Ingrid's Dark Secret Passion Ch. 20

Ingrid replied, "I guess you're right; I hadn't thought of that."

Vera continued, "Not only do I manage my daughter's career, but I also manage Pamela Rose and quite a few other celebrities. My home office is in Chicago, but I also have offices in New York City and Los Angeles plus offices in Atlanta and Dallas. So, I have presence in the major entertainment centers in the United States."

Ingrid replied, "I'm truly impressed."

"Although I've started out as an accountant, my first entertainment client was Pamela Rose and from there others followed, so that acting as agents for celebrities became my most prominent role in my firm. With Natasha as my recognized client, I soon acquired other classical music artists including conductors as clients. I've acquired some very useful contacts in Europe, such that I'm considering opening an office in London for sure, and possibly in Paris and Berlin as well."

Ingrid exclaimed, "Your sales pitch is certainly irresistible. I'm starting to wonder if you have too many clients, and so, you would not be able to devote as much time just on me. And of course I'm cognizant that Natasha Starikovich is your daughter."

Vera answered, "Obviously, as Natasha is my daughter, she is a most significant person in my personal life. However, even with Natasha as well as with every other one of my clients, my representation is always based on fulfilling my clients' own aspirations of what she or he would wish to achieve. Of course, I might make suggestions and provide alternative choices than what my artistic client might not have envisioned, but it's always my client who has the ultimate say on what she or he would want to do."

Vera continued, "Your concern that I might have too many clients, is certainly a valid one. Rest assured I have lots of support staff to do the grunt work that is necessary to maintain a seamless routine of my clients' needs. My main focus in my work is in addition to overall supervision of the administration of the firm, is to devote all my time and energy to the needs and aspirations of my entertainment clients, while acting as their agents.

"You ought to know that I'm an accountant by education and by profession, but the only accounting I now do is for Natasha and some other entertainment clients who so wish it. Even at that, any investment funds which my clients wish my firm to handle is done by my partner, Walter Snyder, who is a whizz at managing investment portfolios.

"So, I don't do much of any real accounting work anymore, and in some ways I miss it. I really miss doing forensics accounting, which I find truly exciting work. I suppose exciting accounting is an oxymoron for lay persons. However, I did uncover a very sophisticated embezzlement scheme against Baxter & Sons perpetrated by its CFO. That scheme had eluded detection by the previous auditors, the well-regarded international accounting firm of Price, Waterhouse. So as a result, Jed Baxter, who is as rich as Croesus, became my first client and enabled me to start an independent accounting firm."

Ingrid was very impressed as she replied, "My goodness Vera, that's quite a résumé. And to think you accomplished all this despite becoming a mother at only fourteen years of age. I'm positive very few if any teen-aged mothers have achieved as much as you have in your life after such a precarious beginning."

Vera protested, "I had quite a bit of luck in my career to get where I am now."

Ingrid quipped, "Yes, but you have to be good to be lucky. Luck does not seem to reach the incompetents."

Vera returned to her main purpose, "Be that as it may, this is enough chit chat about me, and is immaterial to your future. I want to outline an interesting proposition for you as soon as you're finished with OSU. It has to do with Natasha. She did not renew her contract with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia. Her existing contracts with the Chicago Symphony will also expire in May. That being the case she's not interested, at least for the moment, to tie herself down to a confining rigid schedule with one orchestra. Instead, she wants to free lance, and perform in concerts and chamber music recitals all over the world.

"And by all over the world she means just that. She envisions performing on stage in a tour of all the continents, with the obvious exception of Antarctica. In fact the tour would begin in June in Cape Town, South Africa, the only performance in Africa. Her appearance for a full week would be under the auspices of the Cape Town Concert Series. That performance is already written in stone under my negotiations, and that is why I can divulge some of the particulars now. The most important being, that Natasha is without a doubt the most eminent musician to perform in the series, which incidentally dates back to 1955. As a result, DGG will record some of the performances with a proposed CD and DVD albums to sell titled 'Natasha in Africa'. No doubt videos of some of these performances will surface on Youtube."

