Valerie Ch. 04

Chapter Four

Initiation Day One

Valerie woke to the sound of Francine screaming from the front room. Groaning at the pain that shot through her cramped muscles, she staggered through the dark into the living room of her apartment where her friend was thrashing on the hide-a-bed, deep in the throes of another nightmare. Fearful that she might hurt herself, Val grabbed Francine's body and held on until she woke up, receiving several impacts against her already sore back from the sleeping woman's fists.

Francine jerked awake after a minute in her friend's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Keep him away…Don't let him hurt me…Please."

Val whispered, "Was it Harv again?" When her friend nodded, Val tried to reassure her, "He's not here. He's not going to hurt you again. It's all right now."

Slowly, the sobs eased and Francine relaxed. Tears still flowed, but the intense crying that hurt as much as the original beating had faded. Fear was replaced by grief, grief at the loss of something she could not put into words. She had not told anyone, not even Valerie, but Francine was terrified that she would never be able to trust a man again. She had bared her soul to the man she thought loved her and had been brutally attacked because of it. She was getting through each day by raw willpower.

Valerie knew something was wrong deep in her friend's heart, but until Francine would open up about it, all she could do was to be there every time she cracked. She prayed that her friend would be able to face her demons in the light of day soon. In her dreams, the demons would always win. Val knew she had to allow her friend to open the shutters of her soul at her own pace though.

When Francine let go and lay back down, Val noticed blood seeping through the bandages on her feet. "I've got to change your dressings. I think your thrashing opened the scabs."

Val retrieved the dressings the ER nurse had sent with them and carefully pulled the old one off. Thankfully, they did not stick, leaving the scabs in place, doing the important work nature intended for them. She cleaned the feet with warm water, carefully drying them afterwards. Covering the cracks in the scabs with one of the non-stick pads, she wrapped new gauze and taped them into place.

It was only then that she realized that she was still naked. "I guess once you've submitted to someone, being naked in front of them is no big deal," she joked.

Francine looked up as Val was getting up to head to the kitchen and gasped. "Oh my God. What did I do to you?"

Turning back, Val, looking puzzled, said, "Well, if I remember correctly, you whipped my front and back quite thoroughly, dripped wax over every inch of my legs, belly, and tits, and forced me to lick your cunt."

"No, your back, there're bruises on it, deep round bruises."

"Oh. That must be from when you pounded on me in your nightmare. It was a really bad one this time."

"Oh, Valerie, I'm so sorry. I don't want to hurt you. You have to take me home tomorrow. I won't hurt my best friend."

Valerie stalked back to the bed and sat down. "Now you listen here, dear friend. You did not hurt me. I didn't even know they were there. I know that you would never hurt me, ever. Cause some pain in a scene, yes. Actually hurt me, never. I don't want to hear any more talk of you leaving. You're staying and that's final. Now I'm going to make some chamomile tea so we can both get back to sleep."

They sipped the tea, relaxing in each other's presence. The last of Francine's tension eased away and she fell asleep, hopefully to a more restful one. Valerie, seeing that she still had four hours of potential sleep, returned to bed, double checked her alarm and joined her friend in slumber.

In the morning, Valerie was grateful that she had two long sleeve business suits. Without those, she would have to stay home or explain numerous red marks on her arms. Leaving her friend asleep, she drove to work, ready to start another day.

She had a new assignment on her desk when she got there. June had already pulled the necessary paperwork to begin. A client from earlier, Brad's client, had sent notice of refusal to pay, citing the failure of the ad to generate the expected revenues. Since Brad was no longer with the company, Val had been assigned the job of reviewing the ad and the client's stated wishes and to determine if any action needed to be taken.

Her worst fear was that Brad had actually shafted the client in some way. That would result in a write off or redoing the whole assignment. Given that Brad had been fired for using company funds and resources for personal gain that was a very real possibility. Working through lunch, Valerie had finally sorted what had and hadn't happened.

