Chapter 60

7 AM, Saturday, 9/30/06

At the Grimes household, things were not going as smoothly as the family might have hoped. Margo had woken up at 6 AM and begun fretting about everything – the family's outfits for the evening, the caterers, transportation, and a thousand other things she didn't even bother putting into words.

Candy was the second one up that morning, rolling off her air mattress on to the living room floor. She scratched herself and went stumbling toward the kitchen, only to hear Margo's sobs as she approached. Candy very carefully eased to the door and peered around.

Margo sat at the kitchen table, head in hands, tears flowing, nose running, shoulders shaking, as she let her anxieties overwhelm her.

It was far from Candy's first experience with the insecurities of Dominants, so she stepped quietly away from the door and walked into the master bedroom. She examined Harry carefully, having heard about his issues when awakened during a nightmare, but as far as she could tell, he was sleeping peacefully.

She was about to change that.

"Harry ... Harry sir... Harry!" she hissed, shaking him gently.

"Oh, you're going to have to be a little more forceful than that," Camille said sleepily as she rose up on her elbow out of the puppy pile of sleeping people. She put her hand on Harry's chest and shook him forcefully. "Harry, wake up – Candy needs you! NOW!"

"Then why didn't she say so," Harry replied, his voice soft and indistinct.

"I did, sir – I'm just not learned in how much force should be applied."

Harry thought for a moment about Candy ... and just how much force she could apply.

"Okay, so ... why am I awake?"

"Your wife, sir – Madam Grimes – she's in the kitchen having a meltdown, I suspect about the party."

"I suspect you're right," Harry said, trying to figure out how to disentangle himself from the jumble of limbs he found himself in.

"Sir," Candy said, putting out a hand to stop him, "give me the word and I'll bring her to you."

Harry was about to protest that Candy couldn't, when he realized she could. Then he went to work thinking on whether Candy should...

"Go ahead, but try to be gentle. Camille, you've got a couple of minutes to clear a space for Madam when she arrives – get to it."

Three minutes or so later, a crying, spluttering, pissed-off Margo was carried into the bedroom over Candy's shoulder.

The ground and house of the Kaiser family's Hill Country estate were quiet. The four permanent staff members were waiting to oversee the arrival of the catering people and the others who were to prepare the estate for the party that evening. Once Dana Kaiser arrived, they would gladly pass on the responsibility to her and retire to a nearby motel until she called them to return, but until then, the grounds and house were theirs to oversee and manage.

They were not overly pleased when the vans with "Suburban Submissives" on the sides arrived at the front gate.

For the owner of "Suburban Submissives", Jacqui Brady, it was like traveling into another country – while the two men and two women all spoke with Texas accents, their attitudes and demeanors were like something out of Masterpiece Theater's "Upstairs Downstairs" – the "Upstairs" part - and the grounds and rambling farmhouse were straight out of a travelogue.

Trying to ignore the disapproving stares of the staff, she and her crew began setting up. They'd never handled such a large party before – a party that seemingly got larger every day – and she knew that if they managed it well, her business future was secure.

If they made a mess of things ... well, Jacqui had no desire at all to return to the hell of retail sales, so she figured they'd better not fail.

Callie Ann Courtland was very worried. Her friend Elenore Landau had helped her get the band a gig at a BDSM soiree out in the Hill Country, but she wasn't sure a bunch of high-brow dabblers were ready for her band's hardcore style. She'd been having nightmares about firing up the amps and then being kicked out before the first guitar chord split the air. It had been just over a year since their last performance in public, and it was only Callie Ann's passion that had kept the band together and practicing regularly.

Still, Elenore assured her it would be all right, so she and the band were spending part of the morning in a final set rehearsal, then it would be time to pack up the gear and head for what she was sure would be a disaster.

8 AM

"I'm sorry," Margo said as she was held in the arms of her spouses. "I didn't mean to fall to pieces like that."

