The Popcorn Incident Part 1

(Author's Note: I'm back! Apologies for the length of time between stories but have had some health issues to deal with.

I had written The Popcorn Incident as one continuous story but have broken it down into four chapters - the others shall be released shortly!

As usual, please rate and comment; I always love reading them! - Chloe)

Day One

I pulled my stroller luggage over the doorway and set it next to my other bags, while i locked the front door to my Prague apartment for the last time. It wasn't much to look at on the outside; just a steel reinforced door with two locks. Inside, however, it had been a cosy residence for the past three years, and I'd had a lot of fun living here. But now... now it was time to leave, before it was too late. Better to jump, than to be pushed, yes?

I'd been surprised by my sister, Zoe, when I informed her that I was returning to England and the reason for it.

"Let's meet up in London!" she'd said on the phone. "I miss you, and she wants to meet you."

"Who wants to meet me?" I asked.

"My boss, Chloe. She says she'll book a suite for us for the week, is that okay?"

A suite, in central London? In the Summertime? On Someone else's expenses?

"If she's really okay with it, then yeah, that would be great."

So, there I was, on an economy flight from Prague to Heathrow, a seasoned traveller with knots in her stomach about a sisterly reunion. Needing to catch up with Zoe was a bit of an understatement as I was aware that she had been through a few life-changing moments of her own. The last time I'd seen her in the flesh was just after she'd finished her A-levels at school and had decided that rather than go to university, she wanted to backpack through Europe instead. She'd spent a week with me in Prague, before heading off to Germany. It was a fun week and I even managed to get her on a visitor's tour of the British Embassy, where I work.

Where I used to work.

I was lost in my own thoughts, trying not to wallow too much in misery, for most of the short flight, so was quite surprised when the announcement came that we were coming in to land. That meant i was but an hour away from seeing Zoe! I was able to locate my bags (stroller, laptop, weekender, backpack!) quite easily and load them onto a trolley, and made my way to the large opaque sliding doors. As soon as they opened, I heard my name being called.

"RACHAEL!"

I looked around for Zoe but couldn't see her. It was like I was looking at a live Where's Wally where the object you're looking for is hiding in plain sight.

"RACHAEL!!"

I saw a young woman looking at me and waving her arms frantically. Slowly I started to realise. In my defence, Zoe had not posted any pics of her current look on her socials. Gone was her usual honey-blonde hair, replaced with a silver mop of curls. Her clothes were more sophisticated too, wearing a nice pair of sandals, with straps which disappeared under her dark blue jeans. The pink tee-shirt was more familiar, but it was fitted, showing off her figure more -- something she would never have had the confidence to do before.

"Zoe?" I felt like a puppy being shown something new but familiar at the same time.

"Yes, you idiot!" she laughed. I pushed the trolley to the end of the barrier, and she met me there and threw herself into a hug i was all too glad to receive.

"It's so good to see you!" said Zoe.

"It's so good to be here!" I said.

Yes, it was emotional, and yes, there were a few tears shed. We took our time composing ourselves and then split my bags between us: Zoe took the stroller and the laptop bag, I took the backpack and the weekender, and we headed for the tube.

We sat next to each other on the train as it trundled towards the centre of London. No point in talking yet. Zoe rested her head on my shoulder, and I leant mine on her curls. It felt nice. Safe. As we got closer to central London, the flow of travellers became stronger. It was standing room only now around us, with lots getting off and on at each stop. I gave Zoe a soft nudge and indicated we needed to get ready...

Zoe led the way as we got off the tube and made our way up to the surface. You could feel the heat rising the closer we got to ground level. We finally popped out at Piccadilly Circus, a "tourist attraction" which amounted to a rather nice statue and fountain. There were hundreds of people trying to take photos of it. Every city is the same in this respect; Prague has this thing called an Astral Clock, which I never understood, either.

We cut through the crowds into Leicester Square (pronounced "Lester" if anyone is having trouble with it) and crossed to a point midway along the far side, heading down an overlooked throughway. And there, one hundred feet from Leicester Square, was our hotel, the Thistle Trafalgar.

We were on the top floor, a two-room suite. Zoe opened up and showed me in. It really was nice; a very modern and stylish finish to everything. Much more modern than my rather bohemian flat in Prague. It didn't feel over-done to the extent of being sterile, just clean and tidy.

