ORCHESTRATING

This is a continuation of my last posting - TRUTH - AND CONSEQUENCES - and deals with how I orchestrated the break-up of my husband Karl and his friend Bill.  I received many comments about the situation that led to this, and several responded to my invitation to guess what actually happened to complete the break-up.

Before I get into that, I must add that several commenters questioned whether I should have taken this to the extremes that I did.  In particular, I was taken to task a bit for not finding ways to confront the problem of my husband Karl and his friend Bill - and their big mouths - without breaking up a friendship with another couple.  I appreciate the points of view expressed, but I remain firm in my conviction that the only way to be truly certain that this exchange of information between Karl and Bill about the lifestyle that Karl and I share was nipped in the bud was to assure a clean break between the two of them.  Since that would most likely end the friendship of Barb (Bill's wife) and myself as well, I just take it as another unavoidable problem of maintaining the privacy of Karl and me and the D/s lifestyle we have.  In reality, "friendships" is a misnomer for these relationships. They're more acquaintanceships than friendships, so giving one up is not quite as drastic as it seems.


Over the years, I've found it difficult to really have a meaningful relationship with any couples that have a vanilla lifestyle.  Since I'm lucky enough to have a group of Femdom friends to share things with, I really find that I don't need acquaintanceships with ladies with whom I can't share the most basic aspects of who I am.  After all, what good is a "friend" if a big part of yourself can't be revealed to her?  As to "couples" acquaintanceships, I really do that for Karl, who has business connections that make it hard to avoid couples get-togethers. 

Now, on to the break-up.  The closest guess as to what actually happened was written by a commenter named "Downlow"  who wrote:

"I'm guessing that you called Barb and told her that Karl told you that Bill had said they're sex life was boring, and that Bill had wanted a spanking.

Barb would yell at Bill, and Bill would get mad at Karl and break off the relationship.

Is that close?"

Yes, it's close, but not as simple as that.  I did call Barb the morning after I whipped Karl (he was still in the cage and listening to my end of the conversation), and I did tell her that I had questioned Karl, and pressed for more details about what he and Bill had said to each other (and that was no lie).  I said that Karl told me that Bill had taken one of Karl's  statements out of context and jumped in with stories about his sex life with Barb (that was part truth, part lie).  In particular, Bill said his sex life wasn't very exciting and he  wanted his wife to spank him or do other things, but that she wasn't adventurous enough to try something new or somewhat kinky (that was no lie).   I said that Karl said that Bill kept bugging him for more details about what he mistakenly thought Karl and I were doing, but Karl just kept saying he didn't want to talk about it, and just kept trying to change the subject (not really a lie, but somewhat exaggerated).  I said that Karl felt shocked when Bill started hinting around about our "unusual" sex life at dinner, and he gave Bill a warning look not to keep on in that vein, knowing that I'd be furious if I thought Karl had made up something completely ridiculous about our sexual habits (half truth, half lie).  And I finished by saying that I had questioned Karl closely and was convinced that most of this "stuff" was coming from Bill who was evidently harboring sexual fantasies that were clearly his own (once again, part truth, part lie).

I could tell that Barb was both embarrassed and angered by what I had to say.  She ended the conversation by saying that she had plenty to talk to Bill about, and she was sorry he'd put us all in such an awkward position.  When I hung up the phone,  I turned to Karl and gave him his instructions.  I told him that I was quite sure that he'd be getting a call from Bill and that Bill would probably be furious at Karl for "throwing him under the bus".  I told Karl that I expected him to fight anger with anger, to back up everything I'd said, and to tell Bill that none of this would have happened if he'd just dropped the subject when Karl asked him to, and bringing it up at dinner was way out of line.  Hopefully, all of this would cause Bill to basically break off their friendship, but if he didn't,  it was up to Karl to say that it would be better if they didn't have any contact in the future.  I really wanted Bill to do the breaking up, but one way or the other, it had to be done.

It was Sunday morning when I gave Karl his instructions, and I told him that since he was off from work on Sunday and Monday, he'd better hope that Bill called soon, as I was going to keep him in the cage until this matter was settled, and I planned to be there when the conversation took place.  Karl looked miserable when I told him what was expected of him, but he was smart enough to just say "Whatever you say, Milady" and leave it at that.  I did let him crawl out of the cage long enough to rinse and clean his piss/shit bucket, but it was right back into the cage after that and I left the cordless phone where he could reach it through the bars, telling him to check the caller I.D. if it rang to see if it was Bill, and wait at least 3 rings before he answered so that I could pick up the upstairs phone and hear the conversation.

