by Sandy Lowe
No answer. The stereo was too loud. She knocked harder, so hard her knuckles stung.
A deadbolt clicked. Biting her lip to stave off her nervousness, she looked at the cookies staring up at her with chocolate chip eyes. She could have sworn they were laughing. Her knuckles blanched from gripping the plate.
The door opened. Annie raised her eyes.
Two identical faces stared at her, bright and flushed with excitement. The women couldn’t have been any more than twenty years old. Both were tanned. Both had shoulder-length, bushy black hair. Upturned hazel eyes hinted at Asian ancestry. Both were mirror images of each other.
Twins?
Not quite. More like doppelgangers. Harbingers of change. Never before had she seen a couple of vamps like out of those old movies she watched late at night.
One of them grinned.
“Hi. Are you our neighbor?”
Annie snapped out of her reverie. “Yes. Name’s Annie,” she shouted over the stereo. “I live over there.” She tilted her head toward her apartment. “I brought a welcoming gift for you.” She held out the plate and smiled sheepishly. She felt awkward because she was never very good at this sort of thing.
“Oh, you’re so sweet!” one of them gushed. “Come on in. The place is a mess ’cause we just moved in, and we have no idea where we’re going to put all this stuff, and we have so much to do, and I just gotta find something for you to drink, since you were nice enough to bring us homemade cookies! That is so kewl! I love chocolate chips…”
She chattered on. Her voice was lost over the din of the stereo.
“I can’t hear you!” Annie shouted.
The noisy one leaped to the stereo and turned the volume down to a dull roar.
“I’m Charlotte, and that’s my best friend Angelina. Lina for short. Don’t ever call her Angie. She thinks that’s a high school hooker cheerleader name, and she hates it. We’ve been best friends for so long that we even look alike. We finish each other’s sentences.”
She stopped chattering long enough to munch on a cookie. Annie watched as her tongue flicked at the cookie crumbs on her lips. She licked her index finger, wrapping her full lips around her fingertip. She scooped chocolate from a long, red fingernail with the tip of her pointed tongue.
Annie could have sworn she was doing it for her benefit.
Both women flitted about the room like moths. They rarely sat still for long.
“Hey, these are good cookies. I hope the water stays warm for a few more weeks. We like to swim. How long have you lived here? Is this a nice place?”
Charlotte’s high-pitched, staccato jabbering reverberated against the walls like the chirping of a mad chipmunk.
“Place is decent enough. The beach could use a bath, but the water is usually clean,” Annie said. Her voice sounded deep, mellow, and calm; a placid sea in the midst of the whitewater frenzy that crashed in the room. “I’ve been here for a month and a half. I work out of my apartment.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. At least, Annie thought she was Charlotte. Keeping track of these two was more difficult than that acorn in the three cups trick. The women were in constant motion around the room. They moved boxes. One of them grabbed a fistful of CDs and dumped them on the couch. The other dug drinking glasses out of another box. They were like two hummingbirds in search of nectar.
Charlotte, the talkative hummingbird, flitted to Annie. She held a glass in one hand.
“Oh, that isso kewl!” she squealed. “I’d love to work at home. You don’t have to wear real clothes if you work at home. You can get yourself settled without feeling like you’re living out of a suitcase all the time. We always get covered in paint and gook where we work. We go out of town a lot. We have to go again on Saturday for a few weeks. Hotels are nice at first, but they get dull after a while. Would you like a cola or something? We’d give you coffee, but the coffeemaker is in one of these boxes.”
“No thanks. I have to get back to work.” Annie shuffled back and forth. She glanced about the room. This apartment appeared to be a mirror image of her own. The bathroom was positioned opposite hers. Annie assumed that there were two bedrooms, but she couldn’t see that far down the hall. One bedroom shared the same thin wall as her own. The stereo also shared the same thin wall.
“Um, could I ask you to keep the stereo down? I can’t concentrate with the music so loud.”
“Hey, no problem. We’re just used to lots of noise. What kind of work do you do?”
“Computer work. Internet advertising for businesses.”
