Limits

It was about ten thirty when Sarah turned to the assembled company and said "Well, ladies, I think I'm about ready for a little more privacy; shall we?" The Dommes all agreed, and Jude took this a cue to phone for a taxi. They all finished their drinks and trooped outside to wait. Karen was concerned that, somehow, the others would feel that she'd let them down; she had been brought up to believe that her 'monthlies' were one of the great unmentionables and she still felt uncomfortable having to explain why she wouldn't be joining in. Jude, in her usual forthright manner, simply stated quite openly that Karen was 'off games', but would be their serving wench for the evening.

When they arrived at Jude's house, Karen and Kathy were sent to the kitchen to organise drinks whilst the others went downstairs to the cellar.

"Watch out for the boss tonight," Kathy said casually as she slipped off her dress, folded it neatly and draped it over the back of a chair. "You're not the only one 'on the blob' and it's making her cranky. I'll give a pound to a penny I'm in for a sore bottom before we're finished."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Karen asked, as she concentrated on pouring out the beers. Even now she found it difficult to accept how easily her new-found friends disrobed in front of each other. She found she wanted to both stare and turn her eyes away.

"How do you mean? Why should it bother me?"

"That she takes her frustration out on you. That seems unfair to me."

"If it helps her feel better then that's what I'm here for," Kathy remonstrated. "Anyway, who says I won't enjoy it?"

"Enjoy a spanking, enjoy getting a sore bottom?" Karen asked.

"Well, I wouldn't have stayed with her all these years if I didn't, would I? You know what they say, no pain, no gain." Kathy gave Karen a broad wink. "Now we'd best get this lot downstairs soonest. It pays not to give them too many excuses." And with that they were off down to the cellar.

When they got there they found the layout was much as it had been the previous week. The four Dommes were sat with Lucy and Beth, both now naked, knelt at their feet. Karen and Kathy handed round the drinks before joining Lucy and Beth on the floor. Karen suddenly felt conspicuously overdressed.

For a while there was general chat, much the same as there had been in the club, except that the subs were expected to keep silent except when asked a question. However it didn't take long before, as Kathy had predicted, Sarah decided to move things on a bit.

"This little thing has had an attitude problem. She's been behaving like a spoilt little brat all day, haven't you?" She said in an off-hand manner, as she ruffled her hand through Kathy's hair.

"Yes, Mistress," Kathy answered meekly. "I'm sorry, Mistress"

"It's no good being sorry," Sarah went on. "I've had more than enough of your back-chat and general insolence. Once again I find I need to teach you a lesson. You deserve to be punished, don't you?"

"Yes, Mistress." Kathy sounded genuinely contrite. "Please punish your naughty little girl and help her behave better in future."

However, although Kathy's contrition seemed genuine, Karen could tell that this litany was well practiced, that this was far from the first time that Kathy had 'asked' to be punished.

"Very well then. Mistress Mel, Mistress Andy, perhaps you would do me the favour of ordering your subs to get the horse ready and get this one suitably arranged for punishment."

"Of course," the two Mistresses replied and, without the need for further prompting, Lucy and Beth got up off the floor and went to fetch the horse. Again there was a sense of ritual as they positioned it to Sarah's requirements. Then they went over to Kathy and, each taking a hand, led her over to the horse, helping her position herself lengthways along the top with her backside pointing towards the thrones. Lucy and Beth attached Kathy's wrists and ankles to the cuffs, which were then adjusted so that Kathy was at full stretch and wide open with her ability to move very much restricted. Now Karen could see exactly how the top of the horse functioned. The ridge of leather was forced between her legs and pressed hard against her sensitive flesh. Each and every movement she made would rub directly on her centre. As Karen watched, Kathy flexed her thighs to settle herself down and ensure she was positioned properly, barely hiding the sexual aspect of what was happening. Now that she was fastened, Lucy and Beth turned towards Mistress Sarah, gave a little curtsey and went back to kneel beside their respective Dommes.

Mistress Sarah got up from her chair and went to the other part of the basement, returning with a riding crop. The one she had chosen, unlike the ones Karen had seen before, was the real deal and did not end in the square of leather. She went over to the bound Kathy and stroked her along her back, making the bound woman give a little shudder.

"Well, slave, have you been a naughty little girl?" Sarah started.

"Yes, Mistress."

"And how have you been a naughty little girl? Tell the others, tell them how bad you were."

"I was disrespectful, Mistress. I didn't show Mistress the deference she deserves," Kathy replied.

