Chapter 21 - Wendy's Collar

Like Wendy, Burnside was dressed in a sweatsuit. Wendy was a bit surprised, thinking that Burnside would be in a fetish outfit and would whip her the moment she was through the door. However, the living room was perfectly normal. The only thing Wendy saw that indicated her upcoming ordeal was an open paper shopping bag sitting upright on the floor. She looked at the bag, then at Burnside.

"Get undressed. Put your clothes in the bag."

Wendy pulled off her shoes and socks, then her sweats and underwear. She put everything in the bag. Naked, with her hands at her sides, her heart pounding so hard she barely could breathe, she stood next to her clothes. She looked Burnside in the face. She did not dare look away.

Burnside took the bag to her own bedroom and locked it up in a trunk. She returned with a leather collar that had a lock on it. She put a key in the collar to open the lock. She held the collar out in front of her.

"Wendy, what does this collar mean?"

Wendy swallowed hard. "It...means that I must...do everything you tell me, Dr Burnside."

"...and if you don't?"

"Y...you'll punish me, Dr. Burnside."

"And you agree with that? You will obey everything I tell you, and accept punishment from me if you screw-up?"

"Yes, Dr. Burnside."

"Good. Now you will kneel."

Her heart pounding even more, Wendy sank to her knees. Burnside stood behind Wendy and lowered the collar over her face. The collar closed around her neck and she felt the lock click shut. For the next four months this collar would be the only thing that Wendy would be permitted to wear, no matter who else was in the house. She would have it on constantly, only being allowed to take it off when she got cleaned up. It fit loosely around her throat, but for the time that she would be in this house the feel of the collar reminded Wendy of her position.

Wendy was desperate to get her first punishment over with. She felt that would break her tension, and at least give her an idea of what to expect. However, her first punishment would not be on her first day. Burnside surprised her servant with her next words. The professor directed her attention to a chair that had a folded bed sheet and an electric hair clipper on it.

"Take that sheet and spread it out on the floor next to that outlet by the door. Then, you will plug in that hair clipper and lay it on the sheet. Once you have done that, I want you to kneel on the sheet, facing the wall."

Wendy's heart pounded. She hadn't expected this. But she knew that Burnside was just testing her. Surly she didn't mean to...?

Wendy did as she was directed. She knelt facing the wall. Burnside moved behind her, picked up the clipper, and turned it on.

"Wendy, before I joined the Navy, I shaved my head. I caught hell for it in Basic, but I did it because that's what the guys had to do. I did it to prove to myself, and to them, that I was no better and no worse than they were. I�m telling you this because I'm going to shave your head. I don't want you to think that I would force you to do something I wouldn't do. Now, put your hands out in front of you, palms facing up. Don't move."

Wendy gasped. She had expected to be severely punished. She had not expected to lose her hair. So this was it. With her hair gone there really would be no going back.

Burnside ran the clipper up Wendy's neck over the top of her head. She picked up the strand of fallen hair and placed it in the younger woman�s trembling hands. Wendy felt the clipper slide up her scalp again, and Burnside laid yet more hair in the student's hands. As more and more of her hair moved from her scalp to her hands, Wendy struggled to stay still and control her breathing. Burnside finished with the main part of the job in less than a minute. As Wendy knelt with a shocked expression and her hands full of thick black hair, Burnside changed the setting on the clippers to finish. In less than five minutes Wendy's scalp was covered only by smooth stubble, less than an eighth of an inch in length. Wendy now felt much more naked, with her scalp exposed to the cool air of Burnside's living room. Without any warning, tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Burnside left her kneeling for a few minutes, to let the lesson sink in. Finally she directed Wendy to put her hair in the trash and to put the sheet in the washing machine.

Wendy then returned to Burnside and knelt in front of her. She still was crying. She felt ashamed about not being able to stop. The professor contemplated her with deep satisfaction. She had passed the first test as her servant.

"Wendy, I don't think you truly understood what it is to submit to another person. To submit means you will surrender whatever I choose to take from you. Submitting is about much more than just being punished."

"Yes, Dr. Burnside."

"Since this is your first day here, I want you to relax and get settled in. Enjoy it, because today is the only day that I will let you make any mistakes and not punish you. Starting tomorrow, I expect top performance out of you."

Burnside grabbed Wendy's wrist and ordered her to stand up. She directed Wendy to the dining room table. She had prepared breakfast for herself and her servant. Wendy stood at the table, waiting for her mistress to tell her to sit down. Burnside looked sharply at Wendy.

"Wendy, you need to seat me first. Then you can sit down."

Wendy looked at Burnside perplexed.

"Pull my chair back far enough to let me get between it and the table. Then move the chair under me as I sit down."

"Yes ma'am."

With an irritated expression Burnside looked at her servant, then spoke again.

"Wendy, I don't role-play. I think role-playing is stupid, and you and I are not role-playing anyway. You will address me as Dr. Burnside. You will not call me ma'am, or mistress, or any nonsense like that. You will address me just like you would in class. I will call you Wendy, just like I would in class. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dr. Burnside."

"Another thing. If you want to ask me something or tell me something, you will approach me, you will kneel, and then you will ask me for permission to speak. I don't want you running around the house blurting stuff out."

"Yes, Dr. Burnside."