I then told Karl that I was going upstairs and making myself some breakfast, and that he'd be punished later for not being able to fix it for me as he did every morning.  Depending on my mood, I might bring him some scraps to lick off my plate and maybe a bowl of water.  Maybe.  Karl looked miserable as I went upstairs, and that was fine with me.  I was hoping that Bill would call soon and this whole thing would be over with, and I really wasn't sure what I'd do about Karl's cage time if Bill hadn't called before Karl's next scheduled work day, which was Tuesday.  Keeping him in the cage from Saturday night to Tuesday morning would be much, much longer than he'd ever spent in the cage before, but that would certainly be a lesson he'd never forget.  Not to mention all the extra punishments he'd earn by forcing me to fend for myself for breakfasts and dinners each day, and making me hang around the house myself waiting for that phone call. 

Luckily, it never came to that.  Bill called in the early afternoon and was just as livid as I hoped he would be.  Karl did as he was told, and returned harsh words with harsher words, and the conversation soon reached gutter language levels.  It ended with Bill saying that he didn't give a fuck if Karl never bought a thing again from the company he represented as he had no intention of ever calling on Karl again.  I thought Karl showed a bit of class when he said that he wasn't going to punish Bill's company for Bill's stupidity, just make sure he had a new sales rep and Karl would see to it that his purchasing department handled things from now on.  Bill ended with a "Fine, fuck you!" and that was that.

I kept Karl in his cage until 7 PM Sunday night, released him and had him bend over a stool for 30 strokes with a leather paddle on his already raw ass for messing up my breakfast and dinner routines (each stroke followed by Karl saying loudly "Thank you, Milady, for reminding me never to break a trust") and after he kissed my feet and thanked me for punishing him, I told him to clean himself up, drink one glass of water (no, he had never gotten any breakfast scraps or bowl of water), and to get dressed and take me out for dinner.  I told him I had no desire to talk about all that had happened, and if he ever said a word to anyone about our lifestyle again without my express permission, he could expect to say goodbye to me.

Karl has been doing everything in his power to pamper me ever since this took place, and has suffered the rather brutal treatment I've given him since then in respectful acceptance.  I am following through on my promise to keep his ass sore all month, and he knows what's going to happen to him on the final day of the March Madness basketball tournament.  No, I still haven't heard from Barb, and I suspect I never will.  That's probably for the best, as I can't imagine any conversation being anything other than very awkward.  Life goes on.

P.S. - I must take a moment to recommend a blog I've been reading lately.  It's fairly new, very well written, and a great deal of fun.  It's called  "Adoring a Domme Wife".  I hope you check it out.  Here's a link to its latest entry  http://adoringadommewife.blogspot.com/2012/03/this-morning.html?zx=7ebf97fa42b6d1b8, but I suggest you read it from its beginning to see the wonderful progress that "J" is making.

TRUTH - AND CONSEQUENCES

My husband Karl and I spent a night out with another married couple last week.  They've been our friends for awhile, we having met them at one of the "affairs" Karl has to attend on a fairly regular basis as the head of his company.  I called them Bill and Barb in a previous posting, so I'll continue with that.  They're both intelligent and quite witty, and completely vanilla as far as I know.  We usually get together with them for dinner and sometimes night clubbing every few months, though Karl sees Bill more often as a result of their business connections, and I often talk to Barb on the phone.  They have no idea about the D/s relationship that Karl and I share, or so I thought.


On this particular night, it was something that Bill said that resulted in some unexpected consequences.  Somehow the conversation had gotten around to the subject of marriage, and we were  talking about the fact that most married couples experience a gradual lessening of passion and romance as time goes by.  They've been married a lot longer than Karl and I, and I asked Barb at what point did she notice that things were changing in regard to passion, etc.  She replied that at about the six year mark, they'd pretty much done everything they could think of in the way of love making, and that there was an inevitable sense of repetition that came into play.  Oh, they still enjoyed sex and all that, but that "edge" that was there when everything was fresh and new and unexplored was not what it once was.


That's when Bill jumped in and said "But I guess you two wouldn't know about that yet.  You haven't quite reached the six year mark, and from what Karl has told me, there are things about your relationship that make the normal run of things somewhat meaningless."


Let me jump in here and remind my readers that Karl and I had agreed long ago never to talk about our way of life to anyone in the vanilla world.  Considering Karl's position as CEO of his company, it would scarcely do to have our relationship out in the open, and I am fanatically careful in avoiding any loose talk that would even hint at our D/s lifestyle.  So when Bill said what he said, it was as if a bombshell had just dropped.


