'And that goes for my girls, too,' I said firmly. 'There are certain limits, beyond which I do not allow anyone to go. I think I explained these to you previously?'
'Of course,' he said. 'Absolutely. And now, if your, err, lady assistant is competent to prepare the other, err, ladies, which I'm sure she is, perhaps I could offer you another drink.'
I looked down at my glass, which I had barely touched, and shook my head. 'Perhaps a small cigar, though,' I said, 'if you have such a thing here, that is?'
Erik had not exaggerated in his description of the converted cellar dungeon. Indeed, I quickly realised he had probably only seen half of it, for there were several chambers beneath the house, two linked directly to each other and five more leading off a narrow passageway I saw also led to a flight of steps, at the top of which I could just make out another door. Presumably it was an exit leading directly to the open air, which was a common enough arrangement and enabled supplies such as wine and cheese to be delivered directly without the inconvenience of having tradesmen tramping through the house itself.
Three of the smaller rooms were still in use for cool storage areas I observed as Henderbrick led the way along the passageway, passing their open doors, but the owners of the house had given over the vast majority of the space down here to the enactment and enjoyment of their fantasies. The remaining two smaller rooms had been arranged as dressing areas, with racks of costumes of every imaginable kind, whilst the two large interlinked chambers were clearly the stages upon which the performances took place, and as much thought, if not more, had gone into them as had gone into Carmen's subterranean theatre.
As we walked through into the second of these cellar rooms, I realised there was a figure standing at the very far end, the shiny black leather of his outfit rippling slightly in the flickering lantern light as he moved towards us. He was unmasked, but from the neck down he had been laced into a cat suit that looked as though it had come straight from the pages of a nineteen seventies fetish magazine. I smiled behind the anonymity of my mask. As I had observed many times before by now, some things never change and there are few genuinely new ideas, just variations on a few old, tried and trusted ones.
The young man - for the figure proved to be male - stopped a few feet in front of us and bowed stiffly, not that he could have done anything other than stiffly in that get-up, which I could now see was little more than a collection of corsets sewn together, and probably as restrictive as that damned dog suit Megan had forced me into. Pottinger again, perhaps, I reflected, but this youthful fellow looked anything but aggrieved at being constricted so. His fresh cheeks were flushed and his eyes, although looking just a touch unfocussed, gleamed with what could only be anticipation.
'May I introduce my young friend, Contessa?' Henderbrick said with a formality that was almost ludicrous. 'Paulie, this is the Contessa Sadie Christa di Ventura, our honoured guest for this evening.'
Paulie bowed again and extended a black-gloved hand, which I took lightly in my own white-gloved one and then released, perhaps a shade too quickly.
'Delighted, Contessa,' the young man trilled. 'Archie has told me all about you, of course.'
I made a harrumphing noise in the back of my throat. 'No one could tell you all about me, young man,' I said in the haughtiest tone I could muster, 'excepting for myself, of course. My clients know only what is necessary for them to know; no more, no less.' It sounded ridiculous to my ears, but the effect was right on the nail.
Paulie flinched visibly and Archie stiffened.
'Apologies, Contessa,' Archie declared. 'I'm afraid young Paulie here is a little raw. I'm sure he meant no offence.'
'In which case there is none taken,' I replied smoothly, 'but I nevertheless think that a salutary lesson is required before we proceed any further. I cannot tolerate any indiscretions and I am sure you would prefer for the proceedings not to be marred by youthful inexperience.' I eyed Paulie with a steely gaze he could not see. You wanna learn, buster, I'm gonna teach you and then let's see how fucking eager you are. 'Do you have a cane?' I demanded. 'A good stout one, the longer the better.' I was already eyeing a piece of equipment to my left, a sort of vaulting horse, except the arrangement of straps on its legs and sides indicated that anyone who went over it was supposed to stay over it and not continue to the other side.
Archie, who had noticed the slight turn of my head, was quicker on the uptake than I'd expected him to be. 'Of course,' he said, turning and striding across to a rack from which hung a variety of sticks and crops. 'Perhaps you would care to correct Paulie's attitude whilst I go through and change into something more suitable?'
