City Girl in the Desert

Between my usual post-workout high and Katie's tales of self-indulgence and her ex's magic fingers, I was wet as a leaky faucet.

Of course, I was well-versed in ignoring that and getting on with my shower. But I was not used to the temptation being nearly as great as it was just now. Ten times in one night, and she'd still been able to walk away from the guy! And she was shameless enough to do it herself every night now! And this was mousy little Katie -- just imagine what this Andy guy could have done with me if he were lucky enough to get the chance!

I tried. I really tried not to let my hands go anywhere near my pussy again. I turned on the hot water and stepped in, and tried to focus on washing up.

I tried, but for once I failed. I just had to scratch that itch!

I made one last ditch effort to just be contented with a quick rub. That only made me long for another, and so I rinsed the soap off my hands and gave my clit another, slower feel this time so I could enjoy this one last touch longer. But then it felt like my hand was out of my control, and I circled around and rubbed it again.

It was no use, and at least no one else was there to see my rare loss of self-control. I didn't know what Adam looked like, but in my imagination he was just as gorgeous and well-groomed as I am. Rather than try to picture myself with him, I imagined I was Katie -- after all, with her the damage was done. He already knew how much she liked it. Or how much I liked it, if for the moment I was her.

I was too enamored with my newly big breasts to feel dumpy like I normally would if I had her body, and too amused at Andy's own loss of control as he kissed and pawed them. I always did envy Katie's ability to make men lose their minds with those melons of hers, even if she never took advantage of it! In any event, Adam's fingers and lips felt wonderful, and down below he was fully packed and felt divine inside me.

"Make me come again and again!" I ordered.

"Already have!" he said, and somehow I knew it was true.

"More, then!"

"Sure!"

Oh, to really cut loose just once in real life like I did in my mind just then! Someday I will, of course, but not until I'm sure it's a guy I want to stay with long term. I'd never risk letting anyone know just how wild I can get in bed until I'm certain he's a keeper. But in my imagination with Katie's troubled ex, all that was perfectly safe. In the safety of my mind I came with a roar again and again.

In the shower back in reality, I came once, and had to bite my tongue to keep quiet about it. But that one was a beaut, and I felt wonderful in spite of my shame.

Damn you! I texted Katie ten minutes later on the subway. Now you've got me doing it!

Doing what?

You know. What you told me you've been doing every night.

Good for you, Christine. Doesn't it feel better to just accept it?

No, it doesn't, dammit! I hate feeling out of control like this!

Cry me a river, Uptown Sophisticate!

I didn't bother reasoning with her after that last one. What did Katie know?

I also didn't dare tell her now that Pandora's box was open, I was finding myself unable to resist more and more often.

I did make up my mind that first night that I wouldn't be slipping up again. For the next two days, I stuck to it, too. But on the third day I saw a clutch of college boys in matching sweaters on the subway -- a glee-club, maybe? -- and by the time I got home my panties felt like I'd worn them in a swimming pool. When I got them off in my bedroom, the memory of that forbidden pleasure in the gym shower was just irresistible. At least, I reminded myself as I lay back and rubbed myself to a big one, no one else needed to know.

No one but Katie, anyway, and she thought it was a good thing for some reason.

By summer I'd given up on even trying to kick the habit. Another guy came and went in early May, and with the exception of those two weeks I don't think I ever went more than three days without giving in. I never would have forgiven anyone but Katie for getting me into such a bad habit, but I still pitied her too much to really be angry at her. Imagine having no choice but to settle for your hands! And after all, she was my dearest old friend.

I guess it was that pity that inspired me to spring for a business-class ticket for her as well as for myself when we were off to her commune in July. Because she was Katie, of course, she tried to refuse it. "Christine, I couldn't!" she said when I unveiled my gift as the taxi was pulling away from the curb. "The university already paid for my coach ticket, you know."

"Tell them you got a free upgrade," I said, passing over in silence the fact that she would never get one while dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans -- at least not while I was also there in my designer minidress.

"I could do that," she admitted. "But this really isn't appropriate, Christine. I know how much more expensive these tickets are, and..."

"And you know I would never fly coach under any circumstances," I reminded her. "Do you really want to be alone in that sardine can when you could be sipping champagne with me? And I don't mind the cost. For one thing, there'll probably be some drunk businessmen in the next row. Strength in numbers fighting them off."

