The Pledge Mistress Ch. 30

Tracy led her group stoically carrying her backpack, sticking close to the pledges and keeping an eye on Heather. Hiking with a backpack was nothing new to her, although she felt very uneasy about her lack of attire. She wondered if there really was any point to what she was doing, pursuing her strange idea of living like a pledge because she was so determined to watch over her group. Was all this really necessary? Oh, well, nothing she could do about it now, even if she wanted to. Like the pledges, she had left her clothing behind at the sorority house and was committed to spending the next day and a half wearing nothing but her shoes and cut-off T-shirt.

During the walk, Kathleen's behavior surprised her companions. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself as the journey progressed. Most of her shyness wore off as she had a chance to show off her physical fitness. For the benefit of the cameras and an approving audience she ran and did summersaults across open meadows, jumped over logs and rocks, climbed several trees, and even scaled a rock-face. Of the four pledges, Kathleen's athletic abilities made her the favorite subject among the photographers. Lisa noted that her lover liked showing off and the open sunny environment had made her quite cheerful.

While Kathleen jumped around for the cameras, Bernadette and Cherine walked at a relaxed pace and chatted about their lives. After the first rest break Tri-Alpha Vice President Jacob joined them and began chatting with Cherine. Bernadette realized, as she noted Cherine's starry-eyed expression, that she should gracefully exit the conversation. She excused herself and moved ahead a few steps to join Tracy.

With Bernadette absent, Cherine and Jacob finally had a few minutes together to start getting to know each other. She was extraordinarily nervous, not only because she finally had the chance to talk to the guy she had been fantasizing about, but also because she was naked. Granted, she had been naked most of the time over the past month and a half and was used to it, but now she was confronted with the presence of a man she badly wanted to impress. How could he take her seriously if she wasn't even allowed to wear any clothes?

Jacob did take Cherine seriously, very seriously. As June went by and he caught brief glimpses of her, the pledge filled his thoughts and desires. He couldn't explain, even to himself, why he wanted her so badly. As for her nakedness, seeing her body had the opposite effect on him than she thought. Cherine's nakedness only enhanced her innocence in his eyes, because in her unadorned body he saw a pure and unencumbered soul. Precisely because she was denied the accessories of modern civilization and was presented to him as God had made her, he was able to idealize her.

It was a strange coincidence that the snack for the pledges for the half-way rest stop was apples. Tracy passed out an apple to each member of her group. Cherine took an extra apple and offered it to Jacob. To see that lovely young woman in her naked innocence offering him an apple made Cherine the true reincarnation of Eve.

Fortunately for the VP's aspirations, he was good at casual conversation and at getting other people to put themselves at ease by talking about their lives. He used that talent on Cherine and was rewarded with a lot of information about her family, her ambitions, and her reasons for joining the Four-Beta sorority. Cherine talked about her friendship with Bernadette and her changing opinion of her Pledge Mistress. As the miles passed and the day grew hotter the conversation became more two-way, as he talked about his own pledging experience with the Tri-Alphas and his years as an officer in the fraternity. He became class leader when he was a sophomore, then Social Director as a junior, and finally VP as a senior.

Jacob answered one of Cherine's questions before she had a chance to ask it. As he talked about his studies, he mentioned that he planned to attend graduate school at the same university. He had not yet decided whether he wanted to seek the chapter presidency of the fraternity, although he did want to continue serving in the directorate.

Lisa and Ken continued their conversation as they walked together. She realized that pledging with the fraternity had been an enormously beneficial experience for him, because he had been able to explore some of the questions he had about himself and what he wanted from his life. There were plenty of hints that he wanted to get back together with her, but there also were plenty of hints that something was still missing. He needed something more, but wasn't sure what.

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At the half-way point there was a pond with a small beach and a couple of picnic tables. It was a good spot to rest, take a short swim, and have a snack and some water. Up until that moment only the pledges had been naked, but most of the fraternity and sorority members stripped to go into the water. The nudity rule about the sorority's pool applied for the pond; no one was allowed to swim unless completely naked. After swimming many of the members of the expedition sat on towels at the picnic tables, enjoying the sun on their bare bodies and resting up for the final portion of the trip.

