Had extra time and energy for this... let me know what you think if you get a chance.. if not, that's cool too.

all mistakes are mine. Thank you for reading

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The hand on her back was infinitely soothing. It almost made her forget the sensations going through her. She still felt the hardness of the wax on her skin such a contrast from the melting ice minutes earlier. Another trail of wax was dripped down her back. She bit her lip and groaned. She didn't know if making noise was frowned upon or not. It hadn't been discussed or explicitly directed. The hand started slowly rubbing circles on her lower back. More wax dripped. She tried pushing her hips against the table again and the hand pressed harder down.

"Do you want to get in trouble lil'red?"

Katie – Chapter 4

Katie Fitch had been powerful before she even knew what those words actually meant. From a young age, she knew that boys, and later men, would fall at her feet for the briefest of her attentions. She also realized about the same time that girls, women, would resent her for it. In her mind, her only flaw was a lisp that showed up in full force when she was upset or nervous – neither of which was too often thankfully. No one complained about her lisp anyway when she gave them what they craved. She wielded her power without mercy sometimes scorching those closest to her, specifically her twin Emily. That last year of college changed everything.

The impossible truth of being unable to have children shifted her world. Gone were the plans to marry and live happily ever after. Her happily ever after always included a a fit bloke, children, and a darling home. With the improbability of a certified test result, that dream disappeared, leaving Katie wondering what the point was, what would she do now. Emily had been the ambitious one with goals of travel and university.

After sitting her A-levels, she opted to attend university in Bristol with Effy. Strength in numbers and all that. Emily decided to venture out into the world and see a bit of it before university. She often wondered if she had kept a hold of Emily, if she had pushed Emily to start university with her instead of traveling, would Emily had gotten so lost? She's not sure she would ever have an answer to those questions. It would be her greatest regret, not being there for Emily. Every morning, Katie got up and readied herself to take on the world. She used her strength to carve a path for her success and, in hopes, to help her twin figure out her own way.

At Effy's suggestion, they majored in business. Both their minors had been in design – Effy in graphic and Katie in fashion. They took an elective Psychology fulfilled some sort of requirement and wasn't a total waste of time in her opinion. It only got interesting when they reached the chapter on paraphilias.

She blamed her initial curiosity on her younger brother James. He'd developed a nasty habit of spying on either her or Emily in the shower when they were living at home while in college. She and Emily had managed to curb his behavior usually through pure intimidation and occasional beatings. Knowing that there were explanations for it (other than his excuse of being a naturally curious boy) gave her a reason to perk up in psych class.

Her interest became more than passing curiosity when the lecture turned to the textbook interpretation of masochism, sadism and behavior modification. Leave it to Effy to notice Katie's absorption of the matter. With one of her trademark smirks, Effy passed Katie a note asking if she fancied a weekend trip to London, saying she had something to show her. After class was over, Effy explained that her mom, Anthea, owned a very specific business and that she was certain Katie would be intrigued by it all. Katie's world changed again that weekend.

Effy and Katie took the train into London and then a cab to a house on Dawson Place. From the outside it looked simple and plain, multi-unit homestead. Once inside, it was anything but. Anthea ran what she called The London House. It could be considered a brothel by many. Others would fail to define it in its entirety. The London House catered to a wider clientele and many more tastes than she could comprehend at the time. Anthea gave them a tour, although Effy has obviously been there. She showed them empty rooms accommodating different setups apparently popular amongst regulars. There were different dungeons, a doctor's office, a jail, classrooms, a gym and even a sauna area. Anthea proclaimed that the limits of what they offered was solely based on lack of imagination which she was not short on and paying clients, another factor which she was also never short on. She had a wait list for acceptance as a "guest" at London House. A fact Anthea was too proud of. She also showed them a viewing area from where they could watch live sessions with paying guests who agreed to full anonymity while indulging in exhibitionist fantasies. The place seemed cavernous and never-ending like they'd stepped through the looking-glass and found a different universe full of mad hatters and its own Queen of Hearts in Anthea. And Katie felt like Alice to Effy's Cheshire cat. Except Katie didn't have any desire to wake up.

If asked, she was never capable of articulating what it was that enthralled her about this lifestyle. She fancied everything about her choice in profession. She enjoyed being in charge. She enjoyed the implicit sexuality and sensuality of it. The inherent secrecy. It wasn't discussed at career days. As far as she knew, it wasn't exactly offered at university. How do you go about explaining that you like dressing up and making people's fantasies come true? How do you explain to your Mum and Dad that their little girl will be earning a living whipping dirty old men? Well, that part isn't quite true. Most of her clients may be dirty but hardly any qualified as old. She'd never shied away from sex before, she certainly wouldn't now. The other aspect she greatly loved was the theatrics. For her, creating the perfect fantasy was the most gratifying.