"Why would you want to fight them off in the first place?" Katie asked. "Because they only drive a BMW instead of a Mercedes?"

"I'd settle for a Beemer if the guy was cute," I reasoned.

Katie laughed for some reason. I didn't bother asking why, because at least she stopped trying to refuse the ticket.

She did lighten up once we were on the plane, and we were both pleasantly tipsy as we roared off across the Atlantic. I still had my doubts about our destination, but a vacation is a vacation. "You're lucky I was so desperate to get out of New York for a little bit," I said towards bedtime, when some of the other passengers had already turned their lights out.

"Shhh!" Katie whispered, "We don't want to keep anyone else awake."

"You're still thinking like you're back in coach," I replied, but I did resort to whispering when I remembered how much I'd paid for these seats -- I didn't want to make anyone else angry when they'd paid the same.

"Hope I never stop being that considerate, then," she said, standing up. "I'm going to the bathroom and then I'll turn in."

"Guess I'll do the same."

I hate sleeping in my bra, but appearances must be kept. I reclined my seat and pulled the thin blanket over me, and did my best to get comfortable. I was still working on that last one when Katie returned.

I saw she also hated sleeping in her bra, as she'd taken it off and now had it clutched in her left hand.

"Katie!" I propped myself up on my elbows. "You're in public!" Now I didn't need to be reminded to whisper, as I was terrified I might alert someone else to her appearance.

"So what?" She stuffed the bra away in her carryon bag.

"Aren't you afraid someone will notice you're not wearing that?"

"It's none of their business if I'm not, is it?" Then she turned to look at me. "Wait a minute, you're keeping yours on all night?"

"Of course I am! We're in public!"

Katie shook her head and lay back in her seat. "That must be so uncomfortable. And you don't even really need a bra in the first place, do you?"

"Geez, Katie, why don't you just announce that on the intercom? Maybe they didn't hear you in the cockpit!"

Someone else did hear us, as there was a "SHHHHH" sound from a few rows ahead of us. So I held my tongue and tried not to think of Katie's sloppy appearance across the aisle. But of course I couldn't forget that, and it kept me awake for ages while she was soon snoring away. It was enough to make me consider not telling her I had also bought business class tickets for the flight back. But what kind of friend would I be then, even if she was being inconsiderate for the moment?

I must admit I was pleasantly surprised at Abu Dhabi. Not all the women were covered up from head to toe and not all the men looked at me like I was Satan herself because I refused to cover my legs (which are too shapely for me not to show off, honestly -- spinning class really pays off). Some of the women's headscarves were really quite stylish, although you'd never get me to keep my naturally blonde locks under wraps.

"Admit it, you don't hate it here," Katie said over lunch at the hotel restaurant on the second day.

"I don't, you're right," I said. "But I'm still awfully curious about this convent of yours."

"Commune, not convent," Katie laughed. "You think I'd drag you across the ocean to stay at a convent?"

"I might've thought so before what you told me about your, erm, personal habits," I said. "God, they probably cut off people's hands for that here, don't they?"

"Wow, just when I thought you were learning something," Katie said.

"Well, am I wrong?"

"No idea," Katie said. "But you'll be free to do that at the commune if you want."

"Depends on what the guys there are like," I said.

"I think you'll be impressed." And there was that coy smirk of hers again.

We spent three days at the hotel before heading off to the commune. Katie had explained on the plane how she would have a lot of meetings for those first few days and then wouldn't need to be so close to the university afterward. "I'll probably take the bus in for a day here and there," she said on the morning of the fourth day, in the taxi to the bus station. "But mostly I'll just be studying stuff I've already got, and I can do that from anywhere. And of course you'll be free to stay and hang out at the commune."

"You seem awfully sure I'll like it well enough to do that," I said.

"I am awfully sure you'll like it, if you'll let yourself like it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a surprise."

"Katie, you've been awfully vague about this whole thing!"

"I know. If you don't like it, we can always get you someplace else to stay. But I think you will."

"But you won't tell me why."

"Nope."

"Great."

I was almost glad she was being so cagey, since the surprise gave me something to look forward to as the bus rolled through the desert. I had some cousins from Arizona and the scenery reminded me of their boring stories of how gorgeous the place was. Hey, I wanted out of New York, I reminded myself time and again. This was about as "out of New York" as a gal could get.

