More Lessons for Laura (6 page)

“This is where it counts, Miss Harrington. I suggest you use
what you’ve learned to this point.” Ty pushed me forward softly and closed the
door behind me.

Standing at the carved antique mahogany desk was one of the
most beautiful women I had ever seen.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Laura. I’m Victoria. We have a
few things to go over before you get started.”

I stood there both eager and apprehensive. The fear of the
unknown flooded every part of me.

“Please have a seat.” Her delicate hand motioned to one of
the two wingback chairs facing her desk. “You are as captivating as Sydney
described.” Her class and charm were far less intimidating then anything I’d
imagined. “Let me get right to it, as I am sure you’re anxious to get started.”

“Actually, I…”

“Excuse me, but I did not request a response” Her warm smile
faded and a firm expression took over the flawless face. “You have been taught
collar rules, have you not?”

I nodded my head forward once, the way Sydney had taught me
to respond when collared.

“I expect your complete respect and obedience as long as you
remain a guest with us. Is that clear, Laura?”

Again I acknowledged her question in the proper manner,
noticing my own reaction and control even in this strange circumstance.

“You are a very special guest; however, Sydney has requested
you be placed in service.”

I had no idea what she meant, but she continued so I
listened, uncertain whether I was going to remain her
very special guest
.

“I do not personally orient our guests; but I was anxious to
meet the woman that finally captured Sydney.”

Captured Sydney?
Now I was confused. I was the one being held captive – by both the locked
gate and my desire to please someone I felt I knew less about the more I
learned.

Victoria explained slowly and carefully what would be expected
of me and how I was to behave. “Sydney has expressed some concern you may not
be able or willing to conform to her lifestyle. She has placed you in service
to allow you the opportunity to truly see what it means to serve.”

I wasn’t allowed to speak, so how was I supposed to react to
that statement? I just sat there.

“She needs you to develop a full understanding of your place
and desire to both please her and make her proud to present you. This is your
opportunity, Laura – possibly your last opportunity.”

My heart filled with pain, and tears welled in my eyes. It
was true. I stood a very real chance of losing her.

Victoria rose from the desk and sat in the chair beside me.
“Look at me, Laura. I understand where you are right now, because I too have
been there. I struggled with letting go of what I thought was my independence;
but what I found was an entirely new independence. I discovered a way of life
that allowed me to be free.” Her warm smile and comforting eyes returned as she
spoke.

This was the farthest place from freedom I could imagine. I
reached up and tugged at the metal ring around my neck, feeling its constraint
on more than just my voice.

“You may speak openly.”

I swallowed hard to clear the lump trapped in the words.
“How am I supposed to know I’m doing the right thing? I want to be with her,
but I am not sure I can be what she wants.”

“Sydney understands that. It is precisely why you are here.”

“Why can’t she just tell me what she wants from me? Why must
we play games?”

“That’s part of your problem, Laura. You consider this all a
game – and for Sydney, it’s a way of life. It
is
her life. She lives what she believes.”

“Why me, though? What made her choose me?” I had often
wondered what had encouraged her to turn
me
into her personal obsession.

“You have very special qualities she recognized right away.
I remember the first time she spoke of you. There was a spark in her I hadn’t
seen since… well, it was just nice to see her happy again.” She stood and
walked back around her desk.

I was left with again more questions than answers. My
confusion grew and I wanted to know – but at what cost? Who exactly was I
selling my soul to?

“What does Sydney do here?” I was sure now her smug comments
about training bad girls was somehow true, and just the thought of her touching
another woman in the way she touched me made me sad and angry at the same time.

“That is a discussion for Sydney to choose.” She sat back in
her chair and watched me. “You have to understand, this is very difficult for
her as well. She has invested more than time in you, Laura, and it is not in
her nature to give up easily. However, the choice has to be yours, because she
has already made hers. It may not seem fair, but that is the way it must be.”

“You said you were in my place once. You don’t appear to be
under anyone’s control now.”

“I have a Master, a very demanding Master. She is also very
smart. She understands I cannot be locked away like a possession. I do my part
by knowing my place and abiding by the rules of my service. In return, I am
given the freedom to control myself. We have complete trust in one another. I
know she will care and provide for me, and she knows I will do everything in my
power to honor her.”

“Sydney expects me to be under her control at all times.”

“No. She expects you to control yourself at all times. There
is a difference. She is teaching you what she expects you to do to be with her.
You choose to do it or not.”

“I didn’t have a choice to come here.”

“Were you dragged by your hair, kicking and screaming, or
did you simply follow what you truly wanted by going with her, wherever it was
you would end up?”

Her question slowly sank in and made me stop and think about
everything I had done since I’d met Sydney. My thought raced backward to all
the things she taught me. I found an understanding I had not bothered to look
for prior to that moment. None of it was forced upon me. None of it was
threatening or even demanded. She never told me what to do; she simply
requested I do it – and I did, willingly, and for the most part happily.
Even putting myself over her knee to be punished for my willfulness was my
choice.

“You have this opportunity to walk away, if that is what you
truly want. I suggest you do what has been asked of you one last time before
you make a decision that will affect much more than the rest of your life. This
final test will prove to both of you what is truly meant to be. You will pass
or fail, Laura. It is entirely up to you. It isn’t about Sydney and what she
wants. It is about
you
. It is about
your desire to be part of her and your willingness to do whatever that takes.
It will be difficult – you will face old demons and find new solace
– but whatever your choice, in the end you will be stronger.”

“I don’t think I can reach the perfection she requires.”

