2 comments/ 7318 views/ 2 favorites Prejudice Ch. 01 By: johngalt47 The following is historical fiction. None of the characters are real. The events portrayed could have happened and many like them did. * In the spring of 1939, Nikolai Rostov's parents called upon Anna Fedorova's parents. Anna was sent to her room while the older adults talked. "Do you think the next Five-Year Plan will include an expansion of the factory," Pyotr Rostov asked. "They'll have to expand it if they increase our quota like they did last time," Anatole Federov replied. After some more meaningless small talk, Pyotr Rostov got to the point. "My Nikolai would like to marry your Anna." Anatole Federov needed to consider this offer carefully. He and Natalya had been married over ten years when Anna was conceived. The unexpected joy had delighted them both even though no brother or sister was ever added to the family. Anna was very special to them and marriage was not to be taken lightly. Nevertheless, the Federovs were no longer young. Anatole was in his mid fifties and Natalya was past fifty. Nikolai was a twenty-two year old clerk in the same factory Pyotr and Anatole worked. The same one where nineteen-year-old Anna had started working after leaving school last year. Nikolai had already been promoted once. When the old manager of his section had retired, he had made suggestions about reorganizing some of the work and improving the accuracy of the clerks. If he joined the Party, he would be promoted again, without doubt. Natalya carried on with more conversation while Anatole thought about the offer. Finally, the Federovs agreed. After the Rostovs left, Anna was summoned from her room and told of the agreement. She was ecstatic. She was in love with Niki. She had felt that he was close to asking for her hand and she had given him every encouragement, even letting him put his hand inside her camisole the last two times they had necked. The last time he had tried to run his hand under her skirt, but she had stopped him. Instead, she had let him feel between her legs on top of her skirt. The next morning, Sunday, her mother sent her to the store to get a chicken for supper. The Rostovs would be back that night with Nikolai and the two families would celebrate with good food and plenty of vodka. Anna was so happy. Nothing could go wrong that day. As she was walking along, she came to a group of little kids playing football in the street. Anna jumped in the middle of the game laughing as she kicked the ball away from them. She saw a little three-year old girl standing to one side of the street. Suddenly she heard a clatter and looked around. A horse and milk wagon was careening wildly down the street with a man chasing the wagon. Anna saw immediately that the runaway would trample the little girl. She lunged toward her hoping to grab the girl out of the way before the tyke was struck. She knew if she weren't fast enough she might be trampled, too. She grabbed the little one and leaped to the sidewalk. As she did, she felt her skirt brush against the wheel of the flying wagon. The little girl started to cry from fright. Anna started to shake from the adrenalin that rushed through her. People ran towards the pair from all directions. "Did you see how she pulled the girl out of the way," said one. "You risked your own life," said another. Soon it was all over the neighborhood. Anna was praised for her courage. She was amazed at the fuss. How could she have not grabbed the girl out of the way? The little one was so innocent. Anna loved children and now with her pending marriage, she would have some of her own. *** Niki and Anna settled on a July wedding date. In late May Anna went shopping for a wedding dress. She was looking for a nice dress, but of course, had to weigh the style against the use she could get later. She finally selected a white one that buttoned up under her chin. "Really, you could at least have a little fashion in your wedding." Anna jerked her head up from looking in the mirror to see who was talking. "Elena!" she exclaimed. The brunette returned her greeting. "Anna, I heard you were getting married to Niki Rostov. Is that true?" Anna regarded the other girl. Elena Biebler had been in her class last year. As the daughter of a high party official, she hadn't had to get a job. Instead she'd gone off to the University in Kiev. Anna had heard she'd returned for the summer, but she hadn't run into her before now. "Yes, we're getting married on 10 July," Anna bubbled. "Well, you need something more stylish than that." She moved closer to Anna. "Something that shows Niki what he's going to get that night." The taller girl had moved very close to Anna now. When she reached up and quickly squeezed one of Anna's bounteous breasts, no one else in the store could see. "Elena, quit that!" Anna jumped back, giggling at the gesture and blushing at the thought of Niki grabbing her. "Here, let me help you find a dress that at least brings fashion up to the 1930's; none of your provincial ideas and peasant modesty for that day. Isn't that right, Helene," Elena said to the shop girl. "We can't let Anna be a provincial peasant on her wedding day, can we?" Anna turned crimson as the shop girl, Helene, looked pityingly at her. It was true, Anna thought. Elena had always been the fashionable one in their class. The boys had hung around her even if she was very slender. Slender was not the word Anna used most of the time. Elena was downright skinny. If she turned sideways you could hardly tell her from a boy. From the back you could see her narrow hips and almost flat rear. Sideways, it wasn't much better. She probably wore a padded bra to achieve what little effect she did. There was something about her personality though. She could