"STORY OF O" "One day, her lover takes O where they never go:" "Park Monceau, Park Montsouris or another, in a bright alley, bordered by a huge dark forest." "It'll soon be evening and it's almost autumn." "René asks O to take off her underwear." "In the car going God knows where," "O dares ask nothing, fearing the driver." "Take them off." "Sit straight on the seat." "Never cross your legs or keep your knees together." "This is it." "Listen:" "You'll go and ring." "Follow whoever opens and obey their orders." "You want to?" "Yes." "And you?" "I'll be here." "Go." "Another beginning could be more brutal and simpler." "O was driven by her lover and an unknown friend." "The unknown friend said that her lover was in charge of her preparation." "O wondered why her hands were tied, as she was ready to obey her lover." "Maybe it was one of his wishes, like leaving her alone, waiting pointlessly for half an hour or an hour or two, I don't know..." "But it felt like a century." "You mustn't keep your knees together." "Turn her around." "Let us see her." "Bondage?" "No, never." "Whip?" "Not whipping her a little and giving her pleasure." "The point is to draw tears from her." "Whenever we whip you here, you'll be blindfolded." "But not tonight." "You'll see yourself the first time." "You're proud!" "I want to hear her scream." "Immediately!" "No!" "I can't any more!" "I beg you!" "No." "It leaves too deep marks." "Punishment by the whip lasts longer." "I want you to use only the whip." "As you wish." "René!" " I did it, you see?" " Yes." "For you." "Yes, for me." "Don't get up, remain seated." "Tomorrow you'll wear this." "It's practical." "Show her why." "The women in the castle and park dress like this." "It makes you available to those wishing to use you." "As they wish, whenever they wish." "Before I tell you all the rules," "I must remind you again you're here voluntarily and you're still free to leave." "Do you want to leave?" "Don't give me that look, you'll feel sorry." "One last time, do you want to leave?" "In that case, you'll have to abide by these rules." "You're in an alley that leads to the park." "Your servant's Pierre." "A servant?" "The one who'll bind you at night." "He'll also whip you." "Servants can take us." "Pierre, he is..." "Don't look him in the eyes!" " He's what?" " You heard." "Not in my eyes!" "I'll return for her." "Jeanne and Andrée asked her name." "She gave only an initial:" "O." "Your lover sent you?" "You're lucky." "They'll be hard on you." "Why?" "You'll understand." "Well, lady?" "O wondered why charm and terror were so mixed, why terror was so sweet." "Get up." "Turn around." "It's 9 o'clock." "Eat quickly, then sleep." "You know that?" "About the sugar?" "I was told." "Enough, we mustn't speak." " Come, Andrée." " But tell me..." "My love!" "Come, let's see you." "Obey." "O felt soiled and guilty of the illicit pleasure she'd had in a stranger's arms." "But her lover explained that the more he gave her, the more he wanted her." "Offering her to another man was proof that he owned her." "One can only give that which one owns." "Don't speak." "You were told yesterday that during your stay here you mustn't look the men in the eyes or speak to them." "From now on, the same rule applies to me." "I love you." "But before you go totally silent," "I want you to pronounce two words." "The name of the man for whom I brought you here, to whom I'll introduce you some day." "Sir Stephen." "It's the cloister." "What?" "No, I said nothing!" "I apologize!" "I apologize!" "No, please!" "Do anything you want but not that!" "Take me, do what you want, anything but that!" "No, anything but that!" "I'll do what I'm told!" "Jeanne had broken a rule when she spoke about the cloister." "O never found out what had happened." "Monique, come closer." "Come here!" "I'm leaving." "I'll only come back to take you away." "When?" "In a few days." "How many days?" "Now, if you wish." "You want to see me whipped?" "Yes, so I can picture you when I'm away." "Will you be happy?" "I will, I know it's hard to understand." "I must no longer talk to you or look at you." "Look at me." "It's hard to understand." "But you understand, right?" "Why?" "Once upon a time, a little girl saw a white rabbit wearing a watch." "Her name was Alice." "The white rabbit was very late." "She wasn't surprised that he could talk." "Then?" "Then, she followed him." "Where to?" "In a deep well." "She had many adventures." "Go on." "What was in the well?" "Sir Stephen." "My hands." "I love you." "She won't look." "She will." "No, she won't." "She's new, that's all." "No." "I love her." "She's proud." "Come on, stop." "Pierre is watching you." "You like