The Voyeur
Therese Szymanski
It’s always seemed to me that the attraction for “True Story” anthologies lies in the voyeuristic appeal of such . . .
The night was quiet around me as I crept up to the glass door, carefully inching forward so as to not be seen or heard by those within. They had again left the drapes open just enough for me to peer through. The darkness of the night gave me all the further cover I required.
Keri and Alicia were again in the basement, Keri bringing the clean laundry out from the utility room to fold it on the couch, a scene I had watched many times before. Alicia stood up as if to help her, which she sometimes did, but instead this time she wrapped her arms around the curvy brunette from behind, gently kissing her neck until she started to squirm under the attention.
Keri has long, curly brown hair, a slender, yet well-curved body, and full breasts. Alicia is slightly taller, with short, thick, blonde hair, broad shoulders, and a grin that could brighten the country under a total eclipse. Even from this distance I could see the mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Slowly Alicia began pulling Keri’s nightshirt up and over her head. Keri resisted at first, but ended up dropping the laundry on the floor when Alicia persisted. When Keri reached for a blanket from the couch to cover her nakedness, Alicia let her do it. But then she pulled Keri into her arms, running her hands over Keri’s pale rear end, caressing it lightly. As Alicia caressed Keri, she also slowly coerced the blanket off of her body, unveiling her to the chilly night air.
Woodhouse, their tiger-striped cat, wound around their ankles, slipping between them to rub against both of them at the same time. Meanwhile, Taylor, a gray-and-white tabby who was still almost a kitten, climbed through the soft, warm laundry on the floor, burying herself in it.
Alicia fondled Keri’s breasts, cupping them in her hands while she kissed Keri. She then roughly squeezed Keri’s nipples, causing Keri to shiver in delight. Alicia pressed and squeezed the hardened buds, slowly bringing her mouth down to take one into her mouth while her other hand continued to pinch the other nipple. Keri began to slowly writhe under her lover’s touch, wrapping her arms around Alicia to steady herself.
I chanced a closer look, carefully inching up even closer to the door, wanting to see them better, know them better. I practically had my nose pressed up against the glass.
Alicia backed Keri up through the laundry, sending Taylor running, so the couch pressed against the backs of her knees and caused her to fall back into its welcoming softness. Alicia lay on top of Keri, pressing into her and molding their bodies together. Keri arched up into her lover, urging her onward by opening her legs up and wrapping them around Alicia’s waist.
I could see the warm, soft expanse of her skin, and I could almost feel the passion between them as they melded into one on the couch with their kitties around them—Taylor lay along the back of the couch, and Woodhouse curled at their feet.
Alicia inched her way down Keri’s body, spreading open her legs to look down at her lover’s body in all its revealed splendor. She knelt between those very long legs and reached down, between them.
Keri enjoyed it. She was in heat and wanted it bad. She wanted to feel Alicia inside of her; it was obvious with each of her movements. She urged Alicia on, raising her pelvis so Alicia could touch, caress and taste her.
Alicia leaned down, wanting to taste with her mouth and tongue what her fingers had just felt.
I knew that Alicia would continue this for a while before she would put her fingers inside of Keri. She enjoyed teasing the woman and making her squirm and ask for it before she would give her the fulfillment she wanted so badly.
If you watch people long enough you learn a lot about them.
What I knew most of all was that I wanted to be a part of all they had.
The next night Keri pulled into her assigned parking spot and laid her head down on the steering wheel. She was exhausted. It had been one fiendishly long day at work and she was just glad to be home. She smiled briefly: She couldn’t wait to be in Alicia’s ever-loving arms. She grabbed her purse and got out of the car, hitting the alarm as she walked away . . .
And then she felt it—someone watching her. She glanced about nervously in the dimming twilight, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
It had been a long day; she must be imagining things. No one would blame her for being a bit on edge, perhaps even a bit paranoid, after a day like today—a day when everything about her job was being questioned. She strode boldly forward, her purse swinging against her leg, with her keys jangling in her hand.
