The Manor House

They entered through double doors into the large room where the members were served their meals. Sarah had seen it when they went on the tour, but she had not gone in. There were eight tables with place settings on each for six people. At the far end was the stage that she had noticed before. However, this time Ian walked her over to the wall beside the kitchen door and pointed to some round holes.

"These are the public stocks. Women being punished are forced to stand in the kitchen and put their heads and wrists through the holes. Their bodies are hidden, but the expressions on their faces are a treat to see. We have enough holes to do up to three women at a time."

Sarah could imagine being held in position on the wall while unknown people in the kitchen took liberties with her body. She shivered and gripped Ian's hand.

"What happens to them?"

"Anything and everything people in the kitchen can come up with. The idea is to make them wail, and cry, and moan for the entertainment of the diners. Sometimes one or two of the diners will make an excuse to go into the kitchen, and then the woman will know who is tormenting her. But usually she has no idea."

"Do they.....fuck her?"

Ian laughed. "Of course. She is bent over in perfect position."

"Oh my. And Elizabeth is going to be put in the stocks tonight?"

"Yes, my dear. You and I will be here having dinner and can enjoy the show."

"All this torture for just a little whining?"

Ian lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "When you are further along in your training you will understand. Elizabeth is helplessly submissive and masochistic, but she wants to be forced. This relieves her of the responsibility for allowing herself to be degraded in the ways that she craves. She is constantly doing things to challenge me and test my will. If I did not punish her severely for her whining, she would be disappointed. After today's whipping and abuse, and tonight's public humiliation, she can tell herself that she has no choice but to submit completely to me."

Sarah absorbed Ian's words and nodded her understanding. She knew she was a lot like Elizabeth, but she was not sure she could stand the kind of whipping that Elizabeth received.

"How often does she get this kind of treatment?"

"Maybe once a month. Elizabeth does not live at The Manor House like you. She has an executive job at a big company and orders people around all day. When her needs build up she comes to stay with us for a few days."

"She seems to want to belong only to you."

"I think she just wants a strong man to take charge and make her inner fires burn. The fact that I have so much power here turns her on. She wants my red ribbon so that she will get my attention and feel that power when she is here."

Walking down the hall with her hand in Ian's strong grip Sarah realized that she too was feeling that power and being aroused by it. As they approached the door to the lounge Ian stopped.

"Let's go in and unwind a bit. You have had a very full day and I could use a drink."

They sat at a table for two in the corner of the lounge. Several men were sitting at the bar enjoying a late afternoon beer and ogling the flesh bulging out of the low cut blouse of the pretty bartender. When the girl saw Ian she hurried over to take their orders.

"Bring me my usual," Ian ordered. "And a glass of our best Chardonnay for my friend."

Sarah was glad to be able to relax in a normal setting. It had indeed been a very eventful day, leaving her head swimming. She still couldn't believe the circumstance that she found herself in.

"How do you feel?" asked Ian.

"I am overwhelmed by what has happened. Any moment I will wake up and find that it has been a fantastic dream."

"In a sense it is a dream. You have entered into another dimension of life. Most people are so frightened of what they consider to be their 'dark side' that they miss a big part of what life has to offer. The Eastern religions teach us to 'follow your karma', but in the sexual area our culture stifles our natural instincts."

"Why does it do that?"

"My theory is that once the world's population reached a certain point our survival as a species required that women have fewer children. The culture responded by making women feel they should be men's equal and go to work instead of caring for large families. This equality idea carried over into our sexual relationships. But it left an unsatisfied hunger in both women and men for the old way of dominance and submission. A few of us have had the courage and strength to find a way to satisfy this desire and still live successfully within our present culture."

Sarah was fascinated. Here was a rationale that explained her conflicting emotions. It was okay for her to have signed the contract to become a member of The Manor House. She resolved to bury her doubts and let herself go.

"That makes sense to me," she said.

"You are fortunate to have met John on the train. He recognized your needs and your potential. Also, he is a caring person that you can trust."

"I feel that. In fact I think I am in love with him."

Ian laughed. "That is natural. But remember that our culture defines 'love' as a monogamous relationship between equals. Not so here. Our little community defines 'love' as the sexual submission of one person to another. We have a few members who are married to each other and live normal lives outside the club, but it is not common. Most people cannot combine both worlds. Instead they are like Elizabeth and Isaac and draw a hard boundary."

The bartender arrived with their drinks and bent over more than necessary to place them on the table. She lingered in that position to make sure Ian got a good long look at her deep cleavage. A yellow ribbon was tied around her arm.

When she left Ian's eyes returned to Sarah. "You see how the waitress tried to tempt me? This is another basic female instinct that can be indulged in our special society. The competitive female wants to be the one to mate with the strongest male."

"In that case I am proud to be the one sitting with you," said Sarah coyly. She had made up her mind to submerge herself into this dream. It felt right, and the way Ian was looking at her gave her goose bumps.

"Finish your wine and then go to your room to freshen up for dinner. I will meet you in the dining room at seven."

Sarah was content. "Yes sir," she said, ready to do whatever Ian ordered. John had turned her over to him, and relieved her of any responsibility for her actions. No matter how things turned out she knew that it was going to be exciting.