Culture Shock Ch. 20

Dated this day, the 5 th of May, 2006

For the purpose of providing a framework over which both parties have equal control, this contract informally binds the signatories below to its contents.   Either party may ‘opt out’ of this agreement at any time.   ‘Opting out’ may be defined as ceasing to observe this contract in any way.   It is binding only insofar as it is accepted to be.     Gary Paul Duke (known in this contract as ‘the Dominant’), hereby offers Elaine Milanovic (known in this contract as ‘the Submissive’), his guidance and dominance over her, for the period beginning on Friday the 5th of May 2006, up to and including Sunday, the 7th of May 2006.     During this period, the Dominant agrees to:   1. Use his knowledge and experience to provide a safe, sane and consensual environment in which the Submissive may learn and grow, 2. Treat the Submissive with respect and tenderness where appropriate, mindful of the gravity of the decisions that have brought her to this moment in her life, 3. Teach the Submissive, through question and answer sessions and by practical demonstration, how to please the Dominant and how to become a more pleasing submissive in general, 4. Communicate with the Submissive to the best of his ability, keeping her informed of the choices he is making in regard to her, and 5. Discipline the Submissive in a consistent, measured and proportional manner, where appropriate and with her inexperience in mind, and only where the Submissive explicitly accepts the nature, scale and scope of the said discipline.   During this period, the Submissive agrees to:   1. Be pleasing to the Dominant, 2. Show proper respect to the Dominant, 3. Acquiesce to the Dominant’s will, where and when said will is exercised in a safe, sane and consensual manner, 4. Be honest and openly communicate with the Dominant, and 5. Use her safe word, ‘Pineapple’, when, and only when, the safety, sanity or consensuality of a given scene is in question.   We the undersigned accept the roles of ‘Dominant’ and ‘submissive’ as we choose to define them, and in full knowledge of their meaning to us.     This contract is entered into voluntarily.   By the time she’d finished reading, Elaine was trembling.   At the bottom of the contract were two dotted lines where she and Gary would sign.   Right under where she was to sign, her name appeared in bold type, and below it, ‘Submissive’.   The words caught her attention and she was sucked into the vortex of their implications.     She stared at them, unnerved by their physical proximity to each other, stunned by the realisation that this was actually happening.   In the most civilised of ways, a legalistic contract, the point of no return had been mapped out before her.   She’d be signing her name as ‘Elaine Milanovic.   Submissive.’   The words on the screen swirled and shimmered as thoughts danced through her mind.     Have I forgotten anything?   Is there something I haven’t done?   Something I haven’t checked?     When Elaine blinked, welled up tears unexpectedly spilled over her cheeks.   Reaching for a tissue, she smiled ruefully and shook her head as she dabbed her eyes.     “Are you finished reading?” Gary asked.     Elaine sighed before responding, “Yes.   I’m sorry, I was just thinking.”   “That’s okay,” he typed.   “Remove the clamps.”   “Yes, Sir.   Thank you.”     She’d actually completely forgotten about them.   From previous experience she expected the worst when she took them off.   Gritting her teeth as they came free, she instead gasped aloud as her teased nipples throbbed lewdly.   Her eyes fluttered closed and she swayed with the unstoppable sensations, her hands gently holding her breasts through her sweater.   The painful heat she experienced last time was quickly forgotten.   Suddenly conscious of how long she’d been distracted, Elaine’s eyes shot open.     Gary had asked, “Are you all right?”   “Yes,” she typed nervously, collecting herself.   “I mean, I don’t know.   It’s…   It’s starting to get very real.”   “Do you have a microphone?”   “Sorry?”   She wondered if her last message had gone through.   “You know, like a microphone and headphones for the computer?   I’ll show you ‘real’.”   He sent a wink.   “Oh.”   Elaine liked listening to CD’s while she studied and had a set of headphones.   She’d never had need for a microphone.   She let Gary know and he told her to fetch the headset and she did.   