Chapter 41

"Tell me there's aspirin ... and coffee ... and more aspirin," Margo said as she stumbled into the kitchen.

"Of course, there's coffee, my darling love," Harry said, putting down what passed for the city's daily paper and heading for the coffee pot.

"And I'm off to get aspirin for you as we speak," added Carol, scurrying off towards the medicine cabinet.

"Alright, thanks to one and all, I'm off to my place to shower and get clean clothes," Helen said. She walked over, kissed Harry and murmured, "You're a damn nice man to cuddle with, Harry. Therapy this afternoon at 4:30, Carol told me about y'all's appointment at 6 so we'll do an abbreviated routine, give you time to shower and make it to ... wherever ... on time. If you're late I hurt you." With that, Helen bolted out of the house towards her car.

Jackie and Lisa came in, waving good-bye to Helen over their shoulders. "Damn," Lisa groaned, "going out to dinner with y'all can be hazardous to a girl's naughty bits ... I thought Kelly was going to eat me alive."

"Let Carol get a whiff of you like you were when you got to the restaurant last night and you'll have a whole new definition of 'eaten alive'," Margo said, smiling. "Harry, have I told you lately that I love you?"

"No ... can't say that you have," Harry replied, returning to the table with her coffee. "But as you've got the rest of your life to do so, I'm not thinking there's a need to hurry up the process anymore than you feel necessary."

"I love you, silly, silly man," Margo said as she gratefully accepted the aspirin Carol had brought her. "And I love you too, Dr. Grimes, Medicine Woman." Carol wrapped her arms around her wife and hugged Margo tightly.

"I love you, too, wonderful woman." Harry went back to the coffee pot and started preparing cups for Jackie and Lisa. "There's something I've been wanting to talk to the family about," he said, "and it's not that I'm begrudging us the cost, but this limousine thing is getting a tad bit expensive. Our social schedule on nights where all of us will be going shows no sign of slowing down, I mean, it seems we're pretty much going to be rolling with the whole horde of us Friday and Saturday nights ... do we want to see about buying a Suburban, or something like one ... big enough to haul us all?" Harry delivered his load of caffeine to its recipients.

"While I applaud the economy of the idea," Margo replied, "especially since we damn sure wouldn't be using it for any other occasions, just when all of us were going somewhere ... I've just got one question for you, Harry my love. Who gets stuck as the designated driver?"

"Hmmm, good question," Carol said.

"Yes ... we pushed it, pushed it hard last night. And if I'd been a hair more in control of myself, we'd have been going and picking up all three of the cars at the restaurant today ... we would've cabbed home last night," Margo continued. "And I'm not saying that a rotating designated driver position is a deal killer. Let's just not forget to take that into account when we're thinking about this."

"Well, that and something else," Billy said, sopping up a bit of egg with his toast. "A big SUV type vehicle, in black I'd assume, makes a statement ... especially when these lovely ladies start exiting. But nothing, nothing makes a statement like a limo. And it seems to me, we have a lot of 'statement' to make in a very short time."

"Good point, Billy," Harry replied. "It seems to me that the designated driver question, combined with Billy's observation, settles the matter ... do we need to put it to a vote? All in favor of continuing to travel by limo?"

A chorus of "ayes" and "limo" filled the kitchen.

"All in favor of an SUV of some kind?" Harry continued.

The only sounds were the coffee brewing and the ch-chunk of the toaster as four more pieces popped up.

"Alright then, the limo's have it."

Margo finished draining her cup of coffee. "Now that's settled, Harry ... we have something we need to discuss with you ... it's about Karen..."

"Galena," Andrea said as the young woman was about to enter the bathroom.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for last night ... I really ... well, having someone sleeping in the same bed really helped."

"No problem at all, you're cuddly. Just don't be surprised if bedtime gets a little more interesting after the 17^th of next month."

"Birthday?"

"Yes indeed."

