Ris Versus Reward

Author's Note

Risk Versus Reward is a prequel to Girl Friday and focuses on the story of Karin, the 'H.R. Lady' who provided Charlotte's rather unique interview experience when she was hired. You do not need to read Girl Friday to understand what's going on in Risk Versus Reward. But if you enjoy this story, Girl Friday should most definitely be on your reading list.

The previous chapter found our heroine Karin up on stage being fought over by three women, Doctor Moreau, Headmistress Hendricks, and Mistress Nguyen as part of a hotly contested charity slave auction. To Karin's surprise, the winning bid was secured at considerable expense by Mistress Nguyen, and quite possibly at Desi's behest, but for what reason Karin did not yet know. And with Doctor Moreau no longer on Karin's list of favorite people, how will this all play out? Cue the dramatic music.

I hope you enjoy Karin's continuing story.

WaxPhilosophic

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Chapter 17: Chutzpah Times Three

"You want something to eat?" Mistress Nguyen said. The first words she had uttered since wrapping Desi and me in matching trench coats and hustling us to her Subaru wagon parked just outside the club's rear entrance -- what is it about her and rear entrances anyway? -- and then finally to the front door of a small farmhouse on the edge of town. It was all very clandestine in nature and probably would have seemed a lot weirder had I not been so exhausted from the evening's activities that I spent most of the ride in a daze with my head on Desi's shoulder in the back seat.

"Karin?" Mistress Nguyen said. "Are you hungry, Honey?"

"No Mistress, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." I watched Desi stoking up the fire in a nearby potbelly stove before shedding her trench coat and standing there naked while rubbing her hands together. She looked beautiful and at ease, and just a bit sexy with that lot number still visible at the top of her right butt cheek.

"You can call me Betty if you'd like, Karin," the mistress continued. "You're in my home now, not at The Academy."

"Um, OK." I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about calling her by her first name even when she said it was alright. I guess I was still expecting her to break out that riding crop and start smacking my tender parts.

"Would you like some tea, Baby?" Desi asked, and I nodded.

I stood stiff and motionless, astounded by the quiet of the farmhouse during the time that naked Desi took a kettle from atop the wood-burning stove and filled it with water from the tap. She was so relaxed. Mistress Nguyen -- Betty -- was puttering around in the kitchen when Desi walked in and I watched the two of them pause in what they were doing for a moment to engage in a long and lingering kiss.

It was almost adorable, or it would have been if it weren't for the fact that Desi seemed inclined to do it right out in the open where I could see it. I mean if you're going to be the little piece on the side, wouldn't it make sense to be a little more discrete about it and not do the whole public display of affection thing right in front of your girlfriend? But things became a little clearer -- or perhaps more muddled still -- as the night wore on.

Desi had returned with a full kettle to place on the cast iron stove and had Mistress Nguyen -- Betty -- in tow by the fingertips that she refused to let go. Desi then proceeded to lay a big ole smooch on me as well and when she was done I watched her face erupt into a wide grin.

"Karin," Betty said, gesturing to the trench coat I was still wearing. "Would you like some pajamas?"

"Um," I said. "Um." That was all I could manage.

Pajamas? Tea and fucking pajamas? Not nipple twisting and being bent over in preparation for a dildo that's two sizes two big for any of my openings? What happened to Desi and Nguyen? Had they been abducted by aliens on the ride over and replaced by poorly-constructed doppelgangers?

"Take your clothes off and stay awhile," Desi announced while slipping her hands under my trench coat to encircle the bare skin of my waist.

I shivered at her touch. The aliens did a pretty good job on the Desi doppelganger, she was perpetually horny just like the real thing. It was the Nguyen doppelganger that had me most perplexed. She was too nice -- way too nice.

"Baby, she's probably tired."

That was the last thing I expected to hear from the woman I had come to know as satan's personal P.E. teacher -- concern for me being tired. If the aliens were a little more detail-oriented in the manufacture of their doppelgangers they would have known that the real Mistress Nguyen would never have uttered a caring phrase like that, and that she would have been flicking my tits with a riding crop until I started in on a vigorous round of squat-thrusts.

Stupid, careless aliens. Your hubris will be your undoing!

