Christmas Ripples

This is my entry into the Winter Holidays Story Contest 2023.

For regular readers...

Normal service has been resumed after Halloween and I hope you all enjoy it...

Everyone is over 18.

If found anywhere other than Literotica.com, they have posted this story without my permission.

~~~***~~~

Paula stirred, slowly coming around after a deep sleep. The hammer pounding inside her head warned her she'd drunk way too much last night and was now going to pay the price. Self preservation told her to keep her eyes closed and not to make any sudden movements.

She tried to ignore her hangover when she noticed the smell of the crisp, freshly laundered sheets. Knowing she'd planned on changing hers this evening and unable to recognise the smell of the sheet's washing powder, she realised this wasn't her bed. Neither did she need to be Ms Marple to deduce that she was curled up naked in a stranger's bedroom.

'Shit, I've pulled. Please don't let him be too ugly... At least his sheets are clean.'

A minor wriggle from her waist down proved she was sticky, but not full of cum. She breathed a sigh of relief.

'Thank fuck he's used a Condom.'

The satisfying tingle deep between her legs confirmed she'd orgasmed, possibly stronger than usual or maybe even twice.

'Holy shit, he must be a stallion, ugly or not.'

She opened her one eye to look across, but all she could see was a hollowed out pillow blocking her view, potentially by her mythical stallion's head. The hang over stabbed at her and she shut the world out once more, trying to think through the quagmire surrounding her brain, but no last dance cock thrusting came to mind.

She could remember an empty club, devoid of life with Steph after a dull evening out with their married friends, but no stallion chatting her up.

'Fuck, have I shagged our taxi driver?'

A rattle of china nearby broke her line of thought and the pad of bare feet on the carpet. Dare she look? Her curiosity won, and she rolled over before opening both eyes.

"Thank fuck, it's you."

She exclaimed as she recognised her best friend Stephanie at the bedside, with mugs of tea and a box of ibuprofen held in her teeth wearing a wide grin but nothing else.

'Fuck, she has gorgeous tits. Lovely nips too.'

She tried not to stare, but never having seen her naked before, it was hard not to, as she admired her wonderful form. Right from the first day they'd met for the second time at college, nearly ten years ago, she'd been jealous of her athletic body, but to see it now in the pink tingled excitement through her.

She now also recognised Steph's bedroom, lit by the cheap festive lights they'd hung one previous evening. Steph set the mugs down on the bedside table and let the box fall, catching it in her hands to place it next to the lamp.

"Morning P, Lovely. Got you some tablets, as I needed some too."

"Hi, thanks."

Steph calling her 'lovely' wasn't out of the ordinary, as neither was her referring to her as 'P', her old pet name for her from when they were a lot younger, although she never uses it in public.

Paula kept the duvet pulled up to her neck, knowing she had nothing on underneath and she didn't want Steph to see her dinner plate sized areola. She watched as her almost lifelong friend walked her svelte body around the bed, unafraid that she was buck naked with her smooth pussy on display. In fact, from Paula's point of view, she seemed to relish it.

She couldn't help but feel pangs of jealousy as she saw Steph's straight, long blond hair hanging between her well-defined shoulder blades, with curled bangs springing lightly past her ears. She'd always understood why men lusted after her friend, but seeing her like this, she wanted to worship the ground she walked on.

Paula wished she hadn't previously watched so many girl on girl videos fantasising over Steph as, even through the headache, she felt her cheeks blush. She tried not to relish too much on the display before her, knowing she was only feeding the tingles growing between her legs which were now redoubled their efforts.

With her focus on the fantasy being played out before her, any attempt to remember last night was useless. She almost gasped as she watched Steph's pert 'C's wobble as she slipped under the duvet. Her heart pounded when she didn't stay on her side of the double bed, but shuffled over to slide her hand over her stomach to rest on her left breast, sending pleasurable shock waves through her.

She stared at Steph, knowing her eyes were bulging, as her leg slid over her's nestling her thigh up between her sticky pussy. Frightened that she'd notice her excitement as her marble smooth body tucked neatly into Paula's, causing her heart to jump at the contact and then beat double time when her dry lips kissed her on hers.

