Scarlet

Once, twice, three times Chasandra stroked Violet's body while Karen inhaled and exhaled at the same time Violet did. Languidly Chasandra drew her fingers up Violet's body before roughly grabbing her throat again.

"Up Sub!" Chasandra suddenly commanded while rising at the same time. "Up! On your feet!"

Chasandra lifted Violet while maintaining her grasp in Violet's hair. Controlling her by the grip on her throat, Violet had no choice but to follow and stand up.

Chasandra roughly shook Violet while continuing to lift upward. Forcing Violet to stand on the toes of her shoes, lifting the spikes of the high heels completely off the floor. Violet's arms waved at her sides as she attempted to keep her balance. Forcefully moving her backward, Chasandra pushed Violet toward the chair where she once again shook her by her captive neck and shoved her down.

"Sit!" Chasandra commanded.

Once Violet was seated, Chasandra released her throat hold, tipping Violets head back once again. Without warning, Chasandra slapped Violet. Hard. The slap leaving white finger marks across Violet's cheek which quickly flamed red.

"Bad Girl!" Chasandra growled the words at Violet with another shake of Violet's head.

At the slap Karen jumped, making an involuntary sound. "Oh!"

When Karen jumped, Chasandra slid her eyes slowly toward her. Giving Karen the impression of a hunting cat. A very big cat. Chasandra gave Violet's head another shake before turning it so Violet could look toward Karen.

Her attention on Violet, Chasandra pressed her cheek against Violet's. She muttered in a low voice. "Remember, Sub."

Chasandra gave Violet a light kiss on the lips, smoothly releasing her hold in Violet's hair. Another gentle, intimate caress along Violet's unmarked cheek followed as Chasandra stepped back.

After Chasandra let go, Violet's head lolled loosely. Her eyes fell halfway closed to become sleepy looking. Chasandra bent, picked up the blanket and tucked it around Violet again. When she turned toward Karen, her dark eyes were still slightly feral. They bored into Karen's eyes seemingly all the way to the secret depths of Karen's soul. Karen involuntarily shied away from the intensity of that look.

"She should be fine now. In a few minutes, once she comes back to herself, we can start to clean her up." Chasandra blinked and the wildness in her eyes began to fade.

Karen wasn't sure what she thought she'd seen in those dark eyes but she was positive it was something primal. Something possessive. Something very, very strong. She shivered at the thought of Chasandra's eyes. The smoky darkness looking at her in the same way Chasandra had looked at Violet. Controlled Violet. Karen shivered again.

Five

To distract herself from Chasandra's eyes, Karen turned toward the cart to inventory its contents. Her mind was whirling with the myriad impressions of the violent seeming event which had just occurred. What the hell was that all about?

Karen glanced up feeling Chasandra still looking at her. Those eyes.

"What did you tell her?" Karen asked the question into the silence between them without looking up again. "When you were whispering in her ear?"

"I told her, unless she got up, I was going to make you watch as I punished her for disobedience. Until she started begging for more. I told her you'd enjoy watching. She believed me, because she knows I would do it. To protect you from seeing her enjoy pain, she got up when I told her to. That's all. She protects you."

"I wouldn't enjoy it. I don't like pain. Even someone else's pain."

"You would. You did." Chasandra's quiet statement unsettled Karen.

No. I can't. I won't. Keeping her eyes down she looked at the items on the cart. She reached out to touch the carafes. One was hot the other cold. Good. There were plenty of clean white fluffy towels too. Amazingly, a tea pot, cream, cups and spoons had been hidden behind the stack of towels until now.

Focusing on the rest of the items on the cart, Karen concentrated on calming herself after what had just happened. Chasandra's dark hand and arm move into view toward Karen's hands on the towels. Smoothly Karen slid her hands out of the way, lifting a towel as if to remove it from the pile. The dark hand grasped the edge of the towel stopping Karen from pulling away. Karen gave a light tug, but the dark gripping hand resisted. Lifting her eyes to Chasandra's face Karen let go of the towel as their eyes met once again.

Chasandra also released the towel, looking at Karen for a moment while examining her. Slowly, as if she was trying to avoid startling a deer, Chasandra took one step to the side to begin stroking a leaf from one of the nearby plants. Running the leaf through her fingers again and again as she continued to look at Karen reflectively.

"What?" Karen lifted her chin again.