Zoe rolled my case in and set my laptop bag on the bed. I put the weekender next to it and slowly shrugged off the backpack.

"We're the other side of the living area," she said.

"You and your boss?"

"Yes"

"You're sharing a room with your boss."

"I'm sleeping with my boss, yes Rachael."

"We have separate bathrooms?"

She smiled at me for moving past what might have been a sticky issue. She's a big girl now. I'm not here to cause drama.

"Yes, yours is through there" she pointed to a door we'd passed on the way into the room. I peeked and was glad to see it had a walk-in shower rather than a bath.

My shoulders felt so much lighter without the backpack, but I was now starting to sweat through my tee-shirt.

"Let's have a quick peek at the living area then, and then I'm going to go have a shower."

Zoe took my hand and led me out of the room and along the corridor, which opened up into a spacious living area. There was a decent kitchenette with two sinks, appliances and enough space to cook. On the other side was a comfy looking curved sofa, dining table and chairs, and a flatscreen tv. I went and found the fridge, opening it to find it stocked with bottles of champagne and cider.

"Anything harder?" I asked.

"Yes, In the freezer is a bottle of bison grass vodka. We can always stock up if needed."

I was impressed with all of it. God knows what the week was going to hold but, in that moment, I was feeling pretty special.

"Thanks Zoe. Thanks for asking me to come." I said as I hugged her tight.

"You're welcome, Rach. More than you know. You're welcome." she whispered.

I took a step back, wiping my face quickly.

"Right, I'm off to test-drive that shower."

"Do you need any toiletries? They have their own shower gel which is nice but don't use their shampoo if you don't want your hair feeling like straw!"

I smiled. "Thanks, but I have my own supplies for now. Catch you in a bit!"

Two airports and central London had me feeling very unclean. I stripped off my clothes in front of the bathroom mirror and stepped into the torrent of water pouring from overhead. I stayed still like that for a good two minutes, my head leant back, arms spread a little from my body, palms upturned, feet apart and turned outwards. Just letting the hot rain pour over my body.

It suddenly occurred to me, as I turned off the shower and poured thick shower-gel over my breasts, that I hadn't asked Zoe where her boss was now. I had kind of expected her to meet us at the hotel but so far, she had not made an appearance. I breathed deeply as I massaged the scented lather into my breasts, each the size of a grapefruit, and teased my nipples with my thumb.

I still had no idea what this Miss Chloe, as Zoe called her, was like. I'd not seen any picture of her yet. And what was their actual relationship? Whatever it was, it seemed to work for them as they'd been together for a while now... I had a lot of other questions I was dying to ask.

I realised that I was starting to get aroused from what my hands were subconsciously doing to my breasts. So, this is what I'm reduced to, is it? Giving myself a quick hand job in the shower? I don't think so! I admonished myself with a cold blast as I turned the shower back on, washing the suds from my body...

I unpacked while wearing my towel, emptying my suitcase and weekender. I decided to go with a bit of chic for whatever was next; a pair of black slacks and a gold coloured blouse, onyx earrings with a matching necklace.

There was a knock on my bedroom door. That was one of Zoe's endearing qualities.

"Come in Zoe," I said.

"Wow! You're looking great! You'd never think you'd dragged yourself halfway across Europe this morning!"

"Just wanting to be sure I'm ready for whatever you have planned," I said, then frowned, "what do you have planned?"

"How about some lunch? You must be hungry about now!"

I hadn't thought about it. I'd grabbed a coffee and a sandwich before leaving Prague but that was eight hours ago now. As if it heard my inner monologue, my tummy chose the moment to gurgle.

"What she said," I chuckled as Zoe laughed. That hadn't changed, either.

Zoe had changed into a nice turquoise dress which ended above the knee and had one strap over the shoulder. It had delicate lines of gold patterned through it that you'd only notice on close inspection. Like myself, she wore a large "bug eye" pair of sunglasses. Walking arm and arm, with my sister, that Saturday afternoon... we could have been supermodels, or actresses. Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts in their prime. That's how I felt in that moment. I was almost disappointed when we got to our destination, though my tummy was eternally grateful.

I was surprised that the outside terrace, where we were shown our table, was quite sparce of people. Perhaps it was just far enough from the beaten path not to have been discovered by the tourists, just yet. We ordered some bread and oil and some marinated olives and a bottle of pinot grigio, to start with.

