by S. J. Lewis
“Mmmm,” she heard him say. “I wish I was there with you now, Marie.”
“I…” Marie gulped as she began using her fingers in earnest, “I wish you were here with me also, Master.”
“Keep going,” he urged…or was it commanded? “I want to hear you.”
“Yes, Master,” Marie almost sobbed. Normally she kept fairly quiet while she did this, only letting herself make any noise when she finally came. It felt strange to let herself go, but he was listening and he wanted to hear her. She moaned again as her fingertips brushed against her clit. She slid her ring finger up inside of her and moaned again. She was so aroused already that it wouldn’t take long for her to come. She grunted as she felt the first tremors that warned her.
“Do it, Marie,” he said.
“Yes, Master!” It came out almost like a wail. She spread her legs wider, as wide as he had when he’d tied her to her bed and redoubled her efforts. She could hear herself huffing and puffing and moaning and groaning and wondered why she’d never let herself be so noisy before. Hearing herself added to her excitement…or was knowing that he was listening to her that was doing that? It didn’t matter now. Her orgasm hit her like an avalanche and for a little while she forgot about everything else.
Still panting and gasping, she groped for the cell phone. In her throes she’d let go of it.
“Master?” she asked anxiously. “Did you hear me, Master?” She heard him chuckling.
“I heard you very clearly, Marie,” he answered. “I’m very sorry now that I couldn’t be there. You were very, very noisy.”
“Yes, Master,” she agreed happily. She curled up on her side, cradling the phone against her ear. She was still feeling delicious aftershocks. “Did you enjoy it?”
“Now you have me very excited, Marie,” he answered. “Yes, I enjoyed it very much.”She thought she heard him sigh.
“You will go to the gym tomorrow,” he said.
“Yes, Master,” Marie replied. Her free hand caressed the phone as if it was his face. “I will.”
“Have you looked at the disc I left for you?”
“Only the pictures so far, Master.”
“Did you like them?”
“Some of them were very…interesting,” she said. “I mean, exciting, Master.”
She heard him chuckle again. “I think you’ll find the videos even more ‘interesting’,” he said. Then he was silent for a moment.
“Master?”
“Good night, Marie,” he said quietly. “I’ll see you Friday. Make no plans for the weekend.”
“Good night, Master,” she said. “I won’t make any plans.”
“One last thing, Marie.”
“What, Master?”
“Sleep naked tonight, and think of me.”
“I will, Master,” she smiled. The phone went dead. She carefully closed it and placed it on the nightstand. She sighed happily and just laid where she was for a moment.
What was she doing? The sudden question felt so much like a douse of cold water that she quickly pulled up the bedcovers and huddled close under them. Well, what was she doing? She rolled onto her back and sighed heavily, staring up at the ceiling. She supposed she could say that she was having an affair with an attractive older man, but this ‘affair’ was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Well, to be honest she’d never actually had an affair before, just some flirtations with men much closer to her own age that lasted for a couple of months at best before they faded away. This was different. At the least, she very much wanted it to be different, and not evaporate like all her previous flings had.
She had a sudden terrible fear that it would evaporate, that after a couple of months he’d grow tired of her and move on to some new conquest, and the thought left her feeling bleak and empty, as if it had already happened. She shrugged it away, but couldn’t banish it completely. It was still there, lurking out of sight, waiting to bring her down again.
And was this truly an affair? she wondered. She’d always thought that a proper affair should include flowers and thoughtful small gifts. This one had the small gifts, all right, but handcuffs and chains instead of flowers. She shivered under her blankets. Was it likely that all he wanted from her was sex? Given the difference in their ages that seemed a real possibility, but he seemed attractive enough and powerful enough to get any younger woman he wanted. Why had he chosen her? She shivered again. She hated the nights when she couldn’t quite fall asleep yet and all of her doubts and fears rose up to bother her. Maybe she could have him answer some of her questions when she saw him again Friday evening. Maybe she wouldn’t like the answers she got, but at least then she’d know what to expect in the end.
