Chapter 7: Tough Love

The first Sunday of the camp was essentially a day off for the counselors. Students would arrive in the morning and would be escorted to their dorms and given orientation and skill tests. For the counselors there would be a staff meeting to lay out jobs and assign groups. Unlike the system used with the younger campers, the older groups got much more intense training, which meant professionals would be on staff for the first week. Rather than moving from group to group, Counselors would be assigned a single group to lead around and junior counselors would work in rotating jobs to learn new skills. This meant a single set of twenty for each counselor until the next Sunday, when they'd reorganize the groups into more specific sections. Neil expected to get an entry level group since it was his first year as a full counselor and then he'd probably get a trail or western group to lead for the second week.

After the disaster of the previous night, Neil woke, showered and brooded for most of the morning. Apparently Dave and Ruth were aware, at least in part, because they stopped by very briefly to see if he wanted anything to eat. Dave managed to talk him into a bagel, which he ate by himself in his cabin.

With the whole, boring morning stretching out in front of him, Neil finally forced himself to make a decision. He could brood and bitch all day and spend the week with minimal time to do anything or he could make some hard decisions and get on with things.

He managed to brood for a while, but it got boring. "Stop being such a pussy" he growled to himself, wiping tears out of his eyes. "Man up and do SOMETHING".

Something turned out to be pretty straightforward, if a little cold hearted. Mae clearly had two unshakable positions. She loved to be submissive sexually and she refused to be his girlfriend except when it was convenient. So the clear path was to end all romance, relationship and emotional connection and stick to the sexual domination.

Neil's mood improved significantly after that. After getting dressed, he headed to Harriet's room, where he knew he'd find Mae. He knocked on the door and Harriet's surprised face greeted him.

"She's... kind of"

"Mae!" he shouted past Harriet. "Come here now"

"Neil, what the hell are you..."

"She doesn't want a relationship beyond the sexual domination, then I'll just have to live with..."

Mae's appearance cut him short. She was red eyed and unkempt and looked at him with a face full of confusion.

"Clean yourself up and be in my cabin in half an hour." he said firmly.

Mae hesitated only for a moment, then rushed back inside.

Harriet gave him a concerned look. "Neil, you can't... just bury your feelings toward her! Nobody is going to be happy then!"

"And who's happy NOW? I'll give her what she wants and take what she'll give me." Without another word he turned and headed back to his cabin.

Thirty seven minutes later, Neil was sitting in one of the hardbacked chairs waiting impatiently for Mae to arrive. He'd been very careful in his timekeeping, and made a mental note.

Mae rushed in without knocking and hesitated at the doorway. "I'm sorry... I couldn't find my"

"Strip." Neil said firmly.

Mae blinked and straightened. "What? Neil... I"

Neil stood slowly and walked to her with his face stern and his back straight. "We're starting a new phase of our relationship." he said stiffly. "Over the last few days, I'm afraid I've been very foolish, misunderstanding certain things and placing an emphasis on certain aspects of our relationship rather than others."

As he stepped, moving onto the next carefully selected phrase Mae made a sound as if to interrupt. "SILENCE" he said suddenly. Mae stood rod-straight.

Neil took another step and paused for effect. "I have failed, and made corrections to prevent further failure. Your failures are forgiven, as of right now. Further disobedience, however, will not be tolerated. Am I clear?"

Mae looked at him in shock, searching for some sign of humor, some trace of softness on the new, harsh edge Neil projected. She made some sound of confusion and Neil frowned.

"You wish to end our relationship?" he asked.

Mae shook her head suddenly. Her breathing was increasing and her pulse was clearly faster.

"Good. Now, I gave a simple set of orders. From now on, failure to follow my orders will not be tolerated. I will be sure, very sure, to keep them simple, direct and easy for you to understand. Am I clear?"

Mae nodded mutely.

"You will speak when spoken to. You will act as I expect you to act. You will be available to me whenever I demand it. I, in turn, will honor my promise not to physically hurt you and I will not get you fired from this job. You will find ample pleasure in my orders and, should I choose to allow it, you will come repeatedly as I fuck you. Is that all clear?"

