Therapy

Jim's phone rang just before midnight, the time when he worked at his best.

"Jim, it's Alice."

"Hello, my love, how are you?"

"Well, actually, pretty awful."

"Really? Work again?"

"Yes, um, to be honest babe, it's as bad as I've felt for some time."

"I'm sorry to hear that, my love. You know, you really have got to ditch that job."

"I know. Look Jim, I know it's late and I know that you work at this time but I'm pretty fucking desperate. I need to see you. You know, a session. It shouldn't take too long. I was close to calling you this time yesterday but I fought it but I don't think tonight I can get through again without your help. Can you? Please?"

"Listen angel, I've told you many times, I'll always be here whenever you need me. My only consideration, as ever, as you know, is that you're really sure that this is what you want. But if you are, I'm yours."

"I'm sure, really sure."

"OK beautiful, come round."

"God, you're an angel. I'm so, so grateful."

"See you soon."

About fifty minutes later Jim heard a car pull up outside. Alice came in shortly after and they gave each other a huge, welcoming hug. Alice was still wearing her office uniform: fierce black suit, white blouse, dark tights, medium high heels. Jim always believed it would take a lot to diminish Alice's beauty but it was happening now: her face was lined and weary, the sun that usually shone there was gone. She was in trouble.

"I'm so grateful for this, Jim, I really am."

"As I said, my love, as long you're sure, everything is fine by me."

"I'm sure."

"Good. Well, I guess you'd rather get started straightaway."

"Well, as I said, I am pretty desperate and I have to get myself together for the morning and it's already passed midnight."

"OK, everything's in the same place, in the same room. You go and get changed and come in here when you're ready."

She did so.

She returned ten minutes later and was transformed. She was wearing an old, shabby blouse that was far too big for her, over which was an old woman's cardigan in faded yellow that sagged on her shoulders; a wide, pleated skirt in a dirty brown that ended well below her knees and white ankle socks. She looked like a poor orphan from the 1950's. Not only that. She and Jim were not the people they had been a few moments before. They were now somewhere else, somewhere that their close friendship did not inhabit.

Alice stopped still just inside the room and stared at Jim. Nothing that Jim said from now on touched the finer arts of irony or humour: his contempt for this woman was absolute.

He walked slowly towards her. "My God, look at you. Do you have no self-respect? No dignity?" He barked in her face and she winced. "You are disintegrating and you don't care, do you? Well, I care. I don't want you defacing my life, my house. You are a filthy slut and I'm going to treat you accordingly."

She backed off slightly at this assault but dare not move backwards.

He walked across the room to his study. "Come here." She did as she was told. "Stand there." He pointed to a spot immediately next to the door. "Stand against the wall." She did. "No, closer than that. Go on, face against the wall, almost touching it. That's it. Hands behind you back. Head bowed. You will stay there for one hour and you will not move a muscle. If I come out and find you are standing in any way but this, the consequences will be desperate for you. You know what that means don't you?"

"Yes," she said faintly.

He went inside his study and resumed his work. He worked diligently and productively for forty-five minutes and heard not a sound from outside his door but knew her back and legs must be aching by now. He decided to spend the next fifteen minutes watching some television. When he emerged from his office she was in exactly the same pose as he had commanded her to be. He sat down and turned on the television, casting a backward glance at the woman occasionally to check she was still frozen in the contrite pose. She was.

When he next looked at his watch she had been standing for an hour and five minutes: it was now ten minutes past two. He got up.

"Come here," the voice of harsh punishment rang out.

She walked in obvious discomfort. Again he stared, unfeelingly, without a trace of sympathy or compassion. She said nothing and waited for his next attack. His silence was prolonged. Tears welled into her eyes that she sought to repress. Then he spoke. "Take off your clothes and lay them in a very neat pile immediately in front of you."

For some reason she paused briefly before complying as though somehow she had an option but then began to remove each item of clothing and bent over to arrange them neatly in front of her feet.

When she was completely naked he walked around her examining her body with great care before finishing directly in front of her again.

"Have you any idea just how ugly you are?"

"Yes."

"Look, for instance, at your tits. Not much of them is there? Is there?"

"No."

"No man is going to get a decent handful of those is he? Isn't going to bury his head in them is he? They're not going to stiffen any man's cock are they? Tell me what's wrong with your tits, Alice."

"They're too small."

"Too right. They're girls' tits aren't they, not a woman's tits at all. You're not a real woman are you?"

Tears now started to fall from her usually beautiful eyes. "No."

"Get back to the wall; let's see if another hour or so there might turn you into something that at least resembled a human being, if not a woman.

Dutifully she went back and resumed the same pose, although this time without her clothes. Jim returned to his study but it was difficult giving work full attention when he had to think about Alice. He worked for about half an hour then moved back into his sitting room, casting an eye at Alice as he went past her to ensure she was exactly in the right pose, which she was. He watched an old film, a comedy, just to add to Alice's misery, knowing she could hear it all but only see the wall at the end of her nose.

After she had done a full hour he barked at her to turn around. Her discomfort was visible and the lines on her face had deepened. "Follow me." He marched into the huge kitchen, walked over to a cupboard and removed a bucket that contained cleaning materials of various sorts, along with cloths, brushes etc. He walked over to Alice and tipped the bucket upside down bringing its contents crashing around her feet, followed by the bucket itself.

