Archive-name: Bondage/caramia.txt
Archive-author: Tamara A. Adrine-Davis   (c) 1992
Archive-title: SARTRE - CaraMia


Sartre
                         CHAPTER ONE

     Cara was awakened by Mia's soft nuzzling on her ear and vague
memories of her skillful ministrations the night before.  "Time to
rise and shine," Mia said softly adding a playful slap on Cara's ass. 
"You've got a 2 o'clock appointment for the final fitting and we're
going to have to rush as it is."

     Cara stretched and rubbed her eyes in an effort to move back into
that thing called the "real world" instead of the wonderfully carefree
land that comprised her dreams.  "What time is it anyway?" she mumbled
as she looked at the clock on the bedstand, vision still slightly out
of focus.  "Ugh!  It's already noon.  Can't I just sleep for a little
while longer?  Say, maybe until about Christmas?"

     "Caramel Denton Hardy, YOU, my love, are getting married tomorrow
and there's work to be done.  Get your butt out of bed and hit the
shower...NOW!"

     Not one to ignore Mia's best toppish voice, Cara crawled out of
the warm space that was the bed she'd shared with her lover for three
years now.  She meandered over to the bathroom doorway and looked over
her shoulder to see Mia watching and smiling back at her.  "Sure you
don't want to join me?" Cara asked in a most coquettish tone.

     "No hon, I'm saving myself."

     "Oh?  For what, pray tell?"  Cara inquired in genuine surprise
and a raised eyebrow.

     "You'll see."

     "Hmph!"  Cara sniffed and sauntered into the bathroom.

     Mia's seeming enthusiasm for the grand event was more facade than
the genuine article.  Inside there was a pain so sharp that she was
afraid to let it out for fear that it would cut both she and Cara in
two.  Cara was the love that she never thought she'd find.  They'd
been together first as friends, then roommates and, finally, as
lovers.  Now, in a scarce 24 hours, she would face the loss of someone
she didn't know how to live without.  She couldn't remember a time
when Cara wasn't in her life.  They'd met when they were both in law
school at Backus and working on a particularly dreadful assignment
together as 1L's.  Mia was the radical feminist lesbian and Cara was
the bourgeois, spoiled brat daughter of a noted surgeon.  All in all,
a very unlikely combination.  As the years passed, they had absorbed a
bit of each other.  Hell, more than a bit.  They were a part of each
other that no one else could have, or so Mia thought.  Cara was always
the one who turned heads of men and women alike when she walked into a
room.  She wasn't strikingly beautiful, but she had a way about her
that suggested an intelligent sensuality emanating from deep within. 
She had more men chasing her than almost any woman on a decidedly male
campus.  Yet, Cara had chosen to be with her.  In the beginning
neither of them really knew what was happening.  Cara vehemently
proclaimed her heterosexuality.  Nevertheless, they couldn't seem to
get enough of each other.  Their classmates didn't talk to one without
mentioning the other.  Where one went, the other would shortly follow.
They had a way of communicating that no one understood except them. 
They could transmit complete thoughts with just a look.  Oh yes, there
were the jokes about their names, but everyone took them in fun. 
There were also the snickers and jibes behind their backs.  Backus,
after all, was probably one of the most conservative law schools in
the Midwest.  Still, they were inseparable.  That is, until Harrison. 

     For some reason Harrison turned Cara's head when no other man
could.  Mia had to admit that he was absolutely gorgeous with his mane
of thick red hair and ruddy complexion.  Cara met him while she was
clerking for a federal judge after graduation and he was defense
counsel in a RICO case.  He'd graduated from University of Virginia a
few years before and, at the age of 30, was a partner in a small
boutique law firm specializing in difficult criminal cases.  She and
Cara had been lovers for about a year then and had lived together even
longer in a duplex they'd rented in their last year of school.  After
Harrison's case was over he began to call on occasion.  Mia didn't
worry because Cara often got calls from men she didn't know.  She'd
even played and slept with a few.  Nothing to get excited about.  Just
randoms.  The flowers began to arrive shortly there after. 
Interesting, cute even, but nothing to be concerned about.  Cara loved
her.  She was sure of that. They'd settled into being the
quintessential MOTSS couple.  They were even saving to buy a house of
their own one day soon.  They'd talked about having a baby together if
they could find a suitable donor.  And yes, they made love.  Oh God,
how they made love!  How many nights had they spent tearing at each
other with a passion unmatched by that of any man?  How many times had
they soared off together reaching heights that neither had imagined
until they'd found each other?  No, Mia didn't worry.  At least,
that's what she told herself.  She casually asked Cara who this
Harrison person was.  Cara told her that he was just someone she'd met
at the courthouse who kept bugging her for a date.  "Nothing to worry
about," Cara had said.  So, Mia didn't.  Then, Harrison showed up one
night unexpectedly on their front stoop complete with two tickets to a
basketball game.  That's when Mia began to worry.

     Cara stepped into the shower and let the streams of hot water
pound away at the aches she felt all over her body.  She'd had a bit
too much to drink at the rehearsal dinner and a bit to much exercise
with Mia last night.  "Christ, tomorrow," she thought as she leaned
against the side of the shower stall.  A shiver ran up her spine from
some place deep within, catching her unaware.  She thought back on the
previous night again and smiled to herself as she gathered lather on
her hands and began to soap her mound.  She noticed how tender her
clit and lips were, no doubt from the clothespins that Mia had placed
there.  "I'm going to miss this."  She sighed sadly and shook her
head.  She tried to remind herself that Mia would still be there and
that they'd still be together quite often.  Yet, she knew in her heart
that it wouldn't be the same.  She soaped her breasts and felt the
nipples rise under her hand.  Smiling to herself once more, she
remembered that they'd been tortured for what seemed to be hours
before Mia would allow her the pleasure of an orgasm.  "Yeah, that's
what I'll miss most--her touch," she said quietly to herself as she
probably unfairly compared Harrison and Mia.  Sure, Harrison was good,
but it just wasn't the same.  No man had ever touched her like Mia had
touched both her body and her life.  For so long Mia had been
everything to her.  She'd been her classmate, her best friend, her
lover.  Mia had taught her about life.  She'd taught her about
politics.  She'd taught her what it meant to be a strong woman.  Most
of all, Mia had given her a reason to love and to love her.  She was
the first woman that Cara had ever been attracted to, much less loved.
Sure, she was surprised when she discovered that she could care for
another woman in that way, but that didn't mean that she loved her any
less.  They'd made a home and a life together.  Then, Harrison came
along and changed everything.  When she first began to suspect that
she had strong feelings for him she was confused.  She didn't want to
tell Mia because she knew that it would hurt her terribly.  That's the
last thing that she wanted to do.  Thinking back on it, she remembered
that there was a period when they seemed to be avoiding each other. 
Did Mia know then?  Maybe.  Still, they were both afraid to talk about
it.  

     Cara began to wash her face and remembered the first time that
she and Mia really talked about Harrison.  It was about six weeks
after he'd first taken her out.  She and Mia had been getting into
little spats over nothing for a couple of weeks when Mia blew up at
her for something or another.

     "...and I'm really sick of you sneaking in here at all hours of
the night like some frigging teenager!"  Mia had yelled at her,
seemingly out of nowhere, causing her to become slack jawed and
speechless for a few seconds.  "If you want to fuck him, then fuck him
goddamnit, but don't hide it and don't expect me to like it," she'd
snarled.

