The girls were sitting on one of the jumpseats opposite a big stern-faced woman who was looking through a file folder.

"You must be Cindy," the woman said. "And you're Susan."

"Suzie."

"At Steinway, we address each other by our proper names, Susan. I suggest you learn that quickly. Welcome ladies. I'm Mrs. Grotten, the headmistress."

"Hello, Mrs. Grotten," Cindy said weakly.

Mrs. Grotten was a beautiful woman, but she did little to show it off. Her sharp features were without a trace of make-up, and her blue eyes seemed to sparkle with cruelty. Her red hair was cropped close to her scalp. She was in her fifties, but her body hadn't gone to seed. The headmistress was in fact built very well, a fact accented by the tight black leather dress she wore. Cindy noticed that there was a short leather riding crop on the seat beside her.

"This," Suzie whispered as she leaned close to Cindy, "is going to be worse than we thought."

"Another rule," Mrs. Grotten said sharply as she dropped the folder on the seat and picked up the riding crop, "is that the new girls don't talk out of turn. Understand?"

Suzie rolled her eyes.

"I asked you if you understand, Susan!" Mrs. Grotten snarled, bringing the riding crop down across Suzie's knees.

"Ouch!" Suzie squealed. "You old bitch, that hurt!"

Cindy shrank back into the seat as she watched Mrs. Grotten's blue eyes grow wide.

"James!" Mrs. Grotten tapped the riding crop against the glass that separated the jumpseats from the driver's compartment. The window slid down. "Pull over, James! Little Susan here is going to be trouble. We may as well start breaking her in now."

"Yes, Mrs. Grotten," the handsome blond driver said, and the limo veered onto the shoulder of the road and came to a stop.

Mrs. Grotten touched a button on the control panel, and the door next to Suzie swung open. The woman struck Suzie with the crop. The girl cursed again and jumped out of the open door and into the waiting arms of James.