by Kim Pritekel
It was March, and Lysette’s world was a glorious place. With the end of the school year coming in two and a half months, they were already beginning to sort through things, clothing and such that wouldn’t do in France. Unbeknownst to Eleanor and Emma, she and her mother were also gathering a whole new wardrobe for them and a collection of books that Lysette knew Ellie would love to lose herself in during the more than week’s journey on the passenger ship they’d be catching out of New York, that is, after the train ride to get there.
As she made her way toward the hallway where Eleanor’s locker was, she started as a huge clap of thunder rocked the entire building. The clouds had been gray and pregnant all day, and she’d wondered when the storm was finally going to break.
“Good lord,” she gasped, hand to her chest before smiling at her own reaction. She continued on, though she quickened her steps as the sky opened up and the rain fell, pounding on the school roof, echoes of thunder joining in.
She considered stopping at her own locker first, as it was closer, to grab her jacket, but her time was limited with Eleanor as she had to hurry from the school to the store, her father timing her. It gave her such a feeling of peace to know she was going to take the person who had come to mean more to her than anyone away from the hell she was being forced into. To know that somehow she’d won Eleanor’s trust and, she hoped, far more.
She greeted a few people who waved or said hello, but her focus was fully on the beautiful girl standing in front of locker twenty-seven. She was looking into the small mirror Lysette had brought for her to mount on the top shelf to make sure her appearance was, as Eleanor called it, “Ed ready.” She was buttoning her white blouse to the top and straightening the rounded collar before shrugging into her jacket. She’d already pulled her hair up into a bun before Lysette had reached her. After months of trying, she’d finally gotten Eleanor to take her hair down during the day at school.
As she got closer, she studied Eleanor’s profile, taking in the gentle slope of her neck the tight bun revealed. The feminine curve of her forehead and nose caught her eye, as well. She loved the slightly heavy, yet still feminine dark eyebrows that arched slightly over her gorgeous and deeply expressive violet eyes. Such an unusual color but somehow so perfect for Eleanor’s brand of beauty.
What she loved most, however, were Eleanor’s lips. They were full and soft, a bit pouty in their natural shape, yet could transform into the most magnificent smile, which was aimed at her in that moment.
“Hey,” she said. “Rain’s really coming down.”
“I know,” Lysette said, stepping up to her. “Do you want us to give you a ride to work?”
Eleanor let out a heavy sigh, stuffing her school bag full of her textbooks and notebook before slamming her locker closed. “‘Want’ and ‘can,’ unfortunately, are two different things.” Her gaze fell to Lysette’s wrist before it flicked up to Lysette’s eyes, anger flashing in their violet depths before she turned and stormed away, quickly getting eaten up by the crowded hallway.
“Ellie!”
Stunned by her reaction to something she knew she’d mentioned that she was going to do, Lysette took off after her as best she could. She spotted her near the doors and was making headway when a group of boys stepped in front of her. She shoved one aside and plowed between two who were in deep conversation and was finally free of the throngs of fellow students.
Pushing the door open, she saw Eleanor hurrying down the walkway leading to the sidewalk. “Ellie!”
Taking off again, she managed to catch up to her, the rain coming down in torrents. It didn’t take long before Lysette’s hair and blouse were plastered to her skin. She didn’t care as she reached Eleanor and grasped her shoulder to stop her.
“Hey, stop. Ellie.”
Eleanor stopped and turned, her eyes hard, jaw pensive. She said nothing.
“Hey, what’s wrong? What did I do?” Lysette asked, brushing some of her soaked hair out of her eyes.
“You said you weren’t going,” Eleanor said, her voice angry and hurt.
“I’m not,” Lysette responded, baffled.
“Then why are you wearing someone else’s ribbon?” Eleanor exclaimed, grabbing Lysette’s hand and bringing it up, the ribbon darkening from a light pink to nearly mauve as the rain hit it.
“Ellie,” Lysette began, but paused as a couple of their classmates walked by.
She gave them a quick smile before grabbing Eleanor’s hand and tugging her over to the side of the building where there was a small supply shed. She knew some of the kids ducked over there to smoke a cigarette during lunch, so she knew they were hidden.
