Florence and Deb II, The Fall-Out
by Mr. Chain

Florence tossed and turned in her bed before finally rolling onto her back and opening her eyes. As soon as she did however, she wished she hadn't. Her head throbbed as it never had before and her stomach churned and ached. She felt as if she had been on the losing end of a street brawl! As she tried to lift her head off of her pillow, it felt as if it weighed 100 pounds, so she laid there for several more minutes, fearing that if she tried to get up, she might vomit once again.

As she lay there trying to recuperate, her thoughts quickly turned to the night before, the cause of her horrible hangover. The night had begun so well, starting with her roommate Liz's good fortune in winning a trip for 4 to Mexico. It got even better when Liz not only invited Florence to go with her, but also invited Vinny, Florence's ... um ... she didn't really know what to call him, though she hoped he would soon become her boyfriend.

Though she had only known Vinny for a few short weeks, she was falling in love with him. Though he wasn't technically her boyfriend, at least not yet, Florence had hopes that he would soon apply for that job. He was extremely handsome and charming, much more so than any other guy she had ever dated. She had grown to cherish his fun-loving personality and outgoing demeanor. She had even learned to not only accept his unusual fetish for the female armpit, but actually come to embrace it.

Never before had a guy treated her the way Vinny did. Sure, Florence was an attractive woman, but she had never been involved in a truly passionate relationship, one in which a guy adored her the way Vinny adored her, or at least the way he adored her pits. His adoration bordered on worship and Florence was loving every minute of it, even though she had never been an outwardly sensual woman. Her style had always been to act and dress conservatively and demurely, but now she found herself wanting to display her armpits before Vinny, to flaunt them for his enjoyment.

After last night however, she had no choice but to question her status was with Vinny. She began to wonder if she had lost him forever as she continued to piece together the previous night's events, trying desperately to remember what had happened.

After celebrating the impending vacation with Vinny, Liz and Joe, Florence was soon mortified to discover that she couldn't go! The trip was scheduled for the same weekend as her cousin's wedding, a wedding in which Florence was a bridesmaid. But if that wasn't bad enough, Liz decided to ask a friend of hers to take Florence's place, and that was where things had gone horribly awry.

Deb, Liz's former roommate, was the culprit and had quickly become the bane of Florence's existence. Deb was virtually the opposite of Florence in almost every way. Deb was blonde, Florence brunette. Deb was a model, Florence an accountant. Deb was gregarious and outgoing, Florence traditionalistic and reserved. Deb had a penchant for wearing tight spandex and leather while Florence preferred loose-fitting cotton and wool. In many ways, Florence wished she were more like Deb, though she had never been courageous enough to try.

But despite the differences between the two of them, the most threatening aspect of Deb's return was her history, not only with Liz, but more importantly, with Vinny. Though Florence wasn't sure of the extent of their previous relationship, she nevertheless knew that a previous relationship between Vinny and Deb existed. Though both Vinny and Deb discounted the seriousness of it, Florence suspected there was more to it than they were willing to admit.

Deb had showed up last night, literally out of nowhere. She had moved to California several months earlier, leaving Liz in need of a new roommate, a need which was filled by Florence. But now Deb was back, her presence immediately putting Florence on the defensive. She showed up at their apartment dressed in an unusually sexy outfit, sauntering through the front door like she owned the place and immediately garnering all of the attention.

Liz had brought a new bikini for Florence to wear on the planned vacation. After some encouragement, Florence decided to model it for them. But as she disappeared into her bedroom to slip into the skimpy garment, Deb showed up. As Florence emerged from her bedroom in the revealing swimsuit, all the attention had shifted to Deb's arrival and all eyes were on Deb's sexy, latex outfit. Florence was left to stand there awkwardly, waiting to be noticed.

Next, Deb deftly managed to secure an invite to the vacation, the vacation which rightfully belonged to Florence. Hoping that Vinny would decline his invitation as a result of her prior commitment, Florence was left disappointed when she discovered that Vinny had no intention of doing so.

Next, Deb revealed that she had been chosen as a finalist to appear in deodorant ad, prompting Vinny to reminisce about Deb's armpits. But when Vinny sang the praises of Florence's armpits, Deb seemed threatened and began to flaunt her own. To make matters worse, so was even so bold as to suggest that all three women compete against each other to determine who had the sexiest set of pits!

