Regime

A hunt around the apartment drew a blank and so I had no choice but to revert to the manufacturer. A high to low price search turned up my particular device at the very top but there was nothing obvious about spares or replacements.

I then reviewed the terms and conditions which I had glibly accepted and swore out loud. The nuts were more than just a simple means of securing the device. Based on the number of turns they effectively formed a combination lock.

I looked at the device again and registered, for the first time, the dotted motif around each nut which corresponded to a number from one to nine. Simple maths told me that the number of possibilities totalled 8889 but that was without taking into account both the clockwise and anti-clockwise turns that the system allowed.

Worse was to come. A replacement tool would only be released to the 'owner' once the registered combination number sequence was correctly confirmed. I assumed that Katherine, in her usual meticulous way, would have registered her chosen number and, not for the first time in my life, I cursed myself for not reading a set of instructions.

It was bullshit of course, all part of the fantasy, but I was hardly in a position to sue them.

I considered trying brute force but the site cautioned against it declaring that the use of tools might lead to a shearing of the brittle material with the danger of severe laceration.

In extremis I suppose I could have walked into a local hospital and have it removed safely but the possibility of any attendant publicity did not bear thinking about.

I set off for work in a foul mood not helped by the fact that I was scheduled to address a new intake of fast trackers to extol the virtues of working in the public sector. I stood at a lectern and looked out at the thirty of so bright young things and then I had to do a double take.

Brazenly seated in the front row, smiling conspiratorially, was none other than Chloe. I have to confess that I had thought about her often even going so far as to make some discrete enquiries as to her whereabouts.

I guessed that Jennifer would have liked to have gotten rid of her altogether but Chloes' father, Roland, as well as being a friend, had connections to the party and the whips office could not afford to raise suspicion.

It transpired that she had been transferred to Human Resources and so there was a chance that she was attending in that capacity but surely it was more than coincidence.

She stood out amongst the soberly dressed high flyers wearing another of her daring wardrobe pieces and, as I began to speak, I had to fight to keep my eyes on the body of the audience.

The standard script was anodyne. It was non-aligned and could be delivered by ministers from either party but I found myself making one or two simple errors. My audience did not seem to notice; they just stared up at one of the stars in the political firmament.

I could not help but glance at Chloe from time to time but she seemed busy making notes until I reached a point where I began to talk about 'open government'. With studied deliberation she set her clipboard aside and uncrossed her legs; when I reached the subtext on 'degrees of openness' she slowly parted her legs and I could not avert my gaze.

A trick of the light seemed to illuminate the seat she had chosen and I could see that she was without underwear. For a couple of seconds I completely lost my train of thought and then I almost doubled over as my manhood tried to burst from its confines.

One or two of the youngsters started to move towards me but I put up a hand and forestalled them. I smiled, wiped a bead of sweat from my brow, and picked up where I had left off.

Some looked at me curiously but none more so than Chloe. She picked up her clipboard and put in on her lap but, at the same time, she raised the hem of her dress a couple of inches. I winced in renewed discomfort as her thighs were slowly revealed.

She intuited that something was going on but she could not be sure exactly what. Over the next few minutes she shifted in her seat revealing herself to me without making it obvious to her immediate neighbours. For my part I apologised to my audience and told them I was a little under the weather as I continually mopped my brow.

I cut the question and answer session as short as I decently could and noted that Chloe was providing each delegate with an information pack as they left the room until there was just the two of us left.

I was still standing at the lectern trying to gather myself knowing that any attempt to walk at that moment was doomed to failure. I was wrenched back to earth by the click of the door lock.

"Chloe, open the door. We can't be alone together."

"Of course we can silly."

She smiled and touched me on the cheek.

"I noticed that you cut things short. The room's booked for another half an hour...and nobody goes down on me quite like you."

An alarm bell was shrilling in my head but, as if by magic, her dress was sliding down her body to pool at her feet.

