Stranger Than Truth Ch. 04

"Sally. What happened?"

"Steven clipped me to the bed last night Mistress."

"Why didn't you go when you had to?"

"He ordered me to stay there until you came home."

"Oh my God," Valerie thought. "She thought she had to obey, that she had no safe word or outlet."

"Sally. I don't want you hurting yourself. I'm not into scat or piss. Denying you toilet privileges is not what I intended. You should have released yourself, went, and rebound yourself."

"I'm sorry Mistress. I didn't know."

"It's as much my fault as yours. I did not think of what might happen. I took your safe word and gave you to someone who thought you still had one. That was wrong of me. My only excuse is that I'm new to this."

"Please Mistress. Don't blame yourself."

Valerie knelt down to be at the same level as Sally. "Sally. You taught me that dominants have more responsibility than submissives. When I take you so fully, I have the duty to see that you are not seriously injured. I didn't do that, and I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"Yes Mistress. I love you, How could I not?"

"I suppose you haven't eaten?"

"No Mistress."

"Then get up and get dressed. We're going out to dinner." Val saw that Sally was about to complain and she held her hand up. "No. You are my slave and must do my will. I want to have dinner with my lover and tell her all about my date."

"Yes Mistress. Will you restrain me in some way, though?"

"Yes, I think we can do something in that respect. Go to the bathroom again. you won't get another chance for several hours."

While Sally was in the bathroom, Val pulled a butt plug and a remote controlled vibrator from their toy drawer. When Sally was done, Valerie inserted both into her and used a leather crotch rope to force them in. Reminding Sally that she was still on orgasm restriction (which brought a moan from the woman), they went out to the Gotham Club for dinner. Valerie kept Sally on edge all night with the remote, driving her to near climax during dinner several times. By the time they returned home, Sally was almost incoherent with need. Valerie denied Sally any orgasm, knowing it was one of the best things she could do to establish in Sally's mind that Val truly owned her. Sally spent the night in bed, hands tied to the headboard, while Valerie cuddled with her.

The next morning, Val let Sally know that they were meeting the actors at Mephisto's in the afternoon and instructed her to be there. Her day at work passed quickly. A meeting on Friday was set up with Mr. Wilson to discuss which photos to use in the new ads. Before she knew it, Valerie was on her way to Mephisto's to meet with the actors. Five minutes after she arrived, Sally showed up.

Inside, she saw that Stan Greyish was already there, watching a bondage demo on the main stage. Joining him, Val saw that Lilly was being tied up by her boyfriend. He was explaining the knots he was using as he went, but he was going fast enough that no one had any chance to follow him. Sighing, Valerie lamented that this was all too normal for instructional scenes. The instruction talk was too little, too fast and the teaching part was lost. She made a mental note to talk to Lilly about ways they could improve their presentation..

The rest of the actors arrived over the next half hour and soon, all seven people were in one of the private rooms. Valerie started her talk.

"Our long range goal is to enable all of you to portray BDSM on screen accurately. This is different from doing it safely, as I don't think anyone, neither you nor your producer, want any of you to have real welts or marks. What Sally and I want to show you is how to pretend to whip and be whipped. I should warn you that being on rhe receiving end of a pretend whipping, one that will look real on camera, will involve some discomfort. The lashes will still be hitting you."

Tasha crossed her arms in that pose that everyone understood to be one of hostility. "Just how much pain are we talking about here?"

Valerie considered for several seconds. "Think of it as being the equivalent of clapping your hands hard, but on your back and ass."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Stan commented. "So how does this pretend whipping work? We've seen the real thing on the earlier visit."

Valerie looked at Sally. There eyes locked, and Sally understood that Valerie did not want to tell the actors about the changes in Sally's status. "Sally, would you do the honors. Be sure to explain just what is going on."

"Of course. You'll need to be naked."

Valerie, long used to undressing in front of others, stripped her clothes off and grabbed two rings on the wall. Sally started her explanation.

"The first thing that will be working for us is the whip we'll be using. If you look at these strands, they are very soft and wide. This is the softest cat you can use in BDSM. It takes a lot of power to leave significant marks on one's back or butt. Now, watch the difference between these two strokes."

