Limits

"Hello. Who have we got here? I haven't seen you before."

Karen looked up and her heart seemed to skip a beat; there, standing before the group, was the most extraordinary woman she had ever seen. Whether it was the wine, the heat or something else, she immediately felt that there was something about this woman that was special, very special. Whilst not classically beautiful she exuded a sense of power that was certainly striking; the way she held herself, along with her dark blue slacks and crisp white blouse, were reminiscent of something military and Karen didn't need to look to check that there was no collar. There was no way this woman could be a sub. Their eyes met and it was as if she were a rabbit trapped in a car's headlights; she couldn't turn away if she tried.

"Hello, Jude," Karen vaguely heard Mel say. "This is Karen, a friend of Lucy's. This is her first time at the club."

For a moment or two longer the two women just stared at each other until, unable to hold her gaze any longer, Karen dropped her eyes.

"A first timer, eh? Does she know what she's letting herself in for? I assume that her lack of collar means she's up for grabs, unless anyone has any objections," Jude said with a laugh. "I mean, she's a pretty little thing and it makes a change to have a newbie around." She turned her attention back to Karen and once again looked her up and down.

"Yes, very pretty and a sub if ever I met one but I can't see you properly, tucked away like that. Now stand up and let me have a proper look at you," Jude commanded, totally assured that her words would be instantly obeyed.

It had been many years since anyone had described Karen as pretty. Indeed no one had done so since she was a child, and Jude's attentions were making her feel uncomfortably self-conscious. She'd always hated being the centre of attention and now Jude's interest meant that everyone was focussed her. On top of this was Jude's assumption that she was a sub, that she was willing, indeed expecting, to be ordered about. She bowed her head and shrunk further back into the seat, as if trying to hide away.

"Now, now," Jude said, half mockingly. "I'll let you off as it's your first time here but you'll need to learn that you shouldn't keep a Domme waiting. Come along and do as you're told. Stand up; I can't see you properly whilst you're all tucked away like that." Again there was the self-assurance that she would be obeyed.

Completely overawed by the sheer certainty of this woman, the way she just assumed control, her rock-hard confidence, Karen glanced around for support but all she saw was amused smiles; no one seemed to find Jude's demands outrageous or even abnormal but even so she felt she had to protest.

"But... But..." she stammered.

"I shouldn't have to ask twice, let alone three times," Jude said, an edge of steel in her voice. "Now why don't you just be a good little girl? do as you're told and stand up and let me have a proper look at you?"

Somehow this authoritarian approach had far more effect and she looked up and, once again, their gazes locked. As if drawn by hawsers of steel she felt herself drawn up out her seat until she was standing shyly, her hands clasped together in front of her.

"Very nice, very nice indeed," Jude commented once Karen was standing "but I can't see your legs properly behind the table like that. Come over here and lift up your skirt."

Horrified at what she was being asked to do, Karen stared back and started to protest but, with her eyes still locked on Jude's, her remonstrations died away before they had even started.  Here in the club other rules seemed to apply and, for all that her demands were crazy, there was something about Jude that made them acceptable. Her bluff, outspoken manner might seem forthright but she wasn't being a bully. It was as if, having assumed Karen was a sub and a sub that she found attractive to boot, it was only natural that she should want to see her legs and only natural that Karen would obey her orders and display them. Within this strange arena it would be almost churlish to disobey; to do so would be to make a scene. Feeling as if she were some sort of puppet and this strange woman were pulling the strings, she shuffled out from behind the table until she was standing in front of Jude. Then, like an automaton, she felt her arms reach down, her fingers grasp the hem of her dress and slowly lift until it was mid thigh.

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it? It's so much better when you just do as you're told." Jude took a step back and looked Karen up and down. "You've got a beautiful body; it's a crime to keep it hidden away under those frumpy clothes."

A little bit of Karen rebelled at having her clothes called frumpy but this was completely overridden by being told she had a beautiful body. Still, she had been pushed far, far outside her comfort zone and she was beginning to panic.

"OK, that's enough for now," Jude said gently, evidently picking up on Karen's mood. "Why don't you come and sit down next to me and tell me all about yourself."

