Storiesonline.net ------- Transformations: Immersion by Shrink42 Copyright© 2004 by Shrink42 ------- Description: Immersion therapy and re-birthing have proven successful. A whole business has been built to apply the concepts to people in need. A staff has been carefully assembled. Will it succeed? Will there be resistance? Will lives be changed? Codes: MF mf rom cons Mdom humil cheat ------- ------- Author's note: This story directly follows 'Transformations: Nice Guys Club.' It will be difficult to follow the story line completely without reading the previous story. ------- Cast of Characters Note: Characters introduced in 'Transformations: Nice Guys Club' are not listed here. See the cast of that story. ------- Introduced In Chapter 1 Andi - Andrea Kessler: Twenty-year-old college student. Matt Kessler: Andi's brother, one year older. Warren and Dottie Kessler: Andi's parents. Hector: Pimp who kidnapped Andi to turn her into a hooker. Court: Wealthy playboy with a suite at Dottie's favorite gambling spot. ------- Introduced In Chapter 2 Derek Strom: College tight end who acted as Warrior model along with Barbara at boosters' party. Virginia: wife of wealthy booster. Hostess of the party. ------- Chapter 1 It was the third night of the Transformations team's stay in paradise, following the second full day. Mark had watched with pride and enormous satisfaction as Lindsey's confidence grew by the hour. The previous day, her first day naked, she had not been able to go to breakfast, and had visibly recoiled each time she encountered a stranger. He and her other friends had kept a constant escort, or shield, around her the entire day. When the afternoon team meeting had finished on that second day, Lindsey had walked out into the afternoon heat talking with her best friend Trish, unconcerned about her escort. They had passed close to three German men who were clothed, and she never broke the conversation. Unavoidably, the two lovely teens had drawn stares from the passing men, but even that did not seem to phase her. Watching from several yards back, Mark had been thrilled at the progress she had made. At just that moment, Lindsey had seemed to realize that her main person was not with her, and she stopped to look back for him. That had thrilled him even more as he hurried forward to grasp her extended hand. The previous night, they had slept naked together, but their contact had been limited to hugging and cuddling. Of course there had been some contact between hips and thighs and genitals, but no touching with hands. Now, they had just returned from a moonlight walk on the beach with a few forays into the shimmering surf. They had used one of the outdoor showers and had dried in the still warm air. As Mark pulled back the sheet on their bed, Lindsey came from the bathroom with a rag and a towel. Showing forwardness Mark had never seen from her before, she walked up to him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him. Then she took a gentle hold of his cock, which was inevitably rising from their contact. This was new ground, and hastened his full erection. "Ever since that time your sisters had the anatomy lesson, I have been so jealous I could hardly stand it," she told him. "I'm finally ready for my turn. I'm so sorry I couldn't do it before." "You just stop apologizing, OK?" Mark told her and followed up with a brief kiss. "I am so proud of you I could bust. You have overcome so much. I love you even more for all the battles you had to win." "And I love you more than I can say," she replied, "so let me give you just a little idea of how much." With that, she gently pushed him back onto the bed, never releasing her hold on him. "You maybe thought I was out of it when I watched them, but I remember every single detail." She did more than just what she had seen his sisters do. Kneeling beside him, she put one hand under his upraised cock, resting it on his pubic hair as he lay on his back. With the other, she began long, electrifying strokes that started behind his scrotum and ran all the way up over the sensitive back side of his glans. The underneath hand matched the motion with shorter strokes, providing a mind-blowing 'milking' sensation. Almost too overloaded to do anything, Mark looked down at the lovely sight of her firm, shapely breast hanging down as she knelt over him. Too addled to exercise his usual caution about initiating intimacy with her, he turned his hand over and cupped her softness. She gasped and halted her stroking momentarily, then gave out a small hum and resumed her motion. As she masturbated him, she unconsciously moved her shoulders to increase the pressure against his hand. He was too far gone to respond properly, and after just a few more of her long strokes, he erupted. Whether from instinct or beginners luck, she used the underneath hand to continue with a shorter milking motion while the other hand cupped his balls. She marveled at their pulsing action as the jets of sperm blasted out onto his stomach and chest. When the last dribbles finished, she held both hands motionless, cradling him tenderly as she stayed in her kneeling position. To Mark's slightly bleary eyes, she looked like she was praying. Lindsey picked up the wet rag and wiped the semen from his front, then dried him with the towel. Putting both aside, she laid down half atop him and pulled the sheet over them. She kissed him, but he was barely able to respond. They lay quietly for quite a while, and she thought he had gone to sleep. She herself was getting drowsy when he rolled her onto her back and kissed her, then began lightly running his hand over first one breast, then the other. "Your turn," he said quietly. "Mark, Honey, I don't know..." He felt he needed to break from his usual policy of letting her initiate new levels of sexual activity. "Shhhh," he told her. You did something wonderful for me. I would feel terrible if I couldn't do it for you." He could tell she was nervous about him touching her pussy, but this time, he could not back off. The inequity really would bother him. When she did not respond, he continued caressing her breasts and kissed her tenderly. He could feel the tension through her lips, so he kept everything gentle until he felt the strain ease. Then, he increased the intensity of the kiss. When she began to respond with more ardor of her own, he took a nipple in his fingers and began a milking motion, reminiscent of what she had done to his cock. This was all new territory for Mark, but he reverted back to his rule for Lindsey - never do anything more until she was ready. He was not certain how best to make her ready, but what he was doing seemed to be working, so he kept it up. When she began squirming and making little sounds, he broke the kiss and kissed his way down to her chest where he sucked in a nipple. She nearly flew into the air from the sensation, and he was alarmed. But when he started to pull back, she grabbed his head and held it against her breast. For several minutes, Mark alternated sucking and lightly nibbling one nipple or the other. He kept his free hand busy caressing the other breast. The increase in her arousal was obvious, especially when she started making little whimpering noises. He had read enough to know the basics of how to give her an orgasm, but the thought that she might come just from his attention to her breasts never entered his mind. Sensing it was time to escalate his attentions, Mark moved his hand from her breast down to her stomach, keeping one nipple securely in his mouth. He had planned to work his way slowly to her crotch, but changed his mind and slid his fingers right into the top of her pubic hair. He felt her flinch and her legs were pressed together tightly for a moment. When he just played with the hair, she managed to relax her muscles again. That was his signal to advance, and he slid his fingers down as far as he could over her cleft. Although she had relaxed, her legs were still together, and he could not get his hand far down into her crotch. She flinched again, tightened her legs again, and finally relaxed again. With an obvious effort of will, she moved her legs apart to allow him free access. Thanks to his mother Norma's courageous, loving anatomy lesson some weeks before, Mark had a good grasp of what Lindsey's pussy was like. He knew that the key to taking her to completion was her clitoris, and his own excitement was such that he was tempted to go right for it. Once again, his determination not to rush her stayed his hand, and he spent several minutes exploring her contours. Just the newness of a another's hand on her privates was at first unsettling to Lindsey, but then highly arousing. Mark's probing and stroking fingers seemed to be finding raw nerve ends, so strong were the sensations. As he continued his discovery, she began moving her pelvis, trying to position her clit so he would touch it. Eventually, he responded to her little motions and worked his finger between her lips, searching for the protrusion he knew must be there. He located it more by her violent reaction than by feel. As his finger passed over it the first time, she lurched and uttered a squeak. Having located the trigger, Mark began gently circling it, but that would not do it for Lindsey, and she urged him "Harder!" between gasps. Placing his finger right over the small bump, he began rubbing it firmly, rewarded by "Yessss!" from her. He knew that girls masturbated, but he had no idea how new she was to the activity. She had been doing it long enough to know what it took, though, and by this time, her timidity was a faint memory. The long, slow buildup he had conducted was essential to get her over her nervousness. That nervousness eventually morphed into sexual energy, which was dammed up into a huge reservoir by his methodical approach. When the dam burst, she was swept away on a wave of feelings she could not have imagined. Her nerves were overloaded and her muscles no longer responded to conscious control. She must have breathed, but was not aware of the activity. Nor was 'conscious' a meaningful concept. Her body was thrashing and heaving, completely controlled by the awesome signals radiating from her center. Only after many, many seconds was Lindsey able to direct an action. She grabbed Mark's hand that was still rubbing her clit and held it steady. Then, she put her hand on top of his and showed him how to rub the whole area without touching her over-sensitized button. Desperately eager to do anything for her pleasure, he lovingly cupped her hot, moist pussy and moved his hand back and forth slowly but firmly. When the sexual dam burst for Lindsey, the flood washed away the last remnants of body-shyness, at least where Mark was concerned. Suddenly, his touch, anywhere and everywhere was her most urgent need. There was no such thing as being too close to her lover. She wanted to crawl inside of him: she wanted him to crawl inside of her... YES! She wanted him inside of her! That would satisfy the yearning that was carrying her along. Getting control of both her hands, she took hold of his cock, which was back to full hardness. She pulled it toward her crotch and spread her legs wide in an unmistakable invitation. He knew what was happening and could not believe it. The bedside lamp was still on, and he looked into her eyes and saw this frantic, driven creature, but not really his Lindsey. Much as he had dreamed of his needy cock nestled in her receptive sheath, this did not seem right. Her body, her virginity was precious to her, carrying a symbolism far beyond a mere flap of tissue. If he gave in to his burning desire - and her burning desire - the emotions of the morning could drive them apart, rather than draw them closer. Barely in control of himself, and not knowing what else to do, he channeled all the varied emotions churning within him into a kiss. He kissed and kissed, not letting up until she released her grip on his cock and threw her arms around him. As she pulled him close, he felt her shake from her own emotional overload before she finally released a huge sigh and let her hands change from their desperate clutch to loving caresses. As the release and relaxation reached her brain, Lindsey's eyes opened wide in stunned disbelief. "I almost... we almost... you didn't..." "Darling, that would have been so wonderful!" Mark told her gently, "But I need you to tell me beforehand that you are ready. I was afraid you would be sorry afterward." "Oh, God, how I love you!" she said, using a totally uncharacteristic mild oath. The caresses again gave way to a frantic attempt to hug their two bodies into a single being. "I will be ready, Mark, I promise. And it won't be long. But thank you for making sure." There were some gentle tears as the hug continued and another kiss took up a few minutes. When they separated from the kiss, she was able to summon up a bit of playfulness. "We need to make a deal," she told him. At his questioning look, she explained. "No more masturbating for either of us. We will always take care of each other, OK?" ------- Andi Kessler was experiencing a totally different kind of sexual event. The twenty-year-old had had sex with several different guys, starting when she was fourteen, but it was never anything like this. This guy - what was his name... Hector, that was it - was doing things she had barely read about. She felt like she was going to come apart from the sensations. She was on her knees, and he was stroking forcefully but methodically in and out from behind her. Every time he pushed in, his downward angle caused him to rub over a spot on the front of her passage that almost caused her to jump off of the bed. He had already taken her to three or four orgasms in different positions, and she was building toward another one very quickly. Somewhere in her mind hovered concern and alarm that she was here in this strange place, far away from home, with this guy she had just met. Somewhere was the knowledge that she should not be here, and that this could be very bad for her. The problem was, she could sense those tendrils of thought, but they were hiding in the scrambled recesses of her mind. She just could not concentrate enough to find them and examine them. When the next come took her over, she forgot that they were even hiding in there. Andi had gone to the bar that night alone and in a rotten mood. Her roommates were threatening to throw her out because she was way behind on her share. She had dropped out of school and taken a job, but she had lost that three days earlier. Now, she was nearly broke. That damned Pepe had not shown his face for two days and she was desperate for a fix. She hoped she had enough money to get good and drunk. It wasn't the same as her pills, but it would take the edge off. By the time the handsome Latin guy had offered her a drink that night in the bar, Andi had spent her last money, and was still far too sober to deal with her anguish. The dancing with Hector had been wonderful, and more drinks followed. She never, ever slept with a guy on a first date, and never with a bar pickup. Still, when he led her to his gigantic vehicle, she could not think why she was not supposed to be going with him. It seemed like many hours that she rode with Hector, although everything was so hazy she could not be sure until days later when she discovered the city he had taken her to. Her uncertainty and confusion increased when he led her into the small but decent apartment. Part of her mind told her she should not let him remove her clothes, but she could not seem to focus on why. He was very handsome and gentle. His touch was exciting and his voice was commanding but reassuring. Before she could sort out one situation, the next crisis was upon her. They were naked in bed, he was fucking her expertly, and she still could not sort out the rights and the wrongs. She quit trying when the first orgasm tore through her. ------- Hector, Andi's captor, made a very nice living from his stable of girls. He was small time compared to some of the pimps who had dozens, but he was highly profitable. He had classic Latin good looks which helped him greatly in his acquisition of talent. He also had some basic business sense that his competitors usually lacked. In particularly, he understood the value of his girls as assets. They brought in no money if they were too damaged to get on the street. They brought in too little money if they became unappealing to the johns. The extra effort and money Hector invested to keep his girls healthy and looking good was what he considered his edge on the street. Because he prided himself on offering girls that were a cut above the ordinary hooker, Hector spent much more time acquiring them and breaking them in than did the 'ordinary' pimps. Andi had been a target of Hector's for several weeks. Prime Anglo college girl was a rare offering and would jump to the top of his price list. Particularly in that university town, she should bring in a lot of revenue. Maybe the students did not need to use hookers, but there were plenty of horny professors. Pepe, Andi's supplier, was Hector's cousin, an arrangement that suited Hector just fine. Pepe actually made more money than did Hector, but he was also looking at much more serious time if he was caught. The system was disgustingly gentle with pimps, unless physical abuse or drug dealing could be proven. Hector scrupulously avoided both. Every one of his girls was hooked on something, but he never, ever gave them the stuff. He even arranged to be gone when the suppliers made delivery. It could never be proven that Hector was actually paying for the stuff during the 'training' period. The fact that Hector had high standards for handling his girls did not mean that Andi was destined for an easy life on the streets. As with all the other pimps, hardly any of his girls retired, unless a jail or asylum could be considered retirement. OD'ing, AIDS, jail, and murder by bent johns were the main reasons for leaving the streets. Of these, none held promise for a happy future. ------- Andi's world had come apart during her first year at the U extension. She had been a good student, and everyone had encouraged her to go to the U main campus, or to take one of the partial scholarships she had been offered to out-of-state schools. Andi had wanted to stay at home and ease into college. Having not the slightest idea what she wanted to study made it seem silly to go away. In addition, she was one of the rare teens who loved her family, her home, and her social circle. Given her druthers, she would have extended high school forever. In particular, she loved her brother Matt, just over a year older. There was absolutely nothing sexual between the siblings, much to Andi's chagrin. She would have jumped willingly into his bed, had he not inherited their father's strong scruples and steely self-control. An observant professional would have quickly discovered that her rather busy sex life had been an attempt to assuage her love and lust for her brother. Just like their father, Matt was polite, patient, considerate, and gentle to a fault. He obviously loved her, and the two had always been close friends. It was also obvious that he was sexually attracted to her, but he had never given in to the temptation that his frequent erections in her presence announced. Her Dad, Warren, was the proverbial rock. He was no stoic, but everything he did seemed to be calculated and measured. He was an accountant, and a good provider. Of late he had become quite successful at day trading, as well. That talent seemed to belie his usual methodical style. Validating the folklore about opposites attracting, Andi's mother, Dottie, was vivacious, spontaneous, mercurial, volatile... almost every word that described Warren's opposite could be applied to her. They had made the partnership work very well for twenty-odd years. ------- Though serious and studious, Warren Kessler was not a complete nerd while in college. Having grown up with three sisters, he was comfortable around girls. He was good looking, and had the manners that made him a desirable date. He had made the high school football team, and he enjoyed sports. Even in college, he had established an exercise regimen that was to keep him trim and firm throughout his life. With his academic record, future prospects, and good looks, he was a catch for the girl who could see past the lack of flash. Another thing that made Warren a catch was his very healthy libido, coupled with an appreciative eye. Once their paths crossed, it was inevitable that his eye would latch onto Dottie. Dottie was a force. She was the kind of girl that could walk into a crowded room and capture everyone's attention. While she was attractive, it was not her looks that drew people to her. She was the ultimate social person, and it seemed to be instantly apparent to anyone who encountered her. As far as Dottie was concerned, there were no strangers in the world. To her, conversation was the penultimate human activity, surpassed only by partying on the scale of significance. Blessed with a quick mind and an impressive memory, Dottie could knock off acceptable grades without wasting much time at it, leaving her essentially free for the important stuff. Her biggest problems in college centered around the times when she could find no one to talk to or party with. Warren and Dottie met at a party, naturally, and there was no particular reason she should have noticed him among the dozens of others she spent time with that night. No reason except that instinctive sense people often have for someone who completes them - someone who supplies an important element that they lack in their own lives. For Dottie, that instinctive need was for an anchor. Adoration and lust she could have gotten from any of a hundred guys. The ability to keep her centered while still loving and supporting her was what she sensed in Warren. Besides which, he was sexy, and seemed somehow very mature. For his part, Warren was no different than the other guys who were left panting after encountering Dottie - no different except for a natural ability to temper his reactions. He was better able to see past the energy storm to the person at the core, and he decided that person was who he wanted. She plugged a gap in his life, just as he did for her. Looking back from years later, Warren was always amazed that he had screwed up the courage to ask Dottie out, and even more amazed that she had accepted. But accept she did, and within a few weeks, they were an item. They were truly launched on their long, long campaign to try to mix oil and water. From the beginning, Dottie caught untold grief from her friends over her choice of Warren. Oh, any one of them would have gladly taken him for themselves, but the contrast in their personalities was so obvious they had to tease her about it. Both Dottie and Warren brought some sexual experience to bed for their first time together, but neither had been promiscuous, and neither had the benefit of a serious relationship with a skilled partner. Warren brought his strong libido and his love and lust for her. Dottie brought her growing devotion to her man, and her natural exuberance. Their lack of polish was hardly noticed, and the earth really did move. Setting a life-long pattern, Warren made certain she had all the orgasms she could handle, and their first session lasted a long time. She would eventually have to convince him that she truly did enjoy quickies on occasion, even if she did not come. A union of opposites, such as that of Dottie and Warren, can only succeed if both partners sincerely want it to. On top of that, they must each respect and treasure the differences in the other. Being intelligent and very much in love, they made their marriage succeed, with both feeling fulfilled, and their two children were the beneficiaries of a solid, happy home. Warren never lost his awe at his wife's personality and beauty, and Dottie reveled in the solidity and care of her man. As is generally the case, it is the less extroverted, more introspective partner who bears the burden of accommodation. The Dotties of the world seem unable to grasp that the Warrens represent a valid, reasonable personality type. To the Dotties, the Warrens are lacking, deprived, or backward. The Dotties are unable to curtail their own impulses to fit in with the less effervescent. It fell to Warren to do what it took to make his wife happy. As is also generally the case, it is the introspective one who more fully analyzes and understands the dynamics. He knew it was impossible for her to slow down to match his stride, so he repeatedly pushed himself out of his comfort zone to match her pace. He understood how critical it was to their relationship to keep in step. In typical Warren fashion, he carefully planned out how to keep his treasure happy. Before the wedding, he secretly took dancing lessons, managing to keep his improvement secret until the reception. He considered it one of the great successes of his life to shock his bride with his newfound skill at the wedding dance. It certainly set up a memorable wedding night. From his first day on the job, Warren kept a small journal in his office desk. In it he kept track of ideas on how to surprise and please Dottie, and when each idea was used. It became an act of faith to take her out at least twice a week, even if just for dinner. He made himself into a congenial, efficient party host for the events Dottie loved to hold. He used every available vacation day, and together and as a family, they took very nice vacations. It was not only taking on Dottie's part, either. She was too intelligent, too appreciative, and too much in love for that. A naturally spontaneous, casual person, she made herself into an immaculate housekeeper, knowing how much it pleased Warren. In the end, she also benefitted, with her house ready for entertaining at a moment's notice. Dottie was only mildly interested in sports, but she honored his strong interest in response to his attentiveness to her. She attended numerous events with him, and never complained when he was glued to a game on TV. With two such diverse personalities, especially with one a volcano like Dottie, things could not possibly be smooth all the time. When fights happened, they were predictably noisy. They seldom fought over anything substantive, but that did not lessen the intensity of the tremors. For Dottie in particular, the fights were cathartic, and led to some wonderful make up sessions. The kids knew to run for cover, but they also knew the storms would pass rather quickly. Warren did not worship everything about his wife. Two things in particular he had to just tolerate, alcohol and gambling. Warren drank, a TV game seeming to him pointless without a beer in hand. But it was never more than two beers, and just one if he had to leave the house later. He absolutely abhorred the feeling of even a little buzz. No loss of control was acceptable to him. The vivacious Dottie became giddy after a number of drinks. Not one-and-out by any means, she in fact could hold a surprising amount for her size. She enjoyed the alcoholic high, and everyone else enjoyed what she turned into. Warren had to admit she was a delightful drunk, and indulged her. To her credit, she was not an alcoholic, in that she did not drink at all on a regular, daily basis. She never drank to the point of being immobile, just enough to be the life of the party. Warren did not care for gambling at all, and could never understand its appeal. Because she loved it, they took trips to various gambling centers, where he enjoyed the food and the ambiance, but puttered at the quarter machines or read while she hit the tables. Because of her intelligence and her memory, she was good at blackjack. Because of those same skills, and the disorienting effect of her personality on other players, she was also good at poker. She never lost more than a modest amount, and over the years, she had even scored a few nice jackpots. Dottie was an excellent mother, finding that tough balance between parent and friend. For all her social drive, there was no question the kids and their activities came first. All through Matt's school career, the Kessler family came about as close to the domestic ideal as anyone but the Cleavers. Even more than most marriages, the Kesslers' depended on an equilibrium between their personalities and styles. As Matt prepared to go away to school, that equilibrium was disturbed. Whether it was the specter of an empty nest, or just a case of female mid-life crisis was hard to tell. Whatever the cause, Dottie began to change. Her ultra-strong social drive became more of a compulsion. It was as if she needed more activities, more people to plug the impending hole in her life from Matt's leaving the nest. There had never been any question that Dottie loved Warren deeply. She knew what a good man she had and how important his strengths were to her. It is a testament to the power of obsession that her frantic need to go and to do caused her to lose sight of that love and appreciation. She had always teased Warren about being a stick-in-the-mud. At least it was always teasing before the change. He had worked hard to accommodate her need for excitement and stimulation, but it began to fall short. She felt a stronger and stronger need to get out and drink with her friends, and to feel the rush of the gaming tables. Taking all the time off he dared, Warren took her on many more junkets than they were used to, but even that was not enough. She started going with her friends, leaving Warren behind. Warren, the kids, and their families saw the change for what it was and were concerned. Warren suggested counseling for her. That brought down the most vicious ridicule he had ever endured. Of course, in her mind, he was the one with the problem, wanting to sit home all the time. Having always been naturally mercurial, Dottie's new compulsion and her frequent anger at Warren did not stop her from seeking and enjoying sex with him. If anything, their sessions became even more intense. It was as if a part of her wanted to use sex to compensate for the otherwise shabby treatment of him. She had the ability to change from rage to arousal at the drop of her panties. It puzzled and annoyed her when he could not shake off a tongue-lashing and instantly take her to heaven. She simply transformed her already heightened emotions to sexual energy. He struggled to overcome the anger and shame at her treatment. He knew it was critical to their fraying relationship to keep up the level of sex. It soon became the only real bond and the only good thing left of their once-ideal marriage. It was all terribly hard on him, but he held his tongue until the financial drain from her junkets became too much to ignore. He was a fairly generous person, but he had strong feelings on what constituted value for the money spent. The mounting expenses and gambling losses were sheer waste in his mind. It became the biggest battleground of their marriage. Inevitably, the tension between them increased her compulsion to get away, socialize, drink, and gamble. Originally, she went with a group of long-time local friends, mostly couples but a few singles. Over time, she got to know some other 'regulars' that frequented the casinos. This enlarged her social group and added a new kind of excitement. Now, when her local friends could not get away, she could just go alone and be confident of connecting with someone. ------- Right up until it happened, Dottie would have recoiled in anger at the very idea of her betraying Warren sexually. Whatever else they fought about, she was faithful at her core, and would remain that way, so she thought. As further evidence of her fragile rationality, she slipped into adultery almost without realizing it. It started with invitations from her new friends to stay in their elaborate suite when she went gambling without Warren. After several refusals, she agreed. It was congenial, with privacy somewhat scarce, but there was certainly nothing wrong. After four or five trips, it became natural to 'bunk in' with them. The suite they used included a very nice spa, something Dottie thoroughly enjoyed after a long night at the tables. Since they wore suits, it was all innocent and friendly. One night, one of the couples went into the spa naked, encouraging the others to join them. It took a few more trips, but soon Dottie was the only one clad, even though it was now a very minimal bikini. After a particularly acrimonious departure from home, she took the lead and was the first one in naked that night. One of the single men in the 'new friends' group, Court, was always very attentive to Dottie. He was wealthy and somewhat of a playboy, but a nice guy, and he matched her social drive more closely than any man she had ever met before. The fact that he was several years younger was of no consequence, because they were just party friends. He accurately assessed Dottie as a very good lay and mounted a patient, skillful campaign to bed her. On the third trip where Dottie joined the naked hot-tubbing, Court got out of the tub and started some music, asking Dottie to dance with him. He had previously managed to get her more drunk than usual, and after initially refusing, she shyly started dancing naked with him. They touched only at arms and shoulders when they started dancing, and though it felt very, very strange, Dottie was not alarmed. She had never danced naked with Warren, and the sensations were unique and exciting to her addled mind. Having always worn a bra for dancing, the swaying of her breasts was a whole new feeling. Looking down, she saw Court's nice-sized penis flopping around erratically, and her resulting arousal was rapid. That first time, the body contact never became more intimate, and she was left with a sense of fun and excitement. The next night, she had only to hear the music and she practically bolted from the tub to join Court in a dance. This time, he had played slow-dance music, and he pulled her close enough so her bare breast was against his bare chest. She recoiled at the initial contact, suddenly aware, even through the alcohol, that she was straining the boundaries of her marriage vows. Canny hunter that he was, Court relaxed his hold on her, breaking contact, but holding her close enough so her now-erect nipples occasionally brushed him. As they danced that way, Dottie was able to notice two other non-spousal couples dancing in extremely close formation. Acceptance by the group was all-important to a social creature like Dottie, more important than absolute fidelity. Warren had, in anger, completely stopped going with her on her junkets. That was rejection in her mind, and made the group of friends even more important to her. She took the initiative and pulled herself close, smashing her breasts firmly against him. After another brief flare-up of nervousness and guilt, she felt only the joy of belonging and the thrill of skin-to-skin contact with her handsome partner. She was dancing, one of her favorite pastimes. She was naked with her fun-loving friends, a state she found more and more stimulating. Court made her feel special and sexy, something that Warren was finding more and more difficult because of the tension between them. It was only a few minutes after she pulled close to him that another crisis occurred. Though their chests were tight together, their hips had remained chastely separated. All of a sudden, she felt his now-hard cock brush across her belly. She could not avoid a gasp and a reflexive withdrawal. It was then that Court did some of his best sweet-talking, telling her how she had put him into that state. He again and again emphasized how sexy she was. He wisely did not try for any closer contact that night, but his hardness did bump against her several more times. That particular trip was just two nights. In the morning, as they all parted, Court wrapped her in a tight hug and delivered a searing kiss with all the sexual intensity he could muster. It nearly brought Dottie to her knees, and left her with much to think about on her trip home. As she left for home, Dottie began to think about her actions and what they meant. In the sobriety of the day, she was amazed at what she had done, and concerned about what it meant for her marriage. There certainly were problems between her and Warren, but the thought of leaving him had never crossed her mind. She was continually frustrated that he could not understand her need for fun and would not join her. She became angry when he chided her about the expense. But deep down was the knowledge that the major problem was hers. Her needs and drives were exceptional, and she understood that, whether consciously or subconsciously. Warren was still her anchor and would always be there. They would get past this rough spot. Dottie arrived home primed to renew some affection with her husband. In one of those unfortunate mistakes in timing, he was not very receptive. Not angry, he was just subdued, beaten down, and too hurt to generate much warmth, to say nothing of any passion. That, after the effusive attention from Court eroded the guilt and the determination to reform that she had come home with. After a major row, she took off again the very next weekend. ------- Court sensed Dottie's mood when she arrived at the suite that seemed to be his home. Even several hours at the tables could not erase the hurt, although several drinks back at the suite helped a lot. After the past weeks, Dottie had no hesitancy about stripping for the hot tub, and it was she who invited Court for a naked dance. Almost as revenge against Warren, she held him close. When his hand dropped onto her bare ass cheek, she stiffened momentarily, then purred her satisfaction. Encouraged, Court pulled her lower body tight to his own, trapping his now-erect cock between their bellies. Through several numbers, the two danced, with the stimulation of genitals against legs and hips increasing all the time. Dottie became so aroused she could hardly keep the rhythm any longer, and Court led her back into the hot tub. There, he brought her onto his lap and kissed her. He placed a hand on her breast and began caressing, at first encountering the familiar stiffening response. There were other people around, even two others in the hot tub. That kind of intimacy was supposed to be private! It was significant that Dottie worried about the other people in the suite seeing what they were doing, but not about Warren and the effect on their marriage. Her disappointment and anger over his lack of ardor during the week was that strong. Court moved his lips to a nipple and began working his hand down her body. When his touch reached her crotch, Dottie was worked up enough that the guilt reflex never kicked. Instead, she opened her legs to him, an invitation he gladly accepted. With the pent-up emotions of the past week, the arousal from the sensuous dancing, and the loosening effect of more drinks than usual, she had a hair trigger. He took only a few minutes caressing her labia before touching her already-distended clit. He only circled it a few times before she exploded, almost making waves in the tub with the strength of her convulsions. After her shattering climax, Dottie was almost comatose. Court lifted her from the tub, dried her quickly, and carried her to his bed. There, he laid her on her back and began an intense oral assault on her already-sensitized pussy. Much as he was dying to take her, he knew there was still too much chance of her resisting at the last moment. Correctly assuming her clit would be too sensitive for immediate contact, he began licking in long strokes all over her crotch. He raised her legs straight up in the air and started his licks back behind her anus. He ignored the slight chlorine taste from the hot tub, but she could not ignore the shock-like sensations tearing through her. When her vocal responses increased, he put her legs down, spread them, and moved his attention to her clit. He circled it, flailed it with the tip of his tongue, and rubbed it firmly with his flattened tongue. All the while, he worked two fingers in her vagina, hooking them upward to find her most sensitive spot. His objective was to fuck her, and he knew that was still a challenging goal. To achieve it, he would have to get her so aroused she was barely aware of anything. Certainly, the booze helped, but it would still take all of his skill. Three times, he took her right to the edge of climax, then backed off. The second and third times, she sobbed as she begged him to finish her. As he took her upward the fourth time, she cried and swore, demanding that he take her over. He did. All the frustration from Court's three near misses; all the anguish over her recognized betrayal of her husband; all the anger at Warren's inability to understand and accept her needs; all of these emotions coalesced into a massive lightning bolt that seized her body in a climax of Richter scale proportions. After the initial rictus, she lost control of her body, and nearly lost consciousness. Court sensed that there was little he needed to do to keep her orgasm going. This was his chance to enter her without resistance and without remorse. The violence of her thrashing and the strength of her vaginal contractions made it tricky, but with a little unanticipated force, he succeeded while she was still in the throes. Determined to keep her arousal level high and keep her from thinking about what was happening, he began long, intense thrusts. Her initial explosion never had a chance to recede completely before new, smaller orgasms overtook her. Struggling to hold back his own release, he kept up his vigorous pounding, making sure to grind his pubic bone against her clit on every downward plunge. Dottie was like a puppet, without any control of her own actions. Her legs wrapped around him reflexively. Her hips shot back against him at every thrust, all of their own accord. Her hands clawed at his back and shoulders randomly, leaving bloody scratches as mementos of their passion. Her channel flexed and squeezed around his plunging cock, providing amazing friction from a two-time mother. All-in-all, it was the kind of fuck Court had only dreamed about. When he could no longer hold back his own release, his own convulsions tried to match hers in their ferocity. As draining as his ejaculation was, though, he was on a mission. Not at all sure he would ever get another chance, he forced his shaking arms to keep supporting him and kept plunging his tender but still-firm cock into the frantic woman beneath him. The sensitivity decreased and he returned to full hardness again after a few courageous minutes. Because of his initial come, Court was able to maintain a steady, vigorous pace and keep it up for a good ten minutes. Dottie had become nothing but a raw nerve, shuddering at every motion within her, and lost in what seemed to be one never-ending climax. When he came the second time and had to pull out from the extreme tenderness, she gave a few small jerks and lapsed into unconsciousness. ------- After a few hours of deep slumber, Dottie's bladder roused her. Not fully awake, she staggered to the toilet and relieved herself, then stopped in first confusion then shock when she got back to the bed. It was the wrong bed. The wrong man was in the bed. When she had wiped herself after peeing, she had still been groggy and had not paid attention to her condition. Now, more awake, she traced her hand over her pubes and thighs, encountering the crusted evidence of her adultery. It was one of those climactic inflection points in peoples' lives. Yes, she had betrayed her husband and had sex with another man. But it had been only marginally under her own will, so upset, confused, angry, drunk, and aroused was she. At that point, she might have been able to flee with a conscience she could at least force into rationalization of her actions. Immediately concerned about her hygiene, Dottie left the bedroom and sat in the hot tub. There the warmth of the water heightened the tenderness in her pussy. It also brought back the memories of the cause of that tenderness. As passionate and considerate a lover as Warren was, there had never, ever been an encounter like the one flooding her memories right then. The desperate search for stimulation had always been a dominant factor in Dottie's life, and of late her hunger had grown even stronger. She had just experienced the greatest stimulation of her entire existence, and she simply could not turn away from it. Husband and vows notwithstanding, she had to have more. The hunger drowned out all reason. Dottie's trip to the bathroom had disturbed Court's sleep enough to let his own bladder rouse him. On his return to bed, he noticed her absence and assumed he had frightened her away. Well, he had achieved his main objective, but the thought that it was a one-time thing saddened him. Rather than just another conquest, he felt honest affection for the vivacious women. Her passion had been a new high for him, as well, and he would have loved to experience it again and again. As fastidious about hygiene as Dottie was, he chose the same remedy for his sweaty, crusty condition, and went to the hot tub. When he saw Dottie sitting there, he feared an explosion of recriminations, or at best a cold shoulder. Instead, when she turned and saw him approaching, her face showed nothing but lust. Intrigued, he settled in beside her, where she reached over and symbolically washed his penis under the water. When the inevitable erection resulted, she ordered him to sit on the edge of the tub where she straddled him and impaled herself on him. Neither of them made it to the gambling floor that next day. They only left the bedroom to eat and clean up, and by late afternoon, Court was not able to leave it at all. He felt like she had eaten him alive, she was so insatiable. She was scheduled to leave the next morning, but extended for another day which was also devoid of gambling. When she finally left, she was feeling more stimulated and fulfilled than she had in years, while he was left totally unable to travel. ------- It was a testament to Dottie's mental condition that she was able to return home and act like nothing unusual had happened. In fact, the following weeks were some of the least stressful since she started going off by herself. Warren actually began to believe there was hope for a return to their former happiness. In particular, the frequency and intensity of their love-making increased noticeably from the previous few months. The hunger was still there, though, and three weeks later, Dottie went off again. This time, she did not leave angrily but almost apologetically. But she did leave, and she barely left the bedroom of the suite to visit the gambling floor again. After returning for another fairly peaceful three weeks at home, she made yet another trip that was spent mostly in bed with Court. The night before Dottie was to take off yet again, Warren was awakened by a loud thump in the bedroom. He roused himself to find her crumpled on the floor with the crotch of her nightie all bloody. The call to 911 had gone out by the time she came to, and he ignored her feeble protests that she did not want medical attention. The panic at what she knew they would find at Emergency terrified her far more than the danger from her bleeding. She was desperate to avoid that disclosure, but was too weak and incoherent to be able to affect anything. The paramedics carted her away and the ER resident sedated her when she arrived in a highly agitated state. Her last thought as she drifted off was that everything was over for her. The doctor could not understand why Warren did not look relieved when told that his wife had miscarried, but would be fine. After their second child, Andi, was born, Warren had been snipped. ------- Chapter 2 Because of Warren's vasectomy, Dottie had not worried about pregnancy for twenty years. In her mid forties, she was not yet menopausal, but her cycle had become very erratic and the doctor had not thought it worthwhile to put her on birth control to regulate it. The chance of pregnancy had occurred to her a few times on her weekends with Court, but had never occupied much of her attention. Since the last trip, she had noticed some morning problems, and had begun to fear the truth. When the bleeding started, she knew instantly what it was. She also knew the truth would come out. As Warren stood in front of the puzzled doctor who had just told him about the miscarriage, he had to call on every last ounce of self-control. He had cried on only a few occasions in his adult life, and he had never fallen into a towering rage. He felt himself on the brink of one or both of them. Barely able to speak, he asked the doctor if she could be admitted, and she said it was probably the best thing. When the doctor told Warren he could see his wife, Warren just shook his head and walked away. The ER resident was young, but she was paying attention. Not sure exactly what the problem was, she sensed that Dottie would be needing psychiatric help, and personally wrote a note and took it to the proper office. That action quite possibly saved Dottie's life, although she later would not thank the doctor for it. ------- Stopping at a park on the way home, Warren just sat for the rest of the night, staring sightlessly out over a small lake. Over and over, the memories of the years with Dottie marched through his mind. All he could see was himself giving everything he had to make their marriage work. It had been worth it when Dottie was appreciative and tried to give back. Lately, it was all him, and there was nothing left. In his mind, he felt he had never been able to relax and be himself, and he was tired - no, exhausted. The loyal husband part of him knew he should be strong for her now, forgive her, and help her get well. There was no question in his mind that she was a disturbed woman and had been for some time. She should not be held responsible for what she had done. The Warren of two years before would have done just that. He would have been the usual rock, the anchor, the unfailing support. But loyalty, faithfulness, and trust were enormously important concepts to Warren, foundational concepts. Even if he had found the strength to see it through, her breach of trust took away his will to do it. Seemingly on purpose, Dottie had mocked his trust in her, and he could not live with that. He could have been called cowardly, and Andi later leveled that accusation many times. But for the first time in his life, Warren fled. He fled to save his own sanity. Matt and Andi, both of whom were out of school for the summer, had wakened during the commotion of the night, but Warren had not allowed them to go to the hospital. When they heard him return in the dim light of early dawn, he simply told them she would be all right, he was going away for a while, and they should bring her home from the hospital. They watched in total shock as he packed a bag and drove off. ------- Andi and Matt arrived at the hospital about eight, but were told to get some breakfast in the cafeteria and were kept waiting until nearly ten o'clock. Then, they were not taken to Dottie, but were ushered into the office of the staff psychiatrist. When Matt asked what was going on, the shrink told them about their mother's miscarriage. When he asked why the shrink was involved, she told told them about their father's vasectomy. Andi sat in numb disbelief, but Matt stormed from the office in anger. The doctor tried to get him to come back and talk, but he angrily shook her off and left the hospital. From that moment, Andi ended up on opposite sides from her father and her beloved brother. Not that she condoned her mother's actions, but she refused to abandon her in anger as the men were doing. Andi understood enough of the dynamics of her family to understand how hard her father had worked at the relationship. But she could not understand why he gave up at the most crucial point. Rather than an overnight stay, Dottie was hospitalized for three more days, much of it under heavy sedation. Andi stayed with her almost non-stop, but Warren and Matt never returned to the hospital. By the time Dottie was able to go home, both men had moved their things from the house. Matt did come back to talk a few times, but Warren never spoke to his wife again. Andi tried with all her might to be a go-between. She pled with her Dad, telling him that her mother was not well and needed help, not punishment. Warren assured her he knew that, but that he had nothing left to give. Matt was just as implacable as his father, but without the excuse of having given his all for decades. ------- There was no negotiation, no marriage counseling, and no conversation. Dottie had changed when the drinking and gambling increased, but Warren had completely collapsed when her infidelity was uncovered. He gave her a car, all her personal possessions, and enough support to survive at a modest level. He assumed responsibility for the kids' education. Before she attended her first college class, Andi's foundation of a happy home was gone, with even the house sold because Warren could no longer live in it. In all her living memories, Andi had reveled in her mother's effervescence and playfulness. They had the kind of mother-daughter relationship that allowed them to share anything. She was definitely her mother's child, although her needs and impulses were muted in comparison to Dottie's. At the same time, Andi had basked in her father's open adoration and his devoted protection. Add to that her love for her brother, and she had been blessed with support from home that few teens enjoyed. But it all crumbled because of Dottie's actions and her father's and brother's reactions. On top of the trauma of the marriage dissolution and the loss of the only home she had known, Andi was further haunted by unwarranted guilt. She had been the one who tried to bring them back together, but she had failed. It was unjustified, but she carried a feeling of responsibility for the breakup. After the discovery and Warren's reaction, Dottie realized what she had done, and what she had lost. She could not believe she had done it, and could not understand why. She wanted to plead with Warren for forgiveness and pledge future faithfulness, but he would not speak to her. Total deterioration quickly overtook her. Her life became a nightmare of constant depression, weight loss, illness, and inability to function in any normal circumstance. In a strange twist, she could no longer tolerate alcohol at all. It represented her loss, and she became nauseous at even the smell of it. A deck of cards triggered almost the same reaction. Andi loved both parents, and thought she understood them. But she was not able to accept what she considered Warren's over-reaction to his wife's dalliance, particularly as she saw her mother disintegrate before her eyes. She completely broke off communications with him. It was even worse when Matt sided with his father, leaving Andi with no one to lean on. Because of her own condition, Dottie was absolutely no support for the daughter she had once been so close to. At a time in her life when a support system is crucial to a young person, especially one as connected to her family as Andi was, she was suddenly completely on her own. In an all-too-familiar scenario, someone introduced her to a little pill that, for a while, made the world seem so much better. Her relief at the easing of her anguish turned Andi into an addict in a very short time. She never registered for her second year, but took a series of menial jobs, most of which she lost because of her pills. Her friends saw her going downhill and tried their best, but they could not stop her slide. She was left vulnerable to any opportunist who came along. Hector was ready for the opportunity. ------- Barbara Ventri (she had discarded her married name shortly after the divorce) was wondering what she had been thinking when she agreed to be Transformations' first resident. Her daughters, nineteen and sixteen, were all provided for so she could spend the next few months there. Now, she was supposed to check in the next day, Saturday, and she had serious doubts whether she could do it. If it wasn't for her brother Paul, his wife Norma, and their son Mark being employees at the place, she would have given up the whole idea. Or course, it was only because Paul got her the scholarship that she considered it anyway. Long into that Friday night, she lay in bed remembering and worrying. ------- Barbara had always been large - tall, broad-shouldered, and wide-hipped. Her hands and feet were at the high end of women's sizes. She had always put on weight easily, and up through her pre-teens, she was pudgy at best. With puberty came interest in boys and massive depression that she was totally unappealing to them. It was at that point that Paul, even though two years younger, became her savior. He got her focused on sports, and the two of them played one game or another constantly. She was very coordinated, and her size became an advantage, for once. The excess weight stayed with her through junior high, but at least she had a group to belong to. Her athletic accomplishments would eventually outstrip her brother's by far, but he would remain her most ardent fan. In high school, the level of competition was much higher, but Barbara was up to the challenge. More strenuous training started melting away the pounds, and within a year, she was as slim as she was ever to be. She was definitely in the lady jock crowd, and dressed accordingly. An observer would have guessed she was into the lesbian scene, though she had no such leanings at all. In her junior year, Paul came to the same school, and he began to prod her to add some sex appeal to her grooming. Largely as a defense, she had just shut boys out of her thinking, and was not at all sure she wanted to reopen that painful subject. Paul was relentless, convincing her that she really was attractive and desirable. She did not know if he had engineered it, or even how he could have, but when she started to dress better, she started to get dates. None of the guys were 'A' list, but they were nice guys and they all had fun. For a high school boy, her breasts, which were at least proportional to her size if not larger, were enough of an attraction to get invitations. After that, her personality made them all glad they had asked. Seeing the pleasant results of her brother's campaign, Barbara became something of a fitness fanatic, remaining in absolutely the best shape she could be in until the divorce. She continued her athletic career at a small college, and it was there that she met her husband. He was brilliant, not athletic at all, and totally unconcerned about fitness. But he was a nice guy, and he loved and respected Barbara. After seventeen good years together, Barbara's husband was given an ultimatum by the doctor: 'either change your whole lifestyle, or make sure your will is current, because it is unlikely you will reach fifty the way you are going.' Barbara had always been extremely careful not to pressure him to exercise. In fact she went out of her way to be inconspicuous about her own strict regimen. Nevertheless, he had always viewed the simple fact of her discipline as a rebuke against him. When he had to get into it himself, he held it against her. Not rational, from a very rational person, but it was there. Wanting to help him, Barbara accompanied him to the health club as he got started. That turned out to be another mistake, though there was no way she could have anticipated the problem. He had never had much of an eye for the women, but now he was in an environment where some of the most appealing women were displayed to their best advantage. After a while, he began to feel that Barbara did not compare very well to some of the slender beauties strutting their stuff for his enticement. He began scheduling his workouts so it was inconvenient for her to join him. While he was not ready to admit it to himself, he was becoming embarrassed about his wife. Over the course of six to eight months, as he developed muscles that he never had in his life, and as his improving condition increased his testosterone production, he began openly lusting after some of his workout companions, and became less and less interested in Barbara's attentions. It made no sense. They had a good marriage up until then. Barbara had a strong sex drive, and easily gave him all the sex he could handle. The girls were good students and well behaved. Barbara's therapist later reasoned that it was a late-onset flood of testosterone from the new fitness regimen that triggered his dissatisfaction. Having never been particularly in demand from girls when younger, he was knocked totally off balance when his new body started to draw attention. She would have stuck with it, but he wanted out, and her life was turned upside down. The fact that he did not have another woman yet, but just did not want her any more made it incredibly painful. It was small consolation to her that she was well provided for. His career had gone well, including several lucrative patents. He had no desire to hurt her or the girls, and he was quite generous in the settlement. No amount of money could compensate for the damage to her self-worth, though. It took less than two years to add forty-five pounds and to lose all her muscle tone. Her depression was serious enough to cause genuine worry to her family. ------- The pain of divorce was still as sharp as from a fresh wound to Barbara. His rejection had hit her in her most vulnerable spot - concern about her too-large body. Now, she was going to expose it to all those people, maybe for three months! She was a modest person. Except for many lockers rooms, she had never been naked with anyone but her family. Well, except for that one time in college. That one crazy, unbelievable time: never told to anyone, but the true stuff of Playboy Forum... ------- They say college is the time to get the craziness out of one's system. Barabara was never afflicted with a large dose of craziness, but she ended up with an experience that she had never told a single person about - no one. Early in her sophomore year, her basketball coach called her into the office and shut the door. Barbara had played quite a bit her first year and was slated to be a starter, so she did not think it was anything negative about her team status. "Barbara," the coach told her, "I'm not sure you realize it, but our boosters are absolutely critical to women's athletics here - all athletics, in fact. If it weren't for them, we might not have some of the sports, and would certainly have to scrimp on travel, equipment, and coaches." "The reason I am telling you this is that I have a request from the wife of the biggest booster. Her name is Virginia. She is a former athlete here, and she wants your help - she asked for you specifically. I don't know what she wants, but I will say one thing. What ever she asks, do it. 'No' is not an option, understood?" With that stern admonition, the coach handed her a card with instructions to call. When Barbara got in touch with Virginia, the woman asked her to plan to spend the night of Homecoming at her house. Arrangements were made for her to be picked up at her room a little while after the game ended. In the limo that picked her up that Saturday, Barbara found Derek Strom, a tight end on the football team, and a guy she knew slightly. She congratulated him on the game, and they chatted as they rode. Derek was an enigma. He was a fanatical player, a top student, and an impeccable gentleman, but almost nothing was known about his background. "Do you have any idea what she wants us to do?" Derek asked. "Not a clue. All I know is I had better do whatever she asks. Coach was really strong on that," Barbara answered him. "Same here," Derek told her. "I won't repeat what he said would happen if I said no." When they arrived at Virginia's home, they were stunned at the size and opulence of the place. The greeting from the vivacious woman was extremely warm, almost giddy. She showed them to two bedrooms that were separated by a shared bath. They had been instructed to bring only the casual clothes they wore and nightwear and toiletries. Stowing their gear took only moments. Then she led them to a sitting room on the main floor and started her explanation. "We are going to have a get-together of a special group of boosters tonight," Virginia told Barbara. "This is not an official boosters function, just a private, informal gathering of some key givers. They are all our close friends, and we party together all the time." "The party will be here, and it will be decorated to the hilt in a Warrior theme (that was the team name for their college). We want a male and a female dressed as warriors to be the focal point of our decorations. Barbara, you have the most impressive body of any woman in our athletic program, and I want you to be the female warrior. Derek, you have a great build for our male warrior." Derek was 6'3" and very muscular. He was too slender to be an offensive lineman, but the ripples of his chest, shoulders, and arms could be seen through his shirt. "Will we, uh, have to say anything, or act, or anything," Barbara asked. "It will be very simple," Virginia assured them. "When everyone has arrived, there will be a fanfare, and you will march down that stairway. You will mount the two stands out in the main hall, and just pose there. You will have to stand there for perhaps forty-five minutes until dinner is served, and that may be hard. At dinner time, there will be an announcement, and you will march in a circle through the dining area, and then you will be done. We will practice the entrance and the exit a few times." "That sounds like something I can do," Barbara told her, and Derek agreed. The compliment about her body was ringing through her head. At college, she had not had as much dating success as in high school, and it bothered her. She was in fantastic shape, having trained fanatically over the summer. Too bad not enough guys appreciated her body. "There are some more things you need to know before you should answer," the woman told her, with an unreadable smirk on her face. She led Barbara to the front hall and showed her where the two warriors would stand on raised platforms about two feet high, facing each other about eight feet apart. She then took them up to a third bedroom where some costumes were laid out. "You will be standing very boldly, legs apart. One hand will be holding a spear, and the other will rest on top of a shield, which is standing on the ground." "You will have these sandals on your feet. See how the wrappings go around your legs all the way to your knees? These studded leather bands go on your wrists and these go above both elbows. On your chest will be these criss-crossed leather straps with metal studs. The straps will meet at the center of your chest and go under both arms and over both shoulders. You will have on a helmet that covers your entire face." After thinking for a moment, Barbara asked "Uh, what will we wear for clothes under all that." Virginia paused dramatically and looked hard into each of their faces. "Nothing," was the unbelievable reply. Seeing the predictable shock on their faces, she went on. "The twenty-five people in this little group are all quite, um, sophisticated. We like to spice things up with some fun, some titillation. These parties get into some one-upmanship, and I am going to win the all-time prize tonight." "You... you w... want me to stand there naked!!?" Barbara could hardly speak from the shock. Derek stood motionless, his jaw hanging slackly. "Well, technically, no. But yes, everything will be exposed." "Ohhhhh," Barbara said with a strangled sound in her throat. "I... I've never... I... I couldn't..." Barbara stammered. "Um... ah... that's... I... God! You're kidding, right?" This from Derek. The woman just waited for the shock to subside a little more, and for the two to remember their coaches' stern admonitions. "E... e... even with the h... helmet, they'll kn... know who I am!" Barbara managed to say. "Certainly. But these people are very discrete and very classy. They admire you, and would never do anything to embarrass or hurt you. Remember, if word of this got out, I could be in trouble, not you." Virginia said this with great sincerity, making both of them believe her. "They would all be very grateful for your willingness to participate. I am sure you can expect some good things to come out of this. And please don't even think about being ashamed. You are both magnificent physical specimens. You should be proud to show yourselves off, just as the guests will be thrilled to look at you." "I'm sure your coaches have told you in no uncertain terms that you MUST do what I ask. Let me assure you, we would never force you into something like this. If you feel you cannot do it, there will be no repercussions or hard feelings. I'm going to leave the two of you to discuss it together for a few minutes." When Virginia left the room, neither of the athletes could look at the other for quite a while, and neither spoke. Finally, Derek said "I'm sorry they put you in this position." Pleased at his thoughtfulness, she responded "Thanks for thinking about me. That's very gallant of you. But what about yourself? It would be just as hard for you, wouldn't it?" She had not intended a double entendre, but he caught it, and chuckled as he quipped "That's what I'm afraid of." "Huh?" she grunted, too upset to catch his humor. "I'm afraid it will be hard for me. That would be deadly embarrassing," he explained. Still not catching on, she gave him a puzzled look for a moment, then caught on and blushed bright red. "I... I'm sorry! I d... didn't mean to..." "Hey, it's OK," he assured her. "We're not kids any more, you know. Besides, it's the truth. If I have to stand and look at you for that long, I will be as hard as stone." "Me? With my big butt and thunder thighs?" she asked in genuine amazement. "... and those really awesome tits?" he shot back. "You bet! Hey, I've watched you play. Sure, you're big, but everything fits, and you're in such great shape. I have to confess, I fantasized about watching your ass muscles flex without those basketball shorts in the way." He said as a compliment, not coarsely, and she understood it that way. She almost told him how she had watched his ass, as well, and wondered what was protected by the cup he wore in the crotch of his uniform pants. Instead, she just looked at him, trying to read his thoughts. "It sounds like you want to do it," she commented. "I'm not anxious to hang my dick out in public. No. But my coach didn't leave any doubt, and I do what I have to. And besides, I've met several of these people, and they are really good to us athletes. I don't think I have a choice, so I'm damned well going to have fun with it." "Of course," he continued, "if you don't want to do it, it's off. I don't mean to sound like I'm deciding for you." She was silent for quite a while, just looking at the floor. She thought about what her coach had said, and got a little angry that she was put in this spot. She was a modest person at heart. This just wasn't fair. Then, he was talking again. "Look, Barbara, I don't know if it makes any difference, but I'm going to level with you. I get hard just thinking about seeing you naked. Your body really is incredible. You should be proud. This is a chance to display yourself in safety. It's a group of people that will appreciate you, and won't make rude comments or talk about you anywhere else. Haven't you ever fantasized about stripping on amateur night, or entering a wet T-shirt contest?" Still wrestling within herself, she kept her gaze down and stayed quiet. Just then, Virginia came back into the room. Quickly assessing the situation, she asked Derek to go to his room, and took Barbara by the hand and led her to the room she was staying in. Once in Barbara's room, Virginia astonished her by quickly undressing. She was tall and rangy, not nearly as solid as Barbara. She had large hands and feet like Barbara, but her hips, waist, and breasts were noticeably smaller. All in all, she presented a somewhat ungainly appearance when naked, something she had masked skillfully with her clothes. "Barbara, as you can see, I'm no beauty contest winner. When I was playing, I didn't think guys would be attracted to me. But I worked hard to be in the best shape I could, just as you have. If I had been given a chance like this, I would have jumped at it. I would have stood there naked, even with my face bare. And I would have said 'This is what God gave me. I'm thankful for it, I've done my best with it, and I think I'm beautiful.'" "Now, you have a lot better body than I had on my best day. Wouldn't you like a chance to flaunt it?" Virginia asked. Barbara could not decide if this was just a snow job. Of course, Virginia's nakedness added a strong dose of sincerity. And what the woman said struck a chord within her. She could not count the times she had felt an urge to just throw off her clothes and make people look at her. She wanted to be proud of her big body. She wanted people to be impressed by her. "Honestly, Barbara, if you won't do it, I'm tempted to do it myself. I'm not afraid to, and that would be the ultimate one-up on our friends," and she laughed as she said it. "But this old bod wouldn't be the best symbol of a Lady Warrior, would it? You're perfect, you know?" With Barbara, decisions took time, and Virginia seemed to understand that. She waited, just standing there naked and unconcerned. Finally, all the factors fit together in Barbara's mind, and she nodded her head quickly. "Good, then get undressed right away before you start thinking about it too much," Virginia said, almost bouncing with excitement. Barbara sensed that she was right, and hurriedly took off her clothes, tossing them on the side chair. "My God, Girl, you are a gift. If I had a body like yours, I would be arrested daily for public nudity. Wait just a moment." Walking through the bathroom that connected the two bedrooms, Virginia yelled out "Derek, get undressed and come in her, please." At those words, Barbara almost panicked, then was able to laugh at herself. "Are... aren't you going to get dressed?" Barbara asked Virginia in amazement. "Well, maybe Derek needs the psychological reinforcement, too. Besides, when he walks in here and springs a hardon, I can pretend it's partly because of me. Good for my ego." Barbara even managed to laugh at that. After several minutes, Derek had not appeared, so Virginia walked into the bathroom again. This time she kept right on going, and returned towing a rock-hard Derek who was grinning apologetically, but did not look embarrassed. "He got hard just thinking about your naked body. He was trying to get it to go down, but we can't wait for that. So, Barbara, take a good look at it and get it over with so he can stop worrying about it." Virginia may have been either nervous or aroused, because she was talking a lot at that point. "Well, Derek, I checked with the Coach and he told me you were nicely hung. He wasn't lying. It's gorgeous hard, and I'll have to assume it'll be impressive soft, too." "If I can ever get it to go soft again," Derek commented with a chuckle. Barbara was constantly amazed at his cool. He seemed to be treating this as a game. He was intent on doing what was needed, and seemed to just rule out fear or shame. "I assume you can take care of that before the big processional. You know, I thought of having you wear a cock ring, so if it gets hard, it's not a big deal. Hummmph! Of course it's a big deal, a nice big one. What I mean is, no one will be upset. The men will be too busy looking at Barbara to notice, and the women will want to eat it up." That brought a groan from Derek. "Now, I don't want to sound like I'm sandbagging you guys, but there's one more requirement. I need you both to shave your crotches bare. Leave a patch of hair above, but everything below should be smooth." This stunned Barbara. She had never had bare labia since she grew hair. "Uh, Virginia, that's uh... I don't think..." "Barbara, my guess is your pussy lips are as impressive as the rest of you. I want our guests to see every wonderful inch of you two." "But my clit... uh..." Barbara looked at Derek in a minor panic as she said that. "Oh, goody!" Virginia exclaimed. "You mean it's always out? That's perfect. I'd love to see all the men fighting hardons. An eager clit should really do it." Barbara almost collapsed on the bed after that comment. "Oh, and be sure to get all the hair all the way to your anus, too. I want completely clean crotches." "Um, I've never shaved... how do I get it back there?" Barbara asked. "Well, I can help you. Or you two can help each other. Time is getting a little short. I want a couple of 'dress' rehearsals before the caterers all get here." Virginia giggled as she emphasized 'dress.' Barbara just looked at Derek in complete disbelief. This was going far beyond anything she had agreed to. But what could she do? He was taking it all with maddening composure. "I think it would be good for you to help each other. You might as well get comfortable with each other. It will make the whole evening easier if there is no mystery between you. OK? Everything you need is in the bathroom. I'll be back in an hour and we can practice." When the whirlwind that Virginia had become blew out of the room, leaving her clothes behind, the two students just stared at each other. "Barbara, I'm sorry if I helped talk you into this. I had no idea..." Though not a flaming feminist, Barbara had an aversion to being patronized by men, and Derek was close. "Come on, Derek. I'm not a weak sister, and you didn't talk me into anything. Now, I think I've got a coin in my pocket. Yeah, heads or tails for who gets shaved first." Derek won the toss, or lost as the case may be, and took a quick shower. Barbara had him sit on the counter, and picked up the scissors to trim the hair around his cock and balls. As she took hold of his stiff cock to keep it out of the way, he gave a sharp hiss, then "Shit! It's going to come... !!" Though not very experienced, Barbara knew what to do. She dropped the scissors and began stroking him to help him get it all out. The ejaculate ended up on both of them. Without a word, she turned on the shower and pulled him into it. When he was again clean, she got the scissors and shaving gear and finished the job in the stall. With a lot of embarrassment and apologies, particularly when trimming around assholes, the two managed to get suitably bald with time to spare before Virginia returned. They were surprised when she returned as naked as when she left. "Let's go practice. Put on your helmets and bring the shields and spears, but leave the other stuff for now. There are some people setting up, and you may want to stay anonymous to them." "Aren't you going to dress?" Barbara asked for the second time. "Nah, it's my house. The people who are here all work for us in some capacity. I don't mind if they see me. To tell the truth, this has got me really worked up. My husband is going to get VERY lucky tonight. Come to think of it, after he sees you, Barbara, it'll be me that's lucky!" Virginia laughed as both students blushed. As they walked through the entrance march, Barbara stopped dead when she encountered the first man, a yard worker who was setting up tables. He stopped dead, too, seeing his naked employer, and then the stunning amazon. Through the eye holes of her helmet, she saw the man's eyes widen and his nostrils flare as he stared open-mouthed at her. He silently mouthed what she thought was 'holy shit!' Despite her near panic, she felt a surge of confidence. She had barely caught her breath from the first man, when an older man walked up, saw Virginia, stopped dead in his tracks, and broke into laughter. "Getting into the spirit, Dear?" he asked between chuckles. Then, he turned and saw Barbara for the first time. "Holy Shit!" he exclaimed. "Honey, you weren't kidding, were you? Barbara... Ooops!, no names, sorry! Lady Warrior, you are the sexiest thing I have seen in a long time! Virginia told me you would be, but WOW!" Sexiest! That really hit home to Barbara. That was something she had seldom heard from anyone but her brother Paul. The man, obviously Virginia's husband, continued. "I don't know how to thank you for doing this for us, both of you. We are in your debt, and I want you to promise to take advantage of it. You are helping us to the social coup of the decade in this town." After saying that, the man got a concerned look on his face, and quickly turned away. Virginia was having none of it, though. Getting behind him, she held both arms and turned him back to face Barbara. "Huh uh, Lover! If they can let it all hang out, she should at least get to see her effect on you. Nice, huh Lady Warrior? Told you, didn't I?" With that, she brazenly rubbed the nice bulge in her husband's pants. Next, they practiced the entrance march with music, repeating it as Virginia urged them to put some show into it. When they mounted the stands, which were about two feet high, Barbara reflexively kept her legs closed, and noticed that Derek did the same. "No, kids," Virginia told them. "Get those legs apart. Put your feet on those marks on the stand. It will make those gorgeous ass and thigh muscles stand out better." "But... but... they can see my... everything's open... ohhh!" Barbara was again in a panic. Virgina walked up and made Barbara spread her feet out to the marks. They were spread to about the comfort limit, and she could indeed feel her muscles tighten a bit. "Look, Honey," Virginia said. "You've got some beautiful, thick pussy lips there, and that clit that refuses to hide. Your asshole is nice and clean and smooth, too. If the guests can tear their eyes from your boobs long enough to check lower, I want them to enjoy every delicious bit of you. Got it?" Not waiting for a response, Virginia walked over to Derek's stand and positioned his feet the same way. Giving his ass an affectionate slap, she told him "You've got such great low-hangers, there, Champ! I want the ladies to get the best possible view of them. Looking at 'em between those flexing cheeks makes it all the more exciting." Although he was hard again, he seemed to Barbara to be maddeningly unconcerned. Did he have no capacity for embarrassment? She kept her hand on his hip as she walked around in front of him. "Hmmm. If Big Boy stays at attention like this, the gals will be able to see your beauties from the front as well as the rear. Neat, huh girls?" That was addressed to two middle-aged ladies who had stopped setting tables and wandered over to ogle Derek. They scurried off in shame when Virginia addressed them. "Oh, don't go yet, ladies. Give him a good looking over. He needs to get used to the stares. Say, do either of you want to volunteer to go up with him and help him get rid of this hardon?" With that she broke into laughter. They did one more dress rehearsal of their entrance and their march around the tables, then Virginia took them up to their rooms. She gave them the time schedule, then said. "Oh, you probably saw those bottles of oil on the counter. Oil yourselves thoroughly before you put the other stuff on. I'm sure you can help each other with that. Now relax and have some of these snacks. You should probably shower and get ready about forty-five minutes before the entrance. Oh, and stay naked. You need to get used to it as much as possible." Virginia had been very business-like up to that point, despite her nudity. She turned as if to leave, then turned back and walked to Derek. She took his face in both hands and kissed him soundly, then gave Barbara a brief but firm hug. "You guys are truly unbelievable - beyond what I hoped for. My husband meant what he said. Anything you need in the future, just ask." They relaxed and talked, surprisingly at ease with each other after all that had happened. They actually started getting ready an hour early. Barbara noticed that he had been in the shower for quite a while, so she came right in with him, catching him jacking off. Without a word, she took over, then repeated the process a second time. Oiling up was fun and they mostly did each other, then put on the gear. When Derek had tightened the straps around her chest, she turned to face him and he gasped. "God, Barbara, your... your... breasts are unbelievable!" "Calling them 'tits' or 'boobs' won't offend me," she quipped, and then walked to a mirror. In fact, the strap caused them to stand up and out in an almost unreal fashion. The look of her large, full, firm mounds that night would be a treasured image for the rest of her life. She gave herself a good once-over, then looked at him. "God," she said, "this stuff makes us look more naked then when we had nothing on. It makes everything stand out more." "I'm sure that's exactly what Virginia intended," he replied. "If I had known she wanted us for a porn show..." When the knock on the door came to prepare for their entrance, Barbara almost had to throw up, something that often happened before games. She managed to stifle it, and she walked, weak-kneed, to their ready position at the top of the stairs. Derek was steady, and held her arm for support. There was just a fanfare, with no announcement. Virginia wanted the sight of them descending the stairs to be the only warning. And it was as dramatic as anyone could have hope for. A few people noticed them as they descended the first step. They paused motionless for several counts on each step, so the descent took a while. From the the gasp of the first to see them, there was murmuring and scurrying throughout the front part of the house. More and more people hurried to the main hall where they could see the pair on the stairs. The sight of all the people gathering almost buckled Barbara's knees, but she told herself it was no worse than a game-deciding free throw, and she managed to keep in rhythm. Derek seemed unsteady for the first time, and she quietly said "Fourth and goal," earning her a quick thanks in return. By the time they reached the bottom, the guests had formed a sort of gauntlet leading to the stands. When she ascended the two steps and got into position, Barbara had another near panic. She felt like she was having a gynecological exam from twenty-five people, her cunt was so open and exposed, and seemed almost at eye level. She was sure her outer lips had separated, showing the pink inside. She knew her nipples were protruding as far as they possibly could, and feared her clit was doing the same. Despite her own trauma, she looked over at Derek and saw that he was still soft. He would tell her later that the nervousness kept him from erecting. Of course, three comes earlier helped, too. At first, the feeling of exposure dominated her mind, but soon, she began to hear the comments. Everyone of them from the people looking at her expressed awe. There were several utterances of the word 'sexy.' As the pre-dinner cocktail time continued, they might as well have closed the other reception areas. People seemed to leave the area of the stands only long enough to refresh their drinks. When it was time to serve dinner, they were left alone on their stands, but Virginia had another surprise - a thoughtful one. A professional photographer brought in some flood lights and his camera. Barbara was ready to jump off of her stand and run in panic. Speaking softly, Virginia hissed out "It's OK, guys. This man is completely trustworthy. These pictures and the negatives are for no one but you. Twenty, thirty years from now, just think what they could mean to you. The man shot at least fifty pictures of each of them, some of them as obscene as in any porno mag. By the time the announcement was made, and the music for their march started, Barbara was very glad to be able to move. As they marched around the tables on their practiced route, everyone stood and applauded the whole time. Back in their rooms, Barbara found complete dinners for both of them set up in her room, and she went and fetched Derek. As she told him, he asked, almost timidly, "Could I ask you something?" When she nodded, he went on. "Is it OK if we stay like this while we eat? You are just so beautiful! I may never get another chance like this in my life, and I don't want it to end." What could she say to that? She could stand some more of that nice meat swinging around, too. They had barely finished eating when Virginia burst into the room, breathless. "Oh, thank God you're still dressed. Could you give me another half hour while people are leaving? Everyone has been all over me for more of you." Feeling puckish, Derek answered "Only if you strip and join us." To his astonishment, Virginia had stepped out of her shoes and had her dress unzipped before he could convince her he was kidding. This time, they snuck into position quietly, out of sight of the tables. The first people to depart quickly went back to spread the word, and they again had a crowd. They were both much more relaxed this time, and that turned out to be both good and bad. It was obvious that a good deal of booze had been consumed during the evening, and Virginia became worried that she was unwise to put her Warriors on display to those diminshed inhibitions. Fortunately, the men behaved very correctly, with even their compliments and exclamations on Barbara's body kept in good taste. Not all the women had the same restraint, however. Not quite fifteen minutes after they resumed their stands, two particularly loose wives came up to the students together. Virginia saw them giggling to each other, and almost stepped in to usher them away. These were her guests and her close friend, though, and she held back. The group had standards, and these women knew them. One of the women, with the other obviously egging her on, stopped right in front of Derek and stared at his penis. Then, she reached out and cradled his balls, jiggling them gently. At the same time, the other woman reached behind Derek and stroked his ass. Through their first session, Derek had managed to stay soft, largely from nervousness, aided by his recent comes and his good self-control. This time, he was relaxed, and it had been hours since he came. He had found himself fighting incipient arousal, forcing himself not to look at Barbara. When the two women touched him, he had no defense, and went almost vertical instantly. "Hey, come on!" Virginia shouted. "Now you've spoiled it." She grabbed Derek's hand and motioned to Barbara to come along as she hurried him away from the group. As they climbed the stairs, they could hear the rest of the group berating the two offenders for taking away everyone's fun. As she led them to the bedrooms, Virginia said "There are condoms in all the nightstands. Don't worry about the sheets." With that, she left them. Totally flustered for a moment, Barbara shook her head, then dragged Derek into her room. "I know you've got a girlfriend," she told him, "but you've come three times today, and I'm hurting for my first. Unless you tell me to stop right now, I'm using those condoms." Waiting only a heartbeat, she continued dragging him to the bed, pulled back the covers, and pushed him down on his back. She fumbled a little with the condom, but got it on his still-hard cock, and squatted over him. A little uncertain because it was her first time in that position, she eventually got herself settled down onto him. Long past any bashfulness, Barbara jammed one hand into her crotch and began fiercely massaging her swollen clit while squeezing a nipple with the other hand. She began a back and forth motion against his embedded cock as she stimulated herself. With hours of sexual tension stored up, she came rapidly, but held her place and resumed her motion as quickly as she could, changing to a more up and down stroke as she used her hands for balance. Derek had been so transfixed with the sight of the pleasuring herself atop him that his own arousal was temporarily suspended. After she came and resumed her motions, he got into it and started thrusting back with a vengeance. He was able to last just long enough to bring her off again. When he came, his fourth time that day after a strenuous game, he was too tired to move. Barbara found the energy to haul him to the bathroom and get them both out of their costumes. When they had showered off the oil and the sweat, she led him to his bed, and joined him, falling asleep almost as fast as he did. In the early dawn, both of them woke and stared at each other in silence. He spoke first. "I really like my girlfriend, but we don't have an exclusive arrangement yet. Until we do, if that ever happens, I would love to do this with you again. But that's your choice. If you ever want to, just say the word." She wanted to ask him 'Why not an exclusive arrangement with me?', but she held her tongue and simply said "Word!" ------- Virginia and her husband were as good as their word. When Barbara asked Derek if they could get together again, Derek called Virginia, and she invited them both out to the house on another Saturday night. To the the couple's surprise, they arrived to find almost the entire group from the party there for dinner. The compliments and thanks from all of them were warm and genuine. The two women who had touched Derek were very apologetic and seemed extremely nervous. The reason for their nervousness was soon apparent. The two offending women served the entire dinner naked. Though not ugly, neither looked her best without clothes. The younger of the two was just beyond pleasantly plump. The older one had not aged too gracefully, showing quite a bit of sagging and blotched skin. Significantly, both had shaved pussies. "Our little group has very high standards of behavior, as I hope you two saw at the party," Virginia explained, addressing the students. "We may do some risque things, but we insist on doing them with class. Our two good friends here temporarily forgot our standards. To be accepted back, this is their punishment. After dessert, when they get dressed, it will all be forgotten." "Except that I may never drink again," the older naked woman quipped. Later, Barbara and Derek went to bed together and repeatedly exhausted themselves, only to wake up and start again after a couple of hours sleep. Twice more, they repeated the tryst, with Virginia gladly hosting each time. Knowing it would please her, Derek invited Virginia into the room when she came to call them for breakfast on each visit. He got out of bed naked and chatted casually with the woman as he did his morning routine. He talked to her from the shower, and stayed naked as he shaved, chatting with their host the whole time. Virginia positively glowed at breakfast. On their second overnight at her house, Virginia took Barbara aside. "I don't want to come across as the great authority, but here's some advice for what it's worth." "As one big girl to another, I understand the frustration and the heartache of the dating scene. Let's face it. The guys like Derek want the cheerleader types, and they can get them. Now, you are a lot better looking than I ever was, but you're still too much woman for a lot of the 'A' studs." "Taking some good advice, I went looking for a geek. He may not have a great body, but he loves me. This isn't a bad life," and she swept her had around to indicate the showpiece house. "And besides, he turned out to be surprising well hung, and hornier than a lot of the jocks. I can get by without the six-pack and the big biceps if he's got a good love muscle and likes to use it." Derek did commit to his cheerleader-type girlfriend. Barbara was always sad that she never had a shot at him, but she was grateful for the four wonderful nights. She took Virginia's advice to look for a geek, and that is how she found her eventual husband. Virginia did something else during that talk with Barbara, she brought out half a dozen flesh-colored garments of a soft fabric. One looked like a women's thong, another like a men's jockstrap. The others were like bikini bottoms or men's Speedos. "In case I couldn't get you guys to go naked, I had backups," she said with a smirk. "You... you mean, I could have been covered?" Barbara asked. "And not shaved bare?" "Now tell me honestly, Honey," Virginia said in a serious tone. "Aren't you glad you did it? Wasn't it the best thing that ever happened, as far as your confidence in your body?" After a pause, Barbara nodded. "There, uh, isn't a bra here," she commented. "I would have been breaking some natural law if I had let you cover those mgnificent boobs. They looked so incredible with those chest straps. In fact, here." She reached into a bag and pulled out the straps Barbara had worn. "Store this away with your pictures. Sometime when you're feeling down about your body, put this on and look at yourself in the mirror after you look at the pictures." ------- Chapter 3 Sleep came only in frustratingly short bursts for Barbara that Friday night before she checked in to Transformations. Remembering the one big erotic adventure of her life had not made sleep any easier. Oh, it was a wonderful memory, but it was another time, and she wore another body then. Her ex, whom she had been so in love with, had taken the last vestiges of pride in her body with him when he abandoned her. After several short, unrefreshing snoozes, she went to the bathroom, then rummaged on a back shelf of her closet until she found a small, airtight strongbox. Working the combination, she laid it open on the bed, then locked her door and turned on the bright overhead light. From the box, she took the envelope of Lady Warrior pictures and the chest strap she had worn. The negatives had rested in a safe deposit box for many years. Riffling through the pictures one by one, she had trouble seeing the last ones because of the tears in her eyes. Then, she stood and stripped. With hands shaking slightly, she put on the chest strap, almost dislocating her arm trying to fasten it in the back, but failing. After stamping her foot and yelling from frustration, she tried again with the same result. Finally, she made a decision. Her daughters had never heard about the party - no one had. Despite ripping her heart out, her ex had left her with two absolute treasures for children. Maybe it was time to get it out in the open. They had been very supportive of her going into Transformations, and she needed all the support she could get. If they saw what she once was, they could better understand her current depression, and support her even better. Sure, she had looked great right up until the divorce, but those Warrior pictures! There had never been anything like that. She went to the closet for a robe, then snorted and laughed at her silliness. First going to the room of Penny, the youngest at sixteen, she gentled the girl from her deep sleep. When she was sure Penny understood what she was saying, she told her "Honey, Mom's having a really tough time about tomorrow. There are some things I want to tell you and Leslie that I need to get off my chest. Do you think you can wake up and be with me for a while?" Through a yawn, Penny said "Sure, Mom. Hey, you're naked!" "Well, I'm going to be this way for a few months, so why not now?" When Penny was vertical and on her way to the bathroom, Barbara repeated the encounter with Leslie, her nineteen-year-old. Back in her room, Barbara debated which of the pictures to let them see. Then, thinking of the reason she woke them up, she decided to give them the whole pack. When they wandered sleepily into the room, she told them, "I want to tell you a story," and she spent about an hour recounting the tale, leaving out very little, and answering their questions frankly. Needless to say, the girls were no longer having a problem staying awake. When the questions ran out, she said "I've got pictures here. A professional photographer took them, and I have the only copies, except where I show up on the pictures of the guy. Some of these are, uh, the kind that I wouldn't ordinarily let you see, Penny. Leslie, I'm sure you've seen worse at college. With that, she gave them the pictures with admonishment to treat them carefully. Through the gasps and exclamations, there were expressions of awe and admiration, both at how great their mother looked, and at how brave she was to have done that. One rear view of Barbara clearly showed Derek's penis across from her, soft, but still impressive. Penny picked that up first, gasped, blushed, and stammered out "G... god!" "I guess you haven't seen many of those, have you, Honey?" "Mom, are Mark and Uncle Paul really going to see you naked?" Penny asked, ignoring Barbara's question. "Of course. They work there." "But how can you stand it to have someone you know see you like that? I'd die!" Penny exclaimed. "Look, Penny, suppose you were going to have to be naked in front of someone. Would you rather it be Paul and Mark or a couple of strange guys?" "Ohhhhh!" Penny sort of gurgled her reply. "There's something else I never told you about," Barbara went on, then recounted her her day at her brother's when Paul, Mark, and Norma were all naked. That put Penny into complete astonishment. Chuckling, Barbara teased her. "I bet you would like to see that, wouldn't you?" Penny just stared, so red Barbara almost feared for her. She had not purposely babied or sheltered the girls, but Penny was still in that early-teen body-shy period, despite her age. "Tell you what. Sometime when you come to visit, we'll all go swimming with Mark and Paul and Norma, OK? Then you can get a chance to check them out for themselves." "But how... I mean, won't they have suits on?" "Nope, the pool, hot tub, and showers are strictly naked. For everyone." "Ohhhh," the girl said again. Then it hit her. "Mom! Does that mean I'd have to be?" "Of course." When Penny just shook her head, unconsciously jamming her hands into her crotch, Barbara chuckled and told her "I guess you're not ready to satisfy your curiosity yet, are you?" Telling the stories and sharing the banter with her daughters had lightened the mood temporarily, but seeing the pictures spread out on the bed brought reality back. Picking up the chest strap, she put it around herself and turned her back for Leslie to fasten the buckles in back. "Girls," she said as she turned toward the mirror, "look at those pictures, then look at me. I know it's an awful sight, but you need to know why I feel so down. I know I did it to myself, but your father hurt me very badly, and I just couldn't handle it." At a hair over six feet tall, Barbara had weighed 170 in her Warrior pictures and looked fantastic. She had broad shoulders and her tightly filled 39D bra had supported a lot of beautiful pounds. She had always been proud of her large, full boobs. They were the best evidence that she was all woman. In the pictures, her nicely curved calves let up to thick thighs that spoke of power rather than fat. Her buttocks were also substantial, but were a jumbo version of the classic inverted heart shape. Her waist, though thick by model standards, snugged in nicely from her hips and the spread of her shoulders. Her college stomach was not concave, but looked smooth and firm. The photographer had asked her to flex various muscles for some of the photos, and her tummy showed the hint of a six pack. Now, at over 220 with poor muscle tone, it was hard to look at herself. The chest straps that had once highlighted her spectacular boobs now seemed like an obscene joke. The boobs hung down so they almost hid the straps underneath. Once a source of pride and reassurance, they now just looked heavy and ungainly. Lately, she had avoided looking at her belly, but now, she forced herself. Her navel, just a slight inny at her best, was now deeply buried in a layer of fat. At about her 'bikini line', there was a prominent fold, with her belly hanging significantly over. Her pussy, so wonderfully sexy in the pictures, was now puffy under the thick thatch she had allowed to grow over it. Turning sideways to the mirror, she could not suppress a groan at the size and overhang of her belly, and the ugly folds that formed under and below her arms. And her arms! The awful bags where her triceps were supposed to be! That was something only baggy old women were supposed to have. Turning farther to look at her back revealed more of the rolls, The final blow was turning way around and looking over her shoulder at her ass. Over the years, she had looked at it with as much pride as she did her boobs. Now, there were fat dimples all over it. Instead of a sharp junction between thighs and buttocks, there was hardly any definition. Huge tears began streaming down her face. Both girls moved quickly to her side and hugged her, and Leslie unhooked the straps and pulled them off. No one said anything, but Jenny turned off the light after the girls cleared the bed and they got in with her. All night long, they stayed close to her sides, a level of intimacy they had never shared before. She still did not sleep well, but they were there to comfort here each time she became restless. ------- The scariest part of all about Saturday morning was the thought of baring herself to Paul. But at the same time, it was her strongest motivation for being there. She cursed herself for letting herself look so awful. If she had just continued her disciplined eating and exercise, she would not even be here, ready to succumb to terminal embarrassment. And she would not have to disappoint Paul with how bad she looked. Scary as the prospect was, she had to expose herself to her brother, and not just because he had been naked with her. To her mind, it was the ultimate confession that she needed to make before she could start to improve. More than herself, her children, or her parents, Paul was the one she felt worst about for the shape she was in. He had always been a significant man in her life, and after the divorce he became the main man. He had always seen her beauty, even when she could not. The constant 'if only' running through her mind was that she could actually excite him if only she was still in shape. Sure, she would still be big, but she would look a lot like the pictures. And he damn sure would spring one if he saw her like that. She would just have to let Paul see the whole mess. He wouldn't be disgusted, she just knew it. He would be sad, but she was already sad. He would tell her that she could do it, and that he would help her. She had to do it, for him. He was the one who first convinced her she was a desirable woman. He had to still believe that, or it wasn't worth living. Her ex had destroyed that belief, and she had accepted his opinion and let this happen to her. Paul had never seen her naked before when she did look good. He had to see her that way. She had to prove that he had been right - she WAS a desirable, sexy woman. To Hell with her ex, she would believe Paul. She would get back to her playing weight. She would get buff again. She would shave her pussy and show Paul every inch of her. She would stand in front of him looking like the Lady Warrior. And, by God, he would get hard from looking at her. It had to happen, or it was all over for her. ------- The Transformations team's retreat had ended far too soon for everyone, but the learning and the activity did not ease up when they returned to town. The first 'resident' was due to check in the Saturday after their Monday night return. The three women, Gretchen, Carol, and Norma volunteered to spend the rest of the week as 'practice residents, ' living in the rooms the residents would use, remaining naked, and following a typical resident's schedule. The exception was that Gretchen and Carol cooked as they would for the real residents. Since the whole team met every day after school, the all ate dinner together. [During the retreat, the subject of what to call the client women had been given a lot of discussion. No one wanted 'patients' and 'inmates' was never even considered. 