Chapter 13

While Adin and Tony talked, I conjured three silver charms. They depicted the diner, with a precious stone in place of the light over the diner's door, and were on delicate sterling chains. Each had its own small gift box.

As I rose from my seat I said to my companions, "I need to do some bridge repair. I'll be right back."

I went to the kitchen doors and called for Shirley. Though not happy, she came to me.

Before I could say a word she said, "That wasn't nice, making fun of an old woman!"

"Look, Shirley, I truly thought that you knew! I would never intentionally make fun about such a traumatic experience. But... <sigh> since it seems that I did, I apologize to you."

As I apologized, I took her hand and kissed it. Then I put the three gift boxes in her palm.

"What's this, then?"

"A gift from me, to the three of you. The one with the ruby, is yours; the one with the emerald, is for Marge; and, of course, the sapphire is for Ruth."

Shirley looked up into my eyes and asked with wonder, "But how did you know? I mean, you got our favorite colors spot on!"

"Oh, that was easy. Each of you had colored neckerchiefs and jewelry. I just matched what I remembered you were all wearing. Go ahead open it"

I watched as she opened the three boxes. Her first two guesses were wrong, but she still delighted in the beauty of the necklaces. She moved to the front of the bar, and sat heavily on the stool. She then placed the three open boxes on the counter before her.

Suddenly, she threw her apron over her head as old European women have done for centuries. I could hear sobbing emanating from beneath the fabric as Shirley shuddered and wept. I couldn't help it! I sent a look of desperation to my wife. I cannot handle a weeping woman!

Adin rushed over to us and asked, "What did you do to the poor woman, now, you beast?"

She then hugged Shirley and cooed soothingly to her. Shocked, I looked at my wife, and saw that she was joking by the gleam in her eyes, and the huge smile on her lips.

Shirley quickly pulled the apron from atop her head and said, "No, no, Mrs. M. Look at the beautiful things he has given to us. It makes me so happy!"

As Shirley's face crumpled again, the apron flew up again. The wailing, if anything, was louder. Adin shooed me away, and continued to help Shirley.

I walked back to our booth muttering, "I'll never, 'til the day I die, understand women!"

"They are strange creatures ... women, I mean, aren't they?" asked Tony.

I simply nodded and took a gulp of my coffee. I then looked back over my shoulder, and saw the two women ooing over the necklaces. Suddenly, Adin looked my way and winked. She then helped Shirley put on her necklace. The old woman glowed with joy!

The next thing I knew, Shirley had me by my shirt and was planting a kiss on my lips! Let me tell you that woman is STRONG! She just lifted me up, and no matter how I fought I could not break free. Then she just let go of me, and I fell back into my seat!

"Thank you so much for these beautiful gifts! The girls will love them! Oh, my..." she said as the sniffles began, again.

She covered her mouth with her hand and ran for her kitchen. To my great surprise, and extreme embarrassment, applause broke out from the other patrons and the staff. I was blushing so fiercely that I feared my clothes would burst into flames. Adin slipped in beside me, and gave me a gentle hug and a kiss.

She said softly, "That's why I love you so much. You do the sweetest things."

She then rested her head on my shoulder and sighed, she gave me another hug before she returned to her seat and her coffee.

Unbeknownst to us, we were visiting the diner at their shift break. For the second time that day there was a scream from the kitchen, and then the slamming of the swinging doors as Ruth rushed into the dining room section. She paused just long enough to spot me.

Now you need to understand that Ruth is as different from Shirley, as one can get. Where Shirley is short and very, very round with frizzy red hair; Ruth is tall and thin, and though of fair complexion has jet-black straight hair.

She came at me like an Olympic runner! When she got to our booth she simply ... well ... launched herself! She managed to land next to me, and on me, at the same time. Her arms were around my neck and her face was buried in my shoulder as she wept.

"I was that frightened that night! I thought that those boys would end up raping and killing us all! And ... and ... then you saved us! The EMT said that what you told us to do for my sister was exactly the correct thing to do. You made it easier for them to help Marge. That close call had the three of us crying for days! I thought that I was all cried out; but here you are, and you bring this, too! I just..." she said as she sat up and held out the little gift box.

