Rain fell hard against the window of the ticket booth as Shannon sat watching the parking lot slowly fill with water.  It had rained all night and the morning gloom hadn’t improved her mood. Her history book sat cracked open on the counter in front of her, but she didn’t really feel like studying.  Her mind was occupied with other things.

She’d gone to the student health clinic that morning as soon as it opened.  The nurse had made her fill out the usual forms about her inoculations and allergies, and on the space where it asked about the nature of the injury, she’d simply put “vaginal bruising”.  That had gotten her a questioning glance from the nurse, and she’d been somewhat evasive to the PA that gave her the exam.  She’d lied and said she had a boyfriend, but told them nothing more.  The PA had given her “the look” and a diagnosis: vaginal bruising caused by trauma.  The good news was that gynecological tissue was designed to handle a lot of abuse; the benefits of evolution.  She should be ready for copulation again in a few days. They had handed her a pamphlet about rape on the way out, even though she had denied anything nonconsensual had happened. She left the pamphlet about birth control in its little pocket on the shelf by the receptionist station.

Since she was already on that end of the campus, she’d gone directly to the exhibit hall early to study before everyone arrived for the evening performance. She now sat with her damp feet wrapped in a towel, watching the rain collect in the gutters of the parking lot, the little streams becoming angry rapids of dirty water.  Studying wasn’t high on her list of fun things to do on a rainy day, but it had to be done. She really wasn’t interested in learning about the Vietnam War; even less about Lyndon Johnson from Texas.

A knock on the door roused her from her daydreaming.

“Come in?” she said questioningly, not really thinking anyone would bother knocking on a ticket booth door.

The door swung and a familiar face with crystal blue eyes under a shock of brown hair looked in. “Hi,” Sabina said, “I was going to call your telephone, but then I saw you here. I was hoping I could talk to you?”

“Sure.”

Sabina entered the booth and pulled the door closed behind her as another burst of rain fell against the pavement outside the glass windows.  She wore a white structured blouse and foul weather jacket, paired with denim jeans and leather boots rimmed with rubber.  Her piercing blue eyes were tinged with redness and her short brown hair was slightly damp around the edges.  Shannon guessed Sabina probably kept her formal clothes in a bag hanging in her office.

“Sabina, I’m fine,” Shannon said, anticipating the discussion she was about to have. “The doctor says I’m ok, I just need to avoid anything… in there… for a few days.  That’s all. No big deal. I can switch places with Ridley or Jenny.”

“Oooh,” Sabina said, a look of relief crossing her face.  “I am glad you are okay. I was worried for you.  It was a mistake and I feel worse because it was my fault. But I have some bad news.  I must dismiss you still.”

“You’re firing me?”

Sabina nodded her head, “but not for anything you have done. It is worse.  I must fire everybody. They are cancelling the exhibition.”

“What?”

Sabina looked down, then back at Shannon. “Yes.  I had a responsibility to my superiors to report to them how the first night went. I told them about the accident and that it was my fault.”  She looked down, sadness in her eyes as she nervously picked at something on the wall. Shadows from the rain danced sorrowfully against her face casting shadows of tears on her cheek.  “It was not a good discussion.”

An image of shoulder-boarded generals in a politburo debate flashed through Shannon’s mind.

Sabina continued. “After the performance last night, there were some calls from people to the university president and the president called the dean, and the dean called me. So,” Sabina paused and sighed, “the exhibit will be packaged and sent back to Czech Republic as soon as the weather clears; probably tomorrow or day after. ”

“But… why?”

“It is complicated, but I think the people here are different and do not understand.  I think it is because in Czech Republic our cities are very old and there is much history.  Our history goes back many centuries, with many cultures, so to us it is … I don’t know the words. We learn about it in school at a young age.  Our history and the different cultures are all around us so the people, they are more … open? … about learning and seeing the exhibit.  But here it is different.  Here, such things happened a long time ago and in a place very far away, so there is no interest about it.”

Sabina hung her head down and then gazed out of the window, watching the rain but not really seeing it.  Shannon thought about how she was bored reading about something that happened just 40 years ago, in another country that seemed far away. Sabina was right.

Shannon sat in silence as the rain continued to patter against the pavement outside the windows of the tiny booth.

“I thought this was my big chance. I had hoped to be a success,” Sabina said wistfully, leaning against the wall, “I thought it would be a good decision for my job. But now, I will not have a job when I return. I have been told to expect to be dismissed.”  Sabina gave a defeated sigh, then looked at the young college student next to her.  “But do not worry, okay?  I will tell the dean that you came today and you can get credit for working anyway.”

Sabina pushed away from the wall and straightened her jacket.  Extending her hand towards Shannon, she said “thank you for helping me.  I hope this was not too bad of an experience for you, and I wish you good luck in your studies. I am sure you will do well.”

Shannon shook her hand and thanked her.  She could tell the young Czech woman had been crying, and was on the verge of another spell. As Sabina turned to leave, Shannon had a thought.

“Sabina, wait.”

“Hmm?” Sabina paused, the door half-open as she stood in the doorway. Mist curled around the frame as the rain continued to fall.

“I have an idea. I think we can save the exhibit.”

Sabina closed the door and smiled. “Thank you, but it is too late. Sven departed for Germany this morning and I have already notified the other workers, so there is nobody except for Ridley and Jenny and you.”

“You’re giving up?”

“What else is there to do?”

“But if you close now, won’t you lose your job?”

“Yes.” Sabina sighed, “Yes. That is correct.”

“But, what if we figured out a way to hold the exhibit one more day and it was a success? If the exhibit closes now, you’ll lose money, right?”

“Yes, but if we close the exhibit now, the savings from expenses will balance against the losses of revenue. We still lose money, but not so much.”

“What about your thesis?”

Sabina paused. “My thesis will suffer. That is true. But I think maybe I can make it up in other ways. It is okay.”

Shannon studied the young Czech woman’s expression. “That’s the second time you’ve lied to me.  I can tell.”

Sabina’s eyes widened with surprise at having been discovered.   She looked down at the floor, then at Shannon. Her expression revealed her guilt.

Shannon smiled at her and said, “What if you could make the exhibit more relatable for people?”

“Relatable? You mean … what?”

“Like, what if the exhibit was something that people could understand better, and maybe didn’t offend them so much.  You have to realize that most people don’t like to go see something that makes them uncomfortable.  The way the exhibit is now, it leaves them with a big guilt complex.”

“But, that is the purpose of the exhibit,” Sabina replied, “to show them how easy it is for evil to happen.”

“Right. But what if you changed the exhibit so that people could enjoy the tapestries and the jewels and the history without the guilt trip at the end.”

“Then it would be boring.”

Shannon laughed.  “Maybe it could be presented differently.  Like maybe if we focused on … I know!”

Shannon jumped off her stool and grabbed Sabina by the shoulders. “What if they entered the chamber and we were already on the … whatevers … and acted like we were just wax mannequins!  You could give a lecture about each piece and then when the people leave we could spring to life and give them a good scare!”

Sabina thought about it and smiled. “Like a theater? That is possible. People like a good scare. If people thought you were just statues, maybe it would not be so bad.” Her eyes began to brighten as she continued talking. “I would have to get approval from Prague to change anything, but maybe it is possible.”

Sabina paused, and a scowl formed on her face. “But, there would have to be other changes, too. There were specific things…”

“Right. Let me guess. The nudity.”

“Yes.  There was some concern.”

Shannon motioned for Sabina to sit on the other stool as she sat back down and tucked her leg under her.

“When I first started this job, Jenny told me something that really helped me get me over my nervousness about my performance.  She told me ‘the only difference between porn and art is the presentation.’”

“Yes, so? This is not a sex show.”

“Right. But sometimes when people see or hear anything involving naked people, they lump it all together as pornography. So, we just have to make sure that people see it as art.”

“We had similar discussions when the exhibit started in Prague.  Shannon, I think you are discussing things that have already been discussed by people more qualified than you and I.”

Shannon frowned. “Who?  Who is more qualified than us?”

Sabina replied, “There is my boss.  And your dean.  And the dean’s boss, the university president. Is that enough?”

“What if we gave a performance for their review before presenting the new exhibit to the public?  Then they could decide to keep us open or close us down.”

Sabina paused, then a smile began to pull at the corners of her mouth. “I like that. That is a good idea. But, I would have to get approval from my bosses to change anything too much. We have a charter with rules to obey.  There is still old Soviet thinking in important places.” 

“Sabina, I’ll help you. I’ll talk to Ridley and Jenny and explain what we’re doing.  And you can use our salaries as bargaining chips.”

“Bargaining chips?”

“It’s like an incentive to do something.  If the university approves our changes, then the museum can keep the rest of our salary.”

“What? No!  That is your money. You earn it, you keep it. Besides, it is only a small part of the expense.  To make a difference, there would not be money for any staff at all.”

“They’re going to be fired anyway, right?”

“Yes, but …”

“No ‘buts’. I can convince Jenny and Ridley to work for the college credits. A little something is better than nothing, right?”

“Of course. Maybe that should not be a problem but I would still need approval for the changes.”

“You can get it. I have faith in your ability to persuade people.  After all, you convinced me to pose nude in public,” Shannon said with a smile.

“Yes.” Sabina admitted, “but you were not so much of a challenge as telling an old Soviet that his thoughts are not working.”

“How much would you need to earn to cover your expenses?”

Sabina picked up a piece of paper and began to make some notations and calculations.  Shannon grinned as Sabina mumbled to herself, in Czech. 

“I do the same thing,” Shannon said, “but not in Czech.”

Sabina stopped. “Hmm?”

“You’re talking as you’re adding the numbers.”

Sabina laughed. “Sorry, it is a habit.”  She smiled and went back to her work.  She started to mumble something again and glanced at Shannon.  Sabina stopped, wrote some numbers without mumbling, crossed out a figure, then ripped the paper from the pad and threw it at the young college girl. “Now I think about it too much!” 

Shannon laughed as Sabina started her calculations again. And mumbled.

Lifting her head, Sabina said, “Okay, best situation:  we run the exhibit for another day, we make good sales at tickets, and we will earn enough to cover expenses but not much more.  But, there will only be you, me, Jenny, and Ridley, so we will have to do many jobs.”

Shannon replied, “We say ‘wear many hats’”.

“Okay, we will wear many hats.  But it is possible to do.”

“And if we generate a profit for just one day, maybe we can do it for another week?” Shannon asked.

“Possibly.”

“I’ll go talk to Jenny and Ridley after class; you can talk to your boss.”

***

Shannon watched as Sabina slid smoothly through the water of the university’s indoor pool.  Shannon was mesmerized by the woman’s graceful movements, each muscle working in harmony with the flow of the water.  Shannon just stood there, watching the Czech woman effortlessly move through the blue-green water as her body twisted with each stroke.  The sound of the waves rippling against the tiles echoed through the empty aquatic center.  Nobody swam this late at night.  Nobody except for a young woman very far from home.

“She moves very well. It’s like she’s one with the water, dancing with it, doing an underwater ballet, isn’t it,” Ridley whispered, gently breaking the silence, “I’ve been watching her for about ten minutes now.  I don’t think she heard either one of us come in.”

“C’mon,” Shannon murmured, “Let’s go tell her.”

The two girls’ bare feet padded softly against the deck as they walked to the end of the lane, waiting for Sabina to reach the wall.  Just as the young woman stretched an arm out to begin her flip-turn, Shannon shouted “Sabina!”

Sabina jumped like she’d just been shot.

Ridley burst out laughing.

“I’m really, really sorry,” Shannon said apologetically to the sputtering doctoral student in the two-piece black swimsuit, “I didn’t mean to frighten you.  I just wanted to be sure it was really you.”

Sabina lifted her mirrored goggles and placed them against her black swim cap, revealing her two crystal blue eyes that glowed with the reflected light of the pool.  She let her hands casually stroke the surface as the water rippled around her black fabric-covered breasts. She looked at the two girls and said, “How did you find me?”

Shannon replied, “We tried calling your room at the Guest Quarters but got no response, and with the streets flooding from the rain I – we – knew you hadn’t gone far.  We figured you’d stay indoors, so you’d be limited to the Quarters and the attached gym and Exhibit Hall. We fanned out and Ridley found you here. I was looking for you in the gym when she rang me and told me to come here.  Jenny was over at the exhibit looking for you; now she’s in the lounge listening to the band.”

Ridley announced, “We’re all totally cool with changing the exhibit.”  She looked at Shannon, and Shannon looked at her, and they both turned and looked at Sabina. “And we’ll help as much as we can, but we just want to have some creative control.”

“That’s great!  But, you deserve to get something; not just academic credit.”

“Oh, we’re going to get something.  Don’t worry.”

Sabina looked at them suspiciously.  “What do you mean?”

Shannon sat down along the elevated rim of the pool and put her feet in the water.  “Well, we decided that since you’ve seen us naked, that it would only be fair …”

Sabina looked at Shannon, then at Ridley, then back at Shannon. “What…..”

Ridley knelt down and joined Shannon sitting by the poolside, letting her legs slide into the warm water, and began to smirk. Shannon looked at Sabina and said in a false Czech accent, “we need to see your boobies, to make sure you have no piercings hiding.”

Sabina laughed. 

Shannon continued in her mock clipped accent, “Have you never undressed before a woman?”

Sabina smiled and playfully splashed some water at the girls.

Ridley gave an evil laugh, and then barked “Now, strip!”

Sabina looked at each of them. “You are not serious?”

Ridley and Shannon nodded their heads in unison.

“This is a public place!  I cannot do that!”

“There isn’t anybody in here but us, and at this time of night nobody will be coming around.  And even if they did, we would hear the doors banging shut long before they could get here,” Shannon said, “so if you want us to help you save your job, your thesis, and your career … Strip!”

Sabina stood in the water, her eyes dancing from one girl to the other.  They both stared at her, grinning like monkeys. Sabina gave them a questioning look and said, “You are not...”

“Strip!”

“I…”

Sabina paused, contemplating her situation.  She needed their cooperation if she was going to save the exhibit. She studied the girls, hoping for a last-minute reprieve. 

The two girls sat quietly waiting, grinning at the young woman under their control.

Sabina looked back over her shoulder towards the far end of the pool, giving the area one last check.  With a sigh of resignation, Sabina crossed her arms across her chest, grabbed the elastic band, and pulled the swim top over her head.

Sabina stood in the warm water of the pool facing the two girls, her top floating in her hands as the water’s light danced across her bare skin. Her two pale mounds capped by erect reddish nubs bobbed gently on the surface of the pool, the water lapping in the valley between her breasts.

“And the bottoms,” Ridley added, snapping her fingers, “C’mon, c’mon, quit stalling. Let’s go.”

Shannon said in the clipped accent to the half-naked woman standing in the pool, “Is this a problem for you?”

Sabina grinned sardonically as she recognized the quote and hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her bottoms.  She quickly pushed them down and stepped out of the stretchy material.  Gathering the two pieces of discarded fabric, she placed the swimsuit on the rim of the pool.

“I’ll take that, thank you,” Ridley said, snatching the clothing from the woman.

Sabina looked at the two playful girls.  “Okay, now what?”

“Turn around,” Ridley said.

“Yes, we need to see your backside,” Shannon said in a clipped accent.

As Sabina turned her back, Shannon and Ridley giggled, lifted their feet out of the water and stood up.  In unison, the two girls said, “Nowwwww….. swim!”

Sabina turned and looked at them slyly, placed her goggles over her eyes, and then plunged into the water.  She began a series of easy strokes towards the far end of the pool. Shannon raced to the end of the lane, giggling and running as Ridley stood and watched Sabina kick between the buoys.

The young Czech woman continued her carefully measured strokes, her arms slicing into the water with barely a splash as the water flowed around her naked body, the pale cheeks of her ass just barely protruding above the turbulence on the surface.  Shannon raced to the end of the lane and waited patiently. As Sabina approached, Shannon stuck a hand down below the surface and pointed up.

Sabina popped her head above the water as she casually swam to the edge of the pool. “What?”

Shannon simply said, “Up; out of the water.”

Sabina placed her hands on the concrete rim and pushed herself up onto the deck, being careful not to accidentally brush her exposed nipples against the rough edge, and stood up, facing the playful girl.

“Now spread your legs,” Shannon said, waving her hand and impersonating Sabina’s speech, “I need to see your pubic area, to see if you have any tattoos or piercings hiding. Down there.”

Sabina gave a wry smile and obediently shifted her ankles as far apart as they could go, letting her hands hang loosely against her hips.

Shannon crossed her arms over her chest, then cradled her chin in her hand and scowled like she was in deep concentration. ‘Hmmm.  Yes, yes. No, no, yes, no. Hmmm.”  Sabina sighed impatiently and tilted her head to the side, the water dripping from her bare skin as she stood naked on the pool deck, her body spread open for the girl’s examination.

Sabina’s two long legs, toned and firm, stretched upwards towards a narrow strip of dark fur centered between two strong hips that supported her lean tummy.  The soft curves of her bosom, the sensitive skin of her nipples drawn tight by the water, swayed slightly as she waited obediently for the college girl to finish her inspection.

“Ok,” Shannon said as Sabina started to shiver, “back in the water.”

Sabina quickly jumped back into the warm water of the heated pool, her body merging with the gleaming surface with barely a splash.

“Now, swim!”

Sabina turned and stroked her way down the lane, the wake rolling off her forehead as she moved gracefully through the blue warmth.  When Sabina neared the end of the lane, Ridley held her hand under the surface of the water and pointed up.  Sabina obediently climbed out of the pool, the drops cascading off her bare skin and forming a small puddle around her feet.

“Legs apart, hands behind your head,” Ridley barked authoritatively.

Sabina spread her legs again and placed her hands behind her head, drawing her breasts up against her torso as she stood open and exposed on the pool deck.

Ridley ran her hands along Sabina’s bare flank, wiping the water from the woman’s bare hips as she circled the obedient swimmer.  Sabina flinched slightly with surprise as Ridley cupped one exposed breast and gave it a firm squeeze.  Noticing the woman’s reaction, Ridley scowled as she still held Sabina’s tit and said, “Hmmm.  A bit small. Hmm” and moved behind her to the other side, cupping Sabina’s other breast and gently rubbing the naked woman’s wet nipple.  Sabina winced as Ridley played with the small dot of her areola. “Hmmm. Ok. Hmm,” Ridley said as she massaged Sabina’s mounds, “A bit small, but we are on a low budget so I guess you will do. Ok, back in the water.”

