Chapter 29 – On Your Marks

“Ben!” She forced herself to flash a radiant Chloe Heart smile and stood up. “What a surprise!”

He spread his arms as if to hug her, but then changed his mind and patted her on the shoulder instead. “I heard you were absolutely fantastic, handled the shoot like a pro!”

“Oh, thank you.” She kept her smile going, but let a little bit of her displeasure creep into her voice. “It would have been nice to know you were coming.”

Ben raised his hands reassuringly. “Hey, I had stuff to do here anyway, I had to discuss a few details with management. So I thought I’d drop by and see how you were doing.” He grinned. “Didn’t want to make you nervous by telling you in advance.”

Bullshit. You wanted to check up on me.

“I understand,” she said, nodding. “But next time, a little warning would still be nice.”

“Of course, of course.” His tone was conciliatory, but not really apologetic. He still thought he was in the right to just show up at one of her shoots. “I promise, Sunshine. Next time I’ll let you know.”

She swallowed her irritation and smiled sweetly. “No problem, Ben. I was just surprised.”

He patted her shoulder again, then turned to Buck, who was packing his equipment into a large black bag.

“Buck, you old dog!” Ben’s voice echoed through the studio. A few crew members looked up briefly, then went back to their work.

Buck stood up and shook Ben’s outstretched hand. “Ben. Long time no see.”

“Too long!” Ben patted him on the back. “So, how was my new star? Did she do well?”

Buck’s response was measured. He was putting away the flogger and paddle as he spoke. “She was impressive. It’s rare for someone to take on such intensity the first time and still remain so present and fully engaged in the scene.” He glanced respectfully at Chloe. “You don’t see that often with newcomers.”

Ben beamed as if he had personally accomplished something. “That’s my girl!”

Your girl?

“She definitely has potential,” Buck said calmly, closing his bag. “If she wants, we’d love to work with her again.”

Ben turned to Chloe, his eyebrows raised expectantly. “What do you say, Sunshine? Interested in more Bound.com?”

“Yes!” She let her voice overflow with enthusiasm. “That was an incredible experience. I’d love to come back.”

More access to Ethan. And maybe…

“Great!” Ben rubbed his hands together. “I’ll take care of it as soon as I get to the office.”

Ben checked his flashy watch. “I have to go. I have a meeting with Valeria over at the Hub.” He winked at her. “She asks about you every now and then, by the way. You definitely made an impression.”

I’m not sure I really like that.

“That’s… great,” Chloe said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as hollow as she felt.

“I’m proud of you, Sunshine.” Ben’s tone became disgustingly fatherly for a moment. “Keep it up. You’re well on your way to the top.”

“Thanks, Ben. That means a lot to me.”

He nodded contentedly, said goodbye to Buck with a final “Take care, old rascal,” and marched off, the cell phone already to his ear before he even reached the door.

Chloe watched him go and allowed herself a small sigh of relief. Her shoulders relaxed a little, the fake smile disappeared.

Buck looked at her for a moment. “He can be a bit much, can’t he?”

She shrugged cautiously, unsure how much she could admit. “He means well.”

“Hmm.” Buck hoisted the bag over his shoulder. “Take care, Chloe. It would be really nice to see you again sometime.”

Then he nodded to her and left, and Chloe also made her way to her dressing room, where she let the bathrobe slip from her shoulders and looked at herself in the mirror.

Red marks adorned her wrists and ankles where the leather cuffs had been. Her buttocks still showed the fading traces of the paddling, pink marks on her skin. She turned slightly and saw the fine welts on her thighs from the flogger.

In a day or two, it will all be gone.

She carefully ran her fingertips over one of the marks. The skin was warm and sensitive, but it didn’t really hurt.

She put on her underwear, then pulled up her denim shorts, then put on her top. Piece by piece, she transformed back into normal Chloe. Except that her body was still vibrating, hypersensitive to the fabric and reacting to every movement.

A knock on the door. “Chloe? Everything okay in there?” Melissa.

“Sure, come in!”

Melissa poked her head in, her face full of genuine concern.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Chloe slung her bag over her shoulder. “Thanks again for your support today.”

“Hey, you’re welcome.” Melissa smiled warmly. “You were really great. I really hope we can work with you again.”

The sincerity in her voice took Chloe by surprise. It felt good to be liked. Even if it was only Chloe Heart they liked.

“I’d love that,” she said, and even meant it a little.

She followed Melissa through the long corridors of the Armory. Sounds and muffled instructions drifted out of other rooms. There were probably other productions going on today. Other crews, other shoots, other people having their own intense experiences.

