Possessing Bella Ch. 12

Taking a clean cloth she carefully wiped over the tankard and held up to glint in the bright light of the kitchen. She took a step toward the refrigerator and braced herself before opening the door as if opening the door to an ice-cold strong room. She felt her breasts begin to pucker with the eroticism of her performance as Stephen lounged in the doorway watching her closely.

Bella took a bottle from the refrigerator and twisted the cap off with a towel before tilting the tankard and pouring the beer that sufficed as ale into the large tankard filling it to just below the brim. Picking up the tankard, she held it to her breast. The thin material of her ragged camisk offering her skin no protection from the now icy surface. She felt her flesh become goose-bumped as she turned back towards where Stephen once again sat in the large chair. She noted that he moved swiftly and quietly for a large man.

Bella tossed her curly hair back over her shoulder with a flick of her head and felt her hair cascading down over her back. She walked carefully taking tender care of the tankard she carried as her hips swayed in what she hoped was a provocative manner back toward the master she served. With the utmost care, she sank to her knees in front of him, her pale thighs widening lewdly to expose more of herself to him than she had previously.

Arching her back, she pressed her breasts forward against the edge of his tankard. She rested it close to her heart for the length of five heartbeats before lowering her head to kiss the outer edge of the glass rim. She lowered her head, her flicking tongue tracing over small pink lips as she prepared to speak to him.

"Master this girl brings you chilled ale in a tankard as you commanded. She prays that it refreshes you and that this girl's service has brought you some pleasure this day," her voice was small and breathy as she spoke.

Stephen reached to take the tankard from her out-stretched hands and as if on cue Bella gasped as their fingers made contact briefly. She squirmed slightly on her heels as she brought her hands back to her thighs and laid them palm up in a gesture of submission.

"Very nicely done," Stephen said in a deep voice. "You may return to the slave mats now and pretend I have entered as a Jarl of the north. How would you change that exact service to suit such a man?"

She went back to the other side of the room as Stephen stood and placed the still full tankard into the freezer. When he came back in to sit down, Bella crawled to his feet and slithered up his legs and torso pressing her body against his as she moved until her face cleared his enormous chest. Purring softly, she licked a line up his neck and along his jawline to his ear.

"Jarl, may this beast get you anything this evening?" she purred into his ear softly.

"Ale," he growled low at her.

"Would you like that in a tankard or a horn, my Jarl," she purred.

"Tankard," his word came out as more of a groan.

Bella slowly unfurled from his body retracing her body's movement as it lifted from him with her hands. Standing she spun on the balls of her feet like a dancer might. She walked with a slightly exaggerated sway to her hips. Padding into the kitchen she had known that the drink lay in the freezer, so she opened the door letting out an audible gasp and small tremble as the cool air rushed out at her practically naked form. She took the heavy tankard and pulled it her breast, even a short time in the freezer had made it frostier than before, and she shivered as her skin crawled with goose-bumps.

Taking a deep breath, she tested the cold rim of the vessel against the soft skin of her neck. Stepping back from the freezer that lay at the bottom of the refrigerator, she bumped the door closed with a saucy swing of her hip before turning back towards the living area. Looking up, she saw Stephen smiling smugly at her as she moved.

Once again, she tossed her hair sending it cascading down her back before padding silently out to where he sat once again. Bella approached him from the side and brushed her breasts against his large muscled bicep. She brought the tankard to her lips slowly, leaving a lingering kiss on the edge before turning it in her hands and pressing that edge to his lips and brushing it against them while purring into his ear.

"Your ale, my Jarl, chilled despite the heat of this beast," her voice was soft but held a sexually charged heat.

"And you are a hot little beast," his low voice rumbled. "You are more than ready to serve the Masters of Gor."

Bella couldn't help but smile at the compliment feeling the pleasure of his words roll through her. She slid to her knees in the perfect Karta before him and lowered her eyes. Stephen took several minutes to study her as she knelt there. His self-restraint was wavering, and he wished he didn't have to take her to another Master tonight. To try and distract himself, he took her through various slave positions making adjustments for her and asked her about particular styles of service and greetings.