When she returned, he sent a request to begin an ‘audio conversation’ and Elaine flushed as she clicked ‘accept’.   For a few moments the program hesitated as it connected.   Then it crackled and fell silent.   Elaine held her breath.   In his smooth, deep voice Gary asked, “Can you hear me?”   Elaine panted and typed, “Yes!”   She had to fix her typing errors twice!   On one word!   She hastily sent a smile as a shiver of pleasure raced down her spine and wrapped itself around her tailbone.   “Good,” he said, the smile apparent in his voice.     Elaine tried to concentrate, but the sound of Gary’s voice in her ears was almost overwhelming.   Her skin was coming alive, and fast.   Goosebumps broke out down her arms and legs and her swollen nipples grappled for her attention.   Before she had a chance to type anything, Gary was talking again.     “I’d like you to get a microphone one of these days.”   “I’ll be so nervous talking to you like this,” Elaine typed.   Gary sounded so calm.   She wished she were more like him sometimes.   Besides, Elaine liked being able to type.   At least she could think before she opened her big mouth.   It would be different when she was kneeling in front of him.   She shuddered.   Remembering the thin walls of her apartment, she managed to type, “I’d have to whisper.”     “Then buy a good one or I won’t be able to hear you.”     “Okay.”   She sent a smile.   “I will.”   “Good girl.   Now, about this contract,” Gary continued.   “Yes, Sir,” Elaine responded, this time more quickly, trying to keep up with him.   “Remember it’s symbolic.   It’s a ‘statement of intent’ rather than a bona fide contract.”   “I understand Sir,” Elaine sent.   “I mean, thank you.   I don’t have any issues with it.   I like it and I’d be happy to sign it.”   “If?” he asked, leaving the word hanging.   “…If I was sure ‘the lifestyle’ was right for me.”   Sometimes she felt certain, while at other times she questioned whether she could handle the entire scenario.   For Elaine, one core issue remained.   ‘Was she truly submissive, or had she convinced herself of the ‘fact’?’   The concern was set to dog Elaine for the next twenty-four hours until she signed the contract.   Until that moment, she couldn’t really know.   Gary’s voice was warm but firm as he spoke deliberately.   “It is right for you.”   “How can you be so sure?”   “Because you’ve pursued it vigorously from the day you discovered it,” Gary said softly.   “It’s no longer a curiosity or a whim or a kink.   It’s a full-blown desire to know the freedom of giving the gift of your submission.   It’s a longing for a relationship with a level of trust you can find nowhere else.”     Gary was on a roll now, and Elaine sat listening, remembering some of his lessons as he reiterated them.    “You are very lucky.   On the net, most potential submissives that make the mistake of allowing themselves to be raced off by the first guy that comes along with a ‘Dom’ sign around his neck, end up with someone as inexperienced as they are.   They don’t read up on what to expect and they rush headlong into something that may bear little resemblance to safe, sane and consensual D/s.   Disillusioned, they retreat into erotic literature and daydreaming of what it could be like in a perfect world, never having had the opportunity to discover that it exists.   The luck involved in meeting each other in the first place, then living so conveniently close to each other in the second, is substantial.   For both of us.   “You see, this isn’t a one way street either.   I have recognised that you have been busy wrestling with the concepts of submission, D/s, and whether or not I am the right one to introduce you to the lifestyle.   But I’ve been busy too.   “I’ve made sure you were serious because I’m not about to waste my time with someone who is seeking a thrill or whose heart isn’t in it.   I’ve made sure you are ‘in the range’ of submissive that is most likely to please me.   To me, your submissiveness is obvious and I’ve never questioned your nature.   What I have checked is our compatibility and you have jumped over every hurdle and through every hoop I’ve put in front of you.   Enthusiastically.   I’ve found you to be sensitive and sensible.   You’re intelligent and you’ve exercised good judgement and self-control.”   Elaine loved listening to his voice, even though she wasn’t convinced of her self-control at all.   “I don’t know about that.”   Gary chuckled.   “Did I mention humble?”   