Flight to Submission

Chapter 23

As they entered the room, Stephanie's eyes were drawn to its occupant. He looked to be in his early thirties and was standing by the fireplace, his tall, slim, frame leaning against the surround. He had wide shoulders but a slim waist and well-muscled legs. His dark auburn hair glinted in the light but the most startling feature about him was his vivid green eyes as they turned towards her.

Her stomach fluttered as those eyes swept over her, measuring and slightly guarded, then a charming smile tugged at the side of his well-shaped and generous lips. All of a sudden, Stephanie had an intense desire to feel those lips on hers, in fact not just her lips but all over her body. Now it wasn't just her stomach that was fluttering, her pussy was experiencing the same sensations!

David escorted her over to the fireplace.

"James, please allow me to introduce you to Stephanie Marshall, a young lady who is my house guest at present," he began. "Stephanie, this is James, Viscount of Cleeves."

James took her fingers in his, bent and dropped a light kiss onto her hand.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Stephanie," he said, his voice rich and mellow.

Stephanie was startled by the strength and slight roughness of his well-manicured hand.

"I'm pleased to meet you too," she said huskily, as her voice seemed to share the reactions of the rest of her body.

The telephone rang and excusing himself, David went to answer it. He listened briefly then put the phone down.

"My apologies, but a situation has arisen that I must personally attend to," David said, regret colouring his tone. "Stephanie, would you entertain our guest while I sort things out?"

"Of course ... David," Stephanie said, taking her cue from her Master but almost calling him Sir out of habit.

David nodded to them both then strode out of the room, leaving them alone together.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before James cleared his throat.

"Shall we sit?" he asked and escorted Stephanie to one of the comfortable armchairs.

"Thank you," Stephanie replied.

Taking her courage in her hands, Stephanie decided to open the conversation, knowing that David expected her to keep his guest entertained.

"I hope you had a good flight over from England, and that you didn't experience too strong a head wind, Lord Cleeves" she began, starting with a topic about which she was knowledgeable.

"Please," James said with a slightly pained expression on his face, "call me James. I can't stand formality!"

"Very well, James then," Stephanie said smiling. "Did you have a good flight? I hope the attendants treated you well and that there wasn't too much turbulence."

"The flight was fine," James replied, "although almost 10 hours is a long time to be in the air."

"I know," Stephanie agreed ruefully, "especially when all that time is spent on your feet!"

At James' questioning look, she explained that she was a senior flight attendant on the London to Miami route. Understanding lit his eyes and they chatted for a while about air travel and the places they had visited. After a while Stephanie plucked up the courage to ask him what he did.

"I own and run a stud farm," he replied, laughing at Stephanie's surprised expression. "I know, I know," he said, "not the sort of thing you expect the son of an earl to be doing," his expression darkened, "as my father keeps telling me."

Having a domineering parent herself, Stephanie completely understood and told him so.

"So what type of horses do you breed?" she asked.

"Well, I've been experimenting with thoroughbreds and warm bloods to develop the ultimate show jumper," James told her, enthusiasm lighting his eyes. "Back in the late seventies and early eighties, when our team rode thoroughbreds, the British were almost unbeatable. Since then we have switched to warmbloods and seen our dominance wane. I have been trying to breed a horse that has the best traits of both -- the intelligence and bravery of the thoroughbred with the stamina and muscle of the warmblood."

Stephanie watched as his whole body came alive. This was obviously something that he was passionate about. She too had always had a love affair with horses but her job as a flight attendant left her no time to pursue it. She missed being around them, the sweet smell of their breath, the musky smell of their sweat after a good workout and the feeling of awe that such a large animal was obedient to her commands.

James' enthusiasm sparked her own as she told him how she felt about horses. When David returned an hour later they were still animatedly discussing various aspects of breeding, training and working with horses in general. It was obvious that they were kindred spirits. David smiled to see them getting along so well in such a short space of time. Stephanie had obviously forgotten all about James' title and for his part, he had lost the guardedness that had been apparent when they had first entered.

