The Pride of Galloway, Ch 13
The Lady Natalie Adair got out of the carriage and stood in front of the warehouse, staring up at the red brick building. It was old and there were chips missing from the brick, especially at the corners, and the signage was as much rust as paint. Maynard Toys, the sign said. It was early in the evening and Natalie stood off to the side, watching as what seemed like the last of the workers filed out. When it had been ten minutes since the last one left, Natalie went to the side door and used the key that she had gotten from the same man who had given her the address and the information. It had cost her a fair amount of money—had cost her husband a fair amount, she mentally corrected herself—but she had learned that this toy company was owned by the father of Simone Mehler. Furthermore, Natalie had learned that the company was losing money and that Simone spent the evenings here going through their books, looking for evidence they could turn the business around or drop it. And that she was often here alone, or nearly alone, and that she often dressed in a rather conversative business suit, wearing a man’s pants and a blouse and jacket. Natalie had taken care to dress herself similarly. It had been two weeks since their dustup at the hotel after Natalie had beaten Ravenna De Luca after being disrespected by her and then, afterward, Simone had jumped her. Communicating through a mutual acquaintance, they had agreed to settle their disagreement in front of a small crowd the following week. However, Natalie had grown tired of visiting museums, going for walks along the riverbank, and reading poetry in coffee shops. She acted.
According to Natalie’s information, the business office was in the back of the building. She had entered into what looked like a storage area, with boxes stacked on boxes in long rows. The building had electric lighting but only a few were on, and she waited for her eyes to adjust. What she saw was as shabby on the inside as it had been on the outside. There were cracks in the walls and cobwebs everywhere, and dolls and toy soldiers had fallen out of their boxes and lay scattered on the floor. Finally, she found the door onto the assembly floor. The room had a high ceiling with individual desks arranged in a grid, each with its own stack of parts as well as things like ashtrays and coffee cups for the workers. Everything about the building made her sad. She stood next to the wall, looking back and forth, trying to determine which exit door would lead her to the business offices and Simone, but the information she’d gotten did not square with the layout of the building. Finally, she spotted a night watchman coming in through one of those exit doors, and she headed straight at him. He was obviously surprised to see a beautiful young woman in severe business attire on his rounds.
“Help you, miss?”
When she got close, she saw that he looked to be as sad as the rest of the building, and she turned on her charms. She slowed down, smiled while looking down at the floor sheepishly, and touched her hair once as she got close. “I certainly hope so. I seem to have gotten lost in your enormous factory.”
“Well, I don’t know about all that. But what is it you’re looking for?”
“I was supposed to meet my friend here. Or I was going to meet her here. I just heard she was in town and I was going to surprise her.”
“Ah, that would be Miss Mehler, then.”
“Yes, that’s her! If you could just point me toward her,” Natalie said hopefully, and the night watchman smiled and pointed toward one of the doors across the room and told her to just follow the hallway to the end. “And if you could just do me one more favor?” Natalie added, widening her smile. “We haven’t seen each other in years, and I was hoping we could get some privacy.”
“Oh, I’m not supposed to leave my post. Miss Mehler, she don’t take right to things like that.”
Natalie had seen this coming, and she was already reaching into her purse for a handful of bills. “It would mean so much to me and her both, I promise. And we won’t make too much racket.”
“I guess I could duck around the corner for a pint,” the guard said, eyeing the money. “And I have daughters of my own, I know how it is. Okay, then, but don’t make me the ass.”
So saying, the guard went out the front door and Natalie went through the door he had indicated. The hallway was on better than the rest of the building, of course, and her footsteps clicked oddly in the quiet. Just outside the door, Natalie stopped and composed herself. Her heart was pounding in her chest and the back of her neck in anticipation. Natalie was a beautiful young woman with sparkling blue long blonde hair that fell down in loose curls past her shoulders. She had a rather square jaw that conveyed her nobility and focus and a smile that could brighten the room or dash one’s hopes completely. She was rather short, in a way that magnified her femininity, and she had a magnificent figure, with very large and firm breasts, a flat stomach, and shapely hips. The conservative pants and blouse she wore now could no nothing to obscure her assets. As she stood before the office door, her hands flexed instinctively down at her sides, and she put her hand on the doorknob. For one instant she stopped and lingered, enjoying the anticipation and nervous energy, and as she did she noticed how cheap and rotten the knob and the doorjamb both were, and then she shoved the door open and entered. Simone was standing at a bookcase at the side of the room, and she turned and stared at the intruder. She was also a great beauty, with auburn hair that was parted in the middle and hung straight down, stopping just above her shoulders. Her face was an inverted triangle, with wide cheekbones and a narrow chin, and her light grey eyes seemed to reflect the room back on itself and give away nothing of her. She had a tremendous body that her blue and pants could no more hide than Natalie’s could, breasts not as large as Natalie’s perhaps but large and as perfectly shaped as her face and as mesmerizing as her light grey eyes. Her hips and thighs seemed strong and her ass shapely under the business pants.
Simone and Natalie stared at each other until Simone shut the binder she’d been holding and slid it quietly back onto the shelf. Then, still without speaking, she came forward to the center of the room. Natalie stepped forward from the door to meet her and they stood face to face, only a few feet apart. Their chests rose and fell hypnotically with their breathing.
“I guess you got tired of waiting?” Simone said at last. “Or is this a social call?”
In response, Nat slapped her across the face with a right. The blow sent her turning and Nat immediately grabbed her by the arm and spun her around and threw her into the wall. “Nope,” she answered. “I’m not here to talk to you. And this time I’m not exhausted from beating on your friend.”
Pushing herself off the wall, Simone slapped her with a right and a left and then while Nat was stunned she shoved her backward onto the desk. “Good,” Simone answered her in her oddly hoarse voice. “I don’t feel like talking, either.”
