Royal Flush Ch 04

****** Please Read This First *******

I know, I know, I usually don't bother with the disclaimer bits either. Blah, blah, blah, over 18, blah, blah, blah, don't read if easily offended, blah, blah, blah. But, just this once, please bear with me and read this one.

Firstly, this is chapter four of ten and the story will only make sense if you read it from the start. If you haven't already done so then I sincerely urge you stop and go to chapter one. It will be better that way, honest.

Secondly, this is a work of fiction and all the characters are completely fictional. In particular, one of the main characters is Princess Charlotte who is, according to chapter one, "about tenth in line for the throne". Now, in real life, there can only be one person who holds that position but this story is not real life and it's definitely not about her.

Princess Charlotte is not a real person and any resemblance is purely coincidental. Before I get carted off to live out what is left of the rest of my life in the Tower Of London, I want to stress that this story is set in a parallel universe where Britain has a very different Royal family with a very different line of succession.

Thirdly, briefly but importantly, my heartfelt thanks to all those who have helped so much. Especial mention must go, as ever, to 'V', OneWhoAdores and MartiniMan for help along the way.

Fourthly, once again, I fall neatly between the BDSM and Lesbian Love categories. This story centres on a BDSM club and much of the action has a BDSM theme. However, it's a bit short on the whips and chains to really be a BDSM story. On the other hand those looking for a lesbian themed story may well end up complaining, as a critic once did, that my stories always seem to feature a D/s relationship. This one is no exception; its a lesbian love story with BDSM overtones. If this is not what you're looking for stop reading now. That's kinder than voting one star because it wasn't what you were after.

Lastly, this is a story of deception and subterfuge. Most of the characters have at least two names, many three or even four. To help the reader keep track each chapter will start with a dramatis personae. The list for this chapter is:-

The list for this chapter is:-

Andrea, a journalist, masquerading as Emma Pearson from Paarl.

Tamsin, another journalist, masquerading as Emma Pearson's sub, Susan Ward, puppy name Snookums

Angus, Editor of the Daily Sleaze, a London based tabloid newspaper.

Euthenia, a Domme along with Calliope, her sub, puppy name Poohbear

Arete, a Domme along with Aegeria, her sub, puppy name Noodles

Princess Charlotte, a princess.

Enjoy

*******

That night Tamsin hardly slept a wink, tossing and turning, worrying about what Andrea had seen and what she would do about it. When, come five in the morning with sun crawling in over the window sill, she was still awake she had to accept that sleep wasn't going to happen and she might as well get up and get on with the day. She thought of calling in sick but she had the keys to the flat and the song and dance that Andrea would make if she didn't turn up didn't bear thinking about. Even so she couldn't manage breakfast and, as the half empty train rattled its way into town, she felt sick to her stomach. At least arriving that early meant she was well ahead of the rush and, for once, she was able to find a seat on the tube.

When she arrived at the flat she made herself another coffee and sat down at the kitchen table with her laptop. If she couldn't sleep she might as well put her time to good use and she continued to use all the usual sources to try and build up a list of Lady Mary's friends and acquaintances. They were pretty sure they had identified Euthenia and Artemis and, probably, their partners as well. What had held them back for a while was that Euthenia and Calliope were both, strictly speaking, married although, with Euthenia, it would appear to be in name only.

In fact the work helped her to relax and, for a while, lose herself. This was brought to an abrupt end when, just short of nine o'clock, the front doorbell rang. Tamsin went to the door, peered through the spy hole, saw that it was Andrea and, with a feeling of 'time to get this over with' let her in.

"Good morning!" Andrea said cheerfully. "God, you look like shit."

"I've got a bit of a gippy tummy," Tamsin replied. "Spent most of last night on the loo so I didn't get much sleep."

"Gippy tummy? I assumed it was embarrassment over being caught in flagrante delecto." Andrea couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice.

"Please, Andrea, about that...."

"About what? Oh yes, I remember now, about me coming back to find you all dressed up in the puppy gear frigging your self crazy in the bedroom. You of all people. I never would have guessed. They always say the quiet ones are the worst." Andrea obviously saw the whole thing as a complete joke.

"Please, don't tell anyone, will you, please," Tamsin pleaded.

