Author's Note: Please feel free to split it up into the chapters.

I have previously put this up on the "Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive" (EMCSA). I'm not sure if that means you want to publish on your site or not, but I thought I'd give you the choice.


Chapter 1 - Inception

Layla danced as though the music had taken over her soul. Her half-naked body gleamed with sweat as she writhed in time with the beat. Joe watched, rapt, as she danced in front of him.

The little black dress silently landed on the carpet, and Layla stepped out of the crumpled pile. It took a couple of attempts, as the heels of Layla's stilettos snagged on the dress a little, but she didn't let that spoil her rhythm. She turned away, arching her back to emphasize her exquisite derriere as she swayed from side to side.

Apart from the shoes and a small pair of black lace panties, she was now naked, and she stepped closer to her prey. Joe loved it when she did this. When she stepped closer to him and pressed her voluptuous breasts into his face. The moment when he could breathe her intoxicating scent was almost the best part of the whole experience. Almost, but not quite.

As the music continued, she crouched down in front of him, putting herself between his legs. Joe knew where this was going, and sighed a little in anticipation. Layla continued, her head getting closer and closer to Joe's erection, which was making itself clearer through his trousers. Teasingly, Layla nuzzled against his cock, her mouth pressing against it through the fabric. "I wanna see it," She purred, "I wanna see how much you want me."

With her expertly manicured fingers, she reached across and started pulling at his fly, slowly undoing his zip. As his member saw light for the first time that evening, Layla gasped "My, you're a big boy aren't you", and a mischievous smile started to spread across her face. She climbed on top of him, her unclad pussy hovering over his erection.

In the background the music changed. The smile spread even further across Layla's face as she leant and whispered to him "Would you like another?"

"Wha... Oh. No. I'd better not." As the sudden realisation of his situation hit Joe, he remembered that he'd already spent more than he should. "That was great though."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it sugar." Her tone had definitely changed as she climbed off of his and started to get dressed, though as a lap dancer, this didn't take too long. She kept a wary eye on him as he redid his zip, and reached into his jacket for his wallet. He was a good regular customer (every month she thought), but experience had taught her to be careful with all clients. She didn't want him running off, or worse, getting violent.

Joe had no plans in that direction. Instead, he reached into his wallet and pulled out three twenty pound notes, leaving just the one for a drink and his taxi home. "That was three wasn't it?"

"Yeah, hun. You know, if you wanted to stay for a while more, you can use your credit card." Ever the saleswoman, she wasn't about to just let him walk out without getting as much as she could.

"No. Thanks, though." Joe had a rule about using his credit cards in strip clubs, namely: don't. He didn't want his details in some seedy company's database, and besides he didn't want to lose control over how much he spent. He made his excuses, and left the club to get a taxi home.

"So come on then!" Monica said as she sat down, "Dish!"

"There's nothing to tell, Mon, really." Jane lied, flushed with embarrassment even talking about it, "I've just been having a lot of these dreams recently. You know. About..."

"I can guess," Monica grinned, "Anyone in particular?"

"Yes... No... I mean... Yes, it is someone, but I don't know who it is." Jane stared at her latte, regretting even mentioning it to her friend. Mind, Monica knew how to extract all of her secrets. She could have worked for the CIA, that woman.

"So it is someone you know then? Can you figure out who it is from what you saw? Maybe we can narrow it down for you. Tall, short, muscly?" Monica grabbed Jane's arm. "Well endowed?"

"And how would that help us narrow it down?" Jane retorted.

"Well, Dr Connor's got a bit of a reputation in that department, from what I hear."

"From what you hear? I'm surprised you don't have a camera in the mens' locker room!"

"Well..." Monica took a sip of her drink. "I did try, but they found it!"

They both laughed. Possibly not too appropriate in the hospital cafeteria, surrounded by worried relatives and sick patients, but then nurses' humour could get quite raucous at times. Besides, it was nothing compared to what they talked about in the pub after work.

"Come on then! Details! Hair colour, height, weight, distinguishing features! We've got a mystery to solve!"

"Are you sure you didn't want to be a detective? You know, I think a future in law-enforcement would suit you."

"Stop trying to change the subject! Come on, J, your dream hubby could be in this hospital right now! I mean, how long has it been since you last had sex for real, with someone else? Six months? A year?"

Jane stayed silent. Monica probably kept track of her sex life more than she did.

"I'm only trying to help you, you know. I don't want you turning into crazy cat lady" Monica grinned. "Any more than you have already, that is!"

"I'm not that old, you know! And I don't have any cats!"

"Yet." Monica finished her drink. She looked at her watch. "Anyway, I'd better get back. We've got rounds in ten minutes and I need to sort out Miss Bechdel's tests beforehand."

"You go ahead. I'll join you in a few minutes." Jane headed for the toilets.

"OK. Oh, and, Jane...?"

"Yes?"

"Miaow!" Monica chuckled evilly as she headed back to the ward.

The comforting privacy of the cubicle settled Jane's mind in one respect: at least Monica's interrogation was over, for now at least. Jane knew Monica wouldn't let it die, but she wouldn't bring it up in the ward, surrounded as they were with colleagues and patients.

Even thinking about the dream, though, had put Jane on edge. Again! The dreams were bad enough. With increasing frequency they were leaving her frustrated and on-edge. But it didn't stop there. Even thinking about the mystery man, and the way she felt around him was enough to leave her yearning.

The dreams had started a few months ago. Jane had written them off at first as the results of a George Clooney film and too much wine. A dreamt night of passion with an unknown, unseen man could easily have stemmed from thoughts of being Scarlet Johannson or Angelina Jolie, or whoever it was.

They'd started innocently enough, too. If you count a night of ravishment and unbridled passion as innocent. Just being with that man had been enough to leave Jane as putty in his hands, and Mystery Man had taken full advantage of that... and her. He'd given her satisfaction she never even knew existed.

The satisfaction, however, had been short-lived. As had the innocence. The passion was still there, but it wasn't... enough. The sex had become more intense, slowly shifting from frolics in a four-poster to vigorous pounding at her lover's whim. Mystery Man had become more and demanding at the same time; morphing from a romantic cinema god who worshipped the ground she walked on to a sexual tyrant who commanded favours from his woman.

The worst thing, though, was Jane's response to this transformation. She should have been repulsed by this new aspect of Mystery Man's imagined personality. She was a woman of the world after all. This is the 21st century for crying out loud. But she had not only accepted this change. It was like she had driven it. The more demanding he came; the harder he was with her, the more it felt right. Mystery Man wasn't wrestling for control of a relationship. She, Jane Milligan was freely giving it away. And she was desperate to do more.

Jane sat in solitude in the cubicle, a tear running down her face and her hand moving inexorably towards her crotch. There was only one way this was going to end now, and she knew it. Slipping her hand into her knickers, she gasped as her own touch electrified her senses. The cubicle melted away as echoes of the dream filled her thoughts.

"Come here," Mystery Man demanded, "On your knees."

"Y... Y... Yes." Try as she might, Jane couldn't resist Mystery Man's magnetic pull. A voice in her mind screamed at her to slap him, yell at him or just walk out of the door. Another voice, warning her to obey or face a lifetime without happiness, was much quieter, but much more insistent. She barely even felt herself falling to her knees: one moment she was standing, and the next she was on the floor, kneeling. But that didn't matter. It just felt right.

"Yes... What?"

"Yes... Master."

"Mixed" would be the kindest way to define Joe's life over the past couple of years. "Steadily downwards" would probably be more accurate. Since his girlfriend left him, he wasn't getting much in the way of companionship. Or sex for that matter, hence the regular visits to the lap dancing club. He did enjoy Layla though. She was part of the reason he kept going, despite the godawful music in there.

There was also the lack of mental stimulation at work, at least since his recent demotion. He was still on the same money (although he didn't know why), but his duties had been seriously curtailed. Instead of designing and implementing the systems for uploading television signals to the satellite, he was now relegated to maintaining the machinery, and keeping an eye on the feed. The most taxing part of his days generally involved deciding what to get for his lunch. He kept an eye on proceedings within the company though, just to keep his mind active between pressing ctrl-alt-delete on the servers.

It was an evening like most others. Joe was in his favourite bar: a small place in the city centre called Oscar's. He could be found in there most days after work, nursing a pint of real ale or one of Oscar's huge collection of malt whiskies, depending on his mood. This particular night though, he was drinking one of the beers and watching the match on the TV above the bar. He didn't notice the man walking up behind him.

"Barkeep! " The stranger shouted enthusiastically, his loud American accent booming around the bar. "Two doubles of that Jura up there please! One for me and one for my good friend over here!"

"Who...?" Joe turned around to see his benefactor. "Bloody hell! Felix! I haven't seen you in years! How are you? What are you up to?"

"I'm good, thanks. Still working in the States. Where are you now?"

"I work for a firm called Sat Tech. Just round the corner from here. I didn't quite make it to the Ol' U S of A"

"I'll bet you're nerding it up here though. What technical wizardry do they get up to, over there then?"

"Basically technical support for satellite TV, but at the distribution end. We send the signals up there."

"So are you the one to speak to about free adult channels then?" He laughed and pulled out a note from his wallet as the bartender served them their drinks. "Now, mate. Fill me in on the last seven years!"

The next couple of hours were spent reminiscing about old times. Joe and Felix had shared a house at uni a few years back. Joe had obviously done electronics. Felix had done economics, and apparently half the female population of the university. They had been good friends, and their house had partaken in all manner of drunken nights out, along with the odd bar fight. But Felix had gone to work in the States, and they lost touch soon after that.

As the night wore on, the beer gave way completely to whisky, and the two were effectively on a tasting session. It had to be said, though, that in Joe's state he wasn't really tasting anything. Felix on the other hand, seemed completely in control.

All of a sudden the laughter went from Felix's face. "Look, mate. I need to have a chat with you, but not here. Can we go back to your place?"

"Why? You haven't gone all... You know. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Whatever floats your boat I say! I'm not that way inclined though."

"No!" Felix spluttered. "I don't want to fuck you! I'm not gay! I..."

"Methinks you doth protest too much!" Joe interrupted. "I'm just kidding. The number of women you brought back to the flat... well let's just say that if you turned the whole universe may need to rebalance! I tell you what. I've got a good bottle of single malt and a chess set back at the house. It'll be just like back in the uni days, except maybe the lack of recreational drugs and psychotic housemates."

Back at Joes place, the chess set and whisky were duly brought out of their respective cupboards. Joe had sobered up a bit by now, helped by a bit of supper, and was intrigued about what Felix had to say. "So... What did you want to talk to me about?"

Felix put the glass down and leaned forward. "I'm working with a small group at the moment, and we have a... a proposition for you."

"Go on. No seducing me though." Joe smiled mockingly. "I could never resist your charms."

"Fuck off, I'm serious."

"Sure you are."

"Before I start, I need your full discretion."

"Yeah. Whatever."

"No. I mean it. Full discretion."

"Yes. Full discretion!" Joe smiled. "I swear myself to secrecy! And that's a full pinky swear an' everything! Isn't that what you Yanks call it?"

"I mean it! And I'm not a Yank! I just live there now!"

"OK, OK! I won't say anything! I probably won't remember it tomorrow, anyway... Yank."

"Arsehole. "Felix laughed briefly, returning quickly to his more serious state. "Have you heard of subliminal advertising?"

"What like 'You are feeling sleepy. Drink Coke' and 'Go get a MacDonalds'? Isn't it an urban myth, along with alligators in the sewers and gangs who steal your kidneys?"

"Yeah that'll be the one. Not an urban myth though. Back in the fifties and sixties they tried it in a few movie theatres, but didn't have much success with it. Some, but not much. Like everything else they did at that time, they made a ham-fisted attempt at it. The project got pulled, largely because of other events at the time, and buried. The powers that be decided to make it clear that the project was a failure, to stop anyone else following their tracks. They also covered themselves with the 'buy Coke' shit. They hadn't even mentioned Coke in their experiments, but anybody researching later could see that the sales never went up"

"Clever. Go on."

"They weren't all stupid. So the problem with it was that it wasn't 100 percent effective. It wasn't even 50%. They had a minor success, and weren't even sure that the results were beyond the realm of statistical probability. For the government, that wasn't enough. They wanted 100 percent."

"How were they sure that it worked at all?"

"The results suggested that it worked, but they didn't prove it. Anyway, they scrapped the programme and the whole thing went away. Until the seventies."

"What happened then?"

"I'm getting to that. In the seventies an American scientist teamed up with a corporation to do a large scale experiment in a remote village miles away from anywhere. He had developed a drug that apparently increased the effectiveness of subliminals to 100 percent, or at least somewhere close. They put the drug in the water supply and a bunch of consumer products, and took over the TV transmissions and billboards to distribute the advertising. It worked a treat for a while, but there were side effects. Plus the scientist turned out to be a bit of a repressed perv and went to town up there. The project got noticed by the wrong people. The scientist got killed and the corporation took a nose dive. The head of the company also ended up going missing, presumed dead or in some deep dark government hole."

"If that had happened, wouldn't the government have started back up with it."

"By the time the whole thing blew over, there was no evidence that subliminals were ever involved. Presumably whoever rumbled them was concerned about the technology getting into the wrong hands. The scientist and the corporation had covered their tracks pretty well, in case they got caught. So almost all traces of the experiment, the drug and the subliminals had gone."

"Almost?"

"Yeah. Once the company had gone bust, all of its assets were bought out, including the scientist's notes and recordings. They were hidden well, so it was almost by accident they were ever found. Once they were found, though, they made their way onto my desk."

"That's lucky!"

"Not particularly. As I said, I've been over in the States since uni. I've been working with a few companies on defence contracts. Top secret and fairly freaky stuff." Felix laughed. "You wanna know why I went bald?"

"Oh yeah, that top secret balding agent you developed. I remember it well!"

"Fuck off! It was something I was working on though! Come on. Whisky me up!"

"There you go. So I take it you're now part of some huge conspiracy to bring subliminal advertising back to the world and become some sort of evil dictator? Is it something like that? Make a few billion pounds - sorry dollars - and have the world do your bidding?"

"Something like that. It's not huge though. The number of people who know about this is barely into double figures. My, erm, employers think I'm working on other projects, which is sort of true."

"Go on."

"No. I'm leaving them out of this. As I said, the scientist hid his work well, so even my lot didn't know what they had. I made sure of it. I also made sure they would never find out. So it's just the few of us."

"The few of us doing what? Come on, don't leave me hanging like this!"

"There is a few of us with a plan for bringing the subliminals back in. We had to be a bit clever about it though. For one thing, the previous drug had side effects which firstly caused problems, and secondly could give the game away. I don't want to go into it, but they were serious. So we had to develop a new version of this without the side effects."

"It's a shame you didn't have Sam working with you. Remember, Sam Bryant? He was studying neurochemistry back at uni wasn't he?"

"Indeed he was, He is. He's still at uni actually, only now he's a researcher. It wasn't too hard to get him on side. We got him to do the development, using the uni's research facilities as a cover. It's taken us about five years to perfect the new drug. He added an extra step too: to reinforce the subliminals and really hammer things home, he has the subjects hypnotise themselves. I tell you, the work he's done is fucking fantastic. He's a real genius that man."

"Yeah I remember. He made us look like idiots in comparison. Couldn't take his tequila slammers though" Joe grinned as he remembered one of their nights out from the uni days.

"Oh I'd forgotten about that. And neither could you, if I remember correctly."

"True. True. But it was the lime that made me sick!"

"Ha! Was it also the lime that wrecked your chances with Lucy that night?"

"Touche!"

"Indeed."

"So what do you need me for?"

"OK. So I've got the drug sorted out. I've even sorted out a method of delivery for it. The next part is the subliminals. We need to get them to as many people as possible, but without anyone finding out and getting us locked up until the end of time. There's a couple of ways we can do this: add something to the feed of every computer, television, radio , newspaper, magazine, poster or whatever out there, or get them all to watch one large event, which we're controlling. Number two would be putting all our eggs in one basket, so to speak, so we're going with the saturation coverage."

"How are you doing that? You'll need to have people in every outlet going!"

"Exactly. I've got people in almost all the ISPs, newspapers and ad agencies going. They don't exactly know it yet, though, if you know what I mean." grinned Felix "Anyway. You've probably guessed but I'm after someone who can sort out the Sat-Tech feed for me."

"I see. And the other feeds?"

"My problem. What I need from you is something to add to the feed, along with a delivery method. We add something to hook up to Sat Techs gear that allows us to add whatever images, text or sound we like to the signal sent up to the satellite. You're obviously in the best place for that. I also want you to work together with the other audio visual guys, the internet, cable tv etc, so that if there's a problem on one, we've learned how to deal with it for the others."

"Okay. So you've added some weird chemical to the water supply that makes people susceptible to these subliminals. Then you've added subliminals to everything you can get your hands on. What's next in this crazy scheme of yours?"

"What's crazy about it?"

"Using subliminal advertising and hypnosis to take over the world? There does seem to be something a bit bond-villainy about it."

"I never said anything about taking over the world. That would raise far too many red flags. I don't fancy spending the rest of my life in an eight by ten cell thank you very much. No I just want to be able to use my own brand of special advertising to make a boat load of money and retire to a nice private island with a couple of dozen hula girls. Where's the harm in that?"

"There's still something of the Bond-villain in there though. Where is your base? A hollowed-out volcano somewhere in the Pacific?"

"Ah no. A yacht ten miles off Tahiti. Whisky me."

"A fine choice. But you haven't answered my question. What's next?"

"Whisky first! You know that! Anyway, even with the chemicals, the subliminals aren't fully effective. Well they are in their own way, but not very good on an individual basis. Plus they take weeks to start working, apparently. So we have stage three."

"Go on..."

"We use the subliminals to convince people to try self-hypnosis. We give them reasons to want to try it: get fit, quit smoking, whatever. That's just an amplification of their own desire for self-improvement. Then once we've got them to put themselves under, we've got a whole bag of tricks for implanting our own instructions. The chemical helps these stick better, apparently. Sam can explain it better than I can. It has the same effect as the subliminals, only on a more immediate basis and without relying on the tech."

"Ah, so that's how you get the women to sleep with you."

"And much more besides, mate!"

Joe laughed. "Ah you sure you're not a Bond villain? Anyway mate. We're more than a little drunk, and I need some sleep. Either I'm getting older or you're using that hypnosis shit on me. I know which one's more likely! You're welcome to sleep in the spare bedroom. Upstairs, second door on the left. Bathroom's the first one. We can continue your diabolical scheme for world domination in the morning. Oh, and by the way..."

"What?"

"Checkmate in two moves."

"Bastard! I mean. I let you win!"

"Now you're in a nice comfortable chair, in a nice comfortable space. The only voice you hear will be your own, because you trust your own voice. You remember recording this, and you remember how safe and relaxing this recording is."

Jane's room basked in the pale green glow of her computer screen. Jane relaxed into her chair, reading the words as they came up on the screen in her most soothing voice. This was Jane's third time recording a new self-hypnosis tape from Applied Awareness.

The idea was that the person Jane would trust the most was herself, and therefore she would be best placed to record the tape. They would supply the words (previewed beforehand) and the timing via their app, and she would provide her own voice. If there was anything she didn't like, she just wouldn't say it. Simple, really! She could then play the recording back to herself at her leisure.

"I want you to lie back and relax even deeper. Concentrate only on the sound of your own voice, letting the sound of your own voice wash over you. You trust your own voice, your own desires. Let it relax you. Let it reassure and soothe you. Let it guide you into a state of complete relaxation, knowing your own voice can't hurt you. Breathe deeply now, as you take in the sound of your own voice and relax even more. Your own voice fills you with relaxation. Breathe in through your nose... and out through your mouth. In... Out... In... Out..."

The first time Jane had done this, she had needed to keep herself from laughing. This time, however, she was fully engrossed. The previous recordings had worked wonders: her self-confidence was up, as was her motivation to keep fit and healthy. She now jogged every day, rather than just sometimes.

The feeling of emptiness, of yearning for some controlling master, hadn't subsided. Neither had her dreams. If anything they had intensified. But the hypnosis was helping her deal with it better, and accept those dreams as part of her psyche. She was also beginning to accept that the only way to exorcise those dreams might be to experience something like them in real life. The idea had excited her, she had to admit.

"I am going to begin to count down, from ten to zero. And as I do, I want you to count down with me. Listening to the sound of your own voice, and joining it. Concentrating totally on your own voice, we count down together."

With each sentence, Jane paused, just as the computer prompted. The program knew what she was saying and how fast she was saying it, so it could guide her through the process. The sophistication of their voice recognition software was amazing, and apparently helped to maximise the efficacy of their recordings. Another of their unique selling points.

"Ten. Your eyelids are beginning to feel heavy now, but that's OK. Your tired eyes want to close. You can trust your own voice and let them close. Your own voice is you. You can switch this off at any time. There is only your own voice here. You're in a warm, safe place."

Even through just saying it, Jane's eyelids began to droop. She could feel herself wanting to close them, but knew she had to remain awake. The instructions had told her to be aware of this, but if she did fall asleep it would be OK. The recording would stop, and she would awake naturally from her slumber.

"Nine. You can feel every muscle in your body dissolving into relaxation, from your head to the tips of your toes. Let all that tension go, and allow your body to slide into blissful relaxation."

Jane snuggled deeper into her chair. It was so tempting to just follow her own instructions and relax, but she wanted to finish the recording in one session. Last time, it had taken her three goes at it, and the program had insisted she start at the beginning each time, in order to get the rhythm of the whole thing right.

"Eight. The only sounds you can hear are your own deep breaths, and your own voice playing back to you. Concentrate on the sound of your own voice, and keep letting it wash over you as you become more and more relaxed."

Jane knew this recording was going to work, it was affecting her now, and she hadn't finished making it! She blinked a few times, trying to wake herself up without changing the level of her voice.

"Seven. Going deeper. Let your own voice draw you in. Giving your own voice permission to guide you deeper and deeper into relaxation. Six. Drifting on the sound of your own voice. So relaxed now. Waves of relaxation lapping over your body like a warm sea. Five. Your own voice is the only sound. Soothing you. Relaxing you. Guiding you. Helping you into deeper and deeper relaxation."

Jane was hanging on now, trying to remain lucid. The room had long since melted away, leaving only the words on the screen in front of her. This chair was too comfortable, she thought. She would have to change it next time. So comfortable and relaxing...

"Four. Handing control to the sound of your own voice. So relaxed. Just let the sound of your voice guide you, control you, lead you into further relaxation.

"Three. Your voice controls you now. You trust your own voice. You allow yourself to slip deeper and deeper into your own voice. Two. Give yourself up completely to your own voice. So relaxed. So weak. So ready to obey your own voice."

Just this side of asleep, Jane felt perfectly relaxed and at ease with herself. Even the concept of obedience to her voice hadn't phased her.

"One. So deeply relaxed. Controlled totally by the sound of your own voice. Zero. Existing only to hear the sound of your own voice. So relaxed, you can't move your limbs. Allowing your own voice to command you."

"You know why you're doing all this, don't you? Listening to this tape... Hypnotising yourself."

Jane sluggishly thought back to when she had first downloaded the program. The dreams becoming more frequent and intense, as was the empty feeling inside her. She wanted to know why, and more than anything she wanted the empty feeling to go away. In her mind, she knew that if she saw a shrink it would get back to the hospital, and her job would be in jeopardy. The program from Applied Awareness would allow her to treat herself, and her job would be safe.

This text had been provided by one of the techs at Applied Awareness. A really nice man, at least from the phone call anyway. He had put her completely at ease and she had told him in fine detail why she was doing all this. She had even surprised herself by how much she had told him, but he was so disarmingly friendly and understanding. He had responded by emailing her a personalised spiel to use, based on what she had told him. If this turned out well, she would have to thank him by email.

"Deep down you know what is causing that empty feeling." The screen faded from pale green to a reddish hue. Barely noticing, Jane continued to read out loud as directed. "Your growing need to submit to your Master."

"I want you to remember some of those fantasies you've been having recently. Fantasies of submitting: of giving yourself entirely to another. Let them just enter your mind, and take over your thoughts. Think about each time you dreamed of submission, and the feeling of deep, deep contentment. Think about those powerful men, Mr Allen from school, and how you had a crush on him. Doctor Greene from work, saving his patients through sheer will. So masterful. So dominant."

"Think about that book you read, and how it made you feel. In every scene you imagined yourself as the helpless vixen, teasing your Master in one moment, obeying him the next. You created your own scenes in your mind. The helplessness felt so good, didn't it? The freedom to submit entirely to his wishes. The sheer ecstacy of devoting yourself entirely to him. It felt better than even the best sex before your submission. Sex without submission feels hollow. Without complete and utter obedience, something is missing from your life. Even sex feels unfulfilling, next to the thought of your submission."

"And yet, you still crave it. Sex is the only thing that comes close to submission. That feeling of someone else's flesh next to your own is the only one that can fill the emptiness, even if it is for a short while."

"So you will look at your current wardrobe. Your current clothing looks so conservative. So boring. Wearing more revealing clothing would help you find that sexual passion you need so much. Revealing your body will thrill you. The thought that men, especially your Master, are watching will excite you. You will imagine yourself giving yourself to your Master while wearing those skimpy clothes, and your need to submit to him will deepen further."

"Think about your Master, waiting for you. Waiting to fulfil your submissive desires. Waiting to satisfy your needs for sex and surrender. You want to yield to him. You need to yield to him. To succumb to his will and obey his command, because that's where true happiness lies. The need is growing within you. With every passing day, with every dream, with every fantasy, your submissive desires gain a further hold over you. Your need to submit is rising, and you crave your dominant master."

"You want him to command you. To discipline you like in that book. The thought of it arouses you more than any man you've know before. You imagine scenarios where he takes your will, like in that book. Your need for your master grows with every scenario. Your Master is waiting for you to be ready for him. Only when you are ready to submit completely will he take his place and grant you the submission you so desire. You know the phrase he will say when you are ready."

Without thinking, she whispered "I am your master."

The screen changed again, this time to a light blue background. Again, Jane barely noticed, and continued her recital. "Deep down you know what is causing your empty feeling, and you want that knowledge to come to the surface. There's no need to keep it buried any more. Just let those feelings rise to the surface of their own accord, and let them become clear in your thoughts. That's it. Let those feelings float up through your subconscious, into your conscious thoughts.

Since the last screen change, Jane's words had had no effect on her. Whereas the words in the green and red screens had profound effects in her mind, Jane had read the last set purely as though she was reading a script. Which she was, it had to be said.

"And once those feelings have floated up and become thoughts, then you can decide what you need to do."

"Now we get to the other reason you're doing this."

Jane thought back to the other reason. It was simple enough: she wanted to keep fit. The jogging was doing its job but the drive to go out and get running was dwindling. Jane was proud of her figure, and wanted to keep it.

"You know that the running helps keep you in shape, don't you?"

Jane paused to allow herself to answer.

"And you're happy with the shape you're in. Proud, even. Aren't you?"

Again, she paused as the computer instructed.

"So what you need is motivation. The drive to go out running, even when you otherwise wouldn't want to. And that is going to be the phrase "I want to stay fit."

When you say this phrase to yourself, you will feel your resolve strengthen. Your motivation will bubble up to the surface and you will feel like going for a run. The urge will get stronger and stronger, and the wish to procrastinate will weaken."

The screen faded to red again. "As you run, you will imagine yourself pleasing Master, and that will make you feel even better. You will also feel the urge to dress in skimpy running clothes, to impress your unseen Master, and show your submission to him."

Returning to a blue screen. "It would be a good idea to do stretches in your back yard too, to improve your flexibility. On the lawn, in front of the tree will be fine, and will give you the privacy you need. You will buy yourself a workout DVD, one that specialises in stretching exercises, and watch it at least three times a week. It will be your guide when stretching in your yard."

Red screen. "As with your running, you will imagine your Master watching you, and being pleased with your progress. He says that you will be ready for him soon. Again, to impress your Master, you will feel the urge to show your body. Firstly in your running gear, then in a bikini, and finally naked. The only person who would see you is your neighbour, Joe, and that wouldn't be a bad thing anyway, would it?"

Blue screen. "You will feel safe and secure in your back yard, knowing that nobody can see you. It will allow you to relax and enjoy those exercises."

Green screen. "Good. Now, remember how you felt as we counted down from ten to zero. You remember slipping into the state of total relaxation you're in now. When you order yourself to 'sleep', you will find yourself counting down like just now, and like just now you will become more and more relaxed, until you are as relaxed as you are now."

"Remember, this will only happen when you command yourself to sleep..." Red screen. "... Or when your Master commands you to sleep." Green screen. "You will not slip back into this state just through mention of the word; it must be an explicit command, and it must be a command for you."

"With every use of the sleep command, you will find yourself slipping into this state more easily and quickly. This will become second nature to you. You will grow accustomed to the sleep command, and happily surrender yourself to the sound of your own voice..." Red screen. "... Or that of your Master."

Green screen. "So we've covered the empty feeling of yours, along with your desire and motivation for keeping fit. We've also covered a command to help you reach this state more easily. So we're going to wake you up now. I'm going to count up from one to ten, and I want you to count with me. When you wake up you will feel refreshed, and able to take whatever life throws at you."

"One... Two... Three... You're beginning to awaken now. You can feel your limbs again, and move the tips of your fingers and toes."

"Four... Five... Six... Your whole body slowly awakens. You can move your limbs now, and open your eyes." Jane could feel her voice rising with each number, as though she was waking up herself.

"Seven... Eight... Feeling more and more awake. Have a stretch. Enjoy that feeling between asleep and awake as you gradually become more and more alert."

"Nine... Almost fully awake and alert now."

"Ten! Fully awake! Welcome back to the land of the living!" Jane joked to herself, even though it wasn't on the screen. She had finally got through the entire recording without falling asleep herself, which was an achievement. Third time lucky, she reckoned, knowing that she had so nearly succumbed again. At least next time, with the sleep command, she would hopefully get straight into the main part of the spiel without having to do all of that counting down stuff. That should make things a lot easier.

She thought back through the things she had instructed herself in front of that green/blue screen. As well as the sleep command, there was the keep fit motivation. But the main thing was that empty feeling. She remembered telling her subconscious mind to bring the meaning of that empty feeling to the surface, so she could do something about it. She knew that it might not be pleasant, but consoled herself that it would be necessary to exorcise whatever demon was lurking within her subconscious. Exorcising and exercising were the orders of the day, she mused.

"Morning! Sleep well?" Felix stood in the kitchen, looking fresh as a daisy and admiring the view into the garden. Joe, on the other hand, felt like fifty shades of shit.

Joe laughed. "Hungover like an absolute bitch! But apart from that OK thanks. Yourself?"

"Pretty much the same. Listen. About what I said last night..."

"I know. You were out of your tree. So was I. It was a good one, though. Subliminal advertising: never heard that one before."

"No. It's true."

"Yeah, whatever." Felix could keep this up for hours if he wanted to, but so could Joe.

"I want you to remember every word. And I can prove it."

The smile disappeared from Joe's face. "You know Felix, I'm beginning to worry about you."

"No it's true. I've got to go now, but your neighbour, Jane..."

"Jane? How do you know about her?"

Felix gestured to the window. This time Joe noticed that he was watching Jane, exercising in the back garden in a thong bikini and oblivious of her audience from next door. "I do my research. I know that she's single, that you've got a bit of an eye for her, and that she goes for a run every morning before work at the hospital." In her garden, Jane bent over to pick something up, unwittingly giving the two men an eyeful of her beautifully round behind. "I can see why you like her! Does she normally exercise almost naked in the garden, or is that a new thing?"

"A new... Now wait a fucking minute!"

"She is rather nice it has to be said. Keep an eye on her. She may be doing a few things you find interesting. Think of it as part proof, and part incentive." Felix handed Joe a card. "When she does, and when you're interested, give me a call on this number."

Joe stared at Felix in stunned silence.

"And at this point I'll be going. Remember what I said though. Keep an eye on Jane."


Chapter 2 - Temptation

Without sight, feeling replaced vision. Sensation had fuelled passion, and passion had overcome reason.

His hand felt so good against her cheek. So hot. So firm. So comforting. Jane relaxed into it, letting him support her and trying to feel only his touch.

The reason for its heat hadn't escaped her. His hand was hot from a vigorous spanking, and her ass felt the same. She could feel the heat radiating through her flesh in waves. Somehow, none of that mattered now. If anything, it made sense: the catharsis of pain through punishment providing some of that release she had so yearned for.

"You did well, my dear. It's almost like you wanted to be punished. Or even needed."

"Thank you, Master." Jane kept her eyes closed, as if opening them would break the spell. "I think I did need it. No, I know I did."

She felt his other hand wondering lazily over her body, each touch bringing forth an uncontrolled gasp. As he stroked her back, her lower lip trembled, half in emotional turmoil and half in expectation. Somehow, not knowing what he was going to do next was worse than anticipation of the slaps, and the glowing heat that it brought forth.

Trying further, she focussed on the hand supporting her head, attempting to ignore the rope restraining the rest of her body. It was a futile effort, though. They had been dependably secure as Master's fire burned through her body, keeping her arms taut behind her back and absorbing her energy as she squirmed and strained. Now they were keeping her from being close to him. Despite her glowing ass, or even because of it, all she wanted to do was wrap herself around his body.

"So it was deliberate? Your insolence?"

"Yes, Master," Jane admitted.

The second hand moved further up her back, slowly but inexorably working up to her neck. She felt fingers running through her hair; caressing, almost stroking her.

The feeling changed. The fingers, once softly weaving though her hair, now clinched tightly. Her breathing quickened. The supporting hand under her chin slowly melted away, leaving only his firm, steady grasp. The wait was nearly over, she hoped, as her entire body hungered for his.

"You wanted exactly this?"

"Yes. Master." Past admission. Past confession. Declaration. "I needed... I need you to..."

"Punish you? Fuck you?"

"YES, Master! Please...!"

"Open your eyes."

"Please, Master...."

"Open them!"

Jane's eyes bolted open. Master was gone. The ropes were gone. Her arms... her whole body was free, contained only by the duvet around her. She was in bed. The alarm clock was blaring its infernal racket. What the...? Oh, not again, please! Another sodding dream.

No amount of wishing made the alarm go away. Instead, it took the good old fashioned snooze button.

Jane stayed in bed, trying not to forget the already fading dream but knowing the futility of it all. She could barely remember him now. Mystery Man... Master... was already just an echo, a disembodied feeling rapidly giving way to reality. Why did he have to disappear so quickly? Her normal dreams seemed to dissolve gently as real life took hold. Mystery Man evaporated so quickly, and so completely, that it almost hurt.

By the time Jane had entered the shower, Mystery Man was nothing but an empty void in her mind. The feeling remained, though: a feeling of longing. Of yearning. Of something else, that she couldn't quite place. She banged her fist against the shower wall, wanting to burst into tears but feeling unable. The frustration was unbearable! Whatever it was she was missing, she sorely needed it. The emptiness felt like it was eating her from the inside out.

Jane knew what Monica would say. Monica would say that she needed to get laid. That was true to an extent. Jeez, it was so bloody true. But that wasn't it. There was something more to it, but whatever it was continued to elude her. Sex was only a part of what she craved.

A bloody big part, though.

What if Mon was right? What if she just needed to go out to a bar or a club, and make it with the first half-decent guy she saw? It wouldn't be the first time; she had done it once or twice during her college days, but certainly nothing since meeting Martin.

Martin?

No, Martin was definitely NOT an option. The cheating bastard had made his bed, and she didn't lie in it any more. Besides which, her feelings for him had all but gone now. Martin was ancient history as far as Jane was concerned.

So, a bar? Was that her only option? Some random guy?

It wasn't like she knew that many eligible bachelors around here. Apart from the guy at the coffee shop (gay), colleagues at work (just... no) and maybe the pilates teacher (slightly creepy), her options were severely limited.

Even so, she wondered to herself, was she really going to pick up some random man somewhere? This whole situation was ridiculous. That question was ridiculous! Of course she was never going to do that. She wasn't that kind of girl. She wouldn't even know what to do in that situation. No, that option was definitely off the table.

It wasn't like she could never attract a man. She had noticed plenty of men stealing glances at her as she jogged on a morning. The guy next door - what was his name, Jim or Joe or something? He liked to get a peek whenever he could.

Jane grinned as she remembered her next door neighbour watching her. At first she had thought of him as a bit of a lecherous perv, but harmless enough. A general unease at the idea of him watching her had turned slowly to acceptance, and then anticipation. She'd even found herself deliberately jogging past his house, having waited for him to return home from work.

A feeling of mild embarrassment overcame her as she remembered further. Yesterday, she had completed her pre-jog stretches in the back garden, knowing he could see her. No, embarrassment wasn't the right word. She was proud of her body, after wall, she had worked hard to maintain it. It was her behaviour that brought on those feelings of shame.

On a whim, she had removed her bikini top and virtually paraded herself in front of him. She had pretended she hadn't seen him and carried on, but couldn't stop thinking about him watching her, lusting after her. The idea had thrilled her like nothing before, and after her stretches, she had raced inside to finish herself off Was it just him, or was it the general idea of an audience that appealed?

The embarrassment receded, being replaced by a tinge of excitement at the idea. He wasn't bad looking. Far from it: he was actually pretty nice in his own sort of way. It also had to be said that Jane hadn't seen any girlfriend or wife entering or leaving his house (not that she had been keeping track), so at least there wasn't that to worry about.

But it was a long way from jogging past his house to sleeping with him. Where had all this come from? Why had he turned from the guy next door to the only serious chance of satisfaction? Was she really going to do this?

The empty feeling inside answered Jane's last question for her. If not him, then who?

It wasn't like she was going to get serious in any way with him. It was just a bit of fooling around, something she had done before. Not for ages, like, but it was just like riding a bike.

Riding a bike. She'd be riding much more than a bike later on, she giggled, before catching herself. "What are you, seventeen?" she chided herself. Mind, it felt good to be a little bit silly now and then.

He wouldn't exactly be hard to pick up, either. A flash of boob and a hair twirl, and she'd have him eating out of her hand. Getting out of the shower, she practiced for a second in front of the mirror. "Eating out of my hand," She told her reflection, "He won't know what hit him!"

A couple of weeks had passed since Joe's encounter with Felix, and the frankly weird conversation over the chessboard had completely slipped from his mind. Nothing untoward had happened with Jane: nothing that Joe had seen anyway. Jane had continued jogging before work, and she'd now taken up exercising in the back garden aswell. She'd also waved at him a couple of times. Did that count as weird? Either way, that was the only thing Joe could claim to have noticed.

It was early evening, and Joe had had a long day dealing with problems on the satellite feed. In fact it had been an absolute bitch of a day. All he wanted to do now was have something to eat and collapse on the couch. He had barely taken off his coat and shoes when the doorbell rang.

Joe opened the door to find Jane in her running gear (the small pink set Joe loved so much), and a little out of breath. Her blond hair was bound up in a ponytail and Joe could easily make out rivulets of sweat making their way down her cleavage. "Concentrate on the face," Joe muttered under his breath. "The face!"

"Hi Jane. Is everything alright?"

"Hi. I wonder if you could give me a hand. My kitchen TV's on the fritz. I think a fuse has blown or something. I know I'm useless at all the DIY stuff." Jane played with her hair a little, sending shivers up Joe's spine. "Could you come over?"

"Yeah, not a problem. Just give me a minute, and I'll get my shoes on."

"Thanks. You're a lifesaver!"

The problem seemed to sort itself on changing of the fuse. Jane seemed particularly grateful, and offered Joe a glass of wine.

"Thanks. Just a small one." Joe replied, leaning against the sideboard in the kitchen. "So how have you been then?"

"Not bad thanks." Jane poured the wine and handed it to Joe, moving her body very close to his as she did so. She bit her lip, played with her hair and looked up to him with doe eyes. "So. I know that Kelly's long gone. I wonder if I could thank you a little more... personally?"

Joe's mouth went dry. "What... What did you have in mind?"

Jane leant towards him, and undid his tie. "Anything you like," She discarded the tie. Undoing his shirt, one button at a time, she whispered "I don't think we need this though."

Joe's pulse was racing by this point. Jane had never shown any interest in him before, save for a friendly wave when passing on the street. "Erm. Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life" She stepped even closer, pressing her body against his. "I know you've been watching me out jogging. Do you like what you see?"

"Oh yes." Panted Joe, taking hold of her, and pressing his lips against hers. Their passionate embrace lasted the best part of a minute before they surfaced for air. There was the smallest of gaps where they just gazed at each other, and then seemingly in unison decided that they needed to be naked right now. Once ready he backed her up against the kitchen table and penetrated her in one sustained movement. The frequency of his thrusts increased as did the volume of their grunts. This was not romantic lovemaking, not in the slightest. This was urgent, carnal, animalistic sex. Twenty thousand years of evolution had disappeared in the cacophony of heavy breathing and incoherent moans. Before long the inevitable happened, and Joe climaxed.

A moment of stunned silence followed. Neither of them could believe the levels which their base desires had reached. For Joe the surprise of this evening had come like a bolt out of the blue, and the same could be said for the sheer intensity of his lust. For Jane the surprise was less: her feelings towards him had been mounting for some time now. She had even taken to wearing provocative clothing and trying to attract his attenuation, be it jogging past his house or sunbathing in the back garden where she knew he could see her. But the intensity of her lust was no less than his.

The silence continued, broken only by the sound of their deep breath. They both stood, enjoying each other's closeness and becoming accustomed to their own nakedness. Jane relaxed into Joes arms, rested her head against Joe's chest and her behind against the wooden table. The shock and sense of urgency of the moment had gone, but the intimacy remained.

"Joe..."

"Yes?"

"Will you stop the night?"

"I... Why not. I have to be up early for work though."

"I just want to be close to you."

"I wanna be close to you too. I've wanted you for a long time."

Another long silence. "Joe..."

Joe smiled. "Yes Jane?"

"I never want this moment to end."

"Neither do I."

Another long silence. "Joe..."

Joe couldn't stop a small giggle escaping. "Yes Jane?"

"I'm leaving bum prints on the table."

"I know. Perfectly sized bum prints though." Now they both laughed. "From a perfectly sized bum." With his (relatively) free hand he grabbed that part of her ass above the table. "Yes. Perfectly sized."

"In that case, can my perfectly sized bum and I go to bed? We're getting cold."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Come on let's go."

Twenty four hours passed with Joe still in a daze. He'd spent the night with Jane, and left early the next morning as promised. Their copulation had happened almost without conscious thought, but memories of Joe's conversation with Felix had resurfaced. Still reeling after last night's encounter, Joe decided that he had to call Felix.

"What the hell did you do to her?"

"Look I can't talk now. Meet me tomorrow night. Same place as before. Eight."

Joe made it to the bar early. He needed to know what was happening. His life had changed beyond all measure in the last month or so, and he wanted answers. Just after eight thirty, Felix turned up.

"Sorry I'm late. Had a small issue to deal with."

"What the hell is going on?" Joe blurted out. "You said that Jane would do something interesting. She practically launched herself at me the other night!"

Felix laughed. "I thought you'd like that. It was a demonstration. I told you about our intentions."

"The subliminal advertising thing?"

"Yes. You may have thought we were just talking hypotheticals like we used to do at uni, but I assure you, we're deadly serious. We added a feed directly to Jane's television reception. A crude device, and we want your help in perfecting it and installing it for national coverage."

"And what if I go to the police? Shit! You'll have thought of that won't you?"

"Of course. We've been planning this for years. Even if the police did believe your unlikely story, the device has been removed, and you won't find any trace of our chemical. You wouldn't know what to look for chemically anyway. The effects will remain though. And things could get very bad for you, should you go up against us. Don't forget, you had sex with Jane. You and I know that she came onto you. At least that's what I'm told. But that's not what the police would hear. They would see a frightened young woman who was attacked by her neighbour. We have your bodily fluids from the other night, fingerprints all over the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. All sorts of evidence. And it's not like you have an alibi for tonight. I mean you and I know you're here, but you've not told anyone I bet, and who's to say whether or not we control the bartender? He might remember you from the other night, but you were never here tonight..."

"You bastard!"

"Don't worry. I'm not threatening you. I'm just explaining what could happen if you were to act against us. If you say you want no involvement with us, we'll just go on our way and you'll never hear from me again. I can always find the skills I need, but we're good friends and I thought you would be useful. That's why I'm offering you this. But this is not a game. I'm deadly serious on this and I will do anything to protect this project."

Silence from Joe. This was clearly a lot to take in.

"Listen. I know that this is a big decision, and that you've got a lot to think about. I don't want you getting into this and realising you don't want to go through with it. If you decide you're in, you're in and you're never out. Not on good terms anyway. Think about it for a few days. In the mean time, have some fun with Jane. I'm sure she'll be amenable to anything you ask her. Just use the phrase 'I am the master'. A bit obvious, but it should make sure you don't trigger her by accident."

Joe remained silent, stunned by the ramifications of what he'd heard.

Felix got up to leave. "Remember. If you are going to use Jane, keep it subtle. Have her as your girlfriend if you want, but don't have her harming herself or running down the street naked to prove her submission to you. We don't want to attract any attention to the group."

The taxi journey back home seemed like the longest of Joe's life. The urge to go straight to Jane's and say those words was almost overwhelming. She was an absolutely stunning woman, and part of Joe wanted to say "to hell with it" and just go right for it. But the morality of the situation couldn't be ignored. Taking advantage of her wouldn't just be bad, it would be seriously wrong. There was also the risk factor in this equation. What would happen if he said the words? Would he be in debt to Felix and his associates for the rest of his life? What was the price of all of this?

The taxi pulled up outside Joe's house, and he paid the driver. Getting out, his eyes darted up to Jane's bedroom window. The curtains were open, the lights were on, and she was naked, apparently getting ready for bed. "Must be Felix's way of persuading me," he thought, "Damn him."

But any semblance of conscience that was preventing Joe from going down this road had evaporated in that glorious vision of her in that state. Joes pulse was racing as fast as it had ever, as he walked towards Jane's front door and rang the bell.

"Hi Joe. What's up?" Jane had thrown on a dressing gown, but it was clear that she was still naked underneath. Through the opening of her gown, Joe could see the perfect form of Jane's beautiful breasts.

"Err. Hi Jane. I... I... I, err... I am the master."

"And I am yours, Master."

"Err. Good. Open your dressing gown. I want to see you."

Jane complied without emotion, unravelling her gown and presenting herself to him. She was definitely naked under the gown, and Joe could see her in all her glory.

Joe swallowed. "Let me in. Take me to your bedroom. Close your curtains. Take off your dressing gown." Considering that this was the first time he'd deliberately controlled her (or any woman), it wasn't surprising that he was no Oscar Wilde. They went in without much in the way of conversation. Jane closed the curtains and disrobed, and Joe moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and cupping her breasts. He pulled her closer, up against him. Their shadows could be seen in the window, but Joe didn't care. He could feel her soft buttocks up against his hardening member, even through his trousers. "Tell me what you're thinking," He commanded, almost imperceptibly.

"I was thinking about how my dreams were coming true," She whispered, her breath quickening, "I've been dreaming about you, Master. Dreaming about you ruling me, and me obeying you."

"What were you doing for me?"

"I gave you my body. I pleasured you in every way I could. I served you."

"Turn around. Take off my clothes. Serve me." His confidence was growing.

Jane did as directed, helping Joe discard his clothes. She pressed her body against his, and took his manhood into her moist pussy. Their rhythms merged into one, as Joe penetrated her, and lunged again and again. Their passion intensified, and their rhythm increased. The pressure mounted, and mounted still further, erupting in a shared orgasm as Joe came into her, and she screamed in pleasure.

Joe collapsed onto the bed, and motioned Jane to join him. They snuggled up together on the bed, Jane feeling their shared juices between her legs. "That was wonderful," Joe uttered, somewhat dazed from their passionate encounter.

"Thank you master. You were wonderful. I was merely here to serve you."

The response made Joe go cold. What had he done? He had taken advantage of her state for his own satisfaction. And what was worse, he had enjoyed it! He would do it again given the chance. Felix's present was truly a dangerous weapon. "I've... I've got to go," He stuttered as he got dressed, not even bothering to put shoes or socks on as he left her house.

Joe didn't sleep that night. He didn't even try. Instead he took a long shower and sat in front of the TV, bottle of single malt next to him. He turned over the events of the evening in his mind. What had he done?

The next few days passed with Joe in a daze, partly through lack of sleep and partly through bewilderment at what he'd done that night. He tried to justify it to himself. She was waiting for him. She was deliberately in the window showing herself to him. She had been prepared for him by Felix and his crew. He didn't believe it though. Too convenient. There was also one other possibility that Joe considered. Had Felix altered him? Had Felix altered his morals to make him part of his plans? It was plausible: Felix was an avid chess man, and knew how to align his pieces for the final strike. Again, that would be too convenient for Joe. A bit of an excuse. Could he blame it all on Felix, or would he have to take responsibility for his own actions? He had to know.

"So did you change me? Did you use the subliminals on me?"

"Of course!" Felix laughed, taking a drink from his beer. Joe's favourite bar was becoming a regular occurrence now, but that was no bad thing. "I'm surprised you didn't figure this out earlier. We used this on you." He pulled out a small device: an adapter for a television feed. "We plugged this into your TV, and a similar one into your internet feed. That one was a lot harder let me tell you. I promise you one thing though."

"What's that?"

"We didn't change you that much. We know you took control of Jane, but you can't blame us for that. We didn't... I didn't make you like that."

"What did you do to me?"

"We only added suggestions to make sure you didn't expose us. Right now you could be on your way to the police with that thing but you're not. At least part of that is down to me."

"What about... I mean... I mean I... Still want in. Didn't you do that to me?"

"I've never lied to you. I mean that. I respect you but more importantly I like you as a friend. I did what I did to look after my own interests. Make sure that I stayed safe. But no, I didn't change you to make you want into this. That's all you. I offer you no proof. I mean I can show you the programming but we both know that can be faked. I hope you believe me, but I can definitely understand if you don't."

"Okay I believe you. For now anyway."

"And I believe that you want in. We included a code word for you to say to me if you really don't want in. Just in case you're trying to expose us. The fact that you haven't said it means that you're still interested, at least. You know me. I hate uncertainty. It's your choice to be in or out, but I have to know you're being honest with me when you say you're in."

It's annoying, thought Joe, Felix is right. It's what he would have done. He would far prefer to make sure people couldn't act against him than wait for it to happen and then have to get nasty. In one way, Joe thought it was preferable. Of course the easiest way of all would have been not to start any of this at all, but that was another thing entirely.

"So you've got me where you want me. Where do we go from here?"

"Where we go is your side of the bargain. I know you don't work Saturdays, so I just need you to work with us from tomorrow. You've already agreed to this. You took the payment, in the form of the lovely Jane. I can put her back to her normal state if you want. All it takes is one doorstep caller and one code word and she'll be back to her previous self. She'll remember nothing of the recent events. You'll be back to being the normal friendly neighbour, and the code phrase I gave you last week will mean nothing to her."

Joe relaxed a little. "You'd do that? After all the resources you spent altering her?"

"Yeah. Why not? She was only meant as payment for you. I have to warn you though."

"Warn me about what?"

"The guy we have to do our donkey work. He enjoys his work. He gets paid in women. Who wouldn't enjoy that? Of course Jane won't remember it, but if my man wants her on all fours, barking like a dog as he takes her from behind, who would stop him? If he wanted to tie her up in a bit of bondage and go all Marquis De Sade on her, who would stop him? Need I go on?"

"You wouldn't."

"I wouldn't, no. But don't be under any illusions over who you're working with. This scheme needs... shall we say unsavoury characters. And I've already told you, be in or be out, but don't interfere with our plans. But since you still want in, there's going to be no need for any of that."

"So why are you still threatening me? You know I'm in!"

"I'm not. I'm just making sure that you're under no illusions. I want you to seriously consider the ethics of what you're doing and realise... KNOW... that you alone are responsible for your actions. I don't want you coming crying to me every time you have a pang of conscience."

At this point a young brunette woman came into the bar and sat down next to Felix. She was wearing a full length white fur coat and a pair of high heeled ankle boots, and had a cleavage that could make grown men weep. Felix leaned over, put his hand on her knee and whispered something in her ear. "Oh yes," she replied, giggling. They locked lips for a moment, the woman clearly enjoying his advances.

"Joe, meet Maria. She's had a similar treatment to your Jane, only with a few specific refinements. At the moment I have her in perfect arm-candy mode: perfectly compliant, undeniably sexual, but with the more extreme urges reined in, at least while we're out in public." He turned to Maria. "We can't have you parading through here naked and sucking off every guy you find, can we?"

"No, Master."

"Oh, and that reminds me. She's also programmed to call me Master, just like Jane is with you. She wants to do it, in fact. Plus it reinforces both our statuses in her mind. Every time she calls me Master, she reminds herself that she is subservient and exists to please me. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Master."

"Don't get me wrong, in more civilised company I have her call me by name. She doesn't like it, though. It feels wrong to her, like using the wrong hand for writing." Felix leaned in towards Joe, "You know, she's naked underneath that coat. Well not quite. Show him your rings. Be discrete though!"

"With pleasure," She purred. Looking around to make sure no-one was looking, she unfastened her coat, freeing her perfectly shaped breasts. Piercing each nipple was a single silver ring. Joe stared, open-mouthed at the absolute brazenness of the situation.

"That's enough dear. Cover yourself up. Now Joe. You know there are advantages to all of this. I don't want to continually stress the negatives. Jane is a blank canvas for you. Enjoy her any way you wish. As I said, you can give her direct commands, but there's more. You can also give her post-hypnotic suggestions using the 'sleep' command. You could do something like this." He casually looked at his watch. "Maria... vibrator."

In an instant Maria's face turned red, and her hands disappeared under the table. Further (discrete) inspection revealed that she had opened her coat down there and was fingering herself with wild abandon. "Felix. She's jilling herself off!"

"Actually, she's imagining that she's got a vibrator in there and it's just kicked off. I did that using the 'sleep' command and post-hypnotic suggestions. With normal orders, she's just obeying you. With 'sleep' it's as though what she's imagining is real. As far as she's concerned there is a vibrator in her pussy, and it's going at full whack."

Joe couldn't take his eyes off her. Her breathing was quick and heavy; her expression was an enthralling combination of pleasure and torment. The coat threatened to come open at any second. "Aren't you afraid she'll cause a scene?"

"Nobody can see her here." Felix replied, his casual response belying the nature of the spectacle beside him. "She does get a bit loud though." He reached into his pocket. "Her knickers. Here dear. Put these in your mouth. There's a good girl."

Maria stuffed the black and pink lace panties in her mouth. They did reduce the volume somewhat, but it was still easy to tell that Maria was in rapture... or distress. "It's increasing isn't it darling? The need for release. The pressure inside you."

Through her makeshift gag Joe heard her reply yes. Never mind her. The pressure was building inside him too, and if he wasn't careful he was going to release there and then!

With her eyes, Maria begged her master. She squirmed on her seat, trying for a more comfortable position. Her free hand grasped at her coat, and her body trembled. The pleasure was turning into suffering: the torment of denied release becoming overwhelming. Her master, however, seemed more interested in watching Joe's reaction.

"What she needs me to do is tell her to cum." Felix said, rather matter-of-factly. "The pressure will keep increasing, won't it dear? That vibrator filling your pussy won't switch off. It won't go away. It just keeps pulsating inside of you. Making you hotter. Making you hornier." Another look at the watch. "It's only been 90 seconds. Can we see if we can make it 2 minutes?"

A high pitched moan escaped through her panty-gagged mouth. Maria was desperate by now. Sweat was streaming down her forehead, and she looked like she was about to explode. The torment had become torture. She needed release now.

"Cum now."

She didn't need telling twice. Her whole body trembled as the orgasm ripped through her. The groan as the tension released could not be stopped by the gag, and was heard throughout the bar. The bar went silent as the other punters struggled to make out what was going on. Joe waved them off, and they went back to their conversations.

"Did you enjoy that my dear?" Felix was amused, both by Maria's show and Joe's reaction to it.

"Yethhhh" Maria tried to reply through her knickers. The embarrassment was plain to see on her face.

"Why don't you go and clean yourself up dear. You can put your knickers on while you're at it."

"Yethh, mathhhter." A rather disheveled looking Maria tottered unsteadily to the toilets.

Joe watched her leave. Felix sat in silence, watching Joe with a smug look on his face.

"You know. I think I'll go to the toilet as well."

Felix laughed. "I was waiting for that. You're nothing if not predictable!"

The rest of the evening passed without incident. Joe and Felix went over a few details about what would happen next. They also talked about Joe's encounters with Jane, and Felix responded in kind. Some of his stories were unbelievable in their hedonistic excess, and some gave Joe a few ideas over what he could do with Jane.

