Back to Chapter 21
Chapter 22 - Finals week
The Danubians departed Chicago late Saturday afternoon for Washington.
There was a brief formal ceremony at the university marking their
departure, followed by an unceremonious trip to the O�Hare Airport and a
quick flight to Washington. In the US capitol there would be no official
welcome from any Administration officials. The Danubians would go
straight to their country�s embassy for an official dinner, then spend
one day touring the US capitol before Dukov gave his presentation on
Monday. Immediately after the National Press Club appearance, there
would be an overnight stop in Ottawa before the flight to Europe.
Cecilia was very sorry to see the Danubians leave Chicago. Although she
had only talked three times to the Prime Minister, she felt a real
affinity towards him. She enjoyed watching him as he spoke and
interacted with his US hosts. She especially liked the way he interacted
with his fellow government officials, people who until very recently had
not been his subordinates, but rather his co-workers. Apart from the
mandatory exchanges of salutes, there was absolutely nothing in Dukov�s
behavior indicating that he saw himself as superior in any way to the
other members of his delegation. In fact, when speaking to Alexi Havlakt,
Cecilia could tell that Dukov addressed him with a great deal of respect
and that he relied on the older man�s insight to supplement his own.
The members of the Foundation and even some reporters marveled at the
modest demeanor of the Danubians throughout their visit. The only luxury
they afforded themselves during the entire trip was a day of sightseeing
in Washington DC, and even that was simply because it was a Sunday and
there really was very little else for them to do. As for where they
stayed, that would be in the Danubian Embassy. The Prime Minister had no
desire to spend money on hotels if it was not necessary.
----------
Cecilia wrote at length to Kimberly Lee about Dukov�s visit and the
impression the delegation had left on her. She asked some questions
about Alexi Havlakt and asked Kim to fill her in about the historical
site in Sumy Ris. She also thanked Kim for the CD�s for Jason�s
grandmother, mentioning that she already had sent them by overnight mail
to their final recipient earlier in the week.
The online relationship between Kimberly and Cecilia took off after
Dukov�s visit. Cecilia wrote extensively about her current semester at
the university and her studies to major in economics. Kim responded by
talking about her own studies and the overall lifestyle of the members
of �Socrates� Mistresses�. The band still was producing music, but now
that they no longer could sing outside of Upper Danubia, its members had
decided to pursue other careers and keep singing as a hobby.
�I think that�s actually helped us a lot, because last year, when we
were touring, I was seeing the beginnings of tension between our members
over money and musical direction. I know that when our contract got
canceled, Dima (my singing partner�s husband) was happy about it. He
didn�t want the money. What he wanted was for us to sing what we felt,
and he thought that the contract and the touring and the pressure were
starting to get in the way. It wasn�t fun any more. Now we�re back where
we started, at the Socrates Club. I think it�s a lot more enjoyable for
all of us, because singing is our chance to get together and escape from
our other responsibilities in life.�
Cecilia was aware that whenever �Socrates� Mistresses� sang, they always
performed in the nude. The band�s website had several uncensored
pictures from recent concerts which clearly showed the five singers
wearing nothing but their criminal collars while on stage. Performing as
criminals had become the group�s trademark: it was where they had
started and what they had returned to. That decision by the popular
group had influenced how Danubians looked upon criminals in general and
how people currently serving sentences saw themselves.
The music originating from the Socrates Club had become more influential
than ever and a source of real national pride among the Danubians. The
Danubian music scene was becoming popular throughout Europe and it
seemed that Danube City was well on its way to being an important
destination for tourists interested in buying CD�s and attending
concerts. Hotels and concert halls around Danube City were full to
capacity, so much so that some of the concerts were moving to provincial
towns. �Socrates� Mistresses� could count on any concert they gave to be
sold out, so, even with their international contract canceled, they
could not complain about the income they received from their singing.
