Oasis - Chapter 1

[beguiling]

Many years ago, Billy Joel wrote and released a song that has been a favorite of mine from the first time I heard it. "The Stranger" made so many sense to me and, indeed, I could see myself in it. The opening lines "Well we all have a face that we hide away forever; And we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone" Those lines fit me perfectly. There were - and are - so many aspects to me. And so many aspects to my needs and desires. Sometimes I am the naughty girl whose behavior needs to be corrected by her Daddy. Sometimes I am the mischievous imp who will get away with her harmless pranks. Sometimes I am the sad woman who relies on the strength and determination of someone to remind me that it's okay to need him. And sometimes ... sometimes I am that Stranger. Who needs no cosseting or caresses, but needs to be pushed right up to the edge of my limits and given the freedom to fall beyond them. And, those times, I need the Stranger in someone else. This story comes from that part of me. And, remember, as Billy's song said "You may never understand how the stranger is inspired; But he isn't always evil and he is not always wrong. Though you drown in good intentions, you will never quench the fire; You'll give in to your desire when the stranger comes along"
I hope you enjoy.


Oasis
Chapter 1

Oasis was a rather unique club. It didn't actually exist in any specific location. People didn't flock to it, dressed badly, on a weekend night to dance lewdly for hours, and then stumble home with whichever stranger they happened to have the last drink. Nor was it a "gentleman's club," where men would spend hard-earned money for the chance to stare at a naked woman who would dance for them, but never let them touch. And it wasn't a club for people to dress up in leather and latex and whip each other into a frenzy of pain and pleasure. It wasn't these ... and, yet, it was all of these ... and so much more.

Maxwell Holte had toyed with the concept of a club like this for several years before actually starting Oasis. He believed that, for every desire there was one that met from the opposite side. For each man that wanted to spank a woman, there was a woman wanting to be spanked. For each woman wanting to tie up a man, there was a man wanting to be tied. Each desire had its mate. The trick, he thought, was finding that mate. There were online links and sites to connect, but Max sneered at them. Too much effort put into what would become a one-off, and those using it became disillusioned. Let them have the fantasy while they wanted that. When a friend pulled him to a D/s club on a lark, the idea flowered. What was needed was someone to arrange things. A place where each person was free to detail their desires, no matter how embarrassing, and be introduced to someone who would fulfill their dreams.

It wasn’t long before Max realized that he didn’t need – or even want – an brick and mortar location for this. It would actually function best with no firm location. The secrecy would add to the allure of the club and would give Max more control over it. He had started small, very small, with only some friends who were willing to share their darker fantasies with him. But, quickly, word spread and the club grew. Max quickly established a firm set of rules for the club, and was ruthless in their enforcement. He was a bit of a tyrant, true, but Max didn’t always see that as a flaw. Besides, Oasis was his, and it would stay that way. If others objected to his rules, they could choose to meet their needs elsewhere. Considering the member list, Max knew that not too many had that much of a problem with his attitude. Oasis was a club that worked solely on a membership basis. Those who wanted to join -- and had the funds to pay annually for the privilege - would apply. Once they accepted his terms, and he accepted their membership, they could begin submitting requests for their fantasies. Whatever appealed to them, it was Max's job to supply it. Whatever fantasy they wanted to live out – within some limit – Max made happen.

Oh, and he did have his limits, clearly spelled out in the terms of membership. He did nothing with children. Ever. Some of his clients had made those requests over the years. A few were quietly spoken with, and acceptable alternatives were arranged, the original request never to be made again. Others were dealt with in a different manner. Max rested easy with his decisions on them, certain that they would never bother anyone again. He also drew the line at bestiality. In Max’s mind, if something couldn't understand what was being done to and with it, it couldn't consent. And that ruled out anything involving animals. Overall, though, he had had few upsets in his years with Oasis, and many years having fun -- and making a great deal of money.

But it had, indeed, been a long time that his club had existed and been fulfilling dreams, wishes and fantasies. Long enough that Max thought he couldn't be surprised by requests anymore. And yet, as he reviewed the application in his hands, he was a little surprised. Not by the request itself, no. He'd seen things along that line many times before. But the person making the request startled him a bit. More than a bit. He'd gotten accustomed to seeing applications from people he knew in social circles. He'd early on become quite adept at never letting so much as a flicker of what he knew of their private lives slip out, no matter how tempting. But this was different.

She worked for him.

Not for Oasis, but for Max’s other brainchild. Long before he’d had the idea that had become Oasis, Max had built an extremely successful, and publically acceptable, firm. Everyone assumed his wealth came from that firm, and Max never gave any reason to doubt that belief. He'd deliberately, and wisely, kept Oasis separate from his public persona. In fact, any link was so deeply buried, that he doubted that the IRS, FBI AND CIA would find it. There were only a small handful who knew Max was the man at the top, and each of them now worked at Oasis, as well as enjoying membership. There was no public connection between him and them anymore. The funds from Oasis routed through several false companies, and some real ones, and wound up in a numbered account out of the country.

