by Aya DeAniege
The whole congregation began murmuring amongst themselves as Ezekiel paused to smile.
“That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. If you are caught with a cellphone within these walls, you will be poking the sadists. At the moment the Dom of choice is Nicole, so gentlemen, I’d watch your backs. I hear she likes ball busting and titty twisting.”
“I also love pegging,” Nicole called out, which drew a few chuckles and yet made several people—myself included—shift uncomfortably.
“Refusal to submit does, of course, mean excommunication. You would be banned from the church and the community. Cellphones are not life or death. You do not need an outside connection while in the church. If it does happen to be life or death, then you need to let the founding members know. Only the founding members can make an exception.
“Just so all are aware, there is a rumour of a trial in the near future. It seems the victim of abuse has decided to go ahead and press charges, as is their absolute right and is not considered stirring up trouble. However, there are those present who have interacted with this person and their abuser, and those people may be approached by the authorities. You must cooperate and tell the truth at all turns.
“To do otherwise will result in excommunication.
“I’m not fucking around here. Our lives have spilled into the real world. Someone has been severely hurt, against their will and despite removing consent and using a safe word multiple times. If we could just kill the abuser and make an example of them, we would. However, we cannot. So we must allow the justice system to do as it can, which means full cooperation with the authorities.
“Details on the trial cannot be found until after all is said and done. Though I’m sure that if you are one of the people approached, you will know what is going on.
“Now, the live show has been canceled, so we are looking for some voyeuristic folk to show off a bit. If you’d like to do so, please find a founding member and let them know. We will vote during downtime. The orgy is back to the usual place this month. The renovations are finally done, and the cost has dropped but is at seventy per person instead of fifty due to the party sized jacuzzi that was added to the rooms. We are planning a...a...what was it called?”
Ezekiel pointed to someone in the front row and shook his head. The woman he pointed to stood and moved up the pulpit beside him.
“We’re planning a munch,” she said. “Recently the databases were opened to me, and I managed to access a website. Yes, it’s the mythical site. We’re combing through a lot of information. One thing we have learned is that everyone would have little meetings called munches. They’d be held in restaurants and pubs, in homes, in public areas that were understanding of the lifestyle. So we are looking for places to hold the munches, but the first one will be held here on Wednesday night.
“A munch is not like our Sunday meetings. It’s very informal. There’d be no speakers, nothing. Maybe some classes going on, well, we’re winging it at the moment. So the one on Wednesday is like an introduction for everyone at once, where we’ll come together and just talk about a few of our fetishes and what we like. Coffee and cookies will be provided, and I’m hoping I can bring some of the information I’ve been reading through, from the archives.”
Melly was her name, and she was our first contact in the archives. She worked with them for years before getting clearance to the blacklisted items. That Sunday as the beginning of us learning about the lifestyle we dabbled at. We learned a great deal, and thankfully the community was relatively new still.
Yes, it had been around for some ten years or so by that point, but it was still new enough to change and evolve.
I trembled all over as Melly went over who would be hosting the munch and what would be going on.
“He meant me,” I whispered to Mr. Wrightworth.
“He did, yes,” Mr. Wrightworth responded quietly. “Tomorrow morning you will file formal charges, but I think the community deserves as much warning as possible.”
“What if they decided not to cooperate?” I asked.
“There was no chance of that,” Nicole whispered quickly. “We’ve wanted him behind bars for years. Most of the trouble that’s been laid on us was because of his actions.”
I trembled again.
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Nicole said, patting my shoulder. “I’ll be watching the subs. You can hide behind me.”
“Hide behind you?” I asked.
“Nate,” Nicole said as if that explained it all.
I looked up to where he sat beside Mayfair. He was talking to her, facing the pulpit as he spoke. Mayfair laughed loudly in response, then turned to the person beside her and began relating whatever Nathaniel had told her.
Mr. Wrightworth leaned forward ever so slightly.
“I need to speak with Darling in private,” he said, standing suddenly. “Darling?”
“Coming,” I said, standing to follow him.
Mr. Wrightworth led me away from the pews and into one of the private rooms. He closed the door behind us and then leaned against it.
His hazel eyes roved over me. He sighed loudly.
For once, he seemed uncertain. He had asked to speak to me, not the other way around, which meant that he knew what he wanted to say, but still hesitated. Like he was afraid of what I might say.
“You aren’t going to like this,” he said.
“You want to do it,” I said, motioning to the rest of the church. “Trade me for Nathaniel.”
“Nate,” Mr. Wrightworth said sternly. “An hour with you for a night with him. But I need you to agree to it. You can withdraw consent at any time, like any other thing.”
“So that you can play with him,” I snarled.
“Being petulant isn’t going to help either of us,” Mr. Wrightworth said.
“Why do you want to play with him?” I demanded.
“Why wouldn’t I want to play with Nate?” Mr. Wrightworth countered, then the man stiffened and straightened.
He was off the door in a moment, his arms wrapping around me as he drew me close. I let out a hiss of pain, my back still hurt from the whipping only a few days before. He had even made certain that the dress I wore covered the entirety of my back and shoulders.
