A Favor Returned...

Author's Note: I've had quite a few requests to continue this story... so here is the sequel to Best Christmas Present Ever featuring the characters of Amy and Laurel and what happened after the conference... All characters and events are fictional.

Of course this story includes sexually explicit material and is intended for adults, so if you are not at least 18 years of age or are offended by sexual material, well, you know the drill...for the rest of you, I hope you enjoy!

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A Favor Returned...

A Sequel to Best Christmas Present Ever

"The person who receives the most favors is the one who knows how to return them." - Publilius Syrus

Amy slowed her pace as she walked up to the wall of glass entrance and paused a moment with her hand on the door so she could down the last little bit of her protein shake. Swallowing with a grimace, she readjusted the shoulder strap on her bag and pulled the heavy glass door open of the main building of the company she worked for. She made a slight detour to toss the small cardboard container in a trashcan and then veered back to take the familiar left out of the lobby towards the company fitness center.

She fought back a yawn as she walked. After six months of dedication, it had become part of her normal routine to be up and about well before the sun in order to be into her work-out by 5:30am. It was a part of her day that she had grown to actually look forward to. That didn't mean she'd conquered the struggle with early morning fatigue. She was just used to it.

However, today definitely felt different, but different in a good way. Amy wore a silly little grin as she stowed her bag in one of the lockers. For only the hundredth time that morning since waking up she reminded herself that today was the day - her best friend was coming back to work. She headed back out to the gym area with a little more enthusiasm than normal and stepped onto one of the treadmills. She set the controls and began her leisurely pace to warm up. She was in such a good mood that she couldn't help but smile. Laurel was finally coming back to work today! Yes!

Amy was almost embarrassed by how much she had been missing her best friend. Her smile faltered for just an instant as those same thoughts of the tall auburn-haired woman also happened to remind her (again for like the hundredth time that morning) that they still needed to have a talk. Amy felt like it needed to be in private, face to face. It was something that was long overdue and she was a little nervous to finally 'talk-talk' about what had happened between them in California.

Yeah. California. The conference...

It was funny how memories worked. The more time that passed the more it seemed a person's brain had a tendency to give them a dreamlike quality. But there were some events that were so significant that your brain went out of its way to put them in their own special little mental box. That way when your mind started rummaging around and opened that box, those particular memories remained incredibly vivid. Amy's brain had made it a point to develop a very special box indeed for the incredible memories from that work conference, the one she and Laurel had attended a little less than two months ago.

It's not like she obsessed over that box or anything. She had eagerly come back to the normal routine of her life with her husband and kids. She honestly could not be happier...but every now and then she couldn't help but mentally peek inside that special box. The fact that every time she did meant that she found herself savoring those memories didn't mean that she wanted to relive them or anything like that. It had been a one-time thing and she had come to terms with the fact that they were just that now - memories.

Amy had done a lot of soul searching about what had happened and came to the personal conclusion that she didn't regret it one bit. She really hoped Laurel felt the same way. Amy was actually thankful it happened because she honestly felt like she was a better person for it. That was evidenced by the fact that her relationship with her husband was stronger and healthier than it had ever been. But sometimes...just every now and then, she would sometimes wonder if she would ever feel quite the same way she had felt on that trip with Laurel.

At the time of their trip, Amy had no idea that it would be so memorable. She was completely unaware that Laurel had a secret agenda for their little business vacation. It seems that after some intimate conversations wherein Amy had confessed to a real hang-up about masturbation, her best friend had decided that she was going to help Amy get over her "issues" with self-love. Apparently this work conference getaway presented itself as the perfect opportunity to spend some time together without the usual distractions. Laurel's goals had been pretty straightforward: get Amy to loosen up and let go of her inhibitions while learning how to appreciate her own body.

