Something Has to Give (12 page)

Beside her, Selena bounced in her seat and clutched her arm again. “It’s starting!”

Turning,
Kaylee followed with her eyes as a very tall and stiffly proper woman ascended the two shorts steps and walked to the center of the dais. Her costume was similar to the maids Kaylee had seen earlier, but where their skirts had been shorter, hers was full-length, black, severe in cut, and as utilitarian as it was authoritative.

“Good morning,” the woman addressed them, clasping her hands over her stomach, her cool voice carrying easily across the open courtyard. “I am Mrs. Hardwick, the head housekeeper here at the Castle. I hope you’ve all had a pleasant trip thus far. I know you’re eager to get started, but there are some rules that must be gone over before we separate dominants from
submissives and your fantasy adventures are allowed to begin.

“First and foremost, this is a consensual establishment. That means consent must be given at all times, by all
submissives each and every time play is enacted, for each and every aspect of play enacted, every single second of every single day, even when that play focuses on the illusion of non-consent. No means no, ladies and gentlemen, even here. To break this rule means, at a minimum, you will be expelled from the premises. At most, you’ll be prosecuted to the full extent of local jurisdiction. Every room, elevator, stairwell, dark-lit corridor and dungeon cell has cameras and voice-activated microphones and is never more than two minutes away from a rapid-response security team. Unfortunately, since ‘no’ only rarely ever means ‘stop’ in a BDSM crowd, even when you’re tied over a wooden horse with a ginger plug and bullwhip making very short work of your resolve not to scream—”

A few nervous twitters of laughter rippled the crowd;
Kaylee giggled along with them, but her eyes were huge and for a moment it felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

Smiling thinly, Mrs. Hardwick allowed time for silence to reign
once again before she continued. “Since 'no' rarely means stop, the Castle operates under a universal safeword: onion. You can say onion or onions, it doesn’t matter. The immediate result is going to be the activation of every camera in the room. The microphones will switch on and one of the guards on duty will  demand an immediate cessation of play. Security will be immediately deployed and they will not be stopped or waylaid until they reach the submissive in question. For that reason, I always recommend that you arrange a mediary word that you or your play partner can use to slow or stop the intensity of your play without bringing the entire Castle guard charging down upon you.”

There went that laugh again.

“But, Mrs. Hardwick, you ask,” the housekeeper said. “What if we’re gagged? How will we be able to use the safeword then? You can’t. Which is why gags are never permitted anywhere on the premises except under a very special set of circumstances. The dominant will need to apply for a license, the submissive will need to give written consent, and her consent must be notified and witnessed by the Master of the Castle. The play will then occur in a specific area of the castle and believe me when I tell you, you may be the only two people in the room, but you will never be alone when gags are in play. You will be observed from the moment you enter, until the moment you leave. Cameras randomly monitor all areas of the Castle at all hours of the day and night. Anyone caught using a gag outside of these set parameters will be automatically charged with breaking the rule of consent and immediate action will be taken to protect the submissive.

“Also,” Mrs. Hardwick continued, and held up her arm to show everyone the yellow and white bracelets she wore. Apart from color, hers looked exactly like the ones
Kaylee and the other guests had been given, “every single person here, be they guests or staff, wears at least one of these. Each bracelet is color-coded to match a particular aspect of play that we offer. Doms wear two: a white band—” She pointed to hers. “—and a color-coded one to match them with a particular fantasy.  I cannot stress enough how much it doesn’t matter if blue matches your eyes or if green is your favorite color. Put on the bracelet you’ve been given and do not take it off until you either switch fantasies or depart the premises. Bracelet swappers don’t get spanked here, ladies and gentlemen. They get prematurely sent home on the Bus of Shame. So while I’m watching, everybody get your bracelets out, put them on and set your minds right now to leaving them on for the duration of your visit."  She paused and watched. "Does everyone have their bracelet on?”

Shuffling her papers in her hands,
Kaylee slipped her black band over her hand and looked over at Selena’s pink one; Selena looked at hers. They both looked at one another—so much for her spot of familiarity—before turning back to Mrs. Hardwick.

