The Pet Shop (10 page)

A
NNE WAS WAITING FOR
her outside her office. She fell into step next to Stella. ‘Well? Did you talk to him?’

‘I talked to him, yes.’

‘Any problems?’

‘No.’ Stella replied. ‘He seemed fine with it. He said I’d earned a week holiday. Even offered me the company cottage in the Lake District.’ She looked over her shoulder as though the Boss might have transferred himself through the speaker phone and be stood behind them listening in. ‘I don’t suppose you have any idea what I can expect?’

Anne shrugged. ‘How the hell would I know? I just got lucky with figuring out how to get you in as a perspective Pet. No idea what happens next. Surely they must have told you something.’

Stella didn’t believe Anne for a minute, but since the woman was her only connection to Tino, she wouldn’t argue. ‘I got an email.’

‘An email?’ Anne said. ‘That’s not very interesting, is it?’

‘Well, what did you expect, dancing girls and confetti? It was just an email.’

Anne nodded, enthusiastically. ‘Tell me, what did it say then?’

‘It said wait at home after work Friday night. It said the Pet Shop would send someone for me. It said I should pack no bags. Bring nothing, the email said. Not even my mobile. That’s all.’

‘Bloody hell. Sounds vague. And intense. Are you nervous?’

Stella grunted. ‘What do you think? Of course I’m nervous. I can’t believe I’m actually going to go through with this. I must be out of my mind.’

‘But you will,’ Anne observed. ‘You will go through with it.’

It wasn’t a question. She already knew the answer. And so did Stella. It wasn’t just that she had to see Tino, but she had to know. And contrary to what Anne thought, it wasn’t about finding out there was no Easter Bunny or no Father Christmas. It went a lot deeper than that, and she reckoned if she was about to unweave the rainbow, well she had gone too far down the road already to backtrack. And anyway, she had known almost from the beginning that she wanted more than to be slotted into Tino’s diary once in awhile. As far as Vincent went, well she wanted more than a shag in a limo and an expensive plane ride. She wanted to know what the truth was, and she wanted to know why it mattered so much to her. Lest she needed to remind anyone, none of this would have happened if Strigida hadn’t meddled in her private life.

The knock on the door came at precisely 8 p.m. The usual Pet arrival time, she thought. And for a second, she missed Tino terribly. She was greeted by a man and a woman dressed in the identical black suits of Pet handlers. The man carried the standard blue rucksack. ‘Stella,’ the woman addressed her, ‘we need to come inside and you need to close the door behind us.’ She raised a hand. ‘And from this moment forward, you need to remain silent. Speaking from you will indicate one of two things, either that you’ve been a disobedient Pet, in which case you’ll be appropriately punished, or that you’ve changed your mind and no longer wish to continue your training as a Pet. If at any point you make that decision, the decision is irrevocable. Do you understand?’

Stella nodded and stepped aside to let the couple in. The woman took her by the arm and ushered her into the lounge. The man shut and locked the door behind them, and Stella felt a cold stab of fear low in her belly.

‘Sit down on the floor,’ the woman commanded and Stella obeyed. She was still in her work clothes, not knowing what to expect. She hadn’t been told what to wear. ‘You won’t be needing to dress for success this next week, love,’ the woman said. Then she unbuttoned Stella’s blouse, all business-like, and for some reason that made Stella blush more than if she had been seductive in her actions.

‘Just let me undress you, dear. Always remember, removal of a Pet’s clothing is the handler’s job or your keeper’s job, never yours. A Pet never interacts with her clothing.’ She shoved the blouse off and handed it to the man, who now stood over them. He folded it efficiently and placed it on the coffee table.

‘You have lovely breasts, Stella, darling. Won’t your keepers enjoy playing with those?’ The sudden shift to Pet Speak as the woman removed her bra made Stella squirm in her knickers.

‘You’re very lucky,’ the woman said as she handed the bra to the man and unzipped Stella’s skirt. ‘Most Pets pay handsomely for the privilege, but someone in high places likes you and has decided you don’t have to pay.’

‘Pay? I thought Pets get paid, not have to pay.’ The words were out before Stella could stop herself, and the resounding slap across her bare breasts startled her and stung.

‘That’s a warning, darling. Since you’re new, I won’t give you a proper punishment this time, but let it happen again and I’ll have to spank your pretty little bottom, won’t I?’ The woman continued undressing her. ‘Of course you’ll have questions, Stella, and every evening you’ll get a chance to write those questions down so we can answer them for you. But I see no harm in answering you now, since you didn’t know. Lots of people pay a lot of money to be Pets. It’s a submission thing, you know.’

‘Some pay to be a Pet and some pay to take care of a Pet,’ the man added.

‘Now lift your little bottom for me, darling, and let me get you out of those uncomfortable clothes and into something a little more relaxed. Then, when we get you to the Pet Shop, you can be naked with all the other Pets. Would you like that, sweetheart?’

Stella’s stomach twisted low and hot and nervous all at the same time. Did she really want to be naked with all the other Pets? A vision of Tino mounting her in a rough and tumble of Pets made it suddenly difficult to breathe. She lifted her arse and the woman shimmied down her skirt and her knickers in one efficient move.

‘Lovely little cunny,’ the man said, as the woman opened Stella’s legs to work her hold-ups down over her thighs. ‘And not waxed completely bare. I like a little fur, me. Like a proper Pet.’

‘Don’t be prejudiced, George,’ the woman said. ‘Some people like their Pets smooth and bare.’

The man grunted what might have been a snort of disapproval as he took the hold-ups and added them to the pile of neatly folded clothing.

‘Oh goodness,’ the woman said, running a hand up the inside of Stella’s thigh and pressing her open further. ‘Our little Petlet is already wet, and nerves be damned. Look at this, George.’ She slid an efficient finger between Stella’s labia causing her to catch her breath and squirm against the invading hand. ‘Mmm. Wet and silky. Somebody may have to take care of her before bedtime tonight.’ Then she gave Stella’s pussy a little slap with the flat of her hand. ‘Or maybe they’ll just make her wait. Can you imagine how lovely and swollen she’d be after waiting hot and needy all night?’

George grunted his approval of the idea.

‘Come, darling.’ The woman was suddenly all business. ‘We need to get you back to the Pet Shop and get you settled in to begin your training.’

George dug a thin mauve trench coat several sizes too big for Stella from the blue rucksack along with a pair of flip-flops, which matched perfectly. He bundled her into them and cinched the belt securely around her waist. ‘It’s just until we get you into the Pet carrier,’ he reassured her. ‘Now give me your house keys and I’ll keep ’em safe until you need ’em again.’

Stella wasn’t sure what she expected, but the large dog-sized pet carrier in the back of an expensive-looking black van was definitely not it. As soon as she was inside, she relinquished the trench coat and flip-flops and it was the last stitch of clothing to touch her body for the next five days.

They arrived under cover of darkness. Stella had no idea how long the journey had been nor where to. From the Pet carrier in the back of the van she could see nothing. But when she was helped from the cramped space, she could make out the shape of a large country house, a high brick wall and lots of trees. The woman, whose name she’d learnt was Audrey, fitted her with a simple leather collar then snapped a lead into the attached D-ring, which she handed to a man whose face Stella couldn’t quite make out in the darkness.

The man cupped Stella’s cheek in one large hand, lifted her head and turned it from side to side as though he were inspecting a horse at an auction.

Audrey moved next to her and stroked her flank. ‘Stella, darling, this is your designated master. Go with him. He’ll settle you in for the night. You must be exhausted, sweetheart. Get some rest. You’ll have a very busy week ahead of you.’

The man said nothing to her. He turned on his heels and led her to a small annexe that might have been refurbished stables, though it was too dark to tell. He opened the door to a small room tucked in the corner between the rest of the annexe and the main house. Inside the room was bare except for an enormous pet bed that in a more normal life, she would have assumed was for a very large, very pampered dog. Under the circumstances, she was pretty sure it was for her. The man nodded to a tiny closet near the back corner, and with a blush, Stella realised it was a toilet.

‘Go on,’ he said. ‘It’s a long trip over here. You must be bursting.’

After she returned from the loo, she found him sitting on the floor next to the Pet bed with a bowl of water and platter loaded down with bits of fruit and cheese. ‘Come here, darling.’ He patted the pallet next to him. ‘You must be hungry and thirsty after your journey.’

She dropped onto the floor beside him, and he popped a piece of ripe mango into her mouth then wiped the dribble of juice from her chin with a flick of his thumb. ‘Good?’ he asked, clearly not expecting an answer. She tried to drink the way she had seen Tino do it, but ended up with more water on her than in her. At last Master lifted the bowl to her lips. ‘You’ll get the hang of it, Stella. But at least for tonight, if you can’t manage, then you may use your hands if no handler’s around to help you. It’s important you don’t get dehydrated.’

He fed her a couple more chunks of mango and a bit of cheese then wiped her mouth and set the tray aside. ‘Now, let me look at you.’ He scooted closer. ‘Let me make sure you’re OK to be left on your own tonight.’ As he spoke, he ran his hands across her shoulders, down her arms, then onto the swell of her hips. He lingered for a moment, before he splayed them up her stomach to cup and knead her breasts, causing her to flinch slightly and gasp. He offered her an apologetic smile. ‘It’s all right, darling. New Pets are often a bit jumpy at having their more private bits caressed.’ He brought thumbs up to rake her nipples, which were already at full attention. ‘They soon get used to it, even enjoy it. It’s a necessary part of learning to enjoy the pleasures offered by one’s keeper.’

It didn’t take all that long to get used to a man who was skilled at pleasuring a woman’s tits, she thought. He was also skilled at reading the signs of arousal brought on by his fondling.

‘Pets may not masturbate unless they have the specific permission of their handler or keeper. I’m told you’re familiar with the Pet keepers’ manual, so no doubt you know this.’ He nodded toward her pallet. Once she had settled onto it, he pushed her back until she rested on her elbows. ‘Therefore it’s expedient for me to make you come before you go to bed. It’ll relieve nervous tension and make you sleep better. Don’t be embarrassed, darling. All Pets have very high libidos, and my colleagues tell me that you were in a state of arousal when you left your home. Open your legs for me. That’s a girl.’ He held her gaze in the dimly lit room. ‘Now just relax and let me take care of you.’ He dropped onto one elbow next to her and ran a heavy hand down over her belly to rest on her tightly trimmed curls.

Even in the shadow she could make out the shape of the man’s erection pressing against his khaki trousers. She wasn’t sure if, as a Pet, she should be tending to him or not, but it was as though he had read her mind. ‘Tonight, darling you must do nothing but relax and enjoy. Tonight Master will pleasure his little Pet. There’ll be lots of opportunities later for you to take care of your master.’ His touch against her mons had become a caress, his index and middle finger stretching out to splay her labia before darting down between. The soft sound that escaped her lips was not unlike a contented animal, and he sighed in empathy. ‘You’re so slick down there and swollen, aren’t you, my little darling. You must have been holding yourself tight between those lovely pussy lips for the whole long ride down here. Self control, that’s a trait all Pets need to cultivate. You’ll do very well here, I’m sure. Still, it must have been agony for you, you poor thing. And your little clit.’ He brushed a slippery thumb over her clit and she practically bucked off the pallet. ‘All distended and hard, that lovely little nib there, throbbing your need like Morse Code. SOS,’ he tapped. ‘SOS.’ And she lifted her whole bottom off the pallet and rocked up on her heels, grunting and grinding with total loss of dignity.

‘Yes, that’s my little angel, just relax and let it happen. Just let Master make you come, and you’ll feel so much better.’ He shifted until the heel of his hand raked against the apex of her pussy, grinding and pressing against her clit. And with each rocking of her hips she slicked his palm with her juices, unbelievable juices, like the dam had broken, like the floods had come, slipping and slurping against his strokes.

‘Ah, that delicious scent of wet Pet cunt,’ Master sighed. ‘Nothing I love more, except maybe the taste, but that’s for another time, darling, that’s for another time.’ He positioned himself so he could hold her splayed with one hand, rubbing and tweaking her clit, and with the other he fucked her with three fingers, with her gripping and grasping and slipping and sliding over his knuckles until they were both holding their breath. Somewhere in the back of her fevered mind, it registered that he was rocking and shifting in empathy with her. When the howl of her orgasm escaped her throat and rattled the windows, it was accompanied by a series of deep-bellied grunts. He whispered breathlessly against her ear. ‘You made Master come in his pants, you nasty little Pet.’ He chuckled softly. ‘Never mind. I won’t tell, and I’m sure you won’t.’ Then he wiped her clean with a soft white towel, tucked her down onto the pallet beneath a warm blanket and kissed her good night. ‘Sleep well, little one. You’ve got a busy day ahead of you tomorrow.’