Wendy's day was full of lessons. Burnside had very clear ideas as to how meals would be prepared and served, how the house would be cleaned, what the professor wanted for comfort throughout the day. There was coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. There was dinner. Burnside explained that on the days she was out she would call Wendy about two hours ahead of time to tell her what she needed to fix for dinner. There were recipe books on the counter that she would be expected to use. Any day that Wendy managed to stay out of trouble she would eat dinner at the table with Burnside after serving her and seating her.

Wendy now realized why Burnside had resolved not to punish her during the first day. With all the mistakes she made, she would have been punished non-stop. It would be hard to keep all of it straight tomorrow, when she faced the prospect of real punishment. At the same time, Wendy now understood that Burnside was not going to indiscriminately chastise her. On the days Wendy made mistakes, she would be punished. On the days she did not make any mistakes, she would not be punished.

Burnside told her servant that there would be three hours of study in the afternoon after lunch and three more hours of study at night. Each morning Wendy would kneel in front of her mistress and present her coursework from the previous day for the professor to review, before sending the assignments off to her professors. By the end of the first day Wendy realized how hard the professor planned to push her.

Wendy's duties included an hour of required exercises that Burnside had learned in the Navy, and still performed every morning before eating breakfast. Wendy would be required to exercise before serving dinner. She had her first exercise session that afternoon. On the first day, for a full hour, Burnside shouted at her servant while she performed military-style calisthenics. Wendy's bare breasts and bottom jiggled as the frightened, sweaty girl attempted to follow her mentor's instructions. The sound of Burnside's voice and Wendy's responses would have been all too familiar to anyone who spent time in the military:

"ONE...TWO...THREE.."

"One!"

"ONE...TWO...THREE.."

"Two!"

"ONE...TWO...THREE.."

"Three!"

"ONE...TWO...THREE.."

"Four!"

The first session ended with Wendy throwing up in the bathroom from being out of shape. The following day she managed not to throw up, on the third day exercising no longer made her sick.

At 7:00 p.m. the professor told her servant to get cleaned up. Wendy knelt while Burnside unlocked her collar. Involuntarily she rubbed her throat when the collar came off.

For the first time Wendy had a chance to see herself in the mirror. She was shocked by the change in her appearance. With her hair reduced to stubble, her breasts and shoulders bare, and a frightened, intense expression in her eyes, she hardly recognized the face staring back at her in the mirror. Wendy examined herself, still trying to accept the thought that the strange image was indeed who she had become.

After her bath Wendy's collar went back on. She finally saw her room after her bath. By this time she was exhausted. The room was furnished simply, with a single bed, a small book shelf with textbooks and art supplies, and a desk with a chair and an old computer and printer. Wendy looked at her mistress in gratitude when she saw the art supplies. Burnside continued with her day's instructions.

"If I don't have anything going on, you will be dismissed after 7:30. I expect you to study until 10:30. After that you may sleep or work on your art. I expect you to keep your door open at all times."

"Dr. Burnside, I request permission to speak."

"What is it?"

"Thank you for the art things."

"You'll need to thank Amy. She was the one who reminded me about your art."

Wendy pulled out her textbooks and reviewed the assignments until 10:30. She then pulled back the covers to get in bed. Suddenly she noticed a sturdy metal ring screwed into each of the thick wooden bedposts, close to the mattress. She wondered how long it would be before her wrists and ankles would be attached to those rings.

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Wendy made it through the next day without doing anything to warrant a punishment. Her first full day at the professor�s house began when her alarm went off at 6:00. As she left her room to go to the kitchen to start breakfast, she heard a strange noise coming from Burnside�s bedroom. It was a low mechanical hum accompanied with a constant tap-tap-tap and heavy breathing. Wendy peeked through the door open to see what was going on.

Wendy was greeted by a strange sight. Burnside was on a treadmill, completely naked except for a sports bra and running shoes. The incline on the treadmill was set at maximum and it was clear that the professor was exerting herself as much as possible. Perspiration was pouring down her body, and the sports bra itself was wet. The muscles in Burnside�s legs and bottom strained and moved under her sweaty skin.

Wendy marveled at Burnside�s body. For a person who was 41 years old, Burnside was incredibly fit and had a lovely athletic figure. There was nothing soft about Burnside�s physique; her body was hardened and seemed to exert a powerful erotic energy. For the first time, Wendy suddenly felt an odd attraction for the professor, the first glimmering of sexual desire. She wished that she could stay at the door and watch her mentor perform her entire workout routine. She pushed that thought aside and headed for the kitchen.

At breakfast Burnside questioned her servant at length about her coursework and the studying she had done the previous night. Once breakfast was finished Wendy knelt in front of the professor and handed her two assignments she had worked on. She nervously watched as the professor looked over the assignments. Burnside handed one of them back to her, with the brusque comment, �this won�t work, re-do it.�

�What�s wrong with it, Dr. Burnside?�

�I�m not going to tell you how to do your work, Wendy. I want you to start putting some effort into your classes and you need to find the answers yourself. That�s one of your problems. You want everyone to feel sorry for you and hand you everything. That shit won�t work with me. I will tell you what you did here is inadequate. If you don�t believe me, try turning it in as is. But then, if I�m right and your professor gives you a poor grade, there will be hell to pay.�

As she cleaned up from breakfast, Wendy�s mind was occupied with the immediate problem of how to correct her deficient assignment. Later in the morning she would have a couple of hours to work on it.

