Chapter 03: The Unfuck

The pamper day was fantastic for the five. The Saturday spent getting exotic massages, facial cleansing treatments, makeup and lessons on makeup, new hairstyles, manicures and pedicures, styling advice for wardrobe choices, jewelry shopping and networking with other women was an unheard of treat. Unwanted hair removal by lazer had the girls in admiration for a painless process. Aromatherapy and lazy lunches had them near jelly to deal with at the end of the day. I had thrown Ruth into the mix to my father in law's delight as his youngest daughter got a reward she had not anticipated.

The most startling effect was on Elizabeth who had the hairdresser weeping at how many split ends there were. He was delighted though as she gave him license to do his best. She came out with a fantastic hairstyle that was versatile and easy to maintain. By a simple change in hairstyle her spectacles looked better, and her confidence grew. She started looking at people more directly and speaking her mind more openly as she began to look better. Her preferred style turned out to be elegant and understated but very feminine. With her eyes clearer and more visible for having a shorter fringe she became a beauty who turned the heads of even gay men.

Diedre also had a massive transformation, more from being relaxed and simply looking good that any major change in style. She was more self-possessed and more comfortable being seen. She too got her fair share of admiring looks and the other ladies were openly envious of her straight black hair and blue eyes coupled with being five feet eight and having breasts that were still firm and well-shaped.

Cathy and Ruth came out with very definite direction and new ideas about how to dress, do their hair and makeup, and what effect jewelry had. There was a jewelry store at the spa as well as a boutique and the budget I had put out for them to buy clothes and accessorize had them shopping with glee. Most importantly they came out of the day with a clear idea of how they wanted to be treated and how they would treat other people.

Nicole surprised me by latching onto Elizabeth and following her ideas largely. She had her chance for a princess transformation and set it aside to rather learn to be a lady. She asked advise from the adults and listened to the experts, but defaulted to what Elizabeth suggested time and again.

I spent the day laying the groundwork to recruit. There was a men's service too, I was interested to see how popular it was and what segment of the male population used it. As such I had my own pamper day with a few romantic invitations from men who liked that I was in shape and had a few interesting scars. I actually loved the day mostly, styling advice and a few suits were intensely practical, and the manicure was a treat I had not imagined.

With clearer ideas of what spa services my hotel would have I took Diedre and Elizabeth to my father in law while my girls went with Ruth. Nobody had warned Diedre or Elizabeth that he was a minister, it made little difference. Diedre was an instant hit as she immediately spoke about the history of the Bible. She explained that she had used the Bible in a lot of her research. Elizabeth then weighed in as she told him that she was learning Greek, Hebrew, and Latin on an internet course to help her understand English, French, and Russian which she was learning at school.

My father in law woke up like a hound sniffing a fox and showed them his small museum of ancient documents in his basement. He took joy in showing the old documents, some of which I had acquired in places like Libya, Morocco, Syria, Turkey, Ethiopia, and his greatest treasure; a Gospel of Thomas that I had found in India. Diedre knew Urdu and Hindi and had contacts to decipher the document that the old man was wrestling with. Elizabeth had him overjoyed as she looked at the ancient Greek and asked if her translations were right.

The sermon on Sunday got thrown to me by Ruth who informed the congregation that I had come to visit with my daughters and two biblical scholars. Their minister had consequently forgotten his sermon. The congregation laughed then clapped hands as Ruth, a mental thrower of banana peels called me to give the sermon. I honestly do not remember a word of what I said to five hundred people. It went down well though because I was asked back.

Lunch with the whole family, me running a barbecue was happy as my Father in law approved of my choice for stepmom to my daughters, I was amused because he really had no idea of what Diedre and I were doing. It was a sad group of us who went to the airport that evening. I was surprised again that the most ardent protest came from Diedre and Elizabeth. Diedre gave me a cold shoulder all the way home because I was adamant. She lightened up through the week as she got pictures of the gospel and laboratory confirmation that the document was the right age.

