Part 8a - Friday Night at Claires

Lotte told me to stand near the door of Claire's office. She made it clear I was to say nothing until we left the building.

Bea, my Bea, stood next to Claire and Lotte, still sobbing as she looked at me. I deliberately didn't look at her, but I could feel her eyes on me the whole time she was speaking with Lotte.

As we were leaving, all three hugged and said their goodbyes. Lotte deliberately stood between Bea and me, clearly intent on stopping Bea from approaching me.

Claire told me to pick up the overnight and racquet cases Bea had brought as equipment for my weekend as Claire's submissive. I did as I was told.

All three of us left the now empty building to look for Lotte's car, which I couldn't see anywhere. I stopped, confused, looking around the almost empty car park. I could see both my car and Bea's car, but Lotte's European compact was nowhere to be seen.

Lotte, sensing my confusion, said,

"Hec, it's the black SUV over there."

We all kept walking to the SUV. I recognised it as a Chevy Suburban, a seriously big vehicle, enormous compared to her previous car. As I stood staring at it, Lotte told me to put the cases on the back seat, which I did as I got in.

As I settled into the rear seat, I saw Lotte and Claire standing by the driver's and passenger side doors. I didn't understand why they weren't getting in. I finally realised they were waiting for me to open the doors.

I went to Claire's side, opened the door, helped her in, and fastened her seatbelt. After leaning across to fasten the seatbelt, she thanked me and said,

"Thank you, Hec, a gentleman as always."

I quickly moved to the driver's side where Lotte stood impatiently. I opened the door and helped her get into the SUV. Once seated, she leaned towards me and said,

"That was disappointing, Hec. You need to get better."

Lotte's words, said in the same tone that she always used when I was her husband and submissive, were a warning to me that I was to be punished as I had not performed to her exacting standards. Despite the promise of punishment, her voice still excited me and never failed to make my heart beat faster.

Once I was back in the rear seat, the excitement Lotte's warning had stirred quickly faded. With nothing to distract me, what had happened in Claire's office began replaying in my head.

Bea ordering me to undress, in front of Claire, telling me that I was to be loaned to Claire for the weekend as her submissive.

Me asking her to stop. Bea telling me not to embarrass her in front of Claire.

Then, out of nowhere, Lotte's strong voice said, "RED." Something I should have said but couldn't.

That was the part I couldn't get past. I had wanted Bea to stop, yet I hadn't used the one word that would have stopped everything. I couldn't; I didn't, because I knew it would make me look weak and unworthy of being Bea's submissive.

After Lotte saved me, I remembered asking her to take me back, but she refused. With nowhere else to go, I had knelt before Claire and offered myself to her for the weekend.

I couldn't understand why Bea had treated me so casually by giving me to Claire for the weekend. I was genuinely worried: had I done something wrong, or was this casual dismissal part of a side to Bea she had kept hidden from me?

Sitting in the back of Lotte's car, I wasn't sure about anything anymore except that something between Bea and me had changed permanently.

I turned towards the window before Claire or Lotte could see me start to sob.

Claire asked Lotte if she could turn her phone back on to check for messages.

As soon as Claire's phone powered up, it started pinging with texts and voicemail alerts. I saw Claire smile as she listened to all the voicemails.

She then turned to me and showed me the message count on the phone screen, beaming with happiness.

"These are all about you, Hec, all 17 of them. They're all about the McAllister contract and your work in landing that contract. Since you danced into my office earlier today, I've been fielding calls from people who want to meet you. Everybody wants to be seen with you."

"Just listen to this, Hec; it's from the MD. He wants to meet you first thing Monday, for coffee, no less!"

The message was from a voice I had never heard before.

I listened to the voicemail; it was embarrassing how much he praised me, and I started to blush.

"Have you met him?" I asked Claire.

"Yes, several times. He is really nice, easy to talk to, very down to earth."

I knew what Claire was doing; she was distracting me from my troubles, stopping me from doing anything stupid. This was one of the many reasons I enjoyed working for her; she always seemed to know, intuitively, what people needed.

Claire kept talking but switched to telling me we were going to stop at a supermarket on the way to her house and that I was to collect all the shopping needed for the weekend. While I shopped, she and Lotte had coffee and cake. She told me not to take long, as she was eager to get on with the weekend.

As Lotte pulled into the car park, I noticed she was parking in an isolated spot, away from every other car, which meant a long walk to the supermarket.

