Retreat

This time his words are cut off by a strong arm pressing on his windpipe, he struggles for a few seconds before slipping into unconsciousness.

Mark asks as he gently lays James on the floor and as he puts him in the recovery position asks, "Are you alright Meesh?"

Sobbing she runs to Mark's reassuring embrace. He glances at the smoke detector on the ceiling and smiles.

"Wha... wha... what was... why was he like that? Why did I come here, why did I make Michael come here? I want to see him, where is he, I want him not you, I want my husband.

"Shhhh," Mark says holding her tightly, "he is not near, he is at another house we have."

"Whyyyy, I want to see him, I need to see him. You can't keep me away from him, I need my husband."

"This is what you wanted, what you signed up for."

"No it isn't, I didn't sign up to be punched and raped. I signed up to repair my marriage."

"Michelle, Michelle, i'm sure that is what you feel you want, and I really do understand and i know that what happened, what James tried to do is reprehensible, but... But remember what I told you about that other couple, things are the way they are, because that is how they work. I know it is hard for you, hard for you both, but if you do not keep to the procedures, you will fail. Now please, lets get you calmed down and comfortable."

He gives her a moment to think about what he has just said, "Now James here is new to the business and he has obviously misunderstood the essence of the contract."

"Misunderstood, there is nothing in that contract that suggests that he has the right to try what he did."

"True... but the contract you signed, gave the retreat permission to any action deemed necessary to achieve the criteria of the conditions you requested for the enhancement of your marriage. You signed, you requested and you laid out the conditions and gave the retreat the permission to act freely on your behalf. Because you and only you, are the instigator therefore you and only you can assume the responsibility for any and all actions committed in your name."

She forces herself out of his embrace and sobs, "No, no, no, no, that wasn't what I wanted, I didn't know any of this. I thought we were going away for a romantic retreat. You know... something away from work, television and other people. I thought we would just be put in a situation where we were mostly together to reaffirm what we meant to each other. Not to be threatened, punched and raped. What the fuck is wrong with you people?"

"Listen to me Michelle. The contract you signed is very clear about the terms and conditions you agreed to. You have no legal recourse, everything that happens whilst you are with us, you did agree to."

"What about the penalty clause, can't I just go with that?"

Mark breathes a sigh of relief, knowing he has successfully distracted her, causing her to think about what she signed up for and not what James had done.

"Michelle, Michelle, the terms and conditions state that, that option can only begin thirty days after commencement of the treatment and only then if all concerned parties agree." He exhales a long sigh, "To have any chance of that happening, you will have to conform to all the conditions listed under appendix 3 in the terms and conditions."

"Look Mark, I like you, I think you're a nice bloke and all but you're just feeding me bullshit. I want you to go, just leave me alone and take this sack of shit with you."

"Okay Michelle, I will go, but can I suggest you look again at your contract, see what you have agreed to."

"Just leave will you." She shouts at him.

He leans down and touches James. He immediately opens his eyes and stands, looking at Michelle, he gives her a lecherous grin and saying, "See you soon," he walks out of the door with Mark following.

As soon as the door closes behind them, she wedges the door shut with the chair and slumps to the floor crying.

Her thoughts are broken, she neither wants to, nor is able to maintain a train of thought as the memories of her contact with the retreat and the events of the last three days, mesh and collide with her guilt and regret. She had always heard the old adage, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions," only now is she seeing how much truth is in the old saying.

4

She spends a long an arduous night reviewing all that has happened only now realising that the contract was cleverly written, that the words and phrases she had noted for having alternative meaning to what she believed they said, were what she could not believe. She had wanted so much to gain what she felt she had lost, that she had seen what she had wanted to see. He naivety had led her to think that the only way to interpret the double meanings were the innocent ways. Now it was all too clear, unfortunately, it was also now too late for second thoughts and she can only hope that Michael is having a better experience than she and that he will forgive her for getting them into this when it is all over.

The sun is up before she finally falls asleep, she stirs at a knock on the door, but goes back into a deep sleep. She does not awaken until just after midday.

Still in the jeans she wore last night, she finds an unsexy bra and a shapeless, unrevealing top to wear. She looks out of the window at a bright and cheery day and sobs, slowly slumping to the floor and mumbles, "Give me my husband back.

