The Pledge Mistress Ch. 22

Before her companions had a chance to object, Lisa continued:

"Also, maybe the scavenger hunt isn't the only test tonight. Maybe they're also seeing how the winners treat the losers. You ever think about that?"

The three freshmen stood quietly. It was Bernadette who gave in first.

"Alright. An hour. So what are we gonna do in the meantime?"

"There's two sofas in here, so you and Cherine can take a nap. I'll get you up in an hour."

"And you?"

"We are gonna win. It's just that I don't want a blow-out. Just to make sure, I'm going back to the bathroom and make sure no one takes off with the toilet seat."

The promise of an hour of sleep shifted Cherine's opinion in favor of Lisa's proposal. She promptly settled on one of the sofas and prepared to nap. Being uncovered in the office didn't bother her, given that she had become used to sleeping uncovered on her cot. The sofa was considerably more comfortable and the rest welcome. Bernadette settled on the other sofa and promptly closed her eyes.

Lisa went back down the hallway, with Kathleen forlornly trailing behind her. Kathleen still wanted to return to the judges' table immediately. She would have been quite happy to see five males get 60 cane strokes each. The women had worked hard to find their items and part of the reward should have been enjoying the very public flogging of the losers. She would have been perfectly content had the punishment been 90 cane strokes instead of 60, happier still to see the backsides of the males completely torn open and blood running down their legs. She hated young men, all young men, and for her to not take advantage of an opportunity to inflict suffering on young men was an abomination.

Kathleen suspected that she could not discuss her vehement hatred of men with Lisa, because it was obvious that Lisa did not hold any general grudge against them. She had enjoyed two relatively stable relationships with men before hooking up with Kathleen and could relate to them with no problem. Kathleen felt betrayed by Lisa, but couldn't figure out how to express why she felt she had been betrayed.

Lisa understood more of what was going on in Kathleen's mind than her lover realized. She also understood that an opportunity had presented itself to get Kathleen to talk about her feelings. The two women returned to the bathroom and Lisa tried to hug Kathleen. At first Kathleen pushed her away, but finally she fell into Lisa's arms and hugged her, in spite of her on-going anger over her leniency towards the males.

Lisa leaned against a wall and allowed Kathleen to rest against her. She decided to break the silence by talking a bit about Ken and trying to explain why he really wasn't so bad. Lisa's purpose was to portray her former boyfriend as a confused human being, in reality struggling with many of the same issues that Lisa and Kathleen were struggling with. She tried to get Kathleen to sympathize with the guys, who were terrified at the prospect of losing the scavenger hunt so badly. Kathleen didn't respond, but she didn't argue either, which Lisa took as a good sign.

Lisa abruptly changed the subject and asked Kathleen a question to which she already knew the answer. She casually inquired what Kathleen thought about the guys in her high school and what her social life had been like. Kathleen kept her head pressed against Lisa's chest. She heard her lover sniff loudly, and then felt a warm drop running down her skin.

"Everyone hated me. They all laughed at me. I mean, I tried...I really tried to get them to like me...I mean...I did what they wanted...I always did what they wanted, but all they ever did was make fun of me."

"The guys?"

"Everyone. I mean...even after I gave 'em what they wanted..."

"You mean sex..."

"Yeah..."

"Kathleen, you don't just give that away. You gotta make 'em earn it. You gotta make 'em beg you for it. That way, you're in control, not them. That's where things went wrong for you. You made it too easy. A guy only appreciates what he has to fight for."

"The girls hated me too. And I hate them. I hate them all."

"But you were trying to make them like you..."

"I guess. I mean...I wanted someone to like me, at least someone...and I tried..."

"If you want to make friends, you can't 'try'. It just doesn't work, because people can smell your desperation. And I know, when you're lonely, it's hard not to try. But the more you need someone else, the more they're gonna push you away. It's kind of a cycle, I guess. You get used to thinking a certain way, even though what you're doing has the exact opposite effect of what you want. I 'spose the more desperate you get, the harder it is to just let it go. That's what you should've done, let it go, and tell them to go fuck themselves. But you couldn't, could you?"

"No. I'd get home...and I'd clean myself up...and I kept promising myself I wouldn't let it happen again...but it always did..."

"Clean yourself up?"

"Yeah."

