Re: LADIES' LODGE: A STORY OF SEVERAL NUDE LADIES
Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 6:11 pm
Jim's friend Bernard James was waiting by the gate of his cottage as the trio approached, relieved that the coast was clear of nosy neighbours. He smiled pleasantly at them as they all filed into the garden.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" asked Jessica.
The man looked slightly embarrassed. He had recognised Gwen and Jessica when they were a long way off and had he known these were the eccentric friends Jim had spoken of he would have made his excuses rather than get involved.
"I remember perfectly where I saw this gentleman! He was in the audience at that illegal prize-fight where we did so well - especially you, Jessie!"
Jessica looked again and recollected that he had been standing near the back of the crowd and had looked very happy to see the two sacrificial victims led on to be slaughtered and rather less so when they did so well. Most of the crowd had been on their side from almost the start, but he and a few others had remained sour-faced as first Gwen and then Jessica had despatched the seven pugilists. She hoped he was not connected with that awful man who had put Harriet in a cage and left her hanging all night in the rain - not that such an experience would be so much of an ordeal to any of them after what they had since been through since.
"So you're a friend of my fiancee! I wonder if he knows about your tastes in entertainment?"
The man blushed and laughed and offered the girls a room in the house proper rather than over the garage, as an obvious way of bribing Gwendoline not to expose him to Jim. This seemed a fair arrangement and they all trooped up to the bathroom to freshen up after a hard day's walking. When they came down again, he was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and asking what they would like to eat and explaining what a rotten cook he was.
This was the cue for Harriet to offer to put her culinary skills at his service, an offer which was eagerly accepted.
Over the meal the discussion soon centred on fighting and Jessica explained how she and Harry came to be so battered and bruised. Bernard James looked at Harriet and assured her she would improve dramatically if she kept up her training.
"You've got the build for it, my sweet. You really have. Really solid."
He then turned to the evening when Gwen and Jessica had performed as bare knuckle prize fighters.
"You could have taken out all seven on your own," he said to Gwendoline. "The first three were the only ones who were any good. The rest were a total pushover."
"I was out on my feet by the time I'd dealt with those three - no way could I have gone on any longer. I was just standing there waiting to be despatched when that guy chivalrously refused to fight me and they brought on Jessie instead."
The man shook his head and smiled.
"You underestimate yourself, my dear. You'd have pulled something out of the bag. They might have made a nasty mess of that lovely face, but you'd have won in the end. I was looking forward to seeing you do it, I really was."
Gwen was unconvinced. She remembered all too well just how terrible she had felt at the time. But this guy seemed so sure of himself. She determined that she would enter some such event again and see just how far she could go. The thought set her heart racing madly and she had butterflies in her stomach. Yes! She would test herself to destruction and see just how much value there was in this man's judgment.
"I doubt very much that you are right, but there's one way to find out and that is for me to go through it again on my own and see how I do. Would you arrange that, please? If not the same people then a comparable bunch in your estimation. About a month from now would do nicely. I've got this journey to finish and a couple of other things to do and then I have to spend time with Mummy and Daddy who must be missing me as much as I miss them."
"Don't be crazy, Gwen," cried Jessica. "I saw you that night and you were totally finished. A mere tap would have laid you out cold. For Heaven's sake don't even think about it."
Harriet looked at her friend closely.
"I think you should do it, Gwen. And I'm sure Mr James here is right. Can I come along and cheer you on?"
The fellow agreed to see what he could do. He stressed that this would be an illicit event and Gwen could find herself liable to prosecution, especially if she caused any serious injury to anybody, but she brushed this warning aside and it was settled. She felt tremendously excited to have this new challenge to face so soon after the current one and was quite beside herself - a wonderful heady mixture of fear and anticipation.
Jessica shook her head sadly but said no more. She prayed that her dearest friend would not come to serious harm - or worse.
Harriet was thrilled at the thought of seeing Gwendoline in action and absolutely certain that she would triumph. How could this girl ever fail at anything she set her hand to?
"Let me clear up, Mr James," said Harry after the meal, "and if you have any jobs about the house or garden, I'd love to do them. I adore lots of hard work."
"Call me Bernard, my dear. All this formality is getting to me! It's too dark now, but I have some bags of cement I'd like carried down to the bottom of the garden. They're pretty heavy, I warn you. And there's a lot of garden furniture I've been meaning to rearrange for ages but been too lazy to get round to. If you think you can manage it, I'd be grateful. You look pretty strong, I must say. Let's see."
And he felt her arms, legs and shoulders with the air of a man who has sized up a good few fighters in his time. He grunted appreciatively.
"Yes - that's real muscle you've got there. It doesn't usually show up so well on a woman because of the subcutaneous fat, but you could give many a man a run for his money. You're quite some chick!"
"Thanks, Bernard. Anything else?"
"Yes. I'd like you to sleep with me tonight. I admire strong women and I think I could assure you of an entertaining night."
"Sorry, old chap, but I have a boyfriend I utterly adore and he'll be waiting for me in a few days. Otherwise I'd have jumped at the idea, believe me."
This was true, for Harriet had immediately been attracted to this odd fellow with his blend of educated speech and physical ruggedness. He was so very obviously a man who had been around and taken a good few very hard knocks in his time and given out a great many more. Harriet knew that his naked body would bear all over it the scars of many a fierce fight and she longed to see and touch it. She was terribly tempted.
"Only for tonight, Bernard. Don't ever try to contact me again. You must promise first. And we have this rule about no bedclothes - prepare to shiver a bit."
"I promise, but you may change your mind. I think you'll find a real man far superior to a boy, however charming. Shall we make our excuses to the others and get on with it?"
