Leslie was busy working on her monthly budget, setting aside the cash she would need to pay for her necessary expenses while she pondered what she could do with the excess. She figured if she earned enough, she could start investing it. But that was still a ways off. She’d like to be able to pay for as much of her next semester’s tuition up front and without loans first before she set any money aside for savings.

She was on pace to earn more money than even she had imagined up to this point, but she knew better than to count her chickens. She might not get a job every week, and only some jobs might pay as much as her recent ones. So she was still determined to take things a month at a time for now.

The other thing Leslie was doing, which didn’t entirely escape her notice but also wasn’t at the forefront of her mind, was that she was currently sitting at her computer wearing only a pair of panties. She had never gone around her house like this before, even though she lived by herself. She was too nervous the landlord might barge in or someone would knock on the door, and she hadn’t felt comfortable enough before to do it anyway.

But now it just seemed kind of normal. She liked the feeling of the air on her skin. If someone knocked on her door, she could just quickly throw on a shirt. There didn’t seem to be any reason not to hang out at home like this anymore.

She then heard a noise outside. The creak of metal slapping against itself signaled that it was the mailman dropping something into her mailbox. She was also expecting to get the package that day as well, which was confirmed by the noise of a box being left at her door.

Leslie felt a slight flutter and she bit her lip. A thought passed through her head, which she initially dismissed but then immediately reconsidered. She got up from the computer and stood nervously next to the door. She could feel herself shaking as she slipped off her panties and hung them on the coat rack next to her. She then opened her front door and stepped outside.

A slight warm breeze flicked her skin as she concentrated on her task. She opened the mailbox attached to her house, grabbed its contents, grabbed the box that was lying on the ground in front of her door, then retreated inside and shut the door.

She’d only been outside for ten seconds at most, but that didn’t stop her heart from beating fast. She’d just gone out, in a neighborhood, in broad daylight, completely naked. She sat down, still shaking, not even bothering with her panties. What if someone saw? What if someone called the police? Would she get evicted? Her initial daring gave way to a few moments of panic over what she had just done.

She nervously sat there waiting for something to happen but it never did. Did no one see? Did no one care if they did see? She slowly let out a sigh of relief as the anxiety slipped away.

She quickly looked through the mail and, after deciding it was all junk, tossed it in the waste basket. She then opened the package. Inside the plain shipping box was the actual product packaging: a twelve-inch black silicone dildo with a suction cup on the bottom. She had been reading up on methods to try to get rid of her gag reflex and allow her to deep throat, and she was determined to try.

She stuck the dildo to her table and briefly studied it. She had intentionally gotten a softer silicone one in hopes that it would make the process a bit easier. She also grabbed the nearby waste basket—just in case.

She started by trying to control her breathing as she mentally prepared herself for her first lesson. She then slowly put her mouth around the dildo, taking the time to lube it up with her saliva before she took it deeper. She worked it like she was giving a blowjob, gradually progressing her way farther down the shaft. That’s when she started to feel it: her gag reflex trying to kick in. She tried to keep the dildo far enough in that it was just at the border of triggering without causing a full reaction.

It was a somewhat uncomfortable experience, but Leslie knew the only way to work past it was to make her body accustomed to doing this, and that meant practice. She could feel saliva start to run down the dildo as her body reacted to what she was doing. Finally, she tried edging it ever so slightly deeper. Then she felt it. She had to quickly pull off and started coughing. Luckily she didn’t get to the point of vomiting, but she felt like she might have gone as far as she could get that day. It was just going to take work and possibly daily practice, but she was determined to do it.

*****

Leslie got a text from Stephanie on the following Friday afternoon confirming that there was no event that weekend, and wishing her to have an enjoyable weekend. Leslie almost didn’t know what to do with herself, having a week off from her job. Then she remembered that her friend Tiff had suggested the possibility of hanging out over the weekend. Nothing had been decided, but Leslie decided she should take advantage of the chance to do a weekend hangout with her friends while she had it. She texted Tiff back, saying that she wanted to hang out.

Leslie then decided to go on a small shopping trip. She wanted to take advantage of her newfound money to buy some new outfits. She was out until dark, shopping at various stores she wouldn’t have dreamed of shopping at before, picking out a variety of pricy outfits ranging from cute to provocative. As she finally arrived home, Leslie was excited to show off some of her new outfits to her friends.

The next morning, Leslie was considering which outfit she wanted to wear, looking at herself in the mirror naked as she decided. She was feeling rather daring that day, so she picked one of the more provocative options. It was most definitely the boldest thing she had ever worn out before.