I glanced over at Karl, and immediately saw that his eyes were about twice their normal size and the blood had drained out of his face.  Barb had a look  on her face that was, in effect,  a big question mark.  She clearly had no idea what Bill meant.  Neither did I, but I certainly had my suspicions, and I was not one bit happy about what I was thinking.  Before I could say anything, Barb beat me to it by asking Bill what he meant.


He glanced over at Karl, they made quick eye contact, and Bill started stammering something like "Oh, nothing, nothing at all.  I was just kidding my buddy.  He never says anything at all about his sex life, and I, um, just wanted to, um, pull his chain a little so maybe he'll start sharing some of the, um, juicy parts, or something."


Barb gave Bill a disgusted look, and said  "Why?  Do you tell Karl about our sex life?  Do you boys have a little tea party and discuss what we do in bed?  What have you been telling Karl?"


Bill went on the offensive then, clearly realizing that he should have kept his big mouth shut, and started spluttering things like "Oh sure, as if you ladies never talk about sex to each other" and "It's just naturally going to come up" and "Don't worry, we never get into any details", etc., etc.  Barb shot daggers at Bill, and I just looked hard into Karl's eyes, really hard.  I'm sure he had no doubt as to how I was feeling.


We were in a restaurant at the time, and dessert was just arriving, so everyone just stopped talking and we finished our meal in a pained silence.  Shortly after, we all managed to hug and handshake and I told Barb I'd talk to her soon, and we all went our own ways.  I didn't say a word to Karl on the ride home, not one word, and he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut too.


 
When we arrived home and entered our living room, I looked at Karl and said "Get naked, make me a Manhattan,  and meet me in the basement in five minutes.  Don't keep me waiting."   Karl arrived downstairs with Manhattan in hand and a look on his face that a lamb might wear when he knows he's going to be slaughtered.  Without a word, I led him to the wooden beam that now has a pulley system attached, grabbed a length of rope, tied his hands together in front of him, and attached them to the hook hanging from the pulley.  It was short work to have him stretched upright before me, on his tiptoes.  I sat down on a recliner a short distance in front of Karl, pushed back and made myself comfortable with Manhattan in hand. 


As I slowly sipped my drink,  I stared into Karl's eyes and said nothing.  He couldn't look at me for long, and he cast his eyes downward toward the floor rather than try to meet my stare.  It took about twenty minutes before his legs were trembling with the effort of remaining on tiptoes.  I picked up the phone on the end table and called Barb as I continued to stare at Karl.


We talked a bit about how the evening had ended on an awkward note, and I asked her if she had talked to Bill about what had taken place.  Indeed she had, and was quite pissed off that he wasn't giving her any more information about what had passed between her husband and mine concerning our sex lives.   She asked if Karl had said anything, and I told her I was soon going to question him and I'd let her know if anything came of it.  We chatted for awhile and then signed off.   I was actually quite relieved to hear that Bill had kept his mouth shut with Barb, and I was ready to start finding out from Karl just what information he'd shared with Bill.  Karl had, of course, heard my end of the conversation, and was now expecting the cross examination that was about to begin.  I know that most couples don't talk about their disagreements with one of them hanging by his arms from a rafter, but then we're hardly a normal couple, are we?


I went over to the collection of "toys" on one of the walls, and selected a single tail whip which I rarely use, snapped it a few times, and approached Karl.


"Karl, it's very, very important that you answer any question I ask you completely truthfully.  As you know, I can always tell if you're lying or being evasive.  Don't even think about going there.  Now look into my eyes and tell me you understand what I've just said."


There was some serious fear in his eyes, as he answered.  "Yes, Milady, I understand."


"Good.  First question - did we agree at the beginning of our marriage that we'd keep our way of life to ourselves with vanilla friends?"


"Yes, Milady."


"Have you broken that agreement and spoken to Bill about us?"


"NO!  Well, I didn't mean to. It was an accident.  Just a little thing that slipped out, and..."


"Stop right there.  Let me ask you once again, did you break that agreement and speak to Bill about us, whether you meant to or not?"


"Well, I wouldn't say I spoke to him in detail.  It was just a little slip-up."


"Yes or no, Karl.  Stop trying to tap dance around this.  Last chance.  Yes or no."


He sighed then and said, "Okay.  I guess I'd have to say yes."


I went behind him and started in on his ass with the whip.  Fifteen strokes that had him yowling, and hopping like a jumping bean, and left stripes on his ass.  As I said, I don't often use the whip, but I do know how, and I freely admit that I enjoy its effect.


"That's for insulting my intelligence  with the stupid equivocation of your answer.  Now tell me what was said and then we'll get to your actual punishment."


