Waxworks Homage

Did you ever see the 1988 movie Waxworks? Neither did I. I stumbled across a clip from it on Youtube (search "waxworks sade") and thought that it was a hot scene. This is a homage (best pronounced with an outrageous French accent) to that scene, as in what would it be like if it wasn't in the movie. To make it work, I have made the Prince and de Sade the same person, and there will be no meddling boyfriend running in to ruin the night. Ironically, I find this storyline revolting (a non-consensual whipping), but that scene corrupted me!

Adelle smiled quietly as she looked out into the mid-morning sun light. Lush green fields stretched into forest lines as their coach rocked gently down the country lanes. She smoothed out her new dress over her legs. It was the first time she had worn it, as her father had specially brought them all new clothes for this important meeting. It was very nice, made of excellent cotton and with some bows and sequins on it. Her father and mother were also dressed in new clothes, eager to make a good impression on the Prince.

Both sides of her family were from old noble lines, but the changing times had reduced both their lineages to commoners in previous generations. Adelle had never known luxuries or even servants. Her mother occasionally talked about her days as a maid in the palace of the King, but it all seemed to be fairy tales to Adelle. Her father traded in fabrics, and was successful enough to provide for them and a modest house in the city. The Prince had met her father at the docks as a new shipment of cloth came in. He had taken a fancy to some of his unusual wares and invited them for a week at his palace in the country to discuss business. Behind them bounced another wagon full of a shipment of linens of all types. If it went well enough, her father promised, he might make enough money to secure her a husband. Adelle couldn't help but hope; with each passing month the opportunity to be married shrank and the likelihood of being sent to the Convent grew.

Although they had tried to teach her the etiquette of the court, she had little reason to pay much attention. This was the first time in her 18 years that she was actually leaving the city, and going to a palace no less! Her mother had grilled her endlessly over the last two weeks on manners and how to behave, most of all to be sure to curtsy when she first met the Prince. Adelle promised that she would do everything perfectly when they arrived. She was a smallish girl, much thinner than the plump dainties that the boys threw themselves at, mostly because her father couldn't afford to feed her the rich meals she needed. Her face, however, was pretty, with gray-green eyes and fine, wavy light brown hair that would never seem to stay in place very long. She hoped she would make a good impression at the palace. Perhaps the Prince would see to it that she was fed properly, with lots of fat milk, cheeses and creams. She heard her mother gasp and leaned over to look out the window and beheld a most magnificent building in the distance—not unlike the Cathedral, but standing alone in the field and with many, many windows.

"Is that it?" Adelle gaped.

"Yes it is, my child," her father smiled. "Now close your mouth before the flies get in and do try not to act like a city-borne bumpkin."

Adelle closed her mouth and sat back with a pout. She would show him. She would do everything perfectly, and the Prince would be very pleased. She ran the moment through her head to be sure she would get it right: A deep curtsy and to thank him kindly for his invitation, and not to rise until he answered. She slid on her white gloves and presently the coach pulled to the palace. The footman—the Prince had provided the coach with both a driver and a footman in uniforms—opened the door and her father practically leapt out. He gently helped her mother out as Adelle stared through the door to see the broad stone staircase leading up to the doorway, lined with servants. A man had come down and greeted her father with a firm hug and a smile. Adelle stared at him. This man, she knew, was the Prince. Before she only knew that he was nobility and wealthy and was to be respected; now she saw the way he held himself that completely dominated the world around him. She was in awe. Her stomach filled with butterflies, not unlike those times when the Butcher's son would smile at her.

Her father introduced her mother, who curtsyed nicely and the Prince smiled and welcomed her. The way they were standing right in front of the door trapped Adelle in shadows of the coach, unable to exit. Several servants swarmed the coach to remove their baggage. The Prince motioned to the doorway of his house and they were about to leave when Adelle stepped forward. A servant quickly approached to help her, but the Prince spun and stopped. Adelle froze, unsure of what to do. She was already crouched over, unable to execute the required curtsy.

"And who is this?" the Prince demanded with a smile and locked eyes with hers. He held his hand out for her to and she stared at it, remembering her mother's admonishment to not to touch royalty. The Prince reached in and took her hand anyway.

"This is my daughter, Adelle," her father replied, "I hope it pleases you that I brought her?"

The Prince helped her out of the coach with practiced grace, his eyes never leaving hers. "I knew you were bringing your daughter," he smiled, "But I was expecting a mere child, not a woman in the full flower of her beauty!" He slowly raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. "I hope you will find your time here...exciting, my lady."

Adelle blushed in embarrassment and quickly looked away, catching her mother's eyes as she motioned for her to curtsy. The Prince, however, had already turned away and was walking up the stairs with her father. She shrugged an apology to her mother and gathered her dress and followed the men up into the magnificent entryway.

"Close your mouth, child!" her mother hissed and Adelle clamped it shut.

