Dinner was ready, so I plated everything and carried our plates to the

dining room. I returned for some wine and glasses, then returned a final

time for my Slave. Taking hold of her nipples, I told Carrie to stand

up. Then I moved my grip to one of her labia and led her to the dining

room.

I had rearranged Carrie's chair so that it was positioned beside mine,

facing away from the table. Her dinner plate was on the seat of her

chair. Leading her up to the chair, and again taking control of her by

her nipples, I asked her to please kneel for dinner. She knelt in front

of her chair, and I released her nipples and sat down.

I held Carrie's wine glass to her lips, and she took a sip and thanked

me. I told her she could unfold her arms, and she was free to feed

herself. Since I didn't want to put her wine glass on the chair, she

would have to ask me whenever she wanted a sip of wine. She thanked me

again and unfolded her arms. After spending a few moments relieving the

stiffness in her arms and shoulders, she picked up her fork and began

eating.

She kept silent for a long while, and I was just about to ask her if

there was still a problem. Finally she asked me for another sip of wine,

thanked me, and asked when we would attempt the hill again. I answered

that we could go any time she wished during the middle part of the day,

but we wouldn't do it again at night or in the early morning until her

outfits came and we decided if they would keep her from getting so cold.

She said we would do whatever her Master wished, but she would really

like to try it again naked in the cold.

I told Carrie I didn't like the idea of her suffering through another

experience like the last time we went up the hill. She said it wasn't

that bad, she just wasn't used to it, and it was a challenge she wanted

to face. I said we would go outside after dinner and check out the

weather, then decide if tomorrow morning was a good time to try again.

That seemed to lighten her mood a little, we made relaxed smalltalk

through the rest of dinner.

While Carrie cleaned up the mess I made preparing dinner, I went to

Philip's "office" and got a pistol for the trip outside after dark. I

loaded it and stuck it in the back of my belt. Returning to the kitchen,

I saw that Carrie had just started the dishwasher. I told her to fold

her arms behind her back again, and watched her as she struggled to grab

her upper arms with each hand. Grasping one nipple, I led her to the

back door and outside. I was surprised at how cold it was, we hadn't

been outside since returning from our previous hill climb. Of course, I

was dressed, while Carrie was naked.

We walked a little way from the house, and I noticed that Carrie was

getting gooseflesh. I asked her what was the deal with the weather. It

was only a few days ago we went up the hill at night, and the

temperature was comfortable, then suddenly it got cold. She said it was

like this last year, and there would probably be alternating warm and

cold spells until Winter set in for real in a month or so.

I let go of Carrie's nipple, and she stopped in her tracks. I kept

walking for maybe twenty feet, then said, "It's too cold, Carrie, let's

go back inside." Without looking at her, I turned and headed back to the

house. Reaching the door, I went inside, closed the door, and locked it.

I moved away from the door, in case she cheated and looked around to see

if I was watching her. I moved to a window with no backlighting, and

knelt with just the top of my head exposed through the window, watching

Carrie. I checked the time periodically, and after 15 minutes she had

not moved a muscle. I waited another 10 minutes, and still she had not

moved.

Going out through the front door, I quietly walked around the house

until I was a few feet behind Carrie. I could see that she was shivering

badly. She jumped when I spoke and asked, "Do you still want to go up

the hill early tomorrow morning, Carrie?"

"Yes, Master," was all she said.

I walked around to face her, and I could see she was suffering from the

cold. "Perhaps I should leave you here another half hour, and see if you

change your mind."

"Whatever Master wishes," she said through chattering teeth. I asked her

why she wanted to do this, and she said again that it was a challenge,

and she had hoped for support from her Master rather than hindrance.

Her words cut me like a knife. "I'm sorry, Carrie," I said, "I shouldn't

have belittled your goals. Unfold your arms and come inside. If that's

what you want, we'll climb the hill tomorrow morning."

She unfolded her arms, walked up to me and kissed me tenderly on the

lips, and said "Thank you, Master, it is what I want."

Back in the house, I apologized again. Carrie said that no apology was

necessary, Master was free to leave his slave outside all night, if that

was Master's wish. I told her to knock off the good slave routine for a

minute so we could talk about what happened. "Ok," she said, walking up

and getting in my face, "let's talk. Why did you punish me for wanting

to excel at a task you set for me?"

I met her gaze, wondering if I should tell her to back off, or have the

discussion she needed to have. After a moment's thought, it was obvious.

I had screwed up, so I would take what I had coming. "In my own clumsy

way, I was trying to convince you that it was a bad idea. I thought if

you got really cold within sight of the house, it would occur to you

that you wouldn't want to be even colder an hour's walk from the house."