Her grin turned to a sweet devilish expression. “It isn’t
about being perfect all the time. After all, what fun would that be?” She stood
before she continued. “You have to follow your heart now. It isn’t about what
you believe is right or wrong. It’s about what you want and what you’re willing
to do to get it.”

She pressed the buzzer on her desk, the door opened, and Ty
stood there waiting for me.

 
“It was a
pleasure to meet you, Laura, and I wish you all the best.”

My head was spinning, but for the first time I was anxious
to prove to Sydney – and I think to myself – that I
was
willing to do whatever it took to
please her.
Whatever that was.

Ty’s instructions were rapid and clear. She took me by the
elbow and led me up the left staircase to the second floor into a large room at
the end of the long hallway. All I noticed was a line of completely nude women
standing with their hands tucked into the small of their backs, wearing
identical brass collars around their necks. Ty led me past the line while I
looked at the face of each woman we passed. Eyes cast down, faces soft, almost
content, bodies proudly displayed. Waiting; but waiting for what? Ty continued
to the end of the room and then stopped at another door.

“Inside you will find everything needed to prepare yourself.
I trust you understand what that entails.” The door opened to a large room with
a shower. “You have ten minutes to present yourself at the end of that line.
Place all of the used items back in the bag when you have finished, and leave
it and your clothing on that bench.”

I was starting to understand why Sydney had left my suitcase
behind. I would
serve
nude,
apparently. I just stood there looking at Ty. I was in a roomful of strangers
and expected to obey whatever this woman told me to do. Where the hell was
Sydney?

“I suggest you move, Miss Harrington. The clock is ticking.”

I started to speak, and her long index finger immediately
rose and pressed to my lips firmly. “You have come too far to try that now.”

I simply nodded my head forward, this time in the proper
respectful manner. My vulnerability was never clearer than in her eyes. The
look was a silent reminder that the same rules applied with her as with Sydney.

“Your eyes are to be down unless I request otherwise. Is
that understood, Miss Harrington?”

My eyes lowered as I nodded my answer again. She opened the
door to the bathroom and I stepped inside. When the door closed behind me, I
let out the deep sigh I had held far too long.
What the fuck, Laura? What have you gotten yourself into?
I turned
on the hot water in the shower and then looked up into the mirror. Looking back
was someone I wasn’t sure I knew any longer. The large schoolroom clock ticked so
loudly in my head that I paced my movements to it. As promised, everything I
needed was in the bag.

~~~ 6 ~~~

I did exactly what Sydney had taught
me to prepare for her. I only hoped it was her I was preparing for. My mind
raced back to everything I had learned to that point and my excitement grew in
what was yet to come. Seductive flashes of her touch penetrated my thoughts as
the hot water ran down my body like tantalizing fingers. I had accepted her
desires as my own and cherished the power she held to me like a hot match.
Close enough to feel the extreme heat but never burning me.

My body reacted to her control, and my will was catching up.
I didn’t understand why I was there, but it really didn’t matter – I
understood I was where she wanted me to be, and I wanted to be wherever that
was. My confidence grew alongside the desire to please her. Moments of clarity
and calm flooded in as my doubts swirled away with the water. The tick of the
clock flooded back when I turned off the water.

Lesson Six

I finished with only moments to
spare. Standing there with the towel wrapped around my body, I watched the
clock as the last few seconds swept away. At the very moment my time was up the
door opened.

“Ms. Harrington. I need you to come out and take your place
in the line.”

I just stood there looking at Ty, holding the towel tightly
to my body. “I don’t think...” My words were forbidden and the look on her face
as she approached me reminded me of my disobedient eyes.

“You are as stubborn as Syd said you were.”

“I can’t do this.”

“‘Can’t’ is not an option, Miss Harrington. ‘Won’t’ is,
however. Which is it you would like me to inform your Master of?”

She stepped in close to me, and took the towel in one hand
and a large handful of my hair in the other. The towel fell to the floor. She
led me out the door to the end of the line and then let go. As she did, I
jerked my head to emphasize my disapproval of her handling. Sydney made
requests, but she never physically forced me to carry them out. Her persuasion
was in the consequence that followed – a sound spanking, withholding of
orgasm, or the dreaded disappointment in her eyes. Physical control would not
encourage my will to obey. She did not have to handle me.
I complied because I wanted to.

“Let’s go, ladies.”

The line started to move forward and I stood there, frozen
again in the uncertainty of my decision. When the line reached the door, Ty
looked back at me standing in the same place she’d left me, looking her dead in
the eyes. While everyone waited, she walked back to me. Without a word, she hoisted
me up and over her shoulder like a feed sack. My hip pressed against her warm
cheek and my bare ass was presented to the world. I struggled and pushed
against her back. She placed a firm smack on my bare ass. Just once, but it was
far more humiliating and much harder than any smack I had received from Sydney.

“You may walk on your own, or you will be carried in this
manner.”

“Put me down then. I’ll walk.” My voice broke low with a
groan of embarrassment.

“It’s too late, Ms. Harrington. I only make one request.”

I hung my head and tried to hide my face under my swinging
hair as we passed people on our way to wherever it was we were going. She
placed me on my feet at the end of a narrow rectangular table with nothing but
a white linen cloth draped over it. Each of us stood at our own, spaced in the
very formal dining room. Other tables in the room had very high candles and
flower centerpieces. Women in very short black skirts and sheer white lace
blouses hurried around us to set everything up for what I assumed would be a
dinner party of some sort. I would have cherished even the skimpy uniform to my
own complete exposure.
Why was I there?
I suddenly felt very bare and placed my hands in front of me to conceal as much
of myself as I could. I felt Ty’s hot breath on my neck as she leaned in close.
Her warning hissed in my ear: “Put your hands where they belong.”