Part 31, Never Smile at a Crocodile.

In the daylight the club didn't look so good, but then most bars are creatures of the night anyway, and like vampires, don't do well in sunlight.  Still, Helen and Nina had chosen this time of day to visit Katie because they hoped that without a crowd to play to, the woman might be more approachable.  Nina, Helen, and Jim had all talked together after they had gotten back from the Angel Islands, and had agreed that Katie was their best hope of getting out from under Sarah Wickland, their boss.  But they had to rush to get to Katie, because Sarah was due back in town the next day, and the two young women didn't want to spend another day subject to the Legallady's whims.  Nina and Helen, because they were rushed, had to go without Jim, though.  He had a prior engagement that afternoon with the admissions office of his new school, one he couldn't break.

"Good luck," he told Nina, kissing her softly before leaving her home earlier, "and be careful."

"We will," she replied, sad to see him go.

But Nina was glad she wasn't going alone, and when Kelly told them that they would probably find Katie at the club, they left immediately.

Now they sat in Helen's car in the almost empty parking lot, watching the building.  Both of them were trying to gather the courage to go inside.

"Do you get the feeling we're about to make a deal with the Devil?" Helen asked quietly.

Nina looked over at her friend.  "I know your last meeting with her really affected you.  If you like, I can go in alone!"

Helen shook her head.  "No, I couldn't let you go alone.  Together, we can protect each other."

Nina smiled and squeezed Helen's hand.  "Okay, let's go."

They got out, and dressed almost identically in long pants and blouses, they made their way to the door.

Inside it was almost too dark after the brightness of the sun, and the two young women stood blinking for a full minute while their eyes adjusted.  It was quiet inside, and it also seemed oddly dead.  This place obviously only came to life at night, Nina thought.  They made their way further inside, until they heard a female voice coming from the back.

Helen held her breath and took Nina's hand, for she recognized Katie's voice.

The two girls walked around the bar and saw a small office set in one corner by the bathrooms.  The door was open, and sitting behind the desk inside was Katie, on the phone.  She was elegantly dressed in a black dress, and looked up to see who had invaded her privacy.  She smiled, and Nina suddenly heard a song from her childhood playing in her head.
 
 

"Never smile at a crocodile,

No you can't get friendly with a crocodile.

Don't be taken in, by his welcome grin,

He's imagining how well you'd fit within his skin!"
 
 

Nina almost giggled.

Katie put the phone down and stared at her visitors.  "Well, well, look who we have here.  Come in!" she said.

The two young women stepped carefully into the office as if testing for trap doors.  Mixed feelings made each of them wonder if they were doing the right thing.

Katie looked them both up and down rather deliberately, her gaze settling on Helen for a moment.  "Helen, lovely as usual.  I do hope we get to spend more time together later," she said warmly.

Helen took a deep breath before answering.  "To be honest, Katie, I hope we don't!"

Katie laughed.  "Well, I never punish honesty, or at least I usually don't, so maybe I can change your mind later."  Then she looked at Nina again, and Nina recognized lust when she saw it.  It made her blush.  "If I had known the two of you were coming, I would have set up a proper reception for you!"

"That's okay," Nina said, "we don't need one."

"Well, what do you need then?" Katie answered, "I doubt this is a social visit."

Nina and Helen were both taken back a bit by Katie's direct question.  Nina decided to be direct too.

"Sarah Wickland," she said.

"What about her?" Katie asked.

"You have something on her, something that gives you some control over her; what is it?"

Katie laughed again.  "Really, little girl!  Do you expect me to answer that?  If that is what you came for, then you're wasting your time.  I'm not about to reveal THAT secret until I need to!"

"But it IS true that you have something on her?" Nina asked.

Katie inclined her head in a slight nod.

Nina paused and glanced at Helen for a second.  Both had agreed earlier that Nina would do the talking.  "Okay, well I guess we don't have to know what it is.  But Katie, I need to ask you a...favor."

Katie had been leaning back in her chair, but she now sat up.  "A favor..." she said slowly, stretching the word out.  "Well, well, well.  In that case, sit down ladies, so we can talk!"

Nina and Helen really didn't like the sound of Katie's invitation, but they sat anyway.

"A favor," Katie said again, pushing her chair back away from the desk a few feet.  "Now I am always ready to do a favor for a friend, but where are my manners?  You must be thirsty.  Ashley, go get us something to drink, dear!"