She sits on the floor helpless and hopeless until a knock on the door, "Michelle, I've brought a pot of tea, I would like to..."

"Fuck off you bitch, you tricked me. You know I didn't want this shit, fuck off and leave me alone."

"Suit yourself,"

Michelle does not miss the irritation in her words and the observance gives her a small reason to smile. "Good, hope I really pissed off the bitch," and she wonders what the time is, the only clock she has seen in the house is the one in the office earlier.

For some reason the short interaction with the woman gives her the impetus, to stand to go and sit at the window and face the cheerfulness outside. Her thoughts leaping all over the place, memories and regrets jump back and forth try to drag her deeper into despair and then a thought will make her smile, such as the memory of the little man standing up to Mark in the pub on Saturday.

There are no more knocks on the door, yet she does neither notice nor care. She sits and watches, hardly even noticing the daylight fade. She continues aimlessly looking out of the window into the surprisingly bright moonlight and trying not to think of Michael, or her fears what he is doing, or having done to him. Her thoughts constantly swaying between imagining torture, or worse, enjoying a never-ending, salacious orgy.

Her eyelids are getting heavy and for a second she thinks she sees dark shapes moving in the field over the road, dismissing it as an illusion brought on by tiredness she decides, although she has no expectation of sleep to lie on the bed. She has not been there long when she begins to think she is hearing occasional strange noises, a man shouts something, she thinks it is that James and wonders if he and Mark are fighting. Fearing James is trying to return, a chill runs through her and she wonders that no matter how wrong it was, whether it would have been safer for Mark to stay with her. A short time later, she hears what could be a scream. Just one scream and she hopes it was an animal or a bird. The noise does not repeat, she listens, but all she hears is silence.

Until somebody tries her door...

5

Friday

Picking up her phone, she sees it is her brother calling and answers, "Hi Mike, to what do I owe this rare..."

"Hi sis, I might need a favour, are you busy tonight?"

"No ain't doing nothin', Coll's away 'til Sunday arvo."

"Apparently my loving wife is taking us on a couples retreat."

"Whatcha mean a couples retreat, why the fuck d'ya wanna do that for?"

"No, I didn't agree to it, in fact she kidnapped me..."

"Kidnapped you, you pulling my leg. I mean, you two, you're well sorted, you're the couple that everyone wants to be, even us, well except for that little dangly thing you have to put up with."

"Yeah, I know, but something just ain't right, she's being really weird."

"How' d'ya mean weird?"

"Well, she won't tell me anything, and I mean anything. Shit, I never knew we were going anywhere for the weekend until I'm looking at miles of motorway stretching at. I mean how fuckin' secretive can she be, you just heard her tell me we off to some fucking couples retreat. No kidding, that was the first time I heard anything about it and she's refusing to tell me anymore. Seriously sis, there is something seriously fucked up here.

"You are, you're seriously worried ain'tcha"

"Too right, She ain't being normal, I mean she wouldn't even pull over so I could grab a McDoggles, I had to threaten to piss in her handbag to get her to stop. You know me, I don't normally worry about much, especially where 'Chelle is concerned, but... I just don't know what the fucks going on."

"Tell you what, turn on your GPS, send us a text when you get there and if me an' Collie have to rescue you we'll be there, okay."

"Yeah, look, I know I'm being stupid, well I hope I am, but she's being strange, I've never seen her like this."

"Right bro, I'm sure there's nothin' to worry about, you wait, in a few hours you'll be sat in a Jacuzzi together with some champers, being lectured by some hippie about giving each other more hugs and cuddles. But don't worry, I promise I'll talk it over with Collie when I talk to her later, in the meantime just relax, like I said, she's away 'til Sunday arvo, an'I'm sure your just bein' paranoid, she luvs ya an' you know it, but just to settle your little winkie, let us know when you get there and give us a bell sometime tomorrer. You wait, I'll bet you've got your knickers in a knot over nothin''."

"Well that would be great, give you a text or a bell later when I find out, okay, bye then."

After hanging up, she giggles and says to herself, "silly boy." It is only the next day having received nothing but a single text from him later that night does she begin to get concerned, even then she has to wait until Collette calls her before she can share her growing worries.