“Ellie,” she began again, “I told you Karl had asked me to accept his ribbon so he wouldn’t have to go but wouldn’t take guff from his buddies for it.” She took a slight step forward and lowered her voice. “If there was a way I could wear your ribbon, I absolutely would.” She looked deeply into Eleanor’s eyes. “Don’t you know that by now?” She reached out and tugged playfully on one of Eleanor’s pinky fingers. “You don’t need to be jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” Eleanor muttered stubbornly, making Lysette smile and her heart fill almost to the point of bursting.
“Whatever you say, dear.” Lysette chuckled, amused as she didn’t know how many times she’d heard her father lovingly say that to her mother. “Are you still wanting to go out tonight for driving lessons?” she asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes again as the rain continued to pound down on them. “We’ve got to make sure you’re proficient to get you and your mama to the train station.”
Eleanor’s dark mood seemed to break as a smile spread across her lips, bringing the sun with it. “Yes. I’ll do my best.”
“Okay.” Lysette looked around and, sure they weren’t seen, placed a quick kiss on Eleanor’s lips before scurrying away.
****
Lysette grinned, watching as Eleanor white-knuckled it all the way down the bumpy lane. In fairness, the rains had caused horrible holes and ruts in the dirt roads, and Eleanor was navigating them as best she could.
“How do you feel?” Lysette asked, a hand reaching out to brace against the side of the door as Eleanor slowed the car to crawl over another set of ruts in the road.
“I feel like your poor father is going to be angry because his car is so out of alignment,” Eleanor said, never taking her eyes off the road.
Lysette chuckled. “Let’s call it a night on the driving.”
With a nod, Eleanor pulled the car to the side of the road, and the girls giggled as Eleanor slid across the front seat toward the passenger side while Lysette held herself up to climb over her.
Finally settled behind the wheel, Lysette felt her heart race a bit as she was going to move on to the next part of her plan for the night. She met Eleanor’s gaze across the cab of the car. “Want to go home?” she asked, giving Eleanor the option, as she knew her friend was being run ragged.
Eleanor said nothing, simply shook her head slowly, never taking her eyes off Lysette.
“Good,” Lysette said softly, getting the car moving again. She headed to the main road that would take them away from the rural area where they’d been practicing Eleanor’s driving and toward town.
“Where are we going?” Eleanor asked, looking around.
“You’ll see.”
Less than ten minutes later, Lysette pulled the car into town, which was dark and quiet, the light from the head lamps shining on the building as she drove around to the back.
“Lysette, this is my dad’s store!” Eleanor hissed.
Lysette grinned as she parked the car and cut the engine. “Yes, and it’s also my father’s building.” She glanced over at her passenger. “Come on.”
Being as quiet as they could, the two went into the main entrance of the building through the back, which led up the narrow staircase and to the scattered rooms, used for storage, as with the Landry store or as apartments, such as where Ed and Emma stayed during t
he renovation of the farmhouse. Lysette led them to that same uninhabited apartment.
Unlocking the door with the keys she’d snagged from the keyboard in the mud room, Lysette pushed it open, allowing Eleanor to enter before she followed and closed and locked it behind them. It was a little different than the last time she’d seen the tiny space. Last time, it had been rented by a traveling salesman who’d gotten drunk one night and trashed it. Now it had a single bed pushed against the wall with a folded blanket at the end and a pillow resting atop it. There was a small kitchenette area across from that and a window.
“It’s chilly in here,” Eleanor said quietly, glancing out the window before turning her back to the kitchenette and leaning her back against the small square of preparation countertop. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket.
“Take your jacket off and stay awhile,” Lysette suggested, shrugging out of her own jacket and tossing it across the radiator, which wasn’t working. She moved the pillow to the head of the bed and plopped down on the mattress on her side.
“Um, what part of ‘it’s chilly in here’ would be made better by my shedding my jacket?” Eleanor muttered, raising an eyebrow.
