Verona’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Pierre’s voice saying, ‘Just what do we have here?” Verona looked up and saw her camera man Jacques and Frida, the junior producer who was taking Verona’s regular producer (and lover) Mathilde’s place due to Mathilde’s recovery from Covid, standing in front of a locked door. Frida, her platinum blonde hair done up in a bun, was holding both a tape recorder and notebook in her hands. Verona noticed the look of – what? Suprise? Shock? Bewilderment? - on the face of the young woman. She thought, “They have never seen me when I was unclothed. Usually dressed for my show, ’Discovery with Verona,’ or perhaps casually for rehearsals, but certainly never naked.”

Pierre said, “Who are you? And why are you here?”

Frida quickly said, “I’m the producer for Verona’s television show, and this is Jacques her camera man. Anne Marie said it would be okay for us to get Verona’s thoughts about her first night here.”

Pierre scowled. “I’m to see her to bed. I’m supposed to chain her to her bed just as if she were any other slave here at Roissy.”

Now another voice spoke. It was Anne Marie who appeared from around a corner. “It’s okay, Pierre. I told Frida that she might have a little time to capture Verona’s thoughts. Now, unlock the door and let them have five minutes to interview and film her. Then you may proceed as usual.”

Pierre replied, “Yes, ma'am,” and unlocked the door to the small, cell like room where Verona would sleep during her stay at Roissy.

That answer percolated in Verona’s mind for over a year, even in her dreams at night. In some of those dreams, Verona saw herself either dressed in the bare breasted styles she had witnessed at Roissy or completely nude save chains. Many nights she awoke from these dreams wet an aroused. Then her supposed partner on the show, a strait-laced older man named Clement, who fancied himself a ‘real’ reporter had authored several programs on human trafficking. This both further piqued Verona’s interest and irritated her. Clement’s judgement was that it was society’s fault that human trafficking and prostitution existed as no normal woman had overt sexual urges and a woman only had sex when she was forced. Verona countered that all women have sexual urges to a degree and some, if not many, of these urges were masochistic in nature. To the amusement of James W. the two almost came to blows about this during a pre-production meeting for one of the segments.

It was then that Verona suggested that she do a piece on a secret society devoted to the pleasure of men and the sexual subjugation of women. Verona, her camera man and a female producer, whom Verona had insisted on, would be taken in a van to Roissy. James W. had contacted a friend named Gaspar, who was in fact a ‘Master’ at Roissy, and the plan was approved. Verona would be treated as any woman who was taken to Roissy by her lover.; the only difference was that her experiences would be filmed (and later digitized so that identities and certain body parts were concealed so they might be shown on Arte television). Only a camera man and a production assistant would accompany Verona. And at night, Verona would be allowed some ‘free’ time to dictate her experiences that day. Of course, Verona, like all people in the know, knew that she was going to the Roissy Chateau, but for appearance’s sake, it would be referred to in her show as only a ‘a secret society devoted to the pleasure of men and the sexual subjugation of women.’

At first Verona was concerned that James W. was sending only a production assistant with her rather than her regular producer, Mathilde. But the more Verona thought about it, the idea made sense. Mathilde was just getting over a severe bout of Covid and with Verona herself narrating her thoughts at the end of the day, sending a young production assistant made sense. Besides her cameraman Jacques had filmed the two previous segments and was somewhat familiar with Roissy’s layout.

One stipulation was that the Chateau’s location must remain secret, so as previously, the three would be picked up in Paris in a panel van without windows and then be blindfolded so that they could not look out the windshield. Only when they arrived at the chateau would the blindfolds be removed. There Verona would be taken into the Chateau as if she were a girl brought by her lover for ‘training.’

Verona’s phone buzzed. She answered and it was the voice of Jacques. He said, “We are downstairs in a white panel van, two large men, Frida, your production assistant and myself. Please come join us.” Twenty minutes the van with three blindfolded passengers left the city of Paris.

Pierre opened the door to the room and entered. He said, “Anne Marie said you might have some time for a quick interview with this one,” nodding to Verona. “But now it’s time for me to put her to bed.” He paused, then added with a chuckle, “She will need her beauty sleep.”

Hearing this, Frida looked onto Verona’s face with a quizzical look. Verona said, “It’s okay.” Then Frida and Jacques left the room and went into the hallway where another valet, Albert, was waiting. He said, “Follow me. I will show you to your respective rooms in the hotel wing of the Chateau.”

Meanwhile, Pierre shut the door and considered Verona who was still sitting on the bed. He said, “Please lie down. I must chain you to your bed tonight and every night you are here.” Then he bent over and took both of Verona’s ankles in his bear paw like left hand and lifted them as he pushed down her shoulder with his right. Once Verona was prone on the bed, he pulled her hands together and using the rings set in the leather bracelets and a small clip, secured her wrists together. Using the other end of the clip, Pierre attached it to the ring that was set in the leather collar around Verona’s neck. Then, he took a length of chain -one end of which was looped around an eye bolt set in the stone wall above the bed -and attached it to the same ring in the leather collar. Thus, Verona’s hands were just below her neck as if she were praying.