When the group started hiking again, the amount of clothing they were wearing had diminished considerably. About half of the Tri-Alphas continued the journey completely naked, along with 9 of the sorority's members. President Alexandra's outfit was reduced to a sports bra and panties, while Heather stripped completely. Also completing the trip in the nude were Tri-Alpha Vice-President Jacob and Pledge Master Arnold.

Jacob had decided to complete the trek in the nude partially to put Cherine at ease by making her see him more as an equal. Seeing him wearing nothing but his backpack did not put her at ease, however. Instead, seeing him in his entirety filled Cherine with sexual desire. She very badly wanted to touch him...and...give up her virginity. Unfortunately, on that trip a sexual encounter was not to be, because of the prohibition on sex between pledges and fraternity members. No matter what feelings or desires they might have had, they would have to wait another six weeks.

The presence of Cherine complicated Jacob's life and put his self-control to the test. He couldn't make love to the pledge, but he was determined not to do anything that would hurt her feelings or jeopardize whatever relationship he had pending with her. That meant he could not risk making love to anyone else on the trip. He worried that various women in the sorority would want to spend some time with him, but he would just have to let them know that he preferred to be with Cherine, and no longer was interested in anyone else.

The group arrived at the overnight campsite at 1:00 in the afternoon. The site was an actual campground that overlooked a small lake and included amenities such as barbeque pits, benches, and a small beach. Upon arriving, everyone who was not yet naked got undressed and stowed their clothing in their backpacks. The hike was clothing optional, but tradition mandated that the overnight camping was a nude event. The fraternity and sorority members spent the next hour setting up several group tents, a volleyball net, and finally, several two-person tents. There was a quick lecture on avoiding hazards such as ticks and poison ivy, with the comment that, because the group was naked, poison ivy was a much worse hazard than ticks.

"If a tick gets on you, you'll see it and feel it right away. That's a big advantage about not wearing any clothing out here, there's nowhere for them to hide. Of course, your skin isn't protected, either, so be very careful about what you brush up against."

Once the group was released, most of the fraternity and sorority members headed straight for the water. A few paired off and disappeared into the woods or into one of the tents, and a few others started an impromptu volleyball game.

There was another tradition that was mandatory for anyone who was good at running. Tracy grabbed Kathleen and three sophomores before meeting up with Pledge Master Arnold and four members of his fraternity. There was a race challenge for the best runners; a five-mile path that climbed a hill before circling the lake and returning to the campsite. The runners were expected to complete that challenge, the reward for participating being not having to do any further chores at the campsite. For the winner there was an additional reward, being excused from having to do any chores the following week. Certainly that was motivation for Kathleen, who was thrilled at the prospect of a break from her onerous daily duties as a pledge. Five miles of running in exchange for not having to do any chores for a week? Oh yes!

Tracy had thought about having Lisa participate in the run as well, given that Lisa was the winner of the women's division of the Tri-Alpha nude 10-K run the previous fall. She'd make a good runner, but there was no way she'd win against Kathleen. Besides, Lisa needed a break and perhaps some additional time to spend with Ken. Tracy decided not to include Lisa in the race, but decided to run herself, to see if she had any hope of keeping up with Kathleen. At 2:30, wearing nothing but cross-country shoes, the runners took off towards the hill and disappeared into the forest.

With Tracy and Kathleen gone, Cherine with Jacob, and Bernadette swimming in the lake with the sophomores, Lisa realized the Pledge Mistress had given her what she most needed, an hour to be alone with Ken. She lost no time finding him and tapping him on the shoulder. The only comment she had was:

"Let's go back to square one."

Ken followed Lisa away from the campsite, not really sure what she meant by her last statement. They walked nearly a mile before she found what she was looking for, a place to sit down. What she discovered was perfect for her purposes, an abandoned side trail with an old stone bench that was out of site from the main trail.

