III. Lie Down With Dogs

My collar doesn’t come off.

It fits tightly against my throat. A strong metal band that can’t be removed. The heat of my body keeps it warm, but it never ceases to be a heavy weight on my shoulders.

I belong to someone. That’s what it says to those who know. They see the ring around my neck and it tells them. I am owned.

Too, it helps when I’m with her. Held by the hands that collared me. The woman of my dreams.

Sicilian fare at this gorgeous little spot downtown made for a wonderful dinner date. Having never taken me out in public before, my owner decided she’d treat me to something special. For our first proper outing together she certainly outdid herself. A table for two off in the pristine end of the place was almost too fancy for my liking.

We were shown to our seats, weaving through a sea of couples packing the various bars and booths, their grins and gazes illuminated by golden candlelight. They led us to the far corner of the restaurant and up a short set of stone stairs onto an enclosed balcony- where the sounds of the main dining room blended into a pleasant background hum, and it seemed a few less rambunctious parties could enjoy themselves beside the plain glass windows as they admired the sunset.

Despite my best efforts I struggled to stay at her side. In my awe I barely noticed how tight I held to my escort’s arm, but as we arrived, something about the way the other patrons were looking at us told me I ought to let up. And my owner’s own gaze quickly showed me what to do next.

“Thank you, pet.” Candace said as I held her chair out for her, waiting for me to serve her before she’d let the waitress do the same. “Sit.”

My seat scraped awkwardly across the floor as I scooted inward, bumping into and rattling the entire table in an attempt to position myself. Our server gave me a fierce glance as she took down our drinks, watching me hunch forward and grab the candle before it accidentally toppled over, I gave her a nervous chuckle as the flame went out, but she just rolled her eyes and sighed at me before being forced to relight the wick herself.

“You’re very pretty tonight, Ma’am.” I replied once the other woman had dropped off our drinks and left. At least now we were finally alone.

Her eyes barely batted their lashes. “You don’t mean just tonight, do you dear?”

Mistress immediately went about patting the wrinkles from her chic cerulean cocktail dress. Inside or out she wore sunglasses, her snowy blonde hair fitted elegantly into a tight pony bun behind her head to keep from eclipsing her eyes. With fingertips painted as pink as the rosé in our flutes, she began flicking through the pages and got to perusing the menu for us both.

“I always try to look nice.” She said without looking up. “And if you ask me, I succeed.”

Breath clouded my wine glass as I thirstily sipped my drink. I sat there, staring speechlessly at her reflection in it. Here I was with the world’s hottest woman, and all but one pair of eyes were on me. “Of course, Mistress. I just think you look extra stunning this evening.”

Wearing a simple red- admittedly pretty top- with my skirt, set me apart from her. In contrast to my date, I looked blindingly unremarkable.

“As do you, my pet. You look lovely yourself.”

Wine splashed out of my nose when her words processed through my head. “Really?” I coughed out. “You think so?”

“Well not if you’re going to choke. Please, the food isn’t even here yet.”

Candace snapped her fingers and the waitress appeared again. Orders glided off her tongue quicker than she could even close a menu, promptly snapping the booklet shut and handing it off without care. It wasn’t too long until someone had arrived with complimentary bread, but Candace didn’t spare me so much as a thought before checking out the waitress instead.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re not exceptionally attractive. I didn’t pick you out based on your looks or anything. But we can work on that.” She said, “Besides, I have always thought you were pretty cute. Adorable even.”

The appetizers came, and then the main meal. Some sort of pasta dishes for us both. I was unfortunately not so well versed in food, so I had no idea what they were. I was just glad the red sauce would blend into my dress in case I ended up getting spots on my outfit.

“You have my permission to eat.” She teased, “I ordered with you in mind, but I can get you something else if you’d like.”

“That’s alright, Ma’am. I could tell. It tastes very nice. Thank you.”

I quietly picked at my food as Candace ate. Whatever she’d ordered for me, someone had clearly made it with a lot of love, but I still couldn’t stomach it. Winning another date after this one was going to take nothing short of a miracle at this point.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, is there?”

“Not really, Mistress. I’m just not very hungry, that’s all.”

I wish I had noticed sooner that Candace was reaching beneath the table to caress my thigh, because when I felt her hand, I panicked. My knee instinctively jerked at the sudden touch, crushing her hand between my leg and the table above it. Along with any hopes of doing this again.

“Sonnova!” She exclaimed. “Ouch!”

