by Alyssa Clark
I had a ball gag, too. I considered putting it into his mouth before I thought better of it. “You will be silent. I will see you, but I will not hear you. Do you understand?” I asked this was a small test to see what he would do.
I got a nod because Mr. Franklin was far too good to be tripped up by something as simple as that.
Now’s the time to trip him up. “You can come out and take a good look at him,” I say loud enough for Linda to hear. “I want your opinion of how he looks like this.” Not that I really cared about her opinion, instead I wanted him to hear it. I wanted him to feel as if he was on display. I wanted to see his discomfort at being exposed. I wanted him to feel an array of emotions that put him on edge and made him upset.
Whatever frame of mind he came in here with was immediately demolished when I started speaking to another person. I could see confusion, and when he looked to the dark room, there was a touch of fear. He didn’t know who else I had here. “You have Clarke here?” it came out as an accusation, and I didn’t stop myself from slapping him.
I didn’t speak as I walked away, but when I cut the overhead lights on, I waited for his reaction then. I could see Linda in the doorway looking at her husband, naked and strung up. I waited to see if he would make an outburst or if she would crumple at the sight of him. I could see the tension in his shoulders and his head was up as he stared at his wife.
There was something hot in my belly. I felt vindicated arranging this. I wanted to give her an outlet for all that her husband did. All the neglect.
When no one spoke, I decided to take the reigns. “I regularly gave you homework,” I started towards him again. “I told you to worship your wife every time you left me,” I moved so I could see his face. “When was the last time you got your wife off?”
He blinked rapidly as he digested my question and it was clear he didn’t know. He looked at me helplessly because I had just given him instructions to not speak. Did he answer and incur punishment? Or not answer and still be punished? I watched with pleasure when he realized that there was no right way to do this, punishment would occur either way.
“It’s been well over a year,” Linda answered for him.
“Don’t help him,” I snapped at her and I saw her jump. She wasn’t prepared for the command that I carried in my voice. “You are not his attorney. You will not defend him,” I moved back to the closet to pick out just what I would use on him. I saw a pair of unused nipple clamps, and I picked them up. “He has made his bed,” I told her as I eyed other things. “You need to let him lay in it.” I picked up a leather cock ring, too, and decided it would be perfect. Now what to beat him with? I picked up a flogger, that would do. I turn back to see her inspecting him, eyes wide but still appreciating the picture I painted by stringing him up. “Why did you disobey me?” I demanded.
He looked from her to me then back again, “Never the time.” It was a lie. I didn’t even need to look for a tick. If there wasn’t time to see to his wife then how could he make time for me?
I stepped forward and halted Linda’s inspection of him as I took hold of one of his flat nipples. I didn’t twist, I wanted to, but I didn’t. I stretched it just a little so I could attach the clamp to it. The man gritted his teeth and hissed lowly. It was a satisfying noise to hear. I offered the other clamp to her, “Put this one on him.” It wasn’t a question, I used the same tone as I did before. But if she told me no I would back down.
She looks just as taken back now as she did when I snapped at her. But she took the clamp from me. She came to stand close, going for the unclamped part of his chest. I watched as she gently stimulated him, pinching lightly. She gave the skin a light tug before she took the clamp and attached it to his skin.
Her skin flushed, and I could see that doing that affected her. “Do you want to ask him questions?” I offered her, keeping the cock ring in hand. “Anything you want to know, now is the time to ask. If you feel like he’s lying,” I nodded towards the open closet door. “Take it out on him.”
Linda looked surprised, but it didn’t keep her from speaking to her spouse. “How long have you been seeing her?”
Mr. Franklin’s attention was on me because he knew this was something I wouldn’t allow him to lie to her about. He would come clean to his wife where we were concerned, “A little over a year.”
I stepped back to give Linda more space to work. I was just supervising now. Her expression twitched a little, and she nodded as if she understood. Was there something that happened between them? I’d wait to ask. “Have you slept with her?”
I didn’t hide my displeasure at that question, of course there’d be doubts, I was a stranger. It still hurt that she didn’t believe me. “No,” It was a low growl like he felt equally insulted that she had asked. “I want her, I have begged her. I tried showering her with gifts, and she rebuffed me and rejected me at every turn. This is business for her,” he hissed out. “There is no making it more than that.”
True remarks, all of them. But there was still something about them that rubbed me the wrong way. I clenched my hand around the pommel of the flogger and stepped swiftly around Linda so I could strike. I hit hard, watching with pleasure as his skin turned red. I struck again and heard his grunt of pain, that satisfied me enough to step back. When I noticed the surprised look I was getting from Linda I could only shrug. “He told the truth. I just took offense to it,” I had the power to protest what bothered me. So I did. “Please continue.”
“If you’re not getting what you want from her,” she eyed me now. “Why do this?”
