Thursday Bac

Chapter 6

Thursday - I've Got Your Back

For Lacey, the end is in sight

NOTE TO READERS:

This is Chapter Six of a novel in nine chapters. It is the story of a young woman attending a training retreat for the world's oldest profession. We respectfully request that you read the chapters in order, as this is an actual novel, with thirty seven characters, seventeen of them having sex with each other. So, reading the chapters in order is important in experiencing the complete story. Following the novel's nine chapters, there will be nine or more appendices. Each of the appendices tells the back story of one of the women in the novel. The appendices are written in the first person, as they are all told in the women's own voices. And they can be read in any order. Please enjoy, and we look forward to your comments.

* * *

The next sound Lacey heard was the delicate, musical notes of a lark. She slowly opened her eyes to see that it was still not quite daylight, though the eastern sky was showing hints of the coming dawn. As she sluggishly awakened to where she was, she realized it was Richard that lay against her back, tenderly spooning, with his arm gently laying across her body. As she started to move, Richard began to stir and instinctively snuggled tighter against her.

Lacey paused for a moment so as to not wake him. But he was already beginning to rub his morning woody up and down the crack between her naked butt cheeks. Realizing that he was now half-awake, she tried to move his arm, which he had now drawn tighter around her chest. "Richard," she said.

"Yes," he mumbled.

"I have to pee," Lacey said softly.

Instead of removing his arm, he squeezed her tighter. "What's that noise?" he said.

"Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. It was the nightingale, and not the lark," Lacey said lyrically. "But Richard, it is the lark."

"Shakespeare?" Richard asked, a little surprised by her answer.

"Romeo and Juliet specifically," Lacey said. "It was spoken by Juliet, the morning after she first spent the night with Romeo. It's one of my favorite lines."

"I didn't know you were into Shakespeare," Richard said, still holding her tightly to his chest.

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Lacey whispered. "But you do know that I have to pee. It's still dark. Will you walk me to the latrine?"

"Latrine," Richard laughed. "We're in the middle of a forest. Just go pee in the woods. The trees will thank you."

Lacey didn't answer but threw the covers off and staggered to her feet. Other than socks, she was bare ass naked, and the predawn mountain air was cold. "Which way?" she asked.

"I don't care," Richard said, now wide awake and also uncovered. "I have to pee also. You go one way, and I'll go the other."

With a twinge of adolescent modesty, "What if somebody sees me?" Lacey whines.

"Lacey, there's not a person here who hasn't seen you totally naked," Richard chuckled. "So, get over it."

Lacey looked nervously, first one way and then the other. Then suddenly took off, heading uphill. She was still only wearing socks, which due to the rocks and pinecones, caused her to only make it about fifty feet, before she stopped, squatted, and let loose.

Richard watching her disappear into the early morning darkness, took a moment to chuckle. Then remembering that he had to pee too, jumped to his feet and quick-stepped the opposite direction to water a nearby tree.

As Lacey returned to the tent, she used yesterday's panties to wipe herself. She then sat on the air mattress to put on a clean pair, change her socks, and contort herself back into her sports bra. She then slipped back on the khaki shorts and the plaid shirt she'd worn the day before.

As she sat on a nearby log tying up her hiking boots, Richard stood in front of her and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Sure," she said. "Do we need to pack up our stuff?"

"Yea, just your personal gear," Richard said. "You girls are driven back to the lodge this morning. The guys get to stay here and brake-down the camp. So, if you forget anything, I'll make sure it gets back to your cabin."

Boots tied, Lacey jumped to her feet, and grabbing her backpack, exclaimed, "Alright, I'm ready."

"Okay," Richard said with a smile. "Let's go." Hand in hand, they left their campsite for the evening and headed back down the hill.

Arriving back at the pavilion, Lacey was pleasantly surprised that Don and Simón had prepared an entire hot camp breakfast. It was a Chuck Wagon style buffet (without the actual Chuck Wagon) that included scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sausage links, and hash browned potatoes with fresh chilies. But what Lacey was the most excited about, were the Dutch oven biscuits. They were actually baked in cast iron Dutch ovens over campfire coals.

