The Initiation Part 1 

Friday. The Pledge Week retreat!

Jessica slept poorly that night, replaying the humiliating details of the evening’s ordeal over and over in her head. Being interrogated in her bikini by campus security while other students passed by and laughed. Running down Fraternity Row half naked. Knocking on the Sigma Tau door like some hired stripper. Kissing Nick in front of everyone. And the spanking, being forced to bend over and grab her knees while everyone looked on and Shannon slapped her bikini-clad ass with a paddle! Jessica tossed and turned, burying her head in her pillow to stifle the whimpers of recollected embarrassment.

So preoccupied was she by these memories that she gave little thought to the Pledge Week trip on which she and the rest of her future sisters were scheduled to leave that morning. It was not until her phone buzzed with a text message, shortly past 6:30 a.m., that she even remembered she had yet to pack.

“meet parking lot H for init trip 7:30,” the text said. It was from Shannon.

This was a change. The Theta pledges had previously been told to gather at the sorority house at 9:00 to leave for their retreat to Mt. Greenwood. Was this some sort of test? In any case, the new ETD gave Jessica little time to prepare. She sprang out of bed, and, trying her best not to disturb her roommate, began to change.

As she pulled her sweat pants off, Jessica discreetly inspected her bottom in the mirror. She was sure she still felt some residual soreness from last night’s paddling, but, as there were no obvious marks, perhaps the lingering pain was psychological. After a quick trip to the shower, Jessica selected her outfit: her favorite jeans, a button-up yellow blouse, white panties, and a solid white bra with just a hint of frill running along the top of the cups.

Fully changed, Jessica had just begun to gather her things for the trip when her phone buzzed again.

“And pack that swimsuit,” texted Shannon.

Jessica winced. What torments were in store for her at the Mt. Greenwood cabin?

***

Jessica approached Parking Lot H expecting to see a gaggle of Thetas and Theta pledges milling around and perhaps a rented University van or two. Instead, the parking lot was oddly quiet.

She was about to turn around, thinking she had the wrong time or place, when she saw Shannon. Shannon was standing by a silver car, shoving a bag into the open trunk. Beside her was a boy. As Jessica walked closer, she recognized the cropped dark hair and tall, athletic build of Nick, his broad shoulders straining the weave of a dark grey cardigan, his elbow resting confidently on roof of the car.

Jessica stopped short, but Nick had spotted her and called out.

“Hey, there she is! Morning, Jess! Hope you’re not feeling too sore this morning!”

Jessica blushed deeply. Still, there didn’t seem to be any cruelty behind Nick’s playful grin, and Jessica wondered if she was maybe taking the incident too seriously. After all, she was in college now. Perhaps she needed to loosen up.

Shannon turned and smiled as well, though her expression could not be described as playful nor entirely without cruelty.

“Glad you decided to show up on time. It would be a shame if we had to start this road trip off with another punishment.”

The car was a mid-90’s Volvo with a long hood and generous trunk space. As she hesitantly approached, Jessica peered in confusion at the open trunk, which clearly contained more luggage than just Shannon’s.

“Where is everyone else?” she asked.

“Everybody’s taking separate cars. Nick’s gonna drive us up to the cabin,” Shannon said. “We’ll meet everyone else there.”

“Nick’s coming?” Jessica asked in confusion. She had thought the Theta initiation was a closed ritual.

“Just for the drive,” Shannon replied, “But this is all part of the test, Rushie. What’s the Theta motto?”

“Dedication, Obedience, Discipline,” Jessica replied.

“That’s right. And Nick’s going to help us test your obedience. I’ve sold him your paddle for the length of the trip, so you better do everything he tells you to, just like it was one of us telling you.”

By way of illustration, Nick pulled Jessica’s paddle out of the back seat of the Volvo, casually resting it on his shoulder like a baseball slugger.

“Sold?” Jessica was taken aback. Was this within the rules? Could non-Thetas wield power over her as well?

“Well, traded,” Shannon said, “Speaking of . . .”

Nick looked slightly annoyed, as if he would rather Shannon not have said anything in front of Jessica, but, after a casual glance over his shoulder, he motioned Shannon into the car and climbed in beside her, closing the door and leaving Jessica to stand awkwardly alone by the open trunk.

After a few seconds, Shannon emerged abruptly, and Jessica thought she heard Nick say sharply under his breath “ . . . other half after we get there.”

“Back in a minute, Rushie,” Shannon said, “Get your bag in the trunk.”

As Shannon hurried off, Nick emerged from the car, Jessica’s paddle still in his hand. Jessica shuffled her feet nervously, unsure of what to say or do. She had never been good at talking to boys, let alone one that had been given unrestricted authority to issue her orders. And, perhaps, it didn’t help that Jessica found Nick undeniably handsome.

Luckily, Nick smiled at her reassuringly.

“Hey, no worries, Jess. This is standard hazing stuff. The Thetas always bring along a couple of guys to give the pledges a hard time. You know that girl Ashley? With the curly hair? I drove up to the cabin with her last year.”

Jessica did know Ashley. She liked her. If Ashley could get through the initiation, so could she. Jessica smiled nervously at Nick and attempted some small talk.

“How long have you and Shannon–?”

Nick gave a sudden laugh, causing Jessica to pause.

“You’re Shannon’s boyfriend, right?”

“Well, yeah, Shannon and I, we have our . . . arrangements. What about you? You have a boyfriend?”

Jessica shook her head.

“Virgin?”

Jessica looked at Nick wide-eyed, stunned by the directness of the question from this boy she’d just met. Nick laughed.

“Jeez, loosen up, Jess. You’re gonna be asked way more embarrassing questions than that before the weekend’s up.”

“N-no,” Jessica said finally.

Before Nick could follow up, his attention was drawn to the approach of two figures, weaving their way through the parked cars towards the Volvo. It was two boys, both carrying backpacks. After a moment , Jessica recognized one as the pimply kid who had greeted her at the Sig House door the previous night.

“Bout time, guys,” Nick said, “This is Matt and this is Dylan. Guys, meet Jessica, the newest Theta pledge.”

“Oh, I remember,” said the one who had been introduced as Dylan, a slightly overweight boy with pale skin, dark circles under his eyes and a head of shaggy brown hair.

“Yeah, that’s right. You left quite an impression,” Nick said. “You were all the guys around the house could talk about last night.”

Jessica blushed once again, reminded that both these boys had been among the crowd ogling her breasts and cheering as she bent over to receive her punishment.

“Nice to meet you,” she muttered.

“Shan skipped out to powder her nose. We’ll roll out as soon as she’s back,” Nick told his fraternity brothers. “Pop your bags in the trunk, it’s gonna be tight in the car.”