Wendy dug through her books, eliminating possibilities of what might be wrong. Finally she figured it out. She felt oddly proud of herself as she made the corrections and printed the revised assignment.

As the day dragged on, Wendy�s mind was kept occupied by the household chores, her coursework, and her exercising. There was no time for Wendy to contemplate gambling, how much she hated herself, or her desire to cut her throat.

Burnside spent the entire morning preparing lesson plans and sending e-mails to counterparts in Europe. Because Burnside was on her computer in the living room, Wendy had to wash the dishes by hand, instead of using the dishwasher like she normally would. After cleaning up and correcting her assignment, Wendy prepared lunch while Burnside got dressed in one of her teaching outfits. When the professor went out in the afternoon Wendy vacuumed the house. Burnside had told her that she hated the vacuum-cleaner noise and that Wendy could only use the vacuum cleaner when she was out. After vacuuming Wendy had enough spare time to draw a picture.

When Burnside came back she parked in the garage. Without saying anything she walked to her bedroom and came back with a pair of shower shoes. She dropped them at Wendy's feet.

"Put these on and get the bags out of the car. Put the food away and get started on cooking the chicken dish on page 34 of the green recipe book. Have dinner ready at 5:30." With that Burnside went back to her computer.

Wendy shivered as she went out in the cold garage to retrieve the groceries. She felt very strange taking things out of a car wearing nothing but shower shoes and a leather collar.

After cooking, exercising, eating, and cleaning up from dinner Wendy took her bath. She knelt for Burnside to put her collar back on. However, Burnside ordered Wendy to stand up and to go back out into the living room without her collar on. She ordered Wendy to put her hands behind her head and spread her feet. She reached out and ran her finger tips over Wendy's breasts. She massaged and pinched Wendy's nipples until they were hard. She ran her hand up and down Wendy's chest and stomach.

Wendy gasped. She was terrified. Oh God, she thought, sex with Burnside. She warned me. I accepted this.

Burnside noticed the look in Wendy's face. "You understand this was part of our agreement."

"Y...Yes...Dr. Burnside."

"I know this will be hard on you. Do your best."

Burnside's hands moved to Wendy's bottom. She stood in front of her servant and kissed her on the mouth.

"You�re going to have to relax your mouth. Don't make me tell you again."

As best she could, Wendy relaxed her mouth. Burnside pressed her tongue past Wendy's teeth. She paused.

"Wendy, put your arms down. Keep them at your sides."

Burnside took Wendy's head in her hands and kissed her hard. Then she kissed Wendy's throat and the back of her neck. She moved behind her servant and took her breasts in her hands. Wendy shook slightly as she felt Burnside's hands squeezing her nipples and the professor�s mouth on the back of her neck.

Burnside was becoming more aroused. She moved in front of Wendy and grabbed her bottom hard. Once again she pressed her mouth into her servant�s mouth. Her tongue moved around Wendy's. Suddenly Burnside turned her attention to the girl�s breasts. She sucked Wendy's nipples so hard they hurt. Burnside moved her face down Wendy's body. She knelt and kissed the insides of Wendy's thighs. Wendy, in spite of her terror, started to feel hints of arousal herself. Suddenly Burnside stood up.

"Undress me."

Wendy's shaking hands fumbled with the buttons of Burnside's jacket and she pulled it off. She knew better than to throw it on the floor. Holding the jacket, she knelt and looked at her mistress.

"Dr. Burnside...I request permission to speak"

"Wendy, lay my jacket and skirt on the back of that chair. Put my other things there as well. You can deal with them when we're done."

Wendy stood up and carefully laid the jacket on the chair. Next was Burnside's matching skirt. Wendy unzipped the back of Burnside's blouse and added it to the clothing on the chair. She carefully pushed Burnside's panty hose to her ankles. Burnside lifted her feet and her servant slid them off. Wendy's hands shook more violently when she fumbled with the hooks on Burnside's bra. Wendy glanced for a second at Burnside's breasts as the bra opened in the front. They were not the breasts of a young woman, but her mistress was way too critical of herself. They still looked all right.

One more item to go. Burnside wore standard black panties. There was nothing unusual about them. Wendy pushed the panties over the professor�s bottom and slid them to her ankles. Again Burnside stepped up.

Burnside grabbed Wendy's wrist. She put her free hand on Wendy's back and pressed her body against her own. Burnside buried her mouth into Wendy's neck, kissing hard. She could feel Wendy's heart pounding furiously. That excited her even more.

Still holding Wendy by the wrist, Burnside led the trembling girl to the master bedroom. She pushed her onto her back on the bed and lay down on top of her. She grabbed Wendy's wrists and held them above her head. For a long time she kept her mouth buried in Wendy's. She pressed her pelvis against Wendy's.

Suddenly Burnside lifted herself up a bit to look her servant in the eyes.

"Wendy, have you ever been with another woman?"

"N...No...Dr. Burnside...I...haven't."

"Do you have any idea what you need to do?"

"N...No...Dr. Burnside."

"Alright. I'll show you."

Burnside buried her face between Wendy's legs. She knew exactly what to do to make Wendy climax. Wendy, in spite of her terror, experienced her first orgasm as Burnside's servant within five minutes.

Burnside jumped up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. She returned and lay on the bed next to Wendy.

"OK, now you know what to do. I don't expect you to be perfect this first time. I do expect you to do your best."