The online conversation shifted to Upper Danubia�s criminal justice
system and Kim�s goal to become a Spokeswoman for the Criminal
specializing in representing convicted foreigners. Kim was able to
answer Cecilia�s questions about the Danubian system and the country�s
unique way of punishing criminals. She wrote at length about her
ambition to follow in Vladim Dukov�s footsteps and pursue a career in
the Danubian courts. She already was in her third year of studies at the
Law School at the National University in Danube City and recently had
been certified as a Court Apprentice in Full Standing.
Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna explained that in the Danubian judicial system the
Spokesperson for the Criminal took the place of both the public defense
attorney and the parole officer in the US system. The Spokesperson was
an extremely important position, because the moment a suspect was placed
under arrest, he or she was placed under the legal custody of a
Spokesperson, who had duties and rights similar to those of a parent of
an underage child. The Spokesperson presented the suspect in trial and
explained the case from the suspect�s point of view. If the suspect was
convicted and collared, it was the Spokesperson�s responsibility to
ensure the client was gainfully employed, living a lifestyle that would
ensure no further criminal activity, and properly adjusting to the harsh
conditions and demands placed on the convicted criminal�s daily life and
activities. The Spokesperson had final say over anything a client did or
decided.
In Kim�s case, although she was only an Apprentice, she already held
legal custody over six convicted criminals, all of them foreigners
arrested in Danube City for drug violations. It surprised Cecilia to
learn that Kim was rather strict with her six clients, very insistent
they show her proper protocol at all times. As Kim explained: �I�m not
their friend. I am their custodian and their mentor. It is my duty to
watch over them, and it is their duty to obey me. If they question what
I�m telling them to do, I always ask them to look at me and consider
whether anything I want them to do is going to harm them in any way or
help me at their expense. Of course they never have an answer to that
question and so they end up obeying me.�
----------
Kim wrote at length about her very first client, a young American called
Tiffany Walker who was serving a 35-year sentence for perjury. Tiffany
had been a close friend of Kim in high school and was traveling with her
and another friend when the three were arrested in Danube City. By lying
to the arraignment committee, she and the other girl narrowly escaped
being charged with marijuana possession by the Danubian government. They
left Danube City, abandoning Kim to her fate. The following week the two
girls� drug use caught up with them when they got sick with hepatitis
while sharing a needle in a Prague nightclub. Tiffany survived, but
returned to the US and drifted for nearly two years. She spent her time
experimenting with various drugs and working as a prostitute, her
self-esteem totally shattered by her disastrous trip to Europe. Finally
she ended up back in her hometown as a stripper supporting the habit of
a methamphetamine addict.
The strip club was where Kim found her former friend when she returned
to the US for a brief visit after completing her sentence. T
iffany had
started using methamphetamine when Kim confronted her, but fortunately
her addiction had not yet severely damaged her health. Although she was
well-aware of what was happening and that she was ruining her prospects
for having a decent life, Kim�s former friend lacked the will to
extricate herself from her situation. The responsibility of saving
Tiffany fell to Kim. It was Kim who convinced her to return to Upper Danubia, face sentencing, and live as a convicted criminal under her
supervision. Leaving the US with Kim would be Tiffany�s final chance to
break away from her addictions, the final opportunity to save herself
that fortunately she took advantage of. Kim�s new client spent a month
in a Danubian rehab program, and then was convicted of perjury and
sentenced by a Danubian court.
Kim had a comment: �I think Tiffany�s story shows just how bad meth
really is. We both knew that no matter how bad her life would be serving
as a convicted criminal in Danube City, it was the only realistic
alternative she had to slowly killing herself on meth. And she�s still
addicted. She hasn�t used anything for a year and a half, but she still
gets those cravings. It�s a very rough life, the one she has now, but
she did manage to get away from the old one. Just having gotten away,
and not having the choice available to kill herself anymore has made her
very happy, in spite of all the crap she has to put up with as a
criminal.�
What made Tiffany�s existence in Danube City truly unusual was her
personal life. In spite of being a convicted criminal, she was the
fianc� of Vladik Dukov, who was a police officer and the Prime
Minister�s son. Eventually Tiffany and Vladik would get married, but
getting married, even to the Prime Minister�s son, would not affect her
legal status as a criminal. Until she completed her sentence, Kim would
remain her custodian. Tiffany would have to answer to her Spokeswoman,
not her husband.
