Maragana Girl Copyright 2004 by EC EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/ EC's deviantART collection - http://caligula20171.deviantart.com/ (warnings: judicial corporal punishment, forced public nudity, sex between adults, references to drug use, references to violence) Chapter 17 – The Brat on a Bicycle Criminal # 98945 finally returned to her normal routine as August drew to a close. She continued to deliver Victor's packages and messages, greet customers at the music store, and deal with a backlog of issues affecting Eloisa's band. She continued to rehearse and sing. She divided what little free time she had between Sergekt, Eloisa, and the Dukovs. Kim's life was completely full, about as full as a person's life could be. Ironically, Kim's job with Victor Dukov became a refuge of sorts in her life. Her constant activities and social obligations might have worn on her patience had it not been for the days she spent alone on her bicycle, pedaling hard around Danube City. Victor no longer had to exhort Kim to ride fast to make her deliveries. She was under so much pressure from the other areas of her life that she vented her stress speeding along the quiet streets of the nation's capitol. She moved about so quickly that her boss stopped nagging and berating her. She became his favorite employee, held up as an example of what Victor wanted from his riders. That was not entirely a good thing, because now he placed Kim in an uncomfortable position because he constantly asked his other employees why couldn’t they deliver their messages as quickly as she was delivering hers. One afternoon Kim saw Victor berating Malka Chorno. True to her word, it was obvious Malka was quite used to being yelled at unfairly. She quietly stood at attention while Victor exhausted his long list of complaints and criticisms. Kim saw a huge irony in the situation, as Malka stood straight, listening to the complaints of a small businessman. In spite of losing her uniform, and in spite of everything else that had happened to her, Malka still looked and acted like a cop. ---------- Kim's first night back at the Socrates Club was filled with celebration. Every criminal in Danube City was jubilant over the double cancellations of switchings; Dukov's two-month suspension of corporal punishments for their help with the farms, and the added cancellation of one switching for each criminal who participated in the fire-fighting effort. The criminals had undergone a harrowing six weeks of hard work and danger, but then returned to Danube City to receive a respite from some of the harsher aspects of their sentences. The past hardships and current absence of pending physical pain changed the criminals' outlooks on their lives. Kim noticed a difference in both the speeches and the music of the Club from the year before. The music, especially, became much more philosophical instead of morose. Kim sat at her usual table, drinking Danubian beer and eating the usual salted deep-fried vegetables with her friends. It had been exactly one year since Criminal # 98945 started coming to the Socrates Club. Her friends commented on the anniversary and on how different she was now from whom she had been when she first came in. Kim ordered another round of beer and then stood up at her table. She put her hand on Sergekt's shoulder and smiled at him. Then, in Danubian, she addressed her group: "A year…it's really hard to believe it's been a year since I've known all of you. In some ways it seems like it's been a lot longer, and in other ways it seems like the last year went by in a flash. But…your friendship…it means more to me than I could ever express, even in my own language." With that she raised her glass. "Here's to this time next year, to our freedom, and our continued friendship!" Everyone at the table enthusiastically raised their glasses. Later that night Kim and Sergekt went to an intimacy room for the first time in nearly two months. She was desperate for some good sex. Once they had the door closed it was Kim who took charge. She pushed Sergekt on the bed and grabbed his hands to pin him to the mattress. For a very long time she held him down as she passionately kissed him. She could feel him getting hard, so she began licking around the base of his penis and kissing the tip. As he got even harder he arched his back and ran his fingers through her hair. She got up and straddled him, grabbing his hands and pushing them back down on the mattress. Kim's gritted her teeth in an intense passion as she lowered herself on him. She guided his hands to her breasts. He massaged her nipples as she came, and then came again. Two months! There was two months of sexual frustration pent up in Kim. The couple waited for a while, and then resumed their love-making, this time in Sergekt's favorite position, with Kim on her elbows and knees, and her bottom spread and high in the air. Kim seductively moved her bottom back and forth, as Sergekt remembered his girlfriend on her bicycle from last fall. That's right, he thought to himself, I'll owe her a nice hard spanking if I ever catch her on that fancy American bicycle she's got. As he pushed hard into her and she groaned with pleasure, Kim didn't realize her boyfriend’s thoughts were on spanking her cute brown bottom. Kim briefly fell asleep on her stomach, as Sergekt gently ran his hand over her bottom cheeks and his fingertips ventured into the darker area in between. As he studied his lover’s bottom and lay recovering from his exertions, Sergekt pondered the