When the lid was pulled from the oven, the aroma of the freshly baked scratch-made biscuits filled the air and took Lacey straight back to the campouts of her youth. When her grandfather was still alive, her grandparents would take her and her sister on weekend camping trips to the mountains. Her grandfather was an absolute master of the Dutch oven, and his biscuits were one of her fondest childhood memories.

As Simón placed one on her plate, the sight of the fluffy white biscuit, with the perfectly browned crust on top, a tear started to slip from Lacey's eye. "Are you okay?" Lauren asked who was standing next to her in line.

"Yes," Lacey said. "I was just thinking of my grandfather. He was a fabulous outdoor cook, and this campout breakfast just reminds me of him." She started to add how much she missed him. But quickly thought better of it, considering the circumstance of her current activities.

As if a timer had gone off, at seven-forty-five, Nina honked the van horn several times. "Ladies, she announced. "It's fifteen minutes to eight o'clock. If you haven't finished your breakfast, you need to get a move on. The van leaves for the lodge at eight-sharp, and you will want to be on board. You have another full schedule planned today, and we need to stay on schedule."

"What about our backpacks?" Marcia asked.

"Oh, thank you, Marcia," Nina said. "Grab your backpacks as you may need your personal items back at the lodge. But if you don't need them, the boys are staying to cleanup and takedown the camp. They'll bring everything back and leave any personal belongings in your cabin for you."

As promised, the van was rolling at straight-up eight, and all eight girls were safely in the van. As they bounced down the rutted jeep trail toward the lodge, Nina said, "Ladies, once we get back to the lodge, you'll have about forty minutes to shower and get into your yoga clothes."

Bouncing around like Mexican jumping beans, Vicky asked, "Are we doing yoga naked today?"

"No," Nina said, as she fought the van's steering wheel to stay on the trail. "You can all go topless this morning, if you wish. And again, for the meditation. But we're not doing massages today. We'll be doing Self-Defense training this morning, and you'll need to be fully dressed." She paused for a second, and then added for clarification, "You'll need to wear both your tops and bottoms."

As the van pulled to a stop in front of the lodge, the girls all ran to their respective cabins. Lacey couldn't wait to get in a hot shower and wash her hair. Barefoot and holding her yoga top in her hands, she barely made it to the pool deck by nine o'clock. She wasn't surprised to see that she wasn't the only one there topless, and as the group of girls waited for the morning session to start, Lucinda seeing that she was the only one with her top on, quickly pulled hers off as well and threw it to the ground.

For maybe the first time, Lacey was actually looking forward to yoga. Though the air mattress wasn't all that uncomfortable, it still wasn't a bed, and she was a little sore. Lacey had grown accustomed to the early morning workouts, and she really needed this one. Lucinda started the same as every day, with several variations of the

warrior pose

, but then gradually began adding new poses that were tougher and harder to hold.

By the time they broke for meditation, Lacey was sweating profusely, as was just about everyone else, despite the cool mountain air. Sitting in the lotus pose, Lacey closed her eyes and reflected on the past three days. She had never been so focused on her life before. Though memories of her grandparents brought her a feeling of guilt. Her experiences here at Aristippus had convinced her that what she was doing was her calling. Lacey absolutely loved her experience with both Sam and Richard, as well as those of Will and Angie. But she felt no lasting attraction to any of them, and she was simply titillated by the thought of who and what was next.

As the gong sounded the end of the daily meditation, Lacey opened her eyes to see a man and a woman she had not seen before, setting gym mats out on the grass between the pool and the lodge. The couple were dressed in workout outfits, as if they were on their way to the gym or out for a jog. Lacey realized they were probably the self-defense instructors and quickly reached for her top and pulled it on over her head - as did the other girls.

Nina stepped to the front of the group, "Ladies," she said. "This morning, we are having a short introduction to self-defense. It is not to say that your chosen line of work is dangerous, but it is always best to be prepared. You never know when it will be necessary to defend yourself, or to escape from a potentially harmful situation."