"Well, I thought of writing it up for the staff newsletter but... Oh don't look like that. This piece of gossip is far too good for those jerks back at the office. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Andrea, you're a brick." The wave of relief that swept through Tamsin was so immense she could almost hug Andrea.

"You still owe me, big time. Next time I need a favour I know where to call."

"Of course, anything, anything at all."

Andrea smiled to herself. It had been quite a shock to open the door the previous evening and find Tamsin in such a state. Of course she knew that there were people who got off on all this pony and puppy play, look at Lady Mary and her friends, but to find that mousy little Tamsin was one of them... well, you live and learn. She'd keep her word and not spread it around the office but it was good to have something like this available. If they ever came up against each other it would be a weapon in her armoury and she wouldn't be afraid to use it. There was an additional factor that made it sound policy to keep this a secret for a while. Until this assignment was over they were stuck working together and she didn't want there to be an atmosphere between them.

So, with that out of the way, they settled down to work. At nine thirty it was time for their daily phone conference with Angus to keep him up to speed with developments. They went through to the lounge and Andrea switched her phone into speaker mode.

"So, how are you two getting on? Am I seeing anything yet for all the money I'm pouring into this?" Angus asked.

"We're pretty sure we've identified everyone who was there the other night," Andrea replied. "We're working on building up a portfolio of all Lady Mary's circle so we can identify them quicker next time out."

"Talking of which, is there any news on that front?"

"Not yet. I really don't want to appear pushy on this one. We have to wait on Lady Mary," As ever, Andrea answered for them both.

"Well, give her until the weekend. I'm not paying you two to sit around in luxury all day, you know."

"We're working really hard," Andrea protested. "Tamsin, in particular, has been really throwing herself into this and working like a dog to find out as much as she can about what they get up to."

Tamsin blushed at the "working like a dog" quip.

"Hmm... we'll see. I'm still not absolutely convinced you really needed to move out of the office and into the flat. I'd much prefer to keep my eyes on you," Angus said dubiously. "If I don't see results I'm going to assume that you're not working. OK, leave it at that for now. We'll have another conference later this afternoon." And with that he ended the call.

They worked through the morning and their portfolio of high society movers and shakers with connections to Lady Mary grew considerably. Tamsin was busy collating all the facts and photos into one big file, and, as she did so, she was wondering which were involved in Lady Mary's club, which she might actually meet and under what circumstances. It was one thing to look at a photograph of a person as part of a story you were putting together; it was something completely different when you were wondering if you were going to end up performing degrading sex acts for them.

They were just starting again after a quick break for lunch when Andrea's mobile rang. Andrea looked at the screen, saw that she didn't recognise the number, and answered it.

"Hello, Emma Pearson," she said cautiously.

"Emma, darling, is that you? This is Euthenia. I hope you don't mind me calling but I wanted to get in touch so I asked Lady Mary to give me your number."

"Mind, no, not in the slightest," Andrea replied. "It's lovely to hear from you. I had so much fun the other night."

"So did I and, well, that's rather what I'm calling about. I was so taken that gorgeous little maid of yours and she looked so sweet as a puppy that I can't wait to try it out with Calliope. Anyway, that got me wondering whether we could get together sometime soon and maybe swap tips on training techniques. Neither Lady Mary nor Artemis are available for the next week or so which means it can either be just the two of us, or, if you like, you could get to meet some more of the gang."

"That would be super. I can't wait to meet you all so the more the merrier. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, I took the liberty of anticipating your answer and I've been talking to Arete, an old friend of mine. She's got a lovely little cottage out in Bedfordshire and she's invited us all up to play in her garden. I thought that, what with all the lovely weather we've been having recently, it would be fun to play out doors. We don't often get this much sunshine and it would be a shame to waste it."

"Oh, I couldn't agree more. I'm simply sweltering here in the city."

"Let me make a few more phone calls. It's going to take a while to make all the arrangements but can we pencil in, say, Thursday afternoon? Does that work for you?"

"Thursday, Thursday.... I can't see any problems with that. What sort of dress code were you thinking of?"

"Well, it's basically a day out in the country so we're not going posh or formal. I'll probably be going for something tweedy. Is that agreeable?"

"Super, absolutely super! I have just the thing," Andrea gushed. "So, what happens next?"