Sabina gave her a dirty look before jumping back into the water.

“Now, swim!”

Sabina inhaled deeply and began stroking her way down the lane to the far wall, where Shannon stood waiting patiently for her arrival.  As the woman neared the end, Shannon stuck her hand under the surface and pointed upwards.

Again Sabina climbed out of the pool, the water draining off her nude body and forming a small puddle on the deck.

“Legs apart, hands behind your head,” Shannon barked.  Sabina obediently assumed the position and waited as Shannon circled her, waiting for whatever Shannon had in mind.

Moving close to the woman’s naked body, Shannon placed one hand in the small of the woman’s back, just above her hips, as her other hand cupped each of Sabina’s breasts.  Sabina flinched as Shannon toyed with each nipple, pinching the nub between her fingers and pulling gently at the dot of dark skin.  Shannon then let her hand drift down Sabina’s lean tummy until it rested just above the naked woman’s dark strip.  Shannon playfully traced a line on either side of the strands, watching Sabina’s reaction as Shannon’s nails slid across her bare hips.   Shannon grinned as Sabina shivered and goose-bumps began to form on the naked woman’s arms.

“Ok, back in the water.”

Sabina turned and quickly dove in the water. She began swimming to the far end of the pool, where Ridley stood, arms crossed, waiting for her arrival.

Reaching the end, Sabina automatically crawled out of the pool and took her place, standing naked and dripping on the pool deck as Ridley circled her. 

“Hmm. Hmmm”, Ridley said, noticing the petals of the woman’s sex beginning to swell and part.  She knelt down in front of Sabina’s hips and examined her closely, tracing a line with her fingernail across Sabina’s opening, causing the wet, naked woman to gasp sharply.  Emboldened by the reaction she had received, Ridley reached underneath and cupped the woman’s pussy in her palm, holding it there for a moment before letting her finger slip inside Sabina’s slit to tickle the soft nub hiding within.  A soft whimper escaped from Sabina’s open mouth as Ridley pressed against her sex.  “Don’t move,” Ridley breathed soothingly as she probed deeper, feeling the swollen nub hiding behind the clitoral hood.  Sabina shivered as Ridley found the right spot. She began to stroke the soft, moist tissue lovingly. 

Sabina’s blue eyes blinked twice, then closed as she inhaled deeply, her breasts rising with the expansion of her chest.

Ridley pressed deeper into Sabina’s warm tunnel, feeling the naked woman’s warm breath against her shoulders as Sabina exhaled fully.  Ridley moved her palm rhythmically against Sabina’s bare skin, stimulating the nerve-rich tissue of Sabina’s pussy. Sabina tentatively began to flex her hips, gently drawing Ridley’s touch deeper into her body as her gasps whistled from her open mouth.  Ridley changed her tempo, quickening the pace as Sabina exhaled hard and deep, drops of water mixing with her own secretions as she stood naked on the pool deck, legs spread wide and hands clenched obediently behind her head.

Ridley continued to stroke the woman’s exposed snatch, bringing Sabina closer to her orgasm as the muscles of her taut legs tensed and her toes struggled to grip the rough surface of the deck.  Sabina began to sway, her eyes closed tightly as the cords of her lean tummy twisted above her bare hips. The two pale mounds, drawn tight against Sabina’s torso, bobbed slightly as she swayed with the movement of Ridley’s hand between her thighs. She moaned, then gasped sharply and shuddered as a high-pitched squeak escaped from her throat.  Ridley smiled as Sabina clamped down on her hand in orgasmic reflex, the naked young curator’s knees threatening to buckle and collapse as Ridley gently massaged the spasming muscles of the nude woman’s cunt.

Withdrawing her moist fingers from the woman’s tunnel as Sabina came down from her orgasmic high, Ridley then stood up and moved behind the obedient woman, studying the drops of water that ran between the cleft of Sabina’s ass, collecting in the valley of muscle before mixing with the woman’s own juices and dripping from the lips of her snatch.  Ridley then raised her hand back and gave Sabina a painful slap on her bare fanny. 

“Ow!”, Sabina said, the twin cheeks of her ass trembling from the impact as her firm breasts bounced with energy.

“Quiet!” Ridley demanded, then swatted her again even harder. 

Sabina grimaced, but did not cry out.

Moving away from the obedient woman as Sabina settled onto the deck, Ridley said “Ok, back in the water, and swim!”

Sabina sighed, then dove into the water and began to slowly swim to the far end where Shannon stood waiting, arms crossed in anticipation of the naked woman’s arrival.

Sabina crawled down the length of the pool, a noticeable difference from her earlier pace.  Shannon watched the languid movements of the nude swimmer as she approached the young college girl standing patiently on the deck. Sabina’s arms swung slowly through the air before piercing the water as her legs kicked weakly behind her.  Touching the wall, Sabina paused, then slowly climbed out of the pool, lifted her goggles, and stood in position for inspection. 

Shannon, having watched Ridley manipulate the woman’s arousal, smiled as she knelt down behind Sabina and gently massaged the firm globes of the woman’s ass. Suddenly, Shannon gave Sabina four quick whacks on her pale wet skin, the sound of the stinging blows echoing throughout the vast room.  Sabina winced and curled her lips, but did not cry out.

Shannon paused and slowly stood up, her fingers dancing across Sabina’s hips and along her ribs, tickling her a bit and causing the nude woman to squirm.  Shannon then quickly gave the naked female a series of hard spanks along the sides of her bare ass. Shannon focused on hitting fresh skin with each strike, the loud smacks continuing as the sensitive flesh began to redden.  Sabina winced and instinctively began to stand up on her toes, trying to lift herself away from the painful slaps.  Finally, she couldn’t lift herself any farther and she started to tiptoe forward, driven by the blows of the young girl kneeling behind her, and let out an anguished cry.

Shannon stood up, grabbed the naked woman by her arm, and gave her a final spank before saying “That’s for lying to me. Now, back in the water and swim!”

Sabina stayed in position, head down, panting.  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly turned towards the pool.  Shannon stepped aside and watched as Sabina dove back into the water and began to swim slowly to the end where Ridley stood waiting.

Satisfied with her work, Shannon walked back towards Ridley, watching as Sabina’s even strokes drew the naked woman across the surface of the pool, the mounds of the woman’s ass now glowing red as the water cascaded around them.  Shannon paused at the towel station and collected several articles of the soft white terrycloth in her arms. 

Arriving at the end of the lane ahead of Sabina, Shannon told Ridley, “I think she’s had enough.”  Ridley nodded her agreement and helped Shannon open one of the larger towels and set it out on the deck while Sabina continued swimming towards them.

Sabina stopped when she reached the end of the pool and stood gasping in the water, her trembling breasts bobbing gently as water flowed around the curves of her body, clear glistening drops falling from the perked nubs as she lifted her goggles, her raised arms drawing her mounds closer to her body.

“Please,” Sabina begged breathlessly, “I cannot continue.”

“Ok, out of the water,” Shannon replied.

Shannon held a towel open for Sabina as the swimmer climbed out of the pool.  Wrapping the soft fabric around the wet, naked woman, Shannon said apologetically, “Please don’t be angry at us.  We were just having fun.  Friends?”

Sabina scowled, peeled off her goggles and swim cap, and growled her displeasure.  Wiping her face with the corner of the towel, she looked at the two girls and said reluctantly “Yes, okay, friends.”

Ridley smiled and told her, “Awww, please don’t be mad.  We were just joking around.”

Sabina glared at them as she patted the towel against her face.

Ridley motioned to her. “Come over here and lay down. On your back. We have something we think you’ll enjoy.”

Sabina cautiously walked towards Ridley and settled onto the soft material. Stretching out her toned limbs, Sabina lay on her back and took a deep breath, nervously wondering what the two girls were up to.  Shannon crossed her legs and sat down on the deck, placing a folded towel across her hips as a cushion so that Sabina’s head rested comfortably on the make-shift pillow on Shannon’s lap.  Ridley knelt at the other end by Sabina’s feet. Lifting one damp foot, Ridley began to rub the bottom of Sabina’s instep.  Sabina twitched at the initial tickling. Ridley explained, “Fourteen years of dance have taught me how to give a good foot massage.  I hope you enjoy it.”

“Okay,” Sabina said, smiling as Ridley pressed against her foot.

“Just relax,” Ridley said, “and enjoy,” she said as she pressed her thumbs into the balls of Sabina’s feet, letting the toes spread from the pressure as the tiny podiatric muscles were stretched and loosened.

Shannon looked down at Sabina, admiring the frame of the woman’s face, the two piercing blue eyes ringed with twin red circles. “You’re far from home, away from your friends and family, and in a very intense situation. So we thought you would enjoy a nice peaceful moment to forget your troubles.”

Sabina looked up at her, taking in Shannon’s words, those crystal blue eyes peering back as Shannon’s dark hair fell down around Sabina’s face like a waterfall of soft brown curls. Shannon cradled Sabina’s head tenderly in her hands, gently brushing Sabina’s face with her delicate fingers.

“Breathe in,” Shannon said, inhaling deeply, followed by Sabina, “and breathe out.” They both exhaled in unison, “very good. You are a good student. I’ll be sure you get full credit.” Sabina smiled and started to giggle, then laugh. Shannon and Ridley smiled back.

Then Shannon saw tears begin to form in Sabina’s eyes.

“Um,” Shannon said, “the joke wasn’t that funny. Are you ok?”

“I am sorry,” Sabina said, trying to control herself, “it is just … I have had so much … just so much … all at once…”

“Shhhh, its ok,” Shannon whispered, pressing her finger against the woman’s lips as tears continue to pool in her crystal blue eyes, “let it go; let it all out if you want to. You’re with friends, remember?” She brushed Sabina’s hair with her open hand, tenderly stroking the woman’s face as Sabina’s lips quivered.

Sabina shuddered with emotion and exhaled deeply. Shannon lifted the corner of a small towel and dabbed at a tear on the woman’s cheek.  Ridley switched to the other foot as Sabina lay trembling on the pool deck, the woman’s head resting comfortably on Shannon’s lap.  Shannon continued to stroke Sabina’s face and wipe at the tears rolling from her eyes as the Czech woman lay on the deck softly weeping.

Ridley moved up Sabina’s leg and began to massage the woman’s calf, slowly twisting and squeezing the soft skin between her hands.  Sabina let out an appreciative moan as Ridley worked against the muscles of her legs, pressing gently with her palms as the skin rolled under her hands, the young girl’s fingers expertly finding the knots hidden within the mass of flesh.  Sabina inhaled deeply and stretched, her toes pointed as she made fists with her hands, every muscle flexed tightly as she tensed her body.  She then settled comfortably on the soft towel and relaxed.  Ridley went back to work, gently stroking the lengths of Sabina’s legs as Shannon cradled the woman’s head in her lap and delicately picked at the few strands of hair clinging to her damp forehead.

Sabina smiled and let out a pleasured moan.  Soon her eyes fluttered and she went limp, her entire body in a state of complete relaxation.  Shannon gently hummed a lullaby as Sabina’s breathing grew deeper and longer.

Ridley continued to rub the smooth, damp skin of Sabina’s calves and feet, squeezing the tension from the muscles as she kneaded the woman’s warm body. Sabina’s chest rose and fell with her deep, even breathing.  Shannon glanced at Ridley and gave her a nod.  Ridley then gently set Sabina’s well-toned legs apart on the soft towel and leaned forward.

Rolling onto her hands and knees, Ridley silently moved closer to Sabina’s hips, the soft folds of her slit barely covered by the edge of the towel.  Ridley lifted a corner of the terry-cloth fabric and gently curled it away from Sabina’s body, then reached for the other corner and pulled it across to the other side, exposing the soft cleft between Sabina’s thighs as the woman lay motionless on the mat.  Ridley tentatively reached her hand out towards Sabina’s mound.

“Ridley, wait,” Shannon whispered.  Ridley froze with her hand hovering between Sabina’s outstretched legs.

Just then a deep breath whistled across Sabina’s teeth, her mouth partially opened.  She inhaled slowly, gently, and a soft snore escaped from her throat.

Ridley looked at Shannon.  “Is she…?”

“Yeah, I think so. I think she might be asleep.”

Sabina breathed deeply, slowly; another long, soft snore. She held it for a moment before letting it slowly escape from her body, the wind flowing across her lips as she lay unconscious on the deck, her head resting in Shannon’s lap.

Ridley looked at Shannon and whispered, “Well, ok, what do we do now?”

“We can’t really leave her here. Not like this.”  Shannon looked at Ridley and nodded at Sabina’s exposed sex. “You cover her back up and then I’ll try to wake her.”

Ridley nodded as she placed the towel back over Sabina’s legs.

Shannon gently nudged the sleeping woman. “Sabina, hey Sabina,” she whispered, “hey, it’s time to wake up. C’mon, Sabina.”

The sleeping woman simply moaned and rolled over, rolling out of the bottom of the towel and exposing the soft mounds of her ass to the two girls, the skin still pink with anger.  Sabina lazily drug an arm across Shannon’s leg, cradling it like a lover as another deep breath whistled from her mouth.

“Looks like you’re stuck coyote-style,” Ridley said with a grin, “Well, my work here is done. See ya!”

“Don’t you dare leave me here; not with her like this!” Shannon whispered angrily as Ridley stood up.

Ridley giggled. “You’re so gullible. I’m not leaving.  I’m going to go look through her stuff and see if I can find her room key. Maybe we can get her back to her room without waking her up.”

Ridley walked over to Sabina’s collection of things, opened up her bag, and began rummaging around. Pulling out a small white envelope, she said “here it is, Room 107. At least we don’t have to take the stairs. And look what else I found.” Ridley pulled out a small, thin plastic case and presented it to Shannon. “Her phone. Smile for the camera,” she said as she pressed a button.

“You’re terrible,” Shannon said with a grin.

“Yeah, but I have fun,” she replied. “I have a plan. We did this thing once for another girl at a recital who had messed up her knee. Think you can lift up her head and shoulders?”

“Yeah, pretty sure.”

“Ok, we’re going to use the towel on the deck to lift her up onto one of the lounge chairs, then carry the chair to her room. Sound like a plan?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Shannon confirmed. 

Ridley brought a chaise lounger over and set it beside the sleeping woman.  Slowly Shannon slid her legs out from under Sabina’s head, and then carefully set her softly back down on the improvised pillow. Shannon stood up and grabbed the corners of the larger towel underneath Sabina’s body as Ridley held the other end and counted down, “One, two, three…”

Both of the girls lifted the towel cradling the sagging body of the sleeping woman and set her on the lounge chair, their feet taking light, quick steps as they tried not to jostle her.  The two girls then grabbed each end of the lounger and began shuffling across the pool deck, setting the sleeping woman down only briefly as Ridley grabbed up their shoes, Sabina’s clothing and bag and set everything between Sabina’s legs on the chair.  Picking up the chair again, they noiselessly made their way through the door, careful not to let it bang shut as Ridley started to giggle.

“Shhh!” Shannon admonished as Ridley tried to stifle a laugh, “Shhh! Somebody might …”

Just then an older man turned the corner, his eyes bloodshot and puffy. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes wafted through the air. “’ello,” he said with a start.

“Hi. We’re with the hotel. This guest had a little too much to drink so we’re taking her back to her room,” Shannon explained as they passed the watching man.

The man stared blankly at the two barefoot college girls carrying the sleeping towel-clad woman, his brain trying to analyze what his eyes were telling him. “I think I might have had… too much… too.”

Shannon smiled, nodded, and said, “Ok, we can help you as part of the room service. Go back to your room and we’ll be right there to tuck you in.”

The man nodded and started walking away as the two girls watched him go down the hall.

Ridley started to giggle again, prompting another “Shhh!” from Shannon as they continued to shuffle quickly down the hall.

“103… 105…,” Shannon said, reading the placards on the doors, “here it is, 107.”

The girls set the lounge chair down in the hallway and Ridley reached into the bag and handed Shannon the key.  Shannon slipped the white card into a slot on the door.  A red light blinked twice, then turned green.  Shannon cocked the handle and opened the door all the way, then slid a metal bracket on the hinge arm so the door wouldn’t close.  She then went back and grabbed the corners of the lounger and the two girls shuffled into the room, carrying their sleeping friend.  Setting the lounger on the floor at the foot of the bed, Ridley collapsed into a heap and started laughing in long silent gasps as she pressed a hand firmly over her face to muffle her laughter.  Shannon whispered “Shhh!” and quickly pulled the metal slide from the hinge and quietly closed the door.  She then started laughing in silent gasps, too, and soon both girls were rolling on the floor while Sabina snored on the lounge chair between them.

Just then, the room’s telephone rang.  Shannon just about had a heart attack.  Quickly, she grabbed the receiver before it could ring again.

“Hello?”

“Courtesy wake-up call for Ms. Casa.”

Shannon thought for a second, and in a clipped accent said, “Thank you.”

Shannon looked at Ridley. “What time is it?”

“Way too late … or too early … for someone to be calling.”

Shannon paused, trying to think of why Sabina would want to be woken up so early.

Her eyes grew big. “It’s the time difference!” she said, panic in her voice, “she’s supposed to call Prague!”

“Oh, shit!” Ridley exclaimed, then quickly started to nudge Sabina’s sleeping body, “Hey, Sabina, wake up!”

“Wait, wait, Ridley, I have an idea.”

“Uh, oh.” Ridley paused, studying Shannon closely.  “Wait, you’re not thinking of calling Prague are you?”

Shannon tilted her head sympathetically towards the sleeping woman. “She needs to sleep.  Where’s her phone? I just want to see her calendar and make sure I’m right. If it’s nothing important, then we’ll let her sleep.”

Ridley suspiciously tossed Sabina’s phone to Shannon.

“You’re such a bad liar, but I’m going along because I smell fun!” Ridley said excitedly. 

Shannon opened the screen and began scrolling through the functions.  She pressed an image of a calendar and selected the only meeting she saw, intending to open the entry. Instead, the telephone began to dial, eliciting a long series of beeps and tones. There was a click, then a hum. A woman’s voice said, “Halo, Inkvizice Muzeum”.

Shannon looked at Ridley.  Ridley looked at Shannon. Neither one had a clue what to do next.

