by Mlyn Hurn
Danica lightly slapped Francois’ cheek. “You devil, you! Very well, I know you won’t be happy until you’ve sampled her wares. Would you care for a drink?”
“Scotch and soda, my dear.” Francois moved over to sit on the small loveseat on the far left of the stage.
Mistress Danica directed the maid. “Prepare Monsieur Lascaux’s drink, Madeleine. You may return with Pierre.” She turned to look at her guest.
“Did you have something in particular in mind for the girl?”
Francois smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be extra gentle. Are you saving her for someone else?”
“What makes you think she isn’t for me?”
“Because she looks like you’ve been training her. Is she a present for someone? Anyone I know?”
Danica shook her head. “You shouldn’t pry, my friend. Just be grateful you arrived before he has. Madeleine is wearing one of my newest designs, by the way. You must let me know what you think of it.”
“Now you intrigue me even more.”
Pierre and Madeleine entered onto the stage once more. Madeleine carried Francois’ drink on a small silver tray, which was identical to the one Pierre held in one hand.
“Madeleine, please serve Master Francois his drink. From this point on and until I say so, you are to serve him in any way he desires. Is that clear?”
The redheaded woman gulped loudly, her gaze darted from Danica to Francois and back. “Y-y-yes, Mistress Danica.” The quiver in her voice as she replied sounded real.
Danica paused as Madeleine walked over to Francois. She offered him the drink, which he accepted.
“Kneel down, next to the sofa, and face me,” Francois commanded sternly.
The young woman hastened to obey, staggering a little on her heels.
“Very good. Now assume the submissive posture,” he added a moment later.
Madeleine crossed her arms behind her, one hand clasping the opposite elbow. It bowed the body slightly backwards, thereby thrusting her breasts out and up.
With his drink in one hand, Francois reached forward with the other. He hooked three fingers into her cleavage and pulled. The tearing of the sticky fastener sounded and the top part of Madeleine’s costume came away in his hand. Immediately, her breasts were revealed. He wasted no time in reaching out and cupping one breast, squeezing and molding it. “Delightful design, Danica.”
Andy gasped as the fabric pulled away to expose the actress’ breasts. In her mind, she’d been imagining herself kneeling before Jack. Now, she wondered how it would feel to have his hands so blatantly exploring her body?
Mistress Danica smiled and gestured for Pierre to approach. She accepted her cocktail and sipped it slowly. “Delicious, Pierre. Are you trying to earn fewer lashes by pleasing me?”
“No, mistress.”
“Hmm, very well. Hand me the whip.” With her drink in one hand, she lightly flicked the leather flogger.
As it cracked, several people in the audience gasped and jumped in their seats. This was followed by some nervous laughter.
Mistress Danica finished her drink and returned it to Pierre’s tray. “Now, Pierre. I want you to face the far wall and hold the tray with my glass. If you drop the glass, you earn five more lashes.”
She moved around his body and repeated Francois’ gesture of hooking the fingers. Only hers went into the back of Pierre’s leather trousers. She pulled and the same sound that revealed Madeleine’s pert bosom now heralded the appearance of Pierre’s very tight ass cheeks. Very lightly, so it echoed throughout the small area, she slapped his right butt. His muscles tensed, which only made his taut ass more impressive.
Gayle turned and looked at Andy. “I wonder if he’s booked up the whole cruise.”
Ray glared at his fiancée and pulled her back around in her chair.
Andy, still grinning and hoping her excitement over what she’d seen didn’t show on her face, glanced sideways and found Jack was glaring at her. Feeling a little chastised, she turned her attention back to the stage. A moment later she turned back, whispering to Jack. “What would you do if I slapped your bottom?”
She wasn’t prepared for the way Jack’s gaze met hers. Flames seemed to burst forth and then his mouth barely curved up.
“I’d kiss your breath away!” he murmured quickly.