manipulate the males, females too. Just like all the other Jews, her mother had said more than once. However, Anna had always thought the manipulation was more sexual. Elena had an air of the female predator that hunted when she wanted. "Try this one on." Elena thrust a cream-white dress at her. Anna went to the changing room. The color looked good against her skin. The collar was slightly scooped and the bodice fit closely, thrusting up her bust line. She went out to show Elena. Elena agreed. "That does look good on you. Let's try another one. Go back and get out of that one and I'll bring you another." Anna had just pulled the first dress over her head and was standing in bra and panties when she heard a knock on the door. She unlocked it and thrust her arm and head out to get the next dress. Instead, Elena pushed right on into the small area. "This is the one." Elena pushed a dress at her. Anna was surprised. She and Elena had been nude together before when changing for gym or swimming, but this was different. Anna began to take the dress off the hanger. "Wait a second," Elena commanded. Anna froze. Elena stood in front of Anna and slipped a hand under her bra strap, feeling the plain cotton material. She ran her hand up a little and then back down. Anna could feel the smooth fingernails against her skin. Then the taller woman looked down at Anna's panties. They were the older style, fuller cut with loose, open legs. Anna watched as a thin white hand dropped down and slid into the leg opening. Again, she felt the fingernails and back of the fingers slide across her skin. The fingertips stopped when they touched the crinkly hairs. A thumb came into view and rubbed the material. "Your underwear is so old-fashioned. My mother doesn't even wear this anymore. Don't you have anything sexier?" The fingertips withdrew. Anna colored slightly. This was her best underwear. "No, this is like all my others." She only had the one bra plus four camisoles and three more panties. "What sizes do you wear?" "60 and 90-C." "Don't try the dress on, yet. I'll be right back." Shortly Elena returned. "Put this on," she directed, handing a bra to Anna. Self-consciously Anna turned her back while she made the switch. "Turn around and let me see. Stand up straight. You bourgeois, provincial girls need to be told everything!" Elena checked the straps and slid one hand down inside the top of the cups where a nipple wrinkled to attention. She used the other hand to bounce one boob up and down a little. "I think this will do perfectly." Anna turned around and looked at the lacy material that now supported her. It was the most beautiful bra she had ever seen. "Elena, I can't afford this." "You only get married once. It's my gift to Niki. Here are the panties to go with it." The panties were exquisite, lacy things also. Elastic around the legs would make Anna look sleek and should pull everything snug between her legs, giving Niki a very sexy sight, as long as they stayed on. She blushed again at the thought. Anna quickly moved to try the dress on. She walked out to the three-way mirror between the dressing rooms. The sight in the mirror was wonderful. The top button on the dress was right between her breasts. The cut of the neckline and the design of the new bra exposed the inner slopes of those breasts. Elena walked up behind her and ran her fingers into Anna's hair. Leaning close she whispered in her ear. "With your hair up you'll go from provincial bourgeois to a Leningrad lady." She twisted the loose hair into a chignon on top of Anna's head. Anna gasped at the sight. She would be beautiful that day. But she was also ashamed. Elena's berating of her provincial status hurt her feelings. She knew she didn't have the innate style and taste that Elena did, but the constant repetition in public was humiliating. *** July 10 dawned bright and sunny. "Happy is the bride on whom the sun shines." Her mother spoke the aphorism when Anna left for her hair appointment. Niki was supposed to come for her at noon. 'Supposed' was the operative word. They both knew that he had to run a gauntlet of their friends before he could get to her. First were the riddles. "A beggar's brother died, but the man who died had no brother. How could this be?" "The beggar was a woman," replied Niki. "What month has twenty-eight days?" "All of them." "What flowers does Anna always wear?" "Two lips." Then Niki had to 'prove' he was physically worthy. He was commanded to sprint to the end of the block and back. When he returned, he was told to pick up each girl who was there in turn. One of Anna's cousins was the lightest so she was first, then the next heavier one. The fifth and last was probably eighty or ninety kilos. Finally, he was allowed to enter the apartment house to get Anna. He knew it was not over yet. He knocked on the apartment door and was greeted by Anna's father. "I've come to marry Anna." "She's a good strong girl, isn't she?" "Yes. I'd give anything for her." (The traditional response.) "Well then, you must pay." "How about this?" Niki offered a bottle of vodka. "I'll send her out." A blushing, giggling girl soon appeared, but it was not Anna. "What's this?" Niki feigned indignation although everyone knew what was going on. "Where is the most beautiful girl in the world? Where's my Anna?" "You haven't paid enough for a girl as good as Anna!" "Look, I'll give everyone some money." He handed out a ruble to each one of their friends and also to each of the Federovs. "Now you've proven worthy," exclaimed Anna's father. Anna was let out of her bedroom and she rushed to hug Niki. Soon they left for the Registry Office accompanied by the Best Man and the Maid of Honor. There they went through the ceremony, exchanging rings and kisses and filling