Nat slowly pushed herself off the desk and they squared off. They began circling, kicking off their shoes and rolling up the sleeves of their blouses as they did. Nat threw a punch, a wild right that missed, and Simone came under her outstretched arm and hit her in the stomach, then while she was stunned Simone tagged her in the breast with her other fist. Nat was knocked back against the wall but she was off it and moving to the side before Simone could get on her. Nat threw two more punches, equally wild, but Simone was backing away already and she fell short. While Nat was recovering Simone rushed her. She slapped her across the face and then pounded her breasts and stomach with rights and lefts. The force of it put Nat up against the wall and Simone came after her. But before she could capitalize Nat had grabbed hold of her. She took hold of Simone’s auburn hair and torquing her hips violently she spun her into the wall. Simone hit her back and the back of her head against the wall, grunting loudly, and sagged down, her head slumping forward. Nat struck fast. She punched up into her face, a much shorter and more controlled blow this time, rocking her head back and arching her back, and then she threw a right and a left into her breasts and then she slapped her viciously across the face. The strike to the face sent Simone sliding along the wall. Nat followed her as Simone staggered, supporting herself with one hand, but before Nat could catch her for another blow Simone reached the filing cabinet in the corner. She grabbed the heavy ledger there and with both hands whipped it around and caught Nat squarely in the forehead and Nat fell to the floor.
Nat landed flat on her face and lay there, stunned. As she tried to push herself up, Simone stamped her foot down onto the middle of her back, slamming her back down onto the hardwood. Nat moaned and pushed herself up again and this time when she felt Simone lift her leg for another stamping she whipped out her arm and hooked her plant leg and tipped her over. Simone fell to the ground next to her but as Nat tried to get on her Simone kicked at her. Nat absorbed the kicks with her arms but she couldn’t get to her and Simone got up and backed away from her. Her legs curled up under her now, Nat stared up at her from the floor. Simone was just out of her reach, but when Nat began to raise up Simone flinched like she was going to come in on her. This went on another round, then two, and this time Simone committed and came at her just as Nat leapt up from the floor. The women collided and went down to the floor in a heap and then they were tearing into each other. They lay lengthwise on the floor, pulling hair, bodies pressed together. They thrashed and strained and rolled back and forth, and when they weren’t pulling hair they were punching each other in the ribs or in the back. Finally, Nat got on top and she straddled Simone and slapped her back and forth but Simone maintained her grip on her hair. Then Nat sank her hands into the firm mounds of Simone’s bosom and crushed her through the blouse. Simone began moaning and then she was hissing and she kept pulling her hair. Nat gripped her even harder, kneading her large breasts, and Simone let go of her hair and began pulling at her hands. That got her nowhere and she started hitting Nat in the head. The blows did not have much force but then she clamped her fingers onto Nat’s ear and pulled on it. Nat immediately let go of the breasts and yanked her hand off of her ear and she rose and spun away.
“You bitch!” Nat yelled at her.
“What did you think this was?” Simone replied.
Both of them got to their feet and they started circling again, breathing hard, hair tussled, cheeks flushed red, and in their eyes the hard black hatred of feminine rage. Simone feinted and Nat leapt back and then when she tried to rush forward and catch her the auburn-haired beauty was out of the way again. This time, Nat tried to cut the corner as Simone shuffled left but she was too slow and she missed and then when she tried again and missed again Simone crashed into her. Nat was driven back into the wall and she instinctively grabbed at her hair but the other woman had hold of her enormous breasts. Simone pushed her into the wall and she was crushing and squeezing her breasts through the blouse. Nat howled in rage and pain and she pulled harder at the hair and she tried to use her foot to push herself off the wall but it was to no effect. Suddenly her breasts were being pushed up her chest and she realized that Simone had shifted her grip to the bottom of the feminine mounds and she was driving her legs against the ground with all her strength. The pain was even worse now and from the bottom of her eyes Nat could see the fingers digging into her, could see the fabric of the blouse deforming as Simone started twisting her as if she were a pair of dials. That was all she could take and in desperation Nat slammed both of her hands up into Simone’s elbows from below. The force jarred her loose and Nat was free. But she was still badly hurt and Simone grabbed her by the hair and snarling she pulled her forward. Nat was bent over and Simone propelled her by womanly force into the desk. Nat hit hard and she went flying over the top and to the floor on the other side.
“I’m going to rip those things off your chest,” Simone said as she came around the desk.
Lying on the floor, face down, stunned, Nat said nothing in response. Simone pulled her to her feet and put her on her back across the desk and Nat offered no resistance, still stunned, moaning. Her hair was splayed out in a blonde arc around her head and she was staring straight up at the ceiling when Simone climbed onto the desk and straddled her. She slapped her across the face and then backhanded her.
“I was expecting better,” she said. With that, she took hold of Nat’s blouse and ripped it open, exposing her majestic breasts encased in a black lace bra. “Those are very impressive, though,” she added.
With that, Simone slapped her across the breasts repeatedly and then she clamped onto them. She was pinching the meat of her breasts between her thumbs and her forefingers and the pain was excruciating. Nat howled and kicked her feet in the air but then rather than pull her hair Nat brought up both hands and clapped her on the sides of her head. She caught her squarely on the ears on both sides and Simone let go her of her breasts and sat up, staring forward, stunned. Nat took advantage and rolled the auburn-haired woman off of her and got herself away from the desk. She came to her feet, bent over, her ruined blouse hanging open to reveal the swell of her cleavage in her bra, and she glared at her through the blonde hair that hung down in front of her face. She was panting hard and her chest was rising and falling with each breath and she braced her hand on the bookcase behind her. Simone was the more composed of the two at this point. She was standing on the other side of the desk from Nat, perpendicular to her and looking out the rear windows of the office onto the bay, and she braced herself on it with one hand while she regained herself. It was nighttime now and the water of the bay was solid black. Her clothing was still intact, and she straightened her back, pushing her breasts forward, and ran her hands through her auburn hair and let loose with a long exhale. Then, finally, she turned and faced Nat.
“Come on, you cow,” Nat said.
