Out in the car, Helena was still a little nervous about what was going to happen. “He seems like a nice guy,” she commented.

“He is a nice guy,” Acacia smiled. “Almost too nice for the job he has. He’s very stressed today, and I don’t blame him a bit.”

“That’s got to be hard,” Helena frowned. “I mean …”

“I know,” Acacia agreed. “I sure as hell couldn’t do it. Look, I know you think it has to be hard for me to do what we do, and in a way, it is. But never forget it’s no less hard for him. But it does take his mind off the real pain he sees all the time.”

“Weird,” Helena nodded.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Acacia smiled. “But it works for us. Look, let’s lock our purses in the trunk, and I’ll let you keep the keys.”

“Me? Why?”

“You’ve got a pocket in your dress, and I don’t,” Acacia said. “Besides, if the discussion we have gets too uncomfortable, you can leave.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Helena said. “You think it’s going to get uncomfortable?”

“Not for me,” she said, “but I don’t know about you.”

A couple minutes later, they pulled into a parking space down near the river, next to Wade’s car. The park was fairly quiet; there were some joggers and bicyclists along the path along the river, but not too many. “One piece of advice,” Acacia said. “Don’t just look. See.”

“My, aren’t we being mysterious?”

“No, not really,” she replied as she got out of the car. “I’ve tried to tell you.”

They locked their purses in the trunk, and Acacia went over to Wade, with Helena following along. “Nice park,” Helena commented. “I don’t think I’ve been here before.”

“We won’t be going far,” Wade said, “but it will be a little more private.”

“My Lord,” Acacia said in a soft, gentle voice, a good deal different from her normal tone, “Did you bring my collar with you, by any chance?”

“But of course, My Lady,” he replied in a voice as gentle. “Do you wish to wear it today?”

“If it would please you, My Lord,” she said solemnly.

“Your wish is my command,” he said, reaching in his car and pulling out the steel-wrapped, jeweled and studded collar that Helena had seen the previous Saturday. As Helena watched the scene incredulously, he handed it to her. Immediately, Acacia sunk to her knees on the concrete, and held her hands out in front of her, holding the collar across her palms in front of him, her neck bent forward. He took the collar from her hands, wrapped it around her neck, brushing her hair out of the way, buckled it closed and snapped a small padlock through the hasp.

“Rise, My Lady,” Helena heard him say, and Acacia immediately got to her feet, somehow managing to rise vertically from her knees while looking as graceful as a queen at her coronation. How could she manage that? It had to have taken some practice! Still watching, only half believing what she saw, she watched as Wade fastened handcuffs around Acacia’s wrists behind her back and snapped the leash through the big ring on the front of the collar.

“My Lady,” Wade said in that gentle voice, but one with a hint of authority, “I do not wish you to speak freely, but I insist upon a response to questions from Ms. Curtis or myself.”

“Yes, My Lord,” Acacia replied obediently. Helena stood there, jaw agape, at the considerable change in demeanor that had come over her roommate in the last few seconds. She seemed totally submissive, subservient to Wade’s words – but, somewhere, she also realized the change that had come over Wade, as well – he was being extremely solicitous of her. She felt for the car keys in her pocket – my God, this was almost too much to believe. Any minute now, a rabbit with a tattersall vest and pocket watch was bound to come running by, yelling, “I’m late, I’m late!” …

“My Lady, please wait for a moment,” he said, letting the leash dangle as he turned to his car, and pulled a half a loaf of bread in a plastic bag from the seat before locking the car. He came back to her, took the leash, and said, “I suspect we may see some swans, My Lady. Would that please you?”

“Yes, My Lord,” she said, her eyes sparkling.

“Fine,” he smiled. “Then let us be off, if Ms. Curtis is prepared.”

My God, this is real! Helena thought. I don’t believe this! “L-l-let’s go,” she stammered.

It was a nice walk along the river. It was still fairly early, but it wouldn’t get exceptionally hot this mid-May day, so it was quite pleasant. The river walk was beautiful, and they took their time. Nothing was said; it was so surreal to Helena that she actually pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. It hurt, so she must not have been …

After ten or fifteen minutes, they came on a small flock of swans along the riverbank – a family, two large swans, several smaller ones. “Ms. Curtis, would you care to feed the swans?” Wade asked gently.

