"So sir, what is it you've called us all here for?"

Alice was in a position that was becoming more familiar to her lately. Cooper called it 'position one'. Her butt was freshly spanked, and sitting on it was a bit painful. She was on her knees, legs spread apart, butt on heels. Her hands were together behind her neck. She watched as three maids filed into the room.

Cooper and Alice had three maids permanently living with them at their house. The house was big, but not so much that three maids couldn't take care of it. The maids did not mind that Alice wandered around in the nude, and they knew of Cooper's tendency to spank Alice often. But Cooper and Alice (although, mostly Cooper) had decided to take their relationship a bit further, at least for a while, to see how they liked it. It would mean much more than nudity and spankings.

Cooper motioned for the maids to sit on the couch.

"I asked you all here, Delia, because there are a few things we need to discuss, all of us living in this household. I'm not exactly sure where to begin." Cooper paused. He'd rehearsed a speech, but now he couldn't remember most of it.

"We are all adults here, and it seems we all like playing certain games. These involve what we wear or don't wear, and lately, involve people spending some time restrained or tied up." Cooper wondered if there were other households where this conversation had taken place. "Alice and I have allowed you three to wear what you want and act as you like, as long as it doesn't affect your work."

The maids looked concerned after his last statement. They thought he was going to put an end to what they were doing.

"I want to assure you that that hasn't changed," he added quickly. Their concerned looks now turned to puzzlement. "Neither Alice nor myself have a problem with it, as long as what you do is consensual."

"I'd like to assure you sir, that while we might pull a prank now and then, I don't think any of us has been made to do anything we didn't want to," Becky said. Delia and Kathy nodded in agreement with this.

"Well, good. To be honest, that really wasn't a concern, but I wanted to mention it in any case. I did want to say that Alice and I might be exploring some new avenues in our relationship. As of yet, we're not completely sure where it will lead us, or what it will encompass."

"I see," Becky said, not really seeing his point.

"Alice and I may be doing more things. For instance, you all are aware that she sometimes gets spanked. It is a part of our, um, sexual play."

The maids giggled a bit amongst themselves at that point. They knew Alice got spanked almost every single day.

"Yes, well, we will likely be adding things besides spanking. These things might not be limited to the bedroom, and we didn't want you to feel uncomfortable if you came across us doing something in some other area of the estate."

"Begging your pardon, sir?" asked Kathy, the youngest maid, "but what type of things might you be talking about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ah, well, yes. Um, well, I'm not exactly sure I can be precise. Bear in mind that nothing will be done to harm her, and..."

Alice interrupted him. "Remember a couple of days ago, when I was tied up in Delia's cuffs and chains thingy? Stuff like that. I've agreed in advance to it, so don't worry about it. Hopefully, we'll be discrete, and if you do catch a glimpse, it won't be too upsetting." Alice was a submissive, at least that's what Cooper told her, but she wanted him to get to the damn point.

Cooper shot her a look, and she cringed and shut up.

"Yes, Alice is correct. You might see some, what you might consider unorthodox behavior. If this does or will make you feel uncomfortable, we'd like to apologize in advance, and if you don't think you can stay with us due to our behavior, then we'll offer you a generous severance package and time to find employment elsewhere. However, that said, we were hoping that all of you would stay on, as we've grown fond of each of you."

"Would we be required to take part in any way, sir?" Kathy asked.

"Oh, no!" Cooper said quickly. "I didn't mean to imply that at all. It will be Alice and me only. We just wanted you to be aware of what might be going on and not interfere. We would never ask you to participate, only to continue in your current duties. Of course, you three are free to continue, uh, well, what you want to do as well." Cooper was referring to the maids predilection for walking around almost nude themselves. And lately, Delia had been wearing cuffsand chains, apparently at Becky's request.

Cooper felt he stated their case as best he could. The maids talked amongst themselves for a while, so Cooper went to stand by Alice. She smiled up at him.

After a few minutes, the oldest maid, Becky, stood up.

"I think we've decided that what you and the missus wants to do is fine by us, sir. As long as you don't plan on doinganything to us, then it's all well and good as far as we're concerned. We'll try to stay out of your way if we see something goin' on. Might you be having guests over takin' part as well, sir?"