The two women rushed at each other again. Simone slapped her across the face but Nat slapped her back with a right and a left and she had her hurt. Simone stumbled and Nat grabbed her by the hair from behind and yanked back hard. She had her looking straight up at the ceiling and she pulled her backward by the hair and yanked her again and slammed her into the bookcase along the wall behind her. The shelves were knocked loose and all the paperwork and ledgers went tumbling to the floor in a loud crash and Simone cried out but Nat did not let go of her hair. Turning again, still pulling her backward so that she was off balance, Nat pulled her into the desk. Simone hit at an angle and ended up lying on her back across the corner of the desk, her head dangling off the edge on one side and her lower legs off the other. Bending over her, staring down at her, Nat pulled down on her hair with one hand and her other hand she brought down in a vicious slap on her breast. Simone yelped in pain and Nat repeated the move and then Simone rotated and kicked Nat in the stomach. The blow sent her back into the ruined bookcase and Simone was pushing herself off the desk but Nat moved first. She grabbed her by the arm and pivoting she flung her into the far wall. Simone hit face first and she slumped against it, stunned, and Nat got on her again. She turned her around ripped open her blouse and then the front of her bra and then she stood to the side of her and chopped her across the breasts with the side of her hand. Simone howled and stood motionless for some time, panting and staring up at the ceiling, her gorgeous breasts hanging free now with the cups of her ruined bra hanging under her armpits. This time Nat brought her hand down onto the top of her breasts and Simone slid down the wall, clutching her chest, her breath hitching.
“We’re not done,” Nat told her.
She brought Simone up to her feet and then dragged her over and slammed her face down onto the desk. Then she pulled her back up by her hair and slugged her in the stomach, doubling her over, and then seized hold of her ruined shirt and twisting she flung her into the door that led off the side of the office. The blouse disintegrated and shirt and bra both ripped free and Simone went crashing through the door and into the hallway beyond. The hallway was rather short and narrow and there was another door at the far end only some fifteen feet farther on. Simone was getting to her feet and Nat took her by the hair and titled her face up and she spit on her but the auburn-haired beauty was not as badly hurt as she had thought. Simone hit her in the stomach and then she hit her in the crotch with her other fist and Nat sank down in pain. She was kneeling and holding herself and the two young women were face to face and Simone pulled up on her hair and spit in her face in return. Then she came partway up to her feet and she pushed down on Nat’s head and torso, folding her over. Nat tried to resist, waving her arms weakly over her head, but to no effect. Simone stripped off her blouse and then her bra and tossed them both aside and then continuing to push down on her head she braced her hips against the top of Nat’s head. All her weight was coming down on Nat’s head and neck and upper torso and the blonde did not have the strength to power out. There was a film of sweat on her lower back now and Simone wiped it away and slapped her on the ass. Then she reached under her and with both hands she gripped her breasts and pulled up as if she were going to put her breasts up and around her back. Nat moaned in horror and she reached up and grabbed her by the thighs and with a desperate heave she upended the other woman.
The two of them were lying side by side in the hallway and they both came up to their knees and slammed into each other simultaneously, colliding with a meaty thwack. They wrapped their arms around each other and wrestled for position. They were pushing hard against each other, their enormous breasts swelling out under their arms. Soon enough both of them had reached up and taken hold of the other’s hair from the back, pulling on the sweaty strands as they struggled together. They were tilting back and forth and then Nat put everything she had into it and she put Simone over onto her back. Simone’s legs were folded under her and Nat got on top and sat astride her waist. Simone went for her hair but Nat grabbed hold her breasts and squeezed. In response Simone moved her grip to Nat’s breasts and squeezed her back. They were like that, crushing and mauling each other and staring into each other’s eyes, snarling and moaning. Simone changed her grip so that she was pinching Nat’s breasts as if her thumbs and her forefingers were the clamps of a vice, as she had before, and the flesh was oozing out from around her fingers and it was turning red from the pressure. Nat started howling in pain. She was wincing and rocking back and forth in her perch atop the other and then she could stand it no longer and she first tried pinching Simone’s nipples but within a few seconds she could stand no more and pulled at the hands on her chest. She got herself free and she sat back, gripping Simone’s hands in her own, and reflexively she looked down and saw the bruising already forming on her bosom.
“You bitch,” she gasped in rage.
“Yeah,” Simone answered.
She wrenched her hands free of Nat’s and bucked the blonde off of her. Nat landed in a heap, her hands over her breasts. Simone crawled forward and got one leg over Nat’s hip and then lifted her head up by the hair and bounced it off the floor. Nat was stunned but she was not finished and she pulled Simone’s shorter auburn locks in return. Simone began hitting in the face with her open palm, slamming it down again and again until Nat used her hair to pull her down with her so that there was no room to strike her. The two young women lay on the floor as if they were stuck together, their torsos naked, their pants split open in all manner of places, the curves of their asses and hips. Nat was on the bottom and she let go of one handful of hair and grabbed hold of Simone’s breast, cupping it at first almost gingerly and then squeezing harder. Simone tried to return the hurt but the angle was bad and instead she began slapping Nat on the side. Their faces were pressed together and they whispered insults in each other’s ear and suddenly in a burst of energy Nat rolled the other over onto her back and got on top of her. She planted her knee in Simone’s stomach and threw punches down into her upper chest and her face. The punches were short and weak but she kept on hitting her and soon she had Simone’s face and breasts turned as red as her own. Simone tried to cover up but Nat kept it up and then Simone reached up and clawed at her face and then Nat let it go and rolled clear.