Jessica’s eyes widened. These two were coming too? This was not what she had pictured at all.

Just then, Shannon returned. She seemed weirdly energized and spoke quickly.

“Yeah! Ok, time to get this show on the road, bitches! Nick, keys! I wanna drive!”

Nick shrugged and tossed her the keys.

“Get your ass in the back seat, Rushie! You’re riding bitch between these two!  Let’s go let’s go!”

With that, Shannon jumped into the driver’s seat. Jessica glanced at the boys. Matt gave her a goofy, smiling shrug and stuffed a few rogue strands of blonde hair back under his baseball cap. Dylan sized her up with a hungry smirk that Jessica didn’t like in the least.

Nick opened the door for her, and Jessica slid into the back seat. Matt slid in next to her on one side, Dylan on the other. It was cramped, and Jessica pressed her legs firmly together to keep her thighs from brushing too much against her male co-passengers.

“Blindfold!” Shannon said as soon as the doors were closed.

From the front seat, Nick reached back and handed her a strip of cloth. Jessica took it but merely held it loosely in her hand in puzzlement.

“But . . . why?” she asked.

“Jessica . . .” Nick said with a note of reproach in his voice. “What’s the watchword for this weekend?”

“I don’t  . . .”

“O . . . O . . .” Nick prompted.

“O-Obedience?” said Jessica, causing Dylan to snicker.

“So put the blindfold on. No questions. Just do it.” Nick said.

Jessica nodded, and tied the blindfold on. Not being able to see made her feel all the more vulnerable, sitting here in this strange vehicle, surrounded by these boys she didn’t know. But she swallowed hard and told herself to go with the flow.

She felt the Volvo’s engine start, and Shannon pulled out so suddenly and erratically that Jessica’s self-consciousness was momentarily replaced by fear for her life.

***

They drove without talking for the first fifteen minutes or so, Jessica in complete darkness and shuddering every time she felt the car accelerate abruptly or make a hard turn that would send her squishing into either Dylan or Matt.

Eventually, they reached what must be the highway and leveled off into a consistent cruising speed. Either Shannon or Nick turned down the radio, which had been blaring, and Nick addressed Jessica.

“So Shannon’s given me this paddle, and I guess I wouldn’t be taking my responsibility seriously if I didn’t use it. So I’m gonna tell you to do some things, ok? And you’re going to do them, right?”

“What things?” Jessica asked automatically.

“Remember what we agreed about questions?” Nick replied. “You need to show your sisters that you understand obedience, and I’m going to help test you, ok? So when I tell you to do something, you’re not going to argue or hesitate. You’re just going to do it. Aren’t you?”

Jessica cleared her throat nervously.

“Y-yes,” she said.

“Cuz here’s how this works. If you don’t cooperate right away, I’m going to have to punish you.”

Punish? Nick seemed so nice, almost protective, Jessica had allowed herself to think that maybe things would go easier for her with him apparently in charge. But clearly he was perfectly on board to humiliate the new Theta pledge. Just go along, Jessica told herself, every girl in this sorority’s gone through this.

“And how do you think you’re going to get punished?” Nick asked. “A spuh . . . spuh . . .”

“A spanking,” Jessica forced herself to say, her voice petering out into a hoarse croak on the second syllable. She felt the knot in her stomach tighten as she imagined herself being spanked by Nick.

“Right! See? You’re catching on. If you don’t follow directions well or give me a lot of grief about it, that’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to spank that cute behind of yours, and, no offense to Shannon, but I’m guessing I can bring a little more force to bear on my swing. Plus, we’d have to pull over to spank you by the side of the road, and then we’d screw up the great time we’re making.”

To her left, Matt chuckled.

“But that’s not gonna happen, cuz you’re going to follow directions to the letter, right?”

Jessica gulped and nodded.

“Ok. So here we go. First things first. Simon saaaaaaays . . . show us your tits.”

The car went silent.

Jessica’s head spun. It was what she had been afraid of but was still somehow unprepared for. She was torn. Never had she imagined that she would be in the position, blindfolded and pinned in among a carful of fraternity boys, being asked to flash her naked breasts. On the other hand, maybe she was being too uptight. Perhaps this was just part of the college experience. Those girls in the Spring Break videos did it all the time . . .

“Quit being such a fucking prude!” demanded Shannon. “These guys have already seen plenty of your boobs.”

“She’s right, Jess. I don’t know what kind of bra you’ve got on, but it can’t be any sexier than that swimsuit you had on last night. Come on,” added Nick. “Just a quick look. Start by unbuttoning that blouse.”

What choice did she have? Demand that Shannon turn the car around? Quit the sorority? Slowly, Jessica unbuckled her seatbelt and reached a trembling hand to the top button of her blouse. She popped it open. She still couldn’t see anything, but she could feel the stares of the three boys following her actions closely.

One by one, Jessica undid the buttons, and, slowly, more and more of her skin came into view. Finally, she freed the final button, just underneath her navel, and the blouse fell open, revealing her elegant torso, bare but for the white cotton bra that clung to her breasts.

“Pull it open more,” instructed Nick.

Jessica pulled the blouse open, pushing it over her breasts, bringing them fully into view. Matt made an audible exhale of breath in appreciation.

“Ok, now pull your bra down,” said Nick.

The tension in the car was palpable as they waited to see if Jessica would comply, giving them a peek at her naked breasts.

“Jessica, pull your bra down,” Nick said again.

Her ingrained respect for authority coming into play once again, Jessica reacted swiftly to the firmness in Nick’s voice. With a shy blush, she grasped the lacy top of her bra cups and eased them tentatively downward. Jessica’s nipples popped into view.

“Further,” Nick said.

Jessica pulled the bra further off of her tits until eventually they spilled out completely. One of her bra straps slid down her shoulder. Jessica felt tears of anxiety welling up behind the blindfold.

“Holy shit,” Matt whispered.

“That’s perfect. You’re doing great, Jess. Just hold that position for a few more seconds,” Nick said.

Jessica tried her best to hold still. She no longer had to hold on to her bra cups, which were now held securely beneath the underside of her boobs, but she continued to clutch them anyway, prepared to cover herself back up the moment Nick allowed her to.

“Ok, how about you just take that shirt off completely, just for a few miles,” said Nick.

Jessica hesitated. What about the other drivers on the highway? What would they think if they saw a girl riding topless in the back of this car full of men? But she bit her lip, telling herself she had come this far, and slid the open blouse over her shoulders. She awkwardly bounced in her seat as she jerked her arms out of the shirt, causing her tits to jiggle tantalizingly. She held the blouse in her lap.

“Give it to me,” said Nick.