Once again Jude spoke with this total conviction that she would be obeyed. She took Karen by the hand and led her towards the back of the horseshoe where, after a certain amount of shuffling, she sat down and Karen squeezed in beside her. She felt shaken, as if she had just endured a session with her headmistress back in her school days.

"Here, let me take this," Jude said, as, reaching across, she took Karen's cardigan from her shoulders. "It's far too warm in here for you to be wearing something like that." And, as the cardigan disappeared somewhere behind her Jude used this manoeuvre to leave her arm draped across Karen's shoulders. Again Karen nearly baulked at the way Jude took such liberties but it did feel nice to be held, and she found herself responding by snuggling closer.

And then it was back to normality again but this time, as the party chatted away, Karen found herself getting Jude's full attention. Not far behind the bluster was a really warm and caring individual and Karen found her really easy to talk to. Indeed, Jude seemed genuinely interested and wanted to know all about her and, in return she told Karen a little about herself. Karen hadn't been that wrong when she had thought that Jude looked military, it turned out that Jude was a policewoman and had rushed to the club at the end of her shift, hence the rather ordinary clothing. But it wasn't just the conversation that was putting Karen at her ease; Jude's arm around her shoulders helped her to feel safe, cared for, protected and, almost without thinking Karen found herself leaning into her new-found friend.

"So, why did slave Lucy decide to bring you along to the club on this night, of all nights?" Jude asked.

"Slave Lucy?" Karen queried. "Why do you call her that?"

Jude gave Karen a long hard look.

"Didn't she explain?" Jude asked. "Didn't she tell you that this is Domme's and sub's night? Why do you think the girls are all dressed up like this? What did you think was going on?"

Karen just looked blank, she was too confused to confess her guesses and suppositions, so she listened quietly as Jude patiently explained about the D/s lifestyle; what it meant to be a Domme or a sub and why these monthly meetings were so important, explaining that the last Friday in the month was set-aside especially for Dommes and their subs, a night when even couples who weren't normally into D/s relationships would play along and join in; a night when their alternative lifestyle could come a little way out of the closet. It didn't take much, she explained, to separate the part-timers from those who took it seriously. It wasn't just a measure of how daring the outfits or whether the sub was knelt on the floor or not, it was more a matter of attitude. A true Domme and her sub complemented each other, really understood each other’s wants and needs, and their partnership was far more than just a collar and leash.

"So, are you a full time Domme?" Karen asked.

"What do you think?" Jude laughed.

"And your sub, where is she tonight?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Jude replied but as she saw Karen's face fall she relented a bit. "I'm on my own at the moment, have been for a few months now. Sharon and I, well, that's a story for another time. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"A girlfriend?... I'm not... I've never...."

"You've never what?" Jude prompted.

"I've never been with a woman," Karen said but, somehow, this needed more explanation. "That sounds... well, I've never been with a man either when it comes down to it. I just never seemed to...." Karen faltered.

"You just never seemed to meet the right one?" Jude suggested.

"I don't know, I just don't know." Karen found herself nearly in tears. Jude's suggestion had touched a sore spot, which would have difficult to explain at the best of times. She was now well into her second glass of wine and her head was reeling; but it was far more complicated than that. She wanted to say that, of course she hadn't been with a woman but, here in this club, to say so would have been gauche and uncalled for. But even that certainty was crumbling. Every sense seemed to be overloaded, the touch of Jude's body where they were squeezed together on the seating, the weight of her arm around her shoulders, the warm musk of her body, all these were awakening feelings deep inside her that were crying for release, feelings she'd never known she had, feelings she'd never experienced before, feelings she certainly didn't understand.

"Please, excuse me, I have to go to the loo," she said squirming out from under Jude's arm and pushing herself up out of the seat. Maybe if she got away for a minute or two, maybe if she could clear her head.

"Then I'll come with you," Jude said firmly. She grabbed her handbag and followed Karen as she set off for the restrooms. When they got there Jude held the door open for Karen and then followed her in but, as soon as they were through the door, Jude put down her handbag, grabbed Karen by the elbow, spun her round and pinned her against the washstand. Grabbing Karen by both arms she held her tight and, like a lioness taking her prey, kissed her hard on the mouth.

