Chapter 66: Loose Ends

Since running wasn't an option, I went straight to the pool when I woke up, leaving a note for May informing her of where I had gone and that I would be back soon. Soon turned out to be only about forty-five minutes. You would think running a minimum of five miles a day would mean more, but swimming uses a lot more muscles, in ways mine were not accustomed to, and it didn't take long before I was feeling every stroke.

Then there was the added distraction of listening to Boris scream. That started about halfway through my swim and it took me a few minutes to push it far enough into the background that I could ignore it. It would cut off on its own in about an hour and the cycle would repeat itself throughout the day.

Even though I was only in the water for about half an hour, I still probably pushed harder than I should have, as I was a little rubber-legged when I got back to the room. May was up and waiting for me, dressed in a robe which turned out, as I expected, to have nothing underneath it.

As soon as I arrived she ushered me into the shower, dropped her robe and began soaping the chlorine from my body. She then dried us both and directed me to the massage table where she spent a good half hour very gently working my muscles. I noticed that today's massage was very different from the one I had received the day before.

"There are many different types of massage, my Master," she said. "What I did yesterday was to seek out points of tension within the muscle tissue. Places where knots had formed. It requires more effort to get them to release, that is why you are sore today."

"But I'm not ... OW!" I said as she pressed a spot harder with her finger.

She ignored my outburst and continued, "What I do today is more preventative, to keep the muscles relaxed so that the knots do not reform. There are other massages that are even gentler; some that require almost no touch at all, and others that would make yesterday seem like a roll in soft grass."

"You're kidding right?"

"No, some are quite intense, but I do not have the physique for them. I would be exhausted long before we were finished and it is not something that you should leave unfinished."

"Dangerous?"

"It can be. I doubt you will ever find out. I do not think you capable of accumulating the necessary stress to require such treatment; especially when you have someone like Amber to assist you in dispersing it. Now, please be silent. Talking distracts you from your objective, which is to relax."

She spent some time manipulating my arms and legs as well; stretching them in ways you really just can't do yourself. Actually, she probably could, but there was no way I could. I was very relaxed by the time she finished, helped me back into my robe, and led me to the main room.

When we arrived I found a cart rolled in front of the window. It was laden with a variety of fruits, a large glass of orange juice and a tea service. When May moved to serve me, I stopped her.

"No," I said softly, intercepting her by placing my hand on her stomach. "Please," I said. "This morning let me serve you."

She bowed politely and took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs. I put a selection of fruit on a plate and set it aside, then had her walk me through how she liked her tea. I even made a cup for myself, saving the orange juice for later, and then sat in the chair next to her and watched the day unfold.

We shared a companionable meal in silence before she finally asked, "Why?" as she refilled both our tea cups.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Why did I want to serve you tea and breakfast, when it is your place to serve me?"

"Yes," she answered simply, handing me my cup.

"Because you are a very special woman and it pleases me to acknowledge that."

"Then I thank you."

"It didn't bother you?"

She smiled, "Only in that I did not know your motivation. Or rather, I was not sure of it. There is nothing inappropriate in it if that is what you are asking. It is nice to be appreciated. My Mistress does this for me from time to time as well. The important thing is that you do it not because you feel I deserve it, for I do not, but rather because it pleases you, because that is what is important to me. Do you see?"

"I do," I said. "Thank you. Now then, what of today? I feel that to keep you longer from your mistress would push the bonds of ... etiquette? I think that would be the right word, though I doubt the general public would think that etiquette applied to this type of relationship."

"Their ignorance is not your concern," she said, brushing the comment away. "If I may speak plainly for a moment, you are a very impressive young man and your Amber is a very fortunate woman indeed. My Mistress commented on the rate of your own growth and maturity as well as Amber's. You must understand that your own development has been no less miraculous than hers. Though I would never doubt my Mistress's word, it was hard to credit the progress that she spoke of. But having met you, I do believe. I wish I could claim more credit for her development. I think I would have liked to meet her."

"Your mistress shared with you how this was done?"

"Yes, as I said, you need not fear..." I held up my hand and she stopped.

"I am not concerned. That your mistress places this much trust in you is enough for me as well. You have met her."

"Forgive me Master, but I am sure I have not."

"I sent her to you one night."

She cocked her head questioningly.

