Juicy Secrets Forbidden Tales of Lesbian Love

by Karin Halle

Part 1 – DISCOVERING 

By the time I reached the age of fifteen, it concerned me that I’d not yet had my first period. Other aspects of my development from child to woman seemed quite normal. My breasts, although not huge, were a reasonable size and a nice shape, topped by lovely little pink nipples. I had a tuft of fine, fair hair on my mons, my hips and buttocks were well rounded, and my legs were nicely shaped.

It was much too embarrassing to talk to anybody about this issue with my period. By that time my friends were all on a regular cycle, so menstruation was no longer even the topic of conversation that it had been a few years earlier. There was no way I could talk to my mother Cindy about things like that; it would have been far too awkward for both of us. My sister April had even started hers, and she was only thirteen, so I couldn’t take my problem to her – no way! And our family doctor is a cranky, conservative old man; no help at all to a scared, embarrassed teenage girl. I felt totally alone.

There was one teacher at school I might have been able to speak to. I didn’t think she was too old, probably no more than thirty or so, but it was essential that I speak to her privately, and I’d never had the chance. And then it was the school holidays, so I wouldn’t even see her for weeks.

Then I learned one day that a mobile breast screening centre would be in town the following week. Normally they just do breast exams, but at least it was staffed by women’s health specialists. I figured that even if they couldn’t help, they would surely be able to tell me who I should see instead.

I was excited at the opportunity, but also frightened… so my nerves were on edge for the whole weekend. Mum asked me several times if something was wrong. Of course, I didn’t tell her anything.

A couple of days after the clinic opened, I summoned up my courage and went to the car park where their trailer was parked. I looked around to ensure that nobody I knew was in the immediate vicinity to see me, then took a deep breath and went in. The women in the waiting room were all middle aged or old, but at least they were strangers.

The receptionist was a little surprised that someone my age was there, but she was sympathetic, even though I didn’t go into detail about why I needed to see a doctor. Since I wasn’t queuing for a breast scan, I only had to wait a short time before I was sent into the small consulting area. I was hugely relieved to see that the doctor was a woman. She was in her mid-twenties, named Shweta Jamiri.

We exchanged introductions, and then I told her about my problem. She listened to what I had to say, then asked questions about my adolescence and development. She also asked similar questions about my mum, which I couldn’t answer, and about April, which I could. Like the receptionist, she was kind and sympathetic, constantly reassuring me, which made everything a little bit easier.

Finally, Shweta told me that it would be necessary for her to do a pelvic examination. Of course, I’d expected that, but I still became quite agitated. Nobody had ever done anything like that to me. She knew I was scared, and explained what it was all about — which helped a little, though not much.

Shweta stepped outside while I slipped my briefs off and lay down on the examination table, then she came back in. She talked to me in a soothing tone as she checked all around my external genitals, telling me what she was doing and why. Then she said, “I’ll need to spread your labia open, sweetie, so I can examine you on the inside.”

Inside!

I felt a shiver of dread.

Although it had been years since I’d first discovered the joy of masturbation, I only ever touched myself on the outside. I’d never penetrated myself, or even opened my vagina, because I didn’t want to damage my hymen.

I couldn’t help bursting into tears. It was shameful to me, behaving like a baby in front of the doctor, but Shweta managed to calm me, promising to be gentle.

Admitting it was rather unprofessional, she fingered my labia a bit, to relax me and generate enough natural lubrication to make her task easy. There was no way I was going to complain about that, because it did help.

Then Shweta parted my lips and took a long look inside. Just from watching her, I could see that something wasn’t quite right. Stripping off her rubber gloves while I got dressed, Shweta told me that she wanted some special MRI scans done, and asked me to come back the next morning with my mum.

That got me upset again, and I told Shweta that I would prefer to come on my own. She explained that because of my age, I had to have parental consent for the procedure, so I finally agreed, already dreading the conversation I would be having that night with my mother.

I won’t go into detail about how that went, except to say that it wasn’t as humiliating as I’d feared — Mum was completely supportive, even a little peeved that I’d kept my condition hidden from her for so long. At any rate, she was by my side at the trailer the following morning.

I introduced Mum to Shweta, who told us that she’d arranged for me to receive priority at the radiology lab. Not that it was an emergency, but because she was leaving town at the end of the week. She got Mum to appoint her as my special doctor, and gave her papers to sign, consent forms and other things. I didn’t know what most of them were about.

Shweta even accompanied Mum and me to the radiology lab, explaining the procedure along the way. The need to have these scans at all had me feeling very unsettled, and this urgency just made it worse, but when Shweta told me what the scans involved, it didn’t seem so bad. I was glad that she chose to wait with Mum while they were done.

When all the scans were completed, Shweta looked at the images and the radiologist’s report, then asked if there was somewhere private we could go to discuss the results. Mum suggested a nearby café, or our house. Shweta said that our place might be best, as it offered privacy and familiar surroundings.

If it hadn’t been for the doctor’s calm demeanour, I might have become upset again, fearing the worst… but she assured me with a smile that I didn’t have a terminal disease and wasn’t about to die. So I was reassured, for the moment at least.

When we were seated comfortably at home, with cups of hot tea, Shweta got down to business, speaking directly to me as if I was an adult, which I appreciated. What she said, though, shocked me to the core.

“Here’s what’s going on with you, Melody. These scans indicate that your reproductive system didn’t fully develop when you were a foetus. This condition isn’t widely known to the public, but it’s not at all rare. It’s called MRKH, after the team of German doctors who identified it. Their names are tricky to pronounce, so we just go with their initials.

“In people with MRKH, the reproductive organs are absent, or only partly formed. In your case, there is no uterus, cervix or vagina.”

Mum must have realised the implications of that statement, because she gasped out loud and put a hand to her mouth. I was still uncertain of what all of this meant, but Shweta was about to make that all too clear.

“Without a uterus, Melody, you will never be able to carry children.” She paused to let that sink in. I wasn’t especially devastated, but Shweta had more to say. “And without a vagina, I’m afraid that having sexual intercourse will be, well, very difficult for you.”

When I heard that, I let out with a little cry, then I burst into uncontrolled sobs. Mum took me in her arms, whispering, “Oh, baby… oh, sweetheart.” She was crying, too.

The sound of my weeping brought my little sister April racing into the room. She had no idea what was happening, and looked frantically from Mum and I to Shweta, then back. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?” she said, beginning to cry herself without even knowing why. Mum held out an arm to April, who joined us on the couch, nestling into our shared embrace.

Shweta waited patiently until we began to regain some composure. Then Mum took April into another room to explain the situation to her, giving me the chance to speak to Shweta confidentially.

Appreciating that I was uncertain about what questions I wanted to ask, Shweta began the conversation. “Do you know about the female reproductive system, Melody? The various organs, and what they do?”

My response was not confident, but I did say, “Well, yeah. We had sex education at school. And some of my friends talk about it…” I had nothing else to offer. For the first time, I realized just how limited my knowledge of sexuality was. It always seemed like something I’d be doing in the future, not anytime soon.

Shweta understood. “But nothing in any detail?” I shook my head in reply, suddenly feeling like an immature kid.

Just then, April ran back in, threw herself on the couch and wrapped both arms around me. She was trembling, clearly shaken by the news. Mum came back too, though she remained standing.

Shweta glanced at Mum and April, then back at me. “Do you need to continue this in private, Melody?”

I shook my head. “No… they should hear this, too.”

So the doctor picked up where we’d left off, going through the basic anatomy of female reproduction. Then she got to the significant parts, the ones related to my condition. I wasn’t eager to hear any of this, but listened in a morose silence. “A fertilised egg grows inside the uterus, becoming a foetus, then a baby. Without that uterus, or womb, it isn’t possible for a baby to grow.”

She paused as we digested that, then added, “That’s why you don’t menstruate, Melody. But you will, at least, be producing ova, as well as female hormones… the same as all your friends.”

I gave a bitter laugh. Practically none of this was like what my friends would experience.

As if I hadn’t reacted at all, Shweta continued. “You do have ovaries, which means you do have eggs. It may be possible for those eggs to be harvested, then fertilised by your future partner to create an embryo. That can be inserted into a surrogate mother, to carry through to birth. It’s been done successfully many times, although whether it’s possible in your specific case, it’s too early to say.”

Somebody else carrying a baby of mine – the very idea seemed ridiculous. Again, though, I wasn’t really upset about that, having never felt the urge to be a mother. “None of that is an issue for right now, anyway,” Shweta added. She didn’t know how right she was.

However, there was something else very important on my mind. “What about s-sex?” I managed to stammer, now almost completely oblivious to the presence of my mum and little sister.

“People with MRKH are affected in different ways, and that means different potential solutions,” Shweta began. So far, so good. “In your case, the external genitals are present… but as I said, there is no vagina or vaginal opening. Therefore, penetrative sex would not be possible.”

A gasp followed, this time from April.

Suddenly I felt that I wasn’t a woman at all. Barely a girl, really.

But Shweta was still talking and, knowing it was important, I concentrated on hearing what she had to say.

“You do seem to respond to stimulation of the vulva, which is a good thing. Tell me, Melody — do you masturbate?”

Oh. My. GOD. Incapable of reacting to such a humiliating question, made all the worse by having Mum and April there, I blushed and stared at the floor.

When Mum patted my shoulder, I finally managed to whisper, “Yes…”

“And does it feel good?” Shweta asked.

At that point, I wished I’d never gone to see Shweta in the first place, much less come back for more. I couldn’t answer this time, not even with a nod of the head.

Shweta understood, I know, but she apparently needed me to respond. “It’s okay, Melody. There’s nothing wrong with it, you know. Everybody masturbates, particularly teenagers.”

Seeing my hesitation, wanting to be supportive, April piped up. “I do! It’s great.”

Mum didn’t get upset with her or anything, so I felt a little less uncomfortable. My answer, once again, was barely audible. “It… it feels good,” I said.

“Proving that you can experience sexual arousal, and enjoy it.” Shweta sounded almost triumphant.

And for me? Good to hear? Well, naturally! But how was I supposed to react with Mum seated behind me? I’d never been able to talk to friends about sex, much less my mum or little sister. Now here it was, out on the table, a topic for open family discussion.

And Shweta wasn’t even finished! “It won’t be possible for a boyfriend to penetrate you, but you can achieve orgasm by having him do things to you, the kind that you do for yourself. In fact, you’ll probably get more pleasure from that than he will!” She chuckled at that.

I wasn’t laughing… in fact, I was praying that the floor would open and swallow me whole.

“And of course, there’s always oral sex, or anal.” April made a spluttering sound; Mum was silent.

If she says one more embarrassing thing, I told myself, I’m going to run out of here screaming.

“Before you get to that, though, you need to have a detailed discussion with a specialist. I’ll give you a referral to one, and you’ll be able to discuss your options going forward, along with anything else you need to know about your condition — physical, emotional and sexual. Any questions?”

I’m sure we all had heaps of those, but I was unable to focus on anything else right then. More general discussion followed, but I was zoned out. If I participated, I have no recollection of it.

Not that any of us had noticed, but by then, it was the middle of the afternoon. Shweta was due back at the mobile clinic, so she left us. Before making an exit, we exchanged our contact details, and she got our promise that we would call her if we needed to discuss anything further.

 

Part 2 – COPING 

Glum silence was the dominant characteristic of the house for that entire afternoon and evening. I wasn’t hungry, and went to bed early – then I found I was unable to sleep.

Suddenly wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I grabbed a hand mirror, removed my panties and took a look at myself. Not knowing exactly what to look for, I still managed to conclude that, just as Shweta had said, everything on the outside was in order. Then I parted my labia, only to realise that they didn’t spread very far apart.

At the top, the little bud that I knew was my clitoris was visible, mostly concealed by its protective hood. Below that, I could barely perceive the opening to my urethra, but precious little else. Unsure of what to think, I finally crawled back into bed, not bothering to put my panties back on.

I said nothing to April when she came in to go to bed herself. Something told me that she wanted to talk about my condition, and I simply wasn’t in the mood for it. Finally, with a quiet sigh, she slipped into her bed and settled in for the night.

A few minutes later Mum opened the door, just to check on us — well, actually on me. I looked up at her when I heard the door open and she whispered, “It’ll be okay, honey. Try not to worry too much about it. And remember — if you need anything, I’m always here for you.” Seeing me nod in reply, she closed the door and went to her room.

I lay awake for – well, I didn’t look at the clock, so I had no idea what the time was. Eventually, though, I realised that I needed my mum. I got up, wearing nothing but an extra-large t-shirt, and went to her room, opening the door quietly in case she was asleep. Unsurprisingly, she was also awake..

“Mummy,” I began, addressing her that way for the first time since I was a little girl. “I can’t sleep. Can I, um, get in with you?” Even now, I recall the pleading tone that was in my voice.

By way of reply, she held up a corner of the bedclothes, inviting me in. “Sure you can, baby girl. Like I said, I’m here for you. I always will be.”

I slipped into bed and snuggled against her. The warmth, the feel of my mother next to me, the knowledge that I didn’t have to face my future without support — if it didn’t make everything right, at least it made things seem more manageable. Though it remained unspoken, I appreciated the fact that Mum hadn’t freaked out during the earlier discussions about sex at the doctor’s office.

Mum divorced my father about twelve years ago when she found out he was doing some girl at his work. She’d been on a few dates since then, but hadn’t seemed keen to get into another relationship. I thought about that for the first time in a while when Mum said, very quietly, “Melody, sweetheart, you know that Dr Jamiri, Shweta, is right, about masturbation, I mean… everybody does it.”

At first I failed to make the connection — then it hit me. To say I was stunned goes nowhere near describing my reaction. Raising my head, I stared at her.

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she confirmed. “It’s just that it’s extremely personal and private. And it’s nobody else’s business but yours. Same for me, same for April.”

Neither of us had been aware of it, but April had also been unable to sleep. When I left our room and didn’t return, she came looking for me. And as she passed Mum’s room, she heard her name mentioned.

“What’s my business?” she asked, sticking her head around the door.

“Um, we were just talking about some of the stuff that Dr Shweta said,” I told her.

“About masturbation,” Mum clarified.

“Oh,” was April’s only reaction.

“Mel couldn’t sleep, and asked if she could snuggle with me,” Mum continued.

Nodding in agreement, April said, “I couldn’t sleep either.”

Mum was amused, reading her younger daughter like a book. “Do you want to get in, too?”

April didn’t need the bedclothes to be held up. Without a word she scampered around to the other side of Mum’s bed and got in next to her.

Mum put an arm around each of us. “Oh, my baby girls,” she cooed. “We used to do this when you two were little. Remember? We always said that, long as we’re together, everything will turn out all right.”

By my recollection, the last time we snuggled up like this was right after Mum and Dad had split up.

“April was just a baby,” Mum said in a dreamy tone, losing herself in memories. “I was still nursing her. And you, Melody,” she added with a chuckle, “you wanted to breastfeed a baby, too. You’d sit beside me, take off your top and hold your baby doll up to your chest like you were nursing it,.” Actually, I had no memory of that, although I do remember the doll, my favourite, that I called Lalla — short for ‘lullaby’.

“And sometimes at night when April needed to be fed, you’d wake up too and want me to nurse you, too. You aren’t supposed to breastfeed a child once they’ve been weaned, but I couldn’t see the harm in it.” She was silent for a long moment. “It felt so good. Relaxing, natural. Both my girls feeding from me! It’s such a loving experience.” She fell silent; I don’t know why — perhaps she’d just remembered that I would never know that feeling.

I lay my head on her chest and sighed wistfully. “Sometimes, I wish I was a little girl again. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about this stupid condition of mine — MG, MK, ABCD. Whatever it’s called.”

Mum’s voice almost broke as she tried to comfort me. “Oh, baby girl, I know. I wish that, too!” After a moment’s hesitation, she withdrew her arm from around my shoulder. I wondered what she was doing… then a shiver raced through me when Mum opened the front of her nightie, baring her breasts.

I’m sure she was acting on instinct when she bared her chest, just as I was when I put my mouth to her nipple and began to suck.

“Darling, you know I can’t really feed you,” she told me, even sounding apologetic.

I briefly lifted my mouth from her nipple. “I know, Mummy, but we can pretend, can’t we? Just like I did with Lalla.”

“Of course we can, sweetheart,” she lovingly replied, and I took her nipple between my lips again.

Perhaps feeling a bit neglected, April timidly asked, “Me, too?”

“Yes, my precious, of course!” Mum replied, and April took her other breast.

Mum sighed contentedly, as we play-nursed from her. Now we were in a simpler place, a happier, more innocent time. And we were together, the three of us. We laid nestled like that for a long time. How long, none of us knew — or cared.

It was long enough for the three of us all to fall asleep, though.

The next day, Saturday, passed in something of a fog for me. Uninterested in catching up with friends, I stayed home and researched MRKH on the internet, not that there was much available. For the rest of the day, I basically lazed around.

Mum visited my room several times but didn’t push me, except to offer a reminder that if I wanted to talk, or just needed some company, I only had to ask. I appreciated that, but needed to get my head around this whole situation before I could discuss it with anyone, even my mother.

By evening, my appetite had finally returned, and the family had dinner together as usual, but once again I elected to turn in early. Which isn’t to say that I found it any easier to fall asleep.

An hour or so later, April came in and began to prepare for bed. She was very quiet, trying not to disturb me. It was thoughtful of her, so I didn’t let on that I was still awake. Judging by the number of times my sister turned over after she got into bed, she was obviously as restless as I was.

Eventually, we both rolled over at the same time and found ourselves face to face, eyes wide open. We shared a nervous laugh.

“You okay?” she asked. “It’s a lot to deal with, I bet..”

“Yeah, I guess,” I told her. “I mean… I’d already figured something was wrong, even if I didn’t know what. Or that it was as major as it is.” I sighed.

“I’m not trying to be a jerk, I swear,” April said after a brief silence, “but… um, I mean… couldn’t you tell…?”

Her embarrassment amused me. I finished the question for her. “That something was missing down there, you mean?” She nodded, and even in the dim moonlight spilling through the window, I could see that her eyes were big and round.

“No. All the outside bits are there, and they’re all normal.”

“Could I… I mean, would you mind…?” She fumbled for the right words, finally going silent..

More embarrassment for her, more amusement for me, and once again I completed her sentence. “Will I show you?”

April gave a vigorous nod. “Yeah, please. I mean, if you don’t, like, mind or anything. It’s just that I’m, um, kinda curious, and… and…”  I always find it funny when my little sister gets flustered, maybe because it doesn’t happen very often.

I switched on my bedside light and swivelled around to face April, while she sat up, ready to see what I had to show. Raising the t-shirt I wear as a nightie, I hoisted my knees in the air and spread my thighs apart. I remember thinking that it was just like I was positioned when Dr Shweta first examined me.

April took a long look, then shrugged. “It all looks normal to me.”

Another chance to make my sister uncomfortable had just been presented to me… and I’m afraid that I took full advantage of it, saying, “And just how do you know what a normal girl’s pussy looks like?”

April turned the colour of a ripe tomato. Her mouth going tight, she leapt up and stomped back to her bed, where she lay down, curled into a little ball.

I instantly regretted my words. Getting up and going over to my sister’s bed, I lay down and wrapped both arms around her. “Sorry, April,” I told the back of her head . “I don’t mean to be such a bitch. These last few days have been rough, but that doesn’t mean I get to take it out on you.” Giving her a squeeze, I added, “Do you still want to see me? You can if you want.”

She said nothing, but I felt her relax a little bit. I got up and padded back over to my own bed, where I sat back against the headboard, then spread my legs as far apart as they could go. As if I was offering myself up to my little sister.

Maybe she was still pissed off at me, but I knew how difficult it was for my little sister to restrain her curiosity. Sure enough, she came back, kneeling beside the bed to get a good look.

As she studied my vulva again, I told her, “It’s the inside that’s different. If you really want to get a good look, you might, uh, need to…” I wasn’t sure how to say it, but figured that April must know what she needed to do in order to be able to see inside me.

She did. I felt the lightest touch of her fingers as she gently spread my labia open, then peered inside. “Oh. My. GOD. There’s nothing there!” she exclaimed, looking up at me with astonished eyes.

“Well… that’s sort of the problem.”

“Okay, I see your pee-hole,” April said. Then she touched me, and I felt a warm surge of pleasure that made my head spin. “And your clit’s there!”

“Thank God for that,” I said. “At least I’m able to get myself off.”

“So… you’ve done it before?” she asked.

No point in keeping it a secret now, I thought, not with her face mere inches from my pussy!

“I — I haven’t,” I admitted. “Oh, I’ve played around a bit, and rubbed myself. And once I even had somebody else rub me.” I didn’t tell her it was Shweta. By then. I suspected that April had far more experience than I did, despite being a couple of years younger. “But I’ve never come before.”

She was shocked, to put it mildly. “Oh, shit. Wow. I had no idea.”

Boundaries had been crossed. Actually, they’d more or less collapsed. My sister’s feather-light touch, the way she was staring at my girly bits with such obvious interest (are mine even qualified to be called ‘girly bits?’ Yes, damn it, they are!), and all the talk about sex I’d had over the last few days… it was all starting to arouse me. I hadn’t expected that, but wasn’t bothered by it either.

To this day, I wonder if that arousal was what caused me to say what I did just then.

“Um, April? Can I see yours, too?” I asked, feeling completely awkward about it, but I didn’t let a stammer betray me. “So I’ll know what, well, y’know, what’s different about me. And it’s only fair, because you’ve seen me, right?” I added, almost pleading with her.

My sister showed not an iota of discomfort or bashfulness at my request. In fact, she seemed downright eager to undress for me. April reached up under the extra-large t-shirt she used for a nightie and yanked down the boy’s boxer shorts she slept in, then lay down, taking up the same position that I’d adopted, her legs wide apart.

Kneeling before my sister, I gazed at the junction of her thighs. Never having seen another girl up close, I was fascinated by the view before me. At first, I saw nothing that seemed especially distinctive, except that her pubes were darker than mine, but equally sparse. Like she’d done to me, I hesitantly touched her labia, then parted them to see what they hid.

The difference was immediately apparent. April’s sex was a lovely pink lily. Mine was a flower that had withered before it had the chance to bud.

It hit me like a blow to the stomach. “Oh, God!” I gasped, and quickly stood. I was shaken to the quick, and didn’t want to see any more. Sitting back down, I stared at my hands.

April quickly sat up, then reached out to touch my shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice filled with concern.

I slowly nodded, knowing it was a lie. In fact, I felt like some kind of freak; not a real girl at all. Unsure of what to do or say. I slumped down on the bed.

“I’m so sorry, Mel,” I heard April say. “This totally sucks. God, I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better.”

I was on the verge of saying something mundane like Thanks, sis, I really appreciate that… but then, an idea popped into my head. It was a pretty twisted notion, maybe even perverted — but the more I turned it over in my mind, the more attractive it seemed.

After days of brooding about how messed up I was inside, then seeing the proof of it first-hand, I longed for some sense of normality, to know that I could be like other girls. Maybe my little sister could help me with that…?

“Um, April, could you maybe… touch me there some more?”

It wasn’t exactly about sex, you understand. More than anything, I needed to be sure that the girl parts I did have worked the way they were supposed to.

I wasn’t sure how April would respond, but she wasn’t at all bothered by my request. “Sure,” was her reply. “Lie back down.”

I arranged myself like before, exposing my sex to her. Reaching out, April gently traced my slit with the tip of her index finger. I gasped — the sensation was heavenly!

She continued to fondle me, using two fingers to glide up and down through my labia. I could feel myself getting wetter and wetter with each caress, warm fluid oozing down into the crack of my arse. Each time her finger ran upward, she brushed my clitoris before starting the down stroke.

I was astonished by how good my sister was at this, the skill she brought to the task. Her hand seemed to know everything about how to make me feel wonderful. She’s practically still a kid! I told myself. When did April learn how to do this?

Suddenly she broke contact with me — and it was only knowing Mum was just down the hall that kept me from crying out in frustration. I was just about to beg my sister not to stop when she brought her other hand into play. Now she was rubbing my pussy and toying with my clit at the same time, and those sensations went from great to incredible.

So many things were happening to me at once — April’s touch; the realization that I was capable of receiving sexual pleasure; how crazy it was to know that my own underage sister was doing this to me; the joy I felt after days of misery… it was all too much to take. All of a sudden my body was caught up in these wonderful feelings, flooding through me like I’d been poured full of liquid sunshine.

For the first time in my life, I was truly experiencing the joy of sexual rapture. My very first orgasm. And I didn’t want it to stop.

It was such a mental overload that I burst into tears. I hugged April to me, clinging to her tightly, and she hugged me back, letting me get everything out of my system, if only for the moment. And she continued to fondle my pussy, keeping those sweet sensations coming.

At the same time, my emotions were running wild. Anxiety. Satisfaction. Reassurance. Confusion. Maybe even guilt. My body kept responding to April’s intimate touch — a gift so precious, I didn’t know how to accept it. I’m sure I sobbed for ages, and my sister held me the whole time.

When I’d recovered enough to speak, I kept whispering “Thank you,” over and over. She smiled, held my face between her hands, and kissed the tears away from my cheeks.

“Can I do that to you now?” I asked, keen to give April the same pleasure that she’d given me.

“I did that because my big sister needed it,” she told me. “You shouldn’t feel that you have to–”

I quickly shushed her. “I want to,” I protested. “I want to… to see what it’s like for you.”

To allow April no opportunity to refuse my wishes, I kissed her firmly on the mouth. She immediately kissed me back, teasing my lower lip with her tongue. Instead of opening my mouth to accept her tongue, I broke away, impatient to touch my sister, and got on all fours above her.

She looked up at me and asked, “Are you sure?” as if she wasn’t quite sure herself. Gazing into her eyes. I nodded once, and she slowly parted her legs. Once again, I was struck by how beautiful her pussy was.

Never having attempted anything like this before, I let myself be guided by what April had done to me. I ran my fingers along her slit — first on the outside, then between the lips, my heart beating faster as I felt her grow moist to the touch. Then I gave her clitoris some attention, replicating my sister’s technique of flicking the tiny nubbin on each upstroke. My reward was her moan of pleasure.

Keeping my thumb on her button, I slid two fingers between April’s labia, seeking the entrance to the vagina. Her pussy was much wetter than it had been only minutes ago, so I began to probe into the entrance. My fingers were actually inside her, just a bit. I didn’t want to go too deep and possibly injure my sister, so I only penetrated her about an inch or so.

April’s response was to grit her teeth, take a deep breath and drive her hips against my hand with a hard thrust, more or less impaling herself on my fingers.

She gasped, “That’s it, Mel! That’s the way. Oh, God… fuck me!”

So I did, working my fingers in and out of her while she squirmed and writhed beneath me. April was right — it was like fucking, I realised, and that thought made me shiver. I wasn’t sure how I felt about doing something like that to my little sister. I couldn’t leave her disappointed, though.

Without any reason to do so — or indeed, any knowledge of what I was doing — I curled my fingers upward inside my sister. When I touched the front wall of her vagina, she squealed, “Oh, fuck, yeah! I’m g-gonna… mmmm, I’m coming!” A massive shudder rocked her body.

Suddenly reaching out, April seized my arm and drew me to her. Our lips met, then parted as we melted together in a deep kiss, our tongues dancing together. And as we kissed, my fingers were still twisting around inside her. As a result, she came again, panting into my mouth.

At last, April lay spent, sprawled out on my bed and gasping for breath. I sat beside her, rather pleased with myself. I’d found out about the differences between my body and those of other girls, discovered that I could have orgasms of my own, and realized that I possessed the skills to make another girl come. I was starting to think that sex might not be such a big issue for me after all.

April looked up at me with a sleepy smile, “That was terrific,” she mumbled. “You’re a natural.” Flushed with pride, I added her compliment to my list of the day’s achievements. Placing a hand on her warm belly, I lovingly caressed it.

I should’ve been content to simply lie with April, delighting in what we’d just shared. However there was a nagging question that I finally had to ask.

“April, you just said I was a natural… and you seem to know a lot about, um, stuff girls do together. Sex stuff, I mean. Can I ask — how did you, well, learn all this?”

To my astonishment, April blushed. My sister has never been one to embarrass easily.

My thirteen-year-old sister and I had just fooled around — no, that’s not what happened. We’d fucked one another, then kissed like lesbian lovers, and April had been fine with that. She had exposed her most intimate parts to me without a moment’s hesitation. She’d coped easily with family discussions about sex and masturbation in the presence of a stranger. Almost a casual conversation for her, so it seemed.

But when I ask how she knows so much about sex, in particular about jilling another girl to a climax, that’s when my sister gets all flustered, turning red as a tomato!

I waited.

At last she found her voice. “You know Felicity…?”

It was a rhetorical question. Of course I knew Felicity. She and April had been best friends for almost their entire lives. They called each other Ace and Flick.

I continued to wait, while my sister continued to blush. Finally, she continued.

“Well, about a year ago, when we started, y’know, developing… One day, we were talking about it. But I didn’t want to just talk. I wanted to see, too. Turns out, so did she. So we, kinda, showed each other what we had…”

Obviously there was more to tell, so I waited for it.

“Then we wanted to, um, touch each other. So that’s what happened. And it felt so good… we sort of kept on doing it after that, whenever we got together.” She paused, chewing nervously on her lower lip. “The second time, Flick kissed me — and I really liked it, so I kissed her back. After that…” April kept winding a strand of her hair around one finger, then letting it unravel. “We started doing more. Lots more.”

That made me wonder. “Are you telling me that you and Felicity learned all those things on your own?”

The redness in her face had been steadily diminishing, but it immediately returned. “Well, you see… Flick’s parents don’t have locks on her computer, so she can look at whatever she wants. So we looked up sex for girls, and then we looked up sex between girls – lesbian stuff…” Her cheeks were practically scarlet. “And then we d-did the things that they did.”

Without warning, April burst into tears. I was dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I d-did that stuff with Flick, ‘cos I like her a lot… I mean, she — she’s my bestie. B-but there was another reason why I wanted to know all that… everything about sex with girls….”

She took a deep breath, then blurted out a single, unbroken string of words.

“I wanted to do those things with you, Melody. I wanted to, but I was afraid you… that you’d be mad at me,” She struggled with herself, fighting the tears, needing to finish while she still could.

“It isn’t that I don’t want to have sex with Flick – I do. But I wanted to do it with you, too! Even before I knew what sex was, I wanted to cuddle with you and touch you all over – and I wanted you to touch me. Well, I just hoped you’d want to touch me. And when you started to, like, get boobs and grow up — God, I loved looking at you, when you were getting changed, or in a swimsuit, or anything where I got to see you out of your clothes. And I always wanted to look as good as you – I still do…”

I have no way of knowing how long I stared at April – perhaps seconds, maybe minutes. I struggled to fully comprehend what she’d just told me, what it meant for us, but this was too much to get my head around.

I’d never experienced the feeling of being wanted, not in that way. Now my little sister, who I usually thought of as a kid, had just admitted a hidden longing for sex with me. What in God’s name was I supposed to do with that sort of knowledge?

That was when I became aware that Mum was standing in our doorway looking in, no doubt checking on us to make sure that we were all right. What she saw instead was her teenage daughters lying together, both naked from the waist down, my hand still resting on April’s belly.

On to Part Two!

By JB West

For helpful information about this story’s main characters, please consult The Girls and Women of Greenfield Tales

Part 1 – Coffee and Cream

Deena awakened the next morning to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon. Instinctively, she reached over for Cassidy, only to find the left side of the bed empty. Deena quickly put two and two together and, with a sheepish grin, realized that Cassidy was already up. This was a novel situation to find herself in. Usually, Deena was the one who woke up first and got the coffee going, while her lover would continue to slumber until Deena roused her with a flurry of kisses. And if that didn’t work, a couple of well placed tickles on the soles of her feet always did the trick.

She hopped out of bed and proceeded to do a quick twenty push-ups, followed by an equal number of sit-ups. In the midst of her exercise, she noticed all of their clothing from the night before, still carelessly strewn about on the floor. Rising to her feet, Deena picked up the discarded garments and threw them into the hamper in the closet, pausing to hold the bikini bottoms that Cassidy had worn up to her nose. She breathed in her lover’s sweet fragrance, smiling at the memory of removing the tiny piece of material… and what had happened afterward. Finally tossing them into the hamper with the rest, Deena threw on a pair of her gym shorts and one of her old police academy t-shirts, then padded out to the kitchen.

“Morning, babe,” Deena said as she saw Cassidy sitting at the table, one knee tucked up under her chin and phone in hand, perusing one of the many social media sites she enjoyed.

Cassidy looked up from her phone and smiled. “Hey.” She waved her lover over. “C’mere.”

Deena walked over, bent down and the women exchanged a brief but loving kiss. Glancing up at the stove top, Deena realized that the bacon was about to burn so she quickly turned off the burner. Serving  up equal portions on two plates, she set them on the table. She noticed that Cassidy had cut up pieces of fruit, placed them in a bowl and drizzled a small amount of a light whipped cream on top, something she loved.

Placing the bowl on the table, Deena poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down. “You’re up early,” she said.

“I’ve been up for a few hours already,” Cassidy replied, smiling. “All I did yesterday was sit by the pool or nap. I guess I didn’t need that much sleep.” She speared a piece of fruit from the bowl and popped it into her mouth. “Mmmmmm, this cream tastes good.” She winked at Deena. “Well, not as good as yours, but it’ll do.”

Deena chuckled and leaned in for another kiss. This one lasted longer and Deena could taste the whipped cream on Cassidy’s lips.

The women exchanged smiles, then fell silent for a couple of minutes while they ate breakfast, occasionally stealing a glance or a light peck on the lips. No words were needed. Deena loved these moments when she was able to quiet her thoughts and really feel the world around her. Knowing that she was with the woman she loved and that Cassidy loved her back in equal measure was a gift, one she would never take for granted.

Cassidy finally broke the silence. “What’s on your agenda for the day?” Knowing that Deena usually liked to spend her time off doing odd jobs around the house or in the yard.

“I was thinking of finally taking care of that loose hinge on the guest bedroom door and I want to run down to the hardware store and get some sealant for that crack in the driveway,” Deena said. “But I don’t want to stray too far from home, in case Mrs. Hayes calls.”

Cassidy cocked an eyebrow at that. “Oooooh, Mrs. Hayes. Do tell.”

Deena realized that she’d never gotten around to telling Cassidy about everything that had happened the day before. She quickly ran through the story about the accident, meeting little Katie and then her mother, Kim. The interminable wait at the hospital, having to be so close to Katie, all the while grappling with her own helpless desire for the child. Then there was Rachel and her darling daughter Emily. She described how the two little nymphs had both hugged her.

“I swear to God, I almost lost it. It took all I had to keep from kissing them right then and there in front of their mothers.”

An awed Cassidy slowly shook her head. “No wonder you were so worked up last night.” She leaned in to give Deena a long passionate kiss. “So, which girl were you imagining being with while you were riding my face?”

Deena turned bright red, then buried her face in her hands. “Katie,” She squeaked.

“And if you had the chance, would you treat her the same way you treated me last night?”

Deena raised her head and looked at Cassidy, an almost injured look on her face. “W-what? No, of course not. She’s just a little girl.”

Cassidy reached over and took Deena’s hand in hers. “Okay, good,” she said as she gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You were just so… wild last night. I don’t see that part of you very often.”

