Emi folded her arms, feeling truly scared. It felt like her clothed life had ended and her nude in public life had begun.
When she agreed to make the app, she had expected Su-Ning would return and allow her to wear clothing offsite. Except for 90 minutes a day of humiliating mailgirl training – that’s all she’d signed up for!
This changes everything. Ho was pushing her to work outside the resort for two months, completely naked. That was unthinkable!
Worse, Ho was registering a new definition of her job description with correctional services. Was she trying to make all this offsite naked stuff, irreversible? She prayed that Su-Ning would come back in time to put a stop to all this.
At least she would not be homeless, but how would she travel to work? Would Ben pull her in a rickshaw every day? Might she buy a car?
This was all complicating her decision to make the infernal app. If she hadn’t had so much to drink, she’d be in a ball on the ground crying. Thank God for alcohol.
She glanced at Ben. He was looking at her as if he was about to say something. He was the only thing that had gone well tonight. She was determined not to screw this up. She decided no more thinking about the complicated horrors of tonight. She could deal with all that crap later when her brain was more functional. Tonight… she just wanted to feel better, even if just for an hour or two.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked.
“No…”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Yes, but definitely not tonight, okay?”
He watched her carefully, nodding finally.
“How was your evening?” she asked.
Ben went on a long complaint rant about Liz and missing out on the party.
Emi enjoyed watching his antics and expressions. Periodically consoling him. He seemed to feel better getting it all out. She rubbed his head and clung to him in a side hug. “At least you got your best friend back.”
“Yeah… but I missed out on a lot of time with you. And when I finally came back to the party, you were in that meeting. What was so important that they had to have a meeting during a party?”
“They want me to make an app.”
“It must be some app… what do they want?”
“A cosplay app. Something to help tourism around nude resorts.”
“Ahh… that explains Ho’s comment,” he said, lifting the dog tag dangling from her neck. “What’s this?”
“A travel permit.”
“So now you won’t get arrested. That’s great!”
“Yes. Isn’t it wonderful?” she deadpanned.
“You don’t seem… why are you looking at me like that?”
“I need to have fun now.”
“Fun?”
She nodded.
“Alrighty then,” he said, pulling out his collar.
That was not what she had in mind.
He put it around her neck, and before she could complain, he shut her up with a kiss.
The gate has cameras; she realized. They were putting on a show. She really didn’t want to stop the kiss. Just a few seconds more. “Ah… there is a camera on the gate.”
He turned his head, looking past her at the gate. “Oh…”
“Let’s get out of here,” she said.
“Way ahead of you,” he said, pulling her leash.
The leather collar felt comfortably snug as the rope tightened, pulling her along. She struggled to figure what to make out of this situation. He was having fun. It was fun. They were playing. She decided to commit and play along. She was a pet. A naked pet, being pulled along outside in public.
He looked back, watching her. He seemed happy.
She stuck out her tongue like a friendly dog, panting. She sensed something from a bush, a noise? She looked. It was probably nothing. She looked back at him, and the bush, and him. She smiled, realizing that she was acting just like an animal.
“Don’t worry… it’s probably just a rabbit,” he said, patting her head.
It felt good to be patted. But then he stopped. She wanted more, but the collar felt snug again, pulling her along.
It was scary being outside… but the darkness protected her as she padded along. She was glad that he was here, but who did he think he was? Her owner, her master? No… he was just her dipshit lover with a pet fetish. Regardless, he was now hers. Or she was his. It didn’t matter which. She wasn’t alone. It could have gone differently tonight with Ben. All that mattered was that right now, she felt relieved, grateful, lucky.
He continued to pull her leash like she was an animal, a pet, a slave.
She remembered the poster in Seattle. This was just like that. Only worse. She was completely naked. She flushed in the darkness, thinking about herself on that poster. On the wall of the office, at work. Her nude body ogled by the guys every day as they walked past her. Her every detail, in full view, in a clear light. Her completely naked body, lady bits and all.
They stopped. He kissed her full on the mouth. Then he resumed walking, leaving her there gaping like a fish in the dark. The rope tightened, pulling her along. Her collar tightened, her nipples tightened, her tongue was wet.
She let him have his way with the leash. It seemed to give him pleasure. She followed him along like a good girl, panting.
They walked for a while, and then Emi realized she needed to pee.
“What’s with you? Why are you walking like that?”
“It’s nothing…”
“Do you need to pee?” he asked as if talking to a puppy.
She played along, nodding like a good little puppy.
He stopped smiling. “Really?” He asked, sounding worried. “Can’t you hold it?”
She shook her head.
He looked around, finally spotting a bush. “How about there?”
She nodded.
He took her to the bush, turning his head out to the sea.
She squatted, relieving herself.
“Are you done?”
She stood up, hesitating.
“Come on… what is it?… don’t worry. You can drip dry,” he laughed.
She followed obediently, letting him have his way. He was just having fun. This isn’t really what her life had become. She felt wet, but it was probably just pee.
“Don’t worry… the shower is up ahead.”
Oh yes. The shower. She could clean off.
“You remember the shower… right?” he said, with a low voice.
The memory was jarring, like a soft bolt of hot lightning. It warmed her body. She watched his shoulders in the moonlight as he pulled her along. Anticipation filled the air.
In the distance, a couple of burning fire pits came into view. There were people around them. That’s right. The party. It would be too risky near the shower. She stopped.
“Hey girl… don’t worry.”
She smiled. He seemed to enjoy the role-playing, but she hoped he didn’t have some kind of pet fetish. Still, this was fun… for the time being. But the fires up ahead worried her.
He looked at what she was looking at. “We should stop by… say hello.”
She shook her head, vigorously.
He laughed. “Alright… don’t worry. They are close to the water. No one will see you up here on the path. Let’s just run past. C’mon…”
Her feet trotted along the ground as the rope bounced madly between them, causing her collar to make its presence known on her neck.
As they ran past the firepits, she wasn’t as scared as she normally would have been. Thank God for alcohol. Still, this was exciting. It was turning her on.
“We are almost there…” he encouraged.
Up ahead, she saw the tall vacation hotel with the shower out front. Just past that was the marketing building. There didn’t seem to be anyone around.
Ben pulled her up to the shower. “In you go…” He turned on the water.
She took off her shoes, and stepped in, quickly cleaning her pussy, while trying to keep her head dry. There was enough moonlight to see her numbers washing away. She was glad. Hannah had been right.
“There you go… that’s enough,” he said, turning off the water.
She looked at him. Her body dripping wet. She licked her lips, watching him intensely, waiting…
“C’mon… let’s go for a run. Get you dried off.”
She was annoyed, and rushed, barely pulling on her shoes before he started pulling again. What was all that talk about remembering the shower?
He pulled her along.
A couple stumbled out of the marketing building headed towards the shower. “Nice leash costume!”
She blushed, looking away so they wouldn’t see her face.
They started running again. She watched his hair bounce in the moonlight, grateful for his thinking. If they had stayed, they would have been caught having sex in public. He was looking out for her. He was her hero. He was… an idiot! Why did he just pass the doorway? She tried to slow him down, pulling on the leash with her hands.
He slowed down but kept pulling her along. “Don’t worry. I have a plan. You trust me right?”
They were between the buildings, headed towards Main Street. The same path that Liz pulled her in the rickshaw a few weeks ago. What was he thinking? She shook her head.
He laughed. “Yes you do…”
She shook her head.
“Just follow me to the end of the alley, okay?”
She shook her head.
“Fine, then you can lead the way,” he said, stepping behind her and gently pushing her forward. “C’mon Emi… it’s dark, nobody is around, at least to the end of the alley, I want to show you something.”
She let him push her. But she didn’t like it… it was scary but exciting. She almost changed her mind and spoke out loud. She just wanted to be with him, normally. The shower certainly revved her up, but being out here naked was also exciting for her. No, not this… it was probably just a leftover feeling from the shower that was turning her on.
Just a few more steps. A man appeared, walking along Main Street at the end of the alley. She stopped and froze. He just kept walking and then he was gone. He hadn’t looked into the alley. She hadn’t been seen. It was exciting, but she’d had enough. She was ready to go back.
“Just a few more steps,” he said, pushing on her back.
Finally, they were there, on Main Street. He walked past her, looking both ways down the sidewalk. “It’s empty,” he said.
It wasn’t empty. A man had just walked by. She stayed firmly in the alley.
“Just a few more steps,” he said, pulling.
She resisted, looking around the corner where the man had walked. He wasn’t there. He must have stepped inside somewhere. They were alone. Except a car drove down a cross street one block up.
“See? It’s empty, nobody is there,” he said, walking behind her. Gently nudging her forward until she could peek around the corner. He was right. It was empty. She wondered where all the people were.
“Just a few steps more,” he said, pushing her out onto the sidewalk.
She was fully on the sidewalk on Main Street! She gasped, taking a deep breath. The whole sight of Main Street engulfed her, dazzled her, intimidated her.
“See… I knew you could do it.”
The lights of pubs and late-night restaurants were still on. This wasn’t such a small town, and it was Halloween night, so it surprised her how quiet things were. Her heart was beating and her breathing was faster as she looked around at the majestic buildings. It had been a long time since she had been out here. But it was terrifying, and she was ready to leave.
Ben was smiling, pointing to a corner store across the street. “Our night will be much better if we purchase something from there, right?”
Condoms? she thought, looking into his eyes… and her brief smile betrayed her. So this was his plan?
He took her hands, looking worried, waiting for her answer.
Slowly she smiled, nodding.
A car going by startled both of them. She tried to go back into the alley, but he pulled in the opposite direction… onto the street!?
“What are you doing? No… oh my God!” she said, as he pulled her onto the street behind the car that had passed by. Why on earth was he pulling her… across the street?! This was insane!
“We are already halfway there! Keep going… it’s the same distance!”
The car honked but kept going.
She’d been seen! Emi couldn’t believe what was happening. She was naked and in the middle of Main Street! She sprinted the rest of the way across, laughing, and quickly tried to duck behind a pop machine just outside of the indented area in front of the store. There wasn’t enough space to get behind it. She pushed, but it wouldn’t move.
“What are you doing, silly? You can’t hide behind that,” he laughed. “Let’s go inside, get you off the street.”
“I’m not going in…”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes… hurry up!”
“Okay… I’ll be back in one second!” He said, looping his leash on some hook near the top of the door. He darted into the store.
Emi couldn’t believe this. She waited what felt like 30 seconds or more, which felt like an eternity, and suddenly a car pulled up. It was the same car! She changed her mind and decided to run into the store, but stopped just in time as the leash slack tightened. The hook!
“Well, well, well…” said a voice as a flash went off. “What have we here?”
Emi knew that voice. It was the goth girl from the beach. She’d just taken a picture of her without her glasses, but it was from the back. She pulled her sunglasses down and was instantly blinded. She couldn’t see anything!
“It’s one thing… to be naked on the beach, but out here it’s definitely illegal. I should call the cops.” Emi could hear the ticks of her typing on her phone.
“No… wait… I have a permit,” Emi said, like a blind woman.
“Show me.”
Emi showed her…
She snatched it, yanking it clean off.
“You’re that girl from the newspaper, I bet. They would love a picture of this. You naked, leashed, and getting arrested!”
“Hey! Get away from her,” Ben shouted, running out of the store.
Emi heard her run back to the car. The door slammed shut, and the car roared off.
Emi slumped to the ground, defeated, pulling up her sunglasses. “She stole my permit,” she cried, suddenly sobbing, her shoulders shaking. Tonight was simply too much. This was the last straw. She couldn’t take it anymore.
“I’m so sorry… Emi,” Ben said, pulling his t-shirt over her head.
“What are you doing? I can’t.”
“No Emi, you are illegal now. If you go to jail, then you would be in a lot more trouble than anything Ho could do to you. And Ho isn’t here. Put it on, stop fighting me.”
She let him put it on and resumed sobbing.
He held her for a while. It must have been a long time as a few people went in and out of the store. The t-shirt was long on her and she pulled it down to just barely cover her bottom, but she was showing a lot of leg. She told him about the picture and what the goth chick said about the newspaper.
“That bitch,” he said, pulling out his phone.
“Don’t call the police.”
“I’m not,” he said, as he dialed someone.
Emi heard him tell them what happened and if someone tries to give them a picture of Emi that they are a criminal and should be apprehended. He explained that a much bigger story could be gained if they nab the thief who assaulted the naked girl in the picture.
“Do you want to agree to an interview?” he said, holding his hand over the phone.
Emi shook her head frantically.
“Sorry, she’s too shaken up for that. Please, just help find the criminals,” he said, before hanging up.
“Thank you,” she said, wiping her eyes. He helped her up, and they walked along Main Street, just like a normal couple, holding hands.
After a few minutes, she was feeling somewhat better. She marveled at how wonderful it felt to be covered. This was the best t-shirt in the world. The dog whisperer t-shirt. “Where are we going?”
“To my place,” he said.
“Oh…” she said. She had never been there before.
“Unless you want to see a movie first?” He asked, waving at the little theatre beside them. A movie was just starting.
Emi was exhausted but realized that this could be their only chance to have an actual date. “Okay,” she said, mustering up a smile. “Let’s go,” she said.
The movie was a romantic comedy. It was a pleasant distraction, and she loved seeing how he reacted to all the scenes with compassion and laughter. She even got caught up in it herself, but near the end, she was dozing off. She leaned on his shoulder. It was romantic, however; she was also dead tired. The night was catching up with her. Occasionally memories of the day would bother her, but she pushed them back. Right now was important, and healing, and she would let nothing take that away from her.
After the movie, they walked a few blocks down Main Street and then turned down a side street to walk the remaining ten minutes to his place. It was embarrassing to show so much leg, but there were few people and they probably thought that she had shorts on underneath.
His place was small but clean. That was good. She went to the washroom and then tested his bed. It was soft… so very soft… and warm. It was a wonderful bed… with a fantastic pillow…
The next morning she woke up. The light was way too bright. Memories of yesterday’s meeting and the rickshaw ride hit her and she threw off the blanket. It hit the floor as she sat up. The room spun briefly. She had a hangover. She was wearing a t-shirt, bunched up above her pussy. What the hell happened yesterday! Memories came in and her face went dark.
Ben stirred beside her. He looked up with a sleepy smile that melted away into fear. “I didn’t touch you… I swear!… um… ahh… except I hugged a little.”
Emi growled with annoyance. “Coffee.”
“Yes ma’am!” He said, hopping out of bed.
It was late. They’d slept in. That bitch stole her expensive permit. It was going to be a real hassle getting another. She hated the idea of asking Wang for help… hold-on… the newspaper. That goth bitch said something about sending a photo to the newspaper. She wondered if they caught her or made a story about it.