     "Fine!"  Cara had growled as she'd stormed out of the room, only
to return a few minutes later to see Mia in tears.  It was at that
point she'd realized how disruptive the situation had become.  It was
only then, once the brunt of the anger had been purged, that they'd
been able to talk.  It wasn't easy, but Cara explained that Harrison
was a man who was really good for her.  He was strong, kind, funny,
intelligent, caring and sensitive most of the time.  So, he was a
little vanilla.  That's ok, she couldn't have everything she tried to
laugh.  The important thing was that he occupied a different place in
her being that Mia.  She loved him, but not in the same way.  Mia had
seemed pretty satisfied with that and didn't complain about him
anymore.  If anything, she tried to warm up to him and get to know him
better.  This, of course, pleased Cara greatly.

     Just as she was beginning to rinse herself off and remove the
remnants of the previous night's endeavors, she remembered that awful
day she told Mia that she and Harrison had decided to marry almost one
year ago.  The scene played back in her mind in slow, agonizing,
motion.  All the tears.  All the pain.  All of the hurtful things they
had both said to each other.  Finally, the acceptance had come.  Cara
wondered now if her words of reasoning and reassurance were as much
for sake as they were for Mia's.  She shuddered as the hot water stung
her skin, cleansing her of the dirt, and maybe, just a little guilt?

     Mia looked up from making their bed as Cara returned naked to the
bedroom.  "Feeling better now?"  she asked with that familiar smile
and the lilt to her voice that Cara missed even though she hadn't
left--yet.

     "Uh huh."  She lied.  She felt as though she were about to walk
into the pits of hell.

     "Good...Well, I'll only be a few minutes.  Start some coffee
after you cover your butt and I'll be down shortly.  I love you."  Mia
lightly brushed Cara's cheek with her lips as she passed on the way to
the bathroom.

     Cara felt a knot forming in her stomach.  This was definitely NOT
a good omen.  "Tomorrow," she thought to herself as she held her head
in her hands.  "Tomorrow."


CHAPTER TWO

     Harrison McDowell was a happy man.  In less than 24 hours he'd
marry the woman of his dreams.  He couldn't believe his luck that day
a little over a year ago when he walked into Judge Thomas' office and
saw this incredible caramel woman with the big hazel eyes.  He didn't
believe in love at first sight, but there was something about her that
immediately set his heart, and something else a bit lower, all
aflutter.  He'd had a difficult time arguing his motion for dismissal
that morning after seeing the woman he later ascertained was Caramel
Hardy.  He'd overheard her voice while she was talking to Judge
Thomas' bailiff.  It was as smooth as the skin on her face, which he
noticed was like silk, and as rich as the texture of the candy after
which she was named.  Neither could he help but notice the way she
moved.  Cara didn't walk, she undulated.  Her hips were large by the
standards of the day.  She reminded him of a slightly darker Ava
Gardner or Jayne Mansfield.  In short, Cara was built like the
proverbial brick house.  If she worked as a law clerk for one of the
most esteemed federal judges in the district, she also had to have the
brains to match.  This was definitely a woman that he wanted to know a
lot better.  He didn't dare approach her socially until after the
trial so as not to have that idiot prosecutor cry conflict of
interest.  Fortunately for Harrison, Judge Thomas threw out the
government's case in short order. Still, with all the legal
maneuvering, that took a month or more.  In that month he'd learned
all that he could about the luscious Cara except the one thing that
potentially stood in his way--Mia.  

     Harrison called Cara several times after the end of the trial. 
At first it was just an opportunity to get to know her a bit and give
her a chance to get to know him.  That seemed to work out fairly well.
He found her to have a marvelously impish sense of humor and a very
quick mind.  She seemed to find him well-informed, perhaps a bit
eclectic in his thoughts, but, nevertheless interesting.  After a
while he asked her if she'd have coffee with him the next time he was
in the federal courthouse.  For some reason she declined.  It was
obvious that she liked him, but she didn't seem to have any desire to
get to know him on a more personal level.  He'd learned from the
judge's secretary, always a good person to ask about these things,
that Cara wasn't dating anyone, so he was rather perplexed.  Harrison,
never one to give up easily, began sending her flowers.  Every day for
a week there was a fresh bouquet waiting when she arrived home from
work.  Each bouquet was different, but each had one brilliant yellow
rose and a card with just his name.  That didn't seem to get a
response beyond a very nice, but rather impersonal, thank you note
after the first day.  Unaccustomed to being rejected, Harrison decided
that a more direct approach was needed.  One of his clients was a well
known member of the local professional basketball team who'd gotten
into a tiny drug scrape just before he was drafted.  Harrison had
gotten him out of trouble and secured his draft eligibility.  Needless
to say, the client was eternally grateful.  When Harrison called him
to ask for a favor, the player was only too glad to help him out. 
After all, were it not for him, the player wouldn't be making the $1.5
million salary that he currently collected.  

     Harrison showed up on Cara's doorstep one night with another
bouquet of flowers.  This one was a dozen long-stemmed yellow roses. 
In the envelop that should have held the card was a pair of tickets to
a loge for the basketball game at the Coliseum that night.  He stood
on the doorstep for a few minutes before ringing the bell.  For the
first time he was a little nervous about just appearing out of
nowhere.  He had to admit that it was damned presumptuous of him. 
Nevertheless, something told him that Cara was the type of woman who
required bold moves such as this.  In typical "lawyerthink", he
reasoned that bravado was, after all, one of his trademarks.  Hadn't
he delivered victories for numerous clients by such audacious striking
blows?  He was Harrison McDowell, Esq., one of the most eligible
bachelors in town.  He was charming, handsome, connected and working
on being quite wealthy.  Yet, Cara didn't seem to really notice him. 
Yes, he thought, this is the right move.  He rang the doorbell.  Mia
answered the door and there began the rivalry, though he didn't know
it at the time.  

     Cara agreed to go to the game with him after a bit of persuasion.
He hadn't expected this to be an easy sell and it wasn't.  Cara had
made the usual protestations and Mia barely hid her annoyance.  The
two women went off into the kitchen to discuss the matter and left him
sitting on a chair in the living room.  As he tried to listen to the
slightly heated conversation coming from the kitchen he took the
opportunity to look around the room.  On the mantle was a sculpture
that particularly piqued his interest.  It was of two women in an
embrace.  One of the women had a hand on the other's breast and there
was only one way to describe the looks on their faces--rapture.  He
then began to look more carefully around the room.  On a table he saw
a photo of Cara and Mia.  It appeared to have been taken at a party or
something.  Cara was seated and Mia was bending down from behind with
her arms around Cara's neck.  Both women looked incredibly beautiful
in formal attire, full makeup and accessorized in very expensive-
looking jewelry, among which were matching bracelets.  He smiled to
himself as understanding began to dawn.  Cara emerged from the kitchen
and told him that she needed to change clothing before she left for
the game.  Mia never did come back.  Left alone again, Harrison
wandered into what looked like the den.  The door was partial open, so
he decided that it wasn't off limits.  When he entered the room the
understanding that had begun to dawn a few minutes before became
totally exposed in the full light of day.  On the wall directly in
front of him was a black and white photo approximately 4' x 2 1/2',
obviously a professional portrait, of Cara and Mia in the nude laying
on an antique chaise.  More accurately, Cara was laying on the chaise
and Mia was raised on her arms above her, their tongues touching.  It
was gorgeous.  Cara's long hair was spread over the pillow, the
fullness of her breasts very apparent.  Mia's pale skin and lighter
hair contrasting with Cara's.  Somewhat less shapely, Mia was still a
good looking woman.  She had thick golden blonde hair that fell in
long ringlets, green eyes and fine bones.  From the angle of the
photo, Harrison could also see that she had a tatoo of the Greek
symbol for female enclosed in a triangle on her hip.  He couldn't help
but feel a bit foolish for not considering that Cara might be lesbian.
Then again, she may also be bi, which, after all is said and done, was
not a "bad" thing.  He'd had a dalliance or two when he was a teenager
himself, so the concept wasn't unfamiliar to him, although he
considered himself firmly het.