Although appalled at the man's arrogance, she had no thought of turning back and with a few words of farewell to Gwen and Jessica she followed Bernard upstairs. He did not disappoint her and professed himself well satisfied with Harriet's abilities as a lover.
His body was indeed battered and scarred. Heaven only knew what fearsome fights with all manner of sharp weapons he must have been involved in. He was lean and muscular with not a dram of surplus fat. The sight of his flat muscular belly caused her to melt inwardly and go weak at the knees. He threw himself full length on the bed and she came and lay beside him running her hands over his scars.
"I bet there is a pretty amazing story behind every one of these lovely marks. Will you tell me about them all?"
"One night would be too short my darling, believe me. And you'd need a strong stomach to take some of my tales. Let's not turn off the light. I like to be able to see a girl when I fuck her. Gaze into the whites of her eyes and all that."
"Please don't be gentle with me Bernard."
"I won't."
November 17th
Gwendoline and Jessica awoke to find themselves alone together for the first time in weeks. They embraced tenderly and lay in each other arms appreciating the familiar scents of their bodies. Gwen was the first to make a move and after kissing her friend with something of their old passion she leapt up and made for the bathroom, where Jessica soon joined her.
They got under the shower together and continued to fondle each other.
"I wonder how Harry got on. Not my kind of guy," said Jessica.
"I think I know what she sees in him. I saw it myself. He's a man with quite a past and I'd guess not a very creditable past at that. I'd have been tempted if he'd picked on me, in fact I'm almost jealous he didn't. How does he come to be a friend of Jim, I wonder. He could eat my poor dear old Jim for breakfast. I bet he didn't fall asleep on the job last night. Lucky old Harry. He'd have kept her going all night long. There'll be rings under her eyes this morning!"
This last prediction proved to be wildly inaccurate as a radiant Harry accompanied Bernard down to breakfast. He had not dressed following Harry's insistence that he remain naked until they had all departed later in the day. She wanted to show him off to her two friends and they were suitably impressed.
"He's going to be my lover, girls. Isn't that marvellous? You should have heard the stories he told me about all the knife fights he's been in. Fists, knives, guns, knuckledusters - he's been gone over by them all and never lost or walked away from a fight in his life. I love him and poor old Bill is history."
Bernard smiled at this. He was clearly still taken with Harry, but Gwen could see he was a man who would never settle down and certainly not with a mere child, which was all any of the three were. She hoped Harry would have the sense to move on and not look back at him later in the day. The thought of that girl being hurt horrified her. She might have enjoyed watching her fighting Jessie and being pummelled by her, but that sort of injury healed quickly. Mental scars took much longer as she had found out herself.
Harriet was taken out to the garden to be shown the tasks she was to carry out and spent a lovely morning rearranging the heavy seats and stone tables and carrying all the cement down to the garden shed. She was perspiring all over in the unusually warm weather and covered with dust when she had finished. Bernard thanked her and took her upstairs for a final high speed bit of love-making and the three set out to stay with Jim's other friend.
"I wonder what he'll be like," said Gwendoline.
"Another school friend of Jim's. That's all Bernie would tell me," replied Harriet still with stars in her eyes. "I can't get over the night I've just had. Bill's going to seem a bit tame after him."
"A few hours ago Bill was history," reminded Jessica.
"A few hours ago Bernie hadn't given me the brush-off," laughed Harriet. "I'll always have a place in my heart for him, though. Maybe our paths will cross again."
* * *
November 17th - Continued
"Do I spot just a few bruises you didn't have yesterday, Harry?"
"Maybe, Gwen. He was pretty rough with me last night. I told him not to be gentle and he certainly wasn't, but I don't think he meant to go too far. He only gave me a couple of slaps - trouble is he slaps pretty hard. Doesn't know his own strength."
"He knows all right. He meant to hurt you! You make me feel so bloody envious. If only Jim would knock me around a bit! Not that I wouldn't hit him back - mind you! Such a namby-pamby perfect gentleman. He'll let me walk all over him when what I really need is a man who will keep me in order like Bernard would do to you and all the rest of the women he's had and is going to have. I'm sure there's no future for you and Bernard, but I hope I'm wrong, because life would never be dull for you with him, even if he is a reprehensible, very shady character."
The two were walking a little behind Jessica, who was chafing at the slow pace the others were making, because their feet had still not recovered fully from the gruelling races of a few days ago. Gwen paused, raised her leg and turned her foot over so she could see the sole. Harriet followed suit.
"What do you think, Gwen? Can't see any broken skin - just bruising."
"Same here. I suppose if we force ourselves to keep up with Jess and just put up with a bit of pain we'll work our way through it. Let's catch her up. Come on Harry! Let's run and never mind the pain!"
After a couple of hours Harry put her arm over Gwen's shoulder.
"I think I'm going the same way as you. Pain can give you such a hell of a boost somehow. At least you know you're alive if you're really hurting."
"I'm not sure if I ought to want to make any converts to my kinky ways! But it is great to have you on my side."
"Can I come and cheer you on when Bernie arranges that contest for you? He told me it would be no problem to fix it up and with the same guys. Then I could see him again."
"Be nice to see them again. And of course you can come along. You can take what's left of me home afterwards."
"Rubbish, Gwen. You'll demolish them all. Bernard thinks so and he's a good judge of these things - at least that what he claims."
"I rather think and fear that I've chosen a very uncomfortable way of proving him wrong! But we'll see - I can't wait to find out, either way. It's something I've got to know about myself. I just hope I don't lose my looks. I'm terribly vain and inordinately proud of them!"
Harry looked at Gwen's face and a stab of fear passed through her heart at the thought of any permanent damage to that perfect beauty. But she quickly reassured her.
