The Circle Ch. 32

Chapter 32 – Renee's photo shoot. Help for Ellen

Monday morning, Renee was gone by the time the rest of the house got moving. That night she was home, looking tired and aching from posing all day long, including major costume changes every hour.

At the dinner table, Renee said, "I have been asked whether I know any handsome men who might be interested in being in some of my photographs that will be taken on Thursday and Friday. I need three men, preferably muscular, and they must be willing to pose in crazy ways around me, or with me. Probably they'll oil their bodies too. Any takers?"

Jim raised his hand, "Am I buff enough for what you need?" Of the three original men in The Circle, Jim had stayed in shape the best, doing free weights, and jogging most days.

"Absolutely, you're on. Who else?"

Steve raised his hand, and so did Mike. They'd both been part of the work crew that built the addition to The Circle's home, and they were no strangers to lifting heavy loads or working out. Of all the men, Steve had the most muscular physique.

Rene said, "Let's talk after dinner, and I'll give you some more details."

On Wednesday night, Renee brought Ellen back to the house for dinner. Jim thought it was a command performance. He also wanted to test his hypothesis that Ellen was a submissive.

As people milled around the house preparatory to dinner, Jim engaged with Ellen. "You look very nice, but you are over dressed for dinner. Please remove you vest."

Ellen looked at him, but took off her vest.

Jim took it and said, "Now, I want you to kiss me – quite passionately."

Ellen looked around the room, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to them. Others were getting kisses as they arrived home.

Ellen kissed Jim, and he deepened the kiss with tongue and pressure. Ellen moaned, and then released. She looked at Jim for further instructions.

Jim smiled, "I want you to go to Renee and kiss her just like you did with me."

Ellen quietly started to resist. "But I can't ..."

Jim interrupted, "Now. Do it ... now!"

Ellen walked about ten feet to where Renee sat on a tall bar stool taking to Alex. She tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention and announced in a low voice, "Jim wanted me to kiss you."

On that note she instigated a hot sapphic kiss with tongue. Renee instantly got into the kiss as well.

As they parted, Renee said, "Wow, Ellen, where have you been hiding that? What brought that on?"

"Jim ordered me to kiss you. I liked it," Ellen said flatly, but the corners of her mouth twitched as though she wanted to smile.

Renee knew instantly what had transpired. Jim had talked about 'submissive testing' and this was part of his test. She nodded to Ellen, "Thank you, Ellen; you did well. Go back, kiss Jim, and if he doesn't need you come back." Renee was crisp in her 'orders,' and Ellen obediently went back to Jim and kissed him.

Jim nodded at Renee. He said to her, "Ellen and I are going to talk for a short time, and then I'll give her back."

Renee nodded and gave a smile.

Jim led Ellen to the patio, and they sat in the late-afternoon sun beside the pool. He turned to her, "You're a submissive?"

Ellen nodded and looked downward.

"Talk about it."

Ellen said in low tones, "I have only ever had one ... mistress. She declared that I should be turned free, only I retain my dependency on someone like her."

"I detect it could be a man or a woman. What do you think?"

"I agree. When I started it was a bit of a joke, and it played to some inner needs that I didn't know I had. I was in college and joining a sorority. My 'big sister' became my dom, and we just kept it going for three more years – she had become a grad student, until she left and freed me."

"Do you want Renee to be your dom?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want me, or one of the other men to be your dom?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want all of us in this house to be your dom?"

"Oh, God. I'm not sure. I don't know how you'd you use me ... or abuse me."

Jim said firmly, "We would never abuse you. Were you abused before?"

"Yes. My dom and the other sisters of the sorority picked on me. They could be ... severe in my discipline."

"Are you ashamed of your body?"

"Yes. I was taught to be. The sisters only wanted me for themselves. They told me I was ugly and deformed."

"You were sexual with them?"

"Yes. I had to do things for them ... to them, constantly. I became very good at it as well, I was told."

"For men as well?"

Ellen sighed but still refused eye contact, "Sometimes my dom would tell me she needed to be fucked and that my strap-on dildo wouldn't do. She'd get a man, and make me watch, and then I'd have to clean her up while he fucked me." She paused and looked down; she said, "Sometimes I really liked it, but I never had a boyfriend. I wasn't allowed."