"It is quiet here," Chasandra said. Turning slightly she shifted her focus from Karen to the planter. Continuing to lightly caress the leaf between her fingers she spoke softly, almost musingly.

"It is a good place. I say it is a place where no one listens. A safe place. You need not fear in this place."

"I am not afraid." Karen's quick denial came as she slid her hand into her pocket again.

"You are afraid. Of yourself. Of power over you. I see this." Chasandra once again focused on Karen and stopped stroking the plant.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Karen stepped back positioning the cart between them.

"You do. Inside you fear. So you hide." Chasandra dropped the leaf completely. "You hide yourself in ugly clothes. You scurry from place to place hoping no one notices you."

"I do not. I happen to like these clothes. They're comfortable."

"You hide from yourself, as much as from others who would see you."

"I do not hide from anything. What I just did for Violet proves it." Karen denied her inner truth. She was afraid. Of Them.

"Yes, for others you are fast to defend or aid. For yourself, you keep yourself hidden."

Chasandra paused as she looked at Karen in deep contemplation before continuing her thoughts.

"An assault. There is a look you do not have, so not a rape. An assault." Chasandra said quite calmly and remotely as she continued to study Karen's reactions. "Not quite rape, but almost. When you were young. By many?"

A pause as she gauged Karen's reactions before going on. "Yes, by many. Who forced themselves upon you. You were rescued before it went too far. They did not suffer punishment for their acts. It made you afraid. Your fear makes you hide yourself. Keep yourself apart. To ensure no one hurts you again. Takes from you again."

Karen was aghast. How the HELL could she know about that?

"There has been no closure for you. No healing. It is still raw and very much in your mind. Always."

"What are you? Some kind of witch doctor who can read minds?"

A tiny bubbly giggle interrupted the question. "Not a witch doctor. Shrink doctor."

"What?" Karen swivelled toward the blanket shrouded lump. "You're awake!"

Sleepy hazel green eyes looked up at her from Violet's face. "Hi Amazon," Violet drawled out.

"Hi there yourself Tiny Dancer." Karen automatically responded with the nickname from their childhood together. Violet loved that song. She felt it was written just for her.

"You feeling better? I was worried about you."

"M'ok. Just tired."

Chasandra slid into view. Violet shifted her gaze to look her fully in the face. "Thank you Chasandra."

"My pleasure Little Sub. I too, was worried about you."

"It was bad, my animal got loose. I'll be fine now." Violet's voice was stronger. Another playful giggle sounded.

"Your witch doctor-y-ness saved me. I am so going to spread that around. You are going to be oh so embarrassed."

Chasandra chuffed soft and low. "You do that. It will be good for me."

A genuine smile full of teeth and a twinkle in her eyes followed Chasandra's reply. Violet forced her eyes big and round.

"Oh yeah. An Amazon, a Witch Doctor and a Dancer all met in a bar . . . "

Karen couldn't help it, she burst out with a snort from the release of tension. There was another giggle from Violet before she continued;

"Your scary reputation is so toast."

"Perhaps that will make your friend not be so afraid."

"I told you, I am not afraid of you." Karen snapped out, immediately on the defensive again.

"You are. Your body betrays you. How you move. How you stand. Where you stand. How you speak. What you do, or don't, say. Clothes, colors, personal appearance, physical presence. It all speaks to one who knows how to see what is before them." Chasandra spoke clinically as she recited the litany while gathering a towel and the hot water carafe from the trolley. "All of these are within you."

"You know all this because . . .?"

"Shrink doctor," came Violet's murmur. "Our witch doctor is a head shrinker." Another giggle followed her pronouncement. "That's funny."

"Indeed. Perhaps it is the punch line of your bar story."

"Mmmm, I'll think about it." Violet mumbled. "Later."

"Good. Now, let me wash your face. A bare face is always better than tears. Yes? Close your eyes."

Chasandra wet the towel and began to gently scrub Violets cheeks to erase the damage her tears had done. A slight hiss when she ran the towel across Violet's newly sore cheek made Chasandra croon softly and gentle her scrubbing.

With Chasandra's back turned Karen's tension began to abate. Stiffly at first before easing, she watched as Chasandra fussed over Violet who closed her eyes again during the ministrations.

"So, You're a therapist?" Karen searched for something to say. Something neutral.

