New Horizons Ch. 07

My apologies for an extended absence but it was unavoidable. You may want to review chapter 6 to get up to speed before reading the rest. Thank you for your patience.

Chapter 7 - DANNI

As it happened, I did indeed, skip the next orientation session. My mind and body were torn but in the end, my mind won out. I'd had so much sex over the last two months, I needed a cooling off period.

After leaving the meeting that ended with challenges and promises by Beth, Jillian, Heather and myself, I spent a lot of time on my couch with my eyes closed, wondering what I'd let myself in for. I do love challenges though and I was reasonably sure I was up to this one, with the help of the other women. In truth, the prospect of being with them, especially Beth, gave me more than one orgasmic session with fingers and toys.

I still hadn't looked over the list of prospects that had been delivered to the house, or even reviewed the pages of information and suggestions that had come from Laurie. One particularly moving letter from Laurie and Wendy expressed their gratitude for accepting their love making in spite of our differences. I knew they were referring to their ages but why would I not? They had beautiful bodies and besides, it's what's inside that matters. They were every bit as loving and emotional as I and their degree of lust and desire matched mine, or perhaps exceeded it. There was no doubt that they were more than just friends. You could see it in their eyes as they made love to one another. I thought it was especially sweet.

Deciding that there was no time like the present to dive into my new project, I poured a glass of wine, sat on the sofa, and spread the list of prospects out in front of me. Opening the envelope I'd received from Laurie, I found a disc called 'Prospect Action Record.' I laid it aside to check later and pulled out a bulky file. It included prospect names in order of potential, with the ones of highest potential at the beginning. Under each name was a brief bio, previous contact history, date of initial contact, date of refusal and/or denial, and comments from the management group. The information supplied was quite extensive and by the time I'd read through the first listing, I felt as though I knew her well, though not intimately.

When I got to the seventh prospect, I smiled and knew I was going to like this job. The name was Daniella Rivers, my first attempt at lesbian sex that had gone so wrong, thanks to a badly timed phone call. We were naked, and entwined with our lips and tongues groping wildly at each other's when the ringing of the phone broke the mood and gave her enough time to reconsider. We hadn't spoken since that time and we used to be such good friends.

She had accepted the initial offer, and had appeared at her orientation but had used her safe word after just a short time. She had exhibited some distress as she was stripped but had consented to proceed after a few minutes. She had even allowed them to lower her to the bed, but when she felt the restraints, she used the safe word and declined to continue. She was allowed to dress and leave without further action.

Closing my eyes, I remembered her body, those rigid nipples, and the clean shaven pussy. This would be one challenge I would enjoy and I made it my goal to get her through orientation.

Loading the disc into my computer, I waited as it downloaded my Prospect Action Record. Once it opened, I entered Daniella's name. To my surprise, and delight, when I hit the enter key to move to another line, Daniella's picture came up next to her name as well as a key code. Entering the key code, I was linked to another page that brought up all the biographical information and detailed reports on her initial contact, and right through to her refusal to continue. A second key code was at the bottom and when I entered that, I was instructed to log on to the internet before continuing. As the system began to access the internet, I went to the kitchen for some iced tea. I entered the key code again and waited as I was linked to yet another site.

After a few seconds, her picture appeared again, but faded out as another log in request asked for my password. At first, I was stumped, but then I remembered that on the orientation report, I'd seen a word under the last line There had been no indication that it was a password, but I had a hunch it was so I typed it in and waited as a page appeared with the word CONFIDENTIAL in large red letters on a white background. I was warned that sharing the contents with anyone was a violation of my privileges and they would be revoked immediately. After dropping down to another square to re-confirm my password, another page appeared marked, "Incomplete file" I clicked on a square that said "continue anyway" and waited as another page appeared. A page of photos of Daniella's incomplete orientation.

Almost instantly, my panties became moist from what those photos were doing to me. There were about twenty shots, going from fully dressed, step by step through the stripping process, the fondling procedures and then the restraints being applied. The last picture showed her raising her hand, evidently to reinforce the safe word. I quickly left the page, wanting to preserve what sanity I had left.