Elaine’s lips glistened as she ran her tongue over them, wetting her dry mouth.   “No.”   She sent the blushing face.   “But seriously, it’s true.   I agree that the odds of us meeting, and finding each other, and being right for each other, are astronomical.   But so far, that’s what has happened.   I also agree that the past two weeks have been crazy and we have done things pretty quickly.   But I’d like to think our shared enthusiasm has brought us to the position we are in, and that I haven’t rushed you into anything.   If I’m not right about that, then I’d like to know.”   “You haven’t rushed me,” Elaine typed.   “Good.   We’ve done everything by the book.   We are both driven to dot the ‘I’s’ and cross the ‘T’s’, you know.”   “But what if I can’t do it?   What if I’ve misread who I am?   What if I’m not submissive at all?”   “I’m smiling here.”   “Why?” Elaine asked, the heat in her cheeks rising.   “You DO realise that being unsure of yourself is a delightfully submissive characteristic, don’t you?”   “I thought submissives knew what they wanted.”   “Not at the beginning.   At the start most submissives have no idea what they want.   All they know is, ‘it feels right’.   And ‘it’s so exciting’.   Apart from that, not much is actually known.   They have lots of ideas though.”   “And on that basis they meet someone to dominate them?”   “Sadly, sometimes they do.   They don’t take the time to know themselves or to know the person they are willing to meet.   They make mistakes in their haste.”   “I don’t want to make mistakes.”   “Of course not.   And that’s what I’m saying.”   “What are you saying?”   “I am saying that you haven’t made a mistake about this.   The lifestyle IS for you, and you are definitely submissive.   And I don’t want you to think that you are not a good submissive either.   You want to learn and read and you are actively pursuing your self-improvement.   You listen and you are conscious of yourself and of what you are doing.   You are honest and giving.   And you blush so beautifully.   Did you know that most submissives blush?   Did you know that most submissives are intelligent, thoughtful people?   It’s not shameful to be submissive at all.   NOT finding the lifestyle would have been the real tragedy.”   Elaine found herself nodding silently.   She swallowed.   “I might never have found the way to reach my full potential.”   The smile in Gary’s voice had returned.   “That’s my girl.”   Elaine squeezed her thighs together as the words rang in her ears.   That’s my girl.   Butterflies took over her stomach.     Gary sounded more relaxed as he continued to explain. “Look, everyone is different and the extent varies, but there are three major things most submissives seem to have in common.   The first is a deep and abiding desire ‘to be pleasing’.   This is true in ninety-nine percent of submissives.   The trait is not the exclusive domain of subs though.   Lots of people desire the approval of others to validate who they are, so it’s by no means a defining characteristic.   But it’s almost a prerequisite.     “The second thing most subs have in common is a physically pleasurable response to aspects of the lifestyle that appeal to them.   If for example you like the idea of being tied up, as a submissive it doesn’t just appeal to you on a curiosity level, but on a physical level.   In other words, a potential submissive who is interested in bondage gets wet when she thinks about being restrained or helpless.”   Elaine bit her lip and wondered if getting wet for no reason also qualified.   She had to focus.   Gary was talking again.   “And the third thing most subs have in common is a strong desire for any relationship to be simple, clear, consistent and structured.   Submissives don’t take any shit, and people who don’t communicate well, don’t impress them.   Submissives who have discovered their nature are more careful with whom they share themselves.   They know how vulnerable they are and they take steps to protect themselves, not just when they arrive in the lifestyle.   Often it begins with family and friends.   Sound familiar?”   Elaine couldn’t help but smile.   “Yes, Sir.”     Gary chuckled.   “In summary, submissives observe keenly, are sexually responsive, and they don’t play games.   To me you are quite clearly, and beautifully, a submissive woman.   And I wouldn’t be as attracted to you if you weren’t.   If you weren’t, and I saw you, I might wish you were a sub though…”   Elaine thought Gary was amazing.   