The Business
By DG
dg_2001x@yahoo.com

Chapter I - The interview

- Mrs. Rose, please tell Miss Twain to come in, please
- Yes sir.
One minute later, Sharon Twain entered the office of Mr. Smith. John D. Smith was a producer of class "B" movies, you know the kind we are talking about....
What a pretty girl!, thought John. And, indeed, Sharon was: tall, slender, curvy, blonde, young... she was about 20, maybe 22. Young licensed in Arts, she was a good actress, though nobody knew that. She just needed an opportunity to show the world how a good actress she was.
Alas! nobody needed a new, young starlet...she tried at different studios, and "we will call you" was always the answer. The rent had to be paid, food needed to be bought....Sharon was almost in despair, and even though she would never consider to do a porno movie or nude scenes,she would try almost anything to get a job.
-Well, Miss Twain, your CV is interesting....however, the lack of experience is a problem here....
-I realize that, Mr. Smith. However, even the most experienced actor was once a newbie. I just ask for an opportunity.
-Mmm...OK, you have convinced me. However, as you know, our movies are not big successes.
-I want to act, Mr. Smith. I am well prepared, and that's what I want and like to do.
-OK, Miss Twain. However, we have a little role in a little movie, and it might be a difficult one....we haven't even got the stunts for the role!
-Stunts? Let me be my own stunt, Mr. Smith, I promise I won't disappoint you! Said Sharon.
-You are an impulsive young girl, Miss Twain. You have no even idea of what the role is!
-Mr. Smith: I really need the job...and, as far as it does not involve any nudity or pornography, I can take any role you have for me.
That convinced John. This girl had guts! "OK, let's give her an opportunity" he thought.
-Well, Miss Twain, if you want the role, it is yours..but please listen to me as to what's about, OK? then you can decide if you want it or prefer to wait for another one.
-I am listening, Mr. Smith.
-Well. It is, as I told you, a "B" class movie. This girl, Katherine, is an spy who is captured and put in prison. Don't worry, there are no nudity or porno scenes.... Well, the girl has to survive in the prison, with all the cruelty of the inmates, until she manages to escape, finish her mission and come back to her country. It is an action movie, it has suspense, some drama and even some romance, and....
-I am your actress, sir
-Please, Miss Twain, don't be so in a hurry! as far as I have told you, there is nothing special in the movie... but, as I told you, we haven't been able to get the female stunt for it, not even the actress!
-Why, may I ask?
-Well.... now you''ll know. This spygirl, Katherine, is a young agent, in its first mission. She used to be a typical country girl before entering high school and then the secret service. You know, most country girls like to walk barefoot, and Katherine was not an exception, and
-Barefoot?
-Yes, Miss Twain, barefoot...are you used to walk barefoot?
-No, Mr. Smith, I am not, but I can learn! Sharon smiled
Her sweet smile captured John. "Brave girl!" he thought.
-Well, let me go on with the plot, so that you can decide if this movie is for you....and if you can learn a few other things.
-I am a professional actress, sir... I can take whatever role you have for me
-OK, OK Miss Twain..let me go on. Well, this girl, Katherine, is used to walking barefoot. She never wore shoes until 16, and she put shoes only to go college and work. At home and at her neighbourhood, she was barefoot all the time. As you can imagine, the soles of this female character are tough, very hard.
-I suppose make up could fix it! Said Sharon, with her sweet, lovely smile again
-Surely, Miss Twain, surely! Make up would be the answer to make your soles look tough, hard, rough, dirty! That would be the logical solution if we would have the stunt girl!
-So, what do you need the stunt girl for, Mr. Smith?
-If you would let me go on, I could tell you, Miss Twain...can I call you Sharon?
-Sure, Sharon is OK, Mr. Smith! And please excuse me for interrupting you so often
-Oh, it's OK...and you can call me John..."Mr. Smith" makes me feel as an old, fat banker!
They both laughed.
-Well, Sharon, we need a stunt girl because in the prison, the inmates discover how tough Katherine's soles are....and being her the newbie, they play all kind of tricks on her... and, of course, her feet are their preferred target...they put all kinds of tests and even make bets on them!
-Test? bets? Sorry, John, I don't understand
-Inmates can be cruel, Sharon...even female ones. When they see how hard and strong are Katherine's rough soles, they want to put them to tests. And Katherine is not a weak girl, and, since she has no option, she just have to let them have a go. We are even talking about torture, Sharon!
-Torture, to the girl's feet???!!!! Sharon exclaimed, a bit scared
-To her soles, specifically, to her soles...
Sharon muted....she was a bit scared...and she was thinking....then she said
-And that's why you cannot even get the stunt girl for those scenes...