Seemed simple enough and everything had gone according to Laurel's plan. Things had started out rather innocently with lots of girl-talk and relaxing friend-time without the chaos of family demands and hectic schedules. It had really been nothing more than best friends having fun, flirting a little and just being silly...but that had escalated into some rather risqué exhibitionism in the back of the lecture hall on the second day of the conference. Looking back, it seemed funny how quickly the ante kept being raised between the two women. What started out as a challenge to go braless turned into outright flashing, but overall, it had still been fun and felt pretty harmless.

Then the two of them eventually ended up back in their hotel room for an incredibly intimate masturbation session...which had also been part of Laurel's secret plan. It had also been amazing. Having Laurel there beside her, guiding and encouraging Amy while she was touching herself had made the whole experience so much easier. All that mental baggage Amy had been carrying around about touching her own body just sort of went away in that hotel room. It had been a healing experience for Amy. Laurel had been so supportive and loving that Amy actually had an orgasm by her own hand for the very first time. Well, there might have been some assistance from her friend. Just a little bit.

For Amy that afternoon had been a revelation. For the first time in her life she was able to completely forget about all the junk she was told about masturbation when she was growing up. She was able to really understand the meaning behind Laurel's compliments and encouraging words. It had just finally clicked and Amy could not have been more indebted to her friend. The gratitude she felt for Laurel helping her work through and get past such a very personal issue was something she couldn't possibly express in words. Amy felt truly beautiful and sexy like she never had before and she also felt closer to Laurel than she had ever felt to another woman...

It had been life changing.

But then something else just sort of happened as they tended to do in those types of situations. Basically in the heat of the moment and kind of on a whim, Laurel had ended up going down on Amy. It definitely wasn't something that had been planned...but it did introduce Amy to the most mind-blowing orgasm she'd ever experienced in her life. At the time Amy didn't have time to think and admittedly didn't want to - it was a one-of-a-kind moment that no one else in the world could have possibly comprehended but them. What they had shared had been special and beautiful.

In fact, Amy had just been about to return "the favor" - something that would have never even crossed her mind as a possibility just 48 hours ago - when they had been interrupted by an urgent phone call from the front desk. Neither of them had given their phones a second thought or bothered to take them off silent mode. They had missed quite a few messages.

The messages were not good.

Laurel's youngest son had taken a spill off his bike and ended up severely breaking his arm. When Laurel's husband informed her that everything was going to be fine, but their boy was going to have to have surgery, Laurel immediately hung up and started getting dressed. Amy helped her pack and then began to pack her own suitcase as she already had it set in her mind that they were leaving. She would be there for her friend to help out in any way that she could - whatever Laurel needed.

Laurel had stopped and smiled at her. She took Amy in a warm embrace, whispered "thank you" in Amy's ear, kissed her gently on the lips and then again on the forehead...and then totally surprised Amy by telling her no. Amy couldn't understand why Laurel wouldn't want her there until her friend had pointed out that she would have loved nothing more than to have Amy's help, but this was in fact a work conference on the company's dime.

Amy's heart fell when she realized that Laurel was right. Their employer was picking up the tab for this trip, so Amy really didn't have a legitimate excuse to leave early. She sent a text to her supervisor just to be sure there wasn't a loophole or maybe a chance they might allow her to leave with Laurel, but no. Since the two women weren't related Amy had to stay and finish the conference. Either that or she would have to reimburse the company for the expenses.

So Amy stayed and Laurel left. As luxurious as the hotel had been with the beach within walking distance, the incredible spa that was available and not to mention the shopping - the last day of the conference had pretty much sucked. Amy hadn't felt like enjoying any of the hotel's amenities and she couldn't concentrate on any of the presentations. She was worried about her best friend and her son...and there was also a little part of her brain that couldn't stop thinking about what had happened the day before.

"What's up?" Laurel greeted her through a yawn as she casually leaned on the front of the treadmill Amy was using. The auburn-haired woman looked around the gym as she took another long drink from her Starbucks cup and then turned her gaze back to Amy.

