CHAPTER 9

Her mother looked at her without batting an eye, dressed in a turquoise draped dress.

They were in Alisa’s room, Alisa sitting on her bed and her mother standing beside her desk.

Alisa had just told her mother what had happened.

Alisa’s swelling cheek didn’t seem to bother Diana, though.

The way she was looking at her, Alisa suspected her mother believed the slap served her right.

Her throat tightened, and she had to fight back the urge to burst into tears.

Wasn’t her mother going to show the least bit of sympathy?

“Did you hit him back?” Diana asked. Her tone was emotionless.

Alisa stared at her, shame invading her face, then averted her eyes and wrapped her arms around her maroon sweater.

Diana smirked and shook her head, a gesture that seemed to amplify Alisa’s pain.

“You know, when I was young, I never would have let a man mess around with me. Let alone hit me.” She shifted her eyes, as if remembering anecdotes from the past. “I remember when I was in sixth grade, there was this one boy, Tim, who was always making fun of me. Then, one day, I decided I’d had it, and…

” Her smile stretched wider, revealing a hint of mischief.

“Well, let’s just say he never made fun of me again. ”

Alisa looked at her, her eyes wide with wonder. A sudden admiration for her mother bloomed within her.

“The point I’m trying to make here is that you never, ever, let them get away with it.

It’s an unwritten rule. You were right when you said that they’re all pathetic.

” Diana took a sip of her tea and fixed a stern gaze on her daughter.

“But you aren’t. I can see it in your eyes.

I can see how upset you are, and some might argue that what I should be doing right now is consoling you.

But I don’t think that’s the right approach.

Your father and I want to help you feel better… in a different way.”

Alisa looked at her with a hint of unease. “Which way?”

Seconds of silence strolled by. Diana appeared lost in thought, considering her next words. Then she drank the remnants of her tea in one gulp. “Follow me. I want to show you something.”

She started walking out of Alisa’s room and looked over her shoulder at her daughter, who was glaring at her, confused. “Follow you where?”

Diana’s face lit up with an odd smile. “You’ll see. Trust me. You’re going to like what I’m about to show you.”

Uncertainty tickling her skin, Alisa stood up and followed her mother across the hall and downstairs to the first floor.

As they walked into Jeff’s study, the scent of aged paper and leather bindings filled the small space, its walls lined with books.

Against the wall, right under the window, stood an enormous desk.

Alisa’s palms shot up, her impatience obvious. “What is it? What do you want to show me?”

Diana beckoned at her as she walked to the shelves by the right wall.

She took out a black book in the center of the fourth shelf, and Alisa saw the book had been hiding something which resembled a small light switch.

Diana flipped the switch and, to Alisa’s astonishment, the shelf started turning until reaching a diagonal position within the wall.

A thrill coursed through Alisa’s veins. She looked beyond the wall, but could only see darkness. Diana went through the gap in the wall.

“Where does this lead to?”

“Come,” Diana said. “You’ll see.”

Heart pounding, Alisa walked through the hidden opening in the wall, just as her mother flicked a switch that made a set of fluorescent lights spring to life.

The light revealed concrete steps that led way below ground level, much further down than your average basement.

Diana strolled down the steps and Alisa followed, a blend of trepidation and excitement circulating in her blood.

At the base of the steps, Alisa’s eyes fell upon a massive gray steel door, featuring a prominent doorknob, and next to it on the right, a compact numerical entry panel.

As Diana raised her finger to it, she said, “The code is: 2-5-6-1. Memorize it.” She tapped the code and Alisa heard a click.

Then her mother pushed down the cool metal doorknob and opened the heavy door.

◆◆◆

It was dark inside, and a biting chill permeated the air. Diana flicked a switch, and more fluorescent lights blinked twice until holding still. Alisa peered inside.

Her mother had led her to what looked like a small warehouse, about nine-hundred square feet, the reinforced concrete floor immaculate, the white walls without a speck. Except warehouses weren’t below ground level.

“What is this place?”

“A bunker. It was built during the Cold War, during the Cuban Missile Crisis to be exact, when things were starting to get really ugly.”

