The Hanover House

Her final six-month tour was spent back at Hanover House as an integral member of the performance troupe. During that time she was the submissive for every Master and underwent every one of their 'punishments.' By now she was an expert on sexuality and sex practices that allowed her to derive as much pleasure from her performances as the Masters were capable of providing. Her appetites and knowledge caused the Masters to work hard to bring the best out in her while she brought out the best in them. Her performances became known and storied; patronage increased when she was scheduled to perform. Other members of the performance troupe, resident scholars, 'buttons' and staff not similarly engaged or on duty would crowd into the theater to watch when she was performing. The Masters squabbled among themselves for opportunities to work with her. She inspired other submissives to levels of performance and commitment that they had not achieved before. The Concierge was delighted. His greatest dream was coming true.

Sophie stood for her Board of Review. Concierges from one of the Japanese houses, and Prague attended and participated. The Review lasted four hours at which time Sophie was asked to retire for the Board to discuss her candidacy in private. The verdict was rendered within two hours. She was granted the status of House-trained submissive without reservation or qualification. She received their congratulations with humility. Distracted by wanting to share this moment with Doug, she asked the Concierge to invite him to a more formal celebration. The most immediate benefit of completing her submissive training was receipt of 'silver button' status and, uncharacteristic of that status received an apartment in the main residence.

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To her dismay Doug declined her invitation to stay with her when he came to celebrate completion of her submissive training and opted, instead, to stay at the hotel where they stayed during their first visit to the Hanover House. He was putting distance between them while she wanted to decrease it. She had spent little time with him over the past two years and none at all while she did her Houses tour. She had a lot of ground to make up and couldn't wait to start. His reluctance to stay with her did not bode well for her hopes and plans. She first saw him after being released from an immersion restraint in rehearsal. She had agonized how best to receive him. It would be inappropriate for her to run into his arms in front of the other performers at rehearsal.

Instead, she approached him casually while drying herself off (unaware that she was naked) and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Her heart screamed to hold him, and tell him how much she loved him and missed him. Her restraint and training didn't allow her more than to take his hand and introduce him to the performers as her 'long-lost-husband.' A feeble attempt at defusing a potentially explosive situation while showing her discipline, she was happy to see the respect and deference they showed him. Everyone knew that they had put their marriage on hold so she could undergo submissive training. They admired and respected his agreeing to it.

She took him to her apartment and got dressed for the afternoon. They were having dinner with the Concierge in his apartment, a gesture rarely made to anyone other than a visiting Concierge. Sophie knew that she enjoyed a privileged status and figured prominently in the affairs of the House but, even so, to be so honored was breathtaking. Of course, Doug would have no idea. She thought it best not to make a big deal of it in front of him.

She was very nervous. Wanting to take him to bed and make love so slowly and lovingly that it would border on painful, she avoided it (again, her nerves and afraid of being turned away) by taking him on a tour of the House. The House and grounds had changed since he last saw it and she was proud to show it off. She now thought of it as her House. They returned with a few hours to kill before dinner. It was an ideal opportunity for them to make love but her nerves and fears diverted her attention to asking questions about their families and friends. She strung out their remaining time avoiding getting too close to him because she knew she would melt in his arms and if her training had taught her anything it was discipline. She did not want to surrender to him or anyone, but she wanted to give him all the love she was capable of. Was it enough? She worried that it might not.

She had taken them to the edge of what any marriage could endure. She was scared to death of what this evening's dinner would do to them. She knew the Concierge wanted her to start dominatrix training right away and that might be the straw that broke the camel's back. Thinking to herself she asked, 'God, please give Doug strength. I started down this path on a whim and got caught up in it. Now, I enjoy it. I want it and want to see it through. Am I so selfish? Probably. Should I just walk away from it all and go back to my boring, unrewarding housewife life? There's got to be more than that. I want everything. I've worked so hard to have them both. God, I hope I can have them both.'

The dinner was a disaster. Doug clearly did not have much patience or respect for the Concierge. The Concierge told him his plans for Sophie and asked Doug what he thought. Doug refused to respond. Left alone he asked her what she wanted only to hear that she wanted to complete her training. He held her, told her he loved her, kissed her, and left. He didn't stay for her celebratory performances and recognition by the patrons, performance troupe and staff. In her triumph she felt hollow and sick to her stomach. She asked herself, 'Why, oh why hadn't I swallowed my pride and discipline and asked him to make love to me and then use that opportunity to tell him how much I loved him? I wonder what my professor would say? Well, of course I knew what he'd say but that hardly consoles.'

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A month later she was served with divorce papers. In a panic she sought out the attorney retained by the House. She told him that under no circumstances did she want a divorce and charged him to find a solution short of that. The best he could do was a legal separation. Against his advice she flew home to meet with Doug. He didn't want to see her and his attorney advised against it, too. They met in the middle of the afternoon in a familiar restaurant that brought back fond memories. He was very standoffish and skeptical of her motives. Sophie felt Doug slipping away and played her last card. "Doug, I love you. I've always loved you and regardless of how this works out I will always love you. Our first ten years were wonderful. I know the last two weren't what you wanted but if you think about them from my point of view you might come to a different conclusion.

