Chapter Seven

Dominic and Joely were engaged in activity other than talking as soon as the door of their room shut behind them. Joely all but threw herself into his arms and he caught her very willingly, turning round and pinning her against the door, pressing hard, fighting to get as close to her as possible as quickly as possible while she climbed his body. Fifteen minutes later, in a heap on the floor, they drew breath and laughed.

“Bath,” Joely said.

“What a good idea,” he agreed.

As it turned out, they did fit into the bathtub, with Joely sitting snugly between Dominic’s legs, lying back on him. His soapy hands slid over her breasts, cupping them, his long fingers trailing over her nipples and around in lazy circles. She took it for five minutes before she couldn’t stand it any longer, pried herself out from his hold and sat down on him. A lot of water splashed over the side of the tub after that.

They migrated to the one bed they hadn’t already destroyed, sitting cross-legged on it, a towel around each of them.

“So,” Joely said. “How did you come to be here? The first time, I mean.”

“There’s a bit of a story to that,” he said. “There always is with me, as you’ve probably gathered.” She nodded.

“Very fond of the sound of your own voice,” she agreed. He raised one eyebrow, humour and challenge in his eyes.

“You want the story or not?” he asked. Joely nodded and settled more comfortably on the bed, one elbow on a pillow.

“I was sitting in a club in New York,” he began. “One of those expensive dives, usually part-owned by someone in the movie business. I can’t remember who it was. Anyway, I was at a table with a friend of mine and a few hangers-on, the people who just always seemed to be around, telling me how great my last movie was, and calling me “Dom”. Three tables away from me, there was a gorgeous redhead, curls down to her bum and tits out to here. She’d handed me her phone number and a pass key for her hotel room five minutes after I’d walked in, and was watching me out of the corner of her eye.”
”Who was she?” Joely asked. He shrugged.

“No idea. I’d never met her before. She was luscious, though. I was looking forward to having her.”
”You’d never met her before?” Joely asked, her mouth open wide. He shook his head.

“That sort of thing happens,” he said. “Anyway, towards the end of the night, when I had several drinks under my belt, as well as a couple of lines of coke up my nose, I happened to look over at one of the hangers-on and…”
”You took drugs?” Joely interrupted again. He nodded.

“Socially,” he said. “It’s all right. I don’t any more. It’s almost obligatory, Joe. You have to be very determined or very successful to not fall in with all the standard practices. Fortunately, I’m both, now.” He grinned, showing her that he was poking fun at himself. “Anyway, nicely buzzed, contemplating a night in bed with a stunning stranger, I happened to see the look this hanger-on was giving me when he didn’t know I was watching him. It was…how do I describe it? Derision, contempt, envy, hatred, maybe. This guy was looking at me as if he didn’t know whether he wanted to be me or kill me. It was the ugliest look I’d ever seen, and it jolted me.”

“Why would you care what he thought of you?” she asked. He shrugged.

“I didn’t really,” he admitted. “But for someone who didn’t even know me to look at me with that sort of intensity and dislike, well it was unpleasant. I got up and went to the bathroom, washed my face, looked in the mirror, and I realised that I didn’t like what I saw, either. I looked rough, tired and fuzzy round the edges. I was surrounded by people who said yes to me all the time, everything I wanted was being handed to me on a platter, there was no challenge, no-one to argue with me, nothing I couldn’t have for the asking.”

”It sounds like a dream come true.”
”And it is,” he agreed. “But it does something to you, particularly when you come from a background where you haven’t had much of that. It goes to your head and you find yourself treating other people like rubbish. I took that girl’s passkey out of my pocket and looked at it and shook my head. I’d been contemplating having sex with someone whose name I didn’t even know. I’d snorted coke off the counter in that bathroom earlier that night – coke I hadn’t paid for, didn’t know the source of, hadn’t even thanked the guy for. I looked in that mirror, and I thought “Dominic, lad. You’re turning into a spoilt brat.” And I decided I had to do something about it, something drastic.”

”So how did you decide on this place?” she asked. He held up his hand.
”I’m getting there, Joe. Patience.” She shook her head.

“You ask a simple question. Three years later, he’s still telling the story,” she despaired. “I’ll just lie down here so if you’re still talking at midnight, you can send me off to sleep.”
”If you lie down there, I’ll stop talking and do something else,” he said. She considered that, tempted.

“Later,” she said, making him laugh. “Go on. Tell the story.”

“When I came out of the bathroom, I detoured past the redhead’s table. I gave her back her key, and told her that I was very flattered but that I wouldn’t be there. The one person at my table who was a friend, a good friend, saw me do it and asked me what was wrong. After all, I didn’t make a practice of saying no to too many women. I’m clean, by the way,” he added, before she could say anything. “I’ve had tests to make sure I haven’t caught anything. Anyway, I told the hangers-on to go away – not very politely, and then I told my friend what I’d been thinking. He listened, then said that he was pleased to hear it, that he’d been worried about me for some time. And then he said that the thing I needed was this place that the brother of another friend of his had been to.

When he said it was called “The Monastery”, I laughed. If there was one thing I most definitely was not fitted for, it was the life of a monk, even temporarily, but he was serious. He told me it was a place where they practised obedience and some other stuff, and that it would give me the chance to think through some things, let other people make decisions for me for a while, and just concentrate on finding out who I was. It all sounds like existentialist crap really, doesn’t it?”

“No,” Joely said. “Well…maybe a little.” Dominic smiled.

“He tracked down the details of the place for me and I came and saw Bernard – in the office part, not in this building, and he told me I’d have to sign myself in for three weeks and that I couldn’t leave during that time, that they wouldn’t let me leave. He explained about the silence, told me that I’d be expected to work hard and to do a number of things that I would find very uncomfortable. I think he even used the term “stripped back”, but he didn’t explain it any further than that, and I think I thought he meant organic foods and a lack of luxuries, idiot that I was. He said that I would almost certainly be punished for infractions, and that this might take forms that I would not like at all – but that they would hardly be punishments if I did. I don’t remember that I really thought too much about it. I’d seen the building, thought it looked like something out of a movie set, figured it was like all of those other country-club “drying out” places film stars go to all the time and decided on the spot to do it.”

“You came in right then?” she asked. “You just disappeared for three weeks?” He shook his head.

“No, I had to make sure that my people knew I was going away for a while, but I didn’t tell them where. They were in a real panic. It’s awful when your meal ticket disappears like that. My friend knew, but he was sworn to secrecy. Two weeks later, I showed up, parked a Lamborghini out the front, walked in like I owned the place and got a very nasty surprise.”

“I’ll bet they didn’t strip you,” Joely said bitterly.

“In a manner of speaking, they did,” he said. “There were four men waiting inside when Bernard walked me in. He signalled me to be quiet and then indicated that I should take my clothes off. It’s part of the process here. When people actually become monks here, they give up all their worldly goods and so on – in the old days, they used to shave their heads as well. Now, for the people who come here for treatment, it’s symbolic – we leave the trappings of our ordinary lives at the door, we cross the floor of the main room naked, unprotected – symbolising the difficulty of the journey we have to make, and then we put the robe on, to make a start.”