problem of how he could catch her while bicycle riding in a place private enough where he could put her over his lap. The only solution would be to somehow find a shortcut where he could secretly pass her and then surprise her by catching her from the other end. Yes, he thought, there is one such spot on the way to my mother's garden plot, a utility path that bypasses the main bicycle trail. Sergekt gently patted Kim's bottom, thinking about the attention that it was destined to receive the next time they went bicycle riding. ---------- Malka Chorno entered the Socrates Club for the first time at the end of August. She quietly asked the doorman whether or not she should wear her policewoman's belt, given the club's rule about clothing of any kind was very strict. No, was the answer; that comes off. Here you are a criminal, just like the rest of us. We're not worried about who you were before you were sentenced. At the beginning Malka sat alone, given that she had no friends in the club. She watched several groups perform, and then Kim and Eloisa perform together on stage with three of Eloisa's musicians. As she watched Kim perform, Malka had a chance to reflect on her misplaced loathing of the American. She felt bad about how she had treated Kim, but couldn't see how that damage could be repaired. Malka was extremely lonely. Because everyone in her former life had turned their backs on her, Malka had been completely by herself since she had been sentenced. She felt she deserved what was happening to her, but the pain of the betrayals by her former friends weighed on Malka tremendously. Malka's isolation ended before Kim's singing was over. One of Sergekt's classmates, Tuko, noticed the ex-cop as she quietly sat by herself. Tuko had a girlfriend prior to the riot at his school, but her parents prohibited her from seeing him after he was sentenced. Tuko had not been able to find anyone else to go out with, and had given up hope of having a normal relationship until his sentence ended. That was too bad, because of all the members of the group, Tuko and Sergekt were the most adventurous when it came to reaching out in their personal relationships. The disgraced ex-cop presented Tuko with an opportunity and a challenge. He found her fascinating and wondered how approachable she would be. She was 7 years older than the members of Sergekt's group, but Tuko didn't care about that. She was pretty and tough looking, as well as somewhat mature, precisely the kind of woman Tuko secretly fantasized about having in his life. Well, here was his chance. Finally he walked over to Malka's table and asked her to dance. Tuko's relationship with Malka took off very quickly. Malka accepted the first dance out of sheer boredom and loneliness. At the beginning she had real reservations dancing with a criminal almost a decade younger than her. However, Malka knew that the old rules and protocol in her life no longer had any relevance. She now was a criminal herself, and if this guy was still in his teens, so what? While Sergekt and his classmates watched in dumbfounded silence, Tuko bought some beer and fried vegetables for himself and Malka and sat with her. It was weird to see her smile and converse. Kim and Eloisa could tell that both Tuko and Malka were sexually aroused, something that became very evident the next time Tuko invited her to dance. Shortly afterwards the Socrates Club's newest couple headed towards the stairwell door and disappeared to go to an intimacy room. Sergekt and Dima looked at each other, a bit shocked at Tuko's departure from their table and its result. "Well, that was fast." The group now was faced with a dilemma. It was customary that any member who started dating someone from outside the group would bring his or her partner to the table, and the person would become a de facto member of the group. That was what happened the year before to Kim when she started dating Sergekt. Malka, however, was much more of an outsider to the group than Kim ever could have been. Kim, although a foreigner, an English speaker, a drug user, and Asian, at least was the same age as Sergekt and his classmates, and like them, a recent high school graduate. More importantly, she never had been a police officer. Kim had no past associated with her, nothing to make anyone hate her before meeting her. An ex-police officer was different, especially one with Malka's background. The beatings Kim's friends had endured left them traumatized and afraid of anyone in a blue uniform. Until two months ago Malka Chorno had been among the cruelest of the police officers, one of the worst tormentors of criminals. Now she was a criminal herself, precisely because she had stepped over the line in her mistreatment of Criminal # 98945. How could she sit with the group? And yet…the group's subculture and their friendship with Tuko demanded that any partner of his would become one of them. Fortunately that night the group was not confronted with the issue, because Tuko and Malka never re-emerged from the intimacy room. The group discussed how to handle the situation with Malka, should she continue to go out with Tuko and he end up bringing her to the table. Finally Sergekt stated: "Look. Officer Chorno is really Kim's problem. I think it is up to Kim to decide how we should treat her. As far as I'm concerned, whatever she says is what we'll do, and there'll be no further discussion. It's Kim's choice." Kim was not pleased that Sergekt was dumping the problem in her lap, because she felt she really had no