It was about ten thirty when Sarah turned to the assembled company and said "Well, ladies, I think I'm about ready for a little more privacy; shall we?" The Dommes all agreed, and Jude took this a cue to phone for a taxi. They all finished their drinks and trooped outside to wait. Karen was concerned that, somehow, the others would feel that she'd let them down; she had been brought up to believe that her 'monthlies' were one of the great unmentionables and she still felt uncomfortable having to explain why she wouldn't be joining in. Jude, in her usual forthright manner, simply stated quite openly that Karen was 'off games', but would be their serving wench for the evening.
When they arrived at Jude's house, Karen and Kathy were sent to the kitchen to organise drinks whilst the others went downstairs to the cellar.
"Watch out for the boss tonight," Kathy said casually as she slipped off her dress, folded it neatly and draped it over the back of a chair. "You're not the only one 'on the blob' and it's making her cranky. I'll give a pound to a penny I'm in for a sore bottom before we're finished."
"Doesn't that bother you?" Karen asked, as she concentrated on pouring out the beers. Even now she found it difficult to accept how easily her new-found friends disrobed in front of each other. She found she wanted to both stare and turn her eyes away.
"How do you mean? Why should it bother me?"
"That she takes her frustration out on you. That seems unfair to me."
"If it helps her feel better then that's what I'm here for," Kathy remonstrated. "Anyway, who says I won't enjoy it?"
"Enjoy a spanking, enjoy getting a sore bottom?" Karen asked.
"Well, I wouldn't have stayed with her all these years if I didn't, would I? You know what they say, no pain, no gain." Kathy gave Karen a broad wink. "Now we'd best get this lot downstairs soonest. It pays not to give them too many excuses." And with that they were off down to the cellar.
When they got there they found the layout was much as it had been the previous week. The four Dommes were sat with Lucy and Beth, both now naked, knelt at their feet. Karen and Kathy handed round the drinks before joining Lucy and Beth on the floor. Karen suddenly felt conspicuously overdressed.
For a while there was general chat, much the same as there had been in the club, except that the subs were expected to keep silent except when asked a question. However it didn't take long before, as Kathy had predicted, Sarah decided to move things on a bit.
"This little thing has had an attitude problem. She's been behaving like a spoilt little brat all day, haven't you?" She said in an off-hand manner, as she ruffled her hand through Kathy's hair.
"Yes, Mistress," Kathy answered meekly. "I'm sorry, Mistress"
"It's no good being sorry," Sarah went on. "I've had more than enough of your back-chat and general insolence. Once again I find I need to teach you a lesson. You deserve to be punished, don't you?"
"Yes, Mistress." Kathy sounded genuinely contrite. "Please punish your naughty little girl and help her behave better in future."
However, although Kathy's contrition seemed genuine, Karen could tell that this litany was well practiced, that this was far from the first time that Kathy had 'asked' to be punished.
"Very well then. Mistress Mel, Mistress Andy, perhaps you would do me the favour of ordering your subs to get the horse ready and get this one suitably arranged for punishment."
"Of course," the two Mistresses replied and, without the need for further prompting, Lucy and Beth got up off the floor and went to fetch the horse. Again there was a sense of ritual as they positioned it to Sarah's requirements. Then they went over to Kathy and, each taking a hand, led her over to the horse, helping her position herself lengthways along the top with her backside pointing towards the thrones. Lucy and Beth attached Kathy's wrists and ankles to the cuffs, which were then adjusted so that Kathy was at full stretch and wide open with her ability to move very much restricted. Now Karen could see exactly how the top of the horse functioned. The ridge of leather was forced between her legs and pressed hard against her sensitive flesh. Each and every movement she made would rub directly on her centre. As Karen watched, Kathy flexed her thighs to settle herself down and ensure she was positioned properly, barely hiding the sexual aspect of what was happening. Now that she was fastened, Lucy and Beth turned towards Mistress Sarah, gave a little curtsey and went back to kneel beside their respective Dommes.
Mistress Sarah got up from her chair and went to the other part of the basement, returning with a riding crop. The one she had chosen, unlike the ones Karen had seen before, was the real deal and did not end in the square of leather. She went over to the bound Kathy and stroked her along her back, making the bound woman give a little shudder.
"Well, slave, have you been a naughty little girl?" Sarah started.
"Yes, Mistress."
"And how have you been a naughty little girl? Tell the others, tell them how bad you were."
"I was disrespectful, Mistress. I didn't show Mistress the deference she deserves," Kathy replied.
"No, you most certainly did not. You were an uppity little tart, weren't you?"
"Yes, Mistress."
"And now you expect me to punish you, to help you improve. Why should I bother with such a disobedient little girl?"
Karen watched fascinated as Sarah and Kathy went through this ritual, for ritual it surely was. While Kathy was acting the naughty little girl confessing her sins, Sarah's fingers stroked her back, her buttocks and her inner thighs. Kathy was making little pretence about what this was doing for her. She was using what little movement she had to flex her thigh muscles, working herself against the ridge in the top of the horse. Even from where she was knelt, Karen could see the glistening juices that spoke of Kathy's arousal. Although the signs were far less obvious, Karen could tell that Mistress Sarah too was getting more and more worked up. There was a sparkle in her eyes that belied the mock annoyance of the school-ma'am character she was playing.
