Rea story part 1

The year was 2005 and a time when ireland still had a manufacturing industry. I had recently joined one of the large, local companies as a Business Administration Apprentice, which was a glorious title for what was really nothing more than a gofer. I believe the long-term aim was to turn us from gawky young schoolboys into the future management of the company but up until now I'd spent my time either bored, confused, embarrassed or usually, a combination of the three. The job entailed learning all aspects of the company, which invariably meant spending various amounts of time in different offices or production departments over the firm's large site. The boredom came when I was just ignored for hour on end, the confusion when I wasn't. The embarrassment because I'd not long left school, an all boy's school with not one female member of staff and I was now in offices where ninety percent of the staff were female, the majority of which seemed to think it compulsory to embarrass all the young apprentices in their 'care'.

Although the rest of the country was well into the decade of promiscuity, it had yet to reach the Potteries, or at least my part of it. I was yet to kiss a girl, something that I think that each office had quickly worked out and so their teasing of me was that bit more fun for them. There was no maliciousness in what they did; on the contrary, had I been alone with any of the girls I'm sure that I would have enjoyed the attention. For example one of them would 'forget' I was there and remove a top or lift up a skirt to show the others something or other. Of course I couldn't keep my eyes off their bra only covered breasts or the glimpse of panties.

Currently I was working in the print room and this was by far the worst department for teasing. The workers were all female, and most were quite young, though not as young as I was, because the print room was used as a starting point for many future admin staff. I had been here for two weeks and was just about getting used to my treatment, still blushing at many of their antics and comments, but no longer running off to hide. The exception was when I was required to work with Sandra. Sandra was thirty something, long dark red hair, with a slim figure that she emphasised by wearing a fifties style skirt, a tight fitting blouse and a belt around her narrow waist. Even though she was so much older than me (probably close to double my age) I still thought her exceptionally sexy, I say exceptional because to me then just about any female was sexy. Sandra oozed confidence and was always making me, and everyone else laugh; she was well known for playing practical jokes on the rest of the department, especially us apprentices. What made it worse was that Sandra was in charge of the Dark Room and working with her, which I was required to do at least a couple of hours a day, meant that the two of us would be virtually locked into a darkened room together and her only topic of conversation, at least with me, was sex; to be more precise MY sex life. I'm certain that she knew I was still a virgin, something that I was very reluctant to admit, but still asked about my love life. At first I tried to play it calm and make things up, but this couldn't last because she would ask very intimate details, which of course, in my ignorance of a woman's body, I was totally incapable of answering. This brought tears of laughter to Sandra's face and blood rushing to mine.

One lunchtime three of the women were sitting with me in the canteen when Sandra's name came up. Everyone knew how much Sandra teased me and the other young apprentices. Sue, the oldest at the table at about 28, asked me why I didn't stand up to her or at least do something about the teasing. Rachel and Pam both laughed, they both knew me well enough to know that I had no chance of standing up to a young girl, let alone a confident woman in her thirties. I managed not to blush but held out my arms in the universal sign of bewilderment.

Then Pam looked at me, smiled, and said, 'you're a virgin aren't you?'

For an instant I thought about bluffing it out, but realised that I had no chance. 'Afraid so.' I replied with my head bowed in guilt.

Surprisingly the three women didn't laugh. Sue smiled and said 'not many of them around in this place.'

Pam then asked. 'Seriously David! How come a nice looking young man like you hasn't got all the girls queuing up for him?'

I blushed at the compliment and explained how shy I was and how being one of three brothers, going to an all boy's school I had never got the chance to meet any girls. Women were a species beyond my ken. We talked of why I lacked the confidence and Rachel came up with a reason that I would never of thought of, yet in retrospect, knew she was accurate in her assessment. You put women on a pedestal, you think we are something special, even fragile; you don't see us as people, with our own insecurities.

Sue nodded her agreement. 'That's a superb point Rach. It'll make him a perfect husband one day, but it'll take a special girl to see past his innate shyness.'

