Be Careful What You Wish For Read online

  You will present yourself at Hartington Hall at 8.30am sharp on Friday April 9th. Take with you only a minimum of clothing. All else will be provided.

  Enjoy!

  Immediately she looked Hartington Hall up on the net. A health farm? Confused, she wanted to question the instruction. But then... no! Her journey was after all something of a magical mystery tour. She just wanted to enjoy the ride.

  But the waiting was unbearable. There were still a couple of days to go and every fibre of her being was screaming for it to be now. She planned her route according to the map supplied in the envelope accompanying the instruction and tried to cram a hundred and one little chores into the time.

  Friday dawned full of promise. Abi could barely contain her excitement. And on pulling the front door behind her she wondered suddenly when she might see her home again... if ever? Was she merely pursuing a dream? Had she lost all sense of reason? What would happen if she didn’t like where she was going and needed to change her mind?

  She reminded herself of the alternative - that awful loneliness too achingly familiar, the daily grind of setting off to work and arriving home... to nothing. She was known for her bright cheery demeanour. For years she had been the proverbial clown, hiding what she really was and felt behind a façade. How much simpler then to go to a place where she would be accepted and loved... simply for being herself. She had to follow this through or else wonder for the rest of her life how it might have been, where it would have led.

  Resolute now, she pulled the car away from the kerb, turning away from all she knew, towards the beginning of a new life.

  She started early, the day opening out before her. Too early for traffic queues she arrived easily on time with fifteen minutes or so to spare. But rather than allowing thoughts to run on ahead, creating fears that might never be, with a deep breath she accepted the challenge and approached the large oak doors at the end of the short pebbled drive. They opened to her touch, and she approached the reception area beyond to find she was expected.

  ‘Ms Lane? Abi? Welcome! We do hope you enjoy your stay. Special arrangements have been made. If you follow me I will take you to meet Alex. He will be taking care of you.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  She followed, meekly led across the deep piled carpet, up a short flight of stairs to the doors of a private suite where an attendant stood waiting.

  ‘Hello. Abi, isn’t it?’

  She nodded, shy suddenly, unsure of what might be expected of her.

  ‘We’ve been given specific instructions and mapped out a complete programme for your day, which include a number of activities we hope you will both benefit from and enjoy.’

  Halfway down a hallway exquisitely decorated, the attendant turned off into a room.

  ‘Now you will change out of your clothes here, and put on this robe. I will meet you in the room across the way when you are ready. Understood?’

  With a nod and a smile she was alone.

  Slowly she unclothed, gazing at the contours of her ripe, full body in the mirror, wrapping around it a heavy white robe, firmly doing up the tie at the waist.

  The door opened.

  ‘Ah! Good, you’re ready. Let’s share a coffee together while we complete some preliminaries, then we can make a start.’

  She had absolutely no idea what was going on or what she might have to do. But then, somehow, that only added to the excitement tingling inside.

  ‘There, that should help you unwind.’

  They sat opposite one another, Alex with sheets of paper in front of him and a pen at the ready. The coffee tasted good.

  ‘So what happens now? What exactly are we going to do? Where do we go from here?’

  Her questions came out in a gush and Alex smiled.

  ‘Simple questions first, then. Are you allergic to anything you know of, a given product, particular blends of cream even?’

  ‘Er... no. Not as far as I know.’

  ‘Good. What routine do you usually follow morning and night?’

  She had the impression the questions were more for her benefit than his, designed to make her relax perhaps. But as she finished her coffee they came to an end, and she followed him through a doorway leading out onto the side of a large pool.

  She hesitated, sensing his gaze. Something about his mood had changed. Nothing she could pinpoint. It was just something she sensed in the electric silence now developing between them. That and the firm, hard look of appraisal he offered as his eyes followed the contours of her body swathed in the wrap, hiding her lines and figure.