"I'm parking away from all the other cars as this is new and I don't want to risk having the bodywork scratched," said Lotte.

Claire and Lotte went to the coffee shop, whilst I went shopping.

*****

Lotte and I walked to an unoccupied part of the coffee shop so we could talk privately. As soon as we sat down with our coffee, Lotte began,

"We need to have a chat about Hec, especially what happened in your office and our plans for the weekend with Hec. Before we do, I want to thank you for stopping him from leaving; if he had left, I don't know what would have happened. Calling him Hector, so simple yet so clever, was a masterstroke."

"Calling him Hector rather than Hec just came to me as he was walking out the door," I replied.

"However you came up with the idea doesn't matter. All that matters is that it worked."

Lotte and I continued talking about her plans for the weekend. She explained that an FLR wasn't all about inflicting pain or constantly telling a submissive what to do. The small things mattered just as much: the things a submissive did to make his Mistress's life easier, and the care she gave him in return. Lotte intended to explore some of those things with Hec over the weekend. She would help me initially, but expected me to take the lead more and more, stepping in only when necessary.

"I've bought the food for this weekend," Hec said.

"When did you last eat, Hec?"

"Not since breakfast."

"Why not?" I replied a little sharper than I intended.

"I've been too excited," he said rather shyly.

"Bea will take a very dim view of us if we don't feed you. Get yourself a sandwich and a cake. Get a Danish pastry. I know you like them. Then come back here and eat your sandwich with us."

I saw Hec's face harden at the sound of Bea's name. I needed to tread carefully.

Hec dutifully did as he was told.

"That was a good start, Claire," Lotte said. "It was simple, it was needed, and it established that you are his mistress and he does exactly as you tell him, when you tell him."

Hec returned quickly and sat down. I glared at him.

"Who gave you permission to sit down?"

Hec said nothing, realising he had made another mistake.

"That was disappointing. We will discuss this later; eat your sandwich and then we will leave."

The walk back to Lotte's SUV was surprisingly long.

When we reached Lotte's SUV, Lotte opened the trunk. Hec and I looked inside; we saw a large dog cage with a thin mattress inside. Hec did a double take. He knew exactly what Lotte planned and didn't look happy about it.

This would be my first real attempt to enforce my dominance over Hec.

"Get in the cage, Hec. Slaves don't travel with their mistresses."

Hec just stood there, eyes wide, staring at the dog cage.

I sighed theatrically the way Lotte always did; I had been practising, and then said,

"Don't just stand there, get in; we don't have all day."

Hec remained frozen in place, still wide-eyed.

"Hec, we both know that you will get in eventually, so just getting in now will save you a lot of pain later."

"But someone might see me," he stammered.

"No, they won't. That is why Lotte parked here. No CCTV, no people on foot and no passing cars."

"If you don't do as you have been told, I will be very disappointed in your behaviour!" With that, he turned towards the cage and started to get in.

"Stop! Get undressed before you get in; otherwise, you will ruin your clothes."

That caused Hec to stop and look around. He quickly took off his shoes and started undressing, throwing his clothes into the trunk. Just as he was trying, again, to get in the cage, I said,

"Hec, fold your clothes up; otherwise they will get creased and be ruined."

Hec looked pleadingly at me. I didn't weaken; I just kept glaring at him with my sternest management glare.

"The longer you take, the greater the chance there is of being seen. It's up to you to do it now or hesitate and be seen."

Hec, naked except for his cage, which I had forgotten he was wearing, rapidly folded his clothes and almost jumped into it. I closed the cage door and locked it with a simple padlock. I started to breathe again.

We planned to lock the trunk and go. I wanted to try something I had read about. I sat down next to the cage and started talking to Hec quietly and gently, reassuring him.

It was working; I could see Hec relax a little.

I was carrying Hec's uneaten Danish pastry. I showed it to Hec, then broke a piece off and offered it to him. He tried to take the piece with his fingers through the cage bars. I pulled it away, shook my head at him and said,

"No hands."

I offered it to him again; this time he put his mouth to the bars and took the pastry from my fingers.

I kept feeding him until it was all gone. All that I had left were crumbs and some icing at the bottom of the bag. I wiped my fingers to collect them and offered the crumbs to Hec. He accepted them, took my fingers into his mouth, and sucked all the crumbs and icing off them; I repeated this a few times until the bag was empty. As Hec licked and sucked my fingers, it was a wonderful feeling.