“Oh my gosh, Mistress! Are you okay?”

Clearly pained, Candace held her hand to her chest and grimaced. “I’m fine. My dress is not.”

She threw a napkin at me and pulled out from the table with grace. I rushed to her side, wiping her down with the cloth to try and soak up the wine that spilled onto her lap thanks to my stupidity. The waitress came by in no time, trying to hide her amusement at seeing me on my knees as a replacement was ordered, choosing to just take the once again toppled candle away with her to make things easier on herself.

“Please forgive me. That was totally my fault. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

Her crimson eye twitched. “Accidents happen.” She told herself through gritted teeth. “Your punishment can wait…”

So much for a romantic night out I thought, watching my chances fly out the window. “I am so sorry, Ma’am.”

“Don’t apologize. You’re not completely to blame. If anything, I should have known better than to bring you here.”

My heart dropped as she said that. “I’ve disappointed you again.”

Candace propped her elbows up on the table in defeat, hiding her face in both hands. “Are you kidding me?” She gasped. “Be honest. You hate it, don’t you? You haven’t touched your food and you’ve barely said a word all night. Do you not like the meal? Or is it too fancy? Should I have taken you somewhere else?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been worrying this whole time?”

“Listen to me, Chloe. You’re irresistible, honest. I know you love it when I turn up the flair but I can hardly look at you without drooling right now.”

I gave her a smile as I returned to my seat, as well as the rest of my drink in apology. “Here I thought I was the one screwing everything up. I can’t believe you were honestly worried that I would hate it.” I said. “I love it, Ma’am. You didn’t have to do all of this just for me.”

She rolled her eyes at me. “Of course I did. I don’t know where I would be without you. You’re kind of the only good thing I have right now.”

“Don’t say that, Mistress.”

“But it’s true,” she said.

Candace downed the wine as soon as it left my hand, shotgunning her second from the server as it arrived before ordering two more for us. The woman worker flew off the way she came, just in time to miss the sound of my mistress burping like she would when no one was watching.

“You’ve been such a good girl lately, I wanted our first date to be perfect, but it’s been nothing but a great big letdown.”

And just like that I felt my heart flutter right back up. “This is a date?”

That time Candace was the one nearly doing a spit take, coughing out, “You’re joking? You do realize what day it is, right?”

I swallowed nervously. “…Am I supposed to?”

“I thought you knew!” She scoffed. “Did you honestly believe I would be seen in public with you out of the goodness of my heart? I didn’t even bring a bodyguard. Why would I take you here alone unless we were on a date?”

“In my defense, the line between friend and fuck up is pretty thin with you.” I mumbled back.

“Truthfully, none of this was supposed to be for you. Not technically. After I made the reservation, my proper date canceled on me. If it weren’t for you I’d be spending tonight alone.”

“You saved my life, Ma’am. I owe it to you. Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of girls out there who would love to be your date. I know I’m one of them.”

“It’s not the girls I take issue with. It’s the boys.” She chuckled. Our eyes slowly unlocked, returning to the meal- which was frankly delicious now that I could eat it with a clear mind- as she continued. “I can’t seem to find and hold onto a single man who’s actually worth a damn for the life of me.”

“That’s because all the good men are gay.” I remarked.

My comments were sure to make every fella on the floor scoff, but Candace got a laugh out of it. “Not all,” she said. “Just most.”

“Why date men at all, then?”

“Because I want to make my father happy.” Candace said, her fork clattering to the plate as she began talking with her hands like she often did. “I never realized how much I relied on him until he cut me off. I’m glad he let me keep you, but I want to get back on Daddy’s good side.”

Candace and I quietly went back to eating. “Figures he’d be the only one for you.”

“Let me flatter you.” Candace said. “Dating isn’t fun or easy for me, you know. Tonight can be about the two of us.”

I felt my face heating up as I set a full forkful of food back on my plate, closing my stupid mouth before I had the chance to embarrass myself. I wiped my mouth off with a napkin. Candace was leaning forward over the table, and quickly so was I.

My mistress reached across the table and held both of my hands in hers. “You’re my best friend, Chloe. I want you to know that.”

I squeezed with both hands. “You mean it?”

With a sigh, Candace laid a kiss on the back of my hand, hoping to make me feel better. “I mean it. I promise I’m not trying to trick you.”

As her fingers slipped away, I knew my hands had never been quite so sweaty. But she smiled, lifting her drink my way and waiting for me to do the same.

