by Robin Roseau
"Pajamas," I said.
"What kind?"
"You seriously want to know?"
"Yes."
"Flannel. It's winter. Have you seen the temperatures outside?"
"I wouldn't suppose it's sexy flannel."
I laughed again. "Does such a thing even exist?"
"I didn't think so. Listen carefully. You are going to change out of those hideous pajamas into something far sexier. And then you are going to walk downstairs, put on your snow boots, and step outside."
"I'm pretty sure that's not my plan."
"It is now."
"Claudine, it has to be fifteen below outside."
"About that, yes. Now, you're going to do what you're told. Do you know why?"
"Because you're insane?"
"Because you didn't lock your side door, and if we have to come up there and get you, it's going to be a lot worse for you. You will deliver yourself into our waiting arms exactly as I've said, or we're coming in to get you."
My heart began pounding at her words.
"Now, are you going to do what you're told?"
"Yes, Claudine."
"Sexy. I mean it. If straight little me isn't tempted to run my hands all over your body when I see you, you won't be happy with our response."
"Oh god. Five minutes."
"Take your time," she said with a laugh. "The temperature is dropping, and for every minute past five you take to deliver yourself, you'll spend five extra outside."
"Oh god. I'm coming. But you said sexy. That takes time."
I could hear her breathing. "Impress me, and I'll retract that threat." Then she clicked off.
I flew from bed and ran to the bathroom, my jammies flying as I ran. I spent three minutes on my eyes and lips. I didn't have time for the full treatment. I ran a brush through my hair, but I really didn't have time for that. I thought about pulling it up, but every woman I'd ever dated told me she preferred it down, so I left it down.
I made a tornado from my lingerie drawer, finally pulling on a skimpy black camisole and black lace undies. A had a long, diaphanous robe I'd worn about three times, but the women who had seen it had enjoyed it. I pulled it on and then checked my appearance.
I knew I was over my time. I hoped it would do. It was the best I could manage. I ran from the room.
If anyone was in the house, I never saw her. But the front door was ajar, and I had locked it earlier. I came to a stop, staring at it. I decided Claudine hadn't been bluffing. I headed for the door then remembered. She had told me snow boots. They were in the closet by the door. I found them and pulled them on. They looked ridiculous with the outfit, but she was making me step outside. I decided to keep them.
I was out the door three seconds later, then came to a stop.
There were five women watching me. I recognized three. I hadn't met the other two, but I decided they were the missing junior members of the Order of Circe. Most of them had a cell phone or video camera pointed my way, but I had no idea how much they could film in the dark.
"Hello, Blythe," Claudine said. She glanced pointedly at her watch. "Nearly eight minutes."
"Please, Claudine," I said, wrapping my arms around myself and bouncing around a little. "It's freezing out here."
"It's well below freezing," she said before she began advancing towards me. "Hands down to your sides," she ordered. "Wrap them like that again, and we've got water waiting for you. Not to drink."
"Oh god," I said. But I dropped my arms to my sides.
"Better," she said. Then she walked all the way around me.
"The boots ruin the look."
"You followed directions," she replied.
"Please, Claudine," I said. "It's cold!"
"You're going to do whatever I tell you to do, Blythe. If you don't, do you know what is going to happen?"
"No, but I imagine it will be worse than if I obey."
"That's right. It will be. Remember what happened to your car? That's what we'll do to you."
"Oh god."
She walked all the way around me then stepped behind me and pulled the door of the house closed. Then she walked back to join the other women. They were all looking at me as I froze my tushy off.
"She's nipped out," Sylvia said. "It's sexy."
I nearly covered my breasts with my hands, but Claudine waved a finger at me and said, "ah-ah-ah". I dropped my hands back to my side but bounced around.
"Should we forgive her for being late?"
"Please," I said. "I had to find everything. It's not exactly the season."
"And she did her makeup," Liah said. "Even if she was rushed."
"I'm sorry," I said.
Claudine considered me carefully, and then she said, "You've obeyed so far. I believe I said I expected you to deliver yourselves directly into our arms."
I didn't wait. I walked straight towards her. The further I got from the protection of the house, the colder it got. But then, just as I was within range to hug, two of the women produced blankets and thoroughly wrapped me in them.
"Good girl," Claudine said. "You get a choice. Wet hair or a blindfold."
"Blindfold!" I said immediately.
Silk wrapped over my eyes immediately. Once it was secure, I let them usher me to the side, and then we were climbing into a car.
The car was blessedly warm. No one spoke during the short drive. I sat quietly and shivered.
We didn't go very far, just down near the entrance of West Hollow. Then they helped me from the car, still wrapped in the blankets, which weren't remotely warm enough for the weather, for a walk of perhaps a dozen steps.
"Golf cart," Claudine said. They helped me onto a seat -- a cold seat, I will point out. A moment later, we were moving forward. I decided we were traveling into the park, and it sounded like there was a second cart following us.
We came to a stop a minute or two later. Two women helped me from the cart, and then they held my arms as they guided me further into the park. We came to a stop and they turned me around.
