Well Made and Enduring

Instead, Elspeth went to her own bed. She pulled back the covers, making sure that Harshini and Vivian could have a good look at her still burning ass. Then, biting her lip, Elspeth removed her bra before she crawled into bed. Harshini said nothing, but Vivian smothered a laugh before she rose and turned out the light. Elspeth fell asleep thinking of the bruising on Christine's legs.

The morning came late. There was a wrap party planned, but it was after the Amish had religious services. Elspeth dreamed of being naked in Dr. Richards' class while a small dog was shaking her foot. It turned out to be Vivian trying to wake her. It was almost ten o'clock. Breakfast was over and the merry-go-round was about to be started. Elspeth donned her workout clothes and went to see the fair.

Deja vu yet again. This time, it was as if she had already attended as someone else. Still, it was fun. One ride on the merry-go-round seemed obligatory. Then, Elspeth tried some of the skill games and played a round of quoits. The archaic game proved both challenging and hysterical. Every player was laughing, with a couple rolling on the grass, before they gave up finishing the game. Instead, the players moved to the lemonade stand, then dispersed in several directions.

Elspeth acquired a drink, a pimento cheese sandwich, and an Amish-made pickle. She sat on a shady bench to eat her lunch. It felt good to relax. All week she had been Google and Wikipedia for the whole project, not to mention Dr. Richards' gofer and voice. If anything, things were even busier when Dr. Richards was not around. Everyone had wanted Elspeth to play boss-interpreter. Finally, no one needed to know what to do next or to get approval on what they had already done. It was nice. She smiled and closed her eyes.

In moments she was asleep. Elspeth was not given to smiling. Anyone that knew her would have been startled by the beatific look on her face. Justin Immons was not one of them, but he was a photographer and knew an image when he saw one. He captured several angles before moving on. Elspeth would not see them for some time.

Instead, she was woken by an errant Frisbee. It began the slow spiral of a pleasant day into bleakness. Soon after waking, Elspeth saw Dr. Richards coming toward her. A step back and to the left was Christine. The purpose of the visit was for Dr. Richards to express formal thanks for the work Elspeth had done. Without saying it in so many words, Dr. Richards was saying that the event was over.

Worse, Elspeth was one in a crowd. There were nine graduate students from Dartmouth. Dr. Richards took time to thank them each, individually. Elspeth felt like Norman at the end of The Dresser. At least, Dr. Richards was still among the living. There was a chance that someday Elspeth and Dr. Richards could reconnect, possibly back in New Hampshire. It was her only consolation.

For the moment she fled the sight of Christine in her chosen place. The irony was too bitter. It galled Elspeth that she could be replaced by an uneducated teenager, but there it was. Ivy League degree or not, Elspeth could not do something Christine did without apparent effort—stay within easy reach, but never draw attention to herself. Past that was the level of pain Christine seemed willing to absorb in a sexual context.

Elspeth had enjoyed the spanking, but the sort of whipping Christine's bruises bespoke was another matter. Word went around that there would be an encore scene. Elspeth did not attend. Instead, she found a workout mat and did her toning routine to the point of exhaustion. It was so bad that Security showed up to escort her to her room. When Vivian and Harshini returned, Elspeth pretended to be asleep.

Chapter 7 -- Chrysalis

Monday was easier. Several of their group were returning to New Hampshire. Packing and organizing the baggage gave Elspeth something to do. Dr. Richards, Christine at her side, saw them to the cars and waved as they departed. The drive to Newark started to put some distance between Elspeth and her feelings. Unlike the others, Elspeth was not returning directly. Her flight to Boston departed first. Much to her surprise, Elspeth received teary goodbye hugs from Vivian, Harshini, and Jolene. Michael and Jasper were only slightly more restrained. Jasper said he would be glad to take her dancing anytime.

That proved ironic. It was on the flight to Boston that Elspeth discovered the first of the dance videos from the wedding. It was of Elspeth and Jasper doing the Turkeytrot, while Francine Martel called the step. Before she picked up her bags, Elspeth found four more. Somewhat surprisingly, she made it out of the airport without anyone identifying her. It was, after all, only thirty-six hours after the event.