The Prince was about to enter the study with her father when he turned back to them. "Ladies, my house is yours. You may go anywhere you like...well maybe not anywhere," he winked at her mother, who gave an embarrassed schoolgirl giggle. "You will be shown to your rooms, and lunch will be in about an hour, yes?" With that, he tuned his attention back to her father as they stood in the doorway of the study.

As Adelle and her mother were led upstairs by servants, the Prince motioned her father inside. As he walked in, the Prince turned and narrowed his eyes as he watched Adelle ascend the stairs. "Oh yes, she'll do. She'll do nicely," he smiled to himself. He would have to remember to double the finder's fee he had paid Roque. He closed the doors behind him and turned his attention to the cloth merchant.

Adelle was taken by a maid to her room, just across the hall from her parents, and she found her baggage was already there. The maid offered to unpack for her, but Adelle declined and soon she was alone in the room. It was larger than the entire floor of their house, and filled with a large, canopied bed, a vanity with an enormous mirror, and two wardrobes, each big enough for several times the amount of clothes she owned. Her mother had lost no small amount of sleep over the fact that they would have to wear the same clothes twice on their trip; apparently nobility had enough to only wear things once. Adelle went immediately to the window and stared out of the huge glass panes—clear enough to see clearly through! The countryside was spread out before her, a hedge maze in the backyard, a small pond, and servants setting up what was surely lunch were swarming the grassy area immediately below her.

Adelle sat at the vanity and admired it. The mirror was so big she could see her entire torso in it, and she took the opportunity to make sure she was perfectly put together. She turned to survey the room. Above the bed was a strange fixture, consisting of a dove seeming enmeshed in the tendrils of a bullwhip. Adelle shrugged and then unpacked. Shortly there was a knock on the door and her mother entered, cooing in excitement at the luxury they had found themselves in. She was so happy, she forgot to admonish Adelle for not curtsying, but Adelle apologized anyway. Her mother brushed it away and they left together to go to lunch.

The Prince smiled at the young woman as she ogled the cheeses in front of her. Despite his best efforts, he was finding it hard to tear his eyes from her. Jonette was quite irritated at him and her, while Jacquelle was more understanding of his desires. The girl was beautiful, yet unsure of her self. She was remarkably elegant for a city hick, with an amazing amount of reserve. He could hardly wait until the night when he could find out just how deep her reserves ran.

Lunch was magnificent; only her family and the Prince together. Adelle ate her fill and didn't take too much despite the lovely and alluring spread of cheeses in front of her. She was surprised to find them attended by two extraordinarily pretty, if thin, women, who served them while not saying a word. Adelle had assumed they were illiterate imports from Prussia, but then caught a brief instruction between them and Prince. Adelle smile at her silent servants, aspiring to one day be in their place. Although she knew she was a guest, it seemed the black-haired one looked at her as if she didn't belong.

Lunch completed, the Prince and her father again excused themselves. Adelle's mother decided to retire to her room to sew, and Adelle walked the grounds. After a trip around the pond, she decided to try the hedge maze, something she had heard of from her mother. To her great embarrassment, she soon found herself lost. Try as she might, she could not find a way out. As the sun moved across the sky, Adelle became more desperate. What if she was trapped here for the night? Suddenly, as if sent from above, one of the silent servants from lunch appeared with a smile. The silent angel offered her a drink, which Adelle gladly accepted. With a smile and a nod she turned and walked away. Adelle followed her, impressed at how smoothly and gracefully she moved, and was amazed after a bewildering series of turns to find herself back at the lunch tables. Her silent guide bowed and then went along her way, and Adelle returned to her room to compose herself.

The Prince sent his regrets, as affairs of the state would keep him away from joining them for dinner. Dinner was again excellent, though she was irritated that the richest foods were often kept too far out of her reach. The two silent women attended them, unobtrusively making sure everything was in order. After dinner they retired to the Library, where her family played cards for awhile. Her father and mother praised the Prince constantly, amplifying the awe Adelle felt at her surroundings. As evening fell, they retired to their rooms. Adelle's maid pointed out a night shirt that the Prince had left for her, and Adelle marveled at it's design and texture. She eagerly put it on, following her maid's insistence that she be nude underneath it, and admired herself in the mirror. Lying in bed, she stared up at the canopy in the darkness and tried to fall asleep. At home, her parents slept within an arm's reach, and here in a strange place all alone, she felt unsettled. The silence seemed deafening.

She drifted off, but was awakened by a light. Adelle looked on in amazement as her canopy parted and both of the beautiful women that had served her lunch and dinner stood over her, dressed in pretty nightshirts much like hers. Adelle wondered if she was dreaming. They silently bid her rise, and she stood before them. Both were smiling at her and they motioned for her to be quiet, then fastened a black blindfold over her eyes. Each took a hand and Adelle found herself being led away from the bed. At first, she thought they had taken her into the hall, but then she was guided down a staircase. There must be a secret entrance to her room! After descending many steps, the air seemed cooler and the way leveled out. She was led up a few more steps and then stopped.