"Don't worry, darling. Any way you'll always be the loveliest person I know - no matter what they do to you!"
It had started drizzling by the time they reached Jim's second friend's house and it was a wet and chilly few minutes as they hid and paused to work out how best to approach it as it was near several other dwellings. They had to work their way around to the rear and climb over the fence to avoid being seen. Gwen tapped on the back door and a small child opened the door. He turned round and shouted back into the house with all the embarrassing frankness of the very young,
"Mummy! It's Daddy's three shameless nude tarts! Shall I show them to the shed?"
There was movement inside the house and a good-looking and rather red-faced woman appeared and invited them to come inside. She apologised to them for her son's rudeness and assured them that the sentiments he had parroted were not hers but her husband's who had been unexpectedly called away that morning for a couple of days on business. They were very welcome to use the bathroom and get themselves cleaned up and join her for coffee and a chat whenever they were ready. She told them how marvellously pretty and extraordinarily healthy and weatherbeaten they all looked and could hardly take her eyes off Gwendoline, whose smooth golden-skinned and lustrously gleaming shoulders she put an arm around as she led them upstairs and showed them where everything was. The little boy was forced to apologise and the three laughingly forgave him, each in turn bestowing a kiss to the top of his head.
They all sat around in the kitchen and passed several hours away while they told Janet Meares all about their recent adventures. She listened wide-eyed and finally said she wished she could have done something as unusual and challenging when she was their age. The little boy, Arthur was put to bed at eight o'clock and the remaining four later sat down to a dinner that owed much to Harriet's genius.
"I don't really envy you over the next few days, girls. The weather is set to change and the winds are coming from the South West. Wet and windy is the forecast. I hope you feel up to it."
The three assured her that a bit of rain held absolutely no terrors for them. As long as it stayed well above freezing they had no fear of a night-long soaking.
After dinner Janet excused herself after showing her naked guests into the sitting room and left them. When she reappeared she was as naked as the others!
"Well girls, what's the verdict?"
She was an older woman - in her early thirties. But she had clearly looked after herself and her body was hard and taut like that of an athlete and despite the fact that her tan was fading, it was obvious she loved to sunbathe nude as there were no tan lines on her body. She had a belly which compared extremely favourably to those of Jess, Gwen and Harry and possessed a richly exuberant growth of fair pubic and under-arm hair of which she was clearly unashamed. She sat next to Gwen on the sofa and flung out her arms, casually easing one behind the eighteen year old in a gesture which was missed by the others but immediately appreciated by Gwendoline who felt her juices begin to run and her heart begin to pound.
"I'll make a mess on your furniture if you don't back off," she whispered very softly so the others would not hear. "Later - OK!"
Janet took the hint and made an excuse to go out of the room for something, When she came back, she sat across the room from Gwen who avoided eye contact for the rest of the evening - she knew what would happen otherwise. It was a Herculean effort to keep her body under control as it was. This woman was something else!
Janet assured the girls that there was no need for them to sleep in the garden shed, which was a nasty draughty place and not fit to house a dog. She led them upstairs and showed them their rooms. One room had a double bed and the other smaller room only a single camp bed. Harry told the other two to take the double and went along to her own little room.
She had hardly settled herself on to the bed when the door opened and Janet came in. She motioned Gwen to follow her and took her to her own bedroom.
"I suppose you gather we can't have any form of bodily covering on this jaunt of ours. Do you think you can survive a night without bedclothes?"
"What you and I are going to do will have us both sweating like pigs after five minutes - maybe sooner. And you know that as well as I! Like my stomach, Gwen? Hard isn't it? Give it a really good punch - go on."
Gwen complied and the lady didn't flinch. She looked excitedly at Gwen.
"How tough is yours, darling? Care to find out?"
"Yes. OH, Yes. Please!"
Janet thereupon drove her fist hard into Gwen's belly and the youngster felt as if every last ounce of breath had been driven from her lungs, but she still managed to keep upright and moved not a muscle.
"That hurt you my darling?"
"Didn't feel a thing."
"Bloody liar - let's exchange a few more and see how long you can take it for!"
By the time Janet and Gwen had traded a few dozen more heavy punches Gwendoline was still standing, both women were covered in sweat and their bellies were scarlet red. They collapsed onto the bed together, wrapped in each others arms and whispered endearments one to another between kisses.
"You're a hard bitch for a mere child," murmured Janet at one point.
"Nicest thing anyone's said to me in ages," breathed Gwen before transferring her attention to Janet's nether regions, sinking her tongue deep into that lovely pussy and writhing delightedly as Janet did the same to her.
When they resumed their original position, Gwen turned to face her new lover and her lips brushed lightly against Janet's. She murmured into the other's mouth. "Last night it was Harriet who had a rough time and now it's my lovely turn."
"Oh! Old Bernard - a fit companion for that filthy ignorant pig of a husband of mine. What your Jim sees in either of them I can't imagine."
With a terrible shock, Gwen realised that this woman could cause her a lot of trouble if she breathed a word of this to her future husband. What a fool not to think of that before. How could she have been so stupid?
As if reading her thoughts, Janet kissed her and smiled.
"Don't worry my pet! Let this night be our lovely little secret. My husband would cripple me if he knew about this, and I mean cripple me. I just hope Arthur doesn't say anything - but he's a good little boy and loves his mother! Even if he does I don't care - I haven't had love with a woman in years until today. This has been worth everything he does to me."
November 18th
"What ever have you two been doing to each other, Gwendoline, using each other for punch bag training? We could hear you thumping each other through the wall, it was so loud, and that stomach looks as bad as your arse. You get worse and worse."