Shannon quickly said in a clipped accent, “This is Ms. Casa. I believe I have a meeting.”

“Jeden dulezitost.”

Another click as Shannon gave an expression of “oh shit” to Ridley, and a man’s voice came over the telephone. “Doktor Pavel.”

Shannon cleared her throat, settled her voice, and in Sabina’s accent said, “Doktor Pavel, I would like to make a change to the exhibit.”

The man replied in a series of words Shannon had never heard before.

Shannon interrupted him, “Please, Doctor, can you speak in English? I am practicing.”

The man stopped, then said in a clipped accent Shannon was beginning to enjoy, “Your conduct is inexcusable.  As a representative of the Museum, we entrusted you with a duty to manage the travelling exhibit in a professional manner.  You were provided with guidelines to follow and we expect you to comply.  This apparently is too much responsibility for you.   Ms. Casa, I should warn you that the failure of the exhibit will cause severe repercussions when you return.”

Undaunted, she replied, “I understand your concerns, Doctor, but I assure you that the exhibit can be a success.  The changes are minor, and will not incur any additional costs.  Also, the exhibit cannot be dismantled for another day, as the weather is still too poor for travel.”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

Shannon looked over at Sabina, who lay sleeping on the lounger, oblivious to the conversation that could ruin her professional career. Ridley had a concerned look on her face.  Shannon began to worry.  What had she done?

She straightened herself and said “Doctor Pavel, I have already received concessions from the models, who have agreed to work for no pay for the remainder of the exhibition.  I have fired the other workers. Since the exhibit must remain here for another day due to the weather, and there will be only minimal costs for operation, I intend to open it to the public.  I think I can generate good revenue with it, with only a few changes to comply with the university’s rules.  I had hoped you would approve, but I should tell you: I will open with or without your approval.”

“Ms. Casa, you are trying my patience.  If you open the exhibit, you will do so with your own authority.  We will not endorse any changes to the exhibit until it has met Board approval.  Do you understand?”

“Doktor Pavel, I promise you that I can increase revenues by at least 10 percent over our estimations.”

Shannon heard the man make an irritated sound on the other end of the line.  She thought her heart was going to explode.

The man said simply, “The Muzeum will not approve of any changes at this time.”

There was a click and the line went dead.

Shannon leaned back and collapsed on the floor, letting the phone slide off her fingers as Ridley said, “oh, fuck.”

***

Sabina awoke to the sight of four bare feet in her face.

Disoriented, she tried to figure out where she was.  A large white towel snaked across her body, resting between the valley of her bare breasts and disappearing between her legs. Alarmed by her nakedness and the unfamiliar surroundings, she wondered what had happened to her. Had she been raped?  A quick self-exam; she didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.  No pain; no blood. Remembering whispered stories, she quickly patted her ribs and tummy.  No sutures, no bruises there either. She began to relax. 

She straightened the towel and held it closely against her skin, her arm pressing against her chest. She put her other hand down to push herself up, but it slipped through the vinyl straps of the pool lounger, jarring her.  Confused, she looked around the room and realized that she was in a guest room of the university hotel.  A slow feeling of dread crept over her again as she tried to figure out how she came to be there.  Looking around, she recognized her luggage and then looked at the owners of the bare feet who where sleeping in her bed.

Shannon was on her side with the sheet wrapped around her chest.  Her arms were curled upwards, her hands resting near her face. The jumbled ridges of her slender legs, bent at the knee, were outlined by the sheet. Her bare olive-tone butt cheeks poked out from under the covers, making a tempting target for a spanking. 

The other occupant of the bed, Ridley, was face down and a faint tan line across her exposed shoulders showed where her missing bra should have been. The curves of her breasts pressed outwards under her arms and her shoulder-length blonde hair was matted around her head. A bit of sheet covered her hips as her two strong legs splayed out from under the edge of the covers.

Sabina muttered a sound of confusion, pressed the towel tighter against her body, and went into the bathroom. 

Sitting on the cool plastic oval of the toilet seat as the pressure was relieved on her bladder, Sabina cradled her head in her hands and ran her fingers through her hair.  She smelled of chlorine.  And then she began to remember what happened at the pool.  And then she remembered the call she was supposed to have that morning.  She quickly finished and flushed the toilet, then rinsed her hands and wiped them on a small hand towel hanging over the sink before dashing into the bedroom.

The two girls were beginning to stir, awakened by the sound of the running water.  Sabina quickly looked around the room for her phone but couldn’t find it.  Frightened, she started opening drawers and moving her bags around.

“I have it,” Shannon said groggily, slipping her hand under the pillow, “but you can’t have your phone until I talk to you first.”

“No! I must have it!  I have a call!”

“I know, and no you can’t, and no you don’t.” Shannon tossed the covers aside and rolled her legs off the bed, preparatory to sitting up, exposing her naked body to the agitated woman. “You made that call this morning.” 

Sabina looked at her quizzically.

“You already spoke with Doctor Pavel,” Ridley said from the other side of the bed.

“What?” Sabina didn’t remember making a call. She could feel her head starting to throb as she stood looking at the two girls who groggily rolled around on the mattress.

“You already called Doctor Pavel,” Shannon said, “or rather, I did, as you.”

Ridley groaned and searched for her bra which was hanging on the lamp next to her.

It took a second for Sabina to understand what the girls were saying.

“What?! You called the museum?! You spoke with my boss?!” Sabina asked, alarmed at the prospect of two playful girls ruining her career.

“Yep.  He’s a man of few words.”  Shannon rubbed her eyes, the olive skin of her breasts gently rising as she took a deep breath.  She exhaled softly, letting her hand rest casually on her tummy just a few inches above the tangled forest of hair centered between her legs, her slender limbs draped over the bed as her feet brushed the floor. 

“No,” Sabina shook her head, “You are playing a trick on me. I do not believe you.”

Shannon handed the phone to her. “See for yourself.”

Sabina opened the cover and scrolled through the menus.  Sure enough, the dial history showed the call and the duration.

Sabina glared at the naked girl resting on the bed.  “You?!  You…” Sabina sputtered, trying to think. A series of strange words exploded from her mouth.

Shannon wiped her mouth with her hand, trying to clear the cotton away.  Ridley rolled herself upwards, then pushed off the mattress and into a standing position facing the curtains covering the window.

“Shannon does a good impersonation of you, at least over the telephone,” Ridley said into the storm of gibberish coming from Sabina. 

“YOU?!” Sabina shouted angrily. Another exclamation of “YOU?!” was followed by another series of strange words that Shannon was pretty sure were Czech expletives.

Shannon opened one eye and raised her hand to calm the agitated woman. “Sabina, relax. Everything is ok. Trust me.”

Sabina snorted like a bull. “Trust YOU? Trust YOU? You make me strip naked in public, spank me, do… that… to me, and you ask me to trust YOU?”

Shannon blinked her one open eye and said, “First of all, it wasn’t in public. Nobody was there, so it was practically private. Second of all, you deserved a good spanking. Thirdly, you didn’t seem to mind… that… and fourthly, who do you think carried you here last night after you fell asleep naked on the deck?”

Sabina froze, trying to remember as much as she could.  “Did anybody see?” she asked gently.

“No,” Shannon started, “well, just one guy saw us bring you in.  He was sort of drunk and I think he believed we were hotel staff. But if a strange guy comes up to you in the lobby and asks about tucking him in tonight, you might have a date.”

Ridley laughed at the joke, prompting Sabina to smile and relax.  “Yes, thank you,” Sabina said reflexively, still unsure of how to react.

“Sabina, have I lied to you yet?”

“No.”

“And how many times have you lied to me?”

Sabina paused. “Okay, but they were little, and I did not mean evil by them,” she replied, with a touch of guilt.

Ridley groaned and reached for the ceiling in a deep stretch, every muscle in her body going tight as she arched her back and raised her fists in the air, drawing her young breasts up as she clenched the muscles of her ass.  “Oooooh, that feels good,” she said, twisting to the left and right. She then settled back onto the floor and took a step towards a pile of clothing by the window.  “And remember, you said we were friends last night.”

“Yes,” Sabina replied softly, “but that was different.  And I did not have much choice.”

“Was … it … bad?” Shannon asked with concern.

“No,” Sabina said, remembering the experience, “but … it… was NOT something I would do normally,” Sabina replied.

“Ridley thought you might like it,” Shannon explained, “and I figured you’d say something if you didn’t want to do … it.”

Sabina glanced at Ridley and was about to speak when she noticed something on the girl’s butt.  “Ridley, what is that?”

“What?”

“On your bottom?”

Ridley twisted around, trying to see what was there. “What? What is it? Is it a bug?” she asked with alarm.

“No, not a bug.” Sabina looked closer. There was something there, written in red lipstick.

“Some writing. It says ‘Sabina’s Bitch’?  What is that?” Sabina asked innocently.

Shannon snickered, then started laughing like a child that had just committed the perfect crime.

“You little hussy!” Ridley said, throwing a sock at Shannon, who laughed louder as she raised her hands to deflect the flying ball of cloth.  Ridley then turned her back to the mirror over the chest of drawers, twisting and craning her neck to get a good look at her own ass. 

Sabina smiled. “I guess it is something bad, then.”

“Ridley,” Shannon said, suppressing a laugh as she watched Ridley try to wipe the lipstick off her own butt cheek, “I gotta tell her about the call.”

“Ok,” Ridley said glumly, “but wait until I get my shorts on. I don’t want to run out of this room with my cheeks bouncing down the hall, advertising who I belong to.”

“What?  What?” Sabina said, beginning to panic again.

Ridley was on her feet now, pulling the soft cotton denim up her toned legs. She buttoned her shorts and said, “Ok, go ahead.”

“Sabina,” Shannon said cautiously, ““its ok, Sabina,” Shannon started, “Don’t freak out, ok?  Last night we were giving you a massage and you fell asleep.”

“Yes, I remember,” Sabina said.

“Anyway, we brought you back here on the lounger and there was a wake-up call from the front desk, so I opened your phone to see if you had something important you needed to do. I accidentally dialed the museum while trying to find your calendar. I guess I’m not used to your phone.”

“I customize with application,” Sabina explained, waving her hand to speed Shannon’s story along.

“Oh.  Well, anyway I was put through to Dr. Pavel. I told him that you were making changes to the exhibit that wouldn’t cost a cent, and that you had even gotten us to work for free. I also told him that you were opening the exhibit for one more day with or without his approval.”

Sabina stood in shock on the floor, horrified, then let fly a long string of words that Shannon again assumed were Czech expletives. Sabina’s eyes darted from one naked girl to the other half-dressed girl, a million thoughts firing simultaneously through her mind.  She set the phone on the desk as she tried to process the information she had been given by the awakening college students.

“Why?” Sabina said, spinning to face Shannon, “Why would you do such a thing to me?”

“Sabina, Sabina, calm down. Please!”

Sabina took two nervous steps and fidgeted with the towel wrapped around her chest.  “How could you!  How could you do such a thing!”

“Sabina, please, I told you not to freak out.” Shannon sat up on the bed, the muscles of her tummy rippling under her olive skin as she leaned up from the mattress.  She then got to her feet, finding her balance as she stood facing the agitated woman, her bare breasts swaying as she put her hands on the woman’s shoulders.  “Look at me,” Shannon demanded, “look at me.  I want you to understand.”

Sabina took a deep breath to collect herself, and focused on Shannon.

“Sabina,” Shannon said calmly, “he said he would not approve of any changes to the exhibit, but he did not tell me – you, to not open.  He did not say you could not open the exhibit. He also did not prohibit you from changing the exhibit.  He only said he would not approve of any changes.”

Sabina simply looked at Shannon as Ridley began to move towards the door.

“You speak in circles. We cannot make changes without his approval, and without changes we cannot open.”

“Yes, we can.  We can make the changes. We’re here, and he’s there,” Shannon responded.  “Who’s going to stop us?”

Sabina thought for a moment.  If she changed the exhibit, the university would allow her to open…

“So,” Sabina started, trying to finish Shannon’s thoughts, “you are saying we can make changes, but he will not approve them, and we will open the exhibit anyway.”

“Exactly.  And if the exhibit is successful…”

Sabina thought for a second, trying to follow what Shannon was trying to suggest to her.

“Hmmm,” Sabina replied, “if we make the changes and they fail, I get blamed; but if it is successful, then he gets credit for assigning me.”

Shannon nodded. “And since you’re already being blamed for closing the exhibit, you don’t have anything to lose.”

Sabina snapped her head to gaze directly at Shannon.

Ridley froze, waiting to see Sabina’s reaction.

Grabbing Shannon’s arms firmly, Sabina looked at the naked girl and slowly said, “You make me strip in public, spank me, do … it … to me, carry me here naked while I sleep, leave me on a piece of pool furniture all night while you sleep in my bed, go through my phone, call my boss, pretend to be me, and tell him that I am going to change a priceless exhibit without approval from him. You do all these things to me and still say you are my friend?  How do you expect me to react?”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one that did … it, remember?” Shannon said, trying to deflect some of Sabina’s anger.

“Shannon said you’d stop us if you didn’t like it!” Ridley blurted out, ready to hurdle the lounge chair and race for the door. 

Sabina didn’t blink.

Even if she could break Sabina’s grip on her arms, Shannon knew she couldn’t escape, at least not without any clothes.  “I, uh…” she stammered.

Sabina eased her grip on the frightened girl.  A smile pulled at the corners of Sabina’s mouth as she said “Without great struggle, there cannot be progress, true? I think you take a very big risk, but I like it. Life should be such an adventure.”

Shannon relaxed as Ridley sighed with relief.

“There is just one thing more to do,” Sabina announced. 

She spun Shannon around and pushed her down onto the bed, then quickly jumped on top of the surprised girl and straddled her naked body.  Sabina then began to playfully spank the exposed ass cheeks of the helpless girl. Shannon squealed and reached back, trying to protect herself with her hands.  Sabina stopped spanking the toned body of the nude girl long enough to grab both of Shannon’s thumbs and hold them with one hand, pinning her hands to her bare back; preventing her from using them to cover herself. 

Sabina attacked the girl with renewed vigor with her one free hand. Shannon squealed again and tried to buck Sabina off of her as the dominating woman continued to spank the wiggling cheeks of the young college girl. As Sabina continued to slap at Shannon’s nerve-rich mounds of muscle, Ridley picked up Sabina’s phone and silently snapped a few photos of the naked young woman squirming under the control of the towel-clad Czech doctoral student.

Finally, Sabina stopped slapping Shannon’s reddening skin and smiled as Shannon, defeated, lay panting under her, the slender young woman breathing heavily into the pillows, her hands pinned to the twisting muscles of her bare back by Sabina’s firm grip on her thumbs.  With Shannon squirming and breathless, trapped between her thighs, Sabina curled her fingers into a claw and dragged her nails across the curves of Shannon’s ass, etching angry red lines in the warm, bare skin and eliciting a squeal of pain from the rambunctious girl.   Shannon tried to kick Sabina with the bottoms of her feet, but the older girl skillfully avoided the flying limbs. 

Fatigued and conceding her defeat, Shannon submitted to Sabina’s domination and quit struggling.  Sabina laughed and playfully patted Shannon’s warm fanny. Leaning down to her friend, she said, “That is for the spanking you gave me last night, you tricky girl.”

Shannon let out a playful wail. “I’m sorry….”

Sabina replied with a laugh, “Apology accepted.”

“Wait, don’t let her up yet,” Ridley said with an evil grin, “now it’s my turn.”

“Nooo!” Shannon squealed.

Ridley quickly grabbed a tube of lipstick that had been sitting on the bedside table and approached Shannon’s defenseless body, her ass cheeks still warm and angry as she lay trapped between Sabina’s thighs.  “Hold her still,” Ridley said as she uncapped the small black tube.  Shannon began to struggle and squeal again as she felt the cold sticky cosmetic scroll across her quivering flesh, the tender skin pink from her spanking. Sabina chuckled as Shannon gasped and kicked at the two women.  Ridley took her time, making sure that the writing would be legible.

Finally, Ridley capped the tube and stepped back. “Ok, you can let her go now.”

Sabina slid off the slender body of the naked girl and looked at Ridley’s handiwork.  Ridley had written in neat lettering “Give Me The Shocker” with an arrow pointing to Shannon’s puckered hole.

Sabina looked at it. “What does it mean? ‘Give Me…’”.

“Shhh!” Ridley said quickly, “Don’t tell her.  Let her try to read it herself.  I’ll explain it later.”

“What did you write?” Shannon asked pathetically as she rolled off the bed.

The two women just stood silently in the room, ignoring the naked girl’s question.

Shannon walked over to the mirror and turned around, trying to read Ridley’s lipstick calligraphy.  Bending over to get a better look, she realized what Ridley had written; including the arrow pointing to her now-prominently displayed anal entry hole.

Straightening up, Shannon looked back over her shoulder at the two conspirators, playfully stuck out her lip in a childish pout and said, “You guys are mean!”

Ridley started laughing.

Sabina looked at Ridley. “I would not laugh so much if I were you,” Sabina said evilly, “I have not forgotten what you did to me last night, either.”

Ridley quit laughing and looked at her. “What are you going to do?” Ridley asked suspiciously.

“Something,” Sabina replied with a smile, “something suitable for my bitch!”

***

“Wow, it’s really coming down now,” Shannon said, looking out Sabina’s window towards the expanse of the university campus.  A haze of blue-grey wetness fell diagonally across the glass, obscuring the storm clouds outside. “Good thing we don’t have to try to go back to the dorms like Jenny did.”

She turned her head towards the bathroom counter, her damp hair resting on her bare shoulders as she adjusted the soft towel around her chest, and called out, “Hey Sabina, thanks for letting us shower here!”

“Of course!” came the reply from around the corner, Sabina’s voice carrying over the sounds of the shower’s falling water where Ridley was trying to wash away the words written on her ass cheeks.

Shannon picked up the remote control for the tv and tuned to the local station.  She then uncapped a bottle of conditioner, poured some in her hand, and ran her fingers through her damp, dark hair.

A woman in a bright yellow rain slicker, the hood pulled down tight across her head, was standing at a flooded intersection. Two sedans sat forlornly in the flooded street behind her, the water half-way up their doors. Shannon recognized the campus street signs and guessed that the reporter must be pretty low on the totem pole to draw such a crappy assignment.

