Pony Ranch

Pony Ranch Chapter nine.

"Beans, so the spill then?" I put my mug down and looked towards Mandy, who had broken up some biscuits and was engrossed in feeding them alternatively to Raven, my young German Shepherd, and Fluffy, my human girl bitch pup. I was about to repeat my words when she looked up.

"Eh, what was that? What did you say?"

She said, "Beans, so the spill then." Suzy helpfully repeated for her and gave her a cheeky smile. "I think you're supposed to rearrange into the right order if you can!" her smile was positively impudent as she added the last three words.

Mandy gave her a baleful look, which hadn't the slightest effect on the irrepressible young girl. "I’ll rearrange someone’s bottom cheeks with a riding crop if she doesn’t behave herself!”

“I’ll hold her for you, " Penny giggled,  winking in response to the young blonde's hostile look. “She’s got such a delightfully spankable bottom after all!”

“Tchh!” Mandy clicked her tongue disapprovingly, surveying the three of us as we sat around my sizeable kitchen table. “All in good time, ladies.” She stretched out a hand to Fluffy, kneeling in the classic begging posture and making a far better job of it than the boisterous Raven was. “You know this little pooch needs a new doggie bitch suit. Check the website; we’ve got some new ones, thinner material that fits even closer and is even more durable. This one does look rather worn in places. I take it the little bitch had been wearing it continually?”

I nodded and cast my mind back immediately, feeling guilty and not just about Fluffy. I hadn’t exactly ignored my two ‘canines’ since I’d returned from my stay at Mandy’s estate while my more modest one underwent such a radical transformation. However, thinking about it, most of my attention had been taken up by a growing relationship with Sally and the occupants of my stable.

Young Suzy had spent far more time than I had, taking young Raven for long walks through the woods during her daily jogs, sometimes with Penny accompanying them as well. She’d even bought herself one of those things for throwing a dog ball to fetch. Likewise, when had I last enjoyed the services of Fluffy's pink tongue or devoted much time to the little bitch. I was still far too taken up with my doll-sized Sally when it came to bedroom activities, not that Fluffy had been completely ignored in that respect.

The pup hadn’t been entirely absent from my bedroom, but it was Sally who always made use of her; now I came to think about it. Not that my cute little human-canine needed to feel neglected. One or other of us usually walked her over to the stable in the mornings rather than leave her behind curled up in the big doggie bed. Likewise, at night, I doubt she’d spent a single night in her doggie bed, not with Penny and Suzy taking turnabout for her doggie tongue!

That suit was looking a tad threadbare in places, and I should have noticed. I doubted she could have escaped from it, but even so, as her owner, it was slightly embarrassing. Not a good advert for conscientious pet ownership, I scolded myself! Still, I glanced over at Raven, worrying his favourite squeaky toy now minus its squeak. Perhaps before I changed her doggie suit for a new one? There was no point in getting it all scratched to hell by an over-excited pup, and my big boy did get excited very quickly.

“A one of me for them!”

“Eh, what?” I came out of my brief reverie to see Penny staring at me while the other two looked amused.

“Thoughts?” Penny sighed. “A penny for them. You sort of froze suddenly, staring at the wall over there just as I thought you were about to say something”.

“Oh, yes.” I nodded. “I Was looking at Raven over there, not the wall. I was thinking about a new doggie suit for Fluffy and then remembered what we briefly discussed last week during dinner. You told us about your Brutus and the first time you introduced him to your friends Great Dane”.

Penny threw a shrewd glance at Raven and then smiled. “Ah, yes. My truculent and somewhat larger male version of your delightful Fluffy. Gale and her gorgeous young wife are into dogs and pups, not the pony scene. You know them, don’t you?” she looked at Mandy, who nodded as she nibbled on a chocolate biscuit and quickly swallowed.

“Well enough to have been invited to their wedding a year or so back. It was a lovely affair. You missed it, didn’t you?”.

Penny sighed regretfully. “Yes, I heard all about it from Gale when I got back. I was abroad on a modelling job, a long-term contract for several shoots as and when needed that clashed with the date. Very lucrative and a real fun crew, but...” she sighed again with a regretful shrug. “Had to honour my commitment to it and couldn’t pull out, not with a clear conscience. I felt very guilty because she wanted me to be her Best Woman and all that accompanying jazz”.

“Look on the bright side”, Suzy chipped in. “Saved you losing the ring and having to make a speech at the reception, didn’t it?” she looked at Mandy. “Gale, Isn’t she the one you were showing around about a year  back, her and that bit of gorgeous jailbait fluff Sarah was tailing all morning and drooling over?”