"You've been a good girl," Claudine whispered into my ear. "Now, I have a little bad news for you. While there are five of us here, you only get three blue marbles. Think about whose you want. Mine is one, of course, and then you get to pick between Sylvia and Liah and between Hope and Kiki."
"I don't really know Hope and Kiki."
"You have to pick anyway," she said. "Now, move your feet apart, shoulder width or so. After that, stand as still as you can. If you move around, you're getting wet."
"Oh, god," I said.
Two of the women still held my arms through the blanket, but I shuffled my feet the desired distance. Then I heard the other two down at my feet. I didn't know who was whom, but they began doing something to my feet. I had no idea what.
I heard water splashing. I tensed, expecting to be drenched, but when it didn't come, I relaxed. Shivering.
"Is it working?" Claudine asked.
"It's not perfect," said Sylvia down near my feet. "But it will do. Another few minutes."
Sylvia and the other woman continued to work near my feet. I heard the occasional splashing, but I never got wet. I did continue to grow colder and colder.
"Please hurry," I said through chattering teeth.
"That's going to have to be enough," Claudine said.
"One more minute," Liah said, also from near my feet.
"I'll explain what's going to happen next," Claudine said. "Do you know where we are?"
"The park."
"You're facing towards the path that is closest to your house," she said. "In a minute, we're going to take the blankets. You're going to spread your arms straight out and count to sixty slowly. You may then walk home."
"Oh god," I said.
"You're only getting three marbles. Have you decided whose?"
Then she whispered into my ear very quietly, "Sylvia really wants you to invite a hazing." Then she moved her lips away. "Whose blue marbles?"
"Yours, you
said. Liah's. But I don't know how to pick between Kiki and Hope."
"If you don't pick," said the woman on my left, "then you don't get either."
"Hope's," I said immediately.
"All right," said Claudine. "Are you two ready?"
"As ever," Liah said. And then I felt them move away.
"Let go of the blankets now," Claudine said.
"Oh god." Reluctantly I let go. Claudine pulled them from me, and the two women on my sides pulled my arms straight away from my body but held them that way.
Then Claudine removed the blindfold, and I blinked. Sylvia was holding a bright light in one hand and a video camera in the other. Liah, on the other hand, was holding a super soaker. I stared at it.
"Here are the rules," Claudine said. "If you walk, we don't shoot. If you run, we shoot. And we'll be trying to catch you. If we catch you, you're going into the snow. If you walk, we won't impede you in any fashion. Start counting."
"One. Oh god it's cold! Two. Three."
At about 30, Claudine stepped away and collected her own super soaker. At 45, Kiki released my arm but told me not to move. She collected her own light and camera and took a different angle from Sylvia's. Hope held my arm until I hit 60, then she ran to one of the golf carts and grabbed a super soaker of her own.
And then I almost fell flat on my face.
I tried to move my feet, and I couldn't. The women began laughing -- as if they weren't amused enough. I looked down, and my boots were encased in ice, absolutely encased. I stared.
"You have got to be kidding me!" I said, my teeth chattering.
I struggled to release my feet, but they were not budging. I knelt down, which wasn't easy, and tried banging at the ice, but it was solid.
It was cold, but the water shouldn't have frozen that quickly. I looked up at Claudine, and I could feel tears freezing on my cheeks.
"You'll make it," she said.
My hands were so cold. I tried untying the boots. I was going to have to step out of them and walk barefoot. I fumbled with them, but then Claudine was kneeling in front of me.
"Did we go too far?" she asked softly, untying my boots for me. She had to bang at the ice with a fist.
"I don't know," I chattered.
"Walk to your gate. It's open. We'll take mercy on you from there. But you have to make it that far."
I nodded and stepped out of the boots and nearly screamed from the cold.
"You have to walk," Claudine said.
After that, they surrounded me, Sylvia and Kiki filming from different angles and distances. The other three held their super soakers at the ready. I wondered if they would work in the cold. Maybe they were frozen. But I didn't want to find out the hard way.
I stepped gingerly, hopping from foot to foot, trying to stay on my tiptoes as much as I could. I almost fell twice, but one of them steadied me each time, which I appreciated.
I made my way out of the park, half out of my mind from cold, and I didn't know what was happening to my feet. I almost broke at that point. I took two running steps, but the three with the super soakers stepped into my path, and I barely missed a big squirt from Liah. I shied away, and she said, "That was a warning shot."
The moment I made it through my front gate, they were there with blankets, wrapping me up. I fell then, but they just wrapped me more tightly in the blankets, especially my feet. Then, working together, they picked me up and ran for my house.
* * * *
I was still in the hot water an hour later. The other girls had gone home, but Claudine had stayed with me, sitting on the floor next to the tub. I'd cried for a while, but she didn't say anything.
"We should get you to bed," she said.
"Are my feet ruined?"
"No."
"Frostbite?"
"No."
"There should be frostbite."
"There isn't." She paused. "We had to be a little harsh."
I turned away. "Why?"
"Three different women were ready to call for the vote. One actually did, but when I reported you had invited me to haze you, she retracted her demand. Then I received a quiet call telling me to be cruel."
