Aunt Phoebe's Masturbatorium Ch. 03

Despite my cousin's divulging Lenore's proposal, I nonetheless felt a tinge of pride at being singled out for such an honor by a woman as powerful as Lenore. Yet I could not help but believe that this "humanitarian" society—regardless of the claims made for it by its leader—was something more than it appeared to be on the surface. Knowing the secretive nature of the Sisterhood, I had to consider that the Society was nothing more than a phantom organization designed purposely to shelter a more proactive Society within.

"It sounds very interesting," I replied. "But it also sounds like it would require a lot of my time. I'm still in college, you know."

"I realize that. All we would ask of you in the beginning is to devote a portion of your summer vacation to learn and participate in our programs. I can assure you that it will be a very rewarding experience for you."

"And you will act as my mentor?"

"Yes."

I found myself staring at her longer than what might be considered appropriate, and she responded by lowering her gaze. I didn't mean to be disrespectful, but I think I was trying to search her face for some clue to possible motives that lay hidden behind her placid expression. From what Angelique had intimated, I knew that there had to be a reason as to why she wanted me to be a part of this organization that went far beyond the explanation she had offered.

"I'll have to think about it," I said, staring the older woman in the face.

Lenore's expression registered at first surprise and then dismay as she sought the eyes of my aunt and her two associates—all of whom seemed equally puzzled at my reluctance to jump at her offer. I don't think she had expected the response she received, but she forced a smile nonetheless

"Take all the time you need," she said politely. "There's no rush."

Behind her words was a tinge of disappointment. That I did not readily accept her invitation did not sit well with either Justine or Estelle.

"Holly, I don't think you understand what Lenore is trying to do," Justine began. "This is an opportunity..."

"Justine, let it go," Lenore said softly.

"But she doesn't..."

"This is not your decision to make," Lenore said, slightly raising her voice. "Holly is being prudent and we will say no more about it."

Justine desisted in arguing further, but I could tell that she was greatly displeased at being preempted by her superior.

"May I say something?" Estelle said, raising her hand.

"What is it?" Lenore replied hastily.

"Why don't you just tell Holly the truth? After all, we've seen the video. We know what her character is like, and she is Phoebe's niece. I think she can handle it."

"I agree," Justine quickly jumped in.

"Me too," Angelique added. "I think you should tell her."

Lenore gave my cousin a bemused look, but turned to my aunt.

"You're the one who wanted to play this close to the vest, Phoebe," she said. "I leave it in your hands."

My aunt sat there studying me, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. She was a brilliant tactician, my aunt Phoebe, letting Lenore conduct my interview while quietly evaluating my responses. She must have liked what she heard because she smiled at me and poured herself another glass of wine.

"Everything Lenore has told you is the truth," she said to me. "But there is another, shall we say, 'aspect' to our Society that only a very privileged few know about. After seeing the video and after the way you conducted yourself here tonight, I think we can trust you to keep our secret."

"Are you sure, Phoebe?" Lenore asked. "It is still kind of early."

"I think she's ready, Lenore," my aunt replied without taking her eyes off me.

"Go ahead, mom. Tell her the whole thing," Angelique said with some impatience.

"I intend to," my aunt replied.

Justine and Estelle seemed greatly pleased by my aunt's decision, but Lenore looked a bit concerned. I think she felt that my indoctrination was proceeding a bit too fast for her liking, but her deference toward my aunt made it obvious that she was not the one to make the final decision. Angelique had no reservations about the truth being revealed to me. She simply sat there with a big grin on her face, growing more fidgety with each passing moment, even ticking me under my arm to emphasize her growing excitability.

"Holly," my aunt began, "I discovered your little contribution to the pornographic industry a few weeks after you left San Diego. I caught Angelique and her friends watching it one evening when she thought I was out. At first I was shocked. But then my shock turned to amusement, and gradually I realized that you girls really enjoyed controlling Delvin the way you did. And controlling men for our pleasure and amusement is that 'aspect' of our Society I was telling you about. In Angelique's case, we found that we had more in common than we knew. It was a revelation for both of us, and she now serves in the Society—actually 'Sisterhood' is the proper name for it—as my second in command."