The client, a regional snack food company, had developed a new line of chips, developed to be healthier. They wanted an ad that would tout the healthful benefits and good taste. The ad was a humorous parody of a national beer ad. The ad was scripted, actors hired, filming completed and a series of focus groups scheduled. The response was positive and the ad was released into the regional TV and radio market.

As it happened, sales of the new line had bombed, not merely done poorly in sales. Numerous stores had repeatedly complained that customers had returned the product. It seemed the chips tasted horrible. The line was discontinued at significant loss to the company and its shareholders. Val was hard pressed to understand how the taste of the chip was cause to not pay the ad agency. She had to be missing information, because something didn't add up.

"June," she buzzed, "is there anything else from this file that is taking longer to get?"

"No, Ms. Burbon, that's everything Mr. Swenson had in the file."

"Would you come in here? I need to run something by you, see if I'm seeing this straight."

June was in the office in a matter of seconds. Val related her summary of the problem and the information they had available. "Now, June, is there anything in the contract Brad set up that makes us responsible for the taste of the chips?"

"No, Ms. Burbon. We were only responsible for producing the ad itself. I saw the ad on TV myself. Quite funny actually. Made you want to go out and try it. I also remember the chips. They were horrible. Never did figure out what the strange flavor was. It certainly wasn't the advertised flavor."

"Do we have the actual notice of intent sent by the client?"

"I think so. I should be able to get it in a few minutes."

Three minutes later, Val was reading the notice and caught something that made her throat catch. "As per clause 3 in section VI, paragraph 2, with the failure to notify us that the actors in the ad found the taste of the product unpleasant, we believe that Branford and Gashune are in violation of the contract and henceforth we are withholding payment until a contracts court can dispose of the matter."

"What section VI?" Valerie said out loud. Looking through the original contract, she saw that there were only five sections. Section VI was a complete mystery. A feeling of impending doom descended upon Val. She buzzed June again.

"June. Get me an appointment with legal, ASAP. Then let the vice president know I'm on my way up and that it's a potential emergency. Then get down to the courthouse and get the registered copy of the contract. I think our copy is missing a section, one we would never have agreed to."

"Yes, Ms. Burbon."

Valerie gathered the needed papers and walked briskly to the elevator, heading up five floors to the VP's office. The secretary there waved her in. Presenting her initial findings to him, he agreed that a potential disaster loomed ahead. June texted her during the meeting with a message that legal could see her in an hour. After getting the copies he needed for the board meeting he was calling, he told her to keep him informed of all developments.

Her meeting with legal was unpleasant. The copy of the contract they had on file had no section VI either. They advised threatening a lawsuit to recover fees and penalties. Val ordered them to prepare the paperwork but hold off on filing until they had a look at the official document filed with the courts.

It only got worse from there. At 4:00, June returned with a photocopy of the original filing. Sure enough, the original had only five sections, but an addendum had been filed two days later, containing the dreaded wording. Having June send another copy to legal for analysis, she called the VP and passed on the bad news. The addendum had been filed, apparently legally, and they may well be in breach of contract. No one knew why the addendum had not been added to the company records, or how such a section came to be agreed to. The whole section had the agency assuming responsibility for numerous things clearly beyond its control.

Several more offices were assigned to investigate the matter, with Val in charge of coordinating. Speed was of the essence. The problem had to be solved before it became public that they were being held for breach of contract. The ad business was cutthroat enough without the agency hanging itself.

With there being nothing else to do until information came in, Val headed home, tense, agitated and a little mad. She stopped to pick up some KFC on the way home, not feeling like cooking tonight. Once home, she saw that Francine was working at her computer.

"I hope your day has gone better than mine, Francine."

"It hasn't been bad. What's wrong?"

"We may be in breach of contract on one of Brad's accounts. There was a section of the contract that made us responsible for reporting the unpleasant taste of the product."

"How can the ad agency be responsible for the taste?"

"Not for the taste, but for letting them know that the actors in the ad didn't like the taste."

"That's stupid. What moron put that into the contract?"

"No one. Someone added the section two days later as an addendum. We don't know who just yet. When we find out, heads will roll, I'm sure."