There was a further detail about Tiffany�s situation that Cecilia found
totally astounding. In Upper Danubia, the arresting police officer was
responsible for inflicting any corporal punishments assigned by the
trial judge as part of the criminal�s sentence. In Tiffany�s case, the
law meant that, because he had present during her initial arrest, Vladik
Dukov was assigned to administer the yearly switchings. At the
conclusion of her trial it was Vladik who switched Tiffany in court, and
he switched her a second time the past summer.
When Tiffany became engaged, Kim offered to have another police officer
assigned to punish her. However, Tiffany insisted that no, she did not
want anyone else to switch her other than Vladik. She felt that the
yearly switchings were an important part of her redemption and it was
important that the person punishing her was the man who loved her.
Vladik was severe with the switch and showed no mercy, not even to
his own fianc�. Still, Tiffany insisted that he remain in charge of her
punishments.
Kim concluded: �I suppose the situation between Tiffany and Vladik, and
her whole attitude, must sound totally weird to you. You�d have to know
what she�s gone through in life to understand why she is the way she is.
I�d guess none of this makes much sense to you, but here in Danube City
the way people think is different from the way people think in the US.
If you�ve ever seen anyone on drugs, you�ll know that changes the way
they think also.�
Cecilia knew, from her own experiences, that Kim�s last sentence was
very true.
----------
The concept of legal custody fascinated Cecilia, partly because of her
long-term plans for Jason. She knew that in Upper Danubia, custody was a
legally binding arrangement, fully sanctioned and codified under
Danubian law. Cecilia asked Kim if custody arrangements ever happened
between people other than Spokespersons and criminals. Her heart jumped
when she received Kim�s answer; most definitely there were many
instances of non-judicial custody in Upper Danubia. The two most common
were public penance and cases of identified substance abusers. A person
performing public penance placed himself under the custody of the
Danubian Church, for a period of time agreed upon by the sinner and a
Temple Priest. The other most common instance of non-judicial custody
involved people who were identified substance abusers, but had not been
convicted of any crime. The philosophy of the Danubian government was
that substance abusers had forfeited the right to control their own
lives, but could not be subjected to the judicial system if they had not
broken any laws. The solution was to award formal custody to a family
member, most often a spouse. Kim concluded: �I�d guess that�s why we
don�t have too many drunks in the Duchy. How many men are going to want
to take orders from a pissed-off wife who�s got legal authority from the
government?�
Kim�s final comment got Cecilia thinking...hmm...a husband under the
custody of his wife...legal custody. She wrote back: �I was curious
about something. Does this whole custody thing apply only to substance
abusers? Are there ever any cases that a husband is placed under the
custody of his wife, because, maybe they both agreed that what�s best
for their marriage?�
Kim answered: �Sometimes it happens that way. Most often it�s for
adultery or some other thing that one partner did to offend the other.
Those cases are handled by the Church, and they fall under the rules for
public penance. That means the person who is surrendering custody has to
give up their clothing, wear a collar, and kneel before their partner. I
have a classmate at the university who�s doing that right now. She�s
engaged, but a year ago she went to Germany for a semester and had an
affair while she was there. She came back feeling all guilty about it,
so she confessed to her fianc�. I guess he was willing to forgive her,
but she wouldn�t forgive herself. Finally she went to the Temple and
asked a Priest to collar her and write up a certificate of custody for
her fianc�. She took the certificate and gave it to him, and insists on
kneeling whenever she speaks to him. What�s weird was that it was
something she insisted on doing, not because it was anything he really
wanted. And she�s gotten used to living like that. She�s been wearing
her collar for over a year. They�re getting married next month, but she
says she wants to keep wearing her collar even after the wedding. I
wouldn�t be surprised if she stays that way the rest of her life.�
Cecilia�s heart pounded and she could feel the wetness building between
her legs. Jason...that was what she fantasized about doing with Jason.
