The Pledge Mistress Copyright 2006 by EC EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/ (warnings: erotic discipline, sex between adults, medical fetish, public nudity, sexual hazing) Chapter 30 – Two days in the forest Thursday and Friday passed uneventfully as the pledges went to class, did their chores, and attended their evening training seminars. Lisa continued to wear her thong on campus, but by Friday the novelty was wearing off. The stares and whistling had from her onlookers had diminished considerably. By the following week she would be continue to be the object of curiosity and of the numerous men who enjoyed looking at her, but within a few days everyone on campus had seen her at least once. The planned camping trip had to be postponed for a second time because a severe weather front moved across the Mid-West over the weekend. The first thunderstorm caught the pledges Friday afternoon as they were returning to the sorority house, drenching them and pasting their skimpy clothing to their bodies. Upon getting out of the rain they opened their backpacks to see how badly damaged their books were, only to discover that everything was perfectly dry. Tracy had the foresight to provide them with waterproof book bags. For three days thunderstorms dumped rain on the city, but that did not deter the Four-Betas and Tri-Alphas from exercising outside. As cold rain poured down on their bodies, the sophomores and pledges spent a very unpleasant hour doing calisthenics Saturday morning. They were ordered to go outside completely naked and used shower mats instead of the usual exercise mats. On Sunday the weather eased just enough to give the first and second year students a chance to get to the stadium and do their normal stair run. Bernadette continued to struggle, but she already had broken the psychological barrier of passing the stair challenge. With difficulty she was able to finish the run for the second time. Because they were confined to the sorority house, the pledges were prohibited from getting dressed during the entire weekend. Tracy constantly stayed with the group, sleeping with them, bathing with them, and eating with them. Whenever her pledges were undressed, she was undressed with them. The other members of the sorority gossiped and wondered why on earth Tracy suddenly had decided to live like a pledge. Oh well, if that's what she wanted to do, that was her business, but it was something no other Pledge Mistress had ever done. Maybe she wanted to establish a new tradition… The fact that Tracy had quit wearing clothing and had given up the rights of a senior was a source of gossip and speculation among the members of the Tri- Alpha Fraternity as well. Not knowing about the intensified rivalry between Tracy and Heather, most of the Triple A's assumed the Pledge Mistress was being punished. Anyhow, over the weekend nearly all of the fraternity members paid visits to the sorority to satisfy their curiosity about seeing Tracy without her clothes. Tracy ignored her notoriety and spent every spare moment forcing her group to read ahead for their classes. Apart from the readings and assignments, there were house chores and constant "exercise breaks". She carefully watched her pledges' faces: the moment she noticed one of them appearing bored or sleepy, she shouted at everyone to do 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, and run in place for several minutes. The constant threat of impromptu exercising did wonders to focus the pledges' attention on their work. Tracy also was on the lookout for what she called "bad attitude". She kept a small leather paddle with her to punish minor infractions ranging from complaints and disgusted sighs to eye-rolling. The punishments were very quick. Tracy ordered the offending pledge to stand up and bend over the table and delivered 10 hard swats. Upon finishing, she ordered the pledge to sit back down and continue studying. The pledges were not allowed to rub their bottoms or spend more than a few seconds recovering from their spankings. Kathleen was paddled once and Bernadette, the most rebellious member of the group, received the paddle twice. On Saturday afternoon Tracy also paddled Lisa, mostly to demonstrate to the other pledges she was not playing favorites. The pledge who was punished the most that weekend was Cherine. She received the paddle four times because Tracy was determined to break her annoying habit of eye-rolling once and for all. After the fourth paddling on Sunday she had taken 40 hard swats and gingerly rubbed her bottom as she stood up and bit her lip. Tracy was unsympathetic. "You get your hands off your butt and get studying…now! Or maybe, if you want, I can give you a really good reason to rub your butt!" The Pledge Mistress punctuated her statement with a hard slap of the paddle against the palm of her hand. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she was perfectly ready to give Cherine another 10 swats. ---------- The fifth week of her internment as a pledge seemed to fly by for Lisa, with her time completely taken up by studying, exercising and working. The weather cleared on Monday and the pledges spent several hours washing mud off the patio and raking leaves and storm debris from the back yard. The rest of their afternoons were filled with studying and training seminars, including several that focused on physical self-defense. In addition to house cleaning, morning PT, and the nightly seminars was Tracy's constant exhortation to study. At the end of the week her efforts paid off: the three freshmen took exams in two classes on Friday and all scored in the mid '90's. Lisa continued wearing her thong on campus, but it didn't matter very much because on a typical weekday she only wore clothing for approximately four hours anyway. She was dressed for attending class and for walking back and forth to the sorority, but that was it. As soon as she entered Burnside's office she stripped, and as soon as she entered the sorority she stripped. By the end of June she was so used to being nude that she felt much more at ease being out of her clothes than being dressed. It no longer bothered her in the least to be naked in front of Ruth Burnside and Jim Halsey. In fact, whenever she entered either of their offices, she automatically took off her clothing with as much ease as an ordinary person would take off a coat upon entering a hot room. After the