Maria very stealthily made her escape, tiptoeing across the squeaky floors and darting past dilapidated equipment. She ducked inside the ladies locker room and allowed herself to breathe. Her heart hadn't settled down yet and just made it more difficult to think. She couldn't get her head straight. All she wanted to do was get out of there, to slip out unnoticed.
She stood up tall on her toes and reached into the locker. Hers was way up on the top shelf, the shelf that Jennifer had told her to use so she didn't inconvenience the customers. Maria didn't notice anyone else using the lockers though, except for a tall woman who put her stuff in the one right next to hers. As Maria pulled her sweater out, she heard a yelp. She bravely shrieked right back at her attacker.
"Ah! You scared me! Oh my God! Sorry about that," Maria said, then reached down to scoop her sweater off the floor.
Jennifer held a hand over her chest and blinked. Her short, black hair seemed frazzled like she'd just been electrocuted. She paused there, frozen for a bit while the uneasy silence rang throughout the room. Eventually, she shook her head and said, "I didn't know you were still here, I... I thought you left."
"Oh yeah, uh, surprise!" Maria joked. "I was just leaving—but everything's done though!"
Jennifer blinked but didn't say anything until Maria pointed out the pristine condition of the locker room. But even that just earned her a barely perceptible nod of approval.
Maria frowned. "What? Is it not good enough? Want me to do it again?"
Jennifer wiggled her fingers, took a deep breath, and spoke in her usual, calm voice, "Huh? Oh... Oh! No, it's fine. I'm just... It's been a long day. It looks great!"
"See how shiny the sinks are?" Maria said proudly.
Jennifer rubbed at her eyes. "Oh, uh, yeah. Actually, we might have to make you the permanent janitor. This is really good now that you mention it."
Maria's temporary smile slunk away.
"I'm just kidding, sheesh! You're fine! It's fine!" But when the poor, doe-eyed girl just stood there staring, Jennifer coughed into her fist and tactfully changed the subject. "So, uh, got any big plans tonight?"
"It's almost midnight, and it's only Tuesday," the teenage girl pointed out.
Jennifer shrugged. "That won't mean so much when you're older."
"Oh. Well, uh, alright, I... I think I'm gonna go now if that's OK?" Maria asked. She reached into her purse and found her glasses. When the thick, black frame was comfortably sitting on the bridge of her nose, Maria offered a nervous wave.
Jennifer stared at her like she'd never seen her before, like she was a stranger. "No, wait! I mean, you wear glasses? No wonder you're so smart. Here let's see... Oh, they're cute too."
Maria took a step back, instinctively wielding her purse like a shield. "Uh, yeah, heh, I should wear them all the time, but at night when I drive I definitely have to."
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
Maria leaned forward. "None?"
"Good!" Jennifer laughed. "But hey, wait a minute, you're not going to get into your car like that, are you? No offense, but you're gross."
"Yeah, uh, it's no big deal. My car sucks anyway, it's not like my sweaty body is going to ruin my expensive leather seats. And I was just going to wash up at home. So, uh, good night Jennifer, and you know, thanks for the job. I really like it!" she lied.
"Aw don't leave me now! If you stick around I can give you some pointers. Also, it's really boring here all by myself. Then I have to walk out to the parking lot all alone, and who knows if someone is going to kill me. Come on, you don't want blood on your hands, do you?"
"But, that's... Wait, someone's going to kill you?"
"Probably," Jennifer said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, uh, I can wait here for you I guess, so we can walk out together," Maria suggested.
"Deal!"
"But, like how much time do you need?"
"Oh just a few minutes for a quick shower, not long," Jennifer reassured her. Then to prove it, she slipped out of her shoes and removed her socks.
Maria was thankful when Jennifer produced a towel from her locker like she intended to undress in the shower stall like you were supposed to—that's how Maria thought it worked anyway. But Jennifer just casually tossed it onto the bench and reached for the hem of her shirt. A moment later, she was standing beside her, brandishing those impossibly perky breasts that were much larger than her own. Jennifer coolly folded the shirt and placed it back in her locker. And when she caught the curious girl staring, Maria blushed and turned away.
"Sorry, I uh, I didn't mean to," Maria tried to explain.
Jennifer wrinkled her brow. "Sorry for what?"