“Sorry if I was too rough,” Deena conceded. “I guess I was just a bit worked up… and needed to release all that pent-up energy.”

“You don’t need to apologize, babe,” Cassidy said, leaning in to place a light kiss on Deena’s cheek. “I was just a little worried. But I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”

It was then Deena’s turn to give Cassidy a kiss. She wanted to thank her for being so understanding, so wonderful, but couldn’t find the words to express herself in the moment. It didn’t matter, though, Cassidy could tell exactly what Deena was feeling, and the kiss was all the thanks she needed.

“So,” Cassidy continued, “If you were to ever get the chance, what would you like to do with this girl Katie?”

Deena flushed again as the memory of little Katie’s face popped into her head. “I want to hold her. Kiss her. I think if I could do that… I could die happy.” She gave a sheepish grin. “Not that I’d turn down the chance to do more with her… in fact, I’d be up for just about anything.”

“Sounds to me like you’re rather smitten with the girl,” Cassidy laughed.

Deena looked up at her lover. “You need to see her for yourself, babe. Then you’ll understand.”

Cassidy stood up and offered her hand. “Come on. Let’s go take a shower. Maybe I can make you forget all about her.”

They made love in the shower, and for a brief moment, Deena did put all thoughts of Katie aside. Afterwards, they dressed and cleaned up. Deena fixed that squeaky hinge, then went around the house checking all the other doors and windows.

Later, Deena drove down to the hardware store to get the sealant. On the way, thoughts of Katie and the things that she would like to do with the little angel were very much on her mind. Dirty thoughts, the kind that would horrify most people, but these fantasies of sex with a little girl fired Deena’s imagination like nothing else.

By the time Deena got home, her head was spinning with arousal. She couldn’t last much longer without another release of sexual energy.

Then she heard it. The sound of a phone ringing that wasn’t hers or Cassidy’s. Deena knew that the call must be from Kim. Her heart began to throb.

 

Part 2 – Just One Glass

The night before, Rachel and the girls had arrived back at the Connors’ home just a little before eleven o’clock. It had taken a while for Kim’s test results to come back and the doctor had spoken with Rachel extensively about what they meant. As Kim was in no immediate danger, the doctor saw no reason why she couldn’t go home the following day.

On the drive home from the hospital, Katie and Emily asked if they could have a slumber party. It had been a long time since the girls had seen each other, not since spring break back in March, and they wanted to sleep in the same bed. Rachel told the girls no, explaining that they’d all had an eventful day and needed a good night’s rest.

The girls protested, but Rachel made a deal with them. If they went to bed that night without any debate, and if Katie’s mom gave her permission, they could have their slumber party on the following night. Katie seemed ready to argue the point, but she interrupted herself with a gigantic yawn and began to nod off right then and there.

By the time they pulled into the driveway, Katie was fast asleep. Rachel had to carry her niece inside and up to her bed. As for Emily, she was barely able to make it up the stairs to the guest bedroom and get her clothes off before dozing off.

Once the girls were tucked in, Rachel went downstairs, curled up on the sofa and turned on the TV. The nightly news was already over and the late night talk shows were in full swing. She called her husband, letting him know what happened and informing him that she and Emily would be staying over for a few extra days. The doctor had told her that Kim needed to be monitored for a few days to make sure that there were no serious after effects from the head injury.

Michael was none too happy about his wife and daughter being gone so long, but understood the need for caution. Rachel told him she loved him and promised him that she’d make the wait worth his while upon her return. He liked that.

After hanging up, Rachel decided she could use a drink. She made her way to the kitchen, hoping to find an open bottle of wine. That’s when she saw the bloody scene that had been left behind from her sister’s accident. Rachel knew that she needed to deal with this mess before the girls saw it.

It took a while to get all the dried blood cleaned up but it wasn’t as bad as she expected, and much of the debris was already in the trash can. After getting the floor clean, Rachel took the trash out to the large receptacle in the garage, and then she was finally able to pour herself a glass of wine. Ever since the phone call from Officer Dean, she’d been a nervous wreck, so a drink was just what she needed.

After a few sips of what turned out to be an excellent wine, Rachel finally started to relax. She closed her eyes and listened to some situation comedy playing on the TV without paying much attention to it, and soon her mind began to wander.

She thought back on her day, but instead of focusing on her sister’s accident, Rachel’s thoughts kept returning to Officer Dean for some reason. She’d been told the woman’s first name at some point, but couldn’t recall it. She did, however, remember the younger woman’s face, especially her eyes. Those deep brown eyes. In a way they reminded Rachel of her own daughter’s, but without the same innocence that Emily’s eyes possessed. There was something behind them. Some kind of mystery to be solved. Yes, Officer Dean was a puzzle.

Rachel suddenly realized that she had unbuttoned her jeans, slipped a hand inside, and was lightly teasing her clitoris with two fingers. Her first instinct was to stop, but then she told herself, It’s been a long, stressful day. I deserve this.

Switching the TV off, Rachel wiggled out of her jeans. She left her shirt on, but skillfully unclasped her bra and tugged it off through her sleeve. She took a big gulp of wine and closed her eyes. Rachel felt a little weird about masturbating on the couch in her sister’s living room, but fuck it, she’d had enough wine to feel tipsy, and for some reason, she was horny as hell. The girls were sound asleep and there was no one else around to interrupt her.

Easing a hand into her panties, Rachel began to gently rub her aching clit. Another sip of wine, and she became increasingly rough with herself, pinching the sensitive bit of flesh between a finger and thumb, even tugging at it.

These sensations were driving Rachel wild, but she felt the need to be penetrated. Bringing her left hand into play, she stuffed two fingers into her vagina and began to fuck herself as hard and deep as she could. Her thick, warm juices were now flowing freely, and she used these to moisten the fingers of her right hand, then started rubbing her inflamed clitoris at a frenzied pace. Her hand was a blur between her trembling thighs.

All of a sudden Officer Dean’s face materialized in her mind’s eye — and that was when Rachel exploded in an orgasm that seemed like it might never end. She worked her cunt in a helpless frenzy, all the while picturing Officer Dean’s eyes. Those beautiful, soulful eyes.

Now, lying limp and panting for breath, Rachel withdrew two very wet fingers from her pussy, bringing them up to her mouth. She’d always loved the taste of herself, but for some reason her juices tasted extra sweet tonight.

Rachel pictured Officer Dean’s face again, this time wondering what her pussy tasted like. She laughed out loud at the thought. Rachel had come of age at a time when it was becoming more socially acceptable to be a lesbian, and while she never even thought of herself as bisexual, she had experimented with other girls when she was younger. She’d never had sex with another woman, but knew plenty of girls that did and had been propositioned a number of times. The furthest Rachel had ever gone was a bit of light making out with a few girls, and once she had accepted a dare to suck on a friend’s nipple for thirty seconds. Then, during her junior year of college, she met Michael and the rest was history. They were married two years later, and two years after that she was a mother.

It had been well over a decade since Rachel had even thought of another woman in a sexual way. So why was she thinking about this woman she’d only met briefly, and why were those thoughts turning her on so much? After mulling it over, she chalked it all up to the stress of the day and the jumble of emotions she’d been through.

Rachel cleaned up after herself, then went upstairs to the guest room, stripped off the rest of her clothes and slipped under the covers. One of her hands rested on top of her vulva, once again tracing tiny circles over her clit while images of the beautiful police officer played in her head. She didn’t masturbate again, but drifted off while touching herself.

The next morning she woke up, her hand in the same position, the bedding underneath her absolutely soaked.

 

Part 3 – New Friends

Cassidy heard the phone ringing. Just like Deena, she had been anticipating the call, but not for the same reason. She found the whole situation intriguing, and was very curious as to how everything would play out. Setting down the brush she was holding, Cassidy covered the canvas that she was working on with a thin cloth. She quickly washed her hands, then headed upstairs from the basement studio.

Deena was in the kitchen, talking on the other woman’s phone. “No, that sounds just fine.” She saw Cassidy emerge from the basement door and motioned her over.

As Cassidy drew closer to Deena she could hear the voice of the woman on the other end of the line, but couldn’t make out what she was saying.

“Are you sure you don’t need us to…?” Deena was cut off by a burst of animated talking. “Fine, that’s fine. Well, then, we’ll be over in a little while. See you then.”

Ending the call, Deena glanced up at Cassidy, a quizzical look on her face.

“What’s going on?” Cassidy asked.

“That was Rachel. She and Kim just invited me over for dinner to… to thank me properly for yesterday.” Deena’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and Cassidy thought it made her look very cute. “I asked if it would be okay to bring my fiancée, and she said ‘The more, the merrier.’ So… I guess that means we need to get cleaned up.”

Cassidy’s eyes widened at the realization that she was going to get to meet the young girls who had driven her lover wild — along with their mothers, who Deena had described as being quite attractive themselves. “And here I thought it was going to be another boring night at home,” Cassidy said with a smile.

The women showered and got dressed. Deena slipped into a pair of black yoga pants that showed off her rear nicely and a red high-collared sleeveless top, which she accented with a gray silk scarf. Cassidy chose a low-cut yellow top and a black miniskirt. A pair of black, low-heeled boots completed the girlish ensemble. They both wore little makeup, but Cassidy applied a hint of a floral-scented perfume that Deena liked. Appraising and approving one another, the two lovers were soon on their way.

Before arriving at the Connors’ home, they stopped by the supermarket to pick up a small bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine. The wine was a Spanish white that Cassidy often used to make wine spritzers, the perfect drink for a beautiful summer afternoon.

***

Kim Connors happened to look out the front window of her house just as Deena and Cassidy were pulling up to the curb,  and murmured, “Oh, dear.” She hadn’t expected her guests to arrive quite so soon. Kim was still doing a quick straightening of the living room, where the girls had been playing earlier, and hadn’t had the chance to clean up properly or even change yet.

“Rachel? They’re here,” she called out.

“What? Already?” Rachel said, hastening into the room from the kitchen, joining her sister to peer out the window. “Well, I did tell them to come over whenever they were able.”

Kim and Rachel watched as the passenger door of the vehicle opened, and Deena climbed out. But they were more interested in catching a glimpse of Deena’s fiancée, the one that they had only just found out about earlier that day.

When Cassidy emerged from the other side, you could have heard a pin drop. The two sisters turned to gape at one another in disbelief.

“D-D-Did you know…?” Kim stammered.

“I had no idea,” Rachel replied.

They turned their attention back to the woman walking up the front walk. “Wow, she’s really cute… like a Barbie doll.” Kim gasped. As their guests reached the porch, Kim hurried over to the door and opened it, just as Deena was about to ring the bell.

“Hello, hello. Come in, come in,” Kim said, opening the door wide. Deena stepped in, Cassidy close behind.

“These are for you,” Deena said to Kim, handing her the bouquet of flowers. “Oh, and this, of course,” she added, taking the woman’s cell phone from her purse. “I’m glad you’re doing better.”

Kim smiled. “Oh, I am… very much,” she said. “Thanks for asking.”

Moving in to join the others, Rachel hugged Deena. It was a completely spontaneous action, and she felt a tiny flutter in her belly as she did it. “It’s good to see you again, Deena,” she said.

“You too,” Deena said. She turned and motioned to Cassidy. “Ms. Connors, Ms. Hayes, this is Cassidy Page, my fiancée.”

“Hi.” Cassidy said, accompanied by a friendly wave. She handed the bottle of wine to Rachel, but her eyes were on Kim. “Thank you for having us. You have a lovely home.”

“Oh, thanks,” Kim replied, blushing a bit.

Rachel inspected the bottle, then looked at Cassidy and said, “Spanish wine. An excellent choice. I think I’m going to like you.”

Cassidy felt her cheeks flush. Deena had told her that these women were pretty, but she felt unprepared for just how attractive Kim and Rachel were… especially Kim.

The sisters appeared to be dressed in casual around-the-house clothes. Kim was wearing a pair of black shorts with a light pink button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. A light gauzy bandage was wrapped around her head, protecting the wound she’d sustained the day before. Her hair was covering most of the bandage, so it looked more like a bright white headband. Her feet were bare, her toenails painted bright red.

Rachel was wearing a pair of denim cutoffs, not nearly as short or revealing as the ones Cassidy had been wearing the day before but they accentuated her womanly form quite nicely. She had a loose-fitting, white tank top on over what appeared to be a red, orange and yellow striped bikini top. Cassidy couldn’t help but feel a strong sexual attraction to them both.

“Oh, and please, call me Kim,” Kim said.

“And I’m Rachel,” her sister said. “We’re all friends here.”

Just then, the moment was interrupted by the sound of a door banging shut, followed by two little girls bursting into the room. They raced straight over to Deena and all but threw themselves at the woman while shouting her name.

Watching this scene play out, Cassidy finally understood why just thinking about these youngsters had Deena so incredibly flustered. The smaller of the two was wearing a light purple, one-piece bathing suit with dark purple piping. The other girl wore a light green two-piece suit with dark green ruffles. Both of them were visibly wet, but not enough to drip on the carpet.

The girls were hugging Deena’s thighs much like they had the day before, causing some of the dampness from their suits to be absorbed by the thin material of her tight yoga pants.

Kim and Rachel hastened to free Deena from their children’s embrace. “Calm down, girls,” Rachel cautioned. “You’re going to get Deena all wet.”

Cassidy had to fight a sudden urge to giggle. Oh, she’s wet all right… just not in the way you think.

The girls then noticed Cassidy for the first time, their eyes widening at the sight of her..

“Hi, I’m Katie. Who are you?” asked the child in the purple one-piece, looking Cassidy up and down.

Cassidy knelt and looked the little girl in the eye, suddenly taken aback at what she saw.

This was the girl whose face she’d seen in her vision. The face she’d been trying to capture on her canvas. Who was this girl? She knew there was some deeper connection waiting to be discovered. She could also tell why Deena was so smitten — the child was absolutely gorgeous.

“I’m Cassidy.” she said, “Deena’s friend.”

“Are you and her getting married?” Katie asked.

“Yes,” Cassidy replied.

Katie scrunched up her nose a bit, thought it over for a second, then said, “I didn’t know a girl could marry a girl.”

Cassidy glanced up at Kim and Rachel. It was plain to see that the ladies had been expecting Deena to show up with a man. She wasn’t exactly sure how to handle this, but figured that an honest response was best. If the girls’ mothers had a problem with it, well tough — she wasn’t going to lie to a child, or deny her sexual identity.

“Sure they can, sweetie. A girl can marry anyone she loves.”

Katie thought about that for a few seconds, then said, “Cool. I’m gonna marry a girl when I grow up. Boys are icky.”

All the women began to laugh. Cassidy looked up again, pleased to see that Kim and Rachel were both smiling. It was obvious that these two ladies were open minded and accepting of others. How open minded remained to be seen, however.

Cassidy looked back at Katie and said, “I think so, too,” giving the girl a wink.

From there, the women and the girls proceeded to the back yard. Deena, Cassidy and the girls sat down in various lounge chairs that were grouped together near one end of the large swimming pool, while Rachel and Kim took drink orders and went back inside to fetch them.

Cassidy could tell just from looking that this pool was larger than theirs. She also spied a hot tub in a screened-off area to the side of the patio. She was fairly certain that, based on the angles of the architecture and the tree lines around the edges of the yard, that nobody off the property could see into the hot tub area. Perfect for skinny dipping.

The hostesses soon returned with their beverages — juice for the girls, an iced tea for Kim, and white wine spritzers for Rachel and their guests.

For the next couple of hours, the ladies conversed on a wide range of topics. The girls were constantly in and out of the pool, occasionally racing around the patio in their wet swimsuits. Deena and Cassidy both enjoyed watching them, but the flow of the conversation kept them from paying too much attention to the little water nymphs.

Eventually the girls started to complain about being hungry, so the group moved back indoors, where everybody pitched in to make dinner. Kim and Rachel told their guests that they didn’t have to help out, but Deena and Cassidy insisted. It ended up being a lot of fun, working as a team to create a meal they would all enjoy together.

They ate outside on the patio, basking in the early evening sun. Around six o’clock Deena pointed out that it had been twenty-four hours since Kim’s accident. Everybody remarked on what a crazy day it had been, but agreed that it hadn’t been a complete calamity, because of the new friends they had made. A toast was made to friendship, then one to Kim’s health and another to Deena’s heroism, followed by a final toast for the two little girls, so that they wouldn’t feel left out.

After dinner, the girls insisted that they play a game. The only one they all could agree on was Charades. They played for about an hour and, in the process, discovered what a good actress Emily was. She was able to act out every clue she was given so well, that the team of herself, Cassidy and Kim won every round except for the last, when Emily intentionally flubbed a few of the clues because she wanted to make sure Katie’s team won at least once.

When the game was over, it was just after seven o’clock. Rachel and Kim informed their daughters that it was time to start getting ready for bed.

“Aww, do we have to? Emily pouted.

“You said we could have a slumber party and stay up late.” Katie pointed out.

“You don’t have to go to bed yet, but go put your nighties on and brush your teeth. You can watch any movie you want. But when it’s over, it’s bedtime for you both, okay?”

The girls cheered and ran inside. The four women started to clean up the remains of their meal, but this time Kim and Rachel insisted that their guests relax and let them handle it.

As soon as Cassidy and Deena were alone, Cassidy perched on the arm of her lover’s chair and they exchanged a long, passionate kiss.

“Holy shit!” Cassidy exclaimed, once they finally drifted apart. “You were not exaggerating. Those girls are exquisite. So cute. So delicious.”

“Right?” Deena said, grinning foolishly. Tilting her head back, she gave Cassidy another long kiss. Again, it was very heated, and Deena could feel herself getting turned on.  Suddenly Cassidy broke away and looked down into Deena’s eyes, a serious look on her face.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Cassidy said. “This morning, I woke up because of the buzzing.”

Deena’s expression immediately turned serious as well. Cassidy hadn’t mentioned the “buzz” in a very long time. So long, in fact, that Deena had nearly forgotten it existed. She took Cassidy’s hands in hers.

“Tell me.”

“I had to calm it,” Cassidy began, “I was standing at the mirror, counting down to zero like I always do… but then, at the end of it, I had a vision. A child’s face.” She paused. “Katie’s face.”

“You did?” Deena exclaimed. “Are you — you’re sure it was her?”

Cassidy nodded. “The instant our eyes met.”

“But… why? What’s that about?”

“I don’t know what it means, baby.” Cassidy said.

“Maybe it’s because she was on my mind last night.” Deena said. “Even after we finished making love and were lying there holding each other, I was still, um, having thoughts about her. Maybe you somehow picked up on that.”

“Maybe.” Cassidy said with a shrug. “It feels way too specific to be a coincidence. I think that whatever is happening here… it’s happening for a reason. I just don’t know what it is.”

The two women stared at each other for a long moment before they were suddenly interrupted by a young girl’s voice. “Deena. Cassidy. It’s movie time.”

Deena squeezed Cassidy’s hands in hers and kissed her again. “Whatever it is, babe… we’ll figure it out together.”

On to Chapter Four!

by Girl Lover

Seventeen-year-old Jill quickly scrawled I LOVE YOU, MOM & DAD. HAPPY BIRTHDAY on the card and put it in the side pocket of her backpack. Both her parents’ birthdays were coming up in a couple of weeks and because the dates were so close, they always picked a day in the middle and celebrated together. Jill hated that she wasn’t able to think of anything better than “Happy Birthday” to put on the card. Writing wasn’t her strong suit, but her parents would understand everything that her simple message entailed.

Jill closed the door of her locker as she waited for her two best friends Wendy and Tracy to finish checking their make-up. Wendy slammed her locker door closed, closely followed by Tracy, and the three girls set off down the hall of McCallum Middle-High School. It was Monday, they’d just received the new schedule for the football games and were already making plans. Being the head cheerleaders, they were the most popular girls in the school and knew it. More than that, they loved it. They didn’t walk down the hall, they strutted. Every guy wanted to be with them, and every girl wanted to be them.

Heading to the practice field, Jill and her friends commented disparagingly on the assembly that they’d just left. Every year, the fifth-grade students presented their science reports to the entire school. Having to sit through twenty of these had put Wendy in a bad mood.

“I thought those stupid reports would never end!” she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “And the little shits just kept coming. After one little fucker would leave, another would come and start running their mouth about mammals or volcanoes. I almost walked out.”

“Like you could’ve gotten past Fanny,” Tracy remarked. Fanny was the robust school custodian and hall monitor, physically able to deal with even the largest boys.

“I could’ve handled her,” Wendy retorted.

Walking outside and onto the playing field, they saw that the new middle-school girls were there, applicants waiting and hoping for a chance to join the cheerleading squad. Jill, Wendy, and Tracy seated themselves in the front row of the bleachers, then watched as each girl went through the dance moves. Once a girl was done, the three of them would have a quick conference, then announce a decision, accepting some girls and rejecting others.

“Next!” Wendy yelled.

A small, chubby fifth-grade girl hesitantly stepped up, clearly very nervous. All three snickered at her. “What the hell are you?! You actually think you can be a cheerleader?!” Tracy chortled.

“Get out of here, you fat pig!” Wendy told her, and their snickering became outright laughter as the girl slowly walked away, her lips quivering, shoulders slumped.

The rest of the day went by and during lunch, as the three walked over to their table, Wendy stopped at the fifth-graders’ table in front of the chubby girl they’d made fun of earlier. Glaring down at her lunch, Wendy exclaimed, “No wonder you’re so fat, you pig!” The other fifth-graders burst out laughing at this remark, and the three walked on.

As they seated themselves, Jill glanced over at the fifth-grader, sitting alone at her table. A few of the other fifth-graders were still snickering, and one of them mockingly called out her name. Linda. She watched as Linda then abruptly got up and quickly left the cafeteria. She frowned at this.

Tracy saw the frown. “What’s with you?”

Jill turned to Wendy and Tracy. “You didn’t have to be that mean to her.”

Wendy’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you care? She’s nobody.”

***

That afternoon as school let out and Jill was about to walk home, she happened to glance up the sidewalk and saw Linda slowly walking home, her head hanging down, shoulders quivering. Jill was sure she was crying.

She sighed. It’s just part of being popular, she told herself, making fun of other kids. But Wendy’s just being nasty, and Tracy’s totally following her lead. 

Then Jill had a thought that made her shiver. Am I any better than they are? After all, I laughed at that girl and called her names, too! I helped make her cry. Suddenly, she felt sick inside.

Jill trudged home, feeling numb with guilt. I don’t want to be a mean person, she thought. I don’t! I should tell Wendy and Tracy to lay off, leave this girl alone. 

***

Linda slowly walked home to the trailer park. Picking her way along the littered dirt path leading to the cramped trailer that she lived in, she slowly opened the door and peered anxiously inside, only to see her mom passed out on the couch. Her clothes were filthy, and her body reeked of going for several days without bathing. A half-empty bottle of whiskey stood on the table beside her. The drink which caused her mother to be such an ugly, hateful person. Tiptoeing quietly, Linda took the bottle, then turned towards the bathroom to pour it out.

“What d’ya think yeeer doing?!” a drunken slur sounded behind her.

Linda turned around, paling in fright as she clutched the bottle against her chest, “It’s b-bad for you, Mama.” As she watched her mother rise up and stagger towards her, Linda began to tremble violently. “It makes you mean.”

But her pleas were ignored as her mother snatched the bottle out of Linda’s hand, shoving her to the floor. “Didn’t I tell you what I’d do if you ever touched my shit?!” Her mother picked up a belt that was draped over the back of a chair.

Linda tried to get up, her voice coming out in stutters, “I-I-I want to help y-y-you, Mama.”

“I don’t need your help,” her mother sneered menacingly, raising the belt.

***

The next day, Wendy and Tracy continued to torment Linda in the hall, calling her Piggy. Jill considered asking them to let the girl be, but then backed down, not wanting to be on the receiving end of her friends’ venom.

When the bell rang for lunch, instead of accompanying Wendy and Tracy to the cafeteria, as usual, Jill said she wasn’t hungry and went outside, not wanting to be with them. She slowly strolled along the sidewalk, watching the other middle-school kids at recess. Following the walkway around the perimeter of the yard, she approached the equipment shed, pausing when she heard a sniffling sound coming from behind it.

Quietly walking to the back corner, she peeked around and, to her surprise, saw the fifth-grade girl from yesterday, hunkered down against the shed, bent over and sobbing. Her face was hidden by her arms, her body slightly shuddering.

Jill watched her sorrowfully, not knowing what to do, then Linda glanced up and spied her. Eyes widening in dread, she gasped quietly in her sobbing voice, “P-please don’t hurt me anymore.”

For a moment, Jill stood there stunned, then said quietly, “Linda…”

“Please, g-go away,” Linda’s voice choked through the tears.

There was nothing else Jill could say. Hearing the agony in this little ten-year-old girl’s voice, it was only then that Jill finally saw what she and her friends had become. As quietly as she came, she departed, numb with shame and pondering on what to do about it.

***

The last class of the day had just ended. Jill had just closed her locker and stepped into the bathroom when she saw Tracy cornering Linda. The little girl’s face had terror written all over it. She tried to escape, but Tracy blocked her way.

In disbelief, Jill asked, “What’s going on?”

Tracy laughed, “Having a little fun with Piggy. See how stringy her hair is? We’re gonna wash it for her… in the toilet, that is!”

“No,” Jill said, shaking her head. “You’re not doing that. This is going too far.”

Wendy stepped in front of her, locking her eyes on Jill, “What’s your problem?! Why are you sticking up for this little cunt?”

Jill glanced at Linda’s frightened face, then back at Wendy. “This isn’t funny!”

Tracy came over as Wendy lowered her tone menacingly, “I’m not trying to be funny.”

“But… why?” Jill cried. “What did she ever do to you?”

Wendy rolled her eyes. “Oh, my God.” Then, speaking as if to a child, she said, “Look, Jill. We make the rules. It’s our school, not hers. This little pig… she’s beneath us. We run the world, she,” Wendy jerked a thumb at the cowering Linda, “scrubs the fucking floors, and it’s our job to make sure she never forgets that. It’s the way high school works. It’s the way life works.”

“So you need to ask yourself,” Tracy added, now holding tightly to Linda’s arm, “which side you’re on, Jill. With us, or with her.” She punctuated the last word with a careless slap to the whimpering girl’s cheek. “Shut it, fatty!”

For the first time in all the years that she’d known Wendy, Jill looked into her eyes and felt fear at what she saw. Then she stared at Linda, struck by the terrified, pleading look the little girl gave her…

….and she shoved Wendy hard, causing her to stumble backward, careening into Tracy. The two of them fell to the ground in a heap. Jill seized Linda’s hand and ran out of the locker room. Quickly running through the gym and into the hall, Jill’s mind raced in utter panic, trying to work out what she should do. Not wanting to confront Tracy or Wendy at their lockers, Jill decided to take Linda home and then go home herself.

Still clutching the younger girl by the hand, Jill led her to the street, moving in the direction that she saw Linda going in on the previous day. When they came to an intersection, Jill stopped and they rested.

“Are you all right?” she asked Linda, who was wide-eyed and breathing hard. The girl didn’t respond, apparently still in shock over what had just happened. Jill touched her arm, getting her attention. “I’m going to take you home, okay?” Linda nodded. “Where do you live?”

Linda pointed down the street. They headed in that direction and, upon coming to another intersection, Jill saw Linda turn to the right, so she followed the younger girl down that street till she saw Linda stop in front of a small, run-down trailer. Neither of them had spoken a word for the last few minutes; now, they looked at each other.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jill mumbled quietly before walking off. As she came to the corner of the street and was about to head home herself, Jill turned to look back and was surprised to see the little girl still standing in the same spot, watching her.

On her way home, Jill reflected on what had happened. They were just having some fun with Linda when she’d turned up at the cheerleader tryouts. She never meant for things to spin so wildly out of control, and certainly didn’t expect Wendy to go as far as she had. And that’s what scared her — because Jill knew that going against her friends in such a drastic way had landed herself squarely on the outside with Linda. Now Wendy would be going after her as well.

That night, she laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering how everything had gone so wrong so suddenly, and what she should do about it.

***

The next morning, Jill left her house early. Coming to the parking lot of the school, she waited, watching for Linda. Eventually, Jill saw the girl slowly walking towards the school and approached her. When Linda saw Jill, she paused in mid-step, wondering what was going on.

“Hi,” Jill addressed her somberly. “ I was, uh… going to walk you inside to make sure nobody bothered you.”

Linda followed silently as they walked towards the building and inside. Neither spoke as they headed for Linda’s locker. Jill saw that the girl looked really nervous, and couldn’t blame her.

As Jill kept her eyes open for any signs of Wendy or Tracy, she heard Linda’s small, confused voice, “Why are you doing this?”

Jill said quietly, “I’m trying to do the right thing.” They stopped at Linda’s locker and Jill, suddenly unable to meet the younger girl’s gaze, stared down at her shoes. “I want to apologize. I’m not asking you to accept it, because I’ll never be able to undo what I did. I don’t know why I was mean to you. I — I don’t know who I was, but I’m trying to be a better person. All I know is that I don’t want to just say ‘I’m sorry’ and leave it at that. I want to be your friend, to try and make up for everything.”

For a moment, Linda just looked at her, then gathered her books for first period and headed to class. Jill followed alongside, escorting her to class, glaring at any of the other kids who tried to say or do anything.

After Linda stepped inside her classroom, Jill went to her own locker, expecting to see Wendy and Tracy there, but they weren’t. Surprised but still expecting something, she cautiously approached her locker and her face fell when she saw what was written on it in permanent ink, so it couldn’t be easily cleaned off. It read, PIGGY’S LOVER.

So it begins, Jill sadly thought. How the mighty have fallen.

“Honestly, I don’t know how some people can love pigs,” Wendy’s voice sounded behind her.

“Pigs love to live in filth,” Tracy responded. Turning around, she saw Wendy, Tracy, and half a dozen other cheerleaders walking past, looking at her disdainfully.

At lunchtime, avoiding her usual table, she carried her lunch tray along, scanning the room for Linda. She spied the girl, sitting at a table by herself, and walked over. As she set her tray down, Linda looked up at her in disbelief.

Jill sat down and picked at her food nervously, taking a few bites. Noticing that Linda only had a piece of celery, Jill asked, “Where’s your lunch?”

“I… I’m trying to lose weight,” Linda replied quietly.

Jill winced. “Please, Linda, forget those awful things we said. Be yourself.” She handed Linda her slice of pizza, “Here.”

Linda looked at Jill. “B-but it’s your lunch.”

“Please eat it,” Jill encouraged her. Linda hesitantly took a bite.

While they ate, Jill noticed many of the other high schoolers watching them and whispering among themselves. She knew what they were saying and thought it really hurt, this was the right thing to do.

***

After school, Jill quickly gathered her things and went to Linda’s locker, reaching it just as the girl was about to leave. “Hi, uh…I wanted to make sure that nobody bothered you on the way home.”

Linda’s mournful face brightened a bit — and it struck Jill that this sad little girl had a nice smile. In fact, despite being slightly overweight, she was actually sort of cute.

They exited the school and set off. After walking in silence for a while, Jill asked, “So… what do you like to do?” Linda looked at her questioningly. “I mean, do you have any hobbies that you like?”

“Why?” Linda replied in her small voice.

“I want to get to know you. See what you’re like.”

Linda thought for a bit, then quietly replied, “I like to draw.”

“Oh? What do you draw?”

Another quiet reply, “Animals.”

“Okay, what kinds of movies do you like?”

“I don’t know. We really haven’t seen any movies.”

“Who’s we?” Jill asked.

“Me and my sister.”

“What else do you like to do besides draw?”

“I collect rocks.”

“Rocks?”

“Not regular rocks. Special ones. Like crystals.”

Their conversation continued along similar lines, with Jill asking questions and Linda answering. Jill soon decided that this shy young girl was more interesting than she first appeared to be.

When they arrived at Linda’s trailer, Jill told her, “Well, bye. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Linda replied. And for the first time, she smiled.

Jill smiled back and, with a friendly wave, turned to head back to her own house. At the corner, she turned and glanced back. Linda was watching her, just like she had on the previous day. Jill waved again, and Linda did the same.

***

Friday, the last day of the week. Normally, Jill would have been making plans with Wendy and Tracy for the weekend, but things were different now. And it wasn’t just Wendy and Tracy. A lot of people who she thought were her friends had turned against her. She was an outcast, just like Linda, which made Jill want to be her friend all the more.

That day went the same as the one before. Jill ignored the comments and mocking glances and ate with Linda again. When school let out, they walked home together.

“Do you have any plans for this weekend?” Jill asked. Linda shook her head. “What do you do for fun?”

The ten-year-old shrugged. “Play with my sister.”

“Don’t you go anywhere, like the mall?”

“Mama won’t let us,” Linda answered.

As they walked, Linda suddenly stooped to pick up a rock. As she studied it, Jill looked at it too, asking, “Are you going to keep it for your collection?” Linda nodded. “How many rocks do you have?”

“About…” Linda thought for a while then said, “…twenty.”

“I’d like to see them,” Jill remarked as they approached Linda’s home.

Linda looked at her with a confused look, “You want to see… my rocks?”

“Sure. Is that okay?”

“They’re nothing special. You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

Linda thought for a bit. “Mama won’t be home till later, so I guess it’s okay if you come in.”

When they reached the trailer, Linda opened the door, letting them both in. Jill immediately noticed a stark difference between her home and Linda’s. Whereas Jill’s family was well-off and lived in a clean, elegant home, Linda’s was the complete opposite. Following her through the cluttered, dirty living room, they came to a tiny space, not much larger than a closet, that turned out to be Linda’s bedroom.

Taking out a small shoebox, Linda placed it on the bed. Jill looked at the several small rocks as Linda picked up a particular one. “This is my favorite.”

Jill studied the quartz crystal with interest. “That’s really cool.”

“You really think so? You’re not just saying that?”

“Yeah. I really like it.”

Suddenly, Jill heard a small squeak behind her. Turning around, she spied a little girl peeking around the corner at her. “This is my sister, Emma.” Linda motioned to the girl to come in. The girl entered, staring at Jill in awe. “Emma, this is Jill.”

“Hi,” Jill greeted her, but no reply came from the little girl. “Hello?” she tried again, to no avail.

“She doesn’t talk much around strangers,” Linda explained.

Jill looked around at Linda’s sparsely decorated room. There were a few drawings hanging on the wall, which were quite good. As Jill looked at them, Linda told her a little something about each one.

Suddenly, the little girl Emma spoke up. “How old are you?”

Jill turned in surprise. “Seventeen.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “I’m eight,” she said.

Jill heard the front door open and saw Linda and Emma become wide-eyed with alarm. Linda raced over to the window, quickly raising it and quietly motioning for Jill to crawl out. Confused, but stirred by the younger girls’ urgency, Jill did as her new friend said, with Linda whispering, “Meet me by those trees,” pointing to a nearby grove as Jill’s feet hit the ground.

Jill hurried over to the stand of trees and waited, wondering what was going on. A couple of minutes later, Linda and Emma emerged from the trailer, both girls running towards her.

“Sorry about that,” Linda said when she reached Jill, slightly out of breath. “I’m not supposed to have anyone inside.”

“C’mon! You can see our secret place,” cried Emma. She took Jill’s hand, pulling her along.

Amused by the little girl’s excitement, Jill let herself be led through the grove until they came to a cluster of three trees growing together. A ramshackle collection of plywood, boards and other junk was heaped together into some sort of structure. Emma pulled open a door and walked in, and Jill followed with Linda close behind.

