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Chapter 43 � Kathleen�s punishment

Once the celebrations from the victory died down and the Four-Beta members returned to the sorority house, President Alexandra called an emergency meeting in the sitting room. She flatly announced the fall election was way overdue and that it was urgent to have the sorority�s new leadership elected and in place for Rush Week.

�Unfortunately we�ll have to make the transition at the same time we�re having Rush, but I�ve got to step down. I�m not taking classes this fall, and if I�m no longer enrolled I�m not qualified to be in the directorate. So tomorrow night we�re holding our fall elections, and we�ll swear in the new officers on Saturday. Please consult with your class leaders so we can agree on nominations.�

Lisa felt bad for Alexandra, because her presidency was ending without the scandal over the former Sergeant-at-Arms being completely resolved. While it may have been true that President Alexandra was not the best leader the sorority ever had, it also was clear that she was a decent person and that she did care about what happened to the members. Lisa knew that in the end she would be forgotten, that her mixed record and a few lapses of judgment would relegate her service to obscurity within a few years. Once the sophomores graduated, no one in the sorority would even remember her.

Tracy would be very different as president. She had a very aggressive plan that if implemented, would make the Four-Beta Sorority a very serious organization and expand its membership. She wanted being a Four-Beta to be a life-changing experience for everyone who joined and ultimately expand the sorority�s influence within the university community. Unlike her predecessor, Tracy would be remembered long after she graduated and moved on with her career. The changes she planned to make would have a permanent impact on how the Four-Betas conducted their lives and saw themselves as a group.

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Lisa was hoping to go to bed and spend some time with Kathleen but, as usual, Tracy pulled her aside and asked her to accompany her into the sorority office. Tracy wanted to �talk shop� with Lisa before releasing her for the evening. Her immediate concern was not the election, but Rush Week. The sorority would be full of prospective pledges throughout the next six days and the members would have to host a series of parties. The sophomores had the biggest stake in the outcome of Rush Week, because they would be living with the incoming group for the next three years.

�You�re gonna have to get together with Elaine and do some real mixing with those freshmen. This is really gonna be your show. Also, make sure the members of your pledge group and Brittany and Erin are out there, getting to know those girls. And another thing. We�re definitely not the right sorority for everyone. If you don�t think we�re a good fit for someone or they�re not a good fit for us, make sure they know that and make sure you explain why. But at the same time, never be overly insistent about pushing someone out the door. If you don�t think they�re a good fit, and you try to discourage them, but they seem to insist, send them my way so I can make a final determination. Don�t forget, I have no problem taking in the Bernadettes and Kathleens of this world. If they really want to join, and I feel it�s for the right reasons, I�ll give �em a contract.�

Tracy sat back and tilted her head slightly, which was a gesture she always used when she had something important to announce to her listener:

�That gets us to the next thing I need to settle. I�ve been talking to the other seniors, and also to Shannon and Elaine, and we�ve pretty much decided who�s gonna get the nominations for the next chapter directorate. The new officers will all be seniors, except Shannon, who�s my first choice for the next Sergeant-at-Arms. There�s only one spot still open, and that�s Pledge Mistress. There�s a reason why Pledge Mistress is always the hardest position to fill, and that�s because most members don�t want it. It�s the least glamorous spot in the directorate, and yet by far the one with the most responsibility and the one with the most work. Most of the members are here to have fun, and being Pledge Mistress is not very much fun. However, this year we do have a member who�d make a good Pledge Mistress.�

�So who is it?�

�You.�

�Me?�

�You�re the most logical choice. What I�d like to do is nominate you to be this year�s Pledge Mistress and take the word �Acting� off your title.�

�But�I just joined�wouldn�t the others have a problem with��

Tracy smiled and shook her head.

�No. Trust me, the others won�t have a problem with it. With as much work as that position is�and the worst part of it is having to put up with me day in and day out�No. They�re not lining up to be Pledge Mistress. That job takes a certain personality type, and right now, you�re the member in the sorority who�s got what�s needed to do the job. It doesn�t matter that you just joined.�

�Well�I guess if the others are OK with it�I�d be honored��

�And I�ll be honored to be working with you in the fall. Even before I started talking to the seniors, you were my first pick to replace me. The others are expecting it. They already have a nickname for you. They�re calling you �Tracy Junior�.�

Lisa laughed.