choice. She felt morally obligated to come to terms with her former nemesis, but she really did not want to do so by mixing Malka with her social life. Nevertheless, Kim's conversation with the old priest at the Temple gave her no alternative other than to forgive Malka for what she had done. Kim knew that Malka had repented and even tried to apologize…sort of… That meant she had to treat Malka like she would treat any other fellow criminal. "I…suppose…that we're all criminals, and now Malka is one of us. She's not a police officer anymore…or at least not until she gets her badge back. You're asking me what I want, but that's the wrong question, because what I want doesn't matter. You see…I don't have any choice. That priest obligated me to forgive Malka, and I'm going to have to, as hard as it is, I'm going to have to. So…when Tuko brings her, I'll just deal with it." Eloisa gave the guys an angry look, and interjected "It's not fair to put this decision on Kim." "Life's not fair, Eloisa. I think you know that better than any of us at this table. It's not fair, but I have to forgive Malka. So, when the moment comes, she'll join us. That's my decision." Tuko spent the next two Saturday nights sitting alone with Malka, as both of them worked up the courage to re-join his group. Finally, on the fourth Saturday Tuko and Malka were together, Kim decided to approach them and resolve the issue herself. "You might as well join us at our table. You two look ridiculous sitting here by yourselves, so come sit with us." Malka gave Kim a sad, but gratified look. The invitation meant an end to her isolation. She sat quietly and was extremely reserved around the others, but now she had her place at the Socrates Club. Even when she was not with Tuko, his friends would expect Malka to join them at their table. It was the beginning of Malka's transformation, the simple act of sitting at the same table with a group of fellow-criminals. ---------- Sergekt's life changed radically at the beginning of September. He decided to reduce his hours at his restaurant and enter Danube City University to study hydrology. He knew right away what he wanted to do with his degree. He would seek to improve Upper Danubia's irrigation and public water supply systems, to assure that severe droughts never again could lead to a national disaster like the one the country recently had endured. Sergekt had to seek permission from the sentencing judge to enter the university. Kim and Eloisa attended the hearing, as did Sergekt's mother and aunt. Sergekt knelt with his head on the floor while his Spokesman presented the formal petition. The judge then ordered Sergekt to kneel upright and explain his plans. Sergekt quickly summarized the experiences he had endured over the summer. He started by describing the collective humiliation of the young men clustered around the pumps as they watched their efforts to save their parents' gardens end in failure. Right after that came the mobilization to save part of the nation's commercial crops, and finally the horrific week fighting forest fires. He saw all that had happened to Upper Danubia that year as unnecessary. "What distressed me, your honor, was that the water to meet our needs was there, deep underground, but we had no way of getting to it. The technology to get that water also exists in the world, but in other countries and thus is useless to the Duchy. Now I know what I want to do, and what path the Ancients have chosen for me. I will try to become educated to help solve our nation's water problems." The hearing was really a formality, since there was no doubt what Sergekt wanted was perfectly reasonable and useful to the country. He would have to attend his first year of classes naked, of course, but there was nothing unusual about that. Plenty of convicted criminals studied at the university, and there were even a couple of criminals with lengthy sentences working as professors. Kim noticed Sergekt's confidence in himself rose as the semester progressed. He became concerned about his future and looked upon his present as a temporary phase in his life. Just a few months before Sergekt had confided to Kim that he felt he would never be able to see himself as anything other than a criminal. Now, with the beginnings of his career as a hydrologist crowding out other concerns in his life, Sergekt's entire focus had changed. He had found his purpose. ---------- Cynthia Lee decided to visit her sister for the second time in the middle of September. Originally she had wanted to visit in August, but had to delay her trip because of Kim's fire-fighting duties. She re-scheduled once it was obvious the fire danger had passed and there was no further chance Kim might be mobilized to fight forest fires. As before, it was Spokesman Vladim Dukov who had to pick Cindy up from the airport, given its location outside the Danube City collar zone. However, the whole tone of Cindy's trip would be different this time, because the only reason she was visiting was to see how Kim was doing and spend some time with her. Kim requested a week off from both her jobs, which freed her during the days to spend time with her sister. Because Cindy arrived before the equinox, Kim did not have her winter cape yet. She was naked when she greeted her sister at Dukov's office, and would stay naked the entire time Cindy was with her. This time Cindy managed to get over the shock of her sister's constant nudity rather quickly. One thing that helped was seeing how accustomed Kim was to living naked, to