I looked away, I didn’t have an answer. Not one that I was willing to share with her. I liked her, I wanted her to reconnect with her husband and take control of her marriage. But I didn’t want to be analyzed by her.
Franklin seemed to be struggling with an answer, too. His expression was closed but serious. “Charles is doing less managerial work at the office. He has left it up to Gregory and I to handle the office. I find that the more things that I have to manage on top of legal cases the more stressed I feel. I found the website that Angela began to advertise on by chance. Since I have submitted to her it seems as if all the stress is taken away simply by doing as she commands and taking my punishment,” he paused for a breath, collecting his thoughts.
“Why is he being punished?” She looked at me.
“Now? That’s obvious,” I waved a hand as if it didn’t matter. “A submissive is punished when they don’t meet my demands. I see him twice a week. I demand that he comes to me well rested. Often he’s not, the stress can also be obvious. Some of the things I do to him are because he specifically asked for it. The command of silence is something he asks for. If he makes a noise he’s punished for it.” I could see confusion there, “There’s a rush of endorphins when you get hurt, pain is something that can create pleasure for some people. While I don’t have sex with Mr. Franklin, there are times that orgasm does occur.” I didn’t give Franklin the same treatment I gave Matt. But there were times where the random simulations would cause him to cum, I just never thought the stimulation I was giving him was sexual.
At least I didn’t consider it sexual.
I didn’t expect her to understand, but I was relieved when she nodded. “All of this is about pain and punishment?”
“There’s more to it,” he started.
“There are rewards,” I supply for him. “Affection, pleasure. As he said, I am all business, and I do not offer him sex as a reward. But for two people that are in a relationship sex is a reward that can be used.”
There’s a challenge in his expression as he looks at her, “Would you do this for me? Would you put me in my place? Beat me? String me up?” He thrust his hips forward to bring attention to the erection he had, “I enjoy every excruciating thing she does to me. I gladly pay the rate she charges for the pleasure of having her hurt me. If you are so offended by it, by all means, feel free to get a lawyer. I will sign the papers without complaint.”
Apparently, he saw something on her face that I didn’t. I didn’t see disgust, just confusion. I wasn’t going to punish him for his rant, I guess it was something he needed to say. I could see the tension in his shoulders as he prepared to be struck.
I was too focused on Linda, I didn’t bother with him. I didn’t bring her here for this. I didn’t want to be the catalyst that brought an end to their marriage. My heart hurt for her, I couldn’t imagine being in her position.
“Give that to me,” but here she was, catching me off guard.
I blinked, it was my turn to be confused. “I’m sorry?”
“Give that,” her voice was hard, commanding, “to me.” When she met my gaze, I felt a thrill go through me. I eagerly handed her the flogger, and I found myself reconsidering my stance of female submissives. Maybe I should give a woman a try.
I stepped away giving her enough room to work. I watched as she tried to mimic the strike I had taken. It didn’t sound like it hit him hard enough and I heard Franklin snort tauntingly, “Going to have to do better than that, Linda. Put your tennis lessons to good use, woman.”
She pulled up short, and I saw her eyes narrow, this time when she hit him he cried out. There were red streaks blossoming in his back now. She didn’t wait for another taunt, she hit him again with a force that made him stumble. I saw her huff for a breath and hit him again, I felt so good watching this. Obviously, I was creating a monster. I should feel bad, but hopefully, this would save their failing relationship.
“Fitzgerald,” he grunted after one particularly hard swipe.
She didn’t register what it meant and began to strike him again. I couldn’t have that. There were still rules to this. I caught her arm to stop her, “That’s his safe word.” I could see her confusion, “When he says that it means it’s time to stop. You pushed his limit.”
She blinked rapidly at me as she processed what I said, “If I’m punishing him why do I have to stop?”
“Because you are pushing his limit,” I repeated. “You don’t want to actually hurt him. When the pain of the punishment is too much for him to bare, he’ll use his safeword.”
“He made me angry,” she explained, and it was clear she wasn’t understanding. “I have dealt with so much,” her voice quaked. “I have faced the fact that he doesn’t love me anymore and he was cheating on me. I have a right to hurt him.”
“You do,” because I wasn’t going to argue with her. “But pushing past what he can take is abuse, and that is not what I do. If he said to stop, I have to make you stop.”
“I’m not done,” she retorted.
“This,” I took the flogger from her, “is done. I understand your feelings, I do. But you have to understand there is a limit to what you can do.” I glanced at her husband, and I could see a familiar stiffness in his shoulders and back. “He’s had enough now. It's time to let him down and make sure we didn’t do anything damaging.”
Linda nodded her head, but she didn’t make any move to help me. I took the clamps off first, and he whimpered. Then I went down on my knees to take care of the bar I had between his ankles. His erection had faltered, and it was clear that he hadn’t enjoyed any of this punishment.