Inside the cobbled-together room, there was a queen-size mattress, a table, some books, some games and a few toys. Everything looked as if it had been found on the side of the road.

“Me and Emma built this ourselves,” Linda said.

“So we can hide from Mama,” Emma piped in.

“Emma!” Linda shushed her.

Emma went over to the table and pointed, “See, we got checkers and Momo-poly.”

“Monopoly,” Linda corrected her.

“That’s what I said.” Opening the Monopoly box, she asked hopefully, “D’ya wanna play? It’s really fun.”

Jill smiled at her enthusiasm, “Okay.” As Emma eagerly set the board up, Jill turned to Linda, “What else do you guys do for fun?”

Linda shrugged. “Just whatever.”

“Do you ever go anywhere?”

Linda thought, then said, “There was an art museum that my class went to earlier this year. I really liked it, but we weren’t able to see everything.”

“Where was it?”

“Our teacher said it was at the university.”

Jill thought out loud, “Art museum at the university… hmm, that must be the Blanton Art Museum at UT. Want to go there tomorrow?”

Linda looked at her, stunned, “What?”

“Would you like to go? I could drive us there.”

“Really?! Oh, that would be so awesome. You’d really do that?”

“Of course.”

Emma asked, “Can I come?”

Jill grinned at her. “Sure you can.”

Emma finished setting up the Monopoly game, then, then they played for a while. After an hour, Jill told them, “I need to go home now. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t come to the door, okay?” Linda said. “Just knock on my window.”

“Okay,” Jill replied, frowning slightly at the odd request. “Bye, then.”

“Bye,” the younger girls replied, and Jill opened the door and took her leave. She set off for home, but upon reaching the street, looked back to see Linda watching her. Jill waved, and Linda waved back, wearing a huge smile.

***

On Saturday when Jill awakened, she briefly thought about how different today was going to be without her old friends, but quickly pushed that aside, looking forward to spending the day with her new friends.

It’s funny how much I’ve come to like Linda, she mused. There’s something so real about her, compared to the girls I used to hang out with. She’s a sweet kid, too — guess I forgot what it’s like to spend time with someone who’s actually nice. And I love her smile… makes me wonder why we and my idiot friends treated her like she was ugly. She isn’t, not at all.

Finally, she got up and fixed breakfast, wondering what else she and the girls could do after the museum. Remembering that there was also a science museum at UT, she decided that Linda would especially enjoy it because of the gem and mineral collection inside.

After breakfast, Jill showered and got dressed, then borrowed her mom’s car and drove over to Linda’s trailer. Going over to the window, she knocked softly. Seconds later, the curtain whisked back and Emma’s face appeared, breaking into a big grin. Linda appeared beside her and pulled up the window, putting a finger to her lips like she did yesterday. First Emma carefully crawled out, then Linda, and then they got into Jill’s car and drove off.

Their outing was a huge success. The girls really enjoyed both museums, and Linda was so happy that Jill found her delight to be positively contagious. As they ate lunch at a nearby restaurant, Jill asked, “Hey, what do you think about spending the night at my house?”

“I — I can’t,” Linda replied sadly.

“Well… what if I spend the night at your place, in that little shack you built? I could bring my sleeping bag. It’s big enough to hold all of us.”

Emma’s eyes lit up, “Oh, that would be so cool.”

“I’d love to,” Linda replied, her eyes sparkling.

Once again, Jill found herself dwelling on this little girl’s pretty face.

***

That night, Jill grabbed her sleeping bag and told her parents that she was going to spend the night camping in the backyard of a friend. Walking through the streets until she arrived at Linda’s trailer, she met her friend just outside. Together, they went to the little handmade bungalow, where Emma was already setting up the Monopoly game.

After they played for a while, Emma unrolled the sleeping bag and crawled inside. “This is so cool!” she exclaimed.

Jill took off her pants and reached under her shirt to pull off her bra, then got in beside Emma. Linda joined them without undressing. It was snug, but they were all able to fit inside.

“You’re going to sleep in your clothes?” Jill asked.

“Yeah,” was all Linda said. She seemed reluctant to undress. For some reason, that bothered Jill. What’s she being all shy about? she wondered but didn’t comment.

After a minute of lying quietly, Emma asked, “Can you sing the bird song, Linda?”

As Emma lay facing away from her sister, Linda rubbed her back and, to Jill’s surprise, began to sing in a gentle voice.

Early each day to the steps of St Paul’s, the little old bird woman comes.
In her own special way, to the people she calls, ‘Come buy my bags full of crumbs.’
Come feed the little birds. Show them you care and you’ll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry. Their nests are so bare. All it takes is tuppence from you…

Jill listened, spellbound as the song drew her in and held her. By the time Linda had finished,  Emma was sound asleep. Linda rolled over to face Jill, smiling sheepishly.

“That was beautiful,” Jill whispered, not wanting to wake Emma.

“Sometimes when she can’t fall asleep, I sing to her. I — I’ve never sang in front of anyone else, though.” Linda giggled nervously.

“I liked it.”

They talked quietly until Linda too grew tired and drifted off. Jill closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but was unable to. No matter what she did, she couldn’t relax enough to feel tired, and she knew why. She was feeling aroused in a big way, and knew what she needed to do to satisfy this bothersome itch.

Glancing at Linda beside her to make sure the girl really was asleep, Jill carefully slid a hand into her panties. Slipping two fingers inside while rubbing her clit with her thumb, she slowly but firmly began to move them in and out.

Jill soon realized that she wanted to look at Linda as she masturbated. Her breathing quickly became heavier as she gazed at the little girl lying peacefully beside her. Her rubbing became more frantic, then she suddenly found relief, biting her lower lip to keep from crying out loud.

Now out of breath and tingling all over, Jill withdrew her hand from her wet panties and relaxed. She continued to stare at Linda, wondering how this little girl could have such an effect on her. It wasn’t as if Linda was some hot, gorgeous babe. Not that Jill had ever been attracted to another girl before. And she was so young, only ten.

Jill didn’t know what to make of these feelings. They confused her.

***

The next morning, Jill opened her eyes and, for a second, wondered where she was. Seeing Linda sleeping beside her, she remembered. With a troubled sigh, she mused about what happened last night. Jill had always thought of herself as straight, but she could no longer deny that there was something about this little girl that turned her on.

Reaching out, she gently took Linda’s hand in hers. She didn’t intend to wake Linda up, but then the ten-year-old’s eyes fluttered open.

Linda looked at her hand in Jill’s. Not knowing what else to say, Jill murmured, “Is this okay?” giving Linda’s hand a little squeeze.

Linda paused then replied, “Yeah,” breaking into a smile.

“Mmmm, I’m starving. What have you got for breakfast?” Jill asked.

The little girl’s smile vanished. “Um… I don’t know. I’ll go and see.”

Sensing potential trouble, Jill quickly said, “That’s okay. I’ll take us to McDonald’s. My treat.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that. Me and Emma…”

“I want to.”

Linda sighed, then nodded, “Thank you.”

They talked for a while, and when Emma woke up, they got dressed and went to McDonald’s for breakfast. Afterward, Jill took the girls to The Thinkery, a children’s science museum that Jill knew Linda would enjoy. All the while, Jill kept thinking about how much she enjoyed being with this girl… and what it would be like to kiss her.

On to Chapter Two!

By JB West

For helpful information about this story’s main characters, please consult The Girls and Women of Greenfield Tales

Part 1 – Sundown

Deena Dean left the hospital around nine o’clock after skillfully extricating herself from the embrace of the two little nymphs without embarrassing herself or tipping her hand. She said a quick round of goodbyes, then made a hasty exit, nearly running by the time she got back to her cruiser. Once inside, shielded by the dark tinted windows, she thrust a hand down to her crotch. Even through the thick polyester blend of her uniform pants, she could feel the wetness that was leaking out of her.

“Fuck!” Deena hissed. Sexual frustration seethed inside her, threatening to boil over. But any real release would have to wait. She wasn’t about to masturbate in her squad car in the middle of a hospital parking lot. Hell, the sun hadn’t even set yet. No, she’d have to wait until she got home to release all this pent-up energy.

First, though, Deena had to go back to the station house and write up the report on the incident. She was already more than two hours past the end of her shift, but that was hardly unusual. Normally, she would’ve put off doing the paperwork until the next morning, but she had the day off tomorrow and knew the Captain wouldn’t let it slide that long.

Deena pulled into the station house lot a few minutes later and parked in her designated spot. She headed inside, passing the watch commander with a quick nod, and proceeded to her desk. Quickly writing up her report, Deena signed it, left the finished product on her captain’s desk, and was out the door moments later.

When Deena arrived home, it was just before ten o’clock. She entered the house and noticed that all the lights were off but the TV had been left on. Taking off her shoes, she padded into the living room to find her lover on the couch, lying on her side like always, one arm curled beneath the pillow supporting her head, the other lodged firmly between her creamy thighs. In the soft blue glow of the television, her face looked like that of an angel sleeping beneath the surface of a cool, clear lake.

Deena sat down on the edge of the couch, her hip resting against her lover’s forearm. She gently ran the back of her hand across the woman’s face, tracing the edge of her jawline from chin to ear and back again. She brushed her lover’s lips with the tip of her thumb, admiring how soft and full they were like she’d done so many times before.

Leaning in close, Deena whispered into the sleeping beauty’s ear. “Cassidy. Cassidy. Oh, my lovely Cassidy. Wake up, sweetheart.”

Cassidy’s eyes fluttered open and she looked up at her fiancée. A sleepy smile graced her face as she reached up with her hand to brush aside a few stray hairs that had fallen across Deena’s forehead.

“When did you get home?” Cassidy mumbled through the veil of a half-remembered dream. A small yawn escaped her parted lips and she wriggled a bit, working out a small kink in her back. Deena wrapped an arm around Cassidy’s waist and helped her to sit up.

“Just a minute ago,” Deena replied. “How long have you been asleep out here?”

“I don’t know. What time is it?”

“Ten,” Deena said, after a glance at the clock on the wall..

“Not that long, then. I started watching that doctor show you like, and it comes on at nine. I know I was awake through the first commercial break at least.”

Deena had to chuckle at that. In their circle of friends, Cassidy was infamous for being the one who was always the most excited to watch some new movie or popular TV show, but would inevitably fall asleep about fifteen or twenty minutes in. Every time, without fail. The girl could party until the crack of dawn and still be going strong, but put her in a quiet room and turn down the lights, and she was gone.

The two women gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment, then simultaneously leaned in for a kiss. Their mouths met, and the electricity that they felt with every kiss passed between them. A small moan escaped from Cassidy’s lips, a louder one from Deena’s. They both laughed, knowing full well what those moans meant.

“Take me to bed,” Cassidy whispered.

Standing up, Deena pulled Cassidy to her feet an instant later. The two lovers each wrapped an arm around the other, then headed to the bedroom, exchanging kisses and helping each other out of their clothes along the way.

That was when Kim’s cell phone fell out of Deena’s pants pocket.

God damn it! Deena thought, gritting her teeth. In her haste to leave the hospital, she’d neglected to return Ms. Connors’ phone to her.

“What’s that?” Cassidy asked.

“It’s a phone that belongs to a woman I helped today. The emergency I texted you about earlier. I can’t believe I forgot to give it back to her!”

“Oh, right. How did that turn out, the emergency?”

“I’ll tell you all about it, but first I need to make a call.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, babe, but I probably shouldn’t let this wait.”

By this time, they were in the bedroom, much of their clothing already shed. Deena was still wearing her underwear and socks, while Cassidy had managed to strip down to just her bikini bottoms.

Deena sat down at the end of the bed, absently noticing that Cassidy hadn’t bothered to make it up. Well, whatever, we’re just gonna be messing it up again in a few minutes. She unlocked the phone, using the password little Katie had given her earlier: 0-1-2-3-1-4, the child’s birthday. A quick shiver ran through her as she remembered Katie’s sweet face. Shaking her head to clear it, Deena dialed Rachel’s phone. The call connected after just one ring.

“Hello?” Rachel said.

“Hello, Mrs. Hayes. It’s Officer Dean. Um, from earlier tonight?”

“Oh, hello. What a nice surprise. Hang on, I’m gonna put you on speaker.” There was a light fumbling sound, then, “Girls. Say hello to Officer Dean.”

The phone immediately erupted into a cacophony of sound, the little girls shouting hellos to their new friend.

“So, what can I do for you, officer?” Rachel asked.

“Well, it’s not so much what you can do as what I forgot to do. You see, I’m calling you right now using your sister’s phone because, well, I forgot to give it back to her. I was going to stick it into her purse at the hospital, but then in all the commotion, it slipped my mind. I just got home a few minutes ago and realized I still had it on me.”

“Oh, that’s no problem. We can come by the station tomorrow to get it.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not on duty tomorrow. I was hoping I could swing by the house sometime tomorrow morning and drop it off if that’s okay.”

Of course, it would have been no problem at all for Deena to drop the phone off at the station, but it had just occurred to her that she now had a good excuse to see little Katie and her equally adorable cousin Emily again.

Glancing up at Cassidy, Deena saw that her partner was attempting her best striptease with what little clothing she had left. She had both thumbs looped into the waistband of her bikini bottoms, pulling the front panel slightly away from her body and up, causing the material to wedge snugly against her plump pussy lips, creating a delectable looking camel toe. At the same time, Deena could hear the giggles of the two little girls over the phone. The juxtaposition of visual and auditory stimulation caused her to release an audible groan. Fuck, she was turned on.

Either Rachel hadn’t heard the groan or she paid it no mind. “That might be a bit of a problem. You see, Kim’s CT scan came back negative tonight, so the doctor said he’ll most likely be discharging her tomorrow around 10 AM.”

“That’s wonderful news,” Deena replied.

“But we won’t be around the house for you to be able to stop by.”

That’s when Katie chimed in, “What if she comes by after we get home from the hospital, Aunt Rachel? It’s not like Mommy needs her phone for anything before then anyway.”

“Oh, Katie, you’re a genius. Why didn’t I think of that?” Rachel said. If Deena had been on the other end of the call, she would have seen Katie shrug her shoulders and give her aunt a look that said, I don’t know. You’re the adult here. Why didn’t you think of it?

“Yeah, okay,” Rachel continued, “so we’ll give you a call on Kim’s phone when we get home from the hospital tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Deena said. “I’ll be waiting.”

“Well, thanks again for everything, Officer Dean. Say goodbye, girls.” Another cacophony of sound nearly broke Deena’s eardrum but made her smile nonetheless.

“Bye.” Deena said just before the line disconnected. She looked up at Cassidy who was still dancing, her body swaying back and forth to some beat that only she could hear.

“Okay, you have to tell me what that was all about,” Cassidy said.

“I will,” said Deena. “But first I need you to come over here.” Rising to her feet, she held her arms out, and Cassidy immediately jumped into them. The two women spun each other around the room, lustfully kissing. The rest of Deena’s clothes were on the floor in a few heartbeats, and Cassidy was about to shed her last bit when Deena stopped her.

“No,” she said. “I’m gonna peel those off you with my teeth.”

With that Deena spun the smaller woman around in an almost perfect pirouette, before pushing her backward onto the bed, Cassidy giggling all the while. Deena pounced on top of her and they resumed their heated kissing, wet smacking sounds echoing through the bedroom. Deena and Cassidy’s breasts were pressed together and their erect nipples circled around each other’s driving the lovers to even greater heights of arousal.

Deena began to slowly slip her way down the bed, planting sweet soft kisses all along her lover’s neck, collarbone, her chest, her breasts, pausing to pay close attention to each nipple. She moved down further to Cassidy’s abdomen, kissing all around her belly, lightly probing the belly button with an eager tongue. Then her teeth found their goal, firmly clenching the waistband of Cassidy’s bikini. She gave a quick tug upwards, causing the silky material to rub against her lover’s most sensitive spot.

Cassidy felt the soft caress across her clit, a small moan escaping her lips. “Oh fuck, yes,” she said in a raspy whisper, just barely loud enough for Deena to hear.

Deena knew that Cassidy was badly in need of some serious attention. Normally she would tease her partner for a bit with light probing, quick licks, maybe alternating between blowing or breathing on her exposed sex, but tonight was different. Both women had been denied pleasure on the previous night, and each had been through a day that tested her patience. Deena wanted to ravage Cassidy just as badly as Cassidy longed for her to do it. There would be no hesitation, not this time.

Deena tore the garment down and off Cassidy’s legs, tossing the thin piece of fabric over her shoulder. She feasted her eyes on the beautiful woman lying beneath her, on her open and dripping pussy, then dove right in, furiously licking all around the entirety of Cassidy’s vulva.

Bringing her right hand down to her lover’s dripping cunt, Deena quickly inserted two fingers, sliding them all the way to the third knuckle in one fluid motion. This elicited a scream from Cassidy, who then began to rant like a woman possessed.

“Oh fuck. God, yes. Fuck me. Fuck me. Do it harder. Uh, uh, uh, uh, unhhh, oh GOD. Don’t stop, don’t you dare stop fucking my dirty pussy. I’ll n-never forgive you if you stop. Oh fuck, YES. FUUUUUUUCK!”

By then, Deena had brought her other hand to her own oozing hole. She dipped her finger in and pulled it out, a thick line of her honey falling onto the sheets below. The amount that stayed on her finger was quickly and vigorously applied to her own aching clit. All the while, she continued to pleasure Cassidy, sucking at her sweet nub, driving two fingers over and over and over again into the young woman’s juicy cunt.

Still caught up in rapture, Cassidy babbled on. “Please don’t stop. Oh, please don’t stop. Oh god yes. Yes! Oh shit, baby. Oh, fuck yes. I’m g-gonna come. Yes, yes, yes, eat my fuckin’ cunt! Fuck me, baby. OH GOD, YESSSSSS!”

Deena felt an absolute torrent of juices explode onto her face. Cassidy didn’t normally squirt, but was capable of it, and had done it a few times when the lovemaking was especially intense. Never like this, though. Gulping down as much as she could, Deena wiped her face, then brought the wet hand to her mouth, purring with pleasure as she licked each finger.

Cassidy lay limp and glazed with sweat, recovering from what might have been the biggest orgasm of her life. Her thoughts were jumbled, but she was enraptured by the pleasure she’d just been given. Deena had always been a fantastic lover, even from their very first time together, but this was a whole new level.

As Deena collapsed down onto the bed next to her, Cassidy brought both hands up to her face and covered herself while she burst out laughing. At that instant, there was nothing else she could do. She was absolutely, totally, completely happy, and thoroughly satisfied. I’ve never been fucked like that, she told herself. And she wanted more, only not just yet. She tried to calm herself, but couldn’t stop quivering and laughing.

The two women lay side by side for several minutes, relaxing in the afterglow, Cassidy still occasionally giggling through her hands, much to her embarrassment. Eventually she managed to calm herself enough to uncover her face, open her eyes, and turn to face her lover. One glimpse of Deena’s face was enough to have Cassidy shrieking with laughter all over again. Deena was lying on her side, her cheek resting in the upturned palm of her hand.

“Oh my God, baby, I’m so sorry. You look like you got blasted with a f-firehose!” Another burst of helpless laughter.

“I pretty much was,” Deena said. Grasping Cassidy’s chin, Deena tilted her head back, so she could gaze deep into her lover’s eyes. “And it was fucking awesome.” She crushed her mouth into Cassidy’s in a hard, demanding kiss. Cassidy tensed briefly, then relaxed, allowing herself to be taken, moaning as Deena tongue-fucked her.

After a minute they broke the kiss, both women gasping for breath. Cassidy hopped on top of Deena, straddling her midsection, then leaned down to lick her lover’s face, neck and chest.

“Fuck. My cum tastes sooooo good,” Cassidy cried. “Especially when it’s all over you, babe.” She continued to lick the juices from Deena’s upper half, but soon noticed that Deena’s arm had snaked down between her legs and that she was masturbating while watching Cassidy play.

Cassidy pushed herself back up so that she was kneeling astride Deena’s legs. Reaching down, she snatched Deena’s hand away and brought it up to her own mouth. She took three wet fingers between her lips and sucked them, savoring the flavor of Deena’s pussy.

“You taste good, too.” She licked the remaining few traces of nectar from her lover’s fingers. “I want more.”

Deena sat up and kissed Cassidy again, just long enough to get a taste of her own pussy on her tongue. Grasping the smaller woman by her shoulders, Deena threw her down onto the bed, reversing their positions so that now she was on top, straddling Cassidy.

“Oh yeah, baby. You know I like it when you do that, throw me around like a rag doll.” Cassidy moaned.

Deena knelt above her lover, feeling the heat of her own pussy, yearning to have it be pleasured.

“I need to ask you to do something for me,” Deena said. “It’s kinda wild, but think you’ll like it.”

“Anything for you,” Cassidy replied, her fingertips painting lovely patterns on Deena’s ass.

Deena smiled down at Cassidy. “You know that little girl voice you do?”

Cassidy immediately raised her pitch an octave and added a slight but noticeable lisp. “You mean this?”

“Yes. Yes, that one.” Deena scooted forward a bit so that her pussy was now rubbing against Cassidy’s breasts. “I need you to do that voice for me now. Call me Officer Dean and — and beg me to sit on your face.”

Reaching up to the sides of her head, Cassidy took hold of two handfuls of hair, which she encircled with fingers and thumbs to give herself a couple of makeshift pigtails. She opened her eyes wide, jutted her bottom lip out a bit, then in her best childish voice, said, “Oh please, Officer Dean, I didn’t mean it. It was an accident. I didn’t mean for my firehose to squirt you in the face. Oh please miss, I’ll do anything. Just don’t tell my mommy. She’ll be so mad… she’ll spank my bottom!”

Deena was already rubbing her clit; slow circles at first, getting faster with each rotation. She imagined it was little Katie she was straddling, the child’s body deliciously bare.

Her eyes closed, Deena drifted deeper into the fantasy as Cassidy continued to entreat her in the childish voice. “Oh please, Officer Dean. I’m sorry. I c-couldn’t help it. I’m just a little girl. I’ll do anything to make you happy again.”

Looking up at Deena, Cassidy saw that her eyes were glazed over with lust. Whatever fantasy was unfolding in Deena’s head was about to be acted out on her. Of course, she wasn’t yet aware of little Katie and her equally adorable cousin Emily, but Cassidy did know of her lover’s interest in young girls because she had similar desires of her own.

They had engaged in age play many times, with one or both of them pretending to be young girls — but for some reason, the game felt different tonight. Deena seemed to be caught up in the illicit fantasy like never before.

“You will make me happy, you naughty little girl,” she was saying. “You’re going to eat my pussy, and you’re going to do it now. And if you do a good job, maybe I won’t tell your mother what you did.”

Cassidy frowned. “Huh? I don’t know what you mean. What’s a pussy?”

Getting up on her knees, Deena used two fingers to spread open her pussy, just inches from Cassidy’s lips. “This. This right here is a pussy.” Her sex was gleaming with wetness. “Now beg me to let you lick it, beg me to sit on your face.”

Cassidy moistened her lips. “Please, Officer Dean, let me eat your pussy. Please sit on my face. Pretty pleeeeeease?” She paused, her mouth open and waiting.

Lowering her hips, Deena pressed the juicy flesh of her sex into Cassidy’s face. She ground herself against her lover’s hot, sucking mouth, rocking back and forth, increasing her speed and fervor, a warm tongue snaking around her throbbing clit and dripping hole.

Cassidy didn’t pause in her licking, though she did start to laugh deliriously, her joy much too powerful to contain. Deena reached behind and slapped the side of Cassidy’s breast hard, but not enough to hurt.

“Bad girl!” Deena ground her pussy hard onto Cassidy’s mouth and wagging tongue. She then raised herself just long enough to say, “No laughing. Not now, not ever. Do you understand me, little girl?”

Looking away, Cassidy made a mournful face and pretended to cry. “Y-yes, I understand.” She let out a fake sob and then turned back to Deena and stared directly into her lover’s eyes, her lower lip trembling, and said, “ You’re a mean old lady.” Then, with a wink, Cassidy slipped back into her normal voice, “And you’re a fucking criminal.”

Growling with pure lust, Deena slammed her open cunt back down onto Cassidy’s face and started to ride with a fury she never knew she possessed. After a couple of minutes Deena knew that Cassidy had to be short of breath, but she was too caught up in the raw heat of the moment to even slow down, much less stop.

At one point, Deena had slid forward enough to feel the tip of her lover’s nose slip into the outermost part of her vagina. It felt nice, but Deena wanted more. “Put your tongue in me, baby!” she gasped. “Push it deep into my hole.”

Cassidy gripped Deena’s ass to steady herself, then thrust her tongue as far into Deena’s pussy it could go — nearly two inches, she estimated.

Deena continued to work her hips, riding Cassidy’s mouth for almost another three minutes. As she began to sense her approaching climax, Deena felt her legs tremble beneath her, and keeping her balance grew increasingly difficult.

Cassidy gave her lover a couple of quick swats to the ass and then helped steady Deena’s body as she continued her frenzied licking. She was laser-focused on her task, with only two objectives in mind. The first was making sure Deena had the best orgasm of her life, just like she’d had earlier. The second was to be the recipient of a mouthful of creamy cum.

Tilting forward, Deena withdrew her sex from the reach of Cassidy’s tongue and looked down into her lover’s eyes. “Fuck, yes! You are doing such a good job, little girl.”

Deena then resumed grinding her clitoris against the younger woman’s chin, lips, and nose. She was getting close now. Time to take it all the way, time to have Cassidy bring her over the top.

“Listen up, little girl,” Deena panted. “If you can get me off in the next sixty seconds, I promise not to tell your mother all the bad things you did.”

In addition to Deena’s thing for little girls, Cassidy was also aware of her lover’s other fetish. Incest. She knew that Deena found the idea of a mother making love to her daughter just as hot and dirty as sex with a young girl. An idea suddenly occurred to Cassidy that was impossible to resist, so she went with it.

Cassidy gave Deena a hard shove, causing the bigger woman to tumble backward off the bed. They both immediately got up — Cassidy kneeling on the bed, Deena standing at the foot.

“What the actual fuck?” raged Deena.

Cassidy made a pouty face, pretending to cry again. “I was right. You are a mean old lady. You — you said you were gonna tell my mommy how bad I was, b-but then you said you wouldn’t.”

Deena looked Cassidy up and down. What the fuck is she up to? Cassidy delighted in the look of utter confusion on Deena’s face.

“Don’t you get it, you silly bitch?” Cassidy said, still speaking in her childish register. “I want you to tell my mommy. I want her to grind her dirty cunt into my pretty little face, just like you did. I want her to punish me, too.”

Suddenly, Deena’s body started to shake. An image flashed in her mind, one of pretty little Katie and her equally pretty mother Kim kissing passionately. Just like that, she was coming, massive spasms of ecstasy shaking her helpless frame. Her vision went blurry, she lost her balance and fell to the floor where she stood. She imagined the lovely Rachel and her adorable daughter Emily in a sixty-nine, each feasting lustfully on the other, moaning and begging for release in between licks.

Deena’s body continued to convulse for nearly a minute. Cassidy perched herself on the foot of the bed, looking down at her lover, watching her go through the rise and descent of her earth-shattering orgasm.

Eventually, a dazed Deena opened her eyes, gazing up into the face of an angel. “Um…w-w-what just happened?” she asked.

“I think I made you come, just by talking,” Cassidy said, then giggled.

“Yeah… you sure did.”

Cassidy held out her arms. “C’mere, you.”

Struggling to her knees, Deena crawled up onto the bed. The two women laid down side by side and embraced, their arms and legs entwined. They were silent for several minutes, each giving the other an occasional kiss on the lips or the cheek or the forehead, sometimes exchanging contented smiles, and staring into each other’s eyes.

Cassidy finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry I pushed you so hard, babe. I didn’t think you’d fall off the bed.”

With a chuckle, Deena leaned in and gave Cassidy a very tender kiss on her lips. “No, my love, don’t apologize. It was perfect.” She gazed at her lover thoughtfully for a few moments more, then added, “How do you do that? How do you always know the exact right thing to say or do?”

Cassidy drew Deena’s hands up close to her and kissed them tenderly. “You know how I do it,” she said.

“You mean you…” A look of concern crossed Deena’s face.

“No. No, of course not. I promised you that I would never do that.”

“So how, then?”

“The same way you do it, babe.” She nuzzled Deena’s hands again. “Because you’re my best friend. You’re my true love. You’re my soulmate. And I’m yours. The day we met, I knew you were the one. I felt it here.” Cassidy reached out and touched Deena’s chest, feeling the thumping beneath her breast. “And I know you felt it, too.”

Deena blinked and a small tear escaped, rolling down her cheek. “I did. Love at first sight.”

They embraced, overwhelmed by their shared love. It was a magical feeling, even better than the orgasms they’d just enjoyed. The highs of physical pleasure were wonderful, but temporary. Their love was an eternal, infinite thing. Greater than space or time or all the energy of all the countless stars in the heavens. And it belonged only to them.

***

Part 2 – Awakening

It was the buzzing that woke her up. That constant drone in the back of her skull. It was usually so quiet that she hardly ever noticed, but on this night, it had awakened her.

She glanced over at the sleeping form of her lover, pleased to see a small smile gracing the woman’s serene face. Leaning over, she gently kissed her forehead, then turned to peer at the digital readout of the clock on her nightstand. 4:38 AM. She knew her lover wouldn’t wake up for another couple of hours at least, and thought it best to let her sleep.

Abruptly throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she stood up. The hint of moonlight that spilled into the room through the partially open window was enough for her to see by, and from there she noticed herself reflected in the tall dressing mirror in the corner of the room. She walked over to it and studied herself. Slightly tanned skin. Large breasts with small pink nipples. Long blonde hair. Wide hips and a curvaceous ass. Soft lips the color of rose petals. Blue eyes, deep as the sky, clear as the reflection in a mountain lake. She stared into those eyes and started counting down from ten.

“Ten,” she whispered.

“Nine.” The buzzing in her head raised in pitch.

“Eight.” She could feel a heat rising from her chest.

“Seven.” Her vision began to narrow.

“Six.” The buzzing was louder now, like a swarm of angry wasps.

“Five.” A feverish sensation gripped her and she started sweating.

“Four.” The room seemed to shake where she stood, but her eyes maintained their hard, sharp focus.

“Three.” The buzz was now a singular high-frequency tone reverberating through her.

“Two.” It felt as though her body was on fire.

“One.” She closed her eyes… and that was when she saw her for the first time.

Across town, Katie Connors awoke in a cold sweat and immediately sat up, her heart pounding wildly. She’d dreamed of a woman, one whose face she couldn’t see. She thought of Deena, but knew somehow that it wasn’t her.

Lying back down and resting her head upon her pillow she stared out the window. The moon overhead shone brightly. Katie shivered, closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

On to Chapter 3!

By No One

Sabrina was smiling as she unlocked the door, letting them both into the house. Clearly, she’d had no doubt that Riley would accept the invitation. “You want anything to drink?” she offered.

“Um, just water, maybe.”

“Sure. Be right back.”

Sabrina went off in the direction of what Riley assumed was the kitchen, leaving her to take a look around the living room. It was elegantly furnished, with a big, comfy-looking couch, and the largest TV she’d ever seen outside a store. But what really grabbed her attention was the substantial bookshelf.

There were boring-looking business books, and literary classics that appeared to be in pristine condition, possibly unread. Then she found the shelf that had to be Sabrina’s. It held many of the books they had talked about earlier, and some others that Riley thought she might want to borrow. To the side, there was a picture frame that contained a photo of Sabrina, maybe a couple years younger, next to a red-haired girl about the same age.

“Here you go,” Sabrina said, walking into the living room with two glasses of water and handing one to Riley.

“Thanks. Who’s this?” Riley nodded at the picture, then took a sip from her glass.

“Oh. Um, that’s Eva. We were… friends for a while but then, y’know, I had to move away.” There was bitterness in her voice, and Riley was unsure whether to pursue the matter, but she was also curious. The way Sabrina had said “friends,” and that slight hesitation… She had to ask.

“Close friends, huh?” Riley arched an eyebrow slightly, but tried to keep her tone neutral.

Sabrina gave her a look, then the hint of a smile. “Fine. If you wanna know, she’s the first girl I fooled around with.”

“Oh, right. I had a hunch that might be it.” Riley wasn’t sure how to feel about that. The girl was pretty enough, she supposed—certainly prettier than she was.. Should she be jealous? That seemed pointless, but she couldn’t help feeling a touch of envy. “That was where you lived before? I thought—”

“Nah. That was the town before last.”

“Oh.” Riley turned that around in her head as they moved over to the couch and took a seat. “Wait, how old were you?”

Sabrina flashed a sheepish smile. “Um, 11.”

“Wow, really? You were fooling around like… kissing?” They couldn’t have done much more at that age, right?

Sabrina chuckled. “Yeah… all sorts of kissing.” She brought two fingers to her mouth, poked her tongue between them.

Riley’s eyes went wide. “W-what? At 11?” she exclaimed. Was Sabrina pulling her leg? She did seem awfully amused by Riley’s reaction. “For real? Jeez, Sabrina…”

“Well, what?” Sabrina shrugged nonchalantly. “We experimented a bunch… and figured some stuff out, y’know? Might also have done some ‘research’ on the Internet. Made some fun discoveries.”

Riley shook her head in disbelief, but couldn’t help laughing. “Sounds like it. Wow.” She had no idea what to make of it. Two preteens doing that to each other certainly qualified as some heavy experimentation. She couldn’t help wondering what it felt like. Maybe she was a little jealous of that Eva girl, after all.

She was beginning to feel a little out of her depth, too. It sounded like Sabrina had a lot more experience than she did—which wasn’t too difficult, admittedly, especially concerning girls. And that was years ago, what kinds of things had she done since then? “And you said… she was the first girl you fooled around with?”

“Oh. Well, first and only.” Sabrina grinned and winked at Riley. “For now.”

Riley fanned herself exaggeratedly to mask her embarrassment. “Is it getting hot in here?” she asked, making Sabrina laugh. She was certain she was blushing brightly, but the warmth was also spreading much lower. She wasn’t sure at all that she was ready for anything like what Sabrina might have in mind right then, but her body clearly didn’t find the idea unappealing, and she didn’t know how to feel about that.

She glanced around for something to move the conversation in a different, safer direction. Eyeing the picture on the shelf again, she thought of something she’d noticed earlier. “So… I guess you do really have a type,” she said, toying with a strand of her red hair.

Sabrina laughed and shrugged helplessly. “Well, what can I say, I do like redheads. Dunno if that’s because of her… but hey, look.” She scooched closer, looking into Riley’s eyes, serious now. “I’m not trying to replace her or anything. I like you for you.”

“O-okay.” That gaze, icy blue yet smoldering with fire, was going to be trouble, Riley thought. It made her feel like going along with anything Sabrina wanted.

That’s not to say that she didn’t have her own desires, though. And right now, she was feeling increasingly hungry for another kiss. Now that they had privacy and could take their time—not to mention, now that she was more than a little turned on—the prospect of kissing with Sabrina seemed more appealing than ever.

Luckily, Sabrina seemed to be on the same wavelength. They didn’t spend long gazing at each other before their lips met, and it didn’t take long after that for the kiss to grow increasingly heated. Now that there was no need to be conscious of her surroundings, she truly lost herself in the experience, allowing that warm, soft mouth to become her entire world.