Somehow he’d made her feel better, all over again.   “I hope I’m good for you,” she typed, before she’d given it a second thought.   “You will be.”   Elaine breathed.   Her cheeks were burning.   “I’m just nervous, I guess.   I’ll be okay.”   “But it’s exciting.”     Gary’s comment made Elaine clench.   She’d been desperately trying to ignore the heat and wetness below.   Breathing heavily, she pondered his argument and her bodily reactions.   She couldn’t disagree.   Gary’s words were comforting to her mind, but her pussy was already convinced.   “Whispers…   Yes.   It is.”   He seemed to hesitate before replying.   “For me too.”     Spearing into Elaine’s mind came the vision of Gary adjusting his cock in his jeans.   Elaine chewed her lip, unsure of what to say.   Her fingers trembled as they rested on the keyboard.   The desire to masturbate had returned with a vengeance.     Thankfully Gary interrupted her thoughts, but she was still surprised when he said, “Pull up my picture.”   Elaine hadn’t looked at it since the day before yesterday.   “Okay,” Elaine typed, opening Paint from the Start menu and opening the file.   Gary’s manly grin filled the screen and Elaine’s scalp prickled.   Now I remember why I haven’t been looking at his picture, she thought, mesmerised by his eyes. Elaine clicked on their conversation, bringing it to the front, then moved it to the side so she could look at him while they talked.   “It’s up,” she typed.   “Good.   Now, concentrate.”   “Yes, Sir.”   She sat up straighter, gazing at him.   Short, shallow breaths wracked her chest as she waited for Gary to speak.   When he finally did, he emphasised words in a calming, rhythmic tone.     “You have not arrived here by accident…   And, as tempting as it is to believe, you are not here because of ‘fate’…   You are here because you know what you need.   And that need is overwhelming.   You might hesitate, but you won’t change your mind, because you know this is right for you…   Here and now, at this time in your life, this is what you have to choose.”     Elaine bit her lip and stayed quiet, listening to Gary’s hypnotic voice.   “You’ve done your homework.   You know what you should know.   You are safe because you did what you had to do.   My lifestyle friends have vouched for me, as have my acquaintances.    You spoke with my ex.   You know I’m who I say I am.   You’ve made a good, solid choice, Elaine.   You are safe.   The only thing left to do is to discuss the specifics.   Then you’ll be ready for me.”     Elaine had a little smile at the corners of her mouth by the time Gary had finished.   He was right of course.   She’d let herself get wound up and hadn’t been able to stop.   Inexplicably tears formed in her eyes all over again.   “Thank you for being so patient with me.   I feel like such a burden.”   “You are not a burden.   Your concerns are completely normal.   And I hope everything I do continues to foster your trust and liberates you.” .   In one sentence, Gary had nailed her.   Thoughts and images swirled through Elaine’s mind.   He was right.   She would be okay.   It was going to be amazing.   And she was dying to know more about the ‘specifics’.   It was something they hadn’t spoken much about at all.   Well, apart from ‘in a general sense’, when they talked about the checklists.   If only there were more time.   She glanced at the clock.   It was getting late.   “Sir?” she typed.   “You have to go to bed?” he asked, reading her mind.   She smiled.   “Yes.   I don’t want to, but I have an early start.”   “Such a good girl.”   Hearing the words, Elaine melted.   She really didn’t want to leave.   Remembering how much she had yet to do on her paper, she pouted.   Reluctantly she typed, “Would it be okay if I have to bring some books on the weekend?   I have a paper to finish.”   She sent a sad frown.     “Of course it is.   You can use my desk while I see to the horses.   I’ll make sure you have a few hours to study.”   “Thank you, Sir.”   “Welcome.   You better get to bed.”   One more minute, she thought.   “May I ask one more question?”   “Sure.”   “Don’t you ever get sick of reassuring me?”   “Not at all.   Until you know me, and until you know yourself, there will be lots of hesitation.”   “I’m nodding to myself here.”   “Good.   And I’m smiling.”   “May I hug you please?”   “Sure,” he said softly.   “I’m cuddling you warmly.”   “Holds on tightly.   Thank you for my surprise.   