Stranger Than Truth

Chapter Five

Lights, Camera, Action!

Valerie's alarm went off at 6:00 in the morning. Its beeping was instantly accompanied by moans of pain from the two women it had awoken. The sore muscles and bruises from their respective Saturday nights made themselves felt with a vengeance. Valerie put her own concerns in the back of her mind to look at Sally. She knew that Sally's body had suffered harder use than her own.

Once the light on the bedside table was turned on, she looked at her lover's body. The numerous bruises were turning a deep shade of purple, a color that Val found strangely attractive. The clamp marks that had been so clear the previous afternoon had faded to near invisibility. Most of the welts were still red and Painful looking. It was a testament to Calvin's skill that none showed signs of having bled at all. upon closer inspection a couple of them looked like blood blisters, something she had experienced herself in the past.

"Sally, how are you doing?"

"It hurts, Mistress, but I think it will be okay."

"I want to take you in to see Helen. Some of your welts look like blood blisters."

"I'll be okay."

"I'm not taking no for an answer. You experienced a lot more than you've ever gone through before. I'll make the appointment from the office. Now get up, I want to shower with my slave."

"Yes, Mistress," Sally said with a smile.

The warm water of the shower eased both their sets of aches and the caresses they traded satisfied other needs. Valerie dressed for the office, once again smiling at the differences from when she first started submitting. After her first weekend with Charles, she had had to buy new clothes to wear to her former work place, Branford and Gashune Advertising. The management there was far less forgiving of her sexuality. They had, in fact, fired her when her participation in BDSM sex was made public. At Degrasi, if she showed up sporting bruises from a hard weekend, she was as likely to be congratulated as be ignored.

Val left Sally at the house, as naked as she had been since she entered this deeper level of submission. The drive to the office was not the most pleasant she had made. Her bruises complained about being sat on, with promises to keep complaining if she insisted on sitting at her desk. Erika looked up as she entered the building.

"Oh my! Did someone have a good time this weekend?"

"No, someone had," Valerie's voice took on a Hollywood Egyptian accent as she finished her reply with a line from

The Mummy

, "a very good time."

"I saw you on stage at the auction, Val. Did you ask for Angela to use the bullwhip on you?"

"Yes. I needed Saturday so badly. I'd been dominating Sally all week and it was getting to me."

"I heard about that. You look very nice in red and purple," Erica said with a smile.

"Thanks, I think. Have you ever been this bruised?"

"Yes, a couple of times."

"How long does it take for them to fade?"

"Gosh, it's pretty dependant on the person. When I'm that well used, it takes about five or six days. Michelle," Erica continued, talking about one of her fellow submissives, "can heal her bruises in two or three days. Of course, that's partly because she doesn't bruise as easily."

"So there's no telling when mine will fade?"

"Not until you go through it once. I take it you've never been bruised before?"

"No, not really. Certainly not this much. It's been more red stripes and welts, not so much bruises."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. Lord knows the strongest response you'll get around here is friendly jealousy that you had such a good time."

"Thanks Erica. I'd better get to my desk. Mondays are always so busy."

Valerie's secretary, June, was already at her desk and looked up in shock when Valerie entered. This was the first time that June had seen the after effects of a night of play so dramatically displayed.

"Valerie?" came the uncharacteristic use of her first name.

"It's okay, June. This was very enjoyable."

"Oh. I see."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes. You just caught me by surprise. I guess I haven't really understood what BDSM can mean until now. Do you really enjoy having this done to you?"

"Yes and no. I don't enjoy the pain itself. I do enjoy letting it happen. Being able to be submissive like this is important to me."

June looked thoughtful. After almost a minute, she replied. "I guess it's a lot like bungee jumping. I could never do it, but I can accept that people get their jollies from it."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it. Would you call Helen Waston's office and make a joint appointment for Sally and me? Today would be best."

"Sure, Ms. Burbon. Are you having yourselves checked out?"

"Yes. Some may think we are crazy, but we're not stupid. One has to be healthy to enjoy BDSM play to its fullest."

