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Chapter 36

The modifications to Helena's house began to make progress. Marion, Cathy and Kim were frequent visitors calling on Rob and Helena in Oxford. Rob was often in Stoke Goldington to work with the builders. Helena was beginning to feel more comfortable in her relationship with Rob, thinking things were getting back to normal, the upsets fading into the distance.

Some days Rob was away from Oxford for the day was to see a client of his little consultancy. He was finding it easy to sign more projects and work as much as he wished. Helena took little interest in what he was doing unless he planned to go overnight.

One Tuesday morning Marion took Rob aside. "Rob, I spoke with Bridget a few weeks ago, she has a St. Andrew's cross ready for us to pick up and take to Helena's. She'd like us to collect it today, can you help?

"Well, is it all in one piece? That would require me to rent a large van, larger than any car we have."

"No, it comes in segments. I can tell you how to assemble it, it's easy."

"Then we can use my old car."

"Yes, that should be enough. Let's go now, I'll ride along."

Soon Rob and Marion were on their way to Bridget's shop in Northampton. They had nearly an hour in the car, giving them time for light conversation and some silences. Marion decided to take advantage of the opportunity to speak with Rob in private.

"Have you really forgiven me, Rob? For both incidents?"

Eyes still on the road, Rob was silent long enough for Marion to begin to worry how he would answer. Finally, he sighed. "Marion, I must tell you honestly, my earliest experience with you has kept me a little wary of you. I have forgiven you, yes, but I have not forgotten what happened."

"Ah, but don't you see, Rob, if you're watching for transgressions you're bound to find them? That's why I tell you to let go, let it happen, live in just the sensations of the moment."

Rob was again silent before speaking. "I have the impression you influence Helena. She seems to take things farther when you're there with her. It's as though you goad her on. Maybe the two of you feed on each other.

"That night I was chained to the heat pipe, the cuff for my wrist came into your hand entirely too easily. It makes me wonder what really happened."

Rob took her hand and lifted to his lips for a kiss. "I am glad you're to live with us. Outside of the dungeon I'm happy to have you with us."

"Rob, I intend to have your trust again one day."

"Well, I can't tell you how to get my trust, but the fastest way to lose it is to be part of something unpleasant again. Your record is none too good on this point. I can't tell if you're a contributor to my troubles or just unlucky to be there when it happens. Ah! Here's a way to gain my trust: if you see someone else has me in trouble I don't want, speak up in my defense, make it stop."

"Thank you, Rob, for the advice. I'll follow it."

"You've heard the result of Cathy's evaluation, haven't you? That I'm not all that submissive?"

"Yes, Helena told me."

Some time passed before they spoke again.

"Hmm," Rob was really just thinking, he made the noise unintentionally.

"What?"

"Ah, well..." He wasn't sure he wanted to continue. "Talking about whether I was really submissive made me think about the question I asked you earlier: how I am like John and how am I different?"

"Well, as I said, you remind me of him very much."

"But you said he was submissive. Was he truly submissive?"

"Well, it wasn't a lifestyle thing. But come a Friday evening after a difficult week, he would take my hand over dinner and tell me he could really use a good spanking to set his mind right for the weekend."

"Did he crossdress?"

"Well, of course he did, I made him dress quite a bit. It was a regular part of our play."

"Did he prefer to dress, did he come to bed in a nightgown of his own accord?"

"No, it was forced feminization, part of our play."

After further thought, Rob said, "Marion, I don't wish to offend you, but a man who seeks out spankings and has to be forced to crossdress sounds very much the opposite of me, not like me at all.

"This is going to sound quite harsh, dear, but I feel it must be said. When we first met, I was amazed with how quickly you said you were in love with me. I wondered then, I am still wondering, how you came to feel love for me so quickly, at a time you we really didn't know each other and your knew I was still married. I am wondering if it was really me you fell in love with."

"What? How does that work, if not you?"

"Perhaps you were in love with the fantasy me - your fantasy - the one who would be just like John. But I wasn't that person. I wonder if you deal with the real me in real life, but in the dungeon you change to addressing the fantasy me, the one far more submissive, far better experienced and far better prepared to bear your dominant activities than I."