Maria opened her mouth and then hesitated. Her mind raced to find an excuse, anything to make the situation less awkward, but when she spoke all that came out was the truth. "I'm sorry for, you know—I didn't mean to stare, that's all."
"Oh please! Like you've never snuck a peek at one of your friends after gym class?"
"What? No! Never!" Maria insisted.
Jennifer frowned. "Well, whatever. I'm just saying that we've all got 'em, right?"
"I guess," Maria admitted, "but not like yours."
Jennifer scoffed. "That's the first thing you need to learn. Right here, right now. The first lesson is: be proud of yourself, because if you can't do that you're not going to inspire anyone."
"Sorry, it's just, I..."
"See? Quit apologizing. You looked at my tits, so what? And you know what, you're hot too."
Maria choked on her own saliva. She leaned forward, set her hands on her knees, and took a big breath. Then that hand from earlier was back on her, the same hand that had given her that reassuring squeeze at the start of her shift, and that same hand that had groped the pretty blonde girl just moments earlier.
Jennifer slid in close behind her and rubbed. "Hey, Maria, you OK?"
The petite seventeen-year-old nodded, then slowly rose back up. She tried to stand tall and proud, but when she turned back to her boss all she could see were those perfect, round breasts staring back at her.
"It's OK, you can look. Hey! You can't show any of that fear, you're going to see a lot of weird stuff out there."
Maria took another deep breath, then another. The nipples were a light pink color, and very small like her own. "It's just, I mean, you're so... And I'm..." Maria said then looked down.
"Don't say that, you're beautiful. No, really! Look at you!" Jennifer guided Maria's chin up until she was staring at herself in the mirror. "I see a pretty young woman in her prime. What do you see?"
A terrified, dark-skinned girl in glasses stared back at her. All she could find were the faults, like how her nose was too flat, and her thick hair was coming out of her ponytail, and of course, that small chest sitting under a much too expensive sports bra. It was supposed to make her look sexy, but she just felt like a boy. Maria sighed.
Jennifer shook her head. "Here, watch me. This is what confidence looks like."
Maria cocked her head and stared curiously at the topless woman. Her jaw slid side to side and she ground her teeth together, doing everything she could not to laugh. But when her boss raised her arms and flexed while making her best attempt at a scary, snarling face, Maria couldn't help it. She burst into laughter. And when Jennifer growled, Maria grabbed her tummy with both hands, but mostly because it hurt to laugh.
"Now you try," Jennifer said.
"What! No way! I can't do that!"
"You can't lift your arms and make a stupid face? I think you learn that in year two of being alive. Come on!"
Maria gulped. "Um, OK, I, uh—" she pumped her fists in the air and roared "—I'm big and strong! Look at me, I'm tough, and, uh, mean!"
Jennifer covered her mouth, and then quickly motioned for Maria to continue. "That's it, keep going! What do you see?"
Maria narrowed her eyes and immediately started to panic. Her small nipples were staining precariously against her sports bra. Wide-eyed and afraid, she began mumbling incoherently, "I see, a, uh... She's... I think... I don't know!"
Jennifer pinched the tissue above Maria's collarbone. "You know what I see—actually, your traps are tight. You might need to see a doctor."
"What?"
"Never mind. I see a pretty, young woman in her prime. That's what I see. You're perfect. Now, you're going to stand here in front of this mirror until you agree with me," Jennifer said. She made it sound like a joke, but Maria wasn't sure.
So, she just stood there for a while, staring at herself, scrutinizing her body. She did what she normally did when she was at home all alone. She turned to the side and stuck her plump, round butt out. Then she turned the other way and did the same thing. Her hair should probably get a trim, she thought. It tickled all the way down her back and covered the top part of her leggings. She coolly plucked it up and draped it over her shoulder and out of the way. Then there was a whistle and she quickly straightened herself out.
The woman approached slowly and set her hands down on the bare skin of Maria's shoulders once again, much more assertive this time like she belonged there. "Do you like her?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure," Maria admitted sullenly.
"You should give her a chance—I think she's cute anyway."
Maria gave it another honest attempt but quickly became distracted by Jennifer's naked breasts right beside her, and her confidence deserted her. She spoke slowly like she was lamenting the loss of a loved one, "I just wish I looked like you—like all of you, your whole body."
