Training Tom Ch. 02: Humility Pt. 01

"Ha, Mom, we're both taller now!" Lauren giggled, startling her mother as she appeared at her side in the mirror.

Lauren wore an attractive pair of yellow platform heels that matched her dress. Indeed, both women were at least five inches taller.

"Flo says with the platforms we can avoid the time and expense of alterations," Lauren explained, seemingly to head off any objections from her typically conservative mother.

"We both look good, sweetheart," Lisa said with a smile.

Lauren visibly brightened at her approval.

"Ooh, Lauren check out these boots!" Gina called out.

Lisa and Lauren turned to see Gina holding up a pair of black leather boots, also with platform heels.

"Nice! I've actually been thinking I need something for fall," Lauren answered.

"I know just what you could wear those with," Sophie added.

Lisa didn't love them, but she bit her tongue, not wanting to be a party pooper. For some reason the idea of disagreeing with Sophie didn't sit right, she thought. Perhaps she didn't want to risk running afoul of their budding relationship?

The clerk brought Lauren's size to try on and when the fit was confirmed, Lisa nodded her approval.

"All right, let's go change back into our clothes and check out," Sophie called out.

"I have to get home so I'm going to buy these now and take off," Gina responded, holding up a pair of black Mary Jane style heels. "This was so much fun!"

The girls exchanged hugs, then Lisa, Lauren and Sophie walked back to the changing room while Gina followed Flo to the register. As they stepped into the enclosed area, Lisa and Sophie both walked toward the same room.

"Um, why are your clothes in the same changing room?" Lauren asked with a crinkle of her nose.

"Ha, we took turns Lauren, don't worry," said Sophie.

Lauren shrugged, while Sophie turned and flashed a knowing wink at Lisa. Then the tall girl walked in and grabbed her things to take to another room.

Lisa shut the door and reconsidered their earlier time in the dressing room together. Lauren was justified in her concern, she thought, it certainly had been inappropriate. Yet somehow Sophie made everything seem acceptable -- even normal -- in the moment. She had a way of making her own rules and enticing others to follow them through her natural magnetism. And still, despite the questionable circumstances, Lisa didn't feel regret. Rather, her head continued to buzz with the aftereffects of the elation she had experienced.

She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, shifting her hips a couple different ways. Her mouth widened into a full smile. For the first time in a long while, she was truly pleased with how she looked.

After a minute more of posing, she reached back and unzipped the dress, then closed her eyes and lifted it over her head. She would typically have lowered and stepped out of a dress, but something compelled her to retrace the steps Sophie had taken. She wanted to feel the smooth cloth slide across her skin, the same way she had felt it before.

Once the dress was off, she opened her eyes and looked back in the mirror. She gasped. Her panties were entirely soaked through. If she didn't know better, she would have thought she peed herself. The volume of her juices was downright obscene. And she could smell them.

Only then did she realize how incredibly wound up she was, still turned on by the earlier encounters. The short orgasm had left her unfulfilled. Sophie's foot massage had built on the sexual tension. And oddly, so had her domineering treatment of the clerks.

Without thinking, Lisa brought a hand forward and slipped it under the waistband of her underwear. The moment her fingers touched her sex she felt lightheaded, and she had to sit down on the bench. Her digits moved almost automatically across her folds, reawakening sensations she hadn't felt in years.

She slipped a finger inside. Her hole was so goddamned wet and slick. She brought her finger out, sliding up to her clitoris then back down and in, this time with two fingers. Her body twitched and her vaginal walls contracted. More liquid rushed out, covering her fingers. She could hear loud squishing sounds below, yet she didn't care if anyone else heard. She needed this so badly.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror -- legs spread, cheeks flushed, a look of desperation on her face. She was intensely horny for the sensual touch of the eighteen-year-old girl, for her alluring scent, for her taut muscles and secure embrace, for her sympathetic gestures and clever wit, for her brazen confidence, for the pressure of her knee on her pulsating clit...

