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Message-ID: <31473asstr$995314204@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Kelly Adams" <kelly_h_adams@hotmail.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} "The Book, chapters 1-2" (FF slow fantasy) by Kelly Adams <Hopper Swap>
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 16:10:04 -0400
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Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

The following story is the result of a 'Hopper Swap' between myself and the 
lovely and talented Katie McN. In a hopper swap two authors send each other 
two story ideas that are in their 'hopper'. Each author takes one of her own 
ideas and combines it with one of the ideas sent to her, then writes a 
story. (After the story, I'll tell you what the raw ideas were from Katie 
and myself that I used.)

My thanks to Katie for her inspiration (and giving me an extra week to work 
on my story!), and a special thanks to Frank McCoy for coming up with the 
whole 'Hopper Swap' idea in the first place.

Oh yes, this story contains mildly explicit descriptions of sexual activity 
and is intended for adults only. So if you're under the age of majority 
where you live, please don't read any further.


For those of you who do read the story, I'd appreciate your dropping me a 
line at kelly_h_adams@hotmail.com and telling me what you think. I really do 
read all of my email and enjoy hearing what you have to say.

Okay, enough chit chat--on with the story!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Book
	by Kelly Adams

Chapter 1


For Sally, the day began just like any other normal day. Her clock
radio went off at 6:30 am, "Morning Edition" prodding her out of her
sleep and into the waking world. A quick workout followed, then a
shower, a bowl of Special K and a cup of yoghurt for breakfast. She
did up her hair, put on her lavender skirt-suit, grabbed her purse
and headed out the door of her apartment, amazingly a few minutes
early.

It was only after she left for the day that things started to
change.

On her way to the elevator, Sally saw Terri, her neighbor, step
briefly out of her apartment to grab the newspaper from in front of
her door. "Good morning," she said.

Sally and Terri had one of those neighborly relationships that is
hard to quantify; they didn't know each other well enough to be
considered friends, but they were definitely closer than mere
acquaintances. Although they had known each other for over two
years, since Sally moved into the building, Sally supposed that it
was their vastly different lifestyles that kept them form become
close friends: Terri was a stay-at-home married mother of two, while
Sally was a professional art dealer and unattached lesbian.

"Hi Sally," Terri said, standing up with the paper in her hand. She
struggled to keep her robe from opening with her free hand. "Do you
have time for coffee?"

"Sure, thanks," Sally replied. It was an invitation Sally couldn't
turn down--Terri's brew was much better than the cup she would
normally grab from Starbucks.

Sally followed Terri into her kitchen. In addition to having
different lives, the two women were quite different physically as
well: Sally was tall, fit, olive-skinned with long black hair; Terri
was much shorter, curvy, with fair skin and short curly blonde hair.
Sally was dressed smart for work, while Terri had obviously just
gotten up: hair messed up, no make-up, wearing her robe. In fact,
Sally thought, Terri looked more than just a bit disheveled. There
was something else...

It wasn't until Sally isolated the odor in the air, hiding beneath
the strong smell of roasting coffee beans, that she figured it out:
sex. The combination of sweat and arousal was hanging around Terri,
who Sally figured had probably had sex with her husband not too long
before.

For some reason, this realization really turned Sally on. Which was
funny, because she had never had any designs on Terri before. It
wasn't that she found Terri unattractive; far from it. But Sally had
long ago given up trying to seduce heterosexual women, especially
ones who were married. Still, Sally found herself wondering about
Terri, what she'd be like in bed, and if she'd even been with a
woman--or would want to.

"So, how's life?" Sally asked as she sat down at the table.

"Oh, fine, I suppose," Terri said as she brought a cup of coffee
over to Sally.

Sally dumped a good deal of cream into her cup and began to stir.
"Can't be too bad--looks like you and John had a bit of fun this
morning..."

Terri blushed slightly and self-consciously pulled the front of her
robe tighter. "Well, one of us might have had fun," Terri said with
a bit of venom in her voice. "But I would hardly characterize laying
there on my back for a grand total of three minutes as fun."

Terri sat down across the table from Sally and took a sip from her
cup. "Still, I suppose I shouldn't complain too much. Many women I
know get hardly any sex at all after eight years of marriage and two
kids. At least John still finds me desirable."

Sally was finding Terri pretty darn desirable too, and thought it a
shame that she wasn't getting what she needed from her husband. "But
don't you want something more?"

"Like what?"

"Well, orgasms, for one!"

Terri smiled, as though she was remembering what an orgasm felt
like. "I've got a husband who provides for his family, adores his
kids, and doesn't sleep around. That's more than most wives end up
getting these days. I can live without the orgasms."

Sally decided, right then and there, that she wanted to give Terri a
life that included not only her family and husband, but orgasms as
well. And if her husband wouldn't give them to her, well, Sally knew
a neighbor who would be more than happy to!

Sally finished her coffee, then looked at her watch. "Oh shit, I'm
going to be late," she said.

"Thanks for stopping by," Terri said as she saw Sally to the door.
"It's nice to talk to someone in the morning whose idea of wit is
more than calling their younger brother a 'stinky-head.'"