There was something so wonderfully intoxicating about the movement of Sabrina’s lips against hers. Was this what it always felt like kissing a girl? Or was it just this particular girl? Whatever the case, Riley loved every second of it.

They paused only for an instant to steal a quick breath, then were back at it. This time, Riley felt Sabrina’s tongue playfully teasing her lips. She was surprised for a second, but didn’t hesitate, inviting her partner into her mouth. Their tongues danced and tangled, pushing the fiery kiss to even more exhilarating heights.

Riley couldn’t get enough. She was making out for the first time with another girl, and she couldn’t get enough. With the hottest girl in school, no less. Maybe the hottest, most wonderful girl anywhere.

Her body was responding, too. She could feel her nipples stiffen against the fabric of her bra, her panties growing increasingly damp. That ought to have been embarrassing, but she couldn’t make herself care at that moment. Riley welcomed the sensations, let them overwhelm her. She didn’t think she’d ever been so excited.

When they finally broke the kiss, Riley was out of breath. “Phew… Wow.” She took a big gulp from her glass of water, trying to cool down. It didn’t help much.

Sabrina watched her, grinning, clearly pleased with the effect she’d had. “See stars yet? I told you it got better,” she said, to which Riley could only nod. “So… what about you? Any… exes? Any boy I need to watch out for?” Making a fist, she thumped her other hand with it.

Riley laughed. “Nah. I’ve only had one boyfriend before and… it wasn’t all that.”

Sabrina smirked. “Of course it wasn’t. Who was that? A guy from school?”

“Oh, uh, you probably don’t know him… Lucas Davis.” Sabrina only gave a blank look, so Riley reluctantly added, “Um, he’s a year younger.”

“You like younger boys?” Sabrina was side-eyeing her now.

“It’s not like that! It’s just… it’s a whole thing.” She could tell from Sabrina’s expression that the girl wasn’t going to let her get away without an explanation, so she sighed and continued. “I kinda have… um, had… a crush on his older brother Jake. Long story, but okay, when I was like 10, there was this special activity day or whatever where we went to visit the high school—I dunno, to inspire us about education or something, I guess?—and everyone was paired with a high school student to show them around and explain and stuff. So yeah, mine was Jake, and he was very nice, and charming, and, well, cute… I mean, he didn’t do anything weird, of course. But still, y’know, I kinda carried a torch for him, as they say. Um, for a few years, actually…”

Sabrina looked amused. “I see. And so… you couldn’t have him, so you dated the little brother instead?”

Riley sighed. This again. She got enough shit about it from Mike. But still, if she was being honest… “I mean… I didn’t see it like that at the time but… maybe.”

“Well, I think that little infatuation blinded you to… better options.”

Riley chuckled. Her heart still aflutter from making out with Sabrina, she really couldn’t tell why she’d ever been so obsessed with Jake. “Yeah, the thought recently crossed my mind, too…”

Sabrina nodded, as if that was the obvious conclusion. “So, how far did you go with this Lucas?”

Riley gave her a look. “You want to know about boys?”

“I want to know about you.”

Smooth line, Riley had to admit. “Um, we didn’t do that much. Well, some. Like, y’know, hand stuff. Okay, I um, jacked him off the one time. Which was… I mean, he liked it. But I guess it was kinda fun. Except when he, y’know,”—she gestured—”all over my hand. That was pretty gross.”

“Boys are disgusting,” Sabrina agreed, taking Riley’s hand and giving it a sympathetic squeeze. “And did he return the favor?”

“Um, he… tried.”

Sabrina snorted. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“He just… Ugh, God. Like, he stuck his hand into my panties and kinda moved around, but he didn’t really know what to do. To be fair to him, I wasn’t helping, ‘cause I was too shy or embarrassed to tell him what to do. But it really wasn’t doing much for me, and it was getting super awkward, so… in the end, I, um, I kinda pretended that I’d already come so he would stop.”

“Oh my God!” Sabrina was doubled over laughing. “You faked an orgasm your first time fooling around?”

“It’s not that funny,” Riley protested. Though, in hindsight, it kind of was. “I just wanted it to be over, so, you know. Anyway, after that, things didn’t really last. He wanted to do it again, and I wasn’t too into it, and it got awkward and annoying and… well, whatever, I broke it off. Maybe I was a bit unfair, since—”

“Oh, no no, screw him,” Sabrina murmured, that irresistible look in her eyes again. “You have better things to do.”

Already drawing closer to the girl, Riley had to agree. “Yeah.”

She kissed Sabrina, then things quickly intensified until they were kissing passionately, their tongues in each other’s mouth again. Sabrina was right; with just a kiss, Riley was in heaven, overwhelmed by emotions far beyond what she’d ever felt for any boy.

Sabrina broke the kiss—but before Riley could complain, the girl began nuzzling and kissing Riley’s neck, making her shiver deliciously.

“Oooh, that’s—ah!—really nice,” Riley sighed, losing herself in the silken caress of Sabrina’s mouth.

“You know,” Sabrina began, her lips brushing Riley’s ear, “I can guarantee that you wouldn’t need to fake anything with me…”

Eyes wide, Riley turned to the other girl. “Wow. Okay. Not wasting any time, huh? I… thought you were gonna behave…”

“I said if you wanted me to…” Sabrina smiled sweetly. “Do you want me to?”

God, what a question. Things were speeding out of control in a hurry. One thing for certain: Riley didn’t want to stop kissing Sabrina, not at all. And those kisses were driving her frantic with desire, making her want even more of what the girl had to give.

But just how far was she willing to go… and how far was Sabrina ready to take her? Gazing into those blue eyes, Riley shivered as she realized that her new friend was more than ready to end their date with an hour or two of hot, sweaty lesbian sex.

But that was one hell of a big step for Riley, especially on the first date. “Uh, I… um.” she began, then fell silent — unable to say what she wanted, struggling to figure it out.

“You’re so cute,” Sabrina said, then those soft lips were caressing Riley’s neck again, which didn’t help her to think any more clearly. Who knew that getting kissed on the neck could feel so amazing?

Dad had warned her not to let Sabrina push her into anything she wasn’t comfortable with. Right then, Riley felt anything but comfortable… but still, she wasn’t sure at all that she wanted Sabrina to stop, either.

“It’s up to you,” Sabrina was saying between kisses. “Really, it’s cool if you wanna wait.” She flicked Riley’s earlobe with her tongue.

Oh, God!” Riley gasped. Another surprisingly titillating spot that she hadn’t known about.

“Just saying, though,” Sabrina whispered, “I’d make you come so fucking hard.”

Heart pounding like a jackhammer, Riley turned to stare at the grinning girl. What had happened to the Sabrina who’d been so timid about asking her out a few days ago? The one with her now looked more like the Cheshire Cat. Still breathtakingly hot, though, with that sexy gaze that made Riley melt inside. They should probably take things slow, yeah, but every nerve in Riley’s body was screaming for attention and… God, yes, she did want this goddess of a girl to make her come.

Struggling to appear less nervous than she was, Riley gave two quick nods.

“Yeah?” Sabrina actually looked a little surprised. “You sure?”

“No, probably not… so hurry, before I change my mind.”

Her smile widening, Sabrina swiftly drew Riley into another deep, passionate French kiss. This time, her hands didn’t remain idle, though. She began by caressing Riley’s cheek as they kissed, but soon one hand trailed down to her chest, cupping one breast, playing with the rapidly stiffening nipple through her shirt.

Riley gasped into the kiss. Sabrina’s touch was sending a thrilling jolt straight down to her sex. She’d played with her breasts before while masturbating, but it had never felt quite like this.

Sabrina didn’t linger there, though. Before long, her hand continued downward, slowly moving across Riley’s belly as if to build anticipation. And it was working. Riley had trouble concentrating on the kiss, her mind entirely focused on those fingers, inching closer and closer to their goal. Then Sabrina was cupping Riley’s sex through her jeans, squeezing it a little.

A loud moan pushed its way past Riley’s lips, causing her to abandon their kiss. How could that quick touch through her pants feel so good? It was already so much more intense than anything What’s-his-name had managed to do for her.

Not wasting any time, Sabrina deftly undid the jeans’ button, then tugged down the zipper. Looking Riley straight in the eye, she slipped a hand beneath the waistband of her panties.

Riley inhaled sharply, hit by a jolt of pleasure that was even stronger than she’d expected—more like a thunderbolt, really–when Sabrina’s fingers brushed her slit. “Oh, God.”

Sabrina smiled knowingly, arching an amused eyebrow. Thankfully, she refrained from commenting on just how wet Riley was. Bet I could wring my panties out, Riley thought.

Sabrina’s fingers were busy exploring, spreading waves of pleasure with every little movement through the juicy folds of Riley’s pussy. “You like?” she purred.

Riley could only moan in response.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Snuggling close, Sabrina returned to nuzzling Riley’s neck, sometimes licking or sucking on her earlobe, as her hand continued to work its wicked magic. Now that they were in the thick of it, she seemed to prefer taking her time, her fingers moving in a more leisurely way—sometimes sliding inside Riley, then pulling out, regularly brushing her clit but not focusing on it.

Riley wasn’t sure if it was just how excited she was, or due to Sabrina’s expertise, or a mix of both, or what, but God did it feel amazing. Nothing at all in common with the fumblings of Lucas, or even with Riley’s own forays into self-pleasure. Her breath getting increasingly shallow, she rode the waves as they churned and swelled inside her, cresting ever higher. Was she going to come already?

Before she could find out, Sabrina withdrew that talented hand from her panties. Confused and frustrated, Riley turned a reproachful gaze on the culprit. “Well, don’t stop now!”

Sabrina gave her an innocent Who, me? smile, then brought her hand to her mouth, slipped two fingers inside, and made a show of slowly sucking them clean. “Take off your pants,” was all she said.

Riley swallowed. Just a few seconds ago, she would have protested. There was no real need to take off her clothes, it was embarrassing and she’d been enjoying the proceedings just fine until then. But now, with an inkling of what Sabrina had in mind after that very suggestive display, she froze for only an instant, then obeyed without a word, first kicking off her sneakers, then lifting her butt up from the couch and pushing her jeans down and off.

Kneeling on the floor, Sabrina gently eased Riley’s legs apart. Without breaking eye contact, she began to slowly kiss her way up an inner thigh, sending delicious shivers up Riley’s spine. The kisses were getting juicier the higher she went, until she was licking at the edge of Riley’s panties.

Then she stopped, paused just long enough to flash one of those bad-girl smiles, then repeated the process on the other thigh. Once again, Sabrina allowed her tongue to explore tantalizingly close to the vulva, then abruptly pulled back, looking at Riley as if waiting for something.

“Oh my God, you’re such a tease!” Riley exclaimed, now beside herself with frustration.

Sabrina didn’t look bothered in the least. “What’s the magic word?” she sang, her eyes dancing with mischief.

“Seriously? Now?” Riley glared at the girl in utter disbelief. Really, though, what options did she have? Get dressed and go home, or dance to Sabrina’s tune. And that was no choice at all. “Fine!” she cried. “Pleas—”

Before Riley had even finished uttering the word—and before she knew what was happening—Sabrina had yanked the front of her panties to one side, then dove in, fastening her mouth to Riley’s opening,  her tongue darting inside.

The shock of sudden pleasure after all the anticipation and buildup drove all coherent thought from Riley’s mind. “Aaah! I— Oh, my— fuck!”

It felt amazing, Sabrina’s tongue skillfully dancing through the folds of Riley’s sex. How could something feel so good? Riley had often tried to imagine what it would feel like to have someone go down on her, but she’d seriously underestimated the magnitude of the real thing. Either that or Sabrina was just damn good at it, which would come as no surprise.

When she felt Sabrina pull away again, Riley had to beg, “Oh God, please, please don’t stop.”

“Don’t worry… I’m just taking these off,” Sabrina said, hooking her fingers in the waistband of Riley’s panties. There was a fire in her eyes that turned Riley to jelly inside.

Riley had never envisioned that she’d allow Sabrina to take off her panties on their first date, but now she was desperate to be out of them. She raised her ass so her undies could slide down and off, then sat back, her thighs spread wide apart, putting herself on display in the lewdest way. Right then, as turned on as she’d ever been, Riley loved the idea of being a dirty girl for Sabrina.

Thankfully, Sabrina wasted no time, putting her mouth back to work before Riley’s discarded panties could hit the floor. As she resumed her oral play, Sabrina used her hand to toy with the sparse tuft of red hair that adorned Riley’s vulva, occasionally dipping down to tease her clitoris. Meanwhile, Sabrina’s mouth was busy below, her skillful tongue alternately penetrating Riley and bathing her sex with long, lustful licks.

The part of Riley’s mind that wasn’t completely overwhelmed with pleasure was hypnotized by the live sex show taking place between her legs. Here was this amazingly gorgeous blonde—and God, somehow she got more attractive every time Riley looked at her!—down on her knees, nose buried in pubic hair, licking Riley’s pussy with abandon. Such a wanton sight, yet somehow beautiful, too. Riley was going mad with lust just from watching, especially when Sabrina turned those eyes up to meet hers.

Feeling self-conscious, despite knowing no one else was there to eavesdrop, Riley tried to stifle moans, but she just couldn’t keep quiet. Her cries grew louder and louder the longer Sabrina’s tongue worked its magic. If this was what lesbian sex normally felt like, she was hooked!

Sabrina began to focus solely on Riley’s clit, flicking it rapidly with her tongue, licking all around it, and adorning it with kisses, transforming those waves of pleasure into an approaching tsunami.

“Oh… my… God!” Riley wailed. She gripped the couch cushions with both hands, as if clinging for dear life. She’d thought the sensations were intense before, but now they were almost too much to bear. These feelings grew in mass, swelling, rapidly building into something too huge to touch, then that enormous wave came crashing down and she was swept away in a sea of bliss.

She was only vaguely aware of her body tensing, arching up from the couch as if she no longer had control of it. She might have screamed something unintelligible. In truth, it was hard to focus on any of it as her mind reveled in the best feeling in the world for what seemed like an eternity. Or at least, a lot longer than she would have expected. The tide of pleasure slowly receded, then faded into a beautiful emptiness.

As her senses gradually returned, Riley found herself breathing hard, blouse sticking to her sweaty skin, legs spread wide. “Holy shit,” she mumbled. Speaking, or moving at all, really, felt like a huge chore.

Sabrina popped into view, looking very pleased with herself. “So? Was I right, or what?”

She had to give credit where it was due. “God, you were so right. I… I don’t think I ever came so hard. You’re amazing.” Riley shook her head, trying to clear it a bit, then straightened up and closed her legs, suddenly aware of how slutty she must look. It was silly, sure, but she couldn’t keep from feeling a little embarrassed, now that she wasn’t blinded by lust.

Sabrina nodded graciously, as if she’d expected no less. Then without warning, she crawled up onto the couch and straddled Riley’s thighs. “And don’t you forget it,” she said with mock arrogance before swooping down to capture Riley’s mouth with her own.

The kiss revitalized Riley, pulling her out of her torpor. Soon, they were making out with renewed passion. Perhaps a little late, she realized that the tongue in her mouth had been licking her pussy just a minute ago, and felt a strange mix of distaste and arousal. There didn’t seem to be any weird flavor, though, so she put the former out of her mind. Before long, she found herself starting to like it.

God, Sabrina Taylor just ate me out, she thought, still dazed by the realization of it. Riley found herself getting excited all over again, and she intensified the ardor of her kisses. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do with her breath still somewhat ragged, and her glasses were all steamed up by the time they were done.

With a chuckle, Sabrina reached for Riley’s frames. “Want to take these off?”

“N-no.” Riley pushed her hand away. “Everything’s a blur without ‘em, and um… I want to see you clearly,” she admitted. It would be a shame to reduce Sabrina’s beauty to a mere smudge in her vision.

Sabrina smiled, striking a model-like pose. Then her expression turned mischievous, and she reached down to grasp the hem of her dress. “Wanna get an even better look?”

Riley swallowed hard as she pictured it. To see Sabrina naked. The wet dream of every straight boy at school, so casually offered to her. She wasn’t sure how it would make her feel, or what she’d do then… but there was only one way to find out. “Um, o-okay.”

In one smooth motion, Sabrina pulled her dress up and over her head, carelessly tossing it aside. She wore pink bikini-style panties underneath, but no bra, as Riley had guessed.

Her pulse racing, Riley drank in the view. Sabrinal looked every bit as amazing out of her clothes as she did in them. Classic hourglass figure, flat belly, proud breasts, everything perfectly proportioned. B cup? C? Riley wasn’t an expert, but Sabrina’s tits were certainly bigger than hers.

She’d been half-afraid that she just wouldn’t feel aroused by the sight of Sabrina in the nude, which would be more than a little awkward in their current situation. After all, she’d never really seen the appeal of the female body before—not that she’d spent much time looking at naked girls. But now it seemed she didn’t need to worry about that. The sight of Sabrina’s charms laid bare was sending a delicious surge of warmth through Riley’s own body.

The girl was simply a work of art. A sexy work of art. Riley didn’t know if it was something about Sabrina herself, or if the girl had somehow awakened some latent desire in her, but… Whatever the reason, this naked body had her feeling anything but indifferent.

“Wow. You’re, like… perfect,” she said, feeling a flush of heat on her face. “I don’t know if I should be excited, or just jealous.”

Sabrina gently nudged Riley back against the couch, still astride her lap. “Excited, if you please,” she said, holding Riley’s gaze—though, with her breasts near eye-level, it took some effort. “Believe me, you have nothing to be jealous about.” She pressed forward, seeking another kiss.

Even as she welcomed Sabrina’s tongue into her mouth, Riley had to wonder if the girl was just a touch crazy. Nothing to be jealous about? Literally every single feature of Sabrina’s body was more attractive than hers. How could she not see that? Surely she could do much better than Riley. Any bi-curious girl at school would fall at her feet. Hell, she could probably seduce most straight girls.

Still, despite her feelings of insecurity, Riley had to concede that she was the one getting kissed by Sabrina right now, and she wasn’t about to complain about it. Perhaps Sabrina wasn’t like the guys Riley knew, who only cared about girls based on how “hot” they were. Sure would be nice to have someone who likes me for, well, me, Riley thought.

As they kissed, Riley’s hands instinctively moved to the small of Sabrina’s back. She’d touched her there before, but now the feel of soft, bare skin under her fingers made a world of difference. She began to caress Sabrina, running her hands up to the girl’s shoulder blades, then back down again, trailing over her sides. Her body was so smooth and silky, the scent of her skin positively intoxicating.

With her hands back at their starting point, she thought for a moment about sliding them lower still, onto Sabrina’s ass, then hesitated. In the end, Sabrina made the decision for her when she raised herself on her knees a little to push Riley into a deeper, more forceful kiss. Before she knew it, Riley found herself holding Sabrina’s butt. It felt nice and firm, and fit perfectly into her hands. She gave it a squeeze—that seemed like the right thing to do.

“Mmmm.” Sabrina finally pulled away, wearing a big smile.

Riley’s heart was racing again. That kiss had her head spinning, and touching Sabrina’s naked body at the same time made it all the more tantalizing. And now… actually, she wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen next.

Then, with a start, Riley realized that it was her turn to make Sabrina feel good. The girl was gazing down at her, still smiling, clearly waiting for Riley to make a move.

She studied Sabrina’s bare breasts, now mere inches from her face, and felt a sudden urge to touch them. Riley nervously moistened her lips, weighing the idea. Touching another girl’s boobs felt like a big step to take. Okay, that seemed a little silly after what had just happened, but still. Kissing was one thing, the obvious starting point. And of course, Sabrina had just gone down on her, which was huge, but Riley had only laid back and let herself be licked.

Now, to take an active role in the proceedings? Could she? Well, she couldn’t deny that those big tits were very alluring. At this point, why not? Sabrina certainly wouldn’t mind.

And so, Riley slowly ran one hand up Sabrina’s ribs until she could cup one tempting breast. It was soft but firm, perky. Sexy. She caressed the nipple with her thumb and it instantly stiffened, drawing a quick intake of breath from Sabrina.

Riley glanced up at her partner, offering a shy smile. She brought her other hand into play, then observed Sabrina’s reactions as she experimented with her boobs, squeezing, teasing, playing with the nipples. With each movement, Sabrina let out a little gasp or a soft moan.

Riley was enjoying this. A lot. Way more than she would have thought. Feeling up Sabrina was so sweet and sensual, and it fired her desire back to full intensity. She hoped she wasn’t leaving a puddle on the sofa cushion.

More than anything, she loved Sabrina’s response to her touch. The erotic sounds of pleasure, the look of lust on the girl’s beautiful face, the heady scent of womanly heat that perfumed the air, these were the things that turned Riley on the most. And she wanted more. With only an instant of hesitation, she leaned in closer and kissed one erect nipple, flicking it with her tongue.

A sharp hiss of pleasure was Sabrina’s immediate reaction. “Mmmm, Riley, yessss.”

Riley decided that she very much liked hearing a pretty girl moan her name. She did her best to please Sabrina even more, depositing kisses all over her breasts, licking the pert nipples, the underside of the tender globes, even between them, trailing her tongue through the girl’s cleavage. It tasted faintly salty from sweat, but wasn’t unpleasant—in fact, it was positively arousing, like sampling the flavor of Sabrina’s excitement.

The response was everything Riley hoped for and then some. Sabrina’s moans grew louder, her breath increasingly ragged. Riley wasn’t sure if it was conscious or not, but she felt Sabrina’s hips begin to move, undulating in her lap, the girl’s panties brushing against her belly. She could feel how wet Sabrina was, and it turned her on even more.

“I think I like these,” Riley said, grinning up at Sabrina, giving her boobs a final squeeze. She managed to admit it with only a remaining sliver of shyness.

“Mmmm, I’m real glad you do.” Bending down to steal a kiss, it was Sabrina’s turn to cop a feel through Riley’s blouse. “And what about you? Do I get to see, too?” she asked, biting her bottom lip, which—if such a thing was possible—made her look even sexier.

“Oh, err, mine aren’t really… that, uh, interesting,” Riley mumbled, suddenly ill at ease. There was no way her barely developed chest could compare to Sabrina’s flawless tits.

“Don’t be silly. Every single inch of you is lovely.” Sabrina kissed Riley again while undoing the buttons of her blouse.

Whether it was because she was dazzled by the compliment, distracted by the kiss, or just too hot and bothered to care, Riley let the girl undo her blouse and push it off her shoulders without breaking their kiss. She shrugged the top off completely as Sabrina’s hands came up to caress her bra-clad breasts, though it didn’t take long before they snaked around to undo the clasp and pull the bra off, leaving Riley completely naked.

That accomplished, Sabrina sat back to inspect the result of her mischief. Riley worried that she might see a hint of disappointment in Sabrina’s eyes, but somehow resisted the urge to cover her chest. In the end, though, all she saw in the other girl’s appreciative gaze was renewed desire and hunger. Riley let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“Mmmm, you’re so fucking sexy,” Sabrina purred.

And just like that, the distance between them evaporated, and they were kissing again, more aggressively than before. Their mouths were crushed together, tongues sparring, hands roaming freely. From time to time, one of them would take a break from kissing to put her mouth to work on the other’s breasts and nipples. All the while, Sabrina was rolling her hips, grinding her panty-clad sex against Riley’ groin. The position and angle weren’t quite right to generate maximum pleasure, but Riley was definitely enjoying the delicious sensations the contact was sending through her body. Sabrina was breathing hard, moaning with each thrust—erotic music that Riley couldn’t get enough of.

“Why don’t you take these off?” Riley said, tugging on the waistband of Sabrina’s panties. Even to her ears, her voice sounded husky, thick with desire.

“Now that’s a great idea.” Grinning wickedly, Sabrina put a hand on Riley’s shoulders for support and pushed herself up until she was standing on the couch. Hooking her thumbs into the waistband, she began swaying her hips, pushing her panties down inch by inch.

Riley stared, wide-eyed. She suddenly felt like she was at a strip show—a very in-your-face one, the action literally a foot from her head—but she couldn’t deny what a sexy spectacle it was. Her eyes were glued to Sabrina as those pink panties slowly came down, first revealing a small patch of light brown pubes—a few shades darker than the hair on the Sabrina’s head—then below, the delicate folds of the girl’s labia, hairless and glistening with excitement.

Does she shave? The question briefly popped into Riley’s mind, then was promptly forgotten. It was hard to focus on anything beyond her hunger for Sabrina, which was all-consuming at this point. She hardly recognized herself; so shy and uncertain at the beginning of the evening, and now… Her only wish was to make this impossibly sexy girl in front of her come like she never had before, to make her scream Riley’s name in ecstasy.

With surprising grace, Sabrina managed to keep her balance as she stepped out of her panties while standing on the sofa cushions. She began to lower herself back into Riley’s lap, no doubt intending to pick up right where they’d left off, but Riley had other plans. While grinding against Sabrina had been delightful, Riley now hungered for a more visceral approach. She gave the girl a gentle shove, causing her to tumble to the other side of the couch.

“Heeeey!” Sabrina tried for a reproachful look, but her laughter kind of ruined the effect.

Riley didn’t waste any time. She was an animal in heat, consumed by naked lust. Thrusting a hand between Sabrina’s thighs, she cupped the girl’s sex, feeling her soaked vulva. God, she was wet—though, to be fair, probably no wetter than Riley herself.

Sabrina’s amusement was abruptly transformed into ecstasy. “Oh God, fuck, yes!”

Riley leaned over to muffle her partner’s moans with a kiss, receiving an immediate and enthusiastic response. As their tongues mingled, she wriggled a finger into Sabrina. Juicy as the girl was, Riley was able to penetrate her with ease, so she decided to add a second finger. It was a slightly tighter fit but a comfortable one, and she began to slowly pump her fingers in and out.

It didn’t take long before Sabrina, now struggling to draw breath, had to break theIr kiss. “God, Riley…” she moaned, “that—Ah! That feels so good!”

Riley dipped down to shower affection on Sabrina’s breasts, licking all around the very stiff nipples, then playfully biting them—all the while delighting in her partner’s moans, in the salty taste of her skin, in the slick, fleshy warmth squeezing her fingers.

Before long Sabrina was moving her hips, pushing back against Riley’s hand on each thrust. Riley had kept her movements steady and careful, not wanting to hurt her partner, but if Sabrina wanted more force, she could certainly oblige.

Adjusting her position so she could drive even deeper, Riley began to finger Sabrina’s pussy with more vigor, plunging her fingers all the way in, then withdrawing almost completely before pressing forward again. She usually wasn’t this aggressive when doing it to herself, but there was something extremely exciting about penetrating Sabrina like this.

And the girl was obviously enjoying it, groaning loudly now. She was even using her feet—one on the couch, one on the floor—to raise her hips up from the cushion, meeting Riley’s movements with hard thrusts of her own. Locking her feverish eyes with Riley’s, she gasped, “Mmmm, yeah—do it. F-fuck me.”

The words inflamed Riley’s desire, whipped it into a raging inferno. Yes, she was fucking Sabrina. And it was the sexiest, most arousing, most beautiful thing imaginable. Without missing a stroke, she feasted her eyes on the mewling girl. Sabrina’s legs were splayed wide, her skin glistened with sweat, strands of hair were plastered to her forehead, her eyes rolled back in ecstasy. She was so damn sexy, maybe now more than ever. Had there really been a universe in which Riley wasn’t hot for Sabrina? The very idea seemed ridiculous.

It was a good thing no one else was home, because Sabrina’s cries kept getting louder and louder. Riley began to wonder if the neighbors might be a problem, but couldn’t make herself care. No, she wanted to make Sabrina scream the house down, to get more intimate with her. Wilder. More… dirty.

She eyed Sabrina’s pussy, nervously moistening her lips. Did she dare?

Before Riley had even made a conscious decision, she was moving, crouching between the girl’s legs, withdrawing those wet fingers from her sex.

Sabrina’s reaction was immediate. “Oh God, don’t stop!” she pleaded. Then, suddenly realizing what Riley was going for, she said, “Oh. You, um… you don’t have to,” even as her eyes begged Riley to do just that.

Riley didn’t pause to think about what she was doing, just allowed her lust to take over. Leaning forward, she plunged her tongue between Sabrina’s labia and gave a big, messy lick from the opening of her vagina up to her clit.

The scent was thick and strong, with a rich, tangy taste, but it wasn’t at all bad, to her relief. In fact, Riley found herself enjoying it more with every lick. The taste of Sabrina’s arousal. How fucking hot was that?

“Oh God, yes!!” Sabrina cried. She twined her fingers through Riley’s hair–not exactly pushing her head down, just providing gentle encouragement.

Riley didn’t think the girl was in a mood to take things slowly, so she immediately centered her attention on Sabrina’s clitoris. She’d never done anything like this before, but it didn’t take a genius to deduce what would feel good—and of course, Sabrina had already given her a very skillful demonstration of pussy-licking moments earlier. Immersing herself in the task at hand, she flicked the girl’s clit with her tongue, licked around it, lightly sucked at the swollen tip, even slid a finger back into Sabrina’s vagina and rolled it around, massaging the inner walls. Whatever it took to drive her partner wild, Riley was determined to make that happen.

Sure enough, Sabrina’s cries were becoming increasingly urgent. She squirmed, grinding her sex against Riley’s mouth, clearly desperate for release. But she didn’t have long to wait. After a minute or two, she moaned, “Yes yes yes… Oh! Riley! Oh!” Then her body went rigid, shaking with tension as her orgasm hit, long wordless cries issuing from her throat.

As these sounds of ecstasy gradually faded, Riley also slowed her movements, then gently withdrew, giving Sabrina’s pussy a final kiss. She sat up, licking her lips, gazing down at the limp body of her sex partner. Her… girlfriend? That might well be the appropriate word to use after what had just happened, and Riley realized that she didn’t mind the idea, not at all. In fact, it made her smile.

She could hardly believe she’d just had sex—actually licked Sabrina’s pussy—but she felt… content. Happy, even. She’d rushed headlong into this crazy thing, and now all she wanted was to snuggle up to the girl. That seemed like a good sign.

So she did just that, lying down next to Sabrina. It was a tight fit on the couch, but that only made it nicer, more romantic.

Sabrina’s eyes fluttered open, and she gave Riley a sleepy smile. “Mmmm. Wow. You’re good. Wonderful, even.”

“T-thanks. That was, um… interesting.” To say the least.

Sabrina chuckled. “ ‘Interesting’, huh? Well, I hope I can tempt you into doing it again some time. Then we can shoot for ‘spectacular’, or ‘stupendous’.”

“I think I’ll have to take you up on that.” They grinned at each other, then kissed. A gentle, relaxed kiss, more affectionate than urgent. “Um, I still kinda can’t believe all this went down, but seriously, it was… great. All of it.” Riley couldn’t even tell which part she’d enjoyed the most. As amazing as her own orgasm had felt, making Sabrina come had also been an unbelievably sexy experience.

“I know, right? You’re welcome,” Sabrina murmured, giving Riley a wink.

Laughing, Riley raised herself up on one elbow. She spent some time openly admiring Sabrina’s nude body. The girl watched, a small smile on her lips, which brought some heat to Riley’s face. She took a deep breath. This was about to get way more embarrassing, but she needed to say it. “You’re… so gorgeous. Have I told you that yet?”

Sabrina’s eyebrows rose up, she looked pleasantly surprised. “Not in so many words. Um, thanks. Glad you think so.” There was a hint of a blush on Sabrina’s cheeks as well now, and it was the cutest thing. Riley might just have to offer her compliments more often. “And you’re just as gorgeous,” the girl added.

Riley shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

“Seriously!”

“If you say so.” Riley gave her a dubious look, but didn’t argue the point. She wasn’t really going to complain about being called gorgeous.

Sabrina took on a smug air as if she had won an argument, though, so Riley reached out for one of the girl’s breasts and gave it a squeeze, rubbing the nipple with her thumb—partly to shut her up, partly because, well, she just wanted to.

“Mmm.” Sabrina watched expectantly, perhaps wondering if Riley intended to do more.

Riley had no specific plan in mind, but she did enjoy running her fingers over Sabrina’s body, so she trailed her hand down in a slow caress until it rested on that flat belly. Glancing further down at the patch of pubic hair, she was reminded of something.

“I was wondering earlier… Did you, like, shave for tonight? Down there, I mean.”

“Oh, um, yeah. I thought, you know, just in case.” Sabrina flashed a sheepish smile.

“Just in case, huh? Wait, did you plan all this?”

Sabrina raised her hands in protest. “Hey, hey, I didn’t plan anything. It was just… on the off chance that things went really, really well, I thought it would look nice.”

“Well, it does look nice,” Riley conceded. She couldn’t argue with the results: Sabrina’s bare pussy lips looked decidedly sexy. She ran her fingers through the sparse hair up above. “Wait, is this like a lesbian thing? Am I supposed to shave, too? ‘Cause that sounds like a pain in the ass.”

Sabrina snorted. “It was kind of a pain, I’ll admit. Dunno, some girls like it that way, I guess. You don’t have to shave for me, I like your hair.” Her smile grew coy. “Especially since the carpet matches the drapes.”

Riley tilted her head, confused. “What?”

“You never heard that before?” Sabrina chuckled. She reached out for a strand of Riley’s red hair. “Drapes,” she explained. Then she moved her hand below, tickling Riley’s pubes. “Carpet.”

“Oh. Jeez, you’re obsessed.”

Sabrina shrugged. “Hey, what can I say? Girls with red hair get me hot.”

“Is this something else you liked about… what’s her name, Eva? Did her carpet match her drapes?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Riley wondered why she’d brought that topic up again. It made her sound so childish. She should just be happy to have Sabrina’s interest, but couldn’t help feeling insecure about her relative lack of experience with other girls, her appearance, everything.

Sabrina made a face. “Are you still thinking about her? Jeez, stop it. Okay, firstly, I don’t know about her ‘carpet’ because”—she smirked—”she didn’t have any back then. Remember, we were just kids.”

“Oh, God.” Riley had overlooked that little detail.

“Secondly, don’t do the jealous girlfriend thing, that’s not cute. I’m with you now.” Sabrina’s hand had still been playing with Riley’s pubic hair, and now she ventured inside, slipping a finger between her pussy lips. “You get me?”

Riley gasped, then quickly nodded. It was true, she was being silly. “Yeah, sorry.” To smooth things over, she leaned in close to claim Sabrina’s mouth in a tender kiss.

She’d assumed that Sabrina had only touched her to make a point, but that finger remained between Riley’s legs, idly playing with the folds of her sex.

She studied Sabrina with a mounting excitement. “Mmmm. Are we… doing it again?”

The girl flashed her a saucy grin. “Wanna?”

“Well…” Riley only thought about it for half a second, then grinned back. “Sure.” Of course she did; why would she pass up the chance to share even more pleasure with this amazing girl?

Sabrina’s hand pressed more firmly against Riley’s slit, heightening the delicious sensations. Though she’d already come once, Riley was definitely up for another round. Hoping Sabrina felt the same way, she slipped a hand between the girl’s legs, finding her wet and ready.

They lay side by side, eyes locked, each fingering the other. Their breaths grew irregular, soft sounds of pleasure escaping their lips.

“So, um… ‘g-girlfriend,’ huh?” Riley said haltingly, just then registering the word Sabrina used a moment ago.

“Oh. I guess I… Mmmm… I did say it like that. Was that too… uh, forward?”