She reached out and set her alarm clock. Tomorrow was still a workday. She reached up to turn off the lamp and realized that she’d left the light on in the living room. She’d left her computer on too. She threw back the covers. As much as she wanted to just switch off the lamp and go to sleep, she just couldn’t do that with those other things undone.
Chapter Seven
The week dragged. Friday kept looming brightly in the distance, but never seemed to get any closer. Marie found herself doing something she’d never done at the office before: Watching the clock. Oh, she still did all of her work as efficiently as she always had, but her gaze kept drifting upwards to the old wall clock. It occurred to her more than once that she also needed a calendar.
The first day at the gym had been very much like torture. She’d no sooner arrived there than a tall and imposing trainer who looked like one of those notorious old East German women athletes must have looked snagged her and proceeded put her through the most intense and wearing session Marie could remember. The only good parts about it had been the fact that she did the exact same thing to Cheryl, who had come to the gym on her own, and the wonderfully relaxing time spent afterwards in the sauna. Cheryl had been too worn out to talk. She’d even been too worn out for a late supper together at a restaurant. After they’d limped out of the sauna Cheryl had dressed, given Marie a quick hug, and hobbled away, mumbling something about sleeping for a week.
Marie had barely made it back to her apartment, feeling like a feeble elderly woman every step of the way. She wished she could find whoever had coined the phrases “No pain, no gain” and “Feel the burn!” and turn them over to that fiendish woman trainer for a while. A year ought to do it.
He did not call her that night, but there was another e-mail from him on her computer, and it had an attachment. The message was simple enough. He told her how much he was looking forward to Friday, and also told her that she must go to the gym again tomorrow, after work. He promised that it wouldn’t be as strenuous as today had. Marie smiled. If he’d told her that it would be twice as demanding, she would have gone anyway, and he had to know that, didn’t he?
The attachment was a beautiful image of a floral bouquet, and she almost laughed. Just the other day she’d been thinking that an affair should involve flowers, and now here they were. They might be only virtual flowers, but they were flowers, nonetheless.
***
Thursday dragged, but not as badly as Wednesday had. When quitting time came, Marie happily shouldered the bag holding her gym clothes and headed for the exit of the office building. As she neared it, Cheryl fell in alongside her. She was carrying her own shoulder bag, and it seemed to be a lot fuller than Marie’s.
“So it’s off to the gym again for us, hey?” Cheryl grinned.
“You too?” Marie asked.
“Me too,” Cheryl nodded. “I’m supposed to get all toned up over the next month. I think they’ve got something special in mind for me after that.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind,” she went on as they left the building and the first chilly blast of winter wind hit them. “But I gotta tell you, if I could get the same effect by taking a pill or something, I’d do it. I guess he told you to do the same thing?”
“Not really,” Marie shook her head. The sky was slate gray w
ith clouds, but it didn’t feel like it was going to snow. “I only found out last night that I had to go today.”
“Is that all he told you?” Cheryl smiled slyly.
“Pretty much,” Marie frowned. “Why?”
“Well, then, this is gonna be a surprise.” Cheryl’s smile widened.
“What is?” Marie demanded.
“I’m supposed to come home with you tonight after we’re done at the gym.”
“What?” Marie came to a full stop. She turned to face Cheryl, who also stopped.
“That’s what I was told,” Cheryl said. Her smile faded a little.
“By him?” Marie demanded.
“By somebody,” Cheryl shook her head. “It was an e-mail I got last night.”
“I wasn’t told anything about that,” Marie said. “And you didn’t say anything about it to me at lunch.”
“I was told not to.” Cheryl sighed. She hefted her shoulder bag. “Look, I even packed a change of clothes, since tomorrow’s still a work day, but if you want to call it off, just tell me now.”
