The House Call
by Jack Lennox* * * * * * *
Beth was running. She was naked, climbing a hill in Golden Gate Park, her bare feet seeming to glide effortlessly above the grass. He was chasing her, paddle in hand, but she was too fast for him. No matter how hard he tried his legs would not move as quickly as he knew they should be capable. If he could catch her, he would show her he loved her. If she got away, he would never see her again. She crested the hill and her red flowing hair disappeared over the summit like a radiant setting sun. When he finally managed to reach the top himself, he looked with desperation on a green valley below. She was nowhere to be seen. He heard a woman's voice, but couldn't tell where it was coming from...
As consciousness slowly returned, Josh Martin realized he was seated in a classroom surrounded by other students. He had dozed off again, the dream's memory already fading. Dr. Janacek was pointing at the plasma screen, about twenty minutes into her lecture. It was the first day of class for the course on human sexuality that the progressive-minded teacher had personally fought so hard to establish four years ago. Josh tried to maintain his focus as she outlined some introductory history--the sexual revolution that began in the sixties, the AIDs epidemic that started over a decade later, cyber-communication and the acceleration of sexual openness and opportunity at the turn of the century, blah, blah, blah. He figured it would be at least another ten minutes before she'd covered bio-scanning, the virtual eradication of sexually transmitted diseases, and government imposed birth control.
While he found the discourse familiar and mundane, the thoughts Josh was having about the professor were anything but. He hadn't felt a real attraction to a woman since Beth left almost a year ago. As Ms. Janacek pointed and elucidated, he admired her shapely body from the rear. Of course, shapely bodies were not uncommon these days. It was when she turned to face the class that his heart skipped a beat.
Twenty-five years ago he had gone to a movie with his mother. Michelle Pfeiffer was starring in "What Lies Beneath", a mostly-forgettable film that was a bit over his head at the time. Josh, just ten, must have been thirty years her junior, but he was mesmerized by the much older woman. His mom had smiled when, on the drive home, he told her he was in love with the actress. In his young mind, where the seeds of a man would soon begin to sprout, she became his model for the paragon of feminine beauty. Life had taught that man that beauty can hold a shallow promise, but as he beheld his teacher he saw a face to match his ideal--sweet as an angel, seductive as a siren.
Josh managed to follow the lecture for several minutes, but eventually began to drift.
* * * * * * *
Ava Janacek was a little perplexed. She wasn't used to students falling asleep in her class. An attractive woman teaching a provocative subject like "Human Sexuality: Domination & Discipline" was generally a combination that held people's attention. It was also a little depressing. The napping student was probably the most gorgeous guy she had ever seen. She had noticed him before class started, talking to another student. He was clean cut with a squarish face that was both rugged and beautiful. His eyes were large and intelligent and as dark as his close-cropped hair. He was tall, tastefully muscular under a tight-fitting shirt, and had large sculptured hands that she had already imagined being applied to her bottom. Ava figured he might be five or ten years younger than she, but he looked plenty mature enough. Her instincts were good, and she had a sense that somehow he was right for her. Introduction complete, on impulse, Ava paused and quickly called up the student profiles document on her private screen before turning back to the class.
"Mr. Martin, can you explain for us the difference between topping and dominating?" She directed her question at the dozing student. A few classmates tittered as Josh twitched to alertness from a shallow drowse.
"Excuse me," Josh responded after finding his bearings. She repeated the question for him.
"Uh...topping is a role assumed by someone in order to administer something to another," he answered after a moment's thought. "True dominating requires some real power that a dominator has over a submissive. One is play, the other is real."
"What do you see as the role of a Top?" she asked, impressed with both his answer and calm recovery from what could have been awkward.
"They're really a service provider," he replied. "A vehicle...a bottom has a place they want to go, usually in order to experience some type of emotion, but they can only get there via a Top. It's not something they can provide for themselves."
"And how would you apply those concepts to, say, the practice of what we refer to today as a 'pro-domme'?" she asked.
"A Top providing sexual entertainment for a price," Josh responded, "although sometimes it's more manipulative and can become domination. People have a strong desire to experience the true force of another, but sexual manipulation is really only a shallow form of power."