"Thank you, Stephanie," David said, reluctantly breaking into what was obviously quite an intense conversation. "I need you to go and see Kristy please."

Almost ... but not quite reluctantly, (she was obedient to her Master's orders after all) Stephanie rose and excused herself. James' eyes followed her as she gracefully made her way out of the room, her gown sweeping the floor behind her.

"I take it you like the girl," David said with an amused smile.

"She's ... she's not like anyone I've ever met before," James replied. "Certainly not like the creatures my father keeps trying to foist on me! Honestly David," he said heatedly, "I feel like one of my own stud stallions, being lined up with a suitable mare to improve the bloodline!"

"Calm down," David advised the younger man. "I can assure you Stephanie is a unique and amazing young woman," he paused, looking searchingly at him, "but I can see you have already found that out," he said.

"Indeed I have," James replied fervently. "Tell me, David," is she the person you told me about over the phone? The one you wanted me to meet?"

"Yes, she is," David confirmed.

"Please tell me I'll be seeing more of her than just this past hour," James said earnestly.

"Oh yes," David said, smiling inwardly, "I can honestly say that you will be seeing much more of her."

Stephanie knew that David's request meant she should return to her room to change for the service of dinner. She quickly made her way back to her bedroom where Kristy was waiting, eager to find out all the details about their guest.

"What's he like?" she asked impatiently.

"He's nice," Stephanie replied, then laughed at the look on Kristy's face. "Okay, okay, you win," she said. "He's in his thirties, runs a stud farm -- that's a farm that breeds horses," she explained at Kristy's blank look, "oh, and he's a viscount."

"You mean he's royalty?" Kristy squeaked.

Stephanie laughed. "No, you goose. He's the eldest son of the Earl of Somerset." Kristy still had a blank expression on her face. "That means he comes from the British aristocracy but he's not royal," she explained.

"Oh wow!" Kristy exclaimed, then looked closer at her friend's face. "You like him don't you?" she asked softly.

"I've only just met him," Stephanie demurred.

Kristy gave her a look saying pull the other one.

"Well... he seems nice," she said weakly.

Kristy snorted in amusement. Her friend's expression was saying far more than her words were on this occasion but she decided to let it go.

"Let's get you ready for dinner," she said in a business like tone.

She undid the side zip and eased the beautiful gown down over Stephanie's shoulders and down to the floor, where she carefully stepped out of it. She put it back on its hanger as Stephanie removed the hold-up stockings, the earrings and the necklace, then both girls turned towards the bed where her next outfit lay waiting.

First there was a beautiful corset made of the softest suede in a beautiful peacock blue. Both girls sighed in admiration as Kristy lifted it off the bed. Stephanie braced herself against the bedpost as Kristy wrapped it around her and tightened it as far as it would go, emphasising Stephanie's much slimmer waist. Next was a pair sheer, black stockings with a seam running up the back of each one that attached to the suspenders built in to the corset.

Black pumps with 5" stiletto heels completed the outfit.

Last but not least was the collar that Stephanie had been given by David upon successfully completing her rite of passage the night before. Kristy secured it in place, then brought Stephanie back to the dressing table and sat her down.

First she removed all traces of the previous make-up before applying a light foundation. Then she applied several layers of lengthening and volumising mascara, making sure each lash was individually defined. Next she applied pencil to Stephanie's brows, darkening them and emphasising them. She applied a pale silver highlighter under the brows then a darker, almost gunmetal metallic powder over her lids, shading this to a deeper tone of peacock blue than the corset. Black liquid liner was applied to Stephanie's upper and lower eyelids, this time left as a stark, defined line. A highlighter over the tops of Stephanie's cheekbones came next, followed by a darker blush on the cheekbones and a darker tone in the hollows of her cheeks, all of which Kristy professionally blended together. She finished off by applying the same colour lip liner and lipstick that she had used the previous evening before dusting a fine powder over Stephanie's face to set everything.