Pierre looked at Verona and said, “You’re chained this way so that you cannot touch yourself. It’s a reminder that you are no longer mistress of your body. It belongs to the Society now and will as long as you are here at the Chateau.” He paused, then added, “The slaves who have their sex pierced also have a chain attached to the ring that pierces them there. Not so much top secure them as to remind them of their status as chattel.”

Verona looked at the valet but didn’t speak. Pierre placed a rough hand on her ankle just above the leather bracelet there and continued, “I have served the Society for almost forty years as did my father before me. Indeed, being a valet here is the only job I have ever had except for the time I was in the French Army. I have seen literally hundreds of women come here. Some just as ‘free’ prostitutes; others brought by their lovers to prove their devotion to them. And even a few who, I think, just wanted to prove to themselves tat they could ‘take it,’ so to speak.” Pierre pushed Verona’s legs apart but continued to talk. “A very few were homely, and a few were what one might call beautiful, I mean after all, there have been a few models and even movie stars who have come here.” Pierre ran his rough hands up Verona’s thighs, pushing her legs apart even further. Instinctively, Verona moved her hands as if to stop him, but was unable to do so because of the chains. Piere continued, “Most of the women who came here were what I would say were comely, like you.” Saying this, Pierre thrust two fingers into Verona’s sex. She gasped and flinched. ‘But I must say, you are the first television personality I have seen here.” He massaged her sex a little and ran his thumb over Verona’s clitoris, causing it to rise from its protective sheath. “Oh, what do we have here?” said Pierre. And then he stopped and withdrew his fingers and stood by the bed.

Looking down at Verona, he said, “Now, all you will be able to think of is that a man of low estate, a peasant really, just fingered you and you could not stop him. Perhaps you would now like to masturbate, but the chains binding you prevent it.” He turned to go, and as he did, he said over his shoulder, “In several hours before dawn when it is darkest, another valet will come into this room. He will haul you up with the chain and flog you. And there is nothing you will be able to do to prevent it.”

Pierre then turned out the light, and after he closed the door, Verona heard it being locked from the outside, leaving her alone, chained in the darkness.

As Jacques set up his equipment, Frida, who had never been to Roissy, indeed did not know of its existence, having only heard rumors and gossip of a place where women went to submit themselves to sexual slavery to please their lovers, marveled at the immense size and grandeur of the Chateau’s exterior.

Anne Marie noticed Frida right away, her platinum-colored hair catching the waning light of late afternoon. She turned little Yvette beside her and said, “Evidently, Verona has a new producer. That is not the woman named Mathilde, who acted as her producer on the previous two trips here.” She considered the slender young woman and continued, “She looks younger and less experienced. I wonder if Verona and Mathilde had a falling out. They were lovers as well as work colleagues, you know.”

Yvette replied, “She is quite pretty, though. Don’t you agree, Mistress?”

Meanwhile the large Citroen carrying Verona pulled up. Two men emerged from the back of the car, then Verona. One of the men pushed Verona against the side of the car and pulled her hands behind her so the other man might tie her wrists together with a silk tie. Verona didn’t protest. Then Anne Marie noticed him run his hands up Verona’s thighs and push into her sex. Anne Marie saw Verona flinch and let out a small cry. Both men laughed. Anne Marie said to little Yvette, “Eric always has been impatient.” The other man – it was Gaspar – said, “Now Verona, see that woman with the dark hair standing in front of the doorway? I want you to walk to her. She will take you inside and tell you what do next.”

As Verona walked to the woman in the late afternoon light, she felt he gravel crunch beneath her feet. She thought to herself, “Here I am, hands bound behind my back, walking towards… What?”

And from a short distance away, Frida said to Jacques the cameraman, “Oh my, I do hope you got that on film. This afternoon light is so very perfect!”

The valet grinned and said, “Yes ma’am, as you wish.” Then he fastened Julienne’s hands behind her back, took up the leash, attached it to the ring that pierced her labia and led her from the room.

As they exited the room, Doctor Serrano looked at Anne Marie and said, “Such willingness to submit. Why, I can scarcely believe it.” Then, “Now, if you will excuse me. I need a good night’s sleep in order to perform the procedure correctly.” Then he left, leaving only Anne Marie, her girl Yvette, Verona, her producer, Mathilde, and the cameraman Jacques in the room. Anne Marie said, “Well, now that it’s settled, shall we adjourn to the dining room. I believe Cook has a roasted duck with cherries for us tonight.”