Lisa sat down, and suddenly Ken understood what "square one" meant to Lisa. She wanted to go back to that evening, nearly a year before, when he lost a game of strip Poker and had to go over her lap for a hand spanking as one of his penalties. Although they were not yet going out, last September's hand spanking was one of the most sensuous experiences of his life, something that filled his fantasies for weeks afterwards.

Ken was not sure what Lisa planned to do was exactly what he wanted, but he compliantly settled over her lap, figuring it was worth a try. She was trying to reach out to him, trying to figure out what he needed. She was making the attempt, something that no one else in Ken's life had ever done for him.

She did not start spanking right away. Instead she massaged his bottom, taking her time to stimulate his skin with gentle touches and caresses with her fingertips. Within a very short time his posture relaxed, as he began to enjoy what she was doing to him.

To his more comfortable posture there was an important exception: she felt his penis stiffening against her thigh. His organ became harder and harder, which surprised her. She had not yet started to spank him and yet he was just as aroused as he was when she had severely whipped him in the spring. She had made a very important discovery about him. It wasn't the pain that excited him; it was the submission, the act of surrendering control of himself to someone else.

Lisa started spanking Ken, but the spanking was nothing like his last punishment back in May. She spanked him gently and sensuously, taking her time to massage and stimulate his bottom cheeks between slaps. His bottom would not bear the marks from a severe punishment, but instead the faint pink of an experience that was much more stimulating than painful. As the spanking continued, his penis pressed ever harder into her leg.

"I really don't know what I'm gonna do with you, Ken, I really don't know. This cute bottom of yours is so naughty, but I 'spose even naughty bottoms need love."

With that she leaned down to kiss him, which only made his erection start to pulsate. She realized he was ready.

Lisa ordered him to get up. She got on her hands and knees on the bench, lewdly exposing herself and begging to be entered. He wasted no time pushing in, thrusting vigorously...just like old times...oh yes...just like old times...

There was one important difference. Ken's thoughts at that moment were on Lisa. For the first time what was on his mind matched what he was doing. Making love to her in the woods that afternoon was one of the most honest things Ken ever did.

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Reeking of sweat and orgasm, Lisa and Ken walked back towards the lake. Instead of going straight back to the main campsite they took a detour, pulled off their shoes, and jumped in the water. Once they were reasonably clean, they picked up their shoes and waded along the shore to the main campsite.

Already there was a smell of barbeque and the sound of cheering. Lisa was just in time to see Kathleen sitting on the shoulders of two Tri-Alphas, smiling shyly and giving a "victory" sign with her hands. It turned out that she had won the footrace, even beating her male competitors. Cherine and Bernadette were in the audience, enthusiastically cheering for their fellow pledge. Tracy stood with them, exhausted but happy that now she knew who was going to run the Tri-Alpha nude 10-K race next September on behalf of the Four-Beta Sorority.

There were some other games that afternoon, the most important of which was naked twister. The twister games each had four players, two men and two women. The games were played very seriously, because according to the rules the winner of each round had absolute control over the losers, including the right to demand sexual favors, for the following 60 minutes.

Lisa was amazed as she watched President Alexandra participate in a game of twister and lose to a Tri-Alpha sophomore. The sophomore, dumbfounded at his extraordinary luck, quickly got rid of the game's other two losers and forced the Four-Beta president to kneel while he took several pictures. He then ordered her to put her hands behind her head and follow him away from the campsite. The imposing Four-Beta chapter president was due for a nice over the lap spanking, followed by a round of sex. Yes, Alexandra might have been the most important member of her sorority, but she had just lost a competition and had no more rights than any of the other losers. As she always said in such situations, "if you can't pay, then don't play". Later, Lisa wondered if Alexandra had lost on purpose, just to have a chance to step out of her role for a few minutes and submit to someone else.