"Are you supposed to tell me that?"
"Probably not, but you're not going to tell."
I looked over at her. "You gave me mercy at the end."
"No one wants to hurt you. Are you angry?"
"No. Will you stay tonight?"
"You should have asked Sylvia that."
"Are you telling me 'no'?"
"No hanky panky."
"Just hold me."
"That I can do."
* * * *
She was quiet in the morning, still spooning me. But I could tell she was awake, and I rolled over to face her.
"I've never done this before," she said with a smile. "It was nice."
"You've never shared a bed with someone?"
"I've never spooned someone all night. It felt nice."
"No one?"
"I've been spooned for a few hours. This was my first as the spooner rather than the spoonee."
I leaned forward and quickly kissed her nose. "Thinking of switching teams?"
She didn't answer right away. "Sylvia is bi. I've never really understood that. I let her ask me out once."
"Did you have a nice time?"
"Yes and no. She kept, I don't know. Teasing me. Taunting me. The thing is, I think she talks big, but I don't know if she actually acts big. If you know what I mean. She's got a wicked, wicked imagination, but I think she's really a complete prude. I don't know of anyone who actually admits to having slept with her."
"She scares me," I said. "I'm not sure she knows where limits are. I'm not sure I should ask her to haze me. I'm afraid she'll try to top you."
"Sylvia doesn't have an ounce of common sense," Claudine replied. "But the thing is, she knows it about herself. And so I think she dreams up no end of things, but she wouldn't actually do any of them, because she doesn't trust her judgment. But she's absolutely wicked during a brainstorming session. The woman is brilliant."
"So that means?"
"If she hazes you, I bet she agonizes over it then does something really tame. Or else she gets someone else to make all the final decisions, but if that's what you want, you should just ask someone else. If you tell me who you're going to ask, I'll suggest to her she involve Sylvia."
"I'm not sure I want her ideas included in the mix," I said with a grin. "You never answered my question about switching sides. But you're dancing around it, so that doesn't mean 'no' either."
"Are you thinking about winning a toaster oven?"
"Yeah, so I can go defrost my boots."
She laughed. "Kiki and Hope hacked them free last night. They're in your laundry tub."
"Are you going to answer me, Claudine? Or should I stop asking? I get the impression you don't want me to let you off the hook."
"I don't," she admitted. "I don't know if I'm thinking about switching teams. But if we didn't both have morning breath, I think I'd want to kiss you."
"Oh," I said. I smiled. "That's easily resolved."
"The mood would be over."
"You don't think we can get the mood back?"
"I'll be too nervous."
"Why?"
"What if I don't like it?"
I stilled then nodded. "But you're curious."
"Yeah. Is that common?"
"Yeah."
"Do you get straight women coming on to you very often?"
"I wouldn't say often. It happens. I can never tell if they're serious. Well, the drunk ones, maybe, but I don't touch drunks. That's just a disaster in the making. I saw a study recently. According to this study, all women are either bi- or lesbians. There is no such thing as a straight woman. But I think the study was performed either by a bunch of men who want to watch or some very hopeful lesbians."
She laughed. "So you've never won a toaster oven?"
"I let a straight woman kiss me once. Evi
dently I didn't do it for her. What happened on your date with Sylvia?"
"She spent the night acting like I was a conquest. I was actually really disappointed. Inside, I think she's really very sweet, but I think she compensates for something."
"She's been hurt," I said. "More than once."
"Yeah. I don't have any details." She paused. "You know, we've got more than our share of lesbians."
"I've gotten that impression. Did you know about my grandmother?"
"Your grandmother?" She said, her eyes wide.
"I guess you didn't know."
"Okay, I'm not sure how I'd respond to that." She looked away. "I'm trying to imagine Grandma Melanie with another woman." Then she rolled back and smiled.
"You have a beautiful smile," I told her. "Would you freak out if I touched you a little?"
Her eyes grew wild.
"Just like this," I said. And I caressed her cheek. "Close your eyes." She did, and I continued to caress and cup her cheek, simple little touches. "Does this feel nice?"
"What are you doing?"
"No more than this," I said. "Don't be nervous. Does it feel nice?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Roll onto your back."
"What are you going to do?"
"I trusted you last night. Can you trust me this morning?"
That did it, and she rolled onto her back, although she pulled the blankets to her chin. I snuggled close against her. "Relax, Claudine. I'm not seducing you. We're just cuddling for a few minutes."
It took a minute, but slowly she relaxed her death grip on the covers. I snuggled a little closer, throwing a leg partly over her. She stiffened when I did that, but she didn't pull away.
"Will you answer a question?"
"I can try." Then she bit her lip. God, she was adorable.
"Why are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid."
"Why are you afraid, Claudine?"
"I don't know," she said.
"Sure you do."
"I don't."
"Yes, you do. Tell me."
"I-" she bit her lip again. "I knew you were gay."
"I haven't tried to hide it."
"Growing up. Well, as teenagers. I knew you were gay."
"I didn't hide it then, either."
"I used to wonder. I used to think about this. Not about the sex, but about being in bed like this."
"Used to? So you stopped?"