"Kelli! Over here!" Cathy waved from the cafeteria table.

Kelli carried her lunch tray over to the table where Cathy and Paula were sitting. "I didn't want to intrude…"

"Nonsense, sit down. Paula, Kelli is the dietician for our little enclave. Ask her why you can't get jello with fruit cocktail in it." Cathy nodded toward Paula. "She likes that awful yellow stuff."

"I can work it in, Miss Paula, if you really like it…" Kelli began.

Paula held up a hand. "It's just Paula out here. Keep a secret? I hate assignments like that. Sorry if I was rough on you, but you know how it is. Master's orders, I didn't have a choice."

"And it was just our luck to draw the one graduate of our dear alma mater who's probably the most fanatical about obedience." Cathy shook her head. "I was so happy to see you, but then I realized what it meant with you picked to supervise us."

"Now Cathy, you know where I stand…" Paula frowned.

"I know, I know," Cathy interrupted. "No criticism. I think Kelli and I learned to appreciate your view of submission. Not that I'm eager to repeat the experience."

"Second that," Kelli added. "So how's the trip to Vegas? Is it on again?"

"We're leaving tomorrow. Robert has it all planned out. We're going to see Hoover Dam in the afternoon, and later dinner in the gourmet room followed by one of the magic shows. Maybe I can get him to let me play the poker machines afterward."

"What, no lounging around the pool to get a nice tan?" Paula asked.

"I asked, but he won't take this thing off." She put her hands on the belt around her waist, underneath her skirt. "No way I can hide it under a swimsuit."

Paula nodded. "I know how it is. Mike won't take mine off either. At least he'll be back sometime next week. He's in western China, of all places. Some godforsaken desert called the Takla Makan, doing a geologic survey for a possible mine site. He says it's worse than Death Valley in the summer, that's why he wouldn't let me come with."

Kelli had a curious look on her face. "Both of you, you have to wear those, uh, those chastity belts all the time?"

"Most of the time, yes," Cathy explained. "Men, once these get these things on you they are very reluctant to take them off. You'd think they were some kind of control freaks."

"Perish the thought," Paula added with a smile.

Cathy eyed Kelli, noticing she seemed nervous. Unlike the other times they had lunch together this particular day she was wearing a dress instead of her usual jeans. "Kelli? You too?"

She nodded, too embarrassed to answer.

"Hey, it's not so bad. You get used to it after a while." Cathy reassured her. "All it takes is a little practice. No better place than here to get used to, uhh, being covered."

"Covered? Is that what you call it?" Paula laughed. "Kelli? Don't be so self-conscious. You aren't alone. And those times it gets to be a real hassle? Think about what it will be like when he takes it off." Cathy and Paula giggled. Kelli turned red.

"Cathy's wrong about one thing though," Paula continued, "you don't get used to it. It's like a constant low level turn on. Funny thing, it's more of a distraction out here in public, wearing a belt under clothes, than it is on the other side when it's about all we get to wear."

"I know," Kelli said. "Matt surprised me this morning. He wanted me to come with him on his walk in the desert. Then he takes a cardboard box out of the closet and there it is, the same belt I'd been wearing on the other side. He said it makes me look sexy so he wanted me to wear it again. You know how it is; I couldn't say no. I figured we'd go for the walk and then he'd take it off afterward. No such luck; he kissed me goodbye and went to work, leaving me standing in the middle of the living room with no way to get it off. I almost decided to stay home and not go to work today."

"Uh oh," Cathy cautioned her. "Sounds like it's going to be a permanent part of your wardrobe from now on."

"Permanent?!" Kelli asked, panic showing in her expression. "You mean he won't ever take it off?"

Paula answered first. "Don't worry about that. He'll let you out from time to time. Naturally it'll be on his terms. Besides, you can always ask him for the key."

Cathy shook her head. "Yeah, right. Better have a good reason if you do ask. And be prepared to do a little begging too. Making us wear these belts is a real power trip for guys."

"I guess I can live with it. I can tell Matt likes it." Kelli thought for a moment. She didn't want to ask Matt for a key. "As long as it's just around here. I wouldn't want to wear it when we go to the city."

Cathy and Paula looked at each other, silently debating who would break the news. A slight shake of Paula's head told Cathy she was the unlucky winner. "It doesn't work that way, Kelli. Think about what you just said. And remember what you learned these last several weeks."

Kelli puzzled over Cathy's words. "What do you mean? I certainly learned to live with wearing a belt, if that's what you're referring to. But I'd be too embarrassed to wear this thing in public. What if someone saw it? Matt will understand."

