Pillar Ch. 01

Tears wet her pale cheeks, flushed by her need to speak out to me.

"I have glimpsed you peeking at me many times, dear one. In turn, I have followed your graceful stride through the camp and have enjoyed every time you danced for us. Aysa holds no secrets for me. Now answer me the question: will you bind yourself to me? If you do, I will ask the illustrious King to seal you and place your seal in your own hands, so you may remember at all times you could be free from me if you wanted to be."

Tears streamed down Aysa's beautiful face, and she cried out, "Please, my Shah, don't make me wait in agony any longer. I feel desolate and adrift not being bound to you."

The king was curious and asked of me, "Why is this necessary, soldier? If I seal her, she will not oppose you. Why would you give her the key to her freedom? She might run."

"My king, if she stays with me because she cannot leave, she will come to resent me and I will lose what is dear to me. It is not her beauty I seek, although it is extraordinary. It is her devotion to me that I seek. If I allow her to leave when she no longer thinks I am deserving of her, then I must be my humble best to keep her by my side."

The king was silent for a moment and said, "Indeed, this would be more valuable than the riches my dominion has to offer. You are wise beyond your years. Now go and be true to the words you have spoken."

***

Ruth was quiet for a long time, weighing the story in her mind. It was delightfully fantastical and exaggerated, like a story told by Scheherazade in 1001 Arabian nights.

A paragon of excellence, was that what he wanted? Could she do it? She had no idea. It bewildered her that Tom thought she could. One week ago, she had never even indulged her fantasies and now a crazy man offered her what she wanted on a platter. He was reading her list of needs and desires right now. Her hand flew to her mouth, was he going to use that? Her head spun with the possibilities.

She had to know, had to hear his thoughts. She got up and hurried to the living area, where Tom lay spread out on the couch, reading her secret cravings. Just another day at the office.

"What does it mean, Tom? Why did you write this?"

"It's not the only thing I have written, I also made a contract."

"Oh."

"If you don't want it, we can forget all about having a contract."

"I... I want it Tom. I want all of it, I loved the story. Aysa... I wanted to be her."

He smiled and got up. He tapped her list. "With just a little help you can be anything you like. You can do anything. But realize that our life together will change. There can be no dishonesty in a relationship like this. None."

Ruth took a step towards Tom, but she hesitated to go closer. "I know, I mean I don't know. This is all incredibly confusing. I've wanted this since I was fourteen, but I can't say I understand what it all means."

Tom left the list behind and made up the distance between them. He took Ruth in his arms and left his lips lingering on her forehead as he said, "I'll leave the contract here with you. It says what our responsibilities are and what I'm expecting. It grew without me realizing. There was just so much I wanted to say, so many things that are important to me."

He grabbed her shoulders and held her back so he could look at her. "Don't think the words themselves are what's important. Try to find the message between the lines. Most of what I've written is meant to guide you, it would be impossible to live by a contract like this. I want this to help you and not hold you back. Think of it as something you can page through when you feel uncertain."

His grip on her shoulders tightened. "Please read it and think very hard. Mark anything that makes you uncomfortable. You need to do that by yourself before we negotiate. I don't want to leave you alone again, but I'm going stay away for another week. I miss teasing you and holding you, but I need you to be one hundred percent clear about this. Otherwise it's meaningless."

Ruth flung her arms around his neck and yanked his head down so she could kiss him. As soon as she stopped pulling, she pushed. Tom tumbled backwards in his chair and the air was forced from his lungs with an oomph. Her eyes burned with passion. "I need you now."

She fumbled with his pants and pulled out his cock as quickly as she could manage in her state. She grabbed his shaft in her hand and drove herself down on it.

"I love you Tom, I really do. You didn't... laugh... when I... told you."

She couldn't speak anymore. All her energy went to fucking herself. Tom had no idea how long it lasted, but the climax they shared was primal and very loud. Both of them couldn't speak for minutes afterwards. When she recovered Ruth whispered, "You didn't laugh at me when I told you, instead... You stroll in and hand me a paper telling me I can have everything I want. I can't believe it. I don't even know what you're saying, but it feels so good. You make me feel like I'm a treasure."

Tom pushed her chin up and with a smile he said, "That's because you are, Ruth."