I could not explain it. Katherine was my ideal in a woman in so many ways so why was I so mesmerized by this slip of a girl? Her body was near perfect but it was more than that. It was the seemingly innocent way in which she flaunted her sexuality.

She moved closer and her hand dropped to my crotch.

"You want to...you're body can't lie."

She had taken the perceived firmness as a measure of my arousal and I eased her hand away before she divined the truth of the matter.

"Chloe, get yourself dressed..."

She ignored me and, instead, pressed her finger to her sex. My heart leapt as she let it sink inside and then withdrew it wet with arousal. I stood, unable to move, as she smeared my lips and the joined her mouth with mine.

Her tongue was everywhere seeking out her own taste and I almost cried out in pain as the device held me in check. I felt powerless as she eased me down to my knees to worship at her shrine until she melted into a draining orgasm that left her barely able to stand.

As soon as I returned to my office I picked up the phone to Veronica Samms. At first she told me that she could not bring forward my appointment but she must have heard the desperation in my voice. She agreed to see me that evening on the understanding that I could get Katherine to attend.

Katherine proved hard to get hold of but she eventually returned my call late in the afternoon. She, too, was put out by my impromptu request but I sensed that she was intrigued.

When we entered Samms' offices I was surprised to find her casually dressed in a dark dress which exposed a great deal of flesh. She spoke as she shook Katherine's hand.

"Forgive the informal appearance. I have a box at the Royal Opera this evening and I am going to be cutting things fine."

Katherine told her that there was no apology necessary as we were ushered to a sofa to sit side by side with Samms taking a seat in front of us.

For the first ten minutes she quizzed Katherine going over the same ground that she had previously covered with me including general health and her feelings about marriage in general. When she started asking about our love life I felt uneasy but Katherine said that for the most part she had been satisfied.

I was still considering the implications of her use of the past tense when I realized that she was expanding.

"I would like it if he were more attentive to me in certain ways...but I think we are making progress."

Samms made a note and looked up.

"Would you care to be more specific?"

"He used to be reluctant to go down on me. We have now remedied that."

I did not like that way that Katherine spoke of me in the third person and Samms was looking at me curiously.

"Did you check out that website?"

She did not wait for an answer before she continued.

"If you have been wearing a device for any length of time you need to get yourself examined to make sure it is not too constrictive. Your doctor can do it for you but I would be happy to do it now if you feel it might save you embarrassment."

She must have been insane. I had spent the last ten minutes trying not to stare at her chest and, at that moment, the constriction was almost bringing tears to my eyes. When I could not frame an answer she turned to Katherine.

"I was a clinician before I majored in psychology. I hope you don't think me presumptuous."

"Not at all."

I half registered that Samms, despite her youthful appearance, must have been even older than I imagined before Katherine touched me on the knee.

"Stand up and get undressed."

I looked at her in disbelief.

"Katherine, I ..."

"Just get up and do as you're told!"

Her tone shocked me and I rose almost without thought prompting Samms to remark.

"That's interesting. Have you discussed the submissive traits that we touched on during our first session?"

The answer was no. I had not broached it with Katherine and did not want to. I considered it total nonsense and accounted my acquiescence simply a means to keep things smooth until we got back to normal.

I was minded to sit back down again but Katherine gave an impatient tut. I did not want to have a row in front of Samms and give her more ammunition and so I took the line of least resistance and began to unfasten my trousers.

"Get completely undressed. I need to listen to your heart and check your blood pressure."

I felt as if I were in a dream as I stripped off not even thinking to look for a modesty screen but Samms was totally business like. She collected her stethoscope and listened to my heart and lungs but as she walked behind me she ran her fingers over my skin.

"You've tried corporal punishment?"

I had almost forgotten the riding crop and had not realized that the marks had yet to fade completely. Her next question was unexpected.

"How did it feel?"

I was about to give a sarcastic answer when Katherine unexpectedly replied.