"Here she is, Master," the woman on her right said, her voice dripping with sexuality.

The blindfold was delicately removed and Adelle blinked in the brightness as she looked around. She was on a raised dais, and before her sat the Prince, smiling intently at her.

"My Lord," she got out, and tried to curtsey, but was prevented by the gentle hold the women had on her hands.

There was another man standing beside the Prince, a workman, his face covered in a black leather mask. He was stripped to the waist and his muscles gleamed in the light from the lamps that lined the room. The Prince gave a nod and the two women raised Adelle's hands into leather cuffs attached to short chains above her head. Adelle was too startled to do anything other than watch how gracefully they moved. Once the buckles were in place, they undid the ribbon that held her night shirt closed and pulled it open, exposing her back. Adelle could feel the cool air on her skin as they stepped aside and knelt by the dais, looking up at her expectantly. The workman left the Prince's side and walked behind her.

"My Lord, what is going on?" she asked.

"Adelle, you are going to be whipped."

"But why?"

"Because I desire it."

"Oh," was all she said as she looked at him and tried to understand what was happening.

The Prince looked at this lovely creature before him. Her delicate arms rose over her head, held by the wrists and tight enough to prevent her from moving much. She was innocent, confused, and absolutely beautiful. In a few minutes she would be frantic and bathed in sweat, but for now she was the very picture of purity. The first stroke of the whip on her back startled her, and then she cried as the pain hit an instant later. She struggled in her cuffs, terrified, trying to look behind her to the awful man who hit her. Her fingers splayed and then clenched as she writhed. Her gasps were the only sounds in the otherwise silent dungeon.

"Look at me, girl," the Prince said quietly, his rich voice encompassing her, "There are no answers behind you."

Adelle looked at him and a moment later another blow landed. She jumped again and cried out, but this time she only glanced back before returning to stare at the Prince. He was staring at her most intently, and her eyes fell from his to look at the two beauties kneeling before her. Both the women were smiling at her in quiet anticipation.

"Look at me, girl," the Prince commanded again, and Adelle complied.

The whip struck her again, then again and again and again, falling in an irregular pattern that left Adelle wondering if and when the next stroke would come. Sweat poured out of her skin as she trembled. She stared at the Prince the entire time, her whole body seeming to burn, as his eyes drank her in. The only sounds were her ragged breathing punctuated by the crack of the whip against her back and her cries of pain.

Finally, the Prince rose and approached her as another blow landed. His eyes were amber and full of desire as they stared into hers. She had never truly realized how handsome he was, stunning in fact. He stopped inches from her face and studied her features for a long moment as another stroke landed. Adelle felt as if she were shivering, despite her sweating. His hands slowly went behind her neck and undid the ribbon holding her top up. Adelle's eyes widened, first in shock and then in shame, as her night shirt fell to her waist, exposing her breasts to a man for the first time. She tried to cover herself, but the cuffs held her in place.

His fingertips touched her waist and slowly trailed their way up her skin, raising goosebumps. The contrast to the sharp strikes on her back was stunning, and Adelle gave a new kind of whimper, this one of a need that she had never known. Another blow fell. His fingers stopped just below her breasts and she stared into his fiery eyes. Suddenly she felt his thumbs gently touching her nipples, and her entire body seemed to explode as she convulsed violently. Adelle screamed in ecstasy as sensations she had never known drowned her senses as she stared into the eyes of her Master. Another stroke, and then another as her Master continued to gently caress her nipples. Finally her young body collapsed and the Prince caught her.

Jonette and Jacquelle moved quickly to undo the cuffs, and Adelle's nightshirt fell completely away as she sagged in her Master's arms. The Prince scooped up the nude, semiconscious girl and cradled her gently in his arms, being careful not to touch the welts on her back. With Jonette's help, he quickly carried her back to her room. He placed her on her feet and then guided her down to her belly on the bed. Jonette handed him a small bottle of soothing oil and the Prince winced as he saw that Henri had broken the skin in one place, a transgression he would dearly pay for. By morning, the other welts would almost be gone.

"You were magnificent, Adelle," he whispered to her as he carefully poured the oil on her back.

He rubbed it in gently, soothing her angry, red skin. Adelle lay motionless, barely awake. When he was done, he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Sleep Adelle, for there will be more adventures to come," he whispered. A smile drifted over Adelle's face as she slowly processed his comment. "A new nightshirt lays on the bed beside you. You were magnificent. I am very pleased."

The Prince softly kissed her bare bottom and then closed the sheers around her bed. Before slipping back through the wardrobe, he stole one more glance at the sleeping girl. So many more nerves to tickle in the coming nights. She was, indeed, magnificent.