She wanted complete dominance over him and make him kneel whenever he
spoke to her. Apparently if she were Danubian she could do it, become
his legal custodian and control every detail of his life. To have him
wear a collar, follow her around naked in public, drop to his knees
whenever he spoke to her, and have him be legally required to do
anything she commanded him to do�that was exactly what she wanted for
her relationship with her boyfriend. If only she had some means of
getting herself and Jason to Danube City�
----------
The semester was drawing to a close. The professors gave their final
lectures, there was a two-day break for students to catch up on studying
for their finals, and then the tests. Burnside had Cecilia proctor the
examinations for the freshman classes, including the exam for the Theory
class that had to be re-written because it had been compromised.
Cecilia�s heart pounded and her face turned red when the professor
handed her a stack of re-written tests to pass out. However, true to her
word, Burnside made no comment whatsoever about the unexpected extra
work Cecilia had forced her to do. The matter between the two women had
been settled during the Halloween party. The only reminder she ever
would have of the incident would be a copy of the department memo ending
her academic probation. The memo would be issued on the day final grades
for the semester were posted.
Cecilia quickly found out that Burnside was perfectly willing to bend
the rules of her department when she felt it was necessary. In spite of
being on probation and officially prohibited from assisting with grading
tests, Burnside tasked Cecilia with helping Mark Gertz grade 50 essay
exams. She ordered Cecilia to make photocopies of the essays, and then
write corrections and comments on the copies to give to the TA. Cecilia
felt the exercise was a horrible waste of effort and paper, but Burnside
wanted to prepare her scholarship student to work as an assistant during
her junior year. If Cecilia had any problems with her ability to grade
other students� work, Burnside wanted to catch them early and use the
following semester to correct them. Precisely because Burnside selected
and prepared her assistants in advance, her grading always went
smoothly.
----------
In addition to her own exams for her sophomore classes, Cecilia had to
worry about the success of her floor in general and Jason and his
friends in particular. She grilled them ruthlessly and demanded they
spend as much time as possible helping other floor residents. As a
result, Jason and his friends went into their exams confident that they
knew the material, and were well-practiced in explaining it to others.
Jason finished his first semester with four �A�s� and two �B�s� for
final grades. Mike did even better, getting all �A�s�, including a very
rare �A� from Ruth Burnside. Ken and Lisa each got three �A�s� and three
�B�s�. The four students thus had begun their college careers with solid
academic averages.
Jason, for the first time in his life, felt that he could face his
father with confidence when he went home for Christmas. Whatever
criticism Mr. Schmidt might have had in store would be muted by his
son�s academic success. Obviously his grandmother, who had argued with
his father to let him study out of state, would be vindicated by Jason�s
performance. Perhaps there would be no warmth between him and his
parents, but Jason could look forward to a peaceful Christmas break
without having to listen to constant digs about what a failure he was.
----------
In spite of their academic success over the fall semester, Christmas
would be a difficult time for young couple, because they would be forced
to spend three weeks separated from each other. Jason could not stay in
the dorm because the university required all freshmen to vacate over
Christmas break. Only RA�s could stay in their rooms, which was
fortunate because Cecilia had nowhere else to go. The issue of her
traveling to Wisconsin never came up, given that no one; not her, not
Jason, not Jason�s parents; had any desire to endure a repeat of the
Thanksgiving disaster.
As their three-week separation loomed, Cecilia and Jason felt very
uneasy, almost scared. They had become so emotionally dependent on each
other that each felt lost if the other was not nearby. Cecilia was even
more affected by the pending separation than was Jason. The thought of
being apart from him tormented her because she needed him. She was
confused over her distress and became very angry with herself. She had
promised herself that after Vicente, she never again would become
psychologically dependent on a boyfriend. Because she needed Jason so
badly, she had broken that promise. She asked herself, if she and Jason
had agreed that she was the one in charge of their relationship, why
should she be so upset at the thought of being separated from him?
