We'll Get Through This Together

I set off for Martha's with a little rucksack full of goodies including another bottle of gin for the old lady. I wore one of Faye's dresses, a blue off-the-shoulder job that given our height difference was way too short for me, but absolutely perfect for the occasion. She had helped me put a long braid in my hair to match Alannah's.

I had chosen a secluded clearing in the woodland I found when out with the dogs. We were as safe as we could be and I was so excited, I could barely think straight.

As I approached Martha's, she was at her upstairs window. I waved and dug into my rucksack, holding up the gin bottle to her. She clapped her hands and I could see her mouthing her thanks as I left it on her porch table. As I looked down, I heard the window open.

"Thanks for the meds, sweet girl. There's something on the porch for the picnic for both of you. My famous pecan pie -- people have died trying to get my recipe! Alannah's getting changed from her riding gear. She'll be out in a mo', so wait by the gate for her. Have fun and stay safe!"

She slammed the window shut before I could say anything and I picked up one of two carefully wrapped parcels from the table. I took the one with a shaky 'T' written on it, leaving the other, sporting an equally shaky 'A', for my dining companion. I stuffed it into my rucksack and retreated down the path to wait by the gate.

When the front door opened, it was all I could do not to run back down the path and jump into her arms. Her red hair was full of braids, each one beaded and ribboned and she wore a shiny black crop-top with puff sleeves. It was cut away over one shoulder and left her trim tummy bare. There was something shining in her bellybutton. Her ensemble was completed by a short, red flared skirt and her cowboy boots. She was holding an old-fashioned picnic basket covered with a gingham cloth.

I stood with my mouth open, close to tears at the sight of her. I finally found my voice and I echoed her first word to me at our initial meeting.

"Shit!"

She brushed a stray braid from her face. "Shit right back at ya! Couldn't find a dress. Will I do?"

I was about to reply when a raucous voice sounded from above. "'Course you'll do. Both of you will. Purty as a picture. Now shoo and leave an old lady in peace - making all this hollerin' and cussin' noise."

"Sorry, Martha dear!" Alannah shook her head as she picked up her parcel and put it in her picnic basket. She walked down the path towards me.

"And no canoodling!"

"No, Martha dear!" She rolled those amazing green eyes as I backed off from the gate to keep our distance. If I had thought it was going to be hard before, I now knew the enormity of the task in front of us. She stopped a couple of paces away from me and held her hand out, her fist clenched. I held mine out and we fist-bumped the air between us - a greeting that we would continue to use even when lockdown was finally eased. It just became our little thing.

"Hey, lookin' good, BritGirl Nineteen!"

I narrowed my eyes. "You're not bad either. But I thought Southern Belle Twenty-three was turning up, not some sophisticated little sex-bomb."

"Ah, she's off with her hosses. Sent me instead. So, you never said - will I do?"

I had to bite my lip I was trembling so hard. "Oh yeah, you'll do just fine, Miss Mason. You'll do just fine."

"Good, glad to hear it." She held her arm out. "So, take my arm -- metaphorically of course - and lead the way, Miss MacAllan. I take it the location will be discreet?"

I was beginning to love it when she did her Southern Belle act. So prim and proper, but oozing sex from every pore. "Oh, it will be!"

She looked at me, serious for a moment, her green eyes glazing over with tears. "Fuck, Tallulah -- that dress -- I don't have the words. I could eat you alive right here, right now!"

I closed my eyes. "And I you. It's cruel, Alannah. But as my friend Faye said: imagine what it's going to be like when we get the all-clear."

"Not allowed to touch me if you catch me!" With a big grin on her face, Alannah set off running towards the woods, hampered by her big boots and basket.

I could have caught up with her easily, but if I had, I'd have tackled her to the ground and probably ruined everything. I tagged along behind her as we ran, giggling and laughing towards the tree-line. As she headed into the woods, I shouted directions to her until we emerged into a small clearing.

She stood, her chest heaving from her exertions. She put her picnic basket down and put her hands on her hips. "Before we go any further, can I just say I love you, BritGirl?"

I swallowed hard. "You may, Southern Belle -- but only if I may say I love you too."

She held her arm out once more. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Love you, Tallulah."

I held mine out as close to hers as I dared. "Love you too, Alannah."