     "I'm ready to go when you are"  He was still fascinated with the
picture on the wall and hadn't noticed Cara enter the room.  "I see
you've found it," she said with perhaps the tiniest trace of
embarrassment as he turned to face her for the first time.

     Looking back toward the portrait, Harrison replied, "Yes, it's
lovely.  Why didn't you tell me that you and Mia were lovers?  I
really would have understood."

     "It's not something that's very widely known.  The judge knows of
course, but that's about it.  You know how office politics are played.
Judge Thomas may be on the bench for life, but there's always the
scandal factor, especially because she's a woman.  Besides, both Mia
and I are rather private for the most part.  We have our friends and
by our last year in law school pretty much everyone suspected, even if
they didn't know for sure."

     "Well," Harrison began, a little unsure of himself once again,
"would you still like to go to the game?"

     "Yes, definitely."  

     On that note, they left the house and headed for the Coliseum. 
Harrison had a ton of questions that he wanted to ask, but was afraid
of prying.  It was pretty obvious to him that Cara's relationship with
Mia was more than a "dalliance".  It was even possible that they loved
each other.  The question remained whether she was a lesbian or bi. 
If she was bi, was she completely monogamous?  All of that would take
some time to figure out.  In the meantime, there she was with him in
the black Cadillac Alliente that he loved more than he should, clothed
in a black turtleneck and black jeans, looking as attractive as any
woman he could remember at that moment.  Stealing a glance in her
direction, he hoped against hope that she wasn't a lesbian.  He wanted
her and he wanted her badly.

     Harrison was stirred from his reverie by a knock on his townhouse
door.  He knew that it was probably Jerry, his best man, picking him
up so that they could meet the rest of the ushers at the tux shop for
their final tailoring.  Sighing, he answered the door.  Sure enough,
it was indeed Jerry, on time as usual, and ready to lead him in his
exit from the world of perpetual singledom.  Not that he was sorry in
any way.  There comes a point in a person's life when they know it's
time to settle down and raise a family.  He wanted that with all his
heart.  Anyone who looked at him would have seen a happy, relatively
carefree young man who could have his pick of available women.  He'd
had more than his share he thought.  He'd had serious relationships,
random fucks and everything in between.  In his soul, he was tired. 
He wanted the security that came from knowing that he was one member
of a partnership of two.  Being an eligible bachelor-type was wearing
on one's body and emotions.  It takes energy to be charming and
gracious.  It takes energy to be "on" all the time, never really being
able to completely relax for fear of spoiling the image.  He needed
someone with whom he could let his hair down so to speak.  He needed
someone to whom he could come home at night and with whom he could
share.  He also needed a permanent lover who knew his every desire and
one he could learn literally inside and out, never ceasing to explore
and grow.  That, to him, was the single most important factor.  His
mate must be someone with whom he could grow.  For him, Cara was that
woman.  She was everything that he wanted and then some.  It had never
occurred to him that he would find another lawyer with whom he could
share his life.  He knew lawyers well.  He knew himself well.  He
couldn't imagine living with the inevitable clash of egos that two
attorneys would certainly have.  Cara changed all of that for him. 
Without a doubt she had her own opinions.  In fact, one could even say
that she was opinionated and stubborn.  At the same time she listened
to him and respected his feelings and thoughts on various subjects. 
In the year prior to their engagement, and in the year it took to
prepare for the grand event, they'd learned from each other
professionally and personally.  Yes, this was the right woman for him
and he'd never let her go.  Never.


                        CHAPTER THREE

     Cara and Mia arrived at The Elite Bride where they were joined by
Cara's mother, Lillian, who was relieved beyond belief that her
daughter was finally settling down and getting married to the "right"
man.  In accordance with the grand event, Lillian had insisted on her
pride and joy being dressed by the best bridal shop in town.  After
all, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Jonathan R. Hardy couldn't be seen
in just any old gown.  It had to be the very best, as was everything
else about this wedding.  It didn't hurt that Dr. Hardy was chief of
neurosurgery at The Medical Center and could afford whatever his wife
could come up with.  Cara, needless to say with more than a little
help from her mother, would be one of the year's most memorable
brides.

     About three miles away Harrison and his ushers were picking up
their tuxedos at The Formal Affair.  Again, Lillian had more than a
small hand in this too.  She always bought her husband's formal attire
here at the beginning of every social season.  Neither she nor
Harrison had any way of knowing that the owner, Charles, had met Cara
and Mia at a play party a couple of years ago.  Lillian would have
suffered a heart attack had she known.  Harrison was about to figure
it out.

     Harrison, accompanied by Jerry, went up to the sales clerk who'd
taken the order for the tuxedos.  "Hi, we're here to pick up the tuxes
for the Hardy-McDowell party.  Are they ready?"

     "Uh...let's see here...," replied the sales clerk looking down at
his book, "er...yes.  Here we are.  I'll have them in the dressing
rooms for you shortly.  Please, help yourself to some refreshments and
I'll find you when they're ready."  

     Harrison and the rest of the ushers availed themselves of the
refreshment bar stocked with cappucino, various juices and several
herbal teas.  Unknown to him, Charles was on the other side of the
room and had heard the name he had given the clerk.  Charles, being
something of a nosey gossip, in addition to being a rather friendly
sort, decided to introduce himself.  

     "Good afternoon.  I'm Charles, the owner here." Charles extended
his hand. "You must be Harrison.  Cara has told me so much about you. 
You're a lucky man my friend.  Cara is one of the most delightful
bottoms I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

     Harrison took the man's hand with more than a hint of
embarrassment and confusion on his face, not quite knowing what to
say.  "Yes, I'm Harrison McDowell.  And you're right, I am a very
lucky man."  He stopped for a moment considering his next words.  "I'm
afraid that Cara doesn't really tell me much about her...um...friends
and I'm rather vanilla as it were."


     Charles couldn't resist this one.  It was just too juicy.  "Oh, I
see.  Well, you know, we all thought that Cara and Mia would be
together forever and would never allow one of us mere males to intrude
into their space.  Good heavens, so many of us have tried,"  he
sighed, "but with no luck.  I just assumed that you were lurking in
the scene around here some place.  I'm sorry for making such an
assumption."

     "Oh, no problem.  It's just that my tastes don't really go in
that area.  Nothing wrong with it I suppose, just not my thing."

     "Such a pity too.  With your looks you'd have them lining up all
over the place,"  Charles noted with a tiny, but recognizable, hint of
flirtation.  "I guess you won't be popping into the play party tonight
in honor of Cara then?"

     Again, a look of confusion ran across Harrison's face. 
"I...don't know what you're talking about.  Tonight?"  he asked with a
slight frown.