Riley shook her head. “No. I… I like it.” They smiled at each other—a romantic exchange as their fingers continued their dirty work.

Riley loved the sight of pleasure flashing on Sabrina’s face. Sabrina Taylor… my girlfriend. The thought was strange and delightful and exciting all at once. It somehow intensified her own pleasure. She noticed that Sabrina was watching her just as intently, and wondered if the girl felt the same way.

Their fingers continued to dance, sometimes slipping into a vagina, sometimes sliding between juicy labia, sometimes teasing a clit, always bringing wonderful sensations. It was unhurried and playful, but the pressure was slowly and surely building. Riley was on the verge of blissful release when Sabrina briefly tweaked her clitoris, but then withdrew her hand.

“What? Nooo,” Riley whined, a bit frustrated.

“Wait for me,” Sabrina murmured. “Let’s get off together, okay?”

“Huh? Oh! Okay, sure,” Riley said. It would be even better for them to come at the same time.

Riley intensified her efforts with renewed urgency, sliding two fingers inside her partner while using her thumb to stroke the clit. For her part, Sabrina slowed her movements just enough to keep Riley on the edge.

Soon, Sabrina was panting hard. “Mmmm, yessss… I’m so close. You ready?”

Riley nodded vigorously. She couldn’t be more ready.

Then Sabrina touched her clit in just the right way, and Riley cried out as she climaxed. Barely a second later, Sabrina followed suit, groaning loudly and closing her thighs around the hand pleasuring her.

Riley struggled to keep her eyes open through the orgasmic haze. She didn’t want to miss the sight of Sabrina’s face contorted in ecstasy. Her partner seemed to feel the same, and their gazes remained locked as they came, their busy hands pushing them to greater heights of rapture. The shared climax felt like a deep intimate connection, their bodies truly joined in some blissful symbiosis.

Riley’s orgasm didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous one, but sharing it with her girlfriend in this special way made it just as wonderful. Besides, it was the second-best orgasm she’d ever had, which wasn’t too shabby.

They slowly came down from their ecstatic high, catching their breath, smiling at each other. Their bodies were molded together, no space in between. Sabrina had wrapped both arms around Riley’s neck at some point, and Riley twined hers about the girl’s waist, thinking that she’d be happy for this moment to go on forever.

“So, I trust you enjoyed date night?” Sabrina said, flashing that naughty grin that Riley had come to love.

“Well, it sure took a turn I didn’t expect,” Riley replied with a laugh. “But yeah, I did. Very much.”

“Are we on for The Two Towers tomorrow, then?”

“Oh, for sure. We can’t watch only one part of the trilogy, you know?” Riley found her thoughts straying away from the movie, though. “Say… are your parents gonna be home after?”

Sabrina’s smile widened. “I like how you think! But… yeah, they’ll probably be home, sorry to say.”

“Damn.” Hard to believe it had come so quickly to this, but Riley had already concluded that from now on, any day without sex with Sabrina would be dull and uninteresting.

Thinking about the future suddenly reminded her that time existed and that there was something important about it. “Wait. Shit. What time is it?”

“Uh…” Sabrina twisted her neck to peer up at a wall clock. “11:15.”

“Oh, fuck. I was supposed to be home 15 minutes ago!”

Sabrina winced. “Uh-oh. Are you in trouble?”

“I hope not!”

Not without regret, Riley disentangled herself from Sabrina’s body, then scrambled into her clothes as quickly as she could—with some difficulty, as they clung to her still sweaty skin. Sabrina, remaining completely naked, escorted her to the door.

“Well…” Riley paused to drink in the sight of her new girlfriend’s body. Could I really be this lucky? She couldn’t find the words to express everything she felt at that moment, so instead, she stepped closer and gave Sabrina a passionate farewell kiss, hoping that would say it all for her. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe. If I’m not grounded.”

***

Riley eased the apartment door open, trying to be as quiet as possible. Not that she’d have much luck with that, though; she was still breathing hard after pedaling as fast as she could all the way back home. She noticed light and the sound of the TV coming from the living room, anyway, so Dad was still up.

She sheepishly poked her head through the doorway. “Hey… sorry I’m late,” she murmured, trying to sound as contrite as possible. “I um… kinda lost track of the time.”

“I take it that things went well, then?” He didn’t sound angry, at least.

“Yeah. Things went… great, actually.” She hoped there wasn’t enough light for him to see her blush. “Turns out, I really, really like her.”

Her dad considered that for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah? Well, that’s good. I’m happy for you, hon. I’ll have to meet this Sabrina sometime soon.”

“Sure. We were actually gonna see the second movie tomorrow…” She paused for an objection, but none came. Apparently, she wasn’t grounded. Relieved, she continued, “So maybe we could come here after, so you two can meet…?”

“Ah, well, I’m going to your uncle Steve’s tomorrow night, in fact, so it will have to be another time.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Yeah, another time, then.” Riley tried to sound disappointed, but inwardly she was capering with glee. Oh yeah, they were definitely coming here tomorrow, though for a very different, better reason.

Making her way to her room, Riley glanced at her phone out of habit and saw that she’d received a message from Mike. He’d probably sent it while she was frantically pedaling home, in too much of a hurry to notice.

How’d it go? he was asking.

Riley thought about it for a minute. It was difficult to convey how wonderfully the evening had gone—how much the experience might have changed her life, even! In the end, she just sent back three heart emojis. In her estimation, it was best to go with pictures when you couldn’t find the right words.

That much, huh? he replied a moment later.

Got a second date tomorrow, Riley added.

Haha. Wow. At this rate, you’re gonna have to decide pretty soon if you’re ready to eat pussy or not, he wrote, probably thinking he was being funny. If he only knew.

Riley was half-tempted to brag, but no, she wasn’t the type to kiss and tell Or lick, for that matter. Keeping it subtle, she sent back, Let’s just say that the Ice Queen isn’t as cold as I thought. The opposite, really.

What’s that supposed to mean? Something happen?

Riley smiled as she turned off her phone without replying. Let him dwell on that.

She quickly got ready for bed, then crawled beneath the covers, suddenly worn out after the events of the day. Wondering what it would be like to share a bed with Sabrina, it didn’t take long before Riley slipped into a lovely dream about her new girlfriend.

The End

By JB West

Note from JetBoy: A new story from a new author. I was uncertain what to make of this one at first… now, several chapters down the line, I can’t wait to see where he takes the plot next. This story takes time to build, but do stick with it — the payoff is worth it and then some. Welcome to Juicy Secrets. JB!

***

For helpful information about this story’s main characters, please consult The Girls and Women of Greenfield Tales

Part 1 – Mommy Fell Down

Our story begins in June, on one of those beautiful summer evenings when the heat of the day finally subsides, causing a slight chill to creep into the air.

Six-year-old Katie Connors was seated on the floor of her living room, enjoying the cool breeze that was lightly blowing into the room through the screened-in back door of the house. Having just finished their meal, she would have normally been in the kitchen helping her mother clean up, but this evening Katie had asked her mother if she could go finish coloring since their dinner had interrupted the page she’d been working on. As there was very little to clean up and because Katie had asked so politely, her mother told her she could.

Katie was just finishing up the red of a ladybug’s shell when she heard her mother yelp, then the crash of a plate breaking on the hardwood floor of the kitchen. That sound was immediately followed by a loud bang and a thump.

Dropping her crayon, Katie jumped up and ran to the kitchen to see what had happened. Her mother was lying in the middle of the floor, next to the open dishwasher. There were pieces of broken ceramic strewn all across the hardwood, and a small pool of blood was starting to collect on the floor under her mother’s head. The blood was pouring out of a huge gash on her forehead.

Katie rushed to her mother’s side.

“Mommy?” she said, gently shaking her mother’s shoulder. There was no response. Her mother was unconscious but breathing.

Katie knew exactly what she needed to do, because she had been taught how to respond to an emergency by both her mother and Mrs. Brody, her kindergarten teacher. She quickly located her mother’s cell phone on the countertop and punched in the code to unlock it. 01-23-14, Katie’s birthday. She then dialed 9-1-1.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” said the woman on the other end of the call.

“M-Mommy fell down!” Katie cried into the phone as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“Your mother had an accident?”

“Yes. Her head is bleeding really bad and — and she won’t wake up.”

The operator quickly sent out an alert to the town’s emergency services, then returned to the little girl, speaking to her in a comforting voice. She had four children of her own, all grown, and knew how to soothe a distraught child. “Sweetheart, can you tell me your name, please?”

“My n-name is Katie.”

“All right, Katie. Are there any other grownups there with you besides your mom?”

“No.”

“All right. Katie, can you tell me your address?” The operator had the cell phone’s GPS data, but needed to confirm the address to make sure the first responders went to the correct place.

“Um, 416 Eagle Ridge Lane,” Katie replied. “In Greenfield.”

The operator forwarded this new information to the paramedics and police who would be handling the call.

“Okay So, Katie, do you have any paper towels or some kind of cloth nearby that you can use to help slow your mother’s bleeding?”

Looking around the kitchen, Katie saw a dishcloth lying next to the sink. She grabbed it and knelt down next to her mother. She couldn’t tell very easily where her mother was bleeding from, as the whole top of her head seemed to be covered in blood, but she remembered the gash she’d seen and gently laid the cloth across her mother’s forehead and applied pressure to the wound.

Katie was a very smart little girl who knew what to do in this type of emergency. She had read in a book about a similar situation where a man had gotten his leg caught in an animal trap. The author of the novel had written a rather detailed passage explaining how, after the man freed himself, he had stopped the bleeding and treated the wound. At the time, Katie thought it was really gross, and wondered why anybody would ever describe something like that in such detail. Now she was thankful for that book because it was helping her help her mommy.

“Katie? Did you find a towel or anything?” the operator asked, breaking Katie’s train of thought.

“Yes. I’m holding a towel over the cut, but it’s still bleeding really bad… and she’s still not waking up!”

“That’s okay, sweetheart. Just keep holding it there. It will really help your mom a lot.”

At that moment Katie realized that she was sobbing. And that made her cry much harder. There she was, sitting on the floor next to her unconscious mother, holding a cloth to her bleeding head with one hand, clutching the phone to her ear with the other.

Katie was smart enough to grasp the severity of the situation and knew that remaining calm was better than panicking. Still, she was only six years old and had never been in a situation like this before. A million scary questions started to run through her mind. Would her mom be okay? What if she wasn’t? What if she died? Who would take care of her? Where would she go? With each question, Katie’s fear grew more intense. Even though the operator was still on the line, talking to her in a gentle voice, Katie was no longer paying attention. It was only the sound of the siren coming from outside that snapped the child out of her darkening thoughts.

Springing to her feet, Katie raced to the front door opening it wide. A man and a woman were quickly advancing up the front walk, both dressed in the blue uniforms of the local fire department’s emergency services. The man was carrying a large bag, while the woman held what looked like a folded up canvas lawn chair. The woman hurried to Katie’s side.

“Where’s your mom, honey?” she asked. Katie led them to the kitchen and the EMTs got to work.

Katie just stood back, still crying, and watched. She was still in shock over the whole situation, but a part of her found it fascinating. She’d never seen emergency workers doing their jobs up close before. She watched intently, taking in all their actions, paying close attention to the technical terms they were using. She didn’t understand much, but made a mental note to investigate it all when she had the chance.

That’s when Katie felt the presence of another person behind her. She turned around, looked up and saw another woman, this one in a police officer’s uniform. Katie had been taught that in an emergency the first thing you should do is call 9-1-1, but after that you should find a grownup to help you, preferably a parent, teacher or police officer.

The officer looked down at Katie and smiled, then pulled a handkerchief out of her back pocket, knelt next to the child and began to dab her tears away.

“You must be Katie,” she said.

Katie sniffled and nodded her head.

“I’m Officer Dean,” the officer continued. “But you can call me Deena if you’d like.”

Katie scrunched up her nose. “That’s a weird nickname.”

“It’s not a nickname. My first name is Deena. I’m Officer Deena Dean.” She smiled at Katie and gave her a quick wink.

For some reason, Katie thought this was kind of funny and snickered a little bit, although she was still mostly crying. Officer Dean then stood up, placing a hand on Katie’s shoulder, and carefully guided the child into the living room. Deena walked her over to the couch, avoiding the crayons and coloring book which were still spread out all over the floor.

“Mind if I borrow this, Katie?” Gently taking the cell phone from the little girl’s hand, she held it to her ear.

“Shelby? Hey, it’s Deena… Yeah, everything’s good here. Bob and Michelle are attending to Ms. Connors right now… Uh-huh, Katie’s okay. She’s right here with me. Hey, thanks for staying on the line with her… Oh, for sure I will… Yes… Okay, talk to ya later. Bye.”

Officer Dean placed the phone on the arm of the couch, then seated herself next to the little girl. Once again, she used her handkerchief to dab away Katie’s tears, but the child had already stopped crying. The initial shock of the situation had worn off, and now there were nice people helping her and Mommy.

Folding up her handkerchief, Deena laid it on Katie’s lap and smiled at her. She then reached behind the girl and started to lightly rub small circles on her back. This had a very calming effect on Katie. It was the same thing Mommy would do to her whenever she was upset about something. Deena continued to stroke the young girl’s back while whispering soothing words to the child. The light massage was helping Katie to relax, exactly the effect that Deena had hoped for.

Just then, the man in the kitchen called out, “Hey, Deena — we’re coming out now. Can you get the front door?”

Officer Dean stood up and moved to the entrance, opening the interior door all the way, then stepping outside and holding the storm door open as wide as possible. Katie glanced back to see the EMTs come out of the kitchen, carrying her mother on a canvas and aluminum frame stretcher. A large blood-soaked bandage was wrapped around the woman’s head, partially obscuring her face. She was still unconscious, and one of her arms hung limply, dangling off the side of the stretcher.

Seconds later, the child’s mother had been carried through the living room and out to the ambulance. Katie tried to follow, but Officer Dean took her by the arm.

“Sweetie, they have to take your mom to the hospital now. We’ll follow in a few minutes, but it’s best we not get in their way. We don’t want to slow them down, right?”

Katie looked up at Deena and nodded. Instead, she watched as the EMTs loaded her mother into the back of the ambulance. The woman stayed in the back with her, while the man climbed out and closed the doors, then ran around to the driver’s side. A few seconds later, the siren started up and the ambulance did a quick U-turn and sped away down the street. Katie and officer Dean watched the vehicle until it reached the end of the street and turned the corner, disappearing from view.

Across the street, Katie saw her friend Angela standing with her mother near the end of their driveway. The girl waved, but Katie was too stricken to respond, and just turned around and walked back inside. Officer Dean followed her back to the couch, and they both sat down.

“Katie?” Deena asked softly. The girl looked up at her. “When will your dad be home?”

“I don’t have one. He’d died when I was little.”

“Oh.”

Deena looked around the room. Upon entering the house, she’d noticed a family portrait on the wall. A very handsome couple with a young girl, maybe two or three years old, in the woman’s arms. But then she noticed that it was the only photo of the man in the room. All of the other photos were either pictures of Katie on her own, or with her mother.

“Do you have any relatives nearby… or maybe a neighbor who takes care of you when your mom goes out?”

Katie thought about it for a second, then said, “Aunt Rachel, I guess.”

Deena picked up the phone from where she’d left it. “This is your mom’s phone, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Do you know the code to unlock it?”

The little girl nodded. “Zero, one, two, three, one, four.” She smiled shyly. “My birthday.”

Officer Dean entered the code and the phone unlocked. She did a quick scan of the contacts list and saw an entry for Rachel Hayes. She showed it to Katie.

“Is this your aunt?” Deena asked. Katie nodded again.

Officer Dean selected the entry and the phone dialed. On the fourth ring a woman answered.

“Hey, Kim. What’s up?” This was immediately followed by the sound of a child screaming in the background. “Hold on a sec, Kim.” Then, though somewhat muffled, Deena heard, “Samuel Henry Hayes, you be quiet. I’m on the phone.” There was a small scuffling noise, followed by what sounded like a door banging shut. “Hey, sis, sorry about that. Boys will be boys. So, what’s up?”

“Um, hello. Am I speaking with Rachel Hayes?”

“Uhh… yes. Who is this?”

“My name is Officer Dean. I’m with the Greenfield Police Department.”

“Oh, what, did Kim lose her phone again? I swear, that’s gotta be like the fifth one in two years.”

“No, ma’am. I’m calling to inform you that your sister has been in an accident and–”

“What? Oh my God! Is she — is she okay?”

“Yes. Yes. She’s alive. She was unconscious, but breathing on her own. They’re taking her to the hospital now.”

“Oh, okay. Thank God.” There was a sigh of relief, followed by a brief pause. “Wait — where is Katie? Was she hurt, too?”

“She’s perfectly fine. Here, hold on a second.” Deena switched on the speakerphone. ”Say hi, Katie.”

“Hi, Aunt Rachel.”

“Oh, Katie, thank goodness. You’re really okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was scared, but I’m not hurt or anything. Mommy fell down in the kitchen and hit her head really bad, and she was bleeding all over the place and she wouldn’t wake up.”

“Oh, Katie.” The woman’s voice broke a bit. “So, you’re all right, then.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She was really brave,” Deena chimed in. “The 9-1-1 operator said that she may very well have saved her mother’s life because of her quick response.” Katie hadn’t thought about that. The idea that she’d saved her mommy’s life was too much for her to process right then. She almost started crying again, but didn’t have any tears left.

“Well, Katie has always been such a wonderful little girl. So smart and kind. I’m not surprised at all that she’s brave as well.” Katie smiled and blushed to hear such lavish praise from the two women. For a moment, she almost forgot to feel worried.

Officer Dean was speaking again, “I’m going to be taking Katie to the hospital soon so she can be with her mom. I can wait with her for as long as needed, but…”

“Oh, of course, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Um, where did they take Kim to…?”

“She’ll be at Saint Luke’s Hospital,” Deena said.

“The one just off the highway, right?”

“That’s the one. We’re going to head over there now. We’ll probably be in the ER, but if you can’t find us I’ll have your sister’s phone with me so you can call.”

“Sounds good. It will probably take me, oh, about an hour to get there. I live up in the city.”

“Just take your time and don’t rush. I’ll stay with Katie until you arrive. We don’t need another accident in your family tonight.”

“Yes, I agree.” Rachel said. “Thank you, Officer…uh…”

“Dean.”

“Yes, Officer Dean. Thank you for everything. I’ll see you both soon.” Click.

Deena put the phone in her pocket, then she and Katie did a quick walk-through of the house to make sure all the windows were closed and the exterior doors locked. Katie picked up her coloring book and crayons while Deena inspected the kitchen. She had been at accident scenes that were far bloodier, but she knew that Katie ought not to see this.

She quickly closed and locked the back door, then quickly swept up the pieces of broken plate and threw away the discarded medical supplies and waste. She didn’t have the time to clean up all the blood, but wiped the worst of it away with a sponge she found in the sink. She noticed Ms. Connor’s purse while in the kitchen and grabbed it to bring along, figuring that the woman would need her things when she woke up, especially her ID and insurance card. There was a set of keys in the purse, which Deena used to lock up the house before she set off for the hospital in her squad car, little Katie alongside in the passenger’s seat.

***

Part 2 – A Day Off

At that moment across town, a young woman named Cassidy Page was sitting in her living room perusing social media feeds on her phone. It seemed to be a pretty slow news day, and none of her friends had posted anything all that interesting. She glanced up at the television, which she’d turned on about half an hour earlier. There was an ad for an insurance company, the one with the talking animal who wants to convince you that his company has the best, yet somehow the cheapest plan available. Cassidy rolled her eyes, then glanced back down at her phone. Realizing that she’d already checked everything worth checking, she tossed it onto the empty seat beside her with a sigh.

After sitting there for a couple of minutes watching the TV without really paying attention, Cassidy noticed that her hand had inadvertently wandered between her legs. She was tracing the seam of her denim cutoffs and, not too coincidentally, the line of her slit.

This, of course, did not surprise Cassidy. Even as a young girl, she’d always found herself touching that special place whenever her mind wandered. Some girls might tap their toes in a steady rhythm. Some girls might play with their hair, twirling it around a finger. Some girls might chew on their fingernails. But Cassidy’s habit was a wandering hand that always seemed to end up in that same place.

She let herself enjoy the sensation for a few moments longer, then she pulled her hand away. She wanted to get off, but not on her own. She wanted sex. She wanted to feel another person’s skin on hers. Another person’s hot breath and dirty words whispered into her ear. Her body explored in every way imaginable. She wanted to fuck, and wouldn’t be satisfied with less. So she denied herself immediate gratification in favor of waiting for what she knew would be a mind-blowing orgasm at the hands of her lover.

In fact, Cassidy had woken up horny and had been feeling the itch all day. The night before, she’d gone out to dinner and a concert in the city with a group of friends. Her plan had been to cap off the night with some wild sex, but the evening had gotten away from her when she drank too much, then indulged in a few too many hits from a joint that got passed around at the show. She ended up so out of it that when they arrived home, her fiancée had to carry her in from the car and put her to bed. All Cassidy got was a chaste kiss on the lips and a few tender words before she passed out for the night.

Upon waking in the morning she found that her fiancée had already left for work. On her bedside table she saw a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. There was also a note:

Take two of these and call me when you wake up. Doctor’s orders. I love you.

Cassidy smiled as she read the note, then winced as she noticed the pounding in her head. Shaking two tablets from the bottle, she washed them down with a big gulp of water. She needed to pee, but instead she rolled over and went back to sleep.

When she woke again, a glance at the bedside clock told her that it was almost noon. She had a number of small errands that needed doing, but decided that even though she was feeling somewhat better, she would rather just hang out around the house and have a lazy day.

Cassidy got out of bed, took a shower, had a pee and slipped into her bikini. She figured she could lie out in the sun, work on her tan and maybe read another few chapters of the trashy romance novel that she’d been working her way through. She grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl, always good for a hangover, and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She thought about it for a second, then grabbed the vodka from the freezer and poured a shot’s worth into her OJ. A little hair of the dog was also good for a rough morning after, at least she thought so.

Heading through the sliding door and into the back yard, Cassidy sat down in her lounge chair next to the pool. That’s when she noticed her next door neighbor, Mr. Withers, looking at her as he trimmed the hedge that ran along the property line. He raised his hand and tilted it to the side a bit, his way of saying hello. She returned the gesture.

“Hi, Mr. Withers. How ya doin’ today?” Cassidy called.

He bowed slightly. “I’m doing very well. How’re you?”

“Ugh. Not so great.”

A look of concern crossed his face, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Anything I can do to help? Maybe get Marianne to whip you up a batch of chicken soup?”

Cassidy chuckled a little bit at that. “No, you don’t need to do that. I’m not really sick. Just a slight case of the, um, bottle flu.”

Now it was Mr. Withers’ turn to chuckle. “Aw, you’re young. You should be fine in no time.” He then motioned at the small table beside her. “That glass of juice and the banana should help.”

Grinning, Cassidy picked up the glass and held it out like she was making a toast. “It’s a Screwdriver,” she said, taking a big sip.

Mr. Withers let out a big guffaw and gave her a thumbs up. “Even better.” He stood there for a second, smiling at her, then said, “Well, give us a call if you do need anything. We should be home all day.”

Just then Cassidy realized that she had forgotten to call her fiancée. Quickly standing up, she said, “Oh, wow. I just remembered that I need to make a phone call. Thanks for the offer.”

Right before she turned to go inside, Cassidy caught Mr. Withers giving her a quick up-and-down look, pausing briefly at her chest. She suspected that he was probably checking out her ass as she walked away, so she gave her hips a quick little wiggle. She wasn’t attracted to Mr. Withers, not at all, but he was a pretty nice guy even if he liked to sneak peeks at her and her girlfriends whenever they hung out around the pool. She figured that giving him something to think about while in bed with his wife was the neighborly thing to do.

Back indoors, she found her phone and hit the link to her fiancée’s number. There was no answer. Probably busy with work, she decided, and sent a quick text instead:

thanks 4 the meds doc. luv u lots. XOXOX

She wandered back outside and climbed back onto her lounge chair, noticing that Mr. Withers was no longer in his yard. Picking up her book, Cassidy started to read.

Truth be told, the book was fairly terrible, but she’d always had a soft spot for bad romance novels. She actually liked them more if they had a ludicrous plot and cheesy dialogue. The more serious they were, the less inclined she was to read them through to the end. Basically, she just wanted to read about shallow but good-looking people having hot sex. This book had plenty of that, and she loved it.

She read for a couple of hours, occasionally letting her free hand rest on her bikini clad pussy, giving it light caresses and teasing her clit every now and then. She also pinched and lightly twisted her nipples a few times, making them all but visible through the fabric of her bikini top, like little tents. She knew that if Mr. Withers happened to see her in this state, he’d probably have a tent of his own to worry about. That thought made her giggle. Before long, however, the combination of the booze and the hot afternoon sun worked their combined magic on her, and she fell soundly asleep.

Waking for the third time that day, Cassidy checked her phone, surprised to see that it was about a quarter after six. Thankfully, it looked as though some late afternoon clouds had rolled in, blocking out the sun and sparing her from a bad burn. She also noticed that she’d just missed a call a few minutes earlier, and that her text had been returned.

Feeling better? I hope so. I had an
emergency come up at work and might be
late tonight. Don’t wait up. Love you lots.

Gathering up her things, Cassidy went inside. The temperature had cooled considerably and she felt a slight chill, so she slipped into her favorite pair of cutoffs and one of her fiancée’s t-shirts. Flopping down on the couch, she turned on the TV to see if there was anything about the “emergency” on the news. Probably not. She lived in a quiet town which wasn’t really interesting enough for the local news stations out of the city to give much coverage to. Picking up her phone, she started scrolling through her social media. Nothing there, either. Oh, well — I’ll hear all about it later… and if not, it probably wasn’t that big a deal.

***

Part 3 – Trouble

Arriving at the hospital, Rachel Hayes quickly found a parking spot for her Range Rover, and ran for the entrance of the ER, all but dragging her daughter Emily behind. She hadn’t intended to bring the child along, but the girl had pleaded to be allowed to go with her, until she was on the verge of crying. Emily and Katie were only two years apart and very close, almost like sisters. Rachel didn’t have time to argue with her daughter so she quickly conceded to Emily’s wishes and agreed to let her come along.

Rachel had been in a hurry while trying to get herself and Emily ready to leave the house on such short notice and had forgotten to grab her purse. Her wallet and phone were in the bag so she had no choice but to to double back and retrieve it. So now, nearly two hours after she’d received the call from the Greenfield police, Rachel and her daughter finally made it to the hospital. Rachel inquired at the ER reception desk about her sister and was told to take a seat, that someone would be with them before too long.

The wait felt like hours, but was really only ten minutes. Rachel was glancing up at the clock on the wall when she heard a voice address her from behind. “Mrs. Hayes?”

Quickly standing, Rachel turned and looked into the face of a boy. Well, that’s what she thought for a brief moment. On second look he was obviously an adult, but Rachel suspected that he couldn’t be more than twenty — a volunteer from the local college, she decided, perhaps an orderly. “Yes. I’m Mrs. Hayes.”

The man smiled, extending a hand “Hi. I’m Doctor Malcolm. I’ve been taking care of your sister.” That was when Rachel noticed the I.D. badge clipped to the breast pocket of his scrubs.

Rudolf Malcolm M.D.
Emergency Medicine

She shook his hand, suddenly feeling like she was on the bad end of a terrible prank, that soon she would find out that there had been no accident and that all this had been done at her expense. The doctor then looked down at Emily and held out his hand to shake hers. “And you must be Emily. Katie’s told me all about you. She’ll be really happy to see you.”

“Uh… Doctor? Can you tell me how she is?” Rachel asked.

“Follow me. We can talk while we walk.” Dr. Malcolm led them through the double wide swinging doors that led beyond the waiting area, pausing briefly to administer a fair amount of hand sanitizer from a wall-mounted dispenser. Rachel and Emily each got a dollop as well.

“You sister is doing quite nicely,” the doctor began, glancing back over his shoulder at Rachel as he led mother and daughter down the brightly lit corridor. “She regained consciousness in the ambulance on the way here. She’s been alert and responsive to all our questions. She knows who she is. She knows two plus two, and could tell me how many fingers I was holding up.” Dr. Malcolm raised two fingers, making a peace sign. “However… she did hit her head pretty hard. We took her in for a CT scan and we’re still waiting on the results. The good news is that she doesn’t appear to have fractured her skull or any other bones when she fell, and the CT will be able to tell us if there are other brain injuries or any bleeding that we need to address.”

The doctor then led them into a room. Kim was sitting up in the bed, dressed in a hospital gown with an I.V. and heart monitor connected to her body, a large bandage wrapped around her head. She was smiling and cuddling Katie, who was sitting on the bed next to her. Standing near the foot of the bed was a female police officer — the woman she’d spoken to earlier on the phone, Rachel assumed.

As Dr. Malcolm led Rachel and Emily into the room, Kim smiled hugely. “Look who’s here!” she said to her daughter.

When Katie looked up and saw her aunt and cousin, she immediately hopped off the bed, ran over to where they stood and hugged them both. She didn’t know why, but for some reason it made her start crying all over again. In spite of doing her very best to be brave, she’d begun to sob during the ride to the hospital when worry and fear had crept back in. It took Deena several minutes to calm her down after that. Then she cried when she was brought in to see her mother for the first time since the ambulance took her away. But those were happy tears, and it only took Kim a few seconds to banish them with a hug, a kiss and the soothing words that a mother knows how to say.

Now Katie was weeping again and couldn’t stop. Rachel and Emily held the child close and gently rocked her to and fro. Rachel looked over at her sister, who had tears of her own welling up in her eyes. Sniffling, Kim held out her hand and motioned to her to come over. Rachel joined her sister, taking Kim’s hand in hers as she stood next to the bed.

“I think she’s just really tired.” Kim said. “Exhausted.”

Rachel looked down at her sister and mouthed the words “I love you.” Kim did the same, then squeezed her sister’s hand. The two women looked back at their daughters, who were holding each other, Katie’s sobs coming less frequently, then dissipating altogether.

Rachel then noticed that Dr. Malcolm had slipped out of the room, perhaps because he felt awkward being in such an intimate situation, or maybe he had other patients to check on. Officer Dean, however, was still standing in the corner of the room down by the foot of the bed, looking as if she felt a bit uncertain about being there. Rachel caught her eye.

“Officer… Dean, was it?” Rachel asked.

“Yes, ma’am.” Deena replied.

“I’m sorry. I’m so bad with names. Never forget a face, though.” And that was true. While she didn’t have a photographic memory, Rachel was quite adept at recognizing and remembering people by their faces, even if she’d only met them once.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s been a stressful day for you, I’m sure. I’m just glad I was able to help the little bit that I could,” Deena said.

“Little bit? There’s nothing little about it. You’re a hero.” Rachel said.

“All I did was make a phone call and keep Katie company for a while.” Deena protested.

“No, that’s not all you did.” Rachel drew close to Deena, looked the younger woman in the eye and said, “You protected my niece when she was vulnerable, kept her company when she needed it. You could have dumped her on one of these nurses here, but you didn’t. You are a hero. At least in my book.”

“Mine too.” Kim said.

“Mine three!” Katie chirped, her tears forgotten.

“Yeah,” said Emily.

The two little girls rushed over to Deena, each one wrapping her arms around one of the woman’s thighs, hugging her tightly. Deena’s face immediately turned red, and for the first time that evening, she felt a little teary herself.

Reaching down, she gently caressed the back of each girl’s head. They looked up at her and smiled. That’s when Deena knew she was in trouble.

On to Chapter Two!

By No One

Riley examined herself in the mirror, turning a critical eye to her appearance as she prepared for her Friday night date with Sabrina. It was strange, like looking at a slightly different person. It was her own face, of course, but the make-up made it seem unfamiliar somehow. It didn’t look bad, though. In fact, she was pretty happy with the result, considering she was a complete novice at applying cosmetics.

Her aunt had given her the little make-up kit for her fourteenth birthday, but Riley hadn’t had much cause or desire to use it until now. She’d been unsure about trying it on at all, considering her mixed feelings about this date in general. Would it seem as though she was trying too hard? In the end, she decided that since Sabrina would likely look amazing as usual, she should put real effort into her own appearance.

She’d just spent way longer than expected before the mirror, trying to follow the steps her aunt had taught her. She was mindful of the general tenets: less is more, emphasize what’s already there… and most importantly, ”Don’t slather it on like you’re doing it with a shovel, sweetie, or you’ll look like a whore.” In the end, Riley was confident she’d avoided looking slutty, but the make-up did give her a certain alluring sexiness, she thought. All in all, a very satisfactory experiment.

Riley took a step back to evaluate the rest of her outfit, pausing to put her glasses back on because everything was a blur if she stood more than a few inches away from the mirror. She considered putting her contacts in, then remembered that Sabrina thought her glasses were cute. She couldn’t imagine why, but still, if that’s what the girl liked…

She’d selected a pair of jeans that fit snugly at the hips. She rarely wore them anymore because they were actually getting a little too tight for her liking, but that made them the ideal choice for her date. She spun around for a look at her backside. Not bad, she had to admit. Not Sabrina-level, but then again, whose ass was?

At first, she’d tried on a tank top that went well with the jeans, but she’d felt it made her boobs look too small. In the end, her self-consciousness won out, and she opted for a cute blouse instead. Not exactly everyday wear, but it went better with her boyish frame.

Studying herself in the mirror now, she was surprised to find that she looked… good. Not hottest-girl-in-school good, but still, at least halfway attractive, which seemed like an improvement. She hoped Sabrina would like what she saw.

The thought gave her pause. On a normal day, she’d maybe brush her hair a little and throw on some randomly selected clothes. Now, here she was, having spent over an hour fretting over her outfit and make-up like she was some preppy girl. Did she want to impress Sabrina that much? Someone she didn’t even know if she liked that way? She was starting to half-hope that the date wouldn’t go well; this was entirely too much work.

At that moment, she heard the door to the apartment open and close. “Riley, you still here?” her father called out.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself. She’d been hoping to leave before he came home, thereby avoiding any awkward questions. Oh well, no point in hiding now. “Yeah, in here,” she replied.

“Hey, hon, I was just—” He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the bathroom door and saw her. “Whoa.”

Riley shifted uncomfortably. Her dad was staring as if he barely recognized his own daughter. She gave a little shrug. “How do I look?”

“You look… great. More than great. Hmm… what is all this?” He frowned. “I thought you were going to see a movie with a girl from school? This looks suspiciously like a date.”

“I am seeing a movie with a girl from school…” Riley hesitated. She’d not been prepared to get into the whole “liking girls” thing right then. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Still, if she couldn’t trust Dad to have her back, who else was there? “But… it might also be a date…”

“Oh.” His eyebrows slowly rose until they threatened to leave his forehead entirely. “Oh. That’s… new. Isn’t it?”

“Um, yeah, kinda. I don’t really… know what I’m doing. It’s just… She’s like the prettiest girl in school, and she asked me out. I was really surprised and, like, flattered, I guess, so I said yes… and here we are.”

He considered that for a moment, then nodded. “Well. Okay. A few things. First, however this turns out, I hope you know that there’s nothing wrong with liking other girls, and that I’ll love you no matter what.”

“I know, Dad.” Riley smiled and gave him a hug. She’d been pretty certain he would react this way, but it was still reassuring to hear the words.