“Sure … uh, My Lord,” she said.

“Ms. Curtis,” he said gently, just a note of reproval in his voice. “I am not your lord and master, so you do not need to address me in that manner. Under circumstances such as these, My Lady and I tend to be rather formal, so if you should wish to maintain some formality, you may call me ‘Mr. McCluskey,’ or, if you wish, ‘Sir.’”

“Yes, Mr. McCluskey,” she said instantly. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“There is no need for you to be sorry, Ms. Curtis,” he smiled, handing her the bag. “You had no idea of the formalities involved. I suggest you turn your attention to the swans, as they are turning their attention to you.”

Helena spent several minutes tossing pieces of bread to the big white birds, but her mind was running hard. She suspected she’d just learned several things at once, but had no idea of what they were … or else, that rabbit hole had to be around here somewhere. “That’s it on the bread,” she said finally.

“Greedy things, aren’t they, Ms. Curtis?” Mr. McCluskey smiled.

“I guess they want to get it where they can,” she replied.

“Like everyone,” the now-mysterious man said. “Eating too much bread is not good for them. Overindulgence rarely is good, although some indulgence is rewarding. Therefore, those feeding them must be aware of their limits.”

“Uh, yeah,” Helena said thoughtfully, realizing that Mr. McCluskey wasn’t talking about the swans at all. Even now, she was seeing that his relationship with Acacia was considerably more complex than she could have ever dreamed. What in hell was going on, here?

“Then let us be off,” he said, “Lest they follow us begging for what we cannot provide.”

They walked on up the pathway, and yes, the swans did follow along for a ways, but soon the path bent away from the river for a short distance, and they lost them. In a short distance, they came upon a park bench. “Ms. Curtis, would you care to sit and talk for a moment?” Mr. McCluskey asked. “I am sure that you must have questions.”

“Seventeen million, at least,” Helena said. “I just don’t know where to start.”

“I thought that might be the case,” he said. “Please, be seated.”

She sat down on the bench, and watched as he wrapped the end of the leash a couple of turns around a fence a few feet away across the path, leaving Acacia standing there silently and patiently, then came over to sit down toward the other end of the bench. “Don’t you want her to sit down?” Helena asked.

“That’s an excellent first question,” Mr. McCluskey said. “My response is that it pleases me for her to stand there.”

That was getting to be a little more than she could take. “Acacia,” she spoke up. “Wouldn’t you like to sit down?”

“Not if My Lord does not wish it,” Acacia said in a near-emotionless voice.

“That damn rabbit’s got to be around here somewhere,” Helena said out loud.

“Rabbit?” Mr. McCluskey frowned for a moment, then brightened. “Yes, I could see how you could fear you’ve wandered into Wonderland. No, Ms. Curtis, there may be rabbit holes around this park somewhere, but I’m afraid all they lead to are spaces in the dirt.”

“Are you sure?” she asked. “The both of you seem so, uh, different, than you were at breakfast.”

“I suppose we are,” Mr. McCluskey nodded. “Back at the cars, you saw what has become a ritual for My Lady and myself. The act of putting on her collar means that we both assume responsibilities toward each other that we normally don’t allow. Even now, I find it difficult to talk to you, since my attention is so focused on her. Ms. Curtis, what you have just seen is a demonstration. It does not mean that it is any less real. Perhaps later, I can remove My Lady’s collar, and I can talk of this with less distraction.”

“You two are weird,” Helena said flatly.

“From your viewpoint, you are doubtlessly correct,” Mr. McCluskey grinned. “But you are also doubtlessly wondering how this can be.”

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid I cannot answer that, with My Lady wearing her collar or not,” Mr. McCluskey said. “About all I can tell you is what I said back at the restaurant. It developed over some time, and it pleases us both to live in our fantasies a bit. I’m sorry Ms. Curtis, but that’s probably all the answer there can ever be. But I presume you are still far from understanding.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand a bit of it.”

“Acacia and I have discussed this,” he said. “I say Acacia, because she was not wearing her collar at the time we discussed it. I am aware this troubles you. Tell me, isn’t your biggest fear that you may slide down a slippery slope and land where My Lady now stands?”

That was hitting it right between the eyeballs. “Or worse,” she said.