It was only then that Steph noticed her surprised, lukewarm reaction.

"What the fuck P? You going cold on me after everything we did last night?"

Clearly perturbed, she lifted her head, sitting up slightly, leaving her leg in place, but her hand moved onto her shoulder.

"No, no, I just... I can't remember what exactly we did?"

Paula's mind raced, fighting the fog of the hangover. Flash backs came flickering through and the tingles between her legs became butterflies in her stomach that ran throughout her body.

"Oh!"

Paula gasped, glancing at her friend, unsure of what to say.

Steph smiled as she saw her confusion.

"hmm, what about now?"

"Shit, did we?"

Paula realised the taste in her mouth wasn't the curry they'd shared earlier the previous evening and she remembered exactly where, inside Steph, her tongue had been. She glanced into Steph's bright blue eyes as she nodded, and a broad smile appeared on her face.

"So you're not?" A hesitant Paula asked.

"Disgusted? Regretful?... Nope, not in the slightest."

Her best friend's hand slid back to cover her breast again and her thumb stroked her soft nipple as she looked ceiling wards, pretending to ponder on a problem.

"Actually, having thought hard about it earlier, I think it's way overdue, considering you've been the only constant in my life, for like... Ever!"

She returned her eyes to Paula's as she gave a cheeky smile and pecked a wet kiss on her lips.

With that nudge in the right directions, Paula recalled the image of Steph's head between her legs. Her nose resting on her pelvic ridge, looking up at her with her tongue buried inside her and her fingers pinching a nipple. Shock ran through her as she remembered the subsequent wave of orgasm that made her arch her back, screaming in ecstasy.

She glared at Steph, double checking her reaction. But she must have also had the same memory cross her mind as she giggled and tightened her body's hold on Paula's leg. Ripples of excitement through her and she ran her fingers down Steph's spine until she could stroke it over her cool butt cheek.

"Judging from your eyes, you remember?" She gloated proudly. "I never imagined I could make you scream with passion... Twice!"

Paula's hand on her cheek couldn't resist squeezing the tight flesh of her backside, enjoying the access she'd ever only done in her dreams before.

"And... Did I?"

Unsure if she should ask the unthinkable, not daring to think she'd like the answer. How could she satisfy the blond bombshell who could have anyone she wanted?

Steph blushed, tilting her head to hide her guilt, then she glanced back to peck a kiss on her lips once more.

"Yes, yes. I hate to admit it. You took me where no man has ever taken me... Those fingers of yours worked magic all over me and your tongue. How did you learn to do those things?"

She didn't dare confess to secretly watching porn and reading Lesbian stories on Literotica.com, let alone fantasising over Steph, who now caressed Paula's breast. Pleased by the reaction, Paula tentatively also stroked Steph's waist, whilst pulling her closer. Steph tucked her head into the crook of her shoulder, nuzzling her and humming happily.

"Mmm, you smell lovely. Why don't men smell and cuddle like this the morning after?"

Her hand drifted across Paula's soft mound, brushing her stiffening nipple.

"C'os, they're made from frogs and snails, and puppy dogs' tails."

Paula chuckled, repeating their favourite childhood nursery rhyme.

Steph echoed back, "whereas we're made from sugar and spice and all things nice."

She finished with a kiss on what little bare skin of Paula's shoulder was available to her.

The two gave a wriggle of their bodies as they settled into a comfortable position between themselves.

"Ooo My head."

Paula whispered, as Steph's slender body's slithering sent brief pangs of lust through her, whilst still frustrated by the lack of details in her memory of the previous evening.

"That tea is scolding hot, so no rush. We don't have to meet up with Lindsay for hours, so we can afford a nice cuddly lie in."

Steph gave her waist a little wriggle and pressed her thigh up between Paula's legs with them both, feeling the recent dampness emerging.

"Hmm, you're a dark horse."

Paula ignored the comment and closed her eyes, pretending to drift off, whilst trying to recollect what exactly led the two close, straight friends into having a lesbian fling, although she knew no reason for regretting the fruition of her fantasy becoming a reality.

~~~***~~~

Paula's mind ran in fast rewind...

