by Louisa Neil
She sat on the sofa under the window and watched the ice glisten from the tree limbs. All she could think about was her men and last night. Deep down, she knew she couldn’t ask them to spank her each night, but she wondered what else they could do together to give her the same heightened awareness.
Her hand dropped to her lap, and she absentmindedly rubbed her pussy. It wasn’t the same as when either of the men rubbed her, but then again, she was usually naked when they touched her. All she managed to do was make herself horny with no relief in sight. Restless, she wandered downstairs and around the public rooms in the house. She’d seen the rooms before, but today was so dreary they all looked different cloaked in the haze of snow.
She thought to grab her cape and go for a walk but decided the men wouldn’t want her out alone. They’d warned her about leaving the house without one of them to protect her. What stopped her was the idea that if something bad happened to her, they might send her away.
She settled in Stewart’s office and decided it was a perfect afternoon to read before the fire. As she wandered the shelves looking for something that interested her, she ran her hand along the panels. Her index finger caught on something and tore her skin. She brought her fingers to her lips and licked away the blood. “It must be a nail,” she said, repeating the process to find it. This time, when she touched it, it pushed inward. With a slight scraping noise, the shelves moved, revealing a hidden closet behind it.
Bettina knew she should push it back and forget about it. Every man had a right to his secrets. This was probably where Stewart and Gaston kept their private work papers. Boredom and curiosity overcame her, and she paused to take a candle to light the area, standing astonished at what she saw.
Instantly, she knew she was in trouble but didn’t move away. Instead, she looked at the space from the top to the bottom. One side held folders and business papers, as she’d assumed. But the bottom shelves caught her attention. Lowering the candle, she saw things the likes she never knew. There were leather whips laid out on the shelves in several shapes and sizes. Some had several pieces of leather at the punishing end. Then she came across straps of leather and decided they were to bind someone. What caught her attention most were the carved pieces. She tentatively reached to touch one. It was cold to her fingers, and she pulled her hand back quickly. Yet the longer she stood staring, the less afraid she became.
In a moment of clarity, she moved to the windows and closed the inner curtains. It became darker, but private. The immediate thought that came to mind was the old proverb about a thief in the night. But she didn’t plan on stealing anything. She just wanted to look and satisfy her curiosity. Wasn’t that exactly how she came to be in this particular room at this moment. A strange feeling overcame her. One side of it told her to close the door and forget she ever found it. The other side told her to take a look, that knowledge was important. Maybe she’d come to understand them better. She decided she could stand there and rationalize too many options, so she moved the candle closer to the items and stared at each item.
Her pussy was pulsing without any touch and she knew why. While she didn’t know what they were called, she understood these statue-like things were replicas of a man’s cock. Some were made from ivory, and others were a green glass-like material. Those, she decided, were made from jade. She’d only seen the stone on rich women who wore it as jewelry, but Bettina knew it was the same material. The idea she was snooping through their private things gave her pause yet again, but she ignored it. Her heart started to beat rapidly, but she still didn’t stop.
Some were small, others very large. They were different shapes and sizes. She took each one in turn and weighed it in her hand, replacing it before inspecting the next. On the very bottom were several small black boxes. She hesitated but figured she’d already invaded their privacy, so why not complete the inventory. She put the candle aside and drew out the first one. Inside was a pair of very heavy gold earrings. But she wasn’t sure how they would be kept in place. She brought one to her earlobe, but it was too big to stay in place. The next boxes held similar items, only larger and heavier. One pair in a particular had drops of gold hanging from the circle. She didn’t understand how anyone could keep them on their ears or why they would want to from the weight of them.
They weren’t the finest of jewelry, but she was intrigued by them nonetheless. She decided she’d invaded their privacy enough when she heard two of the servants pass the door. Had she locked it? She hurried to put away the boxes, hoping they were in the same place as she’d taken them from. Would the men notice if they weren’t in exactly the same place? Panic welled inside her when she couldn’t remember exactly where they went. Putting them back as best she could, she pushed the bookshelf back in place, waiting to hear the click. When she did, she brought her hand to her heart and felt the rhythm beginning to regulate. She remembered to open the curtains before pulling a book from the shelf and dropping onto one of the large chairs before the fire.
She couldn’t read, wasn’t interested. All she could think about was what she’d seen and what those whips and straps would do to a person’s skin if wielded correctly. She remembered watching Thad taking the whip at Phoebe’s Gentlemen’s Club back in Providence, but no marks were left and she couldn’t help but wonder if one day they’d use them on her. More importantly, she couldn’t get the idea of the stone cocks out of her mind. If she’d been horny before, now she was just mad with need. Her hand reached to her breast and pinched her nipple. Over and over she repeated the move, but it didn’t give her relief. Instead, it made her body ache worse.
The hall clock chimed five times, and she jumped at the noise. How long had she been there? How long had she stood before the hidden closet looking at their private things? At the same time, she heard voices in the hallway. Stewart and Gaston had returned. Benton was speaking to them. She wanted to run and hide but there was no way out of the room. She decided to just stay where she was, in front of the fire, and pretend she’d been reading.
