Chapter 16 - A change of plans

Cecilia�s the Halloween party Burnside treated Cecilia in a completely normal manner, as though the entire test incident had never happened. It was as though she had purged the entire affair from her mind, as though she had forgotten it entirely. Cecilia knew that Burnside never forgot anything, but she realized that the professor was capable of disconnecting an offense such as the test incident from a relationship once the offender had submitted to punishment.

Burnside's thoughts were not on the recent past, but on the near future. The Danubian Prime Minister's impending visit occupied her mind, given that it was to take place shortly after Thanksgiving break. Just two days after Halloween, the professor went over Cecilia's research and took notes. There was a general discussion between the two women about current conditions in Upper Danubia and Vladim Dukov's plans for re-developing the eastern part of the country. Burnside then moved on to the visit itself.

"The Prime Minister's visit is a private trip. It's not a state visit at all, he's just here to set up an exchange program with the National University in Danube City and pick up some advice about economic development. That's why he's specifically coming here and not doing anything official in DC. And there's something about him that I find very interesting. From what I gather, he's not big on making a spectacle of himself. He's just coming here on a commercial flight with his daughter, a couple of secretaries, two bodyguards, and a couple of his ministers."

"That's it?"

"That's it. It'll be real simple. He'll meet up with the Governor, the president of the university, and the Danubian ambassador at the airport, then they'll head over to the University Memorial Center and we'll be there to receive them."

Burnside then made a confession that surprised her student.

"Cecilia, I've got a bit of a problem. There's some stuff going on that's going to pull me away from having any time for getting ready, including some fires that need to be put out with the university administration and the State Legislature. I have to go to Springfield two weeks from now to make sure we don't lose funding next year and I have to get ready to give testimony. I'm going to rely on you to inform me about what's happening in Upper Danubia. Your research will be crucial to me, because, quite frankly, I'm too busy with my responsibilities to the department to properly prepare for Prime Minister Dukov's visit. I need you to give me summaries about what's going on in Danube City, and I mean not just with the EU road dispute. I need a complete picture of Dukov's government; who the players are and their backgrounds, what they're doing in Parliament, how Washington and Brussels are dealing with them, and any other issues you think they might be worried about right now."

"Uh...OK, but why do you need all that information, Dr. Burnside?"

"So I don't look like an idiot...so I don't look like I've been spending all my time at the State Legislature begging a bunch of ignorant hicks and corporate cronies for more university money...and so I can be properly prepared with minimal effort..."

"But...when am I gonna have time to do my paper for your other class?"

"As of today you don't have any papers. Your primary responsibility is getting me information for Prime Minister Dukov's visit. Your papers are canceled, because I need you for something way more important. If you've already checked out library books, take them back. You won't be doing the class projects."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. You've got your Danubian contacts...your singer friend and whatnot?"

"Yeah, I 'spose..."

"Well, there you go. Put your contacts to use." Burnside paused to hand Cecilia several sheets of paper with a long list of questions. "This is the stuff I need to know. Research topics, so to speak. I need you to tell me as much as you can about what's in these questions. It was stuff I was going to research myself, but now I can't because of the State Legislature crap."

Burnside paused, and then continued with a comment that shocked Cecilia with its raw honesty.

"Now, do you think I'm using you? You bet I am. I need you to surrender your time and your resources to help me, and I'm not shy about admitting it. Right now I could care less about your other assignments. You can spend some other semester digging quotes out of library books. This'll be more important."

Cecilia was dumbfounded. She still could feel the welts from the punishment only two days before. As though none of that had happened, here was Burnside, entrusting her with a very important responsibility of international significance. Just like that, and with no thought that Cecilia possibly would not or could not take on the assignment, with no thought about the fact that officially she still was on academic probation.

Cecilia rushed back to her dorm room and wrote a frantic e-mail to Kimberly Lee, explaining about Dukov's visit and her own role in helping Burnside prepare to receive him. Under ordinary circumstances she never could have expected a celebrity to help her. However, the issue for Kimberly Lee was a personal one, because Dukov had been Kim's defense attorney, or Spokesman, as they said in Upper Danubia. There was hope she would be willing to help out.

