Chapter 3: Penny Surrenders Her Soul

"So, how does our diner stack up against the one in Ft. Worth?" he asked her. He was eating fish and chips. Penny was sitting across from him in the booth eating a cobb salad.

"Oh, it's much nicer. The cook hasn't had to come out and threaten an unruly patron once since we've arrived." They ate in silence for awhile, then she leaned across the table, obviously wanting to tell him something in private. He leaned forward, too, their heads almost touching. "Do you think the night dispatcher knew what we were doing?" she whispered.

He kept his voice low, too. "Without a doubt. You were ... shall we say ... verbose?"

She looked down and blushed crimson. "I ... I couldn't help it. I wasn't thinking."

"We were both well beyond the 'thinking' stage. Ron, the deputy on duty ... well, his wife ranks about a nine-point-five on the 'Gossip Scale, ' so my guess is that everybody in town already knows about it."

Penny gasped. "Do you think so?"

"Yes. And do you know what else?" He waited until she gave him a wide-eyed shake of her head. Their noses were practically touching. "Right now, we are confirming that rumor to everyone here."

She sat back and snapped her head around toward the dining room. At least half of the people were staring right at them. She closed her eyes. "Oh, no," she groaned.

They ate quietly from that point on. The sheriff rose when he was sure that she was through, carefully left exactly 20% of the tab on the table for a tip, then he helped her out of the booth. As he did so, he put his lips next to her ear and said, "I'm going to take you home with me, deputy. I want you in my bed tonight." She couldn't suppress a shiver. She stood meekly beside him as he paid at the register. People were still staring at her, whispering back and forth among themselves, and she couldn't stop blushing and averting her eyes downward. At last, he was through and she followed him out the door to his truck.

"I ... I need another blouse," she told him quietly. "This one is missing two buttons."

He nodded and drove the three blocks to her boarding house. June Freeland met them at the front door. "Good evening, June," the sheriff said cordially, taking off his hat. "I'm going to need Penny for ... um ... an assignment tonight. I wanted you to know that she wouldn't be coming home."

June nodded. "Assignment, Joe? Can't you come up with something better than that?"

He shuffled his feet. "Why, Ms. Freeland ... I don't know what you mean."

June set her mouth into knowing scowl and nodded. She took Penny by the hand. "Come along, dear. I'll help you pack your toothbrush."

Penny could do nothing but follow along. She was mortified. When they were in her room, she finally got up the courage to mutter: "My gosh. Everybody knows. It just happened, and everybody knows."

June threw back her head and laughed out loud. Then, seeing that she wasn't helping Penny's peace of mind any, she simply smiled and patted her on the arm. "Don't fret, honey. Everybody's happy for you. And they're especially happy for HIM. You're good for him. We can all see that. Now, how long do you think you'll be stayin' with him?" She tossed the smaller of the two suitcases on the bed and began folding Penny's clothes.

The sheriff lived about ten minutes away, north of town in the woods. Penny sat silently in the passenger seat of the pickup. "I want you to tell me why you said what you did, back in the office," he ordered. "You told me that you'd never been with a man, but that you weren't a virgin."

She glanced at him in the growing dusk and sighed. "I've never talked about this with anyone," she said quietly. She took another breath, trying to compose herself. "It was a year and a half ago. In fact, it was the first and last time I wore that dress I have ... before now. Bernardo ... the chef at the café ... he hired a lot of waitresses. It took two of us to handle the place. I was always there, but there were an awful lot of girls who came and went. One of them ... Sandra ... she was pretty wild, I guess. She kept trying to get me to go out with her. Shopping, to the movies, out on double-dates ... that sort of thing. Finally, I just gave up and said okay. We both had a Saturday night off because the café was closed. They'd found some sort of bugs, and the place had to be fumigated, or something. Anyway, we bought new dresses, and then she insisted on taking me to a party at some fraternity. But it wasn't at the college, it was somewhere else ... at someone's house down south of the city.

