FABLE: Chapter One

Part 1
________________________________________
The smell of rubber was overpowering, and as Tom descended the stairway into the basement, the sensual odour grew stronger until its assault on his senses made his rampant cock so desperate to escape the confines of his jeans that the last few steps of his descent were decidedly uncomfortable. It was not only the strong smell of rubber that affected Tom, but also anticipation of what he knew was awaiting him during the next forty-eight hours. Tom had visited the house many times before, but this was the first occasion on which he had been bidden to the basement.
It had all begun six months previously when a privately circulated highly specialist gay contact publication carried an advertisement which leapt from the page before Tom's eyes.

Attractive, educated Rubber-dominant, 42, seeks Rubber-submissives. The advertiser is widely experienced, has a medical background, and has devised what he believes to be a supreme Rubber experience. To test his theory, the advertiser requires applications from Rubber-submissives of not less than 30, who have extensive experience of all aspects of Rubber-erotica, with particular reference to medical equipment and procedures. All applicants will be replied to; potentially suitable candidates will be invited to submit themselves for interview and assessment. The successful candidate(s) will be rewarded with a memorable rubber-erotic experience. The advertiser has ample resources of equipment and imagination - now he needs a subject.

Such an ad was irresistible to Tom, who at 33 was beginning to feel that, much as he enjoyed his rubber-sex, it was all becoming very routine; the zest was going out of it and, he admitted to himself, his rubber palette had become jaded. He needed something new and special to bring back the buzz.

Rubber had been like a drug to Tom, the more he had, the more he wanted, and now he was hankering for something really spicy - something extreme which would extend all his erotic thresholds through the medium of rubber - so he answered the ad.
________________________________________
Tom had reached the basement. The small area at the bottom of the staircase was bare and painted entirely white. There were three doors. One ahead and one to each side. The black door was straight in front of him; it was this door through which he would pass.

He paused for a few seconds to compose himself for what was to come; he was almost overcome with excitement. As he endeavored to calm himself, his mind flashed back to his first visit to the house several months ago.

He had not known what to expect on that occasion; the door had been answered by a man in his early forties, well over six feet tall, not especially good-looking, but indefinably attractive. His dark wavy hair was greying slightly at the temples, and he could only be described as distinguished. The features were lean, but saved from gauntness by the generous and humorous mouth. The grey eyes possessed a curious intensity, although the laughter lines surrounding them added warmth. The nose was slightly aquiline. .he was dressed in a black jacket and striped trousers, Tom thought he looked like a barrister.

"You are Tom?"
"Yes."
"Good, I'm Richard, please come in."

The manner was almost courtly, not at all what Tom had expected. Richard led the way into a small sitting room, expensively and tastefully furnished. After a few polite enquiries about Tom's journey, Richard pressed a bell, saying, "I thought you might care for some tea." Tom murmured his assent, thinking how different - and in his heart, how disappointing - his reception had been from what he had imagined; there had so far been no mention of rubber, and certainly no evidence of any.

Almost within seconds of Richard's ringing the bell, the door opened, and a trolley laden with the accoutrements of afternoon tea appeared, pushed by a man of about Tom's age dressed in a white steward's jacket and dark trousers. He was possessed of blond good looks and a powerful physique. He addressed Richard as 'Doctor', or just 'Sir' in the brief exchanges between them as the tea things were laid out. It emerged that Richard's houseman was called Karl, and as he left the room, Richard thanked him courteously for his attentions.

During tea the conversation ranged over a wide variety of topics, none connected in any way with the real purpose of Tom's visit, though he did remind himself from time to time that the ad had referred to an interview, and Tom supposed that this was it, and that he was being assessed all the while by his host, who was proving to be an interesting conversationalist and a pleasant and attractive companion.

After forty-five minutes of talk and tea, during which Tom was feeling increasingly drawn to Richard, not least by his unusually persuasive, almost hypnotic personality, the older man rose, "Shall we go to my study?", he invited, and without waiting for a reply, opened the door and led the way across the hall into a room, which though slightly more masculine in character, was as quietly elegant as the room in which they had taken their tea.