Ingrid interjected, "I thought that Natasha records for American Classics. Certainly, her breakout CD with the Enescu Sonata was recorded under that label."

Vera replied, "While you were in Vienna, American Classics fell into financial hard times and DGG swallowed up its assets. Accordingly, Natasha has a terrific new contract with DGG."

Ingrid confessed, "Of course, I had forgotten that Natasha had mentioned that very fact before."

Vera continued, "Anyway, after the one week in Cape Town, it will be on to Australia for a three week tour in that country culminating with a special concert night at the Sydney Opera House. That particular concert is set in stone as I've already negotiated for a gala four concertos one night performance. I have signed up Ophelia Hartley to perform a cello concerto probably the one by Dvorak. Natasha will do a violin concerto and her piano accompanist will perform a piano concerto. Then the three of them will end up playing the triple concerto by Beethoven. I'm also in the process of negotiating further performances at the Sydney Opera House.

"After Australia, the tour will go on to Japan and China. At that point before the last week in July the tour will be suspended for six weeks, allowing Natasha to visit me in Chicago for a week before partaking of her roughly three weeks annual chamber music festival she oversees in Tallinn Estonia. After the end of the festival, the tour will resume in South America with dates in São Paulo, Buenos Aires for sure and perhaps Lima, Peru as well. Mexico City is next followed by an extensive tour in the United States and Canada.

"During the tour in North America, one week off will be set aside for the Thanksgiving holiday and ten days off for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The tour will finish with five months worth of performances throughout Europe. The tour would conclude at the end of June of next year."

Ingrid replied, "My goodness that's an exciting undertaking!"

Vera said, "As I said this is what Natasha wants to do. She feels she has fallen into a rut from her steady work with both the Russian and Chicago Orchestras. So, this thirteen month tour would be a tonic to rejuvenate her creative musical juices. Now let me lay out all my cards on the table. It is virtually impossible for me to obtain an established pianist to undertake accompanying Natasha for the whole tour. My original plan is to line up whatever pianists are available at the differing points of time.

"However, in your case, as far as I can tell you haven't yet procured an agent, understandable since you're still in school. So, I would suggest that as you do not have any commitments, that you consider joining Natasha on this tour. Each stay in a city would likely be five days, but unlikely ever be more than seven days. There would be recital duos of just you and her, as well as full orchestral concertos performances during each stop.

"I daresay that this is a great opportunity for you to start your career. You will have contact with many great concert halls and no doubt receive many lucrative offers as a result. In addition, DGG has indicated that they will record quite a bit of the performances so that you would have another entry for which to snag another Grammy."

Ingrid replied, "Oh wow that sure sounds awfully enticing. But I believe I'll need some time to consider."

Vera responded, "Naturally, I don't blame you as it is demonstrably a very important decision in your life. So feel free to consult with Johannes Ebersbacher and or Otto Hellmesberger, your academic advisors, and for that matter any other important person in your life. You need not choose me as your agent to partake, but I insist if you were agreeable to do this tour that you would commit to the entire thirteen months.

"Now I'm off to Atlanta for a month's stay to oversee the operations of that office. So I would want a decision from you by March 1. I have a million things to settle to finalize this tour and for that purpose I need to know if you will commit. If it's a no then I need that extra time to obtain the services of other pianists. Right now, there is no accompanist lined up as you are truly my first choice. So, it is crucial to know your intentions as soon as possible."

Ingrid replied, "Fair enough. I'll have a decision for you by March 1 for certain."

Ingrid did consult with Ebersbacher and Hellmesberger who both agreed that the proposition seemed like a perfect start for Ingrid's career. They both declined the suggestion that they would be interested in acting as her agent. Hellmesberger downplayed his accomplishments while acting on her behalf when she was in Vienna. He pointed out that Vera Starikovich has a good reputation as an agent for classical music artists, a couple of whom he was personally acquainted with.

However, the most important person Ingrid wanted to contact was naturally Sieglinde Wagner. So, she skyped the Austrian Dominatrix to tell her of Vera's proposal. Sieglinde gushed a reply, "Oh wow! That's wonderful. That's so exciting. This is a great start to ensure that you will become the greatest pianist of our time. Oh! I'm so excited for you."