  ‘Right, we’ll start as we mean to go on.’ He seemed to reach some kind of decision. ‘Leave your wrap here on this bench, and follow me into the pool. Ready?’

  Immediately she looked around for a costume to change into, while he glided smoothly out of his light clothing to sit on the edge of the pool, his back towards her.

  ‘Erm... I haven’t brought a bathing suit with me.’

  ‘But you’ve been told what to do. Now I’m waiting. There is nothing else to do or to be said.’

  She realised with a start he had nothing on at all. As he stood, his head inches taller, he extended his arms and paused for long moments before arching into the cool waters below. He swam a full length, turning at the far end to come back to pass her, ready to complete a return journey. She was shaking visibly as she let the robe drop from her shoulders. Arms crisscrossing her body, she eased herself gently down the steps at the shallow end of the pool, dragging quickly below the surface of the water. She felt secure in the knowledge her body was hidden, and the temperature pleasantly warm.

  ‘Can you swim?’

  He came up in one smooth motion beside her.

  ‘Some,’ she whispered shyly. ‘But I’m not very good in water.’

  ‘Let’s go then. We’ll take it slow, don’t worry. That way you’ll soon gain confidence. You’re quite safe. I’ll be at your side. But hey, don’t look so solemn. Relax. Enjoy the experience.’

  Her stomach tied in knots. She kept her feet firmly placed on the pool floor. And yet the sense of anticipation and almost-fear of the outcome created wetness between her legs not of the pool’s making. Her breasts bulged like twin buoys on top of the water, while her nipples remained firm and hard. A delicious tingling sensation snaked up through her pussy, kissing the lips of her vagina, passing on through her body, setting pulses racing and her senses on fire. A rich red glow spread up her neck and cheeks. Hastily she pushed off from the side to raise her arms in an unsteady dog-paddle, trying to maintain a rhythm. She felt naked, raw, vulnerable, needy, shy, a little girl lost in an adult world. And yet at the same time knew the rich, vibrant strength of an orgasm in the making.

  They approached the halfway mark. Never a confident swimmer she sensed the water getting deeper... and suddenly she panicked, her arms flailed, legs kicking violently... breath coming in short sharp gasps. Immediately he was there. Hands held her steady, one firm on her tummy, the other on her lower back, supporting her weight.

  ‘It’s okay. I’m here, darling. I can’t let anything happen to you. The Master would never forgive me. Besides, you’re doing absolutely great, and you have so much to look forward to and enjoy. Don’t worry; everything is just the way it should be. This is all part of a greater plan orchestrated by the one you know as Dream Catcher. And no, don’t struggle. Don’t wrestle against me or try to fight me. Just lie back, close your eyes, and simply allow your body to follow the movement of the water.’

  She was reassured by his words. Dream Catcher... oh, how much she longed to meet him again. Their first meeting at the hotel had only left her gagging for more. There was just so much she wanted to ask, to know. But for now it was hard simply letting go, giving control to another, much as she yearned for that to happen. And yet in another sense it was easy... too easy. She knew she was out of her de
pth in more ways than one. His was the voice of experience. Despite his gentle reassurance his words were commanding. Besides, she couldn’t help but enjoy the feel of his hands and what they were doing to her under the water.

  ‘Eyes closed... and relax. Empty your head of everything but the here and now. Feel the sensation, try to climb into that experience, make it your own.’

  One hand held her steady, firm on her lower back. But a thumb now rested on the lips of her vagina. Fingers climbed inside, exploring the wetness... and beyond. Smoothly they reached with one, then two digits, setting up a rhythm. In... and out... and in... and out... and in, turning this way and that for a moment, then starting over; in... and out... and in... and out... and in...

  Her legs involuntarily opened, widening to allow entry. Her mind drifted gradually to some far-flung corner, her senses aroused, tipping her gradually into the chasmic orgasm beyond.

  ‘Now I’m going to roll you onto your tummy. Keep your eyes closed, your mind clear. You’re doing just fine.’

