Speechless Chapters 1 to 3 (Posted 1-14-2026)

[edithdick]

Okay, this is a story long in the making. It has a rather slow start, but I needed to get everything in place. As a result, I am posting the first three chapters all at once. This sets up the premise for whatever I want to do as Bella learns not to fear her own skin.

INDEX
Chapter 1
Chapter 2 - viewtopic.php?p=47343#p47343
Chapter 3 - viewtopic.php?p=47344#p47344

Chapter 1

Bella paced nervously. Vicky was presenting her report to the board of directors right now. She had been consulting for the revenue operations department for the past two years. Six months ago, all of her models pointed to a 75% year-over-year growth for this quarter. Nobody could have predicted the economic downturn. She had to report the adjustments to the board with her recommendations for the next quarter.

“Bella.” Said a very timid-sounding Joel.

“What?” She snapped. He was the only one on the team who had complained that her assessment was too aggressive. He had been an intern when she started working with the company, and she had no desire to listen to his “I told you so’s”.

“I…” Joel started, but Bella cut him off.

“Not now!” She screamed. “I have no time for you.”

“But.” Joel began.

“Out.” She demanded. “Get out of my cubicle.”

Joel hesitated. She remembered berating him many times over the past two years. He never seemed to fight back directly. Instead, she would wait until Bella was out of the room and undermine her with his own hysterical delusions. Even if he was right, it wasn’t because he was smart, just that he guessed correctly.

Bella was glad Joel didn’t press her. With the board meeting going on, she had no patience for his nonsense. Her phone beeped, indicating a text message.

“Any word?” asked her friend, Mark. Where Joel was an irritant, Mark was a comfort. He had always been a shoulder to cry on or someone who would make her laugh or go shopping with her.

“Waiting” she texted back.

His response was a thumbs-up emoji and a message that said. “U GOT THS!”

She smiled to herself. She wished she were half as confident as Mark pretended to be.

Another beep, “Where are you?” This was from Vicky.

“In my cubicle.” She answered.

“Come to my office, now. Bring your laptop.” Vicky texted back.

She gathered her laptop and quickly made the short trip to Vicky’s office. She had known Vicky since grad school, and truth be told, Vicky was the only reason she had this job in the first place. She walked into her friend’s office and immediately noticed that something was not right. She looked more stressed than Bella had ever seen her. She also realized that there was another person in the meeting. Eric from legal was sitting across from her with a green binder.

“Why didn’t you come when Joel came for you?” Vicky asked.

“He nev…” She began, but Vicky cut her off.

“Never mind, I’ll deal with him later. Please close the door.”

Bella turned back to shut the door, in the process taking a moment to compose herself. Clearly, the board meeting did not go as expected. “Vicky…” Bella started. She wanted to take the initiative before this conversation got out of hand.

“We’re done.” Vicky said with finality.

“Done with what?” Bella asked.

“The board has canceled your contract.” Vicky said flatly.

“This is discrimination! Just because I am a woman and an Asian…” Bella stopped when she noticed Eric, who finally stood up to join the conversation. It didn’t help her argument that Vicky was also Asian, but she still wanted to make a case.

“We are buying out your remaining three months.” He said coolly, opening the binder to reveal the contract that she had signed last January.

“Why?” Bella pleaded.

“Because we lost.” Vicky said. “We made projections based on your models, and they failed.”

“My models can’t change the economy!” Bella screamed. “This is NOT my fault.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Vicky said stiffly. “The company made capital expenditures based on the numbers that we predicted, and now they need to cut back to avoid bankruptcy. Yours isn’t the only contract being cut short. The whole company is taking a 40% cost reduction.”

“You need to sign this.” Eric said, holding the contract exit agreement. Bella was stunned, but still took a minute to review the document. It simply said that they would pay out the final three months of her contract today, and she would agree not to sue for any breach. He explained that if she didn’t sign, they were prepared to fight in court, and she would not get the payout.

Bella reluctantly signed the paper and took her final check. Before handing her the check, Eric also made her hand over the keys to the company car she had been driving. It had been negotiated as part of the contract, but now that was gone. When she was done, she left her phone and laptop with Vicky and was escorted out of the building.

Only then did she realize she was going to have to navigate her way back to her apartment without a car or phone. She initially walked across the street to her bank. She did not feel comfortable walking around with a six-figure check in her hand. She also needs to get some cash for the bus fare.

