Stephen's Story Ch. 05: Forever

Stephen's Stories 5. Forever

Molly and Stephen and their story-telling were introduced in "The Professor series," but they continued to write stories and share them with one another. Stephen's stories will appear in the Romance category. Molly's stories continue the Dominance/Submission theme of the original series and will appear under BDSM.

Molly and Stephen had just returned from a Halloween party and were relaxing before bed.

"Tell me a monster story," Molly asked.

"Monsters?"

"How about vampires. They can be sexy."

"Hmm. A vampire it will be. Before I start, how about another goblet of blood?"

She held out her glass as he emptied the bottle.

Forever

Cesar walked in the front door. "Danica, I'm home!"

Danica emerged from the den and offered her cheek for a perfunctory kiss. "Oh, good. I'm on my way for a ride." She headed to the stables.

Danica always seemed to have an excuse to avoid her husband these days. They had been married just two years. Their courtship and first year had been blissful - wild sex every chance they had. Now she slept in her own bed.

Danica came from a poor Hungarian family, but was determined to leave that behind. She had studied across the border in Romania and kept her eye out for an opportunity. Cesar was her opportunity - a wealthy titled landowner with a country estate. She finagled her way into an internship in his office and then into his bed. She had a beautiful body and knew how to use it. He was surprisingly fit and agile for a man well into middle age, and she really enjoyed the sex. And his stamina was astounding. She could tolerate him long enough. After they were married, she expected things to cool down, but they didn't. She had seduced him with her constant flirtations and provocative outfits and he expected that to continue. Now she wanted to assume the airs and dress of a lady. When he bought her something skimpy and sexy ­- like those revealing dresses and latex suits -­ she resented it, and it became a sore point in their relationship.

She knew she was an ornament for him, a sort of a trophy wife; and she didn't mind being shown off as such. At 24, she was at her peak of physical beauty and proud of it. She would have loved to have spent more time the city and society. Instead he preferred to retreat to the country and keep her to himself. She began looking for an exit strategy.

She had convinced Cesar to let her manage a generous household budget and she did a reasonable job. She was not extravagant, but managed to control more and more of his investments and subtly changed them over to her name. Then she began shifting funds out of the country. She thought he didn't know, that he was too stupid to comprehend her machinations.

Then she tried to lay the groundwork for a divorce. She had the fleeting thought of what it would be like if something happened to Cesar; but the idea of murder was out of the question. She had committed no crime. True, she found an excuse to have her own bedroom; but she had never been unfaithful. She still wanted to be seen as the perfect wife. But some day... Someday the marriage was bound to fall apart and she would have a handsome settlement - not counting the money she had already hidden away. It would be much easier, however, if the fault for the divorce was his. She took Cesar for a naïve fool. She was wrong.

She looked for an opportunity and it came when their full-time housekeeper decided to retire. Anya seemed to be ageless and had worked in Cesar's household forever. She had done a good job and when she decided it was time for a break, she was treated well. Cesar left the choice of a replacement to Danica. She let out the word that the position was open and interviewed applicants herself. There were several capable middle-aged women who applied, but Danica deliberately hired a young, innocent, and very pretty girl named Sara, whose only qualification was that she had cleaned her own house. Danica was confident Cesar would be attracted to her. Not only would the girl redirect his attentions from Danica's bed, but catching them together would be a good excure for her leaving him in righteous anger as the offended spouse. Yes, she should be able to leverage that for a healthy pension.

Sara arrived at the house for her first day of work and was given a uniform Danica had selected "in the French style" - a black dress with a very short skirt and scoop neckline, black stocking, heels, a cap, and a white apron. Danica expected Cesar would be panting over it. She took Sara to Cesar's study, introduced them, stepped out, and closed the door. She could easily picture the scene in there. She wished she could observe this meeting, but that was not in her plan.

Danica continued her campaign. She complained to Cesar that he was not aggressive enough in business and should be in the city taking closer charge of his affairs. But when they were on the estate, she stayed out of his way so that he could chase Sara. She deliberately isolated him emotionally to encourage him to seek out sympathetic company. All the time she was on the lookout for rumpled beds or tell-tale evidence in the waste-baskets. Time seemed to be on her side, except that her impatience grew.

