Darkness Within - Fanfic

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By Stacey October 2001

"Hello, and Welcome to the Dungeon, would you like a table or one of our special 'Cells'?" Sarena greeted the couple as they entered the establishment. "Table it is, follow me." She paraded in front of the couple like a cat, moving her hips side to side just enough to make her latex skirt ride up to her ass. She looked back at the couple and smiled coyly. "Your serving wench will be here shortly. If you take a look at the menu you will notice that along with each entree' there are "special" services you may also order." She sauntered away letting the couple decide if they should get a spanking with their dinner or wait for dessert. She passed through the tables smiling at the customers as they ate and drank. She stopped at one of the cells where a man was being blindfolded and she told the young woman in command to make sure it was nice and tight. "Yes ma'am, I'll be sure he's properly tied." "That's a good girl." She winked at the girl and walked to her office. She entered the dark room and sat at her desk and removed her stilettos. She turned on the desk lamp to sift through paperwork. She always hated this part of her job. She paged her assistant Kris to her office. "Help me get this done so we can get out of here." Kris laughed at her and shook her head, "You may be the mistress, but I'm the brain." "Yeah, whatever, don't get so smart about it, or I'll have you flogged." Within the first six months of opening , they had managed to make enough money to pay off the lease on the building, the bills were being paid on time and so were the employees. "When I first opened this place I was sure it would go bust. Who would have thought there were so many people who like getting spanked!" Kris laughed and said, "Yeah, but it's not just that I think you've made quite a niche for yourself in the gothic community as well, I've noticed that a large number of our clientele are just that. I've seen more "vampires" in here than on the movie screen lately." "I know, but it's nice to give them all a place to hang out and feel comfortable, I always hated not having anywhere to go without being called a freak. I do what I can for my community. Ok, that's it I'm finished here, do you think you can close tonight?" "Sure no problem, go home." Sarena changed into jeans and a sweater and walked home.

She walked through the crowds of people, not in any particular hurry, after all there was no one to go home to except the cat. She stopped at the newsstand and picked up a paper and a coffee and gave the man sitting on the corner a five dollar bill and continued home. She had just turned the corner to her block when a man walked up beside her and put a gun to her side. "I would be very cooperative if I were you. Now you and I are going to your place, understand?" Sarena nodded and continued down the block. She approached the Victorian town home unlocked the door and went in. She sat her bag by the door and the man with the gun pushed her into the living room. "Look if your looking for some fun I should warn you, I'm not the kind of girl who is easily scared by this kind of game." "Let me assure you miss I am not playing a game, and don't worry, your virtues are safe for now." He smiled and it was a malicious grin, Sarena found this very sexy. "What am I thinking?" She laughed at herself , a guy holds her at gunpoint and she finds him sexy, "Damn I need a drink, how about you, mister...I didn't catch your name." "I didn't throw it, but you may call me Charles."

"You know, I share this place with another girl, she's going to be home in about an hour. I would appreciate it if we could go someplace else. I don't think she'd make a very good hostage, she's very panicky. I would hate for her to get killed, after all she pays for half the rent." Sarena handed her assailant a glass of wine and sat at the dining room table. "Besides, If you've done something that requires hiding out, I know of a better place than here, it's a secluded farm just outside of Woodstock, my Uncle left it to me after he died. I could take you there if you like." Charles looked at her as he thought it over, "I don't really think you are in any position to negotiate, however, you are right I need to leave town as quickly as possible. If you pull one stunt, one attempt at bravery, I'll blow your head off and then come back for your friend, do we have an understanding?" Sarena nodded, "just let me collect a few things, we will need and make a few phone calls to let people know I'm leaving town." "I don't bloody think so! No phone calls." Charles voice resonated through the dark hallway as Sarena collected toiletries from the closet. "If I don't tell my associates that I'm leaving, they'll come looking for me. That club you followed me home from, I own it. I can't just disappear, I have a very busy life and lots of people who would be wondering where the hell I'm at. So Charlie, what's it gonna be?" Charles handed her his cell phone and put the gun to her head, "Make your call, no tricks and don't ever call me "Charlie" again." Sarena stared into his eyes with the same coolness he exerted, she dialed the club, "Kris, I'm going on a road trip, I know you hate it when I leave like this, but I just can't help myself. Where? I don't know, I just feel like getting out of here for a while. No, there's no guy, it's just me. OK, can you handle everything? Good, I'll call you every once in a while to check in. Bye." " She's on her way here. We should go. I've got everything , we'll have to stop and get food along the way. My Car is around back." Sarena picked up her bag and headed out the door. Once they were on the highway, Charles put the gun away and began to relax. "You don't scare very easily do you?" "On the contrary, I'm very scared, I just choose not to let it rule me. What good will it do me to freak out? You would have killed me by now and that wouldn't do either of us any good." "Tell me about your little establishment. It looks interesting." He smiled when he said this, his eyes twinkled under the glare of the lights this made Sarena quiver, as thoughts of sexual intent danced in her head. "Stop it." She told herself. "My club, The Dungeon was an idea I had cooked up long ago. I have always been fascinated by the gothic underground and by fetish groups for as long as I can remember. I noticed however there was nowhere permanent for people like myself to go and just hang out. Certain nightclubs would have parties but it never anything that stuck around. So I came up with the Dungeon, It's part dinner theatre, part nightclub and all full participation. It's for anyone who is gothic, or dark minded, it's where people can act out their fantasies in a safe environment." Charles looked at her and whispered, "What is your fantasy?" Sarena just about swerved off the road at that inquiry, thinking "If you only knew". She simply stated, "I don't think you and I are acquainted enough to talk about my sexual fantasies." "We shall have to get to know each other better , won't we?" He closed his eyes and fell asleep until they reached the farmhouse.