When Tom left, after stilling Ruth's happy tears, it took more out of him than he'd expected it to, but she had to make up her mind without him. She had to, otherwise it would mean nothing.

5

Ruth stood wringing her hands in front of Jenny's door. The door opened and she said, "Hi, Jenny."

"Ruth? It's 11 PM, on a Wednesday. What's wrong?"

"I need a drink. Tom... What can I say? I'm a mess. He —"

Jenny grabbed Ruth and hugged her tight. "Did you guys break up? Poor girl. Come in, come in. Let me see if I can get you something right away. You can tell me everything."

"No, no, we didn't break up. It's just... I don't know what to do."

"Come in, don't just stand there. Sit down, I'll be right back."

After chugging her first glass, Ruth had to gather her courage to tell about what had happened. "It started when I asked him to be a little rough with me in bed. From that he guessed that I wanted more of that. Don't ask me how. He smiled, said everything would be peachy and then sent me off with some books. A week later, he dropped off a contract. I've read it over and over. I tried to call, but he said we'll talk on Saturday. So here I am. Talk to me, or I'll explode."

Jenny folded her arms and with her brow furrowed, she said "Can you show me that contract? I haven't got a clue what's in it."

"It's kind of private."

"Well, if you don't want to show me, are you just here to drink all my rum?"

"Fine."

Ruth took a long pull from her drink before getting the contract. She bobbed her foot while Jenny read the contract.

"It's twelve pages long, Ruth. And then it still mentions written rules and something called Yes-No-Maybe lists."

"I know."

"Is this what you want?"

"It's far from what I imagined. I almost can't believe he's willing to go that far. But I want it, that much I know."

"So you want this. Shouldn't you be happy then?"

Ruth took a big gulp from her drink and said, "I'm scared to death and at the same time the excitement might kill me first."

"If you were me, and your friend told you she wanted to sign this crazy contract with a man you yourself hadn't met, what would you want?"

"I'd want to meet him."

"That's what's happening this weekend. A contract is a piece of paper, I can't judge based on just that." Jenny shrugged and continued, "But no matter what I think, I can't decide for you what you want. If it'll make you happy, go for it. But I won't let him beat you up for love."

"He wouldn't do that."

"We'll see. I'll top up our drinks and then you will tell me everything about him. Don't you dare hold back on me."

Ruth cast a glance towards the door, maybe it had been a mistake to involve her oldest friend. Once Jenny got interested in something juicy, she wouldn't let go until she squeezed you dry. She sighed and settled back into the couch. It wouldn't hurt to set her thoughts straight about Tom. This was all going eerily fast. They had only known each other for five months, but it was long enough for her to be sure he wouldn't hurt her. That she believed above all else.

6

Tom rang the bell to Ruth's and was surprised to see Jenny open the door.

"Hi. Is Ruth sick? She didn't call to say anything was wrong."

"She's fine. Come in, I've been expecting you."

"Well, good evening then."

Tom stepped inside and offered to kiss Jenny on the cheek but she ignored him. "I'm Tom."

"I know who you are. My name is Jenny. I'm an old friend of Ruth's."

"Ah. Am I here for my interrogation?"

A wicked smile spread across Jenny's face, her eyes gleaming. "Yes, you most certainly are."

They entered the living room, but Ruth wasn't there. Tom resigned himself to what was to come and got comfortable in the couch. Jenny deposited the contract on the coffee table before him. "First, what is this?"

"Did you read it?"

"Did you write it?"

"I looked up sample contracts on the internet. I kept the parts that made sense to me, revisited them and added as I saw fit. But I made it myself, yes."

Jenny sat down opposite from him, her arms crossed. "Seems like an a lot of trouble to go through. Why?"

"Because Ruth deserves that level of commitment. I think she needs this, and I want to make it happen for her."

"What's in it for you?"

"Everything I want from her."

"So she just throws herself at you? Just like that, she's supposed to give you everything you ask of her."

Tom slowly shook his head. The look in his eyes was one of stern conviction, as if he wouldn't lower himself to speaking less than truth. "It doesn't work like that, it couldn't. You've read the contract. If Ruth doesn't feel like she's getting what she wants, it gives her a lot of options to do something about that. In the BDSM community it's often said that the dominant draws the short end of the stick in a long term commitment."