Both women got to their feet, slowly now, and stared at each other. Their faces, breasts, stomachs were all red and the bruising was starting there and their hair hung down over their faces, tangled and ruined, and sweat poured down their perfect bodies. And every feeling of hatred and jealousy was etched into their beautiful faces. They were both leaning against the wall, breasts rising and falling with their rapid panting. And then they pushed themselves away from the wall and crashed into each other yet again. They leaned against each other, chests pressed together, each with her chin on the other’s shoulder. Nat got her arms under Simone’s armpits and locked her hands together around her back and Simone’s arms were over the tops of her shoulders and she could only cling weakly to Nat’s upper back, digging in with her fingers but her hands unlocked. Nat had the superior position and she took advantage. She sucked Simone in with her grip so that Simone was standing more vertically and then Nat used her leverage and began driving her backwards, first one step at a time and then all at once and she drove her into the door at the far end of the hall. As they struck Nat leaned with her shoulder and turned her head away and Simone hit with a sickly thud. Simone went loose in her grip and Nat pulled her back and then slammed her into the door again and then the third time Nat ducked down and put her shoulder into Simone’s midsection as they hit. This time the door’s latch gave way and they went crashing into the next room.
They landed in a heap and with her extra momentum Nat went tumbling across the floor. She was lying on her back and when she opened her eyes and looked around she found that she was in a sitting room. A plush rug was underneath her and to one side of her were an ottoman and two short couches and to the other was a bed with a large canopy. Behind her Simone was trying to rise, bracing herself against the arm one of the couches and Nat got to her feet and planting her foot against her ass she drove Simone off the arm of the couch and head first into the wall behind. She flopped on the floor and Nat turned away from her and looked around the room. There were no windows and the only door was the ruined thing they had used and the entire ceiling was covered in mirrored glass. In the middle of the far wall was an open closet full of what seemed to be women’s clothing. Nat was staring at the closet and then a wave of fatigue hit her and she began breathing harder and she braced her hands on her knees, continuing to stare at the closet. And then as she realized that she had been standing there for too long the other woman crashed into her from behind and bore her down to the ground. The two girls hit and rolled free and as Nat came up Simone leapt into her and they went down in a rolling melee. Simone got on top and slapped the blonde hard across the face and then Nat turned her over and returned the below. The wrestled on the floor like that, slapping and pulling hair, and finally Nat got her in a headlock. She cinched it in tight, pulling up and forward on Simone’s head and sprawling out and sinking her hips low so that it would be harder to roll her. Simone pulled back on her hair and tugged on her hands and Nat unlocked her hands and began hitting her in the forehead. Simone tucked her head in lower to avoid the blows and then found her face pulled in close to Nat’s enormous breast and she bit into her.
Nat howled in pain and immediately let go of the hold and got to her feet, all fatigue temporarily forgotten. She checked her bosom and, finding no blood, turned on her opponent in rage. Simone was getting to her feet with a wicked smile on her face.
“Don’t like it, do you?” she asked.
A rush of energy surged through Nat and she slapped Simone across the face. The sound was enormous in the small room and the other woman spun around, auburn hair whipping about, and landed on her hands and knees facing away from her. Nat went to lunge forward to kick her in the side but all the energy left her body as if a plug had been pulled deep inside her. Rather than kicking her in the ribs, Nat found herself on one knee by her side, panting for air. Simone turned and looked back at her and the two women locked eyes. Inside, Nat was screaming at herself to rise and renew her attack but her body did not respond. Finally, Simone came to her knees and slapped Nat across the face. Nat was knocked to the side and it was if her trance had been broken. She forced herself to her feet just as Simone rose to hers and Nat slapped her across the face. Simone returned the blow and then they fell into each other’s arms again. Pulling hair and gripping each other, they threw punches into each other’s bare stomachs and up into breasts and they turned in circles like that in the middle of the room. They coughed and gasped and moaned and pushed against each other. Again and again they churned like that and then at last the night watchman Nat had bribed to leave came storming into the room. There was another guard with him and they immediately pulled the two women apart.
“Hey now, hey!” one of the men shouted as they separated them. “Come now, Miss Mehler!”
The men held the two women, who were straining and lunging for each other, their hair, faces, torsos drenched with sweat and bruising appearing all over their faces and bodies. Finally, they ran out of energy and the men were holding them up rather than restraining them.
“Show the little girl out,” Simone gasped finally.
The next morning, Natalie was so sore that she could barely get out of bed. Upon waking, she had found a bottle of scotch on her nightstand, the top third gone, and she took another drink and lay down again. The entire day she slept and lay thinking of her fight the night before, every movement a reminder of the beating she had taken and every memory a reminder of the punishment she had meted out. The next day she ordered food to be brought to her room from the hotel’s kitchen, and then the following day she ate in the hotel’s dining room. Her face still the marks from Simone and she covered it as well as she could and ignored the clucking tongues of the other guests. After a few more days had passed, the effects were all gone and she had fully recovered, and she prepared to go out. While at dinner one night, she had overheard a couple discussing a magic act that was playing at a nearby theater. The couple had been talking as if it were like nothing they had seen, and so Natalie made her plans. She ordered a new dress, bright red, with a revealing bustline, and got her hair done in loose curls. The hairdresser came to her room and they talked about which wealthy ladies in town had been gaining weight or losing it, which were the prettiest in town and which had the best dresses, and which husbands had lost their money or their hair. She also telegraphed her husband and convinced him that she was going to stay another week so that she could see a new exhibit at the museum—the unopened coffin of some dead king had just arrived from Egypt—and of course she needed just a bit more money sent to the bank here.
With a little help from the hotel’s concierge, Natalie secured a ticket for that Saturday’s magic show and a table reservation at a restaurant just down the street. Her hair touched up and her makeup done by the same hairdresser, her dress perfect, she set out from the hotel as the sun was setting. She felt as if her feet barely touched the ground and with just a smile and a bat of her eye, she could convince any man to do whatever she wanted. But, she was soon disappointed. At the restaurant, the maître d’ informed her that, due to a very unfortunate mistake, they would not be able to seat her for some time, until well after the magic performance started. There was an empty table directly behind the maître d’, but when Natalie asked him about it, he apologized profusely and said that it was for an older couple who ate there every Saturday evening, and he could never give it away. Even leaning forward and putting her hand on his forearm was not enough to secure the table. So, she had gone back to the hotel and eaten in the dining room yet again, but there was still the magic show. After eating, she went back down the street to the theater. It was the nicest building on the street, recently remodeled, and the signage on the front all proclaimed “The Transported Man!” with illustrations of the magician himself, a tall and very handsome man in a tuxedo with black hair and a goatee. But when she presented her ticket, the attendant called over the manager. And then the manager very sadly informed her that she had a counterfeit ticket. It was all too common, he explained, and he was certain that she meant no deceit, but there would be someone else with a real ticket in her seat and he could not honor hers.
