Down The Rabbit Hole Pt. 02

After taking several deep breaths to calm herself, Aisha continued, "Cory, I know you and I can imagine how you tried to persuade Carl to drop the matter. I also see that you were unsuccessful. Is there a compromise or something that I can do to get him to go away to find another person to destroy with his sadistic appetites?"

Cory picked up his glass and took a long drink before speaking again. "Yes, there is. Carl said that Val needs stern discipline so that he understands that there is a price to pay by anyone who dares interfere with him or his subs. After some discussion Carl agreed that Val could be disciplined by me on the condition that if I am too gentle in my punishment he would have the right to discipline you in a similar fashion but as strictly as he pleased. In addition, he wants me to discipline you for the embarrassment that you caused him. Val would have to show evidence of his punishment to Carl's satisfaction before Carl would agree to concede Val to you and relinquish his right to punish you himself, but he would take my word that you received your just due.

"Aisha, these are the terms and I have agreed to them; I told Carl that I would deal with the matter this weekend after speaking with you. It is the only way that you, and Val, will be free of Carl."

Aisha rose from the sofa and went to the bar to make another drink. All the happiness that she felt only a short time ago had evaporated and now she felt depression start to seep into her being. Cory could see the change and felt the pain that he knew Aisha was enduring now.

Aisha simply poured gin into her martini glass with a couple of ice cubes rather than take the time to prepare a proper drink and returned to the sofa. "Cory, when I met with Val I explained the rules and what I expected of him, similar to what you and I discussed and how we treat each other. I told him that I would look out for him in the course of his duties and then I let him fuck me to seal the pact." Cory looked Aisha in the eyes while taking in what she said.

Aisha continued after taking a long sip from her drink, "You will notice that I said he fucked me and you know that this act was in no way like making love with you. I am yours and will always be yours no matter what. I knew that Val wanted me but he knew that his relationship with me and my relationship with you would not permit it. I gave him the thing that he desired most of all and in return, he will do whatever I ask without question or complaint. If I betray his trust, what does that say about me? How would you feel about me if I allowed Val to suffer for my sole benefit? How would you feel watching me suffer for your sole benefit?

"Cory, I will agree to your compromise on one condition," Aisha continued before pausing for another sip from her glass. "You will discipline Val in front of me and I will not interfere. When you are satisfied with the punishment and finished with Val, I want you to do the exact same thing to me in front of Val. If Val suffers and bleeds then I suffer and bleed, it's that simple. If I have your word on this I will call Val and have him here tomorrow. It is in your hands."

Cory was dumbfounded and confused. He knew what Carl wanted of him and what it would take to get him to walk away. He also knew that he could not hurt Aisha needlessly or simply to appease Carl, but he had to honor Aisha's wishes. It was a catch-22. Should he fail to resolve the matter, Carl would take Val someday, somehow, and administer his own punishment which would be the worst of all outcomes. He had to act.

"If this is what you wish Aisha, then so be it," Cory said. "You shall receive the exact same treatment as Val and I will not spare the strap. I hope that you are happy now, but you should know that I am not. Now, show me your gratitude by fucking me like you did your other lover."

Cory's last statement hurt Aisha more than the strap could. She came to Cory's room full of joyous anticipation and within a couple of hours she is hurt beyond belief, wanting to run away and cry quietly in her own bed. Responsibility had a price and now she is learning the cost.

Things settled down, Cory and Aisha both made necessary phone calls and then Cory got his wish, albeit without much enthusiasm. Aisha let him fuck her but, regardless of what had transpired earlier, it was still love making in her eyes, not simply fucking. Restless sleep followed and then the new day awaited them.

After a shower and a quick breakfast, Aisha waited for Val while Cory had a coffee on the terrace. She dreaded the uncertainty of the day and having to tell Val what awaited him. No doubt he would be stoic about it, but this is not something that Aisha ever imagined would be her obligation as mistress, even though it is self-imposed.

When Val arrived at Cory's suite he could feel the tension in the air and the somberness of the mood was apparent on Aisha's face. He entered slowly, apprehensively, and looked directly into Aisha's eyes when he spoke. "Good morning mistress. Is everything alright?"