At this point a penny dropped somewhere in Paulie's head. His eyes grew wide and round. 'I - I say!' he stammered. 'I say, Archie old man, that's a bit rich, surely. You can't mean—?'
'Be quiet!' I snapped, my voice echoing around the brick and stone walls like a manic tennis ball. Paulie actually jumped as I pointed one gloved finger at him. 'You want to be a part of this,' I said silkily, 'then you will learn from the very beginning. Besides, that leather will offer you more protection than my girls will be afforded later on. Plus,' I added wickedly, 'I'm sure you've been beaten before, at school, no doubt?'
'Well, err, yes, but never by a - a...'
'Never by a woman, no,' I said it for him. I allowed myself a smile that he could not see. 'Perhaps the experience will be good for you,' I added evilly. I had seen the way he had been eyeing me as opposed to the way he looked at Archie. Whether he yet knew it or not, I suspected this young man's preferences leaned away from the female sex, but then the English public schools system had much to answer for in that respect. 'Just consider this an extension of your education,' I said as Archie handed me a long bamboo cane. 'The Contessa's finishing school for effete young men, if you like. Now drag that horse this way and let's have you over it. Normally I would have my girl strap you down, of course, but as she is still engaged with her other duties, perhaps your master here would do the honours?'
Archie looked surprised at this, but quickly recovered and nodded, managing not to look too eager, even though I suspected otherwise.
With Archie's help the whipping horse was quickly manoeuvred into the central area. I examined it, nodding my approval at the craftsmanship. Good solid joints, nailed and bolted through, the heavy top padded and covered in tough looking leather, the weight of the whole thing more than sufficient to prevent it bouncing around from the bucking struggles of its victims. I tapped the top of the padding with the bamboo rod and nodded at Paulie. 'Up, you snivelling wimp!' I barked. 'Get yourself on here and be quick about it.'
He now looked genuinely frightened, but more frightened of disobeying me than he was of what was about to come. Actually, I realised he was in a state of complete shock at the rapid turn of events, and the quicker I had him immobilised the easier this was going to be, for me, at any rate. As for him, well, I hadn't got him into this, so as far as I was concerned, it would do him good to be on the receiving end before he got to being on the giving end. The only way to appreciate what a cane or whip can do is to experience the effects firsthand.
He struggled to haul himself up, but eventually sat straddling the horse. I motioned to Archie with the cane and he quickly moved in, dragging Paulie's ankles back and buckling them into the heavy straps. Initially the young man tried to keep himself in a semi-sitting position by using his hands to support his upper body weight, but as soon as I saw his ankles were secure, I rapped him smartly across each set of knuckles in turn. He got the message and laid himself down so that his head hung just over the front end. A few seconds later and he was stuck in that position, his wrists buckled to the forward legs.
I smiled to myself and jabbed the tip of the cane at the wide strap hanging midway down the side facing me. 'And that,' I ordered curtly.
Archie nodded and quickly drew the leather band over the small of Paulie's back, walking around to the far side to bring up the matching strap with the buc
kle.
'Good and tight,' I commanded. 'I don't want the little gobshite to be able to twitch so much as an inch.'
Paulie turned his head, an expression of sheer terror on his face. 'Please!' he wailed. 'Please, Contessa, I think... I think I've changed my mind!'
I laughed and flicked the cane against the bottom of the front leg nearest me. Paulie flinched and would have jumped, but for the broad strap that was now buckled tightly across his back.
'Changed your mind, have you?' I mocked. 'Well, I haven't, so that's just too bad. Archie, you may now go and change.' I looked up at the ceiling. 'One final thing, first. This place is probably soundproof, but my ears are a little sensitive today, so perhaps you would be so kind as to gag the whelp?'