"Anyway. I'm going to go now. I've got lovely Maria to take care of." With that he gave her a playful pat on the bum, eliciting another giggle. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Felix. Before you go."

"Yes?"

"How do you use that sleep command? I was just wondering, you know."

Felix laughed. "That's more like it. I'll sort you out tomorrow, if you don't mind. I think you can manage without it tonight."

"Ha. Yes, I'll manage. See you tomorrow."

The taxi journey home seemed like forever again. But this time it was not through nervousness or any sort of ethical debate. It was through excitement. Through anticipation. There was no doubt in Joe's mind where he was going and what he was going to do. He had his justification now. In his mind she owed him, for saving her from her alternate fate. That wasn't to say that he wasn't going to enjoy it though.

The taxi arrived back in front of Jane's house. Joe didn't even have to think twice this time. He headed straight to Jane's door and knocked.

Jane answered the door, resplendent in a pink silk dressing gown, open to show a full array of black lace lingerie: bra, panties, stockings and suspenders. "Hello Master. How may I serve you today?"

Joe smiled. "You can start by letting me in."

Across the street, a car sat parked by the kerb. The driver and sole occupant picked his phone up from the dashboard and unlocked it. There was only one number on it; the number he was calling now. "He's gone in."


Chapter 3 - Induction

"You look delicious today."

At Jane's invitation, Joe entered and locked the door behind him. His mind was in a frenzy: an intoxicating mix of adrenaline and testosterone racing through his system. In the front room, he pushed her firmly against the wall, pressing his body against hers.

"I can't stop thinking about you."

"Thank you, Master. I've been thinking about you ever since the other night in the kitchen. I've been dreaming about you too."

"I'll bet you have. Tell me about it."

"I've been dreaming about serving you. You ruled me as my master. You were kind and gentle with me when I was good, and punished me when I was bad."

"And have you been bad today?"

"Yes, Master. I had... naughty thoughts about you. About dressing up like this, and giving myself to you. I needed to have you, Master. Not just in my pussy, but also in my mouth, and even in my behind."

"Oh God yes. Tell me more." He caressed her neck with his mouth, and explored her hips with his hands.

"I've been dreaming about you again. Dreaming of feeling you inside me. I've been needing it. It's been getting stronger. I need to serve you, and to have you fuck me. I need you to fuck me hard."

"There's time. Keep going. I want you to strip for me." Joe sat down on the sofa, Jane stood in front of him, in between his legs. There was barely a foot between their two heaving chests.

The now-discarded robe hit the floor. "I just got this lingerie. I don't know what you like, but I thought you'd like this. I wanted to show myself off to you. In this..." She undid her bra, "And out of it." She held her breasts in her hands and presented them. "Do you like my breasts, Master?"

"I love your breasts. Let me suck your nipples." She leaned closer to him, and let her breasts dangle into his face. She leaned against his shoulders to steady herself, and he caressed her hips, and let his hands travel further south.

"Oh." She groaned. "Master, that's it. Please use me. I need you to fuck me. I need you to fill me." She undid his fly and took his member into her hands. "I need this inside me. I need to wrap myself around this.

Keeping his dick in her hands Jane's head went down and she gave his fully erect dick the lightest of kisses. Again steadying herself by leaning against him, she stood up, but her head stayed close to his. Maintaining eye contact with Joe, she playfully asked "Would Master like to remove my panties, so I can please him?"

Joe obliged, sliding the black panties down Jane's legs. Jane stepped out of them and made a show of bending over to pick them up. Settling on Joe's lap, she lowered her pussy onto his achingly hard shaft. Their bodies moved in unison, their pace quickening to a shared climax.

Joe slumped, satisfied. But for Jane this apparently wasn't the end of the encounter. She crouched down by his feet, and took Joe's now sticky member into her mouth, licking and cleaning it with her tongue. Joe smiled, part from the physical pleasure of having his cock cleaned in such a fashion, and partly from the knowledge that this was to be the first of many such encounters. Within less than a minute she had cleaned his member entirely with her tongue, leaving it rock hard again!

"Yesss..." was all that Joe could manage, and all that Jane needed, as she took the erection into her mouth and sealed her lips round it. His eyes firmly closed in the throes of passion; he grabbed her hair and guided her onto his cock. She responded by sucking even harder, twisting her tongue around to maximise his pleasure. When he came for the second time, it was in her mouth, and she dutifully swallowed every last drop of his fluids.

This time Joe was definitely satisfied, and at least for the moment had no more to give. He motioned for her to join him on the sofa, and she laid her weary body next to his. For the next few minutes they laid there enjoying the feeling of contact and post-coital bliss, and building up the energy to make it up the stairs and go to bed.

Joe found himself in an office. Well it least it was a room kitted out like an office, with Dilbert-style cubicles and bland beige everywhere. However there were no windows, giving the office the feel of an underground bunker. Furthermore, rather disturbingly, Joe had no idea of how he got there. He remembered sleeping at Jane's place, having a bit of fun with her (at night and again the morning after) and then having a shower. He also remembered going back to his own place and getting changed. He started to wonder how this was so, but the arrival of Felix answered that question for him. "Joe, you made it!"

"Yeah. I can't remember how I got here though."

"Yes I know. I told you we had put some protocols in the subliminals we gave you to protect the project. This is one of them. You can't give away our location if you don't know where it is. Don't worry. You'll be able to find your way home automatically."

"It is a bit disorienting though."

"I know, and I apologise. You'll get used to it after a while. These guys have gone through the same routine and they've told me." A murmur round the room signalled agreement. "Listen. I want to introduce you to some colleagues working on the project. Over there's Paul. He's one of our internet guys."

"Hi, Paul. Pleased to meet you."

"And you."

"This one here's Mike. He handles our computer systems, including security and encryption. Keeps prying eyes (and keyboards) away. These two are Big Dave and Pete."

"Big Dave?"

"To separate him from Little Dave. He's not here yet. These are both cable television. You'll be working with them a lot. This is Joe. Dan's... replacement."

The other guys suddenly went silent. A tense, uncomfortable moment passed.

"Anyway," (pointing to a number of doors), "Toilets are over there. Kitchen's over there. Meeting room's over there. That over there's a changing and shower room. We have a kettle, a microwave and a fridge if you want to bring stuff in. Your desk is over there mate. Any questions?"

"Nope" (Apart from "Could you repeat all of that please?" The information dump was a bit overwhelming.)

"Oh. Nearly forgot..." Felix reached into his pocket and pulled out a bank card and a piece of paper, handing them to Joe. "There's fifty grand on here. Should keep you going for a while, but we do top it up when it gets low. The PIN's on that piece of paper, along with details on accessing the online banking. A couple of things though."

Joe took the card, his mind blown a little at the prospect of all that money just being handed to him so easily. "Go on."

"That's for buying supplies for the project. You can also buy what you want for Jane. You know, lingerie, nurse's uniform, handcuffs," (Raised eyebrow), "Anything you like! Again I don't want to attract attention to the project, so no spending ten grand in lap dancing bars or anything like that. No transferring the money to your own account. No using the account to pay off your bills. No using your own computer to access the account. No getting stuff delivered to your home address. Use the one on that paper. If you want cash that's fine. Essentially, I want there to be no traceable financial link between you and that card. You'll also notice that it's not your name on the card..."

"Oh yes. Mr. S Bishop." Joe noticed. "You couldn't resist the chess references could you?"

"No. There's also a Mr. Knight, Big Dave and Pete over there are Mr White and Mr Black respectively. Mike over there is Mr. Castle and I'm Mr. King. I thought you might appreciate that. A little touch I thought of after watching Reservoir Dogs."

"We're not robbing a jewelry warehouse are we?" Joe asked, half joking. A diamond heist would probably be a breeze compared to this!

"I wasn't planning on it. Not this week, anyway! Ah yes, the computer stuff." He turned to face Mike, "Did you sort out his login?"

"Yeah." Mike handed over a piece of paper with a login and password. "You'll need to change the passcode on your first login. Make it a strong one please: at least 20 random characters: letters, numbers and symbols. Upper and lower case letters. No birthdays, family members, girlfriends, dogs, cats, iguanas. Don't worry about memorizing it. Once you've entered a random passcode, the computers are set up to subliminally reinforce it in your memory during your first use. You won't remember it while you're not working for Felix. Again this is to make sure you can't give passcodes away, or otherwise use them against us."

"You've said that before haven't you?" Joe grinned. "No problem. At least I know you lot are serious about security!"

Felix interrupted. "I know. It might be a bit paranoid but that goes with the territory. I'd rather be a bit paranoid and come out of this the other end safe than be lax and get arrested or worse."

"Worse?"

"There's a whole host of people that would kill for the tech we're developing here, either to stop us or to control it themselves. We're not playing here, you know."

"I know. I'm just surprised how far you've taken it."

"It is a bit much to take in at once I admit. OK. Once you've got your login details sorted, spend a bit of time going over the schematics for the device we've got for television signals so far, you know the ones we used on you." He produced a small device from one of the desks and showed it to Joe. "This is one of them. We call it a pod. This is for controlling one television at a time. You'll be doing the same think on a network-wide basis, but more later on that. We control it with a USB dongle into here, and that we can program with a laptop. As you can imagine we protect this as well. The input is encrypted, but once we've got your password sorted out you'll be able to access it."

"Understood."

"So..." Felix's smile returned as he changed the subject. "How have you been getting on with Jane? Has she been making you comfortable?"

"Very. Your subliminals definitely seem to work. Assuming she's not a plant that is!"

"Now who's paranoid?" Felix laughed. "You're learning! No she's not a plant. She's under the influence of the subliminals, and so will do whatever you want."

"Speaking of that. We're not going to be here all day are we? I've made some plans for later, if you know what I mean."

"Don't worry. I don't tend to go on that whole 'hours worked' approach. You're here to do a job of work, after which you go home and forget about it."

"Nice one. I need to be home before seven, so I'd better be gone by..." Joe stopped as he realized he didn't know how long it would take to get home.

"I'd allow an hour or so to get home. For getting into the office I've said 90 minutes on the subliminals. I've added in some counter-surveillance techniques to your routine so that anyone following loses you before you arrive here. The risks are lower on your way home, as they shouldn't know where to start, so you can take a more direct route."

"Fair enough. " This was like being in a bloody spy movie! "Well I suppose I'd better get on with it!"

Joe sat at his desk and followed the instructions. It was weird, knowing that he was being subjected to these subliminals, but not knowing what they were. Still he trusted Felix. Or at least he thought he did. Damn paranoia. He had to stop analyzing everything: he would go crazy otherwise!

The pod seemed simple enough. Input and output for the TV signal, an extra input from the USB, a small battery and a printed circuit board housing the memory and processing. The pod was essentially an adaptor for a SCART or HDMI cable, depending on which was required, and took its power from the unit connected to.

It was a neat little package, Joe had to admit, but larger than a credit card and would be noticed in the bundle of wires behind a TV set. Part of Joe's task would be to try and get this small enough so that it could be placed inside somebody's existing set-top box (be it satellite, cable, DVD etc) and so would only be found by a professional opening it up. If he was going to do that, Joe thought, he would have to change the input from USB to wireless. Part of the problem would be to do this while keeping the pod undetected.

After about an hour, the computer told him he was done. It was a good job, because Joe needed a drink! The other guys seemed to be congregating around the coffee pot, including a few that Joe hadn't met yet. He hadn't even noticed them come in. "Must have been engrossed in the induction" thought Joe, before deciding to join them.

Felix again took the lead. "Sorry, Joe. I should introduce you. This is Joe, Dan's replacement. And these three are Chris, Frank and Little Dave. Between them they've got the smart phone and tablet market sewn up. You've already met Mike I think."

Whoever thought of the name Little Dave had a sense of humour, Joe mused. He was absolutely massive! "Sorry. Just smart phones? Not normal ones?"

"We only use visual subliminals." Chris explained, "Audio ones don't work apparently. Plus the older phones aren't powerful enough to program for subliminal images."

"Ah. Fair enough"

Mike offered Joe a coffee. "So how was your induction then Joe? Feeling the urge to act like a chicken?"

"Don't mind him," Felix interrupted. "Mind control humour. Gets old fast though."

"Sorry. Couldn't resist." Mike replied, with a playful grin.

"It was fine thanks. Apparently I'm feeling the urge to slap Mike when he makes bad jokes. Did you put that in Felix?" The group relaxed as it became clear that Joe could take a joke.

"Really?" John asked. "Cos I thought you were feeling the urge to give me all your money and make me cups of coffee all day!"

"Well yes, but they're going to be really strong cups of coffee. With three sugars."

"That's how I like it!"

"And chilli powder."

"Even better!" They all laughed a little. Some of the group returned to their desks. Felix, Chris and Joe remained.

"Changing the subject," Felix interjected, "You two up to much tonight?"

"I was thinking of a threesome with my two lovely ladies." Chris replied, relishing the thought, "I've got them cleaning the house in nothing but high heels and a smile. I've also got them winding each other up, making each other hornier. By the time I get back I'll be practically ravaged. Or at least that's the plan."

"Nice. What about you, Joe?"

"I was thinking of a night out clubbing with Jane followed by a good portion of sex. That should do it!"

"Yes, I imagine it will."

"And you? Will you be blessing the harem with your presence?"

"Harem? Well I suppose you could call it that. How many concubines does a harem make? Anyway. You've met Maria. Maria and her friends have a little show planned for me."

"Is this the kind of fun that ends with you under a pile of naked womanhood?"

"At the risk of repeating myself, yes I imagine it will!" They all laughed.

"It's time, Felix." Mike interjected, a broad smile on his face, before leaving the office.

"Oh yes. I didn't realise it was that late!" Felix looked at his watch. "Joe. Over here. Sit down on that chair. Everybody! It's time!"

"What's going on? Joe asked, with a mix of curiosity and trepidation.

The sudden noise startled Joe. It took him second or so to figure it out, but soon realised it was music. Tainted Love. Marilyn Manson's version, to be precise. Somebody had apparently brought in a CD player. Joe sat down as directed, in a chair next to an open area of the office.

The door opened, and Mike returned, escorting a young woman. Joe instantly grasped the situation: she was a stripper, probably controlled by the subliminals. She was obviously made up in the style of a goth: her flawless alabaster skin punctuated by purple lipstick and eyeliner, her long, lustrous hair dyed black and her nails the same colour.

The theme continued with a long black leather coat, but that was quickly removed on entry to the office. Underneath was much more interesting. A black PVC bra and hot pants made up the majority of her attire, set off with a number of silver spikes protruding from the trim. Continuing down, a pair of torn fishnet stockings could be seen above the top of her black knee high boots. The boots themselves were a fetishists dream: black leather, lined with rows of shiny silver buckles and raised by platform soles and killer six inch heels.

The song continued, and the woman strutted slowly towards Joe. A crowd had gathered around to watch the proceedings, and the audience was proving a little embarrassing for their victim.

She danced slowly in front of him for a moment, making sure he caught a glimpse of every angle of her body. Her cleavage was impressive, but the view of her ass even more so. The shiny shorts framing her butt cheeks perfectly. The woman saw this appreciation in Joe, and emphasized her assets.

She continued, moving closer and closer to Joe. Bending over, she leant on his thighs, keeping her legs straight. Joe lost himself in her milky white breasts, encased as they were by the bra. She leant in, moving closer so she could whisper in his ear "So what is your name, handsome?"

"Joe," He replied, still acutely aware of his audience, who were still watching and cheering.

"I'm your starting present, Joe. My name's Carla." She danced in front of him for a short while, taking every opportunity to give Joe a good view of her cleavage and ass. Her style of movement chimed in perfectly with the music:

She turned round and sat on his lap, grinding behind against his crotch. Her scent was... well the best description for it would be spicy, and accompanied by the unmistakable aroma of leather and rubber. Reaching behind herself, she found his hands and brought them up to her breasts. "We're not in a strip club now. You can touch me wherever you want."

"Oh yes." Joe muttered under his breath.

Keeping hold of Joe's hands, she guided one of them down to her crotch. "I want you to fuck me," She said, partly for the benefit of the crowd, "Fuck me hard. I wanna to feel your hard cock inside my cunt. I want you to do nasty things to me." She stood up for a moment. "Come on. Let's get these jeans off." She removed his shoes and set to work on his fly.

Joe grunted. His mind was willing, but his body wasn't able. By now he should have been fully erect, but for some reason he wasn't. Perhaps it was the audience. Perhaps it was the shock of the whole situation. Perhaps it was fatigue after the numerous encounters with Jane recently.

Whatever the reason, Carla was continuing. In slow, deliberate movements, Carla's bra and shorts were removed and discarded. She was pierced underneath them both: rings through each of her nipples and another through her clitoris. Those sorts of piercings had always turned Joe on: a sign of a kinkier nature in the strippers he'd encountered. He'd also seen them in stories and on websites, and they never failed to excite him. There were no stirrings this time, though. No sign of an erection from Joe.

By now the audience had noticed, and the cheers had turned into jeers. "Been a bit too busy have you, mate?" was heard from one side of the room while "Can't rise to the occasion, eh?" was heard from the other. "Happens to us all, mate!" was heard from a third, and "Anybody got any Viagra?" from another. Joe stared in horror as his humiliation, and the lap dance continued.

"Bastards!" Shouted Joe, "You fucking bastards!"

That only served to amuse the audience further. The jeers continued for a moment before the song started to end.

As the end of the song came, a little help came in the form of Felix. "Don't worry, mate. This is all part of the ritual." He interrupted, amused but trying to regain control of the situation, "It's from the induction routine. You can't get hard during that song. As soon as it ends you'll be back to normal mate."

Proving his point a new song started. Evanescence's "Bring Me To Life" Joe identified, also noting the corny joke. His thoughts quickly turned elsewhere, though, as the blood flow returned to his loins and his erection returned with a vengeance. A cheer erupted from the crowd, but Joe barely heard it. He was on autopilot now.

As if making up for lost time, Joe thrust into her for all he was worth. She was already moist from the build up, but his sheer ferocity overwhelmed her. "Fuck yeah," She cried out, her voice rising a few octaves. "Fuck... Fuckin'..." She became less coherent as she approached her climax, but her volume never diminished. Within moments words had given way to incomprehensible noises as the moment took her to sexual bliss.

Joe was no more coherent. He had almost gone silent after regaining his prowess, his erection seemingly appearing at the expense of his voice. The need for release was growing now. It had been growing before but with no outlet. Now he was just trying to make himself last a few more moments. He didn't want to start late and finish early. That wasn't proving to be a problem though, as Carla seemed to be climaxing now. Mind you she'd had a head start.

Carla's orgasm lasted just long enough to include Joe's. Their sexual energy spent, Carla collapsed into Joe's arms and kissed him softly. "You were fucking brilliant, Joe. I haven't had a shag like that in ages!"

"Thanks," Replied Joe. It seemed like the thing to say. "You're pretty damn hot yourself!"

If Joe had forgotten about his audience after getting his mojo back, then he was quickly reminded by the return of the cheering. Joe suddenly felt extremely self-conscious, sat there with his trousers around his ankles and his erection rapidly retreating. After Carla stood up from his lap, he put his trousers back on and stood up. He was furious about the practical joke that had just been played on him. He'd seen men being brought out onto the stage for lap dances at stag parties before, usually after enough drinks to put their dicks to sleep, but never deliberately putting the mockers on it!

Also, now that he thought of it, Carla had obviously had obviously been turned by the pod devices. Controlling a person's mind for actual sex was ethically dubious enough, but for a joke? These guys were seriously fucked up morally. Sociopathic would be a good word to describe it. This must be a result of being able to control people in that fashion: you lose the ability to tell right from wrong. Somehow, though, Joe didn't apply this principle to himself. He could kind of see it in others, but his mind quickly passed on to something else. He didn't think it odd either that he continued working on the project after discovering the pathology it could induce in its architects.

The rest of the afternoon, or at least most of it, passed without major incident. Joe continued studying the systems that the group was using to deliver the subliminal messages, and control all their gadgets. Carla stayed in the office, visiting each of the men in turn to offer her services. She must have been programmed as a sexual servant as a further payment in kind for those working on the screen. Many times during the afternoon Joe looked over his screen to find one of them at their desks, with that look on their face you only get during sex. Some of the time Carla couldn't be seen, but was obviously underneath the desk. Other times she could clearly be seen, her bare breasts jiggling up and down as she was fucked from behind by a horny computer technician. After each one had finished she would stand up and casually walk over to the next, still covered with the juices from the last. Sometimes one of them would tell her to clean herself up before starting with them, but not always. Something about the blasé attitude to Carla's presence and actions disturbed Joe, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Carla, for her part, was loving every minute of it. This was a regular occurrence for her, happening roughly once a month. The rest of the time she was a sexually repressed neurochemistry student at the university, doing research with Doctor Bryant. She spent most of her month looking forward for the one weekend where should let her hair down, dress up and party with the guys. It had got to the state that she could masturbate herself into oblivion just in anticipation of the coming weekend, she was that excited about it. She didn't always remember what she'd done, but she knew she'd enjoyed herself. The couple of days where her body ached all over were ample sacrifice for the freedom and feeling of satisfied bliss that those weekends gave her.

Back in the office, the afternoon wore on. Apart from the obvious distraction provided by Carla, the team carried on with their work quietly and trying not to watch everybody else's turn. There was a lot of work to be done, and Joe got the distinct impression that they were on a tight deadline. Either that or hard work had also been programmed into their psyche by the pods and their subliminal tricks.

As the afternoon drew into evening and the other men left, Felix asked Joe to join him. "OK, mate. You wanted to know about the Sleep command last night, after Maria's performance."

"Oh yeah. That was something else, wasn't it?"

"Indeed. The sleep program doesn't come directly from the subliminals, but they are related. Once we've induced a person with the subliminals, they are obviously ready to obey commands from us. We get them to learn and practice self-hypnosis: breathing and relaxation techniques, and so on. Tips to increase self-confidence and motivation. It's a good system, actually. We get them to record their own hypnosis tape, using prompts from their computer. That way they trust their hypnosis so much more. They remember one set, the self-confidence and so on, but forget the submissive stuff as soon as they've recorded it. Simon - you haven't met him yet, has put together some great voice analysis and facial recognition software to control their induction. It really is out of this world, what he can do. He can even get the computer to measure pupil size from the webcam while they're recording." He motioned Carla to join them "Hello, my pretty! Why don't you sit down over here? That's a good girl."

The barely clad and physically drained girl sat down on the chair that Felix had pulled up. Her hair and make-up were all over the place, and she reeked of sweat and sex, but she was still smiling. An innocent and beguiling smile that belied her carnal activities of the last few hours. Even now there was no attempt at modesty, although that would have been superfluous at this point.

"OK, Carla. Just rest your head against me. That's it. Sleep."

With that her entire body went limp. She settled into her slumber.

"Good girl. You know what to do. I am your Master, so you know you can trust me. You know that you want to please me. I want you to concentrate on the sound of my voice. Just imagine the sound of my voice taking you deeper and deeper into your sleep. You're feeling more and more relaxed with every word. I say. More and more relaxed, into a deeper and deeper sleep. More and more relaxed. More and more relaxed. That's great. Deeper and deeper. Good girl. How relaxed are you feeling Carla, on a scale of one to ten?"

"Eight, Master."

"Good girl, Carla. I'm going to continue talking, Carla. I want you to feel even more relaxed, even more asleep. Going to nine. More and more relaxed. To ten. More and more relaxed. That's a good girl, Carla.

"In a moment I'm going to wake you up. You're going to feel refreshed for your sleep, and happy to serve me further. Aren't you, Carla?"

"Yes Master."

"Good girl. And when you wake up, I want you to imagine that your breasts are incredibly sensitive. Even the feel of clothes on your skin will arouse you. Feeling your breasts with your hands, or rubbing your breasts against somebody else will feel fantastic. Either of us touching, feeling or groping your breasts will be able to bring you to orgasm. You will be able to bring yourself close to orgasm just by masturbating with your breasts, just as you would if you were fingering your pussy, but you need the touch of your Master to orgasm. And you need to orgasm. You won't be able to leave your breasts alone. If you couldn't touch your breasts then you would need someone to touch them for you. Your Master can touch your breasts for you, but only if you're a good girl. Do you understand, Carla?"

"Yes Master."

"Good girl. Now I want you to wake up. As I said you're going to feel refreshed after your sleep. I'm going to count you down from your ten in relaxation. By the time I reach zero you will be fully awake and refreshed. Do you understand, Carla?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good girl. OK. Ten. Nine. Your starting to wake up. Eight, Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three, you're feeling more alert and refreshed. Two. You're almost there now. Almost ready to wake up. One. Waking up now. And zero. You're feeling wide awake and fully refreshed. How are you, Carla?"

"I'm fine thanks Master. I'm naked. Did you have a good time with me Master? I hope I was good for you."

"You were perfect, dear. You were a very good girl. Your clothes are over there. If you put them on, we'll be off shortly."

"Yes, Master." She replied. She bent over to pick up her clothes, if they could be described as such. Even after watching her for most of the afternoon, servicing one man after another, Joe couldn't get used to her nonchalance about walking around the office naked, and watching her bend over could still stir a reaction in him. He was a man after all!

Picking up her clothes one by one, Carla held them to her chest for a second to help her carry them. Instantly she felt that familiar jolt of electricity that signalled a touch in her most sensitive of places. Only this time it was from her breasts, and the intensity was much higher than she would normally expect. It felt like her nerve endings were in overdrive. It felt good though. Actually it felt great. It felt like Carla could bring herself to orgasm just by playing with her breasts. But she had been given an order by her master: to get dressed. Playing with her breasts would have to wait.

By the time that Carla had finished getting dressed, she was clearly perturbed. The feel of the PVC bra felt uncomfortable to her, like it was constraining her. The pleasure she had felt when touching herself, even accidentally, had been replaced by a prickly feeling where the fabric touched her breasts. As she fidgeted inside her bra, trying to get comfortable, the touch of her hands sent waves of pleasure through her. But the covering felt no better for it.

"What's the matter, my dear?" Carla's master had clearly noticed the problem. Maybe he would be able to help.

"It's my top, Master. It feels uncomfortable on my breasts."

"Oh dear!" Felix's reply was dripping with sarcasm. "Come over here. Sit on my knee and we'll see what we can do."

"Yes, Master." She sat on his knee, but couldn't stop herself from playing with her breasts.

"Now you must stop playing with your breasts, dear. Put your hands behind your back. Cross your wrists."

Complying with his instruction, Carla felt Felix bind something around her wrists, and relaxed. At least she couldn't disobey his order now, no matter how uncomfortable her top felt.

"Good girl. Would it help if I removed your top?"

"Yes, Master. It feels uncomfortable."

"There you go," Felix indulged his charge, unbuckling the bra and removing it from her breasts. Carla sighed as her breasts' new found freedom sent a wave of elation through her body. "That's better isn't it?" He cupped one of her breasts, carressing it and playing with the ring with his fingers."

Carla was too distracted to answer. The waves of elation and pleasure were coming thick and fast now, as Master played with her breasts. They were so sensitive! If her own touch could excite her, then the touch of another could set her on fire! Each Touch from Master was like... Well it was like having her pussy played with, or like playing with a vibrator. Her eyes closed, Carla arched her back and pushed her chest out, pressing her sensitive tits into Master's hand. Master's touch became more assertive, harder, rougher. The sensations grew in intensity and frequency. Carla began to whimper as the sensations built up in her. "Please, Master. I... I... Please may I cum?"

"Yes you may."

After allowing Carla her climax, Felix used the sleep command to remove the afternoon's suggestions and return Carla to her earlier state.

"How are you now, Carla?"

Joe noted the repetition of that line from the previous session. It must be some sort of script that Felix used to make his target feel comfortable.

"I'm fine thanks Master. I have my hands tied behind my back. Was I naughty Master?"

"No, not at all! You were perfect, my dear. A very good girl." He replied, untying her hands. "Just put your top and coat back on dear, and wait for me out in the reception, I'll be with you shortly."

The two men watched Carla leave the way she'd come in. Felix turned to Joe. "So that's it really. I'm sure you're familiar with the clichés, 'Look into my eyes' and 'Follow the swinging watch'. This isn't that different from all that lot. Except in this case we train the subject to hypnotise themselves. They do all the hard work in their own time, and we just help provide the motivation. Much more efficient that way."

"Mmmmm." Joe was exploring possibilities in his head.

"Well mate, it's almost six. You said you had to be gone by about now."

"Is that the time? Yeah, I'd better get sorted."

"Before you go, I need you to do something at Sat Tech for me during the week. The first part of your work over there."

"No problem. What is it?"

"I need you to get to know your systems. Even more than you do now. We have to figure out a way to get our messages added to their feed. Also, whatever we put in there has to remain undetected. As I understand it, Sat Tech's systems are modular, so replacing one of the modules is my first thought. If you've got any other ideas though I'd be happy to hear them."

"I'll have a think about that. But I have thought of something already. I suppose that whatever we put in we're going to have to control remotely. We do have a number of machines set up to access the internet, for diagnostics generally. We also have normal internet access for email and so on. We have guys in there all the time to sort out new kit, or carry out upgrades. If we can get a module with internet access into the building, past the EM shielding and close to our module, we can use Wi-Fi between the two. After that it's a simple job for our internet man to keep control while keeping us at arm's length and undetected as you say."

"Sounds good. I would prefer to keep the module hidden as well."

"Definitely."

"So there's EM shielding then? What's that for, to stop hackers?"

"Not particularly. We're right next to a bunch of satellite dishes, so we get a lot of EM noise from them, apart from all the other noise that you get whizzing around the place nowadays."

"Ah right. We didn't have any plans for EM shielding. I didn't realize that it was required. I'll have a word with our supplier."

"There's no need. I know where the shielding is. The primary shielding is the boxes around the modules. They're reinforced with a steel mesh. They've also put mesh in the external walls and in each floors. That's in addition to any reinforcement you might have in the concrete for structural purposes."

"No I didn't mean that. If he's been holding out on me then we need to have words."

"Ah." Joe didn't know how to respond to the implied threat.

"But there's no need to concern yourself with that. Anyway. I've got a trio of fillies at home who are just dying to show me their wares. That reminds me. How are you getting on with Jane?"

"She's fucking hot! If this goes on too much longer, I won't be able to walk!"

"I know. It's terrible isn't it?" They both laughed. "It gets worse."

"How?"

"I know you're a bit of a regular with a certain lap dancer, Layla."

"Well. Erm..."

"There's no need to be coy with me mate. I've done my research on you remember. You go to The Pocket Rocket Club every month after payday and always go for the same dancer. Well we have our subliminal gadgets hooked up to her TV and internet. She's primed and ready for your delectation. Same code phrase as before. Just don't go fucking her in the club and getting you both noticed. Play it cool, but she's yours."

A grin started to appear on Joe's face. "Really? That's interesting. We may have to stop by the club in that case!"

"You were going to do that already weren't you?"

"You can see right through me can't you!"

"Indeed. One more thing."

"This is like Christmas and my birthday at once! Go on."

"When you turn Layla, ask her about her previous work."

"What was that then?"

"I'm not telling you." Felix grinned widely. "I don't want to spoil the surprise. See you later. Have fun!"


Chapter 4 - Acquisition

In the end they were only just ready for the taxi in time. Apparently something about getting lathered in a hot shower by an equally hot woman's breasts isn't conducive to making a guy hurry up. So it was a good job that Jane had spent the day preparing both their clothes for the evening, and they were quick at getting ready.

Joe had arrived home just as the last of the daylight had gone. It had been a long, but productive day, Joe felt, and he was ready for a little partying with the lovely Jane. He walked into his house to find Jane wearing a pair of very short shorts and a halter top. Both were Barbie pink and made of latex. The top was clearly too small for her, and struggled to contain her perfectly pert breasts. The ensemble was completed with a pair of high heeled pink strappy sandals that made her look like the perfect bimbo!

"Good evening, Master. I've been waiting for you." She purred, before planting her lips on his in a long, passionate kiss.

"And I you, my dear," He replied once free.

"There's a fetish shop in the Three Hills area. I went there and got these so I could show myself off to you, Master," She twirled around for him. The light reflected off the shiny material encasing Jane's round ass cheeks and Joe was in heaven again. "I hope you like it. I wanna be sexy for my master"

"I absolutely love it, dear. You've been a very good girl."

"Thank you, Master." She smiled and stepped closer to him, putting her arms around his waist and pressing her body against his, "Is there anything you'd like me to do for you?"

"Well I have to get a shower. The taxi's due at eight."

"Would master permit me to wash him? She suggested playfully, and her smile turned that little bit into a mischievous grin. She grabbed her breasts through the thin rubber fabric, "Perhaps I could use these as sponges to clean him?"

"Well that's too good an offer to turn down! But I think there's other parts of your body we can use too!"

"Oh yes, Master!"

Their destination in the taxi was a French restaurant in the city centre. As befitting such an establishment, the couple had dressed up for the occasion, Joe in a black suit and navy blue shirt, Jane looking ravishing in a crimson red dress and black jacket. The dress had a plunging neckline that perfectly framed her breasts, and was short enough to give the merest hint of the tops of her sheer stockings underneath. Unseen by the public at large, Jane was wearing an exquisite set of black lace lingerie.

The restaurant itself was nice enough. Perhaps not as good as it sold itself, but still pleasant. The great and the good scrambled to get a table here, often to no avail. A single phone call from Felix, however, had secured a reservation for the new couple.

"Thanks," Joe said quietly to the waiter as they sat down. "I've heard the Chateau Latour is particularly good here," At least according to Felix, who had recommended this place.

"Very good, Sir." The waiter gave them each a menu and withdrew discretely.

"It's a lovely restaurant, Master."

"It is, dear." Joe responded quietly enough that only she could hear, "But don't call me Master when out in public. As far as anyone else is concerned we're a normal couple."

"Yes, dear. May I call you Master at home though?" Jane felt a little pang of disappointment about not being able to address him like that. It just didn't feel right, and she had got used to the little shiver of gratification every time she did so. The displeasure was plain to see on her face.

"Yes you may." Joe smiled as he saw the relief on his partner's face. "I tell you what. Go to the ladies. Take your panties off. You can touch yourself a bit but don't bring yourself off. When you come and sit back down here, I want your bare bum against the seat. Pull your skirt up if you need to. You can let the tablecloth protect your modesty."

"Yes... Joe," Jane's heart instantly started racing. The fear of getting caught was the first thing on her mind, but that was soon surpassed by the thrill of the game and the satisfaction of obeying Master... no... Joe. She instantly obeyed, almost running to the rest room.

Jane returned looking just a little flustered. While in the bathroom she hadn't been able to resist touching herself just a little. However the only effect was to increase her arousal. This was what her Master... Joe... wanted: for her to be aroused and slightly off kilter, and she knew it! It was working though. Jane managed to pull herself together enough to make it back to the table, with her panties in her bag.

Ever the gentleman, Joe stood up to greet Jane on her return, and pulled out her chair for her. To the casual observer it would appear an act of chivalry, but in truth he was providing cover for his now exposed companion.

"Thank you," Jane proclaimed, maintaining the charade of public acceptability. As instructed, she pulled her skirt up as she sat down. A few seconds later her modesty was protected, courtesy of the white linen table cloth.

"You're welcome, dear." Joe replied, loud enough for the neighbouring diners to hear. He continued much more quietly, "You look so cute when you're embarrassed. It makes me want to see it more."

A few moments of silence passed with that idea hanging in the air. Joe was thinking of possibilities, Jane growing nervous and excited at the prospect. Her hand found its way under the tablecloth, and between her legs. Her eyes closed, and an almost imperceptible sigh escaped her lips.

What Jane didn't know was why the humiliation was turning her on. Before heading out (but after Jane's breast-based lathering in the shower), Joe had tested the "sleep" command on her. It had worked perfectly. Joe had planted the suggestion that embarrassment would make her uncontrollably turned on. The greater the humiliation, the greater the arousal. He had also instructed her not to remember receiving the command. He wanted her to find out for herself.

The waiter arrived with the bottle of wine. As far as he was concerned, it was just another task for him. In Jane's mind it was a test. Could the waiter see anything? Jane was mortified that someone might see. If he did, he wasn't giving anything away. He poured the wine and took out his notepad. "Would you like to order Sir, Madame?"

With all of the distractions, Jane hadn't even looked through the menu. Joe took the heat off by ordering his meal first, giving Jane vital seconds to make her decision. Jane placed her order, and the waiter left them in peace.

"I think we got away with that!" Joe said, grinning from ear to ear. He was growing to enjoy his new found power, and its' potential. "You look a bit flushed. Are you OK?"

"Yes thank you. I'm just..." A bit flushed? Jane was about to explode with arousal! If things got any worse, Jane felt she would have come right there and then. Practicing her breathing exercises, Jane managed to calm herself down. If only Master would have let her, she would have jumped him and ripped his trousers off where he sat. Hell, if Master would have let her, she'd have fucked any of the diners or waiters in the restaurant. But that wasn't an option, so the breathing exercises would have to do for now.

"Just what, dear?"

"Just aroused," Jane answered truthfully, "I need you, Ma... Joe."

At this point Joe was also forced to protect his own modesty under the table. His erection had been growing the past couple of minutes. Watching Jane struggle with her overstimulation was proving stimulating for him! The difference, of course, was self-control. Joe would have to exercise a ton of it to keep to the plan. Singing "Tainted Love" in his head helped with the physical symptoms, and provided a bit of that control. Jane didn't have that luxury.

In the interests of getting through the meal, Joe decided to tone things down a little. He wanted Jane to enjoy the meal, and she wouldn't if she was overly stressed. For a few moments the conversation was limited to small talk, as both sides of the table struggled to regain their composure.

The waiter returned with the starters, which Joe and Jane ate with only the smallest of small-talk.

His composure regained, Joe decided it was time to ramp things up a little again. "So, Jane. Enjoying the feeling of the chair against your naked cheeks?"

"Yes," The tone of the question struck fear in Jane. She knew that something was going to follow.

"Good. I know we're only having our main course next, but when the waiter comes with the desserts, I want you to accidentally drop your spoon. Give our waiter a little peek of your pussy. Won't that be nice for him?"

"Y... Yes,"

"Good. And I want you to think about how you're going to do it. I want your pussy nice and wet for him. You'll be leaving a little damp patch on your chair. Would you like that?"

"Mmmm," The tension was rising again. Jane's bottom lip started quivering. Tears began to develop in her frightened eyes. She could feel her nether regions tingling with anticipation. Her pussy throbbed, aching, longing to be filled. "I need... I mean... Please!"

"Keep quiet, darling. You don't want to be overheard. What do you need?"

"I need you to... I need you to fuck me!"

Joe moved his chair round the table, so he was sat next to Jane. Making sure he couldn't be seen by the other customers he reached between her legs, pulled her hemline up a little and started rubbing his finger along her labia. Not hard. In fact it was the lightest of touches. "Listen to me, Jane. I need you to hold it in. Once we've had our meal I'll take you somewhere we can get your pussy seen to. But that's only if you're a good girl. Understand?"

"Yes, Master," She whispered. She needed to use that word, and justified it by making sure nobody else could hear.

"Good girl. I think we'll skip dessert don't you?"

Jane smiled, relieved that she wouldn't have to wait as long for the release she so desperately required. "That would be nice." Understatement was still possible then!

"You know, the next time we go out, we'll have to get you a dildo to play with! Would you like that? To have your pussy filled when out in public? "

"Oh yes," Jane knew her Master was joking with her, trying to make her feel better. But it wasn't a bad idea. At least she could make it through an evening then. In fact the more she thought about it, the thought of going out plugged seemed like the proper thing to do. Why had she not thought of it earlier?

"In fact," Joe continued, "I think I might insist on a vibrator. As a reminder of me when you're out. Whoever you're with."

"Mmmm yes," The excitement was rising again, but this time in a pleasant way. The threat of exposing herself to strangers (even if only the thought of it) had provoked arousal in her, but the feeling had fought its way through her body. It was as if part of her body didn't want to feel turned on, but a deeper, darker part of her subconscious craved that humiliation. This felt different: the arousal coming from being dominated by her master, and enjoying it privately.

Joe was feeling something else altogether. Outwardly, he was projecting the appearance of being relaxed and in control. Under the surface, however, Joe was in turmoil. The suggestions he'd planted in Jane had worked. Everything he'd said had happened. Instead of feeling happy and horny, though, she was almost in tears. That wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't looking to leave her terrified and distressed, just turned on and ready to jump him on command. (Was that too much to ask?) There was obviously a lot still to learn about how to use this control. Joe resolved to speak with Felix about it. Or Sam Bryant. Sam would probably be better actually. Sam was more of an expert in the working of the human brain.

After paying for the meal, Joe and Jane stepped out into the street. It was a cold, but clear night. The restaurant was in the old part of town; a maze of cobbled streets and back alleys. The cobbles made walking tough for Jane in her high heels, but Joe assured her that their destination was only around the corner.

They turned into a deserted alley. In her mind, Jane imagined her Master taking her right there and then. In her head he pushed her against the bins, pulled her dress up around her waist and pounded into her again and again. The rougher the sex; the more degrading, the better. She had never felt this way before, but the way she felt right now, she wanted it dirty and hot. She didn't even care if anyone saw her. In fact, she got the feeling that an audience would only add to her satisfaction. Perhaps Master would let her fuck them too?

The couple continued down the alley, turning a corner. Jane's excitement evaporated, the look of terror returning to her face as she saw their destination: The "Pocket Rocket strip club. Would Master tell her to perform in there? Would he make her take off her clothes in front of all those dirty old men? The fantasy of humiliating herself in front of others suddenly seemed wrong when it looked like she might actually have to go through with it. "This is..."

"Yes?"

"A strip club? Are you going to make me strip in there?"

"Ah," It suddenly dawned on Joe why she was afraid, "Yes, it is a strip club. No, you're not performing tonight. Strictly audience only."

"Thank you, Master" The relief in her voice was immense. The smile returned to her lips. "You're not stripping are you?"

"Ha! No! Not unless I have far too much beer anyway!" They both laughed as they went inside.

The music in the club pulsated like the fast-beating heart of a 100 metre sprinter. This wasn't music to dance to, or be danced on to. This was music to get the punters in, fleece them of their cash and send them on their way with a damp patch and a story. The club was busy tonight. Lots of Saturday night revellers blowing their wad, in more ways than one. Joe didn't like it when it was like this. He tended to go in the week, when the club was quieter and he could take his time. But he knew that Layla would be there, and after what Felix had told him, he couldn't wait to meet his new conquest.

Jane stood by the door, holding Joe's hand and watched, shocked by where she had found herself. She watched as, over on the stage, a dancer was gyrating around the pole. The woman was performing feats of acrobatics any circus performer would be proud of; wearing nothing put a flimsy G-string and a pair of high-heeled shoes. The men in front of her were clearly enjoying themselves, judging by the money they were throwing in her direction and the drinks they were knocking back.

"What are we doing here, Master?" Jane struggled to make herself heard over the blaring music. Master was clearly distracted, looking for someone. He turned to face her.

"Let's set down over there, and I'll tell you." Joe pointed over to a relatively quiet area behind a velvet rope. Being recognised as a regular in here had few advantages, but this was one of them. At least they could make themselves heard in here. They sat down together at a table and a scantily clad waitress took their order. Once she had returned a few moments later with their drinks, Joe tipped generously and the girl left them alone.

"I told you we were going to get your pussy seen to after the meal. I wasn't lying. You are about to have your first lap dance, and I promise you it will be a special one," He surveyed the club looking for Layla, "As soon as I can find your newest girlfriend."

Jane was dumbfounded at first. Hew newest girlfriend? She had also never considered being with another woman in a sexual way. However, the suggestion was starting to excite her. The thought of another woman flaunting herself in front of her, for that moment existing just to please her, and help her please her Master. The tender touch of another woman, skilled in the sexual arts and practised in the techniques of seduction. She could learn so much.

It was Layla who spotted Joe first, talking to Jane. Layla loved to see her regulars in the club, as she knew it meant easy cash. She also liked Joe, who was unfailingly polite, paid well and never caused any bother. So she guarded her clients jealously. Any dancer trying to steal one would seriously have to answer to her. Except, she soon realised, that the other woman wasn't a dancer. A quick word with the door man confirmed that assumption: they had come in together. She must be his girlfriend or something. Layla made her way towards the couple.

Joe smiled as he saw Layla strutting purposefully towards him. She was dressed a cheap version of a schoolgirl's uniform: a white blouse, with strategically opened buttons revealing a hint of pale blue bra, a striped tie, loosely tied around her neck and dangling into her ample cleavage, and a plaid skirt. The skirt had deliberately been pulled up so far that the gusset of Layla's panties could be seen under the hemline. Matching the bra of course. A black pair of stockings and a pair of those see "stripper shoes" with the clear plastic heels completed the ensemble. It was designed to look cheap, tacky and titillating. Joe loved it.

"Hey, how you doing!" She greeted him in her professional voice, like an old friend meeting up for a pint, "Wasn't expecting to see you this evening!" She sat down opposite the couple, "And who is your hot friend over here?"

"Hi, Layla. Can I get you a drink?"

"Yes please. Vodka, Red Bull." Joe summoned the waitress and ordered Layla's drink.

"Jane, this is Layla. Layla, this is my... girlfriend, Jane" Joe wondered what to call her. Friend didn't cut it. Slave might have been more accurate but might put Layla off. Concubine? Hypnotically controlled blowjob provider extra-ordinaire?

"Pleased to meet you. We don't get many women clients in here."

"Ma... Joe wanted me to meet you."

"He did? Perhaps he wanted me to give you a dance. Take you back there and give away all my secrets."

"Almost," Joe interjected, unable to wait any longer, "I am the Master."

"I am yours."

"Good. For tonight, and in public, I want you to keep calling me Joe. You can call me Master when we're in private. I also want you to maintain your professional demeanour while you're here. As far as anyone else is concerned, I'm just another punter. Understood?"

"Yes, Joe."

"Great. Now you see, Layla, we have a bit of a problem. My friend Jane here has been in heat all night and needs to have her pussy seen to. You'll see that she's not wearing any panties. Jane, show her. Keep it discrete though."

Jane was already facing Layla, so she opened her legs a touch, moving her dress out of the way.

"Ooh she's already excited, isn't she?" Layla cooed. It was hard for Jane to argue with that. The heat was already rising within her.

"Yes she is." He put his hand on Jane's thigh, his fingers softly running up and down the bare patch of leg above her stocking top. "Excited for you, Layla. Aren't you, Jane?"

"Yesss," Jane was panting now, her sexual frustration rising again.

"Good girl. Now Layla, I want you to take us both into the back room, and give us your best lapdance. And I think you know what Jane here needs. I want you to provide it. Understand?"

"Absolutely!"

"In that case, shall we...?"

Joe let Layla lead them through the club. He knew where they were going, but he wanted to stay with the bundle of nervous excitement that was Jane. He held her hand as they walked, the back of Joe's hand grazing Jane's butt as their arms moved.

The champagne room was a rather grand title for a curtained-off area with a black leather sofa, a small table and an area for the dancers to ply their trade. A sign and security camera indicated that the room was under surveillance by security, but Layla knew better. The camera hadn't worked for years. Security was maintained by the threat of those eastern European bouncers, and that was usually more than enough to keep the punters in line.

At Layla's invitation, Joe and Jane sat on the sofa, Jane's legs open ready for the lap dance. Jane had bunched up her skirt again, and was sitting with her bare buttocks against the leather fabric. Again this was at Joe's insistence, and again it was inducing a sexual current to flow around her body. Nothing could be seen by any casual observer who might appear at the door, but Jane was on display to Layla.

Layla stood facing them, waiting for the next song to start. She had danced for couples before. The few times she'd done it, it was for guys trying to show their girlfriends it wasn't seedy or anything. A futile attempt, Layla thought. Some were trying to get their partners turned on for a more conventional session at home, but Layla couldn't see that happening either. It was a shame, as she loved dancing for girls. If there was any money in it she would dance solely for other women. They were much more responsive, in a non-grabby kind of way, and she loved the feel of other women's breasts pressed softly against her own body. She wouldn't describe herself as a lesbian. No, she liked the feel of a man inside her far too much for that. But she certainly wouldn't turn down an encounter with a lady if offered.

The music changed. Layla was on. Her eyes locked with Jane's, as though she could hypnotise her with a single stare. She took a few steps forward, swaying her hips in time to the music and teasing her audience with quick glances of her cleavage. The idea was always to keep everything hidden for as long as possible; to draw out the suspense and keep the punter interested. They didn't call it a striptease for nothing you know!

Layla had perfected the look of an innocent schoolgirl, with her mock surprised expressions, but her performance was far from chaste. The tie was the first to go. Layla removed it with one fluid movement and held it taut in either end. Reaching over Jane, she gave her audience a tantalising view of her pendulous breasts while wrapping the tie loosely around Jane's neck. For the briefest of moments there was contact between Layla's breasts and Jane's. The gasp that escaped from Jane's mouth was indication enough that this was working. Never one to let an opportunity pass, Layla planted a light kiss on Jane's lips, enjoying the moment a little too much herself.

She pulled herself together a second later. The show must go on after all. Layla raised her chest a little, giving Jane a face-full of her bosom. She always liked to pause at this moment, give the punter a good eyeful and sniff of her perfume for a few seconds. Never failed. She hadn't even removed her top and her prey was captivated!

Jane wasn't the only one who was captivated. Normally this was routine to Layla; part of her day to day existence. All vestiges of excitement, or even shame, from performing this dance had disappeared long ago in a sea of repetition and tedium. Not tonight though. Tonight Master, the mystery subject of so many dreams and fantasies, had coalesced into the form of Joe, and had asked her to dance for a fellow slave. This would be a life-changing night. The presence of Master alone was enough to get her juices flowing, but the chance to please him and seduce another woman at the same time was irresistible.

It was time to remove the blouse and bra, and free those perfect breasts. Protecting her modesty for a few seconds further, she turned round and removed those garments, cupping her breasts in her hands before returning to face Jane. Again this was part of the routine but, as before, the added presence of Master was too much. Layla felt as though she could cum right there and then, and it was proving hard to concentrate. "Come on, girl," She chided herself in her mind, "Gotta please Master. Then you can frig yourself senseless!"

The pace of Layla's performance sped up a little, as she struggled with her self-control. Jane seemed to be enjoying it immensely though, judging by the heavy breathing and the damp patch between her legs. It was usually a challenge to gauge the satisfaction of women to her dancing, given the obvious lack of a hard on, but in this case there was no need to guess. Jane was in the throes of an all-out climax! Being Master's slave had visibly affected the girl. Master's slave... Pleasing Master... Must... Concentrate... Please... Master!

She couldn't wait any longer. She had to lick Jane's pussy right now. Damn the routine! Crouching in front of Jane, Layla eagerly buried her face between her fellow slave's legs. Following Master's order was pure bliss for Layla, and even if her fingers weren't rammed down her own panties she would have been at orgasm by now.

In her state of disequilibrium, Layla had lost all track of time. The song was ending, but she was still in her skirt and knickers. She was going to have to ask the question. Normally a tease and an attempt to extract more cash from frustrated punters, this time Layla was the one desperate for extra time. So a gentle "Would you like another dance?" turned into a pleading "Please may I continue dancing, Master?"

"Not just now. Come and sit with me a moment."

A disappointed Layla joined the couple sitting on the couch, wondering if she had done something to upset Master. Joe sat between the shattered but satisfied Jane and the topless temptress Layla. It was a bit of a squeeze on the couch but that only made things cosier.

"Right, Layla. How long would it take you to get out of work here tonight without raising suspicions?"

"About 15 minutes I guess, if I tell my boss I'm feeling ill. He'd take most of tonight's takings from me though."

"Don't worry about that. Tell him you're ill. Give him his money. Get out of here. Have you driven here tonight?"

"No. I always get a taxi, so I can have a few drinks."

"Good. There's a pub around the corner. The Scribbler's Cove. I presume you know it." Joe did. Part of his pre-strip-club routine was a pint in there.

"Yes."

"Good. Meet us there when you're out. I'm taking you to my place tonight. Will that raise suspicions or cause problems at yours?"

"No," Layla's mood lifted at the realisation that she had not let her Master down, "I live alone."

"Good. Get dressed then and we'll meet you in The Scribbler's Cove. Don't be long."

"Yes, Master."

The Scribbler's Cove could quite easily be described as an "old man's" pub. The beer was good and cheap, the decor hadn't been changed since man had landed on the moon and the most animated items in the tap room were the flames flickering in the huge fireplace.

Joe and Jane were enjoying a drink by the bar when Layla joined them. Unfortunately she had taken the instruction to get dressed a little too literally, and turned up in her school uniform costume. To say that it caused a stir in the pub was an understatement! A stunning woman in a short skirt and tits practically hanging out in their bar? Crikey!

It was a good job Joe was a quick thinker. "Hi, Honey! How was the hen party?" That seemed to placate the regulars, who went back to their beer and darts. At least that's what they made it look like they were doing.

"Eh? Oh! Oh yeah it was great!" Layla suddenly realised why she was attracting so much attention

"Good!" He offered her his coat, which she gladly took to regain a modicum of acceptability, "I think we'd better get a taxi!"

Back at Joe's place, the new addition to Joe's harem wasted no time in showing her appreciation to her Master. As soon as the curtains were drawn the jacket was removed, allowing Layla to flaunt across the room with wild abandon. It was too late for the loud music of the club, but a little mood music was certainly the order of the moment.

Before Layla could resume her routine, however, Joe interrupted her, "Layla, join me on the couch. Jane, three coffees please."

"Yes, Master," Jane responded as she headed for the kitchen.

"Err... Jane!" Joe called, stopping Jane in her tracks.

"Yes, Master?"

"Naked, please. You won't be needing clothes any more this evening."

"Yes Master," She removed the clothes and neatly placed them in a pile on the chair, before continuing into the kitchen.

Layla felt a tingle of pleasure as she saw her Master being, well, masterful. Feasting her eyes on Jane's naked form didn't hurt either. She could definitely grow to like this.

"So, Layla. I want you to tell me all about yourself. Where do you come from? Where do you live?"

"I come from round here. I live outside the city. I have an old farmhouse a few miles past Three Hills."

"Good, good. Family? Kids? Boyfriend? Husband? Pets? Anyone else in your life I should know about?" Joe smiled, "Girlfriend?"

"No. Nobody. No kids. No pets. My job doesn't go too well with boyfriends or husbands. Once the novelty wears off they...They get arsey about it. I've had girlfriends before, but they're even worse!"

"What, you mean girlfriends as in, lesbian girlfriends?" Joe's eyebrows raised just a touch. Layla spotted the opportunity to arouse her Master, she was a professional at it.

"Oh yes, Master," Layla replied alluringly, watching the bulge in Joe's trousers growing ever larger, "I love guys AND girls," She put her finger to her bottom lip, playing with it just a little, "Sometimes together!"

"Tell me more."

"Well I just love the feel of a man's cock inside me. Nothing can beat that. But to feel a woman's body against mine... To feel her tongue inside my pussy, lapping around..." The hand had gone from her lip down to her nipple, and her other hand was inching up her thigh, bunching her skirt as it travelled.

Jane returned with the coffees and sat them down, before taking a seat herself at Joe's instruction.

"Thank you very much, dear. Now both of you SLEEP."

Both of the girls collapsed into slumber. They were both sat on comfy chairs so there was no hard landing.

"Good. Now, Layla. I want you to tell me the truth. Did you mean what you just said about other girls? Or were you just doing that to tease me?"

"I was teasing you a bit, but I meant it, Master."

"Have you had relationships with women before?"

"Yes, Master."

"And you have no problem with having relationships with women again?"

"No, no problem, Master."

"Good. Because I want you to seduce Jane. Jane is a very attractive woman, and you're very attracted to her, I can tell. You want to fuck her, you want her to fuck you and you want to fuck me and her at the same time, don't you?"

"Yes, Master. So much."

"Good girl. Now, Jane..."

"Yes, Master."

"Have you had sexual relationships with women before?"

"No, Master."

"Any particular reason?"

"Not really, Master. I just haven't."

"But you enjoyed the lap dance this evening, didn't you?"

"Yes, Master."

"And the pussy licking? I know you needed that after the trip to the restaurant."

"Yes, Master, I needed that. And I enjoyed that too, Master."

"Good. Now, Jane. I want you to remember those good feelings from the club this evening. I want you to remember how good it felt to be kissed by a woman. To be touched by a woman. To be licked by a woman. You're going to be curious about those feelings, and want to feel them again. Just thinking about how you felt will make you feel good. You're going to want to have sex with another woman again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. The idea of having sex with another woman is going to be very arousing to you. Now I don't want you to be afraid of those feelings. They're perfectly natural. And you certainly shouldn't be afraid of acting on those feelings. In fact, it would make your Master very happy."

