Chapter 1
Very early Saturday morning Rob took the dogs for their usual walk. It had been a quiet week, alone. He wondered whether the women would return to face their punishment. He hadn't heard from any of them, although what he'd said could have discouraged them from trying. He was quite prepared that none of them would return; he had already decided he would move far from this part of the country, maybe even out of England entirely. Australia was nicely distant, but he'd easily found opportunities for a position in Ireland, even more on the Continent. He was fed up with their games and one way or another a change was required.
When he brought the dogs home, just a bit after eight o'clock, all four women were standing by the stair leading to his front door, shivering in the frost. After opening the front door, he gestured, they all silently climbed the stair to follow him in.
He led them into his living room. "Please, take a seat." Rob made a point of sitting in a chair rather than the couch so no one could sit beside him. Helena, Marion and Kim sat in a row on the couch, Cathy sat silently opposite him. She seemed more calm, less engaged than the other women.
Because of her reserve, he picked Cathy for his request. "Cathy, would you serve coffee please? This is one of the changes we must have. I own this flat, which makes me your host. But you decided to come live here. Everyone will take their fair turns serving drinks, cooking, washing up. I'll do my part and I expect each of you to do your part as well. When Cathy or Kim have been working during the day, they may ask to be excused. That goes the same for Helena when she has business to sort out. Is that clear?"
All four women nodded.
"Good, the same goes for making coffee, breakfast and so on, don't assume I'll do it. I'll do my part, but I expect each of us will do our part in turn. If you wait for me to make dinner, you'll be served every fifth day. Agreed?"
Again all four nodded their heads.
"Last week you said you would rape me and you all did." They started to protest, but Rob spoke over them. "It was a mind-fuck, wasn't it? A mental rape." They fell silent again.
"The original plan for last weekend was to do some shopping. The suggestion came from Helena. I've made some arrangements, we're going to do just that. I know your sizes, I bought dresses for the four of you. Each dress is different, but all of a similar look. We're going across to the big new mall at Birmingham. We'll spend the afternoon there. Helena, I know you're especially concerned about being recognized so I have four, identical wigs and sunglasses for each of you.
"I've added these details because we'll attract attention, so I've also arranged protection. People we trust will keep away anyone we consider a threat. Don't think for a moment you'll be unsafe, there will be four people circling around us. I have someone lined up to take care of Nicky and Inca so we've the whole day to do as I see fit. We'll have dinner in a nice restaurant, I booked nine seats, our guards will dine when we dine.
"Helena, our escort is drawn from your own security detail, people you know and trust. I'm paying them with cash. Your man Michael Haft knows all about this. He helped set it up. Officially you're here with me all day."
"I forgot to mention, you all must wear black stockings with your dresses, I insist on this."
Rob dismissed the ladies to dress, telling them the limousine would leave at half past ten. The women asked questions, but Rob made them no wiser.
A few minutes later Marion caught him alone in the kitchen and apologized for herself. "Rob, I am so glad we've made up." She tried to kiss him.
Rob took a step back. "We haven't made up yet. Let's see if you still want to kiss me tomorrow morning."
A puzzled Marion went back to tell the others what Rob said. Helena came to Rob asking for their dresses and the wigs. Rob opened a wardrobe and gave them each their dress. The dresses fit properly as Rob intended. The ladies understood what Rob meant by saying the dresses would attract attention. In back, the bold-colored dresses had a decent length, below the knee, but the front was as short as a miniskirt. It was likely their stocking tops would be visible when they were walking.
"This is my suit," said Rob as he looked back in to check on them. It was made of a deep black material, with quite a sheen, almost satin. He looked superb in it. When he moved, the color seemed to shift and flash.
"Now I see." Cathy had to laugh, in spite of her situation. "You, walking into the mall with four almost identical sexy women."
"Okay, you see the picture, but I didn't want Helena recognized so now you know what we're up to."
"So you had this all figured out Rob?" Helena tried to assert herself, challenging Rob. "You were pretty sure I'd come back to face my punishment, then?"
"No, I wasn't sure at all. I decided to take the risk. I had options ready against not everyone coming this morning."
