The Serenity of Servitude

Chapter Two Megan's Initiate

The sun shines in the window on this early Friday morning as Mark releases Megan's cuffs from the bed frame. He can't help but grin with satisfaction as he dresses for work. Megan has the day off and her kids are at their dad's today so she has no immediate obligations. Contentment radiates from her as she stretches and snuggles back under the covers, planning to sleep another hour or so.

"Thank you Master. What a wonderful way to wake up." Megan said with a smile. Mark returned to her side for one last kiss from his Slave before heading off to work.

"Sleep well, Beloved. I will see you later. Have a good day." he spoke gently as Megan's eyes were already beginning to close.

Mark backed out of the drive way and headed off to the city to work. As he turned onto the highway, a familiar black truck passed him heading into the little town both he and Megan lived in.

"Couldn't be Nicole, its way too early for her to be out and about," Mark muttered to himself as he shook his head while completing the turn onto the highway. Figuring it was just a similar vehicle, not the one belonging to their friend.

A loud banging startled Megan out of her doze. With some effort she focused her mind enough to realize it was the door. Shrugging into her housecoat and tying the belt on the way Megan went to see who was here. Megan holds her housecoat tightly closed as she cracks the door open, which was still being pounded on. Megan was surprised to see Nicole standing there a little after 7 in the morning. Blinking away the remnants of the sleep that she almost had, Megan tried to wake up.

"I figured you were here after there was no answer on your door. Now let me in! You have some explaining to do you... you.... WITCH!" Nicole hissed angrily as she pushed Megan gently out of the way and walked into Mark's house. Slightly reeling from the vehemence of Nicole's words Megan stepped back and after Nicole was inside, shut the door, and then went in search of some caffeine. The slight push had loosened Megan's hold on her housecoat and while it was not exposing anything private, it was gaping slightly. Nicole watched silently, mouth open, while Megan got a cup of coffee.

Nicole was staring at her friend in complete shock. When Megan had reached out for the coffeepot her sleeve slid up and exposed a black leather bracelet... complete with silver buckle and ring. And now that the front of the housecoat wasn't gathered so closely Nicole could see a matching collar around her friend's neck. Nicole slumped into a nearby chair, trying to process this normal sight of Megan drinking her coffee looking totally at ease while wearing a collar and cuffs.

"Ok. Try again now that I'm a little more coherent. Why are you here this early? Did you stay up all night again? And did you call me a witch?" Megan asked groggily.

"No..." Nicole stammered, "I slept already... I woke up at 6: oo am and..."

"6:00 am..... YOU.... you got up at 6:00 am... are you feeling okay?" Megan said with a surprised laugh.

"Yes, I got up early! Not that I wanted to! It's been like this all week... and it's all YOUR fault!" Nicole snarled petulantly, still staring at Megan's collar.

"My fault.... how do you figure that one? What is going on here? Why are you looking at me like that anyways?" Megan asks curiously.

"What is that around your neck and wrists?" Nicole asks reluctantly.

"What does it look like? It's my collar and cuffs. I always wear them when I'm home, without outside company." Megan answers in a matter of fact voice.

Nicole shakes her head, muttering to herself, "I knew I shouldn't have asked," and then continues in a louder voice. "And it IS your fault I can't sleep. I've barely slept 4 hours a night all week. I try to stay up as long as I can to avoid that damn dream, but it always comes anyways and then I wake up around dawn and I am too afraid it'll come back to try to sleep more. I'm exhausted and miserable and I can't take it anymore. YOU started the dream.... YOU figure out how to get rid of it. I need peace!" Nicole is almost hysterical by this point. The lack of sleep and increasing desires sparked by the dream has pushed her to the edge of her limits.

"What dream? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about Nicky... please... calm down and explain what's going on." Megan speaks in a soothing tone.

Megan starts out with a puzzled and concerned expression, but as Nicole's account of the dream that is plaguing her sleep continues, amusement slowly spreads across Megan's face. Nicole is blushing harder and harder as she recounts the dream and how it made her feel... but upon reaching the point where the Master removes his mask Nicole hesitates. Megan has a good idea who it was in Nicole's dream but wants Nicole to admit it.

