Chapter 22

Saturday 22nd August, 11am

Maurice Gisal drove very carefully round the hairpin bends that led from the valley up towards AnneMarie’s village, even though he had been up there many times in all seasons. On the back seat was a small suitcase containing every conceivable piece of clothing that Lauren might require during some emergency, plus her overnight things in case she had to stay, plus makeup, a present, camera, spare film and her Cookie Monster dressing gown which was again pressed into service. Daniele, her mother, sat with the luggage in the back, steadying the bridesmaid’s skirt and jacket that swung on a hook. Her shoes (which they had remembered as her father started the car), were also on the back seat. Lauren wore jeans, a white T-Shirt with a white bra underneath, and her usual pair of sandals, looking casual but clean and tidy - quite presentable in the eyes of her mother - for a fifteen year-old.

“Well, looks like she’s going to have nice weather for it.” said her mother.

“Has anyone met the lucky man. Lauren, you must have seen him?” asked her father, crawling round the corners at about 5 km per hour.

“I saw a photo once when she asked me if I wanted to be bridesmaid, he seemed quite nice. Lives in Zurich, I think” replied Lauren.

“Just think, that’ll be you soon, then you’ll leave home and never even remember us” joked her mother.

“I’ll come home to get my washing done, though”

“Yes, I know. Don’t you worry, there’s never any hurry to get married, for any reason.”

“How old were you then, mum?”

“Oh, I was twenty-two. And your brother was born three years later, then you two years after that. It all seems so long ago and yet I don’t know where all the years have gone!”

“Here we are, and there’s the church where she’s getting married.” said her father. “I remember that, we’ve been to a Christening in there before. Can’t think for the life of me who it was, though”

“Maurice, wasn’t it that Italian couple’s little boy? Don’t really know why we were invited. Probably because you knew him from work”

There were three cars parked outside her house already, almost blocking the little lane that led further up the mountain. He parked just outside just as Lauren said that she didn’t really need him now. He asked her to call when then wedding reception finished so that he could come and get her. Kissing her cheek, he took the bags from the back of the car while her mother helped her to get the luggage up the front door. Lauren watched as her mother got into the front passenger seat and the car turned in the driveway, waving good-bye as they retraced their route. Lauren pressed the doorbell twice to ensure it was heard over the music and laughter coming from inside the little house, and waited expectantly as she heard clomping noise of someone descending the wooden stairs within.

The door opened to reveal a girl about the same age as herself, dressed only in a towel wrapped around her body, knotted in front to cover the tiny mounds of her breasts.

“Hey, Lauren?” asked the girl.

“Yeah, are you Kirsten?

“Yeah, come in, we’re all upstairs. AnneMarie is dressing, but there’s another two hours yet before the photographer comes.”

Lauren entered the small hallway, closing the door behind her, and gratefully accepted the help from Kirsten to get her things upstairs. At the top, she glanced to her left to see AnneMarie sitting in front of a vanity unit in her underwear.

“Hi, I’m here!” shouted Lauren.

“Oh, Lauren, how are you?” replied AnneMarie. Lauren was surprised to the point of being almost stunned. She had expected her to jump up and give her a big hug, but she remained seated and turned back towards the mirror, leaning forward to inspect her eyebrows.

“Er, fine. I’ll get ready. Is everything allright?”

“Fine, thanks! You just worry about yourself.” A feint smile flitted across her lips and disappeared as she again turned back to her makeup. Still startled, Lauren followed Kirsten, almost bumping into an old man who emerged from the toilet.

“`S’cuse me” he said, going downstairs.

As they entered the spare bedroom, Lauren looked at Kirsten. “Who’s he?” she asked, closing the door.

“Not sure. Been here about an hour. Seems to know AnneMarie somehow.”

“Do you think AnneMarie’s OK, she seems a bit concerned about something?”

“Probably just wedding day nerves. It’s the most important day of her life, you know. At least, that’s what my Mum says.” replied Kirsten.

Kirsten was slightly shorter than Lauren, and looked like a very cute little girl, with high cheekbones and a rounded face that contained a small nose and twinkling blue eyes. Her blonde hair, cut short, curled slightly at the front. Lauren thought that she spent most of her days laughing and giggling, and was instantly reminded of Nikki.

“Hey, did Kristal make your skirt and jacket - she said there were going to be two?” asked Kirsten.

“Yes, it was finished about two weeks ago”

“She’s nice. I had such a fun time at her house. Well, most of the time.”

“I know. I didn’t know she had left her husband so I put my foot in it a bit.” said Lauren.

“Did she explain why?”

“Yeah. In great detail”

The girls looked at each other. Kirsten walked across the room to the bed and sat down, the towel parting to show her tanned legs. The unspoken communication between them confirmed in Lauren’s mind that Kirsten too had been introduced to the washing game round at Kristal’s house.

