Home From Home

I gained a certain amount of celebrity in the aftermath of the charity show. The general consensus seemed to be that I was a 'good sport' for taking part. Everyone who spoke to me about it was convinced it wasn't for real, that I wouldn't have worn that underwear if I hadn't been in on it. Weirdly it had the opposite effect to my fears, and I wound up speaking to, and becoming friends with, people I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

The winter holidays came and went, and I managed a couple of weeks back at the family home. I couldn't explain it, but I really did miss my surrogate family and the University atmosphere. Just a few days after new year, I packed my bags, hopped on a train and headed back to the coast. More than a week before I was due back, but I was sure nobody would mind.

'What are you doing here?' Lauren asked as I dragged my heavy bags in, and closed the front door behind me.

'Missed me that much have you?' I asked. Lauren got up from the sofa to give me a warm hug.

'We've missed you plenty, but we weren't expecting you back so soon.'

'Yeah, well I got bored hanging out at home. Most of my stuff is still here, so I thought I'd surprise you all and come back before you forgot about me.'

'We couldn't possibly forget you. I can't speak for the girls but I've been watching your DVD almost non-stop since you left.' She gave me a sly wink, to which I responded with a withering look.

'So where are the girls? I should probably say hello.'

'You'll have a job. They're up in Norfolk with their grandparents. They didn't get to see them at Christmas so it seemed like a good idea. I'm glad you're back, I was going a bit stir crazy in this empty house.' She paused, and then said, 'Go get yourself settled. We can talk when your stuff is away.'

I headed up to my room and unpacked all the clothes I'd brought back with me from home. Home. Odd word. The other place was home, but I was beginning to realise that so was this. Which one was truly home? Interesting philosophical question, and one that would have to wait, as Lauren knocked on my semi-open door.

'I had a thought,' she said beaming at me, 'if you have that leopard-print thing with you then you should put that on. Don't worry about wearing anything else. I've whacked the heat on.' she turned and swept away before I had the chance to respond. Of course it was here, I hadn't taken it home for the holidays with my parents. I opened the drawer where it had sat for nearly a month. It was (marginally) more comfortable than the pink thing Lauren had previously made me parade around in. And arguably less embarrassing to be seen in, but given both times I'd worn it it had resulted in at least one stranger seeing me stark naked that was debatable.

I'd had a long journey, and I debated ignoring Lauren's request. What would she do if I didn't comply? She'd proven she was willing to make things worse for me if I didn't do what she wanted. I pulled my sweater over my head.

The leopard-print thong was just as uncomfortable as I remembered it to be. The tight material over my junk, and the thin wedge between my arse cheeks. I struggled into it, and checked myself in the mirror before heading downstairs. Everything seemed to be crammed in where it should be, and I was now keeping my public hair trimmed and relatively little was peeking out from the top now.

I crept downstairs. Not sure why. I think subconsciously I was trying not to attract attention. Lauren was on the sofa, and patted the seat next to her. 'Come sit down.'

I sat. Lauren picked up the remote and turned the TV on. 'I thought we could just chill this evening.' she said as she clicked through the channels.

'Sounds good to me.' I replied.

We had a thoroughly pleasant evening. We found an old movie that Lauren said she loved and I'd never seen before. She then asked me to fix dinner, and she came into the kitchen and watched as I prepared a simple pasta using whatever I could find in the cupboards. We then ate, drank a bottle of wine and just chatted about what we'd been up to over Christmas. I could almost forget I was wearing nothing but a leopard-print thong. Almost.

'You know, I'm actually quite disappointed.' Lauren said after a while. The wine bottle was empty, and the TV was switched off after we'd cycled through all the channels twice and couldn't find anything else to watch.

'Why?' I asked, 'I've had a nice time.'

'You didn't argue. You put the thong on, like a good boy. You fixed me dinner, poured my wine, and generally behaved yourself. I had hoped I'd be able to punish you at least a little this evening.'

'Well, in that case I'm not sorry you're disappointed.' I'd scored a point at least. At least in my head.

Lauren smiled at me, 'No need to look so smug.'

'Sorry.'

'Liar.'

'You can't prove anything.' I replied.

'I don't have to,' Lauren said, looking coy, 'I make the rules.'

'Of course you do.' I sighed.

