The Tea Ceremony

Following the orders of Julio, her dominant, Cecilia pays a visit to his fiancé, Laura, who has a few surprises in store for her. Excerpt from my novel Amores imposibles.

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Madrid, Saturday January 27, 1979

At ten before five, Cecilia got out of the elevator on the third floor, her heart pounding furiously as she stood in front of Laura's apartment door.

She wondered why she was so nervous. Laura had told her that she had a surprise that she would enjoy. She doubted it. Perhaps she wanted to start a fight, which would break her deal with Julio. But she was determined not to fall for her provocations.

As Julio had ordered her, she wore flats and a gray skirt. No stockings, despite the cold wind blowing down the street.

But the most important detail was missing. She took her leather collar out of her handbag and put it on.

She held her finger on the doorbell for a moment before pressing it. She heard the clicking of high heels inside. The door opened.

Laura was more dazzling than ever. She was wearing a cream knit dress, short and tight, with white lace stockings and pumps.

Yes, you're pretty as a princess, Laura, but deep down you're a witch.

“Cecilia!” said Laura, smiling. “Hello gorgeous! Please, come in!”

“Hello, Laura,” she said as she unbuttoned her coat.

Laura kissed her on both cheeks, took her coat and hung it on the coat rack. She smiled non-stop, but her quick movements betrayed her nervousness. Her hair was done in perfect amber waves, as if she had just stepped out of the salon. A pearl necklace and matching earrings completed an elegant outfit with a white theme.

Laura took her by both hands and didn't let go until they reached the living room. On the coffee table, Laura had neatly served tea: an immaculate placemat and napkins, two cups, a steaming kettle, and a plate of delicious-looking pastries, some with green and red cherries, others with chocolate. She watched it all with some relief.

So that's all! Laura just wants to have tea with me and pretend that we are friends again. With a little luck, I'll be able to get out of here soon, forget about the whole thing and tell Julio that I've obeyed him.

“I'm going to play some music,” said Laura, going over to the record player. “Do you like Supertramp?”

“Yes, a lot.”

Laura picked up a record with a snow-covered piano silhouetted against a blue sky on the cover. She knew it well. She had bought it for herself last summer.

“I prefer French music, but I know that Julio and you like this type of rock. I want you to make you feel at home. Please sit down.”

Laura’s smile was friendly, but in her manners there was a certain affectation. She paid visits to her as she does to a stranger, to a person from whom one wants to get something, not to an old friend. The first song on the album began to play: Give a little bit. She translated the lyrics to Spanish in her mind as she sat on a corner of the sofa. Someone was asking for a little bit of her time, a little bit of her life, a little bit of her love.

Laura had sat on the other corner of the sofa and inspected her carefully. Cecilia realized that she had barely opened her mouth since she had come into her house.

“What do you want with me, Laura?”

“That we become friends again! Besides, I have prepared a couple of surprises that I’m sure you will enjoy. We are going to have so much fun this evening!”

She detected a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

“Friends, huh? Look, I want to make one thing crystal clear from the start. I'm only going to tell you once, so that later you won't say that I was rude. We are not friends, Laura, nor will we ever be. Is it clear?”

Laura's face showed dismay for an instant. Then her expression turned thoughtful.

“Yes, that's clear,” she said quietly. “I hope that you will change your mind. Until then, please don't tell me that again.”

She uncovered the sugar bowl.

“How many tablespoons do you want?”

“Two, please… I came because Julio ordered me to. Only because of that.”

Laura served her the sugar in his tea.

“Yes, I know. I see you're wearing his collar, and that means you're here under his command. I know that it is very important for you to obey him.”

“What has he told you about what we have been doing?”

Laura fixed her ice-blue eyes on her.

“He’s told me everything, Cecilia. Do you fancy some pastries?” she added, offering her the plate.

Cecilia picked up a small cake with a green icing on it and chewed on it thoughtfully. It was delicious.

“So, he’s told you everything… Of course! You always manage to find out about my intimacies, Laura. I guess I'll have to get used to it.”

“Don't worry, Cecilia. Julio won't leave again. Of course, you’ll have to behave and fulfill your part of the deal: to be respectful and obedient to me.”

“Obedient? No way! The deal was that I would treat you with respect, nothing more.”

“Didn't he tell you to obey me when he called you on Monday?”

“Possibly…” she admitted.

Things were starting to take a turn that she didn't like at all, but she didn't want to contradict Laura.

Laura put her hand on her knee.

“So, you’ll have to shallow your pride and obey me. But don't worry, darling, I won’t be mean… If you behave, of course.”

“What are you going to do to me, if I may know?”

