Susan and Alex had now changed back into the red underwear and with the help of the triplets, they ushered everyone into the candlelit dining-room. Gradually everybody found their places, collected a starter or two from the buffet and sat down. The triplets expertedly moved here and there distributing wine, water and aromatic bread.

'Are you OK, Anita?' It was the first thing Alex said as she sat at the head of her table after making sure that everyone was settled and had found something they liked on the buffet. Anita was sitting to her left, with Alistair to her right.

'I asked the same question!' Alistair responded. 'It showed us all the fine line between the good and the bad sides of our brain. We're not that many generations away from the cave!'

'Yes! I'm fine!' The flickering candle light was shining off her bald head. 'I enjoyed the scene. I usually do!'

'But!' Alex wasn't convinced. 'It must be awful going around completely bald! And being shaved in public like that! It's so humiliating.'

'Here! Feel it!' Anita grabbed Alex's left hand and pulled it towards her scalp. Diffidently, Alex touched it. 'Go on! Feel it properly!'

'It's certainly different!' Alex wasn't convinced. 'It feels like a hard firm bottom!'

Anita laughed. 'How would you know? There aren't many of those about! But it's a lot more practical. She laughed again. I can't remember the last time I went to the hairdresser!' Those who heard laughed back. 'It's a great saving in time and money! Now like tonight, I get paid to have it done!'

'But surely the way that it's done was so awful.' Alex continued her argument. 'Those boots, the cart, the corset, the steel bands. It's all so humiliating. And probably extraordinarily painful!'

'When we spoke earlier, you said that you wore a corset to get married.' Alex nodded to agree. 'What else did you wear that day? And did you enjoy the day?'

'I can see where you're going.' Alex giggled and smiled. 'The corset was very tight and the dress was heavily boned as well. I could hardly breathe. But as it had been Susan's dress, I was determined to wear it. So was she! And wear it without alteration. And well!' She smiled at how proud she'd been of herself. 'I was uncomfortable, but it was worth it! I was the centre of attention. Is that how you feel when you perform?'

'Yes! Of course!' She smiled. 'Great! Isn't it?'

'You've never appeared in Court have you?' Alex nodded to Alistair's question. 'My court is full of vain performance junkies and ham actors! They all love it!'

'But you didn't answer my original question!' Anita returned to her original thread. 'You said you enjoyed being the star, but what else did you wear?'

'As they say! Something old! That was Julian's grandmother's necklace. Something new! That was the very high Jimmy Choo white shoes and the white stockings.'

'Were they that tall?' Anita asked.

'Only about the same as these, I'm wearing today!' Alex hooked her right leg from under the table. 'Something borrowed was the dress and corset!'

'What about something blue?' Alistair broke in.

'I didn't wear any knickers!' She collapsed laughing.

***

'How are you managing, Winston?' Anita had swivelled as best as her neck and body corsets and the steel bands on her thighs allowed, rather than turned towards her right.

'It's funny really!' He rattled the cuffs that Lizzie had placed on him to fix his hands behind his back. 'I'm helpless! But every time, I need a bite to eat or a drink, I have a lovely young lady like you or Daisy to satisfy my every whim.'

'Are you calling me a young lady, too?' Daisy broke in. 'It's nice to have an Assisant Chief Constable eating out of my hand. If only that happened every time, my job would be so much easier!'

'Perhaps, you should dress to please him more often!' Winston smiled at her. 'Could I have some more wine, please?'

Daisy picked up the glass and poured the contents down his throat.

'Thank you!' He spluttered.

***

'Can I help?' One of the waitresses approached Winston from behind. 'Would you like me to rub it better?'

'That would be very nice!' Winston tried to raise his hands, but couldn't because of the cuffs. 'It's a bit difficult like this!'

She reached in front of him and undid his dinner jacket, slipping it off his shoulders. 'Is that better?' Her fingers reached up and down his spine feeling between the bones. 'Is that good?' She repeated the exercise from the base of his spine to his neck. 'Don't worry! I have a qualification in sports medicine for this!'