�I �spose there�s worse things they could call me.�

�Anyhow, I know you�ve got Kathleen as your assistant. Actually, she�s very good with the stuff you�ve assigned to her, you know, the rules and history instruction. I suppose she�s not ready to take over a group?�

�No. Her strong point is her teaching. She�s not a leader. I couldn�t picture her bossing anyone around.�

�Alright, then we�ll keep her focused on instructing and not assign her a group. How do you feel about Bernadette and Cherine?�

�I think Bernadette would make a good counselor, but you�re gonna have to be careful about who goes in her group. You�d want outgoing girls with her, but not ones with really strong personalities. I wouldn�t put anyone in her group who might challenge her, because I don�t think she�d handle that well. Cherine would be a good counselor with quieter pledges, the shy ones.�

�Alright, then we�ve got a Pledge Mistress, an assistant/instructor, and two group counselors. I�ll talk to Shannon and Elaine about nominating the others. Now the next thing I want to think about is what the training staff is gonna wear. I�m thinking of assigning uniforms to the training staff, the same as the pledge outfits, except the shirts would read �counselor� or �Pledge Mistress�.�

Lisa took a deep breath. Tracy noticed her disappointed expression.

�You�re not thrilled about having to wear a uniform, are you?�

�Not really. I mean, I already told Brittany and Erin that I wasn�t gonna be wearing anything because I�m a nudist and��

�So, that lifestyle�s really that important to you?�

�Yes.�

�So, what you�re telling me is that you�d prefer to perform your duties as Pledge Mistress in the nude?�

�Yes.�

�Well, here�s a thought. What if I propose that the uniform for the Pledge Mistress ought to be the same as the pledges? In other words, when the pledges are naked, the Pledge Mistress must be naked too?�

�That�s sort of what I wanted��

�Alright, I�ll just write that into your work plan. But what it means is that whenever the pledges are attending sorority functions or meetings, you�d have to be there in the nude along with them.�

�That�s fine. That�s what I want.�

Lisa watched as Tracy made some notes. Then she decided to change the topic:

�Tracy, I was kinda curious. If you want me to be Pledge Mistress, what�s the deal gonna be about discipline?�

�That�ll mostly stay the same under you as it was under me. I believe that physical punishment is an important part of what we do in the Four-Beta pledge-training program. As Pledge Mistress I expect you to be as strict with your group as I was with you. The only change I want is more accountability. Anytime a pledge needs to be disciplined, the Pledge Mistress, or in some cases her group counselor, will administer the punishment. Both the Pledge Mistress and the counselor would have to be present whenever a punishment is administered, along with another chapter officer and at least one other witness, preferably other pledges from her group. I also want to formalize punishments, such as having an official reading of the pledge�s offense, always conducting punishments in one place, and always have them administered the same way.�

Tracy looked at Lisa to get her reaction. When Lisa nodded Tracy continued:

�What I�d also like to do is put down in writing the rules, procedures, and severity of punishments, so everyone knows, from the very beginning, what to expect. On the other hand, I�d leave some discretion for leniency to the Pledge Mistress, but would make sure that she explains in the training log why any given punishment is less severe than what�s stipulated in the Pledge Manual. For example, your decision to split the punishment you had to give Brittany and Erin because your assistant brought out the wrong strap made perfect sense. I want to make sure the Pledge Mistress has that type of on-the-spot discretion. But anyhow, I want everything related to punishments put into the training log, so that each incident of discipline is documented and subject to review by the sorority officers at the end of each week.�

�That makes sense.�

�By the way, make sure the punishment you administered to Brittany and Erin is fully documented in the training log. Might as well get started on that now.�

�Alright.�

Lisa added a paragraph about the strapping to the training log while Tracy looked through several pledge packets. When Lisa finished her entry, Tracy�s next question totally shocked her.

�Lisa, I need to ask you a personal question, because how you answer will make a difference in a decision I have to make for myself.�

Lisa looked up, waiting for the question:

�What�s your relationship with Ken right now?�

�I�well you know I was over at the Tri-Alpha house today��

�Having sex with him?�

Lisa gave Tracy a very irritated look.

�Yes, Tracy, I had sex with him. Why do you need to know that?�

Tracy took a deep breath.

�I need to know that because�I have my reasons. But if you�re getting back together with Ken, where does that leave Kathleen?�

�It�s kinda complicated�but I�m not leaving her, if that�s what you�re worried about.�

�But you still want him as well?�

�Yeah, the truth is, I want him too. But there�s a lot more to it�right now I can�t explain it, but what I feel for both of them��

The two women sat quietly for a minute, each of them becoming more uncomfortable with the silence.