"No problem at all," Kelly said, stroking her shoulder. "This evening is a little stressful for all of us, but it's big-time stress for you. We know that, we expect it ... but damn it, wife, everything is going to be fine!"

"We've got plenty of very talented and skilled and experienced people making sure it will all come off without a hitch," Carol said, her arms around Margo's legs.

"There's even been talk," Kelly continued, "that if this is as big a success as it looks like it's going to be, we should do it again, every year."

Margo burst out into tears again.

"Kelly darling," Harry said, Margo's head on his shoulder, "this might not have been the best time to mention that."

All across Central Texas, phone calls had been made, plans discussed, hopes kindled, and traveling plans made. Bags were packed and secreted away, even before there was word as to whether their proposal had been accepted.

Among the plotters and planners, there was no one that wasn't completely trusted – years in service and time spent together resulted in all the group knowing each other and their predicaments all too well. No one was put 'in the loop' without being fully vetted.

No one would be allowed to put their plans in jeopardy, and so some who might have honestly wanted to participate were turned away, simply because they weren't trusted enough... with the promise that they wouldn't be forgotten if they proved themselves trustworthy.

September 30^th, 2006 was a day the local Society would long remember, for a number of reasons.

The DJ's and crew of Radio Free Mordor had been surprised to hear from Dayna Spyderchylde, and a little concerned when she told them about the party – there are things that are simply unbelievable outside of porn and her description was full of them – but she'd offered them a very generous fee, paid half in advance, and for that amount alone they would have showed up.

Once the promised opportunity to see real live naked women was included, there was no way they were going to miss the party.

So with the help of a lot of personal grooming and Society etiquette advice from Dayna, they prepared for what was going to be the most lucrative gig of their careers, going to the apartment of Mick, the group's founder, and gathering their equipment, computers and drive-stacks.

Then the four of them - Mick, Jack, Scott, and Keith - sat around Mick's apartment and stared at each other, waiting for it to be time to pack the van and leave.

9 AM

Sometime around 9AM, Madame Cornelius and the rest of her household arrived, followed by two large moving trucks filled with equipment and furniture. For a few moments, it was imperious glare vs. arrogant stare, but no matter what the permanent estate staff might think, they were not the equal of Minerva Cornelius on her worst day.

As this was quite likely to be a day which marked the culmination of years of hope and dreams, and months of planning for the formidable Dominatrix, it was very far indeed from her worst day.

Hans and Andre began setting up pavilions while Li Kuan and Puppy performed final construction on some surprises for House Chorale, under the careful supervision of the Madame.

Across the city and its surrounding suburbs and bedroom communities, people were preparing for House Chorale's party as if it were the Samhain Fetish Ball, without the ornate costuming. There was a buzz of excitement in the air, unmistakable to anyone who was paying any attention at all to Society politics in the area – something new was happening, something different. The individual Houses – large, medium, small and even those as yet unfounded, merely dreamed of – were going to vote on the direction the public face of their lifestyle was going to take. They had a choice, a real choice, and through the underground of dissatisfied Dominants and submissives, the word had spread – in no uncertain terms.

If you were happy with the way things were going under Laney and his allies, stay at home and have a pleasant Saturday evening.

If you weren't, it still wasn't too late to finagle an invitation to the coronation of a new Master and Madam of the Society. It would mean a split from the established hierarchy, but really, wasn't that long overdue?

At the site of the evening's gala, Madame Cornelius' cell-phone rang almost continuously – by the end of the night, there would be no undecided. The groundswell was impossible to miss.

Karghold Newton was providing the babysitters, four for each of the impromptu crèches – Karen and Patricia's for the older kids and the Grimes' home for the younger set, as well as another four to fill in where needed.

Thad and Vida were giving the young people from the Karghold a final lecture.

"You know what you're allowed to talk about and what you're not to speak of," Thad said. "These are the children of our friends and our allies, but they're not Karg – let alone of our Karghold. I hate to put it this way, but ... play nice with them. It's doubtful any of them are being raised as you are – they aren't taught to fight or protect themselves, and a lot of them are probably going to public schools, so they're nowhere near as educated as you are."

