CHAPTER ONE

An Answer to a Maiden's Prayer

 

You'd have thought that, when a twenty-nine year old woman can combine a tall heart stopping redheaded body with a Master's degree in Business Studies and a senior management job with salary to match, she would think the world a wonderful place. But Kath sat and sipped the generous brandy that Jane had poured her after the equally generous dinner they had enjoyed together and fretted.

"I ought to be on top of the world," she grumbled gently to herself, "with nothing but bright thoughts about the future. When I first came to this town, three years ago, I thought I was really going places. I got the job under control in no time flat and I've been doing it very well ever since. I've got myself into shape too, and in fact I feel pretty good about my body. I've started playing squash again, and I have a good social life." She smiled and winked at her companion. "I've even met one or two men who understand at least the rudiments of sex, not that I'm in the market for any real commitment at this time. There's still something that nags at me, though."

Jane shook her head. "Can't see what you've got to worry about. Seems to me you've got it made."

Kath shrugged. "The thing is, I've got a pretty senior job for a woman of my age, but I've got this nasty feeling that I'm just not going to get much further. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel I've been passed over yet, far from it, but I've been keeping my eyes and ears open, and listening to the hints and clues that I get from people I meet, and it seems obvious to me that the jobs and promotions just don't go to the people who are obviously best qualified. It's not just my own bureau, I've talked to people in several other firms and they all agree."

Jane threw up her hands. "So what's new about sex discrimination?"

"Oh, it's not just the usual women's thing," Kath returned. "Plenty of good men get passed over in favour of people with no apparent claim other than being part of a small, influential group who seem to know and influence everything that moves in this town. No I'm pretty certain that what we're looking at here is the Masons. In a provincial City like this, they seem to have promotions, contracts, advance knowledge of every kind of plan for the future, all sewn up. The really killing thing is that I can't even say 'if you can't beat them, join them' as there's no way in for women. I'd submit to any kind of ordeal or initiation you can think of if I could be one of their 'in' group but I'm never going to have the chance. If only there was a Sisterhood to match the Brotherhood."

Jane hesitated a moment. "You know ... you might just get lucky. Time for a heart to heart, I think, although I'm jumping the gun a bit. We've had our eye on you for some time now and somebody, probably me, would have been getting in touch in the near future, so here goes." She fixed her gaze directly on Kath's face as if to reinforce her credibility. "There is a Sisterhood, you know ... just as you've mentioned. It's formal name is 'The Daughters of ISIS', but usually we call ourselves 'The Cats', partly because in ancient days cats were associated with the worship of the Goddess and mainly because we've got some sense of humour left, despite being deadly serious about other things."

"Anyway," she continued "the idea behind it all is to provide women with just those kind of advantages men can get from the Masons. We pass each other advance notice of contracts and job opportunities that come up, recommend suitably qualified women we know to those in a position to influence appointments and generally try to redress the balance. Like them, we're secretive and we have our rules and rituals, only where theirs are woven around the building of the Temple, ours, as you will have gathered from the name, are based on the worship of the Goddess ISIS. Like them, we have an apprenticeship and ordeals and initiations, but we call our probationary period a Novitiate and ...," Jane hesitated slightly "... our - er - ordeals and initiations are far more severe than theirs in keeping with what we think of as our higher ideals. We insist on very high standards of behaviour in both our business and our private lives and we have a discipline committee to enforce them."

Kath was wide-eyed. "What do you mean by ordeals and discipline ... and how do you manage to enforce them in such a secret and unofficial organization?"

Jane suddenly looked very anxious. "First off, Kath, you've got to promise me that you'll never breathe a word of this to a living soul. It's not that I think you'd deliberately try to do mischief but I want to make sure you understand that this is very serious and real harm could come to a lot of leading women in this town if any details of their activities got out."

"Of course I promise. I'm sure you know me well enough by now that you can trust me."