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Now I want both of you to forget the conversations we've just had, since you went to sleep. When you wake up you'll just remember Layla teasing me about her previous lesbian encounters and Jane making a coffee. Do you both understand?"

(In unison) "Yes, Master."

"Good. Now, as I count to five, you will wake up, feeling exactly as you felt before. One... two... three... four... five."

Both women woke from their sleep. Joe grabbed a drink of his coffee.

"So, Jane. What did you think this evening," Joe asked, admiring her naked form, "When Layla danced for you and licked your pussy."

"I... I err..."

"Tell the truth, dear."

"I loved it, Master." Jane couldn't help herself. "It was amazing. I came so much! I'd love Layla to do it again."

"It seems you have a fan, Layla! Well, another one, obviously!"

"Thank you, Master."

"And what do you think of Jane over here?"

"I think she's stunning, Master. I loved licking her out earlier. I came myself, doing that. I hope she can do the same for me some day."

Jane squirmed in her chair, embarrassed by the attention but definitely enjoying it.

"I think we can arrange that, my dear," Joe replied practically salivating at the thought, "Jane, would you like that?"

"I wouldn't know what to do, Master!"

"I'm sure we can arrange some tuition for you if you'd like. You have the perfect teacher over there in Layla. I know how skilled you were with that tongue on me. I'm sure your skills are... transferrable."

"Yes, Master." The tension was rising again. Jane's fingers slowly made their way between her legs.

Joe decided to leave it at that for the moment. He wanted to give Jane a chance to get used to her new feelings, before diving straight in. He figured it would probably have better results than this evening at the restaurant. Besides, he had more immediate concerns.

"So, Layla. I do believe that you wanted to finish your routine. I've got a special treat for you when you're finished""

Layla's eyes lit up, "Of course, Master!"
 

Chapter 5 - Education

"Thank you," Joe said as the girl put the cup of tea down on the table.

"Don't mention it," She replied as she walked away. She was good looking, striking, it had to be admitted, but not what Joe expected for the companion of the brains behind this conspiracy. For a start off, she was normally dressed!

After a phone call to Felix on Sunday, Joe had managed to arrange a meeting with Sam, their mutual friend. With a bit of luck Joe would peel one or two of the layers from this mystery. Joe had driven over to Sam's house after work the next day.

Sam's house was pretty close to the university where he worked. Sam never did like driving, and cycled everywhere he could. Joe noted that he'd been given the address and remembered how to get there. Joe supposed that there was probably no need for secrecy if nothing related to the subliminals was kept here.

"So how've you been anyway? Felix tells me you're still at the university."

"Yeah that's right. Well I'm back there anyway. After we all finished undergrad I went to Cambridge to do my doctorate. Then I found out about the research post back here and thought why not? I've been back here three years now."

"Nice one. Enjoying the university life still?"

"There is something to be said for it. I'm not sure I could go for all that corporate culture nonsense. In business my team wouldn't be able to devote any of our time to developing half the stuff we're working on at the moment. The second a project turned out to be unsuccessful, any business would have to cancel it right away. At least in academia it's generally accepted that even failures have merit, as they teach us about what doesn't work, as well as what does."

"Very true."

"Very liberating as well. So how about you? Felix tells me you're working for one of the satellite television companies."

"Sat Tech, it's called. We're involved with the transmission of television signals up to the satellites, and also some of the satellite software control. I'm currently doing day to day maintenance on the satellite uplink feeders."

"You made good use of your degree then. Electronics wasn't it?"

"Hmm. Not as much as I'd like at the moment. Ii was considering leaving Sat Tech until all this started. Things seem to be going a bit stale over there at the moment."

"I know. Felix said he'd see to that a couple of weeks ago, before you joined us."

"What? Why? What do you mean?"

"Oh, you didn't know," Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "We knew you were working hard at Sat Tech. According to Felix you were pulling twelve hour days at that place, and then heading straight for a pub after that."

"Well I was. But my boss reduced my duties. Took me off of the more problem-solving aspects and left me with just the maintenance. I thought they were looking to outsource my work or something."

"I don't know if I should be telling you this, but you should know. Felix arranged your reduction in workload. He used the subliminals on the management at your company. I don't know all the details: I leave that sort of thing to Felix. If he's done his job right you should be on the same wage though. The idea was to give you time to do your work for us while you're over there."

"Oh," Joe was dumbfounded. Every time he thought he'd got the measure of this conspiracy he found out something new! "So you lot got me my demotion. Have I been part of your plan for a while?"

"Don't be angry! We didn't do it to make your life worse or harder in any way. You weren't demoted. That implies less in the way of financial reward. You were just freed up for other tasks. Bearing in mind the rest of what we've done for you, I think you're better off on balance."

That was true, Joe had to admit to himself. He couldn't really argue with Sam's reasoning either. If Joe was to do everything required to distribute the subliminals, then he would need much more time and energy to do so than he'd had with his old job. That was one of the things annoying him though. The cold hard logic of Felix's plan was very hard to dispute. Joe supposed it was more the lack of consultation with him that was more annoying. It wasn't that Felix had got his duties reduced, more that Felix had done it and let Joe think his life was going nowhere.

"I'm not angry. Well I am pissed off a little bit, but I'll get over it. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Probably. I can't think of it at the moment though. Oh yes there is!" Sam grinned, "The tequila thing! Felix reminded me about that the other day. I'd completely forgotten about that!"

"I'll bet you have," Joe laughed, "One shot of tequila and you practically turned green! I thought you were going to throw up right there and then!"

"So did I! Vile stuff that tequila. Never touched a drop since."

"I don't blame you! I'm more of a whisky man myself."

"I don't tend to go for spirits. Don't drink much to be honest with you. It's hard to enjoy it when you know what it's doing to your neurochemistry."

"To be fair I enjoy it because of what it's doing to my neurochemistry," Joe quipped, "No, I know what you mean. I don't drink nearly as much as I used to. Can't handle it for a start."

"That'll happen. Unless you become a full blown alcoholic, your brain loses its tolerance to alcohol with age."

"Yes, I imagine so."

"So, changing the subject, what did you want to see me for anyway?"

Joe leaned forward. "Well it's obvious really. I wanted to ask you about the subliminals."

"Milk and sugar?" Layla asked, feeling much more normal in her 'day' clothes. The second she and Jane had arrived at her home, Layla had gone to get changed out of the school uniform from last night. Mind you, her current attire was designed to be no less provocative, consisting of a leather pencil skirt, her favourite black corset and a scandalously unbuttoned blouse. Jane would be able to see her black lace bra under the thin white blouse: a deliberate ploy. Black stockings, perilously stilletoed boots and her trademark immaculate make-up completed an ensemble designed to exude authority. Layla was on the hunt this morning, over coffee, and Jane was the prey.

"Milk, no sugar," Jane replied, trying not to look in the obvious direction, but seemingly captivated by the display "This is a lovely house you've got. I could get lost in all those bedrooms!"

"I know." Layla responded. She was more interested in her new house-guest than the building, but if Jane wanted to dance around, that was fine too. Besides, she hadn't seen anything yet. "It needs a bit of work. Well, a lot really, but I love it here."

"Thanks." Jane said as Layla brought the coffee over and sat down. She clearly didn't know what to say.

Layla, on the other hand, did. "So how did you meet Master?" Layla asked, deliberately changing the subject.

Jane looked into her coffee, trying to avoid eye contact (and that cleavage). "Sorry? Oh, he lives next door to me."

"I know that. I mean, how did you meet your Master?" Layla emphasized.

Layla listened as Jane recounted her experiences with Joe. The man had cast a spell over Jane (she wasn't the only one). Just hearing about the restaurant had set her juices flowing, and explained why Jane had been so ready for their encounter at the club. Master was a man after her own heart, and deserved everything both she and Jane had to offer. That thought brought an idea to her mind.

"So, did you enjoy dressing up in that rubber for him? Parading round like a little sex doll, and cleaning him with your breasts?"

"So much!" Jane admitted, apparently unable to leave out any detail. "Wearing that outfit, it felt like I was made for him."

Layla knew exactly what she meant. Even now, seducing Jane with no Master in sight, he was still there in her mind. Sex with Jane would please Master almost as much as herself, but it sounded like what she had in mind would please him even more. "I bet you felt so hot, thinking of Master. What you would do for him, and what he would do to you."

Jane bit her lip. She could barely get the word out. "Yesss."

"Just giving yourself to the moment entirely."

"Yes"

"And the same with me last night. Feeling me between your legs. Joe... Master's not here, so you can be completely honest with me."

Jane's legs parted a little. "Yes. You were very..."

"I know," Layla joked, trying to lighten the mood. "And the sex? Was that your first time, with a woman?"

"Yes, it was the first time. It was so..." Jane didn't have the words for it. "I wished it would never end."

"I know what you mean about that. I could have stopped there all night, if it wasn't for Master. But he's at work now, and we have all the time we need."

Jane remained silent. Her hand had slipped under the table.

Layla moved her chair round to the same side of the table, and put her hand on Jane's. Jane felt so clean; so fresh, as though she had only just showered. Bringing the hand further up towards Jane's crotch, Layla knew her prey was hooked. "You know," she whispered in Jane's ear, "Sex with a woman: it's not like with a man. It's much, much more tender, and so much more satisfying. He's done in minutes. We can take hours if we want to. You're imagining it now, aren't you?"

Jane breathed in deeply. "Yesss." Memories of last night raced through her mind. The sensation of Layla's tongue inside her. The uncontrollable climax as Layla had expertly pushed every button Jane had. The security that came with Master's knowledge and consent to their liaison. The thrill of knowing he was watching them. The feeling it was so... so... right. Without Master here now, it seemed a little off, but Layla was so attractive, and completely irresistible.

"So why imagine it?" Layla went in for the kill.

Sam sipped his tea. "What do you want to know about the subliminals?"

"Everything. How they work, what their strengths and limitations are, and so on. In words of one syllable or less please!"

"What has Felix told you?"

"That subliminals work. I've seen that for myself now. That there's a chemical that makes them work, that you've been developing. That it was based on something Felix found over in the States from many years ago. The sixties I think. Once you've got that all set up, you have the women hypnotise themselves into submitting completely to us."

"Ok, fair enough. I'll have to tell you about the mind first, though, so you can appreciate what the chemicals and subliminals do to it. What you have to remember is that there are two parts of the mind, the conscious part and the unconscious part. The conscious part is what you think about on a day to day basis. It's the bit of your mind that you know about, doing the analysis, feeling emotions and so on. There's a lot of varying opinion out there, but the general consensus is that this takes up less than ten percent of the brain. Quite a lot less, depending on who you talk to.

"The unconscious mind is a lot more interesting. While your conscious mind is going 'Ra ra ra look at me!' your unconscious mind is doing all the hard work. That's the real power behind the throne. It does all the boring jobs like regulating your breathing, heart rate, digestion and so on, but it does so much more than that. It also deals with automatic learned behaviour. The sort of things that you can do automatically, without even thinking about it."

"Is that like driving? I often find that I can drive for long distances, and when I arrive I can't even remember the journey."

"Yes and no. If you're talking about what Felix has done to you for security purposes then that's more a result of our work. If you're talking in general then yes that's exactly what I mean. Another example that we use in my lectures is knitting."

"Knitting?"

"Yeah. If you watch someone who's been knitting their whole life then it's automatic to them. They barely have to look at what they're doing, and they don't have to think about it. When my Gran used to knit she could have a conversation with anyone, and just carry on with her needles. It was like breathing to her. This is the same thing.

"However, there are two methods of knitting, both of which are mutually exclusive. People generally learn one or the other. If you try and teach someone the other type of knitting, then they use the same parts of the brain as when they're learning anything new. The hand movements feel forced and awkward. After time, new neural connections form and they find it easier. Over even more time these connections keep getting formed and the behaviour becomes automatic. We call this 'Neural Plasticity'."

"OK. Like plasticity in steel you mean?"

"What's that?"

"Do you remember your A level physics? You have stress and strain. Stress is the amount of tension you have in a wire divided by the cross sectional area. Strain is the elongation of the wire when you apply the load. When you have elasticity you stretch the wire and it returns to its original state. The strain is proportional to the stress, which is Hooke's Law. When you go past a certain point the structure of the wire changes and the wire doesn't go all the way back when you let go. It stays permanently deformed. That's plastic behaviour. That's why if you coil wires for household appliances, after a while you'll get kinks in them."

"Ah, got you. Yeah that's a good analogy. Rather than the level of stress, though, in the case of the brain it would be repetition of actions. Hmm, I wonder if I can use that in my lectures..."

"Anyway..."

"Sorry. Anyway, a person's moral centres are pretty much the same thing. It's a different part of the brain but the same principle applies. You learn your morals generally from your parents during the normal developmental cycle, and any changes to that take time. But you can make changes to that. Sorry for going a bit dark but Nazi Germany is a prime example of this. Over time the Germans were gradually persuaded not to value certain kinds of human life. It didn't happen overnight. Yes the Nazis were exploiting latent fears and uncertainties at the time, but they still managed to redraw that line in the sand. Repetition is the key when it comes to these things.

"The chemicals work by increasing the rate at which neural plasticity occurs within the brain. There's various ways in which the chemicals do this, but suffice to say they are pretty technical and specialised. "

"I can believe that."

"So when you have increased plasticity, the brain makes neural connections quicker. You can learn things at an increased rate. New things become automatic a lot more easily. Actions, ideas, morals."

"Fair enough. There's one thing I don't understand though."

"Go on."

"You've said that the drug... What do you call it by the way?"

"We don't have a name for it. I haven't set up a marketing department yet. I call it a plasticity enhancer."

"OK. You've said that this plasticity enhancer enables the brain to make neural connections faster than it otherwise would. How does this translate to the subliminals? Surely if subliminal messaging worked before, even over a longer timescale, then it would already be in use."

"Good question. There are three parts to that. Firstly, the general idea of having a message flash across the screen for a millisecond... That doesn't work. Never has, never will. What you want is a moving message. One of the great functions of the subconscious mind is to look for moving objects while we're concentrating on something else. Like if you're crossing the street thinking about something, your subconscious mind is the part looking out for traffic heading your way. It's a product of evolution. While you're out hunting for your food, your subconscious is making sure you're not something else's meal. Your subconscious is very much a product of your evolution, and self-preservation is a big part of that. There's no natural reason for flashing messages, so our brain hasn't evolved enough to process that."

"Oh I get it. Moving messages work better than static ones. So how do you hide these moving messages? Surely they would be visible if we knew what to look for, and then they'd be useless."

"Did you ever see the film 'Predator'?"

"Yes. With the invisible alien... Ah you're using distortion of the picture to generate your text. Nice. That would be pretty difficult to detect I'll give you that. I suppose if you make the text bold enough and moving you could see that against a moving background. It might be visible to the viewer against a static background though."

"It's more your department than mine, but I'm told that your pod detects when the background is not suitable, and switches off the messages."

That could be true, Joe thought. Despite having seen the inside of a pod, he didn't know about how the signals were added, he just knew which modules were there to add the subliminals. Joe had assumed that adding the messages was merely a process of superposition on the signal. The method Sam was talking about would include converting the signal into picture form, changing the picture, and converting back for the output. That was a lot of processing to do, and would make miniaturisation difficult. But not impossible these days.

"Sorry. Zoned off there a bit. Just thinking about how to make that work on the pod."

"Ah, yes. As I said, it's more your department than mine."

"So what's the second part then?"

"This bit is more my department. I mentioned that the plasticity enhancer allows the brain to make neural connections faster. It also makes the process more automatic and less voluntary. In normal use the brain 'chooses' to make these neural connections. It has so much capacity and has to prioritise the important connections to make. We help it along by increasing the capacity, and also stimulating the parts of the brain that see the subliminals over the background. That has the effect of pushing the subliminals to the front of the queue."

"Would that also stop you from automatically believing the programme you're watching?"

"What do you mean?"

"From what I understand, your plasticity enhancer will make you believe and remember everything you learn. If you're watching a movie, won't you end up believing the plot is real? I imagine that putting the subliminals to the front of the queue would solve that problem."

"Oh I see. Unintended learning. I hadn't thought of it before, but yes, I suppose it would. I'll have to look into that."

That last comment made Joe particularly smug. It wasn't often that Joe got one over on Sam, so when he did, he enjoyed it.

"Oh my god!" Jane exclaimed, unable to believe her eyes. "I've never even seen so much clothing in one place, outside of a shop, never mind...".

The sight that had greeted her was truly breathtaking. Wardrobe after wardrobe full of the most outrageous outfits Jane had ever seen. A few of the outfits were of leather or more traditional fabrics, but the vast majority were latex. Without their shine they did lose a bit of their power, but as Jane had learned recently, when polished up, they were pure sex.

Jane felt the contrast with her current situation. After a mindblowing encounter in Layla's bed, Layla had suggested they don't get dressed back in their normal clothes yet, and that she had 'one or two other items' she could try on. She must have been missing a 'hundred' from that sentence. "So, how many outfits do you have here?"

"Never enough!" Layla answered jovially. "A girl's gotta have a hobby, you know!"

"I know, but... How do you even afford this lot?"

"I don't, generally. Before I worked at the club, I used to entertain clients on a more personal level. Part of the deal was that they would pay for the outfits, and we would wear them while... you know."

Jane could guess. "They must have been rich, if they could afford to buy you this lot."

"Very." Layla smiled. "People with big wallets and a need for discretion... and the odd spanking!"

Jane caught sight of Layla's grin and laughed, feeling more at ease with her host. "Does that come as part of the service?"

"You don't know the half of it, dearie. Now which one shall we put you in?"

"This one?" Jane suggested, pointing to a skimpy parody of a police uniform. She remembered the look on Master's face when he saw her in that pink latex. He had wanted to eat her up and she had loved every second. The thought of dressing up again for him had brought a rush of excitement as soon as Layla had suggested it. "Maybe we could play Cops and Robbers," Giggling as she spotted the handcuffs, "And he could use these on me!"

"Maybe..." Layla took her time considering, before pulling out two dresses. "How about...?"

Jane's jaw dropped "You've got to be kidding!"

"Not at all, dearie!" Layla laughed. "He won't be able to resist us in these. We'll certainly give him a show!"

"You're not wrong!" Jane steeled herself. It had been practically inevitable since she had walked in here, but her courage needed a little work. She breathed in, "Let's do it!"

"OK, and the third part?" Joe continued his questioning. "You mentioned three parts."

"Apologies, but I have to go a bit technical here." Sam put his tea down. "There is a part of the brain called the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. This helps connect the left and right parts of the brain, but it also performs what we call an error-checking function. It basically monitors the sensory input for conflict. If I told you that your name was Susan and you ate 14 raw onions a day, the ACC would be the first to flag up that this does not match what you already know. Some people think that it suggests corrective actions; some think that it merely flags it up for analysis elsewhere in the brain. As far as I'm concerned it could be either.

"We have added a chemical to the mix that slows this part of the brain down. This is the bit that I developed to deal with some of the problems from the American trials. The molecules of this chemical have a natural coalescent frequency of about 18.5kHz, which is right at the edge of the range of human hearing. If you send out an audio signal at this frequency the chemical starts bonding with the Anterior Cingulate Cortex and the error checking function is suppressed. The subject starts believing what the subliminal messages are telling them and the plasticity enhancer makes the messages stick. Switch off the signal and the bonds loosen; the error checking function returns. This way you're not left with a population of mindless simpletons who believe absolutely everything they see and hear."

"I'm not sure about that last bit. Have you seen our TV lately?" Joe quipped, "So you can generate a signal at 18.5kHz quite easily on your standard TV, which goes up to 20kHz. Something which could be added to a TV signal, for example."

"Exactly. Just switch that on at the same time. It only works with the chemical though. I call it our truth serum, because with it, everything you hear is the truth."

"I think I get it now. So you're saying that you've invented a drug that can allow, even force, people to learn new things at a vastly increased rate. And you can also turn off the part of the brain that registers that the subliminals may be wrong."

"Yes. Well I developed it anyway, based on the previous compounds used in the sixties."

"That would be one of the biggest inventions of this century, surely? You could make an absolute fortune doing that, couldn't you? Even without the error checking suppression thing."

"If it were released then yes, I could. But there are complications."

"What like?"

"Imagine for a second that you're a tinpot dictator in some third world dictatorship. Some drug comes along which can give its users increased learning capabilities, and allows you to influence their way of thinking. Do you a: invest your nation's money in the drug to improve the lot of your citizens, b: give the drug to a selected few who can line your pockets or c: use the drug on your population and make them totally subservient to you? No I want to make it so that everyone can benefit from this, without anybody using it to enslave others"

"You mean absolute power corrupting absolutely? Bearing in mind that we're already on option C, then aren't we already on the wrong side of that line?"

"Unfortunately yes, but you, Felix and the rest are a means to an end. Personally I don't have the resources and skills to undertake such a massive task, so I have to employ people who do. Plus, Felix brought this to me in the first place, so he already knows about it. Besides, I would rather that a small group of people are in control of this, and we're in control of them."

"You mean with the subliminals you're using on us?"

"Precisely."

"So why has everyone involved turned into sex-crazed maniacs then? If you and Felix are that in control of us, surely we wouldn't be like that. You should see them... us. Hell I'm not innocent in any of this. If anything it's made us worse!"

"The control isn't absolute. I could add subliminals to say that you won't try and take over the whole world, but I couldn't guarantee it. So I'd rather have people whose needs can be, well, managed."

"You mean, using pervs and giving them hot women to play with? I don't know whether to be thankful or insulted!"

"I didn't think of it like that," Sam laughed, surprised, "You weren't a perv before were you? No I created pervs, as you call them. Easier to handle that way. Even with absolute control and sleeping with as many women as you wanted, how many could you get through, in a day? In a year? In a life time? Believe me, it's a much lower number than you would affect if you wanted to start a war or take over the world. It's a numbers game."

"Oh I get it. While we're busy getting our rocks off we're not starting wars and killing people, or subjugating entire countries. Does that actually work though, or is that just the theory?"

"Just the theory I'm afraid. You lot are the lab rats in this particular experiment." Sam had a sly grin on his face for this one.

"Highly intelligent, highly sexed lab rats I'm sure. That' a bit of a gamble isn't it? I mean you can't be sure that we won't end up as murderous bastards subjugating the planet. Even with the pervifying machine you've got, you're relying on your technology to overcome any latent megalomania we might have."

"I suppose," Sam shifted in his seat, "There are no guarantees of anything in my line of work, but I've stacked the odds as much as I can. With the precautions I've taken, the potential benefits for the world are enormous, and outweigh the risks."

"So let me get this straight. You want me to believe that this a noble cause? We're doing this to make the world a better place, and not just get lots of money and women?"

"Something like that. If I wanted to make you believe, then I could, remember. I'd rather you came to that conclusion yourself though. Just in case you were wondering, I've used the enhancer and subliminals on myself aswell. Same with Felix. I don't want either of us to turn into monsters either."

That bit did actually reassure Joe. At least he knew what rulebook the masters of his universe were playing by. Hell, at least there WAS a rulebook. It also put them on the same level as him, and he knew he wasn't just a pawn in his game. They were all in it together.

"So that means, that girl..." Joe started putting two and two together, and liking the answer.

"Nicola? Yes she's under the influence and yes, I am having my wicked way with her. She's a student at the university."

"Well I was getting a bit worried! She seemed a bit... normally dressed, to be some sort of sex slave."

"You were expecting something else? A French maid's outfit perhaps? Answering the door naked? No I'm not into all that. You can rest assured that I get my fix, though," Sam laughed.

To be fair that did tally with Joe's experience of Sam, all prim and proper. Not at all ostentatious. "Let me guess. The cleverest girl in your class?"

Felix smiled. "Her insights were inspired. She's helped me with a lot of my research on the subject."

"In more ways than one, I bet!" Joe joked. A grandfather clock in the hall chimed the hour. Joe looked at his watch. "Bloody hell is that the time? I didn't realise I'd been here so long! Well I'll leave you and Nicola to, err, sort out your fix!" Joe stood up and started to put his coat on. "One last question before I go, though. If you didn't have the truth serum and signal, turning off the error checking suppression, would the subliminals work?"

"Not nearly as well. The subliminals often conflict with what the brain already knows. The neural connections would be made, but the subject would know that they were wrong while those connections are being made. It would be like being addicted to cigarettes. You know that what your body craves is wrong, but you do it anyway. This would be orders of magnitudes worse. The internal conflict would be horrendous. This is what led to problems back in the American trials."

"Oh yeah, I can see how that would happen. Right, mate, I'll see you later. Thanks for that. It was... enlightening. If you want to meet up for a pint or a chat, just give me a call."

Travelling home, Joe thought about what Sam had said. The possibilities with these plasticity enhancers would be endless, if Sam was honest about their ulterior motives. Joe had to admit that it was plausible. If anyone could develop a chemical like this, then Sam could, and Sam had always been the academic type. He would be more interested in the potential of the enhancer to make the world a better place than he would the opportunities for getting laid. At least that's what Joe thought.

Something did bother Joe though. If Sam did have altruistic reasons for doing this, then why couldn't he have told Joe that from the beginning? Didn't they trust him to do the right thing? Mind, if they had told him, what would he have done? Would he have succumbed to temptation? That Sam and Felix had apparently used it on themselves suggested that they didn't trust themselves with this power, never mind other people. That thought comforted Joe.

Turning his thoughts to more pleasurable matters, Joe remembered what was waiting for him when he returned home. He had been in his usual rush on his way out to work, but he had remembered Felix's advice. A few days ago, Felix had suggested that it would be worth asking about Layla's previous job. Felix had asked about it this morning, but didn't ask for an answer straight away. "Surprise me," He instructed Layla on his way out.

"I'll have to stop by my house, Master, pick a few things up."

"Not a problem. I've got to run an errand after work so I should be back around seven-ish. Jane, give Layla a hand. I'm sure you'll want to help her please me this evening too."

As he pulled into his street, Joe wondered what the surprise would be. The look in Felix's eyes when he mentioned it signified that it could potentially be very fun indeed. His curiosity was piqued even more when he pulled up to his house to find the curtains drawn, and twitching as if somebody had just peered through.

Crossing the threshold of his house, he was presented by the stunning sight of Layla, leaning against the stair balustrade. Resplendent in a latex catsuit, gleaming in obsidian black, she looked absolutely ravishing. Over the catsuit was a black leather corset, over which her latex-covered breasts spilled out, and pair of knee high black boots with impossibly high heels. Her hair was combed back into a harsh ponytail, and she was made up in full seductress mode, with blood red lipstick and black eyeliner. "Good evening, Master. So good to see you."

"Good to see you, my dear. I take it this is my surprise. If so, then I like. I like very much."

"Not quite, Master. Your surprise is in the lounge. I'm just the welcome party."

"And I've never felt so welcome," He said as he put his arms round her, groping her behind.

"Mmmmmm," Layla melted at the touch of her Master. Part of it was an act to please and tease him, but there was definitely a part of her that revelled in the feel of his hand through that latex.

Joe pulled her closer, grabbing her with his free hand, and kissed her. A long, lingering kiss that immediately brought his member to life. He had a soft spot for latex, or should that be a hard spot?

"So my surprise is in there, you say? I can't wait! Shall we?"

"Why not?" Jane replied. As Joe walked into the room and was greeted by the magnificent view of his Jane on the floor, Layla continued, "So you wanted to know what I used to do. Well I think the technical term is..."

"Dominatrix," Joe interrupted, barely able to contain his excitement, "You used be a domme."

Author's Note. The following chapter contains fictional scenes of bondage, which can be dangerous in real life if done incorrectly. If you're planning on entering this world, please do your own research and follow all safety advice. Thanks.

Chapter 6 - Demonstration

The sight that greeted Joe was enough to take his breath away. In front of him, Jane knelt, staring at him, a desperate look in her eyes. She was naked except for a collection of black leather belts wrapped tightly around her waist and breasts. Well those, and the expertly tied ropes binding her and the gag in her mouth, if you could call that wearing them.

Her arms had been bound together behind her back, a single rope looped around them from her wrists almost all the way up to her shoulders. The rope-work was flawlessly done, obviously the result of years of practice. It had the effect of forcing Jane's breasts to jut out lewdly, raised also by the straps. Another set of ropes bound her calves to her thighs, forcing her to remain with her legs folded underneath her. But the most painful rope, at least in Joe's opinion, was the one dangling from her wrists, passing between her butt checks and pussy lips and tied to a D-ring on the front of the belt. A knot was provided next to Jane's pussy on this rope, intensifying the discomfort further. The gag was made up of a sticky tape looped around Jane's head holding what looked like white wadding in her mouth.

It looked like Layla had thought of everything, too. Jane wasn't kneeling on the floor. She was kneeling on some kind of trolley device, a sturdy flat board covered in black leather and supported by castors at each of the four corners. The trolley was lined with silver studs, and pulled by a rope; the free end of which was currently tucked between Jane's beasts.

To complete the picture, Jane's eyes were red, and her mascara had completely run. Her breasts were also red, as though they had recently been on the end of some punishment.

"I call it the Organic Orgasmic Oral Sex Machine, Master. She's been like that for over an hour," Layla stated as she walked over to her captive, "I told her I wanted her like that for when you returned home. Unfortunately I forgot to tell her you were going to be late," She crouched down, level with the helpless Jane, roughly groping at the powerless girl's breasts, "So I had to... entertain her myself. You see the damp patch on the rope by her pussy? That's how much she enjoyed herself. I made a video of it, if you'd like to watch."

"Yes... please." Joe replied, dumbstruck. He'd seen this sort of thing many times in internet porn. He was a bit of a fan of it, in fact. But he'd never dreamed that one day he'd have two ladies in front of him, one dominating the other for his benefit.

"Would you like to see your video, Jane?" Layla asked sarcastically. It was unlikely that Jane would be given much of a choice, "After all, you are the star! Or would you like to service your Master as he enjoys seeing what you've been up to today?"

Jane whimpered underneath the gag, clearly unable to offer an opinion.

"Service your Master?" Layla answered for her, "You truly are a devoted slut slave! I don't blame you, though."

Taking the free end of the trolley rope, she pulled it towards Joe's chair. She had to push it the last foot or so to get the front of the trolley right up to the chair. This left Jane's gagged mouth conveniently close to Joe's crotch. An inspired idea, Joe thought.

"Oh dear, Jane. You're going to have to remove that gag if you want to service your Master, aren't you?" Layla removed the tape and pulled the gag out of Jane's mouth, making sure she 'accidentally' had a good feel of Joe's erection as she was doing it. The wad turned out to be a pair of white panties. Jane's panties.

"Thank you, Mistress," Jane whimpered as she choked back the tears, "Good evening, Master. How may I serve you today?"

Joe didn't know how to handle it. His mind was still reeling from the idea of it all. The throbbing erection in his trousers knew how to answer though.

"May I, Master?" Layla offered to help Joe with his fly. At Joe's agreement she unzipped his trousers and guided his erect cock through his boxers. Jane couldn't move, so Joe had to nudge forward slightly, but that wasn't a problem. Another second later and Jane's lips were wrapped tight around Joe's cock, with the bound woman sucking and massaging him with her tongue.

With the overwhelming stimulation, it wasn't surprising that Joe came quickly. It didn't seem to phase Layla, though. In fact she smiled, like it was part of the plan.

"Bravo, Master. I hope you enjoyed that as much as dear Jane over here!"

"Err... Yes," Joe replied as he regained his faculties.

"I'm glad, Master. I've told dear Jane that she has to make you cum four times before the end of the video, or there will be further punishment for her. With your permission of course. That was number one."

"Four times?" If the video was as good as promised, it shouldn't be that hard.

"Yes, Master. Don't be fooled, though. The first one was easy. It takes more and more each time. Trust me on that: I've seen it."

"OK then. Shall we get started?"

"Yes, Master. Please forgive the quality of the editing. I've only had time to do a quick stitch together." Layla walked over to the sofa and sat down, grabbing the remote control as she did so.

The DVD started. The setting of the first scene was a room unknown to Joe, but he figured it was at Layla's place. Jane and Layla were stood facing the camera, both of them naked. Layla gave a knowing smile, but Jane started talking first, "Hi, Master! This is Layla's place. By now you should know what she used to do. Well she's got a lot of toys (giggle) and absolutely LOADS of clothes, and we thought we might try some of them on for you!" With that Layla stepped towards the camera and the TV went to black.

Back in Joe's front room, Jane had resumed using her mouth in every way she could to pleasure her master. This mostly consisted on sucking his cock, but also included kissing and licking at it. She was desperate to avoid the punishment, and if Layla was right, the key would be to get the easy ones over with as soon as possible, give him time to recover.

The next scene started. This time it was just Jane, wearing a red latex dress. The dress was short, barely making it a few inches down her legs, but it went right up to her neck, where it ended in a collar arrangement. The dress looked painted on, it was so tight, and the shine of the red latex only added to the effect. And the way her breasts bounced in that tight latex... mesmerising.

"So, Master," Jane continued, rubbing her hands up and down her dress, "This is one of Layla's dresses. It's so tight, Master. I can't wear any panties or bra, or it would ruin the line of the dress. It feels so naughty!"

As if to prove her point, Jane grabbed her breasts through the latex, playing with her nipples. They could clearly be seen through the tight fitting dress when the camera zoomed in. As a confirmation, she jiggled her breasts a little more for the camera, to prove they were supported only by the dress.

The biggest surprise, however, was when she turned round. The dress had no back! Save for a few latex straps and buckles Jane was effectively naked from behind. The dress framed her naked butt perfectly, it had to be said. Jane made the most of it, bending over to present her naked behind to the camera.

"This is called a spanking dress," Layla's voice was heard on the DVD.

"A spanking dress?" Jane replied with mock innocence, "What? For spanking people in?"

"Oh yes!"

"Well we wouldn't want to disappoint now! Would you spank me please, Mistress, for Master's viewing pleasure?"

"I think that can be arranged!"

The camera moved as though the holder was putting it down on the table. Next to it was a chair, which Layla sat down on. It transpired that Layla was wearing a similar dress, only in black. As if already agreed, Jane draped herself over the dominant Layla, presenting her arse. "Please be gentle, Mistress Layla," She asked, the mocking look remaining on her face.

"Have you been a bad girl then, Jane?"

"Yes, Mistress Layla. I've been a very bad girl." She giggled, obviously having fun with her part, "I've had impure thoughts about Master."

"Well in that case we'd better punish the naughty girl! 3 strokes I think."

Off video, Jane was doing long strokes of her own, up and down Joe's semi erect cock. Life was returning to Joe's member, a fact which gave Jane hope.

Back on the video... Thwack!!! "That's one. Please, Mistress, may I have another?"

"Yes, you may."

"That's two. Please, Mistress, may I have another?"

"Yes, you may. Last one!"

"That's three. Thank you, Mistress Layla."

And that was two for Joe.

The scene changed. Or rather the clothing changed. This time it was Jane holding the camera, and Layla showing off in front of it. She was in full dominatrix mode: the highlight of the outfit being the black corset. It was a different one to the one she was currently wearing. This one covered her breasts and was designed to look generally more menacing, covered as it was by silver spikes and buckles.

Accompanying the corset Layla wore black sheer stockings and suspenders, knee-high leather boots and a leather choker. Every item was designed to strike a combination of fear and lust in her 'victim'.

The camera moved again: obviously being rested on something. Jane came into view, this time stood by a bed. Layla's bed, Joe presumed. Unlike the previous scene, Jane was wearing a different outfit to her co-star, a maroon leather skirt and top. The top only went up as far as her breasts, leaving her shoulders bare. The top was interlaced up the front, giving a tantalising view between her breasts.

Jane joined Layla in front of the camera. The two women put their arms around each other as they presented themselves to the camera, "So would you like to have two mistresses instead of one, Master?"

The look of disdain that comment induced in Layla was comical, but ever the professional, she continued, "We promise we won't be gentle!" Both women laughed.

The appearance of so many different outfits made Joe curious, "So, Layla. Why didn't you wear any of these costumes to the club?" He quipped.

"Apologies, Master. It takes too long to get into and out of most of these clothes, especially the latex stuff. I'd never make any money. Plus, with the backless dress, I'm not sure I'd get many punters paying if they can see me for free"

"Fair enough," Joe thought, "That would explain it!"

Back on the video, Layla and Jane pulled themselves towards one other, lustfully staring into each other's eyes. Their embrace tightened, and they let their hands explore each others' bodies.

"You know, Jane," Layla continued, "It's a shame that Master's not here. I mean, I feel soooo horny."

"I know what you mean," Jane replied, still playing up to the camera, "My pussy's so wet for him at the moment. I need it filling!"

"All in good time. Now, turn around."

Jane turned round. She was now facing the camera, with her back to Layla. The domme's hands were all over her partner's body, massaging everything from her shoulders to her breasts and stomach. Layla made sure everything could be seen by the camera, to show her Master what she was capable of. She worked her way down further, slipping her hands underneath the red leather skirt.

Jane gasped with pleasure. It suddenly felt like she was wearing too many clothes. Unfastening the buckles, she let the skirt slide down to her ankles and stepped out. Layla reached round the front of Jane's top and unlaced it. The top fell away to the sides. Layla now had unfettered access, and Master would be able to see everything.

Just off camera, Layla had previously set up a table with a couple of items on it. She picked up the first of these: a pair of black leather handcuffs. They might not be particularly strong, in Layla's opinion, but they would provide a fun introduction to bondage. She draped them over Jane's shoulder so both Jane and the camera could see, "Put your hands behind your back," She ordered.

As the handcuffs locked closed, the video version of Jane smiled at the camera, still managing to project an air of innocence that belied her bound nudity. The 'live' version of Jane was afforded no such luxury. Her mouth was full of cock; her expression a picture of humiliation and need. She couldn't see what was on the video, but she knew what was about to come next.

"How do you like that?" The video version of Layla enquired.

"It's OK I guess. Feeling a bit vulnerable at the moment," She let off a nervous laugh.

"That's the point," Layla explained, smiling evilly at her quarry, "To be vulnerable with your partner. To give yourself to them." Mistress reached out from behind Jane with one hand, softly stroking her left breast. "To trust them implicitly. There's no intimacy greater than that the trust between a sub and her Master... Or Mistress."

Jane shuddered at the thought of a Mistress to join her Master. The idea sent an electric jolt of excitement and need through her body. Or was that Layla's touch? It was getting harder and harder to say what had aroused her more.

"Do you trust me, dear Jane?"

"I... I guess so."

"If you only guess so, then you don't want to be wearing those cuffs. We can go back to trying on these outfits for Master."

"No, I..." Jane paused for a moment, "I trust you."

"Good. And I told you about the safeword. You can use it at any time."

"Yes. 'Red'. The safeword is 'red'."

"That's right. It also means you're feeling numbness, or pins and needles anywhere, like we discussed. There's also 'Yellow' for 'Slow down' or 'Take it easy'."

"Ok."

"Good. Enough talk. Let's put that mouth of yours to other uses. Face me."

Jane had barely had a chance to turn around when Layla grabbed her. Pulling her closer, Layla pressed her lips against Jane's and passionately kissed her. Jane resisted for the briefest of moments before realising that she wanted this, and started returning the kiss.

The kiss went on for seemingly hours; both women using their tongues to explore the others' mouth, and Layla using her hands to explore the rest of Jane's body. Jane had obviously lost the use of her arms to the handcuffs, but she could use the rest of herself. She pressed into Layla, feeling the touch of breast against breast, and leg against leg. Right now, at this second, and in front of the camera, she needed to feel physical contact with another. With Layla.

Layla continued exploring Jane's body with her hands. She fondled Jane's breasts, alternating between deft light caresses and playful pinching of her nipples. Bringing her head closer, she replaced her fingers on Jane's nipple with her tongue, deftly flicking the nipple and teasing it. She graduated further: taking the nipple in her mouth, first sucking it to full attention and then gently biting it. Not hard enough to hurt Jane, but hard enough to elicit a gasp.

Jane's need was starting to bubble over, and spread further south. It wasn't just the intimate touch of another Jane needed. The need to be fucked was growing in her. With her hands locked behind her back, she couldn't do it for herself. She was reliant on Layla, but that was no bad thing. Layla was very skilled with her tongue: Jane remembered that from the club the other night. Jane needed to feel that satisfaction again. She needed to feel the expert touch of tongue on her clit, "Please..." Jane begged.

"Please, what?"

"Please, Layla. I wanna feel..."

"Mistress," Layla interrupted, "I told you to call me Mistress."

"Sorry, Mistress. Please, I wanna feel your tongue in me. Like the other night at your club."

"Not yet, dear."

"Please, Mistress. I need it!"

Layla pulled away and removed her knickers. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she pointed to her now unclad crotch, "Now, dearest Jane. I know you like having your own pussy licked, but you haven't returned the favour as yet. So before I see to that hungry cunt of yours, I want you to satisfy mine!"

"But I... I've never done that before!"

"Then this will be your first time! Now, on your knees. That's it. You look so good down there, I think that's where you belong!"

"Yes, Mi..." Jane was interrupted as Layla grabbed her by the back of the head and pushed Jane's face into her crotch.

"Come on, girl! You know what to do! I wanna feel that tongue of yours right up there. You can do better than that! Move your tongue around! That's it!"

Layla, using every last ounce of strength and willpower she had left, pulled herself further onto the bed, beckoning Jane to carry on. Jane had to kneel up and rest her chest on the bed to continue, "That's it Jane. Keep going! That feels so good! You were born to lick pussy! Oh yes!"

What Jane hadn't realised at this point, was that kneeling up to lick Layla's pussy had presented her ass perfectly to the camera. Joe was presented with a perfect view of Jane and Layla on the bed, with Jane trying desperately to please the Mistress, and humping the corner of the bed in order to garner some satisfaction for herself. Back in Joe's living room, the 'live' Jane was on her knees for him now, and her tongue twisting round his cock felt so good. That familiar feeling started to rip through his body...

Three out of four.

On regaining his faculties, Joe asked Layla to pause the video, "Before we start the next one, Layla, just give me five minutes. I could do with a drink aswell."

Jane's ministrations had certainly drained Joe, and he needed some recuperation. It was harder than he thought, this multiple orgasm thing. He'd been able to do it in his early twenties, and back in his university days. But now, into his thirties? It was a real struggle. He was determined to finish this damned sexathon, if only to prove to himself that he could do it. That, and to try and impress his two partners. It seemed the urge to try and impress the ladies never truly went away.

"No problem, Master. What would you like to drink?"

"I think there's some beer in the fridge."

"Certainly, Master. I think I'd better go and get it. Jane's a bit... preoccupied at the moment."

Layla fetched the beer and handed it to Joe, "Master, I have a small favour to ask of you."

"Go on."

"I was wondering if I could have a turn with Jane, while you're recuperating. Watching her please you, Master, it's just so exhilarating. I..."

"Of course!" Joe interrupted, grateful for the break, "Here. Take her."

Layla grabbed the chord and pulled Jane's trolley back to her seat. Layla's catsuit had a zip to provide easy access to her crotch and ass, and she used this feature now. Jane leaned forward to start licking as expected, but Layla stopped her. It seemed she had other plans.

"I never said you'd be licking me out, my dear! Oh no. As much as I enjoyed our little session this morning, I could do with something a little more... substantial, in me. I don't want to detract from Master's next session with you, so you'll have to do. So I've brought this for you!"

She reached over to the side of the chair and into a bag, pulling out the contents. Both Joe and Jane's eyes widened as they saw what she pulled out: Joe's in pleasant surprise, Jane's more in shock.

The item in question was a combined gag and dildo, the gag end obviously being for poor Jane. The gag came with a collection of straps to secure it around the wearer's head, which Layla used in her usual skilful fashion. "There you go, my dear! Don't you look pretty now? Show Master, let him see just how good you look!"

Jane turned to face her master, or at least as far as she could given her predicament. More tears were developing in her eyes, the shame of her situation being matched only by the uncontrollable arousal that accompanied it. Part of her hoped that Master would disapprove; that he would find the situation intolerable and rescue her from Layla's clutches. Another part of her, however, was glad to see Master enjoying the spectacle, with his erection starting to grow it again. It meant that she would soon get back to pleasing him, and he would cum for the fourth time. And she knew what that meant.

The other item in Layla's bag was a pack of lube, which she generously applied to the phallus end of Jane's gag. In her aroused state, Layla would probably have managed just fine without lubrication, but it never hurt to make sure. After wiping her hands on a towel, she grabbed Jane by her hair, and drove the dildo home.

Layla's face was a picture of ecstasy, the satisfaction clear to see. After guiding Jane and her dildo gag in and out a few times, Layla let go of Jane's head and allowed her to continue under her own steam. Her blissful moans raised in volume and pitch, interspersed with comments like "Faster!", "Harder!", "Deeper!" The moans continued: louder, higher, quicker, building up to a crescendo of an orgasm that shattered both her mind and body.

Sensing Layla's orgasm, Jane stopped and relaxed a little, grateful for the rest.

"What do you think you're doing? I never told you to stop!"

The gag in Jane's mouth obviously prevented a verbal reply, so she started thrusting again. Layla grabbed Jane's hair in response, stopping her in her tracks.

"I never told you to start up again either. Are you determined to get yourself punished? You're going to have to learn to follow orders. OK, stop. I've had enough."

Jane pulled out completely. The phallus end of the gag was shiny with Layla's juices, which dripped slowly onto and down Jane's breasts. Drop by viscous drop.

Even after Layla had removed the gag from her mouth, Jane just sat; exhausted, broken, barely able to move even discounting the effects of the ropes. Scared to look at Master, lest he take her movement as a reminder of his next turn, she gazed down between Layla's legs. At least this way she might get a few moments of recovery time.

Jane wasn't the only spent force in the room. Joe had also outperformed himself tonight already. The difference was that he'd had a little bit of time to pull himself together while watching Jane and Layla. It was during that performance that the seed of an idea formed in his brain.

Once Joe had finished his beer, Layla returned Jane to her previous position between his legs. Joe was already hard, so the final "session" (for want of a better word) was looking possible. Joe stopped Layla just before she was about to restart the video, though.

"Jane. Layla. Sleep." Layla collapsed on the sofa. Jane's head slumped, but Joe had made sure he was in a position to support it.

"When you wake up you will be in exactly the same position as you were before. You won't remember going to sleep as you are now, and you won't remember what I'm telling you now. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," The pair replied in unison. It was always a little arousing for Joe when they did that. A little disturbing too.

"Good. Now this is the last leg. If Layla's got anything planned for its completion then I don't want to interfere with those plans. However, when I cum, you will both orgasm as well," As far as Joe was concerned, Jane had earned at least that much this evening, "Layla, will that interfere with anything you've got planned?"

"No, Master."

"Good. Now it's time for you both to wake up. As I count to five, you will wake up, feeling exactly as you felt before. One... two... three... four... five."

As the two women awoke, Joe continued, "So, ladies. Are you ready to restart?"

"Yes, Master." In unison again. Spine-chilling.

He stroked Jane's hair, and gave her a bit of a reassuring smile, "OK then, Layla. Start it up again."

"With pleasure, Master." Layla reached for a set of remote controls, using one to restart the video.

The location of final scene was definitely known to Joe. It was his front room, where they all were currently. Jane was stood in front of the camera, naked, save for the belt around her waist, and looking more apprehensive than in the previous scenes.

Instinctively holding her hands over her crotch, one could assume Jane was trying to cover herself; maintain some modesty. It was more than that though. Almost without thinking, she was rubbing herself, her fingers trying to reduce the sexual tension in her body. The craving for stimulation down there had barely subsided on the journey from Mistress Layla's to Joe's house. In fact by the time they reached Joe's house the crotch of her jeans had been soaked. Now her need was back with a vengeance, and more urgent than ever.

Layla returned in front of the camera, dressed in the black catsuit her live counterpart was currently wearing. She moved slowly across the room, circling and finally standing behind her nervous co-star.

"Well by now you know about my previous work," She started, fondling her prey's breasts, "And you both knew it was going to come to this,"

Layla's grin was positively ecstatic as she continued playing up for the camera, "The last scene, Master, was a bit of a taster. An amuse-bouche, if you will, to get you warmed up and in the mood."

Layla turned to Jane, "From now on I will address you as slave. You will continue to address me as Mistress. That is, if I allow you to speak. Do you understand, slave?"

"Yes, Mistress," Jane replied. Almost by itself, one of her fingers penetrated, and she had to hold herself back from a gasp.

"Good. And while we're at it, hands behind your back. You seem to be enjoying yourself a bit too much there. We wouldn't want the show to be over too soon for Master now? Would we, slave?"

"No, Mistress." Jane put her hands behind her back. The longing to be filled increased exponentially, and Jane knew she was going to be reliant on Mistress to satisfy that need. But she knew that Layla had other ideas, and would drag this out for as long as she could. It was an exquisite torture for Jane; a million times worse than in the restaurant before Layla's club.

"Good. Now where did I put that... Damn it! I'll be back in a minute. You wait here. Don't move"

Layla left the room, leaving Jane in silence. A minute passed. Then another. Jane started to wonder where Layla had gone. Her hands started to wonder also, subconsciously heading around the front. Again, without noticing, Jane started fingering herself lightly. The effects, however, were noticeable. Her eyes closed, her knees buckled a little and a small groan escaped her lips. The fact that this was forbidden made those lustful feelings so more intense. Justifying it to herself, Jane told herself that she would be able to stop herself should Layla reappear. A small part of her, though, wanted to be caught in the act.

Jane's auto-stimulation continued. As Layla's absence grew longer, Jane decided that she would be able to get away with taking herself to the limit, and over it. One finger slipped in, followed by a second and a third. Before long, Jane was masturbating vigorously in the middle of the room, and oblivious to her surroundings. Her arousal meant that she was already close to the edge, but this pushed her further towards it. Started to push her over, until... Until...

A firm grip took her hand and pulled it away from her crotch. Startled, Jane opened her eyes and cried out, "No...", before realising that it was Mistress Layla.

"I leave you alone for one fucking minute, and you can't even control yourself for that long?"

"I'm sorry, Mistress. I..."

"Shut up. I know what you were doing, Slave. Right, we're going to do this right. Hands behind your back. Now!"

Jane complied, silently putting her hands behind her back. She expected punishment, and even almost wanted it. What she didn't expect was for Layla to continue where Jane had started. Layla's hands started to caress Jane's nether regions, her fingers running across Jane's smooth skin. "I know you've been in heat all day, Slave," She continued softly, her voice barely more than a whisper, "It's been hard on you, hasn't it? The need for release. The desire to be fucked."

"Yes, Mistress."

"You want to be fucked. You need to be fucked."

"Yes, Mistress. So much."

"I know." Layla's voice suddenly changed back to harsh, She pulled her hand away from Jane's pussy, before returning it as a slap, "But you don't [slap] disobey [slap] me!"

Jane howled in pain and shock. Her pussy was on fire, the pain spreading throughout her body. She had been sensitive already, due to her extreme arousal, and this amplified the pain sensation. Tears quickly formed in her eyes as her brain dealt with the unexpected stimulus. Her breathing remained shallow and quick as she waited in fear for Layla's next move.

But instead of slapping her again, Layla went back to caressing Jane. "That was a test, Slave. I wanted to see if you could follow my orders and not bring yourself off. I don't tolerate disobedience, but now you've had your punishment we can carry on."

No response came from Jane, except a few quiet sobs.

"Of course, since you've proved that you can't be trusted, we'll have to make sure that you do as you're told."

With that she left her target and went to the table. Laid out on there, amongst other things, was laid out a collection of ropes and a pair of safety scissors. The ropes had all been bundled for easy storage and use. Layla selected one, a long length of half inch rope, and returned to Jane. "Turn around. Face away from the camera. I want Master to see this."

As Jane turned around, Layla unbundled the rope. Selecting the middle of the rope, she doubled it back on itself to create two ropes of half the length. She then looped the double rope around Jane's arms, almost up at her shoulders. Feeding the ends through the middle created a loop around the top of Jane's arms, and Layla pulled it tighter, forcing the tops of Jane's arms together until she squealed in pain.

"Comfortable, my dear?" Layla enquired, the condescension clear in her voice, "By the time they have completed their training, my slaves can get their arms almost touching behind their back. I haven't even started with you."

That thought made Jane nervous. It was hurting enough now; her shoulders straining against the tension in the rope. If this was 'bondage for beginners', then what would the advanced stage be like?

Layla continued looping the rope around Jane's arms, taking care to maintain the tension and keep the loops tight. By the time she had reached Jane's wrists, she was nearly done with the ropes, so she tied them off with safety knot. The results were breathtaking, with Jane's arms practically immobilised and her breasts jutting out in front of her.

"There, that's better isn't it, Slave? I don't think you'll be bringing yourself off without permission."

Layla resumed her tactile exploration of Jane's body. Since Jane was facing away from the camera, Layla started off with her buttocks, alternating between soft caresses, harder groping and the odd slap. It was all designed to keep Jane on edge, not knowing what would come next, and not allowing her to anticipate and prepare for it. The pain wasn't as intense as for the pussy slaps, but it was enough to provoke a short squeal of surprise. That, apparently, wasn't enough for Layla though.

"What did I teach you this morning, Slave? What do we say when we're being spanked?"

"Err... Oh... That's one, Mistress. Please may I have another?"

"That's better. Yes, you may."

"That's two, Mistress. Please may I have another?"

"Yes, you may. One last one."

"That's three. Thank you, Mistress."

"You're welcome. Now, turn around, Slave. Let Master see your beautiful titties."

Jane turned round as instructed. It weird, the sensation of moving without using her arms for balance. Not enough to make her lose her balance, but enough that she could feel the difference.

Layla's reward for compliance was further groping. This time on her breasts. Layla was no more gentle on Jane's breasts as she was on her behind. If anything, the fact that Jane could see Layla manhandling her added to the humiliation. But again, along with the humiliation came arousal and desire.

"You know, dear," Layla continued, an evil smile growing on her blood red lips "I might have a word with Master; see if we can get these titties of yours pierced. Nothing says 'Slave' like a pair of pierced titties with bells hanging from them. Delicious!"

The look of shock in Jane's eyes betrayed her fear. She's had her ears pierced, and the pain wasn't the worst in the world, but her nipples were so much more sensitive!

"And we might not stop there, dear! We might give these lovely cunt lips of yours the treatment. A line of lovely rings on each side," She fingered Jane's pussy lips, once on each side, "Here... and here. And one on your little clitty, here. There's a little device a friend of mine makes for me. My design. You thread it through those rings and put a padlock on the end, and you've got yourself a locked pussy. The ultimate in chastity. I even put a bell on that one too. It really reminds a slave of her place."

If Jane was afraid before, she was horrified now. Would Mistress... Layla... really do that? To be ringed down there. That would be the epitome of pain! More tears from Jane. More laughter from Layla.

"Don't be alarmed, Slave. By the time I'm through with you, pain will be your friend. Only through pain will you know true pleasure. Through suffering you will know true submission. I think you know what I mean already. You've taken pain from my hand, yet you stand there, aroused, waiting to receive more. You could have used the safeword, but you chose not to."

The thought of using the safeword hadn't even occurred to Jane. That's why Layla had deliberately reminded her of it. This was a test. If Jane wanted out, then now was the time. Jane knew now what Layla was capable of, and what she was capable of herself. If she continued, then it was of her own free will.

Yet Jane was unable to exercise that free will. Trapped by the subliminals and her own base lust, Jane couldn't even imagine ending this. For a start, she had felt nothing like this level of arousal her entire life. After this, life would be tame. That, and her absolute need to please her Master.

Emboldened by her captive's decision to remain, Layla started the next phase of her plan. Fetching the trolley from under the table, she placed it in the centre of the room, "In a moment, I'm going to bind you on that trolley. You will be at your Master's beck and call, bound and ready to serve him."

That thought cheered Jane up enormously. The thought of servicing her Master was definitely more up her alley, even if she would be bound for it. Even that thought excited her.

"But before that, we have to finally see to that cunt of yours. You must be aching to get it filled by now. To feel hard cock inside you." Layla put her hand to Jane's crotch again, feeling Jane thrusting her pelvis into it, "Go to the table. Pick up the white rope and the dildo, and bring it back here. Then stand on the trolley. Quickly."

Jane complied, the relief of penetration now in sight. Even though her hands were bound behind her back, she was able to collect the required objects and return them to Mistress. The elation was building, satisfaction becoming more and more imminent.

"Before I fill your aching cunt with this, Slave, I need to lubricate it. Now I imagine that we could get away without it, knowing how dripping wet you are down there, but that's bad form. So you're going to take this in your mouth first. You can lubricate it that way. Understand?"