'Clients' did not have the right feel, either. Eventually, 'residents' was selected as the least objectionable of the terms suggested.] Julia presented one important subject to the group at dinner one night. "There is no way this can be a secret, and we are not even going to try," she told the others. "Nothing we are doing is illegal, and to the best of our knowledge, nothing is unethical from a medical standpoint." "This place is, however, rather titillating to many people. It is quite likely that some form of attack or negative publicity will be launched against us in the near future. That means all of us could be targets for questioning by reporters or demonstrators." "Much as I hate to do it, I am going to ask you to limit what you say about Transformations to any and all outsiders. I have worked up a list of things you can say freely. Everything else should be referred to Frank. I will do the same as the rest of you. I don't want to over-dramatize this, but the very existence of our work could depend on your discretion." Between the retreat and the final preparations, everyone had been so absorbed they had given little thought to the 'outside world' and its opinions. Julia's talk was a startling to most of them, but they all agreed to her request. ------- At the resort, Ryan had asked Lindsey many questions about her kidnapping, and had the idea that self-defense training should be a standard part of the daily schedule. The idea was applauded by all. Upon returning to the city, Ryan was introduced to Dex Madison who suggested the proper additions to what had been just the aerobics workout room. From his military days, Ryan knew enough to be the trainer, but he needed to brush up on the best techniques for women interested solely in defense. All the additional equipment was in place before the official Saturday opening. ------- Julia had not been convinced that Barbara was a good candidate for Transformations. She did not considered her a serious enough case for their special approach. Having convinced his sister to check in, Paul argued very hard for her to be admitted. In the end, it was Barbara's willingness to be the very first resident and somewhat of a guinea pig that won the debate. Julia was on hand to meet Barbara, and led her into the building. To Barbara's astonishment, Norma met her, naked, just inside the main door. "Wh... why are you naked?" Barbara asked. "My job is make it as easy as possible the first day or so. I figure if I'm naked and stick close to the newcomers, it will help them through the worst part." There was no paperwork or signing of documents involved in checking in to the Tee. There was, however, a little ritual that had been devised to emphasize the newcomer's separation from their normal life. In a small waiting area just inside the door, Barbara was told to undress. Norma took her clothes, consisting only of a sweatsuit and shoes, and put them in a bag for safe storage. Her purse went into one of a bank of safe-like lockers along one wall. She had previously chosen her combination, and the electronic lock had been encoded. The door was open and waiting for her to lock her purse away. Because the waiting area was right by the main door, Barbara was at first nervous that someone might come in. Julia locked the outside door, then explained that when the men's side was occupied, they could temporarily lock the door to the men's section to prevent anyone coming out. Julia and the consultants had thought the symbolism important. When she actually entered the secured women's section, Barbara had nothing with her but a watch. She no longer wore her wedding rings. All the toiletries and cosmetics she used had already been placed in her room, which Norma took her to. The men present that day had been told to stay out of sight until Norma signaled that Barbara was ready to meet them. Once she was naked and everything was stored away, Barbara turned to Norma. "Norma," she said to her sister-in-law. "You inspire me. You look terrific." "Well, on my best day, I'll never look as good as you can," Norma answered. "Hey, has my brother been coaching you what to say?" To show she was kidding, she hugged Norma, and the two laughed. "Well, time to quit stalling and do this." She walked resolutely through the entry door that Julia held open, then stopped in her tracks. This was harder than the Warrior party. She had no helmet covering her face, and nothing to be proud of. She felt that about-to-throw-up feeling from before games. Waiting for the feeling to pass proved ineffective, and she dashed back to the waiting area where she had seen a powder room. There, she expelled the minimal breakfast she had forced down. Norma was right there with her, holding her head and comforting her. She helped her to her assigned room, where she turned on the shower and helped Barbara into it. After the shower, she felt much better, and once again walked out the door. This time, she forced herself to keep walking, with Norma hurrying to catch up. As they came out into the open area, Barbara asked "Where's Paul?" "He's staying in his office until you are a little more comfortable," Norma told him. "Take me to him, please," Barbara said with some urgency. When they reached the little office, she walked right in and told him "I'm so sorry, Pablo!" Startled, he jumped to his feet and hugged her. At the first touch, she broke into sobs. For many minutes, he held her and tried to comfort her as the tears flowed freely. Neither of them said anything, except for his sounds of reassurance. Norma backed out and found Julia watching from a little distance away. "I guess I misjudged how serious her case was," Julia remarked. "It looks like she is right on the edge of a breakdown. Her brother is the key. I hope you don't mind her relying on him. It could get rather intimate." Norma had tears of her own, and just shook her head. She felt a twinge of concern, but she knew how much the two siblings loved each other. She doubted they would ever have sex, and she steeled herself to accept anything else that might happen between them. Paul would not hide from her anything that went on, and he would refrain if she asked him. She was fond of Barbara herself, and wanted to see her back to her former personality. That was why they were all here, and if it got a little personal, it went with the job. All day Saturday, Barbara was hardly out of contact with Paul. Both Norma and Mark also stuck very close to her. As had been pre-arranged, Mark did the first set of pictures and measurements while Norma stayed with her for support. The strategy of having the young guys do the measuring had been decided after much debate. Julia and her consultants were convinced that having young males see the women in that revealing fashion would provide the maximum motivation. They had all been drilled on how to do the job so it was a little humiliating, a little arousing, but still professional. Greg Laskey had run across a piece of software that was designed to show the potential for makeovers. From a picture of the subject, the effect of various changes was simulated. He had bought the rights to the code, and had modified it over the last few months. Now, a picture of the person looking their best, perhaps as a teen, was loaded as a reference to make the projections more realistic. Mark, computer junky that he was, was enamored with the program. Working with Greg, he had insisted on a naked version that showed the gradual disappearance of rolls and creases, the gradual lifting of breasts, and the other subtle changes that accompanied weight loss and improved conditioning. Barbara had submitted several pictures of herself which Mark had loaded earlier. She was almost in tears after the measurement session was completed until Mark sat her down in front of the large screen. She cringed as she saw the naked set he had just taken. Then, she watched in amazement as she appeared in five repeats of the set, but having shed noticeable weight and added muscle each time. Mark displayed front, side, and rear views of her at her goal, and left them on the screen. She sat motionless for a long time, then made a surprising request. She wanted printouts of the current and final pictures to put on the wall of her room. It would become a bit of symbolism that nearly every resident would adopt. Mark quickly arranged for a supply of generic picture frames to be kept on hand for that purpose. As Barbara mounted the pictures on the wall later, she could not help thinking of the Lady Warrior pictures. When they emerged from the small office used for the measurements, Shannon Torvold was waiting to talk to Barbara, as she had committed to do for each each new arrival. The timing was appropriate as she had in hand the naked 'before' pictures of herself when she arrived at Greg's. In lieu of the 'after' picture, she presented herself, naked. Meal time was hard for Barbara because she and Norma were the only ones naked. It had been decided that everyone else would play their roles as they would in normal operation. Paul did spend much more time naked in the hot tub and the pool with his sister than he would with other residents, but no one considered that a problem, since there were no other residents. Because of her sports background, Barbara was well-acquainted with the exercise equipment and used working out as her shelter. She started on the machines the very first day, and the staff had to watch her carefully to keep her from over-doing and injuring herself. She had decided she wanted to get a real estate license, and started preparing, using the Internet, from the first day. Paul was very much in favor of her choice because it would require her to dress and groom herself carefully. It would be the perfect motivation for her to retain the improvements from her stay at Transformations. ------- Paul and Norma got home late on the day Barbara checked in, and they were both exhausted. When they collapsed in bed, though, sleep did not come for either of them. Paul, in particular, was noticeably restless. In the preceding two weeks, most of which Norma had spent naked, they had made love at least every day. She liked to think it was her newly-revamped body, but she knew the overall eroticism of the resort had a lot to do with it. Paul had been careful not to say too much about how much better she looked. She was not offended, because she understood the reason. He did not want her to think that her previous poorer condition had caused him to neglect her or love her less. God, what a man she had! As he moved restlessly in the bed, he ended up facing her. She quickly turned her back to him and reached between her legs to stroke him to hardness. Neither said anything, but he made no objection as she guided him into herself. She was still fairly dry, so it took a long time with gentle thrusts to get him all the way in. As soon as she knew he had bottomed out, she started talking to him. "Isn't it wonderful to see how quickly Barbara got into things! I couldn't help crying when she went into your office. It was so tender the way you held her. Even Julia had wet eyes. Julia said she didn't realize how needy Barbara was. She's glad you insisted on admitting her." "You know," Norma continued, starting to gently wriggle her bottom against his embedded staff, "I always thought Barbara looked pretty spectacular when she was in shape. I never saw her naked before, just in a swimsuit a few times. After she's been working out a while, those boobs of hers are going to be even more awesome. They're really full, and when they stand out a little better, and her tummy is smaller below them, Wow!" Paul had made a few involuntary thrusts as she heated up her talk, exactly as she had planned. "Did you check out her butt and her legs? Well, of course you did! There's lots of extra stuff there right now, but what a beautifully shaped bottom she will have when it's all muscle again! And those thighs! Can't you just imagine how they'd squeeze your head when you ate her to a come?" Whether voluntary or subconscious, his strokes had now become regular, as she kept talking. "A few times when she bent over or stepped into the pool, I could see her pussy lips from behind. I think I'll suggest she shave the hair down there. They're way too sexy to have them hidden, don't you think?" She could barely contain her glee as his pace picked up. "You know, she's got a belly kind of in the way right now, but her pussy still looks pretty good. Have you ever wanted to just slide your hand right down over it and explore it? I wonder if her clit is big, to fit the rest of her. Yup, your sister is one sexy... Unnngh!" Her last sentence broke off as he pushed himself hard against her and let loose his load of semen. Her modest grunt was drowned out by his bellow. He threw his arm over her hips and pulled her tight as he jerked with each spurt, relaxing his hold only when the last small squirt was ejected. "Witch!" he mouthed, almost reverently. He lay motionless while his breath settled down, then began working his hand down to her pussy. "Huh uh, Lover. Not tonight. That was just a way to start us talking about you and Barbara." "Start!? You about finished me forever," he joked. Then, after a little thought, he told her "Darling, I'm sorry if things got too affectionate with Barbara, it's just that..." "That's what I wanted to tell you," she cut him off. "There is no 'too affectionate.' Well, I guess making love would be too much. But other than that, I just want you to know I'm OK with whatever she needs to get her better." "I don't know if I'm OK with it," he said softly. "And I love you for that," she said with an extra wriggle against his softer, but still embedded cock. "I know how special the bond between you two is. Julia thinks, and I agree, that you are the key to getting the old Barbara back. I love her, too, and I want this to succeed. I'm sure you'll talk to me about everything that happens, and I'm OK, believe me." She was sure she heard him sniffle a little as he pulled her back against himself. Neither gave a thought to the puddle that was forming below their crotches as they fell into a deep sleep. ------- Soon after opening, Julia realized an employee needed to be there overnight. Ryan agreed to move into one of the houses on the grounds, meaning Carol and Jessica would live there, too. It was a perfect solution for the medical director and one of the food people to be on site full time. Ryan's move would not happen until after Christmas, and the Saturday night that Barbara checked in, Mark had overnight duty. Jenny had asked Lindsey to come over when she left Transformations and stay the night. When she arrived at the house and let herself past the security, Lindsey found the three women in the hot tub, waiting for her. A suit was laid out in the small changing room, but she took quite a bit of pride in the reaction when she stepped into the tub naked. They had all been aware that she had gone on the retreat, but did not know of the changes in her attitude. After some very warm greetings, Jenny got right to the point. "Lindsey, every year, we do a major tour starting in late January. We do six cities in twelve weeks. We do it just like Ft. Worth, with a private club date on Friday night, and a concert hall on Saturday. I've heard the new song Hank and Margo have for you, and it's incredible! We want you on the tour with us, and we want to work you into more than just your solos. It will mean lots of practice time, and six Fridays of missed school. Will you do it? Oh, and I've held your first first royalty check to give to you tonight." Lindsey had actually been so focused on Mark, on the Tee, and on the saga with her parents, that she had thought little about her singing for the past few weeks. But she understood what Jenny's invitation meant. From an interesting phenomenon, she would be making the transition to professional singer. A little later, she heard the new song. Somehow, 'Listen To My Heart Sing"' was even more emotional than 'I Just Wanna Know You Love Me, ' and she broke up after the four of them sang through it together. She had been a little hesitant about the tour, but that song! She had to sing it! Of course she would go on tour! The size of the royalty check had left her speechless, but she was not even thinking about that, once she heard the song. She was so excited, she kept Sonja up for another two hours with her enthusiasm. She slept peacefully until sometime in the wee hours when she woke with a start, having just realized what her commitment to the tour meant. Julia had just talked to her about becoming an employee, rather than a volunteer as she had been. If her singing work increased, she could not spend any more hours at the Tee and still maintain her grades. And Mark! When she thought of the tour, she saw Mark with her, staying in the same room. But he would not be with her! He had work and school, and she knew he would not try to get time off to join her on every trip. Mark had been so much a part of everything she did, especially her singing. Could she even sing without him there? The remainder of the night brought very little sleep for Lindsey. ------- While Lindsey was at the Fergusons', Mark and Barbara were the only ones left at the Tee after Gretchen had finished with the meal cleanup. It was a strange circumstance, one that would never be repeated. Mark was watching TV in the main lounge area when Barbara came up and stood right in his line of sight, hands on hips, looking very commanding. "The least you can do is strip. This feels a little strange with only me naked," she told him. "Well, that's something you'd better get used to," he teased. "You're going to be naked around a lot of folks with clothes on for a while. 'Course, these clothes aren't much, are they?" Mark was referring to the mandated uniform for employees - standard shorts and T-shirt with a logo. Since the place was to be kept a little warmer than usual because of the nudity, a brief costume was chosen. As with any apparel to be worn inside the complex, there were bins with assorted sizes for the employee uniforms, just as there were for sports bras for running and aerobics, swimsuits and shorts outfits for measurement sessions, bikini bottoms for menstrual periods, and robes for meeting other residents' guests. There were bins of towels all over the place, as well. Normal hygiene and consideration for others dictated the use of towels to sit on whenever possible. Doing the laundry was one of the tasks that fell to the younger employees. In truth, Mark was a little hesitant to strip for his aunt, just because he feared an erection. Despite her extra weight, he found her arousing. But she had been through a lot that day, and had stayed strong even though it was obviously tough on her. It seemed little enough to do to support her. "Hot tub?" he asked as he pulled off his shirt and stepped out of his shorts. He had not bothered with underwear and footwear was seldom worn by anyone. He tossed the two garments in the ever-present laundry bin and held out his hand to her. So far, he had managed to stay soft. Conversation was a little slow getting started, but after a few minutes, Barbara asked "You and Lindsey haven't gone all the way yet, have you?" She said it more as a statement than a question. Wondering why she had asked that, and a little upset that she had, Mark hesitated for a bit. Then he reminded himself what she was going through, and of what a wonderful aunt she had always been, even during the pain of divorce. "No, we haven't," he answered. "You seemed pretty sure of it." "Us women have infallible radar for such things, you know. I'm even more sensitive then most, being an ugly duckling." "Hey, no way," he protested. "You're a babe!" "Thank you for that. And yes, before I blimped out, I was a babe. Problem was, guys would see me and say to themselves, "Wow! What a babe - but she's way too big for me! So it's the same as being an ugly duckling as far as sex is concerned." "How do you know they think that?" he asked. "I have very specific experience," she replied, thinking immediately of Derek, "not to mention the put-down from your ex-uncle." There was little Mark could say to that, and there was another period of silence. "You're still a virgin, then?" she finally asked. That was another question he did not welcome, but the same consideration applied. "Yup," was all he said. "Too bad," she murmured, almost inaudibly. "Huh? Why?" "Well, I think it's beautiful that you and Lindsey are going to be each others' first. But if you were already experienced, I would ask you to take me to bed." He was far too shocked by that to say anything. Seeing his distress, she pulled herself up on the edge of the tub facing him, spread her legs, and leaned back. "Mark, Honey, this is me. I've made a mess of me, and I have to show myself to everyone to get out of it. I can't do it alone, and you and your folks are all I can really lean on, besides the girls. I have to be completely open with you, or you can't support me. What I'm saying is that I'm so horny for a man I can hardly stand it." "So horny you'd just go and sleep with some guy?" he asked, finally able to squeak out a few words. "No, not some guy. You. I think you know how close your Dad and I are. But I would never, ever do anything to hurt your Mom." "You mean, if it weren't for Mom, you'd have sex with Dad?" Mark asked. "Absolutely. You're a chip off the old block, you know. You would be the next best thing. But I would never do anything to hurt Lindsey, either. She's about the sweetest person I've ever met." She was thoughtful for a moment, then said, quietly "Of course, I couldn't expect you to want sex with this tub, anyway." Naturally thoughtful and compassionate, Mark had learned a lot lately about what women meant when certain things were said. Barbara was just begging for reassurance, he was sure of it. As he searched for the right words, the perfect response came to him. If he could only find the courage to do it... "Guess again," Mark said, somewhat shakily. Then he pulled himself up on the edge, exposing his raging hardon to his aunt. She sat bolt upright and stared unabashedly at it for many seconds. Then she grinned widely. "Well, you haven't made it any easier. That's beautiful. My pussy aches even more, now, but thank you for showing me. It means more than words." They swam some laps together, then he gave her a long massage. As horny as she was, they avoided anything overtly sexual. They did share several tight hugs and some kisses before retiring. ------- Lindsey was subdued when she joined Mark at the Tee in the morning. There really wasn't much work with Barbara the only resident, but Julia wanted to continue the 'dress rehearsal' as if there was a full house. They dove into the menial tasks that took up a good deal of the time for the younger employees, so he did not have a chance to find out what was troubling her. Finally, back at the house after a full day of work, Mark sat her down in the living room and asked what the problem was. The question sent her into tears. He got her to tell him about the new song and the tour. "Lindsey, that's wonderful! But why are you so sad?" he asked. "It... it means I'll have to be away from you more. And... and I won't be at the Tee very much. I'm not s... sure I can do it, Mark. You and the job are the best things ever to happen to me. I never wanted to be a big star or anything. I'm happier now than I've ever been. I think I should thank Jenny and tell her no." When Lindsey said that, Mark was too stunned to react, at first. Her singing thrilled him to the core, and he knew other people reacted the same way. He knew she loved it, too. She had to go on tour! A chance like hers happened only once in a million lifetimes. And then he felt guilty because he was the main reason she did not want to go. He had been holding both of her hands, and as she cried, her head rested against his chest. He had not even been able to hug her, he was so dismayed by what she had said. Sensing how distant he was, she pulled back to look at his face. At that moment, a sense of deja vu swept over him, and he knew what to say to her. Pulling her close, he rocked her back and forth for a moment, then got her onto his lap. "Did you know that I went to Julia and quit Transformations?" he asked, purposely trying to jolt her. He succeeded. "When? Why? You can't quit! You love it! They need you! Your parents... ! "Lindsey, that was way before the retreat." he told her when he could break through her disbelief. "Oh," she said in some confusion, then was silent for a while. "But why would you even think of quitting? You were so thrilled about it. You went naked, and everything." "Because it was going to come between us," he told her. "I don't understand," she complained. "I was going to be working there with all the nudity. You couldn't share that with me, and I just knew it would push us apart. I wanted you more than the job," he explained. She just stared at him with her eyes large. Then she asked "You would have quit for me?" "Of course." "But you didn't quit. What happened?" "Julia happened. She's a genius, you know. Here's what she did. She asked me if I wanted to work at the Tee. I said yes, but not if I couldn't share it with you. She said no, that's not what she asked. She made me be honest about how I felt about the job, ignoring my concern for the relationship." "And you admitted you really wanted the job, didn't you?" she asked him. "Yup. Then, she asked how it would make me feel about you if you were the reason I gave up something I really wanted to do." "So, what did you say?" "I told her you were more important? But she wouldn't let that rest. She told me that over time, there would be regrets that would affect how I felt about you. She also said you would eventually feel guilty for causing me to give up something important." "Wow! But there wasn't a solution, was there? If you didn't quit, it could push us apart. If you quit, it could come between us, too. So, why did you keep the job?" Lindsey was very much into the discussion by then. "Julia told me that the important thing was to be true to myself; that I wouldn't be any good for you if I wasn't. She was sure you would come around and the nudity wouldn't be a problem. She was right." "Oh," Lindsey mouthed before another long pause. "Same arguments for me, huh?" He just nodded, and there was another long pause. "But Mark, you've been right with me, helping me get through everything. I... I just don't know if I can do it without you." "Sweetheart, this is me talking now, not what Julia said," Mark told her in a serious tone. "I'm glad I could help you through all those things, but I don't want you to be dependent on me. You're a strong person. We'll be better together if we're both successful on our own, as well as together. Does that make sense?" She nodded, head down as if she'd been scolded. "Besides," he continued, "in all that other stuff, I was helping you against someone or something. Nobody is against your singing - well, except for your parents. Everyone else wants you to be a star. I just want it more than anybody else, is all." "You won't be going without me, you know. I'll think about you every minute, and you can call me before and after you sing, and whenever you get lonesome." "That would make it the world's biggest cell phone bill," she said with a giggle and a hug. "And I promise, I'll save my money and come to a couple of the concerts. I will probably have to fly in and right back out, but it will be worth it to hear you sing." "You will not fly in and right back out!" she said with mock sternness. "You will hold me all night, first. That's still the best part of the concert for me, you know." For once, they ignored their usual restraint about necking where the rest of the family could see them. After a suitable period of attitude of adjustment for Lindsey, she actually got a little mischievous. "So," she asked, "how was skinny dipping with Barbara?" Trying to read her mood from her expression, he saw only a grin, and took a chance. He first extracted a promise of secrecy, then told her the whole encounter in detail. Her face went from mischief, to a little alarm, and finally to gentle tears. "That... that was so touching," she said as she kissed him. "Um, if you had already had sex, would you have done her?" 'How did women come up with these booby trapped questions?' Mark asked himself. Trying not to spend too long seeking an answer, he managed to come up with. "No. Once I met you, nothing before would have mattered. I would have considered myself a virgin until we made love." This time, he had to work his way out from under the hugging, kissing, squirming bundle of teenaged lust that had him pinned to the sofa. ------- Monday, Barbara asked Norma, Paul, and Mark if they would join her for a soak and a swim that evening. She said she had something she needed to tell them. She also asked them to stop by her house and have the girls give them a strongbox from her closet. Since the next resident would check in on Tuesday, that was the last time they could have the place all by themselves. Mark told the mildly objecting Lindsey, then changed with Andy, who was scheduled for the all night Monday. They were all fairly comfortable naked together by that time. After a few laps in the pool, they got in the hot tub and Barbara said, "As I told Mark the other night, I need a support group to get out of the mess I'm in. My girls are great, but Paul, you have always been my main man - you know that. Norma and Mark, you're a part of Paul, and I love you both to death." "I've had to learn to live with the fact that I'm an ugly duckling." She held up her hand to the protests that came from all three of the others. "As I told Mark, that's the way most men see me, so that's what I am. There was one incident in my life that made me feel sexier, more beautiful, more desirable than any other. I have never told anyone about it until I told the girls Friday night. It is totally out of character for me, and it will shock you. But it will help you understand me better." She launched into the story of the Warrior party. After a half hour, it became too warm in the tub, and they shifted back to the pool. Both of the guys had to try to hide erections from the sexy story, but neither woman said anything. When the questions had died down, Barbara told them. "I've got pictures. They are precious to me, so we have to dry off and sit at that table over there with the good light. I'll be back in a minute. Oh, guys, those are going to get even harder when you see the pics, I guarantee it. Some of them are pretty much porn shots. Just get over it, and don't even think about putting pants on. I need to see them as much as I need to show you." When she returned, Paul and Mark were doing their best to hide their half-hardness under the table, which unfortunately for them had a glass top. The more revealing of the shots certainly did put their shafts at maximum extension. When they had all seen as much as they wanted of the pictures, Barbara said "I think maybe you understand me a little better now. That's how I've always thought of myself. When that bastard decided I was really just an ugly duckling after all, I couldn't take it, and this," with a sharp slap on her hanging belly, "is what happened." "I want to be the Lady Warrior again. No, I need to be. Even if another man never thinks so, I will know, and I can live with that." She was unable to say any more, and they all just hugged while she sniffled. After his parents left, Mark took his aunt to one of the computers that had a scanner attached, and they put all the pictures onto a CD. When he handed her the finished product, she got an her knees in front of his chair and told him "I will tell Lindsey you fought with all your might, but I overpowered you and did her job for her." There was no doubt he needed it, badly, and she did not have to stroke him very long before he decorated her neck and her chest. After catching his breath, he said "Thanks, Barbara. Let me do you, now. I'm sure..." "No, Hon. Lindsey won't like me doing you, but she'll understand. If you touch me, that will be much harder for her to take. For the sake of your relationship, make it only Lindsey from now on." That did not stop them from sharing a long, sticky hug, and a loving kiss. ------- Chapter 4 Hector could not figure it out. She was no virgin, not by a long shot. When she got going, she was a fucking machine. The friends he had invited to help 'break her in' were all begging for return engagements. His 'brainwashing' techniques seemed to be working well until he tried to get her to turn tricks. Then, it was like a stone wall came up. In all the girls he had broken in, he had never run into one like Gem (the name he had given Andi). Usually, they became attached, even devoted to him after a few weeks. He had only had two girls just take off on him. When he picked them, he was careful to make sure they were as unattached as possible, with no place local to flee to. If they somehow managed to get out of town, well good for them. He made sure they never had enough cash to last long on their own. It had looked like Gem was suitably isolated from anyone close when he picked her up in the capital city and brought her back. She had broken off relations with her father. Her mother was barely functional, living with Gem's grandparents. Her roommates were about to kick her out. Her brother was away at college (he did not investigate enough to realize that her brother Matt was at the University, just a few miles from the apartment). She had certainly seemed safe. Of course, she was still much more 'connected' than the runaways and burnouts that he typically 'recruited.' There was also a lot more strength in her than he had ever suspected, at least when it got down to selling herself. Everything else, she seemed able to cope with, but not the payoff. Gem (Andi) was Hector's first serious try at up-scaling his offerings beyond the usual curbside meat. He had visions of a high-priced out-call business some day, and she was to have been his first call girl. Trouble was, a call girl was useless if she didn't come back from the call. Gem did not seem close to being that trustworthy. The worst thing was, he did not know what to do next, having never been in this situation before. Just letting her go was not an option, unless he was willing to relocate immediately. Why should he let some hard-assed bitch force that on him? Offing her was the cleanest solution, but it went totally against his usual risk-minimization approach. The act of killing her did not bother him, just the downside if it was ever discovered that he did it. It looked like the only choice was to keep working on her in hopes that she would eventually start to produce. He decided he would have to use more serious threats and some physical violence to get through to her what her true situation was. ------- Through the almost-constant drug haze, Andi was painfully aware of what her true situation was. Her mind was in a constant turmoil, trying to figure out what to do about it with her thoughts never completely clear. She knew what Hector wanted from her, and she knew she could be killed if she did not give it to him. She had almost instinctively resisted, the thought of being a whore terrifying her even through the drug haze. But her resistance was weakening as Hector's campaign eroded her will little by little. She was a prisoner. She had not left the apartment since Hector picked her up and drove her there. It locked from the outside, and there were bars on the windows. There was no phone, of course. The food was decent and Hector had not hurt her badly, at least not so far. Her addled brain told her that would be coming soon if she did not cooperate. The television was all she had to fill her time, and even following the soaps was hard sometimes. From TV, she had at least found out where she was. Her foggy impression of a long ride in Hector's huge SUV was real. She was in the same city where Matt was attending the state university, some six hours from home. Home. The image conjured up by that word was now nothing but a source of pain. The house, the people, the love - there was nothing left of any of it. The thought of her brother being nearby both terrified her and gave her hope. The hope was that she could get word to Matt and he could get her away from Hector. The terror was of Matt finding out what she had become. What if she was working on the street and he saw her? With each passing day, the drugs, Hector's control techniques, and her own growing depression and self-loathing chipped away at the remains of what was really Andi. There was a growing feeling that this was just what she deserved. She had turned her back on her father. She didn't even try to see her mother any more. For the first time, she and her beloved brother were at odds. She had let herself get addicted. She had dropped out of school. She had cheated her roommates. Her life was a total, worthless mess. Who cared if she became a hooker? She was no longer even sure if SHE cared. Having much more time to think than she had ever wanted, Andi replayed the past two years hundreds of times. From where she was now, her Dad looked awfully good. It was hard to remember why she had been so angry with him. She knew she was a lot like her mother. In fact, that need for stimulation and excitement had helped to get her into her current mess. If she ever got free, she would make up with him, for sure. Of course, he would not want anything to do with a hooker, would he? If only there was some way to get her parents back together again. Sure, her Mom had screwed up - big time! But his reaction was so harsh, so uncharacteristic of him. Between the guilt and the way he treated her, it was no wonder she was a nut case. She was so morose that Andi didn't want anything more to do with her than with her Dad. From a solid, happy home two years earlier to this! And why did Matt have to abandon her and turn against her? She loved him so much it hurt. First, he went away to school, leaving her without her best friend and confidante. When she saw things souring between her Mom and Dad, she had no one to vent on. Then, he agreed with Dad after her Mom's adultery was discovered. Not that she condoned what her Mom did, but to throw everything away over one indiscretion! Well, one documented indiscretion, anyway. Part of the reason Andi had never found a guy she could stick with was Matt. He was hard for any other guy to measure up to. She had not been on an honest-to-goodness date since just after graduation. The last guy she had even been interested in was the other Andy - 'Andy with a Y', as she had teased him when he would not answer to 'Drew.' Stubborn men, anyway! It had been interesting how Andi and Andy had met. They were two strangers walking side by side into the Student Union for something to drink on an off hour between classes. Behind them, a girl called out 'Andi, wait!' and both of them had turned and said 'What?' That, of course, led to a little embarrassment on his part, which led to laughter, then introductions. Because of their similar break times, they started meeting three times a week at the same time. She enjoyed Andy, not in small part because he was a lot like Matt. After several weeks, they were sharing a lot, and both looked forward to their times together. The relationship was just getting to the point where she thought he would ask her out when he suddenly cooled off. She was pretty sure it was because she was a little high for a few of their breaks. He never said anything - he wouldn't. But it was clear he was dead set against drugs. Rigid, stubborn men, again! Couldn't he sympathize with how much she was hurting? Couldn't he understand how badly she needed some relief? It wasn't too long before she had dropped out, anyway, and she had never seen Andy again. 'Andy with a Y', she mused with more than a little nostalgia. It was just another of those memories that now seemed a world a way. Memories she would probably never have the chance to recapture. ------- Visitation had been a subject of considerable discussion since the inception of the Transformations program. Depending on the particular resident's circumstances, visits by significant people were always viewed as a key part of the re-birthing process. That the resident would remain naked for the visits had never been questioned, but that caused a major logistical problem - what were the other residents to do while one was entertaining visitors? In Shannon's case, having her children spend the day following her schedule with her had been a tremendous bonding and healing experience. That was not practical with so many residents. It was important for visitors to get a feel for how the residents lived, so time in the main facility was important. During that time, the other residents would either have to remain in their rooms, or dress. Given the probable number of visitors, having them dress frequently would be highly disruptive to the impact of the nudity. The idea of separate visitation quarters had been discussed, but neither Julia nor the consultants cared for that. All felt that guests should see the residents in their normal, everyday surroundings. The complex was built with a center area that was separate from each side, so some of the room there could be used for visitation if the proper situation arose. There had to be a visitation policy of some sort when they opened for business, so Julia had laid it out, knowing full well it would most likely be changed. Visits would have to be scheduled ahead of time and would last just one hour. They would be scheduled on a first come, first served basis, and no more than two a day would be scheduled, separated by at least three hours. The other residents would remain in their rooms during the visit, except for a greeting period. It was assumed that residents would want to introduce at least some of the others to their visitors. To that end, their friends would be allowed to join them for twenty minutes, wearing light robes provided for just that purpose. That was just the first level of visitation privileges. One important problem had been discussed at length. When Shannon, and then Kathy were at Greg's house experiencing the initial applications of re-birthing, they were naked, while everyone else was usually clothed. That constant reminder of their status was deemed an important factor. In the group setting, there were more naked people than clothed people, and the uniqueness was lost. The solution suggested was to allow open access to designated visitors. The problem was determining who should be allowed open access. It would not be limited to women, nor would all females automatically be granted open access. The stated policy was that each resident could designate the people they wanted to have open access. Any other resident could appeal against specific people. The staff would have the final say on granting access, and the privilege would be tightly guarded. Julia suspected the policy would be a source of many problems, but it was the sort of societal situation the residents needed to deal with. One requirement for open access visitors was the uniform. They would have to wear shorts and a tee in a contrasting color to the employees' garb. Bins of assorted sizes would be provided, just like for the employees. For a while, requiring all visitors to wear the uniform was discussed, but not adopted. Because of the need to respect the residents' privacy, any visitation policy would present a hardship to families who had traveled some distance. When she described the rules to the team, Julia was distressed that they seemed arbitrary and rigid. Unfortunately, it was the best she could do to start with. She had to be true to the therapy approach. No one could have predicted some of the changes that actually occurred regarding visits. Conjugal visits were another topic of heavy discussion, with very strong arguments for and against. Julia's starting point followed the strictest interpretation of re-birthing. Residents were purposely isolated from their normal environment in order to correct problems they could not otherwise address. Spouses were certainly part of the normal environment. The counter argument started with the fact that the families would usually be allowed to visit residents. Why not just extend the parameters of the visit? Another reasonable argument for conjugal visits was to minimize the temptation for inappropriate contact between residents, or between staff and residents. That one was harder to respond to. During a massage, for instance, what if a woman begged the attendant to make her come? What if she was overcome by desire and grabbed the attendant? In fact, a great deal of the meeting time on the retreat had been spent discussing interaction with the residents. The organization's potential liability was enormous, should any type or harassment, or worse, occur. Julia reiterated how carefully she had chosen the team, and how confident she was in their restraint. Nevertheless, there was role playing, and memorization of little mnemonics that covered behavior guidelines in sexually charged situations. In the end, conjugal visits were not allowed for two main reasons. First, not all the residents would have spouses, and differentiating some from the others by marital status was deemed non-productive. The other, very important reason, was that the causes that brought the woman to Transformations generally stressed her marriage. Allowing sexual contact with her husband while she was a resident would more likely retard progress than accelerate it. ------- Chelly Harden had been going with the hospital's top surgeon for a couple of months, and she thought she had it made. He used up women and threw them away, and she was well aware of that fact. She thought she was well-prepared for whatever happened - she would have her fun, and there would be no regrets when it was over. Truth be told, Chelly needed the kind of chauvinistic treatment he heaped on her. He made it clear she was his property - at his beck and call, and available to do with as he chose. She had always needed it. The man she had married, and who had fathered her two children, had gone beyond chauvinism to all-out abuse. Since the divorce, she had dated a string of men who took her for granted, degraded her, and in a few cases, knocked her around. To her, that was how men were with women. It was the way of things. The degradation was a primary source of arousal for Chelly. The helplessness, the shame, and even some of the pain were key elements of foreplay for her. The more helpless and out of control she felt, the hotter she got. Her ex and her previous dates had needed to put her down to elevate themselves. It was a fact she had realized only recently, despite her mother's having told her countless times. This surgeon was different, definitely a higher class of chauvinist. Oh, he was still domineering, and he still put her down. But the put-downs were far classier, usually just an expression or a gesture. The ego boost she provided for him was mainly from her decorative value. Chelly really was beautiful and had a marvelous figure. That was obviously what earned her the doctor's attention. She was not really much of an exhibitionist, but he kept pushing her to more and more flagrant exposure. To please him, she had bought a new dress. It was soft, clingy, snug, and came barely to mid-thigh. He had started the evening by insisting she remove her underwear, something she was very reluctant to do. The force of his personality, though, allowed for no hesitation. She asked if she could at least wear a thong, but he refused. Just the way he said it left no question that a refusal meant the evening was over. She cursed herself for even buying the slutty garment. With nothing under it, she felt less dressed than she did in her favorite baby doll nightie. She was concerned at how plainly the crack of her ass showed, and how even the puff of her pubic thatch was evident. Even soft, her nipples were clearly outlined. Her breasts were so large they inevitably sagged without a bra, and even the slightest motion made them sway and jiggle. If her nipples ever hardened, they would be positively obscene. Going out in that condition was just too much for her, and she had about decided it was time to end things with the doctor. Before she could mount an objection, though, she could feel the drops of moisture collecting on her inner thighs, and the nascent arousal quelled any misgivings. He had regally preceded her to the car and left her to manage her own car door. That was exactly what she expected, and what he had always done. That was what all of her men had always done. Well, not quite all of them. On her three dates with Ryan Herwalt, he had always walked behind or beside her, and had always held her door open for her. Oh well, maybe Ryan had just been perving for a peek up her skirt. Besides, tonight she was riding in a big Beemer, not Ryan's pickup truck. Wasn't that worth opening her own door? Only as they entered the restaurant did the doctor give her his arm and then pull out her chair, spending his gallantry only when it could be seen. Again, that was exactly what she expected. Of course Ryan had held her arm all the way in, after helping her from the car. The last few dates with the doctor, she had found herself making these comparisons with Ryan, and it puzzled her. Ryan was definitely not her kind of guy. He was just a nurse, and he did not excite her. The doctor had no need to verbally belittle her or demonstrate his dominance. Their conversation was actually quite cordial and animated. It was completely about hospital subjects, though, and in particular his recent cases. Unbidden, she remembered her few dinner conversations with Ryan. Somehow, Ryan had found out a lot about her and her family in a short time. She had found a man asking those kinds of questions startling and disconcerting. The doctor was an accomplished dancer, and she had enjoyed the other times they had danced. Tonight, it took an effort of will to get out on the floor, with her dress as extremely revealing as it was. She had the feeling that she was dancing naked. She could feel her face flush as he led her from the table, but she could also feel more moisture at her crotch. What if a wet spot stained her dress? How would she ever live that down? While they danced, his hands reaffirmed their ownership of her body, and she pressed herself tightly to him. If her nipples looked as big as they felt to her, she wanted to hide them against his chest. When his hands began running down over her ass cheeks, she lost her rhythm for a moment. His touch made her think about what was ahead for the evening. The previous date was still fresh in her mind. ------- On the way home, she had leaned across the center console and stroked him until he was hard. On their first date, he had practically ordered her to do that. When he was erect, she had turned toward him as much as she could in the big bucket seat and pulled her dress up above her waist. Just as tonight, she had worn no panties, and she had spread her legs to expose her pussy as much as possible. On their first date, he had made her sit on his bathroom counter and shave her pussy lips while he watched. She could remember clearly how sensuous her bare cunt had felt against the expensive leather of the bucket seat - until the stickiness of her lubricant started to spoil it. Because he was driving, he really did not spend any time looking at her pussy, but the humiliation value was obviously important to him. When she was properly displayed, she had unzipped him and brought his cock out into the open. It was then her task to keep him hard until they got home. She had not made him come - he was too careful a driver to take that chance. His condo building had an elevator right out of the garage, and it opened right across the hall from his unit on the top floor. There had been no one else in the garage, as there generally was not, and he made her take off her dress as they waited for the elevator. The first time he had told her to do that, she had almost collapsed from fear and humiliation. When he threatened to take her home and never call again, she complied. That first time, she had on panties and a bra. On more recent dates, she had been in nothing but heels as they rode to the penthouse. As arousing as her forced exhibitionism was, it became something she dreaded throughout the evening. As soon as they entered his condo, she was expected to get on her knees and give him a blow job, right there in the entryway. Her naked trip up the elevator always had her highly aroused, but the hard tiles still hurt her knees. Of course, she was expected to swallow. She had to admit he was quite virile for a forty-something man. As soon as he had ejaculated from the blow-job, he had led her to the bedroom. Insisting that she keep the heels on, he had her get on her knees on the bed, and he stood before her. Using her mouth, she got him fully hard again. When he was ready, he had her turn so her head was over the pillows, still on her knees. He got on the bed behind her and used his hand to make certain she was ready. It never took him any extra work. 'Doggy style' was his usual preference, although twice he had taken her from behind as they lay on their sides. Once, he had rolled them over so he was atop her as she lay on her stomach. They had never done it missionary of cowgirl. In fact, she realized for the first time, they had never done it face-to-face. He had a good-sized cock and he knew how to use it. He did not go down on her, so her only chance to come was as they fucked. It was a very good chance. The blow job ensured his endurance, and he was quite inventive with his thrusts, varying the angle and speed, and rotating. Because his treatment of her was so arousing, she had managed to climax on all of their dates. A few times, she had fingered her clit to help herself along. ------- On that last date, as on most of the others, she had driven to his place and left her car. She had gotten up and driven herself home after he fell asleep. This time, she would be staying all night, since she was not on duty the next day, and her mother had the kids. She had regained her rhythm and was dancing as normally as she could with his large, strong hand spread unabashedly over her ass. As always, he seemed to be pushing things, and it felt like he was slowly working his fingers to pull her dress higher and higher. The thought that her bare ass cheeks might soon be exposed caused her to tremble in fright, but she could not make herself do anything about it Unbidden, thoughts of her few dates with Ryan came to her mind again. They had danced twice. Once was at a country place, and she was amazed at how much she had enjoyed it. The other was a club much like the current one, only less expensive. He was not an exceptional dancer, but she could remember the way he made her feel special. They had not danced close, as she was doing now with the doctor, but she had felt like a partner, rather than a possession. It was just too bad Ryan was just a damn nurse! It was too bad he did not excite her. She had fun and felt special, but a girl couldn't get off on that! Almost as if the doctor sensed she was thinking about someone else and was offended, he made another move. At first, she was relieved to feel the pressure of his hand on her ass ease and the bunched material of her dress slip back down into place. A sigh of release escaped unbidden. The embarrassing exposure of her ass had been avoided. Her sigh quickly turned to a gasp as his hand resumed its place. Only now, his long middle finger was extended right down her crack. As she stopped dancing and quivered, she was unable and unwilling, as usual, to extricate herself from the situation. It was embarrassing and frightening, but it was also arousing, and his psychological hold on her was total. Slowly, his hand eased farther down, the finger wriggling as it separated her cheeks. He was moving to the music, but she had frozen in place. This was even worse than if he had bared her to the onlookers. They must know how he was feeling her up! What must they think of her inability to resist him? "Dance!" he ordered her in a whisper, and she tried to get her body moving. Just as she had managed to re-establish some sort of rhythm again, he totally blew her away. With a steady downward push, the tip of his long middle finger reached her anus, and he gave a quick thrust, causing her to jerk spasmodically. She was unable to lift her face from his shoulder to look at him, but she could hear his mouth spread into a grin. At almost the same time, she smelled the evidence of her arousal. His posture and the pressure of his hands made it clear that she was to dance and not react to what he was doing. To keep her mind off of that intruding finger, she focused on the bar, which she could see over his shoulder. She noticed a woman who approached two different men, talked to them briefly, then left them. After exchanging few words with the third man, he paid the tab and the two of them left together. Hooker. She was sure of it, and shook her head. Why was that allowed in a nice place like this? With one of those rare flashes of insight that strike when least expected, Chelly wondered what the other patrons thought as they looked at her dancing in her flimsy dress and nothing else, with her partner's hands feeling her up brazenly. Hooker. Of course that's what they thought! And were they wrong? She was not doing this for money! It was a date. But wasn't she just doing it for what she could get out of it? She knew there was no long-term relationship in the cards with this jerk. A ride in the Beemer, a nice dinner, an occasional present, the thrill of some humiliation - was that different than the cash the hooker would get paid? And the sex. Would that be any better than what the hooker got? She thought ahead to what would happen the rest of the evening... ------- ... She was slouched on a couch of some kind, and a man was talking to her date. "... you pick her up here? I don't recognize her." "Oh, no. I've been dating her for a while," the doctor replied. "Oh, I apologize, sir. What with the dress and all, I..." there was an embarrassed pause, then "She, uh, is a lot better looking than the girls who work our bar, anyway." That conversation got her adrenalin surging enough to make her more aware of her situation. She was lying on her back on the couch with her head against the arm and her legs stretched out straight. As she moved a little, she felt the rough upholstery on her ass and realized her pussy was probably open to inspection by whoever was in the office. But, since her legs were tight together, there wasn't much actually exposed. Her feelings were a mix of panic, confusion, and anger. She did not know how she got where she was, but was alert enough to figure out that she must have fainted. The panic was over how much of her may have been exposed as she fell and was carried in here. The anger was at the doctor. Suddenly, Chelly had an epiphany. Penthouse condo and Beemer notwithstanding, the doctor was no different than the other bastards she had been with. He just beat her up in a different way. All the humiliation lost its arousal value. She wanted to be as far from the arrogant asshole as she could get. The anger got her mind working. She desperately wanted to get home, and she reasoned the best way to achieve that was to feign continued illness. Moving almost imperceptibly, she managed to pull her dress down enough to hide her crotch before purposely emitting a low moan to indicate her return to consciousness. After all the proper solicitous comments, protestations by the doctor that the night was still young, and her insistence that she felt awful, she ended up in a cab. The doctor wanted to try to salvage the evening, and she did not mind missing the ride with him. Probably because the manager was hovering at his elbow, he had pre-paid the cab fare to her mother's house. Chelly decided to go to her mother's and take the lecture she knew was coming. She had heard it all at least a thousand times, but for the first time, she felt she deserved it. It was penance. She was embarrassed at her attire, or lack thereof, but her mother would not be surprised. In a strange way, she was anxious to tell her Mom exactly what had happened and what she had felt about it. Much as it had always irritated her, there was no doubt of her Mom's faithful love. Just telling her all would be an important act of contrition. It would be a way to establish the closeness she had secretly missed through many years. ------- The same week that Transformations started full operation, and the same week she was invited to tour with Jenny Ballard, Lindsey had to deal with another major challenge. She had to face a meeting with her parents. Since the kidnapping, she had refused to speak to them, but it could not be put off any longer. She and Mark discussed it at length, and came up with a plan, one which Marty approved. The meeting would be with the Halls and with Frank Schermer. Lawyers for all parties would be present, as well as a DA representative. Though Mark had no legal standing in the case, Lindsey made it clear that he would be at her side or she would not be there. It was certainly not the kind of interaction Mary and Floyd wanted, but it was all Lindsey was willing to give at the time. Frank Schermer had built an impressive ministry for one so young. He was only twenty-nine, eight years older than his sister Sarah, and eleven years older than Sonja. Though it was never discussed, it was generally conceded that Frank's conception by his teenaged mother was the reason his parents married. It had not been easy to get Frank to a meeting, but it had finally been arranged. He did not know that after the kidnapping, Lindsey had hired the Plonske Agency to track him, and he entered the meeting full of arrogance. As soon as he saw the Halls, though, his demeanor switched instantly to one of embattled piety. For their part, the Halls could hardly have looked worse, and Lindsey almost lost her resolve upon seeing them. Mark could sense her reaction and put his arm around her, willing her to stay strong. They had rehearsed the flow of the meeting carefully with Marty and Julia, and Sonja had helped with background on her brother. In addition, they had a blockbuster from the Plonske Agency. Contrary to the scenarios they had rehearsed, Floyd was the first to speak, rather than Frank. "Lindsey, how can you allow your own parents to face criminal charges?" "Here, sign this, both of you," Lindsey told them, trying to keep her voice emotionless. Their eyes widened when they saw what the document was - an emancipation declaration. "Why would we sign this?" Floyd blurted out in alarm and some anger. "You're our daughter." Resisting the diatribe she wanted to deliver, Lindsey said "Because if you don't, this meeting is over right now, and we'll just let the legal system take its course." She was surprised at how hard it was to keep the emotion from her voice. Floyd sat with open mouth, flushed face, and slumped shoulders. Mary's expression had not changed since she sat down. Her eyes were moist and her chin was quivering. Her breath came in irregular gasps. It was obvious to Lindsey that they felt victimized and abused. In their minds, she had become the villain. Once again sensing a critical point, Mark took her hand and whispered in her ear "Be strong. This is tough love, remember?" Mark's encouragement helped Lindsey regain her composure, and she launched into a carefully rehearsed speech. "You have proven that you are totally incapable of parenting a daughter. You have done exactly the same things as Frank's parents did." That had been said purposely to provoke a reaction from Frank, and it did. "My parents? What do they have to do with this? What do you know about my family, anyway?" he almost yelled. "I use your parents to point out my parents' failure. In both cases, the sons could do no wrong - you, Frank, and my brother Brett." "Show some respect," Mary spoke for the first time. "Call him Rev. Schermer." Lindsey just looked at her and went on. "Neither son could do any wrong in the parents' eyes. Drinking and sex were ignored, and never punished." Protests started immediately from both Frank and the Halls, but Lindsey held up her hand in imperious fashion and waited for quiet. It was an even better performance than when she was on stage. "Remember, Frank, I am very close to your sister. Does the name Ellie mean anything to you?" His face showed mixed shock and anger at the name of the girl he had impregnated while in high school. "And you know," she nodded to her parents, refusing to address them as such, "that Brett drinks with his buddies and is sexually active. Up until the kidnapping, there had been not one shred of discipline for his actions, had there?" "Both sets of parents produced sons who thought they could do no wrong," she continued, "but they absolutely terrorized their daughters." "Now, wait a minute!" Floyd started to object. Again, Lindsey forced his silence by sheer willpower. Then, she went on to enumerate the most egregious indignities that had been perpetrated on her and on Sonja. The list was very long, and she accompanied every incident with an unpunished transgression by the son. When Lindsey stopped after several minutes, there was silence until Frank's lawyer spoke up. "I don't know what this has to do with Rev. Schermer being here. Whatever he may have done as a youth, he is now an upright man of God who was helped change many lives." "I don't think so," Lindsey quipped, and slid a brown envelope toward the lawyer. Carl Plonske had recently acquired the very latest spy camera, one specifically designed to be inserted under a hotel door. It started out very thin and a few inches wide. Once under the door and into the room, four separate pieces moved into alignment with the twist of a rod. The result was a small digital camera with a tiny, high-resolution CCD and a single-focus lens. The remote control receiver stayed outside the room, usually disguised in the room service tray typically placed on the hallway floor for pickup. Otherwise, a decorative flower pot provided a believable disguise. The operator could control the camera from several rooms away, even changing the direction of the lens through a limited range. The pictures in the envelope clearly showed Frank naked with two different women, neither one his wife. One showed him fucking the woman from behind over a sofa arm. The other woman was shown in a standing embrace. Date and time were clearly imprinted in the lower corner of each picture. The lawyer pulled the pictures out and looked at them in disbelief. Then he stared at Frank, his emotions unreadable. Frank grabbed the pictures, flushed as he saw them, then threw Lindsey a look of pure hatred. The lawyer recovered and tried to regain some control. "None of this explains why we are even here. What does it have to do with these ridiculous kidnapping charges?" "Oh, nothing, really," Lindsey said with a hint of mischief. "I'm here to get the declaration signed and get myself free. My therapist says this is also a good catharsis from the trauma all of you caused me." "As for the charges, they are not ridiculous at all. You," she indicated her parents, again refusing to address them by name, "paid him to take me against my will. You, Frank, took their money and ordered your employees to abduct me. I think 'cut and dried' is the appropriate term." "Now, if you will just sign the emancipation form," again Lindsey just nodded at her parents, "I will leave, and just maybe the DA can offer you something besides jail." Mary and Floyd just sat there in continued disbelief until their lawyer whispered to them for several seconds. Then, Floyd wordlessly signed where Marty indicated and passed the document to his wife, who also signed. Lindsey and Mark stood and left the room, receiving a hidden thumbs up from Marty. Lindsey was silent until they reached the elevator, where she collapsed sobbing in his arms. He found the stop button and just held her until she regained some composure, not finding any words that were appropriate. Back in the conference room, the young DA took the floor. "The charges against the three of you are serious and are not subject to any plea bargain" (she did not even flinch at that lie). "The victim has offered to drop the charges on one condition, and that is your best chance to resolve this whole situation. If you will agree to this," and she slid a paper and a brochure to Floyd and Mary, "she will drop the charges against all three of you. I will leave you to discuss and consider it." As she walked from the room, barely suppressing a smirk, she heard a strangled gasp from Mary. Sometimes, not often but sometimes, her job could be fun. ------- Lindsey's first face-to-face with her parents had actually been a group meeting, and she had said very little to them directly. As she had planned with Mark, Julia, and Marty, she adopted a distant, almost cold demeanor toward them. It had been terribly hard on her, but she achieved her number one goal. She had their signatures on the emancipation declaration. It was now waiting for a judge's signature to declare her a free, independent adult. Given her secure financial status and the possibility of a significant income from her singing, the court's usual concern about support was not a factor, and Marty assured her there would be no problem. When Lindsey left the meeting room after obtaining the signatures, the DA lawyer offered the Halls and Frank Schermer a way to get the charges dropped on all three of them. The DA did not wait for any questions or discussion, just gave them the written proposal and left. Floyd realistically feared for his wife's health after she had read the offer. It stipulated that all charges would be dropped for all three of them if Mary and Floyd each achieved a specified set of goals at Transformations. That sounded good until Mary read the description of Transformations, in which the nudity requirement was stated in the second paragraph. The fact that the staff was largely male was also clearly stated. Mary Hall felt like she had been ushered to the entrance to Hell. She had been almost non-functional since they were arrested for kidnapping, and now she feared she might stroke out. She simply could not understand how their daughter could do this to them, for she was sure it was all Lindsey's doing. It must be persecution for trying to raise her daughter in a chaste and God-fearing manner. All those things Lindsey had said about the way they treated her compared to Brett! Mary knew that they were true, but it was only natural. Boys needed to spread their wings, establish their manhood, prove themselves. Brett was doing that. Girls must be watched closely lest they mar their purity. It just wasn't the same! Why couldn't Lindsey understand that? And now this horrible choice that Lindsey had forced upon her! How could she choose either of them? She, Mary, had not known that Floyd would pay extra to have Lindsey taken against her will. Why was she in this mess? The shame of having to stand before a judge in public! The thought made her feel ill. But the other! That was beyond even thinking about. How could Lindsey be so vile as to even suggest such a thing. Her own mother! Naked! In front of strange men! Where had they gone wrong with her? How could they have been any more strict? As she sat there reeling, Mary looked across at Rev. Schermer. Would he be required to go to that place? Was it for men, too? She then looked at her husband and saw the shock and disbelief on his face. But he had to work? Would he lose his job? But if he went to jail, he would surely lose his job. How? How? How had this happened? How could the daughter they thought was so perfect betray them so horribly? At that point, their lawyer, a family friend whose professional services they had used only rarely, intervened for his clients. "I think," he said in a shaky voice, "that Mrs. Hall needs to get home. This has been a terrible shock to her, and I fear for her health." Not waiting for a response from Schermer or his lawyer, he helped Mary to her feet and led the couple out. ------- After the Halls had left, Frank Schermer sat motionless for some time, just thinking. He could almost feel the stare of his lawyer, a devoted follower, but he was not ready to deal with him at the moment. The lawyer was obviously shocked and upset by the photographs, and he would have to take care of that problem before long. He was in an interesting situation. He refused to acknowledge it as a dilemma: there was nothing he could not work his way out of. The bitch had been clever, leaving his fate up to her parents, who would have to pay the price. If he asked her parents to take the deal to spare him a trial, they would probably do it, and feel righteous about it. But what if she showed them the pictures? If he told them they should just square their shoulders and go to court, they would probably do that, too. Did he think the girl would let it go that far? Playing the persecution angle could actually be a positive marketing move, risking arrest for the good of the girl, and all that. Very much early church martyr stuff. It was the trial that concerned him. Things could come out there, things that could just about destroy his work. Besides the pictures and other similar evidence or testimonies, Lindsey was not the first teen who had been shanghaied to one of his retreats. Once this all became public, some of them might come forward, or be dug out by the prosecution. Thinking for a little longer did not bring an obvious solution to his mind, so he decided to address the immediate problem. "Do you believe those pictures?" he asked the lawyer, clearly posing the question as a loyalty test. "Well, they're pretty, uh, grahpic," the man mumbled. "Ever hear of a computer program called Photoshop..." ------- Frank Schermer was a complex man. Raised openly to be an Alpha male, his parents could only rejoice that they had succeeded. Of course, that was never an openly stated objective, but his mother Anna was dedicated to it from the first time she lovingly bathed his infant genitals. Oh, she clucked in dismay at his boyhood and teenaged escapades, but always pulled up short of actual discipline. When he got a girl pregnant, she hardly thought twice about paying for an abortion, something she had demonstrated against on more than one occasion. For anyone else's son, Anna would have railed vehemently against the sexual sin and the mere thought of aborting the result. But she was blessed with a MAN to raise. For hers, anything could be an exception. It was a struggle to portray the expected anguish when her heart was bursting with atavistic pride. Even the Bible was suspended for the sake of the man that would spread abroad the seed that she had passed on to him. The perceived virility that had led her to marry her husband Fred had turned out to be severely constrained by his upbringing and his beliefs. He was not man enough to see that when she spouted similar pieties about sexual purity, she really meant for him to shout her down and drag her to the cave. Well, her son would be better than that! And Frank WAS better. He had the physical and mental tools and unlimited self-confidence. He also was perceptive enough to understand completely the psychological and sexual dynamics of his home. He understood that Anna saw her daughters as future competitors who would try to produce men to surpass the fruit of her own womb. She expertly cloaked her abuse of her competition in the proper sanctimony, but Frank saw and learned. Anna had lost the ability to be aroused by her husband's infrequent and inexpert attentions. But she had to change panties after sitting through one of her son's magnificent sermons. Frank knew, and as most do, he extrapolated what he saw in the microcosm of his own home to the world at large. Mostly, he was correct. Frank believed the doctrines he had been brought up with. It would have been very hard to build the ministry he did without that assurance. Those beliefs, however, did not diminish his certainty that he had the right to take whatever he could by his own skill and force of personality. Beliefs, perceptiveness, musical ability, orator's skill, and unusual administrative flair: Frank's skill set let him build a money machine that actually impacted a lot of lives along the way. Having never been in a bind like the Hall bitch had put him in, Frank had no practiced response to fall back on, and his ego led him to strike back. Given the legal situation and those damned pictures, he knew that any kind of direct assault on the girl could end up hurting him. She must be somehow connected to that Transformations place, so that might be the best target. He knew people who could find out, and people who would love to make a righteous fuss about it without involving him. ------- Chapter 5 It has often been said that Christmas amplifies emotions like no other event in the year. It was hard to imagine how the emotional level for the Halls could get any higher. Mary had been a complete basket case since the kidnapping, and the supposed joy of the season had hardly dented her anguish and depression. Officially losing her daughter through manumission was a far more cruel blow than Lindsey realized. Despite all her hangups, motherhood was still the cornerstone of Mary's existence. Because of her constant fear of Lindsey sinning, mother and daughter had never achieved an open, sharing relationship. It was always about control and prevention. The very topics that were most pressing for the teenager were the ones her mother would react in horror at the mention of. In a sense, it was generation gap squared. The things Lindsey most needed guidance and reassurance about were the things Mary considered most evil. Mary was completely unable to put herself in her daughter's place and provide her any realistic counsel. Lindsey, on the other hand, was afraid to ask advice or offer an opinion for fear of the lecture and the tightened restrictions that were sure to follow. It was an example of how a relationship could be totally dysfunctional despite the most laudable of intentions. Floyd saw his wife's steady deterioration, and he reacted with concern for her well-being and anger at his daughter. He wanted to talk to her, try to reason with her, but neither he nor Mary knew exactly where she was staying. It finally occurred to him to work through the lawyers, and Marty got word to Lindsey. Marty got Julia on a three-way with Lindsey, and relayed what she had heard about her mother's condition. Clinging tightly to Mark's hand, Lindsey said "I really don't want to talk to them. I thought I would actually be helping them by getting them into Transformations. They are in such terrible physical shape, they need something. Apparently, it's too much. Just tell the DA to forget about the charges. I need to get on with my life." "Are you sure you want to do that?" Marty asked. "No, I'm not sure of anything about them. I did have the feeling I could help them, but it's just taking too much out of me. Besides, I don't think I should use the Tee for punishment, anyway." "Don't you think you should at least talk to them?" Julia asked her. "I'm guessing that Christmas means a lot to your mother." "If I thought there was even the slightest change, I would talk to them," Lindsey said. "But now, they would just try to dump a load of guilt on me." "But you don't have to accept the load," Julia counseled her. "Someday, I hope I can shrug it off," Lindsey replied, "but I can't, yet. Please, just drop the charges and give me some more time, OK?" "Lindsey, try to remember the things we talked about," Julia said gently. "I honestly believe you should stick with the plan. I appreciate you not wanting to use Transformations as a punishment, but I don't mind that. It would mainly be for healing, both for your parents and for you." "But it won't do any good," Lindsey said, almost in tears. "Lindsey," Julia replied, "you were correct and you were acting as a loving daughter when you wanted them admitted to get in shape. They both are candidates for terrible health problems in later life, even early death." "But what if Mother doesn't even make it into the Tee? That seems like a possibility right now." "Hmmm. Marty did say she looked awful," Julia mused. "Tell you what. I'll do some sessions with her, see if I can get her calmed down. I can even prescribe something." "Okay," Lindsey answered. "Tell her it's free, and I'll pay. I can afford it." Neither Julia nor Marty were able to speak for a few moments after that. "You see," Julia said when she had full control of her voice, "you do care. A lot. I certainly cannot promise you will ever have a relationship with your mother like you do with Norma. But wouldn't it be worth a few more months of stress to be able to at least let your mother enjoy her grandkids? You've seen Jeanine and Carol and Jessica together, right? Well, Jeanine certainly has some hangups, but they're at least a functioning family, Grandmother, mother, and daughter." "It... it's hard to believe that could ever happen for me," Lindsey said in a halting voice. "No one can change that much, can they?" "Well, you know Shannon," Julia answered. "And you've met Kathy. Ask Janie and Caitlin and Jordan what their mothers were like before. Lindsey, those kinds of changes can happen. That's why we started this, you know. Even if you never get to have a close relationship with her, you will have the personal satisfaction that you did more to give her a good life than she did for you." "It sounds like you really want her in the Tee," Lindsey commented. "Well, it's not that we don't have enough challenges already," Julia responded with a chuckle, "but, yes, I do want a chance to work with her - and your Dad, too. First of all, I want it for you. Just walking away from your parents is a pretty severe thing. I agree that it's necessary right now, but it will always trouble you later in life, believe me." "Yeah, Sonja and I have talked about that. We both believe what the Bible says about 'honor thy father and thy mother.' It has troubled me a lot, but I had to do something." "Right," Julia commented. "I think it will definitely help you. And I believe we can change your mother a lot. She has been isolated to a very small group of people who believe just as her parents did. She has never had to examine her beliefs against those of others. Our environment is perfect for re-examining and re-affirming beliefs. We are already seeing some amazing interaction between the women. Just imagine the effect Norma and Barbara could have on your mother." "I may be crossing the line on disclosure of privileged patient information here, but your mother is not actually my patient yet. I see her as a classic case of focused OCD, that's Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. It is focused on your purity and your holiness. OCD is a very common psychological problem with proven treatment approaches." There was silence on the line for quite a while, then Lindsey let out a big sigh and said, "OK. I'll stick with it. They, uh, want to talk to me, huh? I know it shouldn't bother me, but I still feel like I'm on trial whenever I'm with them." Marty entered in at that point. "Why don't you meet them in my conference room? That's more neutral ground." "Excellent idea," Julia said. "I have another suggestion. Marty, you set up the meeting. Give them the recordings of all the conversations when Lindsey last stayed there. Be very firm that they must listen to all of them before the meeting." "What good will that do?" Lindsey asked. Julia told her "We want to see if they detect or admit to anything wrong in the way they treated you." "Does that mean you will be listening?" Lindsey asked. "Listening and recording," Julia told her. "Is that legal?" "Actually, you will be recording. Neither Marty or I will be directly involved." There was another long pause, then from Lindsey "I can't do this without Mark." "Nor should you have to," Julia told her. "Actually, I think it would be good for him to be there. It will hammer home to your parents how things have changed." The discussion went on for several more minutes. When they all hung up, Lindsey collapsed in Mark's arms from the prolonged stress. ------- Floyd was relieved to hear that they could talk to Lindsey. Both he and Mary were saddened that she would not come to their home, but at least it was contact. When told about the recordings, he got quite angry, and almost told the lawyer to forget the meeting. Mary was listening, though, and just the look on her face told him he dared not refuse. When Marty told them they would be quizzed about specific things on the recordings beforehand, he got even more angry. She actually lectured them about how the meeting would be conducted, what kinds of things would and would not be discussed, and what Lindsey wanted out of the meeting. This was not at all what they had sought. The woman left no room for argument, though. For a while, Floyd's anger built, but then it subsided and he noticed his penis had swelled a bit. That familiar old reaction bothered him. He thought it was all in his past, but he had noticed it few times recently. His boss, the VP of Investments at the bank, was a woman about ten years older than him. In general, she was a good boss, but occasionally, she had lectured him sternly. One time recently she had become very commanding, ordering him to do some things he had rebelled at. That time, he had to stay seated in front of her desk for a few extra minutes. A full-scale erection had pushed out the front of his trousers alarmingly. When he calmed down, he tried to write the problem off to fear of losing his job. But he knew better. In the meeting with Lindsey, the one with Frank Schermer present, he had had a similar problem. When Lindsey started her accusations and ignored all the objections, the blood had coursed to his penis. The lady DA giving them the ultimatum did not help, either. Even Mary had caused the reaction a few times. She had strong opinions and expressed them openly, but she seldom took an openly controlling role with Floyd. On the infrequent occasion when she treated him like a child and became domineering, he had to hide his partial hardon. He could not let her see the effect she had on him. As a matter of fact, he never completely softened after the lawyer hung up from telling them about the meeting. Mary wanted to start listening to the recordings immediately, terrified that they might miss some of the questions and the meeting might be canceled. Floyd wanted to put off listening, just as a meager rebellion against the 'orders' from the strong woman. He made the mistake of telling her he wanted to wait, and she snapped. Mary gave him a righteous tongue-lashing and figuratively dragged him over to the CD player. By the time he sat down, he was almost hard. Despite his best efforts, she noticed. That set off an even more strident verbal assault. Within the first two days, they listened to the CD three times. To his surprise, Floyd began to notice a pattern. Practically everything said to Lindsey was either punitive, corrective, or at least cautionary. For Brett, there were numerous compliments, no rebuffs, and a lot of jocular 'guy talk.' There was almost no neutral, light conversation with Lindsey, although he noticed her trying to initiate some. Floyd thought at first that the recordings had been edited to make Lindsey's point. But thinking back, he could not recall any positive things toward Lindsey that had been left out. Nor could he think of any scoldings or discipline for Brett. It hit him hard. They really were that biased and discriminatory. How could it have happened? Even as he asked himself, he knew how it happened. It was the way Mary felt about her children, and he had not intervened to try to change anything. She had driven her daughter away, and he had blindly watched it happen. Well, how was he to know? It was how he was raised, after all. It seemed normal and natural, and Lindsey did not openly rebel. He had just chalked up her complaints as normal for a teenager. She would get over them. Right! Now, there was nothing he could do about it. Mary was fixated on that meeting with Lindsey as if it was a lifeline. She must assume that they were going to convince Lindsey to drop the charges and forget the whole thing. Maybe even move back home. He watched as Mary listened to the recording for the third time. He saw her nodding at sections where she was scolding or lecturing Lindsey. His wife was absolutely certain she had done the right things. Nothing he could say now would cause anything but trouble. With a wave of nausea, he realized that Mary needed to be in that institution - that Transformations place. The problem was, he would have to go in, too. What about his job? How would he earn a living if he lost it? He tried to make himself believe that was his main concern, but deep down he knew the real terror came from exposing himself to women. Women who would be in control of him... ------- It is amazing how perversion can sneak up on people who have every sincere intention of being righteous. Floyd Hall's father was a long-time ruling elder in their church, which belonged to a very fundamentalist denomination. His mother, Ellen, was equally devout. Floyd's only sibling was a sister, Sally, five years older. When Floyd was an infant, a friend of Ellen's had a little boy with a frightening medical problem. The boy developed a fungus on his penis that lingered for many weeks. Living through the problem with her friend had a huge impact on Ellen. She became fixated on her own infant son's genitals. At first, Ellen was driven by an understandable fear that her little boy might develop the same fungus. She spent an inordinate amount of time moving the loose skin on his penis to make sure every square millimeter was sterile. Since the scrotum also had lots of folds and wrinkles, she made the logical assumption that it was also in danger of infection, and cleaned it with excruciating care, too. As Floyd progressed through the toddler stage to being toilet trained, the fear never left Ellen. It became her habit to thoroughly inspect and wash his whole crotch area after every use of the toilet. From the earliest times he began to wipe himself, she would unload the sternest scoldings on him if she found a speck of feces that he had missed. Concern had already morphed into obsession. The sexual revolution was a howling success, but the Halls' sect and their house were isolated backwaters. Ellen provided minimum information to her daughter, who was still short of puberty. Sally was excused from any classes that included any level of sex education. Little Floyd's genitals, however, were a matter of hygiene, not sex. Having a daughter several years older than her son was a bonus for Ellen, especially since Sally liked playing mother for her little brother. Ellen instilled her paranoia of penile fungus into her daughter, and taught her the proper way to examine him and clean him. Inadvertently, she gave Sally the gift of much better sex education than her peers. Ellen learned ways to stimulate her son's little member so it became hard. That made it much easier to be sure it was clean. It was such a luxury to have Sally to do some of the work, and she wanted to make sure the girl did it right. She taught Sally the tricks, too. For as long as she could, Ellen put off an explanation to her daughter of the significance of the boy's erection, but by the time she was nine, Sally began to hear things at school. The was a major blowup when Sally asked if it was 'hardons' or 'boners' they were giving Floyd. It just had not occurred to Ellen that the girl was getting an inadvertent advanced sex ed class from tending to her brother. After a good deal of screaming and shouting, Ellen had to answer the questions. That would have been the perfect time to end Sally's involvement, but it did not happen. Sally bullied her way into continuing the privilege by threatening to talk. Ellen was aware enough to know that she could lose her son if the wrong message got out. It was the first time it occurred to her that she was doing something seriously wrong. Unfortunately, she neither saw nor sought a way out. Through his pre-school years, Floyd had no way of knowing there was anything unusual about his treatment. In every other way, his life was normal; extremely strict, but normal. And besides, the attention felt good, often producing giggles. As he reached seven and eight, Floyd let a few things slip to his friends, and their reaction alerted him to the fact that what was going on might not be right. He quickly clammed up on the subject, and stopped bringing any friends home. Ellen was puzzled that he always went elsewhere to play, but never connected it to her inspections. Once he found out it was abnormal, Floyd no longer took it willingly or passively. He started to complain and object, but that just threw Ellen into dominant mode. There was no question who ruled that household. hEr husband was a strong person, but besides being busy, he was purposely uninvolved in anything domestic. The exception was sports, which he played and helped Floyd with at every opportunity. When Floyd threatened to tell his father, Ellen threatened to tell all his friends and little league teammates. Young as he was, he was not sophisticated enough to win at the blackmail game. He could not have known how truly vulnerable his mother was. He complained and resisted every time, and she shouted and threatened and basically bullied him. It was a strange dichotomy. To all outward appearances, Ellen was an ideal mother. In everything but that one area, she actually was. But when it came to Floyd and his 'inspections' she was a tyrant. At about that time, Ellen took a part time job. That left Sally alone with Floyd for a few hours in the afternoon. The daily afternoon 'inspections' fell to her. It had progressed to where either Ellen or Sally would do it morning, after school, and at bedtime if the father was not around. With both mother and daughter, perversion had definitely set in. Ellen was heading toward her sexual peak. Her husband, never an ardent lover, was becoming less and less interested. She got a little sexual thrill from handling her son, and more from dominating him. Things had gone well past any justified inspections. The obvious goal was to get Floyd erect and to fondle and humiliate him. Ellen still went through the formality of if the inspection. But handling his hardness was what she really wanted. Through guile, good instincts, or blind luck, Ellen and Sally managed to keep their antics from Floyd's father, and Floyd could not stomach the risk of telling him. The thought of all his friends being told was more than he could bear. Of course, there was also the problem that the end result felt good to him. Things went on through his elementary years. Because of Floyd's futile objections, Ellen's dominance, and the inevitable hardon, some of the steps became unnecessary. By merely commanding him to get into the bathroom and drop his pants, El could make him get hard. It was Ellen who witnessed the onset of puberty. First came dry orgasms, and then she milked the first ejaculation from her son. In the kind of twisted justification used by true perverts, she decided she had to continue jacking him off on a regular basis. If she did not, he might experience wet dreams. If the semen dried on him in the night, it could lead to the dreaded fungus. As his penis grew toward manly size, hair sprouted on his pubis, and he could ejaculate regularly, Floyd became far more interesting to Sally, then nearing eighteen and in her Senior year. She, too, dropped the pretense of hygiene and just enjoyed her toy. She tended to be more cruel and dominant than Ellen, lacking the basic motherly instinct that kept Ellen from getting even more out of hand. Quite often, she would order Floyd to drop his pants as soon as he came home and make him stay bare-assed until just before their parents arrived. She became adept at getting him hard, just by dominating him. It might just be berating him about homework or the condition of his room, but she could get him erect almost at will. She also discovered mean little tricks to make him go soft, such as snapping his glans. By now, Floyd was physically strong enough to resist either his mother or his sister. His problem was always the fear of disclosure. Naturally, the feeling of someone else masturbating him was wonderful. But as he matured, and as his contemporaries became more and more macho, the humiliation and the damage to his ego outweighed the pleasure. One day at school, there was a huge buzz about a girl whose father had been arrested for fondling her. That was the first time Floyd had made the connection that his mother and sister had as much to lose from discovery as he did. One of his teachers, realizing the commotion the incident had caused, gave her class a little lecture. She made it clear that any such activity by anyone, mother, father, other relative, or stranger, was a crime and should be reported. That gave Floyd the assurance that he had leverage. Now all he needed was the courage to use his advantage. ------- Despite the submissiveness that had been beaten into him, Floyd was not completely emasculated. Sally gave her usual order when she got home from school, but he refused. Instead, he told her it was her turn to undress or he would tell everything. Their mother would go to jail, and Sally herself could be punished, as well. First threatening to just leave the house, Sally was frightened by Floyd's completely changed demeanor. After all the years of shame and dominance, there was a monstrous anger she had never suspected of him. She actually believed he would tell. Begging and pleading had no effect, and Sally finally gave in and stripped. Floyd could not summon the courage or the meanness to carry the humiliation to the level she had imposed on him, something he upbraided himself for later. Their father would not be home for dinner that night, so it was a perfect chance to resolve the mess once and for all. When Ellen came home, she was stunned to see a weeping Sally standing naked in the kitchen. Floyd stood beside her, wearing an expression she had never seen before. It was barely a surprise, but nevertheless a terrible shock when the boy ordered his mother to strip. The predictable shouting, pleading, and hysterics went on for many minutes. Ellen promised the 'inspections' would end, and offered all kind of other inducements. Floyd had worked himself to a level of resolve he would seldom achieve in his life. All of the frustration and shame of all the years coalesced into courage for that one day. He held the trump card, and he knew it. If his father found out, the consequences would be horrific for both women. Because of his anger, he did not enjoy it to the fullest, but Floyd lived every pubescent males fantasy as his naked mother and sister fixed, served, and cleaned up dinner naked. Then, they were kept that way, more frantic by the minute, until just before his father arrived home. ------- It is a testament to Floyd's father's degree of disconnection from the emotional climate of his household that he never twigged to the trauma that ruled for the next several weeks. Floyd's anger dissipated quickly. He never again demanded such a display from Ellen or Sally. As early as the next day, he felt guilt over what he had done. All of the sermons and lessons he had heard decrying the seeking of revenge were validated in his young mind. It had been titillating but not satisfying. As much as they deserved it, he was sorry he had done it. Part of it was the instinctive feeling that in doing so, he had surrendered some of the moral high ground. Ellen was barely functional for a few days. Having to bare herself in front of her children was an unbelievable blow to her. Her doctor and her husband were the only people to have seen her naked adult body before that. In all her fondling of Floyd, her own strong sense of modesty had stayed intact. When Floyd finished his shower the next morning, the urge to resume her attention to him was like a compulsion. She pleaded at the bathroom door, feigning concern about his cleanliness. She did not try to enter, and it was the last time she mentioned it. Psychologically, it was very much like an addict quitting cold turkey. From that day forward, for the rest of the school year, Sally made sure she was never home alone with Floyd. When summer vacation arrived, before she went off to college, it was more difficult, but only rarely were the two of them home without a parent present. It had been the pattern for Sally to babysit Floyd when the parents were out. Ellen arbitrarily declared him old enough to no longer need a sitter. She realized her daughter's fear of being alone with him. For the rest of their lives, Floyd and Sally rarely spoke. She avoided him because of shame and fear of retribution. He avoided her because of shame, disgust, and anger. They attended each other's weddings, and were present at infrequent family gatherings, just to keep their father from asking questions. There was no other communication. Their respective spouses soon stopped asking for the reason. Once the fact that he was free fully settled in for Floyd, he began fanatically seeking to prove his manhood. Blessed with only modest athletic talent, he established a reputation for fanatical, desperate effort that earned him a spot on the football team. Though he played very little, his total disregard for his body served as a wonderful coach's example. His mother represented a reproach to his manhood, and once free, he avoided her as desperately as he sought validation through sports. Though the abuse had stopped, he was dismayed to discover that any form of command or directive from her could trigger an arousal response. After the shame and anger of her forced exposure to Floyd, then the withdrawal from her daily intimacy with him, the panic over possible consequences made Ellen unable to eat or work for several days. It took nearly a week for her to believe that nothing would be reported, Her husband would never know, she would not have her son taken away, and she would not be jailed. The next stage for Ellen was monstrous guilt. Except for the one area, she was an upright, devout person, and an effective, caring mother. When shock and disorientation ended, deep, sincere remorse set in. She could not deny what she had done, but she could not understand how she could have done it. Then, she started to realize what it had done to Floyd. Whenever she told him to do something, if she said it too strongly, she would notice the reaction. If Ellen could have found a way to right the terrible wrong, she would have done it. What she could do was avoid making things worse. The strong, opinionated, controlling mother became obsequious in the presence of her son. Any sign of swelling in his crotch, whether she caused it or not, became a stinging rebuke for what she had done. She almost became afraid to talk to him at all. Essentially, Ellen lost her children. Floyd lived at home through high school, but he would probably have had more interaction with a paid housekeeper. He chose a college far away, and found summer jobs near school, rather than back at home. Upon graduation, he found a job as far from home as he could, where he met and wed Mary. For her part, Sally felt just as much shame over what she had done, and blamed her mother for drawing her into it. Ellen's guilt would not allow her to reach out to her children and try to rebuild relationships. She considered their remoteness a just punishment for the awful things she had done. ------- As Floyd painfully recalled the tragedy of his boyhood, he knew the effects of his mother's dominance and abuse would never leave him. The response patterns he had tried so hard to live down seemed to have re-emerged recently. Another painful fact became clear to him. Mary was driving away her own children just as surely as his own mother had. The abuse was not the kind that could land her in jail, even considering their current legal bind, but the effect on Lindsey was no less certain. In a flash of insight, he understood why Lindsey had left home and emancipated herself. She had done no more than he himself had done. Oh, he had lived at home, but the separation was no less definite. He could see from watching Mary review the recordings just why Lindsey had to flee. He suddenly had a sense of how she had felt after the rumor incident. She really had been a perfect daughter, but had received no trust or consideration for her obedience. The second flash of insight was very painful. He, Floyd, was no better than his own father. He was more involved with the children than his father had been, by far. But he exerted no more real influence on their upbrining. Mary ruled, and he just went along. He even backed her up when she was dead wrong. That woman psychiatrist, Dr. Waxman, wanted to talk to Mary twice before they met with Lindsey. Mary, of course, rejected the request out of hand. Dr. Waxman was not a Christian counselor, and at any rate she, Mary, was not the problem. Why didn't the doctor talk to Lindsey and straighten her out? For all his struggles to establish his manhood as a youth, Floyd had to admit he had no claim to virility any longer. He had totally passed on his one big responsibility as a father. There was no turning back the clock, but perhaps he could stop shaming himself further. In a move that Mary saw as more piling on, he told her there would be no meeting with Lindsey until she had seen the doctor twice, as requested. The ensuing row was as least as violent as he had expected, but for one of the few times in their marriage, he did not back down. He felt ashamed at the tiny amount of pride he was able to salvage with that belated display of backbone. ------- The feelings were wonderful, the treatment was wonderful, and the future looked too good to be true. And even as she quivered under Ryan's caress, that was the fear that Carol could never shake: 'too good to be true.' The three of them, Carol, Ryan, and her daughter Jessica, were just sitting and watching TV. Carol had her legs over Ryan's lap, and he had been lightly running his hands over them for over a half an hour. He seemed to be doing it unconsciously, but Carol was most definitely conscious of it. She wore just a pair of brief panties and a light robe, which was open to give him free access. His hands told her they were doing something they loved to do, but she still could not enjoy it wholeheartedly. After all the years of her ex denigrating everything about her body, she still could not accept that Ryan genuinely loved and enjoyed her as she was. And that was what always took the edge off of the wonderful feelings from his constant caresses. He was younger. He was a hunk. Her own image of herself as Plain Jane was deeply ingrained in her thinking. She loved him more than she could say, and she especially loved him for making her feel beautiful and desirable. But in the back of her mind there was always the fear that he would discover that she really was Plain Jane, and that he could do so much better. She knew that her legs were her best feature, with the possible exception of her pussy, and she could even admit to herself that they compared very well to other women's legs. Since meeting Ryan, she had become an absolute fanatic about exercise. Every day she examined her ass critically. She was thrilled that she could now get into Jessica's panties, but still frustrated with the slow disappearance of the last dimples and sags. She was resigned to the fact that her bone structure meant her hips would never be as slim as she would like, but by God, she would have buns of steel! Someday, Ryan would have trouble identifying the side-by-side naked asses of mother and daughter. She was determined. That was all below the waist, though. No amount of exercise would improve her A+/B- tits. Oh, Ryan seemed to love them, but she could never believe he was serious. From all the time he spent playing with them, she WAS beginning to wonder if he could really fake it that much. He kept pointing out how full they were, and that they would never sag. He said when she was seventy, other women would envy her. Still, the insecurity from years of ridicule did not dispel easily. The retreat had been an unbelievable boost, and not just because of the magical night on the beach when she got the diamond. When she first went naked in front of her parents, and then when Ryan came to pick her up, it took all of the courage she had. She had done it partly to make a statement. It was step in shaking off the years of ridicule. On the retreat, she started to feel equal with some of the real beauties like Yvonne and Shannon and Julia. No one treated her differently because she was not as beautiful as some of the others. Ryan gave her all his attention. She came home much farther along the road to healing. Across the room, Jessica had been watching them. With a little grin, she said she was going to be studying in her room for the next hour and did not want to be disturbed. She was barely out of sight when Ryan's hand moved to her chest and began loving her tit. He had a way of circling around it with his hand, then stroking upward and ending with a gentle pinch of the nipple. It took exactly one of those on each tit before her nipples were fully engorged. Maybe there was something to the principle of compensation. Her nips, normal looking when soft, swelled to rival any she had seen when she got aroused. When both of his hands left her, she let out a small groan, but when she felt them at her hips, she eagerly arched her back so he could get her panties off. When he had them down around her knees, she pulled one foot out of them and almost frantically used it to push them off of the other. Almost quivering with anticipation, she lay back down, legs spread just enough for him to get his hand on her pussy easily. She knew what he wanted to to first. He liked to squeeze her labia together, working slowly up and down her their length. Because they were relaxed and supposedly watching TV, it was gentle and leisurely, not seeming to be leading to anything. It was just a man enjoying the feel of his woman. As she did almost every day, she had shaved her lips baby smooth. They were naturally full and he seemed to revel in the feel of them. It may not have seemed like he was working toward an objective, but even the lightest touch for such a long time got her very worked up. Over and over, he worked up and down. Then, he interspersed tracing around the whole area with his fingers. When he felt her start to squirm uncontrollably, he put a finger inside between the lips, an began stroking and squeezing one lip at a time, running the inside finger as deep as it could go. Her breath breaking up into irregular gasps signaled the next change. He found her quivering clit with his thumb and forefinger and started a rhythmic pinching action. Still, he seemed unhurried, almost casual, until the whimpers started. Then, he pressed firmly with his thumb and rubbed back and forth rapidly. After ten or fifteen seconds, Carol started a keening sound that grew louder and louder for most of a minute before she dissolved in frantic convulsions. As soon as she had receded enough so he could get at her, Ryan got off the couch onto his knees and attacked her inflamed pussy with his mouth. She whimpered and cried in protest, but he knew the sensitivity would soon be replaced by revived passion. It took only about three minutes to trigger her second climax, leaving her limp and panting for breath. Knowing that she liked the feeling of being taken, he shed his own clothes and climbed on top of her. Carol liked all of the positions they had tried - she loved it anytime Ryan was inside her. But the face to face positions had special appeal. The looks of love and passion and the kissing were things she never had from sex during her marriage. Pleasure induced by her partner was something she never had, either. As Ryan worked his way into her, she revived, throwing her arms and her legs around him. The intensity of her love-making always amazed and thrilled him. He sensed an element of fear or desperation, and he hoped she did not lose the passion when he finally got her over her fear. There was not a doubt in his mind that he would get her over it. He truly loved Carol, and felt it was his mission in life to make up for and erase the ugliness and trauma that she had lived through. For right now, though, his mission was to relieve the pressure that had been building in him for the last half hour. His ministrations has seemed purposely casual, but the effect on him had been serious. Before he could even decide, she was urging him to stroke faster and harder, using both her legs and her hands to pull him rhythmically into herself. Early in their relationship, she had been embarrassed when she let loose with such aggression as they fucked. He had gotten that problem straightened out, and now, she joyfully gave vent to just what she was feeling. And, God, was she a bundle of passion! Somehow, the fleeting thought about women reaching their sexual peak later snuck through his own soaring arousal, causing him to grin as he kissed her. The truly satisfying sex was not the only reason Ryan wanted to spend his life with Carol, though. There were just so many ways in which they looked at the world the same way. And where they were different, they complemented each other. If only she could be convinced how he truly felt about her. He longed for the time when he sensed none of the fear when they made love. Carol's fear that Ryan would wake up and realize who she really was did not decrease her desire for all the attention she could get from him. In fact, there was a subconscious drive to get all she could before it ended. That was the depth of the scarring she carried from her miserable marriage. The slight edge of desperation served to increase her passion, and she seemed to do everything in her power to devour him completely. When Ryan came, Carol did not join him, and many times she preferred it that way. Feeling every spurt, every muscle spasm, every ragged breath, and every drop of sweat was important to her. It was assurance that she was returning the joy he gave her. He never left her wanting for orgasms, and if they did not always explode together, that was just fine. As it was now. She had never been able to prevent a few tears after he came, and he was in the habit of kissing them away when he recovered enough. That was one of the things that made missionary her absolute favorite. There was a light blanket over the back of the couch, and after a little recovery, the couple sat up and pulled it over themselves. It was still fairly early in the evening, so they just sat and cuddled, the TV still on but hardly noticed. Previously, Carol had always been in a hurry to clean herself and shower. It took him some time to convince her it was not necessary for his sake. Now, she sat with her panties jammed into her crotch, enjoying some of the best feelings of her life. For Carol, there was no longer any question that Ryan loved her, and she was losing her doubts that he enjoyed her body. He could not possibly fake the many hours that he spent caressing her. Her lingering fear was that he would realize that he could have someone truly beautiful if he wanted. She had no confidence that she could stand against that kind of competition. The fact that Ryan did not seem to have a roving eye was definitely helping to assuage her fears. There were even times when she could forget them for longer periods. Healing was occurring, but she was still a wounded soul. As they cuddled, the phone rang. Automatically, Carol flinched as if to get up and answer it, but he held her back. "Jessica can get it," he assured her. His apartment had two bedrooms. It was more than he needed, but the location had been perfect and he stumbled into a good deal when he leased it. Now, it was perfect, since Jessica really preferred staying with them, rather than with her grandparents. Both bedrooms and the kitchen had phones. On the first of the year, they would be moving into one of the house on the grounds at the Tee. Sure enough, the phone was picked up after just one ring, and they both assumed it was one of Jessica's friends. After about a minute, though, they heard her bedroom door open. "Ryan, are you guys, uh, OK?" she asked from inside her room. Assured that they were decent, Jessica came out with the cordless phone in her hand. When she saw them cuddled under the blanket, their previous activity obvious, she blushed but still wore a grin. Then, she sobered. "Ryan, there's a woman who wants to talk to you. She sounds really upset, and I didn't know what to do. She says her name is Chelly Harden." Cuddled up against him, Ryan felt Carol stiffen momentarily. Then, she went slack like a deflated balloon. ------- Chapter 6 After fainting on her date with the doctor, which was definitely going to be her last date with him, Chelly had a day off and called in sick the following day. With what was going on in her head, she was not safe around patients. The emotional drain from finally admitting that her whole sexual life had been spent seeking the wrong kind of man was devastating. She could not get the restaurant manager's words out of her mind when she came to in his office. He had assumed she was a hooker. Laying there in her barely existing dress with her pantiless crotch uncovered, that was exactly what she felt like. Being on a date with a man she cared not a whit for verified her status. She was with him for the glamour, a few baubles, some sex, and yes, the degradation. Known truths about oneself that are long suppressed and denied are usually painful when they are inevitably confronted. Chelly was suffering huge doses of remorse, regret, and anger at herself. Her mother, having long prayed for the revelation to happen, did everything she could to help. She took care of the kids and treated Chelly like the invalid she was. Most of all, she said absolutely nothing about what had happened, unless Chelly brought it up. The afternoon of her regular off day, the doctor called to tell her he had a suite reserved for the next weekend in a nearby resort community. She was not at all ready for a confrontation, but she found the strength somewhere, and told him she would not be going with him, ever again. He did not take the news well. Though he said nothing overtly threatening, she could hear the undertone in his voice. After two days of rest, Chelly went back to work. Though still upset, she got through her day without any mistakes. As she was about to leave, she was called into the supervisor's office. The supervisor, looking extremely uncomfortable, told her that she was dismissed effective immediately. The reason given was too many missed shifts. Chelly knew instantly what had happened. Nobody broke up with the surgeon. That was his prerogative. She had missed exactly two shifts in the last six months, and one was from exhaustion caused by overwork. There had not been a single week in that time with less than six hours of overtime. Once more her mother had to try to boost her spirits. Chelly viewed the firing as deserved punishment for the choices she had made. Still, as a single mother, there was inevitable panic over how she would support her family. Thoughts of being blacklisted in town ran through her mind. She picked at supper and moped through a couple hours of the evening. Ever since that disastrous date, her mind had been constantly on Ryan. She dwelt on unrealistic images of him as her savior, her way out of the mess she had made of her life. Blowing him off for the surgeon she now saw as the single stupidest move of her life. There still was not the physical attraction that she had always sought for. But for once, the kindness, the gentleness, and the respect loomed as things she wanted and needed. She would call him. Maybe they could pick up where she broke it off. Chelly was startled when a female voice answered at Ryan's phone number. The voice sounded like a teenager. Puzzled, she stuttered out her query. "I... I was t... trying to reach Ryan Herwalt." "This is Ryan's residence," the girl answered politely. "Wh... who..." Chelly felt like an absolute dunce. "Oh, I'm sorry," Jessica said. "My mother is Ryan's fiance." Chelly felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Since it had only been a few months, she had just assumed Ryan would still be available. Fiance! How could that happen so fast? She had thought he was interested in her! And a woman with a teenaged daughter! How could that be? Well, what did she expect? she asked herself. She was the one who broke it off with him before it even got going. And she did it for what they both knew was just a fling. Why would he ever think she had any real interest in him? At the time, she did not. He was just a nurse. "Ma'am?" Jessica asked