Some of my readers requested that I translate some of my Afrikaans stories into English. Here is my first effort. I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to comment or vote.
*****
It's Friday night. I am at a barbecue at my friend Derek's house along with other guests. The men are socializing with drinks in hand around the fire. After the usual rugby talk, the topic soon turns to women. Jacques, one of the guys, starts teasing. "I wish I had such a nice job as our friend, Jason here. He plays with other people's wives and girlfriends all day and then he calls it work. And he gets paid for it! Lucky dog!" Everyone agrees. I'm a freelance architect by profession, but I also 'freelance' as a masseur. I am single and live alone in a big house. I have converted part of the house into a massage parlor. Most people find my combination of occupations very strange.
A few years ago I worked on an architectural project in Japan as part of an exchange student program for my Masters. The people with whom I was staying ran a massage parlor from their home. I have learned a tremendous amount about the art of massaging from Hiroyuki, my host, and even helped out with many massage sessions to compensate in part for my boarding and lodging. I enjoyed it tremendously and decided to try it here in South Africa. The men here think it's wonderful and that it is an inexhaustible source of naked women and steamy sex sessions. If only it were true! But let them believe what they want.
"Jason, maybe you should take Jessie for a session." says Derek, our host. "She's become such a prude lately and is incredibly uptight. Do you think you can do something for her? "
Jessica is his beautiful wife. Everyone calls her just Jessie, or Jess.
"Well, I don't believe I can do much about the prudishness, but stress is my forte." I answer. I don't take him seriously, though, and laugh it off as a case of the liquor doing the talking.
On Monday morning, however, I receive a phone call from Derek. He wants to book a massage session for Jessie. "Are you available this afternoon round two o'clock?" he asks.
"Absolutely!" I say. I would be out of my mind if I did not make time for Jess. I have no idea how he managed to convince her. She's quite reserved. "Are you coming too?" I ask.
"No thanks!" he replies. "If you had a sexy young assistant, it would of course have been a completely different matter ..." he jokes.
"Any preferences or requests?" I ask.
"None at all. Let her decide. But don't be too hard on her. "
"I will take good care of her, I promise." I say and hang up.
It's Monday afternoon two o'clock. The doorbell rings. It's Jess. She is wearing a light summer dress and has a beach bag over the shoulder. She is looking as fresh as a daisy - an absolutely stunning woman! What makes her special is the rare combination of jet-black hair and blue eyes - the so-called "Spanish blonde". However, she has quite a light complexion. It makes me wonder if her hair color, as is the case with most women, comes from a bottle. What makes her even more remarkable is the fact that she appears to be totally unaware of the effect she has on most men.
I invite her in and lead her through to the massage room.
"Jason, this is a first for me. You'll have to be patient. Oh, and please remember - this is Derek's idea, not mine." she points out. "But can I ask you a few questions before we start?"
"Of course!" I reply, offering her a chair next to the massage bed.
She peers wide-eyed at the bed. "Can you tell me in a nutshell what my options are?"
"Jess, I'm going to be honest with you. I want you to know exactly what you're letting yourself in for. A massage is mainly about one thing - the body. It is about relaxation and massaging of certain key muscles and nerve pressure points in order to make you feel better. To access these key points properly, one is sometimes compelled to work in close contact with most body parts, including the privates. It may, therefore, in some cases become a very erotic experience. Some people are comfortable with it and others find it offensive." I briefly explain the various types of massages that I offer. She listens attentively.
"This 'full body massage' that I have heard of it. How does it work? Must a person be totally naked?" she asks hesitantly.
"Preferably, but not necessarily. I normally leave that to my clients to decide." I explain. "Oh, and I let them decide how far they want things to go. I have no expectations and will certainly not do anything that the customer is not comfortable with. It is very important to me that my customers are comfortable at all times. But I must warn again, it can be quite a sensual and erotic experience."
"I'm not really interested in any of the 'naked' or erotic massages, thank you." she says firmly. "But I will leave it up to you. Do what you think best, as long as it stops when I say so."
"Perfectly good enough for me." I assure her. "But you have to understand that it is ultimately about sensual pleasures. So think carefully before you tell me to stop. There is nothing you can do that will shock me, so do not stop me just because you think that I will think less of you or anything. "
"Sensual pleasure ... I will keep that in mind. What should I wear? I brought a swimsuit ..."
"I would prefer that you use the clothes that are in the locker room." I answer. "We will be using oils and things that might ruin your swimwear. These garments are disposable and made specifically for massage sessions."
"Okay then. What do these garments look like? I hope it's not too revealing ..." she says with a worried look.
"Nothing sexy. It's like a boob tube with shoulder straps with very modest matching panties. But go see for yourself." I say. She steps into the locker room and closes the door. I wait patiently.
"Heavens!" she calls after a while. "It's not very modest!!"
"Massage gown behind the door, Jess!" I say. "Please bring two towels as well to cover the 'naughty bits' if you want." I start getting the necessary oils and stuff ready.
"Naughty bits, huh..? OK, then." she says. "But can I keep the gown on?"
"For now, yes. We'll see how it goes."
Finally, she steps out of the locker room. She is wearing the gown, the front covered right up to the neck region, two towels under one arm. "What now?" she asks, hesitantly.
"Now we begin. If there is anything I do with which you are uncomfortable, just say the word and I will stop. "I assure her." Come and sit here on the bed."
"Do I have to take the gown off?" she asks.
"Not yet necessary."
She breathes a sigh of relief.
"Okay, let's get started." I say, and move in behind her. I put my hands on her shoulders and begin to massage her neck over the gown with my thumbs. She gradually begins to relax and we make small talk while I do my thing.