A gasp went up around the room.    Dominique stared at her in horror
and saw a little smile curl Erica's lips as she drank in Dominique's
discomfort.

"The choice is, of course, yours, Mlle. E.R."    There was an edge to
M.de R.V.'s voice that Dominique had never heard before.     "But I
think the members would like to know the reasoning."

Erica turned sharply to stare at him.

"After all," he continued.    "Raphaella has by far the greater debt."

"Yes!"    It was Raphaella who spoke.    "I deserve it much more.   
Dominique has done so well."

She sounded genuinely distressed and Dominique clutched her hand.   
She could have kissed her for her generosity.    There was a buzz of
agreement but Erica's voice cut through the room like a razor.

"It's true eighteen points is a small loss but I have looked back at this
girl's record.    While she has not lost by much, neither has she ever
won by much.    Twenty points, thirty at most.    Nobody ever stood to
gain much by what she did because she wasn't really trying.    She was
playing safe - protecting herself.   Well, now even playing safe she's
lost.    No guts, no glory, Dominique.    I am not punishing her because
she lost but because she plays without courage and I believe she must
learn that in business the ability to take a risk and to back your own
judgement is everything - cowardice is worse than bankruptcy."

A deep silence fell in the room and Dominique knew she was lost.  
Erica was determined.    Her reasoning, of course, was debateable but
this was not a forum for debate.    M.de R.V. could do nothing to help
her now.    Erica underlined it:

"In any case, as you say, it is my choice."

M.de R.V. raised his eyes and when he spoke his voice sounded
strangely heavy.

"Please, prepare yourself, Dominique," he said and his eyes betrayed
his helplessness.

"I want her naked," Erica snapped.    "I'm going to strap her."

Dominique gasped.    Only once had she ever seen the strap used and
no-one had ever been asked to strip completely.    She thought of
appealing, of begging M.de R.V. to step in, but then she realised that
this was exactly what Erica wanted.    She wanted to expose Dominique
as a coward in order to back up her own argument.    Dominique
decided not to play into her hands but to keep her pride intact.    She
raised her head, even though she knew that her face was flushed and
she could not wholly fight back the tears, and carefully took off her
lovely black silk sweater.    She tried not to hurry as she took it off her
arms and then she stood as proudly as she could, aware that every eye
in the room was on her breasts and could see her deep shame.    She
swallowed hard.    She had never been naked in front of people before
but she tried not to feel humiliated.     Erica watched her coolly and then
turned to pick out the strap from the open implement case.    She held it
in front of her for Dominique to see and was pleased when little sobs
began to shake Dominique's breasts.

Dominque stepped quickly out of her sandals.   Seeing the strap in
Erica's hand made it reality and she just wanted to get it over with now.  
She felt herself giving way to feelings of humiliation and with that there
came something she hadn't expected - arousal.    Having a roomful of
people watch as she was compelled to obey Erica's shameful
commands excited her which only increased her humiliation further.   
She reached under her skirt and pulled her panties down over the black
silk stockings which were held up with garters - Dominique loved
garters and hated suspender belts.    She put her panties on the chair
with her sweater and went to take off her stockings.

"Leave them,"  said Erica.    She obviously liked garters too.

Dominique glanced nervously at her and then unhooked and unzipped
her skirt.    She let it fall to the floor then picked it up and put it with the
rest on the chair.    As she bent down she wondered if anyone could
see the wetness of her sex.    She was naked, except for the stockings,
and suddenly she felt quite deliciously self-conscious, standing in front
of everyone with nothing on.    She felt as if she were dreaming.     She
wasn't sure of what to do next but Erica did not leave her in suspense.  
She was impatient to see Dominique squirming and begging for mercy
and she was confident she would have no difficulty getting what she
wanted from her.    She also knew Dominique had been even more
turned on by Patrice' spanking than she had been herself and there
was perverse excitement in giving her even more of the same
treatment.    

"On your knees, Dominique.   There's a good girl."

Dominique swallowed hard and knelt down on the thick carpet.    The
shame of submitting to Erica was exciting her more and more.

"Crawl to me, Baby.    Crawl."

She gasped.   She realised that crawling would completely expose her
soaking pussy lips to everyone behind her and there was nothing she
could do to prevent it.    She leaned forward on to her hands and
crawled across the three metres of carpet to Erica's feet.    Deliberately
she kept her knees wide to expose herself to them all - there was no
point in trying to hide anything now.   She heard the murmur behind
her.   

