Chapter 6: Trial

There was something serene about the way the groom gently tried to help Alex mount the obviously very disinclined horse. After trying to settle the initial dispute over which party was to decide where to go and how, he had realised that meddling meant being simultaneously kicked and scolded and gone for getting the total of six legs’ worth of stubbornness out of the yard in as short time as possible.

Niamh and her companion were watching from a safe distance. Oddly enough, the pony she was straddling wasn’t at all as unwieldy as the mare Alex tried to stare down. It must have sensed that she was a total tyro, she thought, and therefore considered her an easily pleased punter. She almost felt like sitting on a slightly chubby motorbike minus the brake handle and a few other necessities, but it seemed to work even if it had been years since she tried this.

Finally, after both coercing and bribing, Alex was in the saddle holding the reins in a triumphant grip.

‘That’s more like it,’ she exclaimed. ‘Now, can we…Say, yours looks like it’s half asleep.’

‘Oh, that’s just fine.’ Niamh tried her luck by gently digging her heels into the mushy belly as she spoke, and the pony slowly started shuffling forward. ‘But that one seems to have a bad day.’

‘She’s usually not at all like this.’ The groom ventured, avoiding the questioning look from Alex. ‘But she’s sort of…Well, I dunno, a bit edgy about certain people. Strong-willed, she is. Nice to kids, though.’

‘Really?’ Alex jeered.

Before anything else was said, Niamh was on her way toward the riding path picking up a slight speed. The pony wanted to get the business over with, and it knew the way by heart. Alex followed suit, properly anchored in the stirrups and with the reins kept tight.

-

The weather was really nice, with a gentle breeze and a bleak sun filtered through the thick foliage. Much to her surprise, Niamh enjoyed herself bouncing along the path. It was really easy to forget to at least pretend to know what she was doing in the saddle, and let the pony take care of  pace and navigation.

They came to a clearing, and Alex managed to pull her horse to a halt. It snorted triumphantly and bobbed its head when she swung her left leg over the back to dismount, happy to get rid of her if only for a moment.

‘Let’s stop here for a while, sweetie.’ Alex moaned. ‘She’s being really pesky, and my back is starting to hurt a bit.’

Gracelessly, Niamh rolled off the pony, which decided to head into the nearest thicket before it stopped to see what had happened to the dead weight.

‘Well, wasn’t this a great idea?’ Alex sighed as she tried to tie the mare to a yew. ‘That man will have a few problems more when we- if we get back in one piece.’

‘Pugsy here works all right.’

‘Pugsy?’ Alex ducked a swing from the muzzle. ‘Well, why not? You don’t want to hear what I call this creature. Will you look at that! She’s going for my feet!’

She backed away, strapping off her helmet. Pugsy the pony was still parked in the thicket while Niamh tried to find a way to secure him to a tree, and Alex smiled at the scene. She wondered how many times that horse had been through the same routine with nice people not really at home with equine matters.

They found a place to sit, and said nothing for quite a while. Surreptitiously, Alex lit a cigarillo and smiled at Niamh who answered by shrugging a little. It was a good place to rest, and since there seemed to be no one else using the path it was really quiet except from the leaves rustling in the breeze.

‘Well,’ Alex breathed, ‘at least this is something we should do more often, don’t you think?’

‘Yeah.’ Niamh shifted her weight on the log. ‘Bit of a bummer, that horse you got, though.’

‘I just can’t figure her out. Yours seem to work on automatic, like I said. Lucky you.’

‘But I think I’m picking things up pretty fast. It’s not like…’ Niamh hesitated when Alex pulled harder on her cigarillo and gave her a look. ‘Well, it’s not that hard, anyway. But you should have seen yourself when you passed me back there, sitting upright like you were laced up in a steel corset. It was like watching Boudicca. Ma-effing-jestic.’

‘Was that a compliment?’

‘Yes, madam.’

‘I’m glad you didn’t say Godiva. Besides, Boudicca drove a chariot packed with scythes and other interesting features, I think.’

‘I’ll try to remember that.’

Niamh gave up trying to find a comfortable seat on the log and slid down on the grass below. Alex remained perched on her little soft spot, massaging her thighs.

‘Anyway…’ she volunteered, ‘speaking of corsets and stuff; you haven’t tried combining your interests?’

The response was a throaty chortle that startled the horses.

‘Oh for God’s sake! Picture yourself me in full regalia,’ Alex fought for breath as she plucked at her blouse and trousers, ‘riding mac, thin white frilly blouse and really shiny jodhpurs…Boots, whatnot…’

‘Why did you think I asked, Boudicca?’

