Chapter XXXII: An Assignment and an Argument
Sunday 21 August, continued.
I stood there for a minute, mute, turning things over in my mind. As usual, I knew there was no escape. Sueâs wiles had very effectively rendered me impotent. I could feel her looking at me, and as if she were reading my mind, she added,
âThatâs right, my dear. Thereâs nothing to be done, but smile, and carry on.â
âIâve got to get back to work, unless thereâs anything else,â I responded, heading for the door.
âOh, yes, before you goâŚâ I stopped, but didnât turn round.
âYes?â
âPony training Wednesday and Thursday. Be here no later than nine. Sadie and Clarissa were hoping to have their postponed party this week, but theyâve put if off again for the pleasure of coming to watch you.â
âGreat! Just what I need.â
âAnd Billy asked if he could come too. Isnât that sweet?â
âDid he?â
âYes. Iâve texted him your timetable.â
âAnything else?â
âAll the posters are in place now. The girls have done a great job. Just thought Iâd let you know in case you wonder why youâre already a bit of a celebrity in town. We even got permission to put up a couple in Queen Alexandra. As you know, term doesnât start there till Friday, so the kids will only have one day to make their plans, but I thought that would be better than nothing.â I screwed up my eyes in despair.
âOne more thing. I had an enquiry about you two from a friend of yours. Sheâs booked herself in for the three oâclock session.â
âWho?â
âYouâll see. It can be a little surprise. I think she only wants a chat, but in any case Iâve explained your position here, so make sure you comply willingly with any requests she makes. Okay?â
I grunted and left. I made my way back to the salon. I had to pass through Reception, where one of the gymkhana posters had been hung, reminding me of the coming weekendâs ignominy. Three of the younger grooms were studying it with interest. One of them noticed me.
âLook! Heâs here!â
The other two turned, and all three dissolved in poorly-suppressed laughter.
âGosh, Simon,â said one of them, giggling, âit says here at the bottom that youâve âwillingly volunteered your servicesâ to help the donkey sanctuary. Is that true?â
I almost blurted out the truth, that I had no choice in the matter. Fortunately, I realised just in time that would be the worst thing I could say. Instead I decided that a pretence of virtue might serve me better.
âWell, Mrs Willoughby does a great job with those poor animals. You should go visit her some time. I thought it would be a nice gesture to help, if I could. I like to honour the Scout code in deed as well as word.â
It didnât work. Why would it? They knew the score. All three snorted with mirth.
âYou must really like wearing your pony suit to want to show off to the whole town like that!â said another.
âOh, come on,â grinned the eldest, âeveryone knows you have to do what youâre told around here. You didnât wear your little rubber panties to the show out of charity, did you?â
âBut you do like being dressed in rubber, donât you,â said the first one, curiously. âAre you going to get all coltish in the parade, I wonder?â
âI have to go,â I said, irritated. âIâm very busy today!â
âSee you on Sunday, pony boy!â I heard as I made for the door. âOh â and your kickers are showing, by the way!â In my chagrin I had almost forgotten what I was wearing. Instinctively I reach behind and pulled down my hem, to all appearances just like a self-conscious girl! Gales of laughter followed me as I hastened out of Reception.
It wasnât only the general staff that were enjoying my discomfort. When I got back to the salon, I found Billy waiting for me. The first thing he said was,
âYou saw your costume, then. I wouldnât like to be you, Sim, in the middle of all those little girls! Theyâll just love having a toddler to boss around!â
âI donât care, Billy. At least Iâm not wearing that rubber number you so cleverly disposed of. She suspects something, though. I could tell.â
âSheâll find it eventually. But donât worry. Sheâll think it just fell down the back of its own accord. Weâre in the clear.â He paused. âBut as I was saying, about the party, do you know how many of them there will be? I heard something like twenty! All clamouring to play with the baby!â
âBilly, leave it! Iâll deal with it, all right?â
âAnd from what Sue said to Geraldine, youâll have nappies and plastic pants underneath! Or rubber! She couldnât decide which would be best. And of course, your little rubber bootees! Iâd really like to see what you look like! Do you know if there are going to be any photos?â
âBilly, shut the f*** up, all right?â
âOoh, no need to be so grumpy. I didnât mean to ride you. Not like your littleâŚâ
I grabbed him by his puffy sleeves and shoved him down onto the couch.