“A reasonable fear,” he smiled. He turned to Acacia, and raised his voice a little. “My Lady,” he asked. “Five years ago, had you been able to look into the future and see yourself at this instant, would you not have been apprehensive?”

“May I speak casually, My Lord?”

“Certainly, My Lady.”

“My Lord, I would have been scared to death.”

“But,” Helena asked. “Are you really happy with it?”

“I could not be happier,” Acacia said. “When I am collared, pleasing My Lord is my greatest happiness.”

Helena turned back to Mr. McCluskey. “And it makes you happy to have her please you?”

“Of course,” he smiled. “Just as it is my greatest desire to please her. Bear in mind, she is a difficult woman to please. I have to work harder than you might think to earn that level of devotion. Think about it, Helena.”

“But … but …”

“Just let it lie there and simmer,” he said. “If there is wisdom there, it will come in time. Now, that much said, would you be interested in a further peek into our relationship? I do not know that it will teach you anything, but it might be worth the experience.”

“Uh, maybe,” she said dubiously.

“All right,” he said. “I’m going to make this as non-threatening as I can.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “Do you know anything about handcuffs, Helena?”

“Not really,” she said.

“These are rather unusual ones,” he said. “They’re actually handcuffs that magicians use for escape tricks. He held up one side of the handcuffs, and closed them around his wrist. “They close, and lock like any other handcuffs. But do you see this lever here?” he asked, pointing at a little tab on each side of the handcuffs. “If you push the tab away from the wrist, the handcuff latches so it can’t be closed tighter and risk injury. Push it the other way, and they open instantly.” He did so, and the handcuffs fell from his wrist; deftly, he snapped his hand downward and caught them. “Would you like to examine them?” he said, holding them out to her.

She would rather have grabbed a snake – but there was something there that made her reach out and take them from him. She played with them for a minute, closing one side on thin air, locking it, and pushing the lever to release them. “You want me to wear these, right?” she asked.

“A tiny step down the slippery slope,” he grinned. “Just to see what it’s like. As you see, if you feel threatened or panicked, you can release them in an instant. I’m just suggesting that you might like to wear them as we walk back up to the cars. I’m not asking for any discipline or change in demeanor, just a chance to wear them for a few minutes and get a taste of what it feels like. All I ask is that if you don’t feel threatened or panicked in that distance, you leave them on, despite how uncomfortable or clumsy you feel. When we get back up to the cars, I’ll take them off, and take off My Lady’s collar, and maybe you will have a little more depth to the questions you ask.”

Holding the handcuffs in her hands, she turned to her roommate, still leashed to the fence. “Acacia, should I do this?” she asked.

“I cannot answer for you,” Acacia said. “I am sure you will come to no harm, but it will have to be a decision you make for yourself.”

Helena sat staring at the shiny chromed handcuffs for a moment that might have gone on for minutes. Was this a step down the slippery slope, as Mr. McCluskey had called it, or was it just a peek over the edge? There was no way to tell … not now, anyway. But she looked over at her friend, and all of a sudden her curiosity was greater than her fear. Before that curiosity could disappear, she said quietly, though in a tone that suggested defiance, “All right. I’ll give it a try.”

In spite of the fact that she knew she could take the handcuffs off – Mr. McCluskey had made her try it out – they felt incredibly strange. It was almost as if a change had come over her, as well. Unlike Acacia, her hands were handcuffed in front of her, but they drew her arms together – well, not uncomfortably, but awkwardly enough to remind her that they were there. But the feelings that were bouncing around in her skull were hard to describe. On one level, she was aware of the fact that they were walking through the park, but she was only mildly aware of it, and it seemed of no importance. Somehow, her focus seemed more trained on the experience, on Mr. McCluskey, on Acacia – and most of all, on herself, wondering why she didn’t feel more uncomfortable about wearing the handcuffs than she did.

They talked only a little, about nothing of importance. Perhaps the most notable part of their discussion was when they came back past the flock of swans, who paddled alongside in the river, begging for more bread. “They’re still seeking more than we have, aren’t they, Ms. Curtis?” Mr. McCluskey commented.

“Yes, they are, sir,” she replied. The words were no more than out of her mouth when she realized that she’d picked up more than a touch of the formality that Acacia and Mr. McCluskey used in speaking to each other. It was something that needed thinking about. Seriously.