The anonymity changed the moment she stepped through the door of her parent's home. It quickly became apparent that Elspeth was a minor celebrity among the staff. This was a novel experience but nothing major. What shocked Elspeth was Grandmother. Adele Cabot was many things, but a Youtube fan was not on the list. None-the-less, she had not only heard of Elspeth's dance videos but approved of them.

For the first time in memory, Elspeth enjoyed the obligatory time with her family. Far from being the square peg in a round hole, her cousins sought her attention. It was heady stuff for a while. The attention eventually waned, but Elspeth detected a shift in the familial order. Because she had accomplished something of note, she advanced in pecking rights. Once, that would have been all Elspeth cared about.

That summer, it was the furthest thing from her mind. Elspeth wanted to return to Hanover. Though the fall session would not be starting for weeks, she made the move and waited for Dr. Richards' return. To occupy her time, she did countless searches for any shred of news of Dr. Richards and the doings in New Jersey. Traces were scarce but Elspeth was able to piece together a timeline. Much of the summer, Dr. Richards had supervised the modernization of the old house. Electrical lines, temperature control, and internet access were the least of it. Articles would appear in two architectural journals.

There was also a business aspect. Richards Enterprises formed a new division, Digital Arts. Sheila Schwartz-Richards, i.e. the bride, became Vice President and the head of the new division. To make her life easier, the manor acquired a fully functional home office. Having interacted with the bride, Elspeth understood. This was a woman who valued her privacy. Dr. Richards stayed close to make sure it was protected. That loyalty was something Elspeth devoutly wished for herself.

Though the weeks were torture, all things pass. June was gone and July was half over when Dr. Richards emailed the news of her engagement to the towering German, Lars Gunter. Following the announcement, Dr. Richards stated she would be returning to campus in two days and asked Elspeth to pass the word along. It was like a drink of water on a hot day. Elspeth found the task both energizing and fulfilling. She carried it out in her usual over-thorough manner, then spent the day fidgeting. Finally, she saw Dr. Richard's distinctive blue BMW and rushed to the department offices.

Elspeth was too late. Dr. Richards had barely stopped by, leaving a storm in her wake. Most people still thought of the old Dr. Richards—the one with no bra, torn T-shirts, and horrible posture. The new look came as a shock. For her part, Elspeth was shocked that anyone remembered the old look. That wasn't Dr. Richards. Not anymore. Elspeth's search intensified.

They still managed to miss each other for over an hour. It was frustrating. In desperation, Elspeth was about to check with Dr. Richards' thesis adviser when she saw a familiar ankle-strap pump extending past a desk. It was as if she were teleported the next ten feet.

To say they embraced would be a charming understatement. Elspeth crashed into Dr. Richards, who was braced for the impact. Elspeth buried her face in a peach colored silk top while Dr. Richards stroked her hair. Presently they became aware that the other occupants of the room were staring. It slowly dawned on Elspeth that people still thought she hated Dr. Richards. Blushing deeply, Elspeth stepped back.

Dr. Richards came to her rescue. She explained to Drs. Steele and Harrigan (who was sitting in another chair) that things had changed. This extremely obvious truth put the change in her relationship to Elspeth in perspective. With no additional preamble, Dr. Richards produced a stack of invitations. One was to Dr. Steele. Nine others she gave to Elspeth to convey to the other members of the wedding group.

This gave Elspeth something to do, but not before gossip. In a reversal of their morning meetings, Dr. Richards updated Elspeth on many things. Evaine had gone to Pennsylvania with the Amish. Dr. Richards personally drove up to retrieve her. Conrad and Kerin had made a significant find in the Richards' family papers. They'd celebrated by announcing their engagement. Harshini was not engaged. For her, the proper term was betrothed, to a former British Army soldier who worked for Richards' security. Elspeth drank it in, then set about delivering the invitations.

It was like Christmas to a six-year-old. Elspeth had a place and a purpose. Tracking down the others was exactly what she did best. By the end of the day, it was accomplished. That was only the start. There were many interested parties and the invitations were open ended. Elspeth had begun assembling contacts around the campus. All was going well until she spotted Christine.

There are words to describe conflicting emotions. All of them applied. Elspeth wanted to spend time with Dr. Richards but Christine was at her side. Worse, she never left it. After a few hours, Elspeth drew back and busied herself in the details of Dr. Richards' reception. Two afternoons later, Dr. Richards called, asking Elspeth to come to her apartment, bringing a couple of enemas and some bondage props. A million ideas crowded her head while Elspeth acquired the necessary items. None prepared her for reality.