Fighting off a sense of nausea at giving Nick control of her clothes, Jessica thrust the blouse out blindly in front of her, her outstretched arm shaking uncontrollably.

“Now the bra,” said Nick.

Jessica reached behind her and unhooked her bra. It slid off, leaving her completely naked from the waist up. Jessica instinctively crossed her arms.

“Good job, Jess. You’re being very cooperative. Now just give me the bra, and then I want you to put your arms down, ok?”

As uncomfortable as she was with letting Nick handle her underthings, Jessica held her bra out in front of her. Nick took it.

“Great. I’ll just keep that safe for you,” said Nick, “Now, I want you to put your hands on the car seat. Palms down on the seat, ok?”

Jessica thought once again about the other drivers on the highway. Beside her, she could feel both Matt and Dylan shift in their seats, as if angling for a better view. After several deep breaths, she lowered her arms, placing her naked tits on full, unobstructed display for her male companions and who-knew-who-else who might be looking through the car windows.

“See, was that so hard, Jess?” Nick said. “Now just keep your hands right there for a few more minutes, then I’ll give you your shirt back, alright?”

Jessica gave an anxious nod and even attempted a little smile, as if handing an upperclass frat boy her bra and riding around topless in the back of his car surrounded by his pals was no big deal.

Just then, she heard an electronic noise to her left that made her head jerk in its direction. She told herself that she had imagined it, but then it came again. A soft, electronic “chu-chk.” The artificial sound of a camera shutter. Panicked, her hands flew up at once to cover herself.

“Aw, what happened, Jess? You were doing so great,” Nick said.

“I-is that . . . ?” Jessica began,  “Are . . . Are you taking pictures?”

“Well,” Nick evaded, “What if we were? You’re saying you don’t want any mementos of your big weekend?”

Jessica shook her head tentatively, not sure if the question was rhetorical.

“Look, I understand. But having photographic evidence is a standard part of the ritual. Isn’t that right, Shan?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Shannon replied, “We’ve got pictures of every girl’s tits. What, you think you’re special, Rushie?”

“It’s not like anyone else is going to see these,” continued Nick, “after all, you don’t see a bunch of topless pics of the other Thetas floating around campus, do you?”

Jessica shook her head uncertainly. That was true, but the idea of anyone taking  such compromising semi-nude photos of her was still inconceivable to her.

“In fact, Shannon’s probably gonna kill me for telling you this,” Nick said in a conspiratorial whisper, “but they delete all the pictures as soon as the initiation’s over. It’s all a big goof, just something to scare the pledges and test their dedication or whatever.”

“God damn it, Nick!” Shannon said, banging her hands on the steering wheel in a theatrical display of anger (though not nearly as much anger as might be expected, Jessica couldn’t help thinking), “You’re giving away all our secrets!”

“But that’s if you become a Theta,” Shannon quickly added, in a hiss directed at Jessica, “If you baby out and we have to take you home, I can’t guarantee where those pictures will end up.”

“So come on, Jess,” Nick coaxed. “Put your hands back on the seat and let us take a few more shots of your boobs. Then I’ll toss you your things back, and you can relax.”

Hardly able to believe what she was doing, Jessica forced herself to put her arms back to her sides and expose her breasts. Immediately, the camera noises began again, and Jessica let out a tiny sigh of shame.

“Hey, just so we get a few shots without the whole kidnap victim vibe, let’s take off the blindfold, huh?” Nick said, “That’s cool, right Shan?”

“Whatever,” Shannon replied.

“Ok. Dylan, help Jess untie that thing. Jess, remember not to move your hands.”

Suddenly, the blindfold was removed, and Jessica blinked hard against the abrupt flood of light. She looked around. Her stomach turned somersaults. It was even worse than she’d imagined. To her right, Dylan was gazing fixedly at her naked breasts, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. In his hands, held at about crotch-level, he had a camcorder that was busily panning up and down Jessica’s body.

In front, turned all the way around in his seat to face her, Nick also had a video camera, a higher-end model than Dylan’s, that was trained on Jessica’s startled face. To her left, Matt fiddled with the settings on a still camera.

Jessica couldn’t help herself. Her hands flew up once again to shield her breasts from the documentation that they were being subjected to from every angle.

“Hey hey hey,” Nick chided, “Hands down, Jess. Hands down.”

Jessica’s head swam.

“Please . . . I . . . I can’t . . .”

No sooner were the words out of Jessica’s mouth than the car swerved without warning. Shannon violently pulled the Volvo over to the highway’s shoulder, braking so suddenly that Jessica was sent flying forward, bare breasts and all, into Nick’s camera.

When the car came to a halt, Jessica was thrown backwards again, and, for a sickening moment, she found herself knocked over into Matt’s lap. In the brief second before she could right herself, she thought she felt the bulge of his erection pressing against her shoulder.

Finally, she managed to get her bearings. Dust kicked up by the Volvo’s sudden stop drifted by the windows in billows. Shannon had swiveled in the driver’s seat and was scowling back at her.

“Out of the car,” she snarled.

Jessica received a fleeting stay of sentence when one of Shannon’s henchgirls suggested that Jessica should put on some makeup before her mission.

“This Rushie’s body might be smoking but her face looks like garbage,” the girl had sneered.

In truth, Jessica’s face was pretty with or without makeup, with her petite nose, her striking blue eyes and her naturally full lips. Her cheeks were now bathed in a perpetual rosy glow, due to the continuing humiliation of her situation and moreover the dread of what was to come, but this served merely to complement the natural beauty of her features. But Jessica was not about to argue, as it would delay the moment when she was forced to step outside her dorm room wearing nothing but this skimpy bikini.

Rather than using Jessica’s own paltry cosmetics supply, one of the girls had pulled out her own makeup kit from her handbag. As the girls set to work applying eyeliner and foundation to Jessica’s face and letting Jessica’s hair down from the constraints of the ponytail into which it had been bundled, a part of Jessica even found herself enjoying the attention, forgetting the nature of the girls’ visit and letting her future sisters fawn over her as if this were a regular girls’ night makeover.

After what seemed like only a minute or two, however, the makeover was complete, and the sense of dread crept back into Jessica’s stomach.

“Alright, that’s more presentable,” said Shannon. “Now get the fuck out of here. Time’s wasting.”

Jessica stood up from the bed where she had been sitting during the beautification procedure. She saw that her roommate had turned from her computer screen and was watching her. The mousey, bespectacled girl looked Jessica up and down, and Jessica saw herself through her eyes:  tarted-up like a beauty-pageant contestant, boobs pushed lewdly upwards by her scanty bikini top, her long, smooth legs completely exposed. The girl wrinkled her nose with a look of utter disgust. Jessica opened her mouth as if to say something, but the words were choked back by embarrassment.