Having already had too much to drink by this point, Florence took the bait. Losing the first round, an emotionally devastating event for Florence, she was also forced to drink another shot of Tequila, according to the rules they had agreed upon at Deb's suggestion.

By this time, Florence was drunk and unable to hide it. Not much of drinker, her behavior grew more hostile, and after winning a phase of the contest, more arrogant. The tension between Florence and Deb became more and more obvious, and by the time Deb won the last phase of the contest, Florence was left drunk, eventually getting sick and having to run into the bathroom. Liz had to eventually help her into bed, Florence embarrassing herself in front of everyone.

As Florence concluded her recollections of the horrible night, she feared that Vinny might never want to see her again and she began to cry. Though not really sure how bad the fallout would be, she imagined the worst possible outcome, fearing that she had lost Vinny forever, prompting the tears to flow freely from her eyes.

After a good long cry however, Florence regained her composure. Her thoughts became more focused and in a very business-like manner, she began to formulate a plan for damage control. She had never taken defeat very well, and she wasn't about to start now! She had become successful in her career by fighting for herself and overcoming diversity, and that was what she intended to do now. She was going to fight for Vinny, and she knew exactly how she had to go about it.

With a steely determination, she rolled out of bed and hobbled into the bathroom. As she stood before the mirror however, she was disturbed by the image which looked back at her. Her eyes were bloodshot and baggy, her skin pale and ashen, her hair disheveled. Basically, she looked horrible! Running the hot water in the sink, she took a washcloth and began to wipe away the remnants of caked on make-up. Scrubbing her face clean, she took another look at herself, still troubled by the way she looked. But as she put some toothpaste on her toothbrush and began to brush away her bad breath, her eyes squinted with conviction.

Finishing up in the bathroom, she walked back into her bedroom and put her eyeglasses on. The thick lenses did nothing to help her appearance, which is why she never wore them in public, instead wearing contact lenses. But in the safety of her own home, she felt secure enough to wear them. Wandering out into her apartment, she hoped that Liz would not be up yet. She wasn't yet ready to see her roommate or learn of any other ways she had embarrassed herself.

As she made her way toward the kitchen however, her heart skipped a beat as she noticed Deb sleeping on the couch. With the covers pulled up to her chest, Deb's arms were placed behind her head, her exposed armpits seemingly taunting Florence.

Stopping in her tracks, Florence stood and stared down at her new rival. Gazing into Deb's armpits, she wanted to scream out "YOU BITCH!", and then leap at her and scratch at her exposed underarms. But as she stared, her anger turned to despair. She couldn't deny that Deb was beautiful, even after a night of drinking and sleeping on the sofa. How was she supposed to compete against that, Florence thought to herself.

But as Florence continued to stare, Deb opened her eyes, jarred by the sight of Florence staring at her. Florence was embarrassed, her pale face turning red as she tried to rush into the kitchen. But Deb rolled off of the sofa, still wearing the latex outfit from the night before, and followed her into the kitchen.

"You startled me Flo.", she announced before yawning and stretching.

Florence wasn't sure how to respond, but hastily replied, "I wasn't expecting to see you there Deb, what are you doing here?"

"Well Lizzie asked me to go shopping with her for our vacation, so we decided it was easier for me to just sleep over.", Deb replied. Seeing that Florence was making coffee already, Deb asked, "Hey, could you make me a cup for me?"

Florence paused, wanting to tell her to buzz off, but instead nodding her head. She then thought about adding some rat poison to the pot when Deb wasn't looking, but decided against it. Jus then Deb took a good, long look at Flo, and with a snarled expression, spoke in a disgusted voice.

"Wow Flo, I almost didn't recognize you. I guess you REALLY had a tough night, eh?", Deb asked.

Florence's head was ready to explode, but she kept her composure, choosing not to respond. Instead, Deb moved closer, taking a seat on the counter next to Florence.

"Hey listen Flo, about last night. I'm sorry if you took anything the wrong way. I was just having some fun. No hard feelings, okay?", Deb asked innocently.

Florence hesitated, but then turned to Deb and answered, "Sure." She wasn't yet willing to apologize for anything she might have done or said herself, but was willing to half-heartedly accept Deb's apology.

