Pillar Ch. 02

He smiled at that and kissed her back on the tip of her nose. "I know, Ruth, and I will when it suits me."

His answer sent shivers down her spin. She clenched her fingers in his shirt and pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

10

"I want you to be my pet cat for the evening. No talking so you won't need to ask permission for anything. Just go with it."

Tom paused for effect and watched Ruth's surprise fade away and set the gears inside her mind turning.

"You'll be naked, but feel free to add some details that make you look like a cat. Your basket will be next to my seat. Surprise me. And remember, no matter what or who you happen to be, you're always my servant first."

He grinned in answer to her crooked little smile.

"I can do anything?"

"Planning something already?"

"Maybe."

"Yes, you can do anything. Come back to the living room in half an hour, I'll have dinner ready by then. We're eating fish tonight."

"Yum."

Half an hour later, Ruth showed up and noticed the room felt warmer. She'd drawn whiskers on her cheeks and hadn't bothered with anything else. Tom came up to her and scratched her under her chin. "What are you doing standing on two legs? You silly cat. Your food is waiting for you."

He pointed to a plate on the floor with neatly cut fish, potatoes and vegetables next to two saucers, one with water and one with white wine. Ruth lifted an eyebrow at him before she sunk down on her knees and pranced towards her food on hands and knees. If she'd had a tail, it would've stood tall and proud. Tom had to hold back a laugh when she snuffled at the saucer of wine before lapping up some.

Dinner was a success, with Ruth licking her plate clean. She hadn't been as successful with her wine though. As Tom stood doing dishes, Ruth came up to him, rubbed her head against his leg and shirked her entire body against him. He leaned down, scratched her behind her ear and shooed her away. She gave him an angry look and hissed, showing her teeth before she pranced away and settled down in her basket.

Ruth lazed around while Tom watched some TV. When Tom dangled a mouse on a string over the side of the couch, she amused herself by swatting it from side to side. He pulled it back over the edge and she surprised him by going after it. She crawled over him, caught the toy and then balled up and laid her head on his lap while she played with the toy until she got bored.

Crawling further up his lap, she turned on her back and Tom scratched her belly. The absurdity of the role play made it fun to go along with and he was happy to indulge her. He circled her nipple and felt it crinkle. After a few more flicks he switched nipples. Ruth made cute mewling sounds as he teased her breasts. Whenever he twisted one of her nipples or did something unexpected she would give a surprised meow. This was too much fun.

Eventually, Ruth the cat tired of this particular kind of petting and she turned around on her stomach. She stretched on the couch and pushed her ass high up in the air. Tom's zipper was her target and with a curious look on his face Tom gave in to her scratching and lowered his pants and underwear. His cock was hard, so she had an interesting new toy to discover.

First she swatted his shaft with her curled up hand, each time waiting for it to bounce back before hitting it again. This was apparently highly amusing and went on for quite some time. After a while she gave his shaft tiny licks with the tip of her tongue and nipped at it with her teeth.

Keeping her body as catlike as possible she slid the tip of his cock in her mouth and flicked her tongue over it. She took more of it in her mouth and slowly pulled back, her teeth dragging the tiniest bit across the sensitive skin. Again. This time Tom stroked her back and slipped his hand between her thighs. Her pussy was wet, and he fingered her at her own slow tempo.

Going for the kill, she took his cock into her throat. She tried to twist her head a little and swirl her tongue around his shaft. His stroking slowed, he had to be close. Ruth bobbed her head, her tongue flicking and twirling. When he came she popped his cock out of her mouth and closed her eyes. Tom's come shot out of his cock and covered her cheek and nose, some of it dripped down on his leg.

She did her best impression of purring as she lapped up his milk and then sat back on her haunches to clean her face with her paw. She had no idea how erotic her seemingly innocent gesture was.

After her snack, she was happy to ball up again on the couch, facing away from Tom. Her pussy lips glistened. He slipped his hand between her thighs and teased her clit. The kitten meowed in approval and pushed her ass closer to him. Whenever he pulled back she hissed at him. Tom grinned and played this new game until her patience ran out. Too horny to indulge him any longer, Ruth righted herself in the couch, pushed her ass up in the air and wiggled it.