"It was a pretty wild affair. There were a lot of guys there, but I was used to dealing with guys that were hitting on me. It happened all the time in the restaurant. There were lots of drugs and alcohol, but I just refused everything. Sandra disappeared with a guy she obviously knew, and I never saw her again. One of the guys got me a bottle of water, and I drank that. It must have been already opened when he handed it to me, but I couldn't testify to that. The guys seemed nice. Really. I remember I started feeling sick ... dizzy, and I remember they all acted concerned and tried to help me. And ... that's all. That's all I remember. I don't remember individual faces. I don't remember what happened. I don't remember ANYTHING. The next memory I have, I was sitting at my kitchen table at home, and I was drinking orange juice. It was about ten in the morning, and Mom was still passed out in her bed. I felt really grimy and I just wanted to take a bath. I can remember feeling something dried and sticky all over me ... on my legs, on my arms, on my face. I felt ... contaminated. I lost track of everything again after that. Suddenly, I was in the bathtub, and the water was cold. I ran some hot to warm it up and I started taking stock of myself. I was really, really sore between my legs, and when I dried myself with a towel, I found out that I was bleeding a little. My panties were ripped, and absolutely soaked with slimy white stuff that was starting to dry along the waistband. That dress, though ... that dress was still perfect. Whoever did that to me ... and from the amount of ... stuff in my panties ... there must have been several of them ... they'd obviously taken the dress off first. My wallet was open in my purse, but nothing was missing. That must be how they knew my address."

"And, of course, you didn't file charges," he said bitterly.

"I didn't KNOW anything! Sandra never came to work again ... not even to pick up her pay for the week. She drove that night, and I don't know where that house was ... or even what it looked like. It was dark. I can't remember the name of the fraternity ... or even if it really WAS a fraternity. I had washed all the evidence off my body ... I think I must have spent more than an hour in that bathtub. I have no memories ... and even those that I can still put together are all fuzzy. It was the perfect crime." She wiped a tear from her cheek. "And I was the perfect victim. That's one of the reasons I wanted to go into law enforcement ... to help other girls who might have gone through that sort of thing."

By this time, they had turned off the main road and traveled down a long dirt driveway. Penny was grateful for the distraction, and she could just make out the long, single story ranch house as they broke into a clearing in the woods. "This is nice," she told him.

"I was raised here," he said. "Part of the house ... on the right, over there ... it's been rebuilt. There was a twister that tore it up..."

"The one that killed your parents."

He sighed. "Yes. The storm shelter is over there, but they never made it. It left the main part of the structure intact, though. Even the furniture, and pictures on the walls. Tornados are freaky things. I've been working on rebuilding the place for a long time, now."

He parked in front of the main door and went around to help her out. Then, he grabbed her small suitcase and led the way inside, across a foyer and into a living room. She was glancing all around when he scooped her up in his arms and twirled her about like a doll. She shrieked with laughter, then put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "So ... you see ... that special memory that every woman has ... I never did. Not until now. You're my first, sir."

"And here's the first thing to remember, starting tonight," he said, smiling. "If you ever call me 'sir' again, I'm going to have to severely punish you."

She kissed him again. "Mmmm. That might be ... nice."

He laughed, shaking his head. He set her on her feet again, gently wrenched her arms free of his neck, and began unbuttoning her blouse. Apparently, he'd gotten the hang of it, because in no time at all, she was bare from the waist up. She stood meekly before him, letting him drink in the sight of her. She was shaking slightly. "Perfect," he said. "Absolutely perfect."

"They're too small," she told him, blushing.

"YOU are small, dear lady. THEY are perfect." He undid the skirt and held onto her as she stepped out of it. "No ... come to think of it, while you may be small, YOU are perfect, too. Repeat after me: I am perfect."

She laughed again. She couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed like this. But she fell silent, shocked, as he fell to his knees in front of her and slid her panties down over her hips. "Oh gosh, sir!" she exclaimed as he leaned forward and started kissing her bare belly. "I ... I mean ... Joe, sir. Oh gosh! I ... I don't think I can call you tha ... OH GOSH!" He was licking her, closer and closer to her pussy. She put a hand on his broad shoulder as he picked up one of her feet and slid her shoe off, followed by the panties. She almost stumbled, but he supported her until she was completely nude. Then he stood and unbuckled his gun belt and held it out to her.

