A Itten's Tail

"Well Signor Frame, how are we doing today?"

I looked over at the therapist and smirked. "Surprisingly good when you consider I got shot three weeks ago. My chest itches constantly and my shoulder hurts, but I'm getting along okay."

"Is the tramadol not cutting the pain," he asks as he glances down at my chart. "You're on a really low dosage, so we can increase it without causing any problems."

They had finally let me stop taking the OxyContin last week, switching me over to tramadol every six hours. The pain was only bad in the mornings, because it wore off before I woke up.

"No, the painkillers are fine. This is more of a deep aching feeling, kind of like I slept on it wrong, but obviously that's not the case."

"That's about normal for this stage," he replied. "The bad news is that ache is just going to get worse over the next couple weeks. Keep taking the diclofenac and try using an icepack for fifteen minutes every hour."

"You make it sound like there is good news."

"I guess it's all a matter of perspective," He chuckled. "There is good news in a way. You're done with the shoulder immobilizer, so you will finally be able to take a real shower. Most of my clients with your injury are pretty happy about that. You'll still be wearing a sling for at least another month, but you can take it off for limited activities."

"I would say that qualifies as good news. We kept the sponge baths entertaining, but I'm dying for a long, hot shower." I looked down that the immobilizer and sighed. "This thing has been the bane of my existence for the past few weeks, but I'm guessing I'm still going to be pretty limited."

"You hit the nail right on the head. You can take the sling off to shower, get dressed and do your exercises, but it has to stay on other than that. As your range of motion improves, we will start leaving it off more during the day, but you should still sleep with it on to help protect the joint. I'll be taking you through the exercises today, and you need to do them four times a day at home."

I shook my head and grinned. "Let's get started then. The sooner we start, the sooner I can finally take a shower."

Of course, that wasn't necessarily true. Vivi and Sonia had appointments today with Dr. Perelli, so we had to wait for them before going home. With Sonia turning up pregnant a week after Vivi, we now had five pregnant women in the house and a sixth hinting she would like to be. I had to promise Gianna that she could get off her birth control as soon as Kiera delivered.

My therapist's comments about the ache in my shoulder getting worse proved to be true. After having been immobilized for almost three weeks, even passive range of motion exercises were rough. We spent as much time icing my shoulder after we finished as we did exercising it.

"The first three days are the worst, but keep up on your exercise schedule," he warned me. "The ache will fade quickly after that, but your shoulder has to get used to being used again. Just remember, even when you have the sling off to shower or get dressed, don't try to use that arm. The shoulder isn't strong enough to take any kind of pressure still."

"That shouldn't be a problem. My girls won't let me do anything that might result in it getting injured again," I replied, "Same time next week?"

"Of course, I have you set in this time slot for the next six weeks. We may not need you in every week for that long, but it's easier to plan ahead," he explained. "We will probably start some assisted range of motion exercises next week, would your girlfriend have any issues helping you out with those a couple times a day?"

I glanced over at where Mandy was siting and grinned. She had insisted on coming with me to my appointments, and we never bothered to correct the assumption that she was my girlfriend. "I don't think that will be a problem."

"Perfect, I'll see both of you next week then. Remember, if the pain gets too bad after your exercises, you can double up the amount of tramadol you're currently taking, but try the ice first."

I nodded as I walked over to Mandy, thinking the girls' pain management plan was far better. I would still ice my shoulder after doing my exercises, but I would probably be receiving a blowjob at the same time. I had no idea if that endorphin thing was true, but it certainly kept my mind off the pain.

"I'm all finished if you're ready to go my dear. My therapist did ask if my girlfriend would be willing to help with some assisted exercises next week."

I watched her smirk as she put her copy of Forbes back in her bag. "Master, you know I'm willing to help. Did you want to wait here for Vivi and Sonia, or would you like to walk over to Dr. Perelli's office? Their appointments were at nine-fifteen and nine-thirty, so they will probably be awhile."

