Chapter One
(Friday 11th October 2002)
'Hello sexy,' Heather began the moment her call was picked up, 'how's your ass for spots?'
'It's even smoother than yours,' Taryn replied predictably. 'To what do I owe the honour?'
Heather allowed herself a girlish giggle. Taryn was one of her three current girlfriends and (in keeping with the rest of her body) her ass wasn't sexy at all. Not unless you preferred females who were built more like men; on a guy her ass would be sexy as hell.
Heather liked girls in all their various shapes and sizes but, just lately, she'd developed a "thing" about mannish ones. Taryn wasn't particularly attractive until you saw her for what she was: a short-haired, butch-looking and stocky young dyke with flawless white skin. And that skin really was flawless; she'd probably never had a spot on her bum in her life.
'I'm ringing about Katie's party,' Heather said. 'I wondered if you needed a date.'
Taryn cackled like the witch she was. 'Sorry,' she said, her voice dripping insincerity, 'I've already got the hottest date I could ever hope to have.'
Heather wasn't jealous or even slightly put out. Her relationships were always founded on freedom. The way she saw it, there was never any need for jealousy. She was, however, as curious as a barrel of monkeys.
'I thought I was the hottest date you could ever hope to have,' she replied, mock-indignant.
'Yeah, well I've had you loads of times, haven't I? This is breaking into new territory, my friend. This is an offer I can't refuse.'
Heather was sure of the date's gender but couldn't begin to guess her identity. Taryn only ever dated girls, and the university's pool of really hot dates was (sadly) not too big.
'Who is she?' she demanded.
'You just wait and see,' said Taryn, deliberately evasive. Then, being curious in her turn: 'You're going with Caroline, aren't you? Why are you suddenly wheedling up to me?'
'Caro's got the flu,' said Heather, not bothering to fib. 'She'll be playing the dying swan all weekend. I left her with a bottle of whisky and a cartload of Lemsips.'
'Typical.' Taryn snorted. 'You only want a date with me because Miss Supermodel is in dock.'
'No, I want a date with you because you're terrific in bed and I'm crap at comforting dying swans.'
'Too bad; I'm fixed up already. You'll have to wait until I've a gap in my social calendar.'
'It'll be a while before you get a gap that matches with one in mine.'
'Ask me if I'm bothered.'
'Okay, I give in.' Heather chuckled. 'You've got a super-hot date and I'm not getting a look-in. Serves me right for neglecting you recently. So who is she?'
Taryn's latest witchy cackle was straight out of The Wizard of Oz. 'You just wait and see. But trust me, you'll be drooling. Bye for now. See you at the party.'
For perhaps ten seconds Heather wondered whether she should ring around for an alternative date. It wasn't often she got turned down. Come to that, it wasn't often that she was the one asking. She had spent most of her life declining offers from ardent young men and accepting offers from equally-ardent females.
At that point she grinned. University for her had been like a big, free sweetshop. She'd not kept count but reckoned she'd had sex with as many guys as she had girls. That was only the tip of the great big iceberg, though. Guys quickly lost their allure where she was concerned. Most of them got one night or . . . if they were exceptionally lucky . . . two. Girls tended to get lots and lots of nights.
And the "female factor" made a difference. As well as having more nights in bed with women, she also had much more sex during a night with a woman. When she added in those two important elements, it probably meant ninety per cent of her shared sex had been girl on girl.
Of course that only backed her frequently aired claim that she was "well on the lezzie side of bi".
Dateless, Heather laughed. So she was going to Katie's party alone. So what? It wasn't a "girls only" gathering but there was always the chance of a pick-up. No, there was more than a chance; if she put her mind to it, it would be a dead cert.
She might even have a go at Katie herself. Katie was decidedly bi-curious: she just didn't realize it.
Not yet.
*****
Heather had a second reason for not phoning around: she was very proficient at karate and the inter-university championships were coming up soon, including a championship she intended to win.
She was, she knew, blessed in dozens of ways. Not only did she have the looks and a body to die for, but she was smart with it. And she was also naturally gifted at hobbies she tended to like: hockey first and foremost, but also golf, football and (from out of simply nowhere) martial arts.
Karate was a relatively new find for her. She'd only started two years ago, as a young undergraduate, eager to try everything. And she'd soon become really good. In fact she had got so good that she had been beating her university coach since last Easter; so good that she had recently been matched with guys. And so good that none of the guys anywhere near her weight wanted to fight her anymore.
Beating up men was fun, but she was never sure how hard they were trying. And they didn't represent the opposition she would meet in the championships. Her female opponents would have much faster muscles and much more flexible hips than any of the men she'd been up against. She would have to use different tactics altogether.
She was, after all, in it to win it.
And so was the opposition.
Before Heather could voice her concerns about lack of competition, clearly having thoughts along the same lines, her coach had come up with a solution.
The coach's friend was called Jenny. Jenny was thirty-something and, her academic life over, worked in "finance" in the centre of Manchester. She had also been a black belt forever and, whilst secretive about her actual ability, had once kicked heck out of a male 6th Dan.
'She won the title you're going for,' Coach told Heather,' 'over ten years ago and stylishly. Since then she has only got better. She's the best opponent I'm ever likely to come up with for you.'
The good news was that Jenny, for the sake of Coach and her old alma mater, was happy to instruct Heather, taking her on as a "six week project". The bad news was that she wasn't a typical nine-'til-five office worker; the best she could do was one or two sessions a week, at times that seemed to be picked at random. This week's second session was tonight, at seven o'clock.
How inconvenient was that for pre-party pints in the Union Bar!
Heather wasn't really put out by the timing. She was grateful for the extra coaching and, by now three weeks into the "project", she had come to like and admire Jenny. Superb fighting skills aside, she was a perfect specimen of womanhood. Beautiful and blonde, she was built like an Amazon warrior: very visibly powerful but shapely with it.
Yes, Jenny had featured in several of Heather's bedtime fantasies.
Not that she fantasized while they were on the mat. She had to keep her wits about her. Being kicked in the ribs by that particular blonde was not an easily forgettable experience.
Normally their sessions lasted ninety minutes. That Friday it was closer to a hundred and twenty when Jenny finally called time.