the point she no longer even noticed. Her younger sister was perfectly comfortable with her body, which made Cindy question, for the first time, the values of a society that required people to be dressed at all times, whether it was practical or not. Danube City was at its best during the late summer and early fall, so Kim had the opportunity to show Cindy around and familiarize her with the many monuments and historical sites the area had to offer. She took her guest to the Temple of the Ancients and King Vladik's Castle and explained the historical significance of both locations. Cindy marveled at Danube City's beauty: its fancy old buildings, endless parks, and quiet streets. Cindy thought to herself, this place has some real tourist potential, if these people could ever figure out how to market themselves. Kim spent hours talking to Cindy about her life and what had happened to her since last Spring. She told Cindy the story of her final switching and its results, and tried to make her understand the underlying values and line of reasoning that determined how the whole affair was handled after the offending officer was arrested and sentenced. Kim eventually moved to the topic of the entire Danubian judicial system and its emphasis on corporal punishment instead of incarceration. She shocked Cindy with the following statement: "It's actually a pretty good system, even if it has its problems. I mean…people really do have the chance to turn their lives around, and we criminals have a chance to do something useful and get ready for our futures. Yes, I got my butt whipped three times, and it hurt worse than I think you could imagine, but I'd take that over a jail cell anytime." Kim's conversation with Cindy moved on to Dukov's stalled judicial reform pending in Parliament and what he hoped to achieve and change by trying to re- write the 1780 punishment code. The legislation had not gone anywhere over the summer because of the constant emergencies afflicting Upper Danubia. Kim suspected the legislation would eventually be forgotten, which was a real pity. Cindy disagreed. "Kim, I don't think either you or Spokesman Dukov understand what an opportunity you have. You say there's a lot of good will towards criminals because of the fire fighting. Use it. Have all those people you helped call the Parliament and pressure the…deputies? Is that what they're called?" Kim nodded. "Alright, deputies. Have people call up the deputies and tell them this is how they can thank you for putting your butts on the line in that forest fire. Pass that reform." Kim thought about her sister's idea. Cindy pressed her point. "Look, I've been taking some political science classes in college, so I have some ideas. What Spokesman Dukov needs to do is have his supporters lobby the Parliament. Have them call the deputies. Have the firemen you helped call the deputies. Then have them hold demonstrations in Rika Chorna Province and here in the capitol. Make sure you get the press involved. You do all that, and you'll get that reform passed." "I don't think they do things that way around here." "Probably not. That's why, the first time there is a real public relations campaign to make some changes it'll be such a shock that it'll shake things up. I'd bet, maybe once the public gets used to nagging the Parliament over things they want, things in this country might change and the system won't be so stuffy." "Well, you ought to talk to Spokesman Dukov about it…see what he thinks." That night Cindy had dinner at Dukov's house. She discussed her ideas at length with Kim's Spokesman, who listened with interest. "You suggest what you call a 'public relations campaign'. You will understand public pressure is not the normal manner of conducting political policy in our country, but I presume in this case, such a concept might indeed prove successful. You are correct about public sentiment. At no time in our country's history have people had such a favorable opinion of criminals." During the weeks following Cindy's departure, that conversation would put new life into Vladim Dukov's ambitions to reform Upper Danubia's corporal punishment system. Whenever he had any spare time, Dukov was on the phone, talking to anyone who had been helped over the summer by Danube City's criminals. He called the religious leaders of Rika Chorna Province and obtained their full backing for the reform. On Sundays, in churches throughout the province, priests exhorted their followers to contact Parliament and pressure deputies to pass Dukov's reforms. The nation's fire chiefs told their firemen to support the reform, as did the Danubian Forest Service and the Directorate of the Rika Chorna Reservoir. Within just a couple of weeks, Dukov found himself on national television giving a joint press conference with the governor of Rika Chorna Province and the Chief of the National Fire Department. Together the three officials exhorted the need for a judicial system that would protect criminals by standardizing corporal punishments and enforcing limits on how a police officer could treat a criminal during a court-ordered switching. They had the backing of a large segment of the population, while the opponents of the reforms had to stay quiet or face the wrath of the people of Rika Chorna Province. ---------- Cindy was on-hand to watch Upper Danubia's bizarre "Day of the Dead" ritual during her week in Upper Danubia. She and Anyia followed Kim and her friends to the plaza in front of the Temple of the Ancients the afternoon before the