Possessing Bella Ch. 20

"Actually, I have found this great little boutique that deals with all the retro stuff you like. There is the sweetest flapper dress with a handkerchief skirt I just know will look perfect on you," Dorothea said enthusiastically.

"Great I can't wait to see it," Bella swirled the last piece of English muffin around in the hollandaise before popping it into her mouth. Picking up her phone that she had been toying with earlier, she called Rob.

"Gosh, you answered that fast," Bella squeaked in surprise. "No nothing is wrong. I was just wondering if I could come over and see you before you went to sleep. Yes Master," she said with a smile and hung up. "Well here we go," she laughed nervously, "Leave the dishes... I will do them when I get back... I will just be a few minutes."

"Oh don't worry about me, sweet girl. This will give me a chance to have a nice long bath and relax a little more this morning," Dorothea said happily. "I will be fully restored and able to shop til we drop later then."

"I'm looking forward to it. I won't be long," she padded barefoot out of her doorway and across the elevator to the other side of the floor where Rob resided. The door was ajar, and she pushed it open slightly, peeking inside. Rob sat as usual dressed only in his boxer shorts, nursing a steaming cup of coffee.

"What took you so long," he beckoned her into the room.

"I was just making sure Dorothea was occupied with something aside of cleaning before I left," she laughed.

"That's a pretty excuse, little brat but an excuse none-the-less," Rob grinned and drew her onto his lap, wrapping his free arm around her. "To what do I owe this early morning visit?"

Bella began to talk about her plans for the weekend and touched a little on her revelations after speaking with Charles about not being ready to make choices and the need she had to explain that to Stephen before Monday, so he wasn't blindsided.

"As always you are thinking of others." Rob hugged her tightly. "I agree with the reasons and don't have a problem with you seeing Stephen tomorrow at all, in fact, I think it might well be a necessity. He has been more prickly than usual this last week, and I think it will do you both some good to discuss putting things on hold for a little while."

"Not on hold exactly. It's just that I am not ready just yet for that final commitment, not when Mel still is such a presence in my life." Bella dropped her eyes. "I mean he will always be present but," she shrugged, "It's hard to explain, but I just couldn't give all of me to anyone yet."

"Its okay little one you don't have to explain to me of all people. It was different for me, the uncertainty of Kitty's death covered me in a mire of gloomy what if's and why for's. It has only been in the last year that I have finally put her in the past, and I believe that now I could love that deeply again. I know something of what you are feeling," he put his cup down and held her close. It was as close as he had come to declaring his feelings for her. He knew that Monday would be difficult, despite Charles intervening on her behalf, and did not want to add any further pressure or confusion to her world.

"Thank you, Master," Bella whispered as she snuggled into his chest. "I've been so busy for months that I feel like I just need to slow down and process everything that happened last year."

"You are such a little smarty," Rob grinned. "You make being your guardian easy. Now tell me about this shopping trip?"

"Dorothea has found a new retro fashion boutique, and I wanted to get a few new blouses for work. Mel's taste in office wear was fine for a secretary, but it's hard to be taken seriously by our suppliers when I have my underwear on show to the world," Bella explained tentatively.

"I don't think wearing underwear was on Mel's list of priorities for office wear," Rob chuckled, "So just don't wear any. If for no other reason than to distract your suppliers and get a better price." He laughed harder as Bella seemed to consider the idea before rolling her eyes at him.

"You're right about Mel's preferences, but it's different now," she blushed.

"If you were mine it wouldn't be different, that stuff just gets in the way of all the fun bit," he tickled her then, making her giggle before she could react to what he had just said. He was tired and not thinking, and he was glad she seemed not to react once he let her catch her breath. "Let's have dinner tonight at your place, and you can give me a fashion show, maybe I will change my mind about the underwear thing if I see it on the right model."

"Won't the club be busy, I mean its Saturday night?" Bella was surprised by the flirtatious tone the conversation had taken. She was usually the one teasing him as he failed to react; now she could feel his reaction beneath her ass as well as in his voice. It unsettled her.

