The Black Lingerie, Part Fourteen

“Morning, sleepyhead.”

Ashley looked up as Loren came into the kitchen. She had awakened before the others and had come downstairs for some breakfast.

“It is unlike you to be up so late,” Loren said, sitting down across from her. She favored Ashley with an amused grin, “Late night?”

Something about the grin made Ashley leary.

“It is the weekend,” Ashley said, then, “You are supposed to sleep in.”

“True, true,” she said, nodding like that was a perfectly good explanation.

Again, Ashley felt uneasy. Maybe it was because Loren was so chatty. It was out of character for the teenager.

“So you weren’t up late,” she asked, her smile knowing.

“What do you mean?”

“Come on now,” Loren said, laughing.

Ashley looked at her, frowning.

Still smiling that knowing smile, Loren said, “Funny thing- I had forgotten you had friends over. I was going to sneak out. You know, borrow your window.”

Caught off guard, Ashley nearly choked on her cereal. Was she saying what Ashley thought she was saying?

“When I snuck out of my room, I noticed your light was still on,” she said.

It was the Nimbus 2000 all over again, she thought, blushing.

“It is a good thing I did notice, too. Who knows what I might have walked in on, if I hadn’t.”

There it was. She knows, Ashley thought.

“Judging by the sounds I heard when I put my ear to the door, I’d-“

Cutting her off, Ashley said, “I get it. You can stop, now.”

“So, it was really what it sounded like. Not a movie or something.”

Her face so hot she thought she might curdle the milk on her cereal, she said, “No, it wasn’t a movie.”

Laughing, Loren sat back in her chair and looked at her. Shaking her head, she said, “I’ll be damned. So all three of you…”

Not looking at her, Ashley nodded.

“Wow. Kids really are starting younger and younger,” she said, amused.

Ashley shot her a look and Loren laughed.

“Relax,” she said, holding up her hands, “I’m just teasing.”

“You aren’t going to tell Dad, are you?”

“And try to explain what I was doing up so late. No thanks,” she said. then leaned forward, “So, what is this? Were you just messing around or is this something else?”

“What is the difference,” Ashley asked, frowning. Again, something about the question made her feel like Loren had an agenda for this conversation.

“Well,” she said, tapping a finger to her lips, “Is this the first time?”

Ashley didn’t answer, didn’t even look at her.

“Holy shit, it isn’t.”

“Keep it down,” she said, glaring at her.

“Right,” Loren said, looking around for the parent types, “If you’ve done it more than once, it is definitely a thing.”

“So?”

“Hey, don’t get defensive. I’m not judging,” she said, then lowering her voice, “I’m the last one to judge you.”

“What do you mean?”

Loren looked at her and said, “I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine.”

“What secret?”

“You know how I’m always sneaking out to parties?’

“That isn’t a secret.”

Giving her a look, Loren said, “Smart ass. Anyway, I haven’t been going to a party when I sneak out.”

Frowning, Ashley said, “Then where do you go?”

Taking a deep breath, Loren said, “To Heather Brown’s house.”

“Who is Heather Brown?”

“The girl I’ve been sleeping with,”

Her eyes widening, Ashley said, “Oh.”

“Yeah. We’ve been together for almost a year,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. She looked so vulnerable when she met Ashley’s eyes, “No one knows. Never told a soul about us.”

“Except me,” Ashley said, a little shocked.

“Except you,” she said, her eyes locking on Ashley’s.

As lame as it was, all she could think to say was, “So that is why you had the vibrator.”

“What,” she asked, frowning.

“Nevermind, stupid comment. Sorry. You just caught me off guard, telling me this.”

“Imagine how I felt last night,” Loren said, laughing, “It was kind of weird hearing those noises coming from a twelve year old’s room.”

Ashley blushed.

“Anyway,” she said, shrugging, “If you need to talk to someone… About anything… You can talk to me. No one was there when I was figuring this thing out. I might actually have some useful advice for you, after all.”

That made Ashley laugh.

“I know, right,” Loren said, laughing, too.

It was about that time that Erin came into the kitchen. Her hair was a mess and she looked still half asleep. She was wearing what she had worn to bed- panties and a t-shirt. She looked at Ashley, then at Loren. When she looked at back at Ashley, she raised her eyebrow questioningly.

“What is so funny?”

“Nothing,” Ashley said, then grinned, “Well, maybe your hair.”

“Bad?”

“Nothing a shower and a brush can’t tame,” she said.

“Rough night,” Loren asked.

“Oh, stop,” Ashley said, laughing.

