Glimpses of the Island

The Dinner Party

Mark opened the front door for Kurt and Luisa. Mark and Cathy had decided to throw a small dinner party for their new friends and to welcome fellow island newcomer Luisa. It was also something of a celebration in recognition of the new ownership agreements for both couples.

"Through the house and out to the back porch. The turkey is in the oven and should be ready in an hour. John and Anna are in the backyard. They live right behind us." Mark told them. He watched as Luisa hesitated just a moment, waiting for Kurt's barely perceptible nod before she stepped inside the doorway. Kurt followed behind her, one hand on her back. He had a paper bag in his other hand.

As Mark closed the door Kurt turned and handed him the package. "If you enjoy wine this is something I have sent in from Europe. Not much selection here on the Island. It's a small chateau in the south of France, a business associate of my father. Not well known but I think the quality is better than most in its class. It is best served at room temperature."

Mark took the bottle out of the bag. Kurt was right, he had never heard of the label, and couldn't read French anyway. "Thanks, Kurt, I'll put it on the table. Let's go out back for now and enjoy the cool breeze." Mark made a short detour to set the bottle on the dining room table before he followed Kurt and Luisa out to the back yard.

There were greetings all around. They had all met before at the company party.

After a few minutes of conversation Cathy stood up and headed for the back door. "If you gentlemen will excuse me I have to see to dinner." She slid open the patio door to go into the kitchen.

Kurt touched Luisa's arm. "You will assist."

"Yes, sir" she replied quietly as she stood up to follow Cathy. After a quick look at John for approval Anna headed for the kitchen too, leaving the three men on the back porch.

"Congratulations Kurt, your Luisa is a real prize," John began. "How is she adjusting to the change?"

"I am quite pleased with her. I had expected some difficulties but there has been no requirement for stern measures yet. She seems remarkably content considering how strict I am with her." Kurt had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Are there times when you think your Anna might be putting on the brave face, but actually is experiencing difficulty with the direction you wish to take her?"

"I've thought about that too," Mark added. "Like Kurt I've been pleasantly surprised at the lack of resistance on Cathy's part. I know some of the rules I've imposed have to be difficult for her, but she hasn't said anything."

John nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "That's a common situation. First, to answer Kurt, yes I've seen Anna put aside her own feelings when I think she should have spoken up. How to handle it is up to each of you. There is no one way that solves every case. Of course you have to find out what she's hiding, typically with some questions during a quiet intimate moment, when she is relaxed and won't become defensive.

"But I've also learned from experience that there are times it's best not to see what she wants to hide. She has an image in her own mind of the person she wants to be. We all do. And on occasion she fails to meet her own self-imposed expectations. That may be the reason she seems to be hiding something. If so, and you think it's not harmful, you look but do not see.

"Whatever you decide, keep in mind it may also be a case of seeing ghosts that do not really exist. You assume it's difficult for her because you put yourself in the same position and ask yourself what you would feel. That's a major mistake those of us new to the role of master often make. In significant ways they do not see the world as we do." John stopped to take a drink from his glass.

Mark picked up the thread of the conversation. "I think I've seen what you are talking about. The other day I took Cathy out to lunch and afterward to the mall for some window shopping, just to look around. Just before we left the house, I ordered her to wear one of those waist restraints, similar to the kind you have for Anna. You saw it when we met for lunch, John. I expected her to hesitate, maybe even plead with me not to use it, or at least ask to discuss it since this was the first time and I hadn't warned her beforehand. She took me by surprise when she did neither."

"The secret isn't in what you ask her to do, but how you do it." John leaned forward. "Fact is, they will do just about anything for us, if we go about it the right way. You saw part of it, Mark. Speak to her quietly, in a firm tone of voice, look her in the eye and explain exactly what you are doing and what you want from her. Don't give her time to react, move quickly in a determined manner, and she can't resist. Not won't, but can't.'

"Luisa responds the same way," Kurt added. "I had read about it, but the first time I tried it myself I was still amazed at how they seem to lose the will to resist. I do not understand the process to this day, but cannot deny it exists."

John leaned back in his chair and grinned. "It does make life easier for us."

Kurt spoke up, "Mark, I would like to thank you for inviting us to dinner. Though I've lived here several years I have few friends, and being new Luisa has none. I was concerned about finding suitable acquaintances for her, women who could be both role models for her and a peer group where she can relax and talk or ask for advice. Your Cathy I think will be an excellent example for Luisa. Cathy is also new to the Island, and like Luisa is just starting the experience of being owned, but unlike Luisa she has been with you for some time and has already reached a comfort level in her submission.