“Ben! Where is your computer!”
He came back, tossing her an iPad onto the bed before again dashing out of the room.
She checked the daily paper, online version. And there she was. A rearview of her tied up outside the corner store, like a dog on a leash. The headline was “Snatched” and there was absolutely no pixelation of her ass. Emi was furious!
Ben came back with a coffee but lost his smile suddenly upon seeing her. “Ahh… I’ll leave your coffee in the kitchen for you,” he said, leaving her alone.
He was wise. Emi felt like throwing something. Anything… but not his tablet. Growling in irritation and fear, she slid out of the bed and stumbled into the kitchen where Ben was busy making breakfast. “He cooks!” she said, leaving the tablet on the table.
“You bet I do. I used to be a short-order cook!”
Emi brushed past him, grabbing her coffee, and walked into the living room. She slumped into one of the two chairs at the small table, putting her coffee down. She held her head with both hands.
After a few minutes of thinking about yesterday, she felt like her head was going to explode. She should probably wait until the hangover went away before thinking about all that. Ben brought a classic sunny side breakfast and sat down. It smelled wonderful. She tried to smile.
“Geez Emi, you look terrible this morning.”
“Thanks.” She felt terrible. But the food looked delicious, and she dug right in.
“Slow down there, girl…” Ben said, trying to be playful. He picked up the collar and leash dangling off the back of his chair and moved towards Emi.
She gave him a dark look.
“What? I’m just putting it over here. It was poking my back.”
Emi tried to reign in her mood. This wasn’t his fault. He’s one of the good guys. He’s just trying to lighten the mood. Relax you spaz, she told herself.
He placed them by the front door and came back to sit down. “You really seem tense this morning, Emi.”
“Yeah, that girl sent my picture into the paper last night.”
“Oh! Did they catch her?”
“I don’t know. The image on the paper made me too furious to even read the article.”
“Let me look,” he said, running back to the kitchen for the tablet. He sat back down beside her and started reading. “It doesn’t look that bad. The article says that our very own town of Basci now has our own fully licensed nudist Resort Ambassador from Fantasy Resort. Unfortunately ‘Mailgirl Nine’ as we like to call her, was out enjoying an evening on Halloween dressed up in a leash when she was unfortunately assaulted by a woman who stole her precious and expensive clothing-optional permit. Local residents interviewed were shocked. They had heard of the previously scandalous Mailgirl Nine but were glad to find all rumors to be false. Mailgirl Nine was just minding her own business while her boyfriend was buying condoms in the store. That is when she was robbed. Any information leading to the arrest of this individual would be appreciated.”
“Oh great… so now the entire island now knows I’m a naked condom buying slut.”
“That’s not what the article says. I think you should be happy.”
“Happy?!”
“Yeah… this is the first positive article about you so far. I think it’s wonderful.”
He had a point. It looks like Wang was living up to her side of the deal. Which only meant that next, it was her turn to be a mailgirl. “My ass wasn’t pixilated. Isn’t that some kind of violation?”
“Well… you’re legal now, so I guess that means…”
Emi didn’t want to hear it. “Do you have anything for my headache?”
“I do,” he said, running back into the washroom.
Emi heard a bang by the front door.
Liz walked in, hanging her wet umbrella on a hook. “Hey… Ben! Did you see this article about…” Looking up, she saw Emi sitting there in Ben’s living room. “Emi?”
“Hi Liz,” Emi said, getting up from her chair. Did Liz have her own key?
“Oh, Emi… you’re wearing clothing! That’s amazing! Did Ben… ahh… fix you?”
“Fix me?”
“Um… your nudist religion?”
Emi laughed. “No, I’m just a… Resort Ambassador… as everybody on the island now knows.”
Liz looked down, suddenly appearing unsure of herself.
“What? So you read the article?” Emi asked.
“M… yeah, I guess you guys bought condoms,” Liz said.
Emi grabbed her cup. It was going to be an awkward day, no doubt about it. She didn’t want to do this. Not with Liz. Not today. “The article was mostly about me being robbed, being assaulted.”
“Are you okay?”
Ben came back out with water and some Tylenol. “Liz! Oh shit,” he said, passing Emi the cup and pills. “Sorry, I forgot…”
Emi swallowed the pills and downed the water, returning the cup to Ben. “Look, I can leave you guys alone… if you have plans…”
Liz shook her head dramatically. “No… sorry, we play board games every other Saturday. But that’s ok…”
“You guys play board games in the morning? On Saturday mornings?” Emi asked, wondering who does that?
Ben and Liz nodded like idiots, a ritual that they obviously loved.
They looked like best friends or siblings. “Look wait… Liz… that’s fine. Please play with Ben. I have some research to do on the iPad and I have to think about stuff for Monday.”
“Are you sure?” Liz asked.
“Yes, I need some time for these pills to kick in. Please keep him distracted for a while.”
Over the next hour, Emi horrified herself again and again with searches for “#mail-grl9” The original, high definition images were everywhere. It was worse than she could have imagined. It was just as Brandy had said. She was pulling that rickshaw in the sand with all her might, looking like a sex-crazed fiend. She zoomed in and could see the goosebumps around her nipples and down below you could see every strand of pubic hair. She prayed that nobody she knew would ever look at these and figure out it was her. Thank God she’d had her sunglasses on.
Ben and Liz were having a blast, talking useless chat about small things.
Next Emi researched the ACE website and saw a few events scheduled around the world at different nudist resorts. She even saw one scheduled for Su-Ning’s Fantasy Resort – in three weeks. She was glad. That would definitely help the resort.
Her watch vibrated. It was an email from Brandy. Opening it, she saw three different apartment listings. “I’m considering one of these.” Looking them up, Emi saw they were all within 7-15 blocks of the marketing building. They seemed nice. Brandy was definitely working on her side of the deal. She was moving quickly. Obviously, she wanted to be ready for Monday.
Emi needed more coffee. She stood up, stretching. The hem of Ben’s Dog Whisperer t-shirt rose, causing Ben’s eyes to linger between her legs for a moment. Liz turned around to see what Ben was looking at. Emi quickly put her arms down, smiling.
“Hey, Emi want to play?” Liz asked.
“No, I’m just grabbing some coffee,” she said, as Liz turned away again. When she couldn’t see, Emi pulled her t-shirt up to flash Ben. He looked but maintained a poker face.
It was fun to tease him like that, Emi thought as she sauntered past the back of Liz’s chair.
“So where did you guys rush off to last night?” Liz asked.
Ben made a move in the game. “We… had to pull some people with Ho to the resort.”
“Emi did that outside naked?” Liz asked, looking confused.
“Ahh.. yeah she did,” he confirmed, taking his turn.
“Emi? So you’re pulling strangers outside in public fully naked now?” She gasped, looking very surprised.
Emi winced. “It was dark and Ho begged me.”
Ben laughed. “Begged is probably not quite the right word.”
Emi shot him a warning look. “Yes… no one was around and they were important people from the meeting.”
Liz bought a card, shaking her head in wonderment. “I still can’t believe it, Emi. Why?”
“Yeah, Emi… why?” Ben asked, looking at the game board.
Emi sighed as she sat down at the table. She found a place to put her coffee without bothering the game pieces. “We just concluded a huge deal to help the island. That guy was about to sign a contract to bring business to the island via cruise ships that he owns. Part of the arrangement is that he build a new cruise ship port on the island.”
“Yeah… so?” Liz said. “You freaked out at me for pulling you completely hidden in the BACK of the rickshaw and now here you are giving rides out in the open, completely naked? Have you no shame at all?”
Emi grimaced, feeling like she’d been slapped. “Look… it was mortifying, I hated every minute. But Jake asked me personally to pull the rickshaw to the resort. The legendary ‘mailgirl 9’ he said… and Ho insisted. I didn’t have a choice!” Emi shouted, growing upset.
“You didn’t… have… a choice,” Liz said, mockingly. “What’s next? Bend over for them?”
Ben stood up. “Cut it out Liz… enough.”
Emi was livid, resisting the urge to slap her. She stood up to retaliate, but she couldn’t say anything. It was so frustrating. She sat down, feeling her anger dissipate into despair.
“I’m sorry… I guess…” Liz started to say.
“Just Shut up,” Ben said, glaring at her
Emi didn’t want to cause any further damage. They’d just gotten back together as friends. Feeling miserable she slumped her head. “No Ben… she’s right. I’ve signed my ass away to save the resort. You have no idea what I’ve done…” she said, feeling depressed.
Ben started packing away the game. “Look Emi, it was just a ride. In the dark. It wasn’t that bad.”
“No… no… It’s much worse than that,” Emi said, unable to make eye contact.
“Oh my God… you’re a prostitute now?” Liz asked.
Emi smiled painfully. “No… not quite that bad. But when you find out, it will blow your mind.” Everyone was going to find out soon enough. She might as well tell her friends here and now. It might lessen the blow a little for her Monday debut.
Liz was all ears. She moved her chair close to Emi.
Ben also moved closer. “Worse than… you know, before?” he asked.
Emi nodded dramatically.
“What’s before?” Liz asked.
Emi glanced at Ben. She needed a way to explain the situation. But she was tired of lying. How much worse could it be if Liz learned the truth? “Can I trust you, Liz?”
Ben subtly shook his head. Signifying that it was a bad idea to tell Liz everything.
“I’m not really noble and brave like you think, Liz…”
Ben shook his head, less subtle this time.
“I’m a criminal… doing community service for a nudist resort.”
Ben grabbed his head in frustration. “No… you are not. We’ve talked about this.”
Liz’s mouth fell open.
Emi ignored him and then proceeded to spend a good half-hour explaining everything to Liz, all the details up until just before the deal. Wang’s shrine, the court, the risk of prison, and the community service as a Resort Ambassador.
Liz’s eyes couldn’t have gotten any bigger. She was utterly shocked. “Emi, I’m so sorry. Oh my God…”
“Yeah, now you know why Emi’s always naked, Liz,” Ben said, pouring himself a coffee.
Liz ran over to Emi and hugged her.
Emi hugged her back. It felt good to get that off her chest. She knew it might be risky to tell her, but she and Ben were a package deal. Liz was going to be in her life. It was just too hard, emotionally, to keep her in the dark. It was a calculated risk. Besides, she needed all the support she could get.
Ben joined, and they formed a group hug. It was wonderful. Someone’s hand was on her ass, but she ignored it. Finally, they all sat down.
“Now tell us the rest,” Ben said.
Emi wasn’t sure where to start. “So yesterday I was asked to attend a meeting.”
“Like a business meeting?” Liz asked.
“Yes. A big deal that Ruth cooked up,” Emi said.
“The deal? You mean with that guy… Jake? The cruise ships?”
“And the app,” Emi said.
“Right… the cosplay app,” Ben said.
“Oh cool… cosplay…” Liz said.
Emi slumped, lookup up at them seriously. “It’s ahh… for ADULT Cosplay Event, A.C.E.”
“Adult?” Ben asked, looking confused. “Just spit it out.”
Emi grabbed the tablet and typed in the ACE homepage, navigated down a bit, and hit the mailgirl community forum. “The woman, that claims she started this community… was with Jake. Her name is Brandy,” Emi said, showing them page after page of events showing pixelated photos of hordes of mailgirls practicing positions, delivery maps with expected times, number painting parties, book reading hot tub sessions, shaving sessions, or just mingling with other ACE cosplayers.”
“Mailgirls? Ahh… a community of mailgirls?” Ben asked.
“Cosplay mailgirls… they aren’t really real,” Emi said.
Liz perked up. “Oh… ACE… I’ve heard of that. My cousin was telling me about that last month. She was thinking to go to one. She wouldn’t tell me what her costume was going to be…”
“So Brandy wants to grow the mailgirl community, which is helping nudist resorts around the world… by making a real bonified mailgirl app for them.”
Ben and Liz laughed. “You have to make a mailgirl app?” she asked.
Laughter wasn’t the response that Emi had been expecting, but she couldn’t help but smile with them. “Even worse than that.”
Ben sat up. “Oh right… you’re naked and making a mailgirl app… it’s kind of funny. Still, it doesn’t sound that bad. Next week we are all back at the resort, you’re making this app… oh, Becca and Hannah will love this!”
Liz nodded. “Oh my god… this could be fun!”
Emi ignored them. “So yeah… ahh… I have to develop it within the marketing building. Ho said no devs back at the resort until after the new year. So I’ll be stuck naked outside the resort.”
“Jeezus Emi… so the server room then?” Ben asked.
“No, Brandy’s getting me an apartment nearby.”
“Wait… what?” Ben looked confused.
“Ah… I was hoping that you could pull me in a rickshaw?”
“Yeah… sure but… so Ho forced this on you?”
“No… I forced Brandy to get me an apartment… it’s part of the deal I signed.”
“So they want you to make a mailgirl app, while completely naked in the marketing building?”
“Yes, and that’s not the worst part.”
Ben was dumbfounded. Liz was getting angry. “Emi… why did you sign this deal?”
“To save the resort… it’s my fault the scandal-hit and this will fix that.” She proceeded to tell them about the Wang part of the deal, with the newspaper. How they were going to stop making the resort look bad and instead start supporting mailgirl 9 and Fantasy Resort. And how it was in Wang’s best interest to do so because of the cruise ships.
“What’s the worst part?”
“I am expected to test the app as a proper mailgirl. And Brandy will publish daily journals about my humiliation in order to excite the mailgirl community about the app and that mailgirl 9 is in fact – real.”
“That’s bat shit crazy, Emi,” Ben said. “So everyone will know?”
“They promised to keep my name anonymous. I’ll be known as mailgirl 9.”
“Oh my God… you will be a real mailgirl?” Liz said, incredulously.
“Yes, for 90 min a day… as part of the testing component of the app.”
“That’s insane,” Ben said. “Did Su-Ning agree to all this?”
“Su-Ning wanted me to sign the deal but said I didn’t have to do the testing. But Brandy wouldn’t agree without the testing. So I decided to just do it.”
“Oh Emi… that’s just crazy,” Liz said. “You don’t owe them that much.”
“I decided to just do it… but that’s not the worst part.”
“There’s more?! What the fuck, Emi!” Liz said.
“While pulling Jake back to the Ho and Jake were talking.” She proceeded to tell them about how all her clothing was donated, and how Ho redefined what a Resort Ambassador was. Something that Su-Ning might not be able to undo. And how her new duties were yet to be defined. Plus, Ho was soon going to let Ruth also help with her monthly reports to correctional services.”
“Ho’s a fucking bitch! She can’t get away with that!” Liz yelled. She was furious. “All of your clothing?”