Erin looked at Loren, then Ashley, waited to be let in on the joke. When it seemed she wasn’t going to be, she shrugged and started making her breakfast. With her cereal, she sat at the table with Ashley and Loren.

Only after she had a bite, did she say, “You were laughing when I came in, so it wasn’t my hair.”

Ashley looked at Loren, who shrugged, “We weren’t as clever as we thought last night.”

Frowning, Erin said, “What do you mean?”

“She means I overheard the festivities.”

Her eyes widening, she looked from Ashley to Loren.

“She knows we.. fooled around,” Ashley said.

Erin blushed, looked mortified.

“Turns out,” Ashley said, “She might have some advice for us.”

Frowning, Erin parroted, “Advice?”

“Advice about being a lesbian,” Loren said, “or bi-curious. Whatever your game is.”

“I’m not following,”

“I’m a lesbian,” Loren said, taking a deep breath, “have been for years.”

“Oh,” Erin said.

“The offer stands for you, too,” she said, meeting Erin’s eyes, “If you have any questions, you can ask me.”

“Um, thanks.”

Like Ashley, she seemed surprised by the change in Loren. Loren must have picked up on it because she grinned sheepishly and said, “Yeah, I know. It is a little late to play the sister part, but hey… I’m trying.”

Erin grinned at her, “Cool.”

“Now,” she said, leaning forward, “Are you going to tell me how this happened?”

Erin and Ashley looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Loren looked at them expectantly, which made them laugh harder.

“Honestly, Loren,” Ashley said, still giggling, “You wouldn’t believe us if we told you.”

——————————————-

“Mindy?”

The brunette looked over her shoulder and found Loren standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She wore sleep shorts and a tank top, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. The shorts were tiny and the top snug, revealing a lot of her tight, teenaged body. As she had when she greeted Mindy at the door, she found her very appealing.

“Oh, hey Loren,” she said, smiling. She gave a little wave as she turned to go back to Ashley’s room. Loren stopped her.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Mindy looked back at her, frowned when the older girl opened her door and stepped aside so she could enter. Intrigued, she stepped into the room. Her curiosity was further piqued when she closed the door behind them.

“What’s up,” Mindy asked, looking around the room.

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Um, okay,” Mindy said, a little uneasy. She really didn’t like personal questions.

“I’ve heard rumors about a girl name Mindy Cross around school-” she said, pausing when Mindy jerked as if slapped.

Mindy thought, bitterly, New school but same old town.

“So you are that Mindy Cross,” Loren said, sitting on her bed. She patted the bed beside her. When Mindy raised her eyebrows questioningly, Loren let out a hearty laugh, said, “You are a very pretty girl but that isn’t why I asked you in here. I’m actually in a pretty serious relationship with someone.”

Wondering what this was all about, Mindy joined her on the bed.

“I’m kind of new at this concerned big sister thing, so…” Loren started, then ran out of words. She glanced at Mindy, gave her a sheepish grin. Mindy waited, still unsure what Loren wanted with her. Taking a deep breath, the teenager said, “Shit, this is awkward. Fuck it! Did you turn Ashley out?”

Mindy’s eyes widened, then she started to laugh, “Are you asking if I seduced your step-sister?”

“Yeah.”

“No,” Mindy said, still laughing. She met Loren’s eyes so she could see she was telling the truth, “If anything, they seduced me.”

“Erin and Ashley?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh,” Loren said, shaking her head.

“What is this all about,” Mindy asked, curious about this line of questioning.

“Ashley has changed so much in the last month or so,” Loren said, then with a sheepish grin, “Hell, even I’ve noticed, which is saying something.”

“And you thought I had something to do with it?”

“Not really,” she said, sighing, “Just grasping at straws.”

“Did you try asking her, herself?”

“Yeah,” Loren said, snorting in derision, “She said I wouldn’t believe her if she told me.”

Mindy laughed, “That is probably true.”

“Why do you all keep saying that?”

“It is a crazy story.”

“I like crazy stories,” Loren said, smiling.

“It’s not mine to tell, Loren,” Mindy said, laughing.

With a sigh of frustration, she said, “Yeah, I know. Just forget I asked. Will you tell me one thing, at least? Are Erin and Ashley dating? A couple?”

Mindy shook her head, smiled, “Dating? No. It isn’t like that.”

“Then what is it like?”

“We are just friends.”

“With benefits?”

“Exactly,” Mindy said, laughing.

Loren pulled a face said, “Creepy.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Sorry,” she said, favoring her with a playful smile.

“Anyway,” Mindy said, standing up, “I should get back.”

