"It's not your fault," exclaimed Paula. "There's no reason for you to feel bad about things out of your control." Paula sensed the obvious guilt that Diana was feeling over the work trip gone wrong. Yes, the forecast did call for additional rain after all that they'd been having, but there was no way that Diana could have known that high winds would knock trees down along the highway. "Lighten up. We'll just have some extra free time." Paula was a 28 year old brunette with wavy hair past her shoulders. It went well with her darker complexion.
"That's right," Anna chipped in. "Let's enjoy our evening as much as possible. Besides, it's still on the company ticket. If we can't make it to the conference tomorrow, we can pick up some CEUs another time." Anna, at 24 was the youngest of the three ladies, and always had a positive, can-do attitude. She may have been a little innocent, even naΓ―ve, but what she lacked in experience, she made up for by being an encouragement to others: everyone but the most jaded or envious liked to be around her. And who wouldn't want to be around the cute 5' 3" gal with the mousy-brown, shoulder length hair.
Diana enjoyed Anna's company. At 31 with dirty-blond hair worn in a bob cut she was the senior of the three coworkers, and tallest at 5'8". Although she had been through one divorce she didn't let her experiences jade her. She tended to be reserved with her feelings, and more serious and focused in her actions. Anna was a breath of fresh air, and Diana felt a smile return to her face. Diana enjoyed Paula's company as well. They had been working together . . . working
well
together . . . for over 4 years. Paula could problem-solve any difficulty so that everyone came out a winner. The saying might be that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but Diana felt lucky to know that as far as her coworkers were concerned she was on the green side of the fence.
It wasn't unexpected when Paula suggested that they grab an early bite to eat. While their motel did have a little eatery she had noticed a mom and pop Chinese restaurant a couple blocks back, and the ladies soon agreed that it was worth braving the tempest one more time. They shared a "dinner for two" between the three of them with plenty left over, and returned to the motel more relaxed.
They chatted for a while and discussed what they might do to fill the time. They were in agreement that no one wanted to go out again, even to invest in a board game for the evening. No one really wanted to watch movies: Anna thought that was far too passive, and she expressed that she had some pent up energy and was feeling a little adventurous. Paula had a deck of cards, and while no one was against playing cards, everyone wanted to be more active than that. Diana and Paula both would normally have spent some time on their exercise machines in the evening, so they felt that some exercise was in order. Anna's suggestion that they mix cards with exercise was soon accepted by all. The winner of each hand would dictate the exercise that the other two would perform, not to exceed 20 repetitions; though they all wanted to exercise, there had to be some incentive to winning.
They took a quick break to change and freshen up then sat around the writing table: Paula in the recliner, Anna on the edge of the bed, and Diana on the upright chair. All three were in decent shape. Their mutual desire for healthy lifestyle had often led them to share dietary and exercise tips to help each other stay in shape. Anna had a petite body and looked like she could be a gymnast. Paula's 5'6" body had more curve to it, but nothing out of proportion. Diana was built like a runner: lithe and firm.
The rules were agreed upon, the cards were dealt and the game of black jack begun. Diana won the first round and Anna and Paula found themselves doing 20 sit-ups. Paula breathily remarked to Anna, "You're hardly breathing. It's not fair." "Privilege of youth!" Anna retorted.
The next two rounds went to Anna. The other ladies were reminded that Anna had an ornery streak. First Diana and Paula were doing pushups. Paula collapsed at 15 and Diana made it to a shaky 18 before giving up. They both returned to the table breathing hard: their exercise machines didn't train for pushups. After her second win Anna explained a 4-position squatting warm-up exercise that she'd done in high school. While she was counting out the repetitions, and "supervising" their performance, Anna remarked to herself what good shape her co-workers were in. She knew they were attractive, but watching them more closely heightened her respect. She also noticed that Paula had the most jiggle in her chest. Diana seemed to spend more time indoors: her skin was more fair than Anna had remembered contrasting with Paula's tanned skin. And at this moment Diana was already covered in a slight sheen of sweat. Somehow watching her coworkers was a turn-on. She resolved to take care of that discreetly when everyone had retired.
Diana won the 4
th
round. "Please, I'm going to need a break pretty soon," Paula implored. Diana shooed her over with Anna to the empty space where they high-stepped in place 20 times. Diana was having a good time, but didn't realize her face was getting serious as she watched the other girls jogging. She was noticing how beautiful both of her younger co-workers were. Anna had such pert, little breasts that hardly bounced at all, while Paula's chest had a nice, healthy jiggle beneath her baggy clothes: not overly large, but . . . nice. She judged herself to be somewhere between the two of them in size. And Anna's furtive scrutiny of her and Paula's bodies earlier hadn't been missed.
"What's up? Why so serious?" Paula panted when the high-steps were done.
Diana lifted her chin and put a smile back on her lips. "Oh, I'm fine. Just thinking" Diana replied.
"What are you thinking about," Paula pressed. "Not work, I hope."
"Oh, no. Not work. It was nothing," Diana evaded.
"Well, it was something, and you can tell us. We're your friends. It's alright."
Anna added, "It
is
alright. What's on your mind?"