"No, you most certainly did not. You were an uppity little tart, weren't you?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"And now you expect me to punish you, to help you improve. Why should I bother with such a disobedient little girl?"

Karen watched fascinated as Sarah and Kathy went through this ritual, for ritual it surely was. While Kathy was acting the naughty little girl confessing her sins, Sarah's fingers stroked her back, her buttocks and her inner thighs. Kathy was making little pretence about what this was doing for her. She was using what little movement she had to flex her thigh muscles, working herself against the ridge in the top of the horse. Even from where she was knelt, Karen could see the glistening juices that spoke of Kathy's arousal. Although the signs were far less obvious, Karen could tell that Mistress Sarah too was getting more and more worked up. There was a sparkle in her eyes that belied the mock annoyance of the school-ma'am character she was playing.

"...and for that reason I'm going to thrash you until, this time, you understand the folly of your ways," Mistress Sarah concluded and, without further ado, she slashed the crop across Kathy's waiting backside.

However much the lead-up might have been role play, Kathy's cry of pain was all too real, as was her next and her next as, slowly, systematically, Mistress Sarah laid into her with the crop, leaving a pattern of parallel red stripes from the crown of her buttocks down to around mid thigh. Karen's emotions were in turmoil; this was far more severe than she had ever witnessed before. Kathy's cries went straight to her heart. Part of her wanted to step in and intervene but, not only was it not her place, she had to remember that Kathy, for all her evident distress, was far from being an unwilling participant. Furthermore, for all that Karen had been brought up to believe that hurting people was wrong, there was no denying the eroticism of what was happening. Karen glanced across at the others; all eyes were watching closely. Andy had reached down and was holding Beth close, stroking her neck in time to the thrashing. Lucy, her head resting against Mel's legs, had her hand quite blatantly between her thighs, and Jude too had reached for Karen, putting her hand on her shoulder and kneading it. Everyone there was feeling the tension.

As Karen reached her climax all pretence fell away. She was now rubbing herself furiously against the horse and gasping between her sobbing. Then she flung back her head, gave an almost animal cry and her whole body went rigid, locking her against the horse. Sarah put down the crop and leant over Kathy, hugging her tight. Kathy's tears ran freely as, completely overwhelmed, she rode out her climax. Sarah cuddled and babied her until, finally, she started to relax again. Karen breathed again. She suddenly realised she had been holding her breath. Emotionally, she, along with all the others, had followed every nuance of Kathy's climax and, now it was all over, she could feel a collective sigh run round the room.

Once Kathy had got her breath back, Sarah reached down and undid the cuffs so that she was able to slide off the horse. Kathy was still shaking and needed all of Sarah's support as they hugged and kissed. They broke apart and, for a moment or two, just looked at each other, their shared gaze full of love and caring. Karen saw Sarah mouth the work 'OK' and Kathy gave a nod in return. Sarah returned to her throne, reached for her drink, downed it in one and handed the empty glass to her sub.

"Well, that didn't touch the sides. It looks like I need a refill," she commented.

"Would any other Mistress like a top up?" Kathy asked the group, her voice still a little breathless.

There was a general assent, and Kathy was sent off to the kitchen with Karen assisting.  As soon as they reached the kitchen, Kathy went to the sink where there was a bottle of hand cream. She handed it to Karen, turned and gripped the taps so that her battered backside was presented to the kitchen.

"Be a darling, would you?" she asked. Karen realised what was wanted. She squeezed a generous dollop of the cream onto her fingertips, stood behind Kathy and, gently, eased the cream across the battered flesh.

"God that's good," Kathy sighed. Her hands gripped the taps, whitening her knuckles, and she stood on tiptoe. "Yes, like that, a little more please."

"Are you OK?" Karen asked. Now she was close up she could see just how harsh Mistress Sarah had been. Even though Karen was being as gentle as possible Kathy was wincing in pain as her fingers touched the vivid red lines across her backside.

"Well, I'm a little sore. Mistress Sarah has a strong right arm," Kathy said with a little laugh. "But I'm fine, really I am. There's nothing like well thrashed buttocks to make a girl feel so goddam horny." With no sense that she was doing anything out of the ordinary, and with Karen still massaging the cream into her backside, Kathy rubbed her groin against the edge of the work surface. "Ooh but she knows how to turn me on." She sighed before reluctantly letting go of the taps and turning around. "If we don't stop now then I'm going to come again and that would never do. Come along, we'd best get these drinks sorted."