Enchanted, I loaded the next nine candidates and repeated the procedures, nearly drooling over some of the photos before surrendering to my bodies demands for an orgasm. The demands were so strong, I made sure by having several as I studied the photos.

This job just might be too much for me, I thought, but reminded myself that I'd foolishly gone too far and too fast

I decided to take a chance without any of the training sessions, and began laying out my planned approach to Daniella. She wasn't the kind to be forced into anything and trying to sell her a bill of goods would be a major mistake. No, this one was going to require some honest straight talk, but in a very gentle way. First of all, I had to regain her friendship.

At lunch the next day, I walked past the deli to make sure she was eating there, then I got a salad and some iced tea and casually walked over to where she sat, all alone, as usual, in the corner of the room, reading her book.

"Danni. Do you mind if I sit here?" I asked, putting my salad and iced tea down.

She just shrugged as I sat and began fixing my salad. I was hoping she would give me some sign of her temperament, but she just ignored me.

"Danni, I need to talk to you."

"Why?" she asked, obviously not thrilled at the idea.

" Honey, we've been friends for a long time and I miss you. Do you hate me so much that we can't ever be friends again?"

She didn't reply right away, but then I saw a tear gathering in a corner of her eye and knew I had chance, no matter how slim it might be. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Danni. I guess there's no point of hoping that we...I mean..."

Her head snapped up, and she turned to face me, the crystal drop of tear visible on her cheek.

"That we what, Samantha? Don't you think I miss you too? I've wanted to talk to you but I didn't know what to say, or how to say it so I kept my feelings to myself."

"Are you angry with me?" I asked. "I'm sorry if I pushed too hard or too fast, but I'm not ashamed of what we almost did and you shouldn't be either."

"I'm not angry, Samantha" she stated. "I was for a while but I'm not now. I guess I was just as angry at myself as I was at you, and I was terribly ashamed, but I'm not any more"

I didn't reply, I just sat there eating my salad, hoping she would continue on her own.

"Sam, I just don't know who I am any more. Every time I think I do, I get all funny inside and go back to being the old me again. I guess it's safer there. Have you...I mean..you know.?"

"Yes, Danni, I have and I am who I am. I make no apologies for it any more. I don't go around waving a flag or announcing it over the intercom, but I've accepted the fact that I'm a lesbian, or at the very least, bi-sexual, with a strong tendency toward the kind of love that only a woman can give me."

She sat there for a minute, gazing off into space. "I tried a couple of times to find someone who I could trust, someone that I felt something for, but I don't know how to approach someone and the one woman that came on to me scared me away. I've been trying to find a way to talk to you about it but I don't even know how to talk to you. I'm sorry I turned away from you. I just got scared and then the phone rang and it was like a warning bell. Am I making any sense at all?"

"Of course you are, Danni. Don't you think I've gone through a lot of the same things? We all do and sometimes we don't handle it very well. I slept with a few women but it was kind of like, oh well, that was fun and that was it. I wanted more than that."

"Did you find someone?" she asked.

"Not exactly." I replied, "but this isn't the time or place to talk about it. Is there somewhere we can talk about it later?" When she hesitated, I realized that I needed to get her to some neutral territory. "You can choose the spot and the time, Danni, just don't make it where we can be overheard."

"We can't meet at my place," she announced. "Old lady Carmichael has her ear against my wall more often than not. You might as well broadcast anything we say on the BBC."

I laughed, grateful that she still had her sense of humor, something I really had missed. "You can come to my place, or we can go to a park somewhere, or something like that."

"I'd like to come to your place but..."

"Danni, I'm not going to rape your or anything like that but I do have some information you might want and maybe some answers to questions I know you have. We can leave the door open if you want, or go sit in the garden. The flowers are getting so beautiful now. When would you like to get together?"

"Tonight," she replied, surprising me. "I'll pick up some Chinese if that's all right?"

