Catherine Willows had arrived at the Dominion, Lady Heather's Dominion, in a timely fashion this Tuesday afternoon like all other Tuesday afternoons. Heather, as Catherine has been graciously permitted to call her, greeted her at the door personally and they skirted off discretely to her office.

"I must say," Lady Heather began in her usual slow and commanding tone, "I am intrigued by you, Catherine Willows."

"By me?" She chuckled.

"Yes," she said simply. "I pride myself on reading people. Just when I think I've got you completely figured out you surprise me. I do have one consolation."

"What's that?"

"That you being difficult to read seems to be the popular opinion."

"Oh?"

"Our Mr. Gil Grissom feels the same way."

"Our? No, no. No one can own Gil, he belongs to the bugs."

"It's a lonely life." Lady Heather said, "One he wishes to change. And I might add that I have the benefit of being you for him on an almost weekly basis. Sometimes it's sex but more often than not, he just wants to talk. He tells me the things he wishes he could tell you."

"He could."

"No, he can't. More than anything else, he is afraid of rejection. He's afraid that you could never love him."

Lady Heather started pouring tea into two tea cups, one for Catherine, one for her and setting the tea pot down.

Catherine brought the delicate cup to her lips, "This is the tea service you use when you're entertaining Gil, is it not?"

Lady Heather smiled, "It is."

"So I take it the mugs and coffee pot are in the dishwasher or is it a special occasion?" Catherine asked sipping her tea again.

"Both. They are in the dishwasher but it is a special occasion."

"How so?"

"Next week, I am not going to be able to keep our appointment."

"Is that all I am?" Catherine smiled amusedly, "Just an appointment?"

Lady Heather recognized the woman's wit and grinned back at her, "Of course not, ma belle. You could never be just an appointment to me."

"Any reason why?"

"Yes." Heather's grin widened, flipping through her date book, "You have another appointment. On Thursday."

"Oh?" Catherine cocked an apprehensive eyebrow.

"With Gil."

"Did you tell him?"

"Not yet."

"Matchmaking does please you,"

"Greatly." Lady Heather rose and walked to Catherine, gently stroking her cheek. Catherine closed her eyes and pushed her cheek into Heather's hand. Heather was never dominant with Catherine in the way she was with others but it was understood that Heather made the first move.

Catherine rose to meet Heather's eyes. Heather moved her lips to Catherine's and pressed against them gently. This was Catherine's cue it was ok to proceed. She pulled Heather against her body and wrapped her arms around her waist. Heather's hands roamed over Catherine's torso, free to do so.

"One thing I find interesting…" Catherine said, pulling apart from Heather so their movements toward the bed wouldn't result in either of them tripping and falling on their asses.

"Yes?"

"Men need a surrogate." Catherine landed on her back and Lady Heather moved to straddle her hips, "Women don't need a man to pretend to be another man."

"How about a woman to pretend to be a man?" Lady Heather suggested playfully.

"Com'ere."

Lady Heather purred, "Aren't you the dominant one?"

"I do try sometimes."

"Why didn't you ever become a dom for me? I really think you missed your calling," Lady Heather started her usual slow sweet torture of removing Catherine's clothing and claiming her skin with kisses.

"Will this be our last time?" Catherine asked with a twinge of sadness. Lady Heather ceased her undressing ritual to pull up to meet Catherine's face. Lady Heather's lips captured hers in a surprisingly tender and caring kiss. When Heather pulled away Catherine smiled meekly at her and nodded, "It is."

"Let's make it count then." Heather purred in her ear.

Grissom walked around Lady Heather's office, picking up and examining the familiar objects. His back was to the door and when Lady Heather entered the office he didn't look up. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

He turned around and drew her into a hug. "That's ok."

She pulled away and walked to her desk. She sat down in her chair and opened her date book. "Shall I put you down for next Thursday while I'm thinking about it?"

"Yes. As usual." Grissom sat down across from her. She leaned back in her chair and smiled at him, "How was your day?"

"Same old, same old." She shrugged, "Just the usual fetishism and sadomasochistic sex. Yours?"

"I saw Catherine today," he paused, "She was looking a little down."

"Did you talk to her about it?"

He paused, "No. I wanted to."

"Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to intrude."

"Women like when you're in tune to their feelings. Whether she wanted to talk about it or not it probably would've earned you a little credit to ask her."

Grissom shrugged, "I've never been great with people."

