Dominique 3/2 by Helier

The following afternoon Elli sat cradling Tess in the living room of
Dominique's home.    She had collected the child from nursery
school and played with her until she had fallen fast asleep in her
arms.    She gazed at the sleeping face so clear and untroubled.   
She envied her that.

She had flown back to L.A. that morning.   She could still feel the
legacy of the strapping she had been given but, in spite of
everything, the memory of Giselle's soft brown eyes and the touch
of her fingers made New York seem like paradise.    Giselle had
taken her from the study as M. de R.V. suggested and they had
made love all afternoon.    As evening came on they showered and
went down to dinner.   There M. de R.V. explained the full horror of
what had happened to Dominique.    Elli couldn't believe she had
been so blind.   She blamed herself utterly and, while at dinner
she kept her composure and listened to what M. de R.V. had to
say, later that night, in the warmth of Giselle's bed, she broke
down and sobbed for what seemed like hours.   It was the futility of
it that upset her most - how the bitterness and paranoia had drawn
them all in, especially Amelie.    Perhaps Dominique had been
pushed too far into the spotlight too early - she was brilliant and
maybe that came at a price - but  Amelie ...  it was so hurtful.  
Giselle comforted her and talked to her while she cried and later
when she grew quiet they made love again and fell asleep in each
others arms.    Elli woke in the night thinking of Amelie and cried
again.   Giselle held her close and after that they slept until
morning.

Arriving back in L.A. she went immediately to meet Harry Edwards,
head of Filey Pharmacuticals.    Harry was an old friend of M. de
R.V. and had already spoken to him by phone.    Together they
went to find Amelie.   She was at college and fortunately they
caught her between classes.    When she heard what they had to
say she panicked.    She wanted to run and it took all Elli's calm
strength to keep her there.   She became angry and raged at them
all until she realised herself that it was pointless.    After that she
gave in and didn't fight them anymore.    Perhaps she understood
that sooner or later the betrayal would destroy her mind as surely
as her affair with Erica would destroy her body.   Perhaps she was
just a scared kid in a mess and was relieved that someone had
come to help her.   Either way Elli was reassured to see how
quickly the gentle nature of this girl reasserted itself once she had
accepted the reality.    She cried in Elli's arms and kissed her
before Harry took her away.

Dominique arrived back feeling anxious and irritable.   She had
had a message from Elli to say that she would be picking up Tess
and suggesting that Amelie was in trouble of some kind.   
Dominique was already angry with Elli for disappearing for two
days without explanation and being called home suddenly in the
middle of the afternoon disturbed her even more.

"Where have you been?" she complained, dropping her voice to a
whisper as she saw Tess sleeping in Elli's lap.    "I needed you."

"I went to see M.de R.V."

Dominique glanced at her sharply.

"Why? ... For what ... "

"For his advice."

"Oh... " Dominique seemed to decide not to pursue it.   "Where's
Amelie?"

"Dominique, I'll explain it to you but you must sit down and be
calm.   I'll put Tess to bed."

"Give her to me."

"No."

"What?"

"I rather you just ... "

"What are you saying?   She's my child - give her to ... "

"Is she, Dominique?"

"This is bullshit.   You know she is."

"Is she not rather Amelie's child now, or even mine?"

"Shut up!   She belongs to me.   You get out!"

It hurt Elli deeply to hear this from her friend after all they had
shared.  She stopped for a moment, feeling she was going to cry if
she spoke.   It confirmed for her how close to the edge Dominique
was.   She steeled herself to continue but she could hear the
distress in her own voice.

"How old is she, Dominique?"

"But ..."

"How old is she?"

"She's three.   My god, what sort of ... ?"

"No," said Elli, her voice barely under control.   "No, she's four."

Dominique stared at her in amazement.

"She's four, Dominique.  It was her birthday on Saturday and you
forgot."

"I ... I was in Stockholm."

"And Amelie and I stayed here all day with her waiting for you to
call.   And you didn't call.   We thought there'd be gift or a surprise
or even a card.   But there was nothing.   And do you know the
most hurtful thing of all?   She didn't notice.   She didn't even
expect you to be there for her."

