Competition Ch. 07

Jolene came home as usual, but she seemed flustered. Ronnie had a rainbow trout dish prepared with steamed veggies. Jolene slunk in and began to eat right away.

"This is more paperwork than I anticipated," Jolene griped as she filled up on food. "I hope that I get caught up soon. I'm afraid it's going to be a bit of a time investment for me."

"I fixed the sink!" Ronnie looked pleased with herself.

"Veronica, darling!" Jolene seemed shocked. "You should have called a plumber."

"Why?" asked Ronnie. "I can fix things!"

"Darling, no offense, but you're an oaf." Jolene dove back into her fish.

Ronnie sat there fuming. "Hey, you're the one who suggested I try being a housewife for a while! I like doing things like this!"

Jolene realized she had made a terrible mistake. Her recent therapy taught her she needed to be better than this. "Dear, I'm sorry. I'm being dismissive of your needs, aren't I? You tell me about your little plumbing job."

"Actually, I think I'll go watch a few more videos." She went off to the living room with her tablet and curled up in the comfy chair.

Jolene decided to clean up as an act of reconciliation. She went in to stare at Ronnie, unsure of what to say to her. "Veronica?"

Ronnie did not look up from her pad. "Mmm?"

"Are you...upset with me?" Jolene sounded scared.

Ronnie sighed, then tossed her tablet aside. "Come here, silly."

Jolene scurried over and reached around Ronnie's neck. "I have to learn not to be so dismissive of you. You need my support right now."

"I'll be fine, Jo," Ronnie said, reaching up to touch her arms. "You wanna go to the gym?"

The two of them worked out that night. Jolene was being overly supportive of Ronnie to the point that it weirded her out. They got in a good session, then drove home with Jolene going on about her job. She was worried about handing over some of her clients to a new employee.

The two of them got up into the house and put their gym bags in the front closet. Jolene strained her neck and rubbed at it. "Aw, dear, let me look at that," offered Ronnie. She got in behind Jolene and rubbed and pinched with both hands as Jolene closed her eyes. Ronnie gave her several small kisses on the back of her neck as well.

Ronnie then reached in around Jolene's waist and held her. "Are you disappointed in me?" asked Ronnie.

Jolene placed her hands on Ronnie's. "Of course not, dearest," she said in a soft voice. "There are setbacks in life. I've had so many. You'll find something again."

Ronnie let go and let Jolene turn around. The two of them hugged as Jolene gave Ronnie's forehead a kiss. Ronnie rested her head on Jolene's chest as the two of them did a small sway. "I feel better when you hold me," confessed Ronnie. "I just...things usually just work out for me sometimes, and now it feels like I can't do anything right!"

"Dearest!" She took Ronnie by the shoulders and looked in her eyes. "Your worth is not determined by whether you can bear a child, or if you're unjustly let go from your job!"

Ronnie looked at the floor, then bit her lower lip. "I just want to help you."

Jolene took Ronnie's cheeks in her hands and gave her a huge kiss. "This is certainly helping."

Ronnie managed a weak smile. "Do you want to go to bed?"

Jolene took Ronnie by the hand and led her to the bedroom. The two of them changed into their pyjamas and got under the covers. Ronnie rested her hand on Jolene's stomach, running her fingers along the ridges.

"We all have anxiety, sweetie," Jolene assured Ronnie. "I never felt like I was in good enough shape. I don't want to scare you with some of these confessions, but I used to use pain as a motivator."

"Whoa!" Ronnie took her hand away. "Did you hit yourself or something?"

"Sometimes, yes," Jolene replied. "Other times I did really harmful things, like smacking my hand with a free weight."

"Oh, Jo," Ronnie said with fear. "You're not still doing that, are you?"

"No, no, honey," Jolene said. "This is some of the things I had to work out. I'm hoping Dr. Fleming will be able to help me explore some of the causes of this. I have great insecurities as you know. I just want you to know that you're better than I am at dealing with them."

Ronnie fumbled for words. "I don't know how to help you, babe."

"You don't have to do anything, dearest." Jolene kissed her cheek. "I'm in a real relationship now. I haven't felt real love in so long."

Ronnie kissed Jolene intensely, then tore off her top. Jolene sucked on Ronnie's nipple and rubbed her thigh. She reached up and felt both of Ronnie's D-cups. "These are so nice," Jolene whispered. "I wish I was like you. I would be crying if I lost my job."

Ronnie threw her head back and moaned. "It was kind of a drag anyway." She slid off her bottoms and got her legs wide open.

