Sam looked up at the sound of his name, setting down his ipad and reaching Kurt in three quick strides. Blaine saw confirmation that there was indeed some form of underwear involved, though it was the same shade as Sams skin, and was stretched to the limit to hold its contents. The man reached Kurt and hugged him enthusiastically. "Hey man, great to see you!" 

Kurt laughed and hugged him back, not seeming even a little off put by the acres of bare skin clutching him in a bear hug.

Stepping back, Kurt glanced back at Blaine. "Sam, this is my new model, Blaine. Blaine, this is an old friend of mine, Sam."  Noticing that Blaine still seemed to have mentally checked out, Kurt located the thin bathrobe Sam wore over his underwear between fittings and tossed it to him.

Sam, put this on or well never get Blaine back." Sam laughed, winked at the still frozen man and slid the robe on. If he did it a little slowly, making sure to flex his biceps and carefully honed back muscles as he slid the robe up, well, he was just being friendly.

"Show Pony," Kurt told Sam, watching the scene with poorly hidden amusement. Once Sam had tied his belt, Kurt tugged on Blaines arm to get his attention.

"Earth to Blaine," Kurt murmured, teasingly. "You back with us yet, buddy?" 

Blaine jerked at the sound of his name and realized hed been staring. And perhaps drooling a bit. He hastily dropped his eyes, considered kneeling, but a quick glance at Kurts relaxed expression changed his mind. Instead, he leaned in a little, trying to get behind Kurt. Sam didnt look anything like angry but he was huge. Blaine didnt want to think about the kind of damage hed take if Sam decided to hit him. Although, he may not have realized Blaine was a slave yet. It wasnt like Blaine was behaving properly and he keenly felt how bare his throat was. Blaine wondered how long it would be before his owner decided for certain that hed keep him.

 "Shy?"  Sam asked him with a wide grin. "Its okay, you know. Professional model here. I literally live to be stared at." 

"I didnt mean to, Sir." 

"And why not? I dont do it for you?" Sam demanded playfully, curling his biceps and striking a muscle pose. Blaine blushed and tried to hide further behind Kurt.

"Enough, Sam. Leave him be."  Kurt rubbed his eyes, tired already and he hadnt even begun.

"Blaine, I would like to start with you. I have a good idea what I want to do with you but I need to start fixing what I can from the set I made for Tobias."

"Yes, Kurt. Of course. What do you want me to do?" Kurt bit back a sigh. As useful as it was to finally have a model that wouldnt be arguing with him every step of the way, Kurt was still a little sad at how ridiculously eager to please Blaine was.

"I need some pretty exact measurements, so would you strip down to underwear? I have some briefs in the drawer, you dont have to go with the thong. And you can change behind the screen if youd prefer," Kurt added, gesturing at the changing screen in the room. It didnt get used much. Sam would get naked at the drop of a hat and the ladies decided that since Kurt was gay they didnt need to bother with discretion. Either way it made things easier for Kurt. Hed honestly prefer Blaine in the thong or naked for more precise measurements but he didnt want to scare him. Blaine had been made to stand naked for strangers far too many times as it was.

"Youre measuring him in briefs?"  Sam asked, confused. Kurt shot him a cross leave it look but Blaine had already heard.

"Its okay, Kurt. Im used to naked. Its fine."  And it would have been, if Blaine hadnt seen Sam in all his skin. Suddenly he felt...inadequate. He looked nothing like the man across from him, how could he possibly become what Kurt needed in less than two months? Blaine slid out of the bathrobe, setting it aside and reaching for the waistline of his underwear, hesitating.

"New to this?"  Sam asked, looking up from his Ipad.

"Not really, Sir. Ive been taking my clothes of for people for years. I just..." Blaine broke off, not sure what he was trying to say.

Kurt had gone one of the clothing racks, going through options. He turned when he heard the distress in Blaines voice.

"Its really okay if you cant do this, Blaine. I told you, Finn would love to have an assistant. Its just really important that you let me know before I start cutting fabric." 

Blaine swallowed. "I want to be what you need. But I...I dont look like that," Blaine finished, gesturing at Sam who was looking at him in confusion. "I cant look anything like that in two months, maybe not ever." 

Sam frowned, "Of course you cant. Youre a foot shorter than me and Ive been at this for years. You arent in my league."  Sam didnt mean the words cruelly, but Blaine still hunched in a little.