Nina and Helen both looked about the office, puzzled at Katie's last remark, but then heard some shuffling and bumping from under the desk.  Seconds later, a head appeared and Nina recognized the waitress from the last time she had come here.  Ashley.  The girl tried to keep her face neutral as she crawled out from under the desk where she had been hiding, but there was no mistaking the humiliation she felt at being revealed.  Especially as she was nude, except for a steel band about her throat, and cuffs holding her hands behind her.  Also, her face glistened slightly as if covered in something, and both Helen and Nina began to blush as they realized what they had interrupted.

Ashley didn't look at them, and as she turned, Nina could see that she was completely hairless from the neck down.  She watched as the mortified girl quickly left the room.

"A darling, isn't she?" Katie said with a smile.  "So, I take it this...favor...has to do with Sarah?"

Nina nodded, and began to tell Katie about how Sarah was blackmailing them both.  "What we want is an equalizer," Nina said, "something that would stop her from using what she has on us.  We were hoping that you could help!"

Katie sat back.  "It sounds like rather harmless fun to me!" she said with a grin.

Ashley chose that moment to come back in.  She was still bound as before, but someone had hung a tray around her neck, where it sat just below her breasts.  Set into holders in the tray was a pitcher of something brown and several glasses.

"Iced tea.  Perfect!" Katie said with a clap of her hands.  "Help yourselves, ladies.  Ashley isn't in quite the position to pour right now."

Both Nina and Helen just sat and stared at Ashley, until she moved closer to them.  She dropped to her knees between their two chairs, her back to Katie, and offered the tray to them.  Helen pulled the pitcher from its holder, making Ashley gasp.  Apparently the holder kept the ice cold pitcher pressed right against her left breast, chilling it completely.

Eyes wide, Helen took a glass and poured herself some of the cold drink, then she poured some for Nina, before putting the cold pitcher back in its holder.  Through this, Ashley avoided eye contact with either woman.

Nina didn't know where to look, and tried not to stare when the nude waitress moved on to serve Katie.  She couldn't help watching though, as Katie slowly pulled the cold pitcher from its holder and poured her own drink.  Katie then took an ice cube out of her drink with her fingers and gestured for Ashley to turn around.  Nina and Helen watched captivated, as Katie calmly pushed the ice cube up into Ashley's rear as if it was a perfectly normal thing to do in front of visitors.  She patted Ashley's rump affectionately.  "Now be a dear and take the tray back to Marshal, will you?  Hurry back!"

Ashley nodded, and blushing very red, she moved quickly out of the room.  Katie sipped her drink and smiled at her guests.  She noted the distressed looks on both of them.  "Oh, don't mind Ashley," she said, "she and I have our own little arrangement.  It's harmless, really!"

Nina and Helen both wondered about her definition of 'harmless'.

"Are you going to help us?" Nina asked.

Katie blinked before answering.  "What Sarah and I have, is between us.  I'm not about to use it for someone else's benefit."

Helen sighed and Nina dropped her head.

"But..." Katie went on, "this doesn't mean that I can't help you in another way."

"What do you mean?" asked Nina.

Katie leaned forward.  "What if I was to help you get something on her yourselves?  Something of your own that would allow you to get back the freedom you want.  Sound good?"

Helen nodded.  "Yes, it does."

Nina wasn't so sure.  "You'd help us find something to blackmail Sarah with?"

"Not find...make!  It's always better to grow your own," chuckled the brunette.

"That sound's good," Helen said.

"Wait a minute," said Nina.  "I think we're making a mistake here.  I think we'd better go."  Nina was getting cold feet about the whole idea.  She didn't TRUST Katie.

"Go?"  Helen said, looking at her friend.  "Katie has just told us that she would help us, and you want to go?"

Nina paused, but before she could answer, she saw Ashley come back in, minus the tray.  The nude young woman stopped just inside the door.

Katie stared at Nina, and pushed back from the desk.  "Back to work, Ashley," she said.

Ashley whimpered, her face showing her misery, but Katie didn't even look at her.  She didn't need to.  Slowly, as if going to her death, Ashley padded around the desk and sunk to her knees, moving out of sight of the two young women.

Katie, after a moment, moved forward, trapping the girl under her desk.  Nina and Helen didn't want to think about what Ashley was doing under there.