"Here," Jolene moaned. "I'll get that." She pulled the comforter back and got down to Ronnie's pussy. She gave a few playful kisses on her labia before digging in deep with her tongue.

Ronnie put her hand on Jolene's head as her face twisted and twitched. "Oh God! You certainly know how to do jobs!"

Jolene held onto Ronnie's thighs as she lapped up the sweet honey pot. She loved the way Ronnie struggled so hard to stay still as she was getting eaten out.

Ronnie propped her legs up on Jolene's shoulders. "Work it, girl," she whispered as she watched the act. "Jo, you're the best. You're always so nice to everyone, and you're gorgeous, and...ohhh!" Jolene made contact with the pink pearl. "Right there, please! Oh! Ohhhh! Keep going! I'm gonna make you proud of me, dear!"

Jolene kept her tongue on Ronnie's clit while she slid her middle finger in and out of her. Ronnie's legs twitched and jumped as she felt her climax.

Ronnie draped her arm across her forehead. "Oh wow," she said, nearly out of breath. Jolene got up and got a glass of water from the bathroom, then walked back to the bed taking a drink. She handed the glass to Ronnie, who took a large gulp. Jolene got back into bed and took the glass away and set it on the nightstand.

"Want me to have a go?" asked Ronnie.

"I'm a little tired, hon," Jolene replied. She gave Ronnie a huge kiss. Ronnie cuddled in to Jolene's arm and rested her head on Jo's boob.

"Jo, don't hurt yourself, okay?" Ronnie's voice was quavery. "Nobody hurts my baby."

Jolene played with Ronnie's hair. "I'll try, love."

Jolene's next appointment with Dr. Fleming had come up, and Jolene had stretched out on the couch again.

"Jolene?" said Dr. Fleming. "We talked about this. You don't have to-"

"I confessed to Ronnie about my self-harm," Jolene went on. "She seemed rather nervous about my past actions, but I assured her I could overcome it."

"That's wonderful to hear, Jolene," said Dr. Fleming. "We'll be exploring these feelings through many of our sessions. Today, I wanted to focus on more of the intimacy issues you experienced."

"Yes! The sex," Jolene exclaimed. "Okay, so my husband was of course my first experience with a man. I think I gave in to his demands for sex mostly out of fear."

"Was he physically violent with you?" asked Dr. Fleming.

"It was complicated," replied Jolene. "He would like to grab and shake me most times. The violence escalated when I tried to get a job in real estate. I think he felt intimidated, like I might leave him if I became a success."

"Interesting," said Dr. Fleming as she jotted down some notes. "This might indicate that your anxiety about being a success is motivated by fear rather than feeling as if you deserve great things to happen. Transitioning into your new job, for example. You said you had major reservations about it."

"I just hope it doesn't interfere with other aspects of my life," Jolene replied. "I like my workouts, and I need to be able to devote time to poor Ronnie."

"That's the fear again, Jolene," Dr. Fleming reminded her. "We did get a bit sidetracked from your love life."

"Right!" Jolene put her hand on her forehead. "Well! When my husband and I separated, I felt the need to try to enjoy myself. I was just so unattractive. I worked out for two years straight, getting myself in peak shape. I was not like this, you see." She made a bicep, which was largely pointless as Jolene was wearing a blazer. "But I got thin and tight, and I felt so wonderful."

"And what happened once you felt beautiful?" asked Dr. Fleming.

"I met a young man," Jolene went on. "His name was Joel, and he couldn't have been over twenty-five. He painted houses for a living, and it kept him nice and healthy. I just had sex with him right after our first date. We had a quick dinner, then he asked me up to his apartment. I was crazy for him." She giggled. "I was so embarrassed to say that I didn't know that women were all shaving...down there, and I was certainly not hairy, but I didn't know they liked it all gone, right? At least the younger guys like that."

Dr. Fleming wrote more notes.

"So he just let me take total control, because he didn't have much more experience than I did." Jolene unbuttoned her blazer. "Oh, his penis was just amazing. I just associated it with all the pleasant things I remembered, and just watching this strong, young man willing to do what I wanted. I bossed him around, I made him go down on me, and I covered him in chocolate sauce in the shower."

Dr. Fleming interrupted. "I'm sorry—why chocolate sauce?"

"I happened to enjoy the taste," Jolene responded. "I was aware of the calories, but I treated myself once in a while. Unfortunately, I had to leave Joel. I knew we had no future."

"What happened after that?" asked Dr. Fleming.

