Reluctant Diva 22
Inspired by Lipstick Discipline
Chapter 22 – Girl Talk
“What are you doing down there?”

Rachel’s voice, filled with concern, roused me from my trance. I opened my eyes and discovered I was standing in the section of the drugstore which stocked exclusively male items. “Are you okay?”

Next thing I knew I was enveloped in a warm hug and at this sign of sympathy I burst into tears. Anxiously my friend hurried me into the back room and sat me down on a chair. The next minutes were heaven. It was wonderful to have her fussing over me. She got me a glass of water and some tissues and helped me sort out my makeup. I eventually managed to give her a weak smile.

“What happened to you? You’re a sight for sore eyes and no mistake” she wryly remarked.

“I was at the library and this guy hit on me!” I sniffed. “His hands… Ugh!”

“That’s awful!” my defender cried. “You are dressed to kill, but it’s still awful, you poor thing!”
She thought for a minute, then “Listen! It’s my lunch in ten minutes. You stay quietly in here till then and I’ll be able to give you a ride home. I have to get back to the store.”

Grateful for the respite I was more than happy to stay where I was. Ten minutes later I was still trying to get my head clear after the events of the morning when Rachel hurriedly came back into the room.

“Change of plan, sweetie!” she exclaimed. “I was worried so I phoned your mom and explained how you are. She thinks you’re probably famished and I imagine that yesterday was just too much for you. She wants you to come with me back to our house and stay there until she can get home from work. I’ve taken the afternoon off as the store owes me some time. There’ll be no-one in the house but you and me. Oh, and she’s going to phone Mrs Martin and tell her you’re not well enough to work this evening.” Rachel paused for breath. “You okay with all that?”

I nodded with relief. It suited me just fine. In what seemed no time my rescuer was swapping her white overall for her jacket. She put her hand under my arm and led me out to where her car was parked up. Five minutes later we were in the Bennett household. Rachel took me straight up to her room and then went downstairs to make us both a coffee. I got to use the bathroom and felt immediately more like myself.

Back in Rachel’s room I perched on the end of the bed. I was familiar with the Bennett’s house from my cleaning job, but with leisure to look about me I thought I could detect my rescuer’s personality in the way her bedroom was arranged. It was decorated in a young and modern fashion and like herself it was stylish, pretty and feminine. I found myself wondering how Mom would respond if I asked to have my own room done up like this. Perhaps it need not be too expensive. I made some mental notes of the sort of things I might like for myself. It occurred to me that if more momentous things hadn’t happened over the last few weeks, I might have found myself worrying that wanting a more feminine room was another step down the road that led away from my masculinity but now it couldn’t have mattered less!

When she came back, Rachel was carrying a tray with drinks and sandwiches on it. She set it down and took charge.
“Okay, into bed with you!” was her first command. “And let’s have you out of those tight clothes.”

She took my cardigan from me and busied herself undoing the buttons of my blouse. After helping me out of the sleeves, she peeled it off before unzipping my skirt and letting it fall to the floor. She pushed me back on to the bed and knelt down to remove my shoes. Reaching up she pulled my pantyhose off my butt and down my legs and eased them off my feet. Her face was inches from my panty clad crotch during these exertions but I was confident that nothing showed down there. She reached around my back and unfastened my new bra.

“That looks nice” she commented after taking it off and holding it up. “It’s so pretty. I’d love to get one just like it.” Then, holding up my pantyhose, “Where did you get these?”

I explained that they and the lingerie had been birthday gifts from Madeleine. I thanked her again for hers which had been a make-up compact, dainty and useful at the same time.

It was strange to be sitting before her in only my panties, so I made no protest when she lifted the bedclothes and scooped my legs up onto the bed, covered me over and plumped some pillows behind my head. I could see that Rachel’s nursing skills had come to the fore.

“I only changed the bed-linen yesterday, so it will have to do” she grinned at me. The sheets smelled nice, just like her, and that was all right by me. I smiled back at her happily. She handed me my mug of coffee and I sipped it gratefully.

“Hungry?” She gave me a plate so I could make a selection from the sandwiches she had prepared. Delicately cut into triangles, they looked inviting. I realised that Mom’s diagnosis had been correct. I had hardly eaten yesterday and today had only had a mouthful of toast. I was so empty that my plateful disappeared while Rachel was eating her first sandwich. Embarrassed by my poor manners I started to apologise, but she put her finger on my lips and filled my plate again. To be pampered like this was a dream!

When we had eaten, “Now we can have a real heart-to-heart. Just girls together!” Saying this she stood up and unfastened her dress. It was a simple button down shirt-dress and needless to say looked stunning on her.