"All I can say is ... thank you. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart! I know the other girls feel the same way. Marge is that thrilled with her classes; and though we didn't tell Carol so, we know that you paid for those classes. Carol simply doesn't have the money for them. Marge is doing right well, too. Like a duck to water she is, with all of those numbers, and such. She is already helping with the books!"

Ruth then got a shy almost coy look on her face and softly asked Adin, "Mrs. M, would you mind if'n I asked your man to put this here necklace on me? You see it is a custom in my family that the man of the house does that. Well, you see, my Paul has passed these five years now. There is no man in my life, anymore."

Adin looked into the woman's eyes with a hard stare and said firmly, "It is not my place to tell the Master who to collar; but you must accept that I am primary, dominant, and the Queen."

For just a moment Ruth blinked blankly and then she bowed her head and said softly, "Yes, Mistress."

Adin looked at me and with bowed head. She was now fully in her slave persona.

She said, "This woman is acceptable, Master."

I took the gift box from Ruth's hand and extracted the necklace as Ruth turned her back to me and gracefully gathered her long mane of hair so that I would have access to her neck. As I hooked the clasp, I whispered into Ruth's ear.

"With this collar I take you as mine. You will obey my queen as you obey me. It is she who will train you. Do you accept this collar?"

With shudder and a great sigh of relief Ruth said, "I accept this collar, and you as my Master, and your primary as my Queen, and I will obey."

I closed the clasp and then took Ruth's hair in my hand and smoothed it down her back. Ruth leaned back against my hand and sighed with pleasure.

I then turned her around and said, "You are not to call me 'Master', in public. You will call me by my given name, Kade; and you will call my Queen by her given name, Adin. Do you understand?"

With bowed head and subdued voice Ruth said, "Yes ... Kade."

"Now you are to live as before until such time as I need you, however if you have need of me for some emergency call Carol, she will get a message to me."

Ruth bowed again and said, "Yes, M ... Kade."

"Now go to work."

Ruth smiled brilliantly and went back to the kitchen. A minute later I could see Shirley studying me from the porthole like windows in the swinging doors to her domain.

I turned back to my wife and said, "Go reassure Shirley, my love."

By me using the term 'my love', Adin returned to 'wife mode'. She smiled at me as she left to do my bidding. My next problem was to deal with Tony. I decided that sticking to the truth was the best thing, but with a twist. I entered his mind and made him acceptable to my having slaves.

The poor man was staring at me with open-mouthed wonder.

"Ah ... Boss? What just happened here?"

"I collared a woman who wanted to be my slave."

"But..."

I know that this is a bit beyond you, but there are many lifestyles out there. You just witnessed Ruth ask me and Adin if it would be acceptable for her to be our slave."

"I ... Ah ... When did she do that? I didn't see it."

"It was in the way she talked to Adin, and in the way she asked me to place the necklace on her."

"Yeah. I did think that her wording was a bit weird."

I began to worry that the my spell had misfired when Tony continued, "Don't get me wrong, Boss; I ain't got a problem with it. It's your life, after all. It's just that I'm trying to understand, 'cause my relationship is so different than something like that."

Tony became quiet and stared into his coffee.

"Well, when you come right down to it, our relationship might sort of be a mirror image of yours. Huh! In fact, in an informal way, I have been a slave to the love I have for my Michelle. Huh! I guess I can understand Ruth, now that I think about it."

"Good! Now let's see if we can get some food."

I held my hand up and Ruth scurried out from the kitchen with pad in hand. The woman was beaming! She then took our order. As she was turning to go place the order, I told her to find out what Adin wanted, and to add that to ours.

"Yes, Kade," she said as she gave a very subtle bow of her head and walked off.

"You certainly have made that woman very happy!" said Tony.

Slavery is not really a sexual thing but rather a need to be cared for or in some cases punished. Sex is just a method for some to achieve the desired result.

Now, here in Ruth's case, she just doesn't like to be independent. I have provided the needed responsible caregiver for her. However, to moderate being hounded to death; I gave her the instruction to live as she has been living. So, in her case, the only thing that has changed is that she is being ordered to live her life. For her, though, that is enough. Oh, I'm sure that there will be occasional course corrections needed, here and there; but basically, nothing has changed.

Adin walked up then and sat down with a heavy sigh. I reached over and took her hand and asked what the matter was.