Shadows from the House of Scent Ch. 01

1. The Victim.

"Quickly, Dean!" she pleaded through the cloth and with a muffled voice.

He was at that moment trying to get a higher shot by standing on top of the sink. He wasn't as skinny or agile as he used to be.

"Come on. Please!" she urged, "Quickly. Someone will come and this position hurts and my arms feel like they will fall out of their sockets," she pleaded from the discomfort and bordering on anxiety. The words were barely understandable, unable to pronounce full syllables with the panties stuffed into her mouth.

"OK, ok. I'm telling you, Liz, it is just another minute and I will let you down."

She was resigned to her situation. She was naked, except for a black ribbon tied around her neck. She was hanging by her cuffed wrists that were attached to the makeshift hook that Dean had fastened to the steel beam next to the small window above the urinals. Her clothes were draped over the stall of the Chinese restaurant bathroom, with its dizzying acrid scent of concentrated ammonia; the smell of raw humanity.

The scene would have been comical if it weren't for Lizzy's discomfort.

He had already filmed her from below, capturing her naked body from all angles. For the scene, Lizzy had to shave to match the drawing of the girl in the graphic novel. She hadn't been too enthusiastic about this. Dean took special care to capture this part of her body, ensuring the angles were precisely similar to those in the panels of the graphic novel. He also filmed much more footage, as it was particularly thrilling for him to see her shaved like this after having requested it numerous times.

Dean finally managed to stand on the narrow porcelain sink, positioning one foot on each of the opposite corners. He had attempted to use the boom pole, which extends in stages for high shots, to position the camera above the scene. However, it didn't recreate the scene exactly as drawn by Kurst. The corresponding photogram or panel from Kurst's latest graphic novel lay scattered on the floor, and he was striving to capture that precise scene.

Lizzy's face and body had been prepared with makeup, making it seem that she had been beaten and whipped. In her mouth, her black panties were stuffed, which made her gag every once in a while.

"Almost there, Lizzy," he said, trying to reassure her, while at the same time steadying himself with the large camera and taking shots of her from above. "Hang in there! You're doing great!"

When he finally had the perfect angle -- the one that was as close to Kurst's scene -- he started to "roll the film" (amounting to pressing the record button).

"Close your eyes and act dead," he said, in his expert director's voice. This was his main actress. Well, his only actress -- at the moment.

She did all she could to comply. This way, the ordeal would pass soon enough and he would let her down.

"Brilliant! Fucking brilliant!" he encouraged her as if it were a photo-play of a supermodel. "That's it," he continued with the theatrics. "Keep like that. Now, try and make your body go completely limp."

She complied. Anything, just anything to get over this shoot as soon as possible.

At that moment, he envisioned himself as the next Spielberg. The next Hitchcock. His utter command of the camera, of the lighting, of the scene. Yes, he felt at that moment to be at the pinnacle of his artistic abilities. "What luck," he thought. He kept on repeating in his mind, "Kurst is a genius, a fucking genius." Yeah, and his own idea of turning his works into movies, was.... well, a bit of serendipity, but, quite frankly, totally brilliant. After all, he was a professional. And, an expert on Kurst. Who else could have done this? He was of the opinion that nobody except himself.

He compared the camera angle with the graphic art from Kurst of the same scene in the photogram drawing on the floor. "Kath's body. Lizzy's body. It's really incredible," he mused out loud. Even he was amazed at how Lizzy's body -- and face -- resembled the girl in the graphic novel. It was uncanny. The Kath from earlier novels of Kurst looked a lot like Lizzy, but now she seemed to be a spitting image. A petite figure, small breasts with pointy nipples, short dark hair, gray eyes. The shape and likeness of her face. He couldn't believe his luck.

He shifted his weight slightly to gain a better angle, planning to select the best shots in post-production. However, as he adjusted his position while filming, he suddenly felt unsteady. In a catastrophic instant, the porcelain sink cracked beneath him, causing one part of it to crash to the floor and precipitate his fall.

Despite the chaos, he managed to save the camera, keeping it high, falling onto one hand before collapsing onto the floor, his body striking the ground and landing painfully on his shoulder and bumping his head. The sudden, excruciating pain overwhelmed him as he lay amid the broken rubble of the bathroom sink.

