Chapter 3 - Spring Semester

Amy woke up in the middle of the night. The apartment was dark, and at first she was confused as to where she even was. Then she remembered. And the punishment. Had she dreamt that? As she rolled on her back her bottom started throbbing - no, that was no dream.

Amy got up and quietly walked towards into the living room. At first she thought about putting on her robe, but then thought no, why bother? She felt a little daring walking out in the living room in the nude with Robert asleep in the next room, but she realized that was silly. He had a thorough look at her during the strapping. Amy had nothing to hide from him now. Besides, he was a deep sleeper, she had noticed. Once he was asleep he rarely woke up until his alarm clock went off, so he was unlikely to come out anyway.

Robert kept the apartment temperature slightly lower than Amy did when he was away. The cooler air made Amy all that much more aware of her nakedness. She opened the living room curtains and took in the night view of the city that had fascinated her since she first started staying here. It gave Amy time to reflect.

Amy's bottom no longer hurt much unless she sat down or pressed up against something. But the sensation was still there, which made her all too aware of the strapping she had received just a few hours ago. Sitting down was a different matter. Amy knew from having rolled on her back in bed that sitting down would be down-right painful. She figured that it would be at least another day before she could sit down normally.

The details of her punishment came back to her. She re-ran the entire punishment through her mind. The part that most stuck out for Amy was how Robert had treated her at the end. He seemed to instinctively know what Amy needed; the glass of water, having his arm around her shoulder, holding her and giving her time to cry without saying anything, staying with her and comforting her when she was in bed. He knew how to be both cruel and kind. That was no contradiction. The kindness that Robert showed Amy after her punishment would have had no meaning had it not been preceded by the intense pain and humiliation of the strapping itself.

Even through her pain and crying Amy noticed a total change in Robert's attitude towards her. The coldness that he felt towards her had gone. Amy knew that he had blamed her for her father's death, but perhaps now he had forgiven her.

Amy felt a strange sexual arousal from the experience she had just endured. She wanted Robert to hold her again. She wanted to be naked in his arms: helpless, submissive, but comforted. She wanted to feel his warmth. Strangest of all, Amy wanted to know that Robert would punish her again if her behavior displeased him. She did not specifically want another strapping, but she wanted to know that the possibility of another strapping would always be a part of her relationship with Robert.

Amy went to the bathroom and turned on the light. She looked at herself in the mirror from the front at first, studying herself from the front. The sight of herself aroused Amy even more. She turned around and looked at the reflection of her bottom. It was swollen. Her bottom was no longer a deep pink, but more reddish, punctuated with purple marks. Amy turned in different directions to look at her bottom from different angles. She bent over and looked at her refection between her legs, in spite of the pain caused by stretching her bottom. She wished that she could take pictures of herself like this.

Amy's hands gently caressed the welts on her bottom. She traced the outlines of them with her fingers. Her hands moved to her front, first to her thighs, then to her breasts and stomach. She ran her hands between her legs and lightly touched her clitoris. She leaned back and rested her bottom on the sink counter. Her bottom immediately protested with pain, but Amy wanted to feel that pain. She continued rubbing herself. She was incredibly wet. Amy's eyes narrowed and her voice squeaked as the orgasm came.

Amy was not done. She went back to the living room and pulled a large table book off the coffee table. She returned to her room, and without shutting the door, threw the book on the bed. She wanted the hard surface of the book to press her bottom while she climaxed. She lay on her back; her bottom pressed to the book's hard surface as her fingers worked the insides of her thighs and clitoris over and over. The pain was intense. Amy's sexual arousal was intense. Each orgasm was stronger than the previous one. Amy's labia and clitoris became sore and rubbed raw from so much attention from her hands, but she could not stop. She groaned and squeaked. She lost all track of time.

Finally, Amy passed out from sheer exhaustion, just as it was starting to get light outside. She lay on her back, her legs spread, her swollen labia on full display. One of her hands draped across her inner thigh. That is how Robert saw her when he got up, noticed her door open, and peeked in to see if she was all right. He stood dumbfounded at the sight of her, especially her labia and clitoris, which had been rubbed raw. It was not hard for Robert to figure out what Amy had been doing. To see her spread on the bed...