“Did you use her bathroom?” asked Kirsten.

“Yeah. Did you dress up?”

“No! What happened?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just tried on some other clothes, you know” answered Lauren.

“Hey, like what?”

“You know, underwear, that sort of thing”

“Want to hear what happened when I went round there?”

“Yeah then I’ll tell you what happened to me. Go on”

Kirsten explained that she had been there three times, just like Lauren. Firstly to see the pattern, then for the first fitting, and then for the final one. Nothing had happened on the first visit, except that Kristal had measured her and commented on her figure. But Kristal had been wearing a short skirt and a see-through blouse.

“On the second visit, we had lunch and I had much to much to drink. We talked about her husband and the things they used to do before they were married. Did she tell you they had sex in an elevator at the mall one Sunday morning?”

“God, no!”

“Well, she did. Anyway, we talked and eventually she talked about her girlfriend who had washed her. So I suppose I agreed to see what it was like. Did you do that?”

“Yeah. Actually, I think it was great. I hadn’t done much like that and it really felt different. That’s when I tried on the underwear”

“Yeah, same here. She was so kind and considerate, there was no rush. Anyway, that was the second time. The third time was really weird. Again, I had lunch there and had some champagne which went to my head. We, you know, kissed and cuddled and I think I fell asleep, but remember waking up on a plastic sheet on her bed. Somehow, I agreed to her tying my feet and hands together, mainly because I was really randy and she was licking me all over. Then she poured gallons - well, quite a lot - of Baby Oil over me and massaged it into everywhere.

“Yeah, I had the same I think, but don’t think I was tied up.” said Lauren, now sitting next to her, enthralled by the similarity in the sexy story.

“Then from nowhere another dark haired girl appeared who looked a bit older, and they then both started to lick and prod me. It was OK at first, but I couldn’t see this other girl, except that she had dark hair as I say, and was naked. I began to get scared, and asked them to stop, but Kristal said the best bit was about to happen. This other girl slid behind and underneath me as I lay there, and grabbed round my neck, then reached down and grabbed behind my knees, you see?”

“Yeah” Lauren shifted on the bed, trying to give more room for her pussy to breath and expand as she listened to the story.

“She pulled my legs right up against my chest so that Kristal could see right into my pussy. And then I saw that she had this enormous man’s thing between her legs, which she pushed into me. I screamed and screamed, but Kristal just said to relax and the other girl held me so tight that I thought I’d stop breathing. Anyway, she did stop after a while, and I had to stay there while they did things to each other. Then I really did sleep and went home afterwards.

“Mine was similar, but there was only her. She tried this vibrator thing on me which sent me through the roof.”

“Oh yeah, isn’t that great?”

“Hmm, but I prefer my boyfriend doing it to me” said Lauren, running her hand through her brown wavy hair.

“Oh, you’re lucky. I wish I had a boyfriend now. I did have one, sort of, about a year ago, but that was all. That’s why I miss Kristal so much. I’m going to see her again on Monday morning for lunch. I said that I wanted the skirt altered for the summer!”

“What happened to your boyfriend?”

“It wasn’t really a boyfriend, you know. It was a cousin who stayed with us from Germany last summer. He was sixteen and I needed to learn about boys, so we fooled around. I let him do it to me three times. It was OK. But Kristal was so different. I simply need more.”

“But what if it starts to hurt?”

“I don’t care. I thought about that, but the more it hurt, the more I liked it in the end. Not so much while they were hurting me, but when I came, God, it was amazing! Doesn’t it make you wet just talking about it?”

“Yeah, and we had better stop because I’ve got some special underwear for today” said Lauren, opening her little suitcase and taking out the Dior knickers, bra and suspenders.

“Oh, wow, let me see!” said Kirsten, taking hold of the knickers and feeling them against her face. “They’re lovely. They must have cost a fortune!”

“They were a present.” Lauren thought that to add anymore might have been unkind.

“I’d like a boyfriend like that, who bought me lovely things. Perhaps one day.”

Lauren pulled her T-Shirt over her head and threw it casually on the bed. She then slipped her tight jeans down her legs and tossed them on top.

“You’re like me. You get wet so easily!” said Kirsten, looking directly at the gap between Lauren’s legs.

“I know. Sometimes I get like it just thinking about things.”

“Me too, like now” said Kirsten. “Do you want to see?”

“No, not now. I need to get ready.”

Kirsten trailed her hands between the folds of her towel and obviously found her pussy, inhaling sharply as her eyelids fluttered. Lauren was unsure what she should do. It was clear that the girl was in need to some sort of attention, but she didn’t want to do anything, anxious to get dressed and look her best for the wedding. She saw the towel fall away from her body as the knot slipped undone, her round firm breasts like white icing surrounded by a tanned body. Her gaze followed Kirsten’s hand down between her legs and saw she had wonderfully rounded little buttocks. Lauren instantly understood why Kristal would have found her attractive and could visualise the two - or three - of them locked entwined on the bed or patio. Lauren thought she should have been surprised at the total absence of pubic hair, but wasn’t in the slightest, noting it with the same interest as she would have a scar or mole. The girl looked like a big baby doll, her mouth slightly open and her eyes half closed as she sat on the bed.

