Buying Diana

Feeling very nervous as she stood backstage with the others, Diana Watson had so many butterflies in her stomach by then that she was deathly afraid that she might throw up ay any moment.

Uncomfortably squeezed into her very best dress - one that she had not worn for many years, since before a sedentary life added more than a few extra pounds to her once slender figure - Diana had to work hard to resist the impulse to run a restive hand through the hair she'd had professionally coiffed at the beauty parlor earlier that day. She had gone to a great deal of trouble and expense to look her absolute best for this event and didn't want to ruin it, though she was quite sure the effect had long since been spoiled by her sweating and nervous fidgeting as she awaited her turn.

Cringing at the rolling rumble of the crowd, the rhythmic chant of the auctioneer and the gunshot-like bangs of the gavel, Diana resisted the urge to take another peek through the curtains as she knew that it would only put her even more on edge.

Diana really wasn't the sort of woman to use such language, yet she still allowed a soft curse to pass her lips as she remembered how she had gotten herself into this mess.

* * *

Whenever the holiday season rolled around, the little women's club that Diana belonged to always launched a drive to raise money for charity.

Ordinarily, they would go door-to-door or just send out fliers to beg for donations, but with the amount of cash they were collecting dropping off rapidly, they had all agreed that it was high time that they found a better alternative. After much pondering and head scratching, after several ideas were proposed and promptly shot down for one reason or another, it had been that well-known troublemaker Ethel Holmes who suggested a bachelorette auction.

A bachelorette auction, of all things! Diana had enjoyed a good laugh when she first heard this foolish notion.

The club's membership was made up not of beauty queens after all, but almost entirely of middle-aged housewives, divorcees and widows! It wasn't as if any of them were hideously ugly or anything, but she just couldn't imagine anyone being willing to pay so much as a dime for an evening with any one of them. Then there was the little matter of their husbands and boyfriends, who would surely not appreciate their significant others spent a romantic evening out with someone else.

Not that the lonely Diana had to worry about that, of course.

Under the circumstances, Diana was shocked when several of the other members of the club announced that they thought this was a wonderful idea!

Ethel tried to allay the concerns of doubters like Diana by pointing out that they would be very careful to make sure that everyone understood that the auction was really just a show being staged as an excuse to raise money. At the most, she asserted, they would probably only have to have dinner with whoever won them, but it was far more likely that they would be let off the hook altogether. The men in their life surely had very little to fear from that!

A quick vote was held and, to Diana's dismay, the scheme was passed with a sizable though not overwhelming majority.

Even so, Diana did not plan on participating in this auction silliness. The whole idea just made her profoundly uncomfortable and she didn't care for the blow her self-esteem would certainly suffer when nobody wanted to buy a fat old woman like her.

When she spoke about all of this to her best friend Joyce Taylor the next day, she expected the other woman to join her in laughing at what an absurd idea it was.

Joyce did not laugh, however.

"I think you should do it, Diana."

Diana's mouth fell open in surprise. "What?!" She could hardly believe her friend would say such a thing and felt just a little bit betrayed that she had. "What are you talking about, Joyce? I mean, it's not like I'm some sort of super model . . ."

Joyce allowed that a small smile. It wasn't merely her friend's shyness and sense of modesty that was making her so resistant to taking part in this event she knew, but she was also deathly afraid of the profound blow her ego would suffer if nobody was willing to bid any of their money on her. Joyce was convinced that she had nothing to worry about though as she had always thought Diana was one of the most attractive women she knew.

Her smile grew wider as a sneaky idea occurred to her.

"You're a real woman, Diana, and that alone makes you hotter than any plastic super model," she told her, delighting in how red her friend's cheeks grew at this. "I can't imagine why anyone would prefer to have a blow up doll when they could have a human being."

Diana giggled at this, feeling very flattered, but her mood soon grew serious again. "I still don't think I could do it, though. I mean, I just don't think I could go out for an evening with somebody I don't know. I would feel like some sort of prostitute if I went out with some guy just because he had paid some money."

