The Small Dark Box

Elaine stood in the dimly lit hallway of an old Victorian and stared at the note pinned on the door. It read, Elaine's room, don't forget the key. There was an antique key in the keyhole. She turned it, slipped it in her back pocket and opened the door.

The door closed itself behind her as she stepped into the room. It was painted black. The carpet was black. The Venetian blinds and velvet curtains were black. Track lighting fixtures were also black and the lights pointed to spotlight different parts of the large black room. The closet door was shut. The room itself was shaped like an 'L', much larger than she had expected. There was a bricked-up fireplace at the far end and a boarded-up door. That end of the room was in shadow. She peered into the darkness and decided to stay near the light.

An ebony-lacquered table and chair were under one of the spotlights. She sat down and poured herself a glass of water from a crystal pitcher that sat next to a bud vase holding one purple rose. She took a sip of the water from her leaded crystal glass and leaned forward to smell the rose.

"Beautiful, isn't it, chere?"

She looked up, startled. A second set of lights had switched on and illuminated the far end of the room. It was Gerard. He was sitting at a table similar to hers, savoring a glass of wine.

"I didn't see you there."

"I know. Was it hard to find the place?"

"No, not at all. You gave excellent directions."

She studied his end of the room.

"Interesting color scheme, isn't it Elaine?"

"Very monochromatic."

He smiled and finished his wine.

"This is your room, remember."

"Yes, that's what the note on the door said."

"There's something in the closet for you, chere. You'll need the key."

She walked over to the closet door and unlocked it. A red leather bustier and a garter belt, black lace stockings and red spike heels in her size were on hangers. She sighed and changed into them quickly. She shut and locked the closet and walked around the corner so that he could see her. He clapped his hands softly and let his eyes wander over her slowly.

"Lovely, Elaine--especially with those jambes!"

She fought the urge to blush.

"Thank you."

He shook his finger at her and frowned playfully.

"Don't forget the key. It's very important."

She took the key and tucked it into her bustier. When she turned to speak to Gerard, that end of the room was dark again.

"He'll be back, I'm sure, dear."

She spun around. It was Simone, the cross-dresser that she chatted with every day. He was feminized and very tall. He'd waxed his facial hair and put on make-up and a wig. She'd never seen his face until that moment.

"How did you get here?"

"Oh, love, I came along with you. I'm part of the furniture."

He smiled and blew her a kiss.

"Did he pick those out for you? Very sexy."

He reached out to her. As soon as she approached him, he fell on his knees and held out his wrists to her. Elaine pursed her lips and lifted his chin with her fingertips.

"Don't tempt me, Simone. I don't even know who I am anymore."

He stared up at her with vivid blue eyes and bit his lip.

"You are She, Mistress. I am Your slave."

Elaine backed away. Simone put his forehead against her feet and crouched. Elaine shook her head and turned. That corner of the room went dark. She walked toward the table for a drink of water. A low whistle came from another part of the room.

"You know what this means, little one!"

"Kyle?"

The cherry on his cigarette flickered as he took a hit. He was in the corner opposite the one where Simone had been. He stepped out of the shadows.

"Face to face at last, my slut."

He was tall, lean and dressed in a black hat, black leather vest, chaps and riding boots. He held a crop in his free hand. She met his hawkish blue eyes and fell to her knees.

"That's much better, girl."

She bowed her head and knelt in a pool of light. He walked around her and used the crop to caress her flesh. He pushed her knees apart and lifted her chin with the end of the crop.

"Even nicer than I had hoped."

He bent down and kissed her hard on the mouth. He pulled away and put his thumb against her lips. She took it in her mouth and sucked it gently. He grinned and brushed her cheek with the crop. She put her fingers around his wrists and closed her eyes. She tasted the fleshy part of his palm and used her left hand to reach for his cock. He tapped it gently but firmly with the crop.

"You're forgetting the rules, my sweet slut."

"Master, may I touch it, please."

"Better, girl. What do you want to touch?"

"Master, may this girl touch Your cock?"

"Only touch it?"

"No, Sir."

He put the crop against the back of her neck and pushed her face toward his crotch. She moaned and let go of his hand. She opened her mouth wider and wrapped her fingers around him. She opened her eyes and dropped the phone receiver that she grasped in her hand. The lights in the far end of the room flicked on. Gerard clapped softly and stood up.

"Don't get up yet, chere. His voice took you to that space, didn't it?"

She stared at the receiver on the floor and nodded.

"An idea brought you to your knees."

He stared at the dripping lace between her legs and smiled.

"An idea did even more than that, didn't it?"

