Possessing Bella Ch. 13

Eventually, after inspecting her skin one last time Stephen stood and pulled on his clothes. He held his hand out to her to help her to her feet and pulled the camisk over her head. Placing her in the saddle, he climbed up behind her and turned the horse back toward the home of Kolton. Neither of them had spoken of love or commitment to each other out loud since leaving Stephen's home, and it seemed to hang in the air around them unsettling Bella.

"Thank you, Sir Stephen. For not pressuring me to give up on this training while we are getting to know each other in a deeper sense of the words," Bella said quietly and feeling him stiffen as he rode behind her she continued. "I will miss you greatly when you are not here but rest assured that my focus will be on the service, and day to day living of this lifestyle over the coming weeks." It was as close as she could come to declaring her commitment to wanting to belong to him while still maintaining the small freedoms she had to explore the world Mel had tried to give her.

"I am possessive of what is mine, as you will find out in time," Stephen said in his deep rumbling bass. "But know that I would not interfere with your choices in this training or your career back in our own world. Though I would expect you to discuss decisions influencing your whereabouts and safety with me. Nor would I seek to sway you from commitments you have made to others who have made arangements to welcome you into their homes and lifestyles. I would be disappointed in you if you were such a girl that would break commitments or promises so lightly."

It pained him to say the words because there was nothing he wanted more than to take her home and make her his alone. He knew though, after spending the last few months with her, that she would feel trapped by such a move. She needed to come to him on her own. He had faith now that she would at some point in the not too distant future, and he looked forward to the day when she knelt before him and begged for his collar. Stephen's arms tightened around her, and she purred happily as he took her back to the Masters of Gor.

*****

"Quite the contrary," Arek said in his loud laugh to Stephen. "I am prepared to double my offer for the girl and if she dances the whip dance tonight as I have so graciously suggested to Kolton my offer my triple." He continued to laugh at the stunned look on Stephen's face. "Don't look so stunned my friend. We all have our joys in life. It just happens that yours and mine take a similar path."

"I am unsure if her training, thus far, has included the dance of the whip," Stephen said showing where his concern lay. Bella had disappeared into the kennels when they had arrived back, and as he looked toward the kitchen once again, she had still not reappeared. It was still early, and she would not be required for some time, yet Arek's disclosure had caused him some concern.

Within Kolton's study Bella knelt beside Nyx and chewed on her lip. As far as she could tell she wasn't in any trouble, but she had difficulty hearing the hushed conversation of Kolton and Mike as they continued to look at the girls.

"I was surprised last night with her abilities, especially for one so new to Gor," Kolton said. "Steelheart appears to spoil her though. She will have a better opportunity to embrace our lifestyle when he leaves her with the men who know how to treat a spoiled girl like that."

"Her time here is only temporary," Mike reminded the older man cautiously. "She is not a girl you can claim, steal or buy from Steelheart."

"I am aware, but should she come to know her place and embrace it, she will stay and accept a true Gorean collar," Kolton said unmoved by Mike words. "I have no need of another slave. Personally I blieve her to be a small and weak slave but there are some interested men who could invest the time needed to show her the true value of a good slave in our world."

Mike said nothing letting the old man speak what was in his mind. Someone the old man liked and respected had asked for the girl no doubt but this girl was too well protected by powerful men to make keeping her here longer than the two weeks even an option. Perhaps they had been wrong to hid her identity from the gathering. Kolton sometimes forgot that he did not rule all men as he ruled here in this home enclave.

Considering what he knew of the men gathered thus far he could think of three possibilities as aggressive suitors for a slave with the burgeoning service and dance skills Bella had shown last night. Of those three, only one would fully respect the collar she now wore and the protection it should give to her.

He may not approve of the lifestyle and choices Bella enjoyed at present, but he felt an obligation to Mel and the men of his inner circle to protect her while she was in his care. Mike determined to manoeuvre things to make it difficult for the two less than ideal candidates who may be behind Kolton's musings to monopolise all of her time here.

"She will perform the dance of the whip tonight. I will give your girl some time to prepare with her while I meet with Thalia to discuss preparations for the evening," Kolton stood from where he had been leaning against the desk and exited the room.

"I need to speak with Stephen," Mike said abruptly, "Stay and go through your dance here until I return for you." He too left the room, and Bella turned to Nyx with a worried look on hr face.

"Don't worry you can do this, we did it for fun remember, the whip with the five short tails?" Nyx tried to jog Bella's memory.