"That's great. Would you prefer iced tea, or wine, or what?"

"Iced tea would be great, with lots of ice. This heat is making my head hurt."

"Iced tea it is. Whenever you get there. I'm just going to be working on a project I took on so just come on in and yell. I'll probably be in the living room where it's the coolest."

When I stood up to return to work, she walked along with me and suddenly pulled me around the corner of the deli, into a sheltered area used for unloading, where she took me in her arms and hugged me.'Thank you, Samantha. I've missed you so much."

I put a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'm back, Danni." I replied.

After work, I picked up some flowers for the house and some for her, and a card that simply said, "I've missed your friendship." When I got home, I lit some candles in the bedroom and bathroom, and spread some rose petals around the tub. The beautiful tangerine colored carnations were placed in a vase on my dresser, and the mixed colors were put in a lovely ivory vase on the entertainment center. Once I was sure that my house was in order, I spread out the contents of the folders on the kitchen table and poured my self some wine.

About an hour later, I was making some notes about some of the prospects that I wanted to discuss with the women on the training team when I heard her footsteps on the porch. "Showtime," I whispered to myself.

"You're home is lovely, Samantha," I heard her say, as she came into the kitchen. "I've got some Chinese. Just an assortment because I didn't know what you liked."

I got up and went to embrace her, kissing her on her cheek. "I got you something," I said, as I got the flowers from the counter. I handed her the card first and I thought sure she was going to cry but she didn't, at least I didn't see her if she did. When I handed her the flowers, I kissed her again."Nothing special, honey, just something to say I'm glad we're speaking to each other again."

"They're beautiful, Samantha, and thank you."

We spread out the food on the table, then sat down across from each other. After chatting about things at the office and people we both knew, laughing and enjoying each other's company, I put my fork down and gazed over at her.

"Dani, I haven't been totally up front with you because I was afraid you'd turn away from me again and I'd never have you for a friend, and that means so much to me."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Dani, you know me about as well as anyone and you know I don't lie or play games so I have to tell you something. First of all, though, I need you to promise that you won't run away without giving me the chance to explain everything to you."

"I won't do that, Sam. I've done all the running I'm going to do when it comes to you. If something upsets me, I promise, we'll talk about it."

"I can't ask for more than that, Dani, and thanks for trusting me that much."

"So what haven't you been up front about?" she asked, leaning back to look me dead in the eyes.

"Dani, not too long after our little fiasco, I was contacted by an organization; an organization that also contacted you. I thought at first you had given them my name, but I know better now. I think you may feel that I gave them your name, but I didn't. Someone that knows us both suggested our names."

She got slightly pale and I noticed that she began nervously twisting a napkin in her fingers.

"How do you know all this, Samantha?"

"Dani, you went to your orientation but you used your safe word to opt out. I didn't. I went through with mine and became a member. When I found out what had happened, I wanted to find out your side of what happened and why you used your safe word. I'm part of a team of women who are trying to learn why some women refuse the invitation and why others refuse to continue at some point. It's important to us to hear it from you, and to tell you absolute truth, honey, I'm hoping I can help you get past that. I'd love it if you became a member but I won't push you or pressure you in any what whatsoever."

When it was obvious that she needed some time to think, I got up and went to the refrigerator to get some more iced tea for us, using that as an excuse to get behind her. I re-filled her glass and sat the pitcher close to her chair. Running my fingers through her hair, I stood far enough back so I didn't appear to be threatening in any way.

"I just want to tell you more about the organization and why membership is so wonderful. Then I want you to tell me what we did that upset you. I'll send a report back to Laurie and Wendy, who are the group managers, suggesting ways that we might avoid chasing candidates like you away."

Her head was turned slightly to the side so I could work my fingers through her long, soft hair.

'It's a long story," she mumbled, not resisting my long, smooth strokes, even when I brushed over her neck and ears.

"I've got all the time in the world, Dani, and it's important to me. I'm going to tell something though, that you might not like. I have pictures of your orientation and I'd like to ask you about one of them if you'll let me."