"Well, now, I'm not sure. Perhaps, why?" Alice turned pale at that.

"Well, sir, we was just curious, is all. It's no never mind to us, sir." Cooper wondered how the other maids had gotten Becky to start trying for an English accent. The maids generally tried to talk like that, although they often slipped into normal speech. "Same for us as well, by the way, sir. If we end up doing something that bothers you, please be sure to let us know. Last thing we want is to make you or the missus uncomfortable."

"Yes, of course. Well, I think Alice and I are relieved to hear that from you. Thank you for your time. Oh, and I do hope you each will be discrete about this. I realize that when you first started, you signed non-disclosure agreements, and I'd just like to reinforce that you'll still be under them. And finally, Alice and I both want to say thank you for the wonderful jobs you've been doing."

The maids all said thank you and excused themselves.

"I'm glad we don't have my old butler. He would have been all in a huff about it," Alice said.

"As I recall, you were supposed to let me do the talking."

"I'm sorry, it's justthat you were taking so dang long and, well. Sorry. Oops?" Alice cringed slightly. A submissive only a few days and already she'd overstepped her bounds.

"Stand," Cooper told her. "Let's go upstairs."

Alice could already feel her butt hurting again.

---

Cooper didn't always have Alice count her swats, but she was counting now. He stopped at sixty because his hand hurt. Then he did something he hadn't done before. Once Alice was off his lap, he tied her hands together in front of her with some soft rope.

Their bed was king size, with a large canopy held up by sturdy metal supports. Cooper had already tested them and found it excellent for his purposes. He had Alice stand at the foot of the bed and put the rope over the canopy cross bar at the top. He pulled it so that her arms were forced up over her head. He tied the rope off so she couldn't get down. Then he tied a rope around each of her ankles and tied them to the feet of the bed, spreading her legs wide. Finally, he put a ball gag in her mouth and fastened it around her head. Alice tried to give him a sad look but he ignored her.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Cooper said. Kathy came in with a tray of fruit, bread and coffee that Cooper had ordered for lunch. She was a bit surprised to find Alice strung up, but set the tray down on a table.

"Will there be anything else, sir?" she asked. Cooper shook his head.

Alice was more than a little embarrassed about being tied up that way in front of her maid.

"Begging your pardon, sir," Kathy said in a low tone to Cooper, "But is this the kind of stuff you had in mind in your talk this morning?"

Cooper nodded. "Well, I suppose so, yes."

"Well then sir, I don't suppose it really bothers any of us. Whatever you two want to do, as long as the missus is willing and all."

"Would you like to ask her if she is now?"

"Oh, no sir, I trust you. I've seen the way you two get along. Just saying, is all."

"All right, then. Thank you, Kathy. That will be all."

Kathy left, and Cooper watched her go. She was wearing high-heels, stockings and garters, and a corset. The heels made her butt sway as she walked and he liked the effect. Maybe he'd have Alice start wearing heels around the house. He'd have to consider that.

He went to the food tray to eat some fruit. Then he went to a drawer and pulled out some things, tossing them on the bed. Alice noted that they were all paddles or whips.

"What to try first," he said. "Ah, how about this one? I've never used it before." He picked up a riding crop. Alice's eye's got wide.

'No, please, I'm sorry, I'll be good. I won't talk out of turn again, I promise!' she tried to say. "Umm-mmmh," is all that came out.

"Ten, to start with, all right?" Cooper asked her. Alice couldn't have protested if she'd wanted to.

---

Alice was lying on the bed. Her position had only changed in that her hands, instead of being tied up, were now tied to the rail at the head of the bed. This forced her to bend over, but at least allowed her to rest a bit. Alice had spent some time hanging while Cooper had tried out various paddles and whips on her. Her back was bathed in sweat, and crisscrossed in faint red lines from her shoulders to her thighs. None of the blows had been really hard, but most had stung, and she had felt them all just the same.

Cooper had stopped and let her down, only to reposition her. She was grateful for the respite, but she really wanted something to eat or drink. Cooper had been nibbling on the food tray in between using different implements. She wondered what he was doing now, as it was hard for her to see behind her. She soon found out.