     "Oh didn't Mia tell you?  Heavens!  Well, I guess I've just put
my foot in my mouth,"  Charles said in mock surprise and
embarrassment.  "I'm sure that I'll be severely punished for that
little faux pas," he giggled.

     Viewing Charles as a prime source of valuable information,
Harrison chose to take this a bit further.  "You say that there's a
party tonight?  Where and what time?  I may yet drop by."

     Leaning closer, Charles gave him the location and time of the
party.  "Now, you have to understand that this is a surprise party. 
Cara doesn't know a thing about it.  And for God's sake, DON'T tell
Mia that I'm the one who told you.  She'll burst my balls for sure," 
he said in his best conspiratorial whisper.

     Harrison smiled a self-satisfied smile and reassured Charles that
he wouldn't breathe a word.  In fact, he didn't have any desire to
make his presence known to anyone.  He was just curious about what
goes on at play parties and how his lovely Cara could participate in
such events.  Mia, he could understand.  He'd believe any "perversion"
from her, but Cara?  Well, he'd just have to go and see for himself.

     The sales clerk who'd helped them earlier returned.  "Mr.
McDowell, you may come in now.  Please follow me."  The clerk pointed
Harrison and his ushers toward the dressing rooms where they found
their attire ready for them.

     Cara and Mia had left Lillian sitting in the salon of the bridal
shop sipping a glass of white zinfindel while they got Cara into her
gown for the fitting.  The dressing room was surprisingly small for
such a spacious store.  Wedding gowns tend to be a bit bulky, but
apparently the person who designed the place hadn't considered this
minor detail.  As a result, the two women couldn't help but jostle
each other.  Mia could smell the natural flowery scent that always
seemed to hang on Cara's skin even hours after she'd showered.  She
tried to be discrete as she inhaled deeply, reveling in the smell, as
she helped Cara out of her camisole.  

     "OK love, arms up and over your head," Mia instructed.  Cara
dutifully raised her arms and Mia pulled the camisole over her head. 
She couldn't help but appreciate once more how lovely Cara's
unfettered breasts were.  They were full and firm with large nipples
surrounded by pinkish brown areolas.  In a fit of devilishness, Mia
pinched one very hard, but very quickly.

     Cara inhaled sharply and cried, "Ow!  Don't you ever quit?"

     Mia giggled and replied, "Nope," while taking the pinched nipple
into her mouth and sucking gently for a brief moment.  "You should
know that by now.  I'm more of a slut than you are and that's saying
quite a bit," she said with a grin and resumed her ministrations to
Cara's nipple.  Being trained as a first class bottom in their early
days, Cara's body couldn't help but react.  She tried to object, but
her mouth and her brain seemed to be in disagreement.  The dichotomy
resolved itself by settling on a rather loud moan, which didn't go
unnoticed by an ever attentive sales woman.

     "Is everything alright in there?  I thought I heard something,"
she said in a voice peppered with concern.

     Since Mia had more control over her faculties at that point, she
poked her head out of the dressing room and answered, "Oh yes, we just
got something caught.  Everything's fine now.  We'll be out shortly."

     "Is she gone?"  Cara asked having regained control of herself.

     "Uh huh," Mia replied with a smile that ended in an
uncontrollable giggle.  "Whew!  That was close love...Hmm, I think
that we'd better get you into that dress and take care of other things
later."  Cara nodded in agreement and they finished getting the gown
on and fastened.

     Mia went out to the salon to wait with Lillian while Cara made
her final adjustments in the fitting room before coming out.  Due to
the lack of space in the cubicle, Mia really didn't know what Cara
looked like in the gown.  She only saw enough of it to get Cara into
it and fastened.  When Cara finally did come out of the dressing room,
there was a collective gasp around the salon.  She was, in a word,
stunning.  The gown was barely off white taffeta.  It had an off-the-
shoulder V-neckline that accentuated her breasts, with long, fitted
sleeves of fine lace that ended in a point on her hand and held in
place by a loop that fit around her middle finger.  The bodice was
beaded in the front with tiny pearls (the real thing in fact), all
hand-sewn.  The skirt was very full and consisted of the same lace as
the sleeves, beaded intermittently, over a taffeta slip.  The coup de
grace, however, was the train.  It was beaded at the tail and had to
be at least 15 feet.  The only thing missing was the headpiece.  That
was quickly remedied when the sales woman silently walked up to Cara,
a bit in awe, and placed it gently on her head.  There was probably no
picture in any bridal magazine that could rival the way that Cara
looked in her gown.  The sight was enough to bring Lillian to tears,
make Mia's jaw drop and the other patrons speak in hushed whispers.

     The fitting was going well.  Lillian fussed over Cara, who, for
some reason didn't seem quite as excited as Mia thought she should. 
The dressmaker studied closely, making sure that she'd nipped and
tucked in all the right places.  Mia was just a bit overwhelmed at the
whole sight.  She realized for the first time in a year that this
wedding was actually going to take place.  Somehow she'd believed that
something would happen and tomorrow would never come.  When she saw
Cara she understood that she was really going to loose a part of her
life that had meant the world to her.  Cara would be Harrison's wife
and not just her lover.  Mia had always thought of herself as more
than Cara's lover and Cara more than hers.  In her heart, she thought
of the two of them as life partners--married to each other forever
more.  Faced with the reality of the scene in front of her, she had to
accept that a monumental change was speeding down on her like the
proverbial freight train, but there was no room to get out of the way.
The thought made her a little sick to her stomach.

     "Mia?  Mia?"  Lillian called out to her.  "Honey, you're looking
a bit under the weather.  You got rather pale there for a minute.  Are
you alright?"

     Mia turned to look at Lillian and Cara standing a few feet away
from her near the dressmaker's platform.  "Uh...yes...,"  she
stammered.  "I...I mean...I'll be alright.  I just need to lay down
for a little while.  I suddenly have a migraine."

     Cara came over to look at her lover and knew that she'd lied. 
She could see it in her eyes and instantly knew what the problem was. 
She led her to the sofa and cradled her in her arms for a while,
stroking her long golden ringlets.  "Honey,"  she said very softly,
"it's almost over.  Just let me get out of this and we can go home. 
OK?"

     "OK,"  Mia whispered in a gravel voice.  "I love you."  

     Cara gave her a squeeze and unentangled herself from Mia's
embrace.  She smiled at her and brushed the usual group of unruly
locks from Mia's forehead, taking her chin in hand so that Mia had to
look directly at her.  She mouthed the words that Mia so desperately
needed to hear, "I love you."  No one heard her.  No one but Mia knew
what she'd said, but they all saw the sad and weak little smile that
crossed her lips.  With that, Cara ran back to the dressing room and
relieved her body of it's confinement.  She dressed so quickly that
she didn't bother to put her stockings back on.  All she wanted to do
was get Mia home and hold her, never letting go for the last time.


CHAPTER FOUR

     Mia and Cara had gotten home and immediate gone to lay down for a
while.  Cara held Mia in her arms stroking and caressing her for hours
until they both fell asleep.  Mia was the first to succumb.  How could
she not with Cara humming a sweet little tune in her ear, rocking her
gently back and forth like a child?  After a few hours, Mia awakened
to notice that it was getting dark outside.  She looked at the clock
and saw that she had about an hour to get both she and Cara to the
surprise play party.  They'd just barely make it.

     "Love?" Mia whispered to Cara.