Our glasses made a soft clink as we tapped them together, saying, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

From the moment I met her I imagined hearing her say those words. When you’re in my shoes you know not to get your hopes up. I woke up that morning and it was still just a fantasy, but now it was real. Oh, how lucky I was to be in the same room with her. My first date with Candace Saint Clair. It was certainly romantic, but there was more going on under the surface than I knew how to reconcile. This was supposed to be everything I ever wanted, and it felt bittersweet even at the time.

The fruity wine waited until I was finished sipping it to spoil on my tongue, and by then it was too late. Not a bad taste, just not what I was promised. I gazed deeply into my reflection, and all I could see was her.

“Sophia Cavalier.”

Eyes jumped up to meet hers, doing my best not to blush as I heard her say my name. But she was just so cool, I couldn’t help feeling starstruck. There she was- Candace Saint Clair- sitting right in front of me.

“Th-that’s me!” I had stuttered excitedly. “How’d you know my name?”

Candace had looked at me funny, a mix of confusion and concern as she checked me down from head to toe. “Looks like someone wrote it on you.” She had said, flicking the name badge on my lanyard. “Have you considered getting a dog tag so you don’t forget?”

Her joke had made me smile. “Actually, I have a dog tag already. Do you want to see it?”

“Not particularly.” She confessed. Candace had taken a seat and a drink from her water bottle, avoiding eye contact with anything but her phone screen as she asked, “So were you just planning on staring at me until I call event security, or can I help you with something?”

I scrambled to show her my badge again, since she didn’t seem to read it all the first time for some reason. “Oh, no. I’m allowed to be back here, see?”

Candace quirked an eyebrow. “Backstage pass. Makes sense, you don’t look like you work here. You’re a bit chubby for a security guard.”

Fumbling with my words, all I could think to respond with was, “I’m feisty, I swear.”

“So you are.” She had said, and as much as she tried to hide it, I could see her smiling just slightly. “And is there something I can help you with, feisty?”

“Actually, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind, could I possibly get your autograph?”

Candace turned to me with a look of surprise. “Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t give out any autographs before the event starts, it’s not allowed, but it was nice to meet you.” She had said, standing up and emptying the last of her plastic water bottle. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m-”

“Candace Saint Clair!” I blurted out, letting the plastic water bottle fall to the floor as I went to shake her hand instead. “I’m like your biggest fan…”

“I can tell!” My idol had said, eventually squeezing my palm with her fingers until it was enough to make me let go. “You have a strong grip there.”

“Not as strong as yours…” I sighed, cradling my paw. “Sorry about that. I can get you another water if you’d like?”

“Unless you know where to get me a good iced tea, don’t worry about it.”

“I know exactly where they are!” I had exclaimed, despite the opposite being true. “I can get you an iced tea if you’d like!”

“Can you? I’ve looked all over and can’t seem to find any. I’ve been craving one this whole convention.” Candace awkwardly joked. “ Listen, I have a panel later I need to get ready for but there’s gonna be a signing beforehand if you’re interested.”

“Okay, yeah! I’ll see you there! Anything else I can get you while I’m here?”

The eye roll Candace gave me after that had been well earned. My owner didn’t even know me back then, but I think she could still see on my face just how flustered I was to be meeting her for the first time.

“Just the iced tea.”

Candace snapped her drink menu closed and shoved it off on the waitress, tapping her fingers in annoyance as the woman walked off. “Can’t serve me any more alcohol, my ass…” She grumbled. “Anyways, where was I?”

“Huh?” I looked up from my glass. Right, I was on a date. “Did you say something, Miss?”

“Yes. As I was saying-” She started and stopped. “You weren’t listening to a word of that, were you?”

“I guess not, Ma’am. Sorry. I was just thinking…”

“Well you better have been thinking about me, then.” Candace said as she plucked the drink right from my hand, finishing it for me.

“I was…” I just stared at her, trying to hold my tongue as she set down my now empty wine glass. “That was mine…”

“And you are mine. Anything that was yours belongs to me now. Besides, I’m buying.”

“Will you buy me a new one then?”

“Can’t. They won’t sell me any more.” She sighed, “Why? It’s not like you were drinking it anyways.”

“I was going to.” I said with crossed arms.

“Then I’ll have you pour both of us a drink when we get home, how’s that sound?”

“Don’t you think you’ve already had enough?”