Kurt scowled over at the blonde, whod already turned back to his movie. He walked over to Blaine and put a hand on his shoulder.  "Blaine, Sam is an A-list model. You arent going to see his kind at a show on this level.  If I had to pay Sam his standard rate, I couldnt afford a bicep. He comes here for the company and the food. You dont need to compare yourself to him. And you are plenty beautiful just as you are. Ive told you that. Neither Rachel nor Quinn worried that you werent attractive enough, and theyve worked in this field for a while." 

"Quinns here already? Sweet!" Sam exclaimed.

Kurt sighed. "And the drama begins."  He stared mournfully into his empty coffee cup.

Blaine popped forward, reaching for the cup. "Let me refill that for you." 

Before Kurt could respond, Blaine had grabbed his robe was nearly out the door. "Sir?"  He asked, looking over at Sam.  "May I bring you something?" 

Sam looked confused for a moment before giving Blaine a thorough look over. "Oh. I didnÕt realize that youre a slave."  He frowned.  "You arent very well trained, are you?"  he added disapprovingly.

Blaines shoulders hunched a bit. I...Im trying, Sir.  Mas- Kurt wants different things then Im used to." 

"You are absolutely fine, Blaine. Ignore him, he has no say in the matter,"  Kurt interceded quickly. Blaine nodded. It didnt really matter what Sam thought, Kurt was his owner and ultimately the only one he needed to please.

"True, that. Sorry," Sam said, though hed directed the statement at Kurt. "He does belong to you, right?" Kurt nodded.

"Not my business how you want your slave to act. Actually, he looks like a great investment. Hell clean up nicely for the show and with his smaller build hell attract a lot of people for private rental.  Youll probably make back his buying price this event alone." 

Blaine was confused, and the look of outrage on his Masters face had him quickly retreating downstairs to refill the coffee.

Kurt watched Blaine disappear, relieved that he wouldnt be present for this conversation.

"Sam, you know my feelings about slavery in general, not to mention selling the models."

"Yeah, thats why I was surprised youd gotten a slave. Its cool though. Theyre really useful. And he cant bail on you like Tobias did. What was up with that, by the way?"

"Not the point," Kurt said through clenched teeth.  "Blaine helped me when I needed to go over new styles, he was in a shitty situation and seemed like a sweet guy. I thought this might work out for both of us. He is just a model. Hes not for sale or rent to anyone under any circumstances. And so help me, if you try to bully him Samuel Evans, Ill shave your head while you sleep." 

"You wouldnt, not this close to the show,"  Sam backed up a step warily. Hed forgotten how formidable Kurt could be when he was truly pissed.

"In a heartbeat. You have time to grow it back to something decent. Failing that, theres always wigs." 

"Okay, okay, its cool. You want the kid to be treated like a co-worker instead of a slave, thats fine. Whatever. Just no radical hair alterations, please. Ill even keep an eye out for him when I can. But I cant be there all the time and people are gonna assume." 

"Ive got that covered. Just, be nice to him, okay? Hes been through a lot already."

Sam nodded, a smile tugging at his mouth.  "Youre really into that one, arent you? He is a cutie. He must be dynamite in the sheets to get you so riled up." 

"When I said just a model, I meant it. Hes not fair game for anyone, including me. Especially me," he murmured the last words with a tinge of regret.  Sounds on the stair case marked Blaines return. He had Kurts steaming coffee cup in one hand and a plate with assorted fruits, crackers, and cookies in the other. 

"Finn told me to bring this up," he said, eyeing the two men warily.

"Awesome!" Sam walked over and took a strawberry and a cookie off the plate.  "Thanks, Blaine," he added, ignoring the slaves startled response.

Kurt took the cup with a contented sigh, "Youre officially my new favorite person." 

Blaine smiled at him. "My pleasure. Finn said I was supposed to try to get you to eat something."  He didnt mention that Finn had actually said that Kurt needed to eat before he got bitchy.

"Not hungry," Kurt responded airily. "But you should definitely eat something."

"If you arent hungry, then Im not," Blaine told him, schooling his face to a neutral expression.

"Blaine, dont be stubborn. You need the calories.  Eat." 

"Is that an order, Sir?"

"Oh, for gods sake."  Rolling his eyes, Kurt reached over to the platter and pulled some cheese and crackers off.