“Hush!” Mandy laughed, putting her hand out sideways, palm up to cover Penny’s mouth. “Keep it in, Honey. Don’t let the kid get to you! But yes, that was them and Dee Dee’s not jailbait. I agree she looks about fifteen going on twelve and as cute and gorgeous as anything you can imagine. The girl looks like some juvenile innocent decorating the front cover of a Japanese pedo wank mag. Wide-eyed, baby-faced, pretty as a picture, plus all the adult lumps and bumps where a girl should have lumps and bumps!”

“Yeah, I noticed”, Suzy muttered sourly, looking down at her less-than-lumpy frontage.

“Most people notice Dee Dee”, Penny agreed, pushing Mandy's palm away. To her delight, Gale certainly did and then found the girl took to the family business like the proverbial duck to water! From what she told me, it was one of those instant more catholic than the pope conversions! I think the attractions of Gale and her bed came a very poor second to the kennels and their occupants!”

“Family business”, I interjected. I felt a tad left out of the discussion, but the conversation was interesting.

“Doggies, the two-legged variety,” Penny said, jerking a thumb towards my Fluffy. “Something her parents started, and Gale grew up with, then took over after her parents were killed in a road crash while she was backpacking around SE Asia after she’d finished uni. Fortunately, they were returning from a delivery, if you can call such a tragedy fortunate; otherwise, the situation might have turned awkward. It’s things like that are the bane of our activities, the things you can’t plan against.

I nodded. I could appreciate that and even gave a little shiver. I’d never entirely thrown off that lurking fear that, at any moment, my evil deeds might result in a visit from those who would not condone such activities. Equally bad was that I lived in a country where the press and media were notorious for sticking their over-curious noses into areas where they were not wanted!

“Not so much a breeder, although she’s experimented along those lines, well Dee Dee has. Innocent is not a word I would use to describe that girl, no way,” Penny continued with a shudder. “Angelic in looks but definitely no angel! Gale's parents set the place up to train and sell suitable doggies to those who could afford and house them. They also ran a boarding kennel for those who needed to leave their pets in secure conditions for a time. Her mother was originally a showgirl and dancer in the West End, while her dad was an ex-underworld heavy, one of the brighter ones. Between them, they had enough contacts to obtain suitable stock for their enterprise and enough contacts to sell what they trained to those who could afford and appreciate them”.

“Private enterprise is always to be admired, especially when it compliments rather than challenges one’s own activities and business interests”, Mandy pontificated before returning to the main subject. “It was a gorgeous wedding. A glorious mid-July day with not a cloud in the sky but not over hot, perfect. Big secluded country house, almost a stately home in size with lovely gardens all around, well you know who played host and many of those who attended some of them with their pets.” That was directed towards Penny, not me. “I provided the carriage for Dee Dee, as the principal bride, along with four pretty ponies to pull it and all decked out with ribbons and…well, you saw all the photos. Remind me next time you come over, and I’ll show them to you,” Mandy said, turning to me.

Four of your dressage ponies,” Suzy mused. “It was a nice day. I drove the carriage for the event and helped you train them for their new role. Short notice, as I recall, but they did okay and looked lovely.”

Mandy gave an affirmative grunt. “Last minute idea sort of thing. They did look damn good, though, didn’t they?

“How did they like that, the role change?” I asked and immediately wished I hadn’t, as the question prompted a degree of giggling mirth from the two younger women sitting opposite.

Mandy’s eyebrows arched as she threw a quizzical look at me. “No idea, I can’t recall asking them. How remiss of me! ”

“How did Goldie like his breakfast this morning? I hope you asked the big brute. “Penny giggled and then ducked as I threw a coaster at her.

“Fuck off the lot of you!” I retorted, getting up to fetch the coffee jug and its remaining contents from its heated stand. “I’m still the beginner here, remember! Be nice!”

“Oh, but we are nice”, Suzy assured me, retrieving the coaster and tossing it on the table. “Well, mostly nice”, she amended, glancing towards my big monitor, which had momentarily switched from its multi-picture view to a singleton wide-angle view towards some of my stable stalls and their occupants as I sat back down. “It was a little challenging getting the four of them adjusted to carriage pulling in harmony in such a short time, especially given the obvious handicap we had.”

I wasn’t about to show my ignorance again, but the question must have shown on my face, so Mandy took pity on me and explained further.

“Suzy means we could not use the ordinary corrective methods, i.e. the whip and cane on the stupid creatures. No doubt some of the guests might have found it amusing to see a team of well-whipped marked ponies pulling the carriage, but keeping them pristine and pretty, I thought, far more effective visually. Besides, it was a one-off situation, and the one thing I don’t do with my dressage animals is ruin their gorgeous hides with unsightly whip marks”.