Occasionally Cesar tried to convince Danica to sleep with him. Early in the marriage she had humored him to keep him on the string; she no longer tried. "I'm sorry, Darling. I think my body has changed. It just doesn't give me pleasure any more. Two days later he was walking by her bedroom when he noticed the door was open a crack. She was lying her bed massaging her clitoris and moaning. He couldn't let this pass.

Walking in without knocking, he said, "So did your body change again?"

She had the decency to blush. "I don't know what is going on. I just suddenly had an urge."

It was the very next day when Danica finally caught Cesar with his pants down, literally, and Sara in his bed. She waited until she had him alone before demanding a divorce. To her surprise, however, he felt no guilt whatsoever. He blamed her coldness and defended his actions on having to look for alternative outlets for his needs. Danica contacted a lawyer, only to be told that the courts were not friendly to wives seeking divorces. Husbands could be expected to wander if their wives were not willing to fill their roles.

Danica began to plan to leave and worry about the divorce later.

Cesar was working in his study when Tonya, an undermaid, knocked on his door. Seeing her anxious face, he invited her in. She approached shyly. "I don't want to disturb you, Master, but there is something you might want to see." I found it in Madam's room. She handed him an envelope and quickly disappeared.

The envelope had been opened and contained a financial statement from a Swiss bank confirming a transfer of $600,000 Euros to a numbered account, dated two days previously. Cesar' heart sank. He knew this was coming, but had hoped to have more time. He contacted his bank and removed Danica's access to his accounts. He could not touch the Swiss account, however. Instead he found Danica's two computers and locked them in a closet. Then he called his attorney and accountant.

Danica arrived home at four from her afternoon ride. Cesar asked to see her on an urgent matter. Then he asked to see her phone.

"Sure, why?"

"I, uh, was trying to reach you this afternoon and my calls didn't' seem to go through." As soon as she handed it to him, however, he put it in his pocket."

"What are you doing with that?"

"Sit down."

She sensed his mood and tried to deflect it with sarcasm. "Is this another lecture about sex or money? Surely, I'm not frittering away my time at expensive parties. I can't be accused of spending too much because there is no place to shop out here."

Cesar handed her the bank statement. "Please explain this."

Her face reddened.

"You know what this looks like, don't you?"

"Tell me."

"You are stealing my money so you can run out on me whenever you like."

"Darling, how can you think such a thing?" But she was feeling flustered now. It was the time to cut and run once she was out of the house.

"Did this money come from our bank. It will be very easy to find out."

"Of course, it did."

"Then I want you to transfer it back to our bank. Right now, while I watch."

She stared open-mouthed. She needed to stall for time. "I don't know if I can."

"Of course, you can. You transferred it out of our bank, you can move it back in."

"And what if I refuse?"

"That would be theft. I will call the police."

"You wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because you love me."

"I loved you when we were married and since then. But let's be truthful, you have made this marriage a sham."

"I love you, Cesar," but she did not meet his eyes.

"Then why haven't you let me touch your body for months?"

Her mouth moved, but she couldn't find any sensible words.

He gestured back to the computer on the desk. "Do you want me to be able to trust you? Then put the money back right now. Right here."

Trust you. There was hope. "Of course, Darling. I need to look up the account numbers."

"Where are they?"

"On my phone."

He connected her phone to the computer. "Right now, while I watch."

She sat down, fighting for a plan. She turned back to Cesar. "Why are you treating me this way?"

"Why have you taken this money?"

"I am investing it."

"Your bank is paying 2.5%. I could get more from a CD right now. It would be easy to find a more profitable investment."

"You never cared about this before."

"I didn't know you were trying to steal my family money before now."

"Darling..."

"Never call me that again. How much were you planning to take before you ran out?"

"I wanted to know I could be independent. Just in case."

"In case of what? Have I given you reason to leave?"

"The servants have been conspiring against me."

