Chapter 21

They were still sitting there cuddling long minutes later, when the 'doorbell' buzzed. Amanda hopped up to answer it.

"Yes?" she asked, toggling the outside intercom.

"I'm Dr. Shaw." came the reply, in a woman's voice.

Amanda looked to Cindy, who nodded.

"Please stand clear of the door." Amanda said, and lowered the stairs.

A very business-looking mid forties woman in a dark skirt suit and overcoat entered, carrying a large attaché case in one hand and a beige sports bag in the other. "Hi. I'm Dr. Kate Shaw." she said with a bright smile, setting the bag down and offering her hand with a cheery smile.

"I'm Amanda Thomas." she returned with the smile and the handshake.

"Ahh. My potential patient!" Dr. Shaw noted, touching her glasses up her nose a bit, and tucking a stray brunette hair into her ponytail. She took absolutely no notice of Amanda's nudity, or her marks.

"Yah, but you've gotta look at Corey first." Amanda said, indicating him sitting in the doorway. "Three cuts on the fore head, one on the left ear."

Cindy had quietly left them as the doctor was entering.

Corey had straightened his robe and was sitting leaning against the doorframe, smiling awkwardly.

"Now let's see what's under here." she said, removing the dressing from his head. She examined him thoroughly and questioned him about how he felt. He was feeling more comfortable with her easy, business-like style when she asked him what had happened.

"I... was in a really bad mood, and I couldn't seem to get out of it. So I hit my head on the doorframe there." He explained, embarrassed.

"I think he hit his ear here when he fell back." Amanda said, pointing at the spot.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to have a colleague of mine close these for you. He's a top notch plastic surgeon. He'll be able to make sure they heal quickly and won't leave a visible scar." Dr. Shaw advised.

"How soon can he be here?" Corey asked.

Dr. Shaw laughed. "He does micro-surgery! He has a team of eleven! He's not exactly mobile!

"Look, Miss Thomas advised me of your need for confidentiality, and we can accommodate you, I assure you! We're a very private facility, and you can use the rear entrance. We're about forty minutes away, and Dr. Westman can fit you in with an hour's notice."

"How long will it take, and what kind of recovery time am I looking at?" he asked.

"It'll be done under a local, you'll be safe to drive when he's finished. It won't look normal till the swelling goes down, call it three days. The surgery itself, maybe an hour for the forehead, fifteen minutes for the ear."

"It's what, one o-clock now? Set it up for three-thirty. And thank you." Corey said.

"Don't mention it." Dr. Shaw smiled, and made the call from her cell phone.

"Three thirty's fine. They'll be ready for you. Have your driver call for directions, we're not easy to find." Dr. Shaw smiled, then re-bandaged his wounds. "Can you stand?"

"Yah, I think so." he said. He stood with the doctor and Amanda ready to help support him from either side, but he had no trouble.

"I don't think you've done any neurological damage, but we'll x-ray your head just in case, and you should avoid any painkillers with a sedative effect. Try to rest and stay alert for the next half hour, then get some sleep if you can. You don't look like you slept much last night." Dr. Shaw told him.

"And now for you, Miss Thomas." she said, turning to Amanda.

"Well, you can look at me, but I think you should check my sister first. If that's okay." Amanda said. "I'll go find her."

"Can I offer you any refreshment, Doctor Shaw?" Corey asked, leading her into the living room and around the curtains to the bar.

"No thank you, Mr. Michaels." she said, perching on a bar stool as he poured himself a tall apple juice.

"Ahh. Cindy told you who I was?" he asked casually, before draining the glass.

"I recognized you. The radio station I listen to in the car plays your songs." Dr. Shaw explained.

"Oh? Are you a fan?" he asked.

"Not really, Mr. Michaels. I like your music, but I don't go to pop concerts. I'm more the symphony type." She said with a light laugh. "And you should sit down and relax."

"As long as you like the music." he said with a smile as he came around and sat in his oversized chair, turning the big screen T.V. to a football game with the remote.

Amanda returned from the bedroom a moment later.

"She's ready for you back in the bedroom." Amanda said, indicating the way. "Can I get your bag for you?"

