These stories & excerpts are posted in draft form every week, and may contain adult themes and content. Each story/excerpt will be available for one week, until the next one is posted. Enjoy!
There will be no installment next week, November 25th. This story will resume on December 2nd.
Initiation
“Wrong glass.”
The room grew silent at those two words, and I looked around, trying to figure out just what had happened. Queen Bea looked at the man who had admonished me and raised one eyebrow, earning a defensive shrug from my would-be patron.
“Now George,” she said, “I did say to be gentle.”
The man gave me a long look, and then smiled at her. “I haven’t done anything, yet. But she has to learn somehow. Isn’t that why you sent her to me?”
Queen Bea hesitated for a moment, and then nodded as she turned away, apparently done with the conversation. As if she’d flipped a switch, everyone started laughing and talking again, as if nothing happened, and I had an uneasy feeling that whatever I had just missed was somehow very important.
“I’ll get you another glass.” I turned and went back to the sideboard, peering more carefully at all the glass options available. It took a minute, but thankfully I remembered what my father had always taken his scotch in. Once prepared, I took the low-ball glass of amber liquid back to the man in the corner. He lowered his paper, looked at the glass, and after some time finally reached out to take it from me.
“You were slow. There are consequences for getting things wrong,” he said. “Now go to your room, lie face down on the bed, and wait for me.”
I glanced at Queen Bea, who was watching from the other side of the room. She gave just a slight nod I took to mean I should do as he said. Looking back at the man, I started to respond. “My room is the bl –” I stopped when he held his hand up .
“I know which room it is. You’re wearing a blue dress, which means you’re in the blue room. And you will address me as Sir.” He looked at me expectantly with one dark eyebrow raised, and I was keenly aware that the room had grown quiet again, with people speaking in hushed tones for some reason.
“Yes, sir.” I spoke quietly too, my face burning at having caused so much drama in just my first hour on the job. I turned and fled the room, wanting only to get away from all of those prying eyes. It was a relief to run up the stairs to my room and close the door. He said that I should land the bed face down and wait, and I didn’t know how long he would be, but I climbed up on the bed, laid down on my stomach and settled in, contemplating whether this would be my punishment or whether there was something more sinister in store. Surely Bea wouldn’t allow me to be harmed my first day under her protection.
I must’ve fallen asleep, because when next I opened my eyes, the room was dark save for a lamp burning on the nightstand next to the bed. I raised my head to look around, and saw the man from earlier sitting in a chair right next to my bed.
“Don’t move,” he said, his voice gruff. “Your punishment will commence shortly.”