Deb then jumped forward off of the counter, grabbed the cup of coffee which Florence had poured for her and walked back into the living room, taking a seat on the couch.

Florence was now in an unusual predicament. Her intention was to have a cup of coffee while she searched the internet, looking for details of the deodorant commercial audition. She had decided to give it a try, but wasn't too keen on Deb find out about it. But since their computer sat on a desk in the corner of the living room, it was likely that Deb would see her. She debated whether to ask Deb directly for the details, but decided against it, instead logging onto the web and beginning her search.

It didn't take long before she came across the website and began to jot down the details. By this time however, Deb had walked over and saw what she was doing.

"So, you're going to go to the audition?", Deb asked with surprise.

"I'm not sure yet.", Florence answered tersely, trying to discourage Deb from inquiring further.

"You know, I was thinking about that, and to tell you the truth, I don't think it's a good idea.", Deb suggested.

Immediately, Florence felt some level of satisfaction. After all, the only reason that Deb would want to discourage her, she thought, was that she was afraid of the competition.

"They're going to ask to see your portfolio and resume', and if you don't have them with you, I doubt that they'll let you audition anyway.", Deb explained. "You don't have a portfolio, do you Flo?", she asked.

Florence kept her eyes glued to the monitor, not looking at Deb. She wondered if Deb was serious, or if she was just trying to discourage her for from auditioning for her own benefit.

"No ... no I don't.", Florence answered sheepishly. "Well, it was just a thought anyway.", she answered dejectedly.

Deb then walked away as Florence logged off and took the piece of paper with the details on it back to her bedroom. She closed the door and locked it behind her, leaving Deb alone in the living room.

Florence then stripped, walked into her bathroom and ran the hot water in the shower. Letting the water get hot enough to steam up the bathroom, she then stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over her face and body for several minutes. She took her time, hoping the shower would help to make her feel better. She then carefully shaved her armpits, though there was little reason to. Sliding the razor carefully over the contours of her skin, she did her best to get an even closer shave. But as she stroked the blade over the curves and contours of her pits, Florence began to feel an unusual sensation. Though almost unnoticeable at first, with each stroke of the razor, she began to feel more and more titillated. Though the sensation was subtle, not nearly enough to bring her to arousal, it was nonetheless obvious.

Florence became hypnotized by the faint stimulation, and continued to brush the razor against her completely smooth skin. Finally, realizing that she might soon begin to actually shave some of her skin away, she placed her razor down and let the hot water run over her face. As she gave it some thought, she assumed that the it was merely her subconscious at work, fantasizing about Vinny stroking and caressing the hollow beneath each of her arms.

She took her time with the rest of the shower before finally emerging. It was one of the longest showers she had ever taken, but she knew that she desperately needed it. Her head was still pounding, but at least she was gradually beginning to feel better.

Emerging from the shower, she then dried herself off before debating what to wear. Shuffling through her drawers for some time, she finally slipped into a black bra and matching panties before slipping on a black skirt and wool sweater. Next she went to work on her hair and make-up. It took her quite some time to hide the affects of the night before, but after awhile, she was finally satisfied. She then sat on her bed, anxious about leaving her bedroom.

What would Deb say when she saw her ready to go? Would she question her some more, or try to discourage her again? And what if Liz was up? Would she join in?

Florence remained seated on her bed for several more minutes, debating the questions before finally taking a deep breath, getting up, and opening the door of her bedroom. She was relieved to find neither Deb nor Liz there, apparently having already left. Florence knew she had taken a long time to get ready, but she was surprised that the two of them had already left.

Relieved not to have to face Liz, she dashed off to the address she had written down on the sheet of paper. Even though Florence had never done any modeling, or anything even close to it, she was nevertheless going to that audition. After all she thought, if Vinny worshipped her armpits so easily, surely she could do the same at the audition.

Arriving at her destination, Florence was surprised to find only 7 other women seated in the office, all of them blonde, and all clad in either Lycra tank or halter tops. Deb had mentioned how many women had showed up the day before, a number which was much greater than were sitting there right now, prompting a smile from Florence as she hoped that the limited competition would work to her advantage. As the other women in the room stared, she walked forward to check in with the secretary.

In a friendly voice, she said hello and introduced herself. The secretary however didn't even lift her head to acknowledge Florence's presence.

"Headshot and resume' please.", she stated.

