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Risking All
I had worn his steel collar now for well over a year, today it felt heavy and uncomfortable about my neck. My shoulders ached and I kept feeling I had to hold it off my skin for some respite. To take the weight of it from me for a while, most maddening. I wished he would remove it for a while, but he would not. I need not ask, and save myself the consequences of doing so.
Master rarely 'played' with me now. I could sense he wanted to, however his sadistic and many of his rougher sexual urges went mostly unsatisfied. In a ritual of age old fascination and curiosity toward the creation of new life part of him was drawn spellbound to the changes in me. I could see it plainly, in his looks and gestures he gave it away.
Hard as he was he would often at nights in the short summer darkness place his strong, large, hands on my belly to feel the movements of the nascent life housed within. He was both giver and taker of life. While I dreamed of 'normal' things and pleasures, things that I knew with him could never be ours.
*****
Master had as was usual been drinking, he did it to the exclusion of most other things since he had lost his job and his car. Wallowing in his bad luck of late, his life becoming retrograde. I am sure he was beginning to become very costly in his habits to Mick's pocket. I wondered how long his friend would keep carrying him.
He rose from his place I followed, it appeared he was going for some fresh air. I stood looking at him mutely pleading as he unlocked the back door. He noticed me fortunately, many times he did not.
"Yes, come, put some clothes on and come outside."
I did not waste a moment, I did not want him to change his mind. He could so easily do so. He picked up the trash can and I followed him outside into what was left of the late afternoon. It was warm at least for Denmark.
I sat on the green expanse of lawn as he took the garbage through the rear gate also always locked to the dumpster in the lane way beyond. This was as close as I ever got to the outside world. In recent months its allure had become much diminished in my eyes. Was it the baby and my impending nesting instinct, or was it my expectations of life had lowered. Had I at last given in and become accepting of my station? I feared I had.
I was plucking at the small flowers that grew in the lawn, mostly violets and clover, watching him in the distance as he came back through the gateway and again locked it.
"Hallo."
The disembodied voice startled me. I looked up, I saw Master turn from the gateway, his stance aggressive. Leaning over the fence was a young fresh faced blonde headed gentleman, somewhere in his very early twenties his arms on the fence top, wearing a broad smile on his face.
"Hallo," the young man repeated. His pleasant azure eyes on me.
I smiled up at him but did not have the nerve to reply. Master however did.
"Hello." He said cautiously, his tone was none too friendly as he crossed the yard to stand next to me. I rose and nestled into his side. His arm went about me possessively.
"I'm John your new neighbor."
Master nodded I could see he was in no mood for pleasantries but he was cornered. John was looking at me intently and I felt very uncomfortable.
"Frej," he finally condescended to reply.
"Nice to meet you, and this is?"
Why did he have to notice me? Master stiffened by my side.
"My sla...... wife, Lidia." He said defensively in almost an uncivilized growl, leaving no room to even believe I would ever be available to anyone other than him even as a friend. His possession was crushing. He had not been this extreme back in the USA, although I had glimpsed shades of it. It had gotten so bad now it was almost an affliction with him. I could not imagine going anywhere in public with him these days. It was just as well I was a prisoner in his home, and saw the outside world so little.
"Very pleased to meet you Miss..... Lidia." John smiled, oblivious to my discomfort and Master's brimming wrath. He held Master there for what seemed like a very long time when in fact it was no more than a few minutes doing the friendly new neighbor niceties, speaking of nothing in particular and doing his best to be cordial. The entire episode was so innocent, however Master in his drunken perceptions did not see it that way.
He marched me inside, his fingers pressing into my upper arm leaving white marks. They would be bruises tomorrow. I was afraid before we even gained the door. He turned on me in the kitchen like a raging storm, I sunk to his feet on the torn linoleum. I had not the nerve nor the energy to take any more of his brutalities. I held on to his leg, my face to the floor and waited for his anger. He stood still above me for what seemed like an eternity. I could feel the hatred and jealous rage emanating from him acutely.
"They all want you," he rasped. "They would take you from me in a heartbeat. It doesn't matter who they are, friend, stranger or even my Brother!" He spat vehemently above me. "You lead them on, you make them want you. You incite men, you are nothing but a WHORE!" He was yelling now with not a care for who heard. Please do not hurt me I prayed.
I knelt there amid his cyclone of destruction, glasses, cups, plates and any object that was on the cupboard top he threw to the floor in a vile fury. I sat there covered in splintered glass waiting for him to stop. To my surprise he never hit me.
*****