Full Circle Ch. 04: Discovery

"See these?" Elaine asked, pointing to the nine tails. "You'll notice they're made of rope and knotted at the end."

"Why the knots?" Carol asked naively.

"It makes them hurt more."

"Oh."

Elaine handed Carol the cat. Carol's eyes glazed over when she held the cat and imagined how it would feel when it struck her bare skin.

Elaine could see the excitement in Carol's eyes. "Think about it Carol. Some sea captain used this to strike the back of a disobedient sailor. Now I'm going to use it to whip your ass. Do you want this Carol? Do you think you can take five lashes?"

"Yes . . . yes I can," Carol blurted out.

"I don't think so."

Elaine walked behind Carol.

"Stand up. Hands against the wall."

They were still in the hallway outside Elaine's office. Elaine kicked Carol's feet wider apart.

"OK," the Domme said. Her hands reached around Carol to touch her lips. Carol's mouth opened and let Elaine's fingers explore her tongue and the inside of her mouth. Now wet, they left a slippery trail down Carol's chest to her hanging, pendulous breasts, big, soft and lily white. Elaine cupped Carol's breasts to assess them, feeling their weight and texture. She couldn't help but be sexually excited. Carol felt a warm buzz as Elaine handled her body, squeezing her breasts, fingering her pussy, and then leaning heavily against her and pinning her to the wall.

"You don't know what you're doing but you have a very sexy body. You know that don't you Carol?"

"Yes."

"You know it. But you're a slut. And you're used to getting your way. What's your last name?"

"Shelton."

Elaine laughed. "You're Bill Shelton's ex-wife? I did couple deals with him."

"Yes," Carol said. Carol realized that Elaine must then know all the details from the messy divorce, including the parade of women testifying for Bill that had sex with Carol. She felt as if she'd just walked into deep water and was sinking to the bottom.

"He was a prick," Elaine stated as a fact.

Carol was relieved that Elaine wasn't of Bill's. "You don't know the half of it," she observed dryly.

"The half I saw I didn't like."

"The other half was worse. He was fucking everything that moved."

"I can attest to that."

"You fucked him?"

"No. But he fucked one of my friends."

Elaine was done with small talk. While they were talking Elaine's hand went lower, caressing Carol's luscious bottom before pinching it hard, hard enough to raise a welt.

"Ohhh!" Carol cried out at the unexpected burst of pain.

"That's just a taste Carol. Are you sure you want this?"

Elaine rubbed the handle between Carol's legs, against her weeping cunt, making her knees buckle. Carol braced herself against the wall, legs quaking.

"Are you sure Carol?"

Carol was sure. "Yes . . . Yes I am."

"Come here," Elaine said, leading Carol into the punishment room. Elaine produced a key hanging from a necklace she was wearing and unlocked a tall wooden cabinet door. She pulled out one of the lower, full width drawers, and picked through a collection of restraints. She selected a pair of leather cuffs with large silver rings riveted to them. It was clear to Carol they'd been worn many times before, smelling of sweat and sex.

Carol felt the cool leather of the cuffs Elaine strapped on each wrist. Elaine lifted each wrist over Carol's head, attaching the cuffs to large dull gray metal rings embedded in the walls. Carol was positioned with her feet away from the wall and her hands high overhead. Her legs were quivering with anticipation.

Elaine drew her arm back and swept it forward, then snapped her wrist. The tails of braided hemp hit almost simultaneously, emitting a loud "SNAP" as they struck Carol's bare bottom. She whelped in pain and sagged in her cuffs, her body going limp as a rag doll.

"Oh . . . God . . ." she moaned. She would have dropped to her knees if the cuffs weren't holding her up. She'd never experienced that kind of pain before. Her brain was overloaded, trying to process this new, raw sensation. It hurt like a motherfucker.

Elaine drew her fingernail lightly over the welts rising from the lash. Carol groaned audibly.

"Four more Carol. Can you take it? Do you want another? Or is it time to quit?"

Carol wasn't going to let Elaine win. She was somehow able to see through the pain to stiffen her resolve. There was a moist heat growing between her legs.

"Please," she said. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Very well," Elaine said. Without reservation she flicked her wrist and delivered another blow, finishing the lash with a flourish. The knotted ends did their job, biting into smooth, unmarked flesh. Carol was hanging by her wrists, her ass a raging forest fire. She was silently sobbing, her chest heaving, wondering what she was thinking when she agreed to this.