Sure enough, several hours later Kim responded, asking Cecilia for the list of questions.

"Send me what you need, and I'll get my friends working on it. My husband knows a lot about our political situation, and he can help you out a bit."

Kim then went on to suggest that Cecilia get together with her sister Cynthia to discuss her Master's thesis and the recent Danubian election. The tone of the e-mail was very clear. Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna saw Cecilia not as a music fan, but as a fellow university student and a person assigned to help her mentor during his visit to the US. It became apparent to Cecilia that Kim was somewhat relieved to have someone she knew in the U.S. available to facilitate Vladim Dukov's visit, someone she could trust.

Over the next several evenings, life moved very quickly for Cecilia. In rapid succession e-mails from Kim and Cynthia with answers to her questions filled her in-box. She began organizing the responses into summaries and supplementing it with her own research from websites and her own suspended term-paper project. There were e-mails to Jim Halsey routed through Cecilia asking about the university's plans and what assistance Halsey's fellow economists could offer the Danubian Prime Minister. Cecilia even found herself helping arrange the actual details of the trip. As for a photographer, well, Cecilia knew a very good one who would work for a minimal fee. She called her friend Suzanne Foster, who was flattered at the thought of being the lead photographer of an official foreign delegation.

When she was not writing, receiving, or organizing e-mails, Cecilia worked on preparing a presentation for Ruth Burnside and her co-workers about Vladim Dukov's government. With that she had help from Cynthia Lee, first by e-mail, and later in person. The two women finally got together the second weekend after Halloween, along with Jason's friend Mike. Cecilia, realizing he was the most level-headed person in Jason's group of friends, decided to ask him to help her. As soon as Mike began looking over Cecilia's research, she became impressed with his ability to organize information into talking points and provide real assistance with preparing a PowerPoint presentation.

There were a few other details to be worked out. The Danubian embassy in Washington sent two Danubian flags to Dr. Halsey along with a music score for the Danubian national anthem. The university band had to learn and practice the music, but unfortunately there was no one available to sing it. Finding someone who could sing the anthem took up far more time than anyone had anticipated, but finally a student from the music department located a woman living in California who could travel to Chicago and perform for the delegation's visit.

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Cecilia and Mike became impressed with Cynthia Lee as they got to know her better. She was very informed about events throughout the world, especially about what was going on in Upper Danubia and other Central European countries. Cecilia realized another very important detail, that her new friend's visit to Upper Danubia the previous year was an example of how a single person can change history. Cynthia Lee never would have admitted it, but she was the person who set in motion a chain of events that handed Vladim Dukov's party the Danubian election.

Cynthia originally had traveled to Danube City to conduct research about the political campaign consultants hired by the opposition GDPP (the Greater Danubian Progressive Party) and their use of modern U.S. election strategies. The topic interested her because she had wanted to do her Master's Thesis on the operations of U.S. political consulting companies in developing countries. Once in Danube City, Cynthia took a personal interest in the campaign and began advising Dukov and his assistants about the role and importance of political consulting in the U.S. and what foreign consulting could mean for the Danubian election. She provided Dukov's advisors with the knowledge they needed to counter much of the negative campaign advertising being aired on television by the GDPP. She then teamed up with a group of young Danubian nationalists supporting Dukov and trained them how to monitor and respond to negative campaign ads.

Cynthia Lee's efforts turned out to be successful beyond her wildest dreams. Starting with a very wide lead in opinion polls, the GDPP watched their public support slowly erode as Danubian voters began to form a favorable opinion of the former defense attorney. As the campaign continued, it appeared likely that Dukov still would lose the election, but not by a very wide margin. That wasn't good enough for the GDPP, whose advisors wanted a clear victory. To avert the risk of having to form a coalition government, the "Progressives" launched a final personal attack. The attack was not directed against Vladim Dukov, but against his son Vladik, who had just resigned from the Danubian National Police over a sex scandal. It turned out the personal attack against Dukov's son was a huge mistake that miscalculated Danubian cultural values. The GDPP's campaign completely fell apart when the Danubian Church got involved and condemned the consultants' campaign tactics. Dukov's party won 58 percent of the popular vote as a result.

