“I’m Liselle.”
The girl rose from behind the desk and ushered Addie towards a door to on her right. “Ms. Sheehan asked that you to step into this room and dress in the clothing hanging there on the rack. She’ll greet you momentarily.”
Addie watched as Liselle closed the door behind her. Touching the outfit hanging before her, she couldn’t help but laugh. Seriously? She ran her fingers over the leather catsuit. It looked like something straight out of Hollywood.
Addie scowled, struggling to pull the tight leather over her body. Already sore from Andre’s crazy intense workout, the task wasn’t easy. But once it was finally on, it fit like a glove, and was surprisingly comfortable. Addie eyed herself in the full-length mirror, pleased with what she saw. What a long way she had come. What a long way still to go. She slipped the six-inch heels on that had been left for her and checked the mirror again. The woman in the mirror staring back looked fierce. The girl in the mirror made Addie realize that she had transformed. She was suddenly light years away from the woman she had been just a few short months ago. Satisfied, she picked up the client profile and studied it, testing herself to make sure she’d memorized every last detail.
The gentleman named “Thomas” was a forty-five-year-old surgeon. He had fantasies of being forced to dress female, ridiculed, and spanked. Sondra listed specific names that were to be used during the session, specifically, “Pussy” and “Freak Boy.”
Addie heard the door open and in walked Sondra wearing a corset, fishnets and leather boots. Addie sat up straighter. How was it possible that the woman always looked so elegant, even more so dressed like this?
Sondra gave her the once over, finally giving a sly smile. “Not bad.”
Addie felt her face flush and her stomach flip, suddenly feeling anxious and awkward. Was she really going to go through with this?
“Thomas will be in, in a moment. Just watch me and don’t speak unless spoken to. That’s all you’re here for right now. Once we’re done with the session, I’ll instruct you on technique and we’ll review. Any questions?”
Addie shook her head slightly.
Thomas was not at all what Addie had expected. He was handsome and surprisingly normal-looking. Sondra introduced Addie as Mistress Laelia. Funny, they hadn’t agreed on that name, but Addie decided she kind of liked it. Thomas kissed her hand when she extended it. Out of nowhere came the first blow.
“I didn’t give you permission to kiss Mistress Laelia. Did I?” Sondra struck Thomas again as he hung his head. “DID I?”
Sondra bent next to his ear and whispered. “You’re nothing but a dumb little pussy wimp who can’t even follow simple instructions. You think you’re so smart having people refer to you as Doctor. Don’t you? But you’re not. You’re a fraud. And everyone knows it. You stupid little shit.” Thomas remained quiet, his eyes focused on the floor.
Sondra put her hands around his neck and began squeezing as Addie watched the flesh turn red, the blood pull. “Look at me when I speak to you!”
Thomas looked up at Sondra, his eyes glazed over. “No girl clothes today, huh? What do think you’re too good? Who do you think you are, huh? Running around thinking you’re better than everyone else.” Sondra backhanded him once again. And this went on and on for nearly an hour until Sondra removed the collar and Thomas stood, smiled, and kissed her on the cheek.
He beamed, a different man than only minutes before. “See you next week.”
“Yes. Next week.”
After the session, Addie was drained. Sondra went over technique with her on proper ways of punishing without leaving marks. They did two more sessions that day, each much like the last, only different men and different names. When they were finished, they changed clothes: Addie into a fitted knee-length skirt and matching blouse; Sondra into a pantsuit. From there, they grabbed lunch and headed to the agency, as though nothing out of the ordinary had just taken place.
In the elevator, Addie cocked her head to one side and stared at Sondra. “Laelia, huh. I’ve never heard it before. I like it.”
Sondra smiled wryly. “It means Orchid. I hear they’re your favorite flowers.”
Addie deadpanned. “So they say.”
Over the following week, Addie continued training with Sondra until she’d seen all of the six clients who would be in her rotation. There was the surgeon who enjoyed cross dressing, the professor who wanted to be chained and disciplined by a cheerleader for daring to look at her, the attorney who enjoyed being treated like a dog but preferred limited corporal punishment, the corporate CEO with a foot fetish, the writer who dressed like a boy scout and enjoyed being tied up and gagged while ridiculed about his inadequacies as a man, and the concert pianist who asked to be chained and spanked by his teacher for being a bad boy and breaking the rules.
Each session went much like the last. Over the course of the week, Addie had undergone intensive sessions on knot tying with rope, martial arts, sensory deprivation, the use of hot wax, the art of using corporal punishment without leaving marks not limited to whips, floggers, and canes, and the proper way to perform a choke hold. She learned first aid, CPR, discipline therapy, and fantasy development. The hardest part of it all was the extremely intense workout sessions with Andre. He not only broke her physically but mentally as well. There were days were she could barely walk let alone keep herself mentally prepared and focused on the work to be done. Sondra assured her though that, once the initial training was complete, life as a Mistress, while still demanding and technical and required that one be vigilant at all times, was mostly a matter of acting. She just needed to tune into her client’s needs, play the part, and the rest would fall into place.
Life at home was great. The boys seemed to be thriving with all of the new people around the house and in a lot of ways were becoming like family. While the house had become lonely and sad after Patrick left, it was now vibrant and bustling. Aside from being mentally and physically exhausted, Addie was happy. She was becoming confident and fit, in control of her life, able to stand on her own two feet. Her newly found confidence spilled over to life at the office as well. Her colleagues took notice and began coming to her for advice, and the new clients were pouring in.
Addie wasn’t purposely trying to avoid William, but he apparently saw things differently and showed up unexpectedly in her office one morning, scaring her half to death as she walked in to find him sitting at her desk. “Goddammit, what the hell is wrong with you? You can’t just barge in here like this anytime you damn well please.” Addie said as she flung her stuff down on the desk in front of him.
“Au contraire. I can do as I damn well please. I own this building, remember?”
Addie crossed her arms and stood over him, closer than sh
e would’ve liked, but she needed to get her point across. “Well, you don’t own me, and I don’t particularly appreciate your lack of boundaries. So get out.”
William eyed her up and down, grinning. “Have you been working out?”
Oh hell. Not that grin. “Seriously, William, get out!”