A bush off to her side moved as if someone was jostling it, and Keri jumped toward it.
“There you are!” Mrs. Padgett called, rushing toward her as fast as she could with her walker. “Have you noticed anything strange lately?”
“Well, uh,” Keri said, glancing toward the bush that had now stopped moving, “now that you mention it, I’ve felt . . .”
“Yes dear?”
“I’ve felt as if someone’s been watching me lately.”
Mrs. Padgett smirked. “Now you’re just making fun of an old lady,” she scoffed. “You know perfectly well what I’m talking about; the raccoons have not been coming to get the little treats we put out for them. The Chinese take-out you put out for them Saturday has been there ever since, and now it’s Tuesday!”
“I . . . I hadn’t noticed.”
“I know I put out their very favorite last night—tuna noodle casserole—and they haven’t touched a bite of it!”
Keri glanced nervously about, not quite sure if she could still feel the eyes on her. The one thing she was sure about was that the shrubbery was no longer making any strange movements.
“They’ve studied how much cyanide we can have in our water, but what about the poor little raccoons? How much can they take? Or do you suppose they did it on purpose? Planning on killing off all the dear little animals?”
Keri knew that once the old woman got on a roll—especially about any sort of a conspiracy theory—there was simply no stopping her. “Um, Mrs. Padgett, I hate to leave you like this, but I simply must go shampoo the goldfish and vacuum the cats,” she said, pulling herself away from the now bright-eyed and bristling woman and rushing toward the door.
“You vacuum your cats?” Mrs. Padgett yelled after her. “Is that effective against fleas?”
❤
Keri closed and locked the door firmly behind herself before calling out, “Honey, I’m home!”
“Hey baby,” Alicia said, walking over from the kitchen and wrapping her arms around her. “Tough day at work?” she asked, leaving Keri to pull off her shoes and drop her purse while she returned to making dinner.
“The worst. And then I get home and Mrs. Padgett launched herself at me—coming up with some sort of a conspiracy theory about—you’re never gonna believe this one . . .”
“What is it this time? Aliens, Elvis, the President or . . . ?”
“Raccoons.”
“What?”
“Raccoons. She’s convinced someone’s done something about them. Done something to get rid of them.” Keri walked into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around her lover. “What’s cooking? It smells good.”
“Veggie tacos,” Alicia replied, stirring the mixture in the saucepan just a bit more before shutting off the gas and going to the counter. “And now they’re done.”
Keri walked out the back door onto the balcony, looking around briefly.
“Hon? Didn’t you hear me? Dinner’s ready.”
Keri studied the woods behind their balcony, looking for anything out of the ordinary. “Did you say something?”
“Yes, dear, I did. Dinner’s ready,” Alicia said, joining Keri, who was still scanning the woods. “Are you looking for the ’coons?”
“No, I’m . . .” Keri shook her head. “Never mind. Let’s eat.”
“Keri, I’m serious. What is it?” Alicia stopped Keri
by grabbing her arms.
“It’s silly. I’m just overworked, underpaid and stressed out.” Alicia stared at her. “Seriously.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve felt kinda like someone’s been watching me, us, lately. I got out of my car tonight and thought I felt it again. And then I saw some bushes move, or at least thought I did.”
“Was there anything there?”
“I don’t know—Mrs. Padgett came up and then it was gone. Or it was never there to begin with.”
Alicia stood looking at her for a moment, her hands not releasing Keri’s forearms.
“What is it babe?”
Alicia turned from her, to look out over the woods herself. “I’ve felt the same thing. Like last night, when we were downstairs . . . doing you know what . . . I could’ve sworn someone was watching us.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“We were kinda busy at the time, and we had the curtains closed.”
“No, they weren’t quite closed. I wanted to close them, but thought you’d think I was a freak for it.”
I had almost been caught. I couldn’t let that happen again. I mean, it was just luck that Mrs. Padgett distracted Keri while I made my way stealthily through the bushes and escaped around their neighbor’s neat little townhouse.