"As long they both of them got a kick out of it, what the hell, Jessie. Gwen's a big strong girl and anyway she could do with a bit of hardening up down there in advance of her next fight."
"You two are both as bad as the other. It's fun being with you though, even if my Gwen is changing and I'm not."
The three had left Janet's house at noon. Arthur had been packed off to his play group and Janet and Gwen had then spent a few more hours together. Jessie and Harry had consoled themselves for the temporary loss of their leader's affections to another by lovingly exploring each other's bodies until it was time to go.
The drizzle had persisted throughout the night and the ground was slippery and wet. It was not easy for their bare feet to keep from slipping. Jessica's dark body hair was soaked by the water and gathered into tufts of darkness on her legs and thighs. All three looked rainswept and saturated. Visibility was down to a few hundred yards and the gloom seeped into the spirits of all of them.
Gwen looked forward to seeing Jim again. Harry wasn't quite sure whom she looked forward to seeing and Jessica dreamt of a nice comfortable middle class life with Andy.
* * *
November 18th continued
Jim was relieved to be re-united with his darling Gwendoline and she sank blissfully into his arms, thinking how much variety she was getting nowadays and how he was absolutely the very nicest of all her lovers, followed by Harry and then Jessica, with Janet in a special kinky category of her own. She felt she had not seen or felt the last of Janet and her rock hard tummy and pounding fists; she dearly hoped not.
They all got into the back of Jim's car to eat their meal and he drove away as soon as they had finished, wishing them well for the night.
They looked around for some shelter in those wild uplands and found a few bushes under which there was a little shelter from the wind but absolutely none from the rain which poured over them all night, despite which they slept reasonably soundly.
November 19th
Gwendoline woke to find the rain coming down in sheets and her hair plastered to her head and back. She was shivering and realised they had to get some blood flowing or they would all be done for. Rousing the others she insisted they move on and do so at a run, despite the fact that it was still not quite light. A few minutes of this restored some life, but it was obvious they must get out of this terrible downpour which was becoming colder all the time.
"The wind's changed overnight," said Gwendoline. "It's coming from the North and that could mean this will likely turn to snow. What I feared all along. Damn! If only it could have held for a few more days."
"We're better now we've warmed ourselves up a bit, Gwen," said Harry.
"That's right," said Jessie. "We've a few hours before it gets really desperate. Surely we'll find something in that time."
"Jim will be looking out for us along the day's route and he'll take us home with him if the worst comes to the worst, but that would be end of our dream. Just be quiet for a few minutes and give me a chance to think. Both of you stand close and keep ourselves warm."
Gendoline stood, her eyes closed in concentration for a while and then her face brightened.
"There's a farm marked on the map about four miles from here to the north-west. If we can find an outbuilding to shelter in we would have a respite for today at least. Let's make a move."
"You mean you remember that much detail, Gwen?" asked an admiring Harriet.
"Sometimes I can visualise something I've seen even without having tried to memorize it. It's been useful to me a lot before now. Let's hope I didn't get it wrong this time."
Gwendoline's photographic memory had not failed her and a bedraggled trio finally pushed their way through the broken hinged door of a decaying old barn.
"I wonder if lighting that oil heater would count as theft," asked Harriet. "If I light it I can take the blame and you two won't have to worry."
"What fucking oil heater?" asked a shivering Jessica.
"The one on the shelf," said Gwen. "Trouble is what do we use to light it?"
No way was found to get around this and they huddled together and gradually thawed themselves out. Once they were all dry their spirits began to lift and Gwen went to look out of the door.
"It's still absolutely pissing down out there. We could be here all day and night. Pity we don't have a pack of cards or something."
"We've got each other, Gwen," said Harry and Jessie in unison.
"I suppose you think we're not kinky enough for you after Janet - well try this for size," and Harriet aimed hay-maker of a kick right into Gwen's already sore stomach and doubled her up in pain and laughter. She straightened up and rubbed herself ruefully.
"Not bad, Harry old thing. Not bad at all. Let's continue your training and my practice now we've a bit of spare time. You and Jessie against me. Or are you both chicken?"
"Two of us afraid of you? Of all the bloody impertinence!" laughed Jessica, "Let's murder her Harry!"
Jessie had to admit as the practice session progressed and increasingly turned into a deadly serious fight with Gwen dancing around both other girls, aiming lightning like blows at both in turn and keeping herself well out of danger, that maybe her friend might not fare too badly in her forthcoming challenge. She seemed a different girl altogether to the one she had unwillingly fought in order to please Harriet all those long days ago.
"You two are so bloody slow," she said after half an hour. "And so very out of condition. Gasping away like a couple of grampuses. Time you both went beddie-byes."
With this she aimed a flurry of punches and kicks at both, which sent them sprawling to the straw covered floor.
She stood over their prone bodies and tried to work out which one to place her foot on in triumph. They were too far apart for her to be able to stand on both. Next time she must drop them a little more skilfully! She decided on Harry and placed her pretty tanned right foot on the redhead's gently rising and falling stomach and raised her arms high over her head in a lonely gesture of triumph.
She was startled to hear several people applaud and shout their approval and whirled round in horror to see a group of men who had just come in out of the rain.
Harriet was the first to come round and she crawled painfully over to Jessie and bent over her. The other girl groaned and began to sit up. Both of them felt like death and were not at all amused at their friend for doing this to them. Not only this, but they were ashamed and Jessie was also amazed to think how much Gwen's inferior they each of them were. She had despatched both of them with such contemptuous ease. They looked around to congratulate her, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"What can that crazy bitch be playing at now?" said Jessica. "She surely can't have gone back out into that storm on her own."