"Thank you." Dr. Shaw said, and went through the bedroom door with her attaché case.

Amanda went forward for the sports bag, took it back to the bedroom, then came out and shut the door behind her. She curled up in Corey's lap and snuggled her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry all this happened, Corey." she murmured.

"Me too, Amanda. But I think the worst is over. I think we're going to be all right." Corey said, hugging her.

"That is, I'm sorry this morning happened." Amanda clarified. "I'm not sorry what I experienced last night happened. It was unbelievable. Like I said to Cindy, I'll be cherishing the memory of it, and masturbating to it, until the day I die."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Cupcake. I feel the same way about it, except for Cindy." he told her.

They cuddled closer together, watching the T.V., but neither were thinking about what they were watching.

Fifteen minutes later the bedroom door opened.

"All right. And thank you Doctor." Cindy was saying. "Okay Amanda, your turn." she called.

Amanda went back in the bedroom with the doctor, and Cindy took her place on Corey's lap, moving slowly and carefully.

"How are you?" Corey asked gently.

"Well, other than the obvious, I have a small rip in the anterior edge of my vagina, and a couple of really tiny ones in my anus. No intercourse for four days, and nothing rough for two weeks."

"I'm so sorry Cindy."

"Don't be, please."

He paused a moment and thought about that, and was still confused. "Pardon me?" he asked.

"Look, you shouldn't have done that to me last night. But I did deserve it."

"You... deserved it? I'm afraid I don't understand that at all." he stated.

"I'll explain after the doctor's left. I don't want to have to say it all again for Amanda." Cindy said, sounding subdued.

"Aah, okay. You want to watch something else? Or do you like football?" he asked.

"I'm kind of neutral about football, but then I'm kind of neutral about television in general. Go ahead, I just want to snuggle with you anyway."

"Alright. The Forty Niners are up by seven, with six minutes to go in the last quarter. I'm a Niners Fan, so that's good."

"They're not playing Seattle, are they?" Cindy giggled.

"No, they're playing Dallas."

"Oh. Then it is good."

"Why? You a Sea Hawks fan?" Corey asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't even recognize they're uniforms, but I think you should always support your home teams. Washington's home. Living in a plane, I feel like I've left home, but I don't feel like I've moved anywhere else yet, so Washington's still the home team."

"Cool." he laughed.

"Cool?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure. Loyalty is always cool." he said, suddenly serious.

"What is it?" she asked.

He paused for a moment, and ordered his thoughts. "It's just that loyalty and trust are very close to being the same. I've always felt that a relationship feels like magic in the beginning, and it stays that way until the trust is broken. The first time someone hurts the other with a lie, or a cruel act, or even takes them for granted, the magic is lost. It can still be good, very good even, but it's not magic anymore, it's just an ordinary relationship. Two ordinary people struggling for happiness. Or three."

Cindy was silent for a moment. "Has being with Amanda and me lost it's magic for you, Corey?"

He raised his eyebrows as he considered. "No. Not at all. But I'm not the one whose trust was betrayed. I can't believe you've decided to stay with me after what I did."

"I never considered leaving you, Corey. You were the only one that brought it up. It's funny. Last night, you played me so well, I accepted it. It felt like something I'd decided to do of my own accord, so I didn't feel like you'd betrayed my trust. This morning, I just felt sad. I wanted so very much to be able to cuddle you this morning and say 'See? I told you everything would be all right.' And I couldn't.

"I feel like things went wrong last night, but I don't feel betrayed. It still feels like magic to be with you, Corey. Your magic is too strong to be lost. You'll never be ordinary, even if you quit all this and became a plumber. Being with you will never be an ordinary relationship. Your magic is just more dangerous than I thought it was, that's all.

"And of course it's more magic than ever for Amanda. Even though you really, really scared her this morning, bashing your head in like that. I'm sure there was a moment when she ran in here when she knew you could be dead, or brain damaged. And I'm sure she got just as scared when you were talking about us leaving you. But she'll be all right, she's a trouper."

"I'm sorry about that. But I had to do it. I really had to. I think I was about an inch away from a psychotic break. I might have killed you both." he said grimly. "I never felt anything like that last night. Last night I felt in control of myself."