�You will remember that I told you not to judge Ken, not to make assumptions about him. You remember that, right?�

�Yes. I remember that.�

��and now you�ve decided that you want him back, even though you�re rooming with Kathleen?�

�Yes.�

��and he wants you?�

�Yes.�

��and�do Ken and Kathleen�know about each other?�

Lisa stayed silent for a minute, but suddenly blurted out:

�Yeah, they know about each other alright! They even fucked each other at Burnside�s party and tried to keep it a secret from me! That pissed me off and��

Tracy immediately pounced on Lisa�s hypocrisy over the encounter between her two lovers. As Lisa defended herself, she was forced to explain that what she really wanted was to have both Ken and Kathleen as submissive partners. Then she backtracked and tried to justify what she wanted:

��but it�s not what you think�really it isn�t! I care about both of them and the fact is they both need me. The problem is I really don�t know how much longer I can balance them in my life, because�in the end you�ll be right about�because I�m really worried I�m gonna badly hurt one of them�and that�s the last thing I want to do��

�Well, here�s my next question. How would you feel if Ken was staying here, with us in the sorority house, and you were in charge of him?�

�Well, sure�that�d be great, but how could that happen?�

�Remember in a few days I�ll be chapter president?�

�Well, yeah��

�And you�ll remember there�s a tradition that, every year, the Four-Beta chapter president gets to pick two Tri-Alphas as her personal attendants. Those two members are officially on loan to us from the fraternity. They have to stay at the sorority instead of the fraternity, and they�re under orders from the Four-Beta directorate. What I�m driving at is that with your permission I�d like to pick Ken to be one of my attendants.�

�But�are you and him��

�No. We�re not. That�s the reason I want him on board, because I don�t want an attendant I�m emotionally involved with. The truth is, I have nothing to offer him. I can�t give him a relationship, or my time, or my love. Ken understands what I need from him, but I have absolutely nothing I can give back to him in return. That would have to come from you. Love, time, emotional support, training, discipline�all that would have to come from you.�

Lisa realized that she was about to get as close to living out her fantasy as she could without owning a large house in which she could lock up her two lovers. Also, she was somewhat flattered that Tracy was asking her permission to take Ken as one of her attendants, because that was something she was not required to do at all.

In the end Lisa gave the future chapter president consent for Ken to move into the sorority house. He would serve as Tracy�s personal attendant, just like the two guys that currently were serving under President Alexandra.

There would be one important change however, a condition that Lisa insisted upon. Ken would not be issued the white attendant�s uniform. Instead, like the new Pledge Mistress, her assistant, and the pledges themselves, Tracy�s attendant would be required to be naked whenever performing his duties. At no time would Ken be allowed to cover himself when he was in the Four-Beta House.

So now it was official. Ken was destined to be part of Lisa�s future, every bit as much as Kathleen was destined to be part of Lisa�s future.

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Lisa returned to her room, hugged Kathleen, and put her over her lap to take her temperature. As she contemplated her lover�s thin bottom and waited for the temperature to register, Lisa realized that if she still wanted to whip Kathleen for her indiscretion over July 4th, that night would be her best opportunity to carry out the punishment. During Rush Week neither she nor Kathleen would be running around the sorority house naked, so the welts would stay hidden under her lover�s clothing. By the end of Rush Week the marks would be gone and the punishment would remain a private matter. That was important to Lisa, because she was as determined to protect Kathleen�s dignity in public as she was in forcing her to be totally submissive in private.

Lisa pulled out the thermometer, read the temperature, wiped it off, and put it back in its case. Then she tapped her lover�s shoulder to let her know she needed to stand up. Lisa embraced Kathleen, gently kissed her mouth, and with a sad voice announced:

�Sweetie, I�m afraid I still gotta punish you for what you did to me on July 4th. You understand that, right?�

Kathleen�s expression changed to fear and she began trembling:

�Yes Lisa, I understand that.�

�Then I think tonight�s the best night to get that taken care of. I don�t want your behavior coming between us anymore, so right now you�re gonna have to get your whipping. Then we can forget about it. Hmm?�

Lisa positioned her fingertips under her frightened lover�s chin, forcing her to look up.

�I�yes Lisa��

�Now you be a good girl and get me that two-pronged strap you were thinking about having me use. Also, get me a couple of three-foot chains and two wrist cuffs.�

Lisa handed Kathleen a pillowcase and stuffed a towel into it.