From the corner of my eye I saw Desi's smile beginning to fade, so I stopped obsessing over dastardly alien plots for a minute and turned to her instead. I struggled a bit with the untying my trench coat belt until Desi realized what I was going for and reached in to help me. And as the coat dropped to the floor at my feet, she pulled me in tight and set about covering my entire face with her sweet little Desi-kisses. Her body had warmed significantly from standing close to the stove and it felt nice having her pressed up against me.

"Thank you, Des," I said.

"Mmm, for what Baby?"

"I don't know yet, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you've orchestrated this whole night, so I know I'm going to like it."

"Not entirely. The orchestrating part that is, not the enjoyment." Betty Nguyen appeared wearing a beautiful dark silk robe and carrying an elegant porcelain tea set on a simple and somewhat battered wooden tray. I caught myself staring, contemplating her transformation as she set the tray on the coffee table in front of the sofa while Desi fetched the kettle from atop the stove to fill the pot. Once that was done and the kettle replaced, Betty gestured for Desi and me to sit, which we did, on either side of her.

"This tea set belonged to my grandmother and has survived many years of war and strife before finding its way into my hands. I like to think that it has a bit of luck in it, and I think we'll need a bit of that luck if we're going to pull off what your girlfriend Desi and I have planned."

I wanted to ask how much luck and planning it could possibly take to strap on an over-sized dildo and spend the night seeing to it that I wouldn't be able to sit comfortably for the next week, but I didn't. Something about Betty Nguyen's entire demeanor had changed, piquing my curiosity and leading me to believe that her plans may not be exactly what I thought.

I saw it on her face as she engaged in the intricate ritual of pouring the tea into one large central cup before transferring it to the three smaller cups clustered on the wooden tray. The way she gazed into Desi's eyes, and into mine was almost like the way a mother would dote on her children. Though as her robe gapped just a bit when she leaned forward, I caught a glint of the sliver dragons still adorning her modest chest and I knew that the old crop-wielding mistress was just on the other side of the door, waiting. But this new Betty persona was taking the spotlight for the moment and I was fascinated.

The cups were arranged so that there was one in front of each of us, but neither Desi nor Betty made a move to pick one up, so I didn't either.

"Karin," Betty Nguyen said. "What do you think of The Academy?"

"Um. Gee, I don't know. It's a pretty good time most days ... I guess." I grimaced as soon as the words crossed my lips.

Way to be decisive Karin.

"I'd say you don't seem entirely convinced."

"Um, well ..."

"Tell her what you told me," Desi interjected.

"That was just a stress dream, Des."

"It's OK Karin," Betty said. "If you don't feel comfortable, let me start."

Betty picked up the cup in front of her and wrapped her fingers around it. I just watched and waited.

"The idea of The Academy is sound," she said. "At least I like to think so. Over the years it has helped many young women find mentors -- the women you call dominants. It has also provided generous scholarships to those who don't feel they're a good fit for the lifestyle The Academy offers. Your friends Jordan and Shauna, for example.

"But over the years I believe our founder's methods have become -- shall we say -- unsound. I believe that her quest to find the perfect submissive has clouded her vision and blinded her to the beautiful relationship that can exist between a dominant and submissive who are truly in harmony with one another."

"Wow," I said, and then instantly regretted the interruption.

"Please elaborate, Karin."

I looked down on the number 248 that was still visible in black marker across the top of my left breast. "Well, Mistress -- um, I mean Betty. When you bid on me at the auction tonight, I assumed it was just because you wanted to take me home and fuck me until I couldn't see straight. Kind of like you're always doing with Desi here."

"You have a very high opinion of yourself."

I felt the blood flushing in my cheeks at her comment.

"Relax, Karin," she said. "Your opinion is justified. You're a very special girl and I would dearly love to fuck you until you can't see straight, and Desi too, but first we have this little matter of business to attend to, and I'd like everyone to have a clear head. And, as you so put it, to be able to see straight if that's alright."

I nodded and reached for my tea cup.

"The Academy is a sinking ship, Karin. I would be surprised if it lasts another year."