"Put this over there on the wall rack," he ordered. He released it as soon as she took it in her hands, and she almost dropped it. It was heavy. She'd forgotten how big the Colt revolver was. Quickly, she padded over to the wall hangers and slung the belt over one of the hooks. It was odd how doing his bidding while she was naked seemed to emphasize her accepted level of obedience. It thrilled her.

When she turned back toward him, his shirt was gone, and he was using a boot tree to get his cowboy boots off. By the time she had walked back to him his pants were on the floor, and he was pulling down his underwear. Awed by him, she put the palm of her hand on the center of his hairy chest and felt his muscles there. His cock was thickening, but not yet erect, and she took her other hand and trailed the tips of her fingernails downward, across his stomach, onto his manhood. Now he was swelling magnificently, and she couldn't help but tremble. "I can't believe I can get this thing inside me," she marveled.

In the blink of an eye, he bent down and scooped her up into his arms, and he carried her effortlessly down a hallway. She buried her face into the side of his neck and held him, her eyes closed, not knowing or caring where he was taking her, or even the direction they were going. She finally felt herself being lowered onto a bed. She didn't let go or open her eyes. "Joe..." She paused and considered the way the word felt on her lips. "Joe, we should talk. I should tell you something."

"No," he told her. He kissed her then, long and hard. When he finally pulled away from her, she was gasping. "No more talk," he told her firmly. "No more words. I'm going to take you again. I'm going to take you now."

She nodded. "Yes. Alright."

He began sucking on her nipples. He was much too large and heavy for her to push around, but if she tried hard and persisted long enough, she found that she could twist her body so that he could continue suckling, but now she could reach his erection. She stroked it, squeezed it, pumped it as far as her hand would allow. She found his scrotum, and was delighted when he moaned loudly around her breast. He, on the other hand, seemed to be able to reach any part of her body that he chose to touch, and his thick, hard finger started tracing circles around her clit caused her to strain and buck against the contact. She felt herself building toward another explosion, but before she could attain it, he was moving her, positioning her body beneath him. She knew what he wanted, and tried to squirm her buttocks while pulling on his cock until he was in the proper position to enter her.

As he began pushing into her body, she ... for the very first time in her life ... discovered what it was like to be completely helpless in the arms of a lover. His strength was overpowering, his weight overwhelming. He slowly, steadily pushed into her. She could tell that he was trying to be gentle with her, trying to be considerate. But it really didn't matter, physically. She loved him more because of it, but she was utterly and completely powerless. His weight crushed her into the softness of the mattress. The rhythm of his strokes, slow and purposeful at first, became more and more urgent, more forceful, more lost to passion. Finally, he was pounding into her, and she was small and feeble and vulnerable, completely defenseless in his arms.

It was the best feeling she had ever experienced.

His cock swelled, and she felt him begin to throb, deep inside her womb. She felt his seed fill her, overfill her, splash against her inner thighs and leak onto the bed beneath her. He thrust one last time, and he hit something, far up inside her, so that she shivered and cried out. It was nowhere near as intense as it had been that afternoon, and yet, it was somehow better. Feeling trapped like this, surrendering to him completely like this ... this was the best. This was perfect.

After a long two or three minutes, he pulled out of her and rolled off of her body. He reached for something, and she found a fistful of tissues in her hand, which she used to wipe up the effluence oozing out of her and puddling beneath her. But as soon as he thought she was finished, he pulled her over onto him, so that she was nuzzling into the crook of his arm as he lay on his back, his breathing hard, but slowing. His arm was around her, and somehow, he had been able to pull a sheet over them both. She felt ... safe ... protected. This was where she belonged. She thought that he might discard her tomorrow. He might use her as a one-night-stand and throw her away, like that wad of tissues ... a receptacle for his pleasure and nothing more. But at least for one night, she was happy ... fulfilled ... complete. At least for tonight, she was where she wanted to be.

She listened to the sound of his heart for what seemed an eternity. And then she slept.

...