But Jennifer didn't say anything back. She just stared confidently over Maria's shoulder into the mirror. Her soft fingertips began to trace over her collarbone and down her arms, slowly tickling her soft skin. With each pass, Maria's solemn, worried face seemed to fall apart, one piece at a time. What was left was a mixture of hope, anticipation, and more than anything curiosity. The topless woman behind her remained perfectly stoic. After several, quiet moments together, Jennifer lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
"Turn," she ordered.
Maria blinked as if still half in a daze. "Huh?"
"Turn to your side, just like you were earlier."
"Oh. Right."
Maria kept her eyes on the mirror. Even though she could feel the woman touching her she didn't quite believe it until she saw that bold hand going to work. Jennifer ran a single finger very slowly down her back, starting at her neck and following the contour of her spine, over her top, and finally gliding to a stop where her pants began. Maria could see how ghastly her face looked in the mirror, with her mouth agape, and the way her tongue seemed to just flutter aimlessly in the air. Jennifer pinched the waistline of her leggings.
"I like the way you wear your pants," she said, then snapped it back into her skin.
Maria jumped up to her toes and squeaked before settling back down. That only amused Jennifer who promptly did it again. Maria's long hair tickled the back of Jennifer's hand, but the woman didn't seem bothered by it at all. Again she peeled the tight material back, almost like she was trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside, only to just snap it back in place again.
"You seriously have the perfect waist for it—seriously I don't know why you're so shy and glum, I wish I had your butt."
Maria brought her shoulders back and pushed her skinny tummy forward. There was a tinge of excitement in her voice when she spoke. "What? Really? Come on... Wait, are you serious? You really think it's nice?"
Jennifer spoke over her, continuing like she didn't even hear her, "I'm just glad you have a good sense of what to wear to really show it off. I bet the girls at school are jealous."
Maria blushed. "I don't think so. And besides, we have to wear uniforms. Everyone just kind of looks plain."
Jennifer set her hands on the girl's hips and stepped in closer. "I bet you don't look plain, I bet you look good in whatever your silly school makes you wear. Oh, I hope they make you wear skirts, please tell me I'm right."
"Yeah..."
Jennifer gently brushed a finger across the smooth skin of her tummy. Then, she deliberately walked the pads of her fingertips up to her belly button only to come back down a moment later, until eventually, Maria laughed. The ticklish teenager lurched backwards into Jennifer's waiting arms which promptly coiled around her slender frame like a snake. But Maria didn't do anything about it, or even say anything. She just stared up over her shoulder at the taller, prettier girl.
"Well, don't leave me in suspense, what is it? Is there something on my face?" Jennifer asked.
"What? No. It's just, I dunno, you're so..."
"Weird? Yeah, I get that a lot."
The younger girl considered thoughtfully for a moment, then spoke up in a shy, quiet voice, "Actually, I was going to say—" she gulped "—you're so pretty." Then Maria began to blush profusely. But before Jennifer could say anything at all, she continued, "It's just, well, I don't get why you're so nice to me—don't you have any other beautiful people to hang out with? Why me?"
Jennifer clawed at Maria's waist with both hands. Her fingers dug into her skin. It was only after Maria yelped that she relaxed and rubbed at the tender skin of her sides, trying to make her feel better. Her voice wasn't pleasant though and stung Maria's ears. "Do you think I'm lying?" she asked the frightened girl.
"What? I, uh—no! Why?"
"Because I'm telling you that you're cute and that you have a beautiful body, but you don't believe me. It's like you're calling me a liar."
Maria frowned, her nose twitched, and for a moment it looked like she was going to cry. Instead, she surprised everyone, even herself, when she banged her fist on the counter and abruptly turned to face her boss. She jabbed a finger into Jennifer's chest, right between her naked breasts, and began a very unexpected tirade that left them both stunned.
"First of all, I am not a liar, don't ever call me that! I only tell the truth, and the truth is that you're beautiful, every single part of you—and you know it! Seriously, are you doing this on purpose?"
"Wait... Doing what?"
"Doing what! It's like you're trying to show off on purpose to like, I dunno, make me feel bad, or to tease me," she said and poked her boss again.
Jennifer winced. She gently took hold of Maria's finger and steadied her hand, but she didn't say anything.
