Neither Skye nor I (nor even Blake) wanted to have lunch and go swimsuit shopping with Tala that weekend, so I called her and put it off until the following Saturday.
"Of course, Madeline. If you two can't come this weekend, we'll just do it next weekend. But I don't want to delay too long. We have a vacation coming up."
Could there be anything remotely more like Tala than to assume that Skye and I wanted to go on vacation with her, that we could just get work off whenever she needed us to, and that Blake wouldn't mind the least me traveling with her for whatever she planned. Of course, instead of being infuriated, I just grinned. I'd get the details from her on Saturday over lunch. And I would figure out how to get out of work for it. And if she wanted to, I'd let her fuck me silly every day. Which is what Blake did when I told him about it.
The next Saturday, we went to a tiny Italian wine bar I'd never heard of. Over wild boar and a wine that was so good I plotted to steal a case if I couldn't buy it, she outlined our vacation. It was, naturally, at a resort on a Caribbean island I hadn't heard of, so exclusive it had only twenty huts. That's what the brochure called them. The word implies a rustic modesty. These, however, were large and luxurious in a way I hadn't imagined such things could be. Both Skye and I were giddy about it. If I was going to take a vacation without Blake, this would be the one I would want. If Tala happened to order me to eat her for breakfast every day, that would just be a bonus.
After she finished showing us the brochures and telling us when we would be traveling and all the other details she insisted on, she said, "I will book this tonight. Now, there can't be any of your disobedience again. We had plans for last weekend and you both chose to prioritize other things. This vacation cannot be jeopardized by such unthoughtful behavior. Am I understood?"
We both nodded and apologized. I slightly dreaded whatever punishment was clearly coming. At home with Blake or sitting and talking about the vacation, it all seemed like good sexy times. But with some unknown but certainly humiliating punishment looming, I felt the urge to abandon ship. What was I thinking? A vacation with Tala and Skye? I'd let this whole thing go too far.
On the cab ride whatever store she was taking us to, I fretted over everything. Nothing but luck prevented a stranger from witnessing my spanking at the lingerie boutique. Anybody could have walked it to see my red ass straddling Tala's lap. Even modeling the lingerie in front of Tala and the clerk was humiliating. And everything about what happened in her apartment wasn't just embarrassing, but a threat to my marriage. I thought about how close I came to really cheating.
This was all wrong, but when we pulled up to the Anthropologie store on Southport, I was sad as much as I was relieved. There would be no games here--it's a big, open store on a busy street. Putting me over her knee would get all of us thrown out. Nor would I have to put on anything especially skimpy. This was all family-beach approved, even if the target market were millennials like myself.
In the store, Tala's punishment became more clear.
"Come, girls. Let me get you something appropriate to wear," she said, leading us to the summer collection. She went through and picked things out for us. "Skye, this will be nice on you." "Madeline, this will be such an improvement in your casual wear." "No, Skye, put that down, that's not right for you."
The clerks were aghast as we obediently followed her about, holding on to the clothes she collected for us without speaking a word. When we both had too many clothes to carry, she had us bring them to the counter. The counter clerk was a college age woman with a dusting of acne under her make-up and those "invisible" plastic braces. God, maybe she was in high school.
"Madeline and Skye, I want to see each of these outfits before I pay for them. I'll sit out here."
She then addressed the girl. "They really have no sense with clothes. You might need to help them."
The girl looked at us and giggled.
Skye was smart--the first thing she put on was the skimpiest suit Tala had chosen, a little string bikini. It's design perfectly showcased her cleavage. However despite how embarrassing it would be to wear it in the middle of the store, everything would get better after it. As I peaked through the dressing room curtains, I noticed a college age guy staring at her as his girlfriend looked at Skye with contempt. Fuck.
She came back blushing, but she'd pulled the band aid off. I couldn't get myself to do it. I tried on the cabana trousers and beach caftan.
"Madeline, hurry up now."
I walked out, avoiding the counter girl's gaze--and the couple's.
"Oh, Madeline, dear, you can do better than that."
I sighed and tried to walk like a model. The boyfriend didn't bother to sneak a peak, which kind of hurt.
Skye modeled some cabana wear--an open knit top over a metallic maillot--to the chagrin of the boyfriend. Then I went out in loungers and a hippie blouse.
Skye alternated between the bikinis and other outfits, slowly gaining confidence. Of course, she had a lot to be confident about--she had a bikini-model's body and Tala was an expert at picking the right pieces to show her body off.
My confidence barely nudged. No, it flagged. Playing model at Tala's command was embarrassing and having the boyfriend all but drool at Skye but ignore me was another form of humiliation.
Five outfits in, I was out of anything that wasn't a swimsuit and had to just go for it. I picked the most conservative of the lot, something that would actually be good for swimming. It was also the cutest of the bunch, too: boy legs and broad shoulder straps. Its the kind of suit I would have spent a week looking for, something that flattered my usual figure and wasn't uncomfortably revealing. I took a deep breath and went out, trying my best to look confident.
Tala stood and walked around me, shooting her inspection gaze right into my nerves. "I suppose that will do. Let's hope the others are can do something to help your deficiencies."
The girlfriend gasped at Tala's rudeness. I blushed so much I probably looked like I'd spent the day on the beach without sunscreen.
I tried on three more suits, each more revealing than the last. Of course, this was Anthropologie, so none of it was even as indecent as Tala's critical comments. I sighed with relief when Skye went out for her turn and I realized I didn't have anything left. It was silly to be so embarrassed over a bikini in a store. On the beach, nothing I wore would have been uncomfortable. I laughed at myself and watched Skye take one last glory trip. And it was a glory trip. She'd gotten into it. The boyfriend and girlfriend were gone--I think she'd dragged him out in a huff--but even the staff seemed to be enjoying this odd impromptu show.
Skye came back and hugged me. "God, that was kind of exhilarating."
"Madeline, come on, I know there's one more outfit for you," Tala said in her calm but unforgiving voice.
I looked into the pile of outfits I'd worn, which I'd neatly folded and stacked into the "buy" and "leave" piles based on Tala's judgements. There was nothing I hadn't tried. The only thing left was a bikini bottom she'd forgotten to get a top for.
"There isn't anything left."
She sighed loudly enough for me to hear across the room. "Madeline, don't be obtuse. You're a smart woman and I know there's another outfit. It's the only one that has a chance of flattering you."
"You forgot the top." God, it was embarrassing to have this conversation across the room. I felt like a little girl talking about her first bra with her mom in the middle of Target. Okay, that was me, and it took me a long time to forgive my mom for that. I blushed remembering.
She sighed again. I don't know how anybody could sign so loudly. "You're hopeless. A top is wasted on you. Come on now. I don't want to come in there."
Skye covered her mouth and her eyes popped wide. "Oh my God."
"I can't..." I whined.
"Madeline. Really, dear, this is unacceptable." The entire store had gone quiet. I swear one of the clerks even killed the sound system.
"I can't," I said, loud enough for her to hear.
"You can and you will this instant. I cannot accept this insolence from you. It's very upsetting."
"Just, just do it." Skye bit her lip and looked afraid.
"Alright. One second." I took off my clothes and put on the bikini bottom. It offered fairly standard coverage--except that I had nothing above it.
I stood at the curtain.
"Madeline," Tala scolded.