It had been years since Bella had taken a bus before. She studied the map for a few minutes to find the correct route that would put her close to her apartment. Fortunately, there was a single line that would take her all the way to her block. It did pass through downtown, which was not a great area, but she would rather take a chance there than try to find a route around it.

When she got on the bus, it was already mostly full. The first three rows were full. In the fourth row, a white woman with short dark hair, black lipstick, and several piercings in her ears and lips was sitting alone. The very look of her made Bella flinch. What kind of woman dresses like that? Bella thought to herself. She was wearing torn jeans and a ratty concert tee shirt for the Misfits.

Bella kept walking, but the rest of the bus was already full. She turned back, but the bus had started moving. She held the handrail and decided to be content not having to sit next to any of these unwashed bus riders. Even the smell of the bus made her want to vomit. She wondered if someone else had beaten her to it, and that was what she smelt.

She held on for the next several stops; people got off the bus, but were quickly replaced by others getting on. Bella never attempted to find a seat. It was getting close to downtown, and she could see the decay of society pass by as the bus made its way toward her home.

At the next stop, two of the filthiest homeless men she had ever seen suddenly got on. They were walking toward her, but seemed to be in an argument with one another, bickering over something that Bella couldn’t make out. She eyed the still-empty seat next to the misfits chic. It would be better than being here when these two guys made it to her. As she took a step toward the empty seat, the bus lurched forward, causing the homeless guys to fall toward her.

Panic set in as it looked like they were about to crash into her. Just then, everything seemed to happen all at once. There was a large CRACK sound, and the world seemed to spin out of control. The bus was suddenly moving impossibly sideways. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to spin as the bus began rolling onto its side.

Momentum threw two lunatics right into Bella, and the three of them went piling through the large glass window on the side of the bus and onto the ground outside. Bella was dazed, but as her vision returned, she could see the now still bus hanging over her, being propped up by an awning on the side of the building they had landed next to. Something was tugging at her, but she was pinned down by a heavy weight on her legs.

Bella’s eyes popped all the way open when she realized that they weren’t tugging on her, but were trying to strip her clothes off. The two men were no longer fighting, but now seemed to be collaborating and seemed intent on victimizing the Asian woman who was not completely trapped.

Visions of rape and murder ran through her head. She could hear herself screaming for help and nobody willing to give her a moment’s thought. Her entire life flashed before her. In every scene, she had maintained control: of herself, her circumstances and for the most part of the people around her. She had always been able to dominate people into doing things they way she wanted them done. Everything in her life that had led to this moment was based on the idea that she was in charge of her own fate.

Now, at the end, she was trapped and other people with bad intentions now had full control over her. Over her body and over her life. Fear took over. How could she let herself be controlled by anyone, especially these two vagabonds? In her mind, she screamed for them to leave her alone. She screamed for the police or anyone to come rescue her… that was such a foreign thought.

This was Bella Chen, the woman who controlled her own fate. How could she need rescuing? She scolded herself for refusing to admit reality. It was as if another person was living in her head telling her what was happening. She could hear the voice screaming. She wanted, with every fiber of her being, to argue with the voice, but reality could not be talked into submission.

“Leave her alone!” a voice screamed. Bella wasn’t sure if the voice was real or her imagination.

Her eyes peeled open as wide as they could go, through what happened next was so quick it appeared as a blur. “I said, leave her alone!” Bella’s eyes focused for a moment. Standing over her was the misfit woman from the bus holding a knife in her right hand and something that looked like a small hairspray can in the other.

She sprayed whatever was in the can, and everyone around screamed out. Suddenly, Bella realized as the waft of pepper spray made its way down toward her. She closed her eyes tightly. She could hear sirens in the distance as blackness retook her.

Beep, beep, beep… Bella awoke to the sounds of a hospital room. She could remember being on the bus, and the girl with the pepper spray. Nothing made sense though. She had no idea what had happened, but her head still hurt badly.

“You’re awake?” Said a familiar woman’s voice.

Bella blinked and then looked to her right. The misfit girl was sitting next to her with a cellphone in her hand. She tried to answer, but no words came out. Instead, Bella nodded at the girl.

Unable to speak, Bella mouthed the words she was trying to say.

“What happened?” The girl asked. “The fucking bus driver drove through a red light and we got tee-boned by a sanitation truck. We are lucky to be alive, especially you!”

Bella listened, but could only nod.

“The bus got cut in half, and you and those two tweakers flew out onto the sidewalk. That all was bad enough, but with everyone nursing their wounds, it almost started a homeless frenzy. It the cops were an slower getting there we could have been killed or worse.”