Sergeant-at-Arms' thong-buying excursion, Tracy never let Lisa out of her sight while in the house. Lisa might have resented the complete loss of any independence, but was perfectly happy not to repeat her unpleasant outing with Heather. Because the control over their lives was tightened, her sexual affair with Kathleen had to be suspended. Lisa could tell that Kathleen was deeply upset by not being able to make love and further develop the relationship. The unhappy girl cast longing glances at her and resentful looks at the Pledge Mistress for not letting them have any time alone. What made matters worse was that neither Lisa nor the Tracy felt they could explain why it was imperative that she always stay with her group and the group always stay together. In contrast with her lover, Lisa welcomed the break from the relationship and the chance to think about topics other than her romantic problems and complicated personal responsibilities. She came to enjoy the regimented routine and the opportunity to improve her health and move ahead in her studies. She also realized the relationship had moved way too fast and was relieved that Tracy's constant presence allowed her to slow down with Kathleen without having to risk hurting her feelings. Yes, she was in very deep with her troubled lover, but at least during the fifth week she didn't get in any deeper. ---------- Friday evening the sorority held its weekly meeting, which included the annual birthday spanking for a sophomore and various announcements about the house. There was a small piece of bad news; water had leaked into the dining room and the next week all of the dining room furniture would have to be moved so the room could be re-carpeted. Several members glanced at the pledges, because the burden would fall on the newcomers to move the furniture. The meeting concluded with the announcement that the summer camping trip, after having been postponed twice, finally would take place. The Tri-Alphas had rented several SUV's for an expedition that would last about 36 hours. There would be a three-hour drive to a remote forest location in southern Illinois followed by a nine-mile hike to an isolated camping spot. The fraternity and sorority members would camp overnight and hike back the following afternoon. The main purpose of the excursion was physical fitness, but it also gave fraternity and sorority members a chance to spend two days doing an activity that was not related to their studies. There would be several stops for swimming, some wilderness training and plenty of opportunities for nature photography for the camera enthusiasts among the group. Upon reaching the destination, a large campsite would be set up and there would be a series of group activities. The camping trip was a favorite event for many of the members of the sorority and fraternity. People in sexual relationships were encouraged to take advantage of the natural setting to enjoy each other's company, since the normal restrictions against public displays of affection were suspended in the forest. Couples could sleep together in the same tent, go skinny-dipping alone, or make love in the open air in one of the numerous clearings near the stream that flowed near the campsite. There were organized games such as volleyball and naked twister. The hike was entirely clothing optional, although normally only a few of the Tri- Alphas chose to do the entire hike in the nude. Once the group arrived at the campsite everyone was required to be fully naked, weather permitting. The camping trip was somewhat more demanding on pledges than on members- in-full-standing. To begin with, pledges were required to be naked during the hike as well as at the campsite. The only articles of clothing they were allowed to take were their hiking shoes and several changes of socks. Everything else needed to stay behind in their lockers. Also, pledges were required to pose for anyone who wanted to photograph them. Following the excursion there would be a figure photography competition followed by a public exhibition and fund- raising art auction of the better pictures. Many other photos were posted on the official Four-Beta website, which helped boost web traffic and advertising revenue. The pledges, since they had to be naked anyway, provided very convenient models for the upperclassmen and their cameras. There was a final detail about the trip. All participants, both men and women, were expected to carry their own items and water. To that rule there was one exception. The Four-Beta pledges were not allowed to cover themselves at any time during the hike, which meant they could not carry backpacks. The solution was for the Tri-Alpha pledges to carry supplies for both themselves and a female counterpart. To prevent chafing on their shoulders, the male pledges wore special T-shirts for the trek that were cut off just below the chest. From their ankles to their mid-sections the males were as naked as the females. Everyone in both the fraternity and sorority wondered what Pledge Mistress Tracy would wear on the hike. Since she was committed to living with them, the pledges expected she would go on the hike naked. However, because she was not a pledge, she had to carry her own camping supplies. Her solution was to find an old T-shirt that had become too tight and shorten it to match the shirts the male pledges had to wear. Like the male pledges, she would hike totally bottomless. ---------- The trip started on Saturday at 4:30 when Tracy woke up her group and told them to put on their hiking shoes and grab extra pairs of socks. Tracy picked up her backpack and led her group outside, where the Tri-Alphas' line of rented SUV's was waiting. Each SUV was half-filled with fraternity members, with the remaining seats left open for members of the sorority. The vehicles' occupants would be balanced by sex to encourage more interaction between the men and women. The pledges had expected to ride down together, but Tracy ordered them to split up. Only one pledge was allowed in each vehicle, to force her to converse with upperclassmen and get to know them better. Lisa started towards the SUV at the end of the group, but Tracy stopped her. "I want you in the third one, over there." When Lisa obeyed the Pledge Mistress and entered the vehicle, she saw Ken in the back, and an empty seat next to him. She realized that Tracy had wanted to give her and Ken the opportunity to ride down together