"I am young, on the verge of becoming a mature woman. What I see is a future as a housewife without any prospect of challenging myself or achieving difficult goals. If I continued down that path I would have a life of boredom and mediocrity. I would have you but my life would be an appendage of yours. Would you want that kind of life for yourself?

"Something I wanted so very much and looked forward to like a schoolgirl with a crush was to make love to you while at my submissive celebration. Oh, I've learned so much and wanted to share it with you. As much as I've learned I know in my heart that it could only be better if I shared them with you. You need to understand that everything I've done and everything I've experienced has been done with the hope of someday sharing it with you. Remember it was you that wanted me to realize my fantasies. Well, I have and now I find that I have to share them with you for them to have any meaning.

"Can we take a break from this and order dinner? I'd like to have some wine, a lot of wine in fact. This is stressing me out." They had dinner and loosened up with the wine. By early evening they were laughing over shared memories. By 9 o'clock they were at home sitting on the floor having more wine. They both wanted to make love but each felt awkward and defensive, each reluctant to make the first move. Slowly, slowly they moved toward each other. Sophie reached up and traced a finger down his jaw line, a favorite intimate gesture of hers. As she leaned into him he kissed her and there was no hesitation after that. Sophie had thought this through while on the plane. She wouldn't bring everything she knew to their bed. She didn't want to scare him off. Instead, she planned a modest extension of their love making tradition.

Doug was delighted and surprised at their lovemaking. Besides achieving sexual release with Sophie he experienced a few modest variations and extensions of their routine that made it more memorable.

Before they drifted off to sleep Sophie held Doug close and said, "Doug, I love you and don't want to lose you. If it means walking away from the Hanover House, I'll do it and not look back. Please don't divorce me."

She returned to the House the following day. Part of her was elated that she had been with Doug and part of her dreaded leaving Hanover House to keep him. She was happy and sad when her attorney told her Doug's petition had been changed to a legal separation. Her lifeline was still intact. Thank God!

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Sophie's training as a dominatrix continued in much the same manner as her submissive training. The first six months were devoted to the academics of anatomy and major body systems that was now complimented by her psychology background. Her understanding of the two was broadening and deepening. It was during this time that Sophie spent a month in one of the Nevada brothels. She used the money she earned to purchase sex toys and clothing for herself but that only took a small fraction of her earnings. More money was spent furnishing her apartment and upgrading her civilian wardrobe. She opened bank accounts in her name with the rest, the first since starting her journey. She did not want to use her and Doug's money any more than necessary.

Different from the sex she had at Hanover House, sex in a brothel was often with punters that could barely afford her services. In fact, regardless of their means, every encounter began with a negotiation. There was a distinct difference in their sexual preferences and performance from those she experienced at the Hanover House. Most were robust and virile, blue-collar types while Hanover House patrons were frequently on prescription medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes that reduced their libidos and sexual performance. It's not surprising then the latter's interest in performance-based sex, BDSM. They gratified themselves vicariously.

Her brothel stable mates were there for all the reasons you would guess: most loved what they were doing. (If they didn't it would show in their 'productivity.' When this happened they were usually turned out. There's no shortage of women to fill the bedrooms.) Most were in it for the money (which could be substantial), a few were in it for the excitement of having sex with people they didn't know and, finally, some were in it for the chance for prurient sex such as, threesomes, both ways, etc. For Sophie it was as informative (she was unique in this regard) as it was fun. Most of her sexual imagination was fulfilled there. She also made some good friends. After all, those girls knew how to party.

Sophie's third six-month rotation was spent touring the different Houses to work with their Masters as a dominatrix. The sex she experienced this time was different from her first tour. The submissives could not teach her how to have and enjoy sex as a dominatrix. She solved the problem by having ménage a trios with masters and their submissives.

She passed her review for House-trained dominatrix as she had for submissive. The outside Concierges were from the Bonn and Moroccan Houses. She was now recognized as a Master. With her new status she also received a 'gold button' and assumed their duties in rotation on performance evenings. She was the only 'gold button' and Master. Her status and performances stood out in the patrons' minds. She was placed next in line to have the most desirable apartment in the Hanover House, short of the Concierge's apartment.

Sophie invited Doug to attend her dominatrix celebratory weekend but he declined. She flew home immediately afterward to spend time with him and make slow painful love to him that she enjoyed so much. He liked it, too. By this time Sophie and Mi had a deep relationship that helped bridge her needs between the infrequent trips home to Doug. He never made trips to visit her. She suspected the House and Concierge made him uncomfortable.

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The relationship with Brian had lapsed leaving her without male companionship when away from home. She cast about the Hanover House community for someone, anyone that would do but came up empty-handed. On reflection she knew the reason Brian and she hadn't lasted was precisely because they were both affiliated with the House. That Mi wasn't affiliated is the reason that thier relationship was successful. The only other communities that she had ready access to were at the University and local law enforcement. Academics and students didn't interest her. Their interests and needs were too different from hers and what she sought. Looking further she found Frank, a vice detective. Or, rather, he found her. As is often the case, police officers working around sex workers are susceptible to developing relationships with sex workers. Perhaps they see a side of them the public doesn't.