“I expected more of a protest from you,” I said lowly, trying to give the appearance that we were having a private conversation even with our audience. “You’re angry, but you’re still playing at being the good little submissive.”
“This is a well-deserved punishment,” he agreed, and I watched his face for any kind of sign that he was lying.
I stood up, his face was placid and hard to read. “Too agreeable. Do I have to worry about letting you down?” I wasn’t afraid of him, I didn’t think I needed to be. But here he was hiding things from me. If he was an attorney I could see how he was successful. “Because if you try to retaliate, it won’t go well for you.”
“I am far too aware of that,” he looked at me in a way that made me hesitate.
There wasn’t really a reason to be afraid, but his reaction wasn’t what I expected it to be. It wasn’t enough for me to keep him. I went to release the pulley that left him dangling, I lowered him slowly until he was resting flat on his feet and his hands were to the point I could easily reach them. I continued the supervised act of releasing him, and I could feel the pent up energy coming from Linda in waves. She wasn’t done, and she seemed antsy to continue punishing her wayward husband.
“You are done then? You just let him go because he said a word?” She questioned at last, “What about giving him what he deserves? What about putting him in his place?” Her eagerness was damn near heartwarming, it was infectious, and if I wasn’t careful, I would end up being taken away by it.
I had the cuffs unhooked, and I was busy unbuckling them when I spoke, “His health and trust are important. Going beyond what he can take is not something I do. If he says stop, then I cross a line that leads to not just abuse but rape among other things. While you might question this lifestyle, I still have integrity.”
“Am I free to speak?” Mr. Franklin asked, still playing at his part in this.
“Yes,” I had him free, and now it was the chore of cleaning him up. I took the toys and restraints I had in hand to put them aside for cleaning, from there I needed the soothing lotion.
“I want to terminate our arrangement,” he said it with such a surety that I paused in what I was doing. I shouldn’t be surprised, this was supposed to be something that didn’t include anyone else. I had gone to his wife.
I found the lotion and came back to him, not letting anything show. “If that’s what you want,” I said coolly after all this was my goal in the long run. “You can pay me for this visit, and I will cancel all pre-existing appointments.”
Linda stayed quiet, but she seemed to simmer in response. I felt her eyes on me as I started smoothing the lotion on her husband’s back with a cold precision.
“You just had to get her into this,” he growled at me. “You had to trifle in something you didn’t belong in.”
Now that he was negating our agreement I didn’t feel like I had to hide my feelings anymore from him. “Just as you arranged for me to trifle with your coworker? Just as you used me in a way that you shouldn’t? Just as you,” my voice rose despite the way I steadily worked the lotion into his battered skin, “betrayed my trust I have betrayed yours. The only difference here is I went for the gut. I don’t use others to shadily advance myself, Allen. The direct approach is what works best for me.” I stopped satisfied with my work and stepped back so I could maintain my air of command. “This is a mess you have made, and no one else is responsible for the outcome, but you.”
His expression closed as he digested my words, he nodded his agreement and went forward to dress. Linda came to me, seeming to have gathered what was happening here. “I don’t want you to end your agreement with Angela,” that surprised me. I looked at her and then back to Allen. “I want her to teach me how to do this so that I can do this for you.”
Allen was pulling on his slacks as she spoke and I couldn’t tell how he felt about it. His shoulders were set in a way that I was familiar with, but I couldn’t see his face to see exactly what he was thinking. This was a type of intimacy I had avoided since Kurt. I had put myself into their marriage and Linda was trying to use me as a tool to fix it. “That’s not a good idea,” he said after a length. “She just proved to me that I can’t trust her.”
“After a year of you showing that I can’t trust you I think this is something you can deal with,” she took a slow breath before she continued. “I don’t want to divorce you, but I don’t want to be treated as if I am insignificant any longer.” I could see how much this had affected her, it was a feeling I was familiar with. She had enjoyed taking command just as much as she had enjoyed beating him. “Do not,” she snapped at me, “cancel his next appointment. We will both be here for that.”
I glanced over at him to gauge his opinion on the matter. He was looking at hi
s wife with a new set of eyes, he didn’t bother to argue. He kept dressing as he listened to her speak.
“Very well,” I didn’t bother curbing my smile. “If that’s the case and you intend to come along I do have a request that you dress a little more appropriately. Perhaps he can give you an idea of what his tastes are.”
“I’m not prepared to give him any sort of rewards.” She was going to be a hard mistress to please.
“Some rewards,” I started lightly. “Are for you, too.” I gave Allen another look, “Maybe this time when I tell you to go home and worship your wife you will listen.”
“If she will allow it I will do it,” he was straightening his tie, but I doubted my suggestion would go the way he wanted. He didn’t wait for her, he marched to the door as if he were the anything but a submissive. Though he was smart enough to wait at the door, I noticed.
I looked to Linda, “Are you going to be able to keep that commanding voice at home?”