The Author Pt. 03

She made a small dinner and was fuming in front of the Television when there was a knock on the door.

Jennifer glanced at the clock and wondered who would be knocking on the door at 10pm.

Glancing through the peep hole she saw Beth. She opened the door and gasped as she realized that Beth had someone with her, Jennifer's Mom.

"Mom, Beth, what are you doing here?"

Beth pushed her back and said "First, let me say you don't know what I'm like, or anyone's like. Second, we came to save you from yourself."

Jennifer watched her Mom come into the apartment carrying an overnight bag.

"We're here for the next couple days, until we think your back to what you were before Jeremy. You see, I'm going to save my Daughter before she makes another mistake." Carol said.

Jennifer looked between Beth and her mom and said in a brittle voice. "I don't need saving."

Beth was looking at the phone and said "Do you have Bill's number? We need to let him know that you won't be in to work for the next day or two."

Jennifer was off balance, and was trying to get her mind onto the reality that was in her living room. "Mom, tell me again, why are you here?"

"Beth told me how confused you are, and after you hung up on her, I dropped everything, got her, and we came here."

"Carol, perhaps she should know everything, how we became friends. All the things we haven't told her yet." Beth said.

Jennifer was looking between them confused. "What things, friends, how long, what is going on?"

"We both like bondage, and we found out via a book swap site on the web, I requested an erotic book that Beth had, and she called me when she saw the address and name. I didn't know it was her, all I saw was a user name." Carol said.

Beth picked up the thread "We talked, and found we had some things in common, for example, we both enjoy being tied up and sexed. We both enjoy reading Bondage fiction, especially good bondage fiction. You didn't tell me the name that Bill writes the Bondage stuff, but I think I have an idea."

Carol continued "So after you hung up Beth called and filled me in, I decided it was time to come out of the closet so to speak, and talk to you and see if we could rescue you from your self imposed exile."

Jennifer sat down heavily on the couch and said "I need a drink."

Beth turned towards the kitchen and said "God yes, do you have any Gin?"

"No, I have some Rum, and some coke, but that's it." Jennifer said.

Beth said "Shit, it's Sunday, and I can't go buy any Gin either. It'll have to do I guess." She found the bottle of rum and taking three glasses to the living room put them on the coffee table with two cans of cola, and sat on a chair beside the couch.

Jennifer took her glass and while Carol and Beth clinked cheers, she took a good healthy swallow of the liquor.

"Let me get this straight, my best friend, and my own mother, both enjoy bondage. Now that alone is enough to send me into therapy, but now they are here to convince me that I like it too?" Jennifer said.

Her mother turned towards her and said "Jennifer, it's your fault I like it."

Jennifer turned a gaping face towards her. "My fault Mom?"

"Yes, you see after your night with Jeremy, and I agree with Beth, it was Rape, I started to read about it to learn about my Daughter. First I read about the psychological information, about how it's really not a condition or something that needs to be cured. Then I started reading the books describing the lifestyle. The stories I read made me hot. I finally worked up enough courage to talk to your Father, and we started to do it occasionally." Carol said.

Jennifer emptied her glass and poured more rum and Coke, into it. "I am going to need an army of therapists, my mother is sitting here telling me about her sex life with my father."

Beth laughed and said "My story is similar, I had always thought it was kind of kinky, so I read a couple books I got online, and well, we tried it one night. Now, once a month or so, we send the kids over to a friends and I play slave girl to him."

Jennifer slid off the couch and began to slowly and repeatedly bang her forehead onto the coffee table. "Am I the only normal person here?"

Carol slid off the couch and sat next to Jennifer. She put her arms around her daughter, and hugged her saying "You had a bad time with Jeremy, and it wasn't your fault, it was his. He betrayed your trust, and then he raped you to add injury to insult." Beth reached out and placed a supportive hand on Jennifer's shoulder, Carol continued saying "Since that day, you haven't been the Daughter I had always known. I have watched you dabble in things here and there. You haven't stuck with anything, you just float through life. You went from the top of your class with the whole world at your feet to someone who hides in a tiny apartment and runs anytime things start going well."

Jennifer felt tears in her eyes and in a small brittle voice said "Mom I can't. I can't go back and do this."

Beth said "You can, and you have to. Jennifer, this could be your last chance. I'm afraid if you don't come out of your self imposed exile this time, you never will."

Jennifer looked up at Beth and for the first time, Beth saw the face of someone who had been to Hell. Jennifer shattered then, weeping openly as she began to purge the rape from her mind. She began to release the pain, humiliation, and betrayal from her heart, where it had been caged festering for long enough.