"What?" Amy had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't been paying attention to anything else going on around her. She couldn't believe her eyes. Laurel was actually here...at the gym...at 5:45am. "Laurel?"

"Bingo," Laurel tipped her chin. "You are correct."

"What are you doing here?" Amy sputtered.

"And good morning to you too, sunshine."

Amy shook her head and killed the power switch on the treadmill. Finally coming to grips with the fact Laurel was actually here Amy jumped off the treadmill with a squeal of excitement and rushed around the piece of exercise equipment to grab her best friend in a big hug. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know," Laurel's flawless face broke into a broad smile and she hugged Amy back.

"I have to say I never thought I'd see you in here this early," Amy laughed and squeezed Laurel a little tighter. She closed her eyes and breathed in the faint traces of that familiar vanilla fragrance.

"Yeah, me either," Laurel replied as she enjoyed the embrace every bit as much as Amy.

"So what's the deal?" Amy asked. She was absolutely overjoyed at seeing Laurel unexpectedly early, but knew she just had to give her friend a hard time. "You have to be lost, right?"

"Apparently," Laurel laughed and the two women finally let go of each other. Laurel took the time to drain the last swallow from her five dollar java. "I guess I should have taken that right turn at Albuquerque."

"And she went old school," Amy grinned and glanced at the large clock on the wall. She needed to get a move on so she walked over to the nearby mats and began stretching. "I have to say, seeing your smiling face sure is a nice way to start my day."

"Just don't get used to it," Laurel grumbled as she threw her coffee cup in the trash and pulled a water bottle out of her bag. "This is like a one-time thing or whatever."

"Okay," Amy shrugged with a smile and moved on to her next stretch. "I'm not complaining. I'll take what I can get... but seriously, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. I just couldn't sleep through all the lovely coughing and sneezing at my house," Laurel shrugged and quickly explained that a nasty virus was starting to run the gamut at her house. Her husband had come down with it last night, so he was staying home today. "Figured I might as well keep you company and pretend to exercise."

"I'm sorry your family isn't feeling well," Amy was finished warming up and moved over to the first exercise machine to work on her shoulders, "but I'm glad you came. I've really missed you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Laurel continued to pretend to be as grumpy as possible before admitting, "I missed you too."

Amy sat down on the little bench seat of the shoulder press machine and started on her first set. It seemed surreal that after looking forward to seeing her best friend back at work at some point today, Laurel was actually here. This was awesome! Amy was pushing the handles of the machine up for the third time when Laurel came around to stand beside her and talk. As Laurel continued to chat, she unzipped and then took her jacket off to reveal a sleek sports bra that of course matched the waistband design on her yoga pants.

Amy focused on counting her reps as Laurel turned around and bent over to set her water bottle down. Amy happened to glance over and before she realized it she was ogling her friend's perfect ass. Amy forced her gaze away as Laurel stood up straight which proved extremely difficult to do considering how amazing her butt looked in those yoga pants.

Amy shook her head. Why am I staring at my best friend's butt?

Laurel continued chatting as Amy tried to focus on her reps. The redhead turned back around and proceeded to stretch her arms over her head, those lean, almost six-pack abs practically right in front of Amy's face. Amy literally closed her eyes as she finished up the last few reps of her set. She stood up and wiped her face on the little hand towel she carried around as Laurel took her turn on the shoulder machine.

Amy purposely chose to dress in layers for her daily trip to the company gym: number one to downplay her chest so people didn't stare at her boobs while she trained and number two, as gross as it sounded, to promote as much sweat as she could. Amy wasn't there to look good - she was trying to get in better shape. Her best friend's gym attire was a completely different story. Not that Laurel did it on purpose or could help it - she was a stunningly beautiful woman and she could have worn a potato sack and turned heads.