I could see Archie's excitement level was mounting and he was only too willing to oblige. Yes, I could see our host was starting to enter into the spirit of things, and Paulie's predicament and impending punishment was as much of a turn-on to him as if he was one of my girls. Ah well, I thought, it takes all sorts, and whatever poor Paulie got in the course of events, it would be a bit less for Milly, Molly and Mandy to endure. The only problem was, when Archie forced the leather wedge gag into his young friend's mouth and finished buckling the strap behind his head to hold it in place, I saw he was now more than a little reluctant to leave.
'You go ahead,' I urged him, patting his shoulder. 'I'll just be warming him up and I'll leave him here for you to give him a couple of good swats when you're properly attired, yes?'
Archie hesitated, but then nodded enthusiastically. 'Oh yes,' he breathed, 'yes indeed. Most kind, Contessa, most kind.'
Paulie stared at him, his eyes bulging above the gag strap, and made a plaintive mewling sound, but if he thought that was going to do him any good he was very much mistaken. I waited until Archie had departed and then walked over to stand alongside the helpless figure. I shifted the cane from my right hand to my left and then ran my right hand gently over the leather-covered target area.
'My, my, Paulie,' I chuckled, 'but you have such a pretty bottom. The leather suits you so well and the strap across your middle has much the same effect as a corset does on a lady. There's many a girl would be pleased to have such a nicely rounded arse. Are you sure you're really a boy under all this, Paulie, eh?'
He nodded vigorously, trying to say something through the gag, but of course the only sounds he could make bore no resemblance to intelligible speech.
'Yes,' I said, deliberately drawing out the ritual, 'this is a very pretty body indeed. Reminds me of someone I know, as a matter of fact. Hmmm, I wonder if we oughtn't put you into petticoats and stockings and then let Archie punish you along with all the other naughty girls, eh Paulie?'
This time he shook his head so violently I thought he might be in danger of inflicting permanent brain damage on himself.
I patted his head. 'No, maybe not,' I said reassuringly. 'Not this time, anyway, though I suspect you might like it, eh you naughty young thing? I'll wager the thought of being made pretty and then sucking on Archie's fat cock makes you feel all hot and sticky, doesn't it?'
Again he shook his head, though I noticed it was less forcibly, but then maybe it was just that his neck muscles were getting tired.
I moved backwards a pace and thrust my hand between his splayed thighs, forcing it beneath him, palm uppermost. I felt a satisfying bulge under the leather. Men can't help but betray themselves, yet I always find it funny when they do. I moved my hand in a truncated circular motion and was rewarded by a long groan from behind the gag, and further exploration revealed something more.
'Oh dear, Paulie,' I sympathised. 'It would appear there isn't an opening down this end.' I eyed the row of lacing tracing the shape of his spine up to the nape of his neck. That represented a lot of time and effort. 'It would seem Archie has sealed you in here, in this suit, I mean. This poor piece of meat is going to have to wait quite a while, I fear.' I withdrew my hand and patted his buttocks again.
'Ah well,' I sighed, stepping back and transferring the cane again. 'I suppose you shouldn't really enjoy this anyway. After all, this is supposed to be a punishment, isn't it?' I gave the cane one testing swing, adjusted my grip and braced myself.
Of course, the leather of the suit prevented any real damage, ensuring his skin wouldn't be broken, but even so, I think I went pretty easy on Paulie. It was, after all, his first proper punishment. Whatever he had suffered during his school years would have been brisk, brash and to the point. This, as I knew only too well from my own experiences, was a different kettle of fish entirely.
Crack! The first cut produced a very pleasing report, even though I did not give it full vent. A mangled gasp blew out around the gag and despite the straps, I saw the shiny black backside rise from the horse at least an inch.
Crack! The second stroke landed a little lower, cutting across the crease between his buttocks and the top of his thighs, a much more painful area. This time, a high-pitched wheezing squeak echoed around the walls, chasing the echo of the cane. I paused, eyeing his upper back and shoulders, but decided against. Instead, I landed the third cut about an inch higher than the first. He moaned, his head tossing from side to side, and I saw he was crying. I considered for a moment and then stepped up and stooped alongside him, grasping his chin in my hand and turning his face towards me.