At first Karen was too shocked to react and then, as the shock subsided, a deep, deep need from within her welled up and she surrendered, letting Jude hold her, take her, ravish her. Her normal reserve crumbled as the tangle of emotions that had been building ever since Jude had first spoken to her came to a crisis and she wanted, needed, ached to be touched all over, to drown herself in these new sensations, to feel the growing fire within her consume her completely. The way that Jude was forcing her against the washstand crushed their bodies together and for the life of her Karen couldn't help but push back, her body's natural instincts trying to feed the desires within. Jude shifted slightly so that her right leg slipped between Karen's knees and, pushing it forward, she gave Karen something to rub against; an invitation Karen took with abandon. If she could just push a little harder, just ride this wave a little further....

Without warning Jude pulled back from the kiss and, for a moment, the two women just stared at each other.

"Why... why did you stop?" Karen asked, her voice breathless.

"So, you want more, do you?" Jude looked Karen straight in the eye.

"I... I... I don't know." There was no way Karen was going to admit to the power of the forces within her.

"Yes you do," Jude said, quite softly. "You want more, quite a lot more, and you know it."

"Please, Jude...." Karen started but her voice just faltered, confused over what she wanted, what she should say.

"I know what you want and, in your heart, you know what you want. I know you're scared, I know this is all a bit new to you but the sooner you admit what you want, the sooner you stop fighting it, the sooner you’ll find exactly what it is that you're looking for."

"I don't know, I really don't know...." Karen said and, beginning to panic, she started to twist away from Jude's grip.

"Yes you do; let's see if this helps," Jude said and, letting go of Karen for a moment, she reached for her handbag, pulled something out and, with one simple and well-practised movement, caught Karen as she tried to leave, spun her around, bent her over the washstand, swept her arms behind her back and handcuffed her wrists together. As with many a Saturday night drunk Jude had taken Karen from freedom to handcuffs in moments.

"What on earth are you doing to me!" Karen started to exclaim but her cry was cut short as Jude clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Shh!" she ordered. "Now listen carefully. Because you're too scared to admit what it is that you want, because you're in danger of spending the whole night dithering and wasting my time as well as yours I've decided to take control, to make the decisions for you. For the rest of this evening you're going to be my sub. A Mistress doesn't ask, she takes and tonight I'm going to take you; tonight you're mine. Now, do I hear any objections?"

Jude removed her hand but Karen was far too overwhelmed to speak, let alone object, so she just stood there, bent over the washstand with her mouth open, appalled at the liberties this madwoman was taking.

"That's better," Jude went on taking her silence as acceptance. "However, just to make sure things stay this way...." Again she reached for her handbag and, after a moment or two of rummaging around, she pulled out an arrangement of leather straps attached to a rubber ball. "You've had your chance to speak, you've had your get-out. From now on speech is a privilege you're not entitled to. The handcuffs are standard police issue, this, on the other hand...." She reached for the sink and quickly rinsed the ball under the tap. "This is something I keep handy just for moments like this and it is definitely not police issue, although there are plenty of nights when I wish it was. Open wide."

Events had moved far too far, far too fast for Karen and she stood open mouthed and amazed as Jude reached around her and placed the ball in her mouth, forcing her jaws even further apart. Within moments the straps had been fastened behind her head and she was gagged, her mouth completely filled by the ball wedged between her teeth. Jude reached back into her handbag and this time brought out a small metal bell. This she placed in Karen's hands before standing back, and gently turning her around so, once again, they were face to face.

"The bell is for safety, in case things go wrong. If you have to, if you really have to, if you find you can't breathe or something, then just let it drop and I'll let you free, but, trust me, don't do it unless you have to. I have little time for subs who use safety signals just because they're a little uncomfortable. You don't have to worry; whilst you're handcuffed you're my property and I look after what is mine. I'll take care of you; I'll make sure you don't come to any harm. Do you understand?"

Karen nodded. The handcuffs and the gag, working along with swirl of alcohol and the tangle of confused emotions within, stifled any further protests. She knew she should fight it but it had all gone so fast, she had been swept away and now didn't know how to reassert herself. She felt tears welling in her eyes.

