Emma was at home more often than she used to be, so she met Harriett much more frequently than before. Harriett's hours of work were determined by the demands of her job which varied considerably from both week to week and from day to day. Generally, Harriett was as likely to be at home during the day as in the evening or weekend.
Emma returned from visiting a video company she'd been investigating. This company made sex cartoon films which concentrated on a set of standard characters with rather exaggerated sexual characteristics. This included a woman with 80 inch breasts, a man with a twenty-four inch prick, a woman with buttocks she could bounce on and so on. Sex cartoons were able to deal with subjects which a
Four X
station would be able to screen with less worry than if they contained real people, but Emma was worried about the suitability of bestiality and child sex displayed in some of them. Her biggest concern was with the rape cartoons, where violent rape was somehow disguised as comedy.
When she got home, she was surprised to find Harriett in the living room sitting on the sofa with her head in her hands and to hear small sobs come from her. Harriett was normally so cheerful, so this was especially strange. Emma threw off Charlottes's overcoat, ran over to Harriett and put her arm round her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" she asked, studying Harriett's tear-streaked face.
"Nothing," sniffed Harriett. "
Nothing
."
"Don't be silly!" Emma said. "There
must
be something."
"It's work," Harriett admitted.
"Yes?"
"You know that we've got this
Three X
rating and my work would have to change..."
"...Yes."
"...and I've got to make love with a woman, and ... and now I've been told that I'm going to have to do it soon ... and I've been trying to say I can't ... but it's my job and I don't want to lose it ... but I don't know if I can ..."
"But you can make love with a woman can't you?" wondered Emma who'd watched so much lesbian sex on research videos recently and of course had also helped to organise such activities for breakfast television.
"Well no!" said Harriett. "I've never done so ... and I don't think I could ... especially with cameras on me ... I'm just not like that."
"Neither am I," sniffed Emma. "But I'm sure you can make love with a woman without it meaning very much."
"But it's different when it's with men. You don't know. You don't do it, but if you enjoy making love you can at least concentrate on that and not the cameras or anything ... and I'm going to do that soon."
"But Harriett ... I'm sure you can do it," said Emma reassuringly, hugging Harriett's shoulders. Harriett sniffed, but started weeping again.
"I don't think I can," she sobbed. "I can't! I can't!"
"Can I help in any way?" wondered Emma with a surge of affection for Harriett.
"In what way? You're not a lesbian!"
"Isn't that better? Perhaps if I'm not a lesbian, it'd be better. Perhaps we could pretend and perhaps it will be better for you."
"Do you mean make love with you?"
"Of course not!" said Emma, genuinely shocked. "But we could sort of masturbate together and feel each other. That's not sex. And I certainly don't want sex. But perhaps it'll make it easier for you when you have to do it at work."
"Are you serious, Emma?" said Harriett who had stopped crying. "You don't mind?"
"Well, it won't be sex, will it?"
"Shall I take my clothes off?"
"Of course," smiled Emma, who of course wasn't wearing anything anyway. Harriett quickly pulled off the nylon shorts and jersey she always wore. As Harriett removed them, Emma thought with a sudden jump in her breast that this was in fact the first time after all these months of living in the same flat that she'd ever seen Harriett naked. Even when she had a bath, she wore a towel around her. It was curious that Harriett must have got very used to seeing Emma and Charlotte without clothes. Emma had seen Harriett on television with no clothes making love, but somehow that was not the same as being in the same room as her. Harriett had a very athletic body, with medium to small breasts, a taut stomach, and slim buttocks and thighs.