and the chance to talk. There conversation would not be private, but still, they could converse about mundane topics and at least get caught up on each other's lives. It turned out they would have a small amount of privacy, because no one else would be sharing the back seat with them. Tracy dragged her backpack to the back of the SUV and put it on the floor next to Lisa. She then ordered a Tri-Alpha to move two more backpacks to the back, effectively blocking access to the seat occupied by Lisa and Ken. As she sat next to her former boyfriend, several thoughts ran through Lisa's mind. It was strange, and also very tempting, to be sitting right next to him with neither of them wearing any clothing. Lisa also was surprised that she was quite happy at the thought of sharing the trip with him. She realized that while she might have thought her relationship with Ken had ended, apparently Tracy did not agree, because she had carefully set up an opportunity for them to spend three hours sitting by themselves. It was obvious that the Pledge Mistress was convinced that Ken and Lisa needed to share as much time together as possible, because this was not the first time she had arranged for them to be together. Lisa wondered what Tracy expected, apart from encouraging her to come to terms with Ken. Did she want Lisa to renew her relationship with him and break off her relationship with Kathleen? The convoy pulled away from the Four-Beta house and within a few minutes was headed south on an Interstate. The sky already was getting light as the vehicles passed out of the suburbs and into the open countryside of central Illinois. Although most of the vehicles had a naked occupant, there would be no problems with other drivers because the windows in the back were tinted. It was very strange to ride along the freeway, totally naked, and watch trucks, busses, and minivans full of unsuspecting families pass by. Lisa took advantage of her situation to talk to Ken about what he had done over the past two weeks. She always had enjoyed talking to him and was genuinely concerned about how he was coping with his sexual confusion and struggles. She also wondered how the Tri-Alpha pledge group was doing, given that she had only seen them from a distance since their week at the sorority house. Ken related that Pledge Master Arnold had offered his resignation upon returning to the fraternity and the directorate considered his request to be relieved of his duty. In the end the chapter president decided that, if he could draw up a training plan for the pledges and submit it for approval, he would prefer that Arnold continue as Pledge Master. Arnold e-mailed Tracy, who responded by sending him a copy of her own training plan. Arnold made a few modifications and submitted it. The crisis passed, and Arnold returned to his position in the Tri- Alpha directorate. During the week Bernadette was struggling to overcome the stadium stair challenge, the Tri-Alpha pledges received a series of classes in male sexual awareness. There had been some lessons and practical exercises in masturbation techniques, followed by lessons on anal sex and anal stimulation. The session concluded with two live demonstrations of anal sex. The first one was given by a Tri-Alpha member and his girlfriend. The second demonstration was given by a gay couple, both of whom were Tri-Alpha juniors. Following the demonstrations, the Tri-Alpha pledges were offered the opportunity to participate in practical exercises. The practical exercises were voluntary, one of the few times the Tri-Alpha pledges had a chance to turn down a portion of their training. Of the five remaining pledges, three, including Ken, decided to participate. The volunteers were paired off with upperclassmen and were given the choice to experience anal stimulation by hand, anal stimulation with sex toys, and anal intercourse. Ken volunteered for everything, determined once and for all to find out if he was gay or not. He discovered that he liked having his bottom rubbed and his sphincter stimulated by hand. However, he was surprised to find out that he did not enjoy being entered by a male partner. In fact, he found the experience very disappointing, comparing it to feeling badly constipated. Ken somewhat more enjoyed the experience of entering his practical exercise partner, but had trouble achieving an erection until he fantasized about Jason. Once he was able to focus on that increasingly vague vision of his friend, he was able to push into the other guy's bottom and enjoy a decent orgasm. He found the experience somewhat similar to his lovemaking with Bernadette. He was able to perform only when he became detached from what he was doing at the moment. That was it for Ken's curiosity. After several years of wondering, now he knew what having sex with another man was like from personal experience. He had discovered that, while he found some of what he did pleasurable, his orgasms with his practical exercise partner did not come anywhere close to the orgasms he had enjoyed with Lisa. "Looks like I'm back to square one," he noted sadly. ---------- By 7:30 the convoy was passing through forested hills as the trip was nearing it's destination. Lisa chatted about her own experiences; the story behind her thong, Bernadette's struggles on the stadium stairs, and the pre-dawn streaking adventures with Tracy. She gave a partial explanation about Tracy's lack of attire and mentioned that she now was sleeping in the basement with her pledge group. There were several significant details about her life that Lisa chose to omit, including the impending confrontation between Heather and Tracy. A much more important omission was her sexual relationship with Kathleen. She decided not to bring that up, because she no longer was convinced her relationship with Ken had ended. She thought about his comment "looks like I'm back to square one." Did that mean "square one" with her? What about Lisa's thoughts on the matter? Was she willing to go back to "square one" with Ken? If that happened, what would that mean for her relationship with Kathleen? ---------- The trailhead had a small parking lot with 16 spaces. The Tri-Alpha convoy had 16 vehicles, which meant all spaces would be taken over the weekend and no one else would be likely to use the trail. Just to be on the safe side, the fraternity had contacted a forest ranger and had made private arrangements to reserve the