"Aaaaahhh," Lisa sighed aloud, trying not to scream.

She could feel her vagina squeezing around her fingers, throbbing with wanton desire. Her breaths came short and swift. A tear fell from her eye. Need consumed her thoughts...need for Sophie.

"Mom, you okay in there?" Lauren called from outside the door.

Lisa almost fell off the bench in surprise. For a moment she thought she had been caught in the lascivious act, and a wave of shame washed over her. She took a deep breath.

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered trying to sound annoyed. "Just had some trouble with the clasp on my skirt."

"Do you need a hand?" Lauren asked, thankfully oblivious to the truth.

"No, I just got it," Lisa lied as she stood up and took her skirt off a hook. "I'll be out in a minute, why don't I meet you guys at the register?"

"Okay!" Lauren called. "Come on Soph."

Lisa listened to the girls leave, then turned and looked in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled and beads of sweat shone on her hairline. A streak of mascara ran down her cheek. And the smell of sex was thick in the air of the small room.

"What's gotten into me?" she whispered to herself.

She was reminded of when she walked in on her teenage brother jerking off in the bathroom. She had been so disgusted. At the time, she even thought he was going to Hell. And now she had become him. And over a girl no less!

Regaining her composure, she managed to tidy herself up and put her clothes on. She thankfully had a miniature perfume bottle and spritzed herself, hoping to cover up the evidence of her sins.

She looked in the mirror one more time, took a breath, then walked confidently to the register where Florence was ringing up Sophie.

"This comes out of my commissions you know," Flo said in a last attempt to renege on her offer.

"That doesn't seem like such a tall order," Sophie retorted, turning Flo's earlier words back at her.

"Hmph," Flo sounded through pursed lips, apparently conceding.

Sophie paid and stepped back to give Lisa a path to the register. As she passed, Sophie commented:

"Ooh, Mrs. D, you smell so nice! Is that a new scent I detect?"

"Um, why yes I put on some perfume, dear," Lisa responded, then realizing it seemed a bit odd to have done so now, added, "Seeing myself in the dress inspired me I guess."

"You deserve to feel good," Sophie said with a wink.

For a moment, Lisa wondered what she meant. Did Sophie suspect that she pleasured herself in the changing room? Could she detect the scent of her rapture?

While Lisa was lost in thought, Flo scanned the two dresses and three pairs of shoes.

"Okay, that comes to $2,872.88," said the clerk in her nasal voice.

"What?!" Lisa exclaimed, unable to restrain her surprise. She knew her husband watched the bills like a hawk and would flip out. "Let me see the prices."

Flo turned the screen and Lisa scanned the items. Lauren's gown was well over two thousand dollars. In a flash, everything suddenly seemed to fit together, and she turned to Lauren, enraged.

"Lauren! Was the only reason you asked me to go shopping because you thought you could railroad me into buying you a two thousand dollar dress?!"

Lauren suddenly burst into tears and Lisa felt horrible. But she had committed and couldn't easily walk back her accusation without looking weak. She stood sternly with her hands on her hips.

"No, Mom, I swear!" Lauren sobbed.

"There's just no way, Lauren," Lisa spoke in a firm voice. "I've never bought any clothing remotely close to that price. And you know your father, he would think we've gone crazy."

Just then, Sophie stepped forward and put her hands gently on Lauren's shoulders from behind. Her crying immediately reduced sniffles.

"Let's all just take a breath," Sophie said, her presence immediately cutting through the tension. After a silent pause among the women, she continued soothingly, "Just give me a moment to see if I can't work something out."

Lisa and Lauren stepped back while Sophie leaned over the counter to speak with Flo.

"I really didn't know, Mom," Lauren pleaded with sincerity. "I don't even think the price was listed online, or if it was, I missed it."