“Thank you.” Bella managed to whisper in a painfully raspy voice, taking a moment to squeeze the woman’s hand as she said it.

The girl smiled, accepting her thanks graciously. “I’m Alice, by the way.”

Bella waved ‘Hi’ to her, instead of attempting to speak again. Just then the doctor wandered into the room. He was surprised to see Bella up and communicating, but took the time to do an assessment.

He did a neurological test and checked her head wound. He was a bit confused at why she was unable to speak, as she had not damaged her throat. Bella tolerated it as best she could, but whenever she tried to say anything, no sound came out. She knew the words, but even the raspiness went away. The doctor suggested that something internal that he could not fully diagnose had caused paralysis in her vocal cords.

“Neurologically, you seem healthy as a horse… hopefully your voice will return in a few days.” The doctor informed. Bella offered a hopeful nod, but was at the moment was happy enough not having to speak.

“Let’s see how well you can stand.” He ordered, before lowering the safety rail on her bed and helping her to her feet. Alice was at her side offering Bella additional support.

It took a few seconds to stead herself, but once satisfied that she wasn’t going to fall, the doctor let go of her arm to stand on her own. “Alice, Bella needs to stand by herself for a minute.”

Reluctantly, Alice tried letting go. It took a few seconds for Bella to loosen her grip on Alice’s sleeve, but then she was standing by herself, facing the window with the door to the hospital corridor at her back. Suddenly, Bella was aware of a draft behind her. Subconsciously, she reached behind her and felt her bare bottom.

Bella felt her face turn crimson. She quickly secured both sided of the patient gown with her hands and snapped them shut. Thoughts rambled rapidly through her head, ‘what had happened to her undergarment?’ and ‘how many people had walked past as she stood there with her butt bare to the world?’ and most importantly, ‘who saw her naked when she was unconscious?’.

“Are you okay?” asked Alice? “You look like someone just walked over your grave.”

Bella did her best to relax her features, but this was absolutely humiliating. She wanted to sit down and wrap herself in a blanket, but the doctor was still here assessing her. For his part, he apologized for not closing the curtain before standing her up. “Here.” He said. “Let’s tie this up for you.” He then proceeded the tie the strings to hold the back of her gown closed. For some reason, Alice thought the whole thing was amusing.

Once her modesty was secured, she was instructed to walk to the door and back. The doctor and Alice walked along side of her, but they didn’t hold onto her and she was pretty stead on her feet. Once he was satisfied, he let her lie back down and Alice helped cover her up with the blanket.

Sometime after the doctor had left, the entire experience had really started to sink in. Her loss of a job, the accident, the attack, and now her lost speech. It was too much. Bella began weeping, silently at first and finally outright crying. She had not cried in many years, but today it all came out.

She felt Alice’s hand clasp hers. It felt good to have someone, even a stranger, be there for her. Again, Bella was aware that this was a greater loss of control. She was crying inconsolably, and as much as she tried to stop herself, the tears just poured out all the harder. Control was the issue. She had always had it. Nevertheless, today she realized that she was not in control.

It was a thought that, by all accounts, should have had her in a panic, but today, letting someone else be in control was a comfort to her. Control was pain, and at least for now, she was done with it. Bella continued to weep, but she clung tightly to Alice’s hand and in her heart she began to feel something else she had not felt in a long time… hope.

[edithdick]

Chapter 2

Bella had written down her address and given it to Alice. Both women had decided that it would be too soon to try the bus, after the accident, so they ended up taking a taxi to the apartment.

Once they had arrived, Bella insisted that Alice accompany her in. Only when the door was closed and locked did Bella seem to relax. “Home, sweet home.” Alice chirped as she took in the space. It was a 1 bedroom apartment with a small kitchen connected to a dining room that had a round 4 person table as its highlight. The living room, where they were standing was also small with a recliner and a loveseat that both faced a large screen television in the corner at the opposite end of the room.

“Well, I got you home safely.” Alice said with a warm smile. “I guess I should be going.”

Before she made it to the door, she was stopped in her tracks as Bella held her arm with a death grip. Alice studied her for a minute before saying, you really need me to stick around for a bit?”

Bella nodded vigorously. She was terrified of being alone… worse yet, the only person she wanted near her was Alice. The thought confused Bella for a minute. She barely knew this woman, but when everything went to hell, Alice was the only one who proved to care and stand up for her.

