Chapter 9

Gloria also had an absolutely worthless Friday night, as far as sleep was concerned. She just could not decide how to greet Chuck the next morning. One moment, she would decide to handle it just like she had with Jason that morning; very business like - demure, even. The next time she restlessly turned over in bed, she would decide to repeat Bud's welcome. She would show Chuck everything and tell him everything that had happened with Bud - no secrets.

It was not until she was dressing that she finally decided. Typically, she would spend all day Saturday in her main dom outfit. Unlike the getup in which she greeted Bud, her usual was not 'R' rated - barely. She would dress as she normally would for Saturday. What Chuck saw when she greeted him bright and early was still enough to stiffen any man's organ. Since that was what Gloria wanted to accomplish with male clients, her attire was eminently successful.

Of course, black leather was the composition of her entire outfit. Her boots were four-inch spiked heels, but only came above her ankle bones. There were two reasons. As she had commented to Bud, she hated the way the longer boots made her legs sweat and smell. In addition, she had long ago decided on the arousal value of 'accented nudity'.

The bottom of her outfit was a modified thong or T-back with the waist piece truly around her natural waist to emphasize her flaring hips and the awesome 'V' of her back. The nearly backless top had just enough in front to properly 'present' her naturally stunning cleavage. Short, fingerless leather gloves and bands around her biceps completed her work outfit.

Many female doms chose to be fully covered in leather, based on the theory that their subs did not deserve the view of their mistress' flesh. In fact, one of Gloria's employees went that route. Gloria, however, was firmly convinced that for male clients, all BDSM was sexual. Thus, she used her body to arouse them, and did everything possible to keep them aroused.

Perhaps because of her insight, over a third of her clients were male, very high for that business. To her, the underlying theory was very simple and straightforward. People came to her for dominance, pain, and humiliation. Regardless of how well endowed they might be, to most men, constant attention to their erections was humiliating. That fulfilled part of what the client paid for. Leaving them unable to hide or protect their genitals was a perfect form of dominance, as well. There were many ways to deliver pain to an exposed hardon.

Gloria's thrill when Chuck stood speechless in front of her was almost squelched when she saw the young woman right behind him. Determined to keep some kind of control, she welcomed Chuck with a quick hug and kiss, then turned and said "You must be Cassie. I'm Gloria. Did you fly in for last night's event?"

Father and daughter were both caught aback by both Gloria's audacious outfit and her quick take on who Cassie was and why she was there. Feeling her own shock under control, Gloria told them "This is how I dress for work many days. Come on in. How did it go last night?"

Recovering minimally, Chuck got right to what was really bothering him. "I think you need to talk with Ed. I could tell that he was bothered by the way Julie was reacting to me."

"Oh. Tell me about it."

Chuck spent several minutes describing Julie's behavior. "I'm guessing that she pretty much raped Ed after Cassie and I left, but..."

"I also need to tell Ed that I want you to be there for their weekly measurement session this morning," Gloria added.

"Measurement?" Gloria described the chart and how the women reacted to everything.

"They won't like us being there, will they?"

"I can't, Dad. I can only stay her for twenty minutes, or so. You know I don't play airport roulette."

"I don't blame you, Cassie. The slaves will definitely not be happy with you there for the measurements, Chuck," she agreed. "It's needed, though. You must realize how secretive most women are about weighing. Notice I did not say about their weight, just about weighing. Not many women take regular measurements, but that must be even more difficult."

"So, making them weigh and measure for him is a way for Bud to emphasize his ownership, right?"

"Do all you Haller men figure this stuff out so easily?" Gloria joked.

Letting out a sigh, Chuck told her "I think it is easy enough to figure out the logic of it - no, that's not right! I cannot really see any logic in the whole idea. Let's say the 'rationale' - a reasonable explanation for doing something illogical."

Gloria interrupted with a laugh. "That's ... that's not the Webster's definition of 'rationale', is it?"

"Webster never had to deal with something like this," he retorted. "Gloria, how in the hell did Ed ever agree to this?"

"Believe me, Chuck, 'hell' is a very good description of what he went through before deciding. Bud, too. This was not just some wild idea they came up with over a beer."