'Right I've got an idea.' Said Pam. 'David, you go and get us all another brew, whilst I test the water with Rachel and Sue.' The other two looked inquisitively at Pam as I picked up the teacups and headed off to top them all up. 'David!' Pam shouted as I walked away, 'Take your time.'

I liked all the women in the department, even when they were teasing me, but these three and Sandra were the ones I got on with best mainly because they were the ones I worked with most, and the four I thought the most attractive, almost certainly helped by the fact that they tended to include me as one of them. All were slim, probably my only prerequisite, Pam and Rachel were blonde although Pam's undoubtedly came from a bottle, and Sue, the shortest at about 5'3" had mousey coloured hair cut very short and the only one who had fairly large breasts. I wondered what further embarrassment they were planning.

When I finally sat back down with them, all three seemed to be wearing the same inane grin. Pam, whose idea it originally was, spoke first.

'Well David! We've decided to help you stand up to Sandra.' She stated.

I was still puzzled, and it obviously showed, for Sue spoke. 'What we want you to do, is, when you're in the dark room with Sandra, to walk up to her, kiss her and undress her before making love to her.'

My mind kept saying 'you're joking' although I couldn't quite get the words to my mouth. The three looked at the fear on my face and simultaneously burst out laughing.

When I finally managed to speak I managed to squeak. 'You call that helping?'

'No!' said Rachel, before pausing for effect. 'To help you, we're going to teach you what to do.'

My jaw dropped lower and lower as it very gradually dawned on me what they meant, at least what I thought they meant, which brought even more mirth to my colleague's faces.

Sue looked at it me and said to the others. 'It's worth it just to see that look on his face.'

The others agreed. Sue looked at her watch and said we'd all better get back to work but made arrangements that we'd all meet after work in the Gardeners Retreat, our local pub. I just nodded, my mind still not functioning. Throughout the afternoon, I was in a turmoil, half the time I was elated, finally I was going to have a woman, maybe even three, the rest of the time I kept trying to keep my calm, telling myself that it was just another windup, that I was the victim of yet another embarrassing joke. Like all best cons there was enough for me to believe that it just might be genuine. The rest of the shift disappeared in a haze, I'm sure I'd had a few comments about my dreamlike state but if so I have no recollection of them.

I was last into the pub, as I'd had to return to the apprentice's office on the far side of the site where my locker was. I was happy to see that one of the women had bought me a pint. I sat down with them and waited for the laughter that would signal the end of the joke. It didn't come.

'David, we want you to listen carefully, and then tell us if you agree. Ok?' asked Sue.

I nodded not trusting myself to speak.

'The three of us, ' Sue said looking in turn at Rachel and Pam, 'will teach you about sex, but more importantly about women. There are, however, certain conditions that you must agree to first.'

I nodded; I'd have agreed to sell my soul for the chance to have sex with any of the three.

'Ok! First you must agree to do everything we say. Secondly, you must tell no one of this, and I mean no one, not your best mate, not anybody. Understood?'

Again I just nodded.

'Thirdly, and this is what it is all about. In just over two weeks it's Sandra's birthday, Friday, the twenty second to be precise. You must promise that on that day, you will attempt to seduce Sandra. Of course you must not push it too far, against her will or anything, but you must try.'

I was nodding again, but underneath I was pretty certain that I'd chicken out.

Rachel then chipped in. 'Don't look so worried, by then you will have all the skills needed to seduce any woman, including Sandra.' All three looked at each other and smiled.

'One last thing.' Said Pam. 'You will spend some time with each of us. Now its virtually impossible to expect you not to compare the three of us, but you are not to make any comment about any of us to one of the others.' The other two nodded at the wisdom of that.

'And remember, Pam and I have boyfriends, so no word of this had better get out. Ever!' said Sue.

Rachel smiled. 'In fact you can have the first lesson on women now. Women, and girls especially, hate a bragger. If you really want to screw up your chances, then get a reputation for someone who talks about his conquests. Now, do you agree to all the conditions?'