Marion was silent. Part of her wanted to hit him for his impertinence. Part of her was reeling, thinking he was taking away her connection with him. It seemed to her Rob had just pushed her further out of his life.

Rob pulled off the road at a layby. He turned to her, putting his arm around her. "Dear, I love you, I want you to be happy. I say these difficult things to you because a relationship that isn't based on truly seeing the person is doomed to fail. You must understand, you must take to heart, I don't submit because I have some great inner need to submit. I submit because it gets the woman and I horny. We play in a session to build the excitement, so we can have the best sex after. We cannot have sessions based on a misunderstanding."

Marion cried on his shoulder for a few minutes. She searched in her purse, digging out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "God, this is so hard!"

"It is hard. I'm trying to make sure we don't make it even worse.

"Cathy taught me the value of open communications. I see I must do just that with you. You see, one of the reasons I'm wary with you is I'm never sure if I'm Rob in the session with you, or if I'm John's replacement. This last time at Cathy's you behaved very differently. You were dealing with me and the session went well."

He switched topics. "Did you ever chain John overnight?"

She answered slowly. "Yes, three or four times."

"I had been wondering if it was Rob or John you chained to the heat pipe. How did it end when John was chained?"

"He begged me for release within a half hour. Made all kinds of promises, how he would do something for me, how he would allow me to go past an agreed limit in a session as soon as he was released. By the time he'd been chained for two hours I had a shopping list of things he would agree to do, hanging out laundry wearing only lingerie or taking my golden gift in his mouth. I would extract a promise then release him. For a few days I would remind him of his promise before making him keep it. The tension during the build up was just wonderful."

Rob saw her eyes had brightened, her face much closer to smiling, as she recalled her experiences. He knew he hand to be gentle, but he still had to take her to the next step. "What did you do when your chained submissive angrily demanded release instead?"

Marion's face fell. She look down at her hands. "Rob, it was me. I chained you, I talked Helena out of releasing you. I told her we just had to wait until you were a blubbering wreck and we'd extract promises from you." She shook her head sadly. "I'm so sorry, Rob!"

He patted her knee. "I ask only you learn from your experience."

Marion nodded, wiping her nose again. Rob pulled the car back onto the road. Not long after their stop they reached Bridget's shop. They pulled into the alley behind the shop, arriving to find Bridget in the wide, double door, used for deliveries. The parts from the cross were already wrapped as a few bundles, easily loaded into Rob's car.

As they were getting ready to leave, Bridget grabbed Rob's elbow. "Rob, come to see me Monday next. I want to show you something, but it's to be a surprise for your friends." She gave Marion a mischievous wink. "So please come alone."

Rob pulled his elbow back out of her firm grip. "Can you be trusted?"

"Never!" Bridget's eyes had an impish gleam.

"I'm not at all sure I'll come alone." He doubted time alone with Bridget would be just business. She'd expressed an interest in a session with him the first time they met. Still, he was curious what Bridget had for him to see. He would talk with Helena first, he decided. "I'll let you know before the end of Thursday."

At the breakfast table Wednesday morning Rob told Helena about Bridget's invitation. "Frankly, Bridget's look was predatory. Something is going on, she makes me uncomfortable."

Marion poured a cup of coffee and sat to join joined them. "Bridget is a friend. She's naturally curious about a man who managed to gather four women around him."

"I didn't gather any women, Helena did."

"Oh no." Helena shook her head. "If it weren't for you, I'm absolutely certain Cathy wouldn't be planning to live with us. And I'm pretty sure about Marion, too!"

"Then I was the enticement. I've done nothing to invite these women."

Marion spoke cautiously. "I think you're right Helena, I love you and I care for you, but if Rob hadn't come back, I'd likely be living on my own again".

"There, you see Rob?" Helena grinned, "You are the heart-breaker. You are the only man Kim wants near her. But what do I know, I'm just your wife-to-be."

Rob looked down and didn't answer. He thought it better to keep his mouth shut. It occurred to him the best thing for him in the future was to avoid arguing with them. Four against one, he would never be in the right.