"It felt empowering. I was angry and he deserved it. It was a release."

"Anything more than that?"

Katherine paused before she answered again.

"Truthfully?... It turned me on."

The shock of hearing her say it rocked me but not nearly as much as Samms next remark.

"I would say that the pair of you are more empathetic than perhaps you both realized. Pain, if properly controlled, can be an exciting stimulus".

As if to illustrate the point she stood in front of me and cradled my balls in her hand. She looked me straight in the eye as she continued speaking.

"A very expensive model if memory serves. Impossible to remove unless the keyholder so decides. How long has it been since you last allowed him to climax?"

"Not since...the incident."

"Well the good news, for you, is that it is a good fit and does not present any health problems. You can leave it on indefinitely.

I was on the point of telling her that she had crossed the line when Katherine forestalled me.

"Be quiet!"

Samms smiled broadly.

"You are a very lucky woman. You have 'the voice'. I had to train for years to become proficient for professional purposes but you have it quite naturally."

Now it was Katherine's turn to look puzzled prompting Samms to continue.

"It's in the tone and inflection. It is something almost hypnotic that bends people to your will for want of a better description."

Samms turned back to me.

"Kneel down."

She spoke the words quietly but with firmness and I went to my knees without conscious thought. Realizing what I had done I felt a deep sense of unease but, somewhere in the recesses of my mind, she had sparked the memory of being scolded as a child.

I immediately began to rise to my feet but Katherine interposed.

"Stay there."

There was a long silence as she considered the connotations and it was almost as if a series of unspoken questions and answers passed between them. The absurdity of the whole situation was not lost on me but it took a turn for the bizarre when Katherine next spoke.

"Lift her dress."

I looked up at Samms expecting her to look as stunned as I felt but her expression was a mix of amusement and mild curiosity. Was this some sort of test of my fidelity? Was I supposed to refuse or to obey?

I half turned to where Katherine remained seated on the sofa but she spoke just a little more tersely.

"Don't make me ask again."

I felt belittled, especially in the presence of Samms, and so I could not account for the fact that my groin ached with the beginnings of a frustrated erection. I reached forward hesitantly and raised her dress revealing her bare tanned legs and a pair of panties whose price was probably in inverse proportion to the scant amount of silk needed for their manufacture.

"Very pretty. You must let me know where you bought them".

Katherine spoke in a matter of fact manner as if it were a perfectly normal set of circumstances and so I was completely thrown out of kilter by her next remark.

"Take them off for her."

Any last pretence of professionalism was strewn to the winds but Jennifer had made it clear at the outset that Samms was seeing me "off the books" as a personal favour. I had vague, but futile, thoughts of suing for misconduct knowing it would have as devastating effect on my career as Katherine's threat to appear in public without her wedding band.

My mind was in turmoil and all I could do, for now, was to go along with it. My hands were shaking as I took hold of the delicate material and eased them down her incredibly smooth legs.

She stepped out of them and then raised her skirt to leave me staring at her depilated sex and I was shocked to see that she was sporting a discrete tattoo slightly to the left of her mons.

"Do you have time?"

Katherine's question to Samms could be construed in any number of innocent ways but somehow I knew exactly what it portended. Never, in the whole time I had known her, had she ever even hinted at introducing someone else into our relationship so how twistedly ironic that it was my infidelity which had brought us to this point.

Samms looked lost in thought for a second or two but then, looking down at me, she simply said.

"Why not."

She settled herself on the sofa next to Katherine and parted her legs as though it were the most natural thing in the world. I remained rooted to the spot, trying to deal with my conflicting emotions, and I looked to Katherine imploringly.

"Don't look at me. I want you to please Doctor Samms."

Samms was a very desirable young woman but I understood that, if I did this, nothing could ever be the same. That fear held me in check until, growing impatient, Katherine spoke again.

"You either do this or you and I are finished, it's up to you."