‘Riding poor old Harry Three Legs! That would be a sight!’

Niamh imagined Alex trying to look the part on top of the bandy-legged hessian fleabag trudging along, even more Eeyore-like than Pugsy the pony. She burst out laughing.

‘All right. Rubber riding and Harry do not compute, but if…’

‘If things were different?’

Alex suddenly looked serious, and put out her cigarillo with her heel.

‘Honestly, I haven’t given it that much thought. Rubber riding… Well, I suppose that could be fun. At least now, when things finally are a bit different.’

She gave Niamh a curious look, which sent a slight shiver down her spine.

‘You do remember that I told you, don’t you? There have been times when I have enjoyed…’ Alex hesitated, cleaning a fingernail. ‘wearing rubber outdoors. Mostly doing nothing in particular. I quickly learned that it wasn’t easy to dress for the weather. I easily get cold, and I layered up as best as I could. More bulky than erotic in that sense, you know. And always avoiding every possible situation where someone might see me.’

Niamh kept silent, waiting for more.

‘Not that I’m that easily ashamed, but it can be a spot of bother if you’re caught by the vicar’s wife near the public footpath doing something interesting to yourself all suited up…Or rather the neighbour’s kids…’ Alex smiled a strange, grandmotherly smile.

‘I’ve met her.’ Niamh interrupted. ‘Fuck knows if she wouldn’t get turned on by watching you jill in the woods. I think she’d get off on it. There’s always a mask or two to choose from if you wanted to show off without revealing too much… face, that is.’

‘You’re probably right.’

‘Oppressed feelings and all that. Doesn’t look too bad, though.’

‘We could invite her to find out.’

The sniggering eventually subsided. Alex eased herself next to Niamh, letting her hand wander over her lower back.

‘But I get your point about the kids, Alex. You really care for them, don’t you?’

‘Yes.’

A slight chuckle announced that the subject was still not dropped entirely.

‘You know, it’s really fun to not letting people know what you’re wearing as well. That’s something I would do more often if I only felt like it.’

‘Seriously?’

‘Oh, listen to this, will you.’ Alex nearly whispered. ‘I sat through a four-hour meeting not that long ago in that dark business suit, you know. Nice skirt, jacket a bit wide over the shoulders…’

‘Yeah? The YSL?’

‘Underneath that I wore a simple zipless two-piece suit over some quite interesting lingerie. Transparent, very sheer latex and really snug. Perfect for stealth ops, so to speak. It helped me forget all the dreary talk for a while.’

‘Four whole hours?’

‘Nearly, yes.’ Alex swallowed. ‘It was really pleasant just to simmer on, really slowly, hugged and squeezed by the thin, thin rubber underneath my business suit. The stockings felt heavenly through it if I moved my legs around a little bit.’ She paused, looking down the path. ‘You stay awake when you let your special knickers with those tiny buds gently massage your most sensitive parts for a long, long time without allowing yourself the pleasure of…Well, to be honest, it would have been awfully nice to come really noisily. Several times during that bloody meeting, I’d say. Should have livened things up quite a bit.’

‘Did you come, then?’ Niamh could feel something stirring inside her. ‘And didn’t anyone even notice anything strange… I mean, four hours. The smell…’

‘You’ll learn to appreciate a really good plateau phase lasting for ver-ry long if I get the chance to teach you anything useful… Yes, of course I let myself have a few tiny ones just to let off steam, silly. And actually, I think there were at least two people who noticed and probably realized what the whole thing was about, which I think was very uplifting.’

‘No… Really?’

‘The catering couple, dear. Carla and what’s-his-name, Christian. Danish fellow. They hovered around us from time to time, and we had tea during the last session. I was quite warm by then, and I know there must have been quite a lot of scent… Anyway, Christian seems to be getting really confused every time he walks past me, and I think nothing of it until Carla leans down to pour me a cup. In an instant, I see a sudden flash in her eyes as she smells something, and her sweet face gets really rosy. The next time she comes around, she has this impish smile on her face and gets awfully close to me just to remove my cup. I swear they winked at me before they left. That was a blast.’  

‘Oh, mother…’

‘We should try something like that before we do anything more advanced on horseback than just trying to stay aboard, don’t you think? Or perhaps you’re into splashing about in mucky water and mud more than I am. In that case, you’re on the right track. We should really be getting back now, sweetie.’