Emi nodded.
“Lost clothing is the least of her problems,” Ben said.
“Yes, but her clothes were nice. I’m sorry for your loss, Emi.”
Emi nodded and received another big hug from Liz.
Ben looked confused… like he was trying to put all this together. “So…”
Liz shook Emi’s shoulders. “This could ruin your career. It’s a big gamble, you know. I can’t believe that you would sign a deal like this. Were you drunk or something? Are you at least making a LOT of money?”
“I… ahh… well, part of the contract involves two million for the resort to support development and marketing of the app. But I’m paid well by Becca. We are contractors and already paid. This extra money is a huge relief because we will need Becca’s team to help make the app and I was afraid that they might leave the island without me… eventually.”
“Oh right… you guys are contractors. I bet you can hardly wait to leave the island. I mean, after your year of service is complete,” Liz said, glancing briefly at Ben.
Ben stared at Emi, blinking in confusion.
Emi didn’t know what to say. “Look you guys… now you know everything. Let’s chill for a bit. My stress is through the roof right now.”
Liz sat beside Emi, comforting her with a side hug, expressions of concern all over her face.
Emi saw Liz was being genuine and appreciated the support.
Ben came over and hugged her other side. “So when does all this start?”
“Monday… ahh… so what’s this game you guys are playing?”
“Splendor… want to play?” Liz asked.
Emi nodded. She needed to do something… normal.
Emi knew this game and she smiled, laughing with them as they played but they felt far away. Her mind was wandering, remembering that rickshaw ride. Ho’s casual indifference as she talked about things that were critical to her life. The woman obviously enjoyed her power. Emi wished she could reverse their roles. She wished she was sitting beside Jake, with Ho pulling the rickshaw. “Oh yes, I donated all of Ho’s clothing to charity.” “Everything?” “Yes, everything, and I’ve decided to keep her naked from now on and maybe sign her up for some pony-girl training. Yeah… plus she can work evenings as a mailgirl.” “Sounds good,” Jake said, clinking their wine glasses in the back of the rickshaw as naked Ho gasped for air, trying to pull the rickshaw up a very steep hill. Emi smiled, pulling out a little whip.
“Earth to Emi… it’s your turn,” Liz said, looking at Ben with some concern.
“She’s probably thinking about Monday,” he said.
Liz put her hand on Emi’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t do that Emi. Enjoy today while you can,” she said, with an annoying look of concern.
Emi’s phone beeped. Saved by the bell. It was Evan! “Sorry, I have to take this,” she said, getting up and walking into the living room. Emi went to voice. “Hello? Evan?”
Emi sat down on the couch, feeling the leash under her ass. She pulled it out, along with the collar, laying it on her lap.
“Emi… hey… nice to chat… what’s up?”
“What do you mean, what’s up? Whenever you start with unspecific small talk it means you have a problem.”
“Well yeah… I do… but you know… how have you been? Anything new?”
Emi tried to not laugh out loud. “Well, you know how it goes… a new job, a new app.”
“Don’t I ever…”
“Look I’m kind of busy today,” Emi said, prompting him to hurry up… they spent almost ten minutes while she resolved his problem for him.
“You’re a lifesaver Emi… I miss you…”
Emi twisted the collar in her hands. “Yeah, right… you guys have that poster to keep you company, right?”
“That old thing? Haha… yeah… still there.”
“I told my co-workers about it and they want to see it,” she lied.
“Alright, I’ll take a picture and send it to you… if you first admit that you’re lying. You totally miss that hot poster!”
“Evan… I’m hanging up now.”
“Okay okay… I’m sending a pic of it now. Oh wait… do you want another story?”
Emi hung up. She then forwarded the text to the tablet, looking at the poster. Back in the kitchen, Emi saw that Liz and Ben started a new game. Just the two of them. She was glad. She wasn’t in the mood for board games.
She zoomed in on the picture, looking at the topless girl on the leash.
Her watch rang. She was popular today. It was Ho. She went to voice.
“Emi. Are you okay? I just read the newspaper,” Ho said.
“Ah… yes, I’m good now… thanks.”
“So you lost the permit.”
“Stolen.”
“That was hard to get, you know.”
“Yes, I vividly remember you telling all the details to Jake,” she said, trying hard not to let disgust show in her voice.
“Yes. Jake. They were having a wonderful time, but Brandy left early for some reason. Have you seen her, it was something about you.”
“No,” she said, wondering if Brandy might be doing something apartment-related.
“Well… I’m sorry about what happened to you last night. I want you to take it easy this weekend okay? I’m going to partially lift your clothing ban until we get you a new permit. Likely on Monday.”
Emi’s heart lifted.
“You can wear a normal t-shirt this weekend. Go out and enjoy the town. Spend time with your friends.”
Emi was overwhelmed. “Thank you!” she said, trying to tone down her enthusiasm. This was Ho she was talking to.
“Your welcome. You deserve it.”
This show of kindness surprised Emi.
“Also I’ve been asked to not leave your Resort Ambassador duties so… undefined. So I’ve had to add a little to it. I’ll send you the updated document.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Emi said, receiving the text with a link. She forwarded it to Ben’s tablet, walking back into the kitchen briefly to grab it from the counter. She ignored the stares of Liz and Ben and quickly sat back down in the living room.
“Have a good weekend, Emi,” Ho said.
“Okay, thank…” the call ended.
Emi looked at the tablet, reading it as she brought it over to Ben and Liz. “My new RA guidelines, courtesy of Ho.”
———————
As a 24/7 representative of the resort, a Resort Ambassador must follow the following guidelines:
CLOTHING ( permitted in specific cases ):
- Sensitivity to the textile community: A single special ultra-lightweight silk t-shirt must be carried when shopping or visiting any residence or places of business that do not yet allow nudity.
- Upon entering such establishments, if they firmly oppose your presented nudity, only then may you wear the shirt, and only while inside.
- The official Resort Ambassador t-shirt will be provided for you. And may include optional branding as needed.
- Wearing this garment within an establishment that has not denied you, is grounds for permanent removal of this privilege.
- Wearing the garment outside, anywhere, is grounds for permanent removal of this privilege. Do not abuse this rule!
- You must always be legal and have your permit with you. We do not need any more scandals. If it’s stolen or taken by force then you must wear a t-shirt long enough to keep yourself legal until it is replaced.
- A tiny side hip pouch is allowed for critical things such as ID, credit cards, cash, tampons, tissue paper, and the special silk t-shirt that doesn’t take up much space.
TRANSPORTATION
- No riding in rickshaws. As a Resort Ambassador, it’s your duty to serve customers, stay in shape, and not be treated like a princess.
- An Ambassador may walk or run to work but must shower if sweaty. You must always look clean and fresh, properly representing the resort.
EVENTS
- Represent the resort at particular company-related events or gatherings at indoor or outdoor locations.
———————
Liz and Ben read it quickly, with Liz finishing first. “This is crazy, Emi! You can’t just let her define anything she pleases. You are not a slave!”
Ben finished, looking up. “You don’t seem that beaten up about it, Emi.”
“I am…”,
“Spit it out…” he said.
“It’s just that I have a pass this weekend… because of the robbery. Ho’s actually giving me a break,” she said, bouncing with excitement.
“I don’t believe it,” Liz said, her hands on her hips.
“It’s true,” Emi said, knowing that she shouldn’t be as happy as she was feeling.
Liz went back to studying the regulations. “You know Ben… this is your residence. I think that means… you can forbid Emi entry unless she is… compliant,” she laughed.
“Hmm…” he said, smiling with his hand on his chin.
“Don’t even think about it,” Emi said, looking at him. “Besides it doesn’t work that way. First I have to present myself,” she realized what she was actually saying and blushed. “I mean… I try to go somewhere and if they firmly don’t like my nudity, then I can wear the shirt.”
“Darn… I ah… FIRMLY like your nudity,” he said, bouncing his eyebrows.
Emi smiled back.
“Get a room,” Liz said, disgusted at the open display between them. “Wait… if you firmly like her nudity, then she isn’t allowed to wear anything.”
Ben lit up. “That’s right.”
“I think how Ben feels will always be in line with how I feel, Liz. And besides…”
Liz didn’t seem to like that comment.
“I… ahh… have a pass this weekend,” Emi said, feeling her watch buzz again. “Sorry, I have to take this,” she said. “Hello?”
“Emi… oh God, are you okay? My heart skipped a beat when I heard about the assault,” Brandy said.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
“I thought so, Ho told me. She was telling me about the new Resort Ambassador regulations and brought it up.”
“Is there a reason for this call?”
“Yeah, I need your address. Where are you now? I’m sending you a package.”
“A package eh?”
“What are you Canadian? Yes, and you’re going to thank me,” she said, laughing. “It’s your new home!”
“Oh…”
“Yeah… call me later,” she said, with amusement in her voice. She seemed to be in a good mood for someone who just spent a very large sum of money.
Ben and Liz had overheard the call.
Emi sat back, thinking. She had a home, and this weekend she was free to go out. Why the hell was she cooped up here? “You guys… I want to go out. Plus I want to check out my new place,” she said, pulling down her sunglasses. But then she put them back up, realizing she didn’t need them.
“Shouldn’t we wait for the package?” Ben asked.
“Yes of course,” Emi said, pacing around impatiently.
Twenty long minutes later there was a knock at the door. Emi signed for the package while the man checked out her legs. His gaze rose higher as she handed him back the clipboard and took the package, hugging it, hiding the two pokies on her t-shirt.
Emi closed the door and ripped into the package. There was a set of keys. A residential ownership document with her name.
Ben leaned over her. “I know where that is. It’s on Main Street, near the residential end. Not a bad area.”
“Let’s go!” Liz said, storming over to the door, Ben and Emi following along behind.
Outside they walked past a couple of houses and a small apartment building and Liz pointed to the second floor.
“That’s my place… want to take a peek?”
Emi had no interest, but Liz had a pleading expression. “Ahh… okay.” She said, being polite.
Inside, Liz’s apartment was clean, but a little disorganized with things laying around. A dead plant by the doorway seemed to indicate that she didn’t have a green thumb.
“Come on in,” Liz said, waving her arm.
Ben walked in and opened the fridge. “Liz, I told you… buy REAL food.”
Emi stopped by the door, wondering about her shoes.
Liz grabbed her arm. “Look, I’m sorry, but umm… I don’t mind if you’re naked here. So…”
Emi knew she had been intending to do something like this. She turned around to leave.
“Wait… Emi, just once can you do me a favor? I’ve never had an interesting visitor, like a Resort Ambassador, in my home before… even for just a moment.”
Emi was growing tired of her antics, but she had to go to the washroom. She pulled off her t-shirt, carrying it with her. “Where is the washroom, I have to go.”
Looking delighted, Liz pointed.
Emi went and washed her face, wondering what her own apartment was going to be like. She dried her face and then walked back toward the entrance. “Thanks, let’s go now.”
“Hold up… is that my t-shirt?” Liz asked, smiling mischievously.
Emi tightened her grip on the dog whisperer t-shirt, side-stepping Liz who tried to grab it.
Dodging the girl, Emi bumped the dead plant on a stand and it fell, spilling dirt onto the hardwood floor. “Oh sorry, Liz.”
“Oh my god, that was my favorite plant!”
Emi wanted to laugh, her dead plant? Before she could start putting on the t-shirt Liz grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and shoved it in her hands.
“I was just kidding about the t-shirt, and the plant… obviously. But could you at least clean up before we go?” Liz asked.
Emi knew she was just messing with her, but it wasn’t a big deal. So she started sweeping.
Liz handed her a dustpan and brought over a garbage can
Emi swept the dirt into the dustpan and bent over to put it in the garbage while noticing that Liz seemed unusually quiet. Was she enjoying this? Did she have some naked housekeeper fetish?
Liz ran away, returning quickly with a wet mop. Stopping Emi from again putting on her t-shirt by placing her hand on it.
“Fine…” Emi said, grabbing the mop. The little brat was persistent, but she would be done in a second. She swished the mop around as Liz walked over to stand next to Ben.
“Her ass swings nicely when she’s doing that,” Liz said, smugly standing next to Ben with her hands behind her back.
Ben agreed, nodding.
Emi leaned the mop against the wall. They’d had their fun. It was time to go. But something caught her eye, something flying from Liz. It was a rag. She caught it.
“If you don’t mind… my hardwood floors are expensive. Can you just wipe off that wet spot on the floor so that they don’t stain?”
Emi looked at the two of them. Ben was shrugging, like ‘leave me out of it.’ He stepped away from Liz as if it would relieve him of guilt by association. Did they expect her to crawl around on the floor or squat naked for them?
Liz just smiled and waited.
Emi threw the dry cloth, hitting Liz, like a pie in the face, before she could react.
Ben laughed while Emi pulled on her t-shirt and opened the door.
Liz sighed in defeat. “It was worth a shot,” she said.
Ben patted her on the back. “I think you got more than enough,” he said as they all left.
They walked along. Emi felt the breeze toying with the hem of her shirt. It normally would have worried her but she was still euphoric about wearing any clothing at all, especially with Ho’s consent. So she allowed herself to enjoy the sensation as she walked down the residential blocks with Ben on one side and Liz on the other.
After a few minutes, they arrived at Main Street, turning left. The marketing building was off to the right, so Emi’s place was further down the street. They walked past various stores, shops, and pubs with Emi wondering about her new rules. No, there was nothing to wonder about. This weekend would be the only time she was really going to enjoy this street. Outside of that, she planned on keeping a low profile and perhaps have Ben and friends shop for her if she needed anything. Yes, delivery-food was going to be her life.
They reached the end of the commercial area. The next block had houses and a big apartment in the middle of the block. Across from it were more houses and a corner store beside a bakery cafe. It looked like a great place to have coffee. Emi wondered if the apartment building was hers as they approached it. The address matched. “Ben, can you hand me the keys?”
The bottom front floor had dark tinted glass, with a gym and pool. As they walked through the lobby, Emi saw the glass was also tinted, she stuck her face up to the glass and peered in. It was a small pool and a small gym, suitable for maybe 5 people. With some machines and a treadmill! Emi was ecstatic.
After a brief visit with the Manager, who seemed way too friendly, Emi led the group up to the top, on the third floor, and opened her door. She was stunned. It was fully furnished. Normally that would have bothered her, but not today… she was relieved. She didn’t have time to deal with furnishings and these were decent. The wooden rocking chair in the corner sealed the deal. She loved the place.
“Damn, this place is way better than mine,” Ben admitted. Pulling out a chair from a hardwood dining room table. “Hey, there’s an envelope for you Emi.”
