Thirty five. Judith was 35 years old.
While her best friend had put together a small party of their mutual society friends, Judith just was not in the mood to celebrate. The mood had been building for several weeks now, culminating with this impromptu party.
Here she was, dressed in her best Bitch blacks, looking indescribably edible with her red hair loose, and her normal glasses exchange for contacts, making her eyes glow.....and she felt like a mouse, willing to crawl someplace and just hide.
She idly played with the stem of the goblet, the white wine unusually dry tasting, and raised her hazel eyes, glancing around the room full of Dommes and subbies celebrating her birthday.
As she set the goblet aside and rose to leave, her friend pushed her gently back down by her shoulder.
"Judith... not yet, hon," Sharon gazed at her smiling with bright eyes, the deep purple suede outfit suiting her dark hair. "I have a surprise for you."
"Sharon..," Judith started with a sigh, and then was startled when one of their other friends came forward with a small box tied with a bow.
"Hey Judith...ya old bitch you," Melissa said laughing, and then stopped, seeing the hurt in Judith's eyes. "Anyways, Happy Birthday, hon!"
Judith just held to the box, fighting down the urge to rake her nails against Melissa's snooty face. She mustered her civility and coolly replied, "Thank you dear."
Sharon watched this exchange, more than mildly interested. She had been watching, listening, and talking to Judith for twenty years now, knowing her in high school, throughout their college years, and then professionally. She knew it was time to really talk to her.
"Judith, ....come upstairs with me. I want to show you what I found at an antique market last weekend," Sharon said, taking her arm and tugging slightly.
Judith followed and as they entered Sharon's bedroom, she flung the prettily wrapped package across the room.
"Damn it Sharon, I'm tired of it." Judith was really ready to get into it with her friend. One of their favorite pastimes was called 'Bitch session' and it was just screaming at each other about anything.
"Sit down, Judith," Sharon's tone was quiet, but was full of authority. Judith sat on her friend's beautiful designed Laura Ashley bed, looking at Sharon oddly, viewing her in a new light. Sharon stood there, her arms crossed, eyes steadily staring at Judith and calmly continued. "We have known each other the longest of the group out there. You want to talk to me and tell me what the hell is going on? I don't know how to talk to you anymore. I want YOU to tell me and I want to hear it NOW."
Judith flinched as she heard the emphasis in her friend's words, but then she breathed in deeply.
"I'm thinking of leaving the scene, Sharon." She put it quickly and bluntly. "I've trained and searched, I've whipped and cuddled. I have gone from wide eye excitement ten years ago, going from party to party to being a full-fledged career woman. I have no time anymore to deal with pandering to subs, the responsibility has become overwhelming. I'm just thankful I don't have a collared currently. It would just make this all the harder to do."
"I think you're lying to yourself," Sharon retorted, and picked up the package. She looked at it carefully and handed it back to Judith. "Open it."
"Oh for Christ's sake! I don't want another fucking vibrator to point out that I'm alone. I have my job, I have the Chamber meetings, I'm just ...just... " Judith looked up, "existing."
"Judith...shut the fuck up and open the present. I have one for you too, but I want you to open that first. Melissa told me what she had found for you and NO it's not another fucking vibrator," Sharon pushed the package into her hands.
Judith ripped through the ribbon and paper to open the box, sharply breathing in at the dark sapphire suede flogger lying within the tissue. "Oh my!" Judith pulled it out and fingered it slowly, testing the weight of the grip, the feel of the flails.
Sharon nodded. "Melissa said she found a leather smith that does custom jobs. Seems you told her once you like that color. And now that you have a new toy..." She walked to the door that adjoined to her guest room, opening it slightly and tugging on something with her hand. "Here's my present!"
Judith raised her eyes, watching the man enter on the end of Sharon's chain. He was physically fit and well defined. Naked save for chains, collar, and hood, which covered his eyes and hair but left his nose and mouth visible. With a quick tug on the chain and a barked "Down" from Sharon, the man was kneeling before her, and Sharon was making her way to the door. Sharon looked back and laughed. "Happy birthday, Judith my love… Have fun!"
As the door shut behind her friend, Judith looked down at the man. From the peppered strands of chest hair, this was a mature man, not a mere boy. With a nudge of her toe, he immediately opened his thighs wider, his cock hanging erect before him. Judith slid completely off the bed and circled this gift, critically eyeing the few marks remaining on his back from what looked liked a bullwhip.
"What is your safe word, pet?" She held the flogger loosely in her hand, trailing the tails over his shoulders.
"Mistress...red is my safe word," his voice was like fine cognac, mellowed with time, just low enough to be husky.
She looked at the flogger once more, and told him to get on all fours, watching as he did so quickly and quietly. "Good boy," she praised, but then did something she promised herself never to do. She vented her anger, all the frustration she had been feeling, all the confusion and flogged his ass until it was black and blue with stripe marks.
Not once did he complain, not once did he utter the safe word, but as Judith threw the flogger to the ground in disgust of herself, he lifted his head and she could see his cheeks shining from the tears. His voice cracked slightly as he spoke.
"Did I please the Mistress?"
"Yes pet," She walked to the door, leaving the flogger lying on the floor next to him. "You pleased me."
Judith went downstairs to Sharon. Her eyes spoke volumes but her voice only came to her once. "I'm sorry." Judith collected her coat and purse and left quietly, her life changed.
In the next two weeks, Judith immersed herself in work. Judith went to one meeting after another, reassuring Chamber members that a merger coming up would not affect the commerce of their small community. But her stability was shaken. She no longer had the edge that she used to. She heard soft whispers regarding herself and how she had become soft. And as she went into the Friday afternoon meeting with the merger representative of the other company, she breathed a deep sigh of relief, just thinking of rest for the weekend.
He had flown in specifically for this, and she knew that his schedule was tight, as the CEO of the corporation was constantly relying on him to do certain tasks. She had dressed today in her power suit, thinking that her favorite sapphire blue would perk her mood back up. She even wore blue suede pumps.
As she dropped a slew of files to the conference table, her eyes took in the very smart and very expensive suit that was standing and looking out the window. Late 40's early 50's easily, with dark hair starting to turn gray. He turned around and caught her looking and she smiled awkwardly.
