Ingrid's Dark Secret Passion Ch. 04

After their coitus, Ingrid decided to examine the state of her behind. She sauntered over to the closet door that bore a full-length mirror. She gasped at witnessing the bruises. It was not a pretty sight. Or then again from a BDSM perspective perhaps it was a pretty sight, maybe even a masterpiece! She wasn't too surprised since she had caned Talmann and seen the effects of her beating on him. In fact, her bruising was similar except more pronounced. Some of the raised welts particularly those located on her buttocks displayed open sores that had bled. With the passage of time all that blood had clotted which provided for a sickening mess indeed.

While Ingrid was inspecting her bruises, Talmann had made a phone call. When he was done, Ingrid commented, "You sure did a number on my bummy, Alexander. I don't think I'll ever be able to sit down again. And as a pianist that is a truly devastating blow. Pun intended by the way. As for my bruises on my thighs, I guess I can't wear a mini skirt if I wish to avoid embarrassment and swimming is out of the question."

He replied in earnest, "I have a terrific balm with me, and I'll give you a full jar of it. It is extremely effective in soothing the pain. It so good that you should become comfortable enough to be able to sit down and play a full-length concerto, even as early as tonight. Certainly, by tomorrow you should not be physically hampered at all from any physical activity. As for your bruises, being young as you are you, they will heal fast. All your marks on your body should disappear within two weeks."

"Well that certainly is good to know and a relief."

Changing the tenor of the conversation Talmann observed, "Well Ingrid I've had a marvelous time, far better than I had expected when I set this date up. I think you also had a good time."

"Oh yes. I would say I expected this would be an incredibly special event for me, and I wasn't disappointed."

Talmann chuckled at Ingrid's laconic response. He suspected there was much more she would be able to say but felt the need to be more guarded for the time being. So, he said, "I suggest we take a shower and then I can apply the balm on you to make you more comfortable. After that I'd like to take you out to an early dinner. I've cleared my schedule to allow for the time. I know I implied our date would be over by five o'clock, but I can promise you that I can get you home at least by seven assuming you don't reside outside the city. That way you need not change any plans you might have made for this evening."

Ingrid replied, "I was planning to go to a party with my flat mate, but we weren't expecting to get there before ten, so your dinner idea is very appealing. Actually, I do live fairly close by, so why don't we stop there first. That way I can change and of course get some underwear, since the lack of the same seemed to have been an issue between us today."

"I don't think we need to bother. Your dress is appropriate attire for where I'm taking you. As I recall in the DC Tower elevator the other day, the fact you were not wearing a bra was not evident until you took your top off. As for the lack of panties just don't bend down. I'll endeavor to avoid situations for you where you might be in such jeopardy. So, you should be just fine."

"OK then!"

The subsequent proceedings then unfolded as Talmann had outlined. After their shower and application of the soothing pain ointment, they drove in his vehicle to the restaurant, named Café Lola. Since it was a changeover time between lunch and dinner, they were initially seated at the bar for appetizers before they would be directed to their dinner table. During this time, he advised, "This restaurant is absolutely unknown to tourists, and so it is highly regarded and patronized solely by local residents."

Detecting a disdain for foreigners implicit in his statement, Ingrid innocently asked, "Do you Austrians not like tourists then coming to your land?"

Feeling the need to be concise which required a thoughtful reply, Talmann responded, "Oh no! Of course not! We Austrian love tourists. It is a major industry for our nation, that provides lots of revenue for businesses, and of course for the government. That being the case all the major restaurants in Vienna are naturally mindful of the necessity to cater to the palate desires of tourists who make up a substantial share of their overall patronage.

"Now a typical tourist might protest that they genuinely desire to experience native culture especially foods; it being the defining reason for them to visit a foreign land in the first place. However, experience tells us that if a dish is absolutely foreign, pun intended by the way, to their regular diet, a tourist will balk. That in return has an unhappy ripple effect when the tourist returns to his homeland.