“Sounds neat,” Charlotte said in between bites of her third cookie. The deadpan tone of her voice made it obvious that she didn’t think Annie’s work sounded neat at all.
“We’re set painters.”
Annie had wondered if Lina had a voice. She obviously did.
“Broadway shows. Movies. TV. We’re in between gigs right now, so we’re just hanging out until the next round.” Lina slumped in an armchair with her long, tanned legs dangling over one side. Her shorts rode up the crack of her ass. Annie could never wear anything like that. She wished she could, but exhibitionism wasn’t one of her strong points. She watched Lina swing her slender, toned legs. The shorts rode up her crotch. Black pubic hairs teased her from between the swinging legs as if they peeked out from behind the denim long enough to say “boo!”
“Hey, when you finish working, come over. We’ll pop some popcorn and watch a movie…or something.”
“I’ll have to see. Maybe. I better go. Gotta get back to work. See ya.”
She suddenly felt very hot.
There was no one in her life at the moment. Why is it that when you can’t get laid, you can’t think about anything else? Everything reminds you of a steaming fuck. Sometimes she got so horny she resorted to using inanimate objects to get off. The washer during the spin cycle. Her 1988 Winter Olympics Coca-Cola bottle. That exit ramp off the highway with the five sets of rumble strips.
These two were cute, and their teasing could not have been more obvious. The last time she’d been laid was almost a year ago. Sex with that guy was nothing to rave about. Her relationships had always been with men. She had preferred women, but the opportunity had never before presented itself. Now here it was, playing peek-a-boo from behind a strip of denim.
She was scared to death.
Charlotte and Lina walked her to the door. Both women stood a little too close. Annie noticed that they were several inches shorter than she. They gazed upward at her with quizzical and amused expressions. Charlotte giggled. Lina kicked Charlotte lightly on the shin and grinned broadly. Annie smelled brown sugar, molasses, and chocolate chips on their breath. Her thighs felt wobbly.
She wanted to get back to her quiet, boring apartment as quickly as possible.
After they said their good-byes, Annie went home and locked the door. She spent the rest of the day working but kept one ear focused on her new neighbors. She laughed when several times Charlotte (it had to be Charlotte) would get a bit too noisy and Lina would loudly shush her. Since Annie worked in total silence, she could hear them quite clearly.
She worked undisturbed most of the next day. Charlotte and Lina arranged bric-a-brac in their apartment. They were fairly quiet about it. She was rather touched that they were considerate of her working next door. Granted, they made more than enough noise. After all, how quiet could mad chipmunks be?
The door slammed shut at about eleven a.m., and she heard two sets of feet scurry down the hall to the elevator, accompanied by staccato giggles and diffused conversation. Charlotte’s and Lina’s chattering faded and then there was silence. Annie was relieved. All that boundless energy wore her out.
At exactly two p.m., as she stretched her aching back, the elevator went ding. Sonorous laughter echoed up and down the narrow hallway as Charlotte and Lina ran toward their apartment. However, they didn’t stop at their front door. They stopped at Annie’s door and knocked so loudly that the door shook in its hinges.
Charlotte and Lina gaped at her when she opened the door. Both wore skimpy swimsuits. They were covered with sand. Their huge breasts nearly spilled from their bikini tops. Annie caught a glimpse of a brown areola peeking out from beneath Lina’s top. It looked like her pubic hair had taught her tits how to say “boo.”
Charlotte wore the most ridiculous pair of sunglasses she had ever seen. They were an electric blue horn-rimmed eyesore studded with rhinestones at the corners. Only someone with Charlotte’s exuberant personality could ever get away with wearing something so outlandish. Annie saw her own bemused expression in the mirrored lenses and almost laughed out loud.
Charlotte looked her up and down through the sunglasses. “How come you’re not dressed? You always sit around in a bathrobe?”
She must have seen Annie’s annoyed curl of the lip because she quickly changed the subject.
“Hey, we’re going back to the beach. Wanna come?”
“Well, I don’t want to be a bother…” She wanted to go but didn’t have the energy. By mid-afternoon she was usually too tired to do much of anything.
