Teaching Power and Potential Ch. 02

This will be a slow build. If you like long teases, please enjoy. I know I do.

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Janie sat cross-legged and cramped, reading under an umbrella that provided an ever-decreasing measure of shade. Her freckled skin stuck to the plastic chair straps every time she shifted. Today would be a hot one, but she preferred braving the high-nineties of the outdoors to staying in the empty house. During those rare few times when Luke was out, her anxieties would get the better of her. There were too many rooms and too many doors. The hallways were, for some reason, particularly unsettling.

She didn't miss the cluttered, dilapidated house of her childhood, but at least there she'd known every corner and shadow as well as she knew her own face. The new home was a stranger's face and if it was friend or foe was as yet unclear.

Reading provided a useful distraction, especially a smutty novel like this one. She was already halfway through a box of well-thumbed paperbacks that a friend had pushed on her before they'd moved away. And while they did indeed "get her motor going," as her friend had promised, there was no release for the wind-up and, more often than not, she found herself more frustrated and anxious than when she'd started.

Just as she was contemplating getting up and readjusting the umbrella for the umpteenth time, a heavy spritz of water fell from out of nowhere and splashed across her, soaking her bikini-clad body and her book.

"What the hell?" she said, peering out from under the umbrella and scanning the blue skies for a rogue raincloud.

"Oh my goodness! Did I get you?" A voice full of concern came from somewhere over the high wooden fence that lined one side of the yard.

"It's okay," said Janie politely, though she felt quite the opposite. She'd just gotten to a particularly... intriguing part of the book and now it would have to dry out for several days before she could pick it back up.

An eyeball appeared in a low, little knothole in one of the pickets, then the sound of someone ascending a ladder, and a woman's head popped up from behind the fence. Janie could make out little more than red hair and wide, pretty eyes.

"I'm so, so sorry, sweety," said the woman. "I was watering my tomatoes and the hose got away from me. Here, let me come around to the end of the fence and introduce myself." Her head gave a nod towards the front of their respective houses and then dipped down out of site.

Janie followed her lead and walked towards the front, through the backyard and side yard until the fence ended in a neat right turn towards the front of the neighbor's house, terminating in a beautifully arched gate that led into the yard. The trellis above the gate was strewn with trailing vines of yellow flowers that smelled intoxicating in the summer sun. It was all so elegant, thought Janie.

The woman standing under the arch was no less so.

"Hi, there. I'm Meredith," she said, offering her hand.

Janie stood dumbstruck for a moment. Though Meredith was dressed in nothing more than a white ribbed tank top, khaki shorts, and a wide-brimmed gardening hat, she wore it perfectly. The woman simply exuded confidence and charisma that Janie could only dream of.

"You must be..." prompted Meredith kindly.

"Janie," she replied, shaking off her stupor and returning the handshake. "We're your... I'm your... We're your new neighbors. My brother is... out. My folks are out of town." She could feel her face getting hot and knew she must be blushing beet red--a distressing attribute near the top of her list of self-perceived flaws. It was always hard talking to strangers but she felt practically alien standing in front of this mature goddess.

"Well, Janie The New Neighbor," said Meredith, "I owe you a towel and a dry book. Come on back, sugar."

Meredith turned and walked back into her yard. After a moment's pause, Janie followed, eyes flashing down to the woman's hips, which rocked in a side-to-side motion like a trained model walking the catwalk.

Meredith led Janie through her own side yard and around to the back, past a stunningly blue in-ground pool, up the steps of a meticulously appointed patio, through a sliding glass door and into the most beautiful house that Janie had ever laid eyes on.

With its high ceiling, numerous windows, and sophisticated furniture, it was modern without being sterile, spotless without being fussy. You could see that a real person lived here, albeit one with exquisite taste and quite a budget to work with. Janie had always lingered over the photos in celebrity magazines of stars' homes, imagining herself in them one day and how she would decorate if she had all the money in the world.

"This is... it's all so beautiful," said Janie, her eyes tracing every contour of the room.

"Thank you," said Meredith. "My creative input. My late husband's money." She waved casually around the room. "It was a good combination."

Janie wasn't sure how to respond. She suddenly felt very exposed wearing just bikini. She wrapped her arms around herself and gave a tight, noncommittal smile.