"Of course we're going to walk over and wait there. It's a beautiful day and Dr. Perelli's office is only a couple kilometers away. I could use the exercise, and it's only a bit farther than the coffee shop where we wait for Zara. Between Zara's delicious cooking and the shoulder injury limiting my movement, I feel like I'm getting soft," I reminded her. "Besides, who wouldn't want to stroll through Bari with a beautiful woman on his arm?"

She leaned into me with a predatory little grin on her face. "I can think of one part of you that definitely hasn't gone soft much over the past few weeks. A little exercise wouldn't hurt though. We need to keep your heart and lungs healthy so you can get back to your regular schedule once that sling comes off."

I glanced over as we walked out of the room. "Is that your way of saying you and your sisters are getting tired of all the blowjobs?"

Remember that look I talked about? The one all women have that says stop being stupid? Apparently being a slave didn't affect that look, because Mandy gave it to me. "You don't actually believe that, do you? We love this schedule, because it means more of us get to play with you each day. You know we all get together and discuss things we want to ask you for. Our most common topic lately has been us wondering if we can get you to do the all-day blowjob thing at least twice a week. I only mentioned your normal schedule because I know you prefer having sex with us more often."

"What can I say, I enjoy watching you cum for me," I replied with a grin. "Although I think I'm losing my touch. It has seemed that you are all having a hard time climaxing for me these past few weeks."

Mandy looked away for a minute before giving me an awkward smile. "It's not anything you're doing, Master. We love having you inside of us, but it has been hard to let go and enjoy it. If we get too into the experience, we could jar your shoulder and cause you more pain, so we have all been holding ourselves back. Nobody wanted to mention it, but we prefer giving you blowjobs right now, because there is no way we could jar your shoulder when we do that."

She would have avoided mentioning it if I hadn't brought it up, but I knew she was being honest with me. "I will take that into consideration." I had been trying to make it more enjoyable for the girls, but their worry about hurting me was overriding that. I mused over it for a while before glancing over at Mandy.

"Do you feel that you would all prefer it if I didn't ask you to ride me until I'm healed up more?"

"As hard as it is to believe, yes. Our biggest concern right now is helping you heal. We're not exactly going without, Master. The other men help take care of us, and we all enjoy playing with each other. It's not as satisfying as having you take one of us, but we can wait for that," she explained. "You remember what Sonia said in the hospital that first night? We enjoy any time we get with you, even if our activities are limited. We will all be happy when you can do more, but we want you to heal first."

As much as I hated to admit it, I knew she was right. Knowing the girls were holding back on their own pleasure to avoid hurting me would strip away my own enjoyment of it as well. My pets would go along with whatever I decided, but I didn't want them to worry more than they already did. I would just have to plan something special for once I was healed.

We arrived at Dr. Perelli's office to find Vivi already back in the waiting room. Her bouncing up to me, kissing me thoroughly, and asking if I would be able to come to her first prenatal appointment next month drew a few looks. Sonia doing the exact same thing five minutes later just made it more amusing. Even accounting for the fact I looked younger than I was, I still looked old enough to be their father.

The ride home was uneventful, although I was a bit surprised to see the police car outside our home. The bigger surprise came when we got inside and saw who was sitting with the detective. The look in their eyes was enough to tell me to hold off questioning them until after I had dealt with the detective.

"Officer Sanpori, to what do we owe the honor of a personal visit. Have you been waiting long, and would you like something to drink?"

He shook his head. "Your cook offered to make coffee, but I've had enough to float a small barge already this morning. I called and your staff informed me about when you would be arriving, so I haven't been waiting very long. I wish I could say this was a social call, but I was actually coming out to see if you wanted police protection and give out some bad news. I didn't realize you already had private security, and by how thorough they were with checking my credentials before allowing me in the house, I would say you're in good hands."

"Yes, they are very efficient. I'm curious why you think I needed police protection and what the bad news is though."

He sighed and looked over at Vivianna. "I'm sorry to have to inform you of this, but your parents were both murdered last night. There were riots at both facilities and your parents were found with multiple stab wounds once the guards got everything under control."