Cooper removed his clothes and approached his wife, hard-on in hand. She was surprised to feel him there, but even more surprised at how easily he entered her. She had become very wet during the whipping. She didn't quite understand it, but she was not complaining right then. Even the pressure of Cooper against her rather inflamed butt only stimulated her more. She was soon moaning through the gag, and she came before he did.

Cooper untied her, removed her gag, and led her to the table of food. He sat in a chair and had her kneel in front of him. He fed her bits of food by hand and Alice accepted it. It was pretty clear that she wasn't supposed to talk unless he asked her something. She was too tired to talk in any case.

She ate a lot, and indicated she wanted more by opening her mouth. Like a baby bird, she thought. Cooper held a glass of water to her lips for her to drink. A little more bread, and she was about done.

"One more thing, to wash it all down with," Cooper told her. He opened his legs to show her his growing penis. Amazed at his ability to recover so quickly, she scooted forward and gladly took him in her mouth.

Alice genuinely liked giving head. She was in luck, because Cooper genuinely liked getting it. Before her recent agreement to become his submissive slave, Alice would often kneel before him, or under his desk at work, or get between his legs in bed. Now, however, she realized the submissive nature of kneeling in front of someone and pleasuring them with her mouth. There was always a bit of dominance and submission going on.

Cooper told her she would probably be spending more time on her knees, and definitely more time naked. Unless he told her otherwise, she was not to wear any clothes. This meant when they were going out, or when someone was coming over, anytime. None of those situations had arisen since their agreement, but Alice was sure it was only a matter of time. Of course, Alice had already been in a few situations like that, even before agreeing to do it all the time. Cooper seemed to indicate that it would become a more common occurrence.

Cooper moaned and came, and she swallowed it all. She'd had experiences in high school and before her first marriage, and from what she remembered, Cooper even tasted better than those others had. "I eat lots of pineapple," he had joked, but maybe it was true; he had a pleasant taste to his cum.

Alice sat back on her heels and watched her husband recover. 'I wonder if this sense of pride I feel in having just sucked him off is because I'm submissive, or because I like giving head?' she wondered. 'Or maybe both?'

Cooper sat up and took a drink of coffee. "Which of us will wear out first?" he asked her rhetorically.

Cooper stood and went to where he'd tossed his clothes. He began getting dressed. "We're going shopping today, Alice," he told her. "For you, in fact. I think you'll enjoy it."

From his tone, Alice was sure she wouldn't.

---

After a drive into the city, they pulled into a driveway of a store. The store was called Cynthia's. They pulled up to a side entrance, where the driveway was mostly hidden from the street. This was good, as far as Alice was concerned, because she was naked. She had wondered how they could go shopping with her like that. At least the car windows were tinted dark. Now Cooper was motioning for her to get out of the car. Alice timidly stepped out. The weather was getting warmer, but the morning was still cool and her nipples started to get hard as a slight breeze blew by. There was a valet at a little desk there, and he took the car keys from Cooper. Alice was very self-conscious, but the valet didn't seem to be paying undue attention to her. What was this place?

Inside, they were greeted by a young woman in a strange outfit; the woman had leather cuffs around her ankles and wrists, and a collar around her neck. She also had a short apron that was tied on, but didn't seem to hide all that much. No one yet seemed overly concerned that Alice was naked, besides Alice. The young woman got Cooper's name and then ushered them further into the shop. They approached a somewhat stern woman standing near a display case. She turned to greet them.

"Ah, you must be Cooper. Hello, I'm Sylvia," she said. She held out her hand and Cooper took it. She had a firm handshake. "What can we do for you today?"

Cooper motioned to Alice, who was unsuccessfully trying to hide behind him. Sylvia came up to her. "Very pretty, Cooper. My, and in great shape. What is it she needs?"

"Well, a number of things, actually. I'd like a set of restraints including a collar, and a few items of clothing for special situations."

"I tell you what. Perhaps you'd like to have your slave groomed, and we can discuss things over coffee."

"That sounds like a good idea," Cooper agreed.

Alice was surprised at the conversation. '"Have your slave groomed"?' she wondered. 'What was that about?'