"Well, she sure as hell is nowhere around here, my old darling," replied Harry, rubbing her jaw and trying to shake the wooziness out of her still singing head.
"Don't I know you from somewhere?" asked Jessica.
The man looked slightly embarrassed. He had recognised Gwen and Jessica when they were a long way off and had he known these were the eccentric friends Jim had spoken of he would have made his excuses rather than get involved.
"I remember perfectly where I saw this gentleman! He was in the audience at that illegal prize-fight where we did so well - especially you, Jessie!"
Jessica looked again and recollected that he had been standing near the back of the crowd and had looked very happy to see the two sacrificial victims led on to be slaughtered and rather less so when they did so well. Most of the crowd had been on their side from almost the start, but he and a few others had remained sour-faced as first Gwen and then Jessica had despatched the seven pugilists. She hoped he was not connected with that awful man who had put Harriet in a cage and left her hanging all night in the rain - not that such an experience would be so much of an ordeal to any of them after what they had since been through since.
"So you're a friend of my fiancee! I wonder if he knows about your tastes in entertainment?"
The man blushed and laughed and offered the girls a room in the house proper rather than over the garage, as an obvious way of bribing Gwendoline not to expose him to Jim. This seemed a fair arrangement and they all trooped up to the bathroom to freshen up after a hard day's walking. When they came down again, he was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and asking what they would like to eat and explaining what a rotten cook he was.
This was the cue for Harriet to offer to put her culinary skills at his service, an offer which was eagerly accepted.
Over the meal the discussion soon centred on fighting and Jessica explained how she and Harry came to be so battered and bruised. Bernard James looked at Harriet and assured her she would improve dramatically if she kept up her training.
"You've got the build for it, my sweet. You really have. Really solid."
He then turned to the evening when Gwen and Jessica had performed as bare knuckle prize fighters.
"You could have taken out all seven on your own," he said to Gwendoline. "The first three were the only ones who were any good. The rest were a total pushover."
"I was out on my feet by the time I'd dealt with those three - no way could I have gone on any longer. I was just standing there waiting to be despatched when that guy chivalrously refused to fight me and they brought on Jessie instead."
The man shook his head and smiled.
"You underestimate yourself, my dear. You'd have pulled something out of the bag. They might have made a nasty mess of that lovely face, but you'd have won in the end. I was looking forward to seeing you do it, I really was."
Gwen was unconvinced. She remembered all too well just how terrible she had felt at the time. But this guy seemed so sure of himself. She determined that she would enter some such event again and see just how far she could go. The thought set her heart racing madly and she had butterflies in her stomach. Yes! She would test herself to destruction and see just how much value there was in this man's judgment.
"I doubt very much that you are right, but there's one way to find out and that is for me to go through it again on my own and see how I do. Would you arrange that, please? If not the same people then a comparable bunch in your estimation. About a month from now would do nicely. I've got this journey to finish and a couple of other things to do and then I have to spend time with Mummy and Daddy who must be missing me as much as I miss them."
"Don't be crazy, Gwen," cried Jessica. "I saw you that night and you were totally finished. A mere tap would have laid you out cold. For Heaven's sake don't even think about it."
Harriet looked at her friend closely.
"I think you should do it, Gwen. And I'm sure Mr James here is right. Can I come along and cheer you on?"
The fellow agreed to see what he could do. He stressed that this would be an illicit event and Gwen could find herself liable to prosecution, especially if she caused any serious injury to anybody, but she brushed this warning aside and it was settled. She felt tremendously excited to have this new challenge to face so soon after the current one and was quite beside herself - a wonderful heady mixture of fear and anticipation.
Jessica shook her head sadly but said no more. She prayed that her dearest friend would not come to serious harm - or worse.
Harriet was thrilled at the thought of seeing Gwendoline in action and absolutely certain that she would triumph. How could this girl ever fail at anything she set her hand to?
"Let me clear up, Mr James," said Harry after the meal, "and if you have any jobs about the house or garden, I'd love to do them. I adore lots of hard work."
"Call me Bernard, my dear. All this formality is getting to me! It's too dark now, but I have some bags of cement I'd like carried down to the bottom of the garden. They're pretty heavy, I warn you. And there's a lot of garden furniture I've been meaning to rearrange for ages but been too lazy to get round to. If you think you can manage it, I'd be grateful. You look pretty strong, I must say. Let's see."
And he felt her arms, legs and shoulders with the air of a man who has sized up a good few fighters in his time. He grunted appreciatively.
"Yes - that's real muscle you've got there. It doesn't usually show up so well on a woman because of the subcutaneous fat, but you could give many a man a run for his money. You're quite some chick!"
"Thanks, Bernard. Anything else?"
"Yes. I'd like you to sleep with me tonight. I admire strong women and I think I could assure you of an entertaining night."
"Sorry, old chap, but I have a boyfriend I utterly adore and he'll be waiting for me in a few days. Otherwise I'd have jumped at the idea, believe me."
This was true, for Harriet had immediately been attracted to this odd fellow with his blend of educated speech and physical ruggedness. He was so very obviously a man who had been around and taken a good few very hard knocks in his time and given out a great many more. Harriet knew that his naked body would bear all over it the scars of many a fierce fight and she longed to see and touch it. She was terribly tempted.
"Only for tonight, Bernard. Don't ever try to contact me again. You must promise first. And we have this rule about no bedclothes - prepare to shiver a bit."
"I promise, but you may change your mind. I think you'll find a real man far superior to a boy, however charming. Shall we make our excuses to the others and get on with it?"
Although appalled at the man's arrogance, she had no thought of turning back and with a few words of farewell to Gwen and Jessica she followed Bernard upstairs. He did not disappoint her and professed himself well satisfied with Harriet's abilities as a lover.