Our stop was a desolate crossroads with a gas station and a ramshackle café. Probably a modern-day oasis, but I rather suspected that word was politically incorrect over here. As we stepped down from the bus, I saw a couple people waiting by parked cars outside the café, including a tall, gangly white guy in cutoffs and a t-shirt too small for him. As ugly as he was, I prayed he was our ride and we wouldn't have to wait here too long.

He was, I realized when Katie made a beeline for him. "Danny!" she shrieked like a schoolgirl, in spite of the fact that she'd never reacted to a boy like that when she really had been a schoolgirl. "So good to see you!"

"Right on time, Katie!" He stood up from the fender of his car and she leapt into his arms. "Welcome back!"

"Glad to be back!" Katie said. Then she turned and waved to me as I took my sweet time walking across the sandy lot. I did not want my new shoes getting scuffed!

"And you must be Christine," Danny said. Once Katie had finally let him go, he held out his hand and I willingly shook it, glad to know he wasn't the type who'd expect a hug from someone he'd just met.

"Yes, I am Christine," I said. "Danny, is it?"

"It is, and Katie's told me all about you!" He had the decency to look impressed with me, I had to give him that. "We're so glad you decided to come join us."

"Nice to meet you, Danny," I said. "I think I'm glad too, but I sure wish I knew what Katie hasn't been telling me about the place."

Danny turned back to Katie. "You didn't --"

"Don't say anything yet, please!" Katie said. "I just want Christine to relax a bit and broaden her horizons, and I've already said if she doesn't like it, we can get her a hotel somewhere."

"Every time you say that, I wonder should I just get a room already?" I told her. "I've been thinking, what's that famous hotel in Dubai?"

"Burj Al Arab?" Danny laughed. "Yeah, that's just about the exact opposite of us. But come on, give us a try first. We don't bite."

"Just get in the car, Christine," Katie said as she and Danny put our suitcases in the trunk. To her credit, she then got in the backseat without my asking her to. My legs are gorgeous, but they're also long and she knew I needed the space more than she did.

I was expecting Danny to drool over my legs now that he had such a close view of them from the driver's seat, but I was pleasantly surprised as he kept his eyes on the road. It was a dusty, narrow road and I was just glad those two weren't nearly granola enough to open the windows -- we'd have gotten dust everywhere. Instead, we ran the air-conditioner nice and high, though it couldn't drown out the boring folk music Danny had playing on the stereo.

It was a good twenty minutes down that dusty road before I saw a big wall emerging on the horizon. "Is that it?" I asked.

"That's it!" Danny said.

"Katie, you weren't kidding about this place being out in the middle of nowhere!" I hadn't seen any other sign of civilization since the bus stop.

"It's better that way," Katie said. "The locals really don't like the lifestyle here."

"They hate it, but they don't complain about the rent we pay on a patch of sand they otherwise couldn't do anything with!" Danny said. "That's our secret, you know, our money is green."

"Just where do we get the money from?" I asked.

"We all pay our share of the rent, of course," Danny said.

"We do?" There'd been no word about rent.

"I paid for both of us out of my stipend," Katie said. "It's a lot cheaper than a hotel in Abu Dhabi would be."

"Oh...thanks." I wasn't really sure I should say it after I sprang for the business class plane tickets, but her heart was probably in the right place.

As we got closer, I saw two things. One, the commune was big, bigger than a city block from what I could see. Two, it was completely walled in. Just what were they hiding in there? I knew Katie wouldn't tell me, and she knew I'd make good on my threat to leave if I didn't like it. But I couldn't deny I was curious.

By the time we'd parked the car and made our way to the front door, I was expecting to step into 1969. I wasn't far off, as the cavernous room we stepped into was decked out in beads and colourful ancient rugs and furniture, and the couple snuggling on the couch looked fresh from Woodstock.

When they looked up to see Katie in the doorway, they both jumped up. "Katie!" said the woman. She and the man both took turns hugging her like a long lost sister.

"Hi, Mags," Katie said. "Eddie, Maggie, this is my oldest friend, Christine."

