La Contessa

This is the third chapter of a completed BDSM novel entitled 'La Contessa'. I am publishing it on Literotica a chapter at a time every few days.

La Contessa

The most decadent city...

The most perverted of mistresses...

Renowned for her cruelty and the bizarre sexual tasks her household servants perform for her, La Contessa's reputation is well established. And Venice of the eighteenth century has degenerated into a decadent and lascivious city, the perfect backdrop for her perverted games.

***

Chapter 3: La Contessa

It's the early hours of the morning by the time Julia and I reach the Palazzo Cavalli, the residence of her mistress, La Contessa di Nemesia. The Grand Canal is well-lit even in the pitch black of night and in the dim glow I cannot fail to be impressed. It's an imposing four story palazzo occupying a prominent position right on the edge of the canal. Its vast and elegant portico is approached from a grand sweep of stone stairs leading from its own landing stage on the canal where La Contessa's private gondolas are moored. Given her reputation as one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Venice I expect her residence will be grand, and I'm not disappointed. We enter by the servants' entrance at the rear of the palace.

The palazzo follows a typical design. The tradesmen's entrance is at ground floor level. There will be state rooms and, no doubt, knowing her reputation, a grand ballroom on the first floor, La Contessa's private quarters and guest bedrooms will be on the second and third floors with the servants' quarters on the fourth. It's to these Julia directs me, following the servants' staircase at the back of the palazzo. My appetite is whetted. Though I recall visiting several grand merchant's houses in my childhood, I've never crossed the threshold of such a magnificent palazzo.

Julia tends to my needs and gets bread, cheese, and wine for supper.

"You'll wait here. I'll come and fetch you in the morning as soon as I've helped La Contessa dress and given a report back to her on my search."

I try to steal a goodnight kiss by pinning Julia against the wall but, to my surprise, she brushes me to one side. I can't help but betray my disappointment at being so brusquely dismissed after our moments of passion on the gondola.

Her eyes flash at me, "We must be careful," she urges, "the walls of the palazzo have ears and her servants are everywhere. It's dangerous; trust me, we must do nothing to provoke my mistress's wrath."

Reluctantly I back away and release Julia from my grip.

True to her word, Julia comes to fetch me the next morning after I've bathed and put on the clean tunic she laid out for me. Her manner is still distracted as it was when we parted last night. She appraises me carefully, brushing fluff off my jacket, smoothing my black hair and straightening my queue. I notice how tense she is about my introduction to her mistress.

"I've given my account of last night. La Contessa seems satisfied," she adds nervously, "but she wants to see you now."

I follow her down the servants' stairs. Emerging onto the floor below, we enter a wide corridor sumptuously decorated in baroque style. Most strikingly, the whole corridor is lined with a series of marble sculptures of naked girls in provocative and erotic poses.

Julia breaks into a smile when she sees my reaction, "The Nereides, sea nymphs from Greek myth," she explains. "They were a commission from Giuseppe Torretti. You'll get used to it. La Contessa collects... interesting works of art."

"Torretti, I'm impressed, your mistress has excellent taste. I've seen his work in the Basilica di Santa Giovanni but I've never seen anything like this before."

"You've heard of him?" Julia sounds surprised.

"Why yes, I received a good education. I haven't been a street bum all my life you know. My father was a wealthy merchant until trade declined and his debts mounted and... well, then he took his own life, and I was left orphaned and on the street. But, contrary to what you might think from the circumstances you found me in, I'm well educated."

Julia's eyes glow with interest and a new respect, "Not just a pretty face and a hard cock then," she laughs. "Good, La Contessa will like that."

Julia stops me half-way along the corridor. We stand directly in front of a marble statue of a naked girl holding a conch shell, nipples thrust out like a challenge, seducing me into the depths of the sea, and the untold erotic pleasures awaiting me there.

She shifts nervously from one foot to the other gesturing with her hands.

"Listen, this is important," she implores. "There are a few things you need to know. La Contessa is a strict mistress. You must do everything she says. And don't act cocky or answer back,"

"Cocky, me?" I say.

"No, I'm serious. If you want to please her do as she orders... and she is exacting and very particular. If you don't do what she says... then she will make you do it, believe me, until, well you want to do it. If you understand what I mean."

"Don't worry, I've got it. Don't offend her. I'll be on my best behaviour."