"So, where is your boss today? I'm sorry, I feel I should have asked this earlier. She is mine host after all!" I took a bite of the delicious bread. God I was hungry.

"Not a problem. Today, she's at Revlon's London office. There's a contract being signed, and Elaine asked for Miss Chloe to attend on her behalf."

I was lost already.

"Erm... Elaine being...?"

"Oh. Elaine Danvers, the owner and head of Lioness Pictures. The film company. Makes high end erotica."

"Erm... I thought Chloe was a hairdresser? I'm really confused!"

I saw a shadow cast over the table, then a voice: "Well, say my name and I shall appear!"

I turned in my seat and looked up at the hot blonde woman beaming down at me. I slowly stood up and offered my hand.

"You must be Chloe. I've heard so much, and yet so little about you!" I smiled as we shook.

"Chloe Holland. So very happy to meet you at last!"

I took her in. She was wearing a pair of grey slacks and a pink shirt, which had been tailored to fit her perfectly, accentuating her breasts. The top two buttons were undone, and she wore gold cufflinks. Her hair was a platinum blonde, with deep, dark roots. She'd spent time blow-drying or straightening it to perfection. One side was longer than the other, with the edge of the shorter side just kissing the corner of her rouged lips. I was drawn, however, to her left eye; the socket around it looked a little misshapen, as if it had been broken and put back together again.

"Shall we sit?" she said, "Zoe dear what wine did you go for?"

"The pinot grigio, Miss Chloe," Zoe replied.

"Better get another one, then. Have you two ordered yet?"

The food was lovely, and the conversation light and vibrant. Chloe and Zoe asked if there was anything special I wanted to do while I was in London and I told them there were a few markets I'd heard of but had never been: Spitalfields, and Camden.

"Oh, you two will have a lovely time there!" said Chloe.

"Won't you be coming with us, Miss Chloe?" Zoe asked. I could hear a pang of regret in her voice, equally in Chloe's response.

"I'm trying to keep the business side of this trip to a minimum dear, but I do have a couple of errands to complete. Spending a couple of days roaming the markets with your sister will keep your mind of me, I'm sure." She was stroking Zoe's hand as she said this.

"Yes Miss Chloe," she looked at me and smiled, "I mean, I am looking forward to spending some time with you!"

My curiosity was getting the better of me now and unasked questions were battering at my door, so to speak.

"Ok, look, you two. Can you please help me out? I am really confused."

"About what?" asked Chloe.

"Everything!" I even flailed my arms a bit. I looked at them both and took a deep breath.

"Zoe, the last thing I heard, from mum and dad, was that you had come back from your travels and had been looking for a job."

"Yes..."

"The next thing I hear is that you are an intern somewhere -- mum was very confused on this bit -- and you'd moved to some place on the edge of Nottingham and were working in a hair salon?"

"Yes..."

"But here you are, Zoe, with Chloe, who seems to have some high powered, high paying job, you have some sort of sexual relationship as well as a professional one and God knows what else is going on. I'm just... confused, and worried."

There was a look of bemusement on Chloe's face.

"Zoe?" she enquired, with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, Miss Chloe. And Rachael, I hadn't quite realised how much in the dark you were. I had explained a lot of it to mum over the phone, but she must have gotten muddled."

"It's ok, dear. Settle the bill here, then book us a table at the sky bar in the hotel, and we'll reconvene there. I'll get us a taxi."

As Zoe got to work on her phone, Chloe pulled me aside for a moment.

"I'm really sorry you've been kept so much in the dark, Rachael. I have my reasons and I assure you, none of them are sinister." I could see the honesty in her eyes, the earnestness with which she said it.

"When we get back, you can ask me anything you'd like. But fair warning, Rachael, i shall expect quid pro quo. For everything you learn about me, and my relationship with your sister, I shall expect to learn a lot about you and your current situation, agreed?"

I stared at her. I knew she couldn't know much because i hadn't told Zoe much. I wanted to tell her. I wanted to trust her. We shall see how much of herself she was willing to reveal, I thought to myself.

"Agreed," I said, "thank you. I'm looking forward to being enlightened."

We were sat in the back of the taxi and Zoe, sitting between us, was kissing Chloe's neck. I glanced over and watched her. I was surprised at this sudden PDA. Zoe had never been so outgoing in the past. A lot had changed. I wondered at its purpose. Exhibitionism? Unlikely, that she wanted to arouse the cab driver. What about me? Was it for my benefit? To show how easily she could bestow affection on her boss?