'And the rule I'm going to implement now, is that unless I tell you otherwise you're only allowed to wear what you are wearing now until the girls get home.'

'Seriously?'

'Or that gorgeous pink number in your underwear drawer. Your choice.'

'Thanks. You're so generous.'

'I'm glad you think so.'

And with that we headed off to bed. Separately of course. I chose to sleep naked, just in case Lauren decided to punish me for wearing pyjamas.

The next morning after I had showered I dutifully slid the thong back on. I headed downstairs to grab some breakfast. It was oddly quiet without the girls around, and Lauren clearly wasn't up yet. I ate some toast while reading through the news on my phone. The kitchen chairs weren't the best padded, and I was far too aware of the cold material on my bare cheeks. I heard Lauren moving around upstairs as I finished my last few mouthfuls. I took my plate to the sink to wash it up. I placed it on the dish rack and turned around. Lauren was standing in the doorway.

'Now that's a lovely sight to come down to in the morning.' She beamed.

I smiled sarcastically, 'I'm only following orders. I certainly don't want to get on your bad side.'

'I'm glad you're finally coming round. And I'm glad you've said that...'

She left the sentence hanging.

'I'm guessing,' I said with a sigh, 'that means you have something planned for today?

'Well, now you mention it, last week I invited a couple of my friends over as I thought I'd be all by myself.'

'I can make myself scarce if you'd like me out of your hair.' I replied knowing full well she wouldn't.

'Oh no,' Lauren said in an exaggerated manner, 'That won't be necessary. It'll be good to have an extra pair of hands around. I was thinking, as you're such a kind and helpful young man, that you could help by serving the drinks and things. That'll give us a chance to catch up.'

'Can I at least put some trousers on?'

'Oh, I don't think that will be necessary,' Lauren continued, 'although you have given me an idea. Stay there.' She left the room, and was back a minute later. She handed me a small paper bag.

'You can wear these. Natalie got them for me a while ago, and now seems like the perfect opportunity to use them.'

I opened the bag warily. I reached in and pulled out a 'sexy butler' kit. A bow tie with attached collar and a pair of shirt cuffs. I think 'stripper kit' would have been a more apt name. I raised an eyebrow.

'You know what will happen if you refuse. They should be here nearer lunchtime. Until then your time is your own.'

I headed out of the room, and as I passed her Lauren patted me lightly on the bottom.

'Cheer up. It'll be fun.' she giggled. I wasn't convinced.

At 11.00 I was ready. Lauren came into my bedroom without knocking.

'Well,' She said raising her eyebrows, 'Someone's keen.'

'Hardly. Just trying to avoid this getting any worse than it has to be.' I replied, looking up from the book I was reading.

'Well, I just came up to tell you that they'll be here in about half an hour and you need to get ready. Turns out I needn't have bothered.'

'Thanks. I'll just finish my chapter and I'll come down.'

'Excellent,' Lauren beamed, 'Don't look so worried, it'll be fun.'

I didn't believe her.

We were both sat in the living room when the doorbell rang. Lauren looked at me expectantly. Without a word I got up and opened the front door. I think I was more shocked than the woman on the doorstep, and that she clearly was.

'Well,' Lauren asked, 'aren't you going to invite our guest in?'

'Yes, sorry,' I stuttered as I stood aside, 'Please come in.'

'This is Jenni,' Lauren said, 'And this is Alex, our lodger.'

'We've met,' Jenni replied, 'But only briefly.'

She was just as beautiful as I had remembered. The only time I had met her before she had been out jogging and I had been out suffering the ire of Lauren, having not done everything she'd asked of me that morning. At least I was wearing something this time, even if it wasn't much. She looked even more stunning than she had when she was jogging. She wore a tight blouse that barely contained her breasts and a skirt that showed off her backside to perfection.

'Oh?' Lauren asked, but Jenni didn't seem keen to elaborate, and neither was I particularly.

Jenni came in and sat down. It turned out that she was studying at the University and had worked part-time with Lauren. Small world, eh? There was some small talk between the two women. I remained standing, not sure if I was allowed to sit. I decided it was safer if I played the servant thing. Lauren had mentioned 'guests' so more people would show up. I hoped it wasn't many more.

