Checkmate - Flashback 02: Becky

This flashback is part of a larger story, and tells of an incident which shaped Becky, a character in "The Chess Bet." I would love any feedback, and am always open to suggestions. More flashbacks can be found on my profile.

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In her first year of freedom from the confines of convent school, 18-year-old Becky was initially sure she would flounder without supervision.

She'd grown up with a rigid schedule of strictly enforced waking times, morning devotions, classes, grace, meals, afternoon prayers, sports, chapel, homework and evening prayer. Her parents had always been traveling, and never seemed to have any time for her. She could remember little before she started boarding, and not much more of her fifth and sixth years of life. Structure and order had been her constant partners and she had not once conceived of a world without them. Chess had been one of the very few pleasures the nuns considered acceptable, and had indeed been the one indulgence she allowed herself.

Even during the occasional school holiday spent at home and not on a mission or a camp, she had kept largely to herself, following a rigid schedule of reflection and prayer. The pleasures of the flesh had never occurred to her as relevant; that was for marriage, a path that she doubted very much would be hers.

At the time of her graduation from high school, Becky had received blessings from all the nuns who had watched her grow up. Her passion for youth work and charitable nature had endeared her to all who knew her, and her sweet disposition and innocence made the nuns sure that she would spread their convictions far, and live a life of purity. Many were convinced they would see her soon again. After all, arranging for Becky to join a party of traveling missionaries would certainly show her how lucky she had been at the convent.

Becky had been of a similar opinion when she had set out to spread the word. She was determined in her calling to holy orders and sure of her faith. Her first assignment, however, would change one of those facts forever.

In the first rural village to which she'd been sent, several hours' drive away from the convent, the three older nuns accompanying Becky tasked her with inviting the locals to a gathering that evening. She had been allowed out on her own for a few hours, provided that she returned before curfew. A stack of pamphlets and a bottle of water in her bag, she had set off towards the farms on the outskirts of town with the sisters' encouragement.

A young woman, high up in an apple tree, called to Becky as she approached the crossroads. The stranger's hair was red, contrasting with the sky blue of her flowing dress. She made her way down the ladder and over to Becky, holding a crisp red apple out towards the blonde's mouth.

"Bite and tell me what you think," the redhead grinned, a tinkling laugh behind the words. "It's our first crop of the year." She took one step toward Becky, whose mouth was hanging slightly open, distracted by the way the dress seemed to cover little of the redhead's generous assets.

Becky tentatively nibbled at the apple before taking a bite and savouring the sweet juice in her mouth. The redhead laughed with joy as she watched Becky enjoying the taste of her crop.

With every movement, the redhead - Imelda, Becky would later discover - exposed just a little more cleavage, her translucent dress slipping off one shoulder, then the other, then dipping deeply in the front. Becky had never seen such a dress in reality before; all she had known were rough garments meant to cover and hide her womanly curves. The nuns had frowned upon any unnecessary skin being shown; consequently, she was still largely unaware of just how alluring her heavy breasts were. Suddenly, her dress's long sleeves and heavy fabric seemed so unnatural.

Many of Becky's nocturnal research sessions featured a beautiful woman, lithe, experienced and keen to share the secrets of the female body. She had, however, never before met a woman who matched the picture in her head. Imelda radiated calm confidence, clearly aware of her beauty, but it seemed almost an afterthought.

"Sweet, yes?" the full-lipped redhead murmured, drawing closer to Becky. Her mouth suddenly dry, it was all Becky could do to nod. Imelda smelt of apples, mixed with fresh grass. She seemed totally at home in the outdoors, her bare feet comfortable in the warm soil of the summer.

Imelda lifted a small tanned hand and gently cupped Becky's face. "I see you are sweet too." Becky's face coloured, enjoying the warm touch of another woman's warm hand. She barely had a moment to think before a pair of soft lips pressed against hers, unexpected but genuinely welcomed.

Becky raised a tentative hand to Imelda's neck, twisting the girl's plentiful curls in her fingers. She dared to open her mouth a little and was delighted to find Imelda reciprocating her actions and then deepening the kiss even further.

Imelda pressed her petite breasts more urgently against Becky, her nipples rapidly hardening. Becky's first experience of someone's soft, warm breasts pushed against her body was a revolution. The sudden unfamiliar ache between her legs took her by surprise. For the first time, the innocent convent girl understood the nuns' warnings; lust was indeed a powerful force, strong enough to make her forget her convictions of a lifetime. She allowed her other hand to drop to Imelda's small waist and pull the supple body towards her.

Imelda's breath was sweet like apples, her lips soft. Her tongue clearly had experience; either that, or she had perfect instincts, Becky thought, as she brought her own tongue to meet Imelda's.

That one kiss changed everything. Becky lasted only another week in the mission group. She realised very soon that she was in no way suited to the life of a nun; the thoughts and passions awakened within her would never be tamed. She would spend the next few weeks desperately applying to any university which would have her. She was fortunate indeed that she had always been such a hardworking student; her grades were good enough that she could join the university three weeks into the year.

She was lucky indeed. After a chance meeting with Susan in the university grounds one day, she found the people who would help her put that blushing virgin so much further behind her.