Andy stared as he looked towards the stage again. Suddenly it was hard to breathe. It felt like he had done precisely that as she gasped for air. Jerkily, she shifted forward as well.
Mistress Danica had Pierre move closer to the rear of the stage. “I want you to count the lashes, Madeleine.”
“Yes, Mistress Danica,” Madeleine replied. “Excuse me, monsieur, but I will need to turn around.”
“Party pooper,” Francois murmured, but suddenly smiled. He pulled Madeleine to her feet and had her sit astride his lap. As soon as she was settled, both his hands cupped her breasts, once again squeezing and pinching away.
The first lash came and struck right across Pierre’s ass.
“One, Mistress Danica.”
“Very good, Madeleine. Don’t distract her too much, Francois. I don’t want to give Pierre more than he deserves.”
The whip continued at a fairly steady rhythm, continuing to raise a few red welts. Madeleine kept count until Francois deserted one breast and slid that hand between her thighs. She gasped and lost track of the number as he teased her clit to a quick response.
“Oh! Mistress Danica, I am so sorry!”
Danica turned to shake her finger at Francois, who still had one hand between the maid’s thighs.
He merely shrugged.
The doorbell rang, interrupting Mistress Danica’s next swing. She stopped abruptly. “Oh, dear. Playtime is over, Francois. Quickly, Madeleine, up to your room and change into the outfit we picked out for you to wear.”
Danica coiled the rope and set it aside. “We’ll have to continue later, Pierre. Please let Monsieur le Comte D’Orsi in.” She lightly slapped his butt as he walked by.
Walking over to Francois, she kissed him on the cheek. “I am sorry for the interruption, my dear friend, but business calls. Now, I will introduce you, but then you must leave. You may return tomorrow if you wish.”
“I’ll always wish to return here, my lovely Danica.”
Danica threaded her hand through his arm and walked with him off the stage.
The lights came up and the audience applauded.
The gentleman who had first appeared on the stage came back. “Thank you for your appreciation. We will be performing the second act tomorrow evening, if you wish to see what happens to the lovely Madeleine. Good night!”
Gayle stood and looked at Andy. “I know what I’m going to dream about tonight.”
Ray got to his feet slowly. “Hey! I’m standing right here.”
Gayle giggled, looping her hand through his arm, pulling him close. “I know, darling. I’m just teasing.”
“Let’s go back to the cabin,” Ray said, trying to pull Gayle along. “I’m so horny right now I could burst.”
Gayle rolled her eyes, but she didn’t resist.
Andy turned to look at Jack.
He grinned.
She spoke quickly to defuse the heat she was still feeling after watching the little sex opera. “It’s really great to see them still so much in love, even after all these years.”
“Yeah,” Jack murmured, but his eyes she saw dropped down to settle on her chest. Her breath caught even before he went on. “I know what Ray means. Watching that guy fondle the maid made me wonder what you might look like in that kind of outfit.”
Andy jumped to her feet. She couldn’t believe he’d put into words her own thoughts, which she did not have the courage to express. It shocked her, but she wasn’t sure whether it was because he echoed her own imaginings. Or was it because she found herself aroused and she had not considered that a possibility. It was scary to think she might harbor such dark longings. Was it possible she wasn’t
as white bread in her view of sex as she’d always thought? Coming on this cruise, she’d assumed she would learn new things, but she had assumed it would be in a removed, educational venue. Now she could see how foolish she’d been. Maybe she was about to open herself to things she’d thought of as play, only to discover it went much deeper.
Jack stood and took her hand. He didn’t say a word, but started leading her towards the exit doors. There was no doubt what he had on his mind, she realized, but not altogether surprised. She finally managed to stop him a few feet from the exit. “We shouldn’t leave without talking to Ethan and Margrit.”
* * * * *
Her logic was undeniable but this didn’t make him any happier. He nodded in agreement, realizing how tense he was by the jerking movement.
“We could split up to look for them,” Andy suggested a moment later.
