Claiming Aty

[Author's note: This story was originally posted in "Lesbian Sex", but due to the heavy sadomasochistic themes of the series, I have moved it to "BDSM".]

*****

-Dr Isabella Pacetti's Notes:

To recap: Sophie Burton has started a new job as assistant to a novelist, Marie Alderney. She has moved into the author's house and befriended her maid, Katy. After a few weeks she learns that Katy willing submits to domination and brutal punishment from her employer. When Sophie threatens to leave, and Katy begs her to stay, Sophie is able to indulge her own sadistic impulses with the maid. She decides she will ask Mrs Alderney for a say in Katy's treatment.

Once again I remind you that all the participants in these acts of sadism and submission are consenting adult women.

-Sophie's Statement:

All of the heat and emotion had drained from the afternoon and now I was sitting across the desk from Mrs Alderney. We were talking in cool and familiar tones and I had poured each of us a glass of white wine. We seemed the most civilized, ordinary acquaintances, if you ignored our extraordinary conversation. I had been right to approach the whole subject in cold and businesslike terms, to discuss clearly and in full what went on between her and Katy. She had responded openly.

I decided to take a moment to recap a few of the specific points we had discussed. On the desk between us, apart from the wine, were three implements. The first was the cane which I had seen earlier; second was a long, black riding crop encased in plaited leather, which flared at its tip; third was a sort of flogger made of softer brown leather in six fat strands about a foot long and with a stocky handle of about the same length. I pointed to each in turn.

"The cane for lessons of behaviour and conduct. The crop for training, like deportment and manual tasks? And this thing just for punishment." My hand hovered over the flogger.

"Sometimes she knows she has done wrong. It's in her eyes, the longing to have it acknowledged." Mrs Alderney looked gentle as she spoke, a faint smile on her lips. "The flogger doesn't mark so much and doesn't hurt her so badly. But it can be made to last and it fulfils her need."

I turned the item on the desk, then sat back and watched my employer carefully. During the conversation I had convinced myself she was about forty. I seemed to enjoy playing this guessing game. But this made her clothes and demeanour ever more anachronistic. Of course, it all fit with the role she assumed, but that implied she was playing a fetishist game with Katy. Neither seemed willing to admit to any such thing, but I couldn't see it any other way. And where had she got hold of the whips?

"Do you spank her?"

"Occasionally. Perhaps if she has behaved childishly and done nothing more serious. I would put her over my knee and only stop when she cried. Not from pain, but remorse. Last night and today she cried from remorse, not pain. Sometimes I spank her until she stops crying. You understand?"

I nodded. It made a lot of sense but was a little chilling: the girl seemed genuinely to need the dominance. She seemed to relish the role of a child. I had no interest in mothering Katy - my friend - so that would have to change. I worked through my mental list of questions, although I was confident of the answers. I felt more like I was priming the other woman, building up to more contentious issues.

"Do you beat her? I mean with hard or heavy implements?"

"Certainly not. That would be brutal."

I smiled. "Burn her? Give her electric shocks? Kick her, choke her..."

"Miss Burton!" She was flushed, not angry but upset. "Please try to forget your idea that I'm some sort of sadist! Nothing could be further from the truth!"

I held up a soothing hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything," I said, sincerely, although I couldn't stop smiling. "I just wanted to understand your boundaries. Okay, is anything else off limits?"

Mrs Alderney relaxed and sank into her chair. "Face, hands and feet, beyond the gentlest slaps. For safety and practical purposes."

I nodded and fingered my glass, resolving to push the definition of 'gentlest' at my first opportunity. "And you tie her up?"

"It's a more interesting approach and it can linger in her memory. But that generally takes up too much of my time. I can't let her out of my sight for any duration when she's bound."

I looked at her questioningly. "She suggested you would leave her alone for a long time. That seemed to be part of the point."

Mrs Alderney smiled, almost shyly. "That is the point. If she can't see me or hear me she thinks she's alone. But I never go far. I am responsible for her, after all." I found this oddly touching and was at a loss for a moment, but she continued. "And what about you? You say you want a part of that responsibility? What exactly do you want?"

"To observe. To have a say in her... discipline. To take a hand in it perhaps."