"Are you worried it could happen again?" she asked quietly.

"No. I know what to watch for, now. There's no way I'll ever let myself go that far again."

"Good. I love you, you know." she said.

"I love you Cindy." he returned, hugging her gently.

A few minutes later Amanda and Dr. Shaw emerged from the bedroom, laughing.

"You'll do fine, Amanda. I wouldn't mind playing with you myself, some day." Dr. Shaw was saying.

"You'd have to ask Corey and Cindy about that!" Amanda laughed.

"So, you think you've learned your lesson?" Dr. Shaw asked Cindy.

"Yes Doctor." Cindy said sheepishly. "I'll tell them right away, and I'll never let it happen again."

"Good. How about you, young man? Do you think you can keep things a little healthier from now on?"

"Yes Doctor. I think I've got a handle on it now."

"Well remember, if you gain control of others but lose control of yourself, you haven't gained anything." Dr. Shaw pointed out. "If you ever feel like you're losing it, call me, any time day or night. I'll get you over it without resorting to self-induced head trauma.

"SM can be the most beautiful part of your life, but if you don't respect it, it'll soon become the worst part of your life. If you kids want, I'd be glad to play with you sometime. You'd definitely benefit from my experience."

"Thank you Doctor, we'll certainly keep that in mind." Corey said, rising and gently setting Cindy on her feet before offering his hand to the doctor. "Will I see you at the clinic later?"

"Yes. I'll be there to introduce you to Dr. Westman and his team." she said as they headed forward.

"Excellent. Well, thanks again, and I'll see you then." Corey said as they escorted the doctor to the stairs.

"Bye!" Amanda called, and waved. Dr. Shaw returned the wave as she got into her car. Corey closed the door.

"Let's sit down. There's some things I have to tell you." Cindy said as she led the way back to the living room.

"Do you mind if I grab us something to eat, first?" Amanda asked. "I'm starving."

"Me too. We'll sit at the bar and you can listen while you fix it." Cindy said. She and Corey took seats on the barstools while Amanda started making sandwiches.

"After she examined me she asked me what had happened. I told her everything that'd happened since we met, up till when she got here this morning." Cindy said, sounding suddenly very nervous. "At least, I told her almost everything. She thought about it for a minute, then she pointed out that even with all the psychological manipulation you'd done to me, I still should've said the safe word when it got too much. She said there had to be another reason I'd take that much from you. Some reason for me to think I must've deserved it, or I'd have stopped you. As soon as she said that I knew she was right."

"Come to think of it, you said something like that the other night." Corey pointed out.

"Yes, well... I have a bad character flaw. Maybe being your slave will cure me of it. I... If I want to do something that I think is a good thing to do, I'll do whatever it takes to get it done. I'll lie, and take huge chances, and I'll lie to myself to rationalize and justify what I'm doing. Investigating you is a good example. I wanted to protect Amanda, and I had no problem deceiving everyone you know to do it. And breaking about twenty laws while I was at it." Cindy said, looking down at her hands in shame. "I've been... keeping things from you."

She paused so long that Corey eventually prompted: "Like what?"

"Well, I mis-represented myself as Amanda to get her dental records and x-rays. So I could get the mouth guard made."

"Well that's not so bad!" Amanda laughed.

"No, it's not." Cindy agreed grimly. "But I've also mis-represented myself as Corey." She paused, and forced herself to look him in the eye. "I've started several dozen companies in your name. In almost every country that your record company doesn't operate in. Mostly India, Brazil, China, Indonesia, The Philippines and Malaysia. And the Pacific dragons, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and so forth. I've started recording distribution companies, financial holding companies, print and computer media publishing companies, even chains of record stores. I've spent almost three million dollars of your money."

"Holy shit." he said quietly.

"I know. I conned myself that I didn't ask you about it or tell you about it because I wanted to prove myself to you. And surprise you with my accomplishments. Now I realize that I just wanted to play with your power, and I was afraid you'd say no, that you wouldn't let me. So I re-investigated your business dealings, at a much greater level of detail this time. And then I started doing it. I realize now that I probably wouldn't have told you about it until I got caught. I knew what I was doing was wrong. And I did it anyway."

