Eighty One - Laura's Story Pt. 09

28

"You'll need to wear your grey skirt today, the tight one," Andrew said as they ate breakfast.

"I was going to wear my dark suit, I'm giving the presentation to the people from Simpson's today so I need to look formal and businesslike, you know, pretend that I know what I'm talking about."

"And you will, in the grey skirt, and a white blouse, that's what she said." So, the order had come from Amelia had it, and what twist would be lurking behind such a mundane instruction? Not today of all days, she thought, she needed to concentrate.

"But it clings, and the material shows a panty line." She knew she sounded like a whiny child, but to give the right impression at the presentation was important.

"That doesn't matter does it, you won't be wearing any, remember."

There was a buzz in the office when she arrived at work. They all knew the importance of the meeting and, Laura noticed, they all looked smarter than usual too. All without being told, good for them.

"You look very smart," Abbie observed, "in a sexy sort of way. Good choice. Give the men something to look at when they get bored with listening."

"That's right, fill me with confidence why don't you."

"You don't need any more confidence. You've made me listen to it so many times I could do it myself."

Laura hadn't done a great deal during the morning, apart from rehearse her lines, prepare answers to anticipated questions and drink coffee. Lunch had been a simple sandwich and water, not too much though, the last thing she wanted was to be distracted all afternoon by wanting to visit the loo.

An hour before the guests were due to arrive Abbie brought in a parcel.

"This has just been delivered by courier, it's addressed to you personally. Strange though, I had to sign for the exact time of delivery." She placed the package on Laura's desk and left. Laura studied both sides of the large padded envelope but there were no clues pointing to its origin. After cutting open the top she was able to remove the black cardboard box held together with a red silk bow. The folded card tied to the bow read, 'Call me first, Amelia X.'

The first thought which came to mind was, 'oh God no, please, not now,' closely followed by that familiar craving for the unknown.

The phone was answered on the second ring.

"Laura, so you got my package then?" The smug tone of Amelia's voice did nothing to allay Laura's concerns of where it would lead.

"Yes I did, thank you."

"Great. Then we're all set to test your resolve, see how determined you are to obey."

"But I have to give an important presentation in an hour, couldn't we do this later?" Even as she heard the words leave her mouth she knew that she was wasting her time.

"Now where would the fun be in that? Of course you don't have to, you know that." Of course she had to, the thumping in her chest said so.

"OK, what do you want me to do?"

"You can start by locking your door, we don't want to shock that cute little secretary of yours do we?" Laura felt a strange resentment, or was it jealousy, at that last remark, and little did Amelia know that it would take a lot to shock 'cute little Abbie.'

Putting her 'Do not Disturb' sign on the door handle should lead Abbie to believe she wanted time to prepare herself.

"It's locked."

"Good. Strip."

"What! I can't do that now." She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"It won't take you long will it, you've only got three things on." Was there nothing she could keep private any more? Working quickly she removed her skirt, blouse and bra.

"Please Amelia, somebody might come and I have to work soon."

"I know that, but I thought you should make an effort with your personal presentation as well. Andrew was very mean making you go without underwear in front of all those people, so I sent you a present. It's a sort of wish you well gift from me to you so I'd be very upset if you decided not to accept it. Let me know how you get on." The phone went dead.

Once the initial shock and suspicion had subsided, Laura pulled the silk bow and lifted the lid from the box. Carefully lifting the white tissue paper revealed just what Amelia had promised, a beautiful set of underwear in black silk. Laura smiled as the relief flooded through her. She removed the bra from the box and her breath caught; the modifications were slight but frightful. She took out the panties and they too made her heart rate quicken. How could they expect her to wear those, today of all days.

Voices from outside the door brought her thoughts back to the impending presentation. With no desire to disappoint Amelia she slipped her arms through the straps of the bra leaned forward to settle herself into the tight cups and pulled the clasp tight at the back.

The blunted tacks set in the fabric pressed into her skin. Those in direct contact with her nipples were more uncomfortable but should be bearable unless the nipples hardened from the stimulation creating a never ending cycle of pain and arousal. The panties were also slightly too small for her causing the tacks set into the crotch area to have the same effect on her lower lips.

As Laura checked herself in the mirror, the reflection confirmed her suspicions, the bumps of the suspender belt holding up the tan stockings were showing beneath the fabric of her skirt. She turned to the side and admired the effect. The underwear was a turn on to the new-found exhibitionist within her but not to the tortured lips and nipples which were paying the price. Remain calm she told herself and it would pass, and remember not to sit down if at all possible.

When the time came she took three large, calming breaths and opened the office door.