She then turned her attention to Stephanie's hair. Carefully she removed the hairpins and brushed out her hair. She used a bottle of water to spritz a fine mist over her locks before applying a firm hold, wet look gel, then brushed Stephanie's hair back into a slick, almost severe style. As Ernesto had done previously, she back combed the front of Stephanie's hair to give it more body. She stepped back to view her work.

The change in appearance was dramatic. Gone was the elegant, sophisticated young woman. In her place was a striking, vivid woman whose purpose was clearly delineated. Kristy nodded to herself in approval. Master David would definitely approve and if his guest's eyes didn't pop out on seeing her, Kristy cheekily told herself, then he was either gay or needed glasses!

With Stephanie ready, the girls made their way to the dining room where David had given specific instructions to Kristy as to how they were to present themselves. A low murmur of conversation could be heard approaching and the girls slipped silently into their positions.

David opened the door and ushered James through. The younger man stopped dead in his tracks as the tableau unfolded. There, each kneeling by a chair, their hands placed on their knees, which were spread wide, clad in corsets, stockings, collars and very little else, were two young and

very

sexy women who were obviously subs. Then he took a closer look and gasped as he realised that the exotic creature with the black hair was in fact the young lady with whom he had been conversing in the library! To say he was taken aback was an understatement.

David, amused by his friend's reaction, put an arm around his shoulder and guided him towards the table.

"I told you I wanted to you meet a special person," he said to the dumbfounded younger man.

James could only nod in agreement, still trying to process the two completely different sides to the young woman in front of him.

David guided him to the seat, to the side of which Stephanie was kneeling.

"Stephanie will be serving you for the rest of the evening, both at the table ..." he paused drawing out the moment, "and afterwards."

At hearing those words Stephanie's stomach developed butterflies once more. Already her mind was imagining what it would be like to be under James' domination.

Above her, James cleared his throat. "I take it you mean ..." he trailed off meaningfully.

David smiled then addressed Stephanie. "Will you be happy to serve Master James as his submissive this evening?" he asked.

"Yes Master, it would be my honour," she replied demurely, trying to keep out of her voice how much she wanted to do so. She felt torn as she owed David so much but there was something about James that was pulling her strongly toward him.

"There you are James," David said smiling at the younger man. "My sub has no problems with serving you tonight."

"Uh... in that case I accept with thanks," James managed to reply. Like Stephanie, he was experiencing a powerful connection between them. He had thought her a lovely young woman when they were talking in the library and had to admit to himself that he had secretly wished that he could see more of her, even if it had to be in a vanilla way. Now that he knew she was a submissive, well... his mind whirled with the possibilities.

The meal passed in a blur. Stephanie served James while Kristy served David. If you had asked him afterwards what he had eaten, James would not have been able to tell you, only that it had all be exquisitely prepared and served. Knowing David, he knew the food would all have been of the finest standard but to tell the truth, all that was running through his mind was the thought of Stephanie, submissive and obedient to his commands for the rest of the evening.

Finally, the men retired to the library for a glass of cognac, where David told James all about Stephanie -- her training, her background, how hard it had been to instil self-esteem and self-confidence in her due to her upbringing. James' heart went out to the girl as David told him all about the treatment she had received at the hands of her mother. It seemed she had told the truth when she said she understood how he felt about his father.

While the men were talking, the girls cleared the table, taking the plates and glasses out to the kitchen, then tucking in to the light supper laid out for them. After half an hour they made their way to the library, where they each knelt beside a Master. This time they both automatically assumed Position 2.

"So," David began once the girls were in position (and for Stephanie's benefit to show her he was taking no chances with her). "Some ground rules that need to be observed, James."

James nodded seriously.

"Stephanie is still new to the life of a submissive. She has undergone intensive training this week and graduated to the next level of training last night. She has been trained in oral, anal, orgasm control/denial, arousal through a pain/pleasure combination. However, this is the first time she has met you and it is imperative that nothing happens tonight that will undo the work that has already been put in. I trust you understand?"