She awoke early and stared at him for a long, long time. Then, she arose and found a bathroom, where she showered, primped in front a mirror for awhile, and dressed. She woke him up at seven o'clock, laughing and dodging his arms as he reached for her, calling him lazy and telling him to get up. She asked how he liked his eggs, and she beamed when he told her they were just right, as were the biscuits and the coffee and the bacon she had found in the refrigerator.

The rumors would only get worse, of course, if they arrived at the office together, but he didn't seem to care about that. She, however, hadn't gotten used to the idea of being the topic of sexual rumor and speculation, and she found herself blushing and stammering several times during the day ... especially when Bea caught her during a private moment and asked: "For God sake, Penny, what was he like?"

During the afternoon, he had called her into the office for a "private meeting," then he had coaxed her out of all her clothes, bent her over the desk, and entered her from behind. Sex was still very new to her, and the various positions were things she had never even thought about. This one, in particular, had him pushing deeper into her than he ever had before; and while she had been unable to touch him in any way, he could touch and squeeze and pinch and rub every exposed inch of HER body. Her orgasm had been shattering, and she had cried out, in spite of herself. Surely, Bea had been able to hear her ... and possibly ever person in the building. She couldn't meet anyone's eyes after that. And yet, she found the humiliation somehow oddly stimulating. She wasn't just being sexually used ... she was being sexually OWNED. She pondered this, back at her desk, and decided that it was not only true, it was actually exhilarating. Had she really become that perverted?

When Joe wasn't copulating with her, he was busy planning ... something. He spent two hours with his chief deputy, whom he had called in off vacation. Bea had confided in Penny (during one of the times she was fishing for specific details of her sexual trysts) that Joe had gone out and bought a new cell phone, and instead of having HER dial numbers and getting other parties on the line, he was doing everything himself. She was bitter that he didn't trust her enough to include her in his plans ... whatever they were. But Penny understood, at least to some extent. There seemed to be no secrets in this town, and there was little doubt in her mind that if Bea had known whatever THIS secret was, she would have started the gossip on its way down the road toward total disclosure.

Near five o'clock, she knocked on his door and went into his office. "Will you be ... um ... needing me anymore today, sir?" she asked.

He had been engrossed with some paperwork, but he laughed at her, rose and came around the desk. He caught her up in his arms and kissed her so hard that she lost her breath, and she almost stumbled when he let her go. "Yes, deputy. I'd like you to go to the market next door for me, please. Carl, the owner, should be working the meat counter in the back. This is the one day of the week I eat steak. Have him pick out a good one for me. I should be done here by the time you get back."

Carl, as it turned out, had the steak ready for her. ("Ah! You must be Penny. I cut the rib eye a little large. Hope it's enough for the two of you. Here's a bottle of the Cabernet he likes ... he'll be happy you picked it up for him. No, we don't take credit cards, but that's okay ... I've already put it on his tab. Say hi to Joe for me. See you around, Penny.") And Joe was waiting for her when she got back, ready to go. She allowed him to take the groceries, lead her out to the truck and help her up to the passenger seat.

She regarded him as they drove toward the ranch house. "What are you working on, Joe? Why all the secrecy?"

He smiled. "I'll tell you all about it tomorrow evening. It should all be over by then."

"It's something dangerous, isn't it? I think you'd tell me, if it wasn't."

He seemed to consider this. "Maybe a little. It's not the danger that I'm concerned about. It's going to take a lot of ... well ... leadership, I guess. I'm afraid that I might not be up to the task. I'm afraid I might ... fail."

Penny was aghast. "Joe, you're the strongest man I've ever met."

He smiled. "Strength isn't always physical, Penny. Strong men have sometimes made big mistakes."

"Joe, I want to help. I HAVE to help!"

He beamed at her. "You already have. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you. I ... I'd pretty much given up on the whole thing until I met you. You gave me something to fight for again."

"I don't understand."

He reached over and put a hand on her bare knee. "Tomorrow. I'll tell you tomorrow." They rode in silence for a minute. "Let's change the subject, shall we? You had something you wanted to tell me last night, but I was in too big a hurry to listen. Now, I will, I promise. What is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Tell me."