I found Esther a new boyfriend, one who could introduce her to the wonderful world of fungi. She knew I had sent him to her and fell on her back with legs spread within half an hour of meeting him. Confident that he would keep her from actually committing suicide and causing inconvenient questions I lost interest in what was going on in Esther's house to focus on my own.

Cathy, Nicole, and I settled in a routine over the next few weeks. Elizabeth started coming to us after dance practice as Diedre got busy running a translation study of my father in law's document. A few times Diedre went to Delaware to study and discuss with my father in law; then Elizabeth would stay with us. I was fascinated that Elizabeth slipped into a type of motherly position when she did stay over; watching her I considered any man she married lucky. He would have a fantastic mom for children in Elizabeth.

The counselor turned out to be a woman who did not even try resurrecting my marriage with Esther. Four years with multiple affairs meant infidelity was a compulsion; she had little sympathy for my soon to be ex-wife. She also saw that I knew the psychology, that I would never trust Esther again, and that my focus was on getting stability for my children. She knew my grief counseling was pointless because I had already moved on. The children became her focus instead, especially Nicole.

All she had for me was a few oblique hints that I should not control my emotions as rigidly as I had in the past. She mentioned that there was need for adventure built into the human psyche and Esther had not had much adventure after Nicole was born.

It was after Elizabeth's sixteenth birthday, after Nicole's a month later on the thirtieth of August (she got herself a great dane puppy), that things started happening again. Esther seemingly got frightened that her ear or nose would run away from her face and chained the two together. I wondered what she would do if the two started discussing an elopement to an ENT specialist when I saw that. I let it go because Florence was breaking up with me. She had found another guy, I was happy for her.

"Thank you Florence. It means a lot to me that you could tell me."

"Thank you Nick. You made so much difference."

I wondered about that. Florence was still plump but she was at peace with her body. She was dressing with more thought, she watched what she ate but worked out too. She was reading more, and showing interest beyond just getting by. She had got a promotion at work, bought a new car, and generally set herself up to be an attractive woman. That had not been all me.

"Really?"

"You don't understand, you showed me that I was not a problem. You gave me more than you imagine. And looking at Esther... I never want to be on your bad side."

"She did that to herself."

"No, she knows she lost more than she can ever get back. You showed her that, you show her that every day. You're in the newspapers now with your hotel. She was a hotshot and now she is broken."

"Yeah.. bad that, I wish I could unbreak her and get her out of my life."

"You can you know. Just rape her. She regrets that there is no farewell fuck."

"Not my style."

Florence shrugged and let it go as we had lunch as friends. The thought stayed with me though. I found myself thinking about Esther when we had conceived Cathy; that had been close to a rape. Although it had been her insisting that I screw her. Nicole had also been close to rape too. I had come from a bad assignment which had left several colleagues dead and grabbed her as soon as she came through the door. Foreplay had been minimal and I had just screwed her hard and selfishly without considering her pleasure. Pleasure and bonding had not been the point, for me it had all been about affirming that I was alive and cumming. I had not cared about what Esther thought, just kept myself in check and under control until I could lose it safely.

Florence had made me promise to find another lover and let her know. I sat at the table after she returned to work thinking about that. I called Diedre and made an appointment to see her at college, in her office. I wanted an honest evaluation and she was the most honest woman I knew. She met me later that day, a little surprised that I would come to her office. She did greet me cordially and invited me in to sit. This was not easy, almost every horizontal surface had books piled on it. It took some moving to get a clear seat at her desk. She had a research assistant sitting in to take notes, this was going to be interesting.

"What is the issue that we can't discuss at the studio or over dinner with your kids and my daughter?" her tone and look made it clear discussing the dowry now was out of the question.

"I'd like to hire you."

"Hire me? What for? Doing some history research? Editing?" She asked, surprise on every feature of her face.

"To be my concubine."