"Of course," James said earnestly, his hand reaching down to absently stroke Stephanie's hair, his touch sending a quiver through her. "I have the utmost respect both for you and for Stephanie and am grateful that she has given me the gift of her submission tonight. I promise to do nothing that will harm her in any way."

"Very well," David replied. "Please help yourself to anything you require from the training room. I will see that Stephanie is waiting for you in your bedroom."

James rose and exited the library, making his way towards the training room, his mind already buzzing with plans for the rest of the evening and making a mental inventory of what items he required.

"Kristy, you are dismissed for the evening," David said. "Many thanks for your assistance both today and yesterday. It was much appreciated."

Kristy bowed her head in acknowledgment and made her way from the room, leaving David and Stephanie alone together.

"So, little one," David said gently. "What do you think of my guest?"

"I...I like him, Master," she replied. "We seem to have many things in common," she paused, uncertain how to continue, then decided to be frank. "Actually," she said, "if I didn't know he was a viscount, he would be exactly the type of man I would be attracted to."

"Does his title bother you?" David asked.

"Well... a little," Stephanie replied honestly. "I'm just a nobody from the Lake District and he's a member of the peerage."

"Why should that be a problem?" David asked gently. "Haven't I schooled you well enough this week for you to be comfortable with what is expected?"

Stephanie thought hard about this before answering. It was true that she didn't feel as overawed at meeting James as she would have been before meeting David and in fact James himself had no airs and graces.

"I... I suppose you have," Stephanie finally replied. "Still he's not someone I would have considered myself to be appropriate for."

"Nonsense," David told her chidingly. "How many times have I told you how special you are and how far you can fly if you just believe in yourself?"

"Um... a lot, Master?" she replied.

"Exactly," David said, satisfied. "Now listen very carefully to me. James is the man I have in mind to be your permanent Master, if that is something that you feel you would like and if he accepts you as his sub. Tonight is meant for both of you to get to know each other, to see if you are compatible and to see if you both ... and I do mean both of you are willing to enter into a proper Master/submissive relationship."

Stephanie opened her mouth to speak but David held up a hand to stop her.

"I don't want you agreeing to something because you want to please me and equally I don't want you to feel as if you are betraying me by wanting to be with James if that is what you decide. I told you from the very outset that I am a training Master and that I wasn't for you, so please take that out of the equation when making your decision."

Stephanie nodded thoughtfully. David was right. He had made a point of telling her, several times that he would not be her full time Master but she hadn't realised that things would move so swiftly.

"Are you certain you are willing to go to James as his submissive this evening?" David asked, noticing her uncertainty.

Her expression cleared as she made her decision.

"Yes, Master, I am," she said.

"Good girl," he said approvingly. "Now, I know James to be an honourable Master and if you feel anything is going too far for you, let him know immediately," he said. "Know also that there is a panic button set into the bedpost that you can press in an emergency. It goes straight to my room and I will be with you in seconds," he paused, "not that I believe you will need it, as I would never let anyone that I didn't fully trust come anywhere near you, never mind be alone with you!"

Stephanie nodded, confident as always that her Master had her best interests at heart and, if truth be told, in no little state of anticipation as to what awaited her upstairs.

"Now, be off with you," David said smiling at her. "I expect you to be waiting for James in Position 2 as he enters the room. It's the room at the end of the right-hand passage."

Stephanie rose to her feet and greatly daring, kissed her Master on the cheek.

"Thank you, Master," she said softly and walked out of the room.

In the training room James took his time choosing the items he wanted to use. His hands almost trembled as the thought of Stephanie, obedient to his commands, crossed his mind. The sight of her, body enclosed in the form fitting corset, her pert breasts so enticingly displayed, gracefully moving in her high heels, made his cock stir in anticipation. He gathered everything together, placed them in a bag and made his way to the library to say goodnight to his host.

David glanced up from a book he was reading and smiled as the younger man entered the room. He gestured for James to take a set opposite him.

"I take it you're intrigued by my young sub," he began.