"No, there's more. Oh, never mind. You'll either get it or not. If she's not satisfied with you, she'll soon sling you out, which would be a shame really...."

I catch her sly, meaningful glance... "Because you want me to fuck you again?"

"Shut up, Roberto... and don't ever let La Contessa hear you flirting with me!"

As we approach the end of the corridor Julia taps gently on a door decorated with gilded ivy leaves. I hear a muffled voice from the other side. I'm nervous now. The hints from Julia about what to expect have made me wary about this meeting with my new mistress.

The door swings open and we enter La Contessa's boudoir. I soak in the air of opulence. My eyes are immediately drawn to the figure sat in a sumptuous, gilt chair lined with rich, scarlet velvet. I'm stunned at the figure sitting imperiously on the chair casting a detached, almost disdainful, glance across my body. Her unsmiling face stares at me like an accusation of weakness and frailty. At the corner of her red lips is a fake mole. Its position, pointedly to anybody familiar with Venetian fashion of the day, is the

assassina

, the murderess. The haunting, yet deadly, beauty of the face wearing it makes it apparent the positioning of the mole is no mere affectation.

She wears a

moretta

mask in black across her eyes, which only serves to accentuate her piercing green eyes bearing down on me like a lion stalking its prey.

Her dress, or perhaps I should more accurately say, lack of it, is designed to provoke and seduce. She wears nothing more than a basque, its whale bone stays and black and scarlet satin panels press her stomach in but thrust her naked breasts upwards. And what magnificent breasts she possesses, perfect mounds of alabaster flesh.

Her hair, contrary to the fashion of the day, tumbles seductively over her breasts in rich auburn waves. Around her elegant neck is a necklace of delicate and exquisite pearls. I've seen many beautiful women... and many painted hags in my time amongst the prostitutes and courtesans who ply their trade in the Cannaregio, but never has a woman made such a deep and immediate impact on me. On a person less controlled and elegant it might appear wanton but on this impressive figure it's provocatively seductive.

"Come here, boy," she commands.

I shuffle forward nervously, my heart thumping with a mixture of excitement and anticipation. As I approach I'm overwhelmed by the intense and sensuous scent of her perfume, which surrounds her body in a haze.

"Take your clothes off for me, boy."

I shuffle and hesitate slightly, which is all La Contessa needs to repeat the command.

"Now!"

I start to loosen my jerkin.

"And what do you say?"

I stop, initially wondering what she means, and then stumble to find the right words,

"Yes... madam."

"Yes, mistress," she corrects. "My maids are permitted to call me madam, but my male servants must call me mistress. Do you comprehend?"

"Yes, mistress."

"Then go ahead."

She watches every movement intently as I discard my clothes in a dishevelled heap until I'm down to my long-johns.

"Come boy, there's no place for modesty here. If you want to enter my household then you must expose yourself... completely."

I'm still nervous but, exposed to the withering gaze of La Contessa, I shuffle out of my knickerbockers. How many times have I stripped naked in front of clients without hesitation? Yet, this is different; like I'm offering myself up.

When I'm finally naked, she gets up from her chair and takes a few steps forward, casting her eyes over me. She circles me a few times inspecting me. I'm conscious of the curves of milky flesh close to my body. The feeling is disconcerting but also highly charged and erotic. I feel a surge of arousal through my cock under the concentrated inspection of my new mistress.

She turns to Julia, "You've chosen well. He's an excellent specimen. He has the physique and physical attributes I need. I can see why you were drawn to him. You've done well to find such a young man in the alleyways of the Cannaregio. The question is... does he possess the right mental qualities to serve me?"

She walks another circuit as I stand pensively, small and insignificant. A painted fingernail drags down my back causing a tingle of arousal as it runs along the curves of my muscular backside. She comes back to face me, the flesh of her breasts, thrust up by the tight corsetry, heaves under my nose. Her hands explore my torso, brush underneath the sac of my balls and come to rest on the tip of my erect cock. She's teasing me, testing me. I know it, but there's nothing I can do to stop the blood surging through my cock.

"Ah, Julia, I see he has rather a beautiful cock. Did you inspect it for me before you chose to bring him back?"

"Yes, madam."

She runs her finger along its length and my cock twitches and throbs in response. I say nothing.