The top was an off-shoulder white semi-sheer shirt. It was solid enough that from a distance or someone just passing by might not have noticed, but if you were close enough and looked hard enough, you could see Leslie’s skin tones show through. She complemented this with a black, flowy linen skirt that looked like it could blow away if a strong enough wind came by. Leslie decided to add some extra spice to the outfit by deciding not to wear any underwear—neither a bra nor panties. She finished off the look with a new pair of platform sandals that she had also bought.

This one outfit had set her back nearly $200 and the entire shopping trip was close to $600. She reminded herself to keep track of her money. She couldn’t just wantonly spend without regard to her bank account. But she hadn’t spoiled herself for so long, she felt this was okay for now.

Leslie’s day started with lunch with her friends at a local Japanese restaurant. Leslie parked her new car and stepped out.

“Girl, what is that outfit?” her friend Joan commented. Joan was standing next to her car, having just arrived herself. She was the tallest of Leslie’s friends, standing at nearly 5’9" with long, straight black hair and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a fairly simple T-shirt and jeans.

“What, do you like it?” Leslie asked, doing a little spin to show her outfit off.

“I mean, yeah, but since when did you get so stylish?” Joan remarked.

Leslie just shrugged. “I dunno. I decided to splurge.”

The pair went inside and met up with two more friends, Tiff and Bethany, who also complimented Leslie on her outfit.

Tiff was Leslie’s best friend and the “glue” to the group. She often organized their outings and was a lot more spontaneous than the others. She was about average height with a petite, yet athletic frame, similar to Leslie. She had blue eyes and chin-length brown hair, although there were streaks of purple seemingly randomly dispersed in her hair as well—an addition Tiff had spontaneously decided to add at the start of summer break. She was wearing a simple black crop top and matching black shorts.

Bethany, meanwhile, was the more conservative member of the group. If anything, Leslie felt that she and Bethany had similar views on things, at least before Leslie’s recent foray into being a pet, although Bethany was often a bit more outspoken than Leslie was about her views. She had dark blonde hair, styled in a braided ponytail that extended halfway down her back, and blue eyes. Her dress matched her conservative personality, as she was wearing a simple fluffy blouse and pants.

“So tell us about your Fourth of July adventure,” Tiff inquired once they sat down at a table. “It was a guy, wasn’t it?”

Leslie shrugged. “Something like that,” she flippantly commented.

Tiff chuckled. “What do you mean ‘something like that’? Was it a hot date?”

Leslie knew she was probably going to be asked about this, so she had already come up with a story in advance. She just hoped it would stand up to whatever scrutiny her friends might throw a her.

“It was just hanging out, you know. Testing the waters, I guess. It wasn’t really a date or anything serious like that,” Leslie explained.

“Hmm, I see,” Bethany chimed in. “What’s his name?”

Leslie briefly hesitated before answering. “John.”

“Huh, I was expecting some more exotic name like Armando or something,” Tiff chuckled.

“What? Guys can’t have normal boring names?” Leslie teased in return.

“What was he like? Do you like him?” This time it was Joan’s turn to inquire.

Leslie let out a sigh. “I think we felt a bit of a connection. But he’s… not from around here. So I guess I’m cautious about getting too close, you know? I don’t want to fall head over heels only for us to not be able to be serious, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it. But sometimes you just gotta go for it, you know?” Tiff smiled. “Do you have any other… hang outs… planned?”

“Not—not yet. I wouldn’t mind another one though,” Leslie admitted, ever so slightly blushing.

Leslie was peppered with a few other questions, but nothing that posed much of a problem for her. She ultimately felt satisfied with this cover story. It wasn’t even a lie, per se. She just conveniently omitted a lot of important details that her friends didn’t need to know.

After a little while longer chatting at the table, Tiff spoke up about Leslie’s outfit again. “Leslie, you know that if you look hard enough, you can see your nipples through your shirt.” Leslie had to keep from bursting out laughing from just how straightforward her comment was.

“What?” Bethany exclaimed in surprise. Leslie just innocently shrugged.

“Wow, she’s right,” Joan added, examining Leslie’s outfit more closely.

“What brought this new style choice on?” Tiff inquired.

“I dunno. I just liked it,” Leslie simply said with another shrug. Of course, the excitement of people possibly being able to see through her top like that was part of the point, but she wasn’t about to admit to that.

To her surprise, her friends didn’t seem to have all that much more to say about it, perhaps because it took so long for even them to notice, although she couldn’t help but notice a disapproving scowl briefly pass over Bethany’s face.

The girls finished up their lunch and then tried to decide what to do for the rest of the day.

“There’s been something I’ve been wanting to try,” Bethany chimed in.

“Oh, what’s that?” Leslie inquired.