Both women washed their hands under the tap before starting on the drinks. Kathy fetched the wine bottle whilst Karen fetched a couple of beers from the fridge, opened them and poured them into tumblers. From the corner of her eye she watched her friend working her buttocks as the pain from her rear settled down. Her own emotions were still a tangled mess. She was still a little taken aback by the ferocity of the thrashing, but there was no denying it had affected her deeply. There was something about the intensity of the shared experience. She wanted to go over and give Kathy a hug but she felt it would be misinterpreted. Anyway there was no time; they had to get back to the playroom with the drinks.

When they got downstairs there was a certain amount of muttering about how long they had taken but it wasn't serious. After they had handed round the drinks, Karen noticed that Kathy, rather than kneeling on the floor, was now nestled into Mistress Sarah's lap. There was a closeness about them that had been missing earlier. Whatever the price in bruised backsides Karen could see that the punishments were an important part of how they bonded.

"Now that's out of the way," Andy started, "how about a little challenge, Beth against Lucy, see who has the most self control?"

"Suits me," Mel replied. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Jude, have you got that box I dropped by the other day?"

"Yeah, it's in the other room. Karen, it's a polished wooden box on the workbench, go and fetch it."

When Karen got to the workbench it was quite obvious which box Jude meant, so she picked it up and took it back to Andy.

"This little beauty," Andy opened the box to show the others, "was made around the turn of the century. It's supposed to be a cure for the vapours in young girls who were prone to hysterics. All stuff and nonsense, of course, but it does have certain practical applications. I picked this one up in an antique shop in town and, believe me, it's fully functional."

With the box now open the others could see what it contained. There was some sort of cylinder and, there were two metal handles attached by long wires. Andy offered the handles to Jude and, as soon as she had taken them, she flicked some sort of switch on the box, which immediately started buzzing.

"Jesus!" Jude cried flinging the handles from her.

"Oops. Did I have it set a bit high? Here, try again." Andy adjusted the machine and Jude leant forward. She gingerly used the tips of her fingers to pick up the cylinders from the floor where they had fallen.

"That's quite pleasant, actually," Jude said as she held the two handles. "That's nice and tingly. So, you can adjust the voltage then?"

"That's the idea, anything from barely noticeable up to... well, it wasn't on full power when you dropped them! More than that, apart from those handles it has certain other attachments. Let me show you." She switched off the machine, and lifted it out of the box to reveal an inner compartment where various chrome shapes lay. She fetched out two cylinders each around six inches long and an inch in diameter.

"Is those what I think they are?" asked Mel. Andy just grinned and nodded as she handed it over for closer inspection. 

"So the Victorians cured the vapours by applying electric shocks to their pussies. Kinky little beasts, weren't they? Anyway, what's your plan?" Mel looked intrigued.

"Well, let's say we have the two subs knelt down facing each other. We fit them with one of these each, front or back, whichever you prefer. Then, as long as they don't touch they'll be fine, there's no circuit, see? However if they were to touch each other, lets say they were to kiss each other, then the circuit would be completed and this little box of tricks could do its stuff."

"And you keep upping the voltage and the first sub to pull back loses, is that it?" Mel asked, turning the metal cylinder over and over as she inspected it.

"That's the one," Andy confirmed.

"What's the prize?" Jude asked.

"I hadn't really thought that far."

"How about the winning sub gets to fuck the losing sub's Domme?" Mel suggested.

"I'm not sure...,"Andy replied.

"Not sure you're going to win? Not sure you trust Beth to pull through for you? Scaredy cat, scaredy cat," Mel taunted.

"OK, then," Andy conceded, not wanting to lose face. "Let's get on with it then."

Lucy and Beth knelt down on the floor opposite each other. Each of the cylinders was wired to the machine and then passed to the subs. Lucy sucked hers like a lollypop so as to make it suitably wet before reaching down and slipping it inside her. Beth followed suit and they reached forward and kissed.

"Proper kisses, tongues and all," Andy urged but, truth be told, they didn't need much encouraging and were soon locked in an embrace. Andy reached for the machine, set the voltage to a minimum and switched it on.

At first you couldn't tell that anything was that different but, as Andy slowly increased the voltage, you could see that the two women were becoming increasingly affected and, after one boost to the voltage, Lucy in particular gave a shudder, and a squeak escaped from her lips. Both started to squirm about as if trying to expel the invader in their groins but afraid to do so. At the urging of the others Andy was slow to increase the voltage. They were obviously enjoying watching the girls as they fought their conflicting desires. And then, as Andy turned the knob one last time, it was Beth who broke away, who pushed Lucy from her and reached down to take the cylinder from where it lay inside her.