"Well, leave it with me to finalise the arrangements and I'll get back to you," Euthenia replied. "I'll let you know one way or another by midday tomorrow."

"Oh, I do hope you can get it all organised. I really am looking forward to it and I know that puppy will just love a run in the country."

"Splendid, just splendid! Until tomorrow then," and, with that, Euthenia rang off.

"We're on!" Andrea called out to Tamsin as soon as the call had ended and then, immediately, she was on the phone to Angus.

"We've got another meeting!" she enthused. "The details are still a bit hazy but it looks like were going to meet another member of the gang. This one owns a place in Bedfordshire which means it's almost certainly not Princess Charlotte but it's another to add to the list. What's more, with all the background research we've done, it shouldn't take us too long to identify her. One small point, I'm going to need something in tweed, something suitable for a day out in the country."

"Yet more expenses," Angus groaned. "This story is costing thousands and you still haven't got anywhere near Princess Charlotte. Keep the receipts and don't go mad. Now, how are you two getting on, sitting around all day doing sweet Fanny Adams?"

"We're working really hard and putting together some excellent stuff. I'll email my report as soon as possible. Meanwhile Tamsin's like a dog with a bone, digging away. There can't be that many society ladies of the right sort of age who own cottages in Bedfordshire so I'm sure we'll know exactly who this Arete is long before we meet her. We're going to involve quite a few of the movers and shakers in this little thing."

"Be that as it may, without Princess Charlotte it's still not making the front page. I want royalty. That's what sells, royalty."

"OK," Andrea said to Tamsin once the phone call was finished. "It looks like we'll be in full puppy mode on Thursday. There's something for you to look forward to."

"Look forward to? If you think for one moment...."

"Well, after last night.... What's that face for? I just said I wouldn't tell anyone else. I didn't promise to.... OK, OK... wow, you are grumpy today. Can't you take a joke?"

"It's not that much of a joke for some of us," Tamsin retorted. "Do I have to remind you which one of us will be scampering around in the big outdoors buck naked except for a tail shoved up her arse?"

"But I thought you liked that sort of thing." Andrea ducked as Tamsin threw her pen across the room at her. "OK, OK, I won't mention it again."

"You won't mention it again like you can't have a phone conference with Angus without getting a dog comment in there somewhere."

Much as Andrea was having fun she didn't want to push it too hard. After all her next suggestion was going to be hard enough as it was.

"Look, Tamsin," Andrea said calmly, "I was just mucking around but to be serious for a moment, we're supposed to be experienced in this puppy play lark and, apart from what I've read on the internet, I know fuck all about it."

"And what makes you think I know any more than you?"

"Well...," Andrea was just about to mention the previous night but realised that it wouldn't be helpful. "OK, neither of us knows anything about it but that just makes it worse. Come Thursday we've both got to look like we're experts. We've got to have more than a few basic moves worked out."

"What are you implying this time?" Tamsin said wearily.

"I'm implying that we have to practice some puppy play before we do it in front of the others," Andrea said firmly. "We've got to look like we know what we're doing, we've got to look like this puppy play bollocks is part and parcel of our relationship."

"And, let me guess, you want to have this practice session with me in full puppy gear."

"Well, it makes sense."

"How so?"

"Because otherwise it won't be a proper practice," Andrea said with some exasperation. "Please, Tamsin, I'm not mucking around here, really I'm not. I just want us to be perfect on Thursday. We're doing so well so far. We've all but fooled them into thinking we're the real thing, we're getting ourselves accepted. We really don't want to blow it now."

"I suppose so," Tamsin said wearily. "But what about you? Shouldn't you be in costume as well? While I'm in puppy gear you're wearing what, tweed? Where were you thinking of going for that, Harvey Nichols?"

"It's going to be about the one time in my life I can afford to. As long as Angus doesn't see the receipts until after we get the story then we'll get away with it. Come on, it will be a blast."

"Who's this 'we' who will get away with it? I'm not getting anything from Harvey Nicks," Tamsin said sourly. She turned her laptop so that Andrea could see the screen. "For fucks sake, look at this."

While they had been chatting Tamsin had Googled Harvey Nichols and then searched for 'tweed'. The results showed a number of outfits, and, more relevantly their prices.