"Now, Tom - business. Our little tea-party has given me the opportunity to get to know you, and for you to form some impression of me; although I have the advantage, so far, in knowing, from your letter, rather more about you than you know of me. I was especially interested to learn that you have an arts degree in philosophy, and that you are currently lecturing and going on to get your Doctorate.

Your account of your experiences and achievements in the world of rubber was impressive, though I agree with you when you say that much of what you have been doing now seems commonplace. I went through a period when I felt much the same. However, I was fortunate that part of my work and my interests generally enabled me to do something about it; but more of that later on. For the time being, I need to know more about your future aspirations where rubber-submissiveness is concerned. I need to establish with as much certainty as is possible at this stage how well your own objectives will fit into my own plans, and above all I have to assess if there is a realistic prospect of our realising these hopes and plans.

There will be many tests and much preparatory work to do before we get down to serious rubber therapy. You are about to undergo the first test, which, though simple, is vital. Fail it and - well, Tom it has been nice knowing you. Pass it and the way is open to all manner of rubber delights."

Tom could feel himself falling under the spell of this unusual man. His voice was low and musical, and once again Tom was conscious of a strangely persuasive quality in Richard's manner.

This was certainly the most extraordinary way in which to begin what Tom had hoped would be an exciting, way-out rubber relationship. Nevertheless, Tom was very intrigued, and acknowledged Richard's remarks with a nod while wondering what form the test could possibly take.

Richard was speaking again, "I am going to leave you now, but on that table over there you will find some photographs. There are one hundred of them, and each has a number. You will also find some coloured pens. I would like you to look at each photograph carefully, right through the whole set. When you have done that, you are to begin again with the first one, but this time sort them into two piles, those you reject as being of least interest in one stack, and those you decide are more interesting to you in the other. Take the red pen and mark a cross on the back of each reject and a circle on each accepted print. You may only go through the set twice, so take your time and be careful in your choice; once you have chosen, you cannot change your mind. When you have completed that, ring the bell on the table and Hans will come and give you details of the next stage of the test. Now, forgive me, but I must leave you. I hope you will find the test stimulating; meanwhile, I will be in touch again soon. Thank you for coming." He rose and left the room.
________________________________________
Tom remained in his chair for several minutes after Richard left. He was tempted to go over to the book-lined walls and examine Richard's extensive library, but remembering that he was in the house 'on approval', he decided against doing anything other than that which he had been instructed to do. He got up and sat at the table where Richard had left the photographs.

The first picture was of a man dressed in the most fantastic array of rubber-gear that Tom had ever seen; it was the sort of outfit he had fantasised about hundreds of times, and he could not put it down. The sight of the figure in the picture brought his cock surging to massive erection in his jeans, and he had to stand up for a minute to get it into a comfortable position. He realised that time was moving on, and took up the next photograph; this was just as exciting, as indeed the whole set proved to be. He wondered how he was ever going to be able honestly to reject any of these; the choice was impossible.

He sat for a while when he had finished his first examination of the photos, thinking hard, trying to decide upon a basis for selection. All the pictures were wildly exciting rubber shots, and there was not one he would not have been proud to have possessed himself. While he considered the set of photographs as a whole, it dawned on him that it fell quite neatly into two groups; those showing single figures posing passively, and action shots of groups of rubber-clad guys, all with the same theme; one figure submitting to various forms of rubber treatment by the others. He decided to reject all the single-figure shots and accept those depicting group action. He marked them accordingly and rang the bell.

Within seconds the door was opened by a dark-haired man in his early thirties. He smiled, "Good evening, Sir. I am Hans, may I have the photographs you have rejected, please." There was just a trace of German accent. Hans was a powerful six-footer, he had massive shoulders and a bull-neck. His hair was cut 'en brosse' which accentuated his powerful appearance. With his features in repose, Hans looked brutal, but the softness of his voice combined with his bewitching smile to dispel the momentary impression of brutishness. Tom passed the rejected photos to Hans.

