“I’ve been teaching the girls. You’ve got a real gem of a girl in Helena. She’s got good hands and an eye for what works for the different girls. I’ll send her some magazines to keep her up to date. You’ll have to get her to do your eyebrows; I don’t have time today. She’s going to be a busy girl for the first week or so. Tip your head back.”
Finally Therese looked in the mirror. She now looked glamorous. The mirror image made her smile and look even prettier. She chuckled happily.
“Enough of that,” said Wanda. “You can admire yourself later. I’ve got to show you how to wax your legs. Get your skirt off and sit on the chaise longue while I get the wax ready.”
When she returned, she almost dropped the pot. “What are you wearing? Mefist will kill you if he sees those. None of the other girls have dared to put anything on at all. Get them off and hide them quickly. We have to take them off anyway.”
Therese reached for the tie of her illegal drawers in embarrassment. Mefist again, she thought, and now Wanda had turned out just as bad. She hesitated, but they had to go. She did not feel she could be offended now, especially after what had happened last night. She stood and slipped them off.
“Oh dear,” said Wanda without thinking. “I’d better trim some of that first. Put this towel under you.”
Wanda pulled Therese down on the bed and firmly parted her knees. At first, she could not sit still under Wanda’s comb and scissors. The comb felt sharp on her skin, and the scissors pulled at her hair. The unfamiliar sensations disturbed her, and she tried to put them out of her mind.
Wanda looked up from her work and smiled. “I think you’re going to look very pretty down here once we find our way through the forest. Are you enjoying it?”
“Ah yes, I think. It’s very–exciting.”
“Good, good. I’m glad it hasn’t gone to sleep just because you were a nun. Open your legs some more, I can’t see what I’m doing. You wait until I’ve finished; it’s going to look very sweet.”
The steel of the scissors felt cold as it slid between her legs and snipped repeatedly as it shortened her hair. Therese lay back and tried to think of something else. At last Wanda stopped.
“That was the easy bit. Now the wax. Stretch out your legs.”
Therese winced as Wanda pulled the hair from her legs. “Stop jumping! Don’t you know it’s necessary to suffer if you’re going to be beautiful?”
“I had no idea. How would I know? I thought you were just naturally beautiful.”
Wanda laughed and patted her thigh. “Well, thank you for the compliment, but I have to do this the same as any other girl. It’s worth the pain, believe me. Don’t worry. You’ll soon get used to it.” Again she pushed Therese’s legs open and started to wax the sides of her sex.
Again the excitement of Wanda touching her down there, until “Ow! That hurt!”
“Sorry, my love, but it’s got to be done. You wouldn’t want anyone to see you like this, would you?” Wanda was without mercy and carried on tormenting her.
After the initial shock, the pain of plucked hair was not so sharp, and again Therese’s excitement rose. Her sex felt swollen and wet.
“There! What do you think of that?”
Therese lifted herself onto her elbows and looked down between her open legs. Her hair had been trimmed to a narrow patch covering her mound and below. Further down, her lips were covered by a light dusting of fur that did nothing to hide their fullness or the pink frills that protruded obscenely between them. She was shocked at the sight.
“It looks so naked.”
“It looks very pretty, and it’s getting juicy. Look!” Therese watched in horror as Wanda’s elegant finger reached and slipped between her lips. Her sex spasmed around the intruding fingertip, and a rill of pleasure washed over her as Wanda drew her finger slowly up and out of her furrow. She moaned and bit her lip.
Wanda lifted her finger up to her lips and licked it delicately. “Mmh, tasty!” she said with a smile. “You’re a very excitable lady. Now kneel on the bed with your dupka in the air and I’ll finish you off.”
“What?”
“Come on, Therese, do as you’re told! Dupka in the air. I’ve just got the smallest bit to finish.”
Therese wanted to protest, but she had already accepted humiliation, and complaining now would be meaningless. She knelt and lowered her head to the cushion. Her blouse slid forwards and uncovered more of her.