She looked over at him and made an inner decision. "No."

"What ... You're keeping secrets from me now? Is the quid pro quo?"

She thought about it. "I just don't want to talk about it. It's not important anymore."

He shrugged and let it go. They were home, anyway.

In the kitchen, he cleaned a couple baking potatoes and put them in the oven, then he opened the wine and poured a glass for each of them. She didn't drink, normally, but took it and sipped. He gave her the grand tour of the house, talking about things ... his brothers and sisters, his parents, giving each room and item in the dwelling a little story for illustration. He left her so that he could start the charcoal grill on the patio, and she went to the flowered chair in the living room and sat, comfortable in it, her feet tucked under her as she watched him prepare things outside for cooking. But when he came back in, he stopped abruptly, staring at her with a shocked expression on his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing."

"What? What is it?"

He finally smiled and laughed at her. "I don't want to talk about it. See? Two can play at THAT game."

She came to him. "Tell me!" But he grabbed her and tickled her and made her shriek and laugh, and he held her and kissed her, and so she forgot about it for the time being.

Dinner was wonderful. She'd made a salad to go with the meat and potatoes, and he grilled the steak medium for her, even though he preferred rare. They talked about the property, the woods, the little creek out back, and they kept the conversation going while they did the dishes together.

Afterwards, he found a station on the satellite radio that she liked, and he went off to talk on his new cell phone, doing something to prepare for tomorrow's "big event," she imagined. She curled up in the flowered chair again, and listened to the music and wondered what he would do to her tonight, in bed. She heard a car on the driveway outside, but she figured it would be his chief deputy, called to discuss plans, and she didn't really care. Everybody knew she was here, and anyway, she felt relaxed and drowsy and wonderful sitting here like this. She liked to imagine that she belonged here ... in this house, in this chair, with him.

"OH MY!"

The exclamation made her sit suddenly upright, wide awake. "Madam Dormir! What are YOU doing here? What's the matter?"

Joe was with her. "Oh my!" the older lady said again. "Joe, isn't this just a little ... um ... spooky?"

Joe grunted. "No, I would definitely NOT call it that. It's just a coincidence, that's all. Now, please come in. Sit down. Why are you ... um ... What can I do for you?"

Madam came in, but she did not sit down. Penny had gotten up, and Madam came to her and took both of her hands in hers. "Please don't mind us, dear. It's just that you remind us of someone, that's all."

"Who?"

"It's not important," Joe said curtly.

Madam ignored him. "His mother, dear. She was ... petite, just like you, and had dark hair, like yours. And she always sat in THAT chair, with her feet tucked up underneath her, just the way you were doing. Joe's right, it's all just a coincidence, but it's a little ... well ... unsettling, when you're not expecting it, that's all."

Penny kept Madam's hands in hers but looked at Joe. "I remind you of your mother."

"NO! You are nothing like my mother!" He took a breath. "I mean ... well ... you might look like her a little, but this is NOT some sort of Oedipus complex! There was no other woman like her, but I loved my mother ... like a mother! And I love you like a..." He faltered, reddening in the face. "I mean..."

Madam Dormir beamed. "There!" she said happily. "Aren't things better when they're out in the open?"

Joe scowled. "Madam Dormir, why are you here?"

"You wanted to know the extent of my power over Penny. I decided to stop by and show you. You sit down there, and I'll hypnotize her, and I'll show you that I DO have control over her. I have COMPLETE control over her. You'd like to see that, wouldn't you, dear?"

He glared at her. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"Oh, no, dear. I'm trying to help you. That's what I do, isn't it, Penny?"

Penny felt herself nodding in agreement. That IS what Madam did. She was doing it all the time. She did it for everybody.

"Let me show you, Joe. I'm here to help you ... and Penny, too. Now, sit down, and watch me. I'm going to hypnotize her. That IS what I'm going to do to you, isn't it, my dear? You're going to let me, aren't you?"

Penny nodded again.

"And now, tell Joe WHY you're going to let me hypnotize you."

Penny looked over toward him. "Because I want her to," she said dully. The very mention of hypnosis made her want to surrender to Madam.