"You offended them by hiring a young inexperienced girl to manage them instead of promoting one of them."

"You didn't seem to mind her."

He glared at her, then nodded at the computer. "I am waiting."

Having no choice, she initiated the transaction. She would have to start all over again. "There."

"Good. I assume there will be a confirmation of the transaction from our bank tomorrow. I don't need to call the police."

"Of course not."

"And you should know I have cancelled all your credit cards and the bank will no longer accept your signature." Now his voice softened. "Do you want a divorce?"

She weighed her choices. If he initiated it and she contested or it was mutual, she should get half the estate. "You are not leaving me much choice."

"Oh, I am. If you want one, I can file a complaint for attempted theft. Divorce with cause. You would be free to walk away. You would not get anything, but I might be generous."

"Or?" Or maybe there will be time for a better deal.

"Or we can try again. I loved you once when you are sexy and fun-loving. Now you are cold. If you became a devoted and obedient wife, perhaps we could make it work. You said a moment ago that you loved me; but your behavior says otherwise. Which is it?"

"You are making it difficult..."

"I will make it very simple. Marriage is a serious commitment. I took vows and I did not take them lightly. I promised to love you and take care of you. To me that means helping you become the best person you can become. You promised to love and obey me. I would prefer to honor my vows and instruct you to honor yours; but I won't keep you against your will. Here is your choice:

"Convince me you love me and be a dutiful wife. You will promise to obey me as your lord and master. You will allow me to discipline you as necessary. You will turn your body over to me without reservation. Without reservation. You will not leave the house without my permission. You will have a reasonable but limited budget and no access to my money beyond that."

"That's ridiculous. That's like from the Middle Ages,' she protested.

"Don't talk to me about he Middle Ages. Until now you have been abusing our relationship, using me. I have to reduce your freedom before I can trust you. After that, we will spend more time in the city. And I promise I will not touch Sara or another woman."

"You said I could have a choice."

"Or you can walk away now from our marriage. I will offer a financial settlement - twenty thousand euros per year for ten years. Two hundred thousand. Take it as a lump sum. Or leave it."

She said nothing.

"Come upstairs." He led her to her bedroom. She braced herself to make love to him to convince him this was all a misunderstanding. Instead he closed the door behind her and locked her in. "Tonya will bring you dinner. Tomorrow I will bring in an accountant to look at all of your transactions. When he is satisfied, we will talk again."

"How long will that take?"

"A few hours, maybe a couple of days. You should know, you have been keeping the books. Until then you may not leave this room."

She began screaming and pounding on the door with rage, but he walked away.

The audit took only a day. His accountant found an additional local account into which she had placed thirty thousand. Again, he forced her under threat of arrest to return the money. The accountant sat in the room during this exchange. Then Cesar presented Danica with two documents. One was an agreement for divorce on the terms he had offered. She could keep her personal possessions and gifts, including clothing and jewelry, and ten years of income. The other was a contract in which she agreed to submit herself as an obedient wife. He would have complete control of her body, her money, and her travel outside the home. She would love and obey him without question, wear what he demanded she wear, accept his discipline short of bodily injury. She would not argue or question his commands unless safety were an issue. In return he would be faithful to her, protect her and instruct her and see to her bodily needs. If she chose to leave, he would have no contact with her ever. If she chose to stay, she would still be able to leave in six months or any time after that she might choose under the terms of the divorce document.

She had the night to make her choice. Leaving meant giving up all of her dreams of independent wealth. But staying with a man she now despised? If she left she would have wasted a couple of years and would have to start over, but with two hundred thousand euros more than she used to have. She could live on that long enough to find another rich husband. She signed the papers for an uncontested divorce and the accountant signed as a witness that it was voluntary.

She vented herself on her ex-husband. "For the past year I have been trying to figure out how to get away from you. You are pitiful with your neediness and sexual fetishes. For your next victim look for a bimbo who has no pride because that is what it will take to live with you." She threw an accusing look at Sara and then glared at Cesar. "I hate you and your games. I will cash your check and hope I never see you again."