Suzy and I shared an amused look. We’d chatted on that subject over coffee only a day or two ago, and we enjoyed the sight of a well-whipped, obedient pony. I could understand her point, though, after seeing her gorgeous dressage and showing ponies. 

“Rubber slapper, paddles and electric cattle prods primarily,” Suzy added. “Not quite as much fun nor as effective as a whip, but they soon got the message. Silly creatures were so scared that all I had to do on the big day was crack my whip over their pretty heads that they instantly jumped at my commands!”

I nodded. I could understand that. I’d watched her the other day exercising Goldie and Goofy on the big outside walker. I suspected that the mere sight of her confidently standing there running that whip through her hands terrified the two big boys. Maybe something psychologically more frightening about the whip, perhaps. It certainly hurt, but then again, all of our nasty corrective toys did, didn’t they?

“Gale’s an old friend”, Penny said, refilling her cup. “I got Brutus from her. She phoned me one night to say she’d recently acquired a couple of new pups if I was still looking for a big doggie, and I chose him. Partly because I liked his look and partly because Dee Dee hadn’t done much with him compared to the other mutt. Gale is primarily the business manager these days and leaves most of the training to Dee Dee.” she paused and gave a short laugh. “Like I said, duck to water, and she’s a very efficient or perhaps ruthless might be a better way of putting it, duck!” She frowned and looked at the rest of us. “What’s a female name for a duck? I mean the term before you get clever, Missy,” she warned Suzy.

“Wouldn’t dream of it”, the girl replied insincerely. “They call male ones Drakes; I know that, but…wait one”, she fiddled with her cell phone. “According to this, they are just called Ducks, occasionally the Hen, but mostly just ducks!”

“Fascinating!” Mandy observed a trifle sarcastically, then turned back to me. “True, she’s a devil when training her animals but adorable outside the kennels. Quite a sweetie.” Mandy hastily assured me.

I raised my eyebrows and glanced around the table. “That, ladies, could probably describe all of you as well!” I said somewhat pointedly.

My remark produced a ripple of laughter, and Suzy pointedly commented. “Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me! Anyway, going back to what we touched on the other night, maybe your boy Raven is overdue for a little fun; likewise, this little bitch” Mandy had abandoned Fluffy and my little bitch had shuffled obediently over to Suzy in response to her snapping fingers. Suzy, I’d noted liked to have my little puppy girl close to hand when she was in the same room.

“This suit is beginning to look a touch tattered in places. Useable but a little worn,” Suzy remarked, patting Fluffy on the head, then snapped her fingers. “Turn, display!” she suddenly snapped in a curt tone. The sort of tone the ponies knew only too well and what would follow if they didn’t instantly obey the young girl's command. Suzy, I reflected, was very much another ‘duck to water’. Fluffy was no different to the stabled ponies, and Suzy hadn’t confined her interest in the bitch to her satisfying little tongue. Fluffy had also learned various tricks and responses to commands under painful tutorage.

“Awe, cute”, Penny chuckled as Fluffy spun around and lowered her head to the floor, raising her rump as high as she could to present her private parts to our collective gaze. The furry gimp suit was a tight, close fit, but it wasn’t a complete body suit. It doubled her arms and legs into cute little puppy legs that she waddled around on while her more interesting and intimate body parts were readily accessible via the appropriate cutouts in the stretchy but inescapable material.

“She wasn’t a virgin, was she when you nabbed her? I seem to recall you saying that when we were talking about her once,” Suzy said, looking at me.

I shook my head. “Nope, unless I broke her hymen while exploring, I would have noticed. I was pretty tentative back then, and I found Beauty was one, still is, come to that.” I grinned proudly as though it was my own attribute.

“I didn’t know that. Saving it up for something special?” Penny asked, looking interested.

“Maybe”, I shrugged. Honestly, I’d virtually forgotten about it. So many other exciting things going on, and it's been, or seemed non-stop!” I eyed Fluffy speculatively and then Penny. “That little bitch certainly wasn’t one. My fingers have had her on the edge many times, and so have yours, I gather.” I looked at Suzy, who nodded.

“And a very eager and randy little pup she is, too. If her pussy had teeth, she’d probably have bitten my fingers off because she gets so eager to orgasm…but it’s not allowed, is it pet? Your big mummy over there says no to puppy cum cums, and as a guest, I can’t break the house rules,” she giggled insincerely, stroking Fluffy’s head.