Corey gave his head a shake. "So, what do these companies do, anyway?"

"Oh. Well, they sell your music. And your posters, tee shirts, magazines that carry articles and pictures of you, fan club memberships, and anything else I could think of that would make you some money."

"Hmph. Well, are they making any?" he asked, still looking a little stunned.

"I don't know. Let me check on my laptop." Cindy said. She fetched it and returned, and started clicking through files faster than he could follow. Corey accepted a plate of sandwiches from Amanda and started wolfing them down while he waited.

"Okay. Only about half the operations are fully up and running." Cindy finally stated, frantically punching keys. "Indonesia's not doing good, but then they got hit pretty hard by the last Asian stock market adjustment, we might want to dump those. India and Brazil are doing particularly well, and the rest are okay. You should have the three million back by the end of the week. Projected profits... well, if we make pessimistic assumptions about the global economy, just to be safe, and if we don't do any more expansion, these operations should make about... forty five million over the next year."

"Holy fucking shit!" he exclaimed. Cindy looked up at him, hoping he'd be pleased. He definitely did not look pleased. He put his hands over his face for a moment, then slid them up and back over his hair.

"Okay. What kind of jail time are we looking at?" he asked grimly.

Cindy struggled to keep her composure, but tears burst from her eyes. She had to take a couple of tries before she could answer. "If I plead guilty and throw myself on the mercy of the court... I should be out in about six years." she choked out, and put her face in her hands.

"Oh God." Corey said, and went a little white. Amanda dropped the knife she was holding with a clatter, and stood there in open mouthed shock. Cindy started crying.

"And me?" Corey asked quietly.

"Huh?" Cindy sobbed.

"How long will I go to jail over this?" he asked impatiently.

"What?" she asked, sounding stupid even to herself, then answered him as he started to ask again.

"Why would you go to jail? It was your money!" she said in confusion.

"How about international recording piracy?" he demanded. "Not to mention a completely fraudulent breach of my recording contract?!"

She stared at him in confusion, tears running down her face, then got what he was getting at.

"Corey, You haven't done anything wrong!" she cried, sounding hopeful. "Your contract is only binding in the countries where your record company operates! That's North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. You're free to market your stuff anywhere else! The only thing illegal about what I've done is the fact that I've done it! I didn't steal the profits from you, it's all going into the savings account your mom set up for you when you were seven! If you'd have done it, you'd have a completely legitimate forty five million dollars a year extra!" She paused, and finished very quietly: "You still can, and a lot more, if you're not going to charge me with embezzlement."

"You sure?" he asked. "I mean, are mine the only records you're selling in those record stores?"

"Yes! They're just little kiosk stores in malls and like that! They're called Corey Michaels' Store, and all they sell is your records and paraphernalia! God Corey, I'd never do anything to put you at risk, you've gotta believe me on that! Hell, what I did do is bad enough!"

"So, let me get this straight." he said, scratching his head. "You're apologizing for building me an international business empire, making me millions of dollars, and not telling me about it?"

"Yes. And I set up over a hundred web sites in different languages for you, and started a bunch of fan clubs, but I didn't have to impersonate you for that." she said contritely.

"And when I asked you about jail time, you thought I was gonna have you thrown in prison?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anything else you could mean. I guess I didn't explain it too well." she said as she wiped her tears.

Corey was completely flabbergasted. "Well, I guess it was wrong for you to do it behind my back, but Jesus! Forty five million a year! Were you done, or still going?"

"I'm about sixty percent finished what I had planned so far. And that forty five million is gross, you'll only get about another fifteen million after taxes and expenses, call it twenty two million if you let me finish the rest of the plans I've solidified. I'dve kept going after that. I wanted to make you number one world-wide before we started touring in Europe. I still do. And I'm not apologizing yet, because I'm still confessing. But I'm done with that part.

"My God Cindy!" he grinned. "If you're asking for my forgiveness, you've got it, I forgive you! And if you wanted to surprise me, you sure did it! How the hell do you find time for all this?"

