Chapter 14: A Treat as Training Winds Down

At some point during my sleep, Dani must have left, since I woke up wrapped in the blanket, but alone. I could tell that it was the middle of the night, but a fierce need to pee pushed me to rouse myself and to use the bucket. With that over, I realized that I wasn't chained, so I could go and join Dani in the house. I almost did, but brought myself up short when I realized that to do so would be breaking a trust between her and me. I had not been given permission to leave the barn, nor had I been invited back to her bed. As a trainee slave, my place was here in the barn, regardless of how much I longed to wrap myself around her beautiful body.

With a deep sigh of longing, I wrapped myself back in the blanket and settled back into a warm pile of hay. Sleep overcame me again within seconds, and I dreamed of nothing for a few more hours.

Some kind of proximity sense woke me, and I opened my eyes to see Dani sitting on a bale of hay, just watching me. "You're quite beautiful when you're sleeping." She grinned, then added, "Not to say you're not quite beautiful at other times. Of course, we may have to do something about the snoring and drooling. Most unladylike."

I bit off the smartass remark I was about to make, just in time. Instead, I nodded and said, "Yes, Mistress. I'll do my best to improve." I stood up from the bed of hay, watching as her eyes travelled the length of my body. I had done it for just that reason—I loved the way she looked at me. I slowly sank back to my knees, moving my hands behind my back, widening my knees, and straightening my back until I was the perfect picture of the submissive slave. "What would you wish of me, Mistress?"

There was a moment of silence, and while my face didn't show it, inside I knew I had taken her unawares, and for once she was the one that was off-balance. I loved that I could do that to her, and that she loved me enough to see me in that way. I dared not look her in the eye, for I knew that would give away my feelings. I kept my eyes cast downward, adding to the image of submission that I was projecting.

The silence stretched on. Was I really having that much of an effect on her? Finally, she cleared her throat and I heard a rustling of hay as she changed her position a little.

"I thought we'd do something a little different today. You've been a really good girl since we started your training. You've managed to get all the basics down pat very quickly, and I can already see that you're in better shape than you were before we started. You still need some toning, and exercise, but we can do that together whenever we want. I know a really good gym in the city, and we can work out there as much as we want. We can also run all we want in the city, although you'll likely need to be wearing clothes."

She leaned over and put a hand under my chin, lifting my head until our eyes met. Mine were filled with love for her, and hers certainly seemed softer than usual, and maybe a little smoky. "Grab a shower while I make us some breakfast. After we've eaten, I'll show you the next thing I want you to learn."

"Yes, Mistress. I'll be ready when you return."

I managed to actually luxuriate in the shower for a few minutes, since I knew it would take her that long to make breakfast, and return. When it was over, and I was feeling squeaky clean, I wandered over to the horses to make sure that they had feed and water, and I nuzzled each of them, giving them a gentle pat on their long snouts. Just then, I heard a noise from the front of the barn, and looked up to see Dani coming in with a tray. I hurried over to help her, and took my place at her side when the dishes were laid out.

This morning I was surprised to discover that she had made a delicious omelet, and I got fed several large pieces, rather than the toasted bagel that was my normal fare. The omelet was even more proof of the cooking skills that Dani had, and I knew I would have to learn from her once we started living together. I knew I was being treated when she not only gave me a small glass of juice, but even my own small cup of coffee. I was almost leery of drinking it since I hadn't had any form of caffeine for the entire time I had been in the barn. I took a small mouthful and realized that it was decaffeinated, so I relished the taste as it slid down my throat.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Dani watching me as I ate, and a small curl to her lips let me know that she could see my appreciation for the quality of the breakfast. A few more bits of the omelet and the rest of the cup of coffee followed, then she pushed her chair back and stood up. I followed her as quickly as I could, and helped her clean up the dishes and reload the tray.

"I'm going to take these back to the house. While I'm gone you can clean out the stalls and bring out the mare. Take her out to the exercise track and tie her to the post. I'll meet you out there."

"Yes, Mistress." I had no idea what she was planning, but I knew I had better get to work. The horses were used to me by now, so seeing me in their stalls didn't cause them any concern as I went to work with pitchfork and shovel to muck out the stalls and spread fresh straw. Dani hadn't returned yet so I gave each of them a quick going-over with a stiff brush, something that I knew they both appreciated. They each gave me a little bump with their snouts, something Dani had explained was a sign of affection, and I gave each of them a handful of oats from my palm.