The Job Fair

Karen took a step back from the client and raised the wire whip high over her right shoulder. But just as she was about to rain down her first strike upon his exposed soft flesh,

"Stop!"

There was an instant rustling of bodies and chairs as everyone around the table turned toward the far reaches of the room.

Slowly, the owner of the voice emerged into the light. It was the elderly woman, who earlier in the evening, had met with Karen. Her young muscular escort was by her side. No one spoke. Then with the refinement that only age and experience can execute properly, she panned her audience with a dedication not unlike a parish priest.

"I shall punish him." she said, more as a testament to the fait accompli of her pending action, than as a promise. At the same time she singled out Carla, making her the sole recipient of her design.

Carla did not respond, one way or another. In fact, she appeared to humbly acquiesce from the duty of her vested authority. Karen found this behaviour strange, if not disappointing.

The elegant older woman pointed down towards the desk.

"Most of you are not aware of the identity of your client, so displayed for our entertainment this evening. For your statistician and anyone who may not be aware, I shall introduce him to you. He is Sir William, the Chairman of the Board for the Duncan County Memorial Hospital and Palliative Care Facility."

There was an anxious rustle of spoken words passed amongst the women.

"The sad statement of failures that Mistress Carla has just read off are, as some of you in this room know quite well, very true and accurate."

Everyone was silent.

"I am his wife!"

One woman coughed. Then someone snickered.

"Amongst the papers spread out before you, deep in the folio envelope, you will find an affidavit. The affidavit is the agreement of transfer of 'his'," she spat out the reference to her husband in third person in order to belittle him even further, "power of attorney over to me. When you release him from the 'cross' you will direct him to sign it." she articulated, as if addressing the Speaker of the House on a point of order.

Softening her facial features somewhat, she allowed Carla to slip free from her mental grip and moved over towards the client. Standing face to face with him, she unleashed her sovereignty over his situation. Securely 'pinned' to the wooden beams as he was, he couldn't duck the implied significance of their rolls.

"Just in case you are contemplating a refusal to sign your power of attorney over to me," she warned, "please understand that your evening of deviant sexual frivolity here has been duly video taped." She pointed a long thin index finger in his face as a confirmation of her menace.

"In addition to this, I have taken the precaution to tele-conference your father into the proceedings taking place. He's watching now," she said, belittling the client even more.

"To wit, your father has instructed me to curtail and cancel any future activities you have planned into your appointment book. He has also arranged for me to assume your position as Chair of the Hospital Services Board. Failure to comply will cause all funding jointly managed by you and him, to be grid-locked in escrow."

The elegant woman then backed away from the client and assumed a new position at the corner of the long table.

"Your new vocation will be home-based," she said, continuing her scold. "Our home. Remember our home? That's the home you abandoned so long ago in favour of your business dreams. It's the very same place from which you fled, in favour of a younger woman. It is the same home you have avoided for so long and so well. But now I'm bringing you back. And despite your past performance, you will still be welcomed into the embrace of familial surroundings and circumstance. You have come full circle my dear. Back at home, back with your wife, and back to your duties as the man of the house."

The roomful of women held themselves still and silent as they thought about what had just been said. The elderly woman for her part, remained standing, and allowed a contemplation to form upon her face. It was the disclosure of relief. With a subtle gesture of her hand she motioned for her young escort to move to her side. Karen watched the young woman's response and tried to understand what type of relationship existed between these two unlikely women?

"Now you can whip him!" the older woman said with a soft sweet intonation. Her voice soft and reassuring like a grandmother who says, '. . .be patient little ones.' when she is surrounded by small children scrambling to ascend to her broad lap

Karen looked to Carla for guidance and received an immediate 'go-ahead' nod.

"Oh, one last thing," the elderly woman said, interrupting Karen's second attempt to mete out the Sir William's well paid-for discipline, "you will remain at home for the rest of your days as my indentured slave. You will be fitted out with a chastity device, not unlike the one you are wearing now. In addition, you will be tethered electronically to the house. As for your girlfriend here, she'll be living in our house as well. Her job will be to discipline you once every day. And apart from that she'll be busy attending to my own more lustful needs. It's not like she is a feminist or a lesbian; nor am I! It's meant as a punishment. She took you from me and for that, she will pay. What's even better, is that you'll be able to see her in action. If this doesn't bring some urgency to your sexual appetite, then her whipping and disciplining you will. And when you've been a good boy, obedient and attentive, I'll allow you to grovel at my feet begging to be given my permission to masturbate."

Then the elegant lady laughed, at first a subtle chuckle, then escalating to a full titter, ending in something only the three witches of Macbeth could have achieved, had they been alive.

"Masturbate! Right. Once a year. Ha!. . .if you're lucky that is." the older woman groaned at no one in particular.