Sylvia turned to the young woman who'd brought them there. "Take her back and give her the works." Sylvia ran her hands through Alice's hair, touched her face, then ran her hand down and touched her pussy. Alice tried not to flinch, as Cooper was not indicating that anything was odd. This woman made her nervous, though. "Skin treatment, only a trim, her hair is fine, maybe a shampoo. Wash her up, then put her in a holding chair." Sylvia turned away from Alice and started talking to Cooper again. The oddly dressed young woman led Alice away.

As they made their way to another part of the store, Alice noticed the clothes. There were very nice outfits, wedding dresses, normal lingerie. There were also things that had straps and loops in odd locations, and a few things Alice had no clue about.

"What is all this stuff?" Alice asked. The young woman shook her head.

"No talking."

"I just wanted..."

"No talking," the woman reiterated.

Alice was taken through a door into what looked like a beauty shop. There was another naked woman in a chair getting her hair washed. The woman washing it was wearing the same odd apron and cuffs outfit, obviously with nothing on underneath. Alice was led to a chair, so she sat down. Her guide grabbed her right hand and wrapped a cuff around it, then locked it onto the chair. She did the same for her left hand, and then her feet. Alice was stuck in the chair. Yet another woman wearing the same kind of outfit came in. Alice's guide told her, "Light trim, wash, skin treatment as well. She talks." The second woman nodded and the guide went off.

Alice thought it was an odd beauty shop indeed. No talking? That was half the point of going. Her "stylist" came up and showed her a round bulb connected to a hose and pump. "Open," she said. Alice did so reluctantly. She'd had this kind of gag in before and it was not pleasant. The round bulb was stuffed in her mouth. The woman used the pump, and the gag in Alice's mouth expanded. Alice felt it grow large and fill her. The woman did something, pulled the hose out, and the gag stayed inflated. 'They could have just told me "No talking",' she thought.

Except for the gag, and being tied down, the treatments she got were pretty normal. It felt good to get a scalp massage. They painted her skin on her face, chest and legs with some kind of green mud and left her for a while. The gag made it hard to relax all the way, but otherwise Alice was glad to be getting fussed over. She generally liked beauty treatments.

She might have taken a short nap. Her stylist came back and let her up from the chair. She hooked her wrist cuffs together behind her, and put a short chain between her ankle cuffs. She was led, shuffling, in the back through a curtain into what turned out to be a shower stall. The stylist squirted her with warm water, then turned the flow harder to wash off the beauty mud. She gave Alice short directions like "turn" and "squat", all the while directing the needle-sharp water at her. Then she turned it on cold and Alice started to shiver. There was no way for her to get out of the stream. Finally the water was turned off. Alice thought her skin was blue for sure.

Warm air blew down on her from a large dryer in the ceiling, and Alice felt a little better. 'I need to get one of these dryers,' she though. The stylist finally led her back to her chair and strapped her in again.

The stylist combed through Alice's hair and gave her a light trim. It was over quickly. The woman unhooked her from the chair and led her a short distance through the beauty parlor to what apparently was a holding chair. The chair protruded from the wall, so it had no legs in front. The seat was padded and concave in shape. The stylist told Alice to sit down then proceeded to hook her into the odd seat. A wide belt was put around her waist, her wrist cuffs were hooked so that her arms were straight down, and her ankle cuffs were attached up under the chair. Alice wouldn't be going anywhere.

She wondered if they thought she might run off, then started to worry that maybe she should have. Alice could see most of the goings on in the beauty parlor, but the other parts of the store were out of sight. Alice also noticed that there was a second side of the parlor, but couldn't see much of what was happening in the other part. She did notice that customers in the chairs she could see were all naked, and the customer in the other side had been dressed. Perhaps, she thought, one side is for owners, and the other for slaves.

Alice watched a stylist give a wax treatment to a dark-haired nude. She applied the wax to the woman's armpits, crotch and legs. Alice herself had laser treatments, and didn't need to go through waxing anymore. Another woman had her already short hair on her head completely shaved off. The woman had many piercings, and Alice wondered if they hurt. There were rings through her nipples and labia, and a ring through her clitoris. The woman turned and Alice saw that she had a small tattoo over her right buttock that said "Property of" and a name she couldn't quite make out. Alice was amazed.