Sure enough, the doorbell rang soon after, and without being asked I went and answered it. It was Natalie, of course it was. Lauren's apparent best friend and fellow tormentor of yours truly. She seemed to enjoy my embarrassment as much as Lauren, but had a much crueller streak in her. She stood on tiptoes and I pecked her on the cheek. She waltzed past me and greeted the other two women with hugs.

'Parking around here is a nightmare,' she said when they'd all sat down, 'I've got all the stuff in the boot but it was too far to carry.'

'That's OK,' Lauren replied, 'We have a strapping young man here who can go and get everything.'

Bollocks.

Natalie tossed me her car keys, but over my shoulder so I'd have to turn around and bend over to pick them up.

'Where are you parked?' I asked, hoping it wasn't far.

'Oh, where would be the fun in telling you?' She replied with a giggle.

I turned and picked up the keys. When I faced the women again, they were all grinning. They all stood and followed me to the door.

I hadn't seen which way Natalie had come from, so I had a 50/50 guess ahead of me. Left or right. I'd been to her apartment building, but I'd been driven and I hadn't really been paying attention to where we were going, so I had no clue as to the direction she'd have come from. I wasn't going to waste my time asking for clues so I just plumped for left. I took about ten paces and looked back over my shoulder. The three women were leaning out from the door, all with phones in hand. Taking pictures presumably. I had hoped that I would get a clue from Natalie's face as to whether I was on the right track, but her face was in shadow and I couldn't tell. I turned back and carried on. There was no point second-guessing myself now.

The end of the street bent around to the right, and I got to a point where I wouldn't have been seen from the house. I found a gap in someone's hedge that backed up against a wall and took stock. I knew what make of car I was looking for, the badge was on the key. It wouldn't be an overly expensive model, not for a single supermarket worker. And she would have definitely parked it somewhere where I would get maximum exposure. There was a short row of shops nearby, I had gone there in a towel once to pick up a paper for my tormentors. That seemed like the most likely option now I thought about it. And it was back in the other direction.

Shit. I didn't want to go back past the house if I could help it. The only other route past was another residential street. It was less secluded, so back past the house would be the safer option. I looked up and down the street. I couldn't see a car the correct make, so I went for it. Bent double, I scampered to the next corner and peered around. Nobody there. Staying low, I carried on up the street, ducking out between cars occasionally to check the vicinity for likely suspects. No such luck.

I managed to get around the next two corners without seeing anyone, or the car I needed. I spotted one that met my mental criteria, but the car didn't unlock when I pressed the button on the key.

I saw it almost immediately. A several-years-old hatchback parked directly outside the new express supermarket. The one with big glass windows out front so that everybody inside can see the cars parked directly outside. Immediately I made my mind up just to go for it. It was never going to be a good time, short of waiting for nightfall, so I just went for it.

I had to cross the road. I was so pent up on getting this thing done that I forgot to look both ways, and a car honked at me as I stepped out and it sped past. Shit, now everybody would be looking.

Staring only at the car, I sprinted across the street while pressing the unlock button. The lights flashed. Thank fuck. I ducked in the rear and opened the boot. Six plastic bags-for-life greeted me. I grabbed them all in both hands and dragged them out. Placing them on the floor, I hesitated. I bet she'd hidden something, just to make sure I'd have to come back. I ducked to the drivers door, mercifully not the kerb-side and hopped in. I checked the glove box, and the rear seats. I found a cake box under the passenger seat. I carefully extracted it and placed it in the least full bag from the boot. As I locked up I glanced at the shop directly opposite me. A middle-aged woman had paused in the act of paying and was staring out at me, mouth wide open. The teenager behind the checkout was also staring out at me, but with a much happier look on her face. There was nothing between me and them apart from a shiny new clear piece of floor to ceiling glass. I looked down, hoping that by some magic a pair of trousers had magically appeared on me, but no, still just that stupid leopard-print thong. I looked back and shrugged apologetically before grabbing the bags and making good my escape. They would have had a good long look at my backside before I was able to disappear around the corner. My cheeks burned. All four of them.

Did I mention it was January? It was fucking freezing all the way there and all the way back again. Fortunately I could take the shorter route back home and I made it without seeing anyone. Whether anyone could see me is another matter.