Florence panicked, not sure how to respond. Maybe Deb's warning was sincere after all! Would they really not see her if she didn't have a picture and resume'?

"Um ... I don't have them with me.", Florence responded shyly, prompting the secretary to look up for the first time.

"You don't have a headshot and resume'?", she asked pointedly with a sarcastic sneer on her face. "Are you a professional model?", she asked harshly.

"Um ... no ... I mean yes, but I don't have my resume' with me.", Florence replied.

"Do you at least have a headshot?", the secretary fired back, her loud tone drawing the attention of the other models in the room who began to whisper to each other.

Florence couldn't help but notice the giggles as the other models stared at her and whispered to each other. She felt humiliated, but wasn't sure what to do. As she debated how to respond, the door to an office opened and out walked a handsome looking gentleman.

"What's the problem?", he asked, looking at the secretary.

"Well this woman is here for the audition but she doesn't have a resume' or headshot!", the secretary stated loudly.

Noticing how embarrassed Florence looked and the catty reaction of the other models, the man escorted Florence into a separate room. Closing the door behind them, he stood in front of Florence and looked into her eyes.

"So, you've never modeled before, have you?", he asked calmly.

Florence shook her head to indicate that she had not.

"But you want to audition for the deodorant commercial anyway, right?", he asked again, to which Florence nodded in agreement.

"Okay, why don't you take your sweater off and let's have a look at your armpits.", he stated matter-of-factly.

Florence was stunned by his request and grew nervous. Take her sweater off? How could she take her sweater off? Sensing her hesitation, the man spoke once again.

"Well if you want to audition for a deodorant ad, you need to show me your armpits." he replied in a clam voice.

The statement seemed to ignite a lightbulb over Florence's head. His request, though jolting at first, actually made perfect sense. In fact, that was why all of the other models wore tank and halter tops, so that their armpits could be seen easily. Florence hadn't given that fact any thought at all before coming down there, so finally she realized that not only what he was asking seemed reasonable, but she felt a little embarrassed at having to be asked at all.

Reluctantly, she pulled her sweater over her head and placed it in on a chair. She was then instructed to strike a pose which would best show off her underarms. Having no modeling experience, Florence stood straight, her feet tightly together as she raised her arms straight up and over her head. Feeling very vulnerable and slightly embarrassed by what she gotten herself into, she nonetheless did her best to remain calm.

The man then began to peer into her underarms, studying them. Though Florence had displayed her armpits so freely and willingly for Vinny in the past, this was a new experience altogether. She felt uncomfortable and even a little ashamed of herself. But as she stood there in only her skirt and bra, the man moved forward and started poking his fingers into the recesses beneath each arm.

Florence recoiled at first, stunned by his actions. She kept quiet however, allowing his fingers to wander into the valleys beneath each arm for what seemed like an eternity. She felt mortified, and it showed. Sensing her embarrassment, the man took a step back and looked at her.

"I know this may seem a bit odd, and I know that you are uncomfortable, so how about we sit down for a minute and just talk, okay?", he suggested in a soft, calming voice.

Florence nodded her head sheepishly as she took the seat which he had pulled out for her. He then went on to explain how he was an independent photographer hired by the deodorant company to shoot the print portion of the advertising campaign. He spoke slowly and in a soothing voice which helped to earn Florence's trust.

He went on to discuss more of the particulars of the assignment, throwing in an occasional joke or light-hearted comment to ease the tension. Florence understood everything he said, and his easy manner went a long way in calming her fears. As he spoke, she stared at him listening intently.

He was a handsome man, but not of the caliber of her Vinny she thought to herself, the man who had become the standard against which all other men were now judged. But he was nice looking and seemed to have a great, easygoing personality.

He asked her a few questions to understand why she had come down, and the two of them seemed to get along well. Florence admitted that she had no previous modeling experience but that she had been told that she had nice armpits and was proud of them. So when an acquaintance had mentioned the audition, she decided to give it a try.

The man then went on to explain what would be needed if she truly wanted to pursue modeling. He explained that there were often modeling for jobs for specific body parts, but that if she were serious, she would need to put together a portfolio. Florence look confused, unsure of how to go about that, and he sensed her confusion.

"Listen Florence, you are a terrific woman and very attractive. If you'd like, I can help you put together a portfolio. I'd even be willing to do it for free, but you have to be serious about wanting to model.", she offered.