-Yes, Sharon...no girl wants to have her soles punished, no one could resist that...of course, we are talking about controlled torments, we do not want anybody badly hurt here, and it is only a movie, not real life!
Sharon asked, thoughtfuly....curiously...
-What kind of tests are we talking about, what tortures, John?
-Are you still interested?
-Yes, I am...what kind of tortures???
- Well...to begin with, as soon as they realize how tough Katherine's soles were, they stole her shoes, so that she had to spend all the time barefoot in the prison... the prison was in a hot country, so you can imagine how hot the gravel yard where the inmates spent most of the day become....
-Go on, please, John
-I think your soles couldn't take that sharp, hot gravel, Sharon...and what comes next is even worse..
Sharon was silent....she was thinking...then, she took off her sandals and put both naked feet on John's desk, just in front of his face....
-I think I can learn to, John. She said.
John stared...this girl has really made up her mind! "May I?" he asked
-Please, go on.. examine my soles...
John did it...Sharon's feet were beautiful, but...what else could someone expect of a beautiful girl but her feet to be as beautiful as her? Sharon's feet were perfect: long, slender, high arched, long, flexible toes, with perfectly trimmed nails. He dared to touch her soles. Sharon, instinctively, tried to move her feet when she felt the touch of John's hand, but she kept them on the desk and let John touch her soles.
John touched her soles...they were beautiful! Not even a callous, pink colour, soft and flexible.
-Mmmm....you couldn't do it Sharon...
-Why do you say that, John? she said, looking at him so helplessly...this girl really needed the job!
-Look, Sharon, we have no stunt girl!
-John, I will be my own stunt girl!
-But the sharp, hot gravel, that will be too much for your feet, let's not talk about the tortures!!!
-John, come on, please, I can do it!
-Your soles are too soft, Sharon, it is impossible!!!!
Sharon muted.... she looked sad, but determined... then, looking directly at his eyes, she said
-John, tell me what other things happen to Katherine's feet.
John said
-It's useless! You cannot resist that!
-Please....give me an opportunity....I need the job...
-OK, let's summarize. The girl, Katherine, has to walk all her time in prison on that hot, sharp gravel, barefoot. The inmates even take her and play games on her soles, to see how strong they are....they torture her, Sharon! They whip her soles, they burn them with lit cigarettes and candle flames!! Later, when Katherine has to prove she is worthy to become the leader, she has to prove it in some kind of ordeal, a braveness test, and she has to walk barefoot on broken glass and then on red hot coals...got it? Barefoot on red hot coals!!!
He was a bit mad...that movie was a good one, and it would be worthless without those scenes! And nobody wanted to be the stunt girl! Of course, who could endure such torments on their naked soles??? " I must be crazy by trying to film this movie, I better go and make soap operas, I better..."
- I will do it....
-What????
With tears in her eyes, looking at him, as begging for the job, Sharon repeated....
-I will do it, John... I will do the main role and all the stunts...
-No way, Sharon, you can't! Your soles are too delicate...your feet are too beautiful!
He suddenly muted... yes, that girl was beautiful, and her feet were beautiful.... he had just told her.
-Thanks - Sharon, timidly, said. Then, more determined, she said
-Of course I cannot do it now, my feet are much too weak for such things, John... but please give me an opportunity! I'll train! Let me, at least, try to toughen my soles, John! I know I can!
-Oh, Sharon! Your feet are perfect, so pretty! Why would you like to ruin them by toughening your soles?
-Because I am an actress, John... Some girls even gain weight for a particular role and then come back to their ideal weight. I know I can toughen the soles of my feet to be able to walk on red hot coals if that's what you want, and then, with the proper care, they will be soft again, if that's what you want for the next movie.
John understood how determined, and desperate, this girl was. This beautiful girl, whose naked feet he still had in his hand, wanted to play a particularly hard role. Her feet would be punished, tortured...her soles would become tough, hard, rough, so that she could endure all the weird things the movie required....she would even had her soles whipped, burnt, and would walk barefoot on broken glass and on red hot coals!!! She should have in a very difficult economical situation to dare to do it...she deserved an opportunity.
-OK, you got the role, Sharon.
-Thanks!!! She took her naked feet off his desk and kissed him on the cheek, so effusively
-It looks crazy to me you to be so happy your soles to endure such torments, Sharon! joked John
-Oh, well - she blushed
-Anyway, the role is yours. However, you will need training, lots of training, and...
