Community Service Ch. 13

"You really let Lightwood have it, didn't you Bel? For saying 'No' to you. As a member of the Caning Party detail, I remember it well."

"After reading my souped-up report citing the measure of Lightwood's wilful intransigence, gross disrespect, and refusal to acknowledge the unquestioned authority of a prison officer, the Governor prescribed a course of the ultimate treatment at maximum dosage - five turns of the Wheel. I wanted Lightwood to think twice in future about crossing my line. Before each of my five kicks, I whispered a little something in his ear, just to think on about that. But really, just one turn would have been enough for him to see his mistake and come to understand the errors of his ways. He was begging the Governor to call a halt to proceedings, assuring her of his complete submission and vowing his future obedience and compliance to the orders and instructions of prison officers, after I'd kicked him in the balls just twice. Do you remember how pathetically he grovelled at my feet afterwards, BJ? Swearing to obey me? To always give of his very best in serving me? Promising in future to assume the position for Foot Service, immediately and respectfully, upon his being required to do so by myself or by any other prison officer whether by day or by night? Oh, I made him change his tune, didn't I? He's certainly not a One-in-a-hundred!"

"You certainly kicked all of his ladies' man cockiness and confidence out of him, Bel. No wonder you had him so reverently on his knees before you. Crying his eyes out in front of the Governor and all the rest of us in the Caning Party detail and the officers who'd been given leave to come down to the gymnasium to spectate and cheer us on. Your performance was sublime. Your poise, exquisite. Anyone who doesn't know you as well as I do wouldn't have seen that you were exerting your powers of self-control to their limits. Although Lightwood had enraged you, your coolness under pressure was outstanding. Your delivery technique in administering the ultimate chastisement was as clinical and as masterful as ever. I remember you greatly impressed Governor Monroe with your demonstration of consummate professionalism - and you certainly delighted and evoked the admiration of the rest of us. Lightwood was truly devasted. Five sweet, glorious, precisely timed, beautifully administered kicks to his balls as you could ever wish to see - a lesser skilled officer might have ruined him."

"I'm always careful, BJ. Mindful of our prisoners' between-the-legs' wellbeing."

"Heh heh heh ... Me, too. And neither Lightwood or Chapman have said 'No' to us since, have they? No longer do they venture to cross our lines. We don't even have to raise our voice to them anymore. We have broken their wills. Crushed their spirit. Dimmed the light in their eyes - as you say, Bel: brought them to heel."

"That's right, BJ. Our planned objective has reached a most satisfactory state of fruition. Our carefully calculated, drip, drip, drip instigation of Lightwood and Chapman's unthinking obeisant submissiveness to us - of their ingrained, fearful obsequiousness - has worked. Their future respect - their conditioned reverential obedience - is guaranteed."

"Yes, Bel. Their unquestioning, unhesitating compliance with our every order and instruction, is a given. So it'd be a shame, now, to let go to waste all of the bespoke training and personalised Foot Service guidance we've gone to all the time and trouble to invest and instil into them. A shame, not to maximise our power over them and take full advantage of their conditioning - both now, and in the future."

"Exactly, BJ. We've done all of the hard work. Now we just need to keep our foot on their necks."

"Lightwood is yours, Bel, and Chapman is mine. They'll leave Greystone Prison when we do - and then they'll come with us. Those two are ours, Bel. Not just now - but for keeps."

The lift now arrived at Level 5, and the doors opened - but prison officer Bella Donna pressed a button to close the doors again.

"Bel ...?" said prison officer Billie Jo.

Prison officer Bella Donna now slipped her left foot from its foam-rubber soled flip flop. And, as again she wiggled and splayed her French pedicured toes to air them, she told her colleague what was playing on her mind.

"Have you noticed, BJ, that Siobhan seems to have a bit of a ... well, a crush, for Lightwood? I know Siobhan is developing something of a soft spot for him. She is displaying abnormal, unhealthy - and, more importantly, unprofessional - feelings for him. I have never yet seen her slap his face, or cane him - let alone kick him in the balls. And I'm convinced that it's only for form's sake, that sometimes she raises her voice to him ... It's obvious she wants him for herself. Which, is a pity. Because unluckily for Siobhan, there is something about Leonard Lightwood that makes me want to keep him, for myself. Siobhan has to understand and remember that he's mine. If I took it into my mind to discard Lightwood, Siobhan could then have him, and welcome. But I have no such intentions."

"Yes, Bel. I've seen the way Siobhan looks at Lightwood. The way she is, with him. I know that when she's on Night Duty patrol, she spends a lot of time outside his cell - not that I blame her. Lightwood's a very good-looking young man, after all - and he's certainly Level 5's best and most popular provider of Foot Service. But I don't think you've got anything to worry about, Bel. Siobhan knows the score. She knows what the limits are: what she can, and can't do, to another officer's bitch."

"I'm sure you are right, BJ. Still ... I suppose the occasional reminder to Siobhan wouldn't go amiss."

Prison officer Bella Donna then unclipped her Walkie Talkie from the breast pocket of her pale blue blouse. "Control ... Control, this is Officer Bella Donna. Over."

"Control receiving ... this is Officer Natalie. Go ahead, Officer Bella Donna. Over."

"Nat, could you do me a favour? Could you find out which table prisoners Lightwood and Chapman are providing lunchtime Table Service today? And then ask Siobhan, who I've just seen on Staff Canteen Door Duty, to book it for BJ and me for the last lunch sitting at two o'clock? Over."

"Hey - no problem! I'll radio Siobhan now. Consider it done, Bel. And hey ... enjoy your lunch! Over and out."

What was all of that about 'Table Service'? I wondered.

I was sure about one thing: Listening to something underlying the tones of both prison officer Bella Donna and Receiving Officer Natalie in Control, they were certainly not referring to table service in the conventional sense of the term.

But now, when at last prison officer Bella Donna pushed the Open button, all such sympathetic thoughts and empathetic commiseration as to the unsavoury lunchtime duties and unthinkable permanent attachments of cellmates Len Lightwood and Ross Chapman were promptly expunged from my mind, as the lift's doors finally opened on Level 5.

Where, as well as those two tragic unfortunates, Tina and Janice's cell, was situated.

"Come on, Community servant David," said prison officer Billie Jo. "You've got some talking to do."

"Out!" snapped prison officer Bella Donna, just in case I hadn't got the message.

And for once, I was only too glad to obey an order issued to me by the Ice Princess.

*

Community Service continues in Ch. 14.