The contract I mean.   I’ll take a good look at it tomorrow.”   God.   Thursday.   “You’re welcome.   I’ll be seeing you soon, little one.”   Elaine felt a rush of blood as she typed, “I know I’ve said it before, but I really can’t wait.”   “Me either.”   He typed a smile.   “Good night, Elaine.”   “Good night, Sir.”     Clicking off the computer, Elaine sat dazed in her chair, finally catching her breath.   After a minute or so, she picked up the nipple clamps from beside the computer.   Wicked little things, she thought, glancing down at the twin peaks in her angora sweater.   She didn’t need to see her nipples to know they were hard and very sensitive.     Shaking her head, she climbed to her feet and gingerly walked over to the wardrobe.   “Oh,” she said under her breath, surprised by the delicious sensations of the wool caressing her swaying breasts.   As she hid the clamps away, Elaine stared longingly at her vibe and dildo before backing out of the wardrobe.     I can make it , she convinced herself, gritting her teeth as she stood and readied herself for bed.     ***************************     My God.   It’s Friday TOMORROW.     Elaine’s body tingled as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, plucking a few stray eyebrows and fixing her hair with some of Kendra’s hairspray.   After brushing her teeth, she joined her roommates for coffee before she headed to work.       “Good morning!” Elaine said cheerfully as she entered the kitchen.   She was a bit surprised they were both up.   Kendra had a mouthful of toast so she waved as she chewed and smiled.   Chelsea greeted her.   “Morning, Elaine.   You sound chipper.”   “Um, I slept well.”   Inwardly Elaine shook her head.   Sometimes it’s too easy to lie, she thought, remembering how she’d tossed and turned for an hour before sleep claimed her.   She changed the subject while helping herself to the already made coffee.   “How did work go?   Did you get lucky?”   “Pfft.   No.   The manager is gay.   Can you believe it?”   Elaine glanced at Kendra who shrugged.   Elaine wasn’t sure what to say, so she said what every frustrated young woman says.   “Why is it that all the good ones are either gay or married?”   Kendra chuckled.   Chelsea shook her head ruefully as she nursed her cup.   “A whole bunch of us went drinking for a couple of hours and he and I flirted until we left.   He dropped the bombshell on the drive home. ‘I just want to be friends,’ he said.   And when I put on my sexiest voice and told him ‘I didn’t just want to be friends’, he told me he was gay!”   Elaine chuckled.   “A male friend, eh?   Preposterous!”   “Oh, stop it.   I have male friends.   Well, more like ex-lovers but they keep sniffing at my back door.”   Kendra coughed then giggled.   “At your backdoor?” she repeated, collapsing in laughter.   Elaine almost spilt the milk she was pouring as she joined in nervously.   She was pretty sure they were talking about assholes.   Or anal sex or something.    In a few of the stories she’d read she’d heard the word ‘backdoor’ used instead of ‘anus’.   She’d never heard it said ‘out loud’ like that though.   It sounded dirty.   Her own backdoor clenched.   “I didn’t mean that!” Chelsea said, smiling.   “God, Kendra.   You can be so juvenile.”   “As long as they’re not forcing their way in!” Kendra howled.   “Ick,” said Chelsea.   Elaine kept her mouth shut.   “Oh, c’mon.   It’s not so bad once you get used to it,” said Kendra.   Chelsea said, “I don’t like it.”   The emphasis Chelsea had put on her comment wasn’t lost on her roommates.   They both glanced at her and Elaine smiled when she realised Chelsea was blushing.   Elaine felt her own nipples tingling.   Damn those clamps, she thought.   With a mischievous smile Kendra said, “Only nasty girls take it up the ass.”   “Then I’m not very nasty,” said Chelsea, rising to her feet.   “And I’m going to the library before class.   I have some research to do, believe it or not.”   In the ensuing moments as Chelsea got herself together to leave, Elaine sat idly at the table, sipping her brew.   She wondered if Chelsea was a little bit submissive.   Gary had said, ‘Most submissives blush’.   But Chelsea didn’t fit the profile.   She got too pissed off when she didn’t get her own way.   Elaine smiled to herself at her silly thoughts as Chelsea left for school.   As soon as the front door closed, over the rim of her mug Kendra asked, “What about you?”   “What about me?” Elaine responded, broken from her reverie.   “Are you a nasty girl?”   “Huh?”   “Are you a nasty girl?   Do you take it up the ass?”   Kendra was grinning like a Cheshire cat.   “Kendra!”   “Well?” she asked, with mock indignity.   “Even if I did, as if I’d tell you!”   Elaine unnervingly she felt like she was thirteen again.   After a brief moment of silence, Kendra seemed to change tack.   “I used to play with both… you know, holes.   That’s how I knew.   That ‘filled’ feeling was just like, Mmmmmm.”   Elaine shook her head, trying to dislodge thoughts of the very same feeling.   Her face felt hot and her temples were pounding.   She didn’t want to lie, yet she didn’t want to prolong the conversation more than necessary.   She knew Kendra was toying with her.   “I’d rather not have this conversation,” Elaine said, rising to her feet and heading to the sink.     “Ah, so you DO take it up the ass.”   Elaine rinsed her cup and dried her hands.   She would have actually liked a sensible conversation on the topic.   “Do you have to be so vulgar?”     “Girl,” said Kendra with a dismissive chuckle, “By the size of your man’s package, ‘me being vulgar’ is the least of your worries.”   Elaine held on to the edge of the sink as a wave of light-headedness washed over her.   When she looked up, Kendra smirked at her, which did nothing for Elaine’s burning cheeks.     “I’m just trying to be helpful,” Kendra continued.   “You have a pretty ass.   I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to fuck it.”     Elaine’s breathing was coming short and shallow.   This wasn’t how she’d imagined a conversation concerning anal sex would go.   She wanted to run from the room!   She needed courage.   She might not get a better chance to ask!   The thought of her BDSM checklist, of how she had informed Gary that she wanted to try anal, kept her riveted to the floor.   She tried to ignore Kendra’s graphic comment, forlornly hoping for a pearl of wisdom.   Swallowing her embarrassment, she asked, “Wh…   What should I do?”   “Get a butt plug that’s comparable to his cock.”   “I…”   Elaine almost blurted out that she had one.   Then she paled at the memory of what she had seen outlined in Gary’s jeans.   Oh God! she thought.   And Kendra had seen the discarded packaging of Elaine’s sex toys in her backpack last week.   Maybe she KNEW Elaine’s plug was too small to adequately prepare her for Gary’s size.   How embarrassing!   “I… I’ve gotta go.”   “Okay,” Kendra said with a wink.   “I’m going for a shower.”   **********************   Elaine’s morning at work was dominated by thoughts of being tied down and gagged while Gary forced his enormous cock painfully up her ass.   Thankfully she reminded herself that he’d promised not to tie her up unless she begged him.   Fleetingly she wondered if it would be easier if she were restrained.   She hoped he was planning to be gentle.     Work went slowly, but was finally done.   Then she caught the wrong bus.   Incorrect by one number, the bus veered away from the mall, instead heading back toward the school.   Cursing under her breath, she quickly got off the wayward bus.   Whether it was fate, or just a bizarre result of a simple mistake, when Elaine looked around to decide whether to head back to the mall on foot, she found she was standing in front of the Adult Emporium sex shop.     This is just too weird , she thought to herself as she took a deep breath and pushed open the door.   Almost like I did it on purpose…   The gaudily dressed woman in her fifties was still there, nonchalantly doing her nails behind the front counter.   She looked up from her task as Elaine approached, her face breaking into a wide smile.   “Ah,” she said.   “Repeat customers.   That’s what I like.”   She winked and Elaine blushed hotly.   She was grateful the woman was so nice.   “How can I help you this time, dear?”   Elaine couldn’t believe the words she was holding back, right on the tip of her tongue.   But there was no way around it.   She had to ask for what she wanted.   “I need…   I mean, I have to get a larger butt plug.”     “Okay, let’s take a look at what we have,” said the kindly older woman as if it were a request she’d heard a million times.     “Um, thanks.”     Elaine was led to the toy counter and aided in her selection by the woman’s helpful advice.   Turning over a one inch wide flesh-toned butt plug in her hands as the woman spouted its virtues was surreal.   