Broken Ch. 07

Linda woke first, feeling disoriented. It seemed that she was in a different place every night since her capture. She was comfortably in a bed, his warm breath on her neck and his arm slung over her side. He had a soft snore that wasn't too annoying she thought. What did this cuddling mean? Was he falling for her or did he simply pass out this way? After all, he had chosen her from the women who were available at the slave market and she wasn't unattractive. This already seemed like more than just casual magnetism. Even the Master/slave relationship seemed pretty loose. Was it just the novelty of having a new woman with whom to play (and own)? It could just be strictly physical. What would happen if he tired of her? That would be weird; she thought about whether he desired her that much. She was thinking how that would definitely work to her advantage and leave him open to some good old-fashioned female manipulation.

The silence was shattered by a loud crash of thunder. They both jumped. She didn't even know that it stormed like that in the desert. The glowing red numbers on the clock read 6:23. A downpour of rain could be heard as it pounded on the clay roof and patio door. The heavy clouds hid any early morning light. Neither one of them said or did anything as they laid still and listened to the raging storm outside. She snuggled in with him to rest a little more. She noticed that he didn't push her away. The rain stopped as suddenly as it began. All that could be heard now was the soft dripping of water as it fell from the plants. It almost felt like a dream.

"Good morning Linda," he said in his early morning voice. "This will be good for what I have planned for you today."

"Good morning to you too, Sir she replied with her voice a little rough as well."

"I'm going to take you out to the kitchen to make a nice big breakfast for us. We have a lot going on today so eat up. This little storm and the clouds will help make it more tolerable out there in the barn. You're lucky."

He rolled over and got out of bed. He came over to her side and unlocked her ankle shackle. She rubbed her ankle, mostly in an attempt to gain sympathy.

"I think your robe is hanging in the closet over there. Put it on if you want and I'll get you situated in the kitchen. I have some phone calls to make so I'm going to leave you on your own in the kitchen for about an hour."

She got up and found her robe hanging in an otherwise nearly empty closet on one side of the entrance to the master bath. He escorted her out to the kitchen where he locked her left ankle again to the other tether.

"You know pretty much where everything is. Make us something good and I'll plan on being back at 8:00 for a warm breakfast. Get the coffee going now though because I want some before breakfast. The sooner the better."

He went back to the master bathroom and showered before getting dressed in shorts and a nice golf shirt. He went into the den which was just around the corner from the kitchen and closed the solid door behind. She could hear the low din of his voice but the words were unrecognizable. She moved as close to the door as possible to eavesdrop and determine how much she could pick up. It sounded mostly like construction business things until she heard a loud chuckle.

"Oh, she's doing well. I'm going to do some training today. She doesn't know about it yet. I hope I can take it out there in the barn today. Will do! Catch you later."

Training? What on earth was his idea of training? Was he schooled in the ways of that sadistic Dr. Lee? She quietly returned to the breakfast that was about ready to become overcooked. She turned the heat down as low as possible. Her mind was in overdrive thinking about options and what was going to happen to her. Who was on the other end of the phone? She didn't think that he wanted anyone to know about her presence here on his ranch. Linda heard the den door open and he stepped out with his cell phone still in his hand. She made herself busy behind the refrigerator door. So he wasn't using a land line. She wondered whether she might get the opportunity to get ahold of his phone. She'd call her mother first, just to let her know that she was alive and being held somewhere in the desert; by some construction mogul whose name was maybe Ben. That would get things moving anyhow.

"Is that coffee ready?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes, Sir, I have it hot and ready to pour into your favorite mug on the counter."

He poured the coffee without noticing her and returned to the den and closed the door. Linda had to admit that the information that she had gathered about today sounded a little scary. She tried to take her mind off of the possibilities by putting some extra creativity into the egg dish that she was making for him. Her mind was very imaginative and she quickly got to scenarios that scared her to death. She had to keep reminding herself that Ben had been gentle with her most of the time. Besides, he seemed to have a crush on her. The thought made her smile because it was so funny. Maybe she should use her charms to disarm him before something bad happened. How kinky could he be and what was his pleasure?