That was how the Lady Natalie Adair found herself standing alone beside the entrance feeling equally hurt and angry, part of her wanting to scream and part of her wanting to simply sit down on the steps and never move. It was to have been such a wonderful evening, in her new dress with an evening coat that hung open and with her hair done, looking so beautiful. She would have been the most beautiful young woman at the show and every man and woman there both would have noticed her. Now, they were going right past her, groups of wealthy men and young men with their wives. There was one young man, though, tall, with light hair, who was coming toward her. He was leaning heavily on a walking cane, but his suit and hat were impeccable, and his chin had a dimple that made him very cute. Perhaps he had been injured overseas on some adventure, Natalie wondered as he approached. He took her hand very gingerly and asked if there was anything the matter.
“They will not honor my ticket,” Natalie said, her lower lip curling up in a pout.
“Well surely that’s a mistake,” the young gentleman replied. “Such a lovely young lady can’t very well spend the evening on the sidewalk.”
“Perhaps you could speak to them?” she asked, tilting her head down and glancing up at him hopefully.
“Having difficulties again, Natalie?” a rather hoarse voice said from behind her. It was Simone. Ravenna was with her. Simone was wearing a very nice black leather coat that was open just the right amount to show off a swell of cleavage. She also wore a top hat and carried a cane so that she had a striking and very attractive but also androgynous look. Ravenna had gone in the opposite direction, her dress and coat open to reveal as much of her majestic body as she could, her black hair in long loose curls that fell over her shoulders and upper back. They were walking arm and arm and they came up Natalie and the young gentleman, stopping at least two steps too close. It was as if Natalie could feel the hatred reverberating from the pair of them.
“Good evening, ladies,” the young gentleman said.
“Not such a good evening for her, I think,” Simone said, turning from him and fixing her eyes on Natalie. “
“Just trying to get a problem straightened out. As I’ve straightened out certain other problems in the past,” Natalie said through her teeth.
“The theater seems to have made a mistake with her ticket,” the young man said. He seemed oblivious to any sort of subtext.
“You will find that when Natalie is involved, the mistakes are always her own,” Simone replied. She and Natalie both narrowed their eyes as they stared at each other. “And a fine show like this one will just have to do without her presence this evening.”
“Is that for certain?” Natalie asked her in a voice closer to a hiss.
“Oh yes, I have it on good authority that her ticket has been lost for good. It seems that certain questions came up about her suitability for the theater’s society,” Ravenna answered in quite a loud voice.
“Now ladies, I don’t think there’s any need for unpleasantness,” the young man said.
“Now look, you’ve confused our poor lad here,” Simone said in a brighter tone. She slid her arm into his and bumped up against him with her shoulder. “Come now, why don’t you escort two proper ladies? We don’t need to worry about her tonight. She’ll find someplace more suitable for herself.”
The two ladies began moving away with the young gentleman in between them, and Natalie caught Simone on the shoulder. “Perhaps there’s someplace where you’d like to continue our conversation from earlier?”
“I would love to converse with you again,” Simone answered. “I’ll send a message tomorrow. If you could just leave notice at your current hotel as to where you’ll be staying next, I’m sure that the message will find you.”
“And why would I change hotels?”
“Oh, I fear that your hotel has lost your ticket as well,” Ravenna said with a laugh, and they went into the theater.
When she returned to her hotel, Natalie found that she had indeed been removed from her rooms. And the hotels on the same street, of similar status, all said that they had no rooms to spare even though their relatively quiet lobbies indicated that they did. Natalie finally found a hotel that would let to her, but it was several streets farther back from the main line, where the best hotels, restaurants, and theaters were all found. The effects of Ravenna’s wealth were being felt. As well as her jealousy, Natalie told herself as she sat down for a bland and lukewarm breakfast in her new rooms the next morning, Sunday. She ate quickly and absentmindedly and then she put on a dress and gathered up her things and left the hotel. She walked for nearly an hour up and down the streets of the central city area, without really seeing any of the people or shoppes or the government buildings. It was only when she found herself standing on a hill overlooking the harbor that she found some purpose. Following the curve of the road that lined the warehouses of the harbor district, Natalie rediscovered the building where she had fought Simone. The building was empty and she let herself in the same door she had used before and then went down the hallway to the strange room. To no surprise, the closet had been cleared out, but Natalie slid off her coat and began examining the room, checking every loose floorboard and under the dresser and desk and behind the headboard of the bed. Some time later, she left the building and made her way back to the hotel.
In her room, Natalie found Simone and Ravenna waiting for her, seated on the couch in the front area. As soon as Natalie had shut the door, the two women rose from their seats and advanced toward her. “I found what you wanted to hide at your warehouse,” Natalie said in a tone that brought Simone up short. “At your father’s warehouse, I should say,” Natalie added.
“What did you find?” Simone asked. The easy confidence she usually had was gone from her voice.
“What’s she talking about?” Ravenna asked.
“Proof,” Natalie answered. “She knows what I mean.”
“You don’t have anything.”
“Try me and find out,” Natalie said.
“Let’s just take it from her,” Ravenna said, smiling and stepping forward.
“I left it somewhere for safekeeping.”
“You don’t have anything,” Simone repeated.
“Then jump me and find out. That’s why you both came here, right? Too scared to fight this little girl one against one again?”
The silence hung in the room. “What do you want?” Simone asked at last.
“I want to find out who’s best.”