"Shh, shh, shh," Jude said gathering her in and calming her as if soothing a child. "Come here, come to Mistress. I know, I know, it's all a bit much at the moment but let me look after you, let me take care of you; Mistress knows what's best."

This sudden switch from abuser to protector only confused Karen more. She truly didn't know what to do but it did feel so good to be held, so good to be comforted, so good to be cared for, that she felt she could stay there in Jude's arms forever. It seemed in this bizarre world that such comfort only came at the cost of being bound, being owned and, now, held and comforted it was a price she would gladly pay. She felt herself relax again as she snuggled into Jude's body, exchanging freedom for safety, exchanging control for comfort.

"That's better." Jude said, gently stroking Karen's hair.  "Now, I could hold you like this all night but the others will be wondering where we've got to. Didn't you need to go to the toilet?"

Karen nodded.

"Well, we'd best get a move on but, before anything else, we need to get you more suitably dressed. You'd be the only sub out there wearing a bra and panties and we can't have that, can we?" Jude, suddenly businesslike, stood back, reached down and lifted the hem of Karen's dress, this time all the way to her waist. "Bloody tights." She swore. "I know they're practical but really..." She reached up for the waistband and started to tug them down, catching Karen's panties with her thumbs on the way past and taking them down as well. As she did this Karen leant back against the washstand, now completely compliant and acquiescent. Having accepted the handcuffs and gag, this further indignity just seemed par for the course. Karen felt her tights and panties pushed to around her ankles and then her shoes being taken off and replaced as the panties were removed altogether. Jude stood up and bundled the panties and tights into her handbag.

"OK, turn and face the wall," Jude ordered, backing up her words by actively guiding Karen around. Then Karen felt the zipper at the back of her dress being pulled down, her dress pushed off her shoulders and Jude's fingers tugging at the fastener of her bra. The shoulder straps were unclipped and Jude soon had them loosened so that she could completely remove the bra without unfastening Karen's wrists. With the bra hanging loose and the top of her dress still unfastened Jude spun her back round again and removed the bra adding it to the rest of Karen's underwear in her hand bag. Then she turned back to Karen pushed the material aside completely exposing her breasts. Gently she cupped them and rubbed her thumbs across the tips of Karen's nipples causing little sparks to fly through her body, sparks which centred on her core.

"You've got beautiful breasts," Jude said with a purr. "It's a shame to keep them hidden and they're lovely and firm; you surely don't need a bra." She bent down and kissed one of the nipples, ending with a little bite, just hard enough to make Karen squeak behind the gag. "Yes, indeed. I'm going to have so much fun playing with these. Still, we'd best be getting on. Now, come along." She led the still half naked Karen into one of the stalls, turned her around and pushed her gently backwards until she was sitting down. As she did so she bunched up the dress so that it was effectively a roll of material around her waist, completely exposing Karen who to all intents and purposes was now naked. "That will stop any unfortunate splashing, now, come along, we haven't got all night."

Karen stared back in amazement. Somehow this was far, far worse than what had gone before. Having her bra and panties removed had been, in some way, all part of the process but now she was being asked to do her personal private ablutions all but naked and with Jude looking on. Indeed the door to the stall had been left wide open and, worse still, she could hear someone coming into the restroom. Once again she felt her panic rising but she couldn't see much behind Jude and, whomever it was soon disappeared into one of the other stalls. Despite her fears, despite her deep concerns as to what she was getting into, she wasn't tempted to use the bell, not for this; somehow that would seem like cheating. She pleaded with her eyes but Jude's face just hardened.

"Subs don't get privacy," Jude said firmly. "The sooner you learn that the better. You also need to learn not to keep me waiting."

Realising that she had no other option than to obey, Karen dropped her head. It was hard to pee in front of someone else but her bladder was full and as slowly she opened her thighs, exposing herself fully to Jude she felt the first trickle of urine start to flow. As the trickle turned to flood she had never felt so exposed, so vulnerable, so in need of Jude's protection. However, as her bladder emptied, the sense of relief calmed her and her acquiescence grew. Gagged and bound, it could almost seem normal to pee in front of her Mistress.