The pre-arranged call comes at 22:40 precisely. "Hello babe, missing you."

"Nowhere near as much as I'm missing you, at least you 'aven't got to put up with all these dirty, sweaty men."

"No one's caught your eye then?"

"No, never babe, not saying none of them haven't been trying, but that's red caps for you, you know what they're like."

"You know I worry when you're gone."

"Come off it babe, you know I'm just here teaching these monkeys a bit of hand to hand and you've seen how attitudes change when little ol' me puts them on their arses. Did have one dickhead who copped a feel while we going at it this morning," she giggles, "he'll be on light duties for a few days, anything happening your end?"

Trying to downplay her concern, she says, "Nah, not really, not unless you count me bro going weird."

"What weirder than normal? What's up with him?"

"Nothing really, Michelle's taken him away for a surprise, a couples retreat, he said."

"Ahh that's nice, so what's he getting weird about?"

"Ohh nothin' much, he's just freaking out because he knows nothin' about it. His only real complaint is she wouldn't stop to feed him, he reckoned he had to threaten to piss in her 'an'bag to get 'er to pullover."

"Where is this place."

"Dunno, she was keepin' him in the dark, I told 'im to turn on his GPS an' send us a text when he got there."

"And he still hasn't let you know where he is?"

No."

"When did you speak to him?"

"Couple of hours ago,"

"hmm."

"what hmm?"

"Nothin' maybe, let me know when you hear from 'im alright."

"Right you are, so what are you up to later?"

"Nothin' much, I've been asked to go to the pub, but I reckon I'll leave it for tonight. So babe, what you wearin'?"

The chat turns into some torrid phone sex, just before they both achieve orgasm, Amanda's mobile phone chimes indicating she has received a text message. They bid each other goodnight and after again checking the text from her brother [about 10m outside penrith] she forwards it to Collette.

Collette is looking up her brother in laws location, even as she gets the forwarded text. She sees the phone has gone dark and has to enlist the help of a communications technician she knows to back track and finds the telephones last known location. Concerned, she makes two more calls and sends a couple of pictures to one of the numbers.

She rises at 04:00 and checks for messages, finding the message she had hoped for, she calls the number provided and is immediately put through to the man she wishes to speak with. She relays, the suspicions she has about her brother in law's situation and is pleasantly surprised to find he does not dismiss her concerns outright. They talk for half an hour and he promises to return her call when he has something useful to tell her.

At 05:00, she has her students at attention, ready to begin their final day of the course and at 19:30 they are lined up again for their final dismissal and are all engaging in celebratory drinks at 21:00.

Usually, after finishing the training courses, she gives herself time to unwind. She likes to have a few drinks with the people she has been training before getting a few hours sleep, but tonight she does not drink, tonight she wishes them good luck and says farewell, long before the nightclub closes, tonight, as soon as she returns to her billet, she collects her pack and sets off for home.

04:56, a tired young woman quietly enters her house, at 05:01 she is stealthily sliding into bed alongside her wife at 05:02, they are kissing passionately.

Breaking from the kiss, Amanda say's, "I've not heard from him, I've called his phone and it keeps going to messages, I'm worried Coll."

"I've got Double Ess and Mac gathering intel, we're meeting them at "0:00 hours tonight." Unless otherwise informed.

"Good, what do you know?"

"Not a lot, only suspicions and that's only because I overheard two seppo squirrels talking back in Ganni, just after President Skaggs missus bought the farm," Collette kisses her wife, "anyway, we can talk about that later, right now I want to..." she moves her mouth and kisses her neck, "and..."she continues talking, but after every word her head takes a step lower, moving down her wife's body, every touch of her lips sending jolts through Amanda's body, every stroke of her fingertips sending tingles and shivers to the small of her back.

Collette works her magic and as soon as she reaches her destination, Amanda explodes with pleasure. Light caresses of her wife's tongue, takes her past the the oversensitivity she has created and pushing her desire to return her touch aside, creating a lascivious craving that cries for satisfaction.