Liz ran to the washroom. “Holy crap, I want this place!” she yelled from behind the closed door.
Emi opened the envelope. It was from Brandy.
Emi, I hope you accept this place as my large thank you for agreeing to the deal. My dream app is in your precious hands. Let’s enjoy this journey together.
Brandy.
There was also another paper holding Brandy’s latest ideas for the app’s point system. It was all laid out in easy-to-read sections with diagrams and stuff to assist comprehension. Emi put down the paper and walked to the living room window and opened the curtains. There was a big balcony, overlooking housetops and the ocean – just a short block away. Down below the bakery-cafe had a half dozen tables out front, most of them occupied.
Ben walked up to her and opened the window, nudging her out onto the balcony. “You like?”
She nodded, full of emotion. She wasn’t going to cry, but this was wonderful.
Ben put his arms around her, holding her close, and they enjoyed the view for a minute.
Emi briefly wondered if the balcony would be considered outside or not, before turning to step back inside. Liz was rocking in the chair reading the points paper.
“This is really interesting,” Liz said, holding the paper close to her face.
Emi smiled. “Yes, it was designed for people like you, Liz.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, those underwear-streaks in the marketing building. You could have been earning points.”
Liz blushed, standing up she put the paper back on the table and went over to check out the corner-couch with its nice coffee table. She bounced on the seat a little, giving it a feel.
Ben brought his lips to Emi’s ear. “We should check out the bedroom,” he whispered.
Liz got up and approached them with a serious expression on her face. “Excuse me, do you own this place?” she asked.
Smiling, Emi nodded. “Well… technically for now I do.”
“Will you allow nudity in this residence?” Liz asked.
“I most certainly… ahh… will do as I please!” Emi laughed, walking over to the kitchen sink, checking the water pressure.
After a glance at the bedroom, washroom, and closets, Emi was satisfied. It was a great place. Brandy had held up her part of the bargain, meaning… obviously she had to keep her part of the deal. This place was in Emi’s name, but contractually it would go back to Brandy if Emi’s reputation wasn’t destroyed. Even if the worst happened and Emi became the permanent owner, it wouldn’t be worth the damage to her future. She could see that now.
The weekend at hand was simply too precious to permit her mind to wander to dark thoughts. She was ready to hit the town.
“How will you get to work, Emi?” Liz asked.
Emi thought about it. She didn’t want to think of that now, but now it was in her mind. Stepping out on the balcony again, she plotted her path.
“So you’ll have to be naked outside, right?”
“Yes… ah… I guess I’m going to be a night person,” she concluded. “There’s no way in a million years you’ll catch me walking around naked in broad daylight.”
“So… will you run? Like a streaker?” Liz pressed.
“The dark streaker,” Ben laughed. “Like a superhero.”
Emi thought about it. This was cranking up her anxiety, reminding her of her experiments out on Lookout Point. Only now her experiments will be trying to get to and from work under the cover of darkness. That was a significant escalation in risk. Her heart pumped just thinking about it. Likely it was around 15 blocks to the marketing building. She would have to take a different route sometimes, but it will usually be along the seawall.
“I can run with you,” Ben offered.
Emi felt relieved. She didn’t particularly like the idea of being naked outside in the dark, especially alone. Still, except for the teenagers, this was a relatively safe island. Safer than most. Especially this area. Her fear was mostly around the embarrassment of being seen. She took his hand. He was offering a lot. It’s quite disruptive in one’s life to hang out at work until dark every day. It was a huge commitment.
“Look, I’ve had fun… but I gotta go. You two enjoy – okay?” Liz said.
“Hey guys, let’s try out that bakery cafe down below,” Emi suggested.
Ben and Liz looked at each other knowingly. “You haven’t been?” Liz asked.
“Don’t say anything, Liz. Let her find out for herself.”
Emi smiled. They’d succeeded in making her very curious and she tossed the keys to Ben. He locked up and they went downstairs and crossed the street. There was a wonderful jazzy tune playing on some hidden speakers outside.
Inside was beautiful hand-cut wood everywhere. Tables, chairs, counters. Nothing was straight. On one wall were maybe a hundred board games and three designated board game tables. But the other ten or so tables inside were full of people eating artistic baked desserts. Emi realized that she had hit the jackpot, and quickly walked up to the counter with a beautiful woman around her age and a clean-shaven biker-looking guy with a bandana. They both looked to be of Filipino descent. The dessert names were all written in Filipino, was that on purpose?
Emi tried to figure out what she wanted. Everything looked to be a piece of art. No brownies, muffins, or simple cakes. Just fancy pastries, more varieties than you would think they could sell. They had everything from stylish bread, to exotic scones, to breakfast like pastries, to croissants, plus a couple of complex-looking cakes, and some unique brownies.
“Haven’t seen you here before,” the woman said. “I’m Jill. That’s Jack.”
Emi smiled. “I ahh…”
“You can’t read the labels? Yeah, I know… it’s a pain. Jack here… ‘the artist’ thinks that everyone should learn what they like… by taste, first,” she explained, looking back at him with a grin.
Jack winked.
Emi marveled at the place.
“If you don’t like something, return over half of it and you can pick something else. Jack stands by his art,” she said, looking Emi up and down. She was a little bold for a customer service person.
Emi touched her thigh, realizing that she had no money. No underwear as well for that matter. It was awkward being out here like this. Emi glanced around, wondering if anyone was watching her.
“I got this,” Ben said, stepping up. “Liz and I will have the usuals, one for Emi here as well. Plus Emi should choose something as well… and coffees.”
“Got it, Ben,” said Jill, nodding to Emi. “Is she your girl?”
Ben grinned.
“You’re a lucky man, Ben,” Jill said, spinning away in sync with the music, as she danced around her counter preparing their food and drinks.
Liz groaned. “Let’s go ‘lucky man’,” she said, pushing him back towards the tables.
Emi stayed, taking her time, but made her choice. Looking up she saw Jill devouring her with her eyes.
“Excellent first choice,” she said, signaling Emi to come closer.
Emi leaned in.
“You’re a brave one. I like it.”
Emi blushed, turning away from Jill. “You have no idea…” she muttered to herself, thinking about Monday. She’d probably noticed that Emi was braless.
Emi chose a table outside, sitting where she could glance up at her apartment. It looked good even from down here.
Jill brought everything out on a tray, placing it all down amazingly fast, before dancing off again. If Jack was a food artist, Jill was a people artist or a performer, she thought, watching her dance around the tables with grace and skill, making everyone smile.
“No Emi… you have to try this one first,” Liz said.
“What is it? Some kind of scone?”
“Probably, or partially, who knows,” she said, watching Emi.
Emi bit into it and was floored. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. The texture, the taste, the bits, the nuts, the sour, the sweet. It was a hurricane of flavor that assaulted her sense of what was possible, causing her glands to water as if they were orgasming. She took a sip of her coffee and took another bite to see if she was imagining things. Nope, she was in heaven.
“Oh my God!” Emi gasped. “What is this? What is the name of this place?”
“That? well… nobody knows. We think the Filipino words are just names of western movies. It’s really weird. The idea here is when you find something you name it yourself. Or you just remember what it looks like. At least everything here has a distinct look. So it’s easy to remember stuff. And the name of this place? Tell her Ben!”
Ben was grinning widely. That sign there. In Filipino, it means, ‘Cloud Nine’.
Emi laughed, wondering if Brandy planned this or if it was a coincidence.
Liz wolfed down another large bite. “Waad… (swallow) what are you up to tomorrow Emi?”
Tomorrow was Sunday. “Shopping. Lots and lots of shopping,” she said.
“Oh… with Ben?” Liz asked.
“Hell no,” Ben replied, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Do you want some company Emi?” Liz asked.
“Absolutely!” Emi said, thinking about also inviting her two teams tomorrow evening for a housewarming party, but she wasn’t sure. So far the chance to feel normal, like right now, just felt too precious.
After an hour of acting like regular people in a normal world, with thankfully no one talking about or mentioning mailgirls or any of that, Liz said goodbye, leaving Ben and Emi alone.
Ben got up, ready to leave. “Should we check out your apartment some more?”
“Nope, I’m good. I saw everything.”
“I didn’t see the… well the bedroom,” he said, shifting on his foot and acting casual.
“I looked… it’s completely normal,” Emi said, looking at him curiously.
“Okay…”
Emi stretched her arms above her head, feeling her hemline rise. She pretended to not notice, although she was fully aware that the other tables couldn’t see her at this angle. Just a little show for Ben. Likely nothing showed, but it must have looked dangerous. “You know what, suddenly I’m feeling a little sleepy… muffin.”
“Sleepy?” he perked up.
“Yeah… suddenly I think I like your idea… muffin.”
“That’s not going to be my nickname,” he said flatly.
“You don’t like it, muffin?”
“Quit teasing me… or I’ll give you the collar.”
“Promises… promises,” she said, as they walked across the street.
They ran up the stairs, Emi in the lead. She felt her hemline dancing wildly, hoping it was inspiring her lover.
Inside they kissed… mouth, tongue, the whole works. Emi was on fire.
Ben scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder. Her t-shirt fell, draping over her head, exposing her bottom half. “Back pocket,” he said, as he lumbered towards the bedroom, his hand firmly on her ass.
She fumbled with his back pocket, pulling out the condoms.
He placed her on the bed, pulling her t-shirt off and opening her legs, dragging her closer to him, opening her wider, watching her face. Reaching out, his hand touched her chin first and proceeded to move downward. His gaze followed his hand, slowly, examining the curve of her breasts, her areola, her nipples. He pulled on them, pinched them, rubbed them. Nothing was left unexamined as his hand trailed slowly down, feeling her abdomen and circling her bellybutton. Then his hand hit her runway. Up and down the runway, even sideways. The area was thoroughly examined.
Emi was blushing. Nobody had ever touched her like this before, especially with the light on, with her fully visible and accessible. Her arousal was spiking. He was playing her like a musical instrument, and he was good, it was torturous. His hand floated near her pussy, barely on it, mostly around it or touching her legs.
His touches progressively became bolder, driving her insane.
He went back to her runway… rubbing it. “You know… something isn’t right here.” He stood up and walked out of the room. Leaving her a hot wet mess on the bed.
“What… where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.”
She heard the front door close. He left? She got up, was there a problem with the condoms. She went to the bedroom window and peeked through the curtains. Eventually, she saw him run across the street and into the corner store. She sat back down on the bed, wondering what he was up to.
But something in the back of her mind was bothering her. Something Liz said earlier in the day. At Ben’s she mentioned that one-day Emi would leave the island when her work was done. It was a thought that she didn’t want to think about right now. But the thought was there… cooling her down. Was Liz just waiting for a temporary relationship to run its course? Would she have a chance with Ben then? Or would he forever keep her as a friend as he’d said repeatedly? She decided to trust him. This wasn’t about Liz. This was just about Ben and her time with him was precious, limited, and unlikely forever. It was a sad thought.
The door closed. He was there. She got out of bed to see him. He pulled out a can of shaving cream and rinsed off one of the razors after pulling it from a pack and filled a little bowl.
Oh… he wants to shave, that makes sense. But… his face was already smooth?
“Look Ben… I’ve been thinking.”
“Uh-huh…” he said, putting the razor and creme down on the table beside them, along with the bowl. He sat her down, widening her legs.
“About what Liz said today…”
“Yep…” he said, spraying her pussy with the shaving cream.
Emi sat up startled. “What are you doing?” She said, blocking her pussy with her hands. “No way!”
“Look honey-pot… this needs to happen.”
“Ahhh… no, haha… I like my hair. Please!” she pleaded.
“You’ll like it… c’mon, move your hands. I’ve got work to do.”
“No… I need to keep it…”
“Honey-pot…”
She kept her hands firmly in place. The thought of being extra naked down there… of everyone seeing her… like that… “No way… and… what’s with the Honey-pot?”
“If I’m going to be muffin, then you’re going to be honey-pot, and later I’m going to put some honey on your pot,” he added, his voice low and sexy.
Emi squirmed at the thought.
Ben slid his hands down her arms, all the way to her hands which were firmly clamped over her shaving cream covered pussy. He gently massaged her fingers. “You said that you’ve been thinking?”
“Yes… ahh…” His finger massage was growing stronger, deeper, kneading between her fingers.
“What were you thinking about Honey-pot?” He asked, pulling her fingers back, one by one.
“About… what Liz said today…” she let him pull her hands away. But then she put them back. He removed them again.
“Yep…” he said, spraying her pussy again, lathering it up with his fingers. A lot of lathering, too much lathering.
“I… ahh… the…” Her hands hovered around her pussy, ready to stop him.
He started shaving, starting from the top. Careful little drags.
“NooOooo…” she squirmed. “Stop… everyone will see.”
“It was going to happen anyways…“ he said, “Aren’t mailgirls supposed to shave?”
“What? No… wait? Oh crap!”
“Don’t worry Honey-Pot… I got this,” he said, continuing his careful work, little scrapes.
“Everyone will see… they will look… oh God!”
“It’s fine… what was Liz saying?” He was making steady progress.
“She said… we… ahh… after my contract…”
“Uh-huh…” he said, rinsing the blade in a little bowel, then continuing at a different angle.
“I’m… look… we… I’m not sure…”
“It will be fine.”
“… fine? ahh…”
“We will deal with that when the time comes… I’m sure it will work out,” he said, adding a bit more creme.
“… w… work out?”
“Yes… we’re smart… and if anyone can solve a problem, it’s you,” he said, lathering her clit, relentlessly.
Emi didn’t think she needed lather there. But she wasn’t about to say anything. “Ah… me?”
“You and I…. don’t worry… I have complete confidence,” he said, still lathering her clit.
Emi couldn’t speak anymore. She could only gasp.
He stopped. “Can you finish up for me?”
“pardon?… oh… okay…” she said, bringing her hand down, awkwardly she started rubbing her clit, leaning back stretching her tits out. Her pussy was being shaved! Everyone was going to see. The guys would look. Everyone in the marketing building, and outside, everyone. Everyone would see her naked. She rubbed harder, squirming.
“I mean… finish the shaving. I don’t want to nick your lower bits,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
She stopped, blushing furiously. “Oh right…” And sat up and continued the shaving while he watched. It was embarrassing to be watched while doing this, but it was even worse when she was touching herself. It was such an intimate act. She scraped the last bits away, there was no saving it. It was already pretty much gone. She was now completely shaved. Would Ho use this against her? Another data point proving her exhibitionist tendencies? She dropped the razer in the bowl, leaning back, covering her face with her hands. “Oh… what have we done?” she asked, trying hard to not imagine Monday.