-I will train, John, I will train...See my sandals? Keep them! I don't need them anymore: from this moment onwards, I'll be a barefoot girl. I will go barefoot everywhere, all the time, until the end of the movie, and...
-I admire your braveness, Sharon, but I was thinking about some professional help...
-Professional help?
-Yep. If you really want to train your soles, if you really want to make them as tough as to endure all the requirements of the movie, you need professional help...but it will be painful, Sharon...during the training, and even during the filming...no matter how tough your soles become, a whipping is a whipping, and walking on red hot coals on your naked feet is not a joyride!
-I told you I can do it, John....I will toughen my soles and I will endure all the pain they need to take...besides, I know it won't be real torture, but controlled one.
-Yes, controlled one, but even tough it won't be as cruel as it would be in real life, it will definitely be painful, Sharon.
-Anyway, what kind of professional help are you talking about?
-Look, there is a stunt company, called "The Business". They prepare good stunts, however, they couldn't provide us with any girl who wanted to play the stunt role in our movie... anyway, I guess that, if I tell them I got the right girl, they could devise a way to train you.
-OK, please call them, John
John saw she didn't want to lose time...this barefoot girl was in a hurry!
-OK
He dialed some numbers and then talked
-Hi, Richard, it's John. Remember my movie, the crazy one?
-Yes, that one....we've got the girl
-No, man, I am not kidding you, we've got the girl. In fact, our main role actress will do the stunts herself. No, no...she has no experience, but a great attitude! - John smiled to Sharon while saying this on the phone.
....No, Richard, her soles are soft, not leathery! That's where you and your guys come in action.
- I know you don't do make up: I need you to train her to do the stunts herself, she wants to toughen her soles and be able to take all the things her soles need to suffer for the movie...
-Yes, she is aware of that....OK, got it ...tomorrow...9 am...Thanks mate!
-And? Asked Sharon
-It's arranged. Here you have the address, you have to ask for Richard Morgan. And please be on time: 9 o'clock sharp in the morning.
-Thanks, I'll be there!
-Of course, you have to sign a contract with us, and there will be a clause where you make us not responsible of the risks you are taking ....
-Oh, legal things! OK, I will sign....I want to do it, I need the job, I need to act!
-It seems this is more than acting, Sharon!
-I am a professional actress, John...I can take risks!
John smiled at her. He was beginning to feel attracted to this beautiful, decided, brave girl....
Sharon sat again on the chair, and put again her naked feet on John's desk. "Touch them" she said
-What?
-My soles...touch them....
John did as asked....that sexy girl was asking him to touch her feet. He hadn't ever feel specially attracted by the feet of any girl, but he had to recognize this was a special girl, and that her feet were really beautiful. He felt her soles: so soft, as mother pearl.... it felt nice to touch them... without even realizing it, he was doing more than touching Sharon's soles....he was caressing them....and he liked it..
Sharon closed her eyes for a short while... she liked how it felt to have her soles touched...in fact, it seemed as is John was caressing them....it felt good! Suddenly, she took her feet off John's desk, all the thing had not taken more than one minute.
-That's the last time you feel my soles soft, John. The next time you'll touch them, they will be hard, tough, extremely rough and flexible...just as leather.
John was amazed
-It was a pleasure to meet you John, I'll keep you informed of the progress in my training. Tomorrow in the morning I'll visit Richart Morgan. I am sure he'll do a good work.
Sharon shook John's hand and turned, towards the door
-Sharon, your sandals -John said.
-Please keep them, John....I told you my training began today, in fact, it has just begun.... I told you I will go barefoot everywhere, all the time, until the movie is finished, and I am a woman of honour. I will keep my word.
-Well said, Sharon, well said...I'll keep your sandals then, and will give them back to you after the movie
-If I ever need them again, John! Sharon smiled, going out John's office.
After she left, John took a glance at his window. He could take a short look of Sharon walking barefoot on the hot, rough pavement. Of course, she didn't had a car. She was heading to the next bus stop. As she walked away, he could notice how dirty her soles had became....only her high arches were still clean. It was incredible, but he had never realized how pretty dirty female soles were....and how sexy a pretty girl walking barefoot on the street looked.
-Well, let's see how tough her soles become. I think no matter how difficult it is, she will do it well. - He said to himself, looking at the pretty size 7 sandals that lied on the floor. He put them on his drawer after examining the shape of Sharon's sole engraved on the inside of the sandal, and came back to work.