Blaine smiled and took something for himself before setting the platter down on a small table near the door.

Sam snorted in amusement. "Oh, this is going to be fun."  Privately, he applauded the slaves moves. Kurt frequently got lost in his work and forgot to take proper care of himself. This Blaine might turn out to be a really good thing for his friend.
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Reassured that Kurt didnt think he was physically lacking, Blaine simply pulled his clothes off when Kurt was ready for measurements. It wasnt uncommon for models to be blasè about nudity and Kurt had certainly seen everything Sam had to offer on multiple occasions. Hed learned to dive into work mode, focusing completely on measurements and plans.

Blaine stood quietly while Kurt moved around him, muttering to himself and dragging a cloth tape measure around him while making notations on his notebook.  Blaine didnt look over at Sam, though he felt the man staring at him. At one point the senior model walked a circle around him, blatantly sizing him up. While Kurt was crouched next to him writing, Sam walked up and put a hand on Blaines hip, sliding it up to his abdomen.

"Actually, this isnt bad," he commented. Blaine froze at the touch, careful not to move away. "Kurt, hes got some decent muscle here. A little definition and toning and he could really be something. You want me to set up an exercise schedule for him?"

"Please," Kurt answered without looking up. "If you could work out a nutrition plan as well, Id appreciate it. Blaine already said hes up for some strength training." 

"Sure."  He turned to Blaine, removing his hand. Blaine kept his face carefully blank, hiding his relief when the hand was removed. Blaine was adept at hiding his fear of casual touch, but he hadnt noticed until just then that he didnt do that with Kurt.

"Blaine, do you have any idea what sounds good, exercise wise? The basement in this place is finished and they keep a full work out area down there. Theres free weights, a bench, heavy bag, umm, a treadmill, I think. I need to set up a pretty fixed schedule for weights but cardio is open season." 

Blaine shot him a confused look. Sam was treating him differently. Blaine wondered what Kurt had told him and whether this was only for when Kurt was directly present.  "Whatever you think is best, Sir, Ill do." 

Kurt rolled away, popping to his feet and trotting off to his desk and writing as he muttered. He was clearly in his zone. Blaine had seen him do that a few times their first night together and knew Kurt was essentially lost to the world until he emerged.  Sam apparently also knew the signs. He sighed, pulling off his robe and threw on a pair of jeans and a skin-tight tee.  "Kurt, Im going out for a walk, Ill come back in an hour."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Kurt answered vaguely.

"Blaine, why dont you come with me?"  Sam asked. "Itll be good to get some air and we can talk."

Blaine swallowed. He glanced at Kurt, who wasnt paying attention. He touched his bare throat nervously. He wasnt sure what Sams interest in him was. And if Sam decided to go somewhere and leave Blaine to make his way back alone Blaine could get in trouble walking around unlabeled. But Blaine didnt want to distract Kurt from his work. "I just need to go to my room and get some clothes. Ill be right back," he promised.

Sam had no such concents about interrupting the designer.  He walked over and shook Kurts shoulder. "Kurt, hey man. Blaines going with me for a hike. Ill make sure he gets back to you safe and sound." 

Kurt finally looked up. "Remember what we talked about, Sam" he said warningly.

"Scouts honor, safe and sound,"  Sam promised, giving Kurt the Vulcan sign. Kurt rolled his eyes and went back to his sketch.

Blaine wasnt sure what that meant (not the sign of Vulcan, he definitely understood that reference), but he felt slightly better after the exchange as he trotted downstairs.

A little later both men were walking down a well-tended nature trail that wound past the house. Blaine walked a step behind Sam and kept his gaze down. Kurt wasnt here to run interference and he was afraid he might give offense to the muscular model.

Sam plopped down on a bench, gesturing for Blaine to sit next to him. "Look. Were gonna be getting really close and personal the next several weeks. I want to set a few things straight."

Blaine nodded, "Yes, Sir."  He was apprehensive but at the same time relieved that at least hed know what was expected of him.

"Call me Sam. Kurt owns you, and he decided he wants you to be treated like one of us. So, thats what Im gonna do. I wont hurt you, promise. If you want to talk to me or ask questions, or exercise together or anything, thats fine." 

"I..okay...um, Sam, whatever you want." Blaine replied cautiously.

