Chapter 10: Competence

Nicola proved herself a competent, if not talented, housekeeper. While possessing no natural aptitude for domestic labour, her ability to pay attention to detail allowed her to complete most of the tasks assigned to her satisfactorily.

My first reviews of her work made some application of the flogger necessary in order to correct some minor failings. However, the greatest difficulty that Nicola experienced with her new tasks was that of behaving as a good domestic should; carrying out every task required while being seemingly invisible to those she served.

Nicola hated to be ignored. To be expected to wait on me wearing the anonymous, uniform, garb of a housemaid was bad enough, to have to do it without acknowledgement was barely tolerable to her. Her attempts to draw attention to herself while working on her domestic duties - a pause after serving tea, a quiet cough after presenting the mornings post - were the cause of a number of floggings. In time her errant behaviour was cured and she was able to submerge herself successfully in the role as a household functionary and nothing more.

I became used to her black clad form scuttling out of sight as she finished some or other cleaning task and indeed, it was soon the case that I only encountered her for one our periodic discussions of the quality of her work and each evening when, stripped of her uniform, she would be returned to her cage.

It was on one of these occasions that, having removed her dress, cap and apron, she turned to me and asked, "Excuse me, Sir, at what point do you believe my training will have been concluded?"

I replied, telling her that, while she had made great progress, there were still further hills to climb. It was, however, my view that this was the point in time at which to begin a further attempt on the foothills of her readjustment.

"Your path of learning, Nicola, will be a continuous one but we are close to the point at which you will be able to continue your progress in the company of your husband." Her face lit up with a smile that showed the true purpose behind her question. "But there are still a few further lessons for you here. You have shown how you can be of use domestically, and you have seen how to be obedient and submissive, I think." Nicola bowed her head in acknowledgement. "Your remaining task will be to learn how to act as an instrument of your husband's pleasure."

Nicola blushed, colouring her dusky skin. I could sense that the subject was likely to prove challenging.

"You have had the opportunity to amuse yourself as part of your training, now you will practice the skills of bringing delight to others."

Her look as I used the word in the plural was one of alarm.

"Can I assume that you and your husband were in the habit of engaging regularly in sexual congress?" She looked at me blankly for a moment. "Did you like a good fuck?"

She looked shocked by my use of the word, but that was intentional. "Yes," she said looking at me in disapproval of my coarseness, "yes, of course."

"Good," I continued, "that is a start."

"A start?" Nicola replied. She seemed to draw back into herself, clutching her arms across her naked breasts in a defensive way. "Surely that is the duty of the wife, to receive her husband's member? Is there more she should do?"

"Of course. You cannot just be a vessel for your husband's desires. You must seek to be a complete source of satisfaction for him. Has he ever had you take his member in the hand?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Why would he want such a thing? He has been happy enough to place it where a woman should expect it to be placed."

Nicola's response was hardly in the submissive vein that I had been encouraging but for the moment I let that pass. "Has he ever taken you in the mouth?"

"No," Nicola looked shocked. "No, of course not."

"Or from behind? Through that part of you normally used for the expression of waste?"

"No, never." Her look of shock turned to one of disgust. "Nor would he want to. It is unthinkable."

I smiled. She seemed to draw no comfort from it. "Perhaps. But we must think the unthinkable. Just in case." I clipped a leash to her collar. "Come with me," I said. "I have something new for you to try.