Andrea walked up to Galena in the hall, stood behind her and then ran her hands down Galena's t-shirted front, caressing the young woman's breasts, tummy and upper thighs before cupping both her hands over Galena's cunt. "Looking forward to it," she breathed against Galena's neck, before letting go of her and heading back to her bedroom.

"You ... are ... evil," Galena said, shakily.

"Yes ma'am, I am," Andrea replied, blowing her a kiss.

As they rolled towards the office in Karen's convertible, it being her turn to drive, Harry filled her in on the discussion concerning transportation ... and very pointedly did not think of the other morning conversation.

"Like I told them, it's not that I begrudge the money ... I've had way too much fun getting tipsy and very stoned and not have to worry about driving ... and I know that unless all our predictions are completely fucked, my beloved wife the heiress will be much better off after tomorrow than she is today..."

"It's just that while you don't mind spending money, you do mind spending the money if you don't have to ... and this has become a big enough expense on your radar for you to start looking for alternatives."

"Exactly!"

"Well, let me think on it a bit, see what I can come up with."

They drove on, not talking for awhile, Jimi Hendrix blasting through the stereo speakers.

As Galena sat in class, her attention was elsewhere. Not really a problem as she was in Honors English, which would have been more accurately named Honors Literature, and she'd already read all the books in the course syllabus, long before, and was well on her way to having finished all the 'discussion questions' in the packets they'd received the previous day. It was going to be one of her major blow-off courses for the year.

Sometimes it was very good to be as smart as she was. It gave her time to think.

So much was going on in her life, so much she couldn't even dream of referring to, much less get explicit about, in her LiveJournal ... her friends wouldn't believe her and would probably be a bit frightened if they did.

She was scared by the thoughts and feelings that were running loose in her head, wild and unrestrained. A few weeks before, she would never have gotten dominant with anyone, that wasn't her, it wasn't even anything she'd consciously considered ... and the night before she'd basically taken control of a situation and started deciding matters for a woman ten years older than her ... a woman who was married, but not for all that much longer, thankfully, a woman who owned her own business and had seen a lot more of the world than Galena had. "Jesu Christu," Galena thought to herself, "I'm still a virgin!" Yet there she was, 'topping' Andrea, letting the older woman know that not only was Galena in charge, but that they were going to be sexually involved as soon as Galena was 'street legal', as Eddie called it.

What the hell was she doing?

She'd be even more terrified than she was already ... except that her new extended family was all in favor of the changes in her personality ... and when she listened to that new facet of her personality, things worked out. The side that told her to ask everyone to back off, not tease her so much, had been right. Things on that front were getting better and she was having a much easier time of it. The side that told her to take charge of Andrea, to stick her nose in and try to make things better, had actually brought comfort and a bit of peace to the woman's tumultuous life. Still, Galena was worried that her inner voice, the voice from the part of her that now saw the world in terms of dominance and submission, no matter how minor the degree, was going to get out of control, that she was going to run into a situation where those weren't the rules.

But as she pondered her final year, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that high school was not one of those situations she was worried about. Now that she had acquired that filter for viewing the world, high school was seemingly nothing but dominance and submission games.

After a department heads' meeting on the Galway account, Karen gave Star of Texas Limousines a call, and set up a lunch meeting for her and the company's owner, Phil Maginot.

Margo staggered out of her afternoon appointment with Dr. Stallings, trying to control her urge to break down and cry. She hadn't bothered to control her tears during her session, but she couldn't sob and drive at the same time and she had to get back to the clinic.

She looked at the anti-depressant prescription Hal's partner, a psychiatrist, had written her. Smoking dope wasn't enough anymore ... nowhere near enough. And that worried her quite a bit ... it almost seemed as though her therapy was making the situation worse.