Chapter II - The beginning

-Can I inspect your feet, Sharon? Asked Richard.
-Inspect my feet?
-Sure! You know, John wants your soles to be tough and strong enough to endure all kinds of things, I guess he told you all about that.
-Yes, he told me, and that's what I am here for.
-OK, please take off your shoes and let me see your feet, Sharon
-But, I...
- Come on, don't be shy! It's just a pair of feet! you have nothing to be ashamed of! Smiled Richard.
- Well, indeed, I am ashamed because my soles must be filthy! I am barefoot, Richard! she blushed
-Barefoot? Richard asked. He took a glimpse under his desk, and could notice that the pretty girl in jean shorts and white T-shirt had her feet naked indeed. Where are your shoes, Sharon?
-Well, my sandals are at John's office. I told him my training had just begun after our interview yesterday morning, and so I haven't worn shoes since then. I won't cover my feet at all until the movie is done
-I see. But John told me you had no experience in barefooting!
-He's right, I am not a barefooter...well, hmm...I wasn't until yesterday! she laughed
-Oh, all right, but...how could you endure that without any training? This Summer is the hottest in years! I bet the streets must be boiling!
-Yes, I can assure you that!
-Oh, girl! And you've walked barefoot on such hot streets, on the sharp gravel in front of this building? That must have been terrible for you!
-It was, Richard, it was...but I am a professional actress, and I am determined to do this movie.
-OK, Sharon, John was right: you are a brave girl!. Now, please, let me inspect your feet.
-But...my soles are dirty!
-I know, but it is OK, don't worry!

Reluctantly, Sharon put both her naked feet on Richard's desk. Richard began to carefully inspect visually the feet of the girl. "Wait a second, Sharon" he said. He opened one of his drawers and produced both a digital camera and a digital camcorder.

-What are those for? Asked Sharon
-You see. We need to make this soles of yours strong enough to endure anything! It seems my friend John is a bad guy and wants really to cause intense pain to them! he laughed
-Oh...
-Come on, I am just joking! John wouldn't harm you at all! It is just that this crazy movie he is filming requires such scenes! He said. As he talked, he began to take pictures of Sharon and of her feet.
-Smile, Sharon!

Sharon did as asked,though her smile didn't look quite natural. She was a bit worried...what was she doing, what was she going to do? Could she really endure all the tests her feet were going to suffer? John talked about torture...torture! Her soles would be whipped and burnt...and she would have to walk barefoot on broken glass and red hot coals! "Oh, my! I must be crazy to do this!" She said to herself..."If these last 24 hours have been hell, what will come next?" Indeed, as Richard thought, the extremely hot pavement had already be torture for her poor, unaccustomed soles. She had got her soles burnt by the unbearable hot pavement, and the sharp gravel she found at the entrance of the building was like needles for her feet, sending waves of pain, intense pain to her brain. She looked calm and natural, but her feet were really sore....in fact, she was acting as if she didn't feel anything..."concentrate, concentrate, you can do it!" she said to herself constantly since yesterday. Every step was a victory against pain, and her only relief was last night when she took a bath in the tub and pampered her poor, sore feet. Suddenly, she got startled Richard's voice:

-...well, enough pictures, I will record them now....

While recording Sharon's image and zooming on her feet and soles, Richard kept talking.