"Thank you, Sir. Would you please now select twenty-six photographs from those remaining, and arrange them in order of preference. Use the green pen to mark them A to Z according to your interest in each. There is plenty of time; the Doctor will expect you to take great care in your selection and arrangement of the pictures. Please ring when you have finished."

Hans left Tom alone once more, and he realised he had not addressed a single word to Hans. He noticed he was feeling quite drained by the concentration the test was imposing upon him. He counted the remaining pictures and discovered that there were fifty-three. This was going to be the most difficult part because all the remaining prints were visual expressions of all the wildest rubber fantasies Tom had ever dreamed about. Once more he had to decide upon a basis for selection. Some of the shots were fairly routine S & M rubber scenes; a few were straightforward rubber bondage, while others combined both. Tom had already noticed that there was a hard-core of shots much more elaborate than the others in terms of the equipment portrayed, and the treatment being administered to the submissive figure in each. In these particular shots there was extensive use of various items of rubber medical equipment. Tom found his attention returning repeatedly to this last group; there was no doubt about it, these were the ones that attracted him most of all. He separated these from the others, and counted them - there were twenty-six. Suddenly he realised he had 'cracked' the test, and that he was choosing along the lines he had been intended to by Richard.

He felt momentarily elated, but he knew that having got this far, the order in which he arranged his final selection would be crucial, and he paused to consider his next move carefully.

Tom looked through the whole of the twenty-six prints several times, and so fascinating were the photos that each time he completed a run-through he found himself choosing a different order of preference. He was wary because he was certain that there was only one way that would be acceptable to Richard, and he knew that unless he found the correct sequence, Richard would have no further interest in him.

He stood up, and reaching over the table, began setting the prints out in rows until the whole table was covered and he could see them all at once. Then he sat and stared at them for a while, 'Where do I start?’ he asked himself. It was at that moment that Tom tumbled that there was indeed a rational sequence of events being depicted and that one photograph followed on logically from another. What had puzzled him was that the photos were all of different groups of individuals, and that none of them had been taken in the same place; the importance lay in the actual event being shown. He could not help but admire the cunning with which Richard had prepared this test.
Within five minutes he had arranged all the prints and once he had marked them, he felt able for the first time since his arrival, to relax. He reached for the bell to summon Hans, but stopped himself. He wanted one last look at the collection of shots of some of the most fantastic rubber scenes he had ever seen. He also wanted, just once more, to make absolutely certain that he had got it right. Satisfied at last that he had, he sat back. His cock was throbbing in his jeans once more. Were these scenes going to be re-enacted with him as the central figure if he were Richard's chosen candidate? His brain raced over the prospect; if that were to be the case, it would be like a dream come true. He remembered the bell, and rang.

Hans appeared.
"You have chosen, Sir?"
"Yes, thank you."
Hans took the sheaf of prints and smiled,
"I will show you out, Sir."

Tom stood. Hans' smile broadened into a grin as he noted Tom's barely concealed rampant cock within his jeans, but he led Tom to the door without comment. They bade each other farewell, and Tom was alone outside.

He looked at his watch and was surprised to discover that he had been in the house for almost four hours. As he walked back to the tube station he reflected on the strangeness of his reception. The studied politeness - formality almost - first of Richard and then of the two housemen. He could not help noticing that he had been addressed throughout as 'Sir', especially as he had been in the house in the role of a potential submissive.

To Tom it all seemed very strange - and exciting.
________________________________________
Thinking over events had done nothing to stifle the excitement boiling and churning inside Tom. He stared at the black door, knowing that once through it there would be no turning back. He approached the door and gave a tentative push; it opened easily and he went through.