Vida took over. "There are still a lot of things you'll have in common with these other children and so having fun shouldn't be a problem at all. Remember that our slaves are there not only to watch out for the safety of the other children, but to watch over you as well. You all know what is expected of you – do not shame your parents, your families, your friends or us."

Anyone used to dealing with kids would have been astonished at the attention Thad and Vida were paid by the children before them – children that ranged from four to fifteen years of age. They responded to the heads of their clan more like soldiers than youngsters.

10 AM

"Why can't one of the girls sit with me?" Jason said, avoiding a whine by the narrowest of margins.

His mother Gloria replied, "They're going to be at the party as well, but the Grimes' have assured me that the folks in charge of the older kids are very good people and you'll have a lot of fun this evening. Then you can either come home, or crash at Karen and Patricia's – it'll be your choice, but should you stay over, there are yummy plans for breakfast – evidently the sitters are very good in the kitchen."

"Don't see why I can't just come to the party..."

Gloria Tanner looked at her son, her face serious. "Yes you do, Jason – you know exactly why, don't you?"

He looked back at her and smiled, deciding to make the best of the situation. "Yeah Mom, I do ... it's just ... I like these people, same as you." He blushed. "Okay, maybe not the same as you, but I don't like being passed off to spend the evening with a bunch of strange kids, when I could be staying at home."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Jason, you know I do ... the Grimes and their friends are going to be a large part of our lives for the next several years – it'll be good for you to get to know some of their children ... and I worry about you. I know you don't find it easy to make friends, and given that their parents are as strange as me..."

"I know, Mom, but that's impossible," he said, standing up and giving his mother a kiss on the cheek. "No one's as strange as you."

"Funny kid," Gloria said, giving him a hug. "I tell you what, if you do decide to come home, give me a call and someone will come sit with you – I'll make sure of it."

11 AM

Eddie Janak was not in his happy place. Tamara was in her happy place, Annie Beth and Merry were in very happy places.

Eddie was buying collars for his new submissives and was therefore surrounded by happy, chattering women.

Then there was to be shopping for suitable outfits for the evening for the two new girls.

Eddie wasn't quite in Hell – he been awakened most sweetly by the woman he loved and their two new roommates – but he swore he could see Hell from where he was.

Still, he'd been able to call some people and in so doing get an old friend and his band a chance to perform at the party. It was a partial repayment of a lot of favors over the years and Eddie was looking forward to his family's response to the music.

Dominique Duvalier was still recovering from the night before at her club – it hadn't been anything special, but there'd been a lot of people in attendance, hoping that House Chorale would put in an appearance, eager to speak with them on various and sundry matters. She'd told more people than she could count that it was highly unlikely the House would show up that evening – they were very busy preparing for a party that it still wasn't too late to get invitations to, and had undoubtedly made Madame Cornelius' cell-phone ring to beat the band, given the number of times she'd given out the woman's business number.

And so it had been a long evening and it had taken a good hard fucking for her to wind down enough to sleep.

She looked around her office and apartment, thinking how nice it would be to have a home ... not that she hated her current residence ... but more and more, since Carol had come back into her life, Dommi had realized that it wasn't really a home, and there was someplace else she really wanted to be. Now that there was no more House Duvalier, now that she was happily another Dominant in House Chorale, she wanted to be close to her family. Moving day couldn't come soon enough.

Still, there was much to do before that point, and still much to be done that Saturday in particular. The club wouldn't be open that evening, except as a waiting room for the guests who were waiting to be ferried by limo to the party. Sinfonia and a small group of the staff would be keeping the guests comfortable until the majority had been transported. Then they would finally be free to come to the party themselves.

As coffee brewed and Ricky made breakfast, she was surprised when Deanna came up from downstairs.

"Mistress, there are some people here to speak with you."