out the sheaf of papers to be officially married. Finally, the four young people headed out to the hall where the party was being held. A fiddler had been engaged. He'd play a few dances and then a romantic ballad. Sometimes a folk tune would get everyone singing along. Of course there was vodka a plenty. Every so often one of their friends would call out 'Kiss, Kiss' and Anna and Niki would wrap each other up and afterwards take a shot of vodka. Anna would have just a little, but Niki took a gulp each time. After a couple of hours Anna was beginning to worry about Niki getting drunk and going to sleep. She definitely didn't want him going to sleep early tonight. Her mother had talked to her some since she had become engaged. Last night they had talked for several hours about marriage. Natalya had told Anna a little about her wedding night. Anatole had been gentle, but the first time had hurt. Over the first few weeks of their marriage, they had learned how to please each other. Without saying so, Natalya let Anna know that she enjoyed sex even if every time she didn't get a great thrill, she got one often enough to keep coming back. Finally, Niki and Anna left the party. Niki had arranged a room at the Gorky, the best hotel in town. They would eat an early dinner and then go upstairs. Niki ordered a bottle of wine with dinner. Anna thought it tasted good. By the end of dinner, she was feeling very relaxed. She knew she was drunk, but she didn't care. She was married to Niki and he was going to take care of her. After a light dessert of fresh fruit, Niki led her up to the room. Suddenly Anna felt very shy. She was excited about what was to come, but she was slightly worried. Maybe Niki wouldn't like the way she looked when she was naked. She might do something wrong when they were having sex and Niki would laugh at her. All sorts of doubts ran through her mind. He held the door open as she walked in and then quietly closed it behind them. He took her in his arms and kissed her gently. The last time they had made out he had been very physical, but now he was gentle, almost like he was shy. As he kissed her a second time, he began to unbutton her dress. He wasn't rushing. A button or two would open and then his fingers would wander to caress her breasts or stroke her neck. Another button popped open and his fingers wandered to her hip and back. So it went until all the buttons were open. The bra and panty set that Elena had given her was mostly exposed. Niki kissed her again. This time he brushed the dress off her shoulders onto her arms. When they broke apart, he held the dress so that she could step out of it. He tossed it over the back of a chair and turned to her. Taking her hand he spun her around slowly, taking in the beauty before him. "Anna, I dreamed of this night for months, even before my parents visited yours. You are so beautiful and desirable." She felt so wet between her legs. She reached up and unpinned her hair. It fell in a dark gold cascade around her shoulders. She loved his reaction, but wanted more and wanted it faster. "Niki, I want you now and forever." He dropped her hand and began to take off his clothes. She had felt his muscles under his shirt when they made out, but she had never even seen him without a shirt. Now she watched avidly as he pulled his shirt off. His stomach appeared first. It was solid and slim. Next his chest slid into view. It had some dark hair over the full muscles that she had cuddled against before. As he turned to throw his shirt beside her dress, she almost swooned looking at the bulges on his arms and the broad shoulders tapering to his narrow hips. He kept his back to her as he dropped his pants. As he straightened up once more, she appreciated the strong legs. He nervously flexed his arms and back. She could feel her panties sticking to her pussy as she watched her husband get undressed. She could barely keep herself from jumping to him and grabbing his body. His socks were quickly discarded. Then he skinned down his shorts. When he turned around, Anna's eyes immediately latched on to his prick standing hard and proud. She almost lunged at him and they locked in another kiss. Niki unhooked her bra during the kiss. She moved her arms to let it fall to the floor. He gently tweaked a nipple and then caressed the flesh around it. He trailed little kisses down her neck, across her chest, and finally arrived at a pink nub, standing tall and proud. She felt the wet warmth of his mouth over her breast. First his tongue swirled around her areola. Then it nibbled her nipple gently. He sucked a little then batted the nipple harder. Little sparks seemed to jump from her skin each time he changed technique. After a minute or two he stood upright and led her to the bed. He tugged her panties to the floor. They rolled together kissing in the middle of the bed as she ran her hands up and down his back. His hands dropped below her waist and squeezed and tugged and stroked. She felt the muscles flex under his skin. She didn't think she could get more excited and still be alive. He disentangled himself and rolled her to her stomach. When he grasped her hips and tugged, she raised up on her knees with her head still on the pillow. She felt his cock at her entrance. He thrust in once. When he thrust a second time, she felt pressure inside and he stopped and pulled back. He pushed forward again. This time she felt a tearing and a sharp pain. Like being splashed with cold water, the pleasure she was feeling disappeared. His hips mashed against hers. He stayed still for a short while and then pulled back some. There was a little rubbing when he moved forward this time, but no more sharp pain. As he settled into a rhythm, the pain disappeared and a pleasant sensation spread through her belly. She began to match his rhythm, pushing back as he pushed forward. Her excitement was building when he sped up and then thrust hard inside her. She felt his cock spasm and then he slumped over her back. They both rolled to one side and he flopped out of her. "I liked that," she murmured rubbing her cheek against the arm under her head. "I didn't just like it; I thought it was wonderful," he responded. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. They lay still for a while and then he began to kiss the back of her neck. His hand wandered up from her waist back to her breasts. "You are so beautiful," he whispered to her. She could feel his maleness stiffen against her legs. She twisted slightly so they could kiss again. His hand wandered from one nipple to the other and back. It dipped down to circle her belly button. She giggled. He caressed the underside of her breasts. Those wonderful fingers glided down across her stomach and then lower to her juncture between her legs. His fingers were slick inside her, but the sensations made her feel good. The fingers withdrew and moved upward again. But they stopped at the top of her furrow where that little bump was. His finger circled feathery light around her bump. She moaned out loud. She had never felt anything like that before. He kept doing it. Her hips pumped back and forth. She couldn't control them: it just felt so good to do it while he was circling her bump. Her leg lifted and slid back over the top of his. His cock was at her entrance and then slid inside. "Oooohh, Niki! My god! Oh god! Yesss." He wasn't moving, but her hip spasms kept her moving over him. In a few minutes she felt a flame race out from her hips to all parts of her body. She made a sound somewhere between a giggle and a full laugh as her insides clamped down on him. He had never heard such delightful sex sounds before. When she stopped moving he rolled her body up on her knees and pounded into her. She had recovered enough to sense when he spurted inside her again. This time they both fell asleep. When she woke, it was light outside. She was facing away from him. She rolled around and found he was looking at her. "What are you doing," she asked. "I was looking at your back while you slept." "Why did you want to do that?" Prejudice Ch. 01 "The most beautiful woman in the world is my wife. I want to memorize every inch of your body. When I'm at the factory I want to be able to close my eyes and see the little birthmark on your shoulder. I want to remember the dimple right above your hip. I want to know you're with me even when you're not with me." She grabbed his head and mashed her lips to his. This time was slower. He teased her. He would touch her bump for a few seconds and then leave it lonely for several minutes. Eventually neither one could hold back. She rolled to her knees and he mounted her again. When she climaxed, he held her up until he finished also. They slept again and then had a quick sponge bath before dressing for breakfast. They would stay one more night and not go back to the factory until Tuesday. When the maid saw them go down to breakfast, she hurried in to change the sheets. After putting fresh sheets on the bed, she took the old ones out to her cart. Another maid was passing by. "Looks like a successful wedding night," the first one said. Both of them could see the blood spots and three large wet spots on the linens. They laughed. *** They began their married life living with Niki's parents. His parents had a larger apartment than Anna's parents and Niki's old bedroom became the bedroom for the new couple. Unfortunately, the bedroom wasn't large enough for a double bed, so Anna and Niki shared his old single bed. As with most young couples, they didn't notice the lack of space at night. There were other things that Anna did notice. Her mother, while well-meaning, was always making suggestions to Anna about how the bedroom was kept up. And she almost never let Anna cook. During the week this was alright. Anna still worked in the factory, so to come home and not have to cook was a relief, but even on the weekends Anna was kept out of the kitchen. Anna and Niki also had to be proper and quiet in the apartment. Quiet was especially difficult. Niki's old bed squeaked, so often they made love on the floor. The sex was good, but sometimes uncomfortable. Anna also wanted to be more vocal, like on their wedding night. But then she would have to look at hers across the breakfast table and that embarrassed her. Anna wanted an apartment for their own even if it was a small one. She was realistic though. They were on a waiting list. Young and without children, they were not a priority. She knew some couples in the city who were still waiting after three years and one child. Niki surprised her the day after the October Revolution celebration. "Anna, I got the notification today that we can move into an apartment in two weeks!" "Oh, Niki, that's wonderful!" "Congratulations boy," boomed his father. "I knew they'd see what a great addition to the Party you were." Later that night Anna and Niki lay together in bed. "I can't believe that we're going to have our own place. Some of the girls at the factory have been married over three years and are still living with their parents," Anna whispered to Niki. "I'm so proud that they've given this to you for your great work." "Well," he started, "membership in the Party helped, but I had to finish saving some more money, also. I arranged to meet the Housing Administrator for the factory at the October Revolution celebration. A hundred rubles over a bottle of vodka got us moved right on up the list." "Oh," Anna replied. She hadn't known you could pay somebody to get a favor. Later in the week Niki