused momentarily before adding, 'not that I intend to, of course.'

'You don't know how much it pleases me to hear you say that Mistress,' said Nikki, setting her mug on the table and then resting her head on the Mistress's shoulder. The younger woman felt as though her chest was going to explode, the feelings of pride from the fact she had been able to make her dominant's experience more enjoyable than any of her previous submissives almost overwhelming her. Nikki felt lips tenderly kiss the top of her head as she continued. 'You could never drive me away Mistress. I trust you completely and I adore being here with you. It's just the idea of you not being there when I am submitting to someone else. I know it was mentioned in the contract but now it suddenly seems real, knowing it will happen if I choose to continue. I need some time to decide.'