Suddenly, the gift basket was thrust once more back into Jessica’s arms, and Shannon was opening the door out into the dorm hallway. One of the other girls placed a hand on Jessica’s shoulder and gave her a not-so-gentle nudge towards the door.

Legs stiff with trepidation, Jessica stumbled awkwardly the doorway, hugging the gift basket to her chest. She paused at the doorway and looked out into the hall. It was empty, and, with a deep breath, Jessica made the intimidating step from the sanctuary of her room and out into public. The three girls followed her out, crowding her further away from her line of retreat and shutting the door behind them. Jessica hesitated. She looked at the girls expectantly.

“Well?” demanded Shannon. “Don’t fucking look at us. You know where to go. We’ll be following behind to make sure you don’t pussy out, but this is a solo mission. Don’t think we’re gonna hold your hand or some shit. Get moving.”

“Move it, Rushie,” said another girl, “the sooner you make your delivery, the sooner it’ll all be done with.”

Jessica’s heart sank. Having the other sorority girls alongside her would at least give some context to why she was wandering around campus late on a Thursday evening in the middle of Fall wearing a bikini. She looked down the hall, and, steeling herself for what she knew lay ahead, started towards the dorm stairwell at as quick a pace as she could manage, while the Thetas lingered behind.

No sooner had she started than a dorm room door was flung open just as Jessica passed. A girl stepped out into the hall and stopped in surprise at seeing Jessica speed-walk by in her revealing getup.

“Hey, Jessica,” the girl called after her in puzzlement, “uh, going for a swim?”

“No. I just- . . .” Jessica stammered over her shoulder, not wanting to break her momentum, “I just- . . . It’s just a . . . thing.”

To her relief, Jessica reached the stairs before her hallmate could call back to her. As Jessica flew down the stairs, she passed one of the boys from the men’s hall downstairs, who stopped his climb and stared. He said nothing, but Jessica could feel his eyes on her, following her nearly naked back and pert, bikini clad ass on its descent. As she rounded the corner to the next flight down, Jessica heard a whispered “whoa” from above. Jessica shook her head in shame, imagining the story he was about to bring back to his friends.

Finally, Jessica reached the bottom of the stairs and exit door leading outside. She paused to calm her nerves before pressing the door’s cold, metallic push bar with her bare torso (her arms being encumbered by her package).

As soon as she eased the door open, the September air greeted her near-nakedness with a chilly slap. Jessica felt her nipples harden into rigid knobs behind the protective shield of the gift basket, and she knew that they must be sticking out flamboyantly against the thin material of the bikini top. She hugged the basket tighter still.

The campus was quiet, but not as empty as Jessica would have liked. Students with their bookbags trudged back to their dorms from the library, here and there a couple strolled arm-in-arm, and, every so often, the more raucous sound of groups of students heading out to a Thursday night party could be heard ricocheting off the brick walls. Jessica hurried along the path towards the north end of campus, trying to keep to the shadows as much as possible.

For a while, Jessica managed to avoid passing too closely by anyone else. She couldn’t help noticing a few students staring from a distance at the half-naked blonde walking briskly over the grass just outside the range of the streetlights that illuminated the main footpath, and at one point a group of boys hanging out by a park bench yelled some “woo!’s” and “yeah!’s” in her direction, making her quicken her pace, but she felt sure at least her face was hidden by the relative darkness.

As she hurried across the uneven turf with her bundle, her firm, ample bottom bobbing rhythmically side to side with her stride, she felt the bikini bottoms begin to creep their way up her butt, the material becoming ever more wedged in her crack, exposing more and more of the white flesh of her ass cheeks to the night air. With her hands full, she could not reach down to adjust them, and, not wanting to stop, she allowed the wedgie to continue its upward climb.

While rounding a corner and looking behind her nervously, Jessica ran headlong into a male student who had just exited one of the academic buildings. Jessica gasped in surprise, and the boy seemed equally startled as he began to take in Jessica’s outfit.

Jessica muttered an almost inaudible “excuse me” and tried to push her way around but the boy stepped to the side, blocking her path momentarily. They performed an awkward little dance for a few seconds, while the boy tried to engage her in conversation, all the while drinking in the sight of her body.

“Hey, I hope that present’s for me . . . What’s your name, huh? . . .  And what’s with the swimsuit?”

“It’s just a . . . thing,” Jessica feebly explained, before finally managing to push her way past.

The boy did not follow her, but Jessica was acutely aware of his eyes on her exposed butt cheeks as they bobbled seductively away.

Jessica had almost reached the north end of campus when she was stopped in her tracks by an authoritative shout.

“Stop right there please, Miss!”

Jessica froze as a narrow beam of light fluttered around the spot where she stood, sending her shadow skipping across the ivy and concrete façade of the Social Sciences building, the side of which Jessica had been hugging closely for cover. Turning to squint in the direction of the light, Jessica saw that she was being approached by a campus security guard, a middle-aged man with a greying moustache and saggy eyes.

She was seized by an urge to simply drop the basket and run, but instead she found herself frozen in place, gaping at the guard as he came closer, his flashlight slowly tracing its way down from her face, to her bare shoulders, to the cellophane-wrapped package clutched tightly against her tits, down to stomach and hips and finally her naked thighs. Her bottom jaw began to tremble.

“Alright, you mind telling me what this is about?” the security guard asked, after caressing her body up and down with his flashlight beam for a few more passes.

“I, uh–. . . it’s just a . . .” Jessica consciously willed herself not to say “thing” but in her nervous state could not think of any other word and so simply trailed off.

“What do you have in there? Is that liquor?” asked the guard, shining his beam through the cellophane and into the basket.  “Are you twenty one, Miss?” he demanded before Jessica could finish stammering and answer.

“Put the basket down on the ground.” The security guard’s tone was stern, but Jessica noticed him wet his lips as he made the demand. “I may need to write you a ticket,” he explained, almost defensively.

Jessica had always exercised a kneejerk obedience to authority figures, and, though reluctant to give up whatever slim modesty the basket provided, she immediately complied, bending forward  to set the basket down beside her. As she straightened back up, she was mortified to see the guard’s flashlight beam dance directly across her breasts. She reflexively crossed her arms and looked up at the guard pleadingly.

“Please, I’m just . . .” she began.

The sound of laughter from just a few feet away made her stop cold. A group of five student, three boys and two girls, were walking past on the path nearby, all grinning at the humiliating scene of this busty blonde Freshman being interrogated in her bikini by campus security, the spotlight of the guard’s beam drawing attention to her state of public exposure. One of the girls whispered something in one of the boy’s ear, making him let out another guffaw. They slowed their walk so that they wouldn’t miss any action. Jessica wanted to crawl beneath the ground.