“Let me check that,” he said, pushing her knees apart to get in close. He pulled out her lips, examining everything in great detail.
She wondered if her wetness was masked by the shaving cream.
“Alright, up you go,” he said, tossing her over his shoulder again.
He played with her pussy with his thumb while he took her to the shower, getting her all rinsed off.
After he carried her back to the bed, he spread her out for a good look. “We did good… It’s very smooth,” he said, sliding his hand everywhere.
Emi had had enough. She pulled his pants down, grabbing the pack of condoms, she started putting one on.
He laughed gently, letting her finish. “Alright, at least let me warm you up with a couple of kisses first?”
She nodded.
He kissed her on the lips, they progressed but then she pulled back, looking at him.
She wanted to say something. To… to say thank you… to tell him… how she felt. About all his support. For caring for her. For having her back. For agreeing to run with her every day in the dark. For having confidence that they would work things out after her contract. For believing in her and not thinking of her as a criminal. For touching her body like that. For lighting her fire. For kissing… for picking her. For loving her.
He smiled gently as if he knew what she was thinking. He gave her a great big hug. She trembled in his arms.
“Okay…” she said, noticing that he was still ready.
This was going to be their first time. It was also the first time she had ever shaved herself completely bare. Or let someone shave her. Or touched herself in front of someone. So many firsts. Her neck arched back and her mouth fell open as Ben slid into her. He started moving while thumbing her clit, slowly methodically, passionately. She felt herself rising, pushing, pulling. They were finally together… complete, as one. It was magical.
The pace was increasing. They were in sync. Pure bliss.
She was close. Her temperature was rising… she was blushing… her whole chest was blushing, hot, then it hit her. Like a tidal wave. She was orgasming, she was orrragasminggg… fireworks… guns, bombs, earthquakes! He joined her with his own convulsions and they rode them out… like cowboys at a rodeo. It was wild, bucking and bucking.
Together they slumped, gasping for air… euphoria.
They rolled over, happily spooning, hugging, holding… dreaming.
Beautiful. I was wondering how her budding romance with Ben would survive her Mailgirl/Ambassador duties. It was great to see her get some time together with him before her travails really start. And I know Ben thought spilling the beans to Liz was a bad idea, but I’m guessing he’s wrong. Emi keeps all her cards close to her chest, but confiding in someone who can’t keep her mouth shut might be the thing that gets her the support she needs.
I have to say I momentarily panicked when I saw the title ended with “Conclusion”… I thought, “Wait, what ?! It’s over? But there’s so much more story left…” Then I re-read it and figured out, “Ok, dumbass, it’s just the conclusion to chapter 17.”
Sorry about the panic. I struggled with naming this section. It almost became chapter 18 with a new name. But then I thought the new name drew too much attention to a plot point, plus I realized that this was really the conclusion to all the recent developments and fit well with ‘A mailgirl App?’
Finally finished reading the chapter. Excellent! Speculation #1 since the Goth Girl from the beach snagged the permit tag, I thinking the evil plotters will come up with remedy for that in the future.That of putting Emi’s metal nude travel tag instead of on a string, it with be permanently attached to a metal Mailgirl collar that is locked on Emi, you know so no one can steal it from her again.Did Ben know about the Mailgirl requirement of daily shaved bare pussy, or did Liz tell him while they played their boardgame?Will Emi be doing daily Mailgirl pickups from the bake shop to the office? After awhile even if the bake shop did object to Emi’s nudity, after so many Mailgirl deliveries they just let it go that she is a Mailgirl and let her be naked all the time.
Probably the last “normal” day for Emi for the next year. She was able to enjoy herself with friends in the city and going out to a café – at least at a first glance – properly dressed. Or to the cinema the night before. It is also good that she has friends, although I am not so sure about Liz. Can she really trust her? The way Liz behaves, she seems to be genuinely concerned about Emi. But Ben apparently thinks Liz cannot be trusted. So, it was a risk to tell her everything, but I think a necessary risk if she wants to be friends with them both. Liz and Ben are so close, Emi cannot hide the truth in the long term. I think the risk with Liz is that she is jealous of Emi, which shows regularly. She might just blurt out the truth in a fit of anger. But the interactions with Liz are fun to read, with all the playful banter. And Liz apparently likes to boss a naked girl around and embarrass her at every opportunity. She did this before and likely will continue. Whenever Emi visits Ben’s or Liz’ place she will probably make clear that the owners of the place don’t object to her nudity and insist on her dress code as Resort Ambassador.
–
Talking of people enjoying to boss a naked girl around:
–
Ho is of a different category.
She uses every opportunity to cement the rules for Emi being nude and on display. Now she prohibits her from taking a rickshaw to and from work and insists that Emi walks (“an Ambassador may walk or run to work”). The phrase “not be treated like a princess” is just mean. And she imposes a kind of uniform code (“you must always look clean and fresh”). She appears to be friendly and gives Emi the weekend off from her nudity. She makes Emi’s situation lighter to bear for just the weekend, but the situation was made so difficult for Emi by Ho in the first place.
–
However, the thing with the t-shirt in the Resort Ambassador Guidelines was necessary, I think. Even with Emi’s Nudity Permit valid for the whole island, people have different attitudes towards nudity and some will not allow nudity on their premises. This way Emi can go or maybe better has to go anywhere without excuse.
–
Well, what I had difficulties with was Ben’s behavior on two occasions. Right at the beginning, Emi said she needs to have fun and Ben took out the collar. He must have seen that Emi was distraught and wanted something else. And the only thing he can think of was the collar. And Emi didn’t object… Well, ok.
–
But what I felt was not realistic, was when they were going to have sex, he just stopped and went shopping for a razor. What guy would do that? And Emi once again didn’t object to the shaving. However, having said that, I still think the sex scene was very well written. I have read somewhere by other writers, that such scenes are very difficult to write, but you did a very good job. Just the shaving bothers me a bit. Or maybe I was hoping that the shaving bit will happen on Emi’s first day of mailgirl training. Where Sarah will send Emi to shave in the shower, strategically placed outside of the marketing building…
–
Now for some speculation:
Having the nudity permit stolen and with Ho complaining that it was difficult to get might give them the idea to lock it onto Emi using a collar (as orflash64 speculated). In Seahawks book mailgirls also wear a collar which cannot be removed by them. And Brandy wants the mailgirl training stick to the letter of Seahawks book. So, I also think that’s a reasonable guess. I just hope it won’t be an ugly, heavy “slave girl” steel collar like in some other mailgirl stories, but something more elegant. By the way, that’s why I also like the approach of a mailgirl smartwatch instead of a smartphone strapped to the upper arm. It is more elegant. I like my mailgirls to look nice.
–
All in all, I think the chapters 17.1 to 17.4 were a treat to read, the best ones in the whole story so far. Especially chapter 17.2 (The Negotiation). Here everything what happened took part in the dialog, which was really captivating.
It played on my mind a lot, usually I don’t write so many long comments. I hope I didn’t bore anyone with it, but I enjoyed to recap the story a lot.
Yes, it was good that Emi got a little break on the weekend, and some luck for a change. The last few days have been tough, halloween in particular.
Liz is a fun character. She can be intuitive, direct, impetuous, genuine, prankster, and other things as well. We know so much about her because she doesn’t seem to know how to mask her feelings very well. And she certainly has a lot of feelings about many things.
People used to complain that Ho seemed kind of flat. Is she starting to outgrow that description yet?
I’m glad that you agreed with Ho’s new RA rules around clothing. I wonder what the new ‘branded ultra-light silk t-shirt’ will look like, or if Ho and Brandy have anything specific in mind.
Ben is certainly not ideal, but Emi feels lucky to have him, even if he has a couple of minor fetishes. I think that mostly you were hoping for Emi to have a tougher first day of mailgirl training, shame on you! lol…
Oh, I forgot about Seahawk’s collars. I’ll have to look that up!
Interesting that the negotiation was your favorite part. That was the chapter I was the most worried about.
We all enjoy to know what people think of the various details. That’s what makes this such a fun process. No comment can possibly be – too long!
I don’t think Emi has fully realised what the fact that the T-shirt is branded might mean… If it’s anything like a lot of corporate advertising it might say something like “Ask me about our products”
Only in Emi’s case it could / should probably say something like “Ask me to strip naked!”… Or better “Tell me to strip naked!”
Yeah, I’m not sure what Brandy and Ho have in mind. There were some ideas floated around about something like “Fantasy Resort” with “Ambassador” below that and on the back a large single number nine. But they are still in discussions with the designer and considering other options.
The shirt can only be worn indoors where no nudity is allowed, so asking her to strip naked is really just saying ‘please leave’.
I think she does. Although I still can’t figure out her motivations. I think she is the great unknown here, which makes her even more interesting.
Emi now being shaved down there will give her the opportunity to show her dedication to be the perfect mailgirl on her first training day. Or at least pretend how dedicated she is…
Forgot to mention:
Whereas the app testing / mailgirl training will be very humiliating, it is relatively well defined with 90 minutes testing a day and a one-week full time test. On the other hand, the clothing ban for the Resort Ambassador job is 24/7 for at least two months, without respite on weekends or after work. Ho is fucking with Emi’s whole life.
I think Ho is Emi’s nemesis.
Ho the nemesis? That’s a fair assessment of Emi’s current situation. Everyone (readers, characters and Emi herself) seem overly fixated on Monday and Emi’s nudity within a single building, (a building that she is already naked in). It’s kind of funny how high-profile ‘mailgirl app testing’ is, how much it draws in our attention, compared to what Ho is actually getting away with.
The „fixation“ on the mailgirl thing maybe has to do with the fact that being a mailgirl is not just about nudity, but it involves a whole submissive mindset and behavior pattern. Always looking down, addressing other people with “Sir” or “Ma’am”, being controlled by an electronic leash (the mailgirl smartwatch, although not yet existing), prescribed positions which have to be assumed on command, etc. It is not just embarrassing but really humiliating. And afterward the interview with Brandy, where Emi basically has to relive the mailgirl training.
Yeah, all in all I don’t see the mailgirl training as nearly as bad as the fact that Ho has total control over Emi’s freedom through her role in her community service and is has already resorted to blackmailing Emi. Ho is the absolute worst person to have in that role.
I like your speculations orflash64. These comments are all delightful for me read. I’m curious about what you guys think about the recent developments. What were your favorite developments, and perhaps one thing that wasn’t so good. Thanks arthwys, I think you already answered this one. I’ll respond to your awesome comment more fully, later.
While I couldn’t wait for Emi to feel the razor, I too didn’t believe a guy would stop and go buy a razor just before sex. If I had written it, it would have been at condom buying interval or shorty after the bake shop excursion. I can see the lovingly experience of Ben doing it to her instead of finding out on Monday under orders from whomever, it being a pleasant memory for Emi even though she didn’t want to. I mean please,like “wait before I rock your world I need to help you with some grooming” who is that guy.
I really did enjoy Liz making Emi clean up naked, I bet it will happen again in the future .
Oh and I agree the Mailgirl collar should light and elegant, but still metal and locked on, but comfortable. No choking tightness, I hate when writers put that in, makes no sense for someone running around all the time. There’s a good illustration of 9 wearing a Mailgirl collar on Slice Reality’s site or the photo album at Stripsearchfantasy.com. orflash64 albums, Resort Ambassador album.
Yes, you had a relentless pressure campaign to get Emi shaved… lol
I liked it better, being a spontaneous action. It was just across the street, and it wasn’t like Emi was going to change her mind about sex. He knew what he was doing.
A very good point. Now her first shave is a special memory with Ben instead of a horrific experience. He certainly wanted to shave her for selfish reasons, but maybe he was also looking out for her, preparing her for Monday.
I suspected that some readers would like the cleanup at Liz’s place.
I just took a peek. Yep, Seahawk’s collars look good. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brandy was a Slice Reality follower. Wait? Why are we talking about collars again?
My point is- the last minute run to the store for the razor, if he was planning it, it should have already been in a drawer.
So does this mark the end of the beginning? The real ordeal is just starting. A totally awesome set up to this point. The most believable Mailgirl story ever.
Ben wasn’t planning anything. It was a spur of the moment decision inspired by rubbing on her runway. That’s why it was so good.
Yes. This chapter marks the end of the beginning.
Thanks!
oh, one more thing, the seahawk collar, should have a little D ring or a slide down D ring so Ben can attach the leash.
I agree with others that it is unrealistic for Ben to dash off to the drugstore at that moment, but there is an easy solution. The apartment is furnished and therefore could easily have standard toiletries in the bathroom. Ben notices and gets the idea.
The pause was surprising, and give Emi time to think about serious stuff and cool down a little. The shaving scene wouldn’t have been half as good without it. In fact – this might be Ben’s new kink. We can call it – ‘Middle Shopping’.
I for one am extremely interested to see how Emi’s relationship with Liz develops from here.
What we know for certain is that Liz has a crush on Ben, she’s submissive (as her choice of Halloween costume leaves in no doubt) and by her mischievous forcing of Emi to be nude in her apartment – she’s not afraid to push boundaries or use rules to her advantage.
I think we can also safely assume Liz is envious of Ben’s interest in Emi – and that part of her is excited by / jealous of the submissive fantasy Emi is trapped in. The question is how will this envy play out next?
Will she try living vicariously through Emi, becoming more dominant and pushy, doing what she might wish others would do to her in that situation just to get a taste of it?
Will she let her jealousy get the better of her, taking pleasure in degrading her ‘love rival’ or using Emi’s Mailgirl servitude as a chance to one up her and get to Ben?
Or, will that jealousy manifest in self-doubt, and the delusion that she might have a chance with Ben if she was just ‘more like Emi’ – setting up a spiral of her seeking to join in on the Mailgirl training experience herself…
All we know for certain is that the groundwork has been laid here for something dramatic to happen…
On another note – it is very telling that Ho’s new rules for Emi being allowed to wear her shirt to keep her legal are dependent on her having her ID with her. As she could lose it deliberately over and over to keep her T-shirt, the only viable solution to stop anyone else taking it, and to stop Emi herself from exploiting that rule by ‘losing it’ is for the ID to be locked to her… I wonder how that will be done… (We’ve definitely seen no foreshadowing here at all…!)
It’s also extra interesting how the rules about where Emi can and can’t wear the T-shirt play into Brandy technically still owning her apartment (or did I miss read this?)… As she’s reliant on the owners of each premises decisions… Will be very interesting to see how this rule might be applied in Emi’s apartment should Brandy chose…
A good story. Looking forward to more. It is maybe a bit convoluted in places, but it is very interesting to see where you are going with it and how this will play out next. Strange to see a story ‘evolve’ into a Mailgirl story from its original chapters, but youve gotten it there!