-

It proved to be easier said than done to get back in the saddle. Niamh tried her very best to help Alex mount up, but it just wouldn’t work. The mare was strong and agile, and very reluctant to let an angry woman up on her back. After a few more or less dangerous attempts, Niamh surprised both herself, Alex and the poor horse by placing her left foot in the stirrup and heaving herself up without much trouble at all.

‘Wow! There we go!’

The horse shifted a little, gave the new passenger a confused look and neighed slightly. Alex seemed to get ready to tackle the horse off the path.

‘Are you out of your head, girl? You might get hurt!’ she hissed, too cautious to risk anything further by screaming out loud. ‘That’s not a good idea.’

‘Look.’ Niamh took the reins, pulled a little, and the horse turned around. ‘She’s being nice to me. I bet she’s much easier to steer than you-know-who presently wondering if you might have a sugar or five to spare. He spat out the carrots I brought.’

‘Nice to kids. Pretty clever.’

‘No, it’s just the fact she can’t have a woman like you in charge over her, I think.’

‘Another compliment, sweetie?’

‘Let’s say that it was and leave it… Oh, here we go again!’ Niamh tried to rein the horse in, but only managed to slow down a little. It had had quite enough of crazy people today and wanted to get back home. ‘Your steed awaits you, madam. Let’s see if you can keep up with us.’

-

That evening the house seemed more quiet than usual. The only noise Niamh could hear came from the garden, where two hedgehogs were settling a score. She pattered around in her bathrobe after a really hot shower and tried to save a few plants from perishing, since the girl Alex hired only had a knack for keeping the place meticulously clean.

The light dizziness she had experienced on the way back had evaporated under the steaming jets, and now only the strange taste in her mouth remained. Sooner or later, she thought, she had to ask someone what it might be that made her feel so strange every time she got the slightest bit exhausted.

‘Put that down and come here.’

Alex was suddenly standing right behind her, and Niamh nearly dropped the watering can on the floor. There was a certain tone of anticipation in Alex’ voice that seemed promising.

‘You move like a trained assassin sometimes.’ Niamh breathed, turning around. ‘I didn’t realise it was kimono time already.’

Alex wore a very flattering deep blue silk robe, effectively covering her from the neck down. She spread her arms and winked deceitfully.

‘Danger lies beneath.’

Suddenly, Niamh recognized a faint sweet whiff. She drew closer and was caught in a tight embrace, but managed to sneak her right hand under the robe. Her fingertips touched what was not the familiar slick, cool surface she had expected, but rather a soft and velvety membrane covering every inch of flesh she explored. It made her mouth water as she brushed over a stiffening nipple under what felt like a slightly tougher layer. The body heat radiating through it fascinated her, and when she paused her tentative examination, she could feel rapid heartbeat pounding under her palm.

Alex withdrew and let her robe down; allowing Niamh to see what was underneath. She was amazed by how Alex’ body almost appeared to be caramelised by the transparent latex, so taut but yet apparently very supple. Damp spots surrounded the contours of a filmy bra nicely adding to the stunning impression, and the crotch where no briefs were to be seen. It was a very appetizing sight. 

‘I thought I had already put it away somewhere,’ Alex whispered as she slowly took Niamh by the hand and led her to the sofa. ‘but I found it. Please sit.’

There was no way of resisting letting her fingers and tongue travel wherever they could reach, but Niamh was gently but firmly warded off before she could get started.

‘I would much appreciate if you would only give my poor feet some TLC first, schatje. Those boots really were no good.’ Alex whispered, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

‘Sure.’ Niamh grunted. ‘Do you want me to…’

‘No, no. Don’t get down. You sit right where you are.’

A childish giggle from Alex defused the situation. She prodded Niamh in the belly with her bare toes, pinning her down.

‘I was just asking nicely this time. I enjoy your little foot rubs, you know.’

‘You always sound like you do, which is sort of hot…’ Niamh replied, gently stroking Alex’ feet. They were unusually soft and well kept, she thought, and really sensitive to touch. It was easy to get an interesting response just by pressing the right spots. A deep sigh confirmed that she was doing it right. She playfully lifted a foot and kissed it, lightly flicking the toes with her tongue. There was a tiny twitch and another bubbling giggle, which made her heart race.

‘Oh, please don’t.’ Alex twittered. ‘They are really filthy. And that tickles! Niet doen!’ 