His body was indeed battered and scarred. Heaven only knew what fearsome fights with all manner of sharp weapons he must have been involved in. He was lean and muscular with not a dram of surplus fat. The sight of his flat muscular belly caused her to melt inwardly and go weak at the knees. He threw himself full length on the bed and she came and lay beside him running her hands over his scars.
"I bet there is a pretty amazing story behind every one of these lovely marks. Will you tell me about them all?"
"One night would be too short my darling, believe me. And you'd need a strong stomach to take some of my tales. Let's not turn off the light. I like to be able to see a girl when I fuck her. Gaze into the whites of her eyes and all that."
"Please don't be gentle with me Bernard."
"I won't."
November 17th
Gwendoline and Jessica awoke to find themselves alone together for the first time in weeks. They embraced tenderly and lay in each other arms appreciating the familiar scents of their bodies. Gwen was the first to make a move and after kissing her friend with something of their old passion she leapt up and made for the bathroom, where Jessica soon joined her.
They got under the shower together and continued to fondle each other.
"I wonder how Harry got on. Not my kind of guy," said Jessica.
"I think I know what she sees in him. I saw it myself. He's a man with quite a past and I'd guess not a very creditable past at that. I'd have been tempted if he'd picked on me, in fact I'm almost jealous he didn't. How does he come to be a friend of Jim, I wonder. He could eat my poor dear old Jim for breakfast. I bet he didn't fall asleep on the job last night. Lucky old Harry. He'd have kept her going all night long. There'll be rings under her eyes this morning!"
This last prediction proved to be wildly inaccurate as a radiant Harry accompanied Bernard down to breakfast. He had not dressed following Harry's insistence that he remain naked until they had all departed later in the day. She wanted to show him off to her two friends and they were suitably impressed.
"He's going to be my lover, girls. Isn't that marvellous? You should have heard the stories he told me about all the knife fights he's been in. Fists, knives, guns, knuckledusters - he's been gone over by them all and never lost or walked away from a fight in his life. I love him and poor old Bill is history."
Bernard smiled at this. He was clearly still taken with Harry, but Gwen could see he was a man who would never settle down and certainly not with a mere child, which was all any of the three were. She hoped Harry would have the sense to move on and not look back at him later in the day. The thought of that girl being hurt horrified her. She might have enjoyed watching her fighting Jessie and being pummelled by her, but that sort of injury healed quickly. Mental scars took much longer as she had found out herself.
Harriet was taken out to the garden to be shown the tasks she was to carry out and spent a lovely morning rearranging the heavy seats and stone tables and carrying all the cement down to the garden shed. She was perspiring all over in the unusually warm weather and covered with dust when she had finished. Bernard thanked her and took her upstairs for a final high speed bit of love-making and the three set out to stay with Jim's other friend.
"I wonder what he'll be like," said Gwendoline.
"Another school friend of Jim's. That's all Bernie would tell me," replied Harriet still with stars in her eyes. "I can't get over the night I've just had. Bill's going to seem a bit tame after him."
"A few hours ago Bill was history," reminded Jessica.
"A few hours ago Bernie hadn't given me the brush-off," laughed Harriet. "I'll always have a place in my heart for him, though. Maybe our paths will cross again."
* * *
November 17th - Continued
"Do I spot just a few bruises you didn't have yesterday, Harry?"
"Maybe, Gwen. He was pretty rough with me last night. I told him not to be gentle and he certainly wasn't, but I don't think he meant to go too far. He only gave me a couple of slaps - trouble is he slaps pretty hard. Doesn't know his own strength."
"He knows all right. He meant to hurt you! You make me feel so bloody envious. If only Jim would knock me around a bit! Not that I wouldn't hit him back - mind you! Such a namby-pamby perfect gentleman. He'll let me walk all over him when what I really need is a man who will keep me in order like Bernard would do to you and all the rest of the women he's had and is going to have. I'm sure there's no future for you and Bernard, but I hope I'm wrong, because life would never be dull for you with him, even if he is a reprehensible, very shady character."
The two were walking a little behind Jessica, who was chafing at the slow pace the others were making, because their feet had still not recovered fully from the gruelling races of a few days ago. Gwen paused, raised her leg and turned her foot over so she could see the sole. Harriet followed suit.
"What do you think, Gwen? Can't see any broken skin - just bruising."
"Same here. I suppose if we force ourselves to keep up with Jess and just put up with a bit of pain we'll work our way through it. Let's catch her up. Come on Harry! Let's run and never mind the pain!"
After a couple of hours Harry put her arm over Gwen's shoulder.
"I think I'm going the same way as you. Pain can give you such a hell of a boost somehow. At least you know you're alive if you're really hurting."
"I'm not sure if I ought to want to make any converts to my kinky ways! But it is great to have you on my side."
"Can I come and cheer you on when Bernie arranges that contest for you? He told me it would be no problem to fix it up and with the same guys. Then I could see him again."
"Be nice to see them again. And of course you can come along. You can take what's left of me home afterwards."
"Rubbish, Gwen. You'll demolish them all. Bernard thinks so and he's a good judge of these things - at least that what he claims."
"I rather think and fear that I've chosen a very uncomfortable way of proving him wrong! But we'll see - I can't wait to find out, either way. It's something I've got to know about myself. I just hope I don't lose my looks. I'm terribly vain and inordinately proud of them!"
Harry looked at Gwen's face and a stab of fear passed through her heart at the thought of any permanent damage to that perfect beauty. But she quickly reassured her.
"Don't worry, darling. Any way you'll always be the loveliest person I know - no matter what they do to you!"
