Limits Ch. 11

"Good morning, sleepyhead." Jude gently shook the still-sleeping Karen and, as she wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up, handed her a cup of coffee.

"I thought the slave was supposed to make the coffee," Karen commented contritely.

"Well, normally yes but you were sleeping so soundly that it seemed a crime to wake you and you wouldn't want a copper committing a crime, would you?"

"But you're all dressed as well."

"Yeah, I figured you'd want a toothbrush, and we're low on milk so I popped to the corner shop." Jude looked abashed, almost as if she were ashamed of being helpful.

"Umm, well, I'm awake now. How can I thank you for getting me a toothbrush?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Jude said with a smile and, moments later, her clothes were in a pile on the floor and she was back under the covers with Karen.

"My coffee's cold," Karen commented when they resurfaced some time later. "I wouldn't dream of asking you to make me another, so I suppose it's time for me to get up and get on with the day."

"I thought you wanted to stay chained to my bed as a sex slave," Jude joked.

"Can I go to the loo first then, please?" Karen replied carrying on the joke.

"If you have to," Jude said, "but seriously, I'm ravenous. How about you cook us some brunch?"

"Certainly, Mistress. It will be an honour and a privilege."

"Don't be cheeky! Get your butt down to the kitchen immediately."

Karen slipped out of bed, grabbed Jude's spare bathrobe from behind the door and, with Jude following closely behind, went down to the kitchen to start cooking. And there, despite the rather unusual setup, Karen was in domestic bliss. A competent if unadventurous cook, she enjoyed providing for those about her and, as she plated up the mixed grill she had put together and put it on the table in front of Jude, she felt as if she was really providing for her man, or woman, or....

Whilst she was growing ever more comfortable in her relationship with Jude, Karen was still seriously confused as to exactly what her role was. Her rather old fashioned and closeted upbringing had taught her that a woman's place was to serve her man, to support him in his needs and requirements and, in many ways, what she was doing here was simply replacing that mythical man with Jude. After all, Jude wore the trousers both figuratively and literally. Meanwhile Jude liked her to take a 'feminine' role, liking her in skirts rather than pants and wanting her to look 'pretty'. Furthermore she really appreciated the 'gentlemanly' aspects of Jude, the way she held doors for her, the way she looked after her. Similarly she felt supremely at home making Jude's brunch.

But, if it were as simple as Jude being the 'man' in her life, she still wondered what others might think. She knew she would have to keep her new lover secret and that hurt; her heart was singing and she wanted to tell the world. Her brothers and sisters would just be amazed that she had embraced a lifestyle so far from the norm; they would be shocked and horrified into the bargain. As for her work colleagues, most of them had accepted Mel easily enough, but some hadn't and she wasn't, and never could be, Mel. Surely, once they found out, they would use her sexuality as yet another stick to beat her with.

Jude finished her plate and sat back looking content. Karen took this as her cue to whisk the dirty dishes away and start clearing up. As she stood by the sink her curiosity started to get the better of her.

"Jude, err... Mistress," Karen said as she rinsed out the pans prior to putting them in the dishwasher.

"Yes?"

"The cellar... I mean the playroom...."

"What about the playroom?"

"Can you show me around? I didn't get to see it properly on Friday."

"Show you the instruments of torture, you mean," Jude laughed. "What's brought this up?"

"I... I'd just like to have a look." There was no way that Karen was going to admit to her recurrent thoughts about what had happened to Lucy on 'the dentist'. And she surely didn't want to find herself similarly restrained, not to say used, but her curiosity had been piqued and she wanted to see exactly what else was down there.

"Well I'm going to get dressed. You finish off down here and when I return I'll give you the tour. Maybe even a few practical demonstrations," Jude said with a broad grin on her face.

"I didn't mean...," Karen started to protest.

"Uh uh. You started this; you can't back out now. If you're going to get awkward about things then there are plenty of toys down there that might help you to a better understanding of the full benefits of willing obedience."

"Yes, Mistress." Karen wondered what she had got herself into. They say that curiosity killed the cat, well, maybe it wouldn't kill her but it might put this little kitten into some very uncomfortable positions.

