In the Absence of Monsters

by Jp Barnaby

  Finally, the volley stopped and Mistress Nicole looked to Lexi. “Well, girl?” she asked and, again, I felt a measure of anger welling inside me.

  “Jayden caught fourteen and Ryan caught thirteen, Mistress,” she answered calmly, still looking at the floor. I sighed in relief and assumed my position once more as Master Ethan watched Lexi carefully.

  “Well, Jayden, it looks like you have the honor of serving me today,” she said smiling down at me. “I have to say that this pleases me.” She added to Ryan in a harsher tone, “I will deal with you later—corner, now!” Ryan moved quickly, but silently, and knelt facing one empty corner of the room, his nose just inches from the junction of the walls. Mistress Nicole walked over to me and attached a leash to the ring at the back of my collar.

  “I do like how you had their collars designed with the ring on the back, Ethan,” she mused and then called down to me, “Here, boy,” and patted her thigh. Though I was shocked by the thoroughly degrading gesture, I didn’t hesitate and went to her immediately, pressing my forehead to the floor at her feet. “Good boy,” she chuckled and touched my hair. As she led me around the room a few times with the leash, I couldn’t even look up at Lexi as we passed her.

  Finally, Mistress Nicole led me to a piece of equipment on the floor we had not used before, one Master Ethan had called a ‘stockade’ during my first tour of the room. The light metal tubing was lying horizontally on the floor in the shape of an upper case letter ‘I’. Attached to the ends of the horizontal bars, were cuffs and in the middle of the farther horizontal bar, was a post standing perpendicular to the floor. She detached this post and set it aside.

  “Ryan! Come!” She called over her shoulder and he scampered quickly on his knees, clearly thrilled with his reprieve. “Bind him,” she said harshly and I was forced onto all fours, over the bars, with my wrists bound to the farther horizontal bar and my ankles to the bar closer to Mistress Nicole. I thought for a moment that he would gag me, but then Mistress Nicole appeared in front of me, naked except for a harness strapped around her tiny waist and upper thighs. Protruding from the black straps was a rather impressively realistic black toy, no larger than Master Ethan’s own beautiful erection.

  “Kiss it,” she said with a wicked smirk and jerked my leash forward. I learned forward in my bindings and was able to come just close enough to press my lips to the rubber tip of her fake cock. She pushed her hips forward and it slid between my slightly parted lips. “That’s right baby, suck it,” she moaned in a husky voice as she moved her hips in a slow steady rhythm, watching intently as the toy slid in and out of my mouth.

  “So, fucking hot,” she said, as she pulled back and I felt it slide from between my lips. She paused in front of me and, on impulse, I moved forward again and placed one long languid lick across its now warmed tip. After rubbing my head affectionately, she walked around my bound body.

  “Prepare him,” she said sternly to Ryan, I assumed. A moment later, I felt rough, strong fingers spreading lubricant into my anus. He wasn’t gentle or caring as Master Ethan or Lexi would have been. I braced myself, as I felt her slowly push into me, and found it was similar to being taken by Master Ethan, but different. This…thing was cold and the motion of its penetration was erratic, where Master Ethan’s thrusts were smooth and deliberate. As I thought of being taken by Master Ethan, my erection grew, but I forced my mind back to Mistress Nicole and her fake sex before I could excite myself further, not knowing if she would even give me permission to come.

  She pulled back on my leash, not enough to choke or hurt me, just enough to pull my head up. “That’s it,” she began. “Move your hips, show me how much you like it. Show me how much you love being fucked by your Mistress.” Pushing my hips back into her as she instructed, I felt a low moan escape me as I met her thrusts. After several minutes, she stopped. I thought maybe she had finished, but then I felt the thing inside me start to vibrate and I knew when I heard her moaning that it was more for her benefit than mine. She began moving again and I noticed that her rhythm had changed. It was more natural and it felt so good. Grunting in time with her thrusts, her fingers tightened on my hips as she drove into me faster.