The entire process provided Katie a sense of pride and purpose. For her, it was a grand production. To Katie, every fantasy was an opportunity for perfection. Creating the perfect moment for one person, for herself. She immersed herself into the design. Everything selected beforehand. Colors play a large, sometimes overlooked, part in setting up the mental image. Music helped set the mind into the right perspective. From colors to sounds, from words to silences. Precise, coordinated. Every fantasy, no matter how simple, was hers to master.

She went about selecting her street clothes and play wardrobe with meticulous care. On days she had appointments, she knew her routine inside and out. There was no doubt, no hesitation. Her appointments were no more than two per working day. It afforded her enough scheduled down time in between guests to insure that she would be giving all her energy, all her attention to the next moment. For Katie, all the planning, all the ritual was an investment. An investment in human nature. An investment in human nurturing. An investment in herself. No one could take this from her. Ever. She knew her strength this way. It was this knowledge that pushed her to talk to Effy about Emily.

"So I had a thought." Katie said after topping off Effy's wine glass. They had been sunbathing on the Stonem House rooftop patio a couple of hours. It was a quiet place in the middle of the city. They'd set up this patio for the Stonem House grand opening a year prior. A small group of invites went out . Cheese and wine was had by all. It felt like such a welcoming space that they kept it for themselves after that. No guests had been allowed back to the rooftop sanctuary since the opening.

"This is never good." Effy smirked, taking a sip of wine. "You're steadily plying me with alcohol AND you have thoughts. Are these thoughts dirty cause I don't need the alcohol if that's the case." She knew Katie had a notion in her mind from the beginning. She could never hide her intentions from Effy. Hardly anyone could. It was a blessing and a curse. She saw secrets, dreams, longing and nightmares where most people saw the pretty picture others wanted to portray. When younger, she wished for simplicity, ached for it. As she grew older, she realized that being blind to such human frailty would be worse than seeing it in all its cutting splendor. She watched, learned, observed and usually unnerved most everyone around her worth her time. Her friends were always awarded her unfiltered being. No need to hide given all they'd shared in such short lives. When Katie suggested a day of drinking lazily in the sun away from the rest of the crowds, it wasn't wholly foreign that there was another reason. "In seriousness, what evil plot are you concocting now Fitch?"

"Not evil.. maybe a little sly."

"I'm assuming Emily is at the center."

"Duh.. that's like saying the sky is blue." Katie fidgeted on her lounger. "She's better.. but she's still not.. herself." She took a drink from her wine. Talking about her sister made her nervous. Like she would upset the universe by saying things out loud. Irrational but there it was.

"Which herself are you referring to Katie? Because if we recall, college didn't really see an Emily that wasn't a bit of a doormat. After college, she was a bit more.. daring. And then she went a bit off the rails.. kindly be specific which not herself..." Effy took a longer swallow of her wine, wondering if they shouldn't be indulging in stronger beverages.

"Oi. Don't be a bitch Stonem. You know I don't want her doormat self and I certainly don't want her off the rails. One period of her life like that was more than enough." She shuddered at the memories the conversation called forth. Leave it to Effy to peel off the band aid at every turn. "I want her better. She's still terrified of her shadow it seems. I don't want that for her."

"And you have the solution?" Effy looked at Katie. She took in her body language, the avoidance in her eyes. "Oh... this is going to be good."

"Well, not the solution but maybe a chance. And listen to me before you go saying shit like that." She took a deep breath before she could second guess her idea... well.. fourth or fifth guess at this point. "I think she should work here."

"Now you're seriously taking the piss Katie. What the fuck." Effy sat up almost spilling her wine. "You want Emily.. dressing up and beating people? Dominating them? We'd have a better chance of Cook becoming celibate."

"No, not working like that... more like the reception area. Administrative shit. It's not really too client involved but it gives her a chance to interact. Get a bit more comfortable taking charge."

"She has a job. She's a waitress. She interacts." Effy started thinking of Katie's idea. Not that bad an idea either. Emily would be well suited to represent them. A little polish, a little coaching and she could pretend to hold her own. It wouldn't take much.

"This is different and you know it. We'd pay her better too. She'd feel like she was working for more than tips. You know how much she hates her job."

"I know." Effy finished her glass. "Say I'm warming up to your plan, what happened to keeping her away from all of this. You were adamant she be kept out of it all. And I agreed. She's never even met Naomi and Cook and they're our good friends. Why the change of heart now?" Katie met Effy's eyes then.

"Because she's not getting truly better, Eff. And I'm worried I won't be enough, we, you and I, won't be enough on our own, to get her where she needs to be. I think.. no I know she needs more. Someone else." The light went off in Effy's head.

"Oh Christ.. you want to set her up with Naomi? Fuck. We need vodka."

"Already in the ice chest. I'll get glasses."

"Fuck the glasses. Give me the bottle."