She laughed. "First of all, I don't need the house to get warm, I can

use your body. It saved me the first time we tried this, and I would bet

my life it would save me again. Second of all, you can stop me from

bugging you about the hill with a single word, you don't have to leave

me standing outside in the dark, naked. You tell me how important it is

for us to talk, then you treat me like a child. If you think it's a bad

idea to attempt the hill again, why don't you just tell me we're not

doing it? If I argue about it more than you like, simply tell me to shut

up."

I said, "You're right about everything. Where do we go from here?"

She walked up to me until our bodies were pressed together, then hooked

an arm around my neck, an aggressive move I was beginning to really

like. "Listen, you should really take me to the basement and use the

crop on me for what I just said. But whether you do that or not, where

we go next should be our bed. I want to be thoroughly fucked, then I

want to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning, I would like to be

on top of the hill and have your cock in my pussy as the sun comes up."

She smiled, then added, "And you'd like that too, wouldn't you?"

I nodded and smiled. "You're amazing," I said. "You'll receive what

you're due with the crop the next time we go downstairs. For tonight,

bed it is." We walked arm in arm to the bedroom. After using the toilet

and taking a shower, we went to bed and made love. Carrie set the alarm

for 4:30, then we drifted off to sleep in one another's arms.

When the alarm went off, Carrie groaned but hopped out of bed. When I

got my eyes open, she was standing beside the bed and holding out her

hand to me. I took it, and she dragged me to the bathroom. We quickly

took care of the toilet routine. Leaving Carrie naked, I sent her off to

begin loading the backpack. I reminded her to fill the canteen, grab

some food in a sack, her survival kit, and her rolled up clothes, and

secure it all to the backpack, then return here with the pack. I got

dressed, then rounded up all of the equipment Carrie would wear.

When Carrie came back to the bedroom carrying the loaded backpack, I

took it from her and laid it on the bed. I took her in my arms, hugged

and kissed her, and said I was proud that she wanted to accomplish this

difficult task, and I was sure she would do a great job this morning. I

reminded her of the safe signal, to stop moving if she couldn't

continue. Then I gave her a stern look, and told her I didn't expect

that signal to be given. She assured me it wouldn't.

When I began dressing Carrie, I almost asked her if she would rather

wear walking shoes than the high-heeled pony boots, which weren't

designed for hill climbing. But I knew what her answer would be, so I

put the boots on her and began lacing them up. Then taking her to the

bathroom, I lubed up her pony tail/butt plug and inserted it. Then came

her body and head harnesses.

I was taking her back to the bathroom to attach the dental floss loops

to her nipples, and she pleaded with me to attach the reins to her labia

rings. I told her that was out of the question, but I had prepared for

her to ask, and I had an alternative. I attached the jingle bells, that

she had worn on her nipples several times, to the labia rings. The bells

weighed nearly nothing, but they would let her know her rings were in

use. She then asked if I she could wear her "manhole cover." Again I

refused, saying that it would waste time removing it before fucking her

on top of the hill.

Returning to the bedroom, I attached her wrist manacles, helped her get

into the backpack harness, then fastened her wrists to the bottom of the

frame. I tightened her dental floss loops, getting two groans from

Carrie, then attached the reins and threaded them through the backpack.

Finally I stood in front of her, took her by the shoulders, told her I

loved her and kissed her. I put her bit in her mouth and attached it to

the head harness, then put on her blindfold and inserted her earplugs.

After putting on my jacket and slipping a flashlight and the pistol from

last night into my belt, we were ready. I patted Carrie on the ass, and

she whinnied. Taking the reins, I began driving her through the house to

the exit door.

Once we were outside, Carrie groaned. It was even colder than the

previous time, there was frost on the ground, and Carrie's and my breath

hung heavily on the air. While I locked the door, Carrie began stomping

her feet and whinnying, eager to start her trek. It was still very dark,

but by now I felt confident that I knew the trail.

As I started Carrie moving again, I was wishing I hadn't told her the

part about not expecting her to use the safe signal. I was trying to be

supportive, but I knew this trip was going to be a severe challenge for

her. I hoped my words wouldn't be what kept her going when her common

sense told her she couldn't make it.

It was important that Carrie walk as fast as possible, both to minimize

the time it took to get to the top, and to generate as much heat as

possible from her physical exertion. But at the same time she had to

blindly feel her way along the trail with only the cues she got from her

feet in those heavy, high-heeled boots. After we had been on the trail

for awhile, I estimated that she was making no better progress today

than she had the last time. Considering how much colder it was this

time, that was bad news.

The backs of her legs were all gooseflesh, and she was clinching and

unclinching her hands as she laboriously moved along the trail. After

what seemed like an eternity, we reached the turn where she had briefly

been in full sun the last time. No such luck this time, the sky was just

beginning to lighten in the East. I wondered to myself if she realized

where she was, if she had a mental map of the path we took.