He wanted to clear his head. At least he now had a built-in reason to get out and think. "I'm going to take the dogs for a walk. We'll be an hour, perhaps more." He kissed Marion and Helen, then went for his coat as he whistled for Nicky and Inca. On his way out the kitchen door he paused. "To be clear, I haven't yet decided if I'm going to Northampton Monday." It was a pleasant day for October and Rob intended to stay out as long as he and the dogs were willing.

With Rob outside Helena could tell Marion about a phone call that morning from Bridget. "Rob doesn't know, but I'm to be there. I'll come in the back entrance of the shop. I trust Bridget, but for some reason I think she has a trick to play on Rob. She didn't give me many details, but she told me to wear a sexy outfit, a domme outfit."

Marion smiled. "So, she does have a surprise in mind." She paused. "Is this safe for her? You know how Rob can be about surprises. Does she understand what he can be like?"

Helena sighed and nodded her head. "I don't know what Bridget is up to, but she has no idea how Rob can be. I told her to be very, very careful. I'll reminder her when I get the details. I won't let her proceed unless I'm absolutely convinced he can handle whatever she has planned. If not, I'll must tell her no game is to happen."

Marion agreed. "Don't let her drag you into something that might end in another tiff."

"Absolutely, not unless I can predict the consequences. I have a sense, though, of what Bridget has in mind. Rob should enjoy it and I expect Bridget and I to enjoy it as well."

"I think I told you, she was my mentor as I began with John, quite a good teacher. She's quite popular amongst submissives. Not only is she well-respected for her skill, she's known for setting a good tone and managing the pace well. "

Helena had another thought. "How was it with Rob when you went out to Cathy's funhouse? It was just the two of you, alone together. What kind of progress did you make?"

"I could have cried in gratitude. Rob finally surrendered to me, I was able to give him pleasure and pain without making compromises."

Helena sighed and moved back to the subject at hand. "Well, I have no idea what Bridget is up to, but you can be assured it's more game than sales pitch. Nothing to do for it, she has some little event planned. I must find out what it is as soon as possible."

Chapter 37

When Rob arrived at Bridget's shop Monday morning, it looked like it wasn't open. Recalling it looked dark when he'd arrived with Marion, he wasn't put off. He rang the bell at the front door. He could hear Bridget's footsteps almost immediately. She opened the door. "Welcome Rob, I'm glad you could make it. Come, I have something to show you upstairs."

She led him up the stair to the first floor, then went through the door behind the curtain to the stair up to the second floor, the room with all the S&M gear. At the back of the display room she opened a door, admitting them to another large room holding little.

Immediately Rob recognized the device suspended from the ceiling, it was a frame quite like the one Cathy had in her attic. "I've seen something like this."

"This one's a big larger, and less conventional. I expect your mistresses will be quite satisfied when they have you bound to the frame." He could see Bridget watching him closely for a reaction, he chose not to give her one. "The cuffs are well in from the frame, you cannot touch the frame once you're secured. Here you see footrests on each side. You can see you're already up off the floor when being secured. There are harnesses and support bars for more support when the orientation is changed. The frame is suspended, it can be used to give you a feeling of floating in space, especially when blindfolded. I can tip you face-down or face-up, even upside down. Using a rail on the ceiling, I can even move the frame across the room."

Rob liked what he saw, it would create possibilities to hang someone horizontally or even upside down. "And I imagine you asked me here to try it?" Rob thought he already knew the answer.

"Yes. Anyone who goes into bondage on this frame is in for a unique experience." She pointed to the pulleys. "I can control all the motions here by pulling at ropes. I suggest you spend a bit more for an electric system so you can control all the motion from a switch box."

Rob was looking at the rail, it disappeared behind a heavy drape off to the left. "What's behind the curtain?"

"Just folding tables and chairs. I use this room to host the occasional BDSM party. Mainly I use this room to show unique items like this to my customers in proper style."

She waited for Rob to say more, but he just looked at her. She spoke in a soft voice. "Do you want to do a session with me, Rob, a little bondage, a little S&M? I'm asking again because you intrigue me, you have since we first met. You're not a normal sub, I understand that. I'd like to explore what it means. Rob, there are men who beg me for a session, paying quite a large fee. In this case, it is I, asking you for the privilege."