"You mean, like, get the cum off yourself?"

"Yeah...I mean...one time I went out...and the guy I was with...he like...took me to this park... And he told me to suck on him...right there in the parking lot...and I was totally scared that someone would see us...and he came...but he pulled out and came all over my face...and then he stood there laughing at me...I started to cry, and he just left me there and drove off. I had to walk...I had to walk an hour...I couldn't take the bus...cause I was all covered with cum...and I couldn't let anyone see me...and I hate it. And I hate them...That's what the guys did to me...That's why..."

For a long time the two women were silent, Kathleen's arms still firmly wrapped around Lisa. Finally Lisa broke the silence.

"Kathleen, has it ever occurred to you that maybe some of the guys went through the same thing, or something similar to what you had to put up with? They take a girl out, spend their money on her, and then after a few months she 'just wants to be friends'. And they do it over and over, take a girl out, then they get told that they are a 'really sweet guy and a great friend', and then off goes the girl with some arrogant abusive scumbag? And the guy keeps wondering: what's wrong with him? My high school boyfriend (his name was Mike) had a friend who that kept happening to. He was always 'the nice guy' and 'the great friend', but none of the girls wanted to go out with him. And you know what he did?"

"What?"

"It finally got to him on Prom Night, when he couldn't get anyone to go with him to the dance. He had enough of being all the girls' 'good friend'. So at sunset, he drove out to the coast, all dressed up in a tux, and jumped off a cliff. And you know what? The girls couldn't understand why he did it, 'cause they all said he was 'such a great guy'. And the counselors came around trying to tell us that it wasn't their fault. And I said, yes, it was your fault, because if you had treated him decently, and if one of you had the courtesy to do something else besides take his money and tell him 'what a great friend he is' and then go run off sucking the cocks of the football players, he'd still be alive. I made 'em cry quite a bit, but I doubt it changed anything."

"...what'd the school say?"

"I got suspended 'cause I pissed off the counselors. My mom had to file a petition so I could take my final exams and graduate. The whole thing pissed me off, which is one of the reasons I came to Chicago. Deep down I was relieved that the California colleges wouldn't take me and Mike, 'cause I really wanted to get away from Santa Cruz. But the point is, you're not the only one. And it doesn't just happen to women."

There was another long silence. Finally Kathleen noted: "I didn't go to Prom either. I got stood up."

"But you didn't jump off a cliff, did you?"

"I wanted to. And my dad knew what I was thinking. He wouldn't let me out of his sight until I started college, because he knew...and that's why he insisted I start at the beginning of the June instead of September, 'cause he didn't want me sitting at home all summer..."

"And he wasn't worried about you pledging the Four-Betas?"

"He actually wanted me to pledge a sorority. Thought it would be good for me."

"So, you're here because of your dad?"

"Sort of."

"Are you glad about that?"

Kathleen looked up at Lisa with teary eyes:

"I'm with you, aren't I? Of course I'm happy."

Lisa forced herself to smile and let Kathleen kiss her. Lisa's heart pounded as Kathleen pressed into her body, hugging her tightly. Kathleen's next words did nothing to set Lisa's mind at ease.

"I love you. I really love you. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. You know that, right?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"And you love me?"

"You know I do."

"I need to hear it. I need you to say it."

"I love you, Kathleen."

Kathleen hugged even harder, as Lisa's heart continued to pound. She was very frightened by the intensity of the desperate young woman in her arms. She did love Kathleen, sort of, but it wasn't that simple. With Lisa nothing was simple, certainly nothing having to do with her emotions.

As Kathleen continued to cuddle against her, Lisa pondered how best to handle her situation. The thought of trying to break off the relationship never crossed her mind, because the truth was she did care for Kathleen and wanted to play a positive role in her life. Lisa accepted that it was quite possible that she and her lover would have a serious relationship for a very long time, possibly for the rest of their lives. What Lisa wanted, however, was to be in charge of that relationship and make sure it did not restrict her pursuit of other goals in her life, especially possible relationships with men and her various sexual fantasies. She would have to make her lover understand that she was indeed willing to give her a lifetime of commitment and support, but that commitment would have to be on Lisa's terms, not Kathleen's.