“It’s no bother. You look like you’ve been cooped up in here too long, and it’s gorgeous outside. Hey, the sand machine came by early this morning and cleaned the gunk up from the beach. It doesn’t look like a biohazard anymore.”
“Get on a bathing suit. We’ll be by in about fifteen minutes,” Lina ordered quietly as both women walked sideways toward their apartment. Annie gaped at the bronze halo that teased her from beneath the bikini top one last time before Lina turned to unlock the door.
They didn’t give Annie a chance to refuse, which was probably good because she did need to get out of her apartment. She had finished most of her work for the day. It wouldn’t hurt to take a break. Sometimes it took all her energy to walk to the grocery store, let alone take an evening on the town. Since she didn’t like to go anywhere alone, she rarely went out. Not knowing many people, she didn’t have any friends.
Now she had two new ones.
She felt a little uneasy because the women seemed to push themselves on her too quickly. Annie suspected they did that to everybody. Besides, going to the beach could be fun.
Could lead to other things, too. Annie smiled over that delightful thought, even though it still scared her to death.
In the month and a half since she had moved to Calvert Beach, she had gone swimming only twice. Would this third time be more enjoyable because she would share her time with those two whirlwinds? Which bathing suit should she wear? The black one-piece that she usually wore, or the neon visual assault she bought on a whim six years ago while in Florida? She opted for dazzling. As she gazed at her reflection in the mirror, dressed to look like a tropical fish on acid, she wondered at the changes taking place in her body and in her mind. She felt as if she was on a roller-coaster ride, and she didn’t want to get off.
The water was warmer than she had anticipated, and the beach was clean. Nary a Styrofoam coffee cup in sight. Must have been the company. The three of them swam and caroused in the sand and surf until dusk. As they conversed, their bodies intermingled and entwined; a touch here, an embrace there. Very tentative, but becoming more bold as the tide came in.
At dusk, Annie and her new friends returned to their apartments to get cleaned up. Annie’s mind spun as she dried her hair after her shower. Was she ready to dive in and become involved with Charlotte and Lina? She acknowledged the reasons she held back. She was afraid of letting go. Afraid of succumbing to their fever-dream way of living. Afraid of the sexual attraction she felt toward them, especially Charlotte.
While her thoughts churned, there came a knock on the door. Charlotte grinned when she saw Annie’s bathrobe, but she made no snide comments this time. She asked if Annie would like a trial run as a computer artist for the indie film she was about to work on.
As soon as Charlotte left, Annie made her decision.
She tossed off the bathrobe and threw on shorts and a T-shirt. No underwear. Freedom from underwire, nylon, and elastic felt luxurious. No more schlepping around her apartment in a dingy bathrobe. Something curious was happening to her. Her inhibitions were dissolving like the sugar in her fifth cup of coffee that morning. She held her new friends responsible. They were having quite an effect on her.
She did not turn them down when they invited her into their apartment. Charlotte sat on the couch next to Annie. She sat very close.
“I’m so glad you decided to go swimming with us. That was fun.”
Annie looked into her eyes. They were the color of warm honey, and they crinkled at the corners when she smiled. Lamplight skipped across them like pebbles tossed atop ocean waves. Charlotte touched her fingers to Annie’s cheek. Her touch felt electric, almost as electric as those silly sunglasses she’d worn earlier that day. Annie’s mouth dried and her heart pounded. She held her breath. A strange, warm feeling was coming over her. Her pussy threatened to melt and leak out all over her sneakers.
Charlotte rose and walked over to the balcony. Annie let out her breath with relief. She watched as Charlotte pulled back the vertical blinds and opened the balcony door. The sound of crashing waves exploded into the living room. The beat of the waves nearly matched the thumping of Annie’s heart. She stared at Charlotte. The glare from the balcony’s halogen light poured into the room. She could see the outline of Charlotte’s strong legs and the curve of her ample hips through the thin linen of her minidress. Charlotte was beautiful. Annie recrossed her legs, which were beginning to cramp.