“You will find out in due time. For now, treat me politely and respectfully. I won’t ask you to pretend to be my friend, but neither I want angry answers, solemn silences, or long faces. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Cecilia sighed, seeing her hopes vanish that all this would end soon.

* * *

Laura took her teacup delicately by the handle and took a sip, staring at her.

“Then, if you don't mind, I'd like to see your diary. And don't give me any excuses, I know you have it in your bag. Julio ordered you to bring it.”

“What? Of course I mind! That diary is intimate, something that I share only with Julio.”

“No, Cecilia, you are very wrong… Look, I'll prove it to you.”

She got up, opened a drawer, took out some papers and gave them to her. Cecilia turned the pages, incredulous.

“You recognize them, don’t you? They are photocopies of your diary. If Julio didn't want me to read it, then why did he give them to me?”

She felt a sinking feeling. How could have Julio done that to her? How could he have betrayed her? He had promised her that no one else would read the diary.

She rose unsteadily. She could only think of one thing: to get out of there and never see Julio or Laura again.

She picked up her bag and ran to the door. She reached for the latch to open it, but she stopped. She remembered what she had promised herself before coming in: that she would put up with anything and do what Julio had ordered her to do.

* * *

She returned to the living room. Laura had her head in her hands, fingers buried in her hair, her gaze lost in her teacup. She looked up with relief when she saw that she’d come back.

“Alright, we're going to play this game to the end,” Cecilia said, plopping down on the couch. “I don't like what you have done, but I'm going to stay until I know exactly what you two are up to.”

Laura smiled at her, stroking her knee.

“You already know what we are up to. It's what you've been doing with Julio all along. Only now you know that I'm also in on it. It’s not as terrible as it looks, you’ll see. You won’t regret it. Come on! Are you going to give me that diary or not?”

She took it out of the bag with trembling fingers and handed it to Laura.

“You've already read it, anyway,” she said with feigned indifference.

“Not all of it…”

Laura undid the clasp and opened the diary to the first page, the one that had been dampened with her tears and stained with her blood. The paragraphs below recounted in her own handwriting what happened in that hostel in Toledo. Laura stopped briefly to read it, then she turned several pages until she came to the last thing she had written.

“There we go! I hadn't read this part yet. Pour me more tea, please.”

Cecilia filled her cup.

“Thank you,” said Laura, and she dove into the journal, drinking her tea in small sips.

* * *

Cecilia finished her cup of tea and ate a couple of pastries, not knowing what else to do. She didn't dare interrupt Laura's reading.

“Take off your panties,” said Laura casually, without lifting her gaze from the diary.

“What?!”

Laura looked up from the diary and glared at her.

“You heard me. I want you to take off your panties. And don’t give me any excuses.”

She is dominating me! The bitch wants to dominate me! And she’s doing it well! Well, let's see how far she’ll go!

Cecilia rose a little to pull down her panties under her skirt. Her hands were still shaking.

Laura glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. She slid her panties down her legs. She struggled for a moment to untangle them from her shoes.

“Put them here, on the table.”

Laura moved aside the teapot and the plate of biscuits to make room right in the middle of the coffee table.

Cecilia bunched her panties in a ball and tossed them on the table. Laura stared at her severely.

“No, not like that! Spread them out, so they look nice.”

Cecilia unfolded the panties on the table, smoothing them out with her hand. They were simple black cotton panties, not the fine lingerie that Laura liked.

They struck a shocking note in the middle of the plush tea set.

“Like this?”

“Perfect. They are cute.”

Laura plunged back into her reading, as if nothing had happened. Cecilia did not dare to interrupt her. She felt doubly naked and vulnerable. By the absence of clothes under her skirt, and by recalling the intimate things she had written on the pages Laura was reading.

She picked up another cookie and nibbled on it. Obviously, this was not going to be a courtesy visit, but an ordeal of humiliation at the hands of Laura. She was going to play with her like a cat with a mouse. Strangely, that thought filled her with a strange thrill.

A tremble in Laura's hands when she turned the pages betrayed her nervousness. Or was it also excitement?

Finally, Laura left the diary on the table next to her panties. Cecilia reached out to take it back, but a stern look from Laura dissuaded her.

“I see that you want to dominate me, but it won't be that easy. I have a lot of experience in these things.”

“You finally got it, huh? Well, don't worry. I think I'll know how to rise to the occasion. For now, I'm having a great time, watching you squirm, wondering what I'm going to do to you. Knowing that you are naked under your skirt,” she gestured to her panties in the middle of the table. “Another pastry?” she offered her the plate.