"Anna will be the example for them, to show both Cathy and Luisa they can be a success. You are fortunate John, in having her by your side for so many years. Luisa mentioned that your current ownership term is coming to an end soon, have you decided to renew or change to a lifetime agreement?"

John nodded as he answered. "Anna has been dropping these none too subtle hints she'd like to make it permanent now that we qualify. I haven't said anything about it, so she's a little nervous. Between the three of us, I'm going to renew it as a lifetime agreement, but it's going to be a surprise for her. I have forbidden any discussion about it, so she hasn't been able to ask me. She isn't going to know until I hand her the agreement at the records office."

"Excellent, and you say nothing that contradicts you own intent to renew." Kurt paused for a moment, thinking, before he continued. "It serves to remind her of the important separation of roles. Regardless of what she may want, she must wait for you. And it emphasizes that you will not be hurried in your decision. It will encourage her to be patient and trust you to do what is best."

"I don't get it, why keep her guessing?" Mark asked.

"It's what I want, that's why," John answered. "Mind games, I like to get inside her head and put in a few reminders I'm always there. Remember Mark, the women we own are a little different from the outside world. They expect us to keep a close hold over them. Anna would be disappointed if I didn't do things like this once in a while. She needs to feel my power over her being used in a way she doesn't anticipate. I think it's some type of reassurance, that I'm getting what I want and I want it from her.

"I like the expression on her face when I catch her by surprise. That's the other reason. I don't want her assuming I will go a certain way every time."

During a quiet lull the men heard the women laughing through the open patio door. Mark turned to look and began to stand up. "Maybe I should see if they need any help with dinner…"

"Mark," John said quietly, "if I might make a suggestion?"

He sat back down and turned to John. "Sure, what is it?"

"Let the women be. They are having a great time preparing dinner for us. Let them enjoy it. When they are ready, we will go in and they will serve up an evening to remember. Everything has to be done a certain way, but if you intrude they will have to stop. Tonight we do our part by doing nothing. So sit back and relax, let them take care of it all. If they need help they'll ask."

Kurt added in, "I agree. You have assigned a task for her to complete. She has everything she needs to accomplish the task. Now it is necessary to give her the time and space she needs to finish. This is how I work with Luisa."

"I can understand that, but I don't want to overwhelm Cathy either." Mark thought for a moment. "I like to keep an eye on her, watch what she's doing. In part it's being a responsible master, but for me it's also a benefit of being in charge. She knows I'm looking over her shoulder, and I hope she sees that as reassuring instead of interfering, but I'm also exercising my authority. Even if I say or do nothing, I'm still controlling her."

The sound of feminine laughter came from the open patio door again, louder, from all three women. "I'd say they don't need our help or supervision right this minute," John quipped.

In the kitchen Anna was chasing an olive that had fallen off the counter. It seemed to have a mind of its own as it rolled across the floor with her in hot pursuit. All three women laughed at the antics of the wayward green oval as Anna finally pounced on it.

"A slippery devil,' Anna commented wryly as she tossed it in the garbage. She sat back down at the kitchen table while Cathy and Luisa finished the plate of appetizers, bite sized squares of toast topped with cheese, salami and an olive, skewered with a toothpick. Anna snatched one off the plate and bit into it. "Mmm, good. Just checking to make sure master will approve." They all laughed again.

Luisa tried one too. "I think Kurt will like it. Is this one of your favorites, Cathy?"

"They're sort of a tradition in my family. I still remember munching on an olive at my grandparents house one Christmas, I was only four." Cathy rearranged the plate to conceal their pilfering. "Okay, I think it's ready for the guys. Luisa, would you take it out to them? See if they need any refills on drinks too."

Luisa wiped her hands on the kitchen towel and picked up the plate. At the patio door she stopped and tapped on the glass before sliding the door open. Cathy could hear her ask Kurt, "May I serve a plate of appetizers?" before she pulled the door shut.

"Is it me or is that dress really on the short side?" Cathy asked Anna as she turned back to the kitchen counter and the potatoes.

"It's you. And it is on the short side, but remember it may not have been her choice as to what she wears. Besides, you never wore a mini when you were a teenager?" Anna began folding the cloth napkins for the table settings.

Cathy looked over her shoulder at Anna. "Oops, got me there. I sometimes forget the rules are a little different here. Do you think Kurt picks out her clothes?"