"God help me, but that actually made sense." Shaking her head, June passed a sheet of paper to Valerie. "Here's your appointment list. I'll get those doctor appointments made right away."

"If they can, back to back would be great."

Valerie looked over her schedule as she sat at her desk. Calvin had put himself on her list for a lunch meeting and she was scheduled to go over the proofs of the new Whips'n'More ad later in the afternoon. With an hour before her first meeting, she spent the time composing a letter to Yara's Leather Emporium. Charles bought all his leather care products there, claiming that there wasn't any better source for good leather maintenance products. Over the last few months, Valerie had become quite good at cold calls, or cold letters if you will. She needed to, as very few businesses outside of the fetish community would think of Degrasi's publications without a small nudge. The local business had just launched an internet business and, with the right selection of ads, was poised to expand their markets tremendously. She included the results of a reader poll that indicated that fully 45% of the readership of

The Sensible Sub

,

Mastering

and

Bondage Monthly

purchased all of their equipment online.

Her first meeting was with Boris Branigan, Editor of

Mastering

magazine, to discuss whether to allow one of his regular advertisers to sponsor a contest. The contest idea was not a bad one, but Valerie had some concerns about the prizes that were being planned. The San Francisco SM Club advertised their web site in all of Degrasi's BDSM publications. They made videos of actual scenes available for a monthly fee. The scenes were run by a handful of the club's dominants and featured a wide variety of submissives, both professional and amateur.

Valerie's concern was that the top prize in the contest was a personal scene at the club, from whichever side of the whip the winner preferred. The danger, however remote, of someone like Painmaster, a man who equated true torture with play, winning the contest and having someone put into his hands, unknowing of his proclivities for dangerous play, raised potential moral and legal issues. After much discussion, Boris and Valerie decided that they could let the contest proceed if the club assured them that one of their own dominants would be on scene to monitor safety issues.

Finishing the draft of her letter to Yara's before lunch, she headed over to Rocky Rococo's Pizza, a popular lunch eatery near the offices. Calvin chose it for their meeting because it had semi-private booths, allowing businessmen to talk about business in a light, yet secure environment. Calvin Freshin and Valerie had eaten together there before. The staff was used to the collared lady that dropped in on occasion.

"Valerie. It's good to see you. I hope you don't mind, I ordered already so we could have plenty of time to talk."

"That's fine Calvin. While Saturday night refreshed my batteries, so to speak, I'm still struggling with just what to do with Sally." She paused while the waitress brought the pizza. The discussion continued, interrupted only by the need to actually eat their lunch. "I want to be there for her. I'm scared that I won't be able to do what is needed for her. Hell, I'm not even sure what is needed."

"I can understand that. Susan struggled with that while she was acting as my secretary. She was able to do the work, but it was tearing her up. When you are submitting, you are as submissive as she is. You are simply able to deal with work and such outside of submission where she can't. By the way, are you planning to take Sally to a doctor?"

"Yes, I have an appointment with Helen Waston this afternoon."

"Good. I thought that some of the welts looked like they might need to be watched carefully. Now, about how to be Sally's owner. First, being her owner is different from being a Mistress during a scene."

"Owner? That sounds very draconian."

Calvin raised an eyebrow. "That's a very good word for it. Ownership is draconian, both for her and for you. That is what you are right now, Sally's owner. She is your slave, your full time slave, just as much as Susan is mine. You have some heavy responsibilities towards her. For example, have you talked about Sally's work with her?"

"Not really. She doesn't go into the office right now. She's working from home."

"It's tearing her up inside. She's been experiencing pressure from her boss to come back into the office. She hasn't said anything because she feels a responsibility to pay for her share of the expenses."

"That's silly! We live in a fully paid off house. Francine has refused any payments from us. She's going to give us the house outright as soon as it's reasonable to do so. I've been putting over $1000 a month into savings for the last six months. I could pay all the bills myself."