It was the most covering any dress had provided since before I had signed the contract for Nathaniel.
“It has nothing to do with you not being good enough and everything to do with figuring out why. Nathaniel couldn’t stand Mayfair, and I don’t think he’d willingly accept to be Nate around her. I need to do this to make certain he’s okay.”
I sighed and dropped my head to his chest. I felt like something was going on that I should have understood. That Mr. Wrightworth had come towards me because he had realized that I just didn’t get it. It was one of those things that I knew should have been obvious, but I just couldn’t figure it out.
From that point onward it kept running at the back of my mind. turning over as I tried to make the connection.
“I’ll let Mayfair know that we’ll do it, she’ll probably arrange for Friday night. That’s typically the play night for most of us since a majority of us work Monday to Friday. She’ll also probably arrange to do it two separate days. Especially given the fact that I would push to be there waiting until she’s done. We’ll have to set limits, easy enough to do. The yes and no and hard limits.”
He pulled away from me, tugging at his suit jacket to straighten himself out. He seemed suddenly distant like his mind was in another place. Mr. Wrightworth bit his bottom lip and smiled.
“Oh yes, that will work out quite well.”
“You’re going to play with him, aren’t you?” I asked.
“If I don’t play with him, she’ll be suspicious,” Mr. Wrightworth said. “Now, he will behave himself for the rest of the meeting, which means I need you to as well. Otherwise, it could bring attention to what I plan to do. When I’m done with him, he won’t be able to stand. That’ll give us a few days to get you rea
dy for your hour with her.”
“How do you know he’ll behave?” I asked.
Mr. Wrightworth’s smile grew. “Because Nate knows he doesn’t get to play with me if he’s disrespectful.” The man reached out and caressed the side of my face. “And if you’re not on your best behaviour, I will chain you up alongside him and beat you until you break. Understood?”
I shuddered at the implication. “Yes, Master.”
“Good,” Mr. Wrightworth purred out, in just that particular sort of way. A red came to the man’s cheeks as he hesitated. “Of course, if you’re good, you will be greatly rewarded. Especially given the way things have fallen out.”
“Rewarded?” I asked, wondering what Mr. Wrightworth would count as a reward.
“Yes,” he said, tugging at first one, then the other sleeve. “Yes, you behave, and you will be greatly rewarded.”
I stepped carefully towards Mr. Wrightworth, wondering what exactly my reward would be. I looked him up and down, meeting his hazel eyes as his lips parted just slightly, revealing a toothy smile.
“If all goes well, I might even get something on Mayfair that will let me destroy her. It would have to be terrible, though, to take her down.”
“But I still have to go back out there,” I said.
“Yes,” Mr. Wrightworth said. “You have to go back out there and not attack her. Or him. Or anyone else unless somebody provokes you. But not them. If they speak with you, you will be civil. You won’t be rude to them.”
“Why her?” I asked, making a disgusted face. “He knows she’s the one betrayed me.”
“Yes, she is the one who betrayed you.”
“So why?”
“You forget, Darling. Mayfair didn’t just betray you. She also betrayed Nathaniel. So the question is very much ‘why her?’ Unless Nate has a plan that he hasn’t shared with us. In which case, I will beat it out of him. Then beat him some more for mind fucking you. Some heads up would have been great.
“Met him for coffee three weeks ago, he doesn’t fucking tell me he’s decided to be a sub.”
“You... met him for coffee.”
“I couldn’t exactly tell you during the civil suit and review.”
“But you met him for coffee after you kissed me the first time.”
“Yes.”
“And before you kissed me again.”
“Yes,” Mr. Wrightworth said with a small frown. “Where exactly did you think I had learned that trick from?”
“You told him we were together?” I demanded.
“Of course, I wouldn’t have proceeded without his blessing.”
“No wonder he found someone else!”
“That’s not why he’s with her,” Mr. Wrightworth responded, his hands sliding into his pockets. “Nathaniel knew what might happen. He also had no qualms about sharing with me before everything happened. He wouldn’t have turned his back on you because his gay friend decided spanking you might be fun.”
“Yeah, but why would he keep me around? He only knew me a couple of weeks. I’m the crazy one who’s been latched onto the idea of being with him all this time. Obviously, he’s moved on and wants nothing to do with me.”
As I spoke, I teared up, my voice broke. I didn’t even realize just how upset I was until I struggled to finish my last sentence.
“No tears, not today,” Mr. Wrightworth said, coming towards me quickly. He drew me into his arms and kissed my forehead gently. “We don’t know what is going on. You don’t get to cry over a maybe, only over the real thing, and for you, Darling, I’d be happy to beat it out of him.”
“You’re just looking for excuses to beat him,” I said with a sniffle.
“Well, yes. It’s not as much fun if I don’t have a reason to do it.”
Despite myself, I giggled.
Chapter Sixteen
When the subs went one way and the Doms the other, I was the obedient sub and went to the sub room. I sat at Nicole’s feet, between her and the door, and Mary knelt at her feet on the other side. Nicole reached down and patted me on the head, a reassuring gesture as the other subs filtered into the room.