"Show them in and make them comfortable, I'll be downstairs in a few minutes," Dommi replied, shuffling over to find a robe to wear. "Ricky, bring coffee and breakfast down to me – if they're willing to disturb me when the club is closed, they can damn well watch me eat."

"Shall I offer them coffee, Mistress?" he asked, grinning at her grouchy mood.

"Yeah, put on another pot ... damn ... I am so not ready to deal with visitors today."

Thirty minutes later, her breakfast forgotten, Dominique Duvalier couldn't figure out if the outcome of the discussion she'd had was going to have her in laughter or tears ... she knew that if she passed it on to Margo before the proper moment, her friend's reaction would be tears, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Janet Hart was in a quandary – all three of her co-workers had extended an invitation to her for the party – Eddie had even gone so far as to say that, given her help on the Fruehauf job, it wouldn't be right if she wasn't there – but she had absolutely no idea whether she should go or not. She'd been in her share of odd situations – her five years in prison not the least of them – and she rubbed the spot on her cheek where the three black teardrops had been tattooed, thinking of some of those situations. She wasn't comfortable around people, especially large groups of people – by the same token, however, there would be enough people in attendance for her to disappear ... and it would make her employer happy if she attended.

She started going through her wardrobe for something that looked remotely appropriate for a party.

12 PM/Noon

By noon, Minerva knew they had won, and won with such a show of public support, such a mandate, that they could, if they wished, avoid the Samhain Fetish Ball altogether – not that they would, but anything said or done there was irrelevant.

Li Kuan was surprised to see her beloved Madame in tears.

"Madame, what is wrong?"

Minerva Cornelius's knees gave way and she fell onto a pile of large pillows that had been laid out for seating in the largest pavilion.

"We have won, Li Kuan – it is done. Everything now is just a formality ... and we must make it truly formal." She tried to find a number in her cell-phone's address book and was frustrated by her inability to do so.

"Li Kuan, make this damnable thing do as I require!"

Her long-time companion took the phone gently from her Madame's hand.

"Minerva," she said softly, "it is working perfectly ... you need to stop crying so you may see the screen."

"Oh damn," Madame Cornelius said, sniffing loudly and smiling through her tears, "I do so hate it when I fail to maintain my composure."

"No one will ever speak a word of it. Now, who do you want me to call?"

Elenore Landau had met the members of House Cornelius – she was familiar enough with them to know who Li Kuan was when she called and to know it was something important.

"Madame Cornelius has a requirement, Ms. Landau," the Chinese woman said. "Make sure that your band can play Handel's "Zadok the Priest, Coronation Anthem No. 1"."

"Uh, Miss Li, the band that will be playing ... I'm not sure they're capable of performing that." Elenore was not ignorant where classical music was concerned; she knew the piece Li Kuan was referring to.

"Then either they should learn it, and do so very quickly, or the DJ's had better have a copy of it, shouldn't they?"

"Yes ma'am," Elenore replied. "I'm sure something can be arranged, as well as some other, suitably celebratory music as well."

Before Li Kuan had finished closing her Madame's phone, Elenore was calling Callie ... and then Dayna Spyderchylde to get her to pass on Li Kuan's instructions to the DJ's.

Once those calls were made, Elenore worried that her own presents for House Cornelius would not be grand enough, given the direction it seemed the evening was going.

Helen McReady sat on her bed in her already mostly-packed apartment and looked at the letter that had arrived with the morning mail.

Sisters of Mercy Hospital had terminated her employment.

It was no great shock, but still she had hoped, up to the very last, that her lifestyle choices wouldn't be held against her – that she'd be able to do a job she was very good at and continue to help people.

Now she had only one official client – Harry Grimes – though she and Margo had discussed work with the clinic Margo was employed by, as well as in the free clinic being set up at Dominique's. She was even willing to just work as a masseuse at Harry and Karen's office – it pleased her to think of being one of the perks of employment there.