I told Hec it was only a short drive to my house, and then slammed the trunk door down, leaving Hec caged, alone, and in darkness. As the trunk closed, Lotte, who had been watching closely, came up beside me and said with a smile,

"Well done."

*****

Sitting in the driver's seat, I looked at Claire. Drained was the first word that crossed my mind, followed by happy. I needed to talk Claire through what had just happened. She expected me to drive off straight away, so she looked at me, wondering what was happening. I said we needed to talk before I drove to her house. Instantly Claire's expression tightened.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Quite the opposite. You did something very well, and I don't think you realise how well you did." That certainly got Claire's attention.

"Have you come across the term 'Subspace' while reading James's porn stories?"

"Yes, but I don't understand it," Claire replied.

"It's a trance of sorts. I saw Hec go into subspace almost as soon as you started to feed him. I've never seen him go into subspace so quickly. Did you realise you were also talking to him, reassuring him all the time you fed him?"

"Was I?"

"Yes. It was wonderful to watch. You should be proud of yourself; you did so very well."

*****

I turned onto the drive Claire indicated, which led to her house. I expected an upmarket gated community populated with similar, boring, modern homes. Claire's house looked like an old stone farmhouse, set well away from any other houses on a large plot.

"This is unexpected," I said to Claire.

"Yes. I love it here."

We pulled into the long drive and turned off the engine. I turned and said to Claire,

"Hec will be very nervous. He will be afraid that people may see him. Given how far we are from other properties, that's unlikely. So that is the first thing you must tell him; otherwise, he may panic."

Claire nodded.

*****

Lotte and I walked to the rear of her Chevy and lifted the trunk lid. Hec looked at us, blinking, unaccustomed to the light.

"We're home, Hec," I said brightly. "Out you come. You're safe; my house isn't overlooked."

Hec didn't move, just stayed in the trunk, blinking in the sudden light.

Lotte passed me a collar and leash. After I put the collar around Hec's neck and attached the leash, I gently encouraged him out of the dog cage until he was standing, naked, by the trunk.

I handed the leash to Lotte and asked her to take care of Hec while I unlocked my house.

By the time I returned, Lotte had Hec carrying the food shopping and the two cases Bea had brought with her. I took his leash again and slowly walked him into my house.

Once inside, I led Hec into the kitchen and told him to put everything away. I waited until he had finished before starting the tour.

As we walked around the house, I pointed out the rooms we would be using and where everyone would be sleeping. When I showed Hec his room, Lotte gave me a disappointed look and slowly shook her head.

I immediately realised I had made another mistake.

Hec wouldn't have his own room.

I was sure Lotte would explain that later.

Once I had finished showing them the house, I suggested a quick tour of the garden.

"The garden sounds promising, Hec," Lotte said.

Hec didn't seem enthusiastic about touring the garden.

I led everyone back through the kitchen and out through the rear door, still holding Hec's leash.

The garden was enormous, with a small copse of trees at the bottom. The trees and some shrubs partially hid a large shed.

"What is that shed for?" asked Lotte.

"It's an old woodshed; it's where I keep gardening tools."

"A woodshed? Can we have a closer look?"

"It's not locked, so of course we can."

We walked across the lawn to the woodshed. I leaned on the door, and it squeaked open slowly.

Hec hesitated.

I still held his leash, so Hec eventually followed me through the door, with Lotte behind us.

*****

I stood in the centre of the woodshed. It was perfect for so many things, but I only had a weekend with Hec and Claire and didn't want to waste time on interesting diversions.

I smiled at Hec; he could read my mind, and he didn't look happy.

I wandered around looking for something, and then I spotted what I hoped to find.

Garden canes!

I picked up the bundle and laid it on a wooden workbench. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hec watching me.

I turned to Hec and said,

"Kneel."

Claire looked confused; she'd understand what was happening soon enough.

Hec wisely adopted a submissive pose, bowing his head.

"Hec, tell me, what did I say to you when you forgot to open the car doors for us?"

"That you were disappointed in me."

"We both know what that means, don't we?"

"That you were disappointed and that I had fallen short of your expectations." Replied Hec.

"And?" I pressed.

"I would be punished for falling short of your expectations"

"Stand up, Hec, and select a cane for Claire to use."

Claire watched intently as the scene played out.

Hec picked a cane from the pile. He had chosen carefully; it was medium length and not too heavy. I swished it through the air to test it; it felt perfect.