Then she said goodbye to Melissa and stepped out into the early evening. The air was still warm and the sun was bathing the city in golden light. She took a deep breath.

This really happened.

Her phone showed her the nearest bus stop, but she put it away again. She wanted to walk, to clear her head a little.

That strange floating feeling, as if she were walking an inch above the ground, was still there. Her mind kept replaying moments. Buck’s hands pinching her and his fingers moving inside her, the feeling of hanging in the ropes, Ethan and his camera, the orgasms…

Not now.

An hour later the apartment door closed behind Chloe, she kicked off her sneakers, dropped her bag on the floor next to the door, and shuffled toward the bed.

Her body ached, but not unpleasantly. The muscles in her shoulders and thighs felt like they did after a particularly intense yoga session. The skin on her wrists and ankles still tingled slightly where the leather cuffs had been. Red marks that would turn into light bruises tomorrow.

But overall, she felt good.

Relaxed. I am relaxed.

She stretched her arms above her head, feeling the pleasant stretch in her sides. Even the slight tension between her shoulder blades had disappeared.

But now it was time to focus on the important bits. She grabbed her laptop, opened it, and sat down comfortably in the bed. The screen came to life, she opened her investigation document, and started typing.

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Ethan Cooper (observations from the Bound.com shoot): cameraman, early 40s, thin, relatively unkempt. Shows intense focus while filming, especially during my

Obvious fixation on filming female orgasms. Proudly presented me with close-up shots of my face during orgasm important parts of the scene.

Was happy to show me camera equipment and enjoyed his role as an expert. Was clearly flattered by the attention. Invited me to see his “personal art projects” and mentioned a home studio. PA is apparently aware of the incidents Elena reported. She discreetly asked me if he had gotten too close to me.

Assessment: Definitely some sort of fixation/obsession. He is interested in me and I theoretically have direct access, but I’d rather find out more indirectly first (he’s creepy). The next step would probably be to accept another Bound.com offer and possibly find out more about his personal projects (see bizarre homepage).

Maybe I can also find out a little more about the incidents from the past through crew members (PA?), maybe even what happened with Samantha. What was his real relationship with her? Why did he harass her? Could he

She stopped mid-sentence, staring at the screen. There it was again, that feeling. That strange lightness in her chest, as if someone had lifted a weight she hadn’t even known she was carrying.

I feel good. Really good. Content. Relaxed.

When was the last time she had felt this way? She tried to remember. Since her arrival in Valley City? Definitely not. Further back?

It must have been months.

For a moment, she just sat there, letting the feeling sink in. Then it clicked.

Oh.

The orgasms, God, how many had there been? Ten? Probably not quite that many, but she had no idea. A lot, in any case. The complete release of everything that had built up inside her. Months of tension, grief, stress, anger, it had all just poured out of her like water from a burst dam.

Makes sense.

She shook her head slightly, forcing herself not to read too much into it. It had happened. It had felt good. Her body had just reacted. That was normal. Completely normal.

It would have happened sooner or later anyway. It doesn’t mean I’m losing myself or anything.

It had been an intense experience, and her body had reacted intensely accordingly. That didn’t change who she was. And it didn’t matter that the whole world would see her having mind-melting orgasms…

No. Don’t go down that path. Don’t spiral.

A small smile flitted across her face as an absurd thought occurred to her. All over the world, women were desperately trying to orgasm during sex. It took them forever, or they couldn’t do it at all. And here she was, worrying because she had come hard and often.

Maybe I should offer a workshop. “Ten Orgasms in an Hour – The Chloe Heart Formula.” Only $99.99.

She snorted quietly at her own joke and shook her head.

Focus.

Her attention returned to the document. She continued typing:

FILE EDIT VIEW INSERT FORMAT TOOLS HELP

Bound.com is a good access point. It’s a professional environment and the crew likes “Chloe Heart.” They want to work with me again, which means I can stay on the case and squeeze information out of people in his social circle bit by bit.

A yawn interrupted her thoughts. Physical exhaustion caught up with her. Her eyelids felt like lead.

She closed the laptop and placed it on the side table. The day had taken its toll on her.

In the bathroom, she slipped off her clothes and briefly examined the red welts on her body in the mirror again. Then she pulled on Steve’s oversized Star Wars T-shirt, slipped into fresh underwear, and lay down in bed.

A productive day. She yawned. And I experienced something intense that my body obviously needed.

She wouldn’t make more of it than that. She wouldn’t allow herself.

Her eyes grew heavy, her body sank deeper into the worn mattress, and that contented, relaxed feeling was still warm in her chest as she fell asleep.