"Hmmmm. Guess I never thought Julie or Kim could have any such problems. They have always been happy, upbeat, sexy, and ... I guess 'together'. I've always envied Ed for having the perfect family."

Gloria thought for a moment before saying "Now that you mention it, I would agree that Ed's family was about as perfect as you will find. When he saw that slipping away, he had the courage to take action that was difficult, even humiliating, for him."

"Dad," Cassie interrupted, "When you told me about the slavery, I thought it was crazy. I thought it was terribly wrong. Part of the reason I flew in was because I could not believe Bud would do something that awful. Well, after a few hours talking to Kim, I'm convinced it was exactly the right thing to do, and barely the right time.

"Gloria, I would love to talk to you a lot more, and I'm guessing I will have plenty of chances in the future. I'm sorry for the brief stop in, but I had to put a face to the name I heard from Dad so often yesterday. Oh, and a body. God, what a body!"

"Well, thank you Cassie. I really am glad you stopped in. I have a very special thank for you. I'll bet you can guess what for." The two women giggled as Chuck looked confused. Cassie kissed Chuck and walked out.

When they were alone. "I guess that was a situation where I should have been embarrassed. I hope it doesn't bother you that I spend so much time in little or no clothes."

"I can't wait to let it start bothering me," he countered.

For a while they talked about Cassie, where she lived, if she had wedding plans, the usual subjects.

After a pause, Chuck looked hard at her and said "You're a little in love with Ed, aren't you?"

Nodding, Gloria added "Bud, too, to be honest. I can promise that I would never, ever do anything to harm their family, though."

"I assumed that," Chuck said quickly. "It must have been terribly hard for him to stay focused on his wife and daughter while dealing with you."

Purposely deflecting the compliment, Gloria told him "Karin's a very attractive woman, too."

After another silence, Chuck barely spoke before Gloria. "Did Bud tell you about him and Cassie? Was that the thank you?"

"Yes. I had to know his level of sexual experience before he tried enslaving his sister. I was already sure he would end up with his mother, too," she revealed.

"Since you mentioned that Bud was here early several mornings, I assume you had him practicing on some of your clients," Chuck stated.

"If that was true, you know I could never admit it," Gloria protested. "He was not yet eighteen."

Chuck stared hard at her before saying gently "Turning him loose on your clients was not your only statutory offense, was it?"

Understanding that he was not being judgmental or condemning, Gloria slumped a little and failed to keep her eyes dry. She looked him in the eye as she said "You would be surprised how little sex I have had in my life, Chuck. When I saw how Bud genuinely loved and respected women and how my size was not a factor to him, I had no defense. When I met Ed, it was only my respect for his marriage that kept me from going after him. Well, that, and I knew he would not respond."

"I don't know, Gloria. I don't think even my brother is good enough to resist an all-out assault from you."

"But you see," she protested, "I would never have assaulted him. I don't want a man that way. OK, I admit that I was quite, um, aggressive with Bud. But we both knew what that did and did not mean, and..."

There was no way she could finish that thought. Actually, the thought itself had dissolved in a haze of arousal. Catching her completely off guard and showing surprising strength, Chuck had pulled her to her feet and was delivering a very intense, very theatrical kiss. He had her bent over with one arm behind her back and the other hand on a bare ass cheek. The kiss was not that long, but it did not take long for the message to be clearly delivered.

It was probably not necessary, but she let him help her upright after their lips separated. "Is that the way you wanted a man? I've wanted to do that since the game Tuesday night," he told her.

"Yes! Just like that. I've wished you would do that since then," she admitted. "Now, how the hell am I going to get all my work done on my busiest day of the week?" She leaned her head against him as she complained.

"How about if you just keep in mind what we'll do in my bed tonight - all night," he told her with no hint of a tease. They stared into each other's eyes, and she saw that he was deadly serious.

What he saw in her eyes bore no resemblance to the smirk that had so tantalized him at lunch on Thursday. It was hard to believe that he saw longing and more than a little fear from a woman who seemed so confident. "You want that, don't you, Gloria?"

"M ... maybe too much," she stammered.

"Look," he tried to say in a reassuring voice, "I know we've just met. I think I share a lot of traits with my brother and my nephew, so I shouldn't be too much of a shock to you. As for me, well, I was blown away that first night at the game. Then, at lunch when I discovered that your mind was at least the equal to your body ... Gloria, I've hardly been able to think of anything but you since Thursday."