This is fantastic insight into Liz! Yes, it seems that Liz has gradually gravitated into a good position for interesting interactions with Emi. Please keep sharing any and all ideas for me to ahh.. consider. Great minds think alike!
That was a very astute observation about the potential (permit/id) clothing loophole. I swear, it seems like you readers are all scheming to get Emi some kind of new accessory of some sort for her new mailgirl outfit!
Nope, you misread that. Emi now fully owns the apartment. It is now her safe little domain. But if Emi completes the project with no damage to her reputation, then Emi has to give ownership back to Brandy when she leaves the island or max 5 years. However, we do not know yet how the apartment manager feels about nudity. That could affect how she rides the elevator, swims or uses the gym. (I still haven’t decided)
Sorry about the convoluted parts. I did over-engineer it a bit. But moving forward I expect things to gradually be more simple. Things aren’t just changing for Emi on Monday, but also how the writer of the story handles chapters moving forward. I’m going to ‘try’ to focus more on quality, rather than quantity. We will see how that goes.
Where we are now is what I had planned from chapter one. That said, it seemed to turn out better than I had imagined and not everything is as I had originally imagined ( I have someone special to thank for that). Now that we are past the record-breaking super-long complicated initial setup, I should have a ‘little’ more creative leeway moving forward. hint hint… at least for the next few chapters.
Thanks for the insight ReaderMan, we’re waiting in excitement to see what happens next.
As for Liz and Emi – I can see a big dramatic argument in their future. The uncomfortable undercurrent of jealousy in their relationship can only go on for so long before it surfaces. There’s no way Liz is really happy with how things are and bottling it up is going to make it worse and worse.
She won’t be able to disguise it, especially if she’s put in a position of power over Emi (as we’ve already seen). What will Liz do if the demerits system goes live?
Maybe we’ll see all of the above – Liz overcompensates for her jealousy by being extra dominant with Emi during her training. Liz justifies this to herself as ‘just following the rules’ – it gives her the excuse to ‘hurt’ Emi without having to admit to herself that she’s hurting her or doing it out of jealousy or spite. She might even get off on it if her own submissive fantasies let her excitement of imagining herself in the same place get the better of her. Eventually that will come to a head with Emi of course – but how will Liz react then? Denial? Or admittance? If she admits it then she might try to make amends by joining Emi…
Heck, if Liz ‘signs up’ thinking it will help her cause with Ben – or as penance of what she did to Emi. She might sign a more onerous contract than Emi’s thinking she ‘deserves’ it. That could leave Brandy with a leaverage to offer Emi a new deal “Liz signed this and you signed this… How about you both sign something halfway between the two and you can save your friend?”
Or if their interpersonal drama plays out while Emi is on the clock – how might Brandy react to a moment of insubordination from their Mailgirl?
I’m just speculating!!
Maybe Ben is too dense to see it but these girls are going to come to a confrontation over him and it will be interesting to see how and when that personal drama kicks off how it affects Emi’s Mailgirl training.
Thanks for contributing to my stockpile of ideas on Liz. I’m still fairly open on what I can do with her, so these ideas are helpful. She might not go down a dark path, but you are right. Once in a while she does tend to make mistakes that she regrets later. Maybe I’ll roll a dice to see what path she takes with certain situations. But odds are she doesn’t want to hurt Ben (hurting Emi hurts Ben) and she does have a ‘very high’ regard for Emi, so she’s a woman in conflict on multiple levels. Plus now she knows everything and it has brought her even closer to Emi. It’s usually just alcohol that brings out the worst in her. But then maybe she knows that and avoids alcohol for a while. Also who knows what will happen once Emi starts starts testing the app. That’s the unknown factor so you are right. Anything is possible. I usually don’t plan very far ahead for Liz, as she reacts to things in the moment. She often surprises me just as much as the readers. Everything that you have suggested certainly sounds possible.
Great chapter. Well done ReaderMan. Beautifully done.
But there is a nuance, the next day will seem to be Monday, a new apartment appeared on Sunday. It was Halloween on Saturday, Grand opening is on Friday. Correctly?
The scene with the leash is perfectly described like everything else . Now Emi has become famous all over the island as a naked girl on a leash. And Liz, Jill and Jack can write a comment to a newspaper article that this girl’s name is Emi, and the whole island will know her name. She would become known as the Resort Ambassador, as a Mailgirl and as a girl on a leash. And Wang will have nothing to do with it. Liz will harm Emi for taking Ben away, rather in secret.
Most people should admire Emi, encourage her, say that she is strong, brave, beautiful.
Of course, there should be a collar-necklace on the neck of Emi. It is beautiful, with patterns and colors of gold or silver, metal-plastic. It is locked with a special key and the key is stored at the resort in a safe at Ho, for example. Emi can’t take it off on her own. The collar bears the words “Fantasy Resort, Mailgirl Number and Emi Yoshida Ambassador” on the front, and a permit tag on the back. It is easy to attach a leash to the collar and often this will happen. Emi has already given permission to do this and it will continue to do so without requiring hers permission already.
Emi goes for a while with a pouch and shoes, but then stops using these things. Ben will have the key to the apartment. She can pay with a smartwatch (like a smartphone). She will not wear a T-shirt, and documents are not needed – there is a permit tag. MailGirl don’t wear shoes because before entering the building, she will have to take it off, and then she will need to go out through another exit. Extra unwanted movements and Emi will give up the shoes. Likewise with a pouch. All that will remain with Emi is a smartwatch and a collar-necklace.
It seems to me that Emi should get access to the resort, she is also its employee. Of course, she will not often go there, there will be little time and opportunity for this, but she should have the right to do so.
These are my thoughts.
Thanks, it’s exciting.
I think you’re right that Emi won’t be wearing shoes for long. It is a major point in most mailgirl stories that they go barefoot and that their feet eventually toughen up. Of course, Readerman is changing things up a lot, so who knows?
I don’t know if this is the way it’s going to go, but I can imagine that when Emi finally gets her full list of Resort Ambassador rules, she finally finds out that, other than the few instances outlined in Ho’s letter, she is expected to be nude 24/7 until her community service is finished. And furthermore, the first time she is caught wearing any clothes, her community service time will be doubled to 24 months. And, unfortunately for her, Ho and Wang don’t tell her that shoes count as clothing. So the first day she starts out for work, wearing her running shoes, she gets stopped by Ho and finds out she’s going to be the nude Resort Ambassador for 2 years. Not sure if that’s the way it’s going to play out, but I wouldn’t put it past either Ho or Wang.
I don’t think they would intentionally publish her real name, though. It’s her Ace in the hole, the one bit of control she still has. If that goes away, she could really screw things up. Brandy, Jake, Ruth, and the others need her to cooperate and submit to the fantasy they have lined up for her. The one thing she’s holding onto is that she can do this and escape without ruining her name or reputation in the coding world. I think they’ll repect that.
The Halloween party was Friday. That’s why some people were in the office working in the morning. We still have Sunday, but that will likely be brief. A page or two at most.
I’m glad that you liked the opening leash play. That’s a relief as I don’t think everyone was a big fan of it.
No, Emi is still mostly unknown. But Mailgirl Nine is famous. To everyone else she is EmY (plus fake last name). And all her social media have been already removed when she became an RA. Plus don’t forget Wang owns the media on the island.
The only people that know her full, real name, would be hurt if they revealed her name. Because there is a fair chance that she would no longer make the app, and that means no more testing the app as well. Part of the deal is they protect her name. Otherwise the contract means nothing. But yes, it’s risky. At any moment the island could suddenly lose the mailgirl hero, that will likely make the island much richer. They would just have an very angry Resort Ambassador that stays in her new apartment most of the time ordering take-in food.
Encouragement of Emi is a good idea. (Strong, brave, beautiful)
Haha… ‘IF’ there is this collar that everyone’s so big on predicting, I doubt Brandy would allow Emi’s real name to be on it.
Actually Emi could use her watch to pay for stuff. Most places take payment through the watch. And if the place she intends to goto allows nudity then she might not even need the side pouch. But you won’t pry her running shoes away from her. Not going to happen. During app testing while in the office, sure… no shoes. But outside, she needs them, as she will do a lot of running no doubt.
She does have access to the resort. If she goes down the streets, and some side streets, and in the front entrance. Ho has turned off her gate access currently, but you are right. That isn’t right. Likely Ho is just doing that for a little bit until Emi has had time to settle into her new roles.
Hearing she’ll be keeping the shoes is a bit disappointing, for me anyway the Mailgirl look is only complete totally naked and barefoot. And then there’s the aesthetics of running shoes when naked – they look so big and bulky and ugly when they’re worn on their own.
I totally get why she needs them outside for realism – but it would be great to find an excuse to lose them. It’s a tropical island after all, surely with the beach so close there’s a lot of people coming into mainstreet in bathing suits – I’d expect a higher rate of barefoot people near a beach than anywhere else!
She’ll be barefoot when on duty. She will take them off sometimes when swimming. I suppose it’s possible to run across the street sometimes without them. But I think Danica wore shoes when walking to work in her business clothes. Lucky, for me, I don’t mind a naked girl in running shoes. Hell, combat boots would be nice too. But what we think on this subject probably doesn’t matter because well, Emi’s a runner.
I went through the previous chapters again (13th Mon-Wed, 14th Thu). And the next day is Friday (Chapter 15. Opening). On Fri., Emi spends the night in the Marketing Building with Ben. And the next day again Fri. (Chapter 16. Halloween). Something’s not right here. There are several possible options. 1st. Either fix the past and make the Openning happen on Thu., then in the 13th chapter you need to remove one day. 2nd. Or Halloween was held on Sat. and you can make a second day off on Monday, since Saturday was a working day and start the working week with Tue, but can to don’t the 2nd day off. As I understand it, Halloween is celebrated on 10/31 and it can be any day of the week, not necessarily Friday. And why not Saturday. 3rd. Leave it as it is and the 2 Fridays go right after each other. This is beyond the reality of most people, which would look like at least … 4th. Or redo the 15th and 16th chapters and combine it in one day. Then it will be very strange for Su-Ning to leave. The choice is yours. This is about the days.
Now about the newspaper. Someone can write a comment on a newspaper article about her name. People like to contribute to the sensation, to show their importance, intelligence and to draw attention to them, to get a ray of glory. Just look at how many comments are written on your story. You write well and in the right key. The same Liz, Sam, Hanna, Travis, etc. anonymously or not, or Jill, Jack and the public can fan it like wildfire and go to social networks, do reposts, comments. And Wang, and Brandy, etc. aren’t able to stop this fire. So Emi can become famous without the help of Wang, Brandy, Ho. They may even resist this wildfire, they may win it, or they may lose it. The main thing isn’t because of Wang, Brandy and her company, which means they aren’t responsible for this and they didn’t violate the contract. And the court will take their side. And if Emi stops the MailGirl project, there will be fines, refunds (which have already been spent). Ben was already in the cafe talking to Emi by name. Jill and Jack, seeing that Emi is wearing a short T-shirt and nothing under it, will automatically decide that the naked girl on a leash in the newspaper is Emi. The similarity is 1000%. And this is most likely to happen next week. Wang doesn’t control all the newspapers, there are competitors, social networks. I don’t see anything wrong with this wildfire. Yes, for Emi will be unpleasant, so what, she needs to go through this and that’s it.
As for the collar-necklace, then she can wear it in a month (because of such a wildfire) and Emi will not even object, and before that there can draw numbers on her. Similarly, with a pouch and shoes. She will suffer for a month and refuse herself in it. For example, as a MailGirl she ended working 2 blocks away from the apartment. Then she has to walk 15 blocks back to work, and then back again. I do not believe that for the sake of sneakers and pouch she need to spend so much time, effort, once again appearing in public. Or at community service, she found herself without shoes and a pouch. She may forget, because she is already used to doing without them. Or, for example, in the morning, Emi enters the Marketing Building, takes off his shoes and carries them to the server room, to his workplace. Then she runs around like a MailGirl and when she comes back, the server room is closed. Asher has the keys, and he’s swimming somewhere on the beach. Or Emi enters a building, such as a shopping mall, and has to take off her shoes. She doesn’t carry it around, she leaves it at the entrance. When she comes back for them, the shoes are gone, and time isn’t ticking in her favor. And also she wear clean shoes on dirty feet. It’s a pity to dirty her shoes from the inside. And after a month, she may get tired of it and independently give up shoes and pouch due to constant problems with them. If there are often situations where her things (pouch and shoes) are closed somewhere, removed by someone, or they are far away and there are constant problems with him, then they will be abandoned. This is the nature of man. And such situations will arise very often, many people are interested this in.
Thanks.
If there’s a lesson to be learned from all this, it’s that… Strike that, that’s not how I want to begin this comment.
–
What I was going to get to was that there’s one smart girl in this story. Okay, a few smart girls, but one really smart girl. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about. Yes, Evan’s girlfriend. The one who ditched him because of the kinky shit she found on his computer. That girl … she still has her life. At the other end of the spectrum, we have Emi. The supposedly smart shy girl who just keeps sinking further and further into a tangled up web in which she has fewer and fewer options. Her freedoms are evaporating just as her clothes (and pubes) did.
–
I loved this chapter! I really enjoyed the weekend right along with Emi. I relished the nice apartment at her side. And the relationship joy (so well-written by the way) … something to celebrate. Great sex, but it was much more than sex. Nice for there to suddenly be a little balance in Emi’s life (no matter how fleeting, right?). These two seem great together. I also think that Ben is strange. He just comes across that way, and not just because he goes shopping when he should be screwing (lol!). There are other reasons. He’s nice when he’s with Emi, but most times he seems standoffish. Maybe I’m the only one that feels that way. I haven’t yet decided if it’s intended or not. Sometimes when I imagine that ReaderMan is screwing up, it’s just that he’s throwing us off guard to miss the approach of the next twist.
–
But as much as I loved this weekend, I can’t help but feel that it is the calm before the storm. Emi’s life is about to change. More than she can imagine. More than I can imagine. One of the reasons that I haven’t joined in with all the speculation that a few of you engage in, is that ReaderMan’s imagination takes us to places (via Emi) that I wouldn’t come up with on my own.
–
Someone (orflash64 I believe) remarked that this is the most believable Mailgirl story ever. I can’t say if that’s true. Frankly, I’m not sure I’ve ever finished a Mailgirl story. I was loving Seahawks story. And then he took about fifteen months to post the final few chapters. By the time the story resumed, I was sick of waiting. He lost my interest … never went back. I’ve started a few others only to drop out. So, maybe this story will go that way for me, too. However, I tend to think that what orflash is pointing out, might very well make the difference. Maybe I checked out of prior Mailgirl stories because I couldn’t quite manage the suspension of belief required for full enjoyment. I haven’t had that problem here. So maybe the reason that I keep getting sucked further and further into this is the realism that ReaderMan manages to inject. The guy’s got game.