Upon hearing the name "Sisterhood" spoken aloud after such a long time made me feel decidedly uncomfortable. I tried my best not to show my feelings because I didn't want to give them any inclination that I possessed any knowledge of their secret organization. But my old fears nonetheless returned, despite the smiling faces surrounding me.

"In your case, however," she continued, "I had to be more circumspect because of your nosy mother. That's why I had to get you away from her: to find out if you had what it takes to be a member of our group. I see now that you do."

"That video was made while we were all under the influence of marijuana," I said. "We all got carried away."

"It doesn't matter. By itself that drug couldn't have induced you to act the way you did. Some part of you truly enjoys being in control. You and Angelique have that in common."

She paused at this point to look at her daughter and then at me.

"I was disappointed when Lenore chose you to be her protégé instead of my daughter. The funny thing was, Angelique wasn't bothered by it at all. Do you find that surprising?"

"Yes," I replied, turning to my cousin.

Angelique frowned. "I'm like John the Baptist to your Christ," she said to me. You're the Chosen One."

"And all of you know why I chose Holly," Lenore interjected. "We needn't go over that again."

"No need at all," my aunt agreed.

"Wait a minute," I said. "What do you mean, 'Chosen One'?"

Lenore looked at me hard.

"If you choose to join us you will be trained under my tutelage to one day take my place as head of the Sisterhood."

Several moments passed in awkward silence as I tried unsuccessfully to absorb this new information. It was only when I began to feel Angelique's fingers digging into my ribs that I realized that my mouth had been wide open for too long a time and that the women were beginning to look at me as if I had suddenly gone mute.

"What... what did you say?" I finally managed to blurt out, unable to conceal my dumbfounded expression.

Lenore turned to my aunt with a look that made me think she was now regretting ever having made the statement. It was so quiet at that moment that all I could hear was the sound of the grandfather clocking ticking in the corner of the room.

"Holly," my aunt said in an almost patronizing tone, "Lenore has chosen you to succeed her and you should regard this as a great honor. However, we can't force you to join us. You must come to that decision on your own."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Never in my life did I ever expect to become involved with the Sisterhood, let alone be chosen to one day become its supreme leader. I had spent the better part of a year trying to forget about the mysterious society of women for fear of being found out, and here I was being solicited for membership. It was all quite surreal to me.

"I can't imagine why you would choose someone like me," I said to Lenore, "when you must have other, more qualified, candidates."

"A lot of people will be disappointed if you become my protégé," she said. "But after much thought I came to realize that we need new blood in this organization— someone who can lead us in a new direction, with new ideas, new leadership. I believe that person is you."

She said this with perfect sincerity. And as I looked around the table I noticed that everyone else had that same expectant look on their faces, as if by their entreating expressions I could be induced to acquiesce and accept my place within the Sisterhood.

"I don't know about this," I said feeling overwhelmed. "I will need to learn more about this...Sisterhood before making a decision."

"It's not an easy decision to make," my aunt said. "But there is something we can show you that may help you to decide."

"Do you think that is wise?" Lenore asked my aunt.

"We all agreed to tell Holly the truth. We may as well show her everything."

"Yes, mom," Angelique said, rising abruptly from her chair. "Let's show her the Masturbatorium!"

Everyone happily agreed with this suggestion except for Lenore, who although smiling, seemed a bit unsure if I was prepared to undertake the voyage into the Sisterhood's most sacrosanct world.

"Follow me," my aunt said.

As we walked down the hallway toward her study I began to feel a sense of anxiety sweep over me, curious to see what this 'Masturbatorium' actually was, yet fearing that I might never get out of it alive. For some strange reason, I couldn't get the thought out of my head that this entire thing was merely a setup, and that I was soon going to be punished for spying on them.

Upon entering the study, my aunt directed our attention toward a wall full of books that stretched from one end of the room to the other.

"No, we didn't take a wrong turn," she said to me, noticing my puzzled expression.

"But I thought we were going to the..."

"We are. Watch."