“What a dupka! The men are going to go crazy over you, and the women will be jealous enough to commit murder. Now hold still; this might just bring tears to your eyes!” Wanda started to dab wax at the last of her hair. Just as she pulled it away, Therese heard the door open behind her.
In a flash, Wanda had her hand on the back of Therese’s neck, pinning her to the bed. “Stay!’ she ordered as if she were controlling a dog. Therese started to resist but surrendered to her keeper. She could not see who had come in, but a faint perfume of hair cream and tobacco told her that Mefist was standing behind her, staring at her upraised bottom. She swallowed her pride and tried not to think of Mefist.
“There, little brother! You’re just in time. Have you ever seen anything quite so beautiful?”
“My word, Therese. You’d make the Pope forget his vows. I wish I had brought my camera.” Therese felt his eyes on her, and her stomach twisted. Her sex pulsed, and she sobbed silently. Her whole body was taut and trembling.
“Well, Franz? Are you just going to stand there?” taunted Wanda.
Therese heard him moving nearer. “She’s not ready,” he said softy. She felt his breath on her bottom and the brush of his moustache as he kissed her. “Enchanting!” and his breath moved lower. His tongue slid into her, and suddenly she was coming. She moaned and threw herself forward onto the bed.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God!” She moaned and rolled from side to side with both hands clamped between her legs, pressed against her sex. “Oh God, help me!” Wanda sat beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder. Her shaking slowed to nothing.
“My God, Therese! I’ve never seen anyone come like that. I think you have a talent you’ve been hiding from the world. Or do you just have a magic tongue, Franz?”
“Well, you should know. You are the one who taught it what to do.”
Wanda tried to turn her over, but Therese buried her face deeper in the bed. She stroked Therese’s hair and said, “Go away, Franz. We’re busy. You can talk to her later.”
Chapter 12
Mefist found her in the tower gallery, sitting and looking out over the autumn fields of the valley. The sun was sinking, and the dark of the nearby forest grew mysterious. The air hung still, and the village and places beyond were hazy with wood smoke. The hay had gone from the castle meadows, and it would not be many days now before nightly frosts started to creep out of the forests to the flat lands below.
Therese had always loved this tail end of the year. Summer had ended, and the fruits of field and garden were safely stored for the lean times of winter. The clothes and habits of long sunny days would be put away, and everyone would settle down to the cozy indoor life of winter.
“Your favorite place?” asked Mefist tentatively.
“Yes. I spend hours up here in summer, but I suppose it will be too cold to sit here soon.”
Mefist leant on the rail beside her and took in the view. “Are you upset with me?” he asked.
“Upset? Why should I be upset?”
“This afternoon. Being taken by surprise. Or not being taken in the way you wanted. I don’t know…”
Therese looked up at him in surprise. For the first time since she had met him, Mefist looked unsure of himself. “Of course not. I’ve made up my mind to accept what I have to accept, and nothing that you or the Army can do will touch me. I have a job to do, and that’s the end of it.”
“You’re a tough one. I would like you to know you can count on me to take care of you. Wanda too. She’d like to stay to help you get started, but
she has to be back in Vienna. But we’ll manage. Don’t you think so?”
Therese thought for a while. “Of course, I don’t really know how we’re meant to behave, but I suppose the officers are mostly gentlemen, so it shouldn’t be too hard. I hope they’re gentle with the girls. They’re so young…”
“You can put your mind at rest about that. They’ll be doing what comes naturally. We just have to make sure that the girls live a good life. You know, plenty of exercise, lots of new things to occupy their minds, a comfortable home. You should be able to manage that.”
For a while they enjoyed the view together and thought.
Therese broke the silence. “Mefist, did you ever think of joining the Church?”
“What? Me as a priest?” Mefist chuckled. “No, not for a moment. I could never abide those fat bishops and cardinals. The church is even worse than the Army. At least we manage to thin out our officer corps through manoeuvres or a war every now and then. The colonels and generals of the church stay until they die of overeating. What gave you such an idea?”