"This is your first lesson. Slaves, especially ones experiencing the need for total ownership for the first time, are unable to judge what their responsibilities should be. You need to tell her, firmly, what her duties are. If you can afford it, order her to quit work. Make her more than your sex slave, make her your total slave. Put all the household chores in her hands and punish her when they are not done to a very exacting standard. She will blossom under that lack of freedom and outside responsibilities."

"I never would have thought that she needed to not work. Her work has defined who she is just as much as our relationship and that with Charles."

"She's undergoing a fundamental change in who she is. She will always be your lover. That much was obvious from the way she was begging for you Saturday. Everything else may change. Part of what you need to do for her is to spot those changes as they need to happen and enforce them. It's not easy. You'll make mistakes at first. But, as you learn, she will learn as well, learn to trust that you do have her best interests at heart. As that happens, she will bring things to your attention. Listen to her, then make the decision that you think is best."

"My God! Calvin, you're scaring me even more than I was."

"Good. Ownership of another person is not to be taken lightly. You have an advantage over me, at least at the start. I didn't love Susan when we started. We were just play buddies who wanted to try something more. You love Sally right now. I know it's clichéd, but love will help you through this. I think your love will also enable you to punish and discipline Sally physically when you need to."

Valerie had tears forming in her eyes. "That's so frightening. I go into a panic when she's being put into pain in my presence. How can I inflict pain on her myself?"

"Because it's what she needs. You'll do it, even if it tears you apart, because you know she needs it. That's why you gave her to me for a day. That's why you'll be able to overcome this phobia of yours."

"I hope you're right, Calvin. One thing, you said punishment and discipline. What's the difference? I thought they were different words for the same thing."

"Some people do use them interchangeably. I don't. Punishment is the price a slave pays for being disobedient or for failing to be pleasing. For example, you may have Sally mop the floors. If she does a poor job, you will punish her for failing you. Discipline, on the other hand, is a form of training. It can be as simple as a regular whipping session to build her endurance. It could be long term orgasm denial to reinforce that she is yours in all ways. Both, by the way, are different from the things you do because it is something you desire for yourself."

"I think I see what you're talking about. Punishment is designed to correct wrong behavior. Discipline is designed to encourage and shape desired behavior. Play is simply for the enjoyment of the owner and the slave."

"Exactly! Good ownership has all three components. Without punishment, slaves become rebellious and disobedient. In many ways, slaves are like young children who will push limits to make sure they are there. Without discipline, you and your slave do not grow and boredom will settle in. I don't need to tell you what an absence of play would mean. Every slave need to feel that they are being of service to their owner."

"No," she said, shaking her head with a smile. "Knowing I'm giving Master pleasure is what keeps me going. Without that knowledge, I'd fall into a funk. I still remember the first time I failed him and he denied me contact for the rest of the week. I was heartbroken."

"Yes, I can imagine. Do you have any specific questions for me?"

Valerie looked thoughtful for a while. They both took advantage of the silence to finish eating. "Orgasm denial: Sally hasn't had a climax since I took ownership of her. How long can one keep a slave in that state?"

"It varies from slave to slave. I think it will depend on how much you want her suffering with her need."

"It's been my favorite method of torture for her in the past. However, I've never before personally denied her for so long,."

"Do you enjoy seeing her struggle with unmet desire?"

"Yes," Val answered with a smile. "She is so lovely when she is desperate. Her body writhing; yet unable to cum; her voice crying out pitifully for relief."

"Then I would say that you could keep it up for as long as you want. Unlike a whipping or other painful stimuli, lack of climax does not carry any risk of hurting her. As long as she knows that you are receiving pleasure from her suffering, she will be able to take as much as you want to give her. I know a male slave that went three years without an orgasm, simply because his Master liked seeing him in tears, begging for what he could not have."

"I don't think Id go that far. I also enjoy seeing Sally in the throes of pleasure, her voice crying out inarticulately."

"If I may suggest," Valerie nodded during his pause, "when you let her cum, force her to have a plethora of them. Forced orgasms are just as wonderful a torture as denied ones are."