with some concern, "are you still there?" "Y... yes. Sorry. I... I'm just... uh..." "Would you like to speak to Ryan," Jessica asked, making a quick decision. Her first instinct was to protect them from intrusion. From the sound of the woman, though, and knowing Ryan's penchant for helping people, she thought he would want to talk to her. She just hoped she would not be interrupting anything in the other room. It sounded like they were just in the aftermath, now. It could be very hard on a teenaged girl, knowing her mother was having sex in the next room. For Jessica, though, it was a true source of joy. She loved her mother, and had suffered through so much with her. Any happiness Carol could find was fine with Jessica. Of course, it made her want that kind of sex for herself, too, but that would come. She doubted there were any more guys like Ryan out there, but... Eric wouldn't be a bad second choice at all, if..." "Who should I say is calling?" Jessica asked, shaking herself from her short reverie. "Ch... Chelly. Chelly Harden." ------- Ryan's heart sank. This was an impossible situation - there was no right way to handle it. For Carol's sake, it would seem that he should refuse to talk to Chelly. But that would just leave the suspicion that he would contact her later. He had been disappointed when Chelly had turned him down for the surgeon, but certainly not heartbroken. It was not like he was in love with her, or even infatuated. After watching Fran and Carson, he had felt the need for a relationship with a woman. Chelly was very attractive, highly professional, and friendly, an obvious choice for entering the dating scene. Since meeting Carol, he had honestly felt not a single regret over his failure to connect with Chelly. He was more than happy with Carol. Ecstatic. The problem was, he knew Carol would feel threatened. He had told her all about Chelly, and he suspected Fran had talked about her, as well. The Ranger way was to tackle problems head on, and Ryan decided that was the only way. Chelly was no threat to Carol's happiness, and he just had to make her believe that. Ignoring Chelly and refusing to help her if she needed it was not the right way, either. Helping people was part of him. Carol knew that, and would have to accept his helping Chelly. Taking the handset from Jessica and leaving it on Hold, he told her to bring him another phone. He handed the second set to Carol, who was looking like a whipped puppy. He wanted in the worst way to cuddle her and reassure her, but decided that was not the best approach. There was absolutely no threat to his lover, and he would act that way, never even hinting at a problem. Though it would be hard, he did not even acknowledge her obvious reaction. Once both handsets were on, and Carol was listening, he spoke "Hello, Chelly. I haven't heard from you in quite a while." "H... hi Ryan. I... I'm sorry about the way things ended between us." "Oh, no hard feelings. I have since found the love of my life. I hope things have gone well for you?" "The g... girl who answered said you were engaged. C... congratulations." "Thank you. How about yourself?" Ryan knew very well she would not have called if everything was fine. "I, uh... I broke up with the doctor. No surprise, I'll bet. He didn't, uh, take it well. I got fired today." "Chelly, do you have Fran's phone number. You call her right away. You are about to become a rich lady. I can't believe the hospital administrator would be stupid enough to go along with that jerk on this." "Oh. Oh. I... I never thought of that. Will Fran do it for me?" "Either that, or she will steer you to the best there is at sexual harassment cases. I'm glad you called, Chelly. Be sure to let me know what happens." When the call ended, Ryan looked at Carol, as if challenging her to make an issue of the call. She knew what his eyes were saying, and whispered "I'm sorry," burying her face against his shoulder. He cast about in his mind for ways to reassure her, and came up empty. Then, acting on pure inspiration, he asked her "Honey, are you set on a big wedding, or would you rather just go to the JOP?" His question may not have reassured her, but it certainly startled her. And distracted her. It was a subject they had not yet addressed directly. She just stared at him, open-mouth, the blanket slipping down to her waist. Jessica, risking being impolite, had stayed in the room. She understood exactly what Ryan was doing, and she could hardly contain the love she felt for him. When Carol did not say anything, Ryan went on as if continuing the same thought "... and would you like to get married right away, or would you rather wait a few months?" It was then that Carol figured out what he was doing. She forgot all about the blanket covering her, all about the soggy panties between her legs - all about anything but her wonderful lover. She straddled his lap and hugged him as if trying to break his neck. She broke into huge sobs that lasted for several minutes. Jessica came and sat beside them, and both she and Ryan stroked Carol's naked back. When she got control of herself, Carol managed to pull her own surprise on Ryan. She pulled back to smile at him, then said "I'd like to meet Chelly. Do you think she'd have lunch with me?" This almost made Ryan cry. Her fears were probably still there, and would be for a long time. At least she was acknowledging that they were unfounded. She was willing to face the perceived threat face to face. "I'm sure she would," he replied. "She can use all the friends she can get, right now." Taking her face in both hands, he gave her a quick kiss, then an intense look. "You haven't answered my questions." "Sweetheart, you don't have to rush into a wedding to make me believe you love me." "Maybe not. But it's just a matter of time, anyway. I think it would be best for both of us to do it quickly. Now, do you want..." ------- Julia was pushing herself much too hard. It seemed like she always had a full calendar of patients, and she was trying to devote more time to the residents at Transformations. She had decreased the number of time slots that could be scheduled each day, but she always seemed to be making exceptions. She had no time for Mary Hall, but it was for Lindsey, and she could not say no. Mary wanted to have her sessions on consecutive days to get them out of the way, and almost broke into tears when Julia said they would have to be at least three days apart. Mary would not have agreed to any sessions if it had not been a condition for a meeting with Lindsey. Julia's initial remote diagnosis of obsessive/compulsive disorder was easily verified. The first session, Julia had to establish communication. Within five minutes, she was wishing for many more chances to talk to the woman. Hopefully, those chances would come once she was at Transformations. "Mary," Julia started, "I'm glad you decided to talk with me. You seem to be under a great deal of stress." "Well, of course I am," Mary shot back. "Not only has my daughter left me, but she is making me choose between a trial and that awful place. And all for trying to keep her from sinning." Julia was tempted to defend Transformations, but decided that was not the best avenue of discussion right then. "Now, I don't understand why you are so upset with Lindsey leaving. From talking to her, it sounds like you don't like her very well." With the short timeframe, Julia had decided to take the provocative, combative approach. "What!!" Mary almost screamed. "How can you say that!? Why would she think that!? I love my daughter." "Oh," Julia said, now in full play-acting mode. "I've talked to Lindsey and listened to some of those recordings. All I heard was criticism, scolding, and trying to lay down rules." "Well, that was after she had already moved out once." "So, what kinds of things did you compliment and encourage her about before she moved out?" Mary just stared at Julia, without answering. Julia went on. "Why do you think she moved out?" "I suppose it was because of the misunderstanding about that rumor," Mary replied. "Looking back, do you think you should have handled that differently?" "I don't know what else we could have done. We heard it from the principal, after all." "Didn't you have any doubt that Lindsey could have done that?" When Mary gave her another blank look, Julia went on. "Have you ever apologized to Lindsey for not trusting her." "Apologize? She's the child. Parents don't apologize to children." That pretty much set the tone for the session. It went on from there, with Mary never once hinting at any culpability on her part, or on her husband's. Julia was able to prescribe something to calm Mary's anxiety, which she promised to take. ------- At the second appointment, Julia was justifiably proud of her success. She got Mary to talk about the roots of her obsession with Lindsey's purity. It was no surprise that Mary's obsession was passed down from her mother. What was surprising was that she had adopted her mother's beliefs and parenting style almost intact. Everyone tends to revert to the patterns they are familiar with, but most parents end up doing at least some things in a very different way than their own parents did to them. It can be because they detested their parents' actions so much or because of normal generational or cultural changes. Mary did a surprising number of things exactly as her mother did to her, particularly concerning raising her daughter. Her mother had been an ultra-prude, reacting violently to anything relating to sex. Some of Mary's earliest childhood memories were of getting spanked for being caught with a hand in her crotch. As she grew old enough to take her own baths and showers, her mother would strictly limit the time, trying to eliminate any chance for touching herself. When Mary hit puberty, the strictness turned into domestic terrorism. The most important part of her day was making sure nothing was uncovered, or covered too snugly, before she left her room. Even around the house, she could not leave her room in less than a floor-sweeping nightgown and a heavy robe. Physical education classes at school were times of dread for Mary, largely because of the underwear she was forced to wear. The general fear of exposure instilled in her made it hard for her also, school locker rooms being notoriously short on privacy. Her mother seemed to be unaware of the non-sexual reasons for distended nipples, and some of Mary's worst scoldings came when her erect nubs were noticed. In frustration, she took to putting cotton balls in her bras, not that her breasts needed any augmentation. The most terrifying of all to Mary was the inspection of her soiled panties. Her mother had a nose like a bloodhound. If she detected a whiff of lubricant smell at the end of the day, Mary was doomed to an inquisition. A huge portion of Mary's social activity was at church, where her mother could keep a good eye on her. The slightest hint of flirting was cause for grounding. The few times she indulged in normal teenaged horseplay with a mixed group cost her dearly. There seemed to be no end of people willing to report her every move back to her mother. "How were you able to attract Floyd, then?" Julia asked after listening to Mary's recitation. "He came to school in our city, and started going to our church. Apparently, my folks did some checking up on him and decided he was a good catch. It's funny, you know. All the things I had been forbidden to do, I was suddenly expected to be good at. I mean flirting and interacting with Floyd. I guess I managed. We were married the week after he graduaated." "Do your folks live here in town?" "Oh, no. I insisted Floyd take a job somewhere else. I didn't want to be that close," Mary protested. "Why not?" Julia asked, hardly believing the wide open door left for her. "Can you imagine what it was like living at home?" Mary answered with some bitterness. "What about Floyd's parents. Didn't he want to live near them?" "No. There is something big between he and his mother. Something he will never tell about." "So, Mary, you wanted to be away from your parents as soon as you could. Isn't that what Lindsey is doing, too?" "But, why should she. I'm not like my mother," Mary said in a strained voice. "OK," Julia said, "let's go through some things here. You tell me where you are like your mother, and where you are different. She proceeded to list about twenty behaviors, either from Mary's own recitation or from discussions with Lindsey. It took most of the rest of the hour. During the last third of the list, Mary started to catch on, and it was a highly unpleasant revelation. Her eyes were moist and her voice was shakey when Julia wrapped things up. "Mary, it is frightening how many bad things are passed down from parent to child. We have just seen how many things you do just like your mother. I think you are starting to realize that they affect Lindsey the same way they did you." "Both you and your husband want nothing to do with your parents. That is being passed down to Lindsey, too, unfortunately. I cannot tell you that there is any way to build a close relationship with your daughter at this late stage. Too much hurt has been caused already." "I want to encourage you to go into Transformations," Julia paused to let the fear reaction pass from Mary's face. "I have a good idea how you feel about it, but there are other things you need to consider." "Please don't think I am putting down your religious beliefs. But the things you have learned from your own upbringing have caused nothing but pain for you and now for your daughter. Transformations is a wonderful place to start over, to peacefully evaluate what is important and what is not, what is good and what is bad. If you can get your health in order, you have half or more of your life left. Wouldn't you like it to be happier than the first half?" "But... but the nudity! I could never..." "Believe me, after a few days, it won't mean a thing. Tell you what. After your meeting with Lindsey, let me take you to see the place. You can talk to the women there and let them tell you how they feel. You can meet the men and see what..." "Ahhhh!" Mary let out a near scream. "You mean... you mean... talk to the men who would see me? Oh, that's... that's..." "Mary," Julia said in a gentle voice. "Would you rather stand trial and risk going to jail? Or would you rather spend a few months with some very nice people and come out looking better than your graduation picture?" ------- The meeting in Marty's office began in a very tense atmosphere. Mark did what he could to keep things light and cordial, but he was just a bystander, not one of the 'combatants'. In fact, his presence was no small problem in and of itself. "Lindsey, I thought we were going to meet with just you," Mary said before they even got into the room. "I'm sorry, Mary," Lindsey said, and waited for the shock of being addressed by her first name to pass from her mother's face. "I just can't face the two of you alone. Mark is like part of me, now. I believe we will be together forever, so where I go, he goes." She had not discussed that with Mark, but she certainly felt that way, and the squeeze of her hand told her Mark agreed. By that time, they had all taken seats, and Mary spoke again. "You make it sound like we're always after you about something." "You listened to the recordings. Was there anything else on there?" Lindsey asked with barely-restrained bitterness. Glancing at her father, she saw his expression and blurted out "Floyd, I see you finally realize it." "Floyd!" Mary said sternly. "What does she mean?" "She... she's right about the recordings," Floyd admitted. "But she had left us! I was just trying to get her to see how wrong she was," Mary protested. "And you thought that would convince me that I should move back?" Lindsey asked sarcastically. Silence reigned for several seconds, then Lindsey asked "Why did you want to meet with me?" She had come in determined to be civil, and was having to restrain sarcasm and bitterness. It disturbed her to realize she was very close to hating these people. "We wanted to ask you to drop the charges and forget about going to that place," Floyd responded. "And why do you think I should do that?" "Because we're your parents. You shouldn't treat us like this. It's practically killing your mother," Floyd told her. Lindsey knew she should be gentle at this point, but she had to tighten her jaw to keep her voice flat and even. "You are my biological parents, and you did a good job of providing all the material things. Everything else, you made a mess of." When the gasps from both Mary and Floyd had subsided, Lindsey went on, a little more in control, now. "You abused me psychologically for practically my whole life." She had to hold up her hand to quell the expressions of outrage. "Then, there were the two most frightening times of my life. One time, you gave me no support. The other, you caused intentionally. I have had a chance to see and evaluate a number of parents lately. I'm afraid you don't compare very well at all." "We have tried to raise you the best we could according to the Bible," Floyd said. He knew the truth of what she was saying, but he felt the need to mount some kind of defense. "You did things according to the Bible only when it suited you," Lindsey said forcefully, causing both parents' jaws to drop and their faces to flush. "Now, wait a minute! You can't say that! That's not true!" Floyd was honestly upset by then. "Sure I can. Look at yourselves. What does the Bible say about your bodies?" Floyd slumped visibly at that shot. He knew instantly that she was referring to the 'your bodies are the Temple of the Lord' passage. "Oh, and where does it say the Ten Commandments don't apply to boys?" Lindsey delivered another haymaker. You don't even make Brett go to church any more, do you? So, where it's not convenient, or you don't have the courage, you just ignore what the Bible says, huh?" "And all those hundreds of little rules you came up with for me - cute sayings and all: most of that stuff didn't even come from the Bible, did it? You never gave me chapter and verse, did you?" Lindsey carried on in that vein for fifteen or twenty minutes more, until both Mary and Floyd looked totally miserable. "As you may have guessed, I am not going to drop the charges. What are you going to do, go to court, or go to Transformations?" Lindsey asked after her adrenalin finally dissapated. "Lindsey, you can't possibly make me go to that place and be naked," Mary pled. "It's just wrong! And there will be men there leering at me!" "Nobody will leer at you, Mary. They are all wonderful guys. Mark's one of them. And he only leers at me." She knew she should not thrown in that last bit, but she could not resist. Mary stared at Mark and gave a strangled sound. "You... you mean he... I'll... ohhhhhh!" Trying to take some pressure off of his wife, Floyd spoke up. "Do you know how hard it is to find another job at my age? You will ruin my career. Will it make you feel better to see us lose everything?" "Mr. Hall," Mark broke in. "You won't lose your job. It is all arranged for you to work from Transformations. You would have the same computer you have at the office, and a multi-line phone. The only thing you would miss is face-to-face meetings, and I understand you don't have a lot of those, anyway." "All arranged? How did you... ? You mean you told my boss?" Floyd was very upset. "Yes!" Mark answered. "Lindsey and I and Dr. Waxman and Lindsey's lawyer went to see her. She is a very nice person and concerned about your health." He did not mention the other concerns the boss had expressed. "She will support you fully while you are a resident." Floyd looked like the air had been let out of him. The meeting lasted almost another hour. At the end, Floyd asked "If we go to Transformations, will you be our daughter again?" That question had been discussed at length. "Things will never be as they were. I will not move back in. All I can promise is that we will see you at the normal family times, and if we live here in town, your grandchildren will know you and spend time with you." "And if we choose to go to court?" "You will probably see us as often as your parents see you. You will see your grandchildren as often as your parents see me," Lindsey answered. What she did not tell them was that she would drop the charges if they chose court. The Tee was a gift she would give them. She would not make them go to court. ------- Andy was almost bouncing up and down with anticipation as he drove the last half hour toward the university. It had only been a few weeks since he had been with his sister, Beth, on the retreat, but he still could hardly wait. Having her on the retreat was the most wonderful thing he could remember. The two of them spent many hours just walking naked along the beautiful beach, playing in the surf, and sunning on the sand. All of that time they talked. He was more in love with his sister than ever, but at the same time, he was coming to grips with the impossibility of their lives together. Beth had changed in the few shorts months of the fall term. She did not love Andy any less, but her view of the world had expanded. Even her long-time intention to give her virginity to her brother was less strong than before she left. Although she was very quiet about it, she would almost wager she was the only virgin on campus. The sex was that prevalent. She was not concerned about it in any way, except for the frightening lack of good guys. It should not have surprised her, she had gotten through high school, after all. And of course, she measured every guy against Andy. The retreat had been hard for Beth, in a way. Oh, the time with Andy, her Mom, and Carla had been wonderful. Seeing her Mom happy and respected did her a world of good. The hard part was being around all the guys - all the nice, taken guys. Mark was worth robbing the cradle for, that was for sure, but he saw only Lindsey. And her nipples popped every time she looked at Terry's delicious body. Eric wasn't technically taken, and he seemed very mature, but..." Beth had heard all the jokes about going to college to get her 'MRS' degree, and she hated to think of herself that way. It was just that single career woman was not her idealized image of herself. She wanted the career, but she wanted a man to share her life with - before her biological clock became an issue. The retreat had been hard for Andy, in a way. He enjoyed all the people, and seeing his mother happy and respected warmed his heart. The hard part was being around all those women, those desirable, taken women. He would gladly have waited a few years for Lindsey, or Trish, or Jessica. Maybe Jessica wasn't technically taken, but the other two were out of circulation, for sure. Actually, Mark's fourteen-year-old sister Becks gave him some problems. There was just something about her tight little not-quite-woman body that threatened to get him twitching and swelling. Oh well, that would be even longer to wait than the others. Then there were the absolute babes: Yvonne, Shannon, Julia. The fact that they were taken did not make them any easier on his penis. It was hard for Andi to even remember his last honest-to-goodness girlfriend. The last girl he even had an interest in was the other Andi - Andi with an 'i'. Kessler, that was her last name. He grinned as he remembered her trying to call him 'Drew' to eliminate the name confusion. His grin disappeared quickly when he remembered the last few of their fifteen or so meetings in the student union. There was no question she was on something, and that chilled Andy's interest faster than anything. Maybe he was being too hard-headed, but drugs in any form turned him off completely. Actually, he didn't even like alcohol for more than a light buzz. Poor Andi had taken some blows no one should have to absorb. Still, Andy had felt a real connection with her. He was about to ask her out when she showed up high. Andy had been able to borrow a mini-van from the Tee to go and pick up Beth for the holiday break. She was not bringing home much luggage, but the van was new and a much more comfortable ride than any of the Berg vehicles. They had not yet spent any of their new earnings to upgrade their fleet. Beth's roommate was already gone, so he would spend the night in her room, and they would drive back early in the morning. The high school kids were out already, so they could cover the work hours at the Tee while he was gone. ------- Andy's welcome was warm, but it only got really warm when they were safely in her dorm room. She did not want to take a chance on any of her dormmates seeing anything suspicious with her brother. She had a suitcase, a cosmetic case, and a big bag of laundry all ready to go. In the morning, they would just grab the bedding and throw it in the laundry and they could be off. It was fairly late in the evening when Andy arrived, but he had not had much to eat so he suggested they go out. "There's a place with great brats and steak sandwiches that we could walk to," Beth told him. "It's right near the used book store where I work." Their mother had not wanted Beth to take the book store job, but there was not quite enough money to cover everything and they were all against student loans. She did not work very many hours, and sometimes she could study when things were slow. "The only bad thing is the whole area is full of hookers late at night. They won't bother us, though." It took an effort of will not to hold hands as they walked, but they still enjoyed the chance to be together again. Beth had a hundred questions about the Tee, and Andy was more than happy to talk about it. Beth thought she had not seen her brother so enthusiastic since she could remember. About a block from the restaurant, they were passing one of several girls patrolling the street corners, when Andy stopped dead in his tracks in front of one of them. "Andi?" he blurted out. ------- Gem (Andi) could not decide which was worse, the cold, or her need for another pill. Their combined misery only piled onto her existing depression to drive her deeper into despair. Hector was always on her case to not look so sad. She had lost a few tricks just because she started crying. Try not to look sad!? She felt like she was dead inside. How could she not look sad? The ridiculous micro skirt and thigh highs did nothing whatsoever to keep out the cold, and the strap-top four-inch pumps left her feet as good as bare. She had lost another trick because her hands were so cold they made the guy yelp and go soft. She tried to explain that to Hector, but he would not give her any more clothes. He said he legs were the hook, and they did no good if they couldn't be seen. There was one doorway the girls could go into for ten minute breaks to try to warm up. It led up to some ratty apartments that were noisy and smelly, but the furnace was working. Still able to indulge in a little irony, Andi thought how bad things were when warming yourself in the vomit and urine smell was what you looked forward to the most. She had been on the street for a week now. Or maybe it was three weeks. Or five. She did not honestly know, and she didn't care much, either. It had gotten to the point where she was sure Hector would start beating her, or worse, and she just gave up. She had worked hard to blot out the terror and disgust of those first few days. Now, she was learning to go through the motions without involving her mind. About her third day out, she couldn't take it, and tried to wander off. Hector's watchers caught her immediately, and the beating was beyond anything she had ever felt. When the bile started to rise as she was jacking or blowing some particularly disgusting slob, she remembered the pain. While she was working, Hector kept her just strung out enough so she was desperate for her next pill, but not so bad that she pissed off the johns. Against his own policy, he had taken over control of her pills, and she only got a full dose when her shift was over. She had perfected the valuable trait of looking at the guys but not actually seeing them. If they had any hint of a personality, it made things just that much worse. She had to keep them faceless and anonymous to protect her sanity. It had been twenty minutes since her warm-up break and she was focusing all her mental energy on trying to ignore the cold. Guys were walking by, but business was slow. She thought she heard someone say her name, her old name, 'Andi', but that was ridiculous. Nobody here knew her. At least she hoped not. Her shame was still so great she would die if she encountered anyone she knew. Suddenly, he was there - Andy with a 'y'. He was saying her name, asking what she was doing there. She wanted to run, but Hector was only three doors away, and that would be a sure beating. "Go away! Get away from me! Please! Andy, just go.!" She pled in a low but desperate voice. But again he was asking how she get here. She dared not look toward Hector. He hated her talking to anyone but potential tricks. Guys with girls never were. Not knowing what else to do, and sick with shame that he had seen her, she almost cried as she told him "Hector took me - brought me here. Now go! He'll hurt me! Please!" ------- Andi turned away from Andy and Beth and walked toward two guys who looked possible. Beth had watched the whole encounter in open-mouthed disbelief, but she was the one who woke up first. She grabbed her brother and yanked him away, almost causing him to fall he was so frozen in place. "Tha... that was Andi!" Andy sputtered when they were several doors down the street. "The girl you used to have coffee with at school?" Beth asked. "Ye... yeah. My God! She's a h... hooker!" Andy had been too shocked to know what was going on in the brief conversation, but Beth had hung on every word. "What did she mean, Hector took her?" Beth asked. She turned and looked back just in time to see Andi snap her gaze away from their direction. "Ohhhh, God! I knew she had it rough. And she was high on something at the end. But this! How could she ever do it?" "Andy, she said 'Hector took me'. Do you suppose she was kidnapped? Maybe she didn't come here on her own." Beth had gotten one good look in the girl's eyes, and it nearly made her collapse. She had never seen such despair in her whole life. Brother and sister were cut from the same cloth. The instinct to help people ran deep in both of them. Beth had only heard of the girl through Andy, but her story had brought tears when he told her. Seeing her there and looking in those eyes..." "Come on, Andy. We're going back to get the van. I don't think she wants to be there, and we're going to get her out!" "But... but... maybe her, ah, pimp is armed. Maybe he has other guys with him." "I was just about to show you my book store when you saw her. We were right in front of it. I've got a key, and I've got an idea," she told him. Dinner forgotten, they walked back as quickly as they could, with Beth chattering the whole way. She was on a mission. It reminded Andy of how he felt the night Lindsey wandered into his store, frightened and penniless. He had never seen her like this, and he didn't know how she could tell that Andi didn't want to be there. But he was too in awe to argue. Andy was pretty tired after a day at work and the six hour drive, but Beth insisted they had to drive back right away. They could not take a chance on staying overnight. They brought her luggage down and threw it in the van, then she looked in all the storage compartments until she found a flashlight. They had already locked her room, but she dashed back up and returned with a blanket. Beth was acting like someone from a spy novel. Andy was into it, as well, but there was no question she was the ramrod. She directed Andy through back streets to an alley behind the book store. There, they found room to park by the loading dock. She unlocked the door and went in alone to disable the alarm system. That was about as far as Beth had planned, and now Andy took over. He grabbed the dark blanket that she had taken from her room, and they went to the front of the store to wait. When they could see out the window, Andi was nowhere in sight. Beth swore softly, but Andy told her "Maybe she's just out, uh..." Conferring in whispers, they agreed they should wait a while. They sat with their backs against a row of shelves, positioned so they could see out, but too far from the window to be seen in the street light. Beth sat between his legs and leaned back against him. Kissing her lightly on the side of the face, he told her "You're something else, you know. How are you so sure she'll come with us?" "I saw her eyes. And I can't believe she would do it willingly. There's been some awful stuff done to girls around here lately. Don't you want to help her?" "Of course. But while I was still in shock, you were organizing everything." "Yeah, well, with the bookstore here, I... Hey, here she comes!" Andi walked right past the store before they could react, and they were both upset about missing their chance. Beth got to an angle where she could see down the street and saw Andi and another girl duck into a doorway. They talked about it and decided to wait longer. About fifteen minutes later, Andi came walking back out by the curb, obviously trying to be seen. She was moving at a leisurely pace and they thought this was their chance. When Andi got closer to the store they worked out a plan. Beth unlocked the door and kept an eye on Hector. They had to grab Andi when Hector was not looking. She was across the width of the sidewalk from them, but they did not dare call to her. Not being sure how she would react, they had decided they had to snatch her. After fifteen minutes, she still had not moved even with the door, where they had first seen her. Then, they got a break. A car pulled up to the curb and Andi stepped out to talk to the occupants. Andy and Beth were afraid she would leave with the car, but it was a no sale. As she was turning away from the street, Andi felt a cold gust of wind and tried to hug herself. She headed right for the recessed doorway of the store. When she was within arm's reach of the door, Andy stepped out and grabbed her, putting one hand over her mouth. She was inside the store with the door closed in less then five seconds. Not waiting for anything, Andy half-dragged, half-carried Andi to the back of the store, away from any light from the street. She was starting to struggle, so he let her talk. "Andi, it's Andy with a 'y' - Andy Kessler. This is my sister Beth. We're taking you home." "Home? I... how... No! I can't go yet! I don't have my pills. I can't go without my pills!" It was Beth who got right in her face. "So, you'd rather stay here and do this?" "No, I... but it will be so bad without my pills... I can't... Ohhhh!" Then Andy got decisive. He took the blanket from Beth and handed her the keys to the van. "We can't wait, Beth. No telling when that guy will start looking for her. Get the van started and the side door open. I'll bring her out and you lock this place. You had better drive and I'll hold her." "Ohhhh! Hector will kill me! But my pills! He promised! Every night! I really need 'em!" Andy had suspected Andi was not completely rational, and this verified it. Beth had hurried to get the car ready, and Andy wrapped Andi in the blanket and let her to the back door. As soon as the van's sliding door opened, he hauled Andi to it, his hand over her mouth as a precaution. He could not be sure she would not call out for help from Hector. No expert on addiction, he still knew it could make people do really strange things. It did not take Beth long to set the alarm and lock up, and soon they were moving down the alley. To her brother's shock, Beth turned and drove right past the front of the store - and Hector. "Beth, what are you doing?" "I want to know if she has been missed yet. Don't worry, the side windows are too tinted for him to see her. He doesn't look upset, does he?" Within minutes, they had cleared the campus area and were headed for the freeway. It was late evening, it was a long six hours home, and they had an addict who would be well into withdrawal by the time they got there. He still did not know how Andi got here, and how she ended up hooking. She had said 'Hector took me' and they had acted on that. He was not sorry, and he knew Beth was as determined as he was. He wondered if Andi would be able to tell them as her need became more severe. ------- Chapter 7 They were not even onto the freeway yet when Andy pulled out his phone and called Julia. He spent several minutes explaining how he knew Andi and how they had picked her up. Julia asked if she had any pills with her, and when asked, Andi said 'no' and started to cry. Julia then asked if she knew what the pills were, getting a tearful shake of the head. Julia told Andy that there was not much she could do to help the girl. It was going to be a very, very rough night. She warned him that Andi could get abusive and violent, although she suspected the worst would not happen until they arrived home. She asked if they had left town yet, and when told no, she told him to find a twenty-four hour Walgreen's and wait for her to call back. It took them ten or fifteen minutes to get to one and they were nervous about still being in town. They were quite sure Hector had no idea Andi was in their van, but they were still tense. When Julia called back, she got the number of the pharmacy and ordered a prescription. She told Andi it would only help delay the worst of the withdrawal for a few hours, giving them a chance to get Andi into a hospital. She promised to call later about which hospital and to have a doctor waiting. She told them to get some food into Andi and suggested what would be best. While waiting for the prescription to be filled, they drove to a nearby supermarket, only then remembering that they had missed their own meal when they encountered Andi. Finally, about forty-five minutes after picking up Andi, they were on the freeway headed home. Andi was alternating between maudlin and irritable, exactly as Julia had predicted. Here she was with a guy she knew pretty casually and a girl she did not know at all. Life with Hector had been terrible, but it was security of a sort, something that had been totally torn away from her with the dissolution of her family. A big part of her 'security' with Hector had been her pills. She knew how bad she felt when she was overdue. She could not imagine what quitting cold turkey was going to be like. The medicine they got from Walgreen's had helped some. It had definitely calmed her and lowered her pulse, which had been pounding after they got her into the car. As she calmed, she took time to examine the brother and sister. Even in her impaired state, she could sense the closeness between the two. She could sense it because it was the same as she had with her brother Matt - correction, used to have. That thought was all it took to bring on the tears again. Then the sister, what was her name - Beth - was asking how she got there. She did not frighten Andi, even made her feel like she really cared. Not thinking about her answers and not even sure later what she had told, she just started talking. She told about the night in the bar, the dancing, the long ride, the apartment, the string of guys. On and on she talked in a stream of consciousness. The more she talked, the more she wanted to say. She wanted so badly for the two to care what had happened to her. It had been so long since anyone cared. When the tale of her abduction and forced prostitution ended, Beth asked about Andi's family, and once again, she could not stop talking. When talking about her life with Hector, she had remained surprisingly calm. Not so as she talked about her family and its disintegration. There were long periods with no words, only sobs. As Andi talked, the miles slid by. They switched drivers and Beth sat in the back with Andi. Julia had warned about the probable panic, anger, and hysteria that could very well overtake Andi before they got her to the hospital. Andy was thankful for every minute she could talk as it shortened the time they would have to deal with the withdrawal. When they stopped at a rest area, Andy remembered to call their mother to let her know what was happening. Gretchen should have been surprised and concerned, but she knew her kids well enough to understand why they had done it, and that they would be careful. When she ran out of words from sheer exhaustion, Andi was feeling enormous gratitude to her two rescuers. As she got farther from her last pill and the effects of Julia's prescription wore off, the withdrawal effects set in. She felt some physical pain, and her mind seemed to be whirling in all directions. Fear of what was ahead had her whimpering almost constantly. At the same time, her reasoning ability was a little sharper and she did not want to hurt the Bergs. Over and over, she vowed not to scream and swear at them. She knew she had done that the times Hector had withheld her fix as a punishment. They did not deserve that treatment. She just didn't know if she had that much control. To her credit, Andi held out very well. The last hour and a half were very hard on her, but she kept her vow and held it mostly inside herself. Julia was waiting at the ER with a doctor friend who took immediate charge of Andi. Julia wrapped brother and sister in a hug. "What's going to happen to her," Beth asked. "The next two or three days she will feel like she is in Hell," Julia answered. "After that, it will be a typical addict's struggle to stay clean." "But she has nowhere to go, no home, no more family," Beth lamented. "Well, we need to talk about that," Julia said thoughtfully. "There is the issue of the medical bills, too. Tomorrow, we'll find her father and see what happens after that. You guys get some sleep. You really cannot help her at all tonight." ------- This was one more thing Julia had no business taking time for, but when it came to her employees, she just couldn't find a 'no'. All the traits that had made Andy a perfect employee of Transformations had caused him to rescue his erstwhile friend. Certainly, Andy could contact Andi's father on his own, but she knew the weight of her position was important for the girl's long-term prospects. Thus, she and Andy were ushered into Warren Kessler's office late the morning after the rescue. After introductions, Warren said "Your phone call said this meeting was about my daughter." Julia had debated how to break the news to the man. She was not feeling particularly charitable toward him, having heard how he reacted to his wife's infidelity. Though his reaction was perhaps understandable, she felt he deserved a little shock therapy. "I don't know how to make this any easier, so I will just say it," Julia began. "Last night, Andy and his sister rescued Andrea from a situation of forced prostitution. She is now in the hospital being treated for drug withdrawal." Warren's reaction was at least encouraging to Julia. He looked like he had suffered a stroke for several seconds. He went absolutely rigid and his face lost all color. His first movements where his eyes darting back and forth between his two visitors. That went on for nearly half a minute, as if he was trying to decide if they were pulling some kind of joke on him. "P... prostitution? H... how?" Andy told him the story, starting with how he knew Andi. He went into great detail and talked for about twenty minutes. "So, sh... she was already on drugs?" Warren asked when Andy finished his narrative. "Why? How could she?" Julia, despite her professionalism, was tempted to lash back sarcastically. She did not, of course, but she did not soften her tone. "Mr. Kessler, everything she knew fell apart. That is a classic situation in which young people fall into drugs. It helps them deal with the pain and the loss and the emptiness." "I suffered all those things, too. I didn't turn to drugs," Warren protested. "How many fifths did you go through in the first month?" Julia shot back, and received no response. "You had a career and twenty more years of dealing with life's struggles. She came from a happy, rather sheltered childhood, and was thrown into chaos. Now, I'm not making excuses for her. I'm just telling you from experience how and why it happens." "Andi has pretty much rejected me, you know," Warren said, obviously eager to change the subject. "Yes, I know. Now is the time you have to decide if that's the way you want to leave things. She needs a parent now more than at any time in her life," Julia told him. "Then maybe she should look to her mother. She seems to have decided I'm the bad guy, even though I'm not the one who had the affair." Warren did not try to disguise his bitterness. Deciding there was nothing else to be accomplished, Julia stood and Andy followed. They said goodbye and turned to leave. "Wait!" Warren said. "I assume there are some medical expenses. What hospital is she at?" That, to Julia, was a major victory, and she told Warren and left, not wanting to put any more pressure on the man. ------- Warren Kessler's world had been destroyed in the last year and a half just as surely as had his daughter Andi's. He was a kind, principled man who had dedicated his life to the happiness of his wife and his family. During the final years of his marriage, as his wife became less and less stable, he spent every drop of emotional energy he had. When Dottie's infidelity was revealed by her miscarriage, Warren's emotional tank was empty. Against everything he believed, and against what he intended, he lashed out, seeking to hurt and punish the woman who had ripped out his heart. In the process, he divided the loyalties of his children. Andi, the daughter he always worshipped, had become an enemy. After the break with Andi, he had often longed to just talk to her, to be with her for while. But she had made her choice. She was strong and had been brought up right. She would be OK. He missed her, but she would be OK. He had just found out that his daughter had most definitely not been OK. There were not many worse things that a father could hear about his daughter than what he had just heard. Apparently, the prostitution was not her choice, but she had gotten into drugs on her own. The doctor had made it very clear, without saying it, that it was his fault. It was very clear to Warren that he would accomplish nothing at work that day, so he left. Almost without conscious intent, he drove to the hospital. He did not know what to do about Andi, but there was one thing that was easy and obvious. Money was not a problem for him, and he stopped and arranged coverage for Andi's medical expenses. He did not go up to her room, and he did not even seek out a doctor for an update. His mind was in too much of a turmoil to handle any more input about his daughter just then. Back at his condo, he looked around as he walked in, and it seemed even more strange than it usually did. He had moved here after selling the long-time family home, but in a year and a half, it had become no more sheltering or welcoming than a hotel room. Despite his long-term aversion to an alcoholic buzz, and despite the role of booze in the destruction of his family, Warren had found occasional escape in the strong stuff. The doctor had been correct. He sought his bottle now. He had always been proud of his metal toughness and discipline. He had needed it to be married to a mercurial force like Dottie. Through all the years of marriage and child-rearing, he had been able to call upon that toughness and do what was needed to hold things together. Once, just once, he had found nothing left and he had done the normal, human thing. He already knew what that had done to Dottie. He had surreptitiously kept track of her condition. Well, she had deserved it, and that was the end of things. Now, he knew it was not the end of it. The ripples, more like a tidal wave, had engulfed his precious daughter. That was something he would have done anything to avoid. Would he? Really? Would he even have forgiven Dottie? As he pondered that question, he held up his glass and looked at the golden liquor swirling in it. No, that was not nearly the end of it, was it? Here he was, sitting alone in his slightly disorderly, nondescript condo, drinking whiskey. The tidal wave had swept him up, as well. ------- Carol had made the suggestion that she have lunch with Chelly in a fit of euphoria over Ryan's obvious love for her. Now, she was not so sure, and when she saw Chelly, the knot in her stomach made eating seem improbable. The woman was gorgeous! How could she expect to compete with that? Things changed very quickly, though, when the two were seated at the table. Without warning or apparent provocation, Chelly teared up and started to sniffle. Carol looked at her quizzically, but just waited, not saying anything. "You put me to shame, you know," Chelly said. "Fran has told me some of your story. She told me how worried you were that you couldn't hold Ryan, too. Well, he is very lucky to have you. If I had just little of your courage, my life wouldn't be the mess it is." That was not at all what Carol expected, and she did not know how to react. Seeing her surprise and confusion, Chelly went on. "I want you to know that there was absolutely nothing between me and Ryan. He was probably going to kiss me on our third date, but before he could, I kissed him off for that asshole surgeon." "Even if there had been some feelings," Chelly went right on, "I would never do anything to disturb your relationship with him." Carol still had not gotten out a word. "OK. Now I've taken care of the heavy stuff. Can we do some girl talk now?" Finally locating her voice, Carol reached across, took Chelly's hand, and said "Thank you!" After smiling for a moment, she asked "So how's the lawsuit going?" "Well, Fran is practically laughing herself to death," Chelly answered, more than willing to change the tone. "She decided to do the suit herself. She even thinks she might leave the corporate job and specialize in harassment cases." "The hospital is in an absolute uproar. The surgeon is their star, and they would hate to lose him. But he is digging in his heels and saying if they take me back, he's gone. Fran filed for $400,000, so that's what it will cost to keep him. The good thing is that I will either have my job back or a nice chunk of cash. Even if they take me back, Fran is insisting on punitive damages." Chelly then asked about Transformations and Carol's job, and things went on from there. When they had strung out the meal as long as they could, the two new friends strolled through some of the mall shops and continued their chat. ------- Sometimes, a therapist is inspired, and finds exactly the inquiry or analysis that reaches the patient's innermost psyche. Certainly, mothers passing their beliefs and styles to their daughters was nothing new. Julia, as any professional, frequently explored that pattern in her sessions. With Mary, she found a surprising level of duplication, and tragically, a sad similarity in outcome. When the psychiatrist had compared her to her own mother, Mary Hall had wanted to scream at her in anger. It was not that the doctor was wrong. For years, Mary had disquieting flashbacks to her own childhood when she was lecturing or scolding Lindsey. She had suppressed any admission of similarity, and she never allowed herself to compare her daughter's reactions to her own. Now, Dr. Waxman had gone through a point-by-point comparison of things Mary had done with things her mother had done. All those years, Mary thought she had been helping Lindsey avoid the guilt she herself had felt by keeping her from those sins. It was hard to accept that she was really doing her best to pile on that same unwarranted guilt. After the second session with the doctor, Mary had been disturbed and concerned, but not ready to concede that she had become her mother and driven away her daughter in the same way. But at the very end of the meeting with Lindsey, one of her answers struck home. When Lindsey had said that if they chose court, she would see them as often as they saw their parents, it was like closing the loop. The doctor had made the comparisons, and Lindsey had verified the diagnosis. Mary was a very strong-willed person, full of religious fervor and the certainty of her own experience. The change was not sudden. During the ride home from the meeting with Lindsey, she still railed against the girl, expressing disbelief that she could be so cruel to her own parents. The major blow occurred when Mary's parents flew in for a brief holiday visit, a fairly regular event. They stayed only two nights, and they never saw Lindsey because Mary could not bring herself to call and ask her to come over. Just before leaving, Mary's mother berated her for her cruelty in seeing them so seldom. Mary heard some of her own words, and pretense and denial were no longer possible. The night her parents left, Mary hardly slept at all. Suddenly, she could no longer protest her devotion to righteousness and her daughter's willful rejection of her values. She knew in her heart that she herself had not been lascivious and disobedient as a girl. She knew that her mother had gone far beyond reason. And she knew that she had indeed done the same thing to the innocent Lindsey. Christmas was a sad, bleak affair at the Hall home, as Mary's descent into depression dominated everything else. Floyd found himself wishing for a return of her fear, paranoia, and anger. It was so unlike her not to care about anything, but that was what was happening. Motherhood had been the single most important aspect of Mary's life, even more than being a wife. Preparing a daughter to be a mother was a special mission, and she knew now that she had failed completely. Even worse, she finally saw that she had been trying to do the wrong things. She knew that Lindsey's accusations about Brett were true, and there was little they could do to change things at that stage. She faced the very real prospect of having no children she could relate to in her later years. ------- Julia had been concerned about Mary, and had wished for more sessions. She realized she had taken some risk with her very direct approach, but she doubted she would get a chance at a full course of treatment. Her biggest hope was to get the woman into Transformations. At the end of the second session, Julia knew she had made a significant impact, but there had been no chance to follow up. Thus, it was with some surprise that she received a call from Floyd the first work day after Christmas, asking if she could see Mary again. The Mary that Floyd assisted into Julia's office for the third session was hardly recognizable as the combative ideologue from the earlier sessions. Julia was a little concerned that she had been too heavy-handed the previous time. But she had to consider what her objective had been and the time she had to work with the woman. It was a clear case of intervention. Here was a family well down the path to disintegration. The root cause was a mother obsessed with her daughter's purity but oblivious to any of her son's shortcomings. Both mother and father were miserable physical specimens, certain candidates for all the prevalent lifestyle diseases. And then there was the daughter, Lindsey. She had the ability to just walk away and never look back, probably the safest personal option. Yet, she was willing to endure even more personal stress to give her parents a chance at something better. No, Julia told herself, she had not been too heavy-handed. She owed it to Lindsey, and to her miserable parents, to do everything possible to force change. That was the whole reason Transformations was started, after all. Mary's condition was alarming, but re-birthing was starting from nothing, and at least she was well-positioned. Floyd was in the waiting room, and Julia called him right back in. As soon as he was seated, she addressed Mary. "Mrs. Hall, Mary, have you decided whether you are going to court or to Transformations?" Mary's only response was to look at Julia and break into tears. Acting on instinct and taking a huge risk, Julia told Floyd "Get her into the car and follow me. We are checking her into Transformations right now." He gaped at her for several seconds, unable to respond. There was a good deal of risk if he went along with Julia's request. Mary could very well feel that he had betrayed her. He was not at all sure her stay would get her past that - he had not acquired any real belief in Transformations himself. It was still more punishment than treatment in his mind. But what was the worst that could happen? Much as he hated the idea of divorce and assumed it could never happen, he had to admit that Mary leaving him at that point would not be the worst tragedy of his life. Ever since the ridiculous report from the principal of Lindsey having sex with three boys, he had been on a hurtling emotional roller coaster. Sex was a dim memory, and there had been very few expressions of affection between them. She was constantly moaning, crying, or yelling, sometimes at him, sometimes just seeking his sympathy. Never an easy woman to live with, she was now impossible. Selfishly, he wanted to get some relief from her. Floyd had concluded earlier that Mary needed to go in. He knew it meant he had to go, also, and he dreaded that. Still, he faced the very real prospect of his wife being institutionalized somewhere. His gut told him she would be better off under Dr. Waxman's supervision than anywhere else. When he nodded to Julia, Mary broke into a soul-wrenching wail. She did not say anything, but Floyd had to physically haul her to her feet. Then, he nearly had to drag her to the car. Seeing his difficulty, Julia told him to get in the back seat of her car and hold his wife. She would bring him back to get his car. "Don't we need to stop at home and get her things?" he asked. "There is nothing she needs. If there is something she wants later, we will arrange for it to be delivered." "Will I be able to visit?" "Mr. Hall, you will be checking in yourself, probably in a month. I am afraid I must insist on no contact in the interim. We will give you frequent reports on how she is doing, but this will work best if you do not see or talk to each other for a while. I'm sorry." Floyd was not as sorry as he thought he should have been. Life with Mary had gone from stressful to enervating. It would be a relief. Once in her car, Julia called Paul and told him what was happening. Fortunately, Norma was on site, and she would organize a welcoming committee. Everything else would follow naturally. She did suggest, without saying her name, that Lindsey stay away for the first few days. ------- Mary was the eleventh woman to check in to Transformations, but she was one of a kind. For one thing, she was the first who was not there strictly of her own free will. Of course, she had a choice, but it was not an appealing choice. She was also the only woman so far who did not recognize her need for being there. Her failure as a mother was now painfully obvious to her, but she saw the Tee as strictly punitive, rather than healing. Her physical condition was just never of any concern to her. What was of great concern to Mary, even in her severely depressed state, was her impending nudity. It had been difficult for Julia to talk on the cell phone because of the woman's pleading and crying. Floyd did not try to reason with her, deeming it useless, and being pretty distraught himself. Julia said nothing as she drove, just let Mary cry. It is likely Mary would never have entered the Tee had it not been for her state of depression. She was of a mindset that she deserved whatever was done to for the way she had messed up motherhood. The idea of being naked still terrified her, but the sin component of her fear had been substantially dampened by her guilt. Still, when Julia turned off the car in the parking lot, the wailing and pleading accelerated. Julia made a note to warn Ryan of the threat of dehydration from hours of crying. It was impossible for Julia not to feel sympathy for the wretched, blubbering mother. Anyone with a heart had to be touched by her genuine anguish and remorse, and her genuine fear of undressing in public. As for Floyd, his resolve had not survived the trip, and Julia was faced with keeping him focused, too. This was not the time for a heavy-handed approach, but Julia was left no choice. "Mary, are you ready to go in, now?" Through tears bordering on panic, Mary gasped. "N... no! I... I c... can't. I... I'll d... die of sh... shame. Th... this is wr... wrong. I... I'll g... g... go to t... trial!" "Well, you can choose the trial. I guess that means Floyd will go to court, too. If he goes to jail, he'll probably lose his job." Julia said this with a dramatic tone of sadness. "But Mary, if you don't go in here, now, you'll have to go to the hospital, to the psyche ward. I cannot let you go home in your condition." 'Psyche ward' was just a variation of Hell in Mary's thinking. As her depression had deepened, she had realized that might be her destination, and it had contributed to her debilitated condition. She did not say anything, but just stood there and blubbered. Julia was able to get Floyd to take one of Mary's arms while she took the other, and together they got her into the reception area. This was separated from the living areas by security doors. "I'll give you two a couple of minutes to say goodbye," Julia said," as she keyed in the entry combination. Inside, she first encountered Eric, and asked him to drive Floyd back to her office in her Lexus. He had met the Hall's when the friends helped Lindsey move out many months ago. Then, she briefed Norma, Barbara, and the three other women who were going to be the welcoming committee. After three or four minutes, she and Eric went out, and Eric led an extremely concerned Floyd to the car. Fortunately, Julia was standing right at Mary's elbow and was able to support her when the five naked women came through the security door into the reception area. Mary took one look, stopped crying, stopped breathing, and, Julia was quite certain, stopped her heartbeat. Her knees buckled, and Norma and Barbara both darted across the room to help Julia. "Keep her on her feet," Julia insisted. When Mary had been completely surrounded for a few minutes and the threat of stroke seemed to have passed, Julia proceeded with introductions, trying to act normally though she suspected Mary would not remember a thing. Somewhat to her surprise, the introduction of Norma as Mark's mother provoked a reaction. "Wh... why are y... you here?" Mary asked, looking at Norma's trim, tanned body. "I work here, Mary." "B... but why are y... you n... naked?" "Oh, I help the new women get more comfortable, so I get naked with them. I'll stay with you this way for a few days." "B... buy your s... son. He w... works here?" the shock was evident on Mary's face. "Yes, he does. So does my husband," Norma replied. Then, realizing what bothered Mary, she said "Oh, Mark's seen me naked many times. It doesn't bother either of us. Well, let's get you undressed, and we'll show you to your room. You look like you could use a little rest." Norma had said it matter-of-factly, but to Mary it was a cataclysmic event. She froze, unable to move and barely breathing. Julia came as close to giving up and sending her away as she ever would, concerned for her welfare. Everyone just stood expectantly for what seemed like minutes. It was Barbara who broke the stalemate. She stepped up to Mary and unbuttoned the warm jacket she wore against the December chill. The sight of the imposing, naked woman was enough to prolong Mary's inaction, and her jacket was soon being folded for storage. Almost as if they had rehearsed it, Barbara got a firm hold on Mary's arms while Norma got on her knees and took off her shoes. As soon as both feet were back on the floor, Barbara began unbuttoning the blouse, causing Mary to give a little squeal of dismay. Barbara said nothing, just looked her in the eye with a no-nonsense expression. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Norma pulled Mary's slacks down to her ankles. When Barbara finished removing the blouse, she again held her arms as Norma removed the slacks. There had been no discussion or rehearsal for undressing a reluctant newcomer, and both sisters-in-law were uncertain how to proceed next, as Mary stood weeping in just bra and panties. Julia took the initiative, deciding to take advantage of Mary's lingering shock and confusion. "Quickly!" she hissed. "Don't stop!" Norma was still on her knees and had Mary's panties to her ankles in a few seconds. Julia had helped by moving behind her and undoing the rear snaps of her industrial strength bra. Barbara pulled the bra off her arms, then steadied her again as Norma lifted her feet out of the panties. Mary was naked, and the first hurdle of he entry process had been passed. The other three women had each been there only a week or two, and they were all showing real compassion for Mary. All of them remembered their own check in trauma vividly. Every woman who checked in fell instantly in love with Lindsey, and they were all aware of what Mary had done to her daughter. Julia, Norma, and Lindsey herself, however, had talked to all the women. They understood how much Lindsey wanted this for her mother, and they were willing to put aside their natural antipathy over what Mary had done to 'their' Lindsey. Barbara and Norma had done the stripping, but the others folded the clothes for storage and stayed close around Mary for visual shielding and support. Having been stripped naked in less than a minute, Mary finally became aware of her situation, and broke into a pathetic wail. She crouched over and used her hands to cover herself as much as possible. Still without a script, Norma and Barbara played it by ear. They did not try to comfort or commiserate. Instead, they each took a hand and pulled Mary upright, forcing her hands away from covering her breast and crotch. Though she tried to resist at first, Mary had neither the strength nor the will power to put up much of a fight. Julia saw the action and keyed the security door. Another woman held it open, and two others went in first. Soon, the little entourage, with Mary still wailing and stumbling in the middle, moved toward her room. Word had spread for the men to stay out of her sight for a while. Soon, she was huddled in her bed with just Norma and Julia standing in her room. ------- All of the other women became 'acclimated' within just a few days, and the process followed a pattern. The initial entry was characterized by almost a panic to cover up. For the first day, almost everything triggered the covering reflex. The men always stayed out of sight initially, usually waiting a couple of hours before the new woman saw any of them. As the medical director and a nurse, Ryan was the first male the new woman would see. He was very good at acting completely natural and at ease, no matter how severe the woman's reaction. He matter-of-factly asked a number of appropriate questions, and stayed long enough so the woman finally stopped covering up. In a couple of cases, it took an hour. It had been decided not to do exams the first day. All of the residents had been carefully cleared by physicians, anyway, so there was no liability concern. After much discussion, it had been decided that the women should be plunged into a full, busy schedule on the very first day. The first major item was the initial measurement session. Because of his computer expertise, Mark did all of those sessions, so he became the real 'point man' for getting the women used to the exposure. There was an interesting aspect to Mark's measurement responsibilities. Norma was the official naked buddy for all new residents, and accompanied them for everything the first few days. The fact that she was completely comfortable being naked with her son Mark proved a source of great wonderment to the women, and a valuable distraction from the embarrassment of the measurements. One of the biggest surprises to Julia and the experts was how quickly the women 'bonded' to the men, especially the young guys. At first, they were all mortified at the thought of the guys seeing their bodies, especially their genitals. Initially, the problem was simple modesty, but it quickly shifted to shame over their condition. Over the course of a few days, the guys would coach them through their exercises and give them massages. Then, they would strip and join them in the pool or hot tub. As the women began to realize that the guys were not reacting with revulsion to their appearance, they began to welcome their presence, rather than avoiding it. The fact that the guys showed genuine interest in them and were good conversationalists just strengthened the attraction. The same phenomena applied to Lindsey and Trish. There just was not the initial fear as with the guys. Sadly, many of the women had not had approval or even acceptance from a male in some time. Julia later chided herself for being surprised, but the obvious evidence of crushes on the guys caught her off guard. Some definite stages began to be evidenced. The first, obvious one was general body-shyness. At first, anyone, female or male, seeing their breasts, ass, or crotch was extremely hard on the women. Fortunately, that stage seemed to last only a day or two. Since there was simply no way to hide everything, they got over it simply by being constantly exposed. The second stage did not end as naturally, and it involved just the pussy. Newcomers tended to move unnaturally just to keep their legs tight together and keep their labia and anus hidden. From Greg's experience with Shannon, Julia had decided it was best to force the issue early and get it over with. On the very first day, the women would be introduced to all the exercise machines, especially those that left the crotch most exposed. Norma had developed a spiel about being totally exposed sooner or later and getting it over with. The guys assisting with the exercises were instructed to stand where the woman's crotch was most visible to them, and not try to be discreet. The approach produced its share of tears and some anger, but it never pushed any of the residents to bail out. Norma never had to go through her little pep talk more than twice to any resident. The next recognizable stage was anguish over physical condition. Once past the initial shock of exposure, a few days at the most, the women became upset at how bad they looked. They spent a lot of time apologizing for their appearance. The staff had anticipated this, and had drilled a lot on the best conversational approaches to help get the women through this phase. As it turned out, fellow residents probably had as much impact as did the staff. The target stage was determination. This was where the women needed to be before the full benefit of re-birthing could occur. It was reached when the woman stopped apologizing profusely over her poor appearance. It was characterized by signs of at least some pride in her looks. Make-up, hair done, nails done, body powder or body lotion, all were signs the woman was working at how she looked. Given the environment of nudity, there were some unique manifestations. Rouge on nipples was not uncommon. Trimmed pubic hair was a sure sign of entering the determination stage. Nearly all of the woman checked in with rampant bushes. No one shaved their labia bare, but a trimmed patch became a social necessity. Obviously, not all of the residents could like all of the others equally, but in general, they were all very gregarious. When not involved in their busy schedules, they were always in groups. Even while working out, there was constant chatter. The staff was never left alone, either. During their leisure time, the women seemed fixated on the guys or the girls. When the first overt signs of affection appeared, the young people were taken aback. Barbara, of course, had had to restrain herself around Mark from the first. But after a week or two, all of the women seemed to become very affectionate. Forgetting all about their bare skin, they would frequently wrap one of the kids in a hug. When sitting next to them, their hands would be constantly touching. Julia had called a couple of meetings to address the unexpected level of touchy-feely. In discussions with her consultants, she decided that the frequent PDAs validated the decision to employee the young folks. Not that Paul and Ryan were immune, but the young guys seemed to be the primary targets. What she was unsure about was how the guys should respond, and should they initiate anything. For example, if a woman completed a tough exercise, or accomplished some other goal, should an attendant offer a congratulatory hug? If they were sitting side by side watching TV, and the woman snuggled close, should he put his arm around her? If he did, was there a chance she might pull his hand over her breast? The thirst for affection had surprised them, and they did not want to do anything negative toward the women. Question was, what was negative? Treatment of the residents had been a major topic at the retreat. Simple courtesies were declared the basic operating doctrine of the Tee. Opening doors, holding chairs, constantly asking if anything was needed - these were key parts of the staff job. And it worked. Despite having to walk around with their least attractive bits on display, the women were given the sense that it was privilege to be there. It worked very well. They also considered it a privilege to have access to good-looking, considerate males, and several of them took constant advantage of that access. Massages, for example, had been a subject of some controversy. All of the attendants had been trained, but the propriety of working on the naked bodies was a real concern. Also of concern was how the women would react to the prospect of being handled, naked, by one of the men. Towels draped over buttocks in standard massage fashion were even considered. That, however, was too counter to the whole nudity approach, and was rejected out of hand. Almost without exception, the women became addicted to their massages. Once they gained comfort with their nudity, they seemed eager for the luxury of touch. By policy, the guys worked only down to the waist, and on the lower legs. They were allowed to do more if requested. Virtually every woman asked for her buttocks and thighs to be worked. The guys never asked the women to turn on their backs, but nearly every one did it on her own. The bolder ones would raise their legs to be massaged, either unconcerned or eager for their pussies to be fully exposed. The initial experience with Shannon had shown how important sexual acceptance was. It was verified again and again at the Tee. The early concerns about the women asking for sexual stimulation were quickly revived. It did not happen in the first few weeks, but there was general agreement that it was inevitable. Since the atmosphere at the Tee was markedly different from what Shannon and Julia went through at Greg's home, there were many questions about what kind of feeling would evolve. After just a few weeks, some things were clear. The overall feeling was of a place of refuge, of security, and of family. Probably because of the nudity, the women spoke freely of being more open than they ever had been at home. The family feeling included a very high level of camaraderie between the women. The degree of closeness surprised Julia at first, but she was gratified by it. Upon reflection, she decided a lot of it was due to the Ventris. Barbara, the first resident, was very close to her brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. When the next women arrived, they were just included in that close circle, and things evolved from there. She had to laugh to herself over how flat out lucky she had been. Norma had been an afterthought, but was in some respects the key person in the whole operation. Her strength of personality and her pervading good nature were infectious. The combination of her and Barbara was something Julia could not have put together on purpose. ------- Julia had to make some quick decisions after Mary's spur-of-the-moment check in. The introductory process had ben thoroughly studied and planned out, and the first few weeks had proven it quite effective. However, not much about Mary fit the pattern of the previous residents, except for her miserable physical shape. The biggest decisions about Mary concerned her rate of exposure. Her measurement session was already delayed for at least a day. Because of Mary's extreme feelings about nudity, Julia considered a drastically slower immersion into a normal schedule. Since it was through Lindsey's efforts that Mary had checked in, Julia called to talk to her. She was not of a mind to baby her mother at all. Julia had to remember that the girl was in a punishment mode, but she did make some good points. There were two deciding factors for Julia. First, Lindsey asked why her mother should be allowed to disrupt the normal schedule of the place. She was there, after all, as punishment, and it did not seem right to inconvenience anyone else because of her. The other factor was Julia's experience in her second session with Mary. There, she had taken a very aggressive tack, and it had definitely produced results. She decided that Mary would be given the rest of that day to acclimate, and the next day would be treated as a normal new check in. ------- Chapter 8 Norma let Mary nap as long as she wanted to. She either stayed in the room with her, or was close by for the three hours that Mary stayed in bed, trying to sleep, but mostly tossing restlessly. When Mary's bladder forced her to get up, Norma scurried out to fetch Ryan while she was still in the bathroom. She timed it just right, and Mary screamed when she walked out of her bathroom to see Ryan standing there. Norma was right at her side to make sure she did not faint, but otherwise did a good job of acting like nothing was wrong. She did grab Mary's left hand and hold it tightly. Then she introduced Ryan, telling his position and responsibilities. Ryan held out his right hand for a handshake, and just kept it there. Mary had only her right hand to cover part of herself, and the mental struggle whether to expose her crotch for the handshake was obvious on her face. She finally acceded to the social requirement and shook his hand. Making a show of warmth, but actual doing everything he could to keep her from covering up again, Ryan gave her a little welcome and encouraged her to call on him whenever she felt she needed his help. Ryan went to the bathroom and brought back a glass of water, then gave Mary a pill from her prescription. He then told her he would do a complete physical on her the next day. That did not give Mary anything to look forward to. Mary would have preferred to stay in her room for the duration of her 'sentence', but Norma had to get her out and about. Ryan had said the pill, stronger than usual, would take about twenty minutes to have any effect. Norma made small talk and asked Mary what kinds of cosmetics and toiletries she used. She went and fetched the items she knew they had in stock, trying to do some little things to begin to make the room more a home. The pill was not strong enough to prevent tears when Norma said it was time to tour the place and meet the people. Mary naturally assumed people meant men, and her terror returned. The fact that she had survived her encounter with Ryan did not seem to register. When Norma took her hand to lead her out, she reared back like a stubborn donkey. "I... I can't do it!" This possibility had been rehearsed. "Oh, I'm sad to hear that," Norma said. "Well, I'll go call Floyd and he can let the DA know of your choice." "No, no! I don't want that! C... can't we just wait until later?" Norma assumed a kindly tone and took both of Mary's hands in her own. "Mary, you're here now, and you don't want to go to court. I really believe you can do yourself some good here, but you have to decide to. You know, if you don't meet those goals, the DA can still haul you into court." Mary's face broke up at that. "Since you're here, we're going put you through the same schedule as all the other women. There are ten others, and when you meet them, I'm sure they will tell you they were afraid, too, but they got through it fine. Now, will you come with me?" "Are... are there, uh, men there?" "You've already met Ryan. My husband, Paul, is here, and we're going to meet him soon. Two of the young guys, Eric and Terry are here, too." "But... but I can't... I don't want them to see me." Mary voice was heart-wrenching as she said it. "Honey, there are ten other naked women out there, eleven counting me. The guys see all of them all the time. There's nothing to worry about." Saying that, Norma shifted to a sterner tone. "Now, let's go. It's not going to be any easier in an hour or a day or a week. It will just make you be here that much longer." Mary was no match for Norma's personality, and off they went to see the facility and meet the rest of the people. By prior arrangement, the men stayed out of sight until they had toured everywhere and met the other women, and Carol, who was the only female staff present right then. After nearly an hour of walking around and chatting, Norma led Mary to Paul's office. He came out to greet them, and Mary would have fallen backwards if Norma had not been there to catch her. Norma grabbed her hands to keep her from covering up, and she was just able to say hello. The meetings with Eric and Terry were very brief, and without incident. Norma did not let Mary back to her room for the rest of the afternoon. At supper, Norma, Paul, and Barbara sat with Mary. Predictably, she ate almost nothing, being too concerned about Paul seeing her. He, in turn, made a conscious effort not to look at her unless he had something specific to say to her. Mary offered nothing, but that was expected for several days. Each of the other guys was sitting at a table with a few women, and Mary was seated so she could see the other tables. Numerous times she looked over at the interaction between the women and the guys. There was a good deal of hilarity and some affectionate touching by the women. Norma noticed Mary's eyes widen in disbelief several times as she watched. After supper, all of the women made it a point to spend some time talking with Mary. They told her their stories and asked about hers. An hour after dinner, she had to leave the table to use the bathroom. Norma let her go alone to see if she would return by herself. She did not, but did not make a fuss when Norma went to fetch her. Several women liked to work on the weight machines in the evening, and Norma took Mary to watch. She made sure Mary was positioned for a perfect crotch view on one of the women, and Mary nearly fainted at the sight. Terry was there monitoring the woman, and Mary looked ready to faint again at what he could see. She said nothing, but Norma assumed she was picturing herself exposed on that machine. Paul would normally have gone home to supervise supper for the kids, leaving Norma with her new charge. However, they had left Mark and Lindsey in charge, and Paul stayed. About 9:30, Norma suggested they take a hot tub and then get some sleep, as Mary would have a full day on the morrow. She went willingly with Norma and Barbara, and they had just stepped into the tub when Paul walked over, naked. This time, Mary did fall, but since she was in the water, there was no harm. Seeing a naked man other than her husband was a jolt to Mary, but it was comical when he started explaining how the guys had to be naked in the water, just like the women, and how they were required to join the women daily. Mary looked at him like he was some alien creature and she could not believe he was talking. When the four of them stood in the showers and the three chatted as they rinsed off the treated water, Mary literally looked on with open mouth. When Paul gave his sister a naked hug and a goodbye kiss before doing the same to his wife, it was almost too much for the newcomer. ------- When Paul had left, Norma told Mary to wait in the shower, and fetched her shower and shampoo kit. She had found that washing, drying, and brushing a new woman's hair had a wonderful therapeutic effect. She had no desire to be that friendly with Mary because of what she had done to Lindsey. However, it was her job and she took it seriously. Besides, in a way she was doing it for Lindsey. She knew what it would mean to the girl if her mother's stay achieved its goals. The wash, dry, and comb had a significant calming effect on Mary. They finished up sitting on the bed in her room. Mary had never had a woman friend to share something that intimate with, so it was one more new experience. She did not have the warmest of feelings about Norma because she knew Lindsey was living with them. Still, Norma had done everything possible to ease her anguish. She could not work up any anger at her. After all, she herself had driven her daughter away. Norma had not stolen her. "It seems you haven't seen many naked men, have you, Mary?" "N... no. Of course not. Where would I? Was I that obvious?" "Your surprise and fascination were obvious. Can't blame you though. I can't keep my eyes off of him even after all these years. I tell you, us gals have some wonderful eye candy around here." Norma chuckled as she said it. "Eye candy?" "Yeah! Studs. Great looking guys. You'll get to see all of them naked before long." "Really?" Mary knew that should not interest her, but she somehow couldn't help it. Some of the old guilt feelings returned. Norma looked over Mary's shoulder from where she sat behind her, brushing her hair. It caused a significant change in her feelings about the woman. Mary's breasts were substantial, overly fleshy, and they sagged down onto her bulging belly. But the nipples stuck out like little fingers. She was a mess, physically and emotionally, Norma knew, but she suddenly seemed more human and definitely more female. "Well, Mary, I'm glad to see the thought of those great naked bodies and those lovely penises interests you." "Huh?" "I can see from your headlights that you are interested. Your nipples." Norma was very sorry she had teased when Mary threw her arms across her breasts and started crying. "What's wrong, Honey?" she asked, putting a hand gently on Mary's flabby bare shoulder. "I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't let that happen," Mary wailed. "What do you mean, you shouldn't let that happen?" Norma asked in amazement. "If it didn't happen, there would be something wrong with you!" "But it's sinful!" "If I go and get a Bible, will you show me where it says your nipples shouldn't get hard and your pussy shouldn't drool at the thought of a beautiful, naked man? "Well, I..." Mary stammered, "... I shouldn't think about that." Norma was, of course, not privy to Julia's findings about Mary, but she was making some of her own. Now her feelings about Mary were really changing. From her earlier antipathy to outright pity. This woman had a bucketful of problems and hangups. "Mary," Norma asked cautiously, "this is a king-sized bed. Would you mind if I slept here with you so we could talk for a while?" Instinctively, Mary thought that was probably wrong - sinful. But she could not think why. Norma was showing more care for her than anyone had in a long time. She needed that right now, and she would love to just talk. Norma was not a believer, but she was close to Lindsey, and that made her important to Mary. Surprising herself, Mary said "I... I'd like that." It was at least two hours before the two women even attempted sleep. For Norma, it was a lesson in thankfulness. For all the things she used to think her parents screwed up, they got it mostly right compared to what Mary grew with. ------- Beth and Andy's expected reunion in her dorm room had been wiped out by the rescue of Andi. By the time they got her home to a hospital, the next day had already started, and they got by with a few naps. Andy insisted he wanted to stay with Andi the next night. Beth was upset at first, but soon got over it. Then, she insisted they split the night. She ended up staying until 1:30am and Andy took over then. It took special intervention from the doctor, but they were allowed in. The first night, neither Beth nor Andy got much sleep. Andi was well into the worst pangs of withdrawal and spent much of the night thrashing around, trying to get out of bed (she was strapped in), screaming, and swearing. They were constantly mopping her face and neck with cool cloths. Both siblings were dead set against drugs, but that night and the next gave them a whole new perspective on addiction. By the third night, Andi was lucid enough to talk with them, and the restraining straps were off. She could hardly talk, though, without breaking into tears. She was thankful for the rescue, ashamed of how they had seen her act, and depressed that nothing had changed from what got her into drugs. She still did not have a place to call home, and she was still estranged from her father and her brother. She was astonished but very pleased to learn that her father had covered her bills. The third full night home, Andy and Beth visited the hospital early, then went on a date. There was a concert by a group they both liked. After a quick dinner, they joined the mob. They stood, yelled, danced to the music, shouted along with the words, sweated, and cheered with the other fans. For once, they forgot about anyone they knew seeing them and held each other unashamedly, like lovers. Back home in the upstairs room, they threw off their clothes and hurried into the shower. Not only were they hot and sweaty form the concert, but they were both dying for the feeling of bare skin against them. The water was not even fully warm when Beth reached up to kiss Andy while taking his already-swelling cock in both hands. "Hey, you don't have to do that yet," he protested. "Get to!" she replied. "I've been waiting weeks for this. Besides, I'll bet you're about ready to burst." "You got that right." He moved his hand to her crotch. "Huh uh, Lover," she insisted. "I'll get my chances later." With that, she began stroking in earnest. True to her assessment, he was more than ready and unloaded in barely a minute. As he recovered, she washed him very thoroughly all over. He returned the favor with at least as much care before they dried each other tenderly. Andy had first tried oral sex on Beth before she left for school. On the Transformations retreat in the tropical paradise, they had practiced on each other extensively. His sister's fresh, clean pussy had become his most treasured delight, and he wasted no time when they fell into bed. From the intensity of her kisses and the almost frantic way she clung to him during the concert, he guessed that she was as needy as he had been. He was always considerate, spending plenty of time arousing her. Now, however, he went right for her clit, rewarded with a loud "Yessss!" as he sucked it between his lips. It had not taken Beth long to lose any apprehension about Andy touching any part of her body. There was no place too intimate for him to explore and stimulate. As Andy sucked on her clit and massaged it with the tip of his tongue, he lightly ran his fingers the whole length of her crack. From where his mouth was attached to her clit all the way back to her coccyx, he traced a fingertip in a way he knew drove her wild. She raised her knees and spread them as far as she could. As his finger moved, she wriggled her pelvis as if trying to increase contact. As he brushed over her anus, she jerked each time. He did not count the number of circuits he made with his finger, but her excitement was building rapidly. When she began breathing in broken gasps, he pushed his thumb into her passage while laying her middle finger back along her crack. As rapidly as he could, he plunged his thumb in and out, knowing from experience that there was no danger of injuring her hymen that way. When Beth came, it was surprisingly strong for her first orgasm. The weeks of separation followed by the three nights with Andi had built up a great pressure in her, too, and her twitches and tremors lingered for a long time. Andy pulled himself up face to face with his sister and wiped his face on the sheet before kissing her. She was barely recovered, but kissed back hungrily as he wrapped her in a hug and tried to squeeze their bodies into a single being. After a long, intense kiss, and while she was still panting, she said softly "This is another of those time I think I'm just being silly about this virginity bit." Pulling his head back, he said rather sternly, "Now, we've been over that again and again. I'm well taken care of, believe me." "But you never get to put it in anyone, poor guy!" she commiserated. "Poor guy, hah!" he said with a chuckle. "Do you know I have hardly slept alone up here since you left for school? On nights when I'm home, I'm with either Mom or Carla." "I assume the rules are still the same?" she asked. "Yeah. Mom and I cuddle, and a few times she has let me suck on a nipple. But she has pretty strong feelings about getting each other off, so we don't. Still, I love sleeping with her. Beth, you should see her at the Tee! She has just blossomed. I'm so happy for her." "The Tee? Oh, that's a good nickname. That's great about Mom. Now, if she can just find a man! So, you and Carla..." "She doesn't have Mom's concerns. I'm the one who keeps us from going all the way. We do pretty much everything else." "Your mouth?" "Uh huh. She needs a man just as much as Mom does. And both would be lucky guys. Those are two sexy ladies." "And how about you. Have you got anything going at all?" "Nah. I've been so busy, I've only had time to wish you were home." "Awwww, you're sweet," she cooed. "You know Andy, that was some pretty tough stuff we talked about at the end of the trip. But I've thought about it a lot, and I'm feeling a lot better now. It's the right thing." On the retreat, the siblings had several long discussions about their futures. Both had long-term fantasies about a life together, and had come to tearful agreement that it would never happen. They had re-affirmed that they would never love each other any less. Beth even told him she wanted him as a sexual partner in the future, regardless of her marriage. "You've never met Paul's sister Barbara," Andy said. "She's at the Tee. The two of them look a lot like us. You can just see the love between them." "Are they, uh, intimate?" "No way to know, but I doubt it. I am just so impressed when I see them together." "Well, let's make sure people are always impressed with us, too. Say, Andy, what about Andi?" and she giggled a little. "Do you have feelings for her?" Andy paused quite a while before answering, then "Yeah, I do. Problem is, I don't know how much is just guilt." "Guilt? Whatever for?" "I was going to ask her out, back when we were having coffee at school. But I noticed she was high, and I backed off." "So? Why guilty about that?" "I keep thinking if I had started going with her, it might have given her some hope - something to hold onto. It might have kept her from getting so deep into drugs. It sure would have kept her out of that bar alone that night she was kidnapped." "Come on, Andy! That's pretty far-fetched thinking." "I guess. But I just can't get it out of my mind." "Well, I guess that's why you're Andy. Helping people 'til it practically kills you." "Hah! Look who helped sit a stranger through withdrawal for two nights!" "Guess it's genetic. Um, could you go with her now, after what she's done?" "Sure. I can't hold that against her. I hate the drugs, but I understand how it happened to her. As for the other - that wasn't her fault." "Too bad her father couldn't have been that forgiving," Beth mused. "None of this stuff would have happened to her." "You know, I'm worried about her," Andy said. "Oh?" "What happens when she gets out of the hospital? She has no money and nowhere to go," Andy explained. "Could she go into, uh, the Tee? She sure needs a chance to change her life. She should be a perfect candidate." "It costs as lot of money. I can't see her dad putting it up." "What about employee scholarships? You haven't used yours," Beth pointed out. "They're pretty strict about those being for family members." After Andy said that, there was a long silence. During the silence, the caresses increased in intensity. Eventually, he took a nipple in his mouth, and she stroked his cock to fullness. She turned around in bed and took his hardness in her mouth. At the same time, she raised her leg in invitation to him. He responded immediately, this time starting his more usual gradual, teasing approach. She was no longer as fresh and clean as before, but it was the Beth smell, and he found it intoxicating. He licked in broad, slow strokes all over her crotch area, and kept that up from several minutes. He had found that by concentrating on what he was doing to her, he could forestall his own arousal for some time. They started out sided by side, and she had to hold her leg up for him. After a few minutes, he grabbed her firmly by the hips and rolled them both over so she was atop him. He pulled her back so her pussy was in easy reach with pillows under his head. He began working his tongue right into her cleft. Beth never seemed to tire of fondling her brother's genitals. They were a source of immense fascination to her. While she sucked on his shaft, she had one or both hands busy loving his balls. Sometimes she would just cradle them. Sometimes she would bounce them gently. Sometimes she would roll them lightly around in his scrotum. She particularly liked to complete enclose them in both hands. Often she would fall asleep with his soft shaft and his balls all held in her cupped hands. As Andy's tongue explored the intriguing folds within her outer labia, hers traced the veins and the spongy crown of his cock. Both reveled in the dual pleasure of exploration and pleasure-giving. Knowing that she could come many more times than he could, Andy worked aggressively to bring her off again. After several minutes, he felt her efforts on his cock slacken, and he knew she was on the way. There had been some earlier protests from Beth about Andy making her climax first, but they had gotten past that debate. She understood his desire to please her, and appreciated it. Now, she just let herself start the wonderful climb and was rewarded by an intense orgasm. For what seemed like minutes, she writhed and jerked atop him before settling down in exhaustion. As he was wont to do, Andy did not let up when she came. Rather, he kept his tongue active and began using his hands more. He again started the tickling along her crack that always excited her so well. He knew her clit would be too sensitive for direct stimulation for a little while, so he sucked and nibbled on the lips, then thrust his tongue as deep into her as it would go. He had learned her responses well in the short time they had been indulging in sex play. After he again addressed her clit, it was a very few minutes before Beth came again. This one was not as strong, but on the heels of the previous large one, it left her limp and panting. It had taken some earnest discussion to keep Beth from feeling obligated to take care of Andy right away. He wanted her to enjoy the full afterglow of her own explosions. She understood his feelings and loved him the more for it. Using what little energy she could muster, she turned around to bring her head up to his and lay down atop him, face to face. Reaching between them, she stood his cock up between her legs and clamped them tight around it. Beth wondered if all men did the loving things Andy did. He would spend many long minutes just caressing wherever he could reach after she had come. His touch was as expressive as any words he could say. Several times she had fallen asleep right where she was. But not this time. As she regained some strength, she pushed her body downward so her pussy lips were snug against his rigid shaft. Then, using her pelvic muscles, she began rubbing her pussy up and down on his cock. His reaction was a groan, and then a thrusting motion of his own. Before long, they were moving frantically against each other in a dry fuck, although things were plenty moist down there. This was a new adventure for the brother and sister. Andy knew Beth had gone on the pill before leaving for school, so he was not worried about pregnancy. There was no way he would penetrate her, so the risk was very small, anyway. It was good he had that assurance, because the feeling was so fantastic he was losing the ability to think. He thought she might pull off and use her hand or her mouth as he got close, but she just kept up the motions and gave a little squeal of her own when he jerked against her in ejaculation. The two took another quick but intimate shower, then snuggled into each other and just talked. Somehow, their naked flesh pressed together always made communication spontaneous and easy. The gentle fondling and caressing did not interrupt their conversation, but seemed to intensify it. Neither came again, but they fell asleep each with a hand in the other's crotch. ------- Norma knew the day would be traumatic for Mary, and actually felt sympathy for her as she woke by her side. She agreed with Julia's decision to keep her on the 'normal' track, though. She went off to her own room for her morning routine, chuckling too herself at how simple that routine was with no clothes involved. When she returned, Mary was up and using the bathroom. She came out and told Norma "I... I don't know how I can make it through today. Wh... what is this measurement session." Norma described the pictures, the three different versions, naked, swimsuit, and shorts and shirt. She told about the computer simulation. "Will you be taking the pictures?" Mary asked hopefully. "No, Mark does all the first sessions. He is so good at the..." Mary's anguished cry cut her off. "But... but he's... Lindsey... I know him... that's..." She could not speak intelligibly. This crisis was not unexpected. "Mary, my Mark is a really nice guy. He has done this same thing for all the women who have checked in. Believe me, he has seen everything." "But... but he could be my... my..." "Yes, I would say it is certain that he will someday be your son-in-law." "But it isn't right for family to see me like this," Mary wailed. "Is it better for strangers to see you? If you think about it, it should be better for someone who cares," Norma told her. "But he doesn't care! He doesn't like me." "Honey, Mark loves your daughter. She cares about you, so he does." "Lindsey cares? Then how can she put me in here?" Instead of answering, Norma pulled Mary from her room, giving her no chance to object. She towed her to the exercise room, where one corner was filled with full length mirrors. She stood Mary facing the corner and said quite sternly "Describe yourself, Mary." For over twenty minutes, Norma forced Mary to talk about every part of her body. Being naturally full-figured, the extra fifty or more pounds Mary carried were decidedly unappealing on her. Though she was reluctant to talk about her breasts and various other parts, Norma did not let up. Norma then asked Mary to describe what kind of exercise she normally got, which was essentially none. She next asked her what the physical was likely to show as for as blood pressure, blood sugars, lipids, and several other key indicators. Mary try to demur, but Norma kept at her until she admitted her numbers would probably be poor. Finished by the mirrors, Norma took Mary's hand again, this time much more gently, and led her to breakfast. At the table, she asked, "Now, Mary, why do you think Lindsey made you come here?" Mary obviously did not want to answer, but finally said "She... she claimed it could save my life. She said it would make the rest of our lives better." "Does that sound like she doesn't care?" Norma asked. Mary just looked at her and teared up. Just then, Mark appeared, and greeted the completely stunned Mary in a very relaxed, friendly manner. Then, he gave his naked mother a firm hug and a kiss, causing Mary to choke. ------- There had been hurried discussion after Mary was admitted about who should be her main attendant. Mark was the obvious suggestion because of the connection. The dissenters feared it would seem too punitive making her initial, painful exposures be to her future son-in-law. The prevailing view, though, was that she was there partly for punishment, so punitive was OK. Mark was the one least excited about the idea. He just plain did not like the woman, for obvious reasons. He and Lindsey had argued the point the night before, and he agreed to do it for her. He suspected his mother was having just as much trouble having to buddy the woman, so he was not alone. The measurement session was as agonizing for Mary as Norma had expected. She kept on wailing that Mark should not see her, that it was wrong. It took longer than usual to get through it because she froze up so many times. For the exam, it was just Ryan and Norma with her, and Mary took it much better. Ryan wore a lab coat, and that symbol of a medical professional seemed to depersonalize him enough so she could tolerate it. The worst scenes of the day came when Mary was introduced to the exercise machines. The first time she had to spread her legs, she went almost catatonic. Having been warned of the potential problem, everyone else had vacated the exercise area. Norma took a very stern attitude toward her charge. "OK, Mary, that's enough. Let me ask you once again; would you rather go to trial?" When the response was a tearful shake of the head, Norma went on. "Good. We have to get past this fear of Mark seeing your pussy - your vagina. Every woman here has one, and they're all pretty much the same. You can't do the things you need to to leave here without people seeing everything you have between your legs." At the moment, Mary was lying on a bench, trying to keep her legs tight together. Norma pulled one leg outward and motioned for Mark to take the other. Mary screamed, but they ignored her and held her open. Mark grabbed one hand as she tried to jam it in the way. "See," Norma said as the screaming stopped. "Mark can see everything now, and the world didn't end and lightning didn't strike us. Did it hurt you?" There was no response to that from Mary. "This is going to happen a lot, Mary, and you have to get used to it. If you make a fuss the next time you have to spread your legs, I will shave you bald in your crotch. Then everyone will see everything all the time. Would you like that better?" "Oh, no, no, no!" Mary cried. "This is so wrong. It's so sinful. I feel so humiliated." Neither mother nor son tried to respond to that. One way or another, they got through the rest of the exercises and moved on to the next battleground, a massage. Predictably, Mary was horrified at the prospect of Mark touching her naked body. He was not excited about it, either, but gave her a thorough, but by-the-book going over. For the very last shock of the day, Norma led Mary to the showers to rinse off the massage oil. Mark shed his clothes and joined them. Mary went into her usual shock at first, but when they finished and headed for the pool, she seemed to be less concerned than she had been all day. ------- Supper and the evening passed without any more major blowups from Mary. As bedtime approached, Norma again sat on Mary's bed brushing her hair. When Mary didn't initiate any conversation, Norma could not resist stoking the embers a bit. "Doesn't Mark have a nice body? I don't think I'm just biased because I'm his mother, either. He inherited his father's nice package, too. That should make your daughter very happy." As Norma had expected, that triggered a tirade from Mary. She felt a need to keep pushing the woman, trying to move her off of her rigid Puritanism. Unwilling to admit her own delight in the taunting, she kept telling herself it was for Lindsey. Norma did not volunteer to sleep with Mary that night, although she did not go home. ------- It had been decided to keep Lindsey's involvement with the Tee from Mary until she was settled in better. She did not like having to stay away, but went along. The situation changed unexpectedly. Beth called Julia and asked if there was any way Andi could stay at the Tee. Julia had considered that herself, but was curious why Beth had asked. "I think Andy has an interest in her," Beth explained. "He needs someone, and I want to see her get well so they have a chance together." Julia was too touched to say anything for a moment, then asked "Do you think she would be a good partner for your brother, given her history?" "None of it is really her fault, and it's not a problem to Andy. She must be a pretty good person or he wouldn't be interested. Is there a way to get her in?" The point troubling Julia was that Andi would not be at all a typical resident. However, Transformations' original intent was to help people turn their lives around. Few needed that more than Andi. Payment was not really a problem. There was room for at least one more 'freebie' under Paul's calculations. "Do you think she would want to be here?" Julia asked. "As opposed to where?" Beth retorted. "Good point. Do you think you could talk her into it?" "If you say she is in, I will give it a try," said Beth. "If she agrees, I'll go in naked with her - like Norma does for the older women." Julia knew what kind of employees she had, but offers like Beth's, not even from an employee, continued to bring her near to tears. She told Beth to go ahead. Beth left immediately for the hospital. Shocking as her proposal was, she caught Andi distraught over what she was going to do when she was released. The idea of being isolated, secure, and protected from the outside appealed to Andi immediately. She was determined to be rid of drugs forever, and she knew she might fail on her own. As with everyone else, the nudity stopped Andi cold. She at first did not believe it, then tried to see if there was a way out of it. The thought of Andy working there while she was naked almost made her turn it down. After a lot of back and forth, she suddenly broke into laughter. When Beth asked what was so funny, Andi said bitterly "I've let all these slobs see my body for weeks, and now I worry about the one nice guy in my life seeing me naked. Isn't that a joke?" Belying any humor, she broke into sobs. Beth watched quietly for a moment, then moved over to wrap Andi in a comforting hug. Even in Andi's state, she could see why her brother liked her. There was an intangible connection with her personality that she was sure Andy felt, as well. She was becoming more convinced that this was the right partner for her beloved brother. She herself could not be the one, but she could make sure he found the right one. Andi was a long way from being ready for her brother, but she would get there, especially with the help of the Tee. "Andi, I'll go naked with you at Transformations. That should make it a little easier. It's really your best chance to get your life back. The money is all taken care of. What do you say?" "You would do that? I... God, Beth, I need help. Yes, I'll do it. And thank you, thank you! You and Andy are two of a kind." ------- When Lindsey heard a little of Andi's story, she got on the phone with Beth to get the details. When Beth said she was going naked as Andi's buddy, Lindsey told her she would call back in a few minutes. After a quick call to Trish, Lindsey called Beth and told her Andi now had three naked buddies. Julia heard about the buddy plan for Andi, and called Lindsey right away. "What about your mother, Lindsey?" Julia asked. "I don't think she is ready to see you there naked. It's too soon." "Julia, don't take this the wrong way, but I am more concerned about Andi. Beth thinks she is the right girl for Andy. He is a good friend, and he deserves someone. I want to help. My mother has made her mistakes. She will just have to handle my presence." Though tempted to try and soften the girl's attitude toward her mother, Julia thought better of it. She herself would have to put the needs of Andi, the innocent victim, over those of the woman whose warped ideals had driven her own daughter away. They ended up discussing how best to ease Mary into it. ------- At Mary's second breakfast at the Tee, she was once more brought almost to collapse when Lindsey appeared. She was just walking into the eating area when she saw her daughter. She covered herself with her hands in more panic than she had with any of the men. "Eeeeee!" she shrieked. "Lindsey! Why are you here?" "I work here - I volunteer as much as I can." Lindsey did not explain any more than that, but she joined her mother and all the Ventris at a table. Lindsey sat right across from Mary, which made her even more nervous. Somehow, her daughter seeing her exposed flesh was more terrifying than anything else in her two days at the Tee. It took most of the breakfast time before she was able to drop her hands and eat something. This time, Norma did not try to intervene. After breakfast, just Norma and Lindsey were with Mary, when Lindsey said, "Mary, tomorrow will probably by a shock for you." Mary winced every time her daughter called her by name. That little symbol of their changed status had more impact on her than almost anything else. "A college-aged girl is checking in tommorrow," Lindsey went on. "She has had some awful things happen to her. Trish and I and Andy's sister Beth are going to be naked with her for a few days to help her get settled. Just like Norma is doing for you." "Whaaaat? Oh, nooooo! You can't show yourself like that! M... Mark's here! And the others! And... Ohhhh, I've failed completely!" Any progress Mary had made in two days seemed lost at that point. The sympathy was obvious in Lindsey's face. With a quick look at Norma, she said "Mary - Mother - I need to tell you some things." She went on to explain about the retreat, and the other nudity experiences she had had. Mary seemed to either not hear or to deny what she was hearing. Lindsey just kept talking until Mary finally asked some questions and made some comments. When she still did not seem to be getting through, Lindsey sighed, stood, and took off the staff uniform shorts and T-shirt that was all she wore. Mary made her now-familiar strangled gasp and sort of waved her hands around as if she could magically cover her daughters charms from view. Lindsey knew it was mean, but she could