"I'm sorry, Mistress, so sorry, so so sorry," Beth sobbed. "I just... god that's...," she reached down and rubbed herself, "that box is evil!"

"We'll discuss how sorry you are later," Andy said dryly. "Seeing as it's I who will be paying the price for your weakness."

Mel looked on delightedly as Lucy, also shaking like a leaf, reached for her cylinder, withdrew it, and held it to her lips where she licked it clean.

"Well, never let it be said I don't pay my debts. How do you want me?" Andy asked Mel.

"Nothing too fancy, hands and knees on the floor will do, naked of course," Mel replied.

Andy tidied away the electric shock machine, and then stood up and started to disrobe. Although she was making much of how Beth would pay for putting her through this, Karen could tell that mostly this was bluster, and when she was down to her underwear a little damp patch on her panties told its own story. When she was fully naked she knelt down on the floor leaning forward so that her backside was prominent.

"Please, Mistress Mel, you are a worthy winner and I offer myself to your sub as your reward," Andy said from where she knelt.

Mel got up and went through to the other room returning with a strap-on. Karen was hardly an expert on sizes but this one seemed to be pretty large. Mel fitted it to Lucy and had Lucy kneel down behind Andy's prostrate form.

"Let's see, do we need any lubrication?" Mel asked lightly as she reached between Andy's thighs. She brought her fingers out glistening with Andy's juices, which she showed to the others before licking her fingers clean. "No, indeed. Mistress 'high and mighty' is quite ready to be fucked, isn't that so."

"Yes, Mistress," Andy replied.

And with that Mel put one hand on the dildo part of the strap on and the other on Lucy's backside so as to guide her forward.  The dildo slid home with a long smooth motion, causing Andy to moan gently. Then, with the others looking on, Lucy put her hands on Andy's buttocks and began slowly, steadily, sensuously moving back and forth. Both women were already aroused by what had gone before, and it wasn't long before Lucy was working the strap-on to a crescendo. As Karen watched she saw Andy's fingers grip the carpet and Lucy too had a far away look.

It was Andy who broke first. With a cry of "Harder! Fuck me! For gods sake you little bitch, fuck me harder!" she pushed herself back at Lucy, impaling herself time and time again on the dildo until, sated and satisfied, she slumped forward and lay flat on the floor, leaving Lucy still kneeling between her outstretched legs.

"Well, Mistress Andy, are you well and truly fucked?" Mel asked, once Andy had got her breath back.

"Yes, Mistress Mel, thank you Mistress Mel," Andy replied.

"And what about my sub? Is it fair that the loser should get to come when the winner is still unsatisfied?" Mel continued.

"No, of course not."

Andy got back onto her hands and knees, turned round and reached for the straps around Lucy's waist. As soon as they were free, Lucy lay back on the floor and Andy buried her head between Lucy's thighs. Karen was utterly surprised. Here was the most dominant of all the Dommes debasing herself to service a sub... but no one else seemed to think it was out of the ordinary. There was even a little cheer as Lucy climaxed and, after a moment or two, it was all back to normal.

"That's an interesting box of tricks you've got there," Sarah commented as she looked through the attachments. "Where did you say you got it?"

"The antique shop in King Street," Andy replied, putting on a dressing gown that Beth had fetched for her. "I saw it in the window and couldn't resist. I'm sure we'll find lots of ways to put it to good use."

There were laughs all round at this.

And then the evening just seemed to drift away. It wasn't long before Sarah and Kathy called for the first taxi and the others followed soon after. Even so it was well gone midnight when a weary Jude led an even wearier Karen up to bed.

And this set the pattern for the following weeks. More and more, as far as police shift patterns allowed, Karen was spending her time with Jude. Friday nights, whenever possible, were spent at the club and later back at the playroom. There was a certain amount of grumbling, notably from Andy and Sarah, about Karen's refusal to join in group activities but it was good natured and they accepted Karen's limits as part of the way she was. Andy's electric shock machine quickly became a favourite, especially when Kathy turned up with a pair of nipple clamps with suitable wires attached. Karen, along with the other subs, soon discovered what it was like to be on the cross or on the dentist whilst the various Dommes played with the voltage levels.