"Yes, that's very true and as I said your name's already come up in the circle as someone who could be trusted and who should be approached in the near future as a possible candidate for initiation." The younger woman took a deep breath." OK. I'll give it to you straight. You've got a fair idea already of what the circle sets out to do for its members and that it expects and enforces a high standard of discipline. It does this by means of corporal punishment and each Cat has to agree to submit to the judgement of the order and to accept all and any punishments awarded. As a pledge of this, and her determination, resolve and worthiness to be a member, she must show at her initiation that she can endure under the rod."

"Oh! Jane. You do disappoint me. It's nothing more than a schoolgirl spanking society."

Jane drew herself up in her chair.

"You're wrong there," she said, stiffly." This is no society for schoolgirls. This is a place for adult, intelligent women. It's a band of sisters who help each other with their professional and social lives in the ways we've covered already, but it's more than that. The rules and standards, although sometimes arbitrary and harsh, give a reference frame, a supporting corset, that helps them resist the pressures that women encounter which, as I'm sure you're only too aware of, are even worse for us than for men, as we have to deal with everything from invisibility to downright discrimination. As to the schoolgirl spankings, I think you'll find that the offerings made to the Goddess, and the punishments by which the standards of the order are enforced, are far beyond any school girl games."

Kath leaned forward and took her friend's hand.

"I'm sorry, Jane. I didn't mean to snigger. It all seemed so unreal and I was knocked off balance to start with, but I really would like to learn more."

Jane began to look very uneasy.

"I don't think that's really on tonight. The truth is I shouldn't have said anything at all at this stage, although you did leave the way wide open, and I wouldn't have done if I wasn't a bit tight, even though your name had come up as someone to be approached in the next few weeks. As it is I can probably look forward to the Discipline Committee burning some painful reminders of duty into my tender bum with a whippy stick. I warn you now, there's nothing schoolgirl about our canes, they're strictly for women. Leave it with me for now and I can guarantee that someone will be getting in touch with you in the next day or two."

It was nearer a week when she had a call from Myra Broomby. Although she had never met her, Kath knew a great deal about her. In her late thirties, Myra had been a power in the town for many years now, and anyone in business was bound to know of her. She had inherited her father's extensive and varied business interests at a very early age and, at a time when young women were thought to be incapable of commercial sense, had confounded the scoffers by taking them on to even greater success.

Kath's surprise was total when Myra asked her if she'd given any further thought to her talk with Jane the previous week, and if she'd like to hear more. It was agreed that Kath would visit the following evening and she spent the next twenty-four hours in a state of peculiar excitement, not unmixed with apprehension, at the thought of what might lie in store for her, bearing in mind Jane's hints about this shadowy organization, to be taken all the more seriously if someone like Myra Broomby was involved.

Myra had declined to go on living in the rather grand out-of-town house that had been her family home, and had created for herself a penthouse suite on the ninth floor of a city centre block that housed some of her commercial enterprises. Kath realised to her surprise that it was just two floors above the women's gym and sauna where she often worked out. She found the discreet private lift and entryphone. The doors opened and seemed to release a dozen large butterflies into her stomach as she stepped into the lift.

She was met at the top by a very attractive woman. Tall, an inch or so more than Kath's own 5' 8", her long blonde hair worn in a loose coil on top of her head and wearing a long, soft, Caftan-like robe whose loose folds failed to conceal the elegance of her figure. Her features combined strength with beauty in a way that would command respect in both men and women and this aura of command was reinforced by the ease and confidence of her carriage as she led Kath to a sitting-room and installed them at opposite ends of a settee.

"I'll take it that, as it a week since you talked to Jane, and twenty-four hours since I called you, and you've still turned up this evening, you like to hear about the Cats."

Kath nodded.

"Yes, but I have to admit that I'm more than a little apprehensive about what I might be letting myself in for, although I feel I can trust Jane and it gives me confidence that you are involved. I know we haven't met before, but I'm sure you know you're much respected in this town."

"That's very flattering but, anyway, I'm glad that you want to know more, although I can understand your misgivings." Myra smiled encouragingly." I think I would be the same if I were in the same position right now."