Dean lay on the floor motionless for a few moments, his brain unable to send the signals to his body to even move slightly. The blow to his head had made him dizzy. Dean passed out and lay there.

Lizzy saw the scene unfold as if it were in slow motion. Now, she was beginning to realize what had happened, and what could happen next. Her eyes widened, horrified for him and the situation. Through it all, she hung there helpless, trying in vain to scream for help through the panties that were stuffed in her mouth.

~~~~~~

Moments later, there was knocking at the bathroom door, and someone speaking in Chinese with a few broken English words; to the effect of asking if all was ok. Lizzy tried to respond, but her voice could hardly be carried through the door.

The banging stopped. Suddenly, two loud bangs hit the door; the third broke the lock and sent the door flying open. Through the door poured three large Chinese men; two waiters and the restaurant owner. Lizzy hung there mortified as they contemplated the scene in front of them. Apart from her concern for Dean on the floor, she wanted to die showing her naked body like this.

The men had expected to find the aftermath of a fight between two clients, or even the unfortunate result of a heart attack, or even someone who had choked to death on a chicken bone from the Koa Poa platter (as had happened the previous month). However, nothing prepared them for the scene that unfolded before them: a naked woman tied by her wrists, apparently having been beaten (thanks to the convincing makeup), a black ribbon choking her neck, her pussy shaved exposing her labia, and black panties stuffed into her mouth. All of this, together with her attacker unconscious on the floor, holding a camera, and what remained of their porcelain sink.

~~~~~~

After Dean recovered, Lizzy was helped down and the situation was explained. Apart from this, the damages were compensated to the tune of several hundred bucks, plus take-out, consisting of the Pu Pu Platter, white rice, and four fortune cookies. The couple made their way to the subway and took the line uptown to their apartment to tend to Dean's wounds.

~~~~~~ : ~~~~~~

2: A Few Days earlier

"I'm home," Lizzy called out as she entered the apartment.

She knew Dean would be in the "spare room," which had now become his temporary post-production studio.

"Hey," he responded loudly from the room, ensuring she could hear him.

She thought how nice it would have been if he had come out to greet her with a kiss, but she didn't hold it against him.

She walked down the hall and stopped at the entrance, peeking into the room.

"Hi honey," she said, leaning on the door frame.

He continued to focus on the screen in the darkened room, the reddish hue from the screens casting a glow on his boyish face. That boyish face still captivated her, despite the other aspects of him she wished would improve.

"How was your day, Liz?"

"Tiring," she smiled. "Just glad to be home. I thought you were going to drop by and see me at the library."

They worked near each other, with Liz at the college library and Dean at the vintage book and record shop, located just a block apart. Initially, Dean would visit Liz during breaks each day, but lately, his visits have become much less frequent.

"Couldn't," he said briefly.

"It's ok."

She walked into the room and went to stand behind him, putting her arms around him affectionately. Then, she bent down so her face was near his. He turned and pecked her on the cheek then looked back at the screens. Their relationship had become comfortable, sometimes too much so instead of the passion of previous times. She glanced at his workspace on the three large screens oriented in a U.

"How is it going?" she asked, perhaps breaking his concentration.

"I'm just editing the ending," he responded, his eyes, darting between the graphic novel pdf, and the video segment. "OK, I guess."

"I am sure it will be wonderful," she said, encouragingly.

She looked at his screens as he continued to work. On the right, Premiere was opened with track after track and scene after scene. All the shots were well known to her; after all, she was the actress. The cursor was positioned on a non-nude scene. It was when she was walking next to the river; she had a long black coat -- that he had bought her because of the shoot -- well, that's not true, she actually bought the coat, but he insisted that she buy it, which is "kind of the same", he argued.

The other screen was open to one of Kurst's emblematic graphic novels, called "Tie Me, Dead." Lizzy was also all too familiar with this novel; he had described it a hundred times.

In the center screen, the fan blog webpage "The Daniel Kurst Works Forum," which Dean founded, is displayed, featuring occasional responses to his comments. This forum is devoted to everything related to Kurst. Dean not only possesses all of Kurst's works and studies them intensely, but he is also the most active member of this online fan club. The forum, amongst other things, speculates on the meanings behind Kurst's works and regularly posts news items related to them.

Additionally, he works as a sales clerk at a vintage store, "AL Bums Beats IT", specializing in books, records, early IT and game consoles, and memorabilia. It is downtown, next to the University. This job initially attracted him due to his passion for comics, but his interests have since shifted towards graphic novels, now almost exclusively those by Kurst.