“Okay. Listen, I’m sorry about bringing up the rumors… Kids can be real bastards sometimes,” Loren said, then, “If you ever want someone to talk to you… I already told Erin and Ashley but the offer is extended to you, as well.”

“I appreciate that,” Mindy said.

She let herself out of the room, went back to Ashley’s. She found them right where she’d left them, sitting on the bed watching TV. Squeezing in beside them, she started laughing.

“What’s funny,” Ashley asked, looking around Erin, who was in the middle.

“You two would make a cute couple,” she said, laughing harder when she saw the redhead’s quizzical expression. She held up her hand, said, “Sorry.”

“What are you talking about,” Erin said, smiling at her giggle fit.

She managed to get herself under control, said, “Loren stopped me in the hall, wanted to know if I had seduced Ashley.”

“What,” Ashley said, a laugh surprised from her.

“She’s noticed the change in you, thought I might have something to do with it. Apparently, she’d heard some of the rumors about me.”

“What rumors?”

“Just some lies a group of girls at my old school spread about me,” Mindy said, anger creeping into her voice. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself before going on, “Anyway, Loren is concerned about you. It was kind of sweet. She was trying to be a big sister.”

“Weird,” Erin said and Ashley nodded her agreement.

“I think we need to come up with a story. Something wild but plausible, to explain how we ended up fooling around. It’s just a hunch but I get the feeling she isn’t going to stop prodding until we tell her something.”

“You really think so,” Ashley asked, frowning.

“I do,” Mindy said.

“Grab your notebook,” Erin said, grinning at the redhead, “It is story time.”

Laughing, Ashley turned off the TV and went to her desk. With a notebook and pencil in hand, she went to her radio to put on some music to cover up their conversation. At least, that was what Mindy figured she was doing. She had just sat down when the first power chords started pouring from the speakers.

Mindy had to grin, said, “Pantera. Nice.”

“Thought you might like that,” Ashley said, opening her notebook to a blank page, “Any ideas?”

“I think we should keep it as close to the truth as possible,” Erin said.

“That a dead girl seduced us one by one?”

“Not that close to the truth,” she said, laughing, “I meant that Natty needs to be in the story; just leave out the part about her being dead and stuck in the place of locked doors. I meet Natty, become her friend. One day she says she wants to try something.”

“You two fool around,” Ashley said, writing something down.

“After it happens a few times, I finally work up the nerve to tell you about it. You are skeptical it could feel as good as I say, so you end up trying it with Natty.”

“She likes it,” Mindy added, picking up the story, “You both begin to change, notice girls. Eventually you end up fooling around.”

“About that time,” Erin said, pointing at Mindy, “You start going to Brimm’s. We become friends after I notice you eyeballing the upperclassmen. You meet Natty and- surprise!- you end up sleeping with her, too. Then last night happened.”

“Yes, last night,” Ashley smiled, shivering, “Listen, are we all still okay with what we did last night? No regrets?”

“None,” Mindy said, smiling at her.

Erin shook her head, said, “No regrets.”

“Good,” the redhead said, grinning, “because I really want to do it, again.”

“I think we all do,” Mindy said, looking around. She could see the agreement on their faces, in their smiles.

“Then we’d better nail this story down,” Erin said, excitedly, “It sounds like we are going to need it.”

Ashley was tapping her pencil on the notebook, something she did unconsciously when she was thinking. Suddenly, she stopped, looked up, “I just thought of something. What if Loren wants to meet this girl who managed to seduce all three of us.”

“Oh,” Erin said, frowning.

“Maybe she moved away,” Mindy said.

Ashley shrugged, “I guess that could work. We’d need to think out the details- where she went, when, that kind of thing.”

“Do we like the rough idea? Natty seduces Erin; Erin tells me about it; I’m curious, sleep with Natty; Mindy friends Erin, meets Natty; Mindy fools around with Natty; and last night, we had an orgy. Now we are sad because our friend is leaving town. Is this where we are starting?”

Mindy frowned said, “I like it. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“It isn’t all that hard to believe,” Mindy said, shrugging, “I think this is how it happens a lot, a friend wants to ‘try something’.”

“So?”

“Well, it’s just that we all told her she wouldn’t believe us if we told her. I don’t think she would have any problem swallowing this story.”

“I see what you are saying,” Ashley said, grimacing, “You’re right.”

“We could still use it,” Erin said, looking from Ashley to Mindy, “Just act surprised if she believes us.”

“Erin, I love you to death, but you can’t lie to save your life,” Ashley said, affectionately, “That is why I liked your idea about keeping it as close to the truth as possible.”

