Stranger Than Truth Ch. 07

"Tasha, do you have someone to stay with tonight?" Sally asked. The actress shook her head. "Mistress, I think she should come home with us. She shouldn't be alone tonight."

"I don't want to impose…"

"It's not imposing. It'll help me as well. We have a spare bedroom you can use."

Tasha gave up her perfunctory objections, not wanting to be alone with her memories tonight. "Yes, I'd like that."

Sally led the other two to the car and drove them home. At the house, Val and Tasha spent some time just sitting together, recovering their emotional stability. Sally took time to fix a wonderful dinner, having it ready by the time they were ready. During dinner, the women talked.

"You know, Valerie, Sally, you're not what I expected."

Sally smiled, having heard such sentiments before "In what way?"

"I know this will sound horrible, but I thought you were perverts, deviants."

Sally laughed. "I've never had anyone be so…honest about what they thought of us. It's actually quite refreshing. What do you think of us now?"

"You're still perverts." Val chuckled, recalling Charles confirming to someone else that he was a pervert. "But you're more than that. You're people, with lives, loves, foibles and fears. I can't seem to hold you in contempt like I once could."

Val's eyes squinted. "Why would you hold us in contempt? I don't deny that by the standards of society, we are perverts. Are perverts only deserving of contempt?"

"No, it's not that. You…I believed that anyone who seeks enjoyment from beatings, they…it…doing that means that what happened to me was not wrong. If beating women for fun is just an alternative lifestyle, then what happened to me was just another lifestyle."

"Oh my," Sally looked incredulous. "Tasha, it's not…"

"I know, please don't make me feel any worse. What happened to Valerie, that was wrong, and everyone of…you, I guess, believe that as strongly as I do. I don't think I will ever understand why you want to let people beat you, but I do understand that it is what you want. What you do still frightens me. What I enacted today could happen again. Doesn't that scare you?"

Val pursed her lips. "Yes, I guess it does. No more, however, than a skydiver fears his chute failing. Yes, I could have my safe word violated again, be savaged and possibly maimed. I minimize that danger by being careful who I submit to. I know this may freak you out, but there is another type of fear that is something I crave."

"Fear! You crave fear?"

"Mistress, if I may?" Sally continued when Val nodded her head. "You've noticed that things have changed between Val and I. I'm submitting to her 24/7. That's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even more, I have no safe word. She can do anything to me, order me to do anything at all."

"But I thought safe words were…"

Sally nodded. "Yes, our Master teaches that safe words are inviolate. He's not happy with the situation, but he understands why we're at this juncture. Anyway, knowing that Valerie can do anything, even things that I don't like, is frightening. That fear is paired with trust. I'm afraid of what she might do, yet I trust her completely. I know she will not hurt me. She will make me uncomfortable, give me pain; force me to do things I don't like or want to do. She will also care for me, love me; give me great joy and pleasure."

"Do you really trust her that much?"

"Yes. Have you heard of breath play?"

Tasha shook her head, eyes wide at the implications of the words themselves.

"In breath play, the dominant takes away the ability to breathe in some way. There's perhaps no greater display of trust for a submissive than to allow breath play. It's very dangerous. Have you heard of the rule of three?"

"Yes, three minutes without air, three days with out water, three weeks without food are what it takes to kill you. You let Valerie suffocate you?"

"Yes." Sally paused to let that sink in, watching the shock on Tasha's face. "Obviously it's incredibly dangerous. Even before death, there's the possibility of brain damage."

Valerie picked up the thread of the conversation. "That's why I will never use anything but my hands. Any device, such as a rope, could jam. In fact, Master would probably freak if he knew. The fear and trust that roll off her are an intense high."

"Aren't you scared you might make a mistake?"

"Yes, that's why I won't use it very often. Early on, Sally needed to know I would take her deeper into submission than she has ever been before. It will never be a big part of our play."

Tasha shook her head in wonder. "You're thrill junkies, aren't you?"

"I suppose that's one way of looking at it," Sally answered. "It's more than that, but we are a type of thrill junkie. It's a lot more than that, though. Submission, or willing slavery if you will, is about deep seated needs, about who we are at the core of our being. I can't imagine not being Valerie's slave, of giving her my complete trust and adoration. When she uses me and leaves me weeping in agony, be it physical or emotional agony, I am so thankful for that. I'm thankful because she has allowed, even made me to be who I am in my heart." Sally slid off the couch to kneel at Valerie's feet. She put her head down, bowing. "I am owned by my Mistress and I would kiss her feet if she demanded it of me." Sally then did just that, started kissing Valerie's feet as both Valerie and Tasha looked on in surprise.

"I don't know what to say. I could never do this, no matter how much I loved someone."

"That's because this is not who you are," Valerie replied with a choked voice.

Inside, Val was terrified. Sally entrusted so much to her and Val was not convinced she deserved it. Master Hugh's words still resonated in her head. "Love is not enough. You'll hurt Sally." Charles' reaction seemed to confirm that Hugh's fear was justified. Val knew she would not be able to live with the guilt if she brought true harm to her lover. A tear started to roll down her cheek which she quickly wiped away.

"Tasha, you probably need to hit the sack soon. I suppose you have to be at make up at some ridiculously early hour."

"No, not really, just 4:00."

"Morning people!" Val exclaimed. "Sally, wait for me in the bedroom while I see to Tasha."

"Yes, Mistress."

Valerie led Tasha to Francine's bedroom. "This is Francine's old room, you can sleep here."

"Francine? Not the same…"

"Yes, the same Francine."

"But she savaged you, ruined your life. How could you share a house with her?"

"Francine was…is my best friend. Yes, she hurt me, hurt me badly. I still love her." Tears started to fill Valerie's eyes. "I hate the fact that I hate her right now too. It tears me up inside. I don't want to hate her."

"Where is she now?"

"Since it happened, she hasn't been able to be in the presence of domination. Seeing someone dominating provokes her own flashbacks. She's looking for another place, maybe a place she can have built for her. She can't come back here because Sally is my slave 24/7."

"Valerie, if you didn't hate her right now, you wouldn't be human. She hurt you, and she did it on purpose." Tasha held up her hand to forestall Valerie's defense. "Losing control doesn't last for an hour. I've read the script notes. Maybe she did act out of pain, but she did what she did with intent. That you still love her make you a stronger person than I am. That you would live with her, even for a mere six months makes you a saint. Go be with Sally. You both need each other right now."

When Val entered her bedroom, Sally was lying in her kennel, the door shut but not locked. Valerie knelt beside the cage, opening the door and cupping Sally's chin.

"Why the kennel?"

"It felt right. I started to crawl into bed and I felt disobedient."

"Because I didn't tell you otherwise?"

Sally nodded her head. Her face held a look of longing.

"Sally, do you want me to treat you this way, to banish you to the kennel unless I want to have you in my bed?" Sally nodded her head. "How far do you want me to take this?"

"I…I don't know. I want to sleep with you, to cuddle with you and feel you next to me when I wake up. I also want to be as much a slave as you can make me. I want what Erica talked about. I want you to be the first thing I think of whenever I do something. I want everything I do to be for you, first and foremost."

"Sally, if that's what you want from your slavery, then that's what I want from you. What do you think I want tonight?"

"Do you want me with you?"

"Yes! In fact, that's what I want all the time. I will put you in the kennel at night, at least on occasion. But unless I do, I want you in my bed. You're not just my slave. You're the woman I love, that I want to spend my life with. Yes, I'm going to give you pain, anguish, humiliation and frustration. I'm also going to give you tenderness, loving, pleasure and joy. I would give you my life. But I'm so scared that I will hurt you. What if I can't give you the ownership you need, if I leave you wanting and you wither somehow?"

"Mistress, please, that could never happen. I trust you with everything; my life, my health, my heart, my happiness. I know you won't hurt me, not on purpose. Accidents will happen, but you will make them right and we will go on. Master Hugh is wrong."

Sally had crawled out and embraced Valerie while she was talking. She released and took Val's hands in her own, bringing them to her face, one over her mouth and one over her nose. Valerie's eyes widened.

"Sally?"

"Mistress, I trust you with my life. Go ahead, take me until I pass out. I know you won't hurt me."

"Sally, this is so dangerous."

"I know. For yourself, do it for yourself. Even if you never do it again, I want to show you just how much I trust you, how impossible it is for you to hurt me. This once, take me breath until I pass out."

Valerie took Sally's hand and led her to the bed. Valerie sat against the headboard and cradled Sally between her legs.

"What if I screw up?"

"You won't. If anything, you'll let up sooner than I asked."

Before she could chicken out, Val cupped Sally's mouth and pinched her nose. Sally's hands shot up to grab Valerie's arms, holding on without pulling away. Val could feel the suction against her hand as Sally's lungs tried to suck in more air. Seconds passed, seeming like minutes. Sally's grip tightened as she fought the urge to pull Val's hands away from her face. Legs kicked on the bed, the struggle manifesting where it could.

Valerie felt her own fear increase. Watching Sally struggle against suffocation was harder than she had thought it would be. There was something different this time. She had used breath play earlier and had not felt the panic that Sally was feeling. This time she was. She felt Sally's grip loosen, her hands simply caressing the hands that were preventing her from breathing. When they fell away, limp, Valerie pulled her hands down to Sally's chest, breathing a sigh of relief as the chest rose and fell slowly.

Sally stirred and took a large breath. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me. I love you so much."

Val bent her head and kissed Sally's neck. "I love you too. I don't think I want to do that again. I'm so humbled by your trust in me, and it helps that you showed me this, but part of why I won't hurt you must be that I won't take unneeded chances. I don't need to beat you like Calvin. I don't need to take your breath away, at least not literally. I'm still learning how to own you, but those two I've figured out. Do you mind?"

"I'm yours, Mistress. It's up to you how to use me and own me. It's not my place to decide."

"I do want you to tell me when I slack off. If I do it on purpose, that's fine. If you're feeling adrift, not owned, let me know and we'll figure something out."

"Mistress?"

"Yes, Sally."

"I've been pretty dominant for most of the day. I think that's why I felt the need to kiss your feet earlier."

"So you need to be put back in your place?"

"Could you, please?"

"Go get the locks for your pussy and close yourself."

Sally stifled a sob, trembling at the thought of being closed again, yet heartened by her Mistress' willingness to take such control. She padded over to the drawers and slowly locked each pair of pussy rings in place, preventing her cunt from being penetrated by anything larger than a pen. She returned to the bed to find Valerie sitting on the edge, her finger to her lips.

"I don't want you to ask for them to be removed or how long they will stay on. Turn around."

Sally did so and Val clipped her cuffs together behind her back. Val wrapped Sally's legs with straps on the ankles, above and below the knees and at the top of the thighs. The straps were not tight, but kept Sally from being able to use her legs. Laying Sally down on the bed, Val spooned behind her and lightly touched Sally's cunt lips. The helpless slave gasped at the contact, her already moist pussy producing even more fluid. Sally whimpered as the feather light touches had her wiggling in Valerie's arms. When Sally tried to beg, Val put a finger to her lips with a, "Shh." Silently, Sally allowed her Mistress to drive her arousal to great heights. Occasionally, Val would bring a wet hand to Sally's lips, letting her taste her own desperate arousal.

"I'm not going to let you cum, you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Mistress. It's so hard Mistress."

"I know. I wouldn't do this if I didn't think you could handle it." Val inhaled, breathing in Sally's aroused aroma. "You smell so nice, so fuckable, so needy. I love seeing you this way."

Valerie teased Sally another 15 minutes before pulling away from her cunt, clipping her hands to her collar, and enveloping her in a hug, hands resting on tits.

"Good night, Sally."

Sally, replied with a sob, "Good night, Mistress. Mistress?"

"No you may not. Quiet. Sleep."

Sally snuggled closer to her lover, moaning softly with unsatisfied desire, yet comforted by her Mistress' firmness. It took some time for her to fall asleep.

The alarm went off at 3:00 in the morning. Valerie caressed Sally's arm as the slave woke to the alarm as well. Sally groaned as she tried to stretch, only to discover that she was still bound.

"How are we feeling?"

"Stiff, horny, owned."

"In other words, just the way I intended. You're going to have to cover the film for me part of the day. I'm meeting with Mrs. Anders at Yara's and Dr. Gloush. Will you be up to it? They're doing the shooting."

"It won't be easy. I almost lost you that day," she whispered.

Valerie fingered her collar. "If not for this, I would have died." Valerie's voice choked as she continued. "I love her so much, Sally. I don't want to hate her."

"It won't be forever. You don't hate her, you hate what she's done. Eventually you'll be able to separate her and what happened."

There was a knock on their door, followed by Tasha's voice. "Hey you two, we need to leave soon. Are you up yet?"

"Yes! We'll be out right after a quick shower. Will they have breakfast on the set?"

"Yeah! Buffet style."

Val released Sally and the two shared a quick shower. Sally's rings were left locked, much to her frustration. By 3:30, the three women were on the road heading towards Francine's old house. The catered breakfast buffet was as good as the lunches had been. Tasha took hers into the makeup trailer. The couple realized why actresses seemed obsessed with fitness routines. Their diets while filming were atrocious, as far as weight was concerned. Tasha had loaded a plate with a generous helping of scrambled eggs smothered in melted cheese, half a dozen link sausages, thick Texas style toast lathered with real butter and a twenty four ounce cup of rich hot chocolate. If this was what she had every morning, it was a miracle she didn't put on ten pounds of weight.

An hour later, a gopher asked Valerie and Sally to come to the makeup trailer. It seemed that Harvey wanted to consult with them.

"Valerie, I need to put the scars on Tasha. Unfortunately, the hospital would not consider releasing the photos. I know this is a bit abrupt, but, can I take a look at your scars, take some pictures?"

Valerie laughed. "Harvey, people have been staring at my scars for months. At least you have a good reason for it. I don't mind at all."

Valerie stripped off her top, revealing her back and the scars. They had faded some in the last few months, but were still quite visible.

"I assume they've faded a bit?"

"Yes they have. I'd say they were about twice as noticeable, wouldn't you Sally?"

"Yes, that would be right. Right after you were out of the hospital, they were redder as well, fresh."

Harvey finished his digital picture and brought them up on his laptop. He punched a few keys and the picture morphed, the scars becoming more prominent.

"Is this what we're talking about?"

"Almost," Sally said. "A little more definition along the edges and redder in the center."

"How's this," he asked after some more changes.

"Good, that's good."

"Fantastic! I can work from these. You might as well go, I'll be a couple of hours putting these on her back."

"Tasha, you're unbelievable. I have a hard enough time spending half an hour at the hairdresser's place and you're going to be in make up for over three hours."

"It's not all that bad. I'll even catch a few winks while I'm waiting. Thanks for last night. I needed it."

"Our pleasure, see you on the set."

When they exited the trailer, Mitch was waiting for them.

"Ms. Burbon, Ms. Thatcher, Mr. Freeman would like to see you on set four. He said it was important."

"Lead on, Mitch, and welcome back."

"Thanks, it's right this way."

Mitch led them through the house to the place the crew had been calling set four, the dining room entrance. At the entrance, Mitch held the door open, letting Valerie and Sally into the surprisingly dark room. Valerie started to turn at a sound and found herself grabbed by several strong hands and dragged to a wall. Sally's yelp of surprise confirmed that she was being assaulted as well. Before they could react, both women had been clipped by their cuffs to the walls and blindfolds put on their faces.

Val felt her top being lifted and she screamed, "What the hell are you doing? Who are you? Help!"

Both women felt something wet and sticky hit their backs. Sally screamed, "What the fuck was that?"

Through the blindfolds, Valerie could tell the lights had come on. Milton's voice answered, "Why, we're whipping you with a wet noodle, of course. This has been a long time coming."

Laughter sounded, the laughs of a large number of people. The blindfolds were taken off and Valerie could see, over her shoulder, almost the entire crew watching as Crystal and Melanie took strands of cooked ramen noodles and whipped them across the backs of the Sally and Valerie.

Sally chuckled and cried out, "Oh no! Not the wet noodle! Please no, I'll do anything, just not the wet noodle."

The cries went unheeded, unless you counted the increase in laugh levels as the noodle strands stuck to their backs. Soon, Valerie and Sally had their backs covered in wet and drying pasta. Fifteen minutes later, they were let loose and the assembled crew applauded. Cynthia came up and offered her hand.

"On behalf of the crew and cast of Valerie's Crisis, I welcome you to the ranks of IMCC, Initiated Movie Cast and Crew. Personally, this has been long in coming. Everyone agrees that you two are the reason this movie will be as successful as we anticipate."

"Guys, I don't know what to say. This is an honor. Thank you."

"We have something for you. We know your time here hasn't been the happiest, with all that's gone on and the memories that have been dredged up. We all pitched in and had a couple of gifts made for you two. They're right over here."