"Even with Kim and Julie practically shoving their bare pussies in your face last night?" Her teasing instincts were strong enough to overcome her emotional fog.

"Actually, I know exactly how Ed was able to concentrate on Julie while he worked with you. His mind has been only on Julie for twenty some years. Every other woman, no matter how sexy, is someone to be admired, appreciated, even used for stimulation, but that's all. I'm afraid you have already grabbed my mind that way."

"Damn!" Gloria breathed out as she clung to him through a shudder that could have been a small cum. Gasping, she asked "What time tonight? I need to call Ed right away, and you need to get over there."

"Giving me another bare pussy challenge, huh?" he teased, while grabbing both bare buttocks and pulling her crotch against his own.

"I see you're UP to the challenge," she retorted, then kissed him with all of the heat she could generate.

When they broke, he was completely serious when he told her "You get this awesome ass over to my place just as soon as you're done here. No dressing, no primping, just throw on sweats or something. I've got a heated pool and a hot tub. I don't want to see even these sexy scraps on you until sometime Monday." He emphasized his words by tugging on her top.

Gloria had to do her all-time 'compose yourself' routine before calling Ed. "Two things," she told him. "Chuck is on his way for the measurement ritual. Ed, be sure to tell him you are not upset with him. He is worried. Just remember, there was that special mother/son thing when she was exposed to Bud. Chuck was the first outside the family to see her in anything but 'proper' clothing. Her strong exhibitionist streak has only been unleashed for a week. Chuck was the first real 'target', and it sounds like Julie was just unable to manage the feelings.

"Ed, women have always had to learn to take advantage of their men getting aroused by other sexy women. Last night was nothing more than a variation of that. Take a warning, though. As far as Julie's exhibitionism, I have a feeling you ain't seen nothin' yet."

"I really was more upset with Julie than with Chuck," Ed assured her. "The whole thing just knocked me off balance, I guess."

Chuck received a far, far less enthusiastic welcome at the house than he had for dinner the evening before. Bud only had him record the numbers on the chart, but just his presence for the measurements was hard for Kim and Julie to take. Bud had acquired a tool for estimating percent body fat. Even though the women did not relate to the numbers, just having the caliper-like device used to pinch flesh at a few places on their bodies made them sure that the numbers were bad.

There was one positive for the slaves, though. Both had lost over three pounds in the first week. That was not exceptional for a first week, but while generally healthy, Julie's cooking was not tailored for maximum weight loss. In almost all reducing programs, the last pounds come off more slowly than the first.

Seeing the numbers, Bud still felt that they could reach their weight goals before June. Kim could be much earlier than that. Yet to be decided was whether weight alone was the proper criterion for ending slavery.

The rest of Gloria's day only made money because of the strength of her staff. Her own contributions barely kept from costing her business. At least every five minutes she chided herself for acting like a virgin waiting for after the prom. It was James who finally convinced her to just leave. She did not even argue.

As 'aflutter' as she was, she was still a strong, competitive woman with a deep sense of fun. When she found Chuck's house, the long private drive gave her ideas. After stripping and walking to the door, she momentarily wondered if there might be someone else at his house. She could only laugh at herself for worrying about that - she who spent a large portion of her life naked.

When Chuck opened the door to her ring, she told him "I took you at your word." It did her a world of good to see the lust in his eyes and feel the frantic way he stepped out and wrapped her in his arms. When she felt the bulge of his erection, she could only think of one thing. She was the one leading the way inside, unerringly finding the master suite.

"I have been unable to even think all day," she warned him. "I need relief badly. I showered, I'm clean, I'm protected."

"I just showered, too. I was going to meet you naked, but I wasn't sure how you would react."

"We would be fucking standing outside right now," she promised. "This is better. Please!" What she really wanted was him in her. But she wanted orgasms, too, and this was a man she would happily let take the lead. She knew she should not keep thinking of Bud, but the one time he had been very controlling with her had been incredibly satisfying. It did not take long at all to discover that Chuck was everything she saw in Ed and experienced in Bud.