Dominique sank on to a chair with her head in her hands.

"Something has gone terrribly wrong, Dominique."

"Oh, you must believe me.   Everything I do is for her.   She's all
there is for me.   Everything."

"It was.   I really think it was.   But something has got loose in you
in these last months.   I don't understand it.    It's not for her
anymore."

"It's Erica.   She's trying to  ..."

"It isn't Erica.   Don't tell me that."

"Yes, she's  ... "

"You have abused and neglected and trampled on everybody who
loves you in this fight with Erica.   When you needed support most
you made it impossible for us to support you.   When you most
needed our help you shut yourself away.    You have sacrificed
everything sacred to your paranoia and hatred for Erica.   Was
that what you wanted?"

Dominique's face was a mask of pain.   It was as though Elli was
probing inside her with a white-hot knife.   It was the truth and the
truth was the one thing left that could destroy her.

"Someone is betraying me, Elli."   She hissed the words out one by
one as though each of them cost her a piece of her life.   
"Someone in the company, who knows everything I do, is selling
me to Erica.   It could be anyone.   It could be you.   How can I ...?"

Tears had filled her eyes and begun to roll down her cheeks.   Her
flushed face seemed lit with the feverish glow of her eyes.    Elli
had never imagined such pain could be bottled inside a human
being she had thought she knew so well.   Strangely she found
Dominque at that moment the most beautiful she had ever seen
her.

"Amelie," she said softly.

With a simple word she knew she had destroyed Dominique's
world.    She could see the emotions racing across her face -
denial, disbelief, fury, madness - but she knew there would be
acceptance when there was no way out.   The truth is a simple
thing that, once spoken out, becomes undeniable.   Elli raised her
arm and Dominique flew across to huddle on the floor clutching
her knees.   Tess slept on, undisturbed.

"I don't understand.    Amelie ?   What do you ... ?"

Elli's eyes were closed.   She rested her arm on Dominique's
shoulder.

"You left things around here - papers, phone messages.   You
made calls when she was in the room.   You talked to her about ..."

"But ... to Erica?"

Elli sighed deeply - this was the worst of it.

"Erica had a hold over her - something she needed."

"What hold - how could she ... ?"

"Drugs.   Erica was giving her heroin."

"Ah!   She couldn't ... Amelie!"  Her voice rose to a wail and Elli
quickly put an arm round her to quieten her in case she woke
Tess.

"I don't know how it came about.   Somehow she knew Erica - you
never told me what happened.    She wanted so much to be part of
your life, Dominique, that's all she wanted but she felt ... rejected.   
I guess she was too vulnerable."

"Where is she, Elli?    I must talk to her."

"No.  You can't see her now.   She has to have ... some time."

"But where is she?"

"In a clinic.    Harry Edwards arranged it."

Realisation slowly dawned in Dominique's sad eyes.

"That's why you went to see M. de R.V."

"I don't think Erica knew what she was doing.    God knows where
she was getting it from - I can't imagine it was Ray after all that
went on between them but ...  you just don't know what people will
do.   She probably just wanted to get back at you by stealing
Amelie but when she realised how much Amelie was prepared to
give away to get the stuff ... I suppose the temptation was too
great."

"But I'm responsible for her," Dominique groaned.   "Her parents
trusted me ... do they know?"

"You're going to have to face them.    I know you didn't mean to
hurt Amelie."

"Or you.   I didn't mean to hurt anyone."

"Or Tess - I know that.   But this thing between you and Erica was
destroying everything.   I had to stop it - before you made the
mistakes that I made.   You are too precious for that, my love."

"I'm wretched, Elli.   Wretched."

"It's not going to be easy for you - especially the next few weeks.   
You will have to rebuild your life, it's true.   But more important still
- you will have to give Amelie a chance to make a life for herself.  
D'you understand?   That won't be an easy thing but I will help you
and, in the end, you will be stronger for it.    I promise."

Out of the chaos of a life in which she had allowed demands from
outside to drown the needs of her own, Dominique suddenly heard
the voice of rest.    The madness of the past months withdrew,
subsiding like the passing of a storm that leaves only debris and
tears.     As her daughter slept and Elli held them both, she cried
as if her world were ending which of course it was.