Jack couldn’t stop the bubble of jealousy that rose up immediately. Perhaps she only wanted to separate so she could go off and find that Duke guy. He spoke without thinking. “The duke has probably already hitched up for the evening.”
Regret filled him even before he saw her back stiffen. She had turned her face away, but he knew he’d hurt her by the tensing of the little jaw muscle at the side of her lower cheek. He tried to think fast, but nothing good was coming into his head. “Andy, I’m sorry—”
A moment later, she stepped away from his hand.
Jack tried again. “That was a stupid thing to say and I’m really sorry. Kick me, if you want.”
He paused, hoping she’d respond to his humor. The Andy of old would agree and try to kick him. But this new Andy was mysterious and, at times, he didn’t know how to act towards her. “Let’s go together to find Ethan and Margrit. I just remembered they had mentioned another party they were attending.” He waited until Andy nodded before he gently took her hand and led the way back into the crowd.
* * * * *
When it was time to continue to the next party with Jack and the Williams, Andy was ready to come up with a good excuse to miss it. Her nerves were feeling frayed and she was tired after her sleepless night. Instead, she’d stayed silent, merely nodding. Now that she was at the party, she couldn’t decide if she was glad she’d come or not.
Before entering, Margrit had taken her aside to show her how the women were expected to dress inside. Andy could decide if she wished to comply, and no one would think less if she chose not to participate.
“This is a very exclusive group of Doms—Masters and Mistresses—who throw the party. They are in attendance with their subs. Also present this evening are some slaves, who you will notice are scattered around, or they might be tethered to a pole. These people volunteer to be slaves, and some are paid to do it. Nonetheless, all are willing.”
Andy watched and listened as Margrit began removing parts of her dress. Before long the dark-haired woman was dressed in a black bustier, silky black tap pants, garter belt, stockings and high heels. The bustier ended below her breasts, but had a small shelf for each globe to rest upon. The padded shelf actually pushed up her boobs and together, and they were swathed in super-thin black tulle. She did look the epitome of submissive, packaged beauty.
Andy wasn’t completely sure, but agreed to see how her dress broke down. If she felt uncomfortable she would replace the last piece removed until she was covered once more and hastily retreat.
Slowly, Margrit helped her until she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The skirt had come right off, which left her white merry widow, which she wore with a white thong. No garter belt, but she did have on thigh-high, white silky stockings with lace stretch tops. Also, the white tulle of the skirt separated to form several petal-like layers making a short skirt, coming to the top of her stockings. The big shocker was the removable bodice, just like the one the maid in the play had been wearing.
She had trouble turning away from the sight of her naked breasts, so blatantly offered on display. But Margrit’s hand, pointing at Andy’s nipple first and then at her own, caught her attention.
“If you were pierced, you might feel more comfortable going without the attachment in the bodice. I know it helped me. After my nipples were pierced, I carried myself more proudly, like I was shouting at the world—‘hey, look at me! I can do anything I want’. And it was my idea, not Ethan’s.”
Andy stared at the small gold rings in each of Margrit’s nipples, thinly veiled by the tulle. “Did it hurt?”
“A little, but they have specialists on board who can numb the area. If you like, tomorrow we can go on a fact-finding mission.”
Andy laughed. That was the very phrase she had used several times during the hours spent with Margrit earlier, as she talked about researching different subjects for her books. “Deal!”
“So, in or out?”
“In, for tonight,” Andy decided with a quick nod.
Finally ready, Margrit gave their belongings to one of the female attendants. She explained to Andy, “They will send our things to my suite. When we are done, just stop by here, and see these.” She gestured to several stacks of white robes. “Take one for the walk back to your room.” Margrit winked as she added, “That way, decorum is always maintained in the central parts of the ship.”
Jack and Ethan walked around for a few minutes after each got a drink at the bar. About half the people here were in costume. A lot of the men wore leather pants, vests and even masks. The ones who were slaves wore leather G-strings, the men anyway, and quite a few were gagged.