Cecilia accepted the cookie. She had to admit it: Laura was not bad at that game.

“Thank you. They are very good. You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble for me.”

“You mean the tea and what I've dressed up?” Laura gave her a mischievous smile. “I have to confess that I have done it for me. I like to do things with elegance. My style is very different from Julio's. He treats you roughly, almost brutally. I believe that these perverse acts are more powerful when they are done with refinement. In that, I think I can count on you, because you know how to preserve your dignity, Cecilia. It's one of the things I like about you. You will fight to maintain your dignity and that will ensure that what happens here this evening will be of the strictest good taste.”

“I see…” she couldn't help but smile.

She had to admit that she liked that. Laura had managed to keep her in suspense. To take her to the edge and bring her back again when she was about to bolt.

She had even managed to turn her on a little.

Still, now that she knew what the game was about, she wasn't going to give in. However, she realized that Laura was using her own resistance against her. By forcing her to be always on the defensive, every concession she got from her became a victory for Laura and a defeat for her.

“Do you want more cookies?”

“No, thanks.”

“Then take all this to the kitchen. Except your panties. Leave them where they are. I like to see them.”

Laura picked up the diary, making it clear that she wasn't going to help her.

Cecilia piled up the cups and plates and placed them on her arm, also picking up the teapot and sugar bowl. Laura looked at her sideways.

“Do not carry everything at once. You’ll drop something.”

“I’ve been a waitress,” she replied defiantly.

“Ah, yeah, sure! I’d forgotten about that,” she said absently. She turned her attention back to her journal.

She put the cups in the sink and placed the teapot and dish of pastries in the middle of the kitchen table. She picked up one of the remaining cookies and chewed on it thoughtfully.

Falling into the trap that Julio and Laura had set for her was as sweet as the pastry she was eating. She was tempted by a strange meekness, a desire to indulge in whatever they had planned to do to her.

* * *

“Cecilia, what are you doing?” Laura called from the living room. “Come here! I have something to show you.”

She was waiting for her, standing by the chest of drawers. She opened a drawer and brought out a hairbrush.

“Do you remember this?” she said, turning it around in front of her face.

Of course she remembered! The realization of what was coming froze her with embarrassment. She felt a tingle of anticipation in her bottom.

“Yes, of course! How could I forget?” she said defiantly.

“It must have hurt you a lot! From the way you complained.”

“There are things that hurt much more than a simple spanking.”

“Damn, don't get philosophical on me! You're going to spoil all the fun!”

“I don’t care… But have it your way. If you want to hit me with the hairbrush, go right ahead. You know I can't refuse.”

“Yes, that’s precisely what I’m going to do. But I wanted you to know that I’m going to spank you with the same hairbrush that Julio used that time. These things have an important symbolism, don't you think? Hitting you with this hairbrush is not the same as hitting you with something else.”

Yes, symbolism was important. Using that hairbrush meant that Laura was going to usurp Julio's role as the administrator of punishments.

“I know… But why do you want to spank me? You don't like that. You are not a sadist.”

“Well, maybe I am a sadist. The idea of spanking you has fascinated me for a while. But, yes, I had some qualms. The thought of hurting somebody horrified me. However, I no longer have those scruples, so I'm going to hit your cute little butt with this brush until it turns red as a tomato. I’m drenching my panties just thinking about it.”

Cecilia swallowed. She knew quite well that, when applied harshly, that hairbrush could do a lot of damage. The only way to deal with the pain was to bring out her masochism, but that meant making herself docile and vulnerable. The idea that Laura could arouse those feelings in her was revolting.

“Well, that's enough, okay? You’ve gone far enough, Laura!” she said quietly, but wanting to sound determined. “You’ve gotten what you wanted. You have humiliated and scared me.”

“Scared you? Are you kidding? You are not afraid of anything, Cecilia! And surely not of a few smacks on your behind… I’m not doing this to hurt you. I just want to see how masochistic you are. I want to see you enjoying a spanking.”

She was right. It wasn’t like her to whine to Laura. She had to show her that she was stronger than her. She would endure the pain and then go home with her head held high.

“You have no fucking idea what masochism is all about, Laura! Whether I enjoy it or not depends on who hits me, and why. Spank me if that amuses you, but let me feel whatever I want.”

“You are so stubborn, Cecilia! Why do you have to make everything so difficult? But I think I know the way to stop all this nonsense. Come here!”

Laura took her by the elbow and led her to the sofa. She let her do it. Everything was beginning to seem unreal, like in a dream.

Her panties and her diary were still on the table. He had prepared her well. She would only have to lift her skirt to gain access to her bare bottom.

“Take off your shoes.”