Sally had an idea, a way to put her plan of bedding Terri into
motion. "Hey, are you doing anything this evening?"

"Not especially. Why?"

"I thought maybe you'd like to come over to my apartment or a bit.
We could eat pizza and Hagen-Daas, and watch Meg Ryan movies, and
have intelligent adult female conversation."

"I'd like that," Terri said with a smile. "Is seven okay?"

"Sounds perfect. See you then!"

Sally smiled to herself as she took the elevator down to the main
floor. She thought about Terri, and Terri's smile, her lips, her
breasts. She thought about that warm spot between Terri's legs, and
if it tasted as sweet as she hoped. Soon, she hoped, she would know.
She would show Terri the pleasure of being with another woman. And
orgasms. Lots and lots of orgasms!


--------------------------------------

Sally arrived at her office about fifteen minutes late. She stopped
by the coffee machine to grab a powdered donut and another cup of
coffee. She stuck the donut into her mouth and preceded to walk past
her assistant's desk into her office, using her behind to push the
door open.

Five minutes later, Jayne, her assistant, came in to go over her
schedule for the day. Sally freely admitted (though only to herself)
that she had hired Jayne because, out of all the qualified
applicants, Jayne was the most attractive. She had been disappointed
to learn that Jayne was a committed heterosexual, but delighted to
discover that Jayne was an amazing administrative assistant. She
figured it was better this way; lovers will come and go, but good
assistants are worth their weight in gold.

In addition to her usual meetings with clients and calls to auction
houses, Sally had a meeting with a lawyer from her late Great Aunt
Ethel's estate that she had nearly forgotten about. Of all her
mother's relatives, Ethel was the only one of whom Sally had any
happy memories. She had spent two summers at Ethel's home in her
early teens; one was the happiest summer of her life, while the
other... wasn't.

Ethel had passed away nearly two months ago; that Sally had only
heard of her great aunt's passing from the lawyers last week spoke
volumes about the relationship between her ad the rest of the
family. They had not been pleased when her mother had married an
Iraqi (a 'fucking towel-head,' as her ignorant Uncle Joe put it).
That Sally's ill-timed conception was the reason for the marriage
was plenty enough reason for them to treat her with derision, but
learning that Sally was a lesbian put her on the permanent pariah
list.

The lawyer and her assistant arrived at about 2pm. She was impecably
dressed, in a flattering yet conservative charcoal grey skirt suit,
dark-rimmed glasses, and her blonde hair braided and tied up. Her
assistant--an intern, perhaps?--was dressed in typical male 'work
casual' and was carrying an old, fairly large handled case.

Jayne offered the guests coffee which they turned down, preferring
to get right to the business at hand. The lawyer, who introduced
herself as a partner at Jamison and Associates, had a video that
Sally's Aunt Ethel had recorded as part of the will:

"Hi Sally, sweetheart," Ethel's image on the television screen said.
She was obviously a few years older than when Sally had last seen
her; but, while not looking in perfect health, seemed to be as sharp
as ever. "Since you're seeing this, that must mean that the big C
has finally caught up with me. But I've had a good, long and happy
life, so don't shed any tears over my passing.

"I know from your letters that you've done very well for yourself,
so I know that you don't really need anything from me. And besides,
if I leave you too much those idiot relatives of ours will contest
the will and just tie everything up for years. Still, I'm leaving
you some shares in a little company my investment advisor had me buy
some years back--hopefully they're worth something, I don't know.

"And I'm also leaving you the book. I think you know which one it
is, the book that you and Amanda spent so much time with that first
summer you stayed with me. I know that it brought you joy, just as
it did for me when I first read it when I was a teenaged girl. I
hope that someday you'll be able to pass the joy on to another
deserving young lady."

Sally didn't really hear the rest of the tape. The book. After all
these years she had nearly forgotten about it.

Sally had Jayne give the lawyer the contact information for her
financial advisor, thanked the two of them for coming by, and had
Jayne show them out. She asked Jayne to cancel the rest of her
appointments for the day, then asked to be left alone for a bit.

The book, more of a tome really, was in the case that the lawyer had
left behind. Tentatively, Sally opened the case by undoing the
buckles and folding down the sides. The book was just as Sally
remembered it: about four inches thick, leather bound, gold-gilded
leaves. There was no title on the cover, just a rudimentary map.
Sally didn't open the book--she couldn't stand to, not yet. But the
memories came flooding back anyway:

Amanda had lived a couple blocks away from Aunt Ethel. She was
pretty, blonde, tall, smart, funny and a year older than Sally. The
two of them became fast friends that first summer Sally spent at her
aunt's, spending nearly every day together.

One rainy day, up in Ethel's attic, they found the book. They were
fascinated by the tales contained therein, of the mystical land of
al-Hazim, full of dragons and djinni, magic carpets and mystic
potions, handsome heroes, beautiful princesses and talking animals.
She and Amanda imagined themselves as adventuring princesses in
al-Hazim, discovering treasure, fighting pirates and battling evil
djinn.

Everyday she and Amanda would read a story in the book, and then
reimagine the adventure with themselves as participants. When they
ran out of stories from the book, they made up their own. It was
fun. It was magical. It was romantic.