The guard ignored the audience which his detention of Jessica had attracted and continued to lecture her, even as his gaze wandered downward to where Jessica’s substantial tits, inadequately covered by her crossed forearms, shone beneath the flashlight’s stare like glowing orbs.

The guard was saying something about the school’s strict policy towards underage students carrying alcohol on campus when Jessica was suddenly rescued by the arrival of the Thetas. Shannon walked confidently up behind the guard and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Excuse me, Sir. I think I can explain . . .”

Shannon charmed the security guard out of issuing Jessica a citation, explaining how Jessica was a pledge and the bikini part of Rush Week and promising to escort her sister back to her dorm right away. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and let Jessica go with a promise not to wander around campus at night without clothes on any more. With one last sweep of Jessica’s body, he switched his flashlight off and moved on.

“If you think we’re really walking you back home, think again,” hissed Shannon, “you’re making this delivery, and no more fuck ups.”

***

The Thetas followed more closely behind her this time, keeping about ten feet back. Eventually, Jessica came to the street that separated the campus from the residential neighborhood which contained the fraternity houses.

Jessica hurried across the street just as a car turned the corner, bathing her in its headlights. Jessica froze for moment, caught like the proverbial deer. To her alarm, the car let out a long, sustained honk, and a male voice called out to her from the passenger’s side. “Nice!”

Jessica sprinted the rest of the way to the other side and shuffled quickly along the sidewalk, ignoring the catcalls from the vehicle, which had now stopped in the middle of the street. She found herself wishing she had adjusted her bikini bottoms before picking the basket back up after the episode with campus security, since she was now agonizingly conscious of the way her retreating buttocks must look to the boys in the car.

Jessica began to examine the houses as she hurried past and remembered that she wasn’t entirely sure which one belonged to Sigma Tau Phi. She stopped and looked for the Thetas. They were still following, but they also stopped when they saw Jessica’s hesitation rather than closing the distance.

“What the fuck are you stopping for?” Shannon shouted to her.

“I don’t know which one it is!” Jessica called back, her voice rising to a shrill squeak as her desire not to draw attention fought her need to make herself heard.

“Ask that guy for directions!” Shannon shouted, gesturing with the paddle, and the two other girls cackled.

Jessica turned back to see a boy walking along the sidewalk in her direction, smoking a cigarette. Jessica gulped.

The boy politely averted his eyes as he drew closer, apparently content to ignore the bikini-clad girl in his path.

“E-Excuse me,” Jessica stammered. The boy stopped and regarded her. Inevitably, his eyes rested on her face for only a moment before being pulled irresistibly downward toward her bare torso and the flashes of boob peeking out coquettishly from behind the basket.

“Um, I’m looking for Sigma- Sigma Tau Ph-phi?” Jessica squeaked.

The boy took a drag on his cigarette while Jessica shuffled her feet in embarrassment, causing her bare thighs to rub alluringly against one another like a cricket’s.

“Two doors up,” the boy said finally, with an indicative nod.

“Thank you,” Jessica murmured and hurried along. She did not hear the boy move and knew that once again the lively movements of her departing ass were being closely monitored.

Jessica’s legs turned to jelly as she forced herself up the steps to the Sig House porch. She tried to tell herself that it would all be over soon. The noise from the other side of the imposing front door attested to the fact that the Sig House was still buzzing with activity even at this hour. Somehow, she forced herself to reach out and give a timid knock.

Nothing.

Jessica turned to look for the Thetas. The three girls were milling discreetly on the other side of the fence at the far edge of the Sig property. When Shannon saw her looking in her direction, she made a threatening gesture with the paddle. Jessica made a sound halfway between a sigh and a moan and turned to give the door a louder knock.

This time, the door swung open almost immediately. On the other side was a skinny, pimply boy in a baseball hat. He had the bleary-eyed look that Jessica recognized from the potheads at her high school. The dumb grin on his face faded immediately when he saw Jessica; his eyebrows rose up into the brim of his cap, and his jaw went slack.

The two simply stared at one another for a moment before Jessica remembered her instructions.

“Is- Is Nick here?”

“Nick? Uh, yeah. Yeah, Nick’s here.”

The slack-jawed boy didn’t move. He just continued to stare. Jessica squirmed, desperate to deliver her package. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed that the Thetas had been joined by several male observers, who sipped casually from beer bottles while gazing in admiration up at the girl in the tiny bikini, floundering in embarrassment under the porchlight.

“Uh, you want me to like go get him?” the boy finally asked, putting two and two together.

“I just need to give him this,” said Jessica quickly, thrusting the present out in the hopes that leaving the package with the doorman would fulfill her duty.

“Hold on, I’ll get him,” he replied to her disappointment. “Hey Nick!”

The boy disappeared behind the half-open door, but Jessica could hear him calling out to his fraternity brothers.

“Holy shit, dude, you gotta see this chick at the door. Did Nick order a stripper or something? Anyway, she’s fucking stacked. Nick! Door! Tight-ass little bikini, totally hot. I’m serious.”

The door swung open again to reveal a tall, athletic boy with short, jet-black hair and a square jaw covered in a neat glaze of stubble. He looked down coolly at Jessica, the side of his mouth rising into a knowing smirk. Behind him, the gangly stoner and several other frat boys crowded the foyer, craning their necks to get a look.

“Well, what do we have here?” the black-haired boy asked. “I’m guessing a Theta rush? Shan send you?”

Jessica nodded and cleared her throat.

“That’s for me, huh?” said Nick, reaching for the gift basket. Jessica hesitated but finally allowed it to be torn from her arms. As Nick lifted the cover away, Jessica’s bikini-clad tits came fully into view, and there were appreciative murmurs from the frat boys behind Nick. Jessica crossed her arms and turned to go.

“Wait,” said Nick, and there was something commanding in his voice that made Jessica pause. “What’s your name?”

“J-Jessica,” she said.

“Chill out, Jessica,” he said, “We’ve seen plenty of Rush Week stunts. It’s no big deal. You’re not the first girl to knock on our door dressed like you’re heading to the tanning salon.”

“Yeah, but she’s probably got the hottest boobies,” someone said behind him. Jessica flinched.

“Ok. Bye,” Jessica said simply and made to flee the porch as quickly as she could. But no sooner had she turned around than she ran headlong into Shannon barreling up the walk, paddle in hand.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going, Rushie? I don’t think I heard Nick dismiss you yet. That’s just rude!”

