by Sharon Green
"Actually, I never have gotten involved with dominance and submission," Matt admitted, amusingly looking faintly embarrassed. "Most of the female targets I've been assigned to were into the dominance part, but without all the added paraphernalia and memberships. You sound like you know that private world really well."
"I know it as well as you can without being a part of it," Jake said after inputting the number he wanted to call. "Some of my contacts are - It's Jake, and I need to visit a club tonight… Yeah, that's right, me and a friend. Can you swing it?… Good. Where do we meet and at what time? … Perfect. See you then."
"All it took was a single phone call and we're in?" Matt said as Jake turned his phone off, definitely looking impressed. "Nice going, partner. Which club are we going to?"
"The club is called 'Brush with Fate,' but you're not likely to have heard of it," Jake said, returning his attention to his coffee. "It isn't a tourist hangout like some of them, and you only gain admittance if you come with a longtime member. And you don't interfere with what you see even if it looks like someone needs your help. Usually no one makes the scene unless they're into it voluntarily."
"But what if you run into a situation where someone isn't there voluntarily?" Matt asked, no longer looking impressed. "What if some girl suddenly begs for my help? Do I just smile distantly and turn away instead of giving that help?"
"What you do is check with our guide," Jake said, smiling only on the inside. "He'll know if she's an old regular just having some fun, so you won't have to guess. And there's something else you have to keep in mind: Most of the people who are part of the scene don't want to get involved with the unwilling. They're there to satisfy some basic needs, and if the unwilling are dragged in, the authorities won't be far behind. Why risk being shut down when it isn't necessary?"
"That makes sense only if you're dealing with rational human beings," Matt grumbled, toying with his coffee cup. "How rational is it to want to dominate or be dominated by someone else?"
"You don't see the attraction in those states because you don't feel either of the needs," Jake explained, trying not to sound preachy. "I don't feel the needs either, but that doesn't mean I don't understand where people like that are coming from. Instead of leading a 'normal' life and suffering, they've joined with others who have similar needs and everyone ends up satisfied. Without dragging in people who want nothing to do with what happens. If that isn't rational and reasonable, I don't know what is."
Matt was quiet for a moment or two, obviously thinking about what he'd been told, and then he looked up at Jake.
"Okay, what you said makes sense," he grudged, clearly not completely happy with the conclusion. "If I want to be free to do what I consider normal and necessary, others with different needs should be just as free as long as they don't try to force me into joining in. If everyone doing what they do is there of their own free will, I have no right to impose my own belief system on them. But it isn't easy to look at things that way, not easy at all."
"Of course it isn't," Jake agreed, more than a little impressed with Matt's flexibility of mind. "As kids, most of us are taught to do what everyone else does, no thinking involved, no judgment required. That kind of treatment also encourages us to reject the unusual in later life, which isn't necessarily a good thing. You have to take each situation separately as it comes, and understand that if no one is being imposed upon you have no right to say it's wrong just because you don't want to do it."
"Just the way people would probably disapprove of our lives if they knew what we did for a living," Matt said, his expression now wry. "We don't work what most consider normal hours doing a normal job. So when are we scheduled to meet this contact of yours."
"We'll be meeting Rob close to midnight, so we have time to go home and relax some before then," Jake supplied. "I also intend to get something to eat before we go to the club, and unless you have other plans we can eat together."
"No, no other plans," Matt said with a small headshake and a sad smile. "The last girl I tried to have a relationship with got tired of having me miss dates or get called away in the middle of one. I don't understand how some of our brother and sister agents have managed to find someone to marry. I can't even find someone who won't slam a door in my face."
"I know for a fact that more than half of the married ones are 'unofficially' married to each other," Jake said, knowing exactly how Matt felt. "The department has all kinds of rules against agents getting involved with other agents, but when it comes right down to it the higher-ups usually turn a blind eye. Losing a capable, experienced agent for no reason other than normal human feelings is stupid, and even Coleson wasn't allowed to notice. Expecting us all to find sweet, devoted mates who have nothing to do with our world but don't mind us being involved is too much of a fantasy even for the Board to swallow."
"I didn't know that," Matt said, now looking more alive as well as curious. "I thought if I got together with one of the girls in our field, one of us would have to leave the department."
"That's what everyone thinks, but I have a friend who went against the rules," Jake said, smiling at the memory. "The two of them were ready to fight the restriction, but all the higher-ups pretended nothing was going on even when they definitely knew better. The stance isn't advertised, but it's there if you know where to look."
"Then as soon as this mess is over I'm going to start looking around," Matt stated, his grin wide. "There are a couple of girls I've worked with who I wouldn't mind seeing again in a more … relaxed atmosphere."
Jake joined Matt in talking about their sister agents until they'd finished their coffee, carefully refraining from mentioning Tain, and then they left to go to their respective apartments. Jake grabbed a quick bite to eat before taking a nap, and when he woke up he felt a lot better.
A shower and shave didn't take long, and once Jake was dressed he called Matt to decide on what restaurant they would meet at. The decision didn't take long, and he and Matt both arrived at the restaurant within five minutes of each other. The food was as good as usual, and they finished eating in plenty of time to make their appointment with Jake's contact. Rob was already there when the two men arrived, and he and Jake shook hands.