Ingrid then shocked Sieglinde, "Yes it is a very good opportunity, no doubt, but I think I'll decline it."

Sieglinde almost sputtered her reply, "What? What are you saying? Why?"

Ingrid calmly relied, "I would think that it would be obvious to you. I love you. I miss you. I miss our BDSM sex. Hell I even miss vanilla sex with you. So, I'm thinking instead of taking Vera's offer, I'd rather return to Vienna to be with you again. Vienna has lots of concert opportunities to keep me busy, but more importantly we would be together."

There was a long pause before Sieglinde answered, "You haven't irrevocably made up your mind yet? Or at least you haven't communicated to Vera Starikovich your final decision?"

"No I haven't as yet."

"Good then don't do anything until you hear from me again. I need to have some time to digest this news. I promise I'll get in touch with you before March 1, and I ask that we don't communicate again until then. Will you promise to sit tight until then?"

"I promise."

"Good I'll be in touch soon enough."

Sieglinde Wagner received Ingrid's news with intense mixed emotions. She was overjoyed that the American pianist was in love with her, deeply in love. In fact, so deeply in love, that Ingrid was willing to throw away an absolutely wonderful opportunity to jump start her concert career, and immediately instill her prominence into the classical music world. And of course, living with Ingrid is like living in heaven on earth. That past year they were together was hands down the most wonder year of her life. How could she resist the siren song lure of the delectable nubile Ingrid Losnedahl?

Sieglinde was chagrined to remember that the outcome of one who succumbed to the sexy charm of the mythical sirens song was instant death. Would that be the case for her if she entered a permanent relationship with Ingrid? Not literally of course, but figuratively? For one thing there was that damn age disparity of almost twenty-four years. She had no trepidation of her current physical features, as her youthful looks surely kept her alluring. However, she knew Father Time was relentless and could not be avoided. Twenty years from now she would look like a hag, whereas Ingrid would still be a mouth-watering beauty.

If Ingrid were predominantly a lesbian, Sieglinde would have had less worries. The truth was that although Ingrid did indulge in some girl-on-girl sex during der Höllenfeuer Verein parties, she was not as animated as she was when she was engaged in heterosexual activity. In fact, she still had a yearning for Alexander Talmann, and whenever she had engaged in sex with him at the der Höllenfeuer Verein parties, Ingrid admitted the experience was awesome. Luckily from Sieglinde's point of view, Talmann was not as enthralled with Ingrid as she was with him, so there were no jealous moments to spoil the one year affair in Vienna.

The problem as Sieglinde saw it, was that Ingrid's beauty would constantly attract male attention and propositions. She feared as her personal beauty would fade, Ingrid would become more prone to accept alternative male induced trysts. Thereby their relationship and their love for each other would wither away.

However, setting aside all those personal concerns of the viability of maintaining a long term, sustaining relationship with Ingrid, there was the issue of Ingrid's career. Sieglinde genuinely believed that Ingrid's destiny was to become not only the recognized greatest pianist of this generation, but for all time as well. Sieglinde truly believed that never mind Clara Schumann, but that Ingrid would eventually be compared favorably to the likes of Liszt and Chopin. And who was she to stand in the way of such greatness?

She recalled the example of Boryslav Mandychevsky in conjunction with the purchasing of the Steinway piano. He also had a very promising concert career, but it went all for naught once he succumbed to a desolate lifestyle. Might not the same happen to Ingrid? Ingrid's penchant for BDSM sex was now well established. Might not such desires overcome her prominent desire to perform on the piano? She recalled her own decadent and profligate conduct in the last two years as a student at the University of Vienna. She could recall the siren song of depravity, and how easy it was for her to let loose her inhibitions. It was not lost on her, that Ingrid was currently of roughly the same age as she was when she, herself, had no care in the world.