When we reached the beginning of the steep terrain, I estimated that we

were about ten minutes behind the previous timeline. Not good

considering the difference in temperature. Carrie seemed to be slowing

down, and I began agonizing again about whether I should end the trip or

let her try her best to achieve her goal. This time I settled the

argument quickly. After our talk last night, it was clear she needed,

and deserved, my support. We would keep going until she succeeded of

failed on her own.

I breathed a sigh of relief when she made it past the spot she had

stumbled before. But only a few dozen feet beyond there, she took a bad

fall. She was unable to turn in time and fell forward against the rock

hillside.

I ran up and helped Carrie struggle to her feet. Examining her with the

flashlight, I saw a few small cuts on her knees, one thigh and her

breasts. I carefully brushed her off, then pulled out one earplug. I

told her she took some minor injuries, but she was Ok. Then I asked her

if she was ready to continue. She stood still for a few seconds,

shivering badly, then slowly hung her head and shook it back and forth.

As I was removing the backpack, I said "It's Ok, Baby, you did a great

job, it's just too damned cold." As soon as the backpack was off I got

her sweater and put it on her, then I removed her other earplug,

blindfold, and bit. Carrie was crying silently, and her head was bowed.

I didn't have time to comfort her until I got her dressed, so I just let

her cry. I wrapped her in the blanket and told her to sit down and start

taking off her boots. She began fumbling with the laces, but her hands

were too cold. As quickly as I could, I got her clothes from the

survival kit, then went to work on her boots. I had them off soon, then

I slipped her panties over her feet, quickly followed by her jeans.

Pulling her to her feet, I pulled up the panties and jeans, then forced

her second sweater on over the first one.

Sitting her down again wrapped in the blanket, I put on her socks and

shoes. I told her there was no level place to lie down, we would have to

go back down the trail about a hundred feet and then I would lie down

with her and warm her up. She didn't answer, she was still crying. I

gathered up all of the equipment in one arm, then took Carrie by her arm

and pulled her to her feet. I told her to keep the blanket around her

and come with me, then I began pulling her down the trail as fast as I

thought she could move.

In a few minutes we reached a flat spot, and I dropped the equipment in

a pile. Taking the blanket from Carrie, I spread it on the ground and

helped her lie on it. Lying behind her, I pressed our bodies together,

threw my upper leg over her legs, and wrapped us in the blanket. I put

my arm around her and pulled her to me, telling her we were Ok now.

She started telling me how sorry she was that she had failed me, and a

lot of other crap along the same lines. I tried to reassure her, but I

knew she wouldn't be ready to forgive herself, for what she saw as a

failure, for some time. It was best just to let her wallow in it for now.

I held Carrie close to me and occasionally kissed the back of her neck

and repeated that I loved her. We probably lay there for 45 minutes. Her

shivering finally stopped, and she reached a hand up and found my hand.

She said I was right, that she shouldn't have tried to do this. I told

her No, I was wrong, she should have tried this, and she was going to

try it again in a few days. She squeezed my hand tightly and told me she

loved me. I said I knew she loved me. What I needed to hear her say was

that she tried her best, but it was simply too cold for her to finish

the climb, and she would do better the next time. After some hesitation,

she repeated what I told her to say. I made her repeat it in her own

words until she sounded like she meant it, then I told her I believed

her, and couldn't be more proud of her.

It was light now, but we were not in direct sunlight and probably

wouldn't be for another hour. I asked her if she was warm enough to move

around, and she said Yes. I told her we were going to get up and finish

the climb. When we got to the top we would probably be in sunlight, and

we would have something to eat and decide if it was warm enough for a

fuck. She was still very unhappy, all she said was, "Yes, Master."

When we were standing, I took Carrie by both shoulders and shook her

gently. She looked up at me, and I said, "Tell me I love you."

"I love you," she said.

"I know you love me, Carrie, but that's not what I told you to say. I

said, 'Tell me that I love you.'"

She looked puzzled, then I saw the light of understanding in her eyes.

"You love me," she said, unable to resist a slight smile.

"Tell me I'm proud of what you accomplished this morning."

That got rid of the smile. "I didn't accomplish anything, Master. I

failed."

"Ok, we'll start again. Tell me that I love you."

"You love me."

"Tell me I'm proud of what you accomplished this morning."

With reluctance and resignation, she said "You're proud of what I

accomplished this morning."

"Tell me I'm a lucky man, to be with a woman as intelligent, beautiful,

loving, and strong as you." She knew there was no choice, so she

repeated what I told her to say.

I kept going for another minute, making her tell me many of the positive

feelings I had about her. Finally, she laughed and said, "Ok, Master, I

get it." I told her to describe what happened this morning, and she

straightened her shoulders, looked me in the eyes, and said, "I was

naked, I couldn't move very fast, I got too cold, so I didn't reach the

top of the hill. I tried my best, and I believe I can do better the next

time. And I thank God you're with me, Master." We hugged and kissed.

