by Jane Frances
“Ta da!”
Light, although muted because of the dullness of the day, flooded into the room.
Cathy turned toward Lisa, a hint of a smile crossing her features. She nodded toward the window, “What do you reckon?”
Lisa’s eyes didn’t waver from Cathy’s face. Cathy was right, the view was spectacular. “Absolutely stunning.”
“No, don’t.” Lisa stayed Cathy’s hand when it appeared she was reaching to close the curtains again. Her every sense was heightened, nerve endings tingling, alive. She certainly didn’t want to waste a single opportunity to use all of them. “I want to see you.”
It was with some surprise Lisa realized just how nervous she was now the moment she had dreamed of had arrived. The way she felt was in complete contrast to the minutes spent with Cathy in the cabin of her utility. Those minutes had been driven by a blinding need, her actions instinctive and unthinking. But now she had had time to think. During the drive to Cathy’s home, her memories were unleashed, and their slow journey from the garage to the bedroom only served to heighten her expectations. Expectations Cathy no doubt shared.
Lisa didn’t want to feel this way. She didn’t want the flock of butterflies in her stomach, didn’t want the sudden doubts of her abilities, didn’t want to worry the years that had stretched between them may have brought changes. That what had worked so well in the past may not incite the same reactions today.
Cathy smiled again, a soft, almost shy smile. She moved closer, moved so they were almost close enough to touch. They both reached for the safety of each other’s hands, and then stood still, eye to eye, silent except for their breathing.
Lisa looked deep into Cathy’s eyes, more than a little relieved to see some of her own nervousness reflected back at her. At least she wasn’t the only one.
Cathy relinquished her hold of Lisa’s hands and Lisa held her breath as fingertips trailed up her cheek and across her eyebrows.
“Have I ever told you, you have the most incredible eyes?”
Lisa laughed softly. Cathy must have told her that a thousand times before. “Once or twice.” She caught one of Cathy’s fingertips between her teeth as they passed over her lips.
“Lisa—”
Lisa swirled her tongue over the end of Cathy’s index finger. She was in olfactory heaven, Cathy obviously having applied her signature perfume to her wrists. Lisa was convinced YSL had created this fragrance with Cathy’s body chemistry in mind. The reaction of the perfume on her skin was pure magic, a scent that assaulted Lisa’s senses, quickening her pulse and warming her blood. “Yes?”
“Do you think maybe you could kiss me now? I think I’ll die if you don’t.”
Lisa stopped her finger sucking, a rush of absolute joy evaporating all nervousness. The woman who stood before her was just too gorgeous for words. And, Lisa decided yet again as she made the one final step so their bodies touched, so incredibly sexy.
“I love you Cathy,” Lisa whispered as she slid her hands around Cathy’s waist.
From the moment her lips met Cathy’s the slow burn inside her ignited. She couldn’t get enough, couldn’t taste enough or touch enough. Lisa’s hands were everywhere, torn between lingering over each curve or continuing their journey, eager to reach the next. With each touch, she remembered. But with each touch it also felt new, like the first time.
Lisa groaned as her fingers found nipples, hard as pebbles, through the material of Cathy’s T-shirt. She swept hands up and under Cathy’s cardigan, slipping it from her shoulders. Reluctantly, she left Cathy’s lips for the time it took to lift the T-shirt over her head. Lisa took a sharp breath as flesh revealed what her mind’s eye had so perfectly drawn. Breath still held in her lungs, she reached to cup Cathy’s breasts, feel their weight, delight as they molded to her hands. Cathy would argue they were too small, Lisa would argue back they were perfect. And to her they were perfect, firm yet yielding, and so incredibly sensitive. Lisa buried her head into Cathy’s neck, trailing kisses down and over her shoulders, past her collarbone. If she just touched here, skin puckered as Lisa ran fingertips around deep pink areola, and if she just tasted there, Lisa gathered a nipple into her mouth, nipping with her teeth as her tongue flicked over and over . . . Lisa could feel her breath hot against Cathy’s skin as she experienced the reaction she sought, Cathy letting out a slow moan and pressing Lisa’s head harder to her chest.