     Cara opened her eyes and sat up looking at Mia expectantly.  "Hi,
what's up?"

     "Cara, I need to ask you for something that's going to sound a
little strange.  I'm asking you to give me more trust than you've ever
given me before, with no questions asked.  Do you think that you can
do that?" Cara studied Mia's face wondering what she was up to and why
it demanded so much trust.  After a while she slowly nodded her
consent.  "Good!" Mia smiled relieved.  "OK, with that settled, we
both need to get dressed."

     "Uh...since you aren't telling me anything I don't have any idea
what I should put on.  Any clues?"

     Mia smirked wickedly and said, "Oh, anything you put on will be
fine.  It really doesn't matter."

     "Hmph..." Cara grunted, truly curious now.  She decided on a pair
of jeans and a silk blouse with enormous bouffant sleeves.

     After they were both dressed and in the car Mia handed Cara a
soft, white, leather blindfold.  "Here, put this on.  Better yet, let
me put it on you.  I know how curious you are my love."  

     Cara smiled sheepishly and allowed Mia to put the blindfold on
her.  She was entranced by the smell and feel of the leather.  So
soft.  So sweet smelling.  Since she had given up control over this
adventure, she settled back in the passenger seat and let Mia drive. 
She could tell that they were on the highway after a while, but had no
idea which one or where they would get off.  In addition, Mia had the
stereo turned up full blast so that she couldn't even hear the sounds
of the outside environment.  After a while, she had no idea how long,
they pulled off of the highway.  They drove for a while longer and
went down a rather steep hill.  The car seemed to slow down and make a
right turn.  Mia parked and turned off the engine.

     "We're here.  I'll go around and help you out."  Cara could hear
the driver's door open and shut and Mia's footsteps on what was
apparently gravel.  She heard her door open and Mia took her hand to
help her out of the car.

     "I know that I'm not supposed to ask questions, but where the
hell are we?"

     "No, no.  NO questions what so ever,"  Mia admonished.  "Don't
worry love.  You're perfectly safe.  Just let me guide you."  She led
Cara out of the parking lot, down another slight hill and down a few
steps.  Cara could hear her fumbling with a set of keys and the sound
of creaking hinges as a door opened.  They went in and Mia led her
around a few turns and then a straight path.  They stopped and Mia
fumbled with keys once again.  They went into the room and Mia led her
over to a chair and pushed her down by the shoulder.

     "I take it that we're where ever we're supposed to be?"  Cara
asked.

     "In a way, yes.  I'm going to leave you here for a few minutes. 
After I leave I want you to remove the blindfold.  There's a door on
the far wall that leads to a bathroom.  I want you to go in and take a
shower.  Also in the bathroom you'll find makeup, toiletries, hair
spray, barrettes, hair pins and things.  On a table a few feet away
you'll find a medium-sized box.  I want you to put the article on. 
After you think you're ready put the blindfold back on.  And love,
don't worry.  You'll be fine."  She bent down to kiss her and stroke
her cheek.

     "I trust you sweetheart.  If you say that I'll be OK, then I
will.  Where ever we are, I know that you'll be close by.  I'm not
worried.  Honest."  Cara held her arms out searching for her lover. 
Mia, just slightly out of reach, moved closer and held Cara tightly
for a moment.

     Sighing, she broke the embrace and said, "Hon, I have to go. 
I'll be back in about 20 minutes or so to get you.  Be ready when I
get here."  Then she was gone.

     Cara removed the blindfold to find herself in a room about
15'x20' or so.  It seemed to be sort of divided into two parts. The
section she was standing in had a rather large modern stuffed couch
and matching chairs.  She noticed a few recent magazines on a couple
of end tables.  Clearly, this area was meant for lounging.  The other
part of the room had a very large full-length mirror, a lighted
dressing table, a screen, a closet with sliding doors and a door which
apparently led to the bathroom that Mia had spoken of.  Sure enough,
on the dressing table was a gold box.  There were no markings on the
box, so Cara had no idea where it had come from.  She opened the top
and was greeted by the scent of more leather.  Wrapped in tissue she
could see some sort of laced leather something or another.  She took
it out for a closer inspection.  "Ohh!" she gasped.  What she found
was a white leather corset and attached crotchless panties.  Both had
pink leather strips along the seams.  The leather of the corset was
heavier than that of the blindfold, but it was soft and smooth to the
touch.  She looked again and saw that it was cupless.  There was a
place for the cups, but there was nothing there.  "Hmm...," she
murmured.  There were, however, garters for stockings which she also
found in the box.  She turned it around and looked at the back.  The
back of the corset was fastened with pink leather laces and hooks. 
There was no way that she'd be able to fasten it by herself.  She'd
just have to await Mia's return.   There was something different about
the back though.  There seemed to be two extra stays more rigid than
the others.  On the ends of these extra stays were very heavy D-rings-
-four of them altogether.  Cara didn't have a clue as to what these
could be for.  Next, she took a closer look at the panties.  While
they were attached to the corset, they were detachable as well.  They
were the same type of leather as the blindfold.  She removed her
clothing and held the corset up to her in front of the mirror. 
Smiling to herself, she determined that she wouldn't look half bad in
the outfit, and it would certainly highlight her ample breasts.  There
was something to be said for being a bit "Rubenesque."

     She showered as quickly as she could, applied the lotion that
she'd found laid out for her with the other toiletries, and put on her
makeup.  The only thing left was her hair.  That, she decided, would
look best up so that everything was available and visible.  She'd
figured out that she was to be on exhibit somewhere, though where, she
was unsure.  She put the corset on and laced it as far as she could by
herself.  She still wondered about those D-rings though.  Obviously,
the corset was meant to fasten her to something.  But what?  Then, she
put on the stockings and fastened them to the garters that peeked
between the bottom of the corset and the top of the panties.  She went
over to the mirror and looked at herself once again.  The only thing
missing was a pair of high-heeled pumps.  She looked around some more
and found a box under the dressing table that she'd missed. In it was
a pair of 5-inch white pumps with pink strands of leather around the
toes and down the seams of the heels.  She hurriedly put these on and
sat down in one of the chairs to eagerly await Mia's return, not
forgetting to replace her blindfold.  She didn't have to wait long
before she heard Mia knock on the door.

     "Come in Mia," she called.  Cara could barely contain her growing
excitement and wondered how long it would be before the evidence of it
would start dripping out of the crotchless panties and down her thigh.

     Mia poked her head through the door to ascertain whether Cara had
replaced the blindfold before coming in all the way.  "Good!  You're
ready!" she exclaimed.  "And, with blindfold and all.  I'm proud of
you toots," she said as she brushed her lips against Cara's flushed
cheek.  "Hmm, there's just one more thing..."  Mia put a necklace
around Cara's neck.  It was a pink triangle edged in 18-karat gold
with the Greek symbol for female embossed in the center also in gold. 
It was just like the tattoo that Mia carried proudly on her hip.


     "Wait a minute hon.  Aren't you forgetting something?"  Cara
smiled in the knowledge that Mia hadn't thought of everything after
all.

     "Um, not that I can think of."

     Cara stood up and turned around, revealing her unconfined state. 
"I couldn't lace this up by myself.  You'll have to finish the job."

     "Ah..."  Mia grabbed the laces and finished wrapping them around
the hook.  Every so often she'd brace herself against something and
pull the laces taut enough to practically cut off Cara's breath.  She
finally got to the top, gave the laces one more good tug and tied a
knot.