He was in what was obviously an ante-room. The first thing he noticed as the door closed silently behind him was that the smell of rubber was even stronger. The room itself was tiled entirely in pale green, like an operating room. The lighting was bright, though not harsh. Along one wall there was a stainless steel bench with a black rubber-covered seat. The wall opposite was occupied by a large mirror, itself flanked by two large black steel lockers. Ahead of him, opposite the door through which he had entered, were double doors, also black. Each door had a circular window of blackened glass. Tom sat on the bench and began undressing, as he had been instructed. He noticed the floor was made of a black rubber compound, which he suspected was the source of the strong rubber smell. He folded his clothing neatly and placed his things at one end of the bench, then sat down to wait.

This was the culmination of many visits to the house. There had been two weeks of almost unendurable suspense following that first visit. Then came a letter from Richard stating that his choice of photographs had been 'an excellent one, entirely compatible with what I have in mind', and inviting him to visit the house at seven the following Monday 'if he still cared to'. Tom had smiled when he read that line.
He thought Monday would never come, and when it did, he was at the house at seven precisely.

Karl admitted him, "Good evening, Sir. Please come to the study."

Tom followed, the room was empty, no sign of Richard. He looked enquiringly at Karl who said, "There is a form with some questions for you to complete, please answer them truthfully - your life could depend on it. When you have finished, ring the bell and I will take you to the Doctor." Alone again, Tom studied the form. The questions were mostly about his medical history. Had he had any serious illnesses, operations, etc., was he allergic to anything. Had he any experience of certain drugs, did he take regular exercise and follow a healthy diet; all mostly routine and straightforward questions for a form of that type, but with a curiously penetrating edge to them. By now Tom was growing accustomed to Richard's methodical, not to say meticulous, approach, and although he still found it somewhat tedious, he was nevertheless very intrigued by what lay behind it.

The form completed, he rang the bell and Karl arrived almost instantly. "Please come with me, Sir, and bring the form, the Doctor will require it."

He led Tom back into the hall and upstairs. They walked along a short passage; Karl knocked on one of several doors leading from the corridor.

Tom heard Richard's voice, "Come in!"

Karl stood to one side and silently indicated that Tom should enter.

The room was a consulting room. No elegance here; everything was entirely functional and professional.

Richard was sitting at a desk, "Hello Tom, please strip, I am going to give you a medical." He did not rise, but held his hand out to take the form, which he read as Tom undressed.

Tom was subjected to the most thorough medical he could remember; blood pressure check, a long and searching session with stethoscope, detailed examination of every orifice. The whole of his body was minutely examined.

As the examination proceeded, Richard talked, "I promised to tell you something of myself. You already know of my interest in rubber, it is something which has been with me all of my life, from childhood, as it has with you. Where we differ is that I prefer the dominant role, while the submissive role seems to suit you best. As a medical man I specialised in anesthetics and was for some years consultant anesthetist in a London teaching hospital, as well as having a lucrative private practice."

"There were two things about my work which fascinated me. Firstly, much of the equipment I used was rubber, and secondly, I became very interested in the psychological effect upon patients who were being inducted into anesthesia. I ask you, Tom, can you conceive of a greater degree of submission than that of one human being lying on a table waiting to have his consciousness taken from him by another?"
Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "For a long time I pondered the ramifications of this interesting juxtaposing of humans."

He paused briefly to allow Tom to absorb the impact of his remarks, and went on, "Fortune had been generous, enabling me to resign my posts in order to return to university to read Psychology. Naturally, I was pursuing my rubber-life all the time, developing ideas and applying much of my professional experience and knowledge to the expansion of my erotic activities. Eventually, I gained my degree in Psychology, and although I don't practice this particular discipline professionally, I have found the wider knowledge invaluable in the planning and execution of the type of situation we are presently embarking upon with your kind assistance.

"As for my professional life now, I hold a couple of honorary posts as consultant in anesthetics as well as seeing a few private patients. The remainder of my time is devoted to rubber - hence your presence here." He smiled, and once more Tom was aware of an innate power within Richard. He was uncertain whether any comment was expected, and racked his brains for something sensible to say, but Richard had picked up the questionnaire, and said, "You are in excellent condition, and so far as your health is concerned, there will be no problem about your capacity to tolerate the various rubber-related procedures I have devised."