"You're making excuses again." Heather scolded, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Catherine could not like me and it would disappoint me." He had long since given up pretending to be tough around Heather. She read him like a book.

"Or," Heather smiled inwardly, "She could like you and it would make you happy."

"But-"

"You have to learn to take more chances, Gil." Heather leaned forward and commenced talking as if she was telling him a secret, "Women are like science, Gil. The evidence is all there you just have to hypothesize and test. Are you ever worried that an experiment won't come out the way you want it to?"

"No, because that's science. The outcome of the experiment has no impact on my life as a whole."

Lady Heather leaned back in her chair again, biting on the end of her pen with a mischievous smile playing at her lips, "This coming Tuesday?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to make it."

"Then we'll skip next week, right?" Lady Heather shook her head. "But if you're- Heather!"

"Calme-toi, mon cher." Lady Heather soothed, "You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course."

"And you know I would never make you do anything I didn't think you were ready for."

"Well,"

"So will you trust my judgement?"

"I suppose."

She waited, "Quoi?"

"Yes, Heather. I trust you."

"Good." She wrote something in the datebook, "Oh and don't think just because I'm not going to be here you can be late."

"What are you setting me up for?"

"You trust me?"

"Yes. I said that already."

"Then what's with all the questions?"

Grissom was greeted at the door by Angie. Angie offered him a small smile before leading him to Lady Heather's office.

"Heather's office?" Grissom asked, confused.

"Yes, please wait inside."

"But if Lady Heather's not here today, and I'm meeting with someone else," he stuttered over his words, "Who has the honor of using Heather's office?"

"I don't ask questions," Angie said turning to leave Grissom, but paused to add, "Neither should you."

Grissom let himself into the office. He wouldn't have admitted it out loud, but his heart was pounding in his chest. He was starting to doubt his trust in Lady Heather and her intentions. He was contemplating getting up and leaving, but that wouldn't make Heather very happy. She might even be mad. He decided against it.

Why was he so nervous? No, he knew why he was nervous, and it was a damn good reason to be nervous. He just wished his heart would stop pounding so much!

He decided that he'd rather meet this woman standing, and if she wanted him to sit, he'd sit. He stood up and faced the door. Wanting to look at ease, but not aloof. Oh my god. . . he was afraid that his heart was going to pound through his chest and flop around on the floor like a beached fish.

The door behind him, the one that lead to the room with Heather's back-up bed, opened and Catherine walked in noiselessly. She smiled as she noticed him straighten up. Was he nervous? Oh this is delicious.

She crept up behind him and placed a hand on his hip and leaned against him, whispering into his ear, "Don't turn around,"

He jumped ten feet in the air, at least it felt like ten feet to him. His muscles tensed and he remained deathly still. He let out a strained breath, but remained silent. "Lady Heather told me to expect you," Catherine continued, placing her other hand on his other hip, "You aren’t nervous. . . are you?"

Grissom heard the mocking tone of her voice, and answered, "Of course not."

"You're awfully tense." She squeezed his thigh. "Are you always this nervous when you're relaxed?"

"Yes."

Catherine smiled against the skin right below his cheek, this sent a noticeable chill down Grissom's spine. "You're trying to be macho. I admire that in a man. . . but what I admire even more is a man who can admit to his mistakes."

"I admit to my mistakes."

Catherine dug her nails into Grissom's thigh and he flinched, "Do you talk to Heather like that?" she growled into his ear.

"No."

"I don't expect that, either." She hissed.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She smiled again. She liked seeing this side of Grissom, the submissive side. "You please me. You please me, very much."

At least they were off on a good foot. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Tell me," Catherine was enjoying herself WAY too much, "Do you call Heather 'ma'am,' when you address her? Do you call her Lady Heather? Or is it just HEATHER? Hmm?"

"I call her Heather."

"Then why don't you call me by MY first name?"

"I don't know your first name."

Catherine bit back a laugh, she pressed herself even tighter against him and her mouth was nanometers from his ear and she whispered, "Catherine."

Grissom tensed up again. He thought he had recognized the voice! But Catherine? What was going on?

"Say it for me."

"Ca-" his voice caught in his throat.

"Say it," she hissed.

"Catherine."

"Gee, Heather was right, I'd make an awesome, dom!" Catherine pulled back and began talking in a normal voice. "How was I? How domineering was I? Like on a scale from one to ten?"

"I don't know. . . nine?"