Dukov's victory was a huge shock to the U.S. Administration, other European governments, and some major corporations that had bankrolled his opponents. It also was a huge humiliation to the political consultants who had traveled to the country with the blessing of the foreign interests. They had charged their clients millions of dollars, but were countered by a single political science graduate student who essentially was advising Dukov's supporters for free. What was worse for Dukov's opposition was the fact they had counted on paying for the consulting upon being able to access the Danubian National Treasury. With Dukov's party controlling 60 percent of the seats in Parliament, it was obvious the GDPP would have no access to the National Treasury and no way to pay off their debts.

When finally Cynthia left Upper Danubia to return to her studies, Vladim Dukov was solidly in power, with an opposition that was discredited, ruined financially, and viciously divided. The story itself was becoming a case study in failed political consulting that would be analyzed for years by political scientists. And to think, the only direct benefits Cynthia Lee ever got out of the entire affair were some connections and a research topic for her dissertation, a lifetime Danubian visa stamp in her passport, and the heartfelt gratitude of her sister's friends.

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Vladim Dukov entered power with a very clear agenda. He needed to prepare his country to modernize, but at the same time preserve its cultural identity. He also wanted to ensure a fair and equitable society for the Duchy's citizens, one that was safe from crime, drug abuse, and AIDS. The people needed to be educated and drawn out of their traditional isolation, but in a way that did not threaten Danubian cultural values. In an era of globalization and aggressive corporate interests Dukov's goals seemed unrealistic, but he was determined to at least make the effort to modernize the Duchy on Danubian terms.

Dukov was an ardent nationalist. Free trade, free markets, and globalization were not priorities for his government. If Upper Danubia could benefit from a trade deal, great. If the Duchy had to withdraw from trade agreements or international organizations to preserve some aspect of its society, identity, or independence, so be it. Dukov made it very clear from the first day of his government that he had no commitments to foreign interests or to the global economy. When he stated: "My commitment is to Danubia", he actually meant it.

The new government started out by canceling any economic agreement that Dukov and his advisors felt was not in their country's interests. The Prime Minister gave a series of angry speeches in Parliament over the winter and worked to mobilize nationalistic pride among the public. However, Dukov's sense of nationalism was not blind. He knew that ultimately Upper Danubia would have to accommodate itself with the rest of the world, but he was determined to use his followers' nationalism to drive as hard a bargain as possible. The rest of the world would learn that Vladim Dukov's years as a defense attorney had made him a very stubborn and determined negotiator, but ultimately one who was willing to pursue and respect an honest agreement.

There was one major crisis hanging over Vladim Dukov as he began his time in power, and that was repairing the damage from a huge fire that had swept across the eastern provinces of his country nearly two years before. The area was only partially rebuilt and thousands of Danubians continued to live in refugee camps. Until the situation of the refugees was resolved, there was no way Dukov could move forward with any other priorities. The eastern region of his country needed a coherent development plan, which was why he was traveling to Chicago to seek advice from leading economists such as Ruth Burnside and Jim Halsey.

Cecilia learned a detail about the Prime Minister's trip that offered a window into his personality and values. He and his entourage were arriving to Chicago in first class seats, but on a regular flight. The Danubian Parliament had provided the money for the trip, with the exception of the tickets for the Prime Minister and his daughter. Those two tickets he was paying out of his own pocket.

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Vladim Dukov was not the only person Cecilia had to prepare to meet in November. Another looming concern was meeting Jason's parents. Upon realizing that she had nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, Jason did something that was logical under the circumstances, he invited his girlfriend to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Cecilia really had no choice other than to accept. She had to meet his parents at some point and it seemed that she might as well get that taken care of as soon as possible.

Cecilia knew that receiving the approval of the elder Schmidts was both the most important and possibly the most difficult obstacle she had to overcome to achieve her ultimate plans with Jason. As had been the case with his friends, Cecilia's goal was not to do anything that would separate Jason from his parents, but instead obtain their support for continuing the relationship. If Cecilia could get Jason's parents to like and approve of her, then it was likely there would be no further obstacles to impede her ultimate goal of taking complete control over his life.