Florence paused for a moment, surprised by his generosity, and flattered as well. She gave it some thought as she sat there, but did not want to commit herself just yet.

"I don't need an answer right now Florence, but I'd like you to give it some thought. Here is my card.", he said, handing her his business card. "If you are serious about this, give me a call and we can get together to talk about it some more, okay?", he concluded in a very sincere voice.

Florence smiled at him in appreciation, flattered by his complimentary proposal. She nodded her head as she took his card in her hand.

"So, they are only auditioning professional models for the print ads. But the company intends to launch a television campaign as well, so if you are interested in auditioning for that when the time comes, we'll need to get to work.", he informed her.

Florence nodded her head, still smiling. She was now very comfortable with him, much more at ease than just a few minutes earlier.

"So what do you say, why don't we give it another try!", he suggested as he stood up.

Florence agreed and stood up with him. He then moved closer and gently placed his hands on each of her arms, softly pulling them up over her head. He then placed each arm behind her head before suggesting that she try to pretend that she is looking off into the sunset.

As he maneuvered her arms into a suitable pose, Florence closed her eyes and tried to get herself mentally comfortable. His fingers wandered into her armpits as he began to position them in just the right place, taking his time to do so. Much more relaxed now and with her eyes still closed, Florence found herself becoming aroused by his touch. This time the sensation was much stronger than she had experienced while shaving in the shower. This time, she felt herself begin to quickly reach a level of arousal she hadn't ever experienced before. As the tips of his fingers ventured into the depths of her soft skin, her mouth opened slightly, forming the shape of an "O", as her head dipped back slightly, her eyes still closed. He glanced into her face, seeing the expression of arousal she was now wearing, prompting him to softly stroke her pits. His touch was working magic on Florence, who struggled desperately to prevent an anguished moan from bursting through her lips.

The moment lasted only for a few seconds more however, before he lowered his hands and stepped back, prompting Florence to open her eyes. She was overwhelmed by what had just happened. How could he have aroused her so easily, so completely, and yet so innocently? Had her armpits become some sort of erogenous zone where a man's touch to that region could have such a dramatic affect on her? Or was she much more attracted to the photographer than she thought, his touch setting her loins on fire, a fire which was still burning!

Now set in a seductive pose which showed off her armpits nicely, Florence pondered the questions as she did her best to portray a temptress, while trying to hide her stimulation. As she did, the photographer stared her up and down, smiling. He seemed to be aware of what had just happened, but he wasn't about to let her know that.

"You know Florence, I think you will be pretty good at this!", he stated triumphantly, bringing a smile to her lips. "Well, I think that was great. You have lots of potential. So I'm sorry that this audition didn't work out for you, but think about what I said.", he stated. "I think we could make a good team!"

Florence thanked him, agreeing to give it some thought as he picked her sweater up from the chair and handed it to her. Florence thanked him and quickly slipped it back on. With that, he opened the door, allowing her to walk out of the room.

"Thank you!", Florence purred to him before walking back into the lobby, the other models again beginning to whisper to each other and giggle, staring at her as she headed toward the door. The man then called the other models into another room as Florence walked out, clutching his business card in her hand.

After all the commotion was over, Florence hailed a cab. As she settled into the back seat, she let out a loud sigh, glad that the experience was over. She was disappointed at not being chosen for the ad, but intrigued by the possibilities that the meeting had presented. But she vowed not to reveal what she had done to anyone else for fear that it would only provide Deb with more ammunition to use against her.

As the cab rode on, Florence began to ponder her damage control plan. The first phase hadn't gone as well as she had hoped, but it was a long shot to begin with. Ideally she would have been chosen as a finalist and earned another chance for her armpits to compete against Deb's. But even though that hadn't worked out, she wasn't devastated by the result, instead left with some thinking to do.

Reaching into her bag, she grabbed her cell phone and began to scroll through her address book. Coming to Vinny's number, she pressed the button and it began to dial his number. Having taken the time to look her best, she hoped for the opportunity to pass by his apartment and apologize to him in person. She was hoping that he would forgive her, and seeing how great she looked, the night would quickly become a distant memory. Instead she got his answering machine, and left him this message.