Somehow, through all of their imaginary adventures, she and Amanda
fell in love.

Sally could still remember the first time that she and Amanda had
kissed. There was a storm raging outside. They were huddled together
up in the attic with the book, the wind banging the shutters and the
light dimming as the power throbbed. Their lips met, softly and
longly. Sally had never felt that way before. Amanda was beautiful
and special, and Sally was in love.

They were inseparable over the summer, within their fantasy
adventures and without. But eventually the summer ended, and Sally
had to return home.

That next year for Sally was the worst she had ever lived. Not only
was she a half-Arab teenaged freshman girl, she was a half-Arab
teenaged freshman *lesbian*, increasing her status as a social
outcast to the nth degree. And as if that wasn't enough, her parents
divorced; and, as most teenagers feel, she felt responsible (though
she wasn't) and that neither of her parents wanted her around (which
was only true sometimes).

Still, Sally had summer to look forward to, when she could return to
Aunt Ethel's and be with Amanda. They would once again be able to be
together, to play together, to love together. It was the only thing
that kept her life bearable that year, knowing that come June she
and Amanda would be together again.

Sally was crushed when, upon returning to her aunt's that summer,
she learned that Amanda had a boyfriend, and wanted nothing to do
with, as she put it, "those silly games we played, and those...
those 'things' we did."

Sally had been driven to despair, and it had only been through the
love and kindness of her Aunt Ethel that she managed to survive.
That had been the last that Sally had seen of her great aunt,
although they exchanged letters often.

Now, Ethel was dead, and had left Sally the book. The book that had
led to such joy, and ended up causing so much pain.

-------------------------------------------

Sally left the office early that afternoon, taking a cab as she
didn't want to tote the book with her on the subway. Dark clouds had
rolled in, and it began to storm as Sally left the cab. She thanked
the doorman for holding open the door for her and took herself and
the book up the elevator and into her apartment.

After setting the book in its case on the kitchen table, Sally
stripped out of her work clothes and fell into her bed for a little
nap. Though she hadn't really done all that much today, she still
felt exhausted. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She dreamed, for the first time in ages, about al-Hazim. She was
fourteen again, and Amanda was with her. They were dressed in silk,
running through the palace corridors, attempting to evade their
tutor, Suleyman, who thought that running around and having
adventures was no way for princesses to behave. They went into the
courtyard with the hanging gardens and hid behind the large plants.
Amanda kissed her, and Sally giggled with delight. Unfortunately,
the sound of their laughter led Suleyman to where they were hiding.

When Sally woke, it was nearly six-thirty, and she remembered that
Terri was due over in just half an hour. She took a fast shower,
quickly tamed her long wavy black hair, rolled on some deodorant and
brushed her teeth. She wanted to look casual, so she put on a pair
of white drawstring pants and a grey ribbed tank top over her
underwear (panties, no bra). She finished off by dabbing a slight
bit of perfume behind each ear.

Sally was just walking out of her bedroom when she heard Terri's
knock at the door. She crossed the living room, her slightly damp
bare feet sticking a bit to the hardwood floor.

Terri was dressed even more casually than Sally, wearing a simple
denim overall over a white tank tee. "Hi Terri, come on in," Sally
greeted her.

"Thanks. I brought a bottle of wine--hope that's okay," Terri said
as she entered. "It's nothing fancy, but I thought that maybe we
could do for a little something to relax."

"It's great, thanks," Sally replied as she took the bottle from her
guest. "I just woke up from a nap, so I haven't ordered the pizza
yet--I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. We just got through with dinner, so I'm not terribly
hungry yet anyway."

"Have a seat on the couch," Sally offered as she went into the
kitchen to find the phone book. "Is one with everything okay?"

"Sure, but no anchovies."

"Okay, no anchovies." Sally looked up the number for the closest
place that would deliver, called in their order, then poured Terri
and herself each a glass of the sweet white that Terri had brought.
Sally prefered dry wines, but wasn't going to spoil the opportunity
to get a bit of alcohol into Terri's system to loosen her up a bit.

"I love what you've done with the place," Terri told Sally as she
took the glass of wine from her friend. "The artwork you have is
amazing."

"That's one of the advantages of being an art dealer--you get to
pick from the best."

"Hmm, maybe I should go into used book dealing," Terri mused.

Sally learned that Terri had majored in comparative literature in
college. She had wanted to go into teaching, but when she got
pregnant soon after graduation her dreams of a career were pretty
much dashed. "I thought I could do it all," she told Sally. "But the
baby ended up being so much work, and with John's job paying well we
really didn't need to extra money."

Sally placed a sympathetic hand on her friend's shoulder. "Surely
there must be a way to meet your family's needs as well as your
own." She squeezed slightly on the word 'needs', sending a signal
that the needs she was referring to were more than just professional
aspirations. The moment was there--Terri wasn't pulling away. Sally
started to lean in to give Terri a kiss... then the buzzer rang.
They both jumped, startled by the interruption.

"Must be the pizza," Sally said, standing up from the couch. The
moment was ruined--hopefully there would be another.