Tom gave in and grabbed her hips. He rubbed the tip of his cock against her needy pussy. She mewled and tried to push back onto his cock, but he held off. She tried harder, and he aligned his cock just right. The next push she gave, he slammed his hips forward and forced his cock inside.

She closed her eyes as she was finally filled with his cock. She hissed and spat as he fucked her, matching the rhythm of his thrusts. When he reached his hand around her hip to rub her clit, she came with a jowl. Tom was laughing as he fucked her down into the couch until she was flat on her stomach, and he didn't stop fucking her until he shot her pussy full of his come. He fell forward on top of her and took his time to recover. "That was amazing, Ruth."

Her voice was muffled with her face still mashed into the couch. "It was a lot of fun."

"Want me to get off?"

"Not yet, I like this."

He nuzzled her neck and put his arms around her as best he could. She grabbed his hands and sighed happily, feeling warm and satisfied.

11

Tom finished checking the sudoku puzzle in his hand and nodded. "This was very close, Ruth. But you've improved. You solved four sudokus in time with no mistakes. Well done."

He stroked her hair as she lay panting on the table, still reeling from the intensity of her last orgasm.

"Will you have to do this again?"

"I don't know, Sir. Maybe if you let me try on you once I'll know more."

"I'll think about it. For now, clean up. When you're finished, a blue booklet will be on the kitchen table. Read it, it'll tell you how to host a formal dinner. I have guests coming over on Thursday evening, and you'll be the host so I expect the best of you. They're all part of the local scene, one couple in particular taught me most of what I know."

His announcement startled her, and he stroked her hair again before he pulled her up and along to his chair. He gave her the choice of climbing into his lap or making herself comfortable next to his seat, and she quickly balled up against his chest.

"I'll help you, so don't worry. There's another thing I want you to read. Something important. A little book called the book of tea. It explains the aestheticism at the core of tea service. I want you to understand what it says. It's not about making tea, it's about how you do it and how you arrange your surroundings. It's a way for you to serve and express yourself at the same time."

He remained silent for a time, hoping that she would pick up on how important this was to him. Ruth went along with his silence.

"Any questions?"

"I'd love to meet your friends, but why a formal dinner?"

"It's true I'd rather eat without all the fuss, but that doesn't mean I don't know how it's done. See it as an opportunity, many submissives like it."

Ruth chuckled. "It sounds like you're doing it more for me than for your own pleasure."

"Of course. I planned this whole week for you. I'll be watching you. And don't think for a second you can mess up behind my back. My guests are more experienced than me, and they'll call you out on your mistakes. If you screw up, you won't get off with a slap on the wrist. You'll be disciplined in front of my guests. When you're not busy, you'll join in and talk. Do you understand?"

She bowed her head and nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Good, any more questions?"

"Not yet, Sir."

"Fine, go and take a shower. I'll leave some chocolates on the kitchen table for you, you've earned a treat."

12

Tom walked around the table an checked every detail in the table setting. When he got to where Ruth stood waiting he said, "I like it, you've done well. Later you'll redo this until you can reproduce it from memory. Come with me."

She followed him into the bedroom, and he took a large, cardboard folder from the chest next to his bed. She'd never seen him open it before. He gestured for her to take a seat next to his chair and settled down, the folder in his lap. "Have you ever wondered what I keep in this chest?"

"Yes, Sir."

"It's not a secret, you can have a look whenever you want."

He opened the folder, it contained old and new posters, blown up pictures, renditions of paintings, aquarelle drawings... As he flipped through them one by one, she recognized some of them, but most of them she saw for the first time. No real theme connected them, but a lot of them caught her attention. Each one was vibrant and colorful.

"Do you think my house feels empty, Ruth?"

The question surprised her, but she answered, patient enough to wait and see where he went with this. "No, Sir."

"But it's not full is it? Take the bedroom, do you like the furniture I put in here?"

"I do, Sir. I like it a lot, it's a beautiful room."

He got up and stepped up to the bed, sliding his hand along one of its posts. "This bed in particular, it's a fine piece of craftsmanship. When I saw it, I knew I wanted it for my place. Everything in here fits together to give off a relaxing vibe. Do you feel the same?"

"Yes, Sir. I often come in here on my own to sit down and read in your chair."