"Sit down, Joe. Sit down and watch." Penny watched him as he sat down on the couch next to the window. He seemed to be unable to take his eyes off her.

He wants to watch, Penny thought. He wants to watch while she takes control of me. He likes to see me when I'm helpless.

Madam moved Penny so that she was facing him, but so that Madam could see him, too. The woman put her lips to Penny's ear and whispered softly: "He's in trouble. Do you want to help him?"

"Yes!" Penny said aloud.

"Do you love him?" she whispered.

"Oh, yes!"

"The only way to help him is to let me make you sleep. Will you?"

"Yes, Madam."

"The only way to help him is to let me control you. Will you do exactly as I say, without question?"

"Yes, Madam."

"If you do exactly as I say, I will give Joe the power to hypnotize you, too. I will give HIM the power to take absolute control of you. Would you like that, dear?"

"Oh, yes, Madam! Please!" She saw Joe raise his eyebrows. He was concentrating on her very hard. In the corners of her mind, she realized that he hadn't heard the questions, only her answers. She was begging Madam to make him her master ... to make her his slave ... and he didn't know it. She felt the corners of her lips lift into a slight smile.

Madam pulled away from her for a moment, and Penny was left standing there, staring at the man sitting on the sofa. She didn't know what was expected of her, but she had dedicated herself to the task of obedience. For his sake, she would obey. Finally, her vision was filled with Madam's emerald, dangling before her bleary eyes. The large glass window was beyond Joe, and the light in the gem sprang to life, captivating her, enthralling her. Joe and the emerald seemed to become one. This was her world. This was all there was.

"You are relaxing, and going into a state of absolute submission ... absolute obedience, aren't you, my dear," she whispered in her ear.

Speech seemed difficult. "Yes, Madam."

"I will let you remember this. I will let you be cognizant of your actions. But go deep. You must obey, if you want to help him. You must obey without question."

"Yes. Obey."

"You're not deep enough, dear. Let me lead you deeper. Deeper. Go deep for me. For him. Go deep for him. Deep."

"Deep."

Madam looked over at Joe. "Is there anything you'd like to ask her, Joe? She has no secrets from me."

He gawked at her ... at them both. "Yes," he said. "She DOES have a secret. But she won't tell you."

Madam laughed. "I don't know what it is, dear, but tell us. Tell us now."

"I'm not on the pill," Penny said at once. "I'm not protected." She closed her eyes and sighed, smiling. "And he cums SO deep inside me."

Joe cleared his throat. "Why the hell didn't you TELL me? We could have found ... something."

She looked wistful. "You needed me. And I love you. You needed me, and I had to make you happy. Nobody's ever needed me that way before. And I love you. And I won't tell you, because if you dump me and tell me to go away, you'll never have to know. So if I DO get pregnant, I'll have a part of you with me ... but I won't tie you down." She sighed happily. "Because I love you," she added.

Madam put her lips back to Penny's ear and whispered: "Are you deep enough, dear? Will you obey without question ... without hesitation? HE might not know ... might not understand ... what is best for him. But I know. Even if he tells you no ... in order to protect him, you must obey ME. Will you do that, dear?"

"Yes Madam."

"Very good, dear. Now, take off your blouse and bra. Do it now."

She immediately unbuttoned her blouse. He held out his hand toward her ... told her to stop. But he didn't understand what was best for him. Only Madam knew. And within seconds, she was bare above her waist.

Joe gawked at her, and she smiled again and told Madam: "He likes my breasts."

"Yes, dear. They're very nice breasts. And now..." She leaned forward and put her lips to Penny's ear, whispering. " ... and now, go to the kitchen. Get me a glass of water. Get Joe a beer. Pour the beer in a glass for him. My purse is on the kitchen table. Underneath it, there's a little glass vial. Pour the contents into his beer, then put the empty vial into my purse. While you're in there, take off the rest of your clothes. Bring us our drinks, then go and sit in that chair, exactly the way you were doing when I came in. From that point on, don't move. Say nothing unless I ask you a question, and do nothing ... no matter what you see. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Madam."

"Go now."