He gave her orgasms, all right - three that she was sure of. She did not try to reciprocate, sensing that if he wanted, he would let her know. When penetration came, she was overwhelmed by a sense of completeness - of rightness. All of her life's sexual experience had pointed to this. As he was building slowly toward his second cum, she erupted again.

Some indeterminate but wonderful time later, they lay looking in each other's eyes. There was a sense of worried hope in her eyes that he picked up. "Gloria, if I had known about you, I would have been home to stay years earlier. Stop worrying about if this can last. I cannot imagine what can change my feeling that you are the woman I have always looked for."

"It won't be easy working out our pretty different lives," she warned. "Can you really accept what I do for a living?"

"I may never understand the why of what you do," he admitted. "I will feel the usual jealousy as other men enjoy your naked body. All I know is that it will all be worth it. I sense your desire to do more than what D-House has allowed you. I can assure that if both of us earned zero, we would be fine as a couple."

"A couple..." she started to say, but stopped because of sniffles. When composure allowed, she asked "Can you really have those thoughts in less than a week?"

"I'm afraid I am painfully analytical," he confessed. "Every time I interact with a woman, I evaluate her against what I need and want. It has been a long time since I even came close. When I met you, I couldn't even do my check list. I could not think that straight." That generated a huge smile and a happy hum from her."

"Just to get it all on the table, Chuck and Bud made me long for you. In fact, one time I asked Ed if there were any more Haller men like him. For a lot of years, I suppressed my sexuality in despair at ever finding a man I could live with. Suddenly, there were a father and son that I yearned to live with but could not. Chuck, it was literally you that I was hoping for."

"You see, Darling, there is no reason it should take any time at all for us to know we belong together. For a long time, we have both known just what we were looking for. Will you stop being afraid this is too good to be true? Can we just decide that we ARE a couple and begin enjoying it?" With each of his words, it got harder and harder for Gloria to see his face through the tears. He was saying just what she most needed to hear. She believed him completely.

They lay quietly and he drifted off. Carefully, she pulled back the sheet and looked at her man - HER MAN at last! Having heard all of the mars/venus comparisons about how women were tactilely stimulated, rather than visually, she thought it was bullshit. She could feel warmth and tingling just from looking at him. Everything about him was manly. Large hands, feet, and penis. Broad shoulders padded with muscle. Deep chest. Face favoring rugged rather than handsome. Eyes that penetrated and spoke what he felt. Composed, thoughtful demeanor. Perhaps most important, that air that announced that he genuinely liked women.

The visit with Carol and Chet Lewis, Julie's parents, was something Gloria and Karin had never figured into their planning for the Kim project. Of course, it was just one of many things they had not figured in.

It was Sunday afternoon, just over a week since Bud had enslaved his sister, then his mother. Reluctantly leaving Chuck's house that morning after the most wonderful night of lovemaking in her life, Gloria had spent hours with Karin, debating a visit with the Lewises. The overriding problem was that Julie's situation could not realistically be kept from her parents. The family was too close and the interactions among the women too frequent. After trying their hardest to support every conceivable argument for keeping the Lewises in the dark, they had admitted failure and arranged to visit the Lewis home.

Karin was the designated spokesperson, assuming that her status as a school counsellor would give her the edge in credibility. She started by saying "I know that when I called I did not give you much information about who we are and why we are involved with Julie's family. It all started with Kim." Karin spent a half hour describing how Dawn had gotten her hooks into Kim and all of the resulting problems. There were many questions, quite a few tears from Carol, and many expressions of disbelief from both grandparents. Kim truly had been everyone's perfect daughter and granddaughter up until Dawn.

Next, Karin described Bud's distress over his sister's decline and his search for anything he could do to save her. She explained how Bud had come to her, how she knew Gloria, and the time they had spent with Bud and with Ed considering possible approaches.

"What Bud discovered after all of this rather painful discussion was that Kim is quite submissive. This girl, Dawn, sensed her vulnerability and set out to take her over. Make no mistake. Dawn intended to make Kim her slave, and she would have abused and degraded Kim in the worst way. We are certain of that."

By agreement, Gloria took over at this point. She had decided to be open about her business. "First of all, folks, I don't want you to view Kim's submissiveness as an illness or a defect. It is simply a personality trait that she was born with. From what we have been able to discover about your family, all of the Lewis women share this trait to some extent.