"And here I thought I was being generous to a spiteful gold-digger. You came with nothing under false pretenses. At least you are leaving with a sizable check and some truth reflected back at you. I hope you learn something from this before snaring your next husband."

"Rot in Hell."

He took a step closer to you and looked her unnervingly in the eye. "For that, you will see me again. And you will come back crawling back to me on your knees. Now go!"

Four hours later she was on a train to Budapest. She had booked a private compartment. The emotion of the past two days caught up with her and she fell asleep upright.

She was awakened when the porter knocked on the door and asked for her passport. She opened her purse and found it missing. There was her wallet and the check. But her jewelry, passport and identification were gone. So was her phone. Could he have sunk so low as to have stolen it? She remembered checking for it in the taxi as she left the manor. She had it when she boarded the train. Now she began a frantic search of her purse and the small bag beside her. Nothing.

"But I showed it to you when we left Bucharest."

"I'm sorry, Miss. I will have to ask you to leave the train at the border. You can take the matter up with the police there." With that the conductor closed the door.

After the conversation, she became aware of other changes. She was wearing a transparent white blouse with no underclothes. Below that was a short skirt and tall high-heeled boots - an outfit Cesar had bought her that she had refused to wear for him; but that is not what she had been wearing when she boarded the train and she was certain she had not packed it. She held up her cosmetic mirror and only then realized the was also wearing a steel collar. She felt all around it and found no way to take it off. There was a keyhole, so it must have been locked in place. But when? By whom? And why?

When the train stopped at the border, she was escorted out of the car. She inquired about her luggage and the conductor checked her ticket. "There's no luggage indicated here, Ma'am. You didn't check any."

Completely bewildered, she sat on a bench in the station and watched the train depart into her native country. She pulled herself together and walked toward the border post. Soldiers on both sides began whistling and cheering her. Doing her best to ignore them, she asked about the procedure for replacing a lost passport. They told her to go to the consulate in Bucharest. With a sigh, she returned to the train station and asked to buy a train ticket back where she had come from. After a long wait she was told her credit card was no good. It had been canceled.

She checked her money. She had enough for the train, perhaps a night or two in a hotel, meals. That would have to do until she could get a replacement. At least she had lots of experience living on a shoestring. She bought a coach ticket with cash and returned to Bucharest. A cheap hotel was not hard to find.

She removed her clothes and slept naked that night, but she could not remove the collar. It was low in the priority among her growing list of worries. When she awoke, the clothes were gone from her room, but in their place was a long dark grey dress. She put it on and found that the neckline scooped below her breasts and lifted them like a bra, presenting her nipples to the world. There was no way to position it to cover them and nothing else for her to wear.

She knew no one in town. Although she desperately wanted different clothes, she had little cash to spare. She found her way to a charity shop and bought a cheap sweater and slacks. Stepping into a public restroom, she changed out of the dress.

Then she tracked down a bank, where she tried to cash the check from Cesar.

"Identification?"

Her heart sank. "It was stolen. This is all the money I have."

"Do you have an account with us?"

"No, but I will create one and deposit the check."

"I can do that, but you will not be able to drawn it until the check clears."

"How long will that take?"

"Usually about two weeks."

"But I have nothing to live on."

The clerk consulted his manager and returned to tell her he could not help her without identification.

She tried three more banks, but none could help her.

She made her way to the consulate where she was told they were very sorry but it would take some time to establish her identify before they could issue any documents. She filled out the paperwork and thought how to kill time with no money.

She walked and she sat. She read a discarded newspaper. She watched people and birds. She went to a public library and hid in the stacks and read. She fell asleep sitting upright on a library chair, her arms curled protectively about her handbag. When she awoke, she felt a tightness in her gut. Either she was hungry or she had been sleeping a bad position or... O, God. Her sweater and slacks were gone and she was wearing the green dress again. Over that was a tight corset. Where had that come from? She tried reaching the laces, but could not manage it. There was no fastening in front. She thought she might be able to work it around her body so she could bring the laces in front; but it was too tight. As she looked at it, she recognized it as one Cesar had bought her.