Nick leaned in behind her and whispered in her ear conspiratorially, “Don’t worry. She treats all the new girls this way. Just go along, and you’ll be fine.”

Despite everything, Jessica appreciated the kindness in Nick’s reassurances. She tried to calm her nervous breathing as Shannon stormed up the steps.

“You have got to be the most pathetic delivery girl I’ve ever seen!” Shannon snarled, placing her hands on her hips and leaning in towards Jessica threateningly.

Jessica kept her eyes firmly on the ground and tried not to notice that the other Thetas and their three male companions were ambling up the walk in Shannon’s wake. Meanwhile, Nick had taken a step out onto the porch, allowing the Sigs at his shoulder to ooze their way out into the doorway. Increasingly, Jessica was surrounded.

“I did everything you wanted,” Jessica finally mumbled to Shannon, “You said—”

“Do you want to be a Theta?” Shannon interrupted her.

Jessica nodded.

“What is the first word of the Theta Theta Psi motto?”

Jessica’s eyes rose to meet Shannon’s fleetingly before diving back floorwards.

“D-Dedication.”

“That’s right. That’s the Theta spirit. The Theta spirit isn’t you do the bare fucking minimum and then scoot off. Your mommy may have gotten you a bid but if you keep up this shitty attitude, there’s no way you’re ever gonna be a Theta. Legacy or no.”

Jessica flushed at the mention of her mother. She would be so disappointed if Jessica was cut from the sorority. It would confirm all the doubts she had ever had about her daughter’s fitness to belong to such an elite society. To her society. Jessica raised her eyes once again to meet Shannon’s. What were they going to make her do now? How far was this night going to go?

“Stand up straight, Rushie,” Shannon ordered, “and hands at your sides.”

Hesitantly, Jessica complied, uncrossing her arms and forcing them rigidly to her sides. As her forearms slid away from her breasts, there was some shuffling among the Sigs at the doorway angling for a better view, and it indeed took all the “determination “ Jessica had not to immediately cover herself again.

Standing at attention with her back straight and her arms at her sides, Jessica’s sumptuous tits seemed to stick straight out, the tightly tied straps of the bikini top hoisting them up even higher than their natural perkiness would have permitted. They rose and fell invitingly with Jessica’s nervous breathing, and she could feel a dozen sets of eyes following them as they bobbed up and down.

“Now you look straight at Nick and you repeat after me . . .” Shannon said.

Jessica pivoted slightly to face Nick, trying with all her might to keep her hands at her sides and to ignore the lewd way her boobs were being thrust out towards this handsome upperclassman.

“’It’s been a pleasure to serve you.’” Shannon modeled for Jessica.

“It’s been a pleasure to, um, serve you.” Jessica repeated meekly.

“It’s been a pleasure to be served by you, Jess,” Nick replied, grinning. Several of the Sigs chuckled and one slapped Nick’s shoulder.

“That’s how a dedicated, disciplined, obedient young lady delivers a package,” said Shannon, “Now give Nick a kiss and you can run back home.”

Jessica turned to look at Shannon to make sure she was serious, but there was no indication that the command was a joke. Instead, Shannon lifted the paddle and made an impatient gesture in Nick’s direction. Some of the bystanders giggled, but most watched expectantly.

Oh god, thought Jessica, better get it over with. She looked at Nick to gauge his reaction. With a grin and a just-go-with-it shrug, Nick bent forward towards Jessica, puckered his lips, and then gave them a playful tap with his forefinger.

In a way, Jessica appreciated Nick giving her this joking nudge. It made it much easier to work up the courage to take a step towards him, and, in front of all these onlookers, to raise herself up on tiptoes and plant a firm—though extremely chaste—kiss on the exaggerated pucker of Nick’s lips.

There were scattered applause and hoots of appreciation, and Jessica even found herself smiling sheepishly until Shannon’s harsh voice cut through the clapping and wiped the smile from Jessica’s face.

“That was bullshit. Bend over.”

What? Jessica turned to look at Shannon uncomprehendingly, genuinely failing to process the words. From one of the Sigs behind Nick came a rising “Ooooooooooo. . .” that Jessica recognized from when one of her classmates would get in trouble in grade school. The mantra was soon picked up by several of the other members of Jessica’s audience. The message was clear: Jessica had done something wrong and was about to be punished.

“What—what do you mean?” Jessica asked, her eyes flitting wildly to the oooo’ing members of the crowd around her, a crowd which appeared to be growing and closing in.

Shannon groaned theatrically.

“Why is every little instruction an ordeal with this bitch?”

Jessica was speechless. She looked at the paddle in Shannon’s hands, wide-eyed. Bend over? Did Shannon intend to paddle her? In front of all these people? Did she really intend to make her bend over right here on this porch and to spank her butt with that wooden paddle? Frantically, Jessica began to grope for some plan of escape, but she found herself frozen in place.

“Did you not hear me? I said Bend. The fuck. Over! Grab your knees. NOW!”

The violence of Shannon’s words frightened Jessica into sudden compliance. Her hands were shaking, but she managed to lift them from her sides and haltingly reach for her knees. Her torso curved gently downwards, following her grasp, causing her breasts to swing forward ever so slightly towards her chin, their pendular momentum constrained to an extent by their triangular blue harnesses.

“Back straight,” said Shannon and pressed down roughly on Jessica’s naked back with a cold hand.

Unsure of what to do except comply, Jessica did her best to straighten out her back as much as her position would allow. She bent her knees slightly and arched her spine, pushing her chest out towards the floor and her butt skywards. The pressure of sticking her ass out like this caused her bikini to creep further up her hips and to wedge itself even more firmly in her ass crack, and Jessica was painfully aware of how flagrantly she was displaying her bare ass cheeks to the frat boys gathered by the doorway.

Through her shame, Jessica heard Shannon say, “Hold that position, Rushie. If you don’t, this is going to last a lot longer and go a lot worse for you.”

Shannon walked around in front of Jessica and brushed the blonde hair out of her face. “Head up,” she demanded, as she pushed Jessica’s chin upwards. Jessica dared a glance at the handful of witnesses gathered on the steps of the porch. The handful of young men who had joined the Thetas were still there, sipping their beers, and now treated to a front row view of Jessica’s cleavage as it dangled in front of the trembling confluence of her hands and knees.

“That was the most half-assed kiss I’ve ever seen,” Shannon was saying, “Nick, how was that kiss?”

“Meh, I’ve had better,” Nick responded, a smirk in his voice. “Sorry, Jess. Just being honest.”

“Your call, then. How many?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Three?”

Shannon grunted derisively and she circled around Jessica.

“You’re damn lucky Nick’s so soft-hearted. Alright. Three swats. They’re gonna be good ones though.”