and his father and Anna's father had gone to a football match, so Anna went to visit her mother. After some small talk about Anna's job and how her father was getting along, Anna brought up her concern. "Niki bribed the Housing Administrator to get us an apartment." "So?" Her mother looked at her as if waiting for some other revelation. "What will I do when he gets arrested?" "My child. If they arrested everyone who gave a bribe and everyone who took one, there wouldn't be enough people left to stretch from here to the corner." "Mama! But we're all supposed to be equal!" "It's true, dear. Your father paid a friend to get his first job in the machine shop and that was when the Czar still ruled. I remember your grandfather had to slip some rubles to an official to build the house your uncle lived in. It's no different under the Party. Different hands, same work." They moved in to the apartment two weekends later. Anna rewarded Niki that night three times even if they were both tired. Then they began to try for a child in earnest. Although Niki tried almost every night, at the end of six months Anna still was not pregnant. They both wanted children: Niki wanted a boy and Anna a child of either sex as long as it was healthy. They didn't speak about it. They both knew couples who had never had children, but they didn't want to admit to each other that it might happen to them. Prejudice Ch. 02 On Sunday, 22 June 1941, Anna and Niki woke to shouting in the building. "The Germans have attacked! The Germans have attacked!" The radio reported the attack and said that the Red Army was fighting valiantly but with no more details. On Tuesday all the workers gathered in the main factory building to hear Comrade Biebler, Elena's father, give a speech. At the end of the speech, he asked for volunteers from all men under forty. They would leave immediately for the front. They couldn't even go home. Anna was lucky to have five minutes with Niki before he left. *** By the following Thursday German tanks were driving through the main square. The Red Army had abandoned the city so there was no fighting which was a blessing. The next morning everyone went to work as usual. About mid-afternoon on Friday the workers were again gathered for a speech. This time it was given by a German. He explained how the workers were free now to follow their hopes. There would be no more diktats from Moscow. At the end of the speech six of the local Party commissars were brought on to the platform with the speaker. Comrade Biebler was one of the six. The speaker drew his pistol and walked behind the commissars. Then he shot each one in the back of the head. Anna couldn't go back to work. She told her supervisor that she was feeling ill. The Germans were so cruel. Where was Niki? Had they shot him, too? She was crying by the time she got back to their apartment. Would it ever be their apartment again? When she opened the door, she jumped back and screamed. A strange, dirty, bedraggled man was on her couch. "Anna, don't you recognize me?" Anna looked closer. She screamed again. This time in joy. "Niki!" She flung her body across his. Anna cried for several minutes, her body shaking as all the pent up fear flowed out. Finally, she calmed down. She noticed that Niki's legs were bandaged. She could see bloody splotches on the white gauze. "My god, you're hurt! What happened? Who did this? How did you get back here?" "Slow down. I'm alright," he replied soothingly. "Let me tell you what happened." *** Niki and the others had been loaded on to trucks at the factory gate. Slowly the trucks had driven about four hours west before stopping and unloading the workers. Niki and four others were taken about fifty meters into the woods and handed shovels. A sergeant told them where and how to dig trenches and went off to another group. It was hard work, but everyone worked together. Niki even remarked how he hoped they'd get some rifles to fight the Germans. He jumped to the top of the trench and pretended his shovel was a rifle. By early evening they had finished digging about thirty meters of trench. They were beginning to work on what the sergeant called fire steps and machine gun emplacements when troops began to arrive. The troops were bedraggled and several of them were wounded. Niki particularly noticed a young boy who couldn't have been more than 17 or 18. He had a bandage around his left forearm and looked very scared. "We don't have any chow and we won't have trucks to take you to the next position until tomorrow morning," the sergeant told them. "If a comrade needs your help, do what you can. Otherwise, find a soft piece of ground and bed down for the night. We'll get you off in the morning." The soldiers began organizing in the trench. Setting up two machine guns and spacing themselves along the length of the earthworks, they acted like they expected the Germans any minute, but nothing happened. Niki didn't sleep well. The ground was hard and despite it being summer it was cool in the woods. No food showed up for breakfast, nor trucks either. About half an hour after sunrise, Niki heard vehicles on the road. "Get into the trench," the sergeant yelled at the factory workers. They jumped down into the bottom while the soldiers lay against the mounds of earth that had been thrown up from the digging. Niki was at one end so by leaning out a little he was able to see what was happening. A truck drove down the road. "Hold steady, comrades," the sergeant said. Don't fire yet." But one of the machine guns opened up and immediately everyone else joined in. The racket was terrific. It was ten times worse than being in the factory's machine shop at mid-morning. Niki saw the Germans jumping out of the truck. A couple fell down, but most of them got