Jim sighed. "Ellen, you have been badly damaged and done a great disservice by your sorority sisters. They have hurt and abused you both physically and mentally. You are a very pretty woman, and very worthy of saving."

"Does that mean you won't be my dom?" Ellen sounded very disappointed.

"Not the way you expect," Jim replied. "Come and let's talk to Renee."

The two had an hour-long talk with Rene about what Ellen had told Jim, learning even more about the mental and physical abuse she'd endured during college. In the spirit of love in the house, Renee and Jim agreed to put Ellen in counseling, as well as to gently abide by her needs for a dom, but without taking advantage of her, abusing her, or putting her in jeopardy.

Jim talked to Steve and Mike about Ellen later that night, enlisting their help.

Two days later the three men joined Renee on the set. The day before Ellen had to collect all their physical measurements for clothing for the various photo sequences.

The men were given construction boots and tight jeans to wear. They were sprayed with a thin veneer of oil to give their bodies a glistening effect under the bright lights, and then an assistant described more about the shoot, the effects desired, the looks he wanted the men to have, and how they would be looking at Renee.

The first shoot site was at a partially destroyed derelict building. Everything was dusty, except for the thousand-dollar dress and equally expensive shoes that Renee wore.

Renee stood and looked at the place they wanted her on the debris pile. "How am I going to get up there?"

Jim reached down and picked up Renee. He said to Steve, "Climb up over that piece of concrete and I'll pass her to you." He turned to Mike, "You get up above him, near those old pipes; Steve can pass her to you; and by then I'll be above you for the last part of the journey."

Renee got passed along between the men, ending in Jim's arms atop a huge pile of debris. The other two men looked up at the couple just as they kissed.

The photographer was racing around taking shot after shot of what had just happened. He kept mumbling, "Fabulous."

The other two men clamored to the top of the pile too. One by one, each of them kissed Renee, and then the main part of the photo shoot continued with pose after pose of this sharply dressed supermodel being adored by three muscular construction men.

Later, the men brought Renee down to ground level the same way they'd gotten her up there. After that they went to a couple of other construction sites, one being on the twenty-first floor of a new high rise: no walls, no windows, and no nothing at the edge of the building floor except space and a long drop to the ground.

Friday, they were back again, and repeated another set of shots, this time with the men dressed in more business clothes, and the settings being in offices, lobbies, elevators, and an upscale restaurant.

On the way home, Ellen rode with Renee and Jim. They stopped and got a snack, and then drove by a professional building pulling into the parking lot.

Ellen asked, "Where are we? Why are we stopping?"

Renee said, "This is where your healing starts. Come with us."

* * * * *

A few minutes later the three of them sat with Dr. Eleanor Slarinsky, noted psychologist and author. What few people knew was that she specialized in cases of sexually abused women.

Jim started, "Doctor, our friend Ellen is here at our behest. Tonight our stop is a surprise for her. She is a submissive, and has been abused in many ways as she can tell you better than we can. We are committed to bringing her back to what you might call 'normal.' I explained some of this to your assistant on the phone, as well as our hopes."

Dr. S, as she told us to call her, turned to Ellen who had avoided eye contact the whole time, "Are you all right with being treated? Do you feel you need help of some kind?"

Ellen gasped out in a shuddery voice, "Yes."

Dr. S turned to Renee and Jim, "And what do you hope to get out of this? Why are you involved?"

Renee answered, "Ellen just came into our lives a week or so ago. She is beautiful and loving, and we love her. We want to restore her to what she wants to be – needs to be. Right now, in talking to her, we know that she is not in a good place. We feel she's a bit like an injured bird, and hope that you can heal her or refer her to someone who can."

Dr. S nodded, and gestured towards the door.

Renee and Jim rose and left the room. "We'll be in the waiting room."

Fifty minutes later, Ellen and Dr. S came out of her office. They shook hands, and talked about a next appointment. Dr. S turned to Jim and asked, "Would you talk to me for just a moment? You two can head on down to your car." She gestured for Renee and Ellen to leave.

