Overcoming Fear (Growing Pains #2)(31)

But those were the only reasons. Other than that, she was probably a real nice girl.

Plus, nothing said “good choice not picking me” like a belligerent drunk chick looking like crusty dog crap in the middle of a fetish festival. She was basically saying, “No hard feelings.”

“She has only had about two glasses of wine,” Jasmine responded.

“She can hold her liquor better than that,” Sean said, confused again.

Krista was ignoring everyone, mostly because they were ignoring her, but also because it was getting later in the afternoon and all the crazies were coming out. Gay, straight, men, women--it didn’t matter, there was flogging type sex all over the place. Krista saw another man being led on a dog collar, this time by a woman with a strap-on and leather from head to foot. There was a woman with a ball on a leather strip stuffed in her mouth. She was being spanked by the curb and loving it. Another orgy was getting started ten feet beyond the moaning woman.

“From what Ben says, she finished somewhere between a bottle and a half to two bottles last night,” Kate explained. “Apparently she woke up in a pile of spit on the living room floor.”

“Hey guys,” Krista said to the group, still looking at the woman being spanked. “I was hung over, now I’m drunk. I got issues. I’m a mess. We all get it. No new news. Let’s move on, huh? I want this day to be over with so I can moan in peach. PEACE. I meant peace.”

She drank more water, but knew that if she sobered up too much, she would just be hung over again. And this time it would be even worse than this morning. She had no idea how she would get home at that point.

Everyone talked amongst themselves for a while, and then Krista was escorted up the walk to the main drag. Here there were more “normal” people mixed in with the leather and chains. It was a bit more Krista’s speed, thank God.

Time was starting to pass in a haze. An agonizing, hangover haze. Add to that the emotional insanity. Old issues, new issues—she was not normal. Nothing about her life felt normal. Her world was all topsy-turvy, and here she found herself, in weird, crazy, over-the-top sex land. Where the hell had she gone wrong?

“It’s not that bad,” Kate said, giving her a tug.

“What? Do you have ESP?”

“This scene. Your issues. Your life. You’ve been muttering the whole time. If you don’t want everyone to know your issues, you should probably zip the lip.”

“Oh. Fuck it.”

“That’s what I usually say, yes. But Sean is listening pretty closely.”

“Don’t care.

“Now you don’t, surely. Tomorrow, who’s to say?”

“Argh! You are giving me a headache.”

“Jasmine,” Kate called.

“Yup?” from the back of the procession.

“She needs more wine.”

“Olé!” Krista whooped.

“Is that wise?” Sean asked from Krista’s other side.

“Sorry about last night, Sean,” Krista slurred, her upper body swinging to him wildly. “And yesterday. And today. Dodged a bullet, though, eh? I’d give you a high-five but then I’d fall on my face. Normally that wouldn’t be a huge issue, but in this place someone might take that as a sign to run over with a strap-on. I’m a mess!”

“A hot mess,” Jasmine amended, handing up the warm wine.

“Thank you, Jaz. That was sweet. Do you know that a bum told me to drink hair from a dog? Isn’t that sad? And I took his advice. Here I am, taking his advice.”

“She should probably go home,” Sean said worriedly.

“Here, here!” Krista saluted before she took a big gulp.

She gagged. “It’s warm. And gross.”

“I have tequila?” Jasmine helped.

“Jesus, girls—I don’t think you’re helping her,” Sean declared, grabbing Krista when she stumbled.

“There is no help for me, Sean. Or haven’t you figured that out?” Krista said, leaning into him. “God you smell good.”

“Enough,” Kate said, ripping her away and dragging her to a large enclosed area where whipping was going on. “No pity parties and no pity sex. You’ll stay for a while longer, then we’ll tuck you in a cab, or on the Muni, and you can go home and die.”

“Thank God!” Krista said, slumping against the barrier.

The booth they were standing in front of was not an impromptu affair like the woman on the side of the road. This was a giant booth with employed floggers. A person actually had to pay for the privilege of being beaten. There were a bunch of people watching the proceedings, some dressed up, many not. A woman was in a thong on some type of wood contraption. She was bent over as if it was someone’s lap. A man was standing over her and carefully using his opened hand to slap her white butt. When he made contact, there was the ringing slap, and then her answering moan of pleasure. He must have been at it a while because her butt had turned bright red.

None of this turned Krista on in the slightest, but it didn’t gross her out, either. What it did do was make her stare in disbelief that this was happening, in public, in the middle of San Francisco. Insane. The city was insane.

In the same closed-off area were two large wooden posts with a leather thong above head level. Currently each held an occupant. Their hands were in the thongs, unable to get out, and being whipped by some fairly large men. Each stroke had precision and looked well placed. Each person that was tied to the post was fully clothed. And loving it!