Jen had no way of knowing how much time was passing as she hung there in her chains in the darkness of the cellar. To begin with, she was hopeful as she hung there, holding herself close to the wall, feeling it's coolness become hers, restoring balance to her raging body, the pain from her caning steadily dissipating, everything going back to normal. She hung onto Mistress' words before she left, that promise that she would return for Jen, knowing that she hadn't been abandoned, that Mistress still wanted her. Each moment that passed was merely one more moment gone until she was back with Mistress.
But after she had hung there for a while, doubts crept into her mind. Mistress had promised to return for her, that was true, but she had not said when she would return. It could be in a matter of minutes or seconds, that heavy door behind her could swing open and she'd enter, or it could be hours, she could leave Jen hanging there all night, wait until morning then free her from bonds but also free her from her service, cast her back to the world she'd plucked her out of yesterday without so much as a parting glance. Now, the passing of each moment was a thing of dread to her, each second taking her closer to the morning, the time when Mistress had said she would free her, a countdown to a freedom Jen was sure she could endure if she hadn't had the opportunity to show Mistress how devoted to her she was.
It took a while, but she managed to centre herself again, readopting the mindset she'd found earlier, taking on her subservient role, accepting that whatever happened or didn't happen was purely decided by Mistress, not her, and whatever Mistress decided for her, she would accept as she had taken everything else from her. The collar around her neck reminded Jen of who she was, that she had entered this slavery willingly of everything she had taken from Mistress so far, both pain and pleasure. No matter what happened next, Mistress had shown her something new, shown Jen her true self, new desires she hadn't even dreamed she possessed, and even if she never saw Mistress again, Jen would always be thankful to her.
It was after she had reached this state of calm acceptance of her fate that she heard the door to the cellar open. Jen listened, attentive, her ears attuned to the click of Mistress' heels on the stone floor but this time the sound didn't come. She could sense Mistress, feel her in the room, feel the patterns of air in the room change as a breeze moved through the open doorway, but she couldn't hear her. Was she just standing in the doorway watching her? Jen stood still against the wall, trying to keep herself calm, listening for something, anything above the sound of her own breathing.
Then, she felt it. Mistress' fingers on the backs of her thighs, resting gently on the place where the cane had fallen last, softly rubbing some sort of lotion into there, easing the few lingering sparks of pain that remained there. Then, her hands were on Jen's rear, massaging the same lotion into them, cooling and soothing them. Silently, Jen accepted Mistress' healing touch, feeling the tenderness, the love in the movement of her hands as they eased away the last remnants of Jen's pain. Everything melted away under that gentle touch, every last scintilla of torment disappeared from Jen's body pushed away by the feeling of Mistress' love back within her.
Mistress' hands stopped massaging and moved around to Jen's hips holding her lightly and then she felt something soft and wet touching the base of her spine. Mistress' lips, kissing her gently, then slowly working their way up her body, millimetres at a time, a trail of tender attention marking her. Jen could feel a warmth rising within her as Mistress' hands followed up her sides at the same rate, the fingertips lingering on her skin, enough to know that she was held in Mistress touch as the kiss inexorably progressed up her.
Mistress' fingers rested on the outside of Jen's breasts as her kisses passed between her shoulder blades. She could smell Mistress now, that soft sweetness of her perfume surrounding her, the simple fact of her presence making Jen feel whole again. The kisses reached her neck, that point where her skin disappeared under her collar, but Jen could feel them continuing across the leather. She could sense Mistress' lips upon it, the warmth from them following the circle that bound her neck, the collar like a gateway to her soul, Mistress' kisses going deep within her.