Robert was sweating as he closed Amy's door. Finally he regained his composure. Amy was fine, no doubt about that. Robert pondered the fact that Amy had a large picture book of Chicago monuments on the bed with her. Surely the pictures had not been what excited her. Then Robert guessed the truth, that Amy had used the book to lie on to intensify the pain on her bottom while she climaxed. Judging by the state of her labia and the surrounding area, that must have been one hell of an orgasm. So, Amy got off on her strapping...interesting.

Robert felt the pull of being drawn into a sexual relationship with Amy, but had to resist that temptation. He knew that Amy would submit to having sex with him in a heartbeat, but he also knew that such a relationship would destroy her, and possibly him as well. He needed to maintain a role as mentor to Amy. Sex was out.

Robert cleaned up and started breakfast. As he started putting plates on the table for himself and Amy, he heard her soft footsteps on the carpeting. She was in her usual terrycloth robe. What seemed new was the look in her eyes. They seemed to shine with a new radiance, with an intensity that Robert had not seen before. Still, there was a shyness about her. Amy was not sure how Robert would treat her, now that it was daytime; whether he would go back to his cold, business-like manner with her or whether he would treat her like he did last night.

Robert did not let on that he had seen Amy on her bed. He simply asked, "How are you doing this morning, Amy?"

"I'm fine. A bit sore still, but fine." They gave each other a look that indicated that everything was forgiven between them. Amy smiled warmly at Robert. Robert asked Amy what she wanted on her eggs, and motioned her to come in the kitchen to see the wide variety of possible omelet ingredients she could choose from. Once Amy made her choice, she took the coffee and cream to the table and took a chair. Amy winced as she sat down.

Robert noticed Amy and wondered if she really was all right. "Amy, I want to check you to make sure you are OK, if you could drop your robe. I am afraid that I might have overdone it last night."

Amy immediately stood up, took off her robe and put it on an empty chair. She turned away from Robert and placed her hands on the dining room table. Robert studied Amy's bottom. The welts had turned darker, but she seemed all right. She turned to face Robert again, one hand on the table behind her, the other at her side. She seemed unaware of the redness remaining between her legs. No modesty now.

"That's fine. Sit down." Amy struggled to put the robe back on. The discomfort showed in her face as she slowly sat down again.

Robert set Amy's plate in front of her and joined her for breakfast.

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Two days later, in her navy-blue business outfit, Amy accompanied Robert and one of his other law partners to the city courthouse for a preliminary hearing. The attorney was female, sharp featured and sharp-tongued, almost scary. She has as much warmth as a butcher knife. Amy was glad that she was on her side and not with the DA's office. It was clear the two lawyers knew how to handle the case and what they planned to say to the judge.

Robert certainly did have connections in this city, Amy thought, as they breezed past benches full of defendants, family members, and defense attorneys. Towards the back of one of the chambers Amy noticed one of the gang members who had threatened her in the holding cell, and felt a pang of fear. Amy did not realize that she looked so different now that her one-time nemesis didn't even recognize her.

The storeowner dropped the charges. He was quite glad to retreat from the courthouse when it was over. Waving a copy of the store surveillance videotape in her hand while another copy played, Robert's partner pointed out that Amy was groped when she was restrained, and oh, by the way, did the clerks have green cards? No? So, let me get this straight - you hired illegal immigrants who groped a female detainee who was not resisting? Is this the policy of your company? No? Obviously we are dealing with a case of sexual battery and we would like to file a complaint...Your honor, my client...

Amy thanked Robert's partner when it was over, but the only response she received was "Stay out of trouble. Next time you won't be so lucky." And with that Amy's career as a criminal came to an end.

"She's never lost a case as long as I have worked with her," said Robert, as they walked back to his car. "In fact, as far as I can remember, she's only had four cases that even went to trial." Amy could believe that.

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That night Robert treated Amy to a dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. Their table was next to a plate glass window with a nice view of the city, and Lake Michigan off to the right. The city lights shimmered in the cold night air. In the street far below Amy noticed what looked like a bundle of clothes stagger behind a market basket. That could be me, she thought with a shudder. Again her heart welled up with gratitude for Robert. She wanted so badly to repay him...

