Elizabeth 02: Revenge

So haunted was Elizabeth with the memory of Tamara -- even as the night's delights awaited her -- that when at last she opened the door to Jonathan's cozy flat, she had quite forgotten that he knew nothing of what had transpired at the baths. Just as she had hoped, he had just completed his dinner and was busy with washing the dishes. "Elizabeth!" he called out joyfully, and he wiped down his hands with a dish towel to greet her at the door with a warm embrace. His fair hair and lithe figure had rarely looked so inviting to Elizabeth as at that moment. "My word, you're frozen!" he exclaimed as he released her. "I'd best add a log or two to the fire."

"I'd love that, thanks," replied Elizabeth, slipping off her cloak and shoes.

"Have some wine?"

"I had plenty with dinner, thanks. And speaking of which..." Elizabeth pointed to the water closet with a grin.

"You must have had a brisk walk home, then," Jonathan chuckled from the bedroom, where he loaded the fresh log into the fireplace.

"It was either that or have Iron Bladder Irene tease me yet again!" Elizabeth said. They were both laughing quite hard as Elizabeth shut the water closet door behind her. Only then, in the privacy of the tiny room as she was tending to her most urgent need, did Elizabeth recall that her true love did not know of the afternoon's misfortune. Jonathan had heard many of her horror stories, though not all -- there was no need to share every last one, after all -- and he would surely sympathize. But Elizabeth did not want his sympathy at that moment, only the deep and abiding love they had developed between them over those past few months. He, after all, idolized the very characteristic that Tamara had so tried to inspire Elizabeth to hate. And it was that love that she needed just then.

After washing her hands, she opened the door to find Jonathan waiting to follow her lead. "I drank rather a lot of wine with dinner too," he said. "Chilly night and all that."

"No need for excuses with me, darling," she reminded him with a smile as she emerged back into the flat. Refreshed and alive with desire, Elizabeth relegated Tamara to the back of her mind for the night. Revenge would be sweet, but now was no time to dwell on that. Rather, she went into the bedroom to wait for Jonathan.

His bedroom was small, but ornately decorated with the mildly feminine style that had lately gained such currency among the more refined young men of Westfordshire City. The earth-toned floral print wallpaper was mellow against the electric lamp on the nightstand, and Jonathan's knickknacks from his university days crowded the mantelpiece neatly. He had lit the fire in the bedroom's fireplace while she was in the water closet, and the narrow but lovely chamber was now warming pleasantly. Elizabeth's bedroom, in a mansion out on the edge of the city, comprised her entire living quarters and was of course much larger than Jonathan's; but she chose to see his little room as cozy rather than tiny. Of course, being with Jonathan nearly always made her feel cozy. She could only hope their hearts and loins would continue to burn so hot for one another once the weather warmed up, but it did not seem possible to her that they wouldn't.

As the room was now warming up nicely and she was rapidly overheating with desire, Elizabeth removed her bodice and skirt and stood before Jonathan's full length mirror in her undergarments and stockings. Her fluffy dark hair was a bit frizzy from the cold but vivacious enough, her breasts were pert as usual in their ornate lacy brassiere, and the black stockings hugged her long legs gracefully; but once again Elizabeth was bothered by the way her panties failed to contain her lady-garden. It looked to her like a wild erotic animal struggling to escape. Deciding she preferred the free look and feel just then, Elizabeth slid the panties off. The abundant hair was matted from its restraint, but that was nothing a few brushes through with her fingers wouldn't fix. Then she curled up barebottom on the bed, still wearing her brassiere and stockings, to wait for her true love.

Jonathan was still fully clothed when he opened the bedroom door, but Elizabeth looked confidently at his well-tailored trousers in anticipation of the bulge she knew she would inspire. As usual, she was right. "Well, good evening!" he exclaimed with a salacious grin as he admired Elizabeth. As usual he made no effort to hide his delight with her huge bush, and as usual she was thrilled with his love of the feature that had inspired such intense loathing in her younger days. Though she had long since overcome the abuse and learned to love her natural beauty on her own, the love and admiration of another -- especially one as lovely in his own way as Jonathan -- meant all her suffering at the hands of Tamara and others had not been in vain.