�Use this to wrap everything up and stuff it in here. If anyone sees you, just say you�re doing laundry.�

Kathleen took the pillowcase downstairs and went into the small room where the punishment supplies were kept. She selected a two-pronged strap, chains and wrist cuffs. She would have taken simple metal ones, but she knew that Lisa instead wanted her to select leather cuffs that were padded. The reason for that was very simple: Lisa did not want any cuff-marks on her lover�s wrists as evidence that she had been restrained. As instructed, she wrapped the items in the towel and went back upstairs.

While Kathleen was gone, Lisa had undressed and cleared the space where the disciplinarian and her subject would be standing during the whipping. She unloaded the towel and stuffed it at the foot of the door to muffle any sound that might come from the room. She wrapped Kathleen�s wrists in the cuffs and ordered her to stand quietly with her eyes shut until given further orders. Lisa then suspended the chains from the hooks (she was tall enough to not need to stand on a chair) and finally lifted Kathleen�s arms and clipped her wrists to the chains. Kathleen thus was immobilized. She was trembling, but kept her eyes shut pending permission to open them again.

Lisa then sat down to admire her lover before punishing her. She truly did make a lovely sight, her thin, trembling body waiting for punishment. Once Lisa satisfied herself studying her subject, she stood up and sensuously ran her hands over her lover�s body. Softly she spoke into her ear:

�I love you, and it hurts me to have to do this to you. You understand I don�t like having to hurt you like this, don�t you?�

�I�Yes Lisa, I know that.�

�Please don�t ever make me have to do this to you again. If you behave from now on, you could make this the last time I ever have to punish you.�

�I�I�ll try, Lisa�please�I don�t want you to be mad at me.�

Lisa traced her fingertip around her lover�s trembling mouth.

�That�s completely up to you. Totally up to you. Your choices in life are what�ll decide whether or not I have to discipline you. You know the rules, but it�s up to you whether or not you want to follow them.�

Lisa put her hands on Kathleen�s hips to position her for the flogging. She would have to remain standing with her feet spread slightly and pointed inward, her back arched with her bottom properly positioned to receive the blows. When Lisa was ready to punish the fronts of her lover�s thighs, Kathleen would have to stand straight. Lisa gave her a very strong incentive to stay in position and not do anything to lessen the impact of the strap: she gently touched the implement to her lover�s vulva. If Kathleen dared break position, Lisa would strike her between the legs.

Lisa strongly believed that any punishment needed to have various rituals before the blows started. One of those rituals was to draw lines on her lover�s arms and legs with a magic marker. Lisa wanted to separate the parts of her lover�s body that would be covered by clothing from the areas that would be exposed. She would have to stay within the limits of those lines. Of course, Lisa was perfectly capable of staying with those areas anyway, but the feel of the magic marker on her body heightened Kathleen�s anxiety and pre-punishment tension.

The next part of the ritual came when Lisa caressed Kathleen�s body with the strap. As the thin prongs explored the young woman�s exposed skin, she began to perspire and tremble with fright. Finally Lisa stopped, gave her lover one last kiss on the mouth, and positioned herself to deliver the first blow. She tapped the strap against her lover�s trembling bottom, swung her arm back, and delivered a cruel blow across both sides.

�Aiee�uh�uh��

The implement did not make a loud CRACK like the noise made by a broad strap, but it left two cruel reddish lines across Kathleen�s backside. Lisa waited for the pain to fully register in the younger woman�s mind before delivering the second blow. She would go very slowly, following Burnside�s lesson to allow the passage of time to help wear down her victim and thus minimize the number of blows needed to make her cry.

The whipping started on Kathleen�s bottom, but Lisa also planned to punish her shoulders and upper thighs to avoid concentrating the punishment too much on just one part of her lover�s body. The strap left very cruel marks because so much force was concentrated in those two thin prongs of leather. The implement was not what Lisa would have chosen to punish her lover, but because it was what Kathleen had picked out, it was what Lisa would have to use. It did have one huge advantage, and that was it did not make loud noises upon impact like a normal strap or paddle. That certainly was important for Lisa�s desire to keep the punishment a private matter in the crowded sorority house.

It was clear that Kathleen was suffering, although she was doing her best to �be a good girl� and not make too much noise by crying. After just four strokes tears were running down her cheeks. By the time Lisa had covered her bottom and backs of her thighs with cruel reddish welts, her lover�s body was shaking with suppressed sobs.