“Secondly, well, regardless of who it’s with, I still think 14 is pretty young to be dating…”

Now it was Riley’s turn to frown. “Dad, we’ve been over this…”

“I know, I know—and look, I’m trying to be the cool dad here, but you shouldn’t feel like you have to rush growing up, and…” He stopped when he noticed the look she was giving him. “I’m not gonna win this one, am I?”

“No,” Riley said simply, but she still smiled. The dad-doesn’t-want-his-little-girl-to-grow-up-too-fast routine was sort of endearing, but still, she wasn’t a kid anymore and could make her own decisions. “Look, we’re not getting married or anything. It’s just a movie date,” she said, displaying far more nonchalance than she actually felt.

He sighed. “Fine, I suppose. So, does this girl have a name?”

“Sabrina.” Just saying the name made Riley nervous all over again. She was supposed to meet the girl in less than an hour.

“Hmm, I don’t think you’ve mentioned a Sabrina before. What is she like?”

“She’s… um…” Riley began, then faltered. What was Sabrina like? Beautiful, of course, but she’d said that already, and it seemed a bit superficial besides. Riley racked her brain for what she knew about Sabrina—what were her interests and hobbies, how did she act when hanging out with friends, who even were her real friends—and realized the sum of her knowledge amounted to very little. She’d basically written the girl off as a shallow pretty face, and that now seemed rather unfair, considering her judgment was based on nothing at all. As far as she knew, Sabrina did pretty well in school, and… that was about it. Oh, and… “Well, she likes The Lord of the Rings, so that’s a good start.”

Her dad chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure that scores some major points. But do you like her? It kinda sounds like you’re more into the idea of her liking you.”

Riley blinked. Was that true? She had just acknowledged that she knew pretty much nothing about Sabrina, so… Was she going on this date only out of vanity? Because the popular girl liked her? That didn’t seem fair to Sabrina.

“I… don’t know. Maybe.” Riley leaned back against the washing machine, looked up at the ceiling, and let out a deep sigh. “I’m confused.”

Her father wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, kiddo. Look, putting aside my dad feelings, you want my honest advice? Go on this date and see how it goes. Do it with an open mind, but be honest with yourself about your feelings. Maybe you won’t feel any connection with this girl, and that’s okay, sometimes it’s like that and it doesn’t work out. If that’s the case, be sincere with her and don’t lead her on. Or maybe you’ll have a great time and want to see her again, and if so, good. It’s normal to be confused and try things out at your age. Nothing wrong with experimenting and seeing where you stand.” He nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied with his speech. Then a few seconds later, he seemed to think better of it. “Err, when I say ‘experimenting’, I don’t mean… Uh, there’s no need to rush into… certain things. You know what I’m talking about. Don’t let her push you into anything that you’re not comfortable with, okay?”

Riley caught her dad in a big hug. “Got it. Thanks, Dad. That… actually helped a lot.” It all made sense, and seemed like stuff that should have been obvious, really, but she’d been too busy freaking out. Sometimes you need someone to spell things out for you.

He gave her a dubious look. “You sound surprised. Do you doubt my fatherly wisdom, Riley Simmons?”

“Well, your ‘wisdom’ is usually just bad dad jokes…”

He considered that for a moment. “Fair point. So, you ready then? Need a lift?”

“Nah, I’ll take my bike, it’s not far.”

“Okay, then. Be back by 10:30?”

“11?” Riley flashed her sweetest smile. “It’s the weekend,” she added when her dad made a face.

He sighed. “Fine.”

Grinning, Riley checked her appearance in the mirror one last time, then made her way towards the door.

“You say this Sabrina is the prettiest girl in school,” her dad called out after her, “but I’d say she has some competition tonight!”

Riley snorted. “You’re like the only person who would think that, Dad.”

He spread his hands. “That’s my job, isn’t it? Go on, have fun. Love you, hon.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

***

Riley glanced at the clock on her phone for the third time in the past minute, feeling her anxiety grow by the second. Where was Sabrina? Was the girl standing her up? Or could Riley be the one waiting in the wrong spot somehow?

Struggling to keep calm, she took a deep breath. Would you relax? she thought, annoyed at herself. It’s not even 5. She’s not late yet. Get a grip.

For the hundredth time, she scanned the area in front of the mall, looking for a familiar blonde head among the passersby. Still nothing.

“Riley?” A voice behind her. Of course Sabrina would get here just when she was looking the other way.

Riley turned around to greet her date, but the words stuck in her throat. Sabrina looked even better than she normally did at school, something that Riley hadn’t thought possible. The girl was wearing a pretty summer dress, cinched at the waist to emphasize her figure, and maybe a hint shorter than appropriate. It was held up by thin spaghetti straps—no bra, Riley couldn’t help but notice—nearly hidden by the golden tresses cascading over her bare shoulders. Sabrina had also opted for a touch of make-up, which highlighted her beauty even more. She strode forward gracefully, despite the wedge-heeled sandals on her feet. Riley usually thought that high heels of any kind were weird and unnatural, but she had to admit that they fit Sabrina’s long legs perfectly. On the other hand, she wasn’t so enthused about the girl towering over her even more than usual.

“Hey. Wasn’t sure it was you,” Sabrina said. “Wow, you look great!”

“T-thanks. Um, you too. You look… really, really good.” If Riley had only crossed Sabrina’s path by chance, she probably would have been annoyed by the other girl’s appearance. Jealous, even. But now that she knew that Sabrina had dressed up for her, it made her feel all warm inside. Vain, maybe, but God, it felt good to be wanted.

“Thanks!” Sabrina smiled brightly, tucking her hair behind one ear. “Um, were you waiting long? Sorry, I guess I cut it a bit short.”

“Oh, no, not really. It’s cool,” Riley said casually, as if she hadn’t spent the last fifteen minutes in growing panic.

“Okay. Hey, I saw there was a new Italian place that opened right over there.” Sabrina pointed across the parking lot, at a neon sign that read Emilio’s. “You wanna try that?”

“Oh, sure. I love Italian.”

“Yeah? Cool, it’s my favorite.”

They began walking towards the restaurant. Now that they were together, Riley was filled with nervous jitters. She almost couldn’t believe she was actually on a date with a girl—with Sabrina Taylor, of all people. Suddenly, she felt completely inadequate in this situation. How was she supposed to act, what was she supposed to say to this goddess who seemed so far out of her league? Maybe this date had been a bad idea after all…

But Sabrina only smiled at her, looking happy and relaxed, and Riley did her best to offer back a convincing smile of her own.

They entered the restaurant, and Sabrina asked for a table for two. Riley wondered if the waitress could tell they were on a date, somehow. No, that was silly. How could she? Still, hadn’t she given them some kind of weird look? Riley shook her head and sighed. Surely it was just her imagination.

They sat down, and Sabrina gave her an amused look. “Jeez, relax. And I thought I was nervous. We’re just hanging out, you’re not gonna be branded with a scarlet letter or anything.”

“Yeah, sorry. You’re right. I just… yeah.” Riley felt her cheeks heating up and hid her face in the menu.

“What are you having?” Sabrina asked after a moment.

“Hmm, not sure yet. Thinking pizza. You?”

“Fettuccine Alfredo, my fave dish ever. Gotta see what this restaurant is worth!”

Riley looked through the list of available pizzas and noticed quite a few that sounded pretty good. Hearing Sabrina chuckle to herself, she glanced over the menu and saw the girl looking at her with a mysterious smile on her lips. “What?”

“Okay, no pressure or anything, but I have a question that could determine if we have a future as a couple.”

Riley raised an eyebrow. “Err, okay? Wow, starting off heavy.” She was fairly sure Sabrina was kidding, but still, that felt ominous. A couple. She hadn’t even gotten used to the idea of going on a date with another girl.

Sabrina leaned in a little, now straight-faced. “What’s your opinion of Hawaiian pizza?”

Oh, that question. No, this was serious business after all. Sabrina wasn’t one of those people, was she? Riley narrowed her eyes. “Crime against humanity,” she said, her expression perfectly deadpan.

Sabrina was silent for a moment, and Riley had to wonder if she actually was a fan of that particular atrocity, but then the girl cracked a smile and reached out over the table. Grinning, Riley bumped Sabrina’s fist with her own.

Just like that, the ice was broken. They started chatting amiably, first about how wrong it was to put pineapple on pizza, then about school, soon moving on to other topics. Riley quickly realized they had more in common than she would have thought, enjoying many of the same books and movies. And some music, though Sabrina had more mainstream tastes. She was interested in checking out a few of the bands Riley mentioned, entering their names into her phone to investigate later.

Riley was intrigued to learn that Sabrina intended to become an author when she was older. That seemed like a fascinating career, if one could pull it off. Though she loved to read, Riley herself wasn’t too great at writing, so she didn’t think that was for her. She was still trying to work out what she wanted to do when she grew up. Maybe something science-related.

“So, as a writer type, I guess you must prefer the Lord of the Rings books to the movies, right?” Riley asked. The correct answer was, of course, yes.

“Oh yeah, for sure. The books are always better. The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, whatever.”

Riley smiled. “All good picks. Gotta say, I’m a bit surprised you’re so into this stuff.”

Sabrina arched an eyebrow. “Oh? Why?”

“Well… you just seem, um…” Riley hesitated. There was no real way to say this politely, so she was just going to come out with it. “I kinda took you for an airhead cheerleader type…”

“Jeez, ouch. What did I do to deserve that?”

“Nothing! It was unfair, I know… But it’s sort of a compliment, in a way? Like, you’re too pretty to be into nerdy stuff?”

Sabrina’s expression was skeptical. “Uh-huh. I think that’s called a back-handed compliment. But I’ll take it, if you want to tell me how pretty you think I am.”

Riley felt the warmth rising on her cheeks and hoped it wasn’t too obvious. Truth be told, she had already caught herself appreciating Sabrina’s beauty a few times while they ate. The girl could seriously be a model, maybe even a Hollywood star if she wanted. And those piercing blue eyes. They seemed to fill up the whole world when she looked at you a certain way.

Riley wondered, not for the first time, if the jealousy she’d felt towards Sabrina had actually concealed some kind of attraction. Didn’t they say that jealousy was the sincerest form of flattery? No, that wasn’t quite how the adage went… but it was close enough. The fact was that she did admire Sabrina’s looks, and now that she’d found out that she also really enjoyed talking with the girl, it made her all the more alluring.

She began to imagine what might happen if this relationship worked out and things went further between them. To her dismay, she felt her face grow even hotter.

“And you’re real cute, too… especially when you blush,” Sabrina said, her eyes gazing deep into Riley’s, which didn’t help matters. “Or when you’re nerding out.” She’d already heard Riley going into detail about the differences between the book and movie versions of The Fellowship of the Ring. “Well, all the time, really… but especially then.”

“T-thanks,” Riley mumbled, at a loss for words. The heat from her face seemed to be spreading through her entire body. Sabrina was… pretty great. And gorgeous. And she liked Riley. Maybe this date had been a good idea after all.

“For the record, though,” Sabrina continued, “cheerleading is dumb and objectifying, and I’d never get into it.”

Riley laughed, her embarrassment fading a little. She raised her hand for another fist bump. “Right on.”

At that moment, the waitress returned to their table, asking if they wanted dessert. They exchanged a glance, and Sabrina looked at the time on her phone. “Nah, we should probably get going, right?”

Riley nodded. “Yeah. Don’t wanna miss the previews,” she said, only half-joking. She knew they were basically just ads meant to sell more tickets, but somehow movie trailers always felt integral to the theater experience.

“All right. I’ll leave you this, then,” the waitress said, placing the bill face down on the table. Be back in a minute.”.

Riley and Sabrina both stared at the single piece of paper for a moment, then at each other, chuckling awkwardly. They hadn’t thought to ask for separate checks.

Riley wasn’t sure what the bill etiquette was supposed to be for a date. Hell, she’d never been on a dinner date before. Tradition dictated that the boy was supposed to pay, but clearly, that meant nothing in this situation… and it seemed stupid and antiquated, anyway. Should she suggest splitting it, or was that some kind of social blunder? Maybe she should just pick up the check, it wasn’t that big a deal—though between this and the movie ticket, she’d be pretty broke. Should have asked Dad for some cash, she thought.

Riley reached out to take the bill, but Sabrina was slightly quicker, and Riley’s hand ended up covering the other girl’s instead. She froze for a moment, then snatched her hand away, certain that she was blushing all over again. Sabrina’s skin had been soft and warm, pleasant to the touch.

“It’s okay, I got this,” Sabrina said, offering a small smile.

“Oh. Well, you don’t have to. We could split or something…?”

“It’s fine. I’m the one who asked you out, anyway.”

Riley shrugged, but she supposed that was true enough. “Well, okay, if you want.”

Sabrina settled the bill, then they exited the restaurant and began making their way towards the theater.

“So, have you written anything?” Riley asked as they walked, trying to make conversation.

“What?”

“Since you want to be an author, I mean. You got anything written? Short story or whatever? I’m curious. Maybe I could give it a read, give you feedback.”

“Oh, uh, that’s not… Um, I got some stuff but… it’s probably not very good.” For the first time that evening, Sabrina actually looked anxious. Funny how the girl could seem perfectly relaxed on a first date, but got all nervous about sharing her hobby.

“Oh, come on. I’m sure it’s not that bad. What, you’ve never shown it to anyone?”

“Um, no, not really.”

“Oh, now I want to read it even more!”

“Well, I’m not really happy with what I’ve written before, but…” Sabrina hesitated, met Riley’s eyes. “I guess once I’m done with the story I’m working on now, you could take a look, maybe. It’s a bit better. I think.”

“Deal!” Riley grinned, and Sabrina offered a sheepish smile in return. It was pretty cute, the way she was so self-conscious about her writing. Now Riley could kind of see why Sabrina had enjoyed making her blush earlier. She was happy that the girl was willing to share something so personal and important to her. Maybe they’d make a good couple after all.

The thought surprised her. Was she really getting used to the idea of them as a couple? Of being Sabrina’s… girlfriend? She glanced sideways at the beautiful blonde and her heart rate sped up a little. Yeah, she just might be ready to consider a relationship, and the thought made her smile in spite of herself. She was half-tempted to take Sabrina’s hand in hers right then—that brief touch in the restaurant had been nice—but didn’t dare try anything so overt just yet.

Upon reaching their destination, Riley took a few quick steps ahead so as to reach the admission booth first. She asked for two tickets, paid for them, then handed one to Sabrina, who gave her a look. Riley smiled. “What? I can’t have you paying for everything. It’s… unseemly!”

“Fine.” Sabrina shrugged, then flashed a quick grin. “I’m getting the popcorn, though!” She started at a half-run towards the concession stand.

“We just ate!” Riley called out after her.

“Can’t go to the movies without getting popcorn!”

Riley had to concede the point; it just wasn’t the same without some popcorn to munch on. Sabrina bought a bag for them to share, then they made their way into the theater.

“Well, looks like we won’t have any trouble finding good seats,” Sabrina said as they entered. There were at most fifteen people in the whole room.

“What? Where is everyone? This movie’s great!”

“I guess most people aren’t interested in seeing a movie that’s, like, 20 years old in a theater.”

“Pfff. Their loss.”

They took seats near the middle of the room and began eating their popcorn while waiting for the movie to start. Now and then, their hands brushed when they reached into the bag, and each time it made Riley’s heart skip a beat.

She cast a sidelong glance at the other girl, wondering if she was really falling for Sabrina. She’d been so unsure about even going on this date, and now here she was, getting all warm and fuzzy from the merest skin contact. And it wasn’t like Sabrina had done anything special. She was just nice, smart and fun to be around, and… Well, maybe that was all that mattered.

After the fourth time that they reached into the bag of popcorn at the same time and bumped hands, Sabrina turned to Riley, a knowing smile on her lips. “Are you doing that on purpose?”

“No!” At least, Riley didn’t think it was on purpose. “I… I was just wondering if you were.”

“Please. If I wanted to hold your hand, I’d just do it. None of this sneaking around,” Sabrina said with exaggerated haughtiness, then adding a mischievous wink.

Affected or not, Sabrina’s confidence was rather charming. Riley couldn’t help noticing the implication, though. “So… you’re saying you don’t want to hold my hand?”

“Oh… I didn’t mean… It’s not that I don’t want to. I just thought that you, um… Well, I didn’t want to, like, rush things, y’know?” Sabrina didn’t sound so self-assured now, scrambling to explain herself, but somehow it was equally charming. The girl just couldn’t help being irresistible. “Unless you want to…?” she added, meeting Riley’s eyes.

Her heart suddenly in her throat, Riley hesitated. This seemed like a big, abrupt step. Her feelings for Sabrina had done such a 180 these past few days, it was hard to keep up. Then again, hadn’t she been thinking about holding hands with the girl just a few minutes ago?

Growing embarrassed, she wanted to look away, but Sabrina’s gaze held her fast. Losing herself in those gorgeous eyes, she felt her doubts slowly fade. Yes, she did want to hold Sabrina’s hand, and that was perfectly fine. With mixed relief and apprehension, Riley wondered if there was anything she wouldn’t do if Sabrina was looking at her that way.

Feeling her cheeks burn yet again, Riley offered her hand to the other girl.

Surprise flashed on Sabrina’s face for an instant, quickly replaced by a bright smile as she took Riley’s hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

Riley offered a more sheepish smile in return, then finally managed to tear her eyes away from Sabrina’s. Leaning back in her seat, she stared at the blank screen, unsure what to do or say. The warmth in her hand now matched the heat on her face. Tingles spread along her arm and through her body. Her heart raced. All that, just from holding someone’s hand!

She wondered if Sabrina was experiencing something similar. It wasn’t unpleasant—on the contrary!—but she hadn’t been prepared for the intensity of the feelings that were coursing through her. She even felt a kind of warmth spreading downwards through her belly, and hastened to push that sensation out of her mind. Regardless of how well things seemed to be going, she was not ready to become sexually aroused by another girl. Especially in the middle of a movie theater.

Half-certain that everyone must be staring at them, she stole a quick glance around the room, but nobody seemed to be paying them any mind. She dared a shy peek at Sabrina, and found the other girl looking back.

“You okay there? We don’t have to keep doing this if you—”

“No, it’s okay,” Riley quickly interrupted, surprising even herself. She realized she really didn’t want to let go, despite these mixed-up feelings.

Sabrina smiled and squeezed Riley’s hand again. Riley found herself squeezing back, growing more at ease.

Then the lights in the room dimmed and the previews started, grabbing most of her attention. The excitement over holding hands with Sabrina gradually faded to a pleasant giddiness at the back of her mind as she watched the trailers for upcoming movies. There were some decent-looking ones, but nothing really struck her as a must-see.

Finally, it was time for the main attraction. Having seen the movie so many times already, Riley knew exactly what to expect. But she didn’t mind, of course. From the sequence of company logos at the very beginning, to the first notes of the soundtrack, to the first images and lines, she relished the cozy familiarity of spending time with an old friend.

She didn’t know the entire movie by heart—not quite—but she did catch herself mouthing some of the lines as the plot unfolded. And all the while, she kept holding Sabrina’s hand, not really thinking about it very much. Sometimes one of them would react unwittingly, though. During the scene where the evil Nazgûls are searching for the hidden hobbits, Sabrina gripped Riley’s hand tightly, making her smile. It was sweet and cute, and made Riley’s heart skip a beat for reasons that had nothing to do with what was happening on the screen.

The three-hour running time went by surprisingly quickly, and they soon found themselves staring at the scrolling credits. Sabrina turned to Riley. “Well, that was fun.”

“Yeah. Of course it was!” As if there was any way The Lord of the Rings could be boring. “But… I still think they should have put Tom Bombadil in the movie. He might be a little goofy, but that part of the book is still cool, and the lore behind the character is—”

Riley’s train of thought was abruptly derailed when Sabrina leaned in and kissed her, right out of the blue.

She froze, completely taken by surprise. Sabrina was kissing her! Her heart was suddenly hammering in her chest and her senses were overwhelmed by new stimuli. A hint of perfume in her nostrils, Sabrina’s warm breath mingling with her own, the feel of those lips against hers, so incredibly soft.

It took Riley a few seconds to process what was happening, and just as she was beginning to think that she should respond somehow, Sabrina pulled away.

“Whoa,” was all Riley managed to say. She stared at the stunning goddess next to her, wondering how she had landed in this situation. How many people would give an arm, a leg, or both to be in her place right then? But all she could do was sit there, dumbfounded.

“Sorry.” Even in the dim light of the theater, Sabrina’s pale cheeks were turning a shade redder. “I, um… Like I said, you’re just too cute when you get all nerdy!” She grinned, then quickly sobered up. “But still, I shouldn’t have done that. Sorry.”

Riley shrugged uncomfortably. She wasn’t angry, just… confused? She’d been startled by the kiss and hadn’t had the presence of mind to either enjoy or dislike it. It certainly hadn’t been a turn-off, though; her lips were still tingly, and her belly felt full of warm, soft butterflies. “It’s okay… It wasn’t all bad,” she said weakly.

Sabrina raised an eyebrow. “Not all bad, huh?”

“I mean… you know, I didn’t really get, um…” Riley hesitated. If she finished her thought, it would be a clear invitation for more… but it occurred to her that she didn’t mind. No, in fact, she sort of wanted another try. “Didn’t get enough time to… to know for sure.”

Sabrina’s gaze flicked around the room, then fixed on Riley. “Oh yeah?” She leaned forward a little, but not all the way this time.

Heart in her throat, Riley also took a quick look around. The people further back were already walking up the aisles, and no one was paying any attention to the two girls who were still in their seats. She met Sabrina’s eyes, and that beguiling gaze quickly banished any reluctance she might have felt. “Yeah…” she breathed, leaning in closer.

Their lips met again. Riley wasn’t sure which of them had actually initiated the kiss this time. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the sensation, on how it made her feel.

It was a soft, gentle kiss, and now that she was ready for it, Riley had to admit that Sabrina’s silky lips really struck sparks in her mind. She wasn’t much of an experienced kisser, but did her best to follow Sabrina’s lead. It was sweet. Exciting even, with a hint of forbidden thrill. There was a pleasant fire in her belly. It felt… right.

After a long moment, Sabrina pulled back, gazing expectantly at Riley.

“Wow,” Riley said, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “That was… pretty good.” Putting it mildly, but it was all she could think of to say. “Um, maybe girls aren’t so bad,” she then added, a sheepish smile on her lips. She’d been warming up to the idea of dating Sabrina all evening, but that kiss made the prospect of this romance seem downright thrilling.

“I’ll take ’pretty good.’ But trust me, it only gets better.” Sabrina raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Indecent images of what that might mean flashed in Riley’s mind, making her blush. How much better? she wondered.

“Another time, though.” Sabrina glanced around the room again. “We should probably go.”

Following Sabrina’s gaze, Riley saw that most people had already left, and two theater employees were waiting impatiently for the two of them to get out so that they could clean the room. Riley hoped they hadn’t seen them kissing—it wasn’t a huge deal, but still—as she got up and followed Sabrina towards the exit.

As they passed by the employees, the middle-aged man ignored them, but the late-teen girl winked at Riley, who flashed an embarrassed smile before hurrying out.

“Well, I need to make a pit stop,” Sabrina announced as they walked out into the lobby, gesturing toward the restrooms. “That was a long movie!”

“Yeah, I should do that, too.”

They found the bathroom rather crowded, but there were a couple of empty stalls. By the time they were done with their business, though, the room had emptied considerably, just one girl using the hand drier, then making her exit. As they washed their own hands, Riley was reminded of the last time she and Sabrina were together in a public restroom. It was just a few days ago, but it felt like her life had turned upside down since then.

“What are you smiling at?” Sabrina asked.

“Oh, um, nothing.” Riley hadn’t even realized that those thoughts had made her smile. “Just thinking about the last time we were washing our hands like this… and then you kinda dropped that bomb on me.”

“Ah, and… by your smile, I take it that you don’t regret your decision?”

“No.” Riley’s smile widened in spite of herself, and she felt her cheeks go warm again. “This is… nice. I had a good time.” It felt like she should say more. In fact, their date had gone way, way better than she’d expected. But she wasn’t very good at this sort of thing.

Sabrina seemed pleased, though. “Good. Me too.” For an instant, there was a twinkle in her eyes and it looked like she was about to move closer to Riley, maybe even kiss her again. Riley had to admit that she wouldn’t have been against the idea, but the moment passed, and Sabrina seemed to have thought better of it. Instead, she suddenly asked, “So, what do you think of Liv Tyler in that movie?”

Riley blinked at the abrupt change of subject. “Arwen? Er, like, the character, or her acting, or…?”

Sabrina smirked. “I mean, do you think she’s hot?”

Riley let out a surprised laugh. “Oh, jeez.” Was that going to be a thing now? Was she supposed to gossip about which girls were hot?

“Well, what?” Sabrina shrugged. “Just wondering what goes on in your mind, I guess. Now that you’re, dare I say… thinking about playing for the right team.”

Riley snorted. “Oh, wow. Is that what’s happening?”

“I hope so.” Sabrina winked. “But yeah, just curious. Like, I had a huge crush on Liv when I first saw the movie… back when I was, like, 8.”

“Hah, really? Hmm, I dunno, I mean… sure, she’s gorgeous, I guess. But I haven’t thought about it that way before. I’m not sure I’d want to, like, kiss her or anything.” But even as she spoke, Riley realized that she wasn’t too sure of her feelings anymore. Sabrina was the only girl she’d ever considered kissing, let alone anything else. She didn’t think Hollywood actresses did much for her. Though, now that she thought about it… Liv Tyler the actress might not, but Arwen, the beautiful, immortal Elf…

As if reading her thoughts, Sabrina raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Weeeeeell…” Riley laughed. “Gotta admit, she did do a great job capturing the, um, otherworldly beauty of an Elf. That’s not… unattractive.” She looked away, embarrassed, then glanced back to see if Sabrina was laughing at her, but the girl just nodded, grinning. Speaking of “otherworldly beauty,” though, Liv Tyler had nothing on Sabrina, Riley decided. “You sure you don’t have elven blood?” She winced, immediately regretting the corny line. “God, did I just say that?”

Sabrina laughed. “Nerdy compliment, huh? I’ll take it.” Then she narrowed her eyes at Riley. “As long as you don’t expect me to wear pointy ears…”

“Oh, no, no. Nothing like that!” Riley held her hands up appeasingly. She did think Sabrina could pull that look off, though.

“Good.” Sabrina smiled and stepped closer. She reached out to toy with a strand of Riley’s hair, then caressed her cheek with a finger.

Riley suddenly felt hot all over. Again, it looked like Sabrina was just about to kiss her, and she was surprised to find herself so hungry for another taste of the girl’s sweet lips.

But instead, Sabrina glanced around the empty restroom, then at the door. She hesitated, taking a step back. “We should probably go before someone comes in and…” She trailed off, shrugged.

“I guess,” Riley said, disappointed. Clearly, Sabrina was afraid of getting caught, and Riley didn’t relish that possibility either, but… Then they couldn’t kiss out in the mall, or on the streets, so this might be her last chance to get one for now.

Before she realized what she was doing, Riley caught up to Sabrina, grabbed the girl by the wrist before she could open the door, and murmured, “But before we go…”

Drawing Sabrina close, Riley planted a kiss on her pretty mouth.

At first she wondered if Sabrina would back off, but on the contrary, the girl practically melted into her arms, and Riley found herself tangled in a passionate kiss. She soon realized it was a little awkward to lock lips with someone half-a-head taller—probably more, with the heels Sabrina had on—while standing, having to tilt her neck back, but she didn’t let that bother her. The kiss was more than enough to take her mind off any discomfort.

It was even better than the last one. Sharing this intimate connection with Sabrina filled her with glee, elation—and yes, Riley had to admit, stirrings of lust. She could definitely get used to this.

“Mmmm,” Sabrina purred when their lips parted.

“Sorry. Hope you’re, um, okay with that.” Riley tried for an innocent smile, but she wasn’t sure it was very convincing, with her breath now a little erratic. The desire she plainly saw in Sabrina’s eyes wasn’t helping to calm her down, either.

“I love kissing you, and I want to do it a lot more, but…” Sabrina took a deep breath. “Probably not a good time. If we bumped into someone we know from school or something…”

Riley had to agree. She’d never liked being the center of attention, and if people knew she was dating the most sought-after girl in school, there would be no end to questions, gossip, and snark, even hostility. “Yeah, you’re right. Don’t want all that attention.”

They walked out of the bathroom, leisurely making their way towards the exit.

“Yeah, but, it’s not just that,” Sabrina said. “I think I mentioned how the kids at my old school found out that, y’know, I like girls, and, well…” She sighed. “It was… bad.”

“What happened?” Riley asked softly.

“I confided in this one girl I thought I could trust, and she told everyone. Or I don’t know, she told someone who then told everyone. Whatever. People weren’t very… accepting. You know how it is. Lash out against others who are different, I guess that’s what you’re supposed to do? Anyway, I got a lot of shit, and things could get pretty hateful. Got my locker spray-painted with ‘dyke’, and ‘cunt muncher’ or whatever it was. Fun times.” Sabrina’s voice was tight, and she stared into the distance as she spoke, then she gave herself a shake and turned to Riley. “Anyway, long story short: really glad I moved!”

“Jesus, what the fuck…” Riley blurted out, shocked. “That’s horrible! How can people do shit like that? I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

Sabrina shrugged. “Yeah. It wasn’t my favorite school. Or town.”

“I’m pretty sure people here wouldn’t be that bad… I think. I mean, I guess I don’t really know anyone who’s, like, out. But there are probably some? And I haven’t heard of anything terrible like that happening around here.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’m not really keen on taking any chances just yet, though.”

“My dad was pretty surprised when I told him I was going out with a girl,” Riley said with a chuckle, hoping that would lighten the mood. “But he was totally cool with it.”

Sabrina’s eyebrows rose up. “Whoa, really? You told him already?”

“Um, yeah. Well, he kinda caught me while I was getting ready for tonight, and I didn’t wanna lie, so… But yeah, it was fine. He talked me down when I was feeling super stressed about it, hah.”

“Huh, cool. Sounds like a nice guy.”

“Yeah, he’s great. Um, do your parents not know?”

“Oh. Um, no. Like, it’s not a big deal, I don’t think they’d freak out or anything… But, I dunno. We’re just not that close, I guess? They’re very, um… career-oriented, is how some put it.” She made a face. “Workaholics, more like. We don’t talk that much. My mom is a consultant for big companies. Like, she basically takes over an office or branch that has trouble for a year or two until things are running smoothly. That’s why we move around a lot. My dad’s an engineer for… computer stuff, whatever, so he can just work remotely from anywhere.”

“Ah, hmm, sounds like that could be kinda… difficult,” Riley said, trying to be diplomatic. It sounded really bad, actually. Moving around the country constantly must already be a drag, but with parents who were so distant as well… She couldn’t imagine living like that.

“Yeah, sometimes. Oh well. It is what it is.” Sabrina shrugged. “What about your mom? You told her about this date, too?”

“Oh, no. Um, she died when I was 7. Car accident.”

“Oh shit, sorry! Here I am complaining about my family and…”

Riley waved off the concern. “Nah, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” she said, trying to cut short the outpouring of pity that always happened when she mentioned her mom. She’d never been able to stand it. Still, she couldn’t help thinking that her mom would have liked Sabrina.

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Riley decided to voice the question that had been on her mind. “So… why’d you take the risk of asking me out, if you had such a bad experience before?”

“Well… ‘cause you’re awesome, and worth the risk. And hot.” Sabrina flashed a winning smile, which faltered a little as she scratched the back of her head. “And, okay, ‘cause I was kinda lonely and… I thought I saw you checking me out, so it seemed like a pretty safe bet. I guess that wasn’t the case, but hey, it worked out. But mostly because you’re awesome.” She winked, her good mood restored.

Riley wasn’t sure whether to be amused by the explanation, or embarrassed by the compliments, and in the end opted for both, laughing and blushing in equal measure. She felt truly touched that Sabrina had thought she was worth taking that big chance for, though. She could still hardly believe that this beautiful, amazing girl was so into her, but she welcomed the confidence boost. “Well, okay, then! I guess I am pretty awesome.” She couldn’t help grinning, and Sabrina returned the smile.

By then, they were back outside the mall. Sabrina glanced around, and said, “So… walk me home? I live pretty close.”

“Oh, sure.” Riley fetched her bike from where she’d locked it up nearby, then began walking alongside Sabrina, happy that they didn’t have to end things just yet. She laughed at herself; she’d been so nervous and worried about this date, and now she couldn’t get enough of it.

They walked for a few blocks, chatting amicably about this and that, then  took a turn onto Sabrina’s street. It was a nice part of town, not exactly upscale, but it was clear that Sabrina’s parents didn’t want for money. There was no moon, but the street lamps were on, and the numerous trees that lined the street created a lovely pattern of shadows across the sidewalk.

There was no one else in sight, and apparently Sabrina now felt much more at ease, because she suddenly took Riley’s hand, grinning at her surprised look. “I’ve been wanting to do that all the way here.”

“Me too,” Riley admitted sheepishly. It still felt odd to be falling for a girl, but she couldn’t deny that she loved the way this made her feel–being close to Sabrina, holding her hand.

They walked past a few more houses, then Sabrina stopped in front of a nice two-story home. “Well, this is me. Thanks for coming tonight, I had a great time.”

“Yeah, thanks for… asking me out, I guess.” Riley said, suddenly fumbling for the right words. “This was… actually pretty nice.”

Sabrina laughed at that. “Don’t sound so surprised!”

Riley had to laugh herself. “Well, y’know, I wouldn’t have imagined doing anything like this just a week ago! But… yeah, I’m really glad I came.”

“Good.” Sabrina took a step closer and kissed her. Not a lingering kiss, but not just a peck either. A couple seconds at most, but it was enough to set Riley’s heart racing.

Sabrina gazed at Riley, still standing intimately close. There was a yearning in her that a quick kiss clearly hadn’t sated. She seemed to hesitate, then asked, “You wanna come in?”

Taken by surprise, Riley stammered a response. “O-oh, err… I… don’t think so. Like, I don’t think I’m ready to meet your parents and stuff. Even if they don’t know about… anything. That seems kinda, y’know, official, for a first date.”

Sabrina chuckled. “No, no. My parents aren’t home right now. It’s just the two of us.”

“Oh.” It took a second for Riley to process this information, then she saw Sabrina’s invitation in a whole new light. “Oh!”

“I’ll behave,” Sabrina said in a tone that no one who behaves uses. She winked, turned on her heels, and began advancing towards the house. “If you want me to, that is,” she added over her shoulder.

Riley stood frozen for a moment, enthralled by Sabrina’s walk. The sway of her hips was downright hypnotic. Was she doing it on purpose?

Taking a deep breath, Riley tried to think. Things were getting a little out of hand. She doubted Sabrina had invited her in just for a friendly chat, and while she wouldn’t mind kissing some more in private… What if the girl wanted to go further? Sabrina had said she’d behave, but would she? Did Riley want her to? It suddenly felt like this date could get a lot wilder than she’d been prepared for. It was scary… and more than a little exciting.

She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Except that she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Sabrina just yet. She found herself locking her bike to the small fence in front of the house, then slowly following the other girl to the front door.

On to Part Three!

by Purple Les

Sitting at his desk almost a week later, Sheriff Gus Masters was lost in thought as he refilled his pipe. The Tequila Kid hadn’t been by in several days. She’s holdin’ something out on me, he told himself. Be damned if I know what, though. 