Elizabeth stretched out on her back with her legs spread in invitation, and Jonathan eagerly accepted. As he dove upon the mattress and grabbed gently at her stocking-clad legs and buried his face in her pubes, there was no further worrying about Tamara. "Ohhhhh, Jonathan!" she called out lustily, arching her back as his tongue found her eager clitoris and sent shockwaves throughout her body. "Oh! Oh God, Jonathan..." Feeling his warm breath on her vulva, she drew up both knees and wiggled them as the intense pleasure radiated everywhere. Instinctively she reached out to search for his hands, but he was already moving them up to her still-confined breasts. Finding them, he rubbed gently while his kissing down below grew harder and faster and Elizabeth's grunts grew louder. She arched her back and humped at his face, longing for yet more or for release of the tension or both; in the heat of the moment she could never be sure just what she was after. One thing she was sure of was that she was absolutely uninhibited in the embrace of her Jonathan. This was what made monogamy so worthwhile: no other would know how to touch her in just the right way, and with no one else would she feel so safe and open in her pleasure. As for Jonathan, his own shyness and reticence about her body -- charming in a way on their first night together -- were now wonderfully gone.

"Uh, uh, uh, uh...gahhhhhhhh!" Elizabeth pushed her head back against the pillow and screamed without shame as Jonathan's caresses and licks sent her off into the throes of orgasm once again. Waves of relief and relaxation washed over her as she felt Jonathan sit back up. She didn't need to open her eyes to know he was admiring her body as she savored the lingering tingles of orgasm. Next she felt him pulling her stockings off, one by one. "Mmmmm," she moaned in approval. "Feels good to get those off."

"You hardly need them to keep warm in here, do you?"

"Not with you around, I don't," Elizabeth teased. Now nude but for her brassiere, she found herself uncomfortably aware of its presence as she so often was when wearing nothing else. She sat up and reached back to undo the clasp, and was greeted with the welcome sight of Jonathan undressing at the foot of the bed. He had removed his pants and drawers first, no doubt feeling confined by them, and Elizabeth welcomed the sight of his hard cock standing out straight and pointing at her as he unbuttoned his shirt. "Well, we know what it wants, don't we?" she said with a breathy chuckle.

"And I think I know what wants it," Jonathan replied.

"It would appear," Elizabeth agreed, reaching down to stroke herself in anticipation. She was not surprised at all to find her vagina was almost embarrassingly wet. Almost; but nothing embarrassed her with Jonathan, and she could scarcely wait to welcome him into her body. Eagerly she propped herself up on the pillows behind her and spread her legs again as Jonathan climbed back onto the bed. He was well-hung but nearly hairless down below, in sharp contrast to Elizabeth; and once again she was amused at how the unlikeliest of opposites could attract. Only the lightest sprinkling of pale blond curls garnished his lovely cock, but Jonathan had never shown any sign of discomfort at being less-endowed than she in that respect. As usual she admired his body but wasted little time examining it as she took him in her hands and guided him in.

"Ohhhhhmfff..." Both their moans were muffled as their lips met, and Elizabeth thrilled to the taste of her own intimate juices on his breath. He ground eagerly into her and soon had her once again worked up into a delightful lather of tension and anticipation and sensation. She savored the longed-for feeling of him deep inside her and wiggled her legs as if to draw him in even further, and rubbed his bare sides with both her hands as their mutual passion mounted towards the point of no return.

Jonathan was as attentive as he was handsome, and as usual he had little trouble in bringing Elizabeth to another delightful climax just before he let fly with his own. Though still in the throes of her own orgasm, she felt an added bit of titillation at the awareness of his spurting. Still catching her breath, she threw her arms around him and rolled him over onto his side. "Heavens, I needed that," she whispered, nuzzling up close against him as nasty memories of the afternoon now bubbled up again.

"It was cold today, wasn't it?" Jonathan said as he reached his free hand behind him to turn off the bedside lamp. "But this was a fine ending to it."

Oh good heavens, Jonathan didn't know! Elizabeth now recalled that in the heat of the moment, she still hadn't told him about Tamara. Feeling his arms around her now in their warm dark room, with only the glow of the fire illuminating their wonderfully private space, she knew she could tell everything and he would be perfectly supportive. He knew of her past, and how the lush lady-garden he loved so much had inspired such harsh attacks and so much misery back at school, and she knew he was always dependable for support and reassurance when the nasty memories surfaced. But after such a wonderful encounter, Elizabeth did not care to be a victim. Why worry about the past when the present was so delightful?