Another twenty minutes passed and they drank while Katie laid out her idea. Last time they'd been to a club, Naomi mentioned finally thinking she was ready to maybe date. She'd held off dating since before the move from London happened. In Katie's mind there was a clear opportunity to play matchmaker of sorts. Naomi was well fit, clever, had money. She was confident and knew her way around a bedroom, not that she wanted to think of her sister and Naomi but at least she knew she'd be well off.

"Katie, your sister is submissive.. to the nth degree even if she's not into the lifestyle. Naomi would eat her alive."

"You and I know Naomi has a softer side, don't give me that crap. She wouldn't hurt her. I trust her. And you trust her. They'd be drawn to each other. I can almost see it."

"You want us to give Emily a job here so she can get laid?"

"When you say it like that it sounds a bit sleazy." They both laughed. "I want her to see herself differently. This place.. this lifestyle.. has given me a real understanding, you know that. And if there's even a little bit of Ems, my twin, that can get anything positive out of this, I'm willing to let her see who I am here." Effy took her hand and squeezed it.

"There's nothing wrong with what we do. You know that. But it still bothers you that she would think less of you. She doesn't."

"I can't be too sure of that. London.. we weren't as innocent there."

"No. But it was a learning experience and that's why we created this place. London is in the past.. for all of us. This place here.. this is ours. Our future. And if you want to bring in Emily, in any way, you know I'm behind you. You know I love her like a sister too." She pulled Katie up off her lounger and unto hers. There were few people Effy could get emotional with or over. The Fitch twins were two of the few. Katie never admitted her fears easily. Bringing all of this up, it made Effy want to curl up with her, show her that they were in it together for it all. Katie let herself be held and melted into the hug, accepting Effy's love. "Naomi is going to kill us, you know."

"We don't have to tell her."

"No.. not at all.. simply have Emily show up for work...Naomi has a stake in the house, we need to tell her something." Katie nodded and sighed."We can play it up like it's all for Emily's benefit. It's not a bad idea to have Emily here. Close to us. And Naomi would be good to her, for her. Emily would be good for Blondie too. But she's still going to kill us if she finds out it's all a set up."

"We can deal with it then.. for the greater good and all." Katie felt a little lighter.

"What if Emily finds out?" Effy poked at Katie.

"Then you can deal with that cause she's going to kill me right off."

Katie walked to Naomi's play room slowly. I could run. But, fuck, not in these heels. Why can't I dress sensibly. Right, cause I look damn good. At least I'll look pretty when they bury me. And I'm coming back and fucking haunting Effy for being a coward. Ugh. She got to the play room door and it was open. There was more internal swearing as she took a deep breath and stood a little straighter. She sauntered in.

"Campbell, next time you can get your own lunch you dozy cow." She put the lunch on the counter and looked at Naomi who sat cross-legged on the table. Oh she looks way too comfortable, fuck. This is not good.

"Shut the door Katie." Naomi was looking at her hands.

"Would it hurt to say please?" Katie crossed her arms and stood firm.

"Please shut the door Katie unless you want someone listening in by chance." Katie huffed loudly and shut the door, pretending to be put out.

"What crawled up your ass? And it best be good cause I got better things.."

"You and Effy lied about Emily."

"Lied about her how?" Don't show fear. Don't lose eye contact. "I swear she's my twin." Katie laughed but her lisp came through. Shit.

"Hmm.. Katie... Katie." Naomi got off the table in one move and Katie took a step back towards the door. "You both lied. You admitted as much right now. Fess up and I may not get royally angry."

"I'm pretty sure you're already angry."

"Not yet. But I will get there quickly. Tell me what's going on."

"Promise me no physical violence. I'm way to pretty for bruises." Naomi laughed. It couldn't be that bad is Katie was willing to joke.

"I promise."

"I wanted you to go out with her."

"Oh." Naomi froze. This is what happens when you give Katie the benefit of the doubt. "Umm.. Katie.. You hired her so I could get a date out of this? You're pimping out your sister?" She took a step closer to Katie who took a couple of quick steps around the table.

"No! It's not like that! And you promised Campbell. No violence."

"I'm not going to hurt you. But I'm not understanding. You and Eff said your sister needed a new job. That waitressing wasn't cutting it. But when I asked, she said you two went to her telling her we needed someone, like she was helping us out. And now you're saying you hired her for me to date her?"

"Maybe." Katie looked down at her hands, then realized what Naomi had said. "Wait.. you talked to her about working here? Please tell me you didn't say anything."

"Say anything about what? Emily isn't in on this?"

"She knows fuck all about it." Katie clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Ok.. patience wearing thin. Why the lies? Why do you think I can't get my own dates?"

"It wasn't about you not getting a date Naomi... not really. It's more about Emily." Katie took a deep breath and started telling her about the master plan. She knew she would have to trust her now with Emily's story too.