Alice wondered if Cooper wanted to do any of that type of stuff to her. She didn't really want any tattoos or piercings. Her ears were pierced and that was enough for her. When she was twenty, she'd briefly considered getting a tattoo, but had finally decided against it, because she'd heard it hurt, and she realized that it would be there forever. She'd have to remember to ask him about it later.

They left her there for ten minutes or so before someone finally came and let her up. Alice wished she'd had a magazine to read, but since her hands had been tied down, she wouldn't have been able to turn the pages in any case. The person in the apron that she had gone to the beauty parlor with undid all of her cuffs and let her up from the chair. A now completely naked (again) Alice followed the woman to a room that was almost completely lined with mirrors. The assistant pointed to the center of the room where a slightly raised portion was. Alice stood there, and the assistant left.

Shortly thereafter, Cooper followed Sylvia into the mirrored room. Alice felt more naked than usual with all the mirrors reflecting all sides of her.

"I hope the treatment was satisfactory," Sylvia said. Alice was going to answer, but she realized that Sylvia had been talking to Cooper and not her.

Cooper nodded his approval. "She looks fabulous, but them I'm rather biased. Hello dear," he said, coming up to Alice and giving her a kiss. "I hope they've treated you well?"

"Yes, sir," Alice answered, amazed that she'd called him sir. She still wasn't quite used to that. 'It must be this place,' she thought.

"Well, good. I've picked out several dresses I'd like you to try on, as well as some other things. Let's get started, shall we?"

The assistant came into the room carrying a red dress and handed it to Alice. The assistant helped her put it on. Cooper certainly had good taste; the dress was something Alice might have picked out, although perhaps a little more revealing then she'd have chosen. The dress hugged her curves and Alice thought she looked good in it. Sylvia came up to her made a few adjustments.

"Very nice," Sylvia said, this time to Alice.

Alice hesitated before saying, "Thank you, ma'am." Apparently it was the right thing to say, because Sylvia smiled.

"Please, call me Mistress Sylvia," Sylvia told her, smiling.

"Yes, Mistress Sylvia," Alice replied.

Alice tried on many other dresses. Most were ones she might wear to parties or out for a night on the town. A few were almost normal; sun dresses or casual wear. All fit her well and looked great, she thought, but were a bit more sexy than she normally wore. Several of the dresses looked like the kind that actresses wore to the Academy Awards or a movie premier. Alice was happy trying them on, noting that she was going to get to wear some of them eventually. Cooper surprised her.

"I'll take them," he told Sylvia. Sylvia nodded and waved to her assistant, who took the current dress away, apparently to box them up.

Alice's eyebrows went up. 'All of them?' she thought. 'Well, I suppose it's not like we can't afford them.'

"Very good," Sylvia said. "She can go later into the shoe store to get shoes to match the dresses. Let's continue, shall we? This is my favorite part."

The next set of clothes Alice tried on were not exactly 'clothes'. There was a tight-fitting suit made of rubber that took some time to get on. They sprinkled it with talcum powder before she pulled it on. The bottom part had built in boots with high heels, but it had openings at the crotch and for her breasts. Sylvia topped it off with a rubber hood that covered Alice's head completely, having only small holes for her hair in the back, eyes, nostrils and mouth. Alice began to sweat with the suit on, and it was very constricting. It was hard to walk around in, and a bit embarrassing when Cooper came up and briefly fondled her through the openings, apparently 'trying it out'. She was glad when she got to finally peel it off.

There was a version of a French maid's uniform, also in rubber. This one was designed to be uncomfortable. It had many small bumps in the bra and panties which made wearing the tight thing even worse.

Naked again after that, Alice was asked to kneel. Sylvia, with the help of her assistant, then tried out several leather hoods. One wasn't much more than a head-shaped bag with eye and mouth holes; another could be adjusted and fit her head well. There were snaps and straps on them to allow for attachment of gags or eye-covers. One hood had built-in headphones.

Through it all, Alice would glance over at Cooper to see his reaction. She was happy to note that he had a perplexed or unhappy look on his face as often as he was smiling and nodding. At least he didn't like some of the things she was trying either. Alice was sure she didn't want to wear many of them.

After the hoods, the assistant brought in a tray with a variety of cuffs on it. Cooper picked out a few and the assistant buckled them on Alice's wrist. Some were just plain leather belts, others had padding and O-rings on them. Cooper nodded at a few and the assistant left with the tray.

