Prologue

As Helen left the office, she wondered, idly, how her boss, Mr. Harris, had managed to mislay his bank identity card, and why he had needed to borrow hers. It was the card she used to move the company's money from one account to another and to pay in funds. She hated and feared Mr. Harris because he was always finding excuses to touch her, and had asked her out more than once, but she disliked his oily manner and his greasy hands. Once he had even squeezed into her tiny work cubicle, stood behind her and stroked her breasts.

When she had protested he had only laughed and said, "The way to promotion isn't through being so prim and proper."

Never mind that creep and her boring job, tomorrow was her birthday, she had arranged a day off, and she was looking forward to her date with her unofficial fiancé, Mervyn, even though she knew that he would again be pressing her to let him make love to her. She put all thought of the office out of her mind as she boarded the hoverbus, which was as crowded as usual.

'Just think, ' she mused, 'it's 2123 and I am eighteen years old tomorrow. Mervyn and I have applied for a marriage licence and I'm sure we won't have to wait more than a few years for one. Just as soon as we are properly on the waiting list we'll be officially engaged.'

Just to prove that everything was wonderful today, a seat came free after less than half her journey and she sat down in the packed hoverbus for the last half-hour of the trip home.

Next morning she was up early and took a shower, even though it cost her a tenth of her week's water ration. Oh, if only there weren't so many people and she could eat and drink and wash and shower as much as she liked. She knew from school that it had not always been like this. She had seen pictures of open countryside with no buildings and no people and animals walking free. How different from the present day with never a moment outside her room that she could not see other people and with no open spaces, only the illusions in the senso-theatres and on the ThreeVee wall.

Helen checked her appearance in the mirror before getting dressed and was satisfied with what she saw: a tall girl, nearly six feet, with reddish-blonde hair and a pale face, green eyes, a figure that was, maybe, just a little too full. Her breasts were creamy and the nipples were palest pink and were smallish as they seemed to be asleep at the moment. Her 'private forest' was red-gold and small and neat, allowing her labia to be seen easily. They were coral pink and creviced, with the little love bud hidden away at the top. She blushed at her own naughty thoughts and blushed again when she saw that her nipples were standing up, just as they did when Mervyn touched them. He was the only boyfriend she had ever allowed to do that and it had taken him some time to persuade her. She blushed even more as she remembered what he had said when she apologised that her nipples were too large.

"I like big nipples," he had said, "and your breasts are just big enough to weigh in one hand, but they are certainly not too big."

It was embarrassing that he could be so crude at times; nice people, she was sure, did not think about such things, let alone say them! Then she really blushed deep crimson as she saw that this line of thinking had made her nipples rise to their largest, as though they were seeking Mervyn's hands. Turning away from the mirror, she dressed quickly.

She put on neat and functional underwear, certainly not designed to excite men; Mervyn got quite excited enough as it was. Then she added a green tunic which matched her eyes and was fashionably high at the neck and short in the skirt, just showing the edge of what she thought of as her 'bottom'. Her one-piece shoestockings which matched her hair were a pleasant completion to the picture.