Valkyra Darque was her name, a dominatrix who combined such strength and voluptuous beauty that she was never without a stable of gorgeous young B&D devotees. To be one of her slaves was the height of fulfillment for a girl whose chief pleasures in life came only through rigorous restraint and erotically tantalizing punishment. Betsy Bond was one of those girls.

Dark-haired and ripely curved, Betsy had learned of Mistress Darque through an ad in Bondage Bulletin and immediately submitted what amounted to a B&D resume to the Post Office box listed. What she mailed was a one-page statement that gave her age (23), race (white), education (college), and measurements (37-23-32), together with a handful of photos of herself in different types of bondage. Her former Mistress, she reported, had been sent to prison for embezzlement, leaving her without any B&D connections. She also mentioned that her parents were dead and that she had no close friends who would note her absence.

After an anxious week of waiting, she received a reply. She was, it told her, accepted for service. A one-way bus ticket to a small town in the hills well north of the City was enclosed, together with instructions specifying the date and time that she was expected and the warning that she was to bring nothing with her but the clothes on her back.

Thrilled and excited, Betsy spent the next week closing out her affairs and putting her belongings into storage. She also put all of her quite substantial inheritance into a mutual fund, reasoning that if and when she was released by Madam Darque, the capital and interest would support her for a long time.

Betsy chose a plain house-dress and her oldest purse for the journey, certain that both would be discarded after her arrival. During the two-hour bus ride, she trembled constantly with a strange mixture of excitement, dread, and erotic arousal. Her mind whirled with visions of herself in severe restraint and with fantasies of how she would be forced into submission. At last, the bus reached her destination.

Stepping down from the bus, she looked anxiously around the one-block business area of the village. An expensive car with dark-tinted windows was parked a few doors away from where the bus stopped, and its engine started as soon as the bus had pulled away. When the vehicle drew up beside her, the window next to the driver rolled down an inch and she heard a voice speak her name.

"Yes, I'm Betsy Bond," she acknowledged nervously.

"Please get into the back seat," the voice told her. Betsy opened the door and got in, her body tense. There was another person there, a heavy-set redhead wearing a dark leather jumpsuit. Motor idling, the car did not move.

"Betsy Bond," the woman said, "I am Dayne Brank, one of Mistress Darque's assistants. I welcome you to her service. You will remain in her service until she decides otherwise, for you will have no choice in the matter at all. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," Betsy responded quietly. "I'm pleased to meet you, Dayne. Are you going to take me to her now?"

"Of course, girl. First, though, I will tell you this just once. You must call me Miss Brank at all times. Familiarity between staff and slaves is forbidden, and serious discipline is in store for anyone who disobeys."

Betsy nodded and said quickly, "Yes, Miss Brank."

The redhead continued, "We're going to Darque House now, but you won't see where we go because I'm going to blindfold you. You will keep your hands in your lap while I put it on you."

Betsy obeyed, and in a moment she felt a heavy leather helmet being pulled down over her head. She struggled to remain quiet while various straps and zippers were used to tighten it and to secure its lower part about her throat. There were openings at her mouth and ears, she found, and an airhole at her nose, but the helmet's eyeholes were sealed shut and she was totally blinded.

"Comfy?" Miss Brank asked sarcastically. "You probably won't wear a helmet like this very often, but it would be a good idea to get used to it."

"Yes, Miss Brank," Betsy answered softly. "It's very snug -- I like that."

"Good," came the reply. "And now, if you'll lean forward, I've got a handcuff-belt for you."

Betsy obeyed and the other woman slipped a broad leather belt about her waist and buckled it snugly. She could feel the manacles attached to it at her sides, and a moment later they were locked over her wrists. She quickly discovered that she could move her hands only an inch or so from where they were anchored. Then Miss Brank fastened a seatbelt across her lap and told the driver to get going.

Betsy remained silent, savoring the heavy metal bands about her wrists and the snugness of her helmet. After several minutes, Miss Brank spoke.

"Tell me, girl, have you every been whipped?"

Betsy swallowed and said softly, "A few times, I guess. Ah, my former mistress had a quirt that she used on my bottom when I was naughty." She paused and then continued, "But I've never been whipped formally. I mean, I was never stretched out and then given a certain number of lashes. Does Mistress Darque whip her girls a lot?"

"When necessary," Miss Brank replied. "And, of course, she decides when it is necessary." Then she asked, "Have you ever had a dildo rammed up your puss and then been forced to march?"

"Gosh, no, Miss Brank. My Mistress liked to fasten my body-strap real tight, but a dildo would be something new. Would I have to do that?"

Miss Brank snorted. "You'll have to do whatever Mistress Darque and I say you have to do, girl. Since you've never had the pleasure, I rather imagine that you'll become acquainted with the dildo before very long!"

After a moment's silence, Betsy said softly, "May I ask a question, Miss Brank?" The other woman said that she could. "Ah, how many girls are there at Darque House?"

"Mmm," came the answer. "Oh, probably a dozen now. There's very little turnover, as you can imagine. "Mistress Darque likes variety in her stable, of course, but after a girl has been properly trained she is likely to remain in service for several years."

Then she added, "You'll become quite familiar with them before long. We do a lot of twinning as well as competitions with the girls. It can be quite amusing."

Betsy wriggled in her seat, imagining the demanding and erotic experiences she would encounter in Darque House. Miss Brank continued, "One thing we are experimenting with now is pairing two girls and making each responsible for the other. For instance, if you're paired with Sylki and she is rebellious, you will be punished while she watches. And of course if you get out of line, she gets the discipline." She paused and chuckled. "We don't know yet whether this will improve or weaken the girls' obedience! I expect you'll be involved in the experiment after you've been checked out."

"I think I might like that, Miss Brank," Betsy said softly.

END