him?" "Yes." "You do?" "I don't understand." "In fact, she liked all that came from her lover, even Pierre." "She belonged to her lover through all the strangers she gave herself to." "I must prepare you." "You won't dine tonight." "Please go into the corridor." "Why?" "I want to be alone, there's no door." "There are no doors on purpose." "Look at me." "Look only once." "I shan't hit you again..." "I'll just pretend to." "Did I force you at the stairs?" "O lost count of time." "The grass darkened." "The days and nights were lost." "The light never faded." "After a few days, time flowed again." "In her velvet night, she was released." "Get dressed." "We're going." "Take it and put it on your index finger." "Goodbye." "It fits me." "Roissy." "It hasn't changed." "I've lived here for years." "Four years." "I'm going up." "The bathroom." "It's so good!" "This is my room." "Your room?" "You never sleep!" "I've put a present for you on your bed." "Weird, I had no recollection of the kitchen lino." "Thank you." "He said she'd no longer be free from then on." "Unless she'd stopped loving him and left him straightaway." "It surprised her that after all that he wanted more proof that she was his." "Maybe he knew it but wanted to reinforce it as he took pleasure in that." "That's not the way you should listen to me." "Come here." "Like this?" "You must keep your lips slightly apart." "In the morning, you'll sort your stuff." "I'll take what's useless." " It's me." " Good morning, darling." "Sorting your stuff?" "I am." " You're dressed?" " I have my nighty on." "Take it off." "René?" "Your ring?" "Yes." "Stay naked until I arrive." "Pack that which neither comes off easily nor opens at the front." "Seeing she had done all he'd asked, he was amazed she belonged to him so much." "That's it." "Thank you." "Will you print some for me?" "Yes, of course." "You look girlish." "You've changed a lot." "But garters... they damage the legs." "They're easy." "O made about fifty prints of Jacqueline, nothing like what she'd done before." "In her body and face, she found a special charm." "René, darling." "I'm going for a little while." "Be ready in an hour." "A car will call." "Dress in black." "Wear your fur." "It's so old!" "It looks good." "Don't be silly!" "Good enough for a funeral." "Please, it's important to me." "Fine." "You're beautiful." "My love, Sir Stephen." "René didn't lie." "Martini, please." "That's what you want, isn't it?" "Sit down." "If you want, we'll dine in the cellar." "It's nicer there." "We'll have coffee in my house." "The couch is yours." "René will serve the coffee." "Now listen carefully." "René may have told you about his family." "Before he was born," "I was a son to his mother." "Then she left my father." "So René and I are in no way related." "But somehow, we're brothers." "We've always shared everything." "By the ring you're wearing, I have some rights over you as do other men who know it." "But they'd only have quick affairs." "With me, you'll have something more serious." "If you accept it, I'll tell you his preferences." "My demands!" "I'm yours, I'll do as you say." "No, you belong to us both." "Say this:" ""I belong to you both and I'll do what you desire."" "I want to hear you say you'll be as mine as you're René's." "But you'll only have one master, a demanding one, because I have a certain taste for habits and rites." "Out the two of you!" "No..." "I accept it." "Will I be whipped?" "Yes, a few times." "They examined her body in a brutal and abominable way." "She was covered in shame." "But despite the shame, she felt like someone going into a familiar dream that's about to start." "Stay with Sir Stephen." "Don't move." "He'll dismiss you at his leisure." "I'll see you out." "Thank you, René." "You want the car?" "You want the dream to end for fear that you might not bear it." "Yet you want to know how it ends." "Sit down." " A cigarette?" " No." "I want to see you naked." "Undo your blouse." "I don't like your make-up." "The colour is too pale." "Take off your skirt." "You're an easy girl." "Does René know you desire every man who wants you?" "It's an alibi, this obedience." "No, I love René!" "Yes, but you're easy." "Don't move!" "Masturbate." "You understood." "Caress yourself." "No, I can't!" "Is that obedience?" "René wasn't stern enough." "I always obey him." "You're mistaking love with obedience." "You must obey me without loving me and without me loving you." "My room is next door." "Wait." "It's yours." "Keep it." "Iron suits you like your ring." "Should I say irons?" "Please, don't tell René I disobeyed." "I swear I'll obey." "Good morning." "A driver will take you." "A message from master." "René