"I like that!" Catherine smiled, "I can live with nine."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm your Tuesday appointment."

"You are?"

"Yes." Catherine walked over to Heather's desk and leaned against it, "Didn't Heather tell you?"

"No," Grissom was still having difficulty understanding the situation, "No, she didn't tell me who I'd be meeting with, she just said not her."

"So, I'm a surprise."

"Yes."

"Am I an unwelcome surprise?"

"No," he said embarassedly. "Do you visit Heather often?"

"Don't change the subject." She scolded, hitting him lightly on the leg with the riding crop she had picked up from the desk. "I'm still the dom here." She explained after receiving his appalled facial expression.

"I am your boss, Catherine."

"Not here," she growled with a sly smile, "Here, I'm the boss."

Grissom opened his mouth to speak but closed his mouth. Didn't want to piss off the boss. "Yes, ma'am."

"I told you to call me Catherine."

"Sorry Cath."

"CATHERINE."

"Yes, Catherine."

"Ooh! This is such a rush!" Catherine squealed, turning the riding crop around in her hand. Grissom furrowed his brow.

"May I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"Was this some scheme you cooked up with Heather to humiliate me?"

"Do you think if I wanted to humiliate you that I would get this elaborate?" he opened his mouth to speak, she hit him quickly in the thigh with the riding crop again to silence him, "I thought you trusted Heather."

"I do."

"I thought you trusted ME."

Grissom remained silent. Catherine offered him a sad smile.

"You don't trust me."

"I didn't say that exactly, Catherine."

"So, do you? Do you trust me?"

He paused again, "I- I don’t trust myself."

"That wasn't my question," she raised the riding crop again.

He opened his mouth, "To answer one question, I must first answer another."

"Riddle me this," Catherine smiled, "When you add: Me, The dominion, you, and a riding crop, what do you get?"

". . . I don't know." Grissom replied.

"Well, I'll give you a hint, it has an awful lot to do with me hitting you with a riding crop."

"Do you get off by hitting people with a riding crop?" Grissom raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you get off by being hit by a riding crop?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye. He didn't answer, "If I were to order you to remove your pants. . . would I find you aroused?"

"Can I answer the first question?"

"Please do."

"I trust you."

"Really?"

"I trust you, because you're my best friend. I don't trust myself."

"Elaborate."

"I've always held my tongue. First you were dating Eddie, then you were married to Eddie. . . then you were vulnerable and I thought you needed a friend and not a lover. As soon as I thought that maybe I could ask you out on a date. I lost my nerve. And you're just so. . . vibrant and full of life and what would you want with me?"

"Oh Gil." Catherine breathed. She laid the riding crop back down on the desk.

"I come to Heather, because. . . Heather won't reject me."

"I wouldn't have rejected you. I will never reject you. I love you." She gently coaxed him into a standing position. She rubbed his shoulders slowly and then slipped her arms around his back. "Have anything else you need to tell me?"

"If I removed my pants you would find me aroused." He grinned at her. "But for you, not the riding crop."

Taking advantage of this newfound knowledge she unconsciously bucked against him and he bit back a moan. "Gil, we're in the Dominion. You don't need to restrain your cries."

"I'll remember that."

She took him by the hand and lead him back to Heather's back-up bed. "Lie down."

He happily obliged.

She straddled his hips and started to remove his shirt, once he was shirtless she held his hands over his head and cuffed his wrists in fuzzy hand cuffs.

"Heather leaves me unrestrained,"

"I'm not Heather," Catherine smiled. She pulled her t-shirt over her head and threw it behind her. Grissom wanted nothing more than to remove her bra and touch her all over. He strained against his bonds. "Don't hurt yourself, sweetie."

He relaxed a little bit and allowed Catherine to do her thing. It didn't seem that he was going to have much if any control over his present situation. That didn't bother him a bit. He trusted Catherine and knew that she knew what she was doing.

"Catherine?"

"Hmm?" She paused in her undressing.

"I love you."

Catherine couldn't hold back the smile that hearing those words brought to her face. She leaned down and kissed him sweetly. As soon as both she and Grissom were divested of their clothes Catherine stood back to admire Grissom. She gave him a mischievous smile.

Catherine was like a kid in a candy store. Catherine climbed onto the bed next to Grissom and he moved against his bonds again trying to turn on his side to kiss Catherine. Catherine giggled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He tried to kiss her again but she pulled away teasingly.