Cecilia carefully assessed the personal details that favored her and the ones that went against her. Her wardrobe no longer was an issue, given that she recently had spent nearly $ 1,000 on new clothing. She also realized that if she paid attention to how she spoke, she could keep her grammar under control. There wasn't much she could do about her accent, unfortunately. As for her personal life, well, as far as she was concerned she had two lives, the one before Chicago and the one she had lived over the past year. What was relevant was who she was now, not who she had been in New Jersey. There were plenty of details about her current life working in her favor, including her assignment as an RA and her role in helping to arrange Vladim Dukov's visit.

Another factor Cecilia thought she had working in her favor was her talent getting people to talk about themselves instead of allowing them to find out anything about her. She would discover that her ability to turn a conversation's topic away from herself might work just fine with people her own age, but was not so effective with an older person experienced in matching wits against clients and business partners.

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Jason was very content by the middle of November, well aware of the benefits Cecilia had brought into his life. He had done extremely well on all of his midterms, getting an "A" in everything other than his exam with Ruth Burnside. He got an 89 percent on the Burnside mid-term, not bad considering it was the third highest grade in the class. He turned in his term papers with confidence, knowing that they were properly done and well researched. The term paper projects also had passed the inspection of Cecilia, whose judgment was every bit as harsh as any professor's could have been. Jason's papers were delivered ahead of time, giving him the opportunity to help Lisa and Ken with their papers. A couple of other classmates on the dorm floor asked him for assistance, which he provided. He became popular as he cheerfully provided help, and in doing so managed to get his fellow residents to think of him as something more than "the naked runner".

As she watched him, Cecilia was very pleased with Jason's progress. He had come to the university expecting to relax and party, but instead he was pushing himself academically and already very close to passing one of the most difficult freshman-level classes on campus. Perhaps Jason's intelligence was only average, but she had forced her boyfriend to develop that part of himself more than anyone could have expected. That was one thing definitely operating in her favor as far as his parents were concerned; they never could argue that she was a bad influence on his studies.

Cecilia continued to tighten her grip on her boyfriend's sexuality during the weeks following Halloween. She became more demanding of his performance and more insistent he learn how to better please her physical needs. As soon as her welts healed the couple went back to a full massage schedule, with him constantly experimenting with new techniques to relax her body. The nightly sessions of oral sex resumed, as did the somewhat less frequent sessions during which she allowed him to put on a condom and enter her.

Following the midterms Cecilia rewarded Jason for his academic performance by allowing him to make love to her the way he wanted. On three separate occasions she fell into his arms and signaled with her expression that she was surrendering her body to his wishes. Jason's first reward was granted when he received the 89 percent on the Burnside midterm. When he got "A's" on two other midterms, she rewarded him yet again. Rewarding him when he performed to her expectations was every bit as important as punishing him when he failed to meet them. She had no desire to control her boyfriend only through fear and punishment. She loved him, and wanted to make sure he clearly understood that by pleasing her there was a real reward waiting for him, the pleasure of taking control of her body for a short time. The truth was that Cecilia enjoyed pleasing Jason and, as long as he behaved properly, was eager to show that she cared for him. The relationship was about much more than just discipline.

Cecilia enjoyed the times she surrendered herself to Jason, much more than she cared to admit. Sometimes...to just enjoy the feel of her lover's hands on her body, to relax and not have to be telling him what to do, to just feel the sensations of the moment...sometimes that was what she truly needed. There were times she was frightened by how much she enjoyed letting him take charge of a love-making session, not a good thing for a woman who wanted to be the dominant partner in a relationship.

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The second Saturday afternoon following the Halloween party, Cecilia took a good look at herself in her bedroom mirror. She was naked, a habit that was becoming more normal for her. She was following the mental journey her boyfriend had followed years before when he was just starting high school. Several weeks earlier she had begun sleeping without any clothing. By the beginning of November she had learned what a pleasure it could be to simply hang out naked in her room with the warm air caressing her bare skin. She began studying in the nude and only got dressed if she had to leave the room. Starting during the days after Halloween Cecilia also began experimenting with not wearing underwear when she went out. At first she felt incredibly daring as she walked across campus in a long skirt with nothing underneath, feeling the cold autumn air blowing freely against her naked crotch. However, over time being without underwear simply began to feel more comfortable. During the final part of the semester the young woman's thongs and bras normally sat unused in her drawer as she savored a new freedom in life.

