Valerie and the Bachelor Ch. 07

Here she was, back in his arms again. Who was she? What was she? What was she to become? Was she his maid? His porcelain doll, his betrothed, his whipping girl? What? What did he want from her? What did she want? What did she want from him?

Downstairs he'd just ripped off her clothes, rather his clothes, clothes he'd

selected for her. Then he'd given her a horrible spanking, a real thrashing, afterward he apologized and re-proclaimed his love. Aside from the obvious, that they were headed upstairs to the bedroom, she didn't have a clue where this relationship was going.

Marcus laid her across the bed and got undressed. She thought he had a good, not great body. "Valerie I'm going to postpone tomorrow night's dinner party. You don't have anything to wear, and I think we need to get reacquainted."

"I'm game for whatever you want Marcus."

He lay down beside her. "Roll over on your stomach." She obeyed. He took his hands and started to massage her back and her shoulders. It felt good. After what had happened downstairs his present ministrations were a pleasurable and relaxing alternative.

He lay on his side. Resting his weight on one arm he took his left hand and started rubbing her ass cheeks. They were red from the thrashing. The red hand marks, the touches of blue from rising bruises looked good on her. He wished he hadn't promised never to do it again. Rubbing between her cheeks he found and touched the gateway to her colon, her rounded little light brown wrinkled rectum. "This is what they call your peach. It's a word I think they invented in the harems of the Middle East. If you looked at a woman's ass you'd agree peach is a good word." He rubbed between her ass cheeks. "You would have made a good harem slave Valerie. Maybe that's something we can look into."

She liked the attention and affection, but he was at it again. Now his fantasies were putting her in pasha pants and chains. She wondered what she'd look like dressed as a harem girl.

He took his index finger and gently pressed it just inside her ass hole. "This is your peach. It's a little one. It's pretty." He leaned toward it and gave it a soft kiss. He took his hand and continued rubbing her cheeks. "You have a great little heart shaped ass. It has a beautiful reddish hue right now. I'm a good spanker."

She thought he was just a little too proud of what he'd done. Valerie doubted if he would keep his promise about spanking her. He liked that kind of stuff. If it hadn't hurt so much she might not mind too much. But wow! It had really hurt!

He kept rubbing her ruby red ass. "I'd like to put a little heart tattoo right here." He pinched a piece of her left cheek, almost dead center between the base of her back and the lower cleft where her ass cheek met her leg. "I'd like to tattoo a little red heart right there and have my initials printed inside. Maybe I could have my initials appear on a little banner that crossed the heart."

"I think you're crazy." The last thing she wanted was to have some man's initials permanently inscribed on her body, not his initials. Especially not his initials! "You want to brand me?"

"I didn't say a brand. That would be way too primitive." He hesitated. "A brand could be fun." He thought some more. "No I think a heart, a small banner, and my initials inside would look totally cool." He was getting into it. "It wouldn't be a big tattoo, just big enough for you and I to see in bed. A pair of Panties or a bathing suit would always cover it." He was warming to the idea more and more. He kissed her ass just where he thought the tattoo could go. "It would be a permanent mark, like me staking an indelible claim." He fluffed her hair. "This babe is mine."

"Your serious aren't you?" She was trying to figure some way to get off this silly subject. "Men don't go around putting their marks on women anymore like they were cattle."

He slathered his hand up and down her back. He leaned in close to her ear. "This man would like to. I think it would be an important gesture on your part." He kissed her ear. "It would be like saying I love you."

Now she really didn't like the direction of the conversation. "Why does the woman always have to be the one to make the gesture?" Looking for a way to get off this subject she added. "Besides. Tattoos hurt."

"What if I told you there's a way to guarantee putting on a tattoo would be painless. Would that help convince you?"

She wondered how she got from no that's a bad idea to being convinced it wouldn't hurt. "How could it not hurt. They jab needles into you."

"Well actually the needles only penetrate the top surface of your skin. If that were numbed, there wouldn't be any pain." He decided this was going nowhere. The seed had been planted. He'd bring it up later. "Look just think about it. You know a pretty little heart right down here." He pinched her ass again where he thought it should go. She jumped slightly. He swatted her ass lightly with the tips of his fingers. She jumped again. "Yeah. A little heart with my name in it would be really special. It would be special to me." He kissed her ass again.

