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Chapter 6 – Boundaries in the Aquarium.
"This way Miss Charlotte" The maid had returned through the bathroom door. "The Master is waiting for you at dinner, its best not to keep him waiting."
Charlie stood up from the end of the bed and slowly made her way toward the maid. Her satin and lace underskirt rustled as she walked and the ruffled collar chaffed her neck. On reaching the door Charlie quickly scoped the passageway seeking an escape from the bizarre hellhole, only to receive a poke in the back from the maid.
"Now Miss Charlotte, you don't want to be doing anything silly, I've got a Tazer stuck in the small of your back. I wouldn't want to have to use it and then clean your vomit up off of that lovely new dress you're wearing"
"Um, no, not at all." Shut down, Charlie let the maid point her down the hallway. The maid always remained a couple of steps behind her, presumably Tazer in hand. The hallway opened out into a wide dining area. Two of the walls were glazed glass from floor to ceiling providing an unparalleled vista of the city at night. The lights sparkled to the horizon; under any other circumstances the view would have been breathtaking.
Again, the décor was neo-classical, the dining table made of a wrought iron frame and a glass tabletop. The cutlery and silverware all polished to perfection. A modest yet tasteful chandelier hung over the table to provide a soft lighting for the room. Large Grecian urns filled with freshly cut flowers sat in two corners of the room.
Sitting at the table was Mr Campbell, dressed in one of his traditional conservative suits, looking as relaxed and yet focussed as always seemed to be. He stood as Charlie entered the room, a dazzling array of swishing satin, lace and ribbons.
"Now – isn't that much better. You look like the perfect little girl that you should be. I must say, I'm happy with how the dress turned out, it is one of my favourite pieces."
Charlie stood before Mr Campbell a mixture of conflicting emotions. Furious on one hand that this eccentric tailor had imprisoned her, yet deeply embarrassed by the frilly beribboned outfit he had goaded her into wearing. Everything from the patent Mary Janes shoes to the ribbons in her hair made her feel like a complete idiot.
"Yes, I like that a lot." Mr Campbell admired his handiwork. "Now my dear won't you join me for dinner?" He waved toward the table and the two chairs at the table. One, his chair sat at the head of the table looking out through one of the glass walls, the other, immediately adjacent to his, sat facing the other glass wall. Charlie noticed however that the chair being offered to her was lower than his.
A child's chair; 'Okay, this guy is certifiable.' She thought.
She took his hand and took a seat in the small chair. When she sat up straight the table top came just to her middle of her chest, meaning that when using cutlery she would have to awkwardly raise her arms up and over the edge.
The Maid stood in the corner near the hallway exit, undoubtedly Tazer still handy, denying Charlie the only open exit from the room.
"A drink Charlotte?" Mr Campbell asked politely.
"Yes, I would like a Miller please," thinking that she might play some mind games with the jerk by requesting her father's favourite pre-meal drink.
"No – I don't think that will be suitable. Obviously if you are going to behave like a child then you will be treated like one. Bosker?" He indicated to the Butler who had just appeared. "A glass of apple juice for our little Charlotte."
"What do you want with me?" Charlie asked icily.
"It's not what I want from you, it's what I'm going to do for you Charlotte." Mr Campbell calmly stated as a matter of fact.
"Don't play games with me mister. You've tricked me here to your little playground and I don't want to have anything to do with it. I want to go home, I want to go home now!" Charlie summoned her most forceful voice at this point and drove her fist onto the table to emphasise the point. In hindsight she thought that she must have looked comical to Mr Campbell, in her diminutive seat banging her fist onto the table trying to look forceful while dressed up like a child attending her first birthday party.
"Have you finished my little petulant one?" He asked with a wry grin on his face.
"No – I haven't, if you don't let me go I will escape and tell the police, you'll be in jail playing drop-the-soap, getting ass fucked by a three hundred pound gorilla. What do you think of that dick-wad?"
"My my, such a sharp tongue." Mr Campbell maintained his wry grin as he calmly continued: "First of all there is no escape from this apartment, I'm not going to fill your pretty little head with boring details about alarms or locks or sound proofing. All you need to know my little princess is that for your own protection everything you do and everywhere you go is entirely at my whim.
"Indeed let me dissuade you of any impropriety on my behalf. You are legally my ward until your father recovers, or even should he sadly pass away, you will remain my ward. I have a legal responsibility to protect you, feed you, clothe you and provide for your education. I am doing so. The fact that you are unhappy with me discharging my duties is neither here nor there, the simple fact of the matter is that I am fulfilling my legal responsibility under the law. Should I fail to do so, I could legitimately be charged with neglect.
"What is it exactly that you have taken issue with so far Charlotte? The fact that I have provided you with clothing more suitable to the cultural imperatives and climate of your new home? The fact that I am trying desperately hard to ease you through this difficult transition by keeping you from running off into the alleys and side-streets and possibly being raped or mugged by some thug?