As she said this, she pressed a button on a small, black, metal box she had been carrying in her purse, and moments later the bookcase moved slowly inwards, revealing a lit corridor behind it.

"This entrance is used only by me and the other chapter leaders," my aunt said to me. "Everyone else uses the entrance on the north side of the gate."

I looked at her with surprise.

"Are you saying that the Masturbatorium is...here?"

"The dungeon was completely refurbished over the past six months. You're in for a treat."

"But I always thought..."

Realizing that I was almost on the verge of admitting prior knowledge of the mysterious place, I quickly shut my mouth. However, it was not enough to prevent Lenore from inquiring further.

"You always thought...what?" she asked me in a decidedly suspicious tone.

I almost felt as if a gun was being put to my head, and I was forced to think quickly. If I fumbled for an answer I knew she would push me until she discovered the truth, and that would most likely spell my doom.

"I, ah, assumed that from what you told me that the Masturbatorium would be a...you know...enormous place. I had no idea it would be in someone's home."

Lenore seemed content with my quick response, but she continued to stare me down for several moments, looking for any perceived weakness in my defense of myself. She had seemed so friendly to me that it was disconcerting to find her so ready to go on the defensive at the mere implication of a possible betrayal. But then I had to remind myself that this was a woman who, although kindly enough to those whom she counted her friends, could be ruthlessly ambitious in her determination to weed out those whom she considered a possible threat.

"The Masturbatorium had been located in Paris for many years," my aunt said, as she wedged her body between the narrow passage way. "But we've outgrown it. Everything that was there has now been moved here."

"Now you know why mom and I have been so busy," Angelique added, following immediately behind her mother.

We walked down a long corridor at the end of which was an elevator. The sound of our high heels striking the concrete floor below reverberated in the expansive hallway, but no one said anything until we were all inside the elevator. Angelique pressed a button and I felt the elevator begin to slowly descend. I noticed that there were several sublevels and wondered how this was possible.

"The infrastructure was here of course," my aunt informed me. "The old dungeon had three levels. All I did was modernize everything."

"But why?" I asked. "Why go to all this trouble?"

"The secret to a more civilized world is via the control of men by women," my aunt Phoebe said to me. "That is the purpose of the Masturbatorium. You will see many things here tonight, Holly. All I ask is that you keep an open mind."

Within seconds the elevator ceased its motion and the doors opened to reveal a small antechamber and a single small door through which, I presumed, we were to pass through. Without another word, my aunt placed a key into the door lock and opened it, inviting us all to go through.

"Prepare yourself to enter a strange, new world, Holly," my aunt said as I watched first Lenore and then Estelle and Justine pass through the door. "Angelique and I will be your guides on your journey. Stay close to us and don't wander about on your own."

"I'll keep an eye on her mom," Angelique said, grabbing my hand.

My cousin pulled me gently through the door with my aunt close behind. The two of them laughed when they saw my eyes open wide with astonishment. I felt like Alice who had just discovered another world on the opposite side of the looking glass.

"Oh, my God!" I exclaimed, as I allowed my eyes to scan the area from left to right. "It's so...so big!"

"The room size is equal to the square area of the castle itself," my aunt said proudly.

"But all these people!" I exclaimed. "How did they get here?"

"A shuttle bus takes them from the winery through an underground tunnel that passes under the north gate."

"That's amazing. I would have never guessed. It's like a world of its own. And you say there are several more levels below?"

"Yeah," Angelique said with a sinister laugh. "For the more intense sessions."

I was going to ask her what she meant but I was too astounded by what I was seeing to question her. The only thing I could compare it to would be an airport concourse, replete with tables, chairs, period furniture, and accoutrements of all kinds contained within a vast array of splendid set pieces, kiosks, and alcoves that ran along the periphery of the room. The entire middle area was left vacant of any furnishings except for a large circular bar and buffet table from which drinks and food were being served. I noticed immediately that all the women were dressed as we were, and that the bartenders and the serving staff were all male; all of them scantily clad in only a pair of thongs and a bow tie. At first no one seemed to notice our presence, but one of the women in the crowd came running over to us as soon as she saw my aunt and called her friends over in a hasty display of gushing affection.