"I can understand your reservations," Katie said with a grin.  "But let me tell you something about that woman.  She is slick, very slick.  I've known her for years, and have rarely known her to come out the worse in a deal.  It's what makes her such a good lawyer, but it also makes her a really bad loser...and I know she is gunning for the two of you.  I heard about that little mishap in court.  Do you think that's all forgotten already?  No way.  She is going to get her pound of flesh from each of you over that embarrassment, and she won't do it quickly.  She'll take her time, and will savor each and every ounce.  I know, because we're a lot alike in some ways.  You can't afford to let her get her way much longer, for soon her claws will be so deep into you that anything-ANYTHING-would be preferable to what she can do to you.  Isn't that right, Ashley?"

A grunt sounded from below the desktop.

"It took me years to finally best her, and I know you don't have that kind of time.  Let me help you, because dealing with Sarah Wickland would be a pleasure."

Nina looked her in the eye.  "It seems that we don't have a choice, do we?"

"Not really, not if you want to win."

Nina finally nodded and stood up.  "Okay then.  Perhaps you can give me a call then later, when you aren't so...busy.  We can go over details."

Katie smiled and practically purred.  "I think we're forgetting something."

"What?" Nina said, her blood turning cold.

"What's in it for me?" Katie replied.

"You said it would be a pleasure dealing with her," Nina said, sitting down again.

"Oh and it will, believe me.  But that's what I like about favors...you do one for someone, and they do one for you in return!"  She looked lustfully at Nina again.

Nina and Helen looked at each other.  "I'm not having sex with you!" Nina said firmly, making Katie chuckle.

"Oh, I know you won't...now.  But that's not what my price is."

"What do you want?"

Katie smiled, and that song ran through Nina's head again.  "Two things...one small, one not so small, but not so big either."

"I'm listening," Nina said quietly.

"First thing, right now.  Nina, Helen, I want you to both stand up and get undressed, right now.  You will stay standing for a few minutes, and then I will let you get dressed and go."

"Is that it?"  Nina asked suspiciously.

"That's all, for the first thing.  Such a small favor, how can you refuse?"

Nina looked at Helen, who looked scared.  But she nodded and stood up.  "I'm willing, let's get it over with."

Nina sighed.  For her it wasn't the nudity, it was just being there in front of Katie.  Yet it did seem like such a small thing compared to getting out from under Sarah.  She stood up too.

Both Nina and Helen had unconsciously overdressed before coming here, wanting to hide themselves from Katie.  But now they both stood nervously and began to remove their clothing, aware of Katie's eyes upon them, and of what was probably happening below the desk.

Nina was naked first, her lack of a bra giving her one less thing to take off, and she waited patiently for Helen to join her in their nudity.  Helen undressed more slowly, and seemed to remove each item of clothing with great effort.  But soon both were nude, and they stood, unsure what to do next.

"Hands behind your heads," Katie said.  "Yes, that's right.  Now, don't move until I say so."

Nina and Helen both stood still, blushing under the gaze of the club owner as she looked them over.  To Nina and Helen's collective horror, Katie's breathing began to shallow and quicken, and a flush appeared on her face.  They watched, half fascinated, half disgusted, as Katie was evidently brought to orgasm by Ashley under the desk while Katie took in their nude bodies.  Nina felt thoroughly humiliated at being used that way.  She knew she had probably become the masturbatory fantasy of at least a few of the people she had been manipulated into exposing herself to since she moved out here, but to have it done right in front of her face was appalling.

Katie smiled, her event apparently over.  "Before you dress, the second favor.  I want you both to come back here tonight, 8 pm.  You will both dance for me, for the club."

"What?" Nina said, putting her hands down.

"You will both come dance on stage tonight.  You will dance, and you will take suggestions from the crowd, which you will obey.  Four hours, that's all.  To make things easy on you, I'll set some restrictions.  You don't leave the stage, and no one, except perhaps Ashley here, goes on it.  Agreed?"

"No!  I'm not going to dance for your friends!" Nina said.

"Are you sure about that?" Katie said.  "What about you, Helen; does it sound fair to you?"

Helen stood with her arms about her chest.  "Is that all we have to do, dance?"

Katie laughed.  "I doubt very much that would be all you have to do.  I expect that the two of you would be nude fairly soon after you got on stage.  But no one will touch you, that I promise."