"I wished to reward her for her progress, and since she practically worshipped you for your help in bringing her into herself, I consulted your Mistress and she agreed that it would be a suitable reward. She also assured me that you were quite capable of playing the part of her Mistress for the night. Close your eyes; about five-ten, blonde hair just past her shoulders, a runner's form and tone, but with nice curves, blue eyes..."

She gasped, her eyes flashing open. "I remember! I woke one morning wondering who she was. She had come to me, saying that she had been given to me for the night. Even after my Mistress had told me, I passed it off as just a dream."

"It was just a dream," I assured her. "Just a little more real than most because as much as it is possible, she was actually there, in your dream, not as a figment of your imagination, but as a real, independent person. Had you pushed her to that point and she had spoken her safe word, she would have disappeared. Would you like to meet her again? I know she would like to see you."

"I think I would like that very much."

"I will consult your Mistress," I said. "If she has no objections then I will arrange it."

"I will look forward to her decision. When shall I leave?"

"If it were up to me, probably never," I said. She smiled and bowed her head at the compliment. "You know your Mistress's schedule, when would she miss you?"

"It is a Saturday and weekend nights are long. She will sleep until mid-afternoon. She would be pleased if I were there when she awakes."

"Then you shall be. I have no pressing plans at the moment. Is there something you would like to do before you return to her?"

She looked at me very seriously for a moment, stood and dropped her robe, then knelt in the pool of soft cotton and bowed her head.

"If it please you, I would have you truly be my Master before I leave."

"I think this is your final exam," Jamie said. "Think you're ready?"

"No, but I'm sure we are," I said. "No holding back, agreed." Then to May, "I will do this on one condition."

"Anything, my Master."

"This is not something you have control over. My condition is that this is something you desire, not something you have been instructed to do as part of my training or to test me."

"It is my wish, my Master. Though I will report on it to my Mistress, so in that respect it is a test but not one I have been compelled to."

"Very well, then." I called Special Services and informed them that I didn't want to be disturbed.

Mostly I observed, leaving the actual work, and reward, to Jamie. When it was over we took a long soak in the tub and a short nap before it was time for May to go. Boris stopped screaming about the time things started getting interesting which was certainly a plus; if someone is going to be screaming while I'm having sex, I prefer it to be one of the players, not background noise.

May changed my grade.

The message light was flashing when I got up, so I called down to the desk and was informed that a delivery had arrived for me.

I got one last surprise when I walked May down to her car. Just before she left she opened the trunk and pulled out a small package; it was about two by two and maybe ten inches long, wrapped in bright red silk with a black satin bow.

"My mistress desired to give a gift to Amber."

"We are honored, please thank her for me."

"You do not wish to open it?" she asked.

I thought for a moment about why she would ask and realized that it was a master's prerogative to approve or deny a gift. I could also see where there may be other reasons for at least seeing what someone was giving to your slave. It was not inconceivable that someone may try to lure a slave away with presents.

"If it were from anyone else, perhaps, but from your Mistress, I have no doubts or reservations whatsoever."

"Then it is we who are honored," she said. "May I kiss you goodbye?"

"No," I said. For an instant I thought I detected a flash of disappointment in her eyes. "For I will not call it goodbye, but rather farewell." I took her hand and drew it to my lips. "Until next time," I said, kissing her hand and then pulling her to me and brushing her lips with mine. Her hands went around my neck and Jamie came back out to say goodbye with me. I think we actually brought her, but I detected only the faintest tremor for a sign, so I couldn't be sure.

"Until next time," she said with a demure bow, and then she was gone.

I picked up my package on the way back up. It was a fairly sizable box. When I opened it in my room, I found documents for a complete new identity, including driver's license, birth certificate, passport, and an American Express card. There was a note from Rebecca stating that the reward money for Maria Pena had been released and they had used that as seed money for the new identity. There was some paperwork from a bank I'd never heard of that I needed to complete and send back in, and everything was tied to a PO Box in Phoenix which was prepaid for two years. She had included a card with the combination to the box as well as a forwarding order so I didn't actually have to go there to check the box. Not that I expected to need it.

As exciting as all this was, the best part was that she had sent me a new laptop. Sweet! It was a MacBook Pro, the big brother to my other one, only in black instead of white, and there was a note from Rebecca stating that her friend Dillon had tweaked it so it was safe to use without fear of someone tracing my location through the internet. As much as I wanted to play with it, I had some other things to do first. Starting with a call I'd wanted to make last night but had felt would be in poor taste considering who I was with. Now finally I was alone and could take care of it, but I had to make another call first.