She first met Steph twenty years ago, when her family moved next door to her's. For the next five, they grew up together, attending the same schools until Paula's parents moved away. Ten years ago, their paths crossed again, whilst at the same college.

Over the decade, boyfriends had come and gone, holidays, as had pregnancy and even STD scares. Other female friends had gotten married or just settled down and given birth, but not them. Both had achieved very little since, except for moving out of their parent's houses. They'd both floated between hotel, cafe, restaurant, and bar work, to find themselves now in retail.

Naturally, with her blond hair and athletic body, Steph had won a beautician's role at a major pharmacy chain. Whereas Paula had a role in one of the few town centre clothing retailers, which gave her access to generous staff discounts on all the latest high street fashions.

The best part about these jobs is that they had a front-row seat for their favourite passion they'd always enjoyed since childhood, which was celebrating Christmas and the subsequent sales. The downside to their roles is that it meant that they were working throughout the entire period whilst everyone else was on holiday. Which meant six evenings a week, including weekends, was for them a 'Work Night' forcing them to bed earlier than they'd prefer.

The run up to the season for them had started long before Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night. When both their managers drew up rosters whereby all staff who were parents got first pick of the school holidays and management heavily encouraged all childless employees to work through with only one day off a week until January.

The two friends preferred this arrangement, as for the first time, both had found themselves free from boyfriends and their commitments. It also allowed them to book a week's holiday in the sun together in January, which saved them a ton of money and would mean they'd avoid the New Year blues. Plus, it earned them extra with a few additional perks that came with the longer hours. The best being able to gain an early preview of the sales stock ahead of everyone else and the public.

After a few hurried phone calls and texts, they coordinated joint days off and lunch timings with sympathetic bosses, assuming they were being enthusiastic model staff members. With their work schedules agreed, over subsequent evenings, began arranging their free time throughout their busy season.

In the following weeks, the two endured packs of trick or treating families going feral through their respective shops, spraying silly string, dropping fake spiders and scaring elderly customers with horrific masks. They enjoyed a few friends' dinner parties they'd been invited to, although no prospective partners really stood out.

They endured several of their friend's offspring's Halloween parties. Aunty Steph happily entertained by putting her beautician skills to the test with generous face painting sessions with her wonderful assistant, Aunty Paula. Both safe knowing that they can hand back any overindulgent participants before they were sick or cried from being overtired. Apart from having to avoid a few tipsy husbands or fathers with wandering hands, they knew this was no fishing ground for potential suitors.

They repeated the fun a week later with Guy Fawkes night, with several friend's parties, with fireworks and more face painting. They also visited a large organised firework display but found any eligible men were with girlfriends or mates, which curtailed any actual choice.

Throughout the season, they endured endless evenings of fireworks, disturbing their brief night's sleep after the few nights out they'd dare risk. With November now in full swing, both their work schedules aligned, and they enjoyed spending even more time together, sharing lunch times and making tweaks to their seasonal party plans.

During these weeks, once the sales and festive stock had arrived, Paula shared photos of anything she thought either she or Steph would prefer. Then, on days off, under the guise of shopping, the two would return to have private fashion shows in the stockrooms, hidden away from prying eyes.

Paula squirreled their preferred choices in her locker until a suitable time, whereby she could purchase them legitimately with her staff discount. Thus, the pair soon had both their festive and holiday wardrobes sorted well before the shopping public.

Steph took her share of the preparations for the season. She quietly brought discounted moisturisers, sun creams, self tanning lotions and some of the higher end make ups, all with her extra staff discounts. She organised some spa treatments by her work colleagues for them both on their few days off.

Being quite a wide-ranging pharmacy, they also stocked Christmas decorations, which supplemented the friends' existing stocks of baubles and tinsel. They took turns in holding their own private parties, and to share the load of decorating each of their flats.

Each time, they enjoyed multiple glasses of wine and picked at buffets of snack food, as they strung decorations around each other's flats and worked on their tree displays. By sleeping over at their host's apartment, they could sit up late talking whilst admiring the candles and fairy lights.

The hardest item on their agenda was organising a Christmas dinner that would include all their various friends from school, college, netball teams, ex-work colleagues and gym memberships. Trying to schedule a date between everyone else's commitments across a simple WhatsApp group became a monumental task, worse than herding cats.

