CHAPTER SEVEN – EXPOSITION
The afternoon had flown by. The course in Feminine Orgasm was fascinating if not extremely awkward for Steph. The intimate details of another woman's doo-dah were things she would rather have not seen. However, she had to admit that, embarrassment aside, she did understand her own needs and reactions much more clearly.
After class, the instructor had given each of the students a binder indexed with the different alternate sexual lifestyles. They were told to look over the information during the evening and let their concierge, in Steph's case that would be Victoria, know which classes had piqued their interest.
NeeNee had not been in either of her classes and Steph decided to seek her out. Perhaps they could attend one of the kinkier classes together and share opinions. Steph wandered through the gym area and then went out to the pool. NeeNee was no where to be seen. Steph headed to the dining room for dinner. In fact, now that she thought of it, she had not seen NeeNee at meals. I hope she is not ill. That would be a shame. She was so looking forward to this whole spa thing. Steph decided after dinner she would find NeeNee's room and check in on her.
NeeNee's room was two doors down from hers and Steph knocked on her door. There was no answer. Oh well, I'll try a little later. She might be at the spa for an evening steam to relax. Back in her own room, Steph curled up in the big comfy chair in her room and started looking through her new binder.
Oh my! Some of this is just too out there for my tastes. How can normal people think this shit is sexy? Ranger can't possibly be this perverted!
Then she found the chapter devoted to Domination and submission. It wasn't anything like she thought it would be. She learned that it was more about attitude and power transfer than about whips and chains. Many Dominants absolutely abhorred excessive violence or humiliating their submissives. Dominants required complete and immediate obedience to their demands. The submissive could relax in complying with his wishes in the full knowledge that: a) Her Dom would never do anything that she had not given him permission to do; b) Her Dom had her safety and fulfillment as his prime concern; and c) The objective for the Dom was to remove all external guilt, angst and choice from the sub's mind, allowing her to fully enjoy the experience at hand and not worry about what she was doing or what others might think.
Steph read this passage a couple of times. It made glorious sense to her.
"It doesn't matter what a stranger thinks of you. That is you Dom's responsibility. Pleasing him is your only duty and thought at these times. The opinions of strangers matter naught - for they will give you nothing but scorn and judgment. It is your Dom's job to handle their reaction, not yours. Your job is simply to obey. Is it the stranger's business to know if your Dom will bathe you tonight or stroke you and calm your fears? Do they care if your Dom will feed you or how he will satiate your deepest desires?
The most accomplished Doms and subs go out in public with their relationship at a most quiet and personal level. A subtle nod or an implied command is all that is shown to the uninitiated observer. There is none of the overdramatic behavior seen in movies or fantasized in trashy books on the subject. The overt violence, humiliation and slave behavior are not part of a healthy Dom/sub relationship. These behaviors are more part of the BDSM world and even then are rarely if ever shared with the outside community."
The thought of Ranger bathing her and stroking her caused Steph to overheat. She decided to check in with NeeNee instead of heading to her shower and obliging massaging showerhead. There were no lights coming from under NeeNee's door and at first Steph was hesitant to knock. But she was genuinely concerned and wanted to make sure that her new friend was OK. She knocked quietly and repetitively. There was no answer, and the door was locked. Now Steph was worried and decided to find Vicky and get some answers. Instead of waiting until morning, Steph headed down to the reception center. It was manned 24/7, and someone there might know where NeeNee was.
The young man at reception was smiling and helpful. No, he wasn't aware of a client named Courtney or NeeNee, but he would check with someone right away. Five minutes later, Vicky was at Steph's side. Vicky stated that the privacy of the clients was of primary importance at the Hermitage, but to alleviate Steph's concerns she would tell her. NeeNee had checked out the very first day and had caught a ride back to Tuttle's Corner with a member of the staff. "Nothing to be concerned about at all, my dear. It happens all the time. Some people are just not as ready as they thought to start exploring their own sexuality. I'll walk you back to your room, and we can talk. Have you decided on which variant you might like to consider?" Vicky's hand on her elbow and the gentle, but firm prodding towards the elevator let Steph know that her evening reconnoiter had come to an end, and she was expected to remain in her room till morning.
Vicky rode to Steph's floor and watched her until she had dutifully entered her room. Five minutes later, Steph was out of her room and stealthily heading down the back stairs. Something wasn't right. NeeNee had been more excited than Steph at attending classes. Her boyfriend had practically insisted that she come to the Hermitage. If something had changed or there was an emergency at home, she was sure that NeeNee would have told her or at least left her a note. Steph wasn't sure what she was looking for, but her Spidey sense was charting off the board.