Jessica’s mouth went dry. Was this really about to happen? She began to straighten up, her mind forming some futile protest, but Shannon immediately halted her with a bark.

“Stay the fuck in position, bitch! Take your three licks like a grown-ass lady and you’ll get off easy. You get out of position or give me a bunch more of your lip, and three’s gonna turn into thirty real quick.”

Jessica gulped. She forced herself to resume the position that Shannon had commanded. Hands on her knees. Chin up, back arched, butt out. She bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering.

“Well, you clearly don’t have shit for dedication,” Shannon said, “so let’s see if we can teach you some discipline. Count these out, Rushie. And after every one, I want you to say ‘Thank you, Ma’am.’ Everybody ready to see this ass get paddled?”

A few cheers went up from the onlookers. Shannon pressed the paddle firmly against Jessica’s ass, gauging her target. She moved it around, almost caressing Jessica’s bottom with the wooden implement, and Jessica shivered as the flat surface pressed down on the pliable mounds of her backside. Then, suddenly, the paddle was pulled away, and Jessica braced herself.

She heard the paddle collide with her body almost before she felt it. There was a resounding SLAP of wood on supple flesh and Jessica rocked forward with the impact. She let out a gasp, more in surprise than pain, but she managed to keep her hands on her knees and to stay in position.

It was only after the paddle was withdrawn, and the cool air once again made contact with her exposed ass cheeks that she felt the sting, a sharp, burning sensation that spread across her bottom. Her eyes watered and her mouth hung open.

“Well?” demanded Shannon after a moment, “How many was that?”

“Wuh-un,” Jessica choked out.

“Aaaaand . . .?” Shannon prompted.

“Th- Thank you. Thank you, Ma’am,” Jessica murmured, keeping her eyes downward, trying to hold back the tears.

SLAP! Shannon brought the paddle down again on Jessica’s butt. This time, Jessica let out a short, involuntary yelp. Two of the boys on the porch steps laughed and clinked their bottles. The pain of the second blow was intense, though the sting was nothing compared to the shame of being forced to submit to this punishment in front of all these strangers.

One more and she could run home, Jessica thought. Run home and hide her head in her pillow.

“T-Two,” Jessica managed, “Thank you, Ma’am.”

Shannon raised the paddle once again and once again sent it careening into Jessica’s vulnerable bottom. SLAP!

Jessica stumbled forward slightly and her tits rocked back and forth from the impact, but she did not take her hands off her knees or try to stand up. If she wanted this to end quickly, she knew, she couldn’t do anything that Shannon might see as disobedience.

“Three. Thank you, Ma’am,” Jessica said softly.

Many of frat boys applauded. Even in the dim porchlight, it was apparent that a rosy glow was rising to Jessica’s ass cheeks, peeking out from behind the skimpy bikini bottoms. Jessica just stood there, bent over, not daring to rise from her humiliating pose until told to do so. She told herself fiercely not to cry.

“Ok, Rushie, now get the hell out of here.”

Jessica stood up, crossed her arms across her chest and pushed her way quickly past the boys on the porch steps, eyes firmly set on the ground.

She marched down the walk of the Sig House, fighting the urge to reach back and rub her still-burning ass. Once she turned the corner, she broke into a run. Sobs of shame began to rise in her throat as she sprinted back towards her dorm, tits bouncing furiously with her stride.

First Chapter of W.H. Collins’s dark erotic novel “The Initiation.”. All nineteen chapters are available from Amazon and All Romance

Note that this story is intended for mature audiences only and contains extremely graphic depictions of material that many audiences will find disturbing, including spanking and forced nudity. Nothing herein is intended to glorify or condone the horrific experiences which the protagonist endures, and the reader is strictly instructed not to take any prurient interest in this tale of violence and sexual exploitation.

—

Jessica had grown up her whole life hearing about Theta Theta Psi. Her mom had been in the sorority back when she was an Art History major at the University, and half the glasses in the family’s cupboard were etched with those two strange little o’s and the forky thing. The same Greek letters were on the throw pillows on the living room couch, and on the key chain dangling from their station wagon’s rearview mirror, and on the oversized yellow hoodie that Jessica used to snuggle up in all through junior high while reading her detective novels.

The times when Jessica remembered seeing her Mom most happy—the only times she remembered seeing her Mom truly happy after Jessica’s father left—were when she would return from a girl’s night out hanging out with her Theta friends.

From a very young age, Jessica’s mom had made it known how much it would mean to her if her daughter was able to join the same sorority. For a time, it seemed to her mother like an impossible dream. Puberty found Jessica a shy, passive girl. Not Theta material. She had friends, but was not popular. She chose volleyball and cross-country over cheerleading. To her mother’s chagrin, she spent the night of her 8^th grade dance alone in her room reading Agatha Christie.

Yet, as school turned from middle to high, Jessica blossomed despite herself. Her skin cleared up, her long, blonde hair became less greasy and more wavy and lustrous, and her trim, athletic build was complemented by the arrival of more womanly characteristics. She developed her mother’s leggy figure, her fit runner’s thighs rising into a full, pert bottom, and her breasts expanded into perky, round D-cups which seemed even larger than they were against the canvas of her comparatively slim frame. Though envied by many of the other girls at school, the size of her breasts was a source of anxiety for Jessica. They made sports difficult, bobbing up and down as she ran around the track and squeezing together awkwardly as she straightened her arms for a bump on the volleyball court. Worse, her ample bosom (as her mother’s romance novels would have put it) and her body more generally attracted attention from boys that Jessica did not always welcome.

It was for this reason as much as any other that she had begun dating Derek late in her Junior year. Derek was an all-district running back, and when he was around no one dared flirt with her, much less make the crass comments that every so often she’d be allowed to overhear (Once, she had opened her locker to find an anonymous note stuffed inside. “How much to fuck those tits?” was all it said). And Derek was also a nice guy. He hardly ever pressured her to go further physically than she was comfortable, and it wasn’t until shortly before graduation that she’d finally decided to have sex with him, allowing him to unbutton her jeans and slide them down her legs as she lay on her back on top of the pale blue comforter of her childhood bedroom. Losing her virginity turned out to be quick (Derek’s stamina was apparently confined to the football field) and less painful than she’d imagined, and she was happy to have gotten it out of the way before she left for the University in the fall. When they broke up three months later, though, Jessica wasn’t heartbroken.