"Hi Vinny, it's Florence. Listen ... um ... I wanted to apologize for last night. I guess I had too much to drink and acted ... well ... like a jerk. So give me a call on my cell when you get this message."

Hanging up, she noticed the taxi driver looking at her through the rear view mirror with a snide smile on his face. She turned away, slightly embarrassed, trying to figure out what to do next.

By now it was mid afternoon, and she still wasn't ready to face Liz. So instead of going home, she directed the driver to take her to her mother's house. That was a safe haven for her, a place to relax in peace without having to worry about anyone else.

Arriving at her mother's, she paid the cab driver and walked inside. Her mother greeted her, obviously happy to see her daughter. The two walked inside and sat down before beginning to talk.

Florence was very close to her mother, in fact, her mother was probably her best friend. She had raised Florence strictly, setting very tough rules for her to abide by. In fact, she had a curfew of midnight until she was in her mid 20's, which one of the main reasons she finally decided to move out.

Her mother was an Italian immigrant, and though she had moved to America over 30 years ago with her husband, neither had ever mastered the English language, both speaking with a thick accent. The two spoke freely, in Italian, for quite some time, catching up on the recent events in each of their lives. But there was one subject which Florence did not discuss with her mother, and that was her love life.

As you might expect, Florence's mother had tried to instill old world values in her daughter. She had hoped that Florence would not only be married by this point, but would also have had a few kids. Florence was not opposed to the thought either, but the opportunity had not yet presented itself to her, though she did find herself fantasizing about Vinny as her husband and father of her children.

As the conversation ended, Florence retired to the couch as her mother began to prepare dinner for her. Realizing that her mother never cooked anything simple, or quick, Florence took the opportunity to lay down, placing her cell phone on her chest just in case Vinny called. She was exhausted, still suffering with a hangover, so she closed her eyes and soon after, fell asleep.

A couple of hours later her mother woke her and they sat down and ate dinner together. After dinner, they shared a cop of espresso before Florence finally decided it was time to go home. Checking her watch, she noticed that it was 8:30 PM, so after helping her mother clean up, she called a cab and headed home.

Sitting in the back seat of the cab, she was anxious about seeing Liz. How would her roommate react to her antics from the night before? Would there be any tension between the two of them? Florence was about to find out as the cab pulled up in front of her apartment.

Putting the key in the lock, she opened her door and found Liz standing in the living room. Much to her surprise, Liz was dressed provocatively, ready to go out. They said a quick hello to each other before Florence noticed the sound of running water coming from her bathroom.

"Who's in my bathroom?", Florence asked Liz pointedly.

"Oh, Deb's taking a shower. We're going out tonight and I told her that she could use your bathroom to get ready. I hope you don't mind Flo.", Liz replied.

Florence's face curled into an angry snarl. "She's using MY bathroom?", Florence growled angrily.

"Yeah, I told her you wouldn't mind. Why ... is that a problem?", Liz answered with a hint of annoyance.

Florence let it go, instead deciding to use the opportunity to speak to her roommate in private about the night before. But before she could, Liz chimed in.

"Listen Flo, I know you are intimidated by Deb, but that's just because you don't know her like I do. She's a great girl, so try to lighten up, okay?", Liz said sternly.

Florence was surprised at her roommate's reaction, but decided to ignore it in order to clear the air between the two of them.

"Listen Liz, about last night ...", she began.

But again, her roommate cut her off before she could continue.

"Yeah, you acted like a real jerk Flo! But I guess it happens to everyone sometimes, so let's just forget about it, okay?"

Florence was a little taken aback by the "jerk" comment and the terse tone of Liz's voice. But she knew that arguing would only make the situation worse, so she decided to switch gears.

"So, you guys are going out?", she asked.

Liz didn't even look up as she rifled through her purse, looking for something.

"Yeah, a few of our old friends are getting together.", Liz replied in an unusually vague manner.

Florence grew suspicious, especially since Liz was always so open about her plans, and had always invited Florence to join her. So Florence decided to try and find out some more.

"Oh ... anyone I know?", she asked with her most innocent tone of voice.

Liz seemed flustered by the question and hesitated for moment before answering. "Um ... no ... no one you would know."

The answer only further raised Florence's suspicions. She debated whether or not to pry further, but instead decided to take the conversation down yet another course.

"Did Vinny call?", she asked hopefully.