     "There!  That does it!  

     "Thanks,"  Cara said, trying hard not to gasp for air.

     "You'll be fine,"  Mia giggled.  "Now, give me your hand and
we'll take the final few steps to our destination."

     Cara's walk was a little unsteady at first due to the height of
the new heels.  She fell against Mia once and brushed against her in
the process.  She felt something that she didn't recognize.  When she
regained her balance she asked, "Um, what are you wearing?  You felt
sort of funny when I brushed up against you just then."

     "Nothing for you to be concerned about love.  You'll see soon
enough.  Come on now, we're almost there."  

     Mia led her up a few stairs.  They stopped at the top and Cara
could feel the brush of a curtain as they continued walking.  There
was complete and utter silence except for their own footsteps.  The
sounds their heels made on the tile began to echo, so Cara figured
that they were in a much larger area.  Mia told her to step up one
step.  They walked a few feet and stopped.  Mia turned her around and
she heard a switch click.


CHAPTER FIVE

     "Ladies and gentlemen, tops, bottoms and everything in between, I
present to you Cara, my love,"  Mia addressed the assembled guests. 
Applause and cheers rang out enough to fill the room.  She'd gathered
together all of their closest "beyond vanilla" friends--about 30
people in all including dates and such.  The sound that Cara had heard
was the sound of the house lights being turned off and a spotlight
being turned on the pair.  They were in a new nightclub/play club that
hadn't quite opened yet.  It belonged to the friend of a friend who'd
leaped at the opportunity to expose the BDSM community to a new spot
that catered to their tastes.

     Cara was stunned.  More than that, she was dumbfounded and
couldn't believe what she'd gotten herself into.  Yet, she was also
quite excited.  In her excitement, she tried to remove her blindfold,
which Mia quickly prevented her from doing.  She could feel the
goosebumps begin to rise under the leather corset and down her arms. 
The adrenalin began to pump and she trembled.

     Mia put her arm around Cara's waist and pulled her close,
whispering, "We're all here for you sweetheart.  We love you and care
about you.  This is our way of saying goodbye and best wishes."  Mia
gave her a tight squeeze and Cara threw her arms around Mia's neck in
gratitude and love.  It didn't occur to her that Mia had said
"goodbye".  She was too excited.  "Remember hon, trust,"  Mia said
softly to as she began attaching carrabines to the D-rings on the back
of the corset.  She then raised Cara's arms above her head and put her
wrists in leather cuffs attached to a spreader bar.  "Hold on to the
bar as best you can.  Your safeword is 'yellow' and you are to use it
if things get a bit too much.  Is that understood?"

     "Yes," she nodded, thinking that the scene that Mia had planned
must push some of her limits because they didn't always use a specific
safeword.

     "Good.  Now, you're going to feel yourself being lifted off of
the floor.  Don't panic.  You're completely safe."  She waved to
Charles who was standing by the tape deck and the controls for the
pulley.  

     ("Is there anybody out there?")

     As Cara was slowly lifted from the floor by very sturdy nylon
roping attached to a hoist used for lighting equipment, the audience
heard the introductory measures of Pink Floyd's "Breathe".  Once Cara
was about 18" in the air, Mia slowly turned her one 360 degree turn so
that the guests could see how she was bound and appreciate the beauty
of her costume and her situation.  Mia began lightly brushing her
hands down Cara's raised arms, just barely touching the skin.  She
paid particular attention to the underside of the arms where the skin
in more sensitive.  Then, she did the same to Cara's thighs, stopping
to pinch her bottom fast and hard.

     "Mmm..."  Cara moaned and trembled as she felt the pinch.

     Harrison arrived about this time through the front of the
building.  He entered the club, careful to be as quiet as possible,
and took up a position against the back wall.  The sight he saw was
fascinating to him.  Cara was dressed in a white corset with her boobs
hanging out, blindfolded and her hands cuffed to a bar above her head
suspended from the ceiling by what, Harrison did not know.  Mia was
dressed in a skin-tight shiny navy blue jumpsuit (somewhat reminiscent
of Catwoman) with a back neckline that went down to the crack in her
ass and 5" "Kansas City Come Fuck Me" boots.  She was working her way
around Cara touching her every so often.  All the while the music was
playing and the audience seemed captivated.

     Next, Mia put an ice cube in her mouth and sucked on it a bit to
get it slippery and wet.  She placed her mouth close to the skin on
the underside of Cara's arm and blew a long stream of warm air tinged
with coolness.  She traced a line from the underside of one arm to the
arm pit, across one side of her chest to the area in between her
breasts.  At that point, still holding the ice cube in her teeth, she
rubbed it down the center of her chest until she met the top of the
corset.  Cara inhaled sharply and flinched.  Mia kept contact with
Cara's skin, working the cube in small circles along the upper part of
one breast, moving ever closer to the nipple.  When she got to the
areola she traced around the outer edge a few times.  She put the cube
deeper into her mouth and flicked her tongue across the tip of the
nipple beginning lightly, then applying increasing pressure.

     "Aangh!"  Cara cried just as the woman in "Breathe" began the
second, and last, strains of her wailing.  Her breathing becoming fast
and shallow and her legs began to twitch involuntarily as the
sensations became more pleasurable.

     "Hmm, me thinks that you're moving around too much.  Someone hand
me the other spreader bar,"  Mia instructed.  She took the other bar
and cuffed Cara's ankles to it.

     Harrison had to admit it, this was highly erotic.  His beloved
Cara, so strong and willful, was bound and completely helpless,
suspended from the ceiling.  Didn't she worry about falling?  Didn't
she worry about someone trying to take advantage of the situation?
Christ, Mia had all that power and Cara had none.  In spite of
himself, he was becoming aroused.

     After the spreader bar was fastened to Cara's ankles, Mia began
to work on her breasts again.  She took a nipple between her teeth,
without the ice this time, and pulled it while biting down.  She let
it fall back into place and began to lick it furiously with her
tongue.  The melting ice cube was held a few inches above the nipple
allowing the cool water to drip and fall across it.  Needless to say,
Cara's nipple rose to attention.  It was promptly rewarded with a gold
nipple clamp tightened tighter than Cara had ever felt before.  This
caused her to shriek in agony and shiver.  She tried to overcome the
pain by breathing in through her nose and out of her mouth in steady
breaths.  Just has she was about to surmount the wall of pain, another
clamp was attached to her other nipple.  This time, instead of
shrieking, she moaned through clenched teeth.  She began to float into
the mist, weightless and senseless except for the sounds of Roger
Waters singing "Us and Them."  During the chorus she felt a tugging on
the clamps.  Apparently there was a chain connecting the two.  Pulling
on it only increased the amount of endorphines that went to her head. 
Off she floated, following the music into the clouds.  Was Mia turning
her around again, or was it just her hazy state?  She couldn't tell.