Shutting down her computer, Francine said, "Well, that's work. Leave it in the office. Let's sit down, eat some original recipe and veg out in front of the TV."

While Valerie had trouble relaxing, Francine eventually convinced her to stop worrying. They did nothing of importance that night and both slept through the night. The next day, information came in from all fronts, keeping Val busy all day. There was no one in the company who had any idea that the section VI even existed, let alone who authorized it. The signature on the addendum was the president's, but records indicate that he was out of the state at the time it was signed and filed, pointing to forgery. That wouldn't get them off the hook, since a forgery by an agency representative would leave the company still responsible. The day ended on a bad note as legal and publicity got into a shouting match about how to deal with the issue. Valerie had to put her foot down and instruct both divisions to take no action until Monday, providing the whole disaster stayed secret until then.

Thursday night was another one spent trying to wind down with Francine giving Val a back rub. It didn't help that Val was thinking about Friday and getting horny. Knowing she had orders to not orgasm only added to her frustration, though in an entirely different way. It took Val over an hour to fall asleep, leaving her exhausted in the morning. She prepared for work in a daze, not even thinking about where she would need to go that night. She left the house with none of the items she was told to have when she arrived at Charles' at 7:00.

Friday at work was more of the same. The investigations had come to a dead end. No one could find out how this had happened. The president's signature was not a forgery, leaving an open question of how he had signed a document that was 1200 miles from him at the time he signed it. At 4:30, she had to personally brief the president on the situation. To say he was unhappy was an understatement. While he was not mad at her, she was the victim of his wrath, being the person there. By the time she left his office at 6:00, she realized that she would never make it to Charles' on time.

Back at her office, June showed her a package, "This came by special courier, Ms. Burbon. It doesn't say who it's from."

Valerie recognized the handwriting on the package. Francine's graceful script read "open immediately; time sensitive materials enclosed." In her office, she opened the package and breathed a sign of relief. The box contained her collar, cuffs, the yellow sundress and her raincoat. She quickly called a cab, arranging to be picked up in 15 minutes. She rushed to the restroom two floors down, changed into the dress, sans underwear, and coat, putting the rest of her clothes in the box.

Fifteen minutes later she was in the cab, heading to Charles' mansion. During the half hour drive, she allowed herself to start thinking about the upcoming weekend. What would happen? Was she ready for a full weekend, 48 hours of total submission? Her arousal began to build. The cab arrived at 7:55. She paid him double to deliver the box back to her apartment and walked up to the front door. Looking around, she could see no one. She stripped the dress off, put her collar and cuffs on and locked her hands behind her back. As she knelt, she could hear a clock inside striking seven. "Just in time," she thought.

No one came out until the clock inside struck the half hour. Kneeling in the open, naked and bound for 30 minutes, had Valerie dripping and breathing hard. She was feeling concerned when the door opened and Sally looked down at her. "Very good, slave. You were on time and you didn't break position while you waited. Now, masturbate yourself," she ordered, releasing her hands from behind her back.

Blushing, Valerie reached down between her legs with one hand and played with her nipples with the other. Her already aroused body responded quickly. She moaned uncontrollably, stroking her pussy lips and pinching her nipples. Her clit begged for touch and her cunt was aching for penetration. She held off, knowing she had no permission to cum and not wanting to risk disobedience.

Sally took that safety net away from her. "Fuck yourself with your hand, rub your clit. I want to see you even hotter than you are now."

"Mistress, may I cum, please?"

"Of course not. You haven't earned a cum yet."

Valerie's fingers reached into her pussy and wriggled inside, sending her arousal even higher. Her other hand left her tits and rubbed her clit, sending waves of excitement through her. As she worked closer and closer to a climax, her breathing became ragged, her senses frayed from trying to bring herself off without climaxing.

"Mistress, please. Let me stop. I can't keep from cumming much longer. Please let me stop"

"You would deny yourself a cum, when you're so close? Is that what you want?"