“Then how do we make it harder to believe?”

No one had an answer for that one. Each girl wracked her brain for something to give the story more of a punch.

An idea suddenly popped into Mindy’s head and she sat up straighter. Erin saw it and said, “What? Did you think of something?”

“Why not add the dream Erin had when Natty showed her the hidey hole, which of course she really finds the next morning.”

“That would definitely weird it up, but how can Natty be in Erin’s dream if she is supposed to be our friend in real life.”

“Doesn’t have to be Natty in the dream,” Erin said.

“So, some random girl show’s Erin the hiding spot in her closet in a dream… Then Erin finds it for real…”

“Maybe Erin finds a diary in the box,” Mindy said, which technically she had, “it is a woman’s diary, detailing her experiences as a lesbian.”

Intrigued, Ashley made some notes, then said, “Go on.”

“Maybe Erin shows the diary to Natty. The girl is turned on, wants to try some of the things she reads about in the book. She convinces Erin to fool around with her.”

“Huh,” Erin said, mulling it over, “It isn’t bad.”

“I kind of like it,” Ashley said, grinning, “Once you two fool around, the rest of the original story works. You tell me about the hole in the wall and fooling around with Natty. I’m curious, let Natty seduce me, as well. Mindy, too.”

“We need to really sell Natty’s magnetic personality,” Erin said, laughing, “After all, she has to seduce all of us. Seems kind of far fetched, right? Even if it is true.”

“Yeah,” Mindy said, laughing self consciously.

Ashley started writing, said out loud, “Erin has a very realistic dream in which a woman- a lesbian- shows her the hidden compartment in her closet…”

“It is a weird, ultra-realistic dream,” Erin said, remembering that first dream of Natty, “It seems so real that I’m compelled to look for the compartment when I wake up. I find it, right where the woman in the lingerie said it would be.”

“Lingerie?”

“Little details,” Erin said, shrugging, “Natty was wearing lingerie, so why not?”

“Alright.”

“So, Erin finds the hiding place,” Mindy says, picking up the narrative, “and in it is an ornate black box containing the diary and a photograph of the woman.”

“And the lingerie,” Ashley said, looking up, “So it ties into the dream.”

“Right,” Erin said, nodding, “Intrigued, I start reading the diary, find it full of racy descriptions of the woman’s trysts.”

Frowning, Mindy said, “Do you think that is what is in Natty’s diary? Stories of her trysts?”

“Probably,” Erin said, then, “a record of her abuse.”

They were all silent for a moment, wondering what the poor girl had lived through. It was hard to imagine the effervescent girl surviving the abuse. The things that had been done to her, they hadn’t tarnished her shine.

“She really is something, isn’t she,” Ashley said, breaking the silence.

“She is,” Mindy agreed, smiling sadly.

Erin sighed, said, “Let’s get back to the story.”

“Right,” Ashley said, shaking it off, “so, Erin finds the diary, recognizes the woman in the photo as the one from her dream. Curious, she reads the diary, blushing the whole time at the descriptions within.”

Laughing, Mindy said, “Nice detail.”

“I tell Natty about what I found and she wants to read the diary. She is excited by what she reads, wants to try a few things. She pushes me until I give in. It feels good, so we keep trying new things from the diary.”

“You tell me about the hidden compartment, the diary, and about fooling around with Natty. You make it sound so appealing that when the girl leans on me, I cave. She coaxes me into fooling around with her,” Ashley said, writing as she talked.

“Eventually, you and I try it,” Erin said, smiling, “with a little help along from Natty. Then Mindy starts going to our school. I catch her eyeballing the girls in the locker room. I find Mindy attractive and open up to her. We become friends.”

“Did you really find me attractive?”

“Yeah,” Erin said, smiling at her.

“I thought you were cute, too.”

“Anyway,” Ashley said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” she said, patting the redhead on the thigh, “I thought you were cute, too.”

“So we become friends, all of us. You earn our trust and we tell you about the dream and diary. You meet Natty for the first time and-“

“As a lesbian with some experience, I am more than willing to sleep with her.”

“And, finally… Last night happened,” Ashley said, writing one last sentence. She put the pencil down and the girls huddled close to read what she’d written. Mindy was truly impressed, loved the little details and nuance Ashley had added. Erin had been right about Ashley having a talent for writing.

“This would make a great book,” Erin said, grinning.

“A book about a ghost and a bunch of twelve year old girls having sex… Who’d write a book like that?”

Continue to Page Fifteen

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