“They explained all this to you?” Joely asked. “Why didn’t they…”
”No,” he laughed. “I found out later. At the time, I just stood there, thinking that they had to be joking. I don’t do total nudity for people who are paying me thirty million dollars! But then I realised that the four monks standing behind Bernard weren’t there for decoration.”

”How did you realise that?”

“Being the friendly type I am, I went to shake hands with them. None of them moved. You know how they tuck their hands into their sleeves? Yes, well, none of them moved from that position. Duncan looked as if he was going to laugh and I just stood there with my hand out, feeling like an idiot. Later on, whenever he saw me in the dining room, for ages, he always made a point of shaking my hand – even if it was tied in front of me, he’d shake it. And if it was tied behind me…”
”He’d shake some other part of you?” Joely guessed. Dominic grinned.

“Yes. The first time he did that, I tried to kill him. I yelled and kicked and made a right spectacle of myself. That was the first time I got caned. I learnt after that. And Duncan, as I’ve said, has a weird sense of humour, so he always did it in future. It became a running gag. He’ll undoubtedly do it tonight, too. Something to look forward to.” He sighed. “I still can’t believe I talked in a public place.”

“But I’m getting ahead of myself, here. Once I’d realised that they weren’t there to be a friendly welcoming committee, I decided it would be best to just humour them. It’s not that difficult for a man to get undressed in front of other men, after all. So I stripped off, took my watch off, took my earring out, dropped them all into the bag they held out, and walked bare-arsed across the floor and picked up the robe.”

“A model inmate,” she said. He laughed.

“Hardly,” he said. “I looked at that robe, said something like “you expect me to wear this crap?” and next thing I knew, I was being frog-marched out through to the fields. One of them handed me a shovel, pointed at the row of mud and told me to get to it. A…how shall I put this? A minor disagreement occurred, during which I expressed some disparaging opinions regarding their parentage and expressed my general unwillingness to engage in manual labour of this nature.”
”I’m sure they listened to you,” Joely said, enjoying this.

”In exactly the same way as you listen to a naughty three year old,” Dominic said wryly. “Several facts of life were explained to me, some consequences were alluded to, all escape routes were blocked, and four very determined monks crossed their arms and waited for me to do what I was told. It took over an hour for me to give in and start.”

“You were worse than I was!” Joely said.
”Oh much worse,” he agreed. “And I had the advantage of knowing some of what was going to happen. I’m amazed you did as well as you did. A young female, being held and stripped by three men, and all you did was threaten to sue me and try to scream the place down. For all you knew, you were about to be served up at an orgy.”
”A bit later, I thought you were going to…” she said, remembering how scared she’d been when he’d undone the belt of his robe. Dominic nodded.

“I know,” he said. “I saw your face. I did suggest to Bernard that you not be undressed in the same way as other students. I thought he could just let you go into his office and change into the robe.”
”He wouldn’t agree?”

“No,” he said. “It was part of the symbolism, part of the routine, as I said. He had real reservations about taking a girl in here anyway, as he explained to you yesterday, so I think he was determined to stick as closely to the normal processes as possible. He modified the type of work you had to do, said I could give you a little more leeway than normal, and he agreed that any caning would be reduced by at least half, but beyond that, you were to be treated no differently. You were to be disciplined the same way, put through the same sorts of things.”

“And all of the others?” she asked. “What did they think about the prospect of having a WOMAN here?” She deliberately stressed the word “woman” He seemed to be far too fond of the word “girl”. Dominic grinned.

“Bernard got round to all of them, made it clear that they were to treat the visiting GIRL no differently to how they had any other student.” Joely narrowed her eyes at him, but decided not to continue to make an issue of his terminology. There was more she wanted to know first.

“They treat you differently now,” she said. He shrugged.

“This is my third visit,” he pointed out. “I come back whenever I need some time out, to ground myself a bit, to be with people who don’t all treat me as if I’m some deity. And if I hadn’t been here now, Bernard would never have agreed to take you in.”

”Why not?” she asked. He’d said that to her once before, but she hadn’t understood it then. “You told me once that it was because they didn’t know how to deal with women, but if they weren’t going to treat me any differently…”

“They’re all celibate,” he said. “As Bernard said, your stepfather had told him enough about you for him to know that you’re beautiful, although he obviously didn’t do you justice.”

“Thank you.”
”You’re welcome. Bernard was concerned that you might be a bit too tempting for some of the monks, that it might be unfair on them to have to deal with you in the ways in which you had to be dealt with, particularly since many of them haven’t had dealings with girls for a long time. He’s also quite astute, our Bernard, and he thought that having a good-looking lad like myself in charge of you might make the whole process a bit more acceptable to you.”

”Full of yourself, aren’t you?” she commented, laughing.

“I’m just repeating what he said,” Dominic replied, unconcerned. “What I thought was that when you realised your tutor was Dominic Blake, you’d be falling over yourself to please me. Little did I know that I was about to meet one of the few women in the western world who hadn’t fallen for my celluloid charms. There, NOW you can accuse me of being full of myself.”

………………………

If Dominic had been the least bit embarrassed about the prospect of walking into the dining hall naked with his hands tied behind his back, Joely would have felt bad. But it didn’t seem to bother him much at all. He was annoyed at himself for the transgression that led to it, but resigned to the punishment.

“You have to remember that I went in to dinner like this almost every night for the first two weeks,” he said to Joely as she tied his hands. “You get used to it.”
”I wouldn’t,” she said definitely.

“No, but it’s a little different for you,” he said. “You’re a girl.”

”I’m a woman,” she insisted, standing up on her toes to kiss him. “And you’d better get it right, or I’ll administer some punishment of my own.”

“I’m not scared of you,” he said, his lips twitching. “No, not even when you grab hold of me there. All that means is that I’ll walk in to dinner with a hard-on, which will give Duncan more to shake, won’t it?” Joely laughed and let him go. Then she walked downstairs with him, making a point of noting every movement, every bounce as he walked. He grinned when he saw what she was doing. There was no way she could embarrass him like that.

Duncan was nowhere in sight when they entered the hall, but over a hundred pairs of eyes swivelled to take in the scene of a robed Joely walking in beside a naked Dominic, his hands behind his back. She saw his broad shoulders go back, lift a little, and she stroked her hand down his back in comfort. Then he walked forward, to the table, standing where she had stood two nights before, exposed to the entire room.

Someone passed two plates down the table and Joely began to cut up the food on one of them into bite-sized pieces. Dominic watched her, and when she speared a piece of meat and held it up, he obediently bent down and took it from the fork. She watched his lips close around the fork and barely suppressed a shiver as she remembered everywhere those lips had been. Then she saw the warning look in his eyes. Stop it, Joely. She swallowed a grin and concentrated on cutting up his food.

It was a long meal. Just as dessert was being served around the table, Duncan walked in. He took in the scene with obvious surprise, then, with a wicked smile, walked straight over to where Dominic stood. The naked man didn’t even try to avoid him, he just stood there and let the big hand grab hold of the most private part of his anatomy and shake it. Then he looked up at the high ceiling of the room and back down at Joely, who was grinning openly.