"Rob, this is my partner Matt," Jake said after the handshake. "We're here because there have been rumors about weird things happening, and we need to know the details of those rumors. Have you heard anything yourself?"
"Nice to meet you, Matt," Rob said as he nodded to the newcomer, then he shook his head. "No, I haven't heard anything myself, but that isn't surprising. I've been out of town on various business trips for the past month, and I'm only just getting back to it. Would you like me to ask around once we're inside?"
"Yes, please," Jake agreed. "No one will have to do any testifying, of course, but we need as many details as we can get - even if the details have already been told to others."
Rob eyed Jake in a curious way, but instead of asking questions Jake wouldn't have been willing to answer he led them toward a nearby building instead. The building looked as if it were being renovated, but once they all paid their entrance fee to a man behind a window to the right and went inside, that impression quickly changed.
Inside everything was freshly painted and nicely decorated, with lots of tables scattered across the wide floor and a full-sized stage toward the back. There were also five doorways leading to other parts of the building, and between two of the doorways was a bar of sorts. The bar served nothing alcoholic, but it did offer malteds in various flavors. Matt immediately ordered a vanilla malted while Jake asked for the same in strawberry, but Rob just got a soft drink.
"The scheduled entertainment will be starting in a few minutes," Rob said softly to Jake while they waited for their drinks. "If you two will get a table and spend some time watching, I'll be able to go into the back and ask some questions."
Rob walked off when Jake nodded, and once he was gone Matt stepped a bit closer to Jake.
"
I take it the questioning will go better without a couple of outsiders hovering in the vicinity," Matt murmured. "Is that where they get down to it? In the back?"
"Since I've never been back there, I don't really know," Jake answered, watching his malted being prepared. "If you want the truth, I don't consider it my business what's done back there. Do you feel differently?"
"Not me," Matt denied, having moved his attention to his own drink in one of the malted machines. "The question should never have been put, so I withdraw it. Do you have any idea how long it's been since the last time I had a malted? If they had a liquor license I would have ordered a beer, so I'm really glad they don't have a liquor license. This way my macho image stays intact."
Jake couldn't keep from laughing at that comment, and Matt grinned wide. Women were free to drink just about anything they cared to, but a lot of people expected men to drink nothing but "manly" drinks. It was a prejudice everyone ran into at one time or another, but not something men like he and Matt usually worried about. When they were on their own time they drank whatever they liked, but when it came time to pay for their malteds Matt's amusement disappeared.
"Damn," he breathed as Jake led the way to one of the tables in the middle of the room. "That was a hell of a bite for a simple malted. No wonder your friend took a soft drink instead."
"The soft drinks are cheaper, but not by all that much," Jake said as they sat at the table. "They need funds to keep this place open, and the entrance fee and drink charges handle the problem in the most painless way possible. They - "
Jake's words broke off when the room's lights lowered, at the same time seeing the stage lights come on. That had to mean the "entertainment" was about to start, and everyone sitting at all the tables gave their attention to the stage. When all the soft conversation had died down to quiet, a woman appeared on the stage carrying a dress on a hanger. The stage set was that of a bedroom, complete with bed, dresser, chair, vanity table, and full length mirror.
The woman gave all her attention to the dress she carried until she stood in front of the mirror, then she held up the dress in front of her as though trying to picture herself wearing it. A long rectangle attached to one of the dress's sleeves suggested that the clothing had just been bought, and when a man walked into the room that idea was confirmed.
"Where did you go, Laura?" the man asked as he walked toward the woman. "You didn't mention that you were going out before - No. I don't believe you actually bought another dress after I told you not to."
"Come on, Don, you know how much I love to shop," the woman Laura answered without turning away from the mirror. "I really had no intentions of buying anything, but then I saw this dress and couldn't resist. Isn't it gorgeous?"
"That dress isn't gorgeous, what it is is going back," the man Don returned, his tone hardening. "I told you that you'd be punished if you didn't obey me, and that's what should have helped you resist the urge to throw money away. Next time you'll think twice before you disobey and then you won't do it."
"You expect the idea of punishment to discourage me?" Laura asked with a laugh, finally turning away from the mirror to look at the man. "Have you forgotten how much I also enjoy being punished? Being put over your knee is such a turn-on that I probably would have bought something even if I didn't want to. Go ahead and punish me, lover, and then I can thank you properly for this beautiful new dress."
"Yes, I do know how you feel about being punished, so I did some thinking," Don answered with an odd smile. "Put the dress down and get ready to be punished."
"Oh, goody," Laura squeaked as she bounced just a little, obviously happy to oblige. "I've been looking forward to this all afternoon, so don't forget to be really firm with me. You know how bad a girl I've been."
Don smiled and moved over to the dressing table while Laura went to hang the dress's hanger on a hook. When she turned back to Don, he held a long piece of some kind of material.
"You've been a very bad girl, Laura, so come over here and take your medicine," Don said, apparently pretending that he didn't see Laura's continuing smile. "We'll be doing things a bit differently this time, starting with tying your wrists."
"Oh, I like that," Laura said, immediately approaching Don with her hands held out in front of her. "You've never tied my wrists before, and I have a feeling that this will make the time even more delicious than usual. I hope the rest of your ideas are as good as this one."
"Time will tell," Don answered in something of a murmur as he used the length of cloth to tie Laura's wrists together in front of her. As soon as the cloth was knotted securely, Don took Laura's arm and moved the two of them to the chair near the vanity table. He sat down in the chair, and Laura draped herself face down across his lap without the least hesitation.
"Yes, you've been a very bad girl," Don said as he raised Laura's skirt and pulled down her panties. "Because of that I'm going to use the wooden ruler on you, but first there's something else I'm going to do."
"If you use just your hand instead we'll both enjoy it more," Laura said without looking around, wiggling her now-bare backside. "I like the ruler well enough, but sometimes I'm in the mood for nothing but - Oh! What is that?"
While she'd been speaking, Don had reached to a drawer in the vanity table and had taken out a tube of some kind of cream. He'd squeezed a large glob of the cream onto his finger, then he'd put the finger between Laura's thighs. From the motion of his hand it was clear where the cream had ended up, and Laura's reaction said this was something else that was new.
"I just decided to … help you out a little," Don finally answered while he wiped his hand on a small towel and then picked up a large wooden ruler. "You know how you always ask me to stop spanking you so that we can … end the session properly? If I don't stop when you ask me to, then you end up hurting too much to join fully in the proper finish. I don't think that will be happening this time."
"What are you talking about?" Laura asked, then she yelped when the ruler struck her pretty, round bottom. "Don, don't start yet! You haven't answered my - Ow!"
"You know, I've wondered for a long time what I was doing wrong with you," Don said, continuing to bring the ruler down on Laura's bottom in a steady, even tempo. "I spank you on a regular basis, but instead of obeying me to avoid getting spanked, you do as you please and encourage the practice. That, I was told, was because you're always in charge, and that's the part I have to put a stop to. From now on you're no longer in charge."
"Don, that isn't - Ow! - true!" Laura exclaimed, her behind starting to turn more and more pink with every stroke of the ruler. "You have to - ouch! - stop so we can talk about this! Oh! Please, Don - ouch!"
"No talking, Laura, just spanking," Don disagreed, his hand still applying the ruler to the squirming bottom in front of him. "You asked me to be firm with you, and that's exactly what I mean to do. And I don't think you'll care how much you're hurting when it's all over."
"What are you talking about?" Laura demanded, obviously trying to free her wrists, then her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, no! I'm starting to feel hot, and not just in my seat! What did you put in me?"
"Something that will keep you hot until I decide to help cool you down again," Don said, now watching the writhing, reddened bottom he worked on even more closely. "But don't try begging me to stop spanking you, because that won't work. What I want you to do is beg me to keep spanking you, especially if it seems that I'm about to stop."
"But that won't be fun, it will hurt!" Laura wailed, and now her entire body twitched with each stroke of the ruler. "Spanking is supposed to be fun, not - "
"Not punishment?" Don finished for her, his smile wide and satisfied. "I don't know where you got that idea, but we're in the midst of chasing it out of your head. From now on every spanking will be punishment, not a game you've decided to play. Tomorrow you'll ask for an enema before I put you over my knee, and the day after - Well, I'll leave that as a surprise. You have a lot of punishment due you, and you won't
be let off the hook until you have every bit of it."
Laura's only answer to that was wordless wailing, a sound that continued for a few minutes as the ruler kept smacking her backside. Then, suddenly, the sound changed to words.
"Oh! Don, please, keep spanking me!" she cried, and it was very obvious that that wasn't what she wanted to say. "I promise to be a good girl from now on, so if you keep spanking me for only a little while - Ow! Ow! Please, keep spanking me as long as you like!"
The woman's panties were down around her knees, but that didn't stop her from kicking hard as she squirmed. Don paused once or twice with a smile on his face, and when Laura begged him to keep spanking her he obliged by starting up again. By that time the tears ran down her cheeks, and the wailing had changed to moaning. Don finally put the ruler down, picked Laura up, then carried her to the bed. Just as they reached the bed the lights went off, and when the room lights came on again it was possible to see that a curtain had closed off the stage.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like that," Matt said after taking a drink of his malted. "I can't say it was the best play ever written, not even close, but those two were really great actors. He looked like he really was spanking her, and she acted as if she was being spanked. There must have been something on that ruler that rubbed off on her behind and made the spanking look more real. Unless they used special lighting…"
Jake was in the midst of trying to decide whether or not to tell Matt the truth when Rob came out of the back room area and over to their table. Jake's contact looked disturbed, and his first words confirmed the impression.
"It looks like you were right about the weird rumors, Jake, but the truth is even more weird," Rob said. "Some men came in with women, and once they walked into the back they had the women strip naked. The women clearly didn't want to do it, but that didn't stop them from taking their clothes off. Then one of the men started to screw one of the women in front of everyone, and while the woman cried and tried to get the guy to stop, another of the men offered a new drug to everyone here."