'My back certainly feels better!' Winston was smiling. 'Perhaps, you should come over and sort me out every week!'

'What would your wife think?' She found a tight spot in his spine and skillfully massaged the muscles around it. 'That was tension and I hope I've relieved it!'

'It feels better!' He turned toward his masseuse. 'Which one are you? You're all so alike!'

'We are absolutely identical! A single egg split into three! Alice, Bella and Celia!' She lifted her skirt to show a silver B. 'My knickers say that I'm Bella! Do you feel bellisimo? Or do my knickers lie?'

***

'Is she Bella?' Anita asked as the waitress moved away to dispense more food, drink, massage and general tender loving care.

'I'm doubtful! When Susan and I checked them earlier, she and Celia had swapped identities!' Alex spoke as she stood. 'I think I'm going to do a little test!' She walked to the centre of the room and clapped her hands. She was surprised that this little gesture got the silence she required. Well almost, as Dominic called out something that was perhaps a little rude. 'Now! It has been brought to my notice, that Alice, Bella and Celia, our beautiful waitresses are not all they seem!'

'How do you mean?' Dominic seemed to be the lead heckler.

'Would the waitresses please line up at the far end of the room?' The triplets moved towards the windows. 'Alice on the left, then Bella and then Celia on the right.' They shuffled themselves rather comically into an order that Alex thought had the masseuse at the right. 'Hands out, I'm going to check your rings!' She checked and was rather pleased to find the correct sequence of amber, blue and cerise.

'See! We're all correct!' Alice or at least the waitress on the left answered.

'Can I see your knickers?' Alex was enjoying ordering them about.

'No!' The middle triplet responded.

'Here!' Susan called and threw Alex a riding crop, which she surprised herself by catching experly. 'Try a bit of discipline!' A slight ripple of expectation went round the room.

'I mean it!' Alex could hardly keep a straight face as she swished the crop about in a rather meaningless and unmenacing fashion. The triplets immediately turned, raised the back of their skirts and showed their bottoms to everyone. 'That proves nothing!'

Slowly they turned to face Alex, raised their skirts and aprons again, and showed the silver letters in the correct other. 'There!' Alice spoke. 'You should apologise for doubting us!'

Alex was certain she had been fooled! But how! 'No! You've swapped something!' She looked to Winston for support and he nodded in agreement with her.

Alice came forward followed by her sisters. 'No! We haven't!' She thrust her hand under Alex's face and pulled up her skirt and apron again. 'The rings and thongs match! Are you going to apologise?'

Before Alex could say or do anything, the Bella and Celia had grabbed her and were holding her arms outstretched. She said nothing as the crop dropped to the floor and Alice picked it up. 'Now! What are we going to do with you?' As she spoke her sisters paraded her round the room. Alice followed and gave her a couple of slight taps on the bottom with the crop. 'Shall we spank her? Or shall we use this handy crop on her?' The audience felt she should.

'No!' Alex hoped they weren't serious. But another tap from the crop gave her doubts.

'I have a better idea!' Alice came up behind Alex and undid the clasp of her bra. 'Susan likes her rules to be followed. She said no naked breasts before the loyal toast! You're going to be very naughty!' Bella and Celia carefully threaded Alex's arms from the bra, removed it and threw it to one side, before parading her again, holding her arms straight out and with her breasts fully exposed.

***

'Are you OK, Alex?' Anita asked the question as she sat back at the end of the table. 'You look as though you were a bit embarrassed out there!'

'I don't know why I took them on!' Alex giggled. 'I couldn't have done that a few months ago! I enjoyed it though!'

'Good!' Anita pulled Alex in close and was whispering quietly. 'When Pete and I get going would you like to try and intervene to break it up. Say soon after I get drugged, hooded and suspended. You ...'

'Drugged!' Alex was horrified and broke in. 'He doesn't drug you, does he?'

'Of course not! Shh! Try and be quieter! We don't want to spoil anything, do we?' She grabbed Alex's hand to calm her. 'We find red Smarties make the best fake drugs!'