“Lauren, don’t you find that you need to play with yourself all the time?

Lauren sat down on the bed beside her as Kirsten leaned back against the pillows and shed the remainder of her towel.

“Well, no, not really. I think I do it about as much as anyone else, maybe a bit more.” she offered.

“I just have to keep doing it.” She paused, sitting up on the bed and looking at her thighs. “I’m in a real mess, I think.”

“What do you mean?”

“I dunno, I just can’t stop doing it now. Ever since I went round to Kristal’s house I have to keep playing with myself. Sometimes I hit my pussy, like with my school ruler, until it hurts so much I cry.” She looked down, her chest heaving as tears began to flow.

“But, that’s terrible. Why can’t you just stop? Just leave yourself alone?”

“I don’t know. I’m so frightened. I just have to see her, like I’m drawn to her for some reason”

“Hey, that’s OK. I’m not really very good at helping, you know, with that sort of thing. Listen, I think we should get ready -we need to look as beautiful as possible - you never know if there will be some great boys at the wedding.” suggested Lauren.

Kirsten brightened up slightly at the mention of the boys and regained her modesty, pulling her towel back over her breasts.

Lauren shed her underwear to stand naked in front Kirsten. She reached into the suitcase and pulled out a pair of grey stockings, sat down again on the edge of the bed and rolled them onto her legs. Kirsten watched with a hint of jealousy, toying with her own randomly-selected underwear and the grey tights that had been provided for her. As Lauren stood up and turned, she felt the appreciative gaze of Kirsten all over her body, and defiantly teased her by parting her legs more than necessary and adjusting her suspenders, revealing her sweet, lightly-haired pussy, naked and tempting, to the drooling little girl on the bed.

She took the bra from her suitcase and fastened it at the back, still pleased that Kirsten had hardly moved. With a flourish she pulled her knickers up to her waist and tut-tutted as she pretended that the gusset was digging too tightly into the tops of her legs. She smiled at Kirsten sweetly, understanding what Kristal had meant about that strange feeling of power that came with wearing something so powerfully erotic. She felt almost jubilant, and more self-assured than she had for many months as she adjusted the material, the shape of her fingers visible through the fine material as she ran a finger over her warm pussy lips. Today, she decided, was also going to be her day, as well as AnneMarie’s.

The photographer arrived on time, took a number of photos of AnneMarie dreamily looking out of the window holding her bouquet. The bridesmaids, with their somewhat un-traditional skirt and jacket and small bouquets of wild mountain flowers looked beautiful. Both girls posed confidently, smiling as they looked at each other and reflected their genuine happiness on the occasion of their friend’s wedding. Lauren stood at least three inches taller that Kirsten, her legs long for her age and their shape accentuated by the cool grey stockings and medium heels.

However, to her disappointment, Lauren barely exchanged ten words with AnneMarie as they waited to depart, and she grew increasingly concerned. Even though AnneMarie may be pre-occupied with her wedding day arrangements, she had been a friend of the Gisal family for most of her life, baby-sitting for Mike and Lauren since she could remember. Lauren was therefore pleased to be able to talk to Kirsten, but as the morning wore on, she became more and more irritated with the situation, and turned her frustration back onto Kirsten for having even involved her in her problems in the bedroom earlier that morning. Just before they had to leave for the church, Lauren thought she might tell Kirsten in no uncertain terms about the displeasure she felt, but as she looked at her, there was no doubting that the girl was cute, bubbly and fun to be with, and so, as usual, Lauren decided that she would be kind to her with regard her moment of need, and not mention it again. She did however still feel used, and reflected that her recent life of promiscuity may not be all fun and games.

As she crossed the road to the church, she wondered why she was so quick to allow people to trample over her and concluded that she was maybe the sort that saw the world through rose-tinted glasses, without ever considering that some of people might be less than scrupulous. Her day-dreams led her to think about not only her times with Kristal, but also the photographic sessions with Marlene and Simone. In her mind it had seemed quite innocent at the time, and probably was even still. But the risk was something she had really not considered, and she vowed to do so from that moment onwards. She therefore decided that she would be a one-man girl and would treasure and preserve her relationship with Jim to the exclusion of all others. Her stomach churned when she thought about the last photo session, and how she had asked Jim to pose with her, naked in front of the cameras. Her walk slowed to a crawl as the implications shot through her mind; what did he think of her now, had she been so thoughtless that he would never call her again. As she walked through the graveyard, she hoped that since they had made love after the photos had been taken that he didn’t really mind. There had certainly been passion in the morning before they got out of bed, and so her mind was partially put at ease. However, her conclusions about fidelity remained intact, although the strength of her convictions mellowed as an itch from the label of her suspender belt brought back delightful memories of Kristal.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in this tiny church to witness the wonderful joining in matrimony of AnneMarie and Andre. We shall sing two hymns this morning, and I would ask you all to rise while we sing the first of these, Fight the Good Fight, number 146 in your red hymn books.” said the Reverend, his cheeks matching the covers of the hymnals as he bellowed out the words from the altar. Lauren looked behind her to see about sixty or seventy people standing in the pews, all resplendent in their bright dresses and elegant suits.