I made it back without incident. To my surprise, I was invited back in without having to give up my one item of clothing. I took everything through to the kitchen and I was pleased to note how Natalie's face dropped when the cake was produced.

The next couple of hours were spent with me arranging the food on the kitchen table and pouring the ladies' drinks when called upon. They sat in the living room and chit-chatted away like they hadn't seen each other in months. I did everything asked of me as soon as it was asked. I wasn't about to risk it getting worse than it already was. And I was finally warming up now I was in with the heating on. After everyone had eaten lunch and I was giving Natalie her third refill of Prosecco, she turned to Lauren and said, 'So when can we watch that new DVD of yours?'

I looked sharply at Lauren who studiously ignored me and replied, 'Oh I guess we might as well. Our waiter has been such a good boy, it doesn't look like we'll be getting the live version after all.'

So that had been the punishment planned if I disobeyed. But they'd still get the unedited DVD version. Great.

Lauren appeared to think for a second. 'Tell you what,' she said, 'let's make a game of it.' We all looked questioningly at her. Let's have a challenge. If Alex wins, we all sit down and watch the DVD, and if he loses we get the live show. Sound like a plan?' Two heads nodded. One didn't.

'Looks like you're outvoted dear. You go out and clear up in the kitchen and we'll discuss what the challenge should be.'

I said nothing. I just collected the plates and took them to the kitchen. I put cling film over the leftovers and put them in the fridge. I filled the sink with hot water and started doing the dishes. As I was finishing up I heard the women enter the room behind me.

'We've decided.' Lauren said. I dried off my hands on a tea towel and turned around.

'So what do I have to do?' I asked leaning back against the counter.

'Oh, nothing like that.' Lauren replied. She and Natalie both started grinning at this point, apparently remembering the times they had me at wrapped around their fingers obeying they're every humiliating order. 'We're going to have a little bet.'

'A bet? On what?'

'The horses. We've picked a race that starts in about five minutes. We each pick a horse, and whoever's horse finishes nearest the front wins and decides if we watch the DVD or we get the live show.'

Of course they did.

'OK then,' I sighed, 'Can I see the list of runners?'

'No, to make it fair we're just going to pick numbers. One to ten, a and we each get one.'

So I still had a three in four chance of losing. Of course.

'So who goes first?' I asked, fully expecting to get screwed over and be forced to go last.

'We'll let you pick first.'

'OK. Seven.' I was surprised, but didn't see any point drawing it out. Natalie took four, Jenni six and Lauren picked number two. We went back into the living room, and Lauren turned the TV and found the channel with the live horse racing. My heart was beating a lot faster than normal, and I wasn't sure why. All three of these women had seen me naked, and to varying degrees done things with and to me. Why was I so nervous over the difference between me getting naked here and now, and them watching me get naked on TV?

The horses lined up, and to some signal I was unaware of, the horses took off. My horse took an early lead, but fell away badly. Before too long the race was over and my horse came in eighth. Ahead of Lauren's horse, who came in ninth. Jenni's came fourth and Natalie's came second. Natalie jumped up, arms in the air.

'Yes! I win!' Natalie laughed. Jenni looked annoyed and slapped her hand on her thigh.

'Congratulations Natalie, you do indeed win.' She turned to me and explained, 'We had a side bet.'

'Did you?' I asked, suddenly very worried that Natalie had won.

'Yep, and Natalie's prize is she gets to decide on the show.'

'The live show?'

'Of course, but I also get to direct the live show!' Natalie said, with altogether too much glee.

Lauren turned the TV off, and they all sat further back on the sofa. Natalie gestured for me to stand in front of the TV. I did so.

'First, I'd like you to turn around slowly.' I turned until my nearly bare backside was facing them.

'I didn't tell you to stop.' I carried on. I turned another three sixty, still slowly. I noted when I returned to face the three women, that there were three phones in hand presumably recording everything.

'Nice,' Natalie said. 'You can stop now.' I stopped, knowing what was coming.

'Drop it.'

I did, without hesitation. I didn't want to make this worse than it already was. The material bunched up around my thighs, but off it came. I held it in my left hand.

'You can drop it on the floor now, you don't need it any more.' Natalie said. I could hear the grin in her voice. 'Now I want you to cup your junk in both hands, and turn around to face us.'