Tori was one of the younger executives within that firm. Max was floored. He'd never have expected this from her. She was exceptionally competent, of course. He demanded nothing less from his senior staff. She headed up her team with quiet confidence, and dealt with any issues without having to run to him each and every time. Which, he thought to himself, was how she'd managed to make it so quickly to her senior position. But Tori was also quiet, and reserved. She laughed and joked, true, but it wasn't anything off-color, not that Max ever heard about, and he heard about everything at his firm. She'd never dressed flashily at work, preferring conservative -- almost ultra-conservative -- business suits. The standard background check had shown nothing outstanding in her file. Nothing that would ever have gotten Max’s attention as much as this had.

He returned his attention to Tori's application, reviewing it more carefully. It's possible that she was new to this, and didn’t realize what she was asking for. He'd designed the applications himself, and knew they were exceptionally in-depth. Max wasn't sure if he felt disappointment or relief when he read further and saw that Tori was quite experienced, having played for many years, and knew what she was requesting. And she had craved the edge and inherent humiliation of this for some time. He read and re-read her application, then nodded. Max would approve the application, and would arrange for Tori to live out her fantasy. One of them, at least. He had a feeling she had more. However, this time, there would be one very small difference.

Something he'd never done.

This time, Max was going to be at a client's fantasy. He was going to watch.


*******


Victoria Grace – Tori to her friends – didn't know how she managed to maintain her calm, professional demeanor at work each day after she'd turned in her application to Oasis. Torn between exhilaration that she was finally going to achieve what had long been a fantasy of hers ... and terror that she, and her darker side, would be exposed was keeping her stomach in a perpetual state of knots. At home, she was a bundle of nervous energy, but by 8 each morning, none of it showed in her expression. She wouldn't allow it. Tori hadn't gotten this far in this company by letting her emotions out at work. And the work was demanding. Which actually helped. But not much.

It didn't help matters for her that she had no real person to speak with, no matter how badly she wanted to call to check on the process. Oasis had no face. Merely a post office box address, a mechanical sounding voice mail system - if you were a member or in the grueling process of applying for membership - and a faceless, toneless female voice that had contacted Tori with questions on her application. Any attempts Tori had made at conversation were met with plain silence. She'd quickly gotten the message and had simply answered all questions succinctly. Tori knew that, on some level, that should have sent her screaming away from the entire idea. Instead, she was more excited, more titillated, and more eager to start.

Dammit. Still no e-mail. No voice mail. No contact. Nothing. Tori forced herself to focus on prepping for her next meeting -- this one with the big boss. Max Holte was an exacting boss, demanding a lot from his employees. But, Tori had to admit, no more than he seemed willing to give himself. She forwarded her phone to voice mail, determinedly ignoring it, and focused on her notes. She'd been given the chance to prove herself, by letting her team head up the research into the company he was potentially buying, and she was NOT going to mess this up.


*****


And she didn't. Tori wanted to dance out of Mr. Holte's office, it had gone so well. This was the first time that Tori was alone with Mr. Holte and his trio of advisors. They looked like hawks, ready to pounce on a poor little mouse. During her presentation, Tori had found herself glancing at them a couple of times nervously, and made herself stop. She could -- and would -- control herself. She was quite good at control. As she made her presentation, thoroughly answering their questions -- no matter how crudely phrased, or harshly presented -- in her usual calm demeanor, she occasionally glanced at Mr. Holte, seeing him nodding at her as he listened. Rather than making her more nervous, that seemed to ease her, and she glided through the information. It didn't hurt that her recommendation agreed with his desires, she knew. But, still, it helped that the boss seemed impressed.

And yet, sometimes, there was this look to his eye. As though he could see into her soul. Into her desires. That thought had her pausing a couple of times, and taking a sip of water to cover a suddenly dry mouth. The thought of Max Holte knowing what she wanted was ... terrifying to Tori. He'd be the type of man to exploit those desires. For his own pleasure.

And that was enough to have Tori shudder. She just didn’t know if her reaction was fear, or pleasure.


*****


Max watched Tori walk out of his office, and didn't realize that his lips quirked up into a half-smile. She looked like she was walking about three inches above the carpet. He couldn't blame her, she'd done exceptionally well in the meeting. His 'cabinet' all agreed on that score, as well. She'd handled them nearly as well as she'd handled the information. Yes, that was a woman destined to go to the top of his company. Max paused, then nodded. Definitely his company. He was not planning to make it easy for Tori to be stolen away by another corporation.

Business settled, he relaxed into his chair, and continued staring at the now-closed door. He still hadn't authorized the final call to Tori, letting her know she was an approved member, and that she would be receiving directions to fulfill her fantasy. He'd wanted to let her stew, to see how she handled it. At first, he'd thought she simply was ignoring the entire situation. But, there was a time or two during the meeting when she would pause. Just tiny, almost unnoticeable pauses, seemingly for no reason. Oh, she covered them up with sips of water, or clearing her throat. But Max saw through the charade. Something was on her mind.

And he knew what it was.