Kath smiled back, warming to the older woman's friendly approach.

"I'll try and give you some idea of how we operate." Myra continued." You got straight to the heart of one of our main purposes when you talked with Jane of the commercial and career advantages enjoyed by the Masons, and I understand that she satisfied you that we exist largely to provide just such advantages for professional and business women, so I'll say no more about that but concentrate on some of the other facets of the organization."

She paused to sip her drink, and Kath thought it polite to do the same.

"Briefly, we believe that most women can be helped to cope with the stresses and, let's face it, downright discrimination, that we encounter in our working lives, and the assertiveness that we have to develop to overcome them, if we are supported by what you might think of as a moral 'corset'."

A fleeting shadow crossed the younger woman's face and Myra gestured with her hand. "Don't get me wrong, we're not talking sex here. The Order holds that women should be free to express their sexuality in any way they like, subject only to respecting other women's lives and lovers and to not behaving in such a way as to bring the Order or women in general into disrepute. No, I'm talking about an ethos, supported by rules and a Discipline Committee, that gives women some reference points for their behaviour. Mostly very obvious and familiar as part of most codes of human behaviour, some a little peculiar, some verging on the bizarre, but then all religions need their own idiosyncrasies to assert their individual identity."

"Is it really a religious organisation then?" asked Kath.

"Well, as you know, we hang our rituals around the worship of ISIS, but no-one is expected to believe in an ancient Egyptian Goddess. It just seems to us rather apt to take one of the most powerful female deities of all time to represent the package of ethics and rules with which we surround ourselves for mutual support and comfort." She gave a small grin." Besides, most of us find the ritual trappings, the ambience and the costumes on High Days, aesthetically pleasing. We're still feminine enough to enjoy dressing up on occasion"

Kath leaned forward. "So what are these rules that I'd have to obey if I want the benefits of Sisterhood, and what's this discipline I'd have to accept? Jane seemed to indicate it was very physical."

Myra smiled. "Ah. Yes. I can imagine you would have a few questions to ask about that. Well first, as far as rules of behaviour are concerned, they cover everything from a dress code and drunkenness to violence, including language, loyalty to your Sisters, both at work and socially, and frankly, any other matter that from time to time is debated and agreed on by the order. Some of it is quite specific and some of it consists of very general statements of how to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour."

She smiled encouragingly again. "I don't suppose you've noticed anything out of the way about Jane's lifestyle, and she's a member of long-standing, so you can see that the way of life can be adopted by even the liveliest modern woman. It's not something that can be explained in one evening and we require candidates for admission to the Order to spend a ninety day probationary period, under the supervision of a senior member, before they present themselves for initiation as Sisters of the Order. I'll come back to what that involves later but first I want to explain about discipline."

The younger woman stiffened slightly at the word, and Myra leaned forward to fix her eyes directly on Kath's.

"I sense from your reactions that you have difficulty with this, and that puts you on the same footing as just about every other woman who ever contemplated joining the Order, but I can assure you that they all, in the end, come to accept it as a necessary restraint, and indeed to welcome it.

"You know now," she continued," that discipline is enforced by corporal punishment, usually by the application of rod or cane to the offender's bare buttocks, although other instruments and parts are occasionally used if thought appropriate. You spoke to Jane of schoolgirl spankings. Our discipline is much more severe than that."

She paused for emphasis. "It is intended to hurt and it does. It is meant to be a deterrent but, more than that, it is designed to make such a call on a woman's resources that, when she has fought against the agony in her flesh and come through, she regains her feeling of self-worth and can live at peace with her Sisters, once her fault is paid for. We also use this pain, and its accompanying demands on our inner selves, as a pledge and an offering when we enter the Order and when we renew our vows."

She paused to sip her drink again and, perhaps, allow Kath a chance to question her, but the younger woman waited quietly for her to continue.