Two fingers tapped at her shoulder and
Kaylee swiveled in her seat to find the peppy young woman from the sign-in table hovering just behind her.  “Hi.” She smiled and patted her shoulder. “I just wanted to let you know, Judy, your name was approved.” As unobtrusively as possible, she crept back out of the assemblage, leaving Kaylee even more nervous and excited than before.

“Arms up; I want to see those wristbands,” Mrs. Hardwick ordered, and like obedient school children,
Kaylee held up her arm along with everyone else. “Perfect.”

As if on cue, the Castle’s front door opened and a uniformed line of men and maidservants all with yellow bracelets on their arms stepped outside.

“Masters and mistresses.” The head housekeeper drew herself slightly stiffer. “It’s time to say goodbye to your submissives. Please hand your information packets to Mr. Grimsley—” The head butler separated himself from the men and maids and marched forward to execute a formal bow. Like Mrs. Hardwick, the white wristband of a dominant coupled with his yellow one. “He will escort you to Wardrobe to receive your costumes, tour you through the Castle and explain its equipment, and finally show you to your room assignments. If you did not bring one with you, your assigned submissives will soon be joining you shortly.”

Kaylee
felt herself quivering, a sensation mirrored by Selena’s grip on her arm when most of the men among them (and two women) stood up and filed their way to Mr. Grimsley’s side, handing in their packets as they reached him. Each was wearing a white bracelet along with a veritable rainbow of secondary colors, the meanings of which were a complete mystery to Kaylee.

“Lords and ladies,” Mrs. Hardwick dipped her head in a respectful bow, bidding them farewell. “Welcome to the Castle.”

Kaylee’s chest felt so tight she had to remind herself to breathe as she watched them file from the courtyard, vanishing into the shadows of the castle. Even knowing it was completely pointless, she tried to guess which man she might be matched to before the line of them disappeared from sight.

“Where are my green bracelets?” Mrs. Hardwick asked, becoming imperceptibly just a little bit stiffer, just a little more austere. Three women stood up (among them, a very attractive Japanese woman with bright pink and blonde highlights in her very long hair). “Mr. Brody.”

A second man, stepped forward, separating himself from the female servants and what looked to be two Victorian-era policemen. Dressed simply, Mr. Brody’s tan trousers and plain white shirt said plainly he was not a butler. He also wore both green and white bracelets.

“Stable master,” Mrs. Hardwick announced, “please take possession of your ponies.”

Kaylee and Selena looked at one another, startled. The Japanese "pony" gave her head a very imperious toss, and beside her, Selena struggled to stifle a giggle. It was a sound Kaylee had a hard time not echoing. It wasn’t mocking, just sheer nervousness. The group was being very quickly and expertly whittled down.

“Blue bracelets.” The head housekeeper’s tone gentled, and a handful of women and the last remaining man among them stood. “Nannies Bess and Rosa will take you to the nursery.”

Kaylee shot Selena a look, but her new friend was watching the Blue Bracelets go. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were sparkling. Kaylee could feel her trembling with hard-suppressed anticipation.

“Pink bracelets,” Mrs. Hardwick announced, and Selena jumped to her feet. She gave
Kaylee a grin and one last squeeze, and then she let go. Her hands wiped nervously at the legs of her jeans as she quickly made her way out of the cluster of mostly empty chairs. “There are our little princesses.” She watched as nine young women—and getting younger by the minute—hurried to assemble before her. “Governesses Victoria and Odelette will take you upstairs. A word of warning, girls. You’ll have to work very hard to impress our new schoolmaster, especially since you are already late for classes.”

Selena had never looked so happy or so thrilled. Admittedly,
Kaylee hadn’t known her very long, but she still felt a tiny pang of separation anxiety as she watched the "princesses" fall obediently into line between the two governesses. Off they went, disappearing into the castle like all the rest.