The service continued with solemn prayers for the bride and groom, and then the actual wedding ceremony was conducted, the voice of the Reverend filling the church and most of the neighbourhood. It was no surprise to Lauren that when he asked if anyone knew of any lawful impediment why AnneMarie and Andre could not be joined in holy matrimony, there was no sound at all.

“Marriage is something that is approached soberly, maturely and is not undertaken lightly. It is God’s way of ensuring the continuation of his kingdom, and by his wish, the joy of children. Take heed that AnneMarie and Andre have considered these things when they repeat their vows in front of you and God today.”

A child suddenly burst into tears in the second row, her mother rocking her in her arms. As the noise gradually competed with the Reverend the mother shook her until she remembered where she was, and tactfully withdrew outside into the sunshine.

“Do you Andre Gesund, take this woman, AnneMarie Grob, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do” he replied. Lauren looked across to see the beads of sweat on his forehead, his fingers nervously toying with his hymn sheet. His features were bland, almost boyish, although he had a great shock of black hair that had apparently been combed once in his life and had never recovered, for it fell over his forehead in a tangle towards his eyes. His morning suit, however, was top quality, and even if it had been hired for the day, it was certainly an expensive looking outfit. Too bad, thought Lauren, that the shop didn’t have his size.

“To have and to hold, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward, till death do us part”

“I do.” he said.

“And now, AnneMarie, do you take Andre Jacques Bertrand Gesund to be your lawfully wedded husband”?

“I do” she replied. Lauren thought she was going to wet herself, and clearly from the congregation, there were others who found his name more than a little amusing. Even the Reverend raised his substantial eyebrows at him, seeking guidance from the groom rather than above this time.

“To have and to hold, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward, till death do us part”

“I do” she replied. The Best Man fumbled in his pocket for the rings and laid them on the Reverends order of service. The groom took the small diamond ring and gently placed it on AnneMarie’s finger. It shone brilliantly even on the dim light of the church, and she realised that her life-long baby-sitter and friend was almost married. Did she remember all those long evenings when her parents were out. Did she remember how she would tip-toe downstairs to sit with her and talk about grown-up things, watching late night television programs, and then shooting back to bed as the car headlights shone through the lounge window? Lauren thought that she might recall some of it, but apparently something was not right between herself and AnneMarie, and she realised that she was unlikely anymore until after their honeymoon. AnneMarie took the plain wedding band and pushed it over Andre’s finger, tugging his finger tip in order to get it over his second knuckle.

“With the exchange of rings, and the vows they have taken amongst you, bear witness that AnneMarie and Andre have entered into a solemn oath. I now pronounce you man and wife.” said the Reverend with a flourish of his hand.

They kissed gently at the altar and followed the Reverend to the office while the organist played an unknown variation of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. Lauren and Kirsten followed behind, witnessing the register with the Best Man who turned out to have a modicum of wit and personality. She looked again at the groom, and noticed under his coat tails a large safety pin that held his trousers together. The Best Man, Jakob, caught her stare and smiled back wickedly, nodding.

The ensemble returned to the altar and made their way regally down the aisle towards the big double doors and the gravestones beyond. The official photographer had poll position in front of the door, but rapidly became frustrated as another ten relatives and friends began flashing away directly behind him while he did his best to arrange the guests.

He tried desperately to out-smart the others by moving quickly ahead, but the bride and groom were waylaid at the church door, turning this way and that, talking to Aunt Elsie (who nobody had seen in fifteen years) and then listening to friend of the family Jacques Souiller tell them about his gall bladder operation. Needless to say, by the time they caught up with the photographer (lurking in the bushes for that `unexpected natural shot’) their real wish was to get on to the reception and have a drink. Mr. Souiller had clearly not finished, having only related up to the point where he had been given the pre-medication, and insisted on telling the remainder in the white Mercedes on the way to the hotel, climbing in and holding the door for AnneMarie and her new man. Gently, he was coaxed out and advised that there would be someone to help him shortly. The next couple of minutes saw a re-enactment of the Le Mans 24 hour race, as cars sped away, not caring which route they took, while the Reverend wandered out of his church clutching the pitiful collection.