     Harrison saw Mia attach the clamps and saw Cara's initial
reactions.  Surely, they must hurt like hell.  He wasn't certain that
he could stand that amount of pain on such a sensitive area of his
body.  The mere thought caused a shiver down his spine.  Yet, he could
see Cara's face.  There was a look of peace, tranquility and pleasure
that he'd never seen when he made love to her.  The thought evoked
some jealousy.  Could someone actually prefer pain to tenderness?  He
shook his head to clear it.  Strange, this was.  There must be
something to it though.  And what was this music?  He hadn't heard
Pink Floyd, much less "Dark Side Of The Moon", in ages.  He was in
elementary school when it first came out.  It did seem to fit though. 
Yes, as weird as this all was to him, it was highly interesting and
becoming more and more stimulating with each minute.  ("Is there
anybody out there?").  What?  More Pink Floyd?  But that was from "The
Wall".  Yes...wait...no, Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain".  Aaah, so that's
it, a recurrent theme.  Harrison had to smile at the cleverness of
that.  Here Cara was blindfolded, her senses totally obliterated.  Not
to mention that from the look of things she was off in the ozone
somewhere, no from the pain.

     Mia took up her heavy cat.  ("Red Rain is coming down...").  It
was navy blue with a moderate weight 7" handle, 26 5/8" wide tails,
half of which were 22" long and the other half 15" inches long.  She
smacked it across her own hand a couple of times for dramatic effect. 
Then, she stood behind Cara and ran it over her shoulders.  However,
Mia didn't begin flogging there.  She began with a light tap on Cara's
ass.  She flinched with the blows in an unexpected place.  Then Mia
swung a bit harder.  ("I come to you defenses down, with the trust of
a child.").  THWAP THWAP on every other upbeat.  Mia moved to her
shoulders.  First one, then the other.  Now she struck with every
upbeat.  Soon, Mia began to swing rhythmically on every beat,
gradually increasing the strength of the blows.  ("You could have a
steam train, if you just lay down your tracks").  By the time
"Sledgehammer" began, faint marks were appearing on the back of Cara's
shoulders.  Mia moved around to the front.  She ran the tails across
Cara's breasts on the first strains.  Gradually, Mia struck across the
top of her breasts and shoulders on opposite beats, building up a
rhythm.  Just to make it interesting, sometimes she'd strike in
double-time.

     Cara moaned, whimpered, swayed and visibly shook as the blows
became more intense.  The crotchless panties didn't allow her to hide
her arousal and the wetness began to drip out of her in viscous
strands.  She was warm.  She was burning in fact.  She'd never
withstood a heavy flogging such as she was getting tonight.  She
didn't realize that she had this high a tolerance for pain.  But it
wasn't pain anymore.  Each strike of the cat had brought her closer to
some magical place she'd searched for all of her sexual life.  She was
unaware of anything except sensation in her skin and, to a lesser
extent, in her ears.  She didn't care about the blindfold anymore. 
She didn't care to see the people gathered to witness her shedding of
inhibitions.  She wanted nothing to distract from what she was
feeling.  If someone had mentioned Harrison at that point, her
response would have been, "Huh?  Who?"

     "Shit!"  Harrison muttered to himself.  "How could she take
that?" he wondered.  He'd seen her take a beating that many men
couldn't have handled.  She didn't even fight back!  All she did was
twitch and moan.  He could hear the moans even over the music.  He had
to fight the urge to "rescue" her from that tormenting bitch Mia. 
Something inside of him told him that it wouldn't be appreciated in
the least.  So, he remained where he was, very discomforted by his
increasingly noticeable arousal.

     "I'm on my way, I'm making it...", Peter sang.  Mia took out her
leather paddle and removed Cara's pumps.  She'd never been able to
stand having her feet flogged.  This would truly be a test of how far
in Cara was.  Mia ran a sharp stick under the soles and Cara tried to
bring her legs up and away.  Mia poked her with the stick switching
randomly between lighter and harder jabs.  By the time Peter was
singing "Big time.  So much larger than life," Mia had picked up the
paddle and thwapped the soles of Cara's feet.  In the beginning, she
flinched, moved and generally tried to get away, but she didn't call
her safeword.  Mia had to hold her legs down by the spreader bar with
some help from a member of the audience.  Gradually, steadily, Cara
began to flinch less and less.  After a while, she was still except
for moving with the force of the blows.

     Perspiration was beginning to form on Mia's brow and her golden
hair was beginning to stick to her forehead.  The spotlight was hot as
hell and the PVC of her jumpsuit didn't help in the least.  Just one
more phase of the scene and she was done.  She'd never topped this
long in a public scene.  Not only was this a test of Cara's endurance,
it was a test of hers as well.  So far, Cara had been magnificent. 
She couldn't have asked for a better bottom.  Cara had taken all that
she had to give and would probably take more before the night was
over.  Mia stood up and checked Cara's hands to make sure that the
blood was still circulating.  They were fine and Cara didn't even seem
to notice she was so far gone.  Mia had to smile at her lovely bottom.
She was in a pain induced euphoric stupor the likes of which Mia had
never seen on her.  

     ("Is there anybody out there?")

     Now it was time to start the knife play.  Knives were her
specialty.  She'd loved them since she was a child and had tried to
introduce Cara to them with little success.  Now, in the state that
she was in, she just might accept playing with one.  She moved up very
close to Cara.  So close that she could feel the burning warmth of her
skin.  "Hold very, very still love.  I have a knife in my hand and I
don't want to hurt you by accident."

     "Hmph," Cara responded, barely a grunt.

     ("Hey you!"  Out there in the cold/Getting lonely, getting old,
can you feel me[?]").  Mia turned Cara's limp, body around so that her
back was to the audience.  She pressed the point of the knife into the
skin at the hairline and dragged it down her neck to her spine until
it met the top of the corset.  ("Hey you!  Don't help them to bury the
light[.]").  The tip of the knife ran across Cara's shoulder blades
from left to right.  "Don't give in without a fight."  Mia punctuated
that line by applying a tad more pressure once she reached the edge of
the right shoulder blade.  Cara jumped with a start at that one, but
only moaned and settled down again.  Mia threw the knife between her
hands for a few seconds and circled her subject like a gang-banger
readying himself for his opponent's first lunge.  To say that Mia was
turned-on by knives was an understatement.  She loved the way they
shined in the light.  She loved the weight of a good one in her hands.
The thought of Cara allowing her to practice her treasured art on her
was electrifying.  Every sinewy muscle was alive and alert.  This was,
perhaps, one of the most dangerous forms of play and she'd trained
herself to be good at it and make it look good as well.

     ("Hey you!  With your ear against the wall/Waiting for someone to
call out would you touch me[?]").  Mia ran the knife up Cara's thigh
from the back of her knee to the top of her stocking, amazingly, not
causing a run.  She did the same with the other thigh causing Cara to
moan very loudly and appear to stir.  During the bridge, Mia turned
Cara around so that she was facing the audience again.  She stood
behind her, knife in teeth, with her arms above her head covering
Cara's arms and grasping her hands, gently swaying both of them along
with the music.  ("But it was only fantasy[.]/The wall was too high,
as you can see[.]/No matter how he tried he could not break
free[.]/And the worms ate into his brain.").  

     Harrison, along with the rest of the audience, was enthralled in
the scene--no one daring to breathe or break the energy.  He hadn't
dreamed that something that bordered on the perverted in his mind
could be so loving.  Neither he, nor anyone else in the room, could
wait for Mia's next move.