not resist. Mary was scheduled for a session on the computer with Mark to learn about the Internet. Lindsey walked along with them to where Mark was already sitting at a computer. Mary became extremely agitated as they got closer, but seemed to realize that she was helpless to stop anything, and said nothing. Lindsey walked up behind Mark, put her hands on his shoulders, leaned over, and kissed him as he turned his head. It was the simple, natural kind of greeting that she saw so often between Paul and Norma. She was tempted to pull Mark's face back against her bare breasts, but mercifully held off for fear of causing her mother a stroke. As it was, the teaching session was abandoned after fifteen minutes due to Mary's total distraction. Throughout the day, there were many little views of Lindsey that seemed to tear at Mary's heart. She put her uniform back on, but stayed for the whole day. Mary could hardly take her eyes off of her daughter. It was as if she was seeing her for the first time. It was obvious that Lindsey was loved by the staff and by all the residents. Mary saw her hug almost every person in the place. On a few occasions when Norma was not right with Mary, Norma and Lindsey would banter a bit, laugh, and hug. That was like an arrow to Mary's heart. She had never had that kind of relationship with another woman, certainly not her daughter or her own mother. She felt an instinctive longing, and an overwhelming sadness at what she was missing. At bedtime that night, Norma was once again doing Mary's hair, with Mary morose and silent. Norma waited a long time, then finally asked what was wrong. "I... I've lost everything," Mary lamented. When Norma just gave her a questioning look, she went on "I've lost my daughter to the sinful world. My son is going astray, too. Now, I've had the last of my dignity stripped away. There's nothing left." "Mary, you know I don't believe as you do, but I would say you still have your faith left. As for Lindsey, she is the least sinful young woman I have ever met." Norma paused after saying that. "Why do you say you've lost your dignity?" Norma asked. "Just look at me?" Mary snorted, with the first evidence of irony or sarcasm she had exhibited. "I have to walk around with parts of my body that should never be seen bare for anyone to stare at." Philosophical discussions were not Norma's forte, but she felt compelled to challenge Mary on this point. "So, dignity is just something you put on with your clothes in the morning?" "No, uh, I didn't mean..." "And some people can afford a lot more dignity than others because they can buy better clothes, right?" That produced another of Mary's confused stares. "Let me tell you something, Mary," Norma said, becoming stern and moving around to get right in the woman's face, "until you can walk out there naked and feel proud of who you are, you never had any dignity. No amount of expensive clothes could give it to you, either." Norma was on a roll now, and she acted out the things she said next. "You need to say 'I've got a belly that looks like I'm carrying triplets, but so what? I've got dignity!' You need to say 'My belly hangs so low you can't see my pussy hair, but so what? I've got dignity!' You need to say 'My legs are so chubby my knees knock together, but so what? I've got dignity!' You need to say 'My boobs are so fat I can hardly lift them off my belly, but so what? I've got dignity!' You need to say 'My ass cheeks are so fat they hang halfway to my knees and I can hardly get my hand in there to wipe myself, but so what? I've got dignity!' You need to say..." Norma was ready to continue with more satire aimed at the poor woman and her condition, but Mary had disintegrated into a blubbering mess. She relented and sat beside Mary, ignoring their nakedness and pulling her into a comforting hug. When Mary's sobs subsided a little, Norma went on "I told you I'm not into the Bible like you are. But I remember things about God looking at the heart, not the outside. Doesn't that mean that dignity comes from within?" "But how can I ever hold my head up? Everyone will just laugh it me, or maybe feel sorry for me. Some of them probably hate me. They seem to love Lindsey. They must know what... that... why..." She paused, took a deep breath, and took a huge step. "They must know that I drove her away." Having said that, she seemed to collapse inward. "Mary," Norma said gently, still holding her close, "Every woman here came because they want to be different when they leave. That's why Lindsey wanted you here. She thought you needed to be different for your own sake. You think so, too, don't you?" When Mary gave a silent, tearful nod, Norma released the hug and helped her into bed. Before leaving the room, she stroked Mary's head as she had done so many times to her children. She thought how strange it was that she could no longer muster any real dislike for Lindsey's mother, only pity. ------- Chapter 9 Andy and Beth waited in Andi's room while she was checked out, then walked beside the mandatory wheelchair as she was taken to the exit. Andy had parked the company van nearby, and before long they were on their way to the Tee. Conversation was sparse, with Andi obviously nervous about what she was getting into. During the night, she had tossed a lot with many misgivings about what she was doing. Ridiculous as spending a couple of months naked seemed to her, the stark reality was that she had nowhere else to go. Andy and Beth and Dr. Waxman appeared to genuinely care about her, and she knew she needed help to get clean. She had no confidence that she would not go looking for Pepe if she was out on her own, lonely and depressed as she was before. With a glance at Andy as he drove, she wondered if he was eager to see her naked. She hated to admit it, but she was eager to show herself to him. Maybe because he worked around so many naked women, she would be just another body. She hoped not. Lots of guys had seen her body over the past weeks. To them, she was just mouth, tits, and cunt for hire - a piece of meat. She had this fantasy that Andy would look at her with appreciation: with desire, even love. It would make up for so much of the shame and self-loathing that haunted her. Then she looked at Beth who was going to go naked in front of her brother, just to make it easier for her! She teared up every time she thought of it. Seeing the calmness on Beth's face, she realized that nudity was not new or strange between brother and sister. How she envied them. How she wished for that kind of intimacy with her brother Matt. How she wished that they were at least talking again. Everything made her eyes tear up, it seemed. The doctor had warned her that she would be highly emotional - that had been no lie. Before she knew it, Dr. Waxman was leading her into the place, and there were four naked women to greet her, including two young girls. That certainly made her cry. She was too overwhelmed to feel any embarrassment as she undressed, with Beth stripping right beside her. They all took a few moments for introductions and explanations, then Dr. Waxman keyed in a code and they went in through the door. Andi's first impression was of a very welcoming place, bright, warm, and somehow homey. She instinctively knew she had made the right choice. The other women stayed very close to her until she reached her room. Then, the two older women left and the three girls stayed with her. But there was one thing missing. "Andy," Andi said to Beth. "Can Andy be with me, too?" She turned to Lindsey and Trish and thanked them for being willing to help her out. She told them that they could go back to work, that she would be fine with Beth. Lindsey said she would send Andy over, and the two teens left. Andi stood and fidgeted in the middle of her new room, waiting for Andy. When he walked in, she turned to face him, almost shaking with fear. Andy could see her apprehension, and knew he needed to do something to reassure her. Uncertain for only a moment, he walked up to her and took both of her hands in his. "Andi, working here just got a lot more enjoyable than I ever thought it could be." He let his eyes openly roam all over her, and ended up staring into her eyes with a smile. Watching the touching scene, Beth almost expected them to fall into each other's arms - almost hoped for it. But everyone seemed to know that things could not be rushed. Andi beamed and thanked Andy for the compliment. She was smiling for the first time in many weeks as brother and sister led her on a tour of her new home. ------- Julia had canceled her appointments for the rest of the day. Dressed in standard staff uniform, she stayed on the periphery, just watching what happened between Andi and the other residents. She was worried about the disruption this entirely different type of resident might cause. The dynamics of the place had been developing so well up until then that she had been hesitant to introduce anything unusual. Her worries were mostly unfounded, as it turned out. By the end of the day, Andi had acquired ten mothers. With the exception of Mary, which was understandable, every one of the women was first horrified at Andi's tale, then determined to do her part to make it all right again. Mary was still too absorbed in her own trauma to even listen to Andi's story. Over the next few days, though, she would pick up the details and be incensed that a former prostitute was among them. It was soon clear that Mary was the biggest threat to the close family atmosphere that had been developing. She was instantly judgmental of Andi, which put her in opposition to all of the others. Mary already had two strikes against her for what she had done to Lindsey. The first big relationship crisis at Transformations had arrived. Norma saw it as her role to resolve the conflict, and recruited a somewhat reluctant Barbara to help. The two of them began bringing the other women together with Mary to exchange stories. Their assumption, encouraged by Julia, was that understanding of where Mary came from would reduce the hostility. Mary had told Julia about her childhood, but Julia could not reveal that because of doctor/patient confidentiality. Mary was reluctant to share it with anyone else. Much as they hated to do it, they had to rely on Barbara's intimidating presence to pull the story from Mary. It took until the third get-together before Mary began sharing freely with her compatriots. As is often the case, understanding softens antipathy. Most of the women reacted as Norma had, pitying Mary rather than despising her. They began to go out of their way to include her, especially when Lindsey talked to them and told them why she had forced her mother to come there. They would do anything for Lindsey, and if she was willing to help her mother, they would do it, too. All of the other women noticed how hard it was for Mary to open up and share anything with them. At first, they all assumed it was her rigid beliefs and being upset over the nudity. As the days went on, though, they discovered it went deeper than that. Being careful not to let her know, the other residents had some deep discussions about Mary, usually with Lindsey or Norma involved. They decided that in her life, there had been very few things that Mary had been allowed to share freely with anyone. There were many comments about how strange it was that she could even be married, and how fortunate that Lindsey had turned out so normal. On Mary's fifth day at the Tee, Norma took the bold move of bringing Andi and Mary together with herself and Barbara. Both Andi and Mary were well aware of the feelings between them, so it was a very strained gathering. Through the love and care shown by the other women, Andi was gaining confidence every day, and she took the initiative. "Mary, I know you think I am a terrible person because I was a prostitute. Will you listen to my story without judging me for a while?" Mary nodded reluctantly. "Thank you. I want to hear your story when I am done." Andi went through her whole family history. When she came to the breakup, Mary actually had moist eyes. When she told of the kidnapping and forced prostitution, Mary gave occasional gasps. "So you see," Andi explained, "I was a slave. I either had to service the men or be killed. It was that simple." "I will not profess to be pure before that, Mary. I had had sex with several guys before that. I know you disapprove of that. I also got into drugs on my own. But I'm here to try and get over that past. It would be so much easier if you at least didn't think of me as a whore whenever you saw me. It is hard enough to get over that." Andi's earnest plea did touch Mary. She knew she could be very judgmental, and she finally understood that Andi had not chosen the hooker's life. And her own daughter was probably no longer chaste and pure, so why should she hold it against this girl who had suffered so much. "Andi, I'm sorry. You know I don't want to be here, and I think this nudity is wrong. But I have to admit, everyone has treated me very kindly. I apologize for not doing the same for you. I... I have plenty to be ashamed of myself, especially this mess," and she gestured at her body. It was her first open acknowledgment of her miserable condition. She went on to tell Andi her own story in great detail. Andi and Mary did not part as bosom buddies, but at least a serious division in the group had been avoided. ------- That same day, Julia had asked Norma to stay late, and asked Barbara to meet with them after everyone else was in bed. At about 10:30, Julia came in looking rather weary. When Norma and Barbara greeted her, she led them to the hot tub, where she stripped and stepped in. "First of all, I want to offer both of you my recommendations if you decide to go to med school and become psychiatrists." That brought a chuckle from the others, and Julia went on. "Barbara, I owe you an apology. I was reluctant to admit you because I didn't think you really needed this place. Well, actually I was right, but this place really needed you. Seriously, you two are practically like professional staff. Your instincts with the women are marvelous. What you have accomplished with Mary is incredible." "We have special incentive there, you know," Norma said. "Lindsey is going to be family, and we couldn't love her any more. The separation from her parents affects her a lot more than she will ever let on. Whatever we can do to help that relationship is important to us." "You just proved my point," Julia said with a smile. "Actually, I consider Mary one of the most challenging women I've ever worked with. It is exciting to see the changes you have helped cause already. Norma, I think you can end your 'naked buddy' duty until the next woman checks in." "Awwww! Do I have to?" That produced good-natured laughter. "Actually, no, you don't. Frank and I have talked, and we would like to have you here as often as you can spare the time. We need your influence with the women. If you decide you'd rather do it naked, that's up to you." "Don't you think it gives me better rapport with the women?" Norma asked. Three three talked a while longer before giving up for the night. Both Norma and Julia decided just to sleep there rather than driving home. As they were getting out of the pool, Barbara noted Julia's complete exhaustion again. "Hey, Lady," she said, "this way," and she led her by the hand to a massage room. "Great idea!" Norma chimed in and got everything ready. "I've been watching how the guys do the massages," Barbara explained. "I'm not as good yet, but I'll bet I can guarantee you a good night's sleep. Julia did not hold back her expressions of pleasure at Barbara's level of progress. Barbara could feel the muscles easing as she worked them. As she reached Julia's hips, Barbara squeezed the soft layer over the outside and said gently "Doc, you gonna take care of yourself before this turns to fat? I know you're running yourself ragged, and I haven't seen you on the machines much. Should I assume you are using equipment at home, or do I need to chew you out?" Julia reached an arm around one of Barbara's thighs, pulled her closer to the table, and planted a kiss right on her upper thigh. It did not come across as seductive, just warm and friendly. "I probably need the scolding, Barbara. You're right. I'm actually losing a little weight, but the wrong way. In the morning before I leave, OK? Now, I hope you're not done yet." The sisters-in-law had to help a limp Julia into the shower, then to her bed. Norma went back and fetched her clothes for her, and she was sound asleep by the time Norma brought them to her room. ------- Every year on the Saturday night between Christmas and New Years, Dex Madison held a big party at his house. Over the years, the list of attendees had grown to nearly eighty, but it was an event no one wanted to miss. Because of the role Dex had played in getting her career started, Jenny Ballard came to every one of Dex's parties, bringing some of her troupe with her. Each year, at least one new number was performed, sometimes even before its final release version was finished. Truth be told, Jenny treasured the parties as much as Dex did. Her fans had always been precious to her, and this a chance to be with some of her oldest and most faithful ones. At the previous year's party, Dex had invited several battered women who had spent Christmas at his house because the shelter was overloaded. He had arranged for nice clothes and hairdos for the women, and had brought in relatives of several of them. Sonja Schermer, one of the refugees, had been discovered at that party, and was now a member of Jenny's troupe. This year, Lindsey would be at the party, along with the entire Transformations staff. But she would also be singing, doing the first public performance of her new song. As Carol walked into Dex's holiday party, she could not help thinking back to the year before. Then, she had been a victim, having just fled her disastrous marriage, rescuing her daughter Jessica just in time. The short time at Dex's had done wonders for her spirits, and just being able to dress up and primp for the party had been the biggest single ego boost in years. She had left that party with her parents, free, but jobless and uncertain about her future. Now, she walked in on the arm of Ryan, her fiance and a man she could hardly have dreamed up. She had a job she absolutely loved. She looked and felt better than at any time in her life. She had come from the pit to the pinnacle in a year. Why should she even try to hide the joy she felt? She did feel a little out of place in the dress she wore, but did not waste much time worrying about it. It was a gorgeous dress, a slinky cocktail number that flowed around her legs and her slimmed-down hips. It seemed too dressy for what the others were wearing, but both Jessica and Ryan were adamant that it was the right one. It matched the elegant suit Ryan had worn. The other thing was the color. It was a light ivory, not normally right for Christmas. There was no question it showed off her tan, though. The all-over tan she started on the retreat had been improved with daily sessions in the tanning booth at the Tee. Most of the crew of battered women from last year were there, and they all greeted each other with unrestrained emotion. Their's was a bond that would probably last a lifetime. She noticed they all seemed to have special smiles and sparkling eyes when they greeted her, but thought nothing more of it. There was just too much joy to speculate about small things. When it came time for Jenny and the group to sing, they did a couple of numbers to a very warm reception. Then Jenny took the mic and addressed the group. "Every year, we like to use this party to introduce a new song. This year, the new song is by our newest star, Lindsey Hall." There was a pause for applause, then she continued. "This new song is so special that we have set up a very unique setting for its introduction. Tonight we have an actual wedding that you are all invited to." There was sounds of amazement from most of the guests." "The only thing is, the bride doesn't know about it yet. Carol, would you be willing to share your special occasion with all of your friends here tonight?" Ryan and Len, Carol's father, had moved in close on either side of her, and it was a very good thing. Her knees buckled and her face lost all color for a moment. Then, Jessica got behind her and put a veil on her head. It was perfectly coordinated with her party dress. Jeanine, her mother, moved in front of her and handed her a corsage, which she was barely able to hang on to. Suddenly, it all made sense: the too-dressy, wrong-color dress, the extra smiles from her friends. Everyone but her must have known. "Sweetheart, do you want to do this?" Ryan asked with the biggest smile she had ever seen. Did she want to? What a crazy question! Everyone in the world that was important to her was right here. Of course she wanted to! She probably should have made some kind of protest at their trickery. She probably should have insisted on having more to say about her own wedding. But why? Maybe she should cry, but she really felt like singing instead. The one important thing was that very soon, she would be Mrs. Ryan Herwalt. All the bad years would be erased. If having her wedding right now could make the party more memorable for her friends, that was wonderful, too. Just then, she saw the minister take his place, with her mother and father on each side of him as witnesses. SHE was not going to play coy. Nothing could ever be more perfect than this. Taking Ryan's arm, she propelled him forward to rising applause. The ceremony was brief. After the greeting and the charge, Lindsey sang "Listen To My Heart Sing." When she finished, the only sound was sniffles, with Carol joining in and many men fighting for a steady breath. After the vows, Carol surprised everyone by asking for a mic. In a voice that was occasionally shaky but held everyone's rapt attention, she spoke. "Many of you know my story. A year ago, I had just escaped from Hell. Thanks to Elise, and Dex, and Morgan, and too many others to name, I got a chance to see that there was hope for a better life for my daughter and me." "Tonight, I am living a fairy tale. My Prince Charming is more than I could ever have imagined. This wedding is beyond anything I could have planned. Thank you for letting me share my joy with you." "A lot of people did things to help me when I needed it most. I feel privileged to have a job where I can help people. I don't do anything special. I just cook. But I learned from all of you how much every little thing means when you are at the bottom. I promise I will never stop doing those things. I hope you won't stop either. Believe me, we can make a difference." "Megan, Kirstin, and Sandie, please come up here with me. Folks, these will forever be my soul sisters. We escaped together, and none of us could be happier than we are now. Ask Dex, or Elise, or Morgan how they feel seeing us stand here tonight. If you've never had that feeling, you're missing something great. Go down and see the shelter. Ask Elise how you can help. Maybe next year, some woman who is now in Hell can be up here in a fairy tale like me. Imagine how you will feel if you can make that happen." Not waiting for any reaction, she turned back to the minister, who pronounced them to the crowd. After the ceremony, the singing resumed, and people flowed to the Herwalts and to Lindsey to give their congratulations. ------- As far as Carol was concerned, the party could have gone on all night. She did her best to make it so, insisting on her and Ryan being among the last to leave. She spent a lot of time with Megan, Kirstin, and Sandie, in particular. As the original 'refugees' at Dex's, they all rejoiced in the joy each had found. Sandie had found a new love in Harv. Megan had married her boss, Tim Archer, and Kirstin had reconciled with Gary. When at last there was no one left to hug or talk to, Carol let Ryan lead her out the door. Somehow, the appearance of a limo instead of his familiar pickup did not surprise her. She practically leapt into the back seat, then leapt on top of her new husband as soon as he slid in beside her. She did not attempt to rape him right then, just made sure there was no way two people could sit any closer together. It was also no great surprise when they were dropped off at one of the areas fanciest hotels and escorted right to the bridal suite. It was filled with flowers, and a delicious looking snack tray occupied one table. In the bedroom, she found a bag that Jessica had obviously packed for her, and a wonderfully sinful-looking peignoir laid across the bed. Ryan disappeared as she was inspecting the bedroom, and she heard the sound of running water. Removing his tie as he walked back into the room, he said "Jacuzzi." For a couple who had been living together for a while, there were obviously no secrets, no new discoveries. But there was still the magical aura of romance. Ryan had succeeded in creating for his love the atmosphere of a romance novel. Her emotional amplifier had been on high most of the evening. Taking the minimum of care to avoid damaging the dress, Carol stripped, and was actually waiting for Ryan to remove his last garments. Expecting to lead her to the jacuzzi, he was caught off guard when she fell backward onto the bed and pulled him down with her. Almost in a frenzy, she reached between them for his penis, then stroked it several times to get it stiff. Not waiting for full hardness, she placed him at her opening and ordered him "Hard, fast, strong!" Her words finished getting him to full erection. He did not miss their special significance. Her ex had used brutal sex as a weapon against her. Ryan had always been very careful not to be too forceful, lest he awaken old fears. Her words told him the past was now forgotten. She was ready to enjoy a good hard fuck for the wonderful release it brought, and the pleasure they could give each other with it. Just as eager as she was, he pushed in gently for the first little bit. Then, feeling the copious lubrication, he plunged the rest of the way in one thrust. He grunted with the impact, and she emitted a long groan. Immediately, she began pounding her pelvis at him, willing him to fuck her. He responded, pulling almost out before plunging back in to the limit again. Again and again, he pulled back and hammered home, increasing his speed each time as the passage became easier. After barely a dozen strokes, she came. But in the midst of her tremors, she hissed out "Don't stop!" All of the wonderful emotions of the evening had turned to sexual energy, and she stayed at the knife-edge of climax. Twice more she came before he could hold back no longer and spewed into her with a feral roar. It had been so different from their usual love-making. It had not been what he expected at the end of that ultra-romantic evening. Yet, it was wonderful. It was surrender. It was claiming. It was closure. It was genesis. It was a new beginning in more ways than one. They had agreed they wanted children, and agreed it was important to start soon. As they both recovered, he started to pick her up to carry her to the tub. "Honey," she said softly, "I think I'd better lie here a while. I'm ovulating, and I want that wonderful load to catch. Do I stink too bad to sleep with like this?" Ryan didn't say a word. He went into the bathroom and turned off the water that had been going out the overflow for some time. He cleaned himself quickly, and took a wet rag and towel back for Carol. He tenderly washed and dried her, and helped her get under the covers. Then, he fetched the extra pillows from the closet shelf and put them under her bottom. He crawled in beside her and got his arms around her as best he could without making her move out of position. Nibbling on her ear lobe, he whispered "Let's give my swimmers a real good chance, OK? I want this as much as you do." Of all the drama and romance of that incredible day, nothing meant more to Carol than those words. ------- Mary had been there nearly a week, and if she had been like most of the women, she should have been getting comfortable. As far as the nudity, things had definitely gotten easier. She no longer did panic cover-ups at any unexpected event. She was able to do all the exercise machines with little concern about exposing her crotch. She was eating fairly normally, too, not even complaining about the total lack of sugar, white flour, pasta, and other simple carbs. Unfortunately, there were other areas that were not going so well. Although she did all the exercises, she did not grasp the concept of exerting herself to move more weight. It began to look like it would take an infinite time for her to reach the goals that had been set out. The idea of causing herself any level of pain or discomfort for future benefit just did not register, at least until just that day. That day, in the early afternoon, Mark was giving Mary a massage, and Lindsey was chatting with him as he worked. Usually, Lindsey kept very busy when she was there, conscious that she was just a volunteer, and anxious to carry her weight. With her mother there, she was spending a little more time just watching. The fact that Mark was Mary's primary attendant made it more appealing for Lindsey to spend some down time. Mary could not be described as comfortable with Mark, but she did seem reconciled. A lot of it could be credited to his strictly professional behavior around her. He was extra cautious never to do anything the least suggestive. Mary did not address Lindsey directly very often, but now she did. "I'm worried about your father. He is helpless around the house. It is probably a mess, and they have probably eaten at McDonald's every night." "You don't need to worry about him," Lindsey assured her. "There have been good meals for them every night, and the house looks pretty good." "How... ?" Mark answered her. "Lindsey has been over there every day since you checked in." "She... she has? Why?" "She knew they wouldn't make it alone," he replied. Mary was silent for a while, then said "Thank you, Lindsey" in a shaky voice. "I still have a key, you know," Lindsey explained. "Mark, or Trish, or Norma, or Becks always came with me. Gretchen and Carol made up extra meals, so they are eating healthy." This news only increased Mary's confusion. She considered being sent to Transformations a hateful, punitive action by Lindsey. It was an alternative to jail, and maybe not a better one. Yet, too many things did not square with that view. Her supposedly rebellious, spiteful daughter was making sure her husband and son were fed and the house was clean for them. Lindsey kept insisting she had made Mary come here for her own good. From her actions, maybe Lindsey actually believed she was doing something good. Mary still could not see it that way. The last couple of days, Mary was feeling guilty because she did not feel guilty about being naked. Nudity was still just as wrong as when she arrived her, but she could now go long periods without even thinking about her lack of clothes. An even worse source of guilt was her reaction to the men when they were naked in the showers, hot tub, or pool. She found herself looking at their genitals, unable to stop herself even though she knew it to be sinful. And just like in her girlhood, her huge nipples betrayed her. Several times she had seen them at full extension, desperately hoping no one else noticed. She almost expected her mother to show up and berate her for her carnal reaction. Mark was as confusing as anything. She knew he did not like her, that he blamed her for hurting Lindsey. Bitterly, she had to admit to herself that he was right. Yet, he was unfailingly courteous and considerate. And the massages! She suspected he was purposely trying to make them arousing. He wanted to embarrass her, or make her sin. And he was succeeding. She had the awful desire to have him touch her more places. Floyd had never rubbed or caressed her bare flesh like this, and she could not believe how good the touch felt. Could it be that wrong for a husband to do that to his wife? Why had she never asked him to? Each day, it was harder to keep from moaning and writhing as he worked her back and shoulders. When he did the backs of her calves, she almost forgot to keep her legs tight together. Yesterday, she first had the frightening thought that her odor might be noticeable. Right then, her nipples were already hard. When the massage was finished, he would strip and join her in the shower, then help her with her swimming. When she got up from the table, her cursed nipples would stick out, and he would know how she felt about the massage. The other women confused Mary, too. It was obvious how everyone loved Lindsey. It was also obvious they considered her guilty of abusing Lindsey. Yet, every one of them was making an honest effort to be kind to her. As far as she knew, they were all unbelievers, and she could not understand how they could be so accepting of her. It was particularly distressing when that young Harlot Andi was courteous to her. Lindsey could not resist a chance to provoke her mother. She was definitely still in punishing mode, and she did not try to deny it. The best place to attack was Mary's prudery, because it could not fail to get a reaction. Lindsey could also justify the attack as therapeutic, thus reducing her own guilt. A major reason for getting her mother in there was to try to get her into some kind of normal sex life. That day, Mary had increased her exercise weights for the first time, and had visibly exerted herself to move them. It had taken lots of cajoling and threats of her never leaving there, but she had done it. It was likely she had sore spots everywhere, considering her complete lack of muscle tone going in. "Mother," Linsey said, calling her that to get her off balance, "I'll bet the muscles in your bottom are sore after the way you worked today, aren't they?" "Uh, a little." "Well, don't you want Mark to massage your bottom, too?" "NO!" Mary yelped, sounding panicked. Part of her panic was because that is exactly what she wanted, though she knew she could never allow it. Suddenly, hands were kneading her ass cheeks. It felt heavenly, but it was wrong. "Mark! Don't! I said no!" "Relax, Mother." Lindsey used the title again. "It was just me. But Mark is so much better at it. Believe me. I just fall apart when he does my bottom." "Lindsey! He shouldn't... you can't let him..." As Mary protested, Lindsey was still rubbing. Determined, she motioned to Mark to take over. He shook his head. Policy said only when specifically asked should he touch buttocks, thighs, or anywhere on the woman's front. Mary was just volatile enough to cause them trouble. But then her hands were over his, making them squeeze the flabby ass cheeks. Mary was not the most obese woman he had worked on, but she definitely fit under work, rather than pleasure. Never able to resist Lindsey for long, he took a deep breath and went at it seriously. Apparently, Mary did not detect the switch, for she first lay still, then started humming with pleasure after a while. Lindsey chose then to kneel by her mother's face and tell her. "See, Mother. Didn't I tell you he was good at it?" "Eeeeee!" Mary shrieked as she flipped over and sat up quickly. She glared at Lindsey, then at Mark. "Mother, relax. This is therapy. It's to help keep the muscles from getting sore," Lindsey cajoled. "Mark was touching your bare butt for a little while there. No lightning struck us, and nothing bad happened. Unless you call those big, bright headlights something bad." Mary recognized the term from Norma's tease, looked down at her nipples, and blushed. Remarkably, she did not cover them up. Lindsey put on a stern face and shifted to a stern voice. She took Mary's hand and made her lie back down, telling her "Now, you just lay here and let Mark do his work. There is nothing sacred or secret about your bottom. Every woman here looks forward to having hers massaged." That was an exaggeration, but she needed to make the point. Keeping a hand firmly in the middle of her mother's back, Lindsey held her in place as Mark resumed. He worked all over Mary's buttocks and hips. Then he did the backs of her thighs, running his fingers as close to her pussy as he dared. It was close enough to draw a grin from Lindsey. Mary was as tense as a bowstring when Mark started in. Little by little, her tight muscles eased, and she seemed to be allowing the enjoyment to register. Mark continued his ministrations for another ten minutes before stepping back. Lindsey immediately helped Mary to her feet, though her knees were still a bit shaky. The two teens led her to the shower area. Mary had been expecting Mark to strip and join her, as it had happened the other days. When Lindsey shed her outfit, too, it caused her another panic. Even with what she had seen before, the couple together naked was a major shock. She tried to protest, but could not come up with anything to say. Mary had hated her previous swimming lessons. She had done very little swimming in her life, and was very awkward at it. As Mark showed her how to do the strokes, he had to hold her up in the water, with his hands in places she never expected them to be. Today, when he put one arm under her belly, almost up against her breasts, and the other under her thighs, she did not recoil at all. In fact, she actually tried to listen to what he was saying about how to move her arms. She suffered a moment of guilt warfare because she was not offended, as she should have been. Before, the thought that his arms might accidentally feel her breasts or her pubic hair had horrified her. The few minutes of massage on her supposedly forbidden areas had affected her far more than she realized. She tried not to admit that she liked the feeling. It was true that there had been some soreness in her ass and her thighs. But more than the therapeutic value, just the fact of a touch in those more intimate parts was moving. When she realized that it was Lindsey who first squeezed her bottom, a long-lost feeling of hope ran through her. When Mark took over, Lindsey's insistent voice kept her from objecting too much, and very quickly, she did not want it to stop. Chastising herself, she was already thinking about the next day. ------- Neither Lindsey nor Mark were on duty that night. Much as they wanted to, they did not sleep together at the Ventris' on a regular basis. After that day's time with Mary, though, they both felt the tension and the need. Norma saw it, and whispered to Lindsey that she should join Mark. Once cuddled in bed, Lindsey said to Mark "Thanks, Sweetie. I know that wasn't the most pleasant thing for you." "You know," he replied, "I think I am beginning to understand how a professional feels about it. I just concentrate on easing the muscles and making the woman feel better." "Well, that's a pretty disgusting ass to have to ignore," she quipped. "True. You took an awful chance getting me to do that," he chided. "I'm sorry. I know I did. It's terrible of me, but I just have this urge to make her uncomfortable - to push her into things she doesn't want to do." "I think the jokes on you," he told her. "By the time I stopped, I think she was pretty comfortable." "That's OK," she assured him. "I am serious about giving them a better life. If I can turn her into a sex fiend, that would be a better life, wouldn't it?" She giggled. "Think you can stand to bring her off when she begs you?" "Ohhhhh!" he groaned. "Julia warned us that we might be asked at some point. I can't imagine your mother changing that much." "It's going to be my personal campaign to get her so horny she can't stand it, so watch out." She giggled again. "You'll just have to do your duty." "Yeah, but you'll get yours," he told her. "I'll tell Julia to make you your Dad's attendant. Then you can deal with all his flab." He chuckled as he felt Lindsey shudder at that thought. Changing the subject, he asked her "Hey, what's with calling her 'Mother'?" "Oh, I don't know. Did you ever watch her face when I called her Mary. It was like I stuck a knife in her. It was hard for me to do it. As long as I think she is making some progress, I'll stick with 'Mother'. I think it gets to her. I'll stick with Floyd, though, at least until he checks in. It makes him angry rather than sad." Sitting up in the bed and rolling her to her tummy, Mark said "Since you made me handle one of the worst butts in town, how about I make up for it by loving up the best?" He did not wait for an answer, but began kneading her firm, smooth cheeks in his hands. She rated his efforts with a string of groans, hums, and hisses. After a few minutes of adoration of her ass cheeks, Mark brought his thumbs together and ran them down her crack. She responded by hunching her ass in the air and spreading her legs. When he worked one thumb into her vagina, she pulled her knees all the way up under herself, exposing her pussy to the maximum. She was really testing his resolve. He would wait for her request before putting his cock into her, there was no doubt. But it took more and more will power as she became more and more erotic in her responses. He could barely remember the repressed virgin who almost collapsed from her first kiss. His lover was now an unabashed sexpot, and he he was thrilled. With her ass thrust at him the way it was, her rosebud was an irresistible target. After some shock the first time he had grazed it, she had admitted to loving the sensation of his caressing it. Now, he did one better, pressing his thumb firmly against the puckered opening and rotating it gently. The thumb of his other hand was in her passage, and his middle finger had found her clit. Every sound and every little motion told him this was exactly what she wanted, and he was more than happy to accommodate her. As she built closer and closer to her peak, he began to kiss her ass cheek, and then nibble at it. When he did a simulated bite, she went off. Her legs snapped straight and she flopped down onto her stomach. Her whole body went rigid for a moment, and then she convulsed. He barely kept contact with her crotch, but it was enough to carry her to a long, satisfying orgasm. As far as she had come sexually, he was still not surprised when she rolled onto her back and looked up at him sheepishly. She was about to speak when he cut her off. "Ah, ah! What is the rule between us. Tell me. Come on, say it," he insisted. In a little girl voice, she recited "There is nothing too sexy for you. There is no such thing as lewd. You love the way my body responds." "That's my little sexpot. You still can't help some guilt when you feel that good, can you?" "It has helped me be more sympathetic to my mother, too. I think I have an idea of what she has fought all her life. I had a thought as you were working her fat today," Lindsey explained. "I think she blimped out partly on purpose. It makes sex less interesting and removes some of the guilt." "I don't think it was very successful," Mark told her. "I could feel from her reactions today that it was getting to her. I think you inherited your sex drive honestly. I think she has been trying hard to repress it her whole life. You joked about me getting her off, but I bet one little touch on her trigger would send her. Not that I want to try to find it in all that blubber." He chuckled at the last comment, but both teens were thoughtful for a moment as they considered what he had said. "Hey!" Lindsey said to him. "Stop thinking about things that turn you off. That nice hard cock is not allowed to go limp until I say so. Got that, soldier?" She then proceeded to do her part to eliminate unwanted sexual tension. After some more cuddling and fondling, Mark went to sleep, but Lindsey could not drift off. She wanted to have real sex with Mark in the worst way. There honestly was no longer a moral problem for her. He would be her life mate, of that there was no doubt. Engagement and marriage were formalities that would not make sex more right or wrong. So why could she not just do it? For the better part of an hour, Lindsey lay awake, trying not to wake Mark with her movements. She was battling within her mind, trying to deny the answer that struggled to get itself acknowledged. At long last, just as sleep seemed to by winning out, the answer leaped forth, and could not longer be denied. She could not have sex with Mark because of her parents! Damn them! Their stupid ideas about sex still bound her in some perverse way, keeping her from the joyous fulfillment she wanted so badly. The fact that they disapproved so strongly should not matter, but it did. After the anger at her first admission, the tears came. So many wonderful things had happened to her, with her Mark right at the top of the list. She was just one step away from the kind of togetherness they both yearned for. But those two closed-minded slobs still had a hold on her! The sleep that had almost welcomed her gave way to another half-hour of mental turmoil. Today, she had started to feel some sympathy for her mother, but right now, all the old anger and disgust were trying to reclaim her thoughts. Her own moral code told her it was wrong to feel that way, and the battle raged on. Sleep finally came when the answer hit her with the shock of the obvious. The only way to free herself to was to cure her parents, specifically her mother. When they could no longer look down on her sexual activity, she would be free, she just knew it. Curing them meant corrupting them! That would almost make it fun. ------- Warren Kessler probably should have taken vacation after hearing the news about Andi. His employer certainly was not getting full value from his time in the office. Even in the midst of his anger at his ex-wife's infidelity, Warren had known that he should have forgiven her and tried to preserve the marriage. It was the kind of person he was, and it would have been in character for him. Sometimes even good people are overcome with anger, despair, and wounded egos. They do things they do not really want to do, and would never do in other situations. Even before the divorce was final, Warren was having second thoughts, and came close to relenting on several occasions. When the final decree was delivered, there wasn't any anger left. What made him follow through, more than anything, was the weariness. He still loved Dottie, and honestly wanted her in his life. But he knew now that they should never have married. In typical analytical Warren fashion, he had been reading and studying ever since the disaster. It did not ease the anguish much, but it was in his nature to have to know. His reading had clarified the impossible challenge they had faced all those years. The sad fact was that Dottie could never be happy, relaxed, and content with the simple pleasures. A quiet evening reading or watching a movie together; a walk along the river; a lazy drive through the foothills: she would do all those things because they pleased Warren and that was important to her. But they never satisfied her. They just left her more starved for stimulation. Warren loved to dance with Dottie. He loved the feel of her and he loved the happiness he could see in her eyes. But a night out did not refresh or restore him. It tired him, sometimes exhausted him. He hated the smoke, the constant clanging of the slots, and the manic stares of the gamblers at the casinos. He went because Dottie needed the stimulation, and it was important to him to please her. He always had to recover after a junket, while Dottie came back energized. They were two people with diametrically opposite needs. For all those years, they each did their best to accommodate the other, but it cost Warren more. Although Dottie did things to please him, she never truly accepted that it was OK to be the way he was. In the last years, that lack of acceptance turned to scorn and ridicule, and eventually betrayal. Warren wished Dottie was back in his life, but every time he thought about it, he remembered the weariness; the feeling of never being able to do enough to satisfy her; the feeling of never having time to relax and renew himself. Then he remembered the biting scorn, and finally the betrayal. For him to live with a woman like Dottie and still retain his own health and sanity, she would have to have her own separate life where she could find the stimulation she required. He knew that would not work, as it had already failed miserably. He was not made that way. He longed for a partner he could share everything with. He had tried. God, had he tried! It had taken him most of the year and a half since the miscarriage to understand and come to grips with reality. In that time, he had come to regret the ferocity with which he had lashed out at Dottie. That was wrong of him. He had been trying to think of ways to reach out to her without giving her false hope of a reconciliation. And then came the news of Andi's plight. Along with reaching out to Dottie, he had decided he had to reconcile with his daughter. To his shame, he had been much too late in doing anything about it. Now, Andi was faced with recovery. Another matter of great concern was their son Matt. He was so much like Warren that he had mirrored Warren's anger after the breakup. When he got around to looking past his own grief, it pained Warren to see that the wonderful closeness between brother and sister had been completely destroyed. He believed he could have at least prevented that. In just a few sentences in his office, Dr. Waxman had described what had happened to Andi. With insights like that, maybe she was someone he should talk to. Just the idea of seeking therapy was foreign to him, but his world was no longer the same as it had been, and he did not see the way to go on his own. Unwilling to rob his employer of his services any longer, Warren dug out Julia's card and called her for an appointment. Next, he found the number of the college friend Matt was spending the holidays with. It was with real pain that he realized what a commentary that was on his once-ideal family. ------- It was the Sunday after New Years in a medium-large, fundamentalist church in the same suburb as Transformations. The pastor was speaking on sexual immorality and its effect on society. "... And do not think that such perverted practices are limited to the Sodoms and Gomorrahs of our age. Why, we have a stunning example right here in our own city. Only a few miles from this spot is a place called Transformations. There, women spend months completely naked. They are supposedly there to lose weight, to learn to eat properly, and to bring about major changes in their lives. Well, we can imagine what kinds of changes occur." "In that place, the staff is mostly male, including several teenaged boys." He paused dramatically to mop his brow and let the murmur of shock ripple through the congregation. "So we have a dozen or more women cavorting naked before hormone-charged teenagers for weeks and months on end. And they claim it is for therapy!" "It doesn't end there, my friends. Can you believe that these women are sent to this place by licensed, certified psychiatrists and psychologists? They cloak their debauchery in fancy-sounding terms like 're-birthing' and 'immersion therapy'. Can you imagine what our health care system has degenerated into? And get this: admission to this den of iniquity costs several thousand dollars a month!" "Do you really believe there is any true healing going on in that place? Do you believe a place like that should be allowed to contaminate our community? Is it not our duty as Christians to do what we can to get rid of this blight, this affront to decency?..." A nearly identical diatribe was being delivered in four other churches across the metro area. ------- Chapter 10 Andi still cried a lot. But more and more, they were tears of happiness, or just a reaction to the kindness being shown to her. This place was unbelievable! It was exactly what she needed. She was actually starting to worry a little about having to leave some day, but mostly she just basked in the security and the care. And most especially in the presence of Andy. Her days were very full. She had never exercised vigorously in her life, but she had found what Shannon Torvold told her was true. Exercise could do some of the same things for her that she needed the drugs for. The afternoon she had spent with Shannon was something she would never forget. Just the sight of the beautiful naked blonde had been impressive enough, especially when she saw the 'before' pictures. But Shannon's story had left her with the firm conviction that she would beat the addiction, and that she would never let it get hold of her again. Shannon's love story touched her, too. She saw Andy as just like Shannon's Alex. Oh, she thankfully didn't have to lose the weight Shannon did. In fact, they were trying to put ten good pounds on her. Andy was with her almost all the time, encouraging, congratulating, sometimes scolding. What she really wanted him to do, wanted so badly she could hardly stand it, was for him to make love to her. She was pretty sure the feelings between them were mutual, and it was hard not to express them. Andy was so serious about his job, though. He would not do anything that could affect the other residents or the staff. He had explained that to her, and she had to admire him for it. She was also sure he was being careful not to take advantage of her. She knew how vulnerable she was, and he was probably right to be concerned. But she needed loving so badly. To be honest, she needed sex so badly. In her mind, she had not had sex since before she met Andy. Nothing that happened with Hector, while she was in her drug haze, counted. In her mind, it was as if it had never happened. She desperately hoped Andy viewed it that way, too. Not able to do what she really wanted to do, she filled her days with good things, mainly exercise and study. She was already enrolled in online college courses, and was charging through the first two at a rapid pace. It was more fun learning than it had ever been. Just an occasional gentle hand on the shoulder from Andy could keep her enthusiastic for the whole day. Talking took up another big chunk of her days. She was the youngest resident by twenty years, but she loved talking to all of them. Even Mary. Each woman had her own story, her own heartbreaks, and was trying for her own little victories. It must have been because they were naked, but there was an openness she had never experienced before. Every hug she got seemed sincere, and she knew she meant the ones she gave. And Lindsey! Andi had been touched when Lindsey met her naked that first day. Now, she almost felt bad that she had told her it wasn't necessary. Andi had been there almost two weeks when someone mentioned Lindsey was a country singing star. She had been somewhat amused, not being a country fan at all, and assuming Lindsey sang at local clubs and such. That all changed when Mark brought her the CD with Lindsey's first song, and a pre-release cut of her new one. Andi took the recordings into one of the sound rooms. She did not come out for two hours, and she had cried the whole time. She must have played each song fifteen or twenty times, and had them memorized. She had no idea! Her own musical talent could not have kept her from starvation, but she had great appreciation and became an instant country fan. She most especially became a Lindsey fan. The high point of Andi's recent life came a couple of days after she heard Lindsey's songs. It was quite late at night, and most everyone had gone to bed. She had just sat down in the hot tub, and suddenly Andy was sitting right beside her. "Andy!" she said in surprise, "I thought you had gone home. Where did everyone else go?" "Um, uh, Barbara shooed everyone away. She, uh, said we needed some private time," Andy stammered, suddenly nervous. "Did you want some private time with me," Andi asked impulsively, then held her breath in fear of his response. "To tell the truth," Andy said quietly, "I would like about a lifetime of private time with you." Then, it was his turn to wait for a reaction. Lately, Andi's reactions were always the same. She cried. As she sobbed, she laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He, in turn, brought his arm around her and stroked her head with his other hand. After a few minutes, she pulled back and said "I guess we shouldn't hug like that here, should we?" "I think we have a free pass tonight, courtesy of Barbara," he told her. "How free?" she asked eagerly, then instantly regretted it. Damn! She was too much her mother's impulsive daughter. As if she hadn't fallen for him totally already, his next move sealed the deal. He pulled her into a tight hug and said "Please don't be upset with my caution. Believe me, I would love it, too. It's just that this place is the third best thing that ever happened to me. It's a matter of respect." "Third best?" "After you and my family." That triggered a searing kiss that they were barely able to keep from igniting further passion. After she caught her breath, Andi asked "You really don't care about what I did?" "I care about the drugs - a lot. The rest wasn't your fault, and doesn't matter," he assured her. "Well, it matters to me, but I have to live with it. And the drugs... Andy, I promise you, I will never, ever touch them again. I know what they can do to me. I think I know what it would cost me if I got back on them." For a while, they just held each other. Then, she snaked her hand down to hold his cock, which was already hard. He jerked and said "Andi, please!" "Shhhh. It's under the water and no one will know. Let me. Please!" she pled. "O... only if..." he told her, and eased his hand between her legs. For an all-too-short time, they explored and stimulated each other, hungry to know everything they could, wishing for much more time to find out. Eventually he came, and as he kept on stroking her clit, she followed not long afterward. They sat snuggled together for a long time in the afterglow. Very reluctantly, he pulled back and told her "I'm sorry we can't be together the way we both want to be. I think you understand. Andi, I love you. From now on, when I say to you 'Later', that means we will be together as soon as you can leave here." That, of course, brought more tears. "Andy, I love you, too, so much!" she said when she could talk. "'Later' is my new dream." After another silent time, she spoke up "I hope I'm not spoiling anything, but I need to say this. I'm not sure what the relationship is between you and Beth, but I suspect it is very, very close." When he started to protest, she put her finger over his mouth. "What I want to say is that no matter how close it is, it's OK with me. She has been trying to get us together, I could tell. That means she is not competition for me. I think you've got plenty of love to make sure she gets her share, too. You know, I feel that way about my brother. Unfortunately, it never got physical, and now we don't even talk. But I understand completely. I love Beth, too, and I owe her a lot. Keep her happy for me." With that, Andi got up and went off to her room. Andy was just sitting there, trying to absorb everything that had happened when Barbara slid in beside him. "I'm so happy for you guys," she gushed as she wrapped him in a hug." "Barbara, that was just like you. So thoughtful. I don't know how I can thank you." "I do," she said without hesitation. She took his hand and pushed it right to her crotch. "Barbara, I..." he started to protest. "This is the night for 'once onlys'. I'm dying for something besides my own hand. I threatened all the women with dire punishment if they stuck their noses out of their rooms. I think they believed me. Now, do me, please!" For encouragement, she gave him an intense but short kiss, then pulled his face right to one of her already-distended nipples. She took hold of his already-swelling cock with one hand while she encouraged his stroking of her pussy with the other. Andy's masturbation of Andi was motivated by passion and a rapidly-intensifying love. With Barbara, it was immense respect, gratitude, and love of a different kind. She was a completely admirable person, and it was a privilege to help her out. What she was doing to his cock didn't make it any harder, either. He was a little concerned that their activity would be obvious to an onlooker, what with his face against her breast. In the end, he stopped worrying about it and trusted her preparations. It took only a moment to realize that he had a unique chance to suckle a pair of truly world class mammaries. He had the chance to pleasure a woman whose sexuality was like a nuclear bomb. The thought that he was being unfaithful to Andi gave him a brief pause, but he somehow knew she would be cheering him on if she was still there. With that, he stopped worrying and concentrated on stimulating the awesome body that was quivering in anticipation of his attention. From the way she reacted to his first touches, Andy would have bet anything Barbara had been watching him with Andi, and had gotten herself warmed up. He started with long, slow strokes up her crevasse as he sucked on her nipples, but she was too far gone for that kind of work up. "I'm ready," she gasped, "forget the prelims. Do my clit hard! I can take it." Could she ever! It was easy to find and prominent enough to roll between his fingers. When he did that, she started to whimper and squirm. He increased the pressure and speed, and in a remarkably short time, she took off. With her size and strength, her orgasm was a sight to behold, and it gave him an incredible feeling of satisfaction. Since she claimed her clit could take it, he decided to stay right on it and go for another come right away. He eased off the pressure a little, and she did not recoil from the touch, so he went right on as if she had not come. She might as well not have, because the second climax made the first seem like nothing but a shiver. This time, every muscle in her strong body clenched into steel for several long seconds. When they released, her convulsions caused waves across the previously still tub. Fortunately, she let go of his cock before she amputated it. She hugged him frantically with both arms and jammed his face between her breasts as she shook. It seemed like minutes later when she wheezed out "God, are you good at that. Andi is a lucky girl." After a couple of labored breaths, she added "And Beth." "Barbara, your ex is the world's biggest idiot! I just wish we were in a bed right now, so I could enjoy this body even better." "Hmmm. Great idea. But we might end up doing something we shouldn't. At least not until Andi has her chance. And Beth." "So you know pretty much everything, huh?" he asked, not at all upset with her. "You must know by now that women tell each other everything. Especially the important stuff, like sex," she chided him. "Does being naked make all you women talk about it even more?" he asked her. "Probably. But really nice guys who do great things to us make us talk the most." For a while, they were silent as his hands traced all over her body. He had given her a few massages, and she had insisted on the full treatment, so her generous curves were not strange to him. He gave a big sigh, and told her "This probably won't happen again. I've broken all the rules I can handle for a while." "I know," she replied, "but we're not quite done yet." With that she again took his cock, this time in both hands. After he came, she refused to let him do her again, saying that she had gotten more than she could have hoped for. After one full-body hug and a lovers' kiss, they left the tub to call it a night. ------- On the second Monday after New Years, the demonstrators showed up at the Tee. It was pretty silly, actually, because there was very little traffic in and out on a typical day. They were loud, and the signs were inflammatory, but these were not lay-down-in-the-road type protesters. Staff and a couple of visitors had no trouble getting in and out. While the little band of protesters did not cause any real trouble, Julia was concerned that it marked just the beginning. Sure enough, when Mark, Lindsey, and Eric arrived Tuesday after school, there was a reporter with a cameraman waiting right near the door. Lindsey tried to make herself invisible, but it did not work. The reporter had a good memory and knew something about country music. "Miss, aren't you Lindsey Hall?" Julia had reviewed the guidelines for public relations the day before. She had suggested it would not be productive to try to hide their identities. Openness and good humor were encouraged, up to the things that only Frank should talk about. Taking a deep breath, Lindsey said "Yes, I am. And you are?" Mark almost choked as the reporter fumbled to try to regain the questioning position. "What are you doing at this place?" she asked. "I volunteer here." "Volunteer? Why would you do that?" "Contrary to what these poor people must have been told, this place is doing a lot of good for people. Some of them are people I care a great deal about. With school and my singing, I can't be an employee. I just try to help out as much as I can." "So you don't think these people protesting know what really goes on here?" the reporter asked. "Of course not. They have been told some half-truths and some outright lies by a man with a reason to want to hurt us," Lindsey explained. "And who would that be?" was the natural next question. Lindsey just laughed at her. Changing direction, the reporter asked "Are the women in there really naked?" Lindsey managed a pricelessly condescending look and answered "If you haven't read the informational brochure or checked the website, why did they send you out here?" She could tell from the return look that she had not made a friend. The reporter turned abruptly from Lindsey and addressed Mark. "What is it like working with a bunch of naked women every day?" Mark was inspired by Lindsey's performance. He feigned shock beautifully, then answered "I do a lot of cleanup, laundry, and maintenance. I help people with their workouts, and generally do whatever it takes. There are some people here who have had tough things happen to them. I get to help them, and it feels great." "You say people," the reporter pushed. "Aren't they all women, and aren't they all naked?" "I thought Lindsey answered that quite well," Mark replied with a cheesy smile. "You," the reporter addressed Eric, showing some obvious frustration, "will you tell us any more about what goes on here?" "Have you ever heard of HIPPA," Eric asked. "The Kennedy-Kassebaum bill concerning health care privacy? If you had, you would know that we could be prosecuted for telling you any more. This place is a fully accredited medical facility run by a licensed M.D. The residents are patients of licensed doctors and are covered by strict rules of privilege. Here is the person who can tell you the most about it." He handed her Frank's card, which all the staff carried for just such a contingency. "Now, please excuse us. We need to get to work." Only after the door closed behind them did the reporter realize she had not even asked for the guys' names. She would have very little to make her chief happy. She was already thinking of how she could spin her report to get back at Lindsey for showing her up. ------- In keeping with the policy of openness that Frank and Julia had insisted on, all the staff and residents had been told about the sermons and the demonstrators, and the TV was on during dinner in case they were mentioned. There was a titillating mention in the promo, and a seventy second spot near the end of the dinner time news show. The reporter had definitely decided on the low road. There were clips from the videos of two sermons. There was footage of the demonstrators, and a screen graphic of the building with the address beneath it. The piece closed with questions: 'Is Transformations a legitimate treatment facility?'; 'Is it just a nude fat farm?'; 'or is it what the preachers claim - a new innovation in the local sex industry?' ------- Thanks to the information in the news item, there was a sizable crowd around the complex the next day. Julia had called the Plonske Agency the night before, and there were six agents making sure access was not impaired. When absolutely no one went in or out for a few hours, most of the onlookers left. The actual demonstrators were better organized, with food and drink, chairs, and even a porta-potty. The agents were about to make them move it off the property, but Paul came out and told them to hold off. After a phone call to Frank, Paul walked out to talk to the demonstrators. He showed them an area of the lawn where they could stay, as long as they did not damage anything. He also offered the use of the bathrooms in the entryway. When he asked who was in charge, a stern-faced fiftyish woman came forward. He told her she would have to accompany anyone who wanted to use the facility. He was only offering the bathroom to legitimate members of their protest group. Paul's offer left the group rather stunned, and when they remembered to start yelling slogans and threats at him, he had already turned back to the building. It was two hours before the first person asked to use the bathroom. Paul was pretty sure the real reason was curiosity, and no one else came in the rest of the day. They apparently found the very ordinary reception area of little prurient interest. Mid-afternoon, Ryan came out the door pushing a food service cart. It had a large urn of fresh coffee and a full tray of cheese slices, apple slices, and orange wedges. Gretchen would have sent cookies, but she just did not have the makings. Sugar was a sparsely used commodity in her kitchen. Paul, Norma, and Gretchen were watching through the door, and could hardly keep from laughing at the reactions from the protesters. It was a sunny day, but it was still January. Their own coffee supply must have been depleted or too cool to drink by then. As one, the group looked toward their leader, who finally filled a cup, signaling that it was OK for the others. That day, Terry and Trish and Lindsey and Mark all arrived after school. The same reporter was there, looking for more information. Lindsey, usually mild-mannered, was very irritated by the sleazy tone of the previous night's piece. "Miss Hall, Miss Hall," the reporter called out, "Can I ask you some more questions?" Lindsey stopped in her tracks and faced the reporter. Sparks were almost visible between the two. "Mr. Waxman says no one has contacted him. Until someone does, it's not appropriate for us to say any more." She turned to walk away, then turned back. "Oh, if your station has a journalist on staff, you'd better send them. I'm sure Mr. Waxman won't want to talk to you." That brought a 'Woooo!' from the few dozen onlookers and protesters who could hear the exchange. It also brought high fives from the other three teens. To her credit, Lindsey did not look back to gloat. Mark could not help comparing his Lindsey of today with the girl who ran nauseous to the girls' bathroom when she heard the scurrilous rumor about her. ------- The next day, Carol wheeled out a cart of sandwiches at lunch. As she reached the protesters, their leader came up to her and asked, rather angrily "What are you trying to do, anyway?" Carol could not resist some sarcasm as she said "I understand there is a Biblical phrase - maybe you have heard of it - 'Heaping coals of fire.'" The look she got from the leader was a mix of surprise, anger, and confusion. Of course she knew the phrase! The nerve of that woman! But Carol wasn't done. "Despite the lies you people have been fed, what we do in their is help people. A year ago, I was in a living Hell of an abusive marriage. I got out with help from some of the same people behind this place. Now, I cook. And I help people all day long. Who are you helping here? And if you're not helping anyone, why are you wasting your time?" "Enjoy the sandwiches. They're made with the best low-carb bread." Carol left the cart and walked back into the building. On orders from Frank, and with Gerald's blessing, the kitchen staff continued to send out sandwiches and coffee for the weeks that the demonstrators hung in there. There was much speculation inside as to what could possibly keep them coming back, but come back they did. ------- It must have been a slow season for sexy news items because interest in Transformations did not die. In fact, it spread across the state and into adjoining states. No interviews with Frank were included, and nothing directly from the informational brochures that were publicly available. Inevitably, some applications for admittance were pulled back. Frank and Julia had anticipated that, and just hoped that things would die down quickly. Probably because of Frank Schermer's involvement, the drumbeat from the pulpits continued. It became almost an article of faith to shut down Transformations. Of course, the general public was more curious than irate. The most frustrating problem for Julia was the inquiries by two professional associations. The documentation of policies and procedures when Transformations was formed had been meticulous. Legal opinions on every possible ethical question had been solicited and included with the incorporation documents. To a bureaucracy, of course, none of that mattered when public opinion was at stake. There was a week-long parade of suits wanting to investigate every aspect of the operation. Threats of loss of accreditation were thrown around liberally. There were near pitched battles when none of the investigators were allowed into the residents' area. The suits demanded that the women be clothed and they be allowed in to examine everything. Julia flatly refused. Again and again she laid the documentation in front of them. They wanted to verify that the policies and procedures were being followed. Julia's strongest argument was the lack of a triggering complaint. Both associations' bylaws stipulated that investigations of compliance could only be conducted in response to an applicable complaint. The suits produced complaints, but none met their own criteria. The investigators left unsatisfied, but with no evidence for any punitive action. Julia knew that frustrated bureaucracies were by nature vengeful. Retribution would come at some time in some form. She and Frank were faced with finding the best way to diffuse the situation. Frank wanted to file a formal complaint through the associations themselves. In both cases, policy and bylaws had been violated by sending out the suits. Julia had to point out the folly of figuratively waving a red flag in front of the bull. Julia's approach, which naturally prevailed, was to ignore the insult and to become impregnable by dint of success. Publication of positive results was their best defense. They just had to hope the results piled up before someone in power went looking for payback. ------- The immediate PR problem was the fall-off in applications. That was not likely to turn around as long as there was negative publicity unanswered. It was Lindsey who came up with the best proposal - Judy Morrison. Judy was a former lover of Dex Madison's. She had made a name as a journalist partially from a great piece about Dex's emergence as a big-time basketball player. Over the years, as she rose to national stature, she had done favorable pieces on Jenny. Dex had persuaded her to come back and to a piece on the rumor about Lindsey and its aftermath. Judy was more than busy, with regular duties for a national news network, and a book that was nearing completion. Dex understood her situation and was careful about calling her. However, every time he had called and she had responded, she had enhanced her reputation. This time, it was an easy sell. It would be two or three weeks before she could get out, but she promised to make it as soon as she could. In the meantime, the Tee was reasonably full, and there were four more new residents scheduled for the women's side who had not canceled. The men's side would open in two weeks, with Floyd the only resident for the first few days. Three other men would join him over the following week, and within a month, there would be ten or more. Male applications did not seem to be affected by the protests and the publicity. ------- Busy as he was with school, the Tee, and especially Lindsey, Mark was an incurable Internet junkie, and he still found time to surf. There were two projects that he had taken an interest in, and pursued whenever he could. The first project was a search for Sonja's sister, Sarah. He genuinely liked Sonja, and was grateful for everything she had done for Lindsey. He felt sorry for her that her family situation showed no hope of improvement. In conversation with Harv and some of the other agents at Plonske, he had picked up tips on how to search for people on the Net. He had not found her yet, but was having a ball going through the process. He had finally told Lindsey what he wanted to do, and she was ecstatic. Lindsey really put the pressure on him. She wanted to send Sarah a plane ticket to the first tour concert. She got this big plan for the sisters to reunite backstage afterward. He had to admit it would be a wonderful way to give Sonja back a little something for her friendship and care. Mark's second project had something to do with Sonja, too, if only peripherally. He was working at hacking into Frank Schermer's website. He wanted to capture the database of email addresses. Steal the database, he had to admit to himself, but it did not deter him from the task. He knew without a doubt, as did Lindsey, that Frank was behind the protest campaign. No one who knew Mark would consider him a vengeful person, not even Lindsey or his family. In truth, there had been almost no events in his life that had triggered that aspect of his personality. If anyone had thought about it, though, his actions in defense of Lindsey at the time of the rumor would have been a good indicator. The fervor with which he developed the 'Assholes Registry' and the way he stood up to the principal on Lindsey's behalf were not just isolated actions. They showed an extremely strong protective instinct. In Mark's mind, Transformations was responsible for just about everything good he saw in his future. The effect on his beloved parents was incredible, both in security and just plain joy of life. Even his relationship with Lindsey he credited largely to the influence of the Tee. When he decided to attack Transformations to get back at Lindsey, Frank Schermer unexpectedly made a very, very bad enemy. Mark did not delude himself into thinking he could crack Schermer's system by himself. He was not really a hacker. However, he was in contact through chat rooms, etc., with several people who definitely were hackers. He chose one that he instinctively felt was trustworthy. Little by little, he revealed more of the situation, trying to see if he had picked the right ally. Mark's biggest fear was that his contact might be a sympathizer or supporter of Schermer, or some similar religious group. He did not consider that likely, but he had to be cautious. If his contact was as skillful as he/she claimed, they would have no trouble finding out who Mark was. Hackers, in general, had no regard for security or privacy. Except when it came to their fellow hackers. They most probably knew everything about all of the others, or they were not worth the title. However, it was a point of honor to act as if total anonymity reigned. Not being a member of the hackers' fraternity, Mark could not rely on that anonymity, thus his extreme caution. Fortunately, his chosen contact reacted with outrage at Schermer's tactics, and seemed to drool at the prospect of ripping off his email list. It was almost as if he/she had suffered at the hands of someone like Schermer. To Marks great delight, his spoofed email address began receiving blocks of 10,000 addresses, with donated amounts, less than a week after he made the request. When the last one was received, Mark sent a thank you asking if there was anything he could do to return the favor. The reply was succinct: "Fry the bastard!" Not yet having a clear plan of what he wanted to do with the list, Mark just sat on it for a day, then told Lindsey what he had. She was delighted, but no more certain than Mark how they should proceed. Lindsey still had some of her first royalty check left, and she called the Plonske Agency with another assignment. She wanted to find other young people who had been forced to attend one of Schermer's retreats as she had. It would give them one more weapon when they decided to strike, as they both now assumed they would do. ------- Julia had developed the same kind of feeling for Andi as she had for Lindsey and Trish, even though Andi was a resident, rather than an employee. She was thrilled that Andi and Andy seemed to be a bona fide couple. Still, she felt the heartache Andi suffered over the breakup of her family. From their first brief encounter, Julia could not see why Andi thought so highly of her father, Warren, as she did. When he called to set up an appointment, she had to change her assessment of him. Her professionalism prevented her from carrying a grudge into a first session. In addition, she was very anxious to help Andi any way she could, and reconciliation with her father would be a huge step. She was very glad she had worked on her attitude toward the man. As he sat down in her office, he was nothing like the defensive, wounded victim to whom they had delivered the news about Andi. To start things on a positive note, she told him "Mr. Kessler, it was a very generous thing to cover Andi's medical bills." "Not as generous as you think," he replied, not at all in a boasting manner. "Money is about the only thing that has gone right for me lately, and I have precious few things worth spending it on. Um, either you will get to know me very well, or these sessions will be useless. Call me Warren, please." That was enough to completely erase Julia's previous opinion of him. He was committed to therapy until it helped, and that was all she could hope for in a patient. "OK, Warren. I need to tell you something right up front. I am, ah, in contact with Andi in a, uh, professional capacity. In my strict interpretation, that means I can tell you almost nothing about her. If you think that will make our sessions unproductive, you are free to leave right now, with no obligation." "Before I called, I suspected that would be the case," he assured her. "I assume you can at least convey messages between us." "Gladly." The rest of that first session was spent in a form of sparring. He was not nearly ready to open up with what was really on his heart. She had been through this too many times to make the mistake of pushing him. It was always a challenge to make sure a new patient took something from the first session that made another session seem worthwhile. Warren was the kind of person who would respond to looking at the session from her viewpoint. "Warren, I have not been able to do much to help you today. I think you realize you are not ready to open up very much, yet. It is mostly up to you when we start to talk about what is really troubling you. Do you think it is worthwhile to schedule more sessions?" "I had no illusions that anything could happen from one visit. I know I am not the most open and communicative person. Yes, I definitely want to talk some more. Would you please tell Andi that I would love to talk with her whenever she feels she is ready?" With Julia's assurance that she would pass on the message, they shook hands and parted. ------- It was 1:30 in the morning, but Mark had to wake Lindsey to tell her the news. He had found Sarah Schermer - he was sure of it, different last name notwithstanding. Lindsey was predictably groggy, but not at all upset to be awakened with such great news. The next day was a school day, and it seemed to crawl for Lindsey. When she got to the Tee, she immediately called Sarah's number, only to hang up in frustration when the answering machine kicked in. The same scenario was repeated every hour until eight in the evening. When the phone was actually answered, Lindsey almost could not talk. Then, she got herself together and started the dialog they had carefully worked out in the middle of the night. Mark was right with her, not wanting to miss the payoff of his online sleuthing. "Is this Sarah?" She was very careful not to use the Schermer name. Sarah had dropped it, and it could have ended the call right there. "My name is Lindsey Hall, and I would like to ask you to..." "Lindsey Hall, the singer?" Sarah cut in. "I know who you are." This totally knocked Lindsey off balance, and blew the whole dialog. She was on her own. "Then you probably know that I owe your sister, Sonja, a great deal." "I knew you were both singing with Jenny Ballard," Sarah replied. "What do you mean, you owe her?" Lindsey explained how Sonja had gotten her the chance to sing. "How did you find me?" Sarah asked. "My boyfriend spent a lot of evenings on the Net, searching for you," Lindsey told her. "Don't feel bad, though. He is very, very good, and very, very determined." "OK. I thought I had disappeared better than that," Sarah said with a touch of bitterness. "Why?" Now, Lindsey could get back to at least part of the planned dialog. She went on to explain how Sonja had gotten into drugs and lived on the street; how she had gotten squared away at Dex's; how she had been discovered by Jenny. She made a strong point about Sonja's total separation from their parents, even describing how they communicated through a lawyer's office. "Sarah, you asked why? The best gift I could give Sonja would be a reunion with you." There was a long silence. "Th... that would be gift for me, too," Sarah said quietly. "Why have you never contacted her?" Lindsey asked, taking a chance. "Guilt. I felt terrible abandoning her to the Hell at home, but I just couldn't take any more. I didn't think I could face her. I thought she might hate me." "Believe me, Sarah, she loves you dearly. She understood why you left and was happy that you could escape. She does not blame you for her own problems. Actually, you were a hero for her to follow." Lindsey heard crying on the line. "Sarah, here's what I would like to do, if you can arrange the time..." When the residents saw Lindsey jumping around and squealing with delight, they immediately thought it had to do with Mark, but he set them straight. "She got to do something nice for someone who has helped her a lot." Well, you cannot drop a comment like that in front of a dozen women and expect to leave out the details. Lindsey spent the next half hour telling Sonja's story. Mary was listening on the edge of the group, and the confusion over what she heard about the Schermer parents was evident. Lindsey was too excited and happy to worry about puncturing one of her mother's idols. Lindsey had to promise to bring Sonja out to visit when they got back from the concert and the reunion. She promised that she and Sonja would sing for them, as well. ------- Warren caught Julia by surprise to start their second session. "I do watch the news, and there's been a lot on there about this Transformations place, including the name of the director. Let me make a wild guess. You run that place, and Andi is there right now." "And you know very well that I cannot answer that, don't you?" Julia came back. There followed a lot more sparring and probing, taking half the session for Warren to realize that she would not budge. "Dr. Waxman, I screwed up big time," he said after a long pause. "I messed up four happy lives, but good." That was a far more open admission than she had ever expected at that point. "First of all, Warren, and I think it should be Julia from now on, the initial blame is not yours. We need to be very clear about that. My understanding is that for your entire marriage, you bore the main burden of two opposite personalities living together." "Apparently, you have talked to Andi a lot," he mused. When she started to say that she could not comment on that, he just held up his hand. "I understand your restrictions. It helps me a lot to think that perhaps she doesn't hate me as much as I feared." "I don't want you to think," he continued, "that Dottie didn't try to make things work. Up until the end, she tried very hard. I am sure that she loved me. Probably still does." Only a few times had Julia had men completely break down in her office. Warren's collapse was as dramatic as any of them, particularly as in control as he had seemed a moment earlier. It is as hard for a therapist to deal with a sobbing person as it is for anyone, maybe harder. Julia's human side wanted to comfort the man. Her professional side required her to keep some distance and remain dispassionate. As almost always happened, her professional side won out. When Warren finished sobbing, Julia did allow a little extra warmth into her next comment. "There's no need to ask how you feel about Dottie right now, is there?" He just shook his head. "Let me summarize where we are, OK?" Julia continued. "You still love your ex-wife, and you wish your family was back together again. However, you don't think you could continue to do what it took to make the marriage work the way it once did. Do I have it about right?" He nodded. "Next time, we need to start discussing what you should do about this whole situation. That won't be easy, but I believe it's what you are really her for," she told him. Again he nodded. As they stood to say goodbye, Warren told her "When I saw the stuff about Transformations on the news, I tended to believe it, sad to say. Then I figured out that you ran it and that Andi was there. I was ready to go to court and get her out of there, and cancel our next session." "Then I took time to think about it. I believe I'm a decent judge of character. What I had seen of you did not square with what the reports were implying. Now, I'm certain I came to the right conclusion. I feel confident my daughter is in the best possible place she could be." "Thank you, Warren. I appreciate the vote of confidence. This time, I will strongly encourage her to call you." ------- January was half gone, and a lot was happening. Transformations was under attack. The defenses had been marshaled and they were holding their own, but the risk was still significant. It was a matter of hanging on until some positive results could be published. An upcoming piece by the nationally-known journalist Judy Morrison would also be a big help. Andi Kessler was making her way back from forced prostitution and drug addiction, and she and Andy Berg had found love. The rubble of Andi's once-secure home was starting to be cleaned up. Lindsey's mother had been a resident at the Tee for about three weeks, and signs of at least the possibility of significant changes were starting to appear. Lindsey and Mark were acting more and more like a married couple, and Lindsey was as eager for the final consummation as was Mark. Only the lingering effects of her parents' prudery and lifelong dominance kept her from entering wholeheartedly into the union she hungered for. Lindsey and Mark had in their hands the weapon for brutal revenge against the Reverend Frank Schermer, the instigator of the protest campaign against Transformations. Lindsey and Mark had also put in place a joyful reunion between Sonja Schermer and her long-departed older sister Sarah. That reunion would happen on the first stop of a concert tour that could truly launch Lindsey's singing career into the big time. Between that moment and the concert, however, loomed a large hurdle for Lindsey. On the coming weekend, her father, Floyd Hall, would check in as the first male resident of Transformations. ------- Chapter 11 Having not visited or talked to his wife since she checked in to Transformations did not make it any easier for Floyd, now that he was about to check in himself. After all the preparations that had been made so he could work from there, he had almost lost his job anyway, just from distraction and inattention. It had been hard enough just existing for the four weeks that Mary had already been gone. He had completely lost track of how much he just depended on her for everything around the house. And their son Brett was worse than useless. He was beginning to think maybe Lindsey had been right about how they were handling him. The live-in housekeeper they had hired for the duration had a reputation for toughness. Perhaps the kid deserved it. And Lindsey had totally surprised him. She had not moved back in, but she had come over at least four times a week, her boyfriend's mother or sister often accompanying her. They had cleaned, and had prepared meals, sometimes freezing food ahead for when they could not be there. Lindsey's behavior was strange. She was not angry or combative, but neither was she warm and friendly to him. It was almost like she was a hired maid. Once, he had asked her why she was doing it. The reply had hit him hard. First, she said she was trying her best to honor them as the Bible directed. She was sorry she could not love them any longer, but she still wanted to behave correctly. Despite what they thought, she did not wish evil on them, and when they left Transformations, they would be grateful. Then, she hit him hard in his ego. She said she knew the fault for their treatment of her was mainly Mary's, but that he was guilty of wimping out and not standing up when his wife was way out of line. He knew she spoke the truth, but he had tried to ignore that behavior for years. It was one of the things he was least proud of. One other thing he saw was painful. When Lindsey and Norma were together, he could see the genuine love, something that had been missing between Lindsey and Mary. They joked and teased and had fun as they worked. He wondered if he and Mary were to blame for the non-relationship with their daughter or if it was just normal parent/child stresses. It was more disturbing when Mark's sister came along, and he saw the same happy camaraderie between Norma and her daughter. It was the first time he had let himself speculate that his wife might have some real problems. ------- Floyd had been instructed to take a cab to the place, and it was even pre-paid. It made him shudder to arrive with no luggage except his briefcase full of work materials. Dr. Waxman had been very specific that he could bring nothing in with him. Dr. Waxman waited for him just outside the door. He had talked to her a few times getting ready for admission. She was a stunning woman, and she intimated him terribly. It just then hit him that she would see him naked, and he staggered slightly as he walked up to her. For normal therapeutic residents, the incoming women were met by female attendants, and by Norma, naked, and any residents who wanted to act as first-day escorts. The male employees stayed out of sight, or least out of immediate contact, until Norma signaled that the newcomer was ready for that level of shock. Floyd was the first male resident, and there were no set procedures for the men's side. Julia, Lindsey, and the crew had gotten together and decided on little strategies to increase the initial humiliation for residents like Floyd who were there for punitive reasons. When Julia welcomed Floyd in, she would stay right with him, and be joined by Lindsey. They would stand right there and watch as he was instructed to undress. There would be no peer-group shielding for him. In fact, he would see only women until Mark helped with his initial measurement session. There had been quite a bit of discussion about whether Lindsey should be there right away. Just as with Mary, Floyd had no idea Lindsey worked at the Tee. She had never seen her father naked, and only rarely less than fully clothed. There was some legitimate concern about him handling the shock of exposing himself to his daughter right away. There was no question that she would see him quite soon, anyway. Since they wanted to bring home to Floyd just what he had gotten into, and they wanted to break down any defenses as quickly as possible, it was decided that Lindsey should be his shadow for the first weekend, leaving his side only when absolutely necessary. Between the initial measurements, an 'enhanced' physical, and the orientation on the weight machines, there would be many chances to cause him serious humiliation. With Mary, there had been a legitimate chance of a physical problem from the shock of exposure. While Floyd was in lousy shape, it was decided it was more important to 'break him down' quickly than to protect his health. Floyd was able to shake Julia's offered hand, albeit quite limply. When she held the door and he entered, he nearly backed out and chose a trial. Lindsey was standing there waiting for him, a neutral expression on her face. Dressed in the uniform shorts and tee, she looked wholesome but sexy. He could not even think about how she looked, though. She was his daughter! Their home had always emphasized modesty. She was going to see his penis, and his flabby bare ass, and his hanging belly. That was not right! How could he stand it? The first time Julia told him to undress so they could store his clothes, he did not even hear her, he was so petrified. "Floyd. Please take off your clothes so we can store them for you. You won't need them for quite a while. Actually, they will be much too large for you when you leave here." Julia paused for a while, but Floyd still could not move. "I think we need to help him, Lindsey. Get his shoes and socks, would you?" With that, Julia took off his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt while Lindsey knelt and untied his shoes. Julia held out her hand, and Floyd woodenly used it to balance himself as Lindsey pulled off his shoes and socks. The possibility of having to undress him had been discussed, and a plan carefully worked out. In very short order, he was standing in just his slacks and underwear. Julia collected the removed garments and placed them in a small suitcase. Lindsey stayed on her knees in front of him and reached up to unbuckled his belt. That was enough to jolt him from his stupor. "No!... Wait?... Lindsey!... Don't!..." "Oh," she said calmly, "it looked like you were having trouble, so I thought I'd help. Can you do it yourself?" "But you're my daughter!... I can't... I didn't know you worked here. I... I can't... it's not right!" "Guess I never mentioned I volunteer here quite a bit. I know we're not close any longer, but I thought a familiar face would make your first day easier." She said that, knowing that her presence added the ultimate terror and humiliation. "Ohhhh, no! You shouldn''t see me. This is..." "Come on. Don't be silly, now. Lots of people are going to see you over the next few months. So just take off your pants and get it over with." He was unable to move and just stood there. Julia was watching from behind him with an amused grin, proud of how Lindsey was playing out her part. "Look, Floyd," Lindsey said, seeing him wince at her use of his name, "one of three things is going to happen. Either you finish undressing, or I undress you, or we call the DA and get you back on the court docket. Which will it be?" Floyd just could not bring himself to do it, frozen in fear and indecision. Lindsey, who had stood as she talked to him, waited a few moments, then undid his belt and zipper, with no resistance from him. When she let the slacks fall, he jammed his hands in front of his crotch. Disgusted at his childishness, but sticking with the task, she stepped behind him, giving Julia a wink as she did, and pulled his boxers down as far as they would go. Stepping back in front of him and getting down on her knees, she pointedly did not look at his crotch and pushed his shorts and slacks down to his ankles. Then she said "Lift your right leg, please, so I can get these off. Wouldn't want you to trip on them and fall, would we?" He had to put one hand on her shoulder to steady himself, and she did not hurry the removal process. His other hand stayed in front of his crotch. When she got the pants and underwear off, she stood and handed them to Julia. Then, she stood in front of him and grabbed one wrist with each hand. "Now, look. You're going to be here for quite a while, and your penis will be out in plain sight. So be a man and take your hands away. Mary got through it, and so will you." At first, he resisted her pressure on his wrists and tried to keep his hands in place. Then with a sheepish look, he relaxed and pulled his own hands away. Lindsey exerted all her self-control and looked him in the face for a moment. Like any daughter, she carried a large curiosity about her father's genitals. In their family, there had been no chance to ease that curiosity. Making sure he saw her, she pointedly looked right down at his crotch. She had released her hold on his wrists, but was still quite close to him. Too close to see anything but the tip, as it turned out. To see past the overhang of his belly, she stepped back and very obviously bent her head down for a good view. Given her low opinion of her father's masculinity, she was a bit surprised at the size of his package. Not as big a Mark's, but not at all the scrawny thing she had somehow expected. She had a brief thought that it was good for her future sons that both grandfathers were decently equipped. Part of the Tee's behavior code strictly forbad direct comments about genitals, except in a clinical context. The code also discouraged staring, while realizing that was more difficult to live with. Lindsey behaved correctly. Then she took her unresisting father by the shoulders and turned him to face Julia. "Well, Floyd," Julia said cheerily, "that was survivable, wasn't it. Though I must say, the shape you are in does not look survivable. I honestly belief your time here will add twenty years and a lot of quality to your life." Floyd was somehow keeping his hands at his sides, though it felt like every molecule of skin in his crotch was tingling and moving around. He had spent years scrupulously ignoring his deteriorating body as being not significant. Now, with everything exposed to his lovely daughter and the stunning older woman, he felt a wave of shame for what he looked like. Little did he realize that he was experiencing one of the first benefits of re-birthing therapy, and one of the big justifications for nudity. The next sequence had been discussed, no argued, very thoroughly. One of the strict rules was no female nudity on the men's side. However, Floyd was the first male resident, and if ever an exception was to be made, now was the time. Julia contended that seeing a naked woman would be a tremendous shock to him, given his strict puritanism. Others opined that he must certainly have indulged in some form of voyeurism, perhaps on business trips. Lindsey was not at all sure. Julia was proposing herself as the subject, so it was difficult to argue against her. She felt it could be another jolt that would force Floyd even farther from his comfort zone. In the end, she won out. "Well, lets go introduce Floyd to the others. You're lucky, Floyd. All of the women were able to be here to greet you." It was hard not to laugh at the way the color drained from his face at that statement. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. "Wait, I shouldn't go in like this. I'm way out of uniform. Lindsey, be a dear and fetch me a size ten shorts and a medium shirt." When Lindsey had wandered off, Julia said to Floyd "I made the rule about uniforms, so I guess I'd better stick to it." She had arrived in a very expensive looking business suit, claiming she had come from an important breakfast meeting. She looked around, as if in confusion before addressing Floyd again. "Well, I am going to break one rule. There's not supposed to be any female nudity over on this side, but I'm going to change right here, since this is the first day and there's no one else around. Is that OK with you?" Before he could respond, even if he could have, she unzipped the skirt of her suit and stepped out of it. There was a chance that prudery could motivate him to turn away or to tell her not to undress in front of him. She hoped the sight of her luscious legs in smoke-toned nylons, garter, and black thong would freeze him in place. She was right. Julia had many times done strip-teases for her husband Frank, and she could do it like a pro. She actually had to restrain herself and make it look like more casual undressing. She kept hold of the skirt as she stepped out of it, then turned and bent over to fold it carefully onto a chair. This gave him a choice view of her bare ass, the cord of the thong being completely lost in her crack. It had been a stated objective to get Floyd hard. Lindsey had cynically commented during discussions that she doubted he could still get hard, but Julia was sure he could. The humiliation from that would be another big step in 'breaking him down.' When she turned back, Julia started talking about nudity and attitudes toward it, explaining the value of it in their approach. The next item to come off was her jacket, which she again ceremoniously folded over the chair with maximum ass exposure. She had not worn a blouse. Standing in just her lingerie, Julia spent a little time with sweeping gestures to emphasize a point. That made her breasts jiggle in a most enticing manner. Next, she casually stripped off the thong, which she wore outside the garter. The thong, of course, had to be carefully placed on the chair as well. Frank preferred a little pubic hair, particularly since hers was such a gorgeous auburn. He claimed it made her pussy look even sexier than when it was bald. Having never seen the alternative, Floyd could not argue the point. His own point went active, striving for the vertical. Instantly, his hands were back in front of his cock. However, his fascination with Julia's body was such that he could not turn away to hide himself properly. Still talking seriously, and seeming to be absorbed as she casually stripped, Julia next took off her bra, again having to put it carefully on the chair. In a very un-stripper-like but highly erotic move, she first lightly scratched, then vigorously rubbed the undersides of her breasts. Dropping her lecture for a moment, she told him "Bra technology has really advanced. But when your breasts are this size," and she bounced them a little, "it still itches plenty when you set them free." The women had made little side bets on whether or not he would turn away from looking at Julia's nudity. At that point, he was physically incapable of even averting his eyes. His pulse was pounding so hard it thundered in his ears and made his cock bob with each beat. Contrary to what some had guessed, Julia was only the second naked female he had seen. Only rarely had he even seen Mary in full frontal exposure. Lately, there had been little reason to want to. Moving on to another point in her little lecture on nudity, Julia unclipped the garter snaps, then took it off. Stepping out of her shoes, she sat in another chair that was conveniently facing him, just a few feet away. Sticking one leg up and out, she began peeling off the stocking. She heard Floyd gasp a little, but continued the lecture. From the corner of her eye, she saw that he was grasping his cock, probably unaware that he was doing it. Making sure he didn't know she was watching, she peeled off the second stocking more slowly. Just as she removed the nylon from her artfully pointed toe, she saw him turn away and yank his hand away from his cock. She guessed that he had barely avoided coming. The group had talked about this possibility, but no one thought it likely. It was a testament to his sexual deprivation and naivete that it had almost happened. It was both a good and a bad thing that he had not. It certainly would have been humiliating, and would have contributed greatly to the breaking down. However, it was probably more humiliating in the long run to greet the other women hard, as they had planned. All of the women had been lurking in a doorway. They were at a bit of a rear angle, but had been able to see him, especially when he finally turned away. Lindsey had been standing with them, having quickly found the clothes for Julia. The plan had been for Lindsey to stall for a while longer, and for Julia to stand there naked while she waited, continuing her explanations. "Oh, the girls are all here," Julia explained, keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't faint. It was close. "Come on and meet Floyd, girls. Our first male resident." Floyd had many times had the standard nightmare about being at school or at a party and completely naked, with everyone else dressed normally. That nightmare seemed tame compared to his current situation. Here he was, as hard as he had ever been and a whisker from coming. His daughter was standing right by him, and several other women were gathered around him. The male brain could not have concocted that nightmare on its own. All staring openly at his cock, mostly hidden behind his hands, but none saying anything about it, the women began introducing themselves. Trish stepped forward first with a cheery smile and outstretched hand. "Hi Mr. Hall. I'll bet you remember me. I'm Lindsey's friend Trish. I helped her clean your house a couple of times." Naturally polite, Floyd reflexively reached to shake the offered hand, only to realize his remaining hand covered very little. Finding no hole in the floor to fall through, he yielded to manners and shook her hand. To her credit, it did not seem to bother her that it was the hand that had earlier held his cock for a few moments. Nor did any of the others seem to care. The women played their parts magnificently. They welcomed him cheerily, and made no reference at all to his condition. They did, however, stare at his cock openly when he was occupied with someone else. Besides Trish, there was Gretchen, Carol, Norma, and Chelly. When all the greetings were finished and Floyd had a deathly pallor on his face, Julia spoke up "Thanks so much, girls. You can get back to your regular work, now." She had put the T-shirt on, but stood holding the shorts. "Lindsey, these are 8's, and my hips would bust them out if I bent over. Could you get me a 10, please?" Wearing only a shirt, her lower half bare, Julia began telling Floyd a little about each of the women. She was hoping to keep him hard, and it seemed to be working. Lindsey waited for an eye signal from Julia before bringing her the shorts - the same ones from before. "Well, why don't you give your father the grand tour, Lindsey. I need to meet with the other women." With everything that had happened, he was barely aware of his surroundings, staring blankly at Julia's crotch just before she pulled the shorts up over it. Lindsey saw his condition and felt a flash of pity. It was only momentary, though, as just a look at him recalled so many memories of childhood wrongs. Floyd's head hung down as he meekly followed her into the complex. When they reached the club area, she stopped him. "You look like you could really use a nap. Take a shower there," and she pointed to the bank of open showers, "and I'll take you to your room. See the bin of towels? They're all over the place." She made a point of standing just out of splash range and watching every move as he washed himself. He turned his back as he washed his crotch, and kept the towel over himself after he had dried. "Towels go in laundry bins immediately," she said in a stern voice. "Remember, one of the main rules is that your are to be exposed at all times." When she showed him to his room, he hardly even looked around, but collapsed onto the bed from physical and mental exhaustion. Saying she would be back in a half hour, she hurried off to find the other women. ------- Lindsey found the other female employees in the kitchen, a common meeting place. She flew at Julia and wrapped her in an enormous hug. "I DO NOT believe you," she almost screamed. "How could you do that? It was incredible!" "I've practiced on Frank for a lot of years," Julia replied. "If you gals have never..." she was about to say 'done it for your man' when she realized a couple of them did not have men, and stopped herself. Instead, she went on "I almost hated to give him such a treat, but I think we accomplished our objective." There was a chorus of agreement. "I need to remind you all," Julia continued, "that today was a one-time thing. His humiliation was appropriate. We did it for payback for Lindsey, but it was also vital to starting his re-birthing process. Remember, we are here to transform people, make them better. We may be angry at Floyd for what he did to his daughter, but he is our client. You all did a great job today, not showing any animosity. From now on, he is special." "Well, almost from now on," Julia corrected herself with a chuckle. "There is still the 'enhanced' physical. Do you think we should go ahead as planned, Chelly?" "I'm game," Chelly replied. "Don't let him sleep too long, Lindsey. You need to do the measurements before the exam, and I go on shift at six tonight." Chelly, as a nurse, had been hired part-time to do for the men what Ryan did for the women. Her job at the hospital had been reinstated, and both children now had college annuities set up, courtesy of a very sorry administration. Ryan had been reluctant to have her join the staff in any way, worried about Carol's reaction. It had been Carol, though, who had insisted. She and Chelly had become good friends, and since the wedding, Carol seemed to have lost any concern about possible competition. Now the she suspected she was already pregnant, she seemed oblivious to anything but her almost unbearable happiness. "One last question, Lindsey," Julia said. "Are you going to skinny dip with him tonight?" Lindsey would be staying all night. She had suggested that baring herself to him might be another step in breaking him down. He would feel that looking at his naked daughter was a terrible sin. "Don't know yet," Lindsey answered. "A big part of me doesn't want him looking at me. But if I think it can start the changes, I'll do it." ------- When Lindsey went to Floyd's room, he had not slept. It was late morning and a good time for lunch. However, he had been instructed to fast before the physical, so she took him right to the measurement room. There was a single room that served both women's and men's sides. They had to walk down a couple of halls, and just doing that naked was jarring to Floyd. Lindsey knocked on a door, and Mark opened it, causing Floyd another minor panic. "Mark does all the first time measurement stuff because he's so good at the computer," she explained. Barely managing to speak, Floyd asked "Computer?" "Yeah, you'll see. It's cool. After this, I'll be doing it for you when I'm in town." Lindsey used the tape measure. When she wrapped the tape around his thigh, her hand was so close to his penis that he could not help getting half hard. The standard set of poses left Floyd wondering if things could get any worse, especially since he had not completely softened for the first frontal shots, and it protruded noticeably on the side shots. They went through the same sequence with the Speedo, and then with the shorts and shirt. The teens could see the strain on his face as he stripped off the clothes in front of them. The computerized progress projections had become a source of great wonder to the residents, and Floyd was as impressed as the women. When offered the before and after sets for his wall, he accepted without any real eagerness. ------- The medical exam room was also a shared facility, and Chelly was waiting for them in a fresh white coat. Since she was only hired to do the men, this was her first assignment, and she was a little nervous. She would be doing some things normally done by a doctor, and at least one not normally done at all. "Why is Lindsey here?" Floyd asked when Chelly told him to get up on the table. "Well, she is your guide for the weekend. Besides, she is considering medical as one of her career options. This is good for her." Chelly said it in a way that left no room for objection. The exam was extremely thorough, as protection of the business would dictate. Three different vials of blood were drawn. All the while, Chelly asked him questions about health and lifestyle. Lindsey recorded the answers on forms she had on a clipboard. After many minutes sitting on the table, Chelly had him stand. She grabbed rolls of fat in her hand and used a caliper-like device to take measurements. Lindsey recorded the numbers and locations from the readings. Then, the first of the non-standard wrinkles was added. Chelly handed him a plastic cup with a screw-on lid, obviously for a urine sample. The exam room had a toilet, sink, and shower, but they were open to the rest of the room. "Give me a sample," Chelly told him in a very doctor-like voice. The two women stayed where they were, and talked to each other about something. "Are... aren't you going to step out?" Floyd asked in a plaintive voice. Chelly gave a short laugh and said "What for. It's not like there's anything secret, is there? I'm a nurse, and she's your daughter, so what's the problem?" "She's never seen me... it's private..." He cut off his protest. Just the one mention of the DA earlier had taken all the resistance out of him. He could sense that indignities were being heaped on him with a purpose. He went over to the toilet, unscrewed the lid, and held his penis over the cup. He stood there for over a minute before he could produce. When the sample jar was closed and labeled, Chelly told him to lie on his back on the exam table and spread his legs as far as the table would allow. "Wh... what's this for?" he plead. "I'm going to check your penis and your testicles to make sure everything is normal. I need to ask some pretty personal questions, too." "But Lindsey... can't she leave?" All through the exam, Lindsey had been recording answers and results on her clipboard. "We've been over that," Chelly answered firmly. She pulled on rubber gloves, then lifted his penis and began examining it. "When did you last ejaculate?" She slowly and thoroughly pulled on the slack skin, looking for sores or lesions. "Ohhh... stop, I'm... no, don't..." Floyd was babbling as he penis started to grow. "Don't worry about it, Floyd. It's a natural thing. I'm a nurse, remember?" "But Lindsey shouldn't..." "She's your daughter. Relax." That fact was certainly no justification for her being there. Chelly just said it repeatedly to emphasize the humiliation. "You know, this actually makes the exam easier, with the skin tighter and all. Bet it makes it a little more enjoyable for you too, huh?" Chelly chuckled, unable to resist breaking her professional demeanor for at least one suggestive remark. When she had practiced on the guys, she had to struggle to resist what she really wanted to do and say. Every one of them had gotten hard, too. Every time. "When was the last time you ejaculated," Chelly asked. "Uh..." He gave a quick glance toward Lindsey, then answered "About two months... a little longer." Unable to resist an expression of surprise, Chelly exclaimed "Two months? Was that intercourse or masturbation?" "Please! Lindsey..." Floyd's voice almost sounded tearful. "Floyd, how many times do we have to go through this? It's a simple question." "I... I don't masturbate." "Never?" "N... no. It's wrong." Chelly stopped dead from inspecting his testicles and laid her hand casually on his fleshy upper thigh. "Then how frequently do you have intercourse?" "Lindsey shouldn't know that?" "Why not? If you're doing it right, I'm sure the kids can hear it. How often?" "Um, once a month. Usually" "Is it because you don't have the urge more often, or because your wife doesn't want to?" "Well, we... I... it, uh, just doesn't come up very often." Chelly resisted a snicker at that, but Lindsey could not. Chelly covered her by talking quickly. "Floyd, you are in lousy phsysical shape, so maybe your testosterone production is down. Still, once a month is not healthy for a man your age. It should be far more often." "And as far as masturbation: I guess your objection is religious. But from the exercise and improved diet here, you are going to be getting horny a lot. More and more as time goes on. There are no conjugal visits. You had better got over your objections to masturbating or you will go straight from here to the psych ward." "One last question. When you have intercourse, does your wife climax?" "Um, ah, I, uh, don't think so." "You don't know?" "Surely she doesn't want... I mean that's..." "That's normal, healthy, and essential for a woman. Your poor wife is deprived." Chelly knew she should not have added that last, but could not resist. "OK, now it's time to do the coughing bit." The rest of the exam, starting with the hernia check, was the part that Chelly was least confident about. She had studied the procedures and practiced some in school, but had not done them for real for a long time. Fortunately, she had some good practice subjects available. Andy, Terry, and Eric had let her practice on them several times. Trish was not thrilled with the idea, but when she was allowed to watch, she didn't object to Terry being examined. Chelly did not even think about using Ryan, for obvious reasons. The surprise was Norma, who insisted on Paul being a subject, also insisting on watching. Once again, Lindsey felt a twinge of pity for her father. Standing there, naked, flabby, and erect, he looked as miserable as a man could get. He kept his beet-red face turned away from Lindsey, until Chelly made him turn it her direction as part of the hernia check. "OK, we're almost done. Stand up and lean over the table. We need to do the rear end check." Floyd glanced at Lindsey, then looked at Chelly with pleading, almost tearful eyes. But he did as he was told. Chelly put on a fresh glove and greased his anus. Then, she carefully worked her finger in. This was the one part of the practice the guys had not been enthusiastic about. It did not thrill her much, either, particularly when it was so hard to even reach his opening between the corpulent cheeks. Lindsey watched from behind for a moment, but decided it was not something she really cared to see. The actual prostrate exam went quickly, then they moved to the highly non-standard part, that part that made the guys endure the multiple practice intrusions. "Lindsey, do you have the sample vial?" "Wh... what sample?" Floyd asked, afraid of the answer. "We need a sperm sample," Chelly said, causing him to groan. In panic, he started to straighten up. Her finger was still embedded in his rectum, and the pain made him lie right back down. She went on as if nothing had happened. "The least, uh, intimate way to get an ejaculation is from a prostate massage. Since you are already erect, it should be faster. Lindsey, you'll have to hold the tip to aim it. Is that OK." Chelly was certain she had the target, and she used the techniques that had worked on the other guys. Floyd was obviously not lying about how long it had been. Lindsey barely had the vial in place when he released the first spurt. His cock lurched so hard it escape her grasp momentarily. She got it back under control so she only lost the one glob. There was plenty more. To Lindsey, the whole thing was weirdly clinical and not at all arousing. Her curiosity about her father's equipment had not lasted through the day. She felt nothing for him. He was just a patient. When his balls stopped contracting, Chelly removed her hands and stripped off her gloves. Lindsey stood and capped the vial, which she set in a waiting dish of ice. Just out of tidiness, she grabbed a tissue and wiped a dangling drop from her father's wilting organ. Floyd could not look at either woman, and followed wordlessly as Lindsey led him back to his room, where he stayed until dinner. ------- At about 9:30, Floyd had been in his room since dinner, and Lindsey had not tried to get him out. She had been debating the big question of skinny dipping all day. It really bothered her. She understood that it would be another big blow to his tightly held prudery to see his daughter naked. But she felt like she would be giving up something of herself, too. The view of her naked body was a gift, as Mark told her over and over. Floyd did not deserve that gift. Despite those feelings, the whole reason for getting them into the Tee was to change them, to give them a chance to be more normal if they chose to be. The whole day had been filled with making Floyd break taboos that he had always held. Skinny dipping with his daughter had to be a very high level taboo. Getting him to break that would be a step in re-birthing, in starting over. After a day of almost more shocks than he could stand, Floyd got perhaps the biggest one when Lindsey walked into his room naked. He didn't say anything, just gaped. "Let's go for a swim and a hot tub," she said. He followed her on autopilot, trying not to think about how enticing her bare ass looked as it flexed with each step. Lindsey already regretted stripping and felt like running away. But she was committed, and she might as well see it through. A few laps was all Floyd could do, and they moved to the hot tub. When he had caught his breath he said "You got me to do a lot of sinning, didn't you?" "Sinning? Hmmm. Guess so." She thought it was better to let him talk. "All this was planned to humiliate me, wasn't it. I didn't realize you were angry enough to do such things." "Of course you didn't realize it," she said with undisguised bitterness. "What do you mean 'of course, '" he asked. "You never knew if I was angry, or sad, or happy, or frightened. You never had any idea what I was feeling," she accused him. "What's worse is that you never cared about what I was feeling. All you cared about was if I followed all the rules." "That's not fair to say," he objected. "It's absolutely true. What did you feel like, today?" "I felt humiliated, like I was not even a person." "Right. Like an object," Lindsey agreed. "Well, that's how you've treated me, like an object to be perfected. Not like a living, feeling person to be loved and understood." "So, this is your way to get even?" he asked. "Sure, there's a little of that, but today took care of the getting even part. Whether you believe it or not, I did this to try to give you two a better life." "By forcing us to do things we believe are wrong? How will that give us a better life?" he asked, showing a little anger. "We had to shock you to get you out of your comfort zone. It was the only way to get you to think about your lives and your bodies," she tried to explain. "Besides, you haven't been living what you claim to believe, anyway." "What?" "How about when the Bible says your body is the temple of the Lord? How well have you taken care of that temple?" He did not have an answer for that. "How about where it says not to provoke your children to wrath?" He obviously knew about that passage, too. Still no reply. "And where in the Bible does it say 'thou shalt not expose thy dick or thy pussy to anyone?' Or 'thou shalt make sure thy daughter is completely ignorant about sex?'" "Now, wait a minute! The Bible is very clear about sexual purity," he objected, thinking he finally had a point. "But that doesn't apply to males, right?" He chose to be quiet there, this argument having been thoroughly hammered out before. "And I'll bet you've never read 'Song of Solomon, ' have you? Well, when you leave here, you'll both have bodies that will make the other want to have sex more than once a month." "That's none of your concern!" he said with undisguised anger. "Why are you so hung up on sex?" "Why? Well, what has my mother pounded on me the most since I can remember? All she ever thought about was that I might hear something about sex, or that I might actually be sexually appealing to someone. You know, whoever called teenagers walking, talking hormones knew what they were talking about." "So doesn't that validate your mother's concern?" "Not when she thought ignorance and avoidance were the only solutions." "Why is all this anger just coming out now that you've moved out?" He asked, fishing for some kind of edge. "When else could it have? What used to happen if I questioned a rule? What happened if I asked a question about something even remotely sexual? When was I ever asked for an opinion before you decided something for me?" Her voice was now raised to match his. She had bared herself to this closed-minded, inflexible lump for no reason, and she was ashamed. She had already given a lot to try to help them, but it did not appear to be worth it. For the first time, she felt ashamed of her nakedness. Lindsey got out of the pool quickly, making sure he saw nothing but her backside as she hurried to the ever-present bin of towels. Even that exposure bothered her, and she used the towel to shield herself as much as possible, then hurried off to the room where she was staying the night. In the room, she immediately pulled out her cell phone and dialed Mark. She desperately wanted to be held by him right then, but had to settle for the phone call. Floyd was actually gloating a little as he sat in the hot tub. He had been the victim all day, but he had finally gotten the upper hand on his daughter. And she had been naked for him! As much as part of him knew he should not even have looked, she was a lovely sight. Certainly not the wet dream that the doctor was, but beautiful in her own way. He should not have thought about the doctor. All at once his mind was filled with images. The glimpse of her pussy as she peeled off her stockings was the one that affected him the most. Before he realized it, his hand was wrapped around his hard cock, and it was moving up and down gently. Then, unbidden, the rest of the day's images flooded his mind. When he thought about the exam, he flushed with shame at what they had made him do: pissing in the specimen cup while they watched; getting his genitals examined while his daughter watched; giving up the sperm sample. He remembered the awful feeling of wanting to flee, but having to do what they said. It had made him feel so small and so helpless, like he was a little boy controlled by the two women. As he remembered the waves of shame, another wave swept over him, and his cock was pulsing in his hand before he knew it. It hurt. Ejaculation had been a very infrequent thing for him, but he had just had his second of that day. He could feel a burning sensation in his balls, and he had to let go of his shaft because it was too tender to touch. His gloating had been very short-lived. He had masturbated, something he had avoided since his youth, considering it a perversion. How many other perverted things had he done today? She had made him sin! And he had sinned again even after she left him! He had won nothing. ------- In the morning, it was not Lindsey who knocked on his door, but Norma. She had been in the group of women greeting him yesterday morning, but he had to fight the embarrassment all over again when he came out of his room to go to breakfast. "Where's Lindsey?" he asked. "Oh, she had to go to an unexpected practice session," Norma lied. "She won't be back today. I'll be with you most of today. After breakfast, we'll get you started on your workouts. Later, Mark will show you the computer setup for working from here." Floyd had the thought that here was one more woman bossing him around. The next thing that came to mind was the exam, and suddenly, to his horror, his penis was swelling. He felt his face flush from embarrassment, and the swelling accelerated until he was fully erect. This couldn't be happening! This was worse than when he was twelve! "Wait," he said, trying to turn away from Norma, "I... I think I'll just skip breakfast." "Floyd, getting proper, balanced meals is a big part of what happens here. It's not a good idea to start by skipping on the second day." "But I... I'm just not hungry." "Well, it's my job to see that you get into the flow of things. Come on, the girls do a great job." Now, she was definitely bossing him. He got that little boy feeling again, and he felt the shame. His cock was so hard it hurt, and there was that feeling! They were only a few yards from his room, and he turned and dashed back. He moved awkwardly because he had a hand around his cock, as if he could stop the eruption. Norma was not sure what to do. She had seen that he was hard, and she suspected he was near coming, although she had no clue why he should be. The doors did not have locks, but policy dictated respecting closed doors except in emergencies. She waited outside his door for three or four minutes, then knocked. When there was no answer, she decided there could be an emergency, and walked in. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. She noticed he was soft, but that it looked flushed. "Are you OK?" she asked. "I... I don't know what's wrong," he said plaintively. "Did you just come?" she asked, knowing she was pushing the limits of the policy. He just nodded his head. She thought he looked like a whipped puppy. "Come on, breakfast will get cold." She put her hand gently on his elbow and pulled. The result surprised Norma and dismayed him. His erection started growing again. "I can't go like this," he insisted. She genuinely felt sorry for him at that point. But just a thought of the anguish she had helped Lindsey through stiffened her resolve. If he had to walk around all day with a hardon, it served him right. Julia could help him sort out the problem, but until then, it was her job to keep him on schedule. When she increased the firmness of her pull, he did not resist, and she led him toward the eating area, his penis wobbling at half-mast. Carol was cooking that morning, and was waiting for them. Her eyes widened when she saw his condition and she flashed Norma a quizzical look, receiving a shrug in response. Norma left him to Carol and went into the kitchen, where she called Julia and explained what had happened. After a few questions, Julia said she thought she knew the problem. She also said it gave them a chance for more humiliation, and she felt like piling it on. When Floyd was finished eating, Norma came back with Trish. The three women stood around the table and Norma addressed Floyd. "There's been a change of plans. Trish will take you now and get you started on your workout." "No, I can't... she... I mean..." "Floyd, should we call the DA? That's your choice, you know. Otherwise, do what Trish tells you. Which will it be?" Norma was not very knowledgeable about kink, but she had a hunch, and Floyd gave her visual verification. His penis, which had relaxed as he ate, began swelling again when she gave him the ultimatum. Telling Floyd to wait a minute, Norma pulled Trish aside. "Can you do this, Honey? The guy is submissive. He gets aroused from being controlled by a woman. We're going to take turns with him today, and do our best to keep him hard all day long. We'll make it the longest day of his life. On the machines, do everything you can to make him more exposed. Be strong with him. Will you be OK?" "Norma, I've hugged Lindsey through as many cries as you have. Damn right I can do it! I'm even going to have fun with it." Trish did just as she had promised. On every machine, she stood so she had the best possible view of Floyd's crotch. She even stretched out the instruction on the machines that left him most exposed. She made herself be uncharacteristically bossy, finding that any dominant attitude on her part sent blood coursing to his organ. It was more difficult than she thought it would be because there was nothing erotic about it. After seeing all the good-looking Transformations men naked, particularly her own hunky Terry, Floyd looked pathetic and a little disgusting. She kept telling herself she was doing it for Lindsey, and she stuck with it. When he got to the point where his exhaustion was apparent, she gave him a stern lecture about the necessity of following his workout plan exactly. Next she ordered him to the showers, standing and watching the whole time. Giving him an hour to nap or read or whatever he wanted, she went back to the women's side, more weary than she would ever have guessed. Carol came to Floyd's room to get him for lunch. Having been briefed by Julia, she started right in talking down to him in a dominant manner, using his meter as an indicator of how well she was doing. As he ate, he had a fleeting image of himself as an infant in a high chair, being fed and wiped by his mother. It was exactly what Carol was going for, and exactly the worst thing for his ego. After lunch, Norma returned and took him to the computer area where Mark was waiting, still the only male he had seen since he arrived. Mark greeted his mother with a hug that startled Floyd. Their family had never hugged like that. He thought it was inappropriate. Since Mark was in charge of the demonstrations, Norma was not really in a controlling position. Floyd stayed soft, and was able to concentrate on the instructions. Mark took him through the log-in procedures, which were not much different from what he did at the office. After a few minutes, he was convinced that he would be able to work very effectively from 'prison', as we was starting to think of it. It was a very welcome ego boost for him after the almost non-stop shame of being aroused in front of the different women. Any boost in Floyd's ego or his confidence was short-lived. They were just finishing with the computer when a tornado entered the complex in the form of Mark's ten-year-old sister Tori. She was followed by his other sister, fourteen-year-old Becks, and by his father, Paul. Tori had shed her clothes at the door, and threw her naked self unashamedly into Mark's arms, hugging him like she had not seen him for weeks. Floyd almost choked when he saw Mark place one hand on the girl's little bare ass and pat her affectionately. Recovering from the initial shock, Floyd bolted to his feet and turned to hide himself as he started toward his room. "Floyd, wait. I want to introduce the rest of my family. Oh, don't worry. The girls are used to nudity. Tori, this is Mr. Hall, Lindsey's father." The incongruity of normal social niceties when he was naked was almost enough to make Floyd faint. When the girl jumped from her brother's lap and stood in front of him, holding out her hand, he could not move for a moment. All he could see were the hairless, pouting pussy lips that seemed to be thrust right at him. Somehow, he was able to take the hand and shake it. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hall," Tori said brightly. "I'm sorry Lindsey can't live with you, but I sure am glad to have her for another sister. She's great!" "Mom," Tori said excitedly, "Dr. Julia said we could swim over here. She said today is an exception because Mr. Hall is the only one here." Paul and Becks introduced themselves to Floyd, then the girls grabbed Mark and dragged him toward the pool. "Come on, Floyd, join us for a relaxing swim, Norma said. "You've had a tiring day and it will do you good." "No, I couldn't. I mean, she's naked, and... oh!" At that point, he saw that Becks and Mark were also shedding their clothes. "Of course they are, Floyd. And we will be, too. No clothes in pools, you know the rules. On this side, you don't even have to worry about periods," she said with a giggle. "But it's not right for all of you to be... I mean..." "Floyd, Floyd," Norma chided him, seeing a chance to be dominant. "Nudity is the standard around here..." and she proceeded to lecture him, all the while holding onto his arm and propelling him toward the pool. When she stopped and shed her own clothes by one of the deck chairs, she kept up the lecture. That did the trick, and he started to swell. Quickly, Floyd moved into the pool, hoping the water would cover him before anyone saw him hard. The girls had been coached before hand to watch him carefully, though, and both noticed it. Tori caught his eye when he was in the pool and gave him a grin. The next hour or so were almost as disturbing as anything that had happened to Floyd. The Ventris horsed around noisily, they talked quietly, they touched and hugged unashamedly. When Becks sat on her Dad's shoulders and Tori on Mark's for a chicken fight, he just stared in amazement. He could not imagine that the girls' naked crotches were actually pressed against the guys' necks. He had not recovered from that shock when Tori suddenly jumped up and sat on his shoulders. "Come on, Mr. Hall, we can take 'em!" To his further amazement, it was now Norma facing them, sitting on her son's shoulders. That just could not be right! It was not much of a fight. Besides his lousy shape, he was too upset and confused to get into it. Everything he had been taught, everything he believed told him these nude people cavorting unashamedly must be evil. What they were doing was incest. Yet, anyone could see the love and respect they all had for each other. He felt like all the rules he knew had been suspended. He had tried to live righteously, but his own family was disintegrating. At the same time, these sinners, these unbelievers seemed so happy and loving. And his own daughter preferred living with them. Floyd was still subdued and confused when the pool frolic ended and the Ventris got out. He was afraid to climb out for fear of another erection, but politeness required that he say goodbye. No sooner had he stood beside the pool then he had a panicked urge to jump back in. Walking toward the group was the most imposing woman he had even seen. She was taller than him, and looked very strong. She was gloriously naked, and her large breasts swayed hypnotically with each step, in perfect time with the undulation of her lush hips. He could see the power in her substantial thighs as she flowed across the carpeted floor toward him. The only reason he did not retreat to the pool to hide his unstoppable erection was because of temporary paralysis. ------- Chapter 12 "Aunt Barbara! Aunt Barbara!" Tori shrieked, and did a flying leap into the woman's arms. When Barbara reached the group, Paul said "Floyd, this is my sister Barbara. She's going to start you on your aerobic routine." He managed to shake hands, half surprised not to get a bone-crushing grip from her. His other hand attempted to shield his crotch. Very quickly, the others took showers, dried, dressed, and left. He was then alone with the daunting woman, not at all sure what to expect. In an attempt to establish some control, he asked her "Does your whole family work here?" "Oh, I'm not an employee. I'm a resident. I had a big problem to correct." With that, she grabbed a fat roll and shook it. Julia thought it would be OK for me to help with your aerobics. I'm naked for the same reason you are." "So, it's easy to get back and forth between the sides?" he asked. "Only with the right key card or key codes," she told him. "They don't think people trying to get to the other side will be a problem, but they built it secure, anyway." She paused after that exchange, then had a flash of insight. "You're thinking about Mary, aren't you?" Barbara had come over to continue and even escalate the humiliation campaign. Julia believed her imposing appearance would intimidate and arouse him almost without any other action. Now, she was faced with a man obviously deeply troubled, and honestly concerned about his wife. She had to decide how to play this. She did not have good feelings for the man because of how he had treated Lindsey. After living with his wife for a month, though, she could see that Floyd's biggest shortcoming was weakness. For the same reason that domination by a woman could arouse him, Mary was able to dictate the moral tone of their home. His appearance did not endear him to her either. Without the puffy cheeks, sagging jowels, and multiple chins, his face would probably be pleasant. She could tell that his build was OK. It was just the fat that obscured it. The fat layer on his belly extended right down to his pubic bone. Between the lowest fold and his ballooning upper thighs, his package could only be seen from straight on. She idly wondered if his balls got squeezed between those thighs at every step. He needed a bra more than a lot of women she knew. Just as she was wondering how anyone could let themselves go that badly, she remembered where she was and why she was there. 'Those who live in glass houses... ' At least she was good to her girls. Making a quick decision, Barbara decided there was time for some dominance later. As another resident, she could probably get him to say things he would not say to an employee. She got them both something to drink, then told him to sit on one of the loungers around the pool while she settled into another. She noticed that he obeyed her without hesitation. Wanting to keep him a little off balance, she positioned herself with her crotch toward him, and opened her legs a little. She wanted it to be erotic, but not obvious. "Employees are not supposed to talk about residents," she informed him. "But I'm not an employee, so I'll tell you a little about Mary." She proceeded to recount his wife's first month. She did edit quite freely, but gave him an accurate overall account. He asked some questions, and she elaborated a bit more. "When I got here, it looked like you were disturbed about something. What happened?" He gave her some inane answers, and she thought she could get more out of him than that. As an experiment, she got right on her knees next to his lounger. Her tits were right in his face as she told him firmly but not harshly "Floyd, something more than that was bothering you. Now, tell me." It worked. She looked quickly at his penis and saw it twitch a little, signaling the dominance/arousal response. He immediately started talking about the nudity, the contact, and his beliefs about sex and nudity. That discussion went on for over half an hour. "So, Paul and Norma have a really messed up family, huh?" she asked, keeping a straight face. He then told of his confusion that they appeared so happy and normal. Being careful not to play shrink, she asked him a number of probing questions. Then, she hit him right where it hurt most, right on the question he had been pondering. "Why do you think Lindsey would rather live with Paul and Norma than with you and Mary?" Unwilling to respond at first, he eventually played back Lindsey's comments from the night before. The resulting discussion was lengthy, and she did her best to be gentle. Since she was not an employee, Barbara could say and do things that violated the official policies, and she decided to push the limits. When the conversation about Lindsey's residence died down, she commented "Lindsey was surprised that your penis is as big as it is." Almost choking, he asked "Wh... why was she surprised?" "Well, she said from the way you let Mary control things and never stood up to Brett, she assumed you would be pretty small." "She told you that?" "Uh huh. It's not the kind of thing employees are supposed to talk about, you know. But with all the relationships involved, she and I have talked a lot." "Why would she care how big I am?" "Oh, she thought it was important. If you were small, it could carry down to her sons. With Mark and Paul good-sized and you at least average, she was reassured that her boys would not be deficient. I assume Brett's about like you?" she said as a question. "How would I know," Floyd shot back. "So neither you or Mary has seen your son naked since puberty?" "Of course not." After that, the conversation lapsed for a while. "I guess," he said with some hesitation, "everyone assumes Lindsey will marry Mark." "If there is anything certain with seventeen-year-olds, they are. They have that rare something that keeps people in love for a lifetime. It's a joy to watch." "I suppose they've, uh, had sex then?" he asked. "I would never comment on that. That's a question for Lindsey." "Oh, I could never ask her that," he objected. "And that's a big reason she is no longer living with you," she shot back. "There are too many things kids need to talk about. When the most important ones are off-limits, they decide it's not worth talking about anything." That rebuke silenced him again. Once again, she broke the silence. "How was your sex life? Before Mary came here, I mean." He was about to respond angrily, but she had sat upright and was looking at him with her most demanding stare. "Th... that's a private matter." "OK. Sometimes it's good to talk with someone. I'm not Dr. Waxman, but I'm good listener. Maybe it will help if I talk about my sex life first." He had no way of knowing that she had been through the same drill with Mary. After almost another hour, he had told far more than he ever intended to reveal to anyone. He corroborated Mary's description of sex for them as occasional, plain-vanilla intercourse that relieved him but was a frustrating duty for her. ------- They had talked so long that it was time for dinner. The start of aerobics would have to wait until later. Barbara stayed with him for the meal. He was hit with yet another new female, this time Yvonne, the beautiful nutritionist. She asked him many questions about his health and his food preferences, then gave Gretchen, who was serving, a number of supplements to serve him at mealtime. The discussion with Yvonne lasted quite a while after dinner, and since he would be starting with just a walk, Barbara felt it was safe to get him on the treadmill right away. As she walked with him to the exercise area, she reminded herself that her original mission was humiliation. She had been just a new friend up until then, and found herself a little reluctant to change. Not that she actually liked him, but she had developed a little sympathy. She also had sympathy for his wife Mary. She could not understand how the woman could think the way she did, but she was a rather pathetic creature because of her mindset. Her natural inclination was to help people, and the Halls needed it very badly. Reminding herself that Julia knew what she was doing, Barbara determined to be dominant with Floyd as she had been instructed. When they got to the treadmill, she showed him how to adjust it, making sure to be authoritative. "Shouldn't I have shoes on? How about a jockstrap?" "They made a slight goof and your shoes are not here yet. At walking speed, you won't hurt your feet. As for the jockstrap: you won't herniate yourself walking. I'll make you a deal: if you walk fast enough to get your dick really swinging, I'll let you put on a jock. OK, start it up. I'm going to do the bike while you walk." The two machines were facing each other. Barbara gave him intermittent commands as she pedaled. When he had been going a few minutes, she stopped and came over to him. "See, I knew you wouldn't need a jockstrap. I know a little about how men work. When your package feels like it is being shaken around it tries to protect itself. Right now, your balls are pulled in tight and your shaft has shrunk to about as short as it can get. You don't feel any discomfort down there, do you?" "Tell you what. Let's crank it up enough so you can break into a slow jog. There. Go ahead. That's right." He looked like he had not tried to run for years, and after only a few steps he was puffing. "See, it doesn't hurt your dick, does it? I can see that it's not jiggling much at all. Now, your gut is a different matter. It's even worse than mine was when I started." He did not last much longer on the treadmill, and she let him stop for water before getting him on the stationary bike. While he pedaled, she jogged, correctly guessing that her breasts would be impressively in motion. It was not long before his gaze was fixed on her chest. "I'm glad you liked the way my boobs bounced," she told him when they stopped. "I'd hate to have you watch my belly. Hmmm, your dick isn't retreating any more, is it?" Indeed, it had expanded considerably, though it was not fully hard. "Hey, don't be blushing, OK? I'm just having some fun teasing you. I won't be offended if you wave the flag for the rest of the night. Truth is, I haven't had any sexy play for a long time. Now remember, I'm not an employee, so I'm not really breaking any rules." When they got in the pool, it was obvious that he had no swimming skill. She saw that as a chance to become more dominant. She drew the line at touching him, not even wanting to support him in the water to demonstrate strokes. For a half hour they worked on different strokes, with her getting more commanding all the time. At the end, she was almost shouting at him as he swam on his back, and his cock was standing straight out of the water. Almost dragging him from the pool, she parked him on a lounge chair and pushed his legs off to the sides. Then, she pulled a regular chair up to the end of his lounger. She slouched in her chair with her feet on the end of his lounger and her knees wide apart. Now, they were facing each other just a few feet apart, with their crotches spread wide open. Finally locating his voice, he stuttered out "Wh... what are you d... doing?" "Floyd, you are so sexually illiterate it's frightening. You're going to learn a few things tonight." "But... but... I don't want to learn any more. This is wrong!" "Don't worry. We're not going to fuck. In fact, we won't even touch." "No! I can't do this. It's sinful." "You listen to me, Floyd Hall! What's sinful is your poor wife probably never having a legitimate orgasm in her adult life. It's you being too stupid and too hard-headed to take care of her. It's her thinking sex is an ugly duty she has to do to be married." "This is not open to debate. You are going to do exactly what I tell you. Do you understand?" She was betting that her dominance would arouse him, as the other women had reported it had. He sat there, his penis growing, but a miserable look on his face. She was playing it by ear, but was not too sure of what she wanted to do. Suddenly, she jumped up. "Floyd, I lied," she said, as she grabbed his hand and tried to haul him to his feet. "You ARE going to touch me. Allllll over!" "No! Don't do this! Please!" he pled as he huddled back on the chaise, resisting her attempts to get him to his feet. "Floyd, here's the deal. You are going to give me a massage." "But I don't know how!" "This will be your first lesson. You are going to massage every square centimeter of me. You are going to learn where all the parts are. You are going to give me orgasms, several of them." "But you can't make me do this! What about the rules?" to her disbelief, he really did not want to do it. His beliefs were stronger than she would have expected. She was going to steamroll him no matter what he believed. She was that upset with his complete sexual incompetence. "Remember," she gloated, "I'm not an employee. All they can do is kick me out. Now, if you don't agree to do just what I tell you, here's what will happen. I will pin you to that lounge and sit right on your face. I will smother you if you don't lick my pussy and lick it right. Then, when you've done it right, I will sit right down on your cock and turn you into an adulterer. Is that what you want? I don't think so!" He still looked like he was condemned to hang. She sat on the edge of the chaise right next to him and held his cock, which was already hard. She really did not want to touch him, but she was now on a mission. He was about to protest but just the look on her face was enough to stuff his objection. She just fondled him very lightly for a little while before speaking again in a gentle tone. "I know I'm overweight, and jumbo sized anyway. But am I so disgusting you can't stand to touch me?" "Oh, no! Th... that's not it. It's just wrong. I don't even do things like this with Mary." "And that's what is wrong, Floyd," she said, still in her gentle tone, and still caressing him softly. "We are going to do this for Mary. For all the pain of delivering your two children; for all the times she let you get your rocks off; she deserves to know what sex can really feel like for a woman." "I'm not even going to suggest that we find another man to show her. That's your job, and you're going to start learning how to do it right now. Will you agree to do what I tell you? Will you learn to be a lover, for Mary?" He did not answer her, but he was starting to squirm around from her handling of his cock. "Tell you what, you do a good job on this lesson, and I'll make you come so hard, you'll think you shot your balls out. Deal?" Barbara had come over to the men's side looking forward to tormenting the slob who had caused the darling Lindsey so much heartache. Here she was playing with his dick and threatening him if he did not give her a good pawing. Touching him or having him touch her should be the furthest things from her mind. What was she doing? Maybe it was because she had had the wonderful intimacy of marriage taken from her. The thought of two married people purposely ignoring the pleasure they could have had just made her angry. For Lindsey's sake, she wanted these two pathetic specimens to get better, but now it was more than that. Whatever was going on in Floyd's head, or maybe just in his little head, he was no longer objecting. He now looked more ashamed than angry. Ridiculing his sexual skills appeared to have gotten to him, finally. This time when she took his hand, he stood and followed her to a massage room. After showing him the oil and giving him tips on how to handle it, she got on the table on her stomach. It took half an hour to talk him through just her back and shoulders. Toward the end, he was getting some idea of seeking out the muscles and working them. The first crisis came when it was time to work her ass. She was able to talk him through it without any threats, but barely. Working down her legs was less traumatic the farther down he got. When she turned over onto her back, he froze. She kept her voice gentle for a couple of minutes, wanting to keep things intimate, if possible. Finally, she had to say, still in a soft voice "Floyd, do you remember what I threatened before? Do you have any doubt I could do it?" That was all it took, and he started taking directions again. She almost had to take his hands and make him oil and knead her breasts. It was a good ten minutes before he had stopped handling them as if they would harm him. His attentions were starting to feel good, and her nipples were full-sized when she told him to take one in his mouth. That made him freeze again, and she had to use another threat. "Floyd, this is just the start of the sexual things you are going to do to me. Before we are finished, you are going to know my pussy like your own cock. You will rub my clit until I come. Please, let's not go through this any more. Just do what I tell you." It was somewhat effective. He took the nipple in his mouth and followed her instructions on how to suck it, flail it, and nibble on it. She was slowly forgetting who he was and what he looked like as the sensations got better. She instructed him to oil and knead her mid-section and hips. The guys had done this to her enough so she no longer flinched as the fat moved around. Besides, she could tell that there was less of it. He was instructed next to move to her feet and work his way up. She wanted her pussy to be the last thing. By the time her crotch was the only part of her not oiled, well over an hour had passed. She thought about giving him a break, but did not want to lose momentum and have to go through all the arguments again. When she brought her feet up and spread her knees apart, he froze again. She guessed it was more from confusion than reluctance, and did not bother to threaten him. She led him on a detailed tour before she let him apply any oil. When the whole area was nice and slippery, she talked him through how to stimulate her clit. She gave him a little lecture on how different women might react. Eventually, she could wait no longer, and had him go for results. She wanted to have him bite her nipple as he diddled her button, but she was too afraid of distracting him from the main task. It took a while, but she made it. It was a rather mild one, but after the long buildup, it still felt good. To Floyd, it must have been a riveting sight, given that it was probably the first he had ever seen. Determined to get more for all her efforts, Barbara scolded him even as she was coming. She ordered him to keep rubbing until her climax was completely over. He had trouble pulling himself out of his dazed condition, but he complied before she had fully finished. She took time for a little lecture on the need to keep up the stimulation until the woman told him it was enough, or until he knew from experience. She told him that he would probably have to use his hand to get Mary off as orgasms from intercourse were not that common. Oral sex was something she had decided not to mention. The thought of going down on Mary was more than she could wish even on Floyd. Barbara told him that the right to have intercourse with a woman was something a man earned by satisfying her first. She warned him that she was going to keep in touch with Mary. If she heard that he ever failed to make her come before he entered her, she would come and rip his balls off. He acted as if he believed her totally. Next, she had him put two fingers into her vagina and start thrusting. When she started to feel the arousal, she coached him through using his other thumb on her clit. Her second one was bigger, making the last couple of hours seem worthwhile. As she caught her breath, Barbara happened to see Lindsey and Julia lurking in the shadows. Obviously, they had seen at least her last come. Assuming they would stay hidden, she got to her feet and took Floyd's hand. As she led him back to the chaise, she said, rather loudly. "I'm going to keep my promise, now. You look like you really need to come. Let's let you get comfortable on the chaise." When he was prone, she wasted no time, and it did not take long at all. He was too overwhelmed to mount any protest, and in only two or three minutes, he deposited a sticky load on his lower belly. Floyd was still breathing hard when Lindsey and Julia made a big show of coming from the main entrance. He panicked at first, but seemed to realize the futility of any attempted cover-up or flight. Somehow, he forgot about the glob on his overhang. Barbara pulled Julia over to the shower area where they conferred for a few minutes. Lindsey asked some polite questions about Floyd's day while staring very impolitely right at his penis. At about that point, he must have remembered the come, and just laid his head back and groaned. Julia came back to the chaise while Barbara showered off the oil. She told Lindsey to go back with Barbara for a while as she wanted to talk to Floyd alone. He was a very beaten and subdued man by that time, and Julia was soon able to extract the whole story of his mother and the abuse. She got him to confess that the old submission/arousal reaction was still with him, which explained a lot of what had happened during his first two days. Floyd collapsed into bed wondering if there was any way the next day could be more strange or more upsetting than today had been. ------- If Floyd had known what Barbara was planning for Monday, he might have decided jail sound pretty good. She led Lindsey right to Mary's room, where she had just turned out the light, but was not yet asleep. "Mary," Barbara said after turning on the reading lamp, "Floyd checked in to the men's side yesterday. There won't be any other men there for a few days (the next resident's arrival had been delayed). Would you like to spend time with him over there?" "Ohhhh! I miss him. I would like to see him, but... I don't suppose we could dress?" With a chuckle, Barbara said "Mary, six different guys see you naked every day. Why would you worry about your husband seeing you?" "But we've never... I mean we just don't... I... I just look so awful like this," Mary complained. "Shouldn't he be the one who loves you and is glad to see you, no matter how you look. Remember, he looks pretty bad, too." Barbara explained. "You've seen him?" Mary seemed incredulous. "I was over there all afternoon and evening. Lindsey was there with him all day yesterday." Mary looked over at Lindsey, aghast. "You... you saw him n... naked?" "Yes, Mother. I even had to help him undress. He wasn't able to pull his shorts down in front of me." Lindsey knew that was malicious, but said it anyway. She was still upset from having been naked with her father the night before. She was not feeling kindly toward either parent. Mary dropped her head in her hands as if trying to keep out the terrible reality. She suddenly whipped her head up and looked with wild eyes at Barbara. "W... were you like that?" "Of course, Dear. I'm not allowed to dress, just like you." "But, but he shouldn't see you! He isn't supposed to look at other naked women!" "Why not? You said he doesn't get to look at you." Barbara knew she was really rubbing it in. "There aren't supposed to be any naked women on the men's side. Since he is the only one there, Julia suspended that rule until the next man checks in. That's why I'm asking if you want to go over tomorrow and be with him." Mary looked back and forth between Lindsey and Barbara several times. "Yes," she finally said. "I want to see him. I've missed him a lot." Barbara motioned with her head for Lindsey to leave. "Julia is letting me decide if you should go over there and be with your husband, Mary. I have one thing I am going to make you do before I tell Julia to let you go over there." "Uh, what is that?" Mary asked fearfully. "You have to give yourself an orgasm while I watch to be sure you do it." "Whaaaat? Why, that's... that's masturbation! I can't do that! Why would Julia make me do that?" The tears started. "Julia doesn't know I'm making you do that. She just told me to tell her if it was a good idea for you to spend a few days and nights with your husband." "But why would you ask such a terrible thing. I thought you wanted to help me. You've been nice to me before." "Mary, what use is it for you got over there and sleep with your husband if you aren't going to have sex? I don't think you two know much about sex, do you?" "Well, I've had two kids. Isn't that knowing enough?" Mary said with some indignation. "When was your last orgasm?" Barbara demanded. As expected, Mary hemmed and hawed. There ensued a long lecture about women and sex and duty and pleasure. Mary was resistant, even combative at first, but Barbara kept chipping away at her. Finally, everything had been said several times, and conversation died out. "OK, Mary, we've argued enough. Either you get busy and make yourself come, or I'll just tell Julia it's a bad idea for you to go over to be with Floyd." Mary's only response was a pathetic wail and a flood of tears. Barbara was in a quandary. She had failed. Her determination to help fulfill Lindsey's hopes for her parents rested heavily on the issue of sex, she believed. This was a key step. Something had to move this poor woman from her phobias. Reaching a quick and radical decision, Barbara turned off the reading lamp and pulled back the sheet that Mary had over her. "Mary, I am going to do something that could get me in trouble. I want you to know that I am taking this risk because I think it the only way to help you. I am determined to help you because that is why Lindsey got you here." "Wh... what are you going to do?" "I am going to give you an orgasm." "But that's... that's lesbian!" "No way am I a lesbian, Mary, and neither are you. I am just trying to be a friend and make sure you experience one of the joys of being a woman at least once before you reject it as being sinful." "But it is sinful! I can't!" "I will force you to do it, so you are not to blame. If you scream, I will just cover your mouth," Barbara warned. She realized she was threatening rape and she was plenty worried. But she was also sure she would have Mary bouncing on the bed in ecstasy in a short time. After that, there could not possibly be a complaint. As a test, Barbara put her hand in Mary's crotch. Mary hissed and cried, but did not scream, and things went on from there. Everything took a long time. It took many minutes for Mary to stop trying to squeeze Barbara's hand away. It took more minutes stroking and squeezing before any appreciable lubrication showed up. It took many more minutes before the first whimpers and moans were heard. At that point, Barbara began rolling and pinching one of Mary's jumbo nipples as she rubbed her clit. She had timed it well, and Mary was too far along to object. After that, it was a short, fast ride before Mary really was bouncing on the bed. Her first orgasm was like an accumulation of all the thousands she had missed throughout her life. From what she knew of Lindsey, Barbara had assumed that Mary was quite a passionate person who had been tightly constrained for her whole life. It was nice to see her assumption verified. Mary came with an intensity that was almost frightening. Barbara wondered if she herself had looked that consumed when Floyd did her. Unable to see much of Mary's face in the near darkness, Barbara nevertheless felt the last of her dislike for the woman fading away. Feeling her in the throes and knowing it was her first made her eminently more female and more sympathetic in Barbara's estimation. Having no experience in a situation like that, Barbara was not sure what to do next. When she was sure the climax was receding, she withdrew her hand and began brushing gently over Mary's sweaty forehead and temples. When she thought she could be heard and understood, she said "See, Mary, I wouldn't be any kind of a friend at all if I didn't make sure you knew what you had missed." When there was no response, Barbara knew that at least Mary wasn't furious, and she decided to take it a step farther. Again speaking very softly, she said "That's what Floyd should do for you every time you make love. Then when he goes to put his nice, stiff penis into you..." it took a lot of her considerable strength to spread Mary's large but lifeless thighs apart "... it will feel wonderful, like this..." Barbara's middle finger sliding into her very slippery passage caused Mary to hiss and jerk, but she made no complaint. Finding plenty of room, Barbara inserted a second finger and began a fucking motion. She kept it slow at first, but speeded up as soon as she noticed some reaction. She managed to get her other thumb on Mary's clit without losing her balance, and just like before, the result was cataclysmic. Lindsey's mother was repressed and neurotic. She had become a shapeless blob. But she was dying for sexual stimulation, there was no doubt. Having taken such a huge risk, Barbara felt vindicated. Once she had an orgasm like that, Mary simply could not remain the same person. "You're not angry with me, are you, Mary?" Barbara asked, moving her still-embedded fingers around a bit. The slow shake of Mary's head could not really be seen, but Barbara sensed it. She withdrew her hand and covered Mary like a child. "I'll be back early in the morning to see if you want to have breakfast with Floyd. ------- Barbara had intended to make Mary do herself before going to the men's side, but she decided she had made enough of an impact the night before to start some real change. She would save her dominance for when husband and wife were together. Instead she helped Mary shower and primp a little, then they headed off. Floyd had no idea Mary was coming over. He was awake but still in his room. Barbara pushed Mary to his door, then stood back. She almost cried when she saw how hard it was for Mary to let her own husband see her naked body. The poor woman was trembling and near tears. She looked over at Barbara a few times, looking for either reassurance or escape. When Mary finally opened Floyd's door and stepped into the room, Barbara very much wanted to see what transpired. There were limits, though, and without some privacy at that critical time, she could have caused more harm than progress. Had Barbara been in the room, it might have broken her heart. They were like a couple of body-shy pre-teens, trying to hide their secret parts. After a whole month's separation, they did not even touch, and found it difficult to even speak at first. Barbara sensed that it was not an intense reunion, and decided to step in. "Come on, kids, let's get breakfast," she called through the door that she opened just a crack. They both looked sheepish when they came out. It was apparent they had not even kissed. ------- Though it was only instinctive, not carefully planned, Barbara effectively employed the concept of sensory overload on the Halls that Monday. The new experiences and sensations just kept coming. It was almost as hard for Mary to exercise in front of her own husband as it was in front of the guys on the other side. Apparently, he had never had a clear view of her pussy before. He was no better, turning bright red when he had to spread his legs the first time. Knowing about Floyd's submission/arousal problem, Barbara was very careful not to do anything to trigger it. She was not sure how Mary would react if he got an erection. It happened anyway, about mid-morning. Mary was aghast, almost as if she had never seen one before. It took all of Barbara's considerable persuasive power to turn her from shocked and disgusted to at least interested. The idea of Barbara seeing her husband aroused was very hard for Mary to accept, but Barbara made no pretense of leaving. When they were finished with their exercises, which Barbara had done along with them, she led them to the shower and ordered them to wash each other. By then, she was hardly surprised to learn they had never done it before. "Will you be able to do all of each other, or do I have to stand here and supervise?" she asked them. From their looks, it was obvious she had to stay, which she did. One of the parts of the day Barbara had planned out was massages. Mary was quite receptive to the idea of Floyd doing her massage, not aware of where Barbara intended to take it. Floyd, apparently guessing what was in store, was very hesitant. The massage was definitely far below the standard Mary had become used to, but Barbara was happy to see that she liked her husband's attention, expert or not. There had been some real concern about that. If there had been no remaining attraction between the two, many of Lindsey's hopes for them would go unrealized. Mary made a few apologies about how bad her body had gotten. Barbara took that opportunity for a little lecture to both of them about ignoring their condition for now, but vowing to correct it. It seemed to take. As Barbara had expected, there was a crisis when it was time for Mary to turn over, particular when it was time to oil her breasts. Floyd almost froze, and Mary looked about to cry. It was time for some dominance. "Look, kids. Before today is over, you may hate me. Hopefully, looking back some day you will thank me. I don't really care because I am doing this for Lindsey most of all. All day, I am going to be right with you seeing things and helping you do things that should be completely private." "I have only a short time to help you make some major changes. I cannot walk away and trust you two to do what I tell you and do it right. Remember, you weren't even able to wash each other's privates without my coaching." "Now, Floyd, you do a good job on her tits. Oil them up. Tease and suck on the nipples until they are like stone. Got it?" Mary had tears running down her cheeks, but made no comment. Floyd's hands were shaking, incredibly, but he did as he was told. "Be honest, Mary. Does it feel good?" Barbara asked when her nipples had expanded. Mary nodded her head. "Then show him you appreciate it." She took Mary's hand and placed it on Floyd's straining cock. Mary gave a little squeak and jerked her hand back. Time for another lecture. "Kids, your body is your partner's treasure. That's one of the big reasons to keep your body in good shape. It was when me husband left that I let myself go. My guess is one reason you guys let yourselves go is that you never spent any time just enjoying each other's bodies. It didn't seem to matter." "But... but that's carnal... that's sinful," Mary objected. "Look," Barbara retorted, "I will only let you talk about sin and religion on one condition. If you tell me in the Bible where it says anything I have you do is wrong for a husband and wife, I will talk. Otherwise, don't bring it up. Understand?" Barbara had straightened up to her full height and stood with hands on hips. She knew she was intimidating. Softening her tone, she added "I know that me being here with you like this is wrong, but let me answer for that. I am honestly trying to help you two." "Now, Mary, did it feel good when Floyd teased your nipples?" Mary nodded. "It feels just as good to him when you touch his penis. Isn't making someone feel good a way of expressing love?" Neither responded. She had had serious doubts about how the two really felt about each other. There was certainly no passion evident, but that could be just because it was so scrupulously repressed. "Why don't you make Floyd feel good while he makes you feel good, Mary? Wouldn't that be a loving thing to do?" It was partly comical, partly sad to see the limp way Mary held her husband's cock when Barbara placed her hand on it again. The massage continued, skipping from her belly down to her toes, then up her legs, just as she had shown him the night before. When it was time to do her crotch, Barbara put a hand in the middle of his back and pressed firmly. He understood the threat, and began oiling the area. The copious hair absorbed a lot of the oil. Barbara once again put Mary's hand on his cock as he began touching her labia. She was nervous and frightened, but it was evident that the arousal from the night before was not an isolated phenomenon. She was very responsive. It was with a teacher's pride that Barbara watched Floyd get his wife off for the first time. With an even greater feeling of accomplishment she saw him bend over and kiss her tenderly afterward. It was actually the first display of affection that she had noticed. It relieved some concern that she might be trying to revive a fire that had long gone cold. After she and Floyd relaxed in nearby chairs while Mary rested on the table, Barbara told them to change places. Mary protested that she knew nothing about massage, and Barbara rebutted by asking her how many she had been given over the last month. The start was very tentative. It was sadly apparent that Mary was uncomfortable touching her own husband's body. "You know," Barbara said as she stood coaching Mary, "this was totally unplanned for you two to be together like this. You may have as much as five days. But after that, you won't see each other until you reach your goals. I will spend as much time with you as I can." "I want you to touch and feel each other a lot. We all know it's not that pleasant because of all the fat. I want you to be sorry about the fat for your partner's sake. I want you to remember how it feels. In a few months, when you get together again, you will both be slimmer and firmer. You will really appreciate that if you remember how the fat felt." When Mary had nothing left to massage but Floyd's crotch, she stopped. "Mary, do the same as he did for you. Make him come," Barbara ordered. "Ohhhh. But you shouldn't see that," Mary objected. "I need to watch at least once, Mary," Barbara told her with an arm over her shoulder. "When I know you can do it right, I'll leave you alone. I might even have to show you how." "You don't think we know anything, do you?" Mary sniffled. "All you have to do is prove me wrong, Mary." Barbara came very close to handling Floyd's cock herself to demonstrate. She held back because she felt that was a move Mary just could not deal with. She made a mental note to warn Floyd not to mention their activities of the day before. It took about fifteen minutes to get Mary over her reluctance and get her to give Floyd enough stimulation so he came. When she jumped back at the first spurt, Barbara barely quelled her instinct to milk him until he was done. She did give Mary a stern lecture on the subject. Knowing he would need some cum for later, Barbara did not mind that Floyd only did a partial unload. ------- After a shower and lunch, they all got busy on computers. Floyd was on vacation for the whole week, but he logged in anyway to test the connection. Barbara realized that he needed it for his ego. He even called his boss and handled a couple of important items. The next big jolt for the Halls came in the late afternoon. It had taken Barbara some fast talking with Lindsey to arrange this one, but she was the only obstacle. After how she felt about stripping for her father Saturday evening, she did not want a repeat. Barbara's persuasive powers did not just work on the Halls, however, and she convinced Lindsey at would be good for her. Thus, the whole Ventri family and Lindsey walked in, stripped, and got in the pool. Floyd had been through it the day before, but Mary nearly had to be carried into the water. Lindsey was quickly glad she had decided to join in. The look of horror on her mother's face and the discomfort on her father's meant she had achieved the shock she had sought Saturday night. She got right into the general horseplay and hilarity. Thanks to Tori, Floyd had no choice but to get a little involved in the frolic. She seemed to have taken on a mission to torment him. It never worked for Mary, but that was expected. Norma came up to her and said "Come on, Mary, have some fun. We're all going to be related some day. Isn't this a neat way to get better acquainted?" Norma knew what that comment would do to Mary. Mary had a lot of troubling things on her mind. The most immediate was the simple fact of standing naked in a pool with a mixed group of other naked people. There had been some of that over the last month, but her husband and daughter were both here this time. She could hardly keep her eyes off of Lindsey. It seemed like every time Lindsey laughed or did something flirtatious toward Mark or Paul, it was like a punch in the gut to Mary. It pained her that Lindsey never even spoke to her father, let alone flirt. Then she watched Floyd for a while. It seemed that he was almost frantically watching Norma, Barbara, and the girls. He especially watched Lindsey. Wasn't that wrong? For that matter, wasn't this whole thing terribly wrong? Unbidden, she wondered if she would be watching Brett as raptly if he was there. Watching her husband ogle the other women, the question came to her mind: 'would he ever look at her like that? Had he ever?' She had to admit that there was no reason whatsoever for him to look at her now. She was like an ugly, different species compared to the trim bodies in the pool. Even Barbara, overweight as she was, put Mary to shame. Everyone did little things to let Mary know they were aware of her. They did not worry about how she reacted. They had done all they could. The constant shock, and yes, pain, continued for Floyd and Mary through dinner and well after, as they all stayed naked. Several times, Lindsey and Mark would cuddle and kiss, and generally make eyes at each other. Tori would tease them, and they would go charging after her. A couple of times, Mark threw the little scamp over his shoulder. She hollered, pounded on his back, and flailed her legs around. The sight of her puffy, bare little pussy winking at the group was almost more than Mary could take. The same kinds of disturbing questions that troubled Floyd in the pool the day before filled Mary's mind. Why were these people, who were so lewd and sinful, so seemingly happy? Why was the love and respect for each other almost palpable when her own home had nothing but tension? She and Floyd had worked so hard to be righteous. Why did Lindsey prefer to live with those people? ------- It was relatively early in the evening when everyone else had left, and Mary and Floyd were weary and overloaded. Barbara told them to get ready for bed, chuckling to herself at how parental she was being. When she was sure they were in bed, she came and sat on the edge. "Kids, it's time for you guys to make love. I'm sure you don't want me here to supervise that, but I will if I don't think you are getting it right." They both looked a lot like scolded children. "There is one big problem we have to get around - geometry." To their confused looks, she explained. "With the bellies you both have, Floyd can't get very much penetration when you are face to face." The looks and the blushes told her they had encountered that problem and been frustrated by it. Snapping her fingers as she thought of it, Barbara asked "Mary, are you safe. Can you get pregnant?" Mary gasped, and Barbara knew she had hit on a real problem. "So I guess you've only been making love when you were sure it was safe, huh?" Mary nodded. "Damn! Do not put it in her until I get back," she ordered. "If I can't find what we need, it may have to wait until morning," she warned. Barbara was muttering unkind things as she hurried back to the other side in hopes of scaring up a condom. She came up empty. Andy offered to go and buy some, but that meant the Halls would have to wait until morning. Barbara realized she was exhausted herself. As she was about to head back to spend the night, she noticed that Lindsey and Mark were still there, and they were practically incandescent. She decided that as a good aunt, she should really investigate the reason for that. ------- Chapter 13 Julia had been spending almost every evening at the Tee since Mary checked in. She had a strong desire to pull off some kind of miracle for Lindsey. Now, she had given Barbara free rein to work with the Halls together. She still found it hard to believe she had agreed to take such a risk. She had told Barbara not to tell her what was going on. Sill, she needed to be close by in case something blew up. Lindsey had been on pins and needles since coming back from dinner over on the men's side. Seeing Julia, she had tried to approach her twice, but hung back both times. Julia was nothing if not observant, and she noticed Lindsey's agitation. When she had finished talking to a few other people, she put her arm over the girl's shoulder and led her to the staff lounge, which was empty. There, she just gave Lindsey a questioning look. "That obvious, huh?" Lindsey asked, sheepishly. "Hey, I'm a pro, remember?" Julia chuckled. Still, she waited, making Lindsey take the lead. "Is... is there any way Mark could get off to come to the concert with me this weekend? Even if it was only for Saturday?" Lindsey asked with her head down. Julia put a hand under Lindsey's chin and raised her head so she could look in her eyes. "It's time, isn't it?" Julia almost whispered the question. Lindsey blushed deeply and tried to lower her face again. "Hey, hey, hey!" Julia said as she wrapped her in a hug. "Don't be embarrassed. This is a wonderful occasion." She just held the hug and rocked back and forth gently. "You know," Julia spoke softy right into Lindsey's ear, "Frank and I never had children. That's OK, because we could never have done better than you guys. I'm so happy for you I could bust. You are more than ready, believe me. Here's the deal. If Mark shows up here between Wednesday night and the next Tuesday afternoon, he is fired, OK? I'll log him for fifteen hours." Lindsey was sniffling a little and returning the hug, unable even to say 'thank you'. Julia asked "Tell me, why now? Why not back at the retreat? I was sure it would happen then." Lindsey had become rather addicted to loving hugs from women she cared about. It was like trying to recover from starvation. Between Norma, Barbara, and Julia, she got lots of them, but never too many. It wasn't sexual, just expressing honest feelings. No way did she want to quit hugging Julia right then. "I hate to admit it, Julia, but it's because of my parents. I thought I was free of them, but their opinion of my having sex still held me back. I tried to deny it for a long time, but..." "So what changed?" Julia asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting Lindsey to verbalize it. "It's just... I don't care about what they think any more. This weekend just showed how screwed up their ideas on sex are. I ended up asking myself why I should even care what they thought of my sex life when they don't have a clue about the whole subject." "Was that all?" Again, Julia was sure there was more. "No. We kind of made it impossible for them to act all virtuous any more, didn't we?" Lindsey giggled after saying that, and the hug broke naturally. "Right now, they're feeling too sinful about their own actions say anything about mine. I feel free!" "I predict you will do your best concert ever. I wish I could be there to hear it," Julia lamented. "I do, too. I wish all my friends could be there. When we sing here, the Tee will have the whole front row, OK?" Julia barely waited for Lindsey to leave the lounge before pulling her ever-present phone from the pocket of her uniform shorts and dialing. ------- Naturally, Lindsey went straight to Mark and told him he was going to the concert with her, and it was all squared with Julia. "But the plane ticket will be ridiculous at the last minute," he objected. "You let me worry about that," she said, punctuating it with a kiss. "I don't want to be spending all your money," he said rather sternly. "Mark Ventri," she said, trying to sound cross, "if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have anything, and you know it. It's OUR money." Lindsey hugged him in silence for a while, forgetting their usual caution about PDAs at work. "After this weekend, Honey, 'ours' will have a different meaning. The meaning we've always wanted it to have." "Are you saying... ?" She just beamed up at him and nodded. "Oh, God, Lindsey!" He threw caution to the wind and kissed her hard enough to dissolve her backbone. Much as she wanted to stay and rejoice, Lindsey had some serious studying to do. Mark had overnight duty, so they parted, very reluctantly. Barbara had just come back from the men's side on her search for condoms. She had dispatched Andy to purchase some, and was about to go back to the men's side to sleep when she noticed that something momentous had happened between Lindsey and Mark Even her weary brain was able to figure it out. The most important issue between the two young lovers was their virginity. No other subject could have caused them to act that way at work. Lindsey must have told him she was ready. Barbara could understand how the afternoon's skinny dip with the Ventris and the Halls could have triggered that decision. She was doubly glad she had strong-armed Lindsey into joining in. She called to Mark and asked him to come over with her for a little while. He quickly checked to make sure nothing required his attention. She slipped an arm around him and held him close as they walked. He was not at all surprised to be led to the massage table. She waited until he had worked for several minutes before she asked "Where is it going to happen?" "At the concert this... You witch!" he emphasized his words with a light slap on her bare ass. "I'm not even going to ask how you knew. I don't believe in ESP, anyway." "I'm so happy for you I could bust," she told him, "and I'm proud to think I might have helped the cause along." "Yeah, I have a feeling the swim this afternoon was the last straw. Thank you for setting that up." This time, there was no slap, but a very sensual caress over both cheeks. "Hmmm. Don't make promises you can't keep, Sweetie. Especially now." He worked on her in silence for a while, and she thought that strange. "I would think you would be just bubbling over, but you're awfully quiet." "It's just that your body leaves me speechless," he quipped. "You can't possibly be trying to sweet-talk your way into my panties with the big event only a few days away," she shot back. "Your panties?" he said, and ran his middle finger as far down her crack as her closed legs would allow. All she could do was giggle. "It's probably just wishful thinking," he mused after working a while longer, "but I wish there was some way I could get her a ring. I think it would be especially meaningful to her to have it before." "Oh?" "Her virginity is incredibly meaningful to her. It almost makes me cry to think she is willing to give it to me. But you know, I have this fear that she might always feel that she has sinned. She knows we are committed to each other, and everything, but you just can't get rid of a lifetime of propaganda." "So, the ring would make the commitment more official, and make the guilt less likely?" Barbara asked. "Well, maybe I do believe in ESP," he joked, then seriously "Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Suddenly, Barbara flipped over, and before he knew it, Mark was firmly pinned between those unbelievable breasts, and she was stammering through tears. "I... I always thought my br... brother was one of a k... kind. I'm so glad the world has b... been blessed with another. God, I'm so proud of you, Mark! I love you so much!" After more wordless hugging and tears, she continued "Unfortunately for me, Norma and Lindsey got the two best men out there. But I can still help. You are going to get her that ring! I've got some money that could never have a better use. You can pay me back whenever. I just wish I could go and help you pick it out." "Barbara, you don't..." "Don't even try to tell me what I don't need to do. I need it more than you can imagine. Mark, Honey, this will let me share a piece of some real happiness. Can't you see that?" Mark could, and he told her so with a kiss that was well beyond the normal intensity between aunt and nephew. ------- Barbara had set an alarm to get her up well before breakfast on Tuesday. She intended to wake the Halls and make sure they made up for the sex they missed the night before. She had taken on the job of 'corrupting' Lindsey's parents for the best of reasons. First of all, she wanted to help Lindsey. After last night, she knew she had already succeeded. In addition, she wanted to help Transformations send the Halls away much better than when they arrived. She was not an employee, but she felt the same sense of mission they all did. Somehow, she could not find the fervor that morning. She was a strong, persuasive person, but she got no thrill from coercing people. As much as her feelings toward Mary and Floyd had softened, they still were not the people she would choose to spend her time with. Yawning, stretching, and scratching a little, she wondered if this was how Julia felt sometimes about her patients. Did she ever have to psyche herself up for a session with a patient she would rather not see? At least she didn't have to look at such pathetic bodies unclad. The other thing bothering her was how far to carry the parent/child role she had adapted with them. They were, after all, adults with some life experience, including two children. She shouldn't have to tell Floyd where to put it in, should she? But the big question was, what would happen if she wimped out now? Would the Halls fall back into their familiar mode, or had she already started the process of real change? Idly tossing the package of condoms that seemed so essential the night before, she reached a decision. Moving quietly into the Halls' dark room, she debated for a moment which one to waken. Ordinarily, she would follow the rule 'if it concerns sex, go with the woman', but nothing was as it should be with the Halls. Because she found it less distasteful to put her hand on Mary to wake her, that's what she did. When she had at least minimal attention, she said to Mary "I'll lay these condoms on the nightstand. I think you should use one of them before you come to breakfast. If you do, make sure he makes you orgasm first. If you need help getting the condom on, I'll be over on the machines." Carol served breakfast to Barbara, Mary, and Floyd. She hung around being sociable until Barbara gave her an eye signal. She refreshed things for everyone and left, saying she had to start cleanup on the other side. Barbara had gotten a pretty good look at Floyd's penis when they came to the table, and she was pretty sure they had had sex. Mary's rather placid demeanor was more evidence. "Can I assume you used a condom?" Barbara asked diplomatically. Though her blush answered adequately, Mary nodded. Barbara was going to ask Mary, but switched to question to Floyd. "I assume you satisfied your wife, Floyd?" He nodded soberly, with just a flash of irritation at the question. "Do you folks understand why I acted the way I did yesterday?" Barbara asked. When neither chose to respond, she went on. "I did it to get you out of your comfort zone. I am not really like that, as I think Mary knows." Mary actually nodded. "I really do not want to have to be like that any more." She let that sink in. "But believe me, I will if it is necessary." "Look, you two," Barbara went on. "You have four days and nights of what should be a dream for a married couple. You have this whole place to yourselves. I will even make myself scarce if things are going well. But here's what needs to happen. I have no doubt you two love each other, but I don't see much evidence of passion." "Now, I don't know if the passion was once there and just died out, or if it was never really there. Maybe you think passion is wrong and shouldn't be there. No matter what, I want you to experience some passion before you have to go back with the women on Saturday, Mary." "Excuse my crude language, but here's what I want. I want you to fuck until his dick falls off or her pussy swells shut. I want to order two more boxes of condoms for you." Floyd spoke up for the first time. "But Barbara, that's just not the way we have viewed marriage." "Don't I know it! And I'm telling you that's why you're having to watch your family fall apart. If you two have no passion for each other, you end up not feeling much about anything. I shouldn't speak for Lindsey, but I think she considers you both heartless and doctrinaire." Barbara watched both faces sink at that accusation, but neither one protested. "OK, so that's not the way you view marriage. Maybe you think fucking more than once a month is sinful. Mary, I'm pretty sure you think enjoying sex is sinful. Well, tough! You're here partly as punishment. Pretend sex is great and you can't get enough of it for four days. It's not your fault because I'm forcing you." "When you are separated on Saturday, if you decide you were right in the first place, fine. Lose your weight, build your muscles, change your eating habits, and get the Hell out of here. I think that would be a tragedy, but it IS your choice. They will be back to being your bodies and you can deprive them any way you want to." "I would love to have you two make love until you drop because you want to. Maybe that is too much to ask. But make no mistake about it, you are going to have sex, a lot of it!" "If I have to, I will get Terry over here to hold you down and warm you up, Mary. I will personally get you hard, Floyd, get the rubber on, and help you stick it in. I understand there are interesting ways to make a man come even when he doesn't want to." Barbara saw his penis twitch at that, and paused to let him get control. She had decided she would stop getting him hard on purpose if they cooperated. 'So, what will it be? Can I do my exercises and work on my real estate and leave you two alone to see how much sex you can handle? Or do I have be in your faces and in your pants every minute and embarrass you and make you hate me?" Barbara found it frustrating that they had to look at each other before answering, but they did both nod. "Good. I do not like to have people hating me. We may never be close friends, but I would like to have you think I honestly tried to help you." ------- After lunch, Barbara waited until she could get Mary alone. "Did it at least feel a little bit good this morning, Mary?" First giving Barbara a long look, Mary said. "I think you know it felt more than a little bit good. That's what my whole problem has been. It has always felt good and I've always felt guilty about it." "Can you allow yourself to just let it feel good for a few days?" "I'm trying to. I really am," Mary insisted. "I don't like that condom, though." "Would you rather have your belly swelling from a baby before it even shrinks from losing weight?" That triggered a look of resignation. "You were, um, right about our bellies getting in the way. What were you saying about different, uh, positions?" Barbara gave her a detailed explanation of some things they could do. "Barbara, I've been trying not to think about it, but I really do look awful. What if I can't excite him?" "Then you'll have to depend on more than just your looks." That seemed to stump Mary completely. "What do you see when Lindsey and Mark are together. What does Lindsey do?" With a little snort, Mary said "She can't keep her hands off of him." "Right. Do you think Mark likes it? Do you think it excites him?" "Yes, and she shouldn't do that!" Mary insisted. "Why don't you do those things to Floyd?" "Oh, I couldn't. I mean we're grown up and everything. It's, it's just not proper." "Well, how about Carol and Ryan, their adults." "But their newlyweds." "Then what about Norma and Paul. They've been married as long as you have. Do you think it is offensive the way act toward each other? I saw you watching them a lot yesterday." "No, they didn't offend me. They were just so, so comfortable about it. Casual." "It's like breathing to them, just like with Lindsey. You know, I haven't even seen you two holding hands. Try this for me. When you're with Floyd, try to act like Lindsey would with Mark. Can you do that?" "I don't know. I... I'll try." "One other thing. I'll make sure we take a hot tub together tonight. While we're in there, I want you to casually play with his penis." "But he'll get hard!" "Of course. Don't worry. I've seen it hard already. Then try this. Bring a condom to the hot tub with you and lay it on the chaise. When you have gotten him good and hard, I'll go to my room." "Get out of the tub, go get the condom, and hold it out to him. Tell him he doesn't even have to make you come first if he will do it right there." "Out in the open. Oh, no! I could never!" "Why not? No one will see. Believe me. It will add some excitement and make it better." "Oooooh" was all Mary said, but there was a look of interest. ------- Barbara left the Halls alone and was on the women's side when Mark arrived after school. Lindsey had to go to Jenny's for a rehearsal. Mark was barely in the door when Barbara told him "Margo Ballard will be here in ten minutes. She's taking you ring shopping. I've never met her, but she seems very nice." "She and Hank are the ones who wrote Lindsey's songs. You two will get along great. She's another real classy lady." "What are you trying to do to me?" Barbara almost shrieked. "You keep saying these things that make me all gushy. I can't even mash your face in my boobs with all these people around." As soon as Mark got in her car, Margo told him "I hope you don't mind too much. I already picked out a stone. You just have to choose the setting." "I think I should let you do that, Margo. I've never seen you in anything that didn't look perfect." "Flatterer. But wouldn't Lindsey appreciate it more if it's your choice, since she won't get the chance to pick it herself?" "I think she will appreciate me being smart enough to let an expert choose for her." Margo just laughed. When they got to the jeweler's, Mark made a fuss about the stone being too big and expensive, but Margo did not let him get by with that. She threatened to tell Barbara on him, and that was all it took. Margo laid out a half dozen settings and insisted he pick one. She told him, honestly, that his choice would have been hers, as well. Barbara had gotten a tracing of a costume ring of Lindsey's when she took it off for the pool, so they were all set to have it sized. Mark's head was spinning as Margo drove him back to the Tee. He was delighted with everything that was happening, but it was still a lot to absorb. He could barely remember what his life was like a year earlier. Frankly, he had no desire to replay any of it. Today was awesome and the future could not look better. ------- Barbara beat the Halls to the table for supper. As they walked up, she saw Mary take Floyd's hand rather shyly. He, in turn, blushed, but held on. Unbelievable! Both she and Gretchen, who was serving supper, were conscious of not being at all dominant with Floyd. Barbara had explained the Halls' willingness to try things, and thought he deserved a chance to recapture some dignity as a reward. Maybe dignity wasn't a realistic term, Barbara thought. How could a man be dignified waddling around naked in a body like that? Reduced humiliation was probably within reach. Still, she had given Mary the big lecture about dignity having nothing to do with how she looked. Shouldn't that apply to Floyd, too? As they ate, Mary made two or three other little affectionate moves. It looked like she had to plan each of them out, but at least she did them. Along with her hidden amusement and pity, Barbara felt a little pride in her 'pupil'. Later, in the hot tub, Mary actually did it. Barbara had seen her twitching and squirming, as if battling within herself. She moved as close to her husband as she could get and looked at Barbara. A touch of defiance crossed her face, and her hand almost jerked over to Floyd's lap. Much as she wanted to see what happened, Barbara knew her main objective was best served by giving them some privacy. She closed her eyes and laid her head back as if she had no idea what was happening under the water. Standing and stretching, still pointedly not looking at Floyd, she stretched and wriggled. She thought it wouldn't hurt to add a little extra stimulation for his arousal. She knew that her body affected him. With one quick glance at both of them, she said 'good night' and stepped from the tub. She took a quick rinse under the shower, and headed toward her room. Looking back to make sure no one was watching her, she slipped into the closest room to the hot tub, which was dark and empty. Feeling only a little guilty, she left the door open just enough so she could see the tub area, and pulled the side chair over so she could sit and watch. This was research, after all. What Barbara saw confirmed her already growing belief in immersion therapy. It was not a complete turnaround by any means, but Mary was definitely trying. Her four weeks had at least made her willing to experience things she had once considered forbidden. Barbara suspected the sexual activity in the last two days had piqued a latent desire in her, or at least a strong curiosity. While the the signs of Mary's desire to try were encouraging, watching her in action was rather poignant. There is a compelling grace to a woman expressing affection or passion. Her natural, instinctive movements are beautiful and arousing. Mary lacked that grace. It was evident that her moves were not at all instinctive. The conflict in her mind could be clearly seen in her actions. She had discovered that sex could feel very good, yet her upbringing still screamed that it should not, that she should not let it. Probably from watching the example of her own daughter and the other couples working at the Tee, she knew the women were happy when they showed affection. She wanted to feel that way. Still stroking his cock, Mary leaned toward Floyd to kiss him. Unfortunately, her near hand was doing the stroking and was in the way. She was able to switch hands and keep up the stroking. Her other hand pulled his head toward her for the kiss. Torn between laughing and crying, Barbara saw Floyd sit there stiffly until Mary apparently said something. Then, his hand reached over and began hefting and caressing a breast. Thinking back, Barbara realized that everything Floyd had done to his wife, even if it was done awkwardly, was done gently and with evident concern. That was an important revelation. The existence of true feeling between the two had been highly suspect. The possibility of passion had not yet been proven, but Barbara was at least sure of basic consideration and respect. It was a starting place. Even more encouraging was the evidence that Mary had thought out the whole scenario. She got out of the tub, took the cushion off of the chaise, and put it on the ground. She got the condom in her hand and got down on her knees on the cushion. Barbara could not hear her words, but she was waving the rubber at him. Floyd was not yet out of testosterone. He stepped out of the pool and came toward Mary, his cock leading the way. When he stood in front of her, she fumbled with the packet for a bit, but then put it on quite smoothly. Barbara made a note that Mary must have more manual dexterity than expected. Mary's next move convinced Barbara that at least she was going to give it an honest try. She used both hands, one over the condom and the other cradling his balls. As she spent a few moments increasing his hardness, she showed that maybe that grace was there. She certainly had the desired effect on Floyd. Turning her back to him and getting on her knees, Mary further proved she had thought everything through carefully. Barbara sincerely hope he was aroused beyond the point of caring, because her ass presented a singularly unappealing target. Fortunately, erotic is in the eye of the beholder, as he got to his knees and moved up behind her, his staff showing no signs of softening. The ensuing fumbling proved this was a first time for the doggy position, but before long, he was obviously in. Any guilt over her voyeurism had been erased because Barbara had learned a lot about the couple from their actions so far. Now, she knew she should stop watching, but that was out of the question. It was certainly not a beautiful sight - almost comical, in fact, given their respective shapes. But it was evidence of the latent potential for lust and passion to enhance the love she believed was there. Whether because of the reduced stimulation through the condom or because of his unaccustomed frequency of ejaculations the past two days, Floyd lasted quite a while. It took quite a few strokes to establish a comfortable rhythm, and Mary, especially, had to seek out the best position. She ended up with her head down on her arms, looking like a shapeless triangular mound of flesh. Floyd must have closed his eyes, because he sped up, rather than slowing down. Plunging steadily into his wife at a very good speed, Floyd kept it up for two or three minutes before his back arched, and Barbara could hear his grunts as he squirted into the latex. They had no practiced movements for uncoupling, and there was a disappointing lack of hugging or other affectionate displays afterward. Still, it was a much better start than Barbara could have expected. He was clearly wiped out, and it was touching the way she helped him to the shower, then off to bed. ------- Wednesday morning, while Floyd was logged in to work, Barbara stopped her exercising for another chat with Mary. She had decided not to bring up sex at breakfast, but try to handle it with each of them separately. "Want to tell me what happened last night?" Barbara asked as casually as she could. "You mean you didn't watch?" Mary asked, her disbelief evident. "If you thought I was watching, why did you do it?" Barbara asked. "You thought I was completely ignorant about sex - all the women think that," Mary complained. "I may not know a lot of things, but I AM a woman. I wanted you to see that." "Were you just doing it to show me, Mary, or did you enjoy it?" "At first, I was so nervous I could hardly breathe. Then, thinking you were watching made it more exciting. You were watching, weren't you?" Mary asked. "Yes. I'm sorry I lied about that." "Well, I'm glad you were. Did... did I look, uh, I don't know..." "Mary, you looked like a woman who was very afraid, but willing to try something new," Barbara assured her. "You still didn't tell me if you enjoyed it." "Oh, yes! And you were right about the position. I felt much better than ever before. It even felt like I, you know, uh, orgasmed once," Mary said with some enthusiasm. "I'm still worried that my body will turn him off." "Would you rather I leave so he doesn't have me to look at?" Barbara aksed. "No. I think it makes it easier to get him, uh, hard. It's like he is always closer. If he has nothing but me to look, he may not want anything to do with sex." "And would that bother you, now?" Barbara had to ask. Mary thought for a while, then answered "Yes, it would. I didn't want to do any of this. But somehow, it doesn't feel as dirty as I thought it would. It was never important to me to be able to excite him. No, I want to. That's why I'm worried about how I look." "Well, there's not much you can do about that in three days, is there? But do the best you can with what you have. You have very nice hair. Make sure it is always done nicely. And fix your makeup whenever it gets washed off." "Remember what I said yesterday about touching and flirting? Well, a lot of a man's pride is in his penis. This is a unique situation here. You can see it and touch it any time. Try touching and fondling it whenever you can. Make it seem natural and casual, but make him think you are fascinated with it. For example if you want him to follow you, make it playful and sexy. Pull him along, gently, by his penis for the first few feet. Keep his mind on his crotch, and he won't think as much about your body." Mary looked at Barbara like she had three heads, but finally gave a thoughtful nod. When Mary left, Barbara went and sat beside Floyd at his computer and waited for what looked like a break in what he was doing. "Floyd, could I say a couple of things about Mary?" At his puzzled nod, she went on. "She is very concerned that her body will make you lose interest. I think it would be good if you could encourage her as much as possible." She went on to talk about touching as much as possible, sitting close, hugging, and frequent little kisses. She emphasized attention to Mary's hair, her best physical feature at the time. "But we, uh, don't do much of that kind of stuff." "I know. Will you try to change that for these three day? Please?" It was a completely different way for her to talk with him. But he would have to feel some self-confidence to be able to show much affection. Further humiliation had become counter-productive. Here he was, working, in his element. It was a good time to try for some new behavior. Barbara tried to watch without being noticed for the rest of the day. The only time she interfered was to make sure they did the massages. Twice, she caught Mary touching his penis. Both times, Mary looked quickly around to see if Barbara had seen it. They did sit close while relaxing on a sofa, and held hands a few times. He made a few affectionate gestures of his own. ------- Wednesday afternoon, just before supper time, Mark screwed up his courage and went over to the men's side. He had tossed most of the night thinking about this encounter, and had been totally useless in school that day. Barbara saw her nephew walk in, and was about to come over and greet him. He shook his head and she raised an eyebrow in question. He stopped and thought a moment, then tapped his ring finger. It was a tribute to their closeness that she instantly caught his meaning. She pointed toward where the Halls were, then hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes, making sure Mark did not see them. When he saw the Halls, relaxing by the pool together, Mark almost turned and went back across. But he knew this was the right thing to do. They were both surprised when he walked up to them and pulled a chair close to the chaises they rested on. "I don't know what is proper in this situation, with Lindsey independent of you, and all. But I want to do things as properly as I can. This weekend, I am going to ask Lindsey to marry me." Mark waited for the gasps and near faint to subside, then continued. "It may be several years before we actually marry, but our commitment to each other is already forever. This is something I want to do." "I don't expect you to give your permission or your blessing. I am not really asking for that, though it would mean a lot to both of us to have it." "I know much of your disapproval revolves around the difference in our beliefs. I don't pretend to share Lindsey's faith, and I admit that could be a future problem between us. Regardless of what you may think, she holds tightly to the faith you brought her up in. Frankly, except for Lindsey and Sonja, I see nothing to suggest that faith is something I should consider." So far, Mark had steamrolled them, and neither had tried to say anything. When Floyd looked about to speak, Mark held up his hand and want on talking. "As you should know by now, Lindsey feels very strongly about treating you two honorably, within the bounds of what she has to do to protect herself. I respect that about her, and I want to support her. That is why I am here." After that, Mark stopped and looked at them, obviously waiting for some comment. Perhaps trying to act fatherly, it was Floyd who said "I suppose you think this will legitimize having sex with her." Mark was quite surprised to see Mary shoot her husband a disapproving look. "Mr. Hall, I think you know me a little by now. You should guess that I would never comment on that subject. If Lindsey chooses to talk about it with you, that is up to her, but I won't." Standing, obviously ready to leave, Mark told them "I did not come over here for a discussion or a debate. I came as a courtesy to let you know my intentions toward you daughter. Someday, I will be your son-in-law. I hope this visit tells you that the nature of your relationship with me, and with your daughter, rests in your hands." With that, he walked away. Barbara was waiting in the hallway between the men's and women's sides. She did not say anything - she could not. She wrapped Mark in her massive hug and rocked back and forth for a long time. He returned the affection, stroking her back and shoulders tenderly. Breaking the hug and holding him back by the shoulders, she asked "Do your Mom and Dad know you did that?" "Yeah, I wouldn't have made it without their encouragement." ------- Later that night, Barbara and the Halls were in the hot tub again, and once again, Mary began to masturbate him. Barbara again left them and went to her viewing spot. This time, Mary lay back on the chaise, expecting him to get her off first, which he did. To Barbara's surprise, Mary had invented her own position to get him good penetration. She slid to the end of the chaise, which was quite low to the ground. Barbara then noticed the two cushions that had been placed on the floor right under her. With her crotch over the edge and her knees spread wide, he could enter her while on his knees on the cushions, with his body straight up. Barbara had to declare her campaign a success. The Halls still had two days and three nights together, but she no longer had to force them into anything. Floyd was pretty much just along for the ride, but he definitely seemed to be enjoying the ride. Mary, however, had apparently bought into the idea of using the rare opportunity and trying things they had always shied away from. All of the things that all of the women had done to reach out to Mary were paying off. Barbara would go over in the morning, thank each one, and give them a report. She also needed to talk to Lindsey, who was finally able to give her virginity because of her parents' forays into new sexual activity. Knowing the extent of their progress would make her even more comfortable with her decision. Perhaps Barbara could reach Lindsey on her cell on the way to the airport after school Thursday. ------- Julia had told Andi that her father wanted to talk, and the news had hit her hard. She had felt a momentary thrill, then disappointment followed by some anger. He needed to talk to her mother, first. He had not seen or spoken to Dottie since the paramedics arrived the night of her miscarriage. Andi had not intended to take sides, but in her mind, his actions were wrong. If she talked to him now, it would somehow seem like she was agreeing with what he did. He had to reach out to Dottie in some way before she could feel right about talking to him. Another thing that disturbed Andi was that she had not yet talked to her mother. As far as she knew, Dottie was completely unaware of what had happened to her. Barbara was on the other side with the Halls. She talked with Norma about it a lot, and burned up quite a bit of phone time with Beth. A unique bond had developed between the two girls, probably because of their shared love for Andi. She wished Beth was in town, rather than away at school, but just having a close contemporary was so valuable to her. Beth ended every call asking Andi to give her brother a hug and kiss from her. Andi made it a point to do just that, telling Andy where it was from. In the past few days, Andi had been spending a lot of time with Gretchen, also. Andy's mother had sensed that this was probably the girl for her son, finally. She had obvious concerns about Andi's background, but could see why Andy had fallen in love with her. If the girl was to be her daughter-in-law, she wanted it to be a warm relationship. She was pleased that she did not have to work hard to make it so. The advice from all of Andi's confidantes was the same - bring Dottie to the Tee to visit. Undoubtedly because Norma and Gretchen arranged it, every single one of the other residents gave Andi the same encouragement. They assured her Dottie was welcome to come and stay as long as she wanted, regardless of visiting rules. Mary, of course, was on the other side with Floyd and Barbara, so that potential problem was avoided. ------- After considerable discussion, including with Julia, Andi called Dottie and invited her to visit. Andy was selected to pick her up early Thursday afternoon. He would explain why Andi could not come, and about the nudity. He would also tell her of his relationship with her daughter. It would be hard dodging the question of why Andi was at the Tee, but it was not a long ride. Andi had spent a lot of time describing her mother. Upon meeting her, it was hard for Andy to believe the 'before' descriptions. He had many times heard the phrase 'a shell of his/her former self', and now he knew just what it meant. There was an overall slackness to Dottie, an impression that she was turned in on herself. Her eyes were devoid of any sparkle or expression of interest, and they met his gaze only briefly upon first greeting. As she rode in the passenger seat of the van, Dottie's hands were busy in the detached fashion of a senile older woman. Andy hoped Andi could handle this. Even in her deteriorated condition, there was no question Dottie was Andi's mother. He was pleased to observe, that except for the ravages of her ordeal, she would be a very attractive woman. Telling Dottie about the Tee, and about Andi being naked was harder than he had expected. When he got past the initial disbelief, he had to dodge the question of why she was staying there. She immediately suspected something bad had happened, and he had to reassure her several times that she was in good health. Julia was a great believer in proper staging for significant encounters, as witness Floyd's arrival at the Tee. She had discussed this one with several people. Dottie was ushered in by just Andy. Gretchen was standing in the reception area, and Andy introduced the two women. Then, mother and son left a slightly confused Dottie standing alone and walked back to the main door into the women's side. Andi came out through the door, and Gretchen and Andy each took a hand and led her back to face her mother. Julia's staging was very dramatic, and it definitely had an effect. Probably not the effect she had anticipated, though. Whether it was just the emotion of seeing her daughter for the first time in months; or the sight of her daughter naked in the presence of a man; or some very painful memory evoked by the scene; she fainted. Fortunately, Andy had been watching very closely. He was able to get to her and catch her as she fell. Andy was not particularly large or muscular, but Dottie was at that point frail and emaciated. With one arm around her back, he was able to get the other under her knees and pick her up. Deciding it would not be best to take her into the women's area like that, Gretchen opened the door to the center area where the common facilities were. There were several sleeping rooms there for future use, and one of them was furnished. With the women getting all the doors, Andy put Dottie on the bed, then he and Gretchen left. That was not according to plan, but it was time to improvise. As an afterthought, Andy stepped back in and handed Andi his phone, with Gretchen's speed dial already selected. When Dottie came around, Andi helped her raise up against the headboard and gave her a glass of water. It took several more minutes before Dottie even tried to talk. Her first question was "Honey, why are you here like this?" "Mom, can we go over where the other people are before I tell you? They're my friends. I twill make it easier. And I really need Andy with me." "How... isn't it hard to be naked with him?" "Oh, no, Mom! He loves to see me, and he lets me know it all the time. It... it has really helped me." Andi brushed some stray hair from Dottie's face in a very loving gesture that seemed to quell any more questions. "There are strict visiting rules here, Mom. All the other women agreed that you could be an unrestricted visitor. But you have to wear a uniform. It's like what Andy and Gretchen had on, only a different color. Is that OK?" "My... my arms and legs look pretty scrawny. And I don't know where my tits have gone. Maybe I should just come for regular visiting hours," Dottie complained. "Please, Mom. I need to see you. I want to spend a while with you. Let me call Andy and have him bring the clothes over. You can put your stuff in a locker out front. Um, the women usually don't bother with underwear." Dottie agreed, if not wholeheartedly. When Andy brought the clothes over, it was a perfect chance for the couple to step down the hall for a rare intense hug and kiss. Looking very shy and uncomfortable, Dottie stepped out carrying her street clothes. Andi nearly cried when she saw what her mother meant about her arms and legs. It made her angry at her father all over again. Once inside the women's area, Dottie had no chance to think about her appearance. She was absolutely overwhelmed by an outpouring of sympathy and encouragement from the women. Their obvious affection for her daughter touched her deeply. After all the introductions a good wishes were finished, Dottie, Andi, Andy, and Gretchen went to the staff lounge for some privacy while Andi told her mother what had happened. Dottie was more than a little surprised when Andi sat on his lap and pulled his arms tightly around her bare body. "Mom, what I need to tell you is terribly hard for me," Andi said upon seeing her mother's reaction. "Knowing that Andy loves me anyway is all that has kept me going." With that, she told her story, stopping several times to comfort Dottie. When she had shed many, many tears and asked many questions, Dottie looked at Andy and asked "Are you really able to forget all that and love her?" "Forget? Of course not," he replied. "Love her? Absolutely. Dottie, what happened to her was terrible, but a lot of it was not her fault. I believe she is now as against drugs as I am. We have committed to each other not to let that into her life again. The other? That was not Andi. We will do our best to bury that." Andi was on Andy's lap, facing her mother. Dottie dove on top of Andy and wrapped her arms around him as if desperate for male contact. She sobbed her heart out for many minutes as both young people cuddled and tried to comfort her. Gretchen kissed them both and left. ------- As Andi and Andy sought to console Dottie, Lindsey was far from needing consoling. What she needed was an anchor to keep her feet on the ground. She and Mark were in her car on the way to the airport, with Mark driving and Lindsey wishing bucket seats had never become the standard. The knowledge of what awaited them at the other end of their flight almost made the aircraft superfluous. When her cell rang, Lindsey was delighted to find out it was Barbara calling. She listened without saying anything, said a teary-eyed 'thank you' and hung up. She then explained to Mark everything she had heard about her parents' progress. She also relayed Barbara's wishes for the happiest night of their lives. "Does this make you feel even better about your decision?" Mark asked. "Oh, Sweetie, nothing could make me feel any better, except doing it right now. You don't have to worry about me," she assured him. "But that's what lovers do," he told her, "worry