'Oh!' Alex laughed but was still rather dubious. 'Are you sure?'

'Yes!' Anita picked up her glass. 'Do you think Pete and I would drink orange juice, water and Coke all night and then take some dangerous judgement imparing substance?'

'Probably not!' Alex was still uncertain. 'What will happen to me when I intervene?'

'You'll probably end up gagged and trussed in a chair or something like that!'

'I might do it!' Alex was thinking about saying yes. 'He won't hurt me will he?'

'No!' She laughed. 'He's very gentle and everything we do is for show. What Pete does looks awful, very painful and sadistic, but he never hurts me and you'll never find a mark on my body! I'll warn you that the gag might make your jaw ache a bit!'

Alex thought for a few seconds. 'OK! I'll do it!' She had been convinced enough to at least co-operate.

***

Alex was looking around. 'Did anybody see where the bra went?'

'Why bother!' Anita replied. 'You've got a good figure, firm breasts and very interesting nipples. I don't think Susan will mind too much!'

'How do you mean? Interesting nipples?' Alex frowned. 'What are they like?'

'Like yours!' Anita made as if to pick them. 'Your's are like little fruit! The right size, round and ripe. It makes you want to pick, eat and suck them! Well metaphorically so! You should have them pierced. They'd look lovely with a nice gold bar and stretcher to make them even more interesting! That way you'd look sensational with an open-fronted bra in a tee-shirt.'

'I don't think so!' Alex shuddered.

'Under all your steel and leather, are you that way?' Alistair asked the question with a broad grin on his face.

'Yes! Of course!' She patted each breast and then pulled Alistair's hand so that he could feel. 'Can you feel my jewelled nipple underneath the leather?'

'Yes!' Alistair shook his head. 'I wouldn't show Susan, she'd probably be jealous and want her's done!'

'She already has!' Alex giggled. 'But I'm sure I wouldn't do it! Anyway my breasts aren't that special.'

Alistair took the defence. 'I'll agree with Anita. You have a lovely... no beautiful body! I'm with Alex on the piercings though! But at least they're not permanent like Tamsin's tattoo! Or mine for that matter! The impetuosity of youth!'

'Now I wouldn't do that!' Anita laughed. 'In fact it's in my contract with Pete. An imposed tattoo would be an instant divorce.

'I wouldn't either!' Alex looked across to the other table. 'Where is Susan anyway?'

***

Within a minute Susan had returned and she sat back at the head of her table. She beckoned Alex over and as she approached, Alex noticed that her mother-in-law was now dressed in the darker of the two blue sets. So she had decided to wear thongs!

'You'd better go and match me, before we all change places.' Susan pointed out of the room. 'What you are to wear is laid out on the bed! You won't need the bra!'

When she got upstairs Alex found that all Susan had laid for her to wear was a dark blue thong, a new pair of matching stockings and shoes. There was no bra and no suspender belt. Alex wondered what Susan was planning. She could go down unchanged and face her mother-in-law's disapproval or she could wear what she had been told and let the evening take its course.

She stood naked in front of the mirror and looked critically at herself. Should she take the view of a Law Lord, rather than her own which said she could do so much better?

'So what!' She thought. 'Perhaps, I should do what Susan says. Even if she has a plan, I may not like! But then has she ever done anything to me, I didn't like?' She picked up the first stocking and rolled it up her leg.

***

As she entered the room, Susan rose, walked a few steps and stood between the tables. She beckoned Alex over and then reached out and cuddled her. 'How are you enjoying yourself, Alex?'

'Very much!' She returned the cuddle.

'But you were very naughty in baring your breasts?' Susan looked down and smiled. 'Even if they are very nice!'

'I'm sorry!' Alex was giggling. 'It was those naughty triplets!'

'Possibly!' She beckoned towards Tamsin. 'So if you're going to bare your breasts, then you had better bare them properly!'

Alex turned and saw a smiling Tamsin walking towards them carrying what looked ominously like a leather corset! Now she understood why there was no suspender belt and she was in dark blue!

Copyright 2004 by Ewart Higgins