"Should you decide, after our talk tonight, that you wish to join us, you would be required to return here and take a solemn oath not to betray the secrets of the order and to submit to a first ordeal of six strokes of the cane. You would then be accepted as a Novice of the Order and put with a 'Big Sister' for your ninety days. During this time you would be required to learn the rules and codes of the Order and from time to time be tested on them. During this time, also, you would be expected to demonstrate your capacity for obedience and humility, and to repay your Big Sister for all her efforts, by serving her in any way she chooses."

Kath raised an eyebrow, but held her peace.

"At the end of your ninety days," Myra went on, "if your performance has been satisfactory, you would be eligible to present yourself for initiation as a Sister of the Order at the next Great Festival of the Goddess. This involves various minor rituals, designed to remind everyone of the purpose and spirit of the Order, an oath of obedience to the Order and an ordeal, or offering if you prefer, designed to demonstrate commitment to the Sisterhood and honour the Goddess. Each initiate can choose the nature of her offering, but anything less than twelve strokes with a cane would be thought inadequate."

"So there you have it." she said. "Should you decide to become a Novice, your business life could continue unimpeded, but your social life would be at the discretion of your 'Big Sister'. Also, for those ninety days you would have to forgo sex of any kind. I understand that should present no problem, apart from frustration of course, as you owe no particular commitment to any of the men in your life. To facilitate your training, and the service you will render in payment, you will be required to move in with your 'Big Sister' for the duration. Again, from what I hear, this should be possible without exciting undue comment.

"One last thing," she said in conclusion, "and then you can get a word in. It seems to us appropriate, should you decide to take the plunge, that Jane should be your 'Big Sister'. She's been a member for several years and knows all there is to know about the Order, she's your friend, so it would excite little comment should you decide to move in with her for a while and finally you owe her. I imagine she'll be sitting very gingerly for the next day or two. The Discipline Committee laid a very strict set of purple welts across her bottom last night for telling you about the Order prematurely."

She looked questioningly at Kath, her head a little on one side.

"So do you think you can handle it, Jane, cane and all? You don't have to commit yourself right now, but you can ask any questions if you think they'll help you decide, then go away and sleep on it."

Kath filled her lungs deeply, as if she hadn't dare breathe for the last ten minutes.

"Frankly, I'm stunned, but I really have very little to ask. It will take a little while for the full import of what you've told me to sink in. At the moment I'm a hopeless mixture of fear and anticipation. Dead keen to have a bunch of Sisters and dead scared of the cane, and more particularly, that I might disgrace myself under it. And could I get through the Noviciate? I'm not very good at serving, I'm far too used to giving orders these days, but something inside whispers that it might restore some missing balance in my life. So you can see, just now I'm pretty mixed up. What's the time scale on this thing?"

Myra, who had been watching tensely, looked relieved at her reaction.

"In theory you can take all the time in the world, but it's as well for you to know that, although we have a formal meeting every month, initiations only take place at the four Great Festivals, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The Spring Festival is only about a week away so, if you're going to get your ninety days in before the Summer, you need to make your vows and take your stripes, within the next ten days or so, including making the necessary domestic arrangements and rearranging your social life. Don't worry if you have some existing arrangements, whose cancellation would hurt or embarrass others." She smiled reassuringly. "'Big Sisters' are expected to be implacable with their charges but considerate to others involved."

Kath smiled back. "I think it must be pretty obvious which way my feelings lie, but nevertheless I will sleep on it. Amongst other things, I wouldn't want you to think that I would throw myself into anything so important without thinking it out very carefully. If I still feel the same way in the morning, what should my next step be?"

Myra gave her a look that was almost triumphant.

"Since you already know who your 'Big Sister' would be, she would seem to be the obvious first contact. Once you've made your mind up, go and see Jane and work out all the domestic arrangements. Then, when you're ready to start, the two of you should arrange to come here, where I'll swear you in and receive your first offering of pain, and proof of commitment. I do hope we'll see you soon." Myra drew her close and kissed her cheek.

An hour later Kath lay in her bed while currents of anticipation and fear, excitement and foreboding ran through her body. Gradually she became aware of a spreading warmth between her thighs.