Rolling over on her side she touched the left side of his face. "I'm really tired. Can't we just go to sleep?"

He pulled her forward and lay back on his back so she could rest her head on his shoulder. He kissed the side of her face. "Good night my little angel. Oops!" He said. "Good night my little human being."

She pinched his right boob.

"Ouch!"

They lay side by side, no sex and no lust, just a peaceful kind of love. Slowly the two of them drifted off to sleep. Her dreaming about how to get things where she wanted them, him thinking about a heart shaped tattoo.

The next morning Marcus, reluctant to leave home, trudged off to work, but he called Valerie at 11:00 and invited her to lunch saying he wanted to treat her to something special.

Valerie got to the restaurant a little after 1:00. Marcus was waiting for her. "I already ordered you a cold Coors and a light Caesar salad. Is that all right?"

Valerie adjusted her skirt and sat down. "I'd like that. What special thing did you have for me?"

Fiddling with the paper napkin that came with the beer he said. "You don't beat around the bush. I took the rest of the day off. Maybe we could go shopping?"

"What did you have in mind?" Valerie hoping to rebut any future remarks about a tattoo. "Not some tattoo parlor I hope."

He caught it. "You'd like a tattoo wouldn't you?" But before she could answer. "No. I wanted to take you clothes shopping. We don't have a lot time before our next big business big party, and I thought we could pick out a few things you might like." Hesitating briefly he added. "Everything age appropriate."

"What do you mean? Age appropriate."

He replied. "Well you're still my little girl when we're at home just the two of us, but I liked your selection the other evening when we had matching outfits. It wasn't just the good taste it was the thought I liked. You're a smart woman with a good eye. I need that. I mean a person with that kind of savvy. That was one of things that attracted me to you in the first place."

Pleased with his remark she asked. "You have me all afternoon. Where do you want to go?"

They rushed through lunch, left her car parked on the lot, and it wasn't long before they reached one of the better boutiques in town. They went inside and agreed to separate. Marcus went for the sporting apparel for men. He wanted some new boots. Also,since riding apparel for women was in the same general section, he started looking over things he could get Valerie so when they went riding she'd be better equipped. Get her some better dressage. She'd be surprised and pleased.

Valerie went to the ladies section and started looking around. She saw several things she especially liked. Some things she thought she'd prefer, and there were some things she was sure Marcus would like. There was one outfit she wasn't sure of, but had the sales person put aside. It looked like something Marcus would like her to wear at the next party. She'd get it and surprise him.

The two rejoined in the middle of the store where Marcus asked her if she'd picked anything out. She responded she had, and asked if he'd like to inspect. He said no. He wanted to start trusting her judgment more. It was a welcomed answer.

Back in his car they started to head back to the restaurant. Marcus turned and asked. "Would you like to stop in at a tattoo parlor?"

"Not really."

"You wouldn't want to even just stop in and look around?"

"You've really got a hair up your ass about me having a tattoo don't you?"

He replied. "Well yes and no. I thought it could be cool, but if you feel threatened by it I won't bring it up again."

Frowning Valerie retorted. "I'm not threatened. I just don't think it's something I want to do."

"It's OK. I understand. A lot of women feel that way."

"What way?" She wasn't sure what he was driving at.

"Well you know. A tattoo with somebody else's initials or name could mean almost anything. Some women feel threatened. You know insecure." He stopped and modified his comment. "Feel uncomfortable by that."

"That's right." She said. "It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"OK. Let's drop it."

"Right." She answered. "Subject dropped."

They drove on in silence. It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear. Soft cumulus clouds fluffed the sky.

Valerie smoothed her fingers through her hair fluffing it out. She adjusted her skirt. "Marcus. I wish you hadn't brought up the tattoo thing."

"It's OK. Let's forget about it."

They drove on for several more minutes. "Tattoo parlors are always in the seediest parts of town. I'd be embarrassed being seen going into one."

"That's not true Valerie. Tattoos have become a socially acceptable part of the culture. Tattoo parlors can be found in even the best parts of town."

"I don't really believe that. You'd have to show me one."