Helen looked at Nina.  "Well, that sounds okay."

"Helen!" Nina said.

"Come on, Nina, one show, one night.  It gets us away from Sarah.  I think we could stand one more night for that!"

Nina looked down, she didn't know what to think.

"Well?"  Katie asked.

Nina made her decision.
 
 

---***---
 
 

"Maybe we should have let Jim come along," Helen said, staring at the outside of the club in the dark.  She and Nina were now back at the club, just before eight, the time specified by Katie for their...payment.

"No, he would only have stopped us.  He wouldn't allow this," Nina said nervously.

"You sure?  I know he isn't adverse to these kinds of games, you've told me yourself!"

"No!  Jim is different.  Sure, he likes to play naked games, and sometimes they are a little humiliating.  But...well, there is nothing malicious about what Jim wants.  It's all in fun.  Nothing like Sarah or..." she gestured at the club.

Helen nodded slowly and sighed.  "It's a pity he can't just buy Sarah off!"

"He could, but I won't ask him," Nina replied.  "I don't want to...well...I have to solve my own problems, I can't have him spending his money on me like that."

Helen sighed again, but said nothing.

Nina looked at her.  "Helen, you don't have to do this.  I can go in alone and say you couldn't make it.  You don't have to put yourself through all this."

"No.  If you go, I go!  I can't let you go in there alone.  Besides, she said she wanted both of us, right?"  Helen gave Nina a brave smile, and they held hands for a second, combining their strength.

"You're a good friend, Helen," Nina said.

Helen blinked.  "You too," she whispered.

They got out of the car and headed into the club.

Katie was waiting for them.  "Ah!  There you are, right on time.  Come on, come on!"

Nina and Helen didn't say a word as they were led through the crowd of mostly women, all who looked at them with interest.  Had word spread already about the evening's entertainment?  Katie stopped just short of a small raised stage normally used for live bands, although a jukebox was playing at the moment.

"Okay, here are the rules," she said in a business-like manner.  "Your four hours start the second you go up on stage.  While there, you do whatever the crowd yells at you to do, and if they aren't telling you to do anything, then you dance to the music.  No one else except for Ashley will be coming up on the stage, and if anyone does, they have to deal with me!"

Katie smiled in a way that made Nina hope no one messed with her.  "You get OFF the stage for any reason before your four hours are up, and the deal is off.  You get no help from me with Sarah.  Agreed?"

"How do we know we can trust you?" Nina said.

"You don't!  But then, what other options do you have?"

Nina stared at Katie for a moment, before looking at Helen.

Helen's eyes were wide and she looked scared, yet there was a determination there to get this over with.  "Let's do this," she said.

Nina just wanted to leave; she felt hemmed in, trapped, but she was out of options.  She turned and mounted the stage, followed by Helen.  Neither of them saw Katie's satisfied smile.

From up on the stage, the crowd of people looked huge in the confines of the club, and all Nina could do was stop and stare.

"You're supposed to be dancing!" Katie yelled at them, so Nina and Helen began to move to the beat of the music, not doing much of anything except shifting their bodies.  The crowd near the stage began to pay attention to them, and soon the young women were under close observation.

Nina watched their eyes and got a shock.  It was almost all women, and Nina had hoped for some feminine sympathy from them, but for the most part the looks on their faces were just like what she would expect from a crowd of men in a similar situation.  She knew this was a lesbian bar, but still it was a shock.  The interested looks seemed to bore into her.

"PUT SOME LIFE INTO IT!" someone yelled, and blushing, Nina made an effort to dance better.  She looked over at Helen who had turned around, her back to the crowd.  But Helen was soon urged to face the onlookers, and her humiliation, once more.

Suggestions were called out as to how to dance, and Nina began to comply, even when most of those suggestions were for her touching herself provocatively as she moved like some Michael Jackson video.  When the crowd caught on to the fact that both Nina and Helen would do whatever they asked, the requests came at them faster and became a lot more suggestive.  Nina and Helen were told to dance together, to hold each other, to...touch each other.  Nina wondered if there was anything as bad as having to strip, and thought maybe this forced intimacy might be it.  She looked in Helen's eyes as she placed her right hand on Helen's chest, and saw her own confusion and misery reflected back at her.

Then came the request she had expected, yet still not wanted to hear.  "TAKE HER CLOTHES OFF!"