“I’m just thinking about what I’m doing. I know it’s got to be done, and I’m quite happy to give up my future if it keeps those village women out of trouble. The girls are fine; they’re just following orders, and no one can blame them. But what about me? How will I know that I’m always doing the right thing? The Bishop won’t even talk to me by telephone.”
“Mmh. I don’t know if I can offer any advice about that. What about your priest?”
Therese snorted. “Father Mendel? God forgive me, but I can’t take that man seriously. I’m sure this whole thing would be far beyond him.”
“I think I understand,” said Mefist with a grin. “I can’t imagine him wrestling with theological abstractions either, but what’s your difficulty exactly? You really didn’t have a choice, and you’re not harming anyone.”
“No, it’s not that. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to. Even if the Bishop finally throws me out, at least I’ll go knowing I did the right thing for the village. As long as you look at it like that, I’m safe. It’s a terrible job, but it has to be done. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you and the Army. The question is, will it change the girls and me? Will we become the thing we despise?”
“Despise? No, you’re wrong there, Therese. You don’t have the right to despise anyone or any profession. Prostitutes are people like everyone else and you are obliged to love them, but I’m not even sure you’ll be prostitutes. After all, they do it for money, and you’re doing it for something much more important.”
Therese thought for a moment; she still could not rid herself of a hatred for the women they might become. “I know I shouldn’t despise them, but everyone else does. Maybe I’ll be more sympathetic in a week or two, but that’s not it. What I want to know is, will it change me? Will I start out doing something horrible because I have to, and end up liking it? How will I know whether I’m managing the club because I have to, or because I’m enjoying it?” Therese pleaded for an answer.
“You’re serious about this, aren’t you? Don’t worry about it. You have to do a good job, so switch your mind off and don’t think about whether you’re enjoying making people happy or enjoying being happy with them. You’re splitting hairs anyway.”
“No I’m not,” Therese stated emphatically. “I will have to have sex with people I don’t know, and I hate it! But what happens to me if I stop hating it?”
“Ah-ha! Now I understand what’s troubling you. That’s easy; just remember you’re a nun and don’t enjoy it.”
“But…” Therese rested her chin on her hands and tried to order her thoughts. “But I think I liked it. I think you made me like it. You made me–do it.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “God forgive me, I wanted you to do it. I wanted your thing in me. Oh God!” and she started to cry.
Mefist put his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t cry, silly! Of course you liked it. That’s the way people are made. Everyone likes it when it’s done properly.” He reached around her and pulled her to rest against his side as he stood there. “It’s natural. If you weren’t meant to like it, I’m sure God would have made you some other way.”
“But the Church…”
“Don’t! If there’s one thing that makes me see red, it’s those sex-obsessed old men at the top of the Church. The things they make women believe are completely evil. Who can think of any doctrine more poisonous than original sin? Just ignore what they say about sex. Treat it like their opinions of Chinese or Mongolian; they don’t have any experience of them, so they can’t hold a useful opinion.
“Look at it this way; you’re walking down the corridor and someone is sweeping up. The dust makes you sneeze. Is that a moral statement? Of course not. It’s something your body does on its own, and it even feels nice. Sex is the same. Someone does something to your body, and you come. Infrequently and with difficulty if you’re talking about most women, or like a volcano if you’re talking about Therese. Either way, there’s nothing more to be said about it. It’s as natural as a sneeze.”
“Nuns aren’t meant to enjoy things like that,” she sobbed.
“Nuns do what they have to do. Their souls belong to God and their bodies could be doing anything. Teaching, nursing, gardening, anything. Even managing a bordello. Just lie back and think higher thoughts.” He passed her a handkerchief. “Here, wipe your eyes. Honestly, I’ve heard girls cry because they can’t have orgasms no matter how hard they try, but I’ve never heard of a girl crying because she comes too easily. The world must be crazy.”