"The club will survive a few hours without me down there schmoozing the members," he tilted his head. "Do you have plans already?"

"No, not at all and I love to cook, so it's a date," she said, quickly covering her surprise.

"Let's say seven," he asked tentatively, unsure of her reaction.

"That sounds good and will give me plenty of time to prepare something wonderful," Bella hugged him tightly and unfurled from his lap. "I better get back and make the other calls I need to do before we go.

"Have you got enough cash?" Rob asked, standing and patting the sides of his boxers as if he had forgotten that he had taken his pants off.

"Yeah I have a bit of money tucked away for a rainy day," she giggled. In reality, she had several credit cards now and always carried a small amount of cash for emergencies. She knew with certainty that her father had managed her money so that she wold never have to worry about her personal finances again.

"You're so sassy this morning," he chuckled and smacked her ass hard enough to make it sting but not leave a mark. He was pleased with her answering squeal of surprise and walked her to the elevator. Rob watched her cross over to her side of the building before returning to his apartment and some needed sleep.

Bella gnawed at her lip as she entered the apartment. The twists and turns of her conversation with Rob making her feel like she wasn't quite sure what had happened there. She was glad she would be spending the day with Dorothea and hoped they would have the opportunity to talk some more about what she should or could do, now that the training was over.

The kitchen had been cleaned, and Bella shook her head, it wasn't necessary as this was a fully serviced apartment. She didn't even have to shop for groceries; she just left a list of anything extra she needed on the counter top before going to work. Admittedly, she had asked that they don't come in on the weekends but she knew if she went out, they would come in anyway.

Sitting back up at the bench with a fresh glass of juice, she picked up her phone again and called Stephen.

"Hello," there was concern in Stephens' voice as he answered quickly.

"Good morning, Master. I hope I didn't wake you," Bella said in a pleasant voice.

"Bella, is something wrong?" His voice sounded as if he couldn't quite understand why she had called him.

"No nothing is wrong. I was just wondering if you could spare some time tomorrow to maybe go for a drive. I have been feeling a little claustrophobic this week after all the fresh air on the farm."

"I have all the time in the world for you Bella, you know that. Did you want to go somewhere in particular?" Stephen asked.

"I was wondering if that beautiful garden Arek was designing for you was finished," Bella said thoughtfully. She had wanted this conversation to be light, and she would say what need to be said when they were face to face.

"It's a nice drive down to the cove," he agreed easily. "I will come and get you early. How does seven sound?"

"That would be great thank you, Master," Bella smiled into the phone, letting her pleasure carry in her voice. "I will see you tomorrow, sleep well."

"Thank you, see you then," Stephen hung up, and Bella put down her phone with a deep breath. She could now concentrate on today and remembering suddenly that she had yet to call Lincoln and organise him to accompany them. She picked up her phone again.

*****

Bella arrived back in her apartment with her arms loaded with parcels and Lincoln following behind her with an equal amount of shopping. She had gone overboard, but it had been such a fun day that she hadn't been able to help herself. She felt more like her old self than she had in the last year and she had truly enjoyed the small sense of freedom that shopping for herself had given her.

Her current wardrobe consisted of clothes her mother had brought for her and clothes Mel had bought her to replace the clothes her mother had given her. These parcels contained items she liked, things that were more her style and she hoped that they would meet with the approval of the men who guided her life in so many ways.

"Thanks so much Lincoln. I can't believe I bought so much!" She looked around at all the bags they had placed on the living room couches. "You're free now. I won't need you again until Monday morning," she said with a small smile.

"I don't mind at all, it was good to see you and Dorothea having so much fun," Lincoln returned her smile. "I will see you Monday," he nodded his head and left her to unpack all her purchases.

Bella searched for the bags from Adam's. The continental delicatessen had been a trip out of their way, but it was so worth it to get the best produce. She knew that in reality she didn't have the time to shop for all the everyday items, but she had enjoyed today so much she had thought she should make it a more regular event to just go and shop for the little things she needed rather than relying on others to provide the brand she liked. She had liked finding new things to taste and try along the way. Something she rarely got from her service.