Sarena had driven all night and well into the next morning before they arrived at the house. Once inside she began to uncover the furniture and put away groceries. Charles walked through the house checking for any escape routes, she assumed. "Pick a room while your upstairs." She yelled. Charles came back down while she was inventorying the cabinets and stood behind her. She almost hit him as she spun around with a pan in her hand, "Damnit! Don't do that!" He smiled at her, "Did I frighten you?" "No not really, just surprised me that's all. Do you want breakfast?" Sarena was not about to let this man get to her. "No, why don't you go lie down, you must be tired from that long drive." Sarena was exhausted and wanted nothing more than go to sleep but her wariness of Charles was keeping her awake. "Don't worry I won't do anything while your asleep, it's much more fun to kill someone while they watch." He stared through her as he played with the knife caddy on the cabinet. "Hey fuck you, I don't give a damn what you do. I'm going upstairs." Sarena stomped up the stairs angrily. She let the water in the bath run while she unpacked her things allowing the pipes to clear out. Her mind was overrun with thoughts of Charles she couldn't figure out where she had seen him before. Then as she went in to plug the tub it dawned on her just who he was. She remembered seeing him on the news a few days before, he was the one who blew up the entire runway at New York International! Five planes were destroyed and at least a hundred dead. "Ok maybe I'm in over my head here." She undressed and slid into the bath, she let her mind wander as she washed. "What is he going to do? How long will he want to stay here?" She got out and put on a tee shirt and climbed into the bed, no sooner than she lay her head down she fell asleep.

It was dark when she woke up, she sat up to find Charles sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. "What the hell are you doing in here?" Sarena was more upset at herself than him, she usually was a light sleeper but somehow did not detect his entrance. "Now, Now, I can't very well leave you all alone, you might try to run away, then I'd have to punish you." His eyebrow arched as he smiled a wicked smile, and Sarena wondered just how well he was with a whip. She shook away the thought and climbed out of bed to get dressed. "I'd like to change now, could you please leave?" He didn't move. "I could, but I'm not. You're not shy are you?" She glared at him, "Fine then, see if I care." She walked over to the closet pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt and threw them on the bed. Just for defiance, she turned her back toward him and removed her shirt. She reached slowly for her jeans and bent over raising her ass toward him, looked back and wiggled into her pants. She then turned as she reached for her shirt and slowly pulled it over her head. As she pulled her arms down, Charles grabbed her and pinned her to the wall. "Tell me just who is in charge here?" Sarena fought back the urge to kick him and simply stared at him. Charles put the gun to her head, "Who's in charge? Don't make me repeat myself again!" Sarena was genuinely frightened this time, she took a jagged breath, "You are." He loosened his grip and stood back, "That's a good girl." He winked at her as he turned and walked away, as he walked down the stairs he said, " By the way, I like your piercings." She sat down on the bed and collected herself before she went downstairs.