We gazed at each other for a long time before she reached down into her basket and took out a blanket. She spread it out and sat down cross-legged as I pulled my own blanket from the rucksack and set it out opposite hers.

"You can come a little closer."

"I could, but I don't trust myself."

"Good point. What ya got in the rucksack then?"

"Nothing fancy." I pulled out a Cajun chicken wrap Faye had made for me and set it alongside Martha's little parcel.

As she reached for her basket, her tiny skirt rucked up and she squealed in alarm. She pulled the hem down with a scowl. "Oopsie, looks like I done forgot my panties in all the excitement! No peeking -- wait until I say, got it?"

"Got it. At least I know you're a true redhead!"

"I sure am. And a hungry one at that, so how about we chow down before we get naughty at a distance?"

Being a veggie she had a spiced quinoa and bean salad as I tucked into my wrap. Given the amount of chilli sauce Faye had put on it, it was a good thing I was not able to go down on her as I would have warmed her up in more ways than one.

Martha's pie was to die for and we sat, licking our fingers wishing we could be doing it to each other. When we were done, I produced a bottle from my rucksack. "Did you bring a glass, Miss Mason?"

She dug in her basket and proudly pulled out a plastic cup. "Will this crystal vessel do?" She held it out to me and laughing, I filled it from the bottle, alarmed to find my hand was still shaking.

I filled my own plastic glass and held it up to her. "Here's to a long-distance relationship."

She held out her arm once more. "To unrequited love, tender longing and tantalising glimpses of forbidden fruits!" She took a drink and her face lit up. "Whoa, what the fuck is that?"

"I thought it was time to educate you Colonials. That, my dear Alannah is a very English drink called Pimms. My friend Daisy is quite partial to it having been to London with her husband on business, so she mixed me up a very fine approximation."

We sat, shooting the breeze and it was fair to say that Alannah was an easy convert to Pimms. Within twenty minutes I was wishing I had brought a bigger bottle, especially when the inevitable subject reared its ugly head for the first time.

I had decided to tell her about Lilith speaking to Dominique for me. I was nervous, but if we were going to be together as I hoped, she had to know. She was going to find out sooner or later and despite hating the thought of it putting her off me forever, I thought the earlier she knew the better.

"Can I tell you something -- it's not certain, but it's something I want to happen."

She nodded at me, a worried look on her face. "Ok, not sure where is going, but shoot."

I faltered my way nervously through my tale and as I spoke, she sat quietly, fingering a jewel on a woven black choker at her throat. When I finished, I took a deep breath. "Sorry, but I had to tell you before we got in too deep, Alannah. Is it a deal-breaker?"

She considered for a long moment and I felt dread creeping up on me as I imagined her picking up her belongings and leaving. She looked at me levelly. "Martha says she was born for the stage. It was all she ever wanted to do. She hated the movies, but the stage made her feel alive. My horses do the same for me. I couldn't imagine life without them."

She brushed hair away from her eyes. "If it's what you really want, then go for it. Give it everything and I'm sure you'll succeed -- you sound so passionate about it I've got no doubts" She held her glass up with a naughty smile on her face. "To the Southern Belle and her English porn star girlfriend! Can't wait to see you do your thang, missy!"

I held my own glass up. "Phew, thanks Alannah. Such a relief. And you can see me in action right now if you want!"

As she drained her plastic cup, she looked up at me. "Well, I don't know about you, Miss MacAllan, but all this unladylike talk is gettin' this ole girl in quite a tizzy. Howzabout you show me yours if I show you mine?"

I nodded slowly. The Pimms had been lovely, but the obvious side-effects were making it all the more difficult not to crawl the few feet that separated us and take her gently in my arms and make sweet love to her.

Instead, those crystal-like green eyes burned into mine as we knelt up and slowly began to raise our hemlines. Her glossy red bush looked so tantalising as she held up her skirt with one hand and parted herself with the other. The tips of her fingers were wet as she held herself open. Her voice was trembling. "I so wish they were your fingers in there, Tal. And your tongue..."

I held myself open for her and slid my middle finger deep inside. "There will be a day soon, Alannah. These trees will echo with sweet sounds as we make love."

"Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck!" She snatched her hand away from her nether regions with a frustrated yell and screwed her eyes tightly shut. "Tal, I'm so sorry but there's no way on earth I can go through this without breaking the rules."

