Chapter 10: Collared and Paraded

“OK mes copines, that is your treat for today,” calls Michelle as she turns off the shower and reaches for a towel from the stack. “Perhaps the new girl can do better tomorrow.”

“What does Michelle mean?” I ask Helen and Heidi.

“Michelle’s a show off,” laughs Helen. “We take it in turns to flash our tits and cunnies at each other as a treat before the day’s events.”

This may be anotherdayattheoffice stuff for these women, but it’s all new territory for me. I’ve never considered myself to be a lesbian, but equally, I don’t consider myself to be a prude on the subject. Like many of those I grew up with, my early sexual explorations included both male and female partners. I’ve never has a regular boyfriend or girlfriend since becoming an adult, so I’ve never worried about labelling my sexual preferences.

I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. I hang my dress on one of the hooks, use the toilet, and take a quick shower. I try my best to ignore the trio watching my every move. A soon as I’ve dried myself, I ease myself into the hobble dress. Fortunately Michelle’s suggestion that I firstly use a generous helping of talcum powder over my body, makes the task much easier. The dress fastens by a narrow, but strong, rear zip stretching from my shoulder blades to my arse. Fortunately I’m supple enough to fasten the zip unaided.

Helen moves aside to allow me use of a dressing table. I comb my hair and fix my makeup. Mistress Matilda requires me to keep my makeup to a minimum, so I simply use lipstick and eyeliner. A clock on the wall counts down the time I have left. Michelle, Helen and Heidi all leave for their own Mistress’s suite as soon as they are ready. I’m only a couple of minutes behind them.

Mistress Matilda inspects me thoroughly when I return to the room. She fastens a black leather collar around my neck with the word ‘LAURA’ prominently displayed in silver lettering. A small metal tag attached to the collar is engraved with ‘Property of Matilda’. The collar is held closed by a small padlock. I put on the high heeled shoes, deliberately leaving them until now to avoid having to walk around in them any longer than necessary.

“Tonight is simply a parade of those competing in the challenges, followed by a party,” says Mistress. “A lot of money is going to be wagered on the competitors, so you need to do your best. I expect you to make me proud.”

“Mistress, you haven’t told me what is expected of me over the next few days.”

“Obedience. Submission. And some intelligence,” replies Mistress. “That’s all you need to know. I have every confidence in you.”

Ten minutes later, Mistress leads me out of our suite and down into the basement. We enter a huge, stone walled, windowless room which is either part of the original 12th century castle, or a replica of it. Needless to say, I’ve never been into this part of the basement before. The lighting is subdued, but bright enough to see across the room. The six huge stone pillars supporting the floors above are the only obstacles in the rectangular room.

Like me, the nine other male and female ‘competitors’ are dressed in a variety of sexy clothing. The mistresses are recognisable by their boring grey business suits. Three of the mistresses wear trousers, but the rest prefer skirts in a variety of lengths. The Hall’s three housemaids, Dora, Florence and Stephanie are dressed in traditional German folk costume, adding to the German theme of the gathering. There are four other similarly dressed servants who must have been hired for the occasion. A few people are engaged in conversation, but the general atmosphere is tense. It’s like walking into a gladiatorial arena with everyone sizing up the competition. I stay near Mistress while she talks to another grey suited woman.