They stayed up most of the night talking and crying. At about dawn, everyone slept strewn about the apartment. Jennifer on the floor, her mother on the couch, and Beth in Jennifer's room. At noon, Jennifer woke Beth when going to the bathroom, which was off the bedroom. To her surprise everyone was up a few minutes later, and the healing began.

Suddenly without warning, Jennifer would start to cry. Beth and Carol would come to her helping her face the horror of the memory, dragging the demon out into the light, and taking it's power away.

Carol and Beth stayed and talked everything through with Jennifer. Jennifer visited websites as directed by Beth, or her Mother, and was astounded by the information she found. They took turns reading the books provided by Bill, and would read "good parts" aloud to one another.

By Tuesday morning, the healing had truly begun, and by Thursday morning, Beth said the work was done. Jennifer could imagine being submissive, and her smile was back. She hadn't spent the last few years going through life with a frown, more like a neutral expression, a flickering smile was all anyone saw.

"Jennifer, you are all better now, we've all done what we could. Bill is waiting for you, and now you're ready to go to him." Beth said.

Carol said "I agree, my daughter is back, and it's about time."

Jennifer smiled at her friend, and her Mother and said, "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. Is there anything I can do for either of you?"

Beth looked at Carol and smiled wickedly. "Do you think you could get us some autographed copies of his books?"

Jennifer nodded and said "I'll guarantee that one, no problem. Five autographed mysteries coming right up."

Her mother shook her head and said "The other books Jen. I've read two of them this week, and they are something."

Jennifer rolled her eyes and said "Mom, that one might be harder, but let's see what we can do." Jennifer remembered seeing a few copies of Bill's books downstairs in a box when she had grabbed the five to follow him upstairs. "Will you come with me to meet Bill?"

Beth and Carol exchanged glances and nodded.

They decided it made sense to take two cars, so that Carol and Beth could leave from Bill's and head home. Jennifer parked where she always did. She walked to the house, and found the door unlocked, and waved the others in. She called out to Bill saying "Bill, I have some visitors I'd like you to meet if it's OK."

Bill stepped out of the office and walked to the front door saying "Certainly Jennifer, and who are these lovely ladies?"

Jennifer did the introductions and said "They would like some autographed books, and they have been here working to rid me of my commitment issues."

Bill was suddenly on guard and said "Really, and how did it go?"

Jennifer said "Very well, I believe we can begin later today sir."

Bill looked at her, and saw the sparkle in her eye, saw the genuine smile on her face and smiled himself.

"I look forward to it, would you do me the honor of getting two complete sets of the books, and bring them to the office and I'll be happy to sign them."

Jennifer nodded and said "Yes sir. Beth, Mom, please go with Bill and I'll join you in the office in a few minutes."

Bill took the ladies to his office, and showed them the desk that Jennifer worked at. "This room used to be a family type room, but I converted it to a large office. I use the dry erase boards along that wall to lay out the stories, as you can see I'm working on a mystery now, and just about have the story charted. The bulk of the book is already written, and now I'm working on inserting the clues. That is the hard part, figuring out how to solve the crime you have created. The chain of clues if you will."

"Bill, Jennifer let us read some of the other books you have written. I've read two of them by the way, and I thought they were great." Beth said.

Bill looked at Beth and said "Thank you, it's always nice to have your work appreciated and complimented."

Jennifer came in the office then with two boxes, and Bill's eyebrows went up. There was certainly more than the five books he had on the shelf behind him.

"Great Jennifer thanks." Bill said. Taking the boxes and stepping to his desk, a glance showed that there were two complete sets of all his books. "While you are certainly welcome to the books ladies, I'll admit that I've never signed the erotic works before. Would you prefer that I sign them Sierra or my own name?"

Beth and Carol looked at each other and shrugged. Beth said, "I think we'll leave that up to you, I understand the desire to keep things in the closet, or dungeon if you like."

Bill glanced at everyone and said to Jennifer "It looks like you have an interesting story to tell me later Jen." Then he began personalizing and signing, and in a few minutes was done with both boxes of books.

They chatted over iced teas about all the small talk subjects, and then Beth and Carol headed for home.

Closing the door after watching them drive away, Jennifer turned to start the next phase of her life. While her eighteenth birthday betrayal and rape could never be purged from her psyche, it was finally accepted. Her friends, and Jennifer thought of her Mother as a friend after this week, had helped her face that night. After failing to successfully pretend it never happened, that it happened but was no big deal, but that only made it leap to her mind more often and with greater force, controlling her. Jennifer was finally ready to live again.