She walked behind him up to the room, enjoying the sight of his hands bound over his tight butt. His shoulders, his back, his long legs, all tanned and strong, made the paler skin of his backside stand out, and she couldn’t resist giving it a few pats as he walked up the stairs. He stopped half-way up and looked back at her, one eyebrow raised. She matched his look, then deliberately reached out and patted his behind again. And then pinched it, for good measure, and began to tickle her fingertips all over it. He breathed out heavily, bared his teeth at her in fun, and took off quickly, all but running up the stairs.

The door handle was high up, so he had to wait for her to open the door, at which point she checked that no-one was approaching from either side and then had a long, leisurely fondle of him. He turned away after a while, trying to escape her hand, but she just slid it around him and kept going. By the time she gave in and opened the door, his erection was knocking on it.

“You are going to get it,” he said, just as he had said to her once before, but the look in his eyes delighted her now.

“Oh am I?” she asked.

“Yes,” he promised. “Untie my hands, Joe.”
”I might,” she said. “Then again, I might not.” She put her hand on his chest and pushed. As he stepped back, his hardened penis bobbed up and down.

“Oh look, a gear stick,” Joely said, grabbing it. Dominic tried to pull away from her, but she tightened her grip.
”Joe,” he groaned, laughing despite it. “Come on, sweetheart, let me go and untie my hands. I’ll make it worth your while.” She had no doubt of that at all.

“I will,” she promised him. “But first, I want to know where you’re ticklish.” Laughing and refusing to tell, he backed up further, her hand still gripping him.
”You’re just going to have to find out for yourself,” he said, hitting the bed and sitting down, then lying down. She did, going over every single part of him until she found the places that made him roll around and laugh helplessly. And tickling him there until the heat and tingling in her own secret places was too strong for her to resist. At that point, she untied his wrists, fearing retribution, but feeling guilty for leaving him like that for so long.

“You’re evil,” he said, reaching for her as soon as his wrists were free. He wrapped her in his arms and held her close. He grinned as he lowered his face to hers. “Fortunately, that’s my favourite flavour in a woman.”

……………………….

Joely had made love three times in her life before Dominic, once with the unlamented pool boy and twice with Raoul. In the space of twenty-four hours, her experience was multiplied several times over. When Dominic fell out of the narrow single bed while they were making love, she laughed so hard she hiccupped for five minutes afterwards. When she fell out an hour later, she didn’t find it quite as amusing.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Dominic said. “Here, let me kiss it better.” He held her down on the bed and started kissing.

“That’s not where I landed,” Joely said as his mouth moved over her breasts. She caught her breath as his tongue flicked over a nipple. He stopped and looked up at her in the dark.
”Does that hurt?” he asked.
”A little,” she said. “All of me is so tender from all of this.”

“I’d better stop then,” he said, going to roll off her. She put her hands on his shoulders.

“Don’t you dare,” she said.

In the morning, their bodies were plastered to each other, and their arms and legs were locked together like a meccano set. Joely’s lips felt bruised, her breasts were swollen and reddened from Dominic’s five o’clock shadow, and she was so tender between her legs that she winced when she disentangled an arm and felt down there. She managed to extricate herself from the human puzzle without waking him. Which wasn’t surprising, she thought tenderly. He’d used a lot of energy during the night.

She smiled as she looked at him. He really was breathtaking. His dark hair lay like a pool on the pillow and his chiselled face and the cleft in his chin made him look like a statue. A living, breathing statue. She watched his smooth, muscled chest move in and out with his breaths, and looked down further at his slim hips, at the dark pad of hair between them and what rested against it. She was surprised he hadn’t worn it down. She certainly felt worn down!

She ran the bathtub and eased herself in, once she’d taken care of the more basic morning needs. She was shocked by how sore her body was, how the hot water stung before it soothed. And when she looked down, she was equally stunned to see how many marks there were on her. Light bruises from his fingers on her hips and legs, reddened skin on her breasts from his beard growth, assorted marks here and there, all over her, to show where he’d been and what he’d done. She smiled and lay back in the tub.

She didn’t hear him come in, but when she opened her eyes, he was kneeling beside the tub, his arms along the edge, his chin resting on them.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said.
”Same to you,” she smiled.

“Want me to wash your hair?” he asked. She nodded. “After I rub your feet, perhaps?”

“Rub my feet?” she asked, surprised.

“Yes, rub your feet,” he said. He shook his head. “Joe, hasn’t anyone ever rubbed your feet for you?”

“No,” she admitted. He smiled.

“Another first,” he said, getting up and moving round to the end of the tub.

Within minutes, he had her purring, almost moaning with pleasure. He smiled. Then he looked down at her body, and his smile turned to a frown.

“Sweet Jesus, what did I do to you?” he said. He felt his chin. “I’ve burned your lovely soft skin with my rough face, and I’ve bruised your legs and…dear heaven.” He was looking up between her long legs. “Joely, you’re so red there! You must be sore.”

“It’s the hot water,” she said.

“And that explains why the rest of you is still your usual pale colour,” he said, not falling for it. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have done it that last time. Probably the last three times, by the look of you.”
”I wanted to,” she reminded him. “Besides, I was in charge for at least one of those times.” He grinned.

“Sure you were, little girl,” he said. “I’ll do your other foot, now.”

………………

Perhaps it was because he refused to make love to her until she’d had a chance to rest a bit, but that morning they came up with the idea. Neither one of them thought of it all on their own, but the seed was sowed before they went to breakfast (more hair-stroking for Joely, more bran for Dominic), and by the time they came back to the room, they were both bursting with ideas.

“Do you think Bernard will agree to it?” Joely asked.

“I think he might,” Dominic said. “He’s not very happy about what’s happened.”

As it turned out, he rather liked the idea, although he was cautious about how they should go about it.

“I won’t be a party to any serious deception,” he said warningly. “But I think it would do Mr Williams some good to receive a surprise of the nature you’re intending. Just make sure it doesn’t reflect badly on the monastery.” They both swore solemnly that they would keep that in mind.

He helped out more than they had anticipated by setting part of it up for them, making contact with Justin. He was scheduled to be away for a few days at the time they had scheduled it for, and he even offered to cancel that, but they assured him it wouldn’t be necessary. At Joely’s request, he arranged something else, too.

…………..

“Exactly how much underwear do you own?” Dominic demanded incredulously, as he looked at the suitcase open beside him on what they still referred to as Joely’s bed, even though they invariably shared one or the other of them.

“Tons,” she smiled. “It’s the one part of my clothing that Justin doesn’t select or veto, so it’s the only thing that I have really been able to express myself in.”
”That explains the hot pink set you were wearing when you arrived,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised by the thong.” He dipped a hand into the multicoloured pile of flimsy garments on top of the suitcase. “Are these all thongs?” he asked.

“Almost all,” she said. “Why is this all so messy?”

“They went through it looking for your toothbrush and pills, remember?” he said. “I don’t know who did it, but it looks like they just emptied everything out and then dumped it back in again.”
”It wasn’t all that tidy to begin with, because Justin didn’t give me a lot of time to pack, but the underwear was separated out into matching sets,” Joely grizzled.

