I’ve had an amazing and completely unexpected type of evening.

I arrived at her place in a nice big coat, stockings, black lace underwear and heels, and stood in the hallway with the coat over my arm as she made me wait (as usual). But I was feeling so sexy I didn’t mind.

She opened the door and somehow I instantly felt very drab as she was in a long figure-hugging green satin dress with matching gloves that covered her arms up past her elbows. (Apparently they’re called evening gloves.)

It turned out we weren’t staying in but going out, so I put my coat back on, Mel put a long coat on, and she led the way down the road, around the corner, and to a pub that I never knew about that apparently does cabaret nights on the last Sunday of every month. It seemed a strange day of the week to do it, but I guess it pulls people in on an otherwise quiet night, and the place was already half full.

Then I was surprised to see one of the women from Mel’s party who I just thought was staffing the bar but it turns out runs the place now. She was wearing a deep red overbust and stockings and looked like the Madame from a Western movie brothel.

Anyway, her name’s Elise, and she was the one who had gotten spontaneously naked all those years ago and started the trend that had resulted in my being their naked hostess.

Mel said “hi” to her, and Elise leant over the bar and gave her a hug, then Mel said “You remember Kate, don’t you?” and Elise looked puzzled (which was good! Because it meant the mask had done something). Then Mel told her “the waitress from my party” and Elise held up her hand to cover the top half of my face and then grinned and said she might recognise me better without my clothes on. Obviously I blushed.

We ordered some drinks and some sharing plates and found a table and I made sure my coat was wrapped nice and tightly around my body while Mel put hers on a spare seat next to us. It was a strange place, because over half the room was dressed up in suits (men) or flamboyant dresses (women), and at the back there were a few “regulars” who were just having a normal evening in the pub and found the whole thing slightly amusing, and probably slightly annoying.

There were a lot of pairs of stockings in sight, or tights and short skirts, and it was only when I looked closer that I realised at least three pairs of those were won by men. Cross-dressing was all part of the evening, it seemed!

We had a compere for the night who came onto the stage at seven. She was an older late middle-aged woman, very dressed up, who seemed to ooze confidence and flirted effortlessly with members of the audience. Then the first act was a female singer, who had a nice voice (if nothing original) and between songs Mel told me that a lot of the people on tonight were amateurs or new performers who were using the place to get experience.

During the first act a few more people had arrived and the place was getting closer to being full and in a break between songs Elise came by and stood behind our chairs, asking how we were liking it so far, which was a lot (because it was fun!). She looked at Mel’s coat on the chair and said she’d probably need the seat by the time the second act started, so Mel asked if she had somewhere to leave coats. Elise said she could hang them behind the bar, just for us two, and I said (very firmly!) that I was going to keep mine.

But Mel just gave me a look and said “Don’t be silly. Give Elise your coat,” and I felt like I had no choice.

I honestly can’t tell if all eyes were on me as I slipped out of the long overcoat, handed it to Elise and sat down hurriedly in my underwear and stockings, but if felt like it. But Elise said I was the prettiest and bravest thing to come in here for some time and I felt amazingly better! I think it wouldn’t have been so bad if my midriff wasn’t completely bare, because with the lights low you couldn’t really see my nipples through the bra. I was very glad I went to Pilates and did the running, though.

It made it harder to focus on the next acts, though, which were mostly singers, and included one of the men (dressed as a woman), as well as a man alone, and a woman who did gymnastics while singing. I got the feeling the performances were as much about people letting expressing themselves as they were about putting on a show.

I was actually starting to enjoy it when it was my turn to go to the bar, jostling between all of these dressed-up men and women in just my underwear, and although they glanced and smiled it wasn’t like anyone was judging me for my choice. In fact, it seemed like I’d brightened many a day, and I was half wishing I’d found the place before. Although there’s no way I would have gone there dressed like this unless Mel had made me.

The acts were finished by nine, and shortly after Mel said we should go as she had appointments in the morning, and I definitely had work to get to. We both went to the bar, which was starting to empty out, and Mel asked for our coats. Elise said she hoped I enjoyed her little evening, which I really did, and said she hoped to see me here again. I said I would, but maybe dressed a little differently, if Mel let me. Elise said “I hope differently less and not differently more,” and I felt my cheeks burning.

That was one fun night.