Meredith gestured towards the seating area. "Come, come, come. Have a seat." She ushered Janie towards one of the sumptuous leather couches.

"You're fine, please sit!" she said when Janie gestured down at her bare lower half. "I'm not exactly wearing a ball gown myself."

Once they were settled, Meredith continued, "It's been ages since I've had anyone interesting to talk to in this neighborhood."

"Oh, I don't think we're interesting," Janie demurred.

"I don't know," said Meredith. "A mysterious family buys a house that's been sitting vacant for three years. Guts it, renovates it, adds a pool, parks their Mercedes in the driveway and then vanishes, leaving behind their two beautiful children to fend for themselves." She gave a coy smile. "I'd say that's pretty interesting."

"Well, when you say it like that," said Janie with a little laugh.

"So what's the story, then?" asked Meredith.

"My family, we didn't always have money. That's a... new thing." Her parents had warned her against sharing details with anyone outside the family, but for whatever reason she felt like she could trust Meredith.

"We won the lottery. Like, a big lottery," continued Janie. "Before that, we were pretty broke. Not homeless broke, but we never had money for nice clothes or a new car or anything like that.

"I mean, it's not like they didn't work," she hastened to add. "They had a bunch of jobs all the time. We all had jobs. I didn't even get to date, really, or do the school newspaper because we had to work every day after school."

Meredith gave a sympathetic nod, then walked to the open kitchen on the other side of the great room and took two wine glasses down from a shelf. "Keep going, I'm listening."

"And then when the big check finally arrived, I guess we just kind of ran away from our old lives. It was easier to start over than explaining it to everyone. Plus, I guess my parents were afraid that..."

Meredith set a glass on the table in front of Janie, filled with a blushing pink liquid. "They were afraid that people might try to take advantage of the situation," finished Meredith.

Janie nodded.

"They were probably right," Meredith sighed. "Money changes people. After I married a wealthy man, I had to cut some people out of my life. It was sad. But, it allowed me to move on and meet new friends." She raised her glass in salutation.

Janie took up the glass and examined it. "Is this... this is wine, right?"

Meredith laughed. "Yes, honey, it's rosé. A good one." She clinked their glasses together. "To new friends"

Janie smiled shyly and took an exploratory sip, then her eyes lit up. "This is sooo good! I mean, uh, compared to the other... roses I've had."

"It's ok," said Meredith kindly. "Is this your first decent glass of wine?"

Janie nodded.

"Is this your first... wine?"

Janie nodded again.

"Is this your first drink of alcohol?"

"I had half a White Claw at a party last summer."

"Janie, how old are you?"

"Eighteen," Janie said softly. "Last month." Janie thought she noticed a little shiver run through Meredith.

Meredith gave a big, theatrical shrug. "Well, you can't put the wine back in the bottle. Besides...," she laid a hand on Janie's bare knee, "it's just us girls." This time it was Janie who shivered.

Meredith suddenly leaned in so closely that Janie thought she was coming in for a kiss. She froze, momentarily panicked but also surprised to find that she didn't back away either. Half a second later, she realized Meredith was only reaching across for the wet paperback on the side table.

"I'm going to take the poor book of yours and get the drying process going," said Meredith. "It should only take a couple of minutes. Please feel free to look around." With that, she slipped around a corner and disappeared out of sight.

Janie could still smell the lingering scent of Meredith's perfume. It was warm and spicy. She sat for a spell simply gazing around the room. The sun poured in through the many windows, adding to the feel of it being a grand space, but with the furniture, the décor, the artwork, the flowers strewn about in little vases, and all the little, beautiful objects occasioning the shelves, it was cozy and personable.

She stood and crossed the room to a bookshelf. A voracious reader, Janie loved perusing the bookshelves of any home she visited, looking for hidden finds or simply getting a sense of the other person's mind. Here, she found a number of lovely, leatherbound classics mixed in with popular fiction.

Moving to the another shelf, she found a small collection of photos standing on their frames. In one, Meredith was seated beside a much older man. They were dressed in formal wear, the man in black tie and Meredith in a daring purple gown with a plunging neckline showcasing her large bust.

