She walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. The early evening darkness hung around her. The house seemed still, unlit, yet she knew the occupant was at home, unaware of her impending arrival.

It was a few seconds before the light went on in the hallway and she heard the latch turning. She composed herself and momentarily looked back out to the street and the vehicles parked up by the roadside. The door was opened by the familiar figure of a young woman, tall and slim, her golden hair glowing in the hall light. She wanted to smile and say "Surprise!!!" but that would not have fitted the mood of her visit.

"Oh my god!! Auntie!" The young woman beamed as she saw who was standing on her doorstep.

"What brings you to town?"

She wanted to beam back at the young woman, wanted to hug her, but instead she just gave a polite smile.

"Family business Chloe," she replied "Am I to be invited in?"

"Oh heck! Yes Auntie, sorry… of course, come in"

Chloe stood back holding the door wide open as Auntie stepped across the threshold into the warmth of the hallway. She unbuttoned her jacket and held it out towards Chloe without even turning to look at her. She felt the jacket lifted from her hands and strolled into the living room.

It was a bright but empty room. The polished floorboards were adorned with a large faux fur rug and there was little in the way of furniture. The three un-windowed walls held large works of abstract art that were almost complex in their simplicity. Auntie sat down on the sofa, placing the bags she was carrying at the side, out of view. Her eyes wandered over the painting on the wall opposite her, as they had done many times before, following the lines and the colours and marvelling at Chloe's talent and creativity.

Chloe appeared in the doorway. She still seemed a little flustered by the surprise visit.

"Tea Auntie?" she enquired. Auntie nodded and Chloe disappeared again.

Whilst she busied herself making the tea Chloe's mind raced through the possible reasons for Auntie turning up on her doorstep like this. Was there a problem between Auntie and Master? she wondered. No, couldn't be that, Auntie would be devastated by that and she was showing no sign of upset. She seemed very cool and collected. Cool? Cold even. Was she annoyed? Chloe's stomach turned at the thought that maybe she, herself, was in trouble. But what had she done? She couldn't recall saying anything out of line; in fact she had been positively reclusive these past weeks. She strengthened her spirit with a shrug and carried the mug of tea to the living room.

They sat for a few moments in silence. Auntie lit a cigarette and without a spoken request Chloe fetched an ashtray and placed it within easy reach. The older woman continued her mind's travel along the lines of the painting opposite her, whilst Chloe sat with her head down and her hands clasped in her lap until the silence was too much for her.

"How did you get here Auntie?" She asked, trying to break the silence with small talk.

"That's not really important" came the reply

Chloe was starting to get a little annoyed. Here was her friend trying to be aloof and elusive and she decided she wasn't going to play along with it. Yet here also was her Mentor and she knew she must maintain her respect. She felt she was walking a fine line but decided nonetheless to be more direct in the questioning.

"Ok then … what brings you here then?" She cringed a little inside as the words hit the silence with an air of belligerence. She felt her foot slip off the fine line and land resoundingly on the wrong side.

Auntie did not react to the attitude, and the words themselves seem to fade into the ether, seemingly unreceived.

"Are we alone dear?"

"Yes, Becky has gone out with friends … don't expect her home until the early hours as usual" Chloe replied.

Becky and Chloe had shared the house for over a decade now. They were like sisters though sometimes they seemed more like an old married couple. The two women were total opposites. Where Becky was short and rounded, Chloe was tall and slim. Becky had a wild, fiery temper that often found her shouting and throwing things; Chloe was moody, sultry and retreated to the warm dark comfort of her inner self. Their relationship was loving, caring and extremely volatile.

"Chalk and cheese" Auntie mused to herself.

The one thing the two young women shared though was their stubbornness. Both became almost impenetrable barricades.

Auntie relaxed a little more inside herself. She was pleased to hear that Becky was safely out of the way. Her presence, or the possibility of her early return, would have laid waste to the visit.

The mug was empty. The cigarette extinguished. The moment had come. In a calm, still voice Auntie spoke.

"Chloe, go and stand on the rug please, facing the window"

"Why?"

"Don't question me, just do it Chloe"

Chloe made a vain attempt to lighten the mood in the room and make herself feel more comfortable.

"Oo - Are you turning Domme on us Auntie?" Her words crashed to the floor.

"Just do it Chloe".

Silence ensued, then with slow reluctance Chloe rose from her chair and walked over to the designated spot. She stood facing the window but made a sideways glance of defiance towards the older woman. It was ignored.

Auntie positioned herself on the sofa so she was outside of Chloe's peripheral vision. She watched intently at the young woman that stood barefoot on the rug. She waited for the first signs of impatience to show. She didn't have to wait long.

"Master and I are not happy Chloe. These moods of yours, the depressions, the withdrawals …this constant self-doubt about being a submissive .. it all seems very … self-indulgent"

A shrug moved across Chloe's shoulders.

"So? It's my problem not yours"

Auntie's hand slapped down on the arm of the sofa. "Did I ask you to speak?"

Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You tell people that you have Mentors. You tell them of your pride of being in our family, of your undying respect for Master .. and then you act like this. Your moods, your constant questioning ... they all serve to show people that we have little influence with you, little control over you. "

She watched as Chloe's shoulders straightened. She smiled.

"I can almost see your thoughts in your body language. You're thinking "Ok I'll leave the family then - wouldn't want to bring disrespect to the name would I??" ."

Auntie smiled again.