"That is what we are here to discuss, Amy. You can repay me all right. Your father left you his money with me in charge, in case you were ever found. I enrolled you in college and you will need to start next week...Don't look so surprised."

Robert stared intently at Amy across the table. He laid out his case. "You certainly can't stay with me. You're more than welcome to come over whenever you want for dinner or to talk, but you need to live somewhere else. You can't earn much of a living on your current education. Your father's house is sold and all your stuff and his is in storage, so what are you going to do...?

"You owe it to me to make a success out of yourself. The only way you are going to do that is to study. I don't care what, as long as you are successful. You owe me that. You owe it to your father as well."

Amy nodded. She felt worried and relieved at the same time. At least her future was no longer in doubt. She wondered if she could adjust to college so quickly. However, as she shifted in her chair, the soreness in her bottom reminded Amy that she had been through much worse. She would have to adapt; or else she would feel Robert's strap again.

Robert took out a class schedule and handed it to Amy, explaining what she needed to do to fill out her preferences. "Give it some thought and get this back to me tomorrow. Everything else is taken care of."

When they got back to Robert's apartment Robert continued laying out Amy's future, which was to begin next Monday. Amy stayed dressed in her navy blue suit. In her suit, she was ravishing, Robert thought. She had her hands full of papers and at that moment looked every part the professional woman of the type that Robert was attracted to. With difficulty he continued.

"I set you up in an apartment with the daughter of one of my partners. Her name is Suzanne Foster. Ed (my partner) says that Suzanne is a bit strange, but I talked to her and she seems OK to me. Besides, Ed is strange himself. I had to do all this quickly to get you set up. You will have your own room and the apartment is nice. If you don't get along with Suzanne I can change you later."

Amy protested "But Robert, I want to stay with you."

"I know you do. We just can't. Later you'll understand why."

Worried by Amy's sad expression Robert added "If you can accept this arrangement I will give you a key to my place, and you will be welcome to come over when you want. You just need to have your bed and stuff at your own place."

It was with a heavy heart that Amy took off her suit and hung it up. She had fallen in love with Robert and evidently he deeply cared for her, but even now she realized that he was right. Still, she wanted to be a part of Robert's life and have him be a part of hers. She wanted to have the feeling that he was guiding and protecting her more than anything else. She was re-assured by his insistence that she was welcome to come over and visit whenever she wanted. At least she could spend time with him.

Amy, now in her white robe, the usual state of attire while in Robert's apartment, found him sitting in the living room, lost in thought. She joined him on the sofa and snuggled up to him. He put his arm around her shoulder and she placed her head on his chest. She settled down to enjoy the protective embrace of Robert's arm, and the warmth of his chest against her body. Within a few minutes she fell asleep. Robert slipped out from under Amy and moved her to a lying position. Then he retrieved the blankets and pillow from Amy's bed and covered her up. He looked into her face for a few minutes before finally getting up to go to bed himself. He thought about how much he would miss having her at his place.

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Sunday, the day before Amy needed to start classes and the hassle of buying books, Robert took her over to Suzanne's apartment near the university. He asked Amy to read out directions as they circled about looking for Suzanne's place. Finally they entered a series of condominium-style units and found the one that matched the address on Amy's paper. The area looked quite nice.

Amy was nervous about having to circulate with people her own age again, having spent almost all of the last month by herself or with Robert. Left to herself she would have stayed under Robert's protection indefinitely, which would have done neither of them any good. She knew that he was right about getting her in college and forcing her to move ahead with her life. Still it would be difficult.

At Suzanne's door they were greeted by a young woman in a simple warm ankle-length skirt and jacket. She was dressed warmly because she expected to have to go outside to help Amy with her suitcases, but Amy did not have much. Her things were still in storage and it would be next week before Robert could have them delivered.