"Lie over the end of the workbench. Quickly, I want to finish this quickly, as I want you to go and get changed so you can cook dinner for Claire and me."

I finally looked at Claire, who looked shocked. I passed the cane to Claire, who just stared at me. Whilst driving over, I had told her Hec would need to be disciplined, and she had agreed to cane him when required.

Claire stepped behind Hec and swished the cane experimentally; Hec flinched in anticipation, but nothing happened.

Claire then told Hec that he was due 6 strokes of the cane and why he was being punished. So far so good; however, Claire was looking pale. I hoped she would not weaken.

I watched Claire line up the first stroke, then she struck Hec well.

Hec said,

"One, mistress."

"Two, mistress."

"Three, mistress."

As I watched Claire, I could see that she was starting to enjoy herself. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was slightly out of breath.

"Six, mistress."

After delivering all 6 strokes, Claire told Hec to stand up and open his mouth.

"We'll keep that, as we may need it again if you misbehave," said Claire. She then put the cane in his mouth, as if he were a dog carrying a stick.

With that, we all returned to the kitchen, where I took the cane off Hec and told him to go upstairs and change, but first to bring Claire and me a glass of wine. Under my breath so that Claire couldn't hear, I told Hec: full makeup, blonde wig, French maid uniform, and that top with the moulded breast forms. He looked distinctly worried and started to say something, but I quickly reminded him he could only respond to a direct question.

As he reluctantly turned to leave, I slapped Hec really hard on his sore behind to encourage him to move faster, which he did.

I turned to Claire and said,

"Hec is getting changed; he won't be long. He will join us and start cooking dinner."

*****

Lotte and I retired to the lounge with our wine while Hec went upstairs to get changed. We began to chat, and fairly soon I returned to something Lotte had mentioned earlier.

"I think that I finally understand how a FLR relationship develops," I said.

Lotte smiled before replying and said,

"Do you mean like having wine brought to us and dinner cooked? That's only the start; all you need to do is be the mistress he needs you to be. To do that, you need to set the overall tone of the relationship as soon as possible. Which we did on our first meeting where you made it clear you were in charge."

"Set the tone?"

"Yes, determine and control the relationship within the boundaries you and he agree on. You need to start discussing that with James as soon as possible. Definitely before you and he get remarried."

"Remarried?" spluttered Claire.

"Claire, it's obvious that is where you are going. Agree your slave contract with James, something like Hec's but tailored for him. Once signed, tell him to marry you; he can't refuse, can he? It'll be in the slave contract he's signed. That will be what he expects, and I'm certain it's what he wants."

I could feel a smile spread over my face at the thought of James being back with me.

"Yes, I desperately want him back as my husband. I so nearly lost him, but thanks to you, Bea and obviously Hec, I will get him back, and when I do, I know what to do to keep him."

Lotte studied me for a moment before continuing.

"Let's talk about the rest of tonight. Hec, as you know, is into humiliation. You saw me tell him to go and get changed. He'll be with us soon. Once he is, I'll start humiliating him. You need to join in and ideally take over and gently push the boundaries of his humiliation. We both need to remember he's still very sensitive about what happened in your office, so we need to be careful."

I nodded.

"You being his manager adds another layer to the humiliation," Lotte continued. "He knows he has to face you again on Monday, so be aware of that. Push him, but carefully. He's been through a lot today. However, you must always remember you're in charge. He must do as you tell him."

Lotte and I continued talking about Bea, Hec, and our respective jobs. I mentioned the McAllister project that Hec had won. Lotte knew about the project, but not how important it was.

After I explained the contract and its implications, she fell silent.

"Do you really mean he saved the company?"

"Yes. I know for certain we were only a few months away from a restructuring exercise that would reduce headcount by roughly 1 in 6. McAllister has saved all that."

Lotte went quiet as she took in what I had told her.

Then I heard shoes tapping along the hall floor.

A strangely familiar woman opened the lounge door.

Lotte immediately stood, walked across to the woman and took her hand. She led her forward until they were standing a few feet in front of me.

Where had this woman come from?

Lotte had one of her enigmatic smiles.

"Claire, meet Hec."

"No, it can't be."

"It is. Hec, greet Claire properly."

The woman stepped closer, knelt, kissed both my feet, and then leaned back on her heels.

Up close, I could see clearly, under the skilfully applied makeup, that this really was Hec.

"Brushes up well, doesn't he?" said Lotte, smiling.