Shouldn�t it be the other way around?
The only answer she could find was that she felt safe when she was with
him. He loved her with all of his being, and in her own way, she loved
him in return. For the only time in her life she trusted a man enough to
partially be able open up to him. The reason she was able to open up to
him at all was because, as she said it, he didn�t give her any shit.
There was a second part of that reason: while he �didn�t give her no
shit�, he certainly took it from her. He calmly put up with her demands,
her controlling behavior, her foul temper, and her mood swings with
patience and cheerfulness. He loved her enough to consistently withstand
her quirks, day after day. She fully knew that she was as hard to get
along with as a woman possibly could be, and yet he still loved her.
At that point in her life Cecilia did not realize, by insisting on
remaining in control of every aspect of her relationship with Jason,
that she unwittingly had thwarted her lifelong goal of maintaining her
own emotional independence. By living his life to suit her needs, Jason
had made Cecilia emotionally dependent on him. She needed him to be
present in her life and obey her orders, every bit as much as he needed
her to prevent his own weaknesses from allowing him fail.
At the end of their first semester together, it was Jason who actually
understood the situation between himself and Cecilia better than she
did. By coming together they had filled voids in each other�s lives.
Their souls, damaged and incomplete alone, fit together like two pieces
of a puzzle into a bond that actually worked for both of them. Jason
understood something else that was important. The Christmas of his
freshman year would be the final time of his life that he would or could
be separated from Cecilia. Over the spring semester the ties between
them would only strengthen, to the point that neither would be able to
go anywhere or do anything without the other.
Perhaps the Danubians had the best way of saying it, the path of their
lives already had been chosen, the only option they had was to follow.
----------
On their final night together, Jason invited Cecilia to dinner and a
late semester musical recital at the Music School. As usual, they went
well dressed, she in her Danubian dress and he in a dark suit. They both
were much quieter then usual. They wanted to enjoy their final night of
the year and feel each other�s presence, but there really was no need
for them to try to express themselves with words.
It was a clear but bitterly cold night as they walked back to Huntington
Hall. The campus was mostly empty because the majority of the students
already had left. As they returned, she was very affectionate and very
subdued, her normal demeanor totally lacking. Jason knew that night was
one of those rare occasions it was up to him to take control of the
evening.
There was to be a final round of love-making in Cecilia�s room. The
distress from she felt facing the next three weeks without him showed
very clearly in her face. Her normal bossiness was gone, replaced by a
rare submissiveness and vulnerability. That night she wanted to
surrender herself and have him take charge of their lovemaking. She
signaled her desire by quietly standing in the middle of her room,
quietly waiting to be told what he wanted her to do.
Jason remained fully dressed, except for his coat, which he took off and
hung up. He then gently unbuttoned and removed her coat, and hung it up
next to his own. He undid the ties of the Danubian dress, loosening them
as much as possible. He kissed her neck for a few seconds, and then
motioned her to raise her arms. He pulled the dress up over her head
and, knowing how important that dress was to her, carefully hung it up.
Cecilia was left wearing nothing but her shoes and her usual thong. He
decided to take off the thong first, knowing that she would feel much
more naked if he left her shoes on for a few minutes. He ran his hands
down her bare back, caught the skimpy waistband of her underwear with
his thumbs, and proceeded to lower the thong to her feet. He motioned
her to step out of it, and put the tiny garment in her linen bag.
Cecilia�s shapely dark figure, illuminated by the closet light and
unencumbered by any cloth, beckoned Jason to explore with his eyes and
with his hands. He relished the sight of her, looking so vulnerable and
helpless wearing nothing but her shoes. As he foresaw, she looked and
felt much more naked in just her shoes than she would have wearing
nothing at all.