Suzanne, in spite of her modern clothing, had a look about her that made her seem from another era. Her long hair was done up around her head, making her look like one of the women in a Victorian painting that Robert had at his place. Her new roommate had a determined look about her, the expression of a person who knows what she wants from life. She had a voice that was soft, but which Amy would quickly learn, had a commanding quality to it. Her dark eyes had a sad intensity about them. Even under her skirt, Amy could tell that Suzanne's figure was not what would be considered ideal by late 20th Century standards; she had small breasts and wide hips. However, there was a sexiness about her that Robert picked up on immediately and that even Amy could perceive.

Suzanne's apartment was neat to a fault. She had expensive furniture, which gave her living room a rich warm feel to it. There were large photographs on the walls everywhere, all taken by Suzanne. Each picture was a landscape, portrait, or a figure study. Each picture made a powerful statement of its subject. The thought of living with the creator of the pictures excited Amy. Photography had always fascinated her, and it was clear that her new roommate knew how to take a good picture. She was intimidated by the neatness of Suzanne's apartment however, not having had much discipline in her past with having to keep her room neat.

Robert drove Amy and Suzanne around in his car, touring the campus area for the benefit of Amy. Suzanne revealed a lot about herself in the course of the conversation and her description of different places that Amy would need to know about to function in school. She was a double major in photography and physical therapy. She was realistic about her chances of ever being able to earn an adequate living off photography, so it was from physical therapy that she would receive her paycheck. She enjoyed giving massages, had a massage table in the apartment, and already had some customers.

The love of her life was photography, however. There was nothing more that she enjoyed more than doing a figure study, drawing the subject's personality out through the portrayal of the body in her photos. In spite of her lack of confidence in being able to earn a living off taking pictures, Suzanne's work had been featured in several art shows and she had several on-going contracts with galleries. Her name was just beginning to spread among people who wanted quality pictures.

What struck Amy and Robert was Suzanne's self confidence in what she wanted from life. Amy, who had been adrift ever since she had been in middle-school, never worried about anything except partying and dating, was impressed by Suzanne. She was only a few years older than Amy, but she had laid out a personal dream, a realistic road map to achieve that dream, and most importantly, a realistic back-up plan should her dream fail her. It was not the dream that her father approved of, which had led him to tell Robert that Suzanne was strange, but it was better by far than that of most people seriously interested in the arts.

When they returned to the apartment, Suzanne showed Amy and Robert the three bedrooms. There was the room that Amy would have, the room that Suzanne slept in, which was the smallest of the three, and the largest bedroom, which had the massage table and some studio and darkroom equipment in it. It was clear from the arrangement where Suzanne's priorities were.

After hugging Amy and forcing her to assure him that she did not need anything else, Robert left. It was time for him to drive back across the city to his own place, his job, and his memories of Tricia. Amy now had started with her new life.

Amy had learned a lot about Suzanne, but had not revealed much about herself so far. That changed when Amy and Suzanne went into the kitchen for Suzanne to show where all the kitchen supplies were kept.

They sat down in the kitchen. Amy saw in Suzanne a person her own age she could trust. In great detail Amy told Suzanne about her high school years with Courtney, the road trip, and how Robert picked her up from jail. She told Suzanne about the beach parties, raves, ecstasy trips, nights of drunken casual sex, and Courtney's decline. She told Suzanne about her burden of guilt over the results of the trip, Courtney's death behind the dumpster, and her own flight to Chicago. She described being arrested, the clerk's arm around her neck, the strange impression that the smell of sweat and strong cologne from the clerks left on her as they reached under her clothing. She described Robert's efforts to retrieve her from the abyss. She described her father's death, the visit to the cemetery, and the pre-trial hearing. Suzanne listened intently.

Suzanne studied Amy's face. Amy's past showed in her eyes. Her eyes had a haunting expression in them, if as a photographer, one knew how to look for it.

Suzanne asked Amy if she wanted to see her studio and portfolio. As she leafed through Suzanne's portraits she realized that the ones on the walls were not any better than the ones in the folders. Suzanne consistently took powerful pictures.

Amy was curious to see what she would look like from behind Suzanne's lens. "Could you take a picture of me? I haven't had my picture taken since graduation."

Suzanne's photographer's eye scanned Amy's figure. Suzanne was pleased that Amy was so attractive. Amy had an innocent adolescent look about her that would make her an excellent photo subject.