Nina and Helen both looked at the crowed, trying to pick out what woman had yelled it.  But the call was taken up by many, and the group now collectively yelled for them to strip each other.

Both Nina and Helen had conservatively dressed in long skirts and blouses, hoping to avoid any sexual references while they danced.  But it hadn't really worked, and they hadn't really expected it to.

"STRIP, STRIP, STRIP!" the crowd began to chant.

"Who's first," Nina said to Helen, resigned.

"You do me first," Helen said.

"You sure?"

Helen nodded and swallowed.  So Nina began to undo the buttons of Helen's blouse.  The crowd cheered upon seeing this, and the chant died down, although there were calls for both of them to keep on dancing, so Nina and Helen tried to move to the music as they suffered.

Neither of them were professionals, and neither had undressed another under the condition they had to face that night, so Nina was understandably all thumbs as she worked to undo the tiny buttons down the front of Helen's blouse.  As Nina unbuttoned, Helen's white bra came into view, and the crowd loved it, whistling and catcalling like a bunch of drunken men.

"DO HER SKIRT FIRST!" someone shouted, so Nina obediently moved to Helen's hip and the zipper for the heavy wool skirt.

"You ready?" Nina said to Helen, loud enough for only her friend to hear.  Helen just nodded, so Nina pulled the zipper down and tugged on the skirt.  It slipped down easily and Helen stepped out of it, kicking it toward the back of the stage, out of reach of the crowd.  She stood stiffly in her mostly unbuttoned blouse, her legs now revealing her pantyhose.

Nina resumed work on Helen's blouse, and in moments, it was completely undone.  Nina hesitated, but at the urging of the crowd, she slid it off Helen's shoulders and tossed it in back.  She was told to continue.

Nina looked out at the crowd and saw Katie smiling at her.  With her was Ashley in her abbreviated waitress outfit.  Ashley didn't look that happy, but gave Nina an encouraging smile.

Helen's bra was a front closer, and Helen could feel herself shiver with what she thought was excitement as Nina reached for the clasp.  She was mortified at having to stand there while being stripped by her friend, yet at the same time she could feel a thrill that seemed to go down to her most intimate spot.  Helen was very confused.  She felt a sudden release in the pressure about her chest, and without looking she knew her bra was undone.  A sudden chill about her breasts, and she knew they were bare.  A tear welled up in one eye.

Nina cast aside the bra; there were more whistles from the crowd, and they began to chant again.  All Helen wore now were her panties, pantyhose, and shoes, and the crowd was eager for them to go.

So Nina took a hold of the waistband and pulled down hard, bringing down both panty and hose at the same time.  She heard Helen gasp and looked up.  "I just want to get this over with," Nina said.

Helen nodded and began to step out of the last of her clothing.  It all went to the back of the stage.

Now Helen was completely nude, and the group wanted her to dance for a minute.  She did so, stiffly, her unease plain on her face, until someone said it was her turn to undress the other one.

Nina stood quietly as Helen turned to face her.  Dressed much as Helen had been, except for the fact she wore no hose, she was about to feel what Helen had just experienced.

Helen started on Nina's skirt, undoing the zipper and letting it fall so Nina could kick it back.  Then she took off Nina's shoes.  Nina was still pretty well covered by her long blouse though, and the crowd was eager to see more.

Helen stood in front of Nina, as if to hide her friend as she undid the blouse.  "I'm really sorry, Nina," Helen said.

"You've nothing to be sorry for," Nina replied, and the friends shared a smile.

Helen was a bit more nimble fingered, and in moments the blouse was undone, revealing Nina's pink underwear.  Nina removed her own blouse and tossed it in the back.

Helen now had to move behind Nina, for her bra was a rear close.  She took several seconds to undo all the hooks, yet hesitated in removing it.

"TAKE IT OFF, TAKE IT OFF!" yelled the crowd, and there was a big cheer when Helen pulled the bra away to reveal Nina's well-tanned breasts.

Nina instinctively reached up to cover herself, but stopped.  She had gone naked before so many people since coming to live here that she knew it was ridiculous for her to still be so shy, yet the atmosphere here was such that it seemed so fresh.  But there was one item yet to come.

Helen decided to come around in front again, and she knelt to pull Nina's panties off.  Again she felt that odd thrill as she thought about what she was doing, kneeling nude before Nina, about to render her friend as naked as she was.  It didn't make much sense to her, not to anything she would admit to.  Yet...