Mae's head bobbed rapidly. There was a slow line of red rising past her cheeks and down her forehead. Her hands clasped and unclasped slowly, without thought. She stared at the floor mutely.

"You will answer".

"Yes... its clear"

"Yes... what?"

"Yes... maser."

"Good. Now what were my orders?"

"Strip... master"

Neil waited. When Mae turned to close the door he stopped her. "I did not order you to do anything else."

Mae's eyes snapped wide in shock and she paused, trying to answer. When Neil raised an eyebrow in warning she swallowed and turned back to her original position. Very slowly she reached down and started to pull her shirt over her head When she had it just over her face, Neil quietly closed the door carefully letting the latch slide silently into place. He then moved across the room and stood next to the wooden chair again.

Mae finished undressing very quickly, pleading with her eyes. Her entire face was bright red and when she could not stand it any longer she broke. "Please... Neil... master... please let me close the door."

Neil raised one eyebrow and frowned. "I've already closed the door. I promised you that I would not allow you to be fired. You seem to have very little faith in my promises."

Mae had to stop herself from looking, but the relief on her face was instant. She stood, nude and gasping in his doorway, looking at him for some kind of response.

"Come over here and get on to your knees" he ordered. The sexual power he felt was unbelievable, but it failed to completely cover the pain underneath. He wanted so badly to hold her, to sleep behind her, to see the love that she refused to express. Instead, he felt waves of lust and longing pouring out of her. She was soaked, he knew. She yearned for sexual release and each command, each order turned her thermostat up a tiny notch.

Mae moved quickly to stand in front of him, then dropped to her knees. She started to reach for him but he grunted and she froze.

"Hands and knees" he ordered, remaining standing. She moved onto her hands and knees and he stepped past her, looking back as her ass and pussy opened before him. It was incredible. She instinctively dropped onto her elbows so that her ass would open further, displaying her innermost openings fully to him. Neil grinned in anticipation. "Very nice" he said.

Mae shuddered. "Th... thank... you master" she whispered hoarsely.

"Does it excite you? Does it make you wet to have me watch you displayed like that? Your pussy and ass open to me, available for me?"

Mae nearly vibrated on the floor. She was making deep humming sounds and trying unsuccessfully not to shift. Her hands twitched and moved back an inch, only to stop and return. "Yes... yes master" she whispered so quietly that Neil almost couldn't hear her.

"Well, then I will remember this pose." he said simply. "Whenever I ask for you to display yourself, I think this is how you will do it. Isn't that a good idea?"

Mae shook her head, which had come to rest on the floor.

Neil smiled, but felt a little sad as well. It was what she wanted, he reminded himself, and staring at her wet and aroused vagina, it was very hard to debate.

"You may play with yourself. But do not come" he said. Mae reacted quickly, moving her hands back and working them into her pussy. For several minutes Neil watched, talking to her about the arena events the day before, his time in the parking lot, anything he could think of to delay the time.

"Mmm... mmaster... " she grunted suddenly. "Neeeeeill..."

"Yes?" he asked, watching her. She was humping her hands and her fingers had stopped.

"So... close... oh... god... please..."

"Ah, yes. You've been a very good slave so far."

Mae groaned, holding her hands together on the floor to keep from touching herself. Her hips bucked slowly up and down.

Neil stood and took off his clothes, then kneeled down next to her face.

Without asking she rose up and took him into her mouth. Her groans abated slightly and she took to sucking and licking with abandon. Neil suspected she was trying to lessen her edge and he decided to take the opportunity. "I think I'm going to like this new arrangement" he said, allowing her to do the all the work of sucking him.

She groaned something that might have been agreement.

Neil ignored her response and pulled out, but did not move away. Mae stayed still on her hands and knees, her face a few inches from his wet and red cock. Neil grasped it and slid it down her cheek, moving away as she tried to take him back in her mouth. "Ah, my pet... so ready".

Mae nodded and tried to move forward, whimpering when he pulled away.