"You're an amateur Carol. Admit it and quit. There's no shame in that," Elaine said, urging Carol to quit.

Carol didn't consider herself a quitter. "No," she said, mustering the little energy she had left. "Another . . . please."

Elaine touched Carol's inflamed butt, causing her to flinch.

"Do you really want this?"

Carol's legs were shaking but her resolve was firm. "Yes."

"All right."

Elaine didn't hold back. The third lash was even harder than the first two. The pain was blinding. Carol momentarily blacked out. All of her weight was on her wrists as she sagged against the wall, the leather digging into her forearms.

"Ohhhh . . ." the bleach blonde groaned. What little fight she had was gone. She was defeated and she knew it.

"You've had enough," Elaine said. "I respect you for trying but you don't have the experience to handle this."

Carol was panting heavily. Sweat was streaming off her brow. A fine rivulet of pussy juice was running down the inside of her leg. Her need was great but she had no strength to withstand another lash. She shook her head "no más."

"You were brave. I'll give you that."

Elaine unfastened the cuffs and let Carol hold onto her shoulders to steady herself. She led Carol to a bench and let her lay flat on her stomach. She got a tub of aloe and started massaging it into the reddened skin.

"Ohhhh . . . oh God . . ." Carol gasped as the cool gel quelled the burning sensation and replaced it with icy cold.

"This will help you," Elaine said, continuing to work the gel into the welts. "It should be all healed in a couple of weeks. Until then it might hurt to walk."

Elaine laid the cat on the floor next to Carol. "I'm going to give you this. I'll call you an Uber to take you home. Maybe someday we'll meet again."

"Thank you . . . Mistress Elaine."

* * *

Carol returned home late that night to her apartment in the City. The ride along the uneven road was painful, with Carol gnashing her teeth every time they went over a bump. She still felt a hot, prickly sensation in her butt and was a swampy mess between her legs. All she could think about was masturbating the minute she got home.

Carol flung open her apartment door and staggered in. In the entranceway, she stripped off her clothes and knelt on the marble tiles. She pulled the cat out of her purse and ran the handle under her nose, smelling Elaine and herself. She thought about the whipping and the pain and questioned why she sought it out and liked it. Was she a slut, a whore, who debased herself to give herself pleasure? Her dripping pussy gave her the answer.

Carol kissed the handle of the cat and then used it like a dildo, first rubbing it up and down between her slippery lips, creating brilliant flashes of carnal pleasure. Not able to wait any longer, she used the handle to fuck herself, plunging it deep inside her, and bearing down on it, feeling the powerful contractions of her orgasm against the unyielding wooden phallus. She fell forward, the side of her face pressed against the cool tiles.

She lovingly kissed the soaked handle of the cat.

"Elaine . . ." she whispered. "Elaine."

* * *

Present Day

Sylvia arrived first with the red Ferrari clean and detailed. Carol dashed out of her house to greet Syl when she heard the throaty roar of her twelve-cylinder beast. Syl parked the car in front of the Tudor style mansion and rolled down the driver's side window. Carol leaned on the window frame with her hands.

"My baby's all better!" she exclaimed, delighted to hear that her car was running perfectly.

"Nothing a new clutch wouldn't solve," said Syl, shutting down the engine. Carol backed away and Syl got out.

"Sorry about the delay," said Syl. "There were some parts we had to wait for but after I got them the repair was routine."

"Thank you so much!"

"Thanks for letting me drive it. That was a treat."

"So you're getting picked up by a friend?"

"She should be here any minute."

"Why don't you come in for a cup of coffee while you wait?"

Syl had been in the house before, but it still impressed her with its grandeur - - high vaulted ceilings and exquisite dark wood trims, stained glass windows and a winding staircase to the second floor. She followed Carol back to the ground floor kitchen.

"Black?"

"Please," said Sylvia.

Carol took a carafe off a warmer and poured them each a cup. They sat down on barstools next to a long kitchen island topped with honed black granite.

"So what's new Sylvia? Who's this friend who's picking you up?"

"It's someone I met yesterday. She's going back to the City and I'm joining her."

"Sound exciting."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"So who is she?"

"Her name's Elaine Harris."

Carol tried to hide the startled expression on her face.

"Elaine Harris?"

"You know her?" Syl asked, noting Carol's interest.

"We've met," said Carol, tamping down her enthusiasm. Her thoughts immediately went to the night at Elaine's club and the flogging. She wondered if she was prepared to face her after so many years had passed.