"I have spoken with Mike and Rob. Being an uncollared girl in Gor is not advisable. Girls who enter that lifestyle uncollared can are taken by the first man who discovers her. He then keeps her as his own but more often than not she is sold," Stephen took on a lecturing tone in an effort to convey the seriousness of his words. "To that end we decided that you would be required to take a collar from one of us for your protection. As I am the one who has been given the duty of overseeing your training and have links to that community, we thought it best you wear my collar. Mike will had his token of protection to it when you serve his in his home."

"Thank you, Sir Stephen. I would be honoured to wear your collar while I am with the Goreans," Bella said softly. She knew from all she had studied and her conversations with Nyx that this would be expected, and it was not like formal collaring. It was more a necessity of this particular lifestyle and would save her from a forced collaring at the hand of someone who may not release her after the two weeks with the Goreans was over.

"You may not thank me after I explain further," Stephen considered her. "I am aware that Nyx has ensured that your training so far included a lot of information about the assassins of Gor and how to serve them appropriately."

"Yes," Bella nodded. "She was very clear about that side of things because even while they are accepted and respected for their craft they are dangerous and to be served with caution."

"As the property of an assassin, girls too can be seen as dangerous," Stephen let his words sink in. "Accepting my collar as you enter Gor will mark you as a dangerous woman and one to be watched carefully. It is not beyond some assassins to have their slaves poison another Masters drink or food." Bella's eyes became wide as the meaning of his words became clear.

"You will be there to serve every Master as they wish, with no restrictions from wearing this collar but it will protect you from being claimed and make the more unscrupulous Masters cautious around you. No one wants to cross an assassin, particularly me." Stephen let a rare grin escape and checked his watch.

"Get dressed," he said abruptly. "Lincoln will drive us to the Cove and we will leave from there to meet with Mike and Nyx.

"Yes Sir Stephen," Bella did little to hide her surprise and leapt to her feet. She padded into her bedroom, choosing a soft flowing green dress to wear and matching heels. Doing her make-up quickly and pulling her hair up into a messy knot at the back of her head, she reappeared with the small garter pouch containing her phone and credit card.

They left the apartment and went down to the garage to meet Lincoln. Bella was surprised to find that Stephen sat in the back with her, a covered basket nestled on the seat between them. Once out on the highway, Stephen uncovered the basket displaying gourmet sandwiches and tubs of fresh fruit salad.

"I promised your mother I would make sure you ate better," Stephen chuckled. "We have little time to stop today, so we need to eat on the run or the drive if we must."

They began to eat commenting on the food and thinking about the weeks ahead. Bella was a little confused by the revelations Stephen had made that morning. Stephen in his private thoughts considered how far to push her in his need for her to take this collar as a further indication of his intentions toward her. With both of them concerned as to how to voice their individual concerns the drive out to the Cove seemed to take no time at all.

"Thanks, Lincoln," Stephen said easily. "I'll call you when I return."

"Have fun," Lincoln said to both of them and then drove away further confusing Bella as to how they would get to Mike and Nyx's house. Stephen took her hand and walked towards his castle-like home.

"Pete went to a mediaeval fair down south with Jarod and Sophie. There are just a few of the workers still here, but we will have the main house to ourselves," Stephen explained.

"Oh," she was disappointed not to see Pete but she had a feeling it was for the best as she was still unsure why they had come here before going to meet with Master Mike. She wondered where they were headed as he led her through the main rooms and kitchen to the north-eastern corner of the building and heavy wood and iron door.

"My tower," Stephen explained, "Pete's is the southern tower." He allowed her to walk ahead of him following her up the winding staircase to the next level which opened into the living area. The furniture all seemed to mirror the castle theme and looked less than comfortable, but she suspected that Stephen spent little time here in reality, and it was more for show than everyday use.