I nearly sloshed my tea on my lap. That was the last thing I had expected to hear this evening. Bend over and spread your cheeks while I lube you up, yes. But to hear that she had such a low opinion of the institution that employed her came to me as a complete surprise.

"Surely you've seen it. The corruption in the ranks. The casual disregard for students and their safety. In fact you've experienced it first hand when Doctor Moreau assaulted you that night in the communal bed chamber."

"Um, well ..." I said. "I mean she fucked me. And pretty hard ..."

"Did she seek your consent before fucking you Karin?"

"Um, no?"

"No, she most certainly did not. I was there, I witnessed it."

"But you did the same thing to Desi. I watched you impaling her over and over with that wicked strap-on." I certainly wasn't trying to defend what Doctor Moreau had done to me that night, but Mistress Nguyen was just as guilty in what she did to my poor girlfriend.

"You know that I've had my eye on Desi for some time, right? You might even say it was lust at first sight."

I nodded.

"Then would it surprise you to learn that she and I have an arrangement? That I always whisper the things I plan to do with her and watch for her to nod her head in agreement before we start? And that there is also a list of things I will never ask her to do, because she has already told me that she would not enjoy them?"

I didn't nod that time. Actually I sat there clutching my teacup with my mouth hanging open and probably looking a little bit like a moron. Desi had told me of their arrangement, but I hadn't known it started so early on. That still left me with one unanswered question.

"Why didn't you stop her that night?"

Betty Nguyen hung her head for a moment and I watched as Desi reached over to place a hand on her thigh before she straightened up to continue.

"I wish I had, Karin. I truly wish I had. I foolishly assumed that Moreau had come to a similar arrangement with you since it was quite clear to me that you fancied each other." Betty Nguyen squeezed the teacup in her hand until her knuckles began to turn white. She swallowed before she continued. "If you wish to press charges, I would be willing to testify as to what I witnessed that night."

I thought about her offer, turned it over in my mind a few times before answering. "Somehow I think that her defense attorney would have an easy time attacking my character and motives and making me out to be just as at fault or worse. I don't think I want to put myself through that."

"Unfortunately you're probably correct. Though it still does not excuse her behavior. Nor do I rescind my offer to testify."

Betty Nguyen set her teacup back on the tray and I did the same. I don't know why. Maybe it was the gravity of the whole situation, the dark turn of the conversation, but I somehow figured that a cup of steaming liquid might not be the best thing to have rattling around in my hands right now. I think Betty had a different idea though, because after I set my cup down she turned and hugged me. Yeah, P.E. teacher to the devil himself wrapped me up in her arms and squeezed me gently to her chest. Desi got in on the action too and sort of enveloped the two of us in her outstretched hands. I have to say, it was a nice moment and I'm glad that nobody decided to let go too early. Plus, Betty Nguyen at home smells really good.

"It's jasmine water," she said as we finally parted.

"Do you read minds?"

"No, just faces. Same look Desi got when she first smelled me." Betty Nguyen smiled and her eyes lit up brighter than I'd ever seen them before. In fact, in that split second I'd say she had successfully made the transition from scary-ass crop-wielding P.E. teacher to a beautiful and caring member of the human race.

"There's a lot I don't know, isn't there?"

"Yes." Betty had picked up her teacup again and held it lovingly in her hands. "But first, let's have tea together and enjoy each others company before we start in on any business discussions."

"And the fucking?" I offered.

I heard Desi snort.

"Yes Karin, we'll get to the fucking as you so graciously put it," Betty said. "But be careful of what you wish for. I'm sure Desi will tell you I like mine a bit rough."

I looked over at Desi and smiled. The girl had on the biggest cheese-eating grin I had seen in a while and was nodding her head vigorously.

"But first tea. And then my business proposition. And then, I suppose ... if we have time ..."

I watched as Desi reached over and playfully slapped Betty Nguyen on the shoulder, and then watched as Betty's face turned stern while she uttered something about regret before breaking out in a hearty laugh.

These two were a trip. They had their own way of interacting that seemed to be a dichotomy of both respect and disrespect, fun and seriousness, domination and submission. And it all seemed so natural for them and it made me feel a little surge of jealousy. This was nothing at all like my time spent with Doctor Moreau and particularly nothing like the time I spent strapped down in her laboratory.