The research assistant fell off his chair. Diedre dropped her pen and stared at me blinking as she assimilated what she had just heard. I sat quietly and waited as the research assistant apologized and got up to sit down; his notebook and pen were still on the floor. I had pegged him as the kind of guy who watched you tube videos about how to pick women up, he was getting a lesson now. He really should have his notebook and pen. I told him to remember them, he fell over again as he fumbled for the pen which rolled under Diedre's desk. He nearly cried, so I gave him my pen.

"Why?... It is unseemly to make such an offer you know."

"You're honest, intelligent, can hold a conversation, can be seen with me a social functions, you're attractive. As for unseemly, only if you're offended."

Diedre smiled at that, she was far from offended.

"There are sexual connotations to being a concubine."

"Yes."

There was silence as she considered that simple answer. The assistant's ears seemed to be glowing and he looked near to having a stroke at the directness of the answer. I could see that she was intrigued at the forthright way in which I had tabled the idea and was not trying to excuse or back off from it. She liked that I was not pushing it in front of her assistant too. I saw her actually start considering the offer.

"What terms?"

"A monthly cash stipend, allowance for clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics. Inclusion on my medical insurance for you and your daughter. A new car or the value of it as a commencement bonus."

"That is the remuneration. What services would you require?"

"Intimate. Additionally, to attend and hostess social or business functions with me."

"Location of intimate services?"

"Specialized address if you wish, unless I am attending a function of course. Alternatively it's open to suggestion and negotiation."

"Specialized address, not negotiable. Intimate services will only occur there... private apartment until your hotel is commissioned then a suite, cabana, or keel boat on permanent reservation for my personal use." Diedre said not taking her eyes off me.

"Apartment size? Additionally I can make the hotel facilities available to you subject to reasonable notice, these are value added services and available to guests or day visitors alike. Spa and country club services for you are complimentary, for a guest too subject to prior arrangement. I cannot devote accommodation facilities to you without income to the business and justify it under any condition."

"Apartment size will depend on the nature of the intimate services. Dillan get out."

I didn't blame her for telling her assistant to get out. He was staring between us with his mouth open. He had not taken a single note either. He was wasting his time just sitting there and would probably learn more by not being present, he left but slowly. I figured he was going to eavesdrop anyway.

"Highly confidential, no additional participants."

Diedre nodded.

"Would specialized services like correction be required or preferred?"

I thought about it for a bit. We had bantered about spanking given that it was known between us that I disciplined the girls by spanking and was not averse to spanking Elizabeth if she was my wife. She wanted to know if that was on between us.

"Not required; preference and periodicity can be negotiated further. To be clear, I have no desire to correct but rather to receive correction."

"Would you require a dress code for such service?" Diedre said still staring at me.

"Optional."

"Commencement?"

"Earliest possible convenience."

"Acquire a confidential venue where we can discuss further."

I handed her a business card. It had the address on that I kept as a safe house, dead drop, office and dispatch center. That was a two bedroom apartment just off the campus in a quiet and upmarket building. We both knew Dillan was listening. I saw her glance to her office door, she was probably seeing the shadows of her assistant's feet under the door.

"I'm going there now to evaluate suitability." I said standing up.

Dillan was innocently looking at a book beside the office door when I opened it. I retrieved my pen and left. My phone buzzed with a message from Diedre before the elevator opened. She would be there in ten minutes.

I bought a bottle of sherry at the store across the road from my apartment more to look for signs that the building was being watched than anything else. I knew Diedre liked sherry too and was getting something to give her a reason to want to stay. She was early, and in a hurry when she stopped her car on my side of the street. I caught up to her as she started crossing and put my arm around her waist as we went up the steps to the lobby.

We were demure riding the elevator. She was surprised at the apartment, it was well designed, clean, and neat. It was fully furnished, in effect it was a three bedroom but one was an office and study. She had a look at the bookshelf as I poured sherry for both of us. I knew the books were mainly work related, studies of the customs of various peoples, tour guides, languages, histories. Some books were about specific subjects I had needed to know about. Some were from my own studies. Her own books were in the shelf and she remarked on that as I brought her glass.