Jane nodded her comprehension, and Layla stayed true to her word. The dildo went so far to the back of Jane's throat that she thought she would choke, and indeed she gagged a little. But Layla knew what she was doing, and made sure that Jane was safe.

"Come on, slave. You can do a better job than that. Put some effort into it. Imagine it's Master's cock. You want to please it. You want to cover it with your juices."

Jane started pumping her head back and forth, fellating the plastic for all she was worth. She knew she would be pleasing Master by virtue of the camera, but more than that, the sooner she got that cock in her the better.

Once the fake cock was adequately lubricated, Layla brought it to Jane's pussy, and after a few teasing strokes, slowly but insistently rammed it home.

That was all that Jane needed. Well it wasn't like she was starting cold; she had been on the cusp for so long it was painful! An orgasm the likes of which Jane had never felt ripped through her body like a series of electric shocks. She couldn't hold back the moans of absolute pleasure. This time Jane's knees did buckle, and she sank to a kneeling position; her fall to the wooden plate broken by Layla. The dominatrix managed to keep the dildo inside Jane's pussy throughout, so it was still in there as Jane came to rest.

By the time that Jane's orgasm was finished, she was absolutely shattered, and finally content. She knew, however, that Layla wasn't finished with her. The fact that she was still pumping the dildo was one clue to that.

Jane's prediction was shown to be true when Layla took the second rope and tied it to the one already binding her arms. She made a knot in the rope and passed the free end under Jane's crotch. By now Jane had figure out at least some of what Layla would do, as the knot was right next to her pussy.

"Please, Mistress..."

"Please what, Slave?"

"Please, Mistress... Please... Leave it in me. I need it"

That was enough for Joe, watching the video. It looked like there wasn't going to be a problem finishing this leg. He let out an involuntary groan, a signal that he was on the verge of cumming. The other two in the room picked up on this, and their programming kicked in. By now Layla was masturbating on the sofa, her eyes closed in euphoric oblivion. J

As the video continued, with Layla pulling the rope past Jane's pussy and trapping the dildo inside, Joe's body tensed up throughout. A sharp intake of breath...

And that was four.


Chapter 7 - Formulation

Joe woke alone the next morning, despite going to bed with Jane. After the marathon session, they had all been exhausted, so the rest of the evening had been spent with the three of them lounging in each others' arms on the sofa, accompanied by takeaway pizza and a couple of bottles of wine. Joe had gone to bed with a weary Jane, so the next moment was spent wondering where she had gone.

Joe's question was answered by the noise coming from the en-suite bathroom: running water and giggling. Two voices giggling to be precise. This was confirmed a few moments later, when Jane and Layla emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but towels. On seeing Joe awake they smiled, and dropped their towels, making absolutely no effort to cover themselves.

"Good morning, Master," Layla started first, "Jane and I were just having a shower before she heads off to work."

"Yes, Master," Jane continued, "Sorry if we got a bit loud. We got a little... carried away. Layla... Mistress... reminded me that I should always keep myself clean and ready for you to take me from behind, and showed me how to give myself an enema in the shower."

"She did?" Joe raised an eyebrow. It wasn't the only thing raised by now, "Let's have a look then. Both of you!"

The pair of them turned away and bent over. Layla must have been expecting this, because both of them raised their hands to their ass cheeks and separated them, giving Joe a perfect view. As they did so, they turned to face each other and giggled.

"Well it would be a shame to waste such a good opportunity. Have you got time before you go to work?"

"Yes, Master. I don't have to leave for work for another two hours."

"And you, Layla? Anything on today?"

"No, Master. I'm working tonight, but I've nothing on during the day."

"Excellent," Joe replied, kneeling up and throwing the sheets off the bed, "In that case you can both join me on here!"

"Yes, Master!" They both replied in unison, clearly delighted in the success of their rather blatant seductive technique. They joined Joe on the bed; Jane in front and Layla behind in a veritable Joe sandwich. In a move the girls had discussed before, they both pushed their breasts into Joe, with Jane kissing him fully on the lips and Layla kissing the back of his neck. Layla also took the opportunity to nibble at his ear a little, which was one of her little pleasures. With their hands, both of the girls caressed Joe's naked form.

The attention of two bodies; two pairs of breasts, two pairs of hands and 2 pairs of lips (not to mention Jane's tongue) lifted Joe to the heights of ecstasy. The two girls were seemingly moving as one, with one common purpose: to please him. That alone was enough to overcome the effects of tiredness from yesterday's long session. The early night, the vision and the sweet smell of the pair, slightly wet from the shower, had rejuvenated him.

"Turn around, Jane." If she was inviting him to take her from behind, then he was happy to oblige.

"Yes, Master. Please be gentle with me."

Jane turned round and presented her behind to her Master. She had woken aching from last night, and a little tender down there. That's why Mistress had suggested that she offer her arse instead, "Master will be pleased if we offer our arses to him," Layla had said, "Especially if it's your first time, as you say."

Now, pleasing her Master, all Jane's aches and pains were forgotten: lost in a haze of excitement and endorphins. Layla had been right about Master being happy, so she was happy. Everybody was happy. On all fours, she bit her lip in anticipation of the invasion that would soon follow, before noticing that Layla coming round in front of her. Jane watched as Layla positioned her pussy right in front of her face, and the implication was clear. Layla wanted Jane to lick her pussy while getting fucked in the rear.

Joe's penetration was everything she'd imagined. Everything she hoped for, and everything she'd feared. She felt like he was going to tear her apart and yet, she needed him inside her. At the same time it felt both wrong and right. Dirty, but completely natural. Painful, but incredibly hot. Master was in her again, and like before, that alone was enough. If Jane had been able to process the smorgasbord of emotions and sensations electrifying her body, she could easily have climaxed right there and then. But she had a job to do: a pussy to lick. Layla had made clear her intents; grabbing hold of Jane's hair and forcing her face further in. Even if Jane wanted to pull away, she couldn't. She felt so dirty. So hot...

Jane felt Master driving in to her faster and faster. She felt his strong, masculine hands on her hips. She could also feel the sway of her breasts as they moved with Master's rhythm. She tried to concentrate on pleasing Layla's clit, as that was what was in front of her, but the fucking she was receiving from behind was proving too much. Jane hoped that Layla would come soon, as she was so close to doing the same right now. If only she could hold off for a few more seconds. Just a few... more...

The orgasm that ripped through Jane's body was as powerful as any she'd had with Master before; something which surprised her when she thought about it later. She had sensed when Master was coming, and that seemed to have sent her over the edge. She noticed, despite her own sexual fervour, that Layla had climaxed too. At least she had satisfied them both, she thought, feeling exhausted, satiated, and deliciously used.

Joe showered alone, even though Layla had offered her services. He needed some time to think. His head was still spinning a bit from all the recent changes in his life. The sex with Jane and Layla was out of this world, and he could honestly say that he'd never had as much in his life as he'd had in the past month or so.

And part of that bothered Joe. It felt to him like he was being kept entertained. No not entertained... distracted, while Felix was giving him menial jobs to do with the electronics and the video uplinks. Joe wasn't in control, he felt like a pawn: "Do as we tell you, and here's some new toys to play with," He could almost imagine Felix saying.

If anything, Jane and Layla were worse. They always seemed ready for him, and it seemed like every encounter had played by their script. From his first encounters with Jane's "broken fuse" and her appearance in the window, to the full-on porno video last night and the three-way session this morning. So far, everything had played out to someone else's plan.

It wasn't so much a complaint. Joe reminded himself that he couldn't really complain about his situation at the moment: especially as he was just washing himself from a three in a bed session. He couldn't really blame Felix either. It was theoretically possible that Felix had made him docile and sex-obsessed to maintain control for his plan, but Joe knew that he was like that before. Felix hadn't needed to do that.

The fact remained, however, that Felix did have some plan, and it was best served by keeping his colleagues satiated by submissive women slaves. If things carried on as they were, then Joe was in danger of becoming a victim of whatever this was, rather than a part of it. He was going to have to do something about it. He was going to have to become pro-active in dealing with all this. He needed plan. An ace up his sleeve.

An ace up his sleeve...

The nucleus of a plan was beginning to form in Joe's mind. He needed to play to his strengths: his analysis skills, his problem-solving nature and his knowledge of Felix. The details would take a lot of working out, as Felix was a very smart guy, and an expert planner. For a start, Felix had put in place controls to ensure that Joe didn't act against him. That would make things difficult, but Joe wasn't trying to hurt or usurp Felix; he was just making sure that he wouldn't be a victim.

As for Jane and Layla; well they would need to be reminded of who was boss. Joe had a plan for that too. It was slightly less intricate than the one for Felix, but it would be a lot more fun!

Once Jane had gone, Joe had only half an hour before he had to set off, so he asked Layla to make them both a cup of coffee and join him in the front room. The conversation started with the usual pleasantries, but Joe was eager to get down to business.

"So Layla; the other night you mentioned that you had a farmhouse a little outside of the city."

"Yes, Master. That's where we filmed most of the video you enjoyed last night."

"Oh, I definitely enjoyed it, dear! I want you to take me there some time. I take it that's where you took your clients when you were a domme."

"Yes, Master. It's pretty secluded, and there's no neighbours."

"That's what I was thinking about. Obviously with Jane being my neighbour on one side I don't have to worry about that, but there's still the other side to think about. Mr and Mrs Freidman. I think they'd both have heart attacks if they found out what we were up to. Plus, if any of the kids playing in the street see or hear anything..."

"That's partly why I gagged Jane last night, Master. To keep the noise down. I was also careful about nothing being seen from outside. But I agree, it would be easier if we didn't have that sort of thing to worry about. I assume that you want to use my place then, Master?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, Master. I'd be delighted. I have a feeling you'll love it there."

"Good. Now, next order of business. When you were with Jane... on that video... in my front room."

"I remember it well," Layla replied, a smile forming.

"When you were teasing Jane about getting pierced, have you done that before? I mean actually pierced them, instead of just teasing them?"

"Ah," Layla crossed her legs and laughed as she realised what Joe was getting at, "Yes I have, Master. Not many, but yes. There's a guy I know in Three Hills that does tattoos and piercings. He does excellent work," Layla grinned, "So are you thinking of having Jane pierced? Or me?"

"I don't know yet. Your mention of it yesterday on the video gave me ideas. I've already told Jane that I want her to use a dildo whenever we go out together; we need to sort one out for her by the way. If your chastity device works as well as you say, then this might be an idea."

"Yes it does work. That's exactly what I did with my slaves. You know, I have photos of some of the piercings on my computer. I can go and get them if you want."

"Yeah, why not. I've got to go to work today, but I can look at them when I get back."

"As you wish, Master."

"There was one other thing I wanted to ask you."

"Yes, Master?"

"Watching you on the video last night, it was clear that you've done this before. What other techniques and ideas do you have for domming other women? Is that a word; domming?"

"If not it should be!" Layla joked, "Well you saw me binding Jane. I used to be quite into Shibari - that's the rope bondage, Japanese style. I'm a bit out of practice though. I used to do breath play, but I don't do that anymore," Layla shuddered at the thought, "Piercings and chastity we've already mentioned. I'm a crack shot with a whip!" Layla smiled at that one.

"Nice. I won't be putting you to the test on that one just yet though!"

"No, Master. You really have to be into that one to appreciate it. I take it that we're talking about Jane here, and what you want me to do with her."

"Correct. I've got a few ideas of my own, but I want your input too."

Layla's free hand instantly went for her crotch. The idea of dominating Jane for Master was heaven. She would be able to please Master and herself at the same time, and she was damn good at it! If she hadn't have been wearing jeans, she would be tempted to start pleasing herself right away. Mind you, the likelihood of needing a new pair of jeans before the end of this conversation was growing.

"Well you've already mentioned a dildo, "She calmed herself down, so she could impress Master, "We could take that one better. I know where I can get hold of a vibrator that is controlled by remote. You can even control it from a phone, if you have Android and the right app."

"Sounds promising. Tell me more."

"According to a friend of mine who's still working as a domme, you can also link it up to a heart rate monitor and program it to take the subject right up to the brink of orgasm, and then power down when her heart rate reaches a certain amount. The heart monitor comes as a chrome bracelet, which can only be unlocked with a key. The phone app also comes with multiple controls; everything you need for your own harem!"

"That's brilliant. We'll get her one. Where do we get them from?"

"The guy up in Three Hills that does the piercings, Gunther, sells them. Basically he's a sort of one-man kink supermarket. Piercings, tattoos, sex toys, clothes. They're his invention. He takes shop-bought vibrators and upgrades them. Calls them 'Slave Vibrators'. I'll warn you, though, Master. They're not cheap. Plus, he only does custom orders at the moment, so you probably won't get one right away."

"I don't think that'll be a problem. I'd like to meet this friend of yours."

"Yes, Master." Layla suddenly went quiet, and looked at the floor.

"What is it?"

It's Gunther, Master. You should know that... Well, he's been into me for a while. I have teased him a little over the years, to get discounts on some of his stock. I don't know how he'll react if I go in with you."

"Have you slept with him? Done anything else for him?"

"No, Master, I haven't slept with him. I have stripped for him, but that was at the club and he was a customer. He's a bit of a regular."

"Don't worry about that. Set the meeting up anyway."

"Yes, Master."

"So is there anything else you have in mind?"

"Well bearing in mind Jane's job, you don't really want her too distracted at work. The same applies while driving. Loss of control during either could lead to all sorts of problems."

"True."

"So a vaginal vibrator may not be the best idea for those situations. What you would want then is something that you know is there, will be very difficult to put out of your mind, and make your subject feel dirty, all without anyone else knowing it's there. For those situations I tend to use a butt plug."

"A fine choice, Madame!" Joe joked, attempting to sound like a waiter in a restaurant.

Layla laughed, if only to give the impression of being laid back. However, her mind was in turmoil. She was concerned about seeing Gunther again, but then she knew hew Master would sort that out. Master could sort anything out, just by a simple order.

"I used that on male clients too. I even had a politician wearing one in parliament once."

"You're joking! Fuck! Did he go through with it? Did he get away with it?"

"I told him I would be watching on that democracy channel, so I could see his facial expressions. I knew he was going to be making a speech, so made it a vibrating one. I turned it on at the start of his speech, and left it running. He only made it half way through what he was saying before he made his excuses and practically ran out of there. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe!"

By this point Joe was doubled over with laughter himself, "That's epic! I'll bet he wasn't pleased with you after that!"

"Not at all, Master, but it was punishment. He took it and came back for more. We had some ground rules after that, so it didn't happen again, but he continued seeing me."

"Well I can't blame him for that. You are stunning."

"Thank you, Master," Layla blushed. A compliment from her Master? That was almost enough to send her over the edge. She could have jumped him right there, if he hadn't got to leave so soon. Perhaps he could be persuaded to stay a little longer, "You know, Master, I'm sure you could get away with being a little late in today. Perhaps we could play for a little? Just the two of us?"

"Maybe tonight, Dear. I have a lot I need to get done today." The offer was extremely tempting to Joe. If it wasn't for Joe's tiredness in the trouser department he could quite easily have phoned in sick to the office. As it happened, Joe was quite looking forward for going into work. He could do with the rest!

"Thanks for meeting me. I know how tempting it is to have a quiet night in, in our situation!"

"No problem. To be honest, I'm glad you phoned. I've had one too many 'quiet nights in' recently!"

"I remember my first days with Maria. I could barely walk! Apparently strawberries are the answer."

"Strawberries?"

"They've got a lot of zinc, apparently. Needed by the reproductive system. I can't vouch for it myself, as I don't like them."

"Strawberries! I'll give them a go!"

"Anyway, onto more current topics. I trust you've learned about Layla's (ahem) colourful past."

"Oh yes. She made that perfectly clear. Was that your doing, or was that her real past?"

"That's all real. We haven't made up any memories for her. She's as nature made her, except the bit about being your willing sex slave obviously!"

"Fair enough. I had to check. Paranoia kicking in I suppose."

"That's fair enough, Par for the course in this game. Anyway; back to business. I have a problem which I think you can solve. You're aware about how the subliminals work?"

"Yes. Sam told me. Distortion of the screen."

"That's right. It's not the only way of putting messages on a screen though. Some people have tried superimposing onto the screen, like normal screen graphics: football scores and so on, but at low levels."

"Does that actually work though? Sam suggested otherwise."

"We don't think it works. Well Sam doesn't. I haven't a bloody clue! We're not sure though. So the fact that it is being used suggests that we need to neutralise it, just in case."

"So there are other people trying to do this then."

"Definitely. The only difference is we've got the chemicals that Sam developed. Part of the reason we haven't gone live with this program is that we're afraid that the plasticity enhancer will work for other people, rather than for us."

"I see."

"But we do have one thing working in our favour. The powers-that-be put out a subliminal every so often suggesting that people call a certain number. The idea is that if people call that number..."

"Then the government knows that subliminals work all of a sudden."

"Exactly. But our advantage is that we know about it. Your standard guy in the street doesn't know about that, and would trip the alarm, as it were. We need to avoid this particular alarm, so we need a way of neutralising the subliminal message. I need you to find out where this subliminal is added to the system, and deal with it."

"OK," Joe's mind was racing. The problem solving instinct had kicked in him, "I've got a slightly different idea though."

"Go on."

"Bear with me. I haven't worked out all the kinks yet. How about, instead of going up against this subliminal, trying to remove it and risking the wrath of whoever puts it up, we leave it on, and just change the phone number?"

"Oh yeah. So some pizza shop somewhere gets all the phone calls instead! I like it!"

"There's a few things we could do. Add numbers to the start or end, turn threes, sixes or nines into eights. Possibly turn fives into sixes. We could do all that without even touching the circuitry that adds the subliminals you're talking about. We wouldn't even need to know whether or not it's being added every time. We'd just need a steer on where the number will be. I imagine they use the same program to put it on, so we just find the position of their number and Bob's your uncle."

"Brilliant! I tell you what. We'll keep our options open for the moment. Find where these subliminals are being added to the feeds, and see what you can ascertain from it. Without raising any suspicions at your end. You've got to assume that if some government agency (or any others) has put something there, they'll have a guy keeping an eye on it."

"You love all this spy shit don't you."

"I do like it. But I love staying alive more. Don't be fooled, mate. The kind of people we're dealing with aren't nice, but they are clever. If there's any way they can find out what we're doing they will. We'd be less 'Spy Shit' and more 'up Shit Creek!'"

"I know. Our additions would be done elsewhere, after they'd added their stuff. I suppose another way they would find out is by statistical analysis of phone calls, if that's possible. So I would also suggest changing the numbers often, using different numbers on each channel, and so on, to avoid that."

"Good thinking. As I said, look into it. I want to know any other risks involved with this, and what we can do to mitigate them. We'll then make a decision."

"Sounds like a plan. One question, though."

"Go on."

"How do you know about these subliminals?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you!" Felix laughed, "No. One of the companies I worked for in the states set it up over here. Outsourcing at its finest!"

"That would explain it."

"Yeah. So that's one thing. I need something else from you aswell. Another bit of risk minimisation."

"I'm listening."

"You're going to be making a few changes to the machinery over at Sat Tech. There's a risk that one of your colleagues will figure out what's going on. So I want you to make a list of everyone who would have the technical skills to work it out, and give it to me. That's at Sat Tech and any suppliers"

"What are you going to do with them?" Joe's face was one of horror, "You're not going to..."

"No, nothing as dramatic as kill them! That would raise a whole bunch of red flags! Besides, they'd be replaced and that would put us back to square one. No, we're going to use the subliminals on them. I only need to make sure that they don't notice anything out of the ordinary, and if they do, they don't report it."

"Oh. OK. That's fair enough, I suppose. Yeah, I'll sort that out."

"Nice one. That's it now, by the way."

"Not quite. There's something I wanted to ask you."

"Shoot."

"This is possibly a conversation for a later date, but once you've got all the tech in place, the chemicals distributed to everyone, and all that..."

"Go on."

"Have you thought about how you're going to play it after that? I imagine that Sam's chemicals aren't going to be one hundred percent effective. You have to be conservative and assume that. Even with a point one percent failure rate we're going to have tens of thousands of people either unaffected or only partially affected. On a global scale that would be six million people! You don't want to make an enemy of that many people, even if you control the rest."

"True."

"So you're not going to be able to march up one day and install yourself as ruler. You're going to have to be a bit more subtle than that."

Felix sat silently, his face the epitome of contemplation.

"I'm not saying it's a deal-killer. It's just going to require some though on your... on our... part."

"You're right. I have to admit, I've been focussed quite a lot on getting to that stage, and not as much on what to do when we get there. I tell you, it's tough, this world domination thing!"

They both laughed. The mood lightened a little.

"In that case you'll need a distraction. And I've got one for you. Do you like poker?"

"It's OK, I guess. Why?"

"I was thinking of getting the team together for a game. Not quite your regular poker, though."

"Go on," Felix replied, a grin of amusement forming.

"I was thinking a game of strip poker. Tournament rules. Losing hand gets rid of one item of clothing. Only not with us doing the stripping. Do you know any girls who would be interested in doing the stripping for us when we lose a hand?"

"I think something could be arranged! I'll have a word; see if anyone else is interested. I think you'll have a high turnout, though."

"Oh, and one other thing."

"What?"

"Well in a tournament you have to have a winner. A winner suggests winnings. How about each losing player gives up his girl to the winner for, say, a week?"

"That is a genius idea! To the victor the spoils!"

"Turn left, Master."

Joe stole a glance at Layla as he turned into the back street. The drive to Gunther's workshop was the first time he'd seen her looking apprehensive. He thought about what she'd said: that she'd used Gunther's feelings for her to get discounts, and wondered if she did that to everyone. Who else had she manipulated? There was a strong argument that she'd manipulated him; getting him to pay for all those lap dances. Him, and every other customer who had walked into that club, hoping to feel her breasts swaying against their face. For a moment, he wondered how many there had been.

"Stop it!" Joe growled quietly to himself. He couldn't let envy take a hold over him. Joe had lost people over petty jealousies before, and was determined not to let that happen again. No matter what Layla had done in the past, she was with him now. She was his.

So why did he feel like he was being played? Layla might have been doing as she was ordered, but she was doing it on her terms. Joe sometimes felt as though he was the one being controlled by her; being made to order her to do what she wanted to do anyway. Even the clothes she was wearing now: a white silk blouse (unbuttoned to reveal a good touch of cleavage), an almost obscenely tight pair of black leather trousers, and white ankle boots were worn "For Gunther's benefit, not yours, Master." It was said as a joke, but Joe hadn't found it funny.

Gunther's place was at the end of the alley, identifiable by the purple curtains behind the front windows and the rock music escaping through the open door. But the clue that really gave it away was the large neon sign proclaiming "Pervert's Paradise" and featuring an ass getting whipped. Gunther had a sense of humour, it seemed. Joe loved it.

This was apparently the fetish shop where Layla stocked up, a business relationship that had lasted many years. All sorts of "alternative" clothing were on show, from the vast array of shiny skirts and dresses to the wildly over-engineered platform boots. "They must weigh a tonne, with all that metal!" Joe mused.

Off to one side, behind a counter full of dildoes (dildos, dildi?) stood Gunther. At least that's what Joe presumed, and Layla soon confirmed.

"Gunny, how ya doin'?" Layla asked, strutting confidently to the counter, "Pervery business going well?"

"So much better now that you're here!" Despite his best efforts, Gunther couldn't resist staring into Layla's cleavage. He could have lost himself in there if wasn't careful. Forcing himself to look into Layla's eyes, he continued, "And yes, business is booming at the moment. A lot of women it seems. Yummy mummies out for a bit of excitement with their hubbies. And without their hubbies," He turned to Joe, smiling, "Hi, I'm Gunther, but most people call me Gunny."

"Hi, Gunny. Joe. Pleased to meet you. Layla's told me all about you."

"None of it's true. I swear!" They both laughed. Layla stayed silent.

"So what can I do for you?"

Layla answered for Joe, "The slave vibrator you invented for Alice. The one with the remote control by phone. We're after one of those."

"For you, Layla?" Gunther raised an eyebrow, "I thought you were more of a top than a bottom."

"No..." Layla started to reply.

"Actually, yes and no." Joe spoke over Layla, "I'm after two, mate. One for Layla, here, and one for somebody else."

"Wha...?" Layla turned to face her partner, who silenced her with a stern look.

Gunter and Layla both looked, shocked, at Joe. Gunther had never expected Layla to be the one following (or even receiving) orders before, and neither had Layla.

"But, Master...!" Layla protested, clearly unused to being thought of as a slave. She was a Mistress: the one giving the orders. So why was a rush of excitement running through her?

"Quiet. Gunny and I are talking here, "Joe's confidence was beginning to build, now he had Layla on the back foot, "Go pick some nice clothes for you and Jane."

"Bu..." Layla couldn't get the words out. "Yes, Master," She relented.

"Sorry about that. So, as I was saying, I'm thinking of buying two of them, to be controlled from the same phone. Can you do that?"

"Er... Yes!" Gunther snapped out of his shock-induced stupor, and returned to businessman mode, "The program is built for as many units as you need. I've tested it with up to ten units so far, without any problems."

"Good. Tell me all about them."

"Well, Sir," Gunther continued talking to his new client, but his concentration was fixed on Layla, "The unit comes in two sections. You have the dildo and the cuff. The cuff has a pulse rate monitor which connects through wi-fi to the dildo. We calibrate each unit to the slave's (ahem) heart rate, so we can monitor whether they're about to orgasm."

"I see. And how do you do this calibration?"

"Once I've made the units... That's about a week by the way, if you bring the subjects in, we can calibrate them for you, in the back room. Essentially we take them up to orgasm a load of times, and measure the heart rates and so on."

"Nice. Do you hear that Layla? A bespoke service!"

Layla nodded. She was following orders and picking out some nice outfits for Master, but that didn't mean she couldn't listen in. The thought of being the victim of one of those machines was daunting, but the waves of pleasure were becoming distracting again.

"So how do you control it? Is it just the phone app?"

"No. There's the phone app, but there's also a web browser-based control. Some of our clients want to see the full data coming in, in graph format."

Gunther motioned them to look at a computer monitor, which showed a login screen. As well as the normal username and password, there was a tick-box with the letters 'SFW' adjacent. "What's the 'SFW' for?"

"Safe for work. In case you want to use it during your lunch hour. A client request."

Gunther gave Joe a tour of the user interface. It had a touch of the 'designed by engineers' clunky feel to it, but it did a good job on showing the information and keeping track of any slave devices. By simply selecting one device from the list, Joe could pull up the heart rate graph and see all the data, "Very impressive."

"Thank you. This is just the Mark One version though. I've got a Mark Two version under development, though. It's nowhere near ready though."

"Oh yes? What does that involve?"

"I'm attempting to diversify the inputs on the unit. At the moment, I only have heart rate. I want to measure pressure on the dildo, to record muscle contractions, and resistivity sensors, to record how moist the subject is. Basically I want as full a telemetry as I can get, for perfecting the calibration process. I'm also looking at using a TENS unit to deliver small electric shocks, as punishment for unauthorised orgasms."

"Is that safe?"

"Well I think that particular feature will be coming with a big health warning, but yeah, it's safe."

"Sweet! When do you think that version will be ready?"

"I don't know. I'm still working on various bits at the moment. If you leave me your contact details I'll let you know closer to the time, though."

"Sound's good. I'm sure I can sort out some willing test subjects for you. So how much does the Mark One cost then?"

"Eight hundred per unit. I usually work on half now, half on delivery."

"Ouch! Layla mentioned they were a bit pricey. She wasn't wrong. Any chance of a deal for two?"

"There's a lot of work in these things, plus the calibration service. I tell you what: I can do you twelve hundred for the pair, as you're one of Layla's friends."

"Well I was thinking a bit better than that. Firstly, I can sort you out the cash up front. Secondly," He motioned Layla to join them again, "Layla here tells me that you were... I think 'into' her was the phrase she used. I understand that you've given her discounts already, just on the hope of getting lucky."

Gunther remained silent.

"So I was thinking. For the right sort of discount, maybe we could remove luck from the equation altogether."

"Please, Master!" Layla reacted meekly.

"I've told you before, quiet! Now, unbutton your blouse, dear. Show him what you've got under there. You see, Gunther, Layla needs to learn her position, and I think your device can help with that. Now, I'm sorry, but I can't have you fucking her, because I haven't checked you out. Nothing personal, but I don't know if you're clear of STDs. No offense!"

"None taken!" Gunther was mesmerised by Layla's breasts, peeking out from under her open top. It was the first time he'd seen them in daylight, rather than under the low lighting of the club. If anything they were even nicer: flawless skin and erect nipples almost advertising themselves to him: "come and play with us," he could almost hear them saying.

"But if you like, you could fuck those lovely titties of hers. Just ram your cock in between them and let her do all the work. You can trust me when I say they feel as good as they look."

"You mean," Gunther gulped, "She'd do that if you told her to?"

"Oh yes. We both know that Layla's a phenomenal prick tease. I've been on the end of that myself. It turns out, however, that Layla's capacity for enjoying submission is much higher than anyone, including Layla herself, would have thought. I just kind of helped her with that. Just watch her now, playing with those beautiful tits."

"Is that true, Layla? Would you?"

"Yeah," Layla cupped her breasts in her hands, fingering her nipples and presenting them to the stunned shopkeeper. Even without Master's order, she knew that he wanted her to seduce Gunther. That alone made the action irresistible, "I obey Master completely now."

Gunther didn't answer. Joe could tell he was doing the mental calculation: lost income versus a shot with Layla. Joe was getting close now, he could feel it. He just needed one last thing to tip it over the edge, "And I don't mean just here and now either. If you agree, then it's one go now, and one when she comes in for the calibration you mentioned. Two for the price of one! Surely that would be worth a reciprocal arrangement?"

"Fuck... Yes," Gunther squeaked, before returning to his normal voice, "I mean, Okay then. Buy one, get one free. Eight hundred for the pair."

"Good man! Now if you don't mind, I don't really want an audience for this. Can you shut up shop for five minutes?"


Chapter 8 - Manipulation

Gunther made a concerted attempt to regain his faculties as he rang the items through the till. The two slave dildos were included, now on buy one get one free. He also explained what he would require for each subject. Layla had also picked out two pairs of latex stockings and some boots in Jane's size, and so Gunther added them to the bill. "That'll be nine hundred and forty five please."

"No problem," Joe started counting out the cash, "Oh, I almost forgot. Which aisle are your butt plugs on?"

"Over there. Which size are you after?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. Layla, what size do you reckon I should get for Jane?"

"The small one would be best, Master. It's usually best if you work up on these things."

"Understandable. Now, what about you? What size should I get you? Bear in mind what you told me - it's for reminding a slave of her status; not for comfort. I also want you to tell me the truth."

Layla had planned on going for a smaller plug, to minimise the discomfort and to try and maintain a modicum of control over the situation. Plus if she had a small one and could easily get it in, she would still be able to maintain an air of superiority over her partner in submission. It was petty, she knew, but every little victory mattered. So when Master ordered her to choose an appropriate one, and not to lie, it was almost as bitter a blow as being made to wear one in the first place! She tried to mentally damn the Master, but that wasn't happening either.

The plugs had been positioned in order of size. The smallest, which Layla had chosen for Jane, was on the left. But the plug that was calling to her now was two to the right of that. It was almost as if that one was more "real" than the others; like it was a solid object compared to photos of the others. The plug was calling out to her; beckoning to her, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't ignore it. With a reluctant look clearly displayed on her face, Layla silently pointed to a plug.

"Well you don't mess around, do you, dear?" Joe smiled, "Now you know what I'm going to ask you to do next, don't you?"

"Yes, Master."

"And what is that?"

"You want me to put it in now, don't you?"

"You know; you and I are beginning to see eye to eye. Gunther, mate, could you pass us a bottle of lube please? Just add it to the bill."

"No problem. There you go."

"Thanks, mate. You know what to do, Layla."

Layla set to work, applying the lubricant liberally to the black rubber. The embarrassment was at maximum now, as the knowledge of what would happen next taunted her. Finally, she could put the moment off no longer. After wiping her hands on a paper towel, Layla unbuckled the belt, unzipped her leather trousers and slid them down. She couldn't lower them all the way; the boots were in the way for that. But she could lower them enough to expose her peachy butt cheeks, and confirm that she had gone without any underwear today.

Inserting it herself, with the two men watching, was probably more humiliating than if one of them had been helping her. Instead, she could feel two sets of eyes boring into her as the black plastic started to part her cheeks. A soft moan escaped her lips. Part from the stretching caused by the plug, and part by the sheer humiliation... and arousal... of the situation. As the widest part went in the moan became a fully-fledged groan, through gritted teeth. And then... And then it was in!

Once the widest part was done the rest was (relatively) easy. She could definitely feel it in there. She hadn't lied when she'd said you can't forget about it. It felt filling, for want of a better word, but not stretching or painful. The same wouldn't be said when it came to remove it later.

She took a moment to catch her breath, and work up her courage, and then turned round to face her audience. She looked every inch the damsel in distress now; topless, her face covered in dried tears and running mascara, her breasts covered in drying cum, her trousers round her ankles and a big fat butt plug inside her. The shame was overwhelming, but more than that was the feeling that Master was punishing her. For what she had no idea, but the idea of having displeased Master felt worse than the shame of public humiliation.

"Good girl. Now pull your trousers up and button your blouse. I'll just pay up and it's over to your place."

"Yes, Master."

After Joe had settled up, he and Layla returned to their car. Although it could barely be seen under her white blouse, Layla felt incredibly self-conscious about the drying cum on her chest. She was sure that someone could see it, especially as the blouse was so thin. She tried to rush back to the car, but Master was having none of it. He was strolling back, and with their arms linked, she could go no faster.

After what seemed like an eternity to Layla, they reached Joe's parked car. Joe made a bit of a show of looking for his keys, just to tease her a little further.

Once in the car, Layla didn't waste any time. "Please, Master. What was that punishment for?"

"Oh, my dear. That wasn't punishment. That was a test. And you passed, with flying colours!"

"A test, Master?"

"Yes. I already knew that you'd submitted to me. But everything so far has been on your terms: the stripping in the club, dominating Jane. Even the three in a bed porno session we had the other day was down to you, apparently. I just wanted to take you out of your comfort zone; see how you behaved."

"I see, Master."

"Cheer up, dear. You passed!"

"Yes, Master."

A moment. Layla found herself gazing at Joe.

"Please, Master?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can I clean this off my chest now, please?"

"I tell you what. You can take of your blouse and use those wet wipes to clean it off, but if you do, you don't put the blouse back on. You can travel back to your place topless."

"But Master, I'll be seen!"

"Well you'll be directing. You'll have to take us back through some quiet roads. Either that or you can leave it on and get a shower when you get home."

Layla considered her options. There was no option, really. Safely encased in the car, no one could see under her blouse. There was no need to sort it out now. She could wait until she got home. So why was she taking off her blouse? Master wouldn't let her put it back on. Even without looking, she could feel Master's gaze boring into her.

"I see you've gone with the clean option. I can't say I blame you."

"Please, Master, let me put it back on. I'll be seen!"

"I know. You made your choice, though!"

"Please, Master!"

"No! If you ask again, I'll make you take those trousers off aswell! You can feel your bare cheeks against the upholstery. Do you want that?"

"No, Master."

"Good. Now I can't gag you, as I need directions to your place. Are you going to behave yourself? Or do we need to take your trousers off too?"

"I'll be good, Master."

"Good, now let's be going."

------------------------------------------------

Joe steered the car down a country lane. Overgrown bushes lined the route on both sides, and there was barely enough width for one vehicle; never mind two. Layla was definitely right when she said this place was out of the way. Despite being less than ten miles out of the city, the country had come up on them very quickly.

"Just there, Master. The black gates."

Joe pulled the car up at a small post next to the gates. It had a numeric keypad and a call button.

"Five, nine, five, zero, Master."

Joe entered the code and the gates quietly opened. Joe had to admit he was impressed, "Keeps the riff-raff out, I guess. I suppose you wouldn't want any neighbours peeking through the windows and seeing you and Lord Fortesque or whatever!"

"Yes, Master," She wasn't in a talkative mood.

The house itself was surprisingly large, if in need of a little attention. Layla had been bought it several years ago, by a particularly wealthy (not to mention corrupt and sometimes kinky) client. The man had paid for the house in cash, no doubt from the backhanders and missing money he was now in jail for. The man had insisted that the house be registered in Layla's name, for (il)legal reasons, and she wasn't going to argue.

The main building was flanked by two smaller ones, one a set of stables and the other a garage. Neither was in a fit state to be used; not without a bit of restoration work anyway. Off to one side, a tractor stood, decaying into a pile of rust and flat tyres. "Make that a lot of restoration work," Joe thought to himself.

Joe appreciated Layla's half naked form as she unlocked the door and led him into her house. Her tight leather trousers framed her ass perfectly, and were only just this side of obscene. Layla was well aware of this, and swayed dramatically as she walked. It was almost as though the chance to show herself off had put her in a good mood again!

The inside of the house was much better cared for than the outside. Layla had obviously spent her money on this part of the estate, fitting it out. The clack of Layla's high-heeled boots echoed through the hall as she walked towards the kitchen. "Would you like a coffee while I take a shower, Master?"

"Please, yes." Joe replied, looking through the house like a prospective buyer. Through the open doors in the hall, Joe could make out a front room, a study/library and the kitchen at the back. Joe followed Layla towards the latter, where she was putting the kettle on. On his way, he saw two more closed doors; still hiding what was behind them.

Joe admired the back garden for a moment. It was huge, and in much better shape than the front. The mix of high walls, bushes and trees also provided a good sense of privacy.

"I'm kind of working my way through the house, Master. It's been a project of mine for a couple of years now," Layla passed him the coffee, "Please, make yourself comfortable. The lounge is just through there. I'll be back down in a few minutes."

The lounge was fairly normal, from the black leather sofas to the rug in front of the fireplace to the TV in the corner. All very normal, thought Joe, struggling to unite this picture with that of the stripping dominatrix he'd known up to now. Just out of curiosity, he looked behind the TV to see if he could spot the 'pod' used for adding the subliminals to the signal. To his surprise, he couldn't see it, despite knowing what he was looking for. Felix's guy was either very good at covering his tracks, or the device had been removed. It didn't matter now in any case. He sat down on the sofa, put his coffee on the table next to him, and contemplated his next move.

After what seemed like an eternity, Layla reappeared. It was immediately obvious what was on her mind. Wearing nothing but a silk babydoll nightdress and matching pair of panties, she flaunted herself in front of Joe, doing a little dance in front of him. Bending over in front of him, she made sure he got a good look at her pendulous breasts, "Do you like what you see, Master?"

"Very much so."

"It turned me on sooo much when you made me please Gunther," She pushed her breasts together, offering them up to Joe, "When he was fucking these, I imagined it was you fucking me... Master."

Climbing onto Joe, Layla pressed her body against his in all the right places. Joe leaned back into the sofa, closely followed by Layla. Her back arched, pressing her crotch into his while presenting her barely covered breasts beautifully to her master. Layla still had the power to seduce, but her clarity and composure had given way to the power of her lustful needs.

"Not yet, Layla!" Joe pushed Layla off, using every last ounce of his self control, "I told you I have things to do today. Show me round the house, and then we'll see."

Layla resumed her tour of the house with extreme reluctance, but at least it was a chance to continue seducing her Master. The study/library turned out to be both, with masses of books lining two of the walls, and a grand wooden desk by the window. The black leather chair and computer hinted at the fact that the room also doubled as her office. The fourth wall was taken by a Chesterfield and small table, with desk lamp. A small stereo had also been put by the table, along with a small pile of CDs.

Going upstairs, Joe took another moment to enjoy Layla, this time in her babydoll. How could anyone ever get tired of that? He resisted the temptation to give her buttocks a quick squeeze. He was worried about setting her off again, and besides, there would be time for that later.

On entering the first bedroom, Joe realised that he'd seen this before. This was the room on Layla's video, where she had started to dominate Jane. Joe smiled as he made the connection, remembering that video, and Jane's subsequent submission.

It had to be noted, also, that Layla's bed was massive; even bigger than a king size. The scale of it hadn't come off in the video, but Joe imagined that he would easily be able get Layla, Jane and himself in it comfortably. As he mused that it would probably come in useful later on, a number of scenarios crossed his mind, and he grinned like a schoolboy.

The floor also housed a bathroom and another three bedrooms. The first two bedrooms were pretty standard, to be fair. Beds, wardrobes, nothing out of the usual. The same could not be said for the last bedroom, though. The fact that this one was locked gave an impression that this would be somewhat unusual, but Joe wasn't prepared for what he found.

It was practically a walk-in closet! At least three full racks of clothing, predominantly fetish gear of some description, were lined up against one wall, with two large chests of drawers on another. Layla opened some of the drawers revealing first a vast array of underwear, and then a selection of dildoes and other similar toys.

"Jane wasn't wrong when she said you had a lot of clothes."

"No. Master," She replied seductively, picking out the schoolgirl outfit she normally wore at the club, "Do you remember me in this?"

"Oh, yes. How could I forget?"

"Or this?" The red spanking dress from the video, complete (or incomplete) with strategically placed hole at the back.

"Definitely. I can see you wearing that again soon!" Joe smiled.

"Would you like me to put it on for you now, Master? Give me a good spanking? You could use one of the whips behind you, if you like."

"Maybe later. I'm on a schedule..." Joe turned round, to be faced by the biggest collection of whips, chains, rope and leather he had ever seen, except maybe in a -shop. This wasn't a collection it was a bloody arsenal! "You must have spent a fortune on this lot!"

I did spend a fair bit on it, Master, but a lot of it was bought by my clients. It was one of the things I did with them. I'd take them shopping, and get them to buy me lots of nice things. Usually while they had a butt plug up their ass."

"That's so evil," Joe replied, smiling, "I love it."

"I have been a bad girl, Master," Layla put on her sexy schoolgirl voice. She pouted her lips, thrust her breasts into Joe's chest and started twirling her hair round her fingers, "Would you like to punish me?"

"As I said, later on. I've got to be somewhere."

"Yes, Master," Layla replied, pouting for all she was worth, "Please don't forget me though."

"Never gonna happen," He reassured his needful siren, pulling her closer and giving her a kiss.

Another floor upstairs revealed three more bedrooms and another bathroom. Joe thought that they'd reached the end of the tour, but Layla had apparently saved the best for last. Of the closed doors leading from the hall, one turned out to be a downstairs bathroom (nothing unusual there), but the other turned out to be something altogether more interesting: an empty storage closet.

"This is the best?"

"No, Master. This is."

Layla put her hand up to the light switch. But instead of flicking the switch, she turned the entire unit upside down. At this point the floorboards rotated out of the way, revealing a flight of stairs down to a basement.

"Bloody hell!"

"I know, Master. This is why I chose this place."

"I don't blame you! I take it the light switch thing was added later."

"Yeah. That was Gunther's invention. The light switch still works. See?"

"Attention to detail. I'm liking that guy more and more! Shall we?"

"Shall we what, Master?" Layla seized the opportunity and wrapped her arms round Joe, "I can think of a few ideas."

"At the risk of repeating myself, you don't mess around, do you!" Joe laughed, "I meant, shall we go down?"

"Oh, I can go down, Master!" She cooed, brushing her hand deliberately across his crotch.

"I meant downstairs! I told you I haven't the time!"

"Yes, Master." He may not have had the time, but Layla knew from the bulge in Master's jeans that the inclination was there. It wouldn't take much more.

The basement was obviously where Layla entertained her clients. Made to look like a dungeon, the room oozed menace. The bare masonry walls and beamed ceiling were covered in fixing points, and the chains that hung from them gave a good idea as to their use. In one corner, a black metal cage sat ominously, waiting for its next victim. In another, a set of medieval stocks added to the ambience. A third corner housed a magnificent throne, with an array of restraints for either the occupant, or the poor victim in front of them. A selection of torture instruments, it looked like, was laid out on a table the last corner. Joe didn't even want to know what they were for, they looked so fearsome.

"I didn't see this on the video," Joe said, attempting to regain control of the situation.

"No, Master. Jane hasn't seen this place yet. She's not ready for it, and I didn't want to scare her off. I only used this for the more adventurous clients. For the rest I used my study or the master bedroom upstairs."

"Ah."

"I used to tie men up here, Master, and beat them with this," She purred, tapping a cane against her hand, "You know, Master, if you wanted to tie me up and have your wicked way with me..."

Joe stayed silent. That resolve was certainly being tested at the moment.

"Anyway," Layla's tone changed again (good for keeping 'em off kilter), "I haven't shown you the best bit yet, Master. You see that chain there, by the wall?"

"Yeah."

"Pull it."

The mechanism was a bit stiff, but Joe managed it, with a bit of effort. A large clunk reverberated through the structure. Joe stood for a moment, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Behind you, Master."

"What? Oh!" Joe turned around to find the wall behind him had moved. It was not actually a wall but a door, leading into a passageway. The darkness gave way to light as a number of strip lights flickered into light, apparently triggered by the same mechanism. It was like a scene out of some bad horror film or something. Joe half expected to see Dracula sneak up behind him. He was, after all, with a scantily clad buxom wench.

"Another secret passageway?" Joe asked, laughing, "What's next? Professor Plum in the dining room with the candlestick?"

"Apparently the people who built this house were into some legally questionable activities, mostly involving bootleg whisky. This takes you up to the garage outside. Let me show you this."

On the other side of the door, in the damp stone corridor, Layla had two things to show. The first was a similar chain to the one in the dungeon. This apparently provided a way of opening the door from this side. The other was an even lower tech solution: a log.

"That log is a bit of a security device, Master. Wedge it up against the door, and it won't open."

"Let me guess. Gunther I take it that's for when the police are calling, and you want a quick getaway."

"Yes, Master. I've got to admit, I've thought about that myself. In case the vice squad came calling. Can you see Moi, being lead away in handcuffs?"

"Definitely!" They both laughed.

"You know, I've got some handcuffs down here, Master..."

"You're incorrigible, aren't you!"

"Yes, Master. I'm just so turned on at the moment," She raised her hands to her breasts, almost absentmindedly, and started kneading them, "What happened at Gunther's shop, and in the car. It's left me... I need you to fuck me, Master. I need my Master..."

Joe's resolve had been tested beyond its limit, "Come on then. Up to your bedroom, and then I really have to be going."

"Is it working then?" Felix leaned over Joe's shoulder, examining the screen. A string of numbers flashed on the screen, along with an instruction to call the number.

"Of course. Adding our numbers is the easy part. The difficult bit is knowing when to add them. Is there any way you could get to where they add them, and add a timing signal for us?"

"I severely doubt it. It would be much easier if you could detect it and to it yourself."

"That's what I'm working on. I can do it. It's just an extra layer of complexity we could have done without."

"In that case you do it. I don't want to risk tampering with other people's equipment."

"Understandable. Hey, did you ask around about the poker?"

Felix smiled, "Everyone's up for it. I never expected anything else to be honest. When were you thinking of doing it?"

"In a few weeks. I want to get this busy stage of the project over with, and I also wanted to get sorted out in Layla's place."

"You moving in there? I figured you might."

"Thinking about it. It would save messing about if I had both Jane and Layla in the same as me, and Layla's place is easily the biggest. There's also no neighbours to nose around or risk overhearing."

"It does make sense, doesn't it."

"Aye. Anyway, I was thinking of having a party over there, once I've got settled in. There's at least six bedrooms, so we can all have a few to drink and you lot can stop the night.

"Even better. I look forward to it."

Joe looked around the office. Everyone was staring intently at their screens, presumably hard at work. Now would be the best time. "Mike. A quick word, please."

"No problem, mate. How's it going? I hear your girlfriend wouldn't let you come out and play this morning. Never mind, at least you've got permission now!"

"It is a tough life, keeping two highly-sexed gorgeous women satisfied on a daily basis. It has its rewards, though. You coming to the poker when I get it sorted?"

"Of course. I'm looking forward for taking your money AND your highly-sexed gorgeous women, at least for the week! Think of it as a service: me giving you the week off!"

"We'll see. I've played a few hands myself! Anyway, on to business. You sort out the computer security and encryption, don't you? I want you to do me a favour."

"Go on..." Mike's demeanour instantly changed. The jovial guy of five seconds ago had been replaced by a much more serious persona.

"If I know Felix, then he's planning on cheating at the poker game. I don't know how, but he will. I want to even things up a little."

Mike's smile began to creep back, "And how do you propose that?"

"I assume that Felix is subject to the same subliminal chemicals and signals as we are."

Silence from Mike.

"And if he is, then I want to add a suggestion to his programme. I was thinking something along the lines of 'if you're bluffing, then unconsciously clench your fist.'"

"I don't know. What if we get caught?"

"Firstly, you're an intelligent guy. I assume that you can make sure you don't get caught. Secondly, it's not like we're harming him, or trying to take control of the project. All we're doing is giving ourselves an edge in a friendly game of poker. Thirdly, just look at it from a risk-versus-reward point of view. Surely it's worth it for the rewards..."

"Well..." Mike mused.

"And you think he wouldn't try and do the same thing anyway? If anything, we'd just be getting in there first. He has the advantage of umpteen codes he can use on us. This is just levelling the playing field a little."

"Okay, okay! You had me at rewards. I'll need at least two weeks before the game, though, to write and install the code, and to give it time to work."

"That can be arranged!"

"Just one thing, though."

"Go on."

"The prize can only go one way, unless you want to give the game away. I assume you want to win, which leaves me shit out of luck. So what's in it for me?"

"We play it straight. Let the cards decide."

Jane stood in front of the full length mirror, wiggling her bum playfully. It was a warm day outside, so when Master instructed Jane and Layla to wear "something light and easily removable", Jane wasn't surprised. In fact, she was excited. The opportunity to show her body off to her Master, and the possibility of him... Even thinking about it was enough to get her juices flowing. She just hoped that it wouldn't show on the denim hot pants she had chosen to wear with her pink t-shirt.

"Very nice!"

"Oh hi, Layla! I didn't see you come in. See, I did what Master ordered, easy to remove," She lowered her shorts, "And no underwear!"

"I'm sure Master will be very pleased with you, dear. You look good enough to eat. In fact, if Master hadn't told me we were going soon, I'd have you on your knees right now!"

Jane giggled, but she had to hold herself back. She seemed to have a hair trigger these days, and comments like that could easily set her off.

"Anyway. Come on, dear," Layla's smile vanished, "Master's waiting downstairs and we've got an appointment to keep."

As Jane walked downstairs, she thought about Layla's sudden change of mood. That sort of thing had happened a few times in the past week. Jane could tell that Layla was nervous about something, but she wouldn't say what. That alone was starting to worry Jane; Layla had started confiding in her since their introduction, so the silence was indeed troubling.

All troubles were forgotten, though, on the sight of Master, waiting by the car. Unable to resist, Jane skipped right up to him and planted her lips on his. That always felt good: pressing her body against his, and feeling his hands exploring her ass. It was bliss itself.

The drive itself was fairly quiet. From her position in the back, Jane could see Layla sat, silent, with her nerves becoming ever more apparent. Master was driving, acting as though it was a perfectly normal day. He even put the radio on to listen to some music. Jane wondered what was going on, but her mind kept wondering onto... other things. Like the constant distraction of that infernal butt plug. Every little movement reminded her of its presence and from that, Master's orders.

Jane's bewilderment only increased on arrival at their destination: a sleazy sex shop. Jane remembered being there recently, to buy an outfit and impress Master. Perhaps he had found out about that. Perhaps he was taking her there to buy more sexy outfits. That would explain the light clothing instruction.

"Hey, Layla," The owner of the shop seemed to know her well, "Joe, isn't it?" He turned to Jane, "Hi, I'm Gunther. Have you been here before?"

"Yeah," Jane blushed, "I was in here about a month ago."

"Is this your master too?"

Jane turned to Joe, who nodded silent approval, "Yes. He's my Master."

"You lucky bastard!" Gunther grinned, "Two lovely housepets! What's your secret?"

"If I told you, mate, I'd have to kill you," Master responded, half-jokingly. "Anyway. The slave vibrators. You phoned, and said they were ready."

Jane gasped. Slave vibrators? That sounded ominous. She'd only just got used to the plug she wore on a regular basis now. What more did Master have in store for her.

"That's right. Though here, please. Kim, can you look after the shop, please?"

If the mention of slave vibrators sounded ominous, then the room at the back of the shop was enough to fill Jane with dread. At the centre of the room was something... well it could only be described as a dentist's chair. Only this one had restraints for the victim's arms, legs, torso and even head. It looked like it had been transplanted out of some horror movie.

Jane's mind was racing, "What are they going to do to me? Are they going to tie me down and do things to me? Nasty things? Horrible things? Indecent things? Is Master going to make me get on that? Ohmygod am I turned on by this? Stop it, Jane, stop it!"

"OK, just a bit of housekeeping first. I realise that you're both in a sub/dom relationship with Joe over here, but I need to know I have your consent. So if you want me to stop at any time just say 'stop' or 'red', and I'll stop. Understand?"

Both women nodded.

"Good. Remember that I've already been paid, so there's no incentive for me to violate a safeword, and even if there were, I wouldn't. So, Layla. Do you want to go first?" Gunther said, grinning from ear to ear, "If you just take your clothes off and pop on the chair, there, we can get started."

Layla looked over to Joe, begging with her eyes for some kind of change of heart. None was forthcoming, however, "As the man says, dear. Up on the chair!"

"But..." Layla started to argue, but there was no point in arguing. Even as she tried, she was removing her clothes. It was practically automatic.

"I see you're already plugged back there! One of mine?" Gunther started locking the restraints, "Don't worry, Layla dear. These are just to stop you falling off the chair during the calibration routine. We're not sucking out brains today; that's on Tuesdays!"

"Calibration routine?" Jane asked, "What's that?"

"I take it that your master hasn't told you what we're doing today."

"No," Joe interrupted, "I wanted it to be a surprise. Go right ahead, though."

"Okay. This looks like a normal vibrator, and essentially that's what it is. We've added a few refinements, though, which I think you'll appreciate."

Gunther took a metal cuff from a sideboard and clasped it around Layla's left wrist. All the while, he continued explaining his equipment to Jane, "Your wrists were measured about a week ago. That was for this. We have to have a tight fit for the pulse monitor on the inside. This is High-Corrosion-Resistant steel, which is one step up from stainless steel. You can take this into the shower, as it won't rust and the electronics and locking mechanism are protected. You'll notice that there's no keyhole to open this cuff. That's going to be controlled by your master. I happen to know how good Layla over here is at picking locks, and I obviously had to do something about that."

Layla examined the cuff around her wrist. It fitted snugly, but wasn't tight enough to restrict the blood flow. She could definitely feel the weight of it, and it felt solid enough. There were no locks for her to pick, and the only imperfections in the solid steel bracelet were for the hinge and the lock. In short, this was going nowhere fast.

Picking up the vibrator, Gunther liberally applied lubrication to its shaft, "As I said, we've turbocharged it a bit. We've put in rechargeable batteries that will give 24 hours continuous use. I guarantee that you'll conk out before this does! This is going to feel cold."

He inserted the device slowly but relentlessly into Layla's exposed pussy, eliciting a long, deep moan from the helpless woman, "It's not on now, but it's controlled by your master through a computer or his mobile phone. Watch that screen there,"

A screen had been set up so that it could be seen by Layla from her vulnerable position, and her audience could also watch. The screen currently displayed a heart rate alongside a number of buttons and readings. It seemed Layla was already excited, but then that wasn't exactly surprising.

Gunther returned to his laptop, and pressed a button. Layla gasped as the vibrator roared to life. The screen instantly registered a jump in heart rate, even from its high starting point.

Turning to Jane, "You know, I never caught your name on the way in."

"Jane."

"And you're his other slave then?"

"Yes," Jane had never heard herself referred to as 'slave' before, but it fitted perfectly, "I belong to Master."

"Ooooooooooooh!" Layla's vibrator was beginning to have the desired effect. From the monitor, it was clear that her heart rate was rising. Her breathing had also quickened, and a sheen of sweat was forming across her body.

"Is she alright?"

"Oh yeah, she's fine. We're just taking her up to orgasm so we can take some readings."

"Readings? What for?"

"The slave dildo is going to be your new best friend. It's designed to take you up to the brink of orgasm. We're measuring Layla's pulse rate to determine when that is for her, hence the calibration."

"And what happens when she does orgasm?"

"She doesn't. I said it takes her to the brink of orgasm. Then it stops."

"Why?"