“No. But the waitress sure does!” Candace’s annoyance was clear as she shouted it, making sure that the staff could hear her. “Honestly, don’t these people know who I am? My father practically owns this place. I could have each and every one of them fired.”

Reckless. Indulgent. Boastful. Those were some of the best words I could use to describe her. My mistress had always been full of herself, but it was becoming harder for me to agree that it was rightfully so.

Candace was different since the banquet. She was still fundamentally the same person she always had been, but something about that night changed her.

“I shouldn’t be here.” I realized I said out loud while staring at the empty glasses piled up in the corner of the table. She had at least five of them just sitting there. “We’re not supposed to be together.”

My date looked up at me with a confused look. “What makes you think that?” She asked with a supple smile. “Do you not want this?”

“What am I saying? Of course I want this! I’ve always wanted this. Once upon a time it was the only thing I wanted…”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know.” I said. “It’s just… Wrong. It feels wrong…”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Chloe. Nothing I can’t fix.” Candace tried to assure me. “You signed a contract. You gave yourself up to me. There’s nowhere else for you to belong.”

Panic began to overtake me. “As long as I can serve at your side, I’m happy. But we don’t have to be together.” I offered weakly. “We don’t belong together.”

“If I say we belong together, we belong together.”

Although I didn’t notice it until it was too late, I was crying. There was something in my throat keeping me from speaking. I could breathe, but words wouldn’t come. “Master…” Was all I managed to squeak out.

Candace and I were likely never to be. She was destined to marry another, while I presumably stood behind as a loyal handmaiden on her wedding day.

“Don’t worry about me. Do what you want, and don’t take no for an answer. Those were the last few words Leah told me. I think she was talking about you.”

Her hand was trembling by the time her iced tea arrived. Candace was barely able to take it from the tray. She wasn’t crying. She wasn’t even distraught. She was just more drunk than I had seen her.

“Then again, what did she know, she died alone never even having been with a man. Or a woman, for that matter.” My mistress burped. “That &*%# sure knew how to throw one back, though.”

My gasp echoed audibly through the room. “Okay, that’s enough of that. We wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea.”

“Oh shit did I say that out loud?!” Candace worried for approximately four and a half seconds before cackling wildly. “Boy am I glad I’m not on camera right now. Hey, say hypothetically you got to go back on stage someday, would you tell them about all the-”

“Stop. Talking.” I begged, hiding my head in my hands. “Please…”

Mistress bitterly relented. Seconds later she was back to sipping the droplets from her empty drink glasses. “Should’ve left you at home.” Candace then mocked, swiftly standing up from her chair and crudely leaving it out to obstruct the walkway. “Stay here.”

I shot up in place, reaching towards her as she walked away. “No wait, Mistress I’m-” But I was just too late. “Sorry…”

Slowly, I sank. Eyes from the nearby tables were like spotlights all pointing my way. My feet wanted to move, but were frozen in place. There were too many people watching for me to chase after her. As a sudden stage fright kept me locked into her words. Staying put.

I withdrew into my seat to hide, never taking my eyes off of Candace, who just barely was out of earshot sitting down at the bar. The rattling at my own table, which I was shaking without touching it, quieted as I calmed. She was right there. I could shout at her and she’d hear me. But for a brief moment I had no idea where my mistress had been headed. I was scared enough she could walk straight out of the building and I wouldn’t know whether to follow her.

The waitress was stacking empty wine glasses onto a tray to clear off our table. That felt like a clear sign our night here was wrapping up. I should have been the one to push Candace’s chair back in, but miserably, she got to it before I could. We exchanged nothing more than an obligatory smile.

I watched her walk away again- the waitress- this time in the direction of the bar. Candace waved her down and the two started talking. A pit grew in my stomach. How could I be so stupid?

It always went something like this. I tried desperately to impress her, but I only ever ended up making a fool of myself. My idol sat there at the end of the long table. In my inanity, I had missed my chance to get her autograph.

The panel had been going on for a bit now, but it was well past the signing portion and onto the Q&A. Granted, it wasn’t a very big panel. She was only the fourth out of four, but she was the only girl there, something which hadn’t been lost on the modestly sized audience. The rules were you could get in line if you wanted to ask a question, and if they got to you in the time permitted, you’d be allowed to take the microphone for a moment. I mulled about doing so while I was stuck to my seat in the back, but by the time I got in line, I worried so hard I would be too late that I didn’t listen to the rest of the panel. And then it was my turn.