Again Liz seemed uncomfortable with the question and again stammered her answer. "Um ... No ... not that I head anyway. But you should probably check your answering machine just to make sure."

Just then Deb emerged from Florence's bedroom, dressed to kill. She was wearing a pair of tight, black, leather pants and a tight, black tank top with the word "DIVA" written across it in rhinestones.

"Oh, Hi Flo. Hope you don't mind that I used your bathroom!", she stated.

Florence bowed her head so as not to look Deb in the eye before whispering, "No problem."

"Hey, did you go down to that audition today?", Deb asked.

Florence immediately turned red with embarrassment, trying to avoid the question. Luckily for her, Liz interrupted.

"Come on Deb, there waiting for us downstairs. We'll be home late Flo so I'll see you tomorrow!", Liz said cheerfully as the two grabbed their coats and walked out.

Florence's suspicions were now piqued as she walked into her bedroom to check her answering machine. Sadly, there were no messages waiting for her but as she stood near her night table, she decided to take a peek out her bedroom window which looked down onto the street.

As she looked down, her heart skipped a beat as she saw Vinny's car parked in front of her building, the engine still running. A few seconds later she noticed both Liz and Deb walking toward it. Deb then opened the front passenger door of the two-door sports car, stepping aside to allow Liz into the back seat. Deb then climbed in front before closing the door behind her. Though Florence couldn't see inside the car, she was sure that Vinny was seated in the driver's seat. A few seconds later the car pulled away, leaving Florence with a lump in her throat, her stomach churning and her head ready to explode.

"THAT BITCH!", she screamed out loud.

But as her anger slowly subsided, her head became filled with questions. Why hadn't Vinny called her back? Why had Liz lied to her? And why was Deb getting into the front seat of Vinny's car?

Florence had an idea of what the answers were to each of her questions, and as she sat down on her bed, she buried her face in her hands and began to sob once again. How could things have changed so much in just one night? But after a few minutes, her tears began to dry, as did her emotions, as the rage returned.

"Okay Deb! You want to move in on my territory? Then maybe it's time I moved in on yours!", she stated out loud, reaching for the business card she had received earlier that day.

Staring down at it, she studied it intently.

"So Armand Licqer!", she whispered to herself, stating the name printed on the card. "If you really want to help me become a model, it looks like you'll have your chance!"

With that she reached for the telephone to dial his number, but before she could pick up the receiver, the phone rang. Florence's heart skipped a beat, hoping that it would be Vinny on the other end. Maybe she had misunderstood everything?

But Florence was left disappointed by the sound of her mother's voice on the other end. Her mother, speaking Italian, informed her that she had left her cell phone on the coffee table, and that it had rang earlier, but she didn't know how to answer it. Florence thanked her, told her that she would pick it up tomorrow and hung up.

She then frantically dialed the number to retrieve her messages, hoping that Vinny was the one who had called. Her heart fluttered as she heard his voice on her voice mail.

"Hi Florence, it's Vinny. Listen, a few of us are getting together tonight and I was wondering if you'd like to join us? Give me a call."

Florence breathed a sigh of relief, elated that Vinny had called. Though she had no intention, nor the energy needed to go out, just the fact that he had invited her had made all of the difference, washing away her suspicions, or at least most of them anyway. Though she wanted to call him back, she knew it wouldn't be a good idea, so instead she hung up the phone and returned the business card to her wallet without making the call she had intended to originally.

Though there were still many unanswered questions remaining, Florence laid back down onto her bed feeling a little better than she had just a few minutes ago. Tomorrow would be a new day, and though the saga was far from over, at least it had begun to take a more positive turn, or at least that is what she hoped!

THE END

NEXT .... The vacation arrives and the rivalry really begins to heat up!

This was the first story based on results of the poll on the
ARMPIT CONTEST PAGE
Since Deb garnered 64% of the votes, she began to take the advantage over Florence in the storyline, who was preferred by only 36% of you in this ongoing rivalry. I've re-set the votes and ask that you continue to cast your vote for the woman you prefer, you can vote once each day! The next story will again be written based upon the voting preferences so.....
TO VOTE ....GO TO ..... THE ARMPIT CONTEST PAGE! and to cast your ballot!

Do you have a request for a female armpit story? Want to give your opinion? Send me an e-mail!