Wendy buried her face between Burnside's legs. For her first time she did not do badly. Burnside climaxed within a few minutes.

"Wendy, you did good. Now wash your face and kneel on the floor when you come out."

Burnside had decided to force Wendy to undergo another sexual experience tonight. She pulled out leather cuffs for Wendy's wrists and ankles, as well as a black scarf to blindfold her with, and her usual collar for her neck. Wendy looked nervously at Burnside when she saw what was in her hands.

As instructed, Wendy knelt. Burnside put the collar and blindfold on first, then Wendy's wrist cuffs. She joined the cuffs behind the girl�s back. Burnside then took Wendy's arm and helped her to her feet. She put the cuffs on her servant�s ankles. She grabbed four clips from her dresser and led Wendy back to the guest bedroom.

The previous night Wendy had wondered about the rings on her bedposts. Tonight was the first night out of many that her ankles and wrists would be attached to them. Burnside unhooked Wendy's wrist cuffs and ordered Wendy onto her bed on her back. She attached Wendy's wrists to the bedposts. She did the same thing with Wendy's ankles. Wendy was now spread and completely helpless.

Burnside spent the next hour sexually tormenting her servant. She traced Wendy's body with her finger tips and with her kisses, concentrating on the sensitive area between her legs. She kept Wendy close to orgasm, but did not allow her to have one. Wendy gasped and groaned. She pulled hard against her restraints. Wendy was being tortured as much as if she were being whipped.

Finally, Burnside showed Wendy mercy and let her climax. Wendy's voice cracked with desperation as her orgasm came. As soon as she finished Burnside unhooked Wendy's cuffs and took them off. She took off Wendy's blindfold.

Burnside took Wendy's hand and looked at her. Wendy was beyond exhausted. She barely could move. She was stunned by this experience. She was shocked by the control that Burnside had exercised over her.

Burnside had wanted another round of sex, but realized that Wendy was not capable of anything right now. Better let her sleep. Tomorrow was another day.

"OK, Wendy. I want you up at 6:00, my breakfast at 7:00. Good night."

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The following evening Wendy met the first out of Burnside�s many lovers. For the first time Burnside gave her an option of turning down a request.

�I am going to have a guest over tonight and I am giving you a choice of how you want to handle it. You can either go into your room and study, or you can help me with him for a little bit, and then study or have the option of working on your art. That�s completely your choice. Since this has nothing to do with improving your situation I am leaving it up to you to decide how you�d like to spend the evening.�

Wendy�s heart jumped into her throat. She was desperately curious to see what exactly Burnside did with her lovers. As a result, her choice was immediate.

�I�ll do whatever you want, Dr. Burnside.�

The evening began with Wendy shaving her pubic hair and getting cleaned up. She then exchanged her leather collar for a steel collar and steel cuffs for her ankles and wrists. Burnside, meanwhile, changed into the leather outfit that looked like a black swimsuit from the front but was cut very high in the back. For the second time that day, Wendy admired Burnside�s shapely bottom and trim, muscular thighs. Burnside put on black stockings that came to her mid-thighs and black gloves.

The set-up was relatively simple. The professor took a comfortable armchair and placed it squarely in the center of the living room. She then pointed to a small spotlight mounted on the ceiling that was pointed at the area on the floor immediately in front of the chair. Wendy would dim the living room lights and activate the spotlight on cue. Burnside placed a small end-table on one side of her chair and a small bench on the other side. She placed two implements, a leather paddle and a leather switch, on the end-table. She set a small old-fashioned alarm clock and placed it on the table.

Wendy half-filled two small wine glasses. The amount of wine in each glass was very small. Wendy realized that its purpose probably was more symbolic than anything else. On cue, Wendy would bring the tray to Burnside.

Burnside�s guest was a very nervous-looking young man in his mid-20�s. Wendy opened the door for him, as Burnside sat in her armchair facing the door. She held up the alarm clock.

�You�re late, Richard. I don�t appreciate that.�

�I�I�m sorry about that, Dr. Burnside. I got stuck at a couple of lights.�

Wendy smiled to herself. She knew full-well that �sorry� was the worst thing Richard could say to Ruth Burnside.

�Don�t tell me you�re sorry. If you were sorry you wouldn�t have done it. You would have planned your trip better. Instead you come to me with some lame excuse about the lights. You need a reality check. This is Chicago. Traffic is something you plan for.�

Richard looked at the floor.

�Yes, Dr. Burnside.�

�Look up! What the hell do you think you�re doing looking at the floor like that? Take some pride in yourself! Show me some backbone! You look me in the eye!�

Reluctantly Richard looked up.

�Now. You get your clothes off. Fold everything neatly and hand it to Ms. Li. Once you�re done, you will kneel and thank her for taking your clothes.�

Richard stripped, folding each piece of clothing with shaking hands. Wendy placed her hands out in front of her as she collected Richard�s items. Once he was completely undressed, Richard knelt in front of Wendy and thanked her for taking his clothing.

As she had been previously instructed, Wendy simply turned away and dumped Richard�s clothes into a trash can. The trash can was clean, but the symbolism of Wendy�s action reminded Richard of his submission to Ruth Burnside.

�Now, Richard, come over here. Stand in front of me. Keep your hands at your sides.�

Richard complied. Wendy dimmed the living room lights and turned up the spotlight. Burnside picked up the switch and tapped the palm of her hand with it.

