Chapter 35

Robin was pissed. Her anger at that Jeremy character had been building with every report of his smarmy little campaign to subjugate her new friend Darlene. It was two weeks before Cal's return home, and Robin had just heard about Jeremy's last intrusion and Darlene's refusal to return to the club. Well, it was better that Darlene not be there right now, but by God, she would be back if Robin had anything to say about it.

Robin and Darlene were worlds apart in life experience, yet Robin identified with her in a unique way. In her own analysis, she decided it was because they had both been robbed of a lot of the best of life through no fault of their own. For Robin, it was a brutal rape that did it. For Darlene, it was a restrictive, stilted upbringing and a cold fish marriage. The losses were different, but the sense of loss was still the same.

Through her tumultuous relationship with Greg Overland, Robin had met Cheryl and Cal and the Banners. They had extended instant friendship, and it was genuine. Originally, Robin had agreed to coach as a favor to Cheryl. She instantly fell for Shelley, almost like the daughter she never had. It did not take long to develop genuine feelings for Darlene, either.

Darlene was threatened, her marriage was threatened, and that meant the happiness of Cheryl and Shelley was threatened. Robin was still angry at males in general, with the exception of Martin and Cal and Ken. This Jeremy asshole just verified all of her darkest feelings about men.

The morning after she heard, Robin did some quick scrambling of her work schedule and went to see a friendly neighbor who ran a beauty shop. "Make me look like one of those slave chicks," Robin told her friend. "You know, like in the D & S clubs."

"YOU!?" the friend asked in amazement.

"There's a good reason. You don't want to know it. I know you keep your mouth shut, OK?"

"Uh, if you say so. I don't do piercings, though."

"Piercings?"

The friend just shook her head. "I don't know what you've got planned, but with what you don't know, good luck! I'll do the best I can."

Robin walked into the health club as Sarah, and bought a three month membership, since it was the shortest she could get with massage privileges. Acting as timidly as she could fake, she stammered out that she only wanted Jeremy for her trainer. A friend had said that he was the best. The attendant rolled her eyes, but wrote it down.

"I think he can be here in just a couple of minutes," the attendant told Robin. When Jeremy introduced himself, it was very easy for Robin to play the timid role, as her breath caught, her knees felt a little weak, and she tingled in places where men no longer caused that sensation.

Greg had not looked very good when Robin started with him, although the handsome face was still there along with the evidence of an excellent body. Also there was that alpha male arrogance that was supposed to sweep her off her feet. She had worked up so much anger at Greg that she was impervious to him, even after she helped him reshape his body to the the hunky form that it had been.

So why did Jeremy hit her so hard? As an avid amateur student of psychology, Robin had read many times about 'presence', and that was all that she could attribute it too. Unless pheromones were real. Whatever the reason, she had enough wits about her to realize that she really had to be on her guard. One good thing: it would be easy to fake his impact on her. Fake?

'Poor Darlene', Robin thought to herself. 'I hate the guy coming in, and I'm fighting for control. What chance did she have?'

For the orientation session, which Robin worked hard not to laugh at, given her vast experience, she concentrated on playing her role. Well, she concentrated as best she could. Those eyes, that smile, and that voice made concentration a real effort. Looking up from her place on one machine or another and seeing various perfectly muscled parts of his body did not make her task any simpler.

Even doing just a third or a fourth of the weights she could have worked, Robin/Sarah was exhausted when she left the club.

It was the second day that Darlene had not shown up, and Jeremy was worried. Certainly, she had had longer absences before, but after the stupid little 'ownership' stunt he had tried, he was afraid that he had scared her off.

This interesting piece had come in for the first time today, and that had helped to take his mind off of worrying about Darlene. He had been immediately struck by the subtle signals of hair and make-up that may have signaled her acceptance of a new master. There was no body jewelry, though, and that threw up a caution. He had encountered other subs who could not handle piercings, though, so maybe...

One thing for sure, he was not going to rush this one and blow it. Matter of fact, Sarah bore quite a physical resemblance to Darlene. If she was a sub, her previous dom really had her working out.

Robin had decided to tell no one what she was doing. She was not even sure that she could pull off the final plan, and she wanted to spring it on Darlene and Cal at the last minute as a done deal. The next day, she showed up at the club at the same time, and she was dismayed that Jeremy could generate exactly the same feelings. This was not good. She could not safely execute the rest of her plan if she was not in full control of herself.