"Are you ready? Good luck, I'm sure you'll do fine," Abbie said, as Laura passed her desk. Suspecting that Abbie somehow knew her secret made Laura blush. Don't be silly, she couldn't possibly know she told herself, the only visible signs were the bumps in her skirt, and that was not so unusual these days as more and more women were wearing stockings. Abbie detected her unease.

"Are you OK?" She asked.

"Yes of course," Laura assured her, "just a little nervous."

Most people were already seated at the large conference table when Laura entered. All eyes seemed to turn in her direction and she panicked, convinced that they could all see right through her clothing, see the tight underwear and the cruel tacks biting into her tender skin. It took all of her willpower to overcome the urge to scamper back to her office, making up some excuse about feeling unwell, an unexpected emergency, anything to avoid the gaze of all those knowing eyes.

Her logical mind however, overcame the irrational fears and she gently lowered herself into her seat at the table. You're just being over sensitive she told herself. On any other day they would have all turned and looked as you walked in, we all do it, it's natural.

Sitting through the other presentations seemed to take forever, all the financial mumbo jumbo and legal gobbledygook meant nothing to her, and she'd heard it all before. She wanted it to end but knew that when it did it would be her turn to stand and be the centre of attention. They were bound to notice the outline of her stockings and belt, if they hadn't already, and she would have to avoid the urge to twist her shoulders and squeeze together her thighs in a desperate attempt to ease the rapidly growing discomfort of the tacks.

Amelia's devilish mind had to be admired: it was a slowly progressive torture, increased by Laura's own reaction to it. As with the compulsion to scratch an insect bite, she couldn't resist the urge to discretely slide her hand under the table to press the cursed tacks into the sore flesh of her lips. On one occasion a barely audible cry escaped her mouth causing the gentleman next to her to turn his head. Her sweet smile placated his concern and she pretended to concentrate on the speaker.

An inordinate amount of wishing failed to make the time pass more slowly and eventually her turn arrived. The others had enjoyed the luxury of remaining seated as they explained the content of their handouts. Laura had to stand to point out the features of her presentation on the screen.

Rising from her seat caused the tacks to bite deeper, sending a delicious wave of pain and arousal through her body, and despite her best efforts to prevent it the flow seemed to focus on the over-sensitive nub throbbing between her legs. In that brief but significant moment something changed. The physical pleasure her body received from those cursed tacks overcame the anxiety and uncertainty. A rebellious pride swept through her, establishing a new-found confidence in herself and in her ability to endure the effects of her hidden torture.

The applause and compliments she received at the end of her presentation were well deserved--she knew it had been one of her best. The many practice runs had paid off, allowing her mind to drift to other matters without compromising the impact. She had fun speculating what the colleagues and guests would think if they were privy to her secret, if they knew the torture her nipples were suffering or could imagine the pleasure she received from overcoming the burning between her legs.

Would any of those men get hard, she asked herself, or would they be appalled at her disgusting behaviour. Several times she had caught them staring at her legs and the outline of her underwear. If only you knew, she thought, if only you could see the merciless tacks working their way into the skin of my freshly shaven lips and mound, then you'd have some material to use in your fantasies. Then she glanced around at the women, would they consider her weird or would they envy her predicament. According to Amelia there were lots of women who craved that sort of defilement, were any of them in front of her in that meeting? What secrets were being played out before her? How many of these bodies were being mistreated on the orders of another? Laura didn't really care--as long as hers was. As long as she was part of the game and paying the price, she was happy.

Never before had she wished for a meeting to end as quickly as possible. Normally she enjoyed the post business informality, meeting people, catching up with news, picking up useful information and contacts. And she did it on that occasion just as she would any other, despite the desperate need to race to her office and remove the source of the burning in her private parts.

"What do you think of Broughton's problems with all the new regulations then?" Asked lovely old Henry Mercer.

With half a box of thumb-tacks burning holes in my nipples and fanny, I don't really give a shit at the moment Henry, actually came out as "Oh I'm sure they'll get round it, they always do. Anyway how's Celia these days, I haven't seen her for ages?"

Eventually the meeting broke up and the guests began to drift away, leaving assurances of their satisfaction and their gratitude. When an appropriate opportunity presented itself Laura left the few remaining colleagues and headed for the refuge of her office.

As soon as the door closed she fished the phone from her bag and called Amelia. No answer. Shit. The second and third attempt were also unsuccessful. For the twenty minutes she sat at her desk, legs apart in a desperate attempt to relive the pressure, her mind begged Amelia to answer.

Snatching up the phone before the second ring had finished, relief flooded through her.

"Amelia, oh thank God."

"Is everything OK? You sound flustered." There did seem to be genuine concern in her voice.

"Amelia I'm in agony, can I take these things off now, please?" There was an awful pause which Laura dreaded ending with the word no.