Ascending another set of stairs Bella found herself in Stephen's bedroom and in opposition to the rest of the castle décor this was a luxurious room built for comfort. The massive bed took up almost half the room. A large old battered armchair took up another corner, and furred rugs littered the polished stone floors. Along the far wall, an open door showed a small bathroom, and she assumed the closed door hid a walk in closet of some kind. The colour and furnishings made it a wholly masculine room and she could see Stephen here, relaxing and unwinding from his life in the city.

Having felt impotent after handing her over to Hunter, Stephen had been proactive about this phase of her training. He had already begun speaking with Jack and Samuel, who would most likely be Jack's choice as her next temporary Master, about her time with them. If he was going to hand her over to another's care, he was going to influence that time as much as possible from here on out.

"You will need to wear appropriate silk becoming a slave of an assassin," He walked into his closet and returned with a piece of red silk that he handed to her. "Change and then kneel on that rug." He pointed to a soft black rug before the large armchair then disappeared into his closet again.

Rather than being ragged, this silk was cut and sewn in such a way as its raggedness was purposeful and heightened the sexuality of the wearer. Bella stood before the mirror adjusting it and even knelt in the position of a pleasure slave to see how it sat upon her. It was as if it had been made for her the way it clung to her form. Satisfied she went to kneel on the rug before his chair.

Stephen finally re-emerged into the room. He wore leather pants and thick boots. His chest and torso were partially covered with an open, sleeveless leather tunic that fell down to his thigh and was held together across his abdomen by loose shoelace type leather thongs. Bella had to stop her mouth from dropping open. He looked beyond the handsome man she knew, he was gorgeous, and she found herself openly staring at him.

He dropped a bundle of what Bella assumed were coats on the bed and retrieved a small chest from the closet before coming to sit in front of her. Her nose twitched at the smell of well cared for leather, and she leaned forward a little toward it showing her desire.

"Such a needy slave," Stephen eyed her up and down taking in her obvious arousal. "But before we leave there needs to be an understanding between us," he said slowly and carefully. "So that you understand the position I am putting you in properly. Also, so, that should a man offer you a life that you are tempted by you will have other options to think on and relate to him."

"Less than a quarter of the women of Gor were actually slaves, if one adheres to the books of John Norman rather than the belief of an online community that have twisted the passages of his books to their own wants and needs. This makes the Gorean slave girl a very valuable commodity. Especially a display slave," Stephen began. "You are beautiful Bella, and you have an innate grace in your movements that will make your owners in Gor wish to display you. Once you accept my collar, you will belong to me. The man I give your care to, however, will protect you as if you were his own."

Bella opened her mouth to speak but remembering her place closed her mouth again and chewed her lip thoughtfully.

"Speak this will be your last chance to ask all those questions that plague you," Stephen said with humour.

"Do you know who that will be? I mean, I assumed you would give me to Mike, and he would choose a Master for me while I was there," Bella asked. "Nyx said we would be at another's home but she didn't say much aside of that, like it was a secret or something."

"Back when the idea was first floated about your training, Mike began preparations with a man who runs a Gorean retreat in his retirement. He has organised a festival of sorts which from all accounts will be well attended. I will stay two nights and watch you as well as make my presence known to the other men there. I will then return the following Sunday and Monday before picking you up at the end of the second week."

"I am not giving you my collar merely as a prop, Bella," he turned suddenly serious. "I want you to remember that while I have determined to be patient while you complete this journey you ave begun, my intentions once it is over are far more serious. There will come a time when your grief and loss are not so acute. Where Mel will always reside in a piece of your heart, but you will be ready to let someone else into your heart who can accept him being there as well. I would like to be that man, but I will not force it on you while you are still coming to terms with all that has happened."