"Good morning Val," replied Aisha. "Come sit on the sofa with me," Aisha said as she moved to the sofa leaving room for Val to sit next to her.

"Something is wrong mistress; I can feel it. Please tell me what's going on," said Val in a voice, quiet and shaky.

Before Aisha could say anything further, Cory walked in from the terrace. Val jumped up from the sofa and looked at Cory with fear in his eyes and a face drained of color. "You may sit, Val," said Cory, his voice calm but stern.

"Yes, sir," replied Val, again taking his place next to Aisha who placed her hand over his for reassurance.

"Val, you are here today to help solve a problem," said Cory, walking over to the bar to get another coffee. "You originally came to meet us with Carl, your master at the time, and there were some issues that evening that caused embarrassment to Carl and hard feelings between him and me," continued Cory looking directly at Aisha.

"But, sir, I meant no disrespect..." interrupted Val.

"Silence!" said Cory forcefully but quietly. Aisha squeezed Val's hand to emphasize the words and her desire for obedience.

"I'm sorry, sir, I spoke out of turn. Please forgive my impertinence," responded Val, looking down at the carpet.

"I am here today to bring this situation to a conclusion," said Cory. "I have spoken to Carl, who is still furious by the way, and he wants to know that you have been 'properly' punished for your transgression and that Aisha has been disciplined for interfering in something that was none of her business in the first place."

Aisha was stunned by the brutality of Cory's last words and looked directly into Cory's eyes saying nothing. She thought, "Carl told Cory to discipline me, punish me, and Cory agreed. He gave me up to the whim of another man." A tear formed in the corner of her eye, a tear of disappointment and sadness, and the water slowly began to trickle down her cheek.

Cory looked directly at Aisha and then shifted his gaze back to Val. "Carl gave me his word that if his demands were met, he would relinquish all claim to you and allow you to serve Aisha without interference from him. If I did not agree, which was my right, he would order you to return to his home and he would administer your punishment himself. If you did not comply...well, you figure it out."

After a tense silence, Cory continued. "I agreed to his request Val, and you are here today to pay for your transgression. Aisha is also here to see what happens when she comes between a master and his sub, albeit with the best intentions, and to receive punishment as well. She knew what she was doing when she did it."

Val began to tremble at Cory's last words. He did not seem too disturbed when Cory mentioned his punishment but clearly, he reacted upon hearing that Aisha was to be severely disciplined as well. Aisha squeezed Val's hand gently to calm him and let him know that she understood what he was feeling.

"You gave your word, and it is your duty to do what is required," said Aisha softly. "I accept responsibility and I am at your mercy, sir."

"Sir, I will take the mistress's punishment. Don't do this to her. She helped me and I will be forever grateful for her intervention on my behalf. Please, sir, do not hurt her!" Val pleaded.

"Your loyalty and compassion for Aisha is commendable. Obviously, she has touched you and I can appreciate that since I know the power that she has over people," replied Cory, "but when you give your word you must follow through on the agreement. Val, Aisha, take minute but then remove your clothes."

Aisha rose first without hesitation and slid the gown from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She then removed her panties and stood stark naked staring at Cory.

Val got up slowly and removed his clothing as instructed and then stood next to Aisha, arms touching, while Cory walked to the closet to retrieve a 'cat' from the shelf. Walking back to face Aisha and Val, Cory felt the leather and knew the pain that it was capable of inflicting upon bear flesh. It was the perfect weapon for administering Carl's level of discipline and it would leave plenty of marks for evidence.

The buzzer sounded and Cory stopped what he was doing to go to the door. "Remain where you are," he commanded, and neither moved.

When he opened the door a strange woman, rolling a small carry-on case, hastily walked into the room. "Hi Cory, sorry I'm a bit late but traffic was a pain in the ass." Her eyes finally settled on the two individuals standing with looks of near panic on their faces, and continued, "I hope I am not interrupting anything, or maybe I should be glad that I am."

"No problem Grace, it's nice to see you. Keeping well I take it?" said Cory, ignoring her last comment.