“This is interesting,” Dominic said, picking up a blue and white gingham bra by its lacy strap. “Take your robe off and put this on for me, Joe.”
”Why? You’re just going to take it off again,” she laughed.

“Not immediately,” he promised. “Go on, put it on.”

“Find the bottom half of it and I will,” she said.

“Spoilsport,” he said, grinning as he dug into the pile again.

While she was in the bathroom putting it on, he looked through the rest of her stuff. Conservative trousers, high-necked blouses, sensible shoes and simple, old-fashioned jewellery. All of it was designed to minimise her looks rather than enhance them. He disliked Justin Williams more with every passing moment.

“Ta da!” Joely said from the doorway, striking a pose, one arm straight up above her head, hips thrust forward and a sultry look on her face.

“There is a god,” Dominic breathed, making her laugh. The blue in the underwear matched her eyes, and the tiny check and lace edging looked very pretty against her pale skin.

“Now, perhaps I’ll be allowed to look for the set I want?” she said, moving towards the bed again. As she bent forward, Dominic’s hand moved onto the back of her thigh and slid up to her bottom, almost completely bared by the thong.

“By the way,” she said casually, not looking at him. “Who is Helena Miller? The one the photographers asked about? Her name is familiar, but I can’t think of why.” Dominic smiled.

“I wondered when that was going to come up,” he said. “She’s an opera singer.”

“She’s…of course she is!” said Joely. “I heard her sing in “Carmen” last winter. Justin took me there for a benefit and…oh!” Something clicked into place. “You were there! I saw you!”

“I was?” he asked. She nodded.

“You know, right from the first time I saw you, I thought you looked familiar, and when I heard your full name, I got the same feeling that I knew it, but I couldn’t put it together. Which makes sense, because I only caught a glimpse of you, and you were in evening clothes, looking very well-tended and glossy. Very, very different to how you look here.”

“Well I would be, at the opera,” he said. “Where were you?”

”In one of the boxes,” she said. “You were, too – at the front one. And Helena Miller threw kisses up to you at the end.”

“From memory, it wasn’t the only thing she threw at me that night,” he said. “Violent nature, that woman has. I think it goes with the artistic temperament.” There was silence, while Joely pretended to concentrate on the underwear.

“Are you lovers?” she asked finally. His hand smoothed over her bottom.

“We were,” he said. “But it was over before I came here.”

“She’s very beautiful,” Joely said.

“She is.”
”And incredibly talented.”
”Incredibly,” he agreed. She was silent. Dominic sighed.

“Joe, it’s over. I’ve had far too many lovers, and you’re not allowed to get upset by them.”
”Who says?” she asked quietly.

“I do,” he said, reaching out and cupping the side of her face in his hand. He smiled at her.
”We’re together now,” he said. “What’s in the past is just that. The past. All right?” Her blue eyes looked a little troubled, but she nodded.

“Of course,” she said, trying for businesslike and almost succeeding. Dominic decided that was the best he could hope for. He looked back at the underwear.

“I wonder how many silk worms weaved themselves to death for this lot?” he said.

“Some polyester worms too,” she said, burrowing through the pile.

“What are you looking for?” he asked. He reached out with his free hand and picked up a bright red bra. “This one looks fine.”
”Not under a white robe,” she tutted. It was his turn to laugh.

“The material is thick,” he said. “You’ll never see colours through it!”
”It’s the principle of the thing,” she insisted. “You should wear underwear that’s a close match to the outer clothing.”

“Says who?” he asked. “Mine hardly ever matches. Whatever I’m wearing, I wear black briefs. That’s it.”

“You’re such a boy,” she shook her head, delving into the underwear.

Grinning, relieved that the awkward moment had passed, he brushed his hand through the pile again.

“I can’t see any white here,” he said.

“No, I never bought white,” she said. “Too virginal. I wanted racy underwear. Aha! Here it is!” She disentangled a creamy lace bra from the rest of the underwear. “Now, where are the panties that go with it?”

“Another thong?” Dominic asked.

“Of course,” she said airily. “There it is.” She held it up triumphantly.

“No wonder it was lost,” he commented. “A little thing like that could hide under a blade of grass.”

The bag that contained the clothing she’d been wearing when she arrived was also there, and while Joely tidied up the suitcase, Dominic dug around in it. He smiled as he brought his hand out.
”Come here,” he said. Eyes narrowed, she did, laughing when she saw that he was holding her navel stud. He put it in for her, replacing the end on it and positioning it perfectly.

“But it comes off when we make love,” he warned, transferring his hands to her waist. “I want you completely naked then, woman.” He went to pull her onto his lap, but she resisted, digging into the bag herself. Then she climbed up onto the bed, straddling his thighs, and let him pull her closer, his hands on her buttocks.

“Turn your head,” she ordered. He did, keeping still as she put one of her diamond earrings into the piercing in his ear.

“I don’t think it’s me,” he said, but he didn’t resist as she clipped the backing on.

“It looks perfect,” she insisted. “All the best dressed ears should wear diamonds.”

“My ears prefer to wear your inner thighs,” he said, grinning when she gasped. “Or these.” With that, he bent down and buried his face in her cleavage, amply displayed by the gingham bra, which did little more than cover her nipples and push her breasts together.

“Dominic, I…stop it!” she giggled as he burrowed into her, tickling her with his hair while he held her trapped on his lap.

A clearing of a throat made them both look up. Bernard stood inside the door. Joely’s hands rushed to cover herself, and she would have stood up if Dominic had released his hold on her bottom. He didn’t.

“You appear to be enjoying yourselves,” Bernard commented drily. Dominic smiled.

“The underwear queen here was deciding what to wear,” he said. “I was just giving my views on the subject.”

“You must have real problems with your vision if you need to be that close to express an opinion,” Bernard said. Joely pushed at Dominic’s wrists.

“Let me go!” she hissed. “I’ll put my robe on,” she said as he finally let her go. She rushed into the bathroom, wondering why she felt so embarrassed to be caught in her underwear, given that Bernard and everyone else in the building had seen her in nothing.

Dominic schooled his expression while she was out of the room, but his eyes were still dancing.

“If that girl were still a student, I would be very annoyed with you,” Bernard said.
”I know,” Dominic said, very pleased that Bernard didn’t know the exact timing of the start of things. “But she isn’t. And you did tell her she could have a holiday here.”
”And you’re providing the holiday romance?”

“I plan on lasting a lot longer than that,” Dominic replied. Bernard nodded.

“Good. I know the custom these days is for casual sexual relations, but I can’t bring myself to approve. I’m old-fashioned about that sort of thing.” Neither Dominic nor Joely, who’d come back out, said anything in reply.

“I’m just about to leave,” Bernard said. “I thought I’d come by and wish you luck before I went.”
”Thank you,” Joely said. Dominic stood up from the bed.

“And thanks for letting us do this,” he said. Bernard nodded. Then he focused his vision.

“I do hope you intend to remove that,” he said, pointing at the earring Dominic was wearing.

“I will,” Dominic assured him. Bernard held out his hand to Joely. Surprised, she crossed to him and put her hand in his.