"Oh come on, don't leave me hanging... who was it?" Megan demands in an excited voice which matches the shimmer in her eyes.

"Mark," was all Nicole said.

Nicole's one word answer conveyed all the shame, frustration and embarrassment that had welled up inside her. Fully expecting to be thrown out for fantasizing about her friend's man Nicole was surprised by Megan's reply.

"Well what happened next?" Megan asked curiously.

Nicole looked up at her friend and in a shocked voice whispered "It doesn't bother you that I had a kinky dream about your boyfriend?"

"No, why should it? I understand how wonderful my Master is, that's why I'm willing to help some other poor miserable woman find peace through service just like I have... so go on... what happened next?" Megan asks eagerly. Nicole shakes her head in confusion, but continues her tale.

"Not much, I wake up with a scream, but feeling very horny, sometimes I masturbate after... last night I actually came in my sleep... This has got to stop. Whatever you did to implant these thoughts in my head... fix it! It's starting to become a daydream too! I can't go on like this. I'm barely sleeping and so agitated during the day. Please Megan... Help me.... I need peace!" Nicole pleads.

"Nothing I can do to help... It was Nothing I did to cause it either. It's you Nicole. Your submissive side is trying to tell you something. It wants you to recognize it. Your subconscious will keep plaguing you with thoughts like this until you give in to it. Just like a craving for chips won't go away until you taste some." Megan gently tries to comfort Nicole.

With a loud sob Nicole bursts into tears and Megan holds her as she cries. "How can I go back to the way I was? I don't like feeling like this all the time. How can I make this all go away? I'm miserable. I feel like.... I don't even know," Nicole finishes with a sigh.

"You feel like something is missing... something that will bring you comfort and peace?" Megan asks with a smile. Nicole looks up with tear filled eyes and solemnly nods. "The something you're missing is Submission. I know... I've been there too. But the only way to make it better is to submit, you will have greater peace than you have ever known before. Before you can submit though, you need a Master. I know Mark would be willing to help you out on that one," Megan finishes with a grin.

"Ok, I'll try it. I'll try anything to stop feeling like this," resigned, Nicole speaks in an uncertain tone.

"Well I will help you any way I can, but you are not yet ready to enter into his service." Megan stops speaking at Nicole's alarmed and puzzled expression.

"Part of the agreement Master and I have reached is that I must first approve of any potential Slaves of my Master. This ensures he is not inconvenienced by the beginning stages of training, and that by the time He meets them, they are worthy. You have a lot to learn before you could deserve the privilege of entering into the service of Master."

Nicole is shocked and slightly insulted by this little speech, but then John's words came back to haunt her. Words like: selfish, childish, lazy... Those are not qualities for a Slave, and Nicole (although reluctantly), wants to try to be one. She turns to Megan with hopeful eyes and asks "What do I have to do?"

"I am willing to take you on as an 'Initiate.' This stage will help you understand what it means to be a Slave, as well as learn the behaviour expected of you. Then it will be up to you to prove you can properly function as a Slave before you are granted the pleasure of serving my Master." Megan replied with a smile.

Her apprehension evident in her eyes and posture, and Nicole's voice is also shaky. "I want to learn. I would like to be your initiate. Please Megan, Help me find Peace."

With those words, Megan hugged Nicole and then stood up. Nicole watched her friend stand, and somehow just by that simple act, Megan seemed to exude more energy, she seemed more formidable now. Nicole ponders this change of perception, and wonders if it not she who has changed, as now she sees Megan as something more than a friend. Megan's next words convince her that it is her perceptions that changed as indeed Megan is now more.

"From now on, whenever we are alone, you will address me with the proper respect. Mistress' is the only acceptable title. I will address you as 'Initiate.' If we are in the company of others, then use our regular names. However, just because we use our regular names doesn't mean that the positions are no longer valid. This is something a Slave must learn, and remember. I don't wear my collar outside the house, but I conduct myself as if I was still wearing it. The collar is only a symbol, a tool. It represents the bond inside, between Master and Slave, and it is to be respected at all times." Megan's authoritative words ring true in Nicole's mind." Furthermore, do NOT mention this to Mark. When and if you prove yourself worthy, I will bring you before him then, but otherwise there is no need for anyone else to know. Is that understood?"