Lisa took a break from the punishment, but touched the strap to Kathleen�s shoulders to let her know that part of her body would be punished next. A strange mix of emotions swept through her as she studied her suffering companion. She felt that Kathleen made a truly beautiful sight with her body restrained and her bottom covered with vicious red marks. At the same time Lisa empathized with the poor girl. Precisely because she was so helpless at that moment, there was a part of Lisa that wanted to reassure her and protect her. She knew that moment would indeed come: that as soon as she was released Kathleen would need to be held and comforted.

However, before her lover could be released, Lisa would have to finish the whipping. The purpose of the evening�s session was real punishment with the goal of inflicting real pain. Lisa was chastising Kathleen to put fear into her, fear of the consequences of ever crossing her again. Lisa loved her companion and had no desire to continuously beat her. However, she was determined to use the evening�s traumatic session as part of her life-long goal of establishing ownership over the girl�s soul. Even if Lisa never had to whip her again, threat of punishment, based on the memory of what was going on in that room, would always be a part of Kathleen�s life.

The freshman held up fairly well while her bottom was being flogged, but she cried pitifully when Lisa started punishing her upper back. She broke position and tried to twist to avoid a stroke, which forced Lisa to bring the strap up between her legs. Once that blow was delivered, she quickly covered Kathleen�s mouth to muffle her scream. Tears and sweat were pouring down the poor girl�s face, and Lisa had not even started flogging the fronts of her legs.

Lisa paused to allow her lover to partially recover from the blows delivered so far. Her bottom was a swollen mass of red lines. Her upper back was marked as well, but only with six sets of double welts. Lisa decided that was enough and it was time to finish up on her thin thighs.

�OK, now you know I was serious about hitting you between the legs. I don�t want to have to do that to you again, but I will whenever you break position. Do you understand me?�

Kathleen, between her sobs and trembling, forced herself to nod.

�Stand up straight, so I can finish up. I know it�s gonna hurt, but if you behave, we�ll be done in just a few minutes.�

Because Kathleen already had broken, Lisa did not see any need in prolonging the final portion of her punishment. She quickly laid 20 strokes on the upper part of her lover�s thighs, 10 on each side. While Lisa waited for the pain from the final portion of the punishment to mount, Kathleen continued to cry as she hung suspended by her cuffs. Lisa wanted to release her and hold her, but decided to wait until her lover�s sobs died down a bit.

Finally Lisa decided it was time to unclip her lover�s cuffs and let her down. She sat down on her bed and held the sad girl in her arms, comforting her like a crying child. The punishment had ended and the moment had come for Lisa to reassure her charge that everything was forgiven and that she still loved her.

Kathleen fell asleep within a few minutes, exhausted by the trauma of her punishment and comforted by Lisa�s embrace. Lisa was relieved, because the punishment that had waited for two months finally was over. Her lover had been taught her lesson. More importantly, she had accepted the life Lisa was preparing for her and was ready for the next phase in the relationship.

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The following day Lisa woke up, showered, and then woke up her roommate. She ordered Kathleen to stand up so she could study the results of the previous day�s punishment. Kathleen�s body still was badly marked up, but Lisa calculated that by Thursday the marks would be gone.

It was obvious that Kathleen did not resent the whipping. Quite to the contrary she was relieved it was over and eager to demonstrate to Lisa that she very willing to do what she was ordered to do. Lisa thought about her goal of getting her lover to start kneeling, but still wanted to encourage Kathleen to make that decision on her own. What Lisa needed to do was create situations in which Kathleen was kneeling, and then, through positive re-enforcement, express her approval. Kathleen�s eagerness to please would do the rest.

Lisa lent her lover a bathrobe (because Kathleen no longer owned a bathrobe) and told her to shower. She told the truth about wanting to keep the punishment a private matter, adding that the rules for Kathleen�s clothing would change for a few days until her body no longer had any marks from the punishment.

When Kathleen came back and hung up the robe, Lisa sat in the room�s armchair and ordered her to present her homework.

�Here, come around to the side and get down so we can look this over together.�

Sure enough, when she came around to the side of the chair, Kathleen got on her knees to better see her homework. As they went over the assignment, Lisa began stroking her lover�s hair and shoulders.

The two women had just established their first routine activity during which Kathleen would always kneel and receive a reward. Whenever they went over homework, Lisa would sit in the armchair and Kathleen would kneel next to her, enjoying the privilege of having her head and shoulders caressed while her mistress advised her about her studies.

The Pledge Mistress - Chapter 44