Gradually Karen was growing more comfortable with her new life. She still wasn't "out" in any real sense of the word, but the comfort she found in Jude's arms, whether or not sex was involved, made it increasingly hard to find anything wrong with loving another woman. Similarly, in her more introspective moments, she wondered just how it was that she was accepting more and more a sex life that was so unlike anything she would have dreamed of. Not so very long ago, if you'd have asked her about playing submissive games in a lesbian relationship, she would have called it perverse, sick, abnormal or simply refused to think about it. Now, well, it wasn't just the amazing orgasms, but there was something about submitting to Jude, something about being her sub, where the capitulation was more than just role play and had an almost mystical element.

And it wasn't just in bed that their relationship was maturing. Increasingly Karen wanted to be Jude's wife. Cooking her meals and tending to her needs was fulfilling a need deep within her. She felt wanted, useful, appreciated in a way that she hadn't felt even when her parents were alive; indeed, even when she was acting as Jude's sub, it made a pleasant change not to be taken for granted.

For Jude things were not quite so straightforward. Sure she was fast becoming used to having a 'wife' around the place; Karen's cooking, if nothing else, was a big improvement on what had gone before, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Karen kept dropping hints, increasingly heavy hints, that she'd like to... well, not exactly move in, although Jude was sure that Karen would say yes to that in a heartbeat, but that she'd like, well, some cupboard space. Although, on the face of it, this was quite reasonable, Jude felt that Karen simply couldn't understand, it was all too recent, it was all too soon after... well, after Sharon.  Letting someone into your house meant letting them further into your life than is safe. Give someone the power to hurt you and pain invariably follows. Much as she liked having Karen around, much as they really seemed to work well together, the scars around her heart were too fresh, too new, too raw. She would stick to her resolve never, ever, to get caught like that again.

And sometimes she felt smothered, suffocated. It seemed to Jude that Karen was foolishly rushing headlong into whatever it was she wanted them to have together. She was always going on about how happy she was and how this happiness all came from Jude. It was all too much, too much responsibility, too much obligation. Karen was always so keen to please that she demanded that Jude make all the decisions. While this was right and proper for a D/s relationship, sometimes it would be nice if... but that would involve opening herself up, laying herself bare.

And then there were the changes in Karen. She was dressing better, holding herself better, even being more assertive. This was changing things. She wasn't the scared little thing she had first met. What had started as a bit of fun with this little mouse had developed into something far, far more complex.

And then, bang in the middle of all this, was the incident in town. She and Karen had gone shopping together and, right in the main concourse of St George's Mall, they had bumped into Karen's sister. All morning Karen had been in a touchy, feely mood and, even as they went round the shops, Karen had insisted on holding hands. Then, as soon as she had spotted her sister, Karen had dropped Jude's hand like it was rancid. She had barely introduced Jude, pushing her into the background and referring to her simply as 'a friend'. Jude was used to those in the closet, but Karen had seemed almost embarrassed at Jude's existence. Karen's sister had mentioned a forthcoming wedding with a 'you'll be there, of course' and, whilst Karen had readily agreed to this, she had in no way suggested that, maybe, Jude might wish to accompany her. For the rest of the day their relationship had been strained. Jude knew that Karen had completely failed to understand how much she had been hurt.

And all the while, in the background, she felt she was getting pressure from the others. Karen's pathetic limits, her refusal to get fully involved, made life difficult, especially as the girls liked a little mix-and-match to liven things up. Andy, in particular, was, as ever, never slow to make her feelings known and phrases such as 'when are you going to get that little sub of yours in line' didn't help much.

Jude, whilst she agreed in many ways, wouldn't break her promise to Karen, so she urged patience upon her friends. Karen was still very new to the lifestyle and expecting her to throw herself headlong into it right from the start was asking a bit much. "Just stay with it for a while," Jude pleaded, "and let her find herself; give it time and she'll come to realise how unreasonable she was being."

With life getting increasingly complex and with the frustrations growing, Jude wondered just why her life revolved around the times Karen came to stay. If only Karen would just relax a bit, if only she would learn to join in, if only she wouldn't run so hot and cold, wanting Jude and her to be more than they were yet refusing to admit the slightest hint of closeness to her family.

So, driven to distraction by this woman who, with her funny little ways had somehow turned her life upside down, Jude simply pushed all decisions off 'till another day, even if, in the small hours of a night shift, the questions returned to trouble her like picked onions eaten in haste.