Caramel
It was afternoon when he came into the shop. He seemed the same as all the other customers to the normal eye, but something seemed different as she looked closer. With a flick of her long brown scrawny tail, she scrambled to the front of her cage, looking around and waiting for him to notice her, just like she had been ordered. She tried to hold herself up straight like she had been told, but while everyone around her seemed perfect and sexy, she seemed like a child among them who had been thrown in for a laugh.
Out of a small door on a side wall popped a weedy man, with a fake salesman grin from ear to ear. He looked the buyer up and down in less than a second, before evaluating that this was a man willing to purchase- the expensive suit, the shoes that would have cost as much as his wares- over one thousand pounds at least. The grin got wider, and he immediately steered him towards his newest and sexiest girls.
"My name's Eric Langside. Call me Eric. How d'ya do...Now. What are you looking for? A servant to clean up the house, or maybe a little bit on the side from the missus?" He looked down at his fingers, seeing the absence of a ring.
"Or maybe not. We have them all, slaves- oh sorry, servants. We have anything and everything from every size or shape, no matter what you want. "
He continued rambling on and on, only pausing when he saw the confused face of the buyer.
"Do you know what you want Sir?"
The man swung around, pausing only the glare at all the figures in the cages. They all flinched slightly as he ran his gaze past them all. All the same, pretty and preened and perfect. Each one had the same expression that was taught to them from the beginning, and they had no fight in them. Trained to be the perfect servants, they were made into identical copies of each other. Despite the difference in price tags, they were all the same inside.
He sighed, rolling his eyes, and turned around to leave, before stopping in his tracks. There was one cage tucked in the corner, and it contained a ...different Neko. Instead of being covered in bimbo blonde or ink black fur, she seemed unusual. Two caramel eyes shone from her cage, not flinching as he looked. She seemed fierce, but that wasn't it- she was thin from her diet, and obviously couldn't put up much of a fight. She seemed fed up, like she was daring him not to choose her, like every other man who had taken a blonde bombshell or black mysterious catgirl and had left her, the mutt.
He took a step forwards towards her, looking at her face, examining her. Her sheer lack of fear seems to intrigue him, and he was impressed. He turned to Eric, his face contorted in disappointment, unwilling to show the interest he had in this slave who obviously had more to her than met the eye.
"Do you not have any worth buying here? All of your slaves are exactly the same, except for this one. She is made from twigs and sticks, and looks like she hasn't been trained properly."
Eric flushed, spluttering furiously. "Sir, sir! They are the highest quality, I assure you. And although this one was never properly trained, it was only because she did not have the breeding we normally require. We found her on the streets, and have taken perfectly good care of her. But there is one thing that will make you understand her price.."
He leans towards the man, and whispers softly, his grin still in place on his head, but this time, much more real.
"She is pure. Untouched. The perfect servant for anyone...looking for more than a cleaner, Sir"
He froze on the spot, his eyes flicking between the price tag and the girl. She seemed confused, and for a moment their eyes met, before she dropped her eyes. She had never been trained, but knew enough never to look directly at a future owner. If he was cruel, that would be worth a punishment later.
She had been shivering inside, but it didn't show. She was scared to her core, but slightly...excited. It wasn't her fault she was never trained, picked off the streets as a mongrel, and instead of being taught to be a proper servant, she was stuffed in a cage and beaten. They never raped her though. The mere fact she was untouched doubled her price, and her owners never wanted anything but money from her.
The buyer seemed to stop and think, before shaking his head slowly, and walking away. Disappointment flooded her and she opened her mouth to yell out, letting out a squeak of a word before shutting her mouth quickly. Please, she had said.
One word was still too much, and Eric smacked her straight across the face. She whimpered, stepping back into her confines, turning away from the buyer and her owner. It was too late.
"What did you do that for?" The buyer had turned around and seen this all, and seemed to be thinking. "You slap your own merchandise when trying to sell it?"
Eric froze, completely shocked by the buyer's perspective. He was used to rich clients, who beat their slaves at the slightest problem. He had assumed he was the same.
"It spoke out of turn, Sir. That is how we discipline here. All our others are perfectly trained. She is our exception. After being here for months, well, we see no point in paying or spending time in training that mutt."
The man nodded, and a wide grin broke out across his face. "Perfect. Then you will give me her for half the price on her tag. Damaged goods are worth no more, and you are mistaken if you think I will pay your prices."