Lysette smiled invitingly as she patted the mattress next to her. As Eleanor unbuttoned her jacket and let it slide down her arms, Lysette sat up and reached for the blanket, giving it a violent shake to spread it out and pull it over her as she lay back down on her side. She took the end of it and lifted it in invitation to Eleanor, who made her way to the bed, looking shy.
Eleanor lowered herself to the small bed and adjusted her position to lie on her back, her entire right side pressed against Lysette’s front, Lysette’s behind and back against the cold, plaster wall.
Lysette rested her elbow into the mattress between the pillow and the wall and cradled her head in it. Smiling down at Eleanor, she brought the blanket up to cover her, tucking the scratchy wool up near Eleanor’s chin. Beneath the blanket, her hand rested on her shoulder for a moment before it slowly, deliberately slid downward, fingers grazing Eleanor’s left breast. The rounded firmness and the soft gasp that resulted from Eleanor’s lips sent a fiery jolt shooting down Lysette’s body.
Resting her hand on Eleanor’s side—her thumb dangerously close to the rounded side of the breast—she smiled. “Warmer?”
Eleanor swallowed and gave her a small nod. “Getting there.”
Lysette smiled at that, her thumb caressing the warm flesh covered by the plain white button-up blouse.
“So,” Eleanor said, her voice filled with the nerves that shone in her eyes. “Since we’re here, shall we practice?”
Lysette gave her a soft smile, her hand moving up over that breast again to rest on the side of her face. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. She saw the uncertainty in those beautiful eyes from the moonlight that filtered into the otherwise dark room. “No more practice.”
She leaned down, the first kiss soft and almost chaste, but she felt it was different. There was no hesitation, no need to seek permission nor to give it. In that moment, it was their time to share, it was their time.
The kiss deepened as Eleanor’s hand reached up, fingers burying in Lysette’s hair, lightly tugging her closer. Lysette lowered herself to her forearm, her right breast pressed into Eleanor’s as her hand once again found the left breast.
Lysette was on fire as she heard and felt the soft whimper that escaped into their kiss as she squeezed the breast encased in a bra. She’d caught herself staring at Eleanor’s beautiful body so many times, and she wanted to see her. She wasn’t sure if she’d be allowed, but she had to try.
Pulling away from the kiss, Lysette brought up a hand and began to work the buttons on Eleanor’s blouse. There was a soft gasp as realization dawned on Eleanor, but she didn’t stop her. She let out a slow, shaky breath as pale flesh was revealed a button at a time.
“Wow,” she whispered, tracing her fingertips over her throat as Eleanor swallowed, lightly touching the hollow of her throat before continuing down into her cleavage.
She’d never touched another female before so intimately. She’d never touched anyone so intimately. She was mesmerized by what she was looking at, what she was feeling.
“So soft,” she whispered.
She unbuttoned the blouse farther until the soft, milky flesh of Eleanor’s bra-cupped breasts were fully exposed. She felt a thrill shoot through her when she saw that her nipples were hard, pressing against the stiff material. She could see how Eleanor’s chest was heaving slightly, and a look into her eyes told her it was from arousal, not fear.
Leaning down, she initiated a slow, deep kiss as her fingers found one of those erect nipples, lightly pinching and tugging. She marveled at the soft sighs and moans that elicited from Eleanor, beautiful noises and reactions that Lysette ate up in their kiss.
She wanted more.
Breaking the kiss again, Lysette sat up and pulled Eleanor into a sitting position. They shared another shorter kiss as she finished unbuttoning the blouse and pushed it off smooth shoulders before tossing it aside. She reached around Eleanor’s slim figure to unclasp the bra at her back, it too tossed over the side of the bed.
Lysette stared at what was revealed, awed. She brought her hands up and ran them over the soft skin covering defined collarbones, Eleanor a bit thin for her height. They followed the hungry trail of her eyes to the fully exposed breasts, cupping them, sampling their weight and firmness.
As Lysette was about to push Eleanor back to the mattress to explore, she was stopped with a hand to her chest. She met Eleanor’s gaze, worried she’d taken things too far, but the look Eleanor gave her told her that wasn’t the problem.