  “Fuck,” she exclaimed and pushed deep into me, keeping her pelvis locked against the vibrating toy as she came. Glancing up at Master Ethan, I found him watching me with a slight frown, creasing his features. Had I displeased him? I hadn’t released without permission and, to be honest, I had felt no real need for release. I felt her set her toy, warm from my own body heat, and harness on my naked back. They were talking, not paying any heed to me or to the other two subs.

  I heard Master Ethan say that something was an interesting idea and then came Mistress Nicole’s command to gag me, which panicked me a little, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to use my safe word. Instead, would have to rely on the hand signals Master Ethan and I had covered in our initial discussions. Ryan shoved the purple ball in my mouth and bound it tightly behind my head, the straps cut into my face, but I could do nothing about it. Next, he put some kind of mat between my spread legs on top of the steel stockade bars. I couldn’t imagine what this was for until he lay upon the mat, his face maybe six inches from my pelvic bone.

  My eyes closed of their own volition as I felt his mouth close around me, moaning into the gag as he started to suck. I wanted so badly to move my hips and fuck his mouth as he lay beneath me, but I didn’t dare move. My eyes flew open at the first blow of the strap on my naked buttocks. The pain was intense, worse than the paddle, worse than the crop. The combination of the pleasure of his mouth and the pain of the strap was mind-blowing. I cried out into the gag as they continued mercilessly tormenting me, as the sting of the strap drove my hips forward and deeper into his mouth. She could wield the strap hard for such a small woman.

  I bit down on the ball in my mouth, crying out around it, as he sucked hard. Starting my technique, I tried to distance myself from the onslaught of sensation being inflicted on my body. Bringing up the vague US map in my head, I began to go through the exercise, focusing harder on it with each sting of the strap. I knew my buttocks were going to be red and sore for days, but the feeling was so intense I couldn’t really find it in myself to complain. Instead, I concentrated on the technique, but found myself looking up to Master Ethan—begging through the gag, imploring, but only receiving a warning look from him in return. I knew I had to hold off, I had to wait for her to give her permission, so I closed my eyes again and redoubled my focus; my head shaking back and forth as I concentrated.

  Finally, I heard Mistress Nicole’s voice near my ear. “Very good, boy. You please me, Jayden.” I kept my eyes closed, my jaw strained tight. “Fill his hot little mouth.” I moaned into my gag, a muffled expression of gratitude, not even having to focus on the sensations. I didn’t have to think at all, I just thrust my hips forward and allowed my orgasm to rip through me. Panting, I felt him swallowing around me and, somehow, I found the energy to hold my head up and look at Master Ethan. The pride in his eyes warmed me.

  I stayed very still in my bindings while Master Ethan said goodbye to our guests. When he came back into the room a few minutes later, he went over to the wall, taking down a thick paddle. I thought he was pleased with me? What did I do? I didn’t think my buttocks could take anything else after the whipping with the strap I had just received. Watching him closely, he walked over to Lexi and pushed her roughly onto all fours.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” he asked and I noticed that, even with Lexi, he didn’t use a name when he was angry. It’s like when we displeased him, we were complete nonentities, we weren’t worthy of being named. “Do you think I’m stupid?” he growled at her and, for the first time since I’d known them, Lexi looked frightened.

  “No Master! I’m sorry, Master, please…” she cried, as the first blows of the paddle struck her buttocks.

  “Would you like to tell Jayden what the real score was when you lied?” he asked roughly and gave he
r several more smacks with the paddle.

  “It was tied, Master. Please…”

  “Why did you lie? Was it for his benefit?” he asked harshly, still paddling her with each word. Lexi had lied about how many grapes I caught, she’d tried to help me and now she was being punished cruelly for it. There was nothing I could do, I was still bound and gagged on the floor, but watch helplessly as she took the blows, the tears streaming down her sweet face.

  “No, Master…I did it for you!” she explained and the blows stopped. “I knew you wanted to impress her and I wanted your sub to win. Please, Master, I’m sorry…” she sobbed.

  “Do you know what would have happened if she would have caught you?” She nodded, still crying weakly.

  “Go,” he demanded in a low voice. She jumped up and almost ran to the door, grabbing her clothes before leaving. I heard a sob just before the door slammed behind her. Master Ethan turned around and sighed before walking over to me. Without a word, he released my wrists and rubbed my arms. Then he unbound my ankles and rubbed my legs. Finally, he removed the gag and placed a small light kiss on my cheek.