She smiled, walking to the kitchen; she liked how cosy it felt since the renovations. It wasn't as comfortable as her mother's kitchen, but it was becoming her place to create as she began to cook more often for friends who visited. Putting all the items away and ensuring she did have the extra staples she thought she did in the refrigerator, she returned to the large pile of bags still sitting in the living room.

The time flew past quickly as Bella took a shower and redid her makeup using some of her purchases. She dressed in a sweet polka dot dress that had a tight bodice and full skirt of the era she loved. Then went back to the kitchen and poured herself a cool glass of water to sip on while she prepared the simple dinner.

She was still putting together the small platters when Rob arrived, knocking politely on her door. Bella opened it with a smile and took the bottle of wine he was holding. "Thank you very much, Master, it's one of my favourites," she hummed in a pleasurable way.

"Oh really? Fancy that." Rob grinned and followed her into the apartment. He took a seat at the kitchen bench as she gathered two glasses for the wine.

"How did you know?" Bella asked, placing the bottle before him to pour the wine.

"The same way I knew that you would make something with an Italian flavour for dinner. I pay attention, little one, and I have gotten to know you very well," Rob winked at her and filled the glasses. Bella blinked and tilted her head curiously.

"Mel had the opportunity of observing you from childhood, the rest of us are on catch up," he chuckled, "I do try to take note of your likes and dislikes; I think I can guess your preferences in most situations. Aside of the salmon that I had thought you enjoyed. That is the nature of the submissive though, at times they will endure small discomforts to please others." His grin was wide, and there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he added, "or endure great pain for others."

Bella giggled self-consciously and blushed. While she and Rob had never engaged in sexual play, they had always flirted. Mel had named Rob his second when she had taken his collar and at the time he had made no secret of the fact that he could and would use her as was his right, but he never had pressed that claim any further than innuendo and being in physical contact. Recently though, she felt he was pushing that further and Bella chewed her lip as it occurred to her that he took note of these little things, and she knew so little about his likes and dislikes. She couldn't even say for sure that his flirtatious attitude toward her had changed.

"I'm just going to wash my hands before I am tempted to touch this wonderful spread you have here," he took a gulp of his wine and wandered away from her.

Bella watched him go. He was as handsome as always in his scruffy way. The first they had met she remembered the feeling of lust that had risen in her. Tall and dark in his biker leathers and heavy boots, his long hair tied back and his too blue eyes twinkling as they did now. She'd had a crush on him from that first moment and, while she understood his reasons, she once again wondered how her life would have been if he had taken pity on her and said yes when she begged for his collar.

He returned and went to her side of the bench and picked her up, kissing her. Then holding her close, he walked back to the other side and placed her on the stool beside him. "That's better, now I can see all of you. I had been looking forward to the new underwear though rather than a dress that covers more of you than usual." He flipped up the skirt to show her legs and smiled, "There that's at least a little better."

"I needed some things for public engagements as well," she blushed and laughed softly, "I can hardly visit a children's hospital wearing a gossamer silk blouse that leaves little to the imagination."

"I guess," he conceded, "It is very pretty, if you like that sort of thing."

"Duly noted that it is not your sort of thing," Bella laughed and picked at the fruit and cheese platter.

"Tell me about your day shopping? Did you get anything that might be my sort of thing," he waggled his eyebrows, making her laugh.

"I might have," she smiled, her cheeks blooming with colour. "I spent a small fortune today on makeup and pampering packs for the bathroom. A few books and a couple of old movies, as well as a few dresses and some key pieces of lingerie."

"That's more like it," Rob said. "Now tell me more about the day that had made you look so happy while we finish our glass of wine and eat, and then you can give me the full fashion show. Start at the beginning."

Bella laughed and began to recount her day. Starting with the retro shop that Dorothea had discovered and where she had bought her polka dot dress that she now wore and a second dress that was reminiscent of a flapper style with a long waist and handkerchief skirt. It would need some alterations, so they had left it in the store to be made to fit perfectly. Rob stopped her every so often in her story and made her backtrack over certain details, but eventually she got to their last minute trip to Adam's to buy some little extras for this evening.

"So," Rob said, finishing off his second glass of wine and pouring the last of the bottle for them. "By my reckoning, you owe me a fashion show consisting of five outfits including lingerie plus an extra set of lingerie," he nodded with satisfaction. "Let's have a look, shall we," he picked up his wine and held his hand out to her as he stood. She laughed and took his hand, letting him lead her into the bedroom.

"This is the first one, as you know," she reached around and unzipped her dress, letting the small sleeves fall forward from her shoulders, she shimmied and slowly revealed the first piece of new lingerie. It was a white teddy made up of translucent material with small lace accents.

"Very nice," Rob nodded and kicked off his shoes before settling himself on her bed, propped up by the abundance of pillows and cushions.

Bella moved to the walk-in wardrobe and teasingly looked back over her shoulder at him as she dropped the straps of her teddy from her shoulders.

"No fair!" Rob called after her with a chuckle but waited patiently as she once again dressed for him.

This time, she appeared in a pencil straight navy skirt made from a thick material that was elasticated just enough to allow her to walk but maintain its figure hugging shape. The blouse though made from a translucent fabric held cut outs near the neck that dropped into lace inserts and ribbons of embroidered geometric pattern so as to give her some form of modesty. It wasn't until she turned that Rob appreciated the skirt, seeing the wide white zip that ran from hem to waist giving the voyeur a tantalising fantasy of opening it for all to see.

"This is the more corporate look I was going for work, sort of sexy corporate maybe?" she chewed her lip as if expecting him not to agree with her idea of what sexy corporate was.

"Very sexy corporate," Rob nodded, "No bra with that one I see, so I approve whole-heartedly."

"Well not exactly a bra," she began to remove the blouse revealing stickies, "Some people call these chicken fillets, but the sales girl called them stickies, they support and lift but no bra lines," She explained.

"Interesting," Rob said non-committally, "But you have great tits, you don't need them you know."

"It's a confidence thing, knowing that I am not high beaming everyone," she said quietly.

"High beaming!" Rob roared with laughter, and Bella turned back to the wardrobe with Rob continuing to chuckle behind her.

"Wait! I didn't get to see the panties are they stickies too?" he roared again.

"I wasn't wearing any," she said softly, poking her head out teasingly before disappearing again. Bella modelled two other similar corporate looks before slipping into the ball gown she had chosen for an upcoming event.

The dress shimmered in a pale green hue as she stepped from the wardrobe, taking Rob's breath away. He listened as she spoke about having the right hair and makeup, using both hands to pull her hair to the top of her head accentuating her figure even more.

"Are you okay?" she asked suddenly. "You haven't made the usual quips and jokes about the design or what I am wearing under it," Bella frowned, trying to work out what he was thinking.

Rob came to his feet and descended upon her, bending to her height and kissing her gently, "You look beautiful, little one, truly breath-taking." He let his hands wander down her body, feeling the delicate embroidered flowers that lined together in chains to swirl about her body. It was a sexy revealing dress but was done in such a feminine, delicate way it did not seem as revealing as it was.

Up close like this, he could pick out the slight pink tones that softened the green and he was reminded once again of a fairy, the Tinkerbelle persona that Mel had always given her when he spoke about her. It was fitting and suited her perfectly. When he broke the second soft kiss, he saw the confusion in her eyes. His kisses were never full of passion before this moment. His were always the friendly teasing flirtatious kind that stopped short of true intimacy. Realising what he had just done and seeing the look in her eyes, he knew it was time to lay his cards on the table or at least try.

He had hoped to postpone this moment until after Monday's meeting as he did not want to confuse her anymore, but the wine and the atmosphere had made him more careless than he had been in a long time. Bella tried to pull away slightly, so she could look into his face properly. She wasn't sure what was happening and as always when confused, she turned her thoughts inward and silently studied him.