I slept really well that Friday night. Usually, my first night in a hotel, I don't sleep all that well, no matter how many times I've stayed there. It felt a bit strange to have such a quiet room mate. Usually, we all snore the paint off the walls. But Sherri was such a quiet sleeper that I got up a few times and checked to make sure she was breathing. When I would see that she was fine, I would go back to bed. Because my work schedule is fairly set, I get up at the same time every morning. When I got up, I noticed that Sherri was already up. The shower had been used, so I assumed she got a shower and had gone to breakfast. I could hear the clock radio playing. It was tuned to one of those all news channels and the talk centered mostly on the NATO summit happening in Chicago that weekend. I got up and turned it off and laid back down for a while. Then Sherri came back to the room and asked if I was interested in getting some breakfast. I was vaguely hungry and asked her to wait a few minutes while I got dressed. After I'd gotten my clothes on, we went to the lobby for the free breakfast. There was the usual motley collection of people one usually sees at a spanking party--people with their hair still wet from the shower, people still in pajamas and people who look like they haven't been to bed yet. The "free breakfast" at the particular hotel isn't very good, but I was a little hungry so I fixed myself a plate. I ate just enough to take the edge off my hunger. I knew I would probably be eating a big lunch so I took it easy at breakfast. I had some good conversation with the other people at the table. One of the people Sherri and spoke with was a lady who also had alopecia, although not to the extent that Sherri did. It was advanced enough that it was a noticeable problem for her. She wore a stylish wrap on her head. I also noticed that her eyebrows were drawn on. She had a very good no-nonsense attitude that I thought was really good for Sherri to see. I so wanted Sherri to have a good time and have nothing ruin the weekend for her. It did her good to see that someone else struggled with hair loss, too. I happened to mention that I couldn't get an Internet connection in my room and one of the women at the table suggested that I bring my laptop to her and she would get me connected. I was loathe to put my laptop into someone else's hands, but I had seen her at a few of these parties and I knew her dom fairly well. I figured she was OK. So I went and got my laptop and brought it to her. It took her all of five seconds to get me connected. I was grateful, but I felt inadequate, a feeling I hate. But I hate not having Internet access more, something I learned while I didn't have my computer. When I got resettled in my room, I downloaded the photos I had taken the day before. The Spanking Olypics photo was especially good, I thought. I told Valorie that if this photo didn't get me on Kinky And Popular, nothing would. Now don't get me wrong. I don't need to be popular. I have a nice circle of friends and I don't need anonymous people who don't even know me loving my photos. I much prefer to get a comment from someone who knows me or has played with me. But, just once, it might be fun to make K & P. But oh well.
Sherri came back to the room and let me know that a few of the group were going to the Asian market near the hotel with Gatita and would I like to go? It was a glorious morning and I needed to get a walk in so I said OK. Apparently, Gatita needed a few ingredients for a recipe she wanted to make. So we walked the short distance to the Asian market. The first thing I noticed was the perfume display. I didn't stop over and look at anything, but it got my attention. I love things that smell good. We looked around all of the strange, exotic things on the shelves. There was also a gift shop featuring the requisite tea sets and soup bowls. There were also stuffed animals based on anime characters, posters of Asian pop stars, different kinds of chopsticks, and a few pieces of jewelry. On the way out, after we had spent way too much money, Gatita told us how great the food stands at the food court were. So the idea was put forth to come back for lunch. I know some people like to plan everything out for these party weekends, but I prefer to just let things happen. I've never been able to plan every moment of the weekend. When we got back to the hotel, Gatita let us know that she didn't get everything she needed and would be going over to Dominick's to see if they had what she needed. In the lobby, Sherri wanted a photo with me so we stood next to each other and someone took the picture.