Arrangements were made, and four nights later, Natalie was standing once again in the backyard of the De Lucas’. Simone was standing across from her. Both women wore corsets with a pair of lace gloves that ran up their elbows, Natalie in red and Simone in black. Both wore matching panties and stockings. The corsets accentuated each woman’s magnificent bust, flat stomach and wider hips. Natalie’s blonde hair and Simone’s shorter auburn hair hung freely. The two women were standing inside a square formed of bales of hay, stacked two high, that ran about ten yards on a side. Under their feet was lawn. Around the outside stood their audience, women and men from the De Lucas’ social circle who wanted to watch and bet on the outcome. The De Lucas themselves were there, of course. One of the guests was an unusually obese man who was seated in a tall chair rather than standing and who seemed to have a personal servant attending him. Next to him were two women, one an Asian beauty with very large breasts, the other a redhead with a medium-sized bust who was impossibly cute. The night air was not hot but it was thick and humid, the kind of night when the air seemed to layer itself on the skin, and one could see just a hint of cloud as each woman exhaled, but neither woman felt it.
Lord De Luca stepped over the bales and to the center of the makeshift ring. “We are here tonight to settle this conflict between these two women. First of all, there is a condition to their meeting tonight.”
“Did you bring it?” Simone interjected in her oddly hoarse voice. She was addressing Natalie.
“There wasn’t anything to bring,” Natalie responded.
Simone smirked at this and then nodded. “I knew she didn’t have anything. Just like always.”
“Well then, we can move on. Tonight’s bout will be the woman who wins the most falls out of five. And the loser will no longer appear in proper society in this city. Ladies, do we agree?” he asked, looking at the blonde and then the auburn-haired beauty. Both nodded, and the Lord climbed over the hay bales and outside. Once he was standing alongside his wife, he said, “And begin.”
Before they came forward, Natalie unhooked her corset, from the top, the cotton expanding and opening up to reveal her chest, and then she tossed it aside and stood topless, her massive breasts proud and firm in the thick night air. Her nipples were dark brown and very large and hard as rocks. Simone smirked at her again and tossed aside her own corset. Her breasts were not as large as Nat’s but they were exquisite and stood out from her ribcage and she even tweaked her nipples as the two lovely women stared at each other. The wind kicked up and their hair fluttered about their heads just a bit and then they came at each other. Nat dashed forward more aggressively while Simone sidestepped and seemed ready to duck backward. Both of them had their hands open and held up at the ready. Simone made the first move, as if to slap her across the face, but as Nat brought her arms up defensively Simone instead slapped her on the side of her breast with her right hand. The sound was hard and flat and then as Nat brought her hands down Simone got her across the face with an open-handed left. Nat was turned halfway around by the force of the slap and stunned and while she was helpless like that Simone grabbed her hair with both hands and yanked backwards and down. Nat fell to the ground and Simone was immediately on top of her. She tried to roll clear but Simone clung to her back. Simone was behind her, out of reach, and she wrapped her arm around Nat’s throat and began squeezing. To get her off, Nat began rising to her feet but Simone took the opportunity to wrap her legs around Nat’s midsection. The strong thighs compressed her waist and ribs and Nat was put back down into the grass, landing face down. The legs around her middle and the forearm around her neck and then the free hand pulling her hair from the top. Nat slapped at the legs and pulled on the elbow on her neck but to no effect and then Nat began throwing her elbow backward and finally she started making some contact and created some space. But as she tried to wriggle free she somehow ended up on her side with one arm trapped underneath her. Simone was still behind her and now she began pinching and slapping and squeezing her breasts and hitting her face and pulling her hair and then she held Nat’s head in place, her face exposed, and she began hitting her on the cheek and the eyebrow with the bottom of her fist and Nat could do nothing and the legs were still squeezing her and Nat tapped her submission.
Simone released her immediately and rose and went to the other side of the arena. Nat rose to one knee and stopped, catching her breath and waiting for the pain to subside in her bust, and as she did she glared through her tangled blonde hair at Simone.
“Get up and come get some more, little girl,” Simone said.
Her eyes narrowed, hands held out like claws, Nat came to her feet and rushed at the auburn-haired beauty. Simone matched in her stance and they circled, their breasts and hair swaying as they did, their eyes never leaving the other’s. Nat slapped her across the face and then went for a hairpull but Simone got out of reach. Nat chased her as she circled away and again she reached for that reddish-brown hair and this time Simone slammed the palm of her hand into Nat’s nose. Immediately Nat backed away. Her vision swam and the center of her face was burning and she held her hands to her nose. Nothing felt broken but when she pulled her hands away there was blood on them. Nat stared down at her hands and as she did Simone crashed into her. They went down to the ground and rolled over each other in the grass. They were pulling each other’s hair and Simone slapped her on the sides but Nat got on top of her and holding down her head by the hair Nat threw punches into her stomach. Over and over she hit her and Simone was moaning and grunting with each punch. Finally she rolled Nat off and started to come up to her feet but as she did Nat lunged at her and she clipped her on the forehead with an uppercut. Simone rolled onto her back and lay staring up at the sky. With a shriek Nat leapt on top of her. She landed on her stomach, straddling her, and then she plunged her hands into Simone’s breasts. There was some sort of animalistic sound rising up from deep in Nat’s chest as she mauled and crushed Simone’s bosom. Simone immediately began howling in pain and she pulled at the hands clamped onto her and then she yanked Nat’s head down by the hair and began punching her in the side of her head. At last she connected hard enough to make the blonde go loose for an instant and she bucked her off and scrambled out from under her.