entire lot until the fraternity vehicles were parked. The walk itself was not particularly hard for Lisa and her companions. The group passed through stands of old-growth forest mixed with meadows and open woodland. As the pledges walked, the photography enthusiasts took numerous pictures of both the group and of them individually. Some of the pictures were posed, others were taken while they were walking. While the Four-Beta pledges enjoyed their walk totally unencumbered, the same could not be said for their male counterparts. The guys sweat heavily under their backpacks, weighted down with double-loads of camping equipment and water. Nine miles was a long way to go, but fortunately the Tri-Alpha pledges had spent the past month getting into shape and were up to the task being thrust upon them. Even the guy Heather targeted had made remarkable progress shaping up over the past five weeks. He still was slightly overweight, but certainly no one apart from Heather would feel justified calling him "fat bitch" and "blubber boy". Tracy led her group stoically carrying her backpack, sticking close to the pledges and keeping an eye on Heather. Hiking with a backpack was nothing new to her, although she felt very uneasy about her lack of attire. She wondered if there really was any point to what she was doing, pursuing her strange idea of living like a pledge because she was so determined to watch over her group. Was all this really necessary? Oh, well, nothing she could do about it now, even if she wanted to. Like the pledges, she had left her clothing behind at the sorority house and was committed to spending the next day and a half wearing nothing but her shoes and cut-off T-shirt. During the walk, Kathleen's behavior surprised her companions. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself as the journey progressed. Most of her shyness wore off as she had a chance to show off her physical fitness. For the benefit of the cameras and an approving audience she ran and did summersaults across open meadows, jumped over logs and rocks, climbed several trees, and even scaled a rock-face. Of the four pledges, Kathleen's athletic abilities made her the favorite subject among the photographers. Lisa noted that her lover liked showing off and the open sunny environment had made her quite cheerful. While Kathleen jumped around for the cameras, Bernadette and Cherine walked at a relaxed pace and chatted about their lives. After the first rest break Tri-Alpha Vice President Jacob joined them and began chatting with Cherine. Bernadette realized, as she noted Cherine's starry-eyed expression, that she should gracefully exit the conversation. She excused herself and moved ahead a few steps to join Tracy. With Bernadette absent, Cherine and Jacob finally had a few minutes together to start getting to know each other. She was extraordinarily nervous, not only because she finally had the chance to talk to the guy she had been fantasizing about, but also because she was naked. Granted, she had been naked most of the time over the past month and a half and was used to it, but now she was confronted with the presence of a man she badly wanted to impress. How could he take her seriously if she wasn't even allowed to wear any clothes? Jacob did take Cherine seriously, very seriously. As June went by and he caught brief glimpses of her, the pledge filled his thoughts and desires. He couldn't explain, even to himself, why he wanted her so badly. As for her nakedness, seeing her body had the opposite effect on him than she thought. Cherine's nakedness only enhanced her innocence in his eyes, because in her unadorned body he saw a pure and unencumbered soul. Precisely because she was denied the accessories of modern civilization and was presented to him as God had made her, he was able to idealize her. It was a strange coincidence that the snack for the pledges for the half-way rest stop was apples. Tracy passed out an apple to each member of her group. Cherine took an extra apple and offered it to Jacob. To see that lovely young woman in her naked innocence offering him an apple made Cherine the true reincarnation of Eve. Fortunately for the VP's aspirations, he was good at casual conversation and at getting other people to put themselves at ease by talking about their lives. He used that talent on Cherine and was rewarded with a lot of information about her family, her ambitions, and her reasons for joining the Four-Beta sorority. Cherine talked about her friendship with Bernadette and her changing opinion of her Pledge Mistress. As the miles passed and the day grew hotter the conversation became more two-way, as he talked about his own pledging experience with the Tri-Alphas and his years as an officer in the fraternity. He became class leader when he was a sophomore, then Social Director as a junior, and finally VP as a senior. Jacob answered one of Cherine's questions before she had a chance to ask it. As he talked about his studies, he mentioned that he planned to attend graduate school at the same university. He had not yet decided whether he wanted to seek the chapter presidency of the fraternity, although he did want to continue serving in the directorate. Lisa and Ken continued their conversation as they walked together. She realized that pledging with the fraternity had been an enormously beneficial experience for him, because he had been able to explore some of the questions he had about himself and what he wanted from his life. There were plenty of hints that he wanted to get back together with her, but there also were plenty of hints that something was still missing. He needed something more, but wasn't sure what. ---------- At the half-way point there was a pond with a small beach and a couple of picnic tables. It was a good spot to rest, take a short swim, and have a snack and some water. Up until that moment only the pledges had been naked, but most of the fraternity and sorority members stripped to go into the water. The nudity rule about the sorority's pool applied for the pond; no one was allowed to swim unless completely naked. After swimming many of the members of the expedition sat on towels at the picnic tables, enjoying the sun on their bare bodies and resting up for the final portion of the trip. When the group started hiking again, the amount of clothing they were wearing had diminished considerably. About half of the Tri-Alphas continued the journey