"Great," Sam said cheerfully, getting up to continue walking. "So, what was your function before Kurt bought you?"

"I was a service slave at the hotel Kurt stayed at." 

"Youre a hotel whore?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was, yes." Blaine shrugged. "But Kurt didnt call me for that. Hed just found out about the other model canceling and was trying to work out new ideas. He didnt want any of my usual services."  Blaine was still slightly baffled by that whole first night.

"That sounds about right," Sam agreed. "He can be picky about his lovers. And he has this hang up about using slaves."  Sams tone suggested he didnt understand the issue. "Whatever. He likes you; you seem to want to take good care of him. Thats all I need to know."

Blaine had nothing to say to that and they walked in silence for a bit. "Will you tell me what exercises I can do? I really want to be what Kurt needs, show him Im worth keeping."

"Of course. But you dont need to prove anything to him. Its not like your going anywhere." 

Blaine dropped his eyes and rubbed absently at his neck.

"Blaine? You get that, right? Why do you think he may not keep you?"

Blaine shrugged. "Im underweight, not muscular enough. Im umm, not...healthy right now. I want to prove Im valuable enough to earn a collar."

"Is that whats got you in a twist? He hasnt put a physical claim on you?" Sam sighed. "You seem like an observant guy. Look at the way Kurt lives. Hes toted his brother with him all the way from Ohio. His co-workers are friends hes had since he was sixteen. Kurt doesnt let go of something he cares about easily. And he cares about you, a lot."

"Really?" Blaine asked hopefully.

"Hell yeah. He threatened to shave my head if I upset you. So, Id appreciate if you never tell him anything like that."

Blaine didnt try to hide his smile. "So, if he definitely plans to keep me, why hasnt he marked me?"

"Probably because he doesnt get that he needs to," Sam answered casually.

Blaine blinked, confused by that. "Even if hes never had a slave himself, were everywhere. Hes had to have noticed that we all wear collars."

Sam shook his head. "Yeah, thats the logical thought, but he just sees something he thinks is demeaning. He doesnt get that they also mean security. Youre either gonna have to resign yourself to never leaving the house without an escort, or explain to Kurt exactly why you need to be tagged. Once he understands your safety is at risk, hell give you one. Even if he isnt crazy about the idea." 

Blaine sighed, not wanting to think about how hed broach that subject. "Ah, Sam?"

"Ah, Blaine?" The model teased.

"Will you explain to me why everyone is so freaked about me modeling? Its because Im a slave, I know, but no one is saying exactly why."  He tried not to let his frustration color his tone.

"Yeah. Okay, cause you really need to know this. You know that the designers pick out styles of clothes, the models wear them on a runway show, and then later they display them during the after-party?"  Blaine nodded.  "Well, the clothes are actually on sale if someone wants that exact outfit. When the model is a slave, its generally assumed that more than the clothes are available." 

Well, that explained it. Blaine nodded. He kindve figured that may be the case, but it was good to get confirmation.

"Kurt said that Im not for sale," Blaine said tentatively. "That he wouldnt let anyone have me for sex." 

"Yeah, he told me that, too. Its a waste, in my opinion.  Youve really got that adorably pretty thing going. He could make a good profit, even if he kept your ticket load light. And with your history, youre already trained to please, too." Sam shook his head.

"Ticket load?" Sam was right. It was a logical use for him. Blaine wondered if Kurt would realize that and change his mind once they got closer to the show.

"Its how they regulate your schedule. The models wander around the after-party displaying whatever outfit their designer wants them to showcase, usually evening-wear. The available models have a handler who has tickets to sell for their time. On average, they generally have eight or nine tickets for sale, each with a specific time of availability. Some designers dont mind wearing their slaves out with more than that though, especially if they plan to use someone different for Sunday."

"Its fine and all that Kurt doesnt want to do that, but hes going to have a hard time keeping someone from yanking you into a bathroom and having a go. Its not exactly uncommon and the fine for getting caught tends to be about the same as a rental fee."

Nine times. Blaine shuddered. He didnt want to think about being fucked nine times in one night. It had happened once before, when hed been called by a group having a room party, and hed been in pain for weeks afterwards.

"Thank you. May I ask another question?"

"Sure." The path had turned and they were now headed back in the general direction of the house.

"Do you know who Kitten is?"