Without a word Neil moved behind her and pressed down on her back gently until she lay her face and upper chest on the floor. Once again her ass and pussy were obscenely displayed for him, open for his inspection or use. Neil gazed for a moment, savoring the view and made an approving sound. He moved into position and slid his cock head down her wet slit, lubricating it. She moaned and he smiled, enjoying the anticipation and her response. Mae tried to move back, but Neil blocked her with his hip, then brought his hand down onto her buttock with a mild smack. "None of that." he said with a bit of a growl.

Mae moaned even louder.

Neil paused, making sure he had not misread her. He hadn't considered that discipline might be a furtherance of his hold on her and toyed with the idea. "I think, slave, that we should discuss your performance before continuing."

Mae made sounds of begging, wiggling her hips for effect.

"Ah, now I do enjoy that. I will tolerate your attempts to pleasure me, but your disobedience of late... although forgiven, will not be tolerated in the future." Neil punctuated this with a slightly sharper smack on the side of her buttocks.

Mae moaned and arched up and down, causing her vagina to come in and out of Neil's view. He grinned and held her still, then slid his cock up her ass cleft, then down her slit for more lubrication. When he felt ready, he held her ass firmly and slid inside as slowly as he could. "You may play with yourself while I fuck you" he said in a generous tone.

Mae moved again to fondle herself, rubbing her sopping clit and moaning in pleasure.

Neil moved gently, enjoying, feeling each inch of her. It was bliss and he resisted the urge to move quickly despite the urging of his mind. He knew the danger there, and fought it with long, persistently slow motions.

Mae moved closer and closer to orgasm, and Neil realized she was not paying much attention.

"Are you going to come without my permission slave?" he asked firmly.

Mae shuddered and dropped her hands, nearly crying in agony at the loss. Her hands rapped against the floor, spasming and clenching.

"I'm going to fuck your mouth and come on your face." he said suddenly, you can come then.

Mae shivered and spasmed.

It was a clear precursor to an orgasm and Neil realized he would have to move quickly. He wanted to make sure she was as obedient as possible today. Without a word he moved back to her head and found her spinning to meat him. As soon as her mouth engulfed his cock she started to build, racing toward an orgasm that Neil was certain he couldn't beat.

Mae, however, seemed to clutch on the very tip of release, squeezing her eyes and attacking his manhood lie a woman possessed. She was ravenous, flying up and down the shaft with her mouth, pulling him in to the base and fondling his balls. When it became clear she wasn't going to make it, she pulled his cock out of her mouth, opened it wide and jerked rapidly, her face screwed into bliss, desperation and lust. "Pleeeease come on meeeeee pleeease... oh go Neiiilll" she wailed.

Seeing her face, the sheer adulation, fear, hope and sexual excitement splayed across her features while she begged him to cover her with semen overwhelmed Neil. He wavered on the brink of abandoning his tough love approach until she started to orgasm. The look of defeat on her face was amazing. It pushed him to orgasm so fast that he nearly choked. He had to hold his breath to stop the scream in his mouth. With his last conscious thought he looked down at a face of rapture as Mae realized he was coming, ejaculating shots of come into her mouth and across her cheek. Seeing this sent Neil to a whole new level of rapture and he nearly fell over from the shock. He finally managed to mentally recover and the sound of Mae's fading orgasm finally overcame the rushing in his ears.

Mae was meek and obedient afterwards, coming as close as she could stand to him at one moment, demurely standing aside the next. Neil fought the desire to kiss her, to hold her, to caress her and was warm but distant to her. He finally sent her off to breakfast and made his way to the shower.

Harriet was waiting for him when he returned, a look of concern on her face. "Do you know what you're doing with all this Neil?"

Neil mustered up his bravado and nearly broke into tears. "No..." he said in an exhausted voice.

Harriet sighed and came to sit with him, offering him a friendly shoulder.

He waved her off after a small hug. "I wish I did, Harriet... I swear. I've never been so... cold to someone."

"And she was?"

"Hot. Fucking-A sexpot wet as a swimming pool HOT"

Harriet burst into a short, frustrated laugh. "Shit. Shit shit shit."