"I'm Easy, but I'm not available at the moment, leave me message." Rats. Oh well, it was worth a try.

"Hi, it's David, nothing important, but I'd love to hear from you if you have time."

I left the number for my new disposable, broke the connection, and dialed again.

"Hello?"

"Hello, I'm trying to reach Christine Payson."

"This is Christine Payson."

"Hi, Christine, it's David Malcolm."

"David! Hi, how are you!?"

"I'm good, you sound surprised to hear from me."

"Well..."

"Yeah, I know, I'm a guy, you don't need to explain."

"David, I'm sorry."

I laughed, "No really, don't worry about it, I understand. Actually, I wanted to call you last night but I was having dinner with an attorney and his wife and I didn't get back until really late. So how was your flight back home? Was your cat happy to see you?"

"How did you know I had a cat?"

"I guessed. Looks like I was right, boy or girl?"

"Technically, neither one, but she used to be a girl."

"Does she meet you at the door or wait for you to find her?"

"Oh my gosh," she laughed, "I can hardly get in the door without tripping over her."

"I can understand that. I think I'd be the same way if you were walking back in my door."

"Maybe we'll find out some day."

I let that one go, "So, you didn't say how your flight was."

There was a pause, "It was okay."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Christine, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, David."

"Christine, it's something or it wouldn't be bothering you. Now you can either tell me or I'll call and turn Lizzy loose on you. Trust me; you don't want me to do that. Now what's wrong?"

I heard her take a breath and let it out, there was that sound in there, you know the one I mean — the 'I can do this and I'm not going to cry' sound. "Hardwick called me a whore."

"Excuse me!" I demanded. "He did what?"

Yeah, there were tears in there now, I could hear them. "He was making fun of me for taking off with you, and when he found out we were at the Bellagio... , I don't know if he heard me talking to Kelly or what, but somehow he heard about it and he called me a whore."

"She's holding back," Jamie said. "There's something more she's not telling you."

"Yeah, I know, I heard it, too."

"Christine, I'm so very sorry this has happened, who is this asshole?" I said.

"It's not your fault," she said.

"It's nobody's fault," I said, "because nobody did anything wrong. Actually, that's not true, he did something very wrong. God, what a dick! Who is he?"

"The Captain."

"The Captain called you a whore! Son of a ... Tell me, did he say all this before he hit on you or after you turned him down?"

"After," she said, and I heard her catch herself, suddenly realizing what I had gotten her to admit. "But he was being a real ass even before. How did you know?"

"Another good guess," I said. "First thing Monday I want you to file a complaint with the airline."

"What? David, I can't do that," she said.

"Of course you can. Christine, that's blatant sexual harassment. Did he do any of this in front of the other flight crew?"

"Just Kelly, and she won't say anything. David they'll fire me."

"Christine, they can't punish you for coming forward, it's illegal."

"I know," she said sarcastically. "But that doesn't mean it can't happen. David, it's my word against his if no one else comes forward."

"Christine, it's the right thing to do. Even if they can't verify the claim, you may not be the only one. Did you feel like he was pressuring you for sex?"

"Not really pressuring, but you know, he said that if I'd do a stranger I met on the plane I should have no problem doing him. Later on I guess he heard we were at the Bellagio and that's when he started saying it must be a money thing. Later he actually asked me..."

"Don't. Christine, what you do on your private time is none of his business. He has no personal knowledge of anything that happened and nothing you could possibly have done justifies him treating you like that. You have to come forward, if for no other reason than to make sure he doesn't do it again."

I couldn't say it but I was already planning to take the necessary steps to get the witnesses she needed to support her case. "Please, Christine, do the right thing: File the complaint. I'll take care of the rest. In fact, don't do anything yet, let me call a couple people first. Where are you Monday?"

We discussed her flight schedule and she agreed to call me in between flights. I gave her the number on my new pre-paid phone to use and then changed the subject.

"I'm surprised Lizzy hasn't called you?"

"Why?"

"She likes to debrief my dates."

She laughed, "Based on what you've told me about her, I'll bet in more ways than one."