I smiled at the delightful scene. The sweet girl and her cute but helpless human puppy. So charming, except for the sour expression on Fluffy’s face. She was the one who could speak English relatively well, unlike Beauty. If my beautiful pony’s understanding had improved, it was probably confined to specific commands backed up by whip and crop. Something Penny was interested in because it made my animals' training a little more akin to training the real thing.

Teasing our animals sexually and allowing or rather not allowing them to achieve orgasm was another of those dinner table topics that cropped up occasionally. I knew Mandy gave her dressage and showed ponies a treat if they particularly pleased her or succeeded in the ring. Standard practice, she’d once told me among the show community. A coloured rosette guaranteed a little ‘reward’ later, as she put it, even a third-place bronze-coloured one. A gold first place and the winner could count on at least two, and if madam was still on a high from winning, maybe even a third treat!

Aside from them, her stable rule was one of strict chastity enforcement. Teasing male and female animals was permissible and even encouraged, but allowing one of her captive beasts to go the whole way was a strict no-no! Mandy confirmed that as the subject was broached.

“You only do that once”, Suzy muttered and scowled at the sudden smile on Penny’s face.

“Why, what happens?” I asked.

Suzy had given the gorgeous model another scowl, sighed and then answered. “What do you think happens? The pony gets punished, but the careless stable girl also gets a good thrashing right next to it.” She pulled a face. “I mean a thrashing, not a bedroom-style spanking, and they don’t hold back. Sarah did me that one time, but…” she pulled a face looking sideways at Mandy.

Mandy returned the look with a bland on her beautiful face before turning to me. “She can’t complain; it's not a case of one rule for one and one for another. It applies globally with no exceptions. I’ve been thrashed once myself for breaking my own rule. Fairs fair, is it not?”

“Really?” Penny looked interested. “Who did that and why?”

“Who do you think? Sarah, of course, you don’t imagine I’d let….” she trailed off, nodding towards Suzy. “Heavens, I would lose all respect, wouldn’t I?” Suzy opened her mouth to say something but stopped as Mandy waved her hand.

“Before your time, young lady. I must have had some sort of a mental block that day. I’d had a winner in the dressage ring the evening before, but instead of staying the night at the event, I’d loaded up and driven home.” she paused, looking thoughtful. “There must have been a good treason for that, but I’m blowed if I can remember why. Anyway, long story short, I didn’t reward my lovely winner that night, too late or early when I arrived home, so I gave her a double treat the following day. My was she grateful and squirmed about so wildly. Very vocal and quite a squirter, as I recall that one.”

The three of us waited patiently, looking at each other then and then back to Mandy, who’d stopped and was staring absently towards the empty fireplace. It was Penny who broke the moment. “So?”

Mandy shrugged, looking a little sheepish. “Wrong pony, wasn’t it? I must have gotten out of bed on the wrong side that morning, and it wasn’t in haste. Got up, washed, dressed, chatted with Bob over a late  breakfast, saw Mrs Smythe in the kitchen about a few domestic matters, and then went over to the stable to give my champion its belated reward and…”

“Wrong pony”, Suzy giggled delightedly. “I don’t feel so bad now!”

“Hush, noisy child”, Mandy cautioned her. “There I was with a squealing and writhing pony getting the full-on finger and feather treatment for the second time when Sarah became curious and came over to see why. I always like to remove their mouth bits to listen to them while pleasuring them. Anyway, Sarah watched me for a moment. Then she asked me why I was doing that to Hellion when Honeybuns was wearing the gold rosette, and Hellion had come last, rock bottom event last of the three I’d exhibited according to the note I’d left her. I must have had a complete ‘air-head’ moment and was somehow fixated on the wrong fucking animal. I’d been so angry with the useless creature that had so embarrassed me. We hadn’t just finished in last place but set a record for the lowest ever points score. Boy was I seething as I drove home that night, and I’d intended to thrash the rump off her next day like I’d … well,  instead….”

“Instead, you got a damn good thrashing” Penny laughed. “Good for Sarah. I bet that hurt!”

Mandy pulled a wry face. “Some”, she admitted. “Tunnel vision, I’d somehow focused on the wrong animal, got so fixated and then rushed over to stable thinking of reward and…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “I still can’t believe I did that! Of course, I had to make it up to Honeybuns, my lovely winner. I did allow her to come twice and then added a third as a bonus for waiting so long. I’m a fair-minded woman, after all. It wasn’t a major event, so even two orgasms was perhaps on the generous side, but I did feel a tad contrite”.

“And the pony that came last, Hellion?” I asked, knowing the answer.