Her mother, of course, was overjoyed that Jessica would be attending her alma mater, and there had been no question about what which sorority’s events Jessica should attend when Rush Week had rolled around. “Being a legacy is very important to getting a bid in Theta Theta Psi, but it’s not the only thing,” her mother had told her during a phone call after Jessica’s first week of classes. “This is the most selective sorority on campus. You have to show them that you have the Theta spirit. Get out and impress those girls, Jess!” Jessica’s mom still worried that the other girls would find Jessica too quiet and introverted to invite into the sorority. Jessica’s beauty was undeniable, but this could work both ways in the ruthless female politics of the Greek system. If her daughter was rejected, how could she show her face at Theta Theta Psi reunions? This pressure, in turn, had affected Jessica, who had made every effort attend all the Theta rush events, putting her best face forward at every one and paying an unusual amount of attention to appearance.

So when Jessica received the square pink envelope in her campus mailbox that meant a Theta bid, she was relieved and excited. She immediately called her mom, who was predictably ecstatic.

“Oh, I’m so proud of you, honey. I hope you realize what a huge honor this is. Now, you just need to make it through pledge week and the initiation and then you’ll be part of the Theta Theta Psi family for life! You don’t know how amazing it is, to know you have so many sisters you can always count on.”

Jessica basked in her mother’s approval, but she felt a momentary queasiness at the mention of “initiation.” She had heard oblique references to how the sorority initiated its pledges, passed amid smirking looks by the older sisters during Theta events and circulated through her Freshman dorm as third-hand rumor. She asked her mother what the initiation involved.

“Oh, Sweetheart, you know I can’t tell you! The sisterhood’s secrets are never spoken of with outsiders, and you’re not a Theta yet. I’m sure the rituals have changed since my day anyway. Just do everything you’re told and don’t make a big fuss. Remember all your sisters have been through the same thing. It’s part of the bond you share.”

***

“Officium Obsequium Obtemperatio. That is our sisterhood’s motto. Remember it. You will be tested.”

Pledge week began with a formal dinner in the enormous dining hall of the sorority house. Jessica was seated next to the other eight pledges who had received bids that semester. Presiding over the occasion was Theta Theta Psi’s President Eliza Hernandez and its Treasurer Shannon Fletcher, both seniors. Jessica was frightened by Shannon, who, with her straight black hair and haughty scowl, looked and acted just a little bit like an evil queen from a Disney movie. What’s more, Shannon seemed to have taken a dislike to Jessica during Rush Week, making snide, belittling remarks whenever Jessica dared to speak.

After dinner, Eliza had addressed the group. Her speech had begun by telling the pledges, much as Jessica’s mother had, what an honor it was to be selected for Theta Theta Psi. She had given a history of the sorority and extolled the virtues of lifelong sisterhood. She had then moved on to explaining what to expect during pledge week, how they would all leave for the sorority’s cabin in Mt. Greenwood on Friday, where the final initiation ceremony would take place.

In the meantime, though, Eliza made clear that the new girls’ hazing would begin immediately.

“Officium Obsequium Obtemperatio. Does anyone know what that means?” she asked.

The pledge sitting two seats down spoke up hesitantly: “Um, like Duty . . . Servility? Submission?”

“I see we’ve got a budding Classics major in our midst, Sisters, but not quite. What does our motto mean, Ladies?”

“Dedication. Obedience. Discipline,” the entire room seemed to chant out in unison.

The pledge pursed her lips as if she might quibble with this translation but said nothing.

“Remember those words,” Eliza continued, “When you walk out of here tonight, you will officially be Theta Theta Psi pledges. If you prove yourselves worthy, by this time next week you be welcomed into the sisterhood. But for the time being, you are nothing. I want you to look around at your fellow Rushies. In all likelihood one or two of you will not have what it takes to join us. For the next week, we’ll be watching you and testing you. You belong to us.”

“You’re our slaaaaves…” hissed one of the older girls in a tone of mock spookiness. It was a chubby, brassy girl named Michelle that Jessica recognized from several of the Rush Week functions. Several of the pledges giggled nervously.

“Sister, please pass out the paddles,” Eliza said.

Shannon reached into a cardboard box behind the podium and pulled out an armful of wooden objects. Walking around to the far side of the table, she deposited one in front of each of the new girls. Jessica’s paddle hit the table in front of her with a loud CLACK!, and Jessica leaned forward to examine it.

It was identical to the Theta Theta Psi paddle she had always seen by her mother’s bedside growing up. It was short as sorority paddles went, no more than about two-and-a-half feet in length, more ping pong paddle than boat paddle really, but made from thick, solid wood and with a sturdy, rounded handle. Jessica felt a mix of confusing emotions looking at it. On the one hand, she was proud to be given this tangible symbol of her belonging, one that connected her not only to her future sisters but also through tradition to her mother.

On the other hand, as she looked at the paddle, thoughts came to her that had never occurred looking at the similar object by her mother’s bedside. What was the paddle used for? Was it just symbolism, tradition? Or were they actually going to use that on her as part of the initiation?  Jessica had seen enough movies to know what that might involve. Would she really be spanked with that paddle? Would she be forced to bend over in front of everybody while one of these other girls smacked her in the ass with it? How far would it go? Would they do it hard? Would she be blindfolded? Would they—the thought sent the butterflies in Jessica’s stomach swirling—Would they make her take her clothes off? Stand there naked in front of them while they spanked her bare bottom with this paddle?

To quiet her nerves, Jessica tried to focus on the craftsmanship of the paddle. On one side was carved the sorority’s Greek letters, lacquered in crimson. Gingerly, she reached out and turned it over. On the other side, was carved her name: Jessica Johnston. Between the two words was a heart.

Suddenly a hand reached out and slapped the paddle back down onto the table with another resounding CLACK!

“Did we tell you you could touch it, Pledgie?” Shannon peered down sneeringly at her. “You bitches better learn some respect if you’re gonna survive Hell Week.”

“These paddles all have your names on them . . .” Eliza said from her podium.

“I definitely got a paddle with your name on it,” one of the girls cracked, making an exaggerated batting motion accompanied by a “Whizzzz. . . Smack!” sound effect that made a few of the other girls chuckle.

“These paddles all have your names on them,” Eliza continued, ignoring the interruption, “but they are not yours. Not yet. We will be keeping custody of these paddles until after the initiation ceremony. Until that time, whoever holds this paddle, you are to obey unquestioningly. You will do whatever they say. Run their errands. Carry their books. Mop their floors . . .”

“Clean my toilet!” one of the girls yelled out.

“Massage my feet!” shouted Michelle.

“Jam things in your cunt for my entertainment!” chimed in Shannon.

Many of the girls laughed. Eliza looked at Shannon disapprovingly at first, but after a moment even she shook her head and smiled at the Treasurer’s outrageousness.

Jessica took a deep breath and looked at symbols etched on her paddle’s face, making a silent promise to herself to stick things out no matter what.