Beginnings

This story might have been true; it might have been imagined. I can't remember any more. I needed to write it, and there may yet be more to come.

"But to truly surrender, unconditionally and totally, to the desires of another? How could you do that? What about the trust...'

Her voice trailed off into a murmur, her eyes lifted to her friend sitting opposite at the table. She had known that Anne was sexually adventurous, but this new revelation was a surprise.

"It needn't be so difficult, Nicole. Haven't you played those little bondage games with your boyfriends, letting them tie you and blindfold you, the helpless damsel, while they have their wicked way with you? Or let them put you over their knee, and spank you for the naughty girl that you really are?"

Anne's deep, brown eyes stared intently back, meeting the her friend's gaze, almost challenging her.

"I might."

Anne laughed, "And you have always made sure that you could release yourself from your bonds, just to be sure, and asked that they only use their hand, gently?"

She blushed, deeply. Her pale complexion flushed red to the roots of her blond hair.

"It is merely playing a role, pretending to be someone that you are not. Think how refreshing it would be to have absolutely no power over what happened, how you would feel no guilt at what you were forced to do? Have you never dreamed of being an object of passion and lust?'

" But the pain..."

"The pain is not necessarily the point. It is the potential, the anticipation. Imagine being bound, hands together over your head, feet spread wide apart. Blindfolded you would not now whether to expect a caress, the touch of a whip, or even to be entered. How long could your mind and body take the torment?"

"I..."

"Think, too, of the denial, of being brought to the very edge, but not being allowed to cross into ecstasy. Your body would cry out for more, but you would be cruelly teased and denied."

Nicole began to stutter. She could not break the steely gaze that confronted her. Without breaking the eye contact, Anne drained her espresso.

"Think of the intimacy that can come from trusting another to do no harm when you are so tempting in your helplessness. "

She stood up, put the coins for the coffees on the saucer, pulled on a pair of leather gloves and left. Nicole sat and watched her leave. She was tall and slim, elegant in deep red, which contrasted with the thick black plait that hung almost to the small of her back. She had the measured step and sinuous walk of a woman who habitually wears tall heels. Her leather boots were close fitting and polished, showing the length of her legs. Nicole sighed and gathered her things to leave.

It had always been a curious relationship. Nicole would never have described herself as a lesbian, nor did she think of her friend as one. But there had always been some sort of frisson, and Anne's stories of sexual abandon had always given Nicole the frisson of envy. They had kissed once, both drunk, but not so drunk as to not know what they were doing.

Too, it was true. She had often fantasised about being bound helplessly and used, even tried it a copule of times. She had always rationalised it, thinking it was her way of controlling her fears of being out of control, but the power of the fantasy was strong. She had devoured 'The Story of O', and had never been sure whether it was the fantasy or its hold over her and the feelings that it evoked that scared her . She had felt the cold air on O's naked breasts, the tight leather of the bracelets and collar that she wore. Wincing, she had even imagined the feel of the thick plastic phallus fixed in O's behind. She had hardly dared to imagine the feel of the riding crop against her thighs.

"Excuse me, are these finished?"

She started, but recovering, smiled and nodded at the waiter. She stood to leave. She was still thinking. If there was anyone she could trust...

The next morning, a Saturday, a parcel arrived. It was heavy and about the size of a large book. It was wrapped in brown paper, but inside was a pink, silk-covered box tied with red ribbon, perfumed with a heavy scent, almost oppressive, but deeply feminine. She guessed who it was from, and went into the kitchen, placing the box on the table. Somehow, she knew that she would need to be sitting down. Lifting the lid of the box, there was a note on heavy paper, handwritten in Anne's neat, italic writing.

'Dearest Nicole,

I hope that our conversation did not shock you, nor that these gifts will offend. The perfume is my personal favourite, and I hope that you will grasp the significance of the rest.