She took one off the shelf and raised her eyebrows at the high visibility tabs I had stuck onto pages. She took it to the couch and sat down as she flipped through it seeing notes in the margins, references to other books, and question marks on places I did not agree with or did not understand.

"You know how to flatter. If I saw a student with a book, any book worked through like this he would get an A... Are you serious Nick?"

"Yes."

"I'm not cheap."

"I'm not interested in cheap."

"Can you pay six thousand dollars per month?"

"I'll up that to eight and another thousand for wardrobe with accessories."

"I want a Mercedes C200."

"Color? Trims? Maintenance plan? You order I'll pay it."

She looked at me in surprise. I had not flinched, I could buy that car easily. Everybody thought I was doing the hotel on loans, I wasn't. I was making funds looted from enemies and the DOD disappear and I would still have most of that when the hotel opened. The house I had bought for the girls and I was paid for. With the commodities and stock trades I made close to three hundred thousand dollars per month. I knew this was going to impact on Elizabeth's dowry, but that didn't concern me much.

"Do you really want me to discipline you?"

"You want to discipline."

"Yes, I have no idea how you knew... but that was not the question."

"Read the note on page one twenty seven, in red with an arrow to a red highlighted section."

She paged to it.

""Discipline standards and codes were set at contract negotiations. It was normal for discipline to be administered at introduction or as a prelude to the nuptial ceremony. This demonstrated physical and mental ability, and tested the commitment of both parties. Post nuptials the wife's mother or a concubine took a supervisory role in the application of disciplinary codes. It was incumbent on the concubine or mother in law to punish or discipline in the event of spousal abuse." Your note: Good Idea psych refer grounding; Soci refer equilibrium theory. This next part was later: I need this if I discipline Es. And a date... You're divorcing her. You don't; ... I get it. I know something of what you've done to her."

We sat in silence with our sherry. Diedre considering my offer. I took my phone out and put it on the coffee table.

"No marriage proposals. If I marry again you're a known factor."

"No contraceptives and no abortion, I'm Catholic. If I get pregnant you take our child, your wife adopts if I ask. I want to have the freedom to walk away completely if needed."

"Alright, I cannot promise for a future wife unless it's Elizabeth but I will take our child if that happens."

"Pay the money. Then I can start being your private whore."

"A concubine is not a whore Diedre." I said as I called my banking app up.

"Silly man! Yes she is. She is just a beloved whore. Being one is not new to me, I was until Elizabeth was too obvious, but I got my degree before she was born. "

I knew that. Just like I knew that her son was fathered by her pimp of the time. I was looking for that pimp because he had probably caused all the difficulties her son was in by pumping Diedre full of drugs to keep working while pregnant; all his issues were consistent with substance abuse in pregnancy. Elizabeth had been fathered by Diedre's lecturer and regular customer who had run to Texas to avoid questions.

She stood up and loosened her skirt as I paid the money. She kept the skirt up until her bank sent a text notification that she had been paid. When she dropped her skirt I understood that she had decided to be my concubine before leaving her office; she was wearing no panties.

"Kneel here and sniff what you've paid for Nick." She said sitting down again with her legs spread and pointing between her feet.

I did as she asked. She did smell good. She combed my hair with her fingers as I had my mouth and nose between her legs. She pulled my head closer and had me eat her out, locking her ankles at the small of my back until she had her orgasm. She smiled at me and nodded then had me strip.

"Hands on the table. Time to punish you." She ordered.

I did as she said and she used my belt on my ass, twelve strokes and then she gave me another twelve. She was hesitant at first. She used the chance though to make peace with the rejection of Elizabeth's father running away. When it was over she looked at me, a lot of her hard mentality gone, and tenderness in her eyes. From there we moved to the bedroom where she rode me to mutual orgasm. We stayed together in the flat as she bought her Mercedes, explored and screwed again. She held me tight as we were about to go and fetch Elizabeth. I was keeping negotiations going, just adding to the stipend I paid for Diedre's services. Diedre loved that and took a lot of positive feeling from it.