“There is this Revolutionary War-themed escape room nearby that I want to try. Looking on their site, it looks like they have a spot open at 3 p.m. today if we want to reserve a spot.”

“An escape room? What’s that?” Joan asked.

“You get locked in this room for, like, an hour and you have to solve puzzles and stuff to solve a mystery. It looks exciting,” Bethany explained.

“Huh, sounds cool,” Tiff chimed in.

“I’m in,” Leslie added.

“Sure!” Joan finished out the group.

“Alright, I’ll book the room!” Bethany happily concluded and she started punching stuff into her phone.

“So what are we gonna do for the next couple of hours until then?” Tiff asked.

“It looks like there is a climbing place right next door. Have any of you tried that before?” Joan queried, clearly looking at her phone for other nearby activity. Everyone else shook their heads no.

“Cool, sounds like a plan. I guess we can figure out what to do later, well, later,” Tiff concluded. The group then paid for their lunch and headed to their cars.

The group caravaned to the rock-climbing place, which shared a parking lot with the escape room, so they didn’t even have to move again when it was time to go do that. They rented shoes and proceeded to the main climbing room, which contained tall boulder-climbing walls that inclined towards the middle of the room as they got higher, and a soft matted floor for people to fall on.

Leslie tried to start climbing, and it took her a while to even get used to how she should grab and position herself on the handles and platforms on the wall.

“You see that spot, you need to try to position your foot there,” a voice spoke up from behind her. Leslie turned around, and a boy roughly her age, wearing a tightish gray T-shirt and shorts, was standing there. A glance at the room appeared to indicate he was there with a couple of other friends.

“Oh, uh, thanks. You’ve done this before?” Leslie asked.

“Yeah, a few times. This your first time?” the boy replied.

“Yep. How could you tell?” Leslie sheepishly remarked with a little laugh. She then returned to the wall. “So, like this?” she asked, trying again.

“Higher, over there… yeah, like that,” the boy commented as she finally got her footing. Now her next puzzle was to try to figure out how to get to the next step. The boy then jumped onto the wall on a spot next to her. He started climbing a lot more expertly than she was, but she tried to watch and learn.

She made it about four feet up before losing her footing, and she fell onto the floor pad on her back. “Damn,” she calmly sighed, looking up at the wall, and seeing the boy still on it, having climbed about two-thirds of the way up.

“You could try one of our less challenging rooms,” one of the workers at the shop suggested. There are some through those doors,” he motioned.

Leslie looked over to where the worker was pointing and considered taking him up on the offer. She could definitely take some getting used to in an easier room. However, before she could decide, the boy landed next to her, deftly landing on his two feet after having dropped from the wall.

“You sure you want to give up on this one already?” he asked with a grin. “You’ll figure it out. It just takes some practice. Besides, the easier rooms aren’t as fun.”

Leslie gave him a slightly skeptical look, brushing herself off as she stood. “I’m not sure I can handle this one quite yet,” she muttered.

“You just need a couple of pointers is all. And maybe someone to show you the ropes.” The boy smirked as he crossed his arms. Leslie couldn’t help but feel a slight attraction to his confidence and attitude.

She laughed softly, feeling a little more at ease at his encouragement. “Well, I wouldn’t mind some tips. But don’t expect me to be anywhere near as good as you.”

“That’s fine. It’s your first time, after all. Let’s give it another go,” the boy urged, gesturing toward the wall. “I’ll spot you and give you some tips as you go. Deal?”

Leslie nodded, feeling a mix of determination and curiosity. As they returned to the wall, the boy stayed close, occasionally offering advice and encouragement.

“Shift your weight to your left leg—yeah, like that. Now reach for the yellow handle above you,” he explained as she climbed, his voice calm but focused. Leslie followed his instructions, feeling her confidence grow with each small success.

“See? You’re starting to get the hang of things,” he said as she reached a new height.

Leslie smiled down at him, feeling a flicker of pride before losing her grip and tumbling back onto the padded floor. She let out a short laugh, lying there for a moment as he stepped over to her.

“You’re getting better,” he noted, offering her a hand to help her up. “Want to keep going, or do you need a break?”

She glanced back at the wall and then toward the quieter area the worker had mentioned earlier. “Maybe I could use a breather. That less challenging room is starting to sound tempting.”

“Fair enough. Want me to come with you in case you need any more help?” the boy offered with a smile.

Leslie felt slightly flush for a moment. Was he flirting with her? She then grinned and offered her hand to him. “Lead the way.”

The quieter room was smaller and less crowded. The rooms were no taller than a normal room—maybe nine feet high—and the walls didn’t incline nearly as steeply, and there were some areas where they were completely vertical.

