Jessica and Emma were in a quiet corner of their favourite pub. Their girls' night out was overdue. They had finally arranged it. Jessica was driving; that meant that Emma could have more than one drink. That might help to loosen her up, thought Jessica.
They had been firm friends since Emma joined the school, two years after Jessica. They were similar in many ways, both were quick on the uptake and witty, but where Jessica was considered and cautious, Emma was bubbly and more impetuous and she sometimes opened her mouth before engaging her brain. She was a very good judge of character and could spot a phoney adult or an untruthful student instantly. She had guessed for weeks that Jessica was up to something. She couldn't figure out what, but she was dying to find out.
She was shorter and had a fuller figure than Jessica, though she was still slender. Her hair was fair but not blonde. Sometimes she lightened it; sometimes she kept the regular colour and just added blonde highlights. It was naturally wavy and she just went with that now. She had given up trying to make it into something it wasn't.
They were nursing lagers and talking about school and the children. Emma had a five-year old, Hugo, who went to the same after school childminder as Amy. Tonight their husbands were at their respective homes babysitting the kids.
They had been chatting for a while when Emma cut to the chase, "We've been here half an hour now and all we've talked about is SATs tests and marking schemes. That's work. I've been trying to get you on your own for months. You're up to something, I know. What's going on?"
Jessica had been waiting for this, "OK, 'Truth or Dare' - I'll ask first."
"OK" said Emma.
"Right", said Jessica. "Remember your hen night when you put on that gang-bang DVD?"
"I've never been allowed to forget it," said Emma. "Two of my so-called friends never turned up for the wedding after that. Why bring it up now?"
"It's not the video," said Jessica, "It's what you said afterwards. Do you remember?"
"Well, I was pretty drunk at the time," said Emma, "I probably wouldn't have shown it otherwise. Now half my friends know what my sexual fantasies are. I've got no idea what I said exactly; probably something about women being able to fuck more often than men."
"That's what I was getting at," said Jessica. "You said that you weren't going to stop being a superior woman after you got married and that William accepted that. What did you mean, exactly?"
"God, this really is 'Truth or Dare' isn't it?"
Emma paused and gathered her thoughts. Could she trust Jessica? Yes, she thought she could.
"Right, this stays with you, OK? No blabbing."
"I wouldn't dream," said Jessica.
"Well, have you ever heard of a wife-led marriage?"
"I think so, tell me more."
"For us, it means that in the bedroom, I'm in charge. William does what I say, when I say it. He never gets to initiate sex, it's always me. He likes it that way - and I do it quite often, by the way. Sometimes I don't let him come. He likes that as well, believe it or not. It's a power trip. There's more to it than that, but I've probably stunned you into silence already."
"Not a bit of it," said Jessica, with a grin. "It's exactly what I hoped you'd say. I need to know more."
"I'm not sure if I should. I trust you - there is William to think of, I've probably said too much already. Anyway, it's your turn to answer now."
The conversation was going exactly where Jessica had hoped it would. It looked as if William was already some way along the road that Robert had just started on. This was even better than she might have expected.
"OK, fair point. Fire away." It would be easier to explain about Gareth, now, but should she?
"Right," said Emma. "Where did you go when you left your car in school and went into town just before term started? Are you having an affair?"
"Well, kind of, but not exactly," said Jessica.
"Que?"
"Well, I have been seeing someone, but it's not an affair. I have been paying."
Emma was gobsmacked. Her jaw hit the floor. This was absolutely the last thing she had expected.
"You have got to be shitting me! You are seeing a prostitute? Is it a woman? You have got to be out of your mind. What are you going to do when Robert finds out?"
Emma had raised her voice. A couple of people by the bar turned around to see what was going on.
"Shhh!" said Jessica. "I am telling you, not the whole pub. I have my reasons. And it's a man. Robert is not going to find out until I am ready to tell him."
"You're what? You're going to tell him? How can that ever work?"
"Well," said Jessica. "I think it could work - and if I have just understood what you said about William, I think you know exactly why it might."
"Are you saying that Robert's a submissive?" said Emma.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Jessica. "We've both got submissive husbands."
The two friends gazed at each other across the pub table. They were both running through a range of emotions. Something clandestine had suddenly become a common interest. They were smart enough to be able to see that this might lead to some very interesting times - or at the very least to them having many kinky conversations.
Suddenly they were grinning from ear to ear.
"I think we should drink to that!" said Jessica. They clinked their glasses and downed their drinks.
"My round," said Emma, "What'll it be?"
"Tonic water, ice and lemon," I'm afraid, said Jessica. "It'll have to do."
"Well I'm having a pint," said Emma. I've just had a shock."
Emma went to the bar while Jessica worked out where to take the conversation next. Emma returned and sat down.
Jessica dived straight in. "Now I want to know exactly what you get up to with William, because I have started to train Robert."
Emma was still struggling. "Hang on, let me get this straight. You're paying for sex - from a man - and also Robert is a submissive and you want me to tell you how to train him. You don't fuck about, do you?"
"The paid sex thing - he's called Gareth," said Jessica. "I'm not paying him now - that's just how it started. I was frustrated and it seemed like a solution."
She lowered her voice, "And he's got a big cock and he knows how to use it. He was one of my pupils."
"Now you've gone too far. You could be prosecuted!"
"No, no. He left ten years ago. I've just met him again. It's a coincidence, but a very lucky one. I had the hots for him when he was in sixth form, but nothing happened then. He left before you started here."
"So your former pupil is now on the game. Doesn't sound like a conventional career path."
"Was on the game. Have you heard of AdultWork?"
"Was that the MumsNet thread a while back? God those bitches destroyed that man for having a bit of off piste fun."
"Well that's how I found him. I Googled it. It's something else. They have men too, not just women - submissives, big cocks, you name it. It's amazing."
"So how big is his cock? You're making me wet now. I'm going to do William when I get home. I don't care if he's asleep, I'll wake him up."
Jessica held her hands apart to indicate Gareth's vital dimension.
"And this thick," she said, holding her thumb and forefinger in a circle, but adding part of her other forefinger to enlarge it.
Emma raised her eyebrows and whistled. "I could use that," she said. "Can you put in a word for me?"
Old Tom, propping up the bar commented very loudly, "Huh, women fishing now. There'll be nowhere men can go to get away, soon."
"Well at least he can't hear what we're saying," said Emma.
"Why don't we drink up and talk in the car outside your house," said Jessica. "That way we won't be overheard."