He looked Jenny straight in the eye, to impress the weight of his words on her. "It's a burden to be responsible for a submissive. A dominant has expectations for his submissive and it's up to him to make sure they are met. Apart from that, he has to stay in control of his own life. He needs to want to improve just as much as his submissive does. A dominant is not a leech, he is a friend and a mentor. Ruth doesn't need someone to serve, she needs someone to bring out the full extent of her possibilities."

"And how will I know you won't make my Ruth into something she's not?"

He smiled at her, a kind smile that softened the stern lines in his face. "You're very kind, and I understand why you're worried. It's true that submissives can end up in an abusive relationship that doesn't give them their rights. I want Ruth to submit of her own free will. There is a unique sense of freedom and power in giving yourself to another. I want that other to be me."

Jenny relaxed and got more comfortable. "You don't hold back, do you? Ruth told me about you. She's still getting to know you and she's scared. Maybe you'll deliver, but if you hurt her I'll call the cops in a heartbeat."

"Then I'll make sure you have all the information at hand to file a complaint against me. Don't hesitate to call, better a false alarm than no notification at all."

"Right."

He chuckled and said, "I like you, Jenny. You're good people."

His mirth as he complimented her made her blush, and she barked back at him, "Oh, shut up. You can come in now Ruth! Did you catch all that?"

Ruth entered the room and Tom forgot Jenny was even present. Ruth's hair was up, exposing her fragile neck. A small hanger rested right at the top of the subtle cleavage in her dress. His eyes travelled on, across the swell of her breasts and down the cream expanse that draped itself around her curves beautifully. A very high split wonderfully exposed one of her leg.

Tom walked up to her and kissed her as he ran his hands along her naked back. One hand went up to her neck, while the other slipped down her lower back, so he could trap her against his body. There wasn't even a part of him that thought it possible to stop doing what he was doing. A cough from somewhere else on the planet broke the spell and Jenny's voice said, "Well, she told me she would show how much she liked your answers. I didn't expect that though."

Two pairs of eyes told Jenny she wasn't wanted for the time being.

"You didn't forget I was here, did you?"

Her amusement was clear in the twinkle of her eyes, even more so when Tom needed to clear his throat before answering. "I might have for a second there."

"You should readjust down there, buddy."

After a short glance downwards, he got the message and readjusted, ignoring her laughter. Ruth settled down too, although she looked a little silly wearing a gala dress. Tom's eyes took her in more closely now, not skipping anything. His expression betrayed how pleased he was with her, it made Ruth light up with a shy smile. Another cough disturbed the spell. "I should leave and let you two work off some steam, shouldn't I?"

Ruth shook her head and said, "No, not before we tell him."

Tom tilted his head and asked, "Tell me what?"

"We want a third signature on the contract."

"What do you mean?"

"Jenny wants to sign the contract as well. As an observer. She gets a copy of the contract and has to sign off on any amendments made."

Tom folded his hands in front of him and considered the proposal. The girls were tense, this was a key moment for them. They let out the breath they had been holding when Tom curtly nodded and said, "I see the point and I accept it. I'd rather avoid someone unfamiliar intruding on personal terrain, but I'll trust Ruth in this. As I said before, Jenny seems to be good people."

He winked at Jenny and held his hand out to Ruth, pulling her against him. "Ruth, I'm glad to see you take initiative. I made a leap of faith and it's turning out all right. But you can't consider signing before you've seen my limits and the rules I've written down. I'll leave them here tonight and give you a few more days. When I come back, we'll find out whether this contract is going to become more than just a scrap of paper."

With tears in the corners of her eyes, Ruth made herself small in the warmth of his embrace. In a soft voice she whispered to him, "I think it will Tom, I really do."

They didn't notice Jenny leaving. She was happy for her friend, the sight of Tom gently stroking Ruth's back as she cuddled up against him made her believe that her friend was safe. It had been over two years since Ruth had even shown interest in anything romantic. She had worked on her career instead of taking the risk of being hurt by another man. Jenny hoped this one would be better to her.

***

Back inside Tom and Ruth made it to the bedroom.

"Will this tear?"

"Not if you're careful."

"Keep it on, I love seeing you in it."

