Fight to the Top

by S. L. Gape

  “Why you looking at me like that? You’re now making me insecure. I know I’m a shit dancer, but you need to stop making me feel like it,” Georgia said loudly into her ear over the music.

  “You are not a shit dancer. Why do you keep doing all these nice things for me? What did I ever do to you, other than be a bitch? And you’re just making me uncomfortable by being nice. I don’t know how to deal with it.”

  “Fine, I’ll be a bitch,” she said seriously. “Erika, I can’t keep going over this, I’m too old to fuck about holding grudges. We’re over it, okay? I’m being nice to you because I like you. And just so you know, just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I fancy every pretty girl that comes along. I mean I don’t like you in that way, so don’t worry. You’re amazing at your job, a great mum, funny, have great taste in music, and I’m kind of liking being up here. And well, in fact, the states. Who knew? But, as you are aware, initially I wasn’t.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I know you don’t fancy me,” she said quietly. “Come on, let’s go back, I’m done with dancing.”

  “Seriously, stop with this self-loathing bullshit,” she shouted at Erika, causing her to stop and take stock. “Come on, this is horrendous. You are bloody gorgeous, so I don’t know what or where you’re looking in the mornings getting ready, but it clearly isn’t a mirror. Your husband is an idiot, end of. And a prick if he’s made you think this lowly of yourself. And FYI, if things weren’t the way they were and you weren’t straight, I’d totally fancy you. And yeah, I’m drunk. But equally, I’m not blind, nor am I stupid,” she snapped. “You looked beautiful when you opened the door tonight, and completely caught me off guard. Don’t let anyone do this to you, but certainly not the person that should be the one making you feel like you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  Erika went to say something and stopped herself, knowing she was far too drunk to get into this now. She smiled slightly. “Thanks, that’s the first time in a long time someone’s said that. And I’m even going to stop my ‘self-loathing’ self from saying that I don’t believe you,” she smirked. “Come on, I think I need to go to bed,” she said. “Shit, I um didn…”

  “Shut up, idiot. I didn’t think you were offering,” Georgia laughed, linking her arm through Erika’s as they began their staggered journey back to the hotel.

  ***

  “Thanks again for tonight, I actually really enjoyed it. And seriously, if any of my family come over don’t you dare tell them I danced, I will shoot you,” Georgia said, smiling to Erika, who was leaning against her door, looking very drunk. “And I can do that. We’re in Texas, the all singing, all dancing, gun slinging state,” she said, movingly pointing to Erika.

  “Only family? Not your girlfriend?” she asked seriously.

  “I’m single, I don’t have a girlfriend,” she said seriously.

  “Oh, it’s just you said that you did to Mike and Derek when we had that first meeting at the restaurant.”

  “No, I said I was seeing someone. It was an exaggeration of course, due to the situation. But no, I was just, well, you know. We just had a little bit of fun for a very, very short time, when this all happened. And I mean like a couple of weeks, short time. I don’t know why I’m feeling the need to over explain this,” Georgia confirmed.

  “Ahhhh, I see. Well you have yourself a good night’s sleep, lady. Thank you again,” she said, opening her door.

  “No, no, no, don’t do that. Don’t ‘ahhhh I see’ me. You don’t see. You think because I’m a forty-year-old, single, lesbian I just slag it about, and I don’t. I don’t know if something would have come of it had I not came over here as I said it was about two weeks, but equally I hadn’t even so much as kissed a woman since my last relationship which ended three years ago. So please don’t assume,” she said seriously. Georgia was drunk and she probably shouldn’t have jumped on Erika like this, but she had a real issue with the whole stereotypical gay thing. You have to fancy every woman because she’s a woman; you’re a slag; you’re out to change every straight woman. It annoyed the hell out of her.

  “Okay, already. I was only busting your chops. Interestingly; I didn’t get that impression at all. You don’t seem like the type of woman to just ‘fuck em and fuck off,’” Erika said, looking at her intently.