�Now, Ms. Li, stand behind my chair and take a good look at our guest.�

Wendy complied. She felt a real thrill seeing Richard standing naked and humiliated under the white glare of the spot light. He had a fairly attractive body and Wendy enjoyed looking at him. At the same time, she realized how tightly Burnside had choreographed the entire session. She knew the significance of every action, how to manipulate and control his emotions.

�This must be very embarrassing for you, Richard. To have to stand in front of two women�not wearing anything�and to have to just stand there, fully exposed, until I give you permission to move. I�d be totally humiliated if I were in your situation.�

�Yes, Dr. Burnside�It�s sort of embarrassing.�

�Sort of? Well, we�ll have to do better than sort of. Kneel�

Richard knelt.

�Now lean forward and kiss the carpet at my feet. Keep your lips to the carpet until I tell you to get up.�

Richard complied. He was on his knees and elbows with his lips touching the carpet. His bottom was in the air and completely exposed. Burnside got up, walked behind him, and tapped his bottom with the switch. She signaled her servant to come around as well. Wendy stood next to Burnside, nervously looking at the switch in Burnside�s hand and Richard�s waiting bottom.

�How many minutes were you late, Richard?�

�Uh�seven.�

�That�s bullshit. You�re just guessing. You don�t really know, do you?�

�No, Dr. Burnside. I don�t really know.�

�So you were lying to me, weren�t you? Telling me something that you really didn�t know?�

�Yes, Dr. Burnside.�

�Well, then, I�ll tell you how late you were. You were five minutes late. That�s five strokes of the switch. But since you said seven, let�s add another seven to that, plus another one for the lie. How many strokes is that, Richard?�

�Thirteen, Dr. Burnside.�

�Excellent. Thirteen it shall be.�

With that, Burnside struck Richard�s upturned bottom viciously with the switch, waiting between strokes to let Richard feel each one and appreciate it. Richard jerked and gasped, but he managed to maintain silence throughout the entire ordeal.

�Now, stand up.�

Richard stood up, wincing slightly from the pain coming from his bottom. Burnside resumed her position in the chair and Wendy resumed her position behind Burnside.

�Look Ms. Li in the eye. Explain to her why you were late. Take some responsibility for your actions, for a change.�

�Ms. Li, I was late because I was irresponsible. I didn�t plan my trip properly and�and I didn�t plan for the traffic.�

Wendy nodded slightly. Burnside tapped the floor with her switch.

�Kneel�

Richard went back on his knees.

�Stick out your hands.�

Richard stuck his hands out and Burnside wrapped them with a pair of leather cuffs. She then clipped the cuffs behind the submissive�s back.

�Ms. Li, please bring us the tray.�

Wendy brought the tray with the wine glasses. She allowed Burnside to take one, and then took the other in her hand.

�Richard, last week you told me a bunch of stuff about your life that you are having issues with. My answer is that we will drink some wine together. That will mark the agreement between us. If you drink my wine, you accept my discipline. The wine may be smooth, but its aftertaste will be very bitter. Do you agree to drink my wine?�

�Yes.�

�Ms. Li�would you please present Richard his wine?�

Wendy pressed the wineglass in her hand to Richard�s lips. He drank, and in doing so committed himself to a night of punishment and submissive sex.

�Ms. Li, please take our glasses and the tray. And with that I will say thank you and goodnight.�

Wendy was dismissed. She took the tray to the kitchen, quickly washed out the wine glasses and hung them up in the kitchen�s wine glass holder. Then she slipped back through the living room, taking a quick glance at Burnside and her guest. He was standing, his legs spread slightly, with his hands chained to eyehooks in the ceiling. Burnside was quietly talking to him, as she held the leather paddle in her hand. She was massaging his penis with the other hand. He was blindfolded.

Wendy�s role in the entire affair was finished for the evening. She returned to her room and shut her door. Once her door was shut, Wendy heard a loud CRACK�CRACK�CRACK that seemed to continue for a very long time. She thought she could make out Richard crying. Then there was relative silence for a while, and then faint groans. Wendy looked back out into the living room to notice that Burnside and Richard were no longer there; they must have gone into the professor�s bedroom. From that room Wendy heard an occasional CRACK, and then more groaning.

Wendy closed her eyes and pondered the entire strange scene she had just participated in. What to make of it? Her emotions were in turmoil, from the sight of Burnside�s trim, sweaty body in the morning, from the sight of the professor in her scanty black outfit, from the sight of Burnside sitting in her chair looking at Richard with a confident expression as she sipped her wine glass.

What excited Wendy the most, however, was how Ruth Burnside always seemed to control her surroundings. It was the control that Wendy found most appealing. Upon entering Burnside�s house, Richard did exactly what Burnside wanted, as she drew him though a graceful choreography towards submission and pain. Wendy also knew that following the pain, Burnside would lead Richard into a world of erotic pleasure and release that few men ever experience. The cost of submission to Ruth Burnside was enormous, but the payback of pleasure also was enormous.

An overwhelming surge of sexual desire swept through Wendy. She was incredibly wet and felt that she would go crazy if she did not relieve herself. However, just as Wendy started to run her hands over her body, she realized that she could use her sexual energy for something far more useful. She set up her art supplies and drew several intensely erotic pictures over the next five hours. When exhaustion finally forced her to stop, Wendy set the pictures on her desk to look at them. She marveled at the best set of pictures she had ever drawn. All of the pictures she had drawn previously were mostly a product of fantasy and imagination. The latest batch was drawn based on real life. There was an extreme element of pleasure and eroticism in the drawings. The pictures were among the first out of many she would produce over the next several months.