Still, she was let go ... not fired, just let go.

Discarded, like any other piece of trash.

Jessica was almost as nervous as she'd been the night the Grimes family had come into her life. Her recent contact with Kelly, as well as her periodic encounters with other members of the family, had done a lot to convince her that her fears were unfounded, but still Quan found herself with a most uncharacteristically edgy lover and Mistress.

Jessica found herself fighting the urge to be unnecessarily nasty and vicious towards her roommate ... a certain amount of attitude was normal and even expected, but she was finding herself far too prone to bite her head off for no good reason.

"Goddamn it, Queen Bee," Quan snapped, "what would Kelly or any of the rest of them recommend you do right now?"

"They'd have me smoking dope until I either calmed down or passed out."

Quan replied, "I'll go next door and see if they have any ... I wish Wendy was here, she's better with our neighbors than I am – but if I don't do something soon, somebody's going to die."

"I wouldn't kill you, Quan," Jessica said.

"It isn't me that's in danger," Quan replied.

Dick Laney of House Odessa was furious. He'd never had any illusions about how many of the Houses in the central part of the state had felt about him and his leadership, but they'd been apolitical so he'd never had to care.

Now, in spite of how he'd strengthened his ties to the old guard and the hard-core, Houses were coming out of the woodwork in support of Chorale, Houses that had never so much as acknowledged Odessa, preferring to drop out of Society altogether rather than deal with him.

He swallowed no small amount of pride and called Wilma Fruehauf, willing to do whatever she required to come to an arrangement.

Still, he had the unmistakable feeling that whatever the two of them, and their allies, could cook up, it would be too little and too late.

1 PM

"Madame," Li Kuan said, "I've made the final arrangements – the appropriate music will be available, we were able to acquire a permit with the help of our friends in the county commissioner's office – that was only a minor miracle, and the pyrotechnics crew will be here shortly. They assure me there will be no problem having everything ready by the time the party officially starts."

"Thank you, my dear," Minerva replied. "Do you think I should warn them, or is it likely to make them too nervous?"

"Warn them, Madame," Li Kuan said. "They'll handle everything well, no matter what, but don't surprise them unnecessarily."

"Wise words, my dear ... wise words indeed."

2 PM

Elsewhere at the estate, a thousand last minute details, most of them involving the safe transport of presents out to the site, had popped up and Madame Cornelius had previously thrown the entire problem over to Li Kuan. She was still busy with last minute invitations, and the bombshell that Dominique Duvalier had dropped on her not half an hour before.

Li Kuan found herself in an unusual situation – it was very rare indeed to find her Madame overwhelmed, but the day was proving to be just that unusual. In her beloved's face she saw the stress, she saw the years ... she saw how very, very tired Minerva Cornelius was.

She put a call to Ophelia, who had been left at home for the evening, and after suitable threats were made and promises received, she put her Madame's niece to work.

Jacqui Brady had never worked a catering job before where she was given a blank check as far as expenses ... Madame Cornelius, whom she'd heard of but never met, had made it clear that the food, drink and service were to remain flowing - no matter what it took. After hearing the latest attendance estimates, Jacqui had realized that Madam Grimes' order to triple the original order for food and beverages was going to fall short ... perhaps drastically so. She'd already sent all four of her vans back into the city for more of everything and nothing less than the best quality would do. That might cause some cries of dismay from her suppliers, but she'd been given a budget that would shut up even the most outraged squawks. They would find what she needed or her people would go elsewhere – not just for this job, but any in the future.

And when her suppliers heard the size of the gathering, they'd realize just what that might mean for them, if they could produce what was required ... and what it would mean if they couldn't.

3 PM

Antoinette and her staff had coordinated with Madame Cornelius for their contribution to the party – plumbing - and Minerva had been surprised by the thought that had been put into their plan.