"Turn around now, Baby.   All the way."

With a glance up at Erica she turned until she was facing back the way
she had come.    She now had her bottom towards Erica and the strap
and, behind Erica, she knew M.de R.V. would also be able to see the
evidence of her arousal.

"Straighten your back, Dominique."   She spoke in a quiet honey voice
now.   "For your punishment you will have ten strokes with the strap but
if you drop your head or if you don't keep your bottom tilted up like now
there will be more.  D'you understand?"

"Yes, Mademoiselle."    Dominique's voice was tiny.    She was on the
verge of tears and so turned on she could hardly breathe.    She longed
to rub her thighs together to try to get some little relief.    Perversely she
now fiercely desired the strap on her soft bare flesh - anything to get
her mind out of her aching pussy.    Desperately she arched her head
right back and stretched her bottom, tilting it up to please Erica and to
seduce her into strapping her now.   Erica was ready to give her all she
desired and more.

With a wicked crack the thick leather strap exploded on Dominque's
pink upturned buttock.    Erica knew well that this girl had never been
punished like this before and the thrill of seeing her react to it made her
almost sick with excitement.    The shock hit Dominique a moment after
it happened.    She froze, her eyes wild and her mouth wide in a
soundless cry of pain.    Nothing could have prepared her for the
viciousness of Erica or the pain of the short leather strap on her
stretched skin.    Before she could gather the breath to scream an even
harsher stroke followed.     This one was flat across the tops of her
thighs.    Now mindless with pain she tossed her head back and
screamed aloud.    Another stroke bit into just one of her thighs,
catching the lips of her pussy and splattering its copious wetness
across the inside of her glowing thighs.    Her shriek of pain rounded
into a desperate whine as Erica paused to let her cry.    The pain turned
into fire as if she had been branded with a burning coal.    She did not
drop her head but cried aloud in great wailing sobs, twisting her thighs
and hips in vain efforts to soothe her screaming flesh.   Erica, breathing
more with excitement than exersion, watched Dominique's squirming
body in undisguised delight .    It was everything she had wanted and
now she would make her plead for mercy as well.    But Dominique
wasn't even thinking of pleading - the moment the straping stopped she
could feel the desire creeping back - even the agony in her pussy was
translating itself into throbbing need.     Again she pushed her bottom
up to receive her punishment.    

Erica swept the little strap down harshly to lay a new stripe across the
buttock nearest her.    Giving the girl no time to react she cracked down
again high on her bottom where no other stroke had touched.    The
shriek of pain and terror touched even Erica but she quickly turned it to
increased vehemance and brought down an even more vicious stroke
on the same spot.

"No!   No!  No! " screamed Dominique, her cry resounding around the
room.

Erica took this as the sign she had been expecting and knew she must
now press Dominique even harder.     With scarcely a pause she
delivered a stinging stroke across the back of Dominique's legs making
her jump violently.    She was crying hysterically now, barely drawing
breath in uncontrollable agitation.   Erica knew she could break her and
placed her next stroke accordingly.    It went flat across the very tops of
her thighs, impacting as much again on the swollen lips of her pussy.   
Dominique gave an exquisite howl of pain that did not abate until it had
drawn all the breath from her body.    She sucked air back in noisily and
screamed again - this scream drifting into a helpless wail.

"No ... no ... no more, please, no more."   Her words were lost in crying
and without thinking she let her head droop in despair.

Erica stood now totally at peace, watching this girl fulfilling her richest
fantasies - pleading, writhing hopelessly at her feet, crying and begging
in vain for mercy.    Now a quiet sweet word to her:

"You have let your head droop, Dominique."

The effect was instantaneous.   The girl snapped her head up but knew
it was too late.

"Did I not say there would be extra?"

Dominique cried out loud, near the end of her resources.   Her sobs
shook her body and she could not speak.

"There will be two extra strokes, Dominique, so if you make no more
mistakes you have only four to go."

"Please, Mademoiselle, please don't ...."

Her plea was cut off by her own cry as the strap cracked across the
middle of her bottom.    Even now at the peak of her agony Dominique
could feel the tingling arousal forcing her to anticipate and even desire
the next stroke.    Pleading with Erica was total submission - she knew
it and yet she couldn't help herself and it only increased the desire.

The tenth stroke was a withering cut across the top of her buttocks.    It
made her gasp before she could even scream.    She waited, moaning,
for the next stroke but it didn't come.    Suddenly she realised that Erica
was speaking to her in a fierce whisper.