At a moment when Kathleen was vulnerable and scared of losing her, Lisa realized that she had a good opportunity to shape the relationship to better suit her own needs. She reached down and began massaging the girl's thin bottom. Kathleen's body responded immediately. Lisa was silent for another moment as she continued to gently explore her lover's backside and contemplated how to best phrase what she wanted to say about the future of the relationship.

"I love you," she finally repeated. "...and I'll take care of you. I'll make sure that no one ever hurts you again. Anyone ever who tries to hurt you will have to deal with me. But I'll need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"If I'm gonna take care of you, I need you to accept that you belong to me. You understand that, right?"

"I belong to you. Of course."

"I will guide you, and I'll give you a sense of direction. But to do that, you'll need to let me take charge of your life. When I tell you to do something, I'll expect you to obey me, because I'll always have my reasons. You OK with that?"

"Yes."

"I won't ever do anything to deliberately hurt you, but sometimes I'll need to be a bit firm with you. Someday I might have to discipline you, if you ever misbehave. If that happens, I'll make sure you understand why, and I'll only do it because I love you. But if you belong to me, and you love me, you'll have to obey me. I can't have it any other way."

"Of course, Lisa. Of course I'll obey you."

"And accept the consequences if you don't?"

"Yes, Lisa. I'll do what you tell me. I promise."

The two women sealed their agreement with a passionate kiss. Lisa grabbed Kathleen's bare bottom and squeezed with both hands. That bottom now belonged to Lisa, along with the rest of Kathleen's body and soul. Lisa was hugely relieved. With just a few words, she had taken control of her lover's life and would be the one determining the course of their relationship.

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A few minutes later Ken and the other four males sheepishly entered the Economics Building. Lisa heard them coming down the hallway and stepped out of the bathroom to greet them. Ken showed Lisa the group's list; they had completed the 50 pictures on the sheet and retrieved 11 library books. In one hour they had added 35 items to their inventory, simply by working together. They had a total of 73 items collected, which would reduce their upcoming caning from 62 strokes to 27. Lisa decided to allow the guys to reduce their canings by one more stroke, by letting them take the toilet seat.

While the guys entered the bathroom to extract their 74th item, Lisa and Kathleen returned to Burnside's office to wake up Bernadette and Cherine. They were in a somewhat better mood after having enjoyed an hour of rest. With that the nine pledges made their way to the judges' table. The guys went first, and then Lisa turned in her microphone. The judges stood up and announced the winners: the Four-Betas.

The women cheered while the Tri-Alphas stood silent. Tracy stood back, not wanting to take credit for what her pledges had accomplished, even though they had won because of her efforts during the days leading up to the scavenger hunt. The truth was the women knew that it was because of the Pledge Mistress that their side had won. The pledges' absence from the sorority house on Sunday and Tracy's secretive approach toward getting them ready had caused some resentment among the seniors and sorority officers, but her strategy ultimately was vindicated. Tracy's victory greatly improved her popularity among the sophomores, and even among some of the juniors. Alexandra and Heather pretended to be pleased at Tracy's win, but in reality they resented her sudden popularity. Had Lisa seen Heather's expression in the darkness, she would have realized there would be trouble waiting for Tracy and the pledge group later in the summer.

However, it was the Tri-Alpha pledges that had a much more immediate problem. There would be hell to pay later that night, along with the indignity of the entire fraternity having to attend the "Skins and Shirts" ball in the nude. For the summer dance a better name would be the "Skins and Skirts" ball, since it would be the women who would be showing off their evening gowns while the men were committed to showing off their bodies.

A few minutes later several sophomores from both the fraternity and the sorority gathered up the scavenger hunt items to return to where they belonged. By 5:30 everything would be in place and the buildings locked up, leaving no trace that the hunt had ever happened. Meanwhile, the fraternity and sorority members walked back to their houses, leading the pledges across the street. The groups did not march in protective formation, because the streets were empty and no one was around to see the handful of naked freshmen accompanying the dozens of well-dressed men and women.

Lisa enjoyed the walk back. She loved the feel of the cool air against her exposed body, and the daring sensation of being naked among a large group of well dressed people. She also was happy that her relationship with Kathleen seemed to be somewhat resolved, and that she had been able to do something worthwhile for Ken. She hoped, really hoped, that one thing she could accomplish that summer was to make peace with him.