“Can you explain some of this to me, Ethan? I am a little familiar with some of this stuff. Masters, slaves, Doms, submissives and Dominatrix… Are they all different names for the same thing?”
Ethan laughed softly. “Not at all, Jack. Let’s start with Margrit and myself. She is a submissive, which is a lifestyle, a way of thinking and she has chosen it. What she is doing is giving up control, and that is her precious gift to her Master. His responsibility is to be clear in his needs, desires and commands. The sub is not expected to read her Master’s mind. He demands total obedience and her compliance at all times. Slaves thrive on rigidity, and discipline is always meted out consistently and fairly.”
Ethan took a sip of his drink. “Of course, it is much more complicated but this is the basics. I got involved in college and had a few D/s relationships before I met Margrit. But almost from the first instant I saw her, I knew she was the one.”
“Really? May I ask how the two of you met?” Jack asked the older man with true interest.
“We met at a party. She came with a friend because she was curious. I was attracted to her instantly and I had no idea if she had any inkling about submissiveness or not.”
“Did you ask her out the first time?”
“Of course. I wasn’t letting her get away from me until I knew more about her. We dated about three weeks…three dates actually because she was hard to pin down to a time to get together. She was working and caring for her elderly mother.”
“Did you swoop in and rescue her on your white charger?” Jack asked with a smile.
Ethan responded with a sheepish grin before he sipped his drink. “I tried to, but she wouldn’t let me. To Margrit, she took her commitments seriously and she’d made one to her mother.”
“What was that?”
“To not let her die in a nursing home.”
“Damn! So, what happened?”
“I finally convinced Margrit that I loved her and her mother, and I wanted them both to live with me.” He paused for a moment. “Margrit said she could easily understand my passion for her, but for a man to take on a commitment like that—”
Ethan stopped abruptly as if his memories were painful. “What I did was make all the necessary modifications to my home, including hiring the additional house staff we’d need to provide good care.”
“And that convinced her? She agreed to marry you then?” Jack asked.
Ethan shook his head. “Not quite. I finally caught her while she v
isited her mother, who was in the hospital for an illness. I ignored Margrit and proceeded to present my plan, including the changes I’d made to the house already.” He chuckled quietly as he spoke. “I even had my advertising department work up storyboards, with pictures and care plans. I outlined our marriage, and how I would help in Katrina’s care each day. I then proposed to Katrina, asking her to come and live with me, and bring Margrit with her.”
Jack laughed out loud. “Obviously, it worked.”
“Katrina loved it, but Margrit was a harder nut to crack. I proved my diligence by visiting her mother in the hospital, and then continuing for the short time Margrit was forced to have her mother in a nursing home. She had no other options.”
“That’s when she agreed?”
“Sort of. I came to the nursing home near the end of the second week Katrina was there. Margrit was in a chair by the bed, asleep. Katrina was awake. She patted the side of her bed for me to sit down. After a few seconds, she told me she was accepting my proposal, and giving Margrit to me in acceptance of a small dowry.”
“Good Lord! A dowry? What did she want?”
“I thought she would say something like ‘make her daughter happy’ or ‘give her a grandchild’. Instead, she said she wanted a whomping big diamond cocktail ring, something she could show off to the remaining friends she still had.”
Jack laughed again. “She sounds quite the character.”
“She was one in a million. The reason for the ring was to convince Margrit that she’d really given her to me. It would fit with the old-country ways she’d described to her daughter, of how it had been for her grandparents. Margrit accepted it, although I think it was partly she was just worn out. I didn’t care. I was taking her any way I could. She quit her job and we got in some part-time nursing help. I will never regret helping Margrit fulfill her mother’s wish. It wasn’t easy, sitting with her the last few days of her life, but it changed and deepened my relationship with Margrit in ways that nothing else could have. In a short period of time, we shared things that would take other couples years to achieve.”