Your loving

Anne'

Inside the box, nested in tissue paper was a bottle of perfume. It was the same heady scent as the box had been sprayed with. The scent was of roses, but there was a deep, musky undertone that made Nicole think of arousal. She had showered already, and though the perfume was an evening scent, she sprayed a little on her wrists, rubbing them on her throat. Lifting the tissue paper, there were three strips of leather, each about the thickness of a finger, but very heavy for their size. Two were short, the third was longer and thicker. Each ended in a silvery metal tongue at one end, with a matching socket at the other. In the centre of each strip was a silvery metal loop about an inch in diameter. The metal was cold. She assumed from its dull sheen that it was stainless steel. A small key was tied by a red ribbon around the longest. There was nothing else in the box, save the tissue that had packed it. They were Roissy bracelets and a collar.

She felt the weight of each, twining a shorter strap around her wrist. It would just fit, but would be very close. She picked up the longer strap and walked to the mirror in the hallway. Standing before it, she held the leather to her throat, testing the fit. Fastened, it would be snug around her neck. Feeling the tightening in her chest and the warmth between her legs., she slid the key from the strap and put it down on the table. Taking the strap away from her throat, she looked for a keyhole; there was one in the socket end. The collar was clearly meant to be locked. She tested the key. It turned. She snapped the lock home. It clicked audibly. She tested the lock, pulling on the strap, testing for movement. There was none. She turned the key. The collar released. Not quite knowing what she was doing, she scraped her hair up away from her neck and fastened the collar around throat. Looking in the mirror, she could see the change. She looked smaller, somehow softer and more vulnerable. It was heavy around her neck, but neither tight nor restrictive.

She tested the locks on the bracelets, one at a time. Both worked with the same key as the collar. She could almost hear Anne's disappointment at her lack of trust, but knew that was what the key was for. Anne had left it to reassure her.

She wasn't sure what to do next. Part of her was almost overcome with arousal, part was ashamed. Men had brought her clothes and jewellery before, but almost only when they wanted to see her in it. Anne, she was sure, had another reason. She knew how Nicole would feel in collar and bracelets, Anne's collar and bracelets. She had been bound and blindfolded before, but only with silk scarves; the weight of the leather bonds was much greater. and they were locked on her. without the key, they could not be removed. The loss of control was powerfully erotic. Then the doorbell rang.

Nicole almost panicked. Luckily, she was still wearing her dressing gown, with long sleeves. She turned up the collar around her neck, hoping it would hide the leather, and pulled it tighter around her. She looked through the peephole. It was Anne.

The doorbell rang again. Insistent. She knew. Furious or ashamed, she didn't know which, Nicole flung the door open and almost dragged her friend in, slamming the door quickly. She glared, trying to find words.

Anne merely stood, chin raised. She inhaled significantly, noticing the scent in the air. She didn't need to say anything. She had wondered quite how her friend would take the gifts. The way she clutched the dressing gown around her throat was enough to say. Nicole's anger ebbed away, to be replaced by a new emotion. Fear, shame, embarrassment. She didn't know. Still her friend stood there, impassive. Nicole was beginning to wilt. She knew the meaning of the collar and bracelets, but it was the scent that had the most effect; it was the scent chosen for her, by another, and it suited her so well. It was a token of her submission, just as much as the collar. Anne stepped forwards, and taking the lapels of the dressing gown in each hand , pulled it from Nicole's shoulders, slipping it off her arms and letting it fall where it pooled at her feet. Nicole was mesmerised; she could offer no resistance.

"You are more beautiful than I had ever imagined," murmured Anne as she took her friend's head gently in her hands, pulling them together in a deep, slow kiss. She could feel Nicole melting in her arms. Her right hand dropped to trace the collar and the soft skin of Nicole's throat just above it. Her index finger slipped into the stainless steel loop. She stepped back, her finger still crooked in the ring of the collar.

"Do you surrender?"

Nicole nodded, dumbly. "You must tell me," Anne coaxed, "tell me that you submit."

"I submit." It was as if she heard another speaking. She was falling, slipping into a trance where she could do nothing but obey, feel nothing but the power of her own desire to surrender. The heat in her belly was insistent, the knot in her chest tightening.

"You will make an excellent little slave, my pet."

Anne released Nicole's collar. She brushed past her, walking into the living room of Nicole's flat. Crestfallen, Nicole reached down for the gown, but an unseen voice called her, "No, leave it there. Come through here, please." The voice was insistent, still Anne's but commanding, definite. She walked through the door . Her friend sat back on the sofa, legs crossed, eyes intently studying her naked body intently.