Samms smiled as I shuffled forward and leaned in towards her. I could now see that her tattoo was a Latin inscription the words inked in a circle. As I put out my tongue to lick her it was in my line of sight allowing me to read "Portas Paradisi". I wondered how many of her other lovers recognized the conceit.

Her sex yielded to me almost immediately suggesting an immodest level of arousal and I could not help but notice that she had applied a dab of scent to the inside of her thighs. It seemed obvious that she had been expecting someone to perform this service for her before the end of the night and I wondered with whom she was attending the opera.

I continued to lick, applying my new found skills, but I was surprised when they began talking to one another.

"You have him well trained."

"A work in progress. He can find the right spots but he tires too easily. He has trouble keeping his tongue deep enough for any great length of time."

"If you will allow me I can help you with that."

They carried on talking about me as though I had been bought for the night. I knew that I should have felt anger but, perversely, my overwhelming reaction was one of arousal with the ever increasing discomfort that it engendered.

The urge to rip off Samms clothing and to thrust myself upon her, fuelled with days of pent up frustration, was almost too great. I wanted to prove to her my worth as a lover and, at that moment, I did all that I could with the only means at my disposal.

I licked and sucked at her like a man possessed occasioning a sporadic moan as I homed in on her surprisingly large clitoris. I kept my hands flat on the floor as instructed but my efforts bore fruit as she began to leak freely.

Her natural scent blended with the musky application on her skin to shroud me in a heady bouquet that had me craving the taste of her. I was so caught up in this temporary madness that I did not notice the subtle change in atmosphere.

I cast my eyes upwards for the first time in minutes and time seemed to stand still. The two of them were engaged in a deep passionate kiss and an instant stab of jealousy almost stopped my heart.

They both had their eyes closed but Samms pressed down on my head in a clear instruction to stop looking and to carry on from where I had left off.

I obeyed simply to give me time to gather my fevered thoughts. To the best of my knowledge Katherine had never been with another woman nor had she ever expressed a desire to do so. I found it troubling but, nevertheless, my body responded in Pavlovian fashion.

A sudden jolt of pain made me gasp deep into her sex and this was the trigger for a gentle, but extended, climax which sent shivers through her body. We were disconnected but she no longer had need of me. She had found an altogether different stimulus.

When it was over they reluctantly parted and Samms spoke peremptorily.

"There's a washroom through there. Go and clean yourself up."

I did as she asked but I could not meet my own eyes in the mirror as I washed and dried my face. When I came back they were laughing together on the sofa and it was a moment before Katherine finally deigned to acknowledge my presence.

"I'll see you at home later. Veronica has invited me to the opera."

Chapter Seven

I took a taxi and, in a moment of icy clarity, I finally confronted the possibility that it might be over between Katherine and I. She had pushed me into dark places, and I was frightened about what I had found there, but more than that I could not come to terms with the enjoyment that she seemed to take from my suffering.

Back at the flat I even began to think through the mechanics. Once the defence bill was passed I would be well placed to think about the next step up. I could then ask for a divorce on the grounds of incompatibility, which would get the tabloids excited for a day or two, but the fuss would pass quickly.

In the real world a wife and two children was no longer a necessary prerequisite for high political office and, handled properly, the publicity might even be turned to my advantage.

On the financial front Katherine earned far more than me and so the process was not going to lead to impoverishment.

In the meantime I just needed to keep her sweet and persuade her to unlock the device. The worse case was that she would continue to play the bitch and I might have to accede to her demands for a few more days but I was scheduled to be in the States at the end of the month and I was hardly known there. I would find an opportunity to slip away and have the necessary work carried out.

I put on a Brahms symphony, which was usually guaranteed to relax me, as I tried to focus on the latest batch of briefing documents but I could not concentrate. I switched on the television and I must have dozed off as I was awakened by the opening of the front door.

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly midnight but a gale of laughter confirmed that Katherine was not alone. As I sat up she came into the room in company with Samms and it was clear that they had both been drinking.