Mandy shrugged indifferently. “Sarah thrashed her alongside me, of course, which warmed her up nicely for the severe thrashing I gave her later for such a lacklustre public performance. It was so embarrassing! I’ve never walked out of the show ring when things have not gone as well as I’d hoped, but I ought to have done so on that occasion. Talk about a disaster! I thought the wretched animal had the potential initially but never amounted to much. I thought that event would be a good experience, but evidently, she’d already peaked, lacked the necessary grace and coordination, nor was she suitable as a runner, so I sold her as a work pony. My bad!”

Suzy was still stroking Fluffy with that speculative look in her eye, and I knew why. Would the little pup ‘enjoy’ herself if we let young Raven loose on her? Could you even enjoy such a horrible thing no matter how much your sex bud was vigorously stimulated? Knowing Raven's energy, that would be a nailed-on certainty, for that crazy pup never did anything in moderation!

Penny and I were in the same camp pony-wise regarding the creature’s sex lives or lack thereof. ‘Never, never, never ever, never!’ was the gorgeous girl's attitude. In her eyes, a suitable reward for a satisfactory performance was to escape her whip and maybe a few tasty oral treats from her hand once back in its stall. If the animal's performance fell short, it would suffer under that same hand. 

I’d adopted a similar attitude and saw no reason to change. I won’t say that the idea of seeing Goldie cover Beauty hadn’t entered my mind, but then the question of why immediately arose. I had no use for a pregnant pony nor wanted one, and the idea of letting my unruly golden stallion ‘get his rocks off’ upon my beautiful filly held little attraction. Keeping them all chaste held a much greater appeal than amusing myself, watching them indulge in a few sweaty moments of animal rutting. Besides, I’d probably have to somehow work Goldie up to the point of no return before he plunged into my ponygirl, and the idea of doing that was somewhat distasteful!

I knew Suzy enjoyed teasing the animals sexually much more than the rest of us, and I wondered how far she went. Probably, on reflection, not all the way, for that would hardly provide the same level of entertainment, would it? Sally had called me over to the big monitor one evening after supper picking the camera that had good coverage of Goldie's stall, twiddling the knob thingy to zoom in closer. 

It was my turn to wash up, and I’d strolled over, flapping my wet hands to see what she was looking at and what was amusing her. Suzy had excused herself, saying she needed to pop over to the stable and finish her chores for the day grooming-wise. In a fashion, she was doing so, I thought, watching her at work on my big golden stallion, her own manner that was. It also showed why she’d raided the fridge and brought a bowl of ice cubes to the stable.

Well, there wasn’t much on TV worth watching that evening and Sally and I’d more or less decided we’d retire early, but not for the usual reason we’d been doing that. Maybe partly, but she needed an earlier start the next day. Suzy also appeared to have other entertainments in mind for the evening besides watching old repeats or endless reality shows on the telly. For once, it didn’t involve Fluffy, at least not until later.

My big golden boy was squirming under her small but very practised hands and tightly tethered as he was; there wasn’t much else he could do other than wobble about on his hoof boots. She’d got him the centre of his stall, a rope fastened to his posture collar to a pully on the rafters above and pulled tight so that he was stretched and balanced on his hoofs, his legs a couple of feet apart and held by a leg spreader. Given the angle of his head and the tightness of that neck tether, he couldn’t possibly have seen the young girl kneeling between his legs, but he could undoubtedly feel what she was doing.

He was also being very noisy and got louder as Sally nudged the sound up a little, chuckling quietly as she did so, for Suzy had also removed Goldie's mouth bit, leaving it dangling to one side of his head harness by its retaining strap. He was not the least quiet, being very noisy and mainly in Russian, his native language, but not entirely ignoring the coarser elements of his English vocabulary. He’d had few chances since arriving first at Mandy's and then at my more modest establishment to vent his fury freely in such a verbal manner and was losing no time now. I’m reasonably broad-minded, but I did wince a couple of times as his tirade continued virtually unabated. On the other hand, Suzy seemed immune to the verbal outpourings above her.

“Don’t worry”, Sally assured me with a giggle. “I’ve seen her amusing herself like this before. Big Samson and Hercules have been the recipients more than once, probably because they are also big boys.” She paused and giggled. “Very big boys in all aspects. All of Bob’s ponyboys have received a ‘boy parts bath’ from her at least a couple of times.

“Boy parts bath?” I queried momentarily, switching from the monitor to my diminutive lover.

“Her term, not mine, Honey” Sally smiled. “Sounds better than cock and balls, does it not? I think she has a thing about them.”

