Lily untangled herself from the cotton sheets. Her sleep had been restless, and frequently interrupted by intensely vivid dreams. She sighed deeply in the grayness of predawn. She squinted at the red glow of her alarm clock, slowly focusing on the digital display. 'Only five-thirty' she realized. She clamped her eyes shut, and reluctantly decided that chasing sleep for another hour would likely be a waste of her energy. Lily sighed in mild frustration as she crawled out of bed. She slid her feet into her favorite slippers, the ugly sheepskin ones that were too comfortable to throw away. She pulled on the long sleeved cotton shirt that Taylor had worn the day before, and wrapped it closely around her. It felt odd to be alone in their bed now, but he had wanted to give her time to get ready for this very special day, without concern for how unattractive many feminine grooming rituals tend to be.

Lily scuffed into the kitchen to switch on the coffee maker, then proceeded to the bathroom to complete her "every morning" ritual. As she brushed her teeth, she was delighted to notice how fresh her complexion looked, and how brightly her eyes sparkled, despite her lack of sleep. This would be the most important day of her thirty-year life. Bloodshot eyes with dark circles under them were not something she wanted to conceal today. She pinned her hair up loosely with a plastic clip, and returned to the kitchen.

Lily lit, and took a long drag from the last cigarette in her pack. She crushed the empty pack in one hand before tossing it into the trash. "I can't believe I smoked a whole pack last night!" she muttered. "And now I'm talking to myself." She smiled to herself as she poured her first cup of coffee into her favorite glass mug. Her cigarette dangled from her lips as she ran a bit of cold water into her coffee. She sat at the table, sipping carefully at her coffee, and absently crushed out her first cigarette of the day, already reaching for her second. Lily's fingers deftly stripped the cellophane from the fresh pack. A light knock at the door startled Lily. She dropped the half-open pack, and her gaze snapped up to the window in the kitchen door. Kelly, looking alert, despite the indecent hour of the morning, gestured for Lily to let her in.

Lily rushed to open the door. "What are you doing here? I didn't expect you till seven."

"Well... " Kelly began, "I know you, and knew you'd be too wound up to sleep. Besides, I couldn't sleep either. This is such an exciting day, I figured we could have our first cup of coffee together before we get to work." Kelly smiled teasingly. "Looks like you started without me."

"Hey now!" Lily retorted playfully, "it's not going to take THAT much work to get ready." She turned and prepared a cup of coffee for her best friend, adding cream, and two teaspoons of sugar. She set the steaming cup in front of Kelly, and returned to her chair across the table from her friend. Both women lit cigarettes, and inhaled deeply, exhaling a smoky sigh in unison. They both laughed lightly, and sipped their coffee in silence.

"I can't believe how fast the time has gone." Kelly mused.

"Fast? It felt like today would never get here!" Lily said, smiling dreamily as she recalled the last several months. She shivered as she remembered their first meeting, the pale blue dress he'd bought for her, and the way Taylor had made her feel sweet and virginal again. He'd made love to her so tenderly, it had been a little surprising when he had grinned, and casually dropped a pair of leather wrist cuffs onto the table as they ate a light dinner. Lily had been looking forward to playing with Taylor, but she was surprised at his knowing smirk. He had been so gentle and tender a few minutes before. His sudden attitude shift made her jump with surprise and anticipation. His eyes were still kind and warm, but were now also edged with a glint of smugness. He had known just how to get her attention, and how excited she would be at his unexpected display of his dominant personality. Her surprise was evident. Her eyes riveted on the cuffs as her face flushed. Lily shivered, feeling her cheeks warm.

Kelly's voice yanked her out of the memory. "Where are you?" Kelly smiled at Lily's embarrassment. "It won't be much longer now." She recognized the flush on Lily's cheeks. She had felt it often since she met Rob. Lily's eyes shone with love, and Kelly felt herself smile for her friend's happiness. "Let's get you all ready for Taylor. If we get started a little early, we won't have to hurry so much."