Marie hesitated. Other pedestrians passed around them, intent on their own destinations. There were a number of reasons she didn’t want Cheryl coming home with her. The one that loomed largest was what Cheryl had done to her down below in that shower room. Neither of them had spoken about it since then, but it was always there between them. She suspected that Cheryl felt as shy and awkward about it now as she did. So far they’d avoided the subject, but if they were going to spend a night together it was inevitably going to come up.
“Well?” Cheryl prompted.
“I don’t know,” Marie shook her head. “Let’s just get to the gym first. I need time to think, and we’re blocking traffic here.”
***
The session was as mild as had been promised. Brunhilde, the Trainer from Hell – her real name was Julia, but Marie thought that “Brunhilde’ fit better – still oversaw everything, but most of the exercises she ran Marie through were for stretching and limbering up. Poor Cheryl, though, was put through the wringer. When her hour was up she looked completely exhausted. Marie had finished her own routine in only forty-five minutes. Instead of heading straight to the sauna once she was done, she’d lingered to watch Cheryl’s torture. It had been very amusing for the first ten minutes or so, but then she began to wonder when she was going to come in for the same kind of treatment herself and suddenly it wasn’t quite so funny.
Cheryl moaned and groaned the whole time they were in the sauna. She kept shifting around as if she was looking for a comfortable position but she never seemed to find one. That was also amusing for a little while. Cheryl flipped and flopped and squirmed until she declared that she just wanted to go.
Marie wiped the sweat off of her forehead to give her a little more time to think. In spite of all the time she’d already had, she hadn’t really considered whether or not to have Cheryl come back to her apartment. Part of her wanted to say ‘no’. The rest of her seemed to have no opinion either way, but she’d have to come to a decision one way or the other in the next minute or so.
“Well?” Cheryl asked pointedly. “Look, if you’re worried that I’m going to try something once we get there, I can tell you that I’m just too achy and worn out to even
think about it.”
“Oh, all right,” Marie yielded. “Just don’t whine and bitch about how you’re feeling all night.”
“I just want to get into bed and go to sleep,” Cheryl said.
Bed? Marie frowned. There was only the one bed in her apartment, and while the two of them might fit on it they’d be a lot closer than would be comfortable. Her little couch did fold out into another small bed, but whoever had built the thing must have done it with the intention of discouraging guests from staying more than one night. It certainly wasn’t designed to give anyone a good night’s sleep. She had no intention of trying to get one on it herself, but if she tried to have Cheryl sleep there she could imagine the whining and bitching Cheryl would do…all night long.
“Let’s hit the showers,” Marie suggested. “Then maybe we could stop at that little Italian restaurant for dinner before we go home.”
Cheryl groaned. “Can’t we just go back to your apartment? Honestly, I’m too tired to feel hungry.”
“Stop whining,” Marie said sharply. “Whether you’re hungry or not, I am, and I could really go for some mussels and garlic tonight. So unless you want to bag it all and go back to your own apartment, you’re coming with me.”
“You’re just as bad as that bitch trainer,” Cheryl grumbled.
“Oh, knock it off!” Marie snapped. “You can’t be all that exhausted if you’ve still got enough energy to complain. Now, come on: Showers and dinner and then home. Dinner is my treat.”
The prospect of a free dinner seemed to perk Cheryl up considerably. They quickly showered, dressed and walked the half-dozen blocks to the restaurant. The wind had picked up and the air had turned colder. Stray snowflakes drifted by. Cheryl took a deep breath and let it out with a big sigh.
“I love the winter,” she said. “Everything is so crisp and clear. Look, you can see the stars!” She pointed, and Marie looked up. She could see a couple of bright pinpoints overhead, but the city lights kept her from seeing much more than that. She felt fairly sure that at least one of those pinpoints was a planet, not a star, but she didn’t feel like trying to explain it to Cheryl. She’d grown up out in the country. Night skies out there were crowded with stars, especially on moonless nights.