"It was a series of meaningless sex," Jolene continued. "One day I met a lovely young woman. She was not exactly a health enthusiast. In fact, she was a bit chubby. However, I was so drawn to her admiration of me that I decided to take her on as my kitten."

"Uhhh..." Dr. Fleming flipped through her notes. "I have never heard this expression before."

"Oh, it's an expression of a subordinate," Jolene went on. "It is not about power, however. I always assured my kittens that they would be well-protected, and I would never harm them. I loved the feeling from treating me like I was special."

"This is interesting," said Dr. Fleming. "It's as if almost all of your sexual relationships were predicated on being in total control. I think this contrasts to when you were married."

Jolene's mouth popped open. "That must be it! This is why the kitten fantasy always held so much value to me!"

"Have you explored this particular fantasy of yours recently?" asked Dr. Fleming.

"I have," started Jolene. "Ronnie was very reluctant to embrace it, and we have only done it a couple of times. I was the kitten once!"

"Oh, that's very interesting," said Dr. Fleming. "You suddenly decided with Ronnie to submit yourself. You must think very highly of her."

Jolene gasped. "She's the one person I trusted with that. Wow."

"And you say she is unwilling to explore this further with you?" asked Dr. Fleming.

"No, it's just not her thing," Jolene responded. "But it's all right. I don't need to do it anymore. I don't miss that part of my life." She put her arms up behind her head. "I knew when I met her that she was different. I think it was that attitude where she was willing to stand up for herself. I asked her to be a kitten, and she told me no right away."

Dr. Fleming looked at her watch. "Jolene, I am sorry, but our time is up for today."

Jolene shot up and got her shoes on. "Oh, I'm so sorry, doctor. I do tend to ramble on." She stood up and gave Dr. Fleming a hug. "I look forward to these appointments."

Jolene left, while Dr. Fleming went to her desk and got out her voice recorder, then spoke into it. "May 25^th, talked with patient W. Talk with agent about possible material for book."

Ronnie had spent the better part of the afternoon working on her soldering. Her job search for the day was going worse than she had hoped, so she needed a distraction. The videos she found online were helpful enough to give her little projects to work on.

She sat on the floor of the basement, cutting up sections of copper pipe she found in the corner. She sanded and added flux, then got the handheld torch and set to work. Ronnie had trouble with keeping the solder still, but eventually she got the hang of it. After a few attempts, she was able to pour water through without finding any leaks.

Feeling good about herself, Ronnie made dinner and set the table. Jolene had come home from her therapy session, also in a cheery mood. The two of them ate and chatted. Ronnie took Jolene down to the basement to show her the lengths of pipe she was working on and her soldering job. Jolene took a genuine interest in what she was doing, although she was still unsure why she was doing it.

The next morning, Ronnie got a call from Mrs. Callaghan, Jolene's close friend from church. "Hello, Mrs. Callaghan!" said Ronnie over the phone.

"Oh, is that Ronnie?" asked Mrs. Callaghan. She was a frail 70-year-old who sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "Ronnie, I need to talk to Jolene. My toilet is broke."

Ronnie giggled. "Sorry, ma'am, but she's at work. What, is your toilet not flushing or something?"

"No, dear," she replied. "The bowl is broken and the water is spilling out."

Ronnie's eyes went wide. "Oh, wow! Maybe you can call a plumber?"

"They won't come, dear!" Mrs. Callaghan sounded distraught. "Everyone is so busy."

"Okay, I'll come over," said Ronnie in a rush. She had visited her house a few times before. She drove off in her pink VW and made it in a short time.

Ronnie was let in by Mrs. Callaghan, who took her into the bathroom. The drain in the tile floor was working, but there was still a great deal of water in there. Ronnie got her socks off and went in to turn off the water valve.

Mrs. Callaghan was not exaggerating about the toilet. It looked as if the porcelain had been smashed with a hammer. "What happened?" asked Ronnie.

"It was my new shower curtain," replied Mrs. Callaghan. "It brought the rod down, then the bowl broke on me. Oh, thank you for coming! I was unsure who else to call."

Ronnie got the rest of the water sopped up with some ratty old towels, then she inspected the toilet. "You have to get a new one. I mean...I think I can install it."

"Would you be a dear and pick one up for me?" asked Mrs. Callaghan.

Ronnie agreed, and drove down to the hardware store and picked out a nice one for her. She made sure that she picked up an extra set of bolts in case she broke the existing ones, as well as some work gloves. She brought it back and pulled up the old toilet, then dropped it off at the edge of her driveway.