“Here’s the wine,” Lina announced as she entered the room with a bottle and three small glasses. She poured a small amount of wine into all three glasses. Annie held hers by its delicate stem. The glass, with its red liquid, looked like a fragile, bloodied swan. She sipped. Her taste buds curled at the dryness of the wine.
“Is it good?” Charlotte asked as she glided across the living room. “Lina picked out this one. We’ve never had it before. Wanted to try something new. Have you ever wanted to try something new just to try it?”
“Yes,” Annie said, not certain whether she was answering the first question or the second. She realized she was probably answering both.
Charlotte had taken her seat to Annie’s left, and Lina stood by the stereo. Both women eyed her with curious expressions on their open faces. Lina beamed a wide grin at her and sipped her wine.
“Are you two always together?” Annie asked.
“Since age four.” Charlotte’s honey-sweet breath warmed her ear. “We go everywhere together. We share everything, too.”
Lina turned her head, smiled and nodded. Her body was more muscular than Charlotte’s. Annie noticed her broad shoulders, full breasts, and tight thighs as she twisted her lithe body toward the couch. Annie realized in that instant that Lina’s stance was a pose. Lina was flirting with her. She then took her place on the floor at Annie’s knees.
Annie looked into Charlotte’s eyes and felt herself falling down an abyss. A voice inside her head whispered, Do it. Let go.
“You two really share everything?”
“Yes, everything.” Charlotte’s mouth was inches from Annie’s. She could feel the heat emanating from her body.
The scent of Godiva and Black Opal wafted around Annie’s head, and made her feel dizzy. Such delicious scents make me feel so aroused. Five thin fingers alighted on her left breast, and Charlotte’s hand squeezed hard. Her fingers gripped like tiny vises. Charlotte’s hands were very strong from years of rendering and painting, and Annie felt the result of that power.If she can grasp me with such emotion, imagine how strong she would feel if I gave in to her every demand. As Charlotte’s thumb gently circled around her left nipple, her hand stretched to its full length. Her fingers played with Annie’s right nipple while her thumb flicked the left one.
All that action with one hand.
Charlotte kissed her. Her lips were full and swollen; tender and warm. Annie slid her tongue slowly along the length
of Charlotte’s lower lip, feeling the cracks and crevasses embedded in her soft skin.
She’d never done anything like this before, and she liked it. A lot. All that free-floating anxiety over…nothing.
Charlotte’s tongue flicked at her lips the same way she’d licked those cookie crumbs the day before. As Annie explored Charlotte’s mouth with her tongue, she tasted dark chocolate and red wine. Her head spun with arousal. No man had ever made her react the way these two women did. Annie gave her will over to both of them. Lina unfastened her belt buckle and unzipped her shorts. Annie lifted her butt so that Lina could remove them. The breeze felt cool against her trembling skin.
Annie felt Lina’s hands massage the taut, nervous muscles in her thighs until they had relaxed. It feels so good to let go. I’ve been alone for too long, and these two sexy women make me feel alive again. Charlotte had already unbuttoned Annie’s blouse. Charlotte leaned back, stood up, and smiled. She looked at Annie with an amused expression.
Annie didn’t want Charlotte to stop what she was doing. Charlotte caught the look and smiled slowly. She unbuttoned her linen minidress and let it fall to the floor. She wore no underwear. Charlotte was not a small woman, despite her short stature. Her body was full and muscular; broad-shouldered, broad-hipped. Her bulk was supported by two very powerful legs; thoroughbred’s legs. Her hands were big, strong, and blue-veined from years of artistic work. They were capped by chrome-lacquered nails, painted blood red. Lina had told her that before they moved to the new place, Charlotte had painted them the same shade of blue as a ’63 Chevy. Annie considered Charlotte’s hands the most beautiful part of her body. She could easily cover an octave and a half on a piano, which came in very handy in bed. She knew those hands could crush a windpipe if necessary, by the look of them. Yet Annie knew that those hands could also caress with more gentleness than she had ever experienced in her entire life. I’ll let those strong hands take over my body and do whatever they like.