I said nothing as I took in the amazing sight before me.

Hec wore a classic French maid uniform tailored to fit perfectly. The uniform was paired with seamed stockings that reached almost to the hem of the skirt, a starched white blouse, and an apron. His makeup was perfectly applied, better than I could have managed myself, and he wore an expensive looking shoulder length blonde wig.

Then I realised I had missed something obvious.

Breasts.

How had Hec developed breasts while getting changed?

I could clearly see their shape beneath his blouse. Even the nipples were obvious.

"How is it possible to get Hec looking so adorably feminine?" I asked.

"Time, patience and extensive training reinforced by focused discipline. Quality clothing helps as well. Cheap clothes ruin everything. The breasts are silicone and look and feel real. They're part of a top Bea had custom made. Their shape, weight and the way they jiggle with every move constantly remind Hec that he is a sissy."

Lotte smiled lovingly at Hec.

"He's my little sissy."

Hec's face immediately flushed with embarrassment at Lotte's casual humiliation of him in front of me.

"His appearance is just the beginning," Lotte continued." There are other hidden delights as well."

She told Hec to stand.

Hec did as Lotte commanded and stood just in front of me.

Lotte stepped closer to Hec and lifted the front of his maid's uniform. Underneath was a pair of white panties over his chastity cage. The panties had a damp patch that seemed to grow as I watched.

"He's wet himself," I said to Lotte.

"No, he is excited; he is leaking precum. That's why he wears panties, so it doesn't drip on the floor. It can still be messy, but we have a cure for that."

With that, Lotte handed me a sealed condom.

I looked to Lotte for guidance. As usual, she understood my confusion.

"Pull his panties down and put the condom over the cage to catch any leaks," Lotte said.

I did as I was told. Hec just stood there immobile while I secured the condom and pulled up his panties.

Lotte told Hec to go and make our evening meal. We went into the lounge to wait.

It wasn't long before Hec entered the lounge and said our evening meal was ready.

The moment we entered the kitchen, Hec's cooking smelled wonderful. Our meal was already out, ready for us to eat. The table was laid out perfectly, with a white tablecloth, napkins, silver cutlery, crystal glasses, and chilled bottles of white wine and mineral water.

"Well done, Hec, you found the good plates and tablecloths," I said.

"Some of the drawers and cupboard doors are damaged; I hope I haven't damaged them further?" replied Hec.

"I know they need some work; it's nothing to worry about."

Lotte and I sat down.

Only two places had been laid.

I looked at the table, confused, but said nothing.

We started eating, and the food tasted even better than it smelled. Throughout the meal, Hec knelt between Lotte and me. Whenever we needed more wine, he stood, refilled our glasses, then knelt again.

Partway through the meal, I asked Lotte when Hec would eat.

"When we let him," she said, looking down at Hec, who displayed no reaction.

"Hec, kneel closer to my side."

Without hesitation, Hec moved to my side and leaned in to rest against my thigh; I was going to feed him again!

I slowly gave Hec the rest of my food piece by piece. The sauce coated my fingers, which I gave to Hec to suck, which he did so very eagerly.

*****

I watched Claire feeding Hec by hand as she did at the supermarket.

At first, she fed him small pieces of food covered in sauce; as soon as the food was gone, Claire began coating her fingers in sauce and let Hec lick it off.

I watched the feeding progress and realised Hec was losing himself to Claire, exactly as he had in the car park.

I had never fed Hec like this when we were married.

I had fed him, made him eat from a bowl on the floor, but never fed him piece by piece from my fingers.

I had clearly missed this. This was something I would do in the future.

As Claire continued to feed him, I could see her face and neck become flushed; she was clearly getting aroused.

Once the food was gone, Hec kept sucking on her fingers.

Claire had two fingers in Hec's mouth and gently pushed them in and out, going deeper each time. Hec didn't resist and wore the same glazed expression I'd seen when Claire fed him while he was locked inside the dog cage.

I was confident Claire could handle this without me.

As I stood to leave, I checked one last time.

Claire had taken complete control of Hec. She stood in front of him, slowly pulling her dress upwards with one hand while the fingers of her other hand remained in his mouth.

I quietly left the kitchen, leaving the door open, and retired to the lounge to wait for Claire.

I waited for Claire in the lounge. I also listened carefully for any problems; I wasn't spying, just concerned... I did hear Claire squealing with delight on at least three separate occasions. I smiled and thought how well things were going with Claire and Hec, much better than I expected.