I can't remember who took this photo, but I see now that I wasn't ready to be photographed. I felt fat and tired. Sherri and I are "scene sisters" and she could never look anything but beautiful to me. I'm sure she would say the same thing about me, but I've always been critical of myself. Anyway, as soon as the photos were taken, we headed back to our room. No sooner had I sat down and kicked off my Sketcher sandals when someone knocked on the door and announced that they group going to Dominick's was getting ready to leave and, if we wanted to go, we had better come on. We were driven in a very nice Cadillac by the dom of Valorie's friend, Patty. The car was a bit packed. I had a hard time getting my long legs in a comfortable position in the back seat. But we were soon on our way. It took a few minutes to find it, but once we did, it was no problem getting over to it. I'm pretty sure that Gatita found what she was looking for. I bought a few things I really didn't need because I can't be in a store without buying something. Then we made our lunch plans more concrete and the dom decided to go, too. By the time we got back to the Asian market, the food court was now crammed with people. And the gift shop was crowded, too. I forgot how populated this part of Chicago was. Even though it was a suburb, the city we were in had over 200,000 people in it. And it appeared all of them had come here for lunch. Since Gatita was the most familiar with the food court (presumablyfrom attending other parties) we let her lead us in choosing a stand to eat from. The place we chose was a sort of Asian version of a burger joint. I opted for chicken rather than a burger, although the burgers looked and smelled wonderful. I had a chicken terriyaki sandwich and fries. The fries were incredible, hot and plentiful. There were different flavors of salt to sprinkle on the fries to give them different tastes, but I opted for good old fashioned American ketchup. I couldn't decide if I was really hungry or the food was really good. I suspect it was a little of both. Unlike American burger places, where you might get old fries that have sat under a heat lamp for God knows how long, these fries were fresh out of the grease. These little stands cook everything to order. There was an ice cream stand, too but I was so full I was afraid that I would need to be carried out of the market and back to the hotel. My pants felt so tight that when we got back to the hotel, I had to change into something else. Because of the weight I've lost, most of my older clothes hang on me. I have a real problem with jeans. I have to hold some pairs up. The pair I had worn to the market were falling off of me when we arrived but when we left, they felt tight in he waist. Man, was I full. But when we got back to the hotel, the Vendor Fair was in full swing. I really didn't need any more toys, but I at least wanted to look around and see what was for sale. My thing now is jewelry. I used to collect watches and earrings when I was younger. But circumstances sort of took my mind off of that. I'm getting back into it though. There was a very nice lady selling handmade glass bead jewelry and I struck up a conversation with her. Apparently, she was vending for the lady who actually made all of the lovely things I was seeing. A pair of green glass bead earrings caught my eye and I knew I had to have them. Green is my favorite color and the price was right so I bought them. I was sick of buying cheap stuff. I was really beginning to get back into quality stuff. And, to be honest, I felt I had gone without long enough and I worked hard. So what if I wanted a pair of earrings? I had no sooner put the earrings in my purse than I heard a familiar voice. It was Big Jim. I have known this guy since I attended my first ever party nine years ago. He didn't look like he was sleeping very well. I worried about him and he knew it. He wanted to play and so I took him to my room and he gave me a nice spanking. I hadn't seen him for a long time and the last time I'd seen him he was angry at me. So we sort of had a lot of catching up to do. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to put the Do Not Disturb sign out (something I have been guilty of more than once) and, while I was still bare bottom over his knee, the housekeeper came in. She knocked as she entered. It took a second or two for her to realize what was going on and when it dawned on her, she said "Excuse me" and left. I'm pretty sure she went straight to Confession. Jim and I had a pretty good laugh at the look on her face when she came and saw us the way we were. I know this was mean of us and I'm the last person who likes to shock vanilla people. I'm a firm believer that vanillas can't consent to be part of a scene. It was my fault for not putting the sign out. Maybe someday I will learn my lesson regarding that. Anyway, pretty soon Sherri came in and I introduced her to Jim. He gave her a very cute spanking, during which I took some pictures for her to take home and show Will. I could tell that Jim took it easy on her despite her contention that she was a hard player. No matter how hard you play, Jim can play on a whole different level. Kind of like SuburbanSpanker.
Jim wasn't the least bit phased by Sherri's lack of hair. Probably because he was so used to seeing Carol without it. I think she had a really good time playing with Jim. She had to know that Jim wouldn't be one to judge someone based on outward appearance. They had a really good scene, I thought. I love to watch people play, but I sort of got the impression that I should have left them alone. After she got up off his lap, Jim said he would be right back. While he was gone, Sherri and I discussed how she felt about playing with Jim. She had a great big smile on her face, so I figured she'd had fun. A few minutes later, he returned with his friend, Matt. I knew him as the Violet Wand Guy. I had seen him at Beat Me, but I didn't know his name. Somehow, this scene evolved into Sherri and I getting caned side by side, something I really love.