She had to slow the baking of some biscuits down a bit as he was still working past an hour.

"Sir?" she knocked on the door, stretching as far as the tether would allow with her leg off the floor. "Sir, breakfast is ready."

He finally appeared after another fifteen minutes, "Please do not disturb me again when I am busy in my den," he admonished her.

"Sorry, Sir. I didn't want your breakfast to burn."

"I appreciate your concern but business must always come first. Retirement? What ever happened to that life of leisure?"

He put his phone away in his right pants pocket and followed her out to the kitchen for breakfast. They ate the dish that she prepared along with some biscuits, coffee and orange juice.

"Go get a bottle of water from the refrigerator and drink it down now," he told her which seemed odd to her at the time since she had just finished her coffee.

She walked over to the refrigerator and took one to the many bottles of water that were stored there. She untwisted the cap and chugged it down as ordered.

"That made me feel really full," she commented.

"You'll be glad to have the hydration after you spend some time out in the heat today," he answered wryly. "I've got a different outfit that I want you to wear today."

He walked over to his den and came back with another shopping bag which he tossed at her feet. She picked it up and looked inside. There were two pieces of black cotton fabric - a thin top that barely came down enough to cover her breasts and a matching thin pair of panties. These panties didn't have clasps on both sides like the thong so he'd have to release her foot before she could out them on.

"I'll unhook your line so you can slip into your panties."

He pulled his keys from his left pocket and unlocked her ankle shackle. She removed the open lock and unwound the annoying anklet. She slipped the top and panties on then stood waiting for more direction. He tossed her the pair of flip-flops that she wore before. She was amazed at her own reflexes and how well she was able to catch them.

"Put these on too. The ground gets too hot to touch later on. Clean up this kitchen and I'll be right back. We'll be going out in the heat today. It's a good thing we got that little rainstorm this morning; it cooled things off a bit. Of course that means more humidity so prepare to roast."

What was he up to? He certainly didn't offer much information but overall it didn't sound like good news. Hydration and heat didn't sound like a nice day. Was he going to put her to work or was he still in a kinky mood? She took a deep breath and tried to build her resolve to persevere through whatever he was going to throw at her. She was also thinking about what she might learn when he took her outside. He had both things that she needed in his pockets. She'd have to watch for any possibility to get ahold of the keys and/or phone. Weapons - was there anything around the ranch compound that could help her to get the upper hand and escape? She preferred to get a complete plan together but one never knew when the opportunity might be right to just go for it. She also realized that she had zero training in fighting so whatever weapon she planned to use would have to be something that could take him, out in one surprise hit.

"We have one more thing to do to you yet before we leave the comfort of the air conditioning," he said nonchalantly. He lifted a plain brown box from beneath the coffee table and sat it on the kitchen counter. "Come sit down here at the table and I'll put these on you."

Linda had no idea what he was talking about but walked over to the chair where she sat before, pulled it out and sat down. He joined her at the head of the table with the mysterious box in his left arm.

"Pull your chair in and place your hands and forearms on the table toward me," he said as he began pulling something out of the box.

Her eyes opened wide when she saw the contraption. It had leather and buckles and handles and a metal ring all tangled together. He opened it and she could see that it had two leather cuffs with buckled enclosures. The cuffs were held together with a length of stout chain that also held the sturdy steel loop. It looked like the cuffs could be separated by unhooking a clasp between them. At the ends of the two cuffs were two bars extended by more leather that looked to be handles for her hands. The leather smell filled the room.

"These are suspension cuffs, Linda," he said as he arranged them on the table. "Place your wrists into the cuffs, grab the handles and I will get you all buckled in. These are far gentler and cause less marking on your wrists than plain rope. They're also impossible to get out of once you're hung on them."