"Well you can't leave us. You don't have our permission to leave … kneel down Chloe"

Chloe dropped to her knees, this time without hesitation. She heard her Mentor stand up and start to rummage in a bag. She forced back her curiosity and kept her eyes forward.

Auntie came and knelt on the floor in front of her. She placed something across her lap but Chloe dare not look down to see what it was. Instead she kept her eyes firmly on the blinds. She wondered what the passing world would make of the scene through the window if the blinds had been open. These two women knelt face to face in almost tantric union. She felt Auntie's intent gaze on her face but she still avoided eye contact. The older woman reached a hand up, smoothed her hair and stroked her cheek.

"Do you trust me Chloe?" she asked softly.

"Yes Auntie"

Auntie's hand moved to her lap and Chloe suddenly felt the soft touch of rope, first around one wrist, then the other, pulling them firmly together on her thighs. They knelt in silence for a few minutes, then the hand went down to the lap again. This time it brought up a small riding crop. The crop rose towards Chloe's face and into her peripheral vision. Her eyes flickered for an instant but remained in a determined stare towards the window. The crop touched her lips.

"Open wide!"

Her mouth opened to receive the crop then her teeth and lips closed around it like a Latino lover holding a rose in his teeth. Auntie knotted a length of rope to the crop where it left her lips, passed the rope behind her head and fastened the other end to the crop on the other side of her mouth. Then she tightened it till it pulled the crop deep into the mouth forcing the lips into a grotesque cartoon smile. The force of the rope tightening made Chloe flash a glance into the eyes of her Mentor. Her heart jolted as she witnessed the spark in the eyes. That spark. She had seen it once before when she was taking a beating from Master and happened to look up into the eyes of her Mentor. The look of a sadist enjoying the moment. She looked away quickly but her last sight of the window was closed into darkness by a blindfold being tied across her eyes.

She felt a warm hand down her cheek once more.

"Don't move a muscle pet .. I'm just going to the kitchen to get myself a drink of water"

She listened to the sound of the other woman leaving the room. She flexed her fingers in her lap. Her heart was racing. She could hear the sound of cupboards opening and closing in the search for a glass and the tap running. She waited for the return with anticipation laced with fear.

Auntie stood in the kitchen. She opened a cupboard but closed it again without removing anything. She turned on the tap to cover any telltale noises that might filter through to the next room. Gently removing her mobile phone from her pocket she text'd a short message and pressed "Send". Before leaving the kitchen she laid the phone on the table and cupped her hand under the running water. It felt cool and refreshing. She drank from her palm, shook her hand over the sink and wiped the dampness of her palm on her skirt to dry it. She took a deep breath, turned off the tap and left the kitchen. As she did, she turned to the front door and quietly opened the latch before returning to the living room and the bound and blindfolded Chloe.

Chloe's hair shone like gold and Auntie, stood behind her, slightly to one side, and indulged herself for a few moments gently stroking the tresses down Chloe's back. Then, unexpectedly, she tweaked at the bra strap clasp through the blouse and it fell open. She heard a small intake of breath emanate from the cropped mouth and smiled to herself.

Re-taking her position on her knees before her quiet subject she slowly undid the buttons on the blouse and pulled the top free of the waistband of the skirt. She flipped the bra over Chloe's head like a halter neck and looked at the small rounded form of the breasts that shyly presented before her.

"Mmmmm" she breathed, as she placed a finger to each nipple and gently drew a fingernail around them. "Nice!". She leant forward and kissed the frowning brow.

"Ok … kneel up Chloe"

Chloe obediently raised herself from kneeling back on her legs. Her height, even in kneeling, was Amazonian compared to her Mentor. Her height could have been daunting but she was not in the position of being in control so her Mentor remained un-fazed.

As she felt fingers slide up her thighs, under her skirt, to take hold of the edge of her panties Chloe dropped herself back into a low kneel firmly placing her bottom onto her calves. Auntie's hands moved out from under the skirt. Chloe felt a sharp pinch and twist on her nipple.

"I .. said … kneel … up!" The voice came from between clenched teeth, and as the hand pulled the pinched nipple upwards Chloe had no choice but to raise her body to follow.

The hands resumed their task, bringing the panties down the thighs, tugging them under the knees till they made their final journey over her calves and left her body.

"Feeling submissive yet?"

No reply was expected or received, no nod, no change in expression. A hand tapped on the inner part of her knee.

"Come on … spread them"

She complied.

Her skirt was hitched up over her bottom till it sat like a broad thick belt across her hips. She felt a hand move up between her legs, as far up as it could go until it was cupping her warmness in its palm.

Auntie looked up suddenly to the raise eyebrow and look of disapproval on the face of the figure that had silently appeared in the doorway. She withdrew her hand swiftly and looked down at her lap.

Chloe was startled at the sudden removal of the hand. She listened intently for any clue that would forewarn her of her Mentor's next intentions. She heard nothing. She knelt in silence wondering what had happened to stop the ritual so abruptly.

His hand on her head took her by surprise. It gripped her hair and yanked her head backwards. She felt his warm breath by her ear, heard each breath as it came and went. His deep voice whispered menacingly in her ear.

"Hello darling"

Keeping his face closed to hers he licked slowly across her cheek towards her mouth, like a panther tasting its prey before the feast.

" Mmm … this moment has been a long time coming .. you will learn a lesson today"

Michelle
©2005