march. Kim's sister and the teenager stood among the spectators as Kim and 2,600 other criminals had their bodies painted and received torches. As the sun set there was the usual mournful singing, the ancient hymns begging the Saints/Ancients to get Upper Danubia through the coming dark days of winter. There was the usual sermon admonishing the country for not having given proper respect to the past, and the usual prayer hoping the dead might have a chance to return to life and ward off evil through the living bodies of the marchers. Once the marchers began filing towards the river, Cindy followed Anyia back to Dukov's house on Kim's bicycle. Upon her arrival at his home, Vladim gave Kim's sister a black robe and a long black shirt to put on underneath. Once she was changed Cindy then followed the Dukovs and Vladik’s future in-laws to a small local church for a service, then out to the dark road where the marchers would be passing by. She knelt with the Dukovs, noting that her host and his son seemed lost in their prayers. The whole affair still had a veneer of Christianity, but Cindy could see how quickly Upper Danubia was returning to its Pagan roots. Upper Danubia was supposed to be a Christian country and still was very religious, but not in a way that would be acceptable to most Western churches. After the marchers passed, Cindy accompanied the Dukovs to the Plaza of the Ancients for the religious ceremonies to be held during the day while the marchers were resting. To Cindy the Day of the Dead was strange beyond belief; leaving her with the feeling she somehow had jumped out of the 21st Century and gone back several millennia in time. As she stood in a sea of painted bodies waiting to move out, Criminal # 98945 felt very agitated, almost scared. Her dark eyes shifted back and forth nervously and her heart raced as she wondered why on earth she couldn't calm down. Once she started moving along the river, the uneasy feeling Kim briefly experienced towards the end of her march last year came back early, and came back full force. As much as she tried to concentrate on simply moving forward, images flashed through her mind. She saw Susan lying dead in the morgue in Prague, as clearly as if she had been there herself. She could see Tiffany in an alley, brutally being beaten in a drug deal gone bad. She could see Malka Chorno's younger sister, dumped in an unmarked grave on the outskirts of some Middle Eastern city. She saw the images of villagers in Rika Chorna province, dying in the forest fires as they tried to save their livestock. The visions became stranger and stranger, as Kim's imagination moved into the past and into the future. She saw Vladim Dukov, slightly older than he was now, speaking from the steps of the Parliament building to thousands of chanting supporters. However, the strangest image running through Kim's mind was seeing Tiffany on trial in the Central Courthouse, in the prisoner's stance and tears running down her face. Was that the future? Was the image something that should have happened but didn't? The images vanished from Kim's mind in a flash, leaving her with the shock of seeing the pre-dawn light and the other line of marchers approaching from the opposite direction. The entire night had passed without Kim realizing it. The marchers moved into the campground, ate, and settled down on army cots. Kim lay down next to Sergekt but she couldn't get to sleep. Finally she walked out to the edge of the tents and saw a lone painted figure among the trees, contemplating the quiet countryside. It was Malka Chorno. Kim walked up to the woman and stood next to her, trying hard to control her feelings of uneasiness and discomfort. For a long time neither criminal said anything, but both realized they would not be able to leave without talking. Anyhow, Kim had something she needed to tell Malka. "Malka, I…saw some things last night, during the march. Weird stuff, most of it not very pleasant." "That's why they have us do this, Kimberly Lee. They send us out to let the dead see the world though us." "So…do you believe in this whole thing, the march and all this about the spirits?" "I don't know what to believe, Kimberly Lee. I don't. If you would have asked me three months ago, I could have told you very clearly what I thought about things, about life. Not now. I don't even know who I am, so how can I answer that question, 'what do I believe?'" For a long time they stood silent, as Kim worked up her courage to tell her companion about what she saw during the march. She knew she had to tell Malka; she wouldn't have had that vision and then run into her if it were not absolutely necessary to share that image with her former nemesis. Finally Kim spoke. "I…saw…I…Malka, do you know whatever happened to your sister?" "My sister? How do you know about my sister, Kimberly Lee?" "Vladik Dukov told me about you a couple of days before you punished me in July. I asked him, because I wanted to understand…why you hated me so much. So he told me about the white slavery ring, and showed me some newspaper articles. According to the articles your sister got sent out of Upper Danubia and your government never found her." "Yes, it is true that we weren't able to find my sister. We found four others and got them home, but we couldn't find her. I imagine that's because she didn't survive." "She didn't. Last night, when I was walking, I saw a whole bunch of stuff. Among all that I saw what they did to her…your sister, that is. There was this grave, real shallow, out in the