  His words broke into her reverie as if from a long, long way off. Even before she realised it a hand cupped her face just above the surface of the water, while another explored her buttocks, kneading them like two pats of dough. Her body had a mind of its own, opening to accept him like a welcome friend.

  ‘Try bending your knees under the water, keeping your legs wide... that’s it... that’s better. Now, doesn’t that feel good?’

  Fingers curled into her anus, snaking into the passage, picking up the rhythm, sliding in... and out... and in... and out... and in. They paused for long moments, waiting for the violent trembling to abate, drawing her to the very edge, holding her there... then moving deliberately on.

  Frustrated, needy, aching with desire, with a desperate sense of urgency, her body butted against his fingers, driving them in still harder, deeper. Her whole body felt alive, anticipating the now inevitable climax.

  Over the ensuing five minutes or so her body exploded with feeling. The hand holding her face relaxed, while sudden explosive gasps escaped her lips and tremors spasmed in her tummy and thighs.

  She wanted to pause for breath. But he wouldn’t let her. Fingers relentlessly wriggled and squirmed inside, before he once more turned her, entering her vagina to continue the same.

  ‘Please... please, I can’t. No more. Please?’

  ‘Yes you can. Of course you can. All you have to do is let go... just let it come. Feel it... accept it for what it is. Trust me. You know you want this to happen. Enjoy the ride.’

  The feeling now was so great it threatened to overwhelm her. But his voice was so calming, so commanding, it demanded he be obeyed. It was as if he was drawing from her every nuance of emotion, twisting it into one firm tight ball... then releasing it so suddenly the ball burst like a bubble into a thousand different pieces, each with a feeling of its own.

  She floated within and without for the longest time, while slowly he led her back to the steps at the shallow end of the pool, treading waters now silent and still.

  He half carried her to lay her still naked in the steam room, where he set the temperature high.

  ‘Relax.’

  His voice was gentle, calming, soothing. Hands smoothed back her hair to caress her body, lying trusting and open beside him on the wooden slats. He could feel her pulses race. Her body gave little jerks while he caressed and soothed, waiting for her urges to quiet and her senses to normalise once more.

  ‘Now, rest awhile.’

  A smile touched the moon of her lips. And she sighed... a simple exhalation of breath... a sigh that said it all.

  ‘Rest. You have done well. Right now we’re simply going to lie here, just the two of us, for twenty minutes or so. Then we’re going to the Jacuzzi to prepare for a massage. It’s your pores now which need to be encouraged to open in order your skin gets the full deep-cleansing it needs.’

  Suddenly she was tired, so tired. Her eyes closed. She drifted into a dreamless sleep far, far away from the nightmares she was used to.

  Later, much later, she lay facedown on a black couch, trying to give herself to the hands teasing and releasing tense, knotted neck and back muscles. They held her head firm, her hair up as they rubbed her shoulders. Then, folding her arms above her, they followed the lines of her body down towards her bottom. A hand slapped each cheek twice sharply. She gasped at the suddenness of the assault, turning her head in clear indignation.

  ‘Hey, what...?’

  Any remark she had been about to make was cut short by two further smacks resounding on her bottom. He held her firm, pushing her down into the couch.

  Her bottom smarted with pain, but then unexpectedly was stroked and smoothed, caressed and creamed, while the hands worked slowly back up to her top.

  The cheeks of her bottom trembled now in anticipation. It was the strangest feeling. She realised suddenly she wanted him to spank her again, because the pleasure-pain experience which was new brought on greater urges, and a longing, an aching desire in her groin.

  He knew how to turn her on, turn her off, turn her on again at will. And he practised this pleasure over and over again. He could play her senses; tricking her into believing in the loving and pleasing, changing suddenly to feelings that left a strange mix of fear and anticipation, excitement and dread. And it was the not knowing that brought her on all the more to a place deep within herself she had never been or felt before.