"Don't worry about that," Joyce reassured her quickly. "Kevin and I will buy you."

Diana was startled yet again. "I beg your pardon."

"My husband and I always contribute some money to your club's charity drives anyway," the other woman explained with a very casual shrug. "We'll come down to the bachelorette auction and make sure that we are the ones to win you."

Joyce gave her friend a few moments to think about that, to grow a little more relaxed and comfortable with the whole idea of the auction, then pretended to suddenly remember something. "Oh, no! Kevin's going to be out of town that day. He's got to go on another long business trip. Still, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'll just have to buy you myself!"

Diana was a little unsure about that idea. "But if you keep bidding on me, people might start to think that you and I are . . ." Her voice trailed off as she couldn't quite bring herself to actually say the words.

Joyce just laughed. "Don't be silly, Diana! Everyone knows you and I are friends and that my husband and I always contribute to these charity drives. Just because I'm going to be there bidding for you without Kevin by my side isn't going to make anybody suddenly start to think that we're lesbians!"

Diana still looked doubtful, but finally answered, "I guess so."

* * *

Diana had never imagined that this ridiculous bachelorette auction would actually be a success, but the size of the crowd on the other side of that curtain was ample proof that she had been wrong.

That fact did absolutely nothing to settle her nerves.

It had been bad enough when she thought that the whole event would be a flop and she would only have to go out there and parade around in front of a handful of people. The size of the mob that was crowded into the theater they had rented for this event was just astounding to her . . . not to mention frightening.

It was only by reminding herself that she was doing this to raise money for people who desperately needed it that kept her from making a run for it.

"And now, the next lovely bachelorette up for auction tonight, Miss Diana Watson!"

That was her cue to go out on stage of course, but all the strength left her legs at the sound of the auctioneer calling out her name and Diana simply couldn't get herself to step through those curtains. In the end, it took a none too gentle shove from that troublemaker Ethel to propel her out there.

Diana gasped in awe at the sight of that vast sea of faces before her, well aware that every eye was now on her and she had to swallow hard to keep from throwing up right then and there. Praying that she wouldn't trip over her own feet and fall on her face in front of all these people, she carefully but determinedly started pacing back and forth across the stage just as she had practiced over the last few days.

The bidding started then and something happened that Diana never would have expected.

* * *

Diana was in a state of severe shock as she found herself being guided out of the theater and across the parking lot by her friend Joyce just a few hours later.

To her immense relief, nobody had so much as batted an eye when another woman started bidding on her. That was not what had left Diana in such a dazed state though. Rather, it was the fact that the bidding for her had actually grown quite heated and she had been one of the most expensive bachelorettes auctioned off tonight. Indeed, she had gone for better than twice as much as had Ethel.

Somewhere, deep down, Diana took a measure of malicious satisfaction in the fact that she had outdone that troublemaker.

On the other hand, while it had been a very flattering amount of money to say the least, she just kept telling herself that everyone had gotten a little caught up in the spirit of the auction and didn't really reflect how desirable she might or might not be. After all, she was a middle-aged woman and well past her prime now and most certainly not the sort of woman who populated the fantasies of most men. No, the amount of money they had bid really had more to do with the underprivileged people who would be helped by the donation than it did with her.

Even so, her friend had spent what seemed like an appalling amount of money to live up to her promise of buying her tonight and so she offered to reimburse her for most of it out of her own pocket, but Joyce wouldn't hear of it.

"Relax, Diana, Kevin and I can afford it. Besides, it's all for a good cause."

Diana was just starting to regain her bearings when she found herself standing beside her best friend's car as Joyce opened the door for her and invited her to climb in. Looking blankly at the other woman, who was holding the door open for her like the long lost chivalrous gentleman of olden days might, Diana started to protest that her own car was parked not very far away. She was quickly interrupted by Joyce, though.

"We're on a date, remember?" Her voice was light and teasing. "I won you fair and square! And since you're the bachelorette here, that must make me the bachelor, right? That means I have to be a gentleman!"