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Wendy's first punishment came the following Saturday. Her offense was completely inadvertent, but at the same time fairly serious. In fact, it was something that, under different circumstances, could have landed her into serious legal problems.

Wendy served lunch to Burnside as usual, and seated her, as usual. The routine changed however, when the professor did not invite her servant to serve herself and sit at the dining room table. Instead, Burnside ordered Wendy to fetch her book �Wendy� and kneel with it in front of the living room sofa. Wendy knelt, totally perplexed and hungry from missing lunch, while Burnside quietly finished eating. Finally the professor stood up, and sat down on the sofa in front of the trembling student.

�Wendy, I need to discuss something in your book with you. Open the book to page 15 and tell me who you drew in that picture.�

Wendy complied, and realized with mounting concern that the picture was one that showed her being punished by Ruth Burnside.

�Who is in this picture? Who did you draw?�

�You, Dr. Burnside.�

�That�s what I thought. Now please turn to page 23, and page 37, and tell me who is in each of those pictures.�

�Y�you, Dr. Burnside.�

�Wendy, I told you to turn to those pages. Now do it, and tell me again who those drawings portray.�

Wendy complied. She knew that Burnside was about to make an issue out of the use of her likeness in some of her drawings. She began to get scared. Once she had turned to the pages in question she repeated, �T�the pictures are of you, Dr. Burnside.�

�Wendy, do you consider me a public figure? Like a famous politician, or a movie star?�

�No, Dr. Burnside.�

�Then you needed to get my permission to use my likeness in your collection of drawings. Your photographer friend should know that, and I believe I could sue both her and the publisher if I chose to do so. Instead, I drafted a letter that permits you to portray me in your art, and for your publisher to use my likeness for your project. I back-dated it. Please read it before I send it off.�

Wendy, still kneeling, read the permission and looked up at Burnside.

�Thank you, Dr. Burnside.�

�You have no reason to thank me. I don�t appreciate the fact that you disrespected me enough to not ask my permission to portray me in your art. However, I won�t take any action against you legally. Instead, you will pay me back with a switching. Go to your room, sit on your bed, and wait for me.�

There would be times that Burnside would make Wendy wait for her punishments, sometimes as much as a day or more. Today was not one of those days. Wendy sat down on her bed, immobilized with fear, for only a minute or so before Burnside showed up with the leather cuffs and hooks from the bondage sessions, as well as a hard pillow shaped like a cylinder.

She put the pillow on the bed and ordered Wendy to lie over it on her stomach. The pillow was barely wider than Wendy's hips, so in no way would the edges cover Wendy's sides. Wendy's bottom now was high in the air and fully exposed. Burnside put the cuffs on Wendy's wrists and ankles and hooked them to the bedposts, forcing the younger women to spread her arms and legs wide. Burnside then sat on the bed next to Wendy and placed her hand on her servant�s bottom. She caressed Wendy's bottom and studied it. This would be the last time for a week that Wendy's bottom would not have marks on it. The girl was shaking with fear, but was perfectly quiet.

Burnside got up and returned with a leather switch, the same one she had used on Amy and Wendy over a year before. Even though the implement was the same, this punishment would be very different than the Halloween switching last year.

To begin with, it would be much longer, well over an hour. There would be breaks so that Wendy could feel the full effect of her punishment. Burnside planned to concentrate the strokes on Wendy's bottom, but also planned to punish the backs of her thighs and shoulders. Burnside, always careful about safety, never struck a person on the lower back.

There would be far more blows from this punishment. Burnside planned to lay stripe after stripe on Wendy's bottom and thighs, placing them as close together as possible without crossing or overlapping them. At the same time Burnside would maintain her self-control. Wendy was under her care now. She would be punished carefully and methodically, with no risk of broken skin or blood. Burnside felt much more responsibility for Wendy than she did a year ago, which tempered her arousal at seeing the naked girl stretched over her bed.

Burnside stepped back and touched the switch to Wendy's right bottom-cheek. Wendy heard the whoosh of the switch and felt it make contact. Instantly the pain radiated from the stroke. It hurt every bit as much as it did the year before. Wendy's voice broke as she gasped. She tried to pull up, but the only thing she could move was her head. Burnside struck again. Again Wendy's voice broke with a gasp. She sobbed. The pain was horrible. How could she endure this session? She knew that it would be much longer than the Halloween switching, many more strokes. She tugged again at her cuffs. They gave her the answer. She would endure, because she had no choice.

Burnside struck again. Tears ran down Wendy's cheeks. She started to cry. Wendy was crying loudly by the end of the first ten strokes. Her body shook with sobs. She was not screaming like she did a year ago. Not yet.

Burnside moved to Wendy's left side. Ten strokes from the right, ten matching ones from the left. Burnside lay the strokes very close together, covering only the upper part of Wendy's bottom. The more sensitive lower part of Wendy's bottom cheeks and upper thighs would be for the next round of strokes.

Wendy was sobbing continuously at the end of the first 20 strokes. Burnside waited for the sobs to die down and for Wendy to get her breath back. The next series would be even worse, 20 hard strokes to the lower part of Wendy's bottom and upper thighs, 10 from each side.

Without saying anything. Burnside tapped the switch to the base of her servant�s bottom. With the first stroke Wendy started sobbing again. Burnside went slowly, waiting 30 seconds between each blow. Burnside struck again and again, carefully aiming at the unmarked areas of Wendy's bottom. The girl started shrieking as Burnside struck the tender skin on the lower part of her buttocks. Wendy screamed for the first time when Burnside struck her thighs, just below her bottom.

Burnside changed sides. Wendy was sobbing loudly, her body shaking. Burnside measured distance again, and began the second set of blows from the girl�s left side. Wendy started screaming so loudly that she made Burnside wince slightly. The professor�s eyes reflected her excitement, but this time she managed to control herself. Burnside's hands shook, but she forced herself to continue laying on the stripes carefully, to avoid breaking Wendy�s skin.

When Burnside finished the second set, the student had taken 40 hard strokes on her bottom and upper thighs. Wendy's bottom and upper thighs were completely covered with thin reddish stripes. She was shaking violently from her sobs. As traumatic as the punishment from the year before may have been for Wendy, in terms of severity it was nothing like this. Burnside only hit Wendy 15 times before the Halloween party. This afternoon Wendy already had 40 welts on her body, and Burnside was not finished with her. Burnside paused again to let her servant get her breath back and to feel this latest set of welts before beginning with the next set.

Like Amy before her in the Spring, Burnside noticed Wendy's beautiful thin shoulders. Wendy's shoulders now were Burnside's next target. Burnside laid her switch on Wendy's shoulder. Wendy, realizing what was about to happen, started screaming in panic. Burnside raised her switch and struck Wendy hard. Wendy's screaming changed slightly, from fear to pain. Slowly Burnside laid 20 blows, this time more irregular ones, across Wendy's shoulders.

Wendy's entire world had become one of intense pain. The welts in her bottom were burning more and more. There was nothing she could do about it; her hands were immobilized by the cuffs. Now Burnside was striking her shoulders, cruelly adding to the agony from her bottom. At that moment Wendy was in too much pain to think about anything, but later she would reflect this punishment was what she had envisioned in many of her drawings.

Burnside stopped again, and sat down on the bed close to her servant�s face. Wendy's face was distorted by crying and the agony she was enduring. Her cheeks were wet from tears. Burnside waited for Wendy's sobs to die down. She placed her hand on the girl�s upper arm and looked into her eyes.

"OK, Wendy, final set of strokes, on your legs. This time it will just be 10."

Slowly Burnside laid the final set of strokes on Wendy's thighs, five on each thigh. Wendy screamed again, although this time more weakly. Burnside realized that she was right about cutting the final set from 20 to 10. The girl clearly was worn out.

Wendy continued to sob for a long time. The increasing pain in her shoulders and legs began to match the pain from her bottom.

Burnside gently ran her fingers over the welts. Wendy would have these for quite a while, especially the ones on her bottom. Finally Burnside unhooked her servant�s cuffs and took them off her wrists and ankles. Wendy buried her face in her hands. Her sobs became irregular and she started to hiccup. Burnside pulled the pillow out from under Wendy and left the room. Unlike the Halloween party punishment, today there was time for her to recuperate.

After she put the switch, pillow, and cuffs away, Burnside re-heated her servant�s portion of lunch and poured her some juice. She took the food to Wendy, who still was lying face down on her bed crying quietly. Burnside set the food on her servant's desk.

"Wendy, try to eat as much of this as you can. You can take the next three hours to recover and rest. I have a guest coming over so I will need you to help me with dinner and serving, but that won't be until tonight"

Wendy continued crying and made no sign of moving. Burnside put a hand on her arm.

"Wendy, you have to eat, no matter what. You have to keep your strength up. Then you can sleep."

"Yes, Dr. Burnside." With that Wendy struggled off the bed to force herself to eat.

Wendy managed to eat most of her lunch. Then she lay back down on her stomach and cried until she fell asleep. Four hours later Burnside touched her servant�s arm to get her up. She had decided to give Wendy an extra hour of sleep.

Wendy still was in considerable pain. Her welts had risen and darkened. She moved stiffly as Burnside ordered her to vacuum and clean the bathrooms. Burnside concentrated on finishing dinner for her guest while Wendy cleaned up the house.

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Dr. Jim Halsey was Burnside's co-worker, best friend, and lover. He had been Burnside's mentor in graduate school 20 years ago. Although he was 15 years older than Burnside, they shared many things in their lives. Like Burnside, Halsey had gone by his last name for so long that no one even remembered what his first name was. He was the only person who Burnside shared certain things about herself. Although Burnside always had numerous lovers, Halsey had been a stable presence in her life. He was the closest thing to a boyfriend since Burnside had been in high school.

Halsey and Burnside shared their love of fetish. Halsey was a switch. Sometimes he wanted Burnside to punish him, and sometimes he wanted to punish her. Burnside loved submitting to him. In her life Halsey was the only person who Burnside ever allowed to punish her. He was the person who always spanked Burnside at her Mardi Gras parties. It would never occur to anyone else in Burnside's life to try that with her.