“Maybe she should get herself a boyfriend then and get her own set”, I growled, not entirely sure I was happy watching her. She was sort of grooming, I noted. At least she had a big sponge and a bucket of what I assumed was cold water from the way he wriggled as she bathed his privates and anal region” I don’t know where the incoming water supply to my farmstead came from, but the direct cold feed was always damned cold!

Sally giggled again. “If she did find one for herself, I doubt the poor fellow would enjoy being tied up while she played with his wedding tackle. I think the fact that it's not optional is partly the attraction. Besides, she’s virtually girl only these days when she’s feeling randy”.

“Why’s she being so furtive? All she had to do was ask?”

“Habit, I expect, she’s always been like that and don’t ask me why. We all knew about her fascination with that part of the male anatomy. As long as she doesn’t let them spurt, there’s no harm in it.”

‘Tell that to Goldie, ’ I thought fifteen minutes later after watching him wriggle, writhe, and even beg for relief despite his anger. The little blonde was very practised watching on as she amused herself with his impressive ridged stalk and heavy balls. Hell, the way he squirmed, I suspected had she offered to provide relief if he accepted fifty strokes of the stable cane, he’d have jumped at the offer!”

Probably a foolish decision, for I’d seen her wield the stable cane for a formal punishment back at Mandy's and knew which I’d have chosen had I been in Goldie's place. Fortunately, I wasn’t, but I was in a position to see him receive as many strokes from that cane as I wished, whenever I wanted, which was a very satisfying thought.

“You're doing it again. She does that, you know,” Penny observed to Mandy. “One minute she’s here with us, and the next, poof, gone! Mind elsewhere, staring into space, oblivious!”

“I’m not oblivious to anything”, I snapped back at her.”

Penny gave me a sweet smile in return and asked, “So what did I just say to Mandy then?”

“Never mind that.” I shot back at her because I had no idea what she’d just said. “Anyway, I thought we all came over here for a reason besides coffee, and I’m sure Suzy’s dying to know. What’s this about Candyfloss and a ponyboy?” I hastily changed the subject, turning to Mandy. “I’m positive you didn’t drive over here just to play Postman or see how we’re doing. Besides, I told you everything when you phoned the other evening!”

Penny nodded in agreement. “Yes, I’m rather curious myself.” her eyes narrowed shrewdly as she glanced towards Suzy and then back to Mandy, who feigned a somewhat unconvincing expression of surprise.

“Oh, it's just one of those things that come up occasionally. Clicky times Bob calls them”.

“Clicky?” I got the question in a second before Penny.

Mandy shrugged. “You know, when things sort of come together, sometimes when you’re not expecting anything.” She looked at our faces and smiled. “Out of the blue when maybe there are a few things in the pipeline or on the back burner, out of sight but not entirely forgotten, or….”

“MANDY!” Penny didn’t exactly shout her name, but how she spoke sounded almost like a shout. “For heaven’s sake, woman! Stop talking in bloody cliches, will you? By ‘click’, I suppose you mean one or more things happened simultaneously, right?”

“My, touchy today, aren’t we!” Mandy sniffed. “Well, ten points to Miss Grouchy! Yes, several things did click into place as it were ponywise.” She paused, realised that patience was running thin among her audience, and immediately carried on.

“I’d been over in Germany for a few days. That fetish company I’m involved with. The board meeting,  various things to see about and, papers to agree on and sign, all the usual stuff. Anyway, while I was over there, I dropped in at Helga’s place. You know her, don’t you?” she looked at Penny, who nodded.

“Mostly by reputation, but I did meet her briefly once when we were introduced to each other at an auction about two years ago. It was hate at first sight on her part; at least I got that impression, and I hadn’t done a thing beyond holding my hand out and saying hi, and its Mrs Grouchy, by the way!” she flashed her wedding ring.

“I’m not surprised” Mandy turned to me. “Helga looks like a slightly smaller version of Sally’s Medusa, big, butch and decidedly ugly! She hates anything with a pretty face like….well, let’s just say she’s only interested in the prettiest and most shapely ponies. Hers is the one stable out of all the ones I know where I’d not want to end up occupying a stall?”

“Which one would you prefer then?” Suzy immediately queried with a cheek grin.

Mandy gave her a cold look and ignored the question. “Well, I won’t say we’re exactly friends, but we’ve known each other long enough for her to accept me without her usual pretty-face hostility. I dropped in to let her know about a new heavy-duty line of harness tack we’re developing; she’s always been a good customer, and she’d asked if I’d call in next time I was over that way.”