Sam stopped and laughed. A lot. "Oh, holy shit. Kurt managed to score Kitten for you? Wow, I totally forgot they were friends. I take back every scary thing I just said to you. You will be the safest person in that whole damn show. Im so hiding next to you if someone starts perving on me. This show is going to be awesome." 

The trail veered again and they found Quinn casually walking along the path. Sam winked at him. "Give a man some space, okay? But dont lag so far back that I cant get to you quickly. I really like my hair the way it is." 
-----------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day went fairly smoothly. Kurt had most of Sams measurements on hand, but he still needed to recheck.

"Damn it, Sam! Youve gained an inch around your chest. Quit hitting the steroids or there wont be any point to all those pretty muscles."

Sam snorted. "Never even once. This is all natural, baby. Im way too fond of my balls for that crap." 

Kurt continued to skillfully flick the tape measure around the mostly naked man, calling out measurements to Blaine, whod offered to take notes for him. They spent the rest of the afternoon trying on different outfits while Kurt sketched. He released them for the day shortly before he needed to start on dinner.

Blaine ate with the group again, not saying much until Rachel realized he had musical knowledge and proceeded to talk at him for duration of the meal. Fortunately, Blaine wasnt really required to participate in the conversation. Kurt quickly ate half his dinner then disappeared back to his work room. Finn apparently had kitchen duty. Blaine attempted to help but was sent away with orders to relax. Hed apparently done his work for the day.

Not sure what to do with himself, he went to the basement to check out the weight room. It was a pretty good set up. Sam found him there a while later and sat him down to arrange a workout program. It turned out he was a certified personal trainer, though hed never taken a single client professionally, just himself a close friends.  Sam set Blaine up with a rotating schedule for weights and running. Blaine looked at the treadmill unhappily. Hed much rather run on the outside trail and but it wasnt safe for him to be out there unmarked. He hesitantly asked about the heavy bag and Sam cheerfully found a pair of gloves for him and taught him the right way to do a few basic punches. He told Blaine to meet him there the next day and hed give him a full hour of training on it.

They also set up a dietary plan. Blaine was stupefied by the amount of calories he was expected to consume.  "Theres no way I can do this, Sam. If I eat anything like this much food Ill get in so much trouble." 

"No, you wont. Kurt likes feeding people. Trust me on this. If there is one thing no one here will ever give you trouble over, its food. Anyway, Finn almost always lives with Kurt in one place or another. Between him, me, and his dad, Kurts very used to giant male appetites. Youre underweight as it is. You need to catch up and if youre actively working out, youll need even more."

"Even if I dont get in trouble, Im not sure I can eat that much. That morning Kurt made French toast I was stuffed for the day."

Sam nodded. "Okay, thats fair. First thing, make the food you do eat count. Skip the junk food and go for the protein and good carbs. Try to add smoothies or those high calorie shakes to your day, if you cant eat anything else. I promise, as your body gets used to working out regularly your metabolism will respond and youll be eating like a horse."

Blaine nodded uncertainly, slowly unwrapping his second boxing glove after Sam had gotten his first off for him.

Sam watched him for a minute, seeing the uncertainty. "Blaine." The slave looked up, startled by the slight command in the tone. Sam hadnt used that on him since theyd met and Kurt lit into him.

"You want to be good for Kurt, right? You said you wanted to be what he needs and you were willing to work hard for that."

"Of course, Sir,"  Blaine agreed hastily. "Very much."

"Well, this is how you do it. If you want to make your body look good for him you need to gain weight and put on muscle. You cant do that without the calories your body needs. And if you try to do too much without taking proper care of yourself, youll get sick. Youre of no use to anyone that way."  He patted the smaller man encouragingly on the shoulder.

"Try to stick to the schedules I made. Sleep a lot, its good for you. Pay attention to aches or odd pains and tell Kurt or me. The best thing you can do for him is to take good care of yourself. Of course, hell probably mother hen you no matter what you do."  Sam added the last with an affectionate eye roll. 

That made a lot of sense. Blaine nodded. "Ill do my best, Sam."

"Im sure you will. Now, come upstairs with me. Finn and I are having a Star Wars marathon and we have murder some ice cream during the Hoth scenes. Its a moral imperative." 

Blaine begged off the star wars marathon, (but not the ice cream), and went back to hide in his room. Emotionally exhausted, he fell quickly to sleep.