completely naked, along with 9 of the sorority's members. President Alexandra's outfit was reduced to a sports bra and panties, while Heather stripped completely. Also completing the trip in the nude were Tri-Alpha Vice-President Jacob and Pledge Master Arnold. Jacob had decided to complete the trek in the nude partially to put Cherine at ease by making her see him more as an equal. Seeing him wearing nothing but his backpack did not put her at ease, however. Instead, seeing him in his entirety filled Cherine with sexual desire. She very badly wanted to touch him…and…give up her virginity. Unfortunately, on that trip a sexual encounter was not to be, because of the prohibition on sex between pledges and fraternity members. No matter what feelings or desires they might have had, they would have to wait another six weeks. The presence of Cherine complicated Jacob's life and put his self-control to the test. He couldn't make love to the pledge, but he was determined not to do anything that would hurt her feelings or jeopardize whatever relationship he had pending with her. That meant he could not risk making love to anyone else on the trip. He worried that various women in the sorority would want to spend some time with him, but he would just have to let them know that he preferred to be with Cherine, and no longer was interested in anyone else. The group arrived at the overnight campsite at 1:00 in the afternoon. The site was an actual campground that overlooked a small lake and included amenities such as barbeque pits, benches, and a small beach. Upon arriving, everyone who was not yet naked got undressed and stowed their clothing in their backpacks. The hike was clothing optional, but tradition mandated that the overnight camping was a nude event. The fraternity and sorority members spent the next hour setting up several group tents, a volleyball net, and finally, several two-person tents. There was a quick lecture on avoiding hazards such as ticks and poison ivy, with the comment that, because the group was naked, poison ivy was a much worse hazard than ticks. "If a tick gets on you, you'll see it and feel it right away. That's a big advantage about not wearing any clothing out here, there's nowhere for them to hide. Of course, your skin isn't protected, either, so be very careful about what you brush up against." Once the group was released, most of the fraternity and sorority members headed straight for the water. A few paired off and disappeared into the woods or into one of the tents, and a few others started an impromptu volleyball game. There was another tradition that was mandatory for anyone who was good at running. Tracy grabbed Kathleen and three sophomores before meeting up with Pledge Master Arnold and four members of his fraternity. There was a race challenge for the best runners; a five-mile path that climbed a hill before circling the lake and returning to the campsite. The runners were expected to complete that challenge, the reward for participating being not having to do any further chores at the campsite. For the winner there was an additional reward, being excused from having to do any chores the following week. Certainly that was motivation for Kathleen, who was thrilled at the prospect of a break from her onerous daily duties as a pledge. Five miles of running in exchange for not having to do any chores for a week? Oh yes! Tracy had thought about having Lisa participate in the run as well, given that Lisa was the winner of the women's division of the Tri-Alpha nude 10-K run the previous fall. She'd make a good runner, but there was no way she'd win against Kathleen. Besides, Lisa needed a break and perhaps some additional time to spend with Ken. Tracy decided not to include Lisa in the race, but decided to run herself, to see if she had any hope of keeping up with Kathleen. At 2:30, wearing nothing but cross-country shoes, the runners took off towards the hill and disappeared into the forest. With Tracy and Kathleen gone, Cherine with Jacob, and Bernadette swimming in the lake with the sophomores, Lisa realized the Pledge Mistress had given her what she most needed, an hour to be alone with Ken. She lost no time finding him and tapping him on the shoulder. The only comment she had was: "Let's go back to square one." Ken followed Lisa away from the campsite, not really sure what she meant by her last statement. They walked nearly a mile before she found what she was looking for, a place to sit down. What she discovered was perfect for her purposes, an abandoned side trail with an old stone bench that was out of site from the main trail. Lisa sat down, and suddenly Ken understood what "square one" meant to Lisa. She wanted to go back to that evening, nearly a year before, when he lost a game of strip Poker and had to go over her lap for a hand spanking as one of his penalties. Although they were not yet going out, last September's hand spanking was one of the most sensuous experiences of his life, something that filled his fantasies for weeks afterwards. Ken was not sure what Lisa planned to do was exactly what he wanted, but he compliantly settled over her lap, figuring it was worth a try. She was trying to reach out to him, trying to figure out what he needed. She was making the attempt, something that no one else in Ken's life had ever done for him. She did not start spanking right away. Instead she massaged his bottom, taking her time to stimulate his skin with gentle touches and caresses with her fingertips. Within a very short time his posture relaxed, as he began to enjoy what she was doing to him. To his more comfortable posture there was an important exception: she felt his penis stiffening against her thigh. His organ became harder and harder, which surprised her. She had not yet started to spank him and yet he was just as aroused as he was when she had severely whipped him in the spring. She had made a very important discovery about him. It wasn't the pain that excited him; it was the submission, the act of surrendering control of himself to someone else. Lisa started spanking Ken, but the spanking was nothing like his last punishment back in May. She spanked him gently and sensuously, taking her time to massage and stimulate his bottom cheeks between slaps. His bottom would not bear the marks from a severe punishment, but instead the faint pink of an experience that was much more stimulating than painful. As the spanking