Ava found it difficult to fully concentrate on the remaining fifteen minutes of her lecture. When she looked at Josh Martin, she didn't want to be the teacher, but rather the student. She was an accomplished woman who had fought many a battle with the establishment, and won, but as both a trained psychologist and sexologist, she was fully aware of the fact that she was a sexual submissive at her core. When the hour was up, she gave parting instructions to her students, and asked Mr. Martin if he would see her after class.
* * * * * * *
Josh made his way towards the front of the room, against the flow of students heading out the door. Ms. Janacek looked more beautiful with each step he took in her direction. Ava had similar feelings as Josh approached her.
"I'm not used to students falling asleep in my class," she managed without sounding reproachful. "You don't seem very interested in the subject."
"My apologies," he replied. "I haven't been sleeping well...the subject does interest me." He gave her a smile that made her feel a little weak.
"What do you think is the problem?" she asked. Ava had some knowledge about sleep disorders.
"Not sure," he answered.
"Is it breathing? Some kind of apnea? ...not that you'd necessarily be aware of it."
"I don't think so." He was fairly certain of it.
"Physical pain or discomfort?" she inquired.
"No."
"Noisy environment?"
"I live over in student housing," he explained. "The apartments are pretty well insulated."
"Is the problem short term or chronic?" she persisted.
"Off and on for about a year," he replied after thinking it over. "Eventually I get run down enough that I'm forced to catch up. I'll sleep all day sometimes."
"Sounds like maybe it's stress related," Ava surmised. "Have you been scanned lately?"
"Couple weeks ago...everything looked okay."
"Good," she expressed relief. "Then it's probably not an underlying physical disorder. Could it be depression?"
"Well, my girlfriend left me about a year ago," he confided. "I was depressed, but I'm pretty sure I'm over it now."
"Have you been with a woman since then?" she asked, trying to make the question sound clinical.
"No...I haven't," he answered, trying to conceal the fact that he suspected her personal interest.
Ava figured that it probably was stress related and smiled to herself at the thought.
"So," she changed the subject, "you say you are interested in the course. On Thursday, I'll be covering domestic discipline. I hope you'll be able to stay awake for it." Ava smiled demurely and briefly averted her eyes to the floor.
"When I saw that in the course outline, I knew this was the class I wanted to take." Josh recognized her subtle signal. In fact, she'd been giving off plenty of signals. He wasn't born yesterday.
"Are you a top, a dom, a switch? You don't strike me as a sub, but I don't see a specification in your profile." She felt she was really pressing her luck now, but she had to know.
"What makes you think I'm any of those things?" Josh maintained an air of detachment.
"Well," Ava was momentarily taken aback. "You realize that this is not merely about theory? The course was designed as a practical guide." "Yes, I'm aware of that," he responded. "You don't think it's possible that I'm studying methods and applications simply to gain a better academic understanding of the subject?"
He turned and walked toward the door, momentarily turning back to give her a wink.
Ava Janacek was forming a plan in her head and was already feeling guilty about it. She knew it was reckless. She knew it could put her job in jeopardy. She began to speak to her computer anyway.
* * * * * * *
Josh, wide awake, lay on his back in boxers and T-shirt. He was cursed. How could he nod off in a busy classroom, but not be able to fall asleep in his own comfortable bed. His mind was still on Ava Janacek, and he realized that he wasn't thinking about his former girlfriend. Beth was beautiful, intelligent, and warm. She was the most ambitious person he'd ever known, both an attorney and successful business person. Yet, she still always managed to find time for others. Part of him still wished that he was what she needed. After she left, Josh quit his well-paying job in San Francisco's financial district to pursue a new career. With money saved, and a Government loan for adult education, he had enrolled at Cal Berkeley to study drama and literature. A human sexuality class offered needed credits and when he spotted Dr. Janacek's course he couldn't resist. The professor had turned out to be pretty irresistible, as well. He could still smell her perfume, and recalled her hair tucked back behind her ears in braids of spun gold. He was becoming aroused, but decided he wasn't up for doing anything about it.
He had the bright idea that maybe some music would help him fall asleep. He grabbed the remote and scanned the net. Brahms First Piano Concerto caught his eye. He hadn't listened to that one in years. His favorite concerto was the Brahms Second in B-flat -- much too moving for a sedative. His choice turned out to be a bad one. The first movement was full of dramatic angst, its uncharacteristic dissonance fresh and vibrant. The second movement was so serene, so breathtakingly lovely that it brought tears to his eyes. As he lay enveloped by the ingenious and triumphant last movement, all cynicism faded and he embraced the nobility of the human spirit. As he tried to imagine how he could have failed to fully appreciate the piece years ago he heard the door buzzer. It was only around six o'clock, but he figured it was probably Ravi from next door off work early and wanting to grab a bite to eat.
* * * * * * *
She wondered if she had time to run back down the hall in five-inch spike-heel sandals to the stairwell. Wouldn't that look great? The little speech she'd prepared sounded idiotic to her now. Her mind raced. She needed a plausible excuse for being here, one that would explain why she was dressed in a skimpy black top and skirt that advertised her every delicate and voluptuous curve and revealed so much flawless skin. She had never felt like such a bad girl, but rather than providing sober judgment, the feeling quickened her pulse and drove her breathlessly into the unknown.
When Josh opened the door to the apartment in his underwear, Ava wasn't thinking clearly at all. The forty-year-old Harvard graduate with a wall covered in PhDs was like a flustered teenager with a desperate schoolgirl crush. She was able to put together enough of a train of thought to recognize that his tall frame looked incredibly good framed in the doorway, despite the somewhat confused look on his handsome face.
"Dr. Janacek? What are you doing here?" He immediately regretted his pointed question. He certainly wasn't trying to make her feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.
"I thought I might be able to help you get some sleep," Ava blurted. She saw the brief moment of stunned realization on his face and her cheeks literally turned red. In her anxious state, she had simply said what had been on her mind all afternoon. Her fantasies had been filled with the kind of therapy she wanted to provide. Fortunately, he recovered quickly and asked her in, as if she had merely stopped by on legitimate business. He excused himself and went to find his pants.
"Can I get you something to drink, Dr. Janacek?" Josh asked after returning from the bedroom.
"Please, Josh, my name is Ava," she was beginning to recover some of her composure. "A little wine would be nice, thank you."
"I found some Merlot," he came in carrying two glasses. "I hope it's okay. I'm not much of a connoisseur."
"That's fine, thank you." Ava accepted a glass.
They sat across from each other in the dining area, sipping their wine. Ava waited. It was in his hands now and she would let him decide where he wanted to take this.
"How did you find me?" Josh finally asked. "I wouldn't think that information would be readily available."
"It's not in your profile. I had to dig deeper than that."
"Apparently," he continued, "the school isn't too concerned with my privacy."
"No, don't blame the school," Ava was quick to explain. If the school knew about what I was doing, I'd be in serious trouble."
"No doubt," he agreed. "Don't worry, I'm not going to report it."
"Thank you. That really is a very big relief." Ava was also relieved that he didn't seem angry with her. "Of course, depending on what you do want to do about it, I might still be in big trouble." The look she gave him bespoke the excitement she felt at the thought of that possibility. She felt like she was headed down a twisting mountain road without brakes.
To Ava's disheartenment, she saw a look of disapproval wash over Josh's face. He got up and walked to the window. Her heart thudded several times as she watched his back, waiting for him to speak.
"Look, I'm flattered, Ms. Janacek...Ava...but I don't think this is an appropriate way for you to look for attention. I didn't sign up for your class to be this year's teacher's plaything."
Ava felt a flash of anger and hurt. Yes, maybe she'd earned those remarks, but he had no idea what it took for her to compromise herself like this. She'd made the worst mistake of her life. Setting down her glass, and without a word, she got up and walked out of the apartment.
* * * * * * *
He caught up with her just before she reached the stairs. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him. Her eyes were wet and her mascara had smeared.
"Please, just let me go," Ava choked. "This was a terrible mistake."
Josh had gone after Ava merely to apologize, but her tears changed his feelings about her. It occurred to him that she wasn't just being manipulative, but that there was more at stake here. She had risked a lot to come to him, and the sorrow he felt about hurting her feelings was now much deeper. Everything he knew about her painted the picture of a woman who deserved nothing but respect, and he kicked himself for forgetting that, even briefly. He found her hands and gently took them in his own. They stood looking into each other's eyes, and what they saw there, at that moment, was more profound than any words might have been.
"Come with me, young lady," he instructed in a voice barely above a whisper, and holding her hand, led her back to his apartment.
* * * * * * *
Josh turned one of the dining room chairs around and sat down. Ava stood before him waiting to be told what to do.
"Stand over there," he pointed to an area several feet away. "Take off all of your clothes for me."
Looking a little startled, she hesitated. He realized that, no matter what she had imagined before coming here this evening, his instruction to her was a line into a very different world. He wondered if she was ready to cross it.
"Yes, sir," she answered his unspoken question by moving to the spot. Ava slipped out of her top, her full breasts falling unencumbered with a weight that he found appealing. As if reading his mind, she cupped the undersurfaces, raised them slightly, and milked her hardened nipples with delicate fingers.
"Ava. Strip. Everything." His tone was firm.
She quickly removed her skirt. He realized, as she bent to place it on the floor with her top that she had come to him naked under her scant attire. Who was this woman? he thought. As she stood at attention waiting for his next command, he admired the flare of her womanly hips, and long legs that tapered to pampered feet dipped in heels that all made one beautifully graceful contour.
"Shoes." She squatted and undid thin straps that encircled her slender ankles. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she agilely removed her sandals and placed them next to her clothes. Her submission and exposure was intoxicating, and Josh felt himself growing harder.
"Turn around," he ordered after she stood. She obeyed but placed her hands over her buttocks and twisted her head to look at him over her shoulder.
"Place your hands at your sides and face forward."
She had alabaster skin barely tinged by the sun, her bottom a shade paler. Her cheeks had the same weighty, fleshy quality that had aroused Josh when he saw her bare breasts. Ava had the body of a mature woman who took good care of herself with regular visits to the gym, but without the fanaticism of her peers. The style of the day, especially for women seeing the end of their youth, was the hard body. Ava's body was, decidedly, not hard.
"Spread your feet a little." He continued to control her exhibition. His next command impelled her to bend over and place her palms on her knees. She was shaved, and completely exposed from behind. He made her pose like that for several moments. It was thorough objectification, and her body was his to control.
"Come here, young lady." She straightened, turned, and approached him tentatively.
"Sit on my lap," he instructed. He felt the warmth of her against his leg, smelled the lovely subtle scent of her perfume. Their mouths were drawn to each other in breathless initial exploration. It occurred to Josh that some day they may have this as a memory of their first kiss. It was an uncharacteristically optimistic thought. They kissed again, this time unable to contain their hunger for each other. Eventually, his mouth went to nibble her ear, kiss her neck, her shoulder. He wanted her bad, but told her to stand instead. He pulled her facedown across his knee.
* * * * * * *
Ava lay pitched forward over his lap. It was a position she often assumed in her fantasies, but it had been quite some time since she had experienced it for real. For all her expertise on the subject of domination and discipline most of her relationships with men were strictly professional, and she was anything but submissive. Although she was well-liked and respected by her peers, she knew there were many times when during a heated debate, or her refusal to back down when she wanted something, her adversary would have relished seeing her in this position. Paradoxically, that was one reason this particular act of submission had such a powerful erotic effect on her.
His hand was hard, and just a little rough on her upturned bottom. The feel of that hand caressing her skin made Ava wet, and with a little moan, she opened her legs a few inches to show her womanhood. She felt his finger trace down her cleft, and she moaned louder when his finger brushed by her most sensitive little button.
She was in a position familiar to practitioners of domestic discipline. Over-the-knee for a spanking was a cornerstone of the scene when punishment was in order, but any excuse would often do. Ava was thrilled to her core that Josh was putting her through it without her having to ask and explain as with previous lovers. She placed her hands behind her back relegating all of her weight to the support of his lap. It was a place where she could experience complete humility and vulnerability. Her body was naked, but it was in her mind where she had really been laid bare.
Ava had been raised by her mother and her mother had been, what was known at the time, an ardent feminist. Marta Janacek, born in 1949, grew up in a time when Midwest girls, especially girls whose parents had just emigrated from Eastern Europe to the United States, were expected to devote their lives to finding a man and creating a family. Highly intelligent and ambitious, Marta had other ideas, and had joined the women's movement with a vengeance. When she finally yielded to maternal urges at the age of 35, her vision for her daughter was diametrically opposed to the expectations with which she had been raised. Good grades in school for Ava were not just expected, they were required. Ava had been an exceptionally pretty girl, but there were no beauty pageants, cheerleading tryouts, or dating hormonally-challenged boys. Her life was firmly centered on sports, academic clubs, cultural events, traveling with her mother and, most of all, her studies. She had thrived in that environment, but sexually, beneath the layers of complexity thrust upon her in order to survive, was an Ava developing a need to surrender. In her early twenties, she discovered that conventional sex with a man was exciting and pleasurable, but what she really craved was a release that could only come from another place. At the age of forty, her cravings had become a full-blown obsession.
He continued to gently explore the upturned surfaces that are the target of a spanking. For a few moments she wasn't being touched, and then she felt her bottom slapped, and then slapped again. The hot, tingling feeling was delicious. He continued to warm her sensitive skin with the palm of his hand.
Who said a spanking had to be punishment? she thought. She taught her students about communication and "safe words", but she had entered into this with reckless abandon. Discovering that Josh could spank her so sensuously wasn't just a turn-on, it was a relief. She knew he was being careful and starting off slow. She wanted more before this evening was over, but she hoped that there would be plenty of time in the future for him to explore her real limits. After more caresses and another short trip to her hottest spot, she felt two slaps that had more sting in them. As the heat radiating from the lingering hand spread, she squirmed against his muscular upper legs in a spasm of pleasure.
* * * * * * *
"You've been a very bad girl today, haven't you, Ms. Janacek?" Josh squeezed the pinked cheek that still radiated heat from his sharp spank.
"Yes, sir," Ava's response was more enthusiastic than contrite. He recognized her eagerness for a higher level of stimulation.
"Do you think that breaking into confidential records is an ethical practice?" he asked.
"No, sir," she responded more ruefully.
He gave her two sharp smacks that made her catch her breath and squirm enticingly. Vague impressions of his hand surfaced in red on the ripest curves of her silky bottom.
"Do you think it's appropriate for a college professor to be calling on her students dressed like a tart?" She told him sincerely that it was not. Perhaps not appropriate, he thought, but very hot.
"Is it safe for you to be out alone, practically naked, in an area like this?" He didn't give her time to answer that one. Another two hard stingers elicited a wiggling of hips and kicking of feet. He heard the rasping of breath as her threshing became a sensuous grind. She was making love to his leg and he gave her another pair of brisk slaps that she wasn't fully expecting.
"You've been a very impetuous girl today. I think it's time someone took you in hand."
Josh continued to give Ava her real spanking. It was still lovemaking, but of a rougher, more stringent variety. It was the kind of spanking that many women crave, but one that is not always easy to find. She was being taken to an erotic place so intense that she was overwhelmed by it, lost in it, much like an orgasm itself.
He was beginning to feel a sting in his hand that was the smaller counterpart to the very large sting on her bottom when he noticed her hands in the way. They struggled for a moment but he managed to get a grip on a slender wrist and pin it against her back. She stopped resisting and allowed him to secure her other wrist in the same grip. Instead of continuing with the spanking he, instead, reached between her legs and began to stroke her where she was already wet.
* * * * * * *
They had made their way to the bedroom. They were no longer top and bottom, just a man and a woman with a desperate desire to consummate their passion for each other. In a frenzied haste, Ava helped Josh undress, then practically pushed him down on the bed. He was erect, but not hard enough for her need. She forced herself to be patient and gently explored him with her mouth. Her tongue found a spot under the head of his penis that made him groan and she made it the focus for the expression of all the sensuality that had been inspired in her that day.
He was about to explode. He cupped her face in his hands and gently forced her mouth away from his throbbing manhood. Their eyes met and they were of a single mind. He was larger than average, she a bit smaller. It was his turn to practice patience as he entered her, but their demand for a union was too great to be denied for long. Josh paused when he reached the hilt and Ava was completely filled in a place that had been empty for what seemed a lifetime. She was so tight where he was so hard and it only took a short amount of wrestling against each other for her tidal wave of agonizing pleasure to begin and his to follow close behind.
* * * * * * *
Blessed sleep was upon him. Ava's warm body and beautiful spirit lay by his side. A few final thoughts swirled down the tunnel of his fading consciousness. It was the most exciting evening he had ever experienced. Yes, he'd spanked girls before, but this incredible woman who had come to him out of need, who had squirmed naked across his lap in ecstasy was another thing all together. Just being in the presence of her unbridled sexuality was mind-boggling. He tried to picture Beth opening herself to something like that and he realized it just wasn't in her. The thought flickered for the briefest of moments, as Ava was now the woman who would be haunting his dreams ...and what dreams they would be.