I had to laugh at that. "Well yeah, that too, she thinks I have really good taste in women, and that my women taste good," I heard her stifling a giggle at that, "but she's not pushy about it or anything."

I was really debating telling her the truth but I was afraid she'd bolt on me and I wanted this situation with her dick-head pilot handled first. Regardless of whether she ever spoke to me again after she found out the truth about me and Lizzy, this needed to be done.

"So, why Atlanta? I didn't figure you for a southern girl, you don't have the accent."

"Ugh, long story. I'm not from here. I actually grew up in Scottsdale and while it's very pretty here with all the green, the humidity is killing me, and it's just so cold and miserable in the winter, and ugh, don't get me started on the bugs! God, I can't wait until I can afford to move."

"I can imagine. I'm a California boy myself. So how did you end up there?"

"Oh, the usual, I was young and desperately in love," she said in a whispery, fairy tale voice, then added sarcastically, "You know, stupid!"

I laughed as she continued, "It was this guy I met in Flight Attendant school and he talked me into moving in with him, and of course, since this is my natural hair color, I said yes. We worked for different airlines so we only saw each other a few days a month, which of course we spent in bed the whole time. A year later I find out that he's been banging his way around the country every time he leaves. One of the girls even worked for my company, seems they had overlapping layovers every couple weeks in Houston. Anyway, she turns up pregnant and I come home one night to find all of his stuff gone and an eviction notice on the door because we're six weeks late with the rent. It gutted my savings but I got it worked out with the landlord and well, here I am."

"Sounds like your life is one big adventure."

"Oh yeah, non-stop excitement, let me tell you. And now this happens."

"Christine, this is going to work out fine, I promise you. You flying out again tomorrow?"

"Am I ... Hello? Earth to David; we just talked about this, I'm off until Monday, then it's ten days bouncing around the country again. I think my next whole day off is in Salt Lake City. What about you?"

"I'm not sure, right now I'm moving around a lot. I may be opening an office here, though; it's still kind of up in the air."

Her voice got softer. "Well, keep in touch. If it works out that we're in the same neighborhood, I'd really like to see you again."

"I'd like that myself, but maybe next time we should stick to the Ramada and separate rooms so you don't feel like it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"David! God, you make it sound like I raped you." I knew she could hear me laughing the whole time she was speaking, so I wasn't worried.

"Hardly, but you know what I mean. I don't want you to think I expect you to sleep with me every time you see me. It was nice and I'd love to do it again, but like I told you before, I'm more interested in you on your feet than on your back."

"What about on my knees?" she asked in a sexy voice.

"Mmm, I don't know, that might be a tough one. Listen, it was great talking to you again, but I've got some errands to run, plus I need to see if I can track down my new attorney on a weekend. Otherwise, I won't get to talk to him until Monday. You've got my number; call me anytime. If everything goes well, I think I may have a permanent number you can reach me at soon."

"Okay, take care of yourself, David, and really, thanks for calling. I really wasn't sure you would."

"Yeah, I know, it's that guy thing again. Take care of yourself Christine; I'll get back to you after I talk to my attorney about Captain Asshole." I blew her a kiss and broke the connection, then called downstairs to arrange a car to take me to the pawnshop that was holding Phoebe's stuff. I called Anthony Cicarelli's office from the car and left a message that I needed to speak to him.

An older woman who reminded me greatly of Shannon's grandmother ran the pawnshop.

"How can I help you?"

"I'm just killing time really," I said. "But I've been wanting to pick something up for my girlfriend and a friend said you could get some really good deals in pawnshops so I thought I'd look around."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know?" I said. "It's too early for a ring; maybe a nice necklace or bracelet. Nothing too extravagant but our six month is coming up and she seems to think it's a big deal so..."

"I understand," she said with a knowing nod.

I poked around the various cases and she pulled out a couple pieces for me to look at here and there. I was really just killing time so it wouldn't look suspicious; I already had enough of a fix on her to bridge her.

My phone rang as I got back in the car.

"David Malcolm," I answered.

"David, Tony Cicarelli, I got your message. I would have called sooner but I've been icing my balls all morning, trying to get the swelling down. I thought Tina was never going to stop last night."

"Ouch, sorry about that."

"Hey, don't apologize," he laughed. "I never said I was upset about it. I definitely owe you lunch. So what can I do for you?"