~~~~~~

You see, Dean studied film directing at the local college. So, Dean's true obsession lies in becoming a movie director. In fact, he considers himself a struggling film director, currently working on a compilation of Kurst's works adapted into film. The idea for the project occurred to him one day at work (well, actually, it was Chuck's idea, his coworker at the store, but it doesn't count because Chuck isn't as knowledgeable about films as Dean). So, Dean considers the idea to be his own.

Previously, Dean had planned on making a sci-fi movie, in the style of Carruth. But, now, he is a Kurst man. Yeah, he is, in fact, the world expert on Kurst (according to Dean). He plans to adapt Kurst's most popular series into a real film and has already mapped out the scenes. He proposed this to Kurst but hasn't received a response...yet. However, this one will be the big one. With this one, he is going to make the big time.

At the moment, he's gathering footage to create a concept art piece and pitch his vision. The series he's adapting is from Kurst's kinky era, featuring erotic graphic art. Dean's brilliant idea involves reenacting almost all the scenes with real people, (which at the moment includes his girlfriend, Lizzy, who strikingly resembles the series' protagonist, and himself). In the shots, he doesn't show his face, arguing that in Lizzy's case, it's ok because she resembles the character.

~~~~~~

"How was it down at the store? Did you have many people this morning?" she asked.

"Nah," he said dismissing. "Ya know... the same old thing. Now, young kids are into vinyls. If I had only kept mine instead of selling them back then we'd be millionaires. Who would have known?"

With her arms still around him, someone had responded to his comment postulating on the metaphors in Kurst's "Tie Me, Dead" ending.

"Can you believe this guy?" he says, his attention directed towards the comment. "He thinks that Kurst was trying to make a statement about the political sanctity of neo-liberalism. He has no fucking idea! What an idiot," he says, with an authoritative dismissal of any other opinion.

He then became engrossed in his response.

"I'll go and change," she said, kissing his cheek. and exiting the room.

She gives in to his obsessions and hobbies, going here and there to film the scenes that he wants. And she gives in to all the sex shots, letting him film her in the most lurid scenes imaginable. Sometimes, she was not sure if he picked her as a girlfriend because she has a likeness to the character in Daniel Kurst's graphic novels.

She does it because she is in love with him.

~~~~~~

Lizzy went into their bedroom. Their lives had become routine and now seemed to revolve around Dean's passion. Becoming a movie director. And Kurst. Every conversation they have always returns to Kurst.

She believed in Dean. She still does, however, with time, it is becoming more difficult. She wanted a family.