about each other. I don't want you to have any doubt that you are doing the right thing. I don't want anything to keep it from being a wonderful as I know it will be." "I... I guess I know what you mean. My parents are discovering things about sex they should have known twenty years ago. And they're doing things they always thought were sinful. You're right, it will make it easier. What isn't easy is this waiting!" ------- Chapter 14 After Dottie had finally stopped sobbing and regained some of her composure, Andi and Andy took her on a tour. Again, she was greeted warmly by all of the women, with everyone anxious to show her what they were doing. It was almost as if they were trying to sell her on the place. There was an unexpected crisis when she first saw the hot tub. She started crying again, and almost collapsed. The whole way, Andi and Andy had been holding her tightly, so she did not actually fall. "Th... that's wh... where it all st... started," Dottie was able to stammer out after a bit. As much as anything, that highlighted the depth of the anguish and self-recrimination she was suffering. At dinner, Dottie actually ate, something she apparently had done very little of since the divorce. Andy and Andi kept her close between them, and the other women continued to lavish attention on her. After dinner and a leisurely chat over coffee, it was time for Andy to take Dottie home. She broke into tears again, and said "I just wish I had some money. I would stay right here. I feel more loved and at home here than anywhere. Mom tries, but I'm just too much for her." "But Mom, you'd have to be naked." "If I could run around naked for those so-called friends at the casino, it wouldn't be any problem with all these nice people." Andi sat for a moment looking dejected, then suddenly bolted from her chair and tore off to find a phone. Andy thought he knew what was going on, and tried to reassure Dottie that there was no problem. It took Andi a frustrating twenty minutes to reach Julia and get her father's telephone number. She had to pull up a chair because she was shaking too much to stand as she dialed Warren's number. When he answered, it took her a few seconds to make her voice work. Then, all she could get out was a ragged "Dad?" The silence at his end was just as long. "A... Andi? Is... is that you? Oh, God, I'm so glad you called!" Andi had time to marshall her resolve, and her voice firmed up, thinking about her mother's pathetic condition. "Dad, I'm not ready to talk to you, yet." He started to respond, but she cut him off. "Before I will even consider talking to you, you need to arrange for Mom to stay here at Transformations for at least four months." With that, she resisted the urge to talk to him anyway, and hung up. It was barely ten minutes later that Andy's phone rang and he handed it to Andi. "Your father just pre-paid four months' stay for your mother," Julia told her, not hiding her surprise very well. "Does she want to be there?" "It's the first thing she's really wanted in a long time," Andi answered. "She's here right now, and she doesn't want to leave. Is that OK?" "Of, course, Honey," Julia answered. "I really can't get over there tonight, though. Will she be alright until tomorrow afternoon?" "Well, Andy may have to stay and sleep with her, but yes, she'll be OK." "So, she's bonded with Andy pretty well? He seems to have that effect on women, doesn't he?" Julia observed. "That's strictly non-policy, of course, but... Tell you what. Why don't you take her in your room for tonight. Let me talk with Andy." When Andy got on the line, Julia said "I know you're not on tonight, but I think you should stay. Andi says Dottie is really attached to you. She suggested you might have to sleep with her tonight. Is she that fragile?" "Julia, I'm not the shrink, but if she hadn't shown up here soon, I can't imagine what would have happened to her." "Well, do what you have to to keep her in one piece. She can stay dressed for tonight." "That, uh, won't be necessary. She's already naked and walking this way. I'd better think of the right thing to say to her." He hung up and turned his attention to Dottie. He could not escape the similarity to Andi's first exposure to him. The looks on their faces were identical. Somehow, Andi's instincts did not fail him often. He took Dottie's hands and looked her up and down slowly. Then he told her "I am a lucky man. It thrills me to see how beautiful my wife will look in twenty years." There was no known protocol for the proper handling of one's naked future mother-in-law who had just fallen, sobbing, into your arms. Andy just tried to be comforting without touching anything that could be considered inappropriate. As he held her, with Andi watching tearfully, he pondered why Dottie had attached herself to him so quickly and so tenaciously. He reasoned that being suddenly cut off from the two men with whom she had always shared her affection had created an enormous, painful void. He was, in effect, substituting for Warren and Matt. Not rational, but neither was she, clearly. He was also quite likely the first male to get at all close to her and to show her any consideration at all. Combine that with gratitude for helping her daughter, and perhaps Dottie's behavior was not so strange. The one thing that frightened him was the possibility that she could see him as fulfilling the role she yearned for Warren to fill again. That could get tricky. Noticing that Andy was distressed, Andi joined the hug and whispered in his ear "Honey, just help her. She's my Mom! We'll sort it all out later, OK?" It was still quite early in the evening, and Andi wanted to call her Dad and thank him. Andy got Dottie seated beside him on a couch, and Andi went to use his phone to make the call. Calling Warren where Dottie could hear was just not a good idea. She just thanked Warren and said she could not take time right then because of Dottie. She promised to call soon, and he gave her his office and cell numbers. Rejoining Andy and Dottie, Andi called her grandmother and explained what Dottie would be doing. She did not care to go into detail about nudity and everything at that point. Making up a white lie, she said Dottie did not need clothes because there were uniforms provided. An hour or so later, Dottie was showing definite signs of weariness. "One of us is going to have to sleep with her," Andy said. "I really prefer it to be you, Sweetie." They led her to Andi's room and got her in bed. Though way too early for her, Andi got in with her mother and snuggled close. That helped, but Dottie still looked at Andy and seemed to panic at any move toward the door. He sat and caressed Dottie's forehead for half an hour before she fell into a deep sleep. He came around the bed and kissed Andi, regretfully extricating himself from her embrace. ------- It was ten o'clock, but Lindsey and Mark were finally in their hotel room. It was a suite, actually, and it needed to be large to hold all the flowers and goodies they found when they walked in. Lindsey was first a little upset that so many people knew what was going to happen that night. Mark, as usual, got her thinking turned around to how wonderful it was that so many people cared about her happiness. It had been getting worse by the hour for Mark. Lindsey had come close to discovering the ring box in his pocket as they cuddled on the plane and in the shuttle. But he had made it, and he was dying to present it to her. At first, he thought he would wait until they had showered and were ready for the big event. But seeing the look in her eyes as she took in the thoughtful gifts that surrounded them, he knew it was the right moment. It was cliched, but every woman is entitled to have her man embarrass himself completely at least once. Mark was actually more than happy to do it. He guided her to a chair, then knelt in front of her. She gave him a puzzled look, then recognition and incredulity started to dawn as she saw the unmistakable box he shakily pulled from his pocket. He had worked up a little speech, and he used it. "Lindsey, I know we are promised to each other forever. It may be a while before we can marry. But will you accept this ring so everyone will know you are mine and I am yours. Will you promise to be my wife." Every man enjoys the thrill of actually surprising his woman occasionally. Most are reluctant to admit how difficult it is to accomplish. Lindsey had no clue whatsoever, and the size of the ring only added to her astonishment. She actually felt faint, something that had never happened to her. She did not try to respond with words. Instead, she slid to her knees on the floor in front of him, pushing her chair back and out of the way. Then, she threw her arms around him and tackled him over backwards as she kissed him with everything she had in her. Fortunately, he was able to get his legs straightened out and return the hug and the kiss, which went on for minutes. Lindsey was so overcome with emotion she began to writhe atop him with arousal. It was starting to look like their virginity might be surrendered fully clothed on the floor. They would have wasted all their patient waiting and planning, and Mark knew he was the one who had to stop it. Without breaking the embrace, he rolled them over so he was on top, and pulled his face back from her. He freed his arms from under her, then carefully started lifting her sweater off. This seemed to bring her back somewhere close to reality, and she let out a sigh. "Shower!" she murmured, the first word she had spoken. It seemed like mere seconds before there was a random pile of mixed clothes where they had laid, and she was tugging him toward the bathroom. While the water heated up, she redeemed the time with another frantic embrace and kiss. As soon as they were wetted down, she went right for his cock. He did not protest, knowing that he needed to release one load to ensure any kind of endurance when he entered her. After he decorated her tummy, he made to return the favor, but she spoke again. "No, Lover, I want it in bed. That was just to keep you from going off too soon." Both of the teens were anxious, anticipating the completion of their relationship. But they were also strangely composed. As they stepped from the shower, Lindsey looked in the mirror, ran her hands through the back of her hair, which had gotten wet, and made a face. That gave Mark an idea. "Get your shampoo," he told her. With a look that was only slightly puzzled, she pulled it from her cosmetics case, then giggled when he pulled her back into the shower. He proceeded to give her a very thorough double wash, then rooted around in her bag until he found the conditioner. As he dried her with a towel when they again stepped out of the shower, she asked "Did my hair look that bad?" "You know better than that," he chided her. "You could never look bad to me." He kissed her to punctuate his declaration. "Then why all the fuss with my hair?" "Honey, I want you to feel as special tonight as you ever have in your life..." he started to say. "Well, you took care of that pretty well already," she told him, holding the ring right up in his face, "and I'd like to get to the really special part." "I've learned a couple of things living with women," Mark told her. "One of them is this: if they're concerned about their appearance, it's hard for them to really get into what they're doing. I want you really, really into what we are going to do. Sooooo, how about a little pampering?" "Oh, Sweetie, you don't have to worry about that!" she protested. But she did nothing to stop him when he took the hotel's hair dryer and her brush and began working on her hair. The dryer was anchored to the wall to prevent theft, so he could not take it into the bedroom as he would have liked. Then, she stopped him and pulled her own dryer out of her bag. Lindsey wanted in the worst way to feel him inside of her; to get the worry about the pain behind her; to be able to see herself as a total woman; to give the greatest gift of all to the love of her life. Yet, she sat naked and Indian style on the bed as he worshipped her hair, and she was content. It was characteristic of so much of their relationship. There was no doubt about the passion between them, and it coursed through both of them at that moment. But there had always been things that held them back from what they really wanted, usually things in Lindsey's mind. Mark had learned to be happy with whatever part of Lindsey he could have, and that carried over to her. Now, he would finally have all of her, but a few more minutes to make her feel more loved and more special was no sacrifice at all. To everyone who knew the couple, with the exception of Lindsey's parents, their permanent union was a foregone conclusion. Because of their long-time friendship and the gradual way they had progressed as lovers, they enjoyed the kind of rapport too few long-married couples ever achieve. Lindsey inherited her body type more from her father than her mother. Rather than Mary's full-figured shape, she was more trim and muscular. She did, however, inherit her very nice hair from her mother, and Mark had spent many pleasant hours luxuriating in it's silky fullness. So his current efforts were a form of foreplay he had used before. When he finished, Lindsey did not bother to check in a mirror. She just flipped her locks with her hands and grinned at Mark. Even in her tension and anticipation, she could not resist a little levity, and asked him "Are you done stalling, now?" The searing kiss that precluded an answer took any possible sting from the gibe. She felt more beautiful because of his efforts, and he knew it. Without a word, they pulled back the covers and crawled in. He reached over to turn off the lamp on the nightstand, but she stopped him. "Huh uh. Gotta be able to see this," and she held out the ring. Those were the last words for quite a while, as they let their hands take over communications. Lindsey's touch had always been magical to Mark. Somehow, it conveyed a feeling of wonder, as if she was constantly thrilled by some new discovery. When there was no one around to be offended, she could never get enough contact with him. He commented on it to his mother once, and Norma had a theory. "Your sisters have had loving touches, caresses, and hugs from you and your father their whole lives. Not they it means less to them, but they are used to it and they expect it. Lindsey lived without that until you became a couple. It is still new and wonderful, and she lets you know that. I think maybe she still doesn't believe it is true." Never had her touch conveyed more than it did right then. Nor did she ever respond more to his touch. He was determined to have her so aroused she would hardly notice the pain of her defloration. She seemed to understand his intention, and did not urge him to hurry. She was primed, and came from his fingers the first time in less than ten minutes. He considered that just the warmup, and went down on her while she was still quivering occasionally. Since foreplay was all they had for a while, he had devoted himself to becoming good at it. Twice more, he took her over, the last one of truly epic intensity. It had been his plan for her to be on top so she could control the entry. His first words in a while were to suggest that to her. "Can't," she panted in answer. "No strength. Do it. I'll be OK." She really did look limp, so he pulled himself up between her leg, positioned for entry. "Use your hands, Honey," he told her. "Make sure I don't hurt you." Even that seemed quite an effort for her, and he wondered if he should wait a while. But her relaxation and euphoria were what he wanted, and she was pulling at him insistently. It had been quite a while since he came in the shower, and he realized it would be a battle for him to hold off long enough to penetrate all the way. Pushing through her hymen turned out to be relatively easy. The pain for her was sharp, but short. Her gasp and little groan actually helped to reduce his urgency, and after a pause, some of his control had returned. When she had recovered from the pain, she thrust her pelvis against him, begging for him to sink deeper. Little by little, he pushed in, pulling back farther with each stroke, until their pubic bones touched. She hissed at the pressure on her clit and threw her arms and her legs around him, finding a surge of energy somewhere. Much as he would have wished it, there was no way Mark could keep up his stroking for very long. He tried to go slow to reduce the stimulation, but that was not what she wanted. When she gasped out "Come, Lover, now!" that was the last straw, and he shuddered and gasped as he pulsed until he nearly blacked out. Amazed at the intensity of his ejaculation, and afraid he could not hold himself up with his arms, he got a hand under her bottom and rolled them to their sides, trying to keep himself in her as long as possible. For several minutes they lay facing each other without saying anything. He was too wiped out to talk, and she was not much better. For once, she was the one to deliver the priceless line, as she kissed him softly and told him "What a wonderful start!" There was silence again for a couple of minutes. Then, she managed to get her left hand up where she could look at the ring. "Did Julia tell you?" she asked. "Tell me what, Hon?" "That it would make a big difference to me to be engaged?" "No. I, uh, figured that out myself." That brought some tears, but happy, contented ones. Ever since the retreat, they had been cuddling naked in bed, long before it was an aftermath to sex. It was the time when they were closest, and not just physically. "Darling," she said, "I can't wait to do it again, but..." "... but you need to be able to walk up to the stage tomorrow night," he finished for her. "I, uh, think I shot everything I had, anyway. Let's not get either of us sore. Should we go and clean up?" "What for?" she asked. "I don't care if I don't move from here until it's time to meet Sarah." Sonja's sister would be arriving at the hotel mid-morning. The reunion had not been completely staged, but they wanted to bring her to Sonja's room. They had decided the backstage idea was not the best. The sisters needed more privacy. But that could all be planned in the morning. Sleep, in each other's arms, was what they wanted right then. ------- About the time Lindsey and Mark were drifting off, Andi was jolted awake by her mother, Dottie, shaking violently next to her in bed. Thinking at first that it was a nightmare, Andi called to her to wake her up. But she was not asleep. "Andy! Where is he? Please! I need him!" "But Mom, he shouldn't be in bed with you," Andi protested. She turned on the reading lamp, and realized that reason was of little use. Dottie's eyes were frantic, darting quickly all over the room. Andi's first impulse was to shake her mother, or even slap her to try to jolt her from the trance she seemed to be in. But just then, Dottie spoke again. "Honey, please! I just need him! I... I know he's yours. But I don't have anyone, and... Oh, Honey, please?" Through the torment of emotions, love and concern for her stricken mother came to the front, and Andi got out of bed. "OK, Mom. I'll get him. Just wait. Will you be alright?" Hurrying to Andy's room, Andi shook him awake. "I'm sorry, Honey, but Mom is just frantic. She's begging for you. I don't know what else to do. Maybe Ryan could give her a sedative or something, but..." Shaking away the sleep, Andy told her "Let me use the bathroom, and I'll be right there. Go back to her." After finishing in the bathroom, he put on his shorts and headed for Andi's room, nervous and uncertain about what he would find. Andi was back in bed, holding her mother. Dottie's shaking had eased, but the wild look and darting gaze were still evident. Until she saw him, that is. It was both magical and frightening to see the sudden calm settle over her, and a beatific smile capture her face. He was relieved that a seizure or a breakdown had been averted, but frightened at what role he might have to play in her treatment. He sat on the bed next to Dottie, and reached out to take her hand. That was not what was on her mind, however. She took his hand, all right, but with the surprising strength of the crazed, she pulled him to herself, and locked both arms around him in an iron embrace. His natural instinct was to pull back, but he felt Andi's hand on his back. She whispered in his ear "Do anything she needs, please! I'm scared for her! Don't worry about me. I love you both so much!" She started pulling back the covers, and he reluctantly raised himself so she could get them from under him. Almost before he knew it, he was lying on his side with Dottie face to face with him, pressed as tightly as possible. Andi moved up against her mother's back and put her hand on his shoulder. Dottie was in a loving human sandwich, and that appeared to be just what she needed. She had her top arm around Andy and her other arm straight between them. She did not say anything, or make any movements other than to begin breathing deeply. Sleep was a long ways from Andy right then. The woman he desired was in bed with him, but they were separated by the emaciated body and the tormented mind of her mother. Instead of his love's pert breasts against him, he could feel Dottie's ribs and the unpadded points of her hips. Still, despite his concerns, there was a feeling of satisfaction. The condition of her mother was critical to his love's own well-being. His help was needed, and he could not refuse. He could not help but feel sympathy for Dottie, and even with her troubles, she had the same endearing quality as her daughter. It was shocking; it was unusual; but it was not a great sacrifice. This was a woman he would be close to for the rest of her life. Whatever he could do to make that life better was definitely worth it. "Andy!" Andi's whisper interrupted his reverie. "This is not what I thought our first night together would be like. But... but thank you! Do you have any idea how much I love you?" ------- Morning was not very comfortable for Andy. He awoke before daylight and well before the women, and was chagrined that his usual morning erection did not have the decency to take a day off. The way Dottie's legs were tangled with his, one of her thighs was tight against his cock, with just his shorts between. His immediate plan was to pull away from her, but she had almost a death grip with her arm. He had no idea which would be most traumatic for her, waking to him pulling away or still plastered against him. As he debated, at least the hardon receded. He decided it was best not to disturb Dottie until she woke naturally. It was quite a different Dottie that finally achieved wakefulness. He could see the total confusion when she first opened her eyes. Then, she jerked and exclaimed "Ohmygod! How... ?" Like a mother of a newborn, Andi was instantly alert and quickly hugged her mother closer. "Shhhh, Mom. It's OK. You had a really bad spell and made me get Andy. As soon as he got in bed, you went to sleep. Don't be frightened." Dottie relaxed a little and looked him in the eyes for quite a while. "Gotta go," she said suddenly, and raised up from between them. Andi jumped up to join her, and they went into the bathroom together. When they came out of the bathroom, Dottie walked out the door and Andi took her place snuggled tight against him. Before he could ask, she told him "She's going to your room. I have orders to fuck your brains out." "Honey, I..." he started to protest. "Don't tell me you don't want to, because I won't believe you," she interrupted him and took hold of his cock to prove her point. "Julia won't fire you. And if I get kicked out, well, I can make it, now. As long as I have you." She had said all of that with great intensity. Her voice softened when she told him "Andy, I really, really need this. I need to have sex when it means something. I need to erase those awful memories that wake me up at night. You can do that." There was no need to sell hard to Andy. After all of the nights of everything but intercourse with Gretchen, and Carla, and Beth, he was dying for the real thing. And he was especially dying to make love to Andi. Every day around her had been harder as their love grew. Rules or no rules, he was going to do it. Just as he pulled her face up for a kiss, she pulled away and reached for the nightstand drawer. Returning with a condom packet, she told him. "I heard Barbara ask you to get these. I got some from her, hoping. The pills won't take effect for a few more weeks - sorry!" Even a latex barrier could not diminish the thrill of their first time. Andi did not want any foreplay, claiming that's all they had been doing since she got there. She did not come, and he came rather quickly, but it did not matter. It took him only a few minutes to bring her to a climax later, and she almost frantically put another sheath on him. They were in the traditional position, and this time he was able to stroke for many minutes, taking her higher and higher all the time. Near the end, she clung to him so tightly with all four limbs that she was barely resting on the bed. When he felt the feeling start to build, he forgot about gentleness and pounded in and out for all he was worth. It took her over just before him, and together they whimpered and grunted, reluctant to announce their union with any loud noise. She started crying almost at her peak, but he was not alarmed. He sensed that her tears announced the departure of some of her demons, and he took great joy in helping her exorcise them. He rolled them over so she was atop him, and they started to doze off that way. "Sweetie," she said reluctantly. "I'm not sure how long Mom can be alone." When she started to get up, he laid her back down and gave her a kiss. Then he took off the condom, cleaned up a little, and went off to his room. It was a good thing they did not wait much longer. Dottie was being brave for the sake of her daughter, but the wild look was starting to come back. Unintentionally, Andy had forgotten to put his shorts back on. She beamed when she saw him and jumped up from the bed to cling to him. They walked back to Andi's room with arms around each other. They did not have to tell Dottie they had done it. Either the odor or the glow made it obvious to her, and she looked the happiest since she walked in the door. At Andi's direction, they all got back in bed, with him in the middle this time. Mother and daughter held hands across his chest. He was too weary to even think about his indescribably weird situation, and went back to sleep for another hour. ------- Lindsey and Mark had not slept very long when they awoke, but rest was not their priority, either. They both used the toilet, then hurried back to bed. It was a king bed, so they stayed on the other side from the worst of the stain from blood and fluids. Mark had suggested a shower, but Lindsey was too impatient for that. She got on her back and made it very clear that she wanted him in her, and nothing else. The feeling of him on top of her, covering her, sheltering her, taking possession of her, had imprinted itself. She suspected that the traditional position would forever be her favorite. "Are you sore?" he asked as she spread her lips to ease his entry. "Not enough to stop this, that's for sure." As expected, he had to fight the feelings from the very first moment, but he held out until he was all the way in. "Mark, it feels so wonderful to be filled like this. Can you just hold still for a while - maybe move just a little so you stay hard?" "I won't have to do anything to stay hard," he assured her. For several minutes they talked. They expressed their love several times, but they also talked about the upcoming day. There was no danger of Mark going soft, and in fact, just the movement of their breathing and the vibration from their voices stimulated him. Eventually, it overcame him, and he had to start thrusting. That did not upset her at all. He managed to stretch it out for a couple of minutes, but she did not come before he had to release. When he tried to apologize, she would not let him. "You know how much I love to come, Sweetie, and I will never be shy about you getting me off. But I think sometimes I am going to like just this, whether I come or not. It is almost like coming, anyway, when you move in and out of me. It is an incredible feeling. Don't apologize any more, OK?" ------- Sarah was scheduled to arrive at the hotel at 10:30am. They had debated going out to meet her, but feared any action that could make Sonja suspicious. Sonja usually slept in on the first concert day, and they were depending on that. As they talked, they decided to call her when Sarah arrived. They would ask her if they could come up and discuss something with her. Including Mark would make her prepare a little more and look more presentable for the reunion. When Sarah called from the lobby, they hurried down to meet her. She broke up at the introductions, and they hurried her to the elevator to avoid a scene in the lobby. In their room, which she must have assumed was Lindsey's room, they got her settled down and she went in and touched up her face. She stood bouncing on her feet as Mark called Sonja. Sarah's face fell when her sister asked for them to wait a half hour. Lindsey thought about explaining her relationship to Mark right then, but did not want anything to detract from the joy of the reunion. They had made the bed and stowed everything of Mark's out of sight. She had even very, very reluctantly taken off her ring. The half hour elapsed, barely before Sarah disintegrated, and they headed down the hall to Sonja's room. They were determined that the occasion was not about them, so they planned a quick exit. Lindsey had insisted on Mark doing the honors because he had worked so hard to locate Sarah. When Sonja opened the door to Mark's knock, he said "Sonja, there's someone here who is very anxious to see you." Sarah had been behind the door. Mark stepped aside and Lindsey guided her into view, almost having to carry her. There was the moment of stunned silence on Sonja's part; there was the almost-unintelligible shriek of 'Sarah!'; there was the lunge into each other's arms; there was the joyous jumble of babbling and crying; there was the need for Lindsey and Mark to gently push them into the room before they could close the door. When they stood alone in the hall, the celebration still audible through the closed door, they high-fived each other, then hugged briefly before heading down the hall toward Jenny and Amy's room. After hearing that the reunion had been completed, Jenny looked at Lindsey's left hand, then at Mark with a question in her eyes. Lindsey caught the look, pulled the ring from her pocket, slipped it on, and stuck her hand in Jenny's face. Amy had come up behind her mother, and a three-way squealing hug was soon in progress. The congratulations had barely subsided when there was an impatient pounding on Jenny's door. When it was opened, Sonja burst in with Sarah in tow. "I'll bet you knew, didn't you?" Sonja said to Jenny, trying to fake some passable anger but failing completely. During all the revelry, Lindsey got just a little concerned for her new fiance. Sonja could not seem to express her gratitude to Mark enough times, and clung to him like she was the one who had been given the ring. Inevitably, Sonja noticed the ring, and that took the hoopla in a different direction. It wasn't long before Sonja and Sarah headed back to their room for some serious catching up. ------- Because their sleep had been limited, Lindsey took a nap right after lunch. The hotel had an Internet cafe, and Mark had gotten an idea. He first checked with Jenny on the availability of comp tickets for the tour, especially for the club performances. After he explained why he wanted them, Jenny agreed wholeheartedly, even insisting he offer four, not just a pair. Sitting at the computer, Mark sent an email to his hacker contact who had gotten the email addresses of Frank Schermer's donors. He would rather have done it all in chat, but this was the best he could come up with. He explained that he would like to offer him something special for his help. He asked if there would be any interest in tickets to a Jenny Ballard concert. He explained the tour schedule, and that four of either club or concert tickets could be arranged. He said he would check his email every half-hour that afternoon. He was still in webmail checking his account when the answer came back. His contact said he liked country OK, but he could make huge points with his lady with the seats. They could get to the third city on the tour and would love the club date. It could all be arranged later in chat. Mark could not have felt much better, regardless of the lack of sleep. Lindsey herself and their love would have been enough. But helping with Sonja's reunion and paying back what he considered a debt added even more satisfaction. ------- Both Lindsey and Sonja simply radiated joy that night, and it carried the whole troupe. It was the first concert stop, but afterward, all agreed it was one of those rare night when everything clicked. Sarah was absolutely blown away by her sister's performance, and sat backstage in tears for almost the whole show. Jenny, as usual acting as MC for the club shows made a little joke about Lindsey. "Guys," she said before Lindsey's first number. "I hate to tell you this, but as of last night, Lindsey is officially taken. Shield your eyes so that thing on her ring finger doesn't blind you. Don't let it spoil your enjoyment of her singing, though. If you end up with tears in your eyes, you can pretend it's because you don't have a chance at her." Even with that setup, Lindsey was far too stoked to be knocked off her game. Mark, having heard her sing many times, was unashamedly weeping at the end. It was her most intense rendition ever. As often happens after an exceptional show, the troupe stayed together for a long time afterward, basking in the satisfaction. Lindsey and Mark did not hurry back to their own room, either. They seemed comfortable that there was plenty of time for their loving-making. It was something to be enjoyed as the best part of their full lives. It did not need to be grabbed in panic and desperation. ------- Friday had been a tricky day for Julia. Warren Kessler was her client. Andi Kessler, his daughter was a resident of Transformations. Now, Dottie Kessler, Warren's ex-wife, was also a resident. Three of the four members of the badly-fractured family were under her care in one way or another. Providing effective treatment or care for one family member while protecting the privacy of the others was looking to be a tough juggling act. Was it even right to comment on Dottie's health or progress if Warren asked? Could she even tell the women that Warren was a patient? Just before noon, Julia called Warren. She had to wait to address her reason for calling. He was still excited about a half hour conversation with Andi. When he remembered his manners and asked why she had called, she told him "Warren, I think it would be best if I referred you to another therapist." When he asked why, she explained "You know Dottie is at Transformations. There is no use refusing to admit that Andi is here and that I am the director. I am bound by rules of patient privilege, as you know. I am afraid I will not be as effective for you if I cannot comment on what is happening with Dottie and Andi. Likewise, they will be constantly wondering about you, and I can say nothing." "Julia, I appreciate what you say, and it is what I would expect from you. However, I came to you to help me repair the mess my family has become, at least as much as you can. Right now, you are the link between all of us. I don't want to lose that connection. I will authorize in writing the free release of anything you learn about me to my daughter and my ex-wife." That did not necessarily simplify Julia's task. It did, however, relieve her from having to carefully monitor every response or comment. She was now undeniably in the role of family and marriage counsellor for the Kesslers. Since she very much wanted to help them, that was not a bad thing. As a person, Julia had an instinctive desire to see the Kesslers reunited. As a professional, she had serious doubts whether that was possible, or even the best for all parties. After her last patient of the day, Julia headed for the Tee. Almost immediately, a concerned-looking Andy pulled her aside. "I violated a policy, besides the one you told me I could." "You and Andi?" Julia asked. He had long ago stopped being surprised by her perceptiveness, and nodded. "Well, the first question is whether it was good. Then, I want to hear about the night in detail." When she had heard the story and asked a number of questions, Julia told Andy to continue do to whatever Dottie needed, but make her ask for it each time. Then, she promised to think of some way he and Andi could be together more. Julia's most difficult task of the day was her meeting with Dottie. She needed to let her know that she was treating Warren, and why. She also had to get permission to tell Warren of Dottie's condition and progress. The problem was in how Dottie would interpret the news. She was likely to assume that she was on the way to being reconciled with Warren, and that could completely destroy her if it did not happen. Preferring the staff lounge to the Director's office for most conferences, Julia asked Dottie, Andi, and Andi to join her there after dinner. Addressing Dottie first, she dove in. "Dottie, there are some things happening that I need to tell you about. First, though, I need to make sure you understand this: there probably is no way that you and Warren will get back together." Dottie's face disintegrated, and she was unable to fight off some tears. "I know that is harsh, but I don't want to give you any false hope." With that, Julia went on to explain that she was treating Warren and why. Dottie had not previously heard that Warren was paying her way at Transformations. Then, she asked permission to tell Warren about Dottie and Andi, and received it enthusiastically. When Julia finished, Dottie aske "Does this mean he doesn't hate me?" "I don't think he ever hated you, Dottie. He reacted very angrily, and he is starting to regret the way he treated you. Remember what I said, though. It does not mean he wants to get back with you." Even the one little bit of assurance seemed to help Dottie, at least at the moment. Dottie was able to stay up much later that night. In fact, she seemed reluctant to retire. When they took her to Andi's room, the reason became apparent. She was feeling guilty about having to sleep with Andy, yet the near panic was clear on her face as she told him she did not need him. With a quick look at Andi and a nod from her, he told Dottie that he was staying with her again. When they tried to sandwich her again, Dottie put her foot down and insisted he be in the middle. The situation was still strange, but a lot more pleasant for the lovers. Just his presence was a soporific for Dottie, and she went to sleep very quickly. Since she was lying mostly on top of Andy, it limited what the young couple could do. It didn't take long, though, for hands to find genitals, and they fell asleep to the intimate contact. ------- Julia had one other task to finish before going home Friday night. She went to the men's side and took Barbara to the staff lounge there. They talked for a few minutes about the Halls, then Julia got to her real mission. "Barbara, a lot of things have not gone just as we planned around here. There have been some very nice surprises, and you are certainly one of them." Barbara blushed and thanked her. "I know you have not reached the physical goals you came her for," Julia went on, "but psychologically and emotionally, I'd say you have gone beyond anything I expected." Barbara was about to respond, but Julia held up her hand. "I'd like to make a deal with you that would be good for both of us. Put on a uniform and work over here on the men's side. When you finish a shift, you can go back to being a resident on the women's side." Whatever Barbara may have been expecting, that was not it. What came next surprised her even more. "As a matter of fact, I would like to go even further. If you feel you are ready, I would like to offer you the job as manager of the men's side." "But... but why me?" Barbara asked in wonder. "As much as possible, I would like an all-female staff over here. That means a female boss. Obviously, the two girls are not candidates. They will spend most of their time over here. Unfortunately, they probably won't like that too well. When we set up for a male staff on the women's side, we miscalculated a little. The interaction between the residents and the female staff has been far more valuable than we anticipated." "Norma could do it, but we have talked and her heart is with the women. She fills her 'buddy' role beautifully, so I did not push her. I think either Gretchen or Carol could do it, but they both seem content with their current jobs, and their load will just get larger. Chelly wants to stay at the hospital." "Between Ryan, Paul, and the young guys, we will split time between the sides, but I want to at least start off with the staff mostly female. You have the management presence to deal with the residents. I know you are on leave from your job, and you may not want to give it up." "You could try being either an attendant or the manager for a month, and go back to your job when you reach your goals. Even that would help us right now to get the men's program rolling. Why don't you think about it and we'll talk tomorrow." "I don't have to think about it," Barbara answered quickly. "I feel I have made more progress myself in the last week with the Halls than at any other time. This place has much more meaning than my current job. It's even better than real estate." "I can't promise I will want it long term, Barbara continued, "but I will certainly try being a manager for a while. "You know what's funny, though?" "What's that?" "I really hate to have to wear clothes." With a chuckle, Julia replied "Well, we are re-thinking quite a few of our policies, but we need to give that one an honest try, first. I'm, uh, not sure it would be the best therapy to keep all our males residents in a constant state of arousal." "Seriously, Barbara, I want to compliment you on what you've accomplished with the Halls. I never would have predicted it. Unfortunately, I probably cannot apply your methods on a larger scale, but..." "Not if I have to wear clothes, you can't," Barbara shot back, and the two laughed together. ------- Chapter 15 Saturday morning was not a happy time for Mary and Floyd Hall because it marked the end of their five days together and the beginning of two or more months of separation. Mary had checked in to the Tee in a hurry and there had been no time for lengthy goodbyes. Of course, they had known it was coming, but had refused to face up to it. Back then, the loss of physical contact did not seem like major deprivation, either. In the last five days, under Barbara's tutelage and insistence, they had experienced aspects of sex that were previously unknown to them, and usually forbidden. During Mary's weeks at the Tee, Immersion Therapy had begun to effect her in a way not anticipated in the planning. Immersion in the lives of the other residents was having its impact. Little by little, she began to see that she was different, and began to question whether those differences were right or wrong. Particularly telling on Mary were the attitudes of everyone else toward affection and sex. She sensed that she was considered backward and innocent by the others, and she did not like it. Her lifelong beliefs were strong, and her adherence to them had always been a source of pride. If the other women had made her feel that her beliefs were outdated and silly, she could have held out with no problems. Now, however, her ego was was being blindsided. She was not in the safe group of friends that shared her restrictive values. Femininity was viewed in a whole different light by the women at the Tee, and it made her look bad. She was viewed as less of a woman by the others, even though none would say such a thing openly. She was a grown woman! She had borne two children! Wasn't that enough? Not for the other women, obviously. And not for her daughter, either - that was the most telling blow of all. Thus, when Barbara had strong-armed Mary and Floyd into trying new forms of intimacy, Mary had been unexpectedly receptive. Now, the unexpected 'honeymoon' was over, and it was back to separate 'sentences' for the two of them. Part of Mary, the life-long beliefs part, was relieved that it was over. The things they had done were still wrong, and now they could stop sinning. Also, she had proved that she was as much a woman as any of the others. At least she had proved it to herself, and that was what really mattered. Doing right despite what others thought was something she was good at. There was a major problem, however. The night Barbara gave Mary her first orgasm, the genie was released from the bottle. She had instinctively known that she had a strong sex drive. It was what got her in trouble with her mother as a girl. It was what she had successfully battled to suppress for all those years. Now, she knew what it felt like. When she was in the throes, the reasons for it being evil became much less clear in her mind. They had made love again Friday night, out by the pool one more time. There was no question that the openness added an extra thrill. Thinking about the end of their time had cranked her up emotionally, and she had climaxed during intercourse. Barbara had told her that was not common, and it verified her belief about her strong drive. Much of the night she had floated in and out of sleep, her mind too agitated for solid slumber. The old beliefs just weren't enough to console her any longer. She did not want it to end. Of course, she felt guilty about that, but this time, she would not try to suppress it. Floyd had been at the Tee only a short time, and he had not had other men there to influence him. Immersion therapy had not had a chance to do its work as it had on Mary. His ego was still badly bruised from the abject humiliation of the first two days. What had definitely influenced him was the new experience of frequent sex. He was physically depleted, but would not think of stopping because of it. Only very early in their courtship had Mary aroused much passion in him, and it was strange that it could happen now. He had to admit her appearance seemed pathetic compared to the awesome Barbara. Yet, some unsuspected feelings for her had surfaced, and he was able to get past her body. Never in all their years had she reacted like she was doing now. Her movements and her vocalizations told him he was exciting her, and it swelled both his cock and his ego. The night he was forced to masturbate Barbara, he could not believe the sight of her in climax. Then, when he did his wife, she was at least as intense. Such strictly sensual things were supposed to be sinful. What his mother had done to him was certainly sinful. When it was between man and wife, was it still sinful? Both Lindsey and Barbara had made remarks about whether the Bible really forbad specific things between married people. He had wracked his brain several times trying to remember what verses actually applied. It bothered him that maybe he had accepted someone else's interpretation of what the teachings against sexual sin meant. Did that someone have more than their own bias to go on? If what they had done together was wrong, why did he have feelings toward his wife that were stronger than ever before? Despite all the sexual activity during the week, they had not done much cuddling. When they slept, the did not touch - they never had. That morning, they made love one last time. They had talked once about the difficulty their bellies presented. They did not bring it up again, but did not try the missionary position, either. They had both used the toilet and brushed their teeth. Back in bed, they kissed, long and intensely. That, also, was new, and on their last time together. While they still kissed, he reached between her legs. Her clit was easy to find, even in all the fat, and he went right for it. That was fine with her, because she did not need much warming up right then. It seemed like her whole night had been filled with sexual thoughts; foreplay of a sort. They faced each other as they kissed, but she soon rolled onto her back. That broke the kiss, but he quickly moved his mouth to a nipple, which met with her complete approval. Floyd could not help but notice that it never took as long to get Mary off as it had taken for Barbara that one time. He did not analyze deeply enough to realize that he himself was a bit of a damper on Barbara's ardor. It was a good thing he did not think too deeply about it. His impression of his wife as responsive increased his own arousal, as well as his overall feelings toward her. When she came, he leaned over and kissed her again, a brand new habit for them. Then, he fetched the condom and handed it to her. Barbara had told them that since it mainly protected the woman, she should be in charge of putting it on. Even after all the unaccustomed sex that week, he had hardened just from pleasuring her, and she had him sheathed quickly. She rolled over with her back to him and bent her torso forward. She raised her top leg to signal her eagerness. Sliding down on the bed, he moved into position and she reached between her legs to guide him in. Even with the extra padding, entry was easy enough in this position. She was not virgin tight by any means, but the fit was snug enough to provide plenty of sensation to both of them. Having tried this position twice before, they had found it gave them the best combination of penetration and comfort. The condom was probably a good thing for Floyd at that stage of their sexual experience. During their usual monthly liaisons before the Tee, intercourse was a brief affair. He would be done after a very few strokes. It was probably a good things for her because it failed to awaken the real passion buried within her. That morning, a hair trigger was not a problem, and he was able to stroke long and vigorously. It was just natural for his hand to rest on her hip or her thigh, and he caressed almost unconsciously. Prior to the second night out by the pool, she had purposely remained silent during sex. That habit was now totally forsaken, and she audibly signaled her approval by whimpers, gasps, groans, and a few passionate words. The combination of his relative depletion and her high emotional level gave them another rare treat. She peaked before he did, and her vaginal walls did things to his cock that could never happen on purpose. His come was exhausting because his body had to search far and wide for the energy to expel his load, and his prostate was hard-pressed to generate sufficient fluid. Regardless of weariness or impending separation, or perhaps because of them, it was the pinnacle of their sexual relationship by far. Both lay panting for some time until he shrank and slipped out of her. Not even worrying about the messy condom that was almost falling off, they turned to face each other and pressed their bodies together. They did not speak for quite a while. Mary broke the silence to apologize for how bad she looked and felt to him. He was quick to admit he was no better. She initiated a long, tender kiss, and cried a little as she told him she would miss him. He returned the sentiment, and they reluctantly rose to shower and share another breakfast together before she left. At the table, they were surprised to see Barbara clad in staff shorts and tee, and she explained her new status. It disturbed Mary to think her husband would have constant contact with the woman who obviously excited him, even though she would no longer be naked. Barbara evidently noticed her expression. "Floyd," Barbara said when they had finished eating, "we were pretty rough on you the first two days, weren't we?" He nodded reluctantly, not sure he wanted Mary to know anything about that. "I just hope you can see the reason for it," she went on, "and it wasn't just punishment or revenge." Now, he was really nervous about what Mary would learn. "I believe some significant things happened between you two this week. I want you to ask yourself, Floyd, whether they would have if your attitude had not changed as much as it did." When, after one more hug and kiss in front of Barbara and Carol, Mary and Floyd parted, Barbara walked back with her. In the hallway through the central area, Barbara stopped her to talk. "Mary, I promise not to do anything to hurt your relationship. I would not do that to you." "But just looking like you do... I mean, I can't compete!" "You don't have to, believe me. At first I had my doubts, but now I'm sure he loves you. I think he is just discovering how much," Barbara tried to reassure the tearful wife. "I probably shouldn't say this, but Julia is reconsidering a lot of policies. There is at least a chance that you might not have to wait until you both leave before you are together again. Don't get your hopes too high, but there is a chance." "One other thing, Mary. If you're worried about my effect on Floyd, or any of the other women for that matter, what is you best defense?" "Make myself look better, I guess, but..." "No buts! You have some good assets. Your boobs will be really impressive when they get a chance to stand out by themselves. And I'll bet you once had a pretty slim waist, didn't you? You've got the computer pictures on your wall, haven't you? What do you think Floyd would think of those?" "Ohhh. Do you think I will ever really lose that much weight?" Mary almost moaned. "Who does that depend on? How much have you lost already? Do you think it will be worth the effort?" Mary was silent for quite a while, then she sprung the big question. "Do you think Lindsey would ever, I mean, uh, think of me as her mother again?" "Honey, I can't answer that," Barbara said gently. "I see her with Norma, and it about kills me," Mary admitted. "Do you blame Lindsey for that?" Barbara asked. "I did. Now, I'm not sure at all." "You know, it will take more than looking better to build a relationship with Lindsey," Barbara cautioned. "I know. I know." "Mary, you know by now that Lindsey got you guys her for a reason - a very good reason. Did you know she is even paying half the actual price?" "No! It costs that much!? Does she really have that much money?" "You are so against her singing you have no idea what she has accomplished. Your daughter is close to being a legitimate star. Doesn't it hurt not to be able to rejoice in it?" That got no response except for tears. "I hope that you can start to view your time here as the gift Lindsey intended," Barbara old her. "Everything is here to help you make some wonderful changes. You just have to want it." Mary looked like she was about to hug Barbara, but it did not happen. Some changes take longer than others. ------- Saturday morning was the best of times for Lindsey and Mark. Their first 'morning after', they had had to take care of the reunion between Sonja and Sarah. Not that they minded, but it did preclude the leisurely, intimate morning they would have liked to spend. Now, with the uncertainty of the first time out of the way, and some idea of how much Lindsey could take without getting sore, they could enjoy each other fully. As it turned out, they only had intercourse once that morning, but he came once more by her hand, and she had several orgasms. They just relaxed and did what they wanted. Most of the time that meant touching. Breakfast from room service; two sessions in the tub; a long massage for her; another hair wash for her; calls to Norma and Paul, Barbara, and Julia. They were overjoyed to hear about Barbara's 'promotion', but Mark lamented dramatically that he would no longer see her naked whenever he wanted to. All in all, it was the kind of escape every couple should enjoy after a momentous event in their lives. The concert looming in the evening did not detract at all from their enjoyment. In mid-afternoon, Sonja called to ask if they would come to her suite for lunch. As a rule, everyone ate a substantial, late lunch, then did not eat again until after the performance. Sarah had spent most of the previous day and evening profusely thanking Mark and Lindsey for the reunion, so they did not have to replay that. She did, however, give them both very warm hugs. Sonja started the conversation off right away. "Sarah and I were brought up pretty much the same way as Lindsey was. I've told her just a little about you guys. It's, uh, very different from what she is used to. She knows you are good people, and I think it would be good to just talk about a lot of things. Have I said it well, Sis?" "Yeah. Lindsey, I couldn't believe what our brother Frank tried to do to you," Sarah replied. "Could you tell me the whole story?" The story included a lot more than just the kidnap episode, and it took all of lunch plus an hour to answer all of Sarah's questions. Next, she started asking about Transformations, saying she had heard references on the news and could not belief what she heard could be true. Sarah went through the same stages of outright disbelief and incredulity as did most people who heard about the Tee. Seeing Sonja's acceptance and her occasional support kept her from reacting negatively. In the end, she actually teared up at the stories of some of the residents. "I hope I haven't put a damper on your day by dredging up all of this stuff," Sarah said as the conversation wound down. "There is nothing that could mess up this weekend," Lindsey assured her, thrusting her ring out for emphasis. "I assume you guys are, uh, sleeping together?" Sarah asked. Then covering her face in embarrassment, she tried to backtrack. "Ohhh! I'm so sorry. That's none of my business!" It was Mark who spoke first. "Sarah, I hope it doesn't turn you against us, but Lindsey and I view ourselves as man and wife. We are too young to marry, but our commitment could not be stronger or more permanent if a preacher had done it. Believe me, this has not been an easy thing for Lindsey." "Oh, I could never think badly of you. I... I think I am more jealous than anything. I have had lousy luck with guys, mostly because I don't know how to act around them. Our idiot parents really screwed me up," Sarah lamented. "Speaking of screwing up," Sonja changed the subject, "I would think you would want revenge on Frank, Lindsey." "Wellll," Lindsey answered hesitantly, "Actually we, I should say Mark, could shut down his ministry any time we wanted to." "Whaaaat?" Sonja almost shouted, jumping to her feet. "Why don't you," Sarah demanded almost angrily. "You cannot believe how that bastard treated me at home, and our parents just let it go. Don't look so shocked, Sonja, I've picked up quite a few 'forbidden' words. It's the one that fits him best." "Seriously," Sarah went on, "Between the kidnapping and the campaign against Transformations, I would have ruined him long ago. It embarrasses me that he calls himself a minister of the Gospel." "If it was just him," Lindsey answered, "we would have done it already. But there are a lot of people whose jobs are involved. And his ministry has done quite a bit of good in spite of him." Sarah just looked at Lindsey for a long time. "How could I ever think badly of you, Lindsey? You're much more forgiving than I could be. Just what do you have that could ruin him? It's women, right?" Mark told all about the pictures, and both sisters' faces got darker by the minute. When he stopped talking, Sarah was pacing around, waving her arms in frustration. "His wife is just the sweetest person. Beautiful and sexy, too. And he does that to her!" She almost shouted. "Do you know, when he was in seminary and I was twelve and thirteen, he tried to get in my pants?" "I never knew about that," Sonja exclaimed in shock. "What stopped him?" "I threatened to tell Mom, but he just laughed at that. Then I told him I would tell the counselor at school. That stopped him cold. Turns out that could have put him in jail." The conversation about Frank went on for quite a while longer. Finally, Sarah jumped to her feet. "Can you force him into Transformations? It would serve him right to have to walk around naked for a few months." "No, I'm afraid that won't fly," Mark advised her. "The Tee is not intended just for punishment. Sure, Lindsey's folks were being punished, but there was a lot of real change that they needed, too." "Yeah, I can see that," Sarah admitted with some reluctance. "Tell you what, that's enough negative stuff for today. Sonja and I will talk about it. I'll bet we can come up with something devilish." ------- Andy was up to his armpits in mother-in-laws that Saturday. His own (to be), of course, and Mark's. It had been decided, hurriedly, to get Dottie into the standard program. Her needs were different, particularly with respect to weight. However, the exercise and nutrition would be of just as much benefit. Beyond that, the commonality of experience with the other women would be important. That had been proven with Mary. Dottie already came in with wide-spread sympathy, rather than the antipathy Mary was saddled with. There was no question that Andy would be Dottie's main attendant. Mary was able to exercise pretty much on her own by then, but with Mark gone, someone had to give her a massage and just generally be responsible. There were no new check-ins on the women's side that weekend, so neither Paul or Norma was there. Barbara was about her new duties on the men's side, and Trish, Terry, Eric, and Andi were the women's crew. Ryan was always readily available, of course. When Barbara brought Mary back across, her attire created a stir, and she had to explain her new job to everyone. The first person she came to was Andi, and she had an inspiration. "Andi, Mary is really hurting right now. She and Floyd had a great time together, but they are going to be apart for quite a while. If you showed her some sympathy right now, it could help your relationship a lot. Besides, you need to introduce your mother." It certainly did improve the feelings between Andi and Mary, but the main thing it accomplished was to build an unlikely friendship between Mary and Dottie. The differences in their background and experience would seem to preclude closeness, but somehow it worked. Perhaps because Dottie had no previous animosity toward Mary because of her treatment of Lindsey or her 'holier than thou' attitudes, their initial greeting and introductory sharing of stories was open and cordial. It was remarkable that Mary did not react more strongly against Dottie's adultery. Maybe it was her very obvious remorse that bought her acceptance. From that first encounter, the two were together a lot, presenting an almost hilarious physical contrast. Mary was still more than fifty pounds overweight, while Dottie was about twenty-five short of even looking survivable. Mary had never had a close woman friend outside of her church group, so it was another broadening experience for her. One other important thing that bound the two was the presence of their future sons-in-law on the staff. Dottie had a natural, infectious sense of humor. It had been largely dormant since the breakup, but she hauled it out while discussing the guys. "We really are a unique pair, you know," she told Mary, "practically naked slaves to our daughters' future husbands. Can you imagine the kind of mother-in-law jokes that will produce?" Mary could not resist a chuckle at that. When Dottie continued talking about Andy, it became apparent to Mary that she loved him nearly as much as her daughter did. With each recitation of one of Andy's good points, Mary could not help but consider Mark. Everything good Dottie said about Andy applied equally well to Mark, she had to admit. Polite; considerate; attractive; treated her daughter like a queen; forgiving; rescued her; the list went on as Dottie rhapsodized. There was one thing and only one thing wrong with Mark, Mary had to admit. He was not a believer, and that was the ultimate deal-breaker to Mary. Her daughter was willing to overlook that. Could Mary overlook it? Should she? If she did not, would it widen the gap between her and Lindsey? Of course it would. Everything that had happened to Mary since arriving at the Tee had screamed out how much she had to change her thinking if she wanted to improve her life. The last week with Floyd had wrought incredible changes in the area of sex and her own marriage. There was no way she could deny that the changes were good. Being a mother had always ranked ahead of being a wife on Mary's personal priority list. In her month at the Tee, she had finally admitted to herself that she was an abject failure at her most important task. It was almost a daily struggle to acknowledge the reasons, but just listening to the conversations of the other women gave her plenty of evidence. Most of the other women talked about their children, even their younger ones, as if they were people, people with personalities and able to make choices and decisions. That was never how she viewed Lindsey. Lindsey was an extension of herself - an extension that would become a person when Mary decided she was perfected. Choosing a boyfriend, any boyfriend, was certainly not something Lindsey was entitled to do. Therefore, Mark was by definition wrong for Lindsey. Any boy would have been, but particularly a non-believer. Unbidden, her thoughts turned to her son Brett. She treated him like the other women treated their children. He was a totally independent being. Now, of course, Lindsey was also totally independent. She had lost her. She had failed. The truth that she kept trying to deny was that she had driven Lindsey away. She herself remembered the same feelings from her girlhood, but she never had the faintest possibility of escape. Mark helped make Lindsey's independence possible, and that was another reason he was wrong. Misguided and closed-minded Mary was. Stupid she definitely was not. She knew that Lindsey and Mark were forever one. Rejection of Mark meant rejection of Lindsey. It would be easier on her conscience to just let it go at that: reject them both and be done with it. But her mother's heart would not let her do that. Just seeing Lindsey with Norma was a painful reminder of what she had lost. If there was any chance... "You must be so proud of your Lindsey," Dottie was saying. "I can't wait to meet her - Mark, too." She had not noticed Mary's mental departure, and was taken aback when Mary burst into tears. That produced another hour of sharing. Eventually, the two women had to get to their exercises, and they did it together. Since Dottie seemed helpless without Andy, he was right there as they worked out. Mary asked Andy how much she could increase the weights without hurting herself, and he helped her get set up. Later, on the treadmill, she asked him to increase the speed and the time. When she got going, Andy stopped her and told her she had better put on a sports bra. It was the first time she had gone fast enough to get her heavy breasts into serious motion, so she found the size she needed and put it on. She made the mistake of looking at herself in the mirrored wall, and gasped. "I... I look awful, she lamented, "and I look more naked than before." It was true. With just shoes and industrial strength bra on, it emphasized the bareness of the rest of her body. By the time Andy took them into the pool, Mary's face was beet red, and the edges of her hair were damp with perspiration. Andy was about to ask about the difference, but decided that was best left to Lindsey or Mark. After the pool, Andy gave Dottie her first massage, with which she was absolutely delighted. When he observed the usual limitations on where to touch, she objected. In no uncertain terms, she told him she wanted every single muscled worked. Mary was collapsed in a chair, watching them, and sat up in surprise at Dottie's request. When Dottie eagerly rolled onto her back, Mary gasped aloud. "Oh, Mary," Dottie said upon hearing her friend's reaction, "there's nothing secret about my pussy, and my boobs are hardly there any more. He's sure not going to get all hot and bothered over me when he has Andi to love. It just feels so good to have him touch me all over. Has Mark ever done you all over? I'll bet he's good at it, too." When Andy finished with Dottie, she insisted he stay put, and pulled Mary toward the table. Mary was not reluctant because she could feel some soreness. The massage proceeded normally until Andy reached her waist and was about to move to her feet. Then Dottie got right down by Mary's face and told her "Have him do your bottom, Mary. Go on, tell him!" "No, I... no, Dottie." "Hmmm. Maybe you just want to wait for Mark, huh." ------- Contrary to Julia's 'orders', Lindsey and Mark showed up for work Monday after school. For Lindsey, it was probably as much to show off the ring as anything. And that took quite a while with much 'oooohing' and hugging. Sunday had been a day of painful soul-searching for Mary. Since other residents could talk to family, she and Floyd were allowed to talk on the phone. They had spent an hour and a half Sunday, mainly discussing their reaction to the engagement. When Mark had talked to them on Wednesday, they had put it out of their minds. Now, Mary knew that her reaction when they returned would be a key factor in what happened to the relationship. Dottie's constant chatter about her daughter and Andy kept Lindsey and Mark on Mary's mind throughout the day. Lindsey did not seek out her mother when she first arrived. Norma was the obvious first stop, and Mary had expected that. It still hurt. She hung around near Lindsey, nervous and uncertain what to do. When she caught Lindsey's eye, she walked toward her, holding out her shaking hand. Lindsey held out her left hand in the usual position, her face showing no emotion. "It's beautiful, Lindsey. Congratulations," Mary managed to squeak out. When Mary looked up at her daughter's face, Lindsey saw that her eyes were moist. That was the extent of the encounter, but it was momentous. Several people witnessed it, and it dominated the evening's conversation. Contrary to her usual pattern, Mary worked out in the evening, once again exerting herself far beyond what was her custom. She had kept looking at Mark and Lindsey picked up on it, suggesting that he stick close to her. When Mary came out of the pool, Mark asked if she would like a massage. She answered with a nod and a smile, a rarity for her. When he reached her waist, Mary said, barely keeping her voice steady, "Do everything please, Mark." He doubted his hearing and asked her to repeat herself, which she did. Mark did his usual thorough job. Usually, there was conversation with the women, but Mary was typically silent, and it did not bother him very much. When he thought he was done, Mary blew him away by turning over onto her back. Her motions were jerky as she turned over, her uncertainty evident. He began with her shoulders, standing by her head as he worked. He was just moving down one arm when she asked "Mark, do you hate me?" Whoa! Something momentous had happened while he was with Lindsey at the concert. He looked for her right then, but she was nowhere it sight. He would have to handle this on his own. "Mrs. Hall, I don't..." "It's Mary, Mark. Don't in-laws usually use first names?" "Uh, Mary, I don't hate anyone. With Frank Schermer, it's close, but no, I don't hate you. Did I make you think I did." "Well, no. I mean... I don't know. Lindsey does, so I thought..." "Wait a minute, Mary! Lindsey certainly does not hate you. If she did, she would have just walked away. She could have, you know." "I've, uh, we've hurt Lindsey, it seems. Why don't you hate us for that?" she asked. "Mary, you know what my family is like. It's wonderful. Lindsey hasn't been so fortunate, but you are still her family. People who turn away completely have a very hard time of it. For Lindsey's sake, I'm trying to keep an open mind." Without realizing it, he had stopped rubbing, and his had rested on the front of her shoulder. It was far more friendly - intimate - than he intended, but it had a good effect on Mary. "Thank you for that. I'm, ah, trying to understand why Lindsey left us. I don't feel good about what I'm finding out. I didn't mean to treat her wrong, but it looks like I did. From what I hear from all the other women, I made a lot of mistakes." "You say it like it was all your fault," Mark ventured. Just then, he realized that he had stopped and was just touching her. He resumed working on her arms. "In some ways, Floyd has stronger scruples than I do. But he would never stop me from doing what I wanted to with Lindsey. Maybe he should have, and that's his fault." After a little silence, she said "I assume you know all about what happened between us last week." "Yes, we know. Are you happy about what happened?" he asked her. "I was going to say that's a pretty personal question. But I guess lying here like this is pretty personal, isn't it?" "So being naked is still difficult for you?" "Oh, not so much because I'm naked. It's mostly because I look so awful," she replied. Mark was almost reeling from the weirdness of the conversation. Mary was starting to seem quite human. He was not at all sure he wanted to think of her that way. It was easier when she was just a subject he had to work with. But she would always be connected to him. If she was trying to reach out, could he refuse? "Are you glad you're here, Mary?" he asked, taking a big risk. "I couldn't say that," she replied thoughtfully. "This nudity is still wrong. Let's say I can understand Lindsey's thinking when she made us come here." Mark had finished with her arms and shoulders. When he stopped and wiped his hands on towel, Mary asked him, with a tremble in her voice "Could you do my legs, please. And, uh, everywhere except, you know?" A lot more than he expected had happened last week, Mark decided. He could think of no good response, so he oiled his hands and started at her feet. When he got to her thighs, he felt her quiver a little. Glancing up, he saw her nipples sticking way out. She was watching him and saw his where his eyes went, but she said nothing. He was uncertain where to go next, but she had said everywhere but. He began working the sides of her hips and up over her ribs. Several other women had asked him to do this, so working with the loose flesh was not a new sensation. "A couple of people called them headlights," Mary said unexpectedly. When Mark gave her a blank look, she explained "My, uh, nipples." She was blushing, and could not hold his gaze. This was obviously very hard for her to do, but for some reason, she was forcing herself. He wanted to ask her why, but he still had little comfort trying to communicate with her, especially about something that intimate. Just as he was rubbing across her ribs, under her breasts, Lindsey walked up, and announced her presence with a slight gasp. He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. Mark ended the massage at the point, and helped Mary sit up on the table. Seeing Lindsey, she held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. Lindsey understood and gave her the ring hand. Mary examined it carefully this time, and both kids saw her look quickly at her own ring. She gave Lindsey's hand a little squeeze and released it gently. She looked up as if trying to say something and they saw her jaw quiver as she got up and walked away. "What's going on?" Lindsey asked. "I can't believe she was laying like that! And did you see her nipples?" "See them? She talked about them!" He said, shaking his head. "I think we need to talk to Barbara." Two new men had checked in on Saturday, and Lindsey and Mark had not met them. They were new enough so meeting another attractive girl was still traumatic. Barbara greeted them both with hugs before introducing them. Both men's eyes got huge when told she was Floyd's daughter. They made sure to show Floyd the ring. His reaction was quite non-committal, in contrast to Mary, who was clearly quite emotional about it. When the introductions where finished, they towed Barbara to the staff lounge where she pulled them down on the sofa, an arm snugly around each of them. They told her what had happened with Mary, both with the ring and the massage. "All I can say, kids, is that this place works. I think my little gamble with putting them together last week has worked out. Mary is starting to let herself feel like a woman, and I think she likes it. She got some stimulation from Floyd, finally, and she may already miss it." "There must be something else going on, too. I am surprised that she approached you so soon, Mark. This really is unbelievable. Talk to some of the others. Find out who she spends time with. That may give a clue." "One question to think about, kids. I may be just inventing a problem, but... How far are you willing for Mark to go with Mary. What if she wants him to, say, massage her breasts? Or even get her off?" She paused at their expressions of astonishment. "I know, it's probably far-fetched. But a week ago, Lindsey, how much would you have bet against finding her like you did tonight?" "I'm guessing she is just like a forty-year-old butterfly, just breaking out as a woman. Who knows what craziness it could drive her to? I know she has strong beliefs and principles, but I don't know if she is ready for the strength of her hormones." ------- On Tuesday, Judy Morrison arrived at the Tee. She was alone, and both Julia and Frank met her there. All of the residents had been briefed on her arrival and assured that their privacy would not be compromised. When the negative publicity had started, the men's side had been empty. There was a lot of discussion about whether to even mention it in the article. Frank felt the most strongly that they should. He decided, arbitrarily, that the men would simply be told that Judy would be there, talking to them. They would have no more say than with another staffer. Given her national reputation, he did not think there would be any resistance. Judy spent the entire day learning about the operation. She watched workouts, she found out what people were doing on computers, she asked about the residents' goals and progress, and she chose prospects for in-depth coverage. A major issue with the project had been film footage. Judy felt, and the Waxmans agreed, that it was essential to show the actual residents in the course of normal activities, and to show them as they were interviewed. Some things just were not allowed on TV, however, and there was the residents' privacy to consider, as well. Mark had been intrigued by the problem as soon as the project had been announced. He was up to his ears in too many other things to get involved. However, he did talk to Greg Laskey. Greg was in many ways the father of Transformations, since he had taken Shannon Torvold into his home and pioneered many of the principles Julia employed. Greg had built and sold a software company, and of late had been experimenting with video computer applications. An example was the system used at Transformations to project the residents' appearance as they progressed. It turned out that Greg had been refining a program that could do the job. A naked person would be obvious as such because of the shape and the skin tone color. However, the entire person would be dithered such that no detail could be discerned. For example, an image would be clearly female because of the protrusion of her breasts, the shape of her hips, etc. No facial features, no nipples, and no ass cracks would be distinguishable. On men, the penis would be completely disguised. There was some discussion about pubic hair, whether to leave the dithered blotch of color. After checking censorship regulations, it was decided to leave hair color visible. It would be evidence of actual nudity. Greg had another program that could distort selective voices, further protecting the identity of the guests. Judy was not thrilled with the idea, but Frank insisted that only a digital video camera be used, and that it must stay in his possession. He would personally take it to Greg's for processing. The distorted footage would be reviewed by the residents before release, and the original would be destroyed. Despite many mutterings about this being the last time, Judy spent three full days at the Tee, and ended up making many phone calls to physicians, therapists, and relatives of residents afterwards. She was definitely touched by what she saw, as proven by her glowing wrapup to the TV piece. As usual, Judy did a full-length magazine article, as well as TV segments of different lengths. It took a few days for Greg to complete the distortion and for the residents to approve it. The two stations competing with the one whose reporter had been on-site where willing to run the spot, and it first aired on Friday, ten days after Judy arrived. 'Transformations From the Inside' the trailer shouted. 'This new look at the beleaguered treatment center may change your mind.' Judy had gone for emotional impact, and she was a master at it. In one-hundred-fifty seconds, she showed the Tee as a necessary last resort, and documented proof that it was working. The pictures captured the luxurious atmosphere and the camaraderie among the residents. Consummate professional that she was, Judy managed a double-dip for her trip. She did an extensive interview with Lindsey, who was more than happy to provide it. Judy had done a very sympathetic piece at the time of her original trouble at school, and Lindsey would be forever grateful. One thing Lindsey refused to do in the interview was to talk about her parents' role in the kidnapping. That was a big change in attitude for her, but she sensed something was happening with them, and did not want to set things back. As a journalist, Judy could not ignore or misrepresent the kidnapping, nor its aftermath. Lindsey understood that, but did not want to make any personal comment about it. She explained her reasons to Judy, who accepted them. "Lindsey, after 'I Just Wanna Know You Love Me', most critics talked about you being a one-shot wonder: sort of another 'Achey-Breaky Heart' phenomenon. Did that bother you?" "First of all, Judy, I don't know much about critics, and I don't have much chance to read or hear what they say. But if they had been right, I would have been fine with that. How many singers get to do even one song that people really like? It was not something I tried for. It just happened, thanks to my wonderful friends Sonja, and Jenny, and Amy." "My life is full, Judy. Singing is a wonderful part of it, but if I never get on a concert stage again, I will not feel cheated. I am already blessed." "Well, from the initial reception for 'Listen To My Heart Sing', it looks like you will be on lots of stages for lots of years. Congratulations!" "And you know as well as I do, Judy, that it isn't just me that made those songs. Margo and Hank are unbelievable! They know just what will work for me, or Jenny, or Sonja, or whoever." "And where would I be without Jenny. She's a star who tries to make other people successful. She doesn't fight them as competitors. She helps them. Her troupe is really like a family. You should travel to a concert with us sometime. It's not like anything you hear about." "I hear your first concert this year was a momentous event," Judy led in. "Oh, you mean Sonja's reunion with her sister?" Lindsey went on excitedly about how much fun it was to bring them together. She gave a little background on their separation. "Uh, Lindsey, wasn't there a more personal big event for you? Something about a ring?" "Oh, yes! Mark and I are engaged! He gave me the ring the night before the reunion." There followed several questions about their future plans together. "One last subject, Lindsey. You said your life is full. I know you spend time volunteering at Transformations. That place has been under attack lately. Aren't you afraid the association might hurt your career?" That made Lindsey bristle as much as Judy had ever seen. The camera caught it beautifully. "Judy, Transformations is the most awesome place you will ever find. Some people that I care a lot about are living there. It is helping them, and I feel privileged to do a little part." "If I gave up on helping those people to protect my singing career, then Margo's wonderful words would be meaningless. I wouldn't dare sing them. All these attacks on Transformations were started by one vengeful person who is a big-time hypocrite. If people knew the truth, they would be begging for their troubled loved ones to get in." With Lindsey's permission, Judy used those comments about the Tee in both her pieces. The timing was perfect. The new song took off like a shuttle launch, and Lindsey was a hot news property. Her endorsement, along with Judy's thorough and emotional article, effectively took the public pressure off. Within a few weeks, the flow of applicants had Gerald talking about expansion options. ------- Chapter 16 Sarah had quit her job and moved back to room with Sonja. They would be getting a place together as soon as she found a new job. She arrived in town at the time Judy's piece on Transformations was getting wide exposure. As soon as she arrived at Sonja's, Sarah called Lindsey and Mark and asked them to come over Sunday afternoon. She told them that she and Sonja had worked out the perfect way to deal with their brother Frank Schermer. The plan required a great deal of work, but Sarah volunteered to do a lot of it, since she was not yet employed. There were over twenty people who had to be contacted, a meeting room to be arranged, some minimal refreshments - the list went on. The meeting room turned out not to be a problem. The center section of the Tee had a room sized for thirty people, anticipating future use. When Mark explained why they needed it, Julia enthusiastically offered its use. She further told him there would be more than minimal refreshments for the guests. There was no furniture in the room yet, but that was OK, as there were chairs around that could be appropriated for the short time they were needed. Having the room on-site allowed Mark to put in some hidden video cameras. If the meeting was to be as momentous as he anticipated, he wanted a permanent record. Mark also had to produce thirty sets of the most incriminating pictures of Schermer's assignations. The meeting was billed as a hearing on whether Schermer's ministry should be shut down. The invitees were told that someone had a website with about forty pictures of Schermer committing adultery. Unless told not to by Sarah, Sonja, and Lindsey, that person would send emails to the contributor list, giving them the URL of the website. The emails would go out Friday evening, and the meeting was set for Friday afternoon. The invited guests were told that they were being given a chance to convince that person not to release the information. They were also told that if Schermer was forewarned, the information would be released. They would be shown the pictures upon their arrival. If necessary, the pictures would be used to convince them to attend. It was an interesting list of invitees: Schermer's six-member board; five of the top managers in his organization; eight women from the organization, not all of them managers; four people who had been forcibly taken to his retreats. Anna and Fred Schermer, the parents, were forced to be there. Through the lawyer, they were told they must attend or the meeting would be canceled and the emails sent out. The two women with whom Frank recently had affairs were there with their husbands. They were assured that their identities would not be evident on the pictures. In fact, Mark spent a lot of time 'sanitizing' the photos to protect the identity of everyone but Frank. One of the women was the wife of a board member and major contributor. The other was an employee. Frank's wife would be there. Sonja had gone with Sarah on that call, and both were broken up afterward. She was a sweetheart, totally undeserving of his treatment. She had known for some time that he was unfaithful. Her courage in agreeing to be there was remarkable. A major coup was the inclusion of Ellie, the girl Frank had impregnated in his teens. Ellie had gotten an abortion with Anna's assistance. The Plonske agent found another woman who had decided to keep the child. She was scheduled to attend with her husband, also. All in all, it was an impressive 'jury'. Frank would not be told about the meeting until Friday noon. ------- Even with the planning for the showdown, Lindsey and Mark put in their hours at the Tee. While there, they made it a point to watch Mary carefully. It did not take long to notice her close friendship with Dottie. Dottie's fixation on Andy was also quickly evident. That started to explain some things. Between Andi and Dottie and Lindsey and Norma, Mary was presented with two mother-daughter relationships. With Lindsey, it was her own daughter with another woman. With Andi, it was her best friend's daughter, so she saw the interaction first hand. Everything that happened between those pairs was an indictment of Mary. It was almost enough to drive her away from Dottie because it was so painful to watch. Mary had never had that closeness with either her mother or her daughter. She had never been exposed to the possibility like she was now. It was a new concept, utterly appealing. Lindsey was cool and distant toward her mother. Her demeanor shouted 'stay away'. Mary instinctively knew she could not accomplish anything by trying to approach Lindsey directly. Mark was a different matter. He was always correct and professional, but he seemed more approachable. The relationship between Dottie and Andy was warm and affectionate. She had no idea if she could get close to Mark, but she had to try. Lindsey and Mark, with help from Julia and Barbara, figured out what was going on. Between the four of them, they also discussed the other changes Mary was going through. At the top of the list was her sudden, fanatical devotion to exercise. Barbara was sure her little lecture when Mary had to leave the men's side was at the heart of her heightened exercise regimen. Julia added that she may have discovered it helped her cope with loneliness and her newly unleashed sexual urges. Whatever the reasons, Mary, who had rarely worked up a sweat in her life, was seen daily with matted hair and flushed face after a workout. She even started working out twice during the day. She had not found a particular interest in the Internet, nor a course to study. The piano was the only other thing Mary spent large amounts of time on at first, other than exercise. There was a TV in each room, and she watched a lot of religious programming. She was also spending some time with a long-time interest - writing verse. As a girl, she had some books of children's poetry, and it had always fascinated her. English had been her best subject in school, and she enjoyed writing little jingles and poems. Mark had to be careful how he dealt with Mary, mainly because of Lindsey's feelings. He was inclined to be more friendly with the woman, but did not want to risk his lover's displeasure. As a sign of their maturity, they talked about it, a lot. It was much harder for Lindsey because just the sight of her mother brought up all sorts of painful images. Still, she was a compassionate person, and she knew that Mary was hurting and wanted to change. They agreed that Mark would take the lead in improving the relationship. Lindsey just could not handle it yet, and she might make things worse. She would still be with Mark when he was helping Mary, but would remain passive and just observe. Mary managed to knock Lindsey way off kilter the weekend after the engagement. Lindsey was watching as Mark massaged Mary, when Mary spoke up. "Lindsey, I only heard your first song once, and I've never heard the new one. Everyone says it is wonderful. Could you get me copies?" Lindsey nearly had to sit down after that request. Instead, she hurried off to find Andi, who had copies of both songs. She promised to replace them right away. When Mary headed right for one of the sound rooms after her shower, Lindsey fell into Mark's arms and just held him. Her emotional turmoil was obvious. There was no question Lindsey believed in Transformations. She knew it would work, or she would not have forced her parents into it. However, her vision had been for Mary and Floyd to leave there slimmer and healthier, but still people she had little to do with. She would have done her best to help them, and she could go her own way with a clear conscience. It had just dawned on Lindsey that her mother wanted more than that - she wanted a relationship with her daughter. Moreover, she was showing far more willingness to change than Lindsey would ever have guessed. The thought was very troubling because Lindsey frankly did not want to be any closer to either parent. Distance was her protection from the pain of the past. It was also a bit of punishment, and she believed she was due that privilege. You can't just turn into a normal family after seventeen years of complete dysfunction, can you? Why would her mother even want to? As she trembled in Mark's arms and asked that question, she happened to see Dottie and Andi sitting on a couch, heads together and giggling. Mary had seen that and realized what she had missed all those years. ------- Andy saw just what Lindsey saw at that moment. He saw it with great satisfaction. Dottie had a long way to go, but ten days at the Tee was already having an effect. Giggles were a good sign. He and Andi had needed to sleep with Dottie for the first four nights. It had made him very uncomfortable, but at the same time, it was tender and emotional. It was a bond that would last for her lifetime. He was one man who would never have to tell a disparaging mother-in-law joke. There was some lingering concern that Dottie was in love with him, but that would work itself out. Andi had talked to Warren every day, sometimes for over an hour. A couple of times, she had insisted Andy be with her, but he was not comfortable with that. He was trying not to be judgmental toward Warren, but he had badly hurt two women he cared a lot for. He had to keep reminding himself about Dottie's culpability, and asking himself what he would have done in the same situation. Andi had told him some about the personality differences and how hard Warren had worked to keep Dottie happy. Having no similar experience, it was hard for him to understand how that could have exhausted and embittered the man. In his view, Dottie was just too fine a woman to discard after one transgression. Warren had started asking when he could talk to Dottie. Andi had discussed it with Andy and Julia. Together they had decided Andi should not mention the possibility until Dottie brought it up. Dottie knew that Andi was talking to Warren, but so far had not asked anything about the conversations. Andi had been asking Warren about Matt. She wanted very badly to talk to him. She feared that when Matt heard what she had done, he would want nothing to do with her, ever. But she had to know. Warren insisted that she would have to call Matt herself, but she was not yet up to that. Warren and Andi could now talk about almost anything. The one question they both avoided was reconciliation. They discussed Dottie's condition and progress. They discussed Andi's progress. They talked about Warren's business and his life. Andi gushed constantly about Andy, and Warren was beginning to accept the inevitability of their marriage. He could not help but admire Andy's steadfastness in support of both his daughter and his ex-wife. He had to concede that Andy was worthy of his daughter. Andy still had no clear idea of what would happen with the Kesslers. He knew he and Andi would be together forever, and he knew they would be very close with Dottie. His own life would be so much better if Andi's family was intact again, but that was not in his control. With marriage now a certainty, Andy had to face more challenges. He had not finished school, and much as he loved the Tee, his job there was not professional or managerial. He needed to get back on a career track for the sake of his wife-to-be. ------- Sarah and Sonja had taken the lead on Frank's 'trial', but that did not keep Lindsey and Mark from having second thoughts. There was unquestionably a huge revenge component to their plan. The sisters kept insisting they were also doing the ministry a service by removing an unworthy minister. Of course, Schermer might not be removed. Unlikely as it seemed, the 'jury' could choose a slap on the wrist, and nothing would change. The thought disturbed Lindsey, especially, but she had agreed and would abide by the outcome. Lindsey and Mark went to three morning classes on Friday, then went to the Tee to make sure everything was ready. The room looked good. There was a raised platform on the long wall where Schermer would stand, without the benefit of a lectern or any other support. That was done on purpose. The chairs were arranged in a circle around the platform, so everyone was quite close. It was quite crowded, with more chairs than the design had anticipated. Mark did a final check on all the electronics. Video and audio recording were set up. There was a projector hooked to a computer so the photos could be shown. They would be pulled right from the website, demonstrating the plausibility of the threat. At a minimum, several of the more 'innocent' pictures would be used. Sarah would act as MC. Never having met her, Lindsey and Mark continued to be surprised be her strength and determination. Her hatred of her brother ran very, very deep, and she was going to vent it to the fullest. The sisters would stay out of sight while the guests arrived. They had all been instructed to arrive fifteen minutes before Frank was due. The parents, Anna and Fred, would be there, and neither of the sisters wanted any more contact with them than necessary. Each guest would receive an envelope with their name on it and the most incriminating pictures inside. The arrival of Anna and Fred was too good to miss. Her expression was a stormy mix of anger, disgust, and panic. Being forced to do anything was not something she was accustomed to. She was well aware of the nature of Transformations, at least the pulpit version. Having to be there was in itself sinful, in her opinion. All of those concerns were trivial, however, in relation to her panic. Frank, the perfect son she had striven so hard to unleash on the world, was under serious attack. His adultery concerned her not at all. He was special. It was his right. The women were fortunate. What concerned her was that he had been exposed. A special man like him was entitled to his private life! It was no one else's business. Apparently, it was not even the Lord's business in her mind. Everyone in the group knew the Schermers. Previously, they had been accorded exceptional courtesy, due to their relationship with the boss. Today, they were left pretty much alone. They claimed seats as far from the platform as they could get, as if trying to disassociate themselves from the proceedings. At precisely the designated time of 1:30, Frank arrived at the front door. He was momentarily stunned to see his sisters, but regained his composure with surprising speed. He was angry and determined, not at all the demeanor they wanted. Fortunately, the sisters had the ultimate humbling circumstance awaiting him, though they were the only ones who knew of that part of the plan. "Let's get this over with," Frank growled. Her voice saccharine sweet, Sarah said "OK, Frank. Strip!" Lindsey gasped when she heard that. He just gave a snort, then demanded. "Come on. Show me where the room is. Who all is here, anyway?" "Frank, you must not have heard me. I said strip." This time, he at least looked at her as if he had heard. Seeing no sign of a joke, he became irate. "This is nonsense! What are you trying to do? There is no way I will go in there naked." "OK, Frank. Maybe we will see each other again someday. Actually, I hope not. We'll just apologize to everyone and send them home." She did not have to say any more. The subject of the emails was clearly on his mind. "The emails?" he asked. "Oh, they'll go out on time. Of course, they might anyway. You may not be able to talk your way out of this. So, if you decide it isn't worth waving you dick at them for the slim chance of convincing those people, I can understand that. I should point out that they've already seen it on the pictures." "You mean... ?" he stammered. "Of course. They all know what you did." "Who... who is here?" "Frank, are you going to strip, or just pack it in?" Sarah was enjoying this far too much, as were Sonja and now Lindsey. "But, who..." "Either strip or leave. Now!" Sarah said with a snap in her voice. Lindsey wished Frank had already been on video, close up. The progression of expressions on his face was a study. This was a man who rarely in his life had not had control of his situation. Now, he was being forced into abject humiliation by his sisters, for whom he always had nothing but scorn, when he thought about them at all. Obviously, the Hall bitch was behind it all. Who would have thought she could make this much trouble? Was it worth it? Was there any chance he could talk his way out of this? Of course there was! He could sway anyone. But naked? Could he allow these bitches to force him into this? Did he have a choice? He couldn't just walk away, could he? Would they really send the emails? One look at Sarah's face left no doubt in his mind. What had he done to her to generate that much hatred? They really had nothing to do with each other when they both lived at home. "Frank?" Sarah's insistent tone jarred him from the questions tumbling through his mind. This could not be happening! This was not the way his future was supposed to go! Those women enjoyed it as much as he did. What was the problem? The Biblical commandments against adultery came to his mind, but he banished them as successfully as he always had. Those were for the people in the pews. He was exempt. "OK, Frank. Good luck finding another career," Sarah said, taking his arm and guiding him toward the door. "No, wait!" he almost shouted, panic showing for the first time. Sensing what was going to happen, Lindsey hurried into the women's area to questioning looks from the sisters. "Go ahead and get him ready. I'll be back in a minute," Lindsey threw over her shoulder as she scurried in through the door. Taking her at her word, they turned back to Frank. Julia had a great interest in the meeting. She had intended to be there earlier, but was only able to arrive at that moment. "Reverend Schermer, I presume," she said as she saw him standing there uncertain and angry. Julia did not know about the order to strip, so she was a little puzzled at the tableau before her. "Frank is trying to decide if it is worth going into his meeting naked, or if he should just walk away and let the emails go out," Sonja explained. Sarah and Julia had never met, so Sonja did the introductions. The women shared warm greetings, ignoring Frank completely as if by plan. Suddenly, Sarah turned to him and said "I don't see your pecker, Frank. Why do you still have your pants on?" She laughed, and the other two picked up on it quickly and joined in. "Is... is that a men's room?" he asked, showing signs that his bravado had about run out. "Yes. You can use it AFTER you strip. Now get busy. Your jury will be getting impatient." Lindsey came back out at that moment, and almost simultaneously, Barbara walked out of the men's side. Frank's nostrils flared at the sight of Barbara, imposing as always in her staff shorts and tee. "Good, you didn't miss the show," Sonja quipped, triggering more laughter. The piling on was not planned, but they all fell into it easily. Barbara was introduced and Julia made a show of fetching a hanger from the closet. She then helped him out of his suit coat. "Do you need help?" Julia asked. "We've had to do that for some of our male residents who just couldn't hang it out by themselves." More giggles. "Barbara will be glad to help you. She's done if for a couple of other men. Lindsey had to help her father out of his shorts, too." Now, Frank was struggling to retain some scrap of dignity. The thought of stripping was frightening. Worse was the thought of losing face to five women. He recognized Julia as the director of the place, and that made it even more important to keep control. He gave several quick glances at Barbara, who wore the smile of a predator about to pounce. Somehow, he kept from trembling and began undressing in a businesslike and outwardly unconcerned manner. He handed his tie to Julia, as if she was a servant. That was a win for him. Lindsey quickly moved in to take the clothes from him and put them in the closet. Frank had not gotten to the pinnacle of his profession so quickly without a great deal of self-control and composure. He called on all of it as he finished undressing, refusing to show any sign of fear or embarrassment. During her brief departure, Lindsey had organized something to test that self-control. When he was naked, he used the men's room, and came back out quite quickly. Lindsey surprised the others by leading them all to the women's entrance. Julia was about to protest, but caught Lindsey's look. Since Frank did not know where he was going, Lindsey led them on a circuitous route through the women's side. Most of the women had donned shorts and tees after Lindsey's alert. Norma and two of the resident women boldly stayed naked. Norma, especially, stayed right with the group as they moved through. All of the residents were out where they could get a look at Frank as he went through, and several formed an entourage. Frank's efforts to keep his gaze forward and ignore the onlookers showed as strain on his face. As they headed for the kitchen, on their way to the central section, the first cracks in Frank's composure began to show. Carol was in the kitchen, and did a good job of showing surprise and amusement. Finally, they stood outside the door of the conference room. They could see Frank hanging back slightly, and Sarah pounced on this small display of weakness. Grabbing an arm and signaling Sonja to take the other, she abruptly opened the door and they pulled Frank toward it. Reacting quickly, Lindsey put a hand on his back and added her push. Thus, Frank entered the room looking as if he was being propelled against his will by three young women. The opening door drew everyone's attention, and the expressions of surprise and outrage began immediately. By prior arrangement, Barbara stood in the doorway, and the planning paid off. One man and one woman tried to leave, and it was comical the way they stopped when they saw her blocking the way. Sarah, again showing amazing strength, whistled shrilly, silencing the group. "Pardon my language, but as you know from the pictures, Frank's penis, his cock, is the reason we are all here. We thought it appropriate that the offending organ be on display for the proceedings." There was a general hubbub after that, filled with objections to his nudity. More people started to leave. Sarah whistled again. "If anyone, and I mean anyone, goes out that door, this meeting is over and the emails go out. A couple of men, probably directors, got up and tried to get all the objectors calmed down and seated. When there was silence, Sarah spoke in a much gentler tone. "I am sorry many of you find this offensive. We find Frank's position as the head of a Christian ministry offensive." She paused to wait out more objections. This time no one threatened to leave. "Frank was raised to believe that because of that," and she flicked his penis very lightly to more gasps, "he is entitled to whatever he wants." "I don't have to listen to this!" Anna shouted, jumping to her feet and almost running for the door. "Fine, Anna. I would really rather see this whole Frank Schermer Ministries charade shut down. You're making it very easy," Sarah told her. Unexpectedly, it was Fred who got to Anna first and restrained her. It looked like she was about to try and push past Barbara. "Let me give you an example. Two of the women here today were impregnated by Frank when they were teenagers. One of the had an abortion, encouraged and funded by Anna." The sounds of disbelief were intense. Everyone turned to stare at Anna, who looked like she was about to stroke out." "So you see, fornication is a sin, but that doesn't apply to Frank. Drunkenness is a sin, but that doesn't apply to Frank. Abortion is a sin, but not when it protects Frank. Adultery is a sin, but that doesn't apply to Frank. Kidnapping is against the law, but surely that doesn't apply to Frank when he is doing God's work." Sarah had rehearsed and even written out this part of her spiel. There were sounds of surprise and disbelief again at the mention of kidnapping. "That's right," Sarah went on, "there are four people in this group who were taken forcibly against their wills to one of Frank's retreats. Lindsey Hall's case is documented in police reports." It took quite a while for the rumble over that to die down. "Make no mistake about it," she continued. "You are a jury charged with deciding the fate of both Frank and his ministry. Whenever this meeting ends, we need a consensus from the group on what is going to happen. If we don't get a satisfactory plan, the emails go out." At that moment, Lindsey dimmed the lights, and the projection screen began showing the 'tame' pictures, still making it clear that adultery was in progress. "Do you need to see the more graphic pictures again?" Sarah asked when the lights came back up. "If not, he's all yours." The sisters sat down in the front row. Naked or not, Frank was at his best in front of a group. "My friends, I am sorry that you were all dragged into this obscene mockery. I hope you realize that these pictures were produced by a computer program. They are totally made up. The man is certainly not me." There was a ripple of comment through the group, but it was silenced when a woman stood up. "No, Frank. Don't try to lie out of this. The man is you. To my everlasting shame, one of the women is me." Without exception, everyone in the room gasped. The woman was the wife of a key board member and major contributor. Her husband stood up next to her and she leaned against him as she continued to speak. "I have sinned greatly against God and my wonderful husband. After much agony and prayer, I have forgiveness from both, forgiveness I do not deserve. My sin is something I will never forget. I can only pray that it will somehow bring me closer to God and to my husband." "Why did I do it?" she asked rhetorically. "That is a question that has stolen my sleep for many, many nights. Frank, you have a gift. You have a kind of persuasive power over people. I am sure it is what makes you a successful preacher." "That power makes you a successful seducer, too, Frank. I gave in to that seduction." At that point, she started crying and sat down, cradled by her husband. Frank had nothing to fall back on. He was suddenly the plaintiff, begging for mercy. It was a role he was completely unequipped for. Up until then, he had not thoroughly examined his audience. As others now took over the discussion, he had the time, and many of the faces increased his dismay. He could only return his mother's gaze for a brief moment before he had to look away. He refused to look at his wife. When he recognized Ellie and the other woman he had impregnated, he looked as if he had been struck. For the next hour, Frank might as well have been a statue or a shrub. As if standing there naked was not indignity enough, the discussion about him went on as if he was not there. As far as the girls were concerned, the meeting was too mercifully short. The director whose wife had the affair with Frank took over when discussion started to lag. Most if the outcome had apparently been worked out beforehand. While Frank stood there looking like an anatomical model, the director spoke. "Unfortunately, Frank, we have several examples to follow in your case: examples of other ministers who have fallen. If you ever hope to resume your place in the ministry you built, here is what you will have to do. You will immediately step down from all ministerial and management responsibilities. We will appoint a panel to supervise your spiritual restoration. When and if that panel approves, you can resume your duties." "For the sake of the ministry," he went on, "I will continue my responsibilities and even increase my giving. When and if you return, Frank, I will remove myself, for obvious reasons. It saddens me to say this, Frank, but I seriously doubt that you will make it. Other information that has come from this group of people indicates a much more serious pattern of arrogance than just this recent adultery." "As far as you young ladies who set this up. I cannot approve of your thirst for vengeance, nor this obscene display. But in your zeal, you have done the cause of Christ a service. For that, I thank you. Now, I beg you to accept what we have done, and call off the ruination of the ministry. In spite of Frank, it has done a great deal of good. I will do everything I can to see that good work continue without him. I am certain the others in authority here feel the same way." There was a chorus of affirmation. Sarah fairly popped to her feet and said "Yes, Sir. We accept your solution. As long as this place, Transformations, is never again mentioned from any pulpit, the emails will not go out." The room emptied very quickly, with no one approaching Frank, no one speaking to him, and almost no one looking at him. Sarah and Sonja stood on either side of the platform like sentries, making it clear he was to stay standing in place. As a final indignity, Barbara led Frank and the four other women through the men's side. Lindsey had them halt for a moment to make sure her father saw Frank. The residents were not too happy about Sonja and Sarah, whom they had never seen before. For their part, the sisters were hard put not to gape. When Frank had been led to the entry, had dressed, and had left, the three girls looked at each other. There were no high fives or other expressions of triumph. It was clear