A Quiet Night at Home

The drive back home begins quietly, both of you are shook by having a gun pointed at you and Natali's near **** at the hands of the hillbillies. However, by the time you hit the city limits the pair of you are talking and sharing and joking once more. You share a long cathartic laugh over what Natali had just done back on the hilltop. By the time you are pulling through the gates to the estate your sides are hurting. You park the Ferrari back in the garage and go around to open Natali's door for her. Together you walk arm in arm back to the house.

At the main hall Natali leans in and kisses your cheek. "I'm going to bed. I...really enjoyed tonight, despite everything. I'll finish what I started out there another time. I promise." She gives you a smile and strokes your hair and neck. "Thank you for protecting me my brave shining knight." You both stare at each other for a long moment then share a long deep kiss. Natali heads off to bed.

You head in through the kitchen to your well stocked wine cellar, in this case not an actual cellar but a climate controlled room. You pick a random bottle of red, a corkscrew, grab a glass, and head to your study. When you get there you take a seat next to the fireplace and open the wine. You sit drinking and thinking, staring at the dead fireplace as your hand feels the fine warm leather of the chair. Just a small table lamp dimly lit the big room. The wine itself was incredible, smooth, complex, and a possessing depth of flavor you just weren't used to. You are lost in thought.

You notice the door open part way and Caitlin sticks her head in.

"Mr. Calabrese?"

"Come in Caitlin. Grab a glass and pull up a chair. What's on your mind?" You say. You are relaxed and your mind a bit hazy from the wine.

"Oh! Sure!" Caitlin grabs a tumbler off the bar and joins you. You pour her some of the wine, which she gulps immediately. You pour her some more, draining the last of the bottle.

"How are things going Caitlin? I know there are a lot of changes happening right now."

"Yeah. Uh...I'm fine. I was just up looking for Soo-yin." She responds, something was hiding just under the surface of her words.

"She'll be home soon I am sure. She was doing something for me." You wondered if Caitlin was worried about Soo-yin's safety or afraid she was cheating on her. "You like her then?"

"Um....yeah...I mean. It's weird being with a woman, you know? But it's not so bad, she treats me real nice. Real nice." She takes another slug of wine. She was dancing around something.

"Listen, Caitlin, if you're not happy just say so. I am sure Soo-yin can find someone else. As long as you stop your thieving you can go back to being the maid again..."

"No! No no no, I'm not saying that. I want to be with her. It's just...she's really messed up Vincent." You wait, twirling your wine and watching the legs streak down the side of the glass. "She...um...she hurts herself. And she wants me to hurt her too! And she says that...when I'm ready...it will be my turn...oh Vincent!" She reaches out to take your hand, then thinks better of it.

Reluctantly she continues. "Did you know she is setting a whole room up for it in the basement? Chains and stuff. I don't know if I can do all the stuff she wants me to do. But I want to make her happy."

So Soo-yin was a sadomasochist. You honestly weren't surprised. The image of her in leather holding a ratan cane standing over Caitlin sprang up in your imagination, her cold black eyes looking down at her. It was as terrifying as it was tantalizing.

"Well...I'm not sure what I can do about that. If she is going to stay and if you two are going to be with each other you are going to have to work that out between yourselves." Then, out of curiosity you ask. "Do you know if she is staying for good?"

"Uh...that's the other thing. She says that it's up to you to make her stay."

"It's up to me to make her stay?" You query. The woman could probably kill you in a hundred ways you didn't even know were possible, what were you going to do to make her do anything?

"Uh huh. The room downstairs...its not just for me and her...she says loyalty isn't given or earned, but taken with a strong hand...she says she needs a place to test you..." Caitlin finishes her wine in a gulp.

"Test ME?" You sputter.

"I guess you saved her life or something. And you're nice to her, and not so many people have been nice to her I guess. But nice isn't enough and she needs to know you are strong too, I guess. She really likes you Vincent, but she hates men. Oh geez. Like I said...she's really messed up." Caitlin stands up to leave. "I thought you should know. Don't tell her I said anything okay?"

You sit there stunned. "Uh...thanks...I won't say anything."

"And thank you for not sending me away Vinc...Mr Calabrese. It's too bad we can't have our fun anymore, but I'll make this work. You'll see" With that she heads out of the room. You watch her leave with a hint of admiration, that girl was a survivor.

"...loyalty is taken with a strong hand..." You repeat to yourself. "Jesus!"