"I said 'turn over', Girl."

Dismayed, she looked up at Erica and realised what she wanted.   
Numb with horror she turned over on her back, the contact with the
carpet making her squeal with pain.    She was looking directly up at
Erica.

"And now I want your little pussy up here.   Come on.   Up.  Higher!"

Dominique obediently pushed herself up in a bridge position until she
felt her pussy brush the strap which Erica held around waist height.

"Raise your head, my sweet.    I'd like you to be able to watch your last
two strokes."

In spite of herself, in spite of the unspeakable horror of what Erica was
going to do, Dominque was fascinated.    Around the room she could
hear voices raised in protest.    People were calling on M.de R.V. to
stop Erica.    Dominique hoped he wouldn't.    She wanted Erica to do
her worst and urgently she desired just a little more of the strap.    She
lifted her head as best she could and saw Erica raise the strap.    The
cruelty in her face was exquisite - that alone was enough to make
Dominique long for her punishment.

The strap whistled down from the highest point Erica could take it.   
The shattering sound of it high on her thighs filled all Dominque's
senses long before she felt the pain - but when it came it paralysed her.   
Her body began to tremble violently and she thought she was going to
faint.    She was dimly aware that her eyes kept flooding with tears and
she had to keep shaking her head to clear them but really her world
was just pain.    Erica raised the strap for the last time.    She seemed
to be standing at an odd angle and in her dazed state Dominique
couldn't understand what it meant.    The voices of protest grew
suddenly louder and Dominque heard M.de R.V.'s voice ring out.

"No, Erica.   No!"

"This one's just for you, Baby.   All for you," she said to Dominique.

The strap snapped down and this time instead of going across her
thighs it went down between her open legs and exploded on her sex,
with the end whipping up to cut into the crack of her bottom.   
Dominique leapt into the air and fell back screaming, rolling on the floor
clutching her enraged pussy lips.   Erica, quite spent now, just watched
her as she howled in helpless pain, great shudders going through her
body.

No-one had moved to help Dominique but suddenly a figure rushed into
the circle.    It was Patrice.   She fell to her knees and, weeping,
gathered Dominique in her arms.   She hugged and stroked her and,
with an agonised face, looked up at the members.

"Monsieur de R.V.!"  she cried.    "I deserved what I got but she did not
deserve this."

M.de R.V. looked distressed.   He was about to reply when M.du Pont
appeared behind him and spoke quietly in his ear.    M.de R.V. nodded
and, at a sign from her husband, Mme.du Pont came in with a portable
telephone.    She handed it to Erica with a look of utter withering
disgust.   Erica had not moved.    She seemed almost detatched.    She
took the phone and listened numbly.    Suddenly she seemed to come
alive.    She walked away a little from the gathering and then, as she
listened, she turned to look at M.de R.V.   She went pale and her mouth
fell open.   After a few moments she went to hand him the phone.

"She wants to speak to you."

As M.de R.V. listened on the phone Patrice helped Dominique to get up
and brought her to sit, trembling and still naked, next to him on the sofa.   
She couldn't have borne wearing her clothes at this moment even if she
had thought of it.    M.de R.V. finished on the telephone and gave it
back to Mme.du Pont.

"It seems," he said to the company in general.   "That all is not well with
a number of Mlle. E.R.'s more speculative investments.   It seems that
they are on the point of a major collapse.    It seems that all that will
save them is careful management and a major injection of capital from
Mlle. E.R.'s mother!"

He paused to let this sink in, waiting until the excited murmur had
subsided.

"This great lady is an old friend of the du Pont family and these good
people, and in particular Patrice, was deeply offended by what
happened here tonight.    As a result of their telephone call Mlle. E.R.'s
mother now believes that her daughter's viciousness and
entrepreneurially reckless behaviour is in serious need of correction.   
She has requested that I supervise this for her.    Accordingly the
following will be Mlle. E.R.'s regime of correction.    At each of the next
three meetings Dominique will administer ten strokes of the strap to
Mlle.E.R.'s bare bottom.   On this condition and this condition alone will
Mlle. E.R. retain her inheritance."

A cheer went up around the room and Erica glanced around nervously.

"To retain the help of her mother in her present financial crisis," he
continued.   "She will receive the same punishment this evening.  
Since Dominique is clearly indisposed I will take pleasure in
administering this myself.    You accept, Mademoiselle?"

"You can't do this, M. de R.V."    It was Todd calling out.    "We'll sue
you for ..."