"Very well and busy as hell," she replied with a smile. "Are these the two 'victims' you told me about?"

"Yes, I was just getting ready to start setting the baseline so your timing is perfect."

Aisha looked at Cory, clearly puzzled. Val reached for Aisha's hand not really sure what was about to transpire but understanding there would be pain involved. At least he would not be alone but his heart ached for Aisha who would suffer on account of him.

"Val, Aisha, walk around the sofa and bend forward over the back, hands on the cushions," said Cory. After they got into position, Cory looked at Val and continued, "Val, you made a commitment to Carl, agreeing to be subordinate to his will, placing yourself at his disposal, to do whatever he required of you without comment or complaint. You did not live up to that agreement and you disrespected him and his authority in front of others. For this transgression, and to free you of further obligation to Carl, you are about to receive a stern warning to not repeat this offense with 'anyone' in the future. When you make a commitment, you will keep your word no matter how much it hurts you personally. Do you understand?"

Looking at Aisha, Val said, "Yes sir."

Cory brought the 'cat' down onto Val's buttocks with enough force to leave red stripes but not enough to break the skin. Val grimaced but made no sound, clearly surprised by the mild sting that he felt.

Now, shifting his gaze to Aisha, Cory said, "Aisha, you got between a master and his subordinate and while you were punished for this offense at the time, Val's master did not think your punishment adequate. You will now learn that when you take someone's side, it is not a decision to be taken lightly; it is for the long-term and you must be willing to stand by your decision no matter what happens, however unexpected or unpleasant. You, as mistress, have a responsibility and obligation to your subordinates to make sure that they are treated fairly and even-handedly by others even if it hurts you personally. You, as a subordinate, must realize that you cannot place your feelings above those of your master and you must never disrespect that person in front of others. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir," replied Aisha, tears running down her cheeks. "I am so sorry sir. I was wrong and I was weak."

With the last words, Cory brought the 'cat' down on Aisha's buttocks with the same force that he used on Val. After a few moments to let the sting settle in, he said, "You may both straighten up."

"Grace, you see the marks the 'cat' can leave but understand that if administered with force it has a tendency to break the skin in addition to leaving serious welts in similar patterns. Please make sure that your work shows welts, some minor skin splitting in some cases, and multiple bruises. Any questions?"

"No, Cory, not a problem. It will take the better part of two hours so while I work on one the other can relax, assuming that they can sit."

Cory laughed and responded, "That shouldn't be too much of a problem, I was gentle. Start with Aisha because I can always take another turn on Val if the marks fade."

Cory looked at the two sore and puzzled people in front of him. "I told Carl that both of you would be disciplined and he said that he wanted evidence that suitable punishment had been administered to Val. I did as agreed and with Grace's help, I will provide ample 'evidence' that punishment was administered to both individuals. There are no outright lies and I have kept my word. Grace is an old friend and a special effects artist who works on various films and agreed to help create the illusion that both of you received a severe whipping. Once she is finished I will take some photographs to send to Carl and if Grace does her work as well as she usually does, Carl will be more than satisfied and you two will not have to look over your shoulders. If Grace is not up to her task then I still have the 'cat'."

"Fuck you, Cory. With all due respect, sir," Grace replied with a laugh and a curtsy.

Aisha smiled at Cory and walked into the bedroom with Grace trailing her roller bag.

"There's a robe in the closet if you like, Val. Would you care for a coffee?" said Cory.

"Thank you, sir. A coffee would be very nice," replied Val.

As Val put on the robe he looked at Cory and asked, "May I speak freely, sir?"

Cory studied him while pouring Val's coffee and then responded, "I will allow it this one time since it is a special circumstance. What's on your mind?"

"You risked a lot by going so easy on us today after you gave your word to Carl. I can understand your desire to protect Mistress Aisha from the pain of a whipping, but why me?"

