Chapter 3

I don't usually wake up before the alarm. But on Thursday morning I did. I rolled over in the half light and realised the alarm was going to go off in five minutes. I sat up on the side of the bed and defused the detonator. I took a moment to stretch. I felt pretty good until I stood up. After steadying myself, I put on my robe and grabbed a fresh towel to take to the bathroom.

While washing myself, my thoughts drifted back to the amazing night I'd had. I closed my eyes in the shower, with the hot water cascading over me, and saw Josephine first flogged, then topless, and then asking if she pleased me. It made my skin tingle. Then my thoughts skittered between amazement at the basic truth and beauty I'd witnessed, and wild fantasies of domination. Fragments of fantasies. Images. Images of Josephine, kneeling in front of me, topless and proud. Sticking her fingers deep in her cunt and licking them clean.

"Please fuck me Sir, please... please, I'm so hot... I'll do anything..."

I slid my soapy fingers around my thickening cock and stroked up and down. I was trying not to get carried away, but the images were so strong. I couldn't remember the last time such vivid images entered my mind. But somehow I did remember I wanted to get an early start, and jerking off in the shower would only put me behind the eight ball, time wise.

So, reluctantly, I rinsed off and climbed out. Fifteen minutes later I was shaved and deodorised, and slapping my face with aftershave. My thoughts returned to Josephine, and I wondered at how she accepted the flogging she received. 'Volunteered' was how Chantelle described it. Did she really volunteer? Like, put her hand up, and said "pick me, pick me!" What was the pain like? Josephine didn't seem to mind it. But, did she really like it? Was it the feeling of the flogger hitting her skin that she liked? Or was it being bound, and submitting to a flogging, before an audience?

Chantelle certainly wasn't 'laying into her'. It was amazing. Completely controlled. Chantelle swung the flogger with accuracy and precision, controlling the tempo and the 'weight' of each stroke. The memory of Josephine's face, and of her arching her pussy toward the flogger just before it struck her, were burnt into my memory forever. I smacked my forehead, realising I was staring into the mirror. I ran a comb through my hair.

I looked in the closet and put on my suit from last night. I wasn't going to wear the brown one. Not to a lunch "date". It was getting a bit thin in patches. Well, it wasn't really a date. It was just myself and a couple of new friends, Chantelle and Claudio, chatting and having a meal. Hopefully they wouldn't notice the suit. God, I had so many questions.

I was standing at the kitchen bench, throwing back my coffee as I usually do. I was staring out the double doors at the skyline beyond. On a whim, I put down my coffee, took off my jacket and rummaged under the sink. A few minutes later, the plastic setting on the balcony was no longer dust covered.

"Dammit, I'm gonna spend some money today," I thought as I sipped coffee and sat watching the city awaken.

It wasn't like I couldn't afford it. I was thankful I'd planned for my tuition, and for the reduction in salary I'd suffer while at school and in a lowly position. I planned to make millions when I became a lawyer, but I was a couple of years away from that. So in the meantime, I sat on the chipped (but clean), plastic furniture, on my dusty balcony, drinking crappy coffee, and nibbling at cold, crappy toast.

What the hell was I waiting for? I didn't need to live like this, and I sure as hell didn't WANT to live like this. I got up, went inside, closed the double doors, and emptied my cup down the sink with disgust.

"Okay," I decided, "let's just start with a new suit."

Twenty minutes later I was stepping out of the elevator at my place of employment, armed with some decent coffee from the cafe across the road, and a plan to be out of there as soon as I could. People waved with surprise seeing me in so early. I was at my desk sorting the invitations by 7:30 A.M. I wanted to be out of there by 9:30 A.M. if I could.

I gathered up the invitations and made my way around the two storeys of Gardner and Hammerstein, dropping them on desks and having short conversations with those also in early. By the time I was done and returned to my tiny office, I had three e-mails. All were "well done" and "can't wait" type e-mails. I was pleased with the reactions, and sat back finishing my coffee.

My e-mail beeped with a message from Sylvia Harper.

[e-mail]

From: Sylvia Harper To: Roger Moore

"Is this some kind of joke? Come to my office now please."

[end of message]

Oh jeez. What now? Sylvia was the one who had put the organising of the party on me, and now she wants to see me about it? I looked at the message again. It was pretty cryptic actually. "... some kind of joke?" What did that mean? And, "please"? Sylvia rarely said 'please'. I started thinking the message seemed almost a little desperate. Not Sylvia's usual tone at all. Before I thought about what I was doing, I typed a quick reply and hit send.

[e-mail]

From: Roger Moore To: Sylvia Harper

"I'm a little busy at the moment. Could you come here?"

[end of message]

Almost immediately I got a response.

[e-mail]

From: Sylvia Harper To: Roger Moore

"I'll be there in 15 minutes."

[end of message]

I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I shot off a quick reply.

[e-mail]

From: Roger Moore To: Sylvia Harper

"Now please."