Ronnie got the disgusting wax ring off of the floor and installed the new fresh one, then laid the toilet in and bolted it down. The late Mr. Callaghan had plenty of tools available in his garage. After a few attempts at stopping up the leaks, Ronnie gave it a test flush and saw that it worked perfectly.

Mrs. Callaghan was so grateful that she made Ronnie lunch. She was doting over her like a sweet grandma.

"Oh, and I must say, I was so glad that Jolene found someone to care for her," Mrs. Callaghan went on. "I'm from another generation, dear, so when I heard she married another woman...well, I was shocked for sure. Jolene is so beautiful that it seemed silly she didn't marry a man!"

Ronnie laughed. "Well, she was married to a man before. This time she got it right."

"I think it's so great that you can do things like this! I so rarely see women getting in the trades, even to this day!" Mrs. Callaghan poured Ronnie another glass of iced tea. "Now how much do I owe you?" She went to get her purse.

"Oh, the toilet was a hundred," said Ronnie, taking another bite of her tuna sandwich.

Mrs. Callaghan came back and gave Ronnie a hundred, then gave her an extra two hundred. Ronnie looked at the bills. "What?" Ronnie looked shocked. "I didn't...I mean..."

"Now I insist," scolded Mrs. Callaghan. "You were so nice and prompt, and I think it's great you can do things like this." She chuckled. "I guess this is from all that being with women stuff, right?"

"No!" Ronnie laughed again. "I was never very handy, but now that I tried it, it's not so scary!"

Ronnie thanked Mrs. Callaghan again, then got up to leave. "Oh, leave your phone number, dear," Mrs. Callaghan requested. Ronnie jotted down her number and gave it to her. "I have a few friends who need things done. I swear, the tradesmen I work with are so rude and don't explain things to you. But you come off as so nice and professional!"

Ronnie smiled and said thanks, then made her way out the door. She drove home, then played with the bills she was given. She sat at her computer that afternoon and did some research.

Jolene came home to rabbit stew. Ronnie told her about how quick she was able to help out Mrs. Callaghan.

"Ronnie, that is so sweet of you," said Jolene. "Poor thing was probably scared out of her wits. And to think that no one was able to come out to help her!"

"Yeah, she said that happens a lot," Ronnie said. "Oh, but...I can't do this for long. I mean...you need to have licences or something."

Jolene was in the middle of taking a huge bite, but she stiffened and her eyes went wide. "No!" She managed to gulp down her food. "No, in Arizona, you don't need a licence to do certain work. You can tender job offers for less than a thousand dollars with parts and labour. It's very well-known for those of us in the real estate market."

Ronnie sat there with her mouth open. "So I could just start taking jobs?" She put her hand on her forehead. "Oh my God! This could be so easy!"

"Well, dear, you might have to get some capital investment first," Jolene informed her. "Are you really going to go to work sites in a pink Beetle?"

"Works for Mighty Maid!" Ronnie thought it over. "Nah, but you're right. I have to look into this more."

The next day, the calls started coming. Mrs. Callaghan's recommendations came in for certain jobs, and Ronnie gladly accepted them. She arranged seven appointments for the week, ranging from installing new toilets and light fixtures to replacing drywall. Ronnie would spend the time with her phone in hand, watching the video on how to do it. She was also adept at reading the instructions on just about everything she purchased. At the end of the week, she had made fifteen hundred dollars.

Ronnie wanted to celebrate, so she took Jolene out to a fine Italian restaurant. She felt so proud of herself for having worked toward something.

"I have such a great angle, too—I'm a girl contractor!" Ronnie drank down her wine. "Everyone trusts me, and the women feel more at ease when I'm there."

"Darling, I am so proud of you," said Jolene. "See? I knew you could do it."

The two of them wanted to get away for a bit, so they rented a suite downtown. Although Ronnie felt uncomfortable splurging, Jolene assured her it was no problem. The room was huge, and it reminded Ronnie of the time they shared a room in Atlanta. She dashed out by the patio to find the hot tub.

"I brought a spare suit," Jolene called out from the bathroom. "Get it warmed up, dear."

Ronnie fiddled with the controls long enough to get the temperature up. After ten minutes, Jolene came out in her zebra-print two-piece. Ronnie stood and watched her muscular wife glide her way out onto the deck, then slide gently into the steamy water. She hissed as she got in, then appeared to relax.

Jolene leaned back and propped up her thick arms up along the sides of the tub. "Ooh," she moaned. "Darling, go get changed!" She looked in behind her. "Oh, the deck is so covered here. I like the privacy."