Another thought… a jealous one… was that Bella wanted to be as strong as Alice was that day. If she could just stay near the woman, maybe she could learn to protect herself as well as Alice did. She didn’t realize that she was crying until Alice began wiping her eyes. “It’s okay. I’m no going anywhere.” Alice told as she guided Bella to the couch.

The two of them sat together for a while, Bella’s head buried into Alice’s shoulder weeping. It wasn’t until Alice heard Bella’s stomach growl that she broke off the embrace and went to the kitchen to look for food. There wasn’t a lot to work with, but Alice was able to get a small meal for the two of them to share.

Bella had gotten a pad of paper and pen and began writing notes to communicate. Bella thanked her over and over for saving her and not abandoning her since the accident.

“Anyone would have stepped in.” Alice said.

Bella shook her head. There were a lot of people on the bus, but only Alice stood up for her. Let alone spent the night keeping her safe.

“I don’t know if I kept you safe.” Alice said. “I just thought you would want someone there when you woke up.”

Bella asked where Alice lives.

“Right now I am between homes.” Alice responded.

At first, Bella felt relieved. If Alice had no place to go, then she could stay here. The thought of being happy that her new friend was homeless made her feel a bit guilty, but she quickly wrote that she wanted Alice to stay here.

“I don’t want to impose.” Alice told her firmly. “I really just wanted to make sure you made it home okay.”

PLEASE, Bella wrote. The idea of Alice leaving her alone terrified her.

Alice studied Bella for a moment. Finally, she asked, “Answer me honestly. Do you remember when you first saw me sitting on the bus. What did you think of me?”

Bella looked at her fearfully. She remembered seeing this misfit woman sitting alone on the bus. Looking down at her, she remembered not feeling comfortable to sit down. It’s not that she was afraid to sit next to her, but…

Bella felt herself trembling. This question was a trap. If she was honest, she might offend the woman… but if she lied, Alice might get mad and leave. Either way, she was afraid of what might happen.

Alice stared patiently at her, waiting for an answer. Finally, after fighting through her panic, she decided to just tell the truth. She scribbled her note and reluctantly handed over.

“You don’t remember? I really don’t believe that.” Alice told her flatly. “Be honest or I’m leaving.”

Bella had never been a good liar. She hated being lied to so badly that her own disgust at the idea always gave her away. She was a bit surprised that Alice could detect it from just passing a note, but there it was. She thought about confessing, but she didn’t want to hurt Alice’s feelings.

Bella wrote another note and handed it over.

“Bullshit!” Alice said as she stood up. Bella froze, terrified of what was coming next. “I saw how you looked at me! Don’t tell me you just preferred to stand on the bus instead of sit next to me. I’m outta here if you won’t be at least a little honest.”

Alice strode toward the door. Bella’s eyes bulged as she realized that she was going to be left alone. Not tonight, she thought to herself. She wasn’t strong enough to be alone tonight. As Alice reached for the door handle, something stopped her in her tracks. Bella had wrapped her arms around Alice’s waist and was clinging to her with all her strength. Alice felt Bella sobbing and could see the tears streaming down her face.

“If you can’t be honest with me over something this small, then I’m not sticking around for you to stab me in the back later.” Alice growled.

Bella nodded. Loosening her grip just enough to position the paper, she scribbled her final answer before handing it off.

Alice glanced at it before exclaiming, “You thought I looked dirty!?!”

Bella wanted to apologize, but she was quite aware that Alice still smelled like low tide. She had been smelling it since the hospital, but her fear of being alone overrode her sense of revulsion. After a moment, Alice let out a laugh and said, “Fair. It has been a while since I had a good shower.”

Even though she was laughing, it took Bella a minute to release her grip on the woman. Finally, the two of them returned to the couch and continued.

“Please don’t lie to me.” Alice said. “Everyone always lies to me.”

For a moment, Alice looked truly vulnerable. It only lasted a moment, but Bella felt pity for her just the same. Someone clearly had hurt her. Bella made a vow to be honest with Alice no matter what the price. She would do anything to keep from disappointing her again.

“So what about you, do you have a boyfriend?” Alice asked.

Bella shook her head.

“Did you break his heart?” Alice asked.

Bella wrote another note and passed it over.

“You’ve NEVER had a boyfriend? How is that possible? You are absolutely stunning.” Alice said. “Well, when you are not covered in bruises anyway.”

Bella blushed. She had had plenty of guys come onto her, but once they got to know her a bit, they stopped pursuing her. She knew that her personality could be a bit abrasive, and men seemed to keep their distance from her once they figured it out.