Joe decided to take this one. He stared into Jane's eyes, and made sure she knew he meant business, "Because you two need training in self-discipline, and this will teach it to you. I know your needs have been amplified recently, and have accommodated you this far. I've been good to you, and let you satisfy those needs with me. But that all ends here. You have to learn... you WILL learn that I am the Master in this relationship and your needs are secondary now. You belong to me: you serve me, not the other way around. Understand?"

As shocked as she was, Jane had never been so aroused. Master was being everything she needed him to be. So dominant! So powerful! A simple "Yes, Master," was all she could whisper.

Elsewhere in the room, Gunther was monitoring proceedings with Layla, "She's about to come. You can give her a hand if you like, Jane."

Master signalled his agreement. Jane took a nervous step over, and started stroking Layla's thigh, "Are you alright?"

"Y... Yeah," Layla was obviously preoccupied.

"Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Finish me off, please! My clit's on fire, and I can't..."

Jane obliged, partly out of concern for her friend, and partly through her own sheer lust for the naked woman in front of her. She reached over and started licking at Layla. She could hear the hum and feel the vibrations through Layla's skin, against her tongue. Jane knew Layla was close to the edge, and could feel her partner tense up as the orgasm took her.

"FUUUUUUUUUUCK!!! Ohhhhhhhhhh, Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Jane could see why the restraints were needed, and moved out of harm's way. Layla thrashed her limbs like a woman possessed. Her back arched and her cries of ecstasy reverberated around the room. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Layla calmed down and caught her breath.

Gunther furiously tapped at his computer's keyboard, "Fantastic! We got some great results from that. You're a natural, Layla!"

"What? Oh. Thanks. I think. Is that it?"

"Afraid not. I usually do three runs to get a good set of readings."

"What?" Layla replied, "Three of those? I don't think I..."

"Actually, Gunther," Joe interjected, "Can you make it four runs? I have a favour to repay."


Chapter 9 - Preparation

Layla shuffled off of the chair with Jane's help, while Gunther removed the cuff, "Are you alright?"

"Just gimme a few minutes."

"That was intense! I can understand why you were nervous."

"Oh, Jane. It's not that bit that was making me nervous. It's what follows that's got me worried."

"Why? What..."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of Master's voice, "So, Gunther, how did that go? Did you get the readings?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Just crunching the numbers."

"She didn't seem to come from the vibrator alone, though. She only came when Jane was helping her out."

"Well, everybody's different. Layla seems to respond more to clitoral stimulation than most. If you want I can add a clit stim to the package. It can go on a second channel, and is easy to set up. I'm not sure how useful Layla would be with it on, though. You might end up with a mass of quivering Layla sprawled across the floor several times a day!"

"You sell it well! I'll see how it goes with this for now. It sounds like you can add it later."

"Yeah, that'll be fine. The system's designed to be flexible and added to over time."

"Good man. So how long does the system take to calibrate?"

"Minutes. In fact it's downloading to the cuff now. That reminds me, I'll need your phone to install the control programme."

"There you go."

"Thanks. That's the cuff done. Layla, can you come over here, please?"

Layla watched impassively as Gunther fitted the bracelet. After the intensity of her ordeal, she was too exhausted to do anything else. This time the sound of the cuff clasp locking seemed altogether more permanent. Layla wondered if it would ever feel normal on her wrist; if she would ever feel normal again!

"Right! That's Layla done. Jane, wasn't it?" Gunther turned his attention to his next victim/subject, "If you could just hop on the chair we can get you started."

"Sleep!"

Joe smiled as Jane and Layla's consciousness quickly ebbed. He was getting used to this. However, they might not have long, sat in Joe's parked car. All it would take was some nosey bugger looking inside, seeing two unconscious women and things could be all over. This would have to be quick. Besides, Mike had called, and wanted to meet urgently.

"Good. Are you comfortable? If not, make yourselves comfortable. Good. Now, Layla, in your big session with Jane you mentioned nipple and pussy rings. You said you could effectively lock Jane's pussy up like some sort of chastity device. Is that right?"

"Yes, Master."

"Does it work? How effective is it?"

"Yes it works, Master. It's very effective."

"I take it the wearer can't have sex while locked up. The normal way, anyway."

"No, Master. Not if it's done right."

"And dildos? Can they be removed?"

"No, Master."

"Great. Now, Jane, Layla. Now that this idea has been mentioned, it's going to stick in the back of your minds. It will be just an inkling at first, but as you think more about it the urge to get pierced there will become almost as strong as your desire to submit to your master. You can justify it to yourself however you want, but the urge will become undeniable and when it does, you will give in to it. Do you understand?"

(In unison) "Yes, Master."

He could definitely get used to that sound. "When you wake up, you will forget this conversation. You will even forget that you went to sleep just now. We've just got in the car, and are heading back home. As I count to five, you will wake up, feeling exactly as you felt before. One... two... three... four... five."

"Hey, Mike." Joe called from across the café.

Mike joined Joe at his table. He looked a lot more concerned than at their previous encounters at the office.

"How's it going?" Joe tried to lighten the mood a little. Plus, they were in a roadside café. That was the sort of thing you said. The only other customers, an old couple three tables over, were busy talking about the olden days, or youths, or whatever old people talked about.

"Not too bad. A shit-ton of things to do, but that's usual."

"So why did you want to meet here, away from the office? Is it about..."

"Yes." Mike interrupted, looking around furtively. "It's done." He took a sip from his coffee. "It should be ready in time for the match."

"Nice one." Mike's nerves were beginning to make Joe anxious. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Mike leaned in. "Just... Were you followed?"

"What?"

"Were you followed? By one of Felix's guys?"

"No! I don't think so anyway. At least not that I noticed. Why?"

"If he finds out about this..."

"IF... If he finds out about what? It's a game of poker!"

"I know but, he takes this stuff very seriously. He does NOT tolerate disloyalty."

"What's he gonna do?" Joe asked, sarcastically.

Mike stayed silent.

"What's he going to do?" Joe asked, a little more forcefully.

"Did you ever find out about Dan? The guy doing your job before you joined?"

"No. Well only that he left. Why?"

"Dan apparently sold us out. I don't know the specifics of what he did, or with whom, but Felix found out. Suddenly Dan disappears and you're being set up as his replacement."

"So Felix got rid of him? I would! I wouldn't want to be working with someone like that!"

"No, I mean properly disappeared. Like off the face of the Earth. Like six foot fucking under."

This time it was Joe's turn to stay silent.

"Felix had him killed. He admitted as much to us. He told us that the problem 'had been taken care of', and that Dan wouldn't be betraying anyone any more. His words! He even showed us the damned obituary in the paper."

Joe looked around. The old couple hadn't heard Mike's rant, and continued their conversation. Staring into his coffee, Joe tried to make sense of his situation. "Are you serious?"

"As a fucking heart attack. So what do you want to do?"

Joe thought about it for a moment. This was getting altogether too risky. He certainly didn't want to end up in a ditch somewhere. But then this wasn't exactly a takeover attempt either. "Exactly as before. You've already done it, haven't you? We're not trying to take over the entire project; this is just a game of poker. Hell, he might even be expecting the odd dirty trick. We're not exactly angels in this group, are we?"

Mike relaxed a little. "I guess so."

"Good. Now if you don't want to go through with it, just lose the game. Felix will be no wiser! Just don't come last. I assume you know why."

The day of the party arrived, and Jane's nerves were matched only by her excitement. She was grateful for the distraction of the jobs she'd been given: the temptation to masturbate would have been too much otherwise, and Master had given her strict instructions forbidding that. Not only that, but she had to do all her jobs fully plugged. This was going to be a long day!

Jane knew that Layla was the same, if not more so. Master had told her that there was going to be a competition, and she was to be the prize! That was so hot it was unbelievable! Jane had to admit that she was jealous, and would have given anything to be the centre of attention. There was the compensation of remaining with Master, however, and Jane would see plenty of action looking after the guests.

In the meantime, there was housework to be done. The house had to be cleaned, the canapés had to be prepared and the spare bedrooms had to be made ready for guests. Both Jane and Layla were rushing through their tasks because, in Layla's words "Master told us not to bring ourselves off, but he never said anything about what we could do to each other." The plan was to clean the house as quickly as possible, and then get dirty again in the shower afterwards. It was a good plan, Jane mused.

As the day wore on, the incessant stimulation wore at Jane. That machine was the work of the devil, she was sure. Sometimes it would start buzzing just for a short moment and then stop. Other times it would take her right to the brink before shutting down. It never let her go over the threshold, but brought her up to it a ridiculous number of times. She never knew when it would start buzzing, and it got to the point where ever twitch set her on edge.

The worst thing though; the absolute worst, was when the machine had a double run. It would take Jane right up to the wire and leave her there, and then as she calmed down and her heart rate dropped to normal, it would start up again! Jane couldn't even get over one missed orgasm before the machine forced the second one on her. Each time it left her on her knees, tears of frustration streaming down her face and her whole body straining for release.

This was verging on torture, and Jane wanted nothing more than to put her fingers between her legs and finish herself off. That was out of the question, though. As much as she might want to, might NEED to, the idea of disobeying Master's orders was anathema to her. The idea of removing that infernal device seemed as ridiculous as that of ending her suffering through climax. Despite the lack of a physical barrier preventing removal of the vibrator, Master had allowed that only for using the bathroom, or when physical safety demanded it, and Master's word was law. Jane was going to have to endure, because Master wished it.

That last thought was comforting, though. Master wished it. That gave Jane the strength to see it through. Master would be pleased that Jane had complied, and the prospect of Master's pleasure was enough to inspire resilience. That and the promise of sweet release at Layla's hands on completion of the chores, obviously!

It would be so much easier, though, if the choice had been taken away from her. The only thing keeping the vibrator in was a pair of rubber panties given to her by Layla. (Otherwise, Layla had said, she would be doing the housework in the nude.) Jane had been thinking about what Layla had said about pussy rings and a lock.

Without it, the temptation to remove the vibrator was immense, but that would mean disobeying Master, and that was unconscionable. With it, Jane could concentrate on pleasing Master so much more, not to mention the delicious submission that would come with letting him control access to her pussy. She would have to ask Master if he would let her lock her pussy for him, and if he would keep the key.

Once the house was ready, two exhausted and sweaty women entered the shower. The hot water massaged their skin as the two women just stood, embracing each other for support. After a few moments of togetherness under the shower, Jane felt Layla's hands starting to caress her.

"That feels so good," Jane sighed, feeling her arousal increasing for the hundredth time that day. She responded in kind, lathering up her partner with the soapy suds.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah," Layla replied, the power of speech having escaped her.

As their strength returned, their tempo increased. Jane let her fingers do the walking, and started pleasuring Layla, rubbing her pussy with increasing vigour. Layla clasped Jane's hand in her own, vicariously masturbating for all she was worth. Pushing Jane against the shower wall, she pressed their bodies together, breast against breast, lips against lips, tongue against tongue.

With Layla's constant state of arousal throughout the day, her climax came fast and hard. She groaned as her body gave out from under her, and slumped into her lover's arms. For a moment Jane held her up, until her knees could regain their strength and she could support herself.

"That was... That was..." Layla was lost for words. As she regained her senses, she steadied herself, "Let me down. I wanna lick you out on my knees."

Once on her knees, Layla wasted no more time. She put her arms round Jane, grabbing both ass cheeks, and buried her face in Jane's crotch

Now it was Jane's turn to lose the ability to speak. For the first time in ages, it seemed, Jane didn't need to worry about servicing someone. All she had to do was stand there and be pleasured herself. Granted it was the second half of an unspoken deal, but still... Jane let herself relax as Layla's expert tongue did all the work.

Jane felt her breathing get faster as her arousal grew. Layla had quickly progressed from gentle to determined, and Jane felt closer and closer to orgasm. Her buttocks clenched. Her back arched. She was on the edge now, desperate to cum, but she couldn't. Not quite...

"Please...!"

"Wha?" Layla asked as best she could, given her mouth full of Jane.

"Please, let me come!"

Suddenly it was clear to Layla. She leaned her head back to face Jane, "Come."

Jane didn't need telling twice.

Felix stared into the distance. "So who told you?"

"You did. Don't you remember? Showing me around the office, introducing me to everyone. You said I was Dan's replacement. The other guys looked like they'd been gut-punched. So? What happened?"

"You've got to understand. He sold us out."

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

Felix took a deep breath. "I had him killed."

Joe's head span. It was all he could do not to throw up. "Fuck...!"

"It was either him or us, mate. I told you right at the start that we were into some serious shit. This is why."

"But killing him? Why? Surely you could have just... I didn't think you had it in you?"

"Look. He nearly got US all killed, or worse. If we hadn't figured out what he was doing, I would be six foot under by now, or in some Russian basement."

"Russian? Is that who it was? The Russians?"

"I don't know. Russians, Iranians, Americans... Get a map and stick a pin in. They could have been independent contractors like us, for all we know. That's why we've had to be so careful recently. We know he's said something to someone, but we don't know who. My security guys got him taped, giving them chapter and verse.

"Did the rest of the group agree to this too?"

"No. There wasn't time. We had to act pretty much immediately. We know he gave them our previous office; hence the protocols, so even you guys don't know where it is. We found some of their people casing the building, watching entries and exits. We had to wipe all the disks and burn the whole place down."

None of this made Joe any more comfortable. "So, are we being watched now?

"We don't think so. We..."

"We don't think so? You sound fucking confident on that one!"

"... We know they got the building, but they didn't get us. We got the 'stay away' code out as soon as they started watching the building. We also set up some fake psychiatric records for him in a private clinic, and made sure they got them. They figured he was crazy, and dropped him soon after."

"Are you sure they don't suspect any of us? If you don't know who they are then how do you know they're not still following us?"

"Tradecraft, mate. One of the things I learnt in the States. Also known as 'being fucking careful!' If anyone so much as walks past your house, we know about it. We stayed away from the project for over a year, and flushed out anyone following us. Two of our guys were being followed, so we quarantined them for their... and our protection."

"And what if they get taken? Hell, what if we get taken?"

"They've forgotten everything about the project now. We saw to it. They don't have anything to tell anyone. We couldn't leave any trace of our involvement for anyone to find."

"And Dan?"

"Half a bottle of vodka, a late night drive and a brick wall. It had to look like an accident or they'd suspect."

"But why? Couldn't you just erase his memory, like the other two?"

"Because the bastard betrayed us. He cost us well over a year and two good guys. And most of all, he nearly got us all fucking killed. I would have fucking killed him myself if it wasn't for the fact he was being watched. Plus I needed to send a message to everyone else in the group: you mess with this at your fucking peril."

Joe remained silent. He had to admit that this all made sense, but couldn't believe the cold-bloodedness of it all. Then, an altogether more worrying thought crossed his mind. "So was he working alone?"

"Within the group you mean? Yes, he was alone."

"Are you sure?"

"We went through all of his contacts, checked all records, reviewed all video. And we asked him."

"You asked him? Oh well, so that's alright then!" Joe snorted derisively.

"No, I mean, we asked him. Hard."

"What? You mean, like...?"

"Yeah."

"Fuckin'..." Joe wanted this conversation to end. Every time he asked a question, he found out something else he didn't want to know.

"What did you think I'd do? Let him walk? Assume that he was working alone?"

"I guess not. It's just..."

"I know. It's the worst thing that I've ever had to do. I hated myself and the project for it. I said we iced the project for a year. We very nearly made that permanent. I've lost count of the number of times I thought about it, in case there was something else I could have done. But there wasn't. I HAD to do it. There's no telling what would have happened to us otherwise."

Joe stared out of the window, not wanting to look at his friend in case he had any more revelations. "So where does this leave us?" He eventually asked.

"As far as I'm concerned? Exactly where we were before. I can understand you being upset about Dan..."

"Upset doesn't quite cover it."

"... And I don't blame you. I wasn't happy about it either! Do you think I wanted all that?"

"I... No."

"Fucking right! So you've got a decision to make. In or out. You can walk away, right now, and forget about the project. And I mean forget literally, by the way. I wouldn't blame you in the slightest, given the circumstances. If your guilty conscience gets the better of you, you're better off out of it. I don't want a repeat of Dan."

Joe could see where this was heading. "And give all this up?"

"You can't have it both ways. Like before, you're in or you're out. That includes your two women, Jane and Layla."

The last part sealed it for Joe. He couldn't give them up. By now, he was as addicted to them as they were to him. Besides, he could sort of understand where Felix was coming from, even if his methods were drastic. "I'm in."

A coffee, a snack and a couple of hours later: "Time to get ready then, Jane Deary! Enough relaxing for one day!"

"What does Master have in store for us?"

"I don't know about myself, apart from the prize bit, but you're on serving duties. He had me sort you out a uniform especially."

"Sounds exciting! I hope it's sexy for Master and his friends. Do you reckon if we're hot enough, he'll send them home and we can have our own, more intimate party?"

"Well we'll certainly be sexy for Master. I can promise you that much. Now come on upstairs with me. We have to get you into uniform. Master will be home soon, and he's demanded that we be ready by then."

"Yes, Mistress," Jane giggled.

When Jane saw the uniform she was to wear for the party, her legs nearly gave way. She would practically be on display to their guests, and would be powerless to prevent it. That alone triggered the now familiar tingling between Jane's legs.

"What do you think?" Layla asked mischievously.

"That dress looks very short, and I can't see any knickers, Mistress."

"I think that's the point, my dear. You're going to be a sex toy for Master's friends tonight. In between serving drinks and snacks, you'll be passed around like a cheap whore."

Jane shivered with anticipation. She was going to be the centre of attention, and after a day of torment and denial from that blasted vibrator, she couldn't wait! Her fingers would have been rubbing away furiously by now, but again, Master had said no. She just hoped that he would let her orgasm during the party.

"So where do I start?"

They started with the bra, if that's what it could be called. It consisted of a set of leather straps designed to encircle her breasts, rather than cover them. By the time Mistress had finished adjusting the straps, Jane's breasts jutted lewdly from her body, apparently inviting all and sundry to ogle and grope. Cheap whore indeed. Jane knew she would make an excellent cheap whore.

Stockings and suspenders were next. Mistress had laid out a pair of black latex stockings, and suspenders to go with them. Layla helped Jane put them on, taking care not to tear the thin material. By the time she was finished, her shiny black legs alone could stop traffic.

The dress followed: a latex version of a French maid's outfit. In many respects this was a "traditional" French maid's dress; black with white lace trim, white pinafore (to be added later) and a cute little cap. However, this was the shortest a dress could go and still be worthy of the name. By the time she had put it on, the dress barely descended beyond Jane's ass cheeks. It looked like she would constantly have to keep pulling it down to keep herself decent. Well, decent-ish. Any bending over or even spreading her legs, and she would be exposed for the world to see. In any event, Mistress could see now, and smiled at the trickle of moisture making its way down her leg.

"Save it for the party, my dear!" Layla laughed, grabbing a tissue, "I'm sure you'll be getting all the attention you need by then!"

"I'm sorry, Mistress. I'm just so excited I could just cum right now!"

"Well you're not going to. You know the rules. No cumming without permission."

"Yes, Mistress."

Jane had to admit that the practice in getting into (and out of) latex over the past few weeks had fared her well. Within no time she was in the dress. As usual, it felt like the dress was a size too small. Apart from the short length, the dress struggled to contain her boobs. They seemed to stretch the fabric beyond the bounds of possibility, with dramatic effect. The white frilly neckline plunged deep into her breasts, and stopped tantalisingly short of her nipples. The lacing extended further down still, giving extra glimpses of those glorious fleshy orbs and perfectly framing her "underboob". It screamed "available" but there was one thing missing. Layla resolved that by pinching Jane's nipples viciously through the thin latex. "There!" she smiled, "They're visible now. Keep pinching them whenever you have the chance to keep them that way. Even better, ask the guests to pinch them for you."

"Yes, Mistress." The pain was there, but it had almost instantaneously transmuted to pleasure. Even the warmth that followed felt blissful. The temptation to play with them would be strong tonight.

"That's assuming you have the use of your arms, of course." Mistress could almost read her mind! "If you don't, just come to me, and I'll sort you out."

"Yes, Mistress. Please do," Jane pleaded. "Do you think that Master will let me get them pierced?"

"I imagine so. I'll speak to him after the party. We can both get them done."

"You aswell" Jane was shocked, but delighted, "And our pussies?"

"Definitely. Right. Now for the main event!"

The 'main event' was a heavy rubber corset. Jane knew that Mistress had a love of corsets, devoting a whole wardrobe to them. Up to date, however, Mistress had not put Jane in one: mainly due to the fact that they were generally custom pieces and needed to be crafted. This one was plain black, designed to be fitted over the Maid's dress, and contained lots of convenient buckles for restraining said maids. "Have you ever worn a corset before?"

"No, Mistress."

"Well this is your first one. Consider yourself to be a lucky girl. Few ever get to feel the delightful constriction that goes with a corset. It really is addictive. I have to admit I've been looking forward for seeing you in this. This is called a waist cincher, just so you know. It has no cups for the breasts, but yours are obviously taken care of already."

Jane was surprised at the effort it took to get the corset closed and clasped at the front. The rubber yielded far less than the stretchy latex of the dress, and Jane could already feel her breathing being restricted. It felt like being tightly hugged by her Master. Jane closed her eyes and imagined his strong arms around her body.

"Don't worry, my dear. We're not finished yet! Turn around. You might want to steady yourself against that chair."

The corset was laced up the back; the white laces continuing the theme of the dress. They were already fairly tight, but that wasn't enough for the experienced dominatrix.

Jane gasped as the air was squeezed out of her lungs, "Please, Mistress!" She squealed as the constriction tightened.

"We're nearly there, dear. Breathe lightly, and from the top of your lungs. Like that, yes. Don't try and fight it, because it is most definitely stronger. There, that's it. Stand up straight. Over here, in front of the mirror."

If Jane could stop traffic before, she could stop hearts now! She could cause a bloody heart attack now; her hourglass figure looking devastating in that mirror. There was no way that Master would be able to resist her now, she thought, trying to contain the ever increasing lust.

"You look good enough to eat," Mistress agreed, attaching the finishing touches of the cap and pinny, putting on the always-necessary high heeled shoes and fixing her make-up.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Layla fetched two hair clips from the dresser. Returning to her rubber-clad maid, she hitched up Jane's skirt at each side, exposing yet more leg. "I think I'll keep you dressed like this all the time, while you're doing your daily chores. Master's not going to want to leave the house! Speaking of which, I think that's him downstairs now. Keep him occupied, and tell him I'll be down in a few minutes."

By the time he had arrived back at Layla's place, Joe had almost completely justified Felix's actions in his head.

Entering the front door, silence greeted him.

"Jane? Layla?" He called out, an iota of concern in his voice.

"Good evening, Master." Jane responded, tottering down the stairs in her high heels. "Mistress Layla's just getting ready: she'll be down in a couple of minutes."

"No prob... Damn, you look fucking sensational!" Joe caught sight of Jane in that uniform and all other thoughts evaporated. She was absolutely stunning.

"Thank you, Master. I'm glad you like it," Jane did a twirl when she reached the bottom of the stairs. The dress raised a little, showing her plugged, yet otherwise bare ass underneath.

"Very much so," He stepped up to her and kissed her passionately, pressing his body against hers and feeling her do the same to him. They stayed like that for a few moments; Joe exploring Jane's body through the latex (and her butt from under the dress), until Joe broke off the embrace.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Master?" Jane purred, her intentions plainly obvious.

"Fetch me a whisky, and meet me in the lounge."

Jane yelped with delight, "Yes, Master. Right away!"

Joe watched her head to the kitchen, with her dress barely covering her behind. It was certainly going to be a fun evening, he thought.

By the time Jane returned from fetching his drink, Joe had made himself comfortable on the sofa. He watched as Jane made a show of putting his glass on the table, emphasizing her bust and its tight latex confines. "Thanks. Now you know what to do."

"Yes, Master." Jane knelt down in front of him, legs apart and hands behind her back. The dress did absolutely nothing to maintain her modesty and she knew it. The restrained arousal was evident in her eyes.

Joe took out his phone, and selected his new favourite application. "I see that you and Layla had a good time this afternoon, about 3:30..."

"Yes, Master. After cleaning the house we had a shower together. The vibrators were getting to us and you said nothing about pleasuring each other..." Jane looked at Joe with guilty eyes, filled with regret at the idea of having displeased him.

"Shhh! I'm not going to punish either of you for that. I left that option open to you both deliberately," Joe saw the look of relief on her face and smiled, pointing to the bulge in his trousers, "You did wake up little Joey, though! I think you're going to have to do something about that!"

A gasp escaped Jane's lips as she crawled forward, "Yes, Master!"


Chapter 10 - Celebration

"Hey, Felix! How's it going? I haven't seen you in what, three hours?" Joe extricated his arm from around Layla's waist, and shook his friend's hand. Of course he made a point of feeling her behind as he put his arm back round her, but then he always did that. He had made a point of formally greeting all his guests tonight, and Layla had been by his side for all of them. Layla was so proud that he wanted to show her off.

"Three and a half, at least! Nice place you got here," Felix surveyed Layla's form, paying particular attention to her cleavage and making no attempt to hide his satisfaction with what he saw, "I like what you've done with the place."

"Oh, excuse me. Felix this is Layla; Layla, Felix."

"Charmed, my dear. You do make quite a prize. That's a lovely dress you're wearing, by the way."

"Thank you," Layla replied, trying not to feel like a tethered goat in a lion enclosure... and failing. It was one thing to parade around nearly-naked in the club while working. It was quite another to be at Master's beck and call, and feeling so, well, obedient in his presence.

"This is Maria," Felix continued, not taking his eyes of Layla for a second, "One of my slaves."

Layla stayed silent. How do you react to that?

Joe apparently had no such compunction, "Nice to meet you again. Your performance at the bar was... impressive."

Maria turned away, obviously embarrassed by what Master had said.

Layla wanted to feel angry. How could he say that? She didn't know what the woman on Felix's arm had done, but there was no call for that. It was happening again though: no matter how hard she tried, though, Layla couldn't stay angry at her Master for long without it transmuting for pure unbridled lust. Just look at him, with his smug smile and his nonchalant attitude. She wished he'd fuck her right then and there, and damn the rest of the party guests. Hell, they could even join in! She was sure this had happened before; her fury giving way to pure sexual need, but for the life of her she couldn't remember when. What was she thinking about? Oh yes; Master fucking her.

"Oh, before I forget," Felix continued, "A bit of business. Here's the box for tomorrow." He handed Joe a briefcase, "It's locked with combination Epsilon. I presume you know what that is?"

"Yeah, mate." The numbers six, three, nine, nine flowed through Joe's mind.

"Good. Make sure you get the combination right. The pod's connected to the briefcase. Using the wrong combination will wipe the pod and render it useless."

"Not a problem. Layla, can you put that in your safe, please, and then get our guests a drink." He turned back to Felix. "What can Layla here get you both to drink?"

"I'll have a JD, please. Maria will have a white wine."

Joe looked at Felix with mock horror, "Jack Daniels? We might have some under the sink, to clear the drains with! How about trying a proper whisky? Jane, get him a Jura. There's a good girl." He smacked her behind and sent her on her way, giggling, to the kitchen.

On her way to fix his drink, Layla caught sight of herself in the hall mirror. That dress really did show off her curves, she thought as she adjusted herself, and Felix might be a creep, but her tits did look fantastic in that dress. She also admired the cute little locket that Master had given her before the party. Many of the guests had commented on it. Turning her back to the mirror, she checked that the butt plug couldn't be seen. It was ok; it wasn't bulging through the dress or anything. She could definitely feel it, but for the moment at least it was her and Master's secret.

Jane led the latest pair of guests to Master. Door answering duties were just a part of her job for tonight (along with accepting the gropes and fondles of every man in the house, but she'd have happily done that anyway). The man was dressed normally enough, but the woman on his arm had her coat done up like it was the middle of winter. What was stranger: she refused to take it off when Jane offered to take her coat.

Her master, however, had other ideas, "Don't worry, my love. We're among friends now."

Jane stood, shocked into silence as the woman instantly removed her coat, now understanding her previous reluctance. The woman looked like she was expecting a porn shoot more than a party, "dressed" almost exclusively in revealing red lingerie as she was. But, then again, looking at the other women at this party, this was developing into a bit of a theme. Red strappy sandals with ridiculous heels added to the whole effect, but it was the leash that shocked Jane. A chrome leash, with one end disappearing into the back of the woman's panties, and (from the look of things) up her ass. No, make that definitely up her ass. A leather loop at the free end had been tucked into the back of her bra while she wore her coat, but her master grabbed it the first chance he got.

The outfit was apparently not complete, though. Before giving her coat to Jane, the woman took a collar from one of the pockets. At her master's bidding, she put it around her neck. On the front, the word 'SLUT' was emblazoned in gold lettering. Judging by her attire, it was hard to argue with the sentiment. Although dressed in a rubber French maid's outfit with her tits projecting into the middle distance, Jane knew that she had little room to comment. Of all the women in the room, only Layla in her black dress looked more than vaguely respectable.

It wasn't just the outfit that shaped Jane's perception of this woman. From the second the collar was fixed round her neck, the word slut became more than just a humiliating label for her. Her entire demeanour had changed from a silent submissive to that of a woman possessed by wanton lust. The only time her hands weren't on her master's body, they were on her own, advertising her availability to anyone who happened to be looking, which happened to be everyone. Only the leash up her backside seemed to stop her jumping every man (or woman) in the room.

"Jane. Jane! The drinks!"

"My apologies, Master!" Even Jane had lost herself in the sight of the woman's lewd display, and had to be brought back to reality by Master. She would have to learn to concentrate more: her lapses in concentration were proving so distracting these days.

By the time all the guests had arrived the house was pretty full. Joe had started to worry where to put them all. Luck, however, was on his side. Not including the hosting trio, there were six 'couples' (or more accurately six pairs of masters and slaves, and five spare bedrooms. Little Dave had to leave early, though, and so wouldn't be staying the night. It would still be a full house this evening though!

The party was going down well, though. Both Layla and Jane had been a hit with the guys, providing much in the way of entertainment. Joe was beginning to think he'd pulled it off too, until...

"Master, if you please..."

"Yes, dear?" Joe's heart jumped into his mouth.

"All these women that your friends have brought. They're all beautiful. Not just good looking, I mean absolutely stunning! Are they all models or something?"

"Ah," Felix sighed, the relief overwhelming him, "You keep talking about 'them', but you're as beautiful as they are. If not more so. Both you and Jane. You're not exceptions to the rule here. You are the rule."

Layla visibly blushed.

"And besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but all night the guys have been staring at you. You've been the centre of attention: our glamorous hostess!" Joe kissed her on the cheek. "Now, do me a favour and get Jane to bring me a drink. Better make it a beer rather than a whisky. I don't want to be too drunk for the game."

"Yes, Master," Layla went to find Jane. Joe finished his drink.

"You handled that like a pro. Nice one."

"Oh, hey Felix. Didn't see you there. And, er, sorry about earlier. It had been bugging me, and I had to ask." Part of Joe was still wary of his old friend, but he didn't want to blow what he had, and besides, now wasn't the time.

"Don't worry about it, mate. I'd rather thrash these things out than have them fester. We all need to know where we stand."

"Yeah," Joe agreed.

"Anyway, enough about that," Felix raised his glass in Layla's direction. "I actually thought she'd noticed for a second there."

"So did I."

"Nice touch with the bit about everyone staring at her. I noticed you didn't mention the fact that she's naked."

"Yeah, that must have slipped my mind," Joe replied, trying to mask his guilty conscience at using her own mind trick to comfort her.

"So when are you going to tell her?"

"Tell her what?" Joe was clearly distracted.

"That she's naked except for a pair of shoes and a sign around her neck keeping us all in on the joke, of course! And the butt plug, if you count that. Very impressive, by the way."

"Oh, that," Joe smiled, "She was taking ages deciding what to wear, so I decided for her. Apparently I'm not sartorially minded."

"Maybe not, but you do have good taste!" Felix raised his glass.

"Cheers. Now what's the story with them two on the chair? I don't think they've taken their hands off each other since they met! Hell, I'm not sure I've even seen their faces!"

"Ferrarri and Mercedes? Oh, they come as a pair. They were running a scam over where Big Dave worked. Essentially they got men into compromising positions with them and then blackmailed their companies with harassment claims. Each would act as a witness for the other, get someone fired, take a settlement and move on. Dave got fired because of them."

"Shit! What happened then?"

"Well, fortunately for Dave, he also worked for me at the time. We got wind of what was going on, did a little digging and found out their scam. Needless to say, they got themselves caught, after getting sloppy and trying their routine on the HR manager. All with a little help from us, of course. Mercedes; she's the short haired one with her hands down her skirt, belongs to Big Dave now, and Ferrarri is Paul's little plaything. They were lovers before; we just cranked it up a notch or three."

"It seems to have worked! So, are Mercedes and Ferrarri their real names?"

"They are now. We had them change their names by deed poll. They had used their earnings to buy flash cars, so we decided to use that. Whenever they hear their new names, they are reminded of what they did and why they don't mess with any of my team. They know their real names, but cannot answer to them or even use them anymore. If you ask them their names you'll get Ferrarri or Mercedes in response. Plus we got little Mercedes and Ferrarri logos tattooed on their breasts.

"Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you, mate!" Joe laughed nervously. "What happened to the cars."

"We kept them, of course! Can't let such beauty go to waste. The girls look particularly good washing them, let me tell you. Mind, they don't usually get to finish that particular job, if you know what I mean."

"I can guess!"

"Okay, gents," Joe exclaimed, "As your host, it's my job to organise the entertainment. So, I've organised a little game. A little pre-poker wager, if you will. Or as I like to call it, the Clothes Line!"

Cheers from the crowd signalled approval.

"I saw this in an... erm... instructional video, and wanted to recreate it. OK, I'm going to need each of your girls to line up, yes, just like that. Now I just need to rearrange you a little. So if you two go in the middle, and you two on the ends. There, that's great! And let's not forget Jane. Please, take your place over here..."

There was method to the madness. Allowing for heels, the shortest girls were in the middle, with the tallest at either end.

"Great! Now you two face each other, and you two, and you two. Beautiful! And now, my glamourous assistant." Joe did his best magician impression. "Please, Layla, if you will."

Layla twirled into place beside Master, smiling to her audience. She was a natural at this, but then Joe knew she would be. Holding a long length of rope (the sight of which alone drew excitement from the crowd) she made a show of feeding it between the legs of her victims. Joe grabbed a couple of high-backed chairs from the kitchen and set them at either end of the line. "Right guys, I'm going to need some ballast please. One on either end, if you will. Felix? Mike?"

Laughing, Felix and Mike took their places on the chairs.

Within a few moments the rope had been fixed, and ran taut between each of the girls' legs. That wasn't the end of Joe's plan, however. The next part involved three vibrators: one fixed to the rope between each pair of girls. "How are we going to hold these in place, I wonder?" Joe asked his audience, "I know. Press your bodies against each other, ladies. Hold those vibes in place. No hands. In fact, put your hands behind you back. Fantastic!"

"Maybe we should tie their hands behind their back, mate." Felix suggested, "After all, we don't want them cheating!"

"Good idea, that man!" Joe responded, as if he hadn't already thought of it. "Layla, if you would please?"

While Layla did Joe's bidding, Joe explained the rules. "It's rather simple, really. Each of these fine young women is to hold out as long as possible once the vibrators are switched on. What is the collective noun for vibrators anyway? An orgasm? A distraction? Anyway, spankings for the losers, delivered by my glamourous assistant, and a nice, slow pussy-licking for the winner, from whichever girl she chooses."

Smiles and murmurs from the audience suggested that Joe was onto a winner with this crowd.

"Of course, in any race, a bet or two on the winner always adds to fun. I've got a twenty here that says my Jane will be receiving that pussy-licking."

"I'll have a piece of that action!" Felix responded, fulfilling his role as group leader.

"I'm in too," Little Dave reached for his wallet.

"No fair," Paul complained, "I keep both of mine on a hair trigger. Ferrarri will come almost as soon as you switch those things on!"

"Well that's unfortunate for her cute little behind then!" Joe mocked, "But if you want to bet on one of the others..."

"Maybe we could have a side bet. Which one comes most often before the last one?" Mike took his turn. "A bit more of a test of stamina for you."

"You're on, mate." Paul seemed satisfied by the offer. "Twenty?"

"Twenty it is!"

"Any more bets? Loudest? Quietest? Most swearing? Most begging for release? First pair to drop their vibrator? Nope? Let's get on with it then! Layla, can you keep score please? You may need a scorecard or something."

"With pleasure, Master." Layla fetched a pen and paper.

"Ready, guys?"

Jane squirmed uncomfortably. Keeping herself from coming was hard enough, but at least she was a little practiced in this area now. The real difficulty was in keeping the vibrator from falling. To do so she had to press her body against her "teammate" Chloe, who was similarly distracted.

All this under the watchful eyes and humiliating jeers of Master's friends. Jane had never felt so much shame in her life: here she was debasing herself in front of complete strangers... and loving it. Mistress had tormented her far worse than this, and Master had given her the slave vibrator. But that was either in private or only for Master's benefit. This was public! The embarrassment and shame transmuted quickly to sexual hunger, as it always did, pushing her further and further towards the cliff edge of orgasm. Seeing her partner suffering the same, and feeling Mercedes' breasts up against her own was in danger of sending her over that cliff.

"20 lashes for Ferrarri!" Mistress announced cheerfully.

"Turns out you were right, mate!" Felix laughed, and Master along with him. Not only was he the cause of their degrading predicament, he was positively loving it! Jane wished that she could... she could... satisfy him so much more. Anger with him evaporated faster than she could think about it. She needed to cum so much, but winning this contest would please Master, and that would override everything. She must... hold... out...!

"16 lashes for Katie!" Mistress declared. "That's one each for the si... no... two, one for Miss Ferrarri! Don't let that Hitachi drop, ladies! An extra half dozen lashes each if you do!"

The audience cheered, goading their opponents' partners while instructing their own to hold on. Jane looked to Master for some kind of leniency or help, but found only the same from him. Closing her eyes gave scant comfort, as it only focussed her attention on the buzzing between her legs.

"You know ladies," Mistress continued. "Let's give our Masters a bit more of a show. You've all got a gorgeous woman in front of you. I'm sure a nice, long, kiss will go down nicely!"

Jane looked at her partner, Chloe's lips. They looked so soft and shiny and inviting with their light pink gloss. The poor girl had been biting on her lower lip to try and keep herself from coming. She looked so cute and innocent when she did it, even if her clothing and presence here belied that. If they kissed, and she could no longer bite her own lip, Jane wondered if Chloe would succumb.

As Jane's lips met Chloe's, a familiar tremble answered her question. Chloe's knees started to buckle, as she struggled to remain standing. God, it felt so good, pressing her flesh against the climaxing Chloe. She wanted to hold her, to embrace and pull her closer, and give them both the strength they needed to survive this ordeal. That the bonds on her arms prevented her, only made things more frustrating, and pulled Jane closer to the brink herself.

"An even dozen lashes for Chloe." Mistress proclaimed, much to the annoyance of her master Pete. "And three-two to Ferrarri. She's sure having a good time, that one!"

The pair continued their kiss, despite the interruption and Chloe's orgasm. Focussing on the kiss felt like swapping the frying pan for the fire, but Jane couldn't help herself. She was...

"Eight lashes for Jane. It looks like we still have some training to do with my new slave!" Jane lost herself entirely within the kiss and her own orgasm, trying to avoid Master's glare. The shame of her situation compounded with that of disappointing Master.

"And four for Maria! I think that means that we have a winner: congratulations to Mercedes!" Layla turned to Big Dave (Mercedes' owner), "Master, may she be allowed to climax now?"

The group looked at Big Dave, who in turn looked at his watch.

"Dave?" Felix prompted.

"Hang on, I'm thinking. Okay, then. Three... two... one... Permission granted!"

The group cheered.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Layla continued as the applause died down, "Before we continue, there is the little matter of the losers' punishments! So which is it to be?" She pointed to a number of items by the wall, "Paddle, whip or cane?"

The male guests took their seats at the table, all making sure they could see the parade.

"Before we start," Felix stood to make an announcement, "I just have two things to say. As well as being a poker night, tonight we have cause for a celebration. After a huge push over the last few weeks from you lot and the lads in the chemical team, we are now ready to implement the first stage of our plan. We've actually started introducing our special juice to the population, and we have the technology in place to take full advantage. I just wanted to say thank you for your gargantuan efforts, not to mention your keen insights."

"I'll drink to that!" One of the guys shouted, "Cheers!"

"CHEERS!" The rest responded.

"Not long now, gentlemen," Felix continued, "Not long now. The second thing was just to say thanks to Joe for coming up with and organising this little gathering. I think you'll agree that it's been fun... so far. Obviously when I beat you all at poker you won't think so!" (Laughs all round.) "So, thanks, Joe, my good man."

"Cheers!"

"And now, if you could explain the rules, mate."

"Not a problem. I know we talked about strip poker, but Felix and I thought it might be fun if we added a little twist: instead of starting with clothed women and removing clothes, we're going to start with naked women and add a few... accessories... to make it more fun."

Mumbles of appreciation all round.

"Layla has kindly agreed to lend us some of her toys. She has quite a collection, let me tell you. So for the first hand lost we have a pair of handcuffs, which my beautiful assistant is now modelling. Second hand lost gets your partner gagged. Third hand is a blindfold and fourth hand is a pair of nipple clamps. If your partner gets nipple clamped then you're out of the game. Understood?"

Again, mumbles of comprehension and appreciation.

"Oh, and one other thing. As mentioned previously, the winner gets to keep all the slaves as his own for a week. Obviously we all have other girls back at home, so the inconvenience for the losers isn't all that great. So to make it interesting, and to dissuade you all from cashing out early, we devised a booby prize. No, not THAT kind of booby prize. The first person out tonight gets a week off sex, courtesy of my ipod over there and a certain favourite song of ours!"

The table went silent. Almost every guy at that table had suffered the initiation ritual, where a slave had stripped to Manson's "Tainted Love". They all remembered the indignity of not getting it up, and the relief when they found out why. Since then, that song struck fear into the heart of every one of those men, for the impotence it could bring. The threat of a week of that was enough of an incentive to make everyone play at their best. They all agreed, though, that it added a terrific sense of danger to the game, and that it was in.

"Nice one. So, Texas Hold-Em's the name of the game. For those non-gamblers, you get two cards each and five community cards on the table. You make your hand out of the best five cards out of the seven. Obviously the best hand wins. We all start with the same amount of chips. You lose all your chips, your partner goes straight to the nipple clamps and you're out of the game. We'll take it in turns to deal, going clockwise round the table. So, if we're all ready, let's play cards!"

"In that case, lovely prize Ladies," Felix interjected, "Code eight, one, one, zero. Please take off your clothes and we can begin! I want you all to put on a show for your audience."

With that Felix started up the music, courtesy of a conveniently located CD player. Each of the girls started dancing, but Ferrarri and Mercedes took the foreground. Gradually removing each others' clothes, they teased their audience and made a real show of it. By the end of the track, through, they were completely naked, writhing on the floor having apparently forgotten the group of men cheerfully watching.

Layla was up next, still oblivious to the fact that she was already naked. As one track seamlessly mixed into the next she gyrated to the new rhythm, letting it control her body. Kissing and cupping the two naked girls' breasts, she paraded in front of the group, enjoying the limelight as she always did. She sat on Joe's knee and allowed him to open the zip on the back of her dress. The imaginary dress fell to the floor and she stepped out of it, leaving nothing but those red high-heeled shoes.

Sitting down on Joe's lap again, she stretched her legs in Felix's direction and invited him to remove her shoes. He did so willingly, and she repaid him with a face full of breast, before returning to take her place with the rest of the group.

The remaining women took their turns, removing their clothes for the assembled masters. Joe smiled contentedly. While each of them was utterly gorgeous, none of them had Layla's flair in a striptease. She had a talent for seduction, it had to be said, and Joe did enjoy having that talent at his beck and call.

Two hours had passed, and the game was in full swing. By now, several of the players had lost hands, and their partners had been treated accordingly. Mike and Joe were in the lead so far, having only lost one hand each. Their partners had it easy; only having handcuffs to contend with. Paul and Felix had lost two hands each, so their significant others were currently 'enjoying' gags in addition to the wrist restraints. Petra was in a bit of trouble, though, currently languishing in the blackness of the blindfold after her master Dave's third loss. She didn't seem to mind, though, as Mercedes was keeping her occupied with judicious use of her gag.

For a moment it looked like Dave was in even more trouble. His stack of chips all but depleted, he'd had to go all in, just to make sure he'd remain in the game. Everybody knew what was in store the first one out - a date with Marilyn and a week where even self-pleasure was off the table (figuratively, of course). Dave was certainly not a betting man, and the relief on his face when the last community card turned out to be a king was seen by everyone. It was obvious to the entire table that he had another king in his hand, but he didn't care.

"All in," He proclaimed. All he had to do was scare everyone off the table, and he would live to fight (and fuck) another day.

One by one, the players folded, and Dave's smile grew.

"Call," One lone voice replied. It was Felix, "I wanna see if you caught yourself another cowboy, or if you're a good actor."

"Sorry, mate," He laid down his cards: an eight and a king, "It seems that I don't have a career on stage after all! That'll be a pair of kings then."

"That it would," Felix answered, "But I'm afraid I had the last two kings. I believe my three of a kind beats your pair!"

"Shit."

The table erupted in laughter. Everybody knew what this meant, and everybody was relieved that it wasn't them. Dave sat, a mortified look on his face, contemplating the week ahead, barely hearing the jeers from the baying crowd.

"Okay, okay, okay," Felix took control of the situation, "So, Jane, I think that's a pair of nipple clamps for Ferrarri!"

"Yes, Sir!" Jane giggled. She did make a good glamorous assistant, putting on the clamps in full Wheel Of Fortune style. Ferrarri let out a groan, but with Mercedes by her side, life had its compensations.

"And I do believe, Dave, that that means you're out!"

"Just as well really," Dave laughed, trying a little too hard to sound casual, "I need to get some work done around the house anyway!"

The rest of the table laughed again.

"Okay, okay. But don't worry, Dave. We're not monsters. Well we are a bit. I think we could allow you one last ride, don't you, gents? Something to remember for the next week?"

Agreement from the rest of the table.

"See, we're a nice bunch, really. Now I don't want you running off anywhere, so just stay right there. We'll bring Ferrarri to you, and she can suck you off under the table. Ferrarri, if you would..."

The group watched as Felix moved Ferrarri to her master, removing only her gag. Even without her vision, or the use of her hands, she set to work immediately, knowing instinctively what to do. Whether that was for the game, or through weeks, months or even years of conditioning was anyone's guess.

By the time Dave and Ferrarri were done, Felix had disappeared and returned with the headphones. In front of the watching audience, Dave nervously brought the headphones up, and placed them on his ears. Felix pressed play, and there was no going back.

Another hour or so passed by. Dave may have been the first casualty, but he was soon followed. A bad run of cards took Mike out of the game, but he had at least avoided being last. Before too long, only Joe, Paul and Felix remained at the table.

The mood of the table was starting to change also. Winning was a definite prospect for each of the players, and they knew it. What had started as a struggle for survival had turned into a battle for victory, along with all (who) that brought.

Joe's deal came round again. He was well practiced in the art of dealing, having played countless times. Many of those were with Felix: he had lost count of the number of students the pair had hustled in their time at uni. The cause of many of their fights: definitely. The cause of two of Joe's break-ups: probably.

Joe dealt the cards. Felix examined the cards in front of him; his eyes giving away no secrets as he stared intently at Joe. Joe briefly scanned his own cards, the Ace and 10 of diamonds, before returning his attention to his opponent.

"Fold," Paul declared, "I got Jack shit."

Joe knew what Felix would do now. Not through any subliminal intervention. Not through knowing Felix better than any other man at this table (although he did). There was a much simpler reason than that.

Joe had stacked the deck.

With stakes like this, who wouldn't? Bearing in mind that he was in a room full of hypnotised sex slaves, and the larger plan of world domination or some such, cheating at cards wasn't exactly the most ethically dubious thing he'd done today. No self-justification was expected or required when it came to winning, or women as it happened. Besides, Felix was probably doing exactly the same.

Felix placed his bet. A pair of queens was enough to tempt anybody into playing. Joe raised and Felix called. The plan was working flawlessly.

The flop. 10 spades, 3 diamonds and 7 spades.

Felix took one look at the cards, and returned to Joe. "You know, mate. This reminds me of uni. There were some really wild times back then. The cards, the beer, the girls."

"I remember," Joe replied, wondering.

"And there was that one game in particular, where we had a particularly close shave. I thought you were going to get lynched by those football fans. What did they call him? The guy with the tattoos?"

"Mad Frankie."

"Ah yes. Not happy with that last hand. Accused you of cheating him, didn't he?"

"Aye."

"Aye, indeed. Mad Frankie."

"Fold," Paul interjected, without knowing why. He was already out!

Joe instantly knew why Felix had brought it up. The second he'd said "Mad Frankie," the urge to fold had been undeniable. His two pair would beat Felix's kings but that wouldn't matter if he laid them down. Joe knew this, Felix knew this, and Paul was fast figuring it out.

"You ran your usual trick on him. Give him two queens to tempt him into betting big, and take his money with two pair. You need a new repertoire, mate. You must have done that on a dozen people that I know of."

Joe remained silent. At least he could resist the word "Fold" when he kept his mouth shut, even if it did betray his guilt.

"I wondered if you'd try it tonight. To be honest, the second thought I had about this game was 'He's going to try it on, isn't he?' That's why I made sure that you wouldn't cheat anyone else. I know you, and I don't mind you making a play on me. The other guys are off limits, though."

That made sense. Joe had wondered why he had tried this with Felix, who would know all his secrets, rather than with people who were strangers only months ago. Especially considering their conversation a few hours ago. It was madness!

"Don't worry, mate. I'm not taking it personally. We're all friends here, and you didn't try and put me out first. Things might have been different then, what with me having a week of nothing to do but plan my revenge!" He laughed, "Paul, mate. After Joe's inevitable fold, I suggest that we share the pot between the two of us. I think that's fairest. We'll split the dealing between the two of us aswell, just to avoid temptation for Joe over here. Agreed?"

"Okay." Paul was beginning to figure out what was going on, and wasn't impressed.

"Nice one. Do you have anything to say, Joe?"

"Fold," Joe coughed, laying his hand down on the table. Paul's look of surprise was not matched by Felix.

"Oh, and one other thing. I think we should treat that as a loss for you. Just one hand. That is the very least I'm inclined to give. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Good! Jane, could you gag your good friend Layla for us, please? Joe appears to have lost this hand."

"Certainly, Sir."

"Thank you, dear," Felix returned his attention to his fellow players, "Shall we continue?"

Many hands, and many drinks later, just Joe and Felix remained. It was late, or early, and the group was beginning to get cranky. Paul had taken over the dealing, in an attempt to hasten the end of the match.

"Two hundred," The opening bet came from Felix.

Joe looked at his cards: 5 clubs and 5 spades. Worth a few chips, he thought. "Call."

Paul dealt the flop. King of hearts, 2 diamonds and 7 spades. No help for Joe here.

Nothing for Joe, but he still had his pair. He watched Felix intently, monitoring for some kind of reaction. Felix was a good player, though, and kept his emotions well hidden. He was taking his time, though. More than a minute had passed and Felix had moved only to re-examine his hand. Finally, he reached for his chips, and moved the whole pile into the centre. "All in."

A mumble of appreciation from the gathered audience.

"Very interesting," Joe replied, almost to himself, "I wonder if you flopped a pair or two."

"It'll cost you to find out," Felix smiled.

That's when Joe noticed it. Felix had his hands on the table, one on top of the other as if to hide it. But his fist was definitely clenched.

That observation sent Joe's mind into overdrive. He instantly remembered his conversation with Mike, and knew exactly what it meant. Felix was bluffing! He had nothing; probably just a king-high from the flop. Joe's pair of fives looked very enticing at the moment, but how to react? Mike had left the room, but could return at any moment. He also knew what to look out for, having uploaded the subliminals himself. If Joe wanted to keep this information to himself, then Felix would have to stop bluffing before Mike's return. There was also the risk that someone would see Joe calling an "all in" bet with a low pair. That could definitely raise some questions. There was only one answer: Joe was going to have to fold the hand.

On the other hand, Joe knew he could end the game here and now. The prize certainly couldn't be ignored, and this hand would do the trick. If Joe folded, he would only have one 'life' left; one more chance to win the game, along with all that entailed. He might not get another chance...

"Any time today, mate." Felix was getting impatient. Joe's deliberations were apparently taking too long; either that or Felix just wanted to hurry him into a bad decision. Probably the former, though, as Felix's fist had relaxed. It seemed that he only clenched his fist while actually bluffing. That was a good piece of knowledge, and one that helped Joe make his decision.

"Fold."

Felix burst into laughter as he laid his cards on the table, "I had nothing!" He proclaimed, picking up his chips, "You know what this means don't you?"

"One game shoot out!"

"Exactly. One hand to settle the whole lot. I knew it would end up this way."

"I'm not surprised either. Shall we?"

News of the impending finale had spread through the group. Those that had left the table returned, eager to see the game concluded.

Joe peered at his last hand, taking care not to show any spectators. He couldn't rule out the possibility of collusion, even at this late stage. It was his turn to bet first, so he placed his bet.

Felix called, and Paul dealt the flop: Queen of diamonds, 8 spades and Jack of hearts. Joe checked.

"You must be real pissed at folding that last hand, mate," Felix said, full of himself, "You never did know when to call me. Check, by the way."

River card: Queen of clubs.

Joe noticed two things about Felix. First, he kept glancing at the parade of bound women now, almost as though he was mentally deciding what to do with them. Secondly, his fist was unclenched. He had something worth playing, Joe reasoned, but what?

"Check," Joe declared, doing his utmost to prevent from giving anything away.

This time a check wasn't good enough for Felix, "I'm afraid you're gonna have to pay to see the next card," He said as he pushed his chips into the centre, "All in."

There it was. The decision for the game. Joe had already done his mental arithmetic, and knew exactly what could beat him. Was it worth the bet?

"Call," Joe answered his own question.

Felix turned over his cards. Queen and Ace. "Three Queens, That's going to be difficult to beat."

"Difficult," Joe agreed, turning over his cards, "But I believe my nine and ten gives me the straight."

"Nice one," Felix looked visibly deflated, but he wasn't beaten yet. An ace or a fourth queen would give him the game. Anything else and victory was Joe's. "Down to the last card then!"

"Let's do it. Paul if you would..."

Paul picked up the deck. As usual, one card was binned. Before dealing the next card, however, he decided to look for himself. Laughing, he showed the card to the rest of the audience before placing it on the table, "And we have ourselves a winner!"


Chapter 11 - Collection

Joe woke with a naked Jane beside him; her back reassuringly pressing into his torso. He draped his arm leisurely across her body as they spooned, and felt the warm underside of her breast on the back of his hand.

Sunlight streamed in through a gap in the curtains. It was late morning, or afternoon. Joe didn't know what time the party had ended; only that it was very late. He'd seen the eastern sky start to lighten for the oncoming dawn as tiredness claimed him.

Life wasn't all sweetness and light, though. Joe had a monster headache from the drinking. That was about it, though, and it was a small price to pay compared to the prospect of waking up next to such a beautiful woman every morning. In fact, Joe's pain seemed to melt away just thinking about her. Seemed to, but not quite.

As softly as he could, Joe ran his fingertips up and down Jane's side, from her shoulder right down to her leg. He knew from past experience that Jane loved this and this time was no different, an exhaled sigh signalling her approval.

"Good morning, dear. I think," Joe was the first to break the silence, "Sleep well?"

"Yes, Master." Jane turned round to face him, but stayed in contact throughout, "I always do with you next to me." She pulled him closer and planted her lips on his in a long, lingering embrace.

"Wow," Joe exclaimed, once his access to oxygen had been restored, "If I can wake up to that every morning, I'd die a happy man."

Jane giggled, lowering her eyes for a second before returning her gaze to her master.

"You know," Joe continued, carefully moving a lock of Jane's hair behind her ear, "You were absolutely stunning last night, and you're just as beautiful now."

"Thank you, Master," She kissed him again. Her intentions were clear.

Fortunately, his intentions were exactly the same. Within a couple of seconds, Joe was on top, and his hangover was completely forgotten...

"Good morning, you two," Felix exclaimed jovially as Joe and Jane entered the kitchen, "I wondered when you'd make an appearance!"

"Sorry, mate. We were, erm, tired!" Joe exchanged a knowing glance with Jane, "Busy night last night."

"Good morning, Master," Layla made her presence known, "Would you like anything for breakfast?"

"Apart from you, you mean?" Joe asked suggestively, taking the time to kiss his other slave, "Just coffee and toast, please."