"Look at it Julia. It's splendid. I bet you'd like it inside you. I think you'd love to have it in your cunt, moving inside you, filling you, satisfying you, wouldn't you?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, madam."

Julia's face reddens.

"Oh no, really, it never crossed your mind when you were inspecting him for me... a hot-blooded girl like yourself," she teases. "I bet he could give you a good fucking. Did you try him Julia? Did you have him inside you?"

"No madam!" is the indignant reply.

We exchange a furtive glance which I swear La Contessa notices. Julia is sweating and shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She looks guilty. I can't help but think La Contessa knows she's lying and is toying with her.

"I don't blame you, girl. I bet he could make you come. I think he could make you squeal in ecstasy when he thrusts inside you. But you know my rules don't you? You know I don't permit sex between my servants. You have to save yourself up for me and my perversions, don't you?"

By now La Contessa's hand has strayed under Julia's skirt, seeking out her cunt. Julia lets out a small whimper and groan as La Contessa's fingers find the spot. She smiles.

"It's a shame isn't it? The discipline I impose on those who serve me."

She removes her fingers from Julia's cunt and turns her attention to me. She holds them up to my nose.

"Can you smell her cunt juices? I bet you'd love to gorge on them wouldn't you?"

I squirm in silence.

"Well?"

My discomfort is intense. What do I say? Yes I would of course, but surely that's not the answer to give.

"No, mistress."

"Liar!" she accuses, her voice sharp with reprimand. "Yet your cock tells a different story, doesn't it? Look at it. Well it's no matter. You will taste them for me."

She puts her fingers to my mouth and gently, enticingly, runs them along my lips, forcing them to part so she can ease them into my mouth. I suck on her fingers and drink in the salty juices from Julia's cunt. My cock is throbbing with need, and I swear I could come any second.

She takes the fingers, wet with my saliva and Julia's juices, out of my mouth and wraps them around my penis. She squeezes my cock tight.

"It's still hard. So, what is turning you on? Is it my tits, slave?"

I'm in turmoil. I don't know what to answer. If I say no, is it an insult? If I say yes?

"They're beautiful mistress. I'd love to touch them, if I'm permitted."

Out of the corner of my eye I catch Julia roll her eyes and shake her head. Wrong answer, I suspect.

"For such an impertinence on my personal honour, you must be punished. You see this object; it is an offence to me. It must be aroused only when I need it for my own amusement."

La Contessa steps back to her chair. With her back towards me I can admire her shapely figure. The whale bone stays of her corset pulling in her mid-riff tight and accentuating her curves erotically. Her legs, long and slender, emerge from the fringe of her silk corset.

She returns with a riding crop. At one end is a shovel of brown leather whilst at the other, a handle wrapped in cords. She turns to face me, her green eyes peering from behind the mask. She grips the cord handle tight in her long fingers and taps it gently against her hand. My stomach twists in fear and anticipation. I've no doubt of her ability to wield this instrument with dramatic effect, and I have a suspicion of where the strike will fall.

What have I let myself in for? Perhaps for the first time I have doubts about the decision. La Contessa´s reputation is well known, and to knowingly offer myself into her employment, aware this is only an appetiser for what other plans she might have for me. But the fear passes as I steel myself for the first hit, realising I need this. I want the strike of the leather but, above all, I want to create a good impression on my new mistress.

Her proximity is overwhelming. The feathers on her mask brush against my chest as she leans forward. The purse of soft leather at the end of the crop is run tantalisingly along the taut skin of my cock.

I know she's playing with me, teasing me with an aperitif before the main course.

"Such a lovely cock," she whispers in my ear almost regretfully, "but from now on it must learn to come out only for my pleasure."

She raises the crop high above her shoulder and brings it crashing down, the leather slapping against the hard flesh of my member. I flinch with the pain but still meet the hard stare of my mistress from behind the mask. The second stroke is as harsh, more so, but this time I'm prepared and hold my ground not yielding to the pain throbbing through my cock. It's still erect though, and now La Contessa pays attention to its tip, glistening with pre-cum. She plays with me again, rolling the soft leather around my glans before striking it ferociously with a series of staccato strokes. The pain is excruciating but I know I must not flinch. I sense La Contessa is testing me and does not want a slave who squeals or succumbs to the slightest pain. She lifts her arm again, this time high above her shoulders. I visualise the muscles of her wrists tightening around the corded handle before it's brought crashing down on my cock, not once, but five times. I stand firm, but see Julia in the background flinch for me at the severity of the strokes. By now my cock has lost its potency. She lifts it up with the tip of the riding crop in triumph, soft and forlorn, and lets it flop.