It wasn’t a long walk back up to the cars, walking three abreast, with Mr. McCluskey holding on to Acacia’s leash, while Helena stayed so close there might as well have been a leash running to a collar on her neck, as well. She could almost imagine one really being there – and much to her surprise the thought didn’t seem quite as strange. All of a sudden, that slippery slope seemed closer than ever …

When they reached the cars, Mr. McCluskey said in that gentle voice that reached deep inside her, “Ms. Curtis, would you allow me to remove your handcuffs?”

“If you would be so kind, sir,” she replied, holding her hands out to him.

He used the quick release, and they were off in an instant. “Did you encounter any insights?” he smiled.

“Perhaps, sir,” she said, still hanging on to the formality she’d picked up. “Much to think about, in any case, Mr. McCluskey.” And yes, there was.

“I trust you found the experience not uncomfortable?”

“A little awkward,” she replied. “But no, not uncomfortable, sir. After a few minutes, I almost forgot I had them on.”

“Then yes, you have found an insight or two,” he smiled. “Now, Ms. Curtis, a decision for you. I have to go back on shift in a few hours. We can find a quiet place around here to talk, and have lunch at a restaurant later, or we can go to my house, and you and My Lady could make use of the pool if you would like. We could talk a little more freely there, if you desire.”

“Whatever you would prefer, sir,” she said, again surprising herself a little. She wasn’t real sure that she wanted to go to his house with him, even with Acacia along – but there was something about him that reeked of trust.

“I would prefer the pool,” he said, “but not if it would make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s all right, I guess, sir,” she said, wanting to believe it was.

“If you are in the slightest bit uncomfortable, Ms. Curtis, please inform me and we will make other arrangements. Now, do excuse me while I remove My Lady’s collar.” He turned to Acacia, who stood tall, but with head bowed and cocked to one side, saying nothing. “Do you wish to speak, My Lady?” he asked.

“Yes, My Lord,” she said quietly. “Must you remove my collar, My Lord?”

“I believe it would please our guest, and it would please me, My Lady,” he said gently. “Do you have an objection?”

“I’m sorry, My Lord,” she said. “I was only thinking that my wearing my collar might help take your mind off your stresses of last night.”

Mr. McCluskey let out a long sigh. “Miss Curtis,” he smiled. “I believe I told you that my lady can be a difficult lady to satisfy. Would you have any objection if she remains collared for a while yet?”

“No sir, none at all,” Helena said. “Whatever pleases you, sir.” My God, she thought, I’m starting to sound as bad as Acacia!

“I prefer not to let my lady drive when she’s collared,” he said. “I have found that it distracts her. Although I fear it’s rather impolite, will it be any problem for you to drive yourself and follow us?”

“No, Mr. McCluskey, no problem at all.”

“Very well, My Lady,” he said. “We will leave it in place for a while yet.”

Helena got in Acacia’s car alone and followed the two of them out of the park, her mind swirling. God, was this an act? Maybe it was just an elaborate practical joke, one at her expense. Or were they really like that together? She’d have given a lot to have been a bug in the car ahead – or at least, to have had a bug in the car ahead. It had been so easy to fall into that deference, that formality, and wearing the trick handcuffs for a while had only accentuated it. Yes, there was a very slippery slope indeed sitting out there in front of her. She found herself shaking, barely able to drive – not out of fear for what might happen at Mr. McCluskey’s – damn it, Wade’s – house, but out of the fear that she might have within her what it took within her to take a slide down that slope … it was something she could not have believed of Acacia, not even after the sights of last weekend, but the quiet scene this morning was enough to really shake her. There was a strong feeling that she should be wetting her pants, driving hard for their apartment, loading up and heading back to her parent’s house. Maybe there would be a waitress job or something open back in her hometown – but no. How could she explain why she would have done such a thing? And besides, she realized that only a small part of the relationship had been opened to her. Nothing had been said this morning to give the slightest indication, but from earlier in the week, Helena realized that there had to be a hell of a sex charge between the two. No, there were still too many unanswered questions about Acacia and Wade – and about herself.

Ye Gods, was there a demon like that lurking within her? Questions, too many questions. Some she wanted to know the answers to – and some, she hoped she’d never have to find out.

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