She nodded slowly and thought for a while. She spoke softly. "Katy likes you, you know. She was desperate for you to stay. I think she has a crush on you. That's the reason for the vulgar nonsense at the window: it was her clumsy attempt to... offer herself, I suppose. She was deeply ashamed, that's why she needed such hard caning."

I shifted uncomfortably. I had been keenly aware of Katy's infatuation with her employer, but I had missed this. "Is that a problem? The crush, I mean."

Mrs Alderney slowly shook her head, then counted on her fingers, one, two, three: "I want her to be happy, and well-behaved, and safe." She hesitated. "You will have noticed... sometimes she is sullen... sulky. Defiant. I hate that, and so does she. She wants to be better, she yearns for... and then with discipline she comes to life: sweet, attentive and intelligent, in her own way. Yes?"

She looked up sharply and I nodded and smiled. I found this all rather charming.

"You see how precious that is?"

I nodded again. "I agree completely."

"In that case, here is my proposal: I will hand her over to your care. You may do with Katy whatever you think suitable but I will observe and take a hand where I see fit. Those three conditions are all that matter: happy, obedient, safe." She sipped her wine and looked at me silently.

"I didn't want full control of her. That's not what I asked."

"Those are my terms, Miss Burton."

I regarded her pensively for a minute, coming to terms with this shift. I knew this was wrong. Both women were showing me baffling levels of trust. But the fascination and excitement Katy stirred in me were making me feel reckless. I saw it was time for another test, and I smiled.

"Okay then. If we're talking terms. I'm not interested in the rules and regulations of these implements. I will punish her as I see fit, I will control her and I will hurt and humiliate her for my amusement, and I will use her sexually because she is frankly begging for it. And I will do it in private. I may do what I want? That's it. Those are my terms because I am a sadist."

Even speaking that way was thrilling, though I wondered if I might be laying it on too thick. Mrs Alderney's calmness reassured me.

"I understand. I will supervise you and share responsibility for her. Understand that when she came to me she was undisciplined, foul-mouthed and troubled. I have patiently trained her. I have built her. And although I know she is ready for something more intense, something I can't give her... I still have considerable influence over her and if you mistreated her she would tell me."

I stared hard at her. "I hope we have the same idea of what constitutes mistreatment. I guarantee I will push her to her limits, and when she cries for me it won't be from remorse but because of hurt and humiliation. But I have no intention of causing her true harm of any kind."

Mrs Alderney shook her head dismissively. "You might not mean to and you might not know it if you did. Katy might not tell you. But I would instruct her to tell me. And I would judge whether she was indeed being mistreated. I trust your intentions and your capability. I wouldn't place such a precious object in your hands if I did not."

I was taken aback once more, and was once more lost for words. I was distracted by the recent memory of forcing Katy's head under the water, and the rage that made me do it. All I could say, after a long silence, was "You don't know me, Mrs Alderney."

"I believe I do. Well enough. Please don't misunderstand me. Just because I have no desire to use her the way you will, that doesn't mean I can't conceive of the treatment you will give her. I know she's ready for you."

I shook my head and frowned. "Well, I admire your confidence."

Mrs Alderney stood up briskly and began to gather up the implements. "And if you don't mind my saying so, you have probably left her alone for long enough, yes?"

I nodded and smiled. I stood.

"I want to apologise though. For suggesting I'd to go to the police. I never intended to, I just needed to test her."

"I know. And I shouldn't have challenged you in that way, confronting you with a scene like that. In your office. It was insulting. I hope the outcome will be positive."

"I think I was a little insulting to you too," I said with a rueful smile. "But let's start again."

-

This time I climbed the stairs more slowly than necessary, and more quietly. A refilled wine glass dangled from my fingers and I was looking up the stairs, smiling. Was Katy up there? Scurrying around the room, diligently tidying away my clothes? Sitting in a bath, waiting quietly and obediently? Was she scared? Excited? There were many possibilities and all appealed to me.

I found the room completely tidy, without a trace of the disarray I had left. The bathroom door was closed and I assumed Katy would be in there. I took off my shoes and caught my reflection in the mirror. I saw my excitement as I began to undress, pulling my t-shirt off and unfastening my bra. With shameless narcissism, I admired myself for a moment: my strong torso and proudly bobbing breasts. I pulled the t-shirt back on, tied my hair back roughly and, without allowing myself time to reconsider, I pulled off my jeans. I twisted back and forth to check my figure in brief simple black knickers and t-shirt.