Valerie's only response was a huge grin. They finished the rest of their meal and went their separate ways. Valerie called Sally and instructed her to be ready to go to the doctor's office. Valerie was home in 20 minutes, finding Sally dressed. As they drove to Helen's office, Val reflected on one of the few blessings from the public outing of her submissiveness. Helen's partner and staff were universally incensed when Dr. Karen Moore had dropped Valerie as a patient simply based on her sexual preferences. The entire office staff had pitched in and purchased Valerie a miniature whip, their way of saying they knew and did not care. Ever since, Valerie had been able to feel comfortable showing up for appointments in her collar and not worry about any marks that might show.

Valerie and Sally usually sat in on each other's appointments and this was no exception. The back to back times meant that there was really only one appointment for the couple. After the nurse took the usual preliminary readings; temperature, blood pressure and pulse, she left and Helen entered five minutes later.

"Good afternoon you two," Seeing the visible bruises, she asked, "do we need to have an after play exam?"

"Yes, Helen. We both had an extreme scene, Sally's more so than mine, and I wanted you to check her over. I think there are some blood blisters."

Helen was one of those doctors who preferred her patients to tell her what they thought was happening, based on the idea that no one knew their bodies more than the patient themselves. "Good idea. Go ahead and strip Sally and we'll take a look at your markings."

As Sally stripped, Helen observed the bruises being revealed with a little trepidation. Sally had been her patient for several years and she had never seen this level of bruising on her before. Her trained eye noted the incredible skill behind the bruises and welts. Everything pushed the edge of safety without crossing it. She picked up on the blood blisters right away.

"You're right, Valerie, there are blood blisters. Let's drain them to prevent scarring." She retrieved a syringe from a cabinet. While she injected a local anesthetic, she asked questions. "Girls, what happened. Something has changed in your relationship with Charles."

Valerie cleared her throat. "Sally's submission is deepening. She is currently in submission to me 24/7, without safe words." Valerie did not even think of lying to Helen. Her mom had always taught her that only an idiot and a fool lies to their doctor.

"I see. I know you are aware of my feelings on safe words." Helen was a safe word fanatic. The only subject she was more passionate about was the use of drugs during scenes. "Sally. Why no safe words?"

"I need to not have them. I don't know if I can explain it. I wasn't using them anyway."

"I see, I don't like it. The potential for serious injury is just so much higher without them. You are not, however, my first patient to choose to enter a safe word free relationship. I know a lady who submits to a man who can only be described as cruel. She has sported bruises that have taken weeks to clear up entirely. Have you two given any thought to where this may go?"

Sally looked at Valerie, who nodded. "Yes, I know I have. I want to, no,

need,

to be Valerie's slave, her total slave. No choices, no time off, no mercy. I don't know why this has happened and I'm not sure where it will go, but I know I want it."

Valerie answered for herself. "I'm frightened, Helen. I'm not a dominant, not really. I always thought I would be on the submissive side of any 24/7 relationship Sally and I went into. I can feel a heavy burden of responsibility that I'm not ready for, not really. But, I love her and will give her what she needs, no matter what that is."

"Valerie, you're the most submissive person I know. I didn't think you had a dominant bone in your body. Are you up to this, mentally?"

"I hope so. It helps that I can still submit to Master. These," she held up her arm and it's bruises, " are from the auction. I took my limits farther than I ever had before because I needed to really feel my submission."

"That explains why I'm seeing both of you today. Go ahead and strip, Val. Let's see what you have been up to."

Valerie took her clothes off, revealing bruising that was as extensive, if not as severe, as Sally's. Helen gave them the same thorough look that Sally's had received.

"Well Valerie, you were in the hands of an experienced dominant, two in fact, if I'm reading these marks correctly."

"Yes, Fred and Daphne."

"Ah. How much pain are you two in?"

"I'm just sore," Valerie replied. "I think Sally is in more pain than I am."

"It hurts, I can't deny that. But, I like that I can feel them."

"Do you want a prescription for the pain? Remember that you can't play at all while you're on it."

"No!" Sally's refusal had unexpected strength. "I need to know that I can be taken for any reason at any time. Being on pain meds will give me a period of time when I can't be. I can live with the pain."