's Candy

Part 23 At last, an introduction

At noon, sharp, Mistress had me go to my room, in effect. I went cheerfully, of course, but secretly had been hoping that Mistress might've "forgotten" about the noon thing. I laughed to myself as I shut the door behind me; Katherine never forgot a thing or said anything She didn't mean. And thank goodness for that.

If time had been dragging before, it now moved at a positively glacial pace. I picked up my phone and played a slot machine app, not because I necessarily felt like it but because with the app engaged, I couldn't see what time it was.

After a while I heard sounds from beyond the door. People coming, voices, way too faint to make out, doors opening and closing, a bump and a clatter here and there. The urge to speculate was overpowering, but I did my best to not think about that and let the spinning reels relax me and make the time go by.

I had stopped speculating about what the party might be about, what might happen, and all that. I had

mostly

stopped speculating. Now that the day was here and the time was now, the urge to wonder was irrepressible. I did my best to just watch the screen and leave everything else alone. It wasn't easy.

The screen abruptly changed from the slot machine game to an incoming call from Mistress.

"candy...I'm sending in someone to help you get ready." I thought I detected a note of barely contained excitement in Her voice.,

"Yes, Mistress," I said, and the wondering was like a fire inside me. Sending in someone to help me get ready? Who? I couldn't get ready on my own?

I heard the door open, and a striking young woman stepped inside. She came towards me and introduced herself.

"Hi, candy. I'm julia." Her smile was infectious and pretty; we started to shake hands but we both more or less simultaneously ended up hugging.

I took in julia a moment. Tall, athletically built but not overly so, with shoulder length blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. She was dressed rather conservatively, a fact that made the collar around her neck more prominent.

julia seemed to recognize my curiosity and took me off the hook.

"I belong to Mistress Astrid," she said, with a tone of pride and happiness. "I think you know Her..."

I recalled vividly Astrid introducing me to the whip on the back deck of this very house.

"Oh, yes, I do. Your Mistress is amazing." I smiled, remembering the intensity of it, but I shivered a little, too.

I couldn't get away from how julia was dressed. All I knew was how Katherine handled me; I imagined that there were a thousand different ways that Dominants had their submissives dress/act, etc.

"You are beautiful, julia, and you look amazing," I said, in total sincerity. One thing that Katherine had done for me, without trying and without me even realizing it, was to flush out any silly resentment or judging of other women. I really had learned to appreciate everyone on her own merits and to sincerely express it.

julia smiled appreciatively. "Thank you so much, candy." She glanced down at herself.

"This is actually a lot more than I'm typically allowed to wear," she said with a slight blush.

"Oh?" I was genuinely surprised.

"Oh yes, candy. Today you are the star of the show, so Mistress didn't want me or trina taking any attention away from you."

julia's tone was so genuine and friendly that I instantly warmed to her. "trina?" I said, doing my best to contain my curiosity.

She smiled brightly. "Yes, my sister trina. Mistress took her on abut a year after she collared me. I was very apprehensive...I thought I would hate it...I didn't want to like her..."

julia looked in my eyes. "...but it's been a great time. Having trina around is a blessing -- she's made us from two into a true family. Mistress was right all along. As soon as I let go and trusted Her everything fell into place."

We hugged again. I knew exactly what julia meant about letting go and trusting, but I had to admit that I didn't know if I could accept Mistress adding another girl.

julia stood up and unzipped the gym bag she'd brought in. "Now, I was sent in here to get you ready for your party, so...get naked and stand up, candy."

She giggled. "I don't get to give orders much." julia then made a face. "I don't like it much, come to think of it." We both laughed.

julia seemed to be silently figuring something out for a moment. "OK, sit on the edge of the bed."

I sat down and julia knelt on the floor. She produced a pair of what looked like 6- or 7-inch heels from the bag.

I looked down as julia put a shoe on my right foot. I noticed these shoes had a special feature -- the ankle strap was designed in such a way that the shoe could be locked on the wearer's foot. After putting the shoe on me, julia tightened the ankle strap, produced a small padlock, and snapped it shut with an authoritative sounding click.

The process was repeated on my other foot. julia had me stand; the shoes were not as uncomfortable as one might think, but the 40-yard dash wouldn't be happening.

julia pulled a complicated looking leather harness from the bag and moved around behind me.

"I'm going to apologize in advance, candy. Your Mistress said to make this tight."

I did my best to hold still. "I understand, julia...thank you for letting me know."

julia laughed softly. "Let's hope you're as gracious when I'm done." I had to laugh a little myself, although my laughter had more than a little nervousness to it.

The straps were laid over me; julia had obviously done this before. There was some pulling and adjusting; I exhaled. The feeling and scent of leather always evoked powerful emotions in me.

My new wardrobe assistant seemed to sense those feelings. "I don't know what it is either, candy. I think maybe it's the idea that it was once alive and wants to make itself one with your skin. You breathe in that scent and it...transports you, somehow." Her voice trailed off.

I had to laugh a little. "It does, but transports you -- where?" julia joined in the laughter.

"Yeah...that's the $64,000 question."

Things got quiet; julia began to make the straps tighter. She was slow and meticulous about it, adjusting different parts a tiny bit at a time, making sure one section wasn't too tight and making another section loose.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and let myself surrender to the process. The straps slowly got tighter, seemingly everywhere at once, an all-consuming leather hug that drew me in, drew me down, and calmed me.

That I couldn't really take a deep breath any longer startled me out of my reverie. The harness was

tight.

But the tightness wasn't painful... that calmness I felt as the straps were being tightened remained.

I heard clicks coming from behind me and I realized that julia was locking the harness in place. I smiled; the locks were the kind of technically unnecessary but symbolically required kind of thing that was Katherine's trademark. The knowledge of that was comforting too -- understanding that I knew Her and She knew me, so perfectly.

julia slowly walked around in front of me, giving her work one last visual inspection. She smiled. "I do nice work!"

We both laughed. "Of course, if anything isn't right, I couldn't fix it anyway...I don't have the keys for those locks." We both laughed again...me a bit less heartily than julia, this time.

I could hear that my laugh wasn't quite the same. The tight straps gave my laugh and my voice a little bit of that stereotypical breathless bimbo quality. That realization made me blush.

julia didn't fail to notice. "Oh my...all-over blush. That's sexy, candy." She giggled and I did too, despite myself.

julia reached down for something. "My work here is done, candy. You look amazing, if I do say so myself. Chin up, please, sis."

I lifted my chin without thinking. That she called me "sis" made me feel good, a part of something bigger than myself. I liked julia and felt happy that she liked me.

She clipped a chain to my collar and let it dangle in front of me. I was conscious of the weight of it.

She hugged me tightly, although compared to the pressure of the straps I really couldn't feel it. I returned the hug gratefully, affectionately.

julia kissed my cheek and whispered. "You are going to be the star of the show today, candy, and you deserve all the good things there are to have. I will see you out there, shortly. I'm not 100% read in on the plans but I think you won't have to wait long for your Mistress to come in and get you."

I thanked her, wiping a hint of a tear from my left eye.

<X> <X> <X> <X> <X> <X> <X> <X>

Katherine walked in with a big smile. I'd remained standing where I was when julia had left, not knowing what else to do.

Mistress came close and hugged me, speaking in a soft, loving whisper. "Everything is perfect, candy...including you. You look just right, as I knew you would. All this -- today -- one the surface it's about Me, but really, it's about

you.

Today is a celebration of our love and commitment, but even more so, it's a celebration of your submission, your surrender, and your incredible ability to adapt and change, and to become what I have wanted and needed you to become. This party is about how much I love you and cherish you."

Her words went right to the core of me. Normally such praise would've left me awestruck but void of words. But not this time.

My thoughts just poured out. "Mistress, everything that I am, everything I have become, is because of You. Being Yours is the gift I never knew I needed. You've taken me everywhere I didn't know I needed to go, and I never knew I could go so far and love every step of the journey as much as I have. I can't wait to see what's next. All my faith, my love...everything, is with You, for You. I love you more than it's possible to say."

I didn't even think how silly all that might've sounded in my Marilyn Monroe forced whisper voice, but Mistress didn't seem to care. She hugged me tightly and I melted into that embrace, hugging her back as if She were my life preserver in a raging ocean, which I suppose She actually was.

Katherine broke the embrace, finally. Her whole person seemed to be glowing; I glowed myself from feeling the pride and love oozing from Her.

"Time for us to appear, candy. Now, don't be alarmed -- there is one last thing I have to add to your ensemble." She smiled. "It's part of the symbolism, and you know Me...I can't resist symbolism."

We shared a little laugh. The next thing I knew I was in darkness; Mistress had draped a loose but opaque black hood over my head. I was about to say something when I felt the chain shift; Katherine had obviously taken hold of the free end.

"Here we go, candy. Don't worry...tiny steps. I am guiding you and keeping you safe, as always. I inched forward in the darkness...there was no tug on the chain, per se, but I could feel Mistress holding it, guiding me along.

I thought about those two words as we moved. Tiny steps. From where I had been to where I was now, was nothing more than a long series of tiny steps. It was mind-boggling to consider what was possible when the one taking the steps and the One orchestrating the steps were unified by love and unshakeable intent. It was as simple and as complex as that, both at once.

We kept moving at the same slow pace. I felt the surface beneath my shoes change from carpet to wood floor, so I knew we'd reached the living room. I was aware of soft sounds -- murmurs among the guests, I supposed. The tension on the chain changed ever so slightly and I knew that Mistress had come to a stop. I stopped as well.

Motionless in the dark, I focused on breathing normally, or as normally as the tight harness allowed. There was nothing to do now but be still and wait for whatever was to come next.

Mistress' voice broke the silence. "I want to thank everyone for making the trip up here, first of all. It's always good to see my dearest friends, but especially so today, on this special and joyous occasion."

I thought I detected Mistress' voice almost about to break. She was not a crier, per se, and She handled her emotions carefully. In the beginning I thought that Mistress was almost unemotional, but over time I'd come to understand that She felt things very deeply. She just didn't show them much except around me and Her closest friends. That She might be close to breaking down told me how important and fraught with emotion this moment was for Her. I shivered a little, realizing that.

Mistress spoke again, Her voice firmer, stronger this time. "Some of you know candy, some of you don't."

She paused a moment. "Some of you know her better than others, even." There were some chuckles from the crowd, and I was glad I couldn't see how red I had to be turning.

"candy and I have been on an intense and wonderful journey, and recently I expressed how much I wanted and needed for her to totally belong to Me, and candy felt the same way and has willingly become completely Mine. I am thrilled beyond words about that."

The darkness, normally comforting, was making me anxious now. The tight harness seemed to intensity that feeling, the need to be completely a part of whatever was happening around me. I took as deep a breath as I could and told myself to be patient and still.

Katherine continued. "We've come a long way together, and the candy you see before you is in some ways the same girl she's always been, but in others, she's completely different...transformed."

I closed my eyes, even though I was already in the dark.

"The harness she wears is a symbol of My control, to which candy has surrendered herself. The harness is tight around her, a symbol of My love and protection. The shoes, locked on her feet, symbolize that every step she takes is for Me as much as for herself, and that I define the way for her."

I was the one about to cry now.

Breathe, candy. Be in the moment. Listen and appreciate and accept,

I told myself.

"The collar...well you all know what that symbolizes. It is the outward definitive mark of My ownership and candy's surrender. It binds her to Me, and it binds Me to her. It holds her, but it frees her, too."

My heart was thumping in my chest now, and a lone tear streamed down my right cheek.

"And this hood." I felt as if I could hear Mistress smiling, somehow. "My inelegant way of saying that candy was once without identity, but through her own ability to love and surrender, more than anything else she's become the person she's wanted and needed to be."

With that, the hood was slipped off of my head. I squinted, and Mistress took me in her arms and held me, kissed me. Her embrace was even tighter than the harness, but I felt light and free...any trace of anxiousness or worry or uncertainty vanished in that moment. I was so lost in the moment that I was barely aware of the assembled guests clapping and offering well wishes.