"Thank you," I said.

"For what?" Betty asked.

"For inviting me here. For tea. For taking such good care of Desi."

And there we sat, the three of us. Desi and I butt-ass naked with those demeaning little lot numbers scribbled on our bodies in two different places, and Betty Nguyen looking absolutely radiant and almost royal in her silk robe. But at that moment we sipped at our tea as equal partners in this relationship we were forming. A relationship that would come to involve not only lots of sex, but also a fair amount of business sense, and dare I say it, a good heaping helping of chutzpah. We were going to strike out on our own, break away from the pack and offer our own competing version of what The Academy offered here in the Midwest, but we would be opening up on the West Coast.

"I've got a little farm like this one out in Oregon," Betty Nguyen ventured. "Used to belong to my mother and I've been renting it out this whole time. We can set up shop there until we've solidified our client base enough to move into a commercial office complex."

"How can we afford things like scholarships? Classes? Faculty?" I asked. "We don't have that kind of cash."

"We don't," Desi said. "We go bare bones. Recruit submissives who are already in college and just need a little extra money or a change of pace."

"Most colleges don't teach fucking one-oh-one, Des. Or happy endings. Or any of the fun stuff."

"OK, so we give them a one-week accelerated course. Just the basics. A little food prep, some sensual massage ..."

"I volunteer to let them practice on me," I said. "I love happy endings."

"We should offer a course for the dominants too," Betty said. "No, scratch that. We should require it. We need to know that our girls are going to be well cared for and that they won't find themselves in a situation like Karin here with Doctor Moreau."

For whatever reason -- but probably because that was the nicest thing I had ever heard come out of anyone's mouth since I started at The Academy -- I felt the overwhelming urge to throw my arms around Betty Nguyen's neck and kiss her for all I was worth. And for her part she seemed eager to return those affections and pressed her tongue against mine as I pawed at her head and neck. In fact it wasn't until I went to check in on those two silver dragons guarding her chest that she began to push me away.

I put on my best pout for her.

"You promised some fucking," I said. "First tea, then business, then fucking. Your words."

"And your impatient actions, not to mention disrespectful attitude will land you in hot water if you're not careful."

The mistress was back. And what did I do? I goaded her.

"Fucking," I said. "I want my fucking."

Poor Desi, she just sat there wide-eyed as this scene was playing out. I began to wonder if she'd ever caused trouble on purpose just to get Betty Nguyen revved up. Surely I was not the first one to think of this. Betty's lips were pursed together tight as can be. If I had to guess, I would say that she liked this little game and was trying her best to look stern and not to break out in a grin.

"You'd be well served not to forget which one of us is the dominant in this little exchange, Karin. And since we have not negotiated the details of our relationship yet, I will let you be the one to choose the instrument of your punishment."

"I think you know what I need," I said.

"Why don't you tell me?" This was quickly turning into a game of chicken.

Who would blink first?

"What's your favorite thing in the whole world?"

"Desi?" Now she was just messing with me.

"Oh my goodness," I exclaimed. "You carry it around all the time at school. You love to stick it in Desi's mouth. Gahh, seriously? Your crop. Give me your damn riding crop."

"With pleasure, Karin. How many do you think it will take to cure you of your insolence?"

I hadn't thought about that when I started down this road. I just got caught up in the moment and obviously wasn't quite bright enough know when to stop. Actually, that's not entirely true. I knew exactly what I was doing. Betty and Desi had taken a big risk including me in on their plans and now I needed to let them both know that I was all in, that I would go anywhere and do anything with them. And if letting Betty lay some stripes across my ass was the way to do that, then it was worth the risk in my mind, because the payoff was beyond my wildest imagination -- the three of us together -- business partners, bedroom partners, dominant and submissive partners.

This is what I wanted when I entered The Academy, not to be a nineteen-fifties housewife who endured sadistic treatment in some psychotic lab, but to be on equal footing with my dominant and be able to choose when I wanted to give up control and how far I was willing to let that play out before enough was enough.

"Five ought to do it," I said.

"I was thinking more like ten." She smirked. "And with your face planted firmly between Desi's legs while you take them. She deserves a good time too, don't you think?"