"He will inevitably bad mouth the restaurant to his friends, relatives and acquaintances. Bad news travels faster than good news especially by word of mouth. The next thing that happens the restaurant has a minor downturn in customers and will not know the reason why. Now a restaurant here in Vienna, may claim they are serving authentic Austrian cuisine, but in reality, they serve dishes that by trial and error have shown not to offend tourists but be acceptable to local citizens as well."

Ingrid was intrigued, so she asked, "Is this really true? Do you have facts to back up your assertions? Or are you just making it all up to make conversation?"

"My! My! What cynicism from such a young lady as yourself. Now it's true I don't have facts to back me up, as it's just my theory how things are. Let me give you an example to demonstrate how I've devolved my thinking.

"In my capacity as foreign minister for Austria, I've had occasion to frequently travel to various other countries. I've been to the United States twice and have dined in various restaurants in Washington. On a couple of occasions in different restaurants I happened to have ordered wiener schnitzel, which as you may know is a traditional Austrian dish. I can honestly say that the difference between the dishes I was served there to the dish served here is like the difference between night and day."

Ingrid disagreed, "I suggest your example proves the opposite to what you contend. Obviously, the dish served in Washington caters to the palate of a typical American who surely outnumbers any errant Austrian tourist who may happen to wonder in the establishment. And since you admit that the wiener schnitzel served here is quite different, it follows that the restaurants in Vienna are following the Washington example by catering to their local citizenry as opposed to their tourist patrons."

Talmann clarified, "By 'here' I meant this very restaurant, the Café Lola only. The wiener schnitzel dishes presented in most major restaurants in Vienna which rely on substantial tourist traffic are not dissimilar to what I was served in Washington. The Café Lola on the contrary makes no compromises. The dishes served here replicate the dishes that are served at an elaborate dinner party hosted by any prominent Viennese household. That's why I took you here rather than stay at the hotel.

Ingrid smiled and replied, "Oh! Well in that case I guess I'll have you order wiener schnitzel for me."

Once they were seated, their ensuing dinner proved to be a very joyous occasion. It was also highly informative for each of them considering their disparate backgrounds. As they had concluded an intense BDSM activity, there was no awkwardness in their conversation, nor was there any reticence to revealing any perceived frailties. Given that he was a prominent member of the Austrian government, and she was a budding classical music super star, meant they were in an equal status footing. This had the effect of eliminating any condescending dialogue between them, and instead their conversation was laced with respectful mutual admiration.

The only discordant note in their nascent relationship was their age disparity and personal circumstances in life. She learned that he was forty-nine years old, married for twenty-four years and was father to two children; a son twenty-three years old and a daughter aged twenty. Both Ingrid and Talmann were pragmatic individuals who realized that such differences alone, plus the added fact that after a year they'd be residing an ocean apart meant they were not destined to have a torrid love affair that would excite the imagination of the romantic poets. Their main philosophy guiding their actions was rooted in the inescapable condition of human life; that we are all destined to die. Thus, life is meant to be lived to the fullest. This in turns means that even an ephemeral pleasure should be cherished.

The two of them exchanged anecdotes of themselves not for the purpose of puffing themselves up, but to enlighten the other of who they are and what they are about. Ingrid though was most energetic in describing her satisfaction with her academic year in Vienna. She summarized her joy as follows:

"As I told you Alexander, my academic music education consists of my freshman year at Ohio State University, (Music Department) in Columbus. My next two years are here at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) and my final year is slated to be back in Columbus. I've successfully completed my first year at OSU and I'm almost finished my first year at MDW.

"Now since the music department at OSU is not well regarded in the United States never mind worldwide, they are very pleased to have me as a bone fide student. So, I'm treated like a goddess both by the faculty and fellow students alike. It is actually hard for me not to develop a swelled head. But here the MDW is regarded as one of the finest music schools in the entire planet if not the finest. with a long history. It boasts of a stellar roster of alumni and faculty. The current faculty includes some of the finest musicians extant. So at least at the beginning, there was virtually no deference accorded to me, as I was treated like any other student.