Hands that clutched at Lisa’s hair slid down her spine, the touch sending her into shivers. The same hands slipped under Lisa’s jumper, pulling at the hem of her T-shirt.
“Lift your arms.”
Lisa’s jumper and T-shirt were whisked from her body in one deft movement. They were no sooner tossed to the floor than arms circled Lisa’s back, fingers quickly finding the catch to unhook her bra. It, too, was tossed aside.
They stood just far enough apart to study each other. Lisa saw Cathy bite on her lower lip, eyes intent on Lisa’s breasts. Lisa, for her part, could not make up her mind where she wanted her eyes to settle. Like her hands before, they darted up and down, wanting to study every square inch, but not wanting to linger for fear of missing some special patch of skin. It took little time for Lisa to realize sight was not enough. Her hands reached out to Cathy again, drawing her close. Their breasts pressed together, softness on softness.
“Cathy—” Lisa felt she would drown in the sweetness of Cathy’s mouth, felt she needed nothing more to survive than the touch of Cathy’s tongue against her own. Her arms wrapped more tightly around Cathy as their kiss deepened. “How I’ve missed you.”
The renewed urgency in Cathy’s kiss was Lisa’s reply, as was the hand that slid from Lisa’s waist to begin work on the buttons of her jeans.
Lisa found the hot spot between Cathy’s thighs and her head swam at the groan, not quiet at all, that escaped from Cathy’s mouth into her own.
Aware her knees were about to crumple under her, Lisa mumbled into Cathy’s mouth, “The bed. Let’s go to bed.”
“Bed.” Cathy repeated, her voice agreeing but her body defiant, pressing harder against Lisa’s hand.
Lisa found herself in the midst of a beautiful quandary. Bed or floor? Bed or floor? Either option promised delights. If she kept her hand where it was they would end up on the floor. If she could gather the last vestiges of her self-control they could make the few steps to the bed. The lure of the bed won. Lisa lifted Cathy off the floor.
“I can walk now you know.” A bubble of laughter emerged as Lisa took small backward steps.
“I can put you down if you want.” A few more little steps and the bed was almost in reach.
“Don’t you even think about it Lisa Smith.” Cathy wrapped her legs more securely around Lisa’s waist, her fingers curling up and through Lisa’s hair.
Lisa felt the hairs on her nape stand on end. She let her knees bend as they hit against the mattress, taking Cathy with her as she fell backward onto the bed. Lust, longing and love coursed through her veins as Cathy straddled her hips. She guided Cathy back to her lips. “Kiss me.”
They somehow maneuvered through the frantic scramble to remove the last of their clothing. One of Cathy’s shoes now poked from the pair of jeans that had landed unceremoniously on top of it, the other goodness knows where, probably near the window from the sound of leather hitting glass at around the time it was thrown. The clock radio was almost shrouded from view, covered by a leg of the jeans that hung precariously over the bedside table. Lisa could just make out the last digit, but time was immaterial to her. At the moment she didn’t care of the hour, the day, or even what planet they were spinning on. All she cared about was the woman who lay beside her, eyes closed as she moved under Lisa’s hands.
Once naked, Lisa and Cathy had shared a moment of stillness, eyes wandering down the length of each other’s body. The look they exchanged as their eyes met was combustible. For the second time that afternoon they hurled themselves at each other, bodies colliding, soon becoming a tangl
ed mess of limbs as it seemed they both tried to make up for the past eleven years in a single moment.
Cathy’s hand had come tantalizingly close to the place Lisa most wanted to be touched, but it slipped away to clutch at Lisa’s back as Lisa slipped first one, then two fingers within her.
“Oh . . .” Cathy pressed herself harder against Lisa’s hand, eyes closing as she opened her mouth to again greet Lisa’s tongue.
Lisa kissed her deeply and thoroughly, enraptured as memory became reality. She remembered everything, the increasing rhythm of Cathy’s hips, how her hand would cup Lisa’s cheek as they kissed, how Cathy’s tongue would be on fire, invading her mouth as she drew closer. She recognized the change in form and texture, muscles tightening around her fingers, the thrusting against her hand becoming more pronounced, then suddenly stilted.