Jude came back down ten minutes later to find Karen using a Brillo pad to polish up the wire frame from the grill pan. She sat back and let Karen get on with it. Apart from any other benefits it looked like having Karen around meant that she was going to end up with a spotless kitchen. What's more Karen looked rather sweet in just a bathrobe and bright yellow Marigolds. She watched as Karen finished off and left the grill pan on the draining board to dry.

"Come along then. Let's see what's in the playroom." Jude stood up, went out into the hallway and reached for the key where it hung on its hook. Karen took off the rubber gloves and followed out into the hall.

"Ladies first." Jude unlocked the door and opened it, motioning to Karen that she should go through. Karen started towards the door but as she got there Jude stopped her.

"I don't think we need this," she said, plucking at the bathrobe. "Not quite the playroom dress code."

As soon as Jude said this Karen knew for certain that her trip to the playroom was going to be more than just looking, she was definitely going to get practical demonstrations as well but, after all, she had been the instigator and, although she was loath to admit it, maybe she'd been playing for this all along. She undid the robe, shrugged it off, and went back into the kitchen to drape it over the back of a chair. Feeling a little cold and a little foolish she returned to the hallway, went though the door and down the steps into the cellar. Jude gave her a playful smack on her buttocks as she went by.

"First things first," Jude said as she followed down the stairs behind her. "You had best learn how to light the fire. It's quite simple."

Jude showed her the controls to the integrated gas fire and in no time the artificial coals were heating up and warming the room with their red glow. The main room, the throne room, had little that Karen hadn't already seen. Indeed, Jude must have tidied it on Saturday afternoon. 'The dentist' had been put away along with the various bits and pieces, which had been left on the table.

However, on the other side of the divide it was very different. Karen had got a fair impression from what she had seen through the gaps on Friday. In comparison with the opulence of the throne room, here the walls had been left as bare brick and the floor was stone flagged, which combined to give the room a 'dungeon' feel. There was another gas fire, which Jude ordered Karen to light, but, even when warm, there was no way this room was ever going to be cosy. Also, in comparison to the near empty throne room, this one was quite busy with a chest of drawers, a bench right along one side, and four large wooden structures stored at one end.

At the front, where Jude had replaced it after Friday, was the low bench arrangement Karen immediately recognised as 'the dentist'.She already knew exactly how that was used, how it could hold a girl open and exposed so that the part of her so lewdly presented to the world was her well spread buttocks and all that lay between. She stared at it in such fascination that Jude couldn't help but notice.

"Memories of Friday night?" Jude asked with a smile. Karen just kept silent.

Jude then led her over to the next device, a horse, a little over waist high, similar to the one she had seen in the club. Karen reached out and stroked her hand along the padded top. The leather was beautifully polished and well cared for. Jude explained that keeping it that way would be one of her tasks after the next time it was used. As with the horse at the club, there were adjustable cuffs attached by chains to the four corners. At Jude's suggestion, Karen stretched herself over it so as to see how she could be positioned across the way or, if Mistress so desired, lengthways. At one end the leather surface was shaped with a central ridge. Again Jude insisted that Karen should lie along it so as to experience just how she could be positioned so that the ridge would put pressure on her most sensitive areas.

The third item was a St Andrews cross, two long beams, hinged in the middle like a pair of scissors. Both the crosspieces and the supporting network behind them were held together by butterfly bolts. This meant that, by choosing which of the numerous holes the bolts went through, the cross could be made as wide or as narrow as desired or adjusted so that the angle to the ground went from nearly upright to about forty-five degrees. The beams were well padded and leather covered, with straps at regular intervals to hold the victim in place. What Karen couldn't make head-nor-tail of were the complex fittings around the crux of the cross, until Jude showed how various hook shaped brackets which could be attached, so that the dildo on the end would impale the victim, either front or back, depending on whether she were facing away from or towards the cross. Karen shuddered at the size of some of the dildos.

The final item was a set of old-fashioned stocks. The main component was a solid frame within which various cross pieces could be positioned anywhere from close to the floor up to almost shoulder height, depending on whether the victim was to be held by her ankles or by her neck and wrists.