No matter how wide they spread their net over their large groups of friends, most gradually cried off, leaving a narrow band who were prepared to celebrate together. Dinner reservations at their chosen local curry house had deteriorated from four tables to three and eventually down to two.

Unfortunately, this meant the pair, for the first time in a decade, were the only single women in their group at the peak of their festive season. Which was how two weeks before Christmas their big night out was on the least popular day of the week, a Monday. The pair certainly felt that the universe had conspired to restrict their spectrum of entertainment for the evening.

Several days beforehand, they initiated the first part of their plan. They'd booked a late afternoon opening salon to have their hair cut and blow dried. The friends enjoyed a few glasses of complementary wine and gossip during their pampering before returning to Paula's flat for a sleepover, as it was the closest.

The night of their Christmas dinner get together, Paula dashed across town to enjoy a final spa treatment with Steph, who'd pre-booked with her colleagues in their extra hours opening. They both got their nails, makeup and eyebrows done before they headed to Steph's apartment with Paula's overnight bag.

The two women burst through her front door, giggling with mirth and excitement of the night ahead. No matter what happened, they had the next day off and they planned to take advantage of it. Steph got Paula's dress and shoes from her bedroom, which she'd already stored there a few days earlier. Paula opened a fresh bottle of wine from the fridge and poured two generous glasses for them to toast each other.

"Girls on the prowl!"

And they took several gulps.

Paula had a pang of embarrassed, as she remembered she had prepared a request and thought that now was her preferred chosen time.

"Steph, love?"

"Uh-huh."

"I just wanted to say, these last few weeks have been wonderful and the best I've had in ages. I'd forgotten how much fun we used to have... But can you promise me something?"

"Anything, lovely."

She took another glug of wine.

"Well, if we don't both pull... And I'm not settling for the dimwitted, ugly mate of any hunk you attract, as he won't count... Can we come home together, with no one else in tow who expects a threesome or that your frumpy fat friend will be grateful for a shag once you're asleep?"

Steph pulled a hurt face, then smiled and wrapped her arms around Paula, giving her a hug.

"I promise lovely... Hey you're not fat or frumpy!"

She broke away to look her in the eyes.

"I must admit that I feel the same way. I've enjoyed us being this close these last few weeks. It's been a blast. To be honest, I'd forgotten how much fun a genuine friend can be."

She put her glass down and gave Paula another generous squeeze.

"Thanks..."

She returned the squeeze, thankful for her understanding.

"Anyway, what makes you say that? We're going to both pull two rich playboys and shag them ragged. Mwoahaha."

"Ha ha, Oh, I don't know... Just previous experiences. You couldn't have already forgotten Dave?"

"Ah, well, I did dump him once you explained."

"Trevor?"

"Oh, no, that guy was a creep. I never knew what I saw in him."

"Ha ha, you're kidding me? I seem to remember you boasting that he was hung like a donkey!"

The pair squealed dirty, raucous laughs, chinked their glasses back together and finished the contents before Paula promptly filled them again.

"Joking aside P. I'm sorry, I know I've been a selfish cow at times, but you've always been there for me and whenever we've drifted apart because of men, I've missed you."

"Awe, thanks."

They leaned in, touching each of their cheeks to give each other air kisses, before glugging more drinks down.

"Right, I'll change in the bedroom, and you can have the lounge."

"Okay!"

As they chinked their glasses one last time, Paula wondered why, no matter how close they were and what secrets they'd shared only between themselves, why she was still prudish about anyone, even Steph, seeing her in her underwear. Boyfriends rarely noticed that she preferred the lights off.

Steph waved as she disappeared down the hall, and Paula headed to her temporary bedroom. After closing the door, she checked her dress. She admired it on the hanger, a lovely black flowing party number. It had lines of beads sewed on it in patterns like exploding fireworks, which caught the light and would look great under club lights.

Not wholly convinced they'd find their Romeo's tonight, she'd brought tights and her lucky thong. Well, it was a new one, but she hoped they'd bring her luck all the same. She turned her back to the TV as she undressed, quickly swapping bras first to put on her favourite lace one, then thongs.