“… and the No-Name Storm continues to affect local traffic, as you can see by the cars abandoned on the roadway behind me. County schools have already closed, as have most other government facilities.  As you may recall, the airport closed late yesterday afternoon, leaving many travelers sleeping on the concourse overnight.  But many passengers left stranded at the airport may have some relief soon, as the university makes available all unoccupied rooms at the new University Guest Quarters on campus.”

An image of the university’s president flickered across the tube.

“We believe in contributing to the welfare of the community, particularly in times of crisis such as this. We’re proud to serve the people who have been so generous to us.”

The image switched back to the reporter standing in the rain. A gust of wind blew at her hood, startling her.  Regaining her composure, she continued.

“Approximately fourteen hundred people have already been shuttled to the university campus, with another one thousand expected to arrive by the end of the day.”

The camera’s electronic eye captured a flat-nosed charter bus plowing through a flooded street, creating a bow wake that rippled across a landscaped lawn.  The image changed to the university president speaking again.

“We’ve already cancelled classes for the rest of the week due to the weather, but we’re hopeful that the storm will let up soon and allow things to go back to normal without too much disruption to the university schedule.”

Again the image shifted back to the reporter. She stood in the storm squinting at the camera, the bright lights blinding her as she pursed her lips and waited.  And waited.

Realizing she was back on the air, the  woman straightened her posture and her voice took a more serious tone. “From the university campus, this is Stephanie Andrews, reporting for Action Pulse News.”

The image changed to an older man in a dark suit sitting behind a large wood-veneer desk, neon lights with the station logo beaming from behind his left shoulder.

“And all this rain may be bad news for us, but it would be welcome out in Mizzerloo, where a prolonged drought …”

Shannon turned off the television.  She was too busy thinking to pay attention to it.

She went over to the small desk by the window and pulled out the complimentary pad of paper and a pencil emblazoned with the university logo. She wrote some calculations on the thin paper and began to mumble.

“I do that, too,” Sabina said, “but in Czech.”

Shannon turned and smiled as Sabina moved towards her from the make-up counter, a satin robe cinched around her waist. Shannon looked back at her notations and started her calculations again, without mumbling, but soon lost track of her numbers.  She ripped the page from the pad and tossed it playfully at Sabina, who giggled as she sat down on the edge of the bed, the paper bouncing harmlessly off her shoulder.  Shannon restarted her calculations. And her mumbling. When she had finished she held up the pad and smiled.

“Hey, Sabina.”

“Yes?” Sabina replied as she pulled a bottle of moisturizing lotion out of her case and spread some on her legs. 

“Can you check my math?” Shannon tossed her the pad.

“What is this?”

“It’s two thousand people trapped at the University Guest Quarters for a day with nothing to do but see an exhibit about the Inquisition.”

“Two thousand? Are you sure?”

“It’s just my estimate.  I figure the Quarters will hold twenty-four hundred people, and none of those will be able to travel.  That’s two thousand four hundred people at this hall with time to kill because the airport will be closed all day due to the storm, and the only entertainment they will have is the tv, the gym, the pool, the bar, or the exhibition hall.  And given the quality of work-day programming, the only exciting thing on tv will be the weather reports.  I estimate the gym, the pool and the bar can hold maybe a hundred people each. I figure another hundred will stay in their rooms and watch tv, read a book or spank each other and do … it.”

Sabina smiled at the joke as she studied Shannon’s notes.

Shannon continued. “That leaves two thousand potential customers.”

Ridley whistled from the bathroom.  “That’s a lot of people.”

“Yes, a lot of people,” Sabina said, her voice trailing off. “Our exhibit cannot accommodate that many.  We are designed for groups of only twenty or thirty each, for only one or two hours.”

“You can give multiple tours, right?”

“Yes, one, then another, then another. But even so, we could not keep giving tours all day. You would be too bruised!”

“What if we changed the show?” Shannon asked, “We could make our part shorter and give people more time to examine the jewelry beforehand.”

“Yes, but…” Sabina made a concerned face, “that is still more shows, and that is a lot for you to endure for one day.”

“What if we doubled the ticket price so we only gave half as many shows, with a longer delay between each show?”

“Basic price elasticity,” Ridley shouted from the bathroom, “is not an absolute statistic. Doubling your price doesn’t necessarily mean you can get half as many people for the same revenue.”

Shannon and Sabina looked at her, surprised, as she entered the bedroom.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I may be a dancer, but I am a college student, ya know.  As an aspiring theater professional, ticket pricing is of particular concern to me.”

“Ok,” Sabina asked her, “what do you suggest?”

Ridley sat on the bed next to Sabina and said, “Shannon’s right – we would need to shorten our part of the show in order to sustain that number of tours.  We keep the pricing the same to keep it attractive, otherwise people will just watch the weather reports or get drunk in the bar or spank themselves and each other at the pool.  So, we make it attractive for them to spend some money for a little entertainment, and make it so that they want to come back.  The tour through the exhibit rooms is kept the same, but instead of all three of us in the torture chamber at the same time, we can rotate with just one of us for each tour. For the next tour, we switch it out and somebody else is in the chamber.”

“And for the third tour, it could be something different again,” Sabina said, finishing Ridley’s thought.

“Yeah. This way,” Ridley said, “you could triple the potential revenue from a finite number of available customers because there would be three possible variations to draw repeat business. And those that were present at the grand opening would feel like they really did get a special presentation that later audiences didn’t get because they got all three variations in one showing.”

“Yes, that is fine, but,” Sabina said, “I would still need someone to take tickets, and someone else to be the Executioner.”

“Well, since we’re changing the script so that there is only one of us at a time in the dungeon, the other two could take tickets between shows,” Shannon suggested, “and we could leave out the Executioner part.  All he did was buckle us in place anyway.”

“That wasn’t all he did,” Ridley replied, correcting her.  With a wistful sigh, she added “I’m going to miss Sven,” and smiled.

Shannon got Ridley’s hint, and she smiled, too.

Sabina shook her head and laughed. “You are terrible.”  Turning to her closet, she said, “Now let me see if I have something in your size.”

***

The three women exited the elevator on the ground floor, wearing Sabina’s outfits. Sabina was sharply dressed in a grey pin-striped business suit and heels.  Shannon wore a belted skirt with a long-sleeved satin blouse and pumps.  Ridley wore a skirt and jacket, a colorful camisole peeking out from the neckline of the single-breasted coat, with high-heeled shoes that were, surprisingly, exactly her size.  The two younger girls felt supercharged in Sabina’s clothes. One of the benefits of staying at the Quarters was free overnight dry-cleaning, and Sabina had intended to take full advantage of it when she had packed for her trip.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, the three sharp-dressed women surveyed the carnage of the ground floor lobby.

The large room was crowded with guests arriving from the airport.  Groups dressed in jeans, cargo shorts, and rumpled t-shirts stood in line, exhausted, in front of the main desk.  A second desk had been set up for single and business travelers in various states of dress, creating something of a traffic jam as new guests entered the lobby and tried to figure out where to go. 

Sabina whispered to Shannon, “This is a lot of people.”

“Yes it is.” Shannon replied, sizing up the crowd.  She then straightened her shoulders and said, “Ladies, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.  We’re going to walk through this lobby like we own it.  When these people see us again, we’ll be selling them tickets to a show they won’t forget.”

Sabina and Ridley exchanged glances and grinned.  Shannon’s confidence was contagious.

Shannon surveyed the mass of humanity and growled, “Let’s rock these clothes.”

Shannon led the way into the sea of people with Sabina and Ridley behind her, forming a wedge as they made their way across the room; heads high and backs straight. A trio of confident beautiful women is hard to ignore, and they got their fair share of looks from the crowd. Shannon scanned the watching faces, making a guess at what the average age of the population would be, and a slight grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as she realized that most of the men in the room would be seeing her naked at least once by the end of the day.

Reaching the far side of the lobby, the trio turned and entered the hall leading to the exhibition.  Sabina paused just long enough to place the exhibit placard in plain view of the waiting guests, then turned and joined her companions in the shadows of the hallway.

***

“It didn’t come off!” Ridley said, a touch of panic her voice.

“What?” Shannon asked.

“The lipstick!  It didn’t come off!”

Shannon quickly spun her backside to the large mirror and looked.  Sure enough, in the bright lights of the dressing room’s vanity, the faint outline of Ridley’s calligraphy could be seen on her ass.

“I didn’t notice that earlier,” Shannon said.

“Me either! The lights in Sabina’s room must not have been bright enough to see it.  This will certainly stand out when the spotlight hits it!”

“Relax,” Sabina said, “I have just the thing.”

Grabbing a circular make-up pad and a bottle of clear liquid from her kit, Sabina told the girls, “Turn around and bend.”

Dutifully, the two naked girls leaned over the counter, their faces nearly touching the mirror as their asses were presented to Sabina for inspection.  The sharp edge of the counter dug into their hips so they scooted back a bit, inadvertently presenting the slits of their sex to Sabina as well.

“I should spank both of you, for your mischief,” Sabina said sternly as she began to wipe the pad against Ridley’s butt.

“Ow! That’s cold!” Ridley exclaimed as she shifted from Sabina’s rubbing.

“Silence!” Sabina barked, “And be still!”

Shannon giggled softly, spreading her legs a bit as the cool air of the dressing room caressed the entrance to her pussy.

“I would not laugh,” Sabina cautioned, “you are next, and maybe I will spank you anyway, for being so full of mischief and making me work so hard.”

Ridley playfully stuck out her tongue at Shannon.

Shannon looked over her shoulder at Sabina, who was working diligently to remove all traces of Shannon’s playfulness from Ridley’s fanny.

“Sabina,” Shannon asked, “when you woke up this morning, what was the first thought that came to your mind?”

Sabina glanced at Shannon, her hand still wiping at Ridley’s skin.

“I do not know.”

Shannon looked at her critically. She could tell Sabina was lying. “C’mon. Tell the truth.”

Sabina averted her eyes and focused on wiping Ridley’s butt.  “I have already forgotten.”

“That’s the third time you’ve lied to me. Or maybe the fourth. I’ve lost count.”

Sabina paused and looked at Shannon, who had propped her head up on her arm and was giving Sabina a questioning stare.

“Okay,” Sabina confessed, “When I first woke up I thought I had been raped.”

Shannon gave a short laugh.

Ridley asked, “Really?”

Sabina stopped her wiping and looked at the dancer. “Yes, really. I did not know where I was, and I was naked.  Why else would I be in a strange room and naked?”

Ridley snickered. “Maybe somebody stole your kidney.”

Shannon laughed.

Sabina was silent as she returned to wiping at Ridley’s bottom.

Shannon saw the look on her face. “No! Don’t tell me! You didn’t really think that, did you?”

Sabina looked at both of the incredulous girls, her expression unwavering.  Sliding over to Shannon’s raised bottom, Sabina dabbed some liquid on a fresh pad and pressed the cloth against Shannon’s warm, soft skin.

Shannon immediately started squirming from the cold cloth pressed against her ass. “Ow!  Wow that’s cold.” 

“Yes, and you deserve it you tricky girl,” Sabina replied as she continued to wipe the liquid across Shannon’s rump.

Shannon’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Sabina. “You really thought someone would have raped you and stolen your kidney?”

Sabina continued to wipe at Shannon’s ass, paying particular attention to the arrow that disappeared into the cleft between the girl’s thighs.  Shannon squirmed as Sabina poured some more cold liquid onto the pad and pressed it against the college student’s legs, lifting her hand up into the valley between Shannon’s thighs and rubbing the damp cloth along the puckered hole nestled there.

“Sabina…” Shannon started, a shiver running down her back.

Sabina slapped the tender skin presented to her, drawing a yelp from the naked girl. “Maybe I should warm your bottom with my hand!” Sabina replied sharply.

Shannon whimpered.  “C’mon. You can tell us. Please? I promise we won’t laugh,” Shannon begged, winking at Ridley.

Sabina looked at one girl, then the other, and sighed. Finally Sabina’s veneer began to crack. “Okay. Yes. I admit. But you must understand. Prague is very old city, but Czech Republic is new nation. I grow up in Soviet system and nobody traveled outside. There were restrictions.  Even in later schools, after perestroika and the reforms, we did not travel because there was no money for such luxuries.  Then, I get a job with museum in Prague and I am busy with thesis, so I have no opportunity to travel except with exhibit, and even then, it is mostly to Eastern Bloc so it is the same.”

Shannon replied, “so this is your first time here?”

Sabina continued wiping Shannon’s ass, and said quietly, “yes.”  Sabina stopped and looked at Shannon. “Yes, and I did not know what to expect. People give me advice, to watch out for this and watch out for that. They tell me stories about rape and kidneys. But this is a big job for me and I want to do well, so I think ‘Maybe if I look like not so much Czech, it will be okay’. So, I see clothes in your magazines and I think ‘Okay, this is how they dress’.  I buy new clothes on credit.  That is why I have nice new things for you to borrow.  I try to buy good labels of your designers so I do not look odd. The skirts and tops and shoes you wear this morning, I wear only once; in fitting room at store before I travel. The phone is from store at airport because I see they are so common with people here. More money on credit. It will take six months to pay.” Sabina paused.  “If I do bad … if I lose this job … but I do not focus on such things. The exhibit is success in Prague, so it should be ok here. I do not worry so much. I think ‘I will get promotion and more money and everything will be okay.’”

Shannon and Ridley were both looking at their friend now, watching her expressions, analyzing her emotions as she spoke.

Sabina cleared her throat and continued, her voice soft and sad. “Then the university calls to cancel.  I think … I think my life is over; that I have lost everything. I have never failed before and now I have failed in the worst way. I sit in my room and cry. I want to die. I want to die in my room; my nice clean room surrounded by nice new things. But I do not. I am still curator and I am responsible. I call my boss and tell him and he...”

Sabina paused, wiping her eyes.  She sniffed. 

“And then I call the workers and tell them. Each call was another dagger in my heart. I could not finish. So I stop and go to the exhibit, to see it one more time before…” Sabina sniffed again.  Her voice cracked as she looked at Shannon. “And then I see you in booth and I want to talk. I need a friend.  Not on phone; someone I can see and touch and feel. I was not sure if I could trust you. I was not sure … because of my mistake with you. I think maybe you do not trust me; maybe you hate me. But you forgive me; you seem to understand. You can see my disguise and you know my thoughts and you say maybe we could do it together. I have hope again. You give me hope that maybe it would not be so bad after all. We can try. I do some work on exhibit to feel busy, to move forward, to not think too much about the risk. I finish and go back to my room to sleep, but I could not. I was too full of worry. So I swim and I am happy again. And you both find me and you make me…” Sabina paused and collected herself. “I trust you...” Her eyes pleaded with the girls, “I trust you to help me but you play trick on me and…” She paused, unsure of what to say. “Then … and then this morning I wake up naked in strange room so I think maybe you are not friend at all, maybe you just want to take from me …” Sabina shrugged her shoulders and looked away to hide her tears, unable to finish her sentence.

Shannon looked at her friend.  “Sabina,” she said, her eyes beginning to well, “I’m soooo sorry. I had no idea you were so scared. No wonder you were so angry with me for calling your boss this morning.”

“Yes,” Sabina said, “And I apologize for my manner. I am not normally like that.”

Shannon smiled at her. “You don’t need to apologize. You were right.  I deserved it. I shouldn’t have done what I did. It wasn’t fair to you and I’m sorry.”

“It is okay,” Sabina replied, wiping a tear as she began to smile, “You did not know. And maybe it is a good thing. I do not have the courage to tell my boss like you did.” Sabina said, patting Shannon’s fanny gently.

“Sabina,” Ridley remorsefully, “I want to apologize for what we… I… did to you to at the pool.  It wasn’t right. We were just having fun. I didn’t realize you were in a bad situation like that.”

Sabina looked at the naked girl and smiled, her eyes still moist.  “It is okay. You did not mean evil by it. It … was not so bad; just a little adventure,” she said, indicating with her thumb and forefinger as she blinked to clear her eyes.

Shannon reached her hand down towards the Czech woman. Ridley did the same. Sabina smiled and clutched her friends’ fingers and smiled.  “Thank you,” Sabina said softly.

Shannon let her head rest on the countertop as Sabina went back to work removing Ridley’s handiwork. Trying to avoid squirming as the cold pad pressed against her butt, Shannon said, “If it helps, you have good fashion sense.”

Sabina laughed. “Thank you. I like the outfits, too.  Maybe the credit bureau will let me keep them.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Shannon cautioned, “Things will work out.”

Sabina smiled and sniffled and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.

Ridley looked at their reflections in the mirror and said, “I remember my first time leaving the country for a dance recital when I was 15.  I was afraid I’d be arrested by Customs and taken to jail because I was on the pill.”

Shannon laughed. “My first trip was a cruise when I was 7. The crew spoke Spanish and I thought they were pirates.”

Ridley giggled as a smile formed on Sabina’s lips.

Shannon continued. “Later, I got my head stuck in some decorative railing while looking at dolphins.  The whole time the crew was trying to get my head loose, I thought they were going to kill me and eat my bones.”

Ridley burst out laughing. A bright smile swept across Sabina’s face, and soon she too was laughing at the ridiculousness of their worries.

Shannon looked at them both and said defensively, “Hey, I was only a kid.”

“Yes,” Sabina responded, “and you did not know of such things as rape and kidneys.”  She turned the cleaning pad over and poured some more liquid on it, then wiped it against the nape of Shannon’s ass cheeks, causing the girl to wince and squirm anew. “Perhaps the only things that change as we grow are the complications of our fears,” she said as she finished cleaning Shannon’s bottom.

Sabina put the cap back on the bottle and declared, “Okay, all done. You are both as clean as the day you were born.”

“Can you make me a virgin again?” Ridley asked, spreading her legs.

“No, I am not a miracle worker,” Sabina said with a grin, “and besides, you would probably lose it again by end of the week, so it would be pointless.”

Ridley laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Shannon stood up. “Thank you, Sabina.”

“No,” Sabina said, her expression changing to one of sincerity, “Thank you.”

Just then, there was a thud as the dressing room door closed. “Hey, sorry I’m late,” Jenny said, rushing towards the group of women.  Her clothes were soaking wet and clung to the ample curves of her bosom and hips.

“What happened to you?” Sabina asked.