desert, near a dirt road and some sheds. That's where she ended up. That's what I saw." Malka sadly nodded. There was no arguing with the Maragana Girl. She and Kim would not have ended up standing together had the American's destiny not been to relay the dreadful information. "At least I know the truth, Kimberly Lee. Now the question is settled in my own mind, and now I owe you yet another debt in life." "You don't owe me anything. Nothing. Just…when you get your badge back…" Malka shook her head. "I'm not sure I want my badge back, Kimberly Lee. Maybe…maybe I want to become someone else, do something else. Leave the police work to another person. I don't know what I want right now." Kim sadly patted Malka on the shoulder. She then left the former cop standing alone as she re-entered the tent area to find Sergekt. She looked back to see Malka's white painted figure curled up in a kneeling position on the ground. The ex-police officer was sobbing quietly and pulling at her hair. Kim was not sure whether she had done the right thing by sharing her vision with Malka. However, as in all other aspects of her personal relationship with her former nemesis, Kim really felt she had no choice. She felt driven by forces she could not even begin to understand. ---------- The march ended the following morning in the exact same way it ended the year before, with the dead silence suddenly shattered by hundreds of church bells and thousands of singing voices as the criminals marched down Danube City's main street towards the Plaza of the Ancients. The marchers heaved their torches into a huge bonfire and made their way into the Danube River to rinse off death and return to the world of the living. Later in the day, after the criminals were properly cleaned up, they lined up in front of the Central Police Station to receive their winter boots and capes. The mood in the plaza contrasted with the cheerfulness during the spring, when the criminals were turning in their capes. For one thing, no criminal looked forward to the onset of winter. For another, the Day of the Dead was a time in which every Danubian, and especially every criminal, was called upon to contemplate the meaning of life and its brevity. Many of the criminals had experienced visions during their march that left them spiritually shaken. Kim said goodbye to her friends and found her sister, who was waiting with Anyia on the outskirts of the plaza. Kim and Cindy chatted in English, while Anyia flirted with a young criminal who looked like he was still in high school. Kim ignored what was going on with Dukov's teenager, since she and the girl had an unspoken understanding that neither would tell Vladim about anything the other was doing. Kim instead concentrated on telling Cindy about her strange experiences during the first night of the march and her conversation with Malka Chorno. Her thoughts went back to Tiffany and the image of her former friend lying horribly beaten in a dirty alley, somewhere in the US. Later that afternoon Kim got cleaned up to go to the Socrates Club with her friends. She felt bad about leaving Cindy alone with the Dukovs, but the night after the Day of the Dead celebration was an important night for criminals to get together. Cindy shocked Kim with her reaction. "Kim, I got a question. Could I see this famous Socrates Club of yours? You've shown me everything else in your life, but I'd like to see that club." "You can't." "Why not? Didn't you tell me that former criminals could go as well? And also boyfriends and girlfriends? If not everyone there is a criminal, why can't I go?" "Well, you could go, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to. They don't allow clothes in there. They're very strict about that rule, because they want everyone to be equal as a criminal." "And if I don't wear my clothes, I can go?" "Uh...well...yeah, but I can't picture that you..." Cindy paused nervously. She swallowed and continued: "I want to see it, Kim. I want to see what you do with your friends. I want to see that part of your life. I'm willing to take off my clothes if they'll let me in." "Well, uh, OK...if you think you can handle it, you can come with us. I'd be glad to have you. I'll get you a visitor's pass to get you through the door and a bag to put your stuff in." That night Cindy Lee accompanied her sister, Sergekt, Eloisa, and about 10 other naked criminals to the door of the Socrates Club. Cindy was the only person in the group wearing any clothing, which made her feel very uneasy while she was still on the street. As they entered the Club's reception area Kim handed Cindy a cloth bag. Cindy took a deep breath, sighed nervously, and started stripping. Within a minute she was completely naked, except for her jewelry. Kim pointed out the jewelry had to come off as well, since jewels were an indicator of social status and as prohibited as clothing. Once everything was off Cindy's body and in the cloth bag, Kim signed a claim ticket and handed the bag to the club's doorman. With that, Kim’s sister, now as naked as her companions, entered the main area of the club and sat at the group's usual table. At first Cindy was horribly uneasy, being naked in public for the first time in her life. She was dumbstruck at the sight of hundreds of other naked bodies, male and female, mostly young but a few middle-aged patrons as well. However, within a few minutes the visitor got used to her strange situation. In the end she felt more comfortable without her clothing than she would have had she kept