“It would be tempting to be very vengeful towards your stepfather,” he said. “But do try not to sink to his level. Show him some compassion, some of the sweetness you have shown here, Joely.” Surprised and touched, all she could do was nod. Then, on impulse, she stepped closer and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled. Then he looked at the suitcase on the bed, the multi-coloured underwear spilling out of it, and shook his head.

“NOT a sight I’ve ever seen here before,” he commented. Then he left.

…………………….

When the day arrived, Joely was annoyed to find that she was anxious. She woke first, held close within the circle of Dominic’s arms, and couldn’t help but move around as she thought of everything that could go wrong.

“What’s wrong?” Dominic asked sleepily. He kissed her shoulder.
”Nothing,” she said. She sighed. “I’m nervous,” she admitted.

“That’s to be expected,” he said. “Fortunately, I have a cure for that.” He moved her in his arms and drew her close for a long, deep kiss.

‘You even taste good first thing in the morning,” he said appreciatively. “Now, just lie still and take your medicine like a good girl.”

Over the course of the past week, Dominic had made love to her more ways than she could count, but the passion between them almost always resulted in a hot and heavy rush to the finish. He didn’t allow that this time. He went slowly, gently, loving every inch of her, drawing every one of her senses into a hot, silken ball of aching need before he moved inside her and then languorously with her, easing her into a deep, drawn-out pool of sensation, then into a smooth fall into pleasure and satisfaction. When he finished, she felt revitalised and exhausted at the same time.

“I don’t think I can get out of bed now,” she said.

“No problem,” he murmured into her neck, his face and body slick with sweat. “I’ll just bring him here to you.” She felt him smile as she pushed on his shoulders, to let her up.

Andy got up from the table and gave Joely what was now his customary hug as she walked into the dining hall, and Duncan winked at her as he waited by the side table for Dominic to get his breakfast. The previous morning, Dominic had attempted to thwart him by putting some bran on his plate before he could, but Duncan had just loaded it up with more, and another monk- the one who had reminded Joely of an ape on the first day, heaped it up even further. Today, Dominic looked steadily at Duncan and then held his plate it to him so he could do it easily.

Joely let Andy lead her over to the table. He always seemed concerned that “Joey” as he called her, would sit somewhere other than beside him, even though she never did. She liked the big child-man. Dominic had told her that he’d been abandoned at the monastery by his mother when he was a small child, when it became apparent that he was retarded. The monks had traced his parents, but while they waited for the information to come through, Andy had formed a strong attachment to Daniel and he to him. Eventually, Daniel had agreed to raise him. The patience it must have taken to train the boy to adhere to the strict rules of the monastery was almost impossible for Joely to imagine, especially since she knew that no-one had ever caned or punished Andy.

Michael, the monk who had been Dominic’s tutor, was back from his visit to his family now, and Joely smiled at him too. As Dominic had said, the monk was insubstantial in size, but very strong in personality. He also had bright red hair and a big, infectious grin. The image of him ordering Dominic around always brought a smile to Joely’s lips. In her mind, she equated it to a little terrier worrying at a sleek stallion - and winning.

“You were smiling a lot through breakfast,” Dominic commented once they were back in their room.
”I’ve smiled more here than I have at any other time in my life,” Joely admitted. “The people are so nice.”
”You didn’t think so before,” he reminded her, smiling.

“That was understandable,” she said, walking through to the bathroom. As she sat down to use the toilet, he perched on the edge of the bathtub.

“Do you think this is going to work today?” she asked him. He nodded.

“I do,” he said. “Everything is in place, we’ve scripted it to perfection, and if anything unusual happens, we’ll deal with it.”
”It’s all right for you, you’re used to productions,” she said. He nodded again.

“Which is why I’m so confident that this one will work,” he said. “I’ve worked with some of the best directors in the world, Joe. Some of that skill has to have rubbed off.”

………………..

His confidence wasn’t misplaced. When Justin drove up to the monastery in his Mercedes, right on the dot of 11.30am, Duncan was right on cue, waiting at the front of the building for him. Justin climbed out, a smile on his face, and held out his hand. Duncan shook it, his huge hand matching Justin’s crushing grip with no difficulty and no change in his facial expression.

“Justin Williams,” Justin said, with the air of a man who knew that it was unnecessary to introduce himself. He was a well-known man and an important one. “I trust that my stepdaughter has been no trouble?
”None at all,” Duncan assured him. “We know how to deal with trouble here, anyway.” That statement brought a broad smile to Justin’s good-looking face.

“I’m sure you do,” he said. “So, where do I go to observe her?”
”You can do more than observe her,” Duncan said. “She’s waiting for you in the dining hall. You’ll need to change out of your clothes into a robe first though, Mr Williams. No street clothes are allowed beyond the hall of this building, so if you want to follow me round to Bernard’s office, you can change there.”

Justin wasn’t a politician for nothing.
”Surely that won’t be necessary,” he said. “I am only a visitor here, after all. And one who has paid well for the privilege of placing a student here.” His voice was smooth, his tone confident.

“Oh, I am sorry,” Duncan lied. “But if you want to see Miss Joely, to see how she’s being treated, then you’re going to have to change. There are no exceptions to the rule.”

Which was how Justin found himself in Bernard’s office removing every stitch of clothing under the impassive gaze of the monk. In his telephone call, Bernard had implied that Joely was going through some interesting stages in her development, and knowing what some of the treatments involved, Justin was looking forward to seeing them. He’d heard from an associate that his son had been made to clean windows bare-assed naked, to work on the farm until he was too exhausted to walk back.

The thought of all of this pleased Justin, and he’d been almost happy to have the excuse to send Joely here. To see his proud stepdaughter dealt with strictly and severely was going to be a pleasure. By the time she left this place, he was sure that she was going to be much more docile and appreciative of the lifestyle he had determined she should have.

Barefoot, feeling foolish in a rough robe with nothing underneath it, he was disconcerted to find that he was not allowed to speak unless otherwise indicated.
”But how will I converse with my stepdaughter?” he asked.

“She has become very adept at communicating silently,” Duncan said. “And she will take you to other places where you can speak. Assuming she is in a position to do so, of course.” That sounded promising, so Justin went along.

He admired the dimensions and architecture of the main hall as they passed through it, and cast an educated eye over the ceilings and windows of the dining hall when they walked in. An assessing, educated eye. There was a lot of money in this building alone, and the land it occupied had to be worth a fortune. It was all well-maintained, and despite its austerity, was clearly not suffering from neglect or lack of funds. Duncan touched Justin’s arm and pointed to the long table.

Joely sat there, calm and serene in her white robe. She stood up and moved towards them, pleased that the underclothes she now wore under the robe kept any part of her from moving around. She’d become accustomed to the sway of her breasts under it, to the brushing of the material against her body, but to deal with Justin, she needed all of the control and confidence she could muster. Underwear had been part of that.

Her face smooth, not smiling, but not angry (Dominic had made her practise that look in the mirror beforehand), she approached. She nodded to Duncan, gave him a small smile, then turned to Justin, putting her hand lightly on his arm. She was pleased to note that he looked confused. He looked at her, at her well-brushed hair, at the neatly trimmed fingernails on the hand that rested on his sleeve. She knew what he was thinking. She didn’t look like she’d been performing hard work or treated badly. She looked like she was rested and pampered.

