Next day, at exactly 2 PM, I rang the door bell at the address I had been given and was admitted by a girl of about my age. Except for the leather collar that fit snugly around her throat, she was completely nude with small, firm breasts and shaven pubes. It was all I could do meet her gaze and refrain from staring at her body. "Hi," I said. "I'm Jim Woodruff, Mistress Charlotte's new apprentice. I think Mistress is expecting me.
"Yes she is," the girl replied as she took my coat. "My name is Lisa. Mistress assigned me to greet you and get you started. Please come with me."
She led me into small, sparsely furnished parlour with solid-looking armchair, a couple of sturdy wooden chairs, a plush rug and several empty wicker baskets. "Please get completely undressed," she said, "including your watch and and any jewelry, and put your clothes in one of those baskets. All of us apprentices go naked most of the time. Then kneel on the rug, facing the arm chair, relax and settle your breathing. I'll help you take the correct posture, and then let Mistress know you are ready." She smiled warmly at me, but did not turn away. I felt acutely self-conscious, but understood that this was my first test. I stripped rapidly, putting my things in the basket that Lisa pointed to, and knelt facing the chair as instructed. Lisa walked in front of me, used her foot to move my knees further apart and placed my hands, palm-up, on top of my thighs. Then she walked around behind me, pulled my shoulders back gently, and used her knee to straighten my spine. She gave some instructions about the position of my head, and about my breathing and bade me relax and wait, keeping my eyes closed. Then she went away.
I was alone for about five minutes, just breathing and getting used to being naked. Then I heard footsteps out in the hall, entering the room. ReΒsisting the temptation to peek, I kept my eyes shut tight.
I heard the armchair rustle slightly as the person who came in sat down in front of me. Then nothing for a few more minutes. It was all I could do to stay blind like that, but knew I had to until told otherwise.
Finally, the command came: "Open your eyes!" I did so, and saw a handsome woman, about my mother's age, sitting in front of me and watching me take her in. "Welcome James Woodruff," she said at last. "Tell me why you are here."
"I hope to be accepted as your apprentice, Ma'am," I answered. "I hope to be trained as a geisho, skilled in giving pleasure and teaching it."
"Have you any idea what that training entails, boy? Did your mother explain what you are asking for?"
"Not really, Ma'am. She wanted to leave that up to you. She just told me to trust you, and made it clear that it was you, not her, who would be my teacher. She did not wish to interfere in your role."
"All right then. Take a chair, make yourself comfortable and let me explain what will happen. I have accepted you as a probationer. You may call me 'Mistress' now. You will live here, like Lisa whom you just met, receiving instruction, doing chores to earn your keep and being evaluated for obedience and potential. The work will not be easy, and you will be punished for your mistakes. Your bottom will soon learn the difference between a pleasure-spanking and a real one. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Mistress. Very clear," I answered. I felt my cock rise and thicken slightly as she was speaking, but could do nothing to cover myself. I could tell she noticed, because she looked at it and smiled a little. But she made no comment, and went on:
"You will get room and board and a little pocket money -- for bus fare and so forth. You will have one day off each week, to be arranged between us. You will learn a number of home maintenance skills whose relevance may not be clear to you. They actually have several purposes which you will come to understand. Their main purpose is simply to pay me for training and feeding you. If I am not satisfied with your work, you will be dismissed for no other reason."
"You will be trained both by me and by my consort Mitchell, who is also submissive to me, but on a very different basis. His status is much higher than yours. You will call him 'Sir' and obey him as you do me, and you will serve us both. You will attend classes at the Guild School and get practice in what you learn there. Under Mitchell's or my supervision, you will also get to practice with Lisa, and with two other apprentices of mine, named Joe and Gayle, who are not here today."
"When you are ready, I will have you assist me with outside clients doing the kind of work that you'll eventually be paid for, once you are qualified and licensed. For now, this work is just part of your training and part of the way you will pay me for it."
"I will give you a contract form to take home and go over with your mother. Then bring it back here; we will both sign it; and I will give you a copy. That will make our relationship official. I will keep a copy too, and a third copy will be filed at guild headquarters -- for your protection and mine. It covers our relationship and our work with clients under their insurance."