I saw the tears forming in her eyes but she shook her head. "I lost my parents when they decided to try killing Alonso. They wouldn't even agree to see me when I tried to visit them. I think I need to go lay down, but I don't want to be alone. Sonia, would you come with me?"

Sonia just smiled and took Vivi's hands to lead her upstairs. Even with her having given up on her parents, losing them would be hard on her. Sonia was the best person to help her right now though. Having recently lost her own family gave her a special insight to what Vivi would be feeling.

Once they were out of the room, I looked back to the detective. "I'm guessing there is more to the story."

"We believe the riots were a cover for the murders. Neither facility reported any other significant injuries, and both riots happened during the dinner hour. You know we were investigating the incident at your home, but neither assailant would say anything about why they attacked you. I have a feeling that something larger is at work here and they were killed to make sure they didn't talk."

I shook my head to clear my confusion. "That doesn't make any sense. Other than having several lovers, I've never been involved in anything immoral. I'm just a retired businessman."

"We know, we have done extensive background checks on you as part of our investigation," he replied with an apologetic look. "The only thing even remotely questionable is your involvement with the Slade family, and that is pretty minor. They don't have the best reputation, but they aren't involved in anything criminal. We think someone is targeting you personally. We have no idea who or why, and our only leads have dried up. That's why we wanted to offer police protection. Nothing intrusive, but I would like to station a car outside your property in case there is another attack."

I caught another small headshake from the girls. "Can I discuss it with my private security and get back to you? Their company is very efficient and I don't want to take up taxpayer dollars if I don't need to."

"Of course," he replied before handing me his card. "Call me directly if you decide you would like to have a unit stationed outside. The commissioner has already approved the request, so I can have them here within half an hour of hearing from you."

"I appreciate your concern and will let you know. Was there anything else we can help you with today?"

"Just one thing, but it's not related to your case. We will need Vivianna to come down to the station and either claim the remains or sign the forms that allow us to make the funeral arrangements. We attempted to contact her siblings for interviews after her parents were incarcerated, but they are out of the country and haven't responded."

"We will take care of the funeral arrangements and have her come in tomorrow to claim them," I told him. I'd heard stories of what happened when the government took care of the funeral arrangements for deceased prisoners. Families who couldn't afford the funeral frequently agreed and were dismayed after when they couldn't even learn where their loved ones were buried. Vivi may want nothing to do with her parents right now, but I knew it would pass someday and she would want to pay her final respects.

After a final urging to accept police protection, the detective took his leave. I waited for him to get out of the house before looking to Scarlett and Katherine. "The two of you can come greet me properly, then explain what exactly is going on here. As pleasant as the surprise is, it's not like Julien to send you to me without calling."

They both gave me a kiss that curled my toes before sitting down next to me. "We're sorry for the surprise Master. I'm sure Master Julien intended to call, but he probably got tied up with his contacts and he only sent us a few hours ago."

Scarlett caught my confusion and smiled. "Sorry Master, I should probably start at the beginning. Master Julien is in Paris, negotiating the purchase of Fangatau from the French government. He was going to call in a couple days to arrange for a short visit before returning home, but he got a phone call early this morning and told us to grab our bags and have the flight crew bring us to you, full security protocols."

"Hold on before you go any farther, Scarlett," Katherine interrupted. "Vivianna needs to hear this as well. She deserves to know the truth behind what happened and what's going on now."

"You're right, Master, can we take this upstairs?" I was still confused but I nodded. Katherine helped me up, and as we went upstairs Scarlett dropped back to talk quietly with Mandy.

"I don't mean to scare you, Master, but I want you to know how serious this is," Katherine whispered. "The last time Master put me on security protocols was about fifteen seconds before I slammed Jason's face into the table. I know you heard about the incident with his family. Scarlett and I are here to protect you this time."