âOw! Careful of my dress!â I thrust my face into his.
âLook, Billy, can you just shut up about all this stuff for a minute? Itâs all right for you, waltzing about in your pretty dresses getting admiring glances from all the girls. Think what it must be like for me. Iâm just an object of ridicule at the moment, a butt for all their silly jokes. And youâre not helping! What was the idea of telling everyone about Geraldineâs presents? And why did you ask to come to my pony training?â
âHey, get off me! Let go of my dress!â I released him with a push.
âWell?â
âWell, you did buy her that stuff, didnât you? It is a bit strange, you must admit.â
âSue bought it all, and then charged me for it, and made me give it to her like the whole idea had been mine. Donât you see, it was a calculated act to embarrass me. Typical of her â simple, clever and subtle. And it succeeded, âcos now everyone thinks I have a soft spot for Geraldine.â
âDonât you?â
âSheâs okay. She a normal, nice kid. I donât even want to disappoint her by messing up her plans, even if I could, which I canât, for all reasons you already know. But thatâs it. I have to go along with this stuff now. Thereâs no way out. And you donât seem to realise it yet, but youâre in the same boat. Youâll find out soon enough.â
âMaybe. Maybe not. But you canât blame me for looking after number one. Iâm keeping my head down. Itâs you who are appearing at the gymkhana, and you who have to be the party toddler.â
âDonât you think youâd be at the gymkhana too, if theyâd managed to get your pony suit in time?â
âI donât know. Maybe all that was just a story to make you feel better. As to watching your training, I just wanted to see what they were going to make you do, thatâs all. I had to hear about it second hand last time.â
âOh, Billy, donât be so naĂŻve! Didnât you hear what they said at the meeting? Youâll be allocated Elizabeth More-Burley as a groom. Thatâs how they work. Her mumâs rolling in it. They get to the mothers through the daughters. They give you to Elizabeth as a pony and then her mum will be paying through the nose for you. If itâll increase their profits theyâll let her ride you into the ground! Thatâs quite apart from the pleasure they get from humiliating us.â
âI donât even know this Elizabeth More-Whatsit. Who is she?â
âSheâs a friend of Geraldineâs. Sheâs not as kind and affectionate as Geraldine. Sheâs quite spoilt, I think, and I can imagine sheâs capable of being a bit spiteful, so youâd better hope youâre right and Iâm wrong about their plans.â
Our conversation was brought to a stop by the arrival of our next customer. Miss Greenfield had been a few times before. In her early visits I thought her very proper and demure, but with every subsequent visit her outfits became more and more provocative, so much so that when we knew she was booked in, we were always in a state of keen anticipation. We had often speculated about her intentions, but I was pretty sure she got off on teasing us mercilessly! She was a teacher of some sort, we werenât sure where, and since we werenât allowed to ask questions of the clients, we couldnât find out much about her. She certainly looked like a teacher, right down to her tightly-pinned brown hair and her black-rimmed glasses. She was wearing her most daring outfit to date - riding boots as usual, though she clearly wasnât planning to ride, because when she took off her long coat, she revealed a pleated dark blue leather mini-skirt, short enough to show off the tops of her fishnet stockings and her suspenders, and a tight blouse in black silk which she wore without a bra, so that her nipples were clearly visible. She could have done anything she wanted with us, but her sole object seemed to be to drive us crazy. She was delighted with my outfit, that was obvious.
âSimon, you look so nice today! I love the dress! And the gloves! And you too, Billy. Yes, I will have a coffee, how kind!â
As I worked on her boots she made sure both of us could see up her skirt, which wasnât difficult, especially when she slid forward in the chair and threw one leg over the side! Then I realised why my outfit had pleased her so much â her own panties were also red latex, whether by coincidence or design I had no idea. She saw us staring at them, and actually squirmed with pleasure! She allowed one hand to slide down to her crotch, a movement that could have been interpreted either as modesty or lewdness. Her other hand played with her nipples with studied unconsciousness. She kept up this sort of performance for the entire session, so that by the time she left we were both feeling distinctly agitated.