But still I was drawn back to their place. It was just that I had been so bold as to try to watch during the daylight, but now I had the cover of night to conceal me.
I went down to the patio, hoping for a repeat of last night’s events. Alas, it was not to be: The basement was dark. I glanced up through the deck and didn’t see any light emanating from the cheerful kitchen, which was almost a lucky thing because that was one of the areas of the house I didn’t have access to.
I went into the backyard and looked up at the back of the house. The lights in the upper rooms on that side were also dark, which was another lucky thing—so Alicia and Keri were either in the bedroom or the living room. I went to the front of the house and peered into the darkened living room.
They had gone to bed for the night. I looked at the large tree in the front of the house with its wonderfully long and strong branches.
I couldn’t lose them for the night, not yet. Just one more glimpse was all I needed.
I climbed the tree and carefully inched my way out on the limb as far as I dared. I didn’t need to worry them anymore, but I had to see them.
Keri was sitting in bed reading with her glasses on. Alicia was sitting more upright, writing in a book. Woodhouse was on Keri’s pillow, nestled against her head. Taylor came into sight, jumping onto the bed. Keri began absentmindedly stroking her while she wound between the two women, enjoying the attention she was getting from both.
Alicia leaned over the kitty and kissed Keri before rolling back onto her side of the bed and turning out the light. Keri took off her glasses and turned off her light as well.
My last vision was of Keri lifting the covers and letting Taylor curl down under them at her feet.
I wanted it all.
“Oh, go home,” Keri said to the little orange tabby circling her ankles as she walked from her car on her way home from work. “You’re not Sydney, baby.” She was still missing Sydney, the cat who had taken off a few weeks ago, abandoning Keri and Alicia to a life with just two kitties.
Seeing the kitty, whom Keri had seen previously, actually on and off for several months, reminded her of her own lost one, of dear sweet Sydney. She wanted to pull the little baby into her arms, keep her warm and tight against her bosom.
Was this an omen? Woodhouse and Taylor were still there, trying desperately to fill the teeny footprints and loud jumps of Sydney, trying to fill two hearts with enough kitty love to make up for three kitties. But they, too, were lonely, and Keri didn’t want them to become accustomed to being by themselves. They needed a third, someone to intervene in their arguments, someone to play with, someone to help keep them happy.
The next night on her way home from work, Keri again saw the little kitty, who was begging for attention. She was obviously not a feral kitty. She once had a home, but now had none. Or else her people didn’t take adequate care of her. Everyone knew kitties couldn’t be allowed out so much or else they’d become Killer Kitties, ones that killed and could never be really happy inside all the time.
But Keri wanted her Sydney back. She was still hoping her little baby would show up. Besides, this kitty, although a bit dirty and lean, looked well-taken care of enough that she couldn’t be a total stray. “Go on home, baby,” Keri told the little tabby. “Go on, shoo.”
The kitty looked up at her expectantly, pausing just a moment before trotting purposefully away.
“Probably just looking for a handout,” Keri said to herself as she propped open her front door so she could carry in the groceries. “She’ll just go home and eat there.”
Later that night after dinner, Keri and Alicia were in the basement watching “Never Been Kissed.”
“Would you like a massage, baby?” Alicia asked.
“You know I never turn down a massage.”
Alicia pulled out the bottle of oil, and while Keri lay on the couch, underneath a light blanket, Alicia began rubbing first one foot, caressing it gently, then kneading her heel, arch and the base of her toes. She ran her hands over it, rubbing just hard enough to not tickle, but lightly enough to relax it. Then she continued the process on the other foot.
Her loving hands continued on up Keri’s body, lovingly massaging first one calf, then the other; then moving up to work on one thigh, then the other, slowly pushing higher and higher the blanket that hid her lover’s body from her gaze, thus revealing more and more of its lusciousness.