"Yes." Nicole replies quietly.

"Yes what?" Megan asks in an irritated voice.

"Yes Mistress," Nicole replies with a blush that is only partially caused by embarrassment.

"Part of being a Slave is taking care of your Master, his house, and his belongings. This is not an obligation... simply your privilege. So, in your training you will begin there. Go clean the kitchen." With those abrupt words, Megan turns away from a very confused Nicole and turns on a movie, settling into the corner of the couch.

Nicole realizes she's been dismissed, and so with only one choice, gets up and begins cleaning Mark's kitchen. As Megan keeps her Master's home fairly clean in the first place there is not much to do, but enough to keep Nicole busy during half the movie. When the dishes are all washed, dried and put away, and the rest of the kitchen has been tidied up, Nicole returns to the living room and moves to sit on the couch next to Megan. With the movie still playing in the background, Megan turns to Nicole with a disapproving gaze.

"You need to remember you are my Initiate, and I am your Mistress. You may only sit beside me when invited. When you have finished an assigned task, you are to kneel before the one you're serving. Now Kneel." With stern words Megan points to the floor at her feet.

Nicole nods quietly, and drops to her knees. "May I watch the movie with you Mistress?" Nicole asks with cheeks aflame.

"You have done a good job in the kitchen. Yes, you may stay there, and watch the rest of the movie with me". Megan's kind words made Nicole's blush deepen. A multitude of feelings were running through Nicole. The newness of it all was quite concerning. However much she felt alarmed, she also felt excited. Nicole was also aroused like she had never been before. This confused her as Megan had been entirely proper, and there had been no sexual component to the morning's events. Nicole also felt comforted by serving Megan. As she knelt there on the floor beside Megan's chair Nicole felt wave after wave of contentment wash over her.

Two weeks ago Nicole would have been outraged at the suggestion she would kneel before someone, as she felt no woman should be subjugated like that. But now, Nicole realized that submission does not mean humiliation and that domination does not mean disrespect. As she tried to make sense of the maelstrom of emotions in her heart, the one thing that shined through all the confusion was happiness; Nicole was content and happy to be serving her Mistress.

As the movie continued, Megan idly ran her fingers through Nicole's hair, across the back of her neck and over her shoulders. The skin exposed around Nicole's tank top tingled in response to Megan's unconscious caressing. The innocent caresses felt somehow intimate, and compounded by the pleasant ache in Nicole's knees were quite arousing. That Megan seemed indifferent to Nicole's increasing desire only made matters worse for Nicole.

With startling clarity, Nicole realized that THIS was part of what Megan was talking about, that indefinable something that servitude brought. The joy and serenity Nicole was feeling by submitting to Megan was unlike anything Nicole had ever felt. It didn't matter that her knees were beginning to get sore, or weather she wanted to be touched or not; Megan could do whatever she wanted and Nicole would accept it happily. This was not a conscious decision, more of a subtle realization of a choice already made; a choice that resonated with righteousness inside Nicole with the first acknowledgement of Megan as 'Mistress'.

Megan's words startled Nicole out of her revelries of self reflection. "You have done well today Initiate. I can see changes in you, your manner, your tone, even in your eyes that show how you are learning. The most important lesson for an initiate to learn is Obedience. But this goes hand in hand with Respect. Respect for the one you serve. You have been extremely disrespectful in the past and this will NOT continue. What is one way you have shown others disrespect?"

Nicole bowed her head and shamefully replied "There have been many ways. In the two weeks since John dumped me I have done a lot of thinking about my behaviour. He was right about a lot of things. I expected to get my way in everything, and was very selfish; I felt that I was so adorable that people should let me get away with it... and they usually did."

Megan's tone was cold and hard as marble. "This is true. Even Mark and I as some of your closest friends felt your indifference to other's feelings. This attitude was extremely disrespectful. How can you show your respect for others?"

"I am not sure Mistress." Nicole quietly replied.

"The next community meeting is on Monday. It starts at 7:00pm but you will be early." At the word 'early' a flash of panic hit Nicole's eyes. Megan ignored it and continued in the same rock hard tone "You WILL arrive at 6:30. You will bring with you some form of baking, but homemade, not store bought. Get the coffee started. As each member arrives greet them with fresh coffee and a serving of the baked goods. If anyone asks why you are doing this, simply tell them you wanted to help out."