"Yeah. Must be."

Sally went to the intercom to tell the doorman she'd be right down,
then grabbed her keys and put on a pair of sandals. "I'll be right
back," she told Terri.

After giving the delivery man a generous tip, Sally took the pizza
back up the elevator. The smell of the tomato sauce and melted
mozzarella in the confined space was too much for Sally to bear, so
she took out a piece and took a bite.

When she reentered her apartment, Terri wasn't in the living room.
"Hey, where's you go?" Sally called.

"In the kitchen," Terri replied.

Sally crossed the room, taking another bite of pizza. Turning the
corner, she saw Terri standing at the kitchen table, looking at the
book. The book. And she was turning pages towards the back. "This is
fascinating," Terri said. "I've never seen or heard of this. And in
these later stories, one of the characters is named Salima--Sally,
same as you!"

Sally wanted to shout out, to tell Terri to stop reading, but her
mouth was full of pizza. She was remembering again--that maybe it
wasn't all just a fantasy...

"Hmm, this is interesting," Terri said as she continued to turn the
pages. "These last few pages are blank. And right before that, it
reads:

'"Hmm, this is interesting," Terri said as she continued to turn the
pages...'

"Whoa, that's... that's..."

Sally dropped the pizza box to the floor as she felt a feeling come
over her--a feeling she hadn't felt in over sixteen years. The room
spun, and she blacked out.

[end chapter 1]

--------------------------------------------

The Book
	by Kelly Adams

Chapter 2


"Sally? Sally, wake up!"

She was laying on a cold stone floor, and Terri was shaking her,
saying her name urgently. "Huh? Terri?"

"What happened? Where are we?"

Sally opened her eyes and sat up. She was in a library, fairly
large, with many old books on the shelves; except for Terri and
herself, it was deserted. As she reentered consciousness, Sally
recognized where she was. It was someplace she hadn't been in a
long, long time. "Oh my god, it's true," she said, aloud but to
herself. "It's all true. It really happened."

"What's true? Sally, where are we?"

"Unless I'm mistaken," Sally said as she stood up and dusted herself
off, "we're in the library of the great palace of the Sultan of
al-Hazim."

"The what? Of who? Of where?"

"The Library. Of the Sultan. In al-Hazim."

"Wait," Terri said, her brain still slightly foggy. "That was in the
book. On your table. Al-Hazim was one of the places in the stories."

"Terri, I think you'd better sit down." She pulled out a chair at
one of the large wooden tables. Terri took the seat, and Sally sat
down in the chair next to her.

In the center of the table was the book, the book that came from
Aunt Ethel, that Terri had been reading right before they blacked
out. "Is that the same book?" Terri asked.

"Yes. Look, Terri, I know this is going to sound incredible," Sally
began, "and until we woke up here, I had relegated it all to the
realm of imagination myself. But with where we are now, it must be
true."

"What's true?"

"Just listen; I'll explain. The summer when I was fourteen I was
sent to stay at my Great Aunt Ethel's place. As it turned out, I was
sent away because my parents were trying to salvage their marriage.
It didn't work--they divorced that next fall--but that's not the
point of the story. My best friend there was named Amanda. One day,
she and I found this book up in Aunt Ethel's attic, and we started
reading it. It was about the land of al-Hazim and a girl named Ethel
who visited there, which I thought was pretty cool, seeing as she
had the same name as my aunt.

"As we continued to read, we got to a part where two girls, Amanda
and Sally, found the book years later in Ethel's attic and began to
read it. Which was really weird, as you can surely imagine. Then,
the next thing we knew, we woke up here, in al-Hazim."

"So you're saying that you went into the book?"

"Yes. Or through it. Or something. I don't know, and Amanda and I
never really questioned it. Nearly every day we would go up into the
attic, open up the book, and journey to al-Hazim. We'd have amazing
adventures, and when we returned our adventures became the next
chapter of the book."

"This is just too incredible," Terri said, shaking her head.

"I know," Sally agreed. "I didn't believe it myself anymore. In my
mind, I had relegated it all to two girls with overactive
imaginations. But now we're here, don't you see? It was all real--it
all really happened!"

Just then the door to the library opened. In walked a man in his
fifties; he wore a deep purple robe with gold trim and a sash, with
a matching turban. "Who's making all this noise in my library?" he
bellowed as he adjusted his spectacles.

Sally recognized that voice, and its imperious tone. "Suleyman!" she
cried out, jumping up from her chair and running up to the man. She
embraced him in a friendly hug.

"Oh my, who..."

Sally let go of the man and stepped back. "Suleyman, it's me,
Sally!"

"Princess Salima?" Suleyman said. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me, Sully!"

"I can't believe it!" Suleyman said. "After all these years, we
thought we'd never see you again. And you're all grown up now."

"Well, it has been a while, you know. I couldn't stay fourteen
forever."

"No, I suppose not,' Suleyman agreed. His gaze shifted to Terri, who
was still seated, trying to take everything in. "And who is this
with you, Salima? Surely this isn't Princess Amina?"

"No, Sully, this is Terri. She's a friend of mine from my world."