There, she'd said it. She had finally, if only in the privacy of her head, acknowledged Jude as her Mistress. And, having done so, what did this imply? Jude had talked of being her sub for the night. How quickly she seemed to have accepted this, how quickly she was learning to bow down in front of this extraordinary woman.

"That's better," Jude said as the stream finally died away. "Now sit up and let me wipe and then we had better be getting back, the others will be thinking we've eloped or something.”

Karen raised her head to see Jude standing with a piece of toilet paper in her hand. As if it were the most normal thing in the world she reached down and wiped Karen dry before guiding her to her feet and leading her over to the basins where she washed her hands. Then she set about rearranging Karen's dress, doing up the zipper at the back and smoothing down the front so that it looked as if nothing had happened. That done, Jude took her by the elbow, and they turned towards the door back into the body of the club.

With a start Karen realised that the privacy of the restroom was over, She drew back, she wasn't ready for this, she would never be ready for this, how on earth had she allowed herself to be talked into....

At that moment the door opened and another woman entered the restroom. Seeing Karen's bound arms and Jude holding her she held the door open.

"Thank you, Mistress Sarah," Jude said. "Come along now, 'k', don't keep the Mistress waiting."

Before Karen knew what was what Jude took her by the arm and led her out into the club.

"Yes, 'k', that's what I'm going to call you, that's your slave name," Jude said conversationally as she half guided, half dragged Karen across the club towards their booth. "So much more suitable."

Karen had assumed that as they returned they would stand out, that everyone would stare but, although several patrons looked up as they passed, apparently her status was sufficiently normal not to merit any comment or even more than a cursory look. When they got to the booth, however, there was far more interest, and several jibes about how long they had been. 'We were wondering where you two had got to,' joshed one of the other Dommes and Karen saw Lucy grinning with delight and nudging Mel.

Jude led Karen to the back of the booth where they had been sitting before but this time they were not going to sit side-by-side. Jude told Karen to wait whilst she arranged herself and then she guided Karen down onto her lap, lifting up the back of her dress so that Karen's bare legs ended up resting directly on Jude's thighs. This also had the effect of lifting the front of her dress to about mid thigh and under normal circumstances Karen would have pulled it down immediately but, bound as she was, that wasn't an option. Anyway, sitting side on to the group maybe she wasn't showing too much. Jude shuffled about until she had Karen nestling in the crook of her arm and then, as if all were completely normal, turned back to the rest of the party. Unable to join in the conversation, or even move much, Karen snuggled into Jude and awaited the next step in this strange evening.

Now that she was settled, Karen was beginning to relax again. For all that she was slightly uncomfortable in the cuffs, she found herself feeling safe and protected in Jude's arms, as if she were a little girl again, meekly sitting on mummy's lap and watching whilst the grown-ups got on with their fun. It was strange how quickly she was accepting what had been done to her, how quickly her definition of acceptable behaviour was changing. She remembered Lucy's description of the club when they had first arrived, how she had called it 'a place where we can relax together, where we can be who we are without anybody making a fuss', maybe she was finding out just who she was, although whether she was relaxing or not was another matter. Perhaps it was the two glasses of wine, perhaps it was the gentle caress of Jude's hand on her cheek but she felt an inner warmth, a return of all the confused emotions she had felt in the restroom. Indeed, she was so relaxed that she gave only the slightest jump when Jude put her drink down and rested her free hand on Karen's knee and then slid it gently northwards until her thumb just eased under the hem of Karen's skirt. Idly, almost absent minded, Jude's fingers gently stroked Karen's inner thigh and, against her will Karen found herself easing her knees apart as if inviting Jude to explore further but, frustratingly, Jude didn't seem to notice. Karen, unable to join in the conversation drifted away, lulled by the gentle caresses of Jude's fingers and the soft warmth of her body.

It was maybe thirty minutes later that the background music was turned down and everyone looked up in anticipation as a tall woman in a red leather cat suit got up onto the stage. She reached behind the curtains and fetched out a cordless microphone.

"Good evening ladies," she announced. "Welcome to the last Friday in the month."