So she held her tongue. "Yes, certainly," she pretended to agree with him. "So cold. But that's when we're best at this, isn't it, darling?"

Jonathan was soon fast asleep, and Elizabeth followed not long afterward.

Chapter 2

She nevertheless had every intention of calling Irene for lunch the next day, to continue their discussion as to what might be done about Tamara should she remain in the city. But like the best friend she was, Irene took the lead and invited Elizabeth first, and Jonathan as well to boot. "I was sure you'd want to discuss our plans, dear," she said in lieu of a greeting when the pair arrived in the café at Miles Department Store. "Hope you didn't mind my presumptiveness in making lunch plans for us all."

"Hardly!" Elizabeth concurred, kissing her friend on the cheek and passing over in silence the fact that she was again wearing trousers -- black ones under a sheer white blouse, a delightful mix of the old and new. Elizabeth herself had chosen a dark red dress, the most cheerful color she felt comfortable in wearing with spring still so many weeks off, but that day she needed the cheer.

"And what plans are these?" Jonathan asked as they settled themselves at their table. "What diabolical schemes are the two of you up to now?"

Before Irene could spill the beans, Elizabeth took matters in her own hands. "Jonathan, something happened yesterday that I did not wish to discuss with you last night." Though she was addressing Jonathan, she looked at Irene as she said it.

"Oh, Elizabeth, I'm sorry if I've revealed too much here," Irene said. "I just assumed..."

"It is quite all right, Irene," Elizabeth reassured her. "Jonathan and I keep no secrets, and I had every intention of telling him soon enough. I simply did not tell him last night because the mood was not right for such unpleasant news."

"It rarely is when the two of you are alone, I am sure," Irene said with a naughty smile.

"Are one of you ladies going to explain to me just what has happened?" Jonathan demanded, looking concerned. "Elizabeth, if you are in trouble of any sort, of course I want to know everything and right away."

"Jonathan, I am sorry," Elizabeth said. "This must all sound horribly frightening to you, and I assure you it is not. The only trouble I am in is that, yesterday at the baths, Irene and I met someone who provided an unpleasant reminder of my school days."

"One of the girls who used to bully you," Jonathan said matter-of-factly.

"I thought you had not told him!" Irene said.

"I haven't," Elizabeth confirmed. "This is simply another example of how well Jonathan understands me!" With that she gave his hand an affectionate squeeze and smiled at him adoringly. When she did, she saw that he was looking quite agitated. "Oh, Jonathan, don't be so concerned as that. I am a big girl now, and she can hardly expect to hurt me so again."

"She hurt you once, though," Jonathan said, "Or really it sounds like many more times than one. Darling, I hate to think you had to come face to face with any of those monsters even once more, especially at the baths when you were no doubt naked. Is that correct?" Elizabeth and Irene both nodded, and he went on. "It just fills me with outrage, when I think of all the self-loathing they inspired in the one I admire above all others in this world."

"Jonathan, my past is hardly that tragic!" Elizabeth exclaimed, hiding for the moment her delight at his support and concern. Turning to Irene, she added, "Perhaps you can assure him, it was not all so horrible as that!"

"I'm afraid I can't, Elizabeth," Irene said, pouring tea for all three of them. "I've heard at least as many of your stories as he has, and I've seen the pain in your eyes as you recounted what those girls did to you. And most of all, I saw your reaction last night when you learned it was Tamara we had seen. Anyone who loves you can see she did real damage, and it will do you no good to throw up walls like this with your two dearest friends."

Elizabeth looked on silently and considered Irene's words as she picked up her teacup. The first sip had to wait, for halfway to her lips she set the cup back down in its saucer and burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands and did her best to imagine there was no one at any of the surrounding tables to see and hear as she lost control and wept. Jonathan quickly put an arm around her and gave her his handkerchief, and Irene apologized profusely for her bluntness. But Elizabeth shook her head as she dried her tears and straightened up again.