In the next round of twister Bernadette came out the winner, defeating two Tri-Alphas and a Four-Beta junior. In Bernadette's case, the rule against sex between sorority pledges and fraternity members had to be suspended so she could claim her victory. There was no risk of her being victimized, because she was the one who had won temporary ownership of her three competitors. Once she was assured she could do what she wanted with her new servants, she dismissed the Four-Beta junior. She was only interested in the men. She ordered them to bring her a picnic blanket, a paddle, and some condoms. She made them kneel and kiss her shoes before directing them to stand up and follow her into the woods.

There was no doubt Pledge Bernadette was getting the hang of being a Four-Beta.

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Following a very late dinner, the members of the camping party gathered around a large bonfire for yet another public spectacle, midnight tribal dancing. The six Tri-Alpha officers pounded improvised drums while the Four-Beta officers gave a performance that exceeded anything in that style that Lisa ever saw on stage. The six naked sorority officers performed very strenuous movements for over 40 minutes, their sweaty bodies moving in harmony around the fire as the drums pounded and the crowd of spectators clapped and chanted.

Lisa later learned that tribal dancing was a tradition for the sorority and that knowing how to do it well was a prerequisite for running for a position as a Four-Beta officer. The performance was an important part of any camping trip, something that the sorority officers had to prepare for in secret. Even Tracy and Heather had to put aside their differences for the dance. A proper performance came before everything, even ahead of a nasty personal feud. The next day the two officers would continue their rivalry, but that night they worked together as their undulating bodies complimented each other in the eerie fire-lit summer night.

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Lisa and Kathleen finally got into a sleeping bag at 1:30 in the morning. Lisa had thought that they would be sleeping in one of the communal tents, but Kathleen had made arrangements to get them one of the smaller tents designed for two people. As a pledge, ordinarily she could not have made such a request, but because she had won the footrace President Alexandra granted her one of the smaller tents.

Lisa rewarded her lover with a pleasant orgasm, although she wanted to keep things quiet and somewhat restrained. There was no spanking, and Lisa did not want to lick her lover's bottom-hole because she did not have the chance to properly clean up. However, after nearly two weeks of going without sex, Kathleen was very happy with finally having the chance to make love to Lisa. The day had been truly wonderful for her; an enjoyable hike, swimming, winning that race, the entertainment from the sorority officers, and finally a love-making session with Lisa. Very happy, she fell asleep in her lover's arms.

Lisa waited for the sound of Kathleen's breathing to change so she could slip out of the tent without waking her. She wasn't yet sleepy and wanted to take advantage of the quiet night to go for one final swim. She put on her shoes, exited the tent, closed the entrance, and made her way through the dark to the flat moonlit surface of the lake. She groped her way to the beach and slipped into the water. It was cold at first, but as she swam out to the center of the silent lake her body became used to the temperature.

Lisa knew that what she was doing was not smart. If anything went wrong she would go under the surface and no one would see her. However, that night she had been seduced by the lake, drawn into the water so she could be forced to reflect on what was happening and put her thoughts in order. She spent several minutes swimming and floating, enjoying the quiet and darkness of her surroundings. Finally she felt enough at peace to work her way back towards the shore. She swam in far enough to put her feet on the bottom of the lake and satisfy her nagging conscience. There. Now my feet are planted on firm ground and I won't drown. Happy?

With just her head sticking out of the water, Lisa reflected on her situation. The day had been a momentous one for her, because she had begun the important task of fixing her relationship with Ken. She also was very relieved to find out that he had experimented with other guys and had not found the experience as enjoyable as he was expecting. That disappointment put him back at "square one", in other words, back with her. She was pleased about that, because she had missed him more than she cared to admit. Whatever his faults, he still belonged to her.

With Ken still on her mind, Lisa shivered as she left the water. She grabbed a towel that someone had left out to dry, wiped off her body, and put on her shoes before finding her way to the tent she was sharing with Kathleen. She was quite cold, and was grateful to get into a sleeping bag with her lover's warmth. At that moment Lisa did not see the extreme irony of her situation: thinking about Ken while getting into a sleeping bag with Kathleen.