She blushed a little and avoided his eyes. She looked past him. The fireplace was unblocked and the other door stood open. He crooked his arm and beckoned to her.

"I can walk you to the next room, Elaine. They're expecting you there."

"You won't go with me?"

"Not this time, chere. I'll be waiting."

She stood up, blinked and took his arm. She leaned against him a little and held his wrist gently with her hand.

"Do you know what the most common delusion is, Elaine?"

She shook her head.

"At one time or another, everyone believes that this life is just a dream. That they will eventually awake to find that it and all the people they know were just phantasms."

He hugged her gently and stepped away from the threshold.

"A tres bientot, chere."

She walked into the next room alone. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned toward it.

"We've been waiting, Elaine."

It was Sven. He towered over her. He was dressed as a headsman. He wore a black leather mask across his eyes. There was an audience seated before a small stage. A woman in black leather lingerie and a hood hung by her bound wrists from a hook in the center of the stage. Her feet barely touched the ground. A cat of nine tails was set on a iron pedestal. This room was as red as the other had been black.

"I promised I'd teach you--this is your first lesson. She's ready for you."

She felt a fire in her gut stronger than lust. She stepped onto the stage and picked up the whip. She flicked it a few times. It made a sound like a gasp, sensual and hot. Sven stood to one side, watching. She felt all eyes on her, hungry for a spectacle of pain. She lifted the whip and aimed it at the woman's thighs. The tails welted her flesh. The bound woman moaned and leaned in the direction of the lashing. Something wild possessed Elaine. She raised the whip again and again, marking the woman's pale flesh. She felt the fire in her secret places and went a little mad. She varied the stroke, first higher, then lower until the woman was a mass of welts. Sven stepped behind her and massaged her shoulders. She wanted blood. The woman screamed. Elaine stepped forward and ran her tongue along one of the welts. The woman flinched and fainted.

"Take off the mask!"

The audience chanted. Sven lifted her up and held her in his arms.

"Take off her hood, Elaine."

She pulled off the leather hood. The woman's hair fell across her face. She screamed and covered her eyes. The audience applauded. She ran back to her room and slammed the door shut. Gerard took her in his arms and hushed her.

"It was me! How could it be me?"

He kissed the top of her head.

"How could it be anyone else, chere?"

He pushed her gently to her knees. She stared at her hands. They were pink from gripping the whip and touching her victim's ragged flesh. She shook her head. She looked for Gerard, but he was gone again.

"I told you not to get mixed up with them, Elaine."

Ray was sitting at her table, his long legs stretched out. He'd taken the rose out of the vase and was twirling it between his fingers slowly. His bright blue eyes met hers. He stroked his red beard with his left hand. He got up, walked over to her and kissed her gently on the mouth. She smiled as he did.

"This is not my scene, darlin'. Remember Beltane? That was bliss. Forget this place. Let me take you back."

He put the rose in her hand. One of the thorns pricked her thumb. She gasped. He brought it to his lips and tasted the blood.

"Sweet!"

He closed her eyes with his fingertips and leaned into another kiss. She clenched the rose stem in her hand until the thorns pierced her palm. The pain was delicious, as sensual as his kiss. His whiskers brushed against her cheek. She dropped the rose and pulled him closer. He ran his hands over her. He pulled the key out of her bustier and wrapped her fingers around it.

"You're going to need this, darlin'."

He pulled away and kissed her cheek.

"Later!"

She opened her eyes. He was gone. Gerard stood facing the hearth. His shadow flickered across the room. He held his hands out to the flames.

"Don't lose that key, Elaine. You forgot something in the closet. Didn't you?"

She opened her wounded hand and studied the key.

"I don't remember."

She walked around the corner and stood in front of the closet door. She passed the key from one hand to the other, lost in thought. She put the key in the lock and turned it slowly. The door swung open. On a shelf above the hanger bar was a small black box. Her name was engraved on it in silver script. She reached for it and took it in her hands. It had a keyhole the same size as the lock on the door. She stepped out of the closet and took the key from the lock. The door swung shut.

She slipped the key into the lock on the box and turned it slowly. She thought she heard a sob. She hesitated, then turned it the rest of the way. A sigh escaped as she lifted the lid. A mirror reflected her eyes. A velvet ribbon with a buckle lay in the bottom of it.

"When you're ready, that is yours. Are you ready for me, chere?"

She felt his breath on the back of her neck and his hands on her shoulders. She turned, knelt before him and bowed her head. He took the box and the key and put them in his pocket. She held up her hands, pressed her wrists together and smiled.

"Teach, Master."