With the arrest of Jessie Sinclair, Masters had his killer, but there were still unanswered questions that nagged at him. First, there was the matter of Count Cousiourac. Since Lady Jane Wyeth-Boton had elected to stay on at the Ridge Hotel with that servant girl, Gus had the opportunity to find out what needed to be done with the Count’s body. She only smiled sweetly and said, “Why it was the Count’s desire to be buried in your wonderful country, should anything happen to him.”

Gus lit his pipe, still brooding. She sure didn’t offer to pay for his funeral, though. In the end, Mrs Ruggles had covered the mortuary fee, then paid for a plot and a modest headstone.

Sheriff Masters had kept in touch with Josh at the telegraph office, ever since Lady Jane told him that she planned to wire for funds, and to send cables informing the Count’s family and associates of his death. He’d just paid a visit to Josh, who told him, “She never set foot in here, Gus.” Just in case, he dropped by the post office, and got a similar answer from Edna May.

Acting on instinct, Gus had sent a wire to the French Consulate in Washington, D.C. to inform them of the Count’s demise, asking for instructions as to what should be done with the body.

Gus had just received the reply. It tersely informed him that Count Cousiourac had died seven years ago at age ninety-two, and was buried in the family plot in Marseilles.

Gnawing absently at the stem of his pipe, Gus pondered the situation. Mrs Ruggles vouched for Lady Jane and the Count, so she mustn’t know them to be impostors. I figure ‘em to be bunco artists, too. But if so, what was their game — gettin’ money from Mrs Ruggles to call up her dead husband? If they were after those diamonds… well, that was a waste of time, there never were any. He sighed. Sometimes I wish I could dig Maurice Ruggles up and kick his ass, just for all the trouble he stirred up with that goddamn diamond story of his.

Taking the last draw of his tobacco, Gus tapped the bowl smartly on the heel of his boot, then set the pipe to one side. His fingers drummed an erratic rhythm on the blotter. Once more, he wondered: What’s The Kid know… and why’s she keepin’ it from me? Don’t like doin’ it, but I reckon I gotta pay her a house call.

His other main concern was the female prisoner locked in his cell. Since the incident the first night she was there, Jessie Sinclair’s behavior had been flawless. It made him suspicious. Then again, maybe she’s just plumb crazy. Whichever she is, I can’t say I like havin’ a woman locked up in my jail. Don’t seem natural, even if she is a cold blooded murderer, and mean as a trod-upon rattler. Least she won’t do no more killin’, not in my town.

Thankfully, Gus didn’t have to give Jessie assistance with any female issues. The very thought made his cheeks go all hot. He’d managed to enlist a couple of the town women to lend a hand with that kind of thing — Doc Johnson’s wife Alice, for one.

There was a second telegram on the sheriff’s desk. Picking it up, Gus read the text for the third time, then got up and went out back to the cells.

Jessie Sinclair sat on her cot, reading a Bible. She looked up as Gus Masters entered.

“I just wanted to tell you, Miss Sinclair, that you’ll be transferred by train to Austin for your trial. A marshal, his deputy, and a prison matron will escort you.”

Jessie nodded. “I thank you for keeping me informed, Sheriff Masters,” she said quietly, then returned to her Bible. Gus studied the woman for a few seconds, then turned to leave.

Glancing up at the departing sheriff, Jessie allowed herself a brief smile. All she had to do was bide her time. She’d kept careful observations as to when she was fed, who brought which meals, who was in and out of the office and when they were there.

After the first night, her plates, cups and utensils had been kept track of, so she’d done well to get hold of the one spoon, now sharpened to a keen edge. The improvised weapon still lay beneath her pallet, awaiting its purpose.

Just before Gus made his exit, Jessie spoke. “Sheriff Masters? There is one thing I’m still curious about. If you’d give me a truthful answer, I would be obliged to you.”

Gus turned back to face the prisoner. “What is it, Miss Sinclair?”

“Those diamonds that people say Mrs Ruggles husband had… do they really exist?”

“No, Miss Sinclair, there are no diamonds.” Gus paused a moment as Jessie’s eyes narrowed slightly, then he added, “Mr Ruggles started that rumor years ago, for reasons known only to himself. He told me that much. It’s just something folks round here whisper to each other, but there’s not a word of truth to it.”

“Mrs Ruggles didn’t seem so sure,” Jessie said.

Gus looked away, slowly shaking his head. “Mrs Ruggles may have wealth and position, but I can’t say as it makes her happy. She lost both children, then her husband. I doubt she’s of soundest mind, and maybe she don’t always have both feet on the ground.

“She’s a fine woman, just the same. Why, I reckon there ain’t one person in Knuckle Ridge she’s not helped at one time or another, in some way.”

Gus stood straight and looked Jessie in the eye, a hard edge to his voice. “You made a big mistake listenin’ to old men and women at a boarding house who aren’t even sure if they had breakfast or not, passin’ on idle gossip to anyone fool enough to listen.”

With that, the sheriff turned and walked away, closing the heavy wooden door behind him as he left the cells. As Gus emerged into the office, Jigs sauntered in through the front door. His cheeks were slightly flushed, which meant he’d probably stopped off for a drink along the way.

“How ‘bout a game of checkers, Gus?” Jigs asked.

“Not now, Jigs,” Gus said, fastening his gun belt, then reaching for his hat. “There’s a few things I need to try and find out.” He patted his deputy’s shoulder as he made his exit, “If I get back soon, we’ll have us a game, all right?”

“Sounds good,” Jigs answered, but Gus was already gone.

***

The Tequila Kid had taken Button out for a ride. Giving the horse her own lead, they ended at the foot of a small hill. A creek was running nearby, and The Kid brought the horse to a standstill next to it. She dismounted, and they both drank from the cold, clear water. The Kid tethered the reins to a fallen sapling, loosening the bit and the cinch on the saddle. Button munched contentedly at the sweet grass while The Kid sat back against a tree. She took out her makings and began to roll a cigarette, thinking about the events of the last few days.

She’d awakened early on the Saturday after Jessie Sinclair’s capture. Quickly getting into the previous day’s clothes and strapping on her gun belt, The Kid hastened into town to see if Lady Jane intended to take the train that day, or if she chose to follow Doc Johnson’s advice and let little Gracie have her rest.

Relieved to see that they hadn’t left, The Kid went back to Ann’s, where she made coffee, then stripped down and bathed herself in the wooden tub. After drying off and fixing a light breakfast for herself, she slipped into her yellow dress. After checking on Ann, who was still dozing peacefully, The Kid quietly left for the Ridge hotel.

She found Lady Jane in the lobby, reading the newspaper. Lady Jane looked up, a hesitant smile on her lips as she saw The Kid approach.

“Good morning, Kid,” Lady Jane greeted the young woman, clearly taken aback by The Kid’s appearance. Besides wearing the pretty yellow dress, The Kid had her hair down and parted in the middle, covering the scar on the side of her head.

“Mornin’, Lady Jane,” The Kid replied. “How’s Gracie?”

“Still asleep,” Lady Jane answered. “How is Miss Purdy?”

“’Cept for a swolled-up jaw and them scratches on her face, she’ll be fine in a few days. She was still sleepin’ when I left her,” The Kid answered.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Lady Jane murmured.

There was an awkward moment of silence, then The Kid spoke. “I reckon we got off on the wrong foot, you and me,” she said. “Think maybe we could… start over?”

The blonde woman with the bright green eyes smiled at that. “Yes, I think we should.” She hesitated, then added, “Perhaps if it’s not too early, we could have a drink.”

“I reckon it’s after noon somewheres on earth,” The Kid replied, offering her arm. Lady Jane rose to accept it, and they walked together into the elegant hotel bar that connected to the dining room.

The bar was empty. They took a table in the corner, and Miguel, the young Mexican bartender, came over. Like all the hotel staff, he was dressed in a crisp white shirt, a necktie, black pants and vest. He had jet-black hair and was clean shaven but for a thin mustache.

Miguel gave a polite bow. “Good morning, Lady Wyeth-Boton, Senorita Kid. How may I serve you?”

“A large brandy for me, please,” Lady Jane said.

The Kid said, “Tequila por favor, Miguel.”

Bowing once more, Miguel took a couple steps backward, then turned and walked behind the bar, busying himself with bottles and glasses.

“Well, let’s us start over, then,” The Kid said, “Howdy, I’m the Tequila Kid. All my friends call me Kid.” She wondered if Lady Jane intended to give her real name this time.

Lady Jane extended her hand, saying, “Pleased to meet you…” She paused a moment. “…Kid.” Then with a smile, added, “I’m the Queen of England.”

That made The Kid smile. Lady Jane liked that smile, too. It made dimples in the young woman’s cheeks.

“Well, I’m right charmed, your Majesty,” The Kid said, taking the soft fingers of Lady Jane into her hand for a moment.

Just then, Miguel arrived with a tray. Whisking out a snow-white napkin, he put a large brandy snifter down in front of Lady Jane, a quarter full of Napoleon brandy. In front of The Kid, he set down a caballito with 100% agave añejo tequila.

“Will that be all?” Miguel asked.

“Yes, thank you,” Lady Jane said. Silently as a cat, Miguel slipped back behind the bar and began to polish glasses.

Lady Jane swirled the liquor around in the bulbous glass, savoring the aroma. The Kid picked up her glass, they clinked them together and Lady Jane said, “Cheers.”

“Same to you,” The Kid replied.

They each took a sip of their drinks, then sat back, smiling awkwardly at one another. Neither said much. When their glasses were empty, Lady Jane signaled for Miguel to bring another round. Soon appearing with fresh drinks on his tray, he took the empty glasses and vanished again.

This time The Kid made the toast. “To new friends and old.” They touched their glasses together once again.

After they sipped some more, The Kid suddenly said, “Well, I’ll be,” gazing in awe at Lady Jane.

“Why, what is it?” asked Lady Jane, taken aback.

“You’d think me foolish if I said,” The Kid replied.

Her curiosity now piqued, Lady Jane said, “Please tell me.”

“Well,” The Kid said, after another sip of her tequila, “You see, this one time I was trackin’ a fella for the Rangers.”

Lady Jane took another warm swallow of brandy, feeling very relaxed. She thought about how attractive The Kid was, despite the stitch in her nose and the tattoos on her chin. Actually, she was beginning to like the tattoos, too.

“I tracked him way up north, right up into Canada,” The Kid continued, a hint of pinkness appearing in her cheeks. “Well, one night up there, I was curled up in my bedroll, when I woke up and saw these… these sheets of color, all over the sky.” The Kid took another sip of her drink, then continued. “A few days later, I met a French trapper; he told me that’s what they call the Northern Lights.”

Enthralled by The Kid’s story, Lady Jane listened intently.

“I’d never seen nothin’ like it before,” The Kid said softly. “Shimmerin’ waves of light, just a-floatin’ in the sky. There was red and blue and violet, and the most beautiful shade of green I ever did see.”

She slowly nodded, caught up in the memory of it. “That green color stayed in my mind. I knew I’d never see a sparklin’ shade of green like that ever again.” The Kid moved her glass about in a little circle on the table, looking down at it.

Then she looked up at Lady Jane. “And then I saw your eyes a moment ago… and there it was, that green again.” Turning away, The Kid drained her glass in a gulp, then shrugged. “I told you it was foolish.” Her cheeks were flushed now.

Lady Jane pressed a hand to her chest. “I… I think that beneath that rough exterior, you are something of a poet, Kid. No one has ever said anything so beautiful to me.”

The Kid gave an awkward chuckle. “Aw, shucks.” She gestured down at her yellow dress. “At least I don’t look so rough today, now do I?”

“Indeed not,” Lady Jane replied, her eyes sparkling. “In fact, you are quite lovely. Did you… wear that dress for me?” The Kid nodded. “I consider that a compliment. Thank you, Kid.”

The Kid smiled. “Y’know, there’s somethin’ else you put me in mind of… it’s a poem I learned a few years back. Would it be too forward of me if I was to say it right now?”

“I can think of nothing I’d enjoy more. Please, let me hear it.”

Draining the last of the tequila, The Kid set her glass down. “See, I worked for a medicine show for a spell, where I did trick shootin’ to draw a crowd. Then this father and his daughter went into their act, sellin’ their medicine. They had a fiddler, a clog dancer, and a man who did conjurin’ tricks. Then the father would end the show doin’ a poem by this fella, name of Shakespeare. He’s from England, so I reckon you’ve heard of him.”

“Oh, I have,” said Lady Jane, chuckling. “He is one of our… better known writers.”

“Let’s see if I can recall it now.” The Kid looked thoughtful for a moment as she rubbed her tattooed chin. Finally, she shrugged. “I can’t bring but a line or two to mind, but I would like to say ‘em to you.”

Reaching out to touch the young woman’s hand, Lady Jane said, “Please do, Kid.”

The Kid took a deep breath, then began to speak. “’Shall I compare thee to a summer day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate’.”

Lady Jane stared at The Kid, enchanted by her words.

“The next part, I can’t remember so well,” The Kid confessed. “It was about the summer and how it goes away… but his sweetheart’s beauty, it’ll always be there.” The Kid said. “Then it ends like this.” She gazed deep into those lovely green eyes. “‘So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see. So long lives this, and this gives life to thee’.”

A sob broke from Lady Jane’s lips, and she began to cry. Tears ran down her cheeks, darkened by the mascara she wore. The Kid remained silent, waiting for the woman to speak.

Finally regaining a semblance of control, Lady Jane reached into her bag, fumbling for a handkerchief. She wiped her face, looked around to make sure no one else was within earshot, then softly said, “I have been dishonest with you.” She waited for a response but, getting none, spoke on. “When I told you that I’d never killed anyone before… that was a lie. I did kill a man.”

The Kid still didn’t speak, but gave Lady Jane a nod that encouraged the woman to continue.

“I married when I was nineteen. Kenneth and I were happy, at first. He had a respectable job with a group of barristers. We lived modestly, but didn’t mind. We were in love, you see. If you’ve ever felt that way for someone, you’ll know that it’s more precious than material things.

“He was fired from his position when he discovered that a partner at the firm was embezzling. His mistake, you see, was to confront the man first. The partner stalled my husband for long enough to cover his tracks, to make it seem as if Kenneth was lying. Not only did the firm refuse to believe him, he was dismissed… and that wretched partner spread malicious gossip about Kenneth, enough to keep him from finding a job elsewhere.”

With a deep sigh, Lady Jane soldiered on. “After that, Kenneth was never the same. We had to move to a slum, where we lived in the most squalid conditions. He took to drink and gambling. He began to beat me. Once, he… he brought a man home, who paid him two quid t-to have his way with me.” She was on the verge of crying again, but angrily choked it back.

“One night… Kenneth got the horrors. He’d run out of gin, you see, and had no money to buy more. He was like a mad animal, raging and tearing at his hair. Then he ordered me to come with him, down to the street, where he would sell my body to whoever would pay for it. I… I refused, then he became more violent than ever. He came at me with a knife. We struggled and — and I struck out at him with the teakettle. He fell, and landed upon the blade.” She hung her head, unable to meet The Kid’s eyes. “When I turned Kenneth over, I saw that he was dead.”

The Kid reached over and took Lady Jane’s hand.

“Fool that I was, I went to the police to tell them what had happened,” Lady Jane said, pausing to take a swallow of brandy from her glass. “They arrested me on the spot, wouldn’t listen when I told them it was an accident. Once they examined the body and saw the mark that the kettle had left on his head, I was charged with murder. One of the constables called me a — a cheap whore, and that he hoped to see me hang.” She paused, fingering the rim of the snifter with her free hand, then resumed her story.

“On the way to court one day, I escaped. The man who escorted me was drunk, and fell asleep in the wagon. I took the key from him and freed myself, then slipped away before I was missed. I made my way to Liverpool, where I picked a man’s pocket. I was lucky — it was enough money to buy passage to America.”

“Where did you pick up the child?” The Kid asked.

A fresh tear ran down Lady Jane’s cheek. Draining her glass, she then said, “I… I can’t talk about her, not just yet. Another time, perhaps.”

“What about that Count fella?” The Kid asked. “How’d he come into it?”

“He was no more royalty than I am,” said Lady Jane, pursing her lips. “His name is Yves DeBries, and he comes from Quebec. Gracie and I were doing our spiritualist act, trying to raise the money to make our way to Australia. I have a sister there, you see.

“Yves saw one of our seances and latched onto us. Somehow he laid hands on a British newspaper, one printed soon after I made my escape, and discovered that I was a fugitive, wanted for murder. He threatened to expose me if I didn’t do as he said. I had no choice but to give in. So Yves assumed the name Count Cousiourac, and became part of our act.”

The Kid frowned. “He ever try to, um, take advantage of you?”

“Once, after he’d been drinking, and I rebuffed him in no uncertain terms. The next day, when he’d sobered up, he seemed to realize that our relationship was best kept professional. You see, Yves was useful to us, as he was more experienced than I at making contacts among rich people, the ones who would seek out the services we offered. He was also very good at wooing rich widows…” Lady Jane gave The Kid a knowing glance, “…or sometimes widowers or other men, if it served our purpose.

“He had the upper hand, but also knew that he needed us to succeed at this game, so we managed to reach an… arrangement of sorts. Yves got the bigger share of the money, though he did give me a decent enough amount, and did not attempt to have his way with me again. We weren’t friends, but I will say that he conducted himself like a gentleman, and was never cruel to Gracie.”

“How much did Mrs Ruggles pay you?” The Kid asked.

“Two thousand dollars. Yves hadn’t paid my share yet, so I suppose that horrid woman took it all when she killed him. We’d only asked for five hundred, but Mrs Ruggles was so pleased with the results that she gave us much more. I owe that to you, I know that now.” She gave The Kid a sad smile. “I got the truth out of Gracie, about your… taking over the seance. At the time, I was upset, but you were very good at it.” A sigh. “Pity I couldn’t have had you as a partner, instead of the Count.”

The Kid ignored that last remark. “Well, from what you told me, I’d say what you done over there in England was just pure self-defense. Or like the law calls it, death by misadventure.” She gave a comforting smile to Lady Jane. “What you just told me is our secret. Tell you this much, though — there ain’t a court in America that would convict you for the death of your husband.”

“The British court would,” Lady Jane muttered, her expression gloomy again. “They’re still searching for me, too. I may well be on the run for the rest of my life.”

“You best try to fix your face up a little,” The Kid suggested.

Taking a compact out of her purse, Lady Jane gave a shaky laugh when she saw herself in the small mirror. “Oh, my… I look like a rabid raccoon.”

She did what she could to repair the damage, then said, “Might we continue this discussion in our room? I really ought to check on Gracie… and I’m sure she would be delighted to see you again.”

“I’d purely love to see her myself.” Rising from her seat, The Kid reached out. “Shall we?” Lady Jane took, blushing a bit as she took the young woman’s hand.

The Kid glanced over his shoulder at the barman, who was flicking at the liquor bottles with a feather duster. “Put them drinks on my slate, Miguel.” Lady Jane began to protest, but The Kid shushed her. “No, no — I’d take it as a unkindness if you didn’t allow me to do the buyin’ here.”

Hand in hand, they climbed the stairs in a mellow silence.

Upon entering the room, Gracie was just beginning to wake, and had to be kept from leaping out of bed in her excitement to see The Kid.

“Thank you for coming by,” the child cooed, her eyes shining with delight. “What a pretty dress you have!”

“Aw, thanks,” The Kid replied. “Are you hungry?”

Gracie stopped to think. “I’m famished!” she replied.

“Tell you what — I’ll head on downstairs and rustle you up some grub.” She turned to Lady Jane. “Anything for you?”

“No, thank you — I already dined.”

“Be right back then.” With a wink, The Kid took her leave. A few minutes later, she returned with a tray.

Gracie sat at a small table and devoured the meal. Lady Jane had washed her face but had not yet applied any makeup.

The Kid decided she liked her better without all the war paint, but chose not to say so. Instead, she nodded in Gracie’s direction. “That girl sure has a fierce appetite. Gotta say, though… you’re mighty lucky to have her.”

“She is an ideal companion,” Lady Jane replied with a mysterious smile. “I believe you know yourself just how… special Gracie can be.”

The Kid suddenly looked uneasy. “Um… I ain’t exactly sure what you’re gettin’ at.”

Laying her fork to one side, Gracie said, “It’s all right, Miss Kid. I’ve already told my lady about our trysts.”

The Kid looked at Gracie. “Trysts?” she said, puzzled.

The girl’s long dark hair hung over her white nightshirt. Her bare ankles and feet were visible. The garment was slightly open at the top, exposing Gracie’s long neck and one pale shoulder. The Kid longed to caress her there, to slip a hand into the plain cotton nightgown and tease the child’s nipples.

Lady Jane smiled. “Yes, trysts. It usually refers to a planned meeting between lovers… but yours sounded quite spontaneous, from what Gracie told me.”

Unable to keep herself from blushing, The Tequila Kid muttered, “So you know about that little bit of sparkin’ we done, do you?”

“Yes,” Lady Jane answered. She was idly trailing a finger up and down between her breasts. “I must say it made me rather aroused, hearing about the things you did with her.”

“I thought that just maybe, Gracie might of learned how to kiss like that from you.”

“In a way, we learned from one another,” Lady Jane looked lovingly at Gracie, then continued. “She and I became… especially close on the voyage at sea. All we had was each other, and it seemed right, somehow, for us to share love together.”

Moving over to where the girl sat, Lady Jane stood behind her, reaching out to stroke Gracie’s face. “She was a most eager student in the art of giving pleasure. As you’ve found out for yourself, Kid.”

“Y’know, I just had me a feelin’ about that,” The Kid said.

They fell silent, the two women and the little girl exchanging knowing looks. The Kid could feel the sexual tension charging the air of the room.

“Tell me, do you get yourself naked at all them seances?” The Kid asked.

“Yes, I do. Distracting everyone with my nudity helps me to keep control of things,” Lady Jane answered.

Gracie smiled. The Kid hadn’t ever seen her give an honest pretty-child smile before. She liked it, and felt a strong urge to kiss the girl.

“And if truth be told,” Lady Jane added, “I find it very arousing to let others see me in the altogether.” She slipped a hand inside Gracie’s nightgown, stroking the child’s chest beneath the soft material. “Especially beautiful women… and girls.”

The Kid smiled and said, “Yes, indeed. I saw how it really gets your honey flowin’. Only that ain’t what you call it, I remember.”

That made Gracie giggle. She was dreamy-eyed and smiling, enjoying Lady Jane’s caresses.

“Ectoplasm,” Lady Jane said. “I did notice that you and Miss Purdy knew what it really was.”

“Got any of that ectoplasm flowin’ now, you reckon?”

Jane’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she said, “Perhaps I do.” Glancing down at the girl, she said, “Dear Gracie… help me disrobe, so we can see if the spirits are upon me.”

The Kid was spellbound as she watched the eleven-year-old girl begin to undress her mistress. First Gracie removed Lady Jane’s shoes, then the dress, stockings, and corset and the rest of the underclothes.

Now nude, Jane stood with arms spread, displaying herself. The Kid’s heart was throbbing, and she ached to touch the woman, but chose instead to let things play out.

“Gracie,” Lady Jane said, “Please examine me to see if the spirits have begun to manifest themselves.”

The Kid watched appreciatively as Gracie reached out to touch Jane’s vulva, then began to fondle it. The girl smiled as the labia of her mistress began to swell.

Moments later, Gracie displayed her glistening fingers. “Yes, my lady… the spirits are here, most certainly.”

The Kid moistened her lips as Jane sat down on a chair, legs spread apart, and pulled Gracie close. “Dear child,” she whispered, then kissed the girl. Gracie began to respond, and their kiss grew increasingly heated. As her tongue flickered in and out of the young girl’s mouth, Jane cupped Gracie’s firm bottom with one hand, then both.

While she watched the two lovers, The Kid stepped out of her moccasins, then removed the dress. She had nothing on under it, except the gold ring on its chain around her neck. When Gracie and Jane finally broke their kiss, they were both pleasantly surprised to see The Kid standing before them in the nude.

“Oh, Kid,” Gracie breathed, “I’ve longed to see you in your natural splendor. You are even more beautiful than I imagined.”

“Thank you, Gracie.” The Kid said. “I just wanted to check somethin’, that’s why I got undressed.” She reached down to rub her pussy for a moment, then inserted a finger into her vagina. Withdrawing it, she studied the glistening digit. When she pulled her finger back out it was coated with her love honey.

Holding the finger up for the others to see, The Kid said, “Yep, just like I thought, I got them spirits in me, too.” Putting the wet finger in her mouth, she sucked it clean.

Lady Jane rose, drifted over to where The Kid stood, then turned back to face the girl.

“My dear Gracie,” she said. “Do you think The Kid is more beautiful than your mistress?” She posed, putting her bare body on display.

Gracie was wide-eyed, staring at the two nude women side by side. The Kid was tall with the lithe body of a woman barely out of her teens. Lady Jane was shorter than The Kid, her body full and mature with soft curves and generous breasts.

“Please, my lady,” Gracie sighed, her face aglow. “You ask me to compare a sunrise to a sunset. Both so lovely, yet so very different.”

“Now, now, your Majesty,” The Kid said, placing both hands on Jane’s shoulders and turning the woman until  they faced each other. “Don’t make things hard for the girl. I reckon she wants us both.”

Blushing slightly, Jane reached out to give The Kid’s hand a squeeze. “You’re right. I’m being foolish.”

The two women slowly drew nearer, lips briefly touching as they came together in an embrace. They drifted apart, each studying the other’s nudity, then their mouths met once more in a kiss that soon grew deep and lustful. Gracie watched, her eyes dancing excitedly as Lady Jane and The Kid began to grind their bare bodies together.

The Kid allowed her hands to glide down the supple back of her new lover, steadily moving lower until she was clutching Lady Jane’s ass. She fondled the shapely globes, causing Jane to moan into their kiss. This encouraged The Kid to run a finger between the hot globes of flesh, lingering over the older woman’s anus.

This gentle pressure on her most private spot made Jane break the kiss, Dipping down, she placed her mouth over one of The Kid’s small breasts, taking the hard nipple between her lips, teasing the tip with quick flicks of the tongue.

Glancing over at Gracie, The Kid saw that the child was still seated, her face flushed and breathing heavily as she watched the two women make love.

After pleasuring The Kid’s other nipple, Jane looked up at The Kid, then followed the young woman’s gaze over to where Gracie sat. She smiled, then spoke.

“Ever since Gracie described what the two of you did together, I longed to witness it for myself… and now, I can,” Jane said. “Go to Gracie, let me see you kiss her.”

Lady Jane began to toy with her sex, studying The Kid’s bare bum as the young woman made her way over to where Gracie sat, pausing to stand before the girl. Gracie licked her lips as she stared at The Kid’s cunt,  now so close that she could smell it.

Placing both hands on the armrests of the chair, The Kid bent down, slowly drawing closer to Gracie’s upturned face. As their lips met Gracie reached up to touch The Kid’s bare tits, still wet from Jane’s mouth.

The child’s lips parted, and The Kid’s tongue emerged to slip between them. They shared a lover’s kiss, Gracie sucking on the warm, wet tongue as it mingled with hers. The Kid felt a hot trickle of pussy nectar run down her inner thigh.

Suddenly The Kid stood up straight, breaking their kiss. Gracie pouted for an instant, but it vanished as The Kid posed with both legs parted, holding her pussy open with two fingers. “Look at me, girl,” The Kid softly said. “Like what you see? Was it worth waitin’ for?”

Gracie gaped at the slick wet vagina in front of her, then gazed up at The Kid, her eyes shining. “Oh, Miss Kid. There is nothing I want more at this moment than to lick you. Please say I can!”

Lady Jane appeared at The Kid’s side, casually fingering her own wet pussy. Gracie’s face practically glowed as her hungry blue eyes moved from one nude woman to the other, then back again.

“Manners, my child.” Jane said. “It’s only fair that The Kid should gaze upon your fair charms before you get to sample hers.” She turned to The Kid. “You would like to see Gracie naked… wouldn’t you, Kid?”

“I sure would,” The Kid managed to say.

Lady Jane took control of the two mesmerized youngsters — first pulling Gracie into a standing position, then guiding The Kid into the chair. Then taking a small step back, she smiled at Gracie and whispered, “Show yourself to us, sweet child.”

Spreading her legs, The Kid began to masturbate as Gracie undid the remaining buttons on her nightshirt. With a shy smile, the little girl pushed the garment off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor, where it ringed her ankles.

The Kid studied the girl, wanting to take in every lovely inch of her. First she stared at the thick, dark hair and those deep blue eyes, framed by long eyelashes. Her gaze shifted to Gracie’s freckled, upturned nose and the full red lips below. Then she took in the girl’s long neck and narrow shoulders.

Her eyes lingered for a long while on the child’s barely budding breasts, and the ripe cherry nipples that adorned them. The Kid ached to take one into her mouth right then, but forced herself to wait, to take a good long look at the rest of her first.

She drank in the vision of Gracie’s narrow hips, the soft belly, the adorable cleft of her navel. The Kid swallowed, then licked her lips as she looked at the child’s slit, nestled so beautifully between the plump lips of her vulva. There was already a hint of moisture there. The Kid hummed blissfully as she scanned the girl’s long coltish legs up and down, seeing the knees tremble slightly. Again, her eyes were drawn to the cleft of Gracie’s vagina, wondering how it would taste.

Lady Jane’s voice broke into The Kid’s reverie. “I think,” she said, “that we should all move to the bed.”

The three lovers took the few steps together, little Gracie framed by the two women. At the foot of the bed, they paused to exchange heated kisses, hands exploring bare skin. Now recovered from her bashfulness, Gracie eagerly fondled The Kid and Lady Jane in turn — one lean and taut, the other soft and rounded.

As Gracie clambered onto the bed, The Kid firmly grasped the little girl’s firm buttocks, giving them an appreciative squeeze. The child cooed with delight. Jane and The Kid joined Gracie, where they knelt in a tight circle and shared a few more delicious kisses.

Somehow, they seemed to drift naturally into a rough circle. Gracie applied her lips and tongue to The Kid’s clit and pussy. Lady Jane suckled Gracie’s smooth slit, and The Kid applied her considerable oral skills to Jane’s cunt.

The trio of lovers soon began to near the precipice, the pleasure slowly but steadily building between them. Peering down, The Kid took a look at Gracie, the child’s mouth busy between The Kid’s legs, then raised her head for a glimpse of Jane as she licked lustily at Gracie.

“Hold on there now, you two.” The Kid said. “Before we spend, let’s switch around, lick each other that way.”

“Yes, I want to taste my lady’s fanny, too,” Gracie cooed. “And I’d love to feel your mouth on me, Kid!”

Reversing their positions, the lovers resumed their love play. The Kid paused just long enough to watch little Gracie feast on Lady Jane’s wet pussy, then glanced down at Jane, thrilled to see the older woman’s head between her own legs.

The Kid pressed a warm kiss into Gracie’s sweet slit, then gently applied her tongue to it. Soon the three lovers were licking one another with an urgency that promised utter bliss for them all. Placing a trembling hand on Jane’s head to urge her on, The Kid felt a fire growing in her loins, on the verge of raging out of control.

Don’t you finish yet! she admonished herself. Wait for the others.

Gracie could be heard moaning into Lady Jane’s cunt. She’s pretty close to spending too, The Kid realized, flicking the little girl’s tiny clit with her darting tongue as she eased a finger into Gracie’s hot, tight tunnel. The child moaned appreciatively as that finger slowly moved in and out of what Gracie had called her ‘fanny’. That’s a funny word, The Kid mused. Guess it’s what them English folks say.

Her thoughts suddenly scattered when she felt Lady Jane insert a slick finger into her butthole and work it back and forth, her mouth busy nursing The Kid’s clit. Shit, I can’t hold back no more…! Blindly finding little Gracie’s clitoris with her fingers, The Kid gave the small swollen organ a gentle tweak.

That turned the trick. Gracie’s whimper quickly rose into a choked cry, and The Kid came an instant later. A moment after that, Lady Jane’s body began to jerk, her sounds of pleasure muffled by The Kid’s juicy flesh.

Finally they lay exhausted and spent, breathing deeply, their nude bodies glazed with sweat. The Kid’s face was resting on Gracie’s tender thigh. Jane was the first to pull herself in line with the bed, twisting around to lie on her back, head propped on a pillow. The Kid followed suit, bringing Gracie along so that she was nestling between the women.

Jane and The Kid kissed, their hands mingling as they both fondled the child’s beautiful bottom. Gracie joined in their kiss, and the three lovers enjoyed the mingled taste of pussy that coated their mouths, lips, chins and tongues. They lingered together for a half hour or thereabouts.

Once The Kid had gathered her strength, she reluctantly rose, then went over to freshen up at the wash basin, applying the cool water under her arms and between her legs. She slipped back into her dress, then stepped into her moccasins. Frowning at her reflection in the mirror, she straightened her hair until it looked slightly less unruly.

Turning back to the bed, The Kid said, “Reckon I’d better go.”

Opening one eye, Gracie sighed. “Must you go, Miss Kid?”

“Fraid so, sweetie. I’ve got to go check on Ann. She’s still feelin’ kinda beat up.”

“Why did you come here today, Kid?” Jane asked. “You never did say.”

Grinning, The Kid replied, “Y’know, I ain’t exactly sure what my business here was. But I’ll say this — I sure did get somethin’ I wanted.” She bent to swap kisses with Gracie, then Jane, and made her exit, pausing on the way out to take a last look at the naked woman and child, still curled up together on the bed.

Whistling tunelessly, The Kid made her way down the hotel stairs, eager to get home and back into her everyday clothes.

***

When The Kid got back to Ann’s, her lover was still dozing on the sofa. She went upstairs to take off her dress and put it away, then slipped into a fresh pair of blue jeans and a clean shirt. Coming back down, she found Ann beginning to stir.

Bending to kiss her forehead, The Kid softly said, “How you feelin’ there, Andromeda?”

Ann replied with a yawn, then pouted. “I hurt… so I need you to be extra sweet to me today.”

“Feel hungry?” The Kid asked, stroking Ann’s forehead.

“Mmm, that feels lovely. And yes, since you ask, I am very hungry.”

“How ‘bout I rustle up some coffee? Then I’ll fix some mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs while you get some more rest?”

Ann rolled her eyes heavenward. “You are a godsend, Kid.”

“Comin’ right up.” With one last kiss on the cheek, The Kid left for the kitchen.

While Ann waited, she stretched, then carefully worked her sore jaw around a bit. It still ached, but not as badly as the day before. With a sigh, she laid back, placing both hands in her lap, then felt something in her pocket. Curious, she reached inside, emerging with the telegram she’d picked up for The Kid on the previous afternoon.

“Oh, dear,” she mumbled. In all the hullabaloo, she’d completely forgotten about it. “Kid?” she called out.

Just then, her lover returned, bearing a steaming mug. “Here’s your coffee. What’s that you got there?”

“Oh, Kid,” Ann said, “When I got to town yesterday, I picked up a telegram for you, one that Josh said you’d been waiting for. I forgot all about it till just now. I’m so sorry.”

“From Mort Farnum?” The Kid asked. Ann nodded. “Can you read it to me?”

When Ann finished, she looked up at The Kid. “What are you going to do now?” Ann was puzzled by the pink cheeks and odd expression of surprise on The Kid’s face.