“All of the roads are flooded, so I had to walk here in the rain.”

“Are you okay?” Sabina asked.

“No, I broke both my legs and lost an eye,” Jenny said with a wink. “But I can manage. I got quite the looks from the guys in the lobby, though.”

Jenny noticed the reddened eyes of the three girls.  “Have you guys been crying?”

Simultaneously, the three friends looked away, shook their heads, and said “No.”

“You’re terrible liars.”

Sabina smiled as she sniffed. “I must practice so I am better at it.” Shannon and Ridley laughed. Addressing all of the girls, Sabina said, “Okay, time to open for business.”

***

Shannon leaned her head into the make-shift ticket booth that, until that morning, had been Sabina’s office.  A crowd of people milled around the hallway, waiting for tickets to the next show to go on sale.  The girls had decided that making potential customers stand in line in the rain for tickets wouldn’t be very good for business.  The architects hadn’t thought to add an indoor sales window.  Fortunately, Sabina’s office was equipped with an Internet access cable.  Jenny had pulled the card scanners out of the ticket booth and re-wired them through Sabina’s phone, which acted as a register for processing card transactions.  In response to the girls’ questioning glances, Jenny had explained that she worked for a cable installation company to help cover bills.

“Hey, girl.” Shannon whispered.

Ridley looked up from her ledger and deadpanned “I’m sorry miss. Tickets won’t go on sale for another 20 minutes. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait in the hall. And please keep your oblong head away from the decorative railing.”

“Funny,” Shannon replied with a smile. “And my head is not oblong. How are sales coming along?”

“We’re doing pretty well.  We’re actually exceeding my projections.  After a slow start this morning, things really picked up after the first two tours and it’s been steady all day.  Ticket sales for my show were up 30% over Jenny’s and yours. The numbers would indicate that I’m the reason for most of the repeat business.” Ridley reached over her shoulder and patted herself on her back as she beamed an exaggerated toothy grin at Shannon.

“Yeah, yeah,” Shannon responded, “you just happened to be the one on stage when the breakfast buffet closed.”

Ridley giggled at the joke as a red-haired young woman walked up to the pair. Shannon recognized her almost immediately.

“Excuse me,” she started, brushing her hair back off her shoulders, “I’m Stephanie Andrews with Action Pulse News and I was wondering if I could interview someone about the exhibit?”

“Oh,” Ridley started, “well, the curator is currently busy giving a tour, so … ”

“So maybe you’d like to interview one of the models?” Shannon interrupted, pointing to herself.

As the sleeve of Shannon’s blouse fell back along her arm, the reporter noticed the reddened marks on Shannon’s wrist.  A look of recognition washed across her face.

“Oh! You’re the one that …”

Shannon smiled genuinely at her. “Yes, I’m the one that …”

The reporter blushed and bowed her head.  “I’m sorry. I saw you in the… I mean on the… well, I’ve taken a couple of tours already.”

“It’s ok,” Shannon said, “just keep your voice down. I don’t want to cause a scene. Other people may come up and ask for an autograph or something.”

Ridley grinned and looked away.

The reporter nodded her head and looked around. “Right. Well, with the roads flooded I’m not going anywhere, and I have some time before the next report, so would you mind answering a few questions?”

“Sure.”

“’Sure’ you mind, or ‘sure’ I can ask questions?”

Shannon smiled. “Go ahead and ask away.”

The reporter returned Shannon’s smile. “So, um, what is it like to be part of the… tour? Or do you prefer to call it an exhibit?”

“Whichever you think is best.” Shannon said. “We were just talking about how glad we are to be a part of such a popular … attraction. The crowds have been phenomenal; certainly exceeding all of our expectations. The university is very excited about hosting the exhibit; hands across cultures and all that. Did you know that this is the first time the exhibit has been to this country? We’re very lucky to be involved in such a prestigious program.”

Ridley stifled a laugh as the red-haired young woman’s green eyes widened for a second, absorbing Shannon’s marketing pretentiousness.

Producing a small notepad and pencil tinged with lipstick, the reporter looked at Shannon and made some notes, and then asked, “What would you say is the most rewarding part of the exhibit for you?”

Shannon’s expression changed to a more serious tone.  “Well, for one thing it’s given me the opportunity to explore different aspects of myself, of my personality… parts of me have really changed for the better and I have a lot more self-confidence.” Shannon said honestly.

“What about performing … well… naked.  How was that?”

Shannon glanced at Ridley, and said “I think it’s fair to say for both of us that it really wasn’t a big issue.  Once you get into character, you’re not yourself. You’re just a body encompassing another person’s spirit.  I guess that’s the best way to describe it.  You’re portraying a person in a historical time period, and what’s happening to you is what would’ve happened to that person. It’s the highest form of performance art.”

The woman continued. “Um, ok. Well, I was just wondering, because…” The reporter stopped, afraid to complete her thought.  She cleared her throat and said, “I understand that there was some controversy after opening night.  Did you think the show would be closed?”

“There was some concern, yes, but once we explained the tour for the university president and Board of Deans, there was a better understanding amongst everyone involved in the production. They realized that most of the complaints were a result of the people in the audience not being comfortable with themselves, and what they did rather than anything the tour did. The university did require us to make one change, however. We now give a sterner warning to the audience before we perform certain parts of the tour.”

Stephanie opened her mouth as if to speak, then changed her mind.

Shannon looked at her quizzically, sensing that the reporter was holding back something.  “Yes? Did you have another question?”

“Well, I was just going to say… I was just going to say that you are very brave to do …  you know, do what you do.  I think it’s… kind of exciting.”

Shannon looked at Ridley.  Ridley looked at Shannon.  Shannon looked at the reporter and asked, “Would you like to try it?”

“Oh?” the woman said quickly, “you’d let me?  I mean…” The young woman paused and straightened her posture, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound…”

Shannon nodded her head and gave the woman an encouraging look. “That’s ok. You know, you can’t really report on something properly unless you’ve done it yourself. How else will you know how it truly feels?  Art is something that you must feel to appreciate.  If art doesn’t generate an emotional feeling from you, then it’s failed to be artistic, right?”

The woman’s green eyes blinked.  She thought for a moment. “Well, you have a point.”

Shannon added, “And the job of a good reporter is to investigate a story thoroughly.”

The woman stood there, wavering.

Shannon looked at her and whispered, “I promise nobody will recognize you. They won’t even see your eyes. You’ll be completely anonymous. Look, you were standing right next to me and you didn’t know who I was until I said something.”

The woman chewed at her lip in nervous contemplation. “Yeah, that’s true. But… um…  I’ve never done this sort of thing before.  I’m sure you’re both professionals and … and I’m just a… well I’m not a trained actress or anything.  You guys make it seem so real.”

“Seem real?” Ridley started, “well that’s because…”

“That’s because its part of the experience,” Shannon said, interrupting Ridley, “You just go with the performance and do what comes naturally.  You’re not yourself, remember? You’re just a generic individual from anywhere between the 12th and 16th centuries. Just go with that and you’ll do fine.” She gave the reporter a quick up-and-down study and said, “I think we could work you in.  I have some influence with the curator. But you’ll have to audition first.”

“Audition? Like how?”

Shannon and Ridley exchanged glances.  “Come into our office,” Shannon said as Ridley closed the ledger and pushed the small desk aside. 

“Ok, but I won’t do nudity,” the red-haired girl said as Shannon guided her into the room.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Listen, just remember the difference between art and pornography is…” she said, her voice trailing off as she closed the door.

***

Torches flickered, their flames sending vibrations of orange light across the chamber.  A low murmur emanated from the shifting forms silhouetted against the dark walls of the chamber as the crowd shuffled quietly into the room.  The doors swung closed and locked with a dull thump.  As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, the curious figures could make out the shape of a large wheel centered between the torches.  And on that wheel was the outstretched form of a young woman, her arms and legs spread wide along the spokes jutting out from the thick hub.

Sabina pressed a button on the remote, and from somewhere above and behind the audience a spotlight shone down, its beam capturing the auburn red hair of the woman strapped to the wheel.  The woman’s pale skin glowed from the white light as the flimsy material of her gown pressed against her body, the curves of her breasts dotted by pale pink ovals outlined against the nearly-sheer fabric that ended just below her hips.  Dark red cloth shielded her eyes from the harsh light, the ends of the fabric knotted behind her head. A strip of black leather divided her brightly-colored lips.  Black leather also adorned the ends of her body, the thick black cuffs wrapped securely around the helpless woman’s wrists and ankles, lashing her to the rim of the circular frame.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… the Breaking Wheel.”

The crowd parted as Sabina made her way to the front of the stage. The young girl bound to the frame began to tug at her bonds as she sensed Sabina approaching her outstretched body. 

Standing next to the helpless victim, Sabina extended her hand to direct the crowd’s attention to the heavy wooden apparatus.  “The Breaking Wheel was also known as the Catherine Wheel, in honor of St. Catherine of Alexandria who was sentenced to be executed in the 4th century by a device similar to this. It was intended to be the most painful form of execution allowed by law. After the confession was recorded, each of the victim’s limbs would be shattered by a heavy mallet, the bones crushed so that the witch could not walk or crawl away.  The splintered tissue would then be woven through the spokes, the shards of wrecked bones piercing the skin in agonizing torment, leaving the accused witch to squirm like an octopus at the end of the fisherman’s gig.  The fortunate ones would die of shock before the crows and vultures came to gouge out their eyes and feast on their warm, bloody flesh.”

Sabina paused, letting the image fertilize the audience’s imagination.  She had thought the words were ridiculous, but Shannon had convinced her that it would add to the atmosphere of the presentation.  After some discussion, Shannon had also convinced her to let the attractive young red-haired volunteer participate in the day’s last show, as a grand finale of sorts.

“But today is not the day for the execution of heretics.  Instead, we are going to use the wheel as an instrument of torture, to extract a confession from this fiery-headed witch.  I must warn you that this part of the exhibit features graphic nudity and sexual violence.  What you will see is very much real and factual, and may be disturbing to your sensibilities.  These artifacts operate exactly as they did during the Inquisition. Some people have even found these demonstrations to be repulsive and immoral.  I suggest, that if you do not wish to witness the torments that man is capable of committing on his fellow man, that you proceed to the next room, where we will rejoin you shortly.”

None in the audience moved towards the exit.

“Very well.  We will begin our demonstration.  First, we must prepare our subject for her interrogation by removing her garments, to prepare her for the long journey of pain and suffering that awaits her.”

The girl bound to the wheel squealed in protest and began to tug at her bonds, shaking her head as she tried to pull free of the leather binding her to the frame.  Her reaction served to further excite the crowd, who moved closer to the stage in anticipation of seeing the attractive young woman forcibly stripped in public.

Sabina scanned the shifting mob, recognizing many of them from earlier tours, several of whom had taken their assignments with a bit too much enthusiasm. Fortunately, this was the last show of the day and she would not need to call on any of them to participate, as she had in the earlier tours.

Sabina pressed a button on her remote.  From somewhere in the shadows behind the large wooden frame emerged Shannon, naked but for a diaphanous loincloth trimmed in gold satin; the fabric disappearing between her thighs, the loose ends rustling against her olive-skin. She wore a simple mask of black velvet across her eyes and the coil of gold jewelry around her left arm was mirrored by the decorative braid wrapped around her long, dark hair. Shannon’s swaying breasts attracted whispered comments of admiration from the audience as she approached the lighted figure of the woman on display before the waiting crowd..

Shannon stepped into the spotlight and stopped beside the giant wheel, taking her place before the outstretched body of the woman.  The fair-skinned victim on the wheel continued to protest, to no avail.

“Strip her.” Sabina said dutifully.

The captive girl shook her head, her cries muffled by the leather gag in her mouth as Shannon reached out and grabbed the neckline of the woman’s flimsy gown.  Shannon’s breasts bobbed angrily with effort as she tugged at the dress covering the girl’s body, struggling against the rim of the gown. Then, with a loud rip, the thin fabric parted between her hands, exposing the girl’s bosom. 

Two pale mounds capped by soft pink nipples greeted the anxious crowd, the gentle slopes of the victim’s breasts bobbing as her mounds were freed from the pressure of the garment.  Shannon pulled again; causing the material split in a ragged scar down the woman’s torso, revealing the pale skin of her lean tummy underneath the gentle curves of her soft flesh.  With a flourish, Shannon pulled one last time and the scraps of cloth pulled free of the helpless woman’s body, the gauzy fabric splitting to reveal the tangled nest of dark red hair covering her mound of Venus. Shannon then brushed the two halves of the gown apart, letting the ruined garment fall to the woman’s sides, leaving her naked and exposed to the eager eyes of the titillated audience. 

The nude woman moaned in protest, fighting the bonds holding her to the circular frame as she lay bound spread-eagled on the wheel.  The muscles of her lithe body danced in the harsh light of the stage, her two full mounds swaying as she struggled against the hold of her bonds.  The cords of her lean tummy twisted and flexed as she tugged at the leather around her ankles, her two well-toned legs curving upwards towards the small triangle of her red muff.

“As you can see, our witch is quite spirited,” Sabina said, “but she has not yet confessed her sins.  We must continue her torments until we extract a confession.”

Sabina scanned the audience as she spoke, watching their reaction to her presentation. “We will now engage a classic instrument of torture. Its original name has been lost to the centuries, but it is colloquially called…  the Iron Corset”.

Sabina reached into a short cabinet on the stage and pulled out a pair of conical metal frames, joined together in the middle by a leather strap adjusted by a heavy metal buckle.  Two longer leather straps extended out from the sides of the cones and a loop of black leather hung from the top of the metal frames.  Two long metal screws descended from the tips of the pointed conical cages, running inside the length of each metal cone. Two evil clamps dangled from the ends of the threaded bolts inside the frames.

“Before we can attach our instrument of torture to this wench, she must be properly stimulated.”

Shannon looked at Sabina and smiled, then reached her hand out to touch the soft skin of the struggling woman.

The imprisoned girl jumped in her bonds as Shannon’s slender hands rubbed against the curves of the pale mounds.  Shannon cupped the woman’s breasts, squeezing them as her thumbs rubbed the soft pink skin of the woman’s nipples.  Smiling, Shannon released them, and then slapped each one playfully, watching the warm flesh bounce and tremble from the impact of her palms against the woman’s tits.  The woman moaned angrily, her protests muffled by the black leather strap pressed between her lips.

Shannon then directed her attention to the soft pink caps of the bobbing breasts, her fingers drawing circles around each teat as they began to contract and harden.  With the trained dexterity of a fine artist, she brushed and pinched each nipple, watching as the skin puckered into erect nubs projecting into the bright light of the spotlighted stage.  Each touch of Shannon’s fingers elicited a small yelp from the nude woman stretched across the frame, her muscles pulling hard against the leather straps.

“That is enough,” Sabina said to her obedient slave girl.  Turning to the darkened audience, she stated “Now we will try to extract the witch’s confession.”

Sabina passed the harness to Shannon, who studied the design of the device for a moment before slipping the leather loop over the naked victim’s head and around her neck, centering the wire cones over the helpless woman’s breasts.  Working quickly, Shannon reached behind the girl and buckled the restraining belt across her back, fastening the evil device to the exposed body.  The two evil clamps were now trained over the perked nipples of the girl’s soft mounds, the pink skin making a perfect target for the clamps dangling from the long, threaded screws. 

Shannon twisted the ornate lion’s heads at the tips of the cones, causing the metal shafts to elongate towards the fair-skinned body of the girl, the metal grinding against the threaded holes until the clamps just touched her pearlized tips.  The audience pressed forward slightly to get a better view as the clamps drew closer to the woman’s soft, warm skin.

Shannon reached inside the left cone and opened the clamp, then snapped it shut over the woman’s sensitive teat, eliciting a squeal of pain from helpless victim.  Shannon spun a small retaining screw set into the clamp, pinning the clamp tightly against the woman’s pinched nub.  Shifting to the other side, Shannon paused to blow gently on the woman’s areola, causing it to contract even tighter before she snapped the second clamp shut on the woman’s nipple, eliciting another muffled gasp from the helpless female.

Sabina looked at Shannon’s handiwork and smiled. “Very good,” she said encouragingly. 

Turning to the audience, she announced, “As you can see, this witch is suffering only a slight bit of discomfort from the clamps on her body.  I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, that the clamps will hurt more coming off than going on.  This witch’s ordeal has only just begun.”  Sabina turned and gave a quick study of the pale body of the naked woman bound to the frame. “She has not yet confessed, so we must now begin the next part of our questioning.  We will now use the Iron Corset to stretch her breasts.”

Shannon dutifully reached out to each of the gilded lion’s heads adorning the tips of the conical frames and began to slowly turn the screws in the opposite direction, the rods rotating as the clamps at the ends of the threaded bolts pulled the woman’s warm breasts upwards into the iron cages.  The woman squirmed as the tension on her soft mounds increased, stretching her mammary tissue out into the bright light of the stage.  She began to pant from her discomfort, the lion heads dancing in the air with each gasp; the base of the frames pressed immovably against the helpless woman’s body as her tits were pulled into the matching cones.

Shannon continued to twist the ornate heads, continuing to slowly draw the soft flesh farther away from the woman’s torso and into the wire mesh frame.  The crowd pressed closer, studying the elasticity of the woman’s bare tits as they were stretched out from her body.  The woman began to pant heavier from the strain, and the first drops of perspiration began to form in the hollows of her arms and across her forehead.

Finally, Sabina motioned for Shannon to stop. “That is far enough.”  Directing her attention to the audience, she explained, “We do not wish to damage her too much just yet.  We have other methods for loosening her tongue that I’m sure you will want to see. Please note the witch’s reaction when we release the clamps.”

Shannon reached into the left cage, loosening the screw holding the tension on the clamp.  Almost immediately, the woman’s pale mound fell back against her chest.  The captive prisoner winced and flexed on the wheel, inhaling deeply, trying to absorb the pain as blood returned to the pinched skin.  Ignoring the woman’s reaction, Shannon reached over to the other metal cage and repeated the process, the woman’s tender flesh falling out of the metal cage, and again the red-haired girl pulled at the bonds holding her fast against the large wooden apparatus as a pained squeal slipped from her throat.

Sabina turned and addressed the crowd.  “As I said earlier, the clamps hurt more coming off than going on.”