She kicked them off with her feet. Laura sat in the center of the sofa, clutching the hairbrush. She crossed her legs and smoothed her dress over them. She patted her thigh.

“Come on! Lie down here.”

Cecilia kneeled on the sofa to her right, full of apprehension. For a moment, their gazes met. Laura's face showed excitement and a certain anxiety.

Resigned, she dropped into her lap. She smelled the subtle rose perfume Laura was wearing, mixed with the musky scent of her body. Laura's crossed legs forced her to lift her bottom. She pressed on her hips with her hand, forcing her to arch her back even more to further accentuate that ignominious posture.

“Pull up your skirt,” Laura ordered her.

Apparently, Laura was not going to miss the slightest opportunity to humiliate her.

Cecilia gritted her teeth and buried her face in the sofa. She grabbed the fabric of her skirt in her fists and yanked it up to her hips.

The cold air on her buttocks made her feel exposed.

“What a delicious ass you have, Cecilia! No wonder it drives Julio crazy!”

* * *

Laura's fingers brushed her bottom, caressing her bare skin, outlining the provocative curve of her buttocks. Her prodding became more daring, opening her crack to expose her asshole and her pussy. One of her fingers opened her lips, soaking in her moisture, which she immediately felt wetting her anus. She squeezed her buttocks to put an end to that demeaning invasion.

“You don't like my caresses, huh? Well, then I'll have to start with the spanks. How about this one?”

She gave her a gentle tap with the brush.

“You call that a spank? Are you kidding?”

“Oh, excuse me!” said Laura sarcastically. “I'm such a beginner that I have no idea how hard I have to hit you. Let me try again. How about this one?”

Too late, she realized that she had fallen for her trap. The blow rang like a crack across the room and caused a considerable sting in her bottom.

“Ow! Didn't you say you weren't going to hurt me?”

“Oops! Sorry, again! I’m so clumsy! It’s so hard for me to judge my strength. No, I don't want to be too hard on you. I just want to warm your butt a bit, so you understand who's in charge here. But you are the expert on spankings, so maybe you’d help me find the right strength.”

“It’s not fair making fun of me, on top of spanking me.”

“I make fun of whatever I want. How about this one?

She hit her hard enough to raise a sting, but it was quite bearable.

“How was that? Too hard? Or about right?”

“About right,” she admitted grudgingly.

“Well, I thought that was a bit soft for a consummate masochist like you… But, okay, we'll start at that level, since I want to spank you for a long time.”

And so the show started. Laura gave her a series of quick smacks all over her bottom. That really ignited the skin on her buttocks, drawing all her attention to them. Then the rhythm became more even and the blows more severe, although still bearable.

Laura was completely focused on the spanking she was giving her. Each blow was like a message that she wanted to convey. Cecilia's naked butt, displayed in all its glory, became the center of the universe for both of them, each one faithfully fulfilling their role: to spank and to endure the spanking.

The force of the blows with the brush increased a bit more, so Cecilia couldn’t help moving her bottom from side to side in a futile effort to dodge the smacks.

“Oh! So you're starting to wiggle your butt, huh?” said Laura without stopping spanking her. “Yes, Julio told me about the spanking dance. Come on! Dance for me!

And what else can I do, Laura? I hope that my dance will satisfy you soon, and you'll end the spanking. Darn! It’s such an indignity to have to endure this precisely from you!

You spank me well, you bitch! You have found that sweet spot that turns me on. And it’s so utterly twisted having to submit to be punished by someone who I despite so much!

I’d like to give up, to be able to let go and enjoy your spanking, just like I enjoy Julio’s spankings. And why not? Isn't that what he would like?

“Ok, you win. I give up.”

“What?” Laura sounded amazed.

The blows stopped.

“I said that you win. I surrender.”

“Why do you say that? Do you think that I'm going to stop hitting you because of that?”

“Not at all! I know this is going to go on for a while,” she said, panting a little. “I'm tired of resisting, so I'm going to allow myself to be a masochist. That's what you wanted, right?”

* * *

Laura giggled in triumph.

“Yes! That’s what I wanted to hear! I'm glad you gave in so quickly. I thought that this was going to be a long battle, and I really don't want to hurt you too much. It’s what I told you: I want us both to have a good time. But, before we continue having fun, there are a couple of things that we have to clarify between us.”

“Okay, we can talk about whatever you want.”

She started to get up, but Laura stopped her with a hand on her back.

“No, you stay there! Your bum and the brush are going to be part of this conversation.”

“What do you mean?” she said, falling back on Laura's lap with resignation.