Helena kept silent. She had her own thoughts about how Rob had handled things. She was uncomfortable with someone else pulling all the strings, giving her the surprises.
Inca and Nicky barked, the door-bell rang and Rob went to the front door to open it. It was Sylvia, who had agreed to take care of his dogs until they came back from their long day. Rob saw Nicky and Inca were in good hands with her. He gave her the keys to his flat and also an envelope with her money. She opened it and peeked quickly inside. "Rob, this is far too much."
"Sylvia, everyone is getting the same amount and you don't have the fun of going shopping. If you want something to eat or drink, just look in the kitchen and help yourself. You can read, watch TV or whatever, just take care of the dogs. It might be as late as midnight when we return."
Kim and Cathy came out in their dresses, one cobalt blue, the other bright yellow. Sylvia's mouth felt open at the sight of them, identically clothed and showing their legs in stockings.
"Not to offend, Rob, but you look like a pimp out with his girlfriends." Sylvia had a smile on her face. She wasn't willing to make eye contact with the women, but they all knew what she meant.
Rob simply smiled. "Could that the purpose of all this?" The women didn't say much.
Rob opened the door when the bell rang again. The driver of the limo said he was ready to leave. Rob saw Neil beside the cars, who waved to him and gave him a thumbs-up. It was a sight for passers-by, the large white limousine and two black Mercedes sedans parked behind it, men and women in gray or black suits. Helena was right behind Rob, taking in the scene with disbelief. "You've made quite a production of this." Her dress was purple.
Rob turned to her. "It's my intent we attract attention. At the same time I want you to be perfectly safe. You'll have the opportunity to shop undisturbed. They're your people, they'll watch over you."
"Thank you dear, but next time let's not shop in these striking outfits." Helena sighed, thinking what a long day it was going to be. She led the four women straight to the limo. Rob gave the security detail and the limo driver their envelopes of cash.
Birmingham was a long drive, well over an hour. They all settled in a bit. It wasn't easy to remain ladylike in the dresses he'd chosen for them. Rob closed the window between the driver and themselves, allowing the women to be less careful with where their legs went. Less guarded, their stocking and garters were visible at least part of the time. In the privacy of the limo, they didn't mind at all. In fact they teased him with occasional glimpses of their knickers, openly looking for evidence of tension in his trousers.
Rob's tone turned sharp, he'd had enough of their teasing. "If you want, I can go sit next to the driver. It wasn't my plan for the day to start out unpleasant, but if a reminder is required I can easily make the entire day less pleasant."
The driver's voice came on the intercom to report they were a few minutes from their destination. "Where do you want to be dropped, sir?" Rob lowered the screen between the driver and his passengers. Fully prepared, he knew which entry would have fewer people present and helped the driver find it.
Rob opened the door of the limo and helped the women, one after another, step out of the limousine. Few were nearby, even so some stopped to look at them. Rob smiled, inside the mall they would surely get the attention of many more people.
Chapter 2
Rob and the four women spent some hours shopping, breaking into smaller groups to attract less attention. They saw each other occasionally, the women sometimes changing who they walked with. They gathered briefly for a light lunch in one of the mall's cafes.
There were minor incidents of staring to embarrass the women. In the late afternoon they headed for the exit. On the way out, a group of younger men stopped to stare, whistle and make lewd comments as they passed. Rob had hoped this would happen, just enough to make all four of them uneasy and embarrassed. Helena's face got quite serious, Rob couldn't tell if it was out of excitement or out of shame.
Their limousine driver had pulled up, ready for his passengers. The boot stood open, the driver stowed all their purchases there. The women took their places in the car. Rob boarded last after confirming the destination with their driver.
Once they were driving, Rob had a question. "So ladies, did you have a good time, in spite of some inconvenience of showing your lovely legs?" His intent was to be provocative.
Immediately Kim spoke up. "Yes, let's plan another trip. I had great fun. I like to embarrass strangers."
The others looked at Kim with some displeasure, as if they were seeing her for the first time. Helena shook her head. "Our doctor can become quite a different person when opportunity presents."
Cathy spoke up. "It was more fun than I thought it would be, but dressing like that in public was more than I'm ready to take. I'll wear the dress again, Rob, but in private, just for ourselves."