phone apparently making some kind of plan to get out of the country. She figured he would be on for a while so she went in the kitchen to make dinner. They sat in silence as they ate and as she cleared away the dishes. She didn't want to press her luck with him, she wasn't about to make him angry again. After all she was brave not stupid. After dinner was done she went to the living room and sat down to watch tv. Charles was on the news and he found it quite entertaining to see how hard the FBI was working to find him. Unfortunately for them they were looking in the wrong state. He had fixed it so that they were chasing after an imposter, one of his henchmen, and not the real Charles Rane. Sarena decided she needed some air and asked Charles if he would like to see the rest of the farm. He surprisingly agreed. They walked around the pond out back and she turned to walk back to the house but Charles intercepted her. "What's in the barn?" "Oh nothing really, when I lived here growing up it was for the livestock then my Uncle rebuilt the interior so that I could practice dancing. I was pretty good actually, but my Uncle fell ill and I stopped dancing to take care of him and the farm. Do you really want to see it?" He looked at her and he seemed very interested, "Yes I would." She opened the big door and stepped in. Everything was still in place and the floor was covered in a big tarp. She dragged the tarp back and walked over to the far wall and flipped a big switch. In a few minutes the barn had lit up and revealed a large wooden floor and a mirrored wall. It was a dance studio. "Very nice, I'm impressed that a girl like you could do little more than a lap dance." Sarena smirked at him, "You don't know me at all. I was supposed to get placement at the School of Performing Arts on a Scholarship, but when Uncle got sick I chose to stay and take care of him. It was the least I could do. He took care of me after my parents died." Charles looked her over, "How did your parents die?" She spun around, "They died in a plane crash." Sarena walked over to a cupboard, opened it and turned on the stereo. It began to play Concerto for 2 Mandolins by Vivaldi. She began to move with the music, letting it take hold of her gliding over the floor. Her limbs were not as lithe as they once were, but the moves came with ease. She closed her eyes and let herself give in to the music and the dance. She became completely unaware of Charles and her predicament. After what seemed a lifetime, which was actually only minutes the music stopped. She opened her eyes, and Charles was standing there in the bright lights. He smiled at her, it was a sincere smile, "Brava! You amaze me. You are truly talented." She bowed and turned off the stereo. "Come on, I'm getting cold, let's go back in." She turned off the lights and shut the barn door. As they walked up to the house it began to snow.

Charles went into the living room and began to build a fire. Sarena went to the pantry and retrieved a bottle of wine from the rack. She grabbed two glasses and went to the living room and sat down. "Here, I found this in the cupboard, I thought it would help keep us warm." She handed Charles the bottle and corkscrew. He popped the cork and served each of them and went back to making a fire. "You know, under normal circumstances, this would have been a great date." Sarena laughed at herself and Charles looked over at her and smiled. "I suppose it would, only I don't usually pick my women up at gunpoint." They sat and watched the fire in silence then Charles spoke up. "I'm interested in what made you base your little club on S&M. You said before that it made you feel at home, you have a strange idea of comfort." Sarena thought about it for a minute and spoke up. "You and I are alike, Mr. Rane. We both like control. It gives a sense of comfort, in a distorted way. When I am in the club, I am a goddess. I control everything and everyone in that building. What's more, they thank me for it. The only difference between us is that I don't kill them when they no longer serve their purpose. Your interests serve only you, Mine however, serve many and in the end I reap the rewards of their gratitude. I go home at the end of the day with my sanity mostly intact." Charles retorted, "Yes, but you are so full of yourself and your warped sense of righteousness that you have lost your appreciation for the purity of the pleasure and pain you give. I think you need a refresher course in the basic human emotions of humility and compassion." Sarena smirked at him, "What do you know of compassion and humility? Do you show compassion for the people you kill? As for righteousness, I think that you are so caught up in the thrill of destruction, that you have forgotten why you began this so-called "Rane of Terror" in the first place! So Charles, I don't think you are any better than me." She swallowed the last of her wine and went to reach for the bottle, in the same instance Charles grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him and he flicked his tongue over her lips. "Then we shall learn humility together." He kissed her deeply, savagely. Sarena hesitated and tried to pull away, she was not about to give in to him so easily. He held her there and kissed her even more fiercely. He stood up and took her with him, "You and I are going upstairs." He stood behind her, "Go on." She walked up the stairs with Charles on her heels, one hand on her back. They entered the bedroom and he told her to sit on the bed and not move. Sarena did as she was told, and watched Charles as he lit the candles on the dresser and beside the bed. "Now stand up, and take off your clothes." She once again did as she was told, "This is the second time you've seen me naked. What about you, when do I get the pleasure?" He stepped up to her and grabbed her nipple piercing and pulled down on it, "Did I ask you to speak, Sarena?" She closed her eyes and endured the punishment, "No". He stepped back and told her to lie down on the bed. She did as instructed and Charles stood there for a brief moment, as if he were an artist contemplating an empty canvas. He removed a candle from the bedside candelabra and he sat next to her on the bed. Slowly he tipped the candle over her breasts, with every drip she arched her back. Her breath was jagged and just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, the candle was replaced with his tongue. He kissed her neck and breasts, he played with the piercing on each of them and moved down and kissed the pain away from her belly.