She applied just enough pressure to his arm to indicate that he should move forward, and she led him around the room, pointing to several points of interest, the raised platform, the hooks in the beam above it, the long tables and benches, hollows worn into them by centuries of usage. Justin continued to send her sidelong looks of confusion. As she led him to the door, he lost patience.

“Look…” he started. Joely stopped on the spot, shook her head and touched her finger to her lips. She shook her head again, vehemently. He got the message, and walked silently with her out into the main hall and across to the door that led to the kitchen garden.

She had to stop herself from smiling when she surveyed the scene. Dominic had set up a table and chairs out there, with glassware and cutlery already laid out on a checked tablecloth. It looked like something out of a travel book on Tuscany, with flowering potted plants around it and the strawberry plants and dark green wall providing a lush backdrop. She shut the door behind them.

“Welcome to the monastery, Justin,” she said. “We can speak here.”

“Obviously,” he said, in the voice he used only when alone with her. Not the well-modulated voice he used when being interviewed or when dealing with his political cohorts and backers. It held a tone of barely concealed impatience, overlaid with annoyance at her. She was used to it.

“How have you been?” she asked politely, keeping her face expressionless. She could have been talking to one of the people at one of his boring parties for all of the emotional involvement there was in her voice.
”Do try to make meaningful conversation, Joely,” he said dismissively. “I must say I’m surprised to see that you’re allowed to walk around unattended here. I would have thought that they’d have been guarding you more closely.”

“But I’m not unattended,” she said calmly. “You’re with me, Justin. Now, they’ve set this up for us to have our lunch while we talk. I’ll take you for a tour of the fields later. I’m afraid I’m not allowed to take you upstairs to show you my room.”

“Why would I want to see your room?” he asked. “I’m sure it’s very basic, anyway.” Joely pretended to consider that.

“Well, it has everything I need,” she said. “And some nice fittings in the en-suite bathroom. I can’t complain.” She spared him a quick smile. “Why don’t we sit down?”

He followed her over to the table and sat, obviously somewhat discomposed by her manner, and just as obviously determined not to comment on it.

When the door opened, Joely experienced a quick flutter of panic low in her belly. What if something had gone wrong? What if this was one of the other monks? Hardly any of them had been told what was going on – only those they’d needed for the ruse. She quelled her nervousness and smiled at Justin, so brightly he looked startled.

“The food is wonderful here, and this should be our lunch now,” she said. It was – with a vengeance. Dominic walked through the door, and Justin’s jaw dropped. It was only with an effort that Joely kept her own mouth closed. He’d got himself into character all right. Head down, dark hair falling to obscure much of his face, he was carrying a large tray on which bowls of food were arranged. Joely could see steaming pasta and a colourful, beautifully prepared salad. But that was not what was drawing the eye.

Dominic was almost naked. Barefoot, he was wearing only a loincloth that left his hips and almost all of his body bare. His tanned skin was glistening as if it had been oiled, his muscles rippling as he moved. He looked up as he approached the table.

“Your lunch, Miss Joely,” he said deferentially, and without his usual accent. “Mr Williams,” he nodded his head to Justin. “I hope you like pasta.” Justin didn’t say anything. He just watched as Dominic set the tray down on the table and removed some earthenware bowls which he placed on top of their plates.
”Would you like me to serve it?” he asked Joely. She dragged her eyes up from his taut abdominal muscles.

“No, thank you Peter,” she said, trying for gracious and hoping she was somewhere near it. My, but he was distracting. A tingle of mischief made her slide her hand under the back part of his loincloth and pat him on the backside. She knew the shape of it so well that her hand just slid into position. He didn’t move.

“No, we’ll look after it,” she said. “Bring us some drinks though, will you?”
”Of course,” he said, sounding distressed. “I’m so sorry, Miss Joely. I should have thought to bring them myself.” There was just a tinge of fear in his eyes. He really was an extraordinarily good actor, she decided.

“You won’t be punished, Peter. You’re never punished when you do your best, you know that.”

“Thank you,” he said, picking up the tray and backing away. Her hand slid from his tight backside and she caught a whiff of apricot. Oh, so he’d used her body oil, had he?

Justin didn’t even wait for Dominic to leave the walled garden.
”Who is that?” he demanded. Joely smiled.

“Oh, that’s just Peter,” she said loudly, managing to sound vaguely disappointed. “I’d hoped they’d send one of the good-looking students to serve us today, but he’s a nice boy in his own way.” Since Justin was making a point of looking away from the almost naked “Peter” by this point, making it look as if he was finding the rows of strawberry plants absolutely riveting, Joely was able to steal a quick look at Dominic. Not by so much as a tightening of any of the acres of golden skin on display did he show that he’d heard her, but she knew he had. She had to stifle a smile at that.

“Does this sort of thing happen every day?” Justin asked, picking up his fork.

“Not every day, no,” Joely said. “Sometimes we have rice instead of pasta. Or bread. They bake delicious bread.”
”That is not what I meant,” Justin said, stabbing his fork into the pasta. “I meant are you waited on like this? Surely not?”
”Why not?” Joely asked, avoiding the question and sounding just a little confused. “The students here have to learn servility, among other things.”
”And you’re a student yourself,” he said pointedly. She smiled again.

“I know that, Justin,” she said. “It was made clear to me when I arrived.”

“In what way?” he asked, perking up a bit.

“Everything was explained to me over time,” she said. “Do you like the pesto on that? The basil was grown right here in the kitchen garden.”

Their conversation continued, stilted on Justin’s part, well-rehearsed on Joely’s. He didn’t want to ask directly what hardships and discomforts she’d faced – she’d bargained on that, but he was clearly disgruntled.

Dominic came back again, once to bring the drinks and then to tidy up after they’d finished eating. Each time, Joely found herself having to concentrate on her words and the game plan when he was present. That damned loincloth highlighted more than it concealed, and even the thick material did not adequately camouflage the parts of him it hung over. His oiled skin gleamed as he moved, muscles rippling, all grace and servitude. When he leaned across the table at one point and the loincloth swung forward, Joely found herself losing complete track of what she’d been in the middle of saying.

“What was that?” Justin asked, again making a point of not looking at the near-naked man who was now clearing the table.

“I was saying that it’s been a very interesting place to stay,” she repeated, raising her glass of fruit punch to her lips and willing Dominic to straighten up a bit. That loincloth was still swinging forward, the sunlight was shining on his biceps as he picked up the tray, and his hair looked glossy and soft and…

“Interesting wasn’t what I’d planned,” her stepfather said. “You were supposed to learn some manners and obedience here.”

“Oh, I have,” she assured him. She put her hand on Dominic’s shoulder and let her fingers trail down his arm, all the way over all of the delicious curves of his muscles down to his hand. “I’ve seen first-hand just how important obedience is. And I’m a very fast learner, Justin. That’s why I’m helping with training now.” She ran her hand back up Dominic’s arm, down onto his ribcage.

“Stop handling him,” Justin snapped. Joely looked at him in surprise.