I was still beaming. I managed to bring myself sufficiently under control to open the bathroom door slowly and enter with a sombre expression and an elegant gait. Katy was in the bath, in a few inches of cold water.

She was fully dressed and her uniform was soaked and clinging. Her hair was flat on her head and droplets trickled down her face. She had her arms clasped tightly to her side and her knees were tucked tight to her chest, her back rigid and her jaw quivering. Her nose was red and she seemed unable to close her lips. She looked adorable. Her large eyes turned to stare at me as I crossed the floor. There was anxiety in her gaze and pleading and, as she stared, rapture. Or so it seemed to me (more narcissism, perhaps), as I sat now on the lavatory lid and crossed my legs. I smiled at her and spoke gently.

"Feel better?"

Katy could not muster enough breath to answer, but staccato sounds escaped her shivering throat. She managed a nod.

"Get out now."

She struggled to her feet, clutching the side of the bath as she stepped onto the rug, dripping a pint of water. She retained her hunched, tight pose as she stood in front of me.

"Stand up straight, please." It seemed almost to hurt her as she straightened her legs and back, raised her chin and eased her straight arms away from her sides. Her knees were shaking now. I didn't quite suppress my smile. "Take off those wet things."

The uniform was still clinging, almost cruelly, as Katy eased it up over her head. She had to scrape it from her skin before she could fold it and lay it on the edge of the bath. She was goose-pimpled all over and her little breasts pointed tightly ahead of her. She fumbled with the waistband of her knickers, her fingers useless, and pushed the fabric down her legs, oozing water as it rolled against her still-red skin. This clearly hurt her and a rattling whine escaped her lips. The knickers were deposited with the uniform and she stood to attention once more, knees still unsteady.

I made a motion with my hand to instruct her to turn around on the spot. Katy dutifully obeyed and I scrutinized her without shame. She was beautiful. Upright and naked and shimmering wet, she was more womanly than she had previously appeared. Her breasts and hips were small but round and soft, her limbs lithe without being too lean, and there was a willowy elegance to her neck and torso which made her body look long, despite her tiny frame. Her hips were still raw but the pinkness was less general, and her skin otherwise looked whiter than ever. Her dark bush was trimmed very small and glittered with droplets of water. Her nipples were so erect they seemed to point to the ceiling.

I let my eyes stare solidly at Katy's eyes, pleased with the nervous expression which was returned. After a minute of silence I spoke in the same gentle tone.

"I have been looking at your learning aids. We were discussing your disciplines and training. You certainly keep Madame busy, don't you?"

Katy nodded.

"Well, I don't have time to indulge you, Katy. I can't devote all of my free time to correcting your behaviour, teaching rules which you should already know. I have better things to do."

I watched this sink in. Katy's lips, still oddly paralysed, remained silent, but an expression something like despair passed over her face. I held up a hand.

"So. You will work harder. Be more attentive. You will not misbehave with me. When we spend time together you will not give me trouble. In return I will give you my attention." I smiled, and it was a cruel expression. My voice grew even softer. "There will be no negotiation, no reciprocation. I will set the rules and you will be bound by them. Madame has given you to me, to use as I see fit."

Katy's expression was unclear. Perhaps there was a hint of terror, perhaps delight, or more likely a confused blend of both. Physically, she seemed to shrink away very subtly, tensing, parting her lips a little. I smiled.

"She still loves you, Katy. She knows I'll give you what you're aching for."

She bit her lip and nodded.

"And we're still friends, just like you wanted. You're getting everything you wanted. Well done. Anyway, there's no point worrying about it. Ultimately the decision was never yours, and it has been made. Come on, let's get you dry."

I stood up and flicked at the maid's uniform on the edge of the bath. It fell with a clap into the water and I strode away, back into my bedroom. A surreptitious glimpse in the bedroom mirror told me that I had all of Katy's attention. She was watching my legs as she followed. I stopped by the dressing table and snapped my fingers, beckoning to her. Katy scurried to my side.

"Pick up the hair-drier and use it, head to foot. It'll warm you."