“Have you dated at least?” Alice asked curiously.

Bella shook her head again.

“Wait, don’t tell me you are a virgin.” Alice said.

Bella closed her eyes before giving a brief nod. She could feel her cheeks flushed. She hated this conversation, but she would keep her vow to be honest.

“That’s amazing.” Alice said, with a sense of wonderment. “No wonder you looked so abashed when your gown fell open at the hospital.”

Bella remembered. She was still worried that someone might have wandered past and gotten a glimpse of her behind.

“So nobody has even seen you naked before, am I right?” Alice asked.

Bella didn’t know how to answer. Clearly, she was born naked… plus obviously someone had undressed her when she was brought to the hospital. She wrote a note explaining that medical exams were the only times anyone had ever seen her naked.

Alice nodded her understanding. “It makes sense now.” She said. “No wonder you are so skidding about everything… when I first saw you, you looked so commanding. Like you are in total control of your entire world… but in fact, you are scared of your own skin.” She let out a belly laugh. “It was all an act to keep people from getting close!”

Bella had never thought of it like that… but in a way, that was exactly true. Her entire life was about her taking what she wanted. She never let anyone get close enough to steer her away from whatever goal she had set for herself. It seemed like a distant memory, but there it was… Bella realized that her entire life had been spent living in fear of people taking things from her…

She felt ashamed to admit it, but finally gave a small nod, accepting Alice’s judgment.

“Do you like living like that?” Alice asked.

A single tear slid down Bella’s right cheek before she shook her head. It was like taking a heavy weight off her shoulders to admit that she had been unhappy for quite some time.

Alice seemed pleased with the answer. Suddenly, she changed the subject. “Do you think I could have a shower?”

Bella was relieved, both for ending the conversation and the fact that Alice smell was giving her a headache. She wrote a single word on the paper, ‘Bath?’

“A bath sounds amazing.” Alice agreed.

Bella took Alice’s hand and led her to the bathroom, where she began filling the tub.

[edithdick]

Chapter 3

Considering how small the apartment was, the bathroom was quite large. There were two doors, kitty-corner to one another. One led to the living room and the other to the bedroom. To the left was a separate compartment where the toilet was located and to the right was the sink and bathroom cabinet. Next to the sink was a stand shelf where Bella kept several bath towels. In the rear, center was a large, square bathtub with Jacuzzi jets.

It took several minutes for the temperature to warm up and several more to fill the tub. When she turned back to check on Alice, she was shocked that the woman was standing in front of her naked.

Bella had spent her entire life avoiding places where she might need to be naked in front of another person. As a side bonus, she was never subjected to having other people naked in front of her, either. It took her a moment to realize what exactly she was seeing.

Alice was about the same height as Bella, 5’ 4” or so. She was thin, but had large breasts. What stood out mostly, though, was Alice’s right side, including her breast, and going all the way down to her vagina, which was covered in an intricate tattoo. It was a field of thorns with a single rose that blossomed across her right breast.

The tattoo didn’t go past her shoulder, and seeing it for the first time left Bella feeling stunned. She felt ashamed to be staring at the naked woman, but was too shocked to turn away.

She very badly wanted to ask a question, but her pad of paper was left out in the living room. Alice seemed to understand anyway and answered without her having to ask. “Yes, it hurt like hell.”

It wasn’t Bella’s only question, but it would do. Once the tub was filled, Bella made her way toward the door. “Stay.” Alice suggested as she slid into the bath. “Keep me company.”

Bella gestured to let her know she didn’t have her pad of paper. “It’s okay.” Alice said with a soft smile. “We don’t need to talk. I just like having you here with me.”

Bella agreed. She pulled a small stool out that was folded up next to the sink. She normally used it to prop her foot up when she cut her toenails. This might be the first time she had ever used it for its intended purpose. She thought as she sat down and watched Alice wash herself.

The two women sat there quietly, with only the occasional sound of water swishing around as Alice adjusted and cleaned herself. Bella got up at one point and helped Alice scrub her back. Another thought passed through her head. Until today, she didn’t think she would ever be comfortable being in the same room as another naked person… But today, she was perfectly comfortable rubbing soap on the woman’s bare back.

Bella pressed the button engaging the Jacuzzi thrusters and almost immediately, she heard Alice let out a soft moan. “Ahhhhhhhhhh” Alice said. Aside from creating a comforting massage, this Jacuzzi also reheated the water as it ran. You could spend hours in here and it would never cool down, like a normal bath.

