Aftercare

“Hold still”

Zoe winced, arching her back and curling her toes involuntarily.

“Zo…”

“I’m trying!” The blushing red-head mumbled into a cushion. Zoe was lying face down on the couch, her body stretched out languidly across it with her blanket bunched up around her torso, leaving her legs and ass completely exposed. Katie hovered over her, her hands slick with moisturizer as she tended to the bright pink crop marks on the naked girls ass.

“Does it hurt?”

“N-n-no,” Zoe’s voice was quiet, muffled, “It’s just cold…”

“Oh”

There was a pause before Zoe felt Katie’s hands return to her tender skin. The girl worked slowly, carefully, running her palms in long gentle sweeps across each cheek. The cream felt cold, like menthol, and it made Zoe shiver as the aching red heat she’d felt since finishing her run mercifully started to abate. She desperately tried to forget that she was lying on their living room sofa, completely naked, while her best friend moisturized her ass…

Katie’s fingers slipped along the line of her ass crack and Zoe bit her lip, feeling Katie stop again as she flinched, “Sorry”

“You want me to spank you too?”

“No!” the girl gasped, kicking her left leg up in embarrassment. She knew Katie was joking, that she was just trying to make light of the insane truth of her situation, but still, the thought sent an anxious tingle through her body. Was this really it? That they'd both accepted that this was happening enough to make jokes about it now? In her helpless horny state, Zoe didn't know if she was shivering in fear or arousal - her nerves were too on edge for her to be able to tell which was which.

Did she like that Katie was in this with her now too? Was it better to suffer alone in secret, or exposed like this to her best friend? Zoe still wasn't sure.

“Lay still…” Katie warned again, before Zoe felt her hands slide back onto her aching cheeks, massaging her in smooth kneading little circles. “Does it feel better?”

Zoe nodded.

“Good... I don’t think you'll have any permanent marks, so your ass will stay perfect”

What...?

There was an awkward beat of silence.

Zoe’s mind was racing again. Katie was massaging her ass – and her bare, over-sexed steaming little pussy was right there, exposed to her eyes, inches from her fingers. She’d not cum, and sure, her arousal levels had returned to something where she could at least think straight, but she was painfully and humiliatingly aware that she was still extremely horny, and Katie touching her like this was only making things worse. The complicated whirlwind of emotions she’d felt the night before were there again, all her gratitude and affection, swirling with her primal desires...

“Katie…” Zoe swallowed, her resolve faltering, “I never thought we'd ever...”

“Shhh,” Katie’s hands stopped again, though they didn’t leave her body this time, “Neither did I, but, things change...”

What did that mean?

“But... are we... I mean...”

“We're...” Katie's voice cracked for a moment and Zoe could tell she was looking for the right words too, “... figuring it out.”

What did THAT mean?

“I kissed you...” Zoe squirmed in place with a whimper.

“It was a good kiss...” Katie mused with a wry smile, her fingers moving again. Zoe couldn't help but notice that her motions had become a more gentle stroking... The redhead blushed brighter, fingers and toes curling - despite herself she felt that yearning wish that Katie's fingers would just move that little bit lower and she waited several agonising moments hoping that the blonde would finish her sentence...

“Its not... awkward?” Zoe tried weakly, painfully aware of how insane she sounded considering Katie's hands were stroking inches from her pussy.

“Do you want me to stop?” Katie asked, abruptly withdrawing her hands.

Zoe tensed, feeling chastised as her blush grew brighter, “No...”

Please dont...

“Then please don’t make it awkward Zo…” Katie opined, as her hands returned to the redheads bare ass with a tender caress, “You’re tense, and you’re anxious, and I totally get that this isn’t what you imagined for your life but you need to accept that this is happening to you so that you can do something about it.”

Zoe bit her lip, her shame growing as she felt Katie punctuate each word with a light tap of her fingers.

“What can I do?”

“Run” Katie said with earnest meaning. For the first time Zoe dared shift the blanket to look back at her, their eyes locking, “You need to run Zoe, and I mean really focus and run. I’m sorry I got mad about your pace… it’s just… I know you’re better than this. I’ve seen how fast you can be, I’ve seen your races – you’re so so quick!”

Zoe felt a seed of self-confidence growing in her chest, that tiny voice that hung on to Katie’s words and desperately wanted them to be true.

“The only thing holding you back right now is you. You just need to breathe, focus and run. That’s all. Forget about everything else and just do what comes naturally… 39 minutes, you can do that easy, you just have to concentrate on running... ”

“I’m trying… I am…” Zoe whined, “It’s hard… everything keeps changing…”

Katie’s fingertips drummed absentmindedly against the crack of Zoe’s ass, sending trembling little tingles through the girl’s over-heated sex.

Does she know she’s doing that…?

“You need to get used to things changing Zo…” Katie said, giving her a meaningful glance of chastisement before the redhead could protest, “Because I think things are going to keep escalating before they get better. This orgasm lock isn't the last thing the collar is going to do to you... I think it's going to get worse…”

Zoe’s heart sank in muted despair, it didn’t matter that she’d had the same thoughts, hearing Katie say them out-loud shattered her ability to deny it.

“I’m not saying they won’t get better again eventually but… you’re going to have to weather this storm to escape the other side…” Katie warned, sitting back, and Zoe could only pout solemnly, “I'll be here for you, I promise. Just, breathe, focus and run... You can get through anything....”

Zoe tried not to contemplate what cosmic horrors the collar would unleash on her next; the possibilities of the unknown were terrifying - How far down did this humiliating rabbit hole go? Was there even a bottom? What else would it take from her until it was satisfied? She'd lost her freedom, her clothes, her orgasms and now even her ability to read... Zoe whimpered knowing she had to admit that to Katie now or she'd never build up the courage again,

“Katie…” Zoe swallowed nervously, closing her eyes, “I… I can’t read…”

She felt Katie’s hands stop, her fingers firmly digging in to each cheek for a moment, “I was worried... I heard your collar say…”

Zoe nodded, rubbing her cheek against the couch cushion as she pulled the blanket tighter around herself, “Yeah… I think. It’s part of my punishment… I can’t read anymore…”

“At all?”

“N-no…” Zoe shivered. There was another pregnant pause, both girls stilled in thought with Katie’s hands held possessively to Zoe, “It’ll come back right?”

“Hmm?”

“When… when this is over… I’ll be able to read again right?” Zoe babbled, kicking her leg again, “Katie I need to be able to read!”

This seemed to spur Katie back into action, and the blonde’s hands started moving again.

“I hope so…”

“You hope so?!”

“I know you're scared Zoe but... I don't know any more than you do! I can tell you what you want to hear to make you feel better... or I can be honest with you... and right now, I don't know” Katie paused, and Zoe could tell the girl was thinking again as her fingers made another little dance across her ass, “What I do know is that right now you don't need to be able to read. Right now all you need to focus on is running.”

Zoe groaned into the cushion, “Breathe. Focus. Run...”

“Exactly” Katie said determinedly as she finished stroking Zoe’s ass with a final firmer flourish, “So, let’s get you ready to qualify!”