As the door shut, Dr. S turned to Jim, "Do you live in some kind of a sexual environment – a commune or something?"

"Yes," Jim admitted. "A number of friends and I have formed a loving environment we call The Circle. There are about twenty-five of us, half men and half women."

Dr. S nodded. "Ellen was unsure about how to describe your space, but she knew it was very non-traditional. She's never lived in a traditional environment, even when she was a teenager, but yours holds special appeal to her for many reasons."

Jim said, "Renee is Renee Duval, the supermodel, who is just getting into high gear in her career. Ellen has been assigned to her by Renee's agent. Ellen has been living in a motel, and Renee lives in our house."

"And Renee is intimate with multiple men?"

"Yes, and Ellen has seen evidence of that, but I don't believe by direct observation. I take it this is bad news for Ellen."

"Oh no; I can't say. Ellen did tell me – even asked me – to share everything and anything with both of you. She trusts you. About the sex part, we're not sure, but she mentioned it multiple times, usually in a positive way. For now, I think it might be wise if you can keep your interactions with Ellen non-sexual until we figure out the rest of the landscape in her head. Your premonitions were correct; she has been left with some strange ways of thinking and dealing with others, and has very severe negative feelings and judgments about herself. I even need to do some homework about the dom-sub thing."

"We'll take care of her in the meantime. We were thinking of moving her into our large house, but I question now if that's a good idea?"

Dr. S said, "I'd wait on moving her in for a week or so; I'll let you know when I think it's a good time; and I will count on you, Rene and your friends taking care of her. I'll be seeing her in a few days."

* * * * *

The first night Neil was on the job he prepared Chicken Kiev, with a fine herb sauce, mashed potatoes, fresh string beans prepared the French way, a Caesar salad, and a small individual crème brûlée for dessert. The meal was beyond anything we'd ever had in the house. As the meal ended, Neil came in to be sure all was OK; everyone at the table rose and gave him a standing ovation.

Neil admitted that he wanted his first night with us to be over the top, but we assured him that he had now set the bar and we would expect nothing of lesser quality from then on. We had fun, and our banter seemed pleasing to him. We could tell we'd made him very happy.

We did all carried our dirty dishes to the kitchen, and Neil took over the clean up from that point on. We weren't even sure when he left the house.

After dinner, Renee drove Ellen back to her motel, and had a talk with her – really, just as a friend. The previous week had gone well, the photographer was exceptionally pleased with the results, and a new week was just underway. Ellen had gone home to get a new load of clothes after her counseling session with Dr. S, and she was back Monday morning, this time with an iPad that she used as the source of all things in world that might pertain to Renee.

Tuesday, Renee went off before dawn to meet Ellen and appear on a morning talk show that wanted to interview the latest supermodel. Some of The Circle was able to watch the TV live over breakfast, and they recorded it for the others to watch later. After the TV interview, Ellen guided Renee to a fashion lunch where she was a guest instead of on the runway.

Wednesday, the pair flew to Chicago for an overnight and photo shoot on the banks of Lake Michigan with some kind of unusual sailboat especially designed for the Great Lakes. The pair was back on Thursday for dinner – another A+ meal by Neil.

Friday, Ellen spent the entire morning with Dr. S while Renee relaxed beside the pool with a good book.

Saturday, Ellen sat with Jim and Renee to talk about her session with Dr. S.

Ellen started, "I learned a lot yesterday, or maybe I should say I realized a lot, because most of it was about me on the inside and why I got to be the way I am."

Renee and Jim nodded to encourage her to continue.

"I was set up by Tau Eta Kappa, my sorority. I guess in a way I was brainwashed. I'd been very sheltered as a teen, and Dr. S pointed out even dominated by my parents. As a freshman I was so impressionable, and then all these beautiful women started to tell me I was a geek, I was ugly, I didn't deserve a boyfriend, and so on; so I started to believe it. They did some things to reinforce that too, even getting some of their boyfriends to say things to me in different situations to reinforce those messages."

"At the same time they held out as a goal joining this exclusive group of girls, that I now see were pretty catty and a group of real bitches – at least I saw it that way for the first time yesterday.