That word "hung" was not a nice word to hear. She lifted her arms and placed her wrists into the cradles that held the buckles and mating straps. He took one of the straps and buckled it tightly around her right wrist. There were a total of two wide straps for each wrist which he fastened in turn. She could feel that the cuffs were quite heavy and well made with double and triple stitching. By the name, she judged that she was about to be suspended by her wrists. They felt very confining just sitting there at the table. She worried about what he intended to do to her once she was hanging helplessly and shivered at the thoughts that came to mind.

"Okay, let's go he said as soon as he finished binding her wrists. "One more thing then we'll be ready to go."

He walked away to get something from a drawer in the kitchen. She watched as he returned and held out a big dog's choke collar and leash in front of her. Without saying anything he slipped it over her head and removed the slack by pulling on the attached leash. He fiddled with the chain around her neck to make sure it rested free of the tracking collar that was already permanently in place. The smooth, fine chain felt warm from wherever he had retrieved it; probably outside.

"We're going out to the barn first," he said. "After you stand I want you to walk to my left and keep up with me. The traditional heel position for dogs. I'll go through the door first then I want you to come up and keep the leash taut. Stay about two feet from me and I will control the tension. I don't intend to tighten it unless you didn't follow as ordered. I'll give you a quick jerk if I want you to come closer."

Linda said nothing as she listened intently to the instructions. She watched him so she could move as soon as he started toward the door. She followed him outside and moved up into position as instructed. They walked along on the pavement which had already dried from the brief rain earlier that morning. The air felt heavy. She nervously waited with anticipation for what was to come once they got to the barn. She was able to remain in position until they reached the barn door. He tugged on the leash, signaling her to stop. Ben slid the heavy door open and tugged on her leash to indicate that she needed to follow. It was much hotter inside than out. It was also easier to see in the barn this time because the sky was still overcast so her eyes adjusted quickly. The first thing that caught her eye was the pair of ATV's parked just inside the doors, off to one side. She paused too long looking to see whether he kept the keys in them.

"What I intend to do today, Linda, is to assess your tolerance to pain and where your most sensitive areas are located. I will also try to find where you seem to derive the most pleasure. We may have to repeat some of the tests again later because there can be an accumulative effect. For example, once I get you aroused you might find pain to be pleasant whereas if just exposed to that same pain directly, you might find it uncomfortable or worse. Today's heat is also an added stimulus. Try not to let the heat beat you; you can do better than that. A slave has to be tough to survive."

He led her to the center of an area that looked like it was for working on cars and other equipment. It had a lift built into the floor with ramps on both sides. Standing between the two ramps she heard the whine of an electric motor overhead. She looked up and saw the hook and cable of a hoist coming down toward her. There were many parts to the crane that looked very heavy with a large hook attached to a thick cable that fed into a yellow case that rested on a yellow I-beam. He had the remote control in his left hand as he picked up her two bound wrists and lifted them over her head.

"Hold your arms up over your head as far as you can," he said as the crane stopped.

He lifted her arms up a little more and then clipped the steel ring from the cuffs into the hook on the crane. It made a resounding clicking noise as the latch closed on the hook to retain the cuffs. Linda held her breath in anticipation as he looked intently at her then pressed the button on the remote. Her arms drew taut then her feet lifted off the floor. He stood behind her and pushed against the back of her head, tilting it forward to clear her tightening arms. Her arms now pulled closer together straining her shoulders and pressing against the back of her head. He then proceeded to lift her another few inches which shook her body hard from the quick start and stop of the lift. She looked down to watch as he lifted her feet about half a foot off the floor. She swayed slowly back and forth from the abrupt stop. She also started to rotate slowly on the swivel on top of the hook. Her instinct was to point her toes toward the floor to check whether she could still touch it as she was lifting off. Between the swinging of her legs and the pointing her right flip-flop fell off. The floor was still out of reach for her toes.