----------------------


On the day arranged, two weeks later, Dominique waited alone in
a downstairs room of the house in New York where M. de R.V.
lived.    He was away for a few days and Giselle had gone with
him.   He had been kind to her when they spoke but she knew she
had hurt him deeply by what she had allowed to happen and it
would take time before they would feel comfortable again together.

She had worn a simple flowered dress today with white stockings
and plain shoes.    She had taken a couple of weeks off work while
Elli ran things.   She was grateful for that - it had allowed her time
to be with Tess and to come to terms with the worst of it.   She had
flown to N.Y. at M. de R.V.'s request but she knew the real
purpose of the visit.    She hoped one day Amelie would
understand the ordeal they were both about to face.

She heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs and then the door
opened.    Elli entered and, with an apprehensive glance in
Dominique's direction, showed in Amelie's parents.    Amelie
herself walked awkwardly between them.   She looked pale and
nervous but Dominique's heart leapt to see her.   Their eyes met
and after only a moment's hesitation they embraced.   It was a
momentary thing but to Dominique it meant the world - she knew
that in this brief closeness was the end of something and that
Amelie did not know this yet.   M. and Mme. Karan exchanged
glances and then Mme. Karan reclaimed her daughter.   

Elli gestured for the Karans to sit down which they did on the long
sofa with Amelie between them.    Dominique found a chair
opposite them but when she turned towards it Elli spoke sharply.

"Please remain standing, Dominique."

Dominique stopped.  She was embarrassed to be spoken to like
that in front of strangers.   Elli had sounded so authoritative, like a
parent.   Suddenly she realised what was to happen.   She had
realised that she would be punished but not that it would be like
this.   M. de R.V. had spoken for an hour with Elli before he left.   
Dominique now watched in a kind of fascinated horror as Elli
opened a cupboard and took out a long rattan cane.    Behind her
Amelie began to sob quietly.

Mme Karan spoke to Dominique, her voice stiff with emotion.

"It was perhaps wrong of us, Dominique, to give our daughter into
your care in the way that we did but if so, then both we and Amelie
have been most royally punished for it.    You have utterly
betrayed our trust in you.    I realise that this has not been an easy
time for you and that you had not intended what happened but
nevertheless we believe you should be severely punished for what
you have done.    Monsieur de Roche-Vallon suggested this
should be so and that my husband and I should be present.  
Quiet, Amelie."

Dominique had never heard of M. de R.V. being referred to by his
full name before and in spite of her situation she couldn't help
being surprised that they knew it.   Perhaps he had found it
necessary in the circumstances which showed how seriously he
was affected by what had happened.    Dominque felt guilty for
having put him in this position.    Amelie tried to stop herself
crying.

"But she's not to blame,"   Amelie burst out.

"Quiet, Amelie, please."    Mme Karan was gentle with her
daughter but the firmness in her tone was unmistakeable.    "This
girl thinks of women like you as goddesses.    You know that, don't
you?"

Dominique nodded silently, tears filling her eyes.   That was the
point of today.   She knew it now.    She was to be humiliated,
destroyed in Amelie's eyes.   Mme Karan wanted it;  Elli wanted it;  
M. de R.V. wanted it - and, of course, they were right.    Amelie
was a beautiful sweet soul who had, for no rational purpose,
enslaved herself to Dominique.   This worship had become a habit
for her as it had for Dominique and it had lead her to seek the
same trusting relationship with Erica.    Amelie thought Dominique
was invincible, that she would never be humbled, that she would
never be afraid.   Looking into Mme. Karan's soft hazel eyes
Dominique saw that beneath her calm speech Amelie's mother
was pleading with her at last to show true love for her daughter, to
give her a chance for freedom, to give her a chance to choose.   
Dominique swallowed deeply and lowered her eyes.

