Down The Rabbit Hole Pt. 01

"But that's a lot of work, Ms Fain. I mean after all..."

"Oh, I don't know," Julia said smiling once more and recalling Sir Henry's own words from when she started in the department. "You did always used to say that the best time to start something is now. It shouldn't be too difficult for an industrious 'bunny' like you."

Henry Warren winced. Julia left the office leaving Henry wondering. That was what Raven had called him. How did Julia know that? Or was it just a coincidence? Had Mistress Courten said anything? Did the Minister know? Whitehall might be an ideal workplace for the submissively inclined these days but heaven help you if it came to the attention of anyone in authority. After all they wouldn't want you enjoying it would they? And besides, the Prime Minister was notoriously puritanical. Men were just supposed to buckle under. They weren't supposed to enjoy it. Julia hadn't laboured the point, though. Henry was uncertain as to whether she had guessed his secret or not.

Julia, for her part, found herself wondering about Henry. Had he been a client of Raven Courten? She knew that men did get off on that sort of thing but Henry had never seemed anything other than perfectly normal. She wasn't sure that she liked to think of him cowering and grovelling, weak and submissive. Of course, these days, men had to accept that women took the lead in most things but that was rather different. And what sort of woman got her sexual kicks from bullying someone else or enjoyed being around someone that liked being bullied? It all felt a bit distasteful, a bit sleazy.

Chapter 3: Salad Days

Whether or not Julia had guessed the reason behind Henry's nickname, it had been overheard and soon spread throughout the department.

He tried to ignore the odd teasing remarks which had started up almost as soon as he had started work on his report for Sylvia: the Librarian had asked him if had found what he wanted "after all your burrowing". The last straw had been in the canteen yesterday when one of the servers had asked him whether he wouldn't be happier with that day's salad option.

'Bunny' as he was now known throughout the department it seemed, was setting up the room for the follow-up meeting that Julia had set up and trying to put all that out of his mind.

At least Julia had been happy with his first briefing paper and luckily hadn't asked him how come he knew so much about this sector of the British economy.

The meeting was billed as a "Discussion on Government Consultancy Frameworks". There was too much discussion going on these days, Henry felt. He had preferred it when Ministers made up their mind what to do and then got on with it. Either that or they'd left it to their PPS which was even better. Now it seemed a department couldn't even cough without asking someone else's say so.

There would be four of them, Julia had said, Ms Courten and one other plus herself and the Minister. Oh and would he mind awfully taking the minutes? Yes, I would, thought Henry but said nothing. He didn't feel able to explain why he would find it so difficult being in a meeting with Raven Courten. Nobody, he thought would understand how strange he found the idea of his sitting down in her presence.

In the centre of the meeting room was a great oval mahogany table surrounded by a dozen heavy high backed chairs in the same dark wood. Henry laid out in front of each seat the usual accoutrements of a ministerial meeting; pads of paper, pens branded with the department's logo and a glass ready for filling from either the still or sparkling water bottles arranged in groups along the table's length.

He'd only just finished his work when the door to the room opened. Julia, Sylvia, Raven and the others came in.

He had known that Raven Courten would be at the meeting but he was still startled when she appeared, accompanied by Julia and the Minister. Henry almost dropped the last of the water glasses as he saw her. Raven had brought someone with her as expected. Henry knew who it was; Miss Jane, the woman that ran Raven's web site and video sharing service and acted as her PA -- the woman that he had spoken to on a regular basis whenever he had wanted to book an appointment with Mistress Raven

Raven had evidently decided that the relatively conservative apparel that she had adopted for her last meeting with the Minister could be replaced with something a little more exciting for the discussions today. This time she was wearing a zip-fronted, black, leather jump-suit together with a pair of platform sole, stack heel boots that added still further to her height. The suit was tight and cut in such a way as to sculpt her body, slimming her waist and emphasising her thighs, buttocks, breasts and hips. Henry bit his lip. It was as much as he could do to prevent giving out a sigh of appreciation. Jane, in contrast and in common with Henry's experience of the was she did her job, was a picture of prim professionalism.

If Julia Fain or the Minister were shocked by their visitor's appearance they said nothing. In fairness, Henry thought, the sort of full-on fetish wear Raven was got up in was not so different from what you could see in the street any day now. Henry sat quietly trying to stare at his notepad and pencil as if they were the only things in the room.

Julia Fain kicked things off. "First of all we want to say how helpful the input of your association has been, Ms Courten. Our own research certainly confirms the problems that your members are facing." Henry had to admit that she was quite good at her job. He had thought when he recruited her that she would be a high flyer, although he'd have preferred it if it hadn't been his job that she had flown into. Still, as bosses went, Henry knew he could have a lot worse.

"However," Sylvia Atterbury added, "I've not been so fortunate in my discussions with other departments. Let's just say there is a reluctance to innovate in the ways that you suggest. There has been quite a lot of 'Oh, it's not really us try Education' and 'Well, I really think this should be Home Affairs' in the discussions so far. And -- I'm afraid to say -- I have found it hard to get anyone in the Department of Sponsors Affairs to even acknowledge that there might be a problem."

"That is disappointing," said Raven. Henry winced: the phrase 'that is disappointing' was usually a precursor in his experience, to the appearance of a flogger, paddle or riding crop. Julia gave him a 'what are you so nervous about now?' look.

Sylvia continued. "I am not daunted though. My personal view is that your proposals have considerable merit and I think that inter-departmental inertia can be overcome with a sufficient push. So perhaps I can make a proposal. Why don't you run a workshop, say, on 'Male Management Techniques For Sponsors'? I will get some of my own staff to attend. There are too many in Government that aren't supporting initiatives like sponsorship. Perhaps we can use this to overcome some objections. Can't we Julia?" Fain looked uncomfortable. "We'll evaluate it jointly and see where we go from there."

"And this would be a paid consultancy project for the Department?"

"I was thinking more that you might like to take the risk on this as a way of, lets say, 'seeding the market'. I'd find it difficult to justify procurement without a clear mandate from Cabinet. I'm sure you can understand."

Raven looked across at her PA with a despairing grimace. It all honesty, it was what she had expected but at least it mean there was a chance to kick-start the project. "Well, assuming the Department is able to provide the venue and the administration needed, I suppose we might do an initial session as a 'taster' shall we say. Oh and we would need at least one of your male staff to help us out. Perhaps Sir Henry might be available?"

Henry coughed. Sylvia looked puzzled for a moment. She didn't remember introducing Henry. "I'm sure that will be all right. We can soon find someone to fill in on the things he is working on."

"Very well then. I'll get started on planning things. Jane, perhaps you can arrange for Sir Henry to stop by at some convenient point for the two of us."

"Of course," Jane responded.

Henry wasn't sure whether to be worried or excited, although he might like to have been consulted. He was sitting there in the room, after all.