"Shut up, Todd," snapped Erica and gave him a vicious look.    He
subsided, red-faced.

She turned back to M. de R.V. 

"Yes ... I accept."

"Then without delay, Mademoiselle."

She glared around as if defying anyone to jeer then, with her head held
high, she stepped into the middle of the room to start removing her
clothes.

"Oh, no, not the grand opera, if you please, Mademoiselle.     The
chastisment of a spoilt child merits far less display.    Take down your
knickers, please, and come here."

Taken aback for once, Erica made a mistake.    She reached up hastily
and dropped her silk panties down to her knees.    As a result she had
to hold them up to walk the three metres across the carpet.     It was a
childishly awkward situation for her and a titter went through the room.  
She glanced round in embarrassment.   Finally she stood in front of M.
de R.V.     She looked deliciously silly with her pretty white panties
around her knees and her face red with shame.    In spite of her furious
pain Dominique could feel herself getting quite wet again.    After so
much erotic and other stimulation this evening she was about ready to
explode and now that she was beginning to understand what was going
on she couldn't think of anything that would give her more pleasure
than to see this cruel bitch spanked.    

M. de R.V. tapped his knee invitingly.

"This is where mean and foolish young girls belong, don't you think,
Mademoiselle?    Lift your skirt, please.    I think everyone would like to
see where the strap is so urgently needed"

With her eyes lowered and her cheeks growing redder by the moment
Erica raised her skirt until the whole room could see her bottom cheeks.

"Higher, Mademoiselle ... or are you nervous of creasing the material?"

Everyone laughed and he made her raise her fabulously expensive
white skirt all the way to above her waist before he was satisfied and
allowed herself to drape herself across his expansive knee.    By
chance Dominique was sitting in the same position now as she was
when Patrice was punished.    Apparently remembering this Erica put
her hands on Dominque's leg and, with a sly little grin and wink to her,
she laid her head exactly as Patrice had done, directly over
Dominique's now naked pubis.    Dominique smiled at M. de R.V. to let
him know she didn't mind and she stroked Erica's hair to remind her of
how beautifully their positions were now reversed.

At a sign from M. de R.V. Patrice eagerly picked up the strap and gave
it to him.    Dominique noted with a little thrill how Erica stiffened
fearfully as she felt the leather resting on her bare flesh.

"Curiously, Mademoiselle, it seems you would do well to study the
methods of Dominique.    Perhaps she plays safe but she has proved
tonight that she most certainly does have courage and there is no way
she would have gambled herself or her investors into the catastrophic
situation you have managed with yours.   But since you have so much
courage and now nothing more to exercise it on you may have twenty
strokes of the belt to think about tonight."

Erica gasped and went to protest but she was too late.   The strap
whistled down and snapped across her bottom.    She squealed like a
little pig and her hot tears flowed immediately, falling like warm rain on
Dominique's inner thighs.    With each stroke she jerked and squealed,
her head rubbing, pressing and pounding on Dominique's throbbing
burning sex.   After a few strokes M. de R.V. heard Dominique's moan
and glanced at her.    He could see instantly that it was pleasure rather
than pain that was pre-occupying her and he laid into Erica with
renewed vigour.    Dominque's attention was rivetted to the crimson
stripes appearing on Erica's bottom.    Patrice even pulled Erica's skirt
back further so that she could see better.   After all she had been
through she didn't care who could see the pleasure she was getting
from it.    By the fourteenth stroke she was at screaming pitch.  
Between the pain as she rubbed her raging bottom on the rough sofa,
the thrill of seeing this girl get the spanking of her life and the constant
pressure of Erica's face on her swollen pussy she was ready.    Her
head was back and she was moaning out loud.    Finally, her screams
mingling with those of her former tormentor, her climax overtook her in
a delicious rush.   Erica was just receiving her last stroke but she
continued to scream and writhe, giving Dominique a long and delirious
orgasm that she enjoyed to the very last.   When it finally finished and
she felt sufficiently recovered she opened her eyes.    The whole room
broke into spontanous applause and M. de R.V. leant across and gave
her a kiss on the cheek.    Patrice embraced her and the whole thing
suddenly seemed so crazy that Dominique had to laugh.

She looked down at Erica who was still crying and trembling on her lap.   
Erica had known she would give Dominique an orgasm that way - she
had seen it happen earlier.    She did it deliberately.     She was a
strange girl and, though Dominique knew she could not help looking
forward to punishing and humiliating her in front of everyone, she had
begun to like her just a bit.    She bent down and kissed the tear-stained
face and gave her a hug.