from their faces that they did not really feel very victorious at the moment. Lindsey invited them back into the women's side, where she led them to the staff lounge and fetched Julia. Julia had watched the video feed along with the rest of the staff and Mary, who was specifically invited. "I imagine you all have very mixed feelings," Julia stated. "Well, take consolation in the fact that you have righted some serious wrongs. Revenge usually isn't as satisfying as we expect. Righting wrongs is very satisfying." "Your approach was extreme, but anything less might not have worked. Sarah and Sonja, I know there is a lot of very old pain behind what you did. Though you attacked Frank, I think most of your anger was aimed at your parents. Unfortunately, you don't yet feel avenged, do you? You may never." ------- Lindsey and Mark had not moved into the same bedroom. Lindsey did join him in the basement a couple of times a week, but they had agreed not to make it a complete cohabitation. That Friday night, after Frank Schermer's 'trial', was one time she absolutely had to be with Mark. "I really didn't know they were going to make him strip," she told Mark for about the twentieth time. He just hugged her in acknowledgment. "Why does that bother you so much?" he asked. "I didn't bother you for your parents to have to strip." "But that was in front of staff who knew what to expect and were used to it. I felt sorry for some of those folks today. They are good people, and they were badly hurt, too. Seeing him naked was very hard on them." "As far as Frank," she went on, "he deserves everything he gets." They were in bed by that time and they hugged and kissed without speaking for a while. "You're not ready to stop being angry with your mother, are you?" Mark asked her. "Huh?" she asked, pushing herself up on her arms and staring at him. "Mary seems to be making an effort to connect with you, but you're not ready, are you?" "How come you always figure these things out? I guess you're right. Isn't it OK of I'd just as soon stay away from her?" Lindsey asked. "Will you promise not to get angry and just listen for a minute?" Mark waited until she nodded uncertainly. "You had every right to do just what Sonja did, just walk away from your parents and never turn back. It would have been the easiest thing to do. But that's not you, Lindsey. You made them get into the Tee. You wanted them to have a chance to change, to make their lives better. Now, you have a problem. The Tee is working, at least for your mother. What's the other term Julia uses besides immersion therapy?" "Uh, re-birthing," Lindsey answered, knowing what was coming next. "Yeah. Can't you see your mother almost starting over?" "You're right, of course," she said, lying back down on top of him. "So your problem is, can you give a new Mary a chance at what she wants so badly, or will she always be the same old Mary to you?" "If she turns into a new Mary, she won't be my mother. She'll be like some stranger I just met," Lindsey complained. "OK," he answered. "Barbara was a stranger not too long ago. And Julia, and Carol, and... well, you get the idea. Honey, I can understand that you may never have a real mother/daughter relationship. It may be too late for that. But could you be her friend, at least?" "Ohhhhh! I just don't know! I guess since I put her there, it's wrong not to give her a chance, isn't it?" "Tell you what," Mark said, ready to change the mood, "how about giving me a chance to turn you inside out?" He turned her over onto her back and slid right down to kiss her pussy. The kiss turned into a tongue bath, and soon, Lindsey was writhing, moaning, pulling at his hair, and urging him on every way she could. The day had been very emotional for Lindsey and all the emotion seemed to convert to sexual tension. Within a couple of minutes, she was practically vibrating with urgency. Sensing it, he sucked on her clit, causing her back to arch so strongly it lifted her ass right off of the bed. From there it was only a couple of minutes before she crashed into a climax. Mark was always careful to prolong her orgasms as long as possible. This time, however, he moved quickly up over her. Her legs were already spread, and he was able to insert his cock without her assistance. He did it so quickly she was still shaking. When he hit bottom, the pressure against her clit made her jerk and hiss. Usually, he was very careful of her tenderness, but this time was somehow different. He pressed hard against her and wiggled slightly to rub their pubic bones together. His instincts were correct. Instead of recoiling from the sensitivity, she began shuddering again in a small orgasm. Mark's endurance had been improving since their first union. Now, he was able to start long, firm strokes that kept her in almost constant climax for several minutes. When he could hold out no longer, it was a mercy to her because she was barely conscious. She had been in spasms the whole time he was stroking. It was one of those sessions a couple may never be able to duplicate again. But it came at a time when it was badly needed, and it had a salutary effect on Lindsey. She fell almost instantly asleep. Lindsey's dilemma was not resolved, and it would trouble her greatly for some time. Mark had helped her clarify her thinking, though. Then he had made her unable to think at all, and that was good, too. ------- As the very first resident, because she was not a paid client, and because of her brother Paul's involvement, Barbara felt a special commitment to the success of Transformations. She understood that her own success was the first important thing she should focus on. Her exercise regimen and her rate of weight loss made even Shannon's progress seem leisurely. Of course, her previous record of conditioning helped her get up to speed quickly. Nevertheless, her stats would be the standard by which all future residents would be measured. In less than three months, Barbara had shed forty-five of her unwanted pounds. Now, she looked at a copy of her Lady Warrior picture every day, and knew she was close to looking like that again. She was elated when Julia made her the temporary manager of the men's side. It gave her a chance to give back for all she had received. Doing that on a permanent basis was something she was not sure she wanted, but for the short term, it was a wonderful opportunity. Though Barbara did not realize it, Julia had a therapy motive in appointing her to the job. Barbara's confidence in her femininity and sex appeal had departed with her ex. Always fragile because of her size, Julia knew Barbara's self-confidence needed a major boost. Though therapeutic, the appointment was by no means charity. Barbara had demonstrated an instinctive understanding of the concepts of Transformations, and her people skills were first-rate. In her two weeks at her new job, Barbara had missed the constant companionship of the other women. But she genuinely like the guys, even finding Floyd easier to be around than she would have expected. The fact that they could not help reacting to her looks was the best ego medicine in years. An occasional twitch of a penis when she talked to a resident was as good an anti-depressant as any lab had ever produced. Truth be told, she would just as soon have done her job naked, but she understood the reasons that could not be. She spent as much time as she could spare back on the women's side, and she always stripped before entering that section. Barbara wanted a man, and she wanted one badly. At least she had found the kind of meaning at the Tee that would keep life worthwhile until she found one. She had originally planned to be at the Tee for three months, and that time was up. She still had a few pounds to go to reach her 'Lady Warrior' weight, but she had no doubt those would disappear even if she left. Julia was completely impressed with Barbara's handling of the men, now eight of them. Her naturally caring personality combined with her commanding physical presence were perfect for the task. On top of that, she had well-honed organizational and communications skills. It was not a great leap for Julia to offer Barbara the job as an employee, not just a volunteer, and Barbara agonized over the decision for only a few hours. Since she had studied so hard for her real estate exam, she had basically decided to leave her old job, anyway. Nor was there anything but support and encouragement from the other employees. Everyone recognized that she had been like an another employee since her first few days. The most difficult thing for Barbara had been leaving the women's side, and now it would be permanent. A very special bond seemed to form between all the residents, and she would miss it. She promised herself she would spend as much time as possible with the women. Giggling mentally, she thought she would probably do it naked, too, like Norma. For sure none of the men would object, especially not her brother and her nephew. Julia asked Barbara if she would continue staying full-time for a while until another woman could be found for overnight. Actually, Julia was no longer sure if that was necessary, and they were considering a call system so a single employee, probably on the women's side, could handle everything. Having Ryan living on the grounds made a big difference, as well. When she first put on the uniform and took the temporary men's manager job, Barbara was able to carry her phone, and Julia provided one of the very tiny models the staff preferred. It was during her last week before moving out that Barbara received a very agitated call from her sixteen-year-old daughter Penny. "Mom! Dad called! He wants to talk to you! He... he said he knows he made a horrible mistake." "You didn't give him this number, did you?" Barbara replied, struggling to keep her voice steady. Not now! Her three months at Transformations had almost - almost - driven the pain of her abandonment from her mind. She was feeling good about herself again. Her life had a new purpose. When her ex, Larry, had departed, her only defense was to completely break off any contact. After the divorce, when he came to pick up the girls for his time with them, she purposely made herself scarce. She had not seen him or talked to him since he left the house for good. Nor did she want to start now. Even as much as she had recovered at the Tee, the thought of his rejection still felt like a stab to the heart. Barbara was a strong person, mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. Throughout her life, she had spent enormous quantities of her mental and emotional strength to compensate for her physical appearance. Reactions of scorn, disgust, or fear because of her size, she had learned to live with and ignore. But each incident had taken its toll. Larry's departure had completely drained her, emotionally. Over the years since the divorce, she had of course thought about possible reconciliation. As far as she knew, he had not found another partner. She had genuinely loved him, and she had considered their marriage to be a good one. Much as she longed for a return of the companionship of her marriage, she feared she could never do it. After many talks with Julia, Norma, and the others at the Tee, she had discovered some important things. Most difficult to accept was that her love for Larry may have been based too much on gratitude: gratitude that he had accepted her despite her size. Now, even if he wanted to reunite, she could never again believe in that acceptance. She had seen that is was fragile and untrustworthy. Living with the threat of repeated abandonment and rejection was worse than living with loneliness. One thing had definitely changed for Barbara. No longer would she try to handle an upset like Larry's call by herself. That afternoon when Trish and Lindsey arrived after school, she hurried to the women's side, looking for Paul and Norma. She found them, and impulsively, signaled for Mark to join them as she headed for the lounge. They were hardly seated when Barbara lost it and sobbed out her news. Paul and Mark quickly pulled her down to sit between them. Norma knelt in front of her and laid her head on Barbara's lap. Not much was said, nor was there much that could be said. What was important was that her family was sharing her hurt, and trying to lend her some much-needed strength. While hugging his aunt in sympathy, Mark was doing more. He was remembering the night she showed them the 'Lady Warrior' pictures. In particular, he remembered the shots that showed her naked male counterpart in the background, and the fond way she referred to him. He had guessed at the time that there had been some intimate encounters between the two, even though she had said nothing specific about it. Unfortunately, he could not remember the man's name. He was not even sure she had mentioned it. The loan of money for the ring had just been the latest example of his aunt's support and encouragement for him. Her brilliant handling of Lindsey's parents had been the key to the final consummation of his relationship with Lindsey. As he joined his parents in trying to comfort her, he was overwhelmed with the desire to do something concrete to help her. He had an instinctive feeling that the male Warrior in the pictures might be the key. ------- Chapter 17 During the time that their mother, Barbara, was at the Tee, her daughters, nineteen-year-old Leslie and sixteen-year-old Penny, had been regular, faithful visitors. Mark and his sisters had always had a good relationship with their cousins, but they did not see each other often. Barbara lived on the other side of the metro area, and her girls were in a different school system. During their visits with their mother, Leslie and Penny spent time with Mark, Paul, and Norma, as well, and they all enjoyed the increased closeness. There was a humorous side to the visits, though. Immediately upon seeing the beautiful pool and hot tub area on their first visit, the girls asked if they could go swimming. Barbara told them that of course they could, and struggled mightily to hold back her laughter as they reacted with excitement. "Um, are there any swimming suits around?" Penny asked. "Just the standard ones that are required for the pool," Barbara answered, somehow still containing her glee. "Oh? What are they like?" Penny asked, completely sucked in to the impending joke. "They're like this, Honey," Barbara told her, spreading her arms to display her naked body. "Huh? You mean... but that's just for..." then Penny stopped, mouth agape. Leslie was caught up in the joke, too, but since it was on her younger sister, she could laugh despite her own shock. "I couldn't... I mean there are guys here... and Uncle Paul... and Mark!" Penny babbled. "Oh, I'm sure they'd love to join us for a little family skinny dip," Barbara said, finally giving in to the laughter. "You're kidding, right?" Penny insisted. "No, dear. The rule here is no clothing in the water, except for bottoms during the women's periods. And yes, the guys all use the pool or the tub every day. It's a job requirement." "But why would the guys have to be naked? I thought..." Penny was having real trouble dealing with this news. Barbara patiently explained the reasoning behind the policy. She then told about her Sunday dinner at Paul's when he was naked. After that, Mark, if he was there, or Paul, never failed ask the girls to join them for a swim. They never did. ------- When Mark left the lounge after he and his folks tried to comfort Barbara following her ex's call, Mark found a secluded spot and called Leslie. He asked her if Barbara had said anything at all about the guy in the pictures. She was quite upset that Mark had seen the pictures, and asked why he wanted to know. "Your Mom is really hurting right now. She has been doing so well, then that phone call came, and it knocked her back. I just have a hunch the guy in those pictures is very important to her. I would like to try to find him, but I don't want her to know anything about it." Fortunately, Penny was not there, and they had a long, earnest talk. Leslie loved her father, of course, and as with almost any child of divorced parents, she dreamed of reconciliation and remarriage. Mark replayed the comforting session with Barbara, and explained why he thought it might be impossible for her to take her ex back. Mark talked to Leslie for several more minutes before she told him that all she had heard was that he was a football player and his name was Derek. It might take some time, but Mark was sure that information was enough to locate Barbara's Warrior. Over the next few days, he was glued to the computer and the phone. He did not tell Lindsey or his parents what he was doing, and they backed off from asking after the first day. They could all sense it was something important. His first task was to locate the alumni association for Barbara's school, and that took several hours of phone calls and online searches. He finally got on the phone with someone very helpful and explained that he was looking for a football player, the approximate year, and that he only knew the first name. He asked her what she thought would be the best way to find the name. The answer he got was that the yearbook would be his best chance. That small college produced a yearbook almost like a high school. When he asked if there was a collection of old yearbooks anywhere, she said only on campus. Then, he tried to find out if there were alumni from those years in his area so he could ask to see someone's yearbook. She apologized, but told him she was unable to give out any names or locations. He understood her restriction and thanked her for the call, not much farther ahead than he had been. Then with a characteristic slap of his forehead, he laughed at himself for wasting all that time. Barbara would have yearbooks! As a varsity athlete, she would be included both with the team and individually. So would Derek. Quickly, he called and talked to Leslie again. She thought she knew where the yearbooks might be stored and would look for them. They had another long chat. As much as she loved her father, she had thought a lot about what Mark had told her. She agreed that her mother probably could not take him back. Mark could almost hear her blushing over the phone as she told him that she had wanted to meet the guy ever since seeing him in the picture. "You mean since seeing his penis, don't you?" He teased her. When there was no response, he apologized. They talked a few more minutes, and she said she would look for the books right away and call him when she found them. As they were about to hang up, she said "Uh, Mark. You were right," and the connection was broken. Leslie had called back within a couple of hours, and together, Lindsey and Mark drove across town after school the next day. They all sat down, and Leslie showed them the pictures of Derek Strom, whom she had already deduced was the Warrior. Mark asked several questions to verify her reasoning, and they left with one yearbook so he could get the picture digitized. ------- The extent of the information available on the Internet is astounding. During his two previous projects, Mark had become quite adept at following trails to what he needed. It turned out that this search was much shorter. 'Prominent Local Developer Suffers Heart Attack' read the headline of one article a few months old. The article started out 'Derek Strom, Managing Partner of LW Development was rushed from his office to a local hospital complaining of... ' Later, it went on 'Angioplasty was performed to open several clogged arteries, and doctors felt nothing else would be needed, as long as Strom changed his lifestyle... ' Another, older piece was headlined 'Strom Firm Targeted by DA' and started out 'LW Development and it's founder and managing partner Derek Strom are under investigation by a special grand jury looking into excessive profits from land needed for the new Newbury mall... ' Still older was an item on the society page: 'Strom Divorce Announced' and the article started 'Wealthy developer Derek Strom and socialite Rebecca Jennings Strom signed a divorce agreement last week... family friends told reporters the divorce was covered by an extensive pre-nuptial agreement. It was the third marriage for Strom and the second for Ms. Jennings.' At that point, Mark wondered if he wouldn't be doing the best for his aunt by just forgetting all about Derek Strom. He did not sound like someone Mark wanted to connect her with. Still, it was her life, and her dream of many years. She was hurting right now, with her ex wanting back into her life. She deserved a man, and she should have at least two to choose from. Mark had given quite a bit of thought to the proper way to contact Strom. He could have called the office, but there was little or no chance he would get through. He was not even sure any message he could leave would get through, much less trigger a callback. He could probably find Strom's home address, but mail was not an option because he did not want to give away the city with the postmark. Finally, he decided on a rather old-fashioned approach. He sent a telegram to Derek personally, requiring a signature upon receipt. The message was succinct: 'If Lady Warrior has any special meaning to you, please contact me at 877-... ' He had arranged with Plonske for one of their 800 bank to forward to his cell. Still leery of the man's suitability, he did not want to even give out an area code. Within a surprisingly short time, Mark received a call from Derek. The man was obviously used to being in charge, and control was obvious in his voice and manner. "Who am I speaking to?" Derek demanded as soon as Mark answered the phone. "I hate to be impolite, Sir, but I am not ready to reveal anything just yet. Please understand that it is for the protection of someone I care about a great deal," Mark responded. "That someone must be Barbara Ventri, or at least that was her maiden name. I assume you are her son," Derek said quickly. The suddenness of the revelation startled Mark, and he hesitated for a while. "I am not sure you have given me enough reason yet to reveal anything," he finally said. If that response upset Derek he did not show it. There was a sigh from his end of the line, then he said in a much gentler voice "Son, I assume you were telling the truth about caring a great deal for Barbara, so I am going to take a chance. If you found me, you probably know a bit about me. If you do, I am surprised you even bothered to make contact. Quite frankly, it might be better for Barbara if you just forgot you found me." "I have been struggling with that exact issue," Mark replied. "I still have to decide if this should go any farther." "I understand and applaud your caution, but for me, personally, it would be sad if it stopped here," Derek continued. "I don't know how old you are, but I am going to talk to you like an adult. Barbara represents the biggest mistake of my life. We had a few unbelievable encounters, and I was quite honestly in love with her. I never let on, because she was not the right kind of girl for where I wanted to go. I let myself be embarrassed by her size, and never pursued her." "Instead, I pursued and married the 'right' girl to get me started on my quest for money and power. Today, I have what I went after. It has cost me three wives, my health, and almost my life. And it doesn't mean much without someone to share it with." Mark finally had to ask "Why didn't you try to find Barbara?" "Shame," Derek answered without hesitation. "By the time of my first divorce, she was happily married, and I did not feel worthy of her, anyway. I think it has been kinder to let her forget about me. Why have you found me now? Has something happened with her?" "I'm still not ready to answer that," Mark told him. "You know the name of my company," Derek stated. "Do you know what 'LW' stands for? That's right, 'Lady Warrior'. I have not forgotten her for one minute since that party. Also, you are absolutely the first person I have told the meaning of those initials. Please keep my secret." That's all it took for Mark. Without telling Derek any more, he asked him to call back at 9:00 that evening, to which Derek agreed. ------- Barbara was more than a little puzzled when Mark asked her to meet in the staff lounge that evening at 8:55, but she agreed. Things were usually pretty quiet by then. When they were together, she asked him what it was all about, but he hemmed and hawed and stalled. He had a feeling Derek would be punctual, and sure enough, at exactly 9:00, his phone rang. He just handed it to his aunt, and said "I'll handle everything over here for you." Then, he walked out the door while she still held the ringing phone, a puzzled frown on her face. It was killing Mark not to know what was happening with the phone conversation, but he kept himself busy. All of the employees knew all of the residents on both sides, so he could talk freely with all of the men. It was basketball tournament time, so most of them were watching TV. It was easy just to sit in and talk occasionally in the male fashion. It was 10:30 and some of the men had drifted off to their rooms when he saw Barbara motioning to him from over by the lounge. He walked over and she pulled him inside and closed the door. "I don't know whether to kiss you or spank you," she said. "Does it have to be either/or," he joked back. "Damn!" she said, ignoring what he thought was a great quip, "Just when Larry wants to get back together, Derek turns up." "He, uh, didn't exactly just turn up," he told her. "Yeah, that's what I hear. Why?" "Well, you may get back together with Uncle Larry - I don't know," he told her. "I just don't want you to do it because you think you have no other choice." Her eyes moistened at that. "But Derek's not the same man I knew back in college," she said. "No, and Uncle Larry's not the same man you married, either," was his answer. "Now, you have a choice. I thought you deserved that. It was obvious the night you showed us the pictures that Derek would always mean something special to you. From my short talk with him, the feelings seem to go both ways." "Besides," he added, "ever since your girls saw him in that picture, they've been dying to meet him." That brought a smile and the barest of giggles from her. Then, her face softened, and she said "Thanks, Mark. I don't know what is going to happen. Derek and I are going to talk every day. I still haven't decided to talk to Larry. I appreciate having a choice, I really do. I'm not sure either is the right choice, but we'll see." With that, she once again pulled him into the cavern of her cleavage. ------- Derek's story was in many ways an American classic. Whether it was classed as a tragedy was still to be determined. He was unusual in that he was a pure orphan: all of his resources had never been able to uncover his family background. He had spent every spare dollar trying to find his identity. In the early years, those dollars were scarce and precious, but that was his priority. As his wealth increased, the trail had already become cold, and no infusion of cash could turn up anything. He had been told by more than one befuddled researcher that it looked like the trail had been purposely obliterated. They had never seen such a complete absence of clues. As a cute, healthy, white male infant, he was adopted quickly. Unfortunately, that had been an attempt to heal a marriage badly ruptured by infertility or impotence. At the age of six, he was cut loose again after the divorce. Since most potential adoptive parents want infants, Derek became fodder for those who work the foster care system for cash. Of the next five homes he stayed in over seven years, only two were legitimate, caring folk looking to help unfortunate children. Derek was blessed with a quick mind and was very perceptive about people. He survived the worst of his foster stays by learning to 'play' his hosts. He also developed an impenetrable cynicism and an unquenchable thirst for the good things of life that he saw only on TV. Unlike so many boys in his situation, he did not openly rebel. Instead, he honed his manipulative skills. He eschewed confrontation in most cases, and sought ways to protect himself by connivance and blackmail. In the process, he developed his own strong, but non-traditional code of morality. When he was thirteen, the biggest event of his young life occurred. He was taken in as a foster child by a woman in her early sixties who was afflicted with MS. Her husband had left her, unable to handle her deterioration. The woman, Margaret, had a little family money of her own, so Derek's accommodations were a step above what he was used to. Before she accepted him, Margaret insisted on a private interview at her home, and a most unusual interview it was. As with many MS suffers, there was major swings in disability between her good and bad periods, and the interview occurred during a fairly good period. "Derek," she told him, "I chose you for several reasons. One, you appear to be strong, and I need your strength. When I am at my worst, I am nearly helpless. I also think you are bright, and I would love to have someone I could talk to. Now, I am going to give you a severe test. I am going to act as I would on one of my bad days. You are to help me as you would if you lived here. If you cannot handle that, I will look for someone else." With that, she went to her bedroom, put on her nightclothes, and got in bed. Then, she put him through the whole process of getting her up, helping her to the bathroom, bathing her, dressing her, and fixing breakfast. It was terribly embarrassing for him, but at the same time, the two connected in a way he never had with another person. When the test was all done, she complimented him on how considerate and gentle he was. "Why didn't you choose a girl?" he asked. "MS is progressive," she told him. "I will require more care as I get older. As I get more dependent, you will be getting bigger and stronger. Can you handle this?" Derek accepted her offer, and entered into the nearest thing to a normal family life that he would ever have. There was no question he was a live-in nurse, but Margaret was very careful not to treat him as such. They took advantage of her good times and traveled. They played games, they talked, and sometimes argued. She pushed him in his studies and helped him where necessary. Margaret was fanatical about her exercise regimen, knowing that it was one thing that could extend her functional years. She purchased a weight set for Derek, and persuaded him to use it regularly. She also pushed him to go out for sports at school. He had not been eager to join any group activities, but she had the perfect motivator. "Derek, you are ambitious. You want things. There is nothing that opens doors with powerful men more than excelling in sports," she told him. He listened, understood, and took it to heart. It was obvious he was going to be quite tall, but probably not beefy. He could run fast, and he had naturally good footwork. Many times, Margaret wondered how the parents who spawned such a fine physical specimen could have abandoned him. After much consideration, Margaret counseled him on his choice of sports. "Football is the ultimate man's game. You are rather slender, but you are tall and fast. If you build up your strength, you can be a receiver." And that became his goal. Fortunately, he learned to love the game for itself, and not just as a means to an end. She saw his almost desperate drive to achieve and acquire. She understood where it came from, and she sympathized. Still, she saw the potential for his own destruction there, and tried to head him off. They spent countless hours talking philosophy and working through people instead of over them. It did not dull his ambition, but it helped to keep him from the worst abuses. During his stay with Margaret, Derek learned about a lot about love. He came to view his attention to her physical needs as not so much a chore, but as a way to express his feelings for her. At first, he caught a lot of flak from schoolmates about his living arrangement, but he learned to let it bounce off of him. He quickly discovered that sports stardom quelled most hazing. When he carefully wheeled Margaret to her place in the stadium before each game, there were zero hecklers. Eventually, she was allowed to ride on the team bus to away games. Margaret's MS progressed faster than anyone expected, making her almost totally dependent on him. He had developed genuine love for her, and was very serious about caring for her as best he could. With school and practice, she had to be alone for long periods, but she would not hear of him dropping anything to spend more time with her. As is often the case with people weakened by other diseases, pneumonia took Margaret, late in Derek's Junior year when he was still nine months from being eighteen. Ever cautious and thorough, she had made provision for him to stay in the house until he left for college, even though it belonged to her ex. Her own inherited money was nearly gone, but she willed the remainder to him. It was enough to get him established on campus, with a modest emergency account stashed away. It was as a small tribute to Margaret that the little account was still untouched at the time he reconnected with Barbara. The county got involved and it took intervention by the coach and an influential booster to get them to leave Derek alone for the nine months their authority lasted. ------- After all of the travail of his early years, Derek's four years with Margaret had produced a maturity far beyond his contemporaries. Between his conditioning, his skills, and his almost fanatical dedication, he became a coach's delight from the first practice. He simply outworked every competitor, and became the leading pass receiver as a freshman. The same drive carried over to his studies, which he was able to dispatch with modest effort and top-10% grades. He had to work because scholarships at the small college level were modest, even including some academic money he had won. The coach was able to find him a job with the right flexibility to work around his schedule during the fall. As a good-looking high school football star, Derek was certainly no stranger to sex. His reluctance to leave Margaret alone unnecessarily had hampered his social life somewhat, but he entered college with more than the usual freshman's experience. With no Margaret to worry about, he was free to service the the coeds who seemed to line up for his attention. That queue of willing pussy posed the only significant threat to his success at college, and he quickly realized the danger and dialed himself back. The impact of the bad years, the years of deprivation and abuse, never left Derek. His drive to acquire, to build security for himself, was the dominant force of his life. It was the motivation behind his football, his academics, and his social life. Everything he did was done with an eye to its impact on the future he wanted to build. Derek chose the girls he dated using two very strict criteria. First, they must look good, therefore making him look successful. Just as important, they must provide a connection to someone of influence and potential career assistance to him. It was with that mindset that Derek bared himself along with Barbara at that unbelievable boosters' dinner. It was that mindset that was shaken and nearly breached in the few additional nights they shared their bodies with each other. Barbara failed both of his selection criteria badly. She was beautiful and sexy, but jumbo-sized did not fit the eye-candy look he needed on his arm for the image he was building. On top of that, her family was of average means, and provided him no possible career enhancement potential. The night of the party, Barbara's sheer sexual intensity very nearly caused him to abandon his strict rules. This was a WOMAN, in contrast to all the girls he had been dating. And the follow-up encounters were even more impressive. He had to admit he had fallen in love with Barbara, but even love had to be subservient to his ambition. He never sought out Barbara except when they were both invited to boosters' homes, and their association died out after a few torrid months. After the now-famous dinner when Barbara and Derek had posed naked as the Warrior and the Lady Warrior, there were several members of the the special group of boosters who sought some kind of repeat performance. They both talked to their original hostess Ginny about it, and she made sure their refusals generated no ill will. However, Derek made one notable exception. Besides his business degree studies, Derek did a lot of his own investigation, and determined that real estate development was the field where he would make his mark. Not only was it a proven path to wealth for numerous successful men, it filled a void for an orphan who had hardly owned anything in his entire life. By his junior year, that's where he knew he was headed. Thus, when the wife of a prominent local developer asked him to decorate a very private luncheon with his bare pecker, he weakened. When she offered him two hundred dollars, he could not refuse. She wanted him to serve, and over his protests that he had no such experience, she assured him he would have only the most simple duties. He was to arrive an hour early, and the cook would drill him on what to do. He agreed on the stipulation that she arrange an interview with her husband. Upon arriving at the house, he was shown the costume, such as it was. It consisted of a studded leather vest that came nowhere near closing in the front, mid-calf height boots, studded leather bands around both biceps, and a leather mask. Somewhat to the hostess' surprise, he insisted on donning the costume right away to try to get accustomed to the exposure prior to appearing before the guests. Motivation and prior experience made it relatively easy for Derek to retain his composure and make a suitable impact on the seven guests. It is doubtful that even the most serious serving mistake would have been noticed, anyway. The hostess' money was very well spent, and her guests were totally enthralled with their lean, muscular waiter: the vee of his torso, accentuated by the vest; the ripple of his arm muscles as he reached across the table; the play of muscles in his ass and thighs as he moved about; the hypnotic swing of his penis, which stayed just slightly tumescent throughout the whole meal. For his part, Derek was able to play to the crowd a bit. Three of the guests were now almost old friends, having been at the original booster dinner and some of the follow-on get-togethers. One had had to serve naked after drunkenly touching him against the rules at the big affair. Surprising himself at his boldness, he carefully positioned himself as he served. If a woman chose, she could move her arm or shoulder slightly and contact his penis or his hip. On a few occasions, a woman did, with no reprimand from the hostess. One phenomenon he became aware of was the flaring nostrils, apparently as they picked up his smell when he came close. The only disturbing aspect for Derek was one unexpected guest - the hostess' daughter Theresa, home from a toney Eastern finishing school. She was very attractive, and instantly and openly fascinated with the nicely hung hunk serving their lunch. After she practically leaned against him on one occasion, he kept a greater distance from her, something she noticed immediately. When the luncheon was over and the guests were departing, Derek went up to the room where he had left his clothes. He was relieved that it was over, and surprised at how weary it had left him. A good part of his exhaustion was from the effort of avoiding arousal around Theresa. She was a real looker. He had just taken off his mask and had sat down to work on the boots when she came into the room. "Let me help you with those, Derek," she said as she knelt in front of him and took hold of the boots. He had several reactions. First, he was irritated that the hostess had given out his name, contrary to her promise. Then, he was amazed at her approach: it was bold yet friendly and helpful, and left him completely off-balance. There was one other reaction. She wore a rather filmy blouse, and she had taken time to remove her bra and undo a couple of extra buttons. The full view of her very nice breasts as she leaned over and tugged on his tight boots overcame his exhausted restraint, and he hardened in front of her. Her exaggerated caresses of his legs only hastened his arousal. "Ahhh! Good! I was wishing for that all during lunch. Actually, it's better now with just the two of us," she enthused. "I don't have to worry about Mom's stupid rules." "Didn't look like you were too worried, anyway," he quipped, deciding he would not give her the satisfaction of his embarrassment. "What could she do about it, anyway? Make me serve dinner naked? Wouldn't bother me a bit. And I wouldn't keep my distance, either." At that point, she had removed both boots. Instead of getting up from her knees, she reached out with both hands and caressed his shaft. Derek knew he was a paid attraction, something that rankled him. He only did it because of the potential future benefit. But he would not stay in the role one-on-one with this beautiful, forward girl. When it came to sex, he wanted control. Of course, with Barbara, there had been no control of any kind, just total abandonment, but that was different. Almost before Theresa realized it, the remaining buttons on her blouse were undone, and her beauties were out in the open, cradled in both of his hands. She had entered the room in charge, and she instantly realized that a bit of a struggle for dominance was on. With her hands on his cock, the man was supposed to be under her control, and this was a new challenge for her. After staring briefly into his eyes, she stood and shucked her slacks, the only other item she wore. Knowing that she had planned for an encounter emboldened him, and before she realized what was happening, he had lifted her over himself into a sixty-nine. She had no intention of letting him take over that way; at least she had no intention until his tongue found her clit. Then, she decided there were much worse things than losing control, and gobbled his cock to return the pleasure. They each came once before he turned her around to face him, and pulled her close against himself. She had already decided she wanted no more competition with him, and they cuddled and talked for several minutes. When he started to harden again, she grabbed him and guided him toward her crotch, only to be brought up short when he stopped her. He got up and retrieved two condom packets from his wallet, handing one to her. Not at all used to being treated this way, she would have bristled and rebelled. But Derek had a power about him that she could not resist. On top of that, he was gentle and considerate, and her resistance failed completely. They used both condoms, then shared a sexy shower, killing the entire afternoon. It was not football season, so he did not miss anything serious. The were together the whole evening and saw each other twice more before she returned to school. Theresa's mother was thrilled with the connection the two had made. Her father was highly impressed by Derek's interview. He arranged for Derek to work for him part time while in school, with an eye to a permanent position upon graduation. With Theresa at a far away school, and a year younger than Derek, it would be a long time before they could be together. Derek, in fact, did not even think in those terms. He always appreciated the sex, though everything was still just an imitation of what he had shared with Barbara. She was intelligent and had a world-class body. But there were many local coeds that answered to that description. Theresa was definitely thinking in those terms, almost from her first glimpse of his naked body. She was willing to ignore the difference in social standing to have him. Besides, she sensed the strength and drive in him and was sure that he would be successful. Derek began changing his mind about the relationship when he sensed the personal benefit. Being family would definitely help him in the business. By the time Theresa graduated, he had made the most of his year in the business, completely impressing the boss, and earning a surprising sum for a newcomer. A year later, they were married. The marriage, however, had some serious flaws. First of all, she had first encountered him as somewhat of a 'toy', and that impression never left her. As a matter of fact, her privileged upbringing had encouraged her to view most people and objects as her toys. From day one, he refused to behave as a proper toy should, creating instant friction. Derek probably never loved Theresa with the kind of emotion needed to sustain a long-term relationship. He certainly had not sacrificed anything to marry her, but he did not find himself working to provide for her or to make her proud of him. Another problem occurred in bed. He had tasted Barbara. He did not know how few women alive could match her passion, abandon, and intensity, but his new wife fell short. Perhaps she was too self-absorbed to give herself fully to her husband. Whatever the reason, he found himself fantasizing about Barbara to be able to perform adequately. And of course, there was the usual problem with a type 'A' husband: work came first. The marriage almost made it four years before falling apart. In an interesting quirk, his former father-in-law was even more impressed with him for withstanding his daughter's onslaught, and his position in the company actually improved. By the time of Derek's divorce, he found out that Barbara was married. At that point, he would have dumped his criteria and married her instantly. Instead, he lived the life of a bachelor for the next five years. He branched off on his own, and did amazingly well, achieving his first million about the time he reached thirty. Wife number two just plain trapped him. She was attractive, but not full of herself as his first had been. She was sexy and passionate. In her defense, she probably loved him, as well as lusting for his wealth and his potential. It was likely she saw him as her mate for the long haul. The problem was that number two was too sexy and passionate. His devotion to his work left her with too much time and too little attention from her husband. She found the attention elsewhere. The first time, he forgave her and committed to giving her more of himself. The second time, too. After three - three known, that is - he sent her packing with more than she probably deserved. Fortunately, neither wife had borne him children. Instead of marrying number three, they should have just gotten together for sex when they needed it. She did not need his money, and he was piling up his own at a good rate. His lawyers convinced him to do a pre-nup, so the inevitable separation was clean and amicable. ------- Derek always made it a point to listen to his lawyers. His business philosophy was to work to the limits of the law, but never, ever cross the legal line. Determining where that line was with confidence cost a good deal of money. The investigation that Mark came across in his search was one of several Derek survived, with none uncovering an actionable offense. His tactics did not generate widespread goodwill, but they were scrupulously within the law. Derek did generate strong loyalty from the small group of associates who could match his drive. He made several others very rich. His years of football taught him teamwork, and he never forgot the lesson. Ambition and dedication often take a toll, and for Derek, it was his health. Midway through wife two, his long-term commitment to conditioning began to wane. He had two major projects that leveraged him so heavily that a failure in either would have wiped him out forever. The demands on his time led to his wife's infidelity, and caused him to start skipping workouts. Within a year, he had stopped exercising at all. Both projects were successful, nearly tripling his net worth in one shot. Much of Derek's business involved meeting with people, and food provided the best kind of meeting environment. Along with giving up his conditioning, he became lax in his selection of foods, something he had previously been very careful about. Over a period of about seven years, he abused his body terribly with food and drink, to say nothing of overwork and constant tension. One of the reasons for the dissolution of his third marriage was his physical deterioration. He just did not appeal to her any more. That is how a highly successful entrepreneur in his mid forties suffered what was called a mild heart attack. With forty extra pounds, arteries bombarded by rich foods, and a killer schedule, the result should have been no surprise. As is often the case, a brush with mortality can stimulate changes that nothing else could. The cardiac episode was a wake-up call, and Derek heeded it. He went through an agonizing period of self-evaluation, not at all happy with the assessment. He had achieved his goals of money and power, but the expected satisfaction was not there. He had become a monomaniac, successful in only one area of his life. The most painful question was: if he had died, who would care? Oh, there would be a lot of people happy with the wealth that would have been spread around. But would anyone really mourn? It nearly caused another heart episode when he realized there was no one. In typically focused Derek fashion, he set about to correct his physical condition. He also drastically cut back his work schedule. Filling the long-term hole in his heart left by the Lady Warrior was the one thing he could not do. He thought many times about trying to find her, but his rational mind told him that was a bad idea. If he found her and she was still married, it would only deepen his regret. Even if she was available, he did not feel worthy to approach her. He had judged her not worthy once. Why would she welcome contact from him, now? That was the Derek who received the telegram from Mark. Barbara had learned nothing of his past during their encounters at college. Keeping his secrets was an art that Derek had perfected at a very young age. Now, as they talked on the phone daily, he told her everything. Derek wanted Barbara. He had always wanted her, and his mistake in discarding her at college had always detracted from his success, at least in his own mind. He knew immediately that he was competing for her, and the stakes in this competition were higher than in any other contest he had ever been in. He knew instinctively that if he could not win Barbara this time, his life would forever be a failure in his own eyes. This admission from the dedicated, hard-driving entrepreneur who had built a fortune by subjecting everything else to his goal! In his mind, this was the fight of his life. He had been through three marriages, all of which had been based on the wrong kinds of connections. If he and Barbara were to get together, it would be with full and open disclosure. The love had always been there, and he wanted nothing to detract from it. ------- Among the many changes Barbara had undergone at the Tee was her willingness to confide in others and to rely on their counsel. By necessity, she had become self-reliant, but the Tee had taught her that sharing at a personal level was not sign of weakness. With Paul, Norma, and Mark, sharing came easily. Looking back, she could see that her daughters were the ones she had been most reluctant to open completely to. Oh, they had an excellent relationship, but she had never really sought their counsel on anything major. Now, the most significant choice of her life was facing her, and it impacted them tremendously. Penny, in particular, was too young, but she was nearly the same age as the kids who worked at the Tee. If she could bare her body to those guys, shouldn't she be able to bare her soul to the two people closest to her? She had been talking to Derek for a week when she asked the girls to come over and spend an evening to talk about Larry and Derek. They met her on the women's side, and they were a little surprised to find her naked. She explained that she considered herself still recovering, and besides, she liked it. They found a secluded place to sit, and she told them everything she had learned about Derek. When she had finished recounting Derek's life, she told them "Come on, we're going for a swim." "But Mom," Penny objected, "the guys!" "Do you see any?" Barbara asked with a chuckle. "You won't, either. I asked them to stay away as a favor, OK?" Still uncertain, Penny hung back a while as Leslie quickly stripped and jumped into the pool with her mother. They ignored Penny's obvious battle, and it was Trish walking up naked that finally got Penny past her fear and into the pool. Trish stayed with the three of them for a little while until Penny seemed to be getting into the fun, then left them alone. In the pool, they just swam and enjoyed each other's company, not talking about anything heavy. When Barbara told them to come over to the hot tub with her, Penny looked around nervously as she scurried the short distance between. Barbara had arranged with all of the women to give them privacy. They knew what she was struggling with, and wanted to help her. "Girls," Barbara said as they settled into the hot water, "I have to make a choice. It will affect you, but I need to tell you I must choose what is best for the rest of my life. I hope you can support me on this." "I guess that means it won't be Dad," Penny said gloomily. "No, it doesn't mean that at all," Barbara countered. "It means I am confused, and I need the help of my two most important people." With that, she wrapped an arm around each of them and hugged them close. The naked contact was a little upsetting for the girls, but the obvious expression of love overcame their unease. "Both your father and Derek have at one time rejected me because of my size," Barbara told them. They asked when Derek had done that, and she explained. "After the party that you saw pictures from, Derek and I were invited to homes together a few more times. We never went naked again. The people just wanted to thank us. But we did sleep together those nights. It was the best sex of my life." There were gasps from the girls at that, and Penny was blushing dangerously. "I don't mean to shock you, Honey, but I have to say these things so you know what I am feeling. Derek tells me that he fell in love with me back then." "So why didn't he make you his girlfriend?" Penny asked. Barbara spent a few minutes explaining Derek's ambition and his criteria for his girlfriends. "That's cold!" was Penny's response. Here, Leslie jumped in. "Talk about cold!" she said with obvious anger. "How about what Dad did?" There was a long silence after that outburst. "He never told me he loved me," Barbara explained. "We both acted as if it was just a chance for some great sex with someone we liked." "Did you love him?" Leslie asked. "I don't honestly know," Barbara answered. "If I did, I didn't let myself admit it for fear of being hurt." Cutting straight to the heart of the problem, Leslie again spoke up "Do you still love Dad? Do you love Derek?" Barbara let out a long breath. She knew the discussion would lead to those questions, and she wished she had better answers. "I'm afraid my love for your father has pretty much been killed," she said sadly, triggering a little sob from Penny. Barbara hugged her youngest even tighter. "And Derek?" Leslie pressed on. When Barbara did not respond, Leslie said "I think you love him. From the way you acted the night you showed us the pictures..." "That's a question I ask myself about a hundred times a day," Barbara said wistfully. "I am probably in love with the Warrior I slept with all those years ago. But Derek's not the same man that I remember." "But he's still got that same beautiful cock!" Leslie blurted out. Penny gasped, then broke into all-out giggles. The lightening of the mood was therapeutic, and they all laughed and joked together for a few minutes. Leslie concentrated on fueling her little sister's blush. In a display of heart-warming maturity, Penny brought things back to a serious mood. "Mom, Dad's not the same person anymore, either. I can tell when I'm with him. It's almost like I don't know him, now. I know you're worried about me, but don't be. I saw how he hurt you, and I don't think I can ever forgive him." "Leslie and I talked a lot after Markie started trying to find Derek. She told me she didn't think we would ever be all together again. I cried a lot, but she's right. If you took him back, it would probably be just for my sake, and I couldn't handle that." "I think you should give Derek a chance. Just warn him that he has to convince three women," Penny concluded. A brief giggle over that comment quickly turned into a hug fest with many, many tears and expressions of love. Eventually, they all got out of the tub and showered. The girls were about to get dressed, but Barbara talked them out of it, and the headed toward the eating area for a snack. That was a pre-arranged signal for the other women to join them in force. The girls, Penny especially, were uncomfortable at first, but the friendliness of the women relaxed them. One of the residents, prompted earlier by Barbara, told the girls "I think you should swim with us next time, too." "But... but the guys will be here!" Penny objected. "So what?" the woman asked. "They are the nicest guys in the world, especially your uncle and your cousin. You have a nice body. It would be good for your self-confidence to show it to some nice guys." Penny uttered a low groan as her nipples popped out. ------- Chapter 18 In the planning stages for Transformations, there had been a log of concern about transferring the the effects of Immersion Therapy and re-birthing, as experienced by Shannon and Kathy at Greg's house, to a larger group of people. There was considerable doubt that the same kinds of effects could be achieved when the subject was one of many naked people. The concerns were correct, but not in a negative way. In fact, in a development that should not have been surprising, the group had its own very beneficial impact on the individual resident. On the women's side, in particular, the women talked extensively about everything. The nudity seemed to catalyze communication, and conversation was constant and intense. Despite the varied problems and past experiences of the residents, accepted norms generally prevailed. That is, the group of residents as a whole was average and typical in most ways, and those generally accepted ideas prevailed. Any resident with experiences, beliefs, or traits outside of the norm soon became aware of their uniqueness. Moreover, that uniqueness usually became a topic of group discussion. An unexpected benefit of nudity was a noticeably different attitude in conversation for most residents. They tended to be more considerate of others' feelings and less strident about their own ideas and beliefs. Julia discussed this at length with her group of trusted consultants. They postulated that being naked made a person feel more vulnerable themselves. That feeling prevented them from being as critical or as combative as they might normally be. Mary Hall had already been effected by the group dynamic. She clearly understood that she was considered sexually naive and backward by the others, and it bothered her a great deal. It was a major reason she had been receptive to Barbara's tutoring of her and Floyd together. The other unique thing about her life that Mary could not deny was her treatment of Lindsey. The others did not make open accusations or criticisms, but just from their talk about their own families, she began to understand just how badly she had erred. In an unprecedented move for her, she began to ask the others what should have been done differently. More than any other resident, Mary had come in with two strikes against her. The others all knew and loved Lindsey, and knew how she had been hurt be her parents. Largely because of Norma and Barbara, Mary was never excluded from the group, but early on, she was mainly an observer. Once Mary began to seek advice, everything changed, especially the other residents' attitudes toward her. She was genuinely seeking help, and she became one of them. Once she ramped up her exercise campaign to become one of the most aggressive of all the women, it further enhanced her position as one of the girls. Immersion therapy, in its unexpectedly revised form was working very well for Mary. She had realized that she needed to change and had set about to make it happen. Unlike Mary, Dottie Kessler came to the Tee with instant acceptance and sympathy. All of the women, including Mary, went out of their way to help her. For Dottie, the biggest impact came not from sympathy and encouragement, but from just hearing the others talk about their spouses. Ever since she met Warren, Dottie had viewed him as a social cripple, lacking her 'normal' drive to spend every spare moment socializing. She had always been careful to accommodate his 'reclusive' tendencies because he was otherwise a wonderful man, and she deeply and sincerely loved him. Although she outwardly seemed to accept his different personality, she never really did. Toward the end of their marriage, under whatever strain had knocked her off balance, she had dropped the pretense of acceptance and understanding and let her true feelings show in her ridicule of him, and eventually her betrayal. No one pointed any of this out to Dottie. Her first disheartening revelation was that none of the other women even shared her 'normal' social drive. All her life, she had fought to avoid solitude of any kind. She had never developed quiet time habits of reading, sewing, playing music, or anything of the sort. If she was awake, she had to be doing something, preferably with someone else. Little by little it dawned on her that she had been the freak, the one far outside the norm. If she had been a freak compared to all those women, then she must have been the strange one, not Warren. Dottie thought of all those things in the past tense, because that obsessive drive, the old Dottie, was gone. Until coming to the Tee, she had fearfully avoided all social situations. She had become a devotee of TV, something she had precious little time for during her marriage. She had started reading, as well. The biggest problem with both TV and books was the constant reminders of what she had done and what she had lost because of it. But they filled the hours, which had seemed endless and totally unfulfilling. 'Breakdown' was a word all too freely used when describing psychological phenomena, but it was rarely more a propos than when applied to Dottie's experience. The trauma of her infidelity and divorce completely destroyed her previous personality. The new Dottie had not yet started to emerge. She had arrived at the Tee as an empty shell of a person, without motivation and almost without personality. It took a few weeks for her new understanding of her previous self to dawn on Dottie, but when it did, it was almost as destructive as her divorce had been. For several days, she reverted back to a zombie state worse than when she first arrived. She would not talk about what was troubling her, even to Julia. Andi tried to get her to sleep with them again, but she did not want that, either. It all came to a head at 2:00am on a Friday night. Dottie had not slept a wink, nor had she for several nights. She came into Andi's room almost in a panic and shook her daughter awake. "Andi, Andi," she said before the girl was even fully awake, "you can't be angry with your father! He didn't do anything wrong! I was terrible to him for twenty-five years. He did everything he could - more than any man should have to. He... he... Oh, God! I was so blind! So stupid! I thought..." and she spewed out a stream of self-accusation and regret for ten minutes without stopping. Even after she woke up, Andi didn't know what to do. Dottie was chattering on, her voice so loud that two or three other women showed up at the open door, wondering what was happening. The same wild look was back in her eyes. Andi swore to herself when she remembered that Andy was gone that night. Finally, she just grabbed her mother and hugged her as tightly as she could, shutting off her stream of words by practically smothering her. She rocked Dottie back and forth until the struggling stopped and the sobbing started. At least the near-catatonia of the last few days had ended. A long time after her initial outburst, and after the other women had gone back to their rooms, Dottie pulled herself out of Andi's arms and began talking quietly and tearfully. "Honey, your father and I can never live together again. You've got to stop even thinking about it." "Mom, you know I talk to him almost every day. He has changed a lot. You never know, he might want you back." "No, Honey, you don't understand. I couldn't live with him. It would be too cruel to him. I... I... for all those years, I thought he was strange because he didn't want to do everything I did. The poor man tried so hard to keep me happy - I know that now. I just figured out that I was the strange one! How could he put up with me all those years?" "He loved you, Mom. That's how. He loved you very much, and I think he still does. He's very sorry for how he treated you after the, uh, miscarriage. I think he was so worn out he just snapped." "But that's not the worst thing I did to him," Dottie wailed. "I thought he was strange all those years, and at the end, I made fun of him. But I was the strange one! I didn't even know!" She again broke into full-fledged sobs. Andi's hopes for the reunification of her family had taken a serious blow - or had they? For there to be any chance, Dottie had to get better, and this could be a very big step in that recovery. And one other major change had occurred. "But, Mom, you're not like that any more. You've changed. You don't want to go out at all, now. The old problem doesn't exist. And now, you know the truth." "Oh, Sweetie, you don't know how much I want to still hope, but I can't let myself. Warren and I were a mismatch from the beginning. We tried to prove that 'love conquers all', but it just doesn't... it just doesn't. Andi pulled Dottie down into the bed and held her close until she at long last found sleep. Dottie spent most of the next day in bed, and when she finally joined the group for supper, she seemed almost serene. ------- The unlikely friendship between Mary and Dottie became even stronger after Dottie's epiphany. She joined Mary in her aggressive exercise regimen, regularly working herself to exhaustion. The 'Mutt and Jeff' image took on new meaning as the two would stagger from the treadmills to the showers together, then into the pool. One would wait patiently and chat while the other got her massage, then they would switch. When at all possible, they tried to get either Mark or Andy for their massages. Mary stayed on her stomach when Andy did her, but was seemed eager for Mark to work every muscle. She did not have the same feeling for Mark as Dottie's open adoration of Andy, but she had no trouble understanding her daughter's love for him. As Mark worked on her, Mary could not help thinking about him touching Lindsey. Then, her thoughts would turn to Floyd and their new intimacy, and her nipples would pop out. The first couple of times, Dottie teased Mary about the nipples, but she could not generate any shame. There was no way she could know the kinds of thoughts running through Mary's mind, and Mary was not yet up to sharing at that level. In a perverse way that both shamed and excited her, Mary wanted her nipples distended so Mark could see them. She wanted him to notice the odor of arousal that must be there, judging from the tingling and the damp feeling in her crotch. Somewhere in her mind, it was important for Mark to know that Lindsey's sexuality did not just come from Floyd's genes, or maybe skip a generation. Her daughter's man needed to know that Lindsey was born from a real woman: a woman with strong desires and responses. A few times, Mary was stunned to find herself rubbing her thighs together. At other times, she would find her legs unconsciously spreading apart as he worked on them. These little things did not escape Dottie, and one time she chided "I hope you let your daughter have him first!" "Oh, I'm sure they're well beyond that," Mary replied with no hostility or disapproval in her voice. Dottie definitely noticed her unaccustomed equanimity and asked "Are you really OK with that?" "Dottie, I'm not really OK with anything since Lindsey moved out. She should be living at home. I should not be here naked. She should not be singing worldly songs in worldly places. She should not be sleeping with Mark. There are a lot of wrong things going on, but I can't stop them. I... I'm finding out that some of them are my fault." "I don't even have control of myself. When Mark is touching me, I have this horrible feeling that I want him to climb on top of me and... and... ," Mary's words died out and she covered her reddened face. Dottie put her arm around her friend and comforted her. "Well, I know exactly what you mean, so don't feel so bad. Did I ever tell you about my first few nights here?..." Every time she left Dottie for her own room, Mary seemed to question why she had told Dottie so much. She shared things she would never think of telling anyone: until she came to the Tee, that is. These were the times when she started to realize how much she was changing. ------- Mary could not exercise all day long; there were only so many religious programs she could handle in a day; even talking with Dottie and the others had its limits. She had used a computer some at her job, and Mark had patiently helped her with a word processing program. With the welter of emotions she was now living with, she found that her old interest in writing verse was renewed. Putting her feelings in words was therapeutic, and the words flowed from her as they never had before. Contrary to things she had done before, she found herself putting very private thoughts and feelings into her poems. At first, she felt guilty, somehow thinking it was wrong to do. But she had begun to question every guilty feeling lately, and she could find no reason for any guilt over her poems. Over a period of a few weeks, she wrote dozens of poems, most of just a couple of dozens lines, at most. One day, Mark saw her at the computer as he walked by, and he thought he saw a tear running down her cheek. He knew she had been at the computer for some time. The idea of trying to comfort her did not appeal to him, but she was a resident, and more important to him because of Lindsey. Opening the door to the little room with the computer, he called her name, and her head jerked around in response. She stuttered out a greeting, and he walked over to her. "Anything wrong?" he asked. "Oh, just the usual," Mary answered. Then, she reached her arm around Mark and pulled him to herself, her arm around his hips as he stood and she sat. This really put him in a quandary. None of the policies on correct behavior fit this encounter. Just reacting in his normal caring way, he put his hand on her bare shoulder and squeezed gently. That unleashed a flood of tears. As Mary cried, Mark looked at the screen and saw that she had written a poem, the first line starting 'I really didn't know'. The rest told of her remorse at how she had hurt someone. The subject was unnamed, but there was no question it was Lindsey. "Come on, Mary, let's have a soak," Mark said, pulling her to her feet before she could object. He reached over to quickly save the poem and close the word processor. Mary tried not to look at Mark's crotch when he stripped off his shorts, but that had never been possible for her. When they were sitting side by side, Mark took her hand and said, "I saw what you wrote, Mary. It was very touching. I assume that's why you're crying." She squeezed his hand almost desperately, and answered "It seems like every day I find out more about how badly I messed things up. But, Mark, believe me! I didn't mean to drive her away! I thought I was doing the right things, but I ended up doing just what my mother did to me. I really do love her, you know. It's... it's just that she'll probably never believe that." "Mary, It was not polite of me to look at your poem, but I did see it. Will you let me print it out?" "Wh... what will you do with it? Will you show it to her?" "Yes. I'll tell her I found you writing it and begged for a copy," he explained. "Will you let me have it?" Inexplicably, she gave a humorless little laugh. "I used to think it was important to keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. Now, I don't seem to care. Maybe it comes from having all this," and she swept her had over her front, "out where everybody can see it. You know, not much is secret in this place. Sure, you can have a copy." They sat quietly for a few minutes, still holding hands. "Mark, you really are a sweet guy," she said to break the silence. "I know you still have a lot of bad feelings about me. But you never show them. I want you to know I appreciate it. How can you do it?" How could he answer that one? He tried, telling her "The whole idea of this place is to help people change. Julia picked all of us because she thought we could do that. Part of it is thinking about how people CAN be instead of how they are. "So, what are you thinking about when you see all these fat bodies walking around naked? Or when you are rubbing through all this fat on the massage table." Mark had never before allowed himself any levity when dealing with Mary, but he took a chance. "I think about all the beautiful, naked women strutting around when they reach their goals." He turned as he said it and gave her a grin that he hoped was a leer. In an uncharacteristically coquettish move, she blushed as she gave him a playful slap with her free hand. "So, you put up with this ugliness because you think I will look, uh, interesting someday?" "'Sexy' is the word you meant, isn't it?" "Mark! I'm your mother-in-law! Er, I mean, uh..." "So what man minds having a sexy mother-in-law?" he teased, ignoring her slip-up. "I... I can't imagine ever being sexy," she said softly. "Why not? Because you think it would be wrong?" he prodded. "Yes, but I just don't think I'm like that," she replied. "Well, wouldn't you like to be for Floyd?" he asked, taking a chance. Mary was quiet for a while, than she told him "Yes, I would. That day we were all in the pool, I saw how he looked at all the other women, even Lindsey. I wondered if he would ever look at me like that. I'm almost afraid to wish that he would. It seems impossible." "Well, the way you are exercising, anything is possible." He should have stopped there, but their relationship went beyond just resident/staff. "Maybe someday when we sit here like this, I will get a reaction like that," and he pointed right at her nipples. She glanced at her 'headlights', then snapped her head round to look at him. She was blushing, but there was something else there that shook him up. There was a little of the way Dottie looked at Andy. Mark was not at all sure he welcomed that from Mary, but it looked like he had made it happen. Despite being startled, Mark had to admit that with each encounter, there was less and less reason to dislike Mary. From a staff standpoint, he had to be happy with the way the Tee was succeeding with her. From a personal standpoint, he worried about the impact of the changes on Lindsey. ------- Later that night, Lindsey and Mark were relaxing in the basement room, in their sleepwear. Despite all the time they spent naked, she usually slept in panties and tee, and he in boxers. Mark showed her the poem her mother had written, and watched her face as she read it through three times. At first he saw anger, then surprise, then sadness and wetness in her eyes. "Do... do you think she means all of this?" Lindsey asked. "I can't read her mind any more than you can, Honey, but I think so. She was in there by herself a long time, and she had tears in her eyes when I found her." "I don't know what to think, Mark," she told him. "You had it right before. I don't want to stop being angry at her. I can never forget all the bad stuff." She saw Mark about to speak and cut him off. "Yeah, I know. Even if I can't forget, I should forgive. Do you have any idea how hard that is?" "No, I don't know personally," he answered, "but I can see how hard it is for you." With that, he pulled her into a hug and they just cuddled for a while. "You know," she said after a bit, "that really is a beautiful poem: sad, but beautiful. That last part, where she is asking for forgiveness - that just tears me up inside. I never knew she could write like that." Mark told Lindsey about the long talk in the hot tub. "She said she started when she got bored in classes in junior high. She even admitted that she would do it in church." That made Lindsey giggle. "I'm not sure if I want to do this, Mark, but what if I had Margo and Hank make this into a song?" "Geez! It's just like one of your songs. The only difference is this one is from the other side," he remarked. "Huh?" "In the first one," he explained, "you were not the one who had done anything wrong. In this one you would be." "Oh, I didn't mean I would sing it. I don't know if it's really that good," she demurred. "Look, Lindsey. Suppose you want to let your mother know that you really want things better between you two," he said. "Can you imagine a better way?" "But I'm not there, yet!" "Please don't be angry, but I think you are, Baby. It wouldn't tear you up as much if you weren't." After saying that, he looked at her a little fearfully, but rather than anger, she just settled into him with her head down. She needed closeness right then, but just the hug was not enough. She moved around and sat on his lap, her legs straddling his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissed him firmly, then rested her head on his shoulder. He caressed her back and they just cuddled for a bit. His hand dropped to rub her pantied-covered bottom. But there was no panty, just bare bottom. He had not even seen her shed them. She gave a couple of short giggles and said "We're not nearly close enough, yet." Having said that, she reached down and opened the fly of his boxers. That was enough to bring him to life before she even touched him. She held him against her lips and pushed to get him inside of her. "I'm not real wet, yet," she mouthed, already breathing quickly. It took a couple of minutes, but when she was all the way down, she let out a long breath. "Now we can really communicate." He sensed that she did not want any more vigorous action right then, so he just hugged. Taking the lead, he said "I, uh, think your mother is falling in love with me a little bit." She pulled her head back in surprise, and he went on. "I got a look kinda like when Dottie looks at Andy." She put her head back on his shoulder, wriggled against him a little, and said. "Well, how could she not. I think you could probably sleep with a different woman every night if it wasn't for the rules." "Who needs rules? I only want one woman!" "Right answer!" she said as she held his face in both hands and kissed him soundly. It was a short kiss, though, and she quickly got back into talking position. He went on to tell how Mary had hugged him to herself when he found her at the computer. "Did you do anything to encourage her?" He told her how he had touched her shoulder, then held her hand in the hot tub. "What about the rules?" she asked, obviously teasing him. He shrugged, and there was some more silence. "Are you starting to like her?" Lindsey asked after a while. "I'm feeling some sympathy for her," he answered. When she stiffened a little, he hurried to say "Please don't think I'm betraying you. I know how hurt you are, and I can never forget that. The thing is, she hurt herself terribly, too, and she is just figuring that out. It's almost like someone who used to be Mary hurt both of you very badly." "Hmmmm. You really think she has changed that much?" "Don't you?" After a significant silence, Lindsey answered. "I, uh, have tried not to pay too much attention to her. Guess I don't want to get sympathetic. It's so much easier if she just stays the villain." "That's not my Lindsey, you know," Mark pointed out. "Anger can make a person ugly, can't it?" she asked softly. "You could never be ugly," he answered quickly. Deciding they needed to get out of the mood they had fallen into, he started to thrust up into her. Putting his hands on her hips, he used his hands to assist the motion. Soon, she decided she liked the new mood and started using her legs to move up and down. Within a few moments, they were fucking vigorously. Mark slipped his hand between them to work her clit, but she told him "Hunh uh! Not this time. Just move!" Not content to let it go completely, he reached beneath her to tease her rosebud, encountering no objection. For almost two minutes, she bounced and he thrust, accelerating to a frenzied pace. When he bellowed and blasted his load up into her, she collapsed unto him. Even though she had not come, she was exhausted from her exertions. They hugged and murmured endearments as they regained their breath. "Whew, I see why it's best to make love naked," Lindsey giggled as she sat back and pulled at the t-shirt that was wet with their combined perspiration. Standing up, she stripped off the offending garment and pulled Mark to his feet. She started towing him to the shower before he had his balance. His unfastened boxers hed slipped down his legs and he fell in a heap on the floor. From passionate, very adult lovers, the pair suddenly reverted to playful teenagers. She knelt beside him and started tickling. He naturally retaliated in kind, and the tussle was on. Once again, they ended up panting for breath in each others' arms, this time from a much different cause. The physical play harkened back to their early childhood as neighbors and playmates. It added a dimension to their relationship that helped to ensure their long-term union. After a first playful, then titillating, shower, they resumed their very adult personnas in bed as Mark brought her to multiple orgasms before entering her for a gentle but intense coupling. ------- Margo read through the poem three times, just as Lindsey had done at first. "Wow, Lindsey, this is powerful. I think it could make a very emotional song." She stopped and read it yet again. "Can I suggest something," Margo asked. "Why don't you let Rich do this one?" Rich Krenz was Frank Schermer's former music director. He had stopped to pick up Lindsey the night she escaped from her kidnapping. "He does very good work, but he hasn't hit one that really clicked, yet. This could be his chance." "You mean you'd give up a really good song?" Lindsey asked. "Honey, we've got more money that we can ever spend, and a list of artists wanting new songs about three months long," Margo answered. "Besides, Rich is a great guy. You know Jenny is all about helping others succeed. Maybe we can help a little." "Yeah, and I owe him for helping me that night, too," Lindsey mused. "Great idea, Margo. I'll go and see Rich." ------- Since Frank Schermer's 'trial', Sonja had been talking to Jenny about a little concert at Transformations. The women's nudity created a bit of a problem, and the opening of the men's side added more complication. Finally, Jenny called Julia and they hashed it out. Though she did not want to make it a regular occurrence, Julia decided a mixed social event with both men and women would be a good idea. All the residents would wear the shorts and tee that unrestricted visitors wore, so there would be no problem bringing in male musicians with the singers. It would be held on the women's side. Jenny agreed to do a full concert with most of her troupe. Together they decided to have it in the late afternoon and serve a meal at the intermission. That would make a great opportunity for getting acquainted. The plan was a major break in the immersion therapy program, but with the connection to Jenny through Lindsey, it seemed to fit. The women actually had to dress an hour before the concert because of setup time for the instruments and sound. The largest open space was on the deck between the pool and the showers, and that's where everything was assembled. Most of the women hung around watching and talking to the technicians as they connected the sound components. All of the crew had, of course, heard of Transformations, and conversation flowed freely. The men came over fifteen minutes before the concert. Everyone wore name tags - first names only. The tags also had their checkin date and the city they came from. It was quite humorous to see the merging of the two groups, and Julia and Frank watched closely. Mary had been standing by the door for ten minutes, waiting, and she unashamedly fell all over Floyd when he walked in. He seemed more concerned about appearances than she was, and reacted a little stiffly to her affection. Lindsey, however, had been staying close by and stepped in. "Come on, Dad! Don't be afraid to show you missed her. No one here will think badly of you." Whether at being called 'Dad' or because his feelings toward his wife had been challenged, Floyd snapped his head up and gave his daughter a long look. Then, he wrapped Mary in a hug and gave her the most theatrical kiss he could think of. When the kiss broke, two or three nearby women applauded, Lindsey was speechless, and Mary nearly sank to the floor. Floyd blushed momentarily at the attention, but then threw Lindsey a look of clear triumph. All along, Lindsey had thought that Mary was the source of her problems with her parents, and that Floyd was just the wimpy tag-along. There was no doubt Mary was changing, and changing dramatically. It looked like Floyd's turnaround, if there was to be one, would follow a different path. Well, this was too big an occasion for Lindsey to spend much time thinking about her father. The band was three guitars, rhythm, acoustic, and bass, plus keyboard and drums. Rich was on the keyboard. Hank was not there, but Margo was. Jenny, Amy, and Sonja were there, and somewhat of a surprise, Sarah, as well. All of the staff were allowed to bring immediate family. Naturally, Mark's sisters and cousins were there. All of the crew from the retreat came for the once-in-a-lifetime treat. Some had been to Dex's holiday party, but this was even better. All in all, there were nearly sixty people crammed into a very intimate setting. The concert was very informal, with lots of interaction with the audience. This was obviously what Jenny liked best. The fact that she was giving away tens of thousands worth of concert seemed to make her happier and more congenial than ever. At the very beginning, she gave a little speech emphasizing her belief in Transformations, and stating that she had set up a scholarship fund. Then, she threw it open for requests, and that filled the whole first half. Part of the setup time was because the concert was being recorded and videotaped. Frank wanted to use it as part of a promotional video for the Tee, and Jenny had thoughts of selling it on her website. Of course, none of the residents would be identifiable on any released version. There had been limited time for interaction between the men and women beforehand, but the meal served at intermission was a perfect opportunity. Not only that, but Gretchen had pulled out all the stops and delivered a four-star quality spread. The fact that many had to eat on trays in their laps did not seem to detract from the enjoyment at all. Jenny led off the second half with jokes about trying to sing on a full stomach, even though the singers had held off with a promise of being served more later. During the second half, there were no requests, and Jenny told them that they would be subjected to some initial performances. One of the first was a duet by Sonja and Sarah. Their voices blended in the way that only siblings can achieve, and they were shouted into an encore. For that, they did a gospel number that they had sung together as youngsters. Mary, in particular, was weeping openly when that ended. About an hour into the second half, Jenny made another announcement. "This next song is so new, we have only been able to practice it a few times. The music is by Rich," and she gestured toward where he sat at the keyboard, "and Lindsey will sing it." There was a pause for cheers at that. "The author of the lyrics may or may not want to be identified." That cryptic statement left the audience puzzled. Puzzlement and everything else was forgotten as soon as the intro started. It used a steel guitar sound that was almost enough to bring tears by itself. When Lindsey started singing, the emotional quality of the words and music made her two previous hits seem almost frivolous. 'I Really Didn't Know' spoke of sincere good intentions; of misguided actions; of unintended cruelty and hurt; of crushing regret; of painful longing for closeness; of a plea for forgiveness; and finally, of hope that the past could be overcome. Lindsey had become accustomed to the dead silence that often followed her performances, but she somehow knew there would be no applause after this one. Instead, everyone was reaching for the scattered boxes of tissue, for towels, or anything else to take care of the fluids running from eyes and noses. Lindsey was in the same shape as the audience, once the last phrase died out. It had taken Mary about three phrases to recognize her own words. Then, she sat in shock, too stunned even to cry with the rest of the audience. When the song ended, she still sat motionless, staring at Lindsey, finally noticing Lindsey motioning her to come up to the front. Moving like a robot, not thinking about her puffy eyes or how bad she looked in the outfit, Mary somehow made it up to stand by her daughter. "Can I tell them they're your lyrics?" Lindsey asked. Mouth still out of commission and eyes as big as saucers, Mary finally managed a nod. Waiting until most everyone noticed Mary standing by her and had quieted down, Lindsey spoke in a halting voice. "My mother wrote the words to that song," and she grabbed Mary's hand and held it tightly. Waiting again for the buzz over her disclosure to subside, Lindsey continued. "Most of you know what has gone on in our family. I think it's fair to say that Mom came here with a lot of things against her. Well, I want to thank all of you for your part in bringing us to this moment." "I never, ever expected to hear words like these," Lindsey continued, "and I have to be honest and tell you, Mom, I don't know just how to deal with them. This song is one thing that we will do together, and that's a start." Lindsey was unable to say any more, and just squeezed Mary's hand and put the mic back on its stand. There was no hug or kiss - she was not ready for that. Jenny decided it was useless to try to continue after that emotional scene, and things broke up. Julia had not decided how long to leave everyone together, and just watched to see how things were going. She ended up waiting until all the concert parafenalia was packed and gone and the male part of the troop had left. Then, she had Barbara quietly shepherded the men back to their side. Without any announcement, the women shed their uniforms. After all the commotion died down, Lindsey pulled Mary aside and told her "Mom, the copyright for the lyrics is in your name. That means you will get royalties for any sales or performances of the song. Jenny wants to use it in the next concert and put it on the next album." "But that's not why I wrote that poem," Mary said, still badly shaken by the whole episode. "In fact, I never thought anyone would see it." "Are you angry that I had it made into a song?" "No, I... I... if it helps make up a little for how I messed up, I'll do anything," Mary managed to say before more tears came. ------- Julia found both Barbara and Lindsey and spoke briefly to them. Barbara headed back to her men, but Lindsey came back to her mother. "Mom, let's go to your room." When they got there, Lindsey told her to get her toiletries together. "Why?" "You're going to sleep with Dad." "But... but... the other men..." "Isn't it worth it?" Lindsey immediately felt terrible for saying that, but held her silence when she saw the indecision on Mary's face. After a brief pause, Mary squared her shoulders, looked Lindsey right in the face and said "Yes!" Then, she turned toward the bathroom. Rushing to Mary, Lindsey actually hugged her and said "Oh, Mom! That was mean! I'm so sorry! There's a room in the center section you can use." Mary sagged in relief, and got her things together. As they walked across the open area, Lindsey asked "Would you really have walked naked into the men's side just to sleep with Dad?" Mary turned toward her, her jaw set, and said "Yes, I would. I've been going crazy since those days we were together. I... I'm afraid I've even had thoughts about your Mark. Besides, it's not like this body is going to get those guys all excited, or anything." Lindsey chose to ignore the self-deprecation, and tease instead. "Mo-om! Have you been ogling by husband? Oops, I mean my fiance." "Lindsey, Mark is about the nicest guy I've ever met." "Hey! After all these years, we agree on something!" Lindsey said, still in teasing mode. Mary did not take it as teasing. "I... I really was hard on you, wasn't I?" "Come on, Mom. Let's not go there. There's been enough crying for one night. You're right. Mark is as nice as they come. But you know, he can be tough, too. Not hard to look at, either, is he?" Lindsey could see Mary blushing, and pressed on. "I mean, his exercises have been building up his muscles a lot." "Oh, Yeah," Mary murmured. "Mother! You weren't thinking about his muscles, were you? You were thinking about his penis!" Mary shrunk back from her for just a moment, then straightened her shoulders in a gesture that was becoming familiar. "Honey, I went my whole life only seeing one, and that not very much. Now, there are all of these guys here, and they swim naked. Of course I was looking at his penis!" She looked at her daughter with challenge in her eyes. If Lindsey had harbored any doubts about how much Mary was changing, they did not have a chance after that exchange. And Mary was not done. "Look, you got me into this place. My problem is, I have a strong sex drive. I always knew that, but I kept it in check because it was sinful. My mother hammered that into me from the time I can remember." "Well," Mary went on, "it's not in check any more. I... I guess I'm kinda making up for lost time." After a pause, she said "I suppose Barbara has told you everything that has happened to me. And to your Dad." "Yeah, she has. I hope you're not too angry," Lindsey said. "I know it's private stuff." "Private? What's private around here?" Then, Mary made an actual joke, and an earthy one, at that. "Even my privates aren't private!" Lindsey's shock delayed her for a moment, but then she burst into laughter. Soon, the two were laughing together. "So, besides getting to sleep with Dad on the men's side, you'd get to see some more dicks, huh?" Lindsey teased. "Welllll... I did kinda think of that." This time, Mary laughed at herself. "I've got news for you, Mom. The only nice bodies, you've already seen. The men all look a lot more like Dad. There is one guy, though, who has the biggest one in the place." These comments got Mary thinking. "I guess you're pretty used to seeing men's, uh, privates, now. Probably doesn't affect you - like a doctor." "'Fraid not, Mom. I still get headlights and an itch in the crotch," Lindsey answered quickly. She suddenly sobered and just looked at Mary for a while before she spoke again. "Do you know how I would have loved to have this conversation about five years ago?" Mary looked glum. "You have to understand, Honey, that this is the first time I ever had one like this. I grew up knowing nothing. The women here all thought I was ignorant about sex. They were right. I tried to make you as ignorant as I was, and I am so sorry for that. The one thing that makes me feel better is that you found Mark, and I'm guessing you've learned everything you need to know. It kills me that Norma had to teach you." "And Mark and I learned together." Lindsey thought a long moment, then said "Mom, the first time was the night he gave me the ring. Just so you know. I'm sure he told you we consider ourselves more married than any ceremony could do." "That's been hard for me to accept, but I think I believe it, now. Is... is it good?" "It's way beyond that. I'm glad you and Dad are getting a taste of it. I wouldn't want any woman to miss out on what I've got," Lindsey said, almost dreamily. They had stopped just inside the women's area as they talked. Now, Lindsey took them out to main reception and keyed the lock for the central area. When they got to the room, Floyd was not there yet, so they sat and talked some more. "I'm a little worried about Floyd," Mary said as they sat. "He doesn't seem to be taking his exercises as seriously as I am." "Well, nobody but Barbara does, actually," Lindsey replied by way of a compliment. "It did take several weeks before you really got into it." "I... I just thought that after our weekend together..." Lindsey debated with herself for a few moments, then said "Mom, I'm going to tell you about Dad's first two days. I probably shouldn't, but sometimes us girls have to stick together." The look she got from Mary almost made her cry. She went on to describe Floyd's ordeal in great detail. Mary looked sober when Lindsey had finished. "So, was it really necessary to be that hard on him?" she asked, obviously sympathizing with his humiliation. "Do you think he would have had such good sex with you if we hadn't?" Lindsey came back. "How?... Oh, of course, Barbara told you." Mary chuckled. "Will you know what happens tonight, too?" Lindsey was both amazed and heartened that she asked with humor. "No, you guys will be here all alone." "Well, we're going to do it without a condom tonight, that's what's going to happen," Mary said to Lindsey's total astonishment. "Condom? Why?..." With Lindsey so amazed she could hardly hear straight, Mary explained her previous sex schedule with Floyd. She seemed eager to tell Lindsey every personal detail she could. Mother and daughter talked just like mother and daughter for another twenty minutes before Floyd arrived, escorted by Barbara. "Sorry we took so long," Barbara said. "At first, all the guys had to congratulate Floyd on his wife and daughter. Then, there were a couple of minor emergencies. I, uh, see you at least haven't been fighting." "You can take those back," Mary said, pointing to the condom packets Floyd held. He was startled, looked at Lindsey, and blushed. Mary explained why they weren't needed, then pulled another absolute surprise. "Floyd, don't worry about Lindsey hearing this stuff. She could teach us things." In the morning, Mary helped her exhausted husband into the shower. As they were drying, she grabbed a fat roll on him and said sternly "Floyd, you need to get serious about exercising. I'm losing three or four pounds every week, and you're not keeping up. I want to make love face to face, and we both have to lose our bellies for that." She softened her words with a kiss, but his penis gave a little twitch despite its overnight workout. Her flash of dominance was all it took. ------- Chapter 19 The timing was perfect. Andy had worked long hours at the Tee since it opened, forgetting about school in the interim. On days when the high school guys were at school, he and Ryan were the daytime staff, along with Gretchen and Carol. Paul was on site a good deal of the time, but between operational details of the Tee and his growing outside business, his time with the residents had decreased over the months. One mid-morning, as Paul came into the office after breakfast with a new client, he called Andy into his office. "Andy, I've got a proposition for you. I need to hire an accountant. The workload is just too much, and I've got prospective clients I can't even get to. Are you interested?" "But I don't even have my degree, much less my CPA," Andy objected. "I know, and you'll have to get back to working on that," Paul answered. "But I'm sure you can do the work, and I will just review and certify it until you complete everything. I've talked to Julia, and she doesn't want to lose either of us. She sees this as a compromise that at least keeps us around. What do you say?" Actually, it could not have been more perfect. With his desire to marry Andi, Andy had come up hard against his lack of sufficient income. He had thought he would have to struggle through finishing his degree before he could do anything about that. Though she was healing rapidly, Andi wanted to stay at the Tee, as much for her mother as for herself. This offer would allow Andy to keep spending a lot of time with her. It took him only seconds to give Paul his enthusiastic acceptance. After further discussion, Andy decided he would try completing his degree online, as Andi was doing. They discovered there was no residency requirement before sitting for a CPA, and that was the main goal. It would save him a lot of travel and marginally effective classroom time, as the U extension was not rated any better than his online choice. He would undoubtedly finish his degree in a shorter elapsed time. Andy was the beneficiary of another creative move. Julia asked if he would be willing to live full-time on site and handle overnight duty for both sides. When he was a little reluctant at first, Julia used the clincher: he and Andi could share a room in the center section. Andi had not been on birth control long enough, yet, so condoms were still necessary, but that decreased the couple's joy only marginally. In the weeks they had been together as resident and attendant, they had been forced to go through the getting acquainted process in a way that too many couples totally miss out on. With their shared concern for Dottie, they had a common goal to work together on, as well. They had had sex just the one time before, and neither had made an issue of asking for any special permission. ------- In evaluating the operational aspects of Transformations, Julia had found a number of policies that needed change or relaxation. The policy against conjugal visits was fine, except that already two unique situations had arisen. With Mary and Floyd, both husband and wife were residents, and enhancing their sex life was a key part of their 're-birthing'. A staff member falling in love with a resident was a situation Julia had thought about, but not expecting it to happen so soon, she had made no specific provision for it. The center section offered a number of possibilities, including rooms where men and women could sleep together. Julia decided that was something she would exert arbitrary control over. Other factors were more important than uniformity of treatment for the residents. After much discussion with Frank, Gerald, and the consultants, an expansion of the center section was decided on. Actually, it was more the completion of another whole section. The common facilities and the existing center rooms would be maintained, but the anticipated third section that was constructed but not finished off would be completed. The estimate to completion was only four or five weeks. The new section would be open to men or women at their discretion. The nudity rule would be in effect at all times, except for staff. If families wanted extended visits, they were welcome in the new section, as long as they were naked. There would likely be other people there, and that was an additional hurdle for visitors. Julia was not certain how many families would avail themselves of the option, but she felt it had some immediate benefit for the residents. Residents would not move to the new section permanently, but would retain their rooms on their respective sides. Julia explained the new arrangement to Mary and Floyd before construction started. Since Mary had been willing to go naked to the men's side to be with Floyd, she had no hesitation. Surprisingly, Floyd's only concern was over the other male residents seeing his wife naked. His own exposure no longer bothered him at all. ------- Andi was an atypical resident from the beginning, because of age, appearance, and financial arrangement. She often felt guilty for taking up a position, yet being there for her mother was extremely important to her. With Andy providing overnight coverage, Barbara no longer needed to stay onsite constantly, and she moved back home. It was a long commute, but no one expected the arrangement to be permanent. Julia offered Andi the evening assistant manager's job, with the stipulation that she could still be a daytime resident for a while longer. The offer was accepted enthusiastically. Because of the many nights he had slept with his sister, his aunt, or his mother, Andy was used to snuggling up to a female companion. He loved his sister Beth deeply, but until he and Andi got together, he did not realize the difference in his feelings. To Andi, the constant closeness was new and thrilling. On only a few occasions in school had she spent the night with a guy, and none of those encounters were that memorable. In her time of slavery, her encounters were mercifully brief, and she kept herself from feeling anything for the johns. As much as possible, she tried not to even notice them. Largely because of her 'training' from Hector and his friends, Andi was an enthusiastic and skillful lover. She tried to apologize to Andy for that, but he honestly proclaimed his good fortune because of her skill. He himself was far less experienced at intercourse, but his other attentions left her feeling boneless. As they made love, Andi wanted almost constant kissing. She told Andy it was what made it different from her slavery days - she never kissed the johns. The two had talked often about the challenge to their relationship from Andi's days on the street, and Julia had spent some time with them. All agreed that the key was to talk about it, openly and often. Since Andy's relationships with his family fell outside of the norm, it was another issue they had to discuss freely lest it loom as a barrier between them. In a strange way, their backgrounds made them closer and more committed to each other. They both showed great determination to build the life they wanted together, despite what had gone before. ------- Another interesting phenomenon at the Tee was the way the female residents seemed eager to tell the male attendants everything. Apparently, too few had ever had a man who would listen to them and converse at an intimate level. Being careful that no resident would overhear, the guys often commented to each other that they should be honorary shrinks. Several times, Gretchen had seen her son Andy leaving one of the conversations with a bemused expression. Finally, just before she left for home one night, she caught him and teased "Whatsamatter, Hon, TMI?" "For sure!" Andy responded, then just shook his head in amazement. "That must be the kind of stuff women spend their time talking to each other about. Is it fair to assume that every woman here knows everything detail about every other woman's sex partners?" Something about the way his mother giggled in response set off alarm bells for Andy, and his shoulders slumped. "You know," he said, trying to sound hurt, "guys aren't allowed to kiss and tell. How come it's OK for the women?" "Andy, Honey, you already know the answer to that," she chortled. "Sex is women's business. We get to make the rules." Seeing that he truly was not very happy, she tried to console him. "Oh, don't worry, Andi gives you an A+++. That girl is so in love with you, it makes us all cry, besides getting us all hot. Her, uh, report makes me wish my scruples weren't so damned strong." With that, she gave him a short but very passionate kiss. Quickly changing to a sober mood, she told him "With everything that has happened to you two, it's a good thing you have so much practice with intimate talk. You're going to have to talk, talk, talk about everything to keep the past from being a problem. I'm guessing you're doing a pretty good job of it already." "Yeah, I'm really trying," he answered. "She starts to think about her time with Hector, and I can almost see this cloud come over her face. I keep telling her it doesn't matter, but..." "You may have to tell her another million times or two," Gretchen counseled. "Mom, you don't think it's just gratitude with Andi, do you?" "Not at all. She was attracted to you - VERY attracted to you - back when you met at school. The gratitude is there, but it's not the reason for the love." Hearing that, Andy sat in a nearby big chair and pulled his mother onto his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder, and they just communed silently for several minutes. Neither noticed when Andi came up and knelt by the arm of the chair. A soft sniffle gave away her presence, and they could see the tears coursing down her cheeks. It was Gretchen who reached out and stroked Andi's hair, instinctively picking up on the girl's feelings. Now would have been the perfect time for Andy to take Andi to their room, but she had to get dressed and go to the men's side for the evening. Barbara had been staying until supper and leaving right afterward. There wasn't a lot for Andi to do most evenings, and she filled the time with some of the menial tasks. Still, the responsibility made her feel less guilty for not paying her way. The intimate conversation phenomenon was not limited to the women, either, as Andi had quickly found out. The men had talked a lot with Barbara, but somehow, Andi's presence made them even more loquacious. They shared freely about their home situations, many times agonizing over mistakes they had made and relationships they had ruined. Other times, Andi got disturbed over the way some of the women had treated these men, vowing that she would never, ever treat her man that way. When the couple finally got to their room together, Andi asked about his conversation with his mother. "It was just so sweet to see her sitting in your lap like that," she enthused. "What I wouldn't give to have Dad hold me like that - or Matt!" "Did that used to happen?" he asked. "With Dad it did, when I was younger. I guess he thought it wasn't proper after I grew up." "Or maybe he just couldn't withstand the, uh, stimulation," he teased, trying to lighten things up. "Oh, Dad wouldn't think of me like that!" she objected. "Why not? I sure think of my mother like that," Andy told her. "Was your house pretty modest, or did you see them pretty much undressed?" "Pretty modest," she replied. "Oh, we weren't paranoid, or anything, but I never saw either of their dicks. We never sat around in our underwear, and we usually wore robes to breakfast." "Poor guys!" he remarked. "Just look at what they missed!" With that, he pulled off her two garments, and she returned the favor. Without anything being said, they walked together to the women's side, rinsed off, and got in the hot tub. There, they sat as close as physically possible, but otherwise respected propriety. They talked until they started to feel overheated, rinsed off again quickly, and went back to their room hand in hand. The door was still swinging shut when she jumped up on him, arms tightly around his neck and legs around his waist. He quickly got both hands on her ass to support her, and they kissed hungrily. His hands moved down from her cheeks and his fingers pulled at her lips from both sides. She hissed and moaned her approval, then gasped out "Not you fingers, your cock!" Andy was not a big, beefy guy, and she, while slim, was not tiny. However, weight and strength seemed to mean nothing at that moment as he used one hand to line up his already-hard member. Sensing its presence in just the right spot, she let herself sag down and he popped right in. Ever since the tender moment with Gretchen and Andy, Andi had felt like she was on an emotional edge. His intrusion into her was all it took, and she came, almost lifting herself off of him as her legs straightened in her convulsions. He was holding on to her tightly as she trembled. The feeling of his bare cock in her was so marvelous, he just wished - BARE!? Almost in a panic, he used every ounce of strength to lift her straight up and off of himself. She had barely cleared when he lost it and started spurting. Some hit her ass and thighs, but most just went onto the carpet. "Oh, Andy, I should have told you!" she said sadly, still jerking from aftershocks. "I'm due in about two days, and I'm safe." Not knowing how to react to that news, he just started laughing as he set her on the floor and held her up. She definitely was not ready to support herself standing. After they stood for a moment, he led her into the bathroom. Grabbing a washrag, he wet it and wiped his cum off of her backside. By this time, she could stand by herself, and he went in and cleaned up the globs from the carpet. By the time he rejoined her, she was the one laughing. "Honey," she said as she wrapped him in a hug, "let's promise we'll always let sex be fun, OK?" "You got it," he assured her. "And another thing: let's always talk about everything, especially those ghosts and demons." That just increased the intensity of the hug. "I hate to think we wasted any of my safe period," she lamented. "Think it's ready for another go?" It was, and before morning, they joined three more times. After some wake-up loving, Andi raised her head and looked at him for a long time before she spoke. "Honey, are you serious about marrying me?" "Am I ever! If I had the money, we'd be married already." "You're that sure?" "Absolutely! Not a single doubt." "Well, I just want you to know: you don't have to worry about money or anything for my sake," she told him. "I don't even care about a wedding. In fact, I don't think I could go through a wedding." "Oh, Darling," he objected, "your wedding is supposed to be the highlight of a girl's life." "Not this girl! This is my highlight. Just the promise that I can have this forever means more than any ceremony ever could. I don't like to keep bringing up the bad stuff, but it's there. Walking down the aisle in a long white dress: It would not be a high point for me. It would feel like a lie." "But we've been over and over