In the afternoons, Galena's life was completely different from anything she'd known before, and there was very little about it that she could coast through. Her 'work-study' time at G & P was incredibly busy, filled with so much to learn that she actually felt challenged again. And everyone she worked with was very helpful, and very patient, but while they had absolutely no problem with explaining something to her, completely and taking as much time as necessary to answer questions, they expected her to get it on that first explanation. The most horrifying situation she could imagine was being called into Karen's office and getting the 'disappointed" speech. Lashaundra in Video had gotten called in the previous afternoon and had been despondent the rest of the day. Lashaundra had told Galena that Harry had come in that morning and brightened up her day, which was pretty much how things went, but still, she was determined not to disappoint Karen again.

And at G & P as well, she saw dominance and submission, but at work there were hardly any 'contests' ... the pecking order was well established and very plainly marked. There were the confusing ones, like Harry himself, who obviously sat at the top of the pecking order, but didn't act like it at all ... except when he did. Galena had already heard stories about that. And it generally took something really big, like a complete and total fuck-up on a major part of a project when it looked like there wasn't enough time to correct it for Harry to act like a boss ... and then he would, and the situation got straightened out in time and he went back to being the office jester and creative genius.

The reason for his acting like the boss in those types of situations was simple. It seemed that in times of major stress, Karen got slower and more methodical, wanting to double, triple and quadruple check everything to make sure nothing else went wrong ... which was fine if the company had the time. Harry pulled wild magic out of his ass, and brought out that ability in others as well, which was exactly what was needed when the company didn't have the time. And Harry was smart enough to let Karen be methodical when he could, and Karen was smart enough to let Harry go wild when she needed to.

Harry didn't even seem to want to be regarded as one of the bosses most of the time. There was always a bit of distance between the employees and Karen ... not an uncomfortable one, or an artificial one, just a bit of a distance. With Harry, people walked into his office all the time, talked for a bit, and then went on with their work. Or he'd pop into someone's cubicle, bringing them a cup of coffee, a soft drink or a snack, ask them about their family or friends, and remember their names, tell a funny story or three, ask if they needed any help and if they didn't, he'd make say something to make them feel good and off he'd go. If they did need help, that was fine too, he'd do anything he could for them. There was no doubt that he cared about each and every one of them ... Galena laughed to herself. Harry was the 'Mommy' and Karen was the 'Daddy' of the business ... a realization that, upon reflection, didn't surprise her at all.

It was an odd relationship; one Galena couldn't interpret through her new 'dominance/submission' filter. That didn't worry her too much, though ... what worried her more was making sure she did a good job checking the photo proofs she'd been assigned. And she realized with a start that she was falling behind in that, so she stopped pondering office power structures and went back to looking at pictures of dancing penguins.

"If you would, please, go in, look around, but please keep your voices low. Dr. Lowenstein is meditating and will be with you very shortly. Do try not to disturb her." The receptionist gave the four of them a smile, and waved them towards a door.

Dr. Susan Lowenstein's office revealed the eclectic nature of its occupant. A large retail space in a strip mall by the freeway, only the reception area/waiting room and a single restroom had been walled off. The rest of the space was open and filled with tapestries and swaths of cloth hanging down in seemingly random patterns, a riot of colors. The walls, where not obscured by hangings, had framed artwork of every possible style and school. Sculpture, representative and abstract, static and mobile, dotted the interior of the space, each with a small plaque in front bearing the words "Please Touch". Small tables with religious imagery of various types and faiths were also placed around the area, and a startlingly ordinary coffee table, with various books and magazines, sat near the center of the room.

Low, neutral bell tones chimed softly through the room, pleasant sounds and far from overwhelming, it seemed as though all of them were in the middle of a giant windchime, tuned to a low octave, which was moving in slow motion.

Finally, in the corner furthest from the door from the reception area, there was a small area with beanbag chairs, cushions, pillows, and two bookshelves in the corner itself. Seated on the floor in the middle of the small, intimate space was a short woman, somewhat chubby with a skin-tone that spoke of Amerindian ancestors, long brown hair braided and looped about at the back of her head, held up with antique ivory hair pins and combs. The dress she was wearing appeared to be the product of a time-warp from the Haight-Ashbury in 1969. Her pretty face, full of smile and laugh lines, was calm in repose as she softly hummed to herself in a monotone and the very sight of her, bare feet sticking out from beneath her dress, looking like a benevolent little earth mother sitting in lotus brought a smile to the four Grimes family members' faces ... not smiles of ridicule or sarcasm, but smiles of joy and acceptance.