They both got to their feet and stood facing each other, hands on their hips, breasts rising and falling as they sucked in air. Then, as if some unheard bell had sounded, they clashed again. Simone slapped her across the face with her right and Nat slapped her back with a right and a left and then the fists started flying, straight punches and wild hooks and little defense. Nat popped her with a right and a left directly into her face, giving her a bloody lip, and in response Simone brought down her head and bullied her way into Nat through the punches. Simone got in close and she threw punches up into Nat’s breasts. They struck hard and Nat backed away and reset. Again Simone barged in on her. Nat hit her on the side of the head as she came in but again Simone got her fists into her breasts. Nat covered up her chest and backed away. This time when Simone came in Nat planted her feet and as Simone threw uppercuts into her bosom Nat put her hand on the back of her head and pulling down with her left threw uppercuts into Simone’s face with her right. The punches landed and Simone lurched forward and they clinched. They grappled with each other, gloved hands clutching and gripping at their bare backs, throwing punches into each other’s sides and stomachs. They went in circles, still punching and wrestling, and then Nat put both her hands on Simone’s shoulders and pushed her away at first then violently tugged her forward and snapped her knee up into Simone. The bone struck her in the pit of her stomach and Simone went limp, making a sickly sound and as she did Nat felt something splatter on her. Gripping her by her auburn hair, Nat twisted her hips and flung her down. Simone hit against the hay bales and went down to the ground on her side. Nat followed her down, driving her knee into Simone’s side. Another sickly sound from the downed beauty, and vomit poured out of her even as Nat knelt on her and began pounding on her side. And then, just as Simone began desperately patting her hand on the ground that she yielded, Nat clipped her on the eye with her right hand.
Nat stopped hitting her when she submitted but she still paused, kneeling against her, pinning her up against the hay, for an instant to enjoy her moment. Then she pushed off the woman under her to rise and slowly crossed the arena. She put her hands on her hips and stood with her back to Simone and stared up at the sky. As she stood there, staring up, breathing, Nat realized there was a strange feeling on her chest, and looking down she saw that there was vomit on her. Smiling, she wiped herself off and then she blew a wad of blood out of her nose, checking again that the lines of her nose still felt smooth. Only then did she turn to face her opponent. Simone was standing next to the hay bales that marked the boundary. She had taken a glass of water from someone and was washing out her mouth and cleaning herself and when she noticed the blonde staring at her she returned the look. Her mouth, her cheek, the side of her face, all were bright red from Nat’s fists. Both ladies’ bodies were covered in a thin layer of mud and grass, the ground itself as wet as the night air.
“You still want some more of this little girl?” Nat taunted her. “I’m the bigger woman here, after all,” she added, giving her breasts a shake.
In response, Simone handed the water glass to a servant and gestured for Nat to come at her again. They marched directly at each other and began throwing punches. Most of the punches missed but they stood in the pocket and took what the other had to give and gloved fists struck home into faces, breasts, and stomachs. Nat landed a wild right to the side of Simone’s face that broke the stalemate and sent her stumbling away, leading to a break in the action. Nat stood staring at Simone’s bare back and the sweep of her well-formed ass and she checked her face and her hand came away with a mixture of blood and sweat from her nose and her mouth. The auburn-haired beauty regained herself and turned to face her again and Nat saw that she was in much the same shape. Both of her eyes showed bruising and her mouth was red. And they clashed yet again. When they got within reach of each other Nat went to grab her hair, intending to pull her face down so she could uppercut her again, but Simone blasted her with rights and lefts to the chest, straight punches that stunned Nat. She retreated, covering her chest with both hands reflexively, and Simone took advantage by tagging her with a right into the center of her face and then a looping left to the cheek. The blow turned Nat around and she fell into the bales behind her, landing draped across the hay. She registered the poking and scratching on her exposed skin and then Simone grabbed her by the hair yanked her up and spun her around and slugged her hard in the stomach. All the air left her body and Nat was doubled over, leaning against her opponent. They stood like that for a second, shoulder to shoulder, Simone with her left arm around Nat’s back, holding her up, and her right fist at the ready to pound her again, their faces and hair touching. And everyone watching them. And then Simone hit her in the stomach and up into her breasts, again and again, and Nat fell over backwards.
She rolled over the top of the hay bales and fell to the lawn on the outside and lay there, staring up at the sky. The audience had scattered as she came over the hay bale and as she lay on the ground Nat wondered if the referee would stop the bout because she had gone out of bounds and then she wondered if there was really a referee. Looking to her right, she saw Simone was starting to climb over the hay bale and she had her answer. Simone had a smirk on her face and Nat waited another split second and then as Simone’s foot came down on her side of the bale Nat kicked her in the side of her leg. Her leg gave out and she went down on her hands and knees and Nat turned away from her, first crawling on all fours and then starting to rise but as she did Simone crashed into her from behind and they went down to the ground. Immediately they were face to face, rolling in the grass, pulling hair. Both of them were pulling straight back on the other’s hair, their bodies rubbing together as they rolled back and forth but their faces pointed upward. Over and over they churned in the grass. Finally Nat got on top and she rose up to where she was up on her feet, her ass pointed straight up and Simone still pulling on her hair. Nat then rammed her knee down into Simone’s stomach, and then did it again, and Simone let go of her hair and grabbed at her knee and tried to cover herself up. Simone had left her face uncovered and Nat slapped her with rights and lefts, sending Simone’s head rocking back and forth, her hair whipping about. Simone waved her hands over her head defensively and Nat punched her in the breast from the side and then she punched her in the face, driving her hand straight down, and Simone mumbled that she submitted.
Nat pushed herself off of her and stumbled back inside the hay bales and waited. Simone slowly rose and followed her in and they both stood staring at each other, hands braced on their knees, the slime from the wet ground coating their gorgeous female bodies, pendulous breasts swaying slightly under them, hatred and pain etched on their beautiful faces. Then, without speaking, they approached each other. They raised their fists and put one foot forward in a traditional boxer’s stance. The humidity of the night clung to them. Nat struck first, catching Simone in the face with a jab that rocked her head back. Simone came back and she jabbed Nat in the face and then followed up with a straight punch to the center of her chest. Nat threw a punch in response but Simone dodged to the side and punched her in the side of her breast. Her chest was throbbing and Nat lowered her fists to guard herself there and Simone came over the top of her arm and hit her in the side of the head. In response Nat went on the attack, throwing rights and lefts at Simone’s head, but she had gotten back out of the way and Nat was chasing her to no effect. The young women reset and again Simone tagged her on her large bosom with her fists. This time Nat tried to grab her but as she got in close Simone punched her in the stomach and then brought her knee up. The knee caught her in the thigh and her leg went numb and instinctively Nat reached for the leg and as she did Simone punched her across the face. Nat went to the ground but she was not done yet. Simone stamped her foot down but Nat was already moving and she got back to her feet.