[end of message]

I don't know why I was expecting another reply, but as the seconds dragged by, I started getting worried. I was in the midst of writing an apologetic e-mail when a tap on the glass beside my door nearly made me jump out of my skin.

"Looking at porn again Roger?"

It was Mike, my boss. He was grinning and obviously joking. I laughed as he sat down opposite me.

"This is gonna be great Roger. How did you get lumped with this?"

"Oh it's a long story Mike. Sylvia asked me to get it organised."

"Sylvia? Really?"

A short pause followed and I was wondering what was going on. I ventured a comment.

"I can't believe I'm trying to put together a huge party. I've never done anything like this before, but it is fun."

"Need the rest of the week off? I don't mind really... I mean you've earned it, all that work you did on the VideoMax account and all."

"Thanks Mike. I could really do with a long weekend." Phew! That was easy!

"I'm really looking forward to this party Roger. I just got off the phone with the little lady and she's excited too. We're gonna make a weekend of it!"

"Good for you Mike!" I grinned.

"And these invitations, 'edgy' Roger... very 'edgy'." 'Edgy' was Mike's word of the month.

"I'm glad you like them Mike."

We were interrupted by another tapping on the glass beside my door.

"Hello? Um, excuse me, I didn't mean to interrupt." It was Sylvia.

"Good morning Sylvia. You know my boss, Mike Constanti."

"Yes, hello Mr. Constanti, nice to see you again."

"Yes, you too Sylvia. What brings you down here?"

When I first looked up and saw her, Sylvia looked like the bitch I knew, all attitude and stance. But something happened in the moments that followed. I was watching her closely. She started shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other. She was also playing with the wedding ring on her left hand. What was going on?

"I um, I just wanted to talk to Roger about the party on Saturday night... if that's okay..."

"Sure sure... no problem, I gotta get my ass in gear anyway." Mike winked at me. "See you Saturday Roger. This is gonna be a blast!"

"I sure hope so Mike... I'll check in and make sure you don't need me tomorrow morning."

"It's not necessary Roger, you do what you gotta do to make this party a success, okay?" Mike got up to leave and walked toward the door. I saw him brush past Sylvia and whisper something in her ear. I didn't catch it though. Sylvia and I watched Mike walk down the corridor, rereading the invitation in his hand, and shaking his head.

When we turned back to each other, Sylvia looked like she was blushing. She took a step closer to me and leaned on the edge of my desk. I could see the swell of her breasts, and her frilly bra under the white blouse, beneath her navy blue suit.

"What do you think you're doing?" She whispered as I jerked my eyes back up to hers. "You want to risk the reputation of the whole firm?"

"Reputation? What are you talking about?"

"You don't want me as an enemy Roger. Remember that."

"Sylvia, for once I can honestly say I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You better not be holding out on me Roger."

"What has this got to do with the party?"

Sylvia straightened up and crossed her arms, examining me with a wrinkled brow. Apparently satisfied, she answered, "nothing," and with a wave of her hand she was gone.

What a bizarre encounter. I had no idea what had gotten into her. Later on, I would find out.

I stayed a few more minutes and answered a couple of e-mails. Then one really shocked me. It was from Mr. Hammerstein, one of the partners. It was the first personal e-mail I'd ever received from him.

[e-mail]

From: Emmanuel Hammerstein To: Roger Moore

"Wonderful idea Roger. Congratulations from Gardner and myself. We were just discussing it and are very much looking forward to Saturday night. Gardner asks if Sylvia Harper is coming."

[end of message]

[e-mail]

From: Roger Moore To: Emmanuel Hammerstein

"Yes Sir, as far as I know."

[end of message]

Now I was confounded. What the hell was going on? Oh well, I figured, if I'm supposed to know, someone will tell me. I opened and quickly replied to a couple more incoming e-mails. Most people wanted to know if they should eat first. My standard answer, which drew a few laughs, was "only if you have a strong stomach".

I tidied up my desk and was out of the building by 9:15A.M. I was standing on the steps out front when Annie, Sylvia's secretary, almost bumped into me, balancing three coffees on a cardboard tray.

"Oh hello Roger, I didn't see you there."

"On a mission I see Annie."

"Yes, it's my job." She rolled her eyes. "Where are you off to then?"

Was that a flirty smile? She was distracting me.

"Um... just getting things organised for Saturday night, lots to do, you know..."

"Yes I imagine... god, Sylvia has been in such a bad mood since she read your invitation this morning Roger... do you know what that's all about?"

Hmmm... what to do... what to say...

"Well, I don't know Annie... perhaps you could tell me."

"Um... er..." She really seemed taken aback. "I don't know... it's um... it's like she's off balance or something..."

"Oh really... I wonder what that's all about?"

"M... Maybe you should ask her..."

"I just might do that Annie. Thanks for the advice."

"Oh... Roger don't... um... don't tell her I told you to ask her... I um... I might... um... ohhh." She almost dropped the coffees she was carrying.

"Annie relax, it's all right... what's going on?"