She slipped it off and turning to face me, I could see that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Even without any support her breasts were firm and shapely. The effect of seeing her in her panties, garter belt and hose was startling and I tried not to stare. Smiling confidently, she unhooked her robe from inside the closet door and wrapped it around her. Then she lifted the sheet and slid into the bed beside me. She rearranged the pillows and squeezed up next to me. Her proximity immediately resulted in a pressure down below as my private area strove against its bonds. It seemed that it wasn’t only Maria who had this stimulating effect on me!

“That perfume smells wonderful. Mmmm! It really does. Now do you feel like telling me what’s been happening?” and she gazed at me, her eyes wide. “Only if you want to, mind. I was expecting we’d have a long talk about yesterday as it was such a brilliant day for you, but I can see there’s something more important for you to get off your… chest.” Her hesitation and downward glance at that area of my body defused any tension. We both collapsed into giggles, but were soon serious again.

As I knew it would be, it was such a relief to talk to someone who truly sympathised. I’d always trusted Rachel more than anybody, despite her occasional teasing, like giving me those suggestive male posters. I knew that it was just her love of playfulness. Now I found her kind as ever so I set about giving her every detail of the fortnight with Madeleine before my party. “I stayed there last night as well” I concluded.

“She must be a very good friend of yours?”

“Well, sort of.” I hesitated. “It’s more she’s been kind of teaching me.”

“Madeleine Bell? Teaching you? That must have been some education!” My friend’s sympathy and concern was evident as she gently elicited from me the experiences I’d gone through in the last few weeks. Though I had no intention of being so open, even with her, by the time we had done there were few details she either didn’t know or couldn’t surmise.

Rachel’s eyes widened as I touched on my first visit there too and when I had concluded, all she said was, “I don’t think you can have anything more to learn. I can see I’ll be coming to you for tuition!” Then rather gravely, “If I was your mother, I definitely wouldn’t have chosen Madeleine as your mentor, her and that maid! But I’d better not say anything else about that right now.”

She thought for a moment then asked what meds I was taking, and drew in her breath when I told her. Then after further reflection “Don’t think too badly of your mom. I expect she only wants what she considers the best for you.”

Rachel’s emphasis of the verb spoke volumes to me. As we were being so frank, I went on to tell her the uppermost worry that persistently haunted me. I had reached the conclusion by now that I would never be able to give satisfaction in the bedroom department and that made me feel that I was “damaged goods". She was a good listener and passed no comment as I talked, but she placed her arm around my waist and squeezed tighter against me.

I felt better for having told someone even if it didn’t give me much peace of mind. Seeing this, she changed the subject. “Now something happened today that really upset you. Do you want to tell me about it?”

Haltingly I told her about the walk to the library and what took place there. She totally agreed with me that the incident with the librarian was outrageous.
Right then, Rachel seemed so connected to me, just like a big sister. I felt I could confide anything, like how mixed-up I felt when the man at the library touched me.

“I didn’t ask him to! I just wanted out of there. But… it felt kinda nice all the same. Really nice! I didn’t want it to stop. How come?! That’s disgusting, right?”

She immediately consoled me, “No way! The only thing that should have mattered is that you didn’t invite him to touch you. That man was so out of line! Next time you go to that place, I’m coming with you” she promised. “He won’t go near you again!”

Emboldened by this I let her know about the guilt I was feeling over my new and unwanted interest in male bodies and how I kept looking at them. My own body seemed to want to act independently of my mind. Laughingly she assured me that she didn’t share that experience herself. Apparently her wonderful body and lovely mind were in full agreement with each other over the role to be played by the opposite sex in her life!

In this respect I got some very direct advice, “Oh pooh! Tell your mind to listen to that body of yours,” she giggled. “We all have physical ‘needs’ and so do you, just as much as anyone else. You should stay away from these mean girls and crazy women and find yourself a nice boy to take care of you, and of your ‘needs’ too. Now you know Chris is just wild about you! I can tell you like him too. He just needs a prod. Shall I give him a few hints?!”

Then she stopped abruptly in the midst of her laughter, her face suddenly clouded. “Who am I to be advising you on your love-life, when mine’s such a disaster? But hey, let’s not talk about that.”

There was an awkward pause. I was impressed that someone so much older and more experienced than me felt she could confide in me in her turn, and, not wishing to change the subject, I asked her what was happening with George, the guy from work she’d seemed so keen on.

“Oh, nothing. So far. I think he may have someone.” Her tone was listless.

“How did your double date go?” I asked tentatively, thinking of the night I saw “Pillow Talk” or some of it, though I was conscious that I might be approaching sensitive ground.

“Oh, okay” she shrugged. “Frank and Jimmy. They’re nice guys, but I can’t get enthusiastic over either.

We were silent for a while then, encouraged by the intimacy of our conversation, I blurted out, “You’re still upset over Marty, aren’t you?”