Shannon stood watching the woman writhing on the wooden frame, the two conical cages still belted over the naked woman’s tits, and wondered how soon it would be before she would be the one bound to the wheel having her breasts pulled obscenely by the Iron Corset.

Sabina’s intonation broke Shannon’s trance.  “This process could be repeated over and over, with each session becoming more painful than the last as the breasts were stretched and released.  The pain in the nipples alone could extract a confession if repeated often enough.  But we have seen this device enough to understand its function, so we will now move to another, more unpleasant, instrument of torture.” Turning to her topless olive-skinned slave girl, Sabina commanded “Remove the Iron Corset from this wench.”

Shannon began unbuckling the leather straps holding the two conical cages against the woman’s body.  When she had finished, she lifted the device and presented it to the curator.  “You have done well,” Sabina said.  Shannon smiled in gratitude and backed away. She then turned and took her place facing the crowd, kneeling beside the giant wheel; her feet tucked under her hips, her back straight with hands folded behind her, her head bowed and eyes cast down in submission as her breasts swayed with her slow, even breathing.

Sabina continued her lecture to the audience. “Before we can proceed to the next demonstration, we must conduct an act on this wench that would normally not have been performed in the old times.  We do this so that you, the audience, can better witness the instrument in action.”  Sabina turned her head to the back of the stage and pressed a button on the remote.

Ridley solemnly strode towards the crowd, her hands holding two small bowls in front of her as she passed into the light. Like Shannon, she was also stripped to the waist, clad only in a shimmering loincloth trimmed in gold satin that rustled softly between her thighs, her exposed breasts swaying as she moved with the trained step of a dancer. A hushed whisper of excitement fell across the silhouetted masses as the slender half-naked girl emerged from the shadows, her bare feet padding softly across the dark floor. She stopped and took her place alongside the giant wheel.

Ridley set her bowl on the ground and passed the second bowl to Shannon.  Ridley then knelt and took a position on the opposite side of the wheel similar to Shannon’s so that the two subservient girls framed the body of the captive woman on display between them. Holding her bowl steady, Shannon began stirring the contents vigorously as Ridley cast her eyes downward submissively. 

At Sabina’s cue, Shannon rose to her feet and lifted a small brush from the bowl. She placed it between the woman’s wide-spread thighs and began to dab the brush’s foam-tipped bristles around the captive woman’s exposed pubic triangle.  When she was satisfied that she had applied enough cream, Shannon set the brush back in the bowl and pulled out a bright metal straight razor, its surface glinting in the bright light of the stage as she held it aloft for the crowd to see.  She then placed the sharpened edge against the woman’s curled tangle of hair and, with quick strokes of her hand, she began to shave the dark red forest of the woman’s vulva, pausing only to dip the razor into her bowl to clean the strands from the soapy blade.  The bound woman flexed her hands nervously as each swipe of the sharp knife revealed more and more of her sex, exposing her to the watching eyes of the crowd, emphasizing her vulnerability. 

Soon Shannon was making quick dabs at the fresh skin revealed by the razor, cleaning up any obstinate hairs that had escaped her earlier strokes.  She then used her fingers to wipe away what little bit of foam remained. When her ministrations were complete, Shannon placed the razor back in the bowl, stood up, and resumed her position aside the large wooden frame.

Now it was Ridley’s turn.  She stood before the spread body of the woman and dipped her hand into her bowl, then wiped her fingers along the pale triangle of fresh skin between the woman’s thighs.  The woman moaned with pleasure as Ridley pressed her hand against the bound female’s pubic mound, the skin studded and pink from the forced shaving.  The woman hung limply from the leather bonds around her wrists and ankles as the cream cooled and soothed her warm flesh, cleansing the fresh skin exposed by the razor’s cut.

Ridley continued to dip her hand into the bowl and wipe her fingers across the woman’s bare hips, her fingers sliding along the length of the woman’s slit, probing the captive woman erotically.  She softly stroked the insides of the woman’s thighs, tickling the naked woman’s body as it lay bound open and exposed on the stage so that she could suffer for the amusement of the crowd.

The helpless woman gasped as Ridley slid her finger along the ridge of tissue defining the captive girl’s sex, the labial petals beginning to protrude with arousal from within exposed cleft.  Ridley smiled and continued to gently rub lotion against the young woman’s vulva, stroking the pale skin with her fingers, letting the moist cream mix with the naked girl’s own pre-sexual juices.  Ridley leaned in towards the girl’s body and gently kissed the exposed lips of girl’s snatch, gently blowing against the warm skin before placing another tiny kiss between the girl’s outstretched legs.  The helpless woman exhaled deeply, relishing the feeling of the topless girl’s caress.

Ridley slipped her hands under the bound victim’s hips, cupping the twin globes of muscle pressed against the wood spokes of the wheel.  Giving the soft flesh a firm squeeze, Ridley leaned in and again kissed the girl’s pussy before slowly, tentatively, giving it a lick with her tongue.  The girl gasped audibly at the sensation of Ridley’s tongue against her opening, her chest expanding, drawing her breasts up as Ridley leaned in again.  Once more the half-naked slave girl’s wiggling tongue pressed against the opening to the captive prisoner’s snatch, tickling her, tormenting her sexually. Ridley waited, letting the tension build before she thrust her tongue inside and probed the walls of the red-haired girl’s pussy, searching for just the right spot. 

Suddenly the naked woman gasped and flinched, her ass cheeks tightening from the sensation of Ridley’s oral muscle dancing inside her. Noting the helpless prisoner’s reaction as she tickled certain areas, Ridley concentrated on teasing those zones, letting the hypersensitive vaginal tissue trigger sensations of building pleasure. The fair-skinned captive shifted on the wheel and bent her knees, trying to open herself up to Ridley’s probing tongue, fighting the thick leather bonds around her wrists and ankles that prevented her from bringing the slave girl’s head deeper into her hips.

Satisfied with the captive female’s arousal, Ridley withdrew from the woman and leaned back, then turned and looked at Sabina with a grin.  Sabina returned her smile and addressed the audience.

“Now that this witch has been cleaned and prepared, we will introduce a new torture for extracting confessions,” she said, reaching into the cabinet and lifting out a small, curved object, “the Copper Phallus.”

Sabina held the metal object aloft, letting the crowd view the large penile-shaped instrument of pain.

“The Copper Phallus was a torment that could be used on both men and women, although it was more effective for the torture of women as it permitted multiple options for use.  As you can see, it is larger than a normal man’s organ, and is made entirely of copper to allow it to conduct heat very efficiently.  The shaft is hollow, allowing the heat to be carried evenly across the entire surface of the unit, with fluted ends to open the victim up wider as it is inserted into the vaginal canal. It could be forced inside a female prisoner until it pressed against her cervix.  It could also be inserted anally. On a male, the victim’s cock could be inserted into it and the copper heated by something as simple as a candle, the copper acting in much the same way as a cooking pot.  Today, our victim is a female, so we will take advantage of the position her sex, and the Breaking Wheel, provides us.”

Sabina passed the glistening copper shaft to Shannon, who cradled it solemnly in her hands before passing it to Ridley.  Nodding her acceptance, Ridley grasped the device by its base and dipped it briefly into her bowl, coating the bright surface with creamy oil, then moved it between the woman’s legs. With an evil grin, she pressed it against the captive woman’s snatch, holding it there as the woman squirmed on the wheel.  Feeling the cold metal pressing against the entrance to her tunnel, the naked woman began to pull against the bonds holding her to the frame and a squeal of fear escaped from her mouth, her cry muffled by the leather band between her teeth.

Slowly, Ridley pushed the obscene metal phallus into the woman’s moist pussy, the lips swollen and exposed as blood enriched the nerve endings hidden within the sensitive tissue, the lubricated metal object sliding deeper into her body.  The naked girl squirmed at the intruding pressure and began to buck her hips, fighting against the artificial phallus sliding into her tunnel. Ridley held her hand firmly against the fluted opening, preventing the girl from pushing the bright copper instrument out of her body as her vagina squeezed against the smooth surface.

“Perhaps you should use this,” Sabina said, extending a stout wooden pole towards her half-naked assistant.

Ridley smiled and accepted the pole, quickly sliding the blunt end of the shaft through a metal guide fitted to the bottom rim of the wheel.  She then slid the pole up through the guide until the tapered end contacted the copper object, and carefully inserted the wooden tip into the hollow cavity of the metal phallus until it could slide no further.  Ridley then slowly pushed the rod farther into the woman until she felt the resistance of the woman’s cervix against the shaft. The spread-eagled prisoner squirmed as the cruel metal tip pushed deep inside her.  Ridley then twisted a screw set in the side of the metal guide, fixing the wooden shaft in place.  The naked young woman was now firmly impaled by the metal-tipped pole extending from her spread pussy.

“Now that the unfortunate wench is ready, we will introduce a little heat to our metal friend and see if that loosens her tongue.”

Sabina lifted a long candle and a match from the cabinet.  She quickly struck the match, causing the tiny spark to flare from the wooden stick, and, using the match to melt the wax away from the wick, lit the small strand of cotton protruding from the wax cylinder.  She then presented the candle to Shannon, who stood up from her position on the floor and accepted the gift of fire, cradling the lighted wick between her hands.

Shannon turned and looked at the blindfolded woman stretched out across the frame.  Every inch of the naked woman’s body was open and exposed to whatever torment awaited her.  Shannon grinned and raised the candle up above the nude woman’s right palm and tilted the candle, allowing a single drop of hot wax to fall onto the woman’s open palm.

The woman’s initial reaction was one of confusion as she tried to process the sensation of the liquid warmth.  Then, as the heat from the melted wax continued to burn her skin, she realized what it was and began to pull, hard and strong, against the bonds holding her to the wheel as she opened her mouth to scream.

But no scream came out of her open mouth as she inhaled deeply, trying to absorb the burning pain from the drop of wax resting in the palm of her hand.  Her fingers curled up tightly into a fist as she pulled against the leather strap separating her hand from her arm, the cords of muscle shifting and twisting in the white light of the stage.  But the naked woman was struggling now more from fear than from pain, which had begun to subside as the wax cooled in her fisted palm. 

Shannon tilted her head and smiled as an idea sprung into her fiendish mind.

The half-naked girl lifted the candle towards the captive woman and held the tiny flame against the woman’s skin, letting the heat caress the curves of the woman’s body. Moving slowly, she traced a line along the outside perimeter of the bound woman, watching as the woman squirmed on the heavy wooden frame, her body twitching, trying to pull away from the candle’s movement as it raced down her right arm, across her ribs, along her taut tummy, passed her hips and down her legs. The woman’s right foot kicked as Shannon waved the candle’s flame below her arch, the heat warming the captive sole, burning the sensitive skin there.

Shannon then brought the candle up along the inside of the woman’s right leg, the flame burning a path along the inside of her thigh as it approached her spread pussy lips.  The woman squealed with fear as the candle approached her exposed sex.  The victim knew it would burn terribly. But that would come later.

Shannon then traced a line back down along the woman’s other leg, waving the burning wick briefly under the woman’s imprisoned left foot before continuing the candle’s journey back up the other side, the flame twisting along the woman’s bare hip, up over the glistening muscles of her tummy, across the latticework of her ribs, along the hollow of the woman’s arm and back up to her wrist.  The woman squirmed and flexed as the candle made its journey over her body, the heat burning her skin as it travelled along her bound figure.

The woman hung panting on the wheel, waiting for what she knew would come next.

Shannon held the candle firmly in her hand as she carried it back towards the bottom of the wheel, stopping at the woman’s hips and holding the tiny flame inches from the gleaming metal object projecting obscenely from the woman’s spread pussy lips.  The audience waited, enthralled by the woman’s oustretched body, naked on the wheel, now glistening with her perspiration as she – and the audience – waited for the torment she was about to undergo.

It did not take long.

It started as a soft warmth, gentle and loving, forming deep within her belly, mixing with the blood-infused tissue of her sex. It was almost pleasurable, like a sauna stone relaxing her muscles. But the warmth increased steadily, building in its intensity as it reached deeper into her, tingling against the sensitive lining of her pussy, quickly becoming persistent and angry as the candle’s flame licked the copper phallus incessantly, the heat burning now, burning her loins as she lay spread open and bound on the wheel.

She pulled against the leather straps holding her, trying to raise herself up, trying to lift her hips from the metal-capped spear tormenting her pussy.  She growled and moaned and pulled and thrashed as the candle continued to heat the copper object buried within her body, the hot metal slowly searing the moist lining of her tunnel as the audience watched her suffer.

Sweat streamed from her body, the heavy drops gathering on her chest, running between the curves of her breasts, down her tight torso, and disappearing into the valley beneath her belly. She tugged and pulled and pushed and squirmed; the muscles of her arms and legs dancing under her glistening skin as her hair became matted against her neck and shoulders.  The pain was deep within her, crashing against her from the inside, a thousand knives spearing her vagina, shocking and stabbing her with angry intensity.  She gasped and sobbed and cried and fought against the bonds holding her fast to the heavy frame. But still the candle continued to burn, its tiny delicate flame dulling the bright finish of the metal as its smoke curled around the fluted opening.

“As you can see, our witch is suffering terribly now, but she has not yet cried out her confession,” Sabina intoned ominously, “so we will now invoke another method of torment.”

With that, Shannon moved the candle away from the copper phallus, blew out the candle, and presented it to her mistress Sabina, who accepted the offering and set it on the cabinet, a thin trail of smoke curling up from the wick into the darkened air of the chamber.

Bowing to Sabina, Shannon stepped towards the wooden frame and released a small metal peg set in the wheel’s axle, hidden behind the glistening figure of the tortured woman. Grabbing the rim of the wheel, Shannon slowly began to turn the circular frame, the woman beginning to tilt as the wheel rotated in the spotlight of the stage.

The suffering woman’s body shifted as gravity pulled her down towards the floor.  The wooden shaft, fixed to the rim of the wheel, sat immovable as the woman’s body rotated upside down, causing her own weight to pull her down, the gleaming copper tip sliding down the length of her injured pussy.  She writhed and cried as the hot metal found fresh skin to cook, the metal burning her from the inside, her own weight pressing the phallus against her, searing her snatch as she rode the evil carousel.

Now she was upside down, her breasts flattened into ovals against her chest, the nubs of her areola still hard and proud as they rose and fell with her anguished cries of pain.  Mercifully, the shaft slid slightly away from her cervix, hinting at the extraction of the metal bit from her most tender region as she rotated through the air of the dark chamber, the orange glow of torches dim against the specters of the watching crowd.  She gasped and swallowed, trying to recover from the pain of the metal spear penetrating her crotch, trying to fight against the thick leather cuffs holding her fast to the frame.

Shannon’s delicate hands continued to spin the heavy wheel.

Fresh sweat stained the wooden spokes as the woman rotated upright once more, the metal shaft sliding deeper into her as her body settled back onto the wooden spear bolted between swollen petals of her spread thighs.  She screamed with pain as the tip of the spear, capped by the hot copper phallus, touched the filmy puckered hole of her cervix, causing her to jerk against the leather bonds.  She pulled herself up, trying to hold her body off the tip of the spear, but she could not hold herself up forever. She squealed as her muscles tired. She knew what would happen next. Slowly, her arms gave way and once again she rode the hot tip of the spear, eliciting another scream of shock and pain as sweat poured from her body, darkening the heavy frame to which she was bound.

“As you can see, ladies and gentleman, this witch is now ready to confess to her sorcery.   Our inquisitors are very thorough in extracting the information they desire.  Even the most stubborn will eventually surrender to the will of the Church and State and our noble cause.”  Sabina paused, letting the audience examine the sweat-covered body of the woman stretched across the wheel, the copper phallus still warm to the touch as the two half-naked slave girls flanked the body of the unfortunate victim.  “Now, if you will follow me to the next room…”

As the crowd filtered silently out of the dimly-lit chamber, Ridley began loosening the screw holding the wooden shaft.  Shannon reached up and removed the woman’s gag, then lifted the woman’s blindfold to reveal her crystal green eyes.  Smiling, Shannon said “How was it?”

The woman, Stephanie, swallowed and gasped, “So thirsty…”

“Oh! I forgot!” Shannon reached into the cabinet and pulled out a water bottle.  She pulled the cap and tipped the bottle over the woman’s open mouth. Stephanie gulped at the tiny stream of clear, cool liquid; closing her mouth just long enough to swallow before opening it again to accept another squeeze of fluid from the water bottle.  “That’s it; drink up.” Shannon said encouragingly.

Finally, Stephanie closed her mouth and shook her head. Shannon stopped squeezing the bottle as a dribble of water rolled down the woman’s chin and mixed with the perspiration on her chest.  Stephanie gasped, her hardened nipples rising as the cold liquid raced between her breasts, across her tummy, and disappeared into her cleft.

Ridley, meanwhile, began to slowly slide the shaft out of Stephanie’s pained tunnel. The captive woman winced as the copper bit eased its way out of her body.  Finally, the tip slid free and Ridley pulled it off the wooden spear, then fed the spear through the guide and removed it completely from the wheel.  After setting the pole aside, Ridley picked up the bowl of lotion and scooped up some of the cream within. 

“Dearest,” she said, “this will help.”

Ridley then lifted her hand to gently cup Stephanie’s sex, the small puddle of cream pressing against the pink fluid-covered tissue of the woman’s burned labia.

Almost immediately, Stephanie inhaled, her mouth open as she gasped and grunted with pain.

“Easy, girl, that’s ok,” Shannon said, brushing Stephanie’s hair to comfort her as Ridley continued to press the cold cream against the woman’s injured pussy, “let it go, let it all out if you want to.”

Stephanie gasped, swallowed, and in between her deep choking gulps said, “That… was… fantastic.”

Shannon smiled. “I’m glad you liked it. I tried to prolong it as much as I could, just as you had requested. I hope it wasn’t too much.”

The woman shook her head. “No… that was… great.”

“Good.  I’m glad.  Now I think Ridley has something for you.”

Ridley lifted a black, bulbous object and placed against the opening to Stephanie’s snatch, a small nipple of dark rubber near the top settling just inside the top of her slit.  Ridley pressed a button on the object and it began to hum.

Almost immediately the woman began to pull against the bonds holding her to the wheel. Her eyes widened with shock at the suddenness of the stimulation, then a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she let herself go, riding the sensation of the vibrations tickling her clit. 

