Chapter 22

Lucy

When I first put my proposition to Charlie just after the start of the university term, December seemed a long way off. In the last two weeks though, time seems to have speeded up and today we are setting out for Castle Fortune to prepare for the final confirmation of the pact we made. Charlie and I are going to be wed on Saturday which is only five days away.

I am not nervous about the wedding since I know Charlie loves me and I love him. We have also been living as man and wife since the day I gave myself to him as his submissive. Any nerves I gave concern a promise I made about Dave; Charlie's best man for the occasion. I said I would reveal to him the nature of the proposal I made for my husband to be and what this says about me.

I have become much more accepting of my submissive nature and under Charlie's guidance and the because of the way he has used me without becoming, what for me at any rate would be abusive I am happy being what I am. I know many people would regard what he does to me as abusive, but to me he is only doing what has to be done if he is to meet my totally abnormal needs.

I have given a great deal of to this a lot over the last few months and come to terms with what I am. Because I have someone like Charlie, he helps me to explore these needs with built in safeguards, has also brought me great sexual fulfilment and personal happiness. If others find out about me, I don't worry about their attitude towards me seemingly bizarre lifestyle. I am happy being me and look forward to the future with him by my side.

Having said this, Dave is a special case. Not only has he been a second father to Charlie, Chantelle trusts him with the management of her affairs. She also has designs on a more intimate relationship with him, so his reaction to what I tell him has implications for all our future relationships with him. I don't think there is any way I can gradually reveal what I am. I will just have to find an opportunity to put him in the picture.

When we arrived at Charlie's home both Chantelle and David were there to greet us and we sat down to afternoon tea and in the course of our conversation Dave gave me the opportunity I needed. He nodded towards Chantelle and said,

"By boss tells me that you are a good artist and that you have actually won prizes for your painting? Yes I have, and once Charlie and I finish our studies at university he has promised to fund me so that I can do what I originally wanted to do, and that is to go to art school."

"Will your portfolio be good enough to get you in, because you will be up against some stiff competition."

"They accepted it the last time I applied. I think my work will be more mature by the time I try again. So yes; I think they will accept it. I must say Dave, you seem to know quite a bit about how to get into art school, why is that?"

"Before my wife ran off with another man," he said, "I was a member of the local art club, and along with the art teacher at our school I helped one of the young local girls to build up a portfolio that gained her entrance to the Glasgow College of Art."

"I remember that now," Chantelle said, "But you don't seem to have painted anything for a long time."

"No, I think when Fay left me and then divorced me, I sort of went into a depression and just did not have the inspiration or the desire to carry on. I withdrew from the art club and sort of turned in on myself."

"I think that is a pity," I told him. "You should have continued to paint and even though the result might have been some dark stuff, it might well have helped you to work through your feelings"

"You may well be right lass, but you can't turn back the clock."

That's true, but you can do something about the future. I have taken over grandfather's art studio here at the castle, I plan to use it to build a new portfolio for the time I will need it. Chantelle has promised I can hold exhibitions here. Once I get set up you could be one of my critics and let me know what you see in any particular work."

"I don't know if my opinion would amount to much," Dave told me; I am just a rank amateur."

"If the art teacher thought you were good enough to help one of his students prepare for Art College then I think I will be able to rely on your judgement and welcome your opinion." We will get together sometime this week and I will show you some of my previous work. You can give me your comments and we will take it from there."

Dave agreed to meet me at ten am on Wednesday morning and agreed that we would have coffee at eleven. Once he had gone, I told the others to have something to do on Wednesday morning which would account for their absence when I got together with Dave at this time.

Charlie

Now that Lucy had made her appointment to meet Dave I guessed what she was going to do.

"I take it that you are going to let him in on your little secret," I said with a smile, "And that is why you want us to make ourselves scarce."

"You are perfectly correct in your assumption," She told them, "But you are not going to see much of me this afternoon or tomorrow, I have a painting to finish between now and Wednesday morning."

"I hope it is not the one I set up the camera for in the playroom," I said, looking a bit worried.

Lucy gave me one of those sweet smiles which told me she was up to no good and that my hopes were in vain.

"It is precisely that one," she told me. "I carefully packed the canvas in the boot of the car with something like this in mind. Though I did not quite know how I would get the chance to let him see it."

Now it was my mother's turn to look alarmed, "It is not one of you in the dungeon being punished by Charlie, is it?" She questioned

"Rather a good one and very explicit," Lucy said, "though we have hammed it up a bit and Charlie is dressed in black leather for the occasion."

To my surprise, rather than being shocked my mother giggled and said,

"Well that will introduce him to our lifestyle with a vengeance. It may also hint at what he might be in for."

I interrupted her at this point because it dawned on me that my mother was only looking at this from a single perspective. She imagined that she was the one who would be the dominatrix.

"You might well find yourself in for a bit of a shock mother. I think you should broaden your perspective a bit on this issue."

"In what way?"She asked, "And why.

"Well you are working on the premise that Dave is a man used to taking orders from the officer class and therefore will do the same with you. You have not looked at the bigger picture."

"Well that is a fact is it not? She queried. "If he is holding back because he thinks I am too good for him that might be the only way I will achieve my goal."

You are forgetting that the man you are aiming to snare," I said with a grin, "Was also a regimental sergeant major. This is a rank of immense power and one in which he commanded hundreds of men. You may or not be aware of another fact, sub-lieutenants, Lieutenants, and even captains, trod warily around their regimental sergeant major. He was the kind of man whose black book you wanted to avoid being in for he could make life very difficult for you even though you outranked him."

"You are right," She said, "But I think he would regard me as being above a captain or even a major."

"True, but you are also a woman, and a man like our sergeant major would see himself as your protector rather than your submissive. If he thought you wanted him and got over the class difference, If he even go a hint of what you are, then since you have a submissive streak you might be in for a shock and find that it is he who will be your dominant other."

"There is no way he can know that," Lucy said, coming to Chantelle's defence.

"Not unless someone who is very much in his debt drops him a hint," I said smiling and evil sort of smile.

You wouldn't, would you?" Lucy said looking shocked.

Before I could reply to this my mother intervened and surprised me once more.

"Either way," She said, "Dominatrix or submissive, I would have achieved what I want."

You would be prepared to become Dave's submissive," I asked