“Nothin’ just yet,” The Kid replied, gently taking the telegram from Ann, folding the piece of paper twice, then slipping it into the left hand pocket of her vest. “Well, actually, I’m gonna check on them potatoes. Reckon they’re just ‘bout done.”

Turning away, she went back to the kitchen. Ann thoughtfully rubbed her sore jaw as she watched The Kid go.

***

Five days had passed since then. Now, still leaning against the tree, The Kid watched her horse crop the sweet grass. Studying the tree’s shadow, she judged it to be nearly two o’clock. Slowly rising to her feet, she strode over to where Button stood.

She’d tightened the cinch on her saddle and was fixing the bit on the bridle when she saw the buckskin horse with black stockings approach, carrying Sheriff Masters.

The Kid waved her hat and called out, “Over here, Gus.”

Gus rode up and silently dismounted by the creek, letting his horse drink. Then he turned to The Kid and folded his arms, studying her for a moment before he finally spoke. “You’ve been avoidin’ me all this week, Kid. I’ve not seen hair nor hide of you. Care to tell me why?”

“Sorry, Gus.” She fumbled around in her vest pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to the sheriff. “I reckon the rest of what you want to know is in here.”

Gus looked at the envelope, then read aloud, “To Tequila Kid, Knuckle Ridge, Texas, from Mort Farnum Pinkerton Detectives, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.” The Kid nodded, hooking her thumbs in her belt as Gus opened it up and silently perused the contents.

COUNT COUSIOURAC IS THE ALIAS OF YVES DE BRIES STOP WANTED FOR MURDER AND ROBBERY IN QUEBEC TWO THOUSAND DOLLAR REWARD STOP LADY JANE WYETH-BOTON IS ALIAS OF MAGGIE MCGILL HOPKINS STOP WANTED FOR MURDER OF HUSBAND KENNETH IN ENGLAND STOP NO WARRANTS FOUND FOR HER IN U.S. STOP HAS BEEN RUNNING BOGUS SPIRITUALIST ACT WITH DAUGHTER GRACIE STOP APPREHEND AND HOLD ALL THREE IF POSSIBLE STOP WILL ARRIVE ON 10TH TO TAKE CUSTODY STOP

Gus frowned at the telegram a long time before looking up at The Kid. “The tenth… shit, that’s tomorrow, when this Pinkerton man gets here. I’ll be busy transferrin’ that Sinclair woman. Are you gonna deal with this Farnum fella, then? You plannin’ to arrest Lady Jane…” He stole a quick glance at the telegram. “Maggie McGill, I mean?”

“No,” The Kid said. “Y’see, I just wanted to find out who they all were. Didn’t mean for Mort to come out here and cart ‘em away.” She shook her head. “Damn it all, I should’ve knowed he’d do that. When Mort gets his teeth set in somethin’, he’s like a bulldog. Won’t turn it loose.” She patted the sheriff on the back. “Let’s get back into town, Gus. I’ll tell you what I know on the way.”

As they rode side by side, The Kid shared Maggie’s story with Gus, leaving out the things she’d done with the woman and her daughter on Saturday.

Knuckle Ridge came into sight as The Kid was saying, “So y’see, Gus, all she’s guilty of is bein’ a woman. Sure, she ran a con game, but she ain’t wanted here for that. Hell, it ain’t like she’s stealin’ from them folks anyhow — they get what they paid for.”

Gus was toying with his ear. “So what in tarnation are you plannin’ to do with her?”

“Leave it to me. Come early Saturday, I’ll have Maggie and her little girl on their way to Australia. They got family down there.”

“Huh. Gotta say, I’m surprised to find out that servant girl was really the McGill woman’s daughter. Never would’ve guessed that myself; how ‘bout you?”

The Kid felt her cheeks grow warm, but kept her voice neutral. “No… I never figured that.”

Gus sighed heavily. “All right, Kid. I reckon this Farnum fella will come to me first. I’ll let him know where the Count is buried. He asks about the McGill woman, I’ll tell him he needs to see you, and that’ll be as much as I know about the matter. Handle this however you want from there, just leave me out of it. Especially if you plan on bendin’ the law to your own ends.”

The Kid smiled and said, “Much obliged, Gus.” They were approaching the turnoff to Ann’s place. “Well, I’ve gotta go. Don’t you worry none.” Touching the brim of her hat, she rode off in a different direction.

Watching her ride away, Gus shook his head. God damn it. When she says that, why does it make me worry more than ever?

On to Chapter Nine!

by Shy Mom

Note from JetBoy: In the midst of writing her much-loved story “Sheltering,” Shy Mom turned out this delightful short-short and passed it along to me. Needless to say, I immediately claimed it for Juicy Secrets. Read on and see why.

***

Evelyn and the Mermaid

Ligeia

A lot has been written about mermaids, mostly by men, mostly wrong.

For one, we do not sing to lure them. That is a fantasy, set down by male writers from Homer to Hans Christian Anderson.

We are alluring, though. Our waves of sea-green hair arouse a wildness in the soul. Our pale breasts appear impossibly soft. Our shapely tails stir imaginings of unnatural acts.

It’s no wonder sailors smash their ships onto rocks in their rush to reach us. They’d do that even if we didn’t sing.

But we do not sing for them. Fuck them.

We sing for our girl-lovers, our virgins. Our songs reach them in dreams. They are the only ones we will allow to come to us.

 

Evelyn

I hear her in my sleep. She sings. No one has sung so sweetly to me.

Of course, I know who she is, what she is. I’ve read about her kind.

I should be scared. I’m not. In fact, she excites me.

Ligeia. I go to her in my dream.

 

Ligeia

Weeks ago, I sensed her arrival in this place called England, an island not far from our wine-dark sea.

She came from the New World, an unfamiliar land, but her head is filled with the lore of our realm. She reads, absorbs, knows far more than most at the age of ten. Her imagination seems limitless.

She excites me. Evelyn. I call her.

 

Evelyn

She is breathtaking, this mermaid.

Seated on heaped rocks, surrounded by seafoam, her otherworldly beauty resembles nothing of the temptresses of men’s imaginations, those sirens of seduction and deceit. Her womanliness seems as wild and deep as the sea.

She beckons, and the waves roil, crashing about me, under me. But in my dream, I walk on water.

I cross the gulf between us.

 

Ligeia

She closes the distance. Her naked frame is slight, so much that the stormy sea should swallow her, but her steps are fearless.

I reach out, and she grasps my hands. She steps onto my rocks, unscathed.

Still a virgin, thank the gods.

She’s lovely. Not like my mersisters, whose preternatural beauty grows tiresome after a millennium. She is exquisitely mortal.

Ribbons of black hair fly about. Almond eyes flash with excitement. Fragile lips rush to meet mine.

 

Evelyn

I kiss her.

Awake, I would not have dared. I would have thought and rethought without leaping to act. But in my dreams, there is no why. There just is.

And the only thing that is… is my desire for this irresistible creature.

 

Ligeia

I drink her desire, and fill her with mine. She writhes like the sea around us as my tongue plunges into the depths of her being.

 

Evelyn

I have never had sex, but know what this is.

She is boring into me, impossibly deep, invading, loving.

The pleasure churns like waves.

I love her back.

 

Ligeia

I suck her tongue into the whirlpool of my lust. Rather than flinch, she dives in heedlessly. She surrenders all of herself, her loneliness and longing.

So entirely exposed, I could make her mine, a mersister forever.

 

Evelyn

She enfolds me in one arm, pulls me into her bosom, buries me in softness and warmth. With her free hand, she clasps my sex.

 

Ligeia

I tease her tiny pleasure bud. She quivers and mewls. I press the hot entrance to her fissure. It is leaking. I lubricate the flesh with her own wetness.

My intentions are unmistakable, but the choice is hers.

 

Evelyn

I shift my weight onto her finger, and she impales me.

A jolt of pain, a shock of pleasure, and then another, and another, as she fills and fucks me.

 

Ligeia

I make love the human way with my hand, as our mouths make love the mermaid way.

The child fucks me back, unabashedly. She has never known love, but instinctively senses how and where to touch. I have never known such passion.

I drop my other hand to her bottom, fingers probing for her starfish.

 

Evelyn

Oh, God, will it hurt?

No matter. I spread my cheeks apart, offer my last orifice to this Ligeia, this dream.

 

Ligeia

I invade her, all of her, fuck this divine child as only mermaids can, churn up a tsunami of pleasure.

Her wild abandon overtakes me.

We crest together.

 

Evelyn

I drown in a sea of bliss. I lose myself.

I am hers. I am her, and she is me.

 

Ligeia

I know her, like I know myself. She is unutterably beautiful.

I love her, but know that she cannot stay. I let her go.

 

Evelyn

I wake.

I can’t go back, she warned. I am not hers. I will find other lovers soon enough.

I weep into my pillow, wracked with sorrow. The strains of a fading song haunt me.

I will never hear it again.

I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.
I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

The End

by Purple Les

Andromeda Purdy was basking in that blissful state halfway between sleep, and wakefulness, nestled in the bedsheets, snug as could be. Finally, though, the aroma of the hot coffee The Kid had left for her on the nightstand proved too tempting to resist.

Sitting up, Ann propped a couple of pillows against the headboard and sank back against them with a contented sigh. She reached over for the coffee, took the warm mug in both hands, held it under her nose for a moment to breathe in the dark, steamy smell, then took a sip. “Oh dear, so good.” she murmured. Just then, she heard The Kid shutting the door as she departed for town and, smiling to herself, took another sip.

Ann began to mull over the events of the day before, shuffling them around in her mind as she finished her coffee. Once the cup was empty, she rose from bed and headed to the kitchen for a refill.

Ann sliced some bread, spread it with blackberry preserves, and ate it with her coffee. Brushing the crumbs away, she slipped out of her nightgown, standing nude in the kitchen. She gave herself a sponge bath, then padded back to the bedroom and put on a white blouse and a long black skirt. After lacing up her boots, she headed out in search of The Kid.

Down the street, Ann saw a crowd milling around the front of the Ridge Hotel and wondered about it as she made her way to the sheriff’s office. On the way, Josh spied her going by the telegraph office and hastened to the door.

“Mornin’, Miss Purdy,” Josh called out, and Ann turned to face him. “Will you be seein’ The Kid anytime soon?”

“Yes, indeed, Josh. In fact, I’m looking for her right now.”

“Wonderful. Would you please give her this telegram?” Stepping out into the street, he handed her a piece of paper. She’s been by just about every day this week, askin’ about it. Reckon it’s important.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Josh.”

“Thanks, Miss Purdy.” With a nod, he went back inside.

Ann glanced at the envelope, then shoved the telegram into her skirt pocket as she approached the sheriff’s office.

She poked her head in, then stepped inside. Seeing no one there, she looked around for a moment,  wondering where everyone was. As she pondered where to go next, Ann idly picked up a wanted flyer from Sheriff Masters’ desk and glanced at it.

One look, and Ann’s face turned pale. She quickly read what it had to say, then slammed the sheet down on the desk and rushed out the door, running to the livery.

As Ann dashed into the dark stable, she saw that Button’s stall was empty. Seeing Mac mucking out a stall, she ran to the man and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around. “Mac! Do you know where The Kid is?”

“Sure do,” Mac said — then, seeing the frantic look on Ann’s face, quickly added, “She said she’d be goin’ out to old Miz Ruggles’ place.”

Ann stood on tiptoe and gave the very surprised man a kiss on his grizzled cheek. “Which is the fastest horse you have here, Mac?”

Mac took off his hat and scratched his head as he looked around. “I reckon it’s Mr Garret’s horse, Razor. He’d be fastest even if all the stalls was full.”

“Saddle him up for me please, Mac. Right now,” Ann ordered.

As Mac hastened to saddle the tall black gelding, he asked, “You fixin’ to ride him, Miss Purdy? I know Mr Garret ain’t one to ride out this time of day, but if you take Razor here without his say-so, ain’t that horse thievin’?”

Ann frowned. “Of course not, Mac. I am merely borrowing Mr Garret’s horse. I have every intention of returning him as soon as I can. And if Mr Garret does need a horse to ride, let him know that he is free to use Pegasus.”

As soon as Mac had the bridle on, Ann snatched the reins from his hands and mounted up.

Mac stood just outside the doors, looking puzzled as he watched Ann ride off at a fast gallop. With a shrug, he slowly bent to pick up his shovel, then shuffled back to the dirty stall.

It didn’t take long for Ann to reach the Ruggles estate on Mr Garrett’s swift horse. She dismounted before the horse had come to a complete stop, hurriedly tied the reins to a hitching post near a water trough and ran to the front door.

Banging the door knocker loudly, Ann listened to hear if anyone was coming. Impatient, she knocked again, then opened the door.

Stepping inside, she called out, “Hello! Anyone here?” Her voice echoed in the huge entryway. Going from room to room she shouted, “Mrs Ruggles! Kid? Anyone?”

As she approached the grand stairway she heard a voice say, “Up here, Miss Purdy.”

***

Jessica Sinclair carefully placed the barrel of her gun against the back of Gracie’s skull, looking up to smile sweetly at the three women, all still on their knees.

She drank in the sight of her victims, reveling in that lovely warmth she felt all over when she was about to kill. It’s not as good when you have to do it quick, she told herself. Murder is like a fine wine. You want to take your time, enjoy the taste of it. 

Of course, it was even better when there were others to watch her kill, to witness the power she had to take their lives away, one at a time. And the fear they showed, she loved that, too.

Jessie had to laugh at the sight of Lady Jane’s brat, whispering a prayer as she waited to die. And the ashen-faced old woman bleeding from her scalp — wasn’t so damn high and mighty now, was she? Then there was Lady Jane, the bunco artist, crying and begging for the little girl’s life to be spared.

Jessie stopped laughing as she stared into the cool blue eyes of The Kid. I’m gonna do something extra special to her, she thought, the fires of hatred roaring through her once more. The head shot, that’s too kind. Maybe put a bullet in her gut. Lock her in a closet in some back room of this place, where she won’t get found for days, Weeks, maybe.

Her attention shifted back to Gracie, still on her knees, still praying. Jessie was bored with the brat, sick of her sniffling. She wanted to be done with this one. Time to die, child. May God show you more mercy than I will.

“It’ll all be over for you in a moment, child,” she said.

As she was about to pull the trigger, they all heard a racket at the front door. Someone knocking.

“That’s Sheriff Masters right now, Jessie.” The Kid said softly. “Best give it up.”

Jessie grabbed Gracie’s hair and pulled it hard, all but dragging the girl to her feet. Then they heard a voice calling from downstairs, a woman’s voice.

The Kid felt a cold lump in her stomach. No. NO. Anyone but her.

“Mrs Ruggles! Kid? Anyone?” Ann Purdy called out.

Half-choking Gracie with the crook of her arm, Jessie said softly, “You three. Upon your feet and stand over there.” Jessie gestured with the gun toward the wall.

Jessie opened the door halfway saying loudly, “Up here, Miss Purdy.” Then she moved behind the door, holding Gracie tightly.

If I could just get to her in time to snatch that gun away, The Kid thought, in agony. But she’s too sharp for that. She knows I’m bustin’ to make a move. 

Ann sprinted up the stairway. Pausing a moment at the top of the hall, she saw the partly opened door and ran straight into the room. Seeing The Kid standing there, Ann went right up to her.

“Kid! Molly Hardy is the killer and thief! I saw a wanted flyer in the sheriff’s office!” Ann went on excitedly. “Her real name is Jessica Sinclair. Also known as Jessie St.Clair, Molly Novack, and Molly Hardy. She’s wanted for murder and robbery. The description on the flyer matches her, right down to that beauty mark by her lip.”

Ann’s voice began to wind down as she noticed the odd, sick expression on The Kid’s face. “There’s a five thousand dollar reward on her head…” Her eyes shifted to her right, where she saw Mrs Ruggles, whose head was bleeding, standing next to a white-faced Lady Jane. “She’s wanted…”

The Kid moved her eyes slightly and Ann slowly finished her sentence. “…dead or alive.” She jumped as the door slammed shut. Turning slowly, Ann saw Jessie Sinclair with a gun at Gracie’s head.

“Oh, dear,” Ann said softly as she raised her hands.

Jessie roughly shoved Gracie across the room in the direction of the other women. “Well, what a nice little party we have now.” Her eyes were bright with excitement. “Down on your knees!” she demanded. “Hands up nice and high, where I can see them.”

The four women and the trembling little girl all slowly knelt, raising their hands.

“Kid?” Ann whispered, as Jessie Sinclair quickly bent to withdraw one of The Kid’s guns from its holster where it lay on the floor. Moving carefully, keeping an especially close eye on The Kid, she moved to stand behind the group of kneeling women.

“If you’re wondering what’s going on, Miss Purdy, and why you’re here,” Jessie said, her upper lip curled in a sneer, “Your friend The Kid has cheated me out of the gold certificates I stole.”

Everyone heard the hammer on the other gun click as Jessie pulled it back.

“And then this old bat” — she jerked a thumb at Mrs Ruggles — “doesn’t seem to know where her husband hid a million dollars worth of diamonds in this house, and I’m fed up with her wasting my time. So I’m killing all of you now, just for fun.” Jessie was speaking calmly as if they were discussing the weather.

Then Ann laughed, and everyone looked at her as if she were crazy. “A million dollars in diamonds? I know that isn’t true.” She paused. “More like forty thousand, from what I remember.”

The room fell silent, except for the sound of racing heartbeats.

“What do you know about it?” Jessie asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I stayed here for a week, back when I was eight,” Ann replied.

“Go on,” Sinclair growled.

“Well, it’s a wonderful house for a child to play in. So many places to hide. Anyway, that’s how I saw where Mr Ruggles put his diamonds. He didn’t know I was watching, at first… and when he did see me, Mr Ruggles told me I was a good girl, and if I kept his secret, he’d give me one of those pretty little stones.” She smiled. “I still have it at home, in my memory box.”

Jessie licked her lips. “Good… good.” She pointed her gun at Ann. “Tell me where they are.”

Ann laughed again. “Why on earth would I do that? You’re already going to kill us all. At least I’ll die with the satisfaction of knowing those diamonds will never be yours.”

Dang, The Kid thought, we might still have us a chance to get out of this mess.

“Now, perhaps,” Ann continued, “If I had a reason to tell you where they are, we just might be able to strike a bargain.”

“What sort of bargain?”

“Let the child, Lady Jane, and Mrs Ruggles go free,” Ann said, “Then I’ll take you straight to the diamonds.”

“Hmmm… now, how do I know you aren’t trying to buffalo me?” Jessie asked.

“Well, The Kid and I will still be here for you to kill. And who knows, you might still be able to catch the others, once you’ve dealt with us. All I’m asking is that you give them a fair chance.”

Jessie began to pace back and forth, her gun still trained on Ann. Finally, she came to an abrupt halt. “What’s your offer, Purdy? I’m listening.”

Ann swallowed. “You let those three go,” she said, indicating Lady Jane, Gracie, and Mrs Ruggles. “When we hear the front door slam behind them, I’ll show you where the diamonds are. I assume you’ll keep your gun on The Kid the whole time.”

Jessie thought about it for a moment. “All right, then,” she said slowly, glaring at Ann, then The Kid. “But I warn you, missy. If you try to play me for a fool… oh, you two will die sure enough, but it won’t be quick, or easy.” She gave them a thin, icy smile. ”I like to kill, but sometimes I especially like making folks suffer first. Remember that.”

“I will,” Andromeda quietly replied.

With a quick nod, Jessie strode over to the game room door and flung it open. “All right, you three,” she said, looking at Gracie, Lady Jane and Mrs Ruggles, “Get out, and make sure you slam that door hard as you leave so we can hear it up here.”

The two women and the girl stood up shakily. Mrs Ruggles seemed to be on the edge of fainting. She had to be supported by Gracie and Lady Jane as they made their way to the door.

“Oh, and ladies?” Jess added, “You’d best make tracks, because I will be coming for you, soon as I’m done with these two.” She laughed, hard and ugly, then gave a mocking salute. “Until we meet again…”

Moving faster now, the girl and the women exited the game room, then began to descend the stairs.

Jessie Sinclair slipped The Kid’s Colt in the sash on her dress, holding her own gun on Ann and The Kid as she impatiently waited to hear the front door shut.

***

Halfway down the stairs, Mrs Ruggles shook off the arms of Gracie and Jane, then hastened the rest of the way until she’d reached the first floor. The old woman didn’t stop until she was standing beneath a portrait of herself with the late Maurice Ruggles that hung over the fireplace.

Mrs Ruggles turned to the others, who were hurrying to catch up. “Help me get this painting down,” she hissed to Lady Jane, who quickly moved to assist.

Behind the painting was a small wall safe. Mrs Ruggles spun the dial to and fro, pulled the iron door open, then reached inside and withdrew an old Navy Colt.

Spinning the chambers to ensure that the gun was fully loaded, Mrs Ruggles led Lady Jane and Gracie to the front door. “Run for the barn and set the horses loose,” she whispered. “Now, in the last stall, there’s a trap door down under the straw. Maurice had it put in as a hidey-hole for us, if we ever needed one. That woman won’t find you there.”

As Gracie and Lady Jane went out the door and ran for the barn, Mrs Ruggles shut the door hard from the inside.

***

Upstairs, Jessie smiled as she heard the door slam.

“All right, Purdy,” she said, gesturing threateningly with her gun. “Where are the diamonds?”

“Can’t you at least give ‘em a minute’s head start?” The Kid protested.

“What, give them time to ride into town and get a posse rounded up?” Jessie scoffed. Then she giggled. “They won’t get far, anyhow. Those Englishers can’t even mount a horse, much less ride one… and the old woman… did you see her? Shit, she could barely stand. I’ll hunt them down like dogs.” Her mirth suddenly vanished, and she glared at Ann. “Where are those diamonds, damn you?”

“Right here in this room.” Ann answered. “May I get up?”

“All right, but nothing funny, or the first bullet goes through your friend’s foot,” Jessie answered, her gun aimed rock-steady at The Kid.

Struggling to her feet, Ann walked across the room. She stopped by the table with the fish tank, then looked back at Jessie, who moved toward her, glancing every few seconds back at The Kid.

“Where?” Jessie asked.

Ann looked at the tank. Jessie stepped closer.

“Right there,” Ann murmured, pointing. “See them sparkling in the gravel, down there at the bottom?”

Jessie now stood in front of the fish tank and looked down into the water, her gun still aimed toward The Kid.

“See, right there.” Ann said. “Look close. You can make them out, plain as day.”

Craning her neck, Jessie peered deep into the water, trying to see past the small bright fishes that darted about, her face within inches of the rippling surface.

The Kid tensed, ready to make her move.

That was when Ann seized the back of Jessie’s head, forcing her face into the water. Bubbles roared up as Jessie screamed, her head submerged in the tank.

With her right hand, Jessie fired the gun in the direction of where The Kid had been kneeling seconds earlier. Before she could get off another shot, The Kid had grabbed Jessie’s arm and banged her wrist once, twice, three times on the table’s edge. The gun fell to the floor, and The Kid kicked it across the room.

The bubbles in the tank stopped coming, and a breathless Ann eased her grip on the woman before The Kid could warn her. Sure enough, Jessie wrenched her head out of the tank, splashing water every which way and gasping for air. Before Ann could react, Jessie butted her in the forehead.

A stunned Ann staggered back — losing her hold on Jessie, who nearly lost her balance, but spied the Bowie knife on the floor where The Kid had placed it. With a quick snatch, it was in her grasp. She drew back to lunge forward with it, but The Kid’s fist smashed into her mouth first.

Jessie hit the floor rolling and quickly came up, the Bowie knife still in her grip. She slashed out with a wide sweep of her arm, and the tip of the steel blade sliced through the bridge of The Kid’s nose. “Shit!” The Kid gasped, jumping back.

Now livid with rage, Ann hurled herself at Jessie, knocking her down hard. The knife clattered to the floor.

Back on her feet in a heartbeat, Jessie gave Ann three fast, hard jabs to the jaw with her fist. Ann collapsed, the skirt she wore flying up to expose her thighs.

Reaching for the Colt, still tucked in her dress sash, Jessie froze suddenly as a derringer appeared from nowhere into The Kid’s hand. She stared at the small gun, now aimed at her head. Jessie’s own hand twitched, inches from the gun at her waist.

“Go on!” The Kid spit out, wearing her best poker face as she held the empty gun. In a quiet, ice-cold voice, she said, “Go on, Jessie. Go for that gun. Just give me a reason to shoot you dead, here an’ now.”

It was clear that Jessie was struggling to decide, weighing the odds as she gazed into The Kid’s eyes. Finally, she put her hands up.

Ann rose to her feet, somewhat dazed. The Kid reached down, plucked her gun from Jessie’s dress sash and set it on a nearby table. Then she quickly removed the gadget from her arm and put it down, too, along with the empty derringer.

The Kid turned to pull the drape sash down from the window, intending to tie up her prisoner. The second she took her eyes from Jessie, the woman lashed out at Ann like a hissing cat, ripping into her face. Ann fell with a surprised cry, her cheeks scored by Jessie’s sharp fingernails.

Gritting her teeth, The Kid sprang to punch the outlaw woman again, sending her sprawling on the floor. At the same instant, they both saw the other gun on the floor, within easy reach of Jessica’s hand.

With a growl of victory, Jess lunged for the weapon. But before she laid a hand on it, a large splinter of wood came flying up from the parquet floor, accompanied by the roar of a gun.

The Kid and Jessica turned in the direction of the shot. Leaning against the frame of the door to hold herself steady, there stood Mrs Ruggles. She held the Navy Colt in both hands, her arms extended.

Looking down the gun sight, Mrs Ruggles said, “The next bullet will be in your head.”

Jessie’s hand dropped to her side. The Kid picked up her gun and moved to assist Mrs Ruggles, helping her into a chair. As The Kid turned once more to pull down the drape sash, Jessie sprang to her feet, snatching the derringer from the table. She cocked the hammer back and pulled the trigger, only to hear a dull click.

Blood flowing down from the cut in her nose, The Kid smiled, aiming her gun at the dismayed outlaw’s face.

“Lay face down and put your hands behind your back,” she ordered. Letting the derringer drop to the floor, Jessie did as she was told, her eyes glowing with hate.

Tugging the sash down from the window with a single yank, The Kid handed it to Ann, who was wiping the blood from her scratched face with a handkerchief. “Tie her up for me?”

“I’d be delighted to,” Ann hissed, glaring at her assailant. She began to bind Jessie’s hands behind her back, being none too gentle about it.

“You goddamned bitches,” Jessie muttered. “You filthy, lice-riddled pieces of prairie shit. Cocksucking whores.” Her voice was rising to a shriek. “You no-account pig-fucking–”

“I think we’ve heard enough from you,” Ann said, stuffing a piece of the sash into Jessie’s mouth, then tying a strip of the same material around the woman’s head to keep it in place. Jessie continued to make furious sounds, but finally fell into a sullen silence.

They heard heavy boots come thumping up the stairs and turned toward the open door. Gus Masters burst into the room, gun drawn. Halting in his steps, he took in the scene.

“Well, now,” he said, glancing at The Kid. “Reckon I shouldn’t of rode my horse half to death to get here.”

Ann gave Gus a hug. “Believe me, we are very glad to see you.”

***

Alice Johnson, the doctor’s wife, knelt on the floor by Ann’s sofa where Ann lay stretched out, her head propped against the armrest. Alice had already put a single stitch in The Kid’s nose where the tip of the Bowie knife had sliced it.

Now she was applying hydrogen peroxide to the scratches Jessica Sinclair had left on Ann’s face with her fingernails. Ann was already holding a cold wet cloth to her swollen jaw where she’d been punched.

A knock at the door made them all lookup. The Kid yelled, “C’mon in.”

Doc Johnson entered. “Well, now,” he asked, closing the door behind him, “How are your patients, Alice?”

Alice finished with Ann’s face saying, “Oh, I think they’ll survive. How about yours?”

Examining his wife’s work on The Kid’s nose, Doc Johnson gave a satisfied nod, then replied, “That poor  Gracie girl is still pretty shook up. I gave her a sedative, so she’ll sleep through the night.” He glanced at  Ann’s face and nodded again, adding, “Mrs Ruggles got a small concussion. I think she’ll be fine, but I’ll check back on her a time or two. For all her airs, she’s a tough old bird. She’ll be staying at the Ridge Hotel for now.  So will Gracie, and that Lady Jane woman.”

Reaching into his bag, the doctor took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Ann. “Miss Purdy, I’d like you to take this sleeping powder. You need rest, and that pain will for sure keep you awake.” He poured some water in a glass from a pitcher on the coffee table and gave it to Ann, then turned to The Kid. “Reckon I shouldn’t bother to ask, Kid, but how ‘bout you? Need anything for the pain?”

“Why, I got a near-full bottle of tequila here. I’ll be fine if I get to hurtin’, Doc,” The Kid answered.

Johnson gave a snort of laughter. “That’s what I figured. You best save some of that bottle for another day, Kid, else you’ll be in more pain from the cure than the cut!”

Before The Kid could answer back, another knock at the door brought Lady Jane into the room.

“Hello,” she said, looking somewhat awkward. “There is a message for you, Doctor. Mrs Saur is ready.”

Alice nodded. “That’s the woman expecting twins. I’ll go with you, Jed.”

“Thanks, Alice.” Doc said, “I’ll need your help with that one.”  He turned to Lady Jane. “My goodness, you didn’t have to come out here to tell me that, ma’am! Usually, when folks need me, they send one of the boys hanging out by the general store.”

Lady Jane blushed. “They were going to, but I offered to do it. Um… I needed to speak to…” She glanced at The Kid, her cheeks getting redder.

“Well, I thank you, ma’am. How’s little Gracie doing?”

“She’s resting comfortably. I’ll be back at her bedside soon. We’ll be leaving on the morning train for Austin.”

“I strongly advise against that,” Doc Johnson said, furrowing his brow. “That child needs to rest for a few days. There’s stages to Austin every morning.”

“I’m not very keen on taking another stage,” Lady Jane said.

Doc Johnson gave a brief smile. “Guess I understand that. But your Gracie isn’t ready for a long journey, not yet. I hope you’ll consider leaving next week instead.”

Lady Jane gave a thoughtful nod. “Thank you, Doctor. I… I will give serious thought to postponing our trip.”

“You do that, ma’am.” By then, Alice had finished packing her bag, Doc Johnson picked up his, and the couple made their way to the door. “Well, ladies, our duty calls. Try to stay out of trouble, least until the end of the day.” He tipped his hat.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Lady Jane murmured.

“G’night, Doc,” The Kid called, raising her tequila bottle. “G’night, Alice.”

From the sofa came a soft snoring noise. Everyone looked over to see that Ann had turned on her side, her face near the back of the sofa, and was sound asleep.

“Fastest working sedative I ever did see,” Doc Johnson declared. “Well, good evening.”

“Good night,” Alice murmured, and they made their exit.

The Kid looked up at Lady Jane. “The doc was right — anyone could of brought that message. Why’d you really come here?”

Lady Jane looked at the floor for a moment, then at The Kid. “I believe that whether I leave with Gracie tomorrow or not depends on you, Miss Kid.”

“Just call me ‘Kid’. So why’s it up to me if you go tomorrow or not?”

The woman hesitated, then spoke. “By now, I think you know that I am not really Lady Jane Wyeth-Boton.”

The Kid nodded.

“Have you learned who I really am, then?” Lady Jane asked.

The Kid hesitated a moment before saying, “I know you ain’t the real Lady Jane… and that you and Gracie are pullin’ a flim-flam on folks with that spiritualist act. But I will know who you are, soon enough. I’m waitin’ on a telegram that’ll tell me everything.”

“Oh, dear,” Lady Jane said, the color draining from her face. “I always knew this day would come.”

“No one knows about you yet, ‘cept for me and Sleepin’ Beauty there on the sofa.” The Kid paused to pour herself a drink, then held up the bottle. “Care for a shot of tequila?”

“No, thank you.”

The Kid drained her glass, then set it on the end table with a contented sigh. “Look, I like Gracie. She’s a good girl. Reason I say that is cause she don’t like runnin’ that con game with you.”

“Are you going to turn us in?” Lady Jane asked, her cheeks still pale.

“Not unless you killed someone.” The Kid raised an eyebrow. “You ain’t killed anyone, have you?”

“No. I — I’m just an honest criminal. I’d never hurt another person,” Lady Jane answered with a shaky laugh.

“Then I reckon Gracie and you best rest up here for a week or so, like the doctor said.”

“I’d better get back to her now.” Lady Jane turned to leave, stopped, then came over to where The Kid sat. She gazed at The Kid a moment, bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you again, Kid. That’s twice you’ve saved our lives.”

The Kid blushed. “Shucks, now. I reckon the second time was Ann’s doin’, mostly.”

“Give her my thanks, too.” Lady Jane made her way to the door, then glanced back. “Those diamonds that Maurice Ruggles was said to have had… did they ever really exist?”

The Kid slowly shook her head. “Nope. Nary a one. Mrs Ruggles told me it’s just a story someone made up. No truth to it a’tall.”

“Thank you again,” Lady Jane said, then made a quiet exit.

Rising unsteadily to her feet, The Kid took one last slug of tequila from the bottle, then put a blanket over Andromeda, who was still snoozing peacefully on the sofa. She spread her bedroll out on the floor next to the sofa, put out the lights and laid down. The Kid fell asleep listening to the steady rhythm of Ann’s breath.

***

Gus felt more tired than he’d been in ages. He’d dispatched the two horse thieves to Austin with the posse. They’d rode so far in pursuit that it was easier to hand them over than bringing them back to Knuckle Ridge. Gus had found out their game, how that Jessie Sinclair woman had hired them.

Furious at having been taken in, Gus raced back to Knuckle Ridge. He was relieved to find Jessie Sinclair caught and no one else dead except for the Count. You got lucky this time, old man, he told himself, gazing into the tarnished mirror.

Finally he sat at his desk and began to do paperwork. Jigs returned a few moments later with a plate of stew. Gus had sent him to the Highland Cafe to get supper for their prisoner. “It’s still warm,” Jigs said.

He took the plate and a spoon back to the cell that held Jessie. Moments later, Gus heard her screech, “I won’t eat that shit!” then the sound of the tin plate hitting the wall. He frowned, listening to Jigs grumble as he cleaned up the mess.

Jigs finally emerged from the cells, bearing the empty plate, a mop and a bucket. Livid with anger, he slammed the heavy wooden door that separated the office from the cells.

“Damn that bitch, Gus,” Jigs growled. “She ain’t right, I can tell you that for sure!” He stalked out into the night to take the empty tin plate back to the Cafe and get something to eat for himself.

Rising from his desk, Gus looked through the slat in the wood door to see Jessie lying peacefully on the cot. Shaking his head, he wandered over to the cot in the corner of the office, where he took off his gun belt, then sat down and pulled his boots off. Stretching out, he was asleep within minutes.

Hearing nothing outside the heavy door and seeing no light through the slat, Jessie Sinclair rose from her straw-stuffed pallet. Jigs had failed to notice that she’d kept the spoon he brought.

She stayed up all night kneeling on the floor, scraping the handle of the spoon against the rough concrete.

Just before dawn, Jessie had worked the spoon handle into a long, sharp point. Concealing it under the pallet, she finally laid down, smiling to herself.

On to Chapter Eight!