A week later was the academy's spring concours, a two-day affair to advertise itself and its stock. Excitement among them was high for the competitions. Winners would receive blue neck ribbons and be valued by their owners and prospective buyers; losers wore brown and were tied to posts, holding lanterns in the evening to light the paths.
Branding and severe punishments were deferred, and the air of a festival pervaded the campus. The first day would be devoted to contests and exhibitions; the second to demonstrations and seminars. No auctions were scheduled, but some black-ribbon girls would be made available "as is" at a discount on the second afternoon.
Lying in her cell the first morning, Anne heard footsteps coming up the gravel walk and fear seized her. She remembered her failure in competition at Maude's; would she get the loser's brown ribbon and disappoint Paul? She could not bear the shame.
The attendant was a young woman, and perceptive; she bent Anne over the sink and spoke soothing words to calm her while she stroked Anne's haunches. She fed Anne (that also helped) and wiped a bit of paste off her breasts before leading her outside.
As they passed the main building, a group of attendants were lowering a girl onto Albert; she gasped as she was set on the iron plate and the cold spike penetrated her. They paused to watch Victoria cover her eyes and pet her. Soon her expression turned to a smile and at a shake of the leash Anne proceeded to the stable.
There a groom fitted her with a harness before hitching her to the chaise, a small open carriage for a driver and two passengers. Another girl was already harnessed; Laura smiled and touched her hip to Anne's. She also belonged to Paul, taken on a month before.
With dismay Anne saw Vincent approach with a long coachman's whip; he would be driving them and he would use it on her frequently. He swung into his seat and with a snap to her thighs set the chaise forward.
He drove them to a tent on the great lawn. She saw the first carriage of guests arriving; six girls wearing only harnesses pulled it with a trainer wielding a whip to keep them in line. He cracked it smartly on one girl who was not pulling her share; she squealed and leapt forward. The chaise stood beside the tent ready to take guests on a tour of the grounds.
Anne looked into the tent; later this morning it would be the site of the spanking contest. Trainers set out paddles and bent girls over a leather vaulting horse. Helga, a large somewhat fleshy girl, grunted unhappily as she took her place.
Mme. Byrne and her son Morgan got in the chaise; Vincent used the whip on Anne's buttocks to start them moving along the path that circled the estate. Anne was pleased to see Morgan again; she still entertained hopes of attracting the young man.
Vincent cracked the whip on her and she jumped, tugging on the harness. Laura admonished her in low tones to run with a smoother gait; she was experienced in this, a regular at pulling carriages around the academy.
Anne saw she had fine muscular thighs and sturdy buttocks from regular exercise. Her breasts were small and not in the way of her harness, even as they hung below her bent torso. Their dark nipples contrasted nicely with her pale skin. She would be good in bed, or on the concrete floor of a cell. Anne turned her eyes away. Later maybe they would let her couple with Laura; for now she must concentrate on her work.
Vincent cracked her again with the whip but she was better prepared this time and only twitched a little, though he struck a sensitive place between her cheeks. The chaise approached the forest; he pulled on the reins and the girls slowed as they crossed the wooden bridge and entered it. Once again Anne breathed in the air of the woods, but she was more careful this time to keep her mind on her work.
Back at the lawn, Vincent pulled up and stopped. The passengers got out and Vincent invited Morgan to give the girls a run. The youth took the driver's seat and snapped Anne with the whip to start them.
Anne and Laura trotted at a brisk pace two or three times around the lawn. Once she looked over at Laura's body, glistening like hers with sweat. Laura winked back at her and it was all she could do to look away. Morgan chastised her with the lash. Well, it was better than his indifference.
Back at the lawn where Paul awaited them, Morgan noticed a small arena to be used in the afternoon for competitions. He suggested a woman-fight between Anne and Laura. Paul agreed and the two girls were unbound; they faced each other like sumo wrestlers inside the sawdust covered circle as a small group gathered.
The contest did not last long; Laura quickly hooked a foot behind Anne's knee and brought her down. Anne struggled in vain beneath her, working herself into the sawdust as Paul counted to ten and declared the winner. She kissed Anne boldly on the mouth; seeing this, Paul said "Do her" and she reached between Anne's legs.
She found the sensitive nub within and massaged it; a crowd gathered around the circle, drawn by Anne's cries until Paul was satisfied and said "Enough". Anne's body was drenched in sweat and she could barely move.
The woman stood over Anne in the sawdust; when at last she rose to thank her conqueror she was covered with it. The audience laughed at the sight, and Paul handed Anne to attendants for washing off.