But before she became too tempted to go for the apex, to reach for it all, she poured more massage oil into her hand and took one of Keri’s delightfully long-fingered hands in her own, intertwining their fingers and gently pulling through Keri’s, relaxing every bit of her digits. She then began rubbing the oil into the rest of the beautifully crafted hand.
She continued her attentions, finishing the one hand and moving to the other; then she proceeded to Keri’s incredible arms.
“Roll over,” she whispered through the darkness to Keri. Keri rolled onto her stomach, and Alicia pulled the blanket slowly down so that it now only covered Keri’s gorgeous ass. But, she thought, patience is a virtue, and so continued her leisurely pace to work first on Keri’s back, then her nicely rounded butt.
She finished by giving her long strokes across her entire body.
“Roll over, baby,” she again instructed.
Keri shyly obeyed, pulling the blanket back up to cover herself.
“Oh, now baby, why do you want to do that?” Alicia asked, urging the blanket lower so she could kiss Keri’s neck and collarbone while her hands went further up Keri’s incredibly long legs. Everything about Keri was long and elegant.
Her fingers brushed the triangle of hair nestled between Keri’s thighs, and she gently nibbled at the soft skin of Keri’s neck. She cupped the nest of hair, slowly working her fingers between the swollen lips, and dipping into the dampness within.
“Oh God,” Keri said, opening her legs further and arching up toward Alicia’s talented fingers, urging her inside.
Alicia pulled the blanket off, and worked her way down Keri’s body with her lips and teeth, nibbling and biting her skin, pulling a hardened nipple into her mouth and running her tongue over it. She ran her fingers up and down Keri’s slickness, teasing and toying with her before entering her and giving her what she wanted.
“Please, Al, don’t tease me!”
Alicia slowly dipped her fingers inside her lover, causing her to arch and buck further. Then she went down to taste the woman as well, running her tongue where her fingers had just been, lapping up the sweet juices while her fingers plunged into and out of her.
They were lying together, cuddling and finishing watching the movie, which they had rewou
nd so they could see the parts they missed.
Taylor and Woodhouse, seeing that things had calmed down, came over and joined them on the couch, where they curled up on each of the arms.
Suddenly, another kitty, the orange one Keri had seen earlier, timidly came over to the couch, looking for its own spot with a questioning, “Meow?”
“Hello? Who are you?” Alicia asked, sitting up slightly, so the blanket fell forward onto Keri. Her hand continued to rest on Keri’s hip.
“Oh, that’s the kitty that came up to me when I got home from work.”
“Isn’t she the one the Johnsons had?”
“Mrowr?” the kitty asked again. It finally seemed to decide to take matters into its own paws as it jumped up onto the couch to curl up with Keri and Alicia.
“They moved a month ago!” Keri said.
“I’ve tried to catch her, but she always ran away when I got near,” Alicia said, stroking the kitty, who purred like a motor car.
“Poor dear, she must’ve gotten in when I had the door open to bring in the groceries.”
Alicia rolled onto her back and held the kitty up in the air above her. It purred and butted heads with Keri, who was sitting up now.
“What a little lover, I think she’ll be Valmont!”
❤
Keri climbed into bed, and Woodhouse nestled against her head on Keri’s pillow. Taylor was curled down under the blanket at their feet at the foot of the bed.
I cuddled on the pillow with Woodhouse, who moved slightly to share her pillow with me.
“Aren’t they cute?” Alicia said, kissing Keri goodnight and turning off the light.
It’s nice to get just what you want.
About the Authors
Marie Alexander: I live in northern New Jersey (think black bears, not toxic waste) with Toni, who has been my beloved partner for five years, and our son. My life is brimming with soccer games and laundry, and we are proud to fight for equality by demonstrating every day that lesbian families can be as boring and dysfunctional as everyone else. My professional career in retail not only funds my suburban existence, but also provides an exquisite source of characters and storylines for my writing. This is my first published work, and I am currently finishing the last chapter of my first novel.
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