"That's Mistress Wanda," Jude explained to Karen in a whisper. "This is her club, her baby."

"Tonight's entertainment is something a bit special, for tonight's show; two of the subs are going to compete in a treasure hunt. Mistress Joyce and Mistress Gwen have kindly volunteered to see which of their subs can retrieve the most of these," Mistress Wanda held up bowl full of small metal objects, "in the shortest possible time. I'll get the girls to pass them around."

Two obvious subs came out from where they had been serving behind the bar and each took a handful of the clips from out of the bowl and started circulating around the club placing them hither and thither. As one was placed on the table in front of them Karen got a good look at how it was constructed and could see that it was basically a fishing weight with a metal rod through the centre, a rod that ended in a vicious looking crocodile clip.

"Now for our contestants," Mistress Wanda continued. "Ladies..."

From behind the stage curtain two Dommes appeared, each followed by a sub on the end of a leash. Both the subs were completely naked except for high-heeled ankle boots, the cuffs that bound their wrists behind their back and the inevitable collar. Karen watched in horrified fascination. How could they? How could they expose themselves so? She would have died of shame in their place.  The two Dommes went to stand on either side of Mistress Wanda and their subs got down in front of them, each one kneeling with their knees spread so that nothing was hidden.

"slave rita, the one on the left, she's the one which will lose, just you watch and see," Jude whispered to Karen. "She's such a little slut she just loves flashing her fanny in public and likes nothing better than a bare tush smacking at the end of it."

Karen looked at the two girls knelt on the floor. Indeed, the one on the left, slave rita, did have a big smile on her face, her knees were farther apart and her chest was thrust forward, displaying her breasts even more than was justified by having her wrists bound behind her back. The other sub, in contrast, was waiting more nervously and, whilst her position was identical, you could see that she didn't relish it in the same way.

"Now then, these two will be given fifteen minutes to retrieve as many of the clips as possible. They are forbidden to use their hands so they must pick them up in their mouths and offer them to the nearest Domme. Then, if you ladies would be so kind, please attach the clip in any way that takes your fancy. After fifteen minutes I'll call them back to the stage and the slave who has the greater number of clips attached is the winner. As motivation the loser will be punished in the usual manner. Is everybody ready?"

Both Dommes indicated that they were ready and the girls who had been placing the clips around the club waved to show that they were finished so, at Mistress Wanda's signal, the two subs got to their feet and, tottering slightly on their high heels, set off around the club.

"Could you do that?" Jude asked Karen conversationally as the subs reached their first clips and knelt down to pick them up with their mouths. "Can you imagine what it's like performing in front of all those people?"

Karen watched as slave rita, having picked up a clip with her teeth, leant forward so as to offer it to the nearest Domme who took it and, almost inevitably, teased a nipple until it was erect and then fastened the clip to it. slave rita gave a little shudder as the clip was closed and the Domme flicked the weight gently so as to test the grip. Evidently the clip bit quite hard as it held firm under such treatment. After saying a quick 'Thank you, Mistress' slave rita then, still on her knees, shuffled over on to where the next clip lay and, in no time that was attached to her other nipple. She then stood up to move on to the next table and as she did so the two clips swung from her nipples like the tassels on some bizarre erotic dancer. Karen couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, how she would feel if it were her, feeling both the shame of such brazen nakedness in this public place and the obvious pain from the clips as they bit into the nipples. She felt her own nipples twinge in sympathy.

With slave rita taking all Karen's attention she hadn't noticed the other sub who was working her way around the other half of the club but then she appeared at their booth, knelt down to pick a clip up off the floor and then leant forward offering it to the group. It was Mel who took it from her and then motioned her to stand up. With both nipples one earlobe and a nostril already taken Karen wondered where Mel would go for and, even in the strange confines of the club, she was slightly shocked when Mel motioned the sub closer, reached between her thighs and eased open the shaven lips of the sub’s pussy, attaching the clip to the outer fleshy part so that it hung down in front. As Mel had opened the lips Karen had seen the glistening dampness, which attested to the sub's arousal, pain and humiliation not withstanding.

"Thank you, Mistress," the sub responded, with a curtsey before making her way to the next booth.