into the roadside ditch and returned fire. The German bullets made a peculiar crack as they passed overhead. Niki heard some hit the trees nearby, but none of the Russian soldiers seemed affected. The German truck started to burn. The firing died down to an occasional shot from either side. Then suddenly the tanks showed up. They were squat, ugly things moving slowly, but they turned directly toward the trench. Niki could clearly see the flashes from the machine gun in one turret and then the other one fired its gun. The shell exploded way up in the tree tops and splinters and light debris fell on them. Even though no one had been hurt, Niki saw the young boy jump out of the trench. The sergeant saw him, too, and went after him. In four or five strides he caught him by the collar. Pulling him around he began to push him back to the trench. Suddenly a flash of light was followed by a loud boom and clods of earth were thrown over everyone. When Niki looked back up, he couldn't tell that two people had once been where the smoke was. Then he saw four boots scattered about a pile of white-red flesh. Although he hadn't eaten in almost a day, he leaned over in the trench with dry heaves. When his stomach quit flopping around, he looked out again. The tanks were halfway to the trees. Their machine guns were flashing brighter. A shell from a tank hit the other end of the trench and destroyed one of the Russian machine guns while killing several soldiers. A bright flash hit Niki's eyes and then darkness. When Niki came to he was lying on his stomach. He could hear voices nearby, but couldn't make out anything. A soldier moaned in the trench. Niki looked around and saw a uniform moving. He started to rise to go to the man, but pain shot through his legs. Rolling to his back, Niki looked down. He saw several pieces of metal sticking out of his thighs and shins. There were splinters of wood piercing his trousers. His head hurt also. He probed gently and felt his hair matted with blood. He heard the soldier moan once more. Using his heels to push, he slid on his back toward the sound. When he got to the man, he could see that he had a large gash in his side although the bleeding was mostly stopped. "You doing okay?" Niki asked. The man moaned again, and then his eyes fluttered open. "Side hurts like hell," he replied. "I guess so. You got a bandage?" "Look in the pouch on my back." Niki reached in and pulled out a wad of gauze and cotton. The voices began to move closer. Niki could tell now that they were German and he caught a few words from his four years instruction in school. "I'll get those fascist bastards," the soldier growled and reached for a rifle lying beside him. Niki was startled. If the soldier fired, they would both be killed in the return fire from the Germans. He saw the man's bayonet in its scabbard next to the pouch. He pulled it out just as the soldier fired wildly. "What are you doing?" The soldier looked at him quizzically. Niki knew he had to do something quickly. "Deutsche sind Freunde!" he yelled. It was a bad translation of 'Germans are our friends', but he had to try. Then Niki thrust the half-meter blade into the wound and up into the man's chest. "Help, help," Niki called out throwing his bloody hands in the air. Almost immediately several feldgrau uniforms appeared pointing rifles at him. Another person came up who seemed to be in charge. He had a double red stripe down the side of his trousers. The officer barked out an order. One of the riflemen helped Niki out of the trench, being careful not to aggravate his wounds. In a few minutes another soldier arrived and began to speak to him in passable Russian. "What were you doing here?" He started telling him a story, pausing occasionally to let the translator relay to the officer what he was saying. "On Tuesday they came to my factory and forced all the men to leave at gunpoint. They loaded us on trucks and brought us out here to dig the trenches. They treated us very badly, wouldn't let us eat, very little water. And then we got caught in the fighting." Niki recounted other parts of his "forced" work and the "cruel" things the sergeant had done. "I'll tell you, when he was killed it was a relief to most of us. He was so horrible for no reason. Then that soldier wanted to shoot you in the back. I couldn't let him murder you." When he finished his tale, the officer and translator talked briefly. Then the translator came back. "We're going to send you to the local aid station where a doctor can look at your wounds. Then we'll send you off home. Of course you'll have to be careful of any fighting." "Thank you, thank you. I told my pals that you Germans would be good to us." The next morning Niki was standing by the road in a small village. The Germans had cleaned and bandaged his wounds, given him a hot meal and a place to sleep. Now with a pass in his pocket, he began hitchhiking back to the city travelling with German soldiers on their way to the front. His years of German in the gymnasium began to return to him as he bantered with the troops heading out to fight his countrymen. Finally, after being picked up and dropped off more times than he cared to remember, just before noon on Friday he was dropped at a crossroads about 10 kilometers west of the city. He managed to hobble to their apartment where Anna found him. He had skipped over the part about killing the Russian soldier and calling on the Germans to befriend him. "I was so afraid that you wouldn't be back," Anna said. She told him about the meeting that day and the executions. "Let me fix you a good meal," Anna said when Niki finished his story. She didn't have any meat in the house. Shopping had been sketchy since the war started. She set out some cheese and fresh bread and