"OK." Marcus pulled the car around and started up one of the streets that led to one of the nicest section of the suburbs. They drove along for another twenty-minutes when he slowed down and pointed. "There you see? This is a nice neighborhood. There's a tattoo parlor, and it doesn't look seedy."

It was a nice neighborhood, and the facility he pointed to didn't look anything like she expected. It was a smallish store in one of the newer outdoor mall type facilities that had been cropping up around the country. It had stylish streetlights, a red bricked sidewalk, and several of the more modern types of specialty stores typical for one of these places. In fact no sign anywhere even mentioned tattoos. There was a small sign that said something about creative body art.

"See, nice quiet neighborhood, discreet setting, clean all around." He turned the car around and started to leave.

"You really want me to get a tattoo?"

"Not if you don't want one."

"I don't."

He kept driving away from the neighborhood where the parlor was. They were on a quiet tree lined street. Flowers were in the gardens, freshly cut lawns, no sign of weeds or crab grass, no litter anywhere.

She adjusted the front of her blouse, checked the buttons, and retraced the line of the collar around her neck. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to just go in and look around"

"No. Forget it. I don't want you to have one."

Feeling relieved. She looked down at subtle cleavage that peaked out the top of her blouse. "You're sure?"

"Do you think you'd get one if you saw something you really liked?"

"If I saw something I really thought was special. I suppose I'd think about it."

"Well OK. We'll go back and look, but just look." He chided. "But we won't get anything."

He turned back around and drove to the mall. On the parking lot, still in the car but in front of the parlor Marcus asked her. "One last time. Are you sure you want to go in there?"

She unconsciously sucked in her stomach and squared her shoulders forcing her breasts against the front of her blouse. He could faintly see her nipples press against the thin linen fabric. "We'll just look around and leave."

"OK." He got out and helped her from the car.

The inside of the store was nothing like Valerie thought it would be. It was immaculately clean. It doubled as a dress and shoe shop and jewelry shop as well as tattoo parlor. She didn't see any big hairy men with cigars and potbellies. In fact there were several stylishly dressed customers looking at the dresses and jewelry. They all looked pretty normal to her. A pleasant looking young woman came over. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Marcus stood to the side and stepped away.

Valerie looked the young sale's person up and down. She noticed a small tattoo on the left side of her neck. "Is that a tattoo?"

"It's what we prefer to call body art. The term tattoo is so yesterday."

Valerie looked at the woman's neck. "It's permanent isn't it?"

"All tattoos are intended to be forever, but they can be removed." She pulled up the sleeve of her blouse. If you look closely, right here on my arm you can see where I had one removed."

Valerie was hard pressed to see the mark. It was there, but so indistinct as to be almost totally invisible. "I don't think I'd ever get one. I mean. I just don't see myself wearing one."

"That's fine. Many people don't have any skin art. I just liked the little decoration I have on my neck. If I ever get tired of it, I'll have it removed. Can I show you any of our jewelry or our dresses? We have a small collection of designer models."

Valerie smiled at the girl. "No thank you."

The girl was turning to go when Valerie proffered. "Do you have any books with designs?"

"You mean for art?"

Not knowing what else to say Valerie responded. "Yes art."

"Sure. We have an assortment. Is there anything you had in mind?"

"I'm not getting any tattoos. I'm just looking, but do you have any pictures of say hearts?"

"Certainly." The girl stepped away for a second and returned with a large loose-leaf notebook. Here's a whole book with pictures of some of the simpler hearts that people have had. In some cases the celebrity's name who bought it is found beneath.

Valerie took the book and started looking though it. She was amazed at the sizes, shapes and colors of some of the designs. She was also surprised at the names beneath. She expected to see names like Madonna and Angelina Jolie, but some of the other names were quite a surprise. She looked at Marcus who appeared to be totally disinterested. "What do you think of some of these designs?"

He made a pretense of yawning. Actually he was as excited as hell. She was talking herself into it. "Some of them are quite nice."

"Do you see any you like?"

Marcus was careful. He picked one or two he thought were small, neat, and very vanilla.

Valerie pretended to know what she was doing. "They're OK. But if I was to get something I'd want a little more color."