The truly real problem now stemmed from her success as Mistress Denna, as the acknowledged premier Austrian Dominatrix. Her stunning demonstration of her techniques of shibari in tying up Ingrid and Lucrezia at the Boundcon fetish convention upped her stature significantly. Virtually every BDSM event or fair throughout Europe wanted to feature her, and so most of her weekends were booked solid. Her client list had expanded to the extent that she had to resort using the dungeon room of her own apartment in addition to the premises of der Höllenfeuer Verein to accommodate all of her clients. That last concession was not too hard on Sieglinde. After Ingrid, there was no desire on her part to engage in sex for pure pleasure. So, the rationale for her dungeon room in her apartment for exclusive pure personal pleasure was no longer applicable.

The major benefit Sieglinde had in keeping very busy as Mistress Denna, was that it helped her overcome the despair of not having Ingrid in her life. However, if Ingrid did come to reside with her again, she had no doubt that Ingrid would want to participate in her bondage demonstrations. Ingrid would not want her to give up her career as a dominatrix, nor would she want to do so as well. It would be quite conceivable that Ingrid would enjoy these stints as a model for BDSM bondage exhibitions to the extent that concert performances would become secondary.

Of course, Ingrid would still be able to perform in concerts in Vienna. As she pointed out there are classical musical performances every day of the year in the Austrian capital city. However, if Ingrid were to perform exclusively in Vienna, there would be no scope to establish a truly international reputation. That in turn would mean no comparison to Liszt or Chopin, not even to Clara Schumann, never mind even contemporary artists like Valentina Lisitsa or Anna Fedorova, or others. Hell even Lajos Kiraly would be deemed superior! That surely could not be tolerated.

In contrast, the proposed world tour proposition articulated by Vera Starikovich had to be a golden opportunity. As far as Sieglinde was concerned this proposed tour could only enhance Ingrid's reputation and would surely establish her as the current premier pianist in the world. This belief gave birth to a nagging notion in Sieglinde's mind. This has to be a test probably at behest of the love gods, to determine how much they each loved each other.

In Sieglinde's mind, Ingrid had already passed this imagined test with flying colors. Ingrid was prepared to forgo personal success to resume their relationship which empirically proved her love. So how serious was her love? What sacrifice was she willing to make equivalent to Ingrid's sacrifice? She deliberated for quite some time. Finally, she came to a decision of what to do. Accordingly, she took the necessary steps to carry out her decision.

Two days before the March 1, deadline, Ingrid received a package containing a letter via overnight international delivery express, which letter read as follows:

"My dearest Ingrid, my love:

I love you so much! I truly love you with my mind, heart, body and all of my soul. I can truthfully say I've never experienced as passionate a love as I've experienced with you. I feel that all my previous lovers were merely a rehearsal for the true love of my life. And I'm ever so gratified that my love for you is returned by you in kind.

And because I love you, I realize it would be selfish and ignoble of my love, to prevent you from achieving your destiny. As I see it your destiny is to become a great pianist and composer, not just now but for all time. People here in Vienna are comparing you with Clara Schumann, but I say the hell with that. Being privy to the compositions you have already finished but have not published, I'm certain you will be a great composer as well. Instead of Clara Schumann, I'm sure you will be compared favorably to Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin, the quintessential pianists/composers. Yes! I'm that certain of your talent and skills. Therefore, I know that if I am truly in love with you, I cannot stand in your way of achieving such greatness.

That being the case, I believe, I must disappear from your life. In that regard I've been in touch with the Church which has allowed me to enter a nun's order to do charity work mainly in Africa. I've agreed to live under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the order. To accomplish this, I have liquidated my assets so that my personal wealth is reduced to zero. I advised my family about my decision to take the vows into sisterhood. As a result my parents have agreed to change their wills leaving my brother and his heirs sole beneficiaries when both of them have died.

That being the case I've set up trust funds for my nephew and niece starting at one million euros apiece. The remainder of my liquidated assets are in a trust fund with my lawyers in Vienna. It is my intention that you receive these funds. The one asset I didn't liquidate was the ownership of my condominium/apartment, including its furnishings. In this regard my lawyers have in their possession two transfer deeds to the property, both of which I've executed. One deed is granted to my brother, and the other is granted to you.