Nathaniel stopped in front of Nicole, who raised her nose slightly in defiance.
“Go play with the others,” she said.
“Play?” Nathaniel asked.
I’m pretty certain they both used the word in two different ways. Nicole meant it like a child might play, Nathaniel seemed to be asking if the subs played while the Doms did work. He glanced at the others, then turned back to Nicole.
I swear he looked disappointed that the subs weren’t stripping down and grabbing pillows for the pillow fight.
Doms are weird.
“Like a good sub,” Nicole growled.
“I will, but the Doms talk about stuff, why are the subs sitting about on the floor with a thumb up their asses like they haven’t got brains between their ears?” Nathaniel asked, then looked at Mary and me. “Here at your feet are two women with above average intelligence, yet they sit glassy-eyed and stupid.”
“If the subs want to talk, they can talk. However, they don’t bicker like the Doms do because they don’t exactly step on one another’s pride. You will not be speaking with the two at my feet. Go play with the others, Nate.”
“I don’t want to play with the others,” he muttered, turning away from Nicole to look over the room. “Can I go sit in the corner and keep to myself?”
“No, I want to see you being an obedient sub,” Nicole said, her hand running over the back of my head as Nathaniel turned back. The woman smiled as a scarlet rage came over Nathaniel’s face. “It’s not that difficult to play nicely.”
“It is if I’ve disciplined half of them.”
“Oh, poor baby,” Nicole said in a babyish voice. “Are you a little now? Should I call your mommy?”
I wonder how much that comment will cost her if he ever becomes a Dom again.
Nathaniel frowned ever so slightly and wiped at his bottom lip. The man turned and walked towards the other subs, who scattered at his approach. None of the subs in attendance that day had been a part of the community when Nathaniel had been a sub last. They had only ever known him as a dom and were confused as to the change. I know that fact now, but at the time I watched the other subs scatter and wondered if Doms often came into the room and did something like snatch the first sub they got their hands onto.
Nicole chuckled quietly and leaned towards me.
“I’ll pay for that,” she murmured to me. “But he was a dick and said the same to me when I complained about the sub rooms.”
“Why not see if he can pose?” Mary asked in a voice that almost sounded distant.
“You’re so bad,” Nicole said with a small gasp as she swatted the air over Mary’s head. “Darling, it’s been some time, and I know Mr. Wrightworth hasn’t used posturing yet. Let’s make sure you can still do the face down position.”
“I did that for him,” I said.
“Do it for me,” Nicole said, almost sounding bored. “Face me. I want to make certain you’re doing it properly.”
Trying very hard not to sigh, I stood and walked in front of Nicole’s chair. I didn’t want to do posturing in front of all of the subs. I certainly didn’t want to do it in front of Nathaniel. However, to be a good, obedient sub like I had to be, I had to obey the Dom in the room with the subs.
Under her watchful eye, I knelt and shifted into the face down position, which presented my backside upward. For a moment I struggled because something about the posture wasn’t right.
Nicole knelt beside me and adjusted my body with her hands gently. The moment I was in the position, I knew, it felt so nice. She ran a hand over my back, then down one of my hips, around, up the other hip and back up my spine. The hand barely touched me and didn’t quite cause pain, but everywhere it flowed over my back, there was a tingling sensation that wasn’t quite either pain or pleasure.
“There are lots of different variations of this, whe
re your master could tie your hands behind your hips, like so,” Nicole guided my hands behind me and positioned them. “When I was a sub, my Dom bind me like this with a vibrator tied between my hands and placed just so. Then he beat me until I came. It was amazing amounts of fun.”
“I’d rather not...” I grumbled to the floor.
“Nate,” Nicole barked out suddenly. “Are you allowed to look at other women?”
“Mistress hasn’t said as much,” Nathaniel responded, his voice coming closer. “She might enjoy that position, though, I’ve never done it myself.”
“Down on your knees, and I’ll show you how to do the face down position,” Nicole said, patting my back gently. “Stay there, let’s see if it bothers your leg. You’ve been working out, right Darling?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Yes Mistress Nicole,” she responded. “In here I get a title. Out there, I’d just be Nicole.”
“Yes, Mistress Nicole,” I echoed back.
“Good,” Nicole said in that tone of voice before she turned to Nathaniel and began to show him how to go into the face down position.
It looked ridiculous because he was still in his full suit. I was a little surprised he could manage it.
“What are you snickering at?” Nicole demanded suddenly, jabbing a finger at one of the other subs behind us.
“She moved,” a sub said quickly.
“And?” Nicole asked, walking around behind me. “Oh, oh dear,” she reached gently and pulled my skirt back to where it belonged. “Normally I catch that before they do, sorry, Darling. How’s your leg?”
“Fine, Mistress Nicole.”
“Good to know. When you first visited me, that hurt after a few moments. Why don’t you sit up? Don’t want to push it too far.”
I sat up, easing back as my hip did protest. It had been fine sitting forward, but I wasn’t often in positions for long periods of time. Mr. Wrightworth had continued with the workout that Nathaniel had set up for me. My hip certainly didn’t hurt as often as it used to.