The Collaring of Chloe

Chapter 16: Exploring at the Mall

Taking a long sip from her macchiato, Chloe looked out past the railing of the coffee nook and at the milling customers of the bookstore. Most of them were wandering about aimlessly, perusing the shelves of books with little real intent beyond a general desire to shop. There seemed an impressive cross-section of society present, all manner of age, creed, ethnic background, and lifestyle. She mused that her and Master obviously represented their own end of a spectrum, which seemed to sort of make them part of the whole in a beautiful kind of way. Like they were a patch in a quilt of wondrous variety.

Master might have been hard to mark as a member of the BDSM community on his own, dressed in dark grey slacks and dress shirt, deep purple tie, and his oxblood loafers. However, the long chain running from the loop around his wrist that lead to Chloe's neck was the first good clue that he was far more than just some dapper-looking professional. Connected to that leash, Chloe was an even more obvious clue to his, and her own, choice of lifestyle.

Her clothing was not particularly daring, consisting of a gauzy white blouse just thin enough to hint at the dark bustier beneath, a knee-length dark gray skirt of a soft and fluid-seeming fabric, sheer white tights adorned with an elegant black floral pattern, and a pair of cute oxford-style shoes with a high heel. However, the tall posture collar about her neck and the black leather restraint cuffs about her wrists and ankles made it obvious what her life choices were. The collar was brand new, ordered just for her, with her name embossed into the bronze-tinted leather in the back. She'd found she had a distinct fondness for posture collars, happy to have one that was personally hers.

She'd polished the metal rings of the restraints before they'd left, wanting them to gleam and stand out, proud to be adorned in them out in public. She'd received many strange looks since they'd arrived at the mall, but Master had instructed her to smile brightly at anyone who stared and say hello. It amused her how most people quickly looked away, embarrassed at having been caught staring. It had amused her even more when a couple of young men had actually stopped and asked them why she was on a chain and wearing 'shackles'. She'd happily told them that she belonged to Master as his slave, which had made them balk and laugh, but not in mean way. One had looked at Master with such awe and respect that it had made Chloe beam.

It felt strange to be out with just Master, Mittens having stayed home for the day to relax and have some time to herself. Still, it was also incredibly wonderful to have some time with just her and Master, being out together. Since arriving, she'd never once felt any sort of real jealousy or dismay at having to share him with another submissive, but that didn't mean she had not coveted having a day to just the two of them, to get to be his sole focus for the afternoon. He'd made sure to give her just that, too, giving her his complete attention. Even now, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, his gaze was on her, admiring her with love and affection. The recognition of it drew her from her own thoughts to look back to him, fixing him with a look of adoring submission.

"So, Master, are we looking for anything in specific today?" She asked him between sips of her coffee. "Or just having a day out shopping?"

He took a long draw from his own drink, eyes on her and twinkling with that element of mischief that told her that he had plans in mind far more interesting than simple shopping. Finally, he replied. "Actually, my slave, we are out today because I have an assignment for you to undertake."

Chloe blinked in a moment of surprise, not expecting that answer. She felt a shiver of excitement and nervousness, able to tell by the look in Master's eye that this was going to be both fun and frightening. "Okay, Master." She said with an obedient nod. "What would you like of your slave?"

"You're going to flirt with women today." He said in a simple tone.

Chloe sputtered, near choking on a swallow of macchiato. "What?" She managed, then quickly edited herself. "What, Master?"