"You mean from Usa?"

"Yes." Sally motioned to Terri to stand up. "Terri, this is Suleyman
ibn-Dawud, head scholar of the royal court of al-Hazim and tutor to
young princesses who would much rather be out riding flying carpets.
Suleyman, this is my friend, Theresa, um... Theresa al-Usa."

"It is an honor to meet you," Suleyman said, bowing.

"Thanks," Terri said. "It's good to meet you too."

"Come, come," Suleyman said to the ladies. "Everyone will be excited
to see you, especially your father, Salima!" He motioned for them to
follow him as he walked out of the library.

"Your father?" Terri asked, somewhat confused.

"The Sultan, Mustafa Abu-Jalal ibn-Khalid al-Hazim. He's not really
my father--he sort of adopted Amanda and me when we first arrived,"
Sally explained. "He's great. He made us princesses, which was
really cool."

"And all this really happened to you?"

"As real as it is happening to us right now."

Sally felt her old memories flooding back to her as they walked
through the palace. It was as if nothing had changed; the
tapestries, the tile, even the guards were in the same places.

A portion of their path took them outside on a walkway connecting to
the main building. "Oh my!" Terri exclaimed as she stopped to look
out at the view. It was still breathtaking, Sally thought, even
after all these years. Many multicolored tapered domes dotted the
skyline. From the height they were at they could look out over the
palace walls to the bazaar, and even further out to the oasis, where
the sun was beginning to set behind the lush palm trees.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Terri asked Sally, looking for
confirmation. "I mean, the sights, the smells, the sounds--dreams
just don't feel this real."

"It's not a dream,' Sally confirmed. "I don't know for sure if it's
real or not, but it definitely isn't a dream."

"Wow," Terri exclaimed softly, her voice vastly understating for
effect.

"Come along, girls," Suleyman called to them. "You can stare blankly
out over the city later."

"After all these years," Sally muttered to Terri, "he's still a wet
blanket!"

-----------------------------------

Minutes later, Sally and Terri stood at the back of the royal court,
watching the Sultan hold an audience. He was in deep conversation
with his vizier and other advisors, though the women couldn't hear
about exactly what.

"Who's that standing next to the Sultan?" Terri asked Sally.

"That's Jalal, Mustafa's son--my 'brother,'" Sally told her. Sally
noted that Jalal had grown from the awkward young boy of twelve she
had last known into a rather handsome young man in his twenties.

"Who's that on the other side?"

"That's Fakhr al-Bajara, an old friend. From where he stands, I
gather he is now head of the palace guard."

"He looks orange," Terri remarked. "And fuzzy."

"That's because he's a tiger," Sally explained.

"A what?"

"A tiger. You know: big cat, sharp teeth, long tail."

"But he's standing upright, and wearing clothes, and carrying a
sword..."

"And he talks too. Look, this is fantasy land," Sally told Terri.
"There are talking tigers, dragons, djinni, enchanted lamps, flying
carpets--the works."

"This is going to take some getting used to," Terri said, trying to
grasp everything that was happening.

Their presence was starting to cause a slight commotion among those
in the court, as some people started to recognize Sally. Eventually,
the hubbub proved to be a distraction to the Sultan.

"What is all the commotion?" Mustafa asked, his voice loud and
forceful, though not booming. The crowd immediately silenced.
"Al-Jahiz, is that you? Who have you brought into my court that
causes such a fuss among those assembled?"

'Al-Jahiz'--literally 'goggle-eyes'--was Mustafa's nickname for
Suleyman. The two had grown up in the court together, and were best
friends. "I have brought visitors, your excellency. One of whom you
haven't seen in a very long time."

"Well then, let these visitors present themselves," Mustafa
commanded.

Sally stepped forward, pulling on Terri's arm to join her. They
stood in front of the Sultan and bowed, Terri following Sally's
lead. "Greetings, your highness," Sally said. "We bid you welcome
form the land of Usa."

"Salima? Daughter? Is that you?" Mustafa asked, his voice exhibiting
a rare instance of surprise.

"Yes, father, it is I," Sally said. A collective gasp filled the
courtroom upon hearing the revelation. Sally stood back up, as did
Terri.

"You have returned, just as I always knew you someday would!"
Mustafa was overjoyed. He hugged Sally with a great show of emotion,
kissing her cheeks.

"And your friend, this is not Amina," Mustafa observed. "Who is
she?"

"If it may please the court, I'd like to introduce my friend,
Theresa al-Usa."

Terri wasn't sure what to do at that point, so she curtsied. "Hello,
your highness," she said, hoping that she wasn't making some
horrible faux pas.

"Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of the court's," Mustafa
pronounced. "Welcome, Theresa al-Usa." He hugged Terri and kissed
her cheeks, though without the familiarity with which he had
embraced Sally.

"Tell me, what of my other daughter, Amina?"

"I do not know," Sally said with some sorrow. "We parted ways, soon
after we left here last."

"Well, let us hope that she finds her way back to us soon, the same
as you have Salima."