He laughed at that. "I know you do, I've been forced to move to another room more than once. No, don't worry about it. You can sit wherever you like. I have enough seats, so I don't have to kick you out of one in particular."

He resumed his walk through the room and let his fingers run across the different materials. "I love every piece in this room. But, what always grabs my attention is the simple piece of paper in the ordinary frame above my chest. And if I put one out, the thing on the little table. Those are the only two things that differ from the rest of the room. The same counts for the living room and the bathroom. I'm sure you've noticed, have you ever thought about it?"

"Not really, Sir. But now I think about it, it's true."

Her interest flared up, she wanted to know what he was trying to tell her.

"What you just did, table setting with strict rules, that has its own beauty. But the rules at the foundation of aestheticism aren't set in stone, they change as needed. Every piece in that folder is something I find beautiful. I chose them with my own preference as my only criterion.

"A tea master did just that. He'd invite some friends and brew tea for them following the rules of the art. They would come to him to relax and each time they were on their way they would wonder what he would put on display. They would try to find the beauty in it and talk about it as they enjoyed their tea. It has a profound simplicity to it."

He stopped his monologue and looked her dead in the eyes, the intensity of his look drew her in. "Aestheticism teaches you to be an individual. It teaches you to be perceptive and appreciate that perceptiveness. You learn to share your appreciations. It's very different from following fixed rules. I enjoy collecting and trading bits and pieces, but that's just a hobby of sorts. You, Ruth, you are the most precious thing I've ever had. You're unique in that I can change you, but I want to be careful. Whatever changes I make to you must never erase what makes me appreciate you."

She went over to him and they kissed, bathing in the strong rays of the midday sun. Her head spun as she tried to take in his words. She clamped her arms around him and squeezed her frail body against him. "Oh, Sir. I love you so much."

He petted her hair and returned her embrace. "I know you do, little girl. I feel the same way about you."

Ruth pushed her face into his shoulder. She felt small, tiny under his regard. It humbled and exhilarated her he had such profound thoughts about her. This man she had given herself to, seemed to know what he'd been given even more than she did. She had no eloquent answer, her words had left her. So she kept it simple, poignant in its honesty. "Thank you, Sir."

"You're welcome. I want you to find a decorative piece for the living room. You can pick one of my things, but you can also go out and get something on your own. When you find a piece, come show it to me. You'll be cooking as well, ask for my help if you need it. Show yourself. If you make me proud, there's a reward in it for you."

"Yes, Sir. I'll do my best."

13

Wednesday was one extended practice session. Ruth escaped for a bit to go and find something she liked. She tried to choose something just for herself, but couldn't help thinking about whether Tom would like it. In the end, she settled for a beautiful pencil drawing of a blue nightingale.

She also bought a glass dish with a strange curve. Filled with water, blue glass marbles and other bluish pebbles it would work well with the drawing. When she showed Tom what she'd bought he complimented her and chose a midnight blue dress for her to wear. The continuity wasn't lost on Ruth, and she clutched the dress to her chest.

More practice followed until Tom tired of drilling her.

They went grocery shopping on Thursday morning and if it hadn't been for Tom's experienced hand guiding her, the preparation of the dinner would've been chaos. Still, she enjoyed chatting and laughing with Tom, and she teased him as they worked side by side. Her laughter filled the air in the room with joyous expectation.

This place of calm in her stressful life would always be Tom's place in her mind, but she felt welcome and accepted. Her love for him bubbled up again and again, forcing him to suffer through a barrage of sudden hugs and kisses that turned more and more amorous until he dragged her over to the couch and fucked her there.

Tom was smiling as well. He could see the woman he loved bloom open. All she'd ever needed was someone she could make happy and who would push her worries aside. And he was glad to be that person. A master serves just as much as his servant.

14

Ruth looked magnificent in her midnight blue dress, it was tastefully cut and flowed along her body. She pirouetted for Tom and it billowed out a little, showing off her slender legs. Her black pumps and the dark hue of the dress highlighted her creamy skin. An elegant teardrop necklace drew the eye to the subtle swell of her cleavage. She'd put up her hair, revealing the vulnerable skin of her neck. Her make-up was minimal, to highlight the natural beauty of her face.