"You'd better get up, Erica," she whispered.

"And don't forget to thank him," added Patrice, with a broad grin.

Late that night Dominique was driven home.    It had taken nearly an
hour before she could bear to put her clothes on again.    Her car would
be returned tomorrow - Patrice would drive over with it.    It was later
than she had expected to be home but she knew that Amelie had the
sense not to go away and leave Tess alone.    She unlocked the door
and let herself in.    As she entered the living room she was horrified to
see Amelie fast asleep in a chair.    Immediately she rushed upstairs to
check on Tess but she was sleeping peacefully.   She came back
down, her heart beating wildly.   How could Amelie do this to her?   She
knew it was Dominique's worst nightmare that Tess would be left
unguarded while she was out.    After all she had been through she just
didn't have the strength for this tonight.    She went back into the living-
room to find Amelie, awakened by the sound she had made, wringing
her hands and nearly in tears.

"I'm so sorry, Dominique.   I don't know how it happened."

"Amelie, I'm so disappointed.   It terrifies me to think what could
happen.    You know it does."

"I'm sorry - it will never happen again."

"How can I trust you?"

"I will do anything.   Please don't ..."

"Pull your knickers down, Amelie."

"W-what?"

"Don't argue with me.  I'm going to spank you."

"But ..."

"It's for Tess, Amelie.   Either you go home now and never look after
her again - and I don't want that - or we do this my way."

The girl gave a lyrical cry of distress and tears ran down her beautiful
cheeks.

"But Dominique ..."

Dominique almost melted but, no, this was too important.   She looked
sternly at her and Amelie despaired.   She dropped her eyes and,
fighting back the tears that threatened to consume her, she lifted the
front of her finely pleated skirt.    She was wearing the heavy cotton
knickers that went with her school uniform and she had to lift the skirt
high to find the waistband.   In her childlike humiliation she didn't turn
away as an adult would but let Dominique see everything - the tops of
her thighs, the tight neat package of white knickers and flesh, the softly
outlined shape of her sex.

Dominique was feeling so fragile she could have wept with the joy of
seeing her like this but she had to remember that it was for Tess she
was doing this, not for her own pleasure.   She watched sternly as
Amelie obediently tugged her knickers down almost to her knees.   She
had had no experience in this before tonight - she couldn't help finding
it beautiful or stop the reaction of her own body.    Amelie looked at her
and Dominique stepped back and sat down gingerly.   She knew it
would be painful for her to do it this way but she couldn't bear the
thought of poor little Amelie having to bend over the cold arm of a chair.

"Come here, Amelie."

Exactly as Erica had done earlier this lovely girl stooped a little to hold
her knickers up so she could walk.   When she reached Dominique she
almost flung herself over the waiting knees.    Dominique gasped with
the pain.  Everything was sore especially the fronts of her thighs.  
Amelie felt the shudder go through her body.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes ... I'm alright,"  Dominique said, gathering herself again.

She lifted Amelie's skirt and laid her hand flat on the girl's sweet soft
flesh.    Her hand looked so insubstantial and she thought again of the
flashing leather and the crimson striping it left on Erica's thighs and
presumably on her own.   No, that wasn't what Amelie needed.

"Amelie, remember, I'm doing this for Tess so that you'll never forget
how important her safety is to me.   Alright?"

"Yes, Dominique," she said, failing to disguise the catch in her voice.

Dominique lifted her hand and started to spank her - not hard but firmly.   
Amelie began to cry almost immediately.    Perhaps it was partly
because of the humiliation and the stinging of Dominique's keen little
hand on her soft bottom and thighs but it was more because this
spanking was telling her how much she had disappointed the person
she loved most in all the world and had least wanted to hurt.   She
found she was almost glad she was being punished even though the
stinging was becoming unbearable and making her squeal and shift her
legs, so she was surprised when Dominique stopped, panting slightly.

"Amelie, my darling," she whispered, stroking the girl's smooth dark
hair.    "It's almost finished now.   But I'm going to give you five real
slaps.   You must bear these for me.    These are because ... I love
you."

She felt the girl's sharp intake of breath then felt her relax completely as
if a weight had been taken away from her.   She knew if she had asked
Amelie to let herself be tied to a gate and whipped in return for her love
she would have agreed without hesitation - these five slaps were little to
ask.