“This is a lot less intimidating,” Leslie remarked as she looked around the room.

“Good. Then you’ll crush it here,” he chuckled, giving her another grin.

The boy climbed next to Leslie, helping to give her pointers as she started climbing again. It wasn’t too long before she was finally able to climb up to the top of the wall.

“Good job!” The boy encouraged as he remained at the top of the wall himself, having waited for her to join him. Leslie jumped off and landed on the padded floor on her butt. He soon followed her.

They then got up, laughing and catching their breath. Leslie couldn’t help but feel the pull of his charm and the easy way he carried himself. He leaned back against one of the walls and glanced at her.

“You’re not bad, you know,” he teased with a playful smile. “For a beginner, I mean.”

“Uh, thanks,” she replied, almost unconsciously brushing her hair away from her eyes. She felt that flirty tug again, and she could feel her heart starting to beat a little faster again.

“I mean it. And you’re fun to climb with.”

There was a pause, and the pair seemed to give each other a look as if they both realized there was a bit of a connection there.

“You want to show me around some more?” she asked with a playful edge.

“Sure,” he said as he took a step closer. “There’s another, slightly more difficult one over here with a bit more slanted wall,” he noted, leading her into another room, deeper into the complex.

Leslie then realized they were all alone. An idea raced through her head and she bit her lip. Just how daring did she want to be here? “So, can you give another lesson?” she asked, innocently.

“Uh yeah, sure. Anything,” he helpfully responded.

“You seemed pretty confident back there,” she smiled, taking a step closer to him. “You seem to know how to handle yourself.”

“Well, I have done this several times before…” he started. Leslie wondered how long it would take for him to notice how sheer her top was. She took another step toward him.

“I was just curious to see what else you might be able to handle,” Leslie grinned. She could see his eyes looking all over her.

“Ah, like—like what?” His confident façade finally showed some cracks as her advances started to fluster him.

“I think you know what,” Leslie remarked as she stepped again, eliminating the gap between them. She moved her hands so one brushed against his arm while the other brushed against his hip.

“Are—you wouldn’t be asking me if I could handle, uh, you, are you?”

“Why don’t you find out?” Leslie’s voice was barely above a whisper now as she leaned into him, pressing his back into the wall behind him.

The pair looked into each other’s eyes for a few moments before they moved towards each other at the same time. Before Leslie knew it, their lips touched. At first, it was a soft kiss, but soon it became much hungrier.

Leslie’s hands moved to his chest, feeling his muscles beneath the fabric of his shirt. His hands moved up her torso, before stopping part-way up. Leslie could feel his hands feeling for a bra that wasn’t there.

“You’re full of surprises,” he grinned, speaking with a voice that was a mix of surprise and desire.

“You have no idea,” Leslie smirked as her hands slid lower to the top of his shorts.

“Uh, this may not be the best place…” he started to remark.

“Do you know of a better place?” she softly gasped into his ear.

“You really are something,” he chuckled, his hands continuing to explore.

Leslie leaned in to kiss him again. This time, the kiss was deeper, more deliberate. Her fingers slid under his shirt, feeling the muscles underneath that it had so alluringly teased earlier.

His hands reached down to the backs of her thighs and slowly made their way up. He froze for a second, his fingertips grazing her bare skin. His eyes met hers again, a look of surprise showing in them.

“No underwear?” he murmured, his voice once again showing surprise.

“Didn’t think I’d need it,” Leslie smirked in a playful tone before she started kissing him again.

His hands grasped her bare ass, causing her to let out a gasp and a giggle as they continued to kiss. Her hand slipped down inside his shorts and under his boxers, grabbing ahold of his quickly hardening cock.

Their movements became more urgent and fluid. The quiet of the climbing center seemed to amplify the intimacy of the moment, with the soft rustle of fabric and the muffled sounds of their breath adding to the atmosphere.

The boy then slightly tugged at the top of her skirt. “May I?” he softly asked between kisses. Leslie simply nodded her head. He gently pushed her skirt down, slipping it over her hips, after which point it swiftly fell to the ground. He then moved his hands up, sliding them under her shirt before lifting it. Leslie raised her arms to allow him to slide it off, leaving her standing there naked against him.

One of his hands then started to explore the softness of her breasts while the other reached down and started exploring her clit, causing her to let out a gasp. She pushed his shorts and boxers down, freeing his cock from its confines, and continued to stroke it in her hand, feeling it press against her stomach as she continued to lean into him.

He ran a pair of fingers up and down her labia before gently inserting them into her, causing her to let out another gasp. He slowly fingered her as he brushed his thumb against her clit. Leslie almost felt like she was in a dream as they continued to kiss. They continued to manually stimulate each other as the sounds of the busy main room of the climbing center seemed to fade away as the pair focused on each other.