She bit her lip and nodded, excited about what was to come. He pushed her dress up above her hips and grabbed her soft, firm buns in his hands. Nothing interrupted the satin expanse of her skin.

"No underwear? You're wearing nothing but this dress?"

"I hurried."

His hands dug in and he pulled her against him, the heat from his cock burned through his pants. When he opened his eyes again, his look of pure lust made Ruth gasp. He lifted her, dumped her on the bed and spread her legs with his hands. She was ready, so he gave her what she wanted. No teasing and no holding back. He would make her remember this night every time she wore that dress. "By the time I'm finished with you, this dress will need some serious dry cleaning."

He first spelled the alphabet, neatly written with his tongue on the inside of her folds, never once touching her clit with his lips. She writhed and moaned, unsure of what he would do next when he slid his hand up to her breast, kneading it as he circled her clit with his tongue. He gave her nipple a vicious twist and locked his lips over her clit as the sudden shock of sweet pain shot through her. "Oh, Tom!"

Pleasure crashed over her and she screamed, only to choke mid scream when he flicked her clit with his tongue and teased her asshole. The heat radiating from her nipple melded together with the other sensations he sparked inside her body. She grabbed her breasts and arched her back in orgasm. At once, the energy that had built so quickly erupted and she grabbed his hair to keep from getting lost. He carefully brought her back, and her death grip on his hair loosened. She smiled as she basked in the delicious afterglow.

Tom grinned as he saw her panting on the bed. "Now for my part of the fun. This won't be over soon."

The rest of the night was a blur of sensations for Ruth, but she vividly remembered his look when he fucked her for the first time that night. Ferocious and fast, enough to make the bed shake. The second and third time showed his skill as a lover. If he had any tricks left at the end of it, she would have been very surprised.

The following morning Tom got up early and said, "Be a good girl and bring that gorgeous dress to the dry cleaners so it's not damaged. I want to see you in it again."

She stretched out her leg and made to get up but he pushed her back down. "No, don't get up. Just stay in bed, I'll leave the envelope on the kitchen table."

Her last thought before falling back to sleep was that she might really die if he got free reign over her, but it would be a sweet death. She smiled, curled up under the duvet and let out a happy sigh.

7

Jenny looked up from the Rules and tapped them with her finger.

"I don't get it, Ruth. You don't want to scrap anything?"

Ruth shook her head.

"You're going to sign it, aren't you? Why? What's in it for you?"

"He expects me to strive for excellence. Everything I do, everywhere I go, I'll be reminded that he cares about me. I'll never be alone again. Just thinking about it makes me feel warm inside. And the things he'll do to me... I get shivers, Jenny."

Jenny held her hands up in defense and said, "I know, I know. I'm just scared that I'll lose you. It's been the two of us for so long."

Ruth hugged her friend and said, "My life as it is isn't enough. Besides, he won't keep me from seeing you. And I know you like him."

Jenny let out an unladylike snort and said, "To use his own words, he's good people."

Ruth laughed and jumped her friend, tickling her sides. "You'll have to do better than that Jenny."

"Okay, okay. Stop! It's just so strange. Here's miss assistant manager at a lingerie company founded by a woman and held strong by women. And suddenly miss assistant manager wants to go serve a man."

"It's not sudden. I'm sorry I never told you, it's not... something that's easy to talk about."

Ruth thought for a second, her expression clouded. "I won't change, well, I am, but I'll still be Ruth. It's just... Ah, how do I explain it?"

She chewed her lip, making Jenny smile. Ruth hadn't realized that she did that, ever.

"You know about my life and how much I work. The thing is, what I want besides work is hard to find. I want to live in a fantasy. I want to stop worrying. There's a bunch of stuff I want to do. Somehow none of it gets done. I get home from work and I glue myself to the couch. If Tom cares about me, I'll love the things he makes me do. He'll take away everything that bothers me, so I can be myself more."

Jenny held up her hand to stop Ruth from saying anything else. "Can we just watch the movie for a bit?"

"Sure."

She glanced at Ruth and grinned. "You know, I think you'll be fine. It won't hurt you to have your ass spanked from time to time."

"Hey."

8

Tom held out a pen and Ruth took it from him, but he didn't let go.

"Everything is clear and understood?"