“But that’s part of the training, Justin,” she said, leaving her hand where it was. Dominic had slowed down his cleaning up, to give her time to do what she had to do.

“Was it part of your training?” her stepfather asked, his eyes showing some pleasure at the thought.

“Being handled?” Joely asked. “Justin, they’re nice people here. They know how to treat a lady.” As the pleasure faded from his eyes, she tickled her fingers lightly over Dominic’s ribs and he dropped a cup. It bounced across the table and landed on the flagstones, breaking into several pieces.

He bowed his head at once, looking horrified.

“Oh, Peter,” Joely said, sounding annoyed and saddened. “When are you going to get past this clumsiness?”
”I’m sorry, Miss Joely,” he said.
”Well you will be, won’t you?” she responded. He nodded.

“Clean it up,” she said, all long-suffering patience. He nodded again and hurried round to drop to his knees to pick up the pieces. She shook her head at Justin.

“Peter’s been caned almost every night he’s been here,” she said by way of explanation. “But he just doesn’t seem to learn.”
”Caned?” Justin repeated. She nodded.

“It’s part of the training here,” she said. “He’ll be tied up to one of those hooks I pointed out to you in the dining hall and they’ll take his loincloth off and cane him in front of everyone. He probably still has the marks from the last time.” She idly reached down as she spoke and lifted his loincloth at the back. Dominic didn’t flinch as she bared him. This wasn’t part of the script, but then the loincloth hadn’t been, either. As far as she’d known, he was supposed to be in a brown robe.

“No, he heals well,” she remarked, looking at his smooth backside. “Some of them carry stripes for days afterwards. Take that away and come back for the rest, Peter,” she said. She let the cloth fall back into place. “Would you like to walk around the farm for a while?” she asked her stepfather.

“No I would not,” Justin answered. He was showing his annoyance now. Good, she thought.

“I have been misled as to what this place was supposed to be,” he said. “I understood that you were to be receiving instruction and discipline, and that you were to be put to work. Not that you’d be sitting around in the sun while naked pretty boys served you meals.” He glanced over to where Dominic was tipping the shards of cup into a bucket.

“That one looks like that young actor everyone’s always raving about. The Irish one.”
”I wouldn’t know,” Joely lied. “You don’t let me see movies, remember?” He glared at her.

“You’re always complaining about something,” he said. “But that’s irrelevant anyway. You’re supposed to be working, not holidaying.”
”I am working,” she said. Yes, he would have loved to see her scrubbing the floors in her robe or naked, wouldn’t he? He’d have loved to see her pushed into the dining hall wearing nothing but the rope that held her hands behind her back. An acid spring of hatred fountained up inside her. “You have no idea how hard it is to train these…” She was interrupted by the opening of the door, and she, Justin and Dominic all watched as Andy and Daniel stepped into the walled garden.

Joely’s heart sank. Daniel took the situation in with one quick look around.

“What is happening here?” he asked sharply once he’d shut the door behind him. Dominic straightened up and said something to him quietly, his head down. From where they sat, it looked as if he was apologising for the broken cup. Joely held her breath.

“Again?” Daniel rose to the occasion marvellously. “We’re going to have to cane you again, boy?” Dominic looked crestfallen. “Well, we’ll make it a good one tonight then. You won’t be sitting down for a week, lad.” Joely stood up, if only because Andy was looking concerned. He didn’t like raised voices and Dominic was one of his favourite people.

“Please don’t be too harsh with Peter, Daniel,” she said, with emphasis on the name. “He’s provided quite adequate service today.” She smiled at Andy as she spoke and he came forward immediately, ignoring the presence of Justin and focusing only on her.

“Hello Andy,” she smiled. “Would you like a strawberry?” He nodded, reaching as always for her hair, and she let him stroke it while she hulled one of the big strawberries still on the salad plate and held it out to him.

“Thank you, Joey,” he said in his high, sing-song voice, popping all of the strawberry into his mouth in one go. Justin was looking on in distaste. As a politician, he normally covered his emotions much better than this, Joely mused. This, as much as anything, demonstrated just how unsettled he was, how disappointed.

“Daniel, this is my stepfather, Justin Williams. Justin, this is Daniel, one of the senior monks here. And this is Andy.”
”Mr Williams,” Daniel said, moving forward, his hands tucking automatically into his sleeves. “I hope you’re enjoying your visit. Get the rest of this inside, boy!” he said to Dominic, changing his tone. “And then you can scrub all of the steps in the south staircase. From top to bottom.”
”Yes sir,” Dominic said meekly.

Justin had had enough.

“No, I am not enjoying my visit here today,” he said tightly. He was pleased to have someone in authority to complain to. “I need to speak with whoever is in charge – that Bernard fellow.”
”Bernard isn’t here today,” Daniel said. “What is the problem?”
”The problem is that my stepdaughter was supposed to be being disciplined, taught some manners and obedience,” he said. “Instead, I find her swanning around giving orders to a barely dressed man and being patted by a half-wit.” Joely spun to face him, Andy’s hand still on her hair. Andy himself wasn’t at all concerned at the comment.

“There is no need to be insulting, Justin,” she said. “Andy is a sweet, gentle man.” She spoke quickly before Daniel could.

“Your stepdaughter very quickly displayed that she was obedient and hardworking,” Daniel said, his voice just as terse as Justin’s. “She also displayed good manners, which is more than can be said for you, sir.” Justin was not accustomed to being spoken to in this manner.
”Now look here,” he said. “I paid good money, a great deal of good money, to have this girl dealt with appropriately. It seems that I have been completely misled in what was going to happen to her here.”
”I can’t imagine that to be true,” Daniel said. It was now clear to Joely that Daniel was in on it. She was sure that Dominic hadn’t known, so Bernard must have arranged it. Bless him.

“It most certainly is true,” Justin said. “I was told that there would be hard work and punishments and indignities designed to pull her into line. I am not seeing any evidence of that at all.”
”And yet, you’ve seen how our students are treated,” Daniel replied, nodding at Dominic. “And I’m sure I told you to go inside and start on the stairs, didn’t I?” he said. Dominic nodded.

“Yes sir,” he said, leaving immediately. Joely had to smother a smile. She knew he wanted to stay and hear how this was going to pan out.

“Are you telling me that my stepdaughter was treated the same way?” Justin demanded.

“We do not discuss details of our treatment,” Daniel said. “But perhaps you can ask your stepdaughter?”
”I don’t intend to ask her anything,” Justin replied. “But I do intend to take her away from here now, today.” Joely had been prepared for this.

“I understood that you signed a contract to leave me here for a minimum of three weeks,” she said.

“That is true,” Daniel agreed.

“That contract was signed under false pretences,” Justin said. “The treatment she has received here has not been in line with what I was led to believe would occur.”
”Part of the contract stated that you would not dictate any part of the treatment she received,” Daniel said. Justin’s eyes bulged in his anger. It was not an attractive look.

“That was intended to prevent me from intervening if the treatment was too severe!” he said.

“The contract does not say that,” Daniel pointed out. “It simply says that you agree to not dictate or interfere in any part of the treatment. So even if you are dissatisfied with how she has been treated, you are not legally in a position to remove her before the three weeks are over.”