Anna shook her head in a negative. "No, men have no fashion sense. She'd be wearing something hideous, purple stripes with little clowns." Cathy nodded in agreement. "He does make her wear something like a uniform at work though."

Looking out the window onto the patio Cathy could see Luisa gathering up glasses. Attractive and graceful, she serves to perfection. And the men notice it . Cathy attacked the last potato with the cutting knife, chopping it up with an exuberance that caught Anna's attention.

"Luisa admires you Cathy, did you know that? She told me once that she envies the way you adapted so easily to the Island, the way you did so well in the classes and asked questions she had never thought about. She had a hard time overcoming her past prejudices. You see how she overcompensates, trying to be perfect for Kurt?"

Cathy stopped, laid down the knife on the cutting board, and turned to face Anna. "She admires me? But…she never makes a mistake. Look at how they all watch her." She nodded toward the window.

"She doesn't make a mistake because she never relaxes. Every moment she's thinking about what to do next, making sure she doesn't break any of Kurt's rules while trying to please him as best she can. Kurt is the type of man to encourage it too. He likes keeping her on the edge. Does she want it that way? Hard to say, but she wears his collar by choice. Wouldn't be my choice for a life though. Are we ready to set the table?" Anna held up the napkins.

The patio door opened and Luisa came in with two glasses. "Mark would like another beer, and John says to tell Anna to get him the usual?"

Anna went to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of ginger ale and a bowl with lemon slices. Luisa went to the sink to rinse out the glasses. "John and I don't drink alcohol very often. His usual is ginger ale with lemon. Foul stuff, I don't recommend it, but no accounting for taste. Nothing for Kurt?"

Luisa placed the glasses on the counter, watching as Anna filled John's glass first. Cathy reached into the refrigerator and took out a bottle for Mark. "Thanks, Anna, Cathy. No, Kurt didn't want anything to drink. He does like the appetizers.

"Umm, if you don't mind me asking, did I do alright outside?" Luisa fingered the collar around her throat. "I, ahh, don't have any experience in serving masters. This is all very new to me."

Anna dropped a lemon slice in John's glass and slid it toward Luisa. "You did fine. Don't be nervous, they don't bite. Not often anyway."

Cathy handed the beer bottle to Luisa. "Mark likes to pour his own, so just give him a glass and the bottle. When you're done we'll set the table. You can tell the guys dinner will be ready in less than an hour."

"Okay, I'll be right back. That is, I hope I'll be right back." Drinks in hand she returned to serve the men on the patio.

Cathy put the pot of potatoes on a burner to finish cooking. She leaned against the counter, idly wiping her hands with a towel as she stared out the window. She saw Luisa carefully walk behind the chair of each man as she delivered their drinks, so as not to interrupt their conversation. When she finished she went to stand by Kurt, asking for his permission to go back inside.

A few minutes later Cathy checked the turkey. The thermometer said it was done, so she turned off the oven and went to the patio door. "Mark? Could you take the turkey out of the oven and put it on the counter?" Behind her Anna and Luisa were going around the table, arranging the place settings.

John and Kurt stood up and started to follow Mark but Cathy waved them back. "We're not quite ready yet, sirs. I just need Mark for a moment."

While Mark manhandled the large bird out of the oven Cathy cleared a place on the counter, folding a towel so the pan wouldn't scorch the countertop. As soon as he put the heavy pan down she chased him out of the kitchen. "Go, go! You'll only be in the way."

All the women giggled as soon as Mark ran out the patio door. "Bossing your master around like that, you like to live dangerously!" Anna said, trying her best not to burst out laughing.

"When it comes to a dinner party the hostess rules supreme." Cathy brandished a knife, preparing to cut open the cooking bag around the turkey. "And he knows it, too."

As soon as the last dishes were ready they set everything out on the table. Cathy invited the men back in and asked Mark to place the turkey on the table.

When they were seated around the table Mark held up a hand before they began. "Just a few words before we start, consider it the cost of admission." He gestured toward John and Anna. "For those of us from the States and Canada this time of year we celebrate Thanksgiving. It's a feast to celebrate our good fortune and enjoy some of the fruits of our hard labor. Here on the Island we have something extra to be thankful for, an opportunity to live our lives openly, as we all believe men and women should be, without fear of condemnation. The details we may not agree on, but we all share some basic principles which have been lost in the societies we came from. We should all be thankful we have this small corner of the world to ourselves.

"And I'll close there. John, would you say grace before we do proper justice to this magnificent meal?"