"Oh my god, Samantha. How? I mean...oh my god. Who else has them?"

"No one but the management office," I assured her. "They were provided to me as a member of the team when I asked to be your liaison. It helps me to understand what happened better. I've already seen you naked, Dani. It's no big deal."

"I know but..."

"It's all right," I assured her." Your privacy is completely respected, I promise."

For a few minutes, she went silent and I thought I'd blown it by moving too fast or too far."

"Can I see them?" she asked, "or is that against some kind of rule?"

"Honey, they are pictures of you, why wouldn't I allow you to see them? I have to warn you though, they are quite graphic. Do you still want to see them?"

She nodded and I reached for her folder. I watched as she moved through them, her hand going to her mouth in shock on a couple of them.

"I didn't know they were taking pictures...especially pictures like that."

"If you complete the orientation, they send you the complete file."

"Did you, I mean...do you...?"

"If you are asking if I have mine, I do and you can see some of them but the ones taken after the point of your refusal are private and confidential and I can explain later why that is."

"I think I know," she replied. "So if I decide to go back, I don't know what else happens. That's what it is, isn't it?"

I nodded. "That's part of it, Dani."

She laid the pictures down and closed the file, folding her hands on top of it. "I've got so many questions," she finally said.

"And I have all the answers or I can get them for you," I replied.

For the next hour, I answered question after question about the membership, why I joined, what I got from it, what her options were, etc.. The same questions I had asked Melissa when we met.

Then we walked through her orientation and why she refused to continue, and as I suspected, she just got scared, pure and simple. "When they put the restraints on me, I kind of panicked. I just felt so helpless all of a sudden."

"Dani, is it because of something that happened to you before?"

She nodded and once again, the tears appeared. "I can't talk about it, Sam," she replied.

"You don't have to, Dani. I think I know exactly what you mean," I replied.

"How could you?" she asked. "If you've never been forced to submit to it."

"I haven't but I know others that have and their stories just sent chills down my spine. Were you raped then?"

She nodded but didn't reply.

"I'm sorry, Danni, I really am. It did frighten me because I didn't expect it, but I can see where it would be much worse for you. We need to consider that in our plans and our research. If you would allow it, I'd like to discuss the problem with the managers to see if we can get around that."

"Why did you go the first time, Samantha?" she asked. " think I was just so happy to find someone that I didn't have to hide from or lie to, and hopefully, somewhere to meet other like-minded women other than the clubs or stuff like that."

"I think I'd like that too," she replied, reaching up to take my hands in hers. 'I tried to convince myself that it was just a phase, but it didn't work. It frightened me though. I mean what if my family found out, or the people I work with?"

"No one will ever know from this group, Dani. I'm not saying that people won't suspect, because they do, whether you are or not. Some people have nothing more to do than spread stories but that's all they can do. I'm sure they say things about me already because I won't date anyone from the office. Not that I would anyway."

"I'll think about it?" she promised, but I had to get her to get past that point.

"Dani, I have an idea. What if I were there with you, standing right next to you? What if I were able to whisper to you when you were frightened or nervous? Would you try again for me?"

"Will they let you do that" she asked.

"I'm sure they will. You'll be fine anyway, but I'd be honored if you would let me be there for you."

She got up and went to gaze out the window onto the flower gardens behind the house. "The gardens are beautiful, Samantha. I can see why you like it here."

I walked up behind her and wrapped her in my arms. She put her arms on top of mine and pressed into me. My heart began to beat faster as her heat spread over my breasts and body.

"Dani, you don't have to be frightened." I said, kissing her hair.

"Will you teach me?" she asked, and my heart almost jumped with joy. This prospect was going to be much easier than I suspected.

"Slowly, tenderly, and gently," I replied.

"Can you give me some idea of what might make me refuse again? I don't want to be embarrassed or anything."

"Let's take it one step at a time," I replied, turning her to take her into my arms. I stared into the gray-green eyes and smiled. "Let's get out from in front of the window."