Kaylee
watched until she couldn’t see them anymore. Suddenly, her tiny pang of anxiety became a heart-jolting thump as she realized she was the only guest left in the chair. Mrs. Hardwick was looking right at her, a very small smile twitching on her lips. The two Victorian-era police officers were looking at her too, except they weren’t smiling.

“Come here, girl,” Mrs. Hardwick said. A deer, frozen in the headlight,
Kaylee couldn’t make herself move. At least, not until the head housekeeper inquired, “Black bracelet?”

Feeling silly, her palms sweating now,
Kaylee stood up. She came out of the rows of empty chairs, making her way to the dais and showing her bracelet as if there were any doubt that she might simply have missed hearing a previously called color. The two policemen were coming toward her, both very formidable-looking with their night sticks tucked into their belts, black top hats and shiny copper buttons running all down the front of their coats. Yellow bracelets peeked out from under their sleeves.

“Welcome to the Castle.” Mrs. Hardwick stepped down off the dais, but it didn’t help much. She was still quite formidable looking herself, very tall, almost a full head taller than
Kaylee. “Normally, we don’t issue black bracelets to guests on their first visit here. However, considering your application, we felt this was the best fit we could offer. So, before the constables take you into custody and your fantasy vacation begins, I just wanted to let you know that great care was taken in selecting your Dom. Ultimately, we decided on our very own Master Gaoler instead of a guest. He is very experienced, trustworthy and competent, with a soft touch at times and a stern hand at others.” She touched Kaylee’s shoulder. “I am telling you this only because you are new to us, and I want you to know you’ll be well taken care of.”

All
Kaylee could feel was the wild jumble of knots where her stomach used to be. Since Mrs. Hardwick seemed to expect a response, she swallowed hard to muster one. “Thank you.”

Mrs. Hardwick slipped her hands into her pockets, hidden in the folds of her full-length skirt. “Nervous?”

“A little,” she admitted.

“That’s to be expected. Still, I have something that should help you make the transition from reality into fantasy.” Stepping in close, Mrs. Hardwick swept
Kaylee’s hair back from her neck.

Kaylee
saw it coming. She felt the scrape of dark leather as it settled around her neck, heard the faint clink of the buckle as the housekeeper fastened it in place. Her smile even broadened when she stepped back again, leaving Kaylee touching the collar she now wore as if it were a necklace made with dynamite. “Wha—” Kaylee tried to laugh, but she couldn’t quite manage it. “What is this?”

“Your costume. Are you ready to play?”

The knots in her stomach tightened. She nodded. “Yes,” she breathed.

That sparkle
of mirth in the housekeeper’s eyes played at complete opposites to the stark authority that abruptly filled her voice when she snapped out, “So, you like to run away, do you, girl? Well, we know how to deal with that. Constables!”

Kaylee
jumped, stiffening with a gasp when her arms were physically seized.

“Take this disobedient wretch to the dungeon. We’ll see if a few days in the Master
Gaoler’s care won’t teach her how to behave.” Mrs. Hardwick turned her back on Kaylee’s involuntary squeak as the constables dragged her from the courtyard. All of a sudden, just like that, it all became shockingly real.

Onions. It sprang right to the tip of her tongue as she stumbled, quickly falling into step between the two guards. Somehow,
Kaylee kept from saying it. This was a fantasy, after all. Just a fantasy. She’d saved up for two years, flown halfway across the country, and then bussed for two hours just to get here, and really, it wasn’t real. She knew that—never mind how scary it all looked or (even scarier) how it unexpectedly felt.

Though she hadn’t struggled, the constables held tightly to both her wrists and her arms as they bustled her, not up the steps and through the front door like everyone else, but around the side of the castle into a shadowed alcove where a pair of cellar doors had been levered open to receive her.

The closer they pulled her to them, the more the doors began to resemble a giant gaping maw set into the ground. Steep stone-block steps led down into ill-lit darkness. With one guard walking ahead of her and the other prodding from behind, Kaylee was led down the long, narrow passage that run beneath the Castle.