Christine was there (of course). She knelt, naked in her familiar knees-wide-and-arms-behind-the-back posture. Next to her, also naked, was the East Coast's newest heartthrob, Jason Porter. He was sitting naked, lotus style on a large towel. Dr. Richards told Elspeth that they would be doing a video-recorded scene. When Elspeth did not protest, Dr. Richards ordered Christine to take Elspeth to the bathroom and prepare her.

This meant stripping naked, using an enema, then putting in a gag. Although she wanted to resent Christine, Elspeth found her soothing. Christine was as attentive to Elspeth as she had been to Dr. Richards. For example, Christine had Eslpeth administer the first enema so that Elspeth could watch. Christine had returned the favor, they voided and flushed, then helped each other with the gags. When they returned to the main room, Dr. Richards was waiting with rope.

The restraints were simple—wrists tied together and ankles bound to thighs. Elspeth was laid on her back on a bath towel, hands bound in front. Her sex was exposed to the room, making Elspeth glad she had recently trimmed her bush. Just below Elspeth's ass, Dr. Richards stacked a couple of sofa cushions. Christine's hands were tied behind her back. The cushions gave her enough elevation for cunnilingus. The remaining piece of the tableau was Jason Porter. Dr. Richards said that Jason had enough children, which explained the enemas.

Elspeth was no stranger to lesbian sex, but Christine was a new level of talented. Slow, fast, deep, shallow, cunt, clit, combinations. Christine did them all and kept Elspeth guessing where and what was next. Punctuating it all were Jason's vigorous thrusts into Christine's ass. Elspeth was fast approaching climax when Dr. Richards' phone sounded. The ringtone was an oldie, He Ain't Heavy, He's my Brother. Elspeth's laughed into her gag. It had to be the groom, Sean Richards.

What had been a bizarrely strange situation turned surreal. Dr. Richards calmly told her brother that she was shooting a porn video. After a few moments, Dr. Richards looked at Elspeth and started counting down from five. Elspeth was more than ready. When the count reached blast-off, she did. In the afterglow, Elspeth missed several instructions to Jason and Christine. The question directed to Elspeth had to do with dinner. The restaurant served vegan. Elspeth barely had time to agree before Jason rolled her face onto one of the sofa cushions and started to lubricate her anus.

Dinner was strange. Elspeth ordered the curried lentils and pilaf. Dr. Richards had the beef tips in gravy. Christine had macaroni and cheese. Jason had a burger and fries. No one said much of anything. Presently, Elspeth recognized a farewell dinner in progress. Jason and Christine climbed into a Volvo and drove away. While climbing into Dr. Richard' BMW, the absurdity of the situation finally became too much. Elspeth began laughing. Dr. Richards glanced over.

Elspeth said, "My first hetero experience was with Jason Porter, it's anal and I came buckets. Which part of that is least believable? I came over to check on your metamorphosis night. Mercy be. The Goddess has a strange sense of humor."

The irony was sharp and slightly bitter. The laughs began to resemble sobs, but only for a moment. Sobering, Elspeth asked, "She's gone, is she not? Christine. She went home to New Jersey and will not be back. I was so glad to see you, but she was there. I could never compete. Now I'm here and she's gone. I do not know if I should laugh or cry." There it was, the admission of defeat.

Dr. Richards did not reply immediately. After a moment, she said, "Neither. Just be glad you met her. She has gone to be domestic with Sheila. You met the bride. You saw how that worked. How would Christine fit in on Beacon Hill?" Elspeth shuddered.

Dr. Richards went on, "There is someone I want you to meet, but it will take some time to arrange it. For the moment consider this. Angela Molinari is married to Pedro de la Garza. Whenever she attended an award night, she almost always came with Edith Dryden, two beauties together. Who did Pedro escort? You know her face." Elspeth did know the face.

"Her name is Deirdre Walters. Multiple degrees from Columbia. Speaks several languages. I'll introduce you, then the two of you can do tea. I asked how Christine would do on Beacon Hill. Deirdre would make points with your persnickety grandmother." Elspeth was so happy she almost caused an accident by hugging the driver.