She pulled down in one swift motion as Nina had done to her, and the crowed cheered.  Seconds later, both girls were on their feet again and dancing, naked to the crowd.

The suggestions started coming again, and again they started out tentative and became more suggestive as time went on.  Nina wondered how long they had been up there, it had seemed like forever already, and as she cupped her generous breasts at someone's request, she tried to see a clock.

Movement behind her, and Nina whirled to see Ashley picking up their clothes.  Nina and Helen both rushed right over.

"What are you doing?" Nina asked, trying to grab for her clothes.

"Nina, please!" said Ashley, "I have to take them!"

"No you don't, leave them here!" Helen said.

"I can't...PLEASE!"  Ashley looked scared and both Nina and Helen relented.  They were both lost, not at all in control of the situation, and both wondered where it would lead.  They watched in despair as Ashley gathered their things and left the stage.  Now they had nothing.

The crowd was yelling at them to come back, so they did, and the suggestions grew into orders that the girls tried their best to at least pretend to follow.  Some were outright lewd though, and both Nina and Helen faked what they could, especially when penetration was involved.

Then someone tossed Helen a big rubber dildo.  "SHOVE THIS IN YOUR TWAT!" someone yelled at her, and Helen just stood and stared at it.  The crowd began to chant, "DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!" and as if hypnotized, Helen picked up the dildo.

"No!" Nina said to her, but then she caught Katie's eye.  Katie was sitting at a nearby table and the look she gave Nina chilled her blood.

Helen stood with the dildo for a long five minutes before she eased it against her pussy.  She began to rub herself with it, and the mob went wild.  Cheers were almost continuous now as Helen did herself, while Nina stood to one side and watch in horrified silence.  When Helen actually pushed the dildo inside herself, the cheers grew even louder.

More suggestions started coming, and Nina closed her eyes, for they concerned the two of them.  The crowd was calling for them to start touching each other once more.

Helen walked carefully over to Nina, her eyes wide, and the two of them stared at each other.  Nina didn't want to take this next step; she couldn't, yet she couldn't stop Helen, who seemed to be operating on remote control, from approaching her either.  That first touch on her bare breast made her shudder and begin to cry.

Helen was in shock, all the excitement having gone now.  She couldn't believe that she was standing in front of all these people with a rubber dildo in her pussy, and now she had the chance to do something she realized she had wanted to do for a long time.  Yet, now she didn't want it.  She didn't want to touch Nina; she didn't want to do the things the people were telling her to do.  But she couldn't stop herself, she felt like she was just observing her body rather than controlling it as her hands started to caress Nina's soft form.  She could see that Nina was crying, and knew that neither of them was getting any pleasure from this.  Even the dildo rubbing her sensitive spots felt like just a dull weight inside her.  Helen thought of Kevin, the nice guy she met on the boat trip, and how he would feel if he knew what Helen was doing right now.  She felt very dirty.

"KISS HER, KISS HER, KISS HER!" was the new chant.

Helen and Nina moved together slowly, nipples touching, both in pain from the humiliation, both in tears.  Their faces drew close and both could see in the eyes of the other the pain they shared.

"I'm sorry," they both whispered at the same time, and their lips touched.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" yelled a single male voice, and the crowd went silent.

"James Barb, I presume," said Katie over the silence of the crowd.

Nina looked over, it was Jim.  He began pushing through the group followed by the big bouncer.  Katie waved the bouncer back.  "I'm glad to see you, James," Katie said.  "How do you like our little show?"

Jim ignored her.  Instead, he climbed up on the stage where the two women still embraced, and approached them.  He looked angry.  "What's going on, Nina?" he asked, looking at both of them.

Nina explained quickly how Katie was going to help them, IF they did as she wanted this night.

"Are you crazy?" Jim said angrily.

"It was the only way out for us!" Nina said.

"I told you to ask her for help, but you should have told me about all this!"  He took Nina's chin in one hand, and his expression changed to one showing a lot more concern.  Nina could see that his anger was fueled by his caring for her.  "Nina, I love you, and if we are to have a life together, then you have to let me protect you when I can.  You should have told me, you didn't have to do this."

"I do, WE do," she answered.  "We STILL do!  Go away, Jim, you can't help!"