  Georgia suddenly couldn’t control herself and knew she needed to go. “Right, I…I,” she coughed lightly, “I should go…to bed,” she finished quietly, pointing her way to her bedroom.

  “I guess if that’s what you need to do, then that’s what you need to do,” she said confidently, with those big brown eyes on Georgia’s.

  “You need to stop looking at me with those eyes that way,” she said, still standing in front of her.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, feeling the nerves rising in her tummy. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Her? Doing this?

  “You know full well what I mean, stop it. You need to go inside, it’s late,” Georgia confirmed.

  “I’m fully aware what time it is. I learned how to tell the time a long ass time ago. I’ll go inside in a moment, but you said you were going, and yet you’re still standing here, so I’m kind of just trying to work out what the reason is for,” she questioned.

  “For someone that’s so insecure, you get awfully confident when you’ve had a drink,” Georgia said, returning the deep glare.

  “I have no idea what you mean. I’m just merely waiting to make sure you get home okay. I’m a mom, I have that deep rooted, caring streak,” she smirked.

  “You think you’re really clever, don’t you?”

  “Once again, I don’t know what you mean, Ms. Carson,” she smirked.

  “Okay, okay. Well, I should leave before we do something we regret whilst we are both heavily intoxicated?” Georgia said more as a question.

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “I think you know the answer to that. But I’m losing self-control whilst I’m this drunk, and we both know this will be a bad idea.”

  “I don’t know the answer to anything. I was just hoping you’d kiss me already,” Erika confirmed.

  Georgia choked a little, completely stunned by the words. “Wow, you guys are forward when intoxicated,” she said, suddenly very aware and nervous of what to do next. Truth be known, she was desperate to kiss her. She had been since she’d opened the door tonight in that outfit. She took a step forward maintaining eye contact. “You know when you act all confident and shit, you’re ten times hotter than you already are?”

  “I didn’t, but thanks, I guess,” she said quietly.

  “You’re gonna regret this in the morning,” Georgia said, closing the gap between them.

  “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. But I guess you will, too,” she said confidently.

  “I’m a lesbian, about to kiss a beautiful woman, I’m pretty sure I won’t,” she smirked.

  “Do you always talk this much when you’re about to make out?”

  “I was just making sure you had an opportunity to bail should you wish, but since you keep throwing shit back at me, well, you’re out of time,” she said, putting her hand on Erika’s back. Georgia gasped as she recalled the lack of material at the back of her top. Georgia put her other hand on her cheek and laced her fingers through her thick, silky hair. She looked down at Erika’s glistening lips. This is so wrong, was all she kept thinking, but genuinely, she was way too drunk to have any kind of control over herself right now. Georgia closed the gap entirely, placing her lips on Erika’s, pushing her against the door, as she deepened the kiss.

  Erika couldn’t remember the last time she had kissed someone with such passion and vigour, it was like a drug that she couldn’t get enough of.

  Georgia’s concerns went out the window as soon as she felt Erika relax into the kiss, god she was hot, and a bloody good kisser, so she had no control over it. Their tongues exploring, dancing, becoming versed together.
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br />   Erika wrapped her arms around Georgia’s neck, pulling her closer into the kiss and biting her lower lip just ever so slightly. Suddenly it was too much for Georgia, her knees felt as though they were about to buckle, and she had no option but to cut the kiss short, breathing far too deeply.

  Erika looked shocked and disappointed. “Hey…err…um…sorry, I’m sorry about that, I shouldn’t have done that. I said you’d regret it.” She felt completely exposed at this moment and reached for the door.

  “Hey, hey, stop? Please, stop?” Georgia said, suddenly feeling very sober. “Listen, I don’t regret that at all, and I’ll put all the money in the world on the fact that I won’t tomorrow either, okay? I’m not saying I won’t be suffering from a bout of ‘teenage awkwardness,’ but I won’t regret it. I stopped because I have had too much to drink to be able to control myself. I want nothing more than to walk in there right now and finish what we started. Seriously, Erika. You have no idea how much I want that. But, you have too much going on and I can’t do that to you. And that isn’t a cop out, at all. Just so you know. But I’m pretty sure if I continue this kiss I’m not going to be held accountable for my actions,” Georgia said seriously. “Don’t doubt your self-worth, because my word you’re gorgeous,” she said, walking away and slowly releasing Erika’s hand from her own.