“Look at me,” she urged.
Lisa felt her heart would burst as she met eyes that strained to stay open in the moments before the body rush, eyes that were almost black, pupils so dilated the iris was insignificant. They closed again as Cathy’s back arched and a cry emerged, fingers pressing hard into Lisa’s skin before fluttering limply away.
“Oh Lisa.” Cathy’s body dissolved into the mattress and Lisa nuzzled into Cathy’s neck, trying to hide the smile that spread across her face, the smile that said she was more than a little pleased at her success. She still lay on her side, fingers held captive as Cathy closed her legs around her hand. Lisa felt she could lay like this forever. Almost.
Cathy read her mind. Or maybe she read her body, Lisa none too subtle in the wriggle of her hips and the leg she flung over Cathy’s thigh. Cathy twisted and slithered until she lay on top. Lisa’s once captive hand was released, only to be recaptured as it was held above her head. Cathy’s eyes flashed as she slid her free hand downward. “Lisa.” The tip of her tongue teased at the corner of Lisa’s lips. “You’re so wet.”
“Your fault entirely.” Lisa lifted her head from the pillow to try and catch Cathy’s tongue. But she was too late, Cathy already working her way down Lisa’s neck, lips leaving a moist snail trail as they passed between her breasts and across her stomach.
Lisa’s hands sifted through Cathy’s silken hair as she opened herself to receive the most intimate of lovers’ kisses.
And she remembered. Oh, how she remembered. She remembered the mouth that encased her fully, the tongue that glided in long, knowing strokes. She remembered the hand that reached to grasp her own as that tongue darted and glided, seeking, finding, and settling into a delicious rhythm. But oh, the gathering of Lisa’s body was so fast. Cathy too felt the approach and she slowed. But for Lisa it was too late. Her hand swept down to Cathy’s shoulder, giving the two short taps that meant don’t change a thing. And oh yes, Cathy remembered the signal, one of many they had devised for the moments when speech was impossible.
Not too long later Cathy slithered back upward. Her smile was wicked and her eyes glinted. She didn’t say it but Lisa could read the that was quick in her expression. Lisa ran hands weakly up and down Cathy’s back, her heart still pounding.
Lisa’s pulse raced as she tasted herself on Cathy’s lips and tongue, and she gasped as Cathy was suddenly within her, fingers swirling against walls that still throbbed in the aftermath of her orgasm. “You’ll be the death of me Cathy Braithwaite.”
“No I won’t.” Cathy settled on her side, thighs parting in response to Lisa’s insistent fingers. She shuddered at the contact, eyes flashing as she once more sought Lisa’s mouth. “I can almost guarantee you’ll survive.”
Cathy was right. Lisa did survive. Outside, the first storm of the season raged then slowed then raged again. Rain lashed at the windows and the wind whipped the ocean into a frenzy. The front would pass and all would become relatively quiet, until the next squall approached the coast.
Inside, a similar force of nature was occurring. Frenetic need would slow to tender kisses and gentle caresses, softly spoken words of love and encouragement. Then, without warning, passions would flare again. At these times, bedclothes and pillows fell to the floor, made redundant as two bodies sought only contact with each other.
Throughout, Lisa wondered at the absolute pleasure she extracted from being at one with this woman. Regret at the wasted years again surfaced, but she would not allow it to take hold. All that mattered was she was reunited with Cathy now.
Cathy lay on her side, for the first time in years able to indulge one of her favorite activities, watching Lisa sleep. It had been dark for hours so the light was restricted to that which came through the sliding glass doors leading out to the balcony. Even that was dim, a cloud filled sky eliminating the moon and the street lights shining below their third-story level. Despite this, Cathy’s eyes adjusted and she was clearly able to make out Lisa’s form in silhouette.
She took one last lingering look, and then slipped off the bed, pausing to pull the sheet from the tangled mass on the floor and gently cover Lisa with it.
Cathy was poking around in the refrigerator when she sensed another presence in the kitchen. She swung around to find Lisa leaning against the island bench. Her hair was sticking up at awkward angles, her T-shirt not only on inside out, but backward, and she was rubbing tired eyes into focus. Cathy thought she had never seen anything more appealing.