heated up some soup. A beer and vodka completed the dinner. Afterwards she drew him a bath and washed his back and chest. "Why did you stop," Niki asked when she dropped the wash cloth into the water. "Well – ," she had never touched his manhood except to brush it in bed occasionally and once when she guided him into her. That time she had had several shots of vodka beforehand and he had put her hand on his hardness. "Come on. Don't you want me clean?" She reached for the cloth. She was so glad that he was back and not hurt badly. The others that had gone out with Niki had not come back. "You are hurt, so I guess I need to be careful." He put one leg, then the other up on the lip of the bath while she washed him. When the second leg was done, he continued to lie back with his eyes closed, waiting. She pushed the cloth down under the water. As she reached lower, he spread his legs. She bumped into his prick. "Get me clean all over. You need to be gentle and use your hands." She put the cloth on the side of the tub and soaped up her hands. Reaching under the water she grasped his prick and lightly stroked it up and down. Soon his member thrust half out of the water. Her other hand dipped lower. She gently caressed his balls. "That's nice," he said. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavier. "Do it faster," he requested. She did. Soon the water was splashing from her hand. She leaned over and kissed him. He responded with a wet tongue. They kissed for several minutes. When they broke apart, her blouse was soaked from the splashing. She could feel that her panties were soaked also. "You'll catch your death of cold in those wet clothes. Take them off." She shivered. They made love almost every day and twice, sometimes three times, on the weekend. Somehow, after their two-day honeymoon, she always had some clothes on: a nightgown or he'd throw up her skirt and pull down her panties. The idea of being completely naked with him also completely naked sent a fire through her body. She stood up slowly. She saw the tip of his prick above the water as she unbuttoned her skirt. She turned her back to him as she lowered the skirt to the floor and stepped out of it making sure he had a good view of her panty-covered backside. He stared as she straightened up and then pushed her panties down. The inversion of the way she usually undressed made this event super-sexy. She turned to face him. He could see her clit sticking out at the top of her furrow. He reached out and put a hand behind her leg and pulled. She was surprised when he pulled her toward him, but she didn't hold back. She felt his whiskers scratch her belly. Suddenly he rolled his face around and his lips captured her clit. She felt something wet between his lips and realized he was licking her. He had never done that before and it seemed so nasty. But the feelings that his tongue caused made her weak in the knees. "I feel like I'm going to fall. Hold me up," she moaned. He heard her say something and she grasped the back of his head, pulling him hard into her center. He wouldn't give up this luscious taste, this honey of hers on his tongue, and he kept licking. She moaned low and long. She twisted in his arms and then slowly collapsed into the tub with him, still in her blouse and bra. "You haven't finished cleaning me yet," he whispered in her ear. "I thought you wanted me out of these wet clothes." She pouted and half-smiled at him as she reached for the buttons of her blouse. Soon she was as bare as he was. "Now, where was I," she asked. He took her hand and placed it back on his cock. "Oh yes, I remember." She leaned in to kiss him again as her hand resumed its stroking. He began caressing her breasts. After a minute or two he pulled away from her mouth. "Oh god, I'm going to ... cum." Anna felt his manhood jerk in her hand. Then a white stream gushed into the air. She was fascinated. Of course she had felt him jerk inside her, but she had never seen him in the open like this. Several more spurts went up and fell back on her hand. "Well, I sure hope that's your first one and not your last tonight," she teased him. "You see what happens just being around you. Tonight you'll lose count of how many times you cum and I won't be far behind you." They got out of the tub. He dried her off. Then she dried him off. She stood up admiring his tight muscles and his reawakened cock. She turned her back to him as she hung up the towel. "I'm awfully tired now," she said looking over her shoulder. "I think I'll just go to sleep." He took two steps toward her and popped her playfully on her ass. "I'll see you in bed, but I don't think you'll get to sleep for a while." "You'll have to catch me first." She skipped down the hall laughing. Niki caught up with her in the bedroom and they embraced in a new kiss. "Show me everything you do," he requested after he broke the kiss. As he said that he took one of her hands and moved it to her triangle. She knew what he wanted. "I – I've never done that before." "Do it now. Show me." She was shy, but today he was safe at home with her. She'd do anything for him. She moved a step back and drew one of her hands up her side. "Watch me caress my breast." Her fingers floated over the smooth skin down from her collarbone and veered into the valley between her mounds. Her eyes closed. "I can feel how your hands touch me, a man's hands, but gently setting my nerves on fire." Her fingernails drew slowly tightening circles around one breast. When they arrived at an areola, she changed to using the pads at the tips of her fingers to caress the pink pebbly skin, but she didn't touch the nipples yet. "My nipples are stiff and I haven't even brushed them yet. Think about how stiff they get for your fingers." She opened her