Her eyes wandered over to the next photo and Janie gave a sudden intake of breath. Here was Meredith, boobs out and smiling broadly, her arm draped around the shoulders of another woman with equally massive boobs. They were on a beach, a populous one at that--Janie could see people milling about in the background--but there stood Meredith and her companion proud as peacocks.

Janie squinted and got a little closer. Based on her age in the photo, she suspected this couldn't be more than a few years ago. Her eyes drifted down to study Meredith's breasts again. You couldn't help it, she thought. They were just perfect tits. She leaned forward a little more, just able to see a sheen of sweat glistening in the--

"St. Barts," said a voice behind her and Janie leapt back from the shelf.

"I'm sorry, I, uh, was just looking at your books..." stammered Janie, her pale face flushed red.

"Janie, it's ok to look," said Meredith kindly. "If I wanted to hide my photos, I wouldn't have them framed and out in the living room, now would I?"

Janie chuckled and relaxed a little. Meredith moved towards her, put a hand on her lower back, and with gentle nudge they stepped together back towards the shelf.

"This is at a nude beach in St. Barts. Absolutely gorgeous. The bluest water you ever saw. That's me with my sister, Chrissy."

Janie almost spit out her wine. "That's you and your sister?!"

"Yes. She's got fabulous tits, doesn't she? You should have seen the men eye fucking her on the beach that day. Bluest balls you ever saw," she said in a dreamy, far away voice.

Janie wasn't sure if she was serious and tried to keep a straight face but couldn't help smirking. Then Meredith cracked a smile, and then all the tension that had been in the room finally broke and the two fell into hysterical fits of laughter. It was a good minute before they caught their breath returned to the couches.

"Seriously though, what's up with that photo? You really went to a nude beach with your sister?" asked Janie, wiping a tear from her eye. The wine and the laughter were finally loosening her up.

"She was the natural choice, really. I mean, she's seen me naked my whole life. And we've done practically everything together. That particular trip was just after my husband died."

"I'm so sorry," said Janie.

"Oh, it's fine. It wasn't what you'd call a traditional marriage. He was rich and old and I was a trophy wife. But he was kind. And his plumbing," Meredith pointed to her crotch, "didn't work anymore. So I could fuck whoever I wanted."

Janie put a shocked hand to her mouth.

"Don't misunderstand me. I wasn't cheating on him. He loved to watch. Sometimes he even brought home a colleague or a client and if I took a liking to them I'd fuck them. Right there, actually," she pointed to pointed to where Janie sat. "On that couch."

Janie looked nervously around her and almost made to get up, as if she might actually be sitting on a couple mid-coitus and somehow not noticed. A warm tingling that was already lit in her core from looking at the photograph intensified. She felt a renewed awareness of her near nakedness. Only a thin strip of bathing suit separated her from the couch where this woman made love to--no, fucked--multiple men.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. You probably don't want to hear about all this."

"No, it's ok," said Janie, feigning calmness. In truth, she was desperate to hear more stories she might tuck away and replay in her head as she went to bed that night. "I guess I just... I don't really have much... well, any experience."

Meredith kept her eyes locked on Janie's, benevolently but unblinking. Janie hated silences like this and so she rushed on.

"Well, like, a nude beach. I could NEVER. All those people looking at me. Looking at my skin."

She paused, waiting, then continued. "I hate my skin--obviously."

Again, she waited for a reply from Meredith, some acknowledgement or a tut-tut, don't speak like that about yourself, or, worst of all, a confirmation. But none came.

"Because of my freckles. Because of these million stupid freckles."

"I think your skin is beautiful," said Meredith.

Janie knew she meant it kindly, but she'd heard it all before from well-meaning adults. "Thanks," she said more sarcastically than she meant to. "but I bet kids didn't play connect-the-dots on your back during class."

"I think your skin is beautiful," continued Meredith in her same steady, matter-of-fact tone. "In fact, I thinks it's one of your superpowers, and that you could use it to have any man--or woman--that you wanted. And I think it's a tragedy that you don't even know it."

Wow, thought Janie, that was something she'd certainly never heard before.

