Bedrock (14 page)

The gentleman named “Thomas” was a forty-five-year-old surgeon.
He had fantasies of being forced to dress female, ridiculed, and spanked.
Sondra listed specific names that were to be used during the session, specifically,
“Pussy” and “Freak Boy.”

Addie heard the door open and in walked Sondra wearing a corset,
fishnets and leather boots. Addie sat up straighter.
How was it possible
that the woman always looked so elegant, even more so dressed like this?

Sondra gave her the once over, finally giving a sly smile. “Not
bad.”

Addie felt her face flush and her stomach flip, suddenly feeling
anxious and awkward.
Was she really going to go through with this?

“Thomas will be in, in a moment. Just watch me and don’t speak
unless spoken to. That’s all you’re here for right now. Once we’re done with
the session, I’ll instruct you on technique and we’ll review. Any questions?”

Addie shook her head slightly.

Thomas was not at all what Addie had expected. He was handsome
and surprisingly normal-looking. Sondra introduced Addie as Mistress Laelia.
Funny,
they hadn’t agreed on that name, but Addie decided she kind of liked it.
Thomas kissed her hand when she extended it. Out of nowhere came the first
blow.

“I didn’t give you permission to kiss Mistress Laelia. Did I?”
Sondra struck Thomas again as he hung his head. “DID I?”

Sondra bent next to his ear and whispered. “You’re nothing but a
dumb little pussy wimp who can’t even follow simple instructions. You think
you’re so smart having people refer to you as Doctor. Don’t you? But you’re
not. You’re a fraud. And everyone knows it. You stupid little shit.” Thomas
remained quiet, his eyes focused on the floor.

Sondra put her hands around his neck and began squeezing as Addie
watched the flesh turn red, the blood pull. “Look at me when I speak to you!”

Thomas looked up at Sondra, his eyes glazed over. “No girl
clothes today, huh? What do think you’re
too
good? Who do you think you
are, huh? Running around thinking you’re better than everyone else.” Sondra
backhanded him once again. And this went on and on for nearly an hour until
Sondra removed the collar and Thomas stood, smiled, and kissed her on the
cheek.

He beamed, a different man than only minutes before. “See you
next week.”

“Yes. Next week.”

After the session, Addie was drained. Sondra went over technique
with her on proper ways of punishing without leaving marks. They did two more
sessions that day, each much like the last, only different men and different
names. When they were finished, they changed clothes: Addie into a fitted knee-length
skirt and matching blouse; Sondra into a pantsuit. From there, they grabbed
lunch and headed to the agency, as though nothing out of the ordinary had just
taken place.

In the elevator, Addie cocked her head to one side and stared at
Sondra. “Laelia, huh. I’ve never heard it before. I like it.”

Sondra smiled wryly. “It means Orchid. I hear they’re your
favorite flowers.”

Addie deadpanned. “So they say.”

Over the following week, Addie continued training with
Sondra until she’d seen all of the six clients who would be in her rotation.
There was the surgeon who enjoyed cross dressing, the professor who wanted to
be chained and disciplined by a cheerleader for daring to look at her, the
attorney who enjoyed being treated like a dog but preferred limited corporal punishment,
the corporate CEO with a foot fetish, the writer who dressed like a boy scout
and enjoyed being tied up and gagged while ridiculed about his inadequacies as
a man, and the concert pianist who asked to be chained and spanked by his
teacher for being a bad boy and breaking the rules.

Each session went much like the last. Over the course of the week,
Addie had undergone intensive sessions on knot tying with rope, martial arts,
sensory deprivation, the use of hot wax, the art of using corporal punishment
without leaving marks not limited to whips, floggers, and canes, and the proper
way to perform a choke hold. She learned first aid, CPR, discipline therapy,
and fantasy development. The hardest part of it all was the extremely intense
workout sessions with Andre. He not only broke her physically but mentally as
well. There were days were she could barely walk let alone keep herself
mentally prepared and focused on the work to be done. Sondra assured her though
that, once the initial training was complete, life as a Mistress, while still
demanding and technical and required that one be vigilant at all times, was
mostly a matter of acting. She just needed to tune into her client’s needs,
play the part, and the rest would fall into place.

Life at home was great. The boys seemed to be thriving with all
of the new people around the house and in a lot of ways were becoming like
family. While the house had become lonely and sad after Patrick left, it was
now vibrant and bustling. Aside from being mentally and physically exhausted,
Addie was happy. She was becoming confident and fit, in control of her life,
able to stand on her own two feet. Her newly found confidence spilled over to
life at the office as well. Her colleagues took notice and began coming to her
for advice, and the new clients were pouring in.

Addie wasn’t purposely trying to avoid William, but he apparently
saw things differently and showed up unexpectedly in her office one morning,
scaring her half to death as she walked in to find him sitting at her desk.
“Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with you? You can’t just barge in here like
this anytime you damn well please.” Addie said as she flung her stuff down on
the desk in front of him.

“
Au contraire.
I can do as I damn well please. I own this
building, remember?”