Halsey, who in his suit looked so sophisticated in class, loved his leather as much as Burnside loved hers. On the days he topped with Burnside he wore different outfits than when he bottomed. Burnside and Halsey had experimented with almost everything that did not result in permanent scarring or injury. They had endured so much together during their sexual adventures that they trusted each other like neither could trust anyone else.

In spite of the long term nature of their relationship, Burnside and Halsey could never get married. They both were too self-centered and set in their ways to be able to compromise as needed for a marriage. Each had other lovers. The fact that they did not see each other every day kept their relationship fresh.

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Burnside dressed in one of her teaching outfits for dinner. She laid out her formal dinner sets for two people on the dining room table. Wendy was surprised by how elaborate the dinner was when she entered the kitchen. Just before her lover was about to come over Burnside ordered Wendy to shave her pubic hair and clean up. When Wendy was done Burnside replaced Wendy's leather collar with the metal one, with the matching metal cuffs for her wrists and ankles.

Burnside explained to Wendy the order in which the dishes would be served. During dinner, while not actually serving, Wendy would stand outside the kitchen door waiting at parade rest until either Burnside or Halsey needed something. She would bring it, then resume her position at the door. Once dinner was over, she would serve drinks in the living room. After drinks, Wendy would clean up the kitchen and put everything away. There would be food left over and Burnside told Wendy that she was to fix herself dinner and eat before going to bed. Once clean-up was taken care of Wendy could go back to her room. She would be allowed to close her door tonight. Burnside had one more thing to tell Wendy.

"I don't think Dr. Halsey will have anything to talk to you about. However, if he does address you or asks you a question, you will kneel in front of him and answer. You will look him in the eye. The same goes for me tonight. If I ask you something that requires you to speak, you will kneel before you answer."

"Yes, Dr. Burnside."

"You will address him as Dr. Halsey. You will not call him 'sir' or 'master' or any bullshit like that. You probably know that already, but I just wanted to remind you."

"Yes, Dr. Burnside."

When Halsey came over Wendy took his coat and hat and hung them up in the hallway closet. He scanned his eyes over her body with a combination of curiosity and sexual interest. Whenever Wendy turned her back to Halsey her welts drew his attention.

Halsey was dressed the same way he would dress for class, in a dark business suit and tie. Burnside took his hands in hers and kissed him, then they sat down. Wendy served the elaborate dinner. When not serving or preparing the plates, Wendy took her position at the kitchen door. She listened to Burnside and Halsey gossip about mutual friends, their respective lovers, and co-workers. Every time Wendy moved in front of Halsey, she noticed his eyes scanning her body.

Burnside and Halsey moved to the living room for drinks after dinner. As Wendy served him a glass of wine, it suddenly dawned on Halsey that he recognized her.

"Young lady, now I remember you. You were at Ruth's Mardi Gras party, with that girl in the nurse's outfit."

Wendy faced Halsey and went to her knees.

"Yes Dr. Halsey, that was me. I was with my friend Amy." Suddenly the memory of that party pained Wendy. Her life seemed so carefree at the time, prior to her final gambling binges.

Halsey then asked Wendy a few questions about her life, and finally how she ended up in Burnside's house. Wendy was not happy about having to share her personal problems with a stranger. However, Burnside did not stop Halsey�s questions and Wendy wondered why. It was obvious that Halsey�s role in Burnside�s life was very different from that of her other lovers and that she trusted him. Wendy also guessed, correctly, that Burnside wanted her to respond because she wanted Wendy to be able to describe her problems and express herself clearly. Finally, she answered.

"Dr. Halsey, I have a serious problem with gambling. I lost over $ 60,000 dollars last Spring. I felt so bad about it that I wanted to kill myself. The whole thing alienated me from my parents. Finally I asked Dr. Burnside to help me."

"Wendy's a talented artist," interjected Burnside. "She put a book out with her drawings over the summer. Wendy, get your book for Dr. Halsey please."

Wendy got up and pulled the copy of her book she had given to Burnside off the shelf where Burnside kept it. She handed the book to Halsey and returned to her kneeling position on the floor.

Halsey thumbed through the book after Wendy handed it to him. "Yes. I bought this last month. Now I make the connection. I thought I recognized you when I saw the photos."

"Yes, Dr. Halsey."

Halsey paused, then continued. �I want to congratulate you on your work. I never really liked those Japanese-style cartoons until I saw the ones you did. You have a true talent and I hope you�re able to develop it. In other words, don�t be so down on yourself. You�ve got something real to contribute to the world.�

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After Halsey and Burnside went to the master bedroom, Wendy ate what was left over from the dinner and put the dishes in the dishwasher. Suddenly she heard loud classical music coming from Burnside's bedroom. Then, over the music, she heard a distinct CRACK!...CRACK!...CRACK!... Wendy wondered who was getting it.

She turned on the dishwasher and wiped up the counters. She turned her attention to the floor, which she decided to mop. By the time she was finished with the floor, the dishwasher was done. Wendy put everything away and went to her room.

The classical music was still playing, and now Wendy thought she could hear both Burnside and Halsey groaning. Oh well, she thought, none of my business what they're doing.

However, as Wendy entered her room she saw her art supplies. She laid out what she would need to make some color drawings and sat down. Her body protested in pain, but the pain fired her imagination, along with the classical music coming from Burnside's room. For the next six hours Wendy drew. Now Wendy was drawing from personal experience and memories, not imagination and fantasy.

The Wanderings of Amy - Chapter 22