"Jane?"

"The same, please."

Joe's provocative reply wasn't entirely unjustified. Despite the presence of half a dozen couples in the house, Layla had apparently chosen to prepare the breakfast naked, save for a white cotton apron and the high-heeled shoes from last night. At least this time she was fully aware of her nudity; not that it mattered. The other girls, not to be outdone, also remained unclothed, making their current Masters' lives as comfortable as possible. The net result was a group of men sat round the kitchen table, thoroughly enjoying their morning coffee.

"So what happens now?" Paul asked, breaking the silence.

"What happens now," Felix replied, "Is that the winner claims his prize. It looks like I'm going to have a good week..."

"Woah, woah, woah. I don't think so!" Joe interrupted, "By my reckoning, it was yours truly who won that game. Nice try, though!"

"Worth a go!" Felix shrugged, much to the amusement of the group. "But you're right. Ladies, if you'll gather round. Layla and, er, Jane, I don't need you for this If you don't mind going into the next room for a moment please..."

"Actually, Layla," Joe added, "That black catsuit and corset of yours; the ones you wore for that video. Put those on for me, please, or something with the same... attitude. Oh, and the little presents I bought you both," Joe felt a stir as his slaves' eyes widened, "Well I think you can guess what I want you to do with those. Jane, give Layla a hand. I imagine that putting on that corset takes two."

The pair left the room, Layla slowing slightly to shoot Joe a worried, almost plaintive glance. It was only for a fraction of a second, though, before she regained her controlled composure. The others crowded round Felix, awaiting their next order.

Felix looked at Joe, an eyebrow raised and a wry grin on his face, "Video? Present?"

"Technically it was a DVD rather than a video. Present? Well, a gentleman never tells."

"It's a good job you're no gentleman, then."

"Ha! No, I'm afraid these lips are sealed."

Felix turned to the assembled men, shrugging his shoulders, "Hey, I tried!"

Returning his attention to the ladies, "Anyway, back to business. Code five, four, zero, zero, three. The game has been won and you are the prizes. Aren't you lucky! For the next week you are to serve Joe as you would your own master. Joe will return you to your permanent masters by twelve noon in seven days. The game prize protocols are to remain in place until then. Do you all understand?"

(In unison) "Yes,"

"Over to you, Joe!"

"Thanks Felix," Joe took control of the proceedings, "In that case, I think you all should give your Masters a goodbye kiss; remind them of what they'll be missing when they return home without you. There's no need to hold back."

Joe watched keenly as the men were keenly pleasured by their slavegirls. He wasn't particularly bothered about giving his friends one last fling before their week apart. With at least one 'spare slavegirl' at home, it wasn't like they were going without! With the obvious exception of Dave, and his music-induced celibacy, of course.

The main reason behind Joe's ostensibly generous order was much more mundane. He was just stalling for time. Time enough for Layla to get dressed appropriately for her next assignment. Something which became clear on her return to the gathering.

Layla returned clad head to toe in shiny black. The latex of her catsuit strained under tension from her breasts and accentuated her rear. Joe could never tire of that. The black leather corset wrapped tightly around her emphasized these features further, and the ubiquitous high-heeled boots were practically mandatory at this stage. The shiny silver cuff currently wrapped around her wrist was a little unusual, but Layla had obtained a matching cuff and collar, and the ensemble now looked suitably menacing.

It was Layla's steely gaze, however, that completed the look in devastating fashion: a stare that could cut glass and reduce its victim to a quivering mass. She had guessed what Joe had in store for her and, although nervous about the slave vibrator currently lying dormant within her, she relished the opportunity.

Jane was much more simply, if immodestly, dressed. Other than a single pair of white latex panties keeping her slave vibrator in, and the silver cuff, Jane had remained naked. Joe most definitely approved.

Joe summoned the slavegirls from their now former masters, and asked Layla to sit on his lap for a moment, "Right, Ladies. I believe you all know Layla and Jane. For the next week, Layla is going to be your Mistress, and my second in command. I want you to obey Layla as you would me. She will handle the day-to-day logistics, won't you, my dear?"

"With pleasure, Master."

"And I assure you girls, she is extremely strict, aren't you dear?" Joe held one hand round his slave/mistress and ran his free hand over her latex-covered body. He paid particular attention to her crotch, feeling for signs of the vibrator. Satisfied, he let his hands wonder.

"Oh yes, Master," Layla cast her eye over each of the slaves in turn, "I maintain particularly high standards for my slaves."

"Very good," He tapped her ass and motioned her to stand up, also instructing Jane to take her place on his lap, "Please, Layla, continue. I'm sure you're brimming with ideas on how to... entertain... our new guests. Give them a taster if you like. Maybe a few lessons in submission, and how to please their master on their return." With that he returned his attention to Jane, kissing her gently and fondling her through the latex panties.

"Thank you, Master," Layla's excitement was clear to see. So many new toys to play with! "Well, for a start I think we ought to have you all in a line. Over here, please, girls. Facing me. Arms behind your back. Tits out. Come on, I haven't got all day!"

The girls assembled themselves into a parade, ready for inspection. The transfer of control seemed to have been effective, Joe noticed as he tapped at his phone. There was apparently no problem with taking orders from either Joe or Layla. They were obeying her as quickly and as naturally as they had previously obeyed their own masters. It remained to be seen just how far that power transfer went; whether the girls would obey Joe over their own masters. Joe was tempted to try it, just as a test, but not just yet. Besides, he had another idea.

"Sorry, Layla. Before you start," Joe interrupted.

"Yes, Master?"

"I don't want Jane to feel left out," Joe turned to his other slave, currently enjoying his caress on her crotch, "Get in line, dear."

If Jane looked shocked, it was only for a second. Less than an hour before, she had woken up with Master and shared a moment of intimacy. She had watched the others with a mixture of relief and amusement, knowing that she was special because Master was enjoying her physically. Now she was relegated to the role of mere slavegirl; just one in a line up. That thought stung more than any other. It soon passed, though. Those sorts of thoughts did nowadays. Replaced by lustful urges at the idea of submission to Master and Mistress.

Those lustful thoughts brought with them a feeling of nervous excitement. Jane had no idea what would follow, but she had seen the look on Mistress' face before. The glint in Layla's eye was usually followed by some diabolical punishment, designed to overload the senses and humiliate the victim. Jane didn't know which was worse: the idea of imminent torment, or the relish with which she looked forward for receiving it!

"Before we get going: you two. Mercedes and Ferrarri, isn't it? I know all about your little clique, and I will not tolerate any unauthorised fraternisation in this house. You are not on holiday here; you are here for Master's pleasure. From now on you can stand at opposite ends of the line.

Joe's pride in Layla's insightfulness was matched by Felix's admiration, and Mercedes's dismay.

So, my fellow sluts," Layla continued, casually strolling in front of the group and running her finger down the line of breasts, "For those that don't know me, I am Mistress Layla, but you are to address me as 'Mistress'. We only have a week together, so we'll have to make every moment count. Now you may all think you are the perfect slaves for your Masters, but from what I've seen so far there's a hell of a lot of work to be done," Picking one of the line-up seemingly at random, she pinched and twisted the poor girl's nipple, "Now stop slouching, and stand up straight! Feet apart! Eyes front! I mean now!"

The assembled women strained to attention. Jane also complied, desperate to please Mistress.

"Better, I suppose. Now for your arms. You sluts can do better than that. I'd bet that each of you has had your hands tied behind your back, while your master fucked you six ways from Sunday. So, wrists together, elbows as close as possible. Don't worry if you can't get your elbows touching; it takes a lot of flexibility." Layla's hands migrated towards her crotch, "I want to see you try, though, and I'll know if you're... err... you're not!"

Jane could feel the tension as she struggled to comply. Part of her mind silently begged Mistress for release, knowing fully that none would be forthcoming. The other part - the part that was slowly taking over her mind - enjoyed the struggle, and took visceral pleasure from following Layla's commands.

Something else, though: Jane could see that Mistress Layla was becoming distracted. A slight change in her demeanour now and again. One too many pauses in her speech. She quickly realised what else was going on: Mistress was trying to maintain an aura of dominant superiority, but Master had activated her slave vibrator. Master's smile and intent gaze at Layla told Jane everything she needed to know, even if the rest of the group was oblivious.

Jane watched as Mistress attempted to retain her composure. Her technique was simple: take it out on the slaves, "You can do better than that!" Mistress sneered, driving the point home to the less eager with a few breast slaps, "I know when my slaves aren't giving their all, (SLAP) and I love to punish them for it. Oh yesss..." She leaned into the body of the slave she had just punished, groping the girl's breast with one hand, rubbing herself with the other and passionately kissing her on the lips. To the onlooking crowd, it just made Layla seem more dominant; more sadistic, but Jane knew that Mistress had her own cross to bear at this point.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jane's own slave vibrator started its infernal torment. Jane saw Master's gaze turn to her, and their eyes locked for a moment. It was all Jane could do to prevent a gasp escaping, but any surprise had given way to other, stronger instincts.

"Good. Now we're getting there. This is what I want to see when I call for attention," Mistress pulled herself together. Her vibrator must have stopped, "By the way, the position with your hands behind your back like that is called 'Strappado,'"

Layla stopped in front of Jane and ran her hand across Jane's latex-covered sex. The vibrator had been on for a few minutes now, and Jane's desperation was rising. In a single stare, the two of them shared a moment of understanding of the vibrator's power.

Returning her attention to the group, Layla continued her speech, "I want to see you practicing this position in whatever free time I allow you, along with any others I teach you. The harder the position, the more I want to see you practice. By the time you return to your masters, the body language of submission will be as natural to you as your mother tongue. Understood?"

"Yes, Mistress," The delightful chorus of slavegirls in unison.

"Sorry lads," An apparently amused Joe announced, interrupting proceedings with absolutely no hint of remorse, "I'm afraid I have a busy day ahead of me, so if you don't mind... Thanks again for coming, and if you want a rematch any time, you know where I am. Layla, would you see to our guests, please?"

"Of course, Master."

Despite the frustration of an orgasm denied, Jane allowed herself a moment of quiet satisfaction as the vibrator ceased. She could see Master's game. The other men had watched Layla's display with keen interest, and more than a little arousal. Now that the stage was set, he was ending the show. Jane knew from past experience how good Master could be at getting others wound up. She was glad that, for a moment at least, his efforts would be focussed on others.

The guests were despatched with Layla's typical ruthless efficiency. Layla instructed the slavegirls to help the men with their coats and shoes, and insisted that no girl service her own master. She also informed them that on their return home, each girl should help her master with even this mundane task, and would do so in as erotic manner as possible: "When you return to your master, even this will be a show for his pleasure. You will caress his leg. You will hold his feet to your bosom as you tie his laces. You will kiss each boot one you have placed it lovingly on his foot." For the time being, however, the only Master getting special treatment would be Joe. When it came to the art of the tease, Master was a skilled amateur, but Layla was truly gifted.

It was a bit of a wrench, leaving eight stunning women in the house, but Joe had work to do. He would just have to do his job and get out as quickly as possible. Layla had been left with instructions to sort out the details of hosting the six temporary guests: minor things like picking up a weeks' worth of clothes, sorting out the spare bedrooms and so on. Joe was determined to enjoy his week the sexy sextuplet, and Layla's organisational skills would serve him well.

Despite it being the weekend (Sunday to be precise), Joe went to his usual job at Sat Tech. In his briefcase, a signal generator was waiting to be installed in the broadcasting firm's servers. One of the devices that would lace hundreds of channels with the group's subliminal signals, it had been designed specifically to be used with Sat Tech's equipment.

The little black box represented the culmination of months of work by the group. Nobody knew this more than Joe. Success would bring untold power, women and wealth. Failure... discovery... the mere thought conjured terror in Joe's mind. There was a little something else in there, though: the thrill of clandestine operation. Even taking the incredible events of the last few months into consideration, Joe had never felt as alive as he did now.

"Hey, Joe. We don't normally see you here on a Sunday!"

"Hi, Len. You scared the bejesus out of me! No, I've just got some work to do on one of the servers. I didn't get it finished on Friday." Joe had deliberately left one of his jobs unfinished at the end of the week. Bearing in mind his current workload at Sat Tech (ie not a lot), it had been difficult not to finish it, but it did provide a good pretext for working Sunday. It also allowed him access to the necessary equipment, and the lack of staff gave him the privacy to get on with it alone.

"No problem. You wanna coffee?"

"No thanks, mate. Just had one."

Joe set about his task. He had a few things to do before he could install the signal generator, and little time in which to do it. This was actually the first time that Joe had been given sole access to the device; another security policy from Felix. Joe was the only group member with access to Sat Tech, though, leaving Felix out of options. Joe knew he was on the clock, but he had to make use of this one and only opportunity.

Out of sight of the security cameras, Joe donned his latex gloves (no fingerprints) and retrieved the generator from his case. It wasn't large; the size of a personal stereo, and even had the logo of one of Sat Tech's suppliers on, lending the item an air of assimilation with the rest of the equipment. That was IF it was found inside one of the many TX1000 transponders that did Sat Tech's digital heavy lifting. Felix did pay attention to the details, Joe mused.

Setting it up on the oscilloscope, he started analysing the output. "That's odd," Joe said to himself.

In its current mode, the device was meant to emit a single signal at 18.5kHz. This was the frequency that, according to Felix and Sam, activated the subliminals. Felix had once called it the "Mind melty channel", and the name had stuck in Joe's head. He could see a signal at 18.5kHz, but it wasn't staying at a constant level like it was supposed to. It was varying in intensity. It wasn't going to be a problem, Joe thought, tests had shown it worked. It just annoyed Joe that he didn't know what was wrong.

Opening up the module, Joe checked the connections to the chip supplying the frequency. Nothing wrong there. He looked at the chip itself. It was the same one he'd soldered on himself, and one that he knew had the right frequency. Perhaps it was one of the other connections on the circuit board? After much examination it didn't look like that was the case.

Perhaps there was interference with one of the other parts of the module. The problem with checking that was that Joe hadn't designed most of it, that job had been shared with the others, particularly the decryption circuits.

Remembering his current circumstances, Joe reassembled the module. The risk of exposure, either by Sat Tech or Felix, grew with every moment he had this in his possession. At any rate, his watch was beeping, and he knew what that meant.

"Joe. Joe? You still here?" Len had returned.

"Over here."

"I've just had a phone call from Ops. Channel 157's gone down. Have you been working on that?"

"No. I've just been having a look at this spare module over here. I haven't touched the TX for 157. I'll have a look at it though. If I don't do it now, I'll just end up doing it tomorrow."

"Thanks, mate. I've switched the feed to another channel for now. Will you give me a call when you're done?"

"No problem." Len left the room, apparently satisfied.

Joe had to hand it to Felix. Every operation was planned meticulously. The phone call in question hadn't come from Ops, but from Felix himself, using technology from his cohorts in the phone department. Now that had his excuse to remove that module from the rack, which he did with practised ease. A few moments later, the generator was inside the module, all the necessary connections had been made, and the module had been resealed. All that remained was to reinsert and reconnect the module on the rack, and the job was complete!

"So what was the problem?" Len asked, on hearing that Joe had sorted it out. Seeing Joe's hands, he continued his questioning. "And what's with the gloves?"

"Oh, these?" Joe looked at his hands. "Anti static. The module was overheating. Loose connection on the fan, I think. I've replaced it with the fan from the spare TX. I'll sort the rest out tomorrow."

"Thanks for that. I'd never have found it."

"No problem. Anyway, I'll see you later, mate. Going to enjoy what's left of my weekend."

"How'd it go?" Joe asked, in their meeting place, a quiet corner in a bar near the office.

"Everything went smoothly," Joe neglected to mention his test with the oscilloscope, or the fact that he'd been spotted with gloves. "The first unit's installed and ready to go. As soon as I'm happy that it's not been spotted, I'll bring the other device in as discussed. Obviously the first unit won't be doing anything until then."

"That's fine. Did you use the code on your guy?"

"Len? Yeah. Five six two eight. Will it work on him?"

"It should do," Felix took a sip of his pint, "By now he'll have completely forgotten you were there. He should also have changed over the security tape showing you accessing the equipment. You'll know tomorrow that it's worked if he hands you that tape."

"And then?"

"And then, nothing," Felix leaned back in his chair and reached for his coat pocket, "As far as anyone over there is concerned, you were never there. You never logged on to your computer, so that won't show anything. Apart from your gloves there's no physical evidence linking you to that unit. You'll need to dispose of those, by the way. He's the one who isolated it after my phone call, not you. You just spent the day with the girls. Speaking of which, I imagine you'll want to be going home about now to enjoy the fruits of last night's labour."

"That would be... errr... nice!" Joe grinned.

"In that case I won't you up any further. Say hi to Maria for me!"

"Do I detect a note of jealousy?"

"Not even a hint, mate," Felix's smile gave nothing away, "I think I'll last the week with just the one woman. Catch you later."

Joe smiled as he left the bar. He'd learned two things from that reply. The first: Felix was pissed at losing that game. Joe had figured he would be: Felix was competitive as hell and possessive of his women. The second: Felix's induced tell still worked. As Joe walked by he saw Felix with his hands on the table; his fists tightly clenched.

"Good evening, Master. May I take your coat?"

Joe entered the house to find a solitary woman stood in the centre of the hall. One of his temporary houseguests for the week, it seemed, and apparently responding well to Layla's training. Despite her au naturel state she showed no modesty. Instead she posed on her tiptoes; her arms behind her back as if tied, one leg bent slightly in front of the other and her body completely on display.

"Of course you may. Sorry, my dear, I didn't catch your name."

"Slave Katie, Master. Although you may call me whatever you wish," Katie helped Joe with his coat and hung it up, before returning to her holding position.

"I'll stick with Katie for now, thanks. Where's Layla?"

"Mistress Layla said to tell you that she's in the lounge, and to escort you through there... if it pleases you."

"By all means! Please, lead on!"

Following Katie into the lounge (and taking time to admire the view), Joe smiled as he saw how Layla had been filling her time in his absence. Maria and Mercedes stood, one each side of the roaring fire like a pair of living, sexual ornaments. Clad in luxurious lingerie; Maria's white, Mercedes pink, they waited patiently, arms behind them, for their master.

At Layla's leather-clad feet, another slavegirl lay prostrate and immobile on the carpet. Joe instantly remembered her as the wearer of the "slut" collar at the party. The woman's legs were bound together with intricately laced rope-work; a rhapsody in red cord. Her arms were similarly treated, crossed and bound behind her back with the same red rope. Other than that, Layla's current victim was naked.

The scene reminded Joe of a cat presenting a mouse to its owner, occasionally toying with its still alive prey. The similarities were definitely there, as Layla prodded the girl's ass with the shiny stiletto heel of her boot. Each prod and poke elicited a high-pitched squeal from the helpless slave cum footstool, which only served to amuse the mistress further.

"You started without me, then!" Joe quipped as he bent over to kiss his dominant slave's cheek.

"Good evening, Master. Did you have a good day at work?"

"Not as good as you, it seems!"

"Oh this?" Layla thrust her heel into the slave's already red ass cheek and mocked the resulting squeak, "I've just been having a little fun with Chloe down here. I don't often get to use my favourite whip so, when I do, it's a real treat. For me, that is. Not for her."

Joe didn't have to look hard to see the results of Layla's 'fun'. Even against the backdrop of the red lacing he could clearly make out the marks of Layla's whip. She was practically striped! Joe wondered how long Layla had been at it.

"My apologies, Master. Where are my manners? If you'd like to sit down Katie can remove your shoes. I've been teaching her how to look after her master, and she's keen to show you what she's been learning."

Joe relaxed into a chair, and Katie immediately sank to her knees in front of him. Lifting his first foot up to her chest, Katie made a show of untying his laces and slipping the shoe off. The two lingerie-clad lovelies joined him on the chair, thrusting their barely-covered breasts in his face. They picked up his hands, one each, and ran them tenderly over their bodies. Maria guided Joe's hand straight to her breasts, where his fingers played with her nipple piercings. Mercedes brought Joe's other hand to her face, licking and sucking lovingly on his fingers. Wrapping her lips around his thumb, she did her best to give her master of what she could do with other parts of his anatomy.

Marie leaned in to Joe, "What would you like to do with us, Master?" She whispered into his ear.

"Lots of things."

"Naughty things, Master?"

"Very naughty things."

"Please, Master. You do naughty to me," Mercedes purred into Joe's other ear in her sultry Russian accent. As Maria unzipped his trousers, she continued, "Use me for your pleasure, Master. Please, Master, fuck me hard..."

Like the previous morning, Joe woke up with Jane beside him. He could never see himself tiring of the feeling and smell of her as she slept, naked again, pressed against him. As the drowsiness lifted, they shared a fumble and a giggle under the duvet.

"Good morning, Master."

Joe stopped, startled. Who the fuck was that? He threw the duvet aside to find Layla standing at the foot of the bed, gazing intently at him and Jane. She had that look on her face: the one where she had plotted something deliciously evil, and was enjoying every last second of it.

She was not alone. Beside the bed, each of the new slavegirls knelt; three on each side. Their poses were identical: sat on their feet, knees apart and arms crossed behind their backs, wrists against elbows. According to Mistress Layla this was the "box" position, and one they should adopt every morning to greet their master.

As well as being identically posed, the girls were also identically clad. Each wore transparent smoky latex stockings and long gloves, but it was the black latex hoods which stripped them of any element of individuality. The only facial features showing were the slaves' eyes and mouths, whose lips were lined with deep red lipstick. Other than that, the slaves were naked, their torsos proudly on show and their bodies on offer to their master.

As if that wasn't enough, Layla had numbered each of the slaves as well, marking their hoods in white. Another ploy in Layla's efforts to remove their personality and replace it with that of a sex doll, it seemed, and one which was working.

Joe stared in stunned silence for a moment, greedily lapping up the sight of six women so blatantly offering themselves to him.

Jane stared in silence, too. Her silence, however, was more through nervous anticipation. The numbers on the six women read from two to seven, which meant only one thing.

"You don't mess about, do you?" Joe asked incredulously.

Layla laughed, "No, Master. I just love surprising you with gifts, and it was too good an opportunity to miss. Do you like what you see?"

"Like it? I love it!"

"I drilled this into them yesterday. These slaves have all been taught that, when they're in this uniform, they are nothing more than a pleasure machine for use by you, me, or anyone else we deem fit. Inside these hoods Katie, Mercedes, Petra, Chloe, Maria and Ferrarri no longer exist; replaced by Slaves two to seven, as you see before you."

"You get me the nicest presents!"

"Thank you, Master. It's not quite complete yet, though," Layla turned to Jane, who returned her stare with a fearful glance, "There's a space here, at the front of the bed for slave number one," Returning her attention to Joe, she held up a hood, "So would you like Jane... or Slave one?"

"Mmmmmm." Joe took a moment to consider his options.

"Please, Master..." Jane caressed him, attempting to be seen as lover rather than slave. The 'Master' bit certainly didn't help, but she couldn't resist that: it flowed so naturally, almost automatically.

Oblivious... or perhaps due to the look of anguish in Jane's eyes, a plan was forming in his mind. He took his time, looking at Jane and the kneeling slaves one at a time before responding, "Slave one, please!"

Jane's eyes lowered.

"Marvellous. Over here, Jane. Your uniform awaits."

Jane pulled the duvet to one side. The other slaves restricted access to the side, leaving her no choice but to crawl to the front of the bed, a sight that entertained Joe greatly. Sitting on the edge of the bed she carefully rolled the stockings, first up one leg, then the other. Mistress Layla had taught her the care that needed to be taken when donning latex attire, and the value of the performance that went with it. "Everything's a show, my dear," Mistress had repeated time and again, "When you're with your master. You are the entertainment!"

The gauntlets followed the stockings. Jane had stood up from the bed by now; her transformation visible to all. The other slaves, however, stared straight ahead, as though the mere act of turning their heads to watch was verboten. This provided comfort and unease to Jane in equal measure: comfort from the reduced audience and unease from the fact that she would soon be in the same anonymous state.

Mistress amused herself by playing with the hood. Dusting and shining it in an exaggerated way, she taunted her victim with her usual relish. When the time came, she stepped closer to Jane, holding the focus of Jane's torment right in front of her, "Look at it, my dear. See it, feel it, smell it. Say goodbye to your Master, dear Jane!"

"Good... Goodbye, Master."

"Goodbye, Jane."

Jane pulled the latex over her head, ably assisted by Mistress. Zipping up the back stretched the rubber tight, dramatically framing the features of the face and lending an air somewhere between slightly intimidating and completely submissive. Mistress helped her with straightening the material and tucking in her hair, completing the otherworldly appearance.

"Master," Layla announced on the completion of her work, "May I please present Slave One. Say hello to your master, One!"

"Hello, Master." Her voice was calm and deliberate, lacking any trace of emotion.

"Hello, One!"

"Number One over here, is an unthinking sexual machine whose only purpose is to serve your needs. Number One doesn't have needs of its own; other than those you give it. Now, One, adopt the position. There will do."

Without a second's thought or hesitation, One knelt down at the foot of the bed and copied her contemporaries. In just a few moments she had gone from naked lover to sex statue, and if he didn't know better, Joe would have had a hard time telling her from the others!

"I've got to admit, Layla, I'm impressed!" He pointed to his erection, "And so is he! Come onto the bed and do something about that. You can leave your clothes over there."

"With pleasure!" Layla replied gleefully, hurriedly removing her clothing.

Slave One watched as Layla joined their master on the bed. She wanted to join them, but all autonomy had been stripped by the mistress. No emotion showed on her face, but on the inside there was turmoil. The pain of Master's choice had not diminished, but now there was no outlet. No pleading, no facial expressions, not even any tears. Even closing her eyes or looking away was impossible without direct command. The rest of the world dissolved away, leaving the sight of Master being pleasured by another. By Mistress, no less. So instead she watched; every last second.

Joe collapsed onto the bed, enjoying the afterglow of some of the hottest sex he'd ever enjoyed. Layla lay next to him, still a little out of breath from their exertions, but not apparently finished.

"You two. Three. Six. Get up on here and clean us both up. Use your mouths only. I want us both completely clear of cum and pussy juice by the time you're both done."

The expressionless drones moved up to the bed as directed. Three set to work on Joe, heading straight to his juice-covered cock and taking it eagerly between her lips. Six went to Layla, burying her latex-covered face between the domme's legs.

"That's it. Get right in there. Oh yes, keep going," Layla growled as Six's tongue made its way around her body.

Joe has having a similarly enjoyable experience at the hands (or mouth) of Three. In fact, her attention was breathing new life into his erection. When the inevitable happened, it was Three who was able to take advantage of it, and suck Master to his second climax of the morning. Her reward: a latex face covered in cum.

"Oh look, what you've done," Layla responded with mock disappointment, "You've created even more mess! Come up here and clean her up, One. Show your master what you're good for!"

One immediately complied and set her tongue about Three's face. Master's cum tasted divine, and she was glad to feel Master's hand on her ass as she licked her fellow slave clean. One didn't even think of stopping or pausing until every last drop had been licked from the shiny latex hood. All that mattered was following the order, as best she could

"OK, you three," Joe sat up and reasserted his authority once the cleaning duties were done, "Take your positions by the bed. Layla, stay here and make yourself comfortable. Good. Now, you seven on the floor, lean your heads on the bed for a moment. Feel free to use your hands if you wish. That's it. Now, sleep! "

Joe smiled as all eight women instantly fell asleep. "Good. Now I'm talking to all of you kneeling on the floor. All of you currently known by numbers. You have been taught to react only to your number. From now on, when you are in that uniform, you will BE that number, not even recognising your original name. You will be the very perfection of slavehood. Nothing but a mindless slave whose only function is to take orders. All that Mistress Layla has taught you regarding your slave status will be your entire reason for being. Your own thoughts, feelings, desires and fears: everything in your head will melt away, leaving only the orders you are given. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Seven voices in unison."

"When you remove your slave uniform, you will return to the state at which you woke this morning. You will be known, and know yourself by your original name. You will also remember your time as a numbered slave as a peaceful time, when all the problems in the world disappeared, leaving only you and your Master or Mistress. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Again, seven voices in unison.

"Very good. I'm now talking to you, Layla. You have heard me talking to the others. You know that their status as numbered slaves is more than mere orders. It is their very being while wearing that uniform. They are not acting like mindless drones. They are mindless drones. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. And that thought excites you doesn't it?"

"Yes, Master."

"Exactly. The possibilities are endless, aren't they?"

"Yes, Master. Endless."

"Excellent. Now everybody, wake up in five, four, three, two, one and zero. Assume your position, slaves! And Layla, how are you?"

"I feel wonderful, Master. Just thinking of all the ways we can enjoy your slave.! In fact, Master, I think I'm getting wet again!"

"Tell me all about it, my dear."

Joe had barely finished his shower with number Five when Layla came into the bathroom. The smile and the excited glint in her eye had completely disappeared, though, replaced by a look of concern.

"Everything alright, my dear?" Joe asked as Five rubbed him down with a towel.

"Master, Felix is here. He's waiting downstairs in the lounge. I told him you were busy, but he insisted on coming in and waiting for you. I... I couldn't resist letting him in."

"Don't worry about it. Four and I will be down in a moment." He motioned to the other slave; still kneeling quietly and holding a pile of Joe's clothes.

Joe quickly dressed, Four didn't, and the pair headed downstairs to the lounge.

"Four, please welcome our guest in the usual manner, and take his coat and shoes. Can I get you a coffee?"

"No, and don't bother with the shoes. I'm not staying long," He turned to the practically naked slavegirl, "Can you excuse us please?"

Joe nodded his approval for her to leave the room.

"Number Four? You didn't waste any time, did you?"

"Layla's idea, with a little reinforcement from me. So, mate, what can I do for you?"

"Well," Felix took a sip of his coffee, "I wanted to share with you something I learned today. It seems that I've developed a bit of an affliction: an unconscious need to clench my fist in certain circumstances. Somebody has been adding commands to the subliminals, and I've been exposed to these."

Joe's relaxed disposition evaporated, but he tried not to let it show. Images of Dan, slumped over his steering wheel in a mangled car flashed through his mind.

"Now the obvious questions are who did this, how and why. I think I know the answers to the first two. As for the third... well that's why I'm here."

Putting his coffee on the table, Felix leaned forward and looked Joe straight in the eyes.

"So... why did you do it?"


Chapter 12 - Distraction

Jane slammed the front door shut and collapsed against it, crying. It had been another shitty day at the hospital. Why did Mary have to be such a complete and utter bitch? She wouldn't have minded so much if there were other, more redeeming qualities. Master Joe and Mistress Layla could be as cruel as they liked, and it would just make her hotter. Mary just made her upset.

It didn't help that every moment away from Master and Mistress, and the new life they shared together made her ache. It was physical: being away from them: not feeling Master inside her, or that spark on receiving an order... it just felt... wrong. Like something was missing, and not just Master's cock or the slave vibrator between her legs.

That feeling had grown over the last few weeks, and was beginning to affect her at work. By now she was desperate to stay at home with Master and Mistress, and would gladly devote the rest of her life to them. Going to work at the hospital, once something Jane had loved to do, was rapidly becoming something she dreaded.

After a minute or so sobbing on the hallway floor, Jane pulled herself together. That was when she noticed one of the hooded slavegirls (Seven) locked in pose at the foot of the stairs. Resplendent in her stockings, gloves and hood, the only addition to the outfit were those shoes with the stripper heels that Master loved so much.

How long had she been there? Jane certainly hadn't heard the clack of those insanely high heels on the wooden floor, so she must have been stood there the whole time! Jane laughed at herself a little; was she really that unobservant?

Jane watched Seven for a moment. The slavegirl didn't move an inch; even her breathing was imperceptible. She looked so serene, standing there, knowing her place. Nothing to worry about; no concerns or problems. Nothing else even existed, not even the throbbing ache that Jane knew went with holding that position for so long. The only things that mattered to Seven were following orders unquestioningly and waiting for her master.

So serene.

Jane suddenly realised she was Jealous of Seven. Standing up, she moved closer to the completely still slavegirl until their breasts touched. "You are actually breathing, aren't you?"

Silence from Seven, but at least Jane could feel her breath at such close quarters.

Jane could feel the arousal growing within her again. She was, after all, used to it by now. The only difference was the reason. As attractive as the woman in front of her actually was (and she was damned sexy in that outfit, or lack of it), it was the idea of being her that made Jane tingle. Before, when Mistress had used the uniform and the hood on her, it had made her feel nervous and afraid of losing her identity. Now, losing that identity was exactly what she wanted.

"Nice of you to turn up, Miss. I told you to..." Mistress started down the stairs, but her stern expression disappeared on sight of Jane's tear-strewn face, "What's up, my dear?"

"Work troubles, Mistress."

"Mary again?"

"Yes, Mistress. I'm sure she's got it in for me."

"Come on; let's have a cup of tea. You can tell me all about it."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Layla."

"Excuse me?"

"Call me Layla. The Mistress thing is all well and good when Master's here, or when we're playing, but for now, call me Layla."

"Yes... Layla." Jane's pulse quickened for a moment on the mere mention of Master, but of course the emptiness quickly returned without his presence. Plus it felt a little wrong to be calling Mistress "Layla". The idea that this could all be play just... Well it just didn't feel right.

Mistress/Layla instructed Seven to make some tea, and the trio made their way into the kitchen. The uniform-clad slave captivated Jane; a fact not lost on Layla, "She is rather attractive, isn't she?"

"No... Well, yes," Jane hadn't found herself particularly attracted to Seven. Not any more than the crop of stunning model-esque women currently calling this place home. It wasn't that she wanted to be with Seven: she wanted to be her, "It's more the uniform. When I wear it everything just... melts away. All my problems, all my doubts. It just feels so... so peaceful. So... right."

Layla remained silent.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes I do. Even putting aside the sex, the clarity of purpose that comes with that uniform is very comforting, and very tempting when you're not wearing it. Everybody carries a whole bunch of neuroses with them, and it's nice to leave them behind for a while."

"Not just nice, Miss... Layla. I spent most of the day just wanting to put that thing on and forget the world." Jane saw the look of concern on Layla's face, "I don't know. Maybe I was just missing you and Master."

Layla smiled, but the concern remained on your face. "Perhaps, but It's a big step, putting that uniform on. I don't want you to lose yourself to it completely."

This time Jane stayed silent.

"Just promise me you'll think about it. There's no rush. Master and I aren't going anywhere. And besides," Layla's smile grew wider, "I'm sure we can think of something else to occupy you."

"Definitely!" Jane laughed, the familiar tingling making a welcome return.

"So... why did you do it? Why did you program me with that tell?

Joe's heart leapt into his mouth. His mouth hung open for a few seconds, silently protesting his innocence. Felix, apparently, wasn't buying any of it though. His face remained emotionless, giving away nothing. Would he explode in a rage? Would he call in his friends? Joe had no idea.

"Well," Joe quickly realised that the innocent act wouldn't work, "'One: to see if I could. Two: to try and gain a little control over my own destiny again. Three: I thought anything went around here. Also, half a dozen drop dead gorgeous women might have had something to do with it. I would've thought that last one was obvious on its own!"

Felix grinned at the last bit, "OK, I think I can understand that!"

Joe watched Felix intently, looking for any sign of a response and acutely aware of his own scrutiny in return. Years of back room poker had taught him the possibilities and pitfalls of body language. Looking away, towards the exit or the floor would send signals he'd rather not send. He would have to brazen it out.

"So..."

"So?

"So, where do we go from here?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I can trust you at the moment. I don't know if you're working against me. Hell, I don't know if I've created a monster in you."

"Well I can't speak about the monster thing. As for working against you? You know I wouldn't... I couldn't do any of that. You saw to that yourself. You can even check the relevant subliminals if you like; I haven't changed those. All I did was give myself an advantage in a game of poker. If you want to add to my... our... programming then that's your prerogative."

Joe let Felix consider that for a moment before continuing. "I would say one thing, though."

"Go on."

"You're obviously pissed that you've been programmed without your knowledge. I know exactly how that feels. The rest of us go through that all the time. We agreed for security reasons, and to help the team work together, but we don't know when we're being programmed or with what. It is a bit paranoia-inducing."

"Mmmm," Felix replied, deep in thought, "So you want to know you're being subjected to the subliminals?"

"And what they are. The trust has to work both ways."

"Understood. Leave it with me."

Joe's relief on Felix's departure was absolute. That had been a close one. Giving Felix that poker tell had always been a risky strategy: Felix knew a lot more about this whole setup than he did, and the consequences would have been severe if Felix had suspected Joe of anything more than cheating at cards. It was a good job Felix knew his card tricks so well.

"Thanks, all of you for coming here this evening. I know you lot generally only come into the office on a weekend. I was chatting with Joe last night, and he's mentioned something which hadn't occurred to me. He says that, as he's not sure what subliminals he's being programmed with, he's not sure what my end-game is, and finds that a little worrying. I think he's a little bit paranoid that I'm going to have you all killed or something when you've served my purpose!" Felix's amused grin belied that thought and reassured his audience, "Is that what you lot think?"

Silence filled the room. Apart from Joe, not one member of the group made eye contact with their leader.

"Well?" The amused grin slowly faded; replaced by a look of concern.

"Well, sort of, yeah," Big Dave eventually replied, "Don't get me wrong, I trust you. But after Dan... Well, there's just a bit of doubt. And as we get closer to ... you know..."

"Well Dan was a bit of a special case, it has to be said. After what he did, something had to be done. But I know what you mean. Are you guys all the same?"

General murmurs of agreement all round.

"Well now Joe's mentioned it, it seems obvious. I'll be honest: it had never crossed my mind before. Yes, I can't tolerate betrayal, but I'm not some kind of evil monster. We will all share in the benefits of this project, and none of you have anything to fear. Well, unless you play Joe at cards, obviously!"

A murmured laugh. The mood eased slightly.

"Good. So from now on, I'm going to make the subliminals we use on you available for you to read. In the office only: obvious reasons. That way you know what we're doing and why. I'll obviously remove any passwords and so on. If you know them they're useless. I'm also getting Mike to make it clear when the subliminals are turned on. Mike?"

"Yeah. Done. Some of you will remember the traffic light icon from the early testing stages. I've reactivated that. For those of you that don't, or weren't here at the time, I've added a traffic light icon on everyone's computer's task bar. When it's red, the subliminals are on, when it's green, they're off. I've also uploaded it to the pods, so the same thing will appear on your TV screens. Bottom right corner."

"Cheers, Mike. So guys, do you think that solves the problem? Is there anything else that you need from me to put your minds at rest? Good. Apart from the whole 'taking over the world' thing, I just want to be a normal business-like manager. I don't want to be the new emperor of the world or anything. We're stronger as a team, and I want us to stay that way."

"Until our fiendish plan is complete?" Mike quipped with mock sinister overtones.

"Of course. Until our fiendish plan is complete."

That whole exchange had put everybody's mind at rest, Joe reflected as her drove home. He, however, wasn't satisfied. In life, as in poker, he always wanted that extra ace up his sleeve. There's no better feeling than knowing something that the other guy doesn't, he decided, and he knew Felix would agree. Felix certainly wouldn't leave things at that: he would have his own plans. He had claimed that everyone would know their programming, but Joe wanted his own confirmation. It was no good relying on Mike's icon when Mike or Felix could override it on a whim.

A hardware solution would be easiest for Joe. It was his area of expertise after all. A signal detector for the 'Mind-melty channel' (18.5kHz) should do the trick. If he put it into the monitor instead of the PC, it was much less likely to be detected, and he could link it up to the little LED power display on the monitor. It would be an easy matter to make that flash discretely on detection of the signal, making it practically unnoticeable to anyone else.

It was a good plan; so why was Joe convinced he was missing something? He couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen something relevant, important even, but didn't know what it was. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think what it was.

By the time he stepped through his (Layla's) front door, tiredness and the sight of naked slavegirls had chased away all thoughts of conspiracy. It was Maria's turn, apparently, to greet the Master of the house and remove his shoes: a sight which Joe couldn't fail to be impressed by.

Anticipation.

Anxiety.

Impatience.

A mixture of all these and more invaded Maria's mind. Waiting by the front door, clad in nothing more than a pair of high heels and a smile, Maria's current sole purpose in life was to wait for, and then greet the Master of the house. It was an important role... in her head the most important one, and a role that would hopefully see Master allowing her to pleasure him.

So why was he taking so long?

Maria couldn't be angry with Master. The thought of that didn't even occur to her. She was, however, getting restless for him. He was supposed to be home over two hours ago, and her arms were beginning to ache from being held behind her back for so long. They weren't cuffed or tied: just in practice, as Mistress had instructed.

Mixed in with the above: envy. Mistress was certainly enjoying herself in the next room, with one of the others. Maria could hear laughter from Mistress, and yelps of pain from one of the others, presumably from a whip or cane or some such. She listened as the girl cried out, not for clemency, but for more.

Maria wished it could be her.

She closed her eyes, and imagined it was her in the living room, enjoying the kiss of Mistress' whip. The delicious heat and pain making her feel alive like nothing else could. The cathartic release of screaming into a cloth gag. Hell, just thinking about it was getting her excited. If only Mistress would give her permission, she could... Or even better, if only Master would arrive home right now, and take her right there. When would Master get home?

Maria's arm twitched. Her longing for satisfaction fought with her need to obey Mistress and please Master. Surely she could touch herself just a little; scratch that itch just a little bit? Mistress was busy in the other room, and Master wasn't here yet. She could stop easily, should Master or Mistress appear.

It sounded like the Mistress was coming in the next room. Maria's urge to touch herself only intensified further. "Please, Master, come home now," She whimpered.

The door stayed closed.

Maria barely noticed it happen. One minute she was stood, as ordered, hands clasped behind her back. The next minute, one hand was round the front, moving slowly but inexorably towards the source of her torment. She did notice that first touch, though. The sensation coursed through her body like a lightning bolt, and she physically shook.

She instantly regretted it, and pulled her hand behind her back. She mustn't disobey. Absolutely mustn't. But she needed to. Just a little bit. Just to take the edge off.

She rubbed herself tenderly, hoping that the need would subside enough to let her wait for Master. It didn't work, though. The need only grew. With it, the speed of her fingers. The much needed and now familiar wave of pleasure overtook her, and she closed her eyes in a moment of self-indulgent bliss.

Her hand continued still further. First one finger, then another, penetrated her already moist area. A sigh escaped, and her rhythm increased still further. A slight change in position, and the climax was just round the corner. If she could only...

A cold hand grabbed her wrist. A strong hand.

Maria stopped, not daring to open her eyes.

"Good evening, my dear. Looking ravishing as ever! I see you've started without me."

"I'm sorry, Master. I just heard Mistress in the other room and..."

"And you couldn't control yourself?"

"Yes, Master."

"And so you ended up masturbating, naked, stood behind the front door?"

"Y... Yes, Master."

"I see. I also note that you haven't opened your eyes yet. Are you embarrassed? Ashamed? Or just sorry you got caught?"

"A... A... A little bit of both, Master."

"Good. Don't open your eyes just yet. I want you to bask in that shame for a moment. I want you to wonder if anyone else saw you. Did I come in on my own, or did I bring guests?"

Maria's heart sank.

"It's one thing to be caught by your Master. We'll deal with that shortly, by the way. It's quite another to be caught by a stranger. Exposed. Laid bare for who knows who to see!"

The shame burned at her, but the arousal grew, and burned hotter. Who had seen her? Had she humiliated herself in front of a stranger? Could she please Master by flaunting herself, no matter who may be with him?

"Open your eyes, my dear."

Maria complied, and found herself alone with Master. Relief overwhelmed her.

"May I take your coat, Master?" Maria tried to move the conversation on.

"In a moment. But first, you must be feeling pretty frustrated at being interrupted just then."

"Yes, Master," Like you wouldn't believe, she thought.

"Good. I want this to mean something," Joe moved right up to Maria, cupping her sex in his hand and whispering directly in her ear, "Maria... Vibrator."

"Please, Master..." Maria's eyes widened, but it was clear that no amount of pleading would change his mind. Her bottom lip quivered as an imaginary vibrator started its infernal buzz.

"I was wondering whether that still worked," Joe continued whispering, "We're going to have so much fun. You can feel it, can't you? That vibrator deep inside your pussy? I can feel the vibration through your skin. You know what's coming up, don't you? I can see it on your face."

"Yes, Master," She whimpered meekly.

"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to lead me into the room as usual. Then you're going to remove my shoes, just Layla taught you. Then I'm going to fuck you. I haven't decided where yet. Then, and only then, will I let you cum. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," Tears of frustration began to form in her eyes.

"One more thing. I don't want you touching yourself. You can use my body to touch you, and that will give you some relief. But it's not going to make you cum. That will only happen when I allow it. Got it? Now, let's go in there!"

Trying to maintain her decorum (as much as possible for a naked slavegirl with a vibrator in her pussy), she led Joe through to the living room.

"Good evening, Master. Did you have a pleasant day?"

"I've had worse, darling. I see you've been entertaining yourself again. You know, I'm not sure I've ever seen you watching TV!"

Layla was indeed entertaining herself. Laid on the sofa, she had one of the slaves (number six, judging by the black mask) buried between her legs. Number four, whoever she was, knelt close by, carefully holding a tray with nibbles and a cocktail for the mistress.

"Television? It has its uses, especially when it comes to viewing slaves' antics. But otherwise I find it too... what's the word... pedestrian," She gestured to her two cohorts, "Besides, I'm a people person, as you can see!"

"Can't argue with that!" Joe laughed.

Layla's attention turned to the room's other new arrival, who was looking increasingly distracted, "Maria! Be still! What the hell is up with you?"

"She's currently feeling the effects of a rather large and insistent vibrator, aren't you, my dear?"

"Yes, Master."

"Yes, indeed. And she is not to touch herself or cum until instructed, isn't that right?"

"Yes... Master"

Layla smiled. Master was obviously in a good mood tonight.

"And that instruction won't be given until you've removed my shoes. I know Layla's instructed you on how to keep your Master happy during this process, and I don't want to be disappointed!" He returned his attention to Layla,

Joe could see Maria willing him to sit down so she could get on with it, and deliberately walked across the room to kiss Layla's hand before taking his own seat. The urge to tease just couldn't be resisted. "And maybe after we've had something to eat, we could try out some of the toys downstairs?"

"Oh yes, Master!" Layla gasped. It was difficult to tell whether that was from Six's attention or Joe's suggestion, Either way, the results were clear to see.

Maria started on Joe's command. In her eagerness, she had to be told several times not to rush her Master. Once the first shoe had been removed, she guided his sock-covered foot between her legs, squealing with delight and repressed urges as his toe stroked her most intimate area. Maria took every bit of pleasure she could from the contact. It wasn't quite enough, however. No matter how hard she tried, frustration had the upper hand.

As Joe's second shoe came off, his other foot found its way to her breasts. Maria squeezed her breasts around the appendage, but she had other concerns. The pressure to cum grew in intensity with every moment, and the only way to release it was to give Master what he wanted.

The second she thought his feet had been taken care of, she migrated up his legs. Something of an expert in men's flies by now, she wasted no time in freeing Master's cock and wrapping her lips tightly around it. The usual ceremony and tenderness would have to wait. Master, however, had other ideas.

"You," Joe said, pointing to Slave 4," Put a towel down there, and grab that bottle." Returning his gaze to Maria, he continued. "You. On the towel. On your hands and knees. Present your ass to me."

Maria couldn't get down fast enough. Dropping to the floor almost like a stone, she prostrated herself on the towel as directed. Feeling a cold liquid between her ass cheeks, what was left of Maria's rational mind soon figured out what it was. Slave 4 was liberally applying lube to her anus, rubbing it in with rubber-coated fingers.

Master followed quickly, taking the slave's place behind Maria. She moaned as Master grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head back, He was going to take her from behind, and there was nothing in the world she needed more. Her entire being was now focussed her rear end, and it's impending violation. Tears streaming down her face, she pleaded with Master to fuck her. To her relief, Master relented.

The moan of ecstasy echoed through the house, it was that loud. Master had given her permission to cum, and not a second too soon. Maria tightened herself around her Master's cock as though her life depended on it. With his other hand, Master pulled Maria's torso against his, grabbing her right tit as he did so. Her whole body convulsed and writhed as unequalled pleasure tore through every cell of her body.

A twitch from Master's cock signalled the inevitable, and Maria felt the warm liquid squirting inside her. The orgasm was subsiding now, replaced by that deliciously dirty feeling she always had when taken from behind.

Master let go of her hair, and held her tightly in a bear hug embrace. They both kneeled on the floor, regaining their breath from the physical exertion, with a mixture of lube and semen dripping down Maria's leg.

"Bravo, you two." Maria had forgotten about her audience for a moment, but the Mistress' praise brought reality crashing back. "Looks like you both enjoyed that!"

"It was... yeah" Master was obviously too distracted for a pithy comeback.

"You know, Master. It would be such a shame to have Maria all lubed up with nowhere to go. I've got just the thing for that, with your permission of course. Four, grab the ass hook out of the chest over there, third drawer down, and a short length of rope. That will do nicely."

Maria stayed kneeling on the floor as Master returned to his chair. She watched as Four relayed the metal hook and rope to Mistress, and gulped at the thought of the cold steel inside her. There were few things that felt dirtier than being taken up the ass, but having a hook up there was certainly one of them.

"Pass those here," Layla rose from her chair with a theatrical flourish, and stepped towards Maria. "Open your mouth, Slave. I think this needs a bit of warming up first."

One positive aspect about his duties at Sat Tech, Joe thought to himself, was that getting in on time was no longer an absolute requirement. One phone call to the office, and Joe had been able to take most of the morning off. Joe had prepared his excuse: a broken washing machine and flooded kitchen, but they hadn't even asked him.

The morning had been spent with Layla, Jane, and the rest of the girls. Layla had the whole group exercising in the back garden, wearing nothing but sports bras and panties. Apparently a good run and stretch every morning was part of the household routine for the troupe, or harem as Joe was beginning to think of it. Joe pulled himself up a sunlounger and decided to enjoy the show.

The sports bras were needed when the girls ran, especially given the size of some of their breasts. Big Dave and Pete certainly weren't afraid of a little augmentation, or even a lot. For the stretching, though, the bras were less of a requirement, and Joe had suggested as much. It was a good job that Layla didn't have any neighbours close by!

Another positive aspect of having almost fuck all to do at work was the time to get on with his other projects. A quiet afternoon at Sat Tech had allowed Joe not only to get ahead with his paid work, but also to get on with his 'real' job too. Wondering when Felix's plans had taken centre stage in his itinerary, Joe continued soldering on the circuit board. A couple of final tests, and the device was complete.

It was a simple enough device, less than half the size of the pods the groups used, and would easily be installed inside a monitor. From there it would inform Joe of the presence (or otherwise) of the "mind melty" signal: a hardware back up for the software currently being developed by Mike. It wasn't that Joe didn't trust Mike or Felix. It was just, these days Joe didn't know who to trust, except himself. Joe chuckled quietly. These days, he didn't even know if he could trust himself

The final tests were positive, although Joe noticed the same variation in signal intensity as before. He was going to have to figure out what that was, in case it reduced the effectiveness of the pods. There was a chance that it had been added deliberately, and that the signal needed to fluctuate to work. Joe would have to check with Sam Bryant about that. If signal fluctuation was needed, Sam would know more about it than Felix.

Joe picked up both devices and put them in his bag. The other device was exactly the size of a pod, on account of that being precisely what it was. There was a slight difference, though. This pod had been modified to take commands from Joe, rather than Felix and Mike. Joe didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. He couldn't get round the security from the group's encryption, but he could use his own encryption and his own frequency to add commands to the pods. Building a new pod from scratch was the only way to achieve this, but that was easy enough given his knowledge of the pod's technology.

Leaving the office and waiting for the lift, Joe thought about how he would get the signal detector inside the group's office. Again, the paranoia had resurfaced, and Joe strongly suspected Felix would have thought of this. Felix wouldn't want anyone smuggling bugs or other tech into the office, and would have put in place measures to prevent it. If he hadn't, he'd missed a trick, and Felix wouldn't miss a trick.

That was what the new pod was for: a little self-reprogramming. Joe figured that a few minor additions to the suggestions he'd already received would help him get past the blocks. He just had to make sure his additions wouldn't clash with the existing stuff. That would be difficult without knowing the existing stuff, but not impossible. Joe just had to be careful

Joe strolled through reception towards the underground car park, feeling in his pockets for his keys. He was looking forward for getting home, and with 7 gorgeous women all desperate to be fucked, who wouldn't? He waved goodbye to Len, who waved back to stop him.

"What can I do for you, Len?"

"I just needed to give you this," Len answered, looking a little puzzled.

"Err, thanks," Joe suddenly remembered. It was the security tape from last week, when Joe had been at his extra-curricular activities in Sat Tech's systems. Felix had told him that he would receive it, and quickly put it in his pocket, "Is there anything else?"

"I know I stopped you for some reason. I was going to ask you something, but I can't remember. Is your pass still OK?"

Joe fished it out and showed the man, "Yes, I think so."

Len studied the pass. "No problem here. Must've slipped my mind. Getting' old I guess. Sorry 'bout that. I'll leave you a note in the morning if I remember."

"No problem, mate. Done the same myself! Have a good evening."

"And you, Sir."

Walking through the car park with the incriminating DVD, Joe's paranoia was beginning to kick in again. Was he being followed? He kept seeing the same shadow out of the corner of his eye, on the other side of the bays of parked cars but walking at the same speed. The car park was usually deserted by this time, with the management being mostly nine-to-fivers. Joe could hear the footsteps almost, but not quite, echoing his own.

Crouching down to tie his shoelaces, Joe decided to let the mysterious shadow continue ahead of him. He gave himself an extra few seconds and listened for the footsteps heading away. A car door and engine soon followed. Joe watched the car head towards the exit ramp, before turning back towards his car.

The man was in front of him.

"Hey, Joe. How's it going?"

In a flash, Joe realised it was Mike from the group. The initial shock passed, and Joe's fight or flight reflex slowly subsided. Suspicion, however, replaced it. What was Mike doing here? He didn't work here, or anywhere near, as far as Joe knew.

"Not too bad, apart from the heart attack you just gave me. Do you normally jump out on people in car parks like that?"

"Sorry, mate. I didn't mean to scare you. I wanted to see off whoever was following you. I thought it might be one of Felix's goons."

"Felix has goons?"

"More than you know. He has people watching all of us. Some of them don't even know it. Sleepers. That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Go on, then."

"Not here. If you have slipped one of his men, another one will soon be on to reacquire you. That's what he calls it" Mike handed Joe a slip of paper. "Meet me at this place, Monday next week. Eight PM. Come alone." Mike turned and started walking away.

"What's all this about?" Joe shouted after him.

"Not here!" Mike hissed. He leaned towards Joe. "What do you think Felix has in mind for when we're finished on his little project? I've seen what he does with people who are surplus to requirements and believe me, I'm not going to end up one of them. As I said, follow the instructions on there. Monday. Eight."

"Why not tonight, or tomorrow?"

"You've still got everyone's girl at your place. If we wait until they all go back, the rest of the group will be distracted by their return. Plus, the girls won't report your absence if they don't see it. Control of information, you see."

"OK. I'll meet you."

"Good. I've got to go, before Felix knows I'm gone. See you then."

"Yeah," Joe stood stunned, watching as Mike slipped back into the shadows.

Another set of footsteps signalled Len's arrival from the security office. "Is everything OK, Sir? I thought I heard talking over here."

"Everything's fine, thanks. Just looking for my damned keys. There may have been a bit of swearing." Joe showed Len his keys.

Len laughed, "OK, Sir. Good night."

"Good night, mate." Joe turned and headed back to his car.

Settling into his car, Joe looked at the note passed by Mike. As promised, it contained a location for a meet: an industrial park a few miles from Three Hills. All very secretive and shadowy, Joe thought to himself, an opinion reinforced by the final paragraph:

"Tell no-one about this, not even the women you control. Make excuses to them. Assume you're being bugged. You probably are. Destroy this note after reading. Leave no trace."

Joe's eyes widened at that. Mike was either in possession of some serious knowledge or he was seriously paranoid. The problem was telling which one. Both were equally likely. It may be worth looking for bugs in the house, though. It would be a good way of putting his suspicions to rest.

"Are you alright, Master?" Jane asked as the two lay together in bed, "You seemed a little distracted when you got home tonight."

"Uh? Yeh, don't worry, Hun." Joe replied. It was true, Joe thought. He had been distracted. Mike turning up at the office had really thrown him. Even the obligatory boot removal routine and following blowjob from Mercedes and Petra failed to elicit much more than a few grunts of satisfaction. "It's just been a shitty day, that's all."