Lizzy knows that he is often a bit childish with his obsessions and that it is affecting their lives. He seems unable to commit to marriage or have kids. However, she feels that her biological clock is ticking and she yearns for something more than their comfortable relationship. Nonetheless, she is either scared or reluctant to force a change.

~~~~~~

She went to her bedroom and began to peel off her work clothes.

Today, she felt a bit more sensitive than normal. It was 5 years "to the day" since she had moved into Dean's apartment, a milestone that Dean didn't seem to recall, with the same sentimentality. They had more passion back then.

She thought, "No, he was the one that had more passion for me back then. Does he still love me?"

She was now 35 and will turn 36 soon. What happened to the young family that she thought she would have started by now? The wedding? The long beautiful white dress and the honeymoon? The young children? The nighttime stories? The children's piano lessons? The school Christmas plays? The PTA meetings? All those things that she imagined if she were a mom.

"Lizzy, after the trailer is made," he would say. "After this next one is done, everything will be different," he would assure her. "Soon, Lizzy this will be the big one."

She didn't blame him. She was in love. He had dreams. That is something she adored about him and she wanted him to pursue his dreams.

"Yeah, soon, Lizzy," she whispered to herself. "Very soon. Don't worry. Hang in there. Someday, you will have all that you dreamed of."

Had she thought about it a bit more, it would certainly have made her sad. Sure, she would have liked it if it had been as important to him as it was to her. Or even a warm kiss, and "Hey, do you remember?..." Or perhaps, she had hoped for flowers from him, imagining how lovely it would be to receive them at work. But as she loved him, she realized there was no point in having such expectations.

She wished her life was like the old movies; not like the novels of Kurst. She would be Alicia, the young beautiful girl played by Ingrid Bergman, and her lover, Devlin, played by Cary Grant, would come and sweep her away. He would finally tell her how much he loved her. Like Alicia, she wouldn't need all those expensive clothes, nor live in the mansion. All she would want was her lover, like what Develin said to Alicia at the end when he finally realized how foolish he had been to let her slip away. "I love you. I will never leave you." He would save her from the peril and tell her how much he couldn't live without her. And they would drive off into the night.

"Gosh that would be so wonderful," she thought.

Lizzy removed her bra and saw her image in the bureau mirror from the corner of her eye. She turned and looked at herself, at her flat skinny tummy, at her small breasts. She still had her grey skirt. The conservative library, grey skirt.

"Liz, the librarian," she whispered incredulously but resigned, not entirely unhappy, if not disappointed and in dismay by the outcome.

She wondered if she was still attractive to him. She traced her fingers around her breasts and then circled her tight nipples with her finger. It felt good, but it wasn't to pleasure herself now like other times. Just, trying to imagine it was Dean's hands because he desired her.

She leaned into the mirror, looking into her image; the short black hair, her gray eyes looking back at her. Her fair skin which looked far too white even for this time of year, and her small pointy pixie nose that still had the elfish freckles from her younger self.

"Stop looking at yourself, "she scolded herself in the mirror, bringing her attention back to the present. She quickly pulled down her skirt and stepped out of it, folding it carefully for the next day.

She then walked towards the bathroom, pulling her panties down and letting them drop to the floor. Using her toes, she grasped the panties and flung them into the corner. She turned on the shower and waited for the water to become hot. She stepped in and let the warm water run over her.

She began to lather her petite body. Even though her breasts were small, her nipples were very sensitive. With her arousal, they would rapidly become extended and pointy. Then, they would ache to be pulled and pinched -- hard. It happened at that moment. She pulled them with her slippery lathered fingers.

Her finger followed the suds that ran down her tummy like a river to her pussy mound. She looked at and thought of a river delta; her triangular pussy mound -- the point towards which everything flows. Then she ran her fingers through her black pubic hair. She loved doing that. Dean had wanted her to shave it, but she didn't want to. She liked to play with it when she was aroused. Curl it between her fingers. It was a good thing that the women in Kurst's books were not shaved, she thought. As she lathered her pussy, she let her fingers rub on the insides of her lips.

She returned to thinking about when she and Dean began dating. He had read the 'Story of O', but it wasn't until they practiced this role-play a few times, did she realize how the concept of being submissive truly turned her on. After that, all her sexual fantasies, unknown to Dean, revolved around her being a sexually submissive slave.

Her imagination began to take hold of her more and more there in the shower.

She imagined her imaginary Master. He would strip her violently. Then he would tie her hands above her. When she was helpless, he would come behind her and fuck her with his large cock.

She thought of the dildo that she had in the basin. It was an overly large dildo that Dean had bought as a prop for one of the scenes. It was so realistic that it looked convincing.

She got out of the shower and retrieved it, bringing it back with her into the shower. Holding it in both hands, she brought it to her mouth and licked the top. At that moment, it was her Master's cock. Her active imagination filled in all the other parts of her fantasy.

At the base of the dildo, there was a suction cup. She fastened it to the tile walls of the shower, turned around, and let it slide between her legs. Her body undulated back and forth along it. While doing this, she looked down and saw how the enormous cock emerged between her legs each time. It imagined it was a real man behind her. She closed her eyes and it was her Master, commanding her to take it within her. He was large and strong. But, most importantly he was in control and she was submissive to him.