Once again Richard paused. He laid the questionnaire on the desk and sat back, closing his eyes as he did so. Several seconds passed and Tom shifted in his seat. Richard opened his eyes and told Tom, "Well, young man, I can put you out of your misery and tell you that I am accepting you as a successful candidate. I am satisfied that you have the will to undergo what I plan. The photographs you saw the other evening will give you some idea of what is in store for you. It will take me several weeks to prepare for the 'Great Occasion', which will last for forty-eight hours at least. For obvious reasons I am not going to disclose precisely what will take place, but you will get some idea during the intervening weeks simply by observing carefully some of the preparations. Incidentally, the first of the preparations is to record all your measurements and I do mean all of them. Hans will be here presently to do that, after which you may go. I shall thereafter require your presence here every Monday at seven, and it will be necessary for you to keep the whole of each Monday evening free; you are to be here every Monday until told otherwise."

Tom was quick to note the slight change in Richard's manner. The urbanity was giving way to a more commanding demeanor; Richard's voice was acquiring something of an 'edge', while his eyes had taken on a strange intensity which Tom found profoundly exciting. Richard was continuing, "I will not need to be present when you come next Monday, in fact it is unlikely that we shall meet again until you actually undergo the ultimate session. Hans and Karl have my complete confidence in their ability to prepare you. Both are highly trained and totally disciplined, and they know exactly what to do. You will do everything they ask of you; you will co-operate with them in every respect, for example Hans will question you closely after certain of the tests, chiefly about your reactions. The answers you give must be the truth and any details you supply must be accurate. This is most important for you because some of the procedures that you will eventually undergo, although very thrilling, do carry a certain amount of risk; I naturally wish to minimize risks. You will not attempt to question them about the tests; what you need to know they will tell you anyway. Some of the tests will stimulate you sexually, that is only natural. Do not be embarrassed, they will expect it. Make no attempt to engage either man in sexual activity. So far as they are concerned it is merely a job of work, and I can assure you their interest in you is purely professional. Do I make myself plain?" Richard's voice had now become hard. Tom nodded, but remained silent.

Richard smiled, "Yes, Tom, there are two sides to my nature. Until tonight I have been the gracious host - now I have taken charge of your rubber-life, and you will submit to all my requirements, none of which will be unreasonable. Many of them will be extreme in terms of what is common practice among rubbermen. We have, I hope, established beyond doubt that there is nothing commonplace about this enterprise. You will not be expected to submit to anything that would be beyond your capacity to tolerate. The tests to be conducted upon you in the coming weeks will enable me to determine precisely where your limits lie. You will be surprised, and I hope, gratified by the end result.

You have studied the photographs, and because you have returned here of your own free will, I have assumed your willingness to submit to all or any of the procedures depicted. You should understand from the outset that you are not in the position of a slave. Slavery by definition implies compulsion - there will be none. Your submission implies your consent. Slavery, even in the context of fantasy, implies divesting a man of his dignity. I plan to enhance yours as a rubberman, insofar as you will have crossed thresholds few others have even contemplated. That in itself should be a source of pride to us both, and slaves are never proud. I stress that although you may at times be required to endure pain, you will not be harmed, and I promise you that when you leave after the final session, the only permanent changes you will notice in yourself will be that your experience will be greater, and so far as rubber matters are concerned you will be a great deal wiser. You will also have some incredible memories to cherish."

The door opened, Hans entered, "Hello, Tom. Congratulations on being chosen."
Tom nodded his thanks with a grin. Richard rose, and moving towards the door, said, "You may carry on now, Hans. Goodnight, Tom. Until we meet again."

Tom noticed that Hans no longer addressed him as 'Sir' - another change. Tom reckoned that he was being 'managed' into his submissive role. He could not help but feel, knowing himself and his own predilections, that this was unnecessary. He was impressed by the thoroughness with which Richard was making preparations, and he considered that when it eventually arrived, the 'Great Occasion', as Richard termed it, was going to be something very special. At that moment Tom could not know how right he was about that.