"Aren't you going to offer me a cup of tea? I've had a busy day, and I fear that it's only just begun."

"Er... Um... Yes, of course."

"You may refer to me as Mistress. I do find it rather melodramatic, but it would simply not do for you to forget your manners. You must learn."

"Er... Yes, Mistress"

Nicole blushed again. This was not what she had expected. Her friend was relaxing, she was fully dressed. Formally and severely in a dark brown shift dress that fell to just above her knees. Matching boots rose to just below the knee. Her hair was, as ever, immaculately and severely drawn back in a French plait. Her make up was subtle, but flawless. Nicole was, by contrast naked save for the collar and bracelets, no make up, her hair a mess. She felt vulnerable, but somehow, it felt right.

"Do I have to remind you that you were making me a cup of tea? In one of those nice china cups you have. And please, make yourself a cup as well. I have some explanations for you." The tone was insistent and clipped.

"Yes, Mistress." She hurried into the kitchen.

Nicole returned with a tray. "Set it down on the floor at my feet, and kneel behind it."

She poured the tea. It felt very strange to be naked, serving another something as simple as a cup of tea. But oddly, and deeply erotic. Having passed Anne her cup, she picked up her own. She sat back, on her heels, and took a sip at the tea. It was still scalding. She coughed, almost dropping the tea. She had not realised how nervous she was until now.

Anne looked down at her.

"You have chosen to submit to me, and to call me Mistress. But even so, I realise that you are a person, and that you have your own mind. I have no wish to harm you, physically or mentally, and you must know that you will be able to stop anything that we do at any time."

"Yes, Mistress." She hadn't realised how easy it would be to slip, as if into character. It was all so unreal.

Anne talked, Nicole listened, carefully, attentively. Both were acutely aware of Nicoles nakedness and submission, but neither said anything about it. They drank tea, from china cups. It was all very surreal. Nicole's thighs were beginning to ache from the forced posture. She fidgeted.

"You must do better than that, my dearest. I do hope you will not be too disobedient."

Nicole stiffened, resuming the uncomfortable position.

"We must be leaving soon, I will choose your clothes; please show me your wardrobe." Nicole hesitated, "What are you waiting for?"

Nicole stood, as quickly as she could.

"Your posture is appalling. We must work on that. Stand straight, chin up. Be graceful and elegant."

"Yes, Mistress, please come this way"

It was like a game. Nicole had never quite seen this side of her friend before. She led up the stairs, painfully aware of the view that Anne had of her behind. Trying desperately to walk carefully, to stand tall. There was a note in Anne's voice that demanded obedience. They reached the bedroom door. Nicole felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Kneel, now. Head to my feet, hands behind your head!"

Nicole hesitated

"Now!"

Nicole obeyed. Anne was still trying to find a limit. A each step she had feared that her friend would rebel, would refuse, but there seemed to be nothing she could do that was too much. She reminded herself to be careful. It would be too easy to push things too far.

"You will learn not to hesitate at my command. I had thought to be lenient with you, but realise that I must punish you. You will have to earn your privileges, my little slut. Kiss my boots while I decide the best way to punish you."

Nicole found herself surprisingly eager to obey. The thought of punishment terrified her and aroused her simultaneously. Had she thought about it, she would have considered this obeisance humiliating, but she just felt less and less in control, more and more aroused.

"Stop. Keep your head to the floor."

Nicole saw her friend's boots step to one side and walk past her. Then she heard draws being opened, and cupboards being emptied.

"There is nothing suitable for you to wear here. We will have to find something more apt for the helpless submissive that you are. For now, you need only wear your coat and shoes when we leave. Follow me." It was a cliché to go out naked under a coat, she knew, but it would do nothing to alleviate Nicole's feelings of vulnerability. Too, she had plenty of suitable clothes at home. Her friend's dress sense had always been conservative, frumpy almost. Something much more feminine was required, nothing brazen, just something to make her more aware of the sexuality of her movements and her posture. Something that would make her feel beautiful, but helpless.