The four of them wandered the space, examining what they found interesting, feeling a little awkward at first, due to the presence of the meditating Dr. Lowenstein, but as they went on, slipping comfortably into the ways they usually interacted. The room was interesting enough for them not to wonder too often when their therapist would finish her meditation and their session would begin.

The session already had. Through slit lids, Dr. Lowenstein observed her new patients, noted what each of them found interesting, watched how they interacted, interpreted their body language and got an interesting, and amazingly thorough, first impression of the four of them.

"Alright, now that we've talked together, we've prayed, by whatever name you choose to call it, together, there's something I need from the four of you ... it's temporary, it can be revoked at anytime, but I'd really like you to give it an honest try," Susan said, sitting on the floor with her patients. "I need you to agree to honestly and sincerely try the exercises I'm assigning you. I need you to agree that for the purposes of this therapy, I have the right to issue instructions to you, and you, for the purposes of this therapy, have an obligation to carry out those instructions." She smiled at them all, a warm and accepting smile. "I know that there may be things I'll ask you to do that you'll balk at, and here, in session, when we're all together is the time for you to voice those doubts, and we can discuss them, and if at the end of the session you're not convinced, then we table that exercise for awhile and come back to it later. But I do need you to commit to working with me and giving these exercises your all."

After a chorus of assent, Dr. Lowenstein sighed and continued. "You're one of the most complex group relationships I've ever dealt with, and that makes this some exciting, and somewhat scary, territory for me as well. So for all of us this is going to be a process of learning how to communicate and work with each other. But I can see that you're all devoted to each other, and to making this relationship work, and that's what assures me that you will succeed."

Lighting another stick of the sandalwood incense they'd all agreed on as the scent of their first session, she said, "So, here's your first exercise. This Friday night, you've explained that you'll be 'holding court' at Dominique's. I want you the four of you to switch roles ... we've talked about and agreed upon what your commonly perceived roles are ... I want you to switch them. Margo, I want you to let go and be irresponsible, a complete and total, blown out of all proportion version of Harry. I want you, Harry, to take on Margo's role, be in charge, be dominant, not necessarily in all the ways or the same ways that she is, but you're going to be the adult, you're going to be the one who has the final say. Carol, I want you to be the wild and uncontrollable lioness, stalking and getting whoever strikes your fancy. Kelly, I want you to be the domestic goddess, the little nurturing mother figure that worries about everything and everyone and never lets anyone see her doing it.

"This is going to continue for the next two weeks as well, you're all going to be trying on everyone else's roles, and we'll be talking a lot about your perceptions of each other when you're finished." Dr. Lowenstein took a deep breath, shook herself all over as she released it and said. "By the way, since I gather that you frequent Dominique's, you should be seeing my daughter, Rose, there in the next few weeks. She's a member of a group that's been contracted to perform for the foreseeable future, although they're still organizing their act. The group's called 'The Psychosexual Circus' ... please make their acquaintance; I think they and you will get along just fine." She hugged each of them, something they found they enjoyed far more than they expected, as Susan Lowenstein put all of herself into her hugs. When she was finished she said, "That's all the time we have, as I believe you have an appointment this evening. Go in peace."

As they wandered out to the car, Harry said, "I like her ... I can see why Hal recommended her."

"Yeah, there aren't many people who could even appear non-judgmental and open to our situation," Kelly said, stretching her back out as they walked. "She not only appears accepting, I believe she is ... completely."

"I think this is going to all of us a lot of good, above and beyond what it does for our relationship," Margo observed, getting behind the wheel of her car.

"Aw Big Mama," Kelly replied, "You're just saying that because this Friday you get to go completely off the hook."