Like an idiot, I handed the sweat covered bottle of iced tea I’d been holding to the panel assistant so I could hold the microphone in both hands. They, like my voice, were shaking.

“H-hi…” I said awkwardly. The mic had made that sharp whirring noise it does when you hit it just wrong; I had been holding it too close and needed to pull it further away from my mouth to make it stop. “Hi. My question is for Candace…”

Everyone in the room was looking at me for some reason. Or so it felt. Candace hadn’t actually gotten a lot of questions over the course of the event, and those she had gotten were jokes, nothing of a serious matter. I heard her sigh. No, I had seen her sigh. She was too far away from her own mic for it to have been picked up, but I could hear it in my head.

“Is it about my measurements again?” She asked the giggling crowd. It was a gaming panel. The audience was mostly full of men, but there were a few girls like me littered among the rest. I had a keen suspicion Candace didn’t really feel in on the joke, but she went along with it anyway. As a woman I knew that sort of thing bothered me. “I’m sorry. Go ahead. What was your name?”

“Sophia Cavalier.” I had said.

“Why hello, Sophia Cavalier.” She had said with a smile. I think she might have recognized me, but I couldn’t have been sure. At the very least, she realized from the sound of my voice that I actually had something to say. “You wanted to ask me something?”

A second later I could hear myself gulping into the microphone, once more to the annoyance of those around me. “Umm-” I began to stutter as the laughs came in. “Yeah, umm. I wanted-” But the sounds of the audience around me had been too much for me to overcome. “I wanted to ask you-”

Candace had spoken in such a commanding voice. “Quiet. I’m trying to hear her.” And as she hissed, the giggling audience did indeed begin to go silent, not completely, but certainly enough for it to make a difference. It made all the difference to me. “It’s alright. Take your time. I’m listening.” She had told me. “Let me hear your question.”

“My question was for you.” I had said to her. “You’ve been an inspiration to me. When I first started playing, I always felt out of place. I never thought that there were other girls like me, but you play my favorite game, and you’re better than everyone else. What I wanted to ask was…”

Candace, followed by the rest of the crowd, listened intently. Closing my eyes, slowly, the butterflies left my stomach. I took a deep breath and clenched the microphone harder.

“How do you do it?” I asked. “How do you keep going when things get bad? How are you supposed to win if everyone is telling you that you can’t? What do you do?”

My ears had been ringing too hard for me to hear the reaction all around me, but her voice spoke to me over the rest. Candace- all the way across the room- could be seen smiling at the question.

“Think about the people you love.” She had said. “And don’t listen to the people who don’t. Tell me, who bought you that game?”

I thought about it. “My mom did.”

“Think about her.” Candace said with a smile. “My mom passed away a few years ago. I was destroyed. But after it happened, my dad bought me my very first game console, and we played it together. We spent hours and hours together, just him and I, playing and playing and playing, and he never ever let me win. But I didn’t stop playing just because I lost. I kept trying. I got better. And I won. I still lost a lot, but every once in a while, I won. That was enough for me. You know, I wanted to make him proud. Now, whenever I play, I think of him.”

Her message had spoken to me. I never forgot a word she said. “Thank you.” I let out a deep breath. It no longer felt like I was frozen in place. After I was done, I turned to the event helper, who was still holding onto that iced tea I’d spent so long trying to find, and held the microphone towards her.

“Here you are.” The woman smiled as she handed me my drink. “I believe this is yours.”

I blinked at my reflection in the full glass of wine our waitress had just given me. “What’s this?”

“From your date.” She said, gesturing towards Candace down the balcony stairs. “Came to the bar asking to buy you another. As long as you drink it before she gets back.”

My eyes locked with the woman’s tits as I saw the fifty dollar bill she was stuffing between them, blushing bright red as I desperately failed to look away. I quietly sipped my wine and watched until she was done.

“You’re both perverts.” She said, rolling her eyes. As soon as she’d gotten her money I couldn’t exactly blame her for not wanting to put up with us any longer. “Enjoy your date.”

Feeling my heart flutter, I shot a look towards my mistress. She was standing down at the bar, smirking. I watched her give me a wink, and instantly I was smitten.

Candace motioned towards me with her finger, and I just sat there like an idiot. Pointing a finger at my own face, I made like I didn’t know she was talking to me, nervous to get up and follow her, but Mistress shook her head and promptly came my way.