"These must have cost a fortune," Karen commented as she examined the workmanship and quality of the various items. "Where on earth do you get them from?"

"There are specialist suppliers if you know where to look and, as for the cost, we've found from long experience that it pays to get the best we can afford and all the girls chip in. After all it may be my cellar but they all get to play with them," Jude explained. "Now, come and look at the rest of the stuff."

They went over to the bench, above which various whips, crops and floggers hung decoratively on the wall. Jude pointed out her favourites. Then it was on to the chest of drawers.

"Try the second drawer down," Jude urged.

Karen went over and opened the relevant drawer. Inside was a selection of vibrators and dildos of all sizes ranging from the tiny, as had been used as part of her chastity belt up to the sort of monster, which Beth had used on Lucy. In horror she picked up one of the bigger ones and studied it.

"Is that what you'd like me to use on you?" Jude enquired sweetly. "Do you think you could take a monster like that?"

Karen didn't know if Jude was serious or not.

"Please, Mistress, I don't think I could...."

"No, I don't think you could either. And much as we could have fun trying I don't want to end up damaging my property. I think we should try for something a little more suited to a beginner like you." Jude came over and stood beside Karen and picked out something considerably thinner and shorter. "This is your sort of size, for now anyway. You're a virgin, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mistress," Karen whispered.

"What's that, speak up girl."

"Yes, Mistress, I'm a virgin," Karen said a little louder.

"Shall I wear this as a strap-on and pop your cherry? Shall I?" Jude waved the dildo in Karen's face amused by the wide-eyed look of horror.

"Or maybe," Jude continued, "maybe we should leave that for another day. Maybe I should turn you over and come at you from behind. You'd like this up your bottom, wouldn't you? Oh, you'd pretend to be scared, to play the little innocent, but secretly you'd love it. If you were strapped to the cross then we could both pretend that nasty Mistress was buggering you against your will but we'd both know that wouldn't be true, wouldn't we?"

Karen was unnerved by how well Jude seemed to have read her inner thoughts. She did indeed have dark desires that she was reluctant to admit, even to herself. She would never, ever, willingly submit herself to the indignities that she had seen Lucy put through but if she were strapped down, unable to protect herself then.... The very thought was simultaneously thrilling and repulsive and this conflict troubled her deeply.

"But enough of this talk of penetration." Jude realised she had pushed Karen about as far as she could go, for the moment, and decided to lighten the mood somewhat. She put the dildo back in the drawer and pushed it shut before opening the one above it. "How about we smack that pretty little bottom of yours. Which do you fancy?"

Karen stared at the collection of crops and paddles that lay within the drawer. As with the dildos, the range stretched from the mild to the severe. One, shaped like a leather hand with a wooden handle reminiscent of a table tennis bat was almost comical. At the other end of the scale were thin whippy canes that Karen could tell would sting painfully even if used gently. She was drawn to the 'fly swatter' riding crops with their four-inch square of leather at the end, the ones which had been used during the 'pony race'. She reached in and picked one out.

"Is that the one?" Jude queried, taking the crop from her and swishing it through the air. "Is that what you'd like me to punish you with?"

"I didn't mean...," Karen started and, in truth, she didn't. She had been simply curious but now she realised that she had effectively chosen it. "If it pleases Mistress," she said, trying to cover her confusion.

"Smacking that gorgeous butt of yours will always be pleasing to me," Jude replied. "But let's not rush into things; let's see what other toys we have."

Together they moved on to the next drawer. At first this appeared to be a jumble of leather, rubber and chrome but as Karen rummaged through she began to make sense of the contents. Apart from various cuffs with their attached 'D' rings, there were numerous gags of various types. Karen immediately recognised the ball gags; they were similar to the one Jude had used on her, back at the club. The ring gags were less obvious but when Karen picked one out to examine it Jude showed her how it worked, how, by forcing the mouth open it prevented the wearer from making any articulate sounds. The bar gags all had 'D' rings either end, making them look like the bits from horses' bridles. It didn't take much imagination to see that, whilst not as effective at silencing as a ball gag, these were more about control.