continued, his penis pressed ever harder into her leg. "I really don't know what I'm gonna do with you, Ken, I really don't know. This cute bottom of yours is so naughty, but I 'spose even naughty bottoms need love." With that she leaned down to kiss him, which only made his erection start to pulsate. She realized he was ready. Lisa ordered him to get up. She got on her hands and knees on the bench, lewdly exposing herself and begging to be entered. He wasted no time pushing in, thrusting vigorously…just like old times…oh yes…just like old times… There was one important difference. Ken's thoughts at that moment were on Lisa. For the first time what was on his mind matched what he was doing. Making love to her in the woods that afternoon was one of the most honest things Ken ever did. ---------- Reeking of sweat and orgasm, Lisa and Ken walked back towards the lake. Instead of going straight back to the main campsite they took a detour, pulled off their shoes, and jumped in the water. Once they were reasonably clean, they picked up their shoes and waded along the shore to the main campsite. Already there was a smell of barbeque and the sound of cheering. Lisa was just in time to see Kathleen sitting on the shoulders of two Tri-Alphas, smiling shyly and giving a "victory" sign with her hands. It turned out that she had won the footrace, even beating her male competitors. Cherine and Bernadette were in the audience, enthusiastically cheering for their fellow pledge. Tracy stood with them, exhausted but happy that now she knew who was going to run the Tri- Alpha nude 10-K race next September on behalf of the Four-Beta Sorority. There were some other games that afternoon, the most important of which was naked twister. The twister games each had four players, two men and two women. The games were played very seriously, because according to the rules the winner of each round had absolute control over the losers, including the right to demand sexual favors, for the following 60 minutes. Lisa was amazed as she watched President Alexandra participate in a game of twister and lose to a Tri-Alpha sophomore. The sophomore, dumbfounded at his extraordinary luck, quickly got rid of the game's other two losers and forced the Four-Beta president to kneel while he took several pictures. He then ordered her to put her hands behind her head and follow him away from the campsite. The imposing Four-Beta chapter president was due for a nice over the lap spanking, followed by a round of sex. Yes, Alexandra might have been the most important member of her sorority, but she had just lost a competition and had no more rights than any of the other losers. As she always said in such situations, "if you can't pay, then don't play". Later, Lisa wondered if Alexandra had lost on purpose, just to have a chance to step out of her role for a few minutes and submit to someone else. In the next round of twister Bernadette came out the winner, defeating two Tri- Alphas and a Four-Beta junior. In Bernadette's case, the rule against sex between sorority pledges and fraternity members had to be suspended so she could claim her victory. There was no risk of her being victimized, because she was the one who had won temporary ownership of her three competitors. Once she was assured she could do what she wanted with her new servants, she dismissed the Four-Beta junior. She was only interested in the men. She ordered them to bring her a picnic blanket, a paddle, and some condoms. She made them kneel and kiss her shoes before directing them to stand up and follow her into the woods. There was no doubt Pledge Bernadette was getting the hang of being a Four-Beta. ---------- Following a very late dinner, the members of the camping party gathered around a large bonfire for yet another public spectacle, midnight tribal dancing. The six Tri-Alpha officers pounded improvised drums while the Four-Beta officers gave a performance that exceeded anything in that style that Lisa ever saw on stage. The six naked sorority officers performed very strenuous movements for over 40 minutes, their sweaty bodies moving in harmony around the fire as the drums pounded and the crowd of spectators clapped and chanted. Lisa later learned that tribal dancing was a tradition for the sorority and that knowing how to do it well was a prerequisite for running for a position as a Four- Beta officer. The performance was an important part of any camping trip, something that the sorority officers had to prepare for in secret. Even Tracy and Heather had to put aside their differences for the dance. A proper performance came before everything, even ahead of a nasty personal feud. The next day the two officers would continue their rivalry, but that night they worked together as their undulating bodies complimented each other in the eerie fire-lit summer night. ---------- Lisa and Kathleen finally got into a sleeping bag at 1:30 in the morning. Lisa had thought that they would be sleeping in one of the communal tents, but Kathleen had made arrangements to get them one of the smaller tents designed for two people. As a pledge, ordinarily she could not have made such a request, but because she had won the footrace President Alexandra granted her one of the smaller tents. Lisa rewarded her lover with a pleasant orgasm, although she wanted to keep things quiet and somewhat restrained. There was no spanking, and Lisa did not want to lick her lover's bottom-hole because she did not have the chance to properly clean up. However, after nearly two weeks of going without sex, Kathleen was very happy with finally having the chance to make love to Lisa. The day had been truly wonderful for her; an enjoyable hike, swimming, winning that race, the entertainment from the sorority officers, and finally a love-making session with Lisa. Very happy, she fell asleep in her lover's arms. Lisa waited for the sound of Kathleen's breathing to change so she could slip out of the tent without waking her. She wasn't yet sleepy and wanted to take advantage of the quiet night to go for one final swim. She put on her shoes, exited the tent, closed the entrance, and made her way through the dark to the flat moonlit surface of the lake. She groped her way to the beach and slipped into the water. It was cold at first, but as she swam out to the center of the silent lake her body became used to the temperature. Lisa knew that what she was doing was not smart. If