Catherine pushed Grissom's head to the side, exposing his neck and kissed him. She kissed, licked and nibbled on his neck and he groaned. Giving him a quick bite of the neck his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Pressure point," she purred.

She trailed wet kisses from his neck to his chest. She took his nipple between her teeth and gently sucked, then repeated the action on the other nipple. He pushed up into her mouth.

"Patience," she scolded playfully, "wait for it."

She straddled his thighs. "Ooh, Catherine," he pleaded.

"Tell me what you want, sweetness," she rubbed his hips, and leaned down so his erection brushed against her breasts.

He moaned, "I want,-"

"Yes?" She rubbed harder against his erection.

"I want to be inside you." He hissed.

Catherine rose up and lowered herself onto his length, "Like this?"

He moaned again, "Oh God, Catherine," he pulled roughly against his bonds. "I want to hold you."

"Patience." She grinned wickedly, "First I have my way with you, then later you can have your way with me. Capishe?"

He nodded bucking his hips, sending a wave of pleasure through Catherine. She moaned and he did it again.

"Does patience mean nothing to you?" She growled but her sated expression betrayed the amount of pleasure she took in his movements.

Without further ado she pulled up and drove down hard. "Ohh god!" Grissom cried bucking his hips in time with her onslaught. Catherine bit the side of her lip to keep from screaming in pleasure.

"Caaatherine!" He threw his head back, "I'm gonna. . ." he grunted and pulled on the bonds again. He pulled with all his might.

"What?" Catherine teased, picking up her pace. "You're gonna what?"

Catherine heard a cracking noise as the rung holding the handcuffs to the headboard broke. Before she knew it, Grissom had reversed their positions. Grisssom drove into her as fast and as hard as he could.

"Oohhh Gil!" She cried, "Oh God! You're gonna make me-"

Catherine's hips rose up off the bed to alter the angle of penetration and soon she felt her muscles tighten around him. "Gilllll!" she moaned as her orgasm hit her, like a bolt of lightning the pleasure shot through her.

Grissom continued his assault until he felt himself come suddenly. She cried out again, "Oh God!"

"Caaatherine!!!!"

He collapsed onto her and rolled on his side to lay next to her on the bed. Catherine panted heavily and she turned and smiled at Grissom, "I think we owe Heather a new bed."

He chuckled softly and kissed her sweat soaked forehead, "I love you Catherine."

Catherine stood in front of the window, the sun was coming up. She smiled as the early morning sun warmed her face.

"Coffee?"

Catherine turned around and saw Lady Heather brandishing two mugs of coffee. "Yes, please." Catherine accepted one of the mugs and sat down at the table.

"By the looks of the bed," Heather smirked, "You two certainly enjoyed yourselves. Cream?"

"Just a little." Catherine held her mug up and Heather poured some half & half into her mug. "Thank you."

"Sugar?"

"Yes, please."

"One lump or two?"

"Three." Catherine smiled. Lady Heather dropped three sugar cubes into Catherine's coffee and handed her a spoon. "Merci beaucoup."

"Pas de problème." Heather assured her, sipping her coffee. "Gil's really quite wild when he's comfortable."

"Oh my God, is he!" Catherine nodded fervently, "He broke that rung like it was a twig! Before I knew I was on the bottom. Some dominatrix I turned out to be, huh, Heather?"

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Gil. . ." she chuckled, setting her coffee mug down, "he has a lot of pent up sexual energy. Though it pains me to admit, I have ended up on the bottom more than a few times, myself."

Catherine was shocked, "Really?"

"But don't go spreading it around," Heather smiled, "Not exactly appropriate for the owner of the dominion."

"It's our secret." Catherine mimed locking her mouth and throwing away the key, "By the way, I never did thank you for setting the whole thing up."

"It was my pleasure. Matchmaking does please me." Heather smiled again, "I would've done it sooner had you two not been the highlights of my week."

"Oh get out," Catherine blushed.

"But watching Gil suffer week in and week out was just more than I could handle." She explained, picking up her mug again and taking a big sip. "He loves you so much and he didn't have the courage to tell you."

"So you thought putting him in a position of submission under me would help him loosten up?" Catherine chuckled.

"I've always found that people talk more freely when threatened with a riding crop and-or whip." Heather winked.

Catherine downed the last of her coffee, "I should go, it's about time to pick Lindsey up from my sisters."

"Tell her Auntie Heather says hi."