Lisa stood with her arms crossed trying to decide if she believed her. Despite their challenges, she knew Lauren was a good girl and wasn't prone to lying or manipulation. Yet something still felt suspicious to her. And there was still no way she was paying over $2000 for a dress.

As she began to speak to reiterate that the purchase was impossible, Flo's voice squawked out:

"Okay, I can give you half-off on the whole tab."

Lisa's eyes shot to the clerk, then to Sophie, stunned.

"But how can that be?" Lisa asked, immediately conscious she was looking a gift horse in the mouth.

"It just is," Flo said with a strange look on her face, as if she had seen a ghost.

Lisa looked back at Lauren, whose face was suddenly hopeful. She ran the math in her head, noting that the reductions on her own dress and all the shoes brought the net cost of Lauren's dress below $1000. Still expensive, she mused, but no longer obscene.

"Okay, that works," Lisa conceded, then she stepped forward with her credit card.

As the payment processed, she noticed how beaten Flo looked, her impertinence replaced by something approaching mousiness.

She also felt guilt settling in as she thought about her outburst at Lauren. All she wanted was to be closer to her little girl, yet everything she did seemed to push her further away.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Sophie said to Flo. As they began walking to the escalator, she swiveled her head back and added, "And come to think of it, the weather is quite nice up here. Thanks for asking."

As soon as they got out of earshot, Lauren bubbled over:

"What the heck just happened? That was so awesome! How did you do it, Soph?"

Sophie stopped for a moment and pulled out her phone.

"I just pulled out this video of Florence making rude comments about my size and how I should go shop at the big and tall," Sophie said with a triumphant smile. "Then I insinuated that her superiors wouldn't take well to the store being sued for discrimination. Honestly, I probably could have gotten it all for free, but I felt sorry for the old spinster. Next time she'll think twice about making insensitive wisecracks."

"Wow," said Lauren with a look of awe in her eyes.

Lisa wasn't sure how to think about it. The tactic smacked a bit of extortion. But the woman had indeed crossed a line. Sophie seemed to notice her inner conflict.

"Do you think I went too far, Mrs. D?" Sophie asked with a tone of uncertainty as they stepped on the moving staircase.

"Well, I do appreciate that you resolved the, er, situation," Lisa hedged. "But I'm not sure how I feel about the way the woman was coerced."

"I understand, Mrs. D," Sophie said, then paused for a moment before continuing, "Would it bother you less to know I've shopped here before, and the store does actually have a rack for tall sized dresses and gowns? The assortment is boring which is why I wanted to try the smaller dress. But my point is Florence knew that, yet she still told me to leave. She was honestly being malicious for some reason. And I feel a duty to stick up for us tall people, or anyone treated unfairly for that matter."

Lisa immediately felt guilty for doubting Sophie. She had never really thought about tall people being discriminated against, especially not someone as lovely and talented as Sophie.

"I guess that does change how I feel about it," Lisa conceded. "I'm sorry she treated you that way, dear. And you showed impressive restraint in the moment. I'll never forget the look on her face when you modeled the dress for her."

The women all had a laugh as they stepped off the escalator and walked toward the exit.

"I'm parked on the other side toward Bloomingdales, so I'll say goodbye here," Sophie said.

She stepped toward Lauren and wrapped her in a big hug.

"Girlfriend, you're going to be the closest thing to a princess our school has ever seen," she gushed. "I can't wait to see you make your entrance at the dance."

"Thanks, Soph, that means a lot, especially coming from you," Lauren said emotionally. "And the guys won't be able to pick their jaws up from the floor when they see you in your dress."

Or the girls, Lisa thought to herself, a shiver running down her spine.

Lauren pulled out her phone and turned to walk out the revolving door with her bags, leaving Lisa momentarily alone with Sophie. Unexpectedly, a wave of anticipation hit Lisa. She certainly didn't expect anything to happen, but deep inside she hoped something would. Thoughts of their hug in the dressing room filled her head as Sophie stepped toward her.