“Wait,” Eleanor said softly, her hand sliding down from Lysette’s upper chest to lightly tug on the rounded neckline of her dress.
Getting the hint, Lysette took a deep breath before moving to her knees, gathering the material of the flowing skirt of her dress in her hands before easing the entire garment up and over her head, leaving her in only her panties and bra. She shook her head to get her hair back into some semblance of order as the dress joined the other garments on the floor.
Kneeling there, mostly naked in front of a non-family member for the first time in her life, Lysette thought she’d feel shame or embarrassment or even nervous. But as she looked deeply into Eleanor’s eyes, she knew she had no need to feel any of those things. In fact, she could see a deep curiosity and want, yet she knew Eleanor was scared and wouldn’t act on any of the desires she may have had.
She lowered herself so she was sitting on her feet and grabbed Eleanor’s trembling hands, bringing them around to the clasp of her bra. She had no idea what she was doing as she waited for the bra to disappear, but she allowed her instinct to guide her. In some ways, Eleanor’s fear-based hesitation helped her, as it eased her own uncertainty and fears in taking the lead.
Finally, the clasp was successfully unhooked, and the bra was tossed aside. She grabbed Eleanor’s hands again and placed them on her own breasts, breath hitching at the sharp pleasure that lanced through her as her nipples came into contact with the lightly calloused palms of a young woman who worked hard every day.
“It’s okay,” she said, squeezing Eleanor’s hands before releasing them. “You can touch me, Ellie.”
She watched, fascinated by the sharp contrast of Eleanor’s tanned hands against the pale flesh of her breasts as Eleanor cupped her, watching her own hands explore Lysette’s softness.
Lysette gasped in surprise, then moaned in pleasure when Eleanor leaned forward and, though slightly hesitant, swiped at one of her light pink nipples with her tongue. She’d never felt anything like it, and her eyes slid closed as her head fell back. Her hand wrapped around the back of Eleanor’s head, urging her in closer, which brought a whole new sensation as her nipple was sucked into the depths of Eleanor’s mouth.
She felt faint as her heart was racing so fast, speeding blood to all sorts of places that
were new and exciting. In a moment of instinct, she grabbed Eleanor and brought her up so she could take her in a deeply passionate, almost possessive kiss that was open-mouthed, sloppy, and wet in her desperation to exert dominance in that moment, as well as express her deep arousal.
Lysette pushed Eleanor back to the mattress and followed. They both moaned at the feel of their naked breasts pressing together as Lysette lay on top of her. Their kiss continued as Eleanor’s hands caressed Lysette’s naked back, one of Lysette’s hands beginning to do a bit of its own exploration.
Lysette broke away from the kiss and explored a soft, warm neck with her mouth as her hand slid down Eleanor’s side, over her hip, and finally to a thigh. Her fingers flirted with the material of Eleanor’s skirt, tugging experimentally to pull it up. When a hand reached down and covered hers, she stopped.
Lysette left a little kiss of apology where she was exploring on the side of Eleanor’s neck, her hand moving away. She knew they had plenty of time for more. It was a single night of many.
She did, however, realize that part of Eleanor’s skirt had been pushed aside when they’d lain down after removing some clothing. Needing to touch as much bare flesh as she could, she adjusted herself a bit and tucked her thigh between the legs of Eleanor, who responded in kind, moving slightly to give her more room. This made them both gasp as saturated need pressed against a thigh.
Lysette’s eyes flew open at the surge of sensation that shot through her, Eleanor’s reaction similar. They stared at each other for a moment before she lowered herself fully atop Eleanor, breasts pressed together as she moved her hips, slowly grinding against the firm thigh pressed to her, Eleanor doing the same.
Lysette wanted to kiss her, but they were both breathing entirely too hard, their moans and heavy breathing shared in a single space as they held on to each other, hips working together to bring them to an explosion of pleasure, which drew a loud cry from Lysette. She felt Eleanor stiffen beneath her, holding on to her in a painful grip, like an iron vise. As the waves of pleasure continued, she buried her face in Eleanor’s neck, her own heavy breathing blown back at her as she pressed as hard against Eleanor as she could, milking out every sensation she could.