–
Okay, enough positives. I do have a few complaints and/or negatives to point out. I’m hoping (fingers crossed) that ReaderMan appreciates constructive criticism.
1. Ben. I don’t know why Emi likes the guy. But, I guess I’ve already touched on that above.
2. Sam. I was stupid to find a favorite character in all of this. I probably mentioned in one of my comments how much I liked her. Ever since, ReaderMan has given her short shrift. It’s like the guy is trying to drive me away. She’s sassy and fun. She’s also AWOL.
3. Liz. She’s the opposite of Sam. She’s always here and there is nothing interesting about her. Sorry … just sayin’. Here, I’ll list everything I know about her. 1. She and Ben have been friends forever. 2. She has a crush on Ben. 3. See items one and two.
4. This island. I love it (maybe not), but is this place really off the coast of Asia, the Phillipines? This Cloud 9 Café … case in point. It does sound nice (to me). But it also sounds like gentrification run amuck, i.e. like it is somewhere in the US. I also like Jill (and Jack). Again, they don’t seem to fit the setting. Fancy pastries. They sound great, but this place is straight out of Buckhead. Don’t get me wrong, I love Buckhead.
–
Now, before you other Emi fans get mad at me, please understand that I had to really work to think up some negatives. Other than #2 above, none of them bother me. And funny how last week I’m talking about the strange names in the story (Su-Ning and Ho), this week it’s the less strange (to my ear) names (Jack and Jill). You sure attract some wishy-washy fans, right?
–
I can’t wait for Monday (Emi’s Monday, not mine). But, the big question, will ReaderMan be able to make Emi’s nudity requirement world-wide and life-long? I wouldn’t put it past him.
I like my characters to be richly multi-faceted and not black and white.
The reason I like Ben is because he’s not overly simple and he cares a great deal for his best friend. The one time he seemed standoffish was when he was drinking and Emi was asking him to say something that would hurt Liz. I think younger characters can struggle with these kinds of conflicts and I feel that was captured well. He care’s a great deal for Emi and has helped her quite a bit along the way. Sometimes he can be a bit odd when drinking, maybe he’s braver with his fetishes. But I also like that about him. He was recovering from a previous relationship, and so it was great that he and Emi got together. Sometimes Emi lets him do things because she wants to encourage his more daring side, because she likes to help him grow into his better self. They lookout for each other. The fact that he likes leashes is a bonus (for the readers mostly).
Liz is a little fireball… she does have some jealously, but more than that she has a lot of interesting stuff going on. She likes to have fun, and she worships Emi on multiple levels. She’s proud of Emi’s talent, looks up to her as a role model that can kick the asses of male devs. She’s excited by Emi’s nudity in public, because she’s a bit of a closet streaker herself. She’s a bit dangerous when drinking and can get caught up in the moment and get carried away, but mostly liz is just a good person. She can’t hide her feelings, or control them in some cases, but that just adds to her charm and unpredictability. The fact that she now knows everything just means she’s even more on Emi’s side, now more than ever. But that doesn’t mean she won’t have this or that feeling or impulse sometimes. If push comes to shove and she had to be on Ben’s or Emi’s side, she might just go stand with Emi. She has some jealousy, but she doesn’t blame Emi for everything, she blames Ben a little too. Anonymous spoke really well about the dynamic with Liz and Emi, you should checkout those two awesome comments for more details about why Emi and Liz are good together.
Blair, I think if you go back and read a lot of the story, you will see that Liz and Ben are major characters and just because Emi’s contract will expire eventually, doesn’t mean we should abandon them or be afraid to be close to them. I like the uncertainty about the future. It makes conflicts and things more deliciously complicated. I like that Emi didn’t have a lot of options with men and lucked out with Ben.
Sam’s a fun character, but she’s been slowly coming to terms with Emi’s nudity, so that’s obviously why she’s been out of the picture recently. That said, I was thinking about having Emi, Sam and Liz do some shopping on Sunday because Emi’s clothed this weekend and so it’s perfect to bring Sam in now. Plus I was kind of curious about seeing how Sam and Liz would get along with each other and around Emi. But I’m not planning a long chapter, it will be brief and maybe stand-alone.
The island. It’s exactly what I wanted it to be. There are asian countries where the ‘main’ language spoken is English. This is one of them. It’s a nice mix of Chinese and Filipino and since it’s a resort island it has all types of people from around the world. It also has a lot of western influence as we saw with Cloud Nine. I’m not really into places and locations, and not well traveled, so this is what we get for now. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
What I like about Emi’s new home is the commute. It has her all revved up thinking about it. It’s like Lookout Point on steroids. Plus she’s still not sure if her balcony counts as outside or not. Which is unfortunate as she as always wanted to have a balcony full of plants and a lawn chair to read a book.
Oh, and I really can’t figure out who Emi works for. I used to think it was Becca. By now, I have no idea. She has almost no contact with the person I thought was her employer and also no contact with those that I thought were her coworkers. Everyone but Becca seems to tell her what to do. Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but if I am then maybe that is constructive input that you can make use of to improve the story.
The story is overflowing with characters. I think too many – I can’t think of a chapter yet where a new character hasn’t been introduced. (The cafe owners in this chapter!).
ReaderMan you deserve a lot of credit for your writing on this story, and I hope this doesn’t sound harsh, but I think you might be expanding your cast way way too much.
We as Readers need signposts of which characters we should and shouldn’t be following, paying attention to, or expect to show up again. A new character should only be introduced when absolutely necessary, I think it’s important to ask “could an existing character fulfill this role?” And if they can, use the existing character. This fleshes out the people we as readers know, and stops creating characters we never see again.
Not everyone needs a name and a backstory – unless the cafe owners are going to fulfill a plot role that no other characters can fill, not naming them frees up our brains as readers – it’s a clue like, “these are people but don’t read to deeply into them, they won’t be on the test”
I was going to start listing all the characters here as an example, but from everyone in Seattle, the resort staff, the Dev team, and now Jack and Brandy and the cafe pair I can’t keep up!
Anonymous,
I think we are feeling the same thing. I don’t want my comments to be taken to mean that I am not enjoying and appreciative of the monumental effort that RM is clearly pouring into this masterpiece. The 4 items I list all relate to the large cast of characters in one way or the other. Maybe, for me, it’s not simply how many there are, but possibly how they are repeatedly cast aside. Maybe he should dress some of them in red shirts (à la Star Trek) or, as you suggest, not give them names – so that we know which ones to not pay too much attention to. Fortunately, he is very good at creating characters. Possibly, the reason I’ve had trouble bonding with Ben and Liz is that I was weary of new characters showing up by the time they made their appearance. He probably described their physical appearance, but if he did, I have no recollection of what they look like. Maybe it was mentioned and not reinforced. It might have simply been an outgrowth of my weariness with this cast rotation. But in all seriousness, I feel that the story would be enhanced if there were a few characters that seemed destined to go the distance … other than just Emi. I do like her. But, as for everyone else, I’ve learned not to become attached.
Blair
I don’t think that we have to worry about characters too much. If they are important they will keep showing up, or will come back eventually. I’ll try not to name unimportant characters ‘like Jack’ but at the time it was Jill liking to introduce the two of them because they kind of have an unusual name combo.
But yeah, you can forget about Jack if you want. If he ever brings over the food I guess I could change his name to ‘the big food artist with the bandanna’.
Emi works for herself, paid by Becca. Becca has a contract with Su-Ning who is the client. That’s all you really need to know. If you need details then Becca handles the money that come in from contract jobs and pays it out periodically to the girls. What the paying client wants, the paying client gets. To save some money Su-Ning is having Emi spend half her time training the marketing devs to save on marketing costs, and help them just be more competent. Right now they are finishing up some resort stuff for the apps, making sure they are stress tested and have good recovery systems. But fortunately Emi signed a new deal that gives Su-Ning money to pay for the mailgirl app. A fair amount of that money will go to Becca so that she can pay her team. So who does Emi work for? She works for the client, Su-Ning. And yes, Emi will be paid to make the mailgirl app, as she should be.
Another thing to ponder, the Seahawk story as guide, after Emi is done with the app and more just testing and working the bugs out, well there is the part in the Seahawk story of a 2 year contact of Mailgirls. Suppose Emi gets into trouble or Liz letting herself be roped into a Mailgirl commitment, a renegotiation and Emi and/or Liz are roped into a two year Mailgirl contract. Hey it could happen. We have almost written a chapter just on the speculation. Another thing, Emi was talking with her Seattle buddy, he mentioned sending another story, but Emi dismissed it, but what if he did send another story with the Poster picture? (Oh Readerman see my photo album, I found that poster) If Liz sees it she will be all over it and send it to the rest of the team. So Readerman, what would that fourth story be? Pony girl, Mailgirl, girl on a leash, so many to choose from.
I have grown very fond of Emi, I don’t hope she will be trapped in this nightmare infinitely. There should be some light at the end of the tunnel for her.
A lot of good comments. I have to go (remote) to work now, but I’ll get back to replying after dinner. For now I’ll just say that the most valid criticism pointed out so far is the ‘too many characters’ problem. I certainly admit it. It’s my first real story and I was simply too liberal with breaking some of the rules of writing.
But worry not, there are very simple remedies to this kind of problem.
[Crack’s knuckles’] Time to make some drama!
Possibly it just goes to show how much we are all obsessing over this story!Blair
Constructive Takeaways:
– Physically describe my main characters better. Emi, Ben, Liz, Becca, Sam and Hannah. Hannah’s blonde btw. And French. I should most definitely add “Brandy” here too along with Sarah!
– Maybe also describe Ho, Ruth, and Su-Ning better.
– The marketing devs are also strong secondary characters. And we should not forget about Emi’s best friend Evan, and his buddies… wait, what were their names again? lol… That’s okay if you forgot, because now we have Jill!(the cafe woman)
At the resort we have Bo and Lucy mostly. That’s about it. I’ll try not to name Emi’s apartment manager. We can probably forget about Jack and
Jake.And I need to describe Emi’s body and her feelings more.
And no more Ben shaving Emi… too many complaints, besides work should keep her smooth, right?
No I’m fine with Ben continuing to shave Emi, it was just the timing of what else he was going to do.
Of course their can be an embarrassing at the office shave down the line, Emi could zone out and reflect on Ben doing her grooming.
What would be a fourth story that Emi’s Seattle buddy might send accidentally on purpose? And what ideas might it give to Emi’s co-workers?
I don’t think you necessarily need to describe those characters more – it could be describing other characters less. At the moment with all primary and secondary characters getting the same level of description we might be losing who’s important in the noise.
BUT I need to say that this isn’t your fault. Part of the problem of writing and sharing a story in serialized format is that you probably don’t know (beyond a rough idea) exactly how the story is going to go. I think there comes a point when all writers start discovering their story, rather than writing it. Once you understand your characters enough it stops being ‘what do I want to happen’ and starts being ‘what would these people do next’.
The problem with the serialized format is you can’t use the principle of ‘Chekovs Gun’ so easily. So you end up leaving guns everywhere in act one, knowing one will get fired later, but not being sure until you get there. Or a lot of characters get introduced because even as a writer you don’t know if they’re going to be important yet or not. There’s not really an easy solution to that.
I don’t think Ben shaving Emi was an issue, it was intimate foreplay. The only issue might be that he stopped exactly when he did to do it but the act itself was great.
Please don’t think too much about any of this either. These are such minor points – we really love the story and you’re doing an amazing job. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Anonymous,
I have to say, I’m enjoying very much your thoughtful comments. In part, because we see some of these issues similarly … but it’s much more than that. I imagine you are yourself a writer. At the very least, you seem to have an in depth knowledge of the process. In addition to that, it is clear that you are following the details closely. I imagine you making notes while you read. I poked fun at the shaving, but I have to say I enjoyed it. I’m not as young as Ben, but I would jump at the chance to shave my girl, especially if I thought I were doing her a favor (lol!) … even if it meant a slight delay in having sex. A delay isn’t giving up the opportunity.
One request. Might you be willing to give yourself a pseudonym? I for one would like to be able to differentiate you from others posting anonymously. I’m guessing that ReaderMan would like to as well. Or you could sign your posts in some way. As you might know, Blair is a pseudonym. I would wager that ReaderMan is as well. But whatever you decide, I’m very much looking forward to your continued involvement!
All my best,
Blair
Good advice. I’m not a big fan of huge description paragraphs as well. But I think it’s good form to inject the odd little thing that hints at a characteristic once in a while, as Blair suggests.
You are definitely a writer. And very correct. It comes in fits and bursts, that transitioning process. I call it when I’m in the zone, and when I’m just painfully writing crap. I’m starting to feel it coming a lot more now, which means good things for the story. Unlike some, I believe in my characters. lol…
That may be so, but I’m an engineer that has planted many guns so far I’m on track with firing the vast majority of them right on schedule. That said, I also unleash my characters once in a while and if they are impressive enough they might even break or modify a plot point. It doesn’t happen often, but I respect my characters enough to give them that organic space. And yet, almost every gun has been fired on track. But yes, when things get interesting, as they are now, the potential to derail is increased. Don’t worry, I got this.
Thank you. I appreciate that you liked the scene. I’ll add that the stopping was one of my favorite parts. It gave Emi time to cool down and think about what Liz said. Which then setup that fun sexy serious distracting talk about their future.
I appreciate you saying that. I was a little worried about my characters reputations for a second there before I rallied in thier defence. I also appreciated your Liz comments, quite a bit at that moment. I mean, if that other Anonymous was you.
Can we talk about Sarah for a second?
It’s going to be very interesting to see how she handles Emi going forward. She’s one of the few people that has read the Mailgirl story that is in direct control of Emi AND she’s also demonstrated repeatedly that she would rather Emi get dressed AND she thinks this is all Emi’s choice.
Will Ruth and the others rely on Sarah for information about Mailgirls rather than reading the book themselves? What if Sarah takes some creative liberties?
Who’s going to be our dominant in the room and take this seriously? Sarah? Ruth? Brandy? Ho? All of the above? (Please all of the above)
Absolutely!
Wow, you have been keeping notes. Yes, it makes it hard to guess exactly what she will do, doesn’t it?
As the other Anonymous says, Brandy is also a perfect source of information. I will add that it’s reasonable to think that anyone ‘you and I’ if we were in that circle of people we would likely be dying to know what was in Seahawk’s story. So if anyone is in the dark it would be unrealistic to assume that would last very long.
haha… Monday is the day after Sunday.