anything went wrong she would go under the surface and no one would see her. However, that night she had been seduced by the lake, drawn into the water so she could be forced to reflect on what was happening and put her thoughts in order. She spent several minutes swimming and floating, enjoying the quiet and darkness of her surroundings. Finally she felt enough at peace to work her way back towards the shore. She swam in far enough to put her feet on the bottom of the lake and satisfy her nagging conscience. There. Now my feet are planted on firm ground and I won't drown. Happy? With just her head sticking out of the water, Lisa reflected on her situation. The day had been a momentous one for her, because she had begun the important task of fixing her relationship with Ken. She also was very relieved to find out that he had experimented with other guys and had not found the experience as enjoyable as he was expecting. That disappointment put him back at "square one", in other words, back with her. She was pleased about that, because she had missed him more than she cared to admit. Whatever his faults, he still belonged to her. With Ken still on her mind, Lisa shivered as she left the water. She grabbed a towel that someone had left out to dry, wiped off her body, and put on her shoes before finding her way to the tent she was sharing with Kathleen. She was quite cold, and was grateful to get into a sleeping bag with her lover's warmth. At that moment Lisa did not see the extreme irony of her situation: thinking about Ken while getting into a sleeping bag with Kathleen. ---------- The following morning's routine was very relaxed, because the first group meeting for the campers was at 11:00. Until then everyone was free to sleep, swim, hike, explore the lake, play volleyball, or go off in the woods to have sex. The majority of the campers slept until about 9:00, then made their way to lake to rinse off. Lisa and Kathleen slept until 9:30, before finding Bernadette and Cherine to join the Tri-Alpha pledges for a swim. After getting out of the water, the pledges, with the exception of Kathleen, had to report to the cooking tent to help set up lunch. Kathleen was left with nothing to do, so she returned to the lake and quietly sat on the shore. At 10:30 Pledge Master Arnold blew a whistle as a warning that everyone needed to return to the base camp within 30 minutes. At 10:45 he blew his whistle a second time, and at 10:55 he blew it for the third and final warning. Lisa noticed Tracy carrying several willow switches that had been cleaned and soaked in water. She asked Elaine, the leader of the sophomores, what was going on. "When you have a group as large as what we've got here, there's always some idiot who doesn't make it back in time for the midday meeting. So, whoever's not at the meeting gets their butt whipped." At 11:00 the presidents of the fraternity and the sorority stood together on a picnic table and ordered a head count of their parties. The campers organized by sex and by class, to allow the class leaders to make sure all their groups' members were present. President Alexandra called out: "Sergeant-at-Arms Heather!" "Yes, President Alexandra!" "Roll call!" "All seniors present or accounted for, President Alexandra!" "Junior class leader Shannon!" "Yes, President Alexandra!" "Roll call!" "Two juniors missing, President Alexandra! Michelle and Carrie not present!" "Noted, two juniors missing. Sophomore class leader Elaine!" "Yes, President Alexandra!" "Roll call!" "All sophomores present or accounted for, President Alexandra!" "Pledge Mistress Tracy!" "Yes, President Alexandra!" "Roll call!" "All pledges present, President Alexandra!" The same process was repeated for the Tri-Alpha Fraternity, but fortunately none of their members were missing. The next priority was determining what had happened to the two missing Four-Beta juniors. The last anyone had seen of them was earlier that morning when they left to go for a walk. They no longer were at the campsite and had to be found before the group could start back. While everyone else ate lunch and began cleaning up the campground, the Tri- Alpha seniors set out to find the two missing women. After an hour, they returned with the wayward Four-Betas. The two women were covered with mud, had scratches on their legs, and wore very sad expressions on their faces. It turned out they had left the main trail to climb a hill and take some pictures, only to get lost on their way down and wander into a swamp. They managed to get out of the water but were totally disoriented when they finally returned to the main trail. They heard the first whistle from base camp at 10:30, but panicked and took off in the wrong direction. They were still going the wrong way when the Tri- Alphas found them. The seniors who rescued the two women ordered them to rinse off in the lake before they cleaned and disinfected their scratches. After the two wayward Four- Betas were clean and their injuries treated, the Tri-Alphas handcuffed them and ordered them to kneel on one of the picnic tables. President Alexandra announced the verdict. Michelle and Carrie had missed the midday assembly because of their careless behavior in the forest. For that offense, and for disregarding several safety rules, they faced corporal punishment. Each woman would receive one stroke of the willow switch from every member of the Tri-Alpha team that rescued her. Michelle went first. Without saying anything, she got off her knees and was helped off the picnic table. Arnold unlocked her handcuffs and directed her to bend over the end of a second picnic table. Once she lying over the table, he told her to grip the other end with her hands and spread her feet. She was to stay in that position until the punishment was finished; if she let go of the table or tried putting her feet together, she would be tied and the punishment would start over. As the Tri-Alpha seniors lined up next to the offender, Tracy waved three of the willow switches she was carrying to shake off the extra water. She handed them to Pledge Master Arnold, who in turn passed one of the switches to Vice- President Jacob. The VP quickly positioned himself behind Michelle, tapped her with the switch, and sharply struck at the base of her bottom-cheeks. Upon feeling the first blow, she let out a faint whimper, but did her best to stay quiet. Jacob handed the switch to the next senior, who positioned himself and laid another thin welt across the Four-Beta junior's backside. Arnold noted the first switch was starting to fray after the sixth stroke and passed the seventh member of his group a fresh switch. There were 18 seniors total, which meant that Michelle's bare bottom was marked with 18 thin red lines. The switching went fairly quickly and was over within 15 minutes. However, after the final stroke it was clear that Michelle was in a lot of pain and struggling not to let go of the table and risk extra strokes. Pledge Master Arnold gave her a few minutes to recover and handed her a cup of water before ordering her to stand up. Her punishment was not over, because she had climb up on another picnic table. Until her companion's switching was finished she had to remain standing with her feet spread and her hands behind her head. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, but she dared not move until she was released. Carrie's self discipline came nowhere close to Michelle's. She cried pitifully starting with the first stroke. After the fifth stroke she tried to cover her bottom with her hands, only to be tied to the table and forced to start over. She received a total of 23 strokes and was left tied up and sobbing while the expedition's other members finished getting ready for the hike back. Michelle, on the other hand, was allowed to get down from her picnic table and help with packing one of the tents. Her punishment was over and she was allowed to re-join her classmates. Lisa thought Michelle and Carrie had been treated rather harshly and commented her thought to Elaine. The sophomore disagreed: "Pledge Lisa, we're on a very tight schedule. We can't leave until everyone's back, and if they weren't so strict about the meeting, we would've had 10 or 20 people wandering around instead of just two. We've got to be out of here by 1:00, so we can be back at the parking lot before 5:00, so we can get back in the house by 9:00. How're we supposed to do all that if everyone's not ready to leave on time?" "I 'spose that's true, ma'am." "Anyhow, those two shouldn't have gone wandering off like that, without even bothering to tell anyone where they were going. And they knew what was gonna happen if they weren't back here by 11:00. It's not as though it's any big secret." ---------- The hike back to the parking lot started at 1:00, right on schedule. It was rather hot and Lisa noticed the expedition's members were wearing much less clothing on the return trip. Over half of the Tri-Alphas walked the entire nine miles totally naked, along with 27 members of the sorority. Jacob was among the naked Tri- Alphas, walking with an equally naked Pledge Cherine. Michelle and Carrie also were forced to hike in the nude, as part of their punishment. Even President Alexandra hiked completely uncovered, as part of her forfeit from the previous day's loss playing twister. Upon returning to the parking lot, all of the fraternity and sorority members got dressed, with the exception of the pledges and the two wayward Four-Beta juniors. Michelle and Carrie faced several more days of exposure, because once they were back in the sorority house they would not be allowed to cover their bottoms until their welts were completely healed. Tracy ordered the Four-Beta pledges to get into separate vehicles so they could continue to socialize with upperclassmen on the way back. To Lisa's dismay, Ken was assigned to a different vehicle, as was Kathleen. Tracy was determined that Lisa would ride back with people she didn't know very well so she could converse with them. Pledge Cherine rode back with the Tri-Alpha officers. Letting her travel with the top members of the fraternity was not what the Pledge Mistress had intended, but Jacob wanted her to sit with him. Tracy was not at all pleased about the blatant display of favoritism, but unfortunately the wishes of the VP overrode anything she might have wanted for her pledge. ---------- The SUV's returned to the Four-Beta house shortly before 9:00, right on schedule. The fraternity members off-loaded the tents and other camping equipment and carried everything into the back yard of the sorority. It would be the duty of the sorority to clean the equipment, while the Tri-Alphas took care of washing and returning the vehicles. Lisa sighed upon seeing the mountain of camping gear piled on the back porch, because she knew that the responsibility of cleaning it would fall mostly on the pledges. The first priority, however, was showering, checking for ticks, and going to bed. The following day was Monday, the start of yet another week of classes. Tracy warned the pledges that she expected them to be in their cots with their eyes closed no later than 10:00. Bernadette and Cherine did not have to be told to go to sleep; they were so tired that they drifted off within minutes of lying down. Lisa was the last member of the group to brush her teeth and crawl into her cot, but she noticed Kathleen was still awake. Without saying anything, she got up to give her lover a goodnight kiss and squeeze her hand. Kathleen drifted off to sleep and Lisa made it back to her cot just before Tracy entered the room. Lisa had greatly enjoyed the camping trip, even though it had done nothing to simplify her personal life or her romantic pursuits. Within a 12-hour period she had made love with two different people, but she did not feel guilty about that. She rationalized that she was not cheating, because she did not see her lovers as directly competing against each other. They were not the same sex, their needs were very different, and what she needed from each of them was different. Also, neither was innocent or inexperienced. Ken had just experimented with gay sex while Kathleen had various lovers before she met Lisa. Both of Lisa's love interests were imperfect, troubled individuals who needed her support. She saw herself as deeply caring for both of them and obliged to bring sexual fulfillment into their lives. In the back of her mind Lisa understood that someday she would have to choose between Ken and Kathleen. However, she reasoned with herself that day of reckoning was years away and thus not something that needed to concern her at the moment. Perhaps there would be a tense moment or two, but as long as she could compartmentalize her life and keep her lovers separate from each other, there was no reason why she couldn't continue both relationships.