"I can't talk right now, I have to... you know..." She nodded at the building.

"Yes, I understand Annie." She was moving away and had taken a couple of the many steps that led to the revolving doors entering our building. She turned as if struck by a thought. Then a strange thing occurred to me. Though she stood above me, I felt like I was looking down on her.

"Um," she hesitated, "I better go."

She'd changed her mind.

"Okay Annie, nice to see you."

"You too Roger."

I nodded at her and she tip-toed on her high heels up the steps and into the arriving crowd.

"She has a good ass, that girl," I thought to myself. Then I started to wonder if she was a submissive. What was happening to me?

I turned around and looked up and down the street, re-assessing where I was. "Hmmmm..." Uptown or downtown? I was going to be eating downtown... "Okay, downtown it is..." I thought to myself, and turned to my right and set off.

I'd only walked down a couple of blocks before, 'Fabrico DeAngelo', caught my eye. The stooped, grey, kindly old Italian man in there was very helpful.

"You wait, I get a measurement."

So I did wait, and did get measured up. An hour later I was standing looking in the mirror at myself thinking, "fuck, I don't look half bad in a decent suit."

The navy blue jacket was a perfect fit and the matching pants felt like they were made for me. Which struck me as funny, because of course they were. I could hardly wipe the smile from my face.

"So, you meet a beautiful lady?"

"Ah well kind of, I'm going to lunch with a couple of new friends."

"You make a good impression, you not gonna worry okay?"

"No I won't worry," I picked up the business card next to the register. It said, 'Angelo Terrazzo'. Now THAT would be a coincidence... "You don't know Claudio Terrazzo do you?"

"Claudio is my son!"

"Well isn't that interesting, I'm having lunch with him today."

"Santa Maria! My son is gay??!!!"

"Nooo, no Sir, he is just a friend!"

"Ahhh... goodness, you make me nervous... sorry Sir."

"Honestly, it's not necessary Angelo," I replied.

"Well, you must not pay Sir, this suit, my gift to you okay?"

"Oh no, I couldn't, I mean..."

"Friend of Claudio, friend of family... you not a pay, I insist!"

I held out my hand to this kind gentleman, and when he offered his, I grasped it firmly, and held it.

"On one condition... I pay full price for my next suit."

Laughing heartily, Angelo Terrazzo shook my hand once more.

"Deal!"

I smiled and released my grip. "I tell you what Angelo, if I can have you fashion a grey suit for me, I'll be by in the next couple of days to pick it up."

"Ah you trick me Sir. You always getting two suits!"

"Actually, no Angelo, I planned to buy one suit, but the quality of your suits is excellent, and the price is right in my range, now!"

"Ah thank you kind Sir, let it be known, Angelo's suits are excellent!"

He bowed deeply, and I returned the gesture. Two grown men, bowing to each other in the twenty first century. I was having such a good time!

I thanked Angelo and left with a package containing my old suit under my arm.

"Tell my son to ring his mother!" Angelo said, as I exited his store, and re-entered the mid-morning rush. I waved back, wondering what Claudio would say if I did.

I had an hour to kill and figured I'd walk through the park and enjoy the crisp sunshine. I bought some duck food from a vendor and stood leaning on a railing feeding the tame ducks that swam and snapped for their free meal.

Of course I didn't completely waste my time. I was thinking about what I might ask Claudio and Chantelle. They were clearly good friends to each other. Very good friends. Though something made me doubt it had ever been physical. Their relationship was too playful to have ever been serious. Almost like brother and sister. But it didn't seem protective.

Their relationship seemed intimate. They appeared to know each other very well. They seemed to know what each other was thinking. In addition, they seemed to posses a sixth sense of knowing what was going on. I wished I had that. I wanted that knowledge. I wanted that self-assurance.

I considered what I might ask. For a split second, I thought 'practicing' might make my questions seem 'staged'. Then I thought, "no, they will expect me to know what to ask".

The hour flew by.

So it was, on time and with a huge grin on my face, and a great new suit courtesy of an incredible coincidence, I strode up the steps of Jeremy's to meet my lunch partners.

The maitre 'd met me and ushered me past the packed downstairs part of the restaurant, and upstairs to a balcony. Here it was quiet, and only a waiter, standing solemnly at one side, with a tray under his arm, interrupted an otherwise surreal scene. They both stood when they saw me, and the waiter came rushing over.

We greeted each other in the manner I had come to expect. Chantelle didn't hesitate, and kissed my cheek effusively. Claudio shook my hand and welcomed me back to his "house of pain and suffering" with a grin.

"How are you Roger, it's so good to see you, I can't tell you how much I have been looking forward to lunch today," Chantelle gushed.

"Hello Roger," joined Claudio, shaking my hand vigorously, "sit, sit, and might I say that's a great suit."

"He looks terrific doesn't he?" Chantelle admired, winking at me.

"You've spoken to your father haven't you Claudio!" I winked back at Chantelle.