As Bella moved from washing Alice’s back to washing her feet, she nearly slipped into the tub. “If you want to get in here with me, maybe you should strip first.” Alice said.

Bella wasn’t sure if she had been joking or not. Alice looked amused, but that could have been at the idea of Bella’s discomfort in being naked in front of her.

Bella stood erect, trembling. Her hand was shaking so hard, she could barely manage to undo the buttons on her blouse. Suddenly, Alice was there. Standing nude in front of her with a comforting smile. Alice clasped Bella’s hands to steady them and then pulled them to her side. Next, Alice carefully undid the first button.

Bella felt the trembles even more. Her entire body was shaking. She heard Alice whisper, “Easy, it’s gonna be okay.” As she worked.

Bella wanted to stop shaking, but it was completely involuntary. The best she could do was not resist as Alice pulled her blouse down her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Next she unfastened her skirt and let it drop. Bella now stood in front of her new friend, wearing nothing but her bra and panties.

Alice made quick work of those until Bella was completely nude. Bella had completely frozen up. Even the shaking had stopped. She was aware of her nudity, a state that in any other circumstances would have had her scrambling for cover. Instead, she could only stand there stiff as a board as Alice studied her entire body.

Bella was thin, even for an Asian. Her arms and legs were proportional length wise, but everything about her was thin and petit. Alice was quite thin, except for her large chest, but standing next to Bella, she looked downright curvy. Even her breasts were small B cups, if extremely well shaped.

“I can’t believe you’ve never let anyone see you like this before!” Alice exclaimed. “You could be a model, for sure.”

As Alice’s words broke though the silence, Bella’s shakes started again. Alice continued with, “We might need to call a gardener to help with the weeds.”

Bella wasn’t sure why she had changed the subject, but she rarely paid attention to the landscaping in front of the building. She thought she knew how to file a petition with the Home Owners Association, but wanted Alice to point out exactly where the problem was.

Alice guided her closer, turning her around at the last second so Bella could sit on the edge of the tub. Alice helped keep her steady as she lifted her legs, spun around, and got her feet into the warm, soapy water. In just a few seconds, Bella had slid into the tub, and Alice followed after.

Alice noticed the confused look on Bella’s face and let out a laugh, “I’m talking about your pubes, weirdo. When is the last time you trimmed down there?”

Bella felt shocked. She knew the woman had been looking at her nakedness, but her grooming habits were the last thing on her mind. She looked down at herself. She had never actually cut her pubic hair. It wasn’t a priority, since nobody got to see her naked anyway, and besides, having a full bush meant that her vagina was still quite concealed even when she was naked.

She let herself look between Alice’s legs. Her hair was short and sparse. It looked as thought it had been shaved at one point, and was about two weeks into regrowth. “Speaking of, do you have a razor I can borrow?” Alice asked.

Bella had one that she used occasionally on her legs and underarms. She was a bit reluctant to let Alice use it on her pubic area, but didn’t have the courage to deny the woman. She watched closely though, as she had never see the particular method a woman uses to shave down there.

Alice started by lathering up Bella’s body wash in her hands and giving herself a pubic beard. At first, it was quite natural. Starting from the top and using downward strokes, she took care of the hood and most of the edges. There were still a lot of stray hairs that she had missed, and for those, she sat on the edge of the tub with her legs spread apart.

Bella had never seen another vagina, especially one spread open like that. The shock of her own nudity was wearing off, and suddenly, curiosity was replacing it. Kneeling down, Bella took the razor from Alice and helped get the hard to reach spots. She was careful to use short, gentle strokes so as not to cut the woman. In order to get to those spots, however, she needed to manipulate Alice’s vagina.

It was so soft to the touch. Bella had not had any experience in this. Her own had been covered in hair since she was a teenager, and she never spent time touching it. She studied Alice carefully as she touched it. She didn’t think the other woman would mind this, but she also didn’t want to make assumptions about something so intimate.

“It’s okay.” Alice assured her. “Make sure you get the little ones on my taint as well.”

Manipulating her like this caused several slip-ups. She had to spread her labia apart to get to the hair that were right on the edge. The first time Bella’s fingers penetrated Alice, the other woman bellowed “Hello!”

It took her several bouts of coaxing Bella to keep going. “It’s okay. This isn’t my first rodeo. It just surprised me, is all. Don’t worry. Go as deep as you need.” The last part she said with a wink, she if she had said something funny. Bella was mortified by the suggestion.

