Wayward Wife's Punishment
Chapter 18
Cindi slept with me that night.There was no sex; it was the furthest
thing from our minds. We clung together like two lost souls, still shaken by
what we had experienced at that strange place. I slept fitfully as did she. Long
before dawn we gave up and settled down in the kitchen with some coffee. We
began to rehash what we had seen, trying to make some sense of it. She knew
something of this cult, having had a peripheral encounter that started during
college. A friend of a friend's parent knew a member of the nameless group and
had made some oblique references to their objective and the incredible influence
they wielded in certain financial circles.
Cindi had kept in touch with her friend and over time began to obsess
about this mysterious organization. One thing led to another and there came a
day when she was interviewed by a person who hinted that she was a
representative, not a member, of this secretive group. At the time Cindi was
found wanting, but she and the representative made a connection of sorts that
led to an on-again, off-again sexual realationship that lasted for nearly a
year. During this period she learned a little more about the group and became
even more determined to be accepted into this unique circle of people.
When Glinda moved in with her and she had an opportunity to understand
the forces that were driving her life, she decided to use this tormented, lost
soul as her entry into membership. Her plan had some limited success. Currently
she was considered to be an acolyte, one in training to assume the rights and
responsibilities of membership. In this capacity she would become Glinda's
caretaker as she went through the rebirthing process. What we had seen last
night was only the first step of a long journey. The parallels between what I
was hearing and my strange relationship with WooWoo and her charge, Willa, could
lead to only one conclusion.
That revelation I chose not to share with Cindi. Whatever I had stumbled
into was very big, very powerful and very dangerous. The last thing I wanted to
become was roadkill. Life had changed for me already in many ways, most of them
good, albeit "challenging", to use a popular buzzword.
My confidant gave me a glimpse into the hiearchy of this shadowy bunch.
The one who had welcomed us to the ceremony was a "trainer", a senior member
knowledgeable in the methods needed to lead people into their sphere of
contentment or peace. This sounded like some metaphysical mumbo jumbo, but I
held my tongue, not sure which side Cindi would ultimately come down on. There
was not too much more that she could, or would tell me. She did promise to keep
me informed of Glinda's progress, but made sure I understood that this choice
had been Glinda's, and ony Glinda could call a halt to it.
We went back to bed and got some sleep. When we awoke it was almost
noon. She made a phone call and told me that a car would be arriving soon to
take her to where she would await the arrival of Glinda. There was nothing more
that could be said. We had shared something that was terrible and unforgettable,
what effect it would have on either of us was yet to be determined. When she
left I felt relieved of some tremendous burden and at the same time saddened at
the loss of that poor beautiful, benighted spirit who so desperately wanted to
come into the light.
That afternoon I took a drive to clear my head, and soon found myself at
the locked gates that led to that building from which Cindi and I had literally
fled last night. The place looked deserted, not a surprise as far as I was
concerned. I turned the car around and headed back into the city without looking
back. There was a message on my answering machine from Jillian Jones, returned
from her holiday in the mother country. She pleaded tiredness from her flight
and the change of time zones for not calling me sooner and regretted that I had
not been home to answer.I smiled at the next words. "I was hoping you might
want to visit and have a spot of tea and me. I can only hope that some younger,
prettier woman hasn't stolen you away in my absence."
If she only knew. The last three weeks were not going to be a subject of
any conversation between JJ and I. Too much had happened. How could she ever
understand the emotional rollercoaster that had been my life for the time she
was away? That night I did not sleep well. You just don't shrug off the kind of
thing that had just occurred. I awoke to the sound of barking dogs, a remnant
from the nightmare that I couldn't or wouldn't remember.
The next day I made it a point to swing by JJ's work area just before
lunch. My paramour looked a bit thrashed. She had no color at all and this
emphasized the dark circles under her eyes. It may have been my imagination, but
it appeared that there was less of JJ beneath that tweed skirt and heavy sweater
that concealed her rounded form. We exchanged pleasantries while in parallel
there was a mutual and very subtle search for any signs that our budding
relationship had deteriorated.
That evening Jillian gave me a ring. Her trip back home had turned out
to be less than restful. She had stayed with her recently married niece. It
seems that Miriam, the newly wed, was in the family way, just beginning her
second trimester, and not reacting well at all to her condition. The tension
between her and Ian,the husband, was quite palpable. The basic problem involved
their sex life, which had declined severely as her body struggled to cope with
the chemical imbalances and her mind began to focus on preparing for a sea
change in their lives. Ian was decidedly not the sensitive type; men worked and
women had babies. The wife had certain duties to perform for her husband's
benefit. In return he provided food and shelter. JJ laughed for the first time
when she described Ian's atavistic view of marriage. She compared her visit to
being in some kind of time machine.
For some odd reason I got the feeling that I was only getting a part of
the real story. I began to probe a bit and her reaction told me to back off;
there was more to this than she was sharing. I decided to wait until we were
together before trying to find out what really went on during her visit. It was
no problem to change the subject, but I quickly regretted that move.
It seems her substitute, Ms. Forbes, was one of those people who
entertained themselves by staying abreast of all the office gossip.
Unfortunately in her debriefing to JJ, she chose to tell her about the abrupt
departure from the company of Glinda and Cindi, mentioning in passing that I had
been seen talking to Glinda on more than one occasion. I soon found myself on
the defensive, parrying her questions and insinuations. I decided that some
truth was better than a lie. It's amazing how one can compromise their standards
when it involves the issue of pussy. JJ was one hot lady and I wasn't going to
let her escape from my clutches that easily. Let's face it, I was becoming
addicted to kinky sex, it seemed to be the only game in town these days.
I took a deep breath and told JJ the true part, that Glinda had hit on
me. I told her the half truth that we had met for drinks and she had
demonstrated that she was not playing with a full deck. Then I finished it off
with a big fat lie, saying that her behavior led me to discourage her advances.
That part made me wince inside, but the stakes were too high to chance the
honesty move. I still wasn't very good at reading JJ, but she gave me the
distinct impression that further questions would be forthcoming in due time. Our
next get-together was going to be a doozie.
Jillian, claiming fatigue and the need to get some sleep, said good
night, actually it was "ta ta", and hung up. It was evident that it would be a
few days before she was ready to deal with continuing our relationship. Although
it would have been nice to hear something on that subject, I didn't want to push
the issue and put myself under her thumb. Those manacles hanging from that bed
we'd occupied some very long time ago were a reminder of what might occur to
yours truly in the event Jillian got the upper hand.
My patience was rewarded a few nights later when she called and invited
me to come to her place for dinner on Saturday evening. I made no jokes, merely
accepting with thanks and asking if there was anything I might bring. "Just a
good appetite and be sure you are well rested. I have plans for after dinner
and beyond." Her reply woke up little Mikey from his long slumber. Things were
definitely taking a turn for the better.
Thank the gods for the home entertainment marvels that were now
available to the common man. The ones I had were state of the art, many
recommended and even installed by the technical folk tht supported me at work.
Without them I would have been shafted, big time, since on Friday night Rod
called to let me know that Jill, the tramp once known as my wife, was making her
debut tomorrow evening on nurse Nora's web site. He gave me the necessary
information that would allow me to hook into the site. My initial reaction was
one of panic until I realized I had the capability of downloading and storing
Jill's comeuppance on my computer, while I was at JJ's dandling the lady on
whatever worked for her. That night I went to bed early. I also planned on
taking a nap tomorrow afternoon before I got ready for my dinner date and what
lay beyond.