The young Dominican reflected that both her African and her Caribbean ancestors understood the comfort of wearing as little as possible in their tropical environments. It was her Spanish ancestors, with their religious ideas and their Inquisition, who felt obligated to indoctrinate everyone else with the idea that the human body was evil. That original Spanish belief still held throughout all of Latin America, so deeply embedded in the culture that even non-religious people felt very uncomfortable with their bodies. As she stood looking at herself, stretching her arms and enjoying the sight of her attractive figure, Cecilia Sanchez realized that she had managed to shed yet another part of the emotional baggage she had carried with her since her childhood. She also realized that it was her boyfriend's comfort with being naked that had made her appreciate the beauty of her own body. In that aspect of her life, it was Jason's values that had changed her own.

The RA reluctantly put on a dress and walked down the hall to patrol her floor. She sat with a resident who was suicidal over having failed several midterms and comforted her until the immediate crisis passed. Finally she prepared to put the girl in contact with the university mental health clinic and worked to convince her to seek counseling. The crisis took up an unexpected amount of time and forced her to call Jason and cancel the plans they had for going out that night.

When she finally was free, she called her disappointed boyfriend and escorted him back to her room. She actually was happy the plans for going out had to be canceled, given that it was a very cold, wet, dreary night outside. It was so much better to enjoy the warm, dry indoors than to brave the Chicago elements.

Once they were safely in her room, Jason quietly looked at Cecilia to see what she wanted him to do. She nodded towards the closet, indicating she wanted him to undress and hang up his clothes. He kicked off his shoes and stripped off the only two items he was wearing, a pair of loose-fitting shorts and a casual shirt. He obediently hung the items on hangers and neatly set his shoes in the closet. He would retrieve the items when she gave him permission, until then he was to remain naked.

She hugged him and gave him a passionate kiss. She then ran her fingers over his chest and gently brushed his penis with her fingertips. He reacted immediately, but knew that it would be a long time before he could expect any relief from his burning desires. She had taught him to wait. She gave him a seductive look with her dark eyes, and then pressed down on his shoulders. He understood what she wanted; pressing on his shoulders was her signal to him that she wanted him to kneel. Once properly on his knees, Jason put his arms around her while she gently stroked his cheek and ran her fingers through his hair.

Jason felt immensely happy at that moment. He was where he wanted to be, under the protection of the one woman on campus who seemed to understand him and his needs. She was guiding him, disciplining him, giving him immense pleasure, and teaching him. Most importantly she loved him. In her own way she loved him much more than he had ever been loved by anyone else.

"Take off my clothes and hang them up please."

He got up and gently undressed her, enormously pleased to see she was not wearing any underwear. He put her dress on a hanger and placed her shoes next to his in the closet. He then approached her, partly expecting to be instructed to get back on his knees. Instead she passionately kissed him as the warmth from her attractive dark figure pressed up against Jason's body. The separated and she sat down on her bed. She reached out her hand, smiling mischievously. Jason realized what she had in mind; he needed to go over her lap.

With no hesitation he settled over her thighs, trying to position himself so that his bottom was relaxed and slightly bent. He had surrendered himself to her, but was unsure what she planned to do. There were nights she was content to simply caress his buttocks with her fingertips and the palms of her hands. There were other nights when she lovingly spanked him, although she rarely spanked him more than once every 10 days or so. Jason figured that tonight he was due for an erotic spanking, since he had not had one for several weeks.

Cecilia took her time. She sensuously caressed Jason's pale skin, and even bent down to gently kiss both bottom-cheeks. She ran her fingers up the middle and gently touched the backs of his testicles, but then returned to caressing the tempting mounds of his lovely backside. She gently spoke to her lover, emphasizing that he belonged to her and that his bottom was hers to do with as she pleased. She reminded him that he needed both her love and her discipline, which he realized was very true.

Slowly the anticipation began to build, those exciting minutes before the first slap landed. The waiting was a part of the discipline that both Cecilia and Jason treasured, a part of the spanking ceremony both sought to drag out as long as possible. Finally Jason sighed and tilted his bottom up, silently begging her to start spanking. That detail was not lost on the young woman.