He was somewhat breathless as he began to explain.  "We were at the club and working out on the chest machines.  You know, the "butterfly" ones that have your arms spread out sort of like you're spread-eagled on the bed, but of course you're upright and not on any bed."


"Yes, I'm familiar with them"  I said.


"So I'd reached the point where I was tired from so many reps, and I was all spread out, and I said that being spread out like that reminded me of some really fun sex you and I had, and Bill got kind of excited and asked if I was tied in that position or something, and well, you know, I kind of laughed and said I'd better leave that subject alone, and that got him even more charged up for information, but that's all I actually said, so it wasn't really any big description of our relationship."


"I see.  And did Bill leave it at that?"


"No, not really.  He kept bugging me for more information, but I just kept putting him off, which is probably why he brought it up at dinner, hoping I'd be forced to talk more about it or something.  But it sort of backfired when Barb got mad when she thought he'd been telling me about their sex life."


"And did he actually talk about their sex life?"


"Only to say that he wished Barb would get a little kinky and tie him up or something, but Barb wasn't interested whenever he brought it up.  He said they'd had an argument once that ended with him being wrong about something, and he suggested that she might want to spank him, but she just gave him a disgusted look.   A few more guys we knew arrived about then, so luckily he dropped the subject and I managed to get out of there before he told me anything else."


"So you opened a real can of worms," I said.  "It seems to me that Bill is innocent in all this.  You managed to pique his interest with your comment, and that never would have happened if you hadn't  said what you said.  So basically, his prying into our sex life has been brought about by you.  Would you care to hazard a guess as to what he'll say to you the next time you meet?"


"He'll probably ask me why I was sending him facial signals to shut up."


"And what will you say to that?"


"Uh, I don't know, Milady.  I guess I'll just say I don't want to talk about it."


"Terrific.  And did that stop him from bugging you the first time?"


Karl shamefacedly answered "No, Milady.  I guess not."


"Of course he won't stop, Karl.  You "A" personality boys don't like to be frustrated, do you?  So you've created a real mess now, and I suppose I'm going to have to fix it.  I'm going to punish you now for putting me in this position, and then I'm going to figure out what to do about Bill and Barb.  I'm very mad at you, Karl.  Start counting, and every time you scream, I'll be adding an extra five strokes."


And then I let my whip do the talking.   By the time I was done, Karl was hanging there like a wet rag.  A well striped wet rag.  I untied him, waited until he thanked me with his head at my feet for his punishment, and led him to his cage.  That's where he spent the night accompanied by a piss/shit bucket.


So, what was I to do to defuse this situation?  I couldn't see any way to stop Bill from pursuing the subject with Karl, and even if Karl had now been silenced by my whip, and refused to talk about our "kinky sex" with Bill, it would be obvious that Karl was trying to hide something.  That in turn would probably get Bill even more curious.  I had to wonder if Karl could remain silent  in the face of  a relentless Bill and his "edgeless" sex life, especially since it was clear that Bill had some latent submissive desires.  I would have to be aware of any meetings between Karl and Bill, and put Karl through an inquisition each and every time they met.  An all around pain in the ass brought on by my husband's careless comment.


I finally reached the conclusion that the only way to prevent further slips of the tongue was to make sure that Bill and Karl were no longer friends.  This would clearly mess up our relationship with Bill and Barb as a couple, and probably wreck my relationship with Barb as well, but I couldn't see any other choice.  What's more, I knew that the trickiest part was to get Bill to break it off with Karl instead of the other way around.  If Karl broke it off, Bill would have suspicions that I put him up to it, and that would fit in too nicely with Bill's already burgeoning thought that I was dominating Karl, and who knew what sort of rumors that could start?

So that's what I did.  I figured out a way to get Bill to break off his friendship with Karl.  There won't be any more nights out with Bill and Barb, and whether Barb and I can remain friends remains to be seen.  Let's just say that I haven't heard from her since the breakup.  Karl has lost all potential chances to watch any of his beloved March Madness basketball games, and he's going to have a very sore ass by the time the championship game arrives. A game, I might add, that will be on the television with the sound off while a naked Karl, thoroughly immobilized with rope and chains, and bedecked with many strong clothespins in strategic spots,  serves as my footstool, or possibly my end table,  facing away from the TV, for the duration of the game.   There are consequences for pissing off the Dom.

Oh yes, just how did I orchestrate the breakup of Bill and Karl?  With Bill doing the breaking up?  Anyone care to guess?  I'd be interested in seeing if your ideas would have been better than mine, and I'll explain what I did in my next post after reading any comments.