"Should we go up the hill, or go home?" I asked her.

"Let's go home, Master. The hill will wait."

To keep her occupied, I had Carrie tie all our equipment onto the

backpack, then I put it on my back. I took Carrie's hand in mine, and we

started home.

As we walked down the trail, Carrie became quiet again. I told her to

sing to me. "Please, Master," she said, "I don't feel like singing.

Can't you just let me feel bad for a little while?"

I smiled at her. "You can feel bad any time it's appropriate, my love.

But when you're feeling sorry for yourself, you have to sing to your

Master."

She smiled at me. "Can't fool you, can I?" she said. I shook my head,

and she started singing.

Just as we reached the house, we came into sunlight. "Too late, you son

of a bitch," I screamed, giving the finger to the sun. Carrie laughed, a

happy laugh.

Carrie went to the bedroom to strip, while I put away our gear. When I

met her in the bedroom, I hugged her then took her hand and led her to

the bathroom. We relieved ourselves, then I told Carrie to draw a hot

bath, and we would have a soak before breakfast.

We were lying face-to-face in the tub, with my cock in Carrie. I was

teasing her asshole with the fingers of one hand, while the other hand

was rubbing one of her nipples under the water. She stopped kissing me

long enough to ask if she could come. I told her to wait, I wanted her

for dessert in bed after we had breakfast.

After we dried one another and I had combed out her damp hair, I asked

Carrie to fold her arms behind her back. She was getting better at it,

but she it still took her some effort to grasp her upper arms with her

hands. Cupping her ass with my hand, I bent my middle finger and

inserted it into her asshole. She shivered, then looked at me and

smiled. "I wondered when you'd get around to that," she said.

I guided her gently to the kitchen, positioned her in front of the

pillow from last night, then tugged her to her knees by a nipple. After

washing my hands, I started making a quick breakfast. I told Carrie to

talk to me while I worked. She made conversation at first, but then it

tailed off and she became quiet. I looked around at her, and she had her

head bowed.

"Straighten up, Carrie, and raise your head. If you can't follow the

rules of posture, and keep your body erect and your head level, we can

get some training devices that will help you. How would you like to wear

a posture collar 24 hours a day for a few weeks?" She snapped to the

correct posture and apologized.

I walked over to where she knelt on the floor, and she looked up to meet

my gaze. I asked, "Would it make you feel better if I took you

downstairs and punished you severely for what you think of as your

failure this morning?"

She lowered her eyes for an instant, then looked at me again. "Yes,

Master, it's what I deserve," she said with conviction.

"Very well, I'll give you a choice," I said. "Your Master was looking

forward to an hour in bed with his Slave after breakfast. But instead I

will take you downstairs and flog you slowly for an hour, kneck to

knees, if that is your preference. Which will it be?"

"I choose bed with my Master," she answered immediately. I helped her to

her feet using her nipples, and told her she could lower her arms, then

bend over the chair. She smiled very slightly and immediately assumed

the position for a spanking.

I spanked her as hard as I my hands could stand for nearly 10 minutes.

When I told her to stand up and face me, tears were streaming down her

face and she was sobbing softly. I told her she could thank me and give

me a kiss. She looked into my eyes and thanked me, then tenderly kissed

me on the lips while putting her arms around my neck.

Returning to my cooking chores, I plated the slightly overcooked

breakfast on a single plate and took it to the dining room, then

returned for a cup of coffee and my Slave. At the dining table, I sat in

my usual chair then had Carrie sit in my lap, facing me, with her back

against the table. After putting my dick in her cunt, I took the

breakfast plate and handed it to her, telling her to hold it between us

while we ate.

As Carrie held the plate, I fed us. Whenever I gave her a mouthful of

food, she would squeeze my cock a few times with her well-developed

vaginal muscles. I accused her of trying to get the majority of the

food, and she smiled and said, "Of course, Master."

When we finished eating I took the plate from her and set it on the

table. Then I took her nipples between the thumb and finger of each hand

and began rolling and squeezing them. She began moaning softly. "Do you

know how distracting it was to have these things right in front of me

the whole time I was feeding us?" I asked her.

"Sorry, Master, I'll leave them in the bedroom the next time we do this."

"Don't you dare," I told her. She had closed her eyes, and I told her to

open them and look at me. She complied immediately, and I tried to give

her a stern look. "Are we going to be Ok, or are you going to hang a

dark cloud over our activities for the whole weekend?" I asked.

She took a deep breath, then gave me her best smile, a smile that always

made me feel warm all over. "I'm going to stop wallowing in self pity

and be the partner my Master deserves, starting right now," she said. We

got up from the chair, took the dishes to the kitchen, then walked

arm-in-arm to the bedroom.