that," he lamented. "That was not your fault. You shouldn't feel guilty." "... and maybe after we go over it a hundred more times, my feelings may change," she explained. "I hate to think I have to wait for so many things to happen before I can be Mrs. Andy Berg." The conversation was interrupted for a while be a torrid kiss that might have escalated into much more if his penis had not temporarily gone on strike. "But what about your Mom?" he asked after a while. "Won't she be looking forward to her only daughter's wedding?" "Oh! I suppose she would be." "Besides," he added, "a wedding could be a good way for your family to get together. I don't mean it would change everything, but at least they would all be face to face. ------- It was at breakfast the very next morning that Dottie sat beside her daughter and just said "I'm ready!" Andi did not have to ask what she meant. Andy, sitting on the other side of Andi, handed Dottie his phone. After they ate, Dottie pulled Andi with her to a secluded corner. She was trembling so hard she could barely dial. When Warren answered his office phone, he had to say 'hello' three times before Dottie could stammer out "W... W... Warren?" "Dottie? Dottie? Oh, God! I'm so glad you called! I am so sorry for the way I treated you!" "No, Warren! I'm the one who is sorry. I..." The next five minutes were spent with each trying to out-apologize the other. Dottie cut the conversation off after twenty minutes, promising to call back that evening. When she hung up, she and Andi fell into each other's arms, crying. Over the next few weeks, Dottie and Warren and Andi and Warren talked every single day. Much of the conversation covered ordinary everyday details of life, things they should have talked about more in person when they were all together. ------- The day after Dottie and Warren talked, Andi called Matt. Matt had suffered as much guilt as had Warren over cutting off his mother completely. He was very much his father's son, and his even more rigid personal code just could not deal with adultery. Intelligent as he was, he lacked the maturity and life experience to understand how people could be led into things that were unthinkable to them. The time since the breakup had taught him a lot. When Matt took Warren's side, Andi had reacted angrily and broken off contact with him, just as she had with Warren. That had hurt Matt deeply, as much as he loved his sister. When he had been unable to find her later, he assumed she wanted him completely out of her life. He could not understand how their closeness could be sundered so suddenly and completely, but the evidence was there. Every few weeks, he had tried to reach her, with no luck. Over the intervening months, Matt's view of things had changed a lot. First of all, he deeply regretted his own actions toward his mother. He could understand how his father felt, but Dottie's sin was against Warren, not against Matt. In every other way, she had been an exceptional mother. With every passing day, more of the good things from their past came to his mind. Within a month of the breakup, Matt was ready to talk to both Dottie and Andi, but loyalty to Warren held him back. Warren's change of heart took much, much longer. Then, when Andi seemed to have disappeared, he feared any attempt at contact would not be well received. All of that, coupled with a healthy dose of male pride, kept him from making the move he more and more wanted to make. As a result, Matt had no idea of the desperate condition Dottie had sunk into until Warren called him after hearing about Andi. The fact that his beloved sister had been a hooker, and scant miles from his campus room, almost cost him his grades for that semester. For many days, he was unable to concentrate and study. That fact that the prostitution was not Andi's fault he could understand. But the drugs that had led to it... Matt's college experience seemed to be more about morality versus reality than about the degree he was supposed to be pursuing. Both of the women in his life had fallen short of the standard he had set for them. Were they just immoral people? Or was his standard unreasonable? For a while after the breakup, Matt had thought that his love for his mother and sister had died. It would have been much more convenient for him if it had. It did not take long before the longing for a smile, a giggle, a touch, or a hug started to crowd out the indignation over Dottie's betrayal. As he watched the coeds showing their wares around campus, the image of Andi made them all seem dowdy. At his times of greatest depression and uncertainty, memories of his mother stroking his hair and shoulders and proclaiming her love for him drowned out the pain of her infidelity. Andi's call was the final blow. Just the sound of her voice left him speechless, with tears coursing down his cheeks. She was not in much better shape, but her experience at the Tee, and the strength she gained from Andy's love, gave her the will to speak first. "I... I've missed you terribly, Matt." "God, Andi, you don't know how much I've missed you! I tried to find you many times, but..." "Did Dad tell you what happened to me?" "Yeah, he did. I... I feel responsible," he admitted. "Why?" "Well, if we hadn't gone off angry with each other, maybe you wouldn't have gotten into the drugs, and maybe..." he tried to explain. "Oh, Matt. We'll all go crazy if we start thinking that way," she chided him. "I just want to see if we can get back some of what we had. The love is still there, I just know it." Within a couple of days, Matt was also talking to his mother on a daily basis. ------- At first, it took a huge effort, and she had to come to Mark afterwards, sometimes in tears. But Lindsey set out to spend meaningful time with her mother every time she was at the Tee. She explained what she was doing to Julia and apologized for the time not spent on tasks. Julia responded that it was therapy for Mary, and well worth the time. Lindsey tried to make the get-togethers natural, such as exercising with her and sitting by her at dinner. Mary knew what was going on, and it was hard for either of them to be relaxed and easy. Still, habits were building and supposedly impenetrable walls were fracturing. One night, Lindsey had been busy until late in the evening, so she asked Mary to join her in the hot tub. She knew it was very hard for her mother to see her naked, but that was just one more thing that had to change. Lindsey was quiet, just coming down from a strenuous day, so Mary took the conversational lead. "I suppose you know the rules about your Dad and me sleeping together?" "Yes. I heard he has to meet his weekly goals or use his hand." Lindsey had just said it, not intending any attack as she might have in the past. "Honey, don't say that about your father! He wouldn't!" "Of course he would. He should," Lindsey insisted. "Don't you?" "But that's sinful!" "Chapter and verse, Mom? Look, you guys are learning how good sex can be. You're seeing that it can take your relationship to new places. Sometimes, you have this pressure and you need relief. Last week, Dad goofed off, so you're alone tonight. Isn't it almost unbearable?" "Well, I'm not as young and full of hormones as you are," Mary tried to rationalize. "But you're closer to a woman's sexual peak than I am, Mom." Calling her 'Mom' had gotten easier by the day. "Almost every woman here has a vibrator or some other aid. Let me get one for you?" "You would go and buy something like that?" Mary asked in total disbelief. "Don't have to. There's a stash of them that Julia bought just in case." Mary was silent, and Lindsey decided to let the matter go for the moment. Instead, Mary changed the subject. "Lindsey, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your taking these times with me. Are you spending some time with your Dad, too?" That hit a sore spot with Lindsey. She knew she should, but had run out of willpower. Her silence answered Mary's question. "I... I know he doesn't measure up to your Mark, or to Paul. But he's my man, and I do love him. This place is supposed to change people, and I'm hoping..." "You're right, Mom, but it's tough. You know it's tough for me with you, too. But we can talk about girl things, at least. I... I just can't find ways to connect with him. Things that happened that first day made it worse. Back then, I was happy to get some revenge, but now I know what Julia means. She says 'revenge is never as satisfying as you expect it to be'." "Well, anything you can do, I'll appreciate. I... I get the feeling I'm kind of leaving him behind," Mary lamented. "You know, as brilliant as Julia is," Lindsey mused, "I don't think she can get through to Dad the way a man could. I just wish there was someone around that could shake him up. I have a feeling he views this place as female-dominated. It kind of makes him sullen and uncooperative." It was not a problem they could resolve right then, and the talk turned to other things. After another quiet period, Mary said "I don't think I'll ever be able to say it enough, Lindsey. I'm so, so sorry." Lindsey just took her hand and gave it a squeeze. It was a jolt to Lindsey to realize how natural it had been to grab her mother's hand. She had not thought about it or forced herself, as she had so many times before. It disturbed her that she was starting to understand Mary - understand her and pity the life that had made her what she was. There was also growing admiration for the strength and determination to change that Mary was showing. Lindsey thought they were probably done talking for that night, but she sensed Mary trying to ask something a couple of times. She decided it was better to just wait and see what the question was. It took several minutes, but Mary finally asked. "D... do you... ah, do people really do this, ah, oral sex?" Mary sort of spit out the last two words. This was not a conversational turn Lindsey expected or wanted. Why would her mother ask that? Well, maybe if Lindsey hadn't brought up masturbation and vibrators... Did she want to become her mother's sex tutor? At first, she had not wanted to become anything to her mother, but she had already made that decision. How could she turn back now? It was something very personal to connect on, and it was personal to Mary. Maybe concepts were just absorbed by being around this place, because Lindsey sensed just what Mary was doing. Mary was giving her daughter a chance to reverse their roles! Having failed in her mothering role, Mary was so desperate for the closeness she saw she had lost, that she would do anything. Mary had once barely been able to tell Lindsey about her period, and all of her previous stern threats and cautions had used oblique terms about sexual activity. Now, she was putting herself in the role of the clueless child, eager to learn from the older, more experienced woman. That thought was stunning to Lindsey, but she realized it wasn't the whole story. Mary's comment about leaving Floyd behind must have a lot to do with it. She now realized that her best tool for changing Floyd was sex, and she still felt naive and inadequate. Lindsey almost gagged as the picture of her mother giving her father a blowjob flashed through her mind, followed by him eating her out. She had to tell herself that they were not disgusting to each other. Actually, without all the fat, Floyd would not look that bad. His organ was decently shaped with no deformities or discoloration. Mary's rampant bush kept her labia pretty much a mystery, one that Lindsey was not eager to explore. "Is there a particular reason you want to know, Mom?" "You know you hardly ever see your grandparents, and you've probably guessed it's not just because of distance," Mary told her. "Well, my mother is... she's..." after a short pause, Mary spat out "She's a bitch!", then looked at Lindsey almost with triumph at her use of a 'forbidden' word. "I've never found out why we never see Floyd's parents. I'm sure that something really bad happened, and I think it still affects him," Mary explained. "We've gotten closer physically, but I don't think things will get much better until I can get him to tell me what happened." "So you think maybe a blowjob might help make him talk?" Lindsey asked, half expecting 'Twilight Zone' music to accompany the incredibly weird conversation. Mary hung her head for a moment, then straightened her shoulders in the little defiant gesture that had become her trademark lately. "Barbara told me that paying attention to a man's penis was a way to, uh, persuade him. I've, uh, tried it a little, and it seems to work. I want to get him to talk about what happened, and I thought..." "In answer to your first question, Mom, yes we do oral sex. We did it before we had intercourse, and it's exciting, and intimate, and loving." Considering for a moment, she plunged ahead. "Mark always makes sure I come, and it doesn't happen very often when he's in me, so he uses his mouth and his hands." What was she doing, Lindsey demanded of herself? This... this woman who had caused her so much pain: this sexless lump of a woman who never properly told her the facts of life: why was she sharing such intimate details with her? She was doing it because she had made the commitment to try to forgive. She had not idea it would extend to this, but... Lindsey thought briefly about fetching Andi, the true expert on the handling of male organs. But the level of expertise here was not nearly as important as the sharing. So, she talked for quite a while about how to use arousal and frustration to get Floyd to talk. She described blowjob techniques. They talked so long they had to leave the hot tub to avoid overheating, and they continued on the bed in Mary's room. When the talk wound down, Lindsey looked at her mother in honest admiration. "That was really hard for you to talk about, wasn't it, Mom?" "Not... not nearly as hard as what I put you through for all those years," Mary said with her head down. Then, her head came up and her shoulders came back in that same defiant gesture. "And I feel like I'm fighting for my marriage." At Lindsey's gasp of surprise, Mary hurried to explain. "Oh, we'd never divorce, or anything. That's not the problem. The problem is that we're married, but we've never had anything like Norma and Paul have; or you and Mark, or Ryan and Carol; even Dottie and Warren before she messed up." "I've been living with all these wonderful relationships, and it's made me want that for myself. Maybe Floyd isn't a good enough man to give me that, but I'm not going to give up on him, yet. I think we're at a dead end unless I can get him to talk about what happened." Mother and daughter sat quietly after that revelation. Then, Mary delivered another shock. "Are there really some, uh, you know, uh vibrators around here?" ------- The next day, Lindsey talked to Julia for a while about her father and his lack of progress. They discussed kicking him out as a wakeup call, but Julia doubted that would have the desired result. "We need something to make him feel superior - in charge," Lindsey opined. "You're exactly right, Lindsey," Julia agreed. "He's an expert on investment strategies. Let's have him set up a series of classes and demonstrations. We'll do them in the new center section, and women can attend. We'll do a little lobbying to make sure several women are interested. Maybe it will help break this female dominance problem." ------- When Barbara moved back home, the daily conversations with Derek did not stop, nor did the discussions with the girls. After that night in the hot tub at the Tee, they were all in agreement that Barbara should explore her relationship with Derek. However, she wanted to make sure the girls, particularly Penny, really felt that way, so it became a daily topic. For herself, Barbara wanted to move slowly, also. About a week after the hot tub session, Barbara made the call to Larry, her ex. She just told him there was no chance that they could get back together. When he asked if they could at least be friends, she was shaken for a moment, but felt she had to protect herself. She promised to interact normally with him concerning the girls, but that would be all. By prior arrangement, the girls were right beside her during the call, and they had a long group cry when she hung up. It was Derek who suggested he should start talking to the girls. "I have a feeling," he told Barbara, "that I have to win them over as much as I do you." Derek talked to Leslie first, and they had a good first chat. He asked her about her life, and that took up most of the time. She was not particularly nervous, and there were even a few humorous moments. The next night, Penny got on the phone with Derek, and it did not go well. She was not a shy girl, nor had her upbringing been unusually sheltered. For whatever reason, she could hardly put together a sentence. "It looks like you have a split decision on me between the girls," Derek told Barbara after he finished with Penny. "Oh, that's not true. Penny's been encouraging me, just like Leslie. Why do you say that?" Barbara asked. He explained how halting her conversation had been. "Penny? Tongue-tied?" Barbara exclaimed in disbelief. "I guess I should have listened to that. It would be the first time, ever." Later, Barbara found Penny looking very disconsolate in her room. "He must think I'm a total dork!" she almost cried when Barbara asked her what the problem was. There had to be some reason why the usually bubbly and loquacious Penny had been tongue-tied. Barbara talked to her for twenty minutes, probing for some clue with no luck. "Is it because he's a stranger and you've never met him?" she asked Penny. "I guess," the girl answered unconvincingly. "Well, you've seen his college picture, at least," Barbara told her. That's when it hit her: the picture; the Warrior picture. She knew Penny was body-shy and naive. When she talked to Derek, she probably saw in her mind his cock in the background of that picture, and got totally flustered. The girl's sexual timidity had now become a family problem. The solution came to Barbara in a flash. ------- As Leslie drove them across town to the Tee in early rush hour traffic, Penny kept asking why their mother wanted them to come over on a Friday night. Why wasn't she just coming home? She didn't work much on the weekends anymore. Leslie professed ignorance, even though Barbara had told her the plot. She herself was more than a little nervous about the upcoming evening. When they entered the women's side to find their mother naked, Penny got the feeling something was afoot, but there was nothing specific out of the ordinary. When Barbara told them to join her for a swim, Penny's suspicions grew. She looked around and saw no males, and having done it before, she hurried out of her clothes and into the pool. It was all staged perfectly. Barbara and the girls had been horsing around for several minutes, and Penny was in the shallow end talking to her mother, who was sitting on the edge. Hearing a splash behind her, Penny spun around to see Norma, Becks, Tori, and Lindsey in the pool. She started to smile in greeting when she saw someone else standing on the edge. When Penny identified Paul and Mark, she froze, mouth open and hands dangling in the water. Her eyes dropped unbidden to Mark's crotch, then flicked to Paul's, then back again, before she thought of her own nudity. Then, she screeched, threw her arm across her chest, and hunched down in the water to hide herself. Becks and Lindsey now went into action, walking toward Penny to screen her from the men. They did not acknowledge her distress at all, but just told her how glad they were to see her, and commented on how nice the pool was. They kept up a line of inconsequential chatter as Penny just looked up at them in disbelief, occasionally glancing toward the guys. Paul and Mark were now seated casually on the pool edge, making sure their crotches were open to view. It took almost ten minutes before Penny was able to stand up. It took that long for her brain to take over from her fright and realize that she was the only one concerned about being naked. Though body-shy, she did have her pride, and she did not like appearing the baby to her younger cousin. Barbara was watching carefully but unobtrusively. This was definitely shock therapy, and there was a chance her daughter could collapse and go into shell. She was confident Penny was stronger than that, but the fear existed. Leslie was bravely fighting her own embarrassment. She was doing all right, but was in no shape to help her younger sister. Barbara wondered how it could happen that people were so terrified of exposing their bodies. Penny was definitely Barbara's daughter. After about a half hour, she squared her shoulders and walked toward the guys, who were still sitting on the edge. They purposely sat at the shallow end so Penny would only be submerged to about her waist. They could see her struggle to keep from covering her breasts, which move enticingly as she pushed through the water. She apologized for being childish and they complimented her on her body. From then on, things in the pool got more jovial, Neither Penny nor Leslie were up to chicken fighting, but they did not just stand around shyly, either. The big shock for Penny was when her clothes were not where she had left them. Barbara told her she and Leslie were going to be like residents for the weekend. Even Leslie did not know about that part. Of course, she had to take it in stride and not show any nervousness to her little sister. Penny took it quite well until Trish and Terry showed up. Then, she looked for somewhere to hide again. Before she could do anything, though, Terry and Trish stripped, and Penny was left gaping at Terry's body. It had taken some convincing, but Julia had finally agreed to Barbara's highly unusual request. For that weekend, everyone, including staff, would be naked. Barbara wanted Penny to get over her fixation and fear of Derek's penis, and she thought this was the perfect way. All of the guys were extremely fond of Barbara, and were happy to accommodate her. They all liked the girls, too, and were certainly not adverse to two more nice young bodies around for the weekend. By Saturday noon, all of the male staff had made an appearance, and Penny adjusted very well. She was able to talk and joke easily with Mark and Paul, and could even look them in the face - most of the time. The guys all knew that the objective was to get her familiar and comfortable with male bodies, so they did not mind. Mid-morning on Sunday, Barbara pulled a big surprise. She had the girls put on visitor uniforms, and headed for the men's side. Every one of the male residents was in love with Barbara to some extent, so they were happy to go along with her request. She asked them if they would be willing to meet and talk to her daughters, even though it was non-policy. They all agreed, even Floyd, who had been told in no uncertain terms by Mary that his agreement was not optional. In contrast to all the well-conditioned bodies of the male staff, Barbara wanted the girls to see the more ordinary bodies of the residents. It turned out that the girls stayed on the mens' side all the way through supper. They charmed all of the men, and many of the men's stories brought them to tears. Even Floyd was able to spend quite a while with them, proving that he was making progress in at least some areas. Even though he was getting a little weary of the universal adulation of his daughter and his wife, he took it in good grace, and told the girls a little of how much their mother had helped him and Mary. They left with invitations to return any time as family. Barbara decided to just stay Sunday night, rather than driving home. As soon as the girls got in the house, Penny called Derek. "Hi, Derek, this is Penny. I'm sorry I was so tongue-tied the other night. I'm not usually like that." "That's what I hear from your mother and your sister," Derek replied. "Were you just nervous?" "Oh, I was being a baby. I'm over it, now." Penny when on to prove beyond a doubt that she was over it. In the process, she completely charmed Derek. When they hung up after nearly an hour, he wondered if he was a fool to consider life with Barbara. He just knew he would be helplessly at the mercy of two females - maybe three. ------- From the first contact, both Warren and Matt had wanted very much to get together with the women. Dottie and Andi were of two minds. They both wanted to see the men, but Dottie, in particular, was not ready to leave the Tee. For a while, she just kept putting Warren off, saying she wasn't ready. Finally, she stunned Warren with a proposal. "Warren, there is a new section of this place almost ready to open. I have arranged for us to have it to ourselves for the first weekend, starting on Thursday night. Matt has no Friday classes this semester. We will only do this if all four of us can be here together. And Warren: we will all be naked the whole time." After a very long pause, Warren asked "Is... is this punishment for you having to be there, naked?" "Oh, no! Nothing could be farther from the truth. This is the most wonderful place! You won't believe how things change without clothes. I want the four of us to have a chance at the openness and honesty that seems to be the rule here. We've got a lot of things to get over, and I think this would be the best start. Julia has even said she will spend some time with all of us - if you can handle it, that is." The opportunity for the weekend was ten days away, and Warren had to first convince himself, then Matt. At first, he was stunned and a little angry that Dottie would suggest it. It just was not the way they had lived their lives as a family. But what had that gotten them? The first thing Warren did was call Matt to tell him about the offer. It took several tries to convince Matt that it was not a joke. Then, he got angry, and Warren found himself in the unique position of defending the Transformations concept and Dottie's idea. A rather heated discussion went on for a half hour before Warren decided they were getting nowhere. "Look, Matt," Warren finally said, "our family is a mess. Dottie did something terrible to start it all, but we don't know what she was going through at the time. I reacted in the worst possible way, and took you along with me. I wish I could take back my actions, but I can't." "This Transformations place has helped get both Dottie and Andi out of their private Hells, Hells that I - we - helped put them in." Matt objected, pointing out Dottie's adultery and Andi's drug use, but Warren went right on. "I know, I know! They did bad things, very bad things. But the undeniable truth is that I could have kept the family together. I was rigid, just like I'm afraid you're being. Let me tell you, it's not worth the heartache. I'm not perfect, and neither are you. To expect the women to be perfect is ridiculous." "You don't know this yet," Warren continued, "but having someone, a soul mate, is so precious that you should sacrifice almost anything for it. Dottie and I were totally different people, but what we had was great. I didn't try hard enough to keep it. Let me tell you, principles and pride are lousy bed partners!" "It... it sounds like you're ready to take her back," Matt said. "Yes, I am ready," Warren answered. "The problem now is that she isn't ready." "Why not?" "Guilt. She feels like she abused me for twenty-five years, even before the, uh, miscarriage. She did, but it was worth it to me, especially now that she's gone," Warren fell silent after that exchange. "But why naked?" Matt demanded. "Matt, it's where they found help, and where they feel comfortable. They're asking us to come on their turf and share what they've experienced." "And you're ready to expose yourself to your daughter?" Matt asked. "Hell, I'm about ready to walk all the way over there naked," Warren said with a chuckle. "Then why don't you just go?" "Your mother was emphatic about that. It's all of us or forget it," Warren explained. "And you're OK with me seeing my mother and my sister naked?" Matt was still incredulous. "No, I'm not, to tell the truth. But I'm much less OK with the mess this family is in right now. Look, we've talked this to death for now. Think about it and talk to them about it, OK?" Talking about it with the women was absolutely the last thing Matt wanted to do. The next evening, Warren told the women about his conversation with Matt. "So you're willing?" Dottie asked him. "Willing is putting it too strongly, but yes, I'll do it," he assured her. Dottie gave Andi a thumbs up on hearing that. "Then it's up to us to convince him," Dottie stated. There was no answer when Andi called Matt at their usual time, and she assumed it was not coincidence. She started dialing him every ten minutes until after an hour and a half he gave in and answered. His demeanor was cool and a little sullen, but she refused to be baited when he asked "Why would you do this to me?" "Is it so bad?" Andi asked. "It's not right to expose ourselves like that. We've never lived that way." "No, we haven't. And we've never been screwed up like this, either. Look, Matt, do you consider it punishment? Would it be that distasteful to see you mother and your sister naked?" "Of course not! It's not that," he stammered, "it's just, uh..." "It's just that you don't think you can stand the embarrassment, huh?" she finished for him. "You're afraid you'll get a hardon, right? Well, let me remind you: I gave hardons for a living for a while..." "How can you even talk about that?" Matt asked in shock. "It happened! I can't make it un-happen," she answered. "If I don't talk about it, it will drive me crazy?" "But what about Andy? How does he handle it?" "He's the one who convinced me I had to talk about it - him and Julia, the shrink who runs this place," was her response. "The point I was trying to make was that you shouldn't be embarrassed if it happens. We're not going to think badly of you. We'll be so thrilled just to be together!" He met her comments with a groan. They talked for several more minutes, then Dottie got on to do her selling job. "Matt, Honey, you shouldn't worry about us seeing you. Think of me! I lost so much weight my tits shrunk. They just sort of hang there, now, but I don't even care. In a couple of hours, you'll forget you're naked." ------- Chapter 20 The various selling jobs were successful enough that a very nervous Warren and a nearly petrified Matt arrived at the Tee about eight on Thursday evening. Julia, ever conscious of staging, had decided that Andy was the appropriate one to meet them and usher them into the newly opened section. After thinking about Dottie's request for sole use of the section, Julia had decided it was a great idea, and should be used for other families, as well. Warren and Andy had met and had talked on the phone, but it was a first meeting for Andy and Matt. They spent a little time getting acquainted, though all it seemed to do was make Matt more anxious. "Well, I'm sure the women are as anxious as you are. Just put your clothes in the closet over there, and your valuables in a tray. I'll lock them up," Andy instructed. It was hard for Andy not to laugh at the look of sheer panic on Matt's face. "Warren, just use the Women's bathroom and Matt can use the men's." Walking with Matt toward the Men's, Andy told him "Look Matt, Andi loves you so much it hurts. Nothing that could happen will change that. Let this be a time to get closer than you were before. She's going to be my wife, and she needs things to be right with her brother and her father before we can have the kind of relationship we want." "So you guys are that serious, huh?" Matt asked. "For sure," Andy asserted. "Um, this is a little personal, but, uh, she's going to see you hard sometime this weekend." As Matt groaned, he went on. "In fact, she'll be heartbroken if she doesn't. You've got two choices: you can take the pressure off now and delay the inevitable; or, you can walk in right now at full strength and get it over with." Matt just looked at him, but said nothing as he went into the bathroom. While both men undressed, Andy hurried in and told the women that the guys were undressing. Then, he waited and held the door open for them. The women were not shy about having their arms around each other for support. The men just had to gut it out. Matt had taken a few extra minutes to jerk off. With that and the anxiety, there should have been no immediate threat of an erection. However, with his first sight of his naked mother and sister, he was afraid it might happen anyway. It was jarring to be naked and face-to-face with his mother for the first time. But his eyes were drawn uncontrollably to Andi. All the years of wondering and fantasizing were fulfilled, and exceeded. His penis stayed fairly soft, but his heart pounded so loud he was sure she could hear it. He even forgot about his own exposure. No one moved for fifteen or twenty seconds. They were all frozen by the unprecedented situation and by the terrible things that had brought them to this point. It was Dottie who broke the tableau by walking up to Warren, taking both of his hands in hers, and kissing him on the cheek. She repeated the same greeting with Matt, as Andi followed right behind her. Andi was proud of herself that she kept her eyes on the men's faces, reminding herself that there would be plenty of time for closer examination later. She suppressed a grin as she noticed that neither of the men was as successful. According to their plan, they took the guys on a tour of the newly finished section. They pointed out things that were different from the existing women's side, and described how they used the various facilities. They knew there was more attention on their bare behinds than on what they were describing as they led the guys around, and that was just fine. The tour took nearly an hour, as the women described their daily activities in detail. Of course, this had all been done before on the phone, but the objective was to fill time without talking about 'the subject'. Minute by minute, they could see the men getting less self-conscious. At the end of the tour, Andi scurried off to find Andy, who served them a snack that had been prepared. As they ate, Andy said "My Mom, Gretchen, is the food service manager, and Carol is her helper. One of them usually serves all meals. If it would bother you to have another woman see you, I'll take care of it." He had cleverly posed the question so it was almost a challenge to their egos. Matt and his father looked at each other, shrugged, and Warren said "You don't need to change anything just for us." The next stop was a leisurely soak in the hot tub, with 'the subject' still kept under wraps. Afterwards, they all watched the evening news before retiring. ------- Andi waited impatiently. She had to make sure he was in bed, but not yet asleep. It would be best if he was a little groggy. After what seemed like hours, she opened the door to her father's room and slipped in. She was under the covers and pressing her naked body against his before he even reacted. "Dottie? I don't think..." "No, Dad. Not Dottie. I wanted my chance before you guys get together." "Andi, don't do this. It's so wrong!" "Dad, we're not going to have intercourse. That's only for Andy. But I want to be close to you for just this one night." He tried to get out of bed, but she anticipated his move and got on top of him. "Dad, please! Stop worrying about how wrong this is. Just love me. We can heal this mess, but things can never be like they were before. Please!" Whether it was her words, her tone, or the feel of her body against his, something changed his mind and he sagged back, causing her to start crying softly. Through her tears, she told him "Ever since I can remember sexual feelings, I got worked up just looking at you. I used to think how lucky Mom was to have a man like you. Once I learned what it meant, I always thought of you as a virile stud." "I suppose it happens to all girls," she went on, "but I got off many nights thinking about you, wondering what you looked like, what you felt like. The older I got, the more I dreamed of you making love to me, putting it in me." His hands had remained by his sides, not what she wanted. "Dad, touch me. Run your hands over me. You must have wondered what I would feel like, haven't you? Well, please find out. This is your chance." "Oh, Honey, I don't think I can. This is incest, and it's wrong." "Oh, Daddy, that's the kind of thinking that ended up in divorce. You can call it incest if you want, but it's two people who love each other showing it. How wrong can that be?" "I want us to be a family again, and I think you do, too," she said in a pleading voice. "For that to happen, we all have to think about things differently. This isn't dirty, it loving and intimate. Please, please think of it that way, and touch me." She had no way of knowing the turmoil he was suffering. His fantasies and urges went back at least as far as hers, but it was a point of great pride for him that he had never acted on them. Sadly, his steely control had caused him to refrain from even some of the innocent caresses and hugs that she had craved. She had no doubt of his love, for he found many ways to show it. It was just that the tactile manifestations would have meant so much. This was not the time to prove control, it was the time to show love. Almost without his involvement, his hands moved to her back and began slowly, tenderly stroking the smoothness of her flesh. She purred, the sound seeming to come from deep within her, and at that point, he was lost. Her skin seemed to ripple under his touch, and before he knew it, his hands had been drawn down to the supple mounds of her ass. With his first hungry squeeze, her lips locked onto his in a lover's kiss. For many long minutes, their tongues dueled and his hands kneaded her cheeks. She pulled back slowly, then sat up. Reaching over him, she turned on the reading lamp and threw back the sheet that covered them. Reflexively, he covered himself with his hands, but she took them in her own. "One thing a girl is most curious about, Dad, is the wondrous organ that made her. Until today, I never got to see it. Now, I get to really see it." Having said that, she pushed his hands out of the way and took his already stiff cock in her own. Almost as if under a spell, he made no effort to deter her, and instead, groaned out his arousal. On the street, she had learned how to handle cocks, and she used all of her expertise on her father. She pumped it energetically; she kneaded his balls gently; she teased the head with her fingertips; she pulled with both hands, seeming about to rip it off; she stroked firmly behind his sac; she squeezed the base to forestall ejaculation; she took him to the brink repeatedly, only to haul him back at the last moment. He was writhing and groaning almost constantly, desperate to come, but loathe to end the feelings. Finally, she cupped his balls firmly and stroked his shaft vigorously with the other hand. When his sperm burst forth at last, she kept a firm hold, thrilling as his testicles jumped in one hand and the shaft pulsed in the other, in time with the spurts traveling up its length. When he was drained at last, his effluent lay in a line up his belly. She kept her hold until he became too soft to fill her hand any longer. She dashed to the bathroom and returned with a warm, wet rag and a towel. Still almost in a trance, he lay motionless, his eyes following her every move. She lovingly cleaned him up, then sat for many minutes just talking and fondling his spent penis. As she reminisced about tender moments from their past, she squeezed, twirled, and stretched the limp shaft; she ran her fingers through his wiry pubes, and traced them down around the root of his genitals; she hefted and bounced his testicles, then traced her fingertips over his sac. In every way she could, she worshipped her father's organ. Even after the long buildup and the 'to-the-last-drop' ejaculation, the actions of her hands had to have an effect sooner or later, and he eventually stiffened again under her touch. When it happened, she turned off the light and laid down, half atop him. With her face near his ear, she spoke softly. "Daddy, thank you for letting me fulfill a girl's dream. It was wonderful! You are such a man! The power when you came! Promise me you won't feel guilty about this. I feel closer to you than ever before. Don't spoil it by scolding yourself for letting this happen." "You're nice and hard again. Do you want to come once more, or shall I just hold you like this and fall asleep?" He could only nod in answer, and in a surprisingly short time, both were deep in slumber. ------- Sometime in the wee hours, he had to pee, but first had to get out from under her body and liberate his penis from her grasp. As he did so, she woke up and staggered behind him into the bathroom. He looked at her in puzzlement before realizing that she had no intention of giving him privacy. It was about then that he noticed the little grin, just before she stepped up and took his penis between two fingers. "I love to help Andy like this. It's so intimate. Can I, Daddy?" Even a few hours of sleep had not loosened her almost-hypnotic hold on him, and he let her lead him to the toilet, raise the lid, and aim. It took a little longer, but soon she was aiming his stream into the bowl with a satisfied sigh. Back in bed, Andi wasted no time before diving right into the 'the subject'. "Dad, tomorrow night, you need to go to Mom's bed." "Ohhhh! I don't know if she wants that, Honey." "But you do, don't you?" She could feel him nod in the dark and went on. "If you want to get back together, you have to make it happen because she won't. She feels unworthy and doesn't want to 'inflict' herself on you again." With just a note of bitterness, he said "So I have to be something I'm really not, just like before." "No! We already know that won't work," she told him. "But you have to make the reconciliation happen. She can't. Once you're back together, you'll find she's a whole different person - a lot more like you." "Can anyone really change that much?" he asked. "Why don't we ask Julia. Is it OK if she comes to talk to us?" "Like this? Oh, Hell, why not? You were right about the nudity. It gets easy pretty quickly." "Dad, I have an idea that could help us get back to where we were. How about a double wedding?" ------- Sometime in the early dawn light, Andi left her father's bed. Warren found himself unable to sleep any longer and wandered to the eating area, hoping to find some coffee. It was disconcerting walking naked through the large open space, but much easier than it had been the night before. Just as he reached the area, a woman came out with a thermal pot, and he jumped and looked for a place to retreat. Gretchen picked up on his problem immediately and came over with her hand extended. "Hi, you must be Warren. I'm Gretchen Berg, Andy's mother. I can't tell you how excited I am for your Andi to be my daughter-in-law. We have all grown to love her so much since she came here." All this was said quickly while she looked him straight in the eye. "H... hello, Gretchen. I'm happy to meet you. "Th... this is probably the strangest way ever for future in-laws to meet." They sat down with a cup of coffee and exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Warren came out with what was troubling him. "Gretchen, I imagine I'm considered pretty much an ogre around here, huh?" "Why do you think that?" "Well, I'm sure Dottie has made friends with all the women. After the way I treated her and what it did to her..." "You know, Warren, this place has a way of bringing out the whole truth. And I have to tell you: Dottie has defended you very strongly." "She has?" "You bet. She has been very remorseful about the things you had to do to keep her happy, and about the way she thought of you," Gretchen explained. "But I still reacted very badly. It's... it's not really how am I. I..." "Warren, it's time to stop beating yourself up about it and concentrate on fixing it." "No wonder they like it here so well," he said softly. They sipped in silence for a while before Warren spoke up again. "I guess you see so many naked men you hardly even notice, huh?" "Not true. I always notice. If Dottie was somehow stupid enough to refuse to get back with you, I'd be after you myself," she said with a giggle. He just grinned, and there was another silence. "Gretchen, is there any way I could meet the other women before I leave?" "Oh, I think something could be arranged. Why?" "I'd, uh, like to thank them for helping Dottie and Andi so much. And apologize for them having to come here in the first place. I don't like the idea of all those women thinking badly of me." "I'll talk it over with Julia. That's a brave thing to do," Gretchen said with obvious admiration. It was very hard for Matt to have one more woman see him, but Gretchen's nonchalant manner went a long way toward helping him relax and enjoy the good food. Afterward, Gretchen asked Matt "Have you ever run into my daughter Beth down at school?" "No, I haven't. Was she the one who helped get Andi out of there?" Matt answered. When Gretchen nodded, he said "I would like to meet her and thank her." "I'm sure she'd like that. Turns out she's coming up on the bus later today. Maybe she could stop in and say hello," she said with a straight face. "Sure, that would be great," he said spontaneously. Then a look of horror came over his face and he yelped out "No, wait, that... I couldn't... !" Gretchen broke up at that, put her arm around his bare back and laid her her head on his shoulder as she laughed. "Gotcha!" It took a while, but he was finally able to chuckle along with her. "Matt, clothes or no clothes - it's no big deal. Beth would be more than happy to strip for the introduction if it would make you feel better. If it weren't for policies, I'd be naked right now to make it easier for you guys." "That would make it easier?" he quipped. "Not hardly!" "Hey!" Gretchen remarked, "now I really want Beth to meet you! Tell you what. Why don't you offer her a ride back to school with you on Sunday. That would give you some time to get acquainted. After all, you're going to be in-laws." "Great idea! I'll be leaving from here about two." ------- Matt made it until mid-morning without springing one, but when Dottie spread her legs on one of the exercises, he lost it. She was very tender and got right up to reassure him. She took his arm and led him away from the others. They sat and talked for quite a while. Eventually, she got right up on his lap and hugged his face to her chest. "I can feel it poking me, and it's OK, Honey. Just don't worry about it. I'm just sorry I don't have much to rest your face on any more. I'm working hard, though, and they'll be back to normal before you know it." Silence was Matt's only response. This was all so far outside of their previous family experience that he could not relate to it. His mind told him he should feel outraged and guilty, but the feel of her naked body on his gave him a sense of closeness to her that he had never felt before. Yes, he was hard, but his thoughts were of love and tenderness, not of sex. Eventually, even with her still on his lap, he softened, and they returned to where Andi was still exercising. The rest of Friday was spent showing the guys a typical day in the women's lives. Both were completely in awe of Dottie's exercise intensity. When she was done and exhausted, Andi took a big chance and led them all to a massage room. It was hard to tell who was more nervous when she ordered Warren to give Dottie her massage. Up to that time, there had been almost no physical contact between them. Andi was persistent. When Warren finally coated his hands with oil and placed them on her back, Dottie broke down into huge, wracking sobs. He at first thought he had done something wrong, but Andi assured him that was not the case. Through her sobs, Dottie was able to tell him she had thought she had lost his touch forever. That was the perfect moment for the former spouses to be left alone, and Andi towed Matt to another massage room. He was as reluctant as his father had been, but she would not let up, and soon, he was working her back. It was definitely more than he could withstand, and he hardened again. She felt him pull back from her and was having none of that. "Matt, I saw it before, and it's beautiful. I'm for sure not offended. Now, concentrate on the massage and forget the hardon. Honestly, if you had stayed soft, I'd be sure something was wrong with one of us." She insisted he do her buttocks, and considered turning over, but decided that was too much too soon. When he was done, he was still as hard as stone, and he tried to turn away so she couldn't see it. Taking his hand, she led him to the community shower where she washed off the oil as he stood transfixed. When she was done, she pulled him under the spray and started washing him, ignoring his protests. By the time she got to his crotch, he was in the same nearly hypnotic state that Warren had been in during the night. Still, when she began washing his cock, he tried to pull away. "Andi, we can't! It's... it's... !" "Yeah, I know the word - incest. I don't care, Matt. I love you, and I always have. Don't worry, though. Intercourse is only for Andy, but there are other ways to show love. Like this." With that, she dropped to her knees and sucked him into her mouth before he could react. When he did react a few seconds later, it was to flood her throat with surge after surge of his cum, all of which she swallowed. She could see him wobbling, and jumped up to help him sit down before he fell. His cock was still swollen and dribbling, so she stroked it with her hand as they sat on the hard tile with the spray falling on them. "I think you needed that as much as I did," she told him. "Y... you needed that?" he asked in surprise. "Ever since my pussy first started to tingle," she answered. "This," and she jiggled his package, "has been a source of mystery and fantasy for as long as I can remember. You can't believe how hard it was not to stare at it when you walked in yesterday." "Uh, thank you for not staring. I couldn't have handled it right then," he told her. "Can you handle it now?" "After a blowjob from my sister, out in the open? I should be able to handle most anything?" he was able to joke. Changing the mood, she helped him to his feet and shut off the shower. Throwing him a towel, she complained "Now I'm a mess. I hadn't planned to get my hair wet." "Some mess!" Matt said. "You're beautiful, Andi. Wet hair can't change that." They continued drying, then he stopped and said "Would you let me play out a little fantasy?" "As long as it's not too kinky," she giggled. "Oh no, nothing like that," he assured her. "When we were little, I remember watching Dad wash Mom's hair and comb it out. Could I..." She stared at him wide-eyed for a few brief seconds, then sprinted for her room to get the shampoo, conditioner, dryer, and brush. Several minutes later, he was brushing her out, and she asked him "Have you ever done this to one of your girlfriends?" "No, I never have. I... I haven't had a girlfriend since... well, you know." "You're kidding! A hunk like you? What's wrong with those coeds?" "I, uh, haven't really been interested. None of them measured up," he explained. "Measured up to what?" she demanded. "Have you set some kind of impassible standard for your girlfriends?" "Well, yeah, I have. It's you." "Oh, Matt! Have I just gone and made it worse for you?" "No, it couldn't get any worse," he stated. "And besides, you've got Andy. I'm thrilled for you and I wouldn't do anything to hurt that. Um, what would he think about what you just did." "I told him I was going to try to do it - and more. He knows how I feel about you. You know, the reason I fell so hard for Andy is because he's so much like you. I mean not in looks, but in the way he treats me." "You mean he deserted you for a couple years, too?" he asked bitterly. "I had plenty to do with that, too," she insisted. "Besides, we're not here to worry about the last two years. We're here to see what we can do about the future." He brushed silently for several strokes, then said with real confusion in his voice "I can't believe he's OK with what you did." "Matt, you need to keep this very, very secret. The reason Andy's OK is that he and his sister Beth are very, very, very close. For a while, they didn't think there could be anyone else, but they've worked that all out." "So she's not jealous of you?" "No, in fact we've become best friends. When I first got here, I spent hours on the phone with her," she told him. "She's the closest thing to a sister I've ever had. She'll be the perfect sister-in-law." "Aren't you afraid they'll still want to, uh, get together after you're married?" "I hope they do want to. I think the love they have is so beautiful!" When he stopped brushing, obviously in shock, she hurried on "Oh, it's not like that, Matt. Beth is still a virgin. Ohhhh! I had no right to tell you that!" "Don't worry. Who would I tell, and why?" he tried to reassure her. "Matt, it's my dream that someday when I come to visit you and your wife, we can spend a night together, just cuddling and loving." "But we've never... !" "I know, and tonight we're going to fix that," she said, leaving no room for argument. Between not knowing how to respond and being wonderfully excited by the prospect, he said nothing. The increase in his brush stroke rate gave away his building excitement. ------- While their children were exploring new territory together, the parents were struggling with the fearsome demons from their past. After Warren rubbed a while, Dottie was able to stop the tears and speak. "I'm sorry I feel so scrawny." "I'm just so sorry I did this to you," he told her. "Warren, I did it to myself. We both know that." "I should have been less cruel - more forgiving. I should never have divorced you." "You had to. I couldn't have stayed, anyway. I could not have stood the guilt. And I didn't even realize until I got here how terribly I'd treated you all those years," she lamented. "I didn't feel mistreated. Until the last years, you were always good to me," he insisted. "But it's what I was thinking. And what you had to do to try to keep me happy. I think you were so worn out you just snapped when I miscarried." It was the first time she had been able to say the word. Warren stopped dead with his hands on her calves. How could she know? "Did Julia tell you that?" he demanded. "No. Once I realized how I'd made you jump through hoops, I could see just what happened. Warren, I don't blame you. And I've explained it to Andi, too. No man should have to go through what you did." That assertion made her cry again. "Dottie, it was worth it, believe me. In fact, I want so much to be together again. I can't tell you how much I miss you." "Oh, I know how much. Believe me, I know," she said. "But how could you want to risk that again?" "I don't think the risk is there any more. From what you just said, I think you understand our differences like you never did before." He paused in thought, then plunged on. "You probably already know, but Andi spent the night with me." "Yes, I knew before she did it." "No surprise there, I guess," he said with a chuckle. "Did she tell you her suggestion?" "Suggestion? No. What was it?" she asked. Feeling a need to tease her a little, he said "You mean I actually know something you don't?" When she did not seem to appreciate the humor, he told her "Andi suggested a double wedding." Dottie reacted as if she had received a shock. She flipped over and sat bolt upright on the table, staring at him. Her mouth was open, her jaw was quivering, and her eyes were wet. "Wh... what did you say?" "I was too stunned to say anything, and we just fell asleep. I've been thinking about it ever since. It would be a wonderful way to get a fresh start." "Is... is that a pr... proposal?" she could barely get the words out. He stepped up to her and took her hands in his. "Yes, Dottie, it is. Please, will you be my wife again?" "I never thought there was a chance!" she shouted as she jumped to her feet and leaped into his arms. "You're a damn fool to want me again, but yes! yes! yes!" The kiss released the built up longing and regrets of the past years. They seemed to connect in a way they never had before. For long minutes, the just stood, hugged, and kissed, oblivious to the massage oil or anything else. When they finally broke apart, they went arm in arm to find their children. They stopped dead and just watched when they saw Matt combing out his sister's hair. They waited until he put down the brush before approaching. "Honey, we need to agree on a date," Dottie told Andi. "Huh? A date for what? I don't... OH MY GOD!" she shrieked as the hugging and jumping around started in earnest. Warren stepped around them and explained what was happening to Matt, who barely resisted jumping around in joy himself. ------- Julia had agreed to stop and talk to all of them after her last appointment, just before supper. When she walked in, they were all sitting at one of the game tables in the common area. Taking one look at their faces, she said "Guess I don't need to do any counseling here, do I?" then went right to Dottie and pulled her from her chair with the strength of her hug. "Congratulations, Warren. I'm so happy for you!" Julia said as he stood to shake her hand. Then turning to Matt, she said "It's so good to meet you, Matt. Your sister didn't exaggerate at all." Then, to the men's complete surprise, Julia stripped, seeming to take mere seconds. "As long as I don't have to be a shrink, it would be nice to be just one of the group for a change. Especially on such a happy occasion. Now, tell me all about your plans." For good reason, neither of the men was speech-capable for several minutes, but the women more than made up for it. After the men were able to enter in a little bit, Julia posed a suggestion. "Technically, I should have a uniform on. The official policy is that staff is always clothed in this section, but everyone else must be naked. I hope you won't report me." As she said that, she smiled at Matt, who was having great trouble with composure. "Warren would like to meet the other women, and I think that is a great idea. I debated about having Warren come to their section and letting them dress. But this section was done as a common meeting ground. Could you guys handle it if the other women and the staff came over here to meet you?" "Um, would we dress?" Matt asked. "No. Only staff gets clothes over here. Maybe that's too much for you," Julia said. "I really want to meet these women," Warren told here. "I'm fine with it. This is much easier than I could have imagined." "I guess if, uh... I won't mess it up for Dad. I'll make it. Besides, I want to thank them, too. And apologize." Everyone could tell how hard it was for Matt to say that, but Andi beamed at him afterwards." When it was Carol serving for dinner, Matt hardly reacted at all to yet another woman seeing him, showing that he really was adjusting. ------- Friday night was a time of much tenderness and emotion. Just as things were winding down on the women's side, Beth snuck up behind Andy and wrapped him in a hug. "I'm your designated loneliness protection for the next two nights," she whispered as she kissed him behind the ear. He turned so he could hug her properly, but kept it short in deference to the policy. "I just hope Andi can get as close to her brother as I intend to get with mine," she told him. Andy felt just a twinge of jealously at her quip, but he had pretty well resolved that problem in his mind when he encouraged Andi to go for it with Matt. He knew how she envied he and Beth their intimacy. He felt it would help his own relationship with her if she could share the same with Matt. There was no question Andi had plenty of love for all the people in her life. ------- For Warren and Dottie, it was familiar but new. Sex had never been one of their problem areas, and after a little initial hesitancy, they did their best to make up for the lost years. As Dottie tried to make her third apology for her emaciated body, he stifled it with a hard kiss. "If you say that once more, I'll spank you!" "Warren, I'm so sorry I'm so scrawny," she blurted out with a giggle, then flipped over onto her elbows with her ass in the air." "I'm changing the punishment," he said as he entered her rather forcefully. They had already made love once, but he was inexplicably ready again. That seemed to be very much to her liking, and she went into energetic gyrations and vocalizations. In all their years together, the sex had sometimes been intense, but most of the time is was gentle and sensuous. Never had it been all-out forceful, to say nothing of brutal. Without realizing it, Warren felt the urge to pound into her as he never had before. Having come once, early ejaculation was not a threat, and he was able to revel in the stimulation without have to fight off his climax. It was never his intention to hurt her - that was something he would not consciously do. But forces beyond his control took him over and he threw all of his strength into every thrust. He slapped loudly against her ass each time he bottomed out, and they both grunted loudly at the impact. If she felt any pain, she either ignored it or sought it out. She began pushing back at him almost as vigorously as he slammed into her, pushing herself up on her hands so she could get more leverage. There was no way they could keep it up for very long with the energy they were expending. After a few minutes, they were both panting around the grunts and sweat was running down onto the sheets. She came and took him with her, both yelling out loudly with their release. As they lay in a panting heap, she softly told him "Yes, Darling, I am yours. Only and forever." He was puzzled and she sensed it. "You were claiming me, Sweetheart. You were making sure I knew I was yours." "Oh, Honey, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." "Yes, you did. And it was exactly what I wanted and needed. I need reminding that I belong to you. I never want to forget it again - I won't forget it again! Thank you." When the sheets became too damp and cool for sleeping comfort, they showered, choosing the open public shower rather than the room's bathroom. They had started in Warren's room, but after the shower, they went to the fresh bed in Dottie's room. Starting to feel the weariness from their session, he lay on his back with her against his side, almost on top of him. "Honey," she asked timidly, "could you get several weeks off from work?" "Probably. Why?" "I would love to take a long honeymoon." "Where would you like to go?" he asked, trying not to react physically as visions of past junkets to casinos invaded his mind. "I hope you don't think this is silly," she started out. "I would like to rent one of those RVs, and just the two of us go wherever we felt like. I want to do some things I was too stupid to think about before." "Oh?" he could not hide his relief. "What kind of things?" "I'd like to hike to the top of a mountain," she said, her voice changing from timid to excited. "I'd like to spend a night in a tent with just what we could carry in. I'd like to catch trout in a stream. I'd like to go to some major league ball games in different cities. I'd like to walk on an ocean beach, maybe a nude beach." She stopped to giggle at that. "I'd like to go to bed not knowing what we would do the next day. Most of all, I'd love to be with you every second for as long as you can take off." "But you never wanted to do any of those things before," he reminded her. "I know, and I missed too many good things. I want to make up for lost time as fast as I can." "No more casinos?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer. "Honey, the women wanted to teach me bridge, but I started shaking whenever I picked up the cards. They just remind of what I almost threw away." From what he had learned in phone conversations and what he had seen in the last two days, Warren had to believe she was sincere. There was no doubt she had changed. Would she revert? Would the old needs and urges return? The real question was did it matter? The two days had driven home how deep his love for her ran. It really did transcend misunderstanding, ridicule, and even betrayal. He felt sure that was all in the past, but even if it was not, the love was still there. It was just the way he was wired. He loved completely and forever, something Julia had helped him to discover. Even if she was different, he had to change, too, something else he had discovered with Julia. Dottie had a need for excitement, for frivolity, and a hint of risk. That probably would never change. At least she now seemed to sense his needs, as well. And she respected them. That was the key. ------- 'Unbelievable' was the only word appropriate for Matt's last two days. He was very much Warren's son: considerate to a fault; generous; perceptive; intelligent; faithful. But he also mimicked his father's rigid moral code. Group nudity did not fit that code. Incest certainly did not fit. The one thing that trumped his moral code was his love for his sister. Add to that his guilt over their separation, and saying 'no' to her was an impossibility. Of course, being a young, virile male with no female partner, his strong moral code was only just strong enough to corral his hormones in normal circumstances. When Andi first touched Matt in the shower, it triggered the flood of fantasies about her that had dominated his private moments since his first wet dream. Code or no, incest or no, resistance was futile. When she later told him they would be sleeping together, he could only feel anticipation - not a shred of guilt or outrage. When they were in bed and Andi begged him to touch her and excite her, scruples stayed his shaking hands for only a moment. After the first touch, he became like a starving man, never getting enough. An amazed and sated Andi passed out more than she fell asleep. Her brother had triggered more orgasms than she could count with hands, mouth, and cock. In the watery light of early dawn, Andi awoke plastered tightly to him. When she was able to marshall her thoughts, she realized she might have a problem with Matt's feelings for her. For herself, she could express her love to her brother openly and completely with no impact on her love for Andy. Matt did not have anyone else, only his sister. The obvious solution was for Matt to find his soul mate, and fast. Andi knew just who she wanted that to be, but things were never that simple. She was sure the same things that made her and Andy a perfect fit would work for their siblings, Beth and Matt. Unfortunately, Beth probably thought of Matt as something of a villain for his stand in the family breakup. Matt would have only good feeling toward Beth because of the way she had helped Andi escape. The two would be riding back to school together, and that was a very good thing. How could Andi be a catalyst without being obvious? She hated to disengage from Matt, but she had an important job to do. She knew Andy and Beth were together, and she assumed it was in the guest room where she herwself had been sleeping with Andy for a while. Andy stirred as Andi snuggled up to him on the side away from Beth, but it was Beth who came awake. "Problems with Matt?" Beth asked in a sleepy drawl. "Not at all! It was wonderful! I just wish it could have happened years ago. Beth, we're going to have a double wedding! Mom and Dad are back together!" No girl could maintain silence at an announcement like that, and Andy awoke to the delightful sound and feel of two naked, squealing, squirming beauties trying to hug each other over the top of him. Not in the least repentant for waking him, Andi broke her celebration with Beth to attack her lover. "Andy! Andy! We're going to have a double wedding with Mom and Dad. Isn't it wonderful?" The thought of asking if he had any say in the matter never crossed Andy's mind. He knew better. He also knew instinctively that nothing could have a more positive impact on their future happiness as a couple than having her family whole again. Instead of any irritation, he used a little humor. "So, how come this was just decided at five in the morning?" "Silly!" she retorted with a giggle. "Of course it wasn't. I came over now because I have to talk to Beth." "Oh, so I probably would have found out sometime before the wedding, then?" he teased further. He was not about to get her goat that morning - she was far too high for that. She fell right into his teasing. "Don't worry, Darling. I'll make sure you know where to be, what to wear, and what to say in plenty of time." Then they hugged and laughed as Beth watched with damp eyes. Finally turning her attention back to Beth, Andi said "Beth, you're riding back to school with Matt, right?" When Beth nodded, Andi asked "Are you OK with that? I mean, are you angry at him for the way we broke up?" "Yeah, I am a little," Beth answered. "But if you love him as much as you do, he can't be all bad. I won't be grumpy, or anything." "Good. You know, I rejected him as much as he did me," Andi explained. "Julia figured it out pretty well, I think. She says my Dad and my brother have an exceptionally strong sense of commitment - of faithfulness. That can't be a bad thing in a man, can it?" "Anyway, Mom violated that sense of commitment. Both of them handled it badly, but they were not the original offenders. I guess all I'm asking is that you try to meet Matt with a clean slate as much as you can. You can't believe how sorry he is about the whole thing - we all are." "Oh, and one other thing, Beth. Are you staff or visitor?" "I don't really know - sort of in between, I guess." "Well, don't be staff for today," Andi instructed. "When you come over to meet Dad and Matt, WHICH YOU WILL DO!, come naked, OK? Just like the resident women will be." Beth giggled at that. "Andi Kessler! Are you playing yenta?" "Hmmmmph! I thought I was being sneaky about it. Just remember, Beth, I fell for Andy way back at school. One of the big reasons was that he was so much like Matt. It works both ways. I just want you to give him a chance. Since you're going to be related, you at least need to be friends." "Let me get this straight," Beth said, knowing she had her friend on the defensive, "you want me to be naked the first time I meet the guy you've picked out as my husband. Is that about it?" "Beth, please! I... I..." Beth smothered Andi's protest with a hug. "I'm afraid that's too much for me, Andi," Beth told her. "We'll have plenty of time to get acquainted on the drive back Sunday." Andi knew she was probably right, and just returned the hug. "God, Andy!" Beth squealed to her brother after the hug. "I need your hand! This has got me so hot!" ------- Julia's trial of the all-nude, or 'free', section worked very well. Ryan announced to the women at breakfast that they could go and meet Dottie's son and her ex-and-future husband at their leisure. He told them clothes were not allowed. Mary dropped her fork and sprinted from the table at that announcement, only to be frustrated because she did not have to codes to get to the 'free' section. When a chuckling Andy helped her get through, she impulsively gave him a hug before running off like an excited little girl. Mary practically knocked Dottie out of her chair at the breakfast table as she fell all over her in her excitement for her friend's wonderful news. Standing arm and arm with Mary, Dottie explained. "This normally reserved woman is my new best friend Mary Hall. We have both messed up big time, and that has brought us together. Both of our daughters have found wonderful future husbands who work here. We have helped each other be strong when things seemed hopeless. We have comforted each other every time we realized another mistake we'd made. Other than that, we really have very little in common." Dottie giggled delightfully as they hugged again. Warren handled the day-long succession of introductions very well, although it seemed harder for him to meet the staff, probably because they were clothed when he was not. Two days of nudity was not enough time to get used to that interaction. When Barbara was introduced, he was afraid he would lose it - she just had that affect on most men, even clothed. Her easy, friendly manner, though, averted any arousal crisis. Meeting Trish and Lindsey was just as hard, but seeing how warmly Andi greeted them both helped his composure a great deal. Every female resident and every staff member made it to the free section that day. It was apparent how difficult it was for some of the women, but the bond they all felt for Dottie helped them overcome their shyness. Without exception, they all relaxed quickly, and at times there was quite a large group just hanging around. Warren took the time to thank each woman for their friendship and help for Dottie. He also apologized for his own actions. When the other women saw how Mary had taken to Warren, that seemed to signal that he was OK and should be given the benefit of the doubt. Also, they had all suffered through Dottie's awakening along with her, and understood how hard things had been for him. The day was much harder for Matt. He lacked his father's maturity and sexual control, and he was just a lot more body-shy. Where Warren seemed to forget about his exposure in his eagerness to thank Dottie's friends and to allay any hostility to himself, Matt could never forget about it. Trish and Lindsey came over together, since they both worked a lot on weekends. Both were attractive and in great shape, and the staff outfits were actually quite sexy on the women. He managed to shake hands, but Andi, who was right beside him, saw his difficulty. "Don't go away girls," she told them hastily, "I want to talk to you, but there's something Matt and I need to do, first." Matt was afraid that 'something' would be obvious - it was. Nevertheless, the violent ejaculation that happened almost as soon as they got to the room and she touched him was a life-saver. Or at least an ego-saver. They waited a few minutes for him to regain his breath, then rejoined the girls. They were both polite enough not to show any awareness of what had happened, but it was obvious to anyone who bothered to look. Matt was able to have a nice conversation after his relief. Andi had done her best to drain Matt during the night, but his recuperative powers surprised her. Around mid-afternoon, there was a lull in the stream of visitors, and Andi pulled him to the room for more relief, telling him this one was preventative. Not too long after that session, in which Matt insisted on returning the favor, Beth walked in, naked, flanked by Andy and Gretchen. Andi got concerned when she saw the strain on her friend's face, but Andy led his sister right up to Matt and introduced them. Whether he had just used up all of his composure, or whether it was an instant attraction thing, Matt froze. His mouth hung open, he was unable to even raise his hand to shake hers, and his face went from beet red to deathly pale and back again several times. For her part, Beth was not in much better shape. She did not offer her hand, and her face also flushed. Her nipples popped to full extension, and when she noticed, she raised her arm to cover them. She stammered "N... nice to meet you, Matt," then spun around and hurried away. Andi was first stunned, then mortified. She made to follow her friend, but Andy caught her and she disintegrated in tears on his shoulder. Matt came out of his trance as soon as Beth was out of sight, but he just stood there trying to figure out what had happened. Seeing his sister in tears, he came over and put a hand on her shoulder. Andi grabbed Matt's hand and sobbed out, "Oh, Matt. I'm so sorry. I guess that was a really bad idea. I didn't think she was coming over, but sh... she did it to please me." Another round of violent sobs followed that. Regaining his faculties little by little, Matt asked "Was that an attempt at matchmaking?" "Ohhhhhh!" Andi wailed. "Everything has been like magic here, and I thought... I thought..." "Well, she probably didn't think too well of me before," Matt said. "Now, she knows for sure I'm a jerk." That, of course, did absolutely nothing to ease her grief. "Damn! Damn! Damn!" she exclaimed when the sobs subsided. "You're my two favorite people, and I just wanted... Damn! Damn!" "Look, Andi, I'll try to talk to her, OK?" Matt said, unable to generate any anger at his sister's good intentions. "I doubt she'll want to ride with me, but that's all I can do." "Let me talk to her first, Matt," Andi pled. "I'm the one who messed up." When Andi found Beth, she was dressed and getting ready to go home. She did not look happy. "Beth, wait, please! I'm sorry!" Beth turned and her eyes flashed for a moment. But then, she softened and held out her arms. As they hugged, Andi said "I thought you weren't going to come over." "I knew how badly you wanted it, so I thought I could do it for your sake," Beth explained. "So it's my fault." "Are you angry with Matt?" Beth asked, the fear evident in her voice. "Angry? Why should I be angry? I felt sorry for him," Beth answered. "I don't know why he froze up like that, though." "Probably for the same reason your headlights came on," Andi responded, managing the first hint of lightness. "Yeah, he probably thinks I'm some kind of prudish pre-teen," Beth lamented. "God, no!" Andi assured her. "He's worried you won't even want to ride with him." "He still wants me to?" Beth's disbelief was evident. "Just make sure your phone is on," Andi told her as she waved goodbye. Sure enough, when Beth was just a few miles down the road toward the house, Matt called her. Though not as stiff and wordless as their first meeting, it was difficult for both of them. They did establish that the ride was still on, and that was the important thing. ------- Chapter 21 When Matt picked up Beth on Sunday afternoon to drive back to school, the mood between them was very strained. Other than a few polite questions and short answers, there was silence until they were several miles down the freeway. Suddenly, Beth started giggling uncontrollably. Matt first looked at her in puzzlement, then in disbelief. When she did not stop, he startled to chuckle, carried along by the musical quality of her laughter and his own guess at what she was laughing at. "Beth Berg, I'm Matt Kessler, and I'm very pleased to meet you," he said when he could catch his breath. "My pleasure, I'm sure," she said, unsuccessfully mimicking a very formal manner. That brought on more laughter. "I'm sorry I came across as such a tongue-tied jerk yesterday," he aplogized. "Well, I sure did a good impression of a prudish pre-teen the way I ran off." "Prudish? Not hardly. Beth, it wasn't my own nervousness that had me tongue-tied, you know," Matt told her, then almost gasped when he realized what he had said. "Well, I didn't walk away because I was disgusted at the sight, either. Quite the opposite, if you noticed," Beth admitted. Both had made statements far more bold than their usual style. Perhaps meeting naked for the first time had the effect of lowering barriers. Whatever the reason, the conversation flowed very nicely from then on. "Beth, I really want to be home as much as possible with everything that's going on with my family, but it's a long drive and I hate the bus. Any chance you would want to drive back with me the next few weekends? We could split the driving and the other person could get in a few hours of study." Matt's question came when they were almost back at school. By that time, Beth had forgotten any lingering animosity she had held because of Dottie. Spending several hours with Matt each weekend sounded like a very good idea indeed. ------- Warren stayed until very late Sunday night, reluctant to leave Dottie. Julia had considered letting them use one of the center rooms, and that would probably happen soon. She wanted to give it a little more thought first, though. Julia's big decision for Sunday was what to do about Floyd. The suggestion to have him do a series of investing discussions was an excellent one. However, Julia felt very strongly that he should qualify to continue as a resident, first. As things stood, she should send him home for the good of the other residents. Mary had asked Julia if she and Floyd could have the free section to themselves Monday. She wanted a chance to convince Floyd to get serious about his improvement. They had not slept together the previous week because he had not met his goals. He had failed the past week, as well, so they would be apart for at least one more week. Of course, if he was sent home, they would be apart a lot longer. Mary knew it would be foolish for her to leave yet. It had become critically important to her to meet her goals - to succeed at something important. Also, her new-born relationship with her daughter was more important even than Floyd. Julia would certainly not allow Floyd to visit and sleep with her after he was kicked out. Julia knew the Halls would have sex if she gave them exclusive use of the free section. That was not in the spirit of the the reward system she had been trying to use on Floyd. A few of the sleeping rooms in the new section had been finished, but the plan was to keep them sealed off when it was open for general access. That could be done electronically from a central panel. If the Halls wanted to have sex, it would have to be out in the open. Her first inclination was to tell Mary no, that the section would be open to everyone. That would effectively stop the sexual activity. But Mary dropped the clinching argument: she wanted to find out about Floyd and his parents. Julia had felt all along that their marriage was severely hampered by that one big secret. She, of course, knew the secret, but was code-bound not to tell. From her first contact with them, Julia had not found Mary and Floyd to be likable. In fact, the only positive attribute she could find was their firm commitment to each other. As she had watched Mary change and grow, in her own words leaving Floyd behind, she became concerned for the relationship. Some of Lindsey's comments deepened that concern. The real problem was that Floyd was pretty much the same old Floyd. He was a little thinner and he was getting a lot more sex, but that was about all. Interaction with the other men had not brought about the same change in perspective and outlook as had Mary's experience. "How do you plan to get him to talk about his childhood?" Julia had asked. Mary's instant flush told Julia the general approach Mary planned. "You're not going to withhold sex are you?" Julia asked sternly. "That's never healthy for a couple." "No, I... I..." Taking a big breath, Mary blurted out "After we made love, I was going to use o... oral sex. He... he's never had that, and..." Professional detachment was Julia's hallmark, but sometimes... This was not an official session, and the determination of this once-prudish woman to do whatever it took to help her marriage was truly touching. "Have you ever done it before, Mary?" Julia asked, taking both of Mary's hands in hers and knowing the answer. When Mary just shook her head, Julia told her "I'm afraid that if you try it for the first time on him, you may not like the result. Can't you just talk him into telling you?" "Oh, I've tried that for years. Julia, it's like he has kind of a wall built around him right now. The only way through it is his, uh, his cock. I just thought I could, uh, influence him with something new and, uh, sexy." "What made you decide on a blowjob?" "Oh, that was just part of it, but isn't that something that really gets to men?" Julia sat in expressionless amazement as Mary described how she planned to fondle and caress him, holding him back from coming unless he told her what she wanted. Running through Julia's mind was 'Barbara, you done good!'. There were many unbelievable changes happening at the Tee, but this conversation had to rank right up there. "It really is a good plan, Mary, but I think you had better not try the blowjob until you've had some practice." "Oh, you're probably right," Mary said as her face fell. "I... I was pretty scared of doing it anyway." "Unless you could find someone to practice on," Julia added, watching Mary's reaction very closely. "What? Julia, how could you suggest that? I could never... !" Mary sputtered. "Mary, we're talking about the health of your marriage here. I think you're right that he needs to tell you. I also think your approach is a good one: fuck his brains out then tease him 'til he can't say 'no'. It has worked for us women forever. It just takes some confidence, and that only comes from practice." "Well, I'll practice on Floyd a few times before I ask him, then." "Um, I'm afraid you won't have that chance, Mary. I'm sorry, but unless something changes right away, I'm going to have to send Floyd home." Mary looked like she might become just a puddle on the floor. Every bit of life seemed to leave her. She did not cry, but for a bit, she would have looked less miserable if she had. Then, the new, determined, resolute Mary took over again, and her back straightened and her shoulders squared. "I... I guess it will just take longer, then. I'm going to make my goals and look like I should. I'll never be a raving beauty, but it was enough to get him to marry me. I'll practice, and it will be enough to get the truth out of him." Julia sent Mary off with an unprofessional but heartfelt hug. ------- "How do you feel about loaning out your lover's cock?" Julia asked Lindsey, intentionally going for shock value. Fortunately, Lindsey was sitting down when Julia asked, so her near-faint did not make her fall. Quickly, Julia told Lindsey about her mother's plan, and about Floyd's impending departure if something didn't change. "And you want her to practice on Mark?" Lindsey asked in disbelief. "Can you imagine her even thinking of touching another man's cock?" Julia asked. "But why would she touch Mark's then? And take it in her mouth!?" "Come on, Lindsey! You must realize your mother is more than a little in love with your fiance." Lindsey dropped her face in her hands for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I've noticed. But I never thought... If she feels that way, wouldn't it just make things worse?" "Your mother is a faithful, devoted wife who has come to view her marriage in a whole different way. She doesn't like what she sees, and it frightens her. She has figured out the key problem and worked out a way to go after it. She just needs some help along the way." "But my husband's - I mean fiance's - cock is such a personal, private thing! It's not right for anyone else to touch it." "That's true, Lindsey. Mark's body is your most personal, intimate possession, and I'm sure he feels just as strongly about it." "Then why are you even suggesting... ?" "Just think about this, Lindsey: if you're serious about a new relationship with your mother, what better way to show it than by giving something intimate and precious to you." Julia left Lindsey deep in thought. ------- "You want me to do what!!?" Mark almost screamed later that night. "I want you to let Mom practice blowjobs on you," Lindsey repeated as calmly as she could. She could hardly believe she was saying it. When Julia left after their conversation earlier in the day, Lindsey thought Julia was totally crazy. Running around naked was one thing, and she had gotten used to that. But sexual touching was something she could not be casual about. Mark was hers, and she felt very possessive about that. Throughout the rest of the day, she could think of nothing else. Her mother had always considered oral sex the worst kind of perversion, yet she was now considering using it on her father. Was it just part of her recent sexual awakening? Or was she really feeling desperate about her marriage? Lindsey was sure that if Mary went in to Floyd unprepared and tried to use her mouth on him, she would do more harm than good. Yet, Mary seemed determined, and lately, her determination had to be taken seriously. Lindsey approved of her mother's burgeoning sexuality. It had been an unexpected connection that had brought them closer. Mary's plea for help and advice from her daughter was the strongest indication of her concern for Floyd and his lack of progress. Would it be that bad for Mark? She had heard the jokes about no guy ever turning down a blowjob. Would she be able to handle it? Did she want to give that kind of gift to her mother? That instant was the first time Lindsey realized that she truly wanted her mother to succeed, to achieve some of the happiness she herself had with Mark. Mary was truly turning into a different person, a person that Lindsey could not help but admire. Did she now love her mother? She could not say that yet. In the midst of her mental turmoil, Lindsey had to chuckle. Did loaning her fiance for oral sex training fall under the Biblical 'honor they father and thy mother' dictum? After the humor passed, she had to admit that she had decided to do it. She had expected some resistance from Mark, but not the violent reaction she got. In one sense, it made her feel good. But having decided, she was determined to get his help in tutoring her mother. The argument raged for quite a while, with Mark obviously upset, and not faking it. "Is this mine?" Lindsey finally asked as she gently grabbed his penis. Mark had already figured out that he wasn't going to win, and he had no response for the argument he knew was coming. ------- Mary had enjoyed a cozy soak with Lindsey and Mark, something that had not happened very often. When they rinsed off in the showers, they did not dress, but walked back to her room with her. She had noticed that Mark seemed a little nervous all evening, while Lindsey was unusually keyed up. At Mary's room, they surprised her by both coming in. "Mom," Lindsey said, "I want you to use Mark to practice before you go to be with Dad." "Practice what?" Mary made no connection with their conversation about oral sex. "Blowjobs, Mom. You know, what we talked about a couple of nights ago." Fortunately, Mary was standing near the bed, and she just sat down hard. For several seconds, she just stared at Lindsey, then at Mark. Finally, her gaze dropped to his crotch briefly before she blushed and stammered out "You... you mean g... give Mark a b... b... blowjob?" "Yes, Mom, that's what I mean. If you want to try to do it to Dad, you should have some practice." "And you would let me do that, Mark?" "Mary, it's not my decision, and honestly, I didn't want to," Mark answered. "But this," and he gestured at his crotch, "belongs to Lindsey. It's what she wants." Mary started crying softly, shaking her head back and forth. "Lindsey, that is an unbelievably loving offer. Thank you! But I can't do it with Mark. It's not because I'm worried how it would affect you two. I think your relationship could handle anything." "The reason I can't do it is because of me. Me, and my commitment to my husband. I would lose something in my own mind if I gave in. Part of me really wants to. I... I think you both know how I feel about Mark. And his, uh, penis makes me want to touch it." "But don't you think it would help you with Dad?" Lindsey asked, not having expected her mother's response. "Probably, Honey. But sex between me and Floyd has always been just for us. If I'm clumsy, learning with him will be part of our togetherness. Believe me, I intend to learn lots of new things. You probably realize that I have discovered I like sex a lot. I want much more of it in our marriage. But it will only be right for me if we learn it together." Lindsey had a real twinge of conscience at that point. She doubted Mary knew about Barbara's 'tutoring' of Floyd. From what she had just said, she would be hurt if she found out. Shaking her head to clear those thoughts, Lindsey asked "That's a big reason you're worried about Dad's progress, isn't it?" "Yes, it is," Mary answered. "I see all the wonderful relationships around here, and I know sex is an important part of them. I want that, and I don't even worry about it being sinful anymore. We're married. God must have given us sex for more than just babies." Lindsey sat by her mother and hugged her, and she didn't have to think about it. Nothing was said for a while, and Mark was greatly relieved at Mary's refusal of the offer. His relief was premature, though. "Mom, would it help if I showed you some things?" Mark thought he had developed a lot of control since he first heard of Transformations, and he had stayed soft when Lindsey offered him to her mother. Now, however, he shot straight up, and did the coverup thing with his hands. He was standing in view of both women, and his movement drew their attention. Lindsey giggled and Mary gasped. Then, Mary shook her head and said "Oh, Honey, I know you want to help, and it warms my heart. But I couldn't watch you. I haven't changed that much yet - I may never." Mark managed to soften quickly after that, and they said their goodbyes and left. It was Lindsey who towed Mark right over to the center section. "We'll change the bed when we're done. I need it RIGHT NOW!" she told him as they ducked into the first room. He did not argue. ------- Floyd had agreed to quit work early on Monday and meet Mary in the free section. He had a feeling she was going to be angry with him, and he felt his penis twitch a little bit at the thought of a scolding from her. He knew he was not doing well on his exercises. He had lost about fifteen pounds, but it hardly showed in the mirror. He was putting in pretty full work days, and that made it harder for him to really get into his exercises. Still, he knew that was just an excuse. He could not put his finger on why he was not working harder. It was expected of him, and maybe it was a little rebellion against expectations. One thing he had no question about: he was anxious for sex with his wife. That desire should have been enough to motivate him toward his goals, but for the last two weeks, he just couldn't force himself. The fact the she had lost over twice as much weight gave him a little of that old feeling of inferiority and subservience. He had been in awe the times they had exercised together, fearing he could never match her intensity. Maybe he had just quit trying to keep up. Mary was waiting just inside the door when he came through, and she charged him and practically jumped on him as she kissed him fiercely. He was momentarily stunned, but the sheer sensuality of their naked contact and the obvious love she expressed soon had him giving back full measure. They kissed for a while, then Mary did something totally unprecedented: she just dropped both hands and cupped his genitals between them. Then, keeping a firm but gentle hold, she backed toward the pool deck. He almost felt like laughing, but as she pulled, she rubbed a thumb over his glans. That was no laughing matter at all, and he hardened quickly. When they reached the first lounge chair, she pushed him back onto it. In a move that emphasized the new agility she was gaining, she straddled him and sat on his thighs. She was still a substantial woman, but that was a maneuver she could not have attempted just a few weeks earlier. So far, not a word had been said. When she moved forward with the obvious intention of inserting him, he remembered his 'training' and said "Wait!". "Don't worry about me right now," she told him. "And I'm on the pill, too!" That said, she raised up enough to settle down on him. Even with almost no contact, she was surprisingly moist, and after a dozen or so strokes, she was resting on his hips. She sat still and told him "Honey, I miss sleeping with you so much! Please, please try to get us back together." Before he could respond, she started moving back and forth, and he did not feel like talking. Following her carefully though out plan, Mary started a long sequence of escalations followed by backing off. She was determined to take him to a level of arousal where he had never been before. It was hard to talk to Lindsey about sexual technique, but once she had worked up the courage to ask Dottie, her friend had been eager to help. Dottie bent over backwards to make Mary feel more comfortable and not embarrass her. It did not take long for Mary to learn when Floyd was about to rocket toward orgasm and slow her motions. His breathing, his expression, and his vocalizations gave her pretty strong clues. Six, seven times she cranked him up, only to ease off to barely moving. She was playing him like an instrument. The only problem was, she could not play herself, and her own arousal never receded as much as his did. Just as she was slowing done after one cycle, she felt some slight spasms in her vagina. Inexperienced she may have been, but she knew she what the feelings meant, and she started bouncing up and down with everything in her tiring legs. He had already been worked up close to coming, so it did not take very long for him to let loose with a long groan. She did not make it over the edge, and for a moment the frustration almost showed itself in irritation. But she remembered her real objective for the day, and concentrated on draining him thoroughly. When he subsided, she ignored the fluids running out of her and laid herself forward on top of him. Lovingly, she stroked his hair and kissed all over his face, finishing with a heated kiss on the mouth when she thought he could respond. She did not even move when he slipped out of her, opening the way for the remaining effluent to flow over his crotch. "Don't worry, Hon. I'll clean you up in a minute," she assured him. After a few minutes of cuddling, she got up and fetched two towels, telling him to keep his place. She washed him off with the wet one and dried him with the other, then pulled another lounger right beside him. Sat on the chair facing him at about his waist and very gently cradled his balls, which were still tender, With her other had, she began caressing him all over: his thighs, his arms, his chest. "You know, when we got married, you had such a nice body," she told him. "I was so prudish, I never let myself touch and enjoy those muscles and this," jiggling his package very gently, "like I really wanted to do." Caressing quietly for a while longer, she spoke again. "Floyd, wouldn't you like to give me another chance to feel that nice body? I promise, I am going to look as much like I did on our wedding night as I can." "My, uh, tits are bigger now," she told him, "but that's not all bad, is it? 'Course they sag more, too - sorry. Do you remember how small my waist was? Well, I maybe can't get it back to quite that size, but I'm sure going to try." "And look!" she said as she stood and turned around briefly, then sat back down and resumed fondling and caressing. "My, uh, bottom has always been good sized, but it's already looking firmer. I know you thought I had a nice wiggle - I caught you looking lots of times. The girls tell me I will have an hourglass figure." "Floyd, Darling, wouldn't you like a chance to go back and enjoy all the sexy things we should have done when we were younger? Don't get me wrong, I love you the way you are. But I think you would feel so much better about yourself." Up until then, Floyd had been quiet, but now he spoke up. "I guess I've disappointed you, haven't I? I love the sex, too, and I am so happy the way you have changed. I... I want to do it for you, but I..." Mary could tell that letting him talk at his own speed was the best approach. It took a couple of minutes before he spoke again. "It's like... Julia and Barbara and the others are determined to improve me. They think I'm a... a loser. But if I lose weight and work out, they'll win. They'll control me, and..." From many conversations over the last few months, Mary had gotten the idea that Floyd had a problem with women being in authority over him. She began to remember times in the past when he would show signs of arousal when she was being domineering in some way. The big objective for the day suddenly became finding out the big secret from his childhood. Deciding that shock was her best chance, Mary spent another minute playing with his soft penis and screwing up her nerve. Then, she leaned over, held his limp shaft straight up, and placed a tentative kiss right on the head. He gasped, but she kept her concentration. She stuck out her tongue and licked around the spongy glans. That made him hiss, and she could feel him start to stiffen. So far, it had not been as disgusting as she had feared. In fact, it gave her a definite thrill, especially as he grew hard. While he was still swelling, she opened her mouth and engulfed the entire head and an inch or so of his shaft. Dottie had cautioned her about teeth, so she was very careful not to scrape. When he was firm enough, she began to move her head up and down trying to do as Dottie had counseled: 'Make your mouth like a cunt'. First disbelief, then amazement, then total bliss were Floyd's reactions. Oral sex was something he had heard talked and joked about since his boyhood. He had not even let himself fantasize about it happening to him. He knew for sure Mary had never done it before, and her daring filled him with love. The feelings weren't bad, either, beginner or not. Mary kept up her motion, gaining confidence with every stroke. She wanted him on edge, but she did not want him to come. She assumed it would take a while after his first time. For two or three minutes, she kept it up, until he was almost vibrating on the lounge. Then she pulled off slowly, but resumed stroking slowly with her hand. "Did you like that, Dear? I hope you don't think that was dirty or sinful. Just think of all the wonderful feelings we can share." After another minute of silent fondling, she just came right out with it: "What happened when you were a boy, Sweetheart? We're going to have a different life when we leave here. We need to get that secret out of the way." She could feel him stiffen, and she leaned over and kissed him soundly, keeping a hand around his cock. In an intimate, seductive manner she had never used before, she lay her arm on his chest and rested her chin on it as she talked. "Floyd, you've been a faithful husband, and I know you love me. But our lives together have not been very close: nothing like the couples we see here. We believe the same things, and we've been against the same things, but that's not enough. You've got a secret that's kept us apart. I want our relationship to be different. We've got half of our lives left. I want so much to be with you like Paul and Norma or Lindsey and Mark. Don't you want that, too? Please, please tell me what happened with your mother. Whatever it is, I won't think badly of you, no matter what. We can get over it together." After a moment of silence, surprise on his face, Floyd sputtered "But... but I told Julia... I thought she would have told you. I... I thought everyone knew by now." "Floyd, Julia would never violate confidentiality! She is very strict about that. She never even let on that you had told her." "But... but I'm not her patient!" he protested. "I think she considers every resident the same as a patient," Mary explained. "Then no one knows?" "No one. Especially me. I'm you wife and I love you. Please, let me know." Floyd's head sagged back and he shook it slowly from side to side. "I thought... I thought everybody knew. I thought... they've been treating me so carefully... I... they must have pitied me... I felt like they all looked down on me... I... I..." Mary sat bolt upright in shock and let go of his penis. "Is that why you haven't been working very hard? Is that why I've had to sleep alone with no sex for a week?" "I... I guess. I thought everyone was just ordering me around... controlling me. Do... do you really want to hear what happened?" For the next hour, through lots of gasps from Mary and tears from both of them, Floyd told her everything. They only stopped when Carol cautiously called from the kitchen doorway, asking if they wanted dinner. It was obvious to Carol that they were upset, but it did not seem to be with each other, so she said nothing. She did, however, call Julia immediately to report what she had seen. After dinner, they exercised together, with Floyd putting more into it than he had in a long time. Their parting for the night was emotional for both of them, and Floyd promised they would be together the next week. As soon as Mary got back to the women's side, Andy met her with a phone call from Julia, wanting to know what happened. When Mary finished telling her, Julia had her call Andy back to the phone. He just nodded, hung up, then grinned at Mary. "You can sleep with Floyd," he told her. "I'll go get him." ------- That day marked a turning point for Floyd and Mary. He never achieved the level of intensity that she did, but as is often the case, men can lose weight more easily than women. His basically good physique allowed him to exercise harder and burn more calories. Mary spent Floyd's working hours on the women's side with her friends, but as soon as he was free, they headed to the free side and stayed until bedtime. For the first couple of days, they were the only ones using the free side, but soon, Dottie met Warren there after work, and they, too, stayed the entire evening. As it turned out, Dottie left the Tee within another week, and moved into her house with Warren. She still drove over every weekday to work out, but everyone agreed she would be fine on her own. Little by little, other residents, both women and men, began spending time on the free side, most of them timidly testing their exposure to the opposite sex who were not staff. Floyd had a hard time when the first men saw Mary, but her easy attitude soon had him relaxed with it. Having recently discovered the joys of guilt-free flirting, Mary practiced quite a bit on the other men. She always checked to make sure Floyd was not upset. About three weeks after telling Mary, Floyd made a huge move. He told Mary that Lindsey needed to know about his childhood abuse. He felt it had affected how he treated Lindsey, and she was entitled. Though very surprised, Mary quickly agreed. As much as her feelings toward her mother had changed, Lindsey still could not generate any warmth toward Floyd. The very emotional telling of his ordeal was hard on both of them. Just as he had when telling Mary, he got hard as he talked and Mary threw a towel over his lap. He apologized to Lindsey and explained how he was still aroused by any kind of female domination. The fact that he was willing to tell her and expose himself in that way could not help but make an impact on Lindsey. She sought out Mark for a very tearful comforting session later. Mary was determined to stay at the Tee until she reached her goals. However, when Dottie left, she began rethinking her decision. After another month, both Mary and Floyd left, saving quite a bit of money. Neither was at their goal yet, but they had permission to return for workouts, which they did together on a regular basis. It was Mary who insisted they use the free section so they could be together. ------- Andi and Andy were anxious to get married, both for their own sakes and to allow her parents to remarry as quickly as possible. Andy was disturbed by their poor financial situation, but Julia gave them a perfect solution for a year or so. They were offered permanent live-in status, meaning their home would be in the complex, not in one of the adjoining homes where Ryan and Carol lived. They had a permanent bedroom in the center section, and the few clothes that Andy had to accumulate for work with Paul could fit in the closet. It was a very sparse existence in one way, but neither of them minded in the least. Between work at the Tee, work for Paul, normal exercise, and classes, Andy would be so busy he would have no time to worry about collecting possessions. For Andi, being at the Tee long-term seemed like a refuge rather than imprisonment. Julia had accurately detected that even with Andy's influence, she was not yet ready to face the real world. They accepted Julia's offer instantly and called Dottie to set up a date for the wedding. ------- With the Halls emerging as dramatically different people, the Kesslers headed for a storybook reunion, and Andy and Andi having found their soul mates, that left Barbara's situation still unresolved. At least part of her dilemma had been resolved. She had determined that she would not go back with her ex, and had so informed him. That still left Derek, who very much wanted her. A very large part of Barbara wanted nothing more than to fly to Derek and never let go of him. She could no longer deny that her love was growing by the day. But the wounds from her ex's rejection were very, very deep, especially after a lifetime of missing out because of her size. The idea of sharing her romantic life with her daughters would never have occurred to her just a year ago, but that seemed to be another effect of the Tee. Now, they talked almost daily about Derek and what she should do. Penny had found herself genuinely liking Derek, and she was always anxious to talk to him on the phone. Unfortunately, those feelings generated quite a bit of guilt within her, as well. She told Barbara that she felt like she was being disloyal to her father if she liked her mother's new love interest. Penny had admitted how her father had changed and how their relationship had changed. Still, that did not stop the feelings. Everything told Barbara she should go slowly, and she did. Every night in bed, she told herself she would just call him and tell him yes, but in the light of day, her caution returned to her. Lonely, love-starved, and definitely horny: that was Barbara's condition during those days of indecision. Besides the emotional issues, there were some practical problems facing Barbara in her quandary about Derek. They lived a thousand miles apart. He had a thriving, established business where he lived. She had lived in her town all her life, and she and the girls were happy there. Her decision was complicated by the fact that she assumed she would be the one to move. The idea of moving did not sit well with the girls, either, and for quite a while, that issue was enough to kill the idea. But Barbara could not squelch her memories or her hormones, and one night at dinner, she just blurted it out. "Girls, I'm sorry, but I have to see Derek. I don't know where it will lead, but I can't go on like this any longer." Both girls were happy that she would see him, but both were sobered by the thought of moving. They knew that once they were together, the resulting marriage was a sure thing. The weeks of discussion and watching their mother's anguish, though, had brought them to the point of acceptance. They could not stand to see her turmoil and her longing, and they were even willing to move to end it. They all cried together one more time, then she got on the phone. "Derek, I'm ready. I need to see you." "Oh, Barbara! You can't believe how I've been waiting and hoping to hear that! When can I come out?" "You're coming out here? But I thought... your business..." "Barbara, I didn't tell you before because I didn't want to influence your decision. I have wonderful people running my business. Since my problem, I have done nothing at work, and it is making as much money as ever. I don't need to work. If I work again, I would like it to be at something besides just making money. I already have more than I need." "I've had a lot of time for thinking lately. I gave up everything important to build my fortune. Unfortunately, I didn't know it was important at the time. Now, I do. If we get together, it will be there. I wouldn't think of making you and the girls move. You have lots of things to keep you there. There is very little here that I will really miss." "I will be there day after tomorrow. I can't wait to see you and the girls. I have to tell you, I have fallen in love with both of them already." Barbara was so dazed that she hung up the phone without even saying goodbye. The girls were in the room and they kept asking what had happened. "He... he'll be here day after tomorrow. He said... he said he would move here if we..." She was cut off be a chorus of squeals, and the girls immediately piled on top of her. The jubilation last for several minutes. When it finally quieted down, it was Penny, of all people, who made the big quip. "I don't suppose they'd let you wear your Lady Warrior outfit to the airport, would they?" ------- Transformations had been operating less than six months, but the staff were all willing to declare it a success. They could see changes in the residents, sometimes dramatic changes, and they all felt they were doing something very worthwhile. None of the residents had left early, so far, except for good reasons. Everyone knew there would be dissatisfied clients at some point, but achieving uniform early satisfaction was a tremendous morale boost. One of the less positive results was handled by Julia, with no one but her husband Frank knowing about it. A few psychiatrists had figured out how Transformations should really be operated, and were quite vocal in sharing their wisdom with Julia and anyone else who would listen. Julia kept telling herself that was another sign of success. Judy Morrison's work had taken all of the steam out of the protest movement and application flow had steadily increased. There was still concern about the two associations whose investigators had been rebuffed. It looked like there would soon be enough success stories to quell their criticism, as well. The lives of the residents were being re-directed and sometimes re-assembled little by little. They were being transformed, and that was the whole idea. ------- Author's note: The Transformations story could turn into to a 'Guiding Light' situation, a soap opera that runs forever. My challenge was where to cut it off. Lindsey, Barbara, and Andi were three principal characters, and their stories are all headed for satisfactory conclusions. In addition, the radical treatment approach seems to have proven itself, so I decided this was a good ending. The Transformations concept leaves room for an endless number of follow-ons, and perhaps some of them will appear as shorter pieces. I do know that my next attempt will be in a different genre, much more adventure-oriented. ------- The End ------- Posted: 2004-08-14 Last Modified: 2004-10-22 / 12:50:03 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------