"They told me that if I was nice, subservient, respectful, and followed directions I might be liked and even allowed to join in some of the activities. I was hooked. Gradually, the activities became sexual, at first with my 'big sister' and then with other girls. By then they could hold over me that they'd tell everyone on campus what I was doing, and I'd be the biggest outcast ever. My life went downhill from there. At their command, I had to do things for their boyfriends – blowjobs and then sex, and they even had me do one professor in exchange for a good grade for one of the sisters."

Renee and Jim looked so sad at what Ellen was telling them. This was tragic. Jim got angry, but didn't know what he could do other than sympathize.

Renee said, "You met Tina last week, and you need to talk to her. She went through something similar, only she ended up doing porn videos for a few years until she caught a lifeline with a couple of people in The Circle, and ended up here. Now, she's learning some new skills that should serve her well in the future in a way that allows her to think well about herself."

"Oh, I'd like to meet her. I can imagine the parallels in our lives. Anyway, I'm sorry I'm such a basket case. I think I can still be a good personal assistant. I will be seeing Dr. S again and again in the weeks ahead, but I already understand a lot about myself that I hadn't realized. It'll take me time to change, however."

Renee said, "Take your time. I have no complaints, except you're keeping me pretty busy." She laughed to take the edge off of the discussion.

Jim stood and hugged Ellen. "I think we both need to apologize to you for what went on at the beach a couple of weeks ago. We caught on that you were a little submissive and we played you a bit, forcing you to reveal a lot of yourself, and then romantically toying with you."

Ellen avoided eye contact again, "I didn't mind, in fact, I liked it after the fact. You're forgiven. Maybe we can do it again when I'm stronger."

Jim nodded, "Thank you."

* * * * *

The fall brought three new babies to The Circle when Tina, Ellie, and Monica had their children. Again there were some official fathers for the birth certificates, but everyone became the parents, whether they'd had children before or not.

The Circle had regretfully curtailed the spontaneous lovemaking in the public rooms. The babies were getting more aware of what the adults were doing around them, there were more unannounced visitors who might not take kindly to a couple or threesome screwing only a few feet away in an adjacent room, we had a cook who came and went in the house to prepare dinner and clean up for the family – sometimes at unpredictable hours, and lastly Ellen had been given a single room in the large circle home and we were all sensitive and loving about her psychological state when it came to sex – the 'no sex' rule was still in effect.

Dr. S, Ellen's therapist, had concluded after several weeks of counseling that Ellen had basically been raped repeatedly by people she erroneously put her trust and faith in to be doing the right thing by her. While such charges would never stand up in court, the behavior of Ellen's friends had verged on that felony. For a long time, she did believe they had done the right thing by her because they told her that. The submissive state Ellen had fallen into resulted from her retreat from the reality of the situation, at first at home as a teen, and then she segued into the situation even deeper in college. If she gave herself over to her friends in order to be popular and earn their praise, then she couldn't be held responsible for what they did to her or what they made her do to others.

In a pique of anger, Dr. S had called the president of the university Ellen had attended and had a long talk with him about Ellen's sorority. As she put it to him, she didn't have solid proof, but she felt he should know what had been going on. He thanked her, and told her that her information added to other complaints he'd had about the sorority. He promised action without mentioning anyone's name to her.

Increasingly, Ellen came out of her shell with everyone in The Circle. Renee reported that when they were working together, Ellen was a tiger who wouldn't let people do anything unfair to Renee. She felt responsible for Renee's fame and public image, and managed the appearances and photo shoots with a vengeance and a strategic mind.

Renee and Ellen were both taxed when they got two simultaneous offers for nude photo spreads in international magazines:Playboy andPenthouse. The two of them were working in a corner of the family room when the offers came in by email by way of Renee's agent, Rhonda. She had sent them without any comment, except to ask if she wanted to do either or both of the appearances.

When cocktail time came around, Renee asked The Circle members sitting around what they thought about the offers.

Matt said, "Sounds great. I like both mags, but for different reasons.Penthouse is definitely more explicit, plus I love thePenthouse Letters.

Alice said, "Which one would help your career? Would either appearance hurt your career?"