"Is there anything I can do to make it a little better?" She smiled sweetly, but her actions under the covers were anything but sweet.

Joe knew he didn't stand a chance of resisting that smile, and his physical response to Jane's intimate massage was obvious to the both of them. "Go on, then. If you must," Joe mock relented.

"Yay!" Jane squealed as she straddled her lover and master.

This time, more than ever, was tender loving rather than animalistic sex. The passion was no less because of it. If anything, it was increased. For a brief moment, master and slave were gone, and only two lovers remained. Joe stayed underneath Jane, looking up at her face and enjoying the drape of her hair onto his face. "You know, I think I love you."

"I love you too. My heart beats for you,"

"What?"

"My heart. It beats for you, Master." She pulled his hand up to her chest. "Can you feel it?"

Shit.

"That's it!" Joe's eyes widened as the realisation hit him with the momentum of a freight train.

"What's it, Master?"

"Beating. I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Look, we're going to have to do this later. Get off me, please. There's something I need to do."

Disappointed, Jane couldn't disobey him, and climbed off in silence.

"I'm sorry, hun, but I have to do this. I'll make it up to you. Later on, yeah?"

Jane pouted, but agreed.

Joe covered the drive to the office in record time. The lack of traffic certainly helped, but Joe's lack of respect for the speed limit had more to do with it. He didn't even bother searching for a clear space in the office's subterranean car park, preferring to abandon his car in front of the reception lobby by the lifts.

He didn't have a plan. He didn't even know where to look. He just knew he had to find it. The only thing he had was a story to get past the guard (not Len, where was he tonight?) There was a component in one of the new units that could overload and start a fire, and he had to make things safe. The story seemed to satisfy the new guy, along with Joe's insistence that he could solve the problem on his own, and the guard could get back to watching the game.

The reality?

Jane had said it earlier. Beating.

Joe had spotted it earlier, during a quick test of the machine before installation. The 18.5 kHz channel was working, but only intermittently. It pulsed, varying in intensity. The reason had eluded him earlier. A possible loose connection or something. Whatever it was, Joe hadn't had the time to investigate fully. Now, the answer was staring him in the face.

Joe disconnected the module, and brought it over to his desk. Removing the lid, he located the signal generator and connected his diagnostics.

The signal was most definitely there, as expected. 18.5 kHz as usual. As before, the intensity was varying with a period of its own. This wasn't a loose connection. It was too regular. It wasn't caused by any of the other usual suspects either: the power supply and so on. Those were the first things that Joe had thought of earlier, after the loose connection.

Joe remembered his analogue electronics lectures, and Dr Foster's lectures on wave superposition in particular. "When two waveforms of similar frequency are added together," The good doctor had started, "They shift in and out of phase. When in phase, the amplitudes of the waves add together. When out of phase they cancel each other out. The result is a sine wave halfway between the two frequencies, but that sine wave itself varies in its own wave." Joe remembered seeing the slides the Doc had projected. "This is known as beating."

Joe did a few more tests, and made a few calculations on a notepad. Fine tuning the diagnostics, his calculations bore fruit and he found a constant frequency: 18.66kHz. That was the first real frequency.

As Joe reset the diagnostics, he remembered what Felix had told him about the frequency at 18,5kHz. Joe had found it in the output of the module in front of him. Joe's defences against it were all based on the 18.5kHz detector. If Joe was right, the detector would be useless. In fact it would be worse than useless, as it would have given him a false sense of security. Felix could have switched on part of the generator and Joe would have been none the wiser.

Reconnecting the diagnostics, the results were instantly plain to see. Joe sat back in his chair, his hands covering his face.

There was a second frequency coming from the box.


Chapter 13 - Precaution

Joe sat, stunned into silence. He couldn't believe it. The pods were running two frequencies instead of the one he knew about. What were they there for? Was the publicised frequency a smoke screen? Something to keep Joe (and the group) from finding the truth? Was the second frequency the real one, or was it to do some other, unknown, task?

Either way, this had been hidden from Joe, and hidden well. Joe had found one signal generator easily. It was practically signposted. He hadn't discovered the origin of the second signal, though, so the electronics must have been disguised well. It was only through some obscure physics and a bit of luck that he'd found it, and that physics wouldn't be known about by many.

Disbelief, betrayal, anger, fear: they all washed over him at one time or another as he tried to make sense of the situation. Paralysis joined the silence as the fear began to win out. This didn't bode well at all, he considered. Especially when added to Mike's warnings in the car park last night and the knowledge of Dan's fate. Felix definitely had his own plans, and Joe had no idea what they were. The fact that it was so secret, using pod circuitry that even he couldn't find without a thorough search, suggested it was serious.

Serious how, though? Was Felix going to make a go of it on his own? Would he eliminate some or all of the group? It wasn't like that act was beyond him, after all. Felix had laughed off the suggestion previously, and Joe had believed him, but that was before. Now? Now, he wasn't so sure.

So what was he going to do about it, Joe mused. Well firstly, reconnecting the module and getting the hell out of there. Everything else could wait. Wiping all trace of his interference with the unit, Joe re-assembled and re-installed the unit, before making a swift exit.

So what now, then? Joe thought to himself, sitting in his car. He needed time to think, to work out what the fuck was going on, and what to do about it. His place, Layla's place, Jane's: they would all be bugged, in all probability. Joe knew he'd do that, and Felix was meticulous about security. Hell, even the bloody car would be bugged, and most likely GPS tracked.

That didn't matter though. He just needed an hour away from Felix's microphones. Somewhere remote enough to defeat a bug's signal, preferably with a few hills to make absolutely sure. Joe knew just the place. Felix might know his location, but that would be it. That would have to do for now.

Turning out of Sat Tech's car park, Joe headed out of town. Traffic in Three Hills was virtually non-existent, just a few cars and the odd cab, but that was to be expected at this time of night.

It was the bridge where Joe noticed the car behind him. The bridge over the railway that marked the unofficial edge of Three Hills. He could understand a bit of traffic in the town itself, but out here? It should be deserted, shouldn't it? Why the hell would anyone else be out at this time? Besides, hadn't it been behind him ever since the office?

Joe sped up, and the headlights in his rear-view mirror faded further into the distance. Whoever it was certainly wasn't in a rush, Joe mused, before wondering if the driver behind those headlights had other motives in mind. "You've really done a number on me, Felix," Joe murmured to himself, as he formulated a plan to shake his potential tail.

Joe knew this road well. There was a fork, about a mile ahead, just after a blind bend where his stalkers (if that's what they were) would lose sight of him. That was where he'd make his move. Joe checked his mirrors and, sure enough, the headlights remained in the middle distance.

The bend approached. It was time. Joe turned off his lights, hit the gas and took the left fork. Two corners later and Joe stopped at a layby, quickly turning off the engine. Sitting there for a few moments, Joe waited in silence, broken only by the ticking of the cooling engine. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he considered his situation. Had the other car seen him? Would it take this fork? If so, would they stop when they saw him? Would he be bundled into their car, never to be seen again? Joe fixed his gaze on the mirror and waited.

Headlights. Lighting the vegetation around the bend at first, but then shining straight into his mirror. The other car had followed him! Joe watched, his heart in his mouth, as the headlights approached. Were they slowing down? In Joe's adrenaline-addled mind it seemed as though they were, but he couldn't be sure. It would only be a few seconds now.

Three...

Two...

One...

The car passed. A bit slowly, perhaps, but nothing unexplainable.

The road after the layby was straight for a quarter mile or so. Joe watched the taillights for every inch of that quarter mile until the next bend, and even kept his eyes peeled for a few minutes after that. If they were following him they were playing it particularly cool: ice cold even. The chances of this, though, appeared to be diminishing.

Unless they had a tracker or a bug on him. Or both.

The part of Joe's brain that needed to feel safe fought with his suspicious side. There was nothing to suggest that the other car was following him. Hell, it probably hadn't even slowed down as it passed. Probably someone on a night shift or earlies, Joe justified to himself.

It was better safe than sorry, though. The thought of possible bugs in his car made for an oppressive and claustrophobic atmosphere. He needed space, and solitude to sort this all out in his head. This was a good a spot as anywhere, Joe decided, leaving the car for the cold night air.

"Come on, Joe, you bastard. Work the problem. What's Felix going to do?" He asked himself, pacing up and down in his car's headlights.

"I don't know. What COULD Felix do?"

"He could kill me. There's no way to stop that. Hell, he could have a sniper on me now." Joe shuddered, but remembered something his dad told him: don't worry about what you can't control. "So put that to one side. No point dwelling on it. What else?"

"Lock me up. Same as before: no way to control it. What else?"

"He could take control of me. Get me to do myself in, or turn me into some sort of mindless zombie."

"He already HAS control of me! That's the frigging problem!"

"What about the new pod? A few self-preservation commands on the pod perhaps? I already have to program myself to get the detector past his security. It would just be an extension of that."

"Would it even work? What about the second frequency? The pod was scratch-built, and didn't include that."

"Wait. The frequency might not be needed.

Joe thought back to his conversation with Sam Bryant, the man behind all this. Sam had said the frequency was to turn something off: the part of the brain that would question the subliminals. If all the subliminals were doing was reinforcing self-preservation instincts, and acting in his own best interests, he might not need it in the short term. "Evolutionary biology... hopefully. In the mean time, I can get a pod built with the second frequency."

"There's no guarantee, though. Even if it does work; even if you don't need the other frequency, it'll take a while to do its thing."

"There's no guarantee in any of this. I've just gotta play the percentages. Take every advantage I can get, and make a few for myself. Just keep thinking of anything Felix can do, and try to counter it. The pod would be good for working on that."

"As if I'm not paranoid enough already. OK, what else can Felix do?"

"He could use Layla and Jane against me. Or any of the other women at the house."

The thought of losing Layla and Jane filled Joe with dread even more than the idea of death. He'd grown accustomed to the pair of them being around. Even if he lost control of them, he still wanted to be around them.

"OK, so how would he do that?"

"He would instruct the girls to ignore any order from me, using one of his codes. He would control them then. He could use them or his goons to do whatever he wants."

"Can we get a hold of his codes?"

"Not in this lifetime. They'll be kept so securely it's not even worth trying. I can't even remember what codes he's used already."

"That'll be deliberate, to stop us using them. We'll have to get around it then. How, though? If Felix has stopped my commands from working?"

"Use my own pod on them?"

"Good. That'll take time, though. Plus it's not guaranteed to overwrite Felix's commands. It might not even work without the second frequency, unless their survival depended on me. The new pod might help... Might. It's worth doing, though."

Anything quicker?"

"Use the hypnosis instead of straight commands? Would that work?"

"I doubt it. If Felix has neutralised my commands, he sure as shit will do the same with the post-hypnotic stuff."

"What if the command didn't come from me, though? Would Felix think to neutralise commands from Jane or Layla? No, wait. They wouldn't give the command, though."

"Wait. They could leave the suggestion, though! If I get Layla to hypnotise the others, and leave the suggestion, I could activate it."

"That might work! It won't last long before Felix reverses it, but it could buy a few minutes' diversion. Enough for an escape."

Joe worked through the problem further, talking it over in his head. It wasn't a good plan: there were holes the size of a cruise liner in it. It was the only thing he could think of, however, that Felix wouldn't instantly see through. The two had been friends for too long, and Felix knew all Joe's tricks.

Mind you, Joe knew a lot of his. That had to be worth something.

Joe spent his drive home thinking about what Felix would do, and how to nullify his friend's advantage. By the time he parked his car in Layla's drive he had a mental list of things to do and check.

"Hi, Master," Jane murmured as Joe returned to bed. She'd fallen asleep in the intervening hours, but it was clear from her face that she had been crying.

"I'm sorry about that, Hun." Joe said, pulling her close to him, "Something came up at work. Well, something you said made me think of it, anyway."

"I thought I heard you talking downstairs."

"I watched TV for an hour or so when I got back. I was a bit frazzled, and had to unwind a bit."

"I'm sorry, Master. Whatever it was, I apologize."

"No, no, not at all! It was a good thing you said it!" He pulled her closer, and hugged her tightly. "I'm not blaming you: I'm thanking you!"

"Thank you, Master." The frown on her face disappeared, replaced first by a look of relief, and then the all too familiar lustful gaze. "In that case, do you want to finish where we left off?"

"Can we do that in the morning? I just want to go to sleep now. It's almost morning, you know."

"Anything you say, Master."

"Great. Goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight, Master."

Silence. Joe pulled Jane closer to him as he settled into sleep.

"Master?"

"Yes, dear?"

"When you wake up in the morning, can I greet you in my slave costume?"

"Of course, dear. In fact, I might make it a requirement!"

"Ooh thank you, Master!" Jane giggled, "I'll be the best Number One slave I can be." Reaching across, she kissed and cuddled him softly. "Goodnight... Master."

"Good morning, you two." Layla grinned as she sat to breakfast with Jane and Joe. "From the sound coming from your bedroom, a very good morning! I should be jealous!"

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Joe replied, grinning at Jane, "I've been neglecting Jane of late and we had some, err, catching up to do."

"Catching up, Definitely." Jane agreed, her grin even wider. The slave uniform had gone, replaced by a dressing gown. She wasn't particularly obsessed with her modesty, though, judging by the way it was fastened.

Layla instructed Slave Five to pour coffee for the group, "So will you be catching up with anyone else this morning, Master?"

"Is that an offer or a request? Either way, I might take you up on it a little later. In the mean time, I have to go pick up a few things from town. Have you done the group exercise session yet?"

"No, Master. Would you like to watch again?" Layla knew it would be the last opportunity before the girls went back to their respective masters.

"Most definitely. Make it after I get back, though. I should only be an hour or so."

"Of course, Master."

"Oh, and while I remember: are you and Jane doing anything tonight?"

"No, Master." Layla replied.

"And you, Jane?"

"Wha...? Oh sorry, Master," Jane returned her attention from the uniformed slave, "I'm working 'till six, but I'm free after that."

"Good. I was thinking of going out tonight. Just the three of us, since the rest will be going back. Get a meal, catch a movie, that sort of thing."

"Sounds great! I can't wait!"

"Me too!"

"Nice one. I'll book a table for 8:30 and a taxi for 8:00." Joe smiled mischievously, "I'm sure you'll both be ready by then!"

Joe laid the bags down next to his sunlounger and took in the view. Eight stunning women in pleasingly short plaid skirts and sports bras jogging up and down the garden was certainly an impressive sight. It was a shame they had to go back later today, but their week together was over. Besides, Joe's plan relied on them returning to their Masters.

Layla was certainly enjoying herself as gym instructor, Joe mused. She definitely pushed the others hard, but that wasn't exactly a surprise. He was glad he hadn't come across her at the gym: it could have been quite painful!

"And relax!" Layla and the rest of the group pulled up to Joe's chair, sweat dripping off of their bodies. "Take a moment, girls, and we'll do our stretching in a moment." Layla turned to Joe, "Good morning, Master. New shirt?"

"Yes, thanks," A whole new ensemble actually. Another precaution, in case his clothes had been bugged (you never know!) "You like it?"

"It suits you well, Master." Layla cupped her breasts and playfully presented them to Joe, "So, would you like us to take off our bras again?"

"Yes, please. In fact, I'd like you all totally naked, please. It's such a nice morning after all. Just leave your clothes over here."

"Of course!" Layla returned her attention to the group as she started undressing herself, "You heard the Master. I want to see eight piles of clothes over here, pronto."

Joe smiled. The group removed their clothes as though naked calisthenics in the garden was the most natural thing in the world.

"Good. Now, if you do your stretching on the lawn over there, please, ladies." Joe passed each one a brand new towel from one of his bags. "Use these on the grass. I'll join you in a second."

As the eight naked women took their towels onto the lawn, Joe reached into his other bag and pulled out the contents. The plastic wrap on the packages took a bit of persistence without scissors, but he eventually worked the contents loose. His trip to the electronics store had netted a pair of walkie-talkies, the necessary batteries and a set of headphones. Satisfied that they were in working order, he strolled across to meet the girls.

"Right, ladies. Stop for a moment, please. Sit down on your towels. Except you, Layla. Please remain standing. Make yourselves comfortable. Do some light stretching for a couple of minutes or something. Layla, if you could join me over here."

"Of course, Master." Layla looked quizzically at her Master, but obeyed him without question. The pair put some distance between themselves and the rest of the group.

"This will probably work better if we're sat down," Joe admitted, before instructing her to relax on the grass and lean into him. "Good. Now, sleep."

Joe watched all tension drain from Layla's body as she relaxed further into her master. Joe loosened up aswell, knowing that his command still worked on Layla at least. "Good girl. Now for the next few moments, I want you to concentrate only on the sound of my voice." Joe had remembered Felix's techniques well, "Just imagine the sound of my voice taking you deeper and deeper into your sleep. With every word you're feeling more and more relaxed. That's it. More and more relaxed."

Joe always enjoyed the feeling of Layla against him, especially in her naked state as she was now. Several ideas popped into his head, but more pressing matters needed to be attended to first.

"Good. Now, in a moment I'm going to put some headphones on you. You will hear my voice through them. Don't worry, it's just a walkie-talkie. When I do so, I want you to repeat anything you hear on the headphones to the other girls. You're going to put them to sleep, just as I've put you to sleep now. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Now it's important that you don't act on those suggestions. When you wear the headphones, you are my voice, not my subject. I am speaking to the others through you. My voice will flow through you; it will not affect you in any way. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good girl. Now, when you've finished, I will come and take the headphones from you. When I do, you will forget anything you do or say as my voice. As far as you're concerned, you will have been doing stretching exercises or something similar with them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Tell me what you're going to do."

Once Layla had recited her orders to Joe's satisfaction, she was woken up to re-join the rest of the group. Joe had presented her with the headphones but stayed away from the group: this was not going to work if he was associated with Layla's hypnotic commands.

"Right, girls," Joe spoke into his walkie-talkie, "Just relax back onto your towels."

"Right, girls. Just relax back onto your towels" Layla repeated the instruction word-perfect. The group complied, but that was to be expected by now.

"Sleep."

"Sleep."

To Joe's relief, the entire group in front of Layla complied, melting into unconsciousness.

"Good. Now for the next few moments, concentrate only on the sound of my voice."

Layla continued her repetition.

"Nothing else exists outside the sound of my voice."

"With every word, you're feeling more and more relaxed."

"More and more relaxed."

"More and more relaxed."

"You drift deeper and deeper into sleep."

"Deeper and deeper."

"Deeper and deeper."

"Good. Now, when you hear the phrase 'Get out of death free card', an imaginary vibrator in your pussy will spring to life."

"'Get out of death free card'. 'Get out of death free card'."

"That vibrator starts inside you. Relentlessly, remorselessly distracting you. Within a few moments you won't be able to think of anything but that vibrator."

"You won't say anything. You won't acknowledge it to the outside world, but it will be there."

"This is the most effective vibrator in the world, and works exactly as it should to bring you to orgasm."

"As every moment passes, you will find yourself more and more focussed on the vibrator, and your need to come will increase."

"More and more distracted with every moment."

"More and more preoccupied."

"Needing release more and more."

"But you will not be able to come until the person who says those words, or your Master, obviously, gives you permission."

"You will not even be able to ask for release. You can't even beg to come."

"You will not be able to express your need, except by closing your eyes for five seconds."

"Closing your eyes and counting to five is the only way to signal your need."

"When your Master sees your eyes closed, he will know your need."

"You will express your craving in no other way."

"No other way."

Joe knew that should be enough to allow an escape, if these girls were the only ones holding him. As far as escape plans went, it was pretty limited, though. It wouldn't work on anyone else. If Felix or any of his men were around, it would be useless. Joe needed something a little stronger. Something that would help him neutralise the others, if only for a second or two.

Joe knew what he had to do, but he still didn't like it. Not one bit. "There is another phrase. Scorpion Two Six Eight. When you hear somebody say 'Scorpion Two Six Eight', you will feel unimaginable pain spread immediately through your entire body."

"You will feel like you are burning alive."

"You will be paralysed by the searing heat and pain."

"The pain will subside after a minute or so, but until then it will be the most intense pain you have ever experienced."

"The only way to stop it earlier will be to plead with your master. Only he will have the power to stop the pain."

A heavy feeling had formed in the pit of Joe's stomach. There was no alternative, though. It was either them or him. If Joe had sought protection from the girls, then Felix could have overridden that in a heartbeat. If the girls had turned on Felix (and that was a big "if"), again, Felix could have reversed it with one codeword. Felix could still override this, but it provided an element of surprise that was key.

As Joe had previously noted, he probably (hopefully) wouldn't need to use it anyway.

Of course, there was the distinct possibility that someone was watching them now. Listening would be difficult if not impossible in the open air. Felix surely couldn't bug every square foot of the lawn, and a quick session with the sprinklers had improved those odds. Removing the girls' clothing and replacing his own had also dealt that possibility.

Nevertheless, if he was being watched from afar, his watchers would want to know what he was doing. Having eight naked ladies sitting in the middle of the lawn taking instructions would raise suspicion of what he was doing with them. He had to provide them with a reason, and he had a great one.

"OK. So, in a moment we're going to play a game." He continued, "We're going to play kiss-chase: my version."

Jane hadn't had so much fun in ages! From the moment Master had told the group about kiss-chase she couldn't wait to play. The other girls' nudity, and sweaty bodies from exercise only added to the fun!

The rules were simple enough: chase 'em, catch 'em, kiss 'em and spank 'em. A keen jogger, Jane knew she would love this game. Three chasers to start, and after being caught chaser and chasee would swap roles. Of course, the girls needed instruction on how to spank each other properly, and Mistress was only too happy to help in this regard. Naturally Jane had been selected as the demonstration model, much to her excitement and Master's obvious amusement.

Designated a chaser at the start, Jane went straight for Mercedes. She was the smallest, and looked like the easiest to catch, but that was only part of it. Since her arrival a week ago, Jane had lusted after the short-haired beauty. Maybe not lusted, but certainly curious. Jane wasn't about to miss the first, and probably only, chance to kiss Mercedes' pierced lips.

Unfortunately, Mercedes' 'partner' Ferrarri was also a chaser, and had had the same idea. The competition was fierce, and Jane's lungs burned with the effort of beating her rival. The other girl was just that bit faster, though. Frustration burned through Jane's body as the met and kissed. Something told Jane that Mercedes wasn't really trying too hard not to get caught.

Realising that those two would just chase each other for the rest of the game, Jane turned her attention to the others. Maria was just about within range, making her the best candidate. Stalking her prey, Jane came up behind Maria, tightly wrapping her arms around the captured runner. With that, all Maria ceased all struggle and turned to face her captor.

Maria's kiss was soft and luscious. For a moment the boundaries between them blurred almost into oblivion as the two women became one writhing mass. With their arms locked around each other, pulling each other into an ever tighter embrace, Jane experienced the feeling of flesh on flesh that she now permanently craved.

Jane knew Maria could satisfy practically any man (or woman) with that kiss. In other circumstances it would have left her in a puddle on the ground, delirious with passion. This time, though, it only left her frustrated and needing ... something. Instead of quenching Jane's lustful thirsts it added to them.

Maybe spanking Maria's bottom would help. After their embrace, Maria had bent over and presented her bottom. Jane completed the ritual, realising instantly that this would provide only a little of the satisfaction she yearned for. Maria certainly seemed to enjoy it, moaning in satisfaction with each stroke.

"One... Two... Three..." Maria began her count. Jane knew she had ten seconds to make her escape before Maria started chasing. For a moment the fire in Jane's belly subsided enough for her to remember the game.

Keeping her eye on Maria, Jane backed away as fast as she could.

"Gotcha!"

A pair of arms came from behind Jane's back and wrapped themselves around her waist. Jane cursed herself: she'd been so busy keeping an eye on Maria that she'd forgotten to look out for the others!

Jane turned round to face her captor. It was Katie.

"You're mine now, Sister!" Katie declared with a mixture of satisfaction and mocking amusement, "Now kiss me, wench, and I shall spank you!"

"Of course, Miss." Jane joined in the amateur dramatics, before reaching out to kiss Katie.

"Not like that! I want your face in my tits! Hands behind your back" Seizing the advantage of surprise, Katie grabbed Jane's head with both hands, firmly thrusting it deep into her cleavage.

Even without the soft breast-flesh in her face, Jane would have been breathless. Katie's ample mounds certainly made sure, though, cutting off all air. Try as she might, Jane was easily overpowered and she quickly realised acquiescence was the only way to freedom... and oxygen. Placing her hands behind her back, she let herself fall deeper and deeper into Katie's bosom.

"Ah, that's better!" Katie mocked, maintaining her vice-like grip. "Now, one kiss on each nipple, and an extra kiss up here for luck!"

The last kiss earned Jane freedom from Katie's grasp, but she took her time with it anyway. The encounter had only stoked Jane's fire further. Every touch of Katie's lips felt like pure electricity; every second together an eternity to be savoured.

The kiss ended, as all kisses eventually must. The pair stood in silence, staring dumbstruck at each other. Rocked by the intensity of the whole affair, Jane still felt weirdly dissatisfied, and she could see the same in her partner. A need was building: a physical ache, and both of them knew for what. A few more moments with Katie would do it, Jane reasoned, but the game was in full flow, and it would be a shame to spoil it. She would just have to take all that energy and channel it into the next hunt.

Of course the formalities were not over yet, though. The small matter of a spanking needed to be dealt with. "Bend over! Legs apart!" Katie regained her composure, "If we're going to do this, we might as well do this properly!"

Jane's legs almost gave way through the spanking, they trembled so much. Not through force of impact or the sweet burning pain of her ass cheeks. Desire outflanked those and then some. Thoughts of the game almost evaporated as every nerve in her body exploded. Resistance to those urges was practically an alien concept for Jane nowadays, and she accepted her blows with relish.

"Your turn." Katie's face hardened into one of determination as she pulled away.

"Wait...!" Jane cried out, wanting to pull her back; needing to feel her for just another moment. Trying to start after her, she soon realised her legs wouldn't take her. She needed to do the count. "One... Two... Threeeee..."

With every count, Katie moved further away. The count was only to ten, but it may well have been a thousand. A tear escaped as the hope of fulfilment faded, leaving need and emptiness in their wake.

"Four... Five... Six..."

Further and further still. Even trying to speed up the count didn't work: the faster she tried to cover the numbers, the longer it seemed to take. Need slowly turned to desperation.

"Seven... Eight..."

Katie turned around, looking almost as pained as Jane felt. Her hand had migrated to her crotch and she was furiously trying to bring herself to climax. She was still moving away, but only barely. Jane knew the woman's resolve had broken, and she waited only to be caught. The pair stared at each other, both of them willing Jane to end her count. Only two left.

"Nine... Ten... Noooo...!"

It happened in slow motion, at least as far as Jane was concerned. Unable to run, Katie fell easily to Petra's advances. Lustful cravings washed away any sense of loyalty. The two collapsed into a heap on the ground, unable to resist each other any longer.

The betrayal hurt Jane, cutting into her like a knife. The denial hurt more, though, and if Katie was no longer available, there must be alternatives. Scanning the field quickly resolved that. Mercedes and Ferrarri had barely left each other's company since the game (or even the week) began. This left only Maria, and if Ferrarri was a chaser, then by elimination that meant Maria was prey.

Prey was a bad word, though. Prey implied someone not wanting to be caught. Prey doesn't describe someone running towards their stalker. The need had clearly affected her too.

Maria stumbled, perhaps deliberately, falling to the ground at Jane's feet. Jane dropped to her knees in kind. No words were spoken. No words were needed. No pleasantries, no glances, no seduction. Just pure, unadulterated lust and an aching void crying out to be filled. Within seconds, all conscious thought had disappeared in a haze of rapturous passion.

"So what do you want then, mate?"

"Wha...?"

"What do you want from the deli?" Mike repeated, "I'm picking up lunch."

"Err." Joe replied. It wasn't that late was it? He'd only just arrived at the group's office an hour ago. Come to think of it, he was hungry, though.

He looked at the clock on the computer. It was 1pm.

Where had all the time gone? He'd left home at nine. One hour to get here put his arrival at roughly ten. Plus an hour or so at work made it about eleven. Where had the other two hours gone?

"Well? What do you want?"

"I don't know. Just get me whatever's on offer. No pickle, though. I hate that."

"No problem." Mike headed for the exit.

Joe returned to his work, wondering about the lost time? Had Felix been using the subliminals on him again? Not according to the tracking software installed on everyone's machine; the one installed after Felix's last meeting.

Then he noticed it. The screen power light flashing. Three blinks and a pause. Three blinks and a pause.

Joe knew instantly where his time had gone. He'd spent it installing his own subliminal frequency monitor. Three blinks meant a successful test. The plan had worked!

Knowing the likely security around here, Joe had figured that the best way to get his monitor past security was to completely forget about it. His home-made suggestions had apparently seen to that. He must also have forgotten about the installation: a side effect, most likely. Joe smiled and relaxed into his chair. He now had an edge.

As long as nobody had seen him do it.

The thought just popped into his head. What if they had seen him installing the monitor? He couldn't even remember doing it, so he couldn't be sure if he'd noticed anybody watching him. If anybody had, they weren't saying anything now; he wasn't been carried out kicking and screaming by a bunch of goons. That had to mean something. Surely?

Mike returned a short while later, sandwiches in hand. Joe thanked him and gave him the money. Mike nodded and passed him the receipt. "You might wanna make sure that's right, mate."

"I'm sure it is." Joe barely glanced at it before putting it in his pocket.

"Just make sure!" Mike insisted, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

Pulling the receipt from his pocket, Joe looked at the slip of paper. It seemed normal enough, but someone had written on the back. Turning it over, he saw the reason for Mike's insistence.

"Felix is onto us. Must change meet location."

Noting the new location on the receipt slip, Joe put the receipt back in his pocket. "Thanks, mate. That looks right." The need for discretion was obvious, and looking around, the others seemed oblivious to the exchange.

Joe took a bite from his sandwich and returned to work. His thoughts were elsewhere, however. The final sentence on Mike's note repeated again and again in his mind...

"Make sure you're not followed."


Chapter 14 - Addiction

Layla entered the lounge with typical flair, as she did every time Master Joe was in there. Having enjoyed the theatricality of this morning's events with the others, she was determined to make her own impact on Master.

To that end, Layla had chosen the killer black dress for tonight. Nicknamed 'The Weapon', the slinky little number could cause heart attacks in mere mortals, and reduce the strongest of men to putty in her hands. Sheer stockings and her favourite Loboutins took the whole ensemble to Defcon 1.

Joe hadn't skimped either. Fully suited and booted, he looked every inch the Master that she deserved... and needed. Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, he projected an aura of casual arrogance that meant only one thing: he had something planned for her. The thought of that alone excited and unsettled her at the same time.

"Come here, Darling, and sit down with me." He motioned for her to join him.

She kneeled on the sofa next to Master, accidentally on purpose falling onto him, "Of course, Master." Pressing her body even further into his, she gently stroked her cleavage, "Do you like what I'm wearing tonight?"

"Very much so. You look stunning, my dear. Like a Christmas present, waiting to be unwrapped."

"Maybe you could do a little unwrapping now, Master?" She planted the lightest of kisses on his cheek, leaving a trace of her ruby-red lipstick on him in an attempt to keep control of the situation.

"All in good time. First, I've got you a present." Joe reached behind him, and pulled out a box. It wasn't wrapped, so Layla could instantly see what it was.

"So, Layla." He put his closest arm around her, firmly grabbing himself a piece of ass. "Would you like to explain what these are to Jane?"

"They're... They're nipple rings, Master, and that's a pump."

"Very good. And how do they work?"

"You use the pump on your nipples, and..."

"Show me." Joe interrupted, "On yourself."

A nervous tension washed over Layla as she moved her dress to one side, exposing her left breast. Taking the pump out of the box, she fitted it with one of the elastic rings and put it to her nipple. A couple of squeezes of the pressure bulb later, Layla's nipples projected lewdly into the clear plastic tube of the pump.

"With commentary please. How does it feel?"

"Like someone's pinching my nipple. There's a tiny bit of pain, but otherwise it feels good.

"Very nice. We should do this more often."

She rolled the elastic ring from the pump onto her nipple, feeling it instantly tighten. Removing the pump, she showed Master the adorned nipple.

"That's a good look for you." Joe observed, a grin forming on his face. "I suppose you'd better do the other one, too. Finish the look off."

"Good." Joe continued, stroking her now erect nipples with his free hand. "I want you to wear these for me permanently from now on, to keep your nipples nice and erect for me."

Layla stayed silent, trying to control the rising carnal tides within her. The rings left her nipples super-sensitive, and there was only one way this was going to go. She was going to need new panties in a minute, for sure.

"And when you wear these, I want you to think of me, squeezing and sucking at your nipples. Even when I'm not in the room. Do you understand?" Joe finished his question with a kiss.

"Yes... Master." Layla bit her lip, trying to quench the need with pain. It didn't work.

"Good. You're looking a bit flushed. I bet you want to come right now. I can see it in your eyes. Do you? Do you want to come for me, Layla?"

"Yes, Master." Squeezing her legs together, she mentally willed Master to let her climax.

"I thought so. I'm going to let you in a minute..."

"Thank you, Master."

"But it's going to cost you." Master moved his free hand from her breasts to under her dress. "Your panties are soaked, aren't they?"

"Yes, Master."

"You're going to want to replace them before we go out, aren't you? We can't have you going to a nice restaurant with sopping wet panties, can we?"

"Yes, Master. I mean no, Master."

"Well here's the deal then." He continued to caress her under the dress. "If you do come for me now, then no replacement panties for you. You can take those off... after you've come... and put them in your bag, but under that dress you'll be naked." He leaned in further. "And that's a short dress!"

"Please, Master..."

"Please what? Do you want to come?"

"Yes, Master"

"Well don't let me stop you, my dear...!"

"Thank you," Layla said as the waiter helped her to her seat. It certainly was a classy place, judging by the other diners and the prices on the menu. Feeling suddenly underdressed for the occasion, she thought back to the choice Master had given: orgasm or underwear. Knowing Master, she was surely going to regret that decision.

Master and Jane took their seats opposite, with their backs to the wall. Master had requested the corner table, knowing it afforded much more privacy than the others. "These days I prefer to see than be seen," She'd heard him say.

"You're welcome, Madame." The waiter turned to Master. "Would Sir like to see the wine list?"

"Why? Are women incapable of ordering wine?" Layla almost said.

"Yes, please." Master Joe replied, "Do you have any recommendations, though? What do you think is particularly good?"

The waiter made a suggestion, and Joe ordered a bottle.

Being at a table normally set for four, Master had sat next to Jane, and Layla opposite them. For appearance's sake, Jane was his date for tonight. Kissing and cuddling two different women at a time in public might seem a bit improper (if only they knew). At least that's how Master had told it. Layla had accepted that, but couldn't help feeling more than a little jealous.

"So, Jane," Joe started the conversation, "Enjoying your entertainment?"

Joe showed his phone to Layla. The "slave vibrator" app was running, and apparently so was the device it controlled. With his other hand, he reached under Jane's skirt, feeling for himself the vibration through her rapidly moistening panties. Layla's heart sank a little: why couldn't he be doing this to HER? Why hadn't he made her wear a slave vibrator? The tit rings kept her on edge, noticing every movement of the dress across her nipples, but it didn't compare to the glorious submission and fullness of Gunther's infernal vibrator. Feeling conspicuously empty by its absence, she could only watch Master's plan unfold.

"Ye... Yes, Master." She put her hand on top of his, and opened her legs a little wider, "Please, Master..."

"Jeez, your heart rate is through the roof! I imagine you'll be desperate to come by now, aren't you?"

"Hmmm" The power of speech seemed to escape her.

Layla looked around, convinced that half the restaurant would be looking by now. Nobody had noticed.

"What? Right here in the middle of this restaurant? Aren't you afraid people will see? I tell you what. If you think you can make it to the toilet, please feel free to come in there. Layla will even go in there and give you a hand, so to speak. I know how much you girls like to go to the toilet together." He turned to Layla. "Is that what you lot do in there, generally speaking?"

The two women stood up, and made for the toilet.

"Oh, Layla!" Joe called halfway across the room.

Layla returned to the table. Master was clearly enjoying making Jane wait.

Joe leaned forward. "She's been running hot for a while now. You may need to quieten her down a bit."

Bursting into the bathroom like a woman possessed, Jane quickly found an empty stall and went straight for it. Layla followed behind with far less of a frenzy. For a moment at least, the power would be hers.

By the time Layla had closed the cubicle door, Jane had already hitched her dress up, and had stuck her hand down her crotch in a vain effort to satisfy the need. She knew better: bringing herself to orgasm without Master or Layla's permission (or help) was practically impossible these days. The craving was so powerful, though, that she could barely help herself.

"Who gave you permission to do that?" Layla snarled, reprising her natural role as domme, and loving every second. She pointed to Jane's knickers. "Take those off. Hand them to me. You can use your hand to keep it in." She leaned in close. "Is it vibrating? Oh yes it is. My guess is that Master is going to take you right to the brink and then switch it off. He'll leave you hanging there like the needy slut that you are."

"Please, Mistress!" Jane appealed for clemency, but obeyed without question.

"Good. Now let's put them in your mouth. I don't wanna hear another word out of you 'till we're done." With one hand she stuffed Jane's mouth with the moist panties, firmly pressing her palm against Jane's jaw to reinforce the point further. Make-up could always be re-applied later. With her other hand, she set to work with a little clitoral stimulation.

By the time Layla allowed Jane to climax, she was practically supporting her by the crotch, Jane's legs were so weak. True to form, Master had deactivated the vibrator right on cue, but it made no difference. Nothing was going to stop the avalanche of pleasure thundering through Jane's body. If it wasn't for the makeshift gag, the whole restaurant may have heard. As it was, Layla only had the next cubicle to think of. Whoever was in there was certainly enjoying a good show, she thought.

Joe looked at his watch. The two of them had been in there over fifteen minutes. The first ten had obviously been rather intense, at least going by Jane's pulse monitor. Jane's orgasm had been strong and sustained, a testament to Layla's skills no doubt.

Since then, though, Jane's heart rate had dropped back to normal. Layla was obviously sans vibrator, so there was no way of telling if Jane was returning the favour.

A third woman emerged from the toilets and headed for her table. The look on her face was priceless! Joe imagined what she'd heard and grinned. She immediately started speaking to him in hushed tones, presumably telling him what she'd heard. Either she'd be disgusted by the whole affair, or she'd be taking her lucky partner straight home and ripping their clothes clean off. Joe wondered which it would be, and hoped it would be the latter.

Jane and Layla followed a few moments later, walking head-down to the table and avoiding all eye contact. The other woman clearly noticed, though, and pointed them out to her husband. From the look on the husband's face, Joe guessed that the man would be getting some action tonight, even if it was on his own!

"Ladies..." Joe stood up as the two returned to his table. "You were gone a while. I presume your itch is thoroughly scratched."

"Jane's is," Layla responded, with more than a hint of jealousy.

"Tell me all about it. Leave absolutely nothing out."

Joe listened intently while the pair recounted their encounter in the ladies. The contrast in tone could barely be more evident. Jane spoke with blissful overtures, about how Mistress had kept her on the edge, and pushed her right over. Layla spoke with a sultry, velvety timbre: a richness designed to seduce her man and leave him apoplectic with desire. Jane might be his girlfriend for the evening in here, Joe decided, but it was Layla that was getting fucked when they got home.

"So what are you going to do once we've gone global?" Joe leaned against the office kitchen worktop, coffee in hand. A morning spent poring through circuit drawings and codes had fried his brain somewhat, and he was glad of the opportunity to step away for a moment.

"I don't know." Pete (the internet guy) answered. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Like hell you haven't!" Felix intervened, grinning wildly. "I'm willing to bet you've got it all planned."

"Well?" Joe took a sip from his coffee.

"Well... there is one thing."

"Go on!" Joe and Felix pressured, almost in unison.

"Well I wanna test it out. There's this woman at work... the other work. She's absolutely gorgeous and has blanked me at every opportunity. I swear, she's only interested in whoever she can use to get to the top."

"And you wanna get on top of her, am I right?" It was Joe's turn to grin.

"On top of her, alright. On top of the boardroom table." Pete's eyes glazed over as he stared into space. "With her fuckbuddy, Tim the account manager, watching."

Raised eyebrows all round. "Bit of an arsehole, is he?"

"Is the Pope a bit of a catholic? Anyway. What about you. What plans does Joe have for when he gets THE POWER!"

"I'm heading out to a bar. Probably a nice, expensive one, full of lots of posh women. There's something about a posh bird that really grinds my gears. I'm going to find the best looking ones in there, and take them all home. Layla, Jane and I are going to have a party, and they're going to be the entertainment. Then I'm going to send them home with a sore arse and a blank memory. Oh, and an urge to come back every now and again for more of the same."

"That's all well and good, mate, but watch yourself. We don't yet know how effective these subliminals will be. Our tests have been positive so far, but there's bound to be some people immune to all this lot. Sam might not think so, but I have to assume it. Hope for the best, plan for the worst, as they say."

"I'll be careful!" Joe responded, feeling a little chided, "I don't want to be the one who fucks it up for the rest of us."

"That's all I ask." Felix smiled again, and the mood relaxed a little.

"Anyway," Joe remembered, "You haven't said what you're going to do. Come on, fearless leader. Fess up!"

"Pete has his woman at work. You have your bar adventure." Felix took a sip of his coffee, just to drag it out that bit further. "I have a list. Remember, I don't do anything without a plan."

Joe laughed to himself as he returned to his desk. It was true: Felix planned everything, and wouldn't so much as eat without one. Mind you, Joe knew he had been making plans of his own these days, so he couldn't really comment.

Logging in, he checked the traffic lights on the computer's taskbar. It was green, indicating that no subliminals were being fed through the screen. Good. He had work to do, and didn't want to get distracted by Felix's mind bending. Opening up a folder, he set to work.

Two hours had passed since Joe's return to work, and they had been particularly productive. That coffee had really helped, as had the motivation of the project's impending fruition. Yes, he was going to be careful as Felix instructed, but he was also going to have a fucking great time. The world would soon be his oyster, and he planned to enjoy every last second of it.

In the short term, however, another coffee was in order. Joe reached for his cup, knocking it over in the process. Dammit! At least it was empty, Joe reasoned, checking the desk for any spilt liquid.

"What the...?"

Joe had noticed the reflection of the screen in the shiny desk below. In particular, he had noticed the power indicator. It was flashing, with the familiar pattern he'd set up: three blinks and a pause, three blinks and a pause. Subliminals were being fed to Joe through his monitor. Felix hadn't mentioned anything about additional programming today, and the traffic light was still green. What the hell was going on?

There was only one explanation.

Felix was lying to the group, and secretly using the subliminals on them.

Jane strained and squirmed, testing the bonds holding her. If she had been trying to escape it would have been a futile effort: Mistress was an expert in restraint, and thorough to boot. The only things straining would achieve were putting a show on for Mistress, and making herself hotter in the process.

Mistress, for her part in all this, was naked. Even without boots or catsuits or corsets, Mistress still cut a dominant figure, and always held the balance of power between them. Jane knew that would never change, and was glad of it.

Mistress had started with a body harness: a collection of leather straps weaving their way around her torso, encircling her breasts. Two of those straps went between her legs, framing her glistening pussy but leaving it otherwise uncovered. Mistress had taken her time tightening all those straps, each one reminding her of the control she was losing, one notch at a time.

The last of those straps had been a wide leather collar, to which Mistress had fixed a chrome leash. Twice the length of a standard lead, Jane had wondered why, until Mistress had fed it between her legs as a demonstration of how she intended to use it.

An armbinder had followed next. "Say goodbye to your arms" Mistress had teased, before bringing her hands behind her back and feeding them into the leather sleeve. More leather straps around her shoulders prevented removal of the sleeve, and laces on the sleeve allowed Mistress to tighten it still further.

That had barely even covered Mistress' plans for Jane, however. Jane wasn't fully immobilised yet, a deliberate decision from Mistress. "Okay, dearie. We're going for a walk. I have a little something to show you! Come on! In front of me."

Jane quickly took her position in front of Mistress, allowing her to take the leash.

"Good." Jane felt Mistress' eyes boring into her from behind. "This look suits you. Now walk."

Even without a destination, the thought of disobedience didn't even cross Jane's mind. As she started walking, every movement highlighted the leash against her pussy. This was going to be a long walk!

"No, no, no. Cross your legs as you walk. As I showed you before!" Mistress tugged the leash to emphasize her point, forcing a squeal and immediate improvement from Jane. "That's better." Mistress responded, as Jane's new gait served to highlight the chain's impact ever more.

Leaving the dressing room, a tug on the leash directed Jane right. At least Mistress hadn't insisted on a dildo or butt-plug, Jane thought, as she tried to contain the rising feelings inside her. Being plugged down there with the chain pushing it in would have been ten times worse! Another tug, this time to the left, trained Jane to the stairs. Nervously, Jane took her first step down.

The sight of the front door at the base of the staircase brought chills to Jane's spine. Would Mistress want her to go outside? In her current predicament, Jane wouldn't be able to refuse, either physically or mentally. Surely the neighbours would see, along with any passers-by? The thought filled Jane with dread and, yet, also that strange excitement at the idea.

With each careful step down the staircase, the front door drew closer. The outside world, and the risk of exposure, loomed larger and larger in Jane's vision as she approached the foot of the stairs. Surely Mistress wouldn't. Remembering she was naked, and would be exposed herself. She wouldn't want that... would she?

Jane thought about slowing down, trying to delay the inevitable, but her legs wouldn't let her. She was a passenger in her own body, and that body was walking her towards who-knew-what on the other side of that door.

The last step.

The door loomed, completely filling Jane's perception. She looked behind her, trying to spot Mistress' intentions, but finding only an evil smile on her crimson lips. Pleading wouldn't help, even if she could bring herself to do it. Disobedience would have been just as futile. Acceptance was the only solution. Acceptance that she would soon be revealing her naked self to the world. Acceptance that she would be exposing her bound body to the world. Acceptance that she was truly a slave.

When another tug directed her away from the door, Jane didn't know whether to feel relief or disappointment. Whatever it was, it was mixed with trepidation, as she still didn't know what Mistress had in store for her.

That question seemed to have an answer a few steps later, when Mistress instructed Jane to halt. Stood by the door to the cupboard under the stairs, Jane instantly had visions of Mistress locking her in the darkness, leaving her with only her thoughts for company. Perhaps Mistress wanted a night alone with Master? Bound and locked under the stairs, she would be in no position to argue. A strong pang of jealousy shot through Jane's mind.

As if to reinforce the point, Mistress opened the door to the cupboard. Facing away from the door, and under no instruction to turn around, Jane could only listen as Mistress turned on the light switch and supposedly prepared the cupboard for her incarceration.

When Jane finally did turn around, instead of storage she saw stairs, leading down. Jane had never even known about a basement, never mind been in it, so this was news to her. Genuinely at a loss about what would happen next, she began her descent into the unknown.

Joe wasn't cut out for all of this spy shit. He'd rather have been at home, enjoying the twin delights of Jane and Layla. After the other evening at home and the restaurant, he'd had sackfulls of ideas of games to play with them. Games where he always turned out the winner. Yesterday, though, had put an entirely new spin on things. If Felix was lying to the group about the subliminals, then he most probably had other plans. Those other plans would almost certainly involve having them all followed. This fool's errand had 'lose' written all over it. Felix was a professional at this, for fuck's sake!

But, needs must. The meeting with Mike was looming, and Joe had given serious thought how to lose his tail. His commute home from work had provided the inspiration, or at least the memory of commutes before all this started.

The first step was a pre-pay phone. Bought this morning and kept switched off except for one phone call, it provided a bug-free means of contacting Mike, amongst other things. All those espionage thrillers had come in useful, Joe reflected.

Jane and Layla made up the second step. Joe didn't want them reporting his absence to Felix, whatever reason he came up with. They were easy: he just had Layla tie her up and play with Jane for a while. After that, Layla wasn't much harder. With a willing and (un)able toy to play with, Layla could make the hours fly by, and wouldn't even notice his absence. Granted, they might not fly by for Jane: locked in bondage and subject to whatever cruel taunts her captor could dream up, but then she would have other things to worry about.

The next step was the drive to Three Hills Railway Station. Joe knew it well: his first few years at Sat Tech had required him to commute by train. After parking near the station's entrance, Joe bought a ticket, checked the departure screen and descended to the platform.

The next train was just over ten minutes away. The previous one had just left (perfect timing), leading to an almost deserted platform. Almost, as a solitary figure had followed Joe on to the platform. The tail? The other guy didn't seem like a tail. He looked like a businessman, and seemed more interested in the newspaper crossword than in watching Joe.

Joe ambled down to the other end of the platform, trying to look more bored than purposeful. In reality, adrenaline was coursing through his system and his mind raced a mile a minute. The other man had stayed where he was, still (apparently) on his puzzle. The platform was beginning to fill again, as other commuters waited for the incoming train.

Three minutes.

Two minutes.

One minute.

Now.

Joe used his other secret weapon: Three Hills Station itself. On Joe's many commutes into work he hadn't used the main entrance but a secondary exit nearer the office. Being exit only, Joe had gambled on some lack of knowledge from his potential pursuers.

Joe ran up the second set of stairs and out of the station, never stopping or slowing down to look back. A couple of left turns out of the station convinced him that he wasn't being followed. If he'd had a tail, he'd lost it. If.

Joe saw stage four waiting for him: a pre-booked taxi from the next town over. Joe had ordered it this morning with that single phone call. He jogged over to the front window, "Taxi for Steve?"

"Yep!"

"Nice one." Joe got in, and gave an address in the cab's home town. "You might want to turn round and go by West Street," He added, "I think there's been an accident or something round the front of the station. Traffic and people everywhere."

"No problem, Sir."

If Jane had been surprised at the stairs, then the sight at the bottom truly stunned her. It was a full-on bondage dungeon! Jane had known about (and experienced) Mistress' talents in that regard, but the sight of this was captivating and terrifying in equal measure. Jane gulped, and stared slack-jawed as she took in the sight of all those sadistic-looking contraptions.

"So many toys, so little time!" Mistress taunted, clearly pleased with Jane's response, "I've been so looking forward for bringing you down here. We're going to have so much fun!"

Jane remained fixed on the spot, unable to make sense of the explosion of thoughts and emotions in her head.

"These are a bit of a relic from my career before the Rocket. I used to entertain clients down here regularly, but they hadn't seen any use for a couple of years now." Mistress pulled Jane closer, until she could feel breath on the back of her neck. "I was beginning to think that they would never bring pain and pleasure to another slave... until you came along."

Jane shuddered.

"And now you're here, we get to play with all these lovely things! Let me show you." Mistress took her end of the chain between Jane's legs and raised it up to a hook in the ceiling. "You'll have to stand on your tiptoes, my dear."

Jane strained to follow Mistress' order. As she heard the snap of the lock, she knew that her captor would have given no slack. One quick test of her assumption confirmed that she would be on her toes for a while, made doubly difficult without her arms to balance.

Completely unable to escape, Jane watched as Mistress began her grand tour.

"This is my lovely cage. Fits one slave comfortably (quick laugh) or two at a pinch. I might have a word with Master about putting this up in our bedroom. You can sit in there and watch as we make love in our comfortable bed. Or maybe we can put it in the wardrobe, and you can just listen to us fucking all night." Mistress stepped back to Jane, holding the black latex Slave Hood in her hands. "Would you like that? Coming out of your cage only to pleasure your Mistress and Master, and clean the house in this?"

Jane's heart raced as she realised that was exactly what she wanted.

"You're trembling, dear. Is it with excitement? Lust? Yearning? Have you seen something you like?"

"Please, Mistress..."

"Please, Mistress... what?"

"Please, Mistress... Can I come?"

"Come? We haven't even started yet! Master said to keep you occupied until he returned, and said he would be very late. You're going to have to hold it in, my needful slave. Can't have you tired out before Master returns, can we?"

"No, Mistress."

"Good. Now, where were we? Ah, yes. The Throne."

Sat in one corner, on an area of raised floor, 'The Throne' was exactly what its title suggested. A masterpiece of mahogany and black leather, the throne could have adorned any bondage dungeon or set in the land. Even next to the superb craftsmanship of all the other fetishist-furniture, this took the grand prize for its sheer grandeur and imposition.

"Some of my favourite sessions have been on this chair." Mistress continued, tugging at each of the range of restraints in turn as if to prove their strength. "Of course there are many options: one where I sit in there and you attend to my every whim. Maybe I'll have you kneel in front of me, arms locked in these armrests and your collar fixed to this... Inches away from my pussy. Do you like the sound of that?"

Jane definitely liked the sound of that.

"The other is where you sit in here, and I subject you to my every whim! Of course, the chair can be made much less comfortable for that." Proving her point, Mistress removed the leather cushion to reveal the hard wooden seat underneath, complete with two large holes for whatever evil contraptions Mistress would care to use.

A multitude of smaller holes and fixing points on the seat hinted at other possibilities. "Maybe I'll fix a nice big vibrator on there and strap you down for the evening. Yessss... A dozen lashes with this for every time you come." Mistress brandished a fearsome-looking whip while stepping back to her prey, "Three on each leg... and three on each breast."

Mistress stepped right up to Jane, holding the whip right up to her nose so she could smell the black leather. With her other hand, she fondled Jane's breast, "Do you like the sound of that, I wonder?"

"Yes... Mistress" Jane whispered, completely unable to help herself. The thought of that thrashing filled her with dread, as it should anyone. But at the same time she needed it so badly, it almost hurt not to be flogged senseless.

"Yes, I think you do." Mistress stepped away. "The thought of me punishing you only leaves you hotter and more turned on, doesn't it? You're addicted aren't you? Addicted to me, addicted to Master... Addicted to all this. In fact, I don't even think I'd need to strap you down, would I? Even without the straps, you would sit there and take any punishment I dished out to you."

"Yes, Mistress." Jane didn't think she could hold on much longer; she needed to come so much. "Please, Mistress," She croaked, "May I...?"

"If I let you come now, will you sit on that chair and take your lashes that the complete slave that you are?"

"YES, Mistress! Yesss!" She didn't even have to think about it.

"You're addicted, aren't you?

Mistress hesitated. It was the first time Jane had ever seen her do so, but then she had other things on her mind at the moment. "Then do it. Come for me right now!"

The dam broke.

The meeting place was a bar, something Joe was quite happy with. It wasn't one he'd been in before, but their single malt collection was adequate. He ordered himself a double and sat in a quiet corner to wait for Mike.

Joe grew restless at first, and then nervous. Mike's proposed time had come and gone. Half an hour passed. Then another. Nursing one drink for an hour wasn't his style, but he didn't want too much before the meet. What the fuck had happened to Mike?

Joe had Mike's number, programmed into his new phone. He considered phoning him. What if they'd got to him, though? Phoning Mike might give his location to Felix and his cronies. He could still plead ignorance about the meet if asked: it would have just been a friendly pint. Better not risk it, though, especially after losing the tails. Half an hour more, Joe decided, and he'd get out of there.

The half-hour passed, and still no Mike. What the fuck had happened to him? Felix must have got to him. SHIT! If they had Mike, they could know about the meet. It was time to get out of there. Resolving to find out what had happened, Joe made for the exit.

 
Chapter 15 - Capitulation

"Do you remember this?"

"Y... Y..." Jane's throat tightened, and her stomach knotted. It was all she could do to speak, "Yesssss, Mistress"

"What is it?"

"It's the video we made for Master. The one on the Sybian."

Jane remembered her previous experience on that evil contraption called the Sybian. What looked like the leather-covered body of a pommel horse had been laid on the floor, with flesh-coloured rubber pad draped atop it. In the centre of the pad was a protrusion. A small projection designed for one purpose only: to vibrate its victim's pussy, ripping orgasm after orgasm from whoever straddled it. Even in its idle state, just sitting on top of it felt almost like penetration, and the little nodules on the top served to heighten that feeling still further. When the vibrating motor started up, however, it was impossible to focus on anything else.

The video showed Jane kneeling astride the machine, naked except for the corset and high heels mandated by Mistress. Just like her position now. And like her predicament now, the video showed Jane bound to the device, and unable to escape its powerful vibrations.

"Correct. And what happens on the video?"

"The Sybian makes me..."

"Makes you?"

"Makes me cum, Mistress."

"Just once?"

"No, Mistress. Several times.

"How many times?"

"I don't know Mistress. I lost count. Twice, I think."

"It was three, actually. Mind, you were a bit delirious by the end of it all, so I'll let you off that one."

Jane stayed silent.

"Well thank me then!" Layla felt the sharp sting of Mistress's hand slapping her breast. "I have just forgiven you a mistake."