He sat up long enough to remove his shirt. Sarena smiled at what she saw, sculpted chest muscles and one pierced nipple. He leaned to kiss her, but this time Sarena was faster. She dodged his mouth and went directly to his neck and bit him. In the same maneuver, she grabbed his piercing and twisted it between her fingers. He pinned her to the bed, "I don't remember giving you permission to move!" She laughed at him, "I don't remember having to ask!" She leaned in to him and licked his chest and he simply said, "You will have to be punished." He got up from the bed and took a glance around the room and noticing the tiebacks on the curtains he removed them from the wall. He got back on the bed, he grabbed Sarena rolled her over so that she was face down and tied her hands behind her back. "Uh Oh, I've done it now." He simply replied, "don't move." She couldn't see him, but heard the distinct sound of a belt being removed from trouser loops. He caressed her ass with it first, getting her familiar with the feel of the suede cloth and the width of it. He slapped her with it lightly at first, then the lashings became more prominent. She closed her eyes and let herself fall away to the sensations, Charles stopped in between lashings to soothe and caress her bottom. "I think you've had enough and frankly, so have I." He untied her and she rolled over, "If I didn't know any better, I would think you are showing true compassion." He looked at her, "I'm not the animal that you think I am. I have desires and emotion, it's just easier to give in to the darkness, it's what the world expects of me. I am capable of feelings other than hate, it's just harder to love someone when all they expect is hate." Sarena sat up and looked at him, "I don't hate you. Come here." He laid next to her and she began to trace his muscles with her nails, it made him shiver. "Just close your eyes and let the pain fall away." She covered him in feather light kisses and caresses. She removed his trousers and continued with her touches and kisses. He pulled her up to him and they made love until morning. They lay together as the sun rose over the freshly fallen snow. "I can't stay here you know. The FBI are still looking for me." Sarena put her arm over him, "I know, I didn't ask you to stay. It's not safe here for you. I understand. Besides we live very different lives, I can't just disappear with you and, you can't very well go back to the city with me. I am happy with what we have created in each other. Just promise me you will never forget, promise that it will always live in your heart." Charles kissed her forehead, "I will never forget you, I promise."

They both dressed, Charles made arrangements with his "people" to leave the country by helicopter that was to pick him up at the farm. Sarena began to pick up the house and cover the furniture, she was planning to leave to go home as soon as Charles was gone. "I have to go lock up the barn." She walked out the back door and trudged through the snow to the barn. She went in and began to pull the tarp over the floor. She wrestled with it for a bit, and slipped and fell on the floor. She sat there for a moment, then pulled her knees to her chest and began to cry. She didn't want to go home, she wanted to stay there with him forever. Of course she wouldn't dare tell Charles, she knew he couldn't stay. She got up and began to wrestle with the tarp some more when Charles walked in. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." He wiped her cheek and held her close, "I will come back someday soon." Outside the helicopter was landing. Sarena and Charles walked out together,they kissed one more time and said goodbye. "I'll call you as soon as it's safe. Be a good girl." He winked and smiled at her as he fastened into his seat. She tried to watch him leave but the snow blew up around her as the helicopter took off. She went back to the house and collected her bags and went home.

Sarena immediately returned to her normal routine. Kris was inquisitive, but didn't press her into details of her mystery vacation. A few weeks later while Sarena was working late in the office when the phone rang. It was after midnight so she knew it couldn't be business. She took a deep breath and answered. "Hello?" "I miss you." Was his reply. "I'll not be able to come back to the US anytime soon, I will call and check on you now and again ok?" "Oh I miss you so much, I didn't think you'd ever think of me again. Are you alright? Where are you?" Sarena was overcome with emotion. "Charles I don't know how long I can live without you." "My beloved girl, I feel the same way, and one day we will be together again, but for now you will have to be strong. I need you to be strong for me. I can guarantee that the feds will be paying you a visit eventually and will have to tell them what happened that weekend, minus the ahh,.. more personal moments. Do you think you can handle that?" Sarena laughed, "Yes I have it all planned out actually, no worries. As far as they will know, you abducted me and forced me to drive to the farm where you held me hostage until you planned the imposter and the getaway." "You are getting good at this, are you sure you don't want to join me?" He teased. "No I have enough work here, but if you ever get tired of terrorism, you could always work here, I could always use another Dominatrix." " We have to say goodbye now. This line is only secure for another minute." "Be careful, Charles." Sarena wanted to say more, but now wasn't the time. She decided to wait until they saw one another again. "Until we are together again, farewell Sarena." "Goodbye Charles." And that was that. Sarena hung up and went home. Every now and again she would receive unmarked deliveries of flowers or gifts. He called when he could and on rare occasions they would meet at the farm. She was teaching him how to dance. The FBI sometimes followed her or tapped her phone. Sarena found this very amusing, sometimes she would get her co-workers to call and talk dirty on the phone just for fun, others she would just blow an air horn into the receiver. They finally left her alone. It wasn't the most ideal lifestyle, but it was certainly lively.