her clothes on. There was not a single dressed person in a room full of about 350 patrons and staff. Cindy's body drew some attention because of her tan-lines from wearing a swimsuit in the US, but she was well received by Danubian criminals eager to meet her and try out their English. Sergekt helped break the ice by asking Cindy to dance. Once they saw Kim's sister on the dance floor with one of their companions, other male criminals eagerly sought her out for dances and conversation. By the end of the evening Cindy was fully accepted as a client of the Club, in spite of her strange tan-marks and lack of a collar. It was obvious several patrons were attracted to Kimberly Lee’s sister, something that deeply flattered her. Cindy went home two days after her debut at the Socrates Club. As Kim stood at the final trolley stop within the Danube City collar-zone to say goodbye, Cindy promised: "I'll be back at the end of next June. I want to watch that ceremony when you get your collar off." "What about Mom and Dad? Do you think you can get them to come?" "I don't know. But I'll be here, whether they come or not." Cindy Lee had deeply enjoyed herself on this trip, especially towards the end. Kim could tell that her sister's second trip to Upper Danubia had changed her outlook considerably and broadened her vision of what was possible in life. She hugged Cindy goodbye and watched her depart with Vladim Dukov on the next trolley headed to the airport. ---------- The weekend after Cindy's departure Sergekt hatched his plot to catch Kim on her bicycle and give her a sound spanking. The day was perfect for such an outing, still plenty warm for a late September afternoon. The two criminals rode the bike- lane that paralleled the Danube River, and then turned inland to go to his mother's garden. Sergekt suggested a new route, which Kim readily agreed to explore. Kim was in a very naughty mood. She shamelessly teased her boyfriend by lifting up in her bicycle seat and stretching her bottom seductively as she pedaled her fancy mountain bike. She then raced ahead, leaving him gasping for breath as he tried to catch up on his more primitive Danubian model. When Kim noticed that Sergekt seemed not to be trying so hard to catch her, she teased him all that much more. As he came close to catching up, she darted ahead; passing a small dirt side trail that did not catch her attention. Kim rode so fast that she didn't notice Sergekt no longer was behind her. She sped around a long curve that overlooked a forest-park, and finally noticed he was not in sight. Kim shrugged her shoulders, thinking she must have really outpaced him this time, and casually rode down the trail at a leisurely pace. She rounded another corner that was obscured by trees. Her heart stopped when she saw Sergekt standing in the middle of the trail, his arms crossed and his bicycle blocking the path. So...he had out-witted her. Now she was caught, and would have to pay with a sore bottom. Kim's heart raced and she was wet between her legs. She was totally aroused; thrilled that he had been able to catch her after-all. He would punish her bratty behavior with a long, slow, sensuous spanking. Then, once Kim's emotions were fully aroused, the best part would come, the release through passionate lovemaking. Sergekt grabbed Kim's hand, lovingly but firmly. She had been teasing him every time they had gone bicycle riding, making fun of his inferior bike. Now she was outwitted and caught. He kissed her, but then patted her bottom with a warning tap, letting her know what was coming. Kim nodded. "You got me. I guess my bottom is going to pay for my impudence?" "That's right Kim. Park your fancy bike next to mine near that tree." Kim complied, moving her bike off the path. Sergekt then took her hand and led her a few meters away from the main path up the shortcut. There was a park bench hidden in the bushes. Sergekt sat down and pulled Kim over his lap. For a long time she lay quietly as he gently caressed the flawless brown skin of her small shapely bottom. Sergekt lovingly patted Kim's bottom cheeks, but with a firm warning to comply with his next instruction. "Spread you legs a little and lift your bottom up." Kim obeyed, feeling the cool autumn breeze caress her exposed bottom-hole and vagina. The combined physical sensations and the tension of the impending spanking drove Kim wild with anticipation. "Kim, you're 20 in a couple of weeks. That means a birthday spanking. But since you were so naughty to me on your bicycle, that will be a complete birthday spanking on each side of your bottom, plus another for your whole bottom. How many birthday spankings is that?" "Three. Three good hard spankings on my poor bottom! I guess I really have been naughty, to deserve three whole birthday spankings!" "That's right. Maybe you'll think twice about waving your cute behind at me when you're speeding on that fancy bicycle of yours." "Hmm. Maybe, but I doubt it." With that Kim wiggled her bottom slightly. Sergekt rested his hand on his partner’s right bottom-cheek. He lifted his hand up and delivered a slap, one that wasn't all that hard. The feeling was just right. He slapped again on the other side. Slowly he spanked, alternating between Kim's bottom cheeks and gradually increasing the severity of the swats. Kim's bottom was only slightly reddened at the end of her first birthday spanking. She felt a warm comfortable sting coming from her rear-end, and an extreme arousal radiating from between her legs. Sergekt knew her, and knew what