-John plans to distribute the movie in DVD after a couple months it's been released to the cinemas. He wants to put all those "extras" those DVDs can handle...and it seems he plans to put a section called "Miss Twain's training".
-What?
-Yes. There will be a half an hour special in the DVD about the training of your feet, so all these pictures and videos will be part of them, well, not all, you know it has to be edited and so....and I think he plans to include an interview with you and …

-I guess it's OK. If I am going to get my soles trained, I see there is no need to hide it. I don't want the people to think it was all was faked, but to realize that a flesh and blood actress did all this work, and that the scenes they viewed are not faked or computerized special effects!

-You got the point. Besides, it will be good to your career! People will realize how professional you are.
-Thanks!
-My pleasure! Smiled Richard. Then he put the camera aside and began to look closely at Sharon's feet.

-Mmm....slender feet....high arches...long toes....These pretty feet of yours look quite delicate, Sharon!
-They will do what they have to if you train them, Richard. Sharon answered.
-OK, OK, we are professionals, too....He said, while touching Sharon's dirty soles...your soles are soft. But I cannot see much with this....dirt.
-Sorry, but I warned you they were dirty
-That's nothing some water and soap cannot fix girl! Please, follow me.

Both went to the bathroom in Richard's office. Richard got a high stool and asked Sharon to sit there, while putting her feet in the sink

-OK, let's wash these babies! He said. Then he began cleaning the girl's feet with water and lots of soap. It had been years since Sharon hadn't washed her own feet by herself! Immediately, memories of her childhood came to her mind...

-See? It wasn't too difficult at all! In fact, your feet were pretty clean, only the soles were a bit dirty!
-Sure, I took a shower this morning!
-I know, I was just joking! After drying her feet with a white towel, Richard asked Sharon to go back to the office's chair.

-Now, please, put your feet again in my desk, he said.

Sharon did as asked. Now Richard could properly inspect her soles. He looked closely at them, holding Sharon's feet, one by one, by the ankles. He even touched her soles and took notes.

-Mmm...soft, very soft soles...this will take some time, may be a month...but we can do it..

-It seems the pavement was quite hot, wasn't it, Sharon?
-Pardon?
-Your soles..they look sore...burnt...they are quite red and -.he carefully took something small and brilliant between his right index and thumb- this must have been a bit nasty! he said, showing Sharon the glass splinter he had just removed from her right sole. After removing it, a red, small blood droplet went out the little puncture on her sole...

-Well, I must admit it hasn't been a bed of roses...well, indeed it was...it was like walking on their thorns! Sharon smiled.

-Good attitude. You are a pro, Sharon...You will succeed in this project, with our help.

-Thanks Richard. So, when will we begin?
-Look, Sharon. Your soles are very soft, this will be a hard work, for you and us...but you will take the worst part.

-I know, Richard, I know....and I will do it.
-OK. You have to understand that there are no "magic" ways to toughen your soles from one day to another. All we can do is to train your soles so that they develop a hard skin, a thick callous, that will protect them from painful things...but the process itself will be painful

-Yes. Go on, please

-It will hurt, Sharon, it will hurt. We have to develop excercises for your soles, so that they, gradually, become tough, hard. It will be a pity to ruin your soft soles, Sharon...

-It's OK, Richard, they are just feet! Besides, after the movie I'll pamper them again so that my soles become soft again. You know a girl can do miracles with the proper creams! she laughed

-You are in good spirits, Sharon. I like that. But I want you to be aware that, if it is true that tough soles can make you able to walk barefoot on broken glass without even a flinch... red hot coals are red hot coals....and there is NOTHING I can do to avoid you to burn your feet on that... Tough soles will help you not to have a permanent damage, but the pain, you will feel it...

Sharon muted....she was a bit scared....yes, the hot coals.... and the whippings! No matter how hard her soles were, the whippings will cause pain to them.

-I can endure some pain, Richard... and there is a good point on that, since real pain will help me to give a real actuation...I won't have to fake it hurts, since it will REALLY hurt...

-Yes, you are right..and that's why John likes to work in "the old fashioned way". He didn't want computer animations or special effects....and, above all that, he is low on budget... even though he would like to, he could not afford such special effects.

Then Richard grabbed the digital camera and the camcorder again, and began taking pictures and recording Sharon's feet and her now clean soles....he made some good close-ups that showed, with a crystal clear quality, how soft and red Sharon's soles were.