  “Jayden, go sit on the low stool over there; we need to talk,” he spoke quietly. That phrase never boded well. I watched in apprehension as he cleaned up from today’s activities. Finally, when everything was back in its proper place, he walked over to where I was sitting.

  “I asked Mistress Nicole to come over today and evaluate you,” he started hesitantly and then stopped. Closing his eyes, he clenched his hands into fists and continued. “To see if she would want you to wear her collar,” he blurted out quickly and looked away. Stunned, and hurt, I wondered if I had really been that bad of a sub that he wanted to pawn me off onto someone else. After all, he sucked me into this fucking life in the first place. If he didn’t want me, why couldn’t he have just left me the hell alone? I imagined I looked as if he’d just slapped me and he saw these emotions pass over my face.

  “Jayden…” he said tenderly and tried to touch my face, but I jerked away. “I only asked her because I thought you might be more comfortable submitting to a woman.” I looked up at him. Was he crazy? I could see where he might have thought that in the beginning, where it might have been easier for me. But not now, not after all he’s shown me…all that we’ve done together. How could he think I’d just give him back the cuff and go on to someone else? Still naked, I stood up, breaking my role and walked to the window, gazing over the grounds. I took in the entire landscape from the sculptured lawn to the pool, even the trees beyond the boundary of the yard. Never had I felt more naked, more vulnerable, in his presence than I did right then.

  When I finally turned, I saw him sitting down on one of the nearby tables, his head in his hands, such an Ethan thing to do. I walked over to him and knelt as he looked up. “I want to wear your collar,” I said quietly and he leaned forward, putting his forehead against mine.

  “Thank you,” he whispered gratefully. Pulling back slightly, he hesitated and then slowly leaned forward again. When I felt his lips gently brush mine, I closed my eyes. “Why don’t you get dressed, then we can sit in the kitchen and talk,” he said, standing up and handing me my clothes. I got dressed quickly and we went downstairs.

  We decided on pasta for dinner and began making it together. At first, we were silent just working side by side, but my curiosity got the better of me and a question bubbled to my lips. “Ethan, can I ask you something?” I said tentatively.

  “Yes. I’ll answer anything I feel comfortable talking about,” he replied, adding a little olive oil to the boiling water. It was strange just being around him like a normal guy. Outside the room, we were cordial, but not exactly close.

  “How did Lexi come to be your sub?” I asked curiously. I couldn’t imagine how someone could choose this type of relationship as their first sexual encounter. Their innocence being taken while suspended or over a sawhorse, like I’d seen him taking Lexi countless times. What had prompted her to choose this kind of life? Had he given her an ultimatum as he had me?

  “I’m sorry, Jayden,” Ethan said, as he removed the pasta from the water and drained it. “That’s really Lexi’s story to tell.” He put the pasta onto two plates and spooned sauce over it. “Could you grab a bottle of wine from the cellar?” I nodded and went to grab a bottle of red to go with the pasta. When I returned, he had everything set up on the table. He uncorked the wine and we sat down to eat together, something we hadn’t really done since my first few weeks here. I winced slightly at the soreness from Mistress Nicole’s exuberant ministrations.

  “Then how about a different question…” I mused and took a sip of the wine, which was very nice, smooth and robust. “Why did you leave the room last night?”

  Taking a bite of his pasta, he thought, as if he was trying to decide how to phrase something. After another sip of wine, he spoke.

  “I suppose I was jealous,” he started, “Not in the way that you might think, however. I have chosen a certain lifestyle and, with that lifestyle, there are sacrifices. The whole falling in love, getting married, having children and living in a little house with a white picket fence isn’t really in the cards for me.” He looked disappointed for a moment and then he continued.

