Chapter 15

Beth:

Thursday morning was a time for more running around naked; I was a bit easier with it, and Momma was, too, but the new and embarrassing hadn't worn off. Frieda, on the other hand, seemed to take delight in the whole thing, which made me ... nervous ... I nearly jumped out of my skin when Jack started running his hand up the inside of my leg while I poured his coffee, but I managed not to scream or spill anything. Jack said something to Momma about getting a big apron to cover her front while she cooked; I don't think anybody missed the implication that her ass should be visible.

But Jack and Daddy didn't hang out forever -- they both had places to be, so they were soon gone, leaving Frieda, Momma, and me to talk about the night before.

Momma was all freaked out about how Daddy seemed to be taking everything Jack said to heart. Worse, I think, was her having to admit that it wasn't all that bad; I mentioned that yell she let out and she blushed a lot and told us what happened. It was all part of her worries, apparently -- you see, she had these rules for Daddy and sex -- what was okay, what was taboo and what was just nasty. I guess Daddy had played ball up to now, but last night he broke some of Momma's rules in the process of showing her who was boss -- and BOTH of them found out that they'd been missing a few things!

Momma's big worry was the fact that Daddy was due -- and was obviously going to collect -- another woman. Things like her rules for sex and other stuff she'd put on Daddy were coming home to roost and she didn't see how she could survive, long term, when Daddy shook free -- ESPECIALLY with another woman around!

Frieda didn't see a problem. "He's used to you, Mrs. H -- he's got a lot of time invested in you," Frieda insisted. "Besides, all you have to do is give him what he wants..."

"What -- anything?" Momma erupted.

"Yup. Anything," Frieda agreed. "In the first place, it's your job -- and in the second, anything you give him that he hasn't had will be like candy! Another woman won't start from there -- she'll be expected to put out whatever he wants going in -- but YOU can provide him with little victories, things he never had before and could never even ask for..."

Momma looked dubious. "That's a slippery slope..."

"Maybe," Frieda agreed, "but whether you dole it out or he just takes it, it's what you signed up for. You want control? This is all you've got!"

"And when it's over and we hit rock bottom and he puts me on the street for money?" Momma asked.

"Won't happen," Frieda declared, shaking her head. "In the FIRST place, wherever we're going, guys have PLENTY of women; prostitution is about guys not being able to find one when they want one."

"Or finding a new one," Momma pointed out, grimacing.

"When every guy has at least two, demand is gonna be low," Frieda pointed out. "I can see a little swapping, maybe, but prostitution? I don't think anybody uses money out there -- it'd have to be barter. Besides, that leaves out my SECOND point -- he VALUES you and he's a nice guy! If he was an asshole in the first place, you would need to worry -- but he isn't, so when the new wears off the whole idea of making you do shit just to see the look on your face, things will settle down."

"So I should just happily do ... whatever, and it will all settle out?" Momma wasn't buying.

"Yup," Frieda insisted. "And the less fuss you make about it, the less he'll bother to mess with you, because he won't be having fun watching your face screw up."

"And other women?" Momma prompted.

"You can't fight it, so deal with it," Frieda advised. "Jack has two more women at home. From where I sit, that means I might not get ENOUGH sex, rather than worrying about him wanting to jump my bones constantly. Whoever Mr. H picks, welcome her aboard and make nice because she's your ticket to peace and quiet on nights when you don't want to have to put up with sex. Be gracious -- you're on first and she's the new girl, but you want everything nice and pleasant."

"You make it all sound so simple..." Momma mused.

"Oh, it won't be," Frieda replied. "You know that. But you're on track to make things WORSE, which is pretty stupid. I mean, what's he likely to do, here in the house? Make you suck his dick in front of Jack?"

"Frieda!" Momma and I BOTH erupted.