-After our training, Sharon, your soles will be so strong that you might not even want to wear shoes again! Laughed Richard.

-I can imagine how much money I can save if I would not have the need to buy shoes, Richard....maybe it would be a good idea, after all. Sharon winked Richard when saying this. They both laughed. However, Richard thought how it would be if this precious girl would never ever wear shoes again... In fact, maybe her soles would look even prettier being hard and rough instead of soft and pink...


-OK Sharon, my team and I have to develop your training routine. We'll check the pictures and videos to decide for the fastest, less painful ways to turn your soft soles into rough, living leather. Please come back in two days, we need some time to think about it.

-I confess it will be a bit strange to think about a bunch of guys watching my feet on video, taking notes about them and thinking how to turn my soles into leather.

-Well, that's our work. Don't worry, Sharon, we won't be thinking for too long. What your soles need is training...and soon! By the way, it is a good idea for you not to wear shoes since your soles will naturally get accustomed to tough surfaces. I recommend you to begin walking barefoot outdoors in the late afternoons, so that the pavement is not too hot. You have to develop a thick skin layer on your soles before moving to the next stage. Try not to hurt yourself, but to get used to tough surfaces. Don't go too fast, or you'll just hurt your soles.

-Thanks for the advice, Richard. I will put it in practice

-You are welcome. Please come back the day after tomorrow, Sharon: a surprise will be waiting for you.

-OK, I'll be back on Friday then, at 9:00 o'clock. Hopefully you'll see my soles will be harder and in better shape.

-It will be a pleasure to examine your feet again, Sharon. Honestly.

She became a bit blushed...she never thought about somebody liking her feet. But, anyway, she had to recognize her feet were not ugly at all. Sharon shook Richard's hand and went out of the office and the building. God! That gravel driveway really hurt her soles! However, she didn't lose her graceful, feminine walk, and confidently kept walking on that torturous surface. She had a quick thought that, after a few weeks, that gravel would feel as feathers on her toughened soles and, strangely, she felt happy about it...maybe walking barefoot wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. She thought about the new sensations she could feel now: the cool grass, soft dirt, mud...it was as she had been deaf and now she could hear. Besides all the painful surfaces her soles endured, there were some pleasant sensations, too. She wished that, after her soles would become rough and hard, they wouldn't lose their sensibility for such pleasant things.

All of a sudden, images of her, with her ankles shackled and having her soles brutally whipped, came to her mind....images of herself, walking barefoot on broken glass and then feeling the terribly painful sensation of red hot coals burning her soles, as she walked barefoot on them...Sharon became frightened... But she had made up her mind, she wouldn't go back... this would be her first movie.

Thinking like that she walked towards the bus station. Her inner thoughts had almost made her forget about the pain on her soles. Ouch!!!! pain traveled from her punctured sole to her brain at speed light....a thorn! She stopped, sat on the floor and inspected her sole....there was a thorn in her left sole! Carefully, she removed it...ouch! it was painful!!! She felt ashamed... that painful sensation on her sole had, somehow, felt a little pleasant to her! "I am going nuts!" she thought.

She kept walking and arrived to the bus station. In a few minutes she was on the bus that drove her home. She noticed some guys looking at her feet, with short glances..."definitely, a girl walking barefoot on the street has a special attraction" thought Sharon. Then she was inmersed again in her own thoughts... two days... On Friday, her soles would begin their training... Still on the bus, and without thinking about the girl sitting next to her, she put her right foot on her left knee, and looked at her sole...it was so black! She had never even imagine having her soles so dirty! The only clean spot at her sole was the arch, her high arch, and the space of her toes, the part that didn't touch the ground. It was strange...the shape of her long, slender, black sole was attractive...she had never thought about it. She touched her own sole and felt how soft it was, though a bit dusty... perhaps she would miss that softness after the training...how it would be to feel your own soles like leather? she thought. By feeling that soft surface, it was hard to imagine how it would feel to touch her soles and feel a leathery, hard, rough flexible surface.

Anyway, she had made a decision. She came off the bus and took the road home. On Friday her soles would begin to be officially trained.



Chapter III - Bed of roses

- Well, that's it. As you can see, this young lady is determined to do it all by herself, to be her own stunt. Besides John hasn't the budget for digital effects, least to pay a stunt. What do you think? Said Richard

The video and pics show was over, Richard turned the lights on and watched at the curious faces of the people.