The women chatted happily as they made their way to the bedroom. Lily flopped onto the bed, giggling as Kelly danced to the closet, and pulled out the simple, short sleeved, white silk dress that Lily would wear for the ceremony. She held the top of the hanger in her left hand, and curved her right arm around the waist of the dress, dancing lightly with her silk "partner." Both women laughed happily as they gathered all the pieces of Lily's clothing and jewelry for the ceremony. Kelly lay the dress carefully on the bed, while Lily placed the jewelry in a shallow silver tray.

Once everything was laid out and ready, Kelly began to fill the bathtub with steaming water and scented bath oil. Lily set out her razor, shave cream, cigarettes, and ashtray on the side of the tub, and Kelly collected bottles of lotions and nail polish, and various other items she would need to assist in Lily's preparations.

As Lily shut off the water, Kelly closed the bathroom door, leaving her friend to bathe. She carefully laid out brushes, nail files, and bottles of various beauty potions, lit several candles, turned on some soothing Japanese music, and refilled both hers and Lily's coffee cups before starting a fresh pot to brew. She knocked lightly on the bathroom door. "Come on in." Lily's voice called. Kelly set Lily's cup next to the ashtray on the side of the tub, and sat across the room on a small dressing stool. Lily finished shaving her underarms, and took a long sip of coffee before continuing her shaving. Lily raised her hips, lifting herself out of the water enough to carefully shave the stubbly hairs from her pussy. Taylor usually did this for her, and she missed his gentle touch, and expert manipulation of the razor. "I hate doing this." She moaned as she carefully razed her pussy smooth. "Taylor does such a neat job, and enjoys doing it. It seems so easy when he does it. I usually have to go over some areas at least twice to do a good job."

"He has a better angle, Lily. He can reach more easily, and has a better view." Kelly comforted.

"Yeah, I know. And preparing myself for him is really part of the ceremony. But still," Lily sighed, "now I'm spoiled." She made one last, careful stroke, then looked up to her friend. They shared a smile, and Lily turned the hot water back on. "The water has cooled too much. I'll cut myself all up if I don't warm it up some before shaving my legs." Lily explained, as she took another long sip of coffee, and reached for her cigarettes. She lit a cigarette, and lay back in the tub, drawing lazily on her cigarette while the warm water lapped over her. She closed her eyes, and imagined Taylor's hands caressing her legs under the water. She loved his touch when he helped her bathe; it made her feel so pampered.

"Isn't that about deep enough?" Kelly asked, drawing Lily back from her daydream. Lily smiled dreamily, and leaned forward to turn off the water. "Aren't you nervous?" Kelly asked, as she watched Lily calmly continue her shaving.

"Hmm... not yet." Lily smiled as she spread shave cream over her leg. The friends listed the preparations still to be done, as Lily shaved her legs quickly, and efficiently.

As the bathtub drained, Kelly excused herself to make sure everything was set out and ready. Lily quickly washed her hair in the shower, then wrapped herself in a plush yellow bath towel. She emerged from the steamy bathroom, her skin pink and smooth, and her face flushed and damp. "Okay, are we ready for stage two?" she chirped as she sat in the chair Kelly had pulled out for her.

"Yup. And I'm good," Kelly quipped, "but don't expect miracles, ok?" Kelly took her place in front of Lily, perched again on the dressing stool. She looked up, and grinned at Lily's playful pout. Kelly carefully painted Lily's toenails, then the women moved to the table, where Lily's fingernails were meticulously manicured. The friends laughed and talked while Lily's nails dried, sipping coffee, and smoking cigarettes as the sun rose higher in the sky. Once her nail polish was dry, Lily combed her long, damp auburn hair, and went into the bathroom to blow-dry it. She fluffed and spritzed her bangs with styling spray, and misted her skin with a soft sandalwood scent. She pulled her hair up, and tucked it into a French twist, which she secured with sterling hairpins. As she lined her eyes lightly with brown eyeliner, Kelly stepped into the bathroom. Lily turned to her friend and smiled brightly.