As she softly kissed Chloe's jawline, I saw it. The only pure reason for it. Because Zoe needed to show her affection, for Chloe to feel her softness, even for a fleeting moment in the back of a taxi. I could see it in the way Chloe's eyes closed gently, enjoying the caresses of her lover's lips. I don't know why but I reached out and gave Zoe's hand a squeeze and smiled at her when she turned her head to me.

We went straight up to the sky bar and the Maitre'd showed us to our table. We were in the corner, overlooking the London Skyline. We could see the London Eye and all the way along the river to Tower Bridge, although as usual my attention was focused on our immediate surroundings, making a scan of the terrace and memorising faces. After the waiter had taken our order, Chloe asked if I'd like a cigarette. It had been a while since I had one but could really do with a smoke, so I nodded. Not surprisingly, it was Zoe who reached into her bag (I noticed, at this point, that Chloe didn't have a handbag) and opened a packet, offering it to me.

"Thanks," I said to her. She offered a lighter -- a decent one, not a disposable -- and i took a drag, filling my lungs with good quality tobacco smoke. I exhaled and watched as she lit one herself, then handed it to Chloe, before lighting one for herself.

"You smoke now, Zoe?" I asked, "I never thought you would."

"You know what Europe's like; everyone still smokes there. It was a good ice-breaker."

I laughed thinking of Zoe making friends smoking cigarettes. I looked at Chloe.

"Right, I've been promised some answers..."

"Indeed. I've been thinking of how to do this, and I think the best place to start is how i became a hairstylist in the first place."

I wasn't sure if this is where I would have started, but as she said, she's been thinking about it...

"Okay... how did you become a hairstylist, Chloe?"

She smiled as she blew out a thin plume of smoke.

"Zoe only learned some of this recently herself, you know," she said, setting back in her chair.

"There is certainly an enigmatic quality to you," I said.

"I was twenty when I lost my virginity, Rachael." That was surprising. This woman oozed so much sexuality you could bottle it. But why was she telling me this? She was supposed to be telling me about becoming a hairstylist.

"What has that got to... " She held up her hand.

"I promise, its relevant. Kind of. My parents were Very Catholic, and the atmosphere at home has been charitably described as "oppressive" by my own sister. Both she and my brother shot across the country as soon as they could and had advised me to do the same. I ended up in Bristol, studying accounting. I had a very insular personality back then... yes, really! I pretty much stuck to myself when in dorms.

"It wasn't until my second year, when i moved into a house with two other girls. I'd gotten to know one of them, Tracey, and we got on really well. Both of them -- the other girl was called Emma, by the way -- both of them turned out to be complete fuckaholics."

She had to pause at this point because poor Zoe had snorted her drink, trying not to laugh, which made us both laugh.

"I'm so sorry Miss Choe....I'd never heard that expression before!"

"It's okay dear. So, they would bring guys home to fuck in their rooms, and I got to hear it all."

"You could have worn... noise cancelling earphones, or..." I was suggesting, but she cut me off.

"Oh, you misunderstand, dear. I wasn't being sarcastic. I loved listening to them. I used to lie awake at night and wait for them to come home from the pub, or nightclub, wondering if they've brought someone with them. I could imagine it all, Rachael. And I'd touch myself, listening, and I would orgasm alongside them. I could even tell when they'd been thoroughly satisfied and when they'd had to fake it."

I looked at Zoe, who must have been having the same recollection as me, of when I'd snuck a boyfriend into my room one night and we'd fucked for a good solid hour while my parents were out. Zoe's room was next door to mine, and I'd sworn her to secrecy. It had never occurred to me that she might have gotten some enjoyment out of it herself! And now, she was blushing, smiling and looking bashful.

"Horny minx," I said, lightly kicking her shin under the table. She laughed and I bade Chloe to continue.

"Well, she said, "just like Zoe, I was found out, by Tracey. One morning we were having some toast and she asked if I'd enjoyed the show. I was like, "what?" and she looked at me and said, I know you were listening to us fuck. I almost choked on my toast.

"I was so embarrassed and started apologising and all sorts. I thought she'd kick me out of the house, my anxiety was escalating by the second til she took my hand and said, it's okay, I'm not mad.