As he guided her through the machines, Robin worked hard at the techniques she had used to maintain her anger at Greg. What Jeremy intended was just rape in a supposedly kinder, gentler form, wasn't it. She imagined what it would do to Cheryl if her parents broke up over Darlene's adultery and abandonment. That would have been the ultimate outcome, would it not? Would it derail Cheryl's sports career? Her medical career? What would happen to Shelley? Matt?

It took most of the second session, but by the end, her shyness was much more acting than real. Brushing by close to him on the way to the locker room still sent a charge through her, but she was almost able to view it as an interesting phenomenon. Not quite, but her devious mind decided that some genuine blushing would improve her act.

Robin gave herself one more session to be sure that she had enough control. On the fourth day, she wore the delicate little choker with the emblem that was supposed to signal her availability. Trying to keep her eyes downcast when he approached her, she was still able to catch the quick flair of his nostrils and widening of his eyes when he saw the collar.

At the end of her workout, she bashfully said to him "I signed up for massages. Do... do you give them?"

"Absolutely, Sarah. I would love to give you one."

His next answer was critical to Robin's timing. It was Monday, and Jeremy was off Tuesday and Wednesday. Cal would arrive home the next Sunday. If Jeremy's 'seduction' of her went too fast, he would be putting pressure on her that she was not ready to deal with. "Um, what should I, uh, wear?" she said with head down.

"What you have on now is fine, Sarah. I'll have to push your top up out of the way." He said that in a tone and manner that almost compelled her obedience. She gave an involuntary shiver as she thought of sweet Darlene trying to stand up to that. She had worn a self-supporting tube top, and that was what he was referring to.

Her relief was enormous. In fact, this was perfect. A first, very innocent massage before his days off. Then, four or five days for things to accelerate - yes, everything was on track so far.

"So, you don't mind if I don't shower first?"

He made a show of sniffing close to her. "Oh, you smell just fine, Sarah." She was still shivering when he added "You'll want to shower afterward because of the oils, anyway."

'Damn this guy', she thought to herself. 'He can turn me inside out with just his voice, and now, his hands!' In her business, she knew massage and was herself an expert. Jeremy was very, very good.

Thursday, Robin managed to maneuver things so the massage was exactly the same as Monday.

On Friday, as they entered the massage room, she turned away from him with a shy look over her shoulder and pulled off her top. If he had paid close attention to her face, he would have seen terror rather than just shyness.

She hated the thought of exposing her body to a man, but this was a necessary part of her plan. It was for Darlene. She had stripped for Greg to bait him, and she could do it again to trap Jeremy. She made a show of covering up with her hands as she laid down on the table. The look of triumph on his face could not be mistaken.

Darlene's 'escape' still rankled him, but just maybe Sarah could fill in. Unfortunately, it somehow would not be the same thrill as with the wife and mother. With the very nice body on his table at the moment, though, he should just forget about Darlene and make sure he captured this one.

Saturday was the big day, as far as Robin's nerve was concerned. It was a gigantic struggle to exercise naturally. She kept telling herself she was doing it for Darlene, and that made it worth it. At the same time, she tried to deny the little thrill that she felt when she thought about it.

Into the massage room, she carried a huge, long T-shirt that she had kept out of Jeremy's notice. Putting the shirt on a chair, she again took off her top, this time, making no effort to hide her breasts.

With her top removed, she grabbed a towel off of the stack that was always handy, and unfolded it. Somehow, holding the towel behind her in one hand, she managed to skin out of her shorts with the other. In preparation for today's step, she had skipped panties.

With a little girlish squeal, she scampered to the table and jumped aboard, awkwardly holding the towel so it sort of covered her bottom. Jeremy was frozen in place for just a moment, then adjusted the modesty towel in a very professional manner, without saying a word.

For about ten years, Robin had been pushing men away from her in fear and disgust. Now, for the sake of a friend, she was trying to seduce one. The scariest part was that she was getting seduced more than a little at the same time. Oh, it wasn't really Jeremy that was seducing her. She was managing her hatred of him just fine. It was the openly sexual nature of what she was doing, despite the fact that Jeremy was involved. She was pretty sure that if the nicest guy she knew, say Cal, was involved, she would be just as aroused.

Blessed with a sensitive nose, she noticed a faint whiff of her own arousal odor. It almost made her bolt from the room until she remembered that it was a good thing. Sensing her excitement would further pull him into her plan.

He had only worked on her back for a few minutes when she said "Jeremy, the last couple of days, my legs have ended up really tight. Could you do them?" Of course he could. She was just able to restrain a chuckle when he almost dashed to her feet and began working his magic.