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Erika walked into her room feeling embarrassed and suddenly very sober. Georgia was right, that she’d regret it. Checking the interconnecting, she slowly lowered herself down the door, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her head in her hands. Erika knew Georgia was right, but it had left her feeling worse. She instigated it. She was married and she wanted it and she instigated it. Only for someone else to reject her. Erika lifted her head as she felt the door behind her move a crack, and turned her ear towards it. “Fuck, fuck, George, what are you doing?” she heard on the other side of the door. Erika didn’t know whether she should say anything, so she listened a little while longer, before she heard three short bangs on the door around the level of her own head.

  “Are you knocking on my door or are you smashing your head against the door because you fucked up so much?”

  “Oh, you’re there? I didn’t fuck up,” she heard Georgia say.

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “I was smashing my head against the door.”

  “Right, go to bed, Georgia. We’ll just forget about it, okay?” Erika said sadly.

  “If I could forget about it, do you think I’d have been smashing my head against the door?”

  Erika went silent. She didn’t know how to respond to that. Was she not regretting it? Did she enjoy it as much as Erika had? A small smile formed on her lips. Yeah, technically she was still married, and yes, this was horribly wrong. But she felt good for tonight, and seemingly somewhat good about herself for a bit.

  “You still there?” Georgia asked.

  “Yup,” she said back.

  “I don’t regret it you know? Not at all. I regret stopping it. Just a little.”

  Erika smiled as she heard the words. “Yeah?”

  “Hm hmm. So, you’re a pretty great kisser.”

  Erika could hear the smile in her voice and lightly rested her head back against the door. “Backatcha signora.”

  “What’s that mean?” Georgia asked her through the door.

  “It means same to you,” she smirked.

  “Shut up you idiot, I know that part. What’s signora mean?”

  “What? You asked I told. It means lady, in Italian,” she giggled.

  “Ahhhh yes I forgot, you’re Italian. Explains a lot. Hmm two things off my bucket list.”

  “Oh yeah? What’s that then?”

  “Ahhhh, now that would be telling,” she said, laughing. “Good night, Erika. Thank you for a…an interesting night,” Georgia smirked.

  “Tell me?” she said. “Georgia?” she barked.

  “Good night, signora. I’ll see you in the morning,” she laughed.

  “Buona notte,” she whispered, getting up and shaking her head.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Georgia woke at five thirty am, her head was banging, and she desperately needed some tablets and coffee. She lay in bed thinking about the previous night’s occurrences, causing her mind to run away with her. Regardless of anything else, Erika was gorgeous. She was completely off limits, but gorgeous all the same. The problem was Georgia was bright, intelligent and normally totally sensible, and this was not good. She would never be stupid enough to go after someone that she shouldn’t. She wasn’t into games and would never normally take a second glance at someone with so many crosses against her. “Why, oh why?” she said to herself, wondering if being homesick and alone out here was influencing her judgement.

  Getting up, Georgia put her bikini on and threw on some joggers and her hoodie, making her way down to the steam room. A good steam was always the best thing for a bad head. More so for sweating out all the alcohol from her body she thought. Georgia put her towel and clothes on a sun lounger close to the entrance door of the steam room. Opening the door, she felt the steam hit her full on. God this maybe wasn’t the best idea she’d ever had. She stopped in her tracks as she saw Erika laid out on the marble seats.

  “Hey? Hi, what are you doing here?” she said, immediately getting up and putting her arms around her waist in a bid to cover herself.

  “I’m assuming the same as you, trying to clear my head and trying to sweat out the alcohol and hangover. I can leave if you want and just go in to the sauna or pool?” she asked apprehensively.