"Nevertheless, my triumph at the Tchaikovsky Competition achieved at the absolute minimum youngest age possible, has extracted some perks from the school. Then my victory at the International Beethoven Piano Competition, sponsored by the school and held here this past October, changed my status. The faculty and fellow music students pay almost as much deference to me as I was accorded back in Columbus.

The major perk or concession, the University allowed is that I'm provided with a personal academic advisor drawn from the faculty or from a guest lecturer, who would consult with me for at least one hour once a week. The ostensible duty of my advisor is to recommend my course of study, but in reality, my advisor is more of a mentor providing invaluable insight on planning my future concert career.

"This year my advisor was and still is for four more months, none other than Otto Hellmesberger, the most remarkable pianist of our time, whose spectacular career was prematurely cut short by rheumatoid arthritis. I concede that the knowledge he has been able to impart to me has surely improved my technical prowess in performing flawlessly. In addition, he has revealed secrets tips that allow me to easily perform major lengthy piano pieces without needing to rely on sheet music notes. As Otto, (and he allows me to refer him so familiarly), suggests that ability is virtually necessary for a successful concert performances career. Sophisticated concert audiences and music critics actually expect it, and the Beethoven competition required it as a condition of the contest.

"His reputation at MDW is so solid that he can do virtually anything he wants. In that regard he coerced the University to allow me to compete in the Beethoven Competition without participating in the preliminary audition elimination round. In addition, he has scheduled a concert in a month's time wherein I shall perform at one of the school's concert halls, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff 's 3rd Piano Concerto, the two pieces of music that sealed my victory at the Tchaikovsky competition. I'll also perform Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

"I'll be backed by an orchestra comprised of the best student musicians in the school as adjudged by Otto. He has been conducting auditions to determine the really best musicians. He has refused to rely on established reputations each potential student/musician enjoys amongst the faculty and fellow students. And to add real lustre to the performance he will be conducting this concert himself. The challenge for me will be that Otto insists I shall have no sheet music available to rely on. It will be a real test for me as I haven't previously performed three such lengthy and different pieces in a row consecutively in public without such a safety net. Mind you I'm pretty confident I'll be able to easily carry it off. I'm very familiar with all three of these pieces of music.

"But that's not all about the significance of this concert. Otto has a personal direct connection with some officials at Deutsche Grammophon (DGG) the premier classical music record label. He has arranged with them to record the concert and perhaps release it as a music DVD. In addition, I'm scheduled to go to Berlin in late July to record some Chopin Nocturnes. The plan would be to combine that recording with the concert recordings to produce a four disc CD set.

"There's even talk to then pairing off my proposed four disc CD set to that already produced by a fresh new German violinist who has made a splash in the classical music world having won a couple of prominent violin competitions. Apparently, the thinking is that with her four disc CD set along with mine, DGG could advertise a series featuring the new generation of classical music artists. They might even be searching for a cellist from say Japan to form a young truly international trio featuring separate musicians from three different continents."

Alexander Talmann listened with avid interest and was absolutely surprised to discover how accomplished Ingrid must be to garner such attention while in reality being a mere college student. She sure was a far cry from his first impression of her when she brazenly flashed her tits at him. At the time he thought of her as just a promiscuous slutty young female with a vacant mind, whom he would never consider consorting with.

His intention in setting up this date was to teach her a salutary lesson to demonstrate the consequences of behaving in a tawdry manner. He had expected that she might be terrified and run away in horror upon being apprised of the knowledge he intended to spank her. Failing that, he was pretty certain she could not tolerate the entire round of punishment and would utter her safe word to stop almost immediately after just a few slaps. That the scenario did not play out in the way he had envisioned, was a complete shock to him, albeit a pleasant one.