The girls followed Nina across the lawn to where the couple was waiting for them. "Ladies," Nina repeated, "this is Tony and Michelle Vetrano. Tony and Michelle own the Pacific Avenue Gym in Venice Beach, California. Both Tony and Michelle are former Marines with over twelve years of combined military service. They opened the Pacific Avenue Gym eight years ago and specialize in self-defense training for women. So, would you please welcome Tony and Michelle."

The girls all gave their new instructors a polite round of applause. Lacey eyed them with a bit of apprehension, as she wasn't quite sure this training was necessary, but on the other hand, everything else the resort had scheduled turned out to be helpful, and maybe this would be also. Tony looked extremely well-toned. Not like a professional bodybuilder, but more like a Marine, crew cut, golden tan and all. Michelle was equally well proportioned. There wasn't an ounce of fat on her, and she had the stereotypical look of a classic California beach babe - straight off the beach volleyball circuit.

"Good morning, ladies. As Nina said, I'm Tony Vetrano, and this is my wife and partner, Michelle. Together, we are owners and operators of the Pacific Avenue Gym in Venice Beach. And, as Nina also said, we specialize in women's self-defense."

Michelle then stepped forward and said, "Though we all think we can control most any situation, there are always those unexpected circumstances in which we could find ourselves. Men, especially those under the influence of drugs or alcohol, believe that they have a right to control our bodies. That is never the case - never! We always have the right to protect and control our own bodies. Further, Tony and I firmly believe that it is better to be prepared than sorry."

Tony stepped on the closest gym mat and said, "Michelle and I are going to show you a half dozen standard defensive moves. I will attempt to assault her, and she will defend herself. Once we have demonstrated the move, we'd like each of you to come up, one at a time, and practice it on me. Michelle will help and coach you."

In each attack, Tony would either grab or attempt to strike Michelle, and Michelle would easily defend herself by either striking back or throwing Tony to the mat. The girls were mesmerized by how easy each defense looked, but Lacey realized these moves were well-rehearsed and that Tony was not fully countering Michelle's defense. But it was fun to watch her throw him to the matt like a rag doll, knowing he was probably more than twice her weight.

After six attacks and successful defenses, Tony said, "Okay ladies, who's first?"

In typical Marine fashion, Tony didn't wait long for volunteers. If no one immediately expressed interest in being manhandled, he'd point to a girl randomly and say, "You." Of course, he didn't know any of the girls' names. So, as soon as he selected his next Guinea Pig, Nina would call out their name, so there was no backing out.

Lauren was the first one picked. Tony called her up to the mat, and as he was facing the rest of the girls and chatting casually, he suddenly, and without warning, grabbed Lauren by the neck. She was clearly startled, as she didn't expect him to do that. She tried to pull back, but he just tightened his grip. It was clear that he could have broken her neck and killed her on the spot if he had wanted to.

As the girls all gasped, and poor Lauren struggled to get free, Michelle calmly stepped forward and showed her how to break the hold. It was a simple twist of his arm and then a knee to Tony's groin. He was wearing a protective pad, but the girls could all see how effective it would have been in a real-life situation.

There continued to be no volunteers, but one by one, Tony called each girl forward and together, with Michelle's constant help, each girl was attacked and shown a successful defense. And after each assault and escape, Tony and Michelle would remind the girls, "You are not trying to kill the guy. You are defending yourself - so you can escape the situation."

Once every girl had an opportunity to throw Tony to the ground or to kick him in the nuts, it was time for the girls to practice on each other. There were four mats, and with Nina's help, Michelle paired them up. Then as Tony would describe the simulated attack, the girls would take turns playing the attacker and the defender. Lacey was paired with Marcia, which was fine with Lacey; they both got along fine with each other. However, Marcia was probably fifteen years older than Lacey and twenty pounds heavier.

Things were going fine until the exercise where the defender loops their leg behind the attackers and force the attacker off balance and to the ground. They practiced once with Lacey as the defender, which went fine. And then again, with the roles reversed and Lacey as the attacker. This is where Marcia's advantage in height and weight, became Lacey's disadvantage. When Marcia hooked her leg behind Lacey's and twisted her arm, thereby throwing her off-balance, Lacey tripped backward, as planned. But unfortunately, it happened so fast, that Marcia was unable to catch her.