Chapter 8 - Metamorphosis

After that, things settled into the same routine that worked before the wedding. They met over hot drinks and toast. Dr. Richards would give the agenda for the day. Elspeth would report on progress for any ongoing projects. Dr. Richards would make any necessary decisions and give instructions. They would part with a hug. This was important because Dr. Richards had a big project. She wanted to do a reception/coming-out party for almost a hundred people.

Elspeth delivered the invitations, reserved the venue, found and enlarged an old photograph, and generally did all the leg work. It came naturally and was surprisingly rewarding. The night of the event, Elspeth did the introduction. After that, Dr. Richards owned the room. There were senior faculty members in attendance. Elspeth anticipated significant ripples in the pond. Receiving a nose ring was almost beside the point.

If anything, the ripples were more than Elspeth expected. The next day Dr. Richards received three invitations to luncheons. Soon, Elspeth was a de facto social secretary. She met all the powers of the university and became familiar with all their secretaries. On the personal side, Dr. Richards was willing to show Elspeth off. One significant event was a Labor Day BDSM party. Dr. Richards had taken Elspeth to the same corset maker she and the bride used. Elspeth wanted to show it off.

Six months before, Elspeth would not have considered appearing in public dressed only in lingerie. For the party, she shopped for the skimpiest lace undergarments that actually covered everything. The Brazilian wax was just as painful as advertised. Elspeth focused on her memory of Christine's bruising. The wax job was not only endurable, it left Elspeth extremely horny. She decided horny was a good state of mind for a submissive at a D/s function.

Elspeth wore the corset, a skimpy thong and string bra, velvet cameo choker, pattern silk stockings, and four-inch heels. Dr. Richards wore a similar outfit and attitude. They were a hit. Humility had a lot to do with it. Elspeth received many compliments on her look, which she accepted. Other compliments were on bearing and deportment. Those she deflected. Elspeth was not Christine and she knew it. Similarly, Dr. Richards had seen a pro-Domme at work and did not aspire to that level. Both received several invitations, not always to the same events.

The term progressed and ended. During the holiday break, Dr. Richards acquired her signature piece of clothing, a floor-length sealskin winter coat. Almost immediately it was featured on the cover of the campus newspaper. It showed Dr. Richards, wearing the coat, walk across campus, disdaining the -20° cold. The photo came to be called The Queen of Winter. Variations of the name would stay with Dr. Richards from then on.

On the other side of life, Elspeth came to envy Dr. Richards' family and friends. At Thanksgiving, Elspeth was invited to visit. During the dinner, she watched as Sean Richards, CEO and head of the family, formally expressed gratitude for the wedding preparations. After the dinner, Francine Martel took everyone to see a preview screening of her new movie, Hard Time. It went on to become an all-time blockbuster. To cap things, Elspeth finally had the chance to meet Deirdre Walters.

Dr. Richards received an invitation to dinner with Pedro de la Garza. Many of Elspeth's family would see this as an opportunity to meet his wife, Angela Molinari. Elspeth was a theater buff. She knew better. Pedro's company, JB Productions, was one of the powers in the theater world. Dr. Richards would be meeting some of the most important people in New York. Elspeth would be meeting the people behind them, hence Deirdre Walters, Pedro de la Garza's aide.

Elspeth did not expect to spend much time with Miss Walters. After all, there were many more important people in attendance. She expected it to be like a family gathering. Many of her cousins were gofers for senior executives. These people would be similarly placed. In this, she reckoned without two things. The first was the wedding. Six months after the fact, it was widely considered to the social event of the year. Elspeth had a staff pass. Questions and stories went on for over an hour, almost til dessert was served.

The second reason was Christine. Miss Walters, Deirdre, had pulled Elspeth aside. After a few preliminary questions to establish what part of the street Elspeth played, Deirdre homed in on Christine's bruises. The two had met, briefly, the day the bruises happened. The next day, the bruises and how they were applied was (whispered) gossip all over the five boroughs. Deirdre knew in detail what had happened. Elspeth knew Christine and had met her Mistress.

They talked until word came that Dr. Richards was ready to depart. As a gift, Deirdre gave Elspeth her Rolodex on a thumb drive. Between it and the stack of business cards Dr. Richards collected, Elspeth was set for years to come. She regretted returning to classes, but it did not last. Important events were occurring.