She began to thrust her hips, her stomach muscles flexing in the light of the stage as she worked herself up towards orgasm, the vibrating dildo incessantly tickling of her sensitive nub.  The feeling of pain gave way to the familiar warmth of arousal, the endorphins rushing to soothe the screaming nerve endings buried deep within her cleft.  She thrust and ground her hips, trying to draw the wonderful electronic apparatus deeper into her body.  A cloud of pleasure grew into a tempest within her belly, every nerve in her body oriented towards the tiny nub of pink tissue hidden behind its protective hood, now being teased and tickled by the high-pitched whine of the dark, black tool.  Waves of pleasure cascaded across her hips, crashing against the swirling vortex of nerves in her clit, the tiny head now rich with blood.  She gasped and cried and choked; not with pain but with pleasure as she rose towards the zenith of her orgasm.

Finally, she thrust her head back and a scream of sexual victory tore from her throat as sweat stained the cuffs around her wrists and ankles.

Ridley moved the dildo away and switched it off. Shannon smiled and watched the woman enter her post-coital trance.  Admiring Stephanie’s glow, Shannon began to pick at the hair matted to the woman’s forehead.

Stephanie, naked and bound to the wheel, gasped and choked “Oh… God….”

Shannon grinned and said. “I’ll take that as a good thing.”

Stephanie smiled at Shannon and with deep gasps said, “That… was… amazing.”

“I’ll bet it was,” Ridley said as she wrapped a sheet of plastic around the head of the electronic toy and placed the apparatus in the cabinet, “it looked like you were having a pretty good time.”

The woman smiled at Ridley and closed her eyes. “Thank you,” she said to both of them, “when can I do that again?”

Shannon and Ridley giggled. “Unfortunately, we’re not sure,” Shannon said, “we think this may have been a one-day event.”

Stephanie looked disappointed. “Why? What’s the matter?”

Shannon looked at her and thought for a second. “Sabina could probably explain it better than I could.  But for now, why don’t you just enjoy the rush, ok?  Just let us know when you’re ready to be let down. We’ll be right here waiting.”

The woman nodded her head, closed her eyes, and smiled.

***

Stephanie stood in the shower, head down, her red hair darkened by the warm water cascading off her shoulders.  She crossed her arms over her chest and immediately a tiny lake of water formed in the valley of her pale breasts.  She smiled and dropped her arms, letting the water fall in a giant crash against the tiled floor.

“If you’re about done playing in the water,” Shannon said, interrupting Stephanie’s reverie, “we’d like to go over the day’s shows.  You might find it interesting for your story.”

Stephanie brushed her hair from her face, but kept her head down. “Ok, I’ll be along in a bit.  I’ll finish up and meet you in the media center.”

Shannon smiled.  Two days ago she was the one lounging in the after-show shower with Jenny harassing her to hurry up.

“Hey, Steph,” Shannon said, remembering Jenny’s cautious concern for her safety after her accident and how she was glad Jenny had given her support, “are you ok?”

Stephanie looked at her and replied, “Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I just won’t be spending time with any special friends any time soon.” She gave an assuring grin to the concerned girl. Shannon nodded her understanding and turned for the lockers.

***

Stephanie rubbed a towel over her hair as she walked towards the cluster of women seated at the front of the room, her soft blouse sticking to her still-moist skin.

Sabina turned to the red-haired reporter, smiled a greeting, and said, “I would like to welcome the newest member of our team to our little review party. Hello, Stephanie.”

The other three girls turned to Stephanie and said in unison “Hi, Stephanieeeee.”

Stephanie laughed and waved her hand, “Hello, everybodieeeee.”

Sabina giggled and said, “Okay. Normally we would review the film of the show to see what went right and what went wrong. However, because we changed the format a little bit today I do not think I should make all of you sit through 6 hours of movies of each other.  So today, no film.”

The girls let out a collective “awwwww” of disappointment.

Sabina raised her hands. “Okay, okay, I am sorry I disappoint. Instead, I have gifts for each of you.” She reached for a stack of plastic DVD cases sitting on a nearby table and began to hand them out, each silver disc labeled with the girl’s name. “This is a recording of your performance. It is the only recording and it is my gift to you. You can watch it if you like, or you can destroy it; whatever you wish to do.”

Each of the girls eagerly accepted their discs, thanking Sabina for her little present.

Sabina laughed. “I should tell each of you that these are recordings of shows from today and before; except for Stephanie. For you I only have today’s grand finale.  But,” she said with a whispered confession, “I let the camera roll after the people left.” Sabina winked at the smiling red-head, who clutched the disc like a treasured toy.

Stephanie smiled and said “Thank you, Sabinaaaaa!”

The other girls laughed at Stephanie’s childish playfulness.

Sabina lifted her hands to quiet the girls and said, “I also have some news about the exhibit.  Ridley prepared for me the gross receipts for ticket sales.  She also prepared the net profit/loss statement for today, compared to our first night.  I am pleased to announce that there was a 45% increase in gross receipts per tour, and a 30% net profit, after expenses.”

Shannon sat in her seat, stunned. Ridley had told her that the tickets were selling well, but she didn’t expect those kinds of numbers. Shannon had told Dr. Pavel to expect a 10% increase when she was impersonating Sabina, and she had been optimistic about that figure even then.

“I should also say,” Sabina said, “that when I present these figures to Prague, they should be very pleased, and I would like to thank each of you for helping make the exhibit a success. So, I am giving each of you another gift; your full salary.”

“What? Sabina! Was that part of your balance?” Shannon asked.

“Yes, the 30% net includes deductions for your salaries,” she said, handing the checks to the girls, “and a nice gift to Stephanie for her participation, too.”

“I wanted to tell you earlier,” Ridley said, “but Sabina swore me to secrecy and I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Shannon sat looking at her check. A feeling began to weigh on her mind.

“Sabina…” she started, “Sabina, I can’t take this.”

“What? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s a wonderful gift, it’s just…” Shannon looked at the others, who were staring at her, waiting to see what she would say, “well, it’s just that I had promised you that you could keep my salary, and I feel that if I take this check, that maybe somehow I’m breaking my promise to you.”

“Oh, Shannon, no!  Not at all!” Sabina said, “I want you to have it. You work and you earn it; you keep it.”

“No.  I can’t accept this. Not after what I did to you at the pool.”

“Me either,” Ridley said.

“Same here,” Jenny added, returning her check to Sabina, “and I have no idea what happened at the pool.”

“I already get paid for my work,” Stephanie said, “I can’t accept your money.  But thank you anyway.”

Sabina stood in shock, facing the girls. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Shannon said, laughing at Sabina’s confusion, “you are wonderful and nice, and we appreciate the thought.  We know you meant well.”

Jenny leaned over to Ridley and whispered, “What happened at the pool”?

Ridley leaned over to Jenny and cupped her hand around Jenny’s ear and began whispering.

Shannon noticed Sabina’s look of confusion, and explained. “Sabina, you’ve been a wonderful friend and this has been a great experience for me; for us. And I really appreciate the amount of stress you’ve put up with over the past few days, particularly from me. No; especially from me!  I know I’ve done some things that I probably shouldn’t have done, and I know I hurt you and I’m sorry.  I apologize for what I’ve done and I’m really, really glad things worked out for the better, because I would’ve been crushed if I had let you down.  Your friendship means so much to me. So, please, your gratitude is enough, ok?  I’d rather have your friendship than your money.”

Sabina’s piercing blue eyes began to water.  She nodded her head and sniffled. Shannon got up and gave her hug.

“Awww,” Jenny said, “that’s so sweet!”

The two girls stood crying at the front of the room. Ridley and Jenny stood up and wrapped their arms around the two and started to cry with them.  Stephanie sat in her chair and dabbed at the tears forming in her eyes.  It wasn’t often she got to witness such an outpouring of support between women.

Jenny sniffled “You know, Sabina,” Jenny said, as her sobs began to subside, “you’ve seen all four of us naked, but only Shannon and Ridley have seen you naked.  I think it’s only fair….”

Shannon and Ridley started to laugh and cry, and laugh again as Sabina said, “You are not suggesting…”

Jenny suddenly commanded with a grin, “Hold her, girls!”

Shannon and Ridley giggled and quickly grabbed each of Sabina’s arms, stretching the young Czech woman between them.

“What?” Sabina started, trying to speak between sobs and laughs, “What are you doing?”

Jenny loosened the buttons on Sabina’s coat, then unfastened each of the small buttons holding her blouse.  She then brushed Sabina’s top open, separating the two pieces of cloth to reveal Sabina’s lace-trimmed bra.  The upper curves of Sabina’s mounds trembled slightly as she fought against the two playful girls holding her arms.  Jenny smiled and reached for the plastic clip holding the two fabric cups together.

“Nooo!” Sabina protested playfully, weakly pulling against the girls holding her arms.

With an evil grin, Jenny unsnapped the fastener and pushed the two cups apart, revealing the two soft mounds hidden underneath, each one capped by the dark ovals of Sabina’s nipples. The two soft globes of her breasts bobbed slightly as she fought the tension on her outstretched arms. 

Jenny studied the woman’s two perfectly-shaped tits, watching them tremble in the light of the conference room as Sabina twisted nervously, waiting for Jenny to do… something.  Jenny smiled, then cupped each one in her hands, giving them a firm squeeze, and said, “Hmmm. A bit small.”

Sabina scowled.

Shannon and Ridley grinned like monkeys. 

Jenny then reached into her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick.

“What are you doing?” Sabina demanded, a touch of concern in her voice as she stood there, exposed to Jenny’s machinations.

“I’m getting my fair share,” Jenny replied.

Placing the cap in her mouth, Jenny pulled on the tube, opening it with a smack as she knelt in front of the helpless woman.  Using one hand to block Sabina’s view, she began to write something on the half-naked woman’s quivering tummy.  Sabina struggled, trying to get away from the cold, greasy tip of the cosmetic, but Jenny was determined as she carefully left her mark on Sabina’s flesh.  Finally she stood up and stepped away from the struggling woman, and announced, “Viola!”

Shannon and Ridley immediately started laughing.  Stephanie studied it for a second, pointed to the first and last letters, and said, “Is that supposed to be what I think it is?”

Jenny smiled triumphantly. “Yep.”

Stephanie burst out laughing.

Neatly scrolled on Sabina’s tummy, around her sides, and stretching across her back was the word “Jenny”.  Across the “J” and the “y” were a number of cross-stitches over Sabina’s kidneys.

***

Sabina woke up on the pool lounger, again, facing the curtained window of her room.  Her back ached with stiffness from sleeping on cheap furniture two nights in a row. With a grunt of frustration, she sat up and rubbed her eyes, the edge of the sheet falling away from her naked body.  The room was dark, but she could make out shapes of some objects near her head. Blinking her eyes, she tried to focus in the dim light of the room at the odd shapes near her face. 

They were four bare feet. She looked over at the sleeping figures of the feet’s owners and smiled. She was with friends.

Shannon was naked, with her butt cheeks hanging over the side of the bed and absolutely no covers to protect her from the chilly night air.  Ridley was naked as well, face down with one leg kicked out straight and the other bent towards the center of the mattress, the opening of her snatch peeking from between her legs. In between the two girls was a slightly larger form.  It was Jenny, on her back, with the heavy bed comforter wrapped around her like a mummy.  Sabina smiled as she imagined the battle that must’ve taken place for the bedcovers all night; a battle which apparently Jenny had won in the end.

Sabina cast the sheet aside and carefully swung her leg over the edge of the pool lounger, trying not to fall between the vinyl straps. With a soft groan, she stood up.

After gaining confidence in her balance, she padded quietly into the bathroom, feeling her way around the furniture in the dark room, and settled onto the cold plastic oval.  Soon she heard the familiar tinkle as the morning pressure was relieved on her bladder.  She thought of the friendships she had made.  She was happy.  After the stream slowed to a trickle, then a drip, she quietly unrolled a strip of toilet paper and wiped her bottom.

Something on the paper caught her eye.  It was red.

Blood? She didn’t feel any pain; and she didn’t feel any cramping.  Concerned, she sat up and turned on the light.

She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. There, in the large bathroom mirror, she saw it and laughed.

Her body looked like a giant tattoo. Each girl had signed her name in bright red lipstick on a different part of Sabina’s body, highlighting the first letter of each name with cross-stitches where an internal organ would have been removed.  In between each name the girls had scribbled graffiti, some of it more legible than others, but each unique to the artist’s personality.  Jenny had written “Squeeze me!” on Sabina’s left boob with randomly placed musical notes across both breasts. Ridley had written “Warning! High Voltage!” above her vaginal cleft.  Sabina noticed that Shannon’s handiwork was not apparent, so she turned her back and looked over her shoulder at the mirror.  Shannon had drawn two life-sized handprints, one on each side of Sabina’s butt cheeks, highlighted with shockwaves.  Someone had added “Do Not Enter”, with an arrow pointing to her puckered hole.

Sabina laughed and cursed and muttered to herself in Czech as she turned on the water and washed her hands.

Shannon chuckled quietly from the bed, careful not to wake her sleeping companions, and whispered to the Czech woman, “You need to learn to stop falling asleep when you’re with us.”

Sabina replied in a whisper from around the corner, “I can not help it. I am still on Czech time and I sleep like the dead.”

Just then there was a rustling of paper at the door.  Sabina reached for her robe and draped it over her shoulders, careful not to smudge the lipstick into the fabric.  She unlocked the door and carefully cracked it open, just wide enough to retrieve the complimentary newspaper left by the concierge service.

Now it was Shannon’s turn to relieve herself.  She got up and walked to the bathroom as quickly as she could without falling, inadvertently banging her shoulder into the wall as she turned the corner towards the bathroom, eliciting a subdued yelp of pain and surprise. As she sat on the plastic oval and did her business, Sabina let out a gasp. “Oh!”

“What?” Shannon asked, groggily, as her stream continued to flow into the bowl.

“It is a news report by Stephanie!” Sabina’s eyes danced quickly down the row of text, trying to absorb it all as fast as she could read it. “It is a very good story!  About us!”

“Really?” Shannon said, looking at the Czech woman, “Are you sure? About us?  You’re sure it’s good?”

“Yes, it is good.  Read for yourself.”

Sabina passed the paper to Shannon, who started reading it as she sat on the commode.  There, on the front page, was Stephanie’s article.

“You look like my dad.”  It was Ridley, standing at the entrance to the bathroom. “Hurry up, will ya? I gotta go bad.”

“Ok, give me a sec.”  Shannon handed Sabina the paper, finished her task and wiped, then flushed.

Ridley quickly pushed the two females aside and squatted on the still-warm seat, her stream starting almost immediately. A look of relief swept across her face as she added her little puddle to the bowl.

Shannon reached for the paper. Sabina held it back from her. “Wash your hands first, you dirty girl,” she said, scolding the young college student.

Shannon rolled her eyes in frustration and washed her hands, then reached for the paper again.

“Okay, you read while I shower.  I feel like a giant advertisement,” Sabina said to Shannon as she stepped over Ridley’s legs towards the shower stall.

“Hey! Can I get a little privacy?” Ridley asked, holding her hands up protectively as Sabina straddled her.

“No,” Sabina and Shannon said in unison.

Sabina opened the acrylic door, reached into the shower, and turned the chromed handle.  A spray of water shot out of the head and landed against the opposite panel.  Loosening the knot around her waist, Sabina slid the robe off her shoulders and carefully hung it on a hook on the wall.

Shannon and Ridley started laughing at their graffiti that adorned Sabina’s body.

Sabina scowled. “You are very mischievous girls!” she scolded playfully as she stepped into the shower and adjusted the water.

Ridley finished her business and flushed the toilet as a groan came from around the corner.

“I don’t wanna get up…”, Jenny begged from the bedroom, “can’t I sleep just a little bit longer?”

“No,” Shannon intoned, setting the paper on the bathroom counter, “time for big girls to get up. C’mon; up and at’em!”

“Nooo-oooo,” Jenny moaned.

“Then you leave me no choice,” Shannon warned.

Jenny opened her eyes just in time to see Shannon’s naked body suspended in mid-air, arms and legs splayed out, like a cat pouncing on its prey.

“Ahhh!” Shannon screamed in warning as Jenny pulled the covers over her head protectively.

Shannon landed with a giggle on Jenny’s prone body and began smacking her through the comforter, aiming for Jenny’s thighs and ass.

“Stop! Stop!,” Jenny begged, “I gotta pee!”

“Ok,” Shannon said, smiling as she backed away from the cocooned woman, “C’mon, out of bed with you.”

Jenny stuck her lip out in a pout. “How about if I just pee right here?”

“No!  We might have to sleep in this bed again tonight and I don’t want to be dodging your pee spots.  It’s bad enough that you stole all the covers last night, you… you covers hog!”

Jenny laughed.  “I can’t help it. I get cold.”  She looked at Shannon, who stood poised, ready to pounce again, her olive breasts swaying against her slender body as a snarl curled at her lips.  Shannon made a few feints towards Jenny, threatening to leap at the groggy woman and repeat her attack.

“Ok, ok, I’m getting up.”

Jenny unwrapped herself from the bedspread, throwing the thick fabric aside as she swung her legs over the mattress ledge.  Like the others, she was naked, her large breasts rocking as she pushed herself up.  “Oooohh, gooooood morning world,” she said, arching her bare back and stretching her arms overhead, drawing her swaying breasts upwards, the globes of her ass clinched tight as she flexed her muscles.

Ridley called from the bathroom. “Hey, this is a really good review from Stephanie. You guys should read it.”

“Shannon, you should read it to us!” Sabina called out from the shower.

“Why can’t Ridley do it?” Shannon replied.

Sabina cracked open the stall’s clear acrylic door and pointed a body sponge towards Ridley, the red lipstick still decorating Sabina’s backside. “Because now Ridley must be my bitch!”

Ridley laughed, set the paper down, and accepted the sponge. She stepped into the steamy shower with Sabina and began to lather the utensil with soap as Sabina closed the door.

Jenny entered the bathroom and took her place on the plastic oval.  Squatting in position, she closed her eyes as her not-so-little trickle fell into the bowl.  She looked like she was dead asleep, the only clue that she was aware of her surroundings being the sound of her fluid spraying against the porcelain.

“Pee-yoo”, Shannon exclaimed, wrinkling her face.

“Sorry,” Jenny said, not bothering to open her eyes, “sometimes I’m a little pungent.”