Frieda, being Frieda, was unrepentant. "Hey, if Jack wants it, I'm gonna get down on my knees and suck it in with a big grin on my face -- and waggle my ass at you two, because you'll be missing out! Mrs. H, if Mr. H gooses you, how much fun is it if you don't react? Jack's had it all before -- being embarrassed in front of Jack is a waste of time -- so don't! Show Mr. H you love him and you have the right attitude, and it will all fall into place."

Momma wasn't much on belief, but the way Frieda presented it, she had no choice. She was still grumbling when Frieda and I got in the car to go to work.

It would have been tough keeping the secret that we were leaving if just thinking about telling someone didn't make my stomach uneasy. I couldn't think of anything much I could leave as a legacy, either; Frieda and I would just walk out tomorrow night and not come back. Someone else would get our jobs, and that would be that, more or less, until those Swarmy things came and started attacking people...

Anyway, we did our shift, and at seven-thirty, Jack came and got us to take to dinner -- but he wanted to go somewhere else first. Imagine my surprise when he pulls up in front of the feed store! The next thing I know, we're looking at DOG COLLARS -- and Frieda is treating them as costume jewelry! I was MORTIFIED -- but then Jack went over and started looking at things you whip horses with and I got REALLY nervous! "Jack..."

"Come here," Jack directed, so I slunk over to him, head down. What had I done? "I'm trying to find a way to get you to understand how things are. I have no intention of wailing away on you for anything, but if I give you a quick flick with this..." he said -- then he HIT me with it! Okay, well, it wasn't hard, but I jumped, you know? "I think it is more effective than having to talk about it, don't you?" he asked.

Well, DUH! I said, "Yes, Jack," -- after all, he was waving that thing at me...

Jack looked all triumphant and said, "See? It's already effective. You stop thinking and just do what you're told."

Jack turned to Frieda, but she was already on board with the whole crazy thing, "I get it, Boss. I already did. Beth's momma has her conditioned to worry about appearances and other bullshit, though."

Jack grinned evilly. "That's why I'm buying a set for Oliver."

"Hey, Jack," Frieda asked. "You wanna be 'Boss' or 'Lord' or 'Master' or what?"

"Jack will do, with the proper respect," Jack answered, but Frieda nodded her head at me and he changed his tune, "but if it helps you keep the proper mindset, we'll go with Master." Jack looked at me, then back at Frieda and said, "She's going to ask if we're kidding." He was right; I mean, 'Master?' Wasn't that kind of going hog wild?

Frieda shrugged and gave me that look she gives me when she thinks I've done something hopelessly stupid and said to Jack, "I love her like a sister, but she's a little slow sometimes..." Jack sighed, then he HIT me with that WHIP again!

I let out a yelp, then whined, "What did you do THAT for... ?" Then the look on his face registered and I knew he was serious, so I added, " ... Master?"

"You didn't appear to be getting the point," Jack answered.

"Isn't there a better way?" I asked. That thing STUNG!

Then Frieda lit into me. Apparently, despite the fact that I'd sat there that morning while Frieda patiently tried to tutor Momma, I hadn't been applying the whole thing to ME! My job was to do 'whatever Jack wants' -- and that job didn't really have much in the way of boundaries -- and what I THOUGHT about what Jack wanted didn't really matter ... Look, I know I'm a little slow, but 'anything' covers a lot of ground, you know? Frieda, of course, had to take things to the wall...

"Let's take something patently outrageous -- so Jack tells you to get naked, walk to the corner, and offer blowjobs to the first five black guys who come along. Do you do it?"

"Ewwww!" She was kidding, right? Right? "Totally naked? Somebody is gonna puke!"

"Not your problem," Frieda countered. "Do you do it?"

"Jeez..." I mean, really ... Was she serious?

"Sweetie, did Jack say to do it?" Frieda leaned on me.

"Yeah..." I looked over at Jack -- surely, he wouldn't ask such a thing, would he? But he grinned nastily and started playing with those whips...

"So are you gonna do it?" Frieda prompted.

"It'd be so embarrassing..." Naked? Blowjobs? Black guys? In PUBLIC?

"But are you gonna DO it!?" Frieda kept pushing...