"I don't know what I'm doing, Harriet. Not a goddamn clue. I can do no wrong in the sack, but when it comes to her head, I suck."

After lunch the counselors piled into the Cave for assignments. As he expected, Neil was assigned a western and trail class. They would do a little dressage later in the week, but most of his time would be focused on getting their ranch riding skills and trail skills up. He also got a beginner's class, and Neil shifted through their riding scores briefly, noting a lot of 1's and 2's.

In the school, riders were ranked from 1 to 6 in a number of skill areas. The counselors were also ranked and then certified at specific skills so they could work with the riders to get their scores higher. Teachers were rare for the top level, and cost a lot to bring in. Mom prided herself with a nearly complete list of tip-tip certifications on her wall, a fact that found its way into every advertising flier that went out. Neil held three intermediate certifications, which made him a good instructor for a beginner class. He considered getting a dressage/English cert, but with his emphasis on Western and trail, it wouldn't do much for him.

Neil compared schedules with everyone and found very little overlap. There was only one double day, but he had almost no free periods over the week. He almost bitched, but noted that every other schedule seemed to match his fairly closely for workload and counted his blessings. In fact he managed to get close enough to Mom to grin at her, earning him a big, tired smile in return.

Neil headed back to the cabins to stretch and Mae dropped into step behind him. He could feel some anticipation or apprehension from her, and paused at his cabin door.

"Did you want something, Mae?"

Mae shook her head. "I wanted to see if you needed anything." she said simply.

Neil smiled. He nearly hugged her, but paused. She seemed to be anticipating some show of affection and she was reluctant and hesitant in his presence. Instead, he patted her face and sent her off so he could think.

Sitting on his bed he considered his options. If he showed her any real affection, she would see it as a hidden, underlying layer of "not my boyfriend" again. Neil filed that under bad ideas and turned the puzzle of Mae in his head a few times. If he continued to show only the master side, she would certainly respond, but she wanted the boyfriend, no matter how much she refused it. It was maddening, and Neil couldn't find a way to work through it.

To take his mind off things he tracked down Dave and Ruth, which proved to be pretty easy since they were in Dave's room. Dave had a small, portable TV and they were watching some awful slasher movie on DVD, cheering on the monster.

Ruth pounced on him at the door, dragging him to the bed. "So, what's the news from you-fucking-me, South Carolina?"

Dave grinned and threw a pillow at them. "Oh, just ignore me. I'm not even here."

"You got yours, love", Ruth replied, tossing the pillow back.

Dave couldn't find an argument for that, and went back to the movie.

"I... Mae and I are in a weird place, one that might be advantageous to your position." Neil said.

"And what position would that be?" she asked. She jumped onto the bed, landing on her hands and knees. "THIS one?" she asked, wiggling her ass. "Or... THIS one?" she asked, rolling onto her back and spreading her legs behind her elbows.

Neil grinned and watched. "And a few more, probably."

For the rest of the movie Ruth made obscene suggestions to Neil in his ear, despite his protests that he'd already had his quota of sex for the day. She seemed convinced that she could talk him into more, and Neil was pretty sure she was right. He started to react to her suggestions and constant contact, so much so that he had to abandon the cabin.

He spent a lazy afternoon cleaning his cabin. While putting his bed into a corner he had a sudden epiphany and gave his room a good study. With a nod he headed down to the stable and started carefully selecting supplies. Lengths of chain and rope were easy items to locate in a stable, as were the leather straps. He found a large collection of clasps in a box and spent a long time selecting the exact ones he needed. The only difficult parts required a bit of hunting, a little alteration and some very slow and ugly sewing. He finished the project in a small tool room that he'd known existed but had never used. By dinner he'd assembled everything in his room and carefully driven a large screw through the drywall and deep into the thick logs behind it. Two short ropes with chains looping the head posts came out over his headboard, stopping just at the top corners of the mattress. Two long ropes ran from the screw, under his bed and were chained to the foot posts. When brought over the foot board, protected by a pair of massive leather straps, they would secure someone's legs very, very firmly.