The mussels and garlic were as good as she’d remembered, and since the restaurant had a liquor license she washed it down with the house red wine. She supposed that since mussels were seafood she should have gone with white wine, but the red just seemed to fit the meal better. Cheryl, in the meantime, chowed down on a plate of chicken cacciatore. Maybe free food tasted better, but she’d certainly regained her appetite during their short walk here. It was past eight-thirty when they finally made it back to Marie’s apartment.
“Why don’t we go to that restaurant more often?” Cheryl asked as she doffed her coat and hung it up on a hook in the tiny hall closet. “The food is great and the service is good.”
“Neither one of us can afford to eat out every night,” Marie reminded her. “And anyway, how many restaurants are there within walking distance? I never bothered to count them, but there have to be dozens.” You might not be able to see many stars at night in the city, she thought, but there was no shortage of good places to eat.
“Yeah, well,” Cheryl shrugged as she plopped herself down on Marie’s small couch. It was much more comfortable to sit on than it was to sleep in. “I guess you’re right. Hey, the next time we go out to eat, treat’s on me.”
“Thanks,” Marie smiled as she sat down at her computer. She started it up. She was so intent on getting to her e-mail that she didn’t notice when Cheryl got up from the couch and came to stand close behind her.
“What are you doing?” Cheryl asked. Marie jumped.
“Checking my e-mail,” she replied. “He sends me at least one message a day.”
“Lucky witch,” Cheryl yawned and stretched. Then the cell phone rang. Marie broke off what she was doing and fished the device out of her purse. Just the peculiar ringtone of that cheap little phone was enough to start her heart pounding now. She flipped it open with shaky fingers.
“Hello, Master,” she purred. She heard him laugh.
“You’re at home now,” he said. It wasn’t a question. She didn’t know how he knew, but somehow that seemed unimportant.
“Yes, Master,” she nodded. Cheryl was close enough to hear, and it gave Marie a nasty little thrill to know that.
“Good. Now take off your clothes.”
“Ah…” Marie hesitated. “I have company, Master. Cheryl is here with me.”
She heard him laugh again.
“Even better,” he said. “Tell her to take her clothes off as well.”
M
arie still hesitated. Her mouth felt dry. She hadn’t been expecting anything like this. She looked back over her shoulder at Cheryl and saw that her friend was smiling crookedly, as if she already knew what was going on.
“He…” Marie gulped. “He says…”
“He wants us both to strip, right?” Cheryl finished the sentence for her.
“Yes.” Marie felt her face reddening.
“Fine by me,” Cheryl shrugged. She started unzipping her dress. “I wanted to take a shower anyway,” she said as she shimmied out of the garment. “You can join me later if you want. I’ll take my time.” She winked at Marie. Flustered, Marie turned back to her computer.
“Well?” she heard him ask over the phone.
“Ah…yes, Master!” Marie replied. She put down the cell phone and stood up, keeping her back to Cheryl. If she couldn’t see her, she might as well not be there, right? She hastily unbuttoned her blouse and peeled it off. Her skirt followed quickly. She had to sit down to get her shoes and pantyhose off, then stand up again to remove her brassiere and matching panties. She was about to pick up the phone again when she remembered she was still wearing earrings. She took them off and picked up the phone again.
“I’m naked for you, Master,” she said breathlessly.
“Are you excited, Marie?” he asked. “Are your nipples hard?”
“Yes, Master,” she answered promptly.
“I’m naked too, sir,” Cheryl said loudly enough for him to hear. Her arms slid around Marie as she pressed herself close against Marie’s back. Marie yelped and almost dropped the phone. Cheryl’s breath felt warm and moist on the nape of her neck.
Marie heard him laugh again. “I’ve seen your bedroom, Marie,” he said. “Tonight I want the two of you to sleep together in your bed, naked.” Before Marie could work up the nerve to protest, he went on. “Put Cheryl on the phone for a moment.”