“You’re still pouring me a drink when we get home. Now finish that, it’s expensive.” Her eyes snapped to mine- instantly. It had as much a psychological effect on her thoughts as it did on mine. Candace’s face was awash with worry, a frown. She was clearly not over how I’d spoken to her earlier. “How about we get you home where you can feel safe?” She came to my side, and I was grabbed by the arm and helped to my feet. “Come. Let’s go.”

Tipping the rest of the wine down my throat as I was hoisted upward made me feel things I wasn’t aware I still could. A lovely time had been had, but now it was time to go back.

We went home after that. But the drive back certainly didn’t help my mood, what with all the sudden stop-starts, swerves, twists and turns. Candace drove like a maniac. I sat in the middle of the backseat- where the windows were dark and I couldn’t see the sky out of them. This madwoman modified my own car to make me invisible to the outside world, and vice versa. Whether that was for the best was up to her to decide. The yellow hatchback was ironically the least dangerous thing for us to be riding around in, being something you would never expect a person like her or her associates to drive. And that wasn’t to mention the speeds Candace might have taken us had she been driving anything that could go faster.

“Did your father also teach you how to drive?” I asked after a particularly quick turn.

“No, actually. That-” She hesitated to say. “That was Leah…”

Part of me wanted to offer my driving skills to her, but I was afraid it would end me up in trouble if I asked. Perhaps in the moment she and I could both trust me to get us home safely. Letting me do so might have resulted however in a future where I knew too much, the lay of the land firmly implanted in my mind when some unforeseen day arrived where I very well needed to make an escape, she couldn’t trust me not to do so. Worse still, should that version of myself hidden in the neck be rathe to take hold, she may at once steer us to our dead end.

I’m afraid. The words in my head and heart, they sound so different than they did not long ago now. That’s not how I speak. That’s not how I think. That’s not how I feel. That’s not me behind the wheel.

My reflection stared back at me. Facing the person who sat before me in the mirror hung ahead. Rearview, looking back. Hazel eyes locked with mine and yet they weren’t.

Candace had won. I was becoming exactly what she wanted me to be and all of her lies were coming true. She was turning me into her hopelessly helpless little servant for the rest of my life. A loyal plaything who would fawn over her. Somebody who would listen to and obey her every word. Something to tend to her every want and need. An object to handle, hurt, and humiliate- forever subject to her whims. An animal trained to accept anything in order to pleasure her. Someone who would bend over for her. Desperate for her attention. Desperate for her approval. Desperate for her love.

A perfectly submissive slave. Her perfectly submissive slave.

That’s not who I am. That’s who I’m becoming. That’s the woman who’s replacing me.

She wore a gorgeous gold cattle tag on one ear, glistening with rosy light. That girl, whoever she was, was tragically heartbreaking. But the person in the mirror wasn’t me. She wore her name with such great pride, a symbol of her status carved into that instrument clipped to her ear telling her it was going to be okay. That name engraved into the metal reminding her of who she was- a slave to her master’s touch- Chloe.

That’s me. I’m Chloe.

But something special happened that night. Something that made me question whether Sophia Cavalier had really been Chloe inside all along.

Our car rolled to a stop before I knew what was going on, still lost in the mirror as we pulled over. Even these tinted windows couldn’t hide the bright lights shining through them. This wasn’t the house.

Candace winked at my reflection before getting out, opening my door from the outside. A hand moved itself to hold me by my own backseat as I was brought out of the car and nudged forward by my mistress. I quickly worried, she just couldn’t wait to see the look on my face once I realized what was going on.

Candace erupted with satisfied laughter, delighting in my precious reaction. “Because someone didn’t like the restaurant, remember?”

I gasped through my own two hands, clasping them over my mouth in surprise as I read the sign. “What! A taco truck?” I asked wide-eyed. “Really no! You’re kidding me! Why’d you bring me here?”

“Decided I wanted dessert.” She teased, pushing her shades down and shooting me a wink. “Consider it a reward.”

“You said we were going home! I don’t deserve this, Ma’am. After everything I did back there I thought I was supposed to be getting punished?”

My blonde owner rolled her mismatched eyes, tucking her sunglasses into the cleavage of her dress to let in a little more of the late night light, making sure I could see her expression. “I wrote those rules myself, you realize. I know by heart every word of our contract that you’re not obeying right now. And I have every right to punish you for them right here and now.”