When the doors opened inward, she turned and smiled to the men. “Hello, how was your business?” She put the book aside. “I was waiting for you to come home.”
The men entered and waited while one of the servants came and laid more logs on the fire. He came back two more times with arms full of wood before closing the door. Gaston went to the sideboard and poured three glasses of brandy. After handing them around, he paused and stared at her.
“How was your afternoon?” he asked, staring at her.
She knew not to let panic show. “My morning was lonely. You didn’t come to visit me. And Stewart wasn’t here this afternoon. I wanted to go for a walk in the snow but remembered you telling me not to leave without one of you with me, ever. So I came in here to borrow a book.” She glanced to Stewart and back to Gaston. “The fire was very inviting. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Of course not. We’ve told you before the books are for reading.” Stewart sat across from her, and Gaston dropped his hip on the arm of the chair she sat in. He was looking strangely at her and making her nervous. “Bettina, have you injured yourself?”
“No.”
“Then why are there red droplets on your white shirt?”
Stewart leaned forward and stared at her breast. “Yes, just over your heart. Three drops of blood.”
“Oh, I cut my finger earlier on the side of the bookshelf.” She stared directly at Gaston. “There’s a loose nail on the side.” She lifted her hand and turned it from side to side. “See, nothing to be worried about, but I didn’t realize I’d gotten blood on my blouse. I should go and soak it before it stains permanently.”
“Yes, you should. Go on upstairs and we’ll see you for the evening meal. Don’t bother to dress up. It’s too cold not to be practical.”
She stood on shaky legs and put the book on the small table beside the chair. “I am a bit tired from reading. I’ll see you both at supper.” She managed to walk to the door but knew both men were
watching her. As she slipped from the room, she prayed they wouldn’t find she’d been snooping.
Chapter Thirteen
Stewart watched Gaston as he stared at Bettina leaving. Even when she was gone he continued to stare at the door. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. It’s probably nothing, just an odd feeling.”
“If you say so. Are you finally getting warm? I couldn’t believe how damn cold it was out today.” He put his glass on the table beside his chair and moved to the wood pile, grabbing several logs and placing them on the glowing flames. As he moved to stand back, something caught his eye. At first he wasn’t sure what it was. He wiped his finger through it and brought it to his nose. The instant he caught the metallic scent he knew it was blood. He leaned down and inspected the area further.
“What’s caught your attention?” Gaston asked with a half yawn.
“Blood on the floor.”
“Blood on the floor? A lot or a little? Could one of the servants have injured themselves?”
“I don’t know.” Stewart stood and grabbed a candle. With better light, he traced the few droplets to the front of the bookcase. “Fuck me,” he grumbled. “Fuck me to little pieces.” He stood and held the candle against the side of the cabinet. His stomach turned sour when he saw more blood on the nail. “Someone found the safe.”
“One of the servants?” There was no mistaking the concern in Gaston’s tone. He stood and walked immediately beside Stewart. “Damn, who do you think found it?”
The men turned and looked at each other, stared at each other. Stewart pushed the nail, and he took a step back as the case sprang open. The men began inspecting the contents. “Nothing looks disturbed with the papers. We’ll have to go through each one to make sure.”
“I don’t think so,” Stewart said and dropped to the floor. “Look, there are drops of candle wax here, and another of blood.”
“Benton would have told us if one of the servants was injured.”
“If the servant told him or he saw it.” Stewart began looking at the lower shelves. Nothing looked disturbed, but he opened each box to make sure. “Nothing’s missing down here.” He stood and moved back to his chair. He sipped from his brandy and debated.
“You’re thinking Bettina found it, aren’t you? Her cut finger, she said she caught it on a nail on the bookshelf. Maybe she just didn’t tell us everything. Maybe she was the one who opened it.” Gaston grabbed his glass and finished the contents. He walked to the sideboard and came back with the bottle, adding more to each of their glasses. He didn’t put the bottle back, rather on the floor beside his chair.
“What do you think we should do?” Stewart didn’t turn to look at Gaston.
“Several things come to mind. First, we have Benton check the servants to make sure none of them have any wounds on their hands. Second, if they don’t, then the logical answer is Bettina.” Gaston gazed into the fire. “The real question is, will she admit it or lie about it?”
“If she hadn’t had the blood marks on her shirt over her heart, I’d never have considered her. But it’s almost as if she cut her finger and when she opened the door, put her hand to her heart at the sight of the contents.”
“I agree, but we’ll still have Benton check anyone who was in the house today.” Gaston didn’t pause to think about his next words. “Would she tell anyone about what she found? Will she want to use it against us for financial gain or power over us?”
“I don’t know,” Stewart said with a disgruntled sigh. “I just don’t know what to think.”
Before they could continue, there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Gaston called and drew a breath when he saw it was Bettina. She closed the door behind her and kept her head down as she crossed to them. “You haven’t changed your blouse,” he said.