Alice realized that Cooper was buying some of these things. He usually would simply nod when he liked something, and Sylvia would signal that to her assistant. Alice wondered what he'd bought so far that she'd missed the signals on.

The assistant returned with another tray. This one had a variety of collars on it. Leather, metal, chains, all manner of collars. There were simple dog collars, spiked collars, and ones that Alice thought were pretty and wouldn't have minded wearing around. It was obvious that some were symbolic and others utilitarian.

Cooper came up and picked out a pretty one. It was a thin but sturdy silver chain with a small lock in back and a thin plate in front. Cooper placed it around her neck.

"That can be inscribed with your name, if you like," Sylvia told him.

Cooper removed the chain and replaced it with a thick, wide leather collar. The collar was shaped to fit down on her collar bones and had a part that cupped Alice's chin. He didn't tighten it on, but she could tell it would limit her neck movements, forcing her to keep her head up straight. Cooper smiled at the sight and removed the collar.

"We are...just starting out," he told Sylvia. "Perhaps I don't need anything quite this fancy."

Sylvia nodded. "I understand. We do have a starter's pack that I think you will find sufficient for now, and you can always add to it." Sylvia took Cooper by the arm and started to lead him away. "I'd like to suggest that you also might want one of our special bags. It holds everything you need for a scene. You might want to also consider at least one arm-binder. We have a simple one for..." They left the room.

The assistant turned to Alice. "Stay here." The assistant took the tray of collars away, leaving Alice with her reflections.

Alice had a lot of questions for Cooper. The first was 'What the heck was all this stuff?' Alice realized she didn't really have a clue about what they were doing, or what was expected of her. She saw that Cooper was having at least a few doubts about some of the more esoteric or extreme aspects of things as well. 'Well, good,' she thought. 'Maybe he'll decide he doesn't want to do all the weird things, whatever they might be. Although he doesn't seem to mind me being naked in public as much as I do.'

The assistant returned and beckoned Alice to follow her. Alice tried to see what was under the apron the other woman wore. It appeared to be a kind of chastity belt. Alice forgot about the no-talking rule.

"Do you have to wear that all day long?" she asked.

"Listen," the other woman suddenly turned and said, "this is my job and I like it, and I do it well." She was obviously upset. "You may think it's all fun and games but it's serious to me. And," she added, "I am empowered to use discipline if I think it's necessary."

Alice gulped in surprise at the sudden outburst. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I meant no disrespect," she said quickly in apology. She felt a bit odd calling the other woman 'ma'am'. Alice figured they were about the same age, more or less.

The assistant turned and walked down the hall, hiding the smile on her face from Alice. Alice quickly caught up, lest she get in trouble for lagging behind.

They came out through some curtains in a doorway into what lookedfor all the world like a normal shoe store. There were other customers, all clothed Alice noted. The one odd thing was that the sales staff were all women dressed like the one who had brought Alice there. She led Alice to a chair and motioned for her to sit.

"Do I need to tie you down?" she asked Alice sternly.

"No ma'am," Alice replied, trying to shrink into the chair.

"Put your hands behind you, and keep your legs to the sides of the chair. I'll be right back." The other woman turned and left, apparently to go get some shoes.

Alice realized that in this position, she was completely open for anyone to see. That only a few other customerswere there was of little comfort to her.

She looked around and wondered why she was the only customer who was naked. Then she saw someone she knew. Cooper's friend Jeanine was there, having just tried on a pair of heels. Alice briefly hoped that Jeanine wouldn't see her, but the woman turned and noticed Alice and waved. Jeanine got up and came over, sitting right next to Alice.

"Alice, what a pleasure seeing you here. Just can't keep those clothes on, can you?" she asked with a smile.

Alice stammered. "I, uh, that is, Cooper..." She couldn't seem to come up with a good explanation as to why she was there, nude.

"Cooper won't let you get dressed, eh? Typical. Of course, I bring Harold here often and he's not allowed to wear clothes either. Sometimes I tell them to give him that mud-skin treatment, he hates it. Not as bad as the kennel, of course."