Before she even finished talking Candace reeled her hand back, and a moment later I felt her smacking my ass with a drunken palm. But rather than follow it up with another like expected, she grabbed my backside with her firm hand and squeezed me. Then, chin pinched between her fingers, my head was tilted up to look her way, face so close to mine.

“But guess what? I don’t wanna. Because tonight I’m gonna look at your happy little face and watch you smile, and you’re gonna see to it that I get that.” Whispered her hush breath onto my lips. “You’re mine, remember? Do you understand what that means?”

Candace pushed her lips into mine and stole my breath. Her tiniest touch shackled me. Sweat began rolling down my cheeks, from the corners of my eyes. How she held me in her embrace. The way her affection displayed itself to me. It was avarice.

“It means I own all of you. Not just your body. Everything. All of your tears, not just sadness, but joy. I own your smile and your frown. Your courage and your fear. Your pleasure and your pain. It’s all the same to me. Mine.”

Glancing back and forth, biting my lip, I gave Candace a pair of puppy dog eyes. “Mistress…”

“I said I was paying.” Mistress handed over more than enough money for me to get us our food. “Get whatever you want. And hurry, I still want you to pour me that drink.”

I broke away from her with nothing less than sparkling eyes, feeling myself dragging her towards the truck with me in my excitement. I ran right up to the window as I got close, stammering off a couple things she couldn’t understand and looking back her way.

Candace walked me back to the car, keeping a careful eye on me while out in the open to make sure I couldn’t do anything suspicious. We laid atop the roof of my old hatchback together as we ate. I looked up at the stars and wondered how I got to this point- my mistress lying beside me- and found myself caught in her eyes.

Once we finished eating, I called shotgun, and Candace let me ride up front. As we headed home, I thought about how I made it to where I was now. All the way to the top, down to rock bottom, finally I was starting back up again.

“Here’s that drink I promised you. Sorry I couldn’t get it to you sooner.”

“Took you long enough.” Candace had said as she took her iced tea from my hand. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back.”

“I guess I was wrong when I said I knew where I was going.” I joked.

“I gathered that. Nice of you to show up to the panel, by the way. That was you, wasn’t it, Sophia Cavalier?” She teased. “You didn’t come get an autograph?”

My face had been bright red, too embarrassed to look at her. “That’s what I get for taking too long. Must have missed the signing. Better luck next time I guess?”

Candace St. Clair- my idol- giggled as she took in my humiliated face, before she gave me a smile and asked me. “Would you like my signature?”

Blushing, I nodded. “Yes please…”

Normally I would have been way more prepared, but something about that day- about her- messed me up. Realizing I didn’t actually have anything to offer up for an impromptu autograph, I looked at her and chuckled nervously before hanging my head in defeat.

“Oh my god…” I heard her mutter under her breath. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this-” Candace looked at me and shook her head. “But you did get me that iced tea, so I guess I owe it to you. Give me your phone.”

Not seeing anything wrong with this, I handed her my phone as asked, making sure to unlock it for her, before suddenly I felt her pulling me towards her by my dog tag as she took a picture with me. Over the moon at the opportunity, I reached for my phone to take a look at what she’d taken, but she held it away from me.

Taking out a bold black marker, she winked. “Turn around.”

“Like this?” I asked both anxious and excitedly. “What for?”

“You’ll see in a second.” She said, “Now lift up your shirt and bend over that table.”

Very little kept me from doing exactly that, but sensing that it must not have been fast enough, Candace’s hands were behind me to help. It took me a moment to realize what was going on, but for a few short seconds I felt the cold feeling of marking against my skin, and was being stood back up for a picture.

“You can keep those to yourself, but don’t be sending them to anybody.”

I spun to face her again, shoving my shirt back down and looking up at her, my face burning up with a happy shame. She handed me the phone to see what it was she’d just done.

Candace had signed my body with her initials- CStC.

“How’s that for an autograph?” She asked.

“It’s perfect…” I said awkwardly. “I love it… Thank you…”

“It’s the least I could do.” Candace said with a smile. “You did get me that iced after all.”

Candace held her hand against my brand as she sipped her wine, holding me close to her and tracing the letters. Property of CStC.

“Be grateful.” Master sighed. “I like it when you’re grateful.”

“I am grateful, Master.” I mumbled to her, laying my head carefully on her shoulder. “I’ll have to show it more often.”

Candace reached over and took my hand in hers. “You know what I’ve decided?” She asked. “I don’t care if my father doesn’t like you. I like you.”

And I smiled for her. “I like you too.”