Well, I must admit I'm looking forward to it," Margo said. "Now everybody, in the car ... we've got to hurry or we'll be late for our appointment with House Edwards. And I gather from Minerva that would not be a good thing."

Lisa, Jackie, Billy and Helen were surprised when the rest of the household, and Madame Cornelius, strode into the house much earlier than expected. None of them looked happy.

Margo stopped in the center of the living room, held out her arms and Lisa hurried to undress her while Jackie undressed Kelly. Harry went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, pulling out the blackberry brandy at the same time. Carol, shedding clothes like falling leaves, headed for the bedroom to get robes for Margo and Kelly.

Madame Cornelius smiled coldly as she allowed Billy to take her shawl, her fury an almost palpable thing, hanging around her head and shoulders like a halo in a medieval religious painting. Billy didn't know who had pissed off the Grand Dame, he was just very, very glad it wasn't him.

As soon as Harry had the coffee started, he stumped into the bedroom where Kelly and Carol got him undressed and into a robe as well. When they came out and joined the family in the kitchen, he was carrying the hookah.

Billy stood while the rest of the submissives knelt on the floor between the four Dominants of House Chorale and Cornelius. Helen stood quietly by the door and watched, unsure of what was going on. The pipe was loaded and coffee laced with brandy distributed, then as if by silent common accord, everyone smoked and drank, no one saying anything as the anger levels in the room dropped with the levels of coffee in the cups.

At last, when the sound of grinding teeth was no longer audible, Harry broke the silence with "Well, we wondered how Laney was going to fight. Now we know."

"I have never, in my entire life in this Society, been insulted as I was this evening," Madame Cornelius snapped.

Kelly responded, "And it was all so polite it made me want to start breaking things ... preferably on that bitch Rowena's head."

"So, he's selling himself as the guardian of Traditionalist values against the onslaught of ... whatever names they're slandering us with," Margo said, suddenly overcome with weariness. "So, how do we fight back?"

"By not fighting," Harry replied, smiling a cold, tight-lipped smile that few who knew him would have believed him capable of. "We're going to have to prove we're not the uncultured barbarians he claims we are, we're going to have to be such paragons of politeness and proper behavior that the undecided's cannot find fault with us. And we're going to have to provoke Laney, without seeming to, into revealing just what a walking colostomy bag he is. Amazingly similar, in fact, to what I did to Paul."

"Indeed," said Madame Cornelius. "And after tonight ... after this humiliation, we will wait and see how many of our other appointments cancel. That will give us an idea of how many newly free evenings we have to work with. House Palisades has already left word that they will be unable to grant us any time at any date in the near future, so that leaves tomorrow evening open for me, I understand that you and yours will be busy. I think I shall put in an appearance at Chains of Desire. If I might borrow young Kim tomorrow, she, Li Kuan, Ophelia and Puppy should be able to put on quite a demonstration."

Carol was already up and running for Margo's cell phone. "Planning to do some wooing?" Kelly asked.

"Most certainly," Minerva replied. "Chains' is the oldest serious S&M club in the area. Unless Laney is willing to go several extra miles, so to speak, he'll have a hard time convincing any of its patrons that he is anything at all to get excited about. A lot of the more hardcore players ignore the whole political arena. So long as they are left alone to play as they like, they could generally care less what the rest of the scene does." She sighed. "And I am going to try to politicize them. What did I do to deserve such joy?"

"We started a fight, if I remember correctly," Margo replied, smiling honestly for the first time since they'd gotten home as she called Eddie's to talk to Kim.

"Oh yes, that must be it," Minerva Cornelius replied, returning Margo's smile. "Well, let's see if we can finish one."

"Can't sleep?" Jackie whispered as Harry got up out of bed.

"No ... not sure why. You?"

"No ... kind of freaked out."

"Well, so we don't wake the lovelies, let's go talk elsewhere."

The two of them padded into the kitchen, grabbed water and headed out into the cool darkness of the back yard, settling on a pair of lounge chairs.

"So, since you at least have a clue as to where to begin, let's start with you," Harry said. "Why are you 'kind of freaked out'?"