After a long drink of water, she spoke. "No apologies necessary, either of you," she sniffled. "You are quite right, Tamara and her friends treated me horribly and it did cause lasting hurt for me. I was humiliated in ways no one should ever have to experience, and I was inspired to hate my body with a passion. I believe I have told you both how I loved my...you know what...even after I learned I was unusual. I loved the way it looked and the way it felt."

"Yes, you've told me," Jonathan said.

"And me as well," Irene confirmed.

"I never imagined anyone should find it repulsive or objectionable, until Tamara and her friends saw me in the gymnasium. But ever since that day, I have never been fully at peace with myself about my body. Whether it was fierce hate or defiant love, whether it was the girls teasing me and me punishing myself with cutting and shaving and hiding in my clothes in the bath, or me showing it off at the baths, or curious lads at the bar eyeing me after someone had told my secret, this absolutely meaningless distinction has always been something that defined me. Even now, with a man who doesn't just tolerate my natural state but loves it, somewhere back there in the corners of my mind I'm still Gorilla Lady. And it's all down to Tamara, who is still out and about enjoying her life and probably never caring just how much rage and misery she inspired in me."

Her tea now cooling, Elizabeth gulped it down and poured another cup. Jonathan followed suit and offered Irene some as well, but as usual she was still on her first cup. At last Jonathan spoke up. "It's perfectly fine to admit you were hurt, you know."

"It does feel better to say it out loud," Elizabeth admitted. "I prance around the city knowing people whisper about me in dark corners and never letting on that I am anything but proud of my individuality, and I am proud of it. But there is a reason why I feel the need to act so confident about it all. And as you both see, there is some bitterness beneath the giddiness."

"And surely you fancy doing something about it now," Irene said. "That's nothing Tamara doesn't deserve, after all."

"Indeed," Jonathan agreed, "And recall, darling, I know a little bit about being humiliated over something that private."

Elizabeth laughed, and was grateful for the change. "Yes, we might well have never met if not for that."

"So I hope you will do us both the honor of letting us participate in your revenge," Jonathan continued.

"I may have to insist," Irene said. "I should be ashamed of myself to stand for seeing my friends' deepest hurt go unanswered." She waved at the waiter for another pot of tea, Elizabeth and Jonathan having already polished off the first one, and continued. "Now what have you in mind for your revenge? We did toss about a few ideas last night, didn't we? I hope you don't mind, Jonathan."

"Not at all," Jonathan reassured his cousin. "When she arrived at home, we had...other things to discuss." Elizabeth laughed and felt her face turning red, and Irene felt another twinge of envy.

"I would be most gratified," Elizabeth said, "If Tamara were to experience both the public ridicule she subjected me to, and some of the same physical discomfort as well. Remember, it wasn't just that they shamed me about my body, they also inspired me to try to change it, and I endured a lot of unpleasantness as well because of what I was doing. Itching and scratching and burning and cuts in places no one should ever have to feel them, and worst of all were all the times I kept my underpants on in the bath and had to sit in wet skirts all afternoon in the classroom. To this day, I associate Latin with damp loins and thighs. And not the good kind!"

"Imagine going about in soaked underthings in this cold!" Irene remarked.

"And having others know all about it to boot," Jonathan added. "There must be a way to make it happen."

"I wonder what, though," Irene said. "Surely we can think of something, can't we?"

Lunch was served shortly after, and the trio spent the meal considering various ideas. Nothing was settled, but Elizabeth felt somewhat better by the time they were done, just for having talked about it with her closest confidantes. As they settled the bill and stood to return to work, Jonathan raised his water glass for a final sip. "Here's to wet underpants," he quipped with a grin.

"Speaking of which," Irene teased, "Don't the both of you want to make your usual visit to the water closet before we return?"

Elizabeth and Jonathan looked at one another, each with an embarrassed grin. "I was not going to comment on it in your presence, Irene," Elizabeth said, "but yes, I'm quite desperate."

"As am I," Jonathan admitted. "Shall we, dear?"

They shared a laugh and were off to the water closets, arm in arm. Irene sat back down to wait, feeling a bit guilty for having embarrassed them, but jealousy outweighed guilt. Just how deep in love were the two of them, that even weak bladders were something they could bond over? She wanted so to be happy for them both, but it all seemed so unjust that she should be alone in these bitterly cold months after having played matchmaker so well with them!