Claire eventually joined me in the lounge. She slumped into an old armchair opposite me, looking flushed and very happy.

"You were right," Claire said after a few moments.

"About what?" I replied.

"Hec's technique is much better than James's. I'll fix that and have a lot of fun doing so," Claire said with a happy smile.

*****

I stood at the sink, trying to look out the kitchen window while washing the dinner dishes, but I couldn't; it was dark outside, and all I could see was my face. My makeup was badly smeared; my mascara had run, and my lipstick was mostly gone, my face slick with Claire's juices. Not for the first time, I asked myself how I ended up in this way. I knew the answer; I had always known why I had chosen this path.

That night, which seemed so very long ago, Lotte, instead of accepting the handcuffs I wanted her to wear, took them from me. In that moment, as she snapped the handcuffs on me, her eyes sparkled as though she had finally found what she had always been looking for. This was the path I wanted to follow, not at first, but soon I realised it was what I wanted, had always wanted, and would always want.

In my heart, I had always been drawn to strong women, always. Something about their inner strength, the way they carried themselves and spoke made my heart sing in a way words could never describe. I never understood why, but I would never change it.

I couldn't understand what had happened earlier today. Why had Bea treated me like that, telling me, Not to embarrass her in front of Claire? She had never spoken to me like that, ever. She had never treated me in such a casual, offhand manner, as though I meant nothing to her. Did I mean nothing to her? Had she tired of me? Had I done something wrong? Then there was Lotte, the one who led me down this path in the first place, telling me she loved me, would always love me, but could never take me back. Did no one want me? What was wrong with me?

I was now Claire's submissive for the weekend, Claire, my manager, whom I saw every working day. I wondered what she would see, who she would see, the next time she saw me at work. Certainly not the man who saved the company, just a man dressed as a woman, doing whatever he was told.

*****

I stood and watched Claire, Hec and Lotte leave Claire's office. I hoped that Hec would at least turn and give me some token of recognition, a smile. No, nothing; he just walked out and never looked back. My heart broke.

As soon as I realised they had really left and weren't coming back, I slumped into a chair and held my head in my hands. I knew what had happened: I had lost control and pushed Hec too far and had caused him to break down, sobbing. What was I thinking? I thought I understood Hec, but clearly not?

Something worse lurked at the back of my mind, much worse. What if Lotte hadn't arrived when she did? I knew I was in a rage before Lotte arrived and was now afraid of how far I might have gone had Lotte not arrived to save Hec from me.

I looked at my watch and realised that I had been sitting for over an hour since they left. All the office lights were off, and I was alone with my anger. Anger at what I did.

I arrived home not really knowing how I got there. I must have driven, but I couldn't remember driving.

There was no Hec, kneeling naked and collared, submissively waiting to welcome me home. I missed him already.

I wandered into the kitchen expecting to smell something delicious cooking. No, just an empty, cold kitchen devoid of activity. I realised that I would have to cook if I wanted to eat. I hadn't cooked since Hec left Lotte and moved in with me, and I didn't know where to start.

Yes, I did.

A bottle of wine sat in the fridge. I poured myself a large glass and sat at the breakfast table. The house was empty: no Hec to massage my feet after a long day, just oppressive silence. I drained the wine glass, reached for a refill, and stopped. No, drinking myself into oblivion would not help. I needed to understand why I went too far with Hec. I needed to examine every second to see where I went wrong.

Before I realised it, I was getting ready for bed, alone. Hec would not be there to pleasure me. I so longed to turn to him and hold him in my loving embrace, but it was a cold, unforgiving bed for me for the next few nights. What if Hec didn't come back? What if I had hurt him so much he never came back? That thought was the last thing I had before sleep slowly claimed me.

I was without Hec, but in my dreams he was still with me.

*****

I was back in Claire's office. Lotte was there, but she just stood looking at me reproachfully. Claire was also there, her hands over her face as though she didn't want to see something terrible.

Hec, of course, was there.

I looked at Hec. He stood before me, hand outstretched. I saw his head; it was covered in blood, dripping endlessly down the side of his face, running onto his white shirt. He said nothing, just stood there, hand outstretched. I asked him what he wanted, again and again until I was screaming that question at him.

I woke with a start from my all too real dream. Shivering in a cold sweat.

I needed to sleep, but I was afraid to. I knew I would see Hec in my dreams, but not the way I wished. It would be a long weekend.