"That's amazing," said Syl, oblivious to the boulder she'd just heaved into the pond.

"Yes, I guess it is," said Carol, stick rocking from the ripples.

Carol was already thinking about the cat. She'd had other Dommes use it on her, but none handled the cat as well as Elaine and Carol had never received five lashes from it.

"She should be here any minute," Syl said, making Carol's heart stop.

The doorbell chimed.

"Speaking of the devil."

Carol shivered as if a cold breeze had blown into the house. "I'll get it," she said. Thinking quickly, she added, "I'd like to chat with Elaine for a few minutes. Would you mind going to my garage while you're here? The power windows on the Bentley don't seem to be working right. The keys are . . . you know where I keep them."

Syl took a sip of her coffee and put her cup down. "Sure. I'll do that right now."

Syl left the kitchen and went down a back hallway to the entrance to the garage. Carol went to the front door. Her hand was shaking as she reached for the door handle.

Carol took a deep breath and opened the door. Elaine . . . at her house. She was wearing a lovely powder blue dress and matching heels, an unusual wardrobe choice for the afternoon.

"Elaine," Carol said, not quite believing her eyes. Her stomach was doing flips.

Elaine's mind had to reset. She recognized the woman and obviously the woman recognized her.

Then it came to her. Carol . . . Carol Shelton.

Elaine was much better at masking her emotions than Carol. "Why Carol, this is a pleasant surprise," she said cooly, though mind was reeling at this coincidental meeting.

"Come in. Syl's in the garage looking at my Bentley."

Elaine stepped into the foyer, admiring the grand entrance. Suddenly Carol was on her knees clutching the hem of Elaine's dress.

"Mistress Elaine. I've never forgotten you."

"I remember you Carol."

Carol felt a pang of jealousy. "Is Sylvia your sub?"

"It's not that way."

Carol looked up at Elaine. "Does she know about your past?"

Elaine was confronted with a dilemma. Carol would tell Syl unless she intervened.

"No she doesn't and I'd like to keep it that way."

The wheels in Carol's head were spinning. "Could we have a few minutes together in private? That'll assure my lips are sealed."

A little blackmail, Elaine thought. She remembered Carol's voluptuous body and her proclivity for pain. Maybe a few minutes in private wouldn't do any harm.

"What about Syl?"

"I'll go out to the garage and buy us some time."

Elaine sighed. "Go ahead."

* * *

Syl was going through the car's fuses when Carol stepped into the garage. "A half hour? Sure. I need to troubleshoot a few things so I'll probably need that time anyway. So Elaine's good with waiting?" Syl asked.

"Of course she is. We'll take the time to catch up."

"Fine with me," said Syl, continuing to check the fuses.

"I'll come back and get you when we're ready."

"OK," said Syl, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

* * *

"A half hour, right?"

"That's right," said Carol.

"And that's it?"

"That's it."

"Where's your bedroom?"

"Follow me."

Elaine followed Carol up a long-curved staircase to the second floor. Carol's bedroom featured a four-poster canopied bed and windows covered with thick cream-colored velvet drapes. Elaine closed the door behind them and then drew the drapes shut.

"Inspection," Elaine barked.

Carol had learned the position and quickly stripped off all of her clothes, getting on her knees with her legs spread apart and her hands clasped behind her back. Elaine eyed the bleach blonde's heavy, pendulous breasts with long, thick brown nipples. She pinched a nipple between her fingers, her eyes meeting Carol's, pinching until she could see Carol's eyes glaze over as she felt that sweet mixture of pain and pleasure.

"Thank you Mistress Elaine," she said smiling, her mind already starting to drift away.

"Did I ask you to speak?" Elaine asked in a sharp tone of voice.

"No."

"Then don't."

Elaine went to the other nipple, this time digging in the edge of one her nails. Carol's breath became short as she snorted through her nose, though not breaking her position. She didn't dare speak again unless asked.

"Ahh, so that's what you want slut. You've haven't lost your love of this have you? You may nod your head."

Carol nodded and stopped. Elaine kept her tight grip on Carol's nipple and started to pull it outward, increasing the level of pain. Elaine was starting to enjoy herself, reminding herself of the pleasures of being a Domme. Carol grimaced as Elaine let go.

"I remember giving you a cat o'nine tails. Do you have it? Nod if you do."

Carol nodded.

"Good, go get it."

Carol got up out of her position and went into her closet, pulling open a dresser drawer and retrieving the antique cat o'nine tails. She had the handle in her mouth and assumed the "present" position. Elaine took the handle out of Carol's mouth first assessing its weight and then swished the cat back and forth, assessing its feel.