That magic was so good that she had to struggle not to just relax and go with it. The bastard had placed the towel so that it only really hid anything when looking down from above or from up by her shoulders. From her feet, he could see a lot of her ass cheeks. With supreme willpower, she slowly spread her legs as wide as they would go on the table. The feeling of air on her carefully shaved rosebud and pussy lips told her that it was plenty for him to get an eyeful. And a snootful, from what her own nose told her.

As Jeremy worked his way deliciously up her legs, Robin was suffering a crisis of confidence. What if her body turned him off, rather than attracting him? What if he was not the predator they all assumed that he was? What if she had shamed herself to help Darlene and it all fizzled?

Fuck shame! This was absolutely incredible! It was almost cruel for her to be introduced to these sensations after so long, and it was only because she had made herself bait for a slimeball like him. As Jeremy reached her upper thighs, she detected a slight shake in his hands. It was enough to assure her that her 'sacrifice' was not wasted.

Robin was not sure how or when the massage ended, but she found herself engulfed in the huge shirt, picking up her scattered bits of clothing, and trying to remember where she was supposed to go next.

Finding even more nerve on Sunday, Robin skipped the towel when she undressed, and with steely control born of her carefully cultivated hatred, she made herself saunter naked to the table. Noticing the panicked way that Jeremy grabbed the towel and held it behind her, she surmised that her exposure had just violated a club rule.

He did not ask, but just split his time between her back and her legs. Her reaction was the same as the day before. She really had to concentrate to remember her next move. "Jeremy, could you do my bottom, too? It gets really tight."

'It sure does', he thought, before shaking his head and answering her. "Sorry, Sarah. They check on these rooms pretty often. If they saw that, I'd be fired."

"Ohhhh! Darn!"

"Tell you what. Come to my place Tuesday night. I'll give your bottom the attention it deserves." Robin could not guess that he was debating between the leather paddle and the mini-cat for that proper attention. She was trying to suppress the exhultation enough to get in her last planned line for the day.

"Can you do another one tomorrow, anyway? Or am I all out of massages?"

He took a quick look out the room's window. There was usually a shadow when the supervisor came by. He slipped his hand under the towel and gave her a quick stroke over each cheek. Her bottom was just starting to rise to meet his touch when he pulled his hand out. "You'll never run out of massages from me, Sarah." Spine - jello. Pussy - swamp. Brain - overruled.

As Robin dressed in a near trance, Jeremy was similarly affected. The supporter that he always wore at the club was not up to the task of totally hiding his erection. The hand that had touched her ass was literally shaking from the urge to leave it's fiery impression where it had just caressed. Cheeks so smooth, so rounded, and so unbelievably firm did not stimulate him to gentle loving caresses or worshipful kneading. They were nothing but a beautiful means of demonstrating his own superiority through inflicted pain.

Hal was not pleased that Darlene wanted to take off for that Sunday afternoon and evening. After church, she had fixed her usual fine meal, though, and there was a pre-season game on, so he could not think of a good reason to say no. He had a stray thought that she was not as attentive to the house and to him as she once was, but the time of the accident rather blurred his memory on that point.

One thing that was unmistakable was the change in her appearance. Of course, he had never said anything to her, but she somehow looked straighter and firmer and more graceful - almost as if she was - powerful. And he could never remember her wearing such revealing clothes before. He was going to say something to her when she first started dressing like that, but he had to admit that he rather enjoyed it.

Her face and hair had not really changed, except that her expression was different, but he could not really describe the difference. He had noticed that she seemed very eager every time he wanted sex. That had started back when he could not use his hands. They had done some 'irregular' things back then to satisfy him. They were actually quite nice, but he just could not let them continue when he was healed.

Well, she had really seemed to enjoy coaching, but that Robin reminded him too much of Cheryl and her independent ways. He guessed it was OK for the girls to have their fun with sports, and it was happening whether he approved or not. How it could end up getting Cheryl a college scholarship was beyond him, though. Damned women's libbers were just stealing money from the football program.

As the kickoff happened, he wondered what Darlene and Robin would talk about. The softball season was over a long time ago. He was not too comfortable with his wife having a younger, single woman friend, but it was getting harder to keep her completely in line.

"I... I've never seen anything like these!" Darlene gasped as she looked at the items laid out on the table. They were in Robin's house. It was not large, but quite nice. She had stretched herself to the limit early on to get into the house, and she had never regretted the investment.