"I have a PhD in Behavioral Sciences, yes." Chasandra continued to work on Violet. Taking a fresh towel she dampened it to begin giving a quick sponge bath to Violet's arms. Her bracelets clicking in time with her stroking movements.

"You are the staff doctor here?" Karen gestured to the surrounding spaces. "HR? Human Resources?"

"No. I told you, in this place I am Mrs. Black. I am here as Violet is here."

"Doing what?"

"Whatever is needed. I have washed dishes, waited tables, scrubbed floors, emptied trash. Whatever is needed done I have done. As Violet has done. As we all do."

"You scrub floors in that outfit? A dress like that?" Karen gestured to Chasandra's dress.

A quick look was tossed in Karen's direction over Chasandra's shoulder. "Sometimes there is no dress. Sometimes you are glad there is no dress."

Once again Karen felt she was missing half the conversation. Some of the things she was being told were just odd sounding. Maybe it was because she had no frame of reference?

"I am here because I am needed here. Because I belong here." Chasandra continued after seeing Karen's quizzical look. "Do you know what all this, as you say, really is?"

"Umm, no." Karen began.

Violet interrupted with a quick "Chas . . . "

Chasandra pointed a long finger at Violet. "No, Little Sub. That secret is revealed. To withhold the truth harms us all. You, your friend, even myself."

"But . . . "

"No." Chasandra was firm as her accent came to the forefront again. "No one listens now. I have asked for this to be for us only. It is my prerogative." Looking over at Karen she repeated her earlier question. "Do you know what all this really is?"

"It's a club. Shops, golf, dining, dancing . . . "

"Yes, there is that. All of that is nothing for us. Here. This place. It is our place. A place where we can be who we really are. What we really are. All of that out there supports our place. All of what you see pays for our place. So we can have a place. Where we are safe. Safe from people who would use us. Abuse us. Tell us we are sick and try to cure us.

"It not a sickness to be ourselves. We do not need to be cured of ourselves. Though my skin is black and yours is white, both of us are ourselves. Our difference is not a sickness. Neither needs to be cured to become like the other."

"I don't understand. What has that got to do with what happened to Violet. And, who is Scarlet?"

Violet spoke up. "Scarlet is not a who. It's a what. Scarlet is a bondage club. It is hidden inside GreenWood Country Club."

"A WHAT?" Karen shrieked. Looking quickly around embarrassed in case someone overheard her, she repeated her question in a nearly inaudible voice. "What kind of club?"

"A BDSM club." Violet talked normally. "Really, it's more than that. I don't talk about it outside of the club. Not even to you, though sometimes I really wanted to. You're my best friend, but I just couldn't. You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you before I stopped myself. That's why I didn't talk about my job here. No one can know about Scarlet. Our first rule is to protect Scarlet from being revealed. We do not talk about Scarlet outside the Club. Ever."

"We keep ourselves away from the public. To protect them from us."

"Ok, that I really don't understand."

Violet pulled her arm away from Chasandra's sponging. "Leave off Chas. I'll take a bath in a bit."

"You still smell." Chasandra wrinkled her nose. "At least clean yourself some."

"Ok." Violet took the wet towel in one hand. Lifting her dress with the other hand she spread her legs wide. Once again Karen saw the shine of silver before Violet swiped the towel across her pubes and down each thigh.

"Woof, that's cold!" Violet exclaimed pulling the towel forward between her legs. Again, Karen saw the sliver flash. "Penance for my bad behavior I guess."

"When did you get pierced?" Karen was fascinated, yet embarrassed, that her friend would calmly wash her most private self in front of a stranger. "You never told me."

Violet glanced at Karen as she tossed the towel onto a low shelf in the cart. "I'm not pierced. Can I have a dry towel please?"

Karen handed her another towel. Violet dried her legs and sex. Slipping her hand into her crotch she displayed a long silver teardrop on her fingers for Karen to see.

"It's not a piercing. It's my ball."

"Your ball?"

"I have a hard rubber ball inside of me. This is one of the end link pieces. The other one is inside with the ball."

"Why?"

"Do you really want to know? You know I'm pretty open about my sex life. I know you're shy about stuff like this."

Karen steeled herself. "Apparently 'open' is an understatement," she ground out while making rabbit ear quote marks in the air with her fingers. "No more secrets. Tell me please."

"It's a toy. When I wear it, and I don't wear it all the time, the ball keeps me ready for sex."