Cathy sighed as she shook her head. "No and no. You miss the point. It's not up to you to set conditions. Sure, you can tell him you don't want to wear it in public, but you better have a good reason why. A good reason, not a lame excuse. Trust me, he will not be very sympathetic or understanding." She nodded toward Paula. "Both of us wear belts in public, quite frequently. Yes it can be a hassle, but it has to be done. Robert wants it that way so I do my best. Truth is I get a kick out of it now. Like Paula says, it really is a constant turn on, especially when in a crowd. No one knows the intimate way Robert owns me."

"We were talking about a three day weekend in Los Angeles next week, shopping and maybe the beach." Kelli frowned. "You think Matt might make me wear the belt while we're there?"

"Probably not at the beach," Cathy answered.

"And I'd be very surprised if he leaves it on overnight," Paula added with a wink.

Cathy could tell there was still an unanswered question. "C'mon Kelli, what is it that's really bothering you? Go ahead and ask."

Kelli hesitated, stalling for time by taking a drink from her glass. "Uhh, I know this sounds silly, but do either of you think they make you wear a belt because they suspect you may be cheating on them? Could Matt be doing this because he doesn't trust me?"

Cathy had joked about the same subject with Robert but never considered it a real possibility. She couldn't imagine having some kind of clandestine affair with another man. Glancing across the table she could see Paula was just as surprised at the question.

"No Kelli, I don't think so, and here's why. Think of what you just went through. There's no way you would have volunteered if you had something going on the side.

"I'm not going to ask if you're seeing someone else because I know the answer. We all have something in common. Once we find the right man, the one who really is our master, he gets our unconditional loyalty. We swear allegiance to him and no other. Unless Matt is the insanely jealous type, and I find that hard to believe, he knows you'd never betray him."

Paula picked up on Cathy's answer. "I can vouch for what she's telling you, Kelli. Mike didn't give me a choice either. Same as you, he put it on and didn't take it off. I've had mine on since the day he left for China, and it won't come off until after he gets back. But I know he didn't do it because he's worried I might be sleeping around. He did it for a very simple reason, to let me know he's controlling me even if he can't be here. You have to admit it's difficult to forget he's in charge when you have that little reminder pressing against you all day long."

"But still, what if someone sees the belt. Did it ever happen to you? What did you say?" Kelli knew she couldn't refuse Matt, but she was scared of being caught out.

"What you do," Cathy told her, "is you look that person right in the eye, tell her yes it is a chastity belt, no you don't have the key, and yes you wear it for the man you love even if he is a sexist domineering pig." All three women burst out laughing.

"Her? What if it's a man?" Kelli looked back and forth between her two table companions. Equals now, she realized, united by a common purpose in life. She had been impressed by the confidence Cathy showed when she spoke; now she understood where it came from.

"Men won't say anything. And if a guy did say something, it probably would be how lucky that sexist pig is with the key. Look Kelli, don't worry about it. You don't have to answer to anyone but Matt. You know you're doing the right thing, for the two of you. It doesn't make any difference what someone else thinks or says." Cathy paused for a moment before continuing. "You just put yourself through what anyone would agree is a most unpleasant experience, and you did it for Matt as much as for yourself. When you tell him you'll do anything for him, he has no doubt you mean it."

"One other point," Paula added, "if someone criticizes you for being the kind of women we are, ask yourself what's behind it. Envy, that you can do what she can't? Or jealousy, because you're right where you want to be, with the man you love, and she can't find the same?"

"Envy me?" The idea had never occurred to Kelli. "Why would anyone be envious of me?"

"Because you have a great guy in your life, and the two of you grow closer every day? Who wouldn't want the same?" Paula pointed her fork at Kelli. "Don't underestimate what you bring to the relationship. You've learned how to fit your own life with Matt's, not to compete with him but blend in your strengths with his. You, me, Cathy, all of the women here have made choices that a big part of society doesn't care for. Why would anyone envy you? For the courage you show to not listen to those who would turn you away from what you believe in."

"A heavy conversation for lunch. Sorry to break it up but I have a class to teach." Cathy stood up and picked up her tray. "And some packing when Robert and I get done tonight. I'll see you two when we get back."

"Bye, have a good trip. Hope you hit one of those big jackpots." Kelli waved as Cathy left.

"Have fun," Paula added before turning back to Kelli. "How about you? Now that you've been through the school, are you ready for what comes next?"

"Next? I don't know what you mean." She had no idea what Paula was talking about. Matt hadn't told her there would be more.

Paula leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Isn't it obvious? You made it out. You've joined an exclusive club. With the membership comes a certain obligation. When are you going back, to be a teacher?"