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After Mistress' speech and introduction, She had julia take me back into the bedroom to get re-dressed, as it were. The harness was removed; taking a normal breath at last made me realize how tight it had been. I ran my fingers over the impressions the straps left in my skin; there was a comfort, a pleasure in seeing and feeling my fingers bump over them.

The locking heels stayed on. julia slipped a short black dress over me and it occurred to me that the idea of "normal" clothing no longer really existed for me; I dressed as Mistress liked, and that was what I liked. It seemed perfectly right and simple and natural.

I checked myself in the mirror, and julia and I made our way back to the party.

Much of the rest of the day was a blur; I was riding the emotional high. That high, combined with the relief of the weeks of secrecy and wondering being over combined to render me in a state where every minute event was clear and enjoyable in and of itself, but that state isn't conducive to remembering those details.

I recognized a number of people there: Rick, with stunning redheaded companion from the other day in tow, Mistress Astrid, julia of course, Jade from the vintage clothing store, and several people I had met (and more, in most cases) from my previous visit to the lake.

The food I do recall. It was excellent, and some of it seemed familiar. I later found out that it was the same caterer that Rick used at the agency for various events.

It started to get dark, and the party mostly moved out onto the big deck. There was the just enough breeze coming off of the lake -- a perfect outdoor evening. The caterers brought out more food, the grill was fired up, and the pace of drinking seemed to accelerate. Mistress had told me to leave the serving of food and drunks to the caterers, so I mostly floated around with what I'm sure was a goofy smile on my face, although I could feel myself gradually returning to my normal perceptual state.

At one point Mistress caught my eye and motioned me over with a wry smile.

"I'm not sure if it will come up tonight, candy...I'm too caught up in My own happiness to be reading the room accurately..." She glanced around, as if trying to do just that.

"But you can assume that everyone here sent the correct code to your phone." She looked at me, eyes flashing mischievously. "I didn't announce that or anything...so perhaps nothing happens. We'll see who might be bold...and get rewarded."

We both laughed a little, me despite a bit of consternation. This sort of scenario was so like Mistress; create possibilities and see what, if anything, happened.

"Yes, Mistress," I said.

She hugged me tightly. "And tonight, after everyone goes, we'll have our time." The thrill that went through me was practically a physical sensation of pleasure, hearing Her.

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I was walking towards the food when Rick made eye contact and made a slight motion with his head to indicate I should come over. He and the redhead were sitting near the far corner of the deck, by themselves.

I came over and was about to kneel down when the two of them got up.

"I want you to meet My friend Lenka, candy." He indicated her with a subtle gesture. "Lenka, candy...candy, Lenka."

"Nice to meet You, Miss," I said.

Lenka regarded me a moment. Typically, in a situation like this I would lower my eyes, but Lenka's gaze held mine and I sensed I shouldn't look down.

Whatever her other attributes, Lenka was an absolute beauty for sure. Her red hair was just that perfect color that made her blue eyes seem electric. Gorgeous fair skin. A fantastic body...I probably lingered on her perfect boob job a bit longer than I should have.

Finally, she spoke.

"Nice to meet you, candy." The accent, from somewhere in Eastern Europe, was sexy.

I smiled. "Thank You, Miss."

Lenka moved closer to me. Rick moved a little, semi-turning his back to us. "You are a good girl, I am told, candy."

I took a deep breath; one is never quite sure how to respond to such a comment, but I decided today wasn't the day for false modesty. "Yes, Miss," I said and left it at that.

I heard Rick laugh a little. "She's

always

good, Lenka."

Lenka smiled. "Wonderful."

She moved closer still, her voice dropped to a whisper. "So be a good girl and hold still, candy, and don't make a sound."

"Yes, Miss," I said with a nod.

The next thing I felt was Lenka's hand under my dress. She was smiling, face close to Mine, and running one finger lightly along my sex. I gulped softly and took a deep breath. I glanced over a moment and realized that Rick had moved to more or less shield Lenka and me from general view.