The BDSM discipline play they had engaged in had been one of the most intensive one in which he had ever participated. That was what induced him to propose dinner. And now with the exchange of this informative conversation, Talmann came to an undeniable conclusion that Ingrid Losnedahl was the most interesting and intriguing person, male or female, he had met or for that matter ever likely to meet, notwithstanding his high profile in the Austrian government. That being the case it behooved him to get to know her better, so he asked, "I am hugely impressed with you Ingrid, and I feel so fortunate to know you. That planned concert sure seems something truly special. It's obviously a far cry from what you described at the hotel as your mandatory fulfillment of your academic curriculum."

"Well, I really will get academic credit for my performance, but it will only be counted as a credit should I undertake further studies in pursuit of obtaining a graduate degree in music. Which I must confess surely will not happen."

"Is your offer to provide me with tickets for your concert still stand?"

"Of course!"

"Then please arrange for a pair of tickets for me. I will clear my schedule; you did indicate it will be next month?"

"Yes, it's Sunday afternoon, the last Sunday in May, starting at one thirty. Will you be taking your wife?"

"Oh no Marlene is not interested in classical music at all. I intend to take another person who would very much appreciate this opportunity."

At that statement, Ingrid could not contain her curiosity any longer, so she blurted out, "Tell me something, Alexander. You intimated earlier that you're married and happily so for twenty-four years. If that is truly so, will you have to keep your wife in the dark as to our rendezvous this afternoon?"

"Oh yes Marlene and I are indeed very happily married and enjoy a wonderful marriage. As to your question, I'm probably not going to tell her about this afternoon, not because I feel guilty, which I do not, but because she would not be interested in hearing about it. She definitely would not be curious to hear the graphic details of our encounter."

Ingrid was a little taken aback at what she perceived was a deceitful answer at best. "Are you then saying your wife prefers to be kept in the dark of your adultery to preserve the illusion of a happy marriage? I have no doubt that public perception that you are happily married is a gigantic plus to further your political career. Still for her to deliberately choose to ignore your infidelity in order to preserve an image of a happy union smacks more like a marriage of convenience than a genuine happy marriage."

"You're making understandable assumptions, but which are erroneous. We really do have a happy marriage in fact not just in image. I love Marlene with all my heart. She is a wonderful woman whom I admire as the ideal mate for me. I am certain she reciprocates in loving me equally as much. We enjoy each other's company and believe it or not we have great sex."

Ingrid harrumphed as she replied, "If you have great sex with your wife, then what was this afternoon all about?"

Talmann answered, "First of all this afternoon was not a case of adultery."

As Ingrid rolled her eyes at that response, he continued, "Granted technically by dictionary meaning I did commit adultery, but it wasn't in the sense as the deed is universally understood. You see true adultery is a case where a cheating spouse willing seeks sexual comfort in the arms of another because the spouse is no longer appealing and the other one is. In serious cases of adultery, the cheating spouse may become interested in dissolving the marriage, and in any case the innocent spouse would be infuriated with knowledge of the adulterous act.

"In our case, I was not with you because I've fallen out of love with Marlene, my wife. I'll not abandon my marriage, nor do I have any inclination to do so despite the delightful afternoon you and I mutually enjoyed. And I can assure you, Marlene would be indifferent to our activities of this afternoon should she gain knowledge of it."

Ingrid pressed on, "Well if this wasn't a case of true adultery, then how do you explain this afternoon?"

"First of all, as I had pointed out to you right from the start, I'm into BDSM play and I derive great pleasure from participating in it. It so happens that Marlene does not like it. We did some experimenting into BDSM play right at the beginning of our relationship, but it was every evident she derived no pleasure whatsoever in any form of BDSM play. So, had I insisted and forced Marlene to submit to BDSM play against her will, it would rob me of an ultimate sense of satisfaction I would achieve from a complying women."

Ingrid protested, "Do you then seriously believe I enjoyed the spanking and the caning you inflicted on me? I can assure you that I felt real pain and it wasn't pleasant."