"I remember buying this. It's got a good weight and balance. And the knots on the end, well . . ."

Carol's eyes were following the motion of the cat's braided rope tails as Elaine made a figure eight.

"Bend over the bed," Elaine instructed.

Carol laid her tummy on the bed with her thighs touching the side of the bed. Her plump, rounded ass was sticking up, begging for the cat. Elaine obliged with a quick flick of her wrist. The loud "snap" when it hit Carol's skin made the bleach blonde utter a muffled scream into the bed.

"I guess that's about right," Elaine said, talking to herself. Of course Carol heard what Elaine said and moaned.

"I remember that you were supposed to have five. Is that right? You may speak."

Carol would never forget the number. "It was five Mistress Elaine."

"Very well then," Elaine said. "Five it is."

Carol butt was already smarting from the first lash so the second one gave her another level of pain. The duvet cover under her pussy was already drenched and tiny red welts were rising up on her skin.

Elaine let the tails gently drop on Carol's shoulders, letting them slide down her back, tickling it, before dragging them across her tender ass.

"Ohhhh," Carol moaned. It was a delicious feeling heaped onto the pain.

Elaine let Carol simmer for a minute. She thought about Syl and their thirty-minute deadline. She snapped her wrist quickly, giving Carol little warning the next strike was coming. It caught her off guard.

"Fuck!" Carol shouted into the bedsheets. It felt to Carol as if a hundred rubber bands were snapped at the same time against her ass. She started to softly sob.

"Oh my, maybe Carol's changed and she doesn't like this anymore," Elaine said in a mocking tone. "Did you want me to stop?" Elaine was confident of the answer. She'd had many women and Carol was in her heart a slut who loved pain.

Carol shook her head.

Elaine laughed. "I thought so."

The Domme reached forward between Carol's chubby thighs and dragged the edge of her hand in the middle of Carol's flooded furrow. She intended to stoke the fire between Carol's legs. Carol whimpered with pleasure.

"Another," Elaine announced for Carol's benefit. The tails hissed through the air. Carol's ass cheeks clenched, making the strike of the cat even more potent.

"Oh God!" Carol cried out, not able to stop herself from speaking. Her ass was on fire. There was a prickly heat between her legs. Elaine was wet as well. It was exactly what they both wanted.

"Last one."

After the snap of the cat, while Carol nerve endings were shrieking, Elaine used the cat to tap its nine tails against Carol's inflamed pussy.

"Cum bitch. Cum for me," Elaine said with inner satisfaction. Being with Carol reminded her after three years of abstinence how good she was at meting out punishment and pleasure. She watched as Carol had a massive orgasm, her body, facedown, heaving on the bed uncontrollably. She let Carol peek behind the curtain to the other side, the dark side.

Carol vowed to herself that she would see Elaine again, Sylvia or no Sylvia.

Elaine looked at her watch. There was no time for the customary aftercare. Elaine went into the bathroom to straighten up before returning to the kitchen.

Carol finally snapped into the present. "Fuck, Elaine, has it been thirty minutes?"

"Thirty-five, but who's counting?" Elaine quipped.

Carol tried to get up quickly and winced. She was going to be moving slowly for a while. She pulled on clean panties and a pair of pants, gritting her teeth as the cotton fabric rubbed against the welts on her ass. She followed Elaine out of the bedroom, though her sore bottom made her walk with an awkward gait.

"Thank you Mistress Elaine," Carol whispered from behind.

"Mums the word," Elaine said, reminding the bleach blonde of her promise.

* * *

Syl was in the kitchen pouring herself a cup of coffee. She located the bad fuse in the Bentley but couldn't find a spare so she closed up the car and went into the kitchen in search of the coffeemaker, figuring she'd kill the extra fifteen minutes drinking coffee and checking the messages on her phone. The kitchen table was located next to a picture window overlooking a grove of mature Japanese maples gracing the back yard. Syl picked a chair at the table that had a clear view out the window. She didn't notice the chair was right underneath an air conditioning vent.

As she took her first sip of hot coffee she heard the sounds of a woman sobbing. She looked up and realized it was coming from above, from the vent. The ducting system in the kitchen was connected to Carol's bedroom so a person sitting under the kitchen vent could hear everything that was going on in the bedroom. Only two people had that knowledge, Carol's handyman (who heard his share of X rated content), and now Syl.