Leslie’s heart was pounding. This was full-on lust. She didn’t feel anything for this boy. Not really. She thought he was attractive and confident, but that was about it. But she also wasn’t doing this under the pretext of her job, either. This was just her and her raw emotions and passions taking over, having sex with a boy she had met maybe only an hour earlier.

“I’m ready,” she soon whispered into his ear. She raised her leg, which he took hold of before she helped guide him to her. Her breath hitched as she felt him slide in before they continued kissing, his other hand placed on her lower back to keep her upright and steady as he started to rhythmically move in and out of her.

Leslie broke the kiss off as she started to breathe harder, her arms grasping his back. This had all happened so fast and unexpectedly, but that was also making the encounter so much more exciting for her. Was there anything more unlike the old Leslie than this? Getting fucked by a random guy in the back of a store? The realization of what she was doing just made the tingles inside of her spread even faster.

The squelching of their sex and their combined breathing filled the room as Leslie felt herself rising ever closer to her climax. The same appeared to be happening to him, as Leslie could feel his movements become even more forceful and urgent. Her grasp on his back strengthened as she tried to concentrate on not making any loud noises. No one knew what they were up to, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Leslie filled herself with animalistic passion as she neared the precipice. She bit her lip and dug her nails into his back as she felt her body tense up. She couldn’t help but let a soft moan escape her mouth as the orgasm rocked through her. She could feel the boy’s grasp on her tighten slightly to help her keep standing as she rode through it.

However, it didn’t take very long before it became too much for him as well. He let out a slight moan of his own as Leslie felt his cock pump cum deep inside of her. The pair clung to each other as they rode out their respective finishes.

For a moment, they stayed like that, their breaths heavy as their bodies remained pressed against each other. Leslie felt like she was in a bit of a daze as she came down from her high, and she started to fully realize what had transpired.

The boy let out a low laugh, his forehead resting against hers as they both tried to catch their breath. “I wasn’t expecting that when I walked in here today,” he admitted, his voice edged with amusement.

Leslie chuckled, her hands slightly trembling as they still held his back. “Neither was I,” she replied, her cheeks getting increasingly flushed.

She finally let go and stepped back, creating some separation between the pair for the first time since their rendezvous. He let out a small giggle as he pulled up his boxers and shorts, having observed the almost goofy grin on her face.

“My friends are never going to believe this…” he mused.

Leslie let out a little laugh as she brushed a bit of hair out of her face. “I bet not. Wait, do you have your phone on you?”

“Yeah, why?” he asked, intrigued.

Leslie put her hands on her hips and looked at him, wondering if the answer wasn’t obvious.

“Oh!” he suddenly remarked as he realized what she was suggesting. “You, uh, don’t mind?” he asked just to make sure.

“No, go ahead,” she grinned.

“If you say so,” he chuckled as he fumbled around, getting his phone out of his pocket. Leslie made a playful pose as he held the phone up and snapped a picture.

“Now I bet they will,” she grinned before leaning into him, giving him one more brief kiss on the lips. She then grabbed her clothes and slipped them back on.

“We should probably get back before your friends send a search party,” he said, his tone light but knowing.

“Yeah, probably a good idea,” Leslie replied with a small laugh.

As they walked back to the main climbing room, Leslie couldn’t help but feel a mix of exhilaration and nervousness. She had crossed a line she never thought she’d even approach a month ago, and the thrill of it was undeniable. Having sex with people as part of her job was one thing. But now she was doing it just for fun.

They entered the room, and Leslie decided to try to put on a bit of a show for her friends.

“Ah, thanks for the help. Um, want to exchange numbers?” she turned and asked him, trying to act normal.

The boy looked slightly confused at first, then seemed to understand what she was doing. “Sure. Um, my name is Jake, by the way. What’s yours?”

“Leslie,” she answered simply before they exchanged numbers.

“Well, I should get back to my friends…” Leslie advised, motioning over to where they were.

“Uh, yeah. Maybe I’ll see you around,” Jake added.

“Yeah, maybe. Bye,” Leslie nodded with a slight smile before turning and returning to where her friends were waiting for her.

“There you are. It’s time to go to the escape room,” Tiff remarked, somewhat impatiently. It seemed pretty clear all three of her friends had been standing there waiting for her. “We were just about to go looking for you.”

“Uh, sorry. I’m ready to go,” Leslie breathed with a bit of fluster.

“So how was your date?” Bethany asked as they started to cross the parking lot to their next destination.

“My date?” Leslie asked as if she didn’t know what she was talking about.

“That boy. You two seemed to spend a lot of time together back there,” Bethany inquired, with a hint of suspicion.