Diana couldn't help but laugh at her friend's playfulness and took the hand that was offered to help her into the car. Just as soon as she was settled, Joyce shut the door for her and then dashed around the vehicle to climb behind the steering wheel.

* * *

Joyce had not stopped playing the chivalrous gentleman there, however.

She had taken Diana to a classy and very overpriced restaurant, opened the door for her, pulled out her friend's chair for her when they were seated, and yet again refused to let the other woman share in the cost of the meal or even to leave the tip for their unctuous waiter. This was one of the finest restaurants in the city and it normally took forever to get a reservation, so Diana was quite curious about how they were able to get in at all. Joyce was shy about providing to many details, but eventually confessed that she had made the reservations right after she found out about the auction.

There followed a trip to the theater where they just happened to be putting on Diana's favorite play. She knew full well that tickets to this show were completely impossible to obtain and so she had marveled when her friend produced them. Joyce was modestly reticent about how she had gotten hold of the tickets, but Diana eventually understood that, knowing that she was determined to win her no matter what the cost, her friend had made a special effort to get those tickets for some of the best seats in the house just as soon as they went on sale just for her.

Though still deeply concerned about how much money her friend was spending on this night, Diana could not deny that she also thought it was very sweet and flattering that the other woman would go to so much trouble and expense just for her. Further, her friend was in rare form tonight - being extremely humorous and entertaining and managing to lavish her with praise and compliments without seeming at all insincere.

Laughing and thoroughly enjoying her best friend's company this night, Diana was practically floating by the time the two women finally decided it was time to bring this night to an end. Even so, she couldn't help but notice that they were not headed back to the theater so that she could pick up her car, nor were they headed towards the modest apartment were she had lived alone ever since her husband left her.

"Joyce? Where are we going now?" she wondered innocently.

The other women gave her an almost wolfish grin. "Back to my place for a nightcap," she explained with a giggle. "Isn't that how all the best dates end?"

"Are you sure? I mean it's getting awfully late now." Diana's smile was a self-deprecating one. "Surely you must be getting pretty tired of me by now!"

"Never!" Joyce was very adamant and her face flushed hotly when she realized that she had said that much too forcefully. "Look, you'd be doing me a big favor if you could come back to my place tonight. Remember how I told you that Kevin was out of town on one of his business trips? It gets so lonely in that house when I'm all alone like this." Her smile made a reappearance and she didn't have to fake even one ounce of the eagerness and enthusiasm with which she suggested, "Why don't you spend the night? It's not like either one of us have to go to work in the morning, after all. It's been forever since we spent some time together like this - just the two of us."

"That does sound like fun," Diana nodded agreeably, "but I don't have any spare clothes or anything over at your place."

"Don't you worry about that."

* * *

The hour had grown very late, the two women sprawled so comfortably on the couch had by now drunk most of a bottle of wine, and so Diana and Joyce were both feeling relaxed and just a little giddy.

Joyce had just been regaling her friend with a hilarious story about the latest stupid thing her husband Kevin had done to embarrass himself and of course her too. She added that she loved him dearly and couldn't imagine a life without the man, but that there was just no denying that he wasn't the smartest guy around.

It was this story which seemingly inspired the question, "So why didn't you ever get married again?"

Diana just shrugged, looking away. "Well, let's face it, Joyce, plump and middle-aged women are not the first choice of most of the men out there."

It was very clear to her friend that she was a very lonely and discouraged woman with a very poor self-image and Joyce simply wasn't prepared to put up with that tonight. "You can just stop that right now, Diana," she told her firmly. "I am sick to death of listening to you run yourself down all the time! Now you just listen to me: You're not only the sweetest, kindest, most generous person on the face of this planet, but you also just happen to be the most beautiful woman I have ever met!"

Diana looked up into her friend's eyes shyly, looking more than a little vulnerable. "Do you really think so?"

"I do," answered Joyce firmly and with great feeling, meeting her friend's gaze without flinching.

The living room fell into utter silence then as there followed a long and very intense moment of the two women just staring deep into each other's eyes.