Nicole followed, blushing. Anne had already taken her coat from the hook near the door. Nicole was glad that it was her long red greatcoat. It was cut in a military style, almost Victorian, with a tight jacket and full skirts that fell almost to the floor. She had always thought it emphasised her curves. Pulling it on, she realised for the first time the softness of the silk lining against her skin. Her nipples suddenly felt sensitised. The collar was almost high enough to hide the leather collar she wore locked so securely around her neck. Anne looked at the shoes piled up just inside the door.

"These shoes will do. You must learn to walk in heels."

The shoes she pointed to were court shoes, close fitting red patent. The heels were only a couple of inches high, possibly three, but still much higher than Nicole would normally wear. She had bought them on an impulse, but never dared wear them. She pulled them on hastily, buckling the thin strap about her ankle..

"Lock the door, and give me your keys. Do not bring your purse or mobile phone. You will need neither this weekend."

They drove, almost in silence, to Anne's house. Nicole was still in something of a state of shock, but it was mingled with a constant arousal that the perfume, the bracelets and collar, but most of all the silk lining of her coat rubbing on her naked nipples was sustaining. Anne was afraid to talk; it was enough of a distraction that she had a near naked, collared submissive sitting at her side.

Anne's house was a little outside town, it was in a block of stables, once attached to a great house, that had been converted to flats. She stopped the car on the gravel outside the front door. As they walked to the door, Nicole following, she noticed the chill in the air. She cold feel cold air on her thighs where the skirts of the coat parted. Her breath was steaming, and when her friend opened the door, it was a relief to be inside the house.

Anne turned round, and pushed her friend against the inside of the door, kissing her mouth deeply, insistently. She reached down, unbuttoning the coat. She felt Nicole's body rise to meet her touch as she reaching inside the coat, and parting it with her hands, running them over her breasts and down to her hips. Anne slid the coat down Nicole's arms, just as she had stripped her of the dressing gown. In the same movement, she pulled Nicole's wrists together behind her back, securing them with the a snap catch. She reached across to a hook at the side of the door, where a leather dog lead hung. Nicole struggled against the bonds, weakly, half-heartedly. Anne just continued to kiss her lips and caress her breasts, now helplessly exposed. Nicole whimpered and groaned in pleasure. Then it stopped as Anne snapped the leash to the ring on her collar .

Anne stood back, holding one end of the leash. She, too, was flushed, breathing fast. She tugged the lead.

"Come with me. There are some matters to attend to." She turned and walked down the hallway, dragging her naked and bound friend behind her.

They entered the a small dark room. The only window was high on the wall, small and barred. The floor was of flagstones.

"These was once the stalls, you know. The Heritage people made the developers keep the historic features when it was converted, so this is supposed to be a utility room, but I find a different utility for it." Anne laughed and had Nicole kneel on the cold flagstones, facing the wall, in front of two small steel hasp loops, the first firmly attached to the floor, the second a couple of feet up the wall. She threaded the leash through the first loop, pulling it tight and drawing Nicole's head down to the floor before tying it off to the second, now well above her head. Anne was bound helplessly, her rear end offered up. The position stretched her uncomfortably.

"I said that I would have to punish you for your lapses. I will have to fetch the instruments of your discipline. Please don't go anywhere."

Nicole smiled a hollow smile to herself. She could imagine the effect of her exposed rear end on her friend. She had never seen Anne so possessed with lust. She just wasn't sure about the punishment, and there was no way that she'd be able to see anything. he suddenly became aware that she was still wearing her shoes. Somehow the realisation only made her feel more exposed. She did not know how long she waited. Not long, seconds, minutes, though they felt longer.

The sound of Anne's heels on the stone floor announced her arrival.

"Do you know why I am punishing you?"

"No, Mistress." She simply couldn't remember. So much had happened, it was all so confusing.

She felt something cold, soft, possibly leather, brushing her behind.

"You were slow to obey before, when I told you to kneel."

"Oh... Yes, Mistress." It was coming back. The soft feeling, like strands of string, moved up her back.

"In future, you will obey me." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes..." She had not had time to add 'Mistress when' the flogger was brought down on her behind. The pain was mild, stinging rather than searing, but the shock was greater.