This was a really fun scene that sort of went on for a while. I was amazed that I actually marked. It has been years since I marked like this. Of course, they didn't last. But it was nice that Jim took some photos for me to remember the scene by. I knew that Matt was participating in the Vendor Fair (which was open to the public) but I didn't know he was playing. I assumed that Jim squared it with Valorie first before he took Matt to our room. I also assumed that spanking wasn't his thing because I only saw him with his Violet Wands. It just goes to show that even someone who's been in the scene as long as I have still isn't safe from making assumptions. Anyway, this scene was great fun, punctuated by Jim's signature line "Don't you sass me, woman!" But the scene had to end and the two men went their way. There were hugs and smiles all the way around. I asked Sherri to tell me point blank if she had enjoyed playing with Matt and Jim and she said "Oh my God, yes!" I looked at the clock and decided that it was getting close to time for dinner to be served so I made the decision to get in the shower. I told Sherri that if she heard a scream in the shower, it was just the hot water hitting my sore bottom. I wasn't in the shower that long, but when I came out, she was still lying down and had darkened the room. I asked her if she was going to get up and get dressed, but she told me she had a headache and just wanted to lay down. Of course, now I was worried about her. I asked her if she had anything she could take for it and she assured me she already had. So I went ahead and got dressed while she slept. When I was all dressed, I went to the public room and dinner hadn't been served yet. Apparently, it was running late. So I sat down with some other party guests and chatted and ate chocolate. I was still worried about Sherri. I went back to the room to check her a couple of times before dinner and she was sleeping peacefully. Finally, it was announced that dinner was ready. There was Italian beef (with really good bread), vegetarian lasagna, vegetables and fruit, cupcakes left from the night before and still plenty of soda to drink. I ate my fill (mindful of the huge lunch I'd eaten) and soon, Valorie announced that the evening's contests were getting underway. For the most part, I find these games to be tiresome, especially tonight since I was more worried about Sherri than about who had travelled the furthest to attend the party. The man who won had come from Texas, almost 1300 miles away. His prize was the toy of his choice from any toy on the table, except for the little paddle with the poodle painted on it. That was reserved for the winner of the Best 50's Costume. True to form, he chose the meanest looking toy that was there. All of his toys were ridiculous. No wonder no one wanted to play with him. This guy had gotten into it the night before at the Spanking Olympics with one of the guys who was spanking me, telling him he wasn't doing it hard enough and that, if need be, he could use one of his toys to "teach me a lesson". The man, a switch whom I've known and played with for years, was very polite. He told him to mind his own business. But the man kept up a running commentary about how this game was silly and no one was "doing it right." In fact, I didn't expect to see him again after that because he got his feelings really hurt. The next contest was Cutest Panties, one I always entered. There were about ten of us, including Gatita, who was wearing what we had dubbed years ago as the "Sista Panties". These were panties owned by Gatita, our friend Soxi and me. They were white rumba panties with small multicolored hearts on them. Here's a photo of them:
As cute as they are, I'm sad to say that these didn't win. However, a cute pair of rumba panties DID win the prize for Cutest Panties. Next, the men held their "competition" if it can be called that. The winner chose his prize and it was time to move on the Best 50's Costume. As good as everyone looked, I had no doubt that Gatita was going to go home with that adorable poodle paddle. She had really gotten into the spirit of the occasion, donning a pink poodle skirt with crinolines underneath, a cute short sleeved top and ankle socks with poodles on them. I was right, she won the prize without much competition. I know she had to have wanted that paddle very badly to go to that much trouble. The last competition is one I've been participating in for a while now. It was the Wickedest Implement Contest. Geekybaker and I each took turns taking a hit with whatever nasty toys anyone felt like entering. We had to rate the nastiness on a scale of 1 to 5. Most were in the three range, but a couple made it to the 4 range for me, even though Geekybaker only gave them threes. The winner was a truly nasty toy wielded by a female domme. I think some of the men felt slighted because, for once, the prize went to a woman. With the conclusion of the contests, it was time to find someone to play with. I went over to a new guy, whom I'd promised a play date as soon as all the contests were over. We went to his room and he had all London Tanner toys. Finally, a top with good taste. However, his technique was a bit sloppy. As a newbie, I told him he would get better with experience and not to worry about mishits. Those would happen. He never made one false move towards me or took any kind of a liberty. I actually had fun with him as he was gracious enough to allow me to top from the bottom. When we finished, I went back to the public room to see if I could find Rodney. Of course, he was there and wanted to play. I asked him to give me a half hour to recover because I didn't want to be sore when we played. After I rested and had something cold to drink, Rodney and I went off to his room. As an avid photographer, I knew he would indulge my desire for photos that I could post to Fetlife. As it happened, we took some with my camera using his tripod and they turned out very nice. I got one of the best OTK shots I've ever gotten.
He wanted to take pictures with his camera, too, but didn't get any "action" shots with his. Just pictures of the results of his spanking. I tend to like action shots best. When we finished, I went back to the room and Sherri wasn't there. Now I was really worried. I looked for her in the public room and also in the work out room. All of her stuff was still in the room. No one had seen her either. Right about the time I was ready to go the front desk and tell them they had a missing guest, she came back to the room. I was relieved. I asked her if her headache was gone. She admitted she never had a headache. She said that someone on Fetlife had said something hurtful, though I couldn't get her to tell me anything specific. We talked for a long time and I asked her if she wanted me to have Rodney come to the room and play with her. No, she told me that her head space wasn't good for playing. I was kind of sad for her because she had done all this driving and had more to do and she had hardly played at all. I wanted her to tell me who had hurt her, but she dodged the issue. I think she was afraid that I might get physical with whoever it was. I never did discover what really happened. It was getting late and I asked her where she'd gone. She went to the IHOP near the hotel and got an omelet. When she was done eating, we went to bed.
The next morning, her spirits were much better. However, we got lost again getting on the road. I told her, when we were seeing the Sears Tower in the distance that I thought we were going the wrong way. So we stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts and got some breakfast and headed back to the hotel. The manager at the desk was happy to Google directions for us. Soon, we were on the road for real. As much as I love these parties, I'm usually ready to get home by Sunday. We had beautiful weather and once we got on the road, no incidents to mar the day. When she pulled into my driveway, I had a pang because I knew post party drop was inevitable.
The party was a huge success for me and I know Valorie was heartened by seeing the nice turn out we had. I can only wonder now what the theme for November's party will be.
