Uh, I guess I could do some more work." It wasn't as if Derrick was tired or even bored with what he had been doing. Somehow, just using his muscles had been satisfying. "Will this make me stronger?"
"Ya' wants more muscle, stud? I can set you up with some work that will buff you up like a draft horse." The woman grinned. "Won't do your package any harm, either."
Derrick flushed a bit more, then gave a sigh and stepped out from the stall. It still seemed weird to be naked, but somehow he just couldn't get all that upset over it. In any other place he would never have even considered this, but for some reason being in the stable and doing common labor made it almost normal in his mind. "OK, then. I'll do whatever you want."
"Cool!" said the woman excitedly. "I'm gonna get you all set up." She turned toward the other end of the barn and paused. "Oh yeah, what's your name?"
"Derrick," he said, still hesitant.
"Hey, nice to meet you, Derrick. Here, you'll need this."
The woman walked to a work bench and picked up a long handled brush. "Your hair will itch something awful unless you brush it out. Before you start this work you better do it. It's gonna be a long day."
Derrick took the brush and sat on a small bale of hay; feeling very strange with his hair hanging so long and free. He had never had long hair before and didn't quite know what to do with it. He started to brush, starting with the top and working his way down, but thought better of it. He might get tangles in that way. Better let it hang loose while he brushed. As the long, silky strands tumbled down around him he felt a strange sensation in his crotch. He didn't know what to make of that. Then he realized it was probably his erection shifting around as he moved. That still seemed weird to him. After a few minutes he was done.
"You really do have nice hair, " said the girl as Derrick handed her the brush back. "Well, that ought to take care of that. Now we best get started 'fore you lose any more time."
"Where are you gonna get my clothes?" asked Derrick, still wondering where to go from here.
"Oh don't you worry about that none, " said the girl with a wink. "Just follow me and I'll show you where I keep "em."
Derrick was lead to the back of the barn, past the stalls on each side of the walkway until they came upon two large doors. Seeing them made Derrick a little edgy, but the girl didn't give him a chance to voice this feeling.
She quickly moved to the doors and started to open one side. She spoke over her shoulder as she did.
"Well, come on, don't be shy. It's just a big ol' barn is all."
Derrick looked down and stammered, "But... I, uh... I mean... uh.
"Hey, you fit in real nice here with the animals, " she said as she opened the door. "Now lets get you into somethin a bit more comfortable."
The barn was dark and smelly, filled with hay and all kinds of strange smells that Derrick was too embarrassed to identify. The floor was earthen, but smooth, only falling just short of being completely level.
"Over here is where I keep 'em." She walked toward a dimly lit row of open stalls along the right hand wall of the barn. The stalls were filled with cow and horse equipment, plants, baskets and a variety of tools and equipment. The lights, numbering only a few, were on over the stalls.
The girl seemed to scan the stalls, searching for something she was apparently looking for.
"Here we are," she said as she came upon a stall that was filled with what looked like some type of harnesses. As Derrick drew closer he saw that they were indeed harnesses, and each one was obviously handmade out of leather.
"So, let's have a look," said the girl as she walked over to the nearest stall. Derrick was a bit bewildered and a bit uneasy, but he was drawn to follow the girl and even followed her into the stall.
"Here, I think this will fit you," she said as she reached into the stall and pulled out one of the leather harnesses from the back. The device was held together with a thick leather belt in the back and straps that ran under the arms and tightened against the abdomen. There were several leather straps from the belt to a heavy leather collar around the neck, and several more straps ran across the chest and belly. The girl held the harness up for Derrick to see.
"I don't know about this, " he said as he stared at the apparatus. He could see that there were a lot of straps and buckles from where he stood.
"Um, do I get to wear somethin else?" he asked. "Like some pants?"
"I'm pretty sure this will fit you real good."
"You mean... uh... um... like going commando?" Derrick was a bit worried about what this could mean.
"Don't be silly," she said with a laugh. "This is all you'll need, I promise. You'll see."
Derrick didn't like how this all felt. He really wasn't sure he wanted to do this, but he couldn't seem to find the courage to tell the woman no.
"And there's no way I could get enough money for any of this stuff. So you see, I have to do what you want if I want to keep me clothes." Derrick still hesitated.
She held out the harness, "Here, come on, take it and give it a try. If it don't fit we can try something else."
Derrick slowly came to take the harness from the woman's hand. It was heavy in his hands. He held it up, looking it over. It was lovely. He ran his hand along the leather and felt the smooth grain and slight sheen on the material. It almost felt like some kind of suede, though Derrick didn't know why. The leather was strong but soft and supple at the same time. It was so smooth and inviting that Derrick found his mind immediately entertaining ideas of how it would feel to be wearing it. He didn't even notice when she took her belt off and sit down on a bale of hay nearby.
"Now before we put it on, you better get some boots on, " said the girl absently as she turned the pages of a magazine she had in her hands. "Socks don't gotta be here."
Derrick looked down at his feet. He had forgotten he was even barefoot. Thinking of the harness, he slipped it on, pulling the belts tight over his shoulders and across his chest and waist, and straightening the straps that ran across his upper body. The last thing he did was fit the collar around his neck. Derrick had to admit that the feel of all that soft, smooth leather was kind of sweet on his body. He felt almost instantly aroused, but he couldn't quite figure out why. It didn't feel like a sexual thing, but it also wasn't something he hadn't felt before. It just felt... warm.
Derrick looked up as he heard a loud snort behind him. He turned around slowly to see a large black horse standing over a half eaten bale of hay and looking on with a slightly disturbed interest.
"Oh, don't mind him, " said the girl as she turned the pages of the magazine again. "He won't hurt ya none."
Derrick watched the horse move over to the other side of the stall.
"Are there any drobbins in here?" Derrick asked tentatively.
"Just one, " the girl said. "But don't worry, most of the things in here are harmless."
Derrick looked around the stable. It was much larger than he would have guessed. It was built solidly with a high ceiling and stout beams. There were stalls on either side of the barn and a big central area with a few adornments like bales of hay, a couple of catwalks and, on the far side of the stable he hadn't noticed before, a large trough filled with what looked like water.
"Now I'm gonna need you to do somethin for me, " said the girl as she stood up and moved toward Derrick. "That is, if you're up to it."