Lacey hit the mat hard - flat on her back. The impact with the mat knocked the air out of her, and for a moment, she just laid there. Michelle was only feet away and quickly knelt beside her. "Are you okay?" Michelle asked.

Lacey didn't immediately answer, as she just laid motionless. Nina and Lucinda were also there within seconds, and Marcia was leaning over her, "Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry ..." she kept repeating.

"I'm fine," Lacey said as she slowly sat up. "I'm good. I just wasn't expecting to land on my back. Nina and Lucinda then pulled her to her feet and walked her to a nearby bench.

They kept an eye on Lacey for a minute, but soon Marcia came and sat next to her to do the same. Nina and Lucinda went back to watch the remaining six girls as Lacey and Marcia sat out the rest of the exercise. As soon as the last pair of girls finished, Nina called them all to order. "I want to thank Tony and Michelle for driving up from Venice Beach," Nina said, as the girls all gave a nice round of applause. "Ladies, you're dismissed to go back to your cabins. The lunch buffet will be open in about ten minutes, and the afternoon lectures will start on schedule at one o'clock."

Michelle came over one more time to check on Lacey, to make sure that she was okay. And satisfied that she was, thanked her for being a good sport and offered her a free session at their gym if she was interested. "Oh, I'm fine," Lacey assured her. "I think I was just startled when I hit the ground so fast."

"Well," Michelle laughed. "Now you know how the attacker feels."

After another quick shower, Lacey changed into a sundress and dashed to the lodge for lunch. She made herself another salad and sat with the girls. Now feeling more at home in the lodge and much more comfortable with each other, the girls pushed all the tables into a single square. Lacey liked this arrangement better, because it eliminated the issue of cliques, which Lacey had had enough of in high school. Sitting all together also allowed everyone to share notes on the guys and to speculate on upcoming events.

"What's the social event tonight?" Vicky asked.

"I think it is some kind of

nightclub

scene," Lacey said. She had studied the Aristippus website very intently before arriving, and she knew that was one of the evening activities.

"I think it's karaoke," Robin said. "I have several friends that have attended recent sessions, and they all said that one night is karaoke."

Immediately, all eight girls started talking at once. Some girls loved karaoke, while others hated it. "Well," Lacey said. "If you want to get laid tonight, you'll have to love it, at least for one night."

"Love it, to get loved," Robin said, to which they all laughed.

Just about then, Nina called for the girl's attention. "Ladies," she said. "As I think you may have realized, the theme this morning was

protection

. We are going to continue that theme this afternoon with two amazing speakers. First, we have Tina Lorenz, a lawyer with a criminal defense practice in San Bernardino. And next, we have Janet Nelson, a registered nurse with the Kern County Public Health Department. So, if you could all finish your lunches, and put the tables back in a single row, so you can all face the front of the room, we'll get started in five minutes."

The girls all thought it was kind of funny that they were mildly scolded for rearranging the tables. But they also felt that it was time for them to take a little bit of ownership in this retreat. After all, they were the ones that paid thousands of dollars to be here. So, they all felt a little liberated and justified in placing the furniture however they saw fit. This mild form of rebellion gave all of them an increased confidence in themselves and what they were doing.

At straight-up one o'clock, Nina stepped forward accompanied by a middle-aged woman in an

Ann Taylor

charcoal gray pantsuit. "Ladies," she said. "This afternoon, we are honored to have Tina Lorenz with us to discuss issues regarding prostitution and the law. She is a graduate of the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. After graduation, she worked for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office for six years. Before starting her own practice three years ago as a criminal defense attorney. Will you please welcome Tina Lorenz?"

"Thank you, Nina," Tina said, as the girls gave her polite applause. "A little about me. After graduating from law school, I needed a job and had significant student loan debt to pay off. So, I took a job with the Los Angeles County District Attorney. I originally imagined myself prosecuting major criminal cases like O.J. Simson. But the reality of working in a bureaucracy of almost a thousand lawyers quickly set in. At first, I was assigned to minor drug cases and petty larceny. But after about five years, I was transferred to vice - which was the DA's term for prostitution. It was a promotion, and at first, I took the assignment very seriously. But I quickly learned what a fraud it was."