It was about eight in the morning. Anne Marie was waiting in a brightly lit room that had been specially arranged. She was sipping the cup of coffee that little Yvette had brought her. Jacques, the Arte photographer and his boss, Mathilde, were fiddling with cameras. Verona was doing a sound check with a microphone. Dr. Seranno, already gowned and masked was puting on latex gloves and standing by tray and a gynecological examining table. A door opened and James, the valet, led poor Julienne into the room, tugging on the leash attached to the ring that pierced her labia.

Dr Seranno said, “Up on the table and put your legs in the stirrups, please.” Julienne did as she was told. James undid the leash and he and Yvette fastened straps that secured Julienne’s legs to the stirrups. Then he secured Julienne’s hands to a ring set at the top of the table while Yvette set a large strap across Julienne’s belly and waist. She was quickly and totally immobilized. She looked as if she was in a daze, eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling.

Anne Marie, looking at the bruises and welts on Julienne’s skin, said to James, “She looks quite a state. You and your valets must have had a lot of fun.” Then to Verona, “Are you ready?”

Verona answered, “Yes. Cameras are rolling.”

Then Anne Marie turned to Dr. Seranno and said, “You may proceed.”

Julienne appeared to be in a state of shock, but looked into Dr Serrano’s face and murmured, “Will it be painful?”

He answered, “Oh, most assuredly.”

Tears ran down Julienne’s face and she whimpered, “Oh God, what have I agreed to.”

Verona turned to Jacques, her photographer for Arte Television and asked, “Are you getting this on film. It will be great television!”

Dr Serrano turned to Anne Marie and said, “I am still afraid the pain and shock may be too much for her.”

As these conversations went on, Mathilde, Verona’s producer, looked around the room. It was now well lit and there were white curtains around the ‘operating’ area, but Mathilde knew that just beyond the curtains were the instruments of torture – whips, crops, chains, leather straps used to tie down slaves who were being flogged, even a brazier where branding irons had been heated. She thought to herself, “How many women have been brought to this place? This Hell on earth? Beaten and tortured? And for what? Love? Verona thinks they all came willingly. For love. To prove their love for their men. What kind of woman feels the need to be tortured to prove her love for her man?”

Dr Serrano looked at Anne Marie and said, “Well?”

She answered, “It’s what her Master wants. Proceed.”

“Well, Julienne. Your answer, please.” It was Anne Marie talking. “Do you consent to what your Master wants of you or do you no longer wish to belong to him? It is one or the other. Choose now!”

Julienne stood there, completely naked with tears running down her cheeks. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“Choose now! Give me your answer!” said Anne Marie harshly.

Julienne managed to say in a small voice, “I consent.”

“Say you consent to your Master’s wishes, that you consent to what he wants done to you. Say you want it also.” Again, in a small voice, “Yes, I consent to what Etienne wants to be done to me. I freely consent. I desire what he wants for me.”

“Good,” said Anne Marie. “That wasn’t so difficult was it?” Then she looked to little Yvette and said, “Yvette, please be so good as to show our guests in.”

Yvette nodded and went to the door and opened it. In came a man in a white medical coat, followed by three others: A rather tall slender brunette woman dressed impeccably - Verona Estrange, formerly the star of the television program ‘Discovery with Verona,’ her producer, Mathilde and cameraman, Jacques. Late last year, Verona and crew had done a feature on Roissy for Arte Television Network– part of a plan to revive Roissy’s coffers. The feature, although heavily edited to permit it to be shown on television was a great success for the network, and had fetched Roissy a hefty payment, enough to settle debts and put the Society in the black. The Masters were quite pleased and had expressed their gratitude by giving Anne Marie a raise in salary.

Upon seeing four strangers enter the room, Julienne reflexively went to cover herself. Anne Marie laughed at this and said, “Such modesty in a whore.” Julienne blushed and placed her hands at her side. Then Anne Marie looked at her and said, “Julienne, this is Doctor Serrano. He will perform the procedure.”

Julienne looked bewildered and said, “But you…”

Anne Marie cut her off. “My dear, it’s true I pierced the lips of your sex so that the rings could be inserted, and I branded Etienne’s initials on your rear, but this will require true medical knowledge which I do not possess.” Then turning to Verona, “I trust you got Julienne on tape.”

Verona answered, “Yes indeed. It was great. The way her face changed as she read what her lover wants from her. And how she agreed to it with tears streaming down her face. A picture of true submission. I take it we will also be allowed to video the procedure?”

Anne Marie answered, “Yes, of course. But I have no idea how you will be permitted to broadcast it.”

“Leave that to us,” said Verona.

me, realizing that simon’s phone says it’s 3:20 during the dinner scene: waht

is it 3:20 am and they are just eating dinner super late or is it 3:20 pm and they are crazy and eating dinner incredibly early

i am confusion

samastrophe: