The Courier
Copyright 2008 by EC
EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/

(warnings: erotic discipline, sex between adults, medical fetish, 
forced public nudity, harsh police interrogation)


Chapter 8 – A day with “Socrates’ Mistresses”

Maria Elena woke up early and set up the kitchen so Cecilia could 
prepare breakfast.  Cecilia entered the kitchen with a rather 
concerned look on her face, partly because Pedro was still in bed 
sick, and partly because correctly suspected that she had 
interrupted something between her housemate and Victor.  

As usual, the prisoner focused on serving her host and making 
sure he was ready to go to work.  She assisted him dressing much 
in the way a wife would help a husband get dressed; brushing off 
his suit and straightening his tie.  He was flattered by the 
attention and happy for the companionship.

Cecilia attended to her nephew, pretending not to notice what was 
going on in Victor’s room.  She was in an awkward situation, 
because she was determined to forestall any romantic involvement 
between her host and her housemate, but she knew that there was 
no point in trying to openly confront either of them.  She did 
not want to tell Kim what was going on either, for fear that the 
prisoner would be moved and she would have to resume doing 
everything in the house.  Instead she reasoned that if she could 
keep Maria Elena occupied until her trial and introduce her to 
other young criminals, eventually she would settle on a more 
appropriate partner, one closer to her age and social stature.  

Because it was Saturday, there was no field trip and no P.E. 
class for the exchange group.  The students had their language 
class in the morning and were released at noon.  Maria Elena did 
not have to work on Saturdays, so she would attend class with the 
norteamericanos and, like them, be free in the afternoon.  

After class Maria Elena was planning to go back to Victor’s house 
and wait for him.  However, Cecilia was determined to keep her 
occupied.  In the middle of the afternoon she took her housemate 
to a nice two-story residence at the western edge of Danube City, 
almost into the countryside.  It was the home of Vladik Dukov, 
who was the son of the country’s Prime Minister.  Cecilia also 
learned that Criminal # 98946 lived there, because she was 
married to Vladik.  

“That house used to belong to Spokesman Vladim Dukov, before he 
got elected Prime Minister.  But now he’s living in the Prime 
Minister’s residence downtown, so he turned his place over to his 
son and his wife Tiffany.”

“Tiffany?”

“That’s her name before she was arrested, Tiffany Walker.  I call 
her that, and I suppose you will too, once you two can talk to 
each other.  Her married name is Tiffany Walker-Dukovna, but her 
official name is Criminal # 98946.”

“98946?  Spokeswoman Lee-Dolkivna told me her number was # 
98945…and Tiffany is # 98946…”

“Yes, because they were arrested together, along with another 
American girl called Susan.  It’s a long story, what happened to 
those three…but the short version is that Tiffany and Susan were 
arrested with Kim for smoking pot, but then they got released 
while she went on trial and got convicted.”

“But…then…if Tiffany was released…why is she collared?”

“She came back to Danubia.”

“But…”

“She came back on purpose.  She knew she was gonna get arrested, 
but she came back because she had to.”

“On purpose?  But…”

“It’s a very long story.  You’ll find out about it soon enough.  
Now…look over there.”

Cecilia pointed down the street.  Just a few doors beyond the 
house was a yellow sign with an electronic sensor.

“Those yellow signs mark the edge of the Danube City collar zone.  
If you go past any of them without having your collar turned off 
or re-programmed, an alarm will go off.  If that happens, you’ll 
have to kneel next to the sign and wait for the police to come 
get you.  Don’t try doing anything else except kneeling next to 
the sign, or you’ll get in serious trouble.”

“What happens when the police come?”

“They’ll take you downtown and there will be a hearing to find 
out why you went past the sign.  You’ll be switched, but how many 
strokes you get will be determined by what you were doing that 
set off the alarm.  If it was just carelessness or not paying 
attention to where you are, normally you’d get 20 strokes.  If it 
was something you had no control over, like being on a city bus 
that gets diverted and takes a different route, you’d just get 
10.”

“That’s not fair…If you’re on a bus…”

“No, it isn’t fair, but it’s up to you to stay within the collar 
zone.  That’s how they see it.”

Cecilia led Maria Elena into the house and to the back yard, 
where several women already had gathered.  Spokeswoman Lee-
Dolkivna was present, along with Tiffany Walker-Dukovna and three 
young Danubians.  All of them were naked.  Cecilia was the only 
person still dressed among the group.  After saying hello to the 
others in Danubian, she quickly undressed as well.

Maria Elena knelt upon seeing her Spokeswoman, but Cecilia told 
her to stand up.

“This is one time you don’t kneel.  We’re all equal here.”

In the back yard there were two plastic chairs and a large tub of 
warm water, along with bottles of shampoo, combs, towels, and 
several bowls and pitchers.  It turned out that Maria Elena had 
been invited to participate in an ancient Danubian tradition: the 
weekly hair washing and re-braiding.  

Danubian culture considered a woman dishonored if she appeared in 
public, or even alone in front of a male relative, with her hair 
unbraided.  Women kept their hair tightly braided at all times, 
except on Saturday afternoons, which was the only opportunity 
during the week they had to let their hair loose to wash, comb, 
and re-braid it.  Danubian women normally did not touch their own 
hair, but instead gathered with female friends or relatives to 
attend to each other.  The tradition was considered very intimate 
because it was the only time it was socially acceptable for 
Danubians to touch a person of the same sex.  Maria Elena did not 
realize it at the time, but for her to braid her hair with Kim 
and the others was an important gesture of friendship towards 
someone who barely knew them.

The Danubians were introduced as Eloisa, who was Kim’s best 
friend; Tatiana, who was a fellow Spokeswoman from the Ministry 
of Justice; and Valia, who was another friend of both Kim and 
Eloisa.  Eloisa stood out, because she was very pretty and had 
blond hair, which was rare in a country where most people’s hair 
was brown.  Maria Elena looked hard at her…because she 
seemed…very familiar…

The women took turns sitting down and loosening and shampooing 
each other’s hair.  After everyone’s hair was clean, they drank 
wine from a large goblet while waiting to dry out for the final 
combing and braiding.  The goblet was a symbol of equality among 
the group; women who shared the intimacy of braiding also shared 
the intimacy of drinking from the same cup.  

Cecilia taught her housemate how to braid Eloisa’s hair while Kim 
and Tiffany braided each other’s hair.  However, the big surprise 
came at the end, when it was Kim, not Cecilia, who braided Maria 
Elena’s hair.  Supposedly Kim held custody over the prisoner, but 
in that backyard they were not Spokeswoman and client, but 
instead two women sharing an ancient ritual.  The fact they both 
were naked was an important part of that ritual, because without 
their clothing they were equals.  Both understood that as soon as 
the Spokeswoman put her clothes back on, Maria Elena would have 
to kneel for her.  However, Kim was determined that her client 
clearly understood that she saw her as a person and not a 
foreigner, in spite of their very different positions in Danubian 
society.

For most of the afternoon the others chatted in Danubian, with 
Cecilia translating whatever she thought was important.  Towards 
the end, Kim and the Danubians started singing.  Maria Elena 
recognized the song…and the voices.  Suddenly she realized who 
she was with…three of the singers from the band Socrates’ 
Mistresses!  Yes, of course she recognized Eloisa…and Kim and 
Valia…they were from that controversial New Age band!  They were 
international celebrities, and here Maria Elena was…sitting naked 
with them and having her hair washed!

The entire experience that afternoon had a profound impact on a 
person who had come from a country that still placed great 
emphasis on wealth and social status.  She couldn’t even begin to 
imagine spending such time with a famous Latin American singer or 
soap opera star.  However, in her new life she had shared an 
afternoon with three famous singers from Danubia, who thought 
there was absolutely nothing strange about her being in their 
presence.  She still felt that she was nothing, just a pathetic 
dishonored prisoner, a failed drug trafficker with a squalid 
past, an uneducated low-life.  And yet, that was not how the 
people in Danube City saw her.  Yes, she was a criminal, but she 
also was a person who had her place in society and, as long as 
she understood her responsibilities, was worthy of being treated 
with respect.  To the three Danubians, she was Kim’s client and a 
member of Cecilia’s household, so of course she was welcome as 
part of the group.

----------

The afternoon ended in the traditional manner, with the husbands 
and fiances of the women showing up together to retrieve their 
respective partners.  It turned out that all of the women were 
married with the exception of Cecilia, who was engaged.  Jason, 
as always, was completely naked except his collar.  The other 
young men were dressed.  For the first time Maria Elena saw 
Victor’s nephew Vladik, who was in full police uniform to greet 
Tiffany.  The criminal, in spite of the fact that she was his 
wife and very pregnant, got on her knees to greet her husband.  
Like Kim, Vladik was a public official and it was Tiffany’s Path 
in Life to kneel for both of them, as a display of respect for 
their positions.  The other four men were musicians from 
Socrates’ Mistresses.

As dictated by ancient tradition, each of the men had brought a 
flower that he put in his partner’s hair.  The only member of the 
group who did not have a man picking her up was Maria Elena.  As 
an uncommitted woman, there would be no flower for her, no gift 
marking the renewal of her relationship with her beloved and the 
world around her.  In her imagination she pictured Victor, 
standing among the others in his dark business suit, holding a 
flower to put into her hair.  She was determined that, soon 
enough, his Path in Life would include bringing her a flower 
every Saturday afternoon.

Kim turned to her client:

“We’re singing tonight at the Socrates Club; would you like to 
come?”

Before Maria Elena could say anything Cecilia interjected:

“Of course she would…I’ll make sure she’s there.  She’d love to 
see you sing…and also have a look at the club.”

Actually, that wasn’t Maria Elena’s desire at all; what she 
wanted was to go back to Victor’s house and spend time with him.  
However, before she had any time to react or think of a reason 
she shouldn’t go, she had been drafted to join Cecilia and Jason 
to see Socrates’ Mistresses perform live.

The group said goodbye to Tiffany and Vladik, who stayed behind 
at the house.  The others boarded a trolley to go downtown.  
Jason and Maria Elena had to stand, but the others, to show 
sympathy and solidarity, chose to stand with them.  It was just 
starting to get dark outside when the trolley stopped in an old 
section of the city just outside the ancient wall.

----------

The Socrates Club was a unique institution, because it was the 
only place in Danube City where criminals could meet and 
socialize.  The club occupied an entire block: there was the main 
building housing a restaurant and dance hall, an adjacent 
building with small rooms that could be rented by the hour, and 
an old armory that had been converted to a fitness center and 
gymnasium.  The clientele were mostly criminals and ex-criminals, 
but anyone in a romantic relationship with a criminal was welcome 
as well.  An important rule of the club was that, whether a 
person was collared or not, clothing was strictly forbidden 
anywhere on the grounds.  Criminals always showed up naked, of 
course, but ex-criminals and other visitors had to surrender 
their clothing and other belongings at the check stand right 
inside the main entrance.  The rule was that anyone who had 
completed their sentence had to show respect to those still 
collared by entering the club completely undressed.

The Club’s importance extended far beyond being a simple haven 
for criminals.  Most evenings started with people speaking on 
stage to recite poetry or express their feelings, followed by 
live performances of musical groups of criminals and ex-
criminals.  Singing was a hobby for many club members, but for 
the more talented performers, singing at the Club could turn into 
something much more significant.  Most famous Danubian musicians 
started their careers performing naked on stage in front of 
hundreds of fellow criminals.  

Performing at the Socrates Club was how the most famous Danubian 
group of them all, Socrates’ Mistresses, got its start.  The 
group had been the most popular band in Danubia for more than 
five years.  Their music also was popular throughout Europe, 
especially in the countries immediately bordering Danubia.  In 
the US sales of anything by Socrates’ Mistresses was boycotted by 
all the major music stores, but the group had a fiercely devoted 
following among political activists and university students, who 
obtained their music off the Internet or from friends who had 
visited Danubia.

“Socrates’ Mistresses” performed live at venues in Danube City 
and Rika Chorna, sometimes to very large crowds.  The band also 
was a fixture in the Central Plaza during national holidays such 
as New Year’s Eve, the Summer Solstice, and the Day of the Dead.  
However, the group had their start in the Socrates Club, and it 
was in the Socrates Club where they always introduced new songs.  
No matter who else in the world liked or bought their music, 
Eloisa and her fellow musicians considered the clients of the 
Socrates Club their core audience.  In spite of the group’s fame, 
their source of inspiration and their “home” remained among 
Danube City’s criminals.

The band had a unique style of singing that combined traditional 
Danubian female vocals with instruments that ranged from ancient 
to modern.  The music typically was classified as New Age, 
although the overall sound was distinct from most New Age music 
in the US.  The stage performers included five women singers and 
10 male musicians.  Eloisa was the leader of the singers and 
ultimately had final say over the band’s musical direction.  She 
had the most beautiful voice that Maria Elena had ever heard, as 
well as an instinct for music unmatched by anyone else in the 
group.  Kimberly Lee-Dolkivna was the lead singer for any song in 
English, but when performing she always deferred to Eloisa’s 
guidance.

Upon entering the front door everyone in the group undressed and 
stuffed their clothing in cloth bags.  Other friends of Kim and 
Eloisa showed up and undressed as well.  When the band members 
surrendered their clothing, all of them held on to a single item, 
a Ministry of Justice collar with a broken latch.  Cecilia 
explained that Socrates’ Mistresses always performed in the nude, 
and during performances they always wore the collars assigned to 
them when they were criminals.  “It’s to remind them, and 
everyone else who’s watching them, where they came from and how 
they got their start.  Actually, it was Kim who thought up the 
idea a few months after they got released.  The others really 
liked it, so that’s how they always sing.”

Once inside, the group sat at a row of tables that had been 
pushed together.  There were a total of 35 naked young people 
sitting at the tables: the stage performers and various wives and 
friends.  The women of the band all were married to other band 
members, but the remaining men also had brought their wives. 
Cecilia introduced additional members of Socrates’ Mistresses, 
although Maria Elena was too overwhelmed by the large group to be 
able to remember any of the Danubians’ names.  

However, one new acquaintance very much stuck out for Maria 
Elena.  A second young Asian woman joined the table along with 
her Danubian husband, a person who looked like a slightly older, 
slightly more heavy-set version of Kimberly Lee.  It turned out 
the woman was Kim’s older sister Cynthia.  Cecilia greeted her 
very warmly; obviously they were very close.  Maria Elena 
immediately noticed that both Cynthia and her husband were 
wearing collars identical to the one Jason had on.  Apparently, 
just like him, they were performing Public Penance for the 
Danubian Church.  Their bodies were deeply tanned and it was 
evident they had not worn any clothing for a very long time. 

The club’s main room was very large, capable of fitting hundreds 
of customers.  In the center was a small stage:  in front of the 
stage there was a large dance floor, and beyond the dance floor 
were dozens of tables for sitting and dining.  The food at the 
club was simple and cheap, consisting of salted deep-fried 
vegetables and dishes full of fresh blackberries.  The only 
drinks available were organic beer and water.

The club, as always, was full to capacity.  Maria Elena estimated 
there might be over 700 naked people in the room.  She was a bit 
overwhelmed seeing so much exposed human skin: bare bottoms, 
penises of all imaginable shapes and sizes, naked breasts, 
uncovered vaginas.  Several nude waiters wearing orange tennis 
shoes moved among the tables, taking orders and delivering food.  
A few of the collared criminals had switch-marks on their 
backsides; some fresh, others faded, from punishments 
administered a week or two before.  Many of the naked women were 
pregnant, including several sitting at the Socrates’ Mistresses 
tables.  As bizarre as the scene would have been for anyone not 
familiar with Danubian society, it was obvious that it was a 
typical evening for everyone in the room.

The band members excused themselves to get ready to sing, leaving 
a reduced group of about 20 people.  Immediately they had to 
consolidate and give up several tables to other customers, 
leaving Maria Elena sitting between Cecilia and Cynthia.  It 
turned out that Kim’s older sister was much more approachable 
than the Spokeswoman herself and was genuinely curious to know 
more about the stranded Colombian.  Cynthia and Maria Elena 
exchanged numerous details about their lives, but Cynthia also 
was interested in learning more about Colombia.  Cecilia 
translated with a mischievous expression, all the while running 
her hand up and down Jason’s thigh and occasionally touching his 
penis.  He sat quietly, blushing because he had a furious 
erection.  

While Maria Elena was talking to Cynthia, various singers 
performed on stage, most of whom performed very melancholy-
sounding music.  Part of the conversation included telling the 
newcomer what the songs were about; all of which were very 
serious themes.  The entire genre was very different from what 
she was used to in Colombia; cheerful Salsa that either talked 
about sex or the joys of dancing.  

Maria Elena realized that not only the sound, but the very 
purpose of Danubian music differed from Latin American music.  In 
Latin America the purpose of popular music was for light 
entertainment and dancing, while in Danubia the purpose of music 
was to make a person reflect on serious subjects.  That change 
suited her just fine, because in her current situation dancing to 
rapid happy music was the last thing she wanted to do.  The songs 
coming from the stage were very sad-sounding, but at the same 
time were very relaxing and calming to her frazzled nerves.

Cecilia excused herself and tapped Jason on the shoulder.  Even 
though he was fully erect and embarrassed, he immediately stood 
up.  The couple exited through a small door in the back of the 
room.  For about 40 minutes Maria Elena and Cynthia sat in 
uncomfortable silence while they waited for their translator to 
return.  When she came back, leading Jason by the hand, she had a 
much more relaxed look on her face.  Jason was no longer erect, 
but his bottom was red.  Apparently his fiance had spanked him.  
When the couple sat down, she resumed her conversation as though 
nothing had happened.  Within a few minutes she started stroking 
his thigh again, occasionally touching his penis.  

----------

Shortly after Cecilia returned, Socrates’ Mistresses got on the 
stage.  Normally they sang three songs when they performed: one 
of their original songs, one of their more recent songs, and the 
new song they were introducing.  The group only performed at the 
club when they were introducing new music, but every new song was 
tested among the criminals at the Socrates Club before anyone 
else had a chance to hear it.  The criminals of Danube City did 
not have much in their lives, but one privilege they did enjoy 
was the being the very first audience to hear new music from the 
famous group sung live.

Kim and Eloisa took their positions at the main microphone, with 
the other three women standing slightly behind them.  The 10 
musicians sat behind the singers.  As soon as men had positioned 
their instruments, Eloisa tapped the microphone and started 
moving her hand to set up the beat.  The first song they 
performed was one of the group’s most famous, “My bicycle”, or as 
it was titled in Danubian: “Nemat mi biciklet.”  

As soon as she recognized the song, Maria Elena’s memories 
transported her back to Colombia, to Pereira, and into the arms 
of her first boyfriend, Jose Pablo.  He had totally loved “Nemat 
mi biciklet”.  She knew what the lyrics were about, because he 
had translated for her: the story of not appreciating what one 
has in life until it is too late.  Maria Elena certainly had not 
appreciated what she had in her life until it was too late.  She 
had not appreciated her mother, who had struggled to keep her in 
a good school so she could have opportunities in life, nor the 
boyfriend who had loved her, nor the boss who had been patient 
with her and tried to give her an opportunity in his store.  No, 
she had not appreciated any of that.  Her life in Pereira was not 
flashy, but it could have been a decent life if she had just 
understood what she was sacrificing to look for adventure and 
quick pleasure.

Oh, how Maria Elena wished Jose Pablo could have been with her to 
see Kim and Eloisa sing in person, in the place where his 
favorite song was created.  She would have given anything just so 
he could have had that moment, the opportunity to watch the band 
whose music meant so much to him.  She would have given anything 
just to have him hold her once again; to tell him she was sorry 
for what she did and somehow make him understand that she 
actually meant it.  

However, it was too late.  She could never apologize to Jose 
Pablo because he was dead.  It was because of Maria Elena that he 
had died.  When she broke up with him and he found out why, he 
was determined to get revenge against drug traffickers by joining 
the Colombian Army and become a paratrooper.  He never made it 
that far; just a few weeks after he got out of basic training, 
his unit was ambushed by guerrillas and he was killed in combat.

At first Maria Elena didn’t think much about his death, but later 
it began to weigh on her.  Now, hearing that song, with all those 
memories coming back to her, the burden of guilt fell even 
heavier on her shoulders.  What weighed on her the most was not 
only his death, but the fact that at the beginning she didn’t 
really care.  What evil had possessed her that she didn’t even 
care about the death of an honorable man who had loved her?  She 
buried her face in her hands.  

Jose Pablo…I’m so sorry…

----------

Maria Elena wasn’t much company after Socrates’ Mistresses sang 
their first song.  She sat with her face buried in her hands for 
a very long time.  However, Cecilia and Cynthia didn’t see 
anything strange about their companion’s behavior, because plenty 
of criminals at the Club had to deal with grief and guilt.  They 
didn’t know the details of Maria Elena’s anguish, but they 
understood she was dealing with a personal crisis and that they 
needed to leave her alone.  

Anyhow, Cecilia’s fingers had worked their magic on Jason and he 
was ready for another round of sex.  She tapped him on the 
shoulder, grabbed his hand, and led him to the back door for a 
second time.  They would return to a room they had rented for the 
evening where he would make love to her.  He then would go over 
her lap to be spanked for his indecent behavior of having an 
erection in public, and once his bottom was sufficiently 
punished, there would be yet more love-making.

----------

Kim and the others returned to their group a few minutes after 
finishing the debut of their newest song.  Cecilia and Jason were 
gone and Maria Elena still was crying with her face buried in her 
hands.  Cynthia figured it would be best if the Colombian went 
home and offered to take her.  Kim accepted the offer and 
Cynthia, who had taken Spanish in high school for a couple of 
years, spoke just enough that she could make Maria Elena 
understand that they were going back to her house.  The Colombian 
was ready to leave and grateful to be escorted back.

Maria Elena, accompanied by Cynthia and her husband, stepped out 
of the club.  It was very late and the weather had changed.  It 
was foggy and a chilly drizzle was falling on the streets.  The 
three naked people shivered as they felt the wet pavement on 
their bare feet and the cold damp air hitting their exposed skin.  
Cynthia pointed up and said:

“Otono.  Si…uh…tu dices otono?

“Si, senora, asi se dice…el otono.”

“Temprano…mucho llueve…mucho frio…invierno…”

She hugged herself to indicate that soon the weather was going to 
get cold.

“Senora, que nos pasa durante el invierno, cuando hace frio?  Nos 
quedamos desnudas?”

“Yo no…uh…comprendo.”

“I…naked…winter…cold.  Naked…desnudas…we?”

“Desnudas…si Maria Elena, invierno desnudas…”

The Colombian took a deep breath.  She would have to confirm that 
fact with Cecilia the next day, but from what she understood from 
Cynthia’s bad Spanish, she would have to remain nude no matter 
how cold it got outside.  Not a pleasant thought…

The naked prisoner and her companions took a late trolley to the 
university.  At the university transfer station they got off.  
Cynthia and her husband had to catch another trolley to go to 
their own home, but she pointed down the street that led to 
Victor’s house.  The couple then boarded the trolley going west, 
leaving their companion shivering alone on the platform. 

Maria Elena slowly walked along the quiet street.  She felt numb, 
not only from the chilly rain, but also from the emptiness in her 
soul.  For a long time she silently stood in front of Victor’s 
house in the dark, punishing herself by allowing the cold mist to 
soak her bare skin.