“Why did you never show it to me?”

Diana shrugged. “It didn’t seem relevant. At least not until now.”

Right next to the door was a workbench, with an assortment of tools on top, knives, scalpels, a drill, saws being the first ones she set eyes on.

However, Alisa’s gaze was drawn to something standing a few meters away.

And it did more than just capture her attention; it took her breath away.

It was a bondage table. It was made of steel and had a black padded top and restraint hoops on the four corners of the table.

There were leather cuffs connected to these hoops by chains.

Alisa gazed at her mother with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. “What’s all this?”

With a deadpan expression, Diana said, “I’m aware of the things you like.”

“What are you talking about?” Alisa said, although a nervous sensation was spiraling in her stomach. She knew what her mother was talking about.

Diana fixed her eyes on her daughter with piercing intensity. “I know the kind of stuff you like to watch on the internet.”

Alisa felt as if she’d swallowed a block of steel as the blood rushed up to her cheeks. “What? I don’t know–”

Diana raised her hands. “Honey, it’s okay. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

All at once, shame was replaced by fierce rage. “Wait a second. Have you been snooping in my computer?” Alisa could only stare at her mother, her mind struggling to grasp what she was hearing. “How did you even figure out my password?”

“I didn’t. And no, I haven’t been snooping in your computer. I respect your privacy, Alisa.”

Unable to meet her mother’s eyes, Alisa huffed and shook her head in frustration. “Then how–”

“Once, when you were a teenager, you used your dad’s computer when you were alone at home. You didn’t delete the search history, though; I’m guessing it’s because you didn’t even know such a thing existed.”

Alisa’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she still couldn’t bring herself to meet her mother’s gaze.

Diana stepped a little nearer her daughter, her hands finding her daughter’s arms. “Like I said, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Alisa risked a tentative look at her mother. “You don’t think I’m sick?”

“Of course not. We are all twisted people. It’s human nature.

And you see, there are these so-called ‘open-minded’ people who say that, in the world of sex, it’s totally okay to do whatever you want, as long as you don’t hurt anyone and, more importantly, as long as the other person gives their consent.

” Diana crossed her arms. “Well, you know what I say to that? Fuck them. If hurting someone turns you on, there’s nothing you can do about it, and keeping this kink locked up would only damage you. So fuck their consent.”

Alisa looked at her mother, her eyes wide with utter confusion. This was a characteristic of Diana’s that she hadn’t known about, which made her mother seem like a stranger.

Diana raised a finger. “Now, I’m not saying you should go out there and hurt any jerk you cross paths with. Not because it wouldn’t be right, but because there’s so many of them it’d be a never-ending task. But hurting those who don’t respect you? Why not?”

Her mouth hung open as Alisa looked at her. She couldn’t believe this was happening. “Does Dad know about my…” She didn’t want to use the word fetish, it triggered a small but unpleasant discharge of shame. “About my interest?”

“Of course he does. It was your dad who found those links in the search history on his computer, after all.”

A fierce blush spread across Alisa’s face. “You’ve known all this time. Both of you. And you’ve been acting so naturally, like everything was okay.”

Diana shrugged. “Of course we have. Because everything is okay. Did you not hear a word I’ve just said? We don’t judge you for it. In fact, we think it’s a very interesting trait of yours.”

Alisa glanced at her gingerly, small fragments of shame still circulating around her body. She couldn’t avoid feeling that they’d invaded her privacy. But then again, she should have deleted the search history after every use, and she cursed herself for not having been smarter.

“May I join you ladies?” a male voice said from behind Alisa.

She whirled around. “Jesus, Dad, give a woman a heart-attack, will you?”

Jeff chuckled. “Sorry for sneaking up on you like that.”

“Yeah, you really do look sorry.” Alisa sighed. “Okay. Well, so now that my secret is out in the open…” With a swirl of the hand, she pointed at the area surrounding them. “Would you care to explain what it is we’re doing here?”

Jeff locked eyes with his wife and nodded.

Diana’s lips curled into a sinister smile, her graying hair, tied up in a bun, shining beneath the fluorescent light. “I’ll be happy to explain, my dear.”