Frank first became aware of Sophie through her professor when he called to set up accommodations for her research. Of course, Frank knew of the Hanover House and its activities and had heard from others in the squad that a woman had joined its security detail (a first) but that was it. He didn't know Sophie was that woman until she came into the station to be interviewed by him. He started putting the pieces together and soon realized that she was a performer as well. Most sex workers he was familiar with did not look or act as this woman did. She was in her mid-thirties at this point, on the cusp of becoming a beautiful woman that happens when they finally lose the baby fat from their facial features and effortlessly achieve that chiseled look. He also noted that she was trim and radiated good health; characteristics not normally associated with working girls. Her style and quality of dress spoke wealth and ease with it. This was a substantial woman. Quite frankly, she was not one he was used to nor knew how to deal with. The closest he'd come to her were high-end call girls and, when assisting with bunko cases. Grifters working a con, they play-acted being sophisticated. In contrast, Sophie was the real thing.

His curiosity piqued he asked her out to dinner the following week under the guise of establishing the boundaries within which she could operate without compromising him or the department. Because Sophie had no qualms about her life or, more precisely, what it had become she was forthright and answered all his questions. Over their meal she described her marriage and her birthday present that brought her to the Hanover House, her submissive training, her security training and academic training in the psychology of sex. She was excited telling him about touring other Houses to learn local sex customs (but was careful not to disclose their locations or affiliations with each other). Then she told him of her current assignment, dominatrix training and how exciting it was. She didn't realize it at the time but he was the first person outside the House (other than Doug) that she had told about it and her role in it. It was cathartic. All her pent up frustration with her marriage and the transformations she was going through needed venting and, for better or worse, Frank was on the receiving end.

He was fascinated by her tale and, not surprisingly, her. She was something totally outside his comfort zone. By virtue of who she was and what she'd been exposed to he knew sex with her would be different. Here was a woman that knew more about pleasing a man than any hooker but was not jaded by that knowledge. By itself, that was enough for him to make a play for her. He understood that as soon as he made the first move or said something in that direction she would recognize it for what it was. The question was: how would she react? He decided he couldn't come on to her without first laying a foundation for a relationship. Given who she was, with immediate access to all the sex of whatever style and type she desired and would, therefore, not be intrigued by a simple interest in sex required a more compelling approach. Or, so he thought.

As a cop he knew how to read people. He knew better than most as evidenced by having become a vice detective. He also knew in counterpoint to Sophie, he was as jaded as they come. He looked to her as a lifeline to a different reality where people weren't out to screw everyone all the time. He had never experienced that reality. He was the product of a broken home and grew up on the streets. He was what he did. Here was a chance to see what a different life might be like and Sophie could be the perfect transitional relationship to give him that insight. Who knew, maybe he'd like it? His cop mind framed it as she wanted something from him and he wanted something from her, a quid pro quo. Maybe they could both benefit from each other without having to give up too much. Who knew, maybe he'd like her?

Sophie thought it odd that the detective wanted to discuss her research over dinner. She thought he might want to grant her more access and give more leeway with the sex trade than he could give her in an official capacity. She wished that would be his purpose. The other is that he might try to hit on her or, at the least, get her out of the station before others could see her or notice her and develop an interest of their own. She had no doubt that she was an attractive woman and garnered attention virtually everywhere she went. She played up to it but not overly so. She enjoyed the looks of appreciation and speculation she engendered in men and women alike. If only they knew how available she was and what she could do to them!

Alternatively, he might just be a nice guy who was tired of eating alone or with the same old crowd and wanted a pleasant diversionary dinner as a change of pace. Well, she'd just have to find out. Being trained in security she checked the files at work and talked to other agents to find out what she could about him. She wasn't surprised to find that he was a long-time vice squad member. That meant several things. Either he was very good at it or he really enjoyed the work. Vice squads were notorious for the relationships they forged with people in the sex industry and it was not uncommon to find them emotionally attached to some of the girls. Of course, the girls used that to their advantage so the attachments were very lopsided. The cops wanted to save the girls from themselves while the girls wanted to save themselves from hassle and police exploitation. They certainly knew the difference between animals wearing badges that used their position to get all the free sex they could, and those that have soft spots in their hearts for girls that are weak. (There's no such thing as a weak prostitute.)

The House file on Frank told a story of a veteran cop that was not corrupted or corruptible. It also told the story of his adolescence and career choices. He was tough and compassionate, but no one's fool. He hated dirty cops more than the pimps and would bend the rules when they didn't fit a situation he found himself in. In short, he was a good cop, competent with more letters of commendation than reprimand in his official file. A twelve-year veteran he had never applied for nor taken an exam for promotion beyond his current grade. Translation: he liked working the streets, a promotion meant politics and sitting behind a desk. He would rather bust the bad guys and their heads. Never married, maybe he had trouble developing or maintaining relationships. Dinner should be interesting. She'd put her money on him wanting to trade something.