"You look beautiful, Ruth. I just know everybody in the room is going to be jealous."

He grinned at her and ran his finger across her collar bone, making her shiver. She pushed his hand away, too nervous for any teasing. He noticed her tension, stepped around her and took her in his arms. "Relax, little girl. Just lean back a second, everything will be fine. The hard part is over, just remember what we practiced."

She stood taking in his calm as she heard the clock ticking, creeping closer and closer to the moment the first guests would arrive. Tom had told her the older couple would be punctual, so it didn't surprise her when the doorbell rang at one to six.

The couple introduced themselves as Cristina and Philip. Cristina was about her height and Ruth was surprised to hear that she was the Mistress in their relationship. She cast a glance at Philip, a huge man with coal shovels for hands. Tom's hand nearly disappeared when they shook hands. She could hear him thumping Tom's back when they embraced and cringed. Philip turned to her, took her hand in his and bent over to kiss it. Tom chuckled and said, "Always the gentleman aren't you, Philip?"

"Only way I know how, Tom."

Philip's laugh thundered from his chest as he put his arm around Tom's shoulder, and they made their way inside. Cristina followed the two of them with her eyes before she turned to Ruth. "Those two misfits will take care of themselves. Now, girl, would you be so kind as to make me a gin and tonic? One eighth of a lime, three ice cubes, one part Hendricks and two parts Fever tree Elderflower tonic. Make yourself something as well and then come join me. I have questions for you."

She turned away from Ruth and called out, "Tom, you could've told me she's gorgeous. How am I supposed to calm down Philip tonight? I'll have to cane him to keep his hands off of me."

"Are you sure you're not just feeling randy? You know he loves the cane."

"Oh shut up, you little pup."

Their banter continued as Ruth made Cristina her drink, each winning comment punctuated by Philip's deep laughter. She'd just put down the glass in front of Cristina when she heard the doorbell ring again. There was a tall chocolate colored beauty at the door, with her shiny black hair cut short. She introduced herself as Nicky.

Next to her was a fairly nondescript man who took her in with curious eyes. His name was Thobias or Toby for friends. Ruth had assumed they were a couple, but she was wrong. Thobias was gay and had taken Nicky on as a playmate because he'd been charmed by the little boy character she acted out during playtime.

They made their way into the living area and soon Philip cruised through the room with Nicky riding his back, making vrooming noises. His laughter boomed through the room. Thobias's voice cut through the noise. "Nick! I think that's enough, we're not here to play tonight."

Nicky sulked as she jumped down off of Philip's back. Philip got a slap on his enormous biceps from Cristina and shrugged his shoulders in apology. Tom cleared his throat and stood up.

"Let me do the introductions now everyone's here. Everybody, this is Ruth. She's a wonderful young lady who I have graciously taken under my wing. Ruth, the woman sipping her gin and tonic over there is Cristina or Mistress in other circumstances. I spent six months in her home to learn what it means to be in service to someone. You could say I picked up a few things from her."

Cristina snorted. "A few things? More like everything you know."

"Whatever floats your boat, Cris. Now, the big hulk of a man sitting next to her is her husband Philip or little Phil in other circumstances. He taught me a lot about working a certain lady into a frenzy."

"Behave, Tom."

"I'm sorry, I do apologize. The lovely young woman who was riding Philip earlier is called Nicky or Nick in different circumstances. She's a good friend of mine and there's never a dull moment with her around. Next to her is Toby or Headmaster in different circumstances, be they with his lover or with Nick."

Toby winked at Tom. "The offer still stands, you know."

"And I still appreciate the gesture. I've learnt a lot from Toby, given his unusual situation. You could see these four people as my scene family. I'm sure you'll all get along and have a great evening. Ruth will be the host this evening. The menu and the decorations are her choices. She doesn't know about the surprise we've planned for her so keep it quiet, will you?"

Ruth cast him a glance at the mention of a surprise, but he gave her a blank look and she knew it was no use to ask. She'd see it when the time came. The banter told Ruth this was a close group, despite their obvious differences. They'd known each other for quite some time, and she could imagine that Tom was intimately familiar with both of the women. She felt a twinge of jealousy at how easily he got along with them, but she pushed it down.