'Bloody hurts, doesn't it?' I whispered. 'Well, just you remember this, Paulie, when it's you on the other end. How does it feel to be helpless, eh? Not nice? No, but exciting at the same time, eh? Is your cock getting even harder under there? Well, don't you worry, young man, we'll let it find its own release before long.' I straightened up, moved back again and resumed the beating. By the time I reached the eighth stroke, and well before Archie returned, Paulie unloaded all his frustrations in a manner so explosive I thought he had passed out. I quickly undid the gag-strap and wrenched the sodden leather from between his teeth.
After about another thirty seconds he groaned, shook his head slightly and opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds longer to focus and then, when he saw me stooping alongside him, my face only inches from his, his expression suddenly changed, assuming what could only be described as a beatific look.
'Oh, Mistress Contessa!' he gasped. I saw that his entire body was still quivering from tiny aftershocks, something that is quite common in women, but which I had, and have since, rarely seen in men. I smiled, and though there was no way he could see this, his own mouth wreathed into a crescent of contentment. 'Oh Mistress,' he gasped again. 'Oh Mistress, I adore you. I love you!' I'm sure that, in his chaotic mental state he really did love me, at least for those few minutes before I decided to give him another two cuts just for good measure, making absolutely sure I delivered them at such an angle that they would land right across the welts I knew were already rising on his youthful skin beneath that gleaming black leather.
7.
The remainder of our Chichester assignment was somewhat low-key, to be brutally honest. With Paulie reduced to little more than a slavering mass prepared to throw himself under my heels had I demanded it, his interest in what happened afterwards between Archie and our three girls was minimal. Archie himself seemed more than a little confused. I suspected he had been hoping to draw Paulie in to a mutual session where the girls were a common bond for excitement, but after that punishment session Paulie appeared to be almost withdrawn, and certainly paid little heed to anything that was going on that didn't give him the opportunity to fawn over me. Which, I was forced to admit, was quite a shame and certainly a waste of the facilities at our disposal. Archie's friends were obviously both rich and inventive and had spared neither money nor artistry in their efforts to turn the cellar region into a fetishist's dream world. Archie should have been content with that, and the fact that my little troupe were more than compliant, but somehow, when confronted with a totally different version of Paulie from the one he expected, the gloss seemed to go off the proceedings for him and he went through the
various scenarios like an automaton.
For my part, whilst I detected the mood shift from the outset, I was still determined we would give Archie no grounds for complaint when it came to our input. And whether or not Archie was getting from this what he expected, the facilities here were far in advance of our own and it would have been a shame to waste them. I therefore resolved that, if nothing else, the session would prove to be an invaluable training addition for Milly, Molly and Mandy. With Indira's eager assistance, I brought our trio on by leaps and bounds over the course of those next few hours and, at the same time, began formulating a few improvement ideas of my own.
The sight of Mandy and Molly sitting in identical chairs facing each other, their lower orifices filled by twin polished wooden shafts attached to the seats, their wrists, arms, legs, and even their necks, strapped to the woodwork, whilst Indira and Archie whipped their breasts with lightweight multi-thong cats, was both erotic and at the same time educational. When I then had Paulie suckle their nipples - Indira whipping his backside while he did so - until they each climaxed, I not only had the outline of what I was convinced would be my final plan to finish off Hacklebury, I was pretty sure I had me a new recruit.
Forget business ethics. Long before we finally met the dawn light for our short trip back to our hotel, I had added Paulie to our team, although poor stupid Archie had no idea, and I knew Paulie would not tell him in the meantime. Not that Archie really appreciated what he had held in his hands, but then that's men for you. Lead them by the balls and the hearts - and everything else, for that matter - and they are bound to follow. As our coach rattled down the street and a watery sun struggled to climb above the rooftops, I knew we had left behind a more than satisfied first customer, or at least a customer who was too exhausted to know the difference.
'I'm actually doing this for your own good.' Anne-Marie stood over us, hands on hips, her facial expression set somewhere between neutral and grim determination.
Teena: A House of Ill Repute Page 18