  “No, no, its fine. It’s not mine, and I suppose it’s better I share it with you than the oldies who hate me,” she smiled shyly.

  “Well this is true,” Georgia said, laying down on the long marble seat, feeling the burn under her skin from the heat on the marble. I love the smell in these places. I normally hate lavender, but they reckon they are predominantly filled with lavender for relaxation, don’t they?” Georgia grimaced, confused why the hell she was sat there making conversations about lavender!

  “Um, actually, no idea,” Erika said awkwardly.

  “You know, it kind of defeats the purpose of a relaxed environment, when you’re all twisted and seemingly far from relaxed,” Georgia said. “Seriously, I don’t mind leaving. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in here.”

  “No, it’s fine, it’s a free country after all.”

  Georgia ignored the comment and went for a different approach. “Excellent. I must say I would have been devastated to have left this view behind,” she smirked, looking up to Erika.

  “Screw you.”

  Georgia started to speak, then raised her eyebrows to Erika and covered her mouth, causing them both to laugh. “At last she relaxes,” Georgia said with a lop-sided grin.

  “Shut up,” she scorned her. “So, is this you’re coping mechanism, Ms Carson? Sarcasm?”

  “Sarcasm?” she spat. “I’ll have you know its wit, and nothing less. On the contrary, I don’t think I need anything to cope with,” she said seriously. “Other than the pounding in my head. Even my hair hurts. Do you get that ever?”

  “No, and no I guess not. Making out with the woman who bullied your sad ass last week, whom you now you have to work with. And have to see all day every day. That’s awesome,” she confirmed.

  “Ahhhh, so you’re a glass half empty kind of woman. I on the other hand am a glass half full. The way I look at it, nothing happened last week. As I’ve previously mentioned, I am working with someone seemingly incredibly creative, intelligent and driven, which is awesome for me. Best of all, I got to kiss a super sexy Italian American last night. I mean seriously, what part of any of this is bad?” she said pointedly to Erika. “The problem I have is, I came down here to try and behave and shake off the thoughts I have been having this morning and am faced with you. Half-naked, hot, and sweaty. Now, you see, there,” she pointed to the f
loor. “That right there is a problem,” she said dramatically.

  “You’re busting my balls,” she said quietly.

  Georgia stood up, walked closer to Erika, and gently moved her hand from where it was covering her tummy. “I thought you realised last night. I don’t like balls. Stop hiding yourself!” she said confidently as she gently placed her hand back over her stomach. Georgia sat back down facing away from Erika this time. Leaning back, she closed her eyes so she could enjoy the relaxation around her.

  ***

  Twenty minutes of silence later, Erika got up. “Right, I officially am melting, so I need to head on out. What do you want to do about work today? I need to get Dulcie later, so I was wondering if you wanted to hang out here today and just go through some stuff, then I can head over to my ma’s to collect her mid-afternoon?” she asked Georgia.

  “Yep, fine by me. You want a coffee first? I’m going to get one now before I go to get dressed,” she said, following Erika out the room.

  “Yes, please, coffee and cream, no sugar,” she said, leaving Erika behind.

  Georgia got back upstairs and knocked on the door. As it opened she took in Erika with a towel wrapped around her, and her long black hair dripping onto her bare shoulders. “Really? Really?” she asked.

  “What? You were so long I figured you’d forgot about me, so I showered.”

  “You are killing me right now!” she stated. “Coffee for you.” She said nothing else, shaking her head and walking back to her own room.

  Georgia took a quick shower and lay on her bed, sipping her coffee. She picked up her phone and typed a message out.

  Hey, so you know how you gave me your number to call if I had any issues? Gimme a shout when you can talk. Gx

  She put her phone back down and switched the TV on, trying to forget about the headache that was still niggling away. She couldn’t remember going out and drinking that much in about ten years, and suddenly she’d done it twice in a couple of months. How things change, she thought to herself.