The names, characters, places and events in this story are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. All characters are over the age of 18. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Thank for reading and I hope you liked this tale. Please do leave a comment as I read all of them and take them all onboard.
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KRYSTEN'S CRAPPIEST DAY.
It was down to two; man against man or, more accurately, woman against woman. Due to budget cuts, there was only one place available for a fully-funded research grant at Cleveland's Rutherford Hayes University bio-chemistry department and the shortlist had been narrowed down to two; herself, Krysten Young, and another girl named Anna Arakelian. Now today was the big day. Make or break; no prizes for second place. It was that important.
Krysten stepped out of the shower, nervous but excited, too. Walking through into her bedroom, she mentally ran through part of her presentation for something like the hundredth time. She dropped her towel onto the floor and caught a look at her nude self in the mirror. She knew she was no stunning beauty but she was more than attractive enough. She stood an average five foot six inches and had a pleasant oval face with a fresh-faced complexion coupled with clear gray eyes and light brown to blond hair. She had nice lips but she didn't like her nose much which she thought was slightly too long and not quite straight enough. As she stood with her arms raised, which lifted her boobs nicely, tying up her hair into a loose bun she looked down at her body. She wasn't impressed with her boobs as despite being a lovely C-cup, they weren't as pert as she'd like but tended to lie against her chest wall. They weren't that saggy but she'd never pass the pencil test, she thought. And her pink nipples and areolas weren't as well defined as she would have liked. Her belly was a little rounded, her hips a little wider and as for her thighs -- don't go there, girl, she thought. She looked down at her pubic mound with its neatly shaved landing strip and the hint of her rosy labia sticking out beneath.
She knew she was being too hard on her body. She played varsity softball and after a game, in the showers, she knew she compared okay with the other girls. And from their conversations, she knew they all had insecurities, too; even the drop-dead gorgeous Rebecca who funded her studies by pole dancing some evenings and weekends. A couple of the bi girls had hit on Krysten and her few boyfriends sure admired and appreciated her body when she had let them see her naked.
Her hand slipped down between her legs and she wondered whether she had time to relieve some of her tensions but one glance at the clock suggested that would be a bad idea so, sucking in her belly, she crossed to the chair where she had laid out the clothes she would wear for the presentation. She slipped on a plain white bra, nothing too tarty but with a hint of lace, and teamed it with a white thong as she didn't want any visible panty line showing. She pulled up a pair of cream-colored slacks and topped it off with a white blouse with more lace on the collar. Another glance at the mirror showed she looked sexy in an understated way yet also professional. Changing her mind, she undid the second button of her blouse revealing a hint of cleavage while a slender gold chain at her throat drew the gaze to that part of her body. As it was the chemistry department, she realized there would be far more men than women in the audience and an intimation of sex never hurt a woman's chances with men. She might lean forward when changing a PowerPoint slide and give just a glimpse of her twin assets.
Finally, she applied some discreet makeup to her lips and eyes and a touch of blusher to her cheeks. She stepped back for a final look and was pleased with the effect. A spray of perfume sealed the deal. She blew a little kiss to herself before leaving her apartment and walking downstairs to her little Fiat and drove the couple of miles over to the campus.
A group of people were meeting in the lecturers' common room for a quick get together before the presentation at ten a.m. A few of her friends rushed over to greet her and wish her well. Her best friend, Laura, gave her a little hug and kiss on the cheek. Coffee and cookies of several different flavors had been laid out on a credenza but Krysten could not face them but instead took a can of coke from an ice bucket. She popped the top, poured it into a glass and sipped the fizzy drink. Over at the far side of the room was her rival for funding, Ms. Anna Arakelian herself.
Krysten and Anna had never been close as their specialized fields were somewhat different and they had few friends in common. However, Anna waved her over and making her excuses to a post-grad who was moaning about research funding in general Krysten crossed the room.
Anna's Armenian heritage was very evident with her sultry, almost exotic looks. She was the same age as Krysten but seemed so much more poised and self-confident. She had lustrous dark brown, almost black hair, which she wore straight and loose which perfectly complemented her deep brown eyes set within calf-like lashes. Full, ruby-red lips against her olive skin set off her white teeth. In contrast to Krysten's pale outfit, Anna wore a black trouser suit which flattered her chesty, curvy figure.
Anna held out her hand. "Good luck," she said.
Krysten wished her the same but it was hard to make small talk with this woman.
Somebody by the door tapped a glass with a knife making a ringing sound and the room fell silent as the university's Chancellor himself entered. Krysten felt overwhelmed that somebody of such importance would be listening to her presentation and her knees felt weak. She glanced over but Anna seemed unfazed.
The Chancellor said a few words and Krysten set her coke down on a nearby table. So she did not notice her rival slip a small sachet out of her purse, pour some powder into her glass and give it a swirl before stepping away from the table.
The Chancellor made a small speech, followed by the Departmental Head, followed by a representative from a big pharma company who was providing the funding. There were even visiting academics from Miskatonic in Massachusetts and both Oxford and Cambridge universities in England. Krysten drank her coke and made a grimace as it seemed to have gone flat very quickly. She stifled a small belch as she finished her drink. She hoped she wouldn't burp during her presentation.
Professor Emmerson came over to wish the two young women luck. She was a kindly, gray-haired woman in her fifties who had once been short listed for the Nobel Prize itself, although she didn't win.