The Collaring of Chloe

Chapter 36: The Value of Property

The feelings of familiarity she'd felt in the Warston-Clark offices were nothing compared to the warm sense of nostalgia Chloe felt being back in Master Heron's house. His cozy little split-level, tucked into a small patch of elm and chestnut trees, felt like a warm hug from an old friend. She'd learned a lot about herself and the lifestyle within its cozy walls, Heron and Ellie having been excellent mentors and their home a deeply inviting place.

Leaning back into the plush sofa in the den, cinnamon incense hanging in the air, Chloe had a flood of wonderful memories cascading through her mind like a pleasant brook. She'd spent almost as many nights here as she had in her own apartment during her tutelage, mostly sleeping in the upstairs guest room. A few times, she'd conked out on this very sofa, too tired to try and drag herself upstairs. Every once in a blue moon, she'd bunked in bed with Ellie and Heron.

While there had definitely been play between them and she'd certainly had some rather intimate moments with Ellie, Heron had always drawn a distinct line of boundaries with her. He'd titillated her plenty and even employed toys, but any time she'd slept with them, nothing more carnal than snuggling had ever taken place.

Master Heron had taken his role as a mentor very seriously, not wanting to do anything that might confuse Chloe in regards to their relationship. Still, their connection had grown into something far beyond just simply student/teacher, as she'd begun to think of them as family. In many ways, the pair of them had become something like surrogate parents to her, a feeling that they mirrored back. It was for that reason that she'd known she needed to seek out Heron's advice on things.

As both her mentor and her father-figure, she valued his thoughts and opinions. She trusted his judgements, even if she didn't always abide strictly by them. He'd never quite been completely happy with her decision to sell herself to a stranger, nor had he seemed even that comfortable with her dedication to the ideal of being as true of a slave as she could become. Had he not, ultimately, trusted her to make her own choices, she held little illusion that he might well have refused her request to broker the sale for her.

Even now, she could see moments of concern crossing through his expression, despite how obviously happy she was with Master. It was part of why she loved him though, that fatherly overprotectiveness. She cherished that she had someone in her life that did so deeply care about her wellbeing.

"Thank you again for inviting us to stay here." Master said to Heron, sitting next to Chloe on the plush sofa and accepting a cup of coffee. "Still, if it is any kind of imposition, we're happy to get a hotel room nearby."

Heron waved the idea away with a laugh. "Nonsense. We love visitors." He took his own seat in a broad and well-worn recliner, using his cane to ease himself into place with such practiced grace that he barely even disturbed the coffee in his own mug. "There is plenty of room for you. And you are welcome to make yourself as comfortable as you want."

Master gave him a nod and raised his cup to Heron in gratitude. "Well, we'll try to at least keep a level of generally polite decorum, though I can't promise that Mittens won't be naked by the time she gets back from the tour with Ellie." He gave a little grin that made Heron laugh. Chloe giggled too, more due to the fact that, if she knew Mittens, she was probably already mostly naked.

Heron took a sip of his coffee before settling back into his chair and fixing Master with an appraising look. "So, tell me a bit more about yourself, James. Chlover has told me all about you as a Dominant, but not a lot about you as a regular person."

Master took a sip of his own coffee before answering, an enigmatic grin on his face as he did so. "Well, aside from being in real estate, there's not really a lot more to tell. I devote most of my time to Chloe and Mittens. I suppose you could say that I'm as dedicated to my role as a Master as they are to the roles they've chosen."