Mandy paused to take a sip of coffee before continuing. “She’s got her niece working for her.” Mandy paused and pulled a face. “Chip off the old block in miniature. Anyway, Helga’s been looking for a suitable riding pony for her eager young apprentice. All her stock is somewhat lightweight, okay for doubling up on a cart or four up on a small carriage, but no good for putting a saddle on. She wants something extremely docile, older, but capable of trotting a reasonable distance with her niece in the saddle. Did I know of a suitable animal, preferably one ‘with nice to look at face and body please, yes?’ Her exact words?”

“Candyfloss”, Suzy pondered aloud.

Mandy nodded. “She did come into my mind. “Docile, used to carrying a saddle and still fairly easy on the eye in body and face. I’ve seen her sans bridle a few times.”

“And the other bit, the ponyboy part?” Penny queried, leaning forward.

“I was just coming to that.” Mandy wagged a finger. “Naturally, I stayed for a drink and a chat, then looked around her stable. Professional curiosity, and she’s got some gorgeous-looking animals stalled, including her latest. Perfect timing. She’d taken in three new ones only the day before, two scrumptious eighteen-year-old twin fillies and their brother, a twenty-year-old colt and a very handsome specimen he was too. Here,” she took her cell phone from her pocket, tapped the screen several times and passed it across to Suzy. Penny and I got up and peered over the young girl's shoulder. “Best shot I could get given the light”.

“Wowzer”, Suzy breathed huskily. “He’s a hunky one. Hung, too!”

Penny and I shared a quick, amused look, and I wondered if she was thinking along the same lines I was. Her next words confirmed that she was.

“Quit drooling, girl!

“I’m not”, Suzy snapped reluctantly, dragging her eyes from the phone and pushing it back towards her boss with a big sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Mandy asked.

“Well,” Suzy hesitated. “I’ve got a bit in the bank because you pay us quite well…”

“Quit well!”Mandy snorted indignantly. “There’s no ‘well’ about it! I pay damn good and provide free accommodation and food and…” she trailed off and shrugged. “Okay, so the hours can be quite long, and we have no set working week. We can stretch to six and seven days sometimes, depending on who’s around and who’s away and how many animals I’m stabling”.

“Ah, but think of the fringe benefits”, Penny chuckled, making a whipping motion. “Where else would you get such freedom to enjoy yourself in such a fashion?” she paused and winked at Suzy. “Of course, there are other places, similar places that…”

“Now, you stop that right now!” Mandy cautioned with a pointed finger. “If you want to poach on someone else's preserve, you might at least wait until the resident landowner is out of sight. Now, down to business.” She used the same finger to shove her cell phone back towards Suzy again and tapped lightly on the image. “Interested in this fine young prospective colt, I take it?”

“Need you ask!”

Mandy smiled at the look on her young employee’s face, which instinctively made me share another glance with Penny. ‘Drooling hungry puppy and juicy bone’ was my mind's image, and I suspect something similar was in hers.

“I had a chat about him with Helga, and of course, Candyfloss had immediately popped into my mind when she was talking about her niece. Obviously, I couldn’t promise anything; she’s not my pony, but I also chatted with Bob when I got home.” She paused and chuckled. “You know him and his tastes. He had that very same look in his eye as you just did when I showed him that photo”.

“Oh!” Suzy sounded very disappointed.

Mandy gave her an indulgent smile. “Oh, hold your horses, girl. Now, how’s that for being apt? There is no need to be like that. I told him he’s got more than enough pretty young colts to keep his cock well-satisfied. However, that didn’t mean a new arrival had to be completely off-limits. I mean visiting privileges from time to time and all that. My well-endowed hubby doesn't need to rely solely on his whips to break a new ponyboy's proud spirit. A little,” she giggled, “or rather something not so little might help the owner of a new ponyboy, attitude adjustment-wise?”

“I’ve noticed that as well.” Suzy gave a wicked giggle. “So, what’s the deal with Candyfloss then? I mean, I’ve got a rough idea of her market value, but” She pulled a wry face and pointed at the phone. “youth, especially that sort of gorgeous looking hunky youth, always commands top dollar, and my old mare isn’t in that category. Not even when my auntie first acquired her.”

“Mandy nodded. “Well, Helga’s definitely interested. I took the liberty of sending her some pictures from my computer when I got home, plus time, to an extent, is on our side. Her niece’s birthday is not too far off, so she wants a suitable animal ASAP, as it were. Correct in that I didn’t just drive Hotfoot over here to play Postman. I’m also under orders”.

“Bob? “ I queried.

Mandy chuckled. “Yup. Go see Suzy he said. Well, to be strictly accurate, he said, why don’t you drive over there, darling,  and chat with the sadistic little brat? His words, not mine, and he did say it affectionately,” Mandy assured her with a smile. “I gather you’re his number one fan audience-wise when he’s too lazy to harness a team up for a trot around the estate to one of his spots or, more likely, too randy and just wants to drop his pants in the stable.”