Addie crossed her arms and stood over him, closer than she
would’ve liked, but she needed to get her point across. “Well, you don’t own
me, and I don’t particularly appreciate your lack of boundaries. So get out.”

William eyed her up and down, grinning. “Have you been working
out?”

Oh hell. Not that grin.
“Seriously, William, get out!”

William looked around the around the office and glanced at his
Rolex, his face pained. “Well, if you won’t talk to me now, then tell me, ‘When
is a better time for you?’”

God. That look.
“I’ll have my assistant call yours and set
something up later in the week.”

William threw his head back and laughed a little too loud. “Oh,
so it’s like that now?”

Addie rolled her eyes and put much needed space between them
before she did something she’d regret. “We’re both busy, William.”

William stared into Addie’s eyes for a second longer than made
her comfortable and then nodded. “I see. Look, Addison, if you want to play
hard to get, fine. I’ll play all day long. But something tells me that’s not
what this is. I know how to play dirty, and I’m well prepared to do so, if
that’s what it takes. I didn’t get where I am today by playing nice. You should
keep that in mind.”

William brushed by her, kissing her gently on the temple on his
way out, closing the door a little harder than necessary. He didn’t glance
back. Addie sank in to her chair, still warm from where he’d been. She gasped,
trying to catch her breath. Both infuriated and thrilled by the effect that man
had on her, she smiled just a little.
God, she was so fucked
.

True to his word, William Hartman played hardball and
showed up on Addie’s schedule the following day. Her assistant pointed out that
he’d requested a three-hour block of time, forcing her to cancel and rearrange
her entire day. When Addie asked her why she’d done it and informed her never
to do it again, the poor girl looked confused as though Addie had lost her
mind. “It was William Hartman calling.”

Addie smiled wryly. “Mr. Hartman doesn’t get three hours of my
day. Please call my two o’clock back and tell them we’re still on and then
please let Mr. Hartman know that I had to cut our meeting short by an hour.”

The girl looked at her as though she’d grown two heads. “Will do.”

Addie met Carl at the SUV waiting just outside the lobby at
eleven o’clock. When it took off in a different direction, Addie eyed Carl in
the rearview mirror. He seemed to know what she was going to ask. “Mr. Hartman
says to tell you you’re in for a change of scenery today, Mrs. Greyer.”

Addie frowned. Oh he did, did he?

They arrived at the W Hotel via a private entrance and entered a
private elevator that delivered Addie to the penthouse suite where William was
waiting dressed in his usual Armani suit.

Addie looked around the place and then finally at William. “What
is
this
?”

“It’s the penthouse, baby.”

Addie walked over to him and stood inches from his face. “Yeah, I
can see that. Why am I here?”

William ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms,
stopping at her wrists. Chills ran through her as he squeezed hard, cutting off
the blood flow. “Like I said . . . I’m done playing nice. My guess is that you
want to be treated like the others.”

Addie flung her wrists down fast, surprising William and causing
him to release her. “The others?”

“Yeah, the women I bring here. To fuck.” William snapped,
scowling.

Addie shot him a look that could kill. “Wow, William, you’re a
fucking genius. And since you’ve got me all figured out, which way to the bed?
Let’s go!”

William stepped towards her and pushed her back to the wall, his
hard body subduing her, holding her in place. He ran his hands over her body,
slipping his fingers underneath her dress. “Who needs a bed? “William glared.

The next twenty minutes contained the most intense sex of Addie’s
life. William punished her in ways she hadn’t known possible, taking her to the
edge and bringing her back, again and again. In turn, she clawed and bit, and
scratched him until they were both exhausted, depleted.

William stood, walked away, came back with a glass of water, and
shoved it in Addie’s direction. “Drink.”

Addie sat up and sipped the water. “That was . . . incredible.”

William lifted her wrist, inspecting the red marks. Frowning, he
rubbed his fingers in circles over them, bringing them to his lips and gently kissing
each one. “Oh yeah.” William smiled wryly. “So this is what it takes?”

Addie cocked her head to the side and rubbed her chin.
Keep it
light.
“Yeah. Maybe.”

He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “I’ve missed
you, Addison.”

“I’m sorry, William. But I have a family and I’ve been busy.
Things are crazy at work and the boys keep me on my toes all day long.”

William couldn’t help but notice the way her face lit up when she
talked about her children.

“I want to meet them.” William said, lowering his voice,
searching her eyes.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Is it ever going to be a good idea?”

“I . . . um . . . I don’t know.” Addie replied flatly.

“You know what I think, Addison? I think you have no intention of
taking things any further than they are right now. That’s why I brought you
here. That’s why I fucked you the way I just did. Because if this is the way
you want it, then you need to just say so. But first, you should know that I
love you. I want to be with you. I want more. I want to take care of you. You
just have to let me.”

A thousand thoughts ran through her head; she couldn’t keep up.
He wants more? More than this? What would happen if she let her guard down? If
she allowed herself to feel something towards him? In that moment, it was all
too much. So Addison did the only thing she knew to do to protect herself. She
shrugged her shoulders, kept a straight face and lied. “This is the way I want
it.”