Sally lifted the whip and gave Valerie a normal stroke against her upper back. Valerie hissed at the stroke, glad that Sally was able to do this while deep in her submission. The second stroke looked, on the surface, just the same as the first. However, Sally's stroke was different. The lashes stayed behind her arm until the last second and then they flicked forward. The stroke lost most of its power, yet still made a satisfying slap, thanks to the wideness of the lashes. After the two were delivered, Sally and Valerie turned to the four actors.

"Can anyone tell me how the two strokes were different?"

The four looked at one another and at the couple. Crystal spoke up. "It looked like the lashes weren't swinging on the second one, at least not right away."

Sally smiled. "Yes, exactly!"

Valerie took over. "Crystal, you, Melanie and Stan will have to be able inflict these types of strokes. Tasha and Melanie will need to be able to act like they are being really hurt. Crystal, will you take the whip and try to whip me? Don't worry about hurting me. You can't swing that cat hard enough to go past my limits."

Crystal took the whip, holding it like it was a snake that would bite her. "Valerie? What are these limits you talk about?"

"Everyone has limits. Limits are what you can stand before it becomes too much to take. It's really hard to explain, mostly because they change all the time and they are very specific to different stimuli. For example, I can take a lot of pain. Early in my submission, I was being punished for failing to obey my Master's orders and I didn't use my safe word for an hour. On the other hand, I can't handle being on an OBGyn table for any length of time."

"An exam table?" Tasha was incredulous.

"Yes. The first time my Master tried to strap me down on one, I had a full blown panic attack."

"Yet, you can stand an hour under a whip? What kind of person are you?"

"I'm a submissive. That is a person who gets pleasure from putting herself in the hands and the control of another person. That includes allowing that person to inflict pain on me."

Tasha looked at her, a strange expression on her face. "You're serious, aren't you? You really enjoy letting people hurt you?"

"Not anyone, but yes, I do. It's not always pain either. There's the sex," she responded with a smile.

"I... I don't understand you. It's so freaking weird."

"That may be. I think the public exposure that you actors subject yourselves to is weird. One person's weird is another person's normal. Tasha, you don't have to understand or approve, you just have to portray me."

Sally piped up. "Tasha, do you rememberPenny's for Gretchen, where you played the abusive mom? Did you understand how a mother could do that to her child?" Tasha shook her head. "Exactly. yet, you still played her with consummate skill. You are capable of this. Don't focus on the understanding, focus on the acting."

Tasha shook her head. "You're right. I am a great actress. Okay, show us what you've got."

Valerie smiled at Sally's clever use of typical actress arrogance. Normally irritating, this time it would work for them. The next two hours, the actors practiced giving and receiving the blows. While Tasha was leery at first, seeing Melanie take strokes from Sally with no reaction reassured her. Valerie was pleased to find that there was no teaching needed to have the actors pretend to be in pain and agony. It took more work to get the fake strokes down. Stan consistently used too much force and wasn't keeping the lashes back long enough. By the end of the two hours, Valerie knew that Stan would have to have more training. Crystal was the fastest learner and was mastering fake whippings in less than an hour. Melanie seemed to have them down after the two hours, though Valerie wanted her to practice more.

As they were departing, Valerie set up another appointment with all the actors for Saturday before the auction. Leaving Mephisto's, the two submissives drove to Charles' mansion. Valerie was nervous because she knew she had to tell Charles what she had done with Sally. She knew He would not be pleased and her time of submission would likely end in punishment, not play. She also knew she could have done nothing else. Herman answered the door and directed the two of them to the study.

Valerie looked at Sally. "Sally, strip your clothes off and follow me on your hands and knees."

"Yes Mistress."

Val led Sally to the study, kneeling before Charles once they were both there.

"Valerie. How has the week been so far."

"Very hard Master. I think I need tonight. There is something I need to tell you, Master."

"That doesn't sound very good."

"It is, Master, but you will not like it. I took Sally's safe word away."

"Valerie! What made you think you had the authority to initiate unsafe domination with Sally?"

"She needs it Master. You gave me domination over her. I can't let her down."