Nat was backpedaling to buy time while she cleared her head but Simone was relentless. Neither woman had a proper guard. Nat threw jabs to keep the distance but Simone charged through them and got her across the face and then another punch to her breast. This time Simone stayed inside and she threw another punch into her breasts but Nat clobbered her on her brow at the same time. The two women were driven apart by the blows and they stopped and caught their breath and then they squared up again. More cautious now, they circled, hands held up in front. Both of them had smears of blood on their faces and both were gasping for air. Nat jabbed her in the face and Simone threw a counterpunch but missed and they continued circling. Nat got her again, and then a third time, straights to the center of her beautiful face that started a new trickle of blood from her nose and then Nat got her across the mouth with a right hand. It spun Simone around but she was back and set again before Nat could press her. They circled each other and then Nat rushed her, looking to finish her off. Nat lunged forward and threw a wild right and Simone stepped inside it so that Nat’s arm wrapped around her and as she did she threw uppercuts into Nat’s breasts with her right hand and clasped her around the side and back with her left. Nat tried to wrestle her to the ground but Nat threw her hips into her and tripped her to the ground. Nat landed hard but she was not done yet. She scrambled backward and raised her hands over her face, expecting a kick to the face, but instead Simone kicked her in the torso. Her foot struck her in the side and the shoulder and the force of it put her flat on her back and then before she could do anything Simone stamped her foot down viciously on her chest. The foot got her in the center of her chest and Nat felt herself go empty. Simone stamped her foot down again, this time on her breast, and then the obese man called out “Break!”
Nat lay on the ground, moaning and holding her bosom, and Simone stood over her. “Get up so I can keep working on those things, big girl,” Simone said.
“You bitch,” Nat answered. She forced herself up to her feet, but she continued to rub her breasts.
“This is what you wanted.”
It was the final round and they made themselves ready one last time. Simone had her fists up in the boxer’s stance and she planted her feet and Nat charged into her. Nat dove at the end, putting her shoulder into Simone’s midsection, and took her down to the ground. Simone was trying to get free and she came up to her feet but Nat wrapped her arms around her waist and dragged her back down. They were hitting each other and rolling back and forth. Nat got on top and she pulled her by the hair and slammed her head against the ground and shook her head back and forth. Then she stopped and made ready to start punching her but before she could, Simone bucked her hips up. In the space between them Simone snaked her hand into her crotch and pinched her there. Nat gave a yelp and with both hands she pulled at the hand in her crotch and while she was distracted Simone hit her in the face. The blow was not hard but it was enough to knock her off her perch. The two young women were sitting, facing each other, and then Simone kicked out with both legs suddenly. Her feet caught Nat squarely in her breasts and once again she was put flat on her back. And then that beautiful face, with its upside-down triangle shape, was hovering over her, that auburn hair dangling down. The bitch was sitting on her stomach.
“Told you this was coming” she said in her hoarse voice.
So saying she gripped her breasts and squeezed. Nat winced and yelped and pulled at the hands. Simone was staring down at her, directly into her eyes, and Nat twisted her hips and kicked her feet on the ground but to no avail. Simone dug her fingers in and Nat felt as if they were disappearing into her flesh. And then she brought her fingers in like she was clawing her and then pulled up and Nat began screaming.
“It can all be over if you just give up,” Simone said. She leaned down closer, whispering now. “Or we can go all the way, little girl.”
Quick as a flash, Nat answered her. She reached up and with her left hand took hold of the hair on the top of Simone’s head and with her right she smashed the heel of her palm up into Simone’s mouth. It stunned her and Nat pulled her to the side by the hair and rolled her off. Simone was lying on her stomach, checking her mouth. Her lips were busted open and there was blood running down her chin and she turned and glared at Nat and started to rise, coming into a crouch. Nat kicked her in the chest as she did. Simone took most of the blow on her arms but she fell back down on her ass and Nat dove into her. In the scramble that followed Nat got on top of her and held her down by the hair with her right hand. Then she slid up and put her left leg on top of Simone’s right arm and then began hitting her in the side of the face with her left hand. Simone was stuck in place and could not protect herself. Nat was hitting her with weak hammer fists and then she switched to vicious slaps, bring her hand straight down, hard each time, making Simone grunt as the flesh connected. Still the beauty stared up at her with pure hatred. There was blood streaming from her mouth and nose and Nat could feel the same on her own face. With her left hand she smeared the blood around her face and then she shoved her fingers up her nose and began wriggling them, inside Simone’s face. That brought about renewed thrashing under her. With one last burst Simone threw the blonde off of her and got free.
One last time they came at each other. Neither had the strength to hold her arms up defensively. Simone slapped her across the breasts with a right and a left. Nat took it and hit her in the face with an openhanded right. Simone grunted and stumbled to her right a step and came back and punched Nat in the face with a right of her own. Nat punched her in the face in response and then Simone hit her in the breasts with two straight punches. Nat grunted and took a step backwards and Simone started to rush forward and as she did Nat whipped out her foot and caught her flat at the bottom of her stomach. Simone immediately dropped to her knees, holding herself there. At first her eyes were squeezed shut but as Nat stepped to her they opened and she glared up with her light grey eyes even though she couldn’t yet defend herself. Nat seized her by the hair and rammed her knee up into Simone’s breasts over and over again and then when she let go Simone flopped to the ground. Nat sank down and perched herself on her magnificent torso. She slapped her back and forth and with each blow Simone’s head whipped about with no resistance. When Nat stopped Simone just lay under her, moaning, her eyes open but unfocused. Nat sat atop her like that, staring down, and then she looked up at the audience and really saw them for the first time since the fight had started. The beautiful blonde sitting on the woman she’d beaten.
Natalie wiped the blood from her nose. “I don’t think she’ll want a rematch,” she said, and then she rose and left the arena.