"You are right," Bella said softly, "Mel will always hold a special place in my heart. He gave me so much and without him I am not sure where I would be," she pulled a face thinking of Jim. "Probably engaged to someone I didn't love because it was what was expected," she sighed. "I will always love Mel for opening up a whole new world to me, both privately and in the company but..." she swallowed and took a breath. "He was my Master for a month or there abouts. I mean, I knew him most of my life as a family friend, but I only knew the real him for such a short time." She tried to explain herself. "It was intense and that is what probably made my grief all the more palpable. He owned me; body and soul and I gave it all to him because I loved him and wanted more. I wanted this lifestyle, the training and understanding he could give me as I learned, and the fact is I still do."

Stephen said nothing as she looked up to him for understanding, so she continued. "This training, while giving me the chance to explore and be in this world, isn't really what I thought I wanted," her voice dropped as she admitted it out loud for the first time. "I wanted to feel again. I wanted to feel something, anything, without the risk of being hurt again, but the euphoria of the sex is not enough on its own. I realise now that I need more in my life, not just need but I want more than just a playdate as you once put it."

"I did?" Stephen finally broke his silence.

"I thought so, but maybe it was Dorothea who used that term," Bella blushed.

"It's an apt description," Stephen said with genuine humour. Then his face turned serious again. "Bella, I will admit that I have status and respect among the men or Gor, and I have used that to influence your time there rather than handing you over to another entirely. Master Kolten will take you into his home and under his protection when I leave. You will serve any Master who wishes it as befits a pleasure slave, but you will, for all intents and purposes, belong to me. I did this selfishly so that no other would be able to place their collar around your neck in my absence."

Bella was once again chewing her lip and tilted her head at his words.

"Speak," Stephen said sensing her thoughts again.

"I know I have a lot to learn, and I don't always understand these things but, couldn't I just say that my interest lies elsewhere or with someone else should the need arise?" Bella asked softly.

"In Gor, slaves have no real voice or choices as they do across other lifestyles. It is best this way, unless of course you do not wish to wear my collar, I would never force it on you," Stephen's voice had begun to turn hard with the last phrase.

"Oh no," Bella said aghast that he would think that, "I feel honoured that you would think I am worthy of wearing it. It's just that I would like..., have been liking, getting to know you better, and I was thinking beyond the two weeks that's all. You have told me of your intentions, and I was wondering if I should declare mine in the same regard, sort of, well at least my interest in knowing you more." Her head dropped, and a deep blush coloured her features.

"When you return, if you still feel the same way, it is something we can talk about," Stephen tilted her chin up so that she could see his pleasure at her words and kissed her lightly. He then placed the small chest beside Bella and opened it showing what it held. She noted several red silks like the one she already wore, bina, bells and silk ribbon for dancing.

"Because you will enter as an owned slave you can have a small chest of belongings. We will place your phone pouch in here, and you will be allowed to charge and check it daily," he explained. Then he took a small flat box from the chest and opened it. "These are temporary tattoos of the dina. Stand," he encouraged her to spread her legs further apart until he was happy with the stretch of the skin and placed the small square of paper against her inner thigh, "Hold this." He then went and got a damp cloth and pressed it against the square for several minutes in which she stood in agonising silence in an uncomfortable position.

Once he was fully satisfied that the transfer tattoo had taken hold he allowed her to resume her kneel warning her to be careful until it set completely. He opened the box showing her the spare tattoos and a pen that she could make small repairs with should she need it then he threw the box back into the chest and closed it. Walking to the pile he had thrown on the bed, he picked up another slightly larger flat box and returned to sit with her.

He opened the box and exposed a simple circle of brushed copper with an amulet attached that was breathtakingly beautiful in its intricacy. A sword with a pommel of flame hung suspended between two bound angels at its very centre where the pommel met the blade was a small ruby glinting in the light.

"To the Goreans I was known as Steelheart the assassin," he said quietly as he picked up the collar. "As my slave you will be known by the name Honey because you are so sweet and to protect your real identity. Men of Gor do not approve of women who have careers, particularly ones as high profile as yours." Once again, he became serious and tilted her chin up so she would look him in the eyes as he held up the collar before her.