She raised her hand.   She knew she was really going to hurt her sweet
young friend but because she had said it was done in love Amelie
would not be afraid.   Her hand fell with a loud smack across Amelie's
bottom cheeks.   She squealed, the sharpness taking her by surprise.   
As hard as she could Dominique gave her a second slap on exactly the
same spot.   The stinging of the two slaps combined made Amelie jump
and drum her feet on the floor.  She wailed aloud and burst into tears
again.    Dominique was on fire now - this was no longer for Tess.    Her
own body's urges had claimed this spanking for her and, seeing how
sensitively Amelie responded, she wanted to make her desperate
before she let her go.

Harshly she spanked the girl's thighs, driving her into almost hysterical
crying and struggling.

"Be still, Amelie," she said harshly.

Amelie obeyed immediately but the burning sting in her skin made it so
difficult.   She howled and begged.

"Oh, please, Dominique."

Dominique smiled at the sensuality of her own desire then with all her
force she smacked little Amelie right on the same spot as the first two
had been, across the glowing mounds of her buttocks.    Amelie cried
as if she would never stop, her poor bottom writhing and twisting and
her body shivering with sobs.   It was astonishing to see how sensitive
she was, after only a hand-spanking.    How would it be to whip her, just
lightly with a belt?   Perhaps next time.    Dominique helped her up and
watched for a moment as Amelie stood hunched beside her, her
knickers still hanging around her knees.    She was crying bitterly,
clutching her sore bottom.     After a moment Dominique got up and sat
on the arm of the sofa.    She hugged the trembling girl and softly
stroked her flaming buttocks to make her feel better.    Amelie
responded, snuggling up close to Dominique and kissing her cheek and
lips.

"Thank you .. I promise I'll never ... "

"Ssssh," whispered Dominique.  "Sit beside me."

Carefully Amelie did as she was told and Dominique, now completely in
the grip of her fascination for this girl, let her fingers drift slowly up the
girl's thigh.    She found the fleshy mound of her girlish sex - she was
quite wet and Dominique couldn't resist pushing her finger gently
between the silken pussy lips.   Amelie's face was a picture of sensual
confusion.

"Oh,"  she moaned, scarcely breathing.   "Oh, that feels so ... sweet."

"Amelie,"  murmured Dominique.   "I may have to punish you
sometimes ... do you understand?"

"Yes," breathed Amelie, her body now moving in rhythm with
Dominique's fingers.

"But when I do I will always be sweet to you afterwards.   I think that's
right.   Do you mind me saying this to you?"

Amelie smiled dreamily.

"Oh, no,"  she said.

Dominique pushed Amelie's heavy knickers to the floor.

"Open your legs wide, my darling."

Amelie obeyed and was astonished as Dominique knelt down in front of
her and began to kiss her all along her thighs.   Soon Dominique had
buried her face between the young girl's legs and the feeling she gave
her was a taste of heaven.    Amelie cried out, her hands clutching her
breasts and stroking the length of her undulating body.    After only
moments the pleasure broke in her and with a passionate moan she
climaxed, sending floods of fragrant moisture into Dominique's mouth.    

The two hugged and stroked each other for a while and then Amelie
looked deeply into Dominique's eyes.

"Will you let me ... "

"One day perhaps ... now you must go home, Amelie.    You mustn't
make your parents worry."

She walked Amelie to the door, kissed her a sweet goodnight and
watched until she had walked down the street and disappeared into her
house.

Perhaps it was a mistake but she didn't think so.   Amelie with her
sixteen years would grow out of it in time perhaps, but in the meantime
Dominique needed some tenderness in her life - and tonight she had
needed it more than any other time she could remember.   She would
make sure Amelie remained respectful and a little distant with her in
public.   She would strictly ration their moments together in private but
this could turn out to be the sweetest part of what was turning into an
exciting new life.

After her next three sessions - she was not allowed to miss those - she
would not be going back to the Circle.    Through M. de R.V. Erica's
mother had offered her a job and she wouldn't be needing the money
anymore.    For the coming three months she would oversee all of
Erica's operations, effectively her boss, and if after three months it
seemed they could work together they would become joint chief
executives.   If they couldn't then a new chief exeutive would be found,
and they would both be offered positions further down the ladder.   She
had three months with a free hand including three sessions at the circle
to bring Erica into line.    She felt that with a combination of kindness
and humour, which might grow in time between them, and punishment
which Erica richly deserved she would stand a good chance.    She
may not succeed, she reflected, but remembering all the parts of
Erica's body that had not yet felt the strap, she was certainly going to
try.