"If I don't..." I fumbled around for an escape hatch.

"If you don't, Jack is gonna be VERY DISAPPOINTED!" Frieda howled. "And he'll probably use that riding crop on you until your ass is purple -- and NOBODY is gonna tell him he can't because he OWNS you! Now ARE YOU GONNA DO IT?"

There was NO WAY OUT! "Yesss..."

"Jeezus! It's like pulling teeth!" Frieda complained, running her martyrdom thing. Then she kept pressing; if I would do THAT if I had to -- and I HAD to -- then there wasn't much ELSE I wouldn't do, if I HAD to ... Logic apparently brought us around to the fact that whatever Jack wanted, I should just DO it -- and not worry about consequences ... I wasn't thrilled -- that much was obvious -- but then Frieda came around to the fact that I was ALREADY in trouble...

"What you have to realize is that if you don't seem to get it, Jack has to test you. Now I KNOW that Jack doesn't WANT to test you, but as long as you act dumb about it, he HAS to!" Frieda leaned in and looked up at me with that sincere look she uses when she's TRYING to keep me from screwing up, "Sweetie, you do NOT want him to test you -- because if he has to, it will be something ugly like sucking off those black guys, you know? You need to be PERFECT, so there just isn't any question! Otherwise, Jack has to make you do nasty things until you catch on -- and it's gonna hurt ALL of us to put you through it! Do you understand?"

I FREAKED! "You mean... ?" Was I gonna have to ACTUALLY DO that? I looked at Jack...

The look on his face wasn't encouraging. "Yes. Every time you balk or hesitate, I have to punish you -- and then I have to make you do something disagreeable or humiliating or degrading to see if you've learned who is in charge. It's hard -- I don't like it -- but you can't just obey me when you feel like it."

I was beyond words ... Maybe he could just beat me a lot with those whips -- suddenly, they didn't seem so bad after all ... Then it got worse...

"Exactly." Jack sighed. "Now I don't have to tell you that you've earned a testing, do I?"

No, I saw THAT coming ... I prayed fervently that Frieda's outlandish example wasn't Jack's default test...

"This is what we're going to do," Jack explained. "I'm not going to surprise you with it, so you can get your act together on the way. I don't want to see any hesitation, no begging or pleading -- you just do what I tell you and act like it's the most natural thing in the world, understand?"

"Yes Jack!" If there was some other answer, I didn't have any idea what it would be...

"Okay, it's going to go like this," Jack directed, "When we get to the checkout, I'm going to send you back to the dog collars for another set of two -- one spiked and one pink -- and another leash. When I tell you to go, you take off all of your clothes and put them somewhere -- on the counter or something -- and Frieda is going to put your pink collar and leash on you and you're going to crawl back there on your hands and knees and get the stuff. Then you're going to crawl back with the collars in your teeth -- Frieda can carry the leash -- and you're going to put them in my hand. When I tell you it's okay, you can stand -- but you're going to the car naked. Got all that?"

"Yes, Jack." I didn't know whether to be thrilled or horrified -- I mean, it was going to be EXTREMELY humiliating -- but I wasn't giving blowjobs to strangers, and I wouldn't be outside...

"I can add blowing the clerk at the checkout if you don't think it's enough..." Jack taunted.

"Oh, no! That's fine!" I threw up my hands, thinking, 'God! I don't want to ADD anything!'

"Okay, then. Let's go."

Frieda came up beside me as we were walking to the checkout and whispered in my ear, "Sweetie, you are SOOO slow! If you'd said, 'Okay, Jack, if you want me to, ' when he hit you up with blowing the clerk, you'd have proved you had your shit together and you probably wouldn't have had to do ANYTHING!!" I spent the rest of the trip to the checkout wondering if Frieda was right -- and I decided that she probably was, as usual. The tests were about whether I would react properly to a request -- and since ANY request was a reasonable one, the sooner I started treating ANY request as reasonable, the sooner they would STAY reasonable ... I got myself together; it was time to make Jack proud of me...