The final drawer contained a few odds and ends including the tails that the 'ponies' had worn during their race. At Jude's bidding, Karen picked one up and examined it. It consisted of two component parts so that the tail part could be used on various differing sizes of butt plugs, depending on the whim of the person fitting it. The tail itself didn't just affix straight to the plug but had a hard rubber strip which ran up between the buttocks to give the impression that the tail came from the base of the spine as it would on a real horse. There were four actual tails, three of which matched the hair colour of Beth, Lucy and Kathy. Karen wondered whom the fourth tail belonged to.

"So then, now that you've seen the toys in the playroom, the only question is where do we start?"

"I'm not sure...," Karen started.

"Whether you are sure or not is of no relevance," Jude retorted somewhat sharply. "You asked for this and it's too late to back out now. I intend to suitably restrain you and then spank your bottie, understood?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"However, as I'm a kind and generous Mistress I will allow you to choose how you will be restrained. You have seen the options; which one would you like to experience?"

As ever, the hardest part for Karen was to actively participate; as long as it was something that was done to her, she had the excuse that she was powerless to prevent it. However, if she were to choose then her complicity would be implicit and, as such, she would have to admit to herself that she actually wanted all these perversions. Sure, she knew that this tangled logic wouldn't stand close scrutiny, but it was important to her.

"Come along, now, don't keep me waiting," Jude said as Karen just stood there unable to make a decision. "Or maybe you'd like me to choose for you?"

"Yes please, Mistress," Karen felt safe again.

"How about 'the dentist'? That seemed to grab your attention earlier," Jude suggested. Karen merely nodded meekly.

Jude went over and pulled the contraption to the middle of the room.

"Lie down. I know you understand how it works."

It was a bit awkward at first. With the main base coming only to the small of her back Karen had to support herself with her feet but, when Jude knelt down beside her and started fastening the straps, she was soon secure and going nowhere. There were four straps along each arm, the first just beyond the shoulder and the last fastening over the wrist. These were augmented with two much wider straps across her body, one just above and one just below her breasts so that, whilst she was free from the waist down, she was firmly secured above that. Then Jude took each ankle in turn, lifted it up, over her head and fastened it to the cuff that hung from the upright post. She was now bent double and spread wide open. Karen couldn't fight the desire to close her legs but it was futile; there was a little play in the chains but her position was fundamentally fixed.

"Now what else shall we use?" Jude said as she went back over to the chest of drawers. Karen craned her head to see but, whether by design or accident, the chest of drawers was beyond her very limited field of view. A few moments later Jude returned, put some bits and pieces down on the ground and knelt down beside her.

"This will do for a start; help to concentrate your mind." Jude leant forward and lifted up Karen's head so as to blindfold her. Although the blindfold was made of leather, the inside was well padded with soft velvet and, as it was fastened with the Velcro strapping, it proved to be light proof and Karen could see nothing. Jude was right, the blindfold did seem to focus Karen's thoughts and make her more aware of her body and the contorted shape it was held in.

"Open wide," Jude ordered. Karen did as she was told and felt the soft rubber of a ball gag filling her mouth. Once again Jude lifted her head to fasten the strapping behind her.

"Can you breathe?" Jude asked before putting Karen's head back down and Karen nodded in reply.

"Here's the bell," Jude added and Karen felt her hand being opened and something round and hard being placed into it. "You remember how to use it?" Jude queried and, once again, Karen nodded.

"One final touch," Jude said sweetly and Karen felt her nipples being played with; immediately they responded, getting harder and more prominent. Jude suddenly stopped and she felt a hard pinch on each of them, a pinch that went on and on and on.

"Perfect!" Jude said and Karen could almost hear the smile on her face. "Isn't this fun?"

Fun is not a word Karen would have used but she couldn't deny the intensity of the experience. Unable to see, unable to speak, unable to move, she had no way of preventing Jude from doing anything she wanted or even anticipating what that might be. The twin points of pain from her nipples were far from unbearable but seemed to be connected by little wires direct to her nether regions. She felt open, she felt exposed, she felt vulnerable; much as she trusted Jude, did she trust her this much, trust her enough to give her this absolute power over her?