As if on impulse, Joyce suddenly leaned in and gave her dearest friend in all the world a friendly and all too brief kiss on the lips that Diana was only too happy to accept. However, instead of pulling back again in the aftermath of this kiss, Joyce stayed right where she was and raised a hand to gently stroke her friend's cheek.

"You are so sexy . . ." Joyce breathed softly.

There was confusion on Diana's face. "Um, Joyce . . .?"

Whatever question she may have wanted to ask was interrupted then when Joyce suddenly leaned back in and captured her lips again. This was not merely another chaste kiss between old friends however, but a much longer and far more intense kiss that they both felt all the way down to their toes and which left them breathless.

Now there was also astonishment on Diana's face. "Joyce . . .?"

"My, God," Joyce moaned, scooting closer to the other woman so that the full length of their bodies were pressed firmly together on that couch. "I've wanted to do that for so long."

"You have?!" Diana couldn't quite believe her ears. "But what about Kevin?"

"I've known you and loved you for twice as long as I have Kevin," Joyce replied, once more stroking her friend's face. Her claim was absolutely true as well and, even though she really had wanted to help her friend out with this bachelorette auction, it had been her ulterior motive all along to end this evening by seducing her. "This has nothing to do with my husband. This is just about the two of us, my darling."

Diana's heart fluttered at all of this romantic attention, especially after such a long drought, but she still resisted what was happening. "But we're both women . . ."

Joyce just chuckled softly. "Shh," she whispered, so close to her friend by now that their lips were almost brushing against each other. "Don't worry about that, darling. Just let it happen. I promise that you will not regret it."

Joyce kissed her again and was absolutely delighted when the other woman's resistance melted away swiftly. It took very little encouragement to get Diana then to open her mouth and allow in her tongue and so very soon the two women were sharing a long, deep, and very passionate kiss. If they had felt that first kiss all the way down to their toes, this one was like two souls touching and merging into one.

Leaning her friend back so that she was reclining against the arm of the couch, Joyce followed her and spent a little time kissing and nibbling at as much of Diana's neck, shoulder and collarbone as she could reach. Thanks to the fact that the other woman was still wearing the evening gown that she had taken out of moth balls for the bachelorette auction, there actually was quite a bit she could reach.

Sighing and moaning softly, tilting her head to one side to provide her friend with easier access to her neck, Diana ran her hands up and down Joyce's back feverishly. "Oh, my, God," she whimpered in a throaty, emotion choked voice. "That feels so good, Joyce . . ."

Joyce did not answer with words, but when one of her hands rose to firmly cup one of the other woman's breasts it sent a profound shudder coursing through Diana.

Joyce smiled to herself as she continued to work on her best friend - she had always been so confident that when given even half a chance, not only would Diana prove to be a very willing lover, but that she herself would prove to be skillful at loving other women. It was like all of her favorite and hottest fantasies were coming true!

Writhing and moaning heatedly, poor Diana was sinking deeper and deeper into the haze of pure ecstacy. It had been so very long since anyone at all had romanced and seduced her of course, but there was much more to it than that. She found herself this evening in the arms of someone she had always loved like a sister, someone she completely trusted and admired, someone who knew her better than she knew herself, and these were after all exactly the sort of qualities that she had always dreamed of a romantic partner having. Naturally, it also didn't hurt that the person who was now making out with her was also the most beautiful person she had ever known, male or female.

As she was feverishly kissed and eagerly groped on that couch that incredible evening therefore, Diana had simply decided that her friend had been entirely correct: It just didn't matter that they were both women or that one of them was supposedly very happily married.

Joyce smirked at the pathetic little whine that rose from her friend's throat when she suddenly let go of her breast. Hooking a finger in one of the shoulder straps of Diana's dress, she slipped it off and then pulled it down far enough to reveal one of Diana's full breasts. Age and gravity had conspired to make that bosom sag just a little of course, but Joyce had no complaints and for once in her life Diana did not feel at all self-conscious about her perceived shortcomings.