Mustafa summoned the Chief Chamberlain and bid him to prepare a
banquet that evening in honor of his daughter's return. The Chief
protested, saying that there was no way that he could prepare a
proper feast with such short notice. But the Sultan would have none
of that, saying that if the Chief could not prepare a proper
banquet, he was sure that he could find another chamberlain to
assume the role of Chief. The Chief assured the Sultan that such
measures would not be necessary and scurried off to begin the
preparations.

The Sultan then commanded Fakhr to escort Sally and Terri to the
bath, so that they could get cleaned up and properly dressed for
their banquet. The girls bowed and then followed the large tiger out
of the court.

"It is good to see you again, Princess Salima," Fakhr said. He was
large and imposing, at least 6'5", but radiated a warmth like a
loving house cat.

"Give me a hug, you big fuzzy!" Sally embraced Fakhr, barely able to
wrap her arms around his wide muscular girth. "So, you're still
around," observed Sally obviously. "Does this mean that your land
and people are still held captive?"

"Gladly no. With the help of your father and his men, we were able
to free al-Bajara from al-Qa'ids's rule," Fakhr explained. "But in
doing so, I incurred a debt to your father, so I stay on gladly
serving as head of the palace guard."

"I'm sure you serve with honor," complimented Sally. "Oh, where are
my manners; Fakhr, meet Terri. Terri, Fakhr."

"A pleasure, my lady. You are as beautiful as the white sands of the
oasis."

Terri blushed, assuming that it was a compliment--she had never been
complimented by a giant talking cat. "Thank you. I'm glad to meet
you as well."

They were met at the entrance to the bath by four servant girls,
dressed in simple white robes. Fakhr bid them farewell; men, even
large male cats, were not allowed in the bath at the same time as
women.

The bath was a rather large chamber, with the pool the size of a
large, oddly shaped stone pond. Built upon a natural spring, several
medium-sized fountains poured water into the bath, allowing for the
warm water to circulate.

Sally and Terri were undressed by the servants, two per, and then
led down the steps into the water. Sally found herself admiring
Terri's naked body. Though a few inches shorter than Sally, Terri
was very curvy and womanly, her large breasts like two ripe fruits
perched proudly on her chest, and her fleshy ass forming an enticing
heart shape.

The servants kept their robes on in the water as they attended to
the two women, washing them clean with a series of perfumed soaps
and applying gentle massages to their tired muscles. "Oh, this is
heavenly!" Terri remarked. "I could really get used to this!"

Sally felt herself become aroused--not at the hands which were
pawing her as they cleaned, but rather at the sight of Terri, her
naked body enveloped in the warm water, obviously enjoying the
hedonism that the bath and attention provided.

After the bath, the women were led into an antechamber where they
were toweled off, then dressed. They were fitted with wrapped silky
skirts and bra-like tops which left their midriffs exposed. "Hey,"
Terri remarked, looking down at her bely. "I just noticed--my
stretch marks are gone!"

"I'm not surprised. When we come here, our bodies seem to lose their
imperfections," Sally explained. "As a teenager, I loved the fact
that my acne was wiped away when I came."

Sally's long hair was braided and wrapped up with a flowered
garland, which Terri was fitted with a silk headdress. "I feel kind
of ridiculous in this get-up," Terri said wen they were done.

"Well you don't look ridiculous," Sally told her. "You look
beautiful."

"If I look half as gorgeous as you do, I'll be fine. You look
absolutely stunning."

Fakhr was waiting for them when they exited the bath area, nearly
two hours after they had first entered. "You look lovely, Salima, as
do you, Theresa."

"Thank you, Fakhr," Sally replied. "And you look as handsome as
ever." Fakhr had changed into his 'dress' uniform, an all-white
affair with a tunic and 'poofy' trousers.

"Shall we head for the banquet?" asked Fakhr, not really a question
but more of a statement of intent.

"Please, lead the way."

As they once again were escorted through the halls, Theresa
expressed some concern. "Do we have time for this?" she asked Sally.
"Shouldn't we think about returning back home? John's going to be
awful worried when I'm gone and he can't reach me!"

"Relax, we'll be fine," Sally assured her. "Time seems to flow
differently between here and our world. We can be here in al-Hazim
for hours, even days, and only a few minutes will pass by at home.
Likewise, we can spend a long time back in our world, and only a
couple of hours will have passed here in al-Hazim. It's kind of like
being able to live two lives instead of one!"

When they entered the great hall, the banquet was already underway.
Everyone stopped and bowed as they entered, except of course for
Jalal, the Sultan, and Sabira, the Sultan's wife.

Sally and Terri went to the head table to be seated. The tables were
low to the floor, and everyone sat on pillows. Sally was seated to
the Sultan's immediate left, with Terri next to her; Sabira and
Jalal sat on Mustafa's right. Fakhr did not sit down to eat, but
rather took up a position standing guard behind the assembled royal
family.

The food was plentiful, with garlic-lemon chicken and lamb-kabobs
for meats, and there were numerous fruits, nuts and dates as well.
Terri was put-off at first to discover that there was no cutlery,
that everyone ate with their hands. But she quickly learned to use
the available flat bread to turn her food into a sandwich.