"How? Why?"

"It's heavy so it moves around inside me when I sit or move." Violet grinned. "It definitely rubs me the right way."

"Violet!" Karen scolded while blushing again. Which brought another grin from Violet.

"The end link you can see hangs and wiggles as I walk. Like I said, the ball is heavy. I have to hold it inside, or it could come out if the end link were to pull on it from being caught between my legs. The pulling and weight also help to move the ball around to keep me excited and wet. The link is curved too. When I sit down it goes forward to touch my clit. Just some pressure, so I don't go numb or anything. It reminds me to sit up straight and keep my legs apart."

"Why apart?"

"Well, first of all, crossing my legs with the ball hurts when the end link jabs me. I learned not to do that pretty fast after I started wearing it."

"No. I mean, why do you need to keep your legs apart."

"Oh. It's because I'm a submissive. I'm required to always be ready for sex. I can't wear anything which would prevent me from being touched, taken, or anything by my Owner. At any time. So I'm not allowed to wear underwear, or pants, or cross my legs."

"Ok, that explains the no underwear thing. But, what's a Submissive?"

"There are four classes, or categories, of members here. Well, five if you count Owners. From the bottom up," Violet said, with a quick grin at Chasandra for the innuendo. She held up a tiny finger to indicate each category of membership. "Submissives. Masters. Maitres, who are the masters of the Masters. The Dominus - Doms and Domnas - who are in charge of, and responsible for, everyone. For everything. And, Owners. I am a Submissive."

"So you're the lowest of the low?"

"No. I'm a Submissive because I want to be. I need to be. I crave being controlled by my Master. I need it to be happy and satisfied. Need, not want. Need."

"Dominick? He's your Master?"

"Dominick is my Owner. I have a different Master here. Dominick is also my Master and Commander always and forever. He's the only person I have sex with even if I am being disciplined or having a scene with my Master here."

At Karen's confused look Violet sat up straighter pointing at the empty chair as Chasandra, returning the towel to the cart, began straightening up the mess. "You might as well sit down. This may take some time to explain."

Karen seated herself on the edge of the chair. Chasandra set the teapot on the table before she began to silently pick up the empty plates from Karen's lunch. Had it really only been a short time since she'd eaten? With all that had happened it seemed a lot of time had passed. Karen readied herself and looked at Violet expectantly.

"It begins in history," Violet started to explain. "Since ancient times there were always some who liked to be obeyed, needed to be obeyed. To complement them, because there is always a balance, there are some who liked to be controlled. They need to be controlled. This was not something they just decided. This was something they needed. Craved. Beyond merely wanting or desiring."

"Ok. Ancient history. I got that."

"Not so ancient as you think. Anyway, long ago some of these needs became ritualized. Given names. Bondage, Domination, Sadism, Masochism. You can find traces of one of them in Japanese, I think it's Japanese, bondage art called Shabari, which can be very complicated and beautiful. It's bondage taken to an art form, but it's still bondage.

"You can see other traces of BDSM domination in various cultures like the Eskimos, the Inuits I mean, and the Far East. Wives were expected to sleep with, have sex with, guests and visitors of their husbands, lords, and masters. These are all aspects of domination, and the required submission to it, even though there are other practical reasons for it genetically. It's the domination aspect, not the genetics, which really controls the behavior."

"So you consider yourself property? I know about your kinky side Violet. I never thought you'd let someone force you to sleep with other men."

"I don't. Whenever I'm having a scene here with a Master who is not Dominick, I do not have sex with them. I am not their property to do whatever they want with. What I do is give them what they want, while getting what I want at the same time. What I don't want is to have sex with them." Violet tried to explain, but Karen still looked confused.

"We are not property. It is not about sex, or force, or coercion. It is about submission." Chasandra joined the discussion.

"Submission and the transfer of power. By giving up some personal independence we allow ourselves to be who we are in ways which cannot be achieved otherwise. It is the sharing of power that speaks to the need inside of us. The transfer of power to another who would use that power to keep us safe and secure while also making us happy by defining our world and limits for us. By letting them do that to us, they achieve satisfaction of their own."

"I know I'm saying this a lot, but I think that's weird."

"Not really." Violet picked up the conversation again. "Marriage is a mild form of power transfer. A very mild form. You give up your independence as an individual to become a part of a family unit. To mate.