“No, sir.” She shook her head from side to side. “I’m afraid I’ve been naughty and rude to you both today. I didn’t mean to be. I didn’t go looking for anything.”
Stewart glanced to Gaston. “What are you talking about?”
She rushed to the place between their chairs and knelt between them with her back to the fire. “It just happened. I was running my fingers along the shelf looking at the book titles and cut it on the nail.”
“Go on,” Gaston prompted.
“I found the nail and pressed it. The case opened. I looked at what was inside.” She drew a deep breath. “I know it was wrong. I should have just closed the door but I couldn’t help myself. I caught a glimpse of what was on the lower shelves and was curious.” She swallowed hard and finally looked up at them.
“So you looked on purpose?”
“Yes I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d never seen anything like the statues you have in there.” She glanced downward as her cheeks flamed red. “They look like cocks!”
“Yes, they do.” Stewart had to hold back the laugh in his tone.
“But I was wrong and I promise I won’t do it again. I won’t go through your private things, ever.” She stood and stared straight ahead. “If you’re going to punish me I’ll accept it, but I need you to know I didn’t do it so you would punish me. I wasn’t trying to get you to spank me or whip me. I was just bored and then curious.”
“Do you think whipping you is a reasonable punishment?”
“I suppose it would be, but it wouldn’t be like yesterday. That was different, that had to do with sex and excitement. This would be just to punish me.”
The hall clock chimed six times. “It’s getting late. We’ll discuss this later.”
“I’ll go and change my clothes.” Bettina took a tentative step toward the door, but Stewart caught her hand.
“Don’t change your clothing. We’ll see you at our evening meal in an hour. We’ll deal with this subject later.”
“As you wish, sir.” She walked to the door and turned back. “I’m truly sorry I found your hiding place.” Bettina hesitated and bit her bottom lip before continuing. “But if I could find it that easily, someone who was looking to get into your private space could easily find it, too.” She all but ran from the room.
Stewart got up and closed the door. By the time he got back to his seat, he was laughing, as was Gaston. “Well, she’s right about it being found easily. I suppose we’ll have to change the entry lock. And she did come to us before we confronted her about it.”
“I think we should think about this before we do anything rash. Did you see the panic on her face and in her voice?” Gaston asked Stewart. “That wasn’t arousal, it was fear.”
“I agree. She’s afraid we’ll take the whip to her.” Stewart reached over and picked up the brandy bottle, topping off both their glasses. “So what do we do?”
“I think we make her suffer a bit, make her wait through the meal and the evening before we discuss it with her.”
“And just how would you discuss it with her?” Stewart was still laughing and shaking his head.
“We could bring her back and tell her what the items are and what they’re used for.” Gaston stared at the fire. “Then we could use them on her.”
“All of them?” Stewart asked.
“Just the dildos and nipple weights. Maybe tie her hands and lightly whip her butt, but I want you to know I don’t want her ass permanently scarred.”
“We’re in agreement there. No permanent scars, but you’re right, that doesn’t mean we can’t tease her with the items.” They were interrupted with another knock on the door. “Come in.”
Benton stood tall in the doorway. “Your meal is ready, and Miss Duvall is already in the dining room.”
“We’ll be right along.” Benton closed the door, and Gaston put his glass aside. “I’d better eat before I get drunk and lose my control later.”
“I agree. We’ll have to be careful with how we use her later. I’m not saying we shouldn’t use her, just make sure we don’t go too far.” Stewart finished the liquid in his glass before putting
it aside. “Do you think she found the staircase and went downstairs?”
“I don’t know. She admitted to finding the safe. Do you think she didn’t realize there was more to find, or is she keeping it to herself, afraid her punishment would be worse?” Gaston shook his head from side to side.
“I don’t know, but the idea of leading her down those stairs and using her body to our whim in that room has made my cock hard.” Stewart rubbed his cock through the material of his trousers.
“Your cock is always hard,” Gaston said with a laugh. “What if she didn’t find the lower level? If we tell her about it, we can’t take it back. Once she knows it will never be a secret again. We’d have to close it off and find a new space. I don’t know where in the house to locate it. This spot was perfect.” He paused in deep thought.
“This is too much to debate tonight.” Stewart dropped his hand from his crotch.
“Come, let’s join her for our meal and see how she reacts. Maybe she’ll have another grand admission for us.” Gaston didn’t hold back his smile. “It may be a door we never planned to open, but maybe we’ll revise that idea.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think we can rest that she was shocked at what she saw today.” Stewart paused to think about their situation. “I think if we initiate her to these things, she won’t look for more. And if she does find it, we’ll deal with the matter then.”
He stood and waited for Gaston to join him. “Are you sorry you brought her here now?”
“No, I’m amazed at her honesty.”
“So am I, my friend. So am I.” Stewart dropped his arm over Gaston’s shoulders as they headed to the door. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t torture her a bit over the meal, make her think we’re truly mad. Make her wonder just how far we’ll go if she ever does it again.”