It had started drizzling by the time they reached Jim's second friend's house and it was a wet and chilly few minutes as they hid and paused to work out how best to approach it as it was near several other dwellings. They had to work their way around to the rear and climb over the fence to avoid being seen. Gwen tapped on the back door and a small child opened the door. He turned round and shouted back into the house with all the embarrassing frankness of the very young,
"Mummy! It's Daddy's three shameless nude tarts! Shall I show them to the shed?"
There was movement inside the house and a good-looking and rather red-faced woman appeared and invited them to come inside. She apologised to them for her son's rudeness and assured them that the sentiments he had parroted were not hers but her husband's who had been unexpectedly called away that morning for a couple of days on business. They were very welcome to use the bathroom and get themselves cleaned up and join her for coffee and a chat whenever they were ready. She told them how marvellously pretty and extraordinarily healthy and weatherbeaten they all looked and could hardly take her eyes off Gwendoline, whose smooth golden-skinned and lustrously gleaming shoulders she put an arm around as she led them upstairs and showed them where everything was. The little boy was forced to apologise and the three laughingly forgave him, each in turn bestowing a kiss to the top of his head.
They all sat around in the kitchen and passed several hours away while they told Janet Meares all about their recent adventures. She listened wide-eyed and finally said she wished she could have done something as unusual and challenging when she was their age. The little boy, Arthur was put to bed at eight o'clock and the remaining four later sat down to a dinner that owed much to Harriet's genius.
"I don't really envy you over the next few days, girls. The weather is set to change and the winds are coming from the South West. Wet and windy is the forecast. I hope you feel up to it."
The three assured her that a bit of rain held absolutely no terrors for them. As long as it stayed well above freezing they had no fear of a night-long soaking.
After dinner Janet excused herself after showing her naked guests into the sitting room and left them. When she reappeared she was as naked as the others!
"Well girls, what's the verdict?"
She was an older woman - in her early thirties. But she had clearly looked after herself and her body was hard and taut like that of an athlete and despite the fact that her tan was fading, it was obvious she loved to sunbathe nude as there were no tan lines on her body. She had a belly which compared extremely favourably to those of Jess, Gwen and Harry and possessed a richly exuberant growth of fair pubic and under-arm hair of which she was clearly unashamed. She sat next to Gwen on the sofa and flung out her arms, casually easing one behind the eighteen year old in a gesture which was missed by the others but immediately appreciated by Gwendoline who felt her juices begin to run and her heart begin to pound.
"I'll make a mess on your furniture if you don't back off," she whispered very softly so the others would not hear. "Later - OK!"
Janet took the hint and made an excuse to go out of the room for something, When she came back, she sat across the room from Gwen who avoided eye contact for the rest of the evening - she knew what would happen otherwise. It was a Herculean effort to keep her body under control as it was. This woman was something else!
Janet assured the girls that there was no need for them to sleep in the garden shed, which was a nasty draughty place and not fit to house a dog. She led them upstairs and showed them their rooms. One room had a double bed and the other smaller room only a single camp bed. Harry told the other two to take the double and went along to her own little room.
She had hardly settled herself on to the bed when the door opened and Janet came in. She motioned Gwen to follow her and took her to her own bedroom.
"I suppose you gather we can't have any form of bodily covering on this jaunt of ours. Do you think you can survive a night without bedclothes?"
"What you and I are going to do will have us both sweating like pigs after five minutes - maybe sooner. And you know that as well as I! Like my stomach, Gwen? Hard isn't it? Give it a really good punch - go on."
Gwen complied and the lady didn't flinch. She looked excitedly at Gwen.
"How tough is yours, darling? Care to find out?"
"Yes. OH, Yes. Please!"
Janet thereupon drove her fist hard into Gwen's belly and the youngster felt as if every last ounce of breath had been driven from her lungs, but she still managed to keep upright and moved not a muscle.
"That hurt you my darling?"
"Didn't feel a thing."
"Bloody liar - let's exchange a few more and see how long you can take it for!"
By the time Janet and Gwen had traded a few dozen more heavy punches Gwendoline was still standing, both women were covered in sweat and their bellies were scarlet red. They collapsed onto the bed together, wrapped in each others arms and whispered endearments one to another between kisses.
"You're a hard bitch for a mere child," murmured Janet at one point.
"Nicest thing anyone's said to me in ages," breathed Gwen before transferring her attention to Janet's nether regions, sinking her tongue deep into that lovely pussy and writhing delightedly as Janet did the same to her.
When they resumed their original position, Gwen turned to face her new lover and her lips brushed lightly against Janet's. She murmured into the other's mouth. "Last night it was Harriet who had a rough time and now it's my lovely turn."
"Oh! Old Bernard - a fit companion for that filthy ignorant pig of a husband of mine. What your Jim sees in either of them I can't imagine."
With a terrible shock, Gwen realised that this woman could cause her a lot of trouble if she breathed a word of this to her future husband. What a fool not to think of that before. How could she have been so stupid?
As if reading her thoughts, Janet kissed her and smiled.
"Don't worry my pet! Let this night be our lovely little secret. My husband would cripple me if he knew about this, and I mean cripple me. I just hope Arthur doesn't say anything - but he's a good little boy and loves his mother! Even if he does I don't care - I haven't had love with a woman in years until today. This has been worth everything he does to me."
November 18th
"What ever have you two been doing to each other, Gwendoline, using each other for punch bag training? We could hear you thumping each other through the wall, it was so loud, and that stomach looks as bad as your arse. You get worse and worse."
"As long they both of them got a kick out of it, what the hell, Jessie. Gwen's a big strong girl and anyway she could do with a bit of hardening up down there in advance of her next fight."