"But I can't!!" Nicole stammered indignantly. "I'm never on time! I can't..."

The sharp report of skin hitting skin cut Nicole's words off before she could finish her sentence. The outline of Megan's hand was quickly rising in red on Nicole's cheek. Nicole was astounded to realize that it was not indignation at being slapped that was rising in her, but pride that her Mistress had disciplined her, and shame that it had been necessary.

Megan's green eyes flashed with an icy fire as she spoke in a tone that was more threatening in its control than if she had shouted at her insolent initiate.

"You WILL be early. I don't care how you manage it. You have the weekend to plan and bake. But know this. I will be very displeased if I hear you have not followed your instructions. Being prompt is not a difficult skill. You simply must set aside your own desires for someone else's. This is a basic element of servitude."

Nicole shivered as the controlled tone changed slightly, giving away the anger underneath it. "Furthermore... you must NEVER talk back to or disobey the one you serve again! That is unacceptable, and you will be punished severely for it."

Nicole had no doubt that it was a very real threat implied by those words, and while part of her shivered in fear, the rest of her anticipated the opportunity for Megan to prove the veracity of her words. Nicole also felt the natural stirring of a Slave; the desire to please the one they serve so no such discipline is necessary.

"Your service here, and this learning process is voluntary, Initiate." Megan spoke in an indifferent tone "However, if you choose to continue and IF you gain the necessary progress to earn the privilege of becoming a collared Slave... that bond is much harder to walk away from. What is your choice?"

Panicked at the thought of losing this wondrous feeling she had just gained, and realizing that the serenity if servitude was what she had been missing for so long Nicole was eager to assure her Mistress that she had no intention of walking away from this opportunity to improve.

"I am not sure how I will manage it, but I WILL manage it Mistress." Nicole assured Megan with a nervous smile. Seeking to placate her Mistress she continued.

"What can I do for you now Mistress?"

With a smile Megan instructed Nicole through the steps of making lunch for the two of them, setting lunch on the table, and asking permission to join Mistress at the table before sitting down, and then cleaning the kitchen after the meal was finished. Together they also got Mark's supper started in a crock pot. Megan was quite pleased at the way this Initiate was shaping up.

"May I make you some coffee Mistress? I woke you early this morning and you look tired." Nicole spoke with a yawn, showing her own exhaustion as well.

Megan's voice gave away none of the pleasure in Nicole's progress that showed in her eyes. "Yes. Coffee would be lovely."

Nicole's eyes understood what her ears didn't hear. She could see the pleasure in her Mistress' eyes, even if the sound of the words didn't convey it. Nicole felt a warmth inside that came of the knowledge she had pleased her Mistress. She loved this feeling, this serenity... it was like a drug, and already addicted, Nicole wanted more.

After presenting her Mistress with a fresh cup of coffee, Nicole knelt down awaiting instruction. As she sipped the coffee, Megan reached out and placed her hand on Megan's cheek, fingers tracing the sensitive skin that still bore faint red marks from the hard slap delivered there earlier. Nicole's eyes were closed as she revelled in the sensations she was feeling. As Megan continued caressing her Initiate, in a non sexual but still extremely intimate way she noted the quickening of Nicole's breath, and the tensing of her muscles.

Could it be this little one harboured other tendencies as well that she had also denied? 'How interesting...' Megan thought to herself. Her nimble fingers began to take a longer stroke on Nicole's skin, each time ending slightly lower than the previous had been. Megan's touches lingered on Nicole's collarbone, and then lower still until her fingers traced the edge of Nicole's top, which barely concealed her small, yet firm breasts.

Nicole held her breath in anticipation, and was not sure if she was relieved or disappointed when Megan ended her caressing and spoke softly "That will be all for the day Initiate. You have come far, and are progressing nicely." Nicole beamed under this praise, while Megan continued, "However, remember the lessons you have learned today about respect, and obedience. These are not lessons to be forgotten."

Nicole nodded her head gravely, and rose from the floor to get ready to head back to her house, and looking forward to a much needed nap. Just before she leaves the house Megan calls out in a tone that tells Nicole she is not to be disobeyed.