“I thought you were sleeping.” Cathy kicked the fridge door shut, arms laden with the fixings for ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches. She smiled as she dumped the provisions onto the bench.
“I was.” Lisa rounded the counter and hugged Cathy from behind, resting her chin on Cathy’s shoulder, “I was dreaming some incredibly sexy woman was in the kitchen rustling up gourmet fare.” She whispered into Cathy’s ear, “Looks like my dreams have come true.”
Lisa’s breath tickled and Cathy shivered, “Well, you’re spot on with the incredibly sexy bit, but I can’t say ham, cheese and tomato is exactly gourmet.”
“It will be with a dash of my favorite.”
Cathy pointed her knife toward the pantry. “There should be a jar in there somewhere.”
“A jar of what?”
Cathy knew Lisa wasn’t suffering short-term memory loss, she was being quizzed. Cathy didn’t mind. Lisa could play twenty questions all night and Cathy would put money on getting all the answers correct. All the questions relating to their past that is. The present was a different matter. But she was working on it, delighting each time some new aspect of Lisa revealed itself. Cathy put the knife well away from the edge of the counter and spun around in Lisa’s arms. “Dijon mustard.”
“You remembered.” Lisa appeared surprised but pleased.
“Of course,” Cathy said, and patted her on the bottom. “But it isn’t going to walk out of the cupboard by itself. Go make yourself useful.”
Cathy returned to her preparations as Lisa padded across the floor. She smiled when Lisa exclaimed from inside the walk-in pantry, “Shit Cathy, you’ve got enough stuff in here to see you through a nuclear winter.”
There was a whole lot Lisa did not yet know about Cathy either. Including the fact she was now quite proficient in the kitchen, a complete contrast to the student who struggled to boil an egg. Lisa had done most of the cooking back then, slowly teaching Cathy the basics until she was at the point of making a decent pasta or baked dinner. It occurred to her she was not exactly showcasing her skills at present, but hey, she was starving. So too apparently was Lisa, who, Dijon collecting completed, settled into one of the chrome stools on the other side of the counter. She rested her chin on her knuckles and watched the preparations with hungry eyes.
“I didn’t think I could ever eat again after such a big lunch, but now I’m ravenous.”
Cathy glanced up and winked. “Must have been all that exercise.”
Her wink was answered with a knowing smile. “Must have.”
Unable to resist, Cathy tossed a tomato in her hand. “Would you like this on your sandwich or served in a glass on the side?”
Lisa went as red as the tomato before covering her face with her hands. “Shit. I still don’t believe that happened.”
Cathy sniggered and Lisa looked at her through parted fingers. “Shut up Cathy.”
Cathy couldn’t help herself. Laughter burst forth as she remembered the incident. Unlike Lisa, she had seen the tomato take off, flying in a high arc before it plopped neatly into the unsuspecting diner’s glass. “I’m sorry Lisa.” Her knife was placed in the middle of the bench before she did herself or Lisa an injury with it. “It’s just . . . you should have seen the look on your face.”
Lisa removed her hands from her face and tried for a glare. But Cathy saw her mouth twitch up at the corners. “Shut up Cathy,” she repeated, a giggle emerging even as she spoke.
Lisa’s laugh was a catalyst for Cathy’s, which in turn was a catalyst for Lisa’s. Soon they were both clutching at their stomachs, tears rolling down their cheeks.
“Stop it!” Cathy begged, a stitch forming in her side. She couldn’t even look at Lisa now, each time she did a new batch of the giggles emerged.
“You started it,” Lisa retorted, wiping at her eyes. “Don’t look at me. My sides hurt.”
It took a good few minutes for Cathy’s laughter to subside sufficiently that she considered it safe to resume her food preparation.
“Cathy—”
“Hmm?” Cathy adjusted the knife across the now completed stack of sandwiches, remembering Lisa preferred hers cut on the diagonal. Lisa had always insisted they tasted better cut that way. Cathy thought it absolute rubbish, but it was an idiosyncrasy she could live with. At least she ate her crusts.