"...and for that reason I'm going to thrash you until, this time, you understand the folly of your ways," Mistress Sarah concluded and, without further ado, she slashed the crop across Kathy's waiting backside.
However much the lead-up might have been role play, Kathy's cry of pain was all too real, as was her next and her next as, slowly, systematically, Mistress Sarah laid into her with the crop, leaving a pattern of parallel red stripes from the crown of her buttocks down to around mid thigh. Karen's emotions were in turmoil; this was far more severe than she had ever witnessed before. Kathy's cries went straight to her heart. Part of her wanted to step in and intervene but, not only was it not her place, she had to remember that Kathy, for all her evident distress, was far from being an unwilling participant. Furthermore, for all that Karen had been brought up to believe that hurting people was wrong, there was no denying the eroticism of what was happening. Karen glanced across at the others; all eyes were watching closely. Andy had reached down and was holding Beth close, stroking her neck in time to the thrashing. Lucy, her head resting against Mel's legs, had her hand quite blatantly between her thighs, and Jude too had reached for Karen, putting her hand on her shoulder and kneading it. Everyone there was feeling the tension.
As Karen reached her climax all pretence fell away. She was now rubbing herself furiously against the horse and gasping between her sobbing. Then she flung back her head, gave an almost animal cry and her whole body went rigid, locking her against the horse. Sarah put down the crop and leant over Kathy, hugging her tight. Kathy's tears ran freely as, completely overwhelmed, she rode out her climax. Sarah cuddled and babied her until, finally, she started to relax again. Karen breathed again. She suddenly realised she had been holding her breath. Emotionally, she, along with all the others, had followed every nuance of Kathy's climax and, now it was all over, she could feel a collective sigh run round the room.
Once Kathy had got her breath back, Sarah reached down and undid the cuffs so that she was able to slide off the horse. Kathy was still shaking and needed all of Sarah's support as they hugged and kissed. They broke apart and, for a moment or two, just looked at each other, their shared gaze full of love and caring. Karen saw Sarah mouth the work 'OK' and Kathy gave a nod in return. Sarah returned to her throne, reached for her drink, downed it in one and handed the empty glass to her sub.
"Well, that didn't touch the sides. It looks like I need a refill," she commented.
"Would any other Mistress like a top up?" Kathy asked the group, her voice still a little breathless.
There was a general assent, and Kathy was sent off to the kitchen with Karen assisting. As soon as they reached the kitchen, Kathy went to the sink where there was a bottle of hand cream. She handed it to Karen, turned and gripped the taps so that her battered backside was presented to the kitchen.
"Be a darling, would you?" she asked. Karen realised what was wanted. She squeezed a generous dollop of the cream onto her fingertips, stood behind Kathy and, gently, eased the cream across the battered flesh.
"God that's good," Kathy sighed. Her hands gripped the taps, whitening her knuckles, and she stood on tiptoe. "Yes, like that, a little more please."
"Are you OK?" Karen asked. Now she was close up she could see just how harsh Mistress Sarah had been. Even though Karen was being as gentle as possible Kathy was wincing in pain as her fingers touched the vivid red lines across her backside.
"Well, I'm a little sore. Mistress Sarah has a strong right arm," Kathy said with a little laugh. "But I'm fine, really I am. There's nothing like well thrashed buttocks to make a girl feel so goddam horny." With no sense that she was doing anything out of the ordinary, and with Karen still massaging the cream into her backside, Kathy rubbed her groin against the edge of the work surface. "Ooh but she knows how to turn me on." She sighed before reluctantly letting go of the taps and turning around. "If we don't stop now then I'm going to come again and that would never do. Come along, we'd best get these drinks sorted."
Both women washed their hands under the tap before starting on the drinks. Kathy fetched the wine bottle whilst Karen fetched a couple of beers from the fridge, opened them and poured them into tumblers. From the corner of her eye she watched her friend working her buttocks as the pain from her rear settled down. Her own emotions were still a tangled mess. She was still a little taken aback by the ferocity of the thrashing, but there was no denying it had affected her deeply. There was something about the intensity of the shared experience. She wanted to go over and give Kathy a hug but she felt it would be misinterpreted. Anyway there was no time; they had to get back to the playroom with the drinks.
When they got downstairs there was a certain amount of muttering about how long they had taken but it wasn't serious. After they had handed round the drinks, Karen noticed that Kathy, rather than kneeling on the floor, was now nestled into Mistress Sarah's lap. There was a closeness about them that had been missing earlier. Whatever the price in bruised backsides Karen could see that the punishments were an important part of how they bonded.
"Now that's out of the way," Andy started, "how about a little challenge, Beth against Lucy, see who has the most self control?"
"Suits me," Mel replied. "What exactly did you have in mind?"