A series of large, free-standing showers had been erected near the edge of the bluff, just inside the stone wall that prevented guests from easily tumbling over the edge - the view from the showers was incredible. She'd provided the equipment necessary to heat the water, enough towels and other bath linens for an army and a large selection of eco-friendly soaps, shampoos and conditioners – while the guests might be bathing on the lawn, they would lack no comforts. And for the more private, there were small curtained stall showers as well.

Antoinette had come out to the site earlier in the week and consulted with the staff about the house's toilets. As the Kaiser family was used to throwing parties there, for guests who wouldn't dream of using a porta-potty, there were plenty of facilities, located in a discrete outbuilding. While Antoinette's appearance might have scandalized the estate staff, her attention to detail didn't – she made sure that all of the toilets were properly stocked with anything a guest might require.

By 3 PM, the showers were checked and double-checked, extra supplies of everything had been sent for, and she and her staff were helping out elsewhere.

One member of that staff, Wendy, was in awe of the whole thing – she'd been present when the shower system was designed, and she'd seen maps of the estate, but seeing it in person was so much more impressive.

Added on top of that was the amount of work Madame Cornelius and her people had done – on a belt of lawn that circled the house and its outbuildings, pavilions had been put up – one large one in particular that Wendy knew would be for Jessica's friends. Inside each were thick rugs and cushions and comfortable deck chairs on top of slightly raised platforms ... although House Chorale's pavilion also had two large, comfortably-padded wooden chairs that looked suspiciously like thrones.

The cloth pavilions' roof and walls were made of layers of thin cotton, almost gauze-like. Once again, the exception was House Chorale – silk, red trimmed with black. Each of the pavilion 'walls' could be gathered up and tied out of the way for maximum air flow.

Wendy was standing outside Chorale's tent, amazed that what seemed opulent in the others was overshadowed completely by the quality and quantity of furnishings in front of her. No one else should be able to find any room to bitch about their accommodations, except in comparison to these.

"So, young ... lady," said an elderly, female voice behind Wendy, "do you agree that it is suitable for royalty?"

Wendy's heart was racing – she didn't know the voice, but she knew the type of voice – it was as if she was being questioned by the strictest Headmistress any school had ever known ... and that told her exactly who was behind her.

Wendy turned and bowed her head, fighting not to curtsey.

"I think so, Madame Cornelius, but my opinion isn't the one that matters. Are you pleased with their accommodations?"

"Of course I am, girl – if I was not, they would not be here and something else would be in their place." Minerva looked at Wendy, judging her.

"You pass nicely, girl. I gather that Antoinette has chosen your outfit for the evening?"

"Yes, Madame, I'm to be dressed as a French maid - a somewhat less revealing outfit than that costume generally involves – but I'm told I look lovely in it."

The elderly Dominant leaned down.

"Are you prepared to handle attention from both sexes this evening?"

"No Madame, but Antoinette has taught me how to politely decline such invitations, and my ... well, my Mistress has told me that I am hers and she will decide who is allowed to touch me."

"And what if she decides you are to be used by a man, little girl?" Madame Cornelius asked, not unkindly.

"I will discretely use my safe word ... unless..."

"Unless you find yourself not objecting to the prospect – it is good that you keep an open mind on the subject."

"Madame, I have never met a man yet that I wanted in that way, but I certainly don't rule the possibility out. I realized that my choice of personas could create interest in me that I wasn't ready or willing to deal with ... but it's who I am, Madame."

"If anyone gives you any trouble about that, or anything else, young lady, feel free to call upon me or any member of my House – I like you."

Wendy had seen the members of House Cornelius working all afternoon – while the Chinese woman and the two large men might frighten her, she felt much more at ease with the evening ahead of her.

Wendy curtsied deeply. "My thanks, Madame."

Chuckling to herself, Madame Cornelius moved on to the next detail she needed to examine.

The Grimes' household submissives were busy – primarily with transferring clothes and other items to the Omni suite where the happy foursome would spend the next week. Harry and the others weren't even planning on returning to the house after the party – they would go straight to the Omni and begin their vacation.