Eric seemed to be going through agony as he paused and thought it through, before smiling with a grin not quite as wide as before. "...Of course Sir. Anything to be rid of her."
She had been prepared with a pink ribbon wrapped her tail, as she swished it from side to side, excitement and anxiety filling her to the brim. She had never thought a slap would have made a sale, but here she was, on the way to a cosy house, a warm seat by the fireplace, and best of all, the soft bouncing bed for her to snuggle up on and doze off in. Her dreams had lead up to this moment, and she just knew this was going to be the home for her. The handsome man had chosen her, though she didn't know why, and she was going to be the perfect servant for him. Anything so she didn't go home. She tried to ignore the soft cuffs they had placed on her hands, and the tight collar and leash that remained from her cell- anything that reminded her of her old life, she wanted destroyed. This was her life now, and it was going to be perfect.
He opened the door of his house to her, and she rushed in, pulling on her leash and completely forgetting about the cuffs and collar. Having this much free reign was never a good idea, and although he found it laughable, he cleared his throat, and glared at her, and laughed inwardly as she turned and her expression changed from bliss to horror.
She ran back towards him, and kneeled in front of him, not daring to peek incase he was truly as furious as he looked. Maybe this wouldn't be the paradise she imagined, but from the look she got, it was a luxury house to start with.
"What are you doing?! Do you know anything?!" He pulled her up, and stared down into her eyes, contemplating what to do next, trying to keep the tough mask he had while staring down at her. "Now. Do you have a name?"
She whimpered slightly, and shook her head. That was one of the things they stripped from her when they took her from the streets. "No, I don't. They always said you wou-"
His look silenced her, as she realised she had been rambling. She would have to remember that she was not his equal. She was his, to clean his house and to cook his meals. Whatever he wanted. And if he had been drawn in by her being pure, then there was probably another motive....
"Caramel. That's your name now. And although I assumed you knew even this, I think I should reiterate. No speaking unless spoken to. You address me as Sir, or Master. Nothing else. This is your life now, and although it seems like heaven compared to that dump you were living in, you are still a slave. My slave. So remember that."
He paused for a moment, before walking away, holding the leash in his hand. He motioned for her to follow, and she walked behind him at his heels, taking in every last detail of the beautiful house- the carpets, the walls, the sofa. Everything seemed new, beautiful and expensive.
She couldn't believe it when he showed her the many rooms upstairs. Everything was larger than twice her old cage, and about twenty times nicer. But her true shock wasn't until the bedroom. The entire room was a dark red, but that wasn't the biggest characteristic of it. A King sized bed lay in the middle, dominating the room, and drawing all attention. She caught her breath, and snuck a glance at him, who was watching her carefully for her reaction. Blushing intensely, she dropped her gaze, which turned out to be an even worse move- there was a very obvious bulge in his trousers, and he didn't bother to hide it. She quickly looked away, beetroot red, but that didn't stop him from filling the room with his deep laugh.
"You should not look away, Caramel. This is where you will be sleeping..."
Her face seemed to drop, and he smirked again, pointing to a small bundle at the foot of the bed.
"On the floor, of course, don't get ahead of yourself. I bought a special bed earlier. Somehow I just knew I was going to find my perfect slave. Now I hope you live up to my expectations. If you don't, you'll be in trouble. I am allowed to do what I like to do. So do not forget it. I own you."
He reached his hand up her cheek, slowly stroking her from her ear to her chin. She purred softly, and he grinned, bringing up his other hand to scratch behind her other ear. She closed her eyes, and her purring became louder, until her abruptly stopped. She blinked open her eyes, and looked up at him confused, about to speak, but remembering swiftly. He beamed, and kissed her softly on the cheek, as she shivered slightly. As much as she hated to admit it, she could feel the exact spot he had touched tingle.
"Not now, not now my Caramel. It is still day, and I have so much to show you. Your jobs around the house need doing, and only then will you be allowed to come and sleep. And that's only after you have to come to me and asked me whether you are allowed. Is that clear, my pet?"
She nodded slowly, and looked up at his face. He seemed expectant, and she realised he wanted a direct answer.
"...Yes M-master." Her voice shook as she looked at him, and only then did she realise the effect he had on her. Maybe it wasn't so bad he had wanted her over all the other cats. Or maybe he just wanted a plain Neko, because it wasn't important to him. He didn't say anything, and she realised just how confused she truly was.