Suzanne pulled out one of her cameras. She checked the film and lighting. She gently adjusted the lens. She took several face shots, then asked Amy to turn around. "Now turn part way and look back at me." Amy did as directed. Her sad eyes looked into Suzanne's camera. That's the shot, thought Suzanne. It was Amy's first portrait by Suzanne.

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Amy found that university life was not as hard as she feared. For the most part the freshman-level classes were fairly easy, as long as she attended class every day. That was not hard to do with Suzanne looking over her shoulder. Suzanne imposed self-discipline on Amy. Amy quickly learned not to leave dishes in the kitchen, not to leave her clothes on the floor, not to leave toothpaste in the bathroom sink, to put everything away as soon as she was done with it. Amy was free to use anything that belonged to Suzanne, but God forbid that she not put it back when she was finished. Suzanne knew Amy's schedule and made sure she was out the door on time to make her classes. There was no sleeping in.

Amy avoided the party circuit. She had experienced enough raves, beer bongs, concerts and one night encounters last summer to satisfy herself for a while. That part of her life was behind her. Instead she tagged along with Suzanne on photo shoots, helping her with the photo equipment and learning how to use it. Suzanne took her all over Chicago and nearby cities. Amy learned to appreciate the beauty of winter life: snow fields under the full moon, cold winter sunrises, a haunting pre-dawn skyline, forests covered with ice crystals.

Amy was fascinated by the haunting over-the-shoulder portrait that Suzanne had taken of her. Suzanne had captured her personality in that picture. Amy remembered from her anthropology class her professor mentioning the belief held by some cultures that photography could capture a person's soul. Looking at her own portrait, Amy could believe it.

Amy soon became Suzanne's main figure model. Amy had started to wonder what she could do for spending money when Suzanne offered her a job as her model. Knowing that Amy could use the money, Suzanne offered to split the proceeds from her photos 50-50. Amy spent endless hours in front of Suzanne's cameras, inside, outside, clothed, nude. She began to see herself in some of Chicago's better photo galleries. The money from the pictures was erratic, but slightly more than she could earn working at a bookstore or restaurant.

The agreement had a side condition for Amy. She had to get in better shape. As the winter dragged into spring, Amy spent increasing hours at the gym, toning her body. Before each photo shoot Suzanne massaged her on her table to relax her. Physically Amy felt better than she had ever felt in her life.

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At the end of February Amy decided to stay with Robert over the weekend. After making sure that Suzanne had no photo shoots planned for the next couple of days, Amy asked her roommate to drive her over to Robert's apartment. Suzanne, in her typical take-charge manner, forced Amy to fill her backpack with textbooks before leaving. "If your going over there for the whole weekend, you'll need to study."

Amy felt the rush of anticipation. Amy knew that Robert liked women in business outfits and was wearing one of her Talbot's purchases when she entered his place. At that point in her life she still had a crush on him.

Robert decided to take Amy out to dinner first and find out about her latest adventures in college. Robert was not too sure that he liked the idea of Amy being a model, but at least she was not trying to be a fashion model or a pin-up. Suzanne took serious pictures. Amy gave a folder of large prints to Robert, including a copy of the over-the-shoulder portrait. He was impressed. "This one I want to frame. Maybe there's something to Suzanne's photography after all."

Robert especially was pleased by the influence Suzanne was having on Amy's outlook on life. Amy seemed more focused. Her travels with Suzanne had become an important part of her education. Amy seemed more knowledgeable about life in general. She had the ability to appreciate beauty, in nature and in herself. Robert was pleased that Suzanne prodded Amy whenever she got lazy about her studies.

They got back. Robert was surprised to see Amy carefully hang up her coat and outfit after taking them off. Dressed in her usual white robe, she carefully dropped the rest of her clothing in Robert's washer. Two months of being snapped at by Suzanne had conditioned her about taking care of her clothes.

The next morning Robert got up and had a surprise. Amy, still in her robe, was sitting at the dining room table, taking notes from one of her course textbooks. She already had made coffee and had partially prepared breakfast for both of them.

Amy had indeed changed in the short time since that fateful morning in the police station.

Chapter 4