"That´s better, you see. This is how I want to see you until I´m ready to play with you... or offer you up to my guests."

"And did you test him as required?" La Contessa asks Julia

"Yes madam."

"And how did he respond to it?"

"Very well, madam, he showed himself willing to take his punishment and submit to me."

"Did you get sexual pleasure from it?" she asks me, "from having your arse flogged by such a pretty girl."

I hesitate, "Yes, I would be lying if I said it didn´t arouse me mistress."

"You will need to learn that your first duty is to your mistress´s desires, not your own sexual needs. Still, I would not expect anything less. The first time your arse is spanked and whipped arouses complex emotions, does it not? Submission, humiliation... wonderfully exotic feelings when you embrace them. Are you capable of doing this for me?"

"Yes, mistress," I reply, "I´m ready to try so I can serve in your household."

"And Julia, did it excite you?"

Julia flushes, "Well, yes, a little madam."

"A little," she exclaims. "Come now my maid, you can't hide anything from me. I bet your cunt was sopping, wasn´t it? The feeling of domination, of having a hot young male submit to you is a delicious one, I find."

"Well, yes madam, I suppose it did." Julia squirms with embarrassment.

"And did you strike him hard? Did you leave your mark on him?"

"Yes, madam. I did exactly as you asked. You can see the marks for yourself," she replies, inviting La Contessa to inspect my backside.

She steps around me to inspect Julia´s handiwork with the flogger. She runs her sharp painted fingernail across each deep red welt mark. I flinch slightly as my arse is still sore, and the marks left by the whip still inflamed.

"Keep still boy," La Contessa hisses as she digs her fingernails into the red marks.

I tighten my buttocks and try my utmost to remain still during La Contessa´s examination.

"Excellent. Good work, Julia. I love how you`ve created a criss-cross pattern of stripes. You know I appreciate a bit of artistic flair. Red and raw without breaking the skin or causing bleeding, that´s precise work, my maid. Perhaps I will make a dominatrix out of you yet," she smiles.

"I don´t know, madam, though I must confess, I did rather enjoy it."

"Naturally you did! What hot-blooded female would not enjoy having a firm muscular arse offered up for her pleasure! You have done well Julia. I think this young man has potential."

"Thank you madam," Julia sighs in relief.

"As for you boy, this has only been a taster. I understand Julia has warned you of what will be expected of you, has she not?"

"Yes, mistress."

"I guarantee it will be extreme and exotic. Julia's trial and my little test today are mere trifles compared to the punishment and humiliation I'm capable of inflicting. I expect my specially chosen male slave to be open and willing to submit to anything for me, and to show discipline in his own sexual appetites. Are you capable of that I wonder? The trials you will face will be extreme but I expect complete obedience. You will be served up for all manner of sexual perversions to my friends and guests, and expected to carry out whatever I desire, however perverted. Are you prepared for that?"

I tremble in fear. But what have I got to lose. Surely whatever La Contessa throws at me can't be any more debauched than what I'm already used to? And then there's the domineering presence of La Contessa herself. It would be cowardly to turn away now. Finally, there's Julia. I've heard La Contessa's undisguised warnings, but do I dare to balance service to this mistress whilst still pursuing Julia? As she's warned, it's fraught with risk. La Contessa lays down strict rules for her household staff, yet I'm already committed to taking the risk. I know Julia is attracted to me, and she's a prize which, unlike the unattainable Contessa, can be won. These thoughts flash through my head before I answer.

"Yes, mistress, I'm ready and willing to serve in your household, whatever that may entail."

"Excellent. I hope you live up to your promise. I have in mind a special test for you, a challenge in which you can show me how suited you are to serve me. If I am satisfied then you can be accepted as a permanent member of my household. Very good, you may take leave of me now. I have to catch up on my correspondence." Turning to her maid, she continues, "Julia I won't need you now until I get dressed for dinner. I'm dining out this evening at Florian's. In the meantime," she adds with a knowing glint in her eyes, "I will leave my new charge in your capable hands."