Laurel decided to actually participate in the entire workout to some degree and Amy was glad for the company. They chatted some between exercises, but Amy pushed to keep up her usual intense pace. Amy was a little annoyed with herself when she kept getting distracted by Laurel's physical presence. The auburn haired beauty complained that her legs were achy and sore from overdoing it in the yard over the weekend, so she would bend over and stretch every so often. Which shouldn't have been a big deal, but what threw Amy off-balance was when she caught herself looking at Laurel's ass again as she stretched...more than once.

Amy would have wagered cash money that Laurel performing leg stretches in those skin-tight pants could have easily been sold on some porno pay-per-view website. Even more embarrassing was that towards the end of the work-out when Laurel had assumed some awkward yoga pose, Amy actually found herself staring directly at her friend's most intimate place. Even worse, she had stared long enough to see that at that current angle, the seam of the crotch of Laurel's pants was pulled tight enough to part the lips of her vagina quite clearly.

Amy shook her head and wiped the sweat off of her face. She couldn't understand what was wrong with her brain this morning, gawking at Laurel like some teenage boy. She glanced at the large clock on the wall and saw that it was time to take a shower and get ready for work. She gathered up her gear and wiped down the mat she'd been using to warm down on as Laurel did the same. Amy trailed behind Laurel as they made their way to the women's locker room. She was racking her brain trying to figure out why she had been so distracted by Laurel when that little voice in her head pointed out the fact that she was doing it again. She came to the realization that she'd been watching the magnificent globes of Laurel's ass move up and down and back and forth as they walked towards the women's locker room.

Laurel entered the locker room ahead of Amy and opened her locker. She was still just a little bit tired, but as much as she hated to admit it she actually felt pretty good after half-ass working out. The thought briefly crossed her mind that if she could manage to get up this early every morning - and that wasn't going to happen - then this wasn't the worst way she could start her day. She smiled to herself as she peeled off the yoga pants and dropped them into her bag. Tired or not, she was really glad she'd decided to pop in and visit Amy.

On the other side of the row of lockers Amy was lost in thought, questioning her motives once again. She simply had no explanation for why she'd been staring that way at her friend this morning. She shrugged and finally chalked it up to the fact that not only had she been really missing Laurel, but she had also been thinking about the work conference. She shook her head with a grin as she wrapped her favorite oversized towel around her body and tucked it in at the top. With images like that bouncing around in her head, it was no wonder she was having such provocative thoughts. Determined to get a grip, she slipped on her flip flops and grabbed her shower bucket. When Amy stepped around the end of the row of lockers towards the showers, she stopped short and froze.

Laurel was standing in front of her locker fidgeting to get her sports bra off which happened to be the last stitch of clothing she had on. The fluorescent lights were on in the bathroom area, but the ones directly above the lockers were turned off so Laurel was backlit which provided a perfect profile silhouette of her spectacular ass and her perfect tear-drop shaped breasts. Amy just stood there and stared - what else could she do? Laurel happened to be standing directly between her and the shower area with no room to squeeze by her without coming into very close contact.

Laurel finally got the Lycra bra untangled from her hair and turned towards Amy. "Hey, I forgot to bring my shampoo and conditioner. Can I borrow some of yours?"

"Huh?" Amy snapped out of her daze and looked at the shower bucket in her hand. "Yeah...sure, of course you can."

"Thanks," Laurel smiled, grabbed her body wash, threw her towel over her shoulder and turned to walk confidently to the shower stalls.

Amy kept her head down as she entered the stall next to Laurel and turned on the water. The showers didn't have doors or curtains on them, so it had a very 'high school locker room' feel to it and not a lot of privacy. Amy adjusted the temperature, hung up her towel on the hook and stepped under the spray, sighing as the hot water flowed over her shoulders and neck. She turned around and ran her hands through her hair and then let them rest on the back of her neck as she leaned back further under the pulse of the hot water. She almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of a wolf whistle.

"Lookin' good," Laurel convincingly imitated a guy's voice as she leaned her head and shoulder around the corner in front of Amy's stall. They both laughed. "Yo, can I get me some shampoo?"