Alice lowered her voice to a whisper. "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk, Jeanine," she said. It was an odd confession, but Alice figured Jeanine knew about this place and what went on here. Alice desperately want to place an arm over her breasts and close her legs in an attempt to cover herself, but was afraid of the other woman coming back and seeing that she'd moved.

"Nonsense. You can talk to me! Don't worry about it."

Alice nodded. Then she thought about what Jeanine had said. "Is Harold here? And, what kennel?"

Jeanine shook her head. "No, I'm afraid he's tied up at home." She laughed. "Out in the garden, actually, as a scarecrow." Jeanine seemed amused at her husband's predicament. "Oh, the kennel, he's only been there once. He didn't enjoy his stay much, I'm afraid." She didn't seem like she was going to offer any more information, and Alice didn't really want to press her too much. She would have preferred that Jeanine just leave.

"So what are you doing here?" Jeanine asked her.

"I, well, Cooper is buying me some dresses and, uh, things. I'm getting shoes to match, right now."

"Splendid. You can wear one to my party I'm giving next month," Jeanine told her, "or not. It will be THAT kind of party. Where is Coop?"

Alice blinked. 'Coop'? No one ever called him that. "Uh, I think he's in with Sylvia, right now."

"Ah, excellent. She'll take care of everything. I like the shop so much better since she became owner as well as manager. They've added this shoe store on, for instance."

A sales clerk came up to Jeanine. "Sorry to interrupt, madam, but your purchase is ready."

"Yes, thank you." She turned to Alice. "I suppose I must go now, Alice. I'll see you sometime soon, all right?"

Alice nodded. "Okay." Jeanine got up and left, just as Alice's 'helper' came back with some boxes.

Alice wondered what was the name of the woman helping her try on shoes. She'd not been told and hadn't thought to ask. Now she was sort of afraid to ask. She simply thought of her as 'the assistant'.

'The assistant' was currently directing Alice to stand and walk in a pair of red high-heeled shoes. The shoes she'd tried so far had included sandals, pumps, a pair of mules and several pairs of high-heels. Alice was glad to see a variety. She'd even tried on a nice pair of slip-on sneakers that were very comfortable. The assistant had given her a pair of temporary hose to wear while trying the shoes on. The red pair seemed to be the last ones.

"We're done," Alice was told. "Wait here."

Alice nodded, and dutifully put her hands behind her and spread her legs so that they touched the sides of the chair. Alice briefly wondered what kind of punishment the other woman might give her if she disobeyed, and wondered if Cooper would really let it happen. She didn't like sitting there open as she was, but she decided not to take any chances. She watched as the assistant took most of the boxes of shoes up to a register and explained something to the clerk there. The clerk nodded and began processing the purchases. The assistant returned with a single box in her hand.

"Come," she said simply. Alice got up and followed the woman back to the other part of the store, back to the dressing room with all the mirrors. On a hook there was a nice cotton summer dress. Alice remembered trying it on an hour or more before. "Put that on, and these," the assistant told her, "then wait here." She handed Alice the box of shoes, turned and left.

Alice opened the box and found a comfortable pair of sandals inside. She slipped them on, the put the dress on. It was a nice dress, but a bit more formfitting than Alice might normally wear. It would be fairly apparent that she was not wearing a bra, especially if she went anywhere air conditioned.

She had to wait only a few minutes before Cooper returned.

"Ah, you're ready. Great. Lets go to lunch now, all right? There's a good French place near here that we can walk to." Cooper came up to her and gave her a hug. "You look great in that dress, by the way," he added.

Alice smiled and allowed him to kiss her. "Thanks," she replied.

Sylvia came into the room as well. "I think everything is taken care of, Cooper. The packages will be placed in your car. It's been a pleasure having you and Alice here today."

"Thank you, Sylvia. I've enjoyed it as well, as I'm sure Alice has."

Cooper and Alice left the shop the way they came in, this time with Alice actually dressed. On the way out, Alice passed by the assistant one last time.

"Goodbye, Alice. Please come back," she said, smiling broadly.

Alice smiled back nervously, but said nothing. She hugged Cooper a little tighter as they walked out.

"Cooper, can I ask you something?"

