"Hello. Who have we got here? I haven't seen you before."
Karen looked up and her heart seemed to skip a beat; there, standing before the group, was the most extraordinary woman she had ever seen. Whether it was the wine, the heat or something else, she immediately felt that there was something about this woman that was special, very special. Whilst not classically beautiful she exuded a sense of power that was certainly striking; the way she held herself, along with her dark blue slacks and crisp white blouse, were reminiscent of something military and Karen didn't need to look to check that there was no collar. There was no way this woman could be a sub. Their eyes met and it was as if she were a rabbit trapped in a car's headlights; she couldn't turn away if she tried.
"Hello, Jude," Karen vaguely heard Mel say. "This is Karen, a friend of Lucy's. This is her first time at the club."
For a moment or two longer the two women just stared at each other until, unable to hold her gaze any longer, Karen dropped her eyes.
"A first timer, eh? Does she know what she's letting herself in for? I assume that her lack of collar means she's up for grabs, unless anyone has any objections," Jude said with a laugh. "I mean, she's a pretty little thing and it makes a change to have a newbie around." She turned her attention back to Karen and once again looked her up and down.
"Yes, very pretty and a sub if ever I met one but I can't see you properly, tucked away like that. Now stand up and let me have a proper look at you," Jude commanded, totally assured that her words would be instantly obeyed.
It had been many years since anyone had described Karen as pretty. Indeed no one had done so since she was a child, and Jude's attentions were making her feel uncomfortably self-conscious. She'd always hated being the centre of attention and now Jude's interest meant that everyone was focussed her. On top of this was Jude's assumption that she was a sub, that she was willing, indeed expecting, to be ordered about. She bowed her head and shrunk further back into the seat, as if trying to hide away.
"Now, now," Jude said, half mockingly. "I'll let you off as it's your first time here but you'll need to learn that you shouldn't keep a Domme waiting. Come along and do as you're told. Stand up; I can't see you properly whilst you're all tucked away like that." Again there was the self-assurance that she would be obeyed.
Completely overawed by the sheer certainty of this woman, the way she just assumed control, her rock-hard confidence, Karen glanced around for support but all she saw was amused smiles; no one seemed to find Jude's demands outrageous or even abnormal but even so she felt she had to protest.
"But... But..." she stammered.
"I shouldn't have to ask twice, let alone three times," Jude said, an edge of steel in her voice. "Now why don't you just be a good little girl? do as you're told and stand up and let me have a proper look at you?"
Somehow this authoritarian approach had far more effect and she looked up and, once again, their gazes locked. As if drawn by hawsers of steel she felt herself drawn up out her seat until she was standing shyly, her hands clasped together in front of her.
"Very nice, very nice indeed," Jude commented once Karen was standing "but I can't see your legs properly behind the table like that. Come over here and lift up your skirt."
Horrified at what she was being asked to do, Karen stared back and started to protest but, with her eyes still locked on Jude's, her remonstrations died away before they had even started. Here in the club other rules seemed to apply and, for all that her demands were crazy, there was something about Jude that made them acceptable. Her bluff, outspoken manner might seem forthright but she wasn't being a bully. It was as if, having assumed Karen was a sub and a sub that she found attractive to boot, it was only natural that she should want to see her legs and only natural that Karen would obey her orders and display them. Within this strange arena it would be almost churlish to disobey; to do so would be to make a scene. Feeling as if she were some sort of puppet and this strange woman were pulling the strings, she shuffled out from behind the table until she was standing in front of Jude. Then, like an automaton, she felt her arms reach down, her fingers grasp the hem of her dress and slowly lift until it was mid thigh.
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it? It's so much better when you just do as you're told." Jude took a step back and looked Karen up and down. "You've got a beautiful body; it's a crime to keep it hidden away under those frumpy clothes."
A little bit of Karen rebelled at having her clothes called frumpy but this was completely overridden by being told she had a beautiful body. Still, she had been pushed far, far outside her comfort zone and she was beginning to panic.
"OK, that's enough for now," Jude said gently, evidently picking up on Karen's mood. "Why don't you come and sit down next to me and tell me all about yourself."
Once again Jude spoke with this total conviction that she would be obeyed. She took Karen by the hand and led her towards the back of the horseshoe where, after a certain amount of shuffling, she sat down and Karen squeezed in beside her. She felt shaken, as if she had just endured a session with her headmistress back in her school days.
"Here, let me take this," Jude said, as, reaching across, she took Karen's cardigan from her shoulders. "It's far too warm in here for you to be wearing something like that." And, as the cardigan disappeared somewhere behind her Jude used this manoeuvre to leave her arm draped across Karen's shoulders. Again Karen nearly baulked at the way Jude took such liberties but it did feel nice to be held, and she found herself responding by snuggling closer.
And then it was back to normality again but this time, as the party chatted away, Karen found herself getting Jude's full attention. Not far behind the bluster was a really warm and caring individual and Karen found her really easy to talk to. Indeed, Jude seemed genuinely interested and wanted to know all about her and, in return she told Karen a little about herself. Karen hadn't been that wrong when she had thought that Jude looked military, it turned out that Jude was a policewoman and had rushed to the club at the end of her shift, hence the rather ordinary clothing. But it wasn't just the conversation that was putting Karen at her ease; Jude's arm around her shoulders helped her to feel safe, cared for, protected and, almost without thinking Karen found herself leaning into her new-found friend.