"Shouldn't be too hard to figure out," she lay back in the lounge and stretched out, beautiful and naked beneath the stars. "Less than a week ago I was desperately unhappy with my situation, feeling so trapped as far as where I was and what I could do that I was considering giving up playing, which is a really big part of my life, just to get out of Laney's group." She leaned her head over and smiled at Harry. "Now I'm in a pleasure slave's wet dream ... lovely people, both physically and spiritually, a happy, hedonistic pleasure dome of a house, lovers who find me attractive for my size and my age, instead of in spite of them, my friends are here too, I'm going to have the freedom to attend my religious services, all of us are..." her voice choked slightly, "all of us are treated like human beings, our value is recognized, but we're still submissive ... it's like the difference between being a slave and devalued and being a submissive and nurtured." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's been an amazing, wonderful, blessing-filled five days." She looked back at him. "Understand?"

Harry smiled, "Yeah, I get it now. I imagine I was pretty much as freaked out as you after Carol came into my life, and everything started turning around and getting so much better so quickly ... in just a few days I looked at where I was, and where I'd been, and I couldn't believe how much my life had changed in such a short amount of time."

"From what I've seen and heard, you're all very lucky to have found each other as you did," Jackie observed. "And Gods know that luck has flowed down to your friends and to us." She took a swig of water, sat up and looked at Harry's lounge chair, raising her eyebrows.

"Jackie, if you come cuddling with me on this chair, I'm thinking things might get a little interesting."

"I'm planning on it, sir."

"Well then, run in and get my brace from beside the bed."

A few moments later Harry was sighing in pleasure as Jackie lowered herself on to his erect cock. The two of them made love, their sweat almost instantly drying in the cool breezes, Harry fighting hard to keep his leg loose and relaxed, a difficult job given the voluptuous woman riding atop him. Jackie matched her rhythms to his, adapting herself completely to his physical needs and limitations. She only misread the situation once, and that was when, after several orgasms herself, she felt him starting to tense up in preparation for his own. She rose off of him, slid down and took his glistening cock in her mouth, taking him all the way into her throat, only to have Harry pat the side of her head and motion her back up.

As she settled once again onto his lap, enjoying the hungry feel of his hips, twitching beneath her, trying to bring his cock fully into contact with her, he smiled at her and said, "Kiss me ... I almost always ... have better ideas ... on how to use a mouth ... than a blowjob." She lowered her body to his and their lips met, tongues colliding and sliding off each other in their race to the other's mouth. She held him and reveled in the feeling of him shuddering beneath her, the warmth of his cum filling her inside.

After his trembling had subsided, they lay there without talking for quite some time, until she felt it time to break the silence and ask a question that had been nagging at her.

"So sir, if you don't mind me asking, and this is going to sound strange, especially given our current ... situation ... why are you so accepting of my religious beliefs? I mean, to me, it seems that yours are so very different than mine ... and I'm not used to tolerance from those of your faith," Jackie asked as she cuddled on his chest.

"Well, I'll agree that a discussion of theology isn't usually where my mind goes, other than in the whole "Oh God, Oh God" sense, while I'm in an intimate situation, but okay, you asked.

"Your beliefs are different than mine, but I wouldn't say 'so very different'," he continued, dipping his head slightly to nibble on her ear. "But the key word in your entire question is 'belief'." He motioned her to sit up and he gazed at her, rising above him in the darkness. "The way I understand it, 'faith' is required for things that are not known, and by 'known' I mean provable. I don't have to have faith that the sun will appear to rise in the east tomorrow morning, I know it will, barring some cosmic catastrophe. I don't have to have faith that my car will run on gasoline. It does. It's proven and repeatedly provable. The chemical and mechanical processes are well-known.

"But matters of higher powers and such ... they can't be proven and therefore can't be 'known'. They require faith. And to my way of thinking, if I can't prove it, I could very well be wrong. I assume you and House Evensong would consider yourself Wiccans?"