As the two subs made their way around the club they were accompanied by a certain amount of amusement. As often as not, as they leant forward to offer a new-found clip, the Domme involved would take advantage and play with one of the existing ones. Karen watched spellbound and was so engaged that she hardly noticed Jude's hand which, somehow, had migrated right to the top of her thigh, sliding under the hem to make a discreet bulge under the bunched material of the front of her dress. The tips of Jude's fingers were now all but touching her 'down there' and as their gentle caress brushed against her pubic bush it gave as much frustration as pleasure. Karen was beginning to wish that she would either stop or get on with whatever she had in mind; this gentle teasing was sending her crazy. Of course, gagged as she was, she had no way of expressing this and had to take what was given to her.

By the time the full fifteen minutes were up both of the subs were festooned with clips which dangled from their nipples, their earlobes, their nostrils and, in large numbers, from their nether lips. From the careful way they both manoeuvred it was obvious that the clips caused considerable discomfort. slave rita, negotiating her way through the crowded tables, toppled slightly on her high heels causing the attached clips to dance. Karen clearly saw her wince and tears come to her eyes. Then Mistress Wanda called them both back to the stage and had them stand on either side of her.

"Well, ladies, isn't this a pretty sight?" she said to the club. "It almost seems a shame to stop but it's time for the final countdown. Now I'm going to remove the clips one at a time from each of our contestants and the one that still has clips remaining at the end is the winner. Now, with two such gorgeous specimens, where shall we start?"

Answering her own rhetorical question, Mistress Wanda turned to first to slave rita and removed a clip which hung from her nose. Evidently removal was far from painless and Karen saw slave rita wince as the clip was taken away and placed in the bowl which was being held by one of Mistress Wanda's barmaids for that purpose. Slowly and with lots of ribald comments, Mistress Wanda alternated between the two subs until only those clips which hung from their nether lips remained. As this was going on, Karen could feel Jude's hand probing deeper and deeper, tracing the outline of the fleshy folds beneath her dress. Then, as Mistress Wanda removed the first clip from slave rita's lower lips, Karen felt Jude reach for the outer fold of skin, take it between finger and thumb and pinch quite hard. Karen gave a start and turned to Jude, horror in her eyes.

"Shhh...." Jude whispered, "keep your eyes on the stage. You don't want to disturb the show; this is their time, not yours."

Karen was right on the edge. She was shocked to the core by Jude's boldness, by the way her hand was now playing with her most intimate parts, but it seemed churlish to make a scene when the girls on stage were suffering far worse. Furthermore were she to make a scene, she knew everyone would turn and look, she would become the centre of attention and her shame would be revealed to all instead of hid away in this dark corner at the back of the booth. To add to her growing confusion, despite her nervousness, there was something about the way in which Jude's fingers affected her, sending a fantastic tingle all through her body and, if she hadn't been gagged, she honestly didn't know whether she would have been begging Jude to stop or go harder.

When, finally, the last clip had been removed from slave rita's labia there were, as Jude had prophesied, still three left on the other sub who was therefore declared the winner and received a huge hug from her Domme in reward. slave rita gave the room a rueful look in pretence of dismay but even Karen could tell it was insincere. slave rita's eyes were sparkling as the curtains were drawn back to reveal a leather-covered horse on the stage behind them. Mistress Wanda and Mistress Gwen unfastened slave rita's wrists and, each taking an arm, led her over and up onto the horse, arranging her lengthways with her bottom facing towards the club. As her wrists and ankles were securely fastened to the legs of the horse and the chains drawn tight, Karen noticed how the top of the horse was not smooth but slightly ridged so that as the sub was straddled across it, the ridge would bring pressure to bear against her most intimate parts. Indeed slave rita seemed keen to make sure that she was positioned for maximum effect, shamelessly rubbing herself against the black leather. Karen was beginning to understand why Jude had described her as a slut who loved flashing her fanny in public.

Whilst all this going on Jude's busy fingers had moved on from their pinching and were now deep in Karen's pubic bush, pushing against her skin, gently rubbing the very tip of her slit in slow, sensuous circles. Completely absorbed in the tumult of new experiences, Karen couldn't help herself; she opened her legs wider, pushing back against Jude's fingers, offering herself, anything to keep these delicious sensations flowing.