There was constant entertainment, with a stream of musicians,
jugglers, belly dancers, and mock sword fighting demonstrations.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Everyone, that is, except
for Jalal, who after finishing his meal was standing off to one side
with a frown and a bit of a sulk.

"What's your brother's problem?" Terri asked Sally as she bit into a
honey-sweetened tart.

"I dunno; I'll go ask."

Sally stood and walked over to Jalal. "Hello brother. What is wrong?
Are you not happy to see me?"

"Sorry Salima. Of course I'm happy to see you," Jalal said, forcing
a smile. "It is always good when a prodigal daughter returns."

"Then why the long face?"

"Affairs of state weigh heavy on my mind, sister," Confessed Jalal.
"Although our father is overjoyed at your return, it is the only
good news he has had in some months."

"Tell me."

"A princess should not have to worry about such things."

"I'm not a young girl anymore, Jalal. I can handle the truth. Tell
me what is wrong that worries you and our father so."

Jalal sighed. "There is great unrest in the kingdom these days,
especially to the north. We fear an invasion from al-Hamara is
imminent."

"Al-Hamara? But we've always been at peace with them!"

"Many years have passed since you were with us, Salima, and many
things have changed. When Nur-al-Din passed on four years past, his
son, Zayd, assumed the Sultanate. Things changed soon after that, as
Zayd began to mass an army for unknown purposes. Reports are
unreliable and hard to come by, but it is suspected that Zayd has
fallen in with a woman rumored to be magician, and possibly with an
evil Djinn as well."

"This is most distressing. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You help by being here, Salima," Jalal told her. "Your return has
brightened our father's spirits, something which is sorely needed."

Sally knew that there must me more that she could do to help, but
said nothing. Jalal never appreciated her skills as an adventurer
when they were younger, and she was sure that there was nothing she
could say that would change his opinion now. She would have to talk
to Fakhr and Suleyman in the morning, learn more of what was
happening, and devise a course of action. It would be just like old
times! Except, of course, that Amanda was not here to share the
adventures with her.

-----------------------------------

The banquet would go on well into the night, but Sally and Terri
left soon after Sally's conversation with Jalal. They had had a
long, exhausting day, and Sally planned on getting an early start
the morning of the next.

Fakhr assigned two of the palace guards to escort Sally & Terri to
Sally's bedchamber. Sally realized that, while she had once had the
run of the palace, she was now being escorted everywhere. After her
conversation with Jalal, this didn't surprise her.

The bedchamber was just as Sally remembered it: large, with many
tapestries hanging on the walls, and ornate rugs covering the floor.
Several ornate chests dotted the room. The 'bed' was a large stuffed
mattress, much like a futon, laying on the floor, with numerous
pillows of varying sizes and colors.

"There's only one bedroom," Terri observed.

"Yes," replied Sally.

"And one bed."

"Also true. They probably assumed that you and I would be sleeping
together," Sally explained.

"Why would they assume that?" Terri asked.

"Because Amanda and I did. We were lovers, Terri," Sally told her.

"Oh. But we're not."

"No. Not yet, at least."

"What do you mean 'not yet'?" Terri didn't seem angry, just
confused.

"Terri, when I invited you over to my apartment, my intention was to
seduce you," Sally confessed.

"Seduce? Me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Terri, you are a beautiful, sensual woman," Sally placed her hand
softly on Terri's arm. Terri didn't flinch or shrug it off. "It
pains me that you are not finding sexual fulfillment. I wanted... I
want to help you find it."

"But, I'm not gay," Terri protested. "I'm married."

"That's okay; I am, and I'm not," Sally told her, smiling. "I can
give you pleasure, Terri. Here, in this place, right now. If you
decide you don't like it, no one will ever know--we can return back
to our world, back to our lives. But imagine what it could be--how
we could be, together."

Terri said nothing. Sally could tell that she was a little scared,
but more than a little intrigued.

"I would be honored if you would allow me to make love to you
tonight, Terri," Sally said, looking deeply into her friend's eyes
and lightly stroking her arm.

"Okay," Terri said softly. Sally responded with a smile. "How do we
do this?" Terri asked.

"Just relax," Sally told her as she moved around behind Terri. "Let
me take care of pleasuring you." She removed Terri's headdress,
setting it aside softly on the floor. She held Terri by the
shoulders and began to kiss the back of Terri's neck.

Terri breathed in deeply, then exhaled. Sally felt Terri's
reservation begin to melt away at her touch. She began to undress
Terri. She started with her top, untying it and slipping it off her
shoulders. She reached around in front of Terri and cupped her
generous breasts. They were slightly conical, tipped with large
nipples. Sally began to squeeze Terri's nipples gently, feeling them
get hard at her touch.

Sally then undid Terri's skirt, dropping it to the floor. She let
her hands trace down Terri's stomach to the vee between her legs.
Terri let out a small gasp as Sally began to gently rub her pubis.

After a few moments, Sally stopped petting Terri's mound. Taking
Terri by the hand, she led her over to the bed. "Lay down, on your
stomach," Sally told her. Terri bent down, kneeled on the mattress,
then slowly lowered herself down. She crossed her arms beneath her
head in a makeshift pillow. Sally gazed admiringly at her friend's
backside, from her supple shoulders down the gentle curve of her
back down past her rounded buttocks to her shapely legs.