"I can't tell you how much I enjoyed spending time together and getting to know you, Mrs. D," Sophie said with sincerity, then added with a wink, "And I can't wait to hear how Mr. Douglas reacts to your new outfit."

She bent down and engulfed Lisa in one of her signature hugs. Her tender grip and captivating aroma again threw Lisa's senses into overdrive as she hugged her back.

"And please don't give Lauren a hard time about the surprise expense," Sophie whispered in her ear.

The unexpected vibrations of her soothing voice and warm breath caused Lisa to feel a sudden heart palpitation and she instinctively squeezed a bit harder. To her elation, her pelvis brushed Sophie's knee, almost as if it had been positioned in front of her on purpose, to challenge her with the temptation of forbidden fruit.

"I'm the one who sent her the link to the dress in the first place," Sophie's soft voice continued, with clear emphasis on every S sound.

Lisa felt her nether regions tingle with need and her body temperature rose abruptly. Her self-stimulation had done little to scratch her itch.

"I'm the reason for all the excitement," Sophie intoned breathily.

And Lisa caved. Her hips pressed forward and her clit ground into Sophie's knee bone. Her body quivered and her breaths grew short. She squeezed the tall girl with all her strength. Her feet grew light as her weight transferred to the teen's solid body. Her eyes squeezed shut and she tried desperately not to cry out.

Sophie had to know, she thought. Yet she was offering her magnificent body to her as if it were a hot meal, mercifully placed before a hungry traveler. And she graciously and ravenously gobbled it up, nourishing herself back from the brink of starvation. Reminding herself what was missing in her life. Reawakening her dormant libido.

Waves of ecstasy became a gentle surf. Lisa's body relaxed and she sighed contentedly, releasing her tight grip on her daughter's friend. Her legs again bore her full weight and she took a half step back. Sophie remained bent at the waist, and Lisa looked into her sparkling eyes.

"I enjoyed spending time together as well, Sophie," Lisa managed to say in a calm voice. "I can see why Lauren sees you as such a good friend...and inspiration."

Sophie gave an appreciative smile and ran the back of her hand softly across Lisa's cheek.

"And I can see why she's such a beautiful and extraordinary person," Sophie responded. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Lisa blushed at the compliment, then realized Lauren must be wondering at the delay.

"I hope to see you again soon, Sophie," Lisa said as she turned toward to the revolving door. Then she remembered Sophie's request and looked back, "And I won't give Lauren a hard time about the dress."

"Thank you, Mrs. D," Sophie answered warmly, then added, "For everything."

Lisa pushed through the revolving door into the cool of the evening air, feeling twenty years younger. Nothing about what just happened made sense, but for now she didn't care as she basked in the drunkenness of bliss.

Lauren stood at the curb absorbed in her phone.

"Oh, there you are, what took you so long?" Lauren asked, looking up from the screen. Then her eyes widened, "Mom, you look like you're glowing, what just happened?"

Lisa did her best to assume a sober expression.

"Oh, nothing," she said, then sensing Lauren's curiosity was unsatisfied, she added, "I guess I'm just excited about my new dress."

Lauren shrugged her shoulders and they stepped from the curb to walk to the car. Upon buckling their seatbelts, Lisa remembered how badly she had acted toward her daughter.

"Lauren, I'm sorry I, um, accused you of, um," Lisa stumbled.

"It's okay, Mom," Lauren said, "I know how much of a cheapskate Dad is and I know he makes all the money, so it's really not your fault."

Lisa should have felt good that Lauren accepted her apology. But it made her feel worse to hear how Lauren interpreted her outburst, as if she had no power in the relationship because she didn't bring home the paychecks. Before she could think of a response, Lauren spoke again:

"So, Mom, what did you think of Sophie?"

Lisa felt her whole body go stiff, her disappointment suddenly forgotten.

"She's lovely, dear. Everything you said."

And oh, so much more, she thought to herself, feeling a renewed flutter down below.

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