âPhew!â said Billy, âshe certainly knows how to wind us up, doesnât she?â
âDid you see her panties?â
âI couldnât very well avoid seeing them. And her breasts! I mean, her nipples were so stiff!â
âI wanted to âŚ.â
But at that moment there was a knock at the door. Our mystery client! I couldnât think who it might be. I turned the handle and opened the door slowly. To my horror, standing in the doorway wasâŚSandy, our Scout leader! Instinctively, I grabbed them hem of my dress.
âMay I come in?â
âS-Sandy! How nice toâŚ. Yes, come in!â
âHello Billy. What a pretty dress! Oh, yours too, Simon, of course.â
âW-we werenât expecting you,â stammered Billy, âitâsâŚitâsâŚgreat to see you, though.â
âWell, after camp I did a bit of asking around, and I discovered you guys work here weekends. What a great idea! Boot boys in cosplay! I should have guessed you liked dressing up when I saw you wearing those little shorts so confidently
We stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
âDo you mind if I sit down?â
âNo, of course, Iâm sorry.â I blurted, âPlease, Sandy.â
âIâll just sit on the couch for now.â
She sat down. We stood awkwardly in front of her, like two naughty schoolboys. Well, thatâs what we were, I suppose. She smiled sweetly, looking from one of us to the other.
âIâll tell you why Iâm here, boys. Weâre coming up to the find-raising season, autumn and Christmas. I was wondering whether you would be willing to front some of our projects. I think you could make a huge difference to our campaign. Yes, Iâm thinking of those cute little traditional shorts, but Mrs Dawson tells me you have many, many other costumes available, and she says sheâd be only too happy to lend them to you, and even assist with publicity and organisation. I really couldnât express my gratitude to her in strong enough terms. Sheâs such a kind, caring woman, and she clearly has a soft spot for you two.â
I smiled inwardly at that description, but my outward expression didnât change.
âOf course, Sandy, anything you wantâŚ.â I murmured.
âAnd I discovered yesterday that youâre appearing as âSimon the Ponyâ at the gymkhana next weekend! Youâre so versatile!â
âYeah, well, thatâs just a one-off, I thinkâŚâ
âNo, not according to Mrs Dawson. You and your little groomâŚwhatâs her name?â
âGeraldine!â said Billy, eagerly.
âAh, yes, Geraldine. Thatâs right. Well, Mrs Dawson told me that you â Simon the Pony, that is â and Geraldine will be a permanent act, and she would be quite happy if we borrowed you two for our promotional slash charity events. Isnât that great? Apparently, Geraldine is also a Scout.â
âIs she?â I gasped.
âYes, Mrs Dawson is positive. She saw her in her uniform in town with her mum. Iâm going to get in touch and see if sheâd be willing to help, and find out which troop sheâs in. Iâll let you know how that goes.â
âNoâŚplease...â
âSimon?â
âNoâŚnothingâŚI was just thinking it may be a bit much for Geraldine this autumn. She just starting at Queen Alexandra, you know, and the first term can be quite demandingâŚ.â
âOh, I see. Of course, Iâll be consulting her and her mother before we even think making any plans, but I canât imagine that would be a major problem. Mrs Dawson tells me sheâs very enthusiastic.â
âThatâs true, Sandy,â interjected Billy. âShe just loves being Simonâs groom. Iâll bet sheâll jump at the chance!â
I looked daggers at him.
âWeâll see anyway. As long as youâre up for it, Simon.â
âYeah. And you know Billyâs hoping to get his own pony suit soon. And his own groom, too.â
âReally? Is that true, Billy?â
âNah, not really.â He glared at me. âItâs only an idea. Simonâs the one. Go to the gymkhana and youâll see what I mean.â
âI intend to. Iâm looking forward to it. I never realised you two were so multi-talented. It would be a shame for us to waste all that.â
I sighed. Every time I thought I could see the end of all this on the horizon, the mirage evaporated before my eyes.
âBut I have to go, Iâm afraid. Iâm sorry I canât spend a bit longer with you, and maybe even get a boot-shine! But thereâs a lot of admin to do for the Scouts besides family stuff. Did you know Iâve been appointed to the District Executive Committee, so Iâve got even more responsibility now?â
âThat sounds important.â
âNot really. But I do have more input into fundraising and charity work. So Iâm even more grateful for your commitment. Well, bye bye. Iâll be in touch soon.â
And she hurried out. I turned to Billy.