"You naughty boy. If I wasn't mistaken' I'd say you was askin' me to spank you." She stopped and left her hand resting on his bottom. "So, is that it? You think you're naughty enough to have a good spanking from me?"

"Yes...Cecilia. I'm naughty and I need you to spank me."

"Now, don't be so rude to me, amorcito. You need to ask me right."

"Cecilia...please...spank me on the bare bottom."

"A good, hard, bare bottom spanking? That's what you're askin' from me?"

"Yes, Cecilia...please give me a good bare bottom spanking."

With that she leaned down and gently kissed his bottom yet again, and then stopped, leaving her hand in place to let him know where the first slap was going to land.

"You're such a naughty boy, and I'm gonna fix that naughty bottom of yours."

Jason's desire to be spanked was overwhelming long before he felt the first sharp smack from his girlfriend's hand. When the first SLAP finally did mark his unprotected bottom, it was more of a relief, the final breaking of the tension that had been building up as he lay over her lap. The pain was just right, sharp enough to break the tension and arouse his senses. It hurt, but at the same time felt really, really good. He gasped: "Spank me...spank me."

Cecilia was a bit surprised, but very pleased. She had trained him well, trained him to the point that he wanted her to discipline him. To submit, to expose his soul and his body to her, and to feel just the right amount of pain in his tender backside, was what he needed to experience real pleasure. She had known that about Jason from the very beginning, but now he knew it as well.

She spanked him very slowly, with sharp slaps spaced well apart. She struck hard, studied the handprint from the swat, gently laid her palm on the other side of his bottom to let him know where the next slap would land, and laid on another crisp SMACK! The minutes went by and sweat trickled down Jason's body as both the pain in his bottom and the arousal in his soul mounted. All of his senses were at their peak. Never had he felt as alive as he felt at that moment, torn between wanting to experience ever-more severe pain and wanting relieve the intense sexual desire burning in his crotch. His penis was very, very hard, with a throbbing erection that pressed into his lover's thigh. He was so turned-on that he almost had trouble breathing, as he lay gasping over her lap.

It was Cecilia who finally made the decision what to do about Jason's state of arousal. That erection was for her, for her to enjoy, for her to feel inside her body. She suddenly stopped spanking and pushed him up. A condom was sitting handy on her nightstand and within a couple of seconds it was out of its package and safely covering his penis.

Cecilia then did something that surprised not only Jason, but also surprised herself. The young woman's own lust pushed her to get on her elbows and knees on the bed instead of making him lie on his back so she could straddle him. She submissively spread her backside and presented herself to her lover, in what she knew was his favorite position. He entered her, grabbed her thighs, pressed into her desperate vagina, and thrust very hard. Yes...that was what she wanted...very hard thrusts. Sweat trickled down her body as she gritted her teeth and pushed back into him, wanting him to get as deeply inside her as possible. They climaxed right at the same moment, two lovers whose needs matched each other and whose bodies clearly understood the balance between pain and pleasure.

A short time later they were lying quietly in her bed, Jason asleep in her arms as she gently ran her fingers through his hair. Cecilia reflected that even when he was awake Jason looked very young, but asleep he seemed even younger and almost child-like. She was only a year older than he was, but in many ways, on the inside, she felt much older than that. Certainly she was much older than he was when it came to having endured negative experiences in life.

As she lay quietly stroking Jason's hair and feeling the pleasant ache between her legs from her recent sexual exertions, Cecilia's thoughts drifted from her boyfriend to herself. Yes, it was obvious that she had him completely under her control, but she now was beginning to wonder whether she really had herself under control. There were times she seemed not to be able to withstand her own instincts, when her body demanded she set aside her plans and surrender to her sexual cravings. That worried the Dominican, because whenever she lost control over her body and her physical actions she felt very disconcerted, the same way an overly confident teenager might feel when he has his first close encounter with mortality.

Cecilia Sanchez thought she had everything figured out. It had seemed that she knew exactly what she needed. It had seemed that she understood everyone around her. Hah! What a bunch of nonsense! She now realized she didn't even understand herself, let alone understand anyone else.

The Freshman - Chapter 17