  She hid her face in confusion. But the rhythm of his hands, the gentleness accompanied in turn by firm strokes aroused and stimulated her to a level beyond which she knew. She found it hard not to wriggle and squirm and open as she felt that now familiar wetness seeping once more between her legs.

  Again he brought her to the edge... always to the edge, never more. Then he was turning her face-upward to gaze into his sultry brown-black eyes. He knew! He knew exactly what he was doing, messing with her emotions, and he was pleased at her response. As his hands explored her face, cleansed, moisturised, massaged, again she felt the familiar tingling in her groin and the inevitable wetness that followed. It was a truly delightful sensation, laying at the mercy of one whose touch only added to her desire. And as he tweaked and peaked her nipples, moulding and shaping her breasts around them, she was powerless to prevent it happening, even had she wanted to. She loved the feeling of powerlessness, of helplessness, of giving someone else control.

  Stranger still was the way in which the pain-pleasure had left her craving more. And when it didn’t come she was disappointed. She knew pain from past experience at the hands of those who ravaged and took control, abusing and betraying trust, and who left scars which crisscrossed her body, a sign of their will over hers. And yet now she welcomed control... and even pain? It was a dichotomy. Something which cut right across her understanding, and which only added more questions in an already befuddled brain. Whereas pain was inflicted in the past, perversely now she craved it, wanting, even needing it as part of the pleasure which followed. This dark side which was alien to her confused and frustrated, and yet at the same time urged her to want to know and experience more.

  Alex helped her from the couch. She had to restrain from touching and offering herself in a hug. She so wanted his arms around her. Her feelings were so ripe, so raw.

  He smiled... also, it seemed, regretful to let her go.

  ‘Lunch.’

  His voice cut across her thoughts. It had returned to its former firmness, demanding respect, control. But then he continued more gently. ‘You can spend time walking in the grounds if you like. You may keep your robe on and go anywhere you please. The hairdresser and beautician will be ready for you in a couple of hours.’

  She nodded, hesitantly, then, ‘Will we meet again?’

  He returned her smile. ‘Yes, we will meet again. Now go. Lunch is waiting. You must be hungry.’

  Lunch was a simple affair. She w
ished he could have joined her. She sat in a corner of a large open room and helped herself from a selection of dishes, with fresh fruit to follow. After she followed the path across the bridge at the back, gazing deep into the waters as if seeking answers she might only find within. The gardens were rich and vibrant with colour. She savoured the moment, allowing her dreams of what might be to come.

  Then she was in a salon having her thick hair restored to its former glory, the original dark titian colour creating a halo to be cut and styled, falling in soft waves around her cheeks. The beautician followed, talking her through a daily foundation and make-up routine as expertly she applied the products to her face. Abi enjoyed every bit of attention lavished upon her. Hands moulded and shaped her into this other being. It was almost magical watching the way she was transformed through the mirror, as if she was bound up in some spell. A stranger stared back at her, with the face of someone she once had known. She was living a dream she didn’t want to end. What, she wondered, would be the occasion to follow to make all this worthwhile?

  She arrived once more at the front door to a peculiar sense of loss... and a sense of foreboding of what the future held. She wanted to keep hold of the familiar, to stay longer at this point in her journey. Yet, all the while, she was aware that someone else was in control, governing the path she must follow.

  The receptionist greeted her just as she had in the beginning, offering her a card.

  I trust you enjoyed your day. The De Vere Hotel just off Junction 20 of the M1 has a room reservation with your name on. Leave your car in Number 2 Parking Bay and book in. I will meet you later.

  Dream Catcher

  Her heart pounded. Again she was touched with the strangest sense of almost fear and intense feverish excitement.

  He would be there... Dream Catcher! Who was he really? What would he be like? How would she be in their initial meeting with him?

  Shaking violently she dropped the keys to the car on the driveway, stooping to retrieve and then turn them in the lock. It was early evening. A brief glance at the map assured her there was but a short journey ahead, and then...