  “When I told you to take Lexi as you pleased, I had expected you to dominate and take her. I was unprepared for the intensity of your coupling. I had not expected Lexi to make that kind of request of you; she has never made it of me. It made me wonder if I’d made the right choice. It made me wonder if I should look for love instead of submission in a woman. The emotion flowing between you was startling, especially since you haven’t spent that much time together. In the end, I decided that I had made the right choice for me. While I may envy the emotional connection, I have no need for any other aspect of that type of relationship. Do you understand what I mean?” I nodded affirmatively. Ethan was very affectionate in our sessions because he wanted some kind of emotional connection, but he didn’t want a relationship based on it.

  I sat back wondering if I would ever have a ‘normal’ relationship now. Is this what my life would be like forever? But then, Nicole said that Ethan had once been her sub, so things must evolve in this lifestyle eventually. I wondered what my life will be like in five years.

  “Mistress Nicole said that you once wore her collar. You were a sub?” I asked, hoping that didn’t go outside his comfort zone. I liked the easy way we had with each other right then. His eyes sparkled and he grinned as he took another drink of wine. At first, I thought he wasn’t going to answer, but he surprised me.

  “Yes. Often the best subs eventually make the best Doms. Quite a few of the Doms that I know started out as subs, it’s fairly common. I met Nicole through a friend while I was in college. He recognized the potential in me, much like I did in you. There are certain personality traits common in those of us that enjoy this lifestyle. Nicole agreed and showed me what my life could be like with her. After about three years as her sub, we both felt like it was time for me to grow into a different type of role. She taught me how to be a Dom. She helped me set up the playroom and helped find my first collared sub. I found that I was much more comfortable on this side of the leash.” Shrugging, he picked up his plate and glass from the table. Walking into the kitchen with his dishes, he left me thinking. Is that what awaited me? The thought excited me—to have a beautiful girl writhing on a table, every part of her under my control.

  “Jayden?” Ethan asked, breaking me from my thoughts. “Can I ask you a question now?” I nodded and we went into the living room where I sat on the couch facing the fireplace and he took his place in one of the overstuffed arm chairs. “Why did you look in the room?” I felt my face heat up.

  “Curiosity mostly. I couldn’t understand why you’d forbid it, you could have just said it was for storage. I imagined all kinds of illegal activities going on in there. I never imagined what was really in there. I feel so stupid about it now.” I sighed and he laughed.

  �
�So, why did you choose to accept my ultimatum?” he asked with a smirk. “I really had no intention of throwing you out of the house.”

  “Deep down, I think I knew that. But, to be honest what I saw in the room excited me. The thought of you in that room excited me. The thought of you and the beautiful girl I’d seen going down the hall with you really excited me. It also scared the hell out of me. In the end, I guess one won out over the other and I ended up glad that it did,” I said shyly, grinning slightly. He stood up, starting to head toward the stairs.

  “I’m glad it did too,” he said as he passed, tousling my hair before heading up to bed.

  I didn’t see much of Ethan over the next few days, as he was staying late at the hospital gearing up for a conference. This was actually helpful to me because we were starting up a new term and I had a lot of work to get through. I spent most of the week barricaded in my room researching my term paper. Finally, I had a term with only two courses, but I knew I’d have just as much work. That was when those summers I spent doubling up paid off.

  By Friday afternoon, after the book States Rights and Roles made my eyes cross, I knew I needed to just walk away for a while. I was scrolling through the contacts on my phone, realizing just how out of touch I had been with my friends. It just seemed like a whole different lifetime ago that I hung out with these people. Now, I didn’t even know who to call to grab a beer with. As I scrolled through, I received an incoming text. When I opened it, it read simply ‘Pizza?’ It was from Lexi. I smiled and replied quickly with ‘Yes, Please! Want me to pick you up?’ She said she would stop by since she was already out.

  Half an hour later, we were on my motorcycle heading to a local pizza place. I was forcing myself not to think of the fact that she had her arms tightly around me, her breasts pressed against my back and that I was positioned between her legs. God, there is just something about this girl that made me crazy. After pulling into the lot at the pizza place, we swung off the bike and headed for the door, but I stopped dead when I started to see other people. I hadn’t really been out since Ethan and I entered into our agreement. The cuff on my wrist was like a beacon. I felt like I had a neon sign over my head that read “sexual deviant”. My whole life seemed to have changed in the span of a couple of weeks. Could I really go in there and appear to be normal?