Jessica tried to tell herself she wasn't breaking any rules, but she was still a little bit frightened of what Master was going to say. She was wearing clothes in the house, yes, but that was allowed when she was going outside, and she really hoped she would be going outside just as soon as she asked permission. Getting ready was taking the, um... taking the thing, the big word that meant doing things on your own... Jessica felt the usual thick fog settle over her thoughts, but this time she pushed back against it. What she was doing was too important to relax into the soft pink mist that swallowed her big words. She was taking the...
Imitative! That was it. Jessica was taking the imitative for her Master and she felt so proud. She walked into his den and stood behind his chair, hands clasped together in front of her, trying not to make her worried face. He didn't notice her at first-that was another rule Jessica wasn't exactly breaking, going into the den when Master was working. But she was allowed when it was important, and this was a big important thing Jessica wanted to do for the man she adored.
She finally screwed up the courage to speak. "Um, Master?" she said, her voice hesitant. "I, um... I have a favor to ask." He swiveled his chair around to face her, his face a little bit stormy as he took in her outfit. But he didn't say anything about it, at least not yet. He just rested his hands on the armrests of his chair and raised one eyebrow in silent consternation. She could tell he was probably mad at her, but she hoped he would feel better once she explained herself.
With nothing to do but dig herself in deeper, Jessica pressed on with the speech she'd been practicing. "Um, so I was... um, kind of..." She winced, knowing that the next part skirted yet more rule-breaking. "Um... thinking. About how to be a better girl for you," she added quickly, before he could get the idea that she needed any punishments or anything. "And I know you've got to go to the grocery store pretty soon, and I thought that maybe, if-if it was okay with you, Master, maybe I could go instead? Um, not, like, far or anything, just..." She felt the weight of his continual silence pressing down on her, squeezing the words back down into her chest. "Just to the... the store."
He kept staring at her, the hush in the room freezing into an icy quiet that seemed to stretch into an eternity. Jessica felt like she had to keep talking just to keep it at bay. "It's just that, I mean... I know it's got to be hard for you, going out every week to do the grocery shopping and pushing around that big, um... ummm..." She furrowed her brow, trying to remember the name of the thing with the wheels that you put all the food into. It was so hard to think about stuff that wasn't in the house, but she needed to show him she could do things just like a smart girl if she had to. "Cart!" she said at last, her voice triumphant.
Then she frowned again. She'd forgotten what she was going to say next. It took her almost a full minute to backtrack through the pink fog in her head and regain her train of thought, a minute that felt like an hour under Master's stern gaze. "I just want to help you, Master. May I? Please?" she asked, her voice cracking with anxiety as she finally ran out of smart girl words.
He kept looking at her, his face unreadable. Jessica felt her knees trying to buckle, her body instinctively wanting to drop down and nuzzle his crotch the way she always did when she made a mistake and wanted to say she was sorry with her tongue. But she didn't know if that would make things better, or worse. So instead she froze, waiting for him to make up his mind.
Finally, his expression broke into an indulgent smile. "You really want to help me, huh, good girl?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Jessica couldn't help smiling right along with him as the tense feeling inside her stomach finally melted into sheer delight. Master understood she was trying to be his good girl. He wasn't mad at her. That alone made her feel so relieved that she couldn't even describe it. She began to giggle, her fingers nervously twisting themselves into her curly blonde hair as the tension inside her unwound.
Master stood up and took her hand, guiding her over to the couch. He sat down and patted the spot next to him, beckoning her to join him. "Now sweetie," he said, as she took her place at his side, "you know I'm always very proud of you when you try to use that silly little brain of yours to find ways to be a better good girl for me. Don't you?"
Jessica nodded, feeling as always the little pulse of warmth and happiness she got whenever she agreed with Master. "And I'm happy that you tried to take the initiative and come up with something you could do to help make my life easier." Jessica blinked heavily as her brain tried to process the smart girl word he used-she knew she could get it if he just gave her a minute or two, it sounded a lot like something she kind of remembered-but he kept talking, and she let it go so she could keep up with what he was saying. Master was always so nice and understanding when she couldn't figure out all the big words anyway.
"Even getting dressed all by yourself, without any help from me, it's..." He chuckled a little, as if unable to help himself. "Well, you definitely tried." Jessica looked down at her outfit, struggling to figure out what was wrong with it. She'd remembered her stockings, and she'd remembered to wear a nice short skirt that showed off her pretty thighs. She even remembered to put on a shirt! But she must have made a mistake somewhere, because Master was... was...