     Mia moved in front of Cara again, still swaying to the music. 
This time, she began working on Cara's chest.  ("Hey you!  Out there
on the road/Always doing what you're told, can you help me[?]").  She
pressed the dull side of the blade in deeper than she had pressed the
point on Cara's back.  Cara let out a trembling whimper.  During the
ensuing interlude, Mia traced a line down the front of Cara's neck
from under her chin to her collarbone.  This caused an audible sigh
and a visible quake.  Pink Floyd launched into "Another Brick in the
Wall Part 1" and Mia launched into high gear.  She turned the blade so
that the flat was against Cara's skin and ran it over her right
breast.  Then, she flicked the flat of the blade against her skin with
a loud slapping noise.  She traced the curves of the other breast with
the point of the knife moving inward as she came up and over the
rounded portion.  There, she made a circle around the areola and made
an X in the circle, which, of course, necessitated moving the tip over
the nipple not once, but twice.  Cara moaned and groaned, desperate
for more attention.  Mia moved the tip of the blade over to the other
nipple once again and drew a pentagram around it, always coming close,
but never touching it.  By this time, Cara was wild.  She flailed her
legs and arms as much as she could and made guttural bestial sounds
that Mia had never heard from her before.

     "What do you want Cara my love?"  she yelled over the music. 
Again, nothing but unintelligible guttural noises.  "Come on hon, you
can say it," she coached.

     "I...I...fu...,"  was the only thing that she managed to say
through gasping breaths.  Tears were streaming down her face she was
so strung out from the heightened attention and chemicals coursing
through her body.  She wanted it.  She wanted it badly, but she was
too out of it to articulate.

     "You can do it love.  I know that you can.  Tell me what you
want."

     "Cara!"  Mia screamed as she took her head in her hand and shook
it abruptly.  "Tell me what you want!  Now!"  she ordered.

     Cara stopped sniffling long enough to say in a very soft voice,
"I want you to fuck me."

     "What was that?"  Mia teased.  "Say it louder so everyone can
hear you."

     "I want you to fuck me!  Please!  Fuck me know before I lose my
mind!"  She broke out in sobs.

     "I want something from you first.  Do you trust me Cara?"

     "Yes,"  she said in a whisper as her head hung off of her
shoulders.

     "Very well then.  I want to taste the blood that flows into your
heart.  Do you agree?"

     "Yes,"  she said through the tears.  "Anything.  Anything at
all."

     Mia smiled at having received the most precious gift that she'd
ever gotten from her lover--total and complete submission.  She danced
the knife over Cara's left nipple until it was darker than it had ever
been and the veins were clearly visible.  She slapped the flat of the
blade against the skin about 4" up and to the right.  Once it turned
red, she made a small slash.  Droplets of blood seeped out.  ("I don't
need no arms around me[.]/I don't need no drugs to calm me[.]").  She
let the audience see the drops run down Cara's caramel skin.  ("I have
seen the writing on the wall[.]/Don't think I need anything at
all[.]").  She drank as though she'd been lost in the desert.  She put
the handle of the knife against Cara's opening and plunged it in as
far as she dare let it go.  Cara's head flew back and she tried to
buck against the knife.  Fortunately, Mia's hand was there to stop her
from going too far.  Faster and faster, the knife handle plunged into
Cara.  ("All in all it was all just bricks in the wall[.]/All in all
you were all just bricks in the wall[.]").  Finally, she let out a
howl and clawed at her bound wrists.  After several spasms, she
subsided limp, drained and totally submissive.

     Mia signaled Charles to lower Cara to the floor.  As he did so,
Pink Floyd began "Comfortably Numb".  The audience sat immobilized for
a few seconds.  Cara was so weak she couldn't stand by herself and Mia
had to support her after she released her from the spreader bars.  She
took the woman who'd given up her soul and her inhibitions that night
and cradled her in her arms.  Mia, in turn, had given her her freedom.
She removed the blindfold and that was the signal for the audience to
pick up their collective jaws and applaud.  Applaud they did in
thunderous fashion.  Cara never really noticed them.  The only thing
she knew was that she was in the arms of the person she wanted to
spend the rest of her life with.

     Harrison, like the rest of the audience, had been sitting almost
paralyzed by the scene.  He didn't understand what had happened, but
he knew that it was monumental.  He was dazed, confused and had an
urgent need to shed a few tears.  He'd lost her.  He knew it, but
didn't know why.  He saw the love that Cara and Mia had for one
another, but it was something that he didn't comprehend and could
never give his ex-soon-to-be-bride.  Maybe he wasn't meant to
understand.  He wasn't gay or bi and he wasn't into the art.  He was
just a plain vanilla, white het boy who happened to fall in love with
an incredible woman.  Well, maybe it was as Charles said earlier that
day.  Maybe no man was ever meant to come between CaraMia.

     ("Is there anybody out there?").


EPILOGUE

     Cara had recovered somewhat by the time she and Mia returned home
from the party around 2 a.m.  During the drive back she remembered
that Mia had said part of the reason for the party was to say
"goodbye".  She realized then that Mia had set her free to do whatever
she wanted and to be with whomever she wanted.  She went into the
house and straight into the den.  Harrison was awake when she called
to tell him that she couldn't marry him.  Funny, he didn't seem
surprised in the least.  He was sad of course, but he wished her all
the best.

     Harrison left the play club after the scene with Mia and Cara. 
He went back to his townhouse and sat in the dark playing the night's
images over and over in his mind.  He didn't really understand what
had happened or why it had happened.  He would someday.  Of that he
was certain.  When Cara called he was polite, calm and sincere.  He
could afford to be because he had every confidence that he'd find a
way to win her back.  The exact methodology was something he wasn't
sure of--yet.  He knew that he loved her and he doubted that would
change.  She'd wanted him once and he'd make her want him again.  He
was, after all, Harrison McDowell, Esq.

     Mia had been more than a little nervous on the drive back from
the party.  Charles had confessed his "sin" to her.  She was furious
at first, but then thought to herself that it was time Harrison saw
she and Cara as they really were.  Perhaps it was an extreme example,
but it was honest.  When Cara told her that she wasn't going to marry
him she was elated.  She tried not to show it too much under the
circumstances, but she was thrilled.  She'd tell Cara about Charles
later.  Of course, she couldn't let Charles go unpunished for his
misdeeds, so she'd set Liz on him.  Who said that punishment didn't
have its rewards?

     Charles did indeed almost get his balls busted.  After he'd
confessed to Mia she put him in a cockring and then told a gorgeous
little raven-haired bottom, Liz, who was known for her stamina, to
keep him aroused in any way she could until she got tired.  She was
not, however, to let him cum under any circumstances.

     Dr. Jonathan Hardy had the thankless task of informing the guests
who arrived at the country club that there would be no wedding.  His
wife, Lillian, was at home sedated after absorbing the news and
couldn't be disturbed.  In reality she was bemoaning her fate and
wondering how she was going to face all of her friends.  She was sure
that her position in the community would slip dramatically.

     Jerry, the best man, had been introduced to one of the
bridesmaids, (Liz in fact), at the rehearsal dinner a couple of days
ago.  After learning that she was a bi bottom with lips that could
suck the chrome off a '57 Chevy, he concluded that perhaps he needed
to learn a thing or two.  He swept her away from the chaotic events at
the country club and, on an impulse, drove her to Washington, D.C.
where they ended up in front of Dream Dressers.

     As for CaraMia, well, it would be different.  The relationship
had taken a tremendous blow but held fast in the end.  One might say
that it was even stronger.  There is lots of love, lots of passion and
there are lots of facets yet to yet to explore.  In the meantime, Cara
and Mia elected to ride out the storm in Barbados.  There, CaraMia can
be renewed, restored and solidified.  CaraMia will be continued.

--