I had kind of figured that. It sounded like Julien had more information than the police did at this point, but that wasn't too surprising. He had contacts in every country, including quite a few in less than legal ventures. His own illegal activities were spread out enough that they were rarely traced back to him by the local authorities, and the few times it happened the cover was already in place so it looked to be a legal contract.

We got to the bedroom to find Vivi and Sonia curled up with Rebeca and Felicia. From how puffy her eyes were, it was clear she had been crying the entire time. As I sat down on the bed, I reached over to touch her. "Vivi, I know you needed some time, but Scarlett has something you need to hear. They were telling me what prompted their surprise visit, but Katherine said you needed to hear the story as well."

"It's alright, Master," she said as she sat up and wiped her eyes. "I hated my parents for what they did, but I still feel horrible about them dying. I just don't understand why they would want to kill you, or why it hurts so much now that they're gone."

"It hurts because they were still your parents," I explained. "They loved you and took care of you for years, and nothing can change the fact that you still feel love for them. I think the girls may have more information on what caused the incident though."

"We do, Master," Scarlett replied. "Master Julien had us in the room when he was on the phone, so we heard most of the story. Vivi, your parents were acting under duress when they shot Master. Your younger brother and sister were kidnapped. The kidnappers were going to kill them if your parents didn't do exactly as they were told."

Scarlett turned back to me and continued. "Master Julien sends his apologies. He didn't realize giving Rebeca to you would put you in danger. The people who picked Rebeca up initially, before she came to the island, they were never paid for the job. They have been looking for Rebeca for the past year, trying to find Mr. Pierson, but they had no idea who he was. The entire job was handled through a middleman, who happened to turn up dead the day after our team picked Rebeca up. Master Julien thinks they are running off the assumption that you were the one who shorted them."

"Master, the people who did the initial pickup were with the Bratva, and they used their connections to other criminal organizations to spread Rebeca's picture. When you started taking her out in public, someone noticed her and reported her location. They were the ones who kidnapped Vivi's siblings and blackmailed her parents into trying to kill you. We don't know what their plans are at this point, but Master Julien has people trying to locate the men targeting you. Our job is to keep you safe until they deal with the situation."

I reached up to try rubbing away the pain forming in my head. "Scarlett, I know how fierce you can be, but if I'm being targeted by the mafia, I'm probably going to need far more protection that you can provide. We should probably get the police involved and let them know what's happening."

Scarlett shook her head and bit her lip nervously. "Master, would you be upset with me if I don't tell you everything I know? I can confirm that the Bratva isn't after you. I promise the person looking into this issue is very efficient."

"I'm assuming he's one of your visitors?" She nodded hesitantly. "You don't need to say anything more. I'm curious how Julien found out about this so quickly though, if you can say without betraying any confidences."

"I can describe it loosely, if that's acceptable," she asked. "It was the hit on Vivianna's parents. Let's say man A contacted man B to let him know the job they requested had been completed. Man B had no idea about the job, and it started a flurry of calls between various organization heads to find out who actually ordered the hit. It was traced back to the Bratva organization, where the leader, who we will refer to as man C, had no idea who ordered the job, but contacted Master Julien because it was related to you. Master Julien had contacted him a couple weeks to make sure the attack on you wasn't one of their jobs. Man C is Master Julien's contact in the Bratva and is very annoyed right now, because the group that is after you are using organizational contacts for a job the organization isn't getting a cut of."

"It's so nice to know I'm alive because someone forgot to pay his mob boss," I said sarcastically. "Sorry, pet, I don't mean to take it out on you. I know your just delivering the news, but I'm a bit annoyed."

"I know you're just frustrated, Master. It actually would have been better if they had reported the job, especially once they weren't paid for it. Anyone in their organization with a high enough rank to approve that kind of job would have recognized Master Julien's name and contacted him for more information," she explained. "Master Julien is not a fan of people who don't pay their debts. With Rebeca having still been on the island at the time, he probably would have told Pierson to pay the debt or it would void their contract and he would keep Rebeca for his trouble. It was stipulated in the contract that Pierson was responsible for the pickup. You never would have been injured that way."