Oldest friend? Not best friend? But there was no time to worry about that as it looked like they might try to throw themselves at me like they had at Katie. To my mild relief, Maggie settled for a two-fisted handshake, and with Eddie I got away with just one hand. "We heard she'd be bringing a friend this year," Eddie said.

"Your reputation precedes you!" Maggie said.

"It usually does," I acknowledged.

"Any of the other old-timers still around?" Katie asked. I hid my annoyance at her stopping the others from replying to my comment.

"We're the old guard now, I'm afraid," Danny said. "Barbara and Karen were hoping to make it back, but Barbara got a fellowship in Australia."

"I sure was looking forward to seeing them again," Eddie said.

"Just remember it was look but don't touch!" Maggie said.

Once again I wondered just what my dear old friend had gotten me into.

"But we've got some great new folks, and we're just in time for lunch," Danny said. "Katie, I put you guys in the room you requested. Why don't you go get settled and then meet us out on the patio? Ten minutes?"

"Sounds great!" Katie said. I had to agree, though as always I kept to myself how hungry I was. It's the price of being beautiful. Katie probably understood, since she'd lost most of her baby fat. But not enough to avoid adding, "I'm ravenous after that trip!"

"Did you really need to announce that?" I asked as Katie led me up the stairs.

"Announce what, that I'm hungry?" Katie asked. "What's wrong with that, especially at lunchtime?"

"It's like I said about sex, Katie, we don't want men knowing we're just like them with this sort of thing!"

Katie only laughed. "Whatever, Christine. I get where you're coming from about sex, as much as I think you're being horribly manipulative, but with food?"

"Restraint is power," I told her. "You'd be a lot more like me if you'd learned that as young as I did."

"No comment," Katie grumbled as we reached the top of the stairs. I guess I couldn't blame her. I'd be too ashamed to say anything too if I were in her shoes.

The stairs led out to an outdoor hallway that ran along the inside of the wall, with a band of sunshine visible between the roof and the top of the wall. It reminded me far too much of a roadside motel like we might have seen back in our hometown, but when Katie opened the door (no lock, I noticed to my silent dismay) I was greeted with a beautiful, opulent room with two double beds and a giant bathtub visible in the bathroom. "Oh, this is lovely!" I said. "A lot nicer than I'd dared hope for, I have to admit, Katie."

"Well, not all the rooms are like this," Katie said. "But I told Danny and the others you have your standards, and my respect is a good thing to have in this place."

"Oh, is it, then?" I knew I ought to mind my tongue about how self-important she was sounding, but I just couldn't help it.

"You're welcome, Christine." She set down her suitcase at the bed farther from the door. "Go ahead and wash up, and then let's go get lunch."

The truth was that I was quite hungry, and also more than a little bit morbidly curious about what else she had in store for me in this place, and I had to pee anyway after that long trip. It was only while I was taking care of that need that it occurred to me -- if we were sharing a room, it meant I couldn't play with myself. That brightened my outlook quite a bit -- maybe now I could kick the habit!

While I was in the bathroom, Katie changed into a short skirt and a fresh top. "Cute outfit," I said when I got out of the bathroom.

"Thanks. It's way too hot for jeans, huh?"

"To me, it always is, Katie."

"I know!" Katie laughed as she stepped back outside. "Come on downstairs, I won't even tell anyone you're hungry."

"I'm not sure I am," I said. "They're not going to serve camel steaks or anything, are they? I should've told them I'm a vegetarian."

"No!" Katie laughed again. "And there are veggie options available if you want."

I needn't have worried. Lunch was a nice couscous salad with shredded chicken, a bit carb-heavy but nothing like what I'd feared they might feed us. The décor on the patio was a bit dated, but that too was far better than I'd dared hope. "We save the nice china for the grand hall and we only eat there when it's cold," Danny explained.

"That makes sense," I said. "I wouldn't bring my good china outside either."

"He's joking, Christine," Katie said. "There's no great hall."

"Why bother in a place where no one ever dresses for dinner?" Danny asked.

At this, a few of the other people in attendance laughed. Danny and Katie both gave them a look I couldn't read at all, but the laughing stopped.

Others trickled in, mostly in couples but a few singles as well, while we were eating. I noticed early on that they all seemed to know Katie, for they all seemed to welcome her with a hug and an enthusiastic hello, both of which the silly dear always returned. She did at least have the decency to introduce me to them all.