She felt now utterly alone as if she were in the middle of a huge
and empty space.    When Elli approached, roughly turned her
around and unzipped her dress to below her waist, she felt the
shame of it flood her body like a warm shower.    She could feel
Amelie's astonishment, seeing her giving in without a fight, seeing
her submit to the indignity of punishment, seeing her disciplined
like a young girl - like Amelie.     Amelie's father who hadn't
spoken was breathing hard and inspite of herself Dominique
couldn't help registering his arousal.

Elli pulled the dress from her shoulders and it slid to the floor.   As
she felt the material slide over her bottom Dominque was
reminded of the cane and wondered how it would feel.    She had
never been caned.     It seemed so strange to think of it;  that so
much seemed suddenly to depend on her own dear flesh being so
tortured that she probably would be unable to sit for days.

She stepped out of the dress and out of her shoes.     She pressed
her hands to her breasts.   She felt very exposed and strangely
aroused.    Out of the corner of her eye she saw that M. Karan had
gone quite red in the face.     She wished so much that she could
reach out and reassure Amelie but she knew it was not possible.   
Behind her Elli's relentless fingers were busy at the clasp of her
bra.   She felt it go loose and Elli pulled her arms away so that she
could remove it.    Dominique found herself sobbing with the
shame of being stripped in front of these people and yet all the
time she could feel herself getting moist in her sex.    At times she
produced so much wetness - she hoped Elli would understand and
wouldn't expose her to them completely.  

But Elli was not interested in considering any qualms of
Dominique's.   With a swift movement she pulled Dominique's
panties all the way to her ankles leaving her naked except for her
white stockings and rose-coloured garters.

"Please fetch the footstool, Dominique.   Bring it here."

Awkwardly she brought the footstool to where Elli was standing
holding the long cane in her fingers.    Without waiting to be told
she placed it and remained bent over, grasping the sides of it.

"Straighten your legs.   Today you will be given ten strokes of the
cane.   D'you understand?"

"Yes," mumbled Dominique.

"And after that every week at this time for the coming four weeks
you will come to me, whatever you are doing, and ask to be given
six more.   Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Good.  Count these, please.   Aloud."

In that first moment Dominique had no idea where the cane was
until it landed.   After that she heard the sound of it but that first
time, perhaps because she had never heard it before, it took her
by surprise."

She tried to shout 'one' but the stinging turned it to 'wow' as she
screeched and jumped.

"The number, Dominique."

"Ooooh ... one ..."

The pain was incredible.    Dominique's body, always so fertile
with desire, was going wild inside with the feeling of it.

"Aaii!  Two," she squealed, breathing like a steam engine.

A third stroke swished behind her and exploded on her bottom.

"Ah!  Ah!  Ah!  Ah!"   The shock seemed to keep her too busy even
to cry.

Elli waited, swishing the cane in the air as if rehearsing her next
stroke.    The strain of waiting and not knowing when it would
happen reduced Dominique to tears.   She glanced back at Elli
who was in no hurry then she raised her tear-stained face to look
at Amelie.    The expectation of more pain together with the
throbbing in her errant pussy was making her desperate.   She
saw Amelie, sitting next to her red-faced open-mouthed father,
staring at her in disbelief.   In that moment she knew for certain
that after this Amelie would not want her anymore.

The cane slashed twice across her thighs.
 
"Aargh ... four ... FIVE!"

If she could have touched herself at that moment or, better still,
made Amelie touch her she would have gone into orbit.   She was
squirming with the pain, the desire, the unbearable pulsating thrill
in her sex - she felt as if she were lighting up.

"Would you like another, Dominique?"   Elli taunted her.

Dominique was burning for another and, if Elli wanted her to, she
would beg for it.   Suddenly she realised that Elli knew perfectly
well how she was feeling and was testing her, reminding her of
what had to be done.   For Amelie's sake she must keep control of
herself.

"No ... " she squealed.   "No more, Elli.   Please ... !

The cane flashed white-hot across her buttocks and her scream
twisted crazily into hysterical crying.

"Elli ... Elli ... " she wailed.

"Number, Domin ... "

"SIX!"

"And another?"

"No ..!! "

"I think you'll have this one where you'll most remember it ..."

"Ow!" shrieked Dominiqe as the cane whipped low across her
bottom.