Katy nodded and took my large chrome drier in her trembling fingers. She switched it on and began to dry her hair. I sat on the bed to watch her as she raised her arms and twisted her body. After a moment she seemed oblivious to any scrutiny and was roughly styling and fluffing her short dark hair. Only when this was dry, and she was therefore on unfamiliar territory, did she look self-conscious and awkward.

She turned the nozzle to point at her throat and began to dry her skin. I could see diminishing beads of water chase over the contours of her body and then evaporate. At the same time Katy's skin was growing warmer, pinker and softer. I watched in a pleasant daydream as the hot air was made to play over every part of her. She looked embarrassed as she dried her breasts, but by the time she was fluffing her pubic hair (in much the same way she had played with her fringe) she seemed shyly excited and even risked a nervous glance at her audience. I showed her a generous smile and she continued her task with renewed care, biting her lip as she directed the drier between her legs.

I watched her turn her body to see her back in the mirror, lift her legs clumsily to dry her feet and then carefully touch herself all over to confirm that she was dry. She was sweet, and funny and beautiful.

When Katy switched off the drier the room was shockingly silent. She let it rest on the dressing table with a rattle. She stood up straight, facing me, eyes downward with her fingers twisting together at her belly. Without a sound I stood, stepped close to her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, drawing her close. Her nipples were still hard and they pressed like studs into the soft underside of my breasts.

"You've got such a hot little body now. That must feel better."

Katy nodded and let her face nuzzle the side of my neck. "Yes, thank you, Sophie. Miss Sophie." Her hands came up to clutch my back, hesitantly at first, but then they held tight. Katy was still buzzing with energy, but I sensed she was much calmer now.

"Do you like cuddling like this?"

"Yes Miss Sophie. Yes I do."

"Do you cuddle Madame like this?"

Katy tightened her embrace and wriggled closer. "Sometimes. No, not like this. But after my lessons she holds me and tells me she forgives me. It's not like this."

"No," I said, moving my hands to grip her waist. "I think it's because we're friends, isn't it? Madame cares for you but she isn't your friend. All that nonsense about discipline and correction and punishment. Irrelevant to us. We'll have something different."

"But... do you forgive me, Sophie? For betraying you? For all of that? Have I been punished for that?"

I sighed and began tracing my fingertips up and down her back, enjoying the way they skipped over the gentle contours.

"Is that what you need? Will you feel forgiven if you've been punished?"

I felt her nod. "Yes please."

"I mean... I don't think I intended any of that specifically as punishment as such. But I don't want to start again now, my hand stings a bit."

She giggled, and squirmed her body against me. I laughed with her and let my fingers tickle her sides. She wriggled some more, and laughed again, and then I caught hold of her, tight.

"Oh, this is nice. This is delicious. Okay, yes, consider yourself punished. Consider yourself forgiven. Everything from now on is pure sadism."

"Thank you Sophie." Not Miss Sophie, that was important. "You don't know what that means to me."

I stroked her hair for a while and then gently pushed her away. Katy's hands returned to her belly and I stood facing her, mimicking her pose. "You look very sweet, but I'd rather your hands were behind your back." Katy obeyed promptly and gave an anxious smile. I grinned.

"Good girl. You were watching me in my knickers, weren't you? Did you enjoy that?"

Katy flushed and nodded, her head lowering. "I'm sorry, Miss Sophie."

I chuckled lightly and began to walk in circle around her. It was immediately obvious that she liked this. "Ah, feeling guilty were you? Well, don't worry. I don't mind... if you're respectful about it. You were being respectful, weren't you?"

Katy nodded sharply. "Yes Miss Sophie. Very. Oh yes." She smirked a little.

Still behind her, I opened one of the drawers and took out my sweatshirt and jogging pants. While I spoke I pulled on the soft garments, which hugged my body and flattered my curves. "I was wondering if you'd like to see me without my knickers. Without anything. You know?"

"Yes Miss Sophie." Katy was whispering now.

"You can ask, if you really want it." I adopted a gentle, patronising tone. "Remember how to ask nicely for things?"

Katy swallowed hard as though her throat was completely dry. Her face and neck burned red. "Please Miss Sophie, may I see you na- may I see your buh-body? Undressed. May I see you undressed?"