Rachel didn’t answer and looked away. I put my arms around her and hugged her tightly. Embarrassingly, the cover fell away from my bare boobs as I squeezed her against me. She glanced down at them as she smiled bravely at me. She clearly wanted to try and lighten the mood and joked, “Wow! They’re going to be as big as mine before long!”

She unwrapped her robe and turned to hold her naked bust next to mine. Stunned, I gasped in ecstasy, wondering if my birthday had come around again. There was no comparing our busts for either size or shape but to feel her perfect bosom against mine was totally thrilling. Rachel smiled proudly at my reaction and the end result was that we both collapsed in fits of laughter again, before I hastily pulled the sheet back up to make myself decent.

Covering herself with her robe again, “Seriously, I guess I still have some feelings for Marty. Like I could cheerfully kill him! He was only after one thing, however. I was stupid enough to let him have his way. After we’d broken up, what you did that time helped me some, though I did feel a little mean about it afterwards.”

“Me too!” I agreed, and then, “You… you let him!”

“Don’t look at me like that! I knew I was being a fool. But I really liked him and… he’s so good-looking and…” She fell silent and there was an awkward pause.

“He’s a great kisser” I put in.

She regarded me for a while, her eyebrows raised. “I hear you’ve seen him since your date?” she voiced the eventual question that was hanging there.

“Sort of… He phoned me the next day and asked to meet me. I didn’t want it to happen, honestly, but I felt sorry for him so I couldn’t say no. He’s called me a few times, and given me a few rides home from Mrs Martin’s. I even wondered about inviting him to the party as one of my attendants yesterday, but that didn’t seem fair to you.”

Her eyebrows went up even higher!

I gulped and went on, “It would have been too complicated. Oh Rachel, I don’t know what to do about him. I still don’t get why he wants to see me, when he knows about… you know. Help me please!”

She considered for a while before declaring. “Okay. I’ll level with you. Marty has had it way too easy. His mother dotes on his every step and each girl he dates just falls at his feet.”
“Me included” she added ruefully. “But I’ll get over it. Given time. Even if he came crawling back, I wouldn’t take him. I could just never trust him.”

After a pause she continued, “So, go for it if you like. You’re different to anyone he’s ever dated, I guess, and you actually got the better of him, so there are two novelty factors in your favour. You look pretty amazing too, don’t forget! If he had seen you yesterday in all your finery... Wow! He’d have been completely lost! Why shouldn’t you succeed where everyone else has failed? Who knows? Now you’re officially a woman, it may turn out that you may be more of one than any of us. Ouch! That’s a scary thought!” She laughed heartily and pulled down the bedclothes to uncover my bust again. “Even if your boobs aren’t quite as big as mine yet!”

I wrestled the sheet from her to regain some of my modesty while she teased. “Have you been checking out the front of his pants too? Oh Jennifer, where will it all end?!”
More seriously, “But watch yourself. You will definitely have to be the one who says no! If you decide to go out with Marty, it’s okay with me. But you had better keep him guessing or you’ll be the one that loses. Got that. Play it cool, at least until you have had enough of him, which may not be too long.”

This made me feel a whole lot better and I told her so. Not long after this I said I was ready to go and would be okay to walk home. I started to get dressed again while she watched me anxiously.

“You sure now? I can drive you.”

“No, I’ll be all right. I should be, as I’m so much a woman!” We both dissolved into giggles. “The air will do me good too. Thank-you for everything. You’re the best friend a ‘girl’ could have!”

Dressed in the same clothes as before and with makeup freshly applied, I hugged Rachel gratefully and kissed her cheek. In return, I got a friendly squeeze of my butt. “Doesn’t that feel good?” she smiled cupping it with both hands.

It did! I blushed deeply again. Before leaving I went into the bathroom. When I was done, on looking in the mirror I saw that she had left a big lipstick mark on my cheek. My idol certainly loved to tease me.

My journey home from Rachel’s turned out to be something I was well able to cope with. One thing was in my favour, the streets I had to travel were quieter than down-town, so there weren’t as many eyes upon me. After a while walking in the heels and tight skirt became easier and I was less conscious of that distracting wiggle. On the other hand, my outfit still attracted notice from the males that I passed, but after my heart-to-heart with Rachel, their interest somehow seemed to be a good thing. I actually began to relish it.

The idea Rachel had given me, that it was okay for my body to have ‘needs’, was responsible for this alteration in my feelings. Perhaps my new ‘interest’ was only to be expected of someone who was as female as I had begun to think myself! By the time I reached home without further adventure, I was in a better state of mind. Then the sight of Mom’s car in the driveway gave me pause. I wasn’t looking forward to the interrogation I was likely to face when I went in.

I had to stop and take a deep breath to prepare myself before I entered.