- We have never done something like this before Said a feminine voice. It was Rebecca, a pretty yet not enough to be considered beautiful girl. Athletic, in her late 20's, she was one of the personal trainers for the stunts, and she was also a stunt herself.

- Yes, you are right Becca, but that doesn't mean it can't be done! This time was a guy talking. Another trainer, Peter was in her early 30's

- Her soles are soft, we have a difficult task in front of us. You see, it's not like training someone do to this or that. It's not only developing skills and muscle, we have to create a thick layer of skin on those feet, and also train her will. This time was Sam, an apache-like guy. No age could be tagged on him, he was 28 but looked even younger.

- So? Richard said

- So? Let's work said Sam

After some brainstorming, twenty minutes later, Becca said:

- Well, here you have a draft of the phases, Richard, and she read:

"Goals:
By the end of the training, the subject will have tough soles wich allow her to be able to:
a. Walk barefoot on harsh surfaces, namely sharp gravel, rocks, broken glass in a natural gait
b. Walk barefoot on red hot coals (Note, this is quite a dangerous thing, to be done only once or at most twice, no second chance to record this is allowed)
c. Endure severe whippings on her soles

Safety issue: No permanent damages are allowed to the subject's feet. No scars, no permanent marks. The subject will sign a contract clearly specifying her approval to all these stunts done.

Stages:
a. Creating self confidence and achieving a natural gait on the subject for her to walk barefoot in a normal way (without hesitation, jerks, etc.)
b. Toughening her soles, creating a uniform layer of tough, strong yet flexible skin
c. Training her will so that the subject is able to manage pain, to endure it

Methods:
a. Developing mechanical/abrasion resistance on her soles
b. Developing resistance to heat
c. Psychological training / breathing techniques / meditation / sublimation

Proposals:
a. Walking / jumping / running on gravel. Starting with pebbles, then round edged gravel, then sharp gravel
b. Walking / running on coarse cement / pavement
c. Walking on broken glass: buffed shards to begin and to build self confidence, gradually changing to sharp, freshly broken shards. Walking slowly at first, with relaxed feet. Goal: natural gait on broken glass, soles tough enough to manage it, mind strong enough to forget or disguise the pain if it occurs.
d. Sole beating: 10 belt strokes on each sole to begin, daily, becoming gradually stronger. Thin cane on the second week, 10 strokes rhytmically applied on each sole, to make her will stronger. The girl will learn to resist the pain. Suggestion: pain/pleasure mind exchange (Becca smiled while reading this)
e. Sole whipping: Use of a whip on the third week. 10 strokes each sole to begin, goal 50 strokes. Note: some skin breaking might be expected, whip is a weapon, not a toy. Use of medical care suggested to avoid scars or marks.

Parallel to the mechanical resistance training, heat resistance training will be developed:

f. Easy start: walking barefoot on hot pavement. Approach: walking quickly to allow the soles dissipate the heat. Mind training: Pain/Pleasure exchange
g. Heat training, phase 2: hairdryer
h. Phase three: candle wax / candle flame. Note: be careful NOT to cause any blister. Use of oil is suggested.
i. Firewalk: Firstly, walking on hot ashes to develop strength and self-confidente. Move to red hot coals gradually. Two weeks.

Final considerations: Miss Twain should NOT wear shoes AT ALL during the training"

- Looks well, Said Richard. We start on Friday folks, let's go home, it's late and we have a busy day tomorrow preparing everything for Miss Twain. The meeting is over, thank you!

***

No, no more please, nooooo!!! Screamed Sharon. Fifty, fifty one, fifty two whippings cracked on her soles... she felt as if her feet were being torn apart and in fire again...will she be able to walk again? Her breasts jerked, her body contorted in pain while tears rolled out of her eyes. Noooo!!!! An unhuman scream left her mouth as the experienced punisher slowly roasted her oiled soles with the torch.

Then, in a sudden, all covered in sweat, crying...Sharon woke up. It had been just a nighmare. Her soles pulsed with pain. The road had been particularly hot, cruel on her feet today. She had no idea that at that very same time, while she dreamed of having her feet tortured, the team was planning how to train her, how to make her soles tough, strong...