Ben noticed her looking down and swinging her legs. He noticed her lost footwear but disregarded it. He picked up an old beach towel that he used to dry off his equipment after washing it and unfolded the brightly-colored towel. He folded it over lengthwise and wrapped it around Linda's waist. He pulled to start her swinging then changed the motion to making her swing in a circle. He raised the hoist a little more to make sure her feet cleared the ramps on both sides. Linda swirled helplessly from the hook, anxious and afraid of what he was going to do next. There were so many tools and things around the barn. Sweat ran down her forehead and stung her eyes. She blinked in an attempt to clear them but to no avail. He saw her trouble and took a corner of the towel. He wiped her face and made sure her eyes were okay.

"You better try to relax, Linda. We're just getting started and you're starting to melt," he said facetiously.

The way the large towel clung to her back kept her facing him as he kept her moving. It took very little effort to swing her as she hung from the swivel. After playing with her long enough he let go of one end of the towel. Ben pulled the towel by the other end and slid it around her torso and off her body. As the twirling motion slowed he reached out and grabbed her panties with both hands around the waistband. With one quick snap of his hands he snapped them down her legs. He removed them all together from her feet and pulled off the remaining flip-flop at the same time for maximum effect. He stood up then grabbed her top in the same way and ripped it roughly with a jerking motion. The fabric made a quick tearing sound as it easily came off. He left her dangling as her body swung and rotated around freely on the ball swivel. He walked away without a word and continued until he had left her alone. He returned back shortly but she didn't notice at first because her body was facing away from him.

A sharp sensation down her back made her jerk with surprise. He laughed at her reaction. He had returned with the branches of some rosebushes. He ran them down her back again as she slowly revolved around to face him. Her sweat made the tiniest of scratches sting. Just as he swept them down her arm and side and grazing her breast she saw the bright yellow flowers out of the corner of her eye. There were perhaps half a dozen rose stems. He didn't say anything as he took the bunch of flowers and brought them to her nose so she could smell them.

"Ever wonder how something so beautiful to smell and behold could carry such nasty thorns?" he asked rhetorically. "I grow these in the yard. I picked yellow because they're way less formal than red."

He took the flowers by the end farthest from the flowering heads and brushed the stems across her belly. She shuddered at the feel of the sharp thorns as they scratched her belly. She looked down but didn't see any real damage; just the feel of the very sharp barbs and the sting of her own sweat. He ran them across her breasts causing her to stop breathing to hold her chest as still as possible. When he turned the roses upside down with the flowers at the bottom she was glad that her body was still turning slowly. He waited for her to come around again then slowly drew the thorny stems up between her legs. She froze in anticipation as each thorn touched her inner thighs or pussy before leaving its path of scratches. Linda trembled at the awareness of the sharpness on the lips of her cunt. The thorns tugged on her pubic hair as he held them in contact with her all the way to the bottoms of her breasts. She could smell the fragrant flowers and felt the petals drifting down over her legs and feet.

He picked up the towel again and laid the flowers aside as he prepared to swing her again. He wrapped her in the towel as before then started pulling and retreating to start the movement. Once he the swirling motion starter he held the towel in his left hand and picked up the flowers with his right. He swatted her across her bottom, back and thighs as he kept her moving helplessly. The flowers erupted unto small, yellow clouds of petals. Even though the rose thorns were sharp, they didn't seem to cause any serious damage that resulted in bleeding. She quivered and tried to make herself as small as possible to get away from the sharp thorns. When he was done, he released one end of the towel and slid it away from her body, leaving her to dangle, still swinging and rotating. She watched as he went to his chest of devices and pulled out a few items that looked foreign to her.

He returned and set the devices aside on a clean white mat, off the side. He held his hands onto her sides to stop the movement, and then lowered her until her toes and front of her feet were set on the floor to stop the motion.

"I have a gag ready if we need it but I'd like to get a reading on your tolerance to pain first," he said calmly. "Damn it's hot," he exclaimed and removed his shirt.