"Oh that's easy. You just hire a company to hire you good managers in each target city. Then you just tell 'em what you want done and send 'em the money. I did it all over the internet. Mostly when Amanda was working on her drum fundamentals, and when I was in the bathroom."

"So, how much time did you spend on this, total?"

"About... six hours of actually doing, I guess, all told. A lot more time thinking about it. But I didn't do much, I just paid to have it done with your money. Like I say, I was just playing with your power." she said, staring at her hand as she picked at her fingernails. A hunger pang struck, prompting her to grab a sandwich.

"So, what else do you want to confess to?" he asked.

"Mmf." Cindy said, holding up a finger as she washed a bite down with a swig of milk. "You'll want to see this on the big screen." She closed her laptop and tucked it under her arm so she could carry her sandwich and milk over to the huge entertainment center. Setting them down, she got a cable from a drawer and plugged one end into her laptop, the other into the video receiver. After opening the laptop she turned on the audio and video components with the remote and sat at the end of the couch. The huge screen lit with the financial management program she had on the computer. She closed that, and opened a video editing program. She turned to Corey and Amanda, who'd brought the sandwiches and milk. Corey sat on the couch beside Cindy, Amanda snuggled on his lap.

Cindy steeled herself as she forced herself to meet Corey's eye, and told him very deliberately; "I've been recording you without your knowledge." She looked to Amanda. "You too."

She selected a file titled 'Highlight Reel'. "This is in chronological order. There's a minute or so from each... scene. Some are audio only." She said, and clicked on the 'play' icon.

Suddenly the screen lit with a view of Amanda lying on her back and masturbating frantically in her little single bed at home. It was night, and the camera looked down on her lamp-lit form from the top of the dresser at the foot of Cindy's bed. Amanda had her legs wide open and her eyes scrunched closed, and was coming hard, both hands frantic between her legs. Her moans and panting seemed loud coming from the speakers.

"I recorded this about a month before we met you." Cindy said. "I've got about six hours of this. And some scenes of us getting dressed, and one of us having a pillow fight in our panties."

The scene changed, showing Cindy in her shower at home with a view from the bathroom countertop. She smiled at the camera as she finished rinsing shampoo from her hair, then ran her hands over her body provocatively, cupping her breasts on the way down and ending with both index fingers sliding over her clitoris and inside her vagina.

The scene changed again, to Cindy naked in her kitchen with bright morning sunlight streaming in the windows. She has an English cucumber, fifteen inches long and two and a quarter wide, and she lifts it over her head and takes one end in her upturned mouth like a sword swallower. Slowly, she slides the whole thing down her throat except the last inch, which she grips with her fingernails. Then the same scene but later, as she stands with her legs slightly apart, leaning back a bit against the counter. She's placing the end of the cucumber to the opening of her vagina, and gently pushes eight inches of it inside herself. She stops for a moment, then ever so slowly gets another two inches in. She looks tense, and she pushes harder until she whines in pain as she forces another half inch between her labia.

The screen went blue, with the sound of footsteps echoing down a hallway. "Audio only." Cindy pointed out. They heard the jingle of keys, a lock being turned, a door quietly opened and closed. There was a pause, the tinkle of glasses and bottles, another pause, then Corey's calm voice; "How did you get in here?" it asked. "I'm supposed to have two security guys in the hall, and I know the door was locked." Then Amanda's shy voice; "If I tell you, will you let me stay?"

"Oh my God!" Amanda exclaimed. "It's our first night together in the arena in Spokane!"

"I had a transmitting bug sewn into your skirt, and a recording receiver in a tree outside." Cindy admitted. She reached over and stopped the playback. "I have one camera video of our bedroom the next night, and audio of everything we've done together, both in and out of the bedroom, so to speak. My favorite audio only one is the dinner where you gave us our rings. I have multi-camera video of the entire airplane from the minute the living room was finished. I have twenty cameras in here, sixteen in the bedroom, eight in the bathroom, one in the closet, two in the back, and ten in the front three rooms. They're all little fiber optic cameras, a quarter of an inch wide, camouflaged with non-reflective lens surfaces. I cleared it with Markus, but I told him the surveillance system was for security, while hinting strongly that you wanted them so we could record our sexual escapades, and that you were kind of embarrassed about it. I knew he wouldn't ask you about it that way. We set up the access so that I can't see the front three rooms without his passwords, and he can't see our quarters without mine. And of course, if you'd looked around the other side of the curtain, you'd see a fiber optic cable running from the curtain to my desktop. I recorded last night with forty channels of video and four of sound. I'd have preferred to record the sound with your gear, but I couldn't think of a way to do it without tipping you off."