They sat in silence for a moment, Janie reeling from what she'd just heard and what it implied about Meredith's intentions in inviting her into her home. She felt as though she was under an examination light and being scrutinized, albeit by someone who expressed pleasure in what they found. It left her thoroughly rattled and ready to make for the exit, but there was also something in Meredith's words that aroused a feeling in her, like a door just out of sight opening to some other room.

Meredith must have sensed her disquietude, because she said "I'm sorry for my bluntness. It's just that you remind me so much of me when I was your age. Good brain. Great body. No confidence."

Janie looked down and felt her whole chest flush red, but she didn't move to cover herself. After all, she thought, here was someone paying her a compliment. It would have been churlish to cover herself now.

"Anyway," Meredith continued. "I'm sure you need to get home." And here she took a breath and paused. "Before you go, though, I just have three questions I'd like to ask you, and I'd love for you to answer them honestly, because I think it's important for friendships to start from a place of honesty. Don't you?"

"I guess," murmured Janie. "Yes."

"Forgive me, but they're quite... personal questions." She leaned forward. "You can leave now if you like."

"It's ok," whispered Janie. She did not stir.

"First, do you feel satisfied with your life?"

Janie paused for a beat before replying, "No."

"Ok, second question. Have you ever had an orgasm so good it wiped away all cares from your mind?" This, Meredith couldn't help delivering with a grin.

Janie smiled back and gave a little shake of her head. "No."

Then Meredith leaned forward even more, confiding in her, "Do you wish you could change how other people see you?"

She took a moment to consider the question. It wasn't whether Janie wanted herself to change, but rather how others perceived her. Certainly, she wished other people could see her as beautiful. Smart. Passionate. She'd love for it to start here, in fact, with Meredith, who she felt was someone capable of seeing her that way.

"Yes."

Meredith gave a little clap. "Excellent!" Then she stood up. "That's great! That's all. Let me just nip into the other room and grab something for you and I'll walk you out." And she zipped around the corner again.

The sudden gear change shook Janie from her spell. She'd thought that Meredith was perhaps on the verge of delivering an impassioned speech about self-acceptance, or welcome her into some secret coven of witches, or even kiss her. None of these, she considered, were entirely distasteful to her, but none of them happened. Rather, she'd opened her heart to this woman and was now being escorted from the premises with a door prize.

A little hurt, she rose and headed out the sliding glass door. Back outside, the sun's heat washed over her. It was still blazing, but the breeze was full of summer's smell: pungent grass clippings and baking concrete and the chlorine from the pool. She realized how cool and silent the house had been. The sensations came at her densely, one on top of the other. Janie breathed it all in and realized she felt a little lighter. Maybe there really was something to that adage about confession's benefits to the soul.

In her reverie, Janie barely heard the door slide open behind her. It was only when she felt the hand on her bare shoulder that she realized Meredith had returned, holding a small stack of books and a box of similar size.

"I'm so glad you came over today," said Meredith. Her eyes seem to have their own gravitational pull, thought Janie, who could only nod in agreement.

"This," continued Meredith, handling over the bundle, "is just a little housewarming gift. And an apology for ruining your book."

"Oh, gosh, that was totally an accident. Don't worry about it," babbled Janie. When Meredith had left the room, Janie wanted to run away home. Now that she was here in front of her again, she just wanted to sit and bask in her presence. This onrush of feelings was foreign and intense.

"Still, my fault," said Meredith. "I'll have it dry and back to you in a couple days. But in the meantime I didn't want to leave you with nothing to read, so you can borrow these from my personal stash."

Meredith gave a wink and a smile that Janie couldn't quite work out, so she just accepted the bundle with a nod of thanks. "I guess I'll just..." and she gestured back towards her own yard.

Meredith threw her arms wide and pulled Janie into an hug. Their bodies felt well-matched together and Janie allowed her body to sink gently into Meredith's, so yielding and squishy in all the right places. Janie felt like she wanted to say something. Thank you, maybe. Or, can I come back? Or, please for the love of god tell me what next?

Meredith tilted her head up and planted a soft kiss on Janie's cheek, just grazing the corner of her lips. "All in good time, sweetie," she said. Janie nodded, not understanding why she was suddenly on the verge of tears.

The pair let go of each other and Janie started to take her leave, desiring some time alone now to sort through all these feelings.