"You two are both as bad as the other. It's fun being with you though, even if my Gwen is changing and I'm not."
The three had left Janet's house at noon. Arthur had been packed off to his play group and Janet and Gwen had then spent a few more hours together. Jessie and Harry had consoled themselves for the temporary loss of their leader's affections to another by lovingly exploring each other's bodies until it was time to go.
The drizzle had persisted throughout the night and the ground was slippery and wet. It was not easy for their bare feet to keep from slipping. Jessica's dark body hair was soaked by the water and gathered into tufts of darkness on her legs and thighs. All three looked rainswept and saturated. Visibility was down to a few hundred yards and the gloom seeped into the spirits of all of them.
Gwen looked forward to seeing Jim again. Harry wasn't quite sure whom she looked forward to seeing and Jessica dreamt of a nice comfortable middle class life with Andy.
* * *
November 18th continued
Jim was relieved to be re-united with his darling Gwendoline and she sank blissfully into his arms, thinking how much variety she was getting nowadays and how he was absolutely the very nicest of all her lovers, followed by Harry and then Jessica, with Janet in a special kinky category of her own. She felt she had not seen or felt the last of Janet and her rock hard tummy and pounding fists; she dearly hoped not.
They all got into the back of Jim's car to eat their meal and he drove away as soon as they had finished, wishing them well for the night.
They looked around for some shelter in those wild uplands and found a few bushes under which there was a little shelter from the wind but absolutely none from the rain which poured over them all night, despite which they slept reasonably soundly.
November 19th
Gwendoline woke to find the rain coming down in sheets and her hair plastered to her head and back. She was shivering and realised they had to get some blood flowing or they would all be done for. Rousing the others she insisted they move on and do so at a run, despite the fact that it was still not quite light. A few minutes of this restored some life, but it was obvious they must get out of this terrible downpour which was becoming colder all the time.
"The wind's changed overnight," said Gwendoline. "It's coming from the North and that could mean this will likely turn to snow. What I feared all along. Damn! If only it could have held for a few more days."
"We're better now we've warmed ourselves up a bit, Gwen," said Harry.
"That's right," said Jessie. "We've a few hours before it gets really desperate. Surely we'll find something in that time."
"Jim will be looking out for us along the day's route and he'll take us home with him if the worst comes to the worst, but that would be end of our dream. Just be quiet for a few minutes and give me a chance to think. Both of you stand close and keep ourselves warm."
Gendoline stood, her eyes closed in concentration for a while and then her face brightened.
"There's a farm marked on the map about four miles from here to the north-west. If we can find an outbuilding to shelter in we would have a respite for today at least. Let's make a move."
"You mean you remember that much detail, Gwen?" asked an admiring Harriet.
"Sometimes I can visualise something I've seen even without having tried to memorize it. It's been useful to me a lot before now. Let's hope I didn't get it wrong this time."
Gwendoline's photographic memory had not failed her and a bedraggled trio finally pushed their way through the broken hinged door of a decaying old barn.
"I wonder if lighting that oil heater would count as theft," asked Harriet. "If I light it I can take the blame and you two won't have to worry."
"What fucking oil heater?" asked a shivering Jessica.
"The one on the shelf," said Gwen. "Trouble is what do we use to light it?"
No way was found to get around this and they huddled together and gradually thawed themselves out. Once they were all dry their spirits began to lift and Gwen went to look out of the door.
"It's still absolutely pissing down out there. We could be here all day and night. Pity we don't have a pack of cards or something."
"We've got each other, Gwen," said Harry and Jessie in unison.
"I suppose you think we're not kinky enough for you after Janet - well try this for size," and Harriet aimed hay-maker of a kick right into Gwen's already sore stomach and doubled her up in pain and laughter. She straightened up and rubbed herself ruefully.
"Not bad, Harry old thing. Not bad at all. Let's continue your training and my practice now we've a bit of spare time. You and Jessie against me. Or are you both chicken?"
"Two of us afraid of you? Of all the bloody impertinence!" laughed Jessica, "Let's murder her Harry!"
Jessie had to admit as the practice session progressed and increasingly turned into a deadly serious fight with Gwen dancing around both other girls, aiming lightning like blows at both in turn and keeping herself well out of danger, that maybe her friend might not fare too badly in her forthcoming challenge. She seemed a different girl altogether to the one she had unwillingly fought in order to please Harriet all those long days ago.
"You two are so bloody slow," she said after half an hour. "And so very out of condition. Gasping away like a couple of grampuses. Time you both went beddie-byes."
With this she aimed a flurry of punches and kicks at both, which sent them sprawling to the straw covered floor.
She stood over their prone bodies and tried to work out which one to place her foot on in triumph. They were too far apart for her to be able to stand on both. Next time she must drop them a little more skilfully! She decided on Harry and placed her pretty tanned right foot on the redhead's gently rising and falling stomach and raised her arms high over her head in a lonely gesture of triumph.
She was startled to hear several people applaud and shout their approval and whirled round in horror to see a group of men who had just come in out of the rain.
Harriet was the first to come round and she crawled painfully over to Jessie and bent over her. The other girl groaned and began to sit up. Both of them felt like death and were not at all amused at their friend for doing this to them. Not only this, but they were ashamed and Jessie was also amazed to think how much Gwen's inferior they each of them were. She had despatched both of them with such contemptuous ease. They looked around to congratulate her, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"What can that crazy bitch be playing at now?" said Jessica. "She surely can't have gone back out into that storm on her own."
"Well, she sure as hell is nowhere around here, my old darling," replied Harry, rubbing her jaw and trying to shake the wooziness out of her still singing head.