said he would pick you up at the studio." "This is for your next visit." "I have it." "That's good, you look dangerous." "To whom?" "She wanted to say:" ""To Sir Stephen"." "But she was afraid." "She was afraid of his words to René." "Why didn't René come?" "If Sir Stephen didn't love her, René would stop loving her." "You've seen Sir Stephen?" "Yes." "Look!" "He gave it?" "Really?" "Great!" "I'm proud of you!" "I feel the same." "Have you done my prints?" "No, I haven't had the time." "Oh well, I'm off..." "Stay." "Don't go." "Jacqueline came often." "This pleased René, who found her attractive and wanted to seduce her." "O might have been jealous, but something else worried her:" "The grip Sir Stephen had on René." "Don't be angry." "I'm not." "I hardly see you!" "You don't touch me!" "When you do, it's to find marks on me." "You're in love with him, not me." "Nonsense!" "Had I said that two months ago, you'd have slapped me so hard the walls would have shaken." "But I'm yours!" "Yours!" "Sir Stephen's first!" " Listen." " No." "I know." "Phone him, tell him I can't come tonight." "Invent anything." "Tonight I'm yours." "It's impossible." "I shall tell him your words." "Good night." "She didn't believe he would do it." "But they went." "He stayed only long enough to tell him." "Goodbye." "Thank you." "He was as pale as she." "O thought he was in love with her." "He'd never kissed her." "But he punished her himself that night." "He was so cruel, she lost consciousness." " Is that you?" " Of course." "Something's happened, I can't decide alone." "I've met Pierre from Roissy." " Does he want you?" " Yes, now in a hotel." "Do you want to go?" "Yes, I do." "Go back to your flat." "Not come to you?" "I want you to obey me." "Is that you, René?" "René gave me a key." "I see you obeyed me." "You're a big girl." "We'll go out." "But first, answer my questions." "Since your return, have you known other men?" "Desired others?" "Besides Pierre, of course." "A girl, maybe?" "That's it, isn't it?" "Wait." "Is it the Jacqueline René told me of?" "You desire her..." "Jacqueline has a great life." "Sir Stephen made her talk about Jacqueline." "But was he listening?" "She liked to feel that he was aware of her voice, of her moving lips." "René knows what I shall say now." "Remember the first time you came," "I gave you an order you didn't obey." "Will you obey it now?" "Yes, whenever you wish." "Drink up." "I've seen no one, not even René, take you." "It doesn't mean that you'll never give yourself to a stranger in front of him who loves you." "He insisted for a long time, but she wasn't listening." "She heard only" ""him who loves you"." "She needed no more proof." "You're not listening to me." "I'll do anything you want." "I'm yours." "Mine?" "Yours and René's." "René and I have agreed you can be mine only." "If you agree, I want more than words." "If you're only mine, you must be marked." " Marked?" " Permanently." "Finish your coffee." "You're not forced to do anything." "You can always refuse and go." "I'll give you a few days." "Time to take Jacqueline." "Jacqueline, mine?" "I could say," "I'd like to see you with a woman." "That is not the case." "She must be yours to go to Roissy." "It's not possible!" "It is." "It's not possible." "I won't owe René anything." "When she returns, she'll be his." "René's?" "He loves her?" "He said that?" "He wants her." "She doesn't." "So first, persuade her to share your flat." "There's another wardrobe for you." "Make yourself at home." "René doesn't mind?" "No, he's happy about it." "She accepted my room." "That's nothing." "Sir Stephen was right." "She'll give in to you." "Good night." "Come here." "Sit down, don't be afraid." "René won't be back?" "Not tonight." "Strange hairdo!" "Take that off, it's better." "Beautiful." "Tell me you want it." "Yes." "It went well, I'll tell you." "Yes." "Now?" "Straightaway." " Was it René?" " No, it wasn't." " Are you happy because of me?" " No..." "Well, yes." "Because of you." "Now go, you're late." "You don't kiss me?" "No." "See you tonight." "When O came to this house, she was first prepared by Norah." "O never got used to undressing in front of this woman, who never spoke to her." "Now she was taken straight to Sir Stephen, in an unknown room." "It's done!" "I knew you would manage." "Take that off." " Shall I tell you?" " No, I will." "Stop me if I'm wrong." "You're beautiful." "As for Jacqueline," " you undress her." " Yes." "Take off her belt." "You look at her in the eyes and talk." "He was right." "Only through prints, he knew Jacqueline liked pleasure and would give herself freely to O, as she was a woman." "Roses... for me?" "Why not?" "I love