âLook, Billy, whose side are you on? Itâs enough that theyâre making all these plans for me, without you encouraging them.â
âSorry, Simon. Maybe I should learn to shut up a bit more. But you have to admit, itâs quite exciting,â he smirked, âyou and Geraldine, I meanâŚâ
âOh, go and get stuffed, Billy!â
Not knowing what I was doing, and forgetting I was dressed as a whore, I stormed out of the salon in a huff, slamming the door behind me. I was immediately confronted by a group of girls arriving for their afternoon ride. I froze, and did a quick about-turn.
âBilly! Open the door!â I hissed.
âNo! Stay out there until youâve cooled off!â
âPlease! Iâm sorry. Thereâs loads of people out here!â
âGood! Serves you right!â
I looked round. The girls had stopped, staring. I tried to smile, and look normal, but I was blushing scarlet.
âThatâs the boot boy,â I heard one of them say. âHe cleans my mumâs boots for her. Heâs an idiot!â
âHeâs the pony on those posters! Isnât he?â remarked another.
âYes! Thatâs him!â said a third, recognition dawning.
They stood there, the lot of them, unashamedly taking me in, grinning with delight. Then a woman with a little dog on a lead, who I vaguely recognised as a regular, came up from the car park and joined them.
âCome on girls, whatâs the delay?â Then she saw me. âOh, good lord! Itâs Simon, isnât it?â I nodded, sheepishly. âWhat are you wearing? I think youâd better go back inside. Youâre causing a traffic jam!â
âIâm sorry. Iâve locked myself out.â
âOh, I see. Well come up to Reception with us, then. Donât stand about here.â
I couldnât think of a better strategy, so I followed them up the path. I say âfollowedâ, but as soon as I joined them most of the girls fell back behind so that could get a better view. At last we arrived at Reception, amidst a lot of chattering and giggling.
âGood afternoon, Mrs Cathwick, girls,â said Mary. âSimon! What are you doing here?â
âI got locked out. By Billy.â
âOh, dear. Wait here, then. Iâll call Sue in a moment. Let me deal with the girls first.â
So I had to stand there like a prize exhibit while Mary painstakingly checked all their bookings, holding down the hem of my dress with both hands. Eventually Sue came out of her own accord.
âSimon! What are you doing here?â
I related the story.
âYou know youâre not allowed to leave the salon during the day for any reason?â
âYes, of course I know. I didnât mean to leave! Donât you understand what I said?â
I may have shouted a bit. I was upset.
âI will not tolerate that tone of voice. You know that. Wait here. Your last booking has cancelled in any case, so Iâm going to find something else for you to do.â
She returned a few moments later, holding some white cable-ties and a pair of pliers.
âFollow me!â
She led me down to the gate at the foot of the path.
âFace me.â She put two of the ties around my wrists, over my gloves. She clipped off the ends. âNow put your hands on the top bar of the gate.â
âWhy? What are you doing?â
âJust do it!â
She threaded the second pair of ties through the first ones, and secured them to the bar, again clipping off the ends.
âThere. Now, since you like being out in public in your finery so much, you will stay there for the rest of the day and open and close the gate for everyone. And please welcome everyone that comes in, and say goodbye to everyone who leaves. If you put your fingers over the ties, people wonât realise youâre being punished. You can appear to be a paragon of altruism!â She laughed loudly. âBilly can go home. Iâll let him know.â
âMiss, thatâs not fair!â
âNo, Simon. Itâs not. But itâs such fun!â
She didnât release me until six. It was a horrible experience. Not only was I humiliated, but a few of the grooms, and Iâm sorry to say a couple of the paying customers, also took advantage of my situation to pinch or grope me when no-one was looking. I complained to Sue, but she only said,
âWell, now you know what itâs like, being a little slut! But cheer up. For the next few days you can concentrate on being a pretty little pony instead. Donât be late for training. See you on Wednesday!â
I would have loved to see Simon in his red latex dress. Next time, maybe. Billy kindly gave me a description, though. I guess it looked something like the one in the photo Iâve attached. Stella.