Being as careful as she could manage, Bella spent the next several minutes getting Alice’s vagina looking shiny and new. Well, except for the tattoo, of course. But now you could see it clearly, as it completely covered her labia with the dark thorns.

“Okay, now your turn.” Alice said with glee. “It’s been a long time since I’ve see what a virgin pussy looks like.”

Bella gave a start. She had not considered that she might be expected to do the same. At the same time, she worried about where the hair would even go. Those small hairs she had shaved off of Alice were insignificant. They rinsed the razor in the bath water without hesitation as they were so sparse and small that they would not have any trouble going down the drain.

Bella’s was more like an overgrown forest. If she tried rinsing them in the bath water, surely they would cause a clog. Instead of argue though, as she really wanted to not appear stuck up around Alice. Instead, she pulled over the small trash can she kept next to the sink.

Alice seemed to understand her concern. She took the razor from Bella and applied a generous lather of the soapy body wash. The bulk of the hair went off a lot quicker than she had expected. After a few minutes, she could clearly see her pubic skin and it was only the stragglers remaining.

Alice make Bella sit on the edge and spread her legs the same way she had. When she touched Bella’s labia, manipulating it so she could get the hairs off without leaving a scar, Bella wanted to scream. Nobody had ever touched her there, except her gynecologist, and that was with a rubber glove and a speculum.

Thankfully, Alice did not penetrate Bella the same way she had Alice. Even without it, though, Bella could feel her own natural lubricant building up between her legs. She had never experienced an orgasm, so she didn’t really know what to expect here. What she did feel was a wave of pleasure spreading from her vagina to her belly, back, and shoulders. She had to concentrate to maintain herself. She resisted the urge to press Alice’s hand deeper into her vaginal cavity.

The entire ordeal only lasted about ten minutes. Bella remembered thinking how it was both the longest ten minutes of her life and that she wished it had lasted for another ten. In the end, Bella stared at the pile of black curly hair that was now sitting in the little trash can with a sense of remorse. She had gone her entire life concealing herself, and here she was, sitting with her legs spread open and not even a whiff of hair to cover her modesty.

Bella suddenly flinched as Alice tried helping her into the tub. Her entire body was covered in bruises from the bus accident. She had almost forgotten about it until the other woman pressed one of them too hard. Once Bella was in the tub, Alice climbed in with her. This time it was Bella’s turn to let her friend scrub her back.

After her wince, Alice was careful not to scrub too hard. It was nice having someone take care of her like this. Despite the sense of embarrassment, she really enjoyed the soft scrubbing that Alice gave her as she cleaned off two days of sweat. Bella felt herself blush when she found herself wishing that Alice would not stop at her back. She didn’t really want that, but she was still aroused from the touching Alice gave her when she was getting shaved.

The Jacuzzi jets were a bit too hard on Bella’s bruises, and after Alice noticed the painful expression Bella was making, she insisted that they end bath time. Bella drained the tub and the two of them dried off. Alice didn’t let Bella get dressed, though. Instead, she led her out to the living room and had her take a seat on the couch.

“I’m starving.” Alice said. “You feel like a pizza?”

Bella just wanted to get dressed. She picked up her notepad and pen to make her case, but just then her stomach growled. So instead of arguing, she could only nod that she was also hungry. Alice pulled out her cell phone, and in a few minutes, there was a pepperoni pizza on its way to the apartment.

Surely, Alice would let her get dressed now. Instead, Alice sat on the floor in front of Bella. Somehow, she had managed to get one of the body lotion bottles from the bathroom and was now giving Bella a leg massage. Her legs were just as hurt as the rest of her, and the gentle rubbing was helping the knots to ease.

Bella scribbled on her notepad and handed the compliment to Alice.

“Sometimes, I work as a masseuse,” Alice explained. Bella had been wondering what Alice did for money. She quickly handed another note.

“Sometimes.” Alice clarified. “I have a few different certifications… I don’t like getting stuck in the same job over and over… I just find different gigs that I can do when I have time or need money.”

That admission triggered something else, and Bella penned another note, offering to pay for the pizza.

“I got this.” Alice said with a warm smile. “You can buy the next one.”

She continued rubbing Bella’s legs for a while, and it really helped. After a while, Alice guided her to the kitchen table. Seated in the chair, Alice began working on her back. Bella changed her mind. Her back was much sorer than her legs had been. It took several minutes before the massage stopped feeling like a torture chamber, and she actually started to relax.

Just as she was starting to really forget how painful her body had been, there was a knock at the door. Bella felt herself tense up. Someone was here! She was naked, and someone was here. Her mind started rattling through the list of people who might be dropping by unexpectedly.

