As I turn around to face Jennie, filling out the doorway with her tight-clad body, my jaw drops open and I let out an audible gasp. Out of the corner of my eye I see Claire holding her hands before her mouth and blushing like a tomato. My thoughts are messy and confused. Why is Jennie home already? I glance over at the alarm clock with the big red digits. It says 15:50. I can't believe it. Have we really been going on for so long? The bed is a mess, the sheets damp and stained. I guess the bathroom must be a mess too, with all our clothes and towels lying around. Jennie presents me with a stern look, but I can see that she is really mocking me.
"So you took me up on my word, and availed yourself of the premises!"
"Erm, yes. It was really.. kind of you. Thank you so much." I feel completely stupid already while saying it, like I was performing some act because Meg and Claire are present.
"What was it that I asked you to do before I left?"
I search my mind for a moment. My eyes fall on our empty breakfast tray, still standing on top of a drawer.
"Ehm.. to clear out the dishes and tidy up the kitchen."
"Yes. That was it. And have you done any of that?"
"No, M.. I am sorry." God damn, I almost called her Mistress with Meg and Claire watching us.
"But you did find time to grease my sheets and make a mess of my bathroom!"
"I.. I guess we did."
"Still doing your best to be the naughty little girl, eh?"
"I am really sorry, Jennie. It was all my fault. We should have left immediately."
"Will you stop it Rachel! It was not just your fault. You can't just sit there and take all the blame for yourself!"
I turn to look at Claire in surprise. She almost seems upset, as if I was stealing something away from her. Jennie looks at her with that cat-like smile. Does she notice the faint red tinge that still lingers over Claire's buttocks?
"In this house, little girls should be careful about how much blame they accept." she says teasingly. "But I can see you have already been doing some exploring."
I turn rapidly around to unlock the cuffs around Megan's wrists. It is a completely ridiculous gesture, like I was trying to hide something from Jennie. But it kind of feels important, maybe because Megan should be free to decide for herself in whatever is going to happen next.
"I thought you said you had no previous experience?" Jennie continues.
"I didn't. We didn't."
"You are moving fast, then."
"Not as fast as the last couple of nights."
"You don't think so?"
"Being with two girls that I actually knew beforehand, and playing around with a single pair of handcuffs is not a big deal anymore, is it?" I immediately regret the remark, because Meg and Claire are actually a pretty big deal for me now. Guess I will have to excuse for it later.
Megan sits herself up on her elbows, unable to stay out of the conversation any longer.
"Look Miss.. I mean, Jennie, we are all very sorry. How about we clean up your house right now, while you are showering?"
"What an excellent idea! And then we can have a little conversation about you and your behavior afterwards?"
"Yes, please!" Claire says, maybe a bit overly enthusiastic. Jennie looks at us, her eyes wandering from one to the other.
"Very well. You two take care of the kitchen." She points to me and Meg, then turns to Claire.
"And you come with me to tidy up the bathroom!"
Claire gets up, and slowly follows Jennie out of the room. Meg and I look silently at each other for a few seconds. Then I rise, pick up the tray, and carry it into the kitchen with Meg following me. She begins to clean the dishes under the tap, while I start tidying up the kitchen table. I guess we could put the plates in the dishwasher, but somehow we both feel obliged to wash everything by hand, maybe to make up for our sinful afternoon in Jennie's bed.
"Do you think she is angry with us?" Megan asks.
"Noo, don't worry. It's just, you know, part of the game."
"The game of naughty girls being punished?"
"Yeah, that one."
"So she will punish you afterwards? Punish us?"
"I don't know. I am not sure exactly what our relation is now. I guess I need to find it out. We all need to find it out."
"You know, I am not sure I am really getting that game."
"You seemed to get it alright before."
"That was sex. I didn't get punished."
"You got your bottom smacked!"
"For pleasure!"
"If Jennie punishes me it will also be for my pleasure. Our pleasure."
"I know. But I still don't get this.. game. You know, when I was a kid, my dad whacked me a couple of times, and it was absolutely horrible, and also alienating. He whacked Dave even more, and I think that was where things started going sour between them."
Megan is bent over the sink, while I am cleaning the kitchen table. I suddenly see Jennie lurking next to the door, naked, with her cycling clothes in her hands. Like she stopped to listen in. Guess it might be a good thing if she hears this conversation.
"Well, I have never been punished like that myself. My mother always made a point of letting me be free, but also responsible. So for me, being punished is kind of new, and exciting. Like, letting go of responsibility, and choices and decisions."
"Well, I guess that I get that, now. Your little demonstration before was very convincing. I am just not sure I can do some punishment spanking game without all this old stuff from the past creeping up on me again."
"Meg, don't worry. I am completely sure Jennie will not force you into something that you are not ready for. Besides, I am not sure what is going to happen, anyway. I mean, with the three of us, and Jennie, and all."
"Do you think she would like to play games with us?"
"Quite possibly, if you are ready for it."
"Are you ready for it?"
"I don't know. Maybe. But the most important thing for me right now is that I want it to work out between you and me and Claire. Everything else is secondary."
"I am glad you feel like that." She says it quietly, but with a sort of shivering, subdued intensity. We are still for a few seconds, an awkward emotional moment between two persons not used to being emotional. I hear the water running in the shower, and realize that Jennie has left her observation post.
A particular thought is nagging me.
"Meg, if you really feel like that, why did you bring us to that party? I mean, why didn't you just, you know, get down on us?"
"Because I had given up hope on you! Because you were always talking about those boys, so I guess I wanted to bring you there and see if it would really work out for you."
"Really?"
"Well, that was at least a part of it."
"And the other part?"
She is silent again, and I notice her biting her lip a little bit. A most uncharacteristic feature for her. I have a feeling like I am on to something important.
"I.. I am not sure if I should really be telling you this. But there was this.. other girl. A part of Dave's circle. I only met her a couple of times, with these guys. But I knew she was into women. And I felt.. I don't know, attracted, or perhaps just fascinated by her."