Still completely dressed in his suit, he hugged her. As her bare skin
pressed up against the layers of cloth still covering the body of her
boyfriend, she felt even more vulnerable. She was in a very submissive
mood and he would be able to enjoy her from his favorite sexual
position, on her elbows and knees with her bottom spread, with her very
wet vagina properly presented for his pleasure. He suspected that had he
wanted to put her over his lap and spank her, at that moment she would
have allowed him to do so.
He took her hands and made her turn around. They were facing a
full-length mirror, so he made her look at herself and the contrast of
her naked body against his suit. She continued to stand facing her own
image as he ran his hands over her breasts and kissed her neck. He had
been right. The sight of herself, her bare body exposed and contrasting
with her well-dressed companion, excited her. She felt the familiar
burning and wetness between her legs as she continued to study her image
and feel his hands explore her body. For a long time he played with her,
lightly touching and kissing her, as she silently stood watching herself
become more and more aroused. Yes�he knew her body. He knew how to
torment her, tease her, and make her desperate. Tonight she would have
to wait until he was ready to relieve her burning desire. Without saying
anything out loud, that was what she had agreed, to surrender herself
and let him take control of her body.
He turned her around so that her bottom was facing the mirror. She
looked back at herself as he ran his hands over her tender backside,
exploring her bottom-cheeks and running his fingertips along the
sensitive area in between. She was sweating and trembling with
anticipation. He could feel her heart beating and hear her irregular
breaths. He realized the moment had come.
He pulled off her shoes and guided her onto her bed. Her instincts took
over and she became desperate to be entered and satisfied. She arched
her back, shamelessly exposing herself, placing her trembling
bottom-hole and glistening vulva on full display for her love. For the
moment she had forgotten about everything else in her life. What she
needed was to be taken, to be entered, and to be fulfilled.
He struggled out of his own clothing and threw everything on a chair.
Seeing her lovely sweaty body so submissively presented made him very
hard, and very desperate to get inside her. Still, he wanted to make her
wait, just a little bit longer. He gently ran the palm of his hand over
her posterior, massaging and lightly patting it. She reared back
slightly, inviting him to explore the wet, sensitive area in between.
He took out a condom and with unsteady hands pulled the protection over
his very stiff penis. He kissed her sweaty bottom and then pushed into
her. She reared back, gasping and pushing hard against him, desperate to
get him as far inside her as possible. He grabbed her thighs and roughly
moved back and forth. As he thrust and thrust, a thought passed through
his head that made him very, very aroused.
Her reaction to having her bottom caressed and patted had made him
understand something important. At some point in the future he was
destined to spank her. That night she would have allowed him to do it,
but he knew better than to jump at the first chance. If he made her
wait, later on she would actually want him to spank her, not just allow
it. She would let him know that she actually needed to be spanked. She
would beg him to do it. When that moment came he would place her over
his lap and gently massage her trembling bottom. He would start slowly,
going from massaging to gentle pats, from gentle pats to soft slaps,
then from soft slaps to much harder slaps. It would be a very long
spanking, with plenty of kisses and caresses mixed with painful swats.
He knew it would happen someday, the way he envisioned it. He could read
it in her eyes. But before that moment came he would have to spend much
more of his own life meeting her needs and submitting to her discipline.
He could only spank her when she completely and fully trusted him, and
that moment of trust would not come until long after he had given
himself over to her, fully and completely. He was well on his way to
completely surrendering himself to her, but he knew he still had a long
way to go.
Still, as he continued thrusting into his gasping companion, Jason�s
thoughts were not focused on the further sacrifices in life he would
have to make to ensure her happiness. Instead he was thinking about her
lovely dark bottom, properly positioned over his lap, ready and waiting
to receive the sensuous slaps of a lover�s spanking. Her bottom filled
his thoughts and fantasies as he continued thrusting and thrusting, as
she squealed from a savagely wonderful orgasm.