"This floor is dirty. Clean it. If when I come back there is even the smallest speck of visible dust the consequences for you will be severe." He spoke straight into her face. "And you know what I mean by 'severe' don't you?"

"Yes."

"What do I mean?"

"The lash."

"Correct."

He remained long enough to see the naked woman get on all fours to arrange the brushes then left to resume his film. Soon he fell asleep in the chair and was roused by a shuffling in the doorway, that was Alice. He did not know how long she had been there because she dare not speak but it was at least ninety minutes since she started the punishment cleaning. She was bending forwards because of the pain in her back: knees and elbows were red sore.

He marched past her to inspect the floor and she meekly followed. It was immaculate. Then he opened a cupboard door and from a box took out two eggs, placed one in each palm, walked up to Alice and held them in front of her and then slowly turned his hands upside down, sending the eggs splattering over the floor. Alice began to cry more than she had all evening.

"This floor is dirtier than when you started. It seems that the whipping post is now all that is left for you. You have ten minutes to clear this up. Each minute it takes you beyond ten will be an additional lash."

He left. Alice was crying so badly now her shoulders were shaking.

She returned just within the ten minutes, breathing very heavily. Her eyes were red and her face stained with tears. Her back, knees and elbows painfully sore.

"Come here," he called.

Alice shuffled towards him.

"There isn't a single thing you can do properly is there? You may be ugly but it is at least conceivable that you might possess other attributes but you don't do you? Do you?"

"No."

"I give you every chance to redeem yourself but you fail again and again. You are worthless. You have no right to occupy even the smallest space in this world." He stared into her eyes in order to elicit some response but none came.

"Well, the whipping post is all that you're now worth. I have informed the rest of the village. They're very excited. We've not seen a young woman flogged for some time. It's just the sort of thing to break up these long winter nights."

For the first time this evening Alice initiated a dialogue. "Please don't."

"Please don't what?"

"Please don't flog me. I'll do anything you ask."

Jim drew in his breath in order to fully express his incredulity and disbelief. "What in the world makes you think, that someone like you could do anything for someone like me? What is that 'anything'? Of course! Of course! I forgot. I said you couldn't do anything but you can, can't you? You can do "anything" and we all know what "anything" is don't we? It's lying on your back with your legs apart, isn't it? God, I'd forgotten the solitary talent you possess." The rest he spat out into her face. "What makes you think that a man like me, or any man for that matter, would get out his cock out within a mile of disease ridden harridan like you?"

She listened to this tirade without flinching, until he had finished, when all she could muster was, "It's not true, it's not true."

"I'm tired of this now," he said quickly, "your date with the whipping post can be postponed no longer."

He produced some cord from his pocket, slapped Alice's hands together and tied them. He then led her like an animal to the door of the basement and down the stairs: it was dark and freezing. He put on a dim light and led the naked and shackled woman to a low beam and tied her hands to it so that they were secured just above her head. She winced as the cords cut into her wrists. He thrust an old rag into mouth so that she would not bite her tongue; or so that she did not wake the neighbours with her screams.

Immediately in front of her she saw him remove a long, leather strap from a drawer. He raised it in the air and brought it down on the concrete floor with the most terrifying crack that was soon to cut deep into Alice's flesh.

He walked behind her to prepare himself for the first lash. Alice was shaking badly. Jim turned and began to walk quickly towards Alice's hanging body, raising the strap into the air as he did so. Then, suddenly, within a few paces of her shaking body, when the eyes were tight shut in dread of the first incision, he slowed right down, lowered his arm and let the strap fall from his grasp. He walked the last few steps towards her, put his hands gently on her ribs and kissed her on the back. He then pulled a loose cord on her hands that was holding all the other knots together. She had only to move her hands slightly and she was free. He quickly left the room.

Jim returned to his sitting room and put on some music. In a short while he heard the basement door open and close, followed by the small room next to it. Shortly, Alice entered, dressed again in her severe, efficient business clothes. A lovely smile spread across her face and Jim, not for the first time, thought, 'oh God, she's beautiful.' He smiled in return and asked, "All right?"

She looked relaxed and peaceful as though some pain that had been eating at her for hours had now abated.

"Yes, much, much better. Thank you so much, you are such a darling."

She went over to him and gave him an enormous hug. Even when she finished she remained close to him, effusive in her gratitude. "One day maybe, maybe, I'll be able to do something for you."

"Don't think about it, beautiful, your well being is all that matters."

She smiled, unable properly to express what such kindness meant to her.

"Actually," he said, apparently changing his mind, "there are two things you could do for me."

"What?" she replied with great curiosity.

He put his hand gently on either side of her head and said, "Firstly, I would like you to give up that job. Then when you've done that I'd like you to fall in love."

She gave a little chuckle, warmed by someone for whom you have great affection saying something so typical of their character.

"I'll work on it."

"You do that."

"Now I must go."

At the door she turned one more time and said, "Again, so many thanks." Blew him a kiss and left.

Jim locked the door behind her and felt sleep beginning to overwhelm him. But first he picked up the neat pile of shabby clothes that Alice had laid on the floor at the beginning of the session and returned them to the same room and same drawer where they were permanently kept. He did so with a slight weight in his heart because he knew that, sooner or later, they would be needed again.