“Oh, he was just teaching me how to get used to climbing,” Leslie responded innocently.

Tiff raised an eyebrow, and she got a grin on her face. “Oh is that all? You’ve got that look.”

“What look?” Leslie asked, her voice defensive and faltering slightly.

“The ‘I just did something I’m not going to tell you about’ look,” Tiff replied, crossing her arms. “Come on, spill.”

“I swear! He was just showing me climbing tips!” Leslie protested. She wasn’t sure how convincing she was, as her friends still seemed to harbor some doubts, but they didn’t press much further.

The group then arrived at the escape room, where the guide explained what the purpose of the event was and gave a few subtle hints. The group scoured the room and found an assortment of possible clues but they still needed to figure out how they fit together.

“So, we need to get the document from there, right?” Leslie asked, pointing at a container that was locked with an old-timey padlock.

“Yeah, I think so,” Tiff responded.

“And we think the key for it is in there,” Leslie pointed to another container, with a combination lock on it.

“That’s what the paper under the carpet suggested, yes,” Tiff added.

“But we don’t know what the combination is,” Leslie then stated their current problem.

“Nope!” Tiff confirmed.

“Where is that one boy Leslie was with earlier? We could use his help to grab the clues,” Joan joked, eliciting giggles from the other girls.

“I mean, I was doing most of the grabbing, really,” Leslie just blurted out. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what she said.

The group stared at Leslie, their expressions a mix of surprise and amusement.

“Oh, really?” Tiff teased, breaking the silence with a sly grin. “Care to elaborate on what you were grabbing, exactly?”

Leslie let out a nervous laugh, trying to play it off. “Just the climbing holds, obviously,” she replied, trying to be as convincing as possible.

“Uh-huh,” Tiff replied, clearly not buying it but also clearly entertained. “I’m sure.”

“It was! So, anyway, we need to figure out the combination to this lock then…” Leslie tried to rapidly change the topic.

“Oh no no, you aren’t getting off that easily,” Bethany interjected, laughing.

Leslie was starting to blush hard, and her friends started to notice.

“Leslie. What did you do?” Tiff asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Leslie continued to blush. She was too embarrassed to answer.

“So, did you only use your hands?” Tiff asked with a grin.

“Oh my God!” Joan remarked, finally seeming to just get what Tiff was implying.

Leslie remained sheepishly quiet, confirming that the answer was “no.”

Tiff let out a whoop of laughter. “Atta girl!” she added, throwing an arm around Leslie’s shoulders.

Bethany’s expression hardened slightly. “I hope you’re being careful,” she added, her tone more critical. “It’s just… this doesn’t seem like you.”

Leslie felt blood rush to her head in embarrassment; she didn’t even know how to answer. “I just… wanted to try it.” That was pretty much the honest answer. Of course, she wasn’t telling them everything, although it seemed pretty clear that they were coming around to suspect what had happened.

Tiff, perhaps sensing just how embarrassed Leslie was getting, decided to change the subject. “Uh, we probably should try to work on solving this. We only have ten minutes left.” She then walked up next to Leslie and whispered, “You can tell me the details later,” and she left with a giggle.

Leslie wasn’t very much help for the rest of the puzzle, although Joan did figure out what the combination was with about five minutes to go, allowing them to solve the rest of the puzzle.

Having conquered the escape room, the group left to hang out by their cars. It was still only four in the afternoon at this point.

“Now what?” Tiff asked.

“We probably should avoid any activity that involves grabbing things,” Bethany joked, causing Leslie to redden up again.

“Beth! Can you lay off of that for a while?” Tiff chided her.

“Alright, alright,” Bethany responded, annoyed at being told off.

“No, it’s alright, I get it. Don’t fight over me,” Leslie tried to interject, sensing the increasing tension.

 “W–why don’t we grab some coffee? There is a shop right over there!" Joan remarked, also seemingly trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Tiff promptly responded and the group started to walk in the direction of the store.

Each of them put in their orders, Leslie being the last one as she was sheepishly walking in the back of the group. She eventually got her order, set her phone and coffee down at the table, and started to drink. The group was eerily silent for a few moments.

“So, how is Brad?” Tiff suddenly asked Bethany.

“Oh, he’s doing good…” she started before going into a whole thing about her boyfriend that Leslie wasn’t particularly interested in hearing about at the moment. A few moments later, she excused herself to the restroom.

As she sat on the toilet to relieve herself, she tried to take breaths to calm herself down. It wasn’t that bad. So she admitted to having a little fling with a random guy. That wasn't all that unusual in today’s day and age, right? What was wrong with a little crazy, random fun?

