Carol briefly reacted with surprise as well, the result of my disheveled appearance, but this quickly developed into a look of displeasure and reproach. "Tim Cooper? Is that you? What brings you here at this time of night, and why on earth are you so wet and dirty?" she said. My mouth moved, but still no words came out, as my planned explanation flew from my brain and all I could think about was how Carol looked standing there and how pathetic I must have looked to her. "Tim, what is the matter with you? Tell me what's going on. You've never come to my house unannounced before!"

So I replied: "Well ... uh ... yes I uh ... my car broke down. It's in pretty bad shape, so I came to you for help".

"Well I don't know anything about fixing cars, Tim. Do you want to call someone?" she asked.

"Yes .. uh .. yes that would be great."

"Well Tim, you are just making a mess out of my porch with the mud all over you, and you are drenched from the rain. Come inside and let's see if we can get you dry and cleaned up a little."

"Are you sure that's OK Carol?" I asked. "Yes Tim," she replied. "Just step into my foyer here. It's tile so I can clean it up easily."

So I stepped into her house, and noticed immediately she had company. Three women, all familiar ex-coworkers as well, were sitting in Carol's living room. They seemed to be chatting among themselves and hardly noticed I was inside.

"Ladies," Carol called to her guests, "guess who is here paying us a visit? You might remember him - Tim Cooper from our old office!"

"Hi Tim!" , "Hello Tim" I heard the women exclaim nearly in unison. "Are you going to join our little party?"

"Yes Teri" Carol replied, "He'll be joining us very shortly, after I get him cleaned up. He was busy outside getting wet and muddy."

"But Carol" I said, " I really can't stay. I need to call a tow truck so I can get the car to a mechanic".

"Nonsense, Tim. There are no mechanics open at this hour. And you owe me a little of your time after interrupting my dinner party".

" Alright Carol, so should I go get cleaned up in the bathroom?" I asked.

"No, you'll just get my new carpet dirty. I can't have you walking through the house that way. So, just stand right where you are and get those clothes off."

"What? Take my clothes off right here?"

"Yes, clothes off and just leave them on the floor. I'll put them in the wash and they'll be ready in no time."

Sure I was not comprehending her request, I said "Carol, your guests ... the ladies ... there's no privacy!"

"Now listen Tim, I'm not going to say this again. We've discussed this in the past. In my house, you are to do as you are told. So, take your clothes off right now!"

And then suddenly I remembered. How could I forget? Yes, Carol and I were more than just former co-workers. More, even, than simply friends. Years back, we went through a period of flirtation, teasing. It started out very innocent, but we developed a rapport that allowed each of us to explore a kinkier side to our sexual inclinations. It came in the form of very explicit discussion of fantasies, usually during lunch dates. Gradually, the topics of discussion gravitated in a direction where Carol's role was increasingly dominant, and mine very submissive. We discussed kinky and explicit sexual scenarios that we imagined in our minds. The reality was, we never really acted these out, but we dithered on the edge, sometimes allowing hands to wander towards erogenous zones. A few times, we even found excuses for Carol to administer playful over-the-knee spankings. Both of us were fully clothed, but the spankings were intensely erotic nonetheless. The sessions stopped eventually as we both had life changes that made getting together difficult, however, not before we had forged very concrete roles and had built up an extremely high level of sexual tension. And it was these memories, and this tension, that were now flooding back to me.