"Can't I?" he said, his anger back.  He turned and walked over to Katie.  Nina and Helen didn't let go of each other, they didn't dare move.  Each hoped that Jim COULD do something, but didn't know what.  Both were also still reacting to the kiss and everything that led up to it, or they would have if they hadn't been so numb with shock.

They watched Jim and Katie walk to a far side of the bar, while the rest of the patrons settled back to their own fun.  Jim looked like he was arguing with Katie, who remained calm and collected before the younger man.  Nina began to despair that Jim could do anything to help.  But then the attitudes of both changed.  Jim grew calmer and was actually smiling a little, while Katie looked more alert and more interested.  Soon the two shook hands and made their way back to the stage.

"Get out of here, now!" Katie told them.

"We can go?" Helen said.

"Yeah, go now before I come to my senses and change my mind."

"What about Sarah?" Nina said.  She wasn't about to leave with out that being resolved.  She wasn't about to let this evening's humiliation be for nothing.

Katie looked at Jim for a moment before answering.  "I'll take care of her.  I'll call in a few days with the details.  In the meantime, you do as she says, don't let on about our arrangement.  We'll take her as soon as we're ready.  Now go!"

Jim came up on stage.  "Where are your clothes?" he asked.

Neither Nina nor Helen knew where Ashley had taken them, and Ashley wasn't around either.  "Never mind, come on."

They began to walk off the stage, and the sudden movement reminded Helen about the dildo.  Her face turning red, she pulled it from herself and angrily threw it at the crowd who still watched the drama.  A woman caught it and licked it, eliciting a laugh and making Helen cringe.

The two nude women and the young man left the club and climbed into a car outside.  Nina and Helen both climbed into the back and huddled together, unwilling to separate despite what they had been forced to do.  On the drive back, they both started to cry, the emotional upheaval of the evening finally catching up with them.

Jim had planned to drop both of them at their homes, but he was no fool and saw that neither of them were in any shape for that.  So he did the best thing he could think of, and drove to his parents' house.

His mother was an instant help, and immediately pushed Jim aside once he had quickly explained what Nina and Helen had been through.  She got the sobbing women out of the car and took them both upstairs to one of the many bedrooms in their large home.  Servants came and went, but Jim was told to wait downstairs with his father.  They sat in silent communication.

Eventually, Yvette came down and asked for Jim.  "Nina, and the other little one, they need you now," she said simply.

"Thank you, Mother," Jim replied.

"Your Nina, she is strong.  The other...she will need a bit more help.  But both will pull through, especially when that horrible Sarah Wickland is punished along with this Katie person.  You will take care of them, n'est pas?"

Jim nodded.  He made his way upstairs and found the room where his love was in semi darkness.  Both Nina and Helen were lying together under the covers of the big bed.  Separate, yet still holding hands, not willing to be parted just yet.  Both were more composed however.

"You okay?" Jim asked.

Helen nodded while Nina spoke.  "We'll be okay.  Your mother is a saint!"

Jim smiled.  "Yeah, she's amazing.  Look, I'm sorry I got angry."

"You had every right to be.  What we did was stupid," Nina replied.  "But how did you get us out of it?"

Jim looked uncomfortable.  "Just a private deal between me and Katie.  You're not involved, and I plan to keep it that way.  Okay?" he said firmly.

Nina nodded, so Jim got up.  "I'll let you guys sleep, you need the rest."

"Jim!" Nina called out, so he stopped.  "Please...don't go.  Don't leave us...not tonight."

Jim looked startled.  He glanced at Helen, who actually smiled and said,  "Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, Jim Barb, all we want is your company!"

Jim chuckled, and after a moment so did Helen.  Nina joined them and tension was released.  "Well," Jim said after a while, "you can hardly blame me when I get an invitation like that from two beautiful nude women in bed together!"

Nina and Helen glanced at each other, as if only then realizing that they were still nude under the covers.  Then Nina grinned and moved over so there was room in the bed on the OTHER side of her.

"I guess so," Nina said, "since you men are all alike and think too much with your gonads.  But you're dreaming if you think something like that will ever happen in real life, Mister!"

Jim began to take off his shirt.  "I know, but like you said, a man can dream!"  Once he was nude, he slipped into bed next to Nina, and the three of them lay quietly for a while.

"Can we trust her?" Nina said into the darkness.

"Oh yes, we can now," Jim replied.  He wouldn't comment further.
 
 

End of Part 31.