Brandy is the mastermind behind the whole mailgirl cosplay business. She knows the mailgirl stuff inside out, probably better than Sarah .
I’m at work right now, but I’ll just mention…
I think that Blair’s concerns about character abandonment are valid. The remainder of the story features the above cast mentioned. Becca’s team has not been cast aside, I simply excluded them for this meeting in Ruth’s office and now it’s the weekend. Before the office meeting they were simply coming to grips with Emi’s external nudity, now they have something even more to grapple with. But keep in mind we are just talking about a few days. I keep them low key during halloween because I was juggling enough stuff, and reader feedback was suggesting not too many people at once.
Moving forward you can expect these main characters to stick around.
RM,
Don’t change the story for me, but what you are saying sounds good. For me, what might help the most is if Emi has a reliable wingman. Someone (or a few people) who we can get to know better than the rest of the large cast of characters. Maybe these people are Ben and Liz, and I need to simply start doing a better job of tracking what you say about them. I might have been guilty of dismissing them as characters who were destined for minor roles early on. In other words, I’m sure you described them nicely. It just went in one eye and out the other. Descriptions do need to be maintained, especially with a story that is consumed over so many months. Little comments can do that. Emi looked over at <blank> admiring her long blonde hair as she brushed it. She liked her black hair, but she was too lazy to put in the effort that long hair required. Or, at six-feet, Ben had to duck getting into the Rickshaw. <Blank> didn’t have the same problem. Or, looking back, Emi was surprised to see Ben’s feet hanging off the end of the futon, but he was tall. (I have no idea if he’s tall). I’m just throwing out a few ways to throw a piece of a description into a sentence that describes action. But you know. You did it all the time.
Blair
That was my fault. I did abandon Evan’s team and then I seemingly abandoned Sam’s team, so I can see how you could be wary at that point. This is just my first story, and I’m still learning the ropes. All of this advice is certainly helping. Arthwys said something similar to me recently. Emi certainly needs a wingman or two at this point as the vultures are beginning to circle.
Thanks Pavel_ser, I really appreciate that you found this issue. I’m open to the best suggestion that you have offered. Likely grand opening was on a Thursday. Good thing I can edit posted stories. Much appreciated, and my apologies for the mistake. In Canada we celebrate Halloween parities (not halloween itself) anytime within a few days of Halloween, so the day of the party is flexible.
Yes, there is some risk. This is why Emi insisted on the apartment. It’s not completely safe. You are right. But keep in mind that nobody knows her real full name except for people that will not say anything. So the risk isn’t quite as high as you imagine. But yes, there is risk. No need to keep talking about it as it’s either in the plot or it is not. Surely, you don’t want a spoiler, right?
We will just have to wait to find out. Let’s see if the wildfire can penetrate her defenses!
More talk about collars?
hmm… I’m starting to see your point. It’s such a hassle to always carry around a pouch and wear shoes. She probably just needs the watch, am I right?
No, thank you.
I think we all should probably start making posts at the very bottom. It’s awkward to keep looking for new posts somewhere in the middle.
And to everyone else, please know that the next chapter Sunday (Emi time) has officially been defined and mapped out via detailed notes. The working title is misleadingly labeled, “Emi and Liz go shopping”
Shopping for what? A new leash, sun screen, ankle pouch?
Well, she has a new apartment and needs basic things to live, but first she needs a clean t-shirt.
Best Stories of all here but since Halloween Surprises a bit sleepy for me, I like the most in the last story about the little humiliation as she hase to clean the floor–Liz ran away, returning quickly with a wet mop. Stopping Emi from again putting on her t-shirt by placing her hand on it.“Fine…” Emi said, grabbing the mop. The little brat was persistent, but she would be done in a second. She swished the mop around as Liz walked over to stand next to Ben.“Her ass swings nicely when she’s doing that,” Liz said, smugly standing next to Ben with her hands behind her back.Ben agreed, nodding.But as I say, should have more humiliaton parts in it, also I hope the other 3 girls from here IT Team will be back again in the story and maybe humiliate her also in some way or Ho usw. but in anycase i love the story and thank you very much for it!!
Thanks Karl. Yeah, all this intense mailgirl drama probably isn’t for everyone. Sorry about that. I guess during the pandemic we don’t need such intense drama. But as you can see things are calming down as you saw with that little scene with Liz and the mop. A lot of people seem to like that kind of light hearted antics. It reminds me a lot of “Discovering Melanie” which is just overflowing with a constant stream of sexy light hearted fun. Cave’s story is my favorite on the board right now. Even Blair loves it and that guy isn’t easy to please!
Don’t worry, the other three girls will be back soon.
Hello ReaderMAN
Thanks for you words and dont understand me wrong I love the story of Confession of a mailgirl from Seahawk since i read it i didnt found another writer also not in the mailgirl universe how comes near him, but you are on the same level, very interesting from begin, it let you think about what comes next usw. really good, its only in the last time it as you write its a bit calming down but nevertless I am a big fan you your writing style, and sorry for my english gramatik, its not my native language and grammatik anyway phuu 😉
No I’m not on the same level. But thank you for the kind words Kaele12. I’m glad that you are looking forward to the next parts. I’m working on it right now. I appreciate the support, comments, thoughts, usw (etc in German).
I like Seahawks’ stories, but hope you will improve on his style. He has this tendency to create an amazing situation, to write a lot of buildup for it, and then not write anything that happens. For example, the first shower scene in Confessions gets entirely avoided – as if he doesn’t feel comfortable writing the steamy details, and we only get the results. We don’t even get the emotions of the character in that moment, or even right after. I understand leaving details for the reader’s imagination, but some or this skipping goes too far.
On the other end of the spectrum, and closer to what I prefer, would be “Operation: Mailgirl Ch. 02” by Nynah, the first half. They provide buildup for a similar scene, where the heroine gets to see the view from the voyeurs before she ends up on the other side. We see comparisons to other participants, we get to read her thoughts, and we get just enough details. It’s a superior approach. I don’t expect Resort Ambassador to get as intense as Nynah’s story, but I would prefer a balance towards that writing style.
The recent chapters have been amazing, I hope you get a boost from all this feedback and continue writing more! Well done!
I can’t speak for Seahawk, but that first scene was in Japan and more about getting used to the big picture idea. The first shaving back with Barbara, she brought in a couple execs to watch and they talked as if she wasn’t there. That wasn’t too bad at all. Seahawk went into detail about how this was even possible, with some domino analogy. It was well done.
Writing the mailgirl stuff will be a different animal in my story and will first require me to first try to develop some sort of style of my own. I have some ideas, but good execution will be hard to pull off and will require time.
Also keep in mind that 20 was undercover in an established mailgirl environment that may have been around for months or years. Emi is starting in a world where mailgirls do not exist and in a marketing building. I’ll do my best, but realism will be a priority and there will be complicating factors that make things different with Emi’s experience and journey.
Thanks. Yes, all this feedback is currently powering my Sunday chapter… and giving a LOT of fuel to the Monday chapter after that.
When I read this, I mistakenly thought you were going to post this Sunday and when you didn’t post I realized it was the Sunday and Monday in the story. So are you still creating the chapter or just polishing it?
Feels like anxiety 🙁
It makes me really worried about Emi, to be honest. There have been and still are so many bad things happening to Emi, sometimes it feels too much, and you captured this in the opening sentence here. Note, I never read any mailgirl stories, so this not knowing probably has a big influence on my worries for Emi.
Funny how she lets him have his fun, and it’s sort of fun for her too. Only way she’d let take the lead is in sexy play like this.
Awww. She protests because she’s afraid of the repercussions, but this is exactly what she needed at that moment.
Finally, after such a nightmare of a day! Only the nightmare continues the next day…
After all that happened, it’s easy to forget that most people, including Liz, have no idea she’s naked against her will. This is a nice reminder, and a fun interaction. Still, there this constant anxiety bubbling underneath.
Ben knows Liz a lot better than Emi or we do, so I’m going to trust Ben’s judgement on this one… which is going to be bad for Emi…
Seriously, what does Emi get out of this deal herself? She gives a lot, but gets nothing in return, personally. It’s a bit hard to swallow that she does this just because she feels bad for a scandal that wasn’t even her fault, honestly. I don’t mean to be overly critical, but I just wish Emi had negotiated at least 1 thing for herself in the contract. Hope someone tells Emi to never again negotiate and sign a contract while drunk.
I don’t trust it one bit. Not from Ho.
Ahh that Liz… sometimes she reminds me of a certain someone.
To be thankful for little, half comforts. Funny how that works.
You know… I wonder. Since Emi is an integral part of the contract that was signed, and Ho wants that contract to be a success, would Ho really report Emi if Emi decides to bend the rules a little around wearing clothes to stores? If she did, Ho would damage the resort she cares so much about. Ho is playing a power game against Emi, but if Emi pushes back just a little, is Ho really going to risk everything for the resort?
A nice surprise… Had not expected this from Brandy. Am I too harsh on these people?
Wonder what that’s about.Haha, shopping with Liz. That can’t bode well for Emi.
Love the fun play between these two. They know what they want and they’re not embarrassed about it.The shaving scene was hot…wow… and a nice conclusion to the chapter.I’m glad it ended on a good note. Emi needed this healing time so much, I’m a bit sad for Emi it’s only this one weekend.
Admittedly, that chapter started a little harshly. Glad that you like that she allows him the leash play and that he gave her the t-shirt. True, it wasn’t just a healing chapter, no thanks to Ho. Liz can be fun, but you never know what will happen when she’s involved. Emi tried her best with the contract, as negotiations are not her speciality. Are you too harsh on these people? I think these people are too harsh on Emi! Thanks Cave, glad that you liked the ending parts.
Yes, the Sunday chapter’s first draft has been completed. Doing some fixes and adjustments and editing now. So next weekend is a possibility.
Good point, orflash. Keeping Emi time straight vs ReaderMan time is not that easy. A day in the life of Emi might take 2 or 3 weeks to transpire for us because of all the behind the scene effort that RM puts into bringing it to life.
Wide-eyed, ReaderMan’s heart beats a little faster, in anticipation of Molly’s next comment.
Yep, you’re probably thinking: Molly is NOT going to like all of this dog leash stuff. You’re right, I don’t — But I’ve already made my point and I accept that you intend it to be playful, so I won’t fire up Lucile over it.
–
Oooh, but now there’s THIS line: “He continued to pull her leash like she was an animal, a pet, a slave.” That one is really hard to resist, but it’s late and I’m a little tired so [insert imagined scathing rant from Molly here].
–
Walking down Main Street naked late at night — okay now THAT’s something I can relate to.
–
After the goth chick snatches Emi’s permit tags you have Ben telephone Wang’s newspaper. Although we the reader are aware that Wang’s new strategy is to be supportive of Emi, Ben does not yet know this. It is not realistic that he would think they would handle things the way he suggests to them.
–
“Memories came in and her face went dark.” This is a common point-of-view mistake new writers make. You are describing what Emi’s reaction looks like, but the narrative at this moment is from her POV and she only knows how she FEELS, not how she LOOKS.
–
Couple of odd things about the newspaper story: “Assault” is quite a stretch for what happened and how did the newspaper know that “her boyfriend was buying condoms in the store”?
–
Interesting that Emi thinks wearing sunglasses would prevent people from recognizing her. But I guess it worked for Clark Kent . .
–
“What’s next?” Liz asks. “Bend over for them?” Yes, actually. That’ll happen pretty soon.
–
A few minor typos: I noticed one spot in the chapter where you have “Bandy” instead of “Brandy” and one where you have “Em” instead of “Emi.” Of course, someone else might call her “Em” but this is in regular narration. Also “marking” when you meant “marketing”
–
There was some discussion in the chapter and also in the comments about whether it was a risk for Emi to tell Liz about her community service. Why is it a risk? I thought that originally Emi simply didn’t want people to know she had gotten in trouble for going naked, but events have SO outpaced that concern. In fact, under the present circumstances I would think Emi would be relieved for her friends to know that she was essentially forced by circumstances down this road.
Wow… super comment and thanks I fixed those 3 typos, much appreciated. Plus glad to dodge Lucille – so far!
This was supposed to be her exaggerating things with her mind, not a dark thought. Self humour as in disparaging herself with hyperbole. It’s the writers fault here. I should fix it somehow.
I forget, was that briefly from your ‘Molly Unbound’ story? Nice artwork btw, I’m going to have to re-read that with the visual enhancements.
A brilliant catch! But how to fix, damn. I’ll think of something.
I’m slowly getting better at not doing this type of POV mistake, but I might have done this particular one a lot, in other chapters too. Thanks – great catch.
True, but it probably helps (a little better than Clark Kent) when 90% of the populace has black hair and people that know Emi off the island, don’t know what her naked body looks like.
She is indeed relieved to have Ben and Liz on her side. And yes, well said, events have SO outpaced that concern. 🙂
I meant to add that you did a pretty good job on your sex scene, especially since it was “your first time.” These scenes are notoriously difficult to write and yours is better than what I’ve seen in more experienced writers.
–
There’s only one spot in there that I’d suggest you consider tweaking. It is this line:
–
Writers tend to feel they need to distort a word to indicate the climax, but in my view that only applies if it is a spoken word. In this case, you are stating in your narrative that she is “orgasming” but since she is not actually saying that word there is no reason to distort it.
–
Also, while she might later describe the experience with the metaphors of guns, bombs and earthquakes, I don’t think that would be in her mind when it is happening. Instead, I would suggest that you focus on whatever she is actually thinking at that moment that is so arousing to her. This could be the awareness of her newly shaven state and how exposed she is going to be, or perhaps her awareness that she is going to be a mailgirl — something that she has told herself she doesn’t really want to do but which is arousing to her in this moment of orgasm.
–
For example, when I was writing “What a Girl Will Do for Love,” Betsy was reluctantly aroused by having to be a full-time nudist and told herself she didn’t want to do that. But as she was approaching orgasm she was saying (in her mind) that she had to be “naked all the time, all the time, all the TIME!” Since she wasn’t saying those words out loud there was no need to distort them, but the focus of her thoughts was always on this one thing that ultimately turned her on the most.
–
I’m not saying my way is some ideal model or anything; just sharing with you my thought process for handling sex scenes.
ReaderMan lights up a cigar.
Okay, no more orgasmmmgggg… and tanks and bombs.
haha… thanks, I remember commenting how much I liked that line in your story. I remember admiring your understated style. That said I also like the odd time to be super intense. So I have to do one of those one day.