“We’ll see about that,” Justin said. He reached out and grabbed hold of Joely’s arm. “I’m taking her with me,” he said to Daniel, dragging her closer to him. “We’ll sort out the legalities later. If you’re not happy with that, sue me. Now get one of those students to get my clothes from the office. I’ll have these disgusting rags sent back to you later. If I can be bothered.”

“Let go of me, Justin,” Joely said quietly.

“You shut up,” he said tersely. “And you, get out of my way,” he said to Andy, who was looking very concerned now.

“Does that door lead out to the front?” Justin demanded. Joely’s stomach dropped. If he took her that way, she was in trouble.

“No,” Daniel said. “It leads to the fields. You can’t take her, Mr Williams. She’s not a piece of baggage you can just pick up at whim and drag off with you. She was signed in as a student in this establishment, to stay for at least three weeks.”
”I’m not discussing this any more,” Justin said. “Come on.” He dragged at her again.

He really did look ill at ease in the brown robe, she thought. It was a far cry from his usual suits, shirts and ties. It didn’t suit his colouring, for a start. His grip on her arm tightened and she winced. Come on, she was thinking. As if in answer, the door to the building opened.

“You’re needed inside, Joely,” Duncan said. “Sorry to interrupt your visit, but you know that work comes first.”
”Yes,” she said, trying to push Justin’s hand off her arm. It really was hurting now.

“She’s coming home with me now,” Justin said.
”No she isn’t,” said Daniel.

“No,” said Duncan, taking a step closer. “She isn’t.” Despite the fact that his expression was not at all threatening, that his demeanour wasn’t that of someone who was about to pummel Justin into the ground, the air was charged with the awareness that he was big enough to do exactly that.

“Don’t interfere,” Justin said. “She’s my stepdaughter, she’s in my guardianship, and it’s up to me to decide whether she stays or goes.”
”Not when there’s a contract involved,” Daniel said. “I’m going to ask you to let go of Joely’s arm, Mr Williams.”
”That would be a good idea,” Duncan said. He took another step closer.

Justin wasn’t a fool. He weighed up his options. He had no experience in physical fighting, and Duncan was not the person to practise on. Clearly, the monks were not prepared to release Joely. He made a sound of annoyance and removed his hand from her arm.

“This is nonsense,” he said, his words curt and clipped. “I will have a lawyer at your door this afternoon to have her handed over to me.”

“Any lawyer who examines the contract will advise you that it is unbreakable,” Daniel said. “I’d advise you to not waste your time.” He met Justin’s glare calmly, coolly.

Justin turned away.
”Take me to the office,” he ordered Joely.

“I’ll take you to the office,” Duncan said. “Joely is required elsewhere. This way, Mr Williams.” Justin sent a brief, scathing look in Joely’s direction, then, without another word, followed Duncan into the building.

Joely stood still, letting out the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. Then she turned to Daniel.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much.” He smiled, and she couldn’t resist bending down and giving him a hug. Then she felt another body hugging her from behind. Andy, who’d been looking concerned all the way through the unpleasant exchange with Justin, was joining in.

“That’s all right,” Daniel said, patting her arm awkwardly. “That’s all right.”
”I shouldn’t have arranged this,” Joely said. “I should have realised he’d be even more unpleasant than I thought he would. I thought he’d just be annoyed at what he saw and go away disappointed. That was all I was after. Now, he’ll undoubtedly have that lawyer here as promised.”
”It won’t do him a scrap of good,” Daniel said. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the contract is unbreakable. Bernard’s younger brother is one of the best paid lawyers in the country. He’s a clever man with words.”

The door opened and Dominic came out, still undressed in the loincloth.

“Are you okay?” he asked in his normal voice. He came forward, seeing that she was still sandwiched between Daniel and Andy. She nodded.

“The scene went off perfectly,” she said. “Apart from some nasty threats and some surprising costume changes.” She looked down. He grinned.

“And the intervention of a player we didn’t even know what in on the act,” she said, as she stepped back from the two men.
”Bernard thought it might be wise,” Daniel said. “His lawyer brother didn’t get all of the brains in that family, it seems.”

…………..

They cleared the table and chairs away and the remainder of the meal before they went upstairs. It was only when they were safely inside the room that Joely felt free to talk.

“It didn’t go exactly to plan,” she admitted. “I just wanted him to be annoyed and disappointed, but he was angry. He tried to drag me away with him.” Dominic’s brows lowered.

“He did?” he said. She nodded and held out her arm, where the marks from Justin’s fingers clearly showed. Dominic swore.

“I’m going to kill the bastard,” he said.

“Not necessary,” she said. “Instead of getting violent, do you think you could apply your brain to coming up with a way of getting me away from him?
”That’s easy,” he said. “You just leave. You’re twenty-four years old, Joe. You don’t need to live under his roof. You can get your own, or live with me, if you want to.”
”I can?” Dominic could see that she was surprised, and also that she was still shaken by what had occurred with her stepfather. He decided to postpone any talk about what her future options were and to cheer her up with some fun instead.

“Of course,” he said. “Although, I do have a serious bone to pick with you.” The mischief was already in his eyes, and she recognised it immediately.

“You do?” she asked.

“I do. You wanted one of the good-looking ones, did you?” he asked. Joely grinned. She knew he’d heard that.
”Yes, but I guess you have to work with what you can get,” she responded airily. Then she squealed as he picked her up and dumped her onto his bed. She was laughing as he grabbed her wrists and pinned them.

“You’re going to get oil all over the bedclothes,” she pointed out. “Very, very expensive apricot kernel oil, which you stole from my suitcase.”
”It was all I could find,” he admitted, grinning. “And it smells.”
”It smells lovely,” she said, sniffing his chest. Mischievously she stuck her tongue out and licked at his shoulder. “Tastes nice, too.” Dominic’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh, you want to play, do you?” he said. He sat back up onto her legs, dragged her robe up and kept pushing it up her body.

“No!” she responded, her laughter muffled by the material as he bundled it over her head. “I want to tell you what he said!”
”Later,” Dominic responded, leaning forward again and lowering himself down. “For now, I think I should share some of this expensive apricot kernel oil with you.” With that, he plastered his body against hers and began to move against her, smearing her underwear and her body with the oil while she laughed and struggled under him. Eventually, when he’d liberally oiled her, he rolled off her, the loincloth twisted around his hips. Joely ran her hand down his still greasy side and onto his backside.

“I do like your butt,” she said.

“Good,” Dominic said. “I want you to feel free to cross your ankles over it or press your heels into it any time you get the urge.” He grinned as she laughed.

“Why did you only wear a loincloth?” she asked. He shrugged.

“I thought it would annoy him more,” he said. “And maybe provide a bit of light relief for you too.” She sent an assessing look down the front of him.

“Light relief,” she repeated dismissively. He laughed and rolled over onto her, pinning her down again.

“You’re just looking for trouble,” he accused.
”No,” she smiled sweetly. “I’ve just got the urge.” With that, she slid her feet up the backs of his legs and crossed her ankles over his backside.