He answered. "Get whatever you want."

Valerie looked at the sales girl. Pointing to a particular design. "How much does this cost?"

Behind her Marcus waved the sale girls off, pointing downward.

The girl gave her a ridiculously low price.

"How long would it take to put on?"

The sale girl looked at the design. She studied it with the eye of an expert. "Depending on the colors. At the outside I'd say." She espied Marcus pointing downward indicating she should give a low figure. "An hour not much more."

"Will it hurt?"

Marcus, still behind Valerie, was vigorously, but silently, shaking his head back and forth indicating the negative.

"We can take a small needle and inject something that will numb the area. We'd numb the skin surface before we inserted the numbing needle. Almost identical to what a dentist would do if you needed a filling. However, afterward there would be some discomfort, a little itching, and you have to keep it moist for several days. Real pain? No. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, most people prefer to not get it numbed. The actual application of the art is noticeable, but hardly painful.

Valerie turned back to Marcus. "I'm going to do it."

He gave her his best serious look. "You sure?"

"Yes. I'm sure."

The saleslady looked at Valerie. Give me five minutes to get things ready. We'll do it back in the application room. Maybe you'd like to come back. We have some odds and ends back there you could look at."

The saleslady walked into the back followed by Marcus and Valerie. Marcus held his arm lightly on Valerie's shoulder. He couldn't believe his good luck. Was she ever easy! On the way back the saleslady turned. "You can wait here. I'll be five minutes."

Marcus and Valerie looked around. They were in another room. This one was filled with leather apparel and an array other kinds of things. This was what one might call the adult section. There were harnesses, but clearly not designed for a horse. They saw corsets, and other outfits not intended for everyday wear. There were head harnesses, bits, even funny shoes that looked really stupid. There were glass-covered trays filled with handcuffs, leg cuffs, collars, and leashes.

Valerie picked up a pair of handcuffs. "This is a part of the store I would have normally expected."

Marcus held his hands out, palms up. "I didn't know about this. You can change your mind if you want."

"No." She said. "I'm getting you a tattoo."

Another salesgirl appeared. She took the handcuffs out of Valerie's hands. "You don't want that. Here let me show you something you'd like." She walked Valerie over to another glass case.

From the corner of his eye Marcus saw the first girl start to emerge from the back. He held up a hand and secretly waved her off. Holding up one finger as if to indicate just one more minute.

The second salesgirl was getting out a case that held a bondage set. She started to get out the objects to show. Valerie pretended to be interested while the salesgirl went through her routine. She showed her a set of wrist manacles. Six-inch wide cuffs held together with a nine-inch section of gold chain. The locking mechanism was an internal male and female clasp set with a small circular hole where a key could be inserted to lock or release the catch. The salesgirl showed her a similar ankle set, also half inch wide cuffs with an eighteen inch long gold chain, same kind of locking mechanism. Last in the set was a locking collar. Also six inches wide, it had a ring attachment on the front and an identical locking mechanism in the back. The set also had a six-foot length of gold chain with a locking hasp on one end and a leash handle on the other. It all looked very forbidding, ominous, to Valerie. It was something she'd never voluntarily put on.

Marcus stayed back a little. He could barely hear their comments. He slowly walked over. "You like anything here?"

Valerie looked up. "This stuff is ridiculous." He looked at the salesgirl. "People don't actually buy this stuff?"

The girl replied. "Oh yes they do. This packet I'm showing you is a busy set of jewelry."

Valerie chuckled. "You call this jewelry?"

The girl was serious. "These are things married couples often buy. Sometimes two loving consenting adults try a little spice. If they love each other and trust each other it can be a lot of fun."

Valerie turned around at Marcus who'd finally reached the counter. "Could I trust you with stuff like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I bought something like." She hesitated and then pointed. "Like that. Could I trust you?"

He smiled. He reached down, took her left hand, and pointed to the ring. "Does that mean anything?"

"Yes. But if I put this stuff on I'd be."

Marcus interrupted. "I haven't mentioned anything about a premarital agreement. You marry me, you leave me, and you clean me out. I trust you won't." He laughed. "You want that stuff? Go ahead and get it, but you don't have to buy it to prove you trust me."