Sally grabbed Charles' legs, tears pouring down her face. "Master! Please don't make me have a safe word. Please Master."

Charles looked down at the two women, aghast at what he saw. Charles knew that there were people in the lifestyle who played without safe words. He had always considered them reckless and dangerous. His submissives were always trained to view consent and safe words as the key stones of their BDSM play. Now he was faced with one of his submissives begging to not be safe.

"Sally. Why?"

"I don't know Master." She was still in tears. "I need so much more. I need to be owned, not just dominated. I need no choice. Please don't make me have a choice."

Charles looked at the two women for several minutes, contemplating what to do. There was no denying Sally's feelings of need. He could see the love in Valerie's eyes, laced with fear. He realized that Valerie's willingness to do this to Sally came from the same place her willingness to engage in bite play with Surmi came from. Valerie was committed to giving her partners the best BDSM and sexual experience she could. He also knew that, if anyone was to take Sally on this journey, Valerie was the person who could do it the safest.

"Tell me everything you did with Sally, Valerie."

Valerie related everything, from the severe bite play and breath play to asking Calvin for advice. Charles frowned at the problem that occurred with Steven's orders. By the time Valerie had finished, he knew there was only one thing he could do. Valerie would not obey an order to give Sally's safe word back. Like a good leader, he refrained from giving a command that he knew would not be followed.

"I won't dominate someone without a safe word. I think where you are going is too dangerous. However, it is clear that Sally needs something like this, at least for the time being. Sally?" She looked up. "You are not released from my service. You are, however, given to Valerie for the indefinite future, until such time as she or I determine otherwise. You are under her domination and must obey her in all things. Do you understand that you will not be able to take back control? That Valerie alone will determine what happens to you and for how long?"

"Yes, Master. I want that. Even if she never lets me be free again. Even if she gives me to someone else forever."

"Sally, that is... incredible. Valerie. I am putting no restrictions on your use of Sally. All decisions about safe words, play, punishment and Sally's fate are yours and yours alone. You are still in submission to me and will be expected to answer to me in your submission."

"Thank you Master."

"Valerie, Sally. I can't help you in this. It is beyond what I am familiar or capable of. Valerie. You need to be extremely careful. The potential for truly hurting the woman you love is very great. It's good that the two of you have such a strong bond. You will need every iota of communication between the two of you. If you trust Sir Calvin, seek his advice. You might also seek advice from Master Damien. He tends towards submissives that never use their safe words."

"Yes, Master. I'm sorry you can't participate with Sally and I, Master."

"I am too. Tonight, however, you, Valerie, are to be punished. Not for taking Sally's safe word away, but for not consulting me first. Be downstairs, naked, in 15 minutes."

Charles rose and left. Valerie looked down at Sally. "Are you sure you want this Sally?"

"Yes, Mistress, with every fiber of my being. What do you wish of me while you're with Master?"

"Come with me."

Valerie and Sally went down to Charles' basement. There were several play rooms and a central dungeon there. Valerie took Sally to one of the play rooms. This room had, among other features, numerous hooks for binding people to the walls. She clipped Sally's cuffs together and hooked her to the wall. The hook Valerie used was low enough that sally could slip off it if she wished. Once Sally was in place, she retrieved several clothes pins from one of the storage drawers that were against one wall. She stood in front of Sally. Valerie rolled and pinched at Sally's nipples, causing them to become erect. Using her mouth, she lavished attention on them, drawing moans from Sally. When the first clothes pin snapped onto Sally's tit, Sally cried out.

"Oh, Mistress. Please. It hurts."

"I know. I want it to."

Sally looked up in surprise. "Mistress? Are you going to be okay?"

Valerie smiled. Sally's caring nature was one of the many things Val loved about Sally. "Yes and no. It will bother me, but I can deal with this. I want to give you all I can."

"Thank you Mistress."

Valerie attached the second pin to the other nipple, drawing another gasp of pain. Valerie knelt and licked at Sally's cunt, provoking Sally to lubricate. Her clit poked out from under its hood, desperate for attention, unaware of what was in store for it. Four pins were then clipped to Sally's pussy lips and the final one clamped directly to the erect clit. Sally screamed in pain.