Alice and Cooper had left their car parked at Cynthia's and walked off to find a restaurant. They picked a small French restaurant a few blocks away. Cooper ordered for both of them, in French, so Alice didn't know what she was going to have until it came. It turned out to be a light salad and cold, but tasty soup. She was very hungry, and Cooper knew what she liked.

"Of course, dear."

"In the beauty parlor, I saw a woman with tattoos and piercings and such. Would you ever want to do that to me?"

Cooper looked quizzically at his wife. "Lord, no. All of that seems very strange to me. Why, do you want a tattoo?"

Alice laughed. "No, no. There was a point when I was younger when I almost got one, but it seemed so permanent that I decided against it."

"Well, I don't really see the attraction in doing that myself. Were you worried about it?"

"This lifestyle is...different, Cooper. I don't know how far you want to go."

"Not that far, that's for sure. Everything I'd like to try will be non-permanent, I assure you."

Alice nodded, grateful. "I met your friend, Jeanine, in the shoe store," she said, changing the subject.

"Really? How was she?"

"She seemed fine. It was a little embarrassing being naked, but she didn't really seem to pay it much attention."

"I imagine she's done as much or more with Harold. I don't want to go as far as she has with him. They are an odd couple."

"She told me he was at home, tied up as a scarecrow," Alice offered.

Cooper looked slightly amazed. "I wouldn't doubt it," he said, shaking his head. "On a different note, we're going to be taking a trip in a week, to the West Coast."

Alice perked up. "The West Coast?"

"Yes," Cooper replied. "Next week we'll be flying out and spending a week or so there. You know that wing I'm donating to the children's hospital? I need to make some legal arrangements. Arthur has been kind enough to give me the name of a lawyer to contact out there. I figured it might be easier to make the arrangements out there, so I decided to make a trip out of it. I've set up a few...diversions for us as well. And, I thought on our return trip we could take the train."

Alice was excited. She'd been to the West Coast before and liked traveling there. She liked San Francisco especially, but the whole coast was fun to explore: the Redwoods, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego with its wonderful zoo. She wondered if they'd have time to take a boat to Catalina.

"It'll take a while to come back by train. Are we going to stop places along the way?"

"Perhaps," he answered. "There's a number of cities on the route that would be interesting to see."

Cooper could tell that his wife was getting excited about the trip. It had been a little while since they'd been on an extended vacation.

"Was it Spain or France we went to last?" he asked her.

Alice thought. "France. Remember, we ate at that quaint bistro near the Eiffel tower?"

"Ah, yes, something like this place. I remember the waiter seemed upset first that we were dumb Americans, then upset that I could speak French as well as I could." Cooper had learned French in high school and had kept it up. Alice knew only enough to find out where the bathrooms were.

"So what other things will we be doing out west?" Alice asked him.

"I'd like to surprise you." Alice immediately looked suspicious. "I'm sure you'll enjoy them."

Alice started to wonder if this was going to be as much fun after all. Cooper's idea of fun was either tying her up or keeping her naked, or both. Not that she minded either one that much, but often he liked to do them out in public. She wondered how much she'd get to wear once they got out there.

"In fact, I've reserved the company jet for the trip there; one of the perks I asked for when I retired."

Alice smiled at that. Normally when they flew, they went first class, but a private jet would really be neat. Still, she wondered what Cooper had up his sleeve.

"That sounds like fun. What should I pack? Are we going out to any place fancy, or just the beach?"

Cooper shook his head. "I'll take care of packing for you dear, don't worry."

Alice frowned. "But that's half the fun of going on a trip," she whined.

"I just took you on a shopping spree, and this is the thanks I get."

Something in his tone told Alice that she had better not push it. "I'm sorry, sir," she told him.

"Yes, well, I think that deserves and extra ten with the paddle when we get back home," he replied.

Alice almost groaned again. She managed to just nod, and tried not to think about the how her butt would hurt after getting spanked with a paddle.

"Perhaps we can even go back to Cynthia's. I'm sure they wouldn't mind loaning me a paddle. Maybe that clerk that was helping you might even like to do it."

Alice got a panicked look on her face. Cooper smiled.

"Don’t worry, I'm only joking. You know I much prefer to do it myself."

Alice spent the rest of the lunch squirming in her chair, much to Cooper's amusement.
 

Copyright 2001