"You mean you've still got them on? Oh Laura, I knew you were cut out for this. You could have decided when to take them off--as soon as you'd finished the task I'd have thought." Laura was lost for words and felt more than a little foolish.

"But, I just thought..." she stumbled for an explanation. "I just assumed that I needed permission, that's all."

"Priceless! You get better and better. Look, I'm in the middle of something right now but I'll call you tonight, okay?"

Laura turned off the phone before making a desperate dash for the cloakroom.

29

"So did she mention whether you earned the pawn or the knight?" Andrew asked after she told him of the afternoon's distractions.

"Unfortunately not, no." Truth be told, recovering the pieces hadn't crossed Laura's mind. "She said she'd call tonight, perhaps she'll mention it then."

"Take your clothes off, let me see you." Responding immediately and without question she did as she was told. Leaning back on the kitchen worktop she opened her legs. Andrew closely studied the damage to her nipples and the area between her legs. Drawing his finger along the length of her lips caused a sharp intake of breath to escape her lips. "Sore is it?"

"A little, it's not too bad though," she lied, in an attempt to play down the level of her discomfort."

"That's good then, because I think I'll make use of it later." She was well aware from the pause that he was waiting for a reaction, looking for any sign of dissent, but none came.

"I'll look forward to it," she said.

As per Andrews instructions Laura remained naked while they ate and cleared away. They discussed her presentation, the traffic situation in the city and all manner of everyday topics. In fact the evening turned out to be much like many others they had spent together, apart from her lack of clothing and the constant reminder of how sore she was.

The long awaited phone call finally arrived. Andrew answered and spoke to Amelia. Laura enjoyed the secret thrill she got from listening to their conversation. They spoke about her and the detached manner Andrew used excited her. He described how she had suffered from the effects of the tacks and the harm they had caused to her body. She liked the matter of fact way he conveyed the information, the lack of sympathy and the implication that it was her own fault. "Yes," he said turning to look at Laura, "I can tell she's happy to have pleased you, it's written all over her face." There was a long pause while Amelia spoke and Andrew listened. "It's up to her of course but I would take a guess at the answer, just a minute, I'll pass you over." After handing over the phone he topped up their wine glasses and sat on the high stool opposite.

"Hello." Laura said unsure of the correct form of address to use. Andrew smiled at her when, after a slight pause, she self consciously repeated, "Sorry, Hello Ma'am."

"It sounds as though you enjoyed your little task this afternoon. Andrew said that even telling him about it got you excited."

"It was sort of fun, yes. Being in front of all those people and them not knowing my dirty secret got me going. It was painful though, still is."

"We all have to pay for our pleasure, Laura, you know that. Put the phone onto speaker so that we can include Andrew." She waited a moment, then asked, "is it on?"

"Yes, he can hear you."

"Good. Do you want to continue or have you had enough?" Remembering her earlier lapse Laura tried to make amends.

"Will I be able to earn back the pieces I need? You said you may be able to help me."

"I said I would help you find what you're looking for, am I not doing that?" Yes she was, but before Laura had to admit it Amelia continued. "If you want to take the next step you may have some luck with the pieces, or maybe not. We have a special meeting at the end of every month and one lucky lady leaves with a reward, if you're lucky it may be you, or it may not. Are you prepared to take the risk?"

"What's involved, what would I have to do?" It didn't really matter, the question was only for effect, a ploy to try not to sound too keen.

"Public admission." The two words whirled around Laura's mind.

"What do you mean by public admission?"

"For you it's like a coming out, to acknowledge the real you that you've suppressed for too long."

"I can't do that, what if I get caught. My name would be all over the place and the business would suffer. You must see that."

"I don't mean general public, we are discrete you know. No, this is a private get together of like minded individuals. You may recognize some people though, and of course they may recognize you. That's what makes it a little scary, and fun. Are you up for it?"

Laura turned to Andrew for guidance, or was it approval. He nodded.

"Yes, we're interested, we'll do it," then she hesitated, the unknown implications of agreeing suddenly becoming real, "but what exactly is involved?" Amelia's amused chuckle seemed to fill the kitchen.

"I would have thought you'd prefer not to know. The meeting is at the end of the month, three weeks on Saturday. By then you should have healed nicely and you'll have had plenty of time for that dirty mind of yours to conjure up all sorts of filthy possibilities. But I can tell you now if you really want to know." Laura didn't know the correct answer. "Well do you?" Amelia pushed.

"I think I can wait."

"I thought so. Don't you think there's something terribly erotic about agreeing to do something without knowing what it is? Well, I must be off now so I'll leave you to it, have a nice night and don't go easy on her Andrew."