Rob's expression didn't change as he looked at her. "The short answer is you must have permission from Helena before you even ask me. I will do nothing without Helena's advance knowledge and consent.

"I must tell you, even after Helena my answer is still likely to be no. I don't really know you. If I've learned anything so far, it's to be particularly careful when the mistress is so eager."

This shocked Bridget. "You clearly don't know how to respect a mistress."

"No, I do not." He gave her a dark look. "You've heard what happened to Iris?"

"Yes, some madman gave her a beating and she disappeared from the scene." Suddenly Bridget seemed to realize something. She took a step back from Rob. "It was you? Why?"

"People who mistreat me come to regret their actions, sooner or later."

"I don't think I want to do a session with you!"

"Let's agree on no session, then."

"Tell me, I'm curious. What does it take to have a session you would like?"

"Don't surprise me with things we didn't discuss. Heed my safeword. Understand my limits and keep with them. I can go to a certain point but I can't take someone trying to move beyond my limits."

Bridget looked surprised. "I don't understand. A good Mistress will never do things which haven't been discussed in advance."

"I've met women who seem to think limits are simply a challenge, something to overcome. The limits I made plain weren't honored.

"Then there was Iris, willing to kidnap me and beat me just to please an audience. When I got my strength back, I gave back to her what she did to me." He gave her a cold smile. "I don't control my anger well after an unpleasant surprise."

Bridget sighed. "Rob, your point is quite clear. Let's keep our relationship professional. Today I'm a saleswoman, I'd like you to try this device, considering buying it."

"You understand it's not my money. It's not entirely my decision."

"So, Rob, let's test it properly. I dressed for the occasion, especially for your benefit." She reached for the knot on her wrap dress and it fell to the floor. She wore a leather corset with attached suspenders clipped to stockings, open breasted. Her breasts were full and heavy. She wore no knickers. Rob liked what he saw, under different circumstances it would have made him horny.

He knew he couldn't let her influence him. "Bridget, your change of clothing only serves to convince me you won't secure me to this frame without someone else here. Get dressed."

Quickly recovering from her surprise, she took a step toward him in challenge. "You will undress. Now!"

"You overestimate my interest in Helena's new playroom. Good day." He turned to go.

She immediately called him back. "Wait!" By the time he turned around, she was putting her dress back on. "Help me with the belt?"

He tied the belt for her, resisting the urge to tie a knot difficult to untie.

Bridget chose to be more business-like but pursued her plan. "Test the fit, please?" She paused for a signal he was willing. "You know you must undress, Rob. It's the only way to experience it."

Rob knew she was right and slowly began to undress. He saw there was a chair standing in just the right place to receive his clothes, taking it as evidence she had planned fully. It was more embarrassing than usual, he barely knew her. Expecting something like this was to happen, he'd worn stockings and a suspender belt under his trousers as he did quite often. This earned an "ah!" when it was revealed to Bridget.

Bridget saw he was getting hard and gave him a grin. "I see I have some influence on you."

Rob blushed. "I admit you know how to gain my attention. But this context isn't right."

"Rob, you make me hot. Maybe it's the way you respond to me, defiant, even hostile. You're off limits to me, you even scare me." Her hand passed down the front of her skirt. "My body is betraying me, it's exciting to deal with you."

She stepped right up to him, both hands enveloping his dick, stroking. Despite the immediate response evident to her fingers, Rob pushed her hands away. "You must stop. What you want requires Helena's permission first. Only then you can speak to me."

With a sigh Bridget stepped back. "I understand. One day I shall have her permission. Then I shall have you."

This agitated Rob. "I am not a toy to pass around! It isn't Helena's choice, it is mine. If you don't have my consent, then you don't have me. Helena can say no, I'll always follow her word. However, Helena cannot say yes; don't let Helena tell you otherwise. She can only tell me she doesn't object.

"I thought a woman had to fall in love first before they would fuck someone. Isn't that why it's called making love?"

"I'm just very attracted to you. Maybe it's because you seem vulnerable in your woman's clothes, yet still male."

"Maybe it's because you're like those Mistresses who see an independent spirit. You feel challenged to try to dominate that person, one way or another, just another notch on the handle of their paddle."