Reluctantly, I lowered my own hand and smoothed my dress back down. "You're right. I think we're going to have to be completely celibate until we get the all-clear."

She put on a sulky face. "S'ok for you -- you're getting plenty."

"Not with the girl I love, though."

We packed everything away and I glanced around the clearing. "When we are allowed, shall we make this the place?"

Smiling, she dug the heel of her cowboy boot deep into the earth in a criss-cross pattern. "'X' marks the spot. Just a bottle of that Pimms stuff to get us in the mood and..." She looked around, waving her arm at the trees. "Sorry birdies, sorry trees!"

She pointed back towards Martha's. "Ok, l so I'm goin' that-a-way." She then pointed in the opposite direction through the trees towards the Henderson residence. "You're headin' that-a-way. Don't trust myself to walk alongside you no more."

She thrust her chin out at me. "Well, that was mighty nice - two chaste young ladies enjoying a quiet afternoon in the woods. Will you do me the honour of ridin' out with me again soon, Miss MacAllan?"

"It was very nice indeed and I would be equally honoured to saddle up again with you, Miss Mason."

"Then I shall be in touch." She gave me a little curtsey. "Till then, Miss Tallulah."

"Till then, Miss Alannah."

We both turned on our heels and walked away from each other. I was in a complete daze. I had walked about ten uncertain steps when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hey, BritGirl!"

I turned and she was leaning against a tree, a sad little smile on her face. "Love ya."

I kissed my knuckles and held mine towards her. "Love ya too."

She dropped her basket onto the ground and reached up to an overhanging branch. Laughing, she jumped up and grabbed it, swinging herself off the ground. "Love you this much, porn star!" Her hair was flying and as her legs hitched, her short skirt flew up and gave me a final view of her in all her glory as her laughter echoed around the glade.

I wandered home in a state of high frustration, wishing I could walk back towards her instead and feel her legs slide over my shoulders as she swung on the branch before burying my face deep between her thighs.

Lilith had an exercise bar across the doorframe in their den. At least that evening I was able to get some practice for when Alannah next swung from the tree in the clearing.

11 -- Faye

Lilith and I were there for Tallulah's first video-link meeting with Dominique. We spent an hour making sure her hair and subtle make-up were just right. She didn't need much work at all, but Lilith was so in tune with what Dominique liked in her girls that I left her largely to her own devices. Tallulah's eyes were accented by smoky, silvery-grey eye shadow and a touch of liner. I re-braided her hair as she had worn it when meeting Alannah and she was in the same dress. It looked so good on her I had donated it to the cause.

Lilith clicked a few on-screen buttons and after the usual few minutes of chaos and false-starts that always seem to accompany a video-call, I heard Dominique's dulcet tones.

"Hey Lil. Good to see you, old friend. How's life in Milton's Creek lockdown land?"

It always amazed me that this feral-looking, intimidating woman had such a soft, seductive voice. Tal seemed to relax a little as she heard her speak for the first time.

Lilith and she exchanged a few minutes of catching-up pleasantries before the main topic of the call was raised.

"So, you have a potential recruit to our little team, you say? Sounds from your emails that the kid could be just what we're looking for." She grinned. "So, come on then, Nobel -- roll out the goods -- let's see the merchandise!"

Tallulah stiffened in her seat. There was a glint in her eye and she flared her nostrils as Lilith made to say something. Whatever she was going to say was lost for posterity as the girl touched her on the shoulder and leaned into camera view. Her face was set as it had been when we had our heart-to-heart and her voice was a raw rasp, her northern English accent coming out very strongly.

"Excuse me? The merchandise?" She pushed Lilith out of the way and took her place. She glared at the woman on screen, who now had a very sheepish grin on her face. "The fucking merchandise? Nice to meet you too, Ms. Toussaint -- I am 'the merchandise'."

She accentuated each synonym as she ticked them off. "The 'commodity'. The 'package'. The 'goods'. Do you even know my fucking name?"

Dominique looked at Tal levelly, barely seeming to register the girl's anger. "Yes, I do know your name, young lady. You are Tallulah Phoebe MacAllan -- until recently, Hendricks. Nineteen years old, from northern England and you've lived in Georgia for five years. You have been a dog-walker at Milton's Creek for most of that time and recently, you've taken on more... how shall we say, intimate duties. From what I hear, it sounds like you've been doing some fine work for these ladies these last few weeks and it would appear that you are mighty keen to sign up with me."