Her friend, Marcus, was the first thought. He usually stopped over 2-3 times per week to check in on her. She also thought of Vicky. She suppressed the anger she still carried for that woman. She doubted Vicky would have the audacity to stop over without calling.

Calling… she just realized that she no longer even had a cell phone. She needed to get to the Apple store tomorrow to get a new number. At least all of her contacts were backed up. How could she call her friends to tell them about her situation if she can’t even talk to them. She decided that was tomorrow’s problem.

Another knock. Alice finally asked, “You wanna get that?”

Bella was aware of exactly how naked she currently was. She shook her head vigorously. She hoped whoever it was would give up and go away. Instead, Alice got up and strode over to the door as if it were the most natural thing in the world to answer a door in the nude.

Bella tried pleading with her to not answer it. It would be pure humiliation if any of her friends walked in on them this way. Unfortunately, pleading when you can’t speak and are too frightened to even leave the table was pretty ineffective. Alice pulled the door open, exposing both of them to the public. At least to whoever it was standing at the door.

Standing at the door, staring first at Alice and finally noticing Bella, seated facing him at the table, was a skinny Asian teen with a blue jacket and tight jeans. He was holding a large flat box that read Dominos on it. Bella felt a slight easing as she realized that it was just the pizza guy. Not that she wanted this kid to see her sitting her in the nude, but at least he didn’t know her… at least, when he left, she wouldn’t have to answer any questions about this.

Alice seemed amused about this. “Hold on, I need to get your tip.” Alice told him. “Here, step inside for a minute.”

The kid walked in and shut the door behind him. Alice took the pizza and set it on the table. She then left the room, presumably going to find some cash for his tip. This left Bella alone with the young man now giving her his full attention. Subconsciously, she clasped her hands over her breasts. He looked disappointed when she did that, but in a few seconds, Alice returned, saying, “Bella, I don’t have any cash on me. Can you get him a tip?”

It took a minute for Bella to get the courage to stand up and walk into her bedroom. She did her best to keep her hands covering the private areas, but when she returned, Alice insisted that she stop embarrassing herself. “Your body is delightful. You are just fooling yourself into thinking that you have anything to be embarrassed about.”

Bella stared wide-eyed at her. “I’m serious. What do you think Robby? Do you think she should be embarrassed of her body?”

The pizza guy answered, “Her body is amazing. Both of you.”

“Agreed.” Alice said, then turning to Bella continued, “Drop your hands or I’ll make you stand outside like this.”

Bella’s jaw worked, but of course, no words came out. Slowly, she let her hands drop to her sides. She felt the heat grow in her face, but Alice ignored that and gave her a congratulatory grin. “No give him his tip.”

Bella felt herself shaking with fear as she slowly walked the rest of the way across the room to stand within a pace of Robby. She tried handing him the money, but he was staring so intently at her naked form that it actually startled him when she thrust the small wad of cash into his hands. Alice made her stand there for another minute before thanking Robby and escorting him out of Bella’s home.

After they ate, Bella cleaned up the dining area and the bathroom. She gave Alice a spare toothbrush and offered her a nightgown.

“Huh? Oh that’s okay. I always sleep naked, anyway.” Alice told her.

They brushed their teeth and got ready for bed. Bella insisted that Alice take the bed, and she made up the couch for herself. At first, Alice refused, but in this, Bella was insistent. But when it was finally time for them to go to sleep, Alice didn’t let Bella get dressed. She told her it would do her good to feel the freedom of her own skin.

Suddenly, Bella regretted giving up her room. At the very least, she could have gotten dressed after Alice had fallen asleep. Now Alice was in place to guard all of Bella’s clothes. She had no choice but to wrap her naked body in a blanket and sleep the whole night like that.

She just wished that sleeping the whole night was even an option. After the third nightmare woke her screaming at the top of her lungs, Alice carried her to her bed, where the two of them lay snuggled up with each other the rest of the night. Every time Bella started to stir in one of her dreams, Alice would comfort her. She still had nightmares, but the screaming stopped, and at least she got some rest as a result.

[Hooked6]

Most interesting storyline so far. I love the interaction of the characters, Bella and Alice, such a dichotomy of personalities and backgrounds. I find myself wanting to read more of this interesting story.

It is great to see you writing again.

Hooked6

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[Somebody]

Fascinated to see where this is going! Very nice slow burn

[Bucket]

Excellent start. Very much looking forward to more!