She fell silent for a moment, thinking. "That's all I have to confess, I think. I'm very sorry for deceiving you. Both of you."

"Wow. I forgive you Cindy! Having recordings of everything we've done together is so cool!" Amanda stated happily, reaching out to hold Cindy's hand. "I can't wait to see the video from last night!"

"It still has to be edited together." Cindy told her.

"Why so many channels of video?" Corey asked.

"Well, when you have no camera man and none of the cameras move around, it's the only way to cover all the angles, to make sure you don't miss anything." Cindy explained.

"How do you store it all? I mean, that's thousands of hours of video!" he exclaimed.

"Not really. I have software that senses whether there's any movement and lighting changes on screen. If nothing in the picture has changed for five seconds, it stops recording and holds on the last frame, so you don't waste any storage recording empty rooms or unused camera views." she said. "Besides, I have three terabytes of commercial hard disk storage. It'll be a long time before I run out. A terabyte is a thousand gigabytes, or a million megabytes. Or a trillion bytes."

They sat in silence for a few minutes and finished the sandwiches and milk while Corey was considering what he'd learned.

"Well, if you'd have told me you had a couple of surprises for me, and then told me all of this, I wouldn't have minded cuz there was no harm done." he stated slowly. "Actually, I'd have been very pleased. I'm sure the footage is a lot better, more spontaneous and real than it would have been if me and Amanda knew we were being recorded. If you really wouldn't have told me about this till you got caught, or until I did something to you like what I did last night, that wouldn't have been good. But I did enslave you last night, and you did tell me today, so that's a moot point."

He paused, then smiled and ruffled her hair like she was a child. "You really are a manipulative, sneaky little bitch, aren't you Cindy?" he chuckled. "You love being sneaky, don't you? You're a regular little Jane Bond!"

"Yes Master. I'm a sneaky little bitch, and I love it." Cindy said in shame, hanging her head. "But I'm so sorry for deceiving you, and I swear I'll never do it again."

"Sure you will!" Corey laughed. "You might as well go ahead if you want to. I trust you not to do anything that could really get us in trouble. Of course, you realize that I'll punish you when I catch you?"

"Yes Master. I know that." Cindy admitted.

"Mind you, I probably won't catch you, you're very good at being sneaky."

"Thank you." she murmured.

"So, I'll just make you confess your sins every once in a while, then I'll punish you. Within the limits of our new rules, of course!" he laughed.

"Ooooh, will you punish me too, Master?" Amanda giggled, wiggling her nubile body against him.

"Not the way you think, Lovetoy." he laughed. "You love being hurt and dominated too much to really use it as punishment on you. If I did, you'd be bad every minute of every day! No, when you really do something that I think you deserve to be punished for, I'll make you stand in the corner with your hands tied behind you and your legs apart, so you can't stimulate yourself at all while I fuck Cindy silly! If you really want to be tied up, raped, whipped and violated, you'll have to be a very good little girl, and I'll give it to you as a reward, rather than as punishment!"

"Will you? Oh Master, I'm going to be so good for you!" Amanda joyously pledged, bouncing up and down in his lap and hugging him. "I'm going to be the best little slave girl any master ever had!"

"I know you will, Amanda." Corey murmured, hugging her warmly.

"And what do I get as a reward, if I'm very good?" Cindy asked.

"Why, you get Amanda, of course!" Corey laughed. "Mind you, you can have her any time I'm not using her if she wants to be with you, but I'm forbidding you to be dominant over her unless I've given her to you to reward you. I won't even charge you a million for her. How's that?"