After taking a moment to remove her own clothes, Sally went over and
opened up one of the chests along the walls of the room.

"Sally? Are you still there?" Terri asked, unable to see where Sally
was.

"Yes, my sweet," Sally replied. "I'll be back with you in a minute."
She found a vial of oil, made with a slight scent of rose oil, and
brought it back over to the bed. Kneeling beside Terri, she slowly
drizzled the oil down along Terri's spine and into the small of her
back. She capped the vial and set it aside, then began to rub the
oil into Terri's skin. She worked it slowly, sensuously into Terri's
shoulders and back, then moved down to massage Terri's cheeks and
legs.

"Ooooooo," Terri moaned gently. "That's very nice."

"Roll over," Sally told her, which she did. With Terri now on her
back, Sally once again opened the vial, then straddled Terri's
pelvis. She tilted the vial, letting the oil fall onto Terri's upper
chest. She then moved it lower, drawing a line down between Terri's
breasts. Sally then began to rub the oil into Terri's bosom,
enjoying the feel of the firm yet pliant mounds in her hands.

Sally raised herself and scooted down Terri's body, until she was
between Terri's legs. She spread Terri's thighs open. Terri proved
to be rather limber, so she pressed her knees back against the
mattress. Terri's outer lips parted, reveling the tantalizing
pinkness found therein.

Sally felt Terri begin to tense up as she lowered her head down
between Terri's thighs. "Relax," Sally told her, then began to
lightly lick along Terri's slit. She gently ran her tongue along
Terri's sex, then teasingly flicked up to stimulate her clitoris.

"Oooohhhh," Terri moaned with pleasure as her legs started to press
around Sally's head. Sally wrapped her arms around Terri's thighs
and opened them back up, then began to press her tongue deeper
inside Terri's hole.

Terri tasted somewhat sweet, her juices like nectar dancing on
Sally's tongue. Terri began to move her hips, grinding slowly around
in a small circle. Sally lifted Terri's pelvis up off the mattress
and began to lick faster. Terri was moaning quite loudly now as
Sally licked and thrust with her tongue until Terri came, her entire
body shaking with delight.

The smell of roses now filled the air, as Terri's body heat had
reacted with the massage oil. Sally crawled up on the mattress next
to her new lover, holding her in her arms and kissing her deeply.
Terri didn't seem to notice the taste of her own sex on Sally's
lips--or didn't care.

"That was... amazing," Terri said finally. "Thank you."

"I enjoyed pleasing you, Terri," Sally told her as she combed her
finger's through Terri's short blonde hair. "I hope you'll let me
please you again sometime."

"Is tomorrow too soon?" Terri asked with a girlish giggle.

"No," Sally replied, smiling. "It's not too soon at all." They
continued to caress each other softly, until finally they fell
asleep, naked in each other's arms.

[end chapter 2]

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Author's postscript:

Yes, I know, the story isn't over yet. I have many more stories I'd like to 
tell about Sally & Terri and their adventures together, and I do have an 
eventual ending in mind as well. I know I don't have the greatest track 
record with longer stories (a year-and-a-half later and people are *still* 
waiting for part 2 of "Calendar Girls"...) but if reaction to these first 
two chapters is positive I should be inspired to take the story further.

For those of you who are interested, here are the two story ideas I 
combined:

Here's what I chose from my suggestions:

----

1. Two young women discover a magical book in the attic.

This idea has been swimming around for a while now. Stems, I think, from the 
comment "She's so far in the closet, she's in Narnia!" which got me to 
thinking about all those magical tales I used to read as a kid. So anyway, I 
have no idea who the young women are, why they're in the attic, or what's in 
the book that makes it so magical. I guess I'm aiming for some kind of 
modern fantasy here, but really it could be morphed into just about 
anything.

----

And here's what I took from Katie's:

----

1. Sally is a tall, dark and very fit woman who is not married. Theresa is a
short, curvacious woman who has been married for a number of years. The two
women are neighbors who visit each other occasionally in the morning. Today
Sally is dressed for business while Theresa is still in her robe with her
hair messed up and some signs that she might have had sex with her husband.
For some reason this turns Sally on even though she is a lesbian.

Sally starts a conversation about sex to see if she can learn anything. She
finds out that Theresa is not having a completely fulfilling sex life. She
decides that she must seduce this woman. If not just for her own pleasure,
but to help to bring her to a place where she can find fulfillment. She
knows that her friend is very nieve in sex and cautious in attempting new
things. She decides to take the challange.

----

I suspect that at the end of that first paragraph Katie sent there's a 
typo--that she meant to say that 'this turns Sally on even though she 
*isn't* a lesbian'. But I decided to take what she gave, especially since 
this fitted better into my story.

That's all for now--hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed 
writing it!

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Fine Print: This story is copyright 2001 Kelly Adams.
Permission is granted to distribute via and archive in
alt.sex.stories.moderated and ASSTR in accordance with a.s.s.m.
guidelines and policies.



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