“It’s not like that,” she sniffled into the handkerchief. “It’s just that when it happens I go crazy. I lose all my self-control.”
He patted her shoulder. “Good, good. That’s how it should be. I’d hate to think you’re made of wood. I’ll let you into a little secret; the more you do it, the better it gets! Can you imagine how fantastic it’ll be in a month or two?
“Now, the party this evening. It’s very important that we give the girls confidence, so I don’t want any long faces or tears. I want you to shine like a star. We’ll start at six o’clock sharp, so Wanda wants you in your room at least an hour before hand. She’s got some surprises for you. Just now she’s giving the girls their clothes, and it’s as noisy as a monkey house down there. You’ll be impressed. I had to leave before I disgraced myself.”
“I can’t imagine you disgracing yourself, Mefist.”
“Ah-ha! You had your face buried in the bed this afternoon, or you might have guessed how close you came to starting your career early. You were enough to make a blind man disgrace himself.”
“Well, at least now I know how to get your attention.”
“You certainly did that, and I can’t promise to walk away another time. In fact, I can promise that if you ever do that to me again, I’ll take what’s offered no matter who’s watching. So be careful!”
Chapter 13
Wanda had brought her an evening dress that belonged in Hollywood, made by her own couturier. It was black and shiny and cascaded from Wanda’s arms in heavy, slinky folds. She twinkled a smile at Therese and ordered her out of her dress.
Therese dropped her grey workaday clothes onto the bed and reached for the dress. Wanda held onto it and looked pointedly at Therese as she stood there in a shift, brassiere and long socks. “Off!” she said. Therese pulled her shift over her head and sat down to slide off her socks.
“Off!” said Wanda again.
“But—”
“Off!” Therese sighed inwardly, removed her brassiere, and reached again for the dress. Being naked in front of Wanda was beginning to feel natural.
“No. Stockings first. Start with this.” She produced a suspender belt, black lace and elastic straps. “The hooks go at the back.”
Therese fumbled behind her back to hook up the belt.
“Now the stockings. These are American, so be careful with them. You won’t be able to replace them in the village.”
The stockings were not silk but sheer nylon. Therese had never touched anything like them before and carefully opened them, ready to roll up her legs. She had worn silk stockings, but they felt nothing like these wonderfully light and stretchy creations. Her fingers slowly remembered the actions of hooking the stockings to the straps, and she stood to straighten her seams in the mirror.
“You should go dressed just like that. You’ll make all the girls jealous.”
Therese looked again in the mirror. The stockings made her legs seem very long. The black of the stockings and lace stood out against the white of her skin, and the neat patch of dark hair that Wanda had left was framed by the straps of the suspender belt. Her hair did nothing to hide the furrow below and the pink frills peeping from it. She found the picture interesting. Did all ladies look like this under their dresses? Nuns certainly did not look like this under their habits.
“Stop admiring yourself and put this on.”
Therese reddened and reached for the dress. As she pulled it over her head, it seemed no more than un-sewn scraps of silky material. She pulled the straps up onto her shoulders, and the dress hung loosely from her.
“Wait a minute.” Wanda was behind her and fumbling low on her hips. She found the zip and started to pull it up. The dress tightened; first around her hips, and then upwards. It squeezed her and tightened about her chest as Wanda clicked the zip home. The bodice of the dress trapped her breasts uncomfortably, and she reached into the décolletage to pull them into place. The effect shocked her. The dress was cut so low that her breasts were almost completely exposed. Worse still, they were lifted up and offered like two ripe fruits on a tray. She stared in horror at the mirror.
Wanda stood back and looked at her critically. “That’s a very good fit. Especially at the front. Turn around!”
As she moved, she found her legs restricted by the tightness of the dress around her thighs. In the mirror she could see the shiny blackness moulding her hips and thighs. A lacy flare reached down from her knees to her ankles. Her bottom looked big and obvious.
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