"I have done no differently than any other parent would do so in the same situation. Would a parent let their six year old just walk out into the street to play?" Mr Campbell's reasoned appeal was tersely interrupted by an increasingly frustrated Charlie.
"I'm not six! I'm sixteen goddam years old! I've been looking after myself for ever!"
"And look at the result." Mr Campbell skilfully broke her building momentum. "At sixteen, you have few redeeming qualities, except for the beauty that your parents and God provided you, beauty that you so churlishly disregard. Your behaviour is the epitome of crudity, you dress like a Harlem gang-banger, your language would force a hardened navy man to blush, and from what I've gathered, your formal education is entirely deficient. It's time for your legal guardian to face up to these problems and address them, unlike your unfortunate father who spoilt you so dreadfully."
"That's Crap! I won't hear anymore of this, I want to go home, NOW!"
"You aren't going anywhere. Even if you did get out of this apartment, where would you go? The police will immediately return you here as you are legally my ward. Your own home is thousands of miles away. You have no money and no way of legally making any. You are for all intents and purposes here for the duration. You may as well get used to the fact."
"NEVER!" Having finally lost her temper Charlie stood to her feet and flung her glass of apple juice at Mr Campbell. The liquid splashed over his jacket. Mr Campbell barely flinched, rather he made a gesture toward the butler. A split second later Bosker had ambushed Charlie from behind and pushed her over the edge of the table. He forcefully held her down over the table by her shoulders as Mr Campbell rose slowly to his feet and wiped the apple juice away with a napkin.
"GET OFF ME! HELP! HELP! HELP! GET THEM OFF ME!" Charlie squealed as she tried to thrash her legs about beneath Bosker's firm grip.
"Now Charlotte that was entirely uncalled for. I am sorry for what I have to do now, but as with any other misbehaving child you need to be disciplined. If reasoning won't work then perhaps a little corporal punishment might communicate to you the error of your ways." Mr Campbell gently placed the napkin down and moved to behind Charlie. While Bosker held her pinned to the table by her shoulders Mr Campbell lifted her voluminous skirts to reveal the lacey satin panties beneath.
As he forcefully bought his open hand down upon her satin clad buttocks he continued to speak. "Let me explain the rules of this house to you."
SMACK! Charlie choked back a squeal.
"While you are living under this roof you will do as you are instructed, whether by myself, Bosker, Madeline or any of the tutors whom I have retained for your benefit." SMACK!
"You will not speak out of turn, you will not curse. I will not tolerate a bad attitude of any sort, it is not becoming of a young lady." SMACK! This blow bought an audible whimper from Charlie.
"I expect you to be prompt for your lessons and any other appointments that are arranged for you." SMACK! The sharp searing pain inflicted by Mr Campbell's firm hand sped through her bottom as she uttered another whimper.
"You will deport yourself as a lady in this house, I will not tolerate any uncouth behaviour not becoming of your noble sex." SMACK! This time the whimper rose to a mewling sound.
"I will not tolerate misbehaviour, refusal to follow a direction or poor performance with your lessons" SMACK! Charlie was trying hard not to let the pain show. Worse however was the humiliation. Bent over the table in front of the Butler and the Maid, dressed in the most hideously girly outfit imaginable and being spanked by this monster was almost more than she could bear.
"Now pay attention for a moment Charlotte, this is important, look at me." Bosker eased his grip slightly to allow Charlie to turn her head and look across the tabletop at Mr Campbell. In his free hand he held a small PDA, the screen displayed a calendar. "This is the merit board. You may have had something similar in your classroom in kindergarten. If you behave you may earn gold stars. Gold stars may be redeemed for increased privileges and presents. You might enjoy a trip to the zoo or some new toys or clothes to call your own. I am not an unfair man; I reward effort and good behaviour.
"However, if you break any of the rules I have just outlined…" SMACK! The extended reprieve from the spanking had allowed the warmth and pain to spread through her bottom and set it tingling. This new blow landed on the already bruised flesh and hurt more than all the others combined so far.
Charlie cried out in pain, embarrassment and distress. Mr Campbell continued: "then you will receive a black spot. Black Spots are met with proportionate punishment." To highlight the word punishment Mr Campbell's hand descended brutally once again with a resounding noise.
"ARGH! Stop it please stop it!" Charlie screamed as the pain wracked through her. Unmercifully Mr Campbell continued his speech.
"Each of the servants and your tutors have access to the merit board and can update it at will. In your bedroom is a copy of the board, like this one, on one of your dressers. Now in the event that you receive a black spot, I will determine the punishment you are to receive." SMACK!
"NO! Please no more!" Charlie squealed.
"Finally, and this is most important Charlotte, if you fail to submit willingly to the punishment that I nominate, then you will be punished anyway and I will determine a new punishment to reflect the black spots. Do you understand?"
"Yes…" A pained and much more chastened Charlie muttered.
"Good" – SMACK!
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