Niamh relished the thought of having Alex properly bound and helpless. It wasn’t hard to imagine how she would treat her then. Of all the number of things she wanted to try, a few were quite hardcore. Now, she noticed how Alex couldn’t keep her fingers away from herself, and that was a promising sign. It was hard to keep her eyes from the wet spot of pink flesh pressed against the thin membrane and the fingertips leisurely slinking over it.

Gradually, Niamh worked her way up the legs paying great attention to every inch of the pearlsheen surface with her tongue, fingers and nails. She slowly slithered on top of Alex, careful not to push them both down from the sofa, amused by the feel of her satin bathrobe slipping over the sturdy leather upholstery and the flimsy rubber with the same ease. Her probing hands found where the top and bottom half overlapped and tried to sneak in underneath, but that didn’t work.  She wasn’t allowed near the crotch, where Alex’ left hand firmly clasped the desired parts and firmly massaged them through the suit.

If she won’t let me in on it, I’ll bite her ears. Niamh thought with growing impatience as she watched Alex’ heavenly facial expression. Her robe came undone, and her moist skin felt sticky and hypersensitive against the rubber. When she sought Alex’ lips for a deep kiss, their eyes met.

‘Turn around. The other way.’ Alex whispered.

It took a few seconds for Niamh to understand what she asked for, but then she swiftly bounced off the sofa and swinging her legs astride Alex, back on again. Very carefully, she eased herself down and shivered at the touch of eager fingers and a hot breath on her slowly parting labia.

At first, she was a bit too tense to feel what Alex did, but within a moment it became impossible for her to keep still and silent. It was a fascinating and frightening thing, this talent for rendering her totally helpless that Alex had, Niamh thought. A constant glissando between tenderness and outright torture where the boundaries were always blurred. It nearly always ended with her asking for more, regardless of how painful it was. So sweet.

Gently rocking to and fro, savouring the tiny jolts fizzing through her, she noticed how Alex had managed to roll down the bottom half of the suit just enough to indicate what she had in mind. Niamh used her trembling hands to lift the front panel, and wriggled her head into the trousers.

At first a little hesitantly, afraid that she might burst the precious suit, she worked her way over the mons until she could reach Alex’ profusely oozing crevice with her mouth. The heat, the raw blend of smells and the constricted, womb-like feeling nearly made her withdraw her head. Her face was already a sticky mess and it was hard to breathe, but she was propelled by sheer lust and didn’t really bother if she only managed to dig her nose and mouth into Alex’ sex without any finesse whatsoever. It was getting hard to stay in control over herself, with the jolts turning into high voltage currents down below. How the hell did she do it?

A slight pressure on each side of her head was followed by the sensation of wet rubber clinging tighter to her face for each breath. Alex was using her hands to tighten the trousers at the waist around Niamh’s neck, and even if the effect wasn’t dramatic, the vague notion of what was happening triggered a series of tiny outbursts inside Niamh.

That was a cue for Alex, who suddenly changed approach.

‘Mhh. Oh God! No…’ Niamh managed before her face was pushed down further.She could almost see before her how her clit and nearly all of her swollen flesh surrounding it was sucked into a honeycoated vortex, and suddenly she was totally unable to give anything in return. Almost fainting from the treatment, exhaustion and lack of air, she succumbed to a peculiar orgasm emerging from the deep in a single wave.

-

The carpet felt uncannily cold under her wilting legs when she slid down from the sofa. Alex absent-mindedly caressed her cheek as she returned to pleasuring herself with deliberate, languid fingers. She guided Niamh’s head up to her chest to let her tend for the neck and breasts. 

‘You have sullied your face again.’ she said, grinning maliciously.

‘Nnh.’

‘Always ending up being a messy girl. We can’t have that.’

Alex drew a whistling breath through her teeth when her left nipple was caught, only a little carelessly, between Niamh’s thumb and forefinger. She grabbed hold of the unruly hand and manoeuvred it slowly down to her crotch. There was a sudden glint of surprise in Niamh’s eyes.

‘Let’s get into a hot bath before we get to bed. After…’ Alex sighed, wiggling her hips. ‘After we’re…Oh, that’s…’

Niamh watched Alex absorbedly as she drifted off, revelling in her rapture. There was something extremely arousing about the way she felt under her hands, the rustling of the rubber creating strange patterns on her skin as it moved around, the sounds she made and the smell. A feral mix of woman with a tinge of blood on her own face and fingers. The sultry, pungent latex over warm aged leather. 

Dizziness was slowly creeping back upon her, but she didn’t care if she would feel like run over by next morning. What mattered was that she didn’t break this spell, hoping that it would last the night through.   

30.06.10