"There you are Phoebe!" the woman said extending her arms out toward my aunt. "You look wonderful!"

She was tall, beautiful, and spoke in an Italian accent.

"Thank you, my dear," my aunt replied, as she allowed herself to be hugged. "You look lovely as ever."

As soon as my aunt said the woman's name, I remembered who she was. Her name was Felicia Antonetti, and she had been one of the women in attendance at the Sisterhood meeting I had unwittingly spied upon a year ago in my aunt's study. Seeing her up close made me appreciate her beauty even more.

"But where is Lenore?" Felicia asked, smiling. "I thought I saw her come through the door with your two associates."

"They were here a minute ago," my aunt replied. "I would like you to meet my niece. This is Holly McKenzie. She's my sister's kid who is visiting with us from Los Angeles."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Holly," Felicia said, as she took my hand in hers. "You are very beautiful."

"Thank you," I said, finding her affable nature most appealing.

Felicia then hugged and kissed Angelique as the other women in her entourage began to flock around us.

It didn't take long for my aunt to be besieged by these well-meaning but pushy women who all but dominated her attentions until she was forced to raise her voice for silence. I recognized several of them from the previous year's meeting, and one of them, Janet Walsh, whose incredibly lovely legs had been christened with a half-gallon of Andre Wilkins's sperm, seemed the most annoying.

"One of your waiters says that you ran out of whipped cream," Janet complained to my aunt. "How am I going to have my ice cream without it? You know how much I love whipped cream, Phoebe. He should be punished."

Suddenly Lenore peeped her head out from behind the crowd.

"Oh, shut up about your whipped cream," she said to Janet. "Phoebe's got her niece with her tonight and no one wants to hear about your problems."

"Oh, really?" Janet replied, as she looked me over. "Are you the niece?"

"This is Holly, everybody," my aunt said. "And I don't want to hear any mention of business tonight. Angelique and I are going to take her on the grand tour."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" said a woman I recognized as Gertrude. "There is much to see."

"That's correct," my aunt said. "So the sooner we get going, the better. Ladies, I'll see you all a little later."

Lenore made sure that our progress was not further impeded by the lively bunch of females, and she had both Justine and Estelle run interference for us as my aunt, my cousin, and I made our way toward a set of stairs on the far side of the room. On our way I noticed many familiar faces—celebrities, musicians, politicians, and others who were engaged in conversations of their own. As we passed some of them, they would acknowledge my aunt with a nod of the head or a quick hello. As I mentioned earlier, there was not one man among them with the exception of the wait staff.

"Are you thirsty Holly?" Angelique asked.

"I could go for a club soda," I replied.

With merely a nod of her head, the nearest waiter immediately drew up beside Angelique and took her order. He returned only moments later with my soda and bottled water for herself and her mother.

"That was quick," I said, impressed by the man's haste in satisfying our order.

"He'd better be," Angelique remarked as she took a drink from the bottle.

My aunt stopped at the top of the landing and waited before descending. She seemed excited but a bit nervous all at once.

"As you know, Holly, there are more levels below this one," she began. "This top floor is a meeting and reception area only. The floors beneath us contain what we call our "training rooms".

"Training rooms?" I asked.

"Yes. But we are only going to visit the floor beneath us. I can't allow you to see the other floors. Not yet. Are you ready?"

"I guess so," I said, pondering what hidden wonders or terrors lurked below us and why I was forbidden to see them.

"Don't feel embarrassed. Some of what you will see undoubtedly surprise you, even shock you, but it's all done in a spirit of good will, and for the good of the Sisterhood."

With that, she turned her back on us and beckoned her daughter and I to follow her down the long flight of stairs.

As soon as we arrived on the floor below, we followed my aunt through a large, steel door in order to pass into the main room. Upon entering, I noticed that the lighting was a bit more subdued than on the floor above. The physical layout was similar but there was less furniture and more open space in which small groups of women had gathered. And in the midst of them, one or more men, all of them naked, were engaged in various stages of subservient behavior.