" ... as you sit preparing yourself for six more next week."

Elli was surprising herself with the pleasure she got from this.   
She would not have expected to be in a position to command
Dominique but the last two weeks in sole control of the company
had brought back much of her old confidence.   She would never
have Dominique's judgement and intuition but she was more level-
headed and experienced.    Dominique needed her and knew it.   
Originally it had been for this that Dominique had sought her out
but it was only now that Elli was understanding her role.    More
than anything else she had been afraid of falling in love with this
strange woman but Giselle had stopped that.   Giselle was in Elli's
thoughts day and night now and somehow that had made
everything much clearer between her and Dominique.   They were
a team;   they would work together.   They would always love each
other but Elli knew, no matter how crazy Dominique got, she would
always be in control from now on.

Whap!   The cane was merciless.   It caught Dominique across the
bright red weals it had already raised.

"How many?"

"Eight"   Dominique was whispering.   She sounded weak now, her
resistance all gone.   She took her hands from the stool and
rubbed delicately at her tortured flesh.

"Straighten your legs," said Elli, more gently now.

"I can't," she wailed.

"Dominique, you'll have your punishment or you will have extra.  
You decide."

Dominique seemed so miserable and so small now.   Amelie
couldn't imagine how she had ever looked up to her, adored her in
the way that she had.    It was humiliating.  Dominique had been
wicked and she was being punished just like anyone else.   To see
her squealing and whining like a child seemed to break a thread
that Amelie had held intact since her own childhood.    She felt
angry with herself for having been so gullible and for letting
Dominique deceive her.    If this was what it took to expose
Dominique for the spoiled brat she was then she was happy to see
her punished.   She looked around at her father, suddenly aware
of his panting breath.   She dug him in the ribs with her elbow.  

Dominique straightened her legs and made her bottom round for
her two last strokes.   She didn't care about anything now - she
just wanted Amelie and her family gone.    She was sorry to lose
Amelie in this way but she knew it had to be and she wanted to get
it over with.

She cried out as the ninth stroke creamed her thighs.   The pain
was a lullaby, calming her now;  echoing in her veins and sifting
out everything she didn't want to think about, letting her body and
mind come back together.    She cried evenly, her whole body
shaking with her sobs.   The arousal she had felt earlier was gone
or on hold.   Now there was just her and Elli and the need to be
caned one last time.

Elli gave it to her - a blazing stroke that stung her buttocks,
rousing her to a last piercing shriek - then she sunk to the floor
wailing as if her heart would break.

The Karan family surveyed for a moment this pathetic squirming
girl with her hand clamped to her bare bottom and her panties still
around her ankles.    Mme Karan spoke to Elli.

"Thank you.   I think perhaps we should go now."

She got up and the others followed, M. Karan a little more
reluctantly than the other two.    Dominique seemed suddenly to
notice and she raised her head.

"I want Amelie," she whined tearfully.   "I want Amelie to stay with
me."

Amelie glanced at her with a mixture of embarrassment and
contempt.    She shook her head and took her mother's hand then
the three of them shuffled out of the door.   Dominique bowed her
head and didn't watch them leave.

When the door had closed Elli turned slowly back to Dominique.  
She had stopped crying though her breathing was still heavy and
confused.   Neither of them spoke for a long moment.

"I guess you're sad to see her go."

Dominique's moist eyes met hers.

"She didn't love me, Elli.   Not really.   It was wrong of me to
pretend."

"Yes."

Elli came cautiously to her and stroked her head.

"But ... thank you for doing what you did.   I know it was hard but it will
help her."

Dominique rose unsteadily to her feet and, finally stepping out of
her panties, crossed to the sofa.   She sat down very carefully and
looked up at the older woman.   A flicker of the usual intensity
seemed to return to her eyes.

"Elli, I'm so ..." she whispered it.   She seemed to be choosing her
words with infinite care.   " ... so fucking turned on.   Je veux sentir
ta langue dans mon con ... this very moment.    I think I will
explode in a thousand pieces."   

With a foxy laugh Elli dropped to the floor in front of her.

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