she needed. The spanking would move from playful to sensuous to severe. Sergekt had allowed himself 60 slaps to build up Kim's arousal, although if he felt she needed more, he was ready to sentence her to yet another birthday spanking. SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… The spanking grew louder and louder as Sergekt picked up the force of his slaps in the second part of Kim's punishment. She gasped and moaned, as the increasing heat in her bottom transformed itself into increasing arousal. Kim was so excited that Sergekt could smell her, even in the open area with the breeze blowing around them. She bit her lip as tears and sweat ran down her face. Kim released control of her body to Sergekt. As he slapped harder and harder, he carefully gauged the effect his swats were having on his girlfriend. He took her to a level of pleasure she never before had experienced, through the sharp physical sensation of her punished bottom. Kim trusted him fully and surrendered completely. Kim was so aroused she was almost tormented, but she wanted to feel that torment, that wild mix of moderate pain and extreme pleasure. At the end of the 40th slap Sergekt gently massaged Kim's swelling bottom, which by now was quite red. Kim groaned with pleasure, as she felt Sergekt's hand rubbing her bottom through the sting of her spanked skin. He slipped his hand between her legs, but tease and torment her, not to give her any relief. Kim would have to wait until the 60th swat before she could expect any release of her sexual tension. Sergekt rested his hand on Kim's bottom for a few seconds. "Happy Birthday, Kim." SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… SLAP!… Sergekt struck quite hard for the final part of Kim's spanking. There was much more of an element of punishment in the final set of slaps than there had been during the first two sets. By now Kim was experiencing some serious pain, but psychologically she was ready, and pain was what she wanted. As the tears flowed down her face, Kim felt the emotional release she so desperately needed. However, as Sergekt came to the end of the third set, he delivered the final several swats more gently, allowing Kim to wind down a bit before the spanking actually ended. He began rubbing and massaging Kim more and more, and finally slipped his hand between her legs again. Kim closed her eyes and concentrated on the intense sensations coming from her bottom and her clitoris. Somehow the pain from her bottom and the gentle teasing of Sergekt's fingertips on the most intimate part of her body went together, along with the gentle rustling of the leaves in the forest and the cool breeze blowing against her body, to give Kim a sensation of sexual and physical bliss. Sergekt kissed Kim's bottom. He leaned over and kissed her shoulders. Finally he motioned her to get up. He took her hand and guided her behind the bench. He had Kim bend over the back of the bench, placing her hands on the seat. Kim spread her legs and arched her back, completely exposing herself to her lover; putting her red bottom and wet vagina on full display. Kim wanted to surrender herself completely, to let Sergekt do what he wanted with her body. She wanted him to take her. Sergekt entered Kim. He thrust hard, grabbing her breasts with his hands. He squeezed her nipples hard between his fingers as he massaged Kim's chest. Kim groaned and thrust her head back, as she pressed her bottom backward to get him even further inside her. He thrust hard, with force. The thrusts bordered on painful, but they were enough to give Kim deep satisfaction as her lover pressed into her. Kim climaxed and almost blacked out, it felt so good. Sweat poured down Sergekt's body as he pushed into Kim's body over and over. He held back with his orgasm as long as he could, wanting to relish the feel of Kim's body and the sight of her sweaty back and reddened bottom. Finally he was forced to release into her, as she groaned and climaxed yet again. Sergekt pulled out of Kim, but she was so exhausted she remained bent over the back of the bench. He fought to regain his breath as he admired his lover's body. Finally he drew her to him and sat with her on the bench. She cuddled in his arms, although she moved a bit from the discomfort of sitting on her still sore bottom. Sergekt felt deeply satisfied with life at that moment as he looked down at his lover. Kim's heart belonged to him. She was his, the woman with whom he would share his life. He was totally satisfied with her. Kim was a partner with whom he could play and share his sexual fantasies. Kim looked up at Sergekt with a very naughty expression. "I'm still going to tease you on my bike, and don't think you're going to catch me here again. So I think my bottom will be pretty safe for a while." "We'll see. Of course when I do finally catch you again you'll get a nice rough spanking. We'll have all afternoon." "Well, you have to catch me first, and I don't see how that's going to happen." Sergekt patted his lover's bottom. "That sounds like a challenge to me, and I always am up for a good challenge. Your bottom will pay for your impudence, Kim." Kim pinched Sergekt's chest hard and smiled mischievously. "I still have the faster bike, so don't get your hopes up." Of course, they both knew that someday Sergekt would figure out how to catch Kim again. Once he did, she would end up with another sore bottom. Kim wanted that more than anything, but she had no intention of making it easy for Sergekt. After all, she was quite a brat.