Once she was done, she washed her hands and was walking back to the table when she noticed Bethany walking towards her with an almost angry look on her face, with Tiff following, seemingly trying to stop her from whatever she was about to do.

“Who is Jacob?” she sternly asked.

“What?” Leslie asked, taken aback.

“Jacob! He tried to call you while you were in the bathroom!"

“He’s ah, well…” Leslie was desperately trying to come up with a lie that could pass any sort of muster.

“Bethany, stop,” Tiff pleaded with her.

“No! I’m not going to stop. She fucks a guy in the middle of a store, and now random guys are calling her like she’s some kind of whore? What is going on!” She said this loudly in the middle of a coffee shop with about a dozen people in it. Leslie wanted nothing more than to be able to just melt into a puddle and escape under a door like that one Terminator.

“Beth!” both Tiff and Joan exclaimed in shock.

Leslie stood frozen, her face burning as the heads of nearby customers turned toward the commotion. Bethany’s words hung in the air and Leslie’s heart pounded. She felt the weight of every gaze, the judgment, and her mounting panic. She never intended for things to go down like this.

“Bethany,” Tiff hissed, grabbing her arm. “What the hell is your problem? You don’t yell things like that in public!”

Joan, visibly uncomfortable, stepped closer to Leslie, her voice quiet but firm. “Beth, let’s calm down, okay? This isn’t the place for this.”

Bethany shrugged off Tiff’s grip, her glare still locked on Leslie. “I’m just asking a question,” she stated, her voice lower but no less intense. “Who is Jacob, Leslie? And why are you acting so… different?”

Leslie’s throat felt dry; her thoughts scrambled for an answer that wouldn’t make everything worse. But as her friends stared at her—Tiff with worry, Joan with quiet concern, and Bethany with a mix of anger and frustration—she realized there was no easy way out of this.

She took a deep breath before trying to respond. “Jacob... is a friend.”

Bethany folded her arms, unpersuaded. “A ‘friend’? Why haven’t we heard about this ‘friend'? What other friends do you have?”

“It’s... complicated,” Leslie admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Well, then explain it,” Bethany pressed.

“Beth, enough!” Tiff cut in, her voice louder now. She stepped between Leslie and Bethany, her posture protective. “You’re not her mother, and you don’t get to interrogate her like this. If she says it’s complicated, then maybe we respect her boundaries and let her explain when she’s ready.”

Joan nodded, her voice soft but supportive. “Tiff’s right. Leslie doesn’t owe us every detail of her life. Let’s just... give her some space.”

At this point, one of the workers had made his way from behind the counter and approached them. “Please, can you take this somewhere else…” he asked, their continued confrontation still making a scene.

Bethany looked at the worker angrily, then back at Tiff and Joan, and then at Leslie. “Fine, have it your way.” She then grabbed her coffee and belongings before charging out of the shop, leaving the other three standing there. They then watched as she drove off, apparently not content to just go outside and wait.

“I suppose that’s it for today…” Tiff remarked quietly with a deep sigh. “Unless…”

“No, I think I’m going to go home too,” Leslie responded.

“Leslie…” Tiff tried to stop her for a moment, but Leslie was already on her way out.

“I’ll see you guys later.”

It took all of Leslie’s power not to burst out crying on the drive home. She stormed up the steps to her front door, slammed the door behind her, flung herself into a chair, and burst out crying. This was not how she intended this day to go, and it all broke down because she couldn’t have an ounce of restraint with that boy earlier, which she just now realized, she didn’t even know what his name was until they finally parted!

About an hour later, she heard a tentative knock on her door, and she pulled herself from her seat and cracked the door open. It was Tiff.

“May I come in?” she asked quietly.

“Sure,” Leslie responded between sniffs, opening the door for her friend, before returning to her seat. Tiff soon took a seat next to her.

“I brought snacks. Thought you might need a little pick-me-up,” Tiff suggested, holding up a small bag.

Leslie blinked, surprised but touched. “You didn’t have to—”

“Of course I did,” Tiff interrupted. “After today? Come on. You looked like you were about to implode. Look, I talked to Beth and tried to smooth things over. She said she didn’t mean what she said earlier. She’s just worried about you is all.”

Leslie tried to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes. “Thanks.”

“I get where she is coming from. Hooking up with a guy you barely know, in a public place no less? A call from this Jacob guy? Your sheer outfit? It’s kind of like the Leslie that showed up today is a completely different Leslie than we knew. I think we just want to know if you are okay."

Leslie nodded in acknowledgment.

“That guy who called. You’re not like… his sugar baby or something?”

“No, it’s not that…” Leslie tried to answer. Well, actually, it was kinda like that, but different. In a way, worse than that.