Jenny flushed as Shannon began reading the article about the exhibit. Stephanie had pointed out many things about the tour; the tapestries, the jewelry, the armor, and the bits of trivia Shannon had told her. And of course, the live performance, of which Stephanie had given a glowing review.  Without giving away too many secrets, Stephanie had accurately described what a normal visitor could expect on a tour, and had given a cautionary warning for those who might be offended.  Stephanie had not mentioned her specific performance in the show; some things better left unsaid perhaps.  However, the accompanying picture was a silhouette of an auburn-haired female bound spread-eagle to the Breaking Wheel, her shadowed face further obscured by a blindfold and leather gag, clad in a simple gown with the flames of torches burning in the background. The original image had been manipulated to resemble a wood carving, further obscuring the identity of the witch, but the girls knew who it was.  And it was a very provocative picture.

“That’s a good story,” Jenny commented.

“Yeah, I think so, too,” Shannon added.

“Mmmmm,” Sabina moaned from the shower, “oh, yes.”

Through the wavy glass, Jenny and Shannon could see Sabina leaning against the wall of the enclosure, with Ridley’s head down near her hips.

Jenny and Shannon looked at each other , each suspecting the same thing.

“Hey, what are you guys doing in there?” Shannon asked as Jenny reached for the door to inspect their activities.

Cracking the door open, Jenny and Shannon were greeted by the image of Sabina, her face pressed against the tiled wall, her ass pushed outwards as Ridley used the sponge to wash away the graffiti from Sabina’s hips.  And then they saw Sabina hiding the shower wand under her arm, pointed at them. As their brains registered the wicked grin on Sabina’s face, the spray caught them where they stood, pressed close together in the doorway.

Screams and squeals and laughter as Jenny and Shannon stumbled over each other’s naked bodies, trying to run out of the crowded bathroom, while Sabina and Ridley roared with laughter.

“You are too easy!” Sabina called out to the fleeing females.

As Jenny and Shannon stumbled into the bedroom, grabbing towels to dry themselves, Sabina’s phone started ringing.

Shannon looked at Jenny. Jenny looked at Shannon. “She got a little pissed the last time you used her phone,” Jenny warned.

The phone rang again.   “Actually, more than a little pissed,” Jenny warned again.

Shannon couldn’t resist. “I’m a slow learner,” she said as she pressed a button.

“Halo?” she said in a clipped accent.

“Sabina?  It’s Stephanie. Stephanie Andrews.”

“Stephanie!  Hi! It’s not Sabina; it’s Shannon. I was being bad and impersonating her again. Sorry!”

“Shannon! Oh, hi! Hey, no problem. Listen, I wanted you guys to know….” Stephanie’s voice trailed off as Shannon pressed the phone closer to her ear.

Jenny watched as Shannon listened intently to Stephanie’s voice.

“Really? That’s great! … Right? It’s great, right?” Shannon asked, unsure of how to respond to the news, “oh, well then that’s fantastic!”

Jenny looked at her, shrugged her shoulders and mouthed “What? What?”

“Ok, thanks for letting us know!  I’ll be sure to tell the others.  Ok!  You too! Thanks!”

Jenny asked Shannon again, “What is it? What’s going on?”

Shannon waved her off and called towards the shower, “Sabina! Don’t spray me, ok? I’m coming in.”

“Okay!”

Shannon walked into the bathroom with Jenny close behind.

“And don’t let Ridley spray me either. I’m serious.”

A sound of disappointment came from the shower enclosure.

Not quite convinced that it was safe, Shannon gently placed her hand on the acrylic door and opened it slowly. She stuck the phone through the opening first, showing it to the two wet, naked women inside, like a vampire hunter holding a cross.  From behind the door, Shannon said, “I have a confession to make. I answered your phone.”

Sabina paused. Her playful grin was replaced with uncertainty. “What did you do?”

“I answered your phone, but it’s ok. It was Stephanie.  She was calling to let you know that her story was picked up by the national news service and will be run electronically today and hardcopy tomorrow as a special feature. Because of her writing, she’s been named as a special reporter.”

Sabina looked at her; more confusion. “That is good, yes?”

Shannon withdrew the electronic box from the steamy stall, set the phone on a stack of towels, and opened the door further. “Yes, it’s fantastic!  She says it’s a dream job!  She gets to pick her stories, instead of having them assigned to her. Her review of your exhibit is going to be carried to all of the major media outlets.  Practically everyone in the country will get a chance to read it. Not only will it be good for her, it’ll be good for us, too. See, when I first met with the dean about the exhibit, he told me that he was hoping it would ‘put the College of Liberal Arts on the map’. It’s a saying we have here that means to make something more important and visible to other people.  With a national story, it will reach out to a lot more people than just the local area, and get a lot more attention for the Museum and the College.  So, that means you’re a success!”

Sabina looked at her and smiled. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.   She started to speak again, and again only silence as the three women stood watching her, waiting. Finally, she opened her arms to the girls.

Shannon stood watching, frozen with emotion, as the young Czech woman start to slide against the wall.

Jenny called out from behind Shannon, “Group hug!” as she pushed Shannon into the shower stall.

The four naked women huddled in the crammed acrylic enclosure, the shower’s warm water mixing their tears of joy.

***

“Hey, I think it’s stopped raining, you guys.”

Ridley had opened a crack in the curtains and, despite being dressed in only a towel, was looking out the window studying the view of the campus as grey-black clouds swept across the clearing sky. The rain had stopped, at least temporarily.  She looked over her shoulder to face the others in the bedroom. Shannon was in the bathroom doing her hair while Jenny took a shower. Sabina was getting dressed in her last clean outfit.  Last night she had given the clothes she had loaned the girls to the concierge for overnight cleaning.  Her generosity had thrown off her wardrobe planning a bit but the clothes the girls had worn the other day were due back from the cleaners this morning.  They would have to wait for the laundry to arrive before they could get dressed, but at least they would eventually have something clean to wear. 

There was a knock at the door.

“I have it,” Sabina said.

Sabina greeted the person on the other side, signed something, and graciously accepted the large boxes presented to her.

“Oh good,” Ridley said to Sabina as Jenny turned off the water in the acrylic stall, “I was getting tired of walking around naked.”

“I did not think that was possible for you,” Sabina joked, “But this is not what you think. It is a surprise gift for you!” Sabina beamed, “For all of you!”

“What is it?” Jenny asked, wrapping a towel around her wet body as she stepped out of the shower.

The three girls padded closer to Sabina, their bare feet silent against the floor.

Sabina examined the top box. “This is for you, Ridley,” she said as she passed the box to the muscular dancer.

“And Shannon,” she said, passing another large box to the slender olive-skinned girl.

“And of course, Jenny.”

The three girls stood facing Sabina, holding their boxes, unsure of what to do.

“Go !” Sabina barked, waving her hands, “Open them!”

Each of the girls began fumbling at the cardboard boxes, struggling to open the taped edges.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress,” Sabina with a laugh.

“That’s twice you’ve said that. Is that a quote?” Shannon asked.

“Yes, you do not recognize it?” Sabina replied with surprise, “Perhaps I translate wrong. It is Frederick Douglas. I study as part of democracy curriculum.”

By now Ridley had gotten the lid off her box. Inside were a familiar wool suit jacket, a camisole with its matching pair of thong panties, a skirt, and a pair of shoes in exactly her size.  It was the same outfit Sabina had given her yesterday to wear, with added undergarments.

Shannon’s box contained the silk blouse, the belted skirt, a lace-trimmed demi-bra with panties and its garter belt stockings, and heels.

Jenny received a sleeveless slip dress with bra, panties, stockings, and pumps.

“Sabina!” Ridley exclaimed.

“For me?” Shannon added.

“I can’t wait to try it on!” Jenny chimed.

The girls set the boxes down and quickly started to get dressed in their new clothing.

“I hope you like them.  You would not accept my money, so… I thought maybe you like some nice outfits instead.”

“It’s beautiful!” Jenny exclaimed, holding the dress up to herself in the mirror, “how did you know my size?”

“I see labels in your old clothes.”

“How did you find the time…?” Ridley asked.

“I order from my phone, after our meeting. You would not take my money, so I think maybe I try something else. There was a catalogue in hotel lobby so I order and have sent to concierge.  Most things you wear yesterday so I think maybe you like them for yourself, and I add some things to make complete outfit.”

“So THAT’s what you were doing at the desk for so long. I thought you were just checking for messages and discussing your dry cleaning!” Ridley said with a laugh.

Sabina chuckled, “Yes, I am not so good at lying with Shannon, but you are easier.”

“I… feel… soooo.. . sexy,” Shannon said, cocking her hips alluringly as she posed in front of the mirror wearing only her heels, panties and her belted stockings, her breasts shifting as she moved her hands from hip to hip, changing positions, “I wish I could just wear these around all day.”

Sabina laughed. “But then you would not wear the blouse and skirt!  I only get the undergarments for you because you cannot look your best without a good foundation.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Jenny said.

“It makes sense,” Ridley added.

“For you, Jenny, I get different size cup from what you wear to exhibit, because I see…” Sabina said, moving her hands like a fisherman describing the one that got away, “you are… voluptuous? Yes? You have good curves to hips and breasts, but I think you do not know, so I get bigger bra for better support and dress with darts at midline to better show your curves.”

Jenny had slipped the dress on and was posing in front of the full-length mirror. “It fits fantastic! Oh, Sabina, this is perfect…”

Ridley was now in her outfit and was also standing in front of the mirror, trying to decide whether to wear the jacket or not.  Sabina saw her dilemma, “Ridley, you have nice arms. Maybe you only wear jacket if it is formal event.”  Ridley nodded her agreement.

Shannon had added her bra to the panties and stockings she was wearing, the cups lifting her breasts into two perfect half-moons as the lace around her hips rode daringly close to her slit. She had left the blouse and skirt in their box.  She fought for space in front of the mirror with the other two women, looking at herself and the way the garments fit her body, accentuating her femininity.  She noticed the way her dark hair fell off her shoulders, her slender arms resting casually against her hips.  The flat expanse of her lean tummy softly rippled as she shifted her balance, the V of her hips drawing attention to the thin curve of her mound hiding behind the lavender lace fabric.  It was the first time she truly felt beautiful.

“Shannon? What is the matter?” Sabina asked, noticing that the college girl was in no hurry to get dressed. “You do not like the outfit?”

“No, it’s not that,” Shannon said softly, “It’s wonderful, but… I guess I just never really noticed myself before.”

Jenny and Ridley stepped aside as Sabina moved up behind the girl. “Yes, you are very lovely,” Sabina whispered tenderly,  placing her hands gently on Shannon’s shoulders as they looked at the reflected image of the young woman, “I select the design I think is best for you, but you can look good in anything… except maybe the shorts and shirt you wear to interview,” Sabina said with a grin. “Not your best effort. I never would have hired you dressed like that, but I think ‘There is a beautiful woman hiding underneath, but she does not know.’ So I play little trick on you. I know you are not model but you could be.  You? A cashier?  No, not you. So I lie to you and I see I am right. You are beautiful. But you do not know. Even Ridley made comment. She could see your beauty but you could not. Then at pool I think maybe you see my trick and you punish me. I think maybe you are cruel with me, that you speak to my boss and make trouble for me out of vengeance. That is why I was so angry. I try only to help and you make trouble for me. But then I see that you are still blind and do not know, so I forgive quietly. I cannot tell lies to you anymore. You help me so much. I am told to quit; to pack the exhibit and go home. But you convince me to fight; to save … myself.  You tell me to open for one more day. You tell Ridley and Jenny to help. You talk to my boss and defy him. You tell Stephanie to do her story as model so she can write truth. Every important thing to do, you do. And I … ” Sabina stumbled with her words and began to choke up. “I see yesterday how my clothes change you and I think you start to learn. I think maybe you start to see how beautiful you are; how special you are. So I give these things to you so you can see yourself as I have seen you all along; beautiful … and very special. So, promise me you will wear nice things all the time. Or at least once or twice… to remember. Okay?”

Shannon smiled and nodded her head quickly, her eyes beginning to well up. “Ok.”  So much had happened to her in the past four days. So much had changed. So much had changed in her and she hadn’t realized it. Until now.  Somehow, seeing herself in the mirror wearing Sabina’s outfit made her feel so…

“Oh, Sabina…” Shannon cried.

Sabina stretched her arms around the shaking girl and hugged her.

“Oh, you guys…” Jenny said, wrapping her arms around the two girls.

“I want in, too…” Ridley added as she joined the huddled women.

***

“Sabina,” Ridley asked as the two women sat in the hotel lobby watching the storm’s refugees packing luggage onto the busses that would take them to the airport, “in the room, you said you had played a trick on Shannon. What did you do?”

Sabina looked over at the well-coiffed girl. “You should ask Shannon. I am not at liberty to discuss it.”

Ridley switched her gaze to the floor, her face twisted with a mix of curiosity and pensiveness.  She looked back at the Czech woman.

“It wasn’t anything … bad… was it?”

“”You should ask Shannon.”

“But I just want to know if…”

Sabina held up a finger and gave her a stern look, then simply said, “Ask Shannon”, silencing Ridley’s interrogation.

Ridley quietly pouted in her chair.

“Well, I have some bad news, girls,” Shannon said, approaching the two ladies from behind the lobby’s overstuffed chairs, “the displaced passengers have first call on all outbound flights, which means the airlines aren’t taking any reservations for new passengers, so it looks like Sabina’s stuck with us for at least another  day.”

Sabina stuck her lip out in a playful pout.  Ridley reached over and patted her shoulder in mock comfort.

“The good news is that they are predicting clear skies for the next 3 days as the storm moves off, and more inbound flights than usual will be arriving, so most of these people should be able to leave,” Shannon continued. “You shouldn’t have too much trouble getting a flight after tomorrow.”

“Thank you, but you do not need to…” Sabina started.

“Yes we do,” Shannon interrupted, “you are the curator for the most famous exhibit in the country right now. You do not have time to be bothered with such little things like… travel arrangements,” Shannon said haughtily, waving her hand in the air and feigning pompousness.  Looking at her friend, she smiled and whispered, “Besides, we are still your bitches.”

Sabina laughed. “Thank you very much.”

Jenny strutted across the lobby towards the trio of women, her heels clicking on the tile before being silenced by the ornamental rug designating the lounging area.  She looked fabulous in her new dress, and she knew it.

“Hello, ladies,” she said, “Sabina, the freight company is here and they…”

Just then Sabina’s phone rang, interrupting Jenny with its demands.  Sabina reached into her pocket and held the silver case up, reading the display. “It is a number I do not know…” she said, questioningly.

Shannon snatched the phone from her hand and pressed a button. “Halo, Inkvizice Muzeum Expozice.”

“Hello? Is this the Inquisition Exposition? This is Rocco the Love Monkey of the Morning Zoo Crew, and…”

Shannon clicked the phone off and tucked it under the arm of her satin blouse, raised her head high, and acted nonchalantly. 

Sabina looked at her with her mouth open, shocked. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“As your Director of Marketing, I can’t have you be bothered with imbeciles. You are far too busy for radio nonsense. He’s also one of the biggest names in broadcasting right now.”

Sabina looked at her friend, “But … that is good? You should want…”

Shannon held her hand at her, stopping Sabina in mid-sentence.  And then she smiled.  Sabina grinned and said “Ok, I trust you. But I do not need a Director of Marketing. The exhibit is closing.”  Then, a quizzical look crossed Sabina’s face. “I did not know you spoke…”

Just then the phone rang again.  It was the same number.  Shannon lifted the phone and pressed a button.

“Halo, Inkvizice Muzeum Expozice.”

“Hi, do you speak English?”

Shannon looked away from the girls. She knew she’d start laughing if she didn’t.  She tapped her foot and said in her fake Czech accent, “Yes, I speak the English very well.”

“Hi, this is Rocco Matelli.  I do a morning radio show and I think we may have started off on the wrong foot…”

Shannon responded in her clipped accent, “’Wrong foot’? Is to mean… what?”

“Um, listen, I just wanted to speak to Ms. Sabina Casa about her exposition.  There’s a story here ….”

“She is too busy,” Shannon said, interrupting the man, “She is with models now. Maybe you speak with her Director of Marketing?”

There was a pause. “Ok.”

“Jeden dulezitost.”

Shannon paused.

“Director of Marketing, Shannon speaking.”

“Hi, yes; this is Rocco Matelli of RocMat Broadcasting. I was wondering if…”

Just then, Sabina’s phone clicked.  Another call was coming in.  Shannon looked at the display.  It was Prague.

“I’m sorry. Can I call you back?  I have to take a call from Prague. We’ve been getting a flood of calls since the article came out, so I’m trying to schedule interviews so everyone gets a chance. .…  Yes, that time sounds good. I can call you if you like… Ok, thanks.”

She quickly passed the phone to Sabina, who fumbled nervously with the phone before lifting it to her ear. “Halo? Tato es Sabina Casa …. Yes…. Yes I see… yes…”

The girls looked at each other, comparing their interpretations of Sabina’s expressions.

“Ano, clen urcity doprava hoste is jis zde … ne … ano… Ja vule potrebovat penize pro sluzebni potrebu.” Sabina waited as the other party responded, then she sighed heavily and closed her eyes. “Okay… Byt zavazan tebe.”

Sabina clicked the phone off and turned to the girls.

“You do not need to worry about travel arrangements to Prague,” she said with a dour face, “I must make other plans now.”

Shannon looked at her, trying to read her expressions, her eyes probing at the Czech woman’s downturned face to coax her to speak. “Well? Is that good?”

“No,” Sabina replied, looking at the floor, her finger lifted to her mouth as she tapped her nail against her teeth, “I am not permitted to return to Prague. I cannot go home.”  She folded her arms and looked at the shifting mass of people in the lobby, a distant look in her eyes as she tapped her foot in contemplation. “They are hiring another person to take my job there.”

The girls looked at each other, stunned. 

“But the tour was a success, I don’t understand…” Ridley said, perplexed.

“Sabina…” Shannon started, “If I can help; if you need anything...”

“Yes, I need many things,” she said turning her back to the trio.  Then she spun and faced her friends. A smile pulled at Sabina’s face.  “I need a bookkeeper, and an operations manager, and a Director of Marketing to assist me here.  The exhibit is extended!”