"Mistress! It's too much. Please take it off."

"No. These will stay until Master is done with me. You can release yourself if need be, but getting down for anything other than an emergency that requires leaving the room will be punished. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mistress."

Valerie turned to go when Sally called out again. "Mistress, enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, Sally. I will."

Valerie wasn't sure how much she really would enjoy her time. Her stomach was in knots over what she had forced herself to do. Add to that, the upcoming punishment and you did not have a recipe for an enjoyable time. Valerie hurried, having used up 12 of the 15 minutes Charles had given her. She was setting the last folded article of clothing on a bench when her Master entered the dungeon.

"Valerie. Where is Sally?"

"I have her in an easily escapable bondage in play room three."

"Very well, go over to the cross."

Valerie walked over to the St. Andrew's Cross and knelt on the floor. Charles picked up a wooden paddle from the storage area before he joined her there.

"Stand at the cross, facing it."

"Yes, Master."

Charles bound her to the cross, using the rings on her cuffs to hold her into place. Additional straps were used to further immobilize her limbs and hips. Standing back, Charles took a moment to bring his feelings under control. He firmly believed that punishment should not be done while angry, and while he had not let it show, he was angry with Valerie. Time wasn't helping, however.

"Valerie. I'm angry with you," he said, deciding that he needed to let Val know where this punishment was coming from. "You are choosing to violate every item of safety that I've taught you. Sally is not, in my opinion, in a place where she can accurately know what she needs. You should be protecting her from herself. Instead, you are letting her poor judgment guide you. Potentially, you will hurt both of you, possibly worse than Francine hurt you. Is that what you want?"

Valerie felt tears running down her face. It hurt to have Charles so mad at her, but she knew she was right and He was wrong in this case. "No Master. I don't. But you're wrong, Master. I can't explain it, but you're wrong. Sally is more sure of what she wants, and needs, now than at any time in the past."

"I hope, for both your sakes, that I am wrong, Val." Valerie stiffened at Charles' use of her shortened name, something He had never done in the past. Her sadness eased, just a little. He cared. He was wrong, but it was His caring that He was coming from. "You are being punished for hiding your unsafe play from me. Your punishment will last until you use your safe word."

Valerie gasped at the harshness of the punishment. Before she could finish, the first blow struck and she screamed. Charles was not easing up the force or intensity of the punishment, but starting at full strength. In no time, the pain had become a single mass of sensation, reinforced by each successive blow. Valerie didn't even try to count, but simply endured the pain. As was normal for Valerie when she was being punished, there was no pleasure or joy. When she was being whipped in play, she could lose herself in the joy of pleasing her Master. Now, she knew he was displeased and that knowledge hurt more than the blows themselves. Even the knowledge that she would be forgiven once the punishment was over did not help, for she wasn't sure this time that she would be. She had gone off the reservation, so to speak, crossed a line that Charles would never condone. He allowed it, but only because He knew that he could not stop it.

When Valerie finally cried out, "Red Light!" she was sobbing uncontrollably. Her ass was a deep red with touches of purple, radiating tangible heat. When Charles applied ointment to the bruises (that's what they were), Valerie cried out in pain again.

"Valerie. It's just the ointment."

"Master?"

"Yes, Valerie?"

"Master, am I forgiven?"

Charles choked up before he answered. "Of course you are, Valerie. Why would you think otherwise?"

"I've done something you think is really bad, worse than anything before. Maybe it can't be forgiven?"

"Valerie, there is nothing that can't be forgiven. There are very few things that would cause me to send you away and even those would be forgiven. Yes, you are choosing to be very unsafe. But I can see that you truly believe that it is needed. I can respect that, even if I can't accept it. I want to talk about you, now. Let's get you down."

Charles took Valerie down and helped her to the recovery room. Laying her on a bench, he sat next to her as her face turned towards him.

"Can you do this, Valerie? I mean, being dominant for such a long period of time?"

"I don't know Master, I just don't know. I've never dominated Sally, or anyone else, for more than a couple of hours. There's no one else, that I feel I can trust, who can. I have to see her through this."