"Yes, the soft leather one, stings without cutting into the skin," Bella smiled, "Makes a loud crack too."

"Now the key is to love the leather enjoy it in the beginning, stroke it then let the tails slide over you like a lover's hand. About halfway through or a little less turn the dance into a story of being dominated by it and when you crack it really crack it. Be afraid of it as a punishment. If you can take it let the marks show on your skin and even cry, they love that type of commitment in the dances. They will see that as a display of your desire to be submissive to any and all of them. In Gor all men have the right to wield the whip if you are not pleasing, not just your Master," Nyx explained.

"When you start tap your heel so the drummer can pick up the beat for you. Keep the story you are dancing in your head and you won't be wrong no matter how you dance it," she smiled. "The best thing about Gorean Dance is there is no truly wrong way as long as you stick to the story of the dance. This dance is about being submissive not only to one man but that any of them could be your Master if they are strong enough to subdue you."

Nyx continued to coach as Bella pulled a few moves together. By the time Kolton arrived Bella was both anxious and excited, buoyed up by Nyx's constant praise of her talents. Out on the deck Stephen waited impatiently for her arrival considering carefully what Mike had told him. Mike had suggested it may be easier and safer to publically hand over her safe keeping to one of the men who did not own a slave at present before he left. Stephen could see the merit of the idea but was loathe to leave her at all, let alone hand her directly to someone and give them his blessing in his absence. He had forced himself to recognise, that with this additional information that if he did not he could make the stay here infinitely more difficult for Bella.

He felt relief when she finally appeared on the deck to serve him. And as he sent her to fetch him ale he found Arek appeared in the seat beside him. "I see your girl had finally appeared for the evening, I was about to check the infirmary for her," he laughed quietly reminding Stephen of what he had witnessed earlier. "We can dispense with the formalities if you like and I can offer triple my original offer without seeing her dance with the whip a I already have a fair idea how that will go," he grinned.

"So good of you my brother, but as you made no formal offer, triple nothing still amounts to nothing," Stephen laughed good-naturedly. He liked Arek and had been close to him during his time as part of the enclave.

"Ah, but therein lies the rub. We don't have many new girls come to us these days and if rumour can be believed this one is just passing through briefly. Surely you wouldn't expect me to pay more than I have offered for such a fleeting affair," he smirked as Stephen eyed him. "You were never much of a sharer brother, but with the vultures circling, I could be the best choice. Let's call it a short term lease and I think you will find my offer quite reasonable."

"Mik-Hail has spoken with you I assume," Stephen finally made sense of the conversation.

"He has," Arek nodded. "I had guessed as much though. It is no secret among the club members, who she is. I may not venture into town much but I keep abreast of current news. That's a well-connected girl you you have in your collar. I doubt I could afford her even were I to make a serious offer. Still there is more than one way to win a slave." He laughed heartily as Stephen stiffened at his words.

The night was busy for Bella as men came and went from their small circle, and she offered each of them service most of them taking advantage of being served by Steelheart's new girl. She had seen snatches of another girl dancing but had been unable to stop long enough with a clear view of the sand circle to truly take it in. The girl had a tall, willowy frame much like Elena and Bella wished she could have watched the whole performance. It was late when Stephen was called to speak with Kolton, and she had followed him and settled beside his chair.

"No girl," Kolton had snapped. "Here," he pointed to a spot on the floor in front of him. He waited somewhat impatiently until she settled to the spot where he had pointed. "I want you to perform the dance of the whip," he said without preamble.

"Might I be permitted the use of your slave whip to perform for you, Master?" Bella asked softly

"You may use my whip, slave," GreyHawk, the kennel master stepped forward releasing the whip from his belt. Bella crawled toward him and gingerly took the handle of the proffered whip from the man. Not daring to look up at Master Kolton she retreated before standing and making her way to the circle of sand that was the dance pit.

Standing with her legs parted and her hands held before her. She ran them over the blades of the five tailed whip, enjoying the feel and soft scent of the leather. She relaxed taking a breath and letting her hands drop to her sides feeling the supple leather caress her thigh. Tapping a slow beat with her heel almost silently in the sand she heard the drummer pickup the beat for her and let a soft smile lighten her face.