Tal gave a little shrug. "Better, but you've got a long way to go to improve a very negative first impression, Ms. Toussaint."

The woman onscreen drummed her fingers on her chin. "Lilith, you told me you had a pretty little Brit gal to show me. Where is she?"

Off camera, Lilith's face dropped. She leaned into view and put her arm around Tal's shoulder. "Right here, Dom. Pretty as a picture."

The woman glared back and scoffed. "Pretty? She ain't pretty, Lilith. You lied to me, girl. You said she was a pretty little Brit kid."

Tal bit her lip and I could feel another explosion coming on.

Lilith blustered something about her being very pretty and I could tell she was also close to losing her cool with her friend. Somehow this wasn't going to plan.

There was a momentary silence in which the air seemed charged, then Dominque continued. "Tell you what I see, Lilith. I see a feisty little girl with a mouth on her who won't take shit from no-one. Anyone who talks to me like that gets my immediate attention. I may not have made a good impression on you, Miss MacAllan, but you have made a seriously positive impression on me."

She shifted her attention back to Lilith. "See, girlfriend, you sold this young lady short -- a long way short. This girl ain't pretty -- she is a fucking babe with a capital 'B'. We choose our girls very carefully Lil, and Miss MacAllan here makes most of 'em look like second-rate Bourbon Street hookers."

She put on her winningmost smile. "So may we start over Tallulah, because believe you me, girl -- I amvery pleased to meet you."

Tal stared at the screen impassively for a long time, then gave Dominique one of her own life-affirming smiles. "Oh go on then -- but only coz you asked nicely."

Out of view of the camera, Lilith ran a hand over her face and exhaled. I felt a trickle of sweat run down the back of my neck. Somehow, Tallulah had judged the situation perfectly and impressed a lady who was very hard to win over. I squeezed her leg and felt her hand on mine. The way she gripped me showed she was nervous, but it didn't come over in her voice.

"Right then, let's run it back shall we? Pleased to meet you too, Dominique -- wish it could be in person, but hey -- we live in strange times at the moment."

Dominique nodded. "We do indeed, sweet girl. Sorry about the false start, but I love the way you recovered it. You showed guts and I like that. This business of ours is a joy to be part of, but it can be tough at times. It's not for the faint of heart and I think you just proved you are not faint-hearted." She leaned back. "So, what makes you think you have what it takes to become an All-Saint?"

Tal's grip on my hand lessened as she relaxed. "Let's say that after a period of indecision, I've been having some discussions with the ladies here on my future. Lilith mentioned what you did and given what I've been doing for the last few weeks, something resonated with me. When she told me about you and I saw your website, something clicked in my head. It was like a searchlight going on in the darkest night. I just knew it was what I wanted. I've never been so sure of anything."

"So you have seen some of my work?"

"I've seen more than some of it -- I've looked through every photoset on your website a dozen times. I've wished myself to be in every scene; I've thought of how I would play it, how I would react. I've visualised being with Jessie, Svetlana, Elisabeth, Billie and countless others. I've imagined making sweet love to those girls. I've imagined myself strapped to those machines, wearing latex, leather, PVC. I've imagined it soft and gentle and I've imagined them fucking me like an animal, pissing in my mouth, stretching my nipples until I scream. I've seen all of it and I'm up for all of it, from solo work to hanging on a dungeon wall."

She had certainly made an impression on Dominique. Her nostrils flared as she nodded her approval.

"Just sign me up, Ms Toussaint. Sign me up, wind me up and let me loose. I'm not in this to be an also-ran. A very fine old lady gave me some sage advice recently and I am determined to take it all the way." She took a breath. "So, when this is all over and we can do things again that don't involve long-distance conference calls and the like, I am going to walk into your studio and I am going to prove to you that I am going to be the best in the business."

Her voice became quiet and determined as Dominique narrowed her eyes at the girl's passion and tenacity. "I am going to cause a storm, Dominique. Your work is the best I have ever seen, but there are two things wrong with it at the moment."

That got a reaction and a sardonic smile played on her lips. "And what in your humble opinion might they be, young lady?"

"One -- there are no videos."

"As the website says, coming soon."