“There are a few things that you’ve never understood, Cecilia. I think the brush will help to get them into your silly head. To begin with, let’s talk about how rude you were with me when I called you on the phone after Luis attacked you. I was really hurt! I have been turning it in my head, and I still can’t understand how you could be so ungrateful, after everything I’ve done to help you!”

“To help me? None of that did me any good!”

“Don't talk back, Cecilia! Listen to me! I think it did help… But what I want you to do now is to reflect on those nasty things that you have been saying to me all along. So, with each stroke of the brush, I want you to say ‘for being a bitch.’ Let’s see if that gets into your head that you have to treat me with respect.”

“No, Laura! You have to understand that you also… Ow!”

The smack of the brush caught her in mid-sentence. It was considerably harder than the ones she’d given her so far.

“Now you have to say ‘for being a bitch’, Cecilia. Don't make me ask you again. I hate having to repeat myself.”

“For being a bitch,” she said obediently. Only to be rewarded with another hard blow.

“Again!”

“For being a bitch!”

And what did you expect? That we were still going to be friends after you stole my boyfriend?

“Ow! For being a bitch!”

And today I have been very polite to you…

“For being a bitch!”

Except when I told you that I we were not going to be friends…

“For being a bitch! Ow!”

I was going to tell you that I hated you, but I don’t want to hate anyone…

“For being a bitch!”

“Fuck! These spanks really sting!

“For being a bitch!”

Okay, yes! It’s true! Sometimes I’ve been very rude to you!

“For being a bitch!

Laura stopped.

“All right. Now you may apologize to me.

“Yes… Please forgive me for being so rude to you.”

She was surprised at how sincerely her apology came out.

“Alright, you're forgiven for that. Let's move on to the next thing…”

“What? There's more?” she said with alarm.

The spanking, combined with her professions of guilt, was quite an effective punishment.

“Yes. There is also the issue of your jealousy, which has hurt you so much. So now you're going to say ‘for being jealous’ with each spank. I don't think that the beating will take away your jealousy, but maybe it will help you realize how much it hurts you. So… take this!”

“Ow! For being jealous! But I already know that, Laura!”

“Really? Well, I wouldn’t have guessed! If you hadn't been so jealous, we would have shared Julio a year ago. See how stupid you are? Take this!

“Ouch! For being jealous!”

“And maybe you would have cum that day when we had a threesome. So, here you go!”

“For being jealous! You're right, but how could I know? For being jealous! Yes, I wish I could had been able to get rid of this jealousy! Ouch! For being jealous!

Other thoughts she kept to herself…

How could I not be jealous when you are going to marry Julio?

“For being jealous!”

How could I not be angry after the treacherous way you took him from me?

“For being jealous!”

You betrayed me! And you can't change that, no matter how many times you hit me with that brush.

“Ow! For being jealous!”

“Nice punishment, huh? You deserve it, Cecilia! Let's hope it stops you from acting so foolishly.”

“I’m not acting foolishly!” she moaned. “You are the one who took Julio away from me! And, on top of that, you spank me hard! Haven’t you hurt me enough?”

“I can’t believe how stubborn you are! Let's see if we can straighten this up once and for all. I didn't take Julio away from you. You managed to lose him all by yourself. I tried my best to get you both back together, but to no avail! Because he’s as stubborn as you are. And, despite all I did, you blame me!"

“Of course I blame you! He left me because he wanted you all along!”

“You deserved him leaving you, Cecilia! You lied to him and you cheated on him. You were such an idiot! So you're going to get more spanks, and this time you're going to say that: ‘for being an idiot.’ Let’s see if I can drill that into your head.”

Again, the brush conveyed its stinging messages. Obediently, she intoned the new litany.

“For being an idiot!”

Of course I am an idiot! I had to be an idiot to sign up for this beating!

“For being an idiot! Yes, I was so stupid for letting you take Julio away!

“I told you that we could share him. But, instead, you threw a tantrum and started fighting with me. Take this, you fool!”

“Ouch, yes! For being such an idiot!”

“And then, on top of everything, you had the genial idea of becoming a whore! What the fuck, Cecilia?”

“That’s the one thing I do not regret. Ow! For being an idiot!”

“It’s not that I reproach you that, Cecilia. But, if what you wanted was to get Julio back, that’s the worst thing could have done. When he found out that you worked as a prostitute, he gave up on you and asked me to marry him. That's how we arrived at this awful situation, don't you see? So, do you deserve another good smack with the hairbrush?”

“Yes, I deserve it! Ouch! Fuck, that hurts! For being so stupid! Maybe one day I’ll learn.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear! Yes, I hope that you have learned your lesson.”