Pulling the whip up along her thigh she swayed to the beat and an unheard melody that played in her head. She let the tails caress over her hip and across her belly twice pulling the camisk to gather in the middle of her belly and be held tightly by the belt. She followed the same swaying motion of the whip behind her to expose the flesh of her thighs and hips and a generous portion of her ass along with the sides of her now only partially concealed breasts.

Continuing to caress the exposed flesh with the leather of the whip she drew herself up to her toes and began to spin. Tilting her head back and allowing her long curls to fly around her shoulders and face as the whip swished through the air almost whistling as she spun opening her arms wide. Slowing the dizzying spin she withdrew her arms forward as if in an embrace and the whip wrapped it's length around her body with its first loud crack against her pale skin.

She gasped in feigned surprise as if just discovering the whips true purpose. Drawing the whip to caress her belly and breasts she lowered her head to kiss the handle drawing the long hard surface across her lips as her hips continued to sway to the beat of the drum. As if caught in a forbidden act her arm quickly flashed out and moving again in a pirouette the whistle of the leather sounded as it wrapped her in its embrace again.

Following a similar pattern, she let the whip caress her as it fell from her body and she danced with it, softly holding the tails and letting them fall through her fingers. She pulled it to her cheek in an act of affection and drew it down over her throat, breast and belly. Drawing the blades through her fingers she let them fall to caress her inner thigh allowing the movement to disturb the narrow placement of the camisk and give any Master close enough a sneak peak at her true slave heat. She let out a soft purr and began to pirouette again the whip alternately caressing and whipping her body as several cracks reverberated around the deck as she spun first one way and then the next. She stopped near the post that stood in the middle of the pit her chest heaving as she panted with her exertions.

Bella's hips began the gentle sway to the beat again as her hand reached out to caress the pole, her fingers trailing up and down the pale wood. She stepped forward until she was pressed up against it and with a quick deft movement embraced the pole, the whip singing through the air to crack against her ass leaving the mark of its bite and her own small whimper in the air.

Lifting her leg to encircle the post, Bella leaned back as if away from her own embrace tangling her hands within the blades of the whip and trapping herself there in an arched position. To further enhance this position she leaned her head back making her hair cascade toward the sand catching the firelight giving it red hues. Her hips continued to sway making her gyrate as if writhing against the post. Her hand slipped and holding the post with her leg only the blades of the whip cracked loudly against the post as they sailed past it to her body softening the blow she might have otherwise received. Bella cried out in a gasp as if she had been stung hard by the loud crack of the whip.

She bit her lip and thinking of Stephen leaving andbeing left alone with these strangers her eyes becoming glassy with unshed tears as she reached up to right herself. She moved to embrace the pole in such a way that sent the whip flying once again through the air around the post to contact with her ass. Spinning Bella freed herself from the post pirouetting and moving back towards the edge of the circle dancing to the beat of the drum and the crack of the whip until she fell to her knees at the edge of the circle.

She reached forward the whip in her outstretched hands and her eyes lowered as she whispered breathlessly, "La Kajira."

Greyhawk stepped forward and took the whip from her hands nodding and patting his leg in appreciation of her efforts as the foot stomping salute she had encountered the night before occurred again.

"You may return to your Master girl, you have danced well and I am pleased," Kolton intoned.

Bella moved to Stephens left side and felt his hand immediately tangle into her hair, petting her as if to calm a skittish animal. "You make me proud, little one," he murmured in a low tone and she peeked up at him noting the smile on his face.

"I would make your move before another does," Mike nodded his head toward Greyhawk who was in conversation with Kolton. Stephen had seen the danger as the whip had been passed at the beginning of the dance and had to agree that the less time Bella spent under Greyhawk's personal care, the better. He was loyal to Kolton and ran the kennels with a practised ease but otherwise he was a self-serving bastard that revelled in having all of the house slaves beholden to him.

Obviously the name Steelheart did not carry the weight it once had with the men here and Stephen could see that Mike was right to have concerns about Bella's welfare over the coming week. It was rare to have a collar removed by anyone other than the Master and in those few cases he knew about it was generally due to a death, metaphorical or otherwise. Greyhawk though could be unscrupulous and as Stephen was no longer viewed as a permanent part of this lifestyle, the law could get blurry and Greyhawk would be one to take advantage of that.

Stephen wasn't sure that he liked the idea of handing her well-being over to Arek either and scanned to room for an alternate choice. Knowing he would never find anyone he would willingly hand her over to he reasoned that with Arek's knowledge of who she was and what that meant for her future, that he was the lesser of two evils.