Amanda presses Collette's face to her sex, Collette's tongue, licking, slicking and lapping, her lips kissing and caressing, clamping on with a perfect seal as she sucks and drinks the fruit of her efforts as Amanda screams in rapturous delight before slumping back onto the bed. Gasping as wave after wave of pleasure undulates through her nervous system, causing muscles to spasm and promote echoes of the divine bliss her lover has brought forth, when she can speak she is begging for a rest.

"Miss me did you?" Collette giggles, resting her head on Amanda's stomach, stroking her inner thighs, causing sensual tremors every time the back of her fingers "accidently" brush against her most tender place.

"Give me a minute, god babe, I swear one day you'll cause an earthquake with that tongue of yours."

"It's your tongue babe, I just keep it in my mouth so I can taste you for longer."

"Mmmmm, mmmm..."

Collette smiles as she hears her wife slip into slumber once more, allowing herself to smell the perfume radiating from between Amanda's legs before she moves back up the bed and embracing her, falls asleep beside her.

Amanda stirs a couple of hours later still feeling the glow from her wife ministrations. She snuggles against her and as much as she wants to make love to Collette, she knows that she is dog-tired; she knows that she probably has had less than twenty hours sleep in the last week and definitely none for more than the last 24 hours.

She lays, holding her, enjoying the warmth and the closeness of their bodies until, regrettably nature calls and forced her out of bed. Rather than return and chance waking her, Amanda dresses and goes down and again tries to contact her brother.

She potters around for a couple of hours before Collette comes down. "You should have woke me."

"No Collie, you needed to sleep."

"Heard from him yet?"

"No, nothin'. I'm scared Coll. You know something, you wouldn't 'ave deployed, Double Ess and Mac, and you said something about Elizabeth Skaggs, what is it?"

"Make some cha, and I'll let you know."

Amanda turns and finishes making the tea that she started when she heard Collette moving. This is above top secret babe, I could get shot for telling you this, an' you'd get the same."

"K." She replies nonchalantly,

"It weren't a stroke that killed her, she topped herself."

"What, you're kidding... why the hell would she do that?"

"Not completely sure, those bastard spooks wouldn't stay still enough for me to listen proper like. Good as I am I couldn't hear everything, but I heard enough to know she was involved in some pervy sex thing that wanted to dominate men."

"Well nothing really wrong with a little bit of bondage and stuff."

"This went wayyy beyond that, I'm talking women in charge, men reduced to rag heads wives level, probably less."

"What an' you think that they've got hold of Mike?"she say's looking terrified.

Collette knows she cannot give her anymore details, not because of secrecy, she just not want to cause he to worry about the possible mutilations or the emasculating drugs they were known to use. She embraces her and says, "I don't know babe, I really don't know."

She holds her until she gathers herself enough to ask, "When will you be talking to Double Ess?"

"Sent 'im a text while I 'ad a piss, he should be callin' soon."

As if on cue, her mobile begins to play Shirley Basset's "Hey big spender." She accepts the call and speaks one word into the phone, "Spin."

"Arrived on site and began obs at 04:23, no2 recce'd around. Infiltrated side shed and attached three short range trackers... Site resistant to IR scan, internal no movement 'til 09;52, male carrying motorcycle helmet exited and retrieved motorcycle from side building and a second helmet, the motorcycle at first thought to be triumph Bonneville, later found to be Japanese copy."

"Target B exited at 10;03 and left base with male at 10:06. No2 stayed and maintained obs, No's 1 and 3 followed, lost target but tracked them down to nearby car park at side of walkway at 11:41 and followed leaving No3 to disable transport.

After five miles male subject showing signs of fatigue and feet tenderness," he chuckled, "two miles on, subjects break at hostelry. Male pressing B to return to base, B wishing to continue. Food and drinks consumed, nothing dodgy until final drinks. Male subject observed adding liquid to subject B's port, No3 ran interference, I dealt with problem.

"Subjects continued to bimble on for almost a mile, before turning back, male subject showing a lot of pain, he is laughing as he speaks.

Subjects called for cab, we tabbed back to bike, found him failing to start transport, roadside assistace attended and resolved problem, subjects made base at 21:55. No2 reports only one movement, at 14:28, the arrival of a white, new model BMW, one occupant, a large male spade. Car parked in same side building. No sighting of target A.