"Well? You're not going to deny it?" Maria said after a moment. "You're not going to say anything at all? It's probably because it's true. You know you have the most perfect boobs in the world, way better than mine, and you want me to what, to see how much bigger they are? How much better they look compared to mine?"
Jennifer held her ground but kept her lips tightly sealed which just incensed the already irate Latina girl even more.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Say something!" Maria demanded. She huffed and puffed, and then a moment later her eyes went wide. "What are you doing... Jennifer!"
Her boss took her by the wrist and set her angry little hand down on her breast.
"Jennifer!" she cried again.
The light-skinned woman only sighed. "You're still not listening, you're beautiful. It's not complicated. That's it. End of story."
"What do you mean? And... And..."
"You know what I think?" she asked as she pressed Maria's hand harder into her flesh.
Maria tried to swallow the lump in her throat but just ended up coughing.
"I think you're a lot braver than you're willing to admit. It takes a lot of courage to actually love yourself and to tell yourself that you're beautiful. It took me a long time, way too long, and I don't want that to happen to you."
"But... But... You're so much prettier, and—wait! Really?"
Jennifer rolled her eyes, leaned in, and kissed her.
Maria gasped the moment those sweet, seductive lips touched hers. And into her open mouth slithered Jennifer's tongue. Her natural reflexes that eventually caused her to button up and put an end to this madness took much longer to kick in than she'd expected, it's as if they were as unsure as she was. But after a few moments, Maria managed to close her mouth and hold her lips tightly together. She just tried to hang on while the whole world went crazy around her. But suddenly, there was more.
The heat flash didn't just envelop her, it nearly knocked her off her feet and left her wobbly with goosebumps sprouting up her neck. It felt like a fever, like she was burning up, but somehow still cold and sticky. She worried that her sweaty palms would rub off on her boss's perfect breasts and she'd be laughed at. It was strange even to her, as she experienced her first kiss with another girl, that all she could think about was how nervous she was, and how poorly she was doing. It's like she was watching from the outside, disappointed in herself as if she knew she could do better. Maria inhaled deeply through her flat nose.
She relaxed. Her eyes fluttered open. And finally, she invited her boss's soft, moist tongue inside. It had been gently trying to force her open, to pry its way inside, and now the shy seventeen-year-old had her lips wrapped around it. She inhaled it much like she did the first and only time she'd sucked a boy's penis. But this was sexier, more romantic. She didn't have to worry about choking or semen spraying down her throat and making her gag. The boy didn't even warn her either, he just held her by the back of her head and started filling her mouth with a hot, foreign liquid. It made Maria appreciate her boss's gentle lips, and how delicate her tongue was as it slid over her own.
Jennifer had half-expected the new girl to run out of the room screaming or to ask her to stop and tell her that this was too much for her. But instead, Maria's little hand, the one that still clung to Jennifer's breast, came to life. Maria took hold of the perky flesh and bore down. Her unsteady fingers trembled as she explored the woman's body, as she touched a girl for the first time. But amidst all the confusion and uncertainty, she noticed something, something that excited her, something that gave her the courage to keep going.
The more she squeezed and rolled her fingers through those fleshy mounds, the more she was certain that those short, rapid puffs of air blowing down her throat were Jennifer starting to pant. It got stronger. Hot air blew from her nostrils and tickled Maria's upper lip. It thrilled her to see the impact she was having on the much prettier and more experienced girl. She even caught herself grinning when a muffled moan bounced off her tongue.
"Does it really feel that good? Am I doing it right? Sorry, I've just never done this before," Maria blurted out.
"I know," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "But hey—is this OK?" she asked after she'd already set her hands down on Maria's lower back, just above the fold of her pants.
"I... I think so?"
Jennifer looked down at the two hands clumsily groping her chest. "You think so?"
Maria blushed.
"Well, do you want to keep going?" Jennifer asked.
"I, uh, maybe? What is 'keep going' though?" she asked sincerely.
Jennifer said something. Her mouth moved. Sounds came out. But Maria never had a chance. Her mind, her thoughts, and even her prayers were all focused on Jennifer's hands as they descended down her back and settled on the top of her buttocks. Maria was proud, she wanted Jennifer to keep going, to touch the one piece of her she knew for a fact was perfect, and maybe even nicer than Jennifer's.