eyes and stared straight at him. Then she caught one between thumb and forefinger. She pulled and then she twisted. He heard her gasp as her eyes fluttered closed again. He had expected her to rub her pussy for a minute and then beg him to fuck her. This was much sexier than he expected. Her throaty voice betrayed her building desire. Now the hand that was idle moved in circles on her belly. "My body's getting so hot, so hot for you. I feel like I'm melting." The hand descended slowly to her dark gold curls. He was transfixed. He couldn't decide where to look. Her top hand moved to the neglected breast to grasp the nipple. At the same time, she bowed her legs a little and let the lower hand slip between them. He saw one finger curl and then disappear up inside. "See how I'm melting." She pulled her hand up extending the one finger that had been briefly hidden. It glistened in the dim light. She held it up as she backed up until her legs were against the bed. She sat and spread her legs straight out. The finger traced a line from the bottom of her pussy up to the little button at the top. It circled around the button several times. "Oooohh," she groaned. Her eyes closed as she fell back on the bed. "I can see your cock coming towards me. It looks so eager to get inside." Her movements cast a spell on Niki. Her last sentence broke it and he rushed forward. He leaned over her and kissed her nipples. Then he fell over her catching himself on his arms. His cock ended up against her pussy. Thrusting his hips forward he slid into her easily. They hadn't used this position before. Their normal position was the traditional Russian 'grasshopper' position with him behind her. Now they needed to look at each other, recognizing how close they had come to never seeing each other again. It was early in the morning before their passion of reunion was sated. *** Two weeks later Niki was called to the plant manager's office. "Rostov, you're to report to the District Administrator's office." Niki's face immediately showed concern. An order to go to the German headquarters in the city couldn't be good. "I don't think you have to worry, m'boy. The clerk who called assured me that it was a good thing for you." A half-hour later Niki was ushered into an office in the District Administrator building. "Guten Morgen." The Oberst behind the desk didn't offer to shake hands. "Herr General Steiner recommended you as a person who spoke German and could be trusted." "I had some German in the gymnasium and I do good work." "I need someone to oversee the Russian clerks in the Food and Rations office. You'll report to me." So began Niki's career with the Occupation Forces. At first he was just in charge of the clerks issuing ration cards to the residents of the District. He applied the techniques he learned in the factory to organize and monitor the Ration Clerks in the city. Then he took his procedures and auditing techniques to the outlying towns where other clerks were stationed. Soon the Oberst acknowledged that Niki had a very efficient operation. His German returned quickly, helped by his twice weekly visits after hours to his old teacher from the gymnasium. He also took every opportunity to talk casually with the Leutnants, Hauptmans and Majors in the administration. He even got to talk with the Oberst occasionally on a personal level. In September misfortune for one person led to good fortune for Niki. The head of the other Food Administration section, who was responsible for the shipment of food from the Collectives, was killed by partisans. Since Niki's section was working smoothly and since everybody liked Niki, he was promoted to oversee both sections for the District. Prejudice Ch. 02 The increase in responsibility brought an increase in pay and status. Niki was formally inducted into the local Nazi apparatus and given a uniform and a title. Anna no longer had to work in the factory. Niki was now eligible for a house so he and Anna moved out of the apartment. At first Anna didn't know what to do. However, she quickly learned that the other wives of Russians working for the Germans had endless rounds of teas and parties. Her mother helped her at first, but she soon found out that she enjoyed entertaining and had a flair for schmoozing the other wives. The drawback for Anna was that Niki was gone more. Instead of the occasional night away, Niki was now gone a week at a time traveling around the District or away at a meeting in Kiev. She was glad that he had taught her about touching herself. *** Shopping was a frequent occurrence. Even in the midst of a major Russian farming area, food was becoming more difficult to get. Anna went out two or three times a week even during the winter. One day she had been very lucky to find and be able to pay for fresh apples. She was trudging past a stoop where a boy and girl were playing. She could see how sallow their skin was and how lifeless and dull their hair. She knew they needed and would enjoy an apple each. But she kept walking. About ten meters past she stopped. "Hey, you want an apple?" She called to them. Of course they ran to her. She gave them each one and an extra one between them to take home. *** In late February 1942 Anna's father had a stroke. He died the same day. Three weeks later Anna's mother caught the flu. Anna nursed her for five days, but Natalya's heart wasn't bent on recovery. Within a month both her parents were buried. The first of April Niki came home and gave the monthly ration cards to Anna. "Niki, there's four ration cards here?" "Seems like someone made a mistake and issued the cards that should have gone to your parents. I just picked them up. Nobody will notice." After that every month the mistake kept being made and Niki kept picking up the cards.