“Like the money. You got a new car. Your outfit. Since when did you have money to afford that? I’m not trying to judge you. I just want to know what’s going on. I just don’t want to find out you are on some depressed spiral and you are lashing out by blowing your money and acting out,” Tiff continued.

Leslie hesitated, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she stared down at the floor. Tiff’s words weren’t harsh, but they hit uncomfortably close to home. How could she explain something so complicated, so far outside of what her friends might understand?

“I’m not spiraling,” Leslie finally reassured in a quiet voice. “I promise you, I’m not.”

Tiff reached over and gently placed a hand on Leslie’s arm. “Then help me understand, Leslie. I’m not here to judge, okay? I just want to know what’s going on so I can be there for you.”

She didn’t even know how to explain the situation, even if she was willing to do so. She supposed that if she were forced to tell anyone, Tiff would be the least shocked and upset. But how could she even begin to explain things?

Tiff leaned back in her seat and sighed at Leslie’s silence. “Look, I get you don’t want to tell me, for whatever reason. I’m sure you have good reasons for not doing so. But I guarantee you Bethany is going to start trying to find out on her own. So it’s a matter of whether you want to tell me on your terms, or have her find out on her terms.”

Leslie doubted Bethany would even be able to figure out what was going on. Even if she were to somehow follow her to Jacob’s mansion, what would that tell her? Leslie guessed she would be able to figure out who Jacob was then, but how would that help? Leslie supposed it could fuel the sugar baby speculation at the very least.

“Jacob... he’s someone I work with,” Leslie said cautiously. “Not in the way you’re probably thinking, though.”

Tiff tilted her head, confused. “Okay, that explains the money at least. And?”

Leslie hesitated again, her hands tightening around each other. “It’s... it’s an arrangement. He helps me explore parts of myself that I never really understood before. It’s not about money or... or anything shallow. It’s deeper than that.”

Tiff leaned back slightly, her expression a mixture of curiosity and wariness. “So, like, he’s a mentor? Or... something more?”

“Something more,” Leslie admitted, her cheeks flushed. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s not what you think. He’s helped me grow in ways I didn’t know I needed. I know it sounds weird, but it’s... good. For me. At least, I think it is.”

Tiff sat there and pondered for a second. “Okay, I get why you may not want to say much more—don’t worry, I’m not judging you. But... does anyone else know about this? Because it kind of sounds like a lot to carry by yourself.”

Leslie shook her head. “You’re the first person I’ve told.”

“Well, it's good that you like what you are doing, whatever it is. I guess the main thing I’d say—and I feel like I speak for all of your friends here–is we just want you to be careful, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks, I will,” Leslie remarked, feeling like something was lifted off her chest by talking about this, even if it wasn’t close to the full story. “How—how much are you going to tell Bethany? I don’t want her to freak out again.”

“Well, it won’t make her happy, but I’ll tell her I got an explanation out of you and that it was good enough to satisfy me. Is that good?”

Leslie nodded her head and breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah.”

“And if you ever want to tell me more, or need to tell me more, just hit me up, alright?” Tiff said with a friendly smile.

“I will,” Leslie acknowledged with a slight nod.

“Well, I better get going then, I guess.” Tiff got up and headed towards the door.

“Sorry for ruining everyone’s day,” Leslie apologetically commented as she followed Tiff towards the door.

“It’s okay. We got it resolved.” She opened the door to exit but paused before leaving. “And you still owe me the deets later,” Tiff remarked with a big grin on her face before exiting and closing the door behind her.

Leslie walked back and sat down on the seat. She felt significantly better than she did earlier. Tiff seemed to take things in stride, and she was going to do her best to keep her other friends from freaking out too much. Then she remembered: Jacob had tried to call her.

She opened her phone and saw the missed notification, followed by a text message notification from Jacob.

“I have several events lined up for you starting next week. I don’t want to spoil the surprise too much, but I have a feeling you will especially enjoy a couple of them. The first event will be next Saturday. This event will include a couple-hour car ride each way, and it may hit your $5,000 daily cap once pre-hour and post-hour are included. Pre-hour starts at 2 p.m. and I hope to be on the road by three. I look forward to seeing you then.”

Leslie's heart fluttered, remembering the last time she took a car ride. She also wouldn’t say no to potentially making an entire event’s worth of money just from the car ride alone. Jacob’s comment about how he thought she would enjoy the events also piqued her interest.

“I will be there! Thank you!” Leslie hurriedly typed back. All of this made her head dizzy again. And this was just the first of several assignments that were already lined up? It sounded like he wanted to save the others for later, but Leslie couldn’t wait to find out what they ended up being.