If she could work her way down the stairs, she could slip past the reception desk that faced the front doors and elevator. The hallway to the offices was toward the back and perhaps she could find NeeNee's phone number and check on her.
She heard their voices from around the corner and froze against the wall. Steph got on her hands and knees and peeked around the corner (A trick she had learned spying on her FTAs). To her surprise the first person she saw was the elusive Gwyn. There was an intense discussion led mostly by Gwyn. She was asking Vicky questions. Vicky seemed very meek and not at all her confident perky self. "Yes, ma'am. No, ma'am. I'm sorry, ma'am." Who IS this Gwyn? Vicky acts as if at any moment Gwyn will not only fire her, but also eliminate her from this world. And who are those guys? My "hunk radar" would have alerted me if they had been around earlier.
The two guys Steph was watching looked like Rangeman wannabes. They were big, muscular and dressed in blue buttoned shirts and blue pants. They were hanging on Gwyn's every word, ready for her orders. Gwyn dismissed the group and headed back toward the offices. Shit! She must work here. I bet she's their boss. I've seen that command stature before with Ranger and Tank. What the hell is going on here?
Rather than follow Gwyn back to her office where she would probably give Steph the same line of BS she received from Vicky. Steph decided to tail the two men. They exited the building through the back door and slid into a four-wheel ATV parked by the door. The word "SECURITY" was stenciled on the sides and hood. She watched as they headed down the private drive and toward the large barn-like buildings at the back of the Hermitage property. Steph had asked earlier about the buildings, thinking that perhaps horseback riding might be an offered perk. She had been told by a staff member that those buildings were not part of the spa and were off limits for guests. Yet the spa security men were heading right to that location. We'll just have to see what kind of security force we have here in the middle of nowhere. And Steph was off, following the ATV.
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Her first surprise was the strong chain link fence that surrounded the compound of buildings. It had been hidden to the casual observer by a thicket of well pruned hedges. A slow walk-around revealed a gap between the bottom of the swing gate and the ground. At first it didn't seem big enough for her to get through. But Steph found if she turned her head to the side and pushed her body through using her toes to push and wiggling snake-like, she could make it to the other side with minimal noise and maximum mud. Stealthily, she headed for the windows along the main structure.
The front of the building looked like any barn in any countryside. However from the side one could see that the front was simply a façade concealing two rows of long bunkhouse-type structures. Steph made her way along the first long building. The windows all had chicken wire imbedded in the glass, making the windows impossible to break and escape through. Very strange. What don't they want to get out? When she peeked in the first window, she got her answer. And it wasn't a pleasant sight.
Steph saw a small eight by ten foot room furnished with only a bed and wooden chair and lit by two simple light bulbs hanging from wires in the ceiling. The room was not empty. Standing in the center was a fairly buffed man. He was wearing a white tee shirt that might have been painted on. He was pant-less. Kneeling in front of him was a woman obviously performing fellatio. Her hands were tied behind her back. He had a firm hold of her hair and was not very gentle in either his hold or his thrusts. It was obvious that the woman was not a willing participant and the bruises on her body showed that she had fought the good fight and lost. Steph could feel her blood run ice cold at the violent sight and was looking for a way to help the poor victim when the man inside, evidently finished with his release, stepped aside and Steph got a look at the woman's face. It was NeeNee.
Oh my God! I've got to get help. Something terrible is going on here. I've got to get to my phone and call the police. Maybe they know what's going on here. Maybe they are part of it. I'd better call Ranger. NO! I can't let him know I'm here. Shit! What am I going to do?
Steph backed away from the window, turned and ran towards the gate and snaked her way back out. She ran full tilt back towards the Hermitage dorms and opened the back door. Standing at the door, waiting for her was a very angry Gwyn. Steph took a quick step back and turned to run. She ran into a large wall dressed in a white tee shirt and dark pants. The wall grabbed her around her waist with one arm and firmly placed his other hand over her mouth, stifling the scream that had almost escaped.
"Oh my dear, what shall we do with you now? Why couldn't you have just played out your little fantasy and gone home?" Then Gwyn addressed the wall holding Steph. "Take her to the barn and put her in one of the training cages. Everything is soundproof there and she can scream her lungs out. Make sure it's securely locked and that the others understand that she is not to be touched. She is off limits until I check with the partners. I'm not sure what we will do with her yet. I just know that she can't stay here long."
The human wall restraining Steph simply lifted her off her feet and carted her off towards the barn. Gwyn headed inside to call her partners for guidance. Steph's disappearance would cause too many questions. Her visit to the Hermitage was a secret that was too easy to break. Her accidental death would be easier to explain and would protect the business. Just how her accident would happen was what needed to be discussed and arranged.