"Wow, over a grand for a jacket. That I've got to have!" Andrea exclaimed. "Again with the face! What's your problem? If we're going to fit in we have to look the part. I'll bet that lot all shop there and if I turn up with something from Marks and Sparks or, heaven help us, Primark, then we'll be spotted straight away."

"I'm not sure Primark has ever sold anything in tweed," Tamsin said with a smile. "Yeah, you're right, of course, you will have to get something top of the range, but does it really need the two of us to trek down to Knightsbridge?"

"Come along, it will be fun."

And, reluctantly, Tamsin agreed to go.

Even before they had gone through Harvey Nichol's front door Tamsin's socialist hackles had started to rise. She felt that the shop pandered to the worst in the rich and over-privileged and, like Lady Mary's home, was a symbol of everything she despised. This didn't help her mood and she trailed despondently after Andrea looking to find the worst in everything. She was the only one there wearing jeans and tee shirt and she felt that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Andrea, by comparison, was having the time of her life.

And, of course, when it came down to it, the sales staff were perfectly delightful and could not have been more helpful. Andrea explained that she needed a new tweed outfit for a day in the country with some friends who were dog lovers and, in no time, she was being fitted out with a skirt and matching jacket. However, that was only the start. The next stop was a white silk blouse and, after that, a pair of brown brogues. The brogues, of course, implied stockings, which, in turn, meant something to hold them up. After a certain amount of indecision, and plenty of help from an assistant, they, or rather Andrea, decided on a white basque with matching lacy panties.

"After all," she said to Tamsin in an aside, "who wears Marks and Sparks undies under Harvey Nicks tweed."

It was approaching lunch time by the time they had finished so they grabbed a quick bite in town before heading back to the flat. This time Tamsin was more assertive and flatly refused to carry the bags so it was Andrea who flopped down weary in an armchair and asked, no demanded, that Tamsin make the tea. When Tamsin brought the tray through to the lounge Andrea had already started to unpack.

"Full dress rehearsal?" Tamsin asked.

"We'll have our tea first but, after that, we'll go for it. Do you know," Andrea stood up and held the skirt against her waist, "this is the first skirt I've worn since I was in school."

"The things you have to suffer for this story. My heart bleeds for you," Tamsin replied caustically. "Come along, bring your tea into the bedroom. Let's see how it looks once the outfit is complete."

They went through to the bedroom and put the clothes on the bed. Then Andrea stripped off and reached for the basque. Tamsin helped her into it, fastening up the hooks and eyes at the back. Then she knelt down on the floor and helped Andrea into the nylon stockings. Andrea then put on the panties, the blouse and the tweed skirt while Tamsin sat on the bed and watched. Whilst Tamsin wasn't particularly attracted to Andrea she had to admit that the smart, formal lines of the skirt and blouse suited her and, once Andrea put on the jacket and stepped into the brogues, the effect was quite impressive. She did, indeed, look like some sort of upper class dog trainer. What is more, although Tamsin would never admit it to Andrea, there was something about the outfit that appealed to puppy girl. If she were to be tamed, if she were to roll over and have her tummy tickled, then the woman who would do it would be dressed like that.

"Well, that's me sorted. Now, how about my little puppy?" Andrea said turning back from admiring herself in the mirror.

With an internal sigh Tamsin got up off the bed and started to take off her clothes. The 'my little puppy' line stung. Much as the woman who could tame puppy girl might be dressed like Andrea, she certainly wouldn't be Andrea. It wasn't just the lack of any affection between them, though that in itself was reason enough, it was also that it was quite clear that Andrea didn't understand puppy play, or indeed, any of what they were having to get involved with, in anything more than an intellectual level.

When Tamsin finally stepped out of her panties she felt almost as vulnerable as she had done the first time. For one thing, the way that she had been discovered her last night had given Andrea a window into her sexuality. Even though Andrea was keeping her face expressionless, Tamsin could almost hear the unspoken 'you're getting off on this, aren't you?' and the contempt that went with. On the other hand she had no valid reason to refuse and any sudden squeamishness would only give Andrea even more power over her. She put her panties on the pile of clothes on the bed and turned to Andrea who was now sat at the dressing table and holding out the mask for her.