"Thank you."

"Thank you... what?" Mistress slapped the other breast.

"Sorry, Mistress." Jane squealed. "Thank you, Mistress."

"That's better. I didn't mean like that, though. I meant, thank me with a kiss." Layla stood over Jane's kneeling form, momentarily blocking her view of the video and unzipping her crotch for the bound captive. "You'll have to make do with your mouth, since you don't have use of your arms at the moment." She continued, pausing the video.

Jane breathed in, taking in the heady aroma and sight of Mistress' pussy, with the added layer of shiny rubber. The scent was intoxicating, triggering a tidal wave of memories and feelings that inflamed Jane's desire still further. Leaning forward, she lightly kissed Mistress' pussy.

She felt the now-familiar grip of Mistress' hand on her hair, guiding her towards the pussy and its' sweet smell. But it wasn't needed: Jane could quite happily stay there, nuzzling at that pussy for the rest of her days. Even so, Jane had come to love the firmness of that grip, and the warm feeling of subjugation that came with it. This was her place: between Mistress' legs, or in Master's bed. Her job, her friends and colleagues, her old life; they all melted away compared to the pull of these two. She never wanted it to end.

But end it did, one Mistress had taken her pleasure. "That's enough thanking for now, my dear. There is work to be done after all!"

"Yes, Mistress." Jane leaned away a touch, mainly at the insistence of the hand tightly gripping her hair.

"So, my little darling," Mistress released Jane's hair, and stepped out of the way. "We're going to play a little game. We're going to recreate that video! When the Sybian activates on the video, I'll activate it here. When you orgasm on there, it stops here. I'll even use the same settings. Understand?"

Jane nodded her understanding.

"Good. Now, I allowed you the orgasms last time, didn't I?"

"Yes, Mistress." Jane could see where this was going, and a feeling of anxiety washed over her.

"Well that was then. This is now. No orgasms for Jane until I permit them. Does Jane understand?"

"Y... Yes, Mistress."

"Good." Mistress checked the bonds tethering Jane to the Sybian. There was only the slightest amount of flex in the ropes forcing her pussy onto it. Jane remembered from last time, her attempts to squirm away from it only made it worse. She could raise herself a little, but that would remove the extra contact, focussing the vibration energy on her pussy lips and clit. Mistress truly was an evil genius in that regard.

"Now, if Jane does insist on coming without my permission, then I have a new punishment in store for her. One that will make her think more than twice the next time." Mistress's smile reinforced that comment, as she removed the backing paper from a sticky pad and pressed the pad against Jane's breast. "These are electrical pads," Mistress informed Jane as she continued her preparations, "They hook up to this machine here. I'm guessing you haven't done any electro-play before. It's perfectly safe, if done correctly, but also perfectly painful. Here, let me demonstrate."

Jane watched helplessly as Mistress applied a second electrical pad to the same breast, before linking them up to the machine. Nervousness transmuted to fear as Mistress checked the connections, before activating the main control.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!" Jane shrieked as pulses of fire coursed through her breast. Her entire body tensed up, and her breast visibly quivered with the pulses. No amount of preparation could have been enough for the sudden onslaught. Even her normal scream of anguish seemed to elude her, such was the surprise and intensity.

Jane's pain only seemed to bring an amused smile to Mistress' face. "That was a fairly low setting," She said, showing Jane the control. "I didn't want to make it too easy, after all. We can go a lot higher than that, however. I assume you don't need a demonstration."

"No, Mistress!" Fairly low? How much higher could it go?

"Marvellous." Mistress fixed another pair of pads to Jane's other breast. "I find electricity isn't as personal... as intimate as a good spanking or whipping, but it certainly is more immediate. Let's just make sure this one works!"

Jane shrieked again. Even previous experience couldn't dull the pain. Metallic fire raged through her breast, again in pulses, and again without warning. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds, the fire stopped.

"So will Jane be coming before she is allowed?"

"No, Mistress!" Jane panted, trying to regain control of herself. The prospect of being jolted again filled her with fear. She would do anything to avoid it.

Looking satisfied with herself, Mistress restarted the video. Jane watched as Video-Mistress started the motor and, sure enough, Real-Life-Mistress did the same. Jane gasped: the memory of those vibrations was one thing, but the reality was so much more intense.

"Before I forget, do you see the time on the top right of the screen? It says four minutes thirty eight seconds. The machine stops at six minutes twelve. I watched the video myself this morning to check. Very enjoyable, by the way, watching you suffer like this. So you have approximately... a minute and ten seconds before it shuts down."

Jane tried to concentrate on her breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply. It helped a bit, but didn't stop the rising tide within her. Squirming seemed to make it worse, but she couldn't help it: no-one could ever stay still under such intense and focused stimulation.

Video Jane was faring no better. Her moans already drowned out the hum of the machine. Live Jane watched her video-self struggling in the exact fashion as she was now, only knowing that Video-Jane would soon be allowed to come. Concentrating on Video-Jane and willing her to come quickly seemed to be working. In her mind, she projected the stimulus to the equally helpless woman in front of her.

Wishing for Video Jane to climax, however, didn't make it happen any faster. Video Jane had been instructed to hold off until allowed by Mistress, and was obeying steadfastly. Each second that Video Jane resisted felt like a betrayal to her live counterpart. Live Jane knew that she couldn't hold on much longer, but also knew that she had while making the video. That, and the clock ticking its way towards 6:12, were the only things keeping Jane away from Mistress' electric sting.

Video Jane was definitely struggling now, tears welling up in her eyes as she tried to deflect the rising tide within her. Real-Life-Jane was similarly struggling, knowing that he video counterpart would be coming any second. Video Mistress had kept the machine on through her captive's orgasm, only stopping it as Jane ran out of steam. Real-Life-Jane would have to watch herself come as violently as she had ever done before, without being able to do the same herself.

Jane watched her video-self climax, wishing so hard that she would be allowed to do the same. Each second seemed to tick by so slowly now, as the clock approached and passed six minutes. Every ounce of her self-control was in use, trying to stave off the orgasm and electric hell that would surely accompany it.

"Ten seconds." Mistress declared.

"Come on, Jane!" She mouthed to herself. "You can do it." Jane was at the edge now, and trying not to fall off. Video Jane was beginning to flag, the orgasm ripped from her beginning to subside.

"Five seconds."

Jane's spirits began to rise. This was looking possible. Just keep breathing!

"Four."

"Just don't..."

"Three."

"Keep..."

"Two."

"In..."

"One."

"Out."

"Zero!" The machine stopped "Well done, my dear! You survived!"

Jane didn't reply, preferring to concentrate on her breathing. The need to come still held sway over every cell in her body. It was beginning to ease, but only frustration would follow it. The Sybian may have been pushing against her pussy lips and clit, but she had never felt so empty inside. It was even worse than those damned Slave Vibrators.

Jane felt her pulse slowly return to normal. With a bit of luck Mistress would give her a few minutes before starting again. The video didn't stop, though. Real life Jane was going to have no more time than her screen-self, however long that was.

"You did very well, my dear!" Mistress purred as she stroked Jane's hair. "There was a time when I thought you wouldn't make it. I'm impressed that you did!"

"Thank you, Mistress." Jane was at least able to speak by now, although normalcy was just a little off.

"You've got a couple of minutes before it starts up again. You didn't last as long the second time. I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that."

"Yes, Mistress." The relief was real.

Mistress smiled. "That's what I like about these challenges. You're going up against the hardest person to beat: yourself. The harder, the stronger, the more resistant you are, the harder, stronger or more resistant your opponent the next time around. Sure, it's fun to watch you take on one of the other slaves like you did last week. But taking on yourself? Stretching your own limits? That's what champions do, and that's what will make you into the best slave you can be."

Jane let that sink in for a moment. Mistress would never stop. Every time, she would take her to the edge of her limits, and then beyond. Every "challenge" resisted would mean a harder challenge next time. The thought was at the same time horrifying and exhilarating. The ordeals would be ever tougher, but they would make her into a better slave for Mistress and Master.

Motivational speech over, Mistress kneeled behind Jane. Jane felt Mistress' rubber enclosed breasts against her back, and her arms snaking their way around her waist. Jane extended her fingers, hoping to feel her Mistress in turn, even with her arms locked behind her back. Mistress was denying her that pleasure, though, keeping just out of reach at least for the moment.

"It will be starting again in a moment. I'd love to feel your fingers in me, but maybe afterwards." Mistress' hands made their way to Jane's pussy instead, softly massaging Jane's intimate areas. "I want your attention firmly focussed on here."

Jane groaned under Mistress' attention.

"I know you're addicted to this," Mistress whispered, "Addicted to submission; addicted to following my and Master's orders; addicted to the base thrill of humiliation and the certainty of that slave uniform. You would gladly give yourself completely to me and Master, for the rest of your life."

"Yes, Mistress," Jane whimpered. She wanted nothing more.

Quieter still, "It feels like you felt this way forever: like this has always been a part of you. But you remember a time when you didn't feel this way at all."

"Yes, Mistress," Jane was too distracted to lie, even to herself.

"And I bet you've been hypnotising yourself, haven't you? With recordings from Applied Awareness?"

"Yes, Mistress. How did you...?"

"I know, because I've been doing the same. Only I think that those recordings have been doctored. Somehow Master and his friend Felix got to them. Got to us. I've suspected as much for a few weeks. Ever since Felix came over, and controlled me just like Master."

"But that means..."

"It means that they've been controlling us. That all this is their doing. Right down to your submission right now, and my hand in your pussy."

The moment Mistress mentioned it, Jane knew it to be true. But it didn't matter. It didn't even seem wrong! She would have gladly given him the recordings, and let Master add whatever he wanted. All she wanted was to stay with them both forever. The domination, the humiliation, the uniform: she didn't want to... she couldn't give all that up.

"I thought about resisting it, " Mistress continued, "About leaving you and Master, or even going easier on you in these sessions. But do you know what?"

As the device awoke again, a million and one thoughts raced through Jane's head. Mistress kept up her massage regardless. Jane knew she would have to deal with both the Sybian's and Mistress' attention. Either alone would have been a challenge, but both? Jane wondered if it would be possible, and shuddered; both at the idea of Mistress leaving, and at the consequences of failure.

"W... What, Mistress?" Jane could barely speak, Mistress' touch was so divine. Softly stroking her flesh, and providing a soothing counterpoint to the mechanic buzz of the Sybian. Try as she might, Jane couldn't ignore either, and the combined effect was sending her close to the edge. She had to resist... had to last... just....

Jane felt Mistress nuzzling on her ear. "I'm as addicted to this as you are!"

Jane's last ounce of control evaporated. A long groan escaped her lips. Her body writhed on the machine as the tidal wave of orgasmic energy washed over her. It may have been forbidden, but for a moment Jane's body was a crucible of pure pleasure.

Until the pain started.

Metallic fire surged through Jane's breasts, even more intense than before. At first, Jane's orgasm took the edge off it, or at least allowed her to compartmentalise it. As the pleasure wave subsided, though, the pain came rushing to the fore. The groan quickly became a squeak of pain, accompanied by Mistress' evil laughter.

"I loved that." Mistress declared loud enough for the cameras to hear, as she switched off the electricity. "You were doing so well until I started on your ear. But you knew the score. Orgasms without permission lead to pain, don't they?" Just to reinforce the point, Mistress gave Jane another jolt.

"Don't they?" Mistress repeated, her voice more demanding.

"Yes, Mistress," Jane replied instantly, hoping to avoid another jolt.

"Good." Mistress resumed her gentle massage of Jane's crotch with one hand. "Just so you know, every time I have to shock you, I will increase the intensity." With her free hand, Mistress brought the electrical control unit out front of Jane, clicking one of the buttons. Jane saw a numeric display rise in value with each click, and shuddered.

"And that's not all. We've shocked your breasts. It would be a shame to leave your pussy out of it, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, Mistress." Jane whimpered, not relishing the thought at all.

"I'm glad you agree!" Two more electrical pads were attached to the shaven area around Jane's already over stimulated pussy. "Perhaps this will concentrate the mind a bit further for your next session. Speaking of which, I believe the Sybian will start again very soon. Just one more set and it will all be over... for now."

True to Mistress' word, the machine resumed almost immediately. Jane couldn't help but gasp: even with warning, it was difficult to prepare herself. Once Jane had remembered her breathing, though, she could deal with the onslaught so much better.

"Okay, so we're at eleven minutes thirty now." Mistress informed Jane, "Twelve fifty five is your target."

Jane was beyond working it out by now. She just knew that it would be a long, long time. She had to hold out this time. Concentrating on her breathing and watching her video-self, she tried to will herself into a calm state.

But the vibration was relentless. Even the tiniest movement of Jane's body shifted the focus of those vibrations; and she couldn't not move, despite her attempts to the contrary. It was like the machine was probing her, testing for weaknesses. Every new line of attack from the machine made it just that little bit harder to keep herself from coming.

Much more cunning than the machine, though, was Mistress. Jane felt Mistress expertly caressing every part of her body, taking her time on Jane's breasts. She wanted to give in and enjoy the soft touch of the goddess knelt behind her. If Mistress would just let her melt into a puddle of subservient mess, she would have done.

But the order couldn't be ignored, no matter how much Jane might want. The consequences were painful obviously, but the idea of disobeying Mistress... that was the part too horrible to contemplate. That Mistress wanted her to resist the Sybian's assault was good enough reason to give it her all. And besides, the clock was ticking towards that 12:55 target. Just fifteen seconds left.

Jane steeled herself further, buoyed by the countdown in her head. The need to come was as intense as ever, but there were only seconds left. "Come on, bitch!" She scolded herself, "Five more seconds!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Twoooooooooooooooo!"

"Onnnnnnnnnnnnnnne!"

Zero came, but the machine continued, "My mistake, Dearie." Mistress laughed. "It was actually thirteen twenty."

If Jane could have sworn at Mistress, she would have done. Instead, she concentrated on not letting herself go. If Mistress was telling the truth this time, then there still wasn't long to go.

This time it was Mistress' turn to count down the clock. "Three... Two... One... Okay, come for me."

Jane didn't even hear the word "me".

Joe watched his monitor intently, despite the blindfolded and earplugged distraction between his legs. On the screen, Jane in all her glory, subjected to the second of her Sybian encounters. At his feet Jane again, orally pleasuring him to the best of her ability, and enjoying the attention of the slave vibrator. Next to her on the video was Layla, and they had both enjoyed the show while filming their new one.

What truly excited Joe, though (as blowies were such commonplace these days), was the knowledge of what Jane and Layla had been watching. Thanks to Joe's new pod, the two had been watching subliminals that he had produced, rather than the ones provided by the group. Joe had even put a little codeword in there, and Jane was on her knees proving its efficacy. "Life is good", Joe thought to himself, just before he spurted into Jane's willing mouth.

Jane closed the cubicle door and sat on the toilet, her head resting in her hands and tears streaming down her face. She just couldn't take it anymore. This job was becoming harder and harder to do with every passing day. Not physically or anything. The job itself didn't change. It was getting harder and harder to drag herself away from Master and Mistress. She remembered back to those pre-Master days of having a mysterious hole in her psyche. Now she knew what shape that void took.

Even after Joe had become her master, Jane had thought that she could lead the double life her devotion to him required. She could work as professionally as before at the hospital, and then completely submit to Master at home. That had worked too, for a while. Nowadays, she wasn't so sure. Every moment away from Master brought an ache worse than any physical or mental punishment Mistress could dish out. Especially since Master had forbidden her from wearing her Slave Vibrator at work. Why had he done that? The more she had grown used to (and even dependent on) the vibrator at work, the less that Master had allowed it.

The revelation that Master may be behind all this hadn't dampened her desires.Just the opposite, in fact. She couldn't even stay angry at him for any more than the briefest moment. It was as though Master had every right to enslave her, and the recordings were just an extension of that. If anything, she wanted Master to take over those recordings, and make more for her. Then she could fall deeper and deeper into that sweet submission.

Jane reached into her bag and pulled it out: the symbol of that submission, and her surrender to Master. The transparent latex mask from her Slave Uniform.

She had been thinking about it for days, ever since the last time she had worn it. The peace and tranquillity that came with wearing it was just so complete. Jane had never felt so at ease with herself as when she wore that uniform and unthinkingly obeyed every order given to her. Addiction wasn't the word for what she felt: it was possession. The hood possessed her when she wore it, and the compulsion to wear it possessed her when she didn't. The word "slave" in both the uniform was so appropriate. She was turning into a slave for Master, for Mistress, and for the uniform itself.

Jane wished that she could just leave her job at the hospital and become Master's full-time slave. It would be absolute heaven, not having to worry about anything other than pleasing Master or Mistress. Satisfying their every whim and being seriously used in the process. The thought of it more than just turned her on, it appealed to the very core of her being.

It was that compulsion that had brought her to the toilet cubicle at work, with her mask in her hands. The soft latex looked so powerless in front of her, but she felt even more powerless compared to it. The damned thing had occupied her thoughts all day. Every request from a doctor, colleague or patient had made her imagine an order that she was unable... or unwilling... to resist.

She had twenty minutes left on her lunch break, and imagined putting it on now, breathing in the latex-scented air. The rest of the uniform was at home, so she was sure that the mask wouldn't take her completely. She could just wear it for a few minutes and imagine dissolving completely into Master's will.

Fairly sure at least.

Doubt began to creep into Jane's mind. What if she did turn into an unthinking drone? At what point did the uniform take over, and leave her mind blissfully blank? Was it just the mask, or was it the full outfit? Would she be stuck in here, a rubber slave without a master, until someone found her? Who would find her; someone from here?

Despite her doubts, Jane couldn't bring herself to put the mask away. The pull was just too great. Turning the mask over, she unzipped the back and looked down at it. She could see through it, through to her legs and the floor below. Remembering her rapturous trance-like state every time she wore it, she raised the mask up to her face.

"Hey, Joe. Have you heard about Len?"

"HI, Kath." Joe barely looked up from his monitor. He had a shitload of Sat Tech-related work to get done today and wasn't in the mood for office gossip. "No. Heard what?"

"Poor bugger died last night. Car accident."

"Shit!" His work didn't seem so important anymore. "What happened?"

"From what I heard, he hit a wall on his way home from here. Drove straight into it, head on. Missed a corner, apparently. Just shows you, doesn't it? One minute you're right as rain. The next..."

*"Yeah." Joe let the news sink in a bit. "How's his family?"

"Well they weren't in the car with him at least. They must be gutted."

"Definitely. Shit. Len was a good bloke. We used to chat when I was working late."

Kath heard someone call her across the room "Gotta go. I'll probably do a collection for his family later on."

"Good idea."

Joe got back to work. There was no shaking that news, though. He thought about the last time he'd seen him, last week. When Len had scared the shit out of him in the car park.

That was just after handing him the security tapes.

A feeling of dread descended over Joe. Felix had clearly controlled Len, at least for the tape. What if he'd done more? Was he working for Felix in the car park after? It seemed possible, if not likely. Was he a loose end now? A liability whose usefulness was over?

Tying up loose ends? That was so Felix, Joe thought. With Len gone, there would be nothing to tie the signal generators in the transponder modules to the group. The security tape was the only evidence that Joe had been inside those modules, and that had now been destroyed. Len would probably be implicated in that if the shit hit the fan. No doubt he would have been seen removing the tape. If anyone investigated, Len would be the only one implicated.

Dread turned to anger. If it was true, Felix had crossed a line. It was one thing to take out a traitor in Dan (presuming that was true) but another thing entirely going after an innocent. Len hadn't asked to get involved in all this shit. Felix wouldn't have paid or asked him to do all that: he would have programmed him.

Marching to the toilets, Joe made sure the cubicles were all empty before calling Felix. "Why'd you have to kill him?" Joe demanded, not even letting pleasantries or security protocols get in the way.

"Kill who? I haven't killed anyone!"

"Don't fucking lie to me. Len, the security guy from Sat Tech. The one you programmed to give me the security tape from when I installed the signal generators."

"Joe, mate. I didn't kill him, I swear. After all that he was supposed to forget about anything to do with that. I've no reason to suspect he did otherwise."

"Come off it. He was a loose end. A potential threat to you drives his car into a fucking wall and you expect me to believe you? This has you written all over it. If not you then one of your goons. He had two kids for fuck's sake."

"I told you, it wasn't me. Look, let's meet. Work this thing through."

"I don't know. If Len's a loose end, where does that leave me? What happens to me when my job is done? Do I end up being cleared off the asphalt with a fucking shovel?"

"Joe, listen..."

"Fuck you!"

"Wait! Six Three Nine Nine!"

"Wha...?"

Joe never finished his question. The world instantly went fuzzy in front of him. All energy drained from his body and mind. Sitting down on the toilet before he fell down, Joe slumped against the cubicle wall. The phone dropped from his hand, breaking into two as it bounced off the tiled floor. Joe didn't notice. Oblivion had already claimed him.

Author's note: this gets a bit intense. Feel free to go somewhere else.


Chapter 16 - Interrogation

"Come on, mate" (Slap) "Wake up!"

"Uhhhhh!"

"Come on now!" (Slap, Slap, Slap) "That's it! Are you with us?"

"Wha...? Where... Where am I?"

Joe's world was unfocussed, like looking through thick, syrupy water. Even maintaining a thought was almost impossible. In Joe's foggy mind, it was like having the worst hangover in the world, only without the blistering headache and sickness associated with a night on the sauce.

Slowly, though, the fog cleared. The world came into focus. An outline. A man. Joe could see the outline of a man directly in front of him. More clarity. Felix. It was Felix. Why was Felix here? Why was he here? Where was here?

Pain. 3 more slaps.

More focus. The world returning to normal. Gravity returned; pointing towards his feet. He was stood up. Against a wall, or something stony hard and uneven.

He tried to move his arms. They wouldn't budge. Held somehow, well above his head. Joe looked up, and quickly realised why. His wrists were manacled, chained to the ceiling.

Thinking became easier. Joe looked around. He was in a basement. Layla's basement: the one she'd turned into the sex dungeon.

And Joe was the prisoner.

"What the fuck!" Joe demanded. As his strength returned, he lunged for Felix. It wasn't just his arms that were restrained, though. His feet were also chained to the wall. He fought the chains, lunging for his captor, but he was no match for the steelwork.

"Good. You're with us. I was beginning to worry."

"What the fuck!" Joe repeated. "Why am I chained up like this? Where's Jane? Where's Layla?"

"They're OK. Jane's on her way back here. Layla's upstairs. I thought I might need her skills. As for why you're up there, well we need to decide what to do with you. Until then, I need you under control."

More focus. Thinking clearly now. Joe's memories came flooding back: the anger at Felix for some reason. The phone call. Len's death. The accident that wasn't. Joe struggled further. "When I get out of these, I'll... I'lll..."

"You'll do absolutely fuck all." Felix finished Joe's sentence. "Do you seriously think I'd let you take a swing at me? I could undo those chains right now and you wouldn't lay a finger on me."

"Well, give it a go, then."

"Ah, you're back to your normal self, I see. Good. Well just in case you do get free from that lot and your programming is less than perfect, I also have this." Moving his jacket to one side, Felix revealed a gun, nestled in a holster. "So you know I'm serious."

Joe remained silent, stunned by the gravity of his situation. He'd been in a few fights before (some of which started by other people), but this was something else.

"Now, I presume you remember our last conversation?"

"Bastard! You killed Len!" Anger trumped fear. A tear escaped Joe's eye, and slid down his cheek. "You fucking killed him!"

"No I didn't."

"Well if you didn't do it yourself, you ordered it."

"Afraid not, mate."

"Well... who...?"

"I think it was you, mate. I think you killed Len."

"Of course I fucking didn't! Don't turn this on me!" Joe responded, stupefied into high pitch by the suggestion. "He was a good bloke. I liked him! Why would I..."

"You said it yourself. He was a loose end."

"So? What's that got to do with anything? Don't fuckin' turn this on me! I KNOW I didn't do it."

"You probably don't remember doing it, I'll grant you."

"What do you mean? You got me to kill him? Did you get me to do your dirty work for you?" The thought that he had killed Len was even worse than Felix doing it, even if under someone else's control. "Is this a trick or something?"

"Afraid not. Look. There's something I've got to tell you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"No, you're not." Felix smiled thinly. "We think the unconscious you may have done that to him."

"The unconscious me? We think? Who's we?"

"That would be me." A third voice added. Sam Bryant stepped in the room. Apparently he'd been listening in outside the door.

"Fuck. Not you, too!" Sam's heart sank at the thought. He stood half a chance with Felix, but with Sam too...

"I'm afraid so. Anyway, as Felix was explaining rather badly, we think a subconscious part of your personality may be behind all this... unpleasantness."

"Unpleasantness? A man's fucking dead!"

"I know," Felix replied, shooting his accomplice a sharp glance. "Anyway. As part of your programming we had you subconsciously identifying threats, weaknesses, loose ends. That sort of thing."

"So you did make me like this! You made me... made me program Len to top himself!"

"No, you don't understand." Sam explained. "We only made you identify threats and report them to us, along with strategies for dealing with them. Consciously, or at least semi-consciously, you were thinking of ways to undermine us and take control of the whole system. Subconsciously, you were telling us everything you'd done."

"And everything you planned to do." Felix added.

"But you weren't actually supposed to follow them through. Strictly identify and report."

"I don't understand. Why me?"

"Felix and I knew from uni that you were always one to play an angle, and that you were a bit of a control freak. We also knew you had a keen mind and you could always spot your opponents' weaknesses in just about any situation. Yes, we gave you stimulants and suggestions, to promote those controlling, selfish, and self-preservation instincts. But it was only tinkering. We needed you to be you, only more so."

Joe didn't know whether to be insulted by that remark or not.

Felix continued where Sam had left off, "I can only think of so much myself, and I didn't... don't trust the hired help. I've spent ten years in security and I know most of the angles, but there was a danger I'd miss something. I needed another mind on the project. That was the idea, anyway."

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with Len?"

"You said it yourself." Sam continued, "He was a threat. He knew about the security tape, even if he didn't remember it. Part of the security protocols we installed in you was to identify threats. As Felix said, he didn't want to miss anything, and you were very useful in that regard."

"Identify," Felix continued, "But not eliminate. The decision to eliminate Len should have been mine, but I genuinely didn't know anything about it. We don't know why, but you've been doing your own thing since you went off-grid."

"Just... Just... Let me think for a minute. I couldn't have... Couldn't..." Joe tried to make sense of everything the pair had said. Could he be responsible for Len? The mere possibility of it sent shockwaves through Joe's mind. He hoped Felix was wrong. More than anything, he wanted Felix to be lying or even mistaken. The bastard had to be. But there was just enough doubt in his mind; just enough plausibility in Felix and Sam's story to make Joe feel sick to his stomach.

"Hold on. You say I went off-grid?"

"Yes. We have no idea what you've been up to recently. The last three days, to be precise. That's when you stopped reporting in. You went off-grid for some reason. You've shaken handlers, stopped informing us of your plans and actions. When you add that to the subliminals you added to me, I have to wonder what you're up to."

Joe's mind raced, still trying to make sense of his situation. Why three days ago? What had happened then? Nothing much. Anyway, changes would take time. What had happened before then? Again, nothing much, really. The return of all the slaves was over a week ago, but it couldn't be discounted. Len's "accident", Mike's unexplained no-show. Joe looked, stunned, at Felix.

"Mike. The bastard."

"What about Mike?"

"You sure about the three days?"

"Definitely. We keep very close track of you. Why?"

"Mike was supposed to meet me on Monday night, but he didn't show. I'll bet he turned up at my place knowing I'd be out, and switched the pod or something. The new commands will have taken a few days to filter through, I guess. How could I have been so fucking stupid?"

Felix made a call: "Get Mike. Now."

Sam kept his focus with Joe. "You can rest assured. Mike will be getting the same treatment. If he is responsible, then we WILL find out."

"Responsible for what?" Joe's volume increased with his frustration. "What the fuck is going on?"

"We don't know!" Felix shouted back. "THAT'S the problem!"

"Either way you cut it," Sam continued, "It's a risk to the project, and to us. If your programming's broken, and Len is an unintended consequence, then we need to know. We can't have you running round killing people, especially if you don't know about it. If Mike or anyone else has altered your programming, then we need to know what he's done. If you're making a move against us..."

"But I'm not doing any of that!" Frustration turned to exasperation. "I'm not working against you and I certainly didn't kill Len!"

Joe wished he could be more sure than he was about that.

"Put yourself in our shoes, though." Felix responded. "You don't know if you've lost control of a vital asset..."

"Asset?" This time Joe knew to be insulted. "I'm not a fucking computer that's on the fritz or something!"

"Actually, that's exactly what you are. And what do you do if your computer crashes? You find the problem. You debug any programs you've got on there and you scan for viruses."

"Yeah," Felix continued. "We're not going to just take your word for it. We are going to get to the bottom of this, and your girlfriend Layla is going to help us."

"No! Please! Don't hurt her! I didn't do any..."

"No, no!" Felix laughed. "Don't worry, I have no plans in that regard. No, I mean she is going to help us, literally." Moving over to the door, he motioned her in. "Layla, if you wouldn't mind..."

Layla strutted into the room, wearing the full domme get-up. Not a single item was missed in Layla's sartorial arsenal: stiletto heels, black catsuit, vicious corset. Even the choker she wore was adorned with four inch chrome spikes. She took a moment to absorb the sight of Joe in chains, running a perfectly manicured finger across Felix and Sam's chests as she walked towards the chained up former master.

"Hey, hun." Joe said, trying and failing to project a nonchalant attitude. Even when faced with the prospect of Layla's wrath, his ego (and his manhood) demanded nothing less.

"Hey, yourself," Layla purred. Pressing herself up against Joe's body, she put two fingers up to his mouth to shush him. She softly kissed those two fingers, before delivering a brutally swift knee to the bollocks.

"Please!" Joe spluttered to his captors, doubling over in pain as far as his bonds would allow, "Not like this!"

"I don't know, mate." Felix smiled. "I think I prefer her like this."

Layla leaned in further, pressing a couple of the chrome spikes hard into Joe's neck and causing him to wince. "I'm going to have so much fun with you. All that teasing you did. All that orgasm denial. Remember the slave vibrator? The massive butt plug? The tit rings?" She pinched his nipples, squeezing and twisting as hard as she could. "I do. Every last second of it. They say payback is a bitch, don't they?" She leaned in even further. "Well I'm a bigger bitch, and don't you forget it!"

"Please..." Joe whimpered.

"Oh, and before I forget." Layla headed back to the door. "Bring the others down."

The other girls came in. Each of them, one of his winnings from the poker game. Each of them were kitted out in classic dominatrix fashion, each of them with a look of steel in their eye, and each of them wielding a whip, cane or other fearsome weapon.

"You've had your way with each of these recently." Felix explained, "There's no telling what else you've done with them. I mean, you could use them against Sam or myself at some point. I can't trust them any more than I can trust you or your two girls. So I have to isolate the lot of you. You really have no idea how much trouble you've caused."

"And this is your payback? Are these going to beat the shit out of me?"

"No, it's not payback. That would be childish! Plus I don't know if you're acting of your own volition or not. I'm going to find out who is responsible, and these fine ladies are going to help me. I'm sure they can be very persuasive when they want to be. Aren't you, Layla?"

"Of course, Sir." Layla replied, her gaze not leaving Joe for a second. "Very persuasive."

"I've had them all dreaming up new and inventive ways to torture you. They're getting off on the very idea of it right now! Every scream you make: every cry for mercy will be heaven for them. Your pain will be their pleasure. I call it 'Bitch Mode', and I really have cranked it up to eleven. So, before they start, is there anything you want to tell me? They say confession is good for the soul, and would certainly save you a lot of torment."

"But I didn't do anything!" Joe begged profusely, "You've got to believe me!"

"Well tell me what Mike said, then. You said he met you the other night. Is that when you did your little disappearing trick from the station?"

"Yes, I lost your guys, but I didn't meet Mike. I mean, I arranged to, but he didn't show."

"Why?"

"He set it up." The longer Joe could keep Felix talking, the longer he had to think of a way out of here. Not to mention the whole 'not being tortured' thing. "He said that you were going to turn on us when you didn't need us anymore."

"What? You mean kill you?"

"Something like that. He didn't exactly say it, but I got the picture."

"What else?" Felix grew steadily louder and angrier. "What did he want you to do for him?"

"I don't know! He never said! It never got that far!"

"What else?" Felix practically shouted in Joe's face. "This is your last chance, so help me."

"There's nothing else! You have to believe me!"

"Layla... Please..."

"No!" Joe pleaded. "I really didn't know what was going on!"

"Come off it." Felix continued as Layla massaged Joe's balls with increasing pressure. "If you thought I was going to kill you, you'd have done something about it. If I know you... and I do... then you'd have a plan. An ace up your sleeve, and all that."

"To do what? Huhhhhhhhhh! I couldn't hurt you; you said so yourself. I couldn't kill you or act against you in any way. The only thing I could was get the hell out of there, and even then I wasn't sure if it would work. I didn't even know what I was up against. Mike never told me, I swear!"

"There's something you're not telling me. I know it. You've told me the problem. What was the solution? I know you'll have thought about it. Come on, don't make me use Layla and the others any more. Speaking of which, what did you do with them? Did you program them to turn against me? What's their trigger?"

"No! I couldn't risk...! Please..."

On Felix's nod, Layla relaxed her grip just a little.

"You were saying..."

"I couldn't... risk it. Anything I programmed them with, you would find." Joe and his bollocks hoped he was getting through. "Think about it: you know more about this than me. You control it. You control THEM! Anything I could do, you could find out and undo. Hell, for all I know you had them spying on me all along. I couldn't do anything with that!"

"So you thought about it then?"

"Yes! Of course I fucking did! You were getting ready to kill me, as far as I knew! I could barely think about anything else. But I couldn't do anything back, thanks to your subliminals. I don't know what shit you've programmed me with, and what would happen if I even tried anything. That's why I needed Mike."

Felix remained silent, apparently considering Joe's response.

"Surely you've checked with the girls already. You know what I've done with them: any orders I've given them. What did they say?"

"Nothing," Felix conceded, "But that doesn't mean anything. You could have buried it deep. They could have forgotten any orders, only to remember them on some codeword or something like that."

"But I didn't!"

"And I wish I could believe you," Felix admitted, "But I know you too well. You've done something, and I need to find out what that is. Layla, can we have half an hour of convincing, please?"

"With pleasure... Master."

"But I..." Joe's protest was cut short by a gag.

A mixture of sweat and tears dripped from Joe's face, and on to his chest. Nothing he'd ever been through, not a beating from his dad or a bar fight or even last year's broken arm, had prepared him for the shear pain that Layla could inflict. A combination of surgical strikes and sheer vengeful fury with the whip had lain waste to almost every square inch of Joe's exposed flesh.

Felix had watched with morbid fascination, wincing at every blow but refusing to end it. Joe had never seen that look on his face before: one of grim determination and restrained anger. Sam had bailed at the beginning, unable or unwilling to watch.

"... And that's thirty minutes. Give it a rest for now, Layla. Take his gag off, let him speak. So, how was that, mate?"

"I... I... I've had better days."

"I know. I'm sorry, I had to convince you I was capable of that, and willing. You know the routine. You know, I think she actually brought herself off during that? Your screaming in pain actually brought her to orgasm! Imagine that! Did you, my dear?"

"Yes, Master. Twice! It was divine. Can I do it again, please?"

"That depends on our friend over here. Now, mate. You were going to tell me what you've been up to."

"I..."

"Before you do, just bear in mind that denying all knowledge will just bring more of the same. When Layla gets tired, as she will, we'll just go onto the others in turn. They might not have the practiced panache of our professional domme over here, but I'm sure they'll be more than adequate. Hell, we'll even draw up a fucking rota; make sure they all get a turn!"

"But I didn't..."

"Another half hour it is, then. Which of our lovely ladies shall we pick this time? Eeny meeny miney mo..."

"Shall we try this again? What did you do?"

"Puhhhh..." Joe struggled even to respond. Countless hours of torture and torment at the hands of the beautiful but deadly women had more than taken their toll. His cries for mercy had so far gone unanswered, but they were all he had left. "Puhhhl...eeeease!"

"If it's worth anything, mate, I am truly sorry. I didn't want things to come to this."

It took all of Joe's effort to lift his head and scowl.

"No, no, it's true. I've always been completely honest with you about this. You knew the risks when you joined up. You knew my line of work, and you knew what that meant. You knew that I would have to protect this project at all costs. And you know that that's what I've got to do now. If that means asking you hard, then so be it."

Joe remained silent, save for the sound of laboured breath. His head slumped back against his arm.

"I've got to admit, though. You held out well. You've got me wondering if we'll ever break you."

No response from Joe.

"So if hurting you won't do the trick. We'll just have to try applying the pressure somewhere else. And if that means an innocent has to suffer, then that's how it's got to be."

"I... no...!"

"And you know what? I'll feel really shit about it."

"No! Please!"

"But it won't stop me." Felix addressed Layla. "Fetch Jane."

"Please!" Joe screamed, "I didn't do anything!"

Layla left the basement. The now familiar dull thud of feet on stairs filled the room as she ascended, followed a few moments later by the inevitable descent.

"Master!" Jane cried as she entered the room. She might have run to comfort him, but her bonds prevented her. While her legs were necessarily free (for being led down the stairs), her arms were tied behind her in the most restrictive tie Joe had ever seen. Her elbows were practically touching, and her hands had been brought up almost to shoulder level. Her shoulders must have been on fire under all that strain, Joe thought to himself.

Another piece of rope provided a makeshift collar and lead, currently held tight by latex-clad Layla. Other than that she was naked, not even wearing make-up. She seemed unmarked by the whip or cane, but red-faced from tears. Joe hoped that she hadn't overheard the events down here, but strongly suspected otherwise.

"Bring her over here." Felix demanded. He took the rope as he addressed her, "On your knees. Now!"

"Please, mate! Don't...! You said you wouldn't..."

"Hurt an innocent? What choice do I have? Put yourself in my shoes. Hurting you might produce results in the long term. We will certainly see about that, by the way. But hurting Jane? That's going to hurt you quicker and harder than we ever could. What do you say, Jane?"

"Please, Sir," Jane cried, "Don't hurt me."

"Tell that to your master! He's the one who controls your fate. He's the one with the information we need."

"Master, please!"

"Tell him you heard everything I did to him."

"I did, Master. Everything." The tears started flowing again. "They tied me to a post and had a radio."

"And tell him that you don't want the same to happen to you."

"I don't, Master. But I want them to stop hurting you more."

"I'm begging," Joe interrupted desperately, "Please, leave her alone!"

"Tell him there's only one way to stop it, and it's to tell me what I want to know."

"There's... There's only one way to stop it, Master. Please tell him! Tell him anything, please, Master! Make something up!"

"I can't! I tried!" If only he could, he'd be out of this mess by now. Since waking up here, Joe hadn't been able to lie to his former partner. Another of Felix and Sam's orders, apparently.

"I didn't do anything!" Joe screamed. "I didn't solve the fucking problem! I didn't even know where to begin!"

"You did something, I know it!" Felix nodded at Layla. Jane screamed at the fiery kiss of Layla's whip on her bare behind. Sobbing followed, but Felix was apparently uninterested. Softly cupping a tear-strewn cheek with his hand, he moved her head so she looked Joe right in the eyes. "She makes such a good victim, don't you think? So beautiful. So compliant. You trained her well." He let her go. "One on each tit please, Layla."

"With pleasure." Layla squealed in delight as Jane trembled in fear before her.

Felix returned his attention to Joe as Layla delivered the strokes. "If you tell me everything, and I mean everything, I might keep her alive."

"Please, no! There's nothing to tell!"

"Don't get me wrong. We'll have to keep her locked up like this, just to be safe. She'll never taste freedom again. Perhaps I'll keep her, caged up like an animal, and only let out for whipping and fucking! Perhaps I'll keep them both! I'm sure I can keep them restrained and busy enough to be no threat. Two to the belly please, Layla dear."

Jane's agony continued.

"But if you don't tell me, then I have to assume the worst. I have to assume that one day something will trigger her. There's only one way that's going to end..."

"Please!" Joe sobbed. "She didn't do anything. I didn't program her with anything. She's no threat to you."

"Prove it! Tell me what you fucking did! Layla's going to keep going until you tell me what I want to hear, so..."

"I didn't fucking do anything! I couldn't! You had control over everything, including the pods. Mike might have helped me, but he didn't show. And when I found the second frequency I had no idea what..."

"Stop." Sam demanded. "What did you say?"

"You had all the power. Mike didn't show, so I..."

"No, no, no. The other thing. The second frequency. What second frequency?"

"I found the second frequency you put on the pods. I couldn't do anything without knowing what it did."

"And what did it do?"

"I don't know." The penny dropped. "Oh shit. You don't know either, do you?"


Chapter 17 - Realisation

Felix and Sam remained silent, staring at each other for a moment. Only the sound of whip against flesh and Jane's moans filled the room as Layla followed her orders to the letter.

"Please, stop hurting her!" Joe pleaded.

Felix relented, nodding to Layla. "But if I find you've been lying to me, and there is no second frequency, neither of you won't be enjoying your last few moments together. I'll make sure of it."

"Check it out for yourself." Joe urged, the relief on his face clear to see. It wasn't just to buy time either. He actually wanted them to confirm his suspicions. "I'm still not going anywhere. Also..."

"Also, what?"

"Sam, you didn't know about the second frequency, right?"

"Right."

"Bear with me; I haven't thought this through yet. Sam, you said the frequency is based on the natural frequency of the drug you're using, right? It vibrates at a specific frequency only, which you use to activate it? 18.5 kilohertz?"

"Yeah, that's right." Sam's eyes widened as he saw where this was going. Felix, on the other hand, still had no idea.

"Well that frequency is a constant. You can't program it or hack it like you can a computer or even us. It's the resonance of the molecules: a fundamental property of the material. Basic physics. If the frequency is 18.5 kilohertz you have to use 18.5 kilohertz. If you use another frequency, it doesn't work."

"And if the frequency is actually 18.53 kilohertz, our tech would be useless. Only..."

"Only you know what the frequency is. Or at least you think you do."

Sam started towards the exit, a look of panic clear in his eyes. "I have to check my notes. I have them upstairs on my laptop."

"What do you mean?" Felix still looked dumbfounded all the technobabble.

"It means," Sam replied, pausing and turning back towards Felix, "That someone's already got to us, using our own tech. Somebody, whether it be Joe, Mike or someone else, has convinced us that the frequency is different to what it actually is. Now, I have to check..." Sam made for the exit, clearly distressed by the very idea of it.

Felix turned back to Joe. "Why? If it is Mike, why not just change the encryption or the access codes?"

"I guess he couldn't. Plus, until this all goes live, you're useful to him. A minor tweak to your understanding of the system wouldn't be noticed, especially with the odd suggestion that checking this frequency wouldn't be needed."

"Plus, if we're monitoring the wrong frequency, we'd miss any commands on the real one." Felix could see it now. "Classic misdirection."

"Exactly. Or a suggestion, like somebody being a threat to the project. And remember, he's the one who put the traffic lights on our monitors. Those little icons that told us if we were being programmed."

Felix grabbed his phone. "Where's Mike? Get that fucker here now!"

The radio crackled. A voice on the other end responded. "He's gone, Sir."

"Understood. Find him. Quickly. Out." Felix stared into space, before hurling the phone at the stone walls of the dungeon. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

Joe watched Felix pace slowly up and down the room, lost in thought. Felix's attention was focussed on Felix for the moment, and he had to capitalise on it. "Look. How about letting me go. We can work through this together. We can figure out what Mike's up to. Just let me loose from this lot."

"Nice try, mate." Felix responded with a hint of amusement.

"Well if not me, then, how about Jane? She hasn't done anything."

Felix considered for a moment, before nodding to Layla. "Let her go. Keep the ropes on, though."

"Thanks." It was a small mercy, but Joe was grateful for even that at the moment.

Jane darted over to Joe as soon as she could, pressing her body against his. Unable to hug him, she nuzzled his neck instead. "Thank you, Master."

For the first time since waking up, Joe relaxed. The feel of Jane's warm body against his was almost enough to override the pain, at least for a short moment.

"Don't worry, mate." Felix continued, "When I get to the bottom of this, you can have these two back and you can enjoy your last moments together."

Jane continued grinding herself against Joe, apparently not grasping the 'last moments' part.

"What do you mean," Sam asked, having not missed it. "Last moments?"

Sam re-entered the room, out of breath from running. "It's true. Everything on my computer says 18.5 kiloHertz, except my handwritten notes that I scanned in. They say 18.53. Whoever it is has changed the files on my computer."

"What last moments?" Sam demanded. Vindication meant nothing if he was to be killed anyway."

"Well, I don't know whether we can trust you right now. I don't know who's... what rulebook any of you are playing to. Even if you're telling us the truth. If Mike has somehow got to you, I'm not sure that, even if we re-programmed you, there wouldn't be some remnants of Mike's handiwork still in place. I just don't know if we can remove all the crap that's in there. And that's assuming it is Mike. I'm still not sure yet. That's not to mention these two," He slapped Jane and Layla's ass cheeks again, eliciting mischievous laughter from the pair of them. "There's no telling what you and/or Mike have put into their heads."

Silence filled the room once again. Nobody wanted to admit where this was going next.

"Wait!" Joe broke the silence. "Surely you can reprogram me or whatever. You must be able to do something. You don't have to... you know..."

"We haven't looked into deprogramming. There was no need for it before now. There have been studies on cult victims and the like, but those weren't conclusive. Plus those didn't involve the plasticity enhancer. The short answer is: I don't know either."

"Then we have a problem." Felix declared.

More silence.

"Maybe not." This time it was Sam's turn to break the silence. "There might be a way. If we flood his brain with enhancer and increased the frequency amplitude - the RIGHT frequency - we might be able to find out what he's been programmed with. There's a risk, though."

"What kind of risk?"

"We've only done one test with enhancer levels that high."

"Sandra?" Felix interrupted?

"Yeah."

"Oh, shit." Felix looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"What? Who's Sandra?" Joe demanded.

"Sandra was one of our first subjects," Sam explained, "We had to test dosages. She got a high one. The highest we did. Too much, as it happens."

"It effectively left her lobotomised," Felix butted in.

"Almost," Sam continued, "She could perform very simple tasks on instruction, but you had to tell her everything. And I mean everything. She couldn't even dress herself without somebody beside her, telling her how."

"What happened to her?"

"You have to understand. It was the kindest thing to do."

"WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?"

"We killed her," Felix replied, "We had to, really. She had no life after that."

"Plus..."

"Plus what?"

"Plus, you would have had to justify how she got like that. Either you keep her locked up and she goes missing, or she turns up at home as a zombie. Questions would have been asked. Doctors would have been involved, and that means tests. They might have found your enhancer chemical. Your scheme would have been in jeopardy." Joe stared at each of them in turn. "You didn't put her out of her misery. You put her out of YOUR misery. Let me guess. You made it look like an accident. Like Len?"

Sam remained silent. Felix nodded, "Gas explosion."

"And you're considering doing the same to me, aren't you? Turning me into a fucking vegetable, or a corpse?"

Silence from the pair.

"If we can find out what happened to you, we might not have to."

"And if not? Did you ever give Sandra a chance? Did you give the effects a chance to wear off?"

"We did, but it only got worse over time. We think traces of the enhancer stayed in her system and continued to work in her brain. Erasing old neural connections and writing its own, almost at random. By the time Felix... we... you know. We were worried about her breathing on her own."

Joe digested the information, feeling ever more nauseous, "I think I'd rather you just killed me."

"I understand." Felix took his gun from the holster and raised it to Joe's head. "I really am sorry, mate."

Joe's mind raced. Felix could be bluffing. One last attempt to pry his secrets. One last chance for Joe to confess everything.

Only...

Only Felix's hand wasn't curled into a fist. It was holding the gun. No trace of twitching. No evidence of Felix bluffing. This shit was real.

"Please!" Joe closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable. His life didn't flash before his eyes, but every bad decision he'd ever made. Every missed opportunity, every poor choice forced their way into his consciousness with the momentum of a steam train.

Regret wasn't a strong enough word for it.

Then something else forced its way into Joe's thoughts. A memory, previously unavailable to him. A plan. "Wait!"

"What?"

"If I am going to die," Joe's voice was croaking by this point. "Can I at least have one more moment with Layla and Jane? Not like this, though. As Layla was ... before."

"I don't know... You..."

"Come on, aren't you supposed to give a guy his dying wish?"

"Well," Felix considered Joe's request, "Five minutes. Make it good. Layla... Code Eight Six Six Six. Bitch mode off."

Layla's demeanor changed instantly. A look of concern appeared on her face, with more than a hint of guilt.

"Thanks," Joe expressed, his breath slowly coming back to him, "And, perhaps, a little privacy?"

"It's too risky," Sam interjected, "We should get it over with."

"I know, but if you leave the rest of the girls in to stand guard," Joe replied. Turning to Felix, "One final fling with Jane and Layla, watched by half a dozen girls? If you were going to go, that's how you'd want it! For old time's sake? "

"Mmm." Felix relented, nodding his agreement, "I warn you, though. I'm leaving these in bitch mode. Any attempt to escape and you'll wish we'd killed you already. Got it?"

"Got it. Thank you, I mean it," Joe's relief was palpable.

"Oh, Master, I'm sorry!" Layla gushed as soon as the two men had gone. "I couldn't help myself. I just had to hurt you, and get you to talk for them."

"I know. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but how did they make me like it? How did they make me like hurting you?"

"That's not important right now. What's important is that you're here, with me. Come closer, both of you. Actually, Lay, can you untie Jane for me, please?"

Layla freed Jane from her rope, and the pair of them pressed themselves up against him, wrapping their arms tightly around him.

Unable to reciprocate, Joe just enjoyed the feeling of their flesh on his. "I'm so sorry, to both of you. I never thought it would end up like this."

"What? With you in the chains?" Layla smiled. "I had an inkling."

"Well, I didn't quite mean it like that. I don't imagine they let you keep the key for these things, did they?"

"Afraid not, Master." Layla responded. "They're not even my locks. They brought their own with them. Apparently they don't trust me."

"Felix doesn't trust anyone," Joe explained. "Don't take it personally."

"Oh, I didn't." Layla smiled, before leaning in and so only he could hear. "But they were right not to. Those chains holding your arms aren't as solid as they look. There's a snaplock on each, near the end. Each link's got a small pin on the inside, in a little groove. Slide that and the link separates. It's got me out of a few tight scrapes."

Joe stuck his finger in one of the links, instantly finding the pin. "Another Gunther creation?"

"Of course. In case a client ever tried to get the better of me."

"Nobody could ever get the better of you, my love." Joe admitted, "Take it from me. And remind me to get that guy a beer."

The cogs in his brain started to whirr again. "Tell me," he whispered again, "Do any of them know about that secret escape hatch of yours? The one with that chain?"

"I don't think so. I only told them about the basement this afternoon, when they brought you here. The main guy, Felix, was wondering what to do with you. I suggested down here. I couldn't help myself. But I didn't mention the other way out."

Finally, thought Joe, a piece of good luck! "I love you so much!" He declared, before kissing Layla. Not wanting to leave Jane out, he kissed her next. "And you too. I don't know what I'd do without either of you."

"Oh, Master." Jane whispered back, "I don't know what I'd do without you either."

Joe's body was certainly responding to the attention of his two lovers, and he could feel his hardness pressing against Jane's torso. Strung up like this against the wall, and with Jane in her bare feet he was too tall for her. Jane, however, had a solution. If he couldn't fuck her, she could suck him instead. She crouched down and took his cock in her mouth. Layla, much taller in her boots, remained standing, exploring the inside of her restored master's mouth with her tongue.

"Of course, Master," Jane stood up after finishing him off, "It's good to know" (another kiss) "That you have at least one weak spot."

"What?"

Jane smiled at him. The passion had disappeared from her face, replaced by a look of sheer derision as she rubbed herself up against him. "You might have taken a beating yourself without talking, but you couldn't stand to see little ol' me suffer."

"You... You fucking..." Anger welled up in Joe. The sense of betrayal hurt Joe even more than the residual fire on his skin. The worst thing, though, was the dread in the pit of his stomach. Had she heard any of Layla's whispers? Did she know about the escape route? Would she tell Felix?

"Surprise!" She said, her face a mixture of triumph and contempt.

"Don't blame her, Mate." Felix interrupted, having apparently returned. "Did you think I wouldn't use everything at my disposal? Even Jane over here? I've got to admit, though, she did play her part well. Almost had me fooled for a moment." He roughly grabbed Jane's ass, eliciting a giggle of pleasure from her as she left Joe and joined her new master. "Did he say anything? What does he have planned?"

"He whispered something to Layla. I didn't hear it, though."

Joe sighed with relief. It was short-lived.

"No matter." Felix responded, pulling the gun from its holster. "Sorry, mate. It's time."

"Wait! Please!" Joe begged, tears in his eyes from both Jane's treachery and his oncoming demise. "You don't have to do this! Maybe there's another way! What if I went away and never came back?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you can find somewhere to put me where I can't do any harm. Some tropical island in the middle of the Pacific or something. You can have me on guard, anything you want. I'm sure that's preferable to death or that chemical thing."

Felix paused for a moment and considered his options.

"No, Felix!" Sam interrupted, "The risk is too great." He turned to Felix, "What if he escaped? There's no telling what he could do!"

"Well, make sure I can't escape then!" Joe could see the doubt in Felix's eyes, and pressed his advantage. "Make it so I don't want to escape! Send Layla and Jane with me! Have guards watch over me!"

"You'd get to the guards. You'd think of something. You always do."

"Well make sure I can't get to them! Make sure I can't alter their programming or something. Make it comfortable enough that I don't want to escape. A tropical island with these lot! Look, I'm trying to give you an out here. I know you don't want to kill me, and you don't have to. This is my 'Get out of death free' card!"

"Could we do it? Take you completely off the grid?" Felix deliberated, "Geographical isolation, guarded compound, no phone, no internet."

"Felix, you're not seriously..."

"Yes, Sam. I am!"

"Guys, guys," Joe interrupted, "You don't have to decide now. Take your time. Hell, have a drink while you think about it. Layla's got a great selection of single malts upstairs. If you kill me now, that's it. Final! No mind changing. No chance for finding a solution later If you put me on ice, though, you can always change your mind later. Hell, I might even become useful to you again, somewhere down the line!"

Joe looked at Sam, Felix, and then scanned around the other women in the room. Tell-tale signs were beginning to show in some of the women. Instead of being focussed on the job (or prisoner) at hand, their own cross to bear was becoming something of a distraction.

"Are you willing to risk the entire project for him?" Sam turned to Felix, incredulous that his partner was even contemplating such a move.

Silence from Felix. It was the first time Joe had seen him genuinely lost. It was an opportunity not to be squandered.

"Think about it, mate." Joe pulled on his chains, "I'm not going anywhere, look. They're all keeping an eye on me. There is an alternative and you can make it work!

More silence from Felix. Joe was getting somewhere. "Just think about it, that's all I'm asking! You don't have to kill me, or mush my brain on that plasticiser shit!"

"Quiet! Both of you!" Felix made for the exit. "I need time to think." He left the room and went upstairs, judging by the sound through the walls.

"Wait! Felix!" Sam went to confront him, before remembering. He turned to the women, "If he tries to escape, stop him. By any means!" Turning back, he chased Felix up the stairs.

Joe scanned the room, looking at each of his female guards in turn. Without exception their distraction from the code-phrase was increasing. Two of them had their eyes closed, pleading their need for release even without a master. Make that three. Four of them were cupping themselves or trying to cross their legs, attempting to hold back the building tide.

Joe thought back to the other morning, when he implanted the Scorpion code in each of the women. If he used it now, he could make it to freedom. But what about Layla? What about Jane? The Scorpion code would affect them too? The thought of causing so much pain to the pair seemed somehow worse than his own death. Shit. Is this what being in love felt like?

Besides, it wasn't just that. He wanted them with him, but controlled by Felix like this he couldn't risk it. Or could he? Jane was obviously under control, and even outside of Felix's 'Bitch mode', Felix wouldn't have relinquished his power over Layla. There would still be some remnants, something that would bite him in the ass somewhere down the line. Joe's rational side was screaming to leave them here, but his heart (or another, lower part of his anatomy) demanded otherwise.

Either way, he had to decide now. If he left them behind he could always return for them, but delay now meant certain death. He reached for the chains holding is wrists, and found the little levers controlling the chain snaplocks. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought to himself. As he breathed in and opened his mouth he made the decision he would have to live with for the rest of his life.

"Scorpion Two Six Eight."