It was twice as thick as the one she had, and at least an inch longer.   She thought if she could manage it without too much trouble, she might be able to take Gary.     “Just take your time.   Your ass is quite elastic and should handle that okay, as long as it isn’t forced.   Taking ten or so minutes wouldn’t be unusual, even after practicing with the smaller one.”   Elaine nodded.   “Okay.”   “Is there anything else I can help you with?”   “I um, I don’t think so.”   “Maybe I can interest you in these,” she said, moving down to the next counter.   It was the BDSM one.   Taking a pair of anklets from under the glass bench top, she laid them over Elaine’s hands.   They tinkled sweetly.   “Slave bells,” she said, smiling.   “Slave bells?”   The woman nodded.   “Don’t ask me, love.   I just sell the stuff.”   She winked.   They were pretty.   Elaine agreed to the added purchase and the two women made their way back to the front counter.   On a whim Elaine wondered if the store had any lingerie.   Maybe she could save a trip to the mall.   “Do you have anything like um, appropriate to wear for bed?”   “We only have fetish wear, honey.   Rubber and vinyl stuff, nurse’s uniforms, that kind of thing.   What were you looking for?”   “I don’t know.   Something sexy?”   “You better ask him.”   “Who?”   “Your man.   Only he knows what turns him on.   Buying for yourself is fun, but it’s not really for yourself, is it?”   “No.”   “Then you should ask first before you buy.”   “That’s good advice.   Thanks.”   “Welcome.   That comes to seventeen twenty including tax.”   “Oh, yes.   Sorry.”   Elaine stepped out into the sun and shielded her eyes while they adjusted.   Her purchases were safely tucked away in her backpack, this time without the packaging.   She was NOT going to be caught out again.   She smiled.   Good advice was hard to come by, and hearing the woman tell her she should ask Gary had struck a definite chord.     As soon as the old woman had said it, Elaine knew she was right.   She just KNEW it.   And she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it herself.   She might have wasted a whole bunch of money on something Gary might not have liked.   Not to mention an hour or so of time.   Elaine hid her giggle behind her hand as she strode across the quadrangle and started up the stairs to her apartment.   Rather than simply being ‘constructive’, Elaine thought the larger plug was about ‘harm minimisation’.   For some reason she found the idea quite funny.   She wasn’t sure when she’d get the chance to try it, but she was quite anxious to see how it went.   At least Gary would approve.   It will be okay as long as I don’t masturbate as well , she thought.   Her clit tightened, sending an intrepid tingle ricocheting around her body.   For a moment she stopped and held the railing on the stairs, catching her breath.   Her bubbling desires had been quietly biding their time, hidden at the back of her mind while she took care of her responsibilities.   Suddenly she realised she had to change her underwear.   She was glad she hadn’t gone lingerie shopping.   At least now she had a chance to get out of her work clothes.       She gulped as she turned the key.   A wave of relief washed over Elaine when she realised she was the only one home.   Sometimes it was nice to face the silence of an empty apartment.   Hurrying to her room, she changed into her comfortable jeans, and a long sleeved t-shirt over a tank.   Her bra had driven her mad all morning and she decided to forgo it.   Being braless was much more comfortable.   Besides, the idea was strangely erotic, bringing memories of her outrageous behaviour of a week ago.     Getting her mind on the job, she booted up and logged on, emailing Gary to ask for guidance on what he would like to see her in.   Amazingly he wrote back before she’d logged off. ‘Tanga-style bikini! Opaque!   Lace!   Black like a cloud!’   Jesus , Elaine thought.   She wasn’t even sure what ‘Tanga-style’ was!   I’ll have to look it up.   She smiled at Gary’s enthusiasm.     She was about to open Messenger to see if he was online when another mail arrived.   It said, ‘Okay, back to work.   I’ll see you tonight.   Thanks for the visual!’   Elaine giggled.   She replied with a wink then shut down the machine.   Getting up, she looked around her room then down at her backpack.   Looking at her watch, she had a wicked thought.   What’s a good way to waste a half-hour before I have to go to class?