"I guess I've seen pictures in magazines, but I never thought they were ever really used anywhere," Darlene said.

"They're used alright, and Jeremy uses them a lot," Robin told her. "Darlene, here's what Jeremy had in mind for you. You would be wearing this. Period." She held up a collar. "You would be kneeling in front of him like this."

Robin produced a surprisingly good snapshot of Jeremy with his two naked slaves in the 'position' before him. Robin had paid the investigator quite a fee to get a picture like that smuggled out. Luckily, that investigator was good at finding purchasable people just about anywhere. There was no doubt at all that it was Jeremy, and the look on his face was chilling.

Darlene was motionless and speechless. She looked up at Robin several times with wide eyes, clearly struggling with what she was being told and shown. Finally, "I... I was a real fool, wasn't I?"

"No, Honey, you definitely were not a fool. You told Julia about what was happening, and that was the smartest thing you could do. I hope you aren't angry, but we have had a spy watching you and Jeremy for two months."

"A... a spy? You suspected something was wrong? Why didn't you warn me?"

Robin led Darlene to the couch, turned toward her and held both of her hands. "Darlene, I've really come to like you as a friend. Don't be offended when I say this, but you have had a terribly sheltered life."

"You mean I'm naive," Darlene said sadly. "When my own daughter has to teach me and force me to... to please myself... Well, I'm not educated, but I've learned a lot about what I don't know." Then, Darlene did something unprecedented. "That bastard! I'm sure glad that Julia got me away from him."

"Well, yes, it's good that he didn't get you like this," Robin said, holding up the snapshot again. "And it's good that he didn't break up your marriage. But the health club is something that you really like, and I can tell how much it has helped you. It was a wonderful gift from Cheryl. It is one of the best clubs in town, and it's very convenient.

"What I'm trying to say, Darlene, is that Jeremy has hurt you, even if he didn't get what he wanted." Once again, she waved the snapshot. "He has stolen something meaningful from you."

"I feel bad about that," Darlene said, "but I just have to stay away. I can't seem to resist him."

"That's where my plan comes in," Robin said. "I want you back at that club, totally unafraid of Jeremy."

"Do you mean you'll get him fired?"

"No, not at all. I mean that you will be able to just ignore him. Or better yet, you will order him to do whatever you want from him."

"Oh, I don't see how that could ever happen," Darlene said, her fear obvious.

"Well, listen to my plan..." Robin spoke for twenty minutes, with Darlene more and more amazed by the minute. She watched Darlene closely as she spoke, pleased to see the anger, the anticipation, and some signs of arousal building as the plan unfolded. At the end, Darlene was speechless and squirming slightly in her chair.

"Does... does Julia know about this?"

"No, of course not. This is beyond unethical."

"Isn't it illegal? Like kidnapping?"

"Probably."

"Then, isn't it awfully risky?"

"I want to get pictures that we can use as blackmail. That should protect us," Robin explained.

"I... I think I had better just explain to Cheryl and find another club. Maybe I can get a job and pay my own fees."

"But Jeremy and what he tried to do will always be there, Darlene. You'll always think you were weak and couldn't resist him. You know what submissive means, don't you?"

"Yes, I've read about it in magazines."

"Well, Julia will be unhappy, but I'm going to tell you this. Those of us who care about you have been worried that you may be submissive, and that's why Jeremy was able to do those things. Personally, I don't believe you are."

"Wh... what does Julia think?"

"Darlene, you know that Julia cannot say anything like that about a patient, don't you?" Robin did not tell Darlene how much Julia had 'stretched' the code.

"I know when Hal, and Cheryl, and Cal would tell me to do things, I just had to do them," Darlene lamented. After a pause, and with a frightened tone, she added "And Jeremy, too."

"Well, I choose to believe that was just because you didn't have the confidence to refuse. I'll bet you grew up not really thinking that you had any say in anything. Isn't that right?"

"My parents weren't mean or anything," Darlene insisted.

"But your mother was almost a slave, wasn't she?"

"Mom is a strong woman. She just... she just..." Darlene stumbled.

"She just did what your father told her, right? And you learned to do the same thing."

"Robin, I'm not stupid. I know I'm different from a lot of women."

With a quick hug, Robin assured her "A stupid woman does not have brilliant kids like yours, Darlene. I don't think you realize how smart you are. The question is, do you want to be as different as you are?"

"This last year, since Hal got hurt, I've done so many different things. At the club, I feel good. I feel strong, and... and normal."