He pulled out a private cell phone, and dialed a number that no one else had. "Make the call to Victoria." He did not use her last name, he didn't need to. That would be the last time he'd even use her first name. She would soon be assigned a nickname by the club. "We'll use the Yorke Avenue building. Gather eight clients, you know the type. Wait, I know who I want." He rattled off eight names. "The first four will be for her specifically. The others will be 'servants'. So that she can experience being overheard by "the help". They will do nicely, I think." Max grinned at that little tweak of her request, and then paused again. "She is not -- I repeat NOT -- to be told she is being watched." He listened for the acknowledgment of his commands, and hung up, heading for the offices down the hall. He wanted to see what she did when she got the call.


*****


Tori chatted with her assistant for a few minutes, going over messages, and then shooed her out to lunch. She wanted to savor the feeling of success. For just a few brief moments, Tori was successfully distracted from the nail-biting anxiety of waiting for a response on her application. Still on a high from the meeting, Tori pulled up some of the numbers her team crunched at the last minute, and was working on them when her cellphone rang. Absently, she answered it, and then froze when she heard that same toneless voice.

"Victoria. Welcome to Oasis."

She went a little numb for a moment, and had to swallow several times. Turning at her desk to look out her window for distraction, she never heard the light tap on her door, nor saw Max come into her office. So, obviously, she never saw the quick, feral smile flash across his face as he watched her go from solid executive to fluttering girl.

"I, ahh. That is. Thank you."

"Quite," returned the emotionless voice. "For what you have requested, there is no problem. As a member of Oasis, your needs will be completely met. And, of course, with full discretion. All of those fulfilling your request are also members. As you will recall from the terms that you've read," the tone of the woman's voice made it clear that it was expected that Tori did read those terms, "that is how we operate."

"Yes, I read them. I understand." Max grinned again, hearing the tremor in Tori's soft voice. Oh, he was looking forward to this.

"Good. Your request will be fulfilled this Saturday evening, beginning promptly at 5:30. Clear your calendar for Sunday and Monday."

"Monday?" Tori asked, incredulously.

"That is what was said." The voice simply stopped talking, forcing Tori to say something.

"I. Yes. I can do that."

"Of course." There was no satisfaction in the tone, and Tori was beginning to wonder if the owner of that voice was even human. "You will arrive at 12587 Yorke Avenue Saturday at 5:30 PM. Wear clothing easily removed without harm, and no underwear at all. Bring no implements, those will be provided. As this fantasy is to be discipline, you may wish to be prepared to give a list of infractions for which punishment has been earned. These may, or may not be real, as you wish." Tori started at that command, but said nothing. When the woman's voice continued, though, Tori needed to sit down, gasping slightly at the unemotional recitation of just what she had requested.

"The building at that address is staffed by Oasis employees. They will see that you are undressed, and prepared in any manner that is required, before you are escorted to meet the group seeing to your punishment. You will follow the instructions of the staff without argument. Any misbehavior will be reported to others, and you will be disciplined for it. When you meet the group overseeing your discipline, you will answer any of their questions quickly and respectfully. Your safeword has been distributed to them, in case you should need it. Do not drive yourself to this location - you will take a cab, and transportation home will be seen to."

Tori sat there, gaping a long moment until she realized that the voice had fallen silent and was, doubtlessly, waiting for a response. "I ... yes, of course. I understand."

"Quite. Those are the instructions for the fulfillment of your request. If you wish to cancel, now is the time to do so."

Again, a long pause. But Tori shook her head. "N-no. I, ahh, I don't want to cancel. I need this, you see. Well, not need. I mean, I've wanted it - "

"Quite," the voice cut across her words again. "You understand and accept responsibility for your part in fulfilling your request. Oasis shall take care of the rest. This is the last time that you will be referred to as Victoria. During any future contact by an Oasis employee, you will be referred to as Rida."

"Rida," Tori repeated the word tentatively. "Why can't I ... I mean, what does that mean?"

Again there was silence for a beat, but this time, there was some mercy. "All members of Oasis are given a codename. A nickname. Some choose their own, some have them chosen for them. Yours is chosen for you. It is, I believe, an Arabic name, though usually given to males. It means "obey"."

Tori swallowed hard and opened her mouth to comment, when she heard the distinctive click of the phone hanging up in her ear, and lowered the phone.

Max had a hard time wiping the wolfish grin from his face as he quickly stepped out of Tori's office while she was still staring aimlessly out of the window. As he left, he heard her soft mutter.

"Oh my god," she muttered softly. "I'm really going to do this."

[tk04]

Good beginning, when will there be more?

[sugardoll]

Why is there not more of this already? Chop, chop!

[beguiling]

Good beginning, when will there be more?

Thanks ;> Life and the characters haven't been cooperating (I added in a few extra spankings to Tori to teach her to be a bit more amenable :> ). But it's flowing now. Chapter 2 is up, and I'm mostly through Chapter 3 ... will have it out soon, promise ;>

Thanks for the comments ... I'm not ashamed to say that I LOVE 'em!! ;>

[beguiling]

Why is there not more of this already? Chop, chop!

Working on it, Ma'am
~~