"Interesting question and I must admit that I had conflicting thoughts about what I was about to do. On the one hand I could have whipped you into unconsciousness without giving it much thought. You are nothing to me and I have known Carl for years." Cory let the words sink in before continuing. "He would certainly enjoy seeing a mass of purple flesh so why deprive him of something he truly enjoys? But, on the other hand, you belong to Mistress Aisha and I respect her even though she is new to handling this level of responsibility. I understand how she feels about you and this is a learning opportunity. If I allowed you to be hurt indiscriminately in her presence and with her knowledge, I would disrespect her and her authority, and also bring shame upon myself by allowing her to take you for her own, and then punishing her at the demand of someone else after the fact. If I was to inflict punishment upon her it should have been done at my discretion when the offense occurred not because another person overruled my authority.

"Now, I imagine that you're thinking, 'What does that have to do with me?' A lot actually. When I told Aisha last night that Carl wanted to inflict further punishment on you, she said that what happened was not your fault and insisted that she accept the punishment in your place. I omitted the part about Carl demanding that she be punished as well so what she did was simply a choice between accepting pain for someone else or no pain at all. She accepted her responsibility and was willing to stand for you without hesitation. You were let off lightly today and I want you to remember what she was prepared to do for you if you should ever question your loyalty to her. She will take care of you because it is her duty as mistress and she may even allow you an occasional 'gift', but it is only because she wants to bestow it not because you are entitled to it. You belong to Aisha so do not disrespect her or take advantage of her kindness. You owe her; I went easy on you because of her willingness to accept responsibility for her subordinate and I want no less from you towards her."

"Cory, come to the bedroom please," called Grace after about an hour. Cory walked in to see Aisha lying motionless, face down on the bed, one arm by her side and the other draped over the edge. Her back, buttocks, and legs were a mass of purple and red stripes and the realism was enough to make a strong person queasy at the sight.

"My God, Grace, I'm nearly speechless," said Cory.

Val entered the room without being summoned and was visibly shaken. "Aisha! Please tell me that you're okay."

"I'm fine Val, don't fret," said Aisha, voice muffled by the bedding. "I assume Grace's work appears realistic."

"I will take some photos just like this and it should convince anyone of the veracity of the wounds," replied Cory.

After about a dozen photos from different angles Cory was satisfied. "Okay Val, your turn. Remove the robe and lay down on the bed so Grace can finish her work. I don't want to keep her here longer than necessary and it's been a long day already."

"Aisha, please don't sit or move around too much in case Cory wants more photos. It would be difficult to recreate the look exactly if anything is disturbed," said Grace.

"Certainly," responded Aisha, draping Val's robe gently over her shoulders and walking to the bar area.

"Coffee?" asked Cory.

"Vodka, rocks, if you don't mind," replied Aisha with a hint of a smile. "You know that it was rude to keep the full details of your conversation with Carl from me, particularly when it concerned me, don't you? Not telling me of your ultimate plan is unforgiveable as well. Don't you think that you can trust me?"

Pushing the glass to Aisha, Cory said, "Of course I trust you...and I care about you deeply. But a person acts and reacts differently when playing a scene as opposed to living an experience. If you knew that there was no real threat and no danger of real pain, there would be a different look in your eyes, a different tone to your skin, and you would have a different attitude. Plus, there is a lesson in all this that I wanted you to fully understand."

Aisha stared at Cory with a puzzled look, "Which lesson is that?"

"What I said before administering the lash. As mistress, you must consider the big picture, the long-term consequences of your decisions. I did not want you to think that you were getting a pass for what you did; it had to be real in the moment so that you would grasp the severity of the situation." Cory showed Aisha some of the photos that he took of her laying on the bed and then continued, "These wounds could be real if you were with anyone else. Carl could do this and probably worse, but you didn't think about this possibility when you spoke up for Val. In hindsight, particularly now having seen the photos, you might reconsider your decision and have let Carl have a few more strokes on Val with his belt to release his anger and then possibly come up with another plan to end the ordeal that didn't involve making a fool out of Carl."

"I'm sorry for doubting you and I am honored to have you as my teacher, my master. I realize how little I know, and I no longer believe that I am ready to be called mistress and shoulder the responsibilities that that position entails," Aisha stammered. "Please take the responsibility for Val from me and look after him properly as he deserves."