Meanwhile on the stage, Mistress Wanda and Mistress Gwen each went with a certain amount of ceremony to an umbrella stand, which held a selection of crops suitable for the purpose. Each chose one ending in a flat square of leather, which would no doubt sting, but not cause the sort of damage that an ordinary riding crop might do. Then they went back to stand on either side of the prostrate sub and, on a signal from Mistress Wanda, they set to, taking it in turns in a slow but steady rhythm. Whilst there was a fair amount of theatre about the whole exercise, Karen could see that the blows really hurt; the rapidly reddening buttocks attested to that along with genuine squeals of pain from slave rita, but she could also see that the sub was strongly aroused. Her struggles on the horse only served to stimulate her further and the leather between her thighs was wet from her juices. Karen's own juices seemed to be flowing just as freely and, as the sub on the horse was pushed nearer and nearer to her climax, in spirit Karen was right there with her. Jude's fingers were still circling, their firm rhythm matching that of the blows from the crops and, as slave rita felt the sting of leather on flesh so Karen felt Jude give a little push which echoed inside, making her whole body sing. All the while slave rita's movements were getting more urgent, her cries of pain were mixed with far more animal cries of need and Karen, gagged as she was, could only echo these in a muffled mewing.

And then, sensing that slave rita was near her climax, Mistress Wanda and Mistress Gwen went from alternate strokes to working together. slave rita's whole body went into spasm and she forced herself down on the horse, pushing herself urgently against the ribbed leather until with a great cry she climaxed, thrashing around as much as the chains that held her would allow. Simultaneously Karen also felt the pent up frustration burst within her both emotionally and physically as wave upon wave upon wave of intense feeling washed through her and, to her horror, a flood of ejaculate came from between her thighs, a very real symptom of the power of the orgasm which wracked her body to its very core. Never, ever, had she even dreamed of anything like this and, despite this very public place, she had no choice but to allow nature to take its course and rely on Jude to hold her close to stop her from falling.

And then, at last, the waves subsided and it was all over. Drained and exhausted, Karen suddenly found herself overwhelmed by tears. Curling into a ball on Jude's lap she was wracked by sobbing, uncontrollable, inconsolable sobbing although, for the life of her, she didn't know why. Jude hugged her and calmed her, talking to her as a baby, settling her down. Vaguely through it all she heard Lucy ask if she was OK, only for Jude to reply sharply that she had it all under control.

Finally Karen got her breath back, finally her emotions came under control, finally she could start to feel normal again. Jude, sensing this, undid the handcuffs and removed the gag. Karen, able to move freely for the first time in quite a while, held her hands in front of her and massaged her wrists, bringing back the feeling where the hard metal had cut into her flesh. As normality returned Karen looked up and saw that the atmosphere in the club had changed. With slave rita's public display had come a loosening and the sexuality that had been suppressed before was far more overt now. Suddenly she felt very uncomfortable and not just because of the soggy mess that was between her thighs. She had got so carried away she had let herself be.... She glanced around the group; it must have been obvious what had happened. Everyone there must know. She felt sick to her stomach, how had she let herself be hoodwinked like this. She turned to Jude.

"I've got to go. Now!" she said.

"Oh, come on, we're only just getting to now each other," Jude said in reply.

"No, I've got to...." and, with that, Karen slid off Jude's lap, grabbed her handbag from the table and, oblivious to the stares she was getting, rushed off towards the door.

The doorkeeper was just letting her out when Jude caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Please, Karen, don't run away," Jude said almost plaintively but Karen just looked at her, shook her head, pulled away and rushed out of the club. Ten yards later Jude grabbed her once again.

"Please, Karen, please," Jude repeated.

"No, not now," Karen said as the tears once again started to fall. "Leave me be. Leave me alone. And don't you dare follow me. Understood?

"You can't just run away," Jude argued.

"Yes I can. Now leave me be, please, please just leave me be!"

"If that's really what you want," Jude said, crestfallen.

"Yes it is. Now go away," and with that Karen was off, leaving Jude standing by the side of the road.