“Uncle Bob’s been calling me that since my first week”, Suzy laughed. “He came to the stable one morning and saw me dealing with a naughty pony.” She stopped and shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe it was a test, but Sarah told me to deliver a suitable object lesson to the silly animal, so I did. Fringe benefits!” she shot a cheek glance towards Penny.

“Uncle?” Penny queried.

Suzy shrugged again. “Honorary,  we’ve always had a very close relationship, and I’ve always got on so well with his ponyboys. He usually calls me to harness them to a cart if he doesn’t want to do it himself or sometimes in the evening if the mood takes him. Always  very polite and sorry to bother me, but would I be a dear and pop down from the staff flat and put Poppy or whoever he fancies on the hurdle ready for a little ploughing?”

“Ploughing?” Penny giggled.

“One of his names. Of course, I don’t mind, and it's always fun to watch. They never seem to get used to it, do they? Of course, if it’s Samson or Hercules, I always have to call Sarah or one of the other girls to assist just as a precaution with the massive brutes, but he seldom chooses them. It's almost always one of the younger, prettier colts, and they are easy to handle. I think I’m his favourite stable girl”.

“Yes, I’ve noticed,” Mandy said. “After Sally, I’m sure you are also Hercules and Samson's favourite!”  The sarcastic note in her voice clearly evident. “Anyway, as time is getting on and, I need to return home. Helga wants to come over sometime this week and have a look at Candyfloss. She’s already made a tentative offer, which I think is quite generous,” Mandy finished with the figure, which impressed me as it did Suzy and Penny.

“That’s not bad at all”, Suzy mused. “Not bad at all, given her age. I suppose I’ve gotten too familiar with her and taken her for granted, but she was a hell of a beauty in her youth and still not too bad when you take a good look at the beast!”

“I‘ve always thought she was a good-looking animal! I chipped in. I remember you telling me about her when you accompanied me back to my car after my first visit. So, what’s the deal then with Helga ponyboy wise, a straight swop?”

“Uh-huh,” Mandy shook her head. “A fresh young colt like that’s worth a lot of money, a hell of a lot more than Suzy’s old nag and Helga’s no fool when it comes to business”.

“Better go see your bank manager then, Sweetie”, Penny giggled. “I’m not sure they do ponyboy loans, though. Cars, yes, but hunky young colts, I doubt!”

“Fuck off” Suzy’s response was automatic, not even bothering to give Penny a look, although she did concede the point. “It would have to be one hell of a loan if they did. So Bob’s….” She broke off, looking speculatively at her beautiful boss.

“Uncle Bob stepping up to the plate.” Mandy smiled and then paused. “That’s an American expression, isn’t it? “

I nodded. “Something to do with their version of football or is it baseball, something along those lines”.

“Whatever”, Mandy dismissed it. “ But yes, my Bob was positively drooling when he saw that picture, got himself all worked up to the point where he had to go straight over to the stable and work off his excitement on one of his pretty ponyboys. A little more ‘ploughing.’” She smiled at the memory. “He does get so excited that way and so quickly. There have been occasions where it’s been a trifle embarrassing,” she confided. “I remember we were at a wedding last time when he was waddling around with a massive bump in the front of his pants!”

“Fringe benefits!” I quipped with a wink.

Mandy disdainfully ignored that, not even glancing at me as she continued her narrative towards young Suzy.

“As I was saying. I think we might have a suitable deal after I’d done some haggling with Helga price-wise over the phone and taking her urgent need for Candyfloss plus Uncle Bob making up the difference.” She paused and stabbed a ginger towards Suzy. “Depending on certain conditions!”

Suzy looked a little startled. “Such as?”

Mandy smiled at her young employee and took a few seconds before answering. “Well, my Bob’s just made another couple of Zillion pounds, dollars, euros or whatever with some East European deal, so he’s not short of a copper or two right now, but he can be a bit pedantic about getting his money's worth. Let's say you agree to stable said pony for three years with me. I’ll do you a fair price and deduct it from your wages.” She smiled. “I would, of course, require an employment contract for three years from you; a verbal one or even a handshake will suffice.” her smile broadened.

“Bitch!” Penny muttered sourly.

“Someone say something?” Mandy queried, looking around the table. “Of course, if someone else can afford a new and very expensive ponyboy, given they’ve just bought one…..” she trailed off with a smug grin and then promptly shook the small hand that Suzy was holding out.