"Yes, Mistress. I want to deny myself. I want to be obedient. I don't want to displease my Master."

"Even if I told you that there'll be no more opportunities to cum all weekend?"

"Yes, Mistress, even if I never cum again. Please don't let me disobey my Master."

"Stop slave!"

Valerie yanked her hands away, seconds before the point of no return. Thrusting her hands behind her, she cried out in frustration. So close to orgasm and she stopped. She could not believe that she had begged to be denied an orgasm. At the same time, she felt joyous that she had obeyed her orders. She didn't want to displease her Master. Making him happy was the reason she was here.

With her breath caught, she whispered, "Thank you, Mistress, thank you." On impulse, she bent over and kissed Sally's feet several times.

Sally crouched and rubbed Val's hair. "You're welcome. You realize that I wanted you to cum. You disappointed me and I will punish you for that sometime tonight. You made the better decision, but you still disappointed me."

"I'm sorry, Mistress. I don't want to displease you either. Please teach me to be a better slave."

"That's why you're here." Taking the leash, she ordered, "Stay on all fours and come with me. Master is waiting."

Sally led Valerie through the house to the lounge where Val had submitted to Charles before. As they rounded the corner, Valerie gasped. There were perhaps two dozen people in the lounge, all looking at her. The submissive had only thought she was embarrassed earlier. As she took in the sight, her entire body blushed, her vision swimming at the sight of 40 plus eyes all staring at her naked form crawling on all fours until she was before Charles himself. Sally handed Charles the leash.

"I am pleased that you were prompt and that you remained obedient to my orders. The people you see in this room are all the members of my household. Some are players like you. Most are simply employees, the people who keep the house running smoothly and efficiently. All are hired with the understanding that they will encounter sexual kinkiness during the course of their duties. They have no onus to participate, and in fact none of the regular staff will participate in any of the sexual games we'll play together. Understand, however, while you are in submission, you are in submission to the entire household. The staff has permission to put you to work assisting them in their duties. Such orders from them are also as if they came from me. Do you understand?"

Charles saw that Valerie was breathing hard, coming to grips with this new information. He was pleased to see that her arousal was not diminishing with this shock. For Valerie, this introduction was shocking, yet tantalizing. She had never considered that submission would include things entirely non-sexual. She found it incredibly embarrassing to think of herself on her hands and knees, naked, cleaning a toilet or setting a table for dinner. Yet, she grasped that such activities would make submitting even more real. "Yes, Master. Everyone here has power over me and can instruct me to perform any duties they see fit."

"Good. Now, we have a little getting to know you ritual we do with new submissives." Sally and Herman were doing something to the rug behind her. Charles pulled a blindfold out of his back pocket and fastened it around her head. Taking the leash, he led her back about ten feet. Hands grasped her wrists and ankles and gently moved them onto a section of hardwood floor. She felt something metal next to each limb. All four of her cuffs were locked around the metal items. Lifting lightly, she found that she could not lift the snap rings off the metal items (eye bolts it turned out).

"Any of the staff that wishes can come and 'acquaint' themselves with your body, using only their hands. Remember that you cannot cum."

Valerie gasped at the thought of all these people having unfettered access to her body. Unable to see, she was unaware that only seven people remained in the room and started to touch her. Other than Charles, all seven were dressed in apparel that made it clear they were scene players. At first, they came forward and briefly touched her back or arms, as someone not interested in sex might do. Her hair was brushed by several hands. One tickled her feet for almost a minute, sending Val into a bout of uncontrollable laughter.

From that point, the contacts became more overtly dominating. Her nipples were pinched repeatedly. A finger was inserted into her mouth and moved sensuously in and out as if it was fucking her. Her buttocks were caressed. Valerie began to moan, fearing and craving the touches. She wanted more, but was afraid that she would panic at what would come. A hand slapped one of her asscheeks and she yelped. A finger probed her butt crack, almost penetrating her sphincter. She began to tremble and breathe in quick shallow gasps. Fearful of hyperventilating, she forced herself to take deep breaths and hold them.