you." "Norah!" "There!" "They're yours." "You told me of a mark." " You accept it?" " Absolutely." "When?" "She'll be marked shortly." "I assume you'll be there." "Yes." "Come and see the house." "This is your room." "Do you like it?" "Very much." "Get undressed." "I'll give you a corset." "Very tight." "We'll tighten it daily." "Your waist will be slim." "Your stockings." "They're a bad idea." "Who wanted them?" "The boy who gave her to me." "René, you know him." "Kneel down." "Do you willingly accept to wear Sir Stephen's rings and signs, unaware of how they come?" "Yes, I do." "I'll accompany him." "Stay here." "You're really mine." "Your companions." "Yvonne, Claire," " Andrée..." " I know her." "And Thérese." "I know her too, from school." "Be quiet, Thérese." "Yvonne, put the corset on her." " Please, help." " Sure." " Glad to see you." " Me too." "Very tight." "You'll be prettier." "Come here." "When were you whipped?" "Two or three weeks ago." "We don't whip here." "Except tonight." "Because of your arrival." "O found in Anne-Marie's house tense attitudes, straight out of childhood." "I hate losing." "Check mate in two moves!" " I'm not playing." " Well?" "Cheat!" "That's not true!" "Dirty liar!" "Come behind me." "Not you, O." "Who'll whip you?" "We'll draw lots." "Are you ready?" "Let's do it." "Who has the queen?" "Was it planned?" "I never arrange things." "You know that." "Take her away, she's yours." "You can scream, no one will hear." "And if you shout too loud..." "Go on, Yvonne." "Faster, harder!" "She must scream!" "She understood that her attachment to René, her days at the castle, her hardships, were the surest way to take her to him she loved." "Thinking?" "Of him." "If she was strong enough to take everything, she would manage to conquer him." "Andrée's lover brought her here." "Maybe he won't come back." "Why is that?" "You're not strong enough, you'll leave." " Who brought you?" " Anne-Marie." " You belong to no one?" " She does." "She belongs to me." "But Thérese wasn't the only one who slept with Anne-Marie." "As for everything else, fate decided." "Anne-Marie!" "What are you doing?" "You're mad!" "No, don't!" "I don't want you to!" "You're silly." "I don't care!" "I want to die, you hear?" "Poor little thing." "Punish me." "I don't care." "Go to your room." "You too." "Come, my love." "Claire will show you something." " Show her, Claire." " Sure." "Sir Stephen wants you to carry the same rings." "Once they're on, they can't come off." "Painful?" "No more than an earlobe." "But for you there will be more." "A ring could be filed off." "That's why Sir Stephen wants you marked otherwise." "Forever." "How?" "You promised not to ask." "I'll tell you in time." "Today it's your turn." "Pick it up." "We haven't drawn lots." "I want you to do it." "Obey me." "No, I can't." "Think of what she did to you." "You must learn." "Sir Stephen told me of Jacqueline." "You'll have to hit her." "Go on." "Don't cheat." "All your strength." "Come on!" "Harder!" "Enough!" "Forgive me." "Forgive me, please." "No." " Asleep?" " Yes." "She loves you?" "I know she does." "What have you done to each other?" "I want to know!" "I don't care." "You know what?" "You'll be branded." "Sir Stephen's here." "Coming." "I may not see you again." "You want to bet?" "Sure." "You can still refuse." "No." " Shall I tie you?" " No." "Don't touch me." "I want to leave!" "I can't take it!" " I want to go!" " Fine." "Sir Stephen's driver will take you to Paris." "There, he'd said he loved her and would give her to others who wouldn't love her." "Would he do it?" "And if so, why?" "Careful." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "Better without your hat." "Wait." "It's yours." " Nice daughter." " He's right." "Will you be my daughter?" "I'll be everything." "Give me my gown, please." "Rings?" "First time you notice something outside yourself." "Why wear them?" " You want to know?" " Yes." " Are you sure?" " Yes." "Now I'm Sir Stephen's." "I love him." "It's incredible!" "You're telling me your dreams." "Sir Stephen," "René," "Anne-Marie!" "Me." "Impossible!" "There's one character I don't like at all." "Thérese." "You invented her?" "I invented nothing." "What if I want to go to Roissy?" "For me?" "I'd like to see it, just out of curiosity." "But I wouldn't be touched." "A tourist?" "I'll even sleep with René if you want." "If you want." "Not yet." "When you come to Brittany, I'll give a party." "O can be queen." "Fine." "Get up." "Turn around." "The mark!" "It's nice." "Look, Ivan." "I can see it." "Take that away." "You're going?" "I must." "Ivan took O to his hotel until the evening." "O's obedience and the marks on her body moved him." "But to receive from her so willingly what he had not yet asked of any woman!" " Master's outside." " Thank you." "What's the matter?" "I must explain." "It goes far back." "I swore no woman would ever mean to me more than a stone picked up on a beach." "But you, my love, as far as I go, you come along." "It's true." "I thought I knew love before you." "You can try me as you like." "Why are you so grave?" "Lvan is madly in love with you." "He begged me to give you freedom." "He wants to marry you, to rescue you." "I treat you my way, because you're mine." "As long as you're mine, you must obey." "But you remain free to choose and go." "I told Ivan that." "He'll drop by later." "You're both completely mad." "If Ivan hadn't come, what would you have done with me?" "Come." "It's like Anne-Marie's!" "We're always childish about what we really like." "It's perfect!" "When was it done?" "After your return." "I couldn't show it before I gave you to someone else." "To punish you in advance." "But that's what you must do about Ivan." "Punish me." "Call Norah and leave us alone." "Norah!" "Sir Stephen, please." "On the first floor." "Sir Stephen took O to Brittany for a holiday, with Jacqueline and René." "Jacqueline, hurry up." "Coming." "How nice!" "The sea, the colours... and you." "What are you thinking about?" "Would you like to be a pebble?" "I would, if you found me." "I'd always be in your pocket." "I can't believe it!" " What?" " I've lost a bet." "Thérese!" "I'm glad to see you!" "You're beautiful!" "Thank you." "One..." " and a half." " You remember that?" "I remember it all." "And Anne-Marie?" "She lent me to one of her friends, a captain." "He has a yacht." "Will you come?" "He's very kind." "He taught me to cast a line." "Can you cast a line?" "I'll teach you." "You put the little fish on the hook." "Then you lean foward and wait." "When you feel it moving, you start the fight." "You push and pull, it pulls forward." "When you feel it's there, you pull it back." "Your legs are crossed!" "It's not your business!" "It's Sir Stephen's and others'." "It was to avoid you being whipped." "Some tea?" "Where was I?" "Do you catch big fish?" "Yes, enormous fish..." "That big." "Valient little soldier." " Slept with her?" " Not yet." "What?" "I said not yet!" "At last, you're late!" "Sir Stephen is waiting." "He won't be happy to learn a few things." "Like what?" "That she's not so obedient when she's alone." "She crosses her legs." "She even talks to men." " It's not true!" " Yes, it is." "It's not true!" "She was with the Captain all afternoon." "Stop it!" "Leave them, René." "Come here, O." "I swear it's not true!" "I know it's not." "The Captain is here." "Good afternoon," "I'm very happy to see you again." "It may be emotion, but you're ravishing." "The Captain is giving a party this evening." "He has some things for you." "In Bali, it's quite different." "If you're not used to it..." "Did you stay there long?" "You ought to go there." "You must have met lots of people." "Yes, mostly during cruises." "O saw René desired Jacqueline madly." "He was paralyzed by love." "Seeing him like that, whom she knew so well," "O was not jealous or sad." "She felt mad at Jacqueline." "O can persuade her to give herself to you." "But you'd only have her a night or two." "It wouldn't mean much." "O is right:" "Jacqueline must go to Roissy." "If she refuses?" "You've always trusted me, René." "She'll be yours as O became mine." "I've decided it that way." "You owe me nothing." "More than you think, I love her." "It's thanks to you." "I owe you more each day." "Come." "What do you want?" "I apologize." "I was jealous, unhappy." "I can't bear it when you don't look at me." "I'll do what you want!" "Or I'll kill myself!" "I'll be like Thérese." "Teach me, O." "Thérese learnt it in Roissy, for the love of another." "I'll go to Roissy." "Take me there." "Having done what Sir Stephen had ordered," "O chose her mask, thinking herself a bird of prey, naturally trained to retrieve game." "I regret it, O. I'd like to cancel it." "But the Captain would never forgive me." "Don't regret it." "Every one knows I'm yours." "You know how I feel?" "Extremely proud!" "Was she made of stone or wax?" "Or was she out of this world